#And I haven't even gotten into the other characters.....

[starry-bi-sky]

@megacharizardx99

I was gonna initially just leave this as a reply but I'll probably exceed the word limit, but I like this question! This is a good question :]

Honestly with it being this early on in Batman's career, and with Nightingale being the designated emergency support, I can pretty confidently say that Danny's relationship with the other Rogues ranges from neutral to dislike, and vice versa. Just by virtue of it being really early on in all of their careers and thus Rogues like Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn and stuff, haven't had the character development to otherwise be someone worth, eh, well, liking.

Nightingale's role as 'emergency only' means that he's really not seen that often. Bruce is a pretty master escape artist so for him to get in a situation that requires Danny to feel like he needs to step in is rare.

I haven't gotten Nightingale's persona completely set in stone yet, I'm still bouncing around with ideas, but the current gist I've got for him is that he's honestly pretty quiet. He's not there to engage in a fight or banter, he physically can't; he's there to aid the Batman and that usually means subterfuge, sabotage, psychological tricks, to just straight up shooting people with tranq darts depending on his mood that day.

The Nightingale posts I have here are hyperbolic and a bit exaggerated for my own amusement and entertainment, albeit still reflective of what I'm thinking of for the fic. The post this comment came from is a special case in that it was a joke idea I came up with and felt like sharing. It might show up in fic, just in a different format.

With that being said, from the POV of the Rogues, it means that the Batman has this protective little shadow that will pop up at random and either enact psychological warfare on them (distract them long enough for Batman to free himself), break their stuff (make it easier for Batman to free himself), or straight up shoot them with a tranquilizer, and you never really know which it will be until it's happening. Sometimes its all three.

Sometimes its neither of them; sometimes its him freeing Batman without ever making his presence known. One moment the Bat was trapped, the next he's not.

I don't think they even learn what his name is for a while either. He's probably just called smth like 'the Shadow' until people find out his name is Nightingale.

Safe to say though, the Rogues don't like Batman's little shadow that much, and even if he doesn't show up, he invokes this unwilling paranoia in a lot of them whenever they have him trapped. Besides, he's associated with Batman, the guy who keeps trying to stop them, that makes Nightingale a hated figure on principle.

As for Danny's opinion on the Rogues, I don't think there's any of them that he necessarily likes. Sympathizes with, sure, but not like. Folks like Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy and Babydoll fall under his 'cool motive, still murder' banner, where yeah he gets where they're coming from, but that doesn't excuse the harm they're doing. While folks like Black Mask, the Penguin, or Joker, fall under his 'what an asshole' banner, where he doesn't like them just for the obvious reasons of they're hurting people for power.

He probably likes Catwoman honestly, but her main profession is also thief not murderer so she has that going for her.

I don't think he'd have any special opinions on the other ghost characters. They're ghosts; water is wet, fork found in kitchen.

But yeah, as of the timeline right now Danny's opinion on the Rogues and vice versa are what you'd expect. He's not in the field often enough to form a relationship with any of them beyond the normal one, and considering his schtick is "you made Batman need my help" he's not particularly inclined on changing it. Child ghosts can be so protective yk, especially clingy little traumatized ones with separation anxiety.

[hobbitinnumenor]

this may sound petty, but...

I truly don't mean it that way. Really no judgement, just observation. People have various reasons for what draw them and what's feasible for them. Not my business, you do you, be blessed. I don't like gatekeeping, and that's certainly not my goal here. But here goes:

There are LOTR fans, and there are *Tolkien* fans. One is not "better" than the other, but there is a distinction.

The former love the Jackson films, may or may not have read the books, may or may not have read the Silmarillion. They're not particularly bothered by things like, say, character assassination of Faramir and of Isildur. (To note: overall, I LOVE the Jackson films. But, the more lore I learn, the more I see where they fail.)

The latter are at least *interested* in the deeper lore, if they haven't yet gotten into it. They are interested in things like the scholarship and the classic art. They know about the Valar and Ilúvatar. They love realms like Númenor, Harad, Lindon...and want more of them. They at least would love to join the Tolkien Society, if it may not be in the cards financially, etc.

When it comes to adaptations, they may certainly have their critiques, but they're super excited just to have all they can onscreen...and they'll definitely at least watch it. LOTR fans, in this frame, may not even give them a chance (I know *several*). Their vision of Middle Earth is Jackson's. That's okay. But it is that.

(Pssst "The Rings of Power" and "War of the Rohirrim"? By and large, from what I've seen, Tolkien fans ~ again in the above described frame ~ actually overall like them a good deal).

All I ask of LOTR fans: please be honest about who you are and aren't. Acknowledge what you do and don't know. And, in the name of Eru, don't be toxic and gross. Then I actually AM judging, sorry not sorry.

