#Is it bad that I think this should be Canon?

[nanamiskentos]

➤ 𝐉𝐉𝐊﹙ 脹相 : CHOSO KAMO ﹚ ─ the death painting cw ─ MDNI. canon!choso, óràl (m. receiving)

"and don't get me wrong," choso huffs, his breath puffing out like steam escaping a kettle. pale pink lips pouting, "i know yuuji's got a heavy burden on his shoulders, but he could really stand to try and take my advice a bit more, don't you think?"

huh. no response. choso's scowling now. cinnamon-hued eyes thinning into slivers, searching for where on earth you disappeared to.

thin brows furrowing, "my love?" the end curling into a question as uncertainty colours his tone. choso's had a long day training thus far, and it didn't help that upstart who shoulda' stayed in that damned box — gojo satoru, seemed to occupy most of his younger brother's attention. diverting his attention away from the important lessons that his petulant older brother was trying to teach him. eso and kechizu were never so stubborn.

with a sharp exhale, choso pushes himself up from the seat, smacking his thighs in frustration, but not before —

"sit back down, cho."

choso's mouth goes bone-dry, nerves going into some twisted form of sensory overload as he tries to calm the blood rushing through his pounding heart before the muscle explodes. but it's too late for the blood rushing down south, already pooling in a satisfied coil over his groin.

he hasn't the faintest clue on where you managed to swipe away his robes, but he thinks he may yet be the luckiest man (no, wait, let's not unpack that yet) alive. amber eyes raking over how the cream linen drapes your form so perfectly, clinging to every curve that he loves to worship.

but choso is sharp, he doesn't miss the mischievous glint in your eyes nor the way that your teeth sink into the flesh of your lower lip. teasing, watchful. he should have known better than to be caught off guard like this, but choso truly cannot even bring himself to care about how much of an effect you have on him. how you unravel him to the core.

"you're lookin' pretty frustrated, baby," you're purring, already stalking closer so choso has to tear his eyes away from the swell of your chest and back to somewhere more polite and acceptable. think, choso, think of something smart to say. something that isn't sleazy, and something that hasn't been concocted by the heat throbbing and pumping straight outta' his cock.

but there's some awful lag between his brain and his tongue, and choso can only let the crimson flush build up, painting the back of his neck awash. watching as you snicker, knowing that the half-curse is practically one touch away from trembling in your hold. well, you can truly give him something to quiver about now.

"had a rough day, is all," choso rasps, and he doesn't even seem to be aware of how his vocal cords have turned to a husky granite. loose strands of chestnut-dark hair falling over his eyes as his pink tongue comes out to moisten his lips, mind whirring on how to turn this loss of composure into a win, "uh, it really sucked, you could say. mhm, i guess that's how i'd describe it."

you're already seated between his knees, head gently leaning against the broad muscles of his thighs. hands already pawing at the loose waistband of his ivory martial pants. unimpressed eyes blinking up at him, "what did i say about bad puns, cho?"

"that they're no good," choso murmurs, doing his best not to shudder as your nails lightly skim over the thatch of dark curls past his hips. but because he truly can't help himself, he has to add on, "that they blow."

he's really a natural born comedian, choso thinks to himself, it's just a shame that no-one else can really see past the gloom and doom to appreciate his natural wit.

you're pressing a gentle kiss to the base of thick shaft, and choso has to muffle a loud groan to prevent himself from coming undone already. fuck, he was far more sensitive than he anticipated but how could he not be? when you're proving personal love and care to each thick, throbbing vein that spirals up his cock?

choso shuffles in his seat, muscles already twinging as he parts his thighs. giving you more room to giggle and slot yourself into that gap, allowing you to firmly reach for his shaft and giving it a firm one, two! pump. already managing to pull out slick beads of translucent precum from the pink slit.

"sooo, how's that feel, baby?" your tongue barely brushing against the tip of his cock, applying the most gentle and teasing pressure that makes choso press his lips together firmly. your mouth parting to try and take as much of him as possible past your lips.

"g-good, real good," choso breathes out, tawny eyes already reaching skywards to thank the heavens for bestowing this upon him. he's panting, hands flailing in the air to clutch at the air, then at the thin material of the seat before settling at your scalp.

but he's gentle with it, determined to not apply too much pressure, to not delivery any sharp stings of pain. not when you've lavishing him with such attention, your fingertips now resting on his bare thighs as your mouth steadily bobs and releases with a sticky pop! each time you pull back.

and god, choso's entirely obsessed with how you press against the underside of his cock with a lil' more firm pressure. laving right up against the girthy veins in a way that makes his muscled abdomen tense and flex with each new wave of pleasure.

"m-my love?" choso's eyes are shut now, dark lashes fluttering against splotched skin as he feels something creeping up on him. he's sensitive, so sensitive now and each caress of your loving mouth has his thighs shaking, "i think 'm gonna, hah, i'm 'bout to — what the fuck?"

choso does pride himself on being an exemplary role model and a high standing member of whichever society will have him, so he doesn't actually curse quite often. but this situation entirely calls for it, and he can only swing his hazy eyes open to blink down at you. dumbfounded as you're already smiling like a minx. pulling yourself up, and up and —

oh. well, choso's never been one to complain. not when you're gently positioning his large hands against the ties of the robes, nudging him to pull the linen off so your bare skin can be lavished by him. a gentle kiss being pressed to his bite-stung lips, "wanted you to cum in me, silly."

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

The Miraculous fandom has some of the most creative people I know in it. I mean this, positive sense.

However that same talent becomes a problem when people cannot distinguish between a narrative beat and their own post-hoc justification.

The second is useful now and again when any sort of media misses a beat or takes a leap. ML fans carry the narrative on their backs.

It's telling that you have so many fanworks out there that are equally or more valid readings of the canon when they were published that have been completely obliterated by future development.

I'm not talking the wild takes. I'm not talking ML suddenly turning shonen, or coffee shop AU. I'm not even talking 'Adrien gets equal screen time.' Just 'with what we know, what comes next?' type fanfiction.

It's like canon is deliberately trying to dodge anything remotely predictable... but narrative beats are predictable for a reason. They work. They're good storytelling. A twist can be good storytelling, but only if it is better in every way then the not-twist.

You combine the shock-at-all-costs mentality with ML fandoms devotion and creativity and you get leaps of logic that would make a crypto seller blush. It ends up going downright unhealthy places at times.

I know their hearts are in the right place. I know they just care about the show they've sunk time and self into, but there are times you have to step back.

It doesn't mean you have to give up or turn away from the media. You just need to be willing to admit 'This episode/throughline/season/beat sucked'.

Then you hope it gets better.

Not doing this now and then is engaging in cult behavior.

(Post that spawned this ask)

I fully agree. People liking "bad" media doesn't bother me. What gets under my skin is people defending bad media. I'm in a book club and we all own that we like books that are objectively bad. We don't defend them as good, we just like the good parts enough to drown out the bad stuff. That's normal and fine. You don't have to limit yourself to perfect and pure art if such a thing even exists. I can name flaws in most of the things I like, I just think the good far outweighs the bad.

Miraculous is not some deep and complicated show that requires you to watch every episode. The writers have flat out said it is supposed to make sense even if you miss seemingly vital episodes. This means that trying to go the deep and nuanced route to explain the flaws doesn't work. This is a show for young children. It is supposed to be easy to follow. If it's not, then it has failed at its job! Little kids have no expectations to subvert. Shows like Miraculous are supposed to teach them how stories work so they can go on and watch more complex stuff when they're older. (For us adults, shows like Miraculous are supposed to be cute escapism that lets us feel like kids again.) If no one can possibly predict where a story is going next at a high level, then it's probably a bad story.

To be clear, I don't mean that every plot beat should be obvious. It's just that the longer a story goes, the more obvious things should feel as all the little elements of the story build and come together. This allows the audience to get excited about what's going to happen next and keeps them engaged. Stories where literally anything can happen no matter how little sense it makes aren't fun because you can't get invested in anything. I'll take a predictable ending over an impossible one any day.

A perfect example is the season three final. That final was all about Gabriel winning because he knew Chloe's identity. This is spelled out in the episode and the episode setup.

Miraculer set up:

Gabriel: Chloé Bourgeois must become Queen Bee again! Nathalie: Are you still considering making her an ally? I'm afraid Ladybug has grown reluctant to giving Chloé the Bee Miraculous. She's being very careful. Gabriel: Then I will get Chloé to force Ladybug to give it to her. All I need is for her to lose all hope in Ladybug. To become angry enough so I can akumatize her. (smirks evilly)

Ladybug: I'm sorry, Chloé. I should've told you this a long time ago. I might never be able to let you be Queen Bee again. Queen Bee: What? But I did everything you asked me to. Ladybug: I know. But this is for your own safety. It's too dangerous for you and your loved ones because Hawk Moth knows that you're Queen Bee.

Final pay off:

Hawk Moth: Try it and see for yourself. You're Ladybug's greatest fan. You've helped her, you've trusted her. And what has she done for you in return? Chloé: (gets angry) Nothing! She couldn't care less about me! I'm done with her. She's irrelevant, utterly irrelevant! (reaches out to grap the Miraculous, stops) I want you to de-akumatize has my parents first! Hawk Moth: Whatever you say, my queen. (Chloé takes the comb and puts it in her hair, releasing Pollen)

Since the final also includes every other temp hero being outed this should mean that season four will go on to have Ladybug and Chat Noir starting from scratch, but is that what happens?

Nope! The mass identity reveal means nothing and everything is fine to keep going as is. Chloé's identity reveal being a problem was a one-off fluke we don't need to think about.

There is no justification for that. You can decide that you're willing to let the flaw slide and keep watching, but there is no way to make this a good choice for the story. It was the start of the secret identities holding less and less weight to the point where a lot of people no longer care about the love square reveal because it's been so incredibly cheapened. Marinette keeping her identity from Chat Noir no longer makes sense when it was once pretty reasonable.

[psilliguykai]

Boy why you [all] so white

Anyways! Uhhhh yeah William’s Wanton Weary Wiles designs. Or Something. I debated giving them each their own post but none of them deserve it. I couldn’t figure out how to make it Not A Total Mess lol soooo here we are! Individuals with some more info under the cut.

Ooohhh they gross me out so bad. Both in the /aff way but also in the “oooohh I really don’t like how this turned out” way lmao- but! I finished the lineart before I started disliking it and promised myself I wouldn’t keep waffling on the sketch so they’re. They’re DONE alright they’re DONE [<- still trying to convince himself]

All the colors [especially the skin tones because oof I really. Don’t know how to handle that apparently. I mean like they’re meant to be white but I’m not sure if they should be That white lol ANYWAYS] aren’t too strict and I’ll probably fuck around w them depending on the mood of the post, etc. just a loose guide ig :]

If their designs ever get updated, this post will be updated as well ^^ i was gonna hyperlink the master doc but tumblr is kinda hating me rn and Not Letting Me Do That so uhhh . Look up wwww au in my blog and scroll to the bottom for background I guess [I’m so sorry] 😭😭😭

Ok ok here they are

Jimmy

- you can tell I take this very seriously /silly

- The shortest/smallest, but arguably the strongest of the trio [just by a little].

- Patterns and striped parts are based on the EIAL cover + the tapeworm.

Al

- what it says in the ref tbh. Just kinda a normal guy [in appearance anyways] who dresses way too formally and doesn’t get enough sunlight or sleep. :]

- I feel like he’s kind of very fucking ugly but I’ve given up on trying to fix it 😭

- Tallest by a little and best posture by a lot.

