#I want them to stick to one of the 90s origins

[konmics-n-stuff]

Ok so I’ve seen a lot of wacky theories about Kon’s genes in MAWS because he has darker skin than either Lex or Clark (which are often interesting or funny), but guys. The Goeffian origin is not Kon’s only origin story. Paul Westfield does have to be white in the show. What if it’s just Paul Westfield’s DNA.

[the-ancient-dragons]

The last Overcomplicated Pantalan tribe; LeafWings!

You know how it goes. I'm just me and Joy and Tui are awesome and amazing.

Details and explanation below.

Otherwise, next week is something new! You'll get to meet one of my fantribes >:)

More overcomplicated dragons.

With the LeafWing, I struggled to decide what approach to take. Should I do something closer to canon or go crazy and do 100% my go-to headcanon?

Because my go-to headcanon is that LeafWings should have four wings. I found it odd that they and SilkWings both come from Pyrrhia, but SilkWings (technically BeetleWings) were the only tribe that evolved four wings? I hesitated to even mention this in my HiveWing post because idk how popular this opinion is, but even the fact that Clearsight's arrival somehow split the BeetheWings into two WILDLY different tribes is astounding, with how long dragons live.

But that's not the point of this post. We're here for LeafWings and buckle up, it's a doozy.

So first of all, the reason I justified a four-winged LeafWing is to help it camouflage as a plant better. I'll eventually provide a sheet of this, but it would have two main defence modes, the first being a single-leaf version where they lie flat on the ground or stand still with their wings drooping, creating the silhouette of a single leaf, or a version where they hang on the end of a branch and hold their wings and tail out.

It isn't just their wings that creates this look. I took the original single sail and split it in two, based on the ribs of a draco lizard, and had them run along the sides of its neck. When spread, they are a part of the single-leaf camouflage and bridge the gap between the head and shoulders. They would also have more similar frills on their front and back legs in case they need to camouflage standing up. They could use this for hunting or hiding...

Continuing with the bug-avian beak mix, I referenced african parrot species and leafcutter ants. The highly altered head is based on horned frogs and leaf geckos, and I obviously based the colouration and patterning on leaf insects (though the lighting kind of hides it on the back of the head, lol). Last but not least, I wanted to preserve and enhance the leaf cell design Joy used for the scattered body scales (at least, I'm 90% sure it's for that purpose, it seems most obvious). So, like any sane human, I found photos of plant cells under microscopes and used the rectangular-ish shapes for the main body scales.

I had so much fun making this series. It seems like a lot of people enjoyed it as much as I did. I learned a lot about external anatomy and mixing different creatures to achieve unified designs.

School is doing its best to murder me (I can't do big pieces) so from now on I'll have to stick to loose sketches I can do in-class or doodle within an hour. But once we learn more about bones and muscles I'll be able to take a crack at analyzing the full bodies of some of the tribes. I'll go in whatever order I see fit.

In the meantime, I've got some Fantribes for you, starting next week! See you then!

[tea-cat-arts]

Ranking mxtx couples by whether or not I think they'd be good parents

(I'm 90% sure I'm forgetting someone)

Yep, next question (S)-

Wangxian: tried and tested good dads. I wish them luck with the whole “trying to get wwx pregnant” thing 

They have some shit to work through, but after that I think they'd be fine (A)-

Ling Wen/ Bai Jin: if we're just going off the original publication, I would put them in a much lower tier, but since the revised edition added that thing about them raising orphans together and said orphans turning out alright before unfortunate circumstances, I'm putting them up here. I think they'll be alright once they work through the miscommunication

Xiao Xingchen/ Song Lan: They obviously have a lot of trauma they're working through, but I'd like to think they and A-Qing will be a loving family in the long run 

One of them would be a good parent, the other wouldn't be a bad parent (B)-

Jiang Yanli/ Jin Zixuan: there's no canon reason for me putting them this low. Jin Zixuan just gives off a mediocre parent vibe to me (and we all know Jiang Yanli is the best)

Yushipei: Yushi Huang has good mom energy, and Pei Ming has been shown to be a not terrible mentor. I'd want the misogyny fully beaten out of him with a mace before I'd think he should have kids of his own though 

Lang Qianqiu/ Little Guy: at the very least, they're making sure Guzi is fed, clothed, washed, vaccinated, and has access to education. Neither of them know what they're doing, but I think Little Guy is good at faking it. I wish them luck in their upcoming custody battle  

You know what, surprise me/ I'll hear you out (C)-

Bingqiu: My first instinct is “no, do not bring kids into this,” but then I remembered tharnShen Qingqiu has a surprisingly decent track record? Like, Ning Yingying and Ming Fan both turned out a lot more health than they did in the original novel, and though I wouldn't call him in a good place, Binghe is doing a lot better than Bingge. The wild card for me here is Luo Binghe because I have no idea how he'd be with kids

Quanyin: Yin Yu had a decent track record until he was pushed into snapping. I think rn, he needs a couple centuries of being a babygirl before he's ready to parent again. No idea how Quan Yizhen would do though 

Born to “dual income, no kids, rich uncles/aunts” (D)-

Fengqing: Feng Xin is canonically a bad dad. I know he's working on it, but it is what it is. Mu Qing has been shown to be decent with kids, but I think he’d have a melt down if he had to deal with the mess constantly. 

Hualian: I mean, Xie Lian has raised three kids at this point and one of them became a god, another became state preceptor and then sorta complicit in a genocide, and one became god AND committed genocide + he babysat a ghost king for months and didn't even realize that's what he was because it was a miracle if he remembered to feed him… so, a mixed bag. Hua Cheng may be schrodinger’s child hater, but I'm intrigued by the idea of him raising kids just because I want to know how his own childhood would influence his parenting abilities. They should probably just stick to babysitting for now though 

Mingling: Liu Mingyan is too busy writing gay porn to be dealing with kids, and I just can't imagine Sha Hualing as a mom

Please don't bring a kid into this mess (F)-

Beefleaf: Do I need to explain this one?

Mobeishang: Shang Qinghua should not be put in any position where he has to teach someone about consent (Binghe’s early attempts at flirting being a prime example of why that's a bad idea). I also think Mobei Jun is still working on the whole “why hitting people is not cool” thing. 

QiJiu: I think the original timeline is a prime example of how they're just not in a place to be raising kids 

Jun Wu/ Mei Nianqing: Xie Lian would like a refund on his adopted father figures. They had one kid and he only made it to age 20 because he was cursed to not die

[seamsterslocal]

summer binder picture tutorial

this is the third binder ive made for myself recently and the first one i’m writing up. it’s designed to do a few things: 1) allow me to put it on by myself without dislocating my shoulders 2) allow me to breathe well enough to partake in normal activity 3) be cool enough to wear throughout a muggy 90-100F summer 4) not constrict my ribs in a way that aggravates my lack of connective tissue and causes intense pain.

this has become necessary even though i had top surgery many years ago, because when i had it i was extremely skinny and since then i’ve increased in size by about 50%. this has been really fucking good for my health in every single way* except that when my chest is squishy or moves at all it’s So Goddamn Triggering for me. but also since ive had top surgery ive developed and/or been made away of a plethora of chronic conditions that make every single commercially available binding option medically impossible. unbound, my chest is pretty much what you’d expect for a chubby cis guy but venturing out into the world in just a tshirt no longer works for me

*anyone who badmouths weight gain or fat bodies in the notes WILL be blocked

under the cut are a bunch of process pictures and explanations of what they all mean:

first i’ll give you a look at the pieces and measurements:

most of the seams are sewn in this picture and one half is turned inside out, allowing you to see both the finished dimensions (right) and the placement of the fusible horsehair canvas that gives this lil scrap of linen any structure at all (left)

to get your chest measurement, you’re gonna have to do some math:

first measure above and below what you want to bind. average these numbers. mine are something like 32 and 34, which average to 33. subtract a few inches--this is to allow the air movement between the laces at center front and back, critical in the summertime. i deleted 3 inches bc i like that number but you can go bigger if you want. the more inches you subtract here, the more youll be able to ratchet all your chest material down later, but at the same time you need to leave enough fabric for a sturdy garment. let’s say a range of 2-6 inches/5-15cm. by taking your measurements this way, you’re essentially measuring the chest you would like to have. that + the horsehair canvas work together to compress any squishy tissue/force anything that doesnt compress up and to the outside (basically into the armpit/lower shoulder--the chest might stick out but it will give a very puffed chest captain america pectoral silhouette)

you can also see how ive clipped my curves and pre-drilled my lacing holes. i used the marlin spike on my knife to open up the holes on the interfacing side, mainly as a way of marking them. this worked well bc the interfacing’s glue kept the linen from raveling

this is the same stage but looking at the non-interfaced grey linen/cotton blend (the black is some 100% linen from my cabbage stash). you can see ive broken the solar-plexus-to-back measurement up into a bunch of pieces to save on fabric but that’s not necessary. my original pattern was just two pieces (front and back) and chopping the straps into thirds on both sides was aesthetic

in the following picture you can really see how this is really just overgrown regency stays:

i thought about doing side lacing but didn’t think that would be comfortable for me. on the front, the side seam allowance was pressed inwards before turning to create a finished looking slot. on the back the side seam is left unfinished with an extra wide seam allowance, and is inserted into that slot.

here’s a closeup on it pinned in place (you can adjust the angle of the side seam and the fit during this pinning stage):

that side seam was just topstitched in place once i had the fit how i liked it, and the armhole was reinforced with more topstitching

alright, time for eyelets: first, you can see how well the marking worked:

next, two rows of basted eyelets (left), one row of eyelets sewn with a doubled and waxed cotton thread (center right), and one row of eyelets opened and stainless steel rings placed (right).

next time i’m going to mark the eyelets same as i did above, but do this step differently--i’ll mark and baste the steel rings in place BEFORE widening the eyelets. this is bc i had a lot of problems keeping the eyelets on center

eyelets half done on this one! on the left are eyelets sewn with doubled and waxed cotton thread and on the right eyelets sewn with quadrupled and waxed thread. the center is basting again. i was able to force the holes back in line while sewing the eyelets but it was kinda annoying. adding a second picture that doesnt have great focus but hopefully shows how that process worked and shows the spike clearly

i ended up using this white cotton thread because it’s stronger than my black cotton thread (which the rest of it is sewn with). [eta: after this was first posted, i pressed the whole thing heavily, which effectively de-waxed the thread, and i dyed the whole thing a medium charcoal grey, the thread blends in perfectly on the lighter side and isn’t such a sore thumb on the darker side]

bonus: the piecing layout for that little piece of strap. the whole light gray half of the binder was made from 1/2 of one of the legs i cut off some linen suit pants to make slutty camping shorts last year and i really really didn’t want to break into any of the other three halves for this garment--i have Plans for it

overall the fit of this is incredible. it DOESNT hurt my ribs which every zip-up garment ive been able to find (and it is difficult) does due to really thick elastic at the base. it doesnt aggravate my sensory issues with the synthetic fibers that every commercial option is made of. i can walk up a hill or stairs, or go to pt, without getting too out of breath. i can eat with it tight, or loosen the front easily and without taking it off to make eating easier and less nausea-inducing. it is reversible!

