#He can speak without problem. But he wants to know the pretty human he’s seen sitting alone in a hidden beach

[momochiiee]

╭┈˖⋆ ⋅ ❁ ⋅ ──── ┊ Cryptid silent merfolk Alhaitham ┊ ˖⋆࿐໋₊ ☆ ┊ Been brainrotting hard on this AU ╰┄───➤ °♡•.

╭─ •.•°⋅ ✿ ⋅°•.•.•°⋅ ✿ ⋅°•.•°⋅ ✿ ⋅°•.•°⋅ ✿ ⋅°•.• ─╮ Do NOT Repost! ♻️ Reblogs are appreciated and encouraged 💖 ╰─ •°•.⋅ ✿ ⋅.•°•.•°⋅ ✿ ⋅°•.•°⋅ ✿ ⋅°•.•°⋅ ✿ ⋅°•°• ─╯

[fatuismooches]

More Neuvillette thoughts, as requested by people in my inbox.

He is a traditional man, and he wants to court you in the proper way that someone as lovely as you deserve. The only problem is that he isn't actually sure of the way humans do so. Sure, he's seen other people do so, but sometimes it ends up in failure and rejection. And he sure does not want to ever see a dissatisfied look from you directed towards him. So Monsieur Neuvillette will head to the library to borrow a book regarding the principles of courtship. (Everyone is sworn to secrecy if they happen to see. Though the Melusines already know who the lucky person is.) He will genuinely start to worry if you don't show signs of reciprocation or happiness so please indulge him, he's trying his best.

Taking him diving. This doesn't really seem like a Neuvillette thing to do but when he's in love with you I believe he will actually consider your suggestions just to please you even if they seem a bit ridiculous. Why diving specifically you ask? Because he looks like an otter and you also want to show him those cute otters in the ocean to prove it. Even before the romance stage, you are probably Neuvillette's first real friend. No one else has the courage to speak to him as openly as you do. And he does not find it disrespectful, no, he realizes that he quite enjoys it. He doesn't realize how lonely he is without you until a mere day passes without seeing you.

Being besties with Furina. If you manage to catch the attention of the grand Chief Justice, you are sure to get the same treatment from the great Archon herself. You may be nervous at first but if you can deal with Neuvillette you can probably see her confidence isn't all that real and something she uses to hide her fears. Regardless just be her friend because Neuvillette is tired of dealing with her. She confides in and trusts the two of you very much. Furina will also let you in on some secrets of the Chief Justice, don't tell him though.

Expect to be spoiled with riches. I mean he is probably really wealthy and you are his lover so isn't it natural for him to treat you to expensive things? Though if you feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of Mora that he's spending on you just tell him and he will dial it back a bit (just reassure him that you really do love his gifts because he'll probably be a bit nervous that they're not good enough.)

Taking the Melusines out on dates with you and Neuvillette. Both of you are like parental figures to them. It goes from a table for two or a table for a few. It's really cute to see how they eat with their tiny hands, and see how Neuvillette listens to their stories with the utmost seriousness. They will also ask you the questions Neuvillette wants to ask you so he doesn't have to. Also, gently biting and nomming on his pointy ears. Just do it. He's really confused at first (is this what humans do?) but he won't stop you. Moving onto his horns. They are very smooth but I don't think they're hard. You could move and bend them pretty easily which makes it super hard for the judge to keep a straight face. Give them a little kiss too.

Everyone knows this by now but he is an emotional man who keeps his sadness and solitude to himself. Neuvillette doesn't rely on anyone to cheer him up but as time goes on he realizes even the smallest things you do makes him feel better so nowadays you'll have a visitor outside your house in the pouring rain.

[peteytheparrot]

i just realized something and you're the only dog man person I have any way of interacting with but...like... Why do we ship dogman with people? Sure he has a man's body but his brain is a dog. He's not a full anthro animal like Petey is, who functions and acts human. Dogman thinks and acts like a straight up dog.

Dogman, as a character, is a very interesting dilemma for shipping in general due to the fact he has the brain of… Well, a dog.

Dogman in the comics is only shown to be romantically attracted to dogs, this isn’t seen as a bad thing this is seen as ‘lol, Dogman likes dogs because he’s half dog’ I don’t think Dogman is ever attracted to more sentient beings like humans - or cats - besides that.

But when ignoring those canon details, I think what this all comes down to is that, the Dogman comics are VERY silly, anything could happen, and people who read these comics have their imaginations and if they want to ship Dogman with other characters they can do that.

This story allows shipping to be made without it being weird as fuck because literally anything could happen so it doesn’t seem out of place (I mean, the cats are fully sentient but the dogs aren’t, it doesn’t make sense, but it doesn’t matter and you don’t question it lol), I think most people when shipping Dogman with other characters headcanon Dogman as sentient as a human and understands the idea of relationships.

Petey x Dogman is also just an interesting character dynamic situation that can be shifted into romance for some people. Like bad guy x good guy is pretty popular for a reason! I myself can’t really get myself to ship it due to the context of canon, but I’ve always been one to not headcanon stuff and or to just not sway away canon elements in general I feel. Which is also very funny because enemies to lovers is literally my go to lol-

Although, Detey kind of turns into a problem when people start insisting they love each other in the canon story and that you’re wrong if you don’t think so…. when that will literally never happen. Dogman is sentient as a dog, and Petey is uh, probably not attracted to the man he hates that is also a dog lol (and his many issues would also probably get in the way of that, speaking of which has Petey ever been romantically interested in anyone in canon?)

(But also it’s kind of interesting, don’t really know where to put this, that Dogman and Petey have an agreement to take Lil Petey on separate days, they practically have a divorce situation going on, which is funny af 😭😭)

TLDR people can do what they want, the Dogman books practically allow this with the context of the silly story, so they ship Dogman with characters (with usually headcanoning Dogman with some semblance of sentience) - which is usually Petey - because it’s fun and interesting and people like shipping.

[pabit]

Hi, its Patrick speaking.

Michael somehow locked up both of the camera creeps in the bathroom. I guess they were freaking him out while he was repairing the door or some shit? The footage is pretty much useless, which is a bit irritating…but I’ve transcribed the audio for you all here. I think its crucial to provide the full word-for-word conversation.

----

> welp…the hole has been patched. i will have to replace the entire door eventually but um, this will work for right now.

> …

> uh…

> ......

> habit?

> …YES?

> are you...upset about what i said earlier?

> WHAT? NO NO…IM FINE. > don’t even worry about it.

> …you’re lying.

> no i’m not—

> habit…i may be mentally unwell, but im not stupid. i know that look in your eyes. i know that tone in your voice. ive seen it all before - i was practically raised on the sadness of my institutionalized peers.

> IS THAT HOW YOU SEE THE HABIT? AS ONE OF THOSE PATHETIC FUCKING CRAZY HUMANS?

> ah…i wouldnt describe them that harshly but i mean, basically yeah? > they are just people with problems man…many of whom have done some fucked up things, patrick and myself included. mostly though, they are kinda just…sad. Because they keep fucking up, or getting fucked up, and they dont know how to stop it. evidently you are not much different from them or myself in that way

> so uh— i just wanna say that i’m sorry for my behavior. i was being a jackass and it was uncalled for. i wanted to believe you deserved that and much worse but…i dunno. spewing blind hatred like that doesnt sit right with me.

> ….... > no. don’t apologize.

> what? why not?

> nothing you said was inaccurate nor unjustified, michael. why be sorry about that?

> because, uh…you apologized to me first? an' well, thats unlike you. at least, its unlike whatever i thought of you before today. maybe patrick is onto something…and maybe i was little too quick to judgment.

> HA…ARE YOU SURE YOURE NOT STUPID? I’VE DESTROYED MORE THAN JUST YOUR DOOR. I KILLED—

> i know. i know. and i dunno if i’ll ever truly forgive you for taking my brother away…but like. i also can recognize the value of an apology. it’s a good start, if you really mean it.

> …

> do you mean it, habit? are you actually sorry?

> I HAVE NOTHING TO GAIN FROM LYING TO YOU.

> sure– unless you think appeasing me is what will keep yourself from being kicked out and left to die alone

[HABIT laughs]

> I’D BE A MORON TO SINCERELY BELIEVE THAT. YOU AND PATRICK HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BAR ME FROM THIS PLACE, AT ANY TIME, FOR ANY REASON. I ACCEPT THAT. I WOULD DESERVE IT. AND ONE WAY OR ANOTHER…I WILL DIE WITH ALL OF MY REGRETS RIGHT BESIDE ME.

> I APOLOGIZED BECAUSE, WELL…I BELIEVE YOU DESERVE ONE, WHILE I STILL HAVE THE TIME TO GIVE IT. ONE LESS REGRET TO TAKE TO THE GRAVE, EH? > there is no other reason.

> you believe i deserve an apology, huh...