That is all. Thank you for coming to my nerdy Tolkien TedTalk. 🤓📖📚💍⚔️✨️

[flossylove]

Last nights clip was so disturbing oh my goodness

I don't know how SRAM did it, but genuinely I felt so sick watching as the night progressed through the clips. Yes, we knew what was coming and how shitty Sven is, but still, they really elevated how horrible it was for Nora.

Also, by Petra joining in as well? With her removing Nora's clothes and kissing her? Like, girl, Nora was clearly too out of it to consent to any of that. I really wonder how they're going to go along with Petra, because in the OG Mari was always helping Noora and making sure she was safe and okay. Whereas Petra literally joined in!!

The call with Petra as well just solidified for me that Sven deffo does this on the regular and drugs up those girls around him. Like, "Yeah right. That's what I always feel too." Girly, get the hell away from Sven PLEASE

I feel like they're gonna go along more with the drugging plotline, with Nora feeling/knowing that something more happened, but everyone around her is assuring her that she just got drunk. Because then that'd work still with her being absent with Roko. She knows something more happened and feels unease with that, and no answers.

Of course, there's still the photos that we saw Sven take in the clip last night. Which, yeah, actually seeing him do that around everyone else?? And no one stepping in or stopping him from photographing the minor?? Gross.

I loved the clips we got this morning, they felt really fresh with the switch-up (even under the current circumstances). I loved how Roko was waiting outside for her, lover boy certified, but I just know this is gonna hurt so much with the upcoming weeks. I already knew this plotline was gonna be painful, as it always is, but especially with Nora and Roko, who as we all know I really love. They are top remake for me. They are just so sweet with each other. And the character arc with Roko from Season 1 to now?

As always, I am really interested in how they're going to execute this new aspect of the plotline. I loved that we got to see Roko there this morning, and finding out through Vito that he held her hair back and truly looked after her. It really just highlights how shitty Sven is, and we haven't even gotten to the worst of it.

Hearing Roko talk about those parties Sven holds, like he knows about them, hates that they happen. That's just gonna hurt so much more when he finds out about Nora being there. Which, just slightly talking about the future, I really hope he actually does something to Sven. Yes, violence isn't always the answer - but in this case it absofuckinglutely is. Like, if they don't make him do something, the same guy that said "If anyone so much as lays a finger on you, I'll be there" - and he just does nothing to his slimy brother?!?! I would really feel like that's a missed opportunity absolutely.

This post is probably so negative and like, underwhelming. I just don't know how to express my reactions. Like, yes of course I love this show, and I am loving the changes, but this storyline is always difficult (I find) to talk about in any sort of happy way, because we all know what's coming.

In other news, we got another forehead kiss and several more! So I guess there's a positive 😭😭

Also, Roko's "I've been waiting the whole week for you to call" 😭 "Chamomile? For my delicate flower." Nora's smile!

User flossylove found sobbing on the floor over this cutie.

Guys, I'm really trying to focus on the positives in this scene, and that's probably what I'll be doing going forward because otherwise rage will just take over my body :))

~ floss

[burymeinariver]

Y'all tell me why I'm starting to get into the Shadow the Hedgehog lore but almost everything I can find on him has to do with him being shipped with either the reader or Sonic?

Like no hate to the writers who write (person) x reader or those who read it, but I honestly despise that kind of stuff just because my brain has a hard time trying to put myself in those positions (and it also seems weird to me to try). It sucks when a lot of Headcanons I find on Shadow (or any of my hyperfixations) are romance/intimacy based for y/n people and everything that isn't is literally just a ship like Sonadow.

It's kind of frustrating to not be able to find silly Headcanons like "Shadow loves water because sonic despises it" or "Shadow has a full skincare and hair routine" and just stuff like that.

And I would write my own but I quite literally only gained this fixation 3 days ago after I cried for my boi after watching Sonic 3. Until then, I knew who Shadow was, but had no information on him other than he looks sick as hell. So obviously I'm very new to the sonic the hedgehog fandom, and haven't gotten a good grasp on Shadow's actual character yet in order to create feasible Headcanons that don't conflict with his canon personality too much.

With Takeda, it's much easier to bend and twist him as much as I want because let's be real he has hardly any screen time and I feel like Netherrealm did a good job of his general character but they also could have done a LOT differently, and I also have a better grasp on him, his backstory, and his relationships.

Anyways there's my rant, now to the fun stuff.

Comments/Statistics:

I have saved 82 edits of just Shadow in the past day and a half (this is not even relatively close to how many I simply viewed on TikTok). In addition to this, I have completely morphed my FYP from random memes to quite literally just Shadow (I've done this with Sam and Colby before, just... Not this quickly).

