#they're good at offering promises to vulnerable people

[its-leethee]

I am so accustomed to seeing the adults in children's media portrayed as antagonistic obstacles for the child protagonists to outwit and overcome. So, I really appreciate how in The Dragon Prince, Callum, Ezran, and Rayla are able to approach and rely upon the adults, strangers even, that they meet during their journey. The specific examples I want to talk about are both from 1x07: the doctor and the mercenary.

When Ezran and Callum meet the doctor, he is genuinely concerned for the boys, even though he can tell that they're not being completely upfront with him. He gives them his hospitality and listens without judgement or reproach while they tell him about the accident with the egg. When he realizes his expertise is inadequate, he keeps his promise not to tell on them, and points them towards hope.

Rayla's meeting with the mercenary is more tense; he is understandably skeptical of her intentions after she chases and corners him in an alley. But when he realizes her sincerity, he heeds her plea for help. His words ("but it'll burn you") and his body language (his hesitation, his worried facial expression) belie his empathy - at least, until he sees that she's an elf, and his prejudice overcomes him.

I also want to give a mention to Villads and Lujanne, who stepped up as mentors/guides for the trio, and offered their assistance, advice, and kindness without expectations of recompense.

In reality, most people are good and want to do right by others(1). The vast majority of the strangers and people you meet are not scheming, nefarious opportunists-in-waiting. If you approach with vulnerability and ask someone for help, they will honestly try to assist you.

I just find it such a refreshing, appropriately wholesome take. Grownups aren't out to get you, kids. As someone who was raised in the "stranger danger" era, I am glad to have tdp's more nuanced and honest version of reality to show and discuss with my own children.

#the dragon prince #1x07 #affectionate #tdp rant #i guess that's what this is #(1) source: me and my correct belief in human goodness #i just keep thinking abt. the writers made that choice. to have the kids get help from strangers #first time i watched i was waiting for a trick or condescension or ulterior motives. and it just. didn't happen that way. SO nice #mine #tdp analysis

[mareagirls]

Hi! If you’re ever in the mood to write a sickfic I like this idea.

Peter and reader are on a date, but reader feels nauseous. But, reader doesn’t want to tell Peter because a: they’ve both been super busy lately between Spider-Man duties and college and/or work and b: because even if reader won’t admit it, being vulnerable and being taken care of kind of scares them. But Peter finds out/figured it out and wants to help and fluff ensues.

Anyway, it’s just an idea. No pressure to complete (obvi)! Hope you’re doing well and drinking water! <3

~🥧

 hey pie anon! i hope this is okay and i'm sorry it's months late! I forgot it was in my drafts :')

You realise something is wrong when you’re only a quarter of the way through your pizza and Peter is over half way through his.

You feel sick. Or at the very least least like you might be - nausea brewing uncomfortably in your stomach as you take small bites of your food.

Your boyfriend chats away opposite you, blissfully unaware that you've started to feel queasy, so you plaster a smile on your face and swallow hard. The two of you have been incredibly busy for the past few days between your work and his vigilante duties, and the last thing you want to do is ruin the first peaceful moment you’ve had together. You can tell how much Peter has needed a little normalcy. The thought of ruining it because you’re feeling a little off feels incredibly selfish.

Beyond that, you're not used to letting people take care of you, and though Peter has told you countless times that he likes doing it, you can never quite dislodge uncomfortable feeling of vulnerability that blooms in you whenever he does. Letting yourself be loved, allowing Peter to look after you when you're not feeling too well - they're processes. You've been trying to work on them for a while, but it's difficult. It always has been.

You’re just trying to rub at your chest discreetly when Peter looks up at you from his almost empty plate. 

"Everything okay?" 

"Yes! Yeah, everything is fine." Your reply comes out wobbly and you only realise afterwards that you’ve made too much of an effort to sound alright. You smile at Peter through gritted teeth and try foolishly to convince yourself that if you pretend the nausea doesn't exist, it'll go.

Peter doesn’t look like he believes you for a second.

"Are you sure? Do you not like your pizza?" He pushes his own plate towards you as if it's the easiest thing ever, offering you his last two slices. "Here, baby. We can swap."

The tender easiness in the gesture very nearly makes you want to cry. Peter Parker might just be the loveliest boy you’ve ever known.

"No, Peter it's okay. My pizza is good,” your hands shifts slightly to rub against your abdomen, Peter tracks your movements cautiously. “I'm just kinda full I think.”

Your boy raises an eyebrow at your barely eaten pizza but nods, never one to push you for explanations.

"I'll ask for the bill and a box to take the rest home. We can have the ice cream in the freezer when we get back. How's that sound?"

The thought of ice cream makes you feel queasy, but Peter seems so hopeful and he's looked so tired and sad in the past few days that you cant help but indulge him.

-

Once you’ve gotten the bill and packed your leftover pizza into a takeaway box, Peter takes your hand in his and guides you out of the restaurant.

New York City in the evening is a sensory nightmare, but your nausea does abate slightly thanks to the fresh air. You catch Peter looking down at you and stamp an awkward smile on your face.

"Home?" He squeezes your fingers gently.

Your stomach churns at the thought of having to go so far, but Peter is looking at you like you've hung the moon and the stars - the journey home feels a little more bearable with him by your side.

"Yes please."

"You okay to walk?" 

"I'm fine, Peter. I promise."

"No, you're not, baby. And that's okay, you don't have to tell me what's wrong if you don’t want to. Just let me take care of you."

You sigh, resigned. You don't even know why you tried to hide it from him. Peter can quite literally hear your heartbeat, of course he was going to clock that you're not feeling too well.

Peter keeps his body angled towards yours as the two of you walk, and you soon realise that he's shielding you the best he can from the light around you and all the bodies rushing past. It's a small gesture, one that he might not even realise he's doing, but makes your chest flutter pleasantly

Then, just as you think that maybe the nausea is easing up, another wave of discomfort overwhelms you and you stumble.

Fortunately Peter catches your wrist just before you can do any real damage, balancing your pizza box in his free hand. He helps you back up easily, his fingers a warm pressure on your skin.

"Woah. Hey, hey, sweetheart. Let's just stop for a second, hm?"

You are mortified, and very sorry about how inconvenient you're being but when Peter pulls you to a stop, you oblige. Tears swarming in your eyes, you make one last ditch attempt at snuffing out the discomfort by pushing your face into the soft sweatshirt your boyfriend is wearing. 

You feel him go still and for one horrible millisecond, you think he's going to push you away, but then Peter’s body relaxes and he presses you against him softly, almost as if he's afraid to hurt you.

You mumble into his chest. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay, you don't have to apologise," his lips are soft against the crown of your head. "You're good. Let's take a moment, alright?"

You nod, sniffing slightly.

"We're nearly there. Just a few more blocks to go." 

Something like a whine gets stuck in your throat and Peter coos gently, a hand coming up to cup the back of your head. “I know. You’re alright, honey. I've got you.”

You straighten up after a few seconds, aware that this is not at all what he signed up for when the two of you left the house, and Peter frowns a little.

"You can lean into me, baby. You're not a bother."

And you do know, because he's said it to you countless times before in different variations. I like being there for you. You don't have to apologise. I'm here for you, it's kinda in the boyfriend job description.

Peter doesn’t have to repeat himself. When he nudges you closer, you lean in.

-

Once you’re at home, Peter lets go of you carefully, never taking his eyes off you as he reaches into his jacket pocket and pull out the keys to let you both in.

He places the pizza box on the microwave in the kitchen before following you through down the corridor, a hand ghosting the small of your back. When you reach the bedroom, he dims the lights.

You sit on the bed gingerly. Peter sits next to you.

"How are you feeling?" Peter asks.

You’re quiet for a while. Then, a small admission;

"I feel really nauseous Peter." You avoid his gaze. "It started in the restaurant. I don't... I don't know what's wrong."

Peter is silent for a beat. You take it as a sign that you've said something wrong.

"It's fine though. I'm sorry for ruining the meal. I know you were looking forward to this." your voice is hoarse. "I’m really sorry."

When you muster the courage to look up at him, Peter looks horrified.

"Baby, what are you talking about? You didn't ruin anything. It's okay." His hand comes up to brush at your jawline. "I got to spend time with my best girl. I feel like the luckiest guy alive."

You think he might be exaggerating just to make you smile, but there's real sincerity in his tone. "Do you want pain relief? Some ginger tea, maybe?"

Right now, you only want Peter.

"Can we just cuddle for a bit, please?"

"Oh, my girl." Peter is already pulling you down so that you're lying against his chest. "C'mere."

#peter parker imagine #tasm peter parker #peter parker x reader #tasm peter parker imagine #peter parker fluff #tasm peter x reader #tasm!peter parker #fic recs #mareagirls musings #tasm x reader #peter parker one shot #tasm!spiderman x reader #tasm peter parker x you #my works! 💌 #i cannot believe i have finished writing something 😭 #it’s been MONTHS #i’m so rusty

[zoe-oneesama]

ONE MORE EPISODE LEFT TO WRITE! CONGRATULATIONS!! 🎉🎊 Based on everything we’ve seen up to this point in-show, what are your thoughts on Nathalie, her Catalyst akuma and Mayura villain persona, and the Heroes’ Day Season 2 two-parter after your fresh rewatch of the episodes?