> ERRR…YEAH. > I CANT PRETEND LIKE I FULLY UNDERSTAND ALL THE WAYS IN WHICH MY ACTIONS HAVE AFFECTED YOU…BUT UM...

> YOU LOST SOMEONE DEEPLY IMPORTANT TO YOU. I HAVE LOST SOMEONE RECENTLY TOO. AND UH, IT…HURTS. IT HURTS AND IM THE ONLY MONSTER TO BLAME. > IF THE PAIN I LIVE WITH NOW IS EVEN REMOTELY CLOSE TO WHAT I’VE DONE TO YOU…THEN YES…i am sorry.

> I KNOW THAT WILL NEVER BE GOOD ENOUGH AND WONT FIX A DAMN THING...SO THROW ME OUT, IF YOU MUST. I WILL GO WITHOUT QUESTION.

> …

> …

> …

> …WELL?

> ...... . . . . . .........

> MICHAEL?

> …ugh…uh, hey…habit.

> ERR— PATRICK?

> heh…you got it…

> sorry im…still a bit fuzzy upstairs at the moment.

> UM. OKAY. SIT DOWN THEN?

[I flopped into the couch next to Habit, kinda bracing against him to ground myself.]

> SO UM– > IS MICHAEL ALRIGHT?

> Michael…? Oh right. > He’s fine.

> …THAT'S ALL? JUST FINE?

> Ugh– dude my head is killing me right now, gimme a break…

> OH. SORRY.

> Its– its okay, Habit. This is nothing out of the ordinary, really…it happens pretty often when I come around.

> AH…

> Anyways, ummmm…yeah! > Michael is fine. Processing everything, but he's fine. I won't go into more detail though…it's not really my place to talk about his feelings about you, after all. He will come back to say what he needs to when he is ready.

> AND IF HE IS NEVER READY…? IF HE WANTS ME GONE?

> Luckily for you, Mikey doesn't have the only say in that matter. You still have me, Habs – and I want you to be here.

> ................

----

Habit didn't say anything else after that, so thats when I decided to get up and let the creeps out of the bathroom. Now I'm in the kitchen; finishing up this post and waiting for this batch of cookies to bake. I'm just trying to give Hab's brain a moment to catch up with itself, y'know? You know. Whatever. Hopefully the sweets will lighten the mood. I promise I wont eat them all this time, heh.

It also appears that I have missed some interesting bits of insight while out of the house today, so I will check back in later once I am better informed and Habit has gotten a few dozen cookies in his stomach.

[ask] >>

[tetradynasty]

So, one thing that I’ve seen is people wondering why Fuuko seems to be doing a lot better in this last time loop than Juiz did in her own, especially considering she had 99 previous loops to practice with.

I think that there’s actually a lot of reasons why.

First, the loop itself. The first 20 loops or so were probably pretty useless. By that, I mean that loops without all of the master rules or any of the foundational ones, like kindness or burn, were probably incomparable to modern loops. There would be so many differences that information you gained there would be flat out wrong in later loops. I like to imagine a scenario where in an early loop Juiz and Victor try to prevent Burn from ever being added to try and depower the Sun.

Then there would be the one-off loops where something went wrong, completely dooming the loop. Somebody killed Tell, and now everyone is mute. Or Juiz trusted the wrong person and they rebelled against her. And you know Unluck ruined at least one loop from how much she wanted Fuuko dead.

Also about the loops, we know there is a bit of variance. The author’s deliberately been a bit vague on how much stays the same vs what differs, but people can be born later or earlier, in different places, and that can really fuck up a plan dependent on careful timing. Trying to recruit negators or manipulate events can pretty easily fail if they appear a couple years before you think they would. The missions are different too, so a mission that’s a cakewalk one loop could kill everyone sent to clear it the next. There’s no relying on a scripted plan, you have to be prepared to improvise a lot.

And speaking of plans, there’s also the underlying goal that Juiz has throughout her loops. It’s not actually to kill God. It’s to make the next loop more capable of killing God. Because her biggest advantage is the ability to carry over knowledge, and unfortunately, a low chance of killing God just isn’t worth it when it means she’ll lose all the knowledge she’s gained if she dies and can’t loop. This means that she can’t take huge risks. Staying alive and keeping all her knowledge is her highest priority.

And one of those risks that she doesn’t take is increasing the size of the Roundtable.

The bigger the roundtable, the longer they have to survive against God. During Ragnarock, we see the process of God reaching Earth takes about one minute. So if Juiz is the only member, that means that it is impossible for God to stop her from looping. With Victor as a guard, that time limit can reasonably be increased by a few minutes, so they can add a few more people. But any longer, and it no longer becomes a guarantee. And that means that Juiz has to deliberately fail any mission that adds seats, to not overstretch.

Now that she’s deliberately failing missions, that puts a hard time limit on how far she can get into a loop before Ragnarock occurs. And that’s not counting any missions that may fail for reasons out of her control, such as underlings getting suspicious of their leader who keeps on trying to fail missions.

And that’s where it starts coming down to human nature, and what I think is the biggest reason Juiz isn’t as successful.

Juiz and Victor aren’t as empathetic as Fuuko and Andy are.

UU is a shonen manga at the end of the day, and there’s a big focus on how teamwork and connecting with other people is the best way to overcome your problems. And Juiz and Victor aren’t going out and building the team they need, because of who they are as a person.

They have reasons for this, of course. Victor is overprotective, stubborn, and willing to sacrifice countless other people to protect Juiz. She’s the only person he cares for after so many others have left him, and is the only person that can understand what he’s gone through. Billions of years of suffering have worn away any softness he might have, any desire to reach out to others.

Juiz has gone through everything along with Victor, with the addition of the fact that Unjustice is implied to only work on people she doesn’t like/hates. So she is encouraged to dislike people she meets, in order to not be defenseless against them.

However, it’s not just all of the disadvantages that Fuuko no longer has to deal with. There’s all the advantages in this loop, that come from everything Juiz has done to increase their odds.

Juiz was the one that put G-Liner into the loop, which allowed Anno Un to save Fuuko in loop 100 and Fuuko to grab a bunch of artifacts in loop 101, creating Andy eventually led to Andy restraining all the master Rules and preventing them from fucking things up before the Union was ready to fuck them up which Victor refused to do, and lastly there’s all the general training and knowledge she gave Fuuko.

So I guess what I’m saying is that yes, Fuuko is doing better than Juiz did. However, that’s based on a hundred loops of Juiz’s hard work.

[hecksupremechips]

Can we talk about mitsuham I think we should talk about mitsuham yes I’d like that very much

Imagine Mitsuru her life has been planned out for her by a bunch of men her choices are not hers to make every move is political she is nothing but a tool forced to fight as a child never allowed to burden anyone with her feelings. Her life isn’t hers, it’s never been hers for a second, she exists to further the careers of the men around her. The first two friends she makes are both boys and she was in charge of leading them, using them just to further the Kirijo agenda. Genuine friendship did blossom between them, but things fell apart pretty quickly. Shinjiro can’t control Castor, something is seriously wrong with him, he kills someone, then he leaves and the Kirijos cover it up. Was it to protect him, or to protect themselves? Mitsuru certainly doesn’t know anymore but she’s lost a friend and can’t reach him again, he’s too traumatized by personas and Akihiko is still there but he’s always so stuck on Shinjiro and Mitsuru feels like she failed both of them. Just more men for her to let down by not being good enough

Then there’s Kotone. Sweet, strong, clumsy, talented Kotone. She’s so bubbly and friendly, but behind those warm smiles is horrible loneliness. Pain. But she’s never ever gonna let anyone see that. She busies herself by taking care of everyone else, listening to their problems and never burdening them with her own feelings. She can just fix everything and make everyone happy if she works herself hard enough. She just has this way about her, so reliable and so kind

And Mitsuru watches Kotone from above. Trusts her to be the leader, or maybe she just wanted to push a burden onto someone else for a change. Someone who’s able to take on burdens with a smile for fucks sake. And Kotone leads, seemingly effortlessly, and is able to recruit several members in a short time and achieve just so much more than Mitsuru could in her entire lifetime. Just, perfectly. Without even possessing any prior knowledge of the dark hour or personas. And she does this while being so emotional, so social, so weird, so fucking cute, it’s absolutely nauseating. This should be fine, right? It’s what Mitsuru’s always wanted, for someone else to ease her burden. And hell, it’s a woman too, a woman who’s perfectly capable of doing it all without a bunch of men helping her. It’s inspiring, isn’t it?

