#It's clear why Maria's so rebellious)

[mr-shimurka]

She's Queen👑✨

[ Castlevania: Nocturne ] Season 2, Episode 1

[ + screenshots & collages ]

Erzsebet: "Speaker woman. 'Think what a powerful servant I would be,' you said…

…You do magic. Do some magic...

…'Loyal too,' you said. As if you could be another Drolta...

...You are not Drolta. But perhaps I have a use for you…

…The Abbot, the man who loves you but sacrificed you to me, go to him. Bring him to me, now."

Tera: "Machecoul's a long way. I don't know if I can keep making ice that far."

Erzsebet: "Find out."

[hollow-dweller]

Talk Shop Tuesday: is there a character you understand better than anyone else doss but haven’t written as much/at all?

as the Universe's Only Howard Stark Enjoyer, i am obligated to answer this with him.

Howard is so interesting to me, because the way he's constructed as a character is so clearly a reflection and response to Tony that narratively, you don't really get the sense that he was the progenitor, between the two of them. in the Iron Man movies, he is constructed as a foil for Tony: severe, business-like, and formal. he is unreachable, in a sense, a reflection of the ways Tony feels isolated from him: through death, through the tarnishing of his legacy that has been orchestrated by Obadiah but in which Tony is complicit, and through Tony's reckoning with and questioning of the value of that legacy in the first place. the Howard we see in those movies is heavily filtered through the lens of Tony's perception: the man who he feels completely isolated from and overshadowed by, who he at once venerates and dislikes, and yet who reaches through time, grudges and enemies carrying forward even as he leaves Tony with the tools to save his own life.

contrast that with the Howard we meet in Captain America: a playboy and genius, a little goofy, a lot self-important, written the way he is to create a clear connection in the mind of the audience between him and pre-Iron Man Tony Stark. it's narrative shorthand, characterization designed to help us bridge the gap between the Tony that we know and the Howard that we're meeting. but outside the meta-textual explanation, we also have to reconcile the Howard as we see him in Captain America, the Howard as we see him (heavily filtered through Tony's perspective) in the Iron Man movies, and Tony himself. in-universe, how do we explain the fact that Tony clearly remembers his father as austere and cold, but has emulated his devil-may-care behaviours and attitudes? if that is not the Howard that Tony remembers, why is that the Howard he mimics?

there are a number of potential explanations: maybe Tony met and knew the playboy Howard in his youth, but is obfuscating that in his own memory, either as a way to preserve his ideal of his father (cold, yes, but also powerful), or as a way to deny their similarities, or maybe simply as a way to honour his mother and pretend that that Howard never existed while he was with Maria. or maybe Tony never did meet that version of Howard, and it's a matter of inverted reflections: Howard moves so far in the opposite direction of who he was in his youth that when Tony constructs a rebellious identity in opposition to his father, he unknowingly mimics the behaviour of his father as he once was.

ideally, Agent Carter would have provided us the bridge between these versions of Howard, had it not been cancelled. we'll never know for sure, and while his character develops in fascinating ways in that show, he never quite escapes the shadow of Tony Stark 1.0. the part that really sticks with me, and has left me with the brain worms that inspired this sermon, is his role in season 1 in particular: his ruthlessness and manipulation in using Peggy, but also his genuine grief and desire for redemption as inspired by Steve. how he views Steve, Captain America, as the one truly Good thing he's ever done at that point, and how it connects to what we are told later, about his obsessive search for Steve and the way that isolated him from his own son. how that too is connected to what he says in Iron Man 2: that Tony is his greatest creation. the inherent selfishness but also deeply felt love evident in both those statements: love for Steve as a reflection of his desire for redemption, love for Tony as his assurance that he had in some way achieved it.

all told, you're left with a fascinating character built entirely from patchwork: imperfect and self-centered and yet idealistic, for whom we are missing key parts of the story from which to create a complete picture. in some ways i am not surprised that fandom often flattens both Howard and Tony's relationship to him, because we are missing essential elements to really conceive of Howard as a complete character. but it is also frustrating to me, because in those gaps i see opportunity: to explore Howard, yes, but also Tony, and their relationship to one another, and to the Stark legacy that permeates the world of the MCU.

having said ALL of that: do i see myself ever writing that story, or filling in those blanks myself? i honestly have no idea. i don't know how that story would be constructed, or what it would really entail. maybe if i ever get around to writing the Morgan Stark Fic, i'll slide some of this in there. but while i never say never, i'm also really not sure there's a dedicated Howard Stark Fic in me. i suppose we'll see.

[vioyume]

An Analysis about Eggman and his Creations

^ Very interesting video, please give it a watch. It's what inspired me write this in the first place.

I always enjoyed exploring the dynamics and relationships between characters. The one between Shadow and Eggman never took my attention until now, most likely because the Shadow the Hedgehog game is a big rabbit hole in many ways. But I sometimes questions this relationship between Shadow and the Robotnik generations that came after Maria.

But I very briefly put my thoughts out about Eggman's relationships between his creations before. And since Frontiers I wondered how his new found fatherhood will go, I think it's clear to me that Eggman obviously has a favourite, and has made him soften up a little and that is for Sage, and yet why?

Is it because she is more human? Someone who has more sentience? the reminder of Maria? or that she achieved more than and over done than any other of his creations (That's probably what he thinks at least, argue with me if you want). Despite what you may think continuity wise, he was perfectly ok with throwing Metal Sonic out and a part of me thinks that he was there during TMOSTH because Sage grew fond of him and viewed him as an older brother, even Orbot thinks so as well.

Eggman has built many robots with sentience (and shows successful potential) and has all felt resentment after their abandonment or realized what their current situation is. He is an abusive creator, and does things for his own gain, because after all he can always build another robot.

Specifically with Belle, she was made by Mr Tinker, and had a loving relationship with each other. Afterwards, when Eggman regained his memories, he held no respect to their previous relationship when she finally decides to let go of the past and faced that Mr. Tinker is no more, she is a reminder of the pathetic man he saw himself as before and did not bother holding on to what that life gave him (and also we can't kill off Eggman).

Metal Sonic, in recent years, is a very loyal dog. He will stick by Eggman's side no matter what. He endures the abuse that is put up from Eggman, and is content when being praised when succeeding. He has shown to be rebellious before, I assume Eggman has fixed that after the events of Heroes, but he still has thoughts of his own.

And yet why does he still stick around? Is it the fear of what happened post Heroes? Is he bounded to his programming or does he truly feel that he owes Eggman his loyalty? If the pursuit of being the true Sonic is still there, then why work for him?

Then there's Sage, an AI, a technology that outputs the best results based on facts and information. It is shown that she has grew fond of Eggman during her time in Frontiers and shown to be just as, if not then more loyal than Metal Sonic. She is still made by Eggman, so she is obligated to stay by his side at the very start, but she is young and analytical. Part of me wants to question how much of this relationship is built upon just making the other happy, and how much is just pure love.

I believe Sage shows the human side of Eggman, someone who hasn't had second thoughts about himself until now. His manipulative and arrogant demeanour is still there but he tries to be a father, and actually shows remorse when he loses her. Both characters make each human and inhumane, and that Eggman will turn out to be a faulty father to Sage, but at the very core he cares for her.