- essentially just the outfit from the TNA cover if it was blue lol

- sorryyy no automaton freak :((( big fan of robot Mind designs, but Al is just. Different to me

Mr. Capgras

- He gets scissors in place of a trident because I thought that could be neat :] when he pulls them out of the halo they get noteably larger and sharper. Tbh it mostly just uses them for normal scissor stuff + violent threats sometimes.

- Patterns depicted here are based on the body paint from the Self-ish album cover. In this ref they’re the hmsw colors, but could technically kinda be anything. They’re super inconsistent, both in canon and also because. Trying to keep up the same patterns every time I draw him would be torture :’]

- Most intimidating/strongest-looking. Middle in height, and worst in posture. Sleep deprived, somewhat empty and bitter but still hopeful and surprisingly optimistic.

- I’d like to think if his socks are ever shown, they’d have the same patterns as his gloves n stuff :3

- This isn’t a design thing at all but I’ll probably be referring to him more as Cotard as I feel it fits best. However, he’s formally known as Mr. Capgras since it would make the official acronym for these three “JAM”, which I think is a neat and completely accidental reference to Jamface :)) completely arbitrary yeahhh but it’s my AU and I’ll include all the obscure references I want in it >:3

- dw about the oversized Cotard’s Solution doodle it’s just there as another ref for how the scissors work lol

Fanart is super duper appreciated but absolutely not needed !! Asks either directly to [<- in this case I’d respond in character{s} depending on the ask] or about these characters/this AU are also always very welcome ^^

William Racheal McSprout Himself will be getting his own post when he’s completed :]

[mendessi]

things i say when you sleep | chapter eleven

multi chapter bodhi durran x fem!oc

word count: 7k

chapter summary: The Battle of Resson.

content warning: canon typical violence & injuries, liam ):, mentions of death

AO3 masterlist

nine | ten | eleven | twelve | thirteen

Magic beyond the wards feels different. 

It's more freeing, but the lack of control concerns me slightly. 

The terms we left Basgiath on feel strange, even though we went on orders. The account of War Games doesn't change the fact that Xaden pulling us caused more tension with Dain. 

This was the first long flight Gleigeal and I had done, and my back aches when I dismount. We're stopped at a lake not too far from Athebyne so the dragons can drink. The view isn't too bad, and I take a moment to admire it. The quadrant grew quite boring after staring at the same walls for too long, so the change in scenery was nice.

"You okay?" Liam asks from my side as he dismounts Deigh. 

"Call if you need me." I say to Gleigeal as he steps towards the lake. He chuffs in response, and I turn to Liam.

"Just sore," I vocalize my sigh as I stretch my back and shoulders. My back isn't the only sore thing, but I'd rather not mention that I can still feel Bodhi between my legs. "You?"

"I'm good," He nods his head, "Happy that you're here." 

Things are so different now than they were a year ago. Everyone was trying to force my hand into following Xaden blindly, but Liam was the only one who gave me a choice. He was the only one who approached me in a way that worked. I have him to thank when it comes down to it. 

I give him a small smile, and we watch as Andarna unclips from the harness attached to Tairn's. Xaden is a fucking genius. 

"I'm gonna go check on her," Liam says as he approaches her once she lands on the ground. 

The energy feels slightly weird, but I try to keep my shields down just a crack. I want to feel what's going on around me, and I don't want surprises. Especially not during War Games. 

I lean against a tree and watch the rest of the headquarters squad situate. Xaden approaches Violet and laces his fingers with hers, and I can't help the subtle smile that finds its way to my face. 

Xaden hand-picked this squad for a reason, and nobody here would judge the way he feels for Violet. At least not out loud. 

"Who would've thought? Xaden and Violet," Bodhi says, appearing at my side. I didn't even hear him approach; I'd been so lost in thought. 

"Who would have thought?" I verbally agree. I did think. I thought many months ago, actually. 

"How are you?" He asks, leaning against the other side of the tree. 

"I'm good. Nervous, but good." 

The common knowledge that when we return to Basgiath, there's a chance that other cadets won't doesn't sit right with me. I trust that the squad I've been placed in for this exercise will return home just fine, but I can't say the same for the others. Anything could happen, and as much as I'm not worried for those I'm currently with, the idea of anything happening to Rhi, Sawyer, or Ridoc frightens me. Especially Ridoc. Who would I share a bed with when I'm upset? 

"Everything is gonna be fine. Xaden is gonna have us leave for patrol at some point tomorrow, and you can see how the drops work," He says. 

"You don't think Violet will question why I get to go and she has to stay?" I ask. 

"Liam will stay with her to keep her distracted, and you can explain to him when you two have time alone," he tells me. "You should rest. Sit with me for a minute."

He sits down with his back to the tree and his feet apart. He pats the grass between his legs, and I shake my head with a laugh as I sit. I lean my back against his chest, and he wraps his arms around my shoulders. The position is quite comfortable, and I sigh in content as I watch the dragons drink from the lake. 

"You look good in flight leathers," He says, his thumb stroking my arm lightly.

"Shut up," I hit his thigh playfully and tilt my head to look at him. 

"I'm happy you're here, Ani," He says. "I would've been worried if I couldn't have my eyes on you for five days."

"I can handle myself," I say as he raises his hand to brush my cheek. 

"Hey," He says gently, "I know you can." 

I want to kiss him, but the inner monologue I had with myself during the long hours of flying stops me. I know I let him kiss me before we launched to leave Basgiath, but I don't want any more intimacy with him til we draw the lines around whatever this relationship is. I shouldn't even be allowing myself to sit like this with him. 

"I would've just missed you," I tell him. 

"We'll have some time when we get back before Conscription Day to do just about whatever we want," He says. 

"I want to talk first," I reply, and he nods.

"I know." His thumb brushes my bottom lip. "Me too."

Our time is limited under this tree, and the conversation we need to have is going to have to wait. Maybe tonight, after we establish headquarters and retrieve our next missive, we'll have time. 

"We have company," Gleigeal says, and Bodhi must receive the same news from Cuir because we're both to our feet within a heartbeat.

"Fuck. Violet doesn't know." Bodhi takes off running, and I follow behind him. I have practically sprint to keep up with his large strides.

"Gryphons?" I ask, pushing to keep up. 

"Yes, but I'm told they're allies." He replies. A breath of relief fills my lungs.

When we approach, I feel the power radiating off of Violet, and I do my best to dim it.

Gryphons stand in front of them, and my lips part at the sight. I'd only ever seen them in drawings, but I'm amazed at how magnificent they are in person. 

Violet is thrashing in Liam's arms, and Tairn's piercing roar makes my ears ring. Liam releases her, and I join her at her side. I can feel her betrayal seeping into my chest, and I consider raising my shields fully shut. It's a bitter feeling, and I don't like the way it hurts. I feel for her; I do. I know exactly how it feels to be kept in the dark. 

She looks to me, scanning me for any sort of surprise or the same sentiment of betrayal, and she shakes her head when she realizes I don't. 

"You knew?" She asks me, her voice slightly wavering. 

"To an extent, yes. But there is so much you don't understand." I reply. I recall the time that Bodhi had said the same words to me when I arrived in the quadrant. 

"You almost had me fooled," She scoffs and turns her attention back to the conversation happening between Xaden and the fliers. Her words sting, but I know that I would feel the same way. I don't hold her at fault for it. 

"Venin never come this far west," Is the next line of the conversation I catch.

All I'd been told was that we'd supply venin-killing weapons as a form of aid. I had put two and two together that it was to fliers, but seeing it happen in action was insanely surreal. My entire life, I'd been kept on the outside, and finally, not being the only person in the room who was clueless felt freeing. 

"Until now. They were unmistakably venin and had one of their-" One of the female fliers start. Xaden is quick to cut her off. 

"Don't say anything else. You know that none of us can know the details, or we put everything at risk. All it takes is one of us being interrogated." I focus on Xaden's feelings and am shocked when I sense a bit of fear. He turns back to look at me for only a moment, and I know I've been caught trying to read him.

"Details or not, it looks like the horde is heading north. Straight toward our trading post on the border across from your garrison at Athebyne. Are you armed?" The male flier asks.

I reach for Bodhi's hand just to have something to hold. This was never something I anticipated when I agreed to help with the drops next year.

"We're armed," Xaden confirms.

"Then our job here is done. You've been warned. Now we have to go defend our people. As it is, this side trip only gives us about an hour to reach them in time." The flier says. I look at the entire drift of fliers, trying to remember faces. Something tells me that this isn't the last time I'll be seeing them. 

My heart sinks. Ever since Bodhi told me that venin were real, it never really struck me as true. Of course, I believed him, but it was just so insanely baffling that the stories we'd been told as children were accurate accounts of history. Standing here in front of a drift of fliers, people that are supposed to be our enemy, who are about to head into battle against them, is hindering.

Bodhi laces our fingers together and squeezes my hand comfortingly, and I glance at his side profile. Still so beautiful.  

"I wonder what your King would be willing to pay in order to get back the daughter of his most illustrious general. I'm willing to bet your ransom would be enough to defend all of Draithus for a decade." The male says, tilting his head to look at Violet. 

Bodhi drops my hand, and we instantly move closer to her, and I'm prepared to fight if need be. Violet's power sizzles in my chest as Tairn snarls behind us. 

"Try. I dare you." Light flashes above us, and the corner of my mouth twitches upward. She has it handled. It's ridiculous how powerful she is. 

Xaden's shadow-wielding never fails to impress me every time I have the pleasure of witnessing it. Watching him defend Violet is extremely satisfying, and I don't hide my amusement at how the fliers back off after it. 

After the drift is gone, all of us turn to Violet. I feel bad for her, knowing exactly how she feels, but I don't know how to comfort her. There's nothing I could say that would make this situation better. I know that this is a conversation she has to have with Xaden. 

Her feelings are so overwhelming so I try to reach out and do what I can to ease them, but she's too damned strong and I haven't even begun to hone my signet. I'm not even sure if adjusting the intensity of someone else's emotions is something I can do, but I've been dying to test the theory. What better moment than now?

When she raises her voice at Liam, I let go of the strand of color that I know is her's. I'm either making it worse or not helping at all. 

I turn and reach for Bodhi, grateful when he wraps his arm around my shoulders. I don't like the conflict happening in front of me, especially when I've convinced myself I'm the reason it's escalating. 

"And you." Violet turns to me, and I grip Bodhi's jacket between my fingers. "You spent all this time pretending to hate them when you've been working with them all along." 

"That's not true." Anger bubbles beneath my skin. She's upset, and I can't blame her for anything she's saying. Xaden will clear the air, hopefully. If anyone can get through to her, it's him. 

"Everybody go back to the shore. Now." Xaden says, and we oblige. They need the space, and Xaden needs to get through to her. 

"She will come around. Just as you did," Gleigeal says, and I hope he's right. 

We sit in the sand, and Bodhi absentmindedly plays with my fingers as I watch the water lap against the shoreline. 

"When we get back to Basgiath, we'll go into further detail about drop shipments before Xaden leaves," Bodhi says, and I hum in response, not really paying attention to him. "What's wrong?" 

"I know how she feels," I say quietly, turning to face him. "I feel bad for her, that's all. And knowing that those fliers are about to go head to head with a 'horde' and we can't do anything about it is... horrifying. I want to help."

Bodhi takes in my words and processes them slowly.

And fucking War Games. There's still that, too.

"She'll come around," Bodhi says, and I shake my head. 