best of all the lacing at the back gives the garment enough movement for me to get it on without dislocating, and the interfacing and steel rings give it structure once it’s on. the shaping comes only from fusible horsehair linen canvas and stainless steel rings like youd use for chainmail, there’s no boning at all, which makes it very quick to sew (except the eyelets, but metal grommets would be sturdy and quick provided theyre of good quality)

there’s a small amount of gaping on the outside of the shoulder strap, which i plan on fixing with a tiny tiny dart in the armpit, i want to add pockets to tuck the laces into, and i need a better lace for the back, but it’s completely wearable in time for the 90 weather next week which is all i wanted. i’ll do a reblog when it’s perfectly finished with an update on the fit but for now it is done enough 

the little ridge where it doesnt lay flat against the shoulder is most visible with just a single t shirt over it. with a flannel or a sweater, it disappears, and by itself, it’s hidden in movement

eta: after dyeing this, i relaced it a bit looser in the back and that gape mainly disappeared. ive decided to leave it in instead of smoothing it with a dart because the loose fabric gives space for my chest to expand when breathing and shapes my silhouette in a way that emphasizes my shoulders

[fantastic-nonsense]

I pondered over this a lot, maybe you could provide an answer?

Do you know where Nightwing keeps his gadgets? Because it looks like he grabs them out of nowhere and only has straps for his escrima sticks and nothing more. Maybe that's strategic of him, as villains would go for the belt when they capture bats, so that his tool source couldn't be removed. Damn, I just made a perfect excuse that is actually perfectly reasonable for his character.

Seriously though, where does he keep those wingdings?!! (Still love that dorky name)

Okay so it might not seem like it but this is actually a really funny question because it basically only applies to his post-90s suits. As Robin he had a traditional utility belt, and his first two Nightwing suits also had one:

In the initial fingerstripes design, Dick generally kept most of his stuff in his gauntlets (mostly his wrist gauntlets, but he also had boot ones):

Once DC slimmed his suit down visually in the mid-2000s those gauntlets became more or less invisible unless an artist wanted to emphasize them, but they were still there:

2011-2020....your guess is as good as mine, honestly. New 52!Dick had a belt, but it seemed to be more for visual effect than anything practical, and Rebirth!Dick had nothing that I could see. I think there was a gag once about him keeping a spare mask in the lining of his suit, but I genuinely don't remember where he kept his stuff.

Currently (as of Tom Taylor's run and Bruno Redondo's suit redesign), he has some gadgets built into his escrimas and a little backpack for his wingdings that also doubles as his escrima holsters:

It's objectively the best redesign of Dick's Nightwing suit since the original black and blue fingerstripes redesign in the 90s, because it's fashionable and looks cool as hell without sacrificing any obvious practical storage limitations. Also whoever thought up making Dick's escrima grapple gun feature function like a trapeze bar....galaxy-brained.

[spacelesbiandisaster]

My favorite Headcanons for the Togruta Species

And Shili

And Kiros (Kinda)

Biology

Togruta babies are called Cubs (because I think is a cute word and bc they are aliens after all. Also it translate well to my native language, so when I say Cub I thinking of the word "Filhote" and I'm well aware I probably mixing up translations here).

They live in small groups up to 500 members (but rarely more than that).

Note: I'm saying "small" because our smallest towns have 5.000 member's, but ancient Togruta lived in actual small groups with 50 members or less.

Togruta can grow anxious if they don't have a community around them. Their species were made to live in groups.

Togruta's Montrals are capable of hearing frequencies up to 200000 hz (similar to tigers and bats) and are able of echolocate close objects.

They also have powerful noses and can recognize people from their smell.

Their eyes have a peripheral vision of 200°, that combined with their hearing and flair make them the most powerful predator in Shili.

A adult Togruta eats about 1,5kg of meat every day. Ofc there's alternatives such a rations bars that can lower that amount, but considering they feeding exclusive with meat that's the right amount to maintain themselves health.

Togruta are strict carnivorous (this cannon, but I just want to reassure the idea)

The average height is 1,9 meters for Female and 2,5 meters for Males, counting with their Montrals.

Togruta can easily live up to 90 years, some even got to 120, but they rarely live much more than that. It's a little longer than most humans, but they don't come near Mirialan's lifespan of 250 years or Yoda species that basically turn into living fossils.

Males tend to have longer Montrals while Females have longer Lekkus.

They share 80% of their DNA with Akul (similar with how humans share 90% of our DNA with chimpanzee) what suggest they had a common ancestor.

Their vocal cords can mimic sounds to attract their prey and avert other predators (such as the Akul). Trogruta Cubs were specially good at this and it's not rare see them trying to imitate sounds they find curious or funny. This also means they were very talkative, if a Togruta Cubs is quiet something is terrible wrong.

Because of this trait Togruta are one off the few species capable of learning how to speak Ithorese and Shyriiwook, although their accent is told to be sloppy and child-like.

The muscles on their legs are the strongest on all their body. They were originally a migratory species, so they needed the extra force and speed.

Their gestation period is around 7 months, a little shorter than humans. But their Cubs grow faster and usually start walking around their five mouth after they were born. They development that trait so neither the mother or the Cub stays vulnerable for long.

Togruta skin color have multiple variations, but the more common are: Orange, purple, yellow and dark blue. This colors also appear on the stripes of their Montrals and Lekkus. The flash color scheme serve two purposes: It warn their predators they are a thread (like some snakes do, the vibrant colors usually scares predators away) and it's also a sign of their health.

Health togruta have stronger colors, the more vibrant their color are the more attract they were consider to be.

Togruta are usually monogamous and tend to spend their whole life with a single partner. This whoever is changing due cultural facts, current is not expected to a individual to stick to a single partner but it's a constant event on their community.

Hybrids between other species are rare, however it's uncertain if this is due their biology or they general lack of interest of breeding with other species.

Hybrids between Togruta and Twi'Lek were been recorded although their appearance are highly inconsistent. Usually they keep smaller version of the Montrals and their Lekkus are more similar with the Twi'Lek version, thus stopping growing at a certain length.

It's said they can have hybrids with human and humanoids species (such as, idk, Mirialans), but there isn't enough Togruta in the galaxy making out with humans to know exactly what that would look like.

They change the teeth twice during their lives, one time when they still cubs and another once they hit 60 ~ 70 years. This happens so they can maintain strong teeth for all their lives.

Their canine teeth are sharp ass hell, even more so when they are Cubs. This can be a problem because Togruta bite each other as a form of affection. Also it's not uncommon for them to leave bite marks in visible places on their partners. When other sentient species saw that they thought the marks were from fighting, but turns out it's from the opposite of fighting.

(Note: I saw some other writes with similar headcanons, specially in barrissoka fanfic, and it's cute! But I'm going to make a point here that they can easily kill small animals with their bite, so I get kinda nervous when people make Ahsoka bite Barriss's neck with "all her strength" because that would probably be enough to pierce her skin. So only small bites are allowed here, Barriss doesn't need die like that.)

Togruta's Montrals and Lekkus can turn shriveley if they are raised under stressing ambients. (That's why Ahsoka's Lekkus are so short for her age). Headcanon send by @kayberrie

History/Politics/Culinary

As I mentioned the Togruta were originally a migratory species, that means they used to made camps so they could hunt in certain areas and then move to another region once the resorts became scarce. This whoever changed with time as they learned to cycle their prey with the seasons.

This is a vague example, but during spring and summer they hunt Thimiars (a rodent species from Shili) and other small prey, but as the autumn comes they start to hunt bigger prey so they can store the meat for the winter. During the winter itself they fish. Base on that their villagers are usually construed near river and always with around the forest.

Unlike most of sentient life Togruta are against the domestication of animals, so to this day they still hunt for eat, however all the food (with exception of a few ritualistic hunts) are share with the whole village. So if they can't get food for a while they will start prioritize the children and the elderly while their adults focus on solving the problem.

A exception to that is the domestication of Shilidogs, a species of Tooka (relatives to Lothcats) the Togruta adopt as a companion. The Shilidogs keep pests way from the villages and are very good companions for children. Like a real dog.

Togruta development a way to dry the meat with a space salt (that I don't have a name for yet) so they don't have to throw away the rest of their meal.

Also they when they hunt they make sure to use every single part of the animal and are very against wasting food. The feet of the prey usually is transformed into soup (which they feed the babies and the elderly bc they believe it helps their bones to grow stronger), and the organs are smoked and eaten as a delicacy (god, I hope I used that word right).

As for the actual meat, they cook only with salt but don't you dare think it's blend or without taste! Think about a Brazilian barbecue, that's how it's like.

Once their society started to interact with other planets the Togruta became very close with Wookies and Ithorians mainly because of their ability of speaking Ithorese and Shyriiwook, but also because both of these species also live in forests and share similar values towards dealing with nature.

However their relationship with the Ithorians started pretty rough because when the Togruta first meet the species they believe to be prey animals. Which they kinda are... But this is all put in the past once the Jedi came and solve the misunderstanding.

Because of the Ithorians the Togruta learned how to make the own space ships without destroying their forests.

Because the Jedi help with their relationship with the Ithorians the Togruta respect their order very much and begin to send some of their Cubs to become Jedi.

With their population growth they decide to make a new colonie rather than open the forest to expend their villagers, that's how Kiros was born.

The government of Kiros and Shili are very different. The Togruta of Kiros adopt a lot of the republic politics and build their on government in reference, naming a Chanceller of their own and a senator to represent them to other planets.

Kiros also have big cities rather than the small villagers of Shili.

Talking about Shili government, they usually spread around the planet in small villagers led by a elder council. This villagers are independent but usually live with some level of collaboration, trading goods with each other.

Because they need to deal with other species now they do elect a senator and a small government situated in one of the few big cities they have, but Shili's Togruta couldn't care less about politics and usually let their colony on Kiros deal with all the trouble. If you go to a random village in Shili and ask the name of the senator chances are that most of the people will get it wrong.