I'll be watching both parts at once, but since I'll probably have to rewatch part 2: "Mayura" when I finish my own part 1, I'll mostly focus on Part 1: "Catalyst", with some bleed in from Part 2. I'll be taking a linear critique of the episode in a stream of consciousness way.

To start, "Heroes' Day" is not a real French holiday, yet Marinette's parents say it's come again "just like every year", implying that this has been going on for multiple years? Implying that a Hero Day based off your local superheroes have been happening for YEARS while Marinette and Adrien are in the same class, in the same school year....make it make sense.

Of course, this could be a totally in universe regular holiday that USED to be about just doing good deeds for a day that they adopted to theme around their superheroes, what do I know.

About those good deeds...Marinette deserves slack here. She does good deeds for her friends all the freaking time, but the first part of the two episodes puts a lot of pressure for her to not only do a Good Deed but a Good Enough Good Deed, which to me defeats the purpose of a good deed. You're supposed to do good deeds for the sake of being kind and improving the world, not for...recognition. Or maybe they're being graded...

This feels like a dropped plot line, which is a shame because this was actually a decent lesson for Marinette for once about taking on too much and pressuring herself. Except for Chloe, Marinette is the only person demanding Marinette do a Good Enough Deed, to the point of making a promise she couldn't keep. (Though it's dumb she feels pressured thanks to CHLOE of all people, when all the richest girl in Paris is offering is her own autographs). Yet they only go part way and nearly completely drop this plot line in the second half.

You know, instead of that scene of Adrien meeting Marinette on the steps and assuming he's not invited, they could've used that time for Marinette to admit to Adrien that she panicked and is struggling to keep to her word. Marinette could've actually confided in Adrien, showing their friendship by allowing her to be vulnerable with him about how she was feeling inadequate compared to everyone else and how these feelings spurred her into trouble. This also would've been a great lead in for the end of the two parter:

In Part 2, the picnic/taste testing that Marinette promised but had no time for? It still happens. How? According to Adrien at the end of his speech, the class "jumped at the chance to help". Would've been nice to see any of that, or see any REAL conclusion to Marinette's issue in these episodes, which was putting too much pressure on herself and not telling the truth when it became overwhelming. Even her mom tells her that bravely admitting when you've messed up is heroic, but...Marinette never tells anyone.

On screen anyway.

By having Marinette tell Adrien, Adrien could've rounded up the class to make the picnic happen. And Marinette should've been distraught - this was supposed to be HER good deed yet THEY did all the work! She failed! And then the class disagrees. She does good deeds all the time! Checking in on Ivan after he was an akuma! Breaking Juleka's picture curse! Bringing Marc and Nathaniel together! A single day can't compare to the number of things she's done for everyone here! And now it's their turn to do something for her!

And then she's brought to tears and kisses his cheek in thanks blah blah blah you've seen canon. Instead it's treated as a "oh yeah, we did that thing with Marinette in the first part, uhhh, that's resolved now, okay?" What a waste.

Actually I'm sure this is a completely dropped plot line because Adrien says "Like Rose said earlier" when she didn't say anything.

Where were we? Oh right, Lila's first sighting in a whole season.

Alya here says Marinette is jealous of Lila for trying to hit on Adrien (or in the French, "seduce"~ lol). I'd just like Alya to remember that for later when she actually believes Lila when she says she doesn't have feelings for Adrien, but we all know continuity doesn't live here.

Speaking of, I'm not surprised how many salt fics paint Lila's (first) mom as an idiot. Right after Lila tells her mom that Principal Damocles is also stuck as an akuma thanks to Ladybug's "incompetence", a giant floating balloon of Ladybug floats past her bedroom window.

Woman, how you gonna believe that Paris' heroes are incompetent on the word of your daughter while Paris throws a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in her honor? (I also assume this woman doesn't talk to anyone other than Lila despite apparently being out of the house so often that they don't even share breakfast together. Sure ZAG.) But at least I get to enjoy Gabriel deliberately poking the bear by bringing up Volpina when she was completely and utterly irrelevant. That did in fact make me laugh.

Oh, this is something that I only just put together, but Alya says her good deed was going to the Mayor and getting him to sign off on making the school accessible for disabled students, and we see in this episode on-wards that the school has a ramp. I HAD noticed the ramp in Season 3, but I had completely forgotten that Alya talked about it here at the end of Season 2. So, wow! Good continuity detail, Zag! You get one gold star. ⭐

(though that ramp is hella steep)

I was about to also praise the continuity of Gabriel bringing up financing a Ladybug movie, since that seemed to be setting up "Animaestro"...but then he says it's playing that day (on EVERY tv channel?!). But..."Animaestro" was the movie's premiere...So I guess there's another in universe Ladybug movie ( funded by a fashion director?) that we'll never see. U_U

Damn, I was gonna point out the nepotism of hiring your primary sponsor's son to voice act the male lead, but I guess I can't anymore, bummer 😗

I do make a mental note of the things Lila is calling Ladybug as she's cycling through news coverage. "Liar. Traitor. Coward." Just...interesting. Where did Ladybug lie? Where did Ladybug betray Lila? Where did she run and hide? Interesting, interesting, interesting.

And betrayals only happen when there's trust between you, in order for Ladybug to "betray" Lila she would've had to have Lila's trust or loyalty to begin with.

Even here she didn't accept the akuma as willingly as she did in "Chameleon", but she still greeted Hawkmoth like an old friend, and is DELIGHTED to ruin everyone's Heroes' Day and traumatize them with her illusion for a chance to help Hawkmoth succeed, just to get back at Ladybug. Yikes.

Lmao, not the unfinished png photoshop background on the flute. Great quality check, guys.

I do think this is the first time I actually thought Hawkmoth did something smart. After putting all his eggs in the Audrey/Style Queen basket and then handing the basket to Chloe/Queen Wasp, I wasn't too impressed with him, but this plan was actually good. (I mean it should've PARTIALLY fallen apart once people saw both the Unakumatized Ladybug AND Chat Noir now that we know people can reject their akumas, but sure. We didn't know it at THIS point, so it seems smart.)

But all this energy could've just been channeled into making the ultimate doctor akuma. I mean, you literally made a Miraculous Holder Power Booster with Catalyst, so I'm just saying what we've all been saying~

"I know, it wouldn't be very heroic to use my powers on my personal business" - GIRL at this point YOU'VE EARNED IT, SCREW what Tikki says!

This does make it the second time someone's told Marinette to just come clean to her friends. Why did they drop this plot line after pushing it so hard?!?!?!

"You don't have enough cake for me, do you?" Sir, did you pull a muscle with that leap?! I guess the intention of this scene was that Marinette was ABOUT to come clean to her friends but Adrien's excitement put the pressure for her to pull off the picnic back on. Again, there is no solid conclusion for this part of the story, Marinette just festers on it until there's akuma stuff to deal with. Wait, maybe the mass akuma outbreak is how she really got out of it... "Sorry guys I TOTALLY had this whole thing planned, but, you know. Akumas. Lots of them. Couldn't do it."

How satisfying. 🙃

"Heroes' Day is now...meaningless!" This is like in Christmas movies when people say Christmas is RUINED because a tree caught fire or Santa didn't come. Did the Whos in Whoville teach you nothing, that's the not the true meaning of Christmas and Superheroes are not the true meaning of Heroes Day when you set it up as a reoccurring holiday where people go the extra mile to be kind to one another!

Sorry, this is nit picky, like really nit picky, but don't create a fictional holiday that's about joy and kindness and then "ruin" it by something only tangentially related. I know it's totally just to get the plot going forward, but I'm too old and have seen this too many times (mostly in Christmas media) and it starts to grate on you. Just make the holiday a new one in tribute TO the heroes, then it can be ruined by the heroes turning bad, otherwise you're killing your message about the Everyday Heroes doing Good Deeds to Keep the World a Kind and Happy Place by putting all the weight on the SUPERNATURAL EXTRAORDINARY FIGURES THAT NORMAL HUMANS COULD NEVER COMPARE TO!

*huff huff*

So...Sabrina should know what's up with Lila at least a little, right? Since Ladybug firmly believes Volpina was involved, right? Well, based off some spoilers, MAYBE (strong maybe, this is speculation entirely), Sabrina might finally be using this knowledge. You know, 3 Seasons later. Maybe. They've been doing pretty decent at pulling stuff from earlier seasons, even if it DOES feel too little too late, so it's possible that Sabrina will FINALLY remember this moment with Ladybug.

"You're Rena Rouge and you didn't tell me?!" You didn't tell her you were Carapace either, but I see this is where it freaking starts with you young man. I remember this being a funny moment but hindsight has ruined it, so, thanks for that "Rocketear". 🙃

See, THESE are the Adrien/Chloe moments that I wanted: annoying sibling energy 100%. But alas, this is ALSO ruined. Chloe is calling it her Miraculous, give me MY Miraculous, putting down Chat Noir as Ladybug's "underling". This was never going to work.

Wow, Nora totally nailed it: "If he's talking to Ladybug, then Ladybug and Mr. Whiskers are still on the good side!" I thought she was supposed to be the dumb one?