I have read at least 20 different fanfictions written about Shadow in the same day and a half, all which range between 5k-40k, as well as 3 different series with all fics being about 4k-5k each with the amount of fics ranging from 6-17 fics per series. Also, since I like the spice of trauma so that I may relate to it, every single one has had Shadow with PTSD due to, you guessed it, Maria and G.U.N./ The ARK. My brain has a permanent migraine from reading so much.

I have found that there is no ship that involves Shadow that I like, but that doesn't mean I'm hating on any of them, and I am willing to read Sonadow as a last resort

This fandom? 100% obsessed with Sonadow (from what I've seen) and ngl I wish there was less romance forced into this fandom and more singular character studies and Headcanons, especially with Shadow because my boi is complex and he deserves it.

Like I said, I'm newish to this fandom, so maybe I just haven't seen enough, but looking Shadow up on Tumblr brings up a completely Sonadow feed, and it's a little frustrating. I wish I could filter things on here like I do on AO3 so I could get rid of that stuff and focus mainly on Shadow himself.

Anyways, have a great day (or night), drink water, and don't die.

[kittyminion]

the ones who were eddie munson x rebel!f!reader

-eddie munson likes the girl whos different -bullying, fluff, kissing, tattooing, violence, fighting, blood, au, not proofread -word count: 2.8k -much more eddie to come soon <33

Eddie had seen you walking the halls of Hawkins High School for four years straight and he never once spoke to you before today. You were an unperturbed force in your dirty converse, smeared black liner and frown that'd been glued to your face since freshman year.

You carried a mangled hot pink backpack covered in pins, patches and the occasional splotch of dried juice, your hair pulled high and off your neck, stripped with cheap pink hair dye that you'd gotten the week after the first incident.

Eddie liked your style, and he liked your attitude even more.

You were among the miniscule group of students at school that weren't the typical perfect, wannabes. You were different. You flipped off whoever dared to mistreat you, you had your earbuds in twenty-four-seven, sometimes you'd bystander the Hellfire Club meetings, sticking close to your friend who'd been in the group for a few years now. But today you were a substitute.

You were always chewing gum and picking at the piercing on your nose, your eyes following the movements of Eddie's hands as he explained the game to you.

You were nodding silently, fidgeting with a pair of silver dice, your eyelashes fluttering every time you glanced up at Eddie. Once he was finished explained you leaned back in your chair and smirked, "and you play this every week?"

Eddie nodded, his smirk matching your as Nike and Dustin trickled in arguing about something he didn't care to get involved with.

"Why haven't I ever gotten an invite?" At your words, Dustin and Mike froze, staring at each other in confusion, their eyes on you and Eddie curiously.

Eddie chuckled, pushing his curly bangs out of his face, "never spoke to you before, princess. How would I know you like D&D?" You rolled your eyes, pushing up out of your chair.

You walked around the table and hummed, your hip pressed against his absentmindedly, "how do I make a character?"

Eddie knew he liked you after that. It wasn't just a mysterious curiosity anymore; now it was full-fledged hunger for all things you. He wanted to know everything about you: your hopes and dreams, your favorite music, the things you hated, everything.

At the root of it all, Eddie Munson was a lover boy and although it didn't seem that way because of how he dressed and the things he enjoyed, he knew he had to some something about his crush on you.

So, the next week in school he started seeking you out.

During lunch, you holed up on the football field to eat by yourself. You had a Walkman in your lap, earbuds poised in your ears, and a ham and cheese sandwich in your hands while you rested on your stomach, eyes busy staring at a thick book covered in dragons, fairies and other fantasy creatures.

When Eddie walked over, hands tossing a marble between his hands, you didn't move an inch, your arm reaching up to rest against your chin, but you flipped a page, your lips whispering to yourself.

Eddie smiled to himself after a failed attempt at getting your attention, and when he finally did (by waving his hand in front of your face), he pursed his lips awkwardly and hummed as you pulled your earbuds out with a slightly annoyed look on your face.

"I'm sure I'm the last person you want to see right now but, I wanted to invite you to D&D club this Friday as a member. You did really well for a beginner."

At his words your eyebrow raised, and you grinned, sitting up fully and inviting him to sit as well.

"Well, I'll be there then." Eddie nodded slowly, biting his cheek as his heart pounded inside his chest. As he spun around to walk away, you called him.

"Munson, care to join? It can't hurt to get away from the bastards in the cafeteria for once." Eddie mouth fell open a bit as he found something to say, and when you laughed, moving your backpack aside to give him room, he sat down, awkwardly crisscrossing next to you.

"You want to hear something funny?" You muttered, placing a ripped piece of paper in your book and closing it. As you stuffed it inside your backpack, you turned towards him, your chin resting atop your knees.

"I've never in my life had as much fun as I did Friday night than I've ever had." Eddie had a cute little grin on his face as you said it, which made you chuckle.