Because of this trait most sentient species believe Togruta to be less intelligent, but that's not the case, they just have a different approach to politics.

Kiros is considered a mere extension of Shili, and although they have a more development government they still answers to the people of Shili.

Their economy with the republic are based on the commerce of healing herbs that they collect from their forests. They are far from being the richest being of the galaxy, but they gather enough money to buy the essentials for their survive.

Realistic they don't need much of outside resources anyway because the way they live it's pretty minimalist.

I already mentioned a few misunderstanding others species made while meeting Togruta for the first time, and there was a actual debate if Togruta could be considered a sentient species to begin with, but luckily for them both the Wookies and the Ithorians already faced similar problems and were able to help the Togruta introduce themselves properly to the rest of the galaxy.

Culture

As you problem can see, their society are very close to nature and try the best to not break the balance of the chain by hunting more than they need or building house in animals habitats.

They are usually led by their elder and wiser members, regardless of gender.

Both man and woman engage with all types of chores: Hunting, cleaning, taking care of the children, religion rituals, you name it!

I'm not finished writing their religion yet, but the have a vast pantheon of gods for various realms of adoration. Their most important gods are the a representation of the Sun, the Moon and the death, but I'm not going into details because I don't have any yet.

I mentioned that they don't like throwing away the rest of their prey, so they carve idols, toys and jewelry from the bones and make their clothes from the skin/leather.

Ancient Togruta also used bones to make weapons, nowadays this pieces are used in religious rituals.

Speaking of religion rituals, the hunt of Akul is exclusive made for religion purposes and it's considered a crime to kill a Akul without a reason.

The Togruta are very aware they had a common ancestor with the Akul so that's why they respect the animal so much.

When a child is given to the Jedi they first make a celebration with all the members of their village so everyone can say goodbye properly. It's a joy to have one of their own in the Jedi ranks, but it's also sad to some extent because of how close the communities are. That Cub would probably had live their entire life with them and know that they have to go the village take some time to assimilate that. (So yeah, Ahsoka got a little party with mommy and daddy before Plo take her to the Jedi temple).

Raising cubs is seem as a community work, so it's not rare to leave your kids with the neighbors while hunting or working. Usually is some elder man or woman who stays with the cubs since they can't work as well as they once did.

Some parents make straps bandages in their Cubs Montrals so they can grow in certain patterns. This is especially popular among the Togruta from Kiros and it is a mere esthetic proceed. It doesn't hurt the cub because their Montrals still soft.

They made a holiday to celebrate their friendship with the Ithorians! They invite their alien friend for a three day party as a way to say sorry for trying do hunt them down when they first meet. The Ithorians are a strict vegetarian species, so the Togruta gather exotic fruits to give as a present. The Jedi send represents from both species to act as mediators in case of conflict, but ever since they stated their partnership, hundreds of years ago, they never had any conflict ever again. They truly became best buddies! (And I like the idea of having this alien festival between species that are so different. Let me have my exotic aliens!)

They used theatre to record their history, so instead of books they told teach using their plays. Usually they are full of exaggerated acrobat acts and sometimes songs. Yes, they have musicals!

Their musical instruments are also made of bones and they particular found of flutes.

Kiros is specially connect with all forms of art and their government had imported Togruta plays to all around the galaxy. Their acrobats and singers are praise and recognize as one of the best of the republic. But that's actually why the Zygerian were so interesting on making them slaves on that incident on the Clone Wars.

The children games are usually a sort of exercise to teach them how to hunt, so if you go to one the their villages you problem going to see children "hunting" each other, lefting bite marks everywhere and being absolutely chaotic, but this is considered normal so the adults don't really care. Other species say that Togruta Cubs are usually a nightmare to be around. Their best friends (aka the Ithorians) are still scared of their children.

At some point in ancient history Togruta started to cook theirs meals, but they still eat raw meat on some occasions and specific rituals.

Besides the festival with the Ithorians Togruta have a few holidays they celebrate with their village. They really like a party and even the people of Shili have a special love for the art exhibitions they do during theses events.

That's it for now.

Please feel free to use any of these headcanons if you like them. Also I would love to talk more about them, so you can make comments or ask questions if you have any.

[creativepromptsforwriting]

How to choose a first name

do not repost

First names often stick with someone for their whole life, even though it's becoming more popular to change their first name to reflect their own personality. A name chosen before someone can even develop a personality/is born can lead to names that don't fit a person that well. In fiction, you already know a character's whole personality and can name them accordingly.

First names can be more experimental, since they are freely chosen by the name givers, not like the last names.

Origin

A first name can indicate where a character or more importantly their parents come from. Every country (and each region inside a country) has often used names and therefore names that people would associate with that country and wouldn't think twice if someone from there was named like that.

This does not mean that the name has to be originally from that country. Depending on the country and their population there will be influences from other languages over the years that make names completely normal in a country whose language does not fit that name. It may just be pronounced a bit different.

(Ex. Jacqueline was a very popular name in the 90s in Germany, despite it being hard to spell for German kids, and sounding nothing like German, while at the same time it's pronounced very different from the French or English version to still fit somewhat into the German language)

How to find good names for a specific cultural background

I do not recommend generators. They are fun, but most that I tried for German names gave reasonable last names, but very archaic first names or names that kind of looked German, but did not actually exist. Same with baby name sites. Some of these names don't make any kind of sense.

Better solution: find the Top 100 baby name lists for that specific country, it's more accurate of what is a common name there (but find the ones from the years around where your character is born. Not the most recent ones!)

Living with their first name

Decide if your character is happy with their first name and how they use it. Do they think it fits them? Do they get bullied or do they get put into a box because of it? Do they want to change it or do they only go by their nickname? Does it fit their last name? Who calls them by their first name?

An unfitting name

Here are some examples for why a name might not fit a character that well or why it could be surprising to be named how they are. This can be fun to explore in a story and give some insight into their parents' thought process and motives.

Parents that want their child to assimiliate easier to a new country by giving that child a normal name for that country, but that doesn't fit with their own cutural origin

Parents that want their child to succeed in life by giving them a name that they think is a royal or upper-class name, or a name fit for a celebrity, therefore choosing names that are not common in their own surroundings

The parents subscribe to a lifestyle that fits the name (a very old-fashioned one, or one that seems more free-spirited), even though the nameholder may not fit into that lifestyle

More: How to use nicknames | List of Names

Coming soon: a guide on how to name your characters in general and how to choose a last name specifically

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[howtotwirlaknife22]

Hello!! I read that you're taking requests, and I would like to ask for headcanons: what would the GHOSTS boys think or how would they react to (any) user trying to put pacman ghost stickers on their belongings like guns, gear, and such?

Thank you and take as long as you want to write for this, it was a thought I had but have yet to draw or write it<33

Omg I love this idea! I also love this idea because I like to think a few of them (Keegan, Kick and Ajax specifically) were born in the 1980’s when Pac-Man first came out so they grew up with this kind of thing and would totally vibe with it.

CW: none! Fluff :)

Ghosts find Pac-Man merch on their gear:

Keegan:

So starting off, I def think this man was born in the mid to late 80’s so Pac-Man stuff would be nostalgic for him from when he was a kid.

Keegan notices one of the power pellet ghosts (dark blue ghosts) on his rifle and while he is confused at how it got there at first, he can’t help but crack a smile.

He knew it was you who stuck that on there, and he couldn’t bring himself to peel it off.

The ghost ends up staying there for about 5 months before he ended up losing his rifle in a firefight with an enemy team.

He was slightly bummed after that, he actually liked the little quirk it gave his rifle.

but once you gave him another? He couldn’t be happier about it. He made sure to take extra care of his new rifle this time.

Ajax:

I imagine him to be born in the early 80’s, so he was growing up with it once it came out.

During a ruck through a desert you had been stationed in, you, Ajax and your platoon had settled down for a quick rest.

Ajax felt a slap to the back of his helmet and turned around to see you beaming mischievously.

He raised an eyebrow and took his helmet off, turning the back of it towards him only to see the little red ghost “Blinky” on the back of his helmet.

He thought it was a cool addition to his helmet, and from that point forward he had given you the nickname “Stickers”.

He had the sticker on his helmet before he was kidnapped by the federation, and sometimes you still wonder whatever happened to it.

Kick:

This man…this man was born in the late 80’s and video games were his SHIT when he was a kid.

He notices something bright and shiny on his laptop one day and he narrows his eyes before he moves in to investigate.

The little blue ghost “Inky” was placed perfectly on the laptop’s cover.

He immediately got so excited, he finally had a good excuse to nerd out and explain how he used to play the games when he was a kid, how he played the original in arcades and eventually on his game boy.

The smile on his face when he noticed the little blue ghost was priceless, and he’d curse himself forever if something ever happened to his laptop specifically because of the sticker.

Hesh:

Hesh was born in the late 90’s, but he was still able to appreciate the old arcade games at the mall or at an old fashioned pizza joint from time to time.

He had left his gear out one day when he went to go and grab something to eat from the mess hall, only to come back to find the little orange ghost patch stuck onto his vest.

“Clyde” he mumbled happily, remembering the name of the little orange ghost. He held his vest up in front of him, grinning at it.

He knew exactly who did it, but he went to go and find you afterwards so he could ask if you had another that he could stick onto Riley’s doggie vest.

Logan:

He was born in 2001, two years after his brother, so he was also on the tail end of the hype for Nintendo games as they were starting to transition to DS territory.

(Running out of ghosts in the pac man series, saving the best for last so let’s just imagine there’s a yellow ghost for this HC).

Logan strikes me as someone who likes the color yellow (yellow by Coldplay anyone?).

He notices a little yellow ghost sticker on his tablet, and he was a little confused at first when he saw it. He knew the character looked familiar, however he still went to ask his older brother about it.

Hesh had informed him that it was a Pac-Man ghost, and had nudged him with his elbow as he gestured to you who happened to be nearby talking to another soldier.

“Guess who bestowed you with your awesome prize?” Hesh teased Logan. “Sunny.” Logan gently punched his brother’s shoulder at the name he gave him in reference to the ghost on his tablet.

Logan couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the little ghost though.

He looked on at you and cracked a small smirk. How did you know his favorite color was yellow?

Merrick:

Merrick is one of the older men on the team, I imagine him to be born around the mid to late 70’s, so he saw the craze start and end.

But he was never that into video games, so he never really got into the whole Pac-Man craze.

He noticed a little pink ghost painted onto one side of his headphones.