Anyway, that's part 1 (or at least most of what I have to say about it). As a stand alone, this feels like a huge lead up, which I think gets mostly paid off on the akuma side of things...and definitely not on the Marinette side of things. Wah wah.

I don't have many feelings on Nathalie, Catalyst, or Mayura since they're barely in the first part (or not in it lol) and when she is in it she feels very OOC - smiling a lot, shy glances to the side, all in to go full Team Rocket with Hawkmoth. Up until now she's been so peripheral that seeing her main stage (though again, just barely) is so jarring.

Well, we'll see her "shine" in the next part I guess.

#heroes day #catalyst salt #catalyst #my opinion #ml salt #writing salt #always writing salt #lila salt #an essay by zoe

[kyouka-supremacy]

I've recently read the ch 84-88 of bsd and there's one thing i want to know, why did atsushi challenged akutagawa to not kill anyone during 6 months if he never believed that akutagawa could keep his promise about not killing ? What was going through atsushi head when he challenged akutagawa that way, did he want akutagawa not listen to him and fail?

That's a good question. Because chapter 85 proves that Atsushi did not believe Akutagawa would have been able to keep his promise; why bother asking, then? I suppose, in the end Atsushi thought it was worth giving it a try. He didn't believe in Akutagawa, but the fact that he challenged him demostrates that he wanted to be proved wrong. That he wanted Akutagawa to prove him wrong.

Atsushi - at least, at that point in the story - thinks very poorly of Akutagawa. Atsushi is judgemental, he thinks of Akutagawa as someone impulsive, stupid and small minded. But after they fought together, after they fused their abilities, after Atsushi had made himself defensless and vulnerable in front of Akutagawa and Akutagawa had done the same in turn... Atsushi didn't care for Akutagawa. Except that he did, at least more than he did before. So he's like: here's a tip. That's what Atsushi words are: a suggestion from a friend. They're not a challange, or an order, and they're only disguised as a deal, because there wasn't any reason for a deal to begin with, Akutagawa would have fought against him after six months either way. And Atsushi gives Akutagawa an advice, he tells him: there's some things that you aren't able to see, and that's why you're in pain. Here's what you can do to change that. In a way, Atsushi's words to Akutagawa in chapter 53 are the direct follow-up of his statement on the Moby Dick “If you asked me, I'd say Dazai-san has already recognized you long ago [but you can't see it]”. “Then you will come to the truth in its simplest form, and what you need for Dazai-san to acknowledge you. The fact that weakness and strength aren't as related as they appear to be [here's how to see it]”.

Let's add to that. Perhaps, Atsushi's willingness to give Akutagawa a chance was prompted by how close they went to knowing each other's ghosts during that mission, how much of themselves they opened up to the other. In that moment, for the first time in the whole story, Atsushi starts contemplating a tiny possibility of Akutagawa ever changing. Even though he doubted Akutagawa could make it, even though he knew there was a very slim chance Akutagawa would ever keep his word, for a fragment of second Atsushi still thought it was worth giving Akutagawa a chance¹. Atsushi is quick to judgement and full of preconceptions and doesn't often grant people the benefit of the doubt, but here for the very first time we can see him partially dropping his prejudices, which is so important to his personal growth. It's the first step towards trusting Akutagawa which will ultimately culminate in chapter 87 and them blindingly trusting each other in order to defeat Fukuchi, and later in chapter 107 with Atsushi fully trusting Akutagawa would never hurt him under normal circumstances and also with Atsushi offering himself as Akutagawa's meal without opposing much resistence. I mean. Sorry. It did kinda happen tho.

I don't think Atsushi made Akutagawa promise because he was hoping that he would have failed. I mean, if anything, Atsushi is strongly against people dying, so he would hope for Akutagawa to keep his promise only so that nobody would have had to lose their lives. The only instance of Atsushi hoping Akutagawa would break his promise could be, perhaps, on a subconscious level, hoping, in spite of himself, that Akutagawa would break the deal because that way they wouldn't have had to fight and kill each other, because deep down Atsushi doesn't want to kill Akutagawa. But this last one is quite a romanticized interpretation, ahah.

¹ Some very insightful considerations on Atsushi's willingness to change his view of Akutagawa were expressed in this great Atsushi analysis. I warmly recommend to give it a read!

#I hope this makes sense? Exams have been killing me I'm very tired #atsushi nakajima #ryūnosuke akutagawa #sskk #bsd #bungou stray dogs #bsd analysis #people asks me stuff #mine

[rphelperblog]

Brigid Kemmer Quote RP Meme

NYC best selling author who is most famous for her fantasy series-inspired by @multistoty​ and @for-the-king-x​

“Not all scars can be seen, my lady.” 

“I will not take from those who have nothing.” 

“I can appreciate that he wants to do it himself, but I'm kind of done with prideful men” 

“Because despite all outward appearances, I’m not cruel. I don’t delight in pain. I don’t delight in any of this.” 

“When there are calls for revolution, we should be riding at the front, not hiding in the shadows.” 

“Scars mean you survived something terrible.” 

“Unfortunately, the desires of rulers are not always the desires of the people.” 

“She's not the type to swoon for pretty lies.” 

“Never offer blindly, my lady. Not for your family. Not even for yourself.” 

“Do not fault yourself for choices you believed were right in the moment. It is not princely.” 

“I often find comfort in the thought that fate has already drawn a path beyond what seems impossible.” 

“I’m not sure precisely what has changed between us, whether it’s trust or respect or simply the ability to see each other in a different light.” 

“One poor choice shouldn't undo a thousand good ones.” 

“You have an unusual definition of luck."

"Spoken like someone who lives in a castle with an endless supply of food and wine, but calls himself cursed.” 

“True strength is not determined by how brutal you can be,”

“True leadership is not determined by killing those who oppose you.” 

“I could have chosen no one better, my lady. Truly.” 

“He looks like revolution. He looks like compassion. Blue eyes and gentle hands and quick feet and a core of strength and steel.” 

“Fear makes people act in ways we'd never expect.” 

“I'll take anything over days of silence.” 

“Kindness leaves you vulnerable. I learned that lesson years ago.”

“I’m not a killer. I heal people; I don’t harm them.” 

“Our relationship seems to tick forward like the hands of a clock, always changing in relation to each other.” 

“I’ll never be free of this. Of who I am. This will be my life as King’s Justice: the most feared man in the kingdom, and somehow also the most alone.” 

“Have we spent so long seeing each others vulnerabilities that we forgot each others strenghts?” 

“Knowledge should not be greeted with scorn.” 

“There are too many layers here. I thought it was as simple as right or wrong . . . ​but it’s not.” 

“ It is meant as a mark of respect. When you travel with me people will assume you are a lady, a servant, or a whore. would you prefer one of the latter?”

“If I put a crystal goblet in this one's hand, she'd likely smash it and use the shards to cut me.” 

“Reading is not unproductive.” 

“I have heard every manner of scream without flinching. I have listened to promises and threats and curses and lies—and occasionally, the truth. I have never hesitated in doing what needs to be done.” 

“I´d like to kiss you,"

You are not a weapon,”

“She trusts me. I trust her. This feels more monumental than love. More precious. More earned. I keep my hands to myself.” 

And acting like a prince generally means acting like an arrogant know-it-all, so you shouldn’t have any trouble at all.”

“He has this uncanny ability to make his words a veiled threat and a whispered promise at the same time.” 

“Whoa. I have no idea what I expected him to do, but that's even better.”

"Choices are never easy. There are good and bad options, but the most dangerous is to not make any choice at all.”

“Today, guilt is a thorn I cannot remove.” 

“Right now, in this moment, I would grant her my kingdom if she asked.” 

“When I was young and I’d wake with nightmares, my mother always used to say, All you have to do is think of me, and I’ll appear in your dreams. I’ll help you chase the nightmares away.” 

“They're being such idiots. They should have just talked to each other.” 

“Have you not figured it out yet? The curse torments us all.” 

“A spark of rebellion is all it takes to defy the night.” 

"That monster killed them all.” 

“You are merciful and kind. But kindness and mercy always find their limit, beyond which they turn to weakness and fear.” 

“You said that not every problem can be solved by the end of a sword. I have carried those words with me for days... Since you made me realize that I am no longer a weapon to be wielded by another.” 

“I’m not going to fall in love with you,” 

“I know trust is not something you win once, but is instead something you must earn over and over again.” 

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” 

“I keep hoping for peace. I keep longing for empathy. I keep expecting people to act as I would.” 

"Have mercy, my lady. I know your soldiers are said to enjoy tearing men limb from limb, but----"

“There was something about knowing how long you have to suffer that was better than just waiting.” 

“I think that very few people truly deserve what they get.”

“I’m confident in my strengths, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think about my weaknesses.” 

“I was born this way and I'm going to die this way, so teach me to work around it.” 

“While your weakness may be a disadvantage in some ways, it is an advantage in others. One I think you could use to your benefit.” 

“Mind your mettle”

“To whom it may concern: I’m not involved.”

“Ah yes, the most dangerous person at the party is always the girl sitting alone with a book.” 

“It is not weakness to wish for peace.” 

“When a man no longer deserves your loyalty, it is not a failing of yours” 

“It [is] possible to be strong and yielding at the same time.” 

“I haven't gotten in a fight yet this year!

It is not the moment of passing that is most important. It is all the moments that come before.” 