From the very beginning this whole family tree is shown to be very dysfunctional, but they've tried at least.

[grindy-cog]

What do you mean by Alex having power Michael? In a dom/sub way? Not judging, just curious.

Dear Anon,

Thank you for your question!

I suppose you could see it in a dom/sub way, though that wasn’t exactly what I was after? Do I think that Michael, despite his rebellious ways, has a clear need of pleasing and - to some extent- obeying those he loves the most? Yes, absolutely. But it doesn’t need to be read in a dom/sub way, sexual or otherwise, though there’s nothing wrong with that take either🤷‍♀️

However, I was more after Guerin pretty much always following Alex’s lead in many ways, and the youngest Manes being more or less the only one to get through Michael when he was being too stubborn, self-destructive or emotional for his own good. Of course, as long as Alex’s own issues and insecurities weren’t hitting too close home, but that’s another matter and not what you asked for.

Now, I don’t know how you’d see it; if the reason behind that behaviour was the fact that Michael definitely fell for Alex first; or if it was related to the sad truth of Alexander being the first person giving a damn about Guerin, Max and Isobel aside. That he knew about, anyway. Or maybe, because he could relate to Alex on many levels, crappy family life included…

If you asked me, I’d say it’s a combination of the three but most of all, Michael’s own personality and how he loves. It’s hidden and unpredictable but once out? Absolutely powerful and fierce and soul and body consuming, like the fire in his blood. But also protective, unashamed and with no way to hide.

I mean, he certainly gave his bastar.d of a father some serious whiplash with how intense he was. How completely unlike him, or even Nora in this way.

And I think Alex, because of his own personality and the way he loves, could have always tamed that fire in Michael a bit; probably even unknowingly at first, made it calmer, quieter, a gentle fire to warm up next to, instead of an unpredictable disaster.

So, in a way, Alex has a power over Michael; always had, always will, and not a bad one, too. But this is why it was such an important and milestone breakthrough moment for Guerin to finally tell Alex ‘no’. It had nothing to do with them not loving each other enough, or not fighting strong enough for one another. It definitely had nothing to do with Maria at that point. It came down to Michael, through his grief and powerful emotions, finally understanding that they both needed to grow first. Unfortunately, separately.

He was right in saying that at that point in their lives, they weren’t good for one another. He wanted to be good for somebody, and Alex wasn’t ready yet, not really. He had to come out of his shell completely first, to let himself get burn a little every once and awhile. Otherwise he’d always end up leaving, and one day, in this way or another, it’d finally be too much for Michael. That would be something they’d never come back from.

Do I wish that we could’ve avoided some unnecessary drama in s2? Heck, yes. But all those strange writing choices and even stranger plot, led to a genuine healing and character’s growth with Malex.

Hope I answered your question and take care!

[24-05txt]

Can I something for Lost & Found? I scroll past it in by bookmarks all the time and I'm eager for more!

Ogh, man, Lost and found... (Wip ask game!!)

See what I'm struggling with there is that I got a good bit into chapter 2 while on a flight to somewherecan'tremember and lost like. All of it. Because I closed the app for too long and the lack of connectivity ate it!!! Even though it was supposed to be fine!! Moral of the story is never trust technology (said by the IT major). Obviously my reaction was to pout about it forever.

Anyway I did get moving on chapter 2 again, but while I was sulking I wrote ahead a little bit (as I am prone to do) and thus have the content. I debated on not giving spoilers and then decided I don't care and I'm really excited to share this snippet so!!! Have some retrospective from Simon (not Ghost).

Some other info before that in case anyone is interested: I did finally decide what Ghost and Soap's relationship is in this and its [?????]. Like almost an established relationship and since this is from Ghost's pov he's obviously whipped, and if Soap isn't equally whipped then he's at least encouraging Ghost, but aside from Ghost's internal monologue of being disgustingly in love 24-7 and constantly on the verge of sloppy makeouts they still haven't kissed or anything like. Explicitly romantic. So take that as you will. I've also decided how they met/what the home situation is!! So I'm excited. They were really the only unknowns here because Simon is. Well he's an OC and also I'm playing him in a TTRPG, so I know exactly where he came from and what he's doing (trying not to die.)

Anyway, nearly 1k below the cut and aside from mentions of violence and implied neglect of a child I don't think there's anything to watch out for here :3 lmk if I'm wrong. Enjoy!

Simon tries really hard to be a good kid, is the thing.

It's not, like, a complex or anything—at least he doesn't think it is. He doesn't remember ever having it drilled into him by Dad; it's just something that has always made sense. He never understood when the twins or Maria or whatever-her-name-was hawked on Lights or Cyclops for stupid shit like their fears or looks. That's why he wasn't sad to see Maria die.

Which—okay yeah, a little fucked up, but that doesn't make him a bad kid. Maria even deserved it when Athena snapped her neck. Probably. He's not clear on the moral aspect of it, doesn't know enough about murder or homicide or whatever to pass judgment on whether or not Maria's death was just. But he's a good kid, he knows it. The adults in the community would say it all the time—his dad, too. 'You're a good kid, Simon,' whenever he picked up after himself or did his chores or won a rugby game or finished his homework. Not that he's a suck-up—was a suck-up, not that he was a suck-up. He needs to say 'was' now, since most of the adults are dead and he doesn't even know where his dad is.

But, you know, it's fine. Simon's a good kid, and he kept the house clean while his dad was away, even when the weeks stretched on long enough to make him start to wonder. Not doubt, he doesn't—didn't—doubt his dad. He's seventeen now, and he's never had that 'rebel' phase he's heard of through adults; it's sort of a point of pride—or it was sort of a point of pride. He supposes breaking into his dad's office with his friends to steal maps and old family photos counts as rebellious. So, maybe he just didn't have a rebel phase until that.

He's just also a little lost, is the issue. Literally lost, not in the metaphorical sense where he needs to go on some inner journey. He needs to find his dad. His dad, who apparently did not leave for a scouting trip and instead went looking for Simon's mom—who isn't dead, like they had both thought. At least, Simon had thought that.

He doesn't know what his dad thought anymore; his dad didn't so much as leave a note to let Simon know where he was off to. Those three weeks spent cleaning and taking care of the house in his absence feel a lot less mundane and a lot more foreboding, in retrospect. Would he have still gone to class and done his chores if he'd known what his dad was doing? Probably, because he's a good kid. (So why not tell him?)

But it probably doesn't matter now, since it's done and in the past. Lots of things about Simon's previously comfortable life are ending up in the past-tense now, simply because they no longer apply or can't apply the same way. But Simon is a good kid. Present tense. Is. Because he's still trying really hard to be one. It's harder, though, when no one is telling him what is good to do and he has to think for himself. He has to think for other people too—for Coda and Leaf and Irix and Shaq (and Lights and Tunes and Cyclops and Athena), who are all years younger than him and in need of protective guidance.

Simon's not so good at guiding—leaving the community had pretty quickly brought to his attention that he'd spent most of his life just listening to what people told him—but he can protect. He was on the rugby team, he knows how to push people around, and back when Dad would stay at home they used to go hunting, so he knows how to shoot a gun.