He was livid, not for the fact that someone had painted on his personal property, but mainly for the fact that he received the pink one.

“If you’re gonna steal my shit and paint over it, the least you could have done was given me the blue one. Not this girly one.” He grumbled to you.

“Sir, Pinky is a boy..”

Merrick gave you an intense side eye and had you on kitchen duty for a week.

Eventually, the pink ghost grew on him, and he couldn’t help but smile to himself every time he saw it.

“Y’know, you’re actually kind of cute when you’re vandalizing other people’s stuff.”

Elias Walker:

Elias is another older gentlemen on the team, so he was right up there with Merrick as far as seeing the craze start and end.

Since he was one of the OG ghosts, he gets another power pellet ghost.

He noticed a little blue ghost pin along with his other chest candy on his uniform, and he raised an eyebrow at this.

He wondered if this was one of his two sons doing, until he noticed that they both had a variation of one as well.

He ignored it for a bit until he caught Merrick complaining about his own one day.

You had been caught red handed.

However, Elias was secretly a master at Pac-Man back in his prime and couldn’t lie if he said he didn’t love the little pop culture reference.

He let it slide, and he kept the pin on a little tray in his room, feeling nostalgic of his youthful days anytime he sees it.

Bonus: Rorke

Rorke gets a Pac-Man pin, specifically for the reason that he hunts the ghosts and takes them all down.

Inbox is open, message me with any requests!

~💌

[starlitvick]

The In-Universe Implications of What Odysseus Says in My Goodbye

Okay so during My Goodbye Odysseus says a lot but one thing that as of recent has started sticking out to me is him saying "at least I know what I'm fighting for while you're fighting to be known" and when you actually think more about that line it doesn't really make sense that Odysseus would say this to Athena because back in Ancient Greece Athena was one of the most well known and well respected goddesses, I mean she had a whole city named after her and any warrior/soldier with half a brain would pray to her for strength and wisdom in battle (ofc they'd also pray to Ares for strength but this post isn't about him). So it wasn't like Athena was disrespected (no gods really ever were because that's like a huge no no) or not largely recognized by people which honestly leaves a pretty big question: WHY did Odysseus say that? It wasn't him just saying stuff to say stuff because that combined with him saying how Athena was alone actually upset her. This is where God Games comes in, yeah, God Games.

In the original Odyssey for anyone who doesn't know, nothing anything like God Games happened. That was all Jorge adding new points to the story (and I absolutely love it) but for the sake of digging into this I'll be going a little into the original source material. In Greek Mythology in general Athena was said to have been Zeus' favorite or at the least one of his most favored children, so in The Odyssey when Athena asks him to free Odysseus he actually just kind does it with very little hassle, he kinda mentions how "hey yk kiddo Poseidon's still pretty pissed at the guy but I'll still let him go". No multi-step debate, no getting beaten by lightning. In EPIC however, Athena goes to Zeus and he decides to make a game out of freeing Odysseus and when Athena wins that game Zeus feels like she's shaming him and he strikes her with lightning. Which is actually crazy work tbh, but anyways, the entire existence of God Games and Zeus making the game up to begin with at surface level just seems like Zeus wanting to mess with Athena but if you think about it along with Odysseus saying Athena is "fighting to be known" it can kinda be read more as Zeus not really taking her seriously and not thinking she can do it. I mean he had at least three people he was probably pretty solid wouldn't agree with her: Aphrodite (her and Athena don't get along), Ares (Ares and Athena are often at odds in many interpretations of the gods due to them being on opposites of the aspect of warfare), and Hera (who is famous for being the biggest hater of like 90% of Zeus bastard children). Hephaestus and Apollo agreeing or disagreeing was probably a toss up, but in the end all five gods agreed to have Odysseus released and Zeus was left for some reason: angry. Now ik a lot of people think its just because of the jab about the whole faithfulness thing and I mean it could be, but that would only answer the "to make me feel shame" part. not the whole "you dare to defy me" and "nobody beats me, nobody wins my game". Overall it sounds more like Zeus didn't want Athena to win, but why? Because despite her importance: he doesn't take her seriously, and possibly neither does... well, anyone.

Go back to Warrior of The Mind and Athena talks about how her life has one mission: to create the greatest warrior. Why though? Why is this her life's ONE mission? Because she wants to be recognized by her fellow gods maybe?

Because remember during WOTM she also says "Maybe one day they'll follow me and we'll make a greater tomorrow" which if I'm on the right brain track here could possibly mean "maybe one day they'll take me seriously/respect me" like maybe if she makes the greatest warrior other gods will actually recognize her for who she is. Because Athena also switches to saying "we'll" and "cause WE are the warriors of the mind"

Basically to summarize: Possibly, in EPIC, Athena isn't as well respected as she is in mythology (because remember Jorge takes creative liberties when he wants to) and her whole thing her entire life has been trying to gain that respect and have people take her seriously, because even despite her being the goddess of wisdom and a crucial deity to have on your side during warfare, outside of that nobody really cares. She's only respected when she's needed but like anyone would she hates that and wants to be known and respected all the time, not only during wars when soldiers want her good will and at some point in time Athena may have actually opened up to Odysseus about this or talked about it and THATS why she got upset at the end of My Goodbye, because not only did Odysseus legit just call her lonely after calling her selfish, prideful, vain, and a plague; He used something she'd told him in most likely confidence and maybe even in a moment of weakness against her.

I don't know if this rant makes much sense but yeah, have me spitting words onto Tumblr about the fact that Odysseus saying that Athena is "fighting to be known" has some interesting in-universe implications.

[disney-is-mylife]

Now that we've covered most 80s and 90s "nostalgic" faves....

Don't @ me if your personal fave is not on here. This is MY list of films from MY childhood that I watched over and over, alongside Disney movies. Unlike my previous "nostalgia" polls (80s and 90s, if you want to see the results), the only "rules" here are: non-Disney and fully animated theatrical films. Hence why I included films outside the 90s and Dreamworks as well lol

Happy voting! ❤

A few honorable mentions that I couldn't squeeze into the poll:

An American Tail & Fievel Goes West (I just didn't watch them often enough in my childhood to have them Stick With Me, even though I definitely enjoyed them. But my older brother loved them dearly and talked about them a lot, and I appreciate them a lot more now!)

The Land Before Time (yes, I did watch those absurd sequels - up until 7 ish? - and enjoyed the original, but was never Obsessed like my other peers. Perhaps Jurassic Park traumatized me too much to be fond of dinosaurs lol)

The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (speaking of sequels, I remember the pet one?? pretty well? but not enough to call it a Childhood Fave)

The King & I (absolutely ATROCIOUS adaptation/film, btw, but my siblings and I delighted in quoting the stupid comic relief's lines because Kid Humor is broken lmao the amount of times our poor mother must have heard us go "I never want to see another mango in life" before dissolving into a fit of giggles.....)

Pippi Longstocking (idk I read the book and just was happy to see a beloved book character come to life)

Annabelle's Wish (definitely a STRONG honorable mention cuz I was oddly OBSESSED with the soundtrack for some reason??? but unlike other Obsessed With the Soundtrack movies, this one kinda.... disappeared into the ether of my memories, with only that One Song playing on loop when I think about it)

And finally: shout-out to We're Back, FernGully, Pebble and the Penguin, and Quest for Camelot for being weird-ass fever dream memories until I properly watched them after high school

Cats Don't Dance and Thumbelina are probably the closest things to "honorable mentions" on the poll, but I chose to keep them because I remember DISTINCTLY getting VERY upset over Darla Dimple's scheming in Cats Don't Dance, and feeling whimsically swept up in Thumbelina's fairytale romance. Whereas poor American Tail and Land Before Time didn't "latch onto" me the same way. Who can say why? Memories are a funny thing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[avatarpabu97]

In coherent Gambit theory and rambles. That is months in the making.

Spoilers I guess for the comics and a shit done of spelling Mistakes i literally did this at 5 in the morning. It’s is a collection of Gambit lore and story beats and a theory to help make sense of Remy LeBeau

- [ ] Th guilds or at least the New Orleans branchs needs to find the old kingdom

- [ ] Apocalypse and his servant know of it despite it being ancient Even for them but their original time period was much closer then 1891 era was.

- [ ] The Celestial technology has the same writing system as the old kingdom and may straight up just be the same technology

- [ ] The Guilds can only find the kingdom by working together and somehow Remy is the one to unite them hence the Le Diable Blanc prophecy

- [ ] The old kingdom is a utopia of coexistence regardless of skin tone, religion, or human and mutant( coexistence like Xaivers dream)

- [ ] Marvels earth seems to have artifacts spread throughout the world

- [ ] Including a statue in turkey that looks suspiciously of Remy( maybe a byproduct of 90s art gambit volume 3)

- [ ] Said statue was filled with Kinetic energy that caused the new sun’s own internal energy to go nuclear and destroy his home world

- [ ] The Prophecy of Le Diable Blanc mentions their Messiah(Remy) was to bring forth heaven’s light(but new son is from another reality with the same prophecy hinting at multiple seers across Time and space to misunderstand a certain event)

- [ ] Oddities with the thieves guild. LeBeau is specifically a clan of the old kingdom

- [ ] The thieves guild or all the thieves guilds seem to have a secondary agenda of keeping certain artifacts out others hands

- [ ] Could explain why Jean-Luc and Stephan strange know eachother and consider each other friends. The Guilds work with the sorcerer supremes closely.

- [ ] The all new Xfactor has Remy stealing an artifact that will unleash a doomsday creature (Logan dismisses because the language is supposedly dead. Remy is still very concerned about it being used regardless. Cypher exist Logan.)

- [ ] The Madripoor set that can open realities. A set of six crystals that go with a temple in Madripoor that acts like the gate way to other dimensions. Also something the Thieves Guilds try to keep out everyone’s hands only acting when people try to collect them all. (Why they don’t lock them away make me think it falls under Dragon Ball logic.)

- [ ] Ororo Mother gave her a ruby that has been pass down from mother to daughter for generations.( the giant red gem she wears with her costumes sometimes. Ororo maternal ancestors were powerful queens and sorceress one of which was a sorcerer supreme for nearly 4000 years. Weather her family has the stone because of the sorceress supreme was to keep out of other hands is unknown or if they had a connection to the old kingdom or guilds but theirs a possibility.)

- [ ] During the series extreme X men storm and her team search for the destiny diaries.

- [ ] In the diaries Destiny foresaw Gambit being crucified by the Madripoor set and his kinetic energy is amplified to through the crystals( This is post reverse lobotomy burn out post new Sun battle Gambit so their is a lot of power being used dangerously)

- [ ] Side note both Gambit and Storm have a lot of connection to magic and can possibly use magic.