But there’s the pain. The envy. Kotone is perfect and she doesn’t even have to try. Mitsuru on the other hand has been shaving herself down to nothing just to be allowed a place. She makes the perfect grades and wears the beautiful clothes and applies the fucking makeup and is mature for her age and never speaks out or feels anything that could possibly make her be seen as a human, a filthy fucking human. So why does a woman as unashamed as Kotone get to have it all? And why is Mitsuru still here, still acting as the Kirijo tool, still doing whatever she possibly can to hurt herself to make a man feel better? Why isn’t she useful anywhere? It’s not fair

And then when she actually spends the time with Kotone she’s trying so hard to be that wise and mature figure she’s always been, trying so hard to force herself to smile through the pain, but she’s talking to someone who can see right through that shit cuz Kotone Shiomi invented lying through her teeth to make others feel better. It’s annoying really, how Kotone is supposed to be the childish one, yet it’s Mitsuru who can’t get it together and can’t seem to look into those bright eyes without breaking. And Kotone isn’t disgusted by what she sees, even though Mitsuru is being unreasonable and emotional and talking about wanting to run away and how much she hates her life and how she’s not only eating fast food but enjoying it, letting herself enjoy an indulgence that won’t make her pretty anymore. No, Kotone sees this and listens and encourages it and celebrates it, celebrates how utterly human Mitsuru is. She holds her hand and says "let me take on your burden". And it’s horrible, this kindness, Mitsuru hasn’t even broken all her bones to make Kotone happy, so why is she being so fucking nice? And then something breaks, and Kotone defends her. Stands up for her against a man. Lets herself once again take a hit to protect someone else. And it’s just too familiar, too much to fucking bear, and it pisses Mitsuru the fuck off. And she is able to tell a man to go fuck himself, because no one gets to fucking talk to this girl like she isn’t the most amazing person ever to exist. Not after everything she’s done, everything she still does, not after giving her all and never once asking for anything in return. And in standing up for Kotone, Mitsuru is able to stand up for herself for the first time in her life. And she looks at Kotone and says "let’s take on each other’s burdens"

Oh and also they watch a scary movie together and hold hands and ride a motorcycle and Mitsuru calls Kotone adorable I mean that’s pretty gay man

[banana-pancake5]

Chapter 2: Broken Promises (Part 2/3)

———

Leo and Vita soared through the sky as they jumped across rooftops. They weren’t on any real mission, they just thought it’d be fun. Perhaps it was a celebration of their recovery.

“See that Bestie!? You did nothing!! We’re doing GREAT!!” Vita yelled out in spite and mockery to the Krang trapped in another dimension.

Leo laughed at the sudden spiteful shouts. He had become used to how she acted, and honestly he enjoyed it. It was fun to just yell out to the Krang; Krang Prime couldn’t hurt them anymore.

Although, during their recovery it couldn’t have been more annoying to have someone constantly laughing at their injuries and speaking like the Krang were still there. Oh, and after they discovered her “Bestie” was Krang Prime?? That was infuriating. But as the days went on they realized how much she hated the Krang, she called the Krang her bestie out of pure spite. She did because she found it stupidly hilarious. And after a while Leo thought it was pretty funny too.

“Yeah! Take that Krang, we’re still going!” Leo joined in.

“Tell ‘em Lee!!”

“You’re the one trapped and we’re both free! How does it feel to have failed so miserably you piece of chewed gum!!”

“HAHAHAHAH!!!” Vita freely laughed though the sky, no more awful coughs from never ending injuries.

They continued shouting at the Krang and laughing as they jumped through New York.

Then Vita stopped. Not just the laughing and joking, but she physically stopped.

Leo was already at the edge of the roof when he noticed. He quickly spun his arms in an attempt to balance himself from his quick stop.

“A warning would’ve been nice!” He said half joking as he walked over to his sister perched on the roof. “What’s the deal mi hermana? Something catch your eye?”

She didn’t say anything. Her eyes were focused on the building in front of them. Oh… the Nexus Hotel.

“Eugh boy, yeah we’re not welcome there. Big Mama owns that place and she’s not a big fan of us,” Vita still stared blankly toward the neon sign, “Sooooo, we should probably be on our way!” Leo made an exaggerated step away from the view of the Hotel.

Then Vita jumped. Vita just… JUMPED! Leo rushed over and leaned over the wall as he looked down at Vita diving toward the ground. “Vita what are you doing!?”

He watched her dive closer to the street before whipping out a pair of Ninpo Whips. That was the first time he’d ever really seen her use her Ninpo for something other than goofing off. A breath he didn’t know he had been holding in released as he watched her swing off of lamp posts.

What am I supposed to do here? She just left without a word! Do I let her figure whatever it is out on her own? Should I stay with her in case she doesn’t know what she’s doing? Should I get the others? She survived however long with the Krang I’m sure she can handle Big Mama. But does that mean I should just let her? I’m the leader. I need a plan. What would a leader do!?

Leo’s rambling thoughts were disrupted by a far away shout in his sister’s scratchy voice, he couldn’t make out the words from the distance but they sounded angry.

Whatever she was saying it was a problem. She was right above so many people. She shouldn’t just be screaming like that! What if they see them?

He looked over the edge of the building to see if any humans had noticed. A couple people that he could see were looking up trying to find the noise but they didn’t seem to be recording.

To be safe, Leo immediately texted Donnie to search for and delete any footage that might have caught her. He did not want the government after them. They had enough stress the past couple of months to last them a lifetime.

Leo paced on the rooftop trying to decide what to do—

The faint sound of a window breaking interrupted his thoughts.

He rushed over the side of the rooftop for the third time to see what had happened. he couldn’t see too clearly from the distance but it seemed like it came from the Nexus Hotel.

Okay that was it. Leo had to make sure she didn’t get herself killed. He trusted his sister. He would stay back unless things got too bad, but he just had to know what was going on.

He unsheathed his sword and cut through the cold night air, creating a vibrant blue portal. He stared into the portal and suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion.

Maybe jumping across rooftops the whole night after just being cleared from crutches wasn’t the best idea. His stupid knee brace didn’t seem to be helping all that much either. How was Vita so… okay?? Throughout her entire recovery she seemed like she was almost unbothered by her numerous injuries. But then again, Leo put on his own facade during his recovery too.

He gathered himself up, took in a deep breath, and stepped through the portal and walked right into the spider’s web.

Eugh, he hated this place. Nothing good came from Big Mama. Sure the Battle Nexus was fun but this was just her hotel. Nothing cool going on in there. Why did Vita come?

His portal placed him down in the lobby. Dum dum portal taking him to the wrong place yet again.

He carefully traversed the Hotel and only a few guards spotted him. But by that point alarms had already been going off and the guards were busy so he easily got away.

Either way, he had been going slower than he should have.

He’s being too reckless. A good leader wouldn’t have been spotted so quickly.

He pushed through any discomfort he was feeling and continued searching.

He spotted Vita rather quickly. He stayed far enough back so that he could see her but couldn’t quite make out what she was saying.

He saw her yelling at someone but couldn’t make out any of the words through the blaring alarms. She sounded furious… or desperate? He really couldn’t tell. He looked closer at who she was shouting at and recognized almost immediately.

She was yelling at Big Mama’s assistant.

That had to be bad.

But there wasn’t any fighting. Maybe it was okay?

Then guards came. About five of them rushed her and pinned her to the ground. Then they started dragging her away. She didn’t even put up a fight. Oh come on Vee, you’ll fight to the death over a piece of pizza but not when you’re in real danger?

Every fiber in his body was telling him to ninja in, rescue her, and ninja out but his body said otherwise. He was exhausted from the rooftops and had a massive headache from the yelling and alarms. He couldn’t risk both of them being captured.

He split a portal open and ran through into the lair.

His breathing was heavy and he looked into the lair. No one was in the main area.

Nope, no time for this.

He immediately made a second portal back to the Nexus Hotel. He didn’t have time to run around looking for his brothers.

He walked through the portal—

His eyes became pinpricks as he looked down in shock at Vita sitting outside the back of the hotel. Well, she was okay. That was good. But why did she do that!?

“What is wrong with you!? What was so important that you nearly got both of us spotted by practically everyone in New York!? You gave me a heart attack, Vita!”

Leo suddenly found himself voicing his thoughts in a tone harsher than intended.

Vita looked up at him and he flinched when saw the wet streaks down her face.

Oooookay. Not good.

Any anger he expressed was quickly suffocated by shock and concern.

“Cool cool cool, you know what, it’s fine.” He sat down next to Vita, “can we head back? We can talk back at the lair, okay?”

“Heh, sure thing Lee.”

She sounded tired. Alright, questions later, comfort now.

He brought her over to his room and pulled out a beanbag and a weighted blanket for her and sat across from it on his bed. The beanbag he had in there was for reading comics and the weighted blanket was for Donnie. Countless late night conversations and impromptu sleepovers lead him to always keep a weighted blanket in his room. He too used it on occasion, especially with his new development of constant horrid nightmares nearly every night.

He knew with his brothers that when they were panicked or upset they usually needed a moment alone with their thoughts, “I’m here whenever you’re ready to explain what happened. I’m… just gonna read a comic until you’re ready.”

She scrunched herself up in a ball on the beanbag, holding her knees to her plastron. She didn’t say anything for a while.