"She's not me, Bodhi," I tell him. "She has lived her entire life believing in one thing and was raised differently than we were. I forgave you quicker than I should've. Don't count on the same from her."

Violet isn't wired that way. She's like me in the sense that it takes a lot for her to trust, but this isn't something she'll move past as quickly as I did. It was easier for me because I grew up with Bodhi, Garrick, and Xaden. I have a relic. She doesn't. Gaining her trust again will take time. 

I unsheathe the alloy-hilted dagger that Xaden and Bodhi put into my possession not too long after I found out about the venin and draw in the sand with it. 

"It's not easy lying to those you care about," He says, "Especially something to this scale." 

"I know." I keep my gaze on the tip of the blade dragging through the sand. 

"Listen, Ani," He gently takes the blade from my hand and tilts my chin to look at him, "I don't know what's going to happen over the next couple of days, but if I don't say this now, I'll regret it."

"I can't." I shake my head, pulling away from him to stand up, "I can't do the goodbye stuff. I'm sorry." 

"Ani, please," He stands up too, reaching for my hand, "Let me just-"

"Mount up." Xaden's order grabs our attention, and I'm slightly thankful, though the look in Bodhi's eyes pains me. 

"We'll talk when we're back in Basgiath," I tell him. 

Ever since my family died, goodbyes have never been my forte. I didn't get to say a single word to any of my family members before I never saw them again, and this isn't something I can handle. Whatever Bodhi was going to tell me will have to wait. 

"I hope that you putting off that conversation won't come back to bite you," Gleigeal says as I mount. 

"I am not capable of having that conversation right now." I reply. 

When we arrive in Athebyne, the energy is extremely off. When I join Bodhi, he glances at me sideways, and I look around at the empty outpost. 

"There's no one here. Divide and search." He looks between Bodhi and me. "You don't take eyes off of her, you hear me?"

Bodhi nods curtly, and he, Garrick, Imogen, and I split away from him and Violet. The rest of our squad splits into small groups as well to search the seemingly abandoned outpost. 

"So are you two..." Garrick gestures between Bodhi and me.

"I knew it," Imogen snickers. 

My cheeks heat up, and I put distance between me and Bodhi. "Let's focus on the task at hand." 

"I'm just saying, if you are, you know that we support you." Garrick continues. He's trying to get a rise out of Bodhi, and the way his strand of emotions in the Riorson library burns brighter tells me it's working. 

"Shut up." Bodhi glares at Garrick, and he and Imogen break into laughter. 

We enter the southeast tower, and Garrick is quick to find a missive addressed to Xaden. So, to counter Xaden's assumption, this does have something to do with War Games. Thank Zihnal. 

We cross the rampart, and while Bodhi and Imogen engage in a minor argument about something I can't hear, Garrick falls in line with my step. 

"You spent a lot of time avoiding me this year, Ania." He tells me. 

"I spent a lot of time avoiding a lot of people this year, Garrick." I look up at him as we walk. 

"Yeah, but," he shrugs, "You started talking to Xaden and Bodhi again and never came back to me. We grew up together, too, you know." 

He's not wrong, and I do want to clear the air with him, but right now is not the time. Not when he's about to hand off our assignment to Xaden. 

"I promise I'm not deflecting because I genuinely do want to have this conversation, but can we please wait til we get back to Basgiath?" I ask. 

He smiles, "You were so quick to anger earlier this year. Look at you, having an actual conversation." 

"Shut up," I laugh lightly and nudge his arm with my shoulder. 

"I'm gonna hold you to it, little Alistair. We're having that conversation the second we land back in Basgiath." He says as we approach Xaden, Violet, and Liam. Garrick hands over the missive to Xaden and he pops the seal. 

"That's from Colonel Aetos," Violet says. 

"What's it say? What's our assignment?" Garrick asks. 

"Guys, I see something past the trading post. Oh shit." Liam says. 

The way the energy shifts is enough to make my head spin. I have got to get this empathy thing under control. 

"So I've been trying to tell you," Gleigeal says, and I mock him down our bond. 

"It says our mission is to survive if we can," Xaden says, and the way he pales makes my skin crawl. 

Bodhi immediately reaches for my hand, and I don't dare to pull it away. 

"Guys, this is bad!" Liam yells, and Imogen is at his side within a second. 

Every single person from our squad is appearing at Liam's alert, and Xaden looks to Violet. 

"This isn't your fault." He says to her before looking between the rest of us, "We've been sent here to die."

Xaden's emotions are the only ones I focus on while everyone else rushes to the battlements to see what Liam sees. He's... scared.  His gaze meets mine, and he shakes his head. Somehow, he can sense when I read him, but I don't even think he's upset at me for it. 

"I should've never brought you here," He says to me. "Fuck."

It takes everything in me to focus on what's happening. The conversations in front of me happen so quickly that I almost don't catch what's being said. I'm too busy trying to close the book where the emotions of those around me are starting to grow wildly. I cannot have a repeat of what happened on the field with Gleigeal. 

"The letter says this is a test of your command. You have the choice of abandoning the village of our enemy or abandoning command of your wing." The section leader says. 

"What the hell does that mean?" Bodhi snatches the letter from his hand. 

"They're testing our loyalty without saying it," Xaden says. "According to the missive, if we leave now, we’ll make it to the new location of headquarters for Fourth Wing at Eltuval in time to carry out our orders for War Games, but if we leave, the trading post of Resson and its occupants will be destroyed." 

Violet reeks of guilt, and I wish I knew why. There's no way she could know something like this would happen. 

"By what?" Imogen asks.

"Venin." Liam's words don't shock me, but they should. 

"I liked it better when we just delivered the weapons," Bodhi says under his breath. 

"We are joined by seven gryphons," Gleigeal says. 

I look to Bodhi, who likely just got the same message from Cuir. 

"How many people live in Resson?" He asks.

"More than three hundred," Imogen replies. 

"Then let's get down there."

The way he reacts, ready to defend innocent people, sets off an absurd feeling in my chest. The way he stares down his cousin who blocks him from running into the unknown is the reason I-

The thought doesn't finish forming because Xaden is on a justifiable tangent about the risks of marching into Resson. Once a gryphon flier approaches us and tells us to flee, my mind is made up. 

I want to stay, and I want to help. Innocent people will die if we don't leave. I don't care about the risks. What good are we with dragons if we don't at least try to help? 

This could've been prevented if the leadership in Navarre hadn't deemed it necessary to hide this knowledge from the public. They're all in the dark, just like I was. 

"I’m not going to order any of you to join me. I’m responsible for all of you. None of you crossed that parapet because you wanted to. None of you. You crossed it because I made a deal. I’m the one who forced you into the quadrant, so I won’t think less of anyone who wants to fly for Eltuval instead. Make your choice.” Xaden says.

"I know if Beckett were alive, he would be here by our side. And he absolutely would not walk away from this fight." I say, looking to Xaden. I could very well be on the death roll come tomorrow, but I know what the right thing to do is.

"I was worried you'd say that," Xaden says, but there's a tiny hint of a sad smile. 

"I chose well," Gleigeal tells me. 

Every single one of us agrees that we're fighting. Whether we make it home or not, at least we die doing what we as riders swore to do. 

Liam tells us what he can see from where we are, and I take a deep breath as I look at Bodhi. He's already looking at me. 

Xaden gives us directives one by one. I'm to assist Bodhi and Garrick in evacuating the town. We're approaching our dragons when Xaden's hand wraps around my wrist. 

"If you're telling me to stay out of this fight, I'm not going to listen to you," I tell him, pulling my wrist from his grip. 

"I was going to tell you that I am proud of the person you've become," He says. 

I remember after Threshing when he told me that Beckett would be proud of me. Xaden's pride in me means just as much, I realize. Beckett was a great brother in every aspect. But he wasn't my only brother. 

"I'll see you on the other side of this," I tell him. 

"Stay alive, Ania. Not just for Beckett, but for me too." Xaden doesn't give me the chance to reply. He turns on his heel and walks toward Violet. 

"It is a shame that I never got to meet him," Gleigeal says as I approach his foreleg. I smile softly, thinking of the time when Gleigeal "didn't think he would mind his presence". 

"Let's not dwell on what could have been," I reply. 

I'm about to mount when Bodhi appears at my side. I open my mouth to speak, but he grabs my waist, pulling me into a devastating kiss. 

My hands immediately find his face as he pulls me as close to him as humanly possible. It's passionate and deep and just what I need to prepare me for what we're walking into. 

When he pulls away, his gaze locks on mine. 

I look for the strand of emotions I know are his, but they don't sprout from the book in the Riorson House library. The spiral down from the mage lights hovered above, entangling themselves with the deep green tendrils of my own. He is more than a part of me at this point, and the feeling pounds in my chest. I know we share it as one. 

"Ani-" He starts, with his forehead resting against mine.

"I know," I whisper. "Tell me after."

He kisses me one more time and then walks away to mount Cuir. 

Everyone's attention is directed to the dragon that flies overhead, spiting blue fire. I immediately recognize it from the drawings in the books we read as kids. 

"Is that a wyvern?" I ask Gleigeal.

"Unfortunately," He replies. 

"Anyone want to change their minds?" Xaden asks and is met with silence. "No? Then, mount up."

Perfect. Is there any part of Fables of the Barren that is actually fictional? 

Bodhi and I share one more glance before the entire squad is mounted on their dragons, heading into battle.

"Be prepared to relaunch at a moment's notice," Gleigeal tells me when my feet hit the ground. 

The town center is a mess. People are running in a million different directions; children are screaming and crying. I don't give myself a moment to panic; I simply jump straight into action, guiding people in the direction safest to get out of Resson. 

A venin stands on top of the tower, blue flames spewing from his hands into the town below him. 

Tairn and Violet fly by, and the entire clock tower goes up in flames before collapsing in on itself. 

"Soleil found a mine entrance. Start directing civilians toward it," Gleigeal shouts down the bond, and I nod my head. I see Bodhi and Garrick further up and assume it must be that way, so I start sending them that way. 

The last couple of civilians from my end of town are now closer to Bodhi, so I take one last look around to ensure there are no stragglers. 

"Mount, now!" Gleigeal's roar sounds, and I don't question it; I just sprint. 

I execute the quickest mount I've ever done and look below as he launches with me halfway up his back. I nearly lose my footing but manage to catch myself on his spikes. The venin that stood on top of the clock tower emerges from the flames, and my breath is stolen from my lungs. Dragon fire is no use. The gryphon flier explaining that four of them is a death sentence makes so much sense now. 

Fuck, what did we get ourselves into?

Gleigeal lands next to Liam, and I dismount, landing directly next to him. 

"You okay?" He asks me, and I nod. 

"Dragon fire doesn't work," I tell him.

I flinch as lightning strikes a section of the city wall, silently begging Violet to get her aim under control. 

"I got the mine entrance open!" Soleil calls. 

Liam and I take no time in starting to usher the townspeople into it. I don't have eyes on Garrick and Bodhi anymore. Bodhi was told not to take his eyes off of me, so I can imagine the fear he's feeling.

"Can you relay to Cuir-"

"Already did," He replies. "Enemy approaching."

I turn around, my jaw dropping as I watch the venin channel from the ground.  The ground around it essentially dies, turning an ugly gray color. 

Soleil is already charging at it, and I move to run after her. My feet skid when I halt, and I almost lose my balance. Not even two steps into the dead zone, she collapses and so does her Brown Clubtail. I hear Violet's scream, but my eyes don't leave the venin. 