But that brings him back to the 'lost' issue; he can't protect any of them if they're separated. He didn't mean to get lost in the storm. He'd just wanted to help and make sure everyone got in the vehicle, didn't even know that wind could blow so strong that it'd pick him up.

Apparently it can, and it did, and he woke up on the roof of a building with scrapes on his palms and dirt in his ears, and absolutely no sense of direction. He'd cried a little, then. Maybe it was childish, but it had been a rough couple of days—between cannibals and raiders and storms (and zombies and corpses and)—so he cut himself some slack for throwing a bit of a shitfit when he discovered he'd chipped a front tooth.

(The fact that none of the girls were around to see it and all the other jocks who would have made fun of him were probably dead did briefly make him feel a little better, and then a whole lot worse.)

A day after that is when he found the soldiers—Ghost and Soap. He hadn't really met any adults with names like his peers before but for all the firsts he was having, this one barely clocked.

They were... cool. They reminded him of comic book characters with their velcro pouches and shawls and masks and sleek guns. Sure, he might’ve pointed a gun at Ghost, but he's self-aware enough to know that he wouldn't have been able to shoot—at least not while Ghost was being decent toward him. Coda and Athena have killed people, Simon hasn't. (Generally good kids don't kill people, but he has a feeling there are exceptions to the rule, so he would like to make the distinction.)

[psylockexs]

Down to business Pt. 1

Once Taeyang and Minho had freshened up for the morning, Lorelei asked everyone to join her at the table in the main area. What had originally been a rebellious plot was turning out to be much more serious. It also didn't help that Lore's friend and a human had become embroiled in the plot. To add insult to injury, the group had no idea what Olive's intentions were, what Maria's goal really was and who had been potentially leaking info to Maria. It was time to get serious.

https://on.soundcloud.com/Qrn8t6dKTnCAvJKB9

Wednesday morning, 10:30am

Everyone was awake and seated around the large table in the main room. Minho sat next to Tae and Lorelei, his mind racing as to how they were going to resolve this huge ass mess. Taeyang, on the other hand, sat at the end of the table. He felt out of place being the only normal one among this band of impossible beings 🤭.

To add to the list, he was greeted with a wall of symbols on Mikhail's chest. Tae wasn't sure if everyone was conspiring against him, or if Mikhail was playing some sort of game. Poor guy had no idea where to put his eyes 😆.

Niko wasn't sure what Mik's game was either, but then again...it wasn't the first time someone had captivated the vampire's attention. Besides, Niko wanted to get some 1-on-1 time with Taeyang himself. If there really was something peculiar about him, Niko hoped to sniff it out.

Lorelei demanded everyone's attention...

Lore: Right. To start off, Minho. Taeyang. I gotta say, sorry you guys got dragged into this. We didn't bank on being targeted like this but then...I underestimated my mother.

Min: It's ok, Lore. One way or another, you'd have had to deal with this so better now than later.

Tae: We can handle it.

Lore: Good. With that in mind, it means we all are gonna have to pull our weight. The tarot card deck we've been looking for is half completed, but we've hit a very big snag. Two actually. The first one: Olive Specter draining Morgyn of his energy, and second one: My mother gathering intel on us.

Mik: We already know Maria compromised the motel Minho and Tae were at, but how the hell did she know about it?

Tae: Mmhm. Far as I know, Minho only ever told you guys about where we were staying. We don't know anyone here.

Morg: clears throat One person springs to mind...

They all look at him

Morg: Lore, do you remember the young woman you met with Olive when we first came here?

Lore: her eyebrows raise Yes. Ramona, right?

Morg: Yes, her. I feel that we've underestimated her because we don't see her around much. But that's the problem. If we don't see her, she might be watching from a distance. She might even be spying for Maria and Olive.

Mik: But why for both?

Morg: Maria can't give Ramona what she wants. Olive can. And if Ramona gets all our secrets, we gather the deck for Olive.

Lore: her face darkens ...and then she'd only need me to complete it....

Min: What do you mean?

Lorelei recounts what Nyon told her the other night

Mik: That's...not good.

Lore: If this is so, we need a new course of action then.

Mik: Lorelei, I think you should continue to gather up the cards. Make it look like nothing's changed. I've got my own things to research which will tie into this thing as a whole. Morgyn, you stay put and use your powers as little as possible. I still don't know what Olive left behind when she drained you. Minho, can you handle Ramona?

Min: I might have to get dirty in order to do so. If you ask me, she needs to be taken off of the playing board.

Mik: Then so be it. We don't have time to be merciful here. Any objections?

Everyone agrees with what Mikhail put forward

Mik: Then with that, let's get a move on. Time is ticking.

The group dispersed from the table, eager to get started on their tasks. Niko remained there until everyone left. There was much he himself was confused about, and Tae was at the center of these questions.

[thesunshinebunny]

Can I request “You’re supposed to be washing my hair, but this feels more like a massage.” with Eren (mainly short haired Eren) where Female!Reader bathes him in the bathtub? Thanks!

Before starting, I comment that this was based on 18yo Canon Eren, he still had medium short hair, so I can carry out this order.

Enjoy

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Months passed in peace. No confrontations, no fights, no invasion or titans. At last our home was at peace, and with that peace came many discoveries, including a small pond surrounded by a lush forest northeast of Wall Maria, but still far from the sea.

It’s in that pond where Eren found calm to his mind and I was there, to dispel any intrusive thoughts in that calm. Today was one of those days where we escaped to relax in the sweet, clear waters of our little paradise.

The intention was to take a little dip before sunset, but here we were, surrounded in each other's arms, admiring how the sky was turning orange and very slowly blue. Levi-taichou was surely going to repress us big time when we got back. With the passage of time, we were able to see multiple pairs of animals accompanying us, drinking water or cooling off for a few seconds before continuing their way through the forest.

My hands roamed up Eren's shoulders to his nape and the rebellious hair that was growing out. I really liked this new style of his and encouraged him to grow it.

“You're playing with my hair again”

He gave me a mischievous smile before wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer to him. His lips connected with the hollow of my neck, I let out a small moan as my fingers intertwined with the strands of his neck, going up the root of him and giving him small caresses on it.

“I can't help it, it's nice to the touch”

“If you like it so much, why don't you do me a favor and wash it? I'll wash yours later”

He grabbed my hand and led me to one end of the pond, stepping between my legs and turning his back to me so he could start my gimmick on his hair.

My fingers ran through the soft strands of him again, stroking one by one. Every now and then, a hand dipped into the water and gently pulled it over his head, returning my fingers to his hair. My movements became slow and I stopped worrying about washing it properly. The soft strands of him made a nice sensation on my hands and I was getting intoxicated on it.

“You’re supposed to be washing my hair, but this feels more like a massage”

His voice took me out of my reverie but didn't stop me from continuing to caress him.

"Sorry, I got carried away"

Eren turned around and captured my hands in his. His gaze met mine and I could see, for the first time in many months, though a tired gaze, it was full of tenderness.

His lips were directed towards mine, I could feel the softness and delicacy that this kiss impregnated. His hands cupped my cheeks, making circular movements with his thumbs on my cheekbones, I wrapped my arms around his neck, savoring the sweet moment that our little paradise along with the first rays of the moon gave us.