Leo was trying to focus on the comic, but he was extremely nervous. He had never had to comfort Vita before. He had no idea what she needed. His leg was tapping up and down repeatedly. He finally looked at her and spoke up, “You can leave if you don’t want to be here…”

She shook her head and stayed silent on the little blue beanbag.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes before she let out a small laugh. Leo immediately looked up from his bed.

“Ha… hahahaHAHAHAHAHAHA SHE FORGOT ME! SHE- She really forgot me. Haha…” Her laughs shifted to quiet cries in seconds.

He was startled by her quick manic laugh, but he quickly got off his bed to sit beside her. When she laughed like that, so raw and hectic, it was bone chilling. It was so wrong. She only laughed like that in situations where others wouldn’t dare speak. Situations that were dire. Situations that left everyone panicked. In the silent fear her laugh would tear through her throat and break the silence. That unsettling feeling he got when he heard that laugh was something that he never got past during their recovery. But he didn’t show it. He just put on his carefully articulated mask and leaned his shell against the beanbag hoping to comfort her in whatever way possible.

She wiped the tears off her face and stayed curled up on the beanbag.

“How are you doing?” Leo asked after a moment of silence.

“Hahaha im doing just great Lee! My only family just completely forgot about me! Isn’t it stupid? I’m crying because she forgot me but I literally forgot myself! I had no clue what my own name was ‘till a couple of weeks ago!!”

Leo had no clue what she was talking about. He could only assume this family was another joke like her ‘bestie.’

But he did know that she had family, “Hey! what do you mean your only family forgot you? I’m literally your brother! Or wait— Gasp! Do I not count?!”

“What- Lee that’s not what I meant.”

“Ok so since I apparently don’t count, much offense taken, how about Raph? Or Mikey?”

“Heheh, you forgot Don!”

“Exuse me! You count that eggheaded weirdo over moi!? How dare!”

“BAHAHAHAHA!!” Her laughter sent her flipping backwards off her beanbag and onto a pile of comic books behind. The second she made contact with the comic books she stopped laughing. She and Leo stared at each other with dead pan expressions before they both burst into a fit of laughter.

She seemed to have forgotten about whatever it was she was talking about because after that moment she was back to herself. He made a mental note that jokes were a great way to help her.

That night ended with a movie marathon on Leo’s phone and a selfie added to Leo’s 3AM album.

MasterPost // Pt. 1 // Pt. 3

———

As an explanation part 2 is the same as part 1 but it follows Leo’s perspective rather than Vita’s! And I’m sure you could guess what part 3 will be like :>

Tag list: @jadetheblueartist @exhaustedwriterartist @cookiedoesart64 @theplacewhereidumpmyinterests @anglepsycho (please tell me if anyone would like to be added or taken off the tag list!!)

I hope y’all enjoyed it! :D

[bella-goths-wife]

How the lost boys deal with their daughter escaping

Dwayne

He’s a complete mess

Not only is he having to deal with his baby being gone, but he’s also got to deal with his stab wound

You stabbed him in the shoulder pretty deep, which usually wouldn’t be a problem

If you didn’t use the vampire hunters knife

Dwayne had to resort to human ways of healing, which he finds extremely annoying after centuries of not having to bother with it

He’s also extremely worried

As stated in previous fics, Dwayne is the most protective over you

He’s terrified of you being on your own

Not even on your own, your with someone his body’s age

He doesn’t know this man, he could be a pervert for all Dwayne knows

He can’t sleep, feed or function properly

His times dedicated to finding you

He’s using your clothing to smell you and he tries to track you but he just can’t

So he just holds your clothes close to him so he can still smell you

He’s terrified and he just wants you to come home

Marko

Marko is furious

He can’t believe you’d leave

He and the boys only ever loved you and you decided to run away?

He sees it as a bratty ungrateful move

But don’t you worry, papa is gonna make sure you come home

He takes his anger out by haunting your dreams

He knows that he scares you, but maybe it’ll knock some sense into you

He’d never tell anyone, but he gets a thrill out of chasing you

It’s your fault he’s not able to hunt properly, so you have to make it up to him somehow

He’d never kill you, but he loves the power of you fearing him

He does miss you though

He finds himself staring at photographs of the two of you together from when you were younger, before the incident that broke your trust in him completely

He will get you home, that’s a given

But when he does, your in for a world of hurt

Paul

Paul is surprisingly guilty

He keeps looking at the photo of your mother, and every time he feels a frustrated feeling creep into his unbeating heart

He remembers your mother, he didn’t like her when he met her

But he remembers that he always thought she had the most beautiful eyes he’s ever seen

The same eyes that stared back at him in betrayal during your last conversation

The same eyes that glared at him in hatred

It’s not fair, he’d just gotten close to you again and you left him

He wants to hold you close and whisper that he loves you

The only reason he haunts your dreams is so he can see you

He doesn’t enjoy it one bit, he has to get high just to do it

Speaking of getting high, he’s sees you sometimes

He’s moved from weed to hallucinogenic stuff and when he does, you appear to him

Sometimes your young, sometimes your old

Sometimes your happy, sometimes your sad

He doesn’t care, as long as he sees you

David

The last words you said to David live in his head every minute of the day

“I’m no longer your daughter”

It’s all hears all day, he’s memorised the way you said

You had such a relieved tone, you sounded grateful

Grateful you weren’t his anymore

That’s what you think, you’ll be back with him where you belong soon

He sits in your room most days and surrounds himself with you

He looks around and wonders what goes on inside your mind

As much as you angered him, worried him, crushed him when you left you also sparked something else

Intrigue

You were able to befriend someone, have them help you, save up enough money and create a plan in the space of a few weeks all without him knowing

You’ve fascinated him

How did you manage to sneak out right underneath him?

He also deep down feels the littlest bit of pride

He raised you to be smart, clearly he raised you too smart

But your actions all felt so very…. David like

He’s still intent on hunting you down, thats for sure

You’ve slowed him down by stabbing him in the hand with the blessed knife, which if it was any other situation david would have been proud of you

David feels the need to be in your mind, to think like you and he’ll find you

He’s squeezed enough information out of your pathetic lovers, so he has a general idea

Better watch out baby, daddy’s coming to bring you home

And his punishment won’t be light

[misslavenderlady]

The Lost Boys x Chubby Fem!Reader Headcanons 💕

Big thank you to @wowisksksj for this request! As a chubby lady myself, I was very happy to do this and I hope I made it truly special!

Enjoy~!

Now it’s no surprise that being immortal vampires, the boys have seen quite the variety of body types and shapes. Humans change their minds on what they think is “attractive” so fast, and they find that to be silly. There’s beauty in every kind of body.

The flings and crushes they have all look incredibly different from one another. It’s all a matter of who they’re drawn to at the moment, and what kind of personality they have to keep them wanting more.

So yes, they find bigger women to be quite stunning. They'll stare in awe without any shame, totally entranced by the beauty walking down the boardwalk. If they see something they want, they'll get it~

When they say “bigger”, they don’t just mean hourglass figures with small waists, large breasts, and an ass (though they do like that too). You could be apple-shaped, pear-shaped, have a small cup size, not much in the back, or quite a bit of belly in the front. They’re well aware that everyone isn’t going to look the same, and they’re totally fine with it. 

The boys are all incredibly handsome men with amazing bodies. They know they have pretty privilege and use it well to woo whatever lady they have their eye on. 

If you're more shy and worried they're just trying to tease or play a mean prank by asking you out (cough totally not speaking from experience cough), they'll subtly use their powers to ease your mind and enjoy the attention they give you. 

If you're more confident, then they boost your ego as high as it'll go. Compliments and flirty touches galore. You live for the attention, and they're more than happy to give it. 

They're a pack so if one of them finds you beautiful, they're all drawn to you. Even if you prefer one boy over the others, you might as well accept the fact that you're pretty much gonna date them all. That's not a problem though. More love to go around. 

Your own personal hype squad! They thrive on making you feel good about yourself. Your joy is their joy, so they will shower you with compliments without even having to be asked. 

They're supportive whether you're more prone to covering up or flaunting some skin. David with his two coats totally understands the former while Dwayne, Paul, and Marko are more for the latter. Either way, they'll be sure to tell you how stunning you look in your outfit (and how it would look even better on your bedroom floor~)

The boys are already very touchy-feely with one another, but they'd be even more handsy with you. An arm around your waist here, a subtle grab at your ass there, they just can't keep their hands off their beautiful lady. 

Each boy has their own unique way of appreciating you and your body. 

David likes putting you in front of mirrors. Even if his own reflection isn't there he'll stand behind you and whisper sweet nothings about the goddess he sees before him. He'll trace his gloved fingers over every curve and make it clear he finds you ravishing. 