- [ ] Perhaps this why a centuries old Wizard known as the Antiqury wanted Remy as a child.

- [ ] The portal opens up and Khan an alien who conqueres across the dimensions.(No relation to Kang as far as i can tell.)

- [ ] Gambit eventually gets free almost dies and is burned out on his powers. Again.

- [ ] Sage jumps starts him and then he goes blind and then he’s has future powers

- [ ] They do not stick for long plus it’s up their with the wacky stuff the new Sun potential

- [ ] Now some random shit. Gambit technically knows what the old kingdom is because his adopted grandfather and his allies figured out with Apocalypse’s chamber but Sinister ripped those memories out and sealed them away into Remy’s brain and only a surgeon of Sinister’s level could unleash them.

- [ ] Remy is a key.

- [ ] Some weird connections. That will make sense.

- [ ] Irene, Sinister and a woman named Amanda muller all worked together on a project known as the Black Womb. They experimented and killed mutant children. Not only that but to map out the genetics of human evolution and eugenics. Technically Juggarnaunt, Xaiver and Shaw were apart of this program when they were children.

- [ ] Black womb is also Amanda Muller because her unique mutation gives her long life and Sinister paid her to kill her unborn children for science.

- [ ] Amanda Muller is the Ancestor or at least allegedly of the Summers family.

- [ ] Irene Adler a precognitive mutant was part of the Black Womb Project. It also was not as controlled with their experiments. Because of Muller.

- [ ] In New Sun’s(the alternative gambit) reality Black Womb under a semblance of control became Alpha-1 and was more successful in its experiments. New Sun was born their by organization paying his parents to combined their genetics. If his flashback siliouettes are to be believe he was born from an actual person not a test tube like X-Men the Ends Gambit( no mention of sinister on New Suns part)

- [ ] The Alpha-1 knew what Gambits powers were gonna be.

- [ ] Perhaps because of a certain precog mutant predictions in a controlled environment.

- [ ] New Sun somehow killed an omine present being the Phoenix. Which is possible. Wanda can apparently do this because of the nature of her powers.

- [ ] New Sun eventually made his way to the New Orleans guild and was mentored by his realities Jean-Luc. Hence why they went to Turkey to see the statue of the Old Kingdoms king. (The unification of the Guilds is important for this step because they both have Tomes on how to reach the old kingdom. Jean-Luc jumped the gun.

- [ ] The New Sun has the power to travel time and Space.

- [ ] The Witness(Real name only LeBeau) is allegedly an alternative reality version of Remy from Bishops future who helped raised him and his sister.(It’s Remy he’s Cajun! And shit!)

- [ ] The Witness is a temporal anomaly. He exists at the confluence of all the timelines. This simply means that he is able to exist at all points in time at once. It is in this way that he is able to know everything before it happens. He is technically Schrödinger Cat of Marvel.

- [ ] He is the biggest enigma. He may or may not be Remy because he and Remy exist at the same time (the man is an alternative reality version of Remy. Possibly a dark future for him)

- [ ] He technically own stark industries in Bishop’s future.

- [ ] The man calls refers to himself as both a prisoner and a prison. Unfortunately he was killed in preparation of Hopes birth but he seems to have a reemergence in the Askani timeline because their was a group called the Order of the witnesses founded by a man trying to redeem his past sins( so basically Remy.)

- [ ] Also he sits on alot thrones. Very similar to Remy. Like a lot. Remy has a lot of throne imagery.

- [ ] But also one throne he sits on is in front of a Collume of pure energy. Very similar to the one Remy emits during his crucifixtion

- [ ] Interestingly he apart of a story were a symbiote who is the opposite of the Phoenix known as Le Bete Noir(The Black Beast and The White Devil. Funny)

- [ ] The Witness also created something Called the Momentary Princess an egg like deceive that travels throughout time and space gathering information.

- [ ] Once again an artifact that the New Orleans Guild specifically the LeBeaus are tasked with retrieving it. Canadra also wants it as well so it maybe because of her but it’s also maybe because of the old kingdom stuff.

- [ ] Also a random piece of Info in the Ultimate Universe there is no Guilds and Remy seems to be an Actual LeBeau not adopted like all his counterparts. I include this because it’s interesting tidbit and somehow still has a connection to Sinister.

- [ ] Again Maybe because of 90s art work but if you were to compare some of the panels of Jacques, Jean-Luc and Remy out of Context you would either think that three are the same person or all related by blood.

- [ ] The LeBeau heraldry is a Sun and the name irl was originally estimated to be established between 1840 to 1920.

Ok so what am I getting with all this Random info that I know that I’m missing bits and pieces and have greatly misssplelled.

First what is the old Kingdom. The Old Kingdom seems to be a utopia created by using Celestial technology and somehow Remy is involved.

Gambit is the Key to access it or was the source of power to access it. One would assume he like Ororo would be a descendant of someone special hence why he seems so important to the imagery. But Remy’s entire life is a Paradox so why wouldn’t his connection to the Old Kingdom be. Given how the Witness seems to exist essentially at every point of time and created something to appear at every point time I believe that the King of The old Kingdom was the witness himself. I believe he came from reliaty where his orgins are similar to Ultimate Gambits with the twist is he joined Xaivers cause. I believe given all the really weird shit that happens to comic universes to begin with a catastrophic event took place and nearly decimated earth. In order to save everyone he and what other survivors maybe a few scientists like beast or forge or Reed or Stark came together and found some old Celestial Technology maybe specifically Apocalypse chamber. They reverse engineer the tech in hopes to help eart but they need a power to keep the tech going. Here we have Witness!Remy who can power it. Perhaps when jump starting it a large amount light could be seen across the planet.(Heavens Light)

Slowly but Surely Earth begins to bounce back. Witness! Remy begins to learn more about the tech he’s powering. Maybe because of some strange Osmosis he learns about it. But there is one thing Witness!Remy is changing. Over time a new Kingdom of earth is made in a sense. Over Time the original scientists begin to fade away due to time and age. But not Remy he remains enternal. Remy becomes a leaders champion Xaivers message of equality Over time Remy is declared a king and new tradition are being created ones that will be carry on to the Guilds.

Over time earth is a utopia that begins to expand to other empty planets in their solar system. Over Time they created tools which will eventually become artifacts to tap into Remy’s power so they can better transverse the starts without having issues returning home over time other space Empires grew jealous of their unique resources and their mass of allies due to their coexistence policy.

Over time an alien Conquer name Khan rises and starts a war that threatens to destroys their reality. In a last ditch effort Witness!Remy hands covered in blood from the wars he was forced to fight tries to save every one the tools that let them go from one planet to another with ease are reworked by the new Kingdom scientists and mystics to transport everyone across time and space. They just need to use Remy to fuel the path. He does and it shattered him. His mind his soul. Across time and space at every moment and time he is there. His people survive across the multiverse tech and artifacts scarttref across the ages being reused and retooled for othe purposes.

But the old kingdom clans remember. They plant the statue down of the old kingdom clans as memoriel and scatter across the world. Starting the guilds and maybe other organizations that have strayed from the path. The LeBeaus are recognized as being an old kingdom clan. Perhaps clan LeBeau descendes from the witness himself. If he was the king who’s to say he didn’t have any heirs. Because Remy’s entire life is a Paradox his adoptive family is technically his descendants from another reality.

But the Witness is broken and he bares Witness to everything. Sometimes he active sometimes he’s reactive and sometimes he just sits down in his chair watches. We know he watched over child 616 Gambit. Letting him play in his crypt.

Jump foward to 616 Gambit and Jean-Luc is stealing him from the hospital. Jean-Luc and his Nephew are the only ones who know Gambits true origins.

All we know about Gambit is he was taken. Given to the Antiquary for four years taken again given to Fagan a bastard of a thief assassin for 6 years. Until at the ripe age of 10 Jean-Luc brings him home. We know in 1891 he travels back in time and meets the original Nathaniel Essex who will later create the four suit clones. A motif heavily associated to gambit. Another connection to Sinister.

Perhaps Gambit is the Bastard Son of Jean-Luc perhaps he’s the actual son of The Banished son Jacques LeBeau making him Jean-Luc’s younger brother. Perhaps he the child of an unknown Jean-Luc sibling. He has two unnamed sisters why not a third or a brother. Perhaps Remy like his tempory guardian he too was a bastard of an assassin and a thief. Given the long age of the Thieves of the Thief guild it could have been anytime.

Maybe like the New Son Gambits Parents were hired by the Black Womb accept one was from the LeBeaus and one was an assassin maybe they got wrapped up in it and had a kid maybe it was one Remy’s parents or Remy himself. Maybe it was Remy’s mother who had the same eyes as him. But regardless weather it was Remy or a parent he and everyone involved are in trouble. Because the two guilds basically have a shared bastard and that a no no and Sinister now knows the man who came from the future is born or possibly is about to be Born. It’s also possible that Sinister during the experiments he spliced his dna into Remy in utero technically making him one of Remy’s parents maybe he spliced his sons dna in utero just to what would happen and what results would be yielded or maybe when Remy’s mother was raised in the Black Womb project Sinster used her like he used Amanda Muller a new source of DNA to make various children to experiment on and eventually through his genetics into the mix and out came Remy

Regardless of how the events happened Remy’s parents end up back in New Orleans maybe the hospital they gave birth was a secret facility for Sinister.

Remy is born regardless and should technically not exist because both Guilds at best will abandon him or at worst kill him on sight if they ever know the truth. Regardless Sinister now knows Remy exists in the modern era and has sunked his claws into him and watches Remy’s life like he did the summer grey bloodline. Waiting for the opportunity to get ahold of him in some capacity. He only views Remy as a son when he knows he can use it to fuck with Remy and manipulates certain events to test him. (Hiring him at 15 to retrieve his journal at weapon X. Theirs a version of him in the multiverse that worked for weapon X)

What we do know for a fact the Antiqury learns of Remy’s birth alerts Jean-Luc maybe he knows of Remy’s true origin and tells Jean-Luc or maybe Jean-Luc figures it himself all he knows is that the child is the key to his guilds survival both past and future and give him to the antiquary. Eventually the guilt gets to. Jean-Luc and rescues Remy and puts him with Fagan’s mob.