Its eyes lock on mine, and I know I'm next. The gray patch begins to expand outward. I won't make it back to Gleigeal at the speed it moves out, no matter how quickly I run. 

I hold my hands up, focusing on the lanterns that line the path. I pull open the curtains in the library and pull every light source I can see into my palms before forcing my energy into them. The flare that rips off my palms is so bright that I have the instinct to look away, but I don't because I know it does not affect me. It's the same way I can look at the sun and not be bothered by it.

The venin lifts its hands to its eyes and stumbles backward. I take the small opportunity to sprint, but I refuse to look back. 

"Faster!" Gleigeal's shout rattles my brain.

Again, I'm barely up his spine when he launches. The deadzone is only feet away from us, and I release a breath I didn't know I was holding. 

"That was far too close." Gleigeal's tone is angry. 

"Liam and Deigh, are they safe?" I ask. 

"They launched in time," He replies, and I nod as I retake my seat. 

Gleigeal and I engage in combat with a group of wyvern, and I've never struggled so hard to keep my seat in my life. The banks and rolls that Glegeal does has my ass lifting out of my seat each time, but it pays off because we manage to take out every single one. So long as we can keep them away from the town, then at least we've done some good. 

"Tairn and Deigh require assistance," Gleigeal tells me, and I look around for them. 

My stomach sinks when I see Violet struggling to hold Liam on top of Tairn. Deigh is fighting the disgusting beast for his and his rider's life.

"I cannot interfere without risking your life," He says as we fly under head. 

"I don't care. Do what you have to!" I shout. I couldn't care less what happens to me so long as my friends live.

My Red Swordtail obliges my request, and I pull the leftover light energy from my hands, ready to wield at a moment's notice. I hold tightly onto his spikes as he interjects himself into the battle where he can to help Deigh. It's still too risky without taking out both the wyvern and Deigh. 

"On the right!" I scream. A riderless wyvern appears, and Gleigeal is forced to let go of the wyvern holding onto Deigh. Luckily, Tairn was there within a second, snapping his teeth into its shoulder. 

Gleigeal turns quick enough to snap his teeth into the wyvern's wing, shaking his head so furiously its wing comes clean off. The wyvern can't level out and has no choice but to accept fate and fall to its death. 

The roar that Gleigeal releases is so loud that it makes my head split. He dives towards the ground and lands roughly, nearly making me fly off of him. I dismount at record speed and rush to where Violet is holding Liam in her lap.

"No," I whisper. "What happened?"

"Deigh is gone."

"Help me get him to Deigh." Violet cries, and I do my best to help lift him. 

"Gleigeal was on the wyvern. I don't understand how this happened." We're stumbling under Liam's dead weight. 

Xaden and Sgayel land a moment later, and Xadeb immediately takes his weight off of us. I follow him as he carries Liam toward Deigh. Liam's speech is weak as he's lying down with his dragon. 

Perfectly healthy Liam is seconds away from his last breath, and there's nothing that can be done. If I can just give him this one thing and lead him into a painless sleep, then I'll do it no matter what the cost is. 

Pain is an emotion just as much as it is a feeling, and Liam is full of it. If I can just... I don't listen to a word he and Xaden are saying, I simply reach my hands for his face. The pain that radiates from his skin at my touch makes me cry out. It isn't just his pain, it's Deigh's too. 

"What are you doing?" Xaden asks. 

"Release him, now," Gleigeal demands, but I ignore him. "Ania, let go!"

"I'm taking his pain," I whimper. I force my hands to stay steady against his cheeks as I absorb every last ounce of it.

Liam deserves to die pain-free. He shouldn't be dying at all. It fucking hurts. 

When I no longer feel anything, I let go and stumble back toward Violet to let Xaden have his moment with his foster brother. 

My knees hit the rocks, and even though she reaches out to make sure I'm okay, her eyes stay locked on Liam and Xaden. 

"What did you do?" She asks. 

I can't answer. I'm trying to control what's happening in the Riorson House library that I built into my head. 

Nothing makes sense. 

Liam is dead.

The first person with a relic that I trusted. The person who gave me so much of his time when I pushed back so hard. He made me care about him, made me let him in. Now, he was gone. 

"Please tell me Bodhi is okay," I beg Gleigeal. 

He's silent for a moment but then chuffs, "They are alive."

Grief barrels at me at breakneck speed, and a scream tears through my throat. It is mixed with Liam's pain and all of our sorrow at the loss of him. 

"You can't do this right now," Violet demands as she cups my cheeks. "You have to finish this battle. Get it under control."

Control it. Don't let it control you.

I take deep breaths that shake my entire chest. 

Focus on one thing.

The theory. To try and dim Violet's anger. It might've backfired earlier, but it worked on Liam. I could feel the pain slowly leave his body and enter mine until there was nothing left to take. 

"Now, Ania!" Violet screams, and I'm brought back to my senses. 

I sit up on my knees, ignoring the way that the ache lingers in my entire body. 

"Tairn needs us to keep the wyvern off of him and Sgayel," Gleigeal tells me. 

When I stand, the world tilts, but I shake my head and move as quickly as I can toward my dragon.

"Then we keep the wyvern off of him and Sgayel," I say out loud as I climb up his foreleg. 

We do just that. Or we try to. 

Everything happens so quickly. One minute, we're in the sky, and the next, Gleigeal screams at me to dismount. 

He barely had time to tell me it was because he wouldn't be able to control his landing with the way a wyvern was on our tail. My running dismount was not the best, and I land in a roll that leaves my entire body in a type of pain I've never felt before. 

When I stand, my left leg nearly gives out, the pain earth-shattering. I think my hip is fractured from the landing. 

"I'm coming back, get ready," Gleigeal says, and a few moments later, he growls. "There are too many on me, I will not lead them back to you."

"Something is wrong with my hip," I cry out. 

This might be where I die. 

The sky is orange from the blistering fire, and the sun is slowly setting. I get so much power from the sun. 

I look down the path, the light posts flickering, when I see the shadow of a venin appear. I unsheath the only alloy-hilted dagger I was given and hope for the best.

As he gets closer, I can tell he likes the fact that he gets to have me in hand-to-hand. It's like he can sense that I'm injured. If he wanted to, he could channel and drain the ground and kill me either way. Still, he approaches me with a devilish smile on his face that chills me to my bone. He'd rather kill me with his bare hands. 

"Thank you for choosing me." I push the thought outward, and I know it's his roar that I hear from the sky. 

"I will not tolerate that talk!" Gleigeal roars. 

"A rider without their dragon," The venin laughs wickedly. "I can't wait to get my hands on you."

"In your dreams," I snarl. 

Within the next heartbeat, he advances on me. One thing I was taught was that venin will adapt to your fighting style, so every couple of seconds, I switch. I fight like Xaden. Then Ridoc. Then Bodhi. Then Liam. Every person I have ever sparred against, every pattern I have ever written into my journal, I use it. 

When I get far enough, I throw a blinding light to catch him off guard. I haven't perfected this skill, but I push out light flares that heat my palms to an unnatural degree. Anything to keep his hands away from me. 

Each flare hits him in the chest, and I shift the particles to heat. He screams, and I know that it likely feels like someone just set a fire in his chest. 

The adrenaline has dulled the pain in my hip, but each step burns. 

While he's distracted by the light burning in his chest, I try to get a read on his emotions. There's nothing but rage and fury. He's just a gray, miserable being. There's nothing to work with. Nothing to manipulate. 

"You are approaching burnout." Gleigeal says. "I can't get to you in time."

"I have made peace with what will happen," I tell him.

The light dies out, and he's on the move towards me again. I'm fucking exhausted and my will to keep going is running thin. I'm not walking away from this alive. 

The venin throws two hits and kicks into my knee, but I don't have the speed nor mobility to stop myself from falling to the ground. I land on my back, my head hitting the ground with a crack.

Everything is happening in slow motion. 

"Back up is coming," Gleigeal assures me. His panic surges through me, but I barely have time to register when the venin stands above me. 

Gray figures are falling around us as lightning cracks across the sky. 

"Thank you for what you are about to give me." The venin says as he crouches down next to me. "I'm going to make this slow and painful." 

The way to kill venin is to strike them with pure power, with which none I have left. 

His hands reach for my wrists, and my eyes flare with panic. He slowly draws power from me, drop by drop, and I scream out, kicking my legs for purchase. 

Gods, this is how I die. 

War Games seems like such a distant memory, a figment of something that doesn't matter. 

Now, I'll be reunited with Mom, Dad, and Beckett. And Liam will be there too. 

"FIGHT." Gleigeal blows the channel, and power surges through me. Energy pulses through my fingertips, and I notice that they're glowing.

Light is not something I bend, it is something that I am. 

Everyone that I have ever lost and ever loved, I use them to push me to grip the venin's face. 

I force every ounce of burning light I have into his skull. It takes a moment, but he screams and fights to pull away. His temples burn bright under my fingers, and his skin his hot to the touch. He releases my wrists, and I force myself to sit up, holding him with a bone-crushing grip. 

I can see the power, my power, burning bright behind his eyes. It takes everything in me, but I can read his fear, and that only pushes me further. He knows I'm winning. 

The power behind his eyes flashes rapidly, and his eyes roll back before he falls limp. I rip my hands away from him and back away from his body.

Wyvern drop out of the sky around us, and I smile tiredly as I look up. A sigh of relief leaves my lungs, and the ground shakes when Gleigeal lands next to me. I almost let myself fall back, but he's there behind me. His entire body is flat as he catches me on his nose. 

"You fought well, Ania," Gleigeal says. 

"Is it over?" I ask. I can barely keep my eyes open. I feel so sleepy now.

"It appears so," He replies.

Several footsteps approach, and I flinch away when someone leans down in front of me. 

"It's just me, sunshine." Bodhi's face is in front of mine, and I blink quickly, trying to determine if he's actually here or if I'm dead. 

"Bodhi," I whisper. He lifts my hands into his, examining my wrists closely. "Is everyone okay?"

"Everyone is fine." He nods quickly. 

"I used too much, I think," I say, and he shakes his head.

"No, you did good," He tells me softly, brushing his thumb against my cheek. He sits against Gleigeal, and if I had the energy, I would be surprised that he allowed it. He pulls me in between his legs against his chest, and I wince. "I'm sorry, Ani. I'm sorry."

"Never be sorry." I use his words against him as I tilt my head upward, with a small smile. 

My arms feel like they have hundred-pound weights strapped to them when I lift my hand to trace his jaw. 

"Beautiful," I say, but the word forms in a whisper. 

I'm still convinced I'm dead and dreaming. 

Resson killed me and everyone I love, and this is me reuniting with Bodhi in the afterlife. 

"Sorrengail is down," I hear another voice to the side. I think it's Garrick. "We need to prepare Xaden for the worst. If we lose Ania too-"

"Garrick." Bodhi snaps before turning his attention back to me.

Oh.

This must be serious. I open the Riorson House library, and nothing streams in from the window. The normally deep green mage lights are gray, and the book that monitors the emotions I allow myself to feel is neatly closed. The library itself, on the other hand, looks like someone set off an explosion in it. The shelves are knocked over, and books scatter the floor. 

"Am I dying?" I ask Bodhi. 

"I don't know," He answers truthfully. A single tear rolls down his cheek. 

"Bodhi, I have to say-" 

"No," He whispers. "Please, don't. Tell me later." 

"Fuck," I hear Garrick mutter. 

"You may rest now, Ania," Gleigeal says. 

I allow myself to succumb to the darkness. 