Undoubtedly, my fingers went back to his neck, getting a smile between the kiss. Eren brought his hands to my hair, copying my movements, we both plunged further into our kiss, letting ourselves be carried away until the moon touched its highest point in the sky.

Needless to say, when we got back to our rooms in the early morning, a furious Levi was waiting for us and ready to kick our butts until doomsday.

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Prompt Eren list Ask box open

[lovecolibri]

because i'm still and forever salty about it alex manes anti maria deluca anti 2x06 yeah that truck scene just came off as so manipulative and gross already and then to have maria weaponize that info and everything else she knows with her psychic senses to get sex from someone she admitted to having a crush on and was upset to find was no longer an option?! -This! I cannot get over this. It’s so wrong. It upsets me whenever I think about it.

Yeah, that truck scene was clearly meant to be the set up for what happened later but like....all it did was make it even MORE clear that a) m*ria knew/knows about Alex's complicated relationship with his sexuality due to abuse and trauma (and sidebar, I always thought it was weird they just now bring up Alex supposedly being with other women when it was previously made pretty clear he was out (or at least outed) in high school and that his dad knew when he was much younger and punk/emo teen Alex doesn't strike me as the type to waste time fooling around with rando women he doesn't like just to conform to what people might have expected of him. It doesn't fit with that rebellious attitude and makes that scene feel even more contrived to force the threesome to "make sense") that b) m*ria was fishing for information and already working on manipulating Alex, and c) it establishes that m*ria has been totally avoiding Michael so now we have Alex again doing the emotional labor for her relationship with Michael, and it further confuses the reasoning as to why she's so hell bent on wanting Michael to choose her over Alex, because she's not even on speaking terms with Michael at this point. All that scene did was make m*ria look even more conniving and manipulative, made it even more clear that she was using both Michael and Alex, and that Alex is deeply traumatized and is then further traumatized by what happened. How this episode was even greenlit astounds me and I hope nothing but eternally happiness and blessings on the person who leaked that interview early so people didn't go into that episode blind. Could you even imagine?

[tundrainafrica]

1) about the social class headcanon that you write, that’s actually makes sense, but isn’t exactly what i meant. According to Isayama, Hange when she was young looked very much like Eren in the way of acting (even more with the titans), and (this part I am not sure if it is true) she lost her family at the fall of the maria wall. Eren looked like a rebellious teenager angry at everything, and recently I found out that depression in teenagers and children tends to manifest itself that way

2) (anger and rebellion), well, we know Eren was depressed (it only got worse with time) but what about Hange? seems to me she learned to hide her feelings so it wouldn't be between her and her job. We don't know her past, she probably didn't grow up in a violent place like Levi but it doesn't mean that her life was all joy and happiness you know.. 

---------------------------------------------   MY ANSWER   --------------------------------------

Hello Anon, 

Thank you again for your ask! Woops, sorry if I didn’t answer your  questions. I answered those two asks in a row so I ended up just building off of the last one. 

I don’t think it was ever confirmed if Hange lost her family at the fall of Wall Maria. I did some research and couldn’t find stuff on my end. If you could send me some on that, I’d love to read it.

I am aware at least that no one’s life is all joy or happiness. I think there is a difference though with growing up without ever having to consider your next meal and living in abject poverty. 

There are people who have had time to be a child and there are people who haven’t. So I think to a degree, Hange had more of a childhood than Levi. And a normal childhood is incredibly important for every single child. The early years are crucial because that’s where children build wonder, curiosity. That’s one of the psychological reasons behind children’s books. They make everything so fantastical to heighten the senses of the children. Because in fact, children only get full control of their senses later in life. Before they are even able to make sense of everything, everything is just a huge bubble or conglomeration of senses. That’s why children are so perceptive, imaginative and quick to learn things like languages. Their view of the world isn’t set yet by the rules and norms of the society they live in. 

That’s why asking children questions and exposing them to so many different things at a young age and providing for them is important. Children need to see the wonder of the world while not having to consider their next meal, their danger. A childhood is generally where curiosity and imaginative thinking is most easily built. 

And that’s why I say, that Hange somehow is a lot more curious, sees a lot more wonder than Levi. Similar to Erwin, he had a pretty comfortable existence, he went to a good school, he had a father who engaged him and that’s why Erwin was able to think beyond what was within the walls. Same for both Eren and Armin. Eren had his father who probably fed him some info and Armin had his parents books and his parents who were curious enough to build that hot air balloon

And, I know about that scene in the manga that explained that it was the lightness of the titan head that got Hange curious about titans. I think kicking the titan head was a good catalyst for titan research but I suspect that even before that, Hange was curious about the outside world. Hange’s interest extends beyond titans for sure because it was confirmed by Isayama already that Hange would have been studying botany outside the walls if it wasn’t for the titans. Also, the way Hange is handling the new world where she’s constantly on top of developments in Paradis etc, also shows that titans are only one facet of her scientist personality.

Besides, if she didn’t have that wonder and curiosity about the outside world, I don’t think she would have done something as ridiculous as join the survey corps in the first place.

“Eren looked like a rebellious teenager angry at everything, and recently I found out that depression in teenagers and children tends to manifest itself that way”

Although depression can manifest itself in anger, similar to Eren’s probably, there’s no exact formula for how humans react to anything. It’s incredibly complex that the field of psychology (or any other field) is just a conglomerate of people and a bunch of reports and the people trying to make sense of all the results of the experiments they made. This is particularly true in the social sciences where any findings won’t point to anything as exact as those in the pure sciences.  

Anger and rebellion could also stem from someone having grown up in a rich family with strict rules on how to go about this and that is generally how it fits into my head canon. Someone can have a good relationship with their family while at the same time have qualms about how they were raised. To be honest, I’m probably the same way. I grew up in a relatively well off family, I was a generally angry teenager but I admittedly have a generally positive relationship with my family. 

Okay to tackle the issue on depression

 <Trigger Warning on Depression>

I don’t want to be quick as to define any action or any emotional analysis as depression. Depression is an incredibly complex subject, there are biological causes, life events and it manifests itself in so many different ways. So many different ways in fact, that people are rarely diagnosed with just depression. There are always diagnoses which accompany it. 

To be honest, I went through a period in time also where I was considering ending it. I was sleeping a lot. I quit everything. I went straight home from school. Barely talked to anyone.  I talked to a counselor about it, then a therapist but it took them months before they wanted to give the diagnosis of depression. I actually never pushed through with the sessions after a while, got busy with school and eventually, this cleared up on its own weirdly. I’ll never know actually if I was depressed during that period in time. Was I going through very stressful life events, definitely. Were my answers to the tests they were giving me alarming then? Probably. They could have pointed to depression. But I generally got past it and am generally a happier person now without much intervention. So was it even considered depression? I’ll never know. Some people who are probably much stronger than me needed interventions to stay functional. They needed to make radical life decisions, like move out from their parents place, change their courses to keep going. They needed meds to keep functioning everyday. 

Depression is a complex and  terrifying condition and manifests itself in so many different ways. In fact, talking to some friends who really watched their life spiral down because of this shitty condition. Towards the later stages of depression, they weren’t even feeling anything anymore. 