Remy LeBeau is the key to the old kingdom due to time and space multiversal bullshit. He has the potential to be a god his powers can break reality. He is the Messiah for both Guilds that is both Praised and Cursed in the same breath. He is character that is very under utilized and has many great opportunities to explore some really cool lore in the Marvel universe if you can somehow attached it to the guilds. He’s an even deeper connection to Ororo because of her mother’s Ruby.Perhaps it was fate that brought them together or the multiverse echos of the past. Regardless Remy becomes an X-Men and his life is even more intertwined with Sinister and Irene.

Hopefully 616 Remy doesn’t follow the same path as the Witness and he too becomes a broken shell of himself.

Gambit has potential for a great story about fate and family and choosing his path in life. Perhaps one day the old kingdom will come back into play and Remy will become a damsel and it takes the combined effort of his friends family and allies to save him so he doesn’t go down the same paths as New Sun and Witness.

I’m sorry if this isn’t coherent but I literally did this at 5 in the Moring and I know I’m missing shit for this. Feel free to add stuff you think is relevant.

[arceus-insanity]

This is a long rant so you can totally delete if you’re not interested, though I don’t know who else to talk to about this so I hope you don’t mind me getting something off my chest: I feel really bad for todoroki.

He tried the hardest to save his villain (making a plan to stop Dabi by creating a new move, continually tried to get Endeavor to cooperate with him to meet Dabi, letting Dabi take his anger out at him, and racing meet him not once but twice, saving him from killing himself even when he was the most suicidal out of the villain trio), hell, he was the most empathetic to his villain without ever needing to see the child self because he thought they would have been the same if Todoroki didn’t get the support from his friends. Too bad Touya was so hell bent on his suicide mission with Endeavor that Todoroki couldn’t get through him the first time.

Which leads to the ending of Touya dying in a machine and the brothers still having glass stuck between them. Endeavor may have took over the ending, but Todoroki was the only one who connected to Touya by asking him about his favorite food instead of talking over him. Even then, Endeavor gets to seem cool with “I’ll handle the consequences” and Natsuo complimenting him despite him running away until he couldn’t and almost did a murder-suicide with Touya. Hell, Endeavor literally never faced any consequences in the end as the next time we see him with his psuedo-family (on another note, it feels like salt in the wound Hawks got to live out his happy family dreams while Also not getting any consequences for killing Twice as a hero). Rei sticks by him for some goddamn reason and the last thing Fuyumi talks about is losing her job because of Endeavor’s actions. Before then, the only consequences Endeavor faced was for him failing as a hero and civilians getting mad at that. Everytime someone brings up the abuse, it always brushing it aside besides Iida/Kirishima commenting on it. Sero’s “no one needs that tragic crap” doesn’t really help either since it was more about his own motivations than helping Todoroki dialogue wise. We don’t even get to see All Might’s reaction who was told in the beginning Todoroki was only born to defeat him (Endeavor actually used pronouns calling Todoroki an object in the original Japanese in this convo). We don’t get to see anyone who knows Eri (outside of Midoriya) give the same sympathy to Todoroki because now they know he went through a similar experience a decade of his life (but even then Midoriya praises Endeavor once when fighting Dabi so :/).

Barely anyone in the family comforted him on screen and it truly feels like his family fell apart despite doing his best learning about them in under a year. Todoroki doesn’t get to have that bowl of udon OR soba with Touya now.

The narrative kinda also barred him from the origin trio thing in the end, and he didn’t even get to talk to/cry about Touya to Uraraka and Midoriya (even though I personally feel like both their stories kind of fell apart because of that talk) (also he has the most complicated/interesting relationship with both All Might and his villain/brother but whateve). Todoroki is still haunted by Endeavor’s name a decade later (even if it’s a smaller shadow) and EVEN THEN Endeavor is still looked at as one of the greatest heroes. Endeavor almost killed Touya and the family for not acting sooner and he gets labeled as great. Endeavor gets to have replacement children while everyone else don’t get the justice they deserved.

He doesn’t even get his rising title in the anime!! They took it away from him!! The anime wants you to think all of the Todoroki family saved Touya, but Todoroki did 90% of the work!!

This might seem odd change in topic, but Tenko/Shigaraki has a lot of parallels to Todoroki, and I guess their abusive guardians taking over their plots and leaving behind tragedy can be added to that list.

I’m so mad Endeavor got to live… Though it seems like anyone didn’t get any justice about their abusers besides Eri.

I’m not the biggest Shoto fan, but I’ll do my best to focus on him for this

You know, I’d say there are three levels to why I hate Endeavor so much.

He is a shit guy. He’s an abuser, who’s entire reason is oh he didn’t get first place in a popularity contest, and couldn’t be bothered to try and be decent to the public.

The narrative refuses to acknowledge it. His actions once All Might is forced to retire are all massively downplayed mixed with excuses, and he gets an undeserved angst fest every time he faces even the possibility of consequences.

Every other character and the plot has to be sacrificed to prop him up.

And even after Endeavor’s ‘redemption’ and cryfest at the hospital, the whole fucking family puts Shoto at the center of everything. As if that hasn’t been one of the main reasons everyone in the family (except Endeavor who gets nothing but benefits from this) is struggling. If either Endeavor was dead, or Shoto was allowed to hate Endeavor, things wouldn't have turned out so badly.

I saw a fic a while ago and the premise was that the rest of the Todoroki family was with Touya and Shoto was left all alone. And even just reading the fic’s description I’m thinking what are they talking about they weren’t there for Touya, they were there for Endeavor!

Shoto is the only one who talks to Dabi, everyone else is at mass talking at him, in both the battle and epilogue. The battle the rest of the family is just victim-blaming/ scapegoating Dabi blindly, not questioning anything. Natsuo, Fuyumi and Rei don’t say a single word to Dabi after, no they’re talking to Endeavor, they only get a few minutes to see Dabi, possibly forever considering the prison system, and they spend it on the Manbaby. Shoto only manages to ask one question at the end, while they're being forced out, which Dabi demonstrates that he aware and was willing to talk to the best of his abilities, the family just couldn’t be bothered.

I’m disgusted by 1A, UA, the other pros, etc, ’s response(s) to the reveal, no one ever asks if Shoto is okay, or his feelings are. They all just assume, and earlier in the series we see Midori-enabler-ya tell him that he’s forgiving Endeavor, and that shows he’s moving on. Forgiveness isn’t needed to move on, and I believe can very much get in the way of it. And that’s the closest we get to anyone actually caring about Shoto’s or any of the other victims feelings that weren’t the villains.

I wish I could say I was surprised by Rei (or Fuyumi) but I’m not. Rei basically tells Natsuo and Fuyumi they have to forgive him because he sent her a flower. Besides the disturbing parallels from "Harlequinade" Batman: The Animated Series except this one sees it as a good thing. This moment and the continuing progression/ reveal of her character, never made me think highly of her. She reads as someone who is massively codependent and an enabler, regardless of the reason for that, that is the result

Natsuo I was disappointed by, he was the only one who didn’t see the bare minimum of effort from Endeavor as reason to forgive/ forget everything he’s done. Yet in the final showdown he directly blames Dabi for being difficult.

And about Eri, I firmly believe that she was only helped at all because Overhaul was a villain outside of abusing/torturing her. If he was an ‘innocent’ civilian, hero, or part of the commission, they would have given(read forced) her back without hesitation or a second thought, they basically did that anyway when she was first introduced. Here’s a link on what I mean https://www.tumblr.com/thr0wnawayy/764328039502987264/whats-your-opinion-about-eri-i-mean-shes-cute?source=share And a whole lot of @thr0wnawayy ‘s first reblog could be taken and applied to Shoto

[palmettoshenanigans]

Aftg is really a Shakespearean tragedy. I’m learning about Titus right now and just.. Nora really checked all the boxes for a Shakespearean tragedy

Hello Anon Bestie, I've returned from war with my essay as promised! Okay, quick and dirty Betty Crocker Box recipe for a Shakespearean Tragedy (nuance and academic rigor not included):

A person with a flaw that can get em killed - spoiler: it gets em killed. (Tragic Hero + Hamartia)

Ghosts, witches, gods, oh my! (Supernatural Elements)

Good deeds go unnoticed and bad deeds go unpunished and everyone dies, hero included (Tragic Waste + Lack of Poetic Justice)

Look Anon Bestie, I took pages of notes, and I was almost going to talk about how everyone's Hamartia (Ambition, Devotion/Loyalty, Power, etc) were just functions of Love where Exy was the conduit everyone had in common. I even almost talked about the importance of how everyone's Deep Wounds had their origins in Parents (sins of the father, parental neglect and attachment, parents as one's first lesson on love). And THEN I almost talked about how neither villains nor heroes are born, they're made and the personal decision to remake one's self in the aftermath of the forge that shaped you-

But fuck all that honestly. All I care about here is the classic Tragic Hero and Tragic Waste hooplah. "The hero dies in the end" and all that.

I know what you're probably thinking, "But Tragic Waste doesn't apply to AFTG because the Tragic Hero doesn't die in the end! Neil is alive and so are all the Foxes!" I get it, I do, but here's my take. The Tragic Hero isn't Neil.

It's Nathaniel.

Which immediately brings me to my opinion on how AFTG manages to have a Supernatural Element as well. "But AFTG takes place in the real world!" stop interrupting me- listen- Neil isn't fucking real. He is not a real boy. Pinocchio in his wood state is more real than Neil is. Andrew knew Neil wasn't real from the fucking jump and was on that boy like white on rice. Nathaniel knew Neil wasn't real - how many times did he try to hold back his home grown Smart Mouth A La Attitude Problem for the sake of his store bought Meek and Mild disposition? AKA how many times did he suppress his Material because it would ruin the integrity of his Form? From page one our Tragic Hero was Nathaniel Wesninski trying to survive blah blah blah pretend to be Neil blah blah blah leave Nathaniel buried in Baltimore with his father yadda yadda roll credits- Throughout the entire first three books Neil Josten starts basically obtaining Life and haunting the narrative. He was a painting that triggered the uncanny valley, he was a statue that seemed like it was gonna reach out and touch you, he was a mask that accidentally welded itself to your face like that one movie from the mid-90s. Nathaniel is trying to beat this fake-boy back with a stick while also keeping his name but it doesn't fucking work that way. Neil wanted friends. Neil wanted Exy. Neil wanted a home. Neil wanted to stay. Nathaniel? He could have had friends and a home and Exy in another life. But Mary rewrote history and said "Put on these masks. Hide, Nathaniel. These masks will help keep you safe." And it was working tbh. But then one of them came to life. And our Tragic Hero died to make room for him.

Whoops.