Paul loves taking pictures of you. You're his muse and he loves setting you up in stunning poses so he can capture your best angles. He'll praise and cheer you on the whole time, getting you to smile widely. "That's it, sugar! Show off for the camera! You're so hot". He also has a few telescope keychain pictures of you in your birthday suit for his eyes only~

Marko is just as upset as you that plus-size fashion is such a joke. If you're tired of cold shoulder tops and endless floral prints, he offers to be your personal stylist. He knows how to sew, so all it takes is a few measurements from you to make exactly what you want. He knows just how to make the wardrobe of your dreams and help you feel like a fashion icon. 

Dwayne will sweep you off your feet-LITERALLY. If you worry about your weight and size, he'll immediately silence those thoughts by picking you up in his arms. No matter what you're doing or where you are, he'll take the opportunity to lift you up. Sometimes he'll even do it with one hand or lift you onto his shoulders. It always surprises you. If you start worrying about hurting him, he'll shush you and say "you feel like a kitten to me"

They proudly show you off in public. Usually, you're right in the middle of all of them, giggling while holding onto them. Sometimes other girls will give you a thumbs up and an encouraging smile as if to say "you go, girl!"

If anyone is rude to you in any way, they are on the boys' hit list. Anyone is fair game. Rude catcallers on the sidewalk, stuck-up workers at department stores, restaurant-goers who comment on what you order, ANYONE. Even if you don't hear the mean things, they do. And they'll make sure nobody bothers their lady. 

They make a show of loving every single part of your body. Stretch marks are caressed, curves are worshiped and rolls are kissed. They have all the time in the world and will take as long as they please to map out your beautiful body. 

If you like having sex, then be prepared to get your goddamn world rocked. They can lift you into their arms with no issue and have plenty of energy to fuck all night long. They each have their own style of love-making, but all equally ravish you (Paul and Marko especially love the saying "more cushion for the pushin'")

Each boy has their own favorite body part. 

David loves to take your face in his hands and stroke your soft cheeks while making you gaze into his eyes. It lets him appreciate what he’s claimed as his own.

Dwayne adores your thighs and hips. He’ll either rest his head on your lap while spending time with you or grab onto your sides to pull you in close for a kiss. 

Paul is a sucker for your breasts. No matter what they look like, he’s drawn to them like a moth to a flame. He cannot and will not keep his hands off of them. He may even offer to get you a mesh shirt of your own to show off your goods more.

Marko is an ass man. He has no shame. He’ll smack your behind at any goddamn chance he gets. If you’re bending over to pick something up, he’s going in for the kill. If you’re ever on a date with him, his hand is always in your back pocket, giving you a squeeze.

Since you’re not the same size as the boys, you feel sad about not being able to wear their jackets like other girls with their boyfriends. So to make it up to you, the boys each pitch in to help make your own custom jacket. They all add their own flair to it to show you’re their girl. They’ll even add patches with their initials or have the words “Lost Girl” written on the back. 

They’ll also indulge you in wearing those cheesy couples t-shirts from the shops on the boardwalk. The ones that say “If found, return to Y/N” and “I am Y/N”.

If there’s ever a day you’re feeling self-conscious about your body, they’re by your side to help cheer you up. No matter what it is that made you feel such a way, the boys will do anything to put a smile on your face again. They would never make you feel ugly or unwanted. They may be vampires, but they’re not monsters. 

[nanamin-nah-nanamine]

Hello! We saw you were doing matchups, and we'd love to have one, if you're up for it. :)) We're pansexual, so we're open to any gender but have a preference for males. However, we're just interested in seeing who would vibe with us!

Personality type: reliably INFJ/INTJ, 4w3 (tritype 458). If horoscopes matter, Leo Sun, Capricorn Moon, Sagittarius Rising.

Physical Looks: 5'3'', with a lithe body (we have a ballerina's build), and dark wavy hair. We prefer dressing in timeless classics/business casual, with our style often being described as elegant and put-together. We've also been told we have a soothing voice.

Personality: Personable while maintaining a certain emotional distance, and often described as enigmatic (we mainly chalk it up to how we ask after people but rarely disclose things about ourselves, and how we allow people to speculate about us without confirming or denying anything). We're often likened to a femme fatale or a chapette—a sociable, image-conscious, fashionable lady who plays into a stereotypical image of "cuteness" or "prettiness" that tricks people into underestimating them, when in fact they're highly educated and clever. However, with our small circle of close ones, we're intense and open with our love, and they are privy to the full scope of our emotions, knowledge and resources.

Love Language: Gift Giving and Acts of Service. We love being able to manifest our love as an experience: tailoring a gift so that every step of the process is enjoyable, from opening it to the reveal; providing our love in tangible manners by the actions we take on your behalf. It's this level of tailoring and attention that we seek to provide to our loved ones, a chance to truly be seen.

Interests and Hobbies: We read a wide range of literature, but can be most often found engaging in philosophy, psychological fiction, or horror (we like media that make us think/give us existential crises). Same deal with writing as well. We love the arts, and can sing, dance and act, as well as crochet and embroider. We love learning languages, and can currently speak 4. We also love going to museums and bookstores. Big on fashion and aesthetics. Dabbles in Chinese medicine. Knows a strange amount about tea.

Miscellaneous: We're currently a bit unsure about where our life is going to take us (currently a creative writing final student), but we know we want to work in the arts. Ideally, we'd be a writer, but we ultimately just want to tell stories by any means possible. Have a sweet tooth for creamy desserts (fruit sando, tiramisu). Will lounge in sun spots like a cat.

Hello wonderful human!!

After carefully combing through this beautifully worded post I think the only man for you would be 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

Hiromi!! the one and only oratrice mechanique d'nalyse cardinale😩

I couldn't find a gif for him since he hasn't been animated yet but I think picture does him justice. Starting with your first paragraph just based on your aesthetic I feel as though you two would look beautiful together and have that old money kind of classy vibe seeing as he’s a lawyer and such.

Hiromi is very introverted and more on the jaded side so I feel like an INFJ and Leo sun would compliment him personally cause we INFJ’s are very stimulating yappers so I feel as though you two would have some really good conversations.

I also think a soothing voice is exactly what he needs after a long day of work. Hiromi can be quite jaded as I’ve mentioned due to his work but I just see you two lounging on the couch just talking and enjoying wine, idk y’all are really giving classy.

He’s a pretty passive man in his day to day life so I feel like a femme fatale like yourself would definitely catch his eye cause he likes a strong individual who has concrete opinions.

I feel like your love languages might clash a bit because I feel like he’s not very good at receiving material things so you may have to be a bit firm with him.

He has no problem helping you with your assignments and writings on his days off, whether it’s giving it a set of fresh eyes or bouncing ideas off of each other. He’s blunt in his criticism but he’s also very honest and gives praise when praise is due. He’s not one to sugarcoat but he finds all of your works lovely anyways.

This man is depressed y’all and honestly you become his reason for getting up in the morning. He calls you his song bird and his smart ass(affectionate).

Activities you do together..

• reading and swapping books together

• he’s not too fond of horror, but he’s willing to get the cliff notes from you

• trying new cafes together on his dime ofc

• philosophical convos over tea and sweets late at night

[themirokai]

Hey there Emotional Support Raven fans. It's been a while without Matthew content from me. But after a big ol' writing slump, I'm back! This started as a quickie ficlet to break my creative log jam, and while it's still pretty short (~1,400 words) and pretty silly and pretty rough around the edges (no beta!) I'm actually kind of fond of it and I hope you enjoy it.

Inspiration included a post I can no longer find about birds with leg bands being more successful at reproduction, this post about magpies, @mashumaru's love of hooded crows, and her help on this post and subsequent patience with my inane questions via DM. Thanks, friend!

Not much Dream in this one, it's more of a Matthew adventure. I hope you enjoy!

~~

The thing was, the crow looked really sad and for better or for worse, Matthew had a tender heart. 

“Matthew,” Lord Morpheus had said to him, “a pod of undinės wishes to give me a gift in celebration of the summer solstice.” 

“Do I want to know what a ‘pod of undinės’ is?” 

“A group of rusalka.” Lord Morpheus had blinked. “Mermaids. More or less.” 

Mermaids. Sure. It was far from the weirdest thing Matthew had seen since becoming the Raven of the Dreaming. 

“While I am grateful to them,” Lord Morpheus had continued, “I cannot leave the Dreaming on the night the gift must be bestowed. You will go to the waking world and convey my heartfelt thanks, as well as my apologies for not being able to attend myself, and you will receive the gift on my behalf then return with it.”  

“Convey thanks, give apologies, get gift, come back. Got it, Boss.” 

Which was how Matthew had found himself alighting on the shore of a large lake in Lithuania to the sound of ethereal singing. The undinės were jaw-droppingly beautiful, and completely naked except where they were artfully covered by their long, flowing hair. Matthew noted with a flick of interest that the sight didn’t seem to have the same effect on him as he suspected it would have, were he still human. What did get him excited was one of the undinės presenting him with a very shiny blue shell, and telling him that it was just for him to keep. Matthew gratefully clutched it in one of his claws. 