Could Hange have been experiencing symptoms similar to depression? Definitely. General teenage anger and hormones can manifest as symptoms of depression. Grief can manifest with symptoms of  depression. Loss can manifest with symptoms of depression. Trauma can manifest with symptoms of depression. Hange will have experienced a lot of things that 

Note : Also Eren’s depression? I honestly think given the experiences he had, inheriting the founding titan and inheriting centuries worth of trauma, I think his experience is beyond fathomable for the average person so I chalk that as completely something else. 

Okay, to answer your question, Hange was probably not in the best mental state late into Season 4. 

Of course she wasn’t, she lost Moblit, she lost Erwin and suddenly she was pulled into a place with so much responsibility. And she was probably suffering from a case of survivor’s guilt on top of that.

Hiding emotions comes down a lot to discipline, self control and the general strength of your inhibitions.. Emotions are manageable like I could say, I have successfully stopped myself many times from punching someone in the face. Someone’s ability to stop themselves from acting on impulses, someone’s ability to manage their inhibitions is dependent on numerous factors like home environment etc. It is also dependent on the context of that moment where someone has to choose between punching someone in the face or walking away, on the context of that moment where people choose between lying in bed and letting the day go by and standing up and plastering a smile on their face. I guess, that’s the point I wanted to make in a previous post. If Hange did grow up rich, she probably found it a little easier, to plaster a smile on her face because not ever having to experience desperation at an early age, coming to the realization that you’ve had it easier than a lot of people growing up, can do that to people. 

But yes, towards the end of season 4, she was going through something. She was struggling, despite her smiling face. But really, in attack on titan, who is happy post chapter 122? Like I cannot think of a single person in that manga who is happy at that point. Please tell me if you can think of anyone. 

Would I chalk up Hange’s true feelings to depression?

Manifestations of depression maybe? Post traumatic stress? Stress with little time to process anything or rest? Exhaustion? Not being in the best mental state? Maybe.

I wouldn’t use the word depression definitely. 

Depression is an incredibly heavy world with so many implications. In fact, it’s a medical condition which needs to be diagnosed thus, I wouldn’t use that at all to describe anyone’s situation unless they have had multiple consultations with multiple doctors and have been laid a final diagnosis. 

I hope this clears things up.

Thank you for the ask again. I appreciate it :D

[bluedemiknight]

Dad AU

-------

Part 2

-----

Although it didn't seem like she was fond of her dad, he was never great at raising her, she loved him. They had their arguments as much as they had their agreements.

No matter how rebellious she became and no matter how much she's tried to distance herself, she didn't want him gone.

He still seemed to love her and never stopped trying to connect with her.

What he didn't know is why she was mirroring him. If only he had someone to talk to, but he had no real options. Rouge had no kids and Omega had no experience with kids.

Every one else he knew where too young to have kids. Well, there was Miss Vanilla, but Cream would tell her little friends all about his visit.

Not to mention Amy was dating the big hero of the whole universe, Sonic the Hedgehog.

He, Shadow, did not like that kid the first time they met and all those other times.

Shadow never liked thinking about his origins and how he ended up on Mobius. He had been on the ARK with his daughter to visit Maria's memorial.

When Eggman showed up and used his hurt over her to help him. Amy had been asleep at the time. He put her in a cryopod to keep her out of it.

Sonic misunderstood him and thought Amy had been kidnapped. It didn't help that neither he or Eggman cleared anything up, Eggman had no clue she was on the ARK and lied about it.

---------

That was all in the past now. Amy never told Sonic, her boyfriend, why she was on the ARK. He forgot all about it in the first place, so why bring it up?

They had been shaky for some time now; things getting worse with his new friend, a bird Mobian, named Hana Lii.

Hana Lii seemed to be nice to Tails and tried to get along with Amy, but Amy hadn't been one to open up quickly.

She spent most of her time focused on Sonic; Amy wanted to bring her concerns up with him. She didn't.

Amy tried to trust Sonic's character. She should have trusted her sense of mistrust of Hana Lii. She kissed Sonic right when she saw them one day.

---------

Amy was devastated and cried in her dad's arms. He had never seen his daughter so distraught. He vowed to get revenge on the rat that did this to her.

So when Eggman showed up in front of him. He took the offer.

----------

"I was never fond of you, ugly rat, but now? I can't even trust you with the chaos-chips. Had them over and I might not beat so hard."

"Of course you would go to the dark side, Shadow. I knew old guys can't learn."

Shadow scoffed at the pathetic insult. It didn't even faze him.

"Is that all you got? You truly are hopeless. You can't even keep a relationship."

Sonic glared at him, spin dashing at him. Shadow easily dodged. The race began.

"Would you cut that out? What happened was an accident and has nothing to do with you!"

"It has everything to do with me!"

"What are you talking about?"

Shadow said nothing as he punched Sonic in the nose. He watched Sonic fall without grace. Tails and Knuckles were preoccupied with a few Eggman robots to be able to help.

Shadow walked closer to get the Chaos-chips. Color coded microchips with hidden mysteries deep inside. Before he could take the green and yellow chips, Hana Lii flew in, in front of him.

"Hana Lii!"

"You. Tacky bird. Get out of my way or you'll feel sorry."

"Sorry, I can't do that mister~"

Hana Lii took the chips and dodged Shadow's attack. He growled at her.

"Good job, now go-"

Hana Lii laughed. An amused glint in her eyes.

"Do you really think I'm on your side?"

Sonic frowned.

"You....."

"That's right~ I work for Eggman."

"But that does make sense! Shadow's on your side.", pipes up Tails.

"But don't you think it's a little weird I was a prisoner of Eggman when I had no benefit to him that way? I was just there until you reused me, right?"

"But.... Why did you-"

"Sonic Sonic Sonic.... you think I liked you? That I didn't know you had a girlfriend? Of course I knew! Eggman told me. I knew she was going to be there that day, because I lured her there pretending to be you!"

"Urgh, I still don't get-"

"My daughter.", Shadow interrupted.

Sonic looked at him in confusion.

"What???"

Shadow shook in rage.

"You did this to my daughter! You're responsible for this!"

Hana Lii gleefully fluttered a round Shadow's sloppy hits. His anger getting in the way. Soaking up the raw emotions with amusement.

"If it makes you feel any better, I apologized to her."

"Stay away from my daughter!"

Rouge stopped Hana Lii from flying a way. She ripped her jetpack off and Knuckles smashed it to pieces. Rouge sat on her to keep the tall but scrawny bird pinned.

"Now that we have a breather..... Tell me, Shadow, what the actual fxck are you screaming about? You never told me you had a daughter."

--------

Bye for now.

[blushing-starker]

I keep making different versions of the same trope. So I now have fifty starker moodboards. Ten are mob au's and I'm starting to get suspicious here. I think seeing RDJ bloodied inspired them all. That or talking with @starkermoodboards and @heyimstarker . Both are plausible.

Technically, Peter and Tony aren't supposed to meet until their 21'st birthday. The mafia was clear on this: you didn't interact with your future rivals until it was time to inherit the throne in order to ensure no wars broke out because of a squabble in the sandbox. The Italians kept to the 'high end' places of New York, the British had control over Queens. The Irish, Americans and Russians also had their own sectors. The big Apple, sliced into five pieces. It was the only way the city could be divided, if it was to survive and become a thriving metropolis. Five clans fighting for dominance would just lead to carnage.