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tag list: @itsmytimetoodream @lynnieluvsu @sherlockstrangewolf @abysshaven @wolfbc97 @paris009 @poseidont @angel-graces-world-of-chaos @lxnvmvrzx

[aroaceleovaldez]

do you think the sun and the star was partially ai generated? because i sure as hell do. especially considering a lot of the monsters aren't even canon greek mytho beasts, and bianca and maria's names are swapped, and overall there's something so *off* about it, and it's not because there's another writer. im like 80% sure mark oshio and r*ck r*ordan used ai. even if they didn't it should be unpublished

No, I don't.

We already know for a fact that Rick's editor is extremely lax on actually editing, and we've also explicitly been told the final published version of TSATS was actually an unpolished rough draft. Plus it's a collaboration between two authors, and their editor didn't even go through to make everything consistent (you can actually tell who wrote what parts based on how Rick uses s's, such as "Hades's" versus Mark using s', like "Hades'.")

There is no singular "canon" greek mythos, and most of the creatures and beings mentioned in the book are from greco-roman mythology. They clearly used the first google image results for descriptions of some (the cacodaemons clearly being partially referenced on the monsters from Doom, Menoetes being depicted as a red bull-man, etc), but most do have a basis in mythology.

And contrary to what some may presume based on my opinions, I don't think TSATS should be "unpublished." De-canonized, maybe. And yeah I don't think it should have been written, mostly because Rick said himself he wasn't going to because it "wasn't his place" to write Nico's story and such. But as it exists, it exists. And we can learn from analyzing it.

Regardless, it's bad form to be making conspiracy theories just because something isn't executed well. We pretty clearly know why the book is a mess, and if it was AI generated it would be far more obvious. It's just a half-baked book. Quite literally. They didn't finish writing it. But that's all human error.

[archiewantsheetmetal]

Phantom Railway Rambles!!

so im gonna yap before the first chapter comes out!! Which should be by tomorrow or the next day.

So! As you know, the two bugs (layton and luke) are going to be travelling together after losing everything they know. I wanted to really highlight their codependency and their jarringly similar situations in canon but in like. a different font.

In phantom railway. Hershel has literally EVERYTHING taken from him. Like it's more than just the evidence of the accident and nearly his life. They take his money. They take everything he owns that's of any interest. Oh and now that I'm thinking about it. Maybe they didn't beat his ass into a coma but maybe he had to drag himself away from the scene. Run hershel run. So now he's got poorly healed injuries and breaks.

I've had a conversation with someone and they mentioned Hershel having trust issues developing in the years following. Like he's definitely going to have seen how dark humanity can be and how dark is actually is. The world is a very dark shade of gray to him now. Things are never going to be given to you, especially if you have nothing to give in return. People are always going to take, and if they're desperate enough for something, they'll kill you for it.

With that being said, I think he would never let himself become too attached to anyone. He'd never stay in one place for too long, either. He doesn't want to get attached to anything, really, because he knows that nothing is permanent. Things that hold love are fleeting. Love sharpens the claws of grief. Also he never stays in one place because of something else too but yk. that's mostly it.

Luke!! However. I'm thinking of having him seeing the brighter shade. I want him to take after his mother in seeing the good in things. Maybe even to a fault. I want him to parallel Hershel that way. They're going to get on each other's nerves so so so bad at first.

Siiiiigh. I want Hershel to start seeing a little bit of past loved ones in Luke. And I want him to be a little reclusive to have anything to do with him because of that. Like the bare minimum would be all he does at first. Makes sure he doesn't freeze. Makes sure he eats. That sort of thing. But Hershel "I crave the company of another person" Layton is obviously. going to get attached to him whether or not he likes it. Sorry buddy. He's your godson but now he's your boy. Go root through trash together.

Luke's also gonna lie to him. Lie his fucking heart out btw. Luke your ass is not lost. He's going to find out soon you stupid boy. He hears you crying in your sleep.

AND!!! about their clothes. Because I've been thinking about it a little. I think Hershel would have learned to sew from Lucille and so he knows how to patch up his clothes. But he ALWAYS. makes sure. the hat is ok.

Also Herhsel. patching up luke's shirt. for him. scratches my head.

Okay sorry. Thinking out lioud here. I think it might be out by morning or sometime later in the afternoon. I hope you guys like it. Grin!

[jingyichickenwings]

This is less of a Deep Cut and more of a case of schadenfreude, but I love when various members of a creative team are messy in public about their high budget group project. Reality TV for nerds. It speaks to a profound lack of media training or fucks given. You guys realize that future employers can Google you, right? Unintentionally hilarious.

Linke and Yee were told in no uncertain terms that their season 1 storyboard was shit, so they hired Overton, who hired half a dozen actual writers, and they did basically a full overhaul. The script was objectively much better. But this was Linke's baby, and several years later you still see signs that he is Big Mad that he didn't get his way, and that he doesn't know or care about what actually became season 1 canon. I'm sorry that your Jewish stereotype villain didn't get to be a pedophile, I guess? Idk. Yes, yes, I am sure your version of Svengali is really innovative. Maybe someday, buddy.

Meanwhile they start writing season 2 in early 2020, while the season 1 air date isn't until November of 2021. So, they don't have public feedback on the script yet, just, yanno, actual writing professionals. Anyway, according to Overton, they needed to fire the non-management part of the writing team because of the pandemic?! Lmao babygirl you do your best and I respect commitment to the official PR excuse but nobody sensible believes this. Netflix writers average 110k/year, and you needed six or so from season 1. That is not a big part of the overall budget. Also, y'all could have saved money with Zoom meetings.

So the very thing that saved the season 1 script got line-itemed "because of the pandemic". That sounds like an extremely convenient excuse for Linke to be like, no, fuck you all, we are going back to Plan A, the rough draft of season 2 based on his shitty version of season 1. Honey. That ship has sailed. You already lost this argument.

So presumably some combination of Linke/Yee/Riot/Netflix was like, it's important that we have at least one actual grown adult writer on staff. So Overton gets to keep her job.

Now, I want to preface this by saying that season 2 would have been even worse without Overton. That being said, there is a reason they needed a deeper bench of writing staff. Overton and Linke over-connect with the characters Caitlyn and Jayce respectively, to a degree that they frequently forgot to evaluate how other characters would likely behave in certain situations. It led to contrivances, plot holes, etc. There is a lot I could add here but tbh go read any of the meta already out there.

In addition to the Mary Sue type behavior, Overton thought it would be Neat to make the writing more like Avengers, like multiverse time travel fuckery is a shiny beach pebble and not narrative napalm. What in the ADHD was she thinking? Even if they had the run time to world build enough for this, there was nothing in season 1 to even suggest this as an option. And let's be fucking honest, multiverse a lot of why Marvel is on a downward spiral. If Viktor can go to Build-A-Bear Workshop and 3-D print a million Jayces, why should I give a shit about his kill count? He can just be kind, rewind, and try again. Actions are decoupled from consequences.

Anyway, moving back to the topic at hand of the Arcane team. Apparently, Overton, Linke and Yee only half-wrote season 2?! Linke said something about how they "extensively collaborated with Fortiche on the story"? Which, it's not inherently a bad idea to get creative feedback from your art team, but ummm, maybe the writers and Fortiche should have worked to a point of agreement on basic story beats. Based on a lot of what Fortiche has said, the art for season 2 passive aggressively advances what they wanted the writing to be against Linke's wishes. They literally have just been straight up disagreeing with Linke and getting paid for it. Which, to be fair, I respect the sheer pettiness! Linke can't write his own damn show but wants to slow down the very expensive art team? When the actual writers that got fired "because of the pandemic" would have caught a lot of the season 2 issues?

So post airing of season 2, Overton is all about that girlboss copaganda, Linke is having multiple public meltdowns and getting fired by Riot(?), and multiple voice actors and artists at Fortiche are being like "yeah, we actually wanted something else so there are now multiple competing narratives for season 2". Which is hilarious. The way in which the show is messy is the same way in which the creators are messy. These bitches are a cautionary tale about hubris and the need to engage in team-building.

[glitter-stained]

Stephcass as some of my platonic relationships' most intense moments :

Cass: what are you doing?

Steph: oh, writing a play!

Cass: cool what's it about?

Steph : it's a tragedy about lesbians being burned at the pyre. The main character is kind of a self-insert. I mean, not that it means anything, lol, I'm straight.

Cass: oh.

Steph: also don't take this the wrong way but can I say something weird?

Cass: uh, sure.

Steph: I feel like since I've met you, the lesbian love interest has started resembling you more and more -she's mostly based on you, now. Not that that means anything.

****

Steph: You couldn't dom me if you tried.

Cass: the fuck I couldn't?

Steph: No you couldn't!

Cass: The only reason I'm not domming you because I don't want to!

Steph : You couldn't even if you wanted to!

Cass: I so could!

Steph: oh yeah? Prove it.

Cass: You don't even want me to!

Steph: But you couldn't. If I did want you to.

****

Steph : It's like... You know, I'm never really this tactile... It's hard for me, even with friends, to touch or hug them... You're different, though. I don't know why, what's different about you, but the way it feels hugging you... It just feels right with you.

Cass: You smell nice. Do you wear perfume?

Steph: oh? No, it's probably just my shampoo.

Cass: Your hair smells really nice.

****

Cass: Yeah, so I went to that lesbian bar and it was such a disappointment... I was hoping to get fucked in the bathroom so bad!

Steph: and you didn't invite me??

Cass: I didn't expect you to want to be there!

Steph: of course I did!

****

Cass: I think you're my soulmate... I never met someone who completed me so deeply before.

Steph: like, romantically?

Cass: It's more like, you're a star, and I'm the moon. We should get matching profile pictures.

Steph: whenever I look at the moon I think of you.

Cass: I was going to name a plant after you, but I thought if I gave it your name it would break my heart when you died, so I named it after a goddess that made me think of you.

****

Steph: I wish we had broken up.

Cass: We would make such good exes.

Steph: We would be so bitter about it!

Cass: so toxic...

****

Cass: your eyes are so beautiful... Did you ever notice they change colours with the light?

Steph: you... um, you've already told me that.

Cass: I know. I just really like looking at them.

*****

Cass: You think if we were fictional characters people would ship us?

Steph: oh my god definitely. The ultimate otp.

Cass: people would cancel us for queerbaiting.

Steph : you know what would be really funny? If we wrote a show with our self-inserts having the same relationship as us.

Cass: both canonically sapphic.

Steph: one of them dies tragically and the other just loses it. Tries to summon her back to life.

Cass: goes on a killing spree.

Steph: friends to lovers except they never kiss. They have a child together.

Cass: you get it.

Steph: Even I am starting to ship them.

****

Timsteph!era steph gets an eyelash stuck on her cheek: *looking deep into cass's eyes*

Cass: make a wish

Steph: *closes her eyes and guesses wrong*

Cass, gently wiping the eyelash off her cheek with her thumb: what did you wish for?

Steph: that I were dating you instead of Tim

Cass: *looking away so steph doesn't see the tears brimming in her eyes*

****

Steph, playing with her hair: hey so I really like you and would love to know you better. Would you like to grab coffee sometimes, as a date?

Cass: oh, of course, I'd love that!