When it was his turn to talk, Matthew was quite proud of himself for listing at least five of the Boss’s titles in his introduction, and the undinės seemed perfectly satisfied with his thanks and his apology. One of them brought forward a glowing pink flower with a blossom nearly half the size of Matthew’s body. Each petal was shaped like a small fern and was an ombre of blush pink near the center to fuschia at the tips. She explained that it was a fern flower: a symbol of fertility that can only be harvested during the summer solstice. The undinės wished to present it to the Shaper of Forms in celebration of the fact that his kingdom was once again fertile ground for dreams. 

Matthew gently took the stalk in his beak, gave a low bow to the undinės, and took off.  

He had been about to fly up into the Dreaming when he saw the hooded crow hunched miserably at the base of a tree. Matthew knew this was not his problem. Knew that he had more than enough to deal with in the Dreaming without involving himself in the issues of waking world birds. But, well, there was nothing for it. He was a softy. The flower was glowing just as gamely as when it was handed to him: it seemed like it would keep. 

Matthew swooped down to land in front of the crow, and gently put the fern flower down so he could speak. 

“Hey. Are you okay?” 

The crow blinked at him. “Are you real?” 

Matthew shrugged his wings. He was used to this reaction from other birds. “I’m a dream, but I’m a real dream. I’m really here and I’m really talking to you, and I didn’t come from your imagination.” 

“Oh.” The crow blinked at the fern flower. “What’s that? It’s shiny.” 

“Magical solstice flower that some mermaids wanted to gift to my boss. King of Dreams. Don’t worry about it. Are you okay? You just looked… really not okay.” 

The crow studied the fern flower for another moment then looked back at Matthew and heaved a sigh, letting his head droop further. “I’m hideous.” 

Matthew cocked his head to the side. The crow… looked like a normal hooded crow: black head, wings, and tail, gray body. Nothing out of the ordinary. “Um.” 

The crow held out his leg. Secured around his ankle was a tiny box on a black band. 

“Oh!” Matthew gasped. “Did humans put that on you?” 

The crow nodded. 

“Does it hurt? Did they hurt you when they put it on?” Matthew felt anger bubbling in his chest. 

“No, it doesn’t hurt,” the crow sighed.

Oh. Matthew took a breath. “Is it uncomfortable at all?” 

The crow shook his head. “I mostly don’t feel it.” 

“Does it make it harder to fly or walk?” 

The crow gave another mournful sigh. “No.” 

Matthew blinked. “Sooo, what’s the problem?” 

“It’s ugly!” the crow cried. “Garagalar has been getting all the girls! The humans gave him a green band! Everyone just loves Garagalar’s green band! It’s so pretty! It’s so shiny! And - and this one just looks like - like a blah! Like I have an ugly, bumpy leg!”

Matthew - somehow - managed to swallow down his laughter before it emerged. “Let me guess, Garagalar is being a real dick about it too.” 

“If he strutted any harder he’d dislocate a hip,” the crow grumbled, drawing a claw through the dirt. 

Matthew did let himself chuckle at that. “Well, I’m not sure I can do anything about Garagalar and his strutting, but I can probably help you get that thing off.”

The crow perked up. “Really?” 

“Sure thing. Happy to help.” Matthew let go of the blue shell he had been grasping in his claw and stepped gingerly over the fern flower to get closer. “Let’s see it.”

The crow held out his foot and Matthew inspected the plastic band. 

“What’s your name, anyway, pal?”

“Cartagrawk. What’s yours?” 

“I’m Matthew. Nice to meet you Cartagrawk.”

“Matthew? That’s a weird name.” 

“Yeah,” Matthew agreed, “it’s a long story. Now, I think I can probably just bite this thing. My beak’s pretty strong.”

It took some maneuvering so that Matthew could bite the plastic without hurting Cartagrawk’s leg, and even then he wasn’t able to bite right through, but after a few minutes he was able to put a crack in the plastic and loosen it enough that Cartagrawk could work his foot out of the loop. 

“Caw! Thank you!” Cartagrawk gave an excited flap of his wings. 

Matthew fluffed up his neck feathers with pride. “You’re welcome.” 

Cartagrawk looked out into the forest. “Garagalar will probably still get all the girls with that stupid green band of his. But at least I’ve got more of a chance this way.” 

Matthew cocked his head. “Maybe we can give you an even better chance…” he looked down at the fern flower still glowing on the ground. “This thing has something to do with fertility…” Matthew picked up the flower in his beak and gave it a gentle shake over Cartagrawk’s head and back. 

Cartagrawk shook his feathers and drew himself up taller. Maybe it was a trick of the light but it did seem like his feathers had more of a shine to them. 

Matthew put down the flower and pushed the shiny blue shell closer to Cartagrawk. “Save that for someone special,” Matthew told him. 

Cartagrawk’s beak fell open. “Really? You’re giving that to me? It’s beautiful!” 

Matthew nodded. “Yeah, I don’t need it. And you have some serious wooing to do.” 

“Wow! Thank you! How can I ever repay you?” 

“Eh, ya know, pay it forward. Help out someone in need down the line. And don’t let Garagalar throw you off your game.” 

“I will! I mean - I won’t! I mean - I will and I won’t!” Cartagrawk was hopping with excitement. 

If he had still been human, Matthew would have grinned. “Nice to meet you, Cartagrawk. Good luck out there.”

Matthew gently picked up the fern flower and leapt into the air. 

“I hope,” Lord Morpheus said as he took the fern flower from Matthew’s beak, “that you will not make a habit of using unfamiliar magical objects for your own devices, Matthew.”

Matthew could tell he wasn’t mad, not really. He resettled his wings. “There’s no devices, Boss. Just helping out a fellow corvid. One who got screwed by some humans.”

“Be that as it may, had this been something more powerful or nefarious things could have gone badly both for you and the crow.”

“Well,” Matthew said, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “I figured you wouldn’t have sent me by myself to carry the flower home in my beak if it was dangerous.” 

“Hm.” Lord Morpheus pulled a glass bell jar out of thin air and placed the fern flower inside. “Your reasoning is not unsound. And the act was kindly done. Come.” He extended his hand and Matthew hopped on to be transferred to Lord Morpheus’s shoulder. “I believe Lucienne and Jessamy would enjoy seeing this.” 

Together, they set out for the Library. 

------

I hope any bird experts will excuse inaccuracies in hooded crow behavior and bird banding technology. Thanks for reading!

If you're new to the series (or if you're not) you can find my master post of all the Emotional Support Raven stories and fan art here.

[burnwater13]

Grogu holding his hand up to direct the Force to defend his dad against the Scorpenek Annihilator Droid (out of frame) on the streets of Mos Espa on Tatooine. Image from The Book of Boba Fett, Season 1, Episode 7, In the Name of Honor. Calendar by DataWorks.

“Hello there!” 

Grogu was being as serious as he knew how to be. Obi-Wan told him that you couldn’t just say ‘Hello there’ and break out in laughter. It wasn’t ‘seemly’, whatever that meant. Grogu remembered giggling at the Jedi Master when he said that. Just the day before they had discussed selecting commonly used words when speaking with people you just met to put them at their ease. Wouldn’t the same rule apply if you were speaking with someone who’s first language wasn’t Gal Basic?

He thought it should apply. But then he thought a lot of things that other people kind of glossed over. Like the lesson they had with Master Drallig, the Jedi Battle Master, and most capable lightsaber wielder at the Jedi Temple. 

Master Drallig had advised them that when they were squaring up to fight an adversary they should look as fierce as possible. It would impress upon your opponent that you meant business and did not intend to lose the skirmish. Then he had looked at Grogu and muttered, ‘Do the best you can, youngling’. 

That had annoyed Grogu. Of course he was going to do his best. When didn’t he give his all to whatever lesson they were working on? Okay, there was that one time when they were working on Battle Meditation in order to move a line in the sand. Half the younglings were on one side of the outside exercise area and the other half were with Grogu. There was a line of sand bisecting the space and Master Drallig was explaining to both groups what they needed to do and how to achieve it with the Battle Meditation. 

Grogu pitched right in but quickly noticed that the younglings were pretty evenly matched and the sand line just looked like a worm twitching on a Coruscant sidewalk. So, rather than watch that all class long, he broke concentration just long enough for the other side to appear to make a sudden gain and then scooped up the sand and placed the line behind his group. The exercise was over. It seemed like a good resolution to him. 

But as things would go, those kids yelled and complained at Master Drallig that someone hadn’t followed the rules. Master Drallig, as anyone would expect, called Ian out, but Grogu trotted over to the tall human as fast as he could and began to explain that it wasn’t Ian’s fault at all. 

“I wasn’t going to scold Ian. I was going to congratulate him on breaking the stalemate. I should have realized that you would have found this too challenging to maintain concentration, Grogu.”

That had made Grogu very sad. At the same time he was scolded for not following the lesson and had stolen praise from his friend, who for once, was actually doing the work required. He hadn’t meant to do that, but he really hadn’t seen he point in just sitting around and waiting for something to change. He wanted to be the change. 