"Too many times I've heard how weird the D&D club is but it's totally not true!" Eddie shoulders sagged in relief, and he ran a hand down his face, "God it's tiring sometimes—not fitting into that tiny little box this place wants us to."

You bit your lip, glancing away, twiddling your fingers nervously as you nodded. "If someone told me it would include constant ridicule and depression I would have tried to change early."

The both of you shared a sad, depressive laugh and you shook your head absentmindedly, "you're cool, Eddie. I like you."

Eddie entire heart practically leapt out of his chest at those words, then he realized you meant them platonically and he inhaled deeply, pushing himself up.

"You clearly haven't met yourself then, sweetheart. I'll see you Friday." He shot you little air bullets before he walked away, head angled towards the sky as he reached up to his hair and tugged on it.

Silent days had passed after that. He'd heard you'd had a heated moment with the cheerleaders, something about paint, screaming and the principal's office.

Occasionally he saw you in the cafeteria, sitting with a little trio of people he recognized as your friends. You laughed so brightly and wholeheartedly it made him want to laugh too. You had a little permanent smile on your face as you ate your packed lunch, your hair styled in a large curly afro, that little faded pink strip a victim of your fidgeting fingers.

"Eddie, are you listening?" Dustin clapped in front of his face and Eddie groaned dramatically and stood, looking away from you as he stared out the window.

"What, you little shit," he said softly, daring to look back over at you, but you weren't there. Eddie frowned and sat back down, his ass against the table, feet on the bench.

"Who's that girl from last week? The pretty one?" Mike wondered, and Eddie smirked, "what, are you trying to date her, Wheeler? She's a little too old for you."

Dustin chuckled, slapping his friend against, "she probably thinks you're a child, Mike."

Eddie laughed, still searching the cafeteria for her, "me on the other hand, we're the same age."

Dustin pretended to throw up, "do you like her or something?" Eddie ignored him as he finally spotted you over by the trashcans, emptying out your lunch bag.

As you spun around, you were met with a trio of cheerleaders and Eddie smile fell as he watched the girls crowd around you, each holding cartons of milk.

Before you could even get a word in, they dumped the milk all over you, your face, body and hair soaked in spoilt chocolate milk that Eddie could smell across the room.

The cafeteria turned into chaos then and Eddie had to fight his way across the room to try to get to you.

One of the cheerleaders was met with a solid hit to the face (by you), while another was grabbing you from behind, using her acrylic nails to scratch up your face.

The basketball players nearby did nothing but laugh and point, Chrissy Cunningham looking fearful beside her douchebag boyfriend. It was clear she wanted to do something, but Eddie was way ahead of her.

"What the fucks wrong with you bitches?" He yanked one of the girls off of you.

"Freak! Get the fuck out of the way!" Jason Carver shouted, standing up to shove Eddie, but Eddie gave him one simple look and Carver backed off, nodding at his friends to help stop the fight.

Eddie helped you off the ground and ushered you out of the cafeteria, your friends trailing behind him.

Your face was red and trickling blood as he sat you on a bench in the hall.

"I will fucking kill those bitches and get away with it!" You spat, attempting to get up, but Eddie shook his head, hushing you as he pulled a bandana out of his pocket and ran it over your face.

"Do you have any extra clothes?" Eddie sat next to you, glancing over at one of your friends for an answer, and she nodded, scurrying off towards the gym with her other friends in tow.

"Are you alright?" Eddie questioned, pushing your damp hair out of your face, and you shook your head with a sardonic laugh, "no I'm not fucking alright, Eddie! I was just drowned with spoilt milk and jumped by prissy fucking cheerleaders."

Eddie nodded slowly, biting his lip, "yep, you're right. Fuck." He jumped up suddenly and you followed his movements with a suspicious eye, "what are you doing?"

Eddie snapped and grabbed your hand, tugging you off the bench as he started dragging you out of the school. "I've got some tools in my van."

You let him pull you out of the school, "tools for what?" He didn't answer you and instead opened the back of his van and grabbed an old toolbox.

"All of them park in the front, together, lined up one by one. I've got a pack of jolly ranchers and a few sodas. Coke will ruin their engines, and the jolly ranchers are impossible to come off of the windshield."

A slow smile overcame your face as you grabbed the jolly ranchers and opened the pack, "you are diabolical, Eddie Munson."

Thirty minutes later and the cars in question were covered in jolly ranchers and the gas tanks were full of soda. Once your friends delivered you a fresh pair of clothes, you'd decided you were done with school for the day, so Eddie joined you on the football field.

"What other snacks do you have?" You wondered, fumbling through the toolbox. He had gummy bears, goldfish, a small baggy of weed, and fruit snacks.

Eddie twisted onto his stomach, "uhh, I've got Doritos?" When you nodded excitedly, Eddie opened the bag and poured some in your hand.