[shanblackrx]

Ok, first of all, I have just rewatched the special episode and although I already knew how it'd end, the moment the credits went up I literally buried my face in my hands and SOBBED. It's not that hard to make me cry with media, but I usually just tear up and nothing more. The last time I remember sobbing like this was with the end of Chimera Ants arc of Hunter x Hunter manga, which is a completely different type of story and media whatsoever, back in 2012. And I didn't know the end. Spectacular manga btw go read it

That said, I'm freshly out of it so here's a few of my considerations, personal opinions and also my theory. I'm not diving into the analysis of the episode itself for now, as I like to make these for more specific things I find in the work so they deserve a separate post for each, though I will be analyzing the post-credits scene because we don't have answers so we need to speculate.

Looooong text with almost no pictures ahead, just my yapping:

I expected the special episode to be really just Jack and Joke's cute little established relationship, which we did get to see (they're so disgustingly sappy, oh my god. I love them) for a good chunk of the episode. But we all also expected the wedding which, technically, did happen, just not how we wanted.

I think a lot of us just wanted only the happy part of it, maybe just a small conflict that would resolve within the story, which is what special episodes usually offer, especially because the original series wraps up perfectly and doesn't really give that much room for a continuation. And I think that because a lot of people expected this, they were utterly disappointed with it, even mad (that and also killing off one of the leads, like. Yeah I get it lol).

And I understand. Jack & Joker is perfectly balanced, with a nice and perfect ending. If I could choose, I wouldn't want a continuation either - you know, the chances of ruining a perfectly good show increases if you extend it for more than it should, and J&J is already perfect the way it is.

But I was offered the special episode, and now I have to work with it.

The first time I watched it I thought it was a bit rushed and confusing, albeit very intense (in a positive way). In my much calmer (as one can be), much less stressed out and anxious mood of my rewatch, I could feel it better. And I think it's way more seamless than I thought at first. Curiously, I also had the same feeling with the og series; it got so, so much better once I've rewatched it, and it kept getting better with all the small details I caught in every new watch.

It still has all the essence of J&J. The absurd comedy, the action, the romance, the heavy angst, the visuals, the lack of canon tattooaran even if it's heavily hinted. So all in all it was still a complete J&J experience.

I really do like the fact Save is not a perfect boss - he's basically just a math kid. He's not prepared to take care of a whole neighborhood like he did with bank accounts. Variables - people - were not in the system of his little bank computer. Taking care of a whole community is no easy task, especially since he is no mafia, he doesn't have the kind of experience and intimidation to keep bad apples in check. And even so, he still worked his hardest; and even so, it's still not enough.

So having criminals that were under Alice's thumb but now scattered like cockroaches searching for another ditch make having control over these fires they set even harder. I think it's a nice and coherent touch, and stuff happening because of it makes sense.

Also, although the uwu language JackJoke used throughout the moments they were out and about making everyone unwilling witnesses of their disgusting love was extremely funny and cute, it was really nice to see their heartfelt conversation when they were alone in Jack's room. It felt much more like they were baring their hearts for the other to hold, a genuine moment of intimacy, especially since they were making their wedding invites individually and by hand. It bore such a huge significance to their relationship I really can't begin to tell you how much I loved this scene. (they're also wearing shirts of complementary colors 😭💚)

I wasn't really expecting Carbon to make a comeback. But his explanation on why makes sense, and once again it hints that money and power walk together. It also gives him a more definite end (dying, finally. bitch) to take him out the picture for good since he could just eventually walk out the prison and go after them once again.

The casino mission was SUCH a delightful surprise to me! It's such a heavy wave to the pilot episode and it was really thrilling. Joke playing and cheating on poker was one of the sexiest things he could've ever done in his life lmao also even when he's cheating he manages to be gay af with his little ace and jack cards.

Admittedly, I was a bit underwhelmed with the fighting scenes. A lot of them were subpar compared to the ones in the og show, it not only lacked intensity but it was also awkward to see people in the background waiting to join the fight instead of throwing themselves into it, much like Jack's rampaging into Boss' office, which is one of my absolute favorite scenes in the og show, that's what I was expecting of them. However it was super nice to see the other piggies fighting with what they had, showing they were better prepared. Aran here takes the cake for me.

After that it was downhill. Joke not letting other people decide his destiny is one of the most Joke things in the entire show. With all that was happening it was rather predictable, but then again J&J does its thing and takes the predictability for a twist. "กูรักมึงที่รัก" ???? Using tirak in this situation when every other situation it was used was extremely, sickeningly sweet? Devastating. These words in that tone will be branded on my brain forever.

The whole thing with Jack going through the stages of grief and the ghost wedding destroyed me, even more so in my rewatch. Once again I'm here EATING UP Yin's crying scenes (one of my most favorite scenes in any BL ever is Vee crying under the rain at the bridge). I know everyone talks about War's acting when it comes to crying and obviously he always nails it, but I still think Yin should have more recognition in these kind of scenes too, because he always manage to make it so heartbreaking, and it wasn't different here.

The swings scene with him hallucinating Joke to be able to accept his presumed death was one of the most beautiful, most heartbreaking 'endings' I've seen in a Thai BL.

HOWEVER. I absolutely refused to believe they'd actually end in that note. It could be as devastatingly beautiful as it gets but I genuinely thought if they ended it like that it'd be SUCH a huge stab in the back of fans. Jack and Joke barely managed to live a happy life to then be yanked from it. It really didn't feel fair, that they gave us such a perfect little ending in the og show to then just say 'how about no?'. I was honestly in shock and denial. I was really thinking like 'I really, genuinely don't think they'd do this. I will only believe it ends like this when the episode reaches the end and stops playing by itself.'

And I'm glad I thought like that because they really didn't let me down. Some Marvel level of post-credits scene this is. The relief to see Joke isn't actually dead. The enormous cliffhanger.

I still am of the opinion that J&J didn't need a continuation, but now that it's out there, I just hope it's as good as the og show. And that maybe we don't have to wait for another 2 years, although I will gladly do so if that means they will deliver another sublime experience.

But I also hope it ends with that and they manage to move on to other, new things, because they've already proven they can do anything they want and it will be good. I really, really want them to take over the Thai BL world as a power couple with their independent productions, because they showed everyone they can.

Now, to the post-credits scene. Here goes my theory:

Reading all theories and also frying my brain to come up with what will they do with that cliffhanger, I thought of something that might make sense. This, however, would only work (well) in a full 10-12 eps season rather than another special episode or movie.

First of all, I think it's a new character (and that's why I think this will only work with a full season, because introducing a new character just for a short episode will give no substance to it). It's no one we know and I tell you why I think that: Joke had someone specific in mind. I don't think he's talking about Carbon here. Especially because everyone in the conversation knows Carbon very personally, he could just say his name.

So having this in mind, he might've been referring to this new character. So the fact this person is the one... 'housing' Joke, and who tended to his wounds, and also for his shock, this person might be either an old cellmate or someone else that's been incarcerated and Joke knows about or personally. Maybe a rival thief. So he's talking about this person here.

Also, VERY important missing information in the subs: Joke says "someone like me" in the sense of 'has the same abilities/did/does the same things'. This is crucial information that is in several other subs but not in the English one. Because the English subs on this ep are dogshit, lbr.

So I think one option that could happen:

This person wants Joke to either work for or with them. After all, you can't just wipe an alias like "legendary thief" in a year. Whatever it is that they want him for, it might be convenient for them that Joke's deemed dead, or they actually needed Joke to "die" for it to work. They might be in cahoots with someone we already know, or they might be acting alone.

This can be a double-edged sword because the person can be good, neutral or evil and we might not know until the very last minute.

Now one thing that caught my attention: The black shirt in the background.

Absolutely nothing when it's about clothes is Just There in J&J. There's always a lot of subtle storytelling in their clothes, especially when it comes to black and white. And specifically a black shirt hanging in so openly there and no other piece of clothing while Joke is wearing white? This is deliberate.

Do you remember Jack's red ticket? When the joker turns black to white, etc? This might be the opposite of that. This might mean starting from square one, undoing everything up to that point, or it might also mean Joke's darkening arc. Joke's wearing white, so washing this away to taint it black. It might also mean someone who's opposite of him if the shirt is referring to this new character, but I'm not too sold on this idea since black is mainly Jack's motif, especially in relation to Joke. Also, maybe this is the 'enemies' Nang was talking about.

And maybe because Joke has no choice but to do what he's told, whether if it's under threat or because maybe Jack would be in danger if he doesn't because that's their thing, or both, probably both, he can't show up to Jack or any of the piggies, and that is the main conflict of the season.

This can tie with the whole 'moving on' thing about Jack that everyone is terrified of. I don't think that even if it might seem so to add to the tension, Jack will ever actually move on; not FROM Joke at least. He can move on from the pain, make peace with the idea he's not coming back, but not from what he feels for Joke. If Joke appeared in front of him be it tomorrow or in 10 years, he'd probably just resume their lives together (after coming back from the shock of seeing him alive which can take some time). He himself said Joke is the one he loves the most. And some people change you so viscerally and completely that they'll always mean the same to you, forever, which is definitely the case for both.

Maybe if we're going through this route because J&J's classic angst and pain, Joke's gonna watch him from afar going on with his life, then that lack of self-worth he has that I'm pretty sure doesn't just vanish in such a short time even if he's found love and some healing, might keep him from approaching Jack even if he wants to and can do so; he wouldn't want to ruin whatever Jack has built without him so far.

If that's the case, if this really happened, I'd want Jack to find out and tackle Joke on the ground when he's being watched just like their first encounter after the 5 years. It'd be one of the most poetic cinema cycle closing one could pull off with this possible new season. But that's just my wishful thinking.

It can also be something completely different and I'm all for it as long as it retains J&J vibe, quality and unpredictable turns.

And also many more YinWar kissies, there's never enough of those.

[ringsofpowerconfessions]

"I get why people ship Galadriel and Sauron. I don't think Haladriel is 'canon', and I don't believe it will ever be, but I get it. Half-Maia Celebrian, however? Celebrian as Sauron's daughter?! Sorry but whaaaaat? I first thought it was a crack theory that shippers had fun with, but it seems it's taken seriously now 😳 And by people who are hostile to the thought of seeing Galadriel become a mother if Celeborn's the father, "because it would turn Galadriel into a tradwife", no less. Galadriel was a wife and a mother in the books and yet she was a powerful Elf who always stood against Sauron and made him shit in his pants, but whatever I guess. I fail to see how it would be better for Galadriel to be stripped off her agency and body autonomy like that, than having a daughter she actually wants, with the Elf she chose to be her husband. I've seen suggestions on Twitter that Sauron should have impregnated her when he stabbed her with Morgoth's crown (these people missed biology classes because that's not how it works), or that he should disguise himself as Celeborn to trick her (uh guys, that's r*pe), and my eyes bawled out. And there's really no plausible scenario where Galadriel would want Sauron's child, right? So it would necessarily be a forced pregnancy 💀 I'm coming in peace, I really do but why do you want to do Galadriel dirty like that? Not to mention that in this scenario, Sauron's a deadbeat father.... I don't know if you read the books, but he never showed any interest in Celebrian. If he's behind Celebrian's abduction, Tolkien never hinted at it. If Sauron had one child, it was his PRECIOUS (his ring!). I read that "Half Maia Celebrian" would explain why Celebrian was kidnapped by Orcs, who hate Sauron. but guys, I don't know if you watched the show but Galadriel's the bad bitch who slayed a ton of Orcs all by herself. Don't you think that Orcs would hate her guts and want their revenge on her? I just don't understand the popularity of this theory, sorry. I don't see what good it would do for Galadriel's arc, for Sauron's or even Celebrian's and Arwen's. Arwen already has Maia blood through Elrond, who was Melian's grand grand son. I had to get it out of my chest, hoping I won't offend anyone."