“Failure isn’t absolute.” 

“If you can't fix what went wrong, then fix what you can make right.” 

“One day isn't your whole life. A day is just a day.” 

“The choices we face may not be the choices we want, but they are choices nonetheless.” 

“You make your own path.”

"Yield to yourself. Yield to forgiveness. Yield to happiness. Yield to this moment. It's not hers. It's yours. It's mine. It's ours.” 

"Because that is all that exists at the end of this path. I am sure of it. This was never a curse to be broken. This is a death sentence. The true curse has been the thought that we might find escape.” 

“Fury and fascination wage war in my thoughts.” 

I want so desperately to turn it into more, to see where this blossoming attraction will lead.” 

“I didn’t realize it was possible to be strong and yielding at the same time.” 

“I hope she does come here. I hope she comes to this room. Because I don’t care what I have to do. I’m going to end her.” 

“I am crying because you are a prince,'and I..'I am not a princess.” 

“This early in the season, the other girls would sit by the hearth and gaze at me over crystal goblets, while I’d pour wine and tell stories with just enough devilishness to make them blush. If I put a crystal goblet in this one’s hand, she’d likely smash it and use the shards to cut me.” 

“Girls are more likely to stay if you don’t fight with them.” 

“Failure isn't absolute, just because you couldn't save everyone doesn't mean you didn't save anyone.”

“Words spoken in the dark in the middle of the night always feel so much heavier than they would at any other time.” 

“I think I’m going to need you to run that by me again.”

“I am always surprised to discover that when the world seems darkest, there exists the greatest opportunity for light.”

“Choices are never easy. There are good and bad options, but the most dangerous is to not make any choice at all.” 

“...while ruthlessness may have its place, I believe your brand of strength would garner greater loyalty. That is what makes you dangerous. Not because you would ride in with a blade and take control, but because you could quietly sit in this chair, in the dark, with your book...and you could determine the best way to achieve what needs to be done.” 

Do you want to hit me back? You can."

“He stalked across the room like he wanted to wage war, but he kisses me like I'm the most delicate thing in the castle.” 

“My left leg is clumsy and about to give way, but I mentally threaten to cut it off if it doesn't get me out of here. It listens.” 

#open to all #open to anyone #open rp #ask meme #rp meme #open meme #open to anybody #roleplay meme #ask prompt #memes #open starter #fantasy starter #fantasy rp #open fantasy roleplay #open fantasy starter #historical rp #open historical roleplay #open historical starter #book quote meme #booktube #ya books #book rp meme #brigid kemmerer #a curse so dark and lonely #a vow so bold and deadly #defy the night #defend the night

[asukaskerian]

I was going on a reread on some of my favorite chapters in Bleach while waiting for new episodes of The Blood War Arc and I realized something... I kinda miss seeing Ichigo dealing with these delinquents that pick fights with him for petty shit.

It's kinda silly, but I liked the gags of how short tempered these dummies can get. Ichigo gets to basically shit talk and hold a conversation with these guys and I just get the giggles.

I actually kinda wonder how a scene of Orihime dealing with the delinquents would play out before Ichigo gets there, or even if they show up when it's just Ichigo and Orihime hanging out. (Mayhaps on that promised walk home Ichigo would offer sometimes LOL)

Realistically it might be an Ichigo solo vs the horde when he gets involved, but I'd like to think that Orihime would get involved in the fight. She did knock out a pair of soul reapers and robbed their uniforms one time and she was even willing to throw down with Tsukoshima and Sushi Guy. (I know the other two were Fullbringers but like, the way they approached her had an initial "civilian threatening" vibes at first. Like "steal your shit" kind of threat, but still)

(would she even tried to fight normal humans that are trying to mug her or would she just use her Shun Shun Rikka to "levitate" away? It freaked them out but it's less violent than punching a thug in the face. OMFG. T posing Orihime flying at her human foes is sending me lokgdnjsnhkcwruld)

it's pretty hilarious to watch ichigo dealing with human "tough guys" yeah XD he gets so fed up.

idk that i want to think in depth about hime dealing with thugs alone because 1. she canonically will always try to make peace and appease first and would rather feel extremely uncomfortable and unsafe than physically injure someone, and 2. she canonically has plenty of stalker-adjacent "admirers". and she might strongly want to keep the maskerade up and not reveal her powers because it might endanger other people, so sure she can do karate, Tatsuki said she was good even, but her main way of dealing with aggressive people in this situation would be to appease and deflect, and maybe if thinks look like they're going in a bad direction she can't affect look for an occasion to trip them up and run away. Orihime COULD flatten them, but unless they're trying to knife someone she would not. And even then she might just decide to put them in a shield box and wait for Urahara to drop by with a forget pez thinger.

Honestly it makes me uncomfortable to think about her just laughing nervously as some assholes think they've got her cornered. She's a pretty and vulnerable-looking girl, she wouldn't get the same reaction Ichigo does from that kind of people. Even if nobody goes there openly I feel like there would be sexual threat undercurrents that just, yeah, nope.

If Ichigo were around no doubt she would stand back and let him have his fun and maybe trip up people approaching from behind with a baseball bat. u.u He needs enrichment!

#orihime #meta

[scarlet--wiccan]

what did you think about issue #3 of Scarlet Witch?

I haven't really shared my thoughts on the the series yet, so I guess this is a good time to check in. Issue #3 definitely highlighted all of Scarlet Witch's strengths, but I think it also brought some of its weaknesses, and directions that I wouldn't personally choose, into focus.

First of all, the artwork was the real star of this issue, and I have to say that Pichelli, D'Amico, and Wilson are doing amazing work. Going into this series, I was worried that the artistic sensibility was going to be a little too "superhero" for my taste, but this issue blew me away. Pichelli's fluid lines are complimented perfectly by the painterly, organic finish that D'Amico and Wilson bring to the colors and inks. This journey through the fantasy world of Subatomica was a great showcase, compared #1 and #2. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this vivid magic as we enter into the Bacchae storyline.

Composing an issue almost entirely out of montage can be tricky, but Orlando took advantage of the extra page space to tell a story while also delivering his thesis on Wanda's character. This issue nails down who Wanda is, where she's at, and what she wants moving forward. Orlando has really imbued her with grace and wisdom from all of her experiences, but he also allows her to be vulnerable, and arrive at these moments with a very human touch. I think that's important, and it's something I've been a little worried about, because it would be easy to overcorrect with Wanda and make her too infallible. I appreciate that she has really complex emotions and personal reactions, which is something I find missing in a lot of comics these days.

I've said it before, but Wanda's affinity for chosen family is a core aspect of her character, and I think it was smart to illustrate this with Viv and Lorna in the opening arc, because those two are the least obvious choices. Bringing Tommy or Billy in would be great, but it wouldn't necessarily allow Orlando to say anything new. I appreciate that Viv challenges Wanda and creates a sort of tension, just as much as I appreciate Lorna for accepting Wanda as a sister in a way that she hasn't done much before, showing that Wanda is more well supported now and her family is stronger than in has been in years.

Having said all of that, there are some things that I am struggling with.

As I've said, I don't love Orlando's approach to writing magic. Previous Scarlet Witch stories have made the effort to distinguish witchcraft from other forms of magic, and the current developments with Agatha are promising to expand its role in the Marvel world. So far, Orlando has ignored all of that, and is just defaulting to a very Doctor Strange sensibility-- mostly invocations of fictional entities and whimsically named artifacts. That's annoying, but I'm more frustrated by the lack of internal thought and effort behind Wanda's spellcasting. This is her book, and she's the POV character, so I think there needs to be more detail and intentionality with her powers.

I really liked the scene where Wanda and Lorna forge that sword together-- Wanda didn't just conjure a sword, there was thought and detail put into how it came together-- and I just wish we were seeing more of that.

Issue #3, for me, also called attention to the glaring lack of Romani perspective. I love the way Wanda and Pietro are being drawn, and I love the inclusion of cultural food in #2, but this is surface-level representation, and it's not enough to balance the decades of flawed material. Don't get me wrong, these changes are huge, and they're going to make a difference, and there's just no excuse at this point for the lack of Romani contributors. I literally know people who would take the offer, myself included.

Anyways, I was thinking about it a lot when Mardj was describing hte nomadic marauders that have invaded her home. I was uncomfortable with the language Orlando used in that scene, and I just don't think that very many Romani writers would choose to characterize a displaced people as unquestionably evil.

This lack of authenticity comes up a lot in Wanda's language, too. Orlando's research is still faulty at best, and again, there are a lot of people who could've been paid as a consultant. Mostly, though I'm just disappointed by the fact that Wanda is a small occult business owner, and there's been no acknowledgement of the complicated history Romani people have with magic/fortunetelling as businesses and cultural trade work-- or the very real discriminatory laws and policing of fortune teller businesses and "scam artists," which are designed to target and profile Romani families.

#scarlet witch #wanda maximoff #scarlet witch (2023) #steve orlando

[eggs-can-draw]

Nanami Anon: I believe I promised I'd dump my Kokichi Characterization Thoughts into your inbox at some point? Well, anyways, buckle up. The thing I'm trying to write is going slowly rn because I'm in a big clump of some of those connector/establishing scenes that are only satisfying once they've paid off so I may as well do this and be about as productive as I was gonna be anyways.