You given him some snacks from your bag and also provided your blinged out lighter so the two of you could get high together.

"This one's gone." Eddie muttered, smoking the last of your most recent blunt and you groaned playfully, and Eddie laughed, rolling onto his back as he stared up at the cloudy sky, fingers tapping a beat on his stomach.

You sat up, your fingers prodding at his arm, "who did your tattoos. They're nice." Eddie glanced over at you, smiling, "I did 'em." You gasped, "what the hell! Can you give me one?"

Eddie sat up, "sure, got an idea on what you want?" You nodded, reaching into your bag and pulling out a thick sketchbook, "how about this?"

You showed him a drawing of a whimsy vine of flowers and Eddie grabbed the sketchbook, staring at the drawing as he clicked his tongue, "where do you want it?"

You tugged your shirt up and chuckled when Eddie's eyes widen at your eagerness. "Right here, on my hip, kind of lower too." As you pulled the waistband of your pants lower to show him, Eddie's cheeks reddened and he nodded, "perfect. How about you stop by the trailer after D&D?"

You clapped your hands in approval, "perfect. How much?" You rested your elbow on his knee absentmindedly, stuffing your sketchbook in your backpack.

"Fifty, but I'll give you a discount for being cute." When you froze, he stuttered out an apology, but then you smiled and squeezed his hand, standing up, "you're sweet, Eddie."

That Friday after D&D, you met Eddie at his trailer, dressed in a pair of floral cotton shorts and a lacy tank top that showed a sliver of your belly.

"It'll hurt you know." Eddie said as he unlocked the door his trailer and quickly started gathering trash and stuffing it in a bag. You scoffed, "of course it'll hurt, Eddie. It's a tattoo."

You followed him into his bedroom, glancing around curiously, "Corroded Coffin?" You smiled as you picked around his room, noting the endless band posters and knickknacks.

"The name of my band. We perform at the bar sometimes. You should stop by." You nodded, "give me a date and time and I'll be there."

As Eddie set up a little section in his room to tattoo you, you searched through his collection of records and then turned up the volume, your head nodded slightly as you plopped on his bed, your legs pulled up to your chest.

"Get a lot of visitors?" Eddie shrugged, opening his closet and rummaging through it, his shirt raising to reveal a sliver of his back. You continued staring and Eddie could feel your gaze

"Not many unless I'm dealing. Much more inconspicuous because people wouldn't expect them to step foot in a trailer park."

"I'm surprised I've never bought from you." Eddie pulled a chair up next to the bed and put on black latex gloves, his eyebrows raised as he turned to you, "you'd be surprised who does buy from me. When you're ready, you can take off your pants."

You laughed at his blushing, reaching up to squeeze his cheeks, "are you nervous, Eddie?" He scoffed, waving you off, "never."

As you took off your pants and got into a position, he could tattoo you in comfortably, Eddie applied the stencil of your design and started. The two of you were awkwardly silent for thirty minutes, your eyes closed while Eddie concentrated.

When the silence became unbearable, you huffed, causing Eddie to pause and look at you, "what was that for?" You rolled your eyes, "why are you being too quiet. I like you because you make good conversation. Is it 'cause I'm practically naked? If I knew that would bother you then I would've never come—"

Eddie shut you up with a simple shake of his head, "I'm not uncomfortable, sweetheart. I'm trying not to stare at you because you're so fucking beautiful."

You opened your mouth to reply then you stayed silent, your chest rising and falling as you shook your head, "you are ridiculously sweet." Eddie grinned, "don't tell anyone or they might think you're crazy."

You rolled your eyes, "there's plenty girls who wish they were in my place right now." Eddie hummed in surprise, and you chuckled, "yep. Before I met you, I thought they were being dramatic. Yes, you have the look; metalhead, curly hair, the style, but I thought you were like everyone else, a dick. That was until I met you. You're funny and sweet and considerate. It's weird how perfect you are actually."

Eddie cheeks were cherry red, a little embarrassed smile on his lips, his eyelashes fluttering as he continued tattooing you. As he went over a particularly sensitive spot in your skin and your tensed in pain, he froze, glancing up at you.

Before he realized the trick, you'd planted a kiss upon his lips, your fingers sliding up the back of his neck while your eyes were squeezed tightly shut.

Eddie could practically feel your heart beating through your skin, but he haphazardly placed the tattoo gun aside and gripped your jaw, latex covered fingers warm against your skin.

Your tongues tangled together tightly as you fisted his hair, a moan escaping from Eddies lips, his nose smashed against yours. It was a rough, messy and awkwardly firm kiss, but it made the two of you laugh when you pulled away and when you kissed the second time, it was gentle.

Eddie fingers ran down the length of your body and he gripped your waist, the bulk of his rings pressing into your skin while your hand was resting against his thigh.