The potential heirs of each family were to be taught in schools inside the community and none left for business meetings conducted in other districts. It was imperative that they learn how to rule their people first, and prohibiting the next generation leaders from crossing enemy lines helped guarantee their safety. But the Stark and Parker boys were rebellious by nature, and nothing could stop them from exploring the city they called home.

They met in a diner situated in the neutral zone, bodies hidden by hoodies and sunglasses. Fury, the owner of the best place in the city to get a hamburger, took one look at them and pointed to a corner booth. There, dressed exactly like them, were the other heirs. Natasha Romanova, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Bruce Banner, and Thor and Loki Odinson.

Nat and Clint had met years ago, too addicted to jumping from trains and sneaking out for late night raids to kill each other when their paths crossed the first time. Becoming a shadow was much easier if someone with the same daredevil instincts had your back. They knew every dark alley, tucked away sewer and crack in the pavement.

The Russians had two heirs, Natasha was a pureblood while Bucky was a cause for debate. Legally, his birthplace was Brooklyn, but the Russians had adopted him and claimed him as his own. While Natasha was treated as a princess, the white wolf was seen only as her slightly important bodyguard. Many believed he should have no claim to the throne, the majority saw the young man as Plan B. Should Nat die, he would take her place as leader. The Americans mocked this situation even when they, too, had two heirs.

Clint and Bruce were cousins, though the family encouraged them to act as brothers. It did not work. They loved the other, would kill and die for them. But the personalities of a hunter and a scientist didn't exactly fit. Which is why Bruce had no problem with Clint spending more time with Nat than with him. How could he deny his cousin such company when he was falling for Nat and knew just how addictive she was?

Due to the relationship between the Russian and the American heirs, one would think Bucky and Bruce got along swimmingly. It was less than that, but nothing hostile. They acted as buffers with their family members, Bucky gently scolding Nat when she wanted to see a band with Clint on a tension wraught week and Bruce shoving a bow and arrow into his cousin's hands when he hadn't seen his best friend in days. If the possibility for a coffee break was there, they'd take it and exchange complaints about the redheads in their lives. It was a simple arrangement that saved them, and their clans, from too much trouble.

The person Bucky got along with the most was Steve. Because Bucky had been adopted while a young child, he and the Gaelic speaking blonde were the only ones who'd met before the their birthdays. Their familiarity and love for each other lead to their clans having a reliable relationship. Steve would stay with Bucky in the Romanova mansion every three weeks. Once his turn had passed for the month, his counterpart would stay at the Rogers' home. Nat was not supposed to interact with Steve, but she considered Bucky a brother and they would often hang out with the spunky teenager whenever they got the chance.

Thor and Loki weren't from the city, their district was far away and no wars would erupt because of them interacting with the five clans. Odin was an arms dealer selling weapons to all the families so as to level the playing field. The brothers were the only common link between the heirs. It was irrelevant whether or not they teased Nat on her red hair, tickled Bruce, fought with Barton or helped Steve tackle Bucky to the ground.

The Brits and the Italians were the ones to suffer most from strained affairs and thinly veiled insults. Yes, they got along splendidly with the other clans, but it was because of their families that all heirs could not interact until they were deemed mature enough to lead their communities. Robert Parker had fallen in love with Maria Stark while they were in high school. Back then, one could take classes with members from other sectors for it was encouraged to forge friendships and alliances. The bonds born during those early years would in the end benefit New York. After all, if the mobs were happy, then the whole city was happy. Howard Stark was certainly not happy to learn another man yearned for Maria.

The subsequent fight over her led to such a rift between the two factions that when their time to rule came, they had decided to avoid interaction with their rival until one of them apologized. But no apology came and their negativity began affecting the other three families.

It had taken nearly two decades of cajoling, scolding and threatening the Stark's and Parker's to guarantee that no wars would ever be inspired by a problem involving love and broken hearts. It would be easier for clan members to interact and be with fellows clan members.

To soothe ruffled feathers and prevent them from being ruffled in the future, the age law was passed.

The future leaders had heard horrible things about their rivals for years, but that spring afternoon, laughing with other teenagers that just wanted to have fun and friends, every single one of them realized that their parents had gotten it wrong. One bad apple in the blanket doesn't mean the rest are also rotten. Sure, it was a bit uncomfortable to be faced with opposing perspectives and having to explain the reality of each family's situation. But it helped them understand the screwed up politics that were in place, showed the heirs that peace was possible if communication and compassion were present during their interactions.

Communication and compassion weren't to be found when Howard and Robert discovered their sons were in love.

(Although he was a first generation American, Peter was seen as British because of his family tree. He'd visited England a few times, but his home was in Queens. It's something he can talk about with Bucky, the feeling of belonging in two worlds simultaneously.)

@starkerflowers @starkermoodboards @heyimstarker

[captainsassmanes]

Part 4 to this

Michael woke up feeling like he’d been hit in the head with a hammer. His mouth was so dry it took effort to remove his tongue from the roof of his mouth. Refusing to open his eyes, he buried his head further into the pillows, remembering where he was and choosing to stay in the safety of Alex’s scent for just a little while longer.

The sound of nails tapping against cardboard had his eyes snapping open.

Maria looked beautiful, if not a little tired. The sunlight was streaming in through the blinds, painting her golden, glowing where she sat. Michael lay clutching the blanket while he scanned through every excuse he could think of to explain what she was seeing, why he was there.

“You’re a mess.”

Her voice was calm, but her eyes were sad as she stared at him, making his cheeks flush red. He could only imagine what he looked like.

All he could do was nod and force himself to shuffle into a seated position. He kept his eyes on his hands, fidgeting with the oversized blue comforter, sweaty curls sticking to the back of his neck.

He cleared his throat and risked a quick glance at Maria who remained unmoved with the same, even expression. “How did you know where to find me?”

Sipping her coffee, she tilted her head and licked her lips. “Liz called me. She said you ran out of the diner, really upset. We searched all over last night, tried a few of your regular spots. Kyle suggested this place.”

Michael scoffed. “Traitor.”

Maria shook her head. “Not really. It was like pulling fucking teeth to get it out of him.”

The corner of his mouth lifted, imagining Valenti having a moral dilemma on his behalf.

“Doesn’t explain why you’re here, though.”

Michael wasn’t ready for the conversation. He was exhausted and confused but still riding an underlying buzz of fear. Without time to prepare and with Maria’s dark eyes trying to dig into his soul, the truth was the only option.

“Alex left. Again.”

Maria nodded, the set of her mouth relaxing some.

“I didn’t want him to go.”

She leaned over placing her hand on his arm, gently moving her thumb back and forth over the muscle there. “Me neither. None of us did, babe.”

Michael shook his head. He couldn’t think of the right words, couldn’t figure out how to say what he was feeling. Frustration clawed at his insides.

“But you lied to me.”

He held his breath and looked to Maria whose hand still rested on his arm, albeit with a slightly tighter grip. “For years now you’ve made it seem as though you and Alex had a high school thing, hooked up a few times on and off over the years.”