Ok. So. Kokichi and Kiibo wake up the same room, we think. They're certainly in the same one when Kaede and Shuichi find them, and it's very similar to the one that pair woke up in. Neat, this dude's a robot! Still, it's kinda freaky to wake up somewhere you've never been before. Who's responsible for that? We dunno, nobody seems to know, best be on guard. Don't look vulnerable. Nobody else's skill in combat has been established, so Kokichi can't be sure he can defend himself. Oh, everyone's being told that they have to get away with murder if they want to go free? Double down.

Rantaro dies. The game truly begins. If he wasn't stressed before, he is now-- everyone is. Don't look vulnerable. So he keeps up the cheerfully immature facade. Keeps lying. Keeps pointing out that he's lying, not so that people look past it but so that they ignore it when the act breaks.

Kaede dies, because she killed Rantaro. She didn't want him dead, sure, since he wasn't the one who brought them all here, but that's what she got. The person who put the most work into keeping the group pointed in the same direction is dead. Because she killed someone. There's no point in really trusting anyone. Is there?

Everyone's snippy because they're stressed, but some people are still nice enough. Kokichi does wind up bonding with certain people. Him and Kiibo and Miu like snarking at each other, it seems. He and Gonta make a pretty good tag team, honestly-- I've already talked about how, if you act at the right time, you see Gonta fully aware of the motive video viewing aspect of the insect meet and greet, but that's not the only thing. At one point, Gonta mentions he thought he saw a bug for a moment, but couldn't find it after; because of this, Kokichi at some point asks Miu to build the bug-vac. There's clearly a certain amount of mutual respect between all of these parties, if you know where to look for it.

Ryoma dies. What happened before wasn't just a one time thing. Ryoma is dead because someone thought they deserved to leave more than he deserved to live. No pretense of belief it was his fault everyone is there, since he'd offered his life to free someone before. Something intentional, if well intentioned.

Kirumi dies, because she killed Ryoma. Kirumi, who cared for them, all of them, was willing to let them die for her own goals. Willing to kill them all for her own goals. And, sure, perhaps they are noble goals. Who else has noble goals here, that they might find worth killing for?

In Ch3, Miu's lab with the big ass computer opens up and she begins working on a project involving it. This becomes instrumental in what we eventually learn to be her plan to kill Kokichi. We don't know when he finds out about this, but it's probably sometime during Ch3, since most of Ch4 is dedicated to the NWP. Miu is his friend, which is not something he's sure he can say about most everyone else here. Possibly, she is even his best friend. He was helping her put together this place for everyone to be away from the killing game, at least for a little while, and it was all so she could kill him?

He is a liar. He knows this. Everyone around him knows this. There is no one he can tell, who he can trust to believe him, to help him keep himself safe. Is there?

Angie and Tenko die, because there is malice in this place. Why else would Tenko be dead, if not for malice? Angie, one could have claimed, died for freedom. But Tenko? There was no reason for her to die. Angie was already gone. Kokichi picked the lock to find her body himself, was one of the first people to see her dead. And then Tenko dies, too. Killed right in front of him, even if he didn't see.

And then, while he's investigating an empty room (maybe because he thinks something might be there. maybe because he just needs some space to think.) he falls through the floor. He knew this place was shittily made, but-- No, lying under the floorboards with his concussion and looking up at the cause, he can see that this was quite intentional sabotage.

He is a liar. He knows this. Everyone around him knows this. There is no one he can tell, who he can trust to believe him, to verify what could become a crucial piece of the puzzle. But he does have a bleeding head injury. That's got to count for something. Perhaps there's something easier to convince people of, than the fact that he cares. (Perhaps people want to believe more in the idea that he's so opportunistic about messing with them, that he'll use his real ass head injury to play dead just for a reaction.)

Korekiyo dies, because he killed Angie and Tenko. Because of his malice. Kokichi watches him, and knows that one way or another someone will be following him all too soon.

Maybe he realizes Gonta doesn't remember, when they get out of the NWP and he's acting the same as he did before they went in. Or maybe he doesn't. But he does cry, when the voting's done. Even if he walks it back afterwards, even if everyone thinks he's a horrible person for walking it back too far. He does cry. Whether it was real or not. But what reason would he have to pretend? To fake a vulnerability he immediately denied? Kokichi broke that day, I think, the snapped wing of his downward spiral finally shattering against stone with the rest of him. Don't look vulnerable.

"You're alone," someone he respects (likes) (appreciates) (believes in) (loves?) tells him. "You're alone and you always will be."

And with a nightmarish grin on his face, Kokichi leaves everyone else behind, his mind made up. His course of action decided. He is going to die for these people. And he is going to do so as a villain, because there is no other way left.

And then he does.

holy SHIT this got long

Hi please know that this has me. so so so SO emotional. ABSOLUTELY LOSING IT I ADORE THIS. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH IT CLICKS SO NICELY. CHEWING THIS LIKE AN EXCITED DOG WITH A FUCKING CHEW TOY

#eggs can answer #nanami anon #kokichi ouma #im sad I have nothing to add but I cant think of anything and just AAAAGH THIS SCRATCHES MY BRAIN SO HARD

[mercymaker]

mallllllllll 🤥💥🌙🌱🌌🪤🎭✂️🔪📎🖍️❇️💧🌪️🌈🔥☁️🌟🌠☄️💓❤️💌💔

𝐎𝐂 𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐉𝐈 𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐒!

Aaaa, this is quite a challenge! Thank you! 😘

🤥 LYING - are they good liars? do they have tells to show they're lying?

Yes, Mal is a pretty good liar because she sort of, in that moment, almost believes the lie herself. Oscar-worthy acting, you could say. And I don't think it's very easy to spot a lie even if you know her very well, which, in turn, can make close relationships a bit tricky because it's not very easy to trust her when you know how easy it is for Mal to lie 😬

💥 COLLISON - what emotions do they have trouble dealing with?

Honestly? A lot of honest, vulnerable emotions Maleane really struggles to deal with. I guess above everything it's grief. She never properly mourned her mother (or her father, for that matter) because she just locked that shit up behind a massive wall in order to focus on survival. She finds it hard being truly honest with someone, it doesn't come naturally to her, so if she is being honest and vulnerable with them that means Mal put a ton of effort into it. Being well aware on how to use other's weaknesses against them, it's only fair that she guards hers so well.

🌙 MOON - what is your oc's greatest wish? how far are they willing to go for it?

Power is incredibly tempting as it offers a way to her true wish and part of her wants to be really powerful. I think it's part of her journey throughout the game, this relationship with power and finding the perfect balance within it. But at the end of the day, Maleane wants to be free. To do as she wishes, to live without fear, to be powerful enough to protect herself, but not so powerful that it becomes her entire point of being. What's the point of ultimate power if it's only going to attract the worst of this world to try and get a taste of it? Or worse - take it from her?

🌱 SEEDLING - what is their most vivid memory from childhood?

I think it's a sort of rare, idyllic moment she had with her family. Chewing on a piece of honeycomb until there was nothing but a lump of beeswax left in her mouth. All while her mother was reading a book in the glimmering light of a candle. And her father cutting a piece off, spreading a thick layer of honey on a slice of bread and offering it to A'sherra on a small plate. Just little moments like that, which weren't that common, but they definitely dominate Mal's memories of her childhood.

🌌 MILKY WAY - what was the inspiration behind your oc? what was the first thing you decided about them?

I'll be honest with ya here on this day, but when I made Mal it was purely based on aesthetics. I didn't put that much thought into her, I kind of went "ok, night/dark elf? YES! magic? YES! looks sorta like my mage from wow? YUP!" but she quickly evolved as I played the game and just became her own person. That I'm absolutely in love with.

🪤 MOUSE TRAP - what will always lure them into certain danger? a loved one in danger? a promise of something they are always searching for?

It's very likely to be because of the people she cares about. As self-interested as Mal is, she would risk a lot for those that earned her favor and love. And it's hard to admit that, even to herself, because it makes her feel foolish and stupid, and yet Mal does it (she'll deal with the internal conflict later)!

🎭 MASKS - do they act differently around certain people? what's different between the way they act around friends, family, strangers, etc.?

Absolutely! Mal sort of shifts into whatever she thinks the situation demands, whatever gives her the best advantage. And it's not necessarily doing an extreme 180! Sometimes it's all about subtle little changes to the way she acts, small lies peppered here and there. Her friends definitely see a more raw, honest side of her, but at times it's hard to shed the act entirely as some of her "core" characteristics are sort of in conflict with each other. Strangers see the many different acts, be it a small meek woman on the road or a cold and intimidating drow. When she's surrounded only by the closest ones, she's much more mellow, relaxed, less alert. A great listener, actually!

✂️ SCISSORS - what is the "last straw" for them to cut someone out of their life? how easily do they let go of people?

As hypocritical as it might be it's probably if they used her. I don't think Mal finds it very hard to let go of people, even if it aches and hurts, she knows she can survive out there without them.

🔪 KNIFE - how do they react to injury / misfortune befalling their loved ones (significant other, family, friends)? do they put themselves at blame?