Eddie pulled away and peppered kissed down your jaw, his lips latching onto the sensitive skin of your neck as he sucked. You moaned in response, breath coming out heavily, your eyes closed.

As Eddie began to climb on top of you, careful of your unfinished tattoo, the front door of the trailer slammed open and heavy footsteps trailed around the kitchen.

Eddie jumped off of you, running over to his door to slam and lock it. When he turned around to glance at you and saw you watching him with confusion he shook his head, "it's my uncle."

The steps finally came over to the door and Eddie's uncle, Wayne, rattled the doorknob, "what the hell are you doing in there boy?" His uncle grumbled, as he knocked.

Eddie sighed, "I got a girl in here." Wayne chuckled in response, "hope you're not doing what I think you're doing." As you laughed, Eddie cursed under his mouth, a little embarrassed grin on his lips, "I'm giving her a tat."

"Sure, you are."

[wormspoodle]

thinking about these screenshots again and i need to show other people

[vaguely-concerned]

thinking about how deeply lucanis' life has been defined by a lack of control of that life -- as he himself points out, even before the ossuary went and carved the headline out again with big bloody letters. of course he reacts badly to losing what little control he did manage to construct for himself even within those circumstances.

(namely: experience has taught him that things (caterina, loss, pain, love, all horribly and indelibly intermingled) will happen to him whether he wants them to or not and there's nothing he can do about that... but he gets to decide what's let in or out of his soul as it happens, even if he has to close it all down and deaden and numb himself out in the process. (even if that means he drifts further and further away from illario, who's been desperately reaching out and trying to keep hold of him until he finally gives up completely and tries to cut the bond all at once when lucanis doesn't seem to reach back anymore.) it's such rare well-observed freeze logic solidly constructed from the bottom up, I'm still so impressed with it.

the way illario seeks constant external means to cope with caterina's abuse and importance in his life -- he can't win her admiration or acceptance or warmth (or like. acknowledgement even, at times :') ), no matter what, so he goes out and finds those things in others and then disdains and dismisses it for how easily and falsely it's won from them. he plots, he conspires, he tries to beat her at her own game however clumsily, he tries. lucanis doesn't try things that way. he's not about 'how do I improve my situation' by nature, he's 'how can I stop this from getting worse'. he avoids, he internalizes, he hunkers down and makes himself nothing until the pain maybe ends. he's fundamentally not a plotter, he's a reacter. an expert assassin pantser, if you will, to illario's clear and stated exasperation fhsak. man I love them. illario says 'get us out of here!!! if you loved me as I love you you'd help me get us out of here before it kills us both', lucanis says 'there is no other place, there's nowhere to go, all we can do is endure. and if it kills us... well, that's just family. that's what love is (the way things are headed I'll die first anyway so it's fine I won't have to face losing you)', and they're equally baffled and hurt by each other's POV. but they're both right, and they're both wrong. there's no 'right' way to deal with caterina's treatment of them, or their situation. the house always wins, if you pardon the expression. house dellamorte still stands and that is what matters to caterina in the end more than anything.

it also fits so well b/c like... their core wounds are that illario is the least favourite and is constantly dismissed, so he has to prove to caterina again and again that he matters. not even that he's worth love or respect or warm regard, but that he's here at all and as such should be considered. he has to shout 'in case u forgot I EXIST!!' at the top of his lungs or else be rendered nothing within the family structure (and himself, because it's all about family, that's all that really matters. in some weird twisted way I think caterina openly declaring him before all the other crows to still be of house dellamorte -- and no one from house dellamorte kneels -- is kind of a victory for him, as much as it's also a furthering of a prison sentence and public humiliation. house dellamorte brainfuckery goes hard.). lucanis is the favourite, and it's the double-edged sword that he gets all the affection and attention but also all the control and impossible expectations. drowning under all of that constant stress and close evaluation, his brain whispers 'I don't exist' to try to escape, to hide and hold on to the deep parts of himself that are crucial to life but not part of the perfect grandson caterina demands of him as the price of her love.)

I think a lot about how what seems to disquiet lucanis the most post-ossuary (as it would anyone with that psychological makeup) is the dissolving of internal boundaries and control he's been relying on, which is part of what spite symbolizes. his anger and reactivity has seceded from the union to the point of personification as a little guy (a little guy he resents and fears for his unpredictability and invasions into regions of his psyche he wishes to stay frozen and barren, and yet cares about deeply, loves! and also constantly dismisses and frequently helplessly lets down unless he's helped to learn to do otherwise. does this remind you of another relationship in his life, perhaps. it makes me feel nuts to think about the illario/spite parallels thanks for asking), and now that little guy is out there running the show freely the moment he glances away or closes his eyes. literal nightmare scenario I feel for him so deeply. so much of his coping is predicated on being able to Not do or feel or want certain things, and that's out the window now, Spite has Opinions. Spite refuses to stay wisely in place even if that place is hell on the logic that if you move you could find yourself in a place that's even worse, somehow. Spite actually wants to experience the world, however fucked up and scarring the way he arrived here, not just endure it. Spite means he has to face that maybe illario wasn't wrong all those years, at the same time as having to admit and face what illario has done to him, and figure out what to do about any of it.