“We did!”

“But that wasn’t all, Michael.” He lost the eye contact, anxiety creeping up his spine. “When I realized I had feelings for you, I beat myself up for weeks. Weeks! I went back and forth, turned it over and over in my head. I wanted to be happy, to have someone in my life who loved me, who wanted me, who took care of me now and then. But how could I do that to Alex? How could I risk losing my best friend?”

She put her coffee down on the bedside table, hands visibly shaking as she regained her composure. “I made my choices, but I used your bullshit as a comfort, Michael. I was able to hide behind the fact that Alex’s feelings for you were one sided, had been for a long time. That you didn’t love him, you loved me, and he’d eventually get over it. Like you did.”

A tear landed on his arm where Maria’s hand had rested moments before. He stared at the wetness, spreading, making the hair on his arm a shade darker.

“You loved him. You still do.”

Michael wiped the dampness on his arm onto the blanket, sniffing and willing away a sudden wave of nausea.

Long, lean fingers pulled at his t-shirt. He watched Maria’s face brighten with a smile. “I bought him this. Gave it to him when he came back home for the first time, years ago. Stupid gag gift.” Michael looked down noticing the shirt he grabbed last night had a picture of a smoking Martian with the caption your planet or mine?

He groaned before tossing his head back and covering his eyes with his arms.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what, Michael? For which part?”

Banging his head lightly against the headboard, he mumbled, “for hurting you. For denying the truth. For letting everything get so out of hand. For letting everyone down. Again.”

The room was quiet, Michael’s breathing and the birds happily chirping outside the only noises to be heard.

“Why propose?”

Michael smiled. “Because I love you. You make me happy.”

Maria shook her head. “That makes no sense.”

He sat up higher and twisted his body to see her clearly. “You’re amazing and I’m lucky you ever looked at me twice. I’ve been happy, Maria. You made me happy.”

Maria bit her lip as a tear slid down her cheek, mascara drawing a line in its stead. “I was happy, too. But I’m no one’s second choice.”

He reached out and wiped away her tear. “I’m so sorry, Maria. My history with him is so…complicated. I don’t even know-”

“When I was little, I thought I was gonna marry Alex. Did I ever tell you that?”

Michael chuckled, relieved by the interruption and shook his head.

Maria smiled, too, pushing away another stray tear and wiping her hand on her skirt. “Yeah. I thought he was perfect. Smart but rebellious. Handsome but with his own style. There was no one else like Alex. He was amazing. Is amazing.”

She leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees. “He told me, months ago when this all started, that he couldn’t be angry with me for falling for you. He said it was easy.”

Michael blinked, surprised that Alex would say such a thing. Maria rolled her eyes. “I don’t know that I would say that but…”

They both laughed, Michael’s chest filled with warmth for them both.

“Michael?”

“Hmm?”

“It’s easy to fall for Alex Manes, too.” She slid her hand into his and tucked a piece of paper between his fingers before she stood and grabbed her coffee, throwing her purse over her shoulder.

He turned it over and realized it was a photo, printed on ordinary paper, worn and fuzzy. Michael couldn’t remember taking it, but it was the two of them, him and Alex, faces too close to the camera, but all smiles with their eyes closed in laughter, happiness radiating from them both.

“Where did you get this?”

Maria tipped her head. “I was looking for a tissue. It was in the drawer. Next to his bed.”

Michael’s mouth fell open, but he quickly closed it, biting his lip hard to hold back the sob threatening to burst out.

“You’re an asshole, Guerin. Stay away from the Pony for a while, alright? I need time.”

Michael nodded, that familiar feeling of regret and shame pulling at his throat.

“Now get your ass out of that bed. Shower, shave and put some clean clothes on. If you’re not on the road for Texas in the next hour, I’ll call Isobel.”

She turned, moving toward the door, but stopped suddenly. “If you hurt him anymore, I’ll kill you.”

With that she was out the door.

Michael allowed himself ten minutes to cry. Cry for the end of his relationship, for hurting Maria, for deceiving so many people, himself included. For losing Alex.

But he got his ass up, dried his tears with that ridiculous alien shirt and did exactly as DeLuca told him to.

[hargrove-mayfields]

Through the Lonely Throng

It’s impossible to sleep at night with so much noise.

The woods in Hawkins are filled with it, and from his window in the white house at 5280 Cherry Lane, Billy Hargrove can hear every last screeching katydid and snapping branch and the leaves rustling so loud when the wind blew.

Things were so much different back home in San Francisco, where the sounds of the night were distant and more like white noise. Then he could hear distant cars, their tires smooth on pavement, and the sounds of the ocean if he listened hard enough. He missed that more than anything.

Indiana was so much more, suffocating. The noise overwhelmed him in a way the bustling city life of Cali never had, and he knew that didn’t make a whole lot of sense. But it did to him, in a city that was actually made up of more than middle of nowhere neighborhoods and a few corner stores, he had his room to breathe. There was freedom in having somewhere to hide.

There used to be places to go when he couldn’t stand to be alone or when he needed to be, there was always an escape. He supposed that was why they moved here, so his father could keep better tabs on him, so he wouldn’t have the liberty he did in a developed city.

Now in Hawkins, he was just stuck, all the time, nowhere to go but back home again. Every single day was the same old thing without anything to do, and it was wearing down on him. He missed the life he used to have, missed his friends and the distractions and his fucking mom. Indiana was the last place on earth he wanted to be.

Everytime Billy thought there might be a silver lining, anything at all to look forward to, his hopes were shattered again like glass when you dropped it, only he never seemed to hit the ground. Constantly in a downward spiral since he’d stepped foot in this shithole town, his life had gotten so far out of his own control.

He’d already done so many things he regretted, but the thing was, he felt like he’d been watching from the backseat as it happened. The isolation and torment of the new way he’d been forced to live was breaking him down piece by piece, and everyday he became more and more like his dear old dad.

Staring out the window by his bed, a plume of smoke drifting up towards the twinkling stars from a cigarette between his fingers, he felt so, so uneasy. With himself, for all that he’d done, and the people he’d hurt, with his father, for uprooting him and putting him in this tiny box, deliberately bringing out the nastiest parts of his temper, and fucking Hawkins, for keeping him cornered and taking away everything he ever held dear.

The tears on his cheeks weren’t a surprise, he’d always been a stupidly emotional person, no matter how tough he tried to be. His momma told him that meant he was strong, that any boy who wasn’t afraid to show his emotions was very brave. Look where that got him.

Speaking of his momma, she’d been on his mind a lot lately. The idea that, had she not just drove off without him he wouldn’t be here now, it haunted him. He could’ve been happy, if she’d chosen him, chosen her baby over a life of freedom. She’d said once over the phone that she’d come back when he was older, that you couldn’t run fast enough with an eight year old, but that she wouldn’t forget him.

There’s a few months left until his eighteenth birthday, and he hasn’t heard a word from her since.

So much for dreams of a dramatic rescue, for the hope that his mom would come back for him and swoop him away from the arms of his abuser. Tough shit, kid.