For starters, she tries to prevent anything bad happening to them. But if there's one thing that life had taught her is that there are so many things that are simply beyond her control. She spent so much of her life being scared and feeling powerless to control any part of it, that it's sort of normal to think that you can't prevent every misfortune from happening. She would, on the other hand, go out of her way to harm those who hurt her loved ones.

📎 PAPERCLIP - a random fact.

She's incredibly lightweight when it comes to alcoholic beverages. It doesn't take a lot for her to get smashed. One time some of the compot they had preserved had gone sour and turned into booze and she drank it and got absolutely hammered.

🖍️ CRAYON - what advice would you give to them?

STOP. BEING. IN. YOUR. HEAD. SO. MUCH. She's just such an over-thinker, trying to anticipate every possible scenario to come out of the situation that she gets tangled in that mess. It often times prevents her from just enjoying life in its simplicity, you know THE ONE THING she ought to do after spending all her life in isolation???

❇️ SPARKLE - what is their most prized possession? what do they value?

A little piece of amethyst that reminds her of her father. When she was little Lathorien gave her a little gem that he kept from one of his trips to Underdark before she'd been born. Mal had lost the original one long ago, but the next time she found it in someone's pockets, she kept it, cherishing the memory.

She also keeps a lot of books, scrolls, and notes that they find on their travels. At first, it was to keep herself informed, gather intel and try to find some advantage in the chaos that was swallowing them up. But then she just kept more and more unrelated stuff, to read in her leisure.

💧 DROPLET - random angst headcanon

Mal had to bury her mother's mangled corpse and she was in so much distress and panic that not only did she absolutely wreck her hands digging the dirt, but also summoned a massive storm that made everything ten times more difficult. She sat there for hours, soaked and shivering, just channeling the torrential rain until she passed out from exhaustion. Mal doesn't remember most of it.

🌪️ TORNADO - what is the biggest change you've ever made to them? how have they changed from their original version?

I think changing her magic from wild to storm? I just wanted her magic to be connected to her emotions. A controlled person who's capable of keeping her feelings locked tight being able to translate that into precise use of magic? Only to eventually lose their shit and cause devastation? ? You know how they say that if you repress your emotions they don't go away but will one day come out in a way you might not even be able to recognize? I like that metaphor for her.

🌈 RAINBOW - what advice would they give to their younger self?

Ask father things about his family. His community. Don't believe everything mother says. Even if she has your best interests in mind, doesn't mean she won't manipulate you. Keep some thoughts to yourself. And not every outsider you meet will want to harm you.

🔥 FIRE - do they have any self destructive tendencies? what habits do they have that hinder them from becoming their best self?

I think she allows herself to succumb to her darkest thoughts. That voice in her mind that assumes the worst about others and herself. When Mal is in a particularly dark place she just allows one side to win. And at times she thinks about harming herself, just going absolutely feral on her own body. Maybe as a way to kill that voice, because it IS her voice in her head. It's all part of her.

And I think it's all that overthinking, rotating and weighing conflicting thoughts, trying to get the upper hand that's hindering her growth. I think she needs to learn when she can let go and just let things unfold naturally. Sometimes you cross the bridge when you come to it.

☁️ CLOUD - a soft headcanon

She makes potions for everyone! I just see her spending the well-deserved 4 hours of rest in trance and then she's reading and sorting herbs and writing things down. She sorts out the vials, stacks them in piles and hands them out in the morning before they leave camp. Poisons, health pots, invisibility potions, you name it.

🌟 GLOWING STAR - what do they think about when they look at the night sky? is there someone they want to star gaze with?

At times she thinks of her father. He'd take her on week-long trips through the forest, hunting, camping, teaching her things about the wilds. At night, they'd sit around a fire or its embers, looking at the sky and he'd tell her stories of Eilistraee, about all the creatures, magical and not, that he'd encountered, tales of great heroes, etc.

And uh, star-gazing with a star, no? I think she yearns to just cuddle up under a night sky, all soft touches and sounds. But she also thinks it's embarrassing to admit to want soft things like that, so you'd have to pry that out of her like a sin.

🌠 SHOOTING STAR - if they could make any wish with no repercussions, what wish would they make?

Likely to have her parents back. Alive and well. She misses them much more than she'd be willing to admit to herself. Sure, it was her mother's death that even allowed Maleane to start to become her own person, but damn at times she just wishes she could talk to A'sherra, to both of her parents.

☄️ COMET - what do people assume about them? are they right?

Often times people assume whatever she wants them to assume. She plays meek and fearful when she wants someone to underestimate her. Or commanding and intimidating if it feels like it would prevent someone from harming her, etc. etc.

But those who get past the initial act likely assume that she's harboring some deep dark secret that demands all that masquerade to begin with. Like a distraction from something twisted that she's trying to hide. And while she IS hiding something from them, it's much simpler than some horrible dark past. It's just her fragile heart that she's shielding from everyone.

💓 BEATING HEART - what gets their heart racing?

Using magic! The adrenaline of being in battle and just feeling it course through her, seeing the devastation it can cause, protecting her team, etc.

❤️ RED HEART - their love language(s)?

I think it's quality time and physical touch.

I mean, she almost turned into a puddle the first time Shadowheart softly touched her hand and did her hair!!! When she hugged Astarion, she felt like years and years of hurt and longing were melting away. It took her breath away when Gale held her hand to his heart, it almost scared her how intimate it felt? ? ?? SHE'S JUST THAT KIND OF GIRL!!!

💌 LOVE LETTER - do they like love letters? what kind of messages do they leave for their partner?

Honestly? ?? I think she'd love to receive letters in general. Half her childhood she'd read letters and notes from other people and at times dream of someone writing one for her!! BUT also it feels almost, uh.. beneath her??? To write a love letter? ? It's admitting feelings, something she struggles so much to do in private, and leaving them behind as evidence on some parchment?? ?/ NO! Too cringe! Jail!

💔 BROKEN HEART - what could their partner do that would absolutely break their heart?

Use her! Use her trust in them. It's not easy for someone like her to bare her heart and admit feelings and be vulnerable. So if they took all that from her and betrayed her trust. Yeah, she'd be absolutely devastated.

#asks #bg3 #userfray #the bg3 adventures #oc: maleane #WOW this was a ton of fun to do! tytyty! ♥ #long post

[fictionadventurer]

I do have to apologize for this, but I just discovered your Powers and Prejudice AU. Now I can't stop imagining Colonel Brandon as a retired patriotic superhero, been off the scene for years but still very widely respected, Elinor Dashwood as ending a promising superhero career to take care of her family, and Marianne as wanting desperately to be a superhero but never getting the chance. So yeah, sorry.

Please don't apologize, because Sense and Sensibility is the Austen novel I'm having the most trouble fitting into this universe, so I'm thrilled that you have ideas. And they're great ones. If you don't mind, I'm going to riff on it and see how it fits within the Powers and Prejudice universe I've established so far.

I had toyed with making Elinor and Marianne normal people, making them more vulnerable in this world, less acceptable to the Northanger crowd Edward was born into, and setting them up for dramatic rescues by the various heroes of the novel. But really, if any Austen characters are going to have superpowers, it should be Elinor and Marianne. So thank you so much for figuring out a way they can be superheroes and still fit the S&S plot.

Elinor giving up a superhero career for her family is genius. As is Marianne losing the chance to start one. But the real stroke of brilliance is Brandon as retired superhero. It makes him seem old and decrepit to Marianne, even though there are tons of good reasons he'd give up the work relatively young. The Captain America vibes are intriguing. Fits well with his canon military service, and I have established that superhumans can get involved with the military. Perhaps he's the result of a supersoldier program meant to help regular people combat rogue superhumans? Though in that case I don't think he'd be beloved by the community--he wouldn't fit in with either side. Even if I can't work out the details yet, I still love the concept.

So, sketching out the plot. Elinor and family live in Netherfield and Elinor starts a promising superhero career, partnered with Edward. Edward keeps his superhero work secret from his Northanger family, who disapprove of superhero theatrics.

When Mr. Dashwood dies, the family is in financial straits, and superheroing doesn't pay the bills. Elinor gives up her career to support her mother and sisters as they move to Highbury--her mother's been offered a job with the Mansfield Institute--leaving Edward behind.

Mrs. Jennings introduces them to Brandon and makes a big deal out of knowing his secret identity, even though it hasn't really been secret in years. She urges Marianne--who's made it no secret that she's eager to try a bit of superheroing in Highbury--to be a sidekick to Brandon, using him as a mentor to learn the ropes. Marianne sees him as outdated and old-fashioned and wants to start out on her own.

A rescue attempt gone wrong leads to Marianne being rescued by another hero--the dashing Willoughby. They hit it off right away and Marianne joins him in some successful superheroing.

Elinor learns that Edward once attended Mansfield with Lucy Steele--he was a Northanger elite while she was a poor scholarship student--and she lured him into the type of troublesome superheroing typical of Mansfield students. She has since gotten into a bit of villainy since and needs Edward's help out of a tight spot, which soft-hearted Edward is eager to give, until he realizes the woman she's become is nothing like the girl he knew.

Willoughby, desperate for money, eventually betrays Marianne and turns to villainy. Brandon helps her bring him to justice and recover from the betrayal.

Involvement with Lucy betrays Edward's secret superhero identity to his family and/or gets him accused of Lucy's crimes. Thankfully, Elinor is able to uncover the truth and get him exonerated, but he's still cast out of his family.