anyway. mary kirby ma'am that's some good fucking metaphor work. thank you, and sorry about all the shit that happened

[bikananjarrus]

hmm. not sure if i should be more or less scared about vel’s fate given all the parallels between her and cassian. on one hand, maybe she’s the version of him that lives. the version of him that gives it all to the rebellion but also gets to see that sunrise. on the other hand. perhaps all the parallels are because they will share the same fate. And well….don’t like that.

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

DNI if you believe Kuaidul is some irredeemable monster. Not saying this in a "he did nothing wrong" way just to clarify. He blatantly did bad things I don't defend him for. I'm just very tired of seeing Kuaidul reduced to some pure evil monster when he was a complex character (and victim of the Creator's twisted "game") from day 1. So I just don't want to see it anymore is all.

[rugessnome]

I started listening to the backlog of the Kill James Bond podcast (...thanks to @shapelytimber mentioning it on a Man from U.N.C.L.E. post I think)

I decided to look up the one guy the hosts kind of ~liked in From Russia With Love (it's Kronsteen. I *think* I once saw FRwL but it's been over a decade ago. So I did not remember people) and some of the pictures had Rosa Klebb in them and...

if Wikipedia is to be believed the character in the novel is "in her late 40s" but the actress Lotte Lenye was likely 64 or so during filming and if the date on the photo on her Wikipedia page is accurate, I think she was likely still made up to look particularly older/~ugly than the actress normally did!

talk about the misogyny in these films...

like, the one woman (at least in older Bond; idk about newer stuff) who is not there to be A Bond Girl™ and they made extra effort to make her look unappealing

(and, as mentioned on the podcast, Klebb is portrayed, subtly in the film, as a predatory lesbian :P )

[frankencanon]

pet peeve: video games that give you dialogue options but they have absolutely no effect on the story whatsoever (and even the other characters' responses to your choice are the same either way)

[hurricanek8art]

Hello, I just glimpsed your tags on a post and no pressure (I myself am. So anxious about this ask rip) but if you would like to talk about your trooper and bounty hunter cousins I would love to hear about them, that sounds like a delightful recipe for a character dynamic (like. Is one essentially betraying the other? Did they come up in a situation where they just went their separate ways? How do they feel about the demands of their jobs putting them at odds/how close were they???)

DO NOT BE ANXIOUS I CRAVE ENCOURAGEMENT TO YAK ABOUT MY STORIES 🥰🥰🥰

Okay SO my Ordo cousins are kind of a mess in the best way family can be, with the added heap of Mandalorian Family Drama on top. A good portion of the story for them came from me being really fascinated by all the lore around the Mandalorians of this era and kinda disappointed with how little we actually know, and then me realizing "hey I accidentally made my Mando cousins look a LOT* like the Ordo brothers completely unintentionally" and then my brain went a-plot-bunnying away and came up with More Lore for my stories that I really need to put down in a coherent form/document. But I had maybe three hours of sleep, I know if I nap that I'm gonna murder my sleep schedule, and my dog is chewing on my desk chair again, so that is not happening here today. 🤣😭

*I'm not kidding, I've changed Jaiga's hair and Devika's makeup/tattoos since I made this, but I mean look:

Accidental cousins go BRRRRRRRR

Aaaaaaand I gotta put this under a wall of text because I have Cannot Summarize in a Brief Succinct Manner Whatsoever Because Infodumping Is Fun problems and I don't wanna take over the dash. If this makes no sense, again, three hours of sleep. 🤣😭

Basic barebones (i say like a liar 🤣😭) backstory: Devika and Jaiga grew up as two of six of the Ordo chieftain's grandkids together and are basically siblings. So Artus Lok becomes Mandalore the Vindicated then turns around and reinvests Mandalore's loyalty to the Sith Empire, Jicoln Cadera falls out with him over it and starts rallying clans. By that point Jek and Rass' part of the family split to do their own thing on Makeb for Reasons I Have Not Determined (I try to be a little canon compliant) so it's just Dev, Jai and Jaiga's older brother Korvun left with their respective parents, and Jicoln shows up to talk Clan Ordo into joining up with his uprising against Vindicated. Their grandpa Kinkaid doesn't like being loyal to the Empire either but doesn't want to turn on Lok, but Devika, who is being groomed as a future successor to the chieftaincy, rallies the clan into supporting Cadera because they're all sick of being used and abused by the Empire—they're Clan Ordo! Their forefather was Mandalore the Preserver, close ally to Revan! He and Clan Ordo helped bring down Darth Nihilus! So why are they bowing and scraping for the Sith when all the Sith have ever done for the Mando'ade is use them as cannon fodder? Speech is awesome, Ordo joins Cadera's rebellion, and when Clan Ordo does something like that, a whole bunch of other clans follow them because of Canderous' continuing legacy of loyalty and honor. They're gonna start a revolution and get them the kriff away from the Empire once and for all!