There's nothing fancy about my arguement here, only that AFTG really does fulfill the Shakespearean Tragedy format, Supernatural Elements and Hero Dies and all. Anyway, here's a couple excerpts from my notes that didn't make the cut in my final essay: "The tragedy? All the villans are dead. Drake, Riko, Nathan, etc. But the ghost will forever haunt the house (flashbacks, nightmares, triggers, scars) and those who remain inheret the ruins they didn't raze (Ichiro, Exy)." "The hero dies and the villain dies but both good and evil still prevail so catharsis is bittersweet and yet that's what makes it the most realistic."

[kenobers]

What kind of music do you think the other Batboys listen to? (If you're interested in them ofc)

okay, first of all this is my first ask!! hello!! and it's about music, so extra bonus points to you!! 🌟

second of all, of course i'm interested in the other batboys! i'm working on their spotify wrappeds right now. for anyone’s who interested, here is my spotify!!

these are what i personally think each of them lean towards music wise based on canon and my own headcanons, please don’t stomp on me if you disagree :-)

Dick listens to clown music i really only found one panel of Dick listening to music and it was mostly Original Pilipino Music and mostly ballads, which i love. it also lends itself to Dick being a fan of indie and soft rock, as well very much being a child of the 90s. The Cure and Billy Joel are artists i see him enjoying. i know a lot of people envision him as a pop fan and i think he specifically listens to early rock-pop music from the 70s; think ABBA, the Carpenters, Donna Summer, artists who would mix well with his affection for balladeers. My self indulgent headcanon is that he's a huge Fleetwood Mac and Mavis Staples fan. i think it's a legal obligation to have an appreciation for grunge to be part of the batfam, but i think he sticks with the basics.

Jason canonically likes Slipknot, Lacuna Coil and Poison Idea (which i forgot to include on his spotify wrapped, oops). however, given his background, his continued interest in being connected to the streets of a large east coast city and the fact that we know he loves good writing, he's definitely a 90s east coast hip-hop guy. i really envision him being a huge Wu-Tang Clan fan (as we should all be) and DMX wrote his theme song Where The Hood At. both the metal/punk and hip-hop genres have heavily political roots and the flaws of political systems are a common theme, which is something he’d appreciate. however, i think Jason's criteria for adding a song to his spotify is if it's good. he's not a snob, he just likes his music to be loud and have good lyricism. he likes to be able to relate to it, whereas Dick would be more about the vibe. i love the idea that he's into Jack Johnson when he wants a softer sound. he also gives me major Artic Monkeys vibes.

Tim canonically likes The Clash, Green Day (i think this is another one they all have in common) and i believe Oasis. so one could comfortably deduce that he's into punk rock, early alternative and brit pop (which makes sense, these all tend to go hand-in-hand). i think he would be fond of alternative and indie, like i think he would dig Steve Lacy and Frank Ocean (he's also a bisexual man in his late teens/early twenties who's heavily online, so i feel like it's also a fairly safe bet that he listens to Frank and probably Tyler too). i think he goes through strong phases of certain artists/genres. i think, like Jason, he likes to be able to relate to his music, but he’s also a bit of a music snob.

Steph's most streamed artist is Mucous Membrane. i get strong punk rock, punk pop vibes from her. she likes anything she can scream along to. My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Avril Lavigne, Pierce The Veil, Hollywood Undead. she definitely had a very strong Panic! At The Disco era. she's got a soft spot for Megadeath too. but i think she’s also more than capable (and willing) to scream along to some bubbly pop music too.

Duke has been seen singing The Man on The Flying Trapeze by Spike Jones. granted, this is a fairly well known song and it had a specific context, but i also kind of love the idea that Duke listens to jazz, like also has a lot of Chet Baker and Billie Holiday saved. that’s his time-to-lock-in music. then i could also see him digging a genre that samples a lot of these artists, like r&b and hip-hop. i see Kendrick Lamar pop up on a lot of Duke playlists and i’m inclined to agree. i’d also add Jay-Z to the mix. a good chunk of his spotify wrapped is stuff he plays to get hyped up, which can vary quite a bit. there’s some Fall Out Boy, Chase Atlantic, Rihanna and some classic rock. i think he also daydreams to Holding Out for A Hero quite a bit as well.

honestly, i feel like Cass pulls the most from everyone else’s playlists. i would say that she’s family spotify stalker, but frankly i feel like she uses youtube music. anyways, her personal tastes would lean more towards the sad girl side; Halsey, Mitski, Phoebe Bridgers, Mazzy Star. maybe Penelope Scott and Grimes - i could see her vibing with the combination of the sad girl feel and a unique sort of sound. thanks to Jason, she also digs System of A Down. for Cass especially music is an emotional outlet, so i think she’d be drawn to more emotional stuff. that said, she’s definitely an ABBA girl.

i see people try to argue that Jason would listen to musicals, but if anyone is the secret theater kid, it’s for sure Damian. he likes the drama and the flair of a megamusical and as such, a couple of songs from The Phantom of The Opera make their way onto his playlist (he secretly relates to certain aspects of the storyline but he won’t say that part out loud). he’s a musician himself so it’s not hard to imagine him enjoying someone as genius as Sondheim, although i imagine he’s very picky about which cast albums/recordings he spins. he listens to a lot of classic music, with a special appreciation for Bach as he’s more or less the violin king. but Beethoven’s got a little more flair. i think he also has a playlist of songs he picked up from his siblings and Superboy

i think they all share an appreciation for Nirvana, The Pixies, The Spice Girls and A Tribe Called Quest.

and i do think The Spice Girls comes strongly from Dick’s influence.

what do y’all think they listen to?

[kirisaki-daichi-scenarios]

girls just wanna have fun | nash gold jr + younger sister!reader

for anon who asked “Since you did a Nash with a little brother headcanons, could you do Nash with a little sister? (Maybe like a 2 year difference)” … yeah so much for that. in my defence i did start writing hcs with a 2 year difference, but then i had a Vision and suddenly words started flowing through my head for the first time in weeks so i had to type at the speed of light to get them down before my phone died. then my phone died anyway so the second half of this was originally written on a napkin. being sat on a train floor writing fanfiction on a napkin is possibly the most loser-y thing i’ve ever done but hey, at least i had fun. you might still get some hcs - it depends on if i can be bothered / how well this au does, but i hope you like this oneshot anyway!

“Practice more next time,” is what 12-year-old Nash tells you, age seven, after you’re eliminated in the first round of the school’s spelling bee.

Then he sees your lip start to wobble.

He rolls his eyes and adds, “but they gave you the hardest word. Totally.”

As he listens to you complaining about how unfair life is, whilst knowing that, at your age, he could have spelt “rosette” backwards, Nash just keeps biting his tongue. Lets you rant and nods in agreement whenever you check to see if he’s still listening.

He’s a big brother now, that’s how his parents put it, he has to be a good role model. And - this is what Nash is thinking to himself - he has to be an extra good big brother to make up for the useless parents who should have been here for their daughter’s first spelling bee. He has to be the one promising he’ll take you to the ice cream shop round the corner so that, in years from now, it’ll be the vanilla that sticks in your memory, and not the two empty chairs with “reserved for the Golds” on the seats. He doesn’t want you to think of your childhood years like how he thinks of his.

Nash Gold tries hard to keep his little sister happy.

-

But once Nash goes into high school, and starts taking his basketball, water sports, boxing, and everything else more seriously, there’s less time for being the stand-in parent attending all your events.

The good news is that you start doing less anyway. The preteen years have made you shy away from the world, flitting from hobby to hobby without anything to really bury your soul in. There was the anime-inspired volleyball obsession that died as soon as you finished your binging the seasons; the brief craving to join the basketball club until you realised just how incompetent your teammates were compared to Nash, how boring and difficult everything was when it was not your big brother doing it; the desire to be the West End’s next star that was crushed by receiving the role of tree in the school play and tripping over in your only scene (how Nash had laughed! And then scowled at the people laughing at you next to him); and then the single-day infatuation with joining the chess club, the infatuation dying as soon as you realised your chess-playing crush already had a girlfriend.

To fill your time, you start accompanying Nash to Jabberwock’s practices. No one wants you there. Nash has forbidden them from swearing around you, and any sex jokes are an even bigger no: given these two things combined are 90% of the usual Jabberwock conversation, it’s not a surprise that there’s grumbling when they see you walking behind Nash.

But Nash silences any grumbling with a glare as cold as ice.

Because, sure, he doesn’t want his little sister following him around everywhere but he’d much rather you were doing your homework in the corner of a street ball court instead of sat alone in an empty house.

Nash’s priority is always that you finish your homework. Only then will he let you help out as the team’s mini manager: topping up water bottles, fetching balls, collecting the boy’s hoodies when they get too warm. And, over time, your place in the team feels more secure. You’re good in your role as the little helper. You crack a “that’s what she said” joke that gets everyone guffawing - everyone but Nash, that is, who scolds you the high heavens, demands to know where you’ve been hearing jokes like that, whilst, in his heart of hearts, being thrilled that you’re coming out of your shell. You sit down with Nick during breaks to ooh and aah over his Animal Crossing Island, trembling with excitement when he hands you the Nintendo and lets you design a room of your own. You beg Zack to teach you to spin a basketball on your finger, and hug him overjoyed when you manage it for the first time. You fetch fresh headbands for Allen while looking down at the ground, blushing frantically: your crush on the boy lasts several months, though you never notice how Nash burns holes in Allen’s head whenever the two of you are talking, or how awkward having a middle schooler crush on him makes Allen feel.

Then, one day, you decide you want to learn how to do a dunk. After spending an hour watching you struggle to jump even one foot up in the air, Jason lifts you up onto his shoulders. Tells you to “try now - just tell me where you want me to go and hold on tight.”

Looking around from over 7ft tall, you feel like you’re the queen of the world.

-

By the time you’re in high school, you’ve become more confident. You don’t come to Jabberwock’s practices as often. You’ve got friends to hang out with instead, a study group that you always attend, and, inspired by your brother’s prowess in everything fisticuffs, you’ve signed up to be member of the school’s taekwondo club.

Nash never makes you to come to practice. Though it hurts seeing your corner of the court empty, devoid of the rucksack and textbooks that used to fill it, he knows that this is for the best. A teen girl shouldn’t be living in her brother’s shadow. Hell, a guy shouldn’t have his little sister in his shadow either.

But Nash still finds it hard to hold back a grin when you see him grabbing his basketball bag and ask if you can “come with?” And when you’re at practice, it’s like nothing’s changed. You join in with everyone else teasing Zack over his newly shaven head; you still get a little shy when talking to Allen; and you whoop and gush over Nick’s high arc shots as if you’ve never seen them before.