Edward stays in Highbury with Elinor and they probably get involved with the school while Marianne and Brandon work together as a really effective superhero team.

It's a patchy outline (and really highlights the age difference between Brandon and Marianne, which could make difficulties for the romance plot), but it kind of holds up. I'm totally open to other ideas, though.

#powers and prejudice #jane austen superhero au #jane austen #sense and sensibility #answered asks #resistingtheborg

[elvenbeard]

7, 17 and 30 for Vince from the oc ask.

Thanks so much for the ask!! :D

7. Do they have any unusual fears?

I wouldn’t say he has any unusual fears actually, no, nothing completely unheard of. He doesn’t like doctors a lot though. Vik is really the only one he can stay somewhat relaxed around (most of the time at least), and only because they’ve known each for a really long time (almost as long as Vince has known Jackie). I think it is partially rooted in his parents trying to “optimize” him from a young age on, equipping him with cyberoptics when glasses could have done the trick and such. Things like that often made him feel very vulnerable and at the mercy of strangers in cold, sterile rooms.

When he was 17, and which ended up becoming the catalyst for him to run away from home, he also had a doctor rat him out to his mother about something he really didn’t want her to know at the time (technically, it was his mother’s right to know, but the doctor had promised him to stay quiet - and then he didn’t, cause Vince’s mother wrote him a fat cheque). That sort of cemented his trust issues towards to most medical professionals, especially those working in corporate medical centers.

17. How easily would they be convinced to do something that goes against their morals?

Well..... Vince is somewhat morally flexible to begin with. Is it bad to kill people? Yeah, it sorta is, but if they're assholes who do shitty things, well, tough luck. He's walked into gigs fully intenting to "resolve this peacefully somehow" and then ended up shooting someone in the face because they were just such a piece of unbearable crap in person, talking would've been a waste of breath. At other times he's spared people that were not worth sparing with what they'd done, but to him personally it made no difference whether or not they were dead or alive and so he saved himself the ammo and potential retaliation.

It is actually quite hard to buy Vince now that I think about it. He's not the kind of guy who would do anything if only the price is high enough - not because he's living a frugal life or anything, but he has no trouble finding work that's more enticing easily with his reputation. You're more likely to get him by offering something interesting, even if shady, something that piques his curiosity or that sounds like a challenge. It's how Arasaka got him on board in the first place, the money and all the other benefits were a bonus on top of a job that sounded like a unique and interesting challenge to tackle. Did he do shady as hell stuff for them? Absolutely. But in the end, that's part of living in Night City.

30. If they had the chance to be famous would they take it? If they are famous would they rather they weren’t?

Vince doesn't really care about fame at all. He doesn't mind being known, be it as a merc, fixer, Kerry Eurodyne's new input, whatever. But he'd much rather just have a good reputation really than only have his name known for something big he did or for having connections in the right places. The lines are kind of blurry here, but for him the distinction is important. He feels like a good reputation is harder to earn in his particular line of business than "just" fame (or infamy on that matter). Yeah, you can become famous overnight by allegedly killing Saburo Arasaka, but simultaneously half the city is not gonna wanna touch you with a 10 feet pole anymore, let alone work with you after that.

#vincent ezaki #ask games: answered

[isfjmel-phleg]

Ostensibly, this scene from Young Justice 1998 #22 deals with Red Tornado's role as a father figure, but on another level it functions as foreshadowing of one of the series' major conflicts.

For context: Red Tornado is an android who serves as adult supervision (...not that it always does much good) for the teenage heroes that form the group Young Justice. Issues of his humanity are an ongoing theme for him, and in this story he reflects on his fatherly role as he observes children who remind him of "his" kids.

The children on the playground appear to be considerably younger than the YJ kids, but the parallels between them and their older counterparts underscore how very young our heroes actually are. Sure, they're all scary powerful and are routinely saving the world, but that doesn't erase that they are teenagers (some of them technically even younger than that) whose emotional development isn't always up to the more personal challenges they face. Like younger children, they are still vulnerable and in need of guidance.

The children who parallel each member of YJ are engaging in activities characteristic of their counterparts. And it's interesting that the girl who reminds Red Tornado of Secret is the only one who isn't interacting with other children but sitting off by herself, her eyes downcast, shackle-like bracelets on her wrists.

Of all the group, Secret is the least connected to the others, and apparently Red Tornado sees this as a defining trait of hers just as much as Tim's intellect or Bart's boundless energy.

And when he realizes she's crying, he rushes to her aid.

The girl has separated herself because one of the boys has hurt her, just as Secret, later in the series, will distance herself further from the team when she believes that Tim has broken an important promise to her. (The boy here is Bart's analogue, not Tim's, but the point still stands.) But unlike Secret, the girl is unafraid to voice exactly what's wrong, and when she does, she's able to get the help she needs to navigate a situation she doesn't have the experience to work out alone.

Red Tornado brings the boy over and gives the children the opportunity to communicate.

Turns out the girl misunderstood that she was being tagged--not hurt, but invited to join in. She happily agrees, and the problem is resolved. An easy enough solution, but at its core it's not too far off from the climactic conflict between Secret and her friends.

Miscommunications build up the hurt that drives her apart from the people who really do care about her but don't know how to get through to her. Unlike the children on the playground, YJ by the end of the series don't really have a guiding adult, and they have to figure out for themselves how to manage this conflict. In the end, Tim's addressing the mistakes and extending an offer of acceptance and connection is exactly what she needs to hear to bring her back to them.

And here's that ending, all mapped out as early as #22, by a guest writer, no less!

#comicsposting again #YJ: so glad we found each other

[malachiexists13]

I JUST FINISHED LICHT'S ROUTE LIKE OVER 12 HOURS AGO (I FELL ASLEEP AFTER) AND SO SPOILER ALERT. ALSO I START SCHOOL IN LIKE TWO WEEKS SO PRAY FOR ME HAHA-

Also I switch a lot between saying "I" and "Emma" in this post. Im sorry-

NOKTO- NO, STOP. DON'T GIVE PORNHUB ANY IDEAS 😭

Tell him, Licht 😤

I- Licht, if I were to become Nokto's sibling-in-law.. What else would you end up being besides my husband? You really think I'm gonna marry one of your other brothers? Fuck no.

I don't know, are you Emma's boyfriend? Is Emma your girlfriend? If so, then yes.

It.. You don't want to be called boyfriend and girlfriend? Okay, that's fine. I hated it when my ex-boyfriend called me his partner or his lover instead of his boyfriend so I get it.

No. Thats what Chevalier used. Be original.

Sweetheart is actually a good way to describe Licht. He's a total sweetheart and I just wanna give him a hug, I don't even like hugging people.

I am such a sucker for Licht's smile. He's one of those characters in which when they smile, you just want to smile too. I love it ❤

Im also gonna take this opportunity to info dump in relation to Licht-

So, I am still working on making ikemen ocs. I just decided to take a small break to rework the current characters I have and make them proper art and profiles. Might as well be happy with the finished product, yeah? And I already do have an OC for Licht.

This character does not currently have a design, all I can currently say on how they look is she has red hair and pale icy blue eyes. Their name is Mila Grayfield and her pronouns are They/She, they're 22 years old.

With how much Licht's route talks about his and Emma's love hurting each other, I figured that.. May as well make my OC for Licht be just as fucking tragic right? So here's a bit of Mila's backstory.

In my AU, the Grayfield family is a family of assassins, each generation tasked with assassinating the Royal family. This all started because of Glen Grayfield, Mila's grandfather. He was increasing jealous of the Royals and wanted that power for himself. So, he decided to make it his life's goal to try and take out the King as a well-known assassin. After he was caught and executed, his wife decided to teach his goal onto their children, Oliver and Leona, who carried on this ideal.

Leona then had twin daughters of her own, Mila and Mia Grayfield, who she trained to also be assassins. Mila showed the most promise so she was tasked with the most difficult missions. This harsh life caused Mila to become cold and reserved, hesitant with getting close to others but still willing to do whatever is asked of them. At first, she was deadset on rejecting the offer of being Belle, refusing to believe that her heart was beautiful or pure despite the life of sin they lived. But, since it was something to do to serve her Kingdom, she agreed.

Even after falling for Prince Licht, Mila refused to allow themself to open up to him or be vulnerable. She firmly believed that if he or anyone in the palace knew who they were, she'd be executed without a single question asked. And when the time to leave the palace came, they straight up told Licht it'd be better if he completely forgot who they were. Referring to themself as a 'dirty and hypocritical sinner who had no right to tell Licht how to live.'

When Sariel came to Mila and asked if she would return to the palace to see Licht, they just about refused. But gave in anyway. And thats about as far as I've thought up Mila's story with Licht. I still have more to plan.

I thought the idea of forbidden love between a prince and a commoner is way too cliche so.. Why not forbidden love between a prince and an assassin raised to kill him is a bit more interesting? It adds a bit more drama to the story if Mila actually understands Licht on an emotional and empathetic level over sympathetic.

Also, like most of my characters, Mila has a.. complicated relationship with their own family. Mila resents her grandfather and grandmother for the life she has to live, despite never meeting either of them. Mila doesn't know who her uncle is, as he left Rhodolite months prior to their birth. And her relationship with her mother is.. complicated too. Leona was always a kind and doting mother, but the pressure she placed on her daughters was too much.