Which. Obviously. Doesn't happen. And goes very... very... very badly.

Jaiga and Korvun end up the only ones in the chieftain's family to survive the Schism—Jaiga fought, Korvun was born for clan politics but has some mobility issues that make him prefer to stay out of the actual fighting, both have some intense PTSD from losing most of their family. At that point they're sixteen and eighteen and technically traitors, so Clan Ordo gets appointed an "advisor" (read: Lok-approved supervisor) to ensure reparations go smoothly. Korvun takes over the clan chieftaincy but is pretty powerless to affect much without the advisor's approval. Jaiga is "volunteered" as an ijaat-sur'eyir, an honor-seeker, to basically wander the galaxy as an exile, no aid whatsoever from her family or clan, and find a way to regain Clan Ordo's honor and her own. Basically, she gets Zuko'd into a quest to find the Avatar, but the closest thing she gets to an Uncle Iroh is Braden, who gets killed only like six months into her bounty hunter apprenticeship to him, so she has to figure all this stuff out on her own (well, and with her crew). All that time out there alone makes her really bitter, disillusioned with her chances, and resentful of Devika for rallying them into the Schism, though. Because what do they have to show for all that loyalty to Mandalore the Preserver's legacy? Everyone's dead!

...except Devika did not get killed in the Schism.

She managed to get away with only a few scars. She tried to get back and fight for Clan Ordo in the aftermath, but she got betrayed by someone in the clan who felt betrayed by her actions in turn, and ended up in a Zygerrian slave camp for two years until she managed to jerry-rig a transmitter and reported their activities to the nearest Republic army base. SpecForce shows up to clear them out, since they'd been using the post-Treaty of Coruscant chaos to expand their enterprise into Republic territory with Republic citizens, and Dev's efforts in helping fight back get noticed. The leader of Cyclone Squad (made it up for fic purposes!) catches on that she's a Mandalorian who escaped the Schism real fast, but she's a dang good fighter and she went out of her way to save innocent lives, and points her in the direction of Special Forces since she has nowhere else to go and clearly wants to fight. Dev picks up the name Mav Darmani out of worry that if Mand'alor notices her fighting for the Republic that he'll bring the hammer down on whoever is left alive back home, graduates top of her class from Carida, serves a few outer rim tours with Cyclone, then gets transferred to Havoc just in time for All of That Business.

Neither Devika or Jaiga know the other survived the Schism until they both start making the galactic news (for vastly different reasons 😬) and recognize each other. Devika is overjoyed that Jai and Korvun survived. Jaiga wants to kill her for everything that happened. I haven't worked out how the reunion goes but it goes Badly. They're fine as of KotFE (and happily reunited with their other cousins! I can't remember which one but one of the Ordo bros' codex blurbs mentions they were at Darvannis), but it takes a long, long, long time for them to work things out. They're a mess that loves heckling/teasing/driving each other up the kriffin' wall, but I love my mess.

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

If there is at least one thing I can credit FE for doing better than Tales in localization, it's not trying to actively go out of their way for an entire game to avoid subtext or direct text between two men that is romantic or implied romantic. Funny when it's so present that the attempt doesn't even work; infuriating that it was attempted to begin with.

So as much as I often have issues with some of FE's localizations, at least they have a leg up on loc Tales for that.

[alto-tenure]

I was thinking about reverse Batgirls some more and I think my solution to put Cass into a new position would be to stick Charlie onto the end, so the reversed order is Charlie -> Steph -> Cass -> Babs...

[andessence]

so cruel to be stricken with blorbotions for a character in a mediocre source material. i love u ma'am but ur covered in bad writing grime!! idk if there's anything i can do for u....

[demenior]

Now that we're officially 2 chapters in and hitting The Meat of the problems in Howled, I have to restrain myself from babbling in circles abt the character analysis-es I've been doing on/using for Fjord, Jester and Eadwulf bc it has been a LOT of "I know [they] would not fucking say that but what are the exact circumstances that i can put them in to make them fucking say that" and especially in relation to tossing this grenade into FJ's rock solid relationship

And also I'm so happy bc like everyone in the comments is picking up on the fact of "oh no if Fjord would just be honest about his fears this would be fine, except there's NO way he would be honest in this situation bc of who he is". My heart is so warm rn.