“You’re my number two favourite basketball player ever,” you tell Nick, rushing over to him as he awkwardly runs his hand through his spiky blonde hair.

Overhearing, Allen says with a little hope, “he’s not number one?”

“Obviously not,” you roll your eyes, “Nash is my number one. Duh.”

No one loves Nash as much as you do, and no one loves you as much as he does.

-

It turns out Nash is an anomaly, and that combat sport skill does not run in the family. You are horrible at taekwondo: your kicks are accurate - surprisingly so given how bad your balance is - but, no matter how many drills you do, or how many times you insist Nash comes up with a workout routine for you, they never develop much power.

But you’re trying hard to improve, forever inspired by your brother, and you take any chance to kick that you’re given.

“Taekwondo?” asks Jason one morning, as practices a free throw. “They don’t have any good martial arts clubs at your school?”

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you’d felt the pain of my kicks,” you retort, hands on your hips.

Jason turns to you. “Go on then.”

You ready yourself, check your footing’s correct, and then swing your leg out. With a thud, your foot makes contact with Jason’s side.

He stares at you, almost in pity. “That’s it?”

But Nash is walking by and he’s glaring like he normally does whenever someone that’s not him makes him little sister look inadequate. So, dutifully, Jason falls backwards in slo-mo and pretends to roll on the floor in agony, crying out for his mother and claiming that he’s never known such pain, while you give him another kick in his side for being a jerk.

(Nash never scolds you for kicking his teammates, though, of course, he’d have a fit if any of them even looked at you wrong.)

Of course, you’re not an idiot; you know you’re not good at taekwondo. But, unlike all your previous school clubs, you’re not planning on leaving this one. After all, without the club, you’d have no opportunities to say good morning to star of the Taekwondo club, Ryuu. And you’d never get to feel his fingers brushing against your arm as he corrects your posture; you’d never get to see his grin and thumbs up as he tells you he’s sure your kicks are improving; and, more importantly, you would have never got the opportunity to wait for him outside the dojang, see him walk out looking more handsome than ever, and ask him if he’d ever think about going out with you.

“Think about it?” Ryuu replies. “Man, I dream of it!”

Smiling from ear to ear, he reaches out to intertwine his fingers with yours, and he doesn’t let go of your hand until he’s walked you all the way home. The feeling of his touch lingers, the warmth flooding through your veins, and keeping your smile fixed on your face.

Nash is sitting on the sofa when you walk in. He looks up from his phone and frowns, “who was the guy?”

“I’m dating the coolest guy in the whole school,” you gush, racing to your brother’s side to tell him all about Ryuu, and you’re still talking about the boy - enthusing now about his Taekwondo prowess - by the time Nash starts preparing dinner.

Nash says he’s happy that you’re happy, grunts occasionally in agreement with your rambles, and accepts the fact that this is probably all he’ll be hearing for the next few hours.

“You’re not upset with me, are you?” you ask eventually, noticing how your brother’s gone quiet.

“Never” replies Nash. “Why would I have an issue with you dating a guy who’s made you this happy?”

But it’s funny how often you bump into him when you’re out with said boyfriend. And not just Nash: it’s like the whole team starts appearing out of nowhere at cafes, parks, funfairs. And these chance encounters always follow the same trend: the boys are happy to see you, chatty and joking, and then they look at Ryuu and their faces take on a cold sneer, every inch the vicious Jabberwock archetype they’re known for.

Nash tells him, “you look after my sister, yeah? Or else.” And if looks could kill…

Zack pretends to be polite, saying “well, I’ve got no problem with you - for now. You make sure to keep it that way.”

Nick has to hold back a snicker as he replies to your boyfriend with “yeah, nice to meet you man, whatever.” Then he turns to you and whispers, “you would have been better off with Allen.”

Allen wipes the sneer of his face when you ask him to be nice; he smiles at you, but then, as he meets your boyfriend’s gaze, he mumbles to you, “you’ve got my number if you ever need me to sort any problems out.”

Jason says, “this guy? Seriously? Shit, I could snap in two him like a twig.”

By the time he meets Jason, your boyfriend’s long fed up of the slander. He stands up from the bench, even though it only makes him look smaller against Jason’s muscular 6ft11 frame, looks up into the other man’s amused expression, and replies, “with all due respect, I was the Taekwondo state champion last year.”

Jason’s laugh is so loud and booming it practically triggers an earthquake.

-

Ryuu’s a good boyfriend. Nash never learns to genuinely like him, but he stops disliking him as much as time goes on. He orders pizza for the three of you when you and Ryuu are doing a study date at the Gold household; he drives you to Ryuu’s Taekwondo tournament and grudgingly claps when he wins; or he throws a couple condoms at Ryuu when you’re snuggling against your boyfriend on your bed, watching your favourite movie together.

“You should be grateful I’m such a good brother,” Nash laughs when you start punching him for embarrassing the two of you like this. “You know, when I was your age…”

“Go away, Nash!” you screech, pushing him out of the room, “God, you’re such a nuisance.”

“All I’m saying is use protection,” comes Nash’s sniggering voice as you slam the door shut behind him.

You walk back over to Ryuu. “I’m sorry about him. Honestly, he’s the worst.”

“Nah, your brother’s cool,” says Ryuu, but he’s still blushing a bit as he gives you that golden grin of his that makes you feel like you’re his entire world.

-

But all good things come to an end.

Ryuu moves to a new state where he’ll be able to get better Taekwondo instruction. His coach thinks he’s got Olympic potential - they don’t want him to be wasted in this city where nothing good ever happens - and his parents are in agreement.

“They said the sooner I leave, the better for my future,” quotes Ryuu as squeezes your hand, looking down at the ground beneath the swings you’re sharing. “But I wanted you to be my future.”

Nash had told you not to interfere - that you don’t want to be the person holding Ryuu back from his dreams - so you encourage Ryuu to go, tell him that you’ll still be his future, it’s just a few years of separation.

And it’s Nash who drives you to the airport and watches from a distance as the two of you hug for the final time, promising to say in contact, promising that you’ll be able to make long distance work.

When you walk back to Nash, your lip’s wobbling like it did back when you were seven. As soon as he wraps his arm around you, you burst into tears, sobbing into his shirt. Your brother hugs you tighter, like he’s the only thing in the world keeping you from falling into pieces. His voice is quiet and calm and betrays none of the pain he feels looking at your crying figure.

Into the top of your head, Nash mutters, “As soon as the season’s over, you and I will go on a road trip to go see him, alright? And you can call him every night if you want. And if he even thinks of looking at another girl, or ignoring a single text of yours, Jason and I will fly over and deal with him. Or we’ll kidnap him and bring him back to you if that’s what you want.”

You’re crying harder, fingers clutching onto Nash’s shirt even tighter.

“I’ll skip practice today if you want; we can do a movie night instead.”

Voice muffled by how your face is pressed into Nash’s chest, so none of the passersby might see you crying, you reply, “no. You should go to practice.”

“I’m not gonna leave you alone like this.”

“Can I come?”

“What - to practice? Yeah, ‘course. The boys are always happy to have you around.”

You look up and force a smile, biting on your tongue like it might stop you crying, as Nash matches your smile with a sad grin of his own.

“It’s gonna be rough, but you’ll get through it,” he says, “you’re the toughest kid I know.”

And he pulls you in for another hug.

fun fact: the original plan was for the boyfriend to cheat on reader who breaks up with him, and then for jabberwock to go teach him a lesson. but then i thought “why the need for all this violence?”, me of course being the admin of a blog dedicated to a team that’s known for their non-violent ways. but anyway i figured it was an overused trope and why not show nash being an actually good supportive brother, so here you go. (and if anyone enjoyed reading about the lesser known jabberwock members, then you might also like these hcs) (and if you wanna read the nash little brother hcs, you can find them here)

[prettygirlstothefloor]

a messy review of TTPD

okay i need to preface this that i have the credentials to be able to speak my mind on her. i've been a fan since 2006. i've been a fan since i was 11 so don't get your panties in a bunch.

i think this album is messy. the production is the only thing i can really praise about it. the lead up to it and now the full release has just been so unbelievably messy. i'm going to make a continue reading for the people who still have yet to listen where i won't spoil it for you. PS. i do get mean in this. so if you're not wanting to hear critiques and criticism and taking that in, please scroll.

EDIT: this was pre-anthology release. so this is just based on the original 16 song release.

SPOILERS AHEAD

i am fully aware she is allowed to go through the grieving process of her breakup with joe. i respect that whole heartedly. i completely understand having someone in your life for such a big chunk and for them to be gone and feeling lost and alone and angry. what i don't like at all is essentially telling us in this album that she couldn't handle joe having severe depression. obviously i don't know everything that went down but it seems as though he didn't want to get married until he felt mentally better. and as someone who is also in the same boat as him, i also wouldn't want to fully commit to marriage until i felt like i could give them 100%. and if that's his biggest crime, being too depressed, then that's a her problem. being depressed is not all "haha relatable".

now onto... that man... i did not expect 90% of this album to be about him. i've only hated two people in my life. one being a family member of mine. the other, him (i will not be saying his name because he does not deserve it). the way she spent so much of this album talking about how she will defend him with her life. girl i am begging you to get up off the ground. it felt like a backstab from her in "but daddy, i love him" where she's basically saying fuck everyone for ruining a relationship i wanted. the reason no one wanted her with him is because he's a racist, misogynistic, homophobic asshole. i am aware he supports queer rights but it seems like he only cares about queer rights and the safety of queer people when it involves white queer people (ie. what happened in dubai and malaysia). i'm almost confident she cheated on joe with him while her and joe were still together. i'm sorry to taylor that i care about BIPOC and queer people's rights than making a racist white man happy.

joe truly got the short end of the stick here. he has been treated so horribly this past year by swifties who made up rumors about him just to make taylor seem like the good guy and the only thing this album told me was she was the villain in all of this. i hope joe has a good support system around him and i hope he's able to get any mental health help he needs. i do also think that taylor desperately needs a therapist as well. she is very adament about not having one and just using her mom and her friends but she needs an outside source to really listen and give her advice that isn't "yes man"-ing her all day long.

anyways, like i said at the beginning of this post, i enjoyed the production. my favorite songs were fortnight and who's afraid of little old me. it's gonna take time for me to enjoy this album outside of its messiness. i did enjoy midnights btw. so it's definitely not the sound i don't like it's just everything surrounding it.

70/100