[angelltheninth]

What's That Falling From the Sky

Pairing: Kara Danvers x Lena Luthor

Febuwhump Day 27: Post Victory Collapse

Tags: fluff, angst, injury, passing out, kissing, relationship reveal

Word count: 1.2k

Ao3

Ko-Fi | Rules | Fandoms and Characters | Commissions | Event Masterlist

A/N: Supercorp not being canon is angsty enough. Their existence alone should be enough to fill a prompt.

People weren't scared when Supergirl fought and beat a supervillain. They were scared when she collapsed and crashed into the road below afterwards. Lena wasn't just scared, she was terrified and worried sick. So much so that she stormed right out of her meeting and stormed into the DEO.

No one there was panicking nearly as much as she was. Which was a good sign she supposed, if Kara was in any real danger she would have heard Alex yelling already. But she wasn't, she was sitting next to Kara, who looked fine, safe for some minor bruises and scratches that were already in the healing stages.

"You can't keep overdoing it Kara, one of these days a punch like that could send you into a coma." Kara didn't seem too worried about it, in fact she started laughing it off but stopped as soon as she spotted Lena standing at the door.

"Oh, Lena! You're here!" She was smiling. Like the whole City, if not more, hadn't just seen her crash from the sky. Like she wasn't injured and there was never any danger to begin with.

Pissed off Lena marched into the room, confusing Kara, Alex and the staff. But what confused them more was the kiss that followed. She would have thrown herself at Kara were she not worried about hurting her, so she settled for a passionate embrace instead. Kara gasped in surprise, allowing Lena to deepen the kiss. It wasn't like Kara didn't have the lung capacity.

But she did have shame, a whole lot of it.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, is that clear, Kara?!" Lena still held onto her, her shoulder, her cape, while she blinked away tears of frustration.

Kara was more scared of Lena's fury than any other enemy, and of hurting her. "Scare you? It was just a little fight, Lena. You've seen me do it before." Slapping her would probably break Lena's hand but maybe it was worth it when her girlfriend seemed to have so little regard for her own safety. "Besides I'm fine. Look!" Kara struck a pose and flexed, then another, and another. "Good as new, babe!"

"Babe?" Kara paused mid flex and looked at her sister, who looked angry and horrified. "And since when exactly have you two had this kind of a relationship? And why wasn't I informed?"

The staff already made their quiet exit, sensing it was probably best to pretend that they didn't see or hear anything.

"Well... you know... we were gonna tell you, Alex. Tell everyone. Eventually." Kara looked like a puppy that got caught doing something bad. "Eventually for sure."

"Right. I was eventually gonna be told that my little sister was dating the CEO of L-Corp. Instead I had to witness a make out session. Yuck. Don't ever do that in front of me again because I don't want to think about my baby sister doing that with anyone." She would rather go into the Phantom Zone.

But that was just the idea that Lena needed. She needed to talk to Kara alone and unlike Kara she didn't have the shame needed to prevent her from doing anything scandalous. She hugged Kara again. "I was so worried about you. I couldn't help myself. Kara." Kara blushed when Lena's lips brushed against her cheek.

"You... keep it in your pants!" Alex stood up abruptly and narrowed her eyes at the couple. "We will talk about keeping secrets later. And you, Luthor, I'll talk to you about seducing my sister." She pointed her finger at Lena and didn't stop until the door closed.

"You made my sister mad. It was nice dating you, Lena." Kara sighed but she leaned in, to kiss Lena anyways. However Lena moved away, leaving Kara looking confused mid-kiss.

"Do you have any self-preservation instincts at all? In your entire body is there one cell decided to it. Or in that big brain of yours is there ever a thought that tells you that you should keep yourself alive for your own sake?!" Lena's voice rose with every question, her hands gripping at Kara harder.

"Yes? I have to come back to you and everyone else don't I?" Kara hugged her. "So you never have to worry about-"

"But I do worry! I worry every time, can't you see that?!" Lena knew she wasn't doing anything by smacking her fists against Kara's front but she couldn't help herself. "Every time you fight even if you come back completely fine, I will still worry about you. I'm your girlfriend and your best friend, Kara. Worrying about you is part of the description."

"Lena, I'm sorry. I don't want you to worry. Ever. But I guess it's kind of inevitable huh, with me being a superhero and all." She lightly cupped Lena's face and looked deep into her eyes. She really wanted to make her feel better. But how? She couldn't stop doing what she was doing, the world, the universe, the multiverse, needed her.

Lena worried about her, but Kara had to worry about the well-being of everyone else. It wasn't something she could just quit.

"Next time... I call in for back-up. I know Alex is always telling me I shouldn't rush in alone. But that's about all I can do. Everyone's counting on me to be strong for them. And you... I know there were times where you were strong for me too. I see it, feel it. When you hold me, kiss me, when you insist on taking me to all those fancy places to treat me, when you praise me, when you offer to help me. I see it Lena. Thank you, for being strong for me." Lena chewed on her bottom lip, not as used to praise as Kara was.

But Kara always gave it so liberally. Her love, it wasn't something Lena had to prove herself worthy of. She just had it. "I'm scared of losing you. We've been friends for years, Kara. Dating for over a year now, and the amount of love you've given me is more than I ever hoped for. I don't want to lose you."

"And you won't. I would escape the Phantom Zone to get home to you. I love you too much to die." She was the Woman of Steel who was too in love to die.

"One of these days you need to stop thinking like that. I don't want you to go to the Phantom Zone, ever. I'd much rather you stay with me the whole time." She hugged Kara close, just the sound of her heartbeat was enough to give Kara strength. "By the way, I'm sorry about revealing our relationship, I know it wasn't how we planned it."

"It certainly didn't involve kissing in front of my sister." Alex will either scold her for keeping secrets, or tease her about finally getting with Lena.

Lena hummed, her hands massaging Kara's shoulders. "Well, she's not here now."

"That... is true." Kara already liked where this was going even before Lena unbuttoned her shirt. "Are you trying to motivate me to come back in good condition? Cause um... this is a good way to do it, Lena."

"Good to know. A way to get you to do what I want. Love, food and boobs." She teased before kissing her again, the cameras in the DEO be damned. After all she had more than enough money to bribe every single person working here into forgetting everything they saw.

[nekoyin]

so I saw this at class, did it, thought I posted it, turns out I didnt so TAKE TWO

ty for the tag <3 I'm gonna do my husband of almost a decade now Poe Dameron

1. Was there any specific point / any specific moment that suddenly made them your Blorbo, or did you slowly grow to love them more and more until they became a Blorbo to you? lowkey fell in love with that pretty ass face from the start THEN HE OPENED HIS MOUTH AND WAS SASSY??? also love me a man who'd punch a person in power that's hot 

2. What’s the thing you love the most about your Blorbo? uh uh uh yes (if I had to choose, his passion and want to free people from the First Order/the fact he's a revolutionary)

3. What's the thing you dislike the most about your Blorbo? the fact he's not real and kissing me rn :( (and that he risks his life a lot of the time to try and save as people as he can, it's noble, but it worries me ;;;;)

4. If you could talk to your Blorbo, what would you say to them? I love you. I'll always support you no matter what UNLESS YOU GO ONE SOME STUPID SUICIDE MISSION DON'T DIE I'LL CRY :(((

5. What's the one thing the fandom gets wrong about your Blorbo? I think that Poe being a flirt is a thing, but I don't see him being like this fuckboy that lays with people and doesn't care/forgets names afterwards. He seems the type to remember everyone's names, whether or not he is friends with them enough to sleep with them if that makes sense. 

6. Is your Blorbo an introvert or extrovert? Extrovert 

7. Describe your Blorbo in 3 words. pretty, brave, dumb (affectionate)

8. If your Blorbo were real, would you trust them with your life? Yes. Absolutely. He seems the protective type so I am SAFE

9. Do you talk to your family or in-real-life friends about your Blorbo? THEY ARE SO FED UP WITH ME YAPPING ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE HIM LMFAO 

10. Is there any crime, any wrongdoing your Blorbo could commit that would make you stop loving them and remove them from your hyperfixation entirely? Nah bro i lowkey like my men a lil insane so

11. Do you like seeing your Blorbo suffer? Mixed. Cuz I like angst, but I need a happy ending. 

12. Do you ship your Blorbo with any character? ME DUH (and kinda Finn but I relate to Finn a lot so what that say bout us)

13. If your Blorbo is from a live-action media, are you also a fan of the actor who plays them?  YAH he was my introduction to Oscar Isaac

14. Would you still love your Blorbo if they were real? YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND. HOW BAD. I AM TRYING TO GET A REAL LIFE POE DAMERON TO DATE. PLEASE UNIVERSE ONE CHANCE ONE-

15. Is your Blorbo a victim of badly written script / bad plot / character assassination in the hands of canon? Yes imo and it makes me so so sad :(

16. If you could change one canonical thing about your Blorbo, what would it be? I think I'd change the fact that he tried to get back with Zorii, I don't mind her existence, but she was literally abusive POE BABY WHY ARE YOU ASKING TO KISS HER YOU SHOULD BE KISSING ME :(((

17. When you first discovered your Blorbo, did you realize from that moment that they would become your Blorbo? Oh I was torn between him and Kylo initially, but I knew I'd like Poe more for longer… didn't really expect this long though HAHAHA

18. Do you gatekeep your Blorbo? / would you want more people to know about your Blorbo? I TRY TO BUT HE'S TOO POPULAR :( People are like “oh I'm his biggest fan/spouse” and I'm like GET OUT YOU JUST JOINED THIS FANDOM IVE BEEN HERE SINCE DAY ONEEEEE /hj

19. Has a fanfic about your Blorbo ever made you cry? Thinking about him can make me cry. I'm trying to write a fic rn that the PREMISE made me cry (I’m sensitive)

20. Do you think this character will still be your Blorbo three years from now? I'VE BEEN HERE ALMOST TEN YEARS BABY IT AIN'T EVER STOPPING

uhh idk who to tag but @latenightbrawler pookie look at the thoughts about my husband

20 Questions

BLORBO ASKS GAME

reblog if you’d like people to send you asks about your Blorbo

was there any specific point / any specific moment that suddenly made them your Blorbo, or did you slowly grow to love them more and more until they became a Blorbo to you?

It was immediate. Watching Steven flounder then discovering the tragedy that is Marc. I started on the show, then began collecting the comics.

what’s the thing you love the most about your Blorbo?

I loved the representation of DID, autism and childhood trauma.

what’s the thing you dislike the most about your Blorbo?

We barely got any Jake in the show, and he’s such a fantastic character in the comics. Comic Jake is the only way I can imagine him. Moustache and all.

if you could talk to your Blorbo, what would you say to them?

Not a thing. He’d get a damn hug.

what’s the one thing the fandom gets wrong about your Blorbo?

I think every adaptation is unique to that person and they’re wonderful for sharing. I’m a hoe for every crumb I’m not even sorry.

is your Blorbo an introvert or extrovert?

Depends who’s fronting. Steven’s an ambivert: extroverted to avoid the feeling of loneliness, introverted in his hobbies and day-to-day. Marc’s a huge introvert and doesn’t like many people, how Frenchie puts up with him I don’t know. Jake is a natural extrovert, it comes easy to him to find a friend in anyone.

describe your Blorbo in 3 words

Damaged hot mess

if your Blorbo were real, would you trust them with your life?

Most likely… kinda. Squinting real hard at you, Khonshu.

do you talk to your family or in-real-life friends about your Blorbo?