“I understand that Master Drallig had some words with you today, Grogu.”

Master Beq was speaking to him in a soft tone of voice. 

Grogu remembered just nodding his head. He didn’t really have words that he wanted to use.

“It isn’t easy being unique. You are the only you here. You should be able to remain true to yourself without feeling bad about how that works out in the end. But as a Jedi you must also follow instruction and learn to trust your masters and your fellow Jedi to do the right thing. I know you were trying to resolve a problem that had a solution that seemed to be failing. It was a test. The other younglings are not as open to the Force as you are. They must walk the slower path, the harder path, in order to learn the value of persistence, because that is their best tool. They cannot simply change all the rules in an instant and then ask what’s next. Do you understand me?”

Grogu nodded his head. He hadn’t realized, until Master Beq explained things with those words, that he was taking a shortcut that didn’t really benefit him, but disadvantaged his fellow younglings. He hadn’t meant to do that. 

“Just remember this lesson, Grogu. Sometimes you must use every ability you have to solve a problem and sometimes you must wait for other people to have a chance to solve it for themselves. It is how you will both grow.”

After that lesson they had gone off and walked in the Arboretum and had some snacks. It was a good way to end what had been a frustrating day. 

Now, here he was, on Tatooine, squared up to a Scorpenek Annihilator Droid. He’d given his dad a chance to deal with the awful mechanical spiderish thing and realized that he had to step up, step forward, make the change. 

He greeted his adversary with a fierce grimace and a neutral ‘Hello there’ and then held up his hand. He was channeling the Force. Asking it to aid him. Explaining how he needed to protect his friends and family. Focusing on the weaknesses his adversary displayed and remembering all the lessons of every Jedi Master who he’d ever trained with. Master Beq. Master Drallig. Master Kenobi. 

Then he did as Master Yoda had once exhorted him to do when his floating chair was malfunctioning and bouncing the Jedi Grand Master around the Arboretum like a rathtar.

“Apart take it, Now!”

The next thing Grogu knew he had a connector from the droid's leg thwacking him and causing the thing to fall down. That saved his dad and gave Boba Fett and Ranky enough time to come charging in and save the day.  Peli handed him off to his dad, who seemed pretty impressed by Grogu’s actions. Grogu didn’t even have a chance to say ‘Hello There’ to his dad before he was being squeezed in a tight hug.  He had to admit that sometimes actions were much better than words.

[chidoroki]

182 Days of TPN - Day 168

Chapter 168: "Dad"

I know this is the same room Isabella & Peter were seen having their discussion in back during ch165, but to just have two plain chairs in such a large, empty room seems so extra. Regardless of that, I do like the panel of the trio here, even though they're surprised to find no one here due to the fake footage Peter fooled Vincent with that lead them there.

Dunno how all the kiddos are hearing Peter's message since the teams seem to only have one person with a communication device but whatever. Perhaps he's speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.

Although I have a hard time believing the Ratri men were able to tie up the Adam clones without a fight, I guess anyone will yield once you hold them at gunpoint. Also, the absence of Hayato in this panel is a nice hint to his role next chapter.

While the demon guards don't cause much of a problem during the rest of the story, it still would've been better if the kids killed them off instead of put them to sleep. I get that they didn't wanna kill if they didn't have to, but it would've been one less thing to worry about. Hearing about Sonju & Mujika's execution definitely adds to the stress. Not as much as their deaths could have, but we're thankful Peter was stupid enough to actually wait three days.

Along with all the citizens who drank the evil blood being killed, the Ratri clan and the higher-up demons taking control of the government, let's add the plan to assemble a ton of new Lambda farm into the mix as well. Talk about a big time panic. The premium farms don't sound so bad now huh?

Oh Vincent, you dunno these kids as well as you thought if you honestly believe they would shoot the adults in front of them. Emma, Ray, Don & Gillian couldn't manage to fire a shot at Andrew back when he held Dominic & Alicia hostage after the shelter raid. You're best bet would've been Oliver. This goes back to that old post of mine wondering who, among the kids, would be able to shoot at another human, but I still believe Ray could manage it, if only as a last resort.

The thought of Norman firing at another person was always a toss up for me though. Of course he showed no mercy towards demons during this WM phase, so even with the clear difference between demon and human, I wouldn't have been completely surprised if that cold persona of his came back with a vengeance once he heard Vincent get shot. Peter's been a thorn in Norman side ever since Lambda, so having this bastard personally hurt one of his friends just adds fuel to the fire. Norman (& Ray) did often mention taking down Isabella & Krone back during their GF days if they wanted to escape successfully, so they have level of brutality, it's just been real lowkey. Thankfully none of the children need to get blood on their hands. They've suffered enough already.

Please never say those words with your mouth. No one in this world considers you as that.

Hell yeah Oliver, let him know what's up!! I love that he, Zack & Gillian feel so strongly about the word "dad" because of the relationship they had with Lucas. The same can be said about Ayshe & her father but I can ramble more about all that next chapter.

Favorite panel/moment:

If you've been around me for a while, then you already know how damn hilarious this panel of Norman is to me.

I mean, in context, it's pretty serious, but thanks to a silly edit I've made years ago, I can't look at this panel anymore and not laugh like an idiot. So, now's the perfect time to upgrade it from a noticeable bad edit I made in the car on my phone once upon a time to something more worthy to use every time I lose my mind.

[stranger-rants]

I can't imagine how many people who were still actively being abused and some who still are must have seen season 4 and how Billy was treated and how fandom treats him and feel hopeless or more isolated. He deserved to have people who care and to get help and you all do as well.

So, I want to share this with you.

Our students had to analyze the results of a "life needs" survey a month ago in their classrooms and compare it to a larger data set on the "life needs" in their city to come up with a project idea. We did not end up focusing on this issue in our projects, but I want to highlight this question and the comments on this question.

The question says "Do you have any family members who make you feel unsafe?" There were 15 responses from this class. 93.3% said No, they don't feel unsafe around their family members. However, a small percentage of 6.7% said Yes, they do feel unsafe around their family members.

This is in 2023.

Some of the student responses to this include:

1) It's sad that this is a problem at home, but I hope they can get out of that situation without anything happening.

2) Some people should find a way to get some help.

3) It's sad that there's a small percentage of people that feel unsafe around family members.

4) It's kind of sad people are not even safe around their own family.

5) Speak up about it.

There were other notes from other classes saying similar things. I appreciated the sympathy that our students were willing to show for other students who felt unsafe in their homes. I hope people see that and realize that they are deserving of help, because pretty much everyone agreed that you should feel safe around your family.

I do want to talk about how people have a tendency to stop and start with "that's sad" and "you should get some help," though. Now, these are teenagers. I don't expect them to have all the solutions, but I do think adults, especially adults profiting off of these narratives, can do better at showing young people in these situations that there's a safe way out.

Billy's story is a tragedy, and that's a valid story to tell. However, it's also ruined by the near constant villainization of Billy as an abuse survivor. Ignoring the impact of his father and letting him get away with it. Repeating the same phrase "human villain" over and over when there are far worse people in the show. Not letting Billy rest in peace after a life full of trauma and a horrible death. Etc.

That's why people don't get help. That's why people don't speak up. I don't know who expressed that they felt unsafe at home because it's an anonymous survey, but I do know that some of our toughest students are also living in unsafe environments. All survivors deserve to recover but there are so many barriers to helping survivors who aren't timid or nice or begging for help.

Stranger Things is a popular show. I see people wearing ST gear all the time. People loved the last season. I don't know how my students feel about the show, and I honestly I don't want to know. I keep my interests private for the most part. However, I do worry about how media influences young people and I don't want anyone to think that they're unworthy of getting help or that their past mistakes should damn them.

Of course, I am passionate about this as a survivor of abuse myself. I, too, felt a lot of pain from the way people talked about Billy back in 2019. That's why I'm here... but I've had difficult conversations with students who have gone through hellish situations who similarly don't see a way out of what they're experiencing and I don't want anyone to feel like they are doomed.

Billy may be fictional, but the attitudes that people express about him are real and they reflect how people actually feel about abuse survivors.

[dekaydk]

The Eighth Sense

Episodes 9 and 10

SPOILERS AHEAD

If you haven't seen the whole thing: what are you doing here go watch it and come back later I beg of you.

STORY AND CHARACTER

First of all, I was relieved that Ep 9 didn't start out with Ji Hyun in despair. (Or, as so many other BLs do, spending time on the character Having The Bigtime Sads Because His True Love Maybe Isn't Who He Thought, Even Though He Really Ought to Know Otherwise If He Had Even Three Brain Cells to His Name.) Ji Hyun believes that the truth is that Jae Won does care, does want him, and is beginning to understand just how much Jae Won's rejection isn't about him. Ae Ri first ridicules him for buying into Eun Ji's line, because obviously anything that Eun Ji says is going to be self-serving if not an outright lie. Then Ae Ri gets him to examine the problem, and, because Ji Hyun is bright and not suffering from trope-driven stupidity, the light goes on pretty quickly.