As for Mila's relationship with her twin sister, Mia.. Its probably the best relationship they have. Mila adores her 'little' sister and does whatever they can to protect her, even if it means they have to take on more dangerous jobs and put their life on the line.

Also I currently have no idea whether I'll also make Mia a love interest OC in Ikemen Prince. Like- I know with Ikerev, I have both Iris and Kahlia as twins and love interest OCs. But I might not do the same thing with Mila and Mia. It all depends on if I can think one of the princes would be a good suitor for Mia or something. Dunno.

#ikemen series #cybird ikemen #ikemen prince #ikepri #ikepri licht #licht klein #ikemen oc #oc #ikepri oc

[besidesitstoowarm]

"Gridlock" thoughts

the couple from american gothic is exploded in the new york subway. i would like to take a moment of silence on behalf of these amish bitches.

this one is awesome. davies is a master at making the show feel old (a deep cut monster like the macra), current (sociopolitical commentary), and ongoing (the new time war direction). i'm certainly no expert of all the eras of classic who, i'm a 60s bitch myself, but i don't know that anyone has done it like davies. he's a genius and again i am so excited to have him back. quel domage indeed.

we kick off with ten being reluctant to take martha home. he reiterates that he promised her only one trip but then says "i suppose we could stretch the definition" and offers a future trip to complement the past trip. he's clearly reluctant to be alone again and clearly enjoys her company when he allows himself to

and he tells her about gallifrey! we get to hear what it was like in its prime, how he remembers the sky and the moons and the grass and the cities. he's so warm and fond in his recollecting, and she's entranced. he refuses to explain that gallifrey is gone, but enjoys the remembering. on the one hand, martha is not the first companion since the time war (rose saw him raw and open, rose understood his pain), but on the other, she is not the first (she's a blank slate, he's not working out his traumas on her, he can start fresh). it's such a good basis for a friendship and it works out well this ep

heavy "new earth" parallels, obviously, w the cat people and new new york and the face of boe. "ever heard the word rebound?" martha asks. correct. they come across pharmacy town (mad max ass location) where they can buy patches for happiness, forgetting, anger, honesty, and bliss as we learn later. i think this is a natural extension of the heavy drug epidemics in big cities

after martha is kidnapped we learn it takes 6 years to travel 10 miles on the motorway. i have no idea what the highways in england are like, but i have driven the mass pike at rush hour and i find this deeply relatable. ten ends up in a car w a homophobic cat man and his VERY ADORABLE kittens

the whole moment where the entire motorway sings "old rugged cross" is so irish catholic that i am again reminded of living in boston

ten explains his connection to martha in the car he has comandeered: "hardly know her, i was too busy showing off. and i lied to her, i just lied" we love the self awareness. he has trouble being vulnerable with her, being honest

the macra are here! crab! they eat pollution! we learn the entire overworld died of virus in seven minutes bc they got too high and died which i relate to! so the crab owns the subways now and they're trapped in endless traffic while crabs eat fumes! i believe this is how most cities operate. i like the deep cut 60s beasts, i'm excited to keep seeing more of them. bring back the zarbi and DON'T skimp on the camera lens vaseline

ten saves the day of course. face of boe dies so that he can release the subway fiends into the overworld. sad! well there's other old men. he tells the doctor "you are not alone" and i make a grinch smile remembering how the season ends. he and martha go to leave and she sits her ass down and says she's not going anywhere til he explains what the fuck boe meant by "last of his kind" and he does actually explain about the time war, and then keeps describing gallifrey. s3 ten is very deep in nostalgia– for rose, for gallifrey, for the master eventually. he's living in the past, he's stuck. it's why martha eventually decides to dip and it's why everything goes wrong. he tries to close himself off more in s4 and control himself and of course that backfires too. bitch.

anyway yeah this one slaps, it's a nice "everybody lives" type ending. rip face of boe. if the macra want to move to 93 south they'll probably still be able to feast just fine

next time is the freakin. ugh. hooverville daleks.

#Gridlock #Doctor Who #DW s3 #besides its too rewatch

[xxrat--punkxx]

I'm shy so I'm on anon lol but: Don't give up on Elden Ring just yet! It's hard, especially at the very beginning. (Rune) Bears, lobsters, crabs, rats, and dogs are all "just" regular enemies but they're known for being even more annoying than some bosses (they can force you into a stunlock easily, lobsters are snipers, bears are really fast, rune bears have too much health, etc etc). They can be ignored whenever you are able to. I'm at Level 130 and I still run away from bears and lobsters because they still terrify me and half the time they're not worth the fight lmao

You'll get into the habit of how the game works in time (learning how to avoid panic-dodging is a big part of the process). Don't be afraid to check the Elden Ring Wiki as they show you which attacks certain enemies are most vulnerable or immune to, it can make a huge difference. It also explains how to use items (the multiplayer items confused me a lot lol) and everything else, of course. The game will let you go almost anywhere and fight a boss whenever you want to, even when you're under-leveled for the area. So don't be too proud to turn back and come back when you're stronger!

Look up a few tutorials on builds and how weapon scaling/magic works, use summons whenever you can/want to, get a friend to help you out (if you don't have a buddy who plays Elden Ring, you can use a "Furlcalling Finger Remedy" nearby activated Summoning Pools to see if other players put down signs to allow you to summon them into your world. If you play on PS4 I'd be down to drop my PSN in your inbox too!). "YOU DIED" will show up at least a billion times until then and after that; you'll get used to it. Once you figure it out, the game becomes increasingly more enjoyable, I promise <3

Anon holy shit thank u so much that is unbelievably sweet of you, I really appreciate it Omg🥹

Thankfully I have too much experience on monster Hunter, which is a similar kind of game but I’d say it’s much easier now that I’ve played for a few hours (I’d like to credit that experience for me being able to kill that big dragon in the lake area😤💪) but yeah I’m starting to get the hang of it!

But checking the wiki is such a good idea! Thank u so much for the tip! I’ll definitely be doing that a lot 😭, right now I kinda wanna focus on getting my health and strength up, so I won’t worry abt builds until later but I will definitely take ur advice! Fr tho thank u so much, I’m wayyyy too scared to summon people tho out of fear that they’ll think I’m shit and my rule is ‘I have to beat everything at least once before I get others to help’ so thank you f or the offer that’s so kind of u, but I’ll spare u lmao😭

Again, thank u so much it really means a lot💞

#rbejsisisow #yall are so nice wtf 😭 #text #ask #anon #elden ring

[tloaak]

A tense debate crackled around the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill in the hallowed halls of the New Zealand Parliament. Mr. Gold, the Head of State, sat in the chamber, his face an unreadable mask. He wasn't affiliated with any party, a consequence of his own political manoeuvring, leaving him an island amidst the storm.

Across the aisle, the National-led government, a coalition of the National Party, ACT and NZ First, pushed for the bill under the banner of urgency. Prime Minister Luxon, a ruthless businessman known for his steely resolve, argued the bill would offer "greater individual freedom and economic benefits." His words were met with scathing opposition.

Chris Hipkins, leader of Labour, charged into the fray. "This is a government with no moral compass!" he thundered, his voice echoing in the chamber. "They're content to promote an industry that kills! They're willing to sacrifice the health of New Zealanders, especially Māori and Pacific communities, for tax cuts they can't afford!"

Hipkins' words hung heavy in the air, resonating with the Green Party co-leaders, James Shaw and Marama Davis, and Te Pati Māori leaders, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi. They echoed Hipkins' concerns, highlighting the disproportionate impact the bill would have on vulnerable communities and the blatant disregard for the Ministry of Health's advice.

Mr. Gold watched the debate unfold, his eyes narrowed. He didn't believe in the empty promises of economic gain the government touted. He saw the human cost, the lives lost to a preventable illness. But unlike the others, he wasn't bound by party loyalty. He could act independently.

As the debate raged on, Mr. Gold made his decision. He wouldn't simply observe. He would use his unique influence. When the vote came, his voice, a low rumble that commanded attention, rose above the din.

"This bill," he declared, his words measured and deliberate, "goes against the very principles this nation stands for. It prioritizes profit over people, short-term gain over long-term well-being. I cannot, in good conscience, support it."

The chamber fell silent. The government's side, anticipating an easy victory, reeled in shock. The opposition, momentarily stunned, erupted in a wave of surprised cheers. Mr. Gold's intervention, unexpected and decisive, had shifted the balance.

In the ensuing hours, facing an unforeseen obstacle, the government was forced to concede. Once deemed a surefire win, the bill was sent back for revision, and the spectre of Mr Gold's disapproval was hanging heavy over it. The fight for a smoke-free New Zealand wasn't over, but for now, a small victory had been won, a testament to the power of one voice, guided not by partisan interests but by a higher moral compass.

i really love this but we do already have a non partisan head of state (and her appointed representative) and that role is by necessity extremely ceremonial. any elected head of state will not be non partisan bc that doesnt get your votes

#the rumour is that the governor general has asked that the tiriti changes not make it to a referendum #we will see how much influence she holds in the coming few years #we really need greater controls and transparency around lobby groups and their connections with members of parliament