My partner can’t get away from my obsession. My brother brought me the same MK action figure Marc's holding in the asylum. It was really unexpected and touching. They let me drag them all over the city stopping in as many comic stores as I could visit.

is there any crime, any wrongdoing your Blorbo could commit that would make you stop loving them and remove them from your hyperfixation entirely?

Mean to animals would make me very sad.

do you like seeing your Blorbo suffer?

Every damn day of the week.

do you ship your Blorbo with any character?

I ship him with anyone and everyone, it’s such a problem. I love all ships in all shapes and sizes. All the new ships coming out of Marvel Rivals has sustained me well lately.

if your Blorbo is from a live-action media, are you also a fan of the actor who plays them?

Oscar Isaac is one of the best humans alive. I love his face, his personality—everything. He made it easy to love the characters he plays.

would you still love your Blorbo if they were real?

Probably. I’d always be rooting for him that’s for sure.

is your Blorbo a victim of badly written script / bad plot / character assassination in the hands of canon?

Kind of. How they handled Jake suucked.

if you could change one canonical thing about your Blorbo, what would it be?

Make comics Jake canon!

when you first discovered your Blorbo, did you realize from that moment that they would become your Blorbo?

I didn’t expect to go down as bad as I did. It wasn’t until I started writing him in 1x1 & group roleplays was where I truly fell down the hole.

do you gatekeep your Blorbo? / would you want more people to know about your Blorbo?

No gatekeeping allowed in this house! I am thrilled anytime more people discover MK by any means. It’s so much fun seeing new people arrive and interact with the fandom.

has a fanfic about your Blorbo ever made you cry?

Not a fanfic, but episode 5 made me ball. Hit close to home. I’m not one to cry easily so have yet to find a fanfic that will.

do you think this character will still be your Blorbo three years from now on?

Probably, I still have a lot more to write and explore.

Questions posted below empty for easy copy paste:

was there any specific point / any specific moment that suddenly made them your Blorbo, or did you slowly grow to love them more and more until they became a Blorbo to you?

what’s the thing you love the most about your Blorbo?

what’s the thing you dislike the most about your Blorbo?

if you could talk to your Blorbo, what would you say to them?

what’s the one thing the fandom gets wrong about your Blorbo?

is your Blorbo an introvert or extrovert?

describe your Blorbo in 3 words

if your Blorbo were real, would you trust them with your life?

do you talk to your family or in-real-life friends about your Blorbo?

is there any crime, any wrongdoing your Blorbo could commit that would make you stop loving them and remove them from your hyperfixation entirely?

do you like seeing your Blorbo suffer?

do you ship your Blorbo with any character?

if your Blorbo is from a live-action media, are you also a fan of the actor who plays them?

would you still love your Blorbo if they were real?

is your Blorbo a victim of badly written script / bad plot / character assassination in the hands of canon?

if you could change one canonical thing about your Blorbo, what would it be?

when you first discovered your Blorbo, did you realize from that moment that they would become your Blorbo?

do you gatekeep your Blorbo? / would you want more people to know about your Blorbo?

has a fanfic about your Blorbo ever made you cry?

do you think this character will still be your Blorbo three years from now on?

Inspired by the wonderful @psycheetamore Hitting a few others I'd love to see do this! @mystra-midnight @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @faretheeoscar @moonbeammist @therapardalis @weheartchrisevans @silvermoon343

[hemlock-user007]

Alex Hirsch as Bill Cipher!

Bill's real Canon design

[qoldenskies]

i think its so funny when people take the way donnie acts at face value even though its a horrible lie because he's a horrible liar, while understanding leo is bullshitting very well despite him actually being GOOD at bullshitting. many such cases

[thekittyokat]

you ever just have a lot, a LOT of feelings all at once about a character and not even remotely enough words or brainpower to FORM the words to describe everything you're feeling. so it feels like you may explode. yeah

[ratatattouille]

I love your points @elenasalvatore1 ! You put into words why I haven’t been able to really connect with the two big canon romances (and don’t even get me started on Tonks and Remus lol). I view Ginny as a jock, not in that she’s stupid, but that she enjoys status and popularity and she can be pretty shallow. Of course, she’s also witty and intelligent and anti-bigotry—plenty to love about her—but people imagine her much kinder than she is shown in the books. She made fun of Luna with the other kids and fervently defended Harry using Sectumseptra (or however that’s spelled) on Draco. However, I do think it should be taken into consideration that Draco at the time had tried to Crucio Harry so Ginny’s feelings aren’t entirely misplaced since Crucio is an Unforgivable. I still agree that she didn’t treat Harry’s spell with the weight it deserved, either, and it’s a little interesting to me how people imagine so much depth for this fling when a lot of how it was written was convenient (at least, to me). Ginny’s behavior is very fan-girlish throughout all books. I do think what Harry liked about Ginny had to do with how he associated her with “normalcy” at a time when things were getting so bleak for him. But I do think, that while Ginny was a fan-girl, she didn’t completely dehumanize Harry and had genuine care for him to some extent. For example, the scene in Chamber of Secrets where she tells Draco Harry doesn’t care for fame after Draco teases Harry about Gilderoy. It doesn’t disprove her fan-girlness, but it does show some level of sympathy and understanding for Harry. Ginny definitely cared for Harry. Although one could also interpret that scene as proof of how deified and faultless Harry was to her since CoS Ginny had full-blown limerence for Harry (and self-admittedly throughout the books lol). I also don't think that her telling Harry "you wouldn't be happy unless you were going after Voldemort" was her being self-centred. I believe she meant it as in Harry wouldn't be "satisfied" to run and hide and not defend the people he loves and that was what she (justifiably) loved about him. It was genuine and sweet. I also think her saying "at least Harry won't have time to find another girl" was an attempt on her end to lighten the mood. What Harry likes about Ginny, according to the books, is her pragmatism and lack of drama. She isn't weepy like Cho or "shrill" like Hermione. She's the definition of chill. However, as I've said before and I'm sure you'll agree, none of this "disproves" her limerance regarding Harry and it's shaky foundations for Harry, too. Sure she's level-headed (but so is Hermione a lot of the time, not always but often) and chill, so of course she would appeal to Harry when his whole world is drama at that point. But I agree that it's not love and it's a weird way to develop a romance. At the very least, simply not my cup of tea. I'm just not into it, whether or not there's a narrative thread leading up to it.

I also dislike how Hinny fans claim misogyny whenever Ginny is called shallow or a fan-girl, even if she is outspoken and has spine. She isn’t deep just because she hates pure blood supremacists. She very much has a childish sense of “good guys and bad guys” and doesn’t like being challenged on her views—not when it comes to Fleur or what Harry did to Draco, for example. She’s not open-minded. And she likes having it all. It doesn’t mean she’s bad or isn’t brave. She did fight valiantly in the Ministry and the Battle of Hogwarts. And she did share trauma from those fights with the others. This is kinda where hinny shippers get wiggle room. If she was “just a fangirl” the trauma from fighting at the Ministry should have--theorietically--dissuaded her. One can say that she matured after that fight and found that her feelings for Harry became genuine and less idealistic. But in my opinion, it’s not enough to discount the fan-girl interpretation for Ginny post OoTP, either. She could still very much have an even bigger romanticization of Harry’s heroism. A no-nonsense Ginny that Hinny shippers imagine would have sounded (ironically) more like Hermione. If it wasn’t limerence, I reckon Ginny would’ve been more argumentative with Harry instead of Ron or Hermione. She just takes Harry’s side, which to me dampens what’s so fun about her outgoing, outspoken personality. It’s like she turns into a dollar-store Hermione where her and Harry can only mimic (but never replicate) the level of trust and vulnerability Harry and Hermione have with each other. Hinny is honestly so Netflix drama coded to me 😂 sorry to my hinny moots (it’s all love) ❤️.

My biggest issue with Ronmione is how much Hermione’s independent personality was stunted by the romance. Many Ronmione shippers insist that’s the point! She wasn’t acting like herself because she fell in love with Ron! And it baffles me how that is seen as a win! Ships should not cause character assassination or erasure. The good ones at least. But I don’t see why Hermione would’ve fallen in love with Ron, personally. I see why people like the ship, and I have no doubt Ron and Hermione love each other tremendously. But Harry was the tether between the both of them until the outline called for the romance to begin, lmao. Ron didn’t like hanging out with Hermione alone much in the beginning and a lot of their disagreements weren’t “just banter” but based on genuine difference of worldview and personality. That doesn’t mean they couldn’t fall in love because they were so different, just that a lot of their disagreements had real substance to them. Ron was much more inconsiderate than Hermione. And he had 0 interest, as you said, in the Muggle world. I’m going to go on a limb here and say that it’s not that Ron disliked Hermione, but that he found her boring! Brilliant, but a bore! (Literally the two initial moments he “noticed” Hermione were when she punched Draco—exciting!—and when she was with his favorite celebrity—Krum) And that’s one of the worst things you could be to Ron. Hermione was brilliant, as dear to him as a sister (and he looked after her same as he did for Ginny), but Ron had much more to talk about with Harry, same as Hermione and much richer conversations with Harry than with anyone else in the entire wizarding world. Hermione was like miniature Molly for Ron, and Ron acted a lil territorial over her, which, again, not a fan. Not because it's a moral problem for me, but just because I don't find that stuff romantic. It's realistic insecure teenage boy behaviour and can be enjoyed as that, but it won't get me looking for the ships to pull into harbour. Harry was normal about Hermione. Like completely normal about her in such a nuanced and refreshing way, it's one of the most mature teenage relationships I've ever seen in a YA. There was also so much depth there, especially in regard to what Voldemort meant to both Hermione and Harry.

Same thing for Hermione. I don’t see anything that would make Ron interesting romantically to her. It can’t be the times he’s cared for her—because she’s disregarded his care before (and Harry has also shown lots of consideration for Hermione—more than Ron on many an occasion). Again, there's so little we know about Hermione's home life that I simply don't have a clue as to what she finds so special about Ron for herself as a character. I can't connect the dots. I think Ronmione was just a safe option, IMO. Not illogical, but not well-justified. And it baffles me how people see Ron and Hermione have more chemistry than Harry and Hermione just because of the reactions JKR gave them (“Harry had a monster in his chest!” “Hermione cried when Ron left them”) Doesn’t that just make it more melodramatic and cheap to you? More Netflix-y and forced? Guess not. Also, banter alone isn’t chemistry! Outside of banter and being against Death Eaters and being Harry's friend, Ron and Hermione had nothing in common and had little to no curiosity for those differences.

I also think it needs to be acknowledged that JK Rowling has a slight bias more to her male characters than female characters. On average, most of her more developed characters are male and she employs a lot of negative (borderline misogynistic) stereotypes for her female characters. Regardless of who you ship, Hermione and Ginny's personalities become almost ENTIRELY about their love interests. Most female characters are written to be or sound ridiculous, uppity or catty in these books and the two best girls are no exception. You could argue that this is because the books are written through the POV of Harry, but the stories themselves still give less grace to the female characters. So reading the female characters accurately may mean describing them unfavorably regardless. But that’s opening Pandora’s box for HP fandom so we’ll keep that closed for now. 😃

I don't understand why ppl don't want to understand if a couple fell in love , it's just about simply , purely , truly falling in love not aabout- are they perfect , are they compatible, do they create healthy relationship , someone else was more better for him/her , they deserve better and blah blah blah

They fell in love. True Pure selfless love

THAT'S IT

Yes i am talking about canon ships