Ji Hyun having awakened to the realization that he wasn't seeing the whole problem (thanks to Ae Ri) and then THINKING about what to do and how to do it in such a way as to say "I see you, I want you to have what you want in life, and I want to send this message in such a way as to make it entirely about you and your needs while underscoring the fact that I fucking care about you." That simple gift of a basic camera did exactly that, and then he walked away! Others might have gone on to "now that I've shown you how nice I am, you owe me, so start talking." He left because he knows that the right thing to do is to make the gesture and, because the other person needs the space, let the other person be able to reflect and not add pressure. There's no way Jae Won can interpret this as anything other than "no pressure; take your time." Take note, people: this is how relationships are built and SUSTAINED.

The therapist calling Jae Won on his selfishness was, I would argue, necessary. While it's true that generally speaking therapists are trying to get you to come to your own realizations, sometimes the bullshit needs a knife, not a spatula. Then you have Ji Hyun's boss who took a spoon to Jae Won's head bullshit, blowing open the realization door that the therapist unlatched. (The reader is invited to improve this overdone metaphor.)

After Ji Hyun leaves the surf club room, the cut to suddenly seeing Yoon Won break down made me wonder if this was later and she was alone, but then Jae Won snaps into being present, of showing who he is and caring for his friend. This is clearly a moment where being sunk in depression and denial will not do and he rises to the occasion. This felt like one of the elements of breaking his walls down, along with the therapist and Ji Hyun's boss.

Ji Hyun sending the Conor Gray song was spot on both emotionally for the viewer and for Jae Won's crumbling walls. "Do you want to be these characters?" Also another perfect soundrack moment.

Watching Jae Won flip to happy made me wonder how much of it was deciding to discard the mask, to accept Ji Hyun's love, and whether he wasn't on the meds (whatever they were). I don't suppose it matters, but to the people saying it was too sudden, you have never been in that particular situation of depression/heavy medication/self-denial and had a breakthrough. Of course he is going to be happy and even a little giddy. For all we know, happy and giddy was his normal state before his brother's death.

Eun Ji did not once show any concern for Jae Won. It was all about what she wanted both in the moment (let's eat, let's go to a hotel for the night) and more tactically (let's fuck with Ji Hyun's head) in the larger context of Jae Won just being to her a trophy boyfriend and eventually a rich husband, not a real human. With a single exception she was selfish, mean, and manipulative.

Tae Hyung has his own selfishness problem. He envies Jae Won for lots of things: his looks, his money, the ease in which he moves in social situations, without apparently realizing he could be more successful socially if he tried operating from a position of being nice instead of aggressive, and that the money apparently comes at an appalling price in controlling/abusive behavior from (at least) Jae Won's father. I got more than a little sense that Tae Hyung's resentful behavior stems from a wish to be closer to Jae Won both emotionally and physically (yes I went there but him wanting Jae Won physically is not required to make this point stand), and Tae Hyung's inability to love himself and be good to others is exactly the most alienating thing about him.

Jae Won apologized for his single real offense against Tae Hyung (and sorta with Eun Ji) and in so doing let go of the hurt, let go of any resentment, and moved on. I've seen people call this simping: bullshit. It's fucking HEALTHY. He has removed their power, he has made it so he can be around them without their presence causing stress. He won't let them treat him badly again because if the depression isn't in control and he no longer needs the mask, it means they have no leverage. (And we know that Ji Hyun won't let that happen either!) Also, let's face it: there was a touch of shade in his approach to them. (Deservedly.)

Having gone through all this, Eun Ji and Tae Hyung might each become a better person over time but it's gonna be a serious uphill battle for both of them.

CINEMATOGRAPHY AND STAGING

Others will no doubt talk about this in much more detail and more knowledgeably (@respectthepetty and @wen-kexing-apologist especially) so I'm just going to hit on a few points.

In general the cinematography inn these episodes became more conventional because it no longer had to convey the difficulties Jae Won was in. Pretty obvious.

The camera giving scene had both actors made up (? maybe it's camera/editing) to look a little pale/wan.

Something I loved: as Jae Won approached Ji Hyun's dorm, the golden light on Jae Won was wonderful (and made Ji Sub even more gorgeous) and then to see Ji Hyun lit the same way…damn these men are so very nice to look at.

The cycling through the colors as they embraced was presumably intended to be evocative of the colors before, or even just a suggestion of color re-entering Jae Won's life, but I would have equally loved to see it shot just in that golden light still.

The other was of course the scene in Ji Hyun's bed where they're just cuddling. Delightful.

Extra touches

Did anyone notice the little "neon" rainbow on Ji Hyun's nightstand? It was just showing a tiny bit this time; this is how I figured out early in the series that he wasn't going to go through a "am I or am I not" phase. (Go back to early episodes and it's always been there.)

MUSIC

Once again the music DELIVERED. The Conan Grey song, of course, but the instrumentals are great (and I cannot identify some of them, especially the piano/cello piece used as the end credits a few times, driving me crazy; it could be that these were composed for the film so aren't in any Soundhound et. al. databases). Were it not for the licensing costs, an official soundtrack would probably make decent money.

[kendrixtermina]

Giving Doctor Who a New Chance, Part 2: Wild Blue Yonder

While the idea of Donna not being able to restrain herself from making a pun is great, I kinda don't like the cheap pun in the prologue, its just making everything too light & silly

It just doesn't work if you know the historic Newton was pretty cranky, not cheerful & like other things about him that could've been better used, also this ignores the whole latin roots of the word gravity

i dunno was the show always this un-serious and it's just a while since I've seen it? like there was some silly-ass shit but not in this immersion-breaking manner

I do appreciate Donna's concern for the poor, poor TARDIS

haha they're snapping right back into doing the investigation routine

I think with "I say things like that now" the Doctor means he's more open & honest but Donna of course took it as meaning that he also likes dudes.

David Tennant can still communicate a whole lot with his expressions

It's a nice scene of them panicking together but still comforting each other in their panic

and of course Donna wants to speak to the manager

hm, liking this one so far. it has a couple of mysteries & nice creepy ambiance

it's a nice parallel in the differently lit room, Donna wondering what will happen to her family & the Doctor wondering what will happen to the TARDIS, this low-level fear of the world going on without them - the Doctor saying how much he likes Wilfred & lamenting that the TARDIS is all he's got left etc. It's an eerie little dialogue I like it.

The shapeshifters are having an "AI can't draw hands" problem. Worry not, humans too struggle to draw hands. In this we are alike

I wonder if they are repeating stuff or talking to ach other. Is it two entitites or just one?

It was bound to happen and just ignoring it would be wonky in its own way but just having some of Chibnall's decisions mentioned reminds me of how he was SUCh. a BAD. WRITER like making big destruction happen without weight or stakes. With the past writers when something major went poof you "heard" it the next few seasons, but Chibnall torched the whole backstory, Galligrey AND a big chunk of the universe without any real narrative weight

Like it just happened and there wasn't really - like, the characters didn't react to it, it wasn't given meaning. It's not just that he made changes I disagreed with but that the execution was So! Bad!

Still, I have often been fond of saying "there are no shitty ideas, only shitty executions" or " a competent writer can make any idea work" - so, like, no matter how shitty the idea, a better execution can salvage something. in this short time RTD managed to make this character express some actual feelings & attach a personal meaning to the event- so the backstory reveal means Gallifrey "got complicated", the widespread destruction of the flux is another thing to feel guilty of... see, see? It isn't so hard! Character! Having! Emotions! I don't envy RTD for having to try his best to salvage this mess while being respectful /professional/ non-petty.

The average 15 year old fanfiction writer is a better writer than Chibnall! Ok. enough ranting now.

I like these quiet episodes that just let the characters marinate in their feelings a bit in a closed loop environment. another thing I've messed: atmosphere! the bland, nondescript settings for so long

The Doctor's response here is probably a mix of caring alot about Donna specifocally & just general done-ness

I like the creepy atmo of this thing & the concept of the creatures not quite understanding how existing works & gradually figuring it out

Pouring one out for the long-dead spaceship captain

it was an interesting twist how the actual Donna couldn't actually make sense of the information from the metacrisis, but still gets a sense that a lot of heavy stuff has happened from the way he's asking. I think he kinda wish she knew so he could get a hug from somebody who knows.

that was a good one, overall, pretty creepy.

They're really going with this idea of the world being in constant wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey flux, hm... like it was always there as a sort of excuse but they're kinda making it a more explicit part of things.

I love how the Doctor & Wilfred are SO glad to see each other & it rly calls back that bond they had at what, for the Doctor, was a pretty difficult time. I got feelsy.

OK that was a good one. I always like the creepy, abstract ones.

And of COURSE the earth has been hit by some misfortune while they were away. OF COURSE.