Even if she had stayed, he knows in his heart things wouldn’t be any different. Except for maybe that Neil probably would’ve murdered the both of them by now if complacent little Susan hadn’t come along. Maria Hargrove was a fighter. Susan Mayfield took whatever was coming without complaint. Funny how he hated them both anyways.

Sometimes he thinks about how they’re victims too, how not everything that happens is their fault, but then he remembers the look on his mother’s face as she walked out the front door for the last time, or the way Susan would ignore him when he was injured, going about her day, picking up dishes and folding laundry while he lay on the floor with boot shaped bruises up and down his body. Of his mother’s tone of voice when she picked up the phone after she abandoned her son, or the way Susan would inform on what he’d been doing no matter the consequence just to stay in good graces with her husband.

Like hell did those women deserve it, but did he either?

Was it fair that, since he was just eight years old, he’d been being beaten and battered and abused in every way by anyone and everyone who got close to him? Did the fact that Maria got hit a few times make it okay to subject her son to the daily torture he faces just for existing? Does Susan’s fear excuse turning a blind eye to what she knows her husband does behind closed doors?

But does his own hurt make it okay to bully his step-sister and her friends? No, it doesn’t.

His excuse is that he’s scared.

Scared for Susan, as much as he hates to admit it, that one day Neil will get bored of beating him up and move on to his dainty little wife. Woman like her wouldn’t be able to take his punches, and if she couldn’t stand up for her step son, she definitely wouldn’t stand up for herself.

He’s scared for his friend Tommy, because he’s been seen spending too much time around him, and his dad is getting suspicious. Thinks that just because they hang around each other there must be something going on. Whether it was just regular teenagers up to no good or an accusation of queer shit, either would set his father off, and Tommy would be the target if they didn’t distance themselves a little.

And he’s scared for the Sinclair kid, because Neil has made it very clear that nothing good will come of Max hanging out with him. Billy’s kind of caught in the middle on that one, he doesn’t want Max to think he's the dickhead when his dad is, but he wants her to just keep her distance, be a little more cautious so something bad won’t happen.

Back in California, he’d had a black friend in kindergarten, and as soon as he found out, Neil called the school and had his classes switched just because they’d been too young to get a beating for it. Lucas was fourteen, and if eight was old enough for his own flesh and blood, then that was good enough for Neil to lash out. But they were just rebellious teenagers with no concept of real world consequences, and they were going to get themselves killed.

More than anything, he was scared for Max. He can tell she doesn’t really know what’s happening around her. Susan does her very best to shield her daughter from Neils rage, and that means not telling her about it at all or letting her see it. On Neil’s bad days, Max would still come home talking a mile a minute, pushing him over the edge to a violent fit that his son would have to face, and she’d be none the wiser.

At first, it’d pissed Billy off that she could go home free so often, but by now the fact that she was completely blind to it scared him that one day, she’d be next. Just a few weeks ago he’d had to step into the middle of an argument between his father and step-sister, and got a split in his eyebrow so bad it still hadn’t healed. It was only a matter of time before he didn’t catch it in enough time, and Max’s little safety bubble would pop forever.

But doing his best to keep all of them safe meant doing his worst, and he hated it. What choice did he have when he had to keep Max and Lucas separated and the target on Susan’s back small? How could he do that other than to be strong and mean and just like Neil?

Because, if he had a mean streak himself, that’d threaten his big bad dad, and he’d get his ass beat. Coming home wasted and making a scene, he’d get his ass beat. A call from the school or a concerned parent about that rowdy boy down on Cherry, and he’d get his ass beat. Wash rinse repeat.

Be the worst Billy he could be, and Neil would take it out on him, not on Max who holds hands with black boys, or Tommy who doesn’t even know his best friend’s a queer and just wants to have a friend, or Susan who didn’t know what she was signing up for when she said I do.

Still, making that choice, deciding to take the worst of his father's rage for everyone else and still not seeing an ounce of empathy or concern thrown his way put a bitter taste in his mouth. At this point it was like, why even bother keeping up the sacrifice? Nobody appreciates all the pain he goes through to protect them, why not just be good?

Because it wasn’t just for them.

If Neil knew his son wasn’t manly and brave and cocky and cool like everyone thought he was, Billy was sure he’d already be six feet under. The act had saved his ass on more than one occasion, when tears fell from his eyes and accusations of being a dainty fairy started to fly, the leather jackets and the metalhead music and the fucking cologne on his balls kept Neil from going too far. It was a counterbalance sort of thing, because he could think of nothing else that would stop his dad from lashing out at everyone around him.

He knows how he acts is wrong, but he doesn’t know what else to do, what else could stop Neil. Unless somebody would just grow a pair and put Neils sorry ass in prison, then things wouldn’t have to be this way.

But it was that way, the cops didn’t believe Billy when he was 10 and innocent, let alone now that he’s just some washed up trouble maker, and Neil kept up a pristine reputation among the communities they lived in, so nothing was done about it.

Everyday the line between who he actually was and who he needed to be to survive and to protect those around him from that monster got blurrier and blurrier.

So here he was, listening to the dumb katydids in the trees keeping him awake, chain smoking and reflecting on his choices, some of the most recent and very poor ones sticking out in his mind's eye.

On Halloween, he’d almost killed a bunch of kids just to scare Max. Every night he thought about what would’ve happened if she hadn’t been quick enough pulling the wheel. Getting beat up by your daddy doesn’t excuse that, even if in his head he was just trying to teach Max a lesson.

Then he’d broken her skateboard for talking to Lucas behind his back. That had actually been an accident, but he was still threatening to do it when it broke and he was still screaming at her. For trying to protect her from Neil, he sure did treat her just the same way his father did him.

The icing on the cake was that the same night, he’d lost his cool and totally scared the hell out of everyone. Max is pissed about the skateboard and sneaks out of her room in the middle of the night, he doesn’t notice because she’s like 13, she doesn’t need a babysitter, Neil and Susan find out before he does, and there’s bruises on his back and a sore spot on his cheek and he can’t find the little twerp for the life of him. All her friends' parents have a different answer for where the kids are, and when he finally finds them they’re under the supervision of a random teenager unrelated to any of them in a strangers house.

Now, when they moved here, Susan had been concerned about the area, she’d heard trafficking was bad in the Midwest compared to their sunny California, but Neil had told her it’d be fine. As Billy pushed his way into that house that night, he was pretty damn sure it wasn’t. One of the kids that was supposed to be there was missing, the one who’s house they were in, is just, gone, and he can only think the worst. His thirteen year old sister is being prostituted or some shit and he’s kind of freaking out, and he turns it around on Lucas.

Lucas, who hadn’t done anything wrong but be a kid, but who had been warned about hanging out with Max, and had now gotten her involved in some kiddie porn thing, and Neil was going to kill him and he’s fucking terrified. Then he’s in a fucking fist fight with Steve Harrington, who he’d thought was just the somewhat dopey leader of the basketball team, but was apparently leading whatever the fuck this operation is and lying to him about it.

He wins the fight and he almost kills Steve, thinks he has every reason to if his suspicions are correct, but Max picks up some random syringe, which, again, he’s convinced would only be necessary if they were drugging and selling out these kids, and fucking stabs him with it. He doesn’t remember anything else, but he knows Max has gotten a lot cockier around him and the other kids hated him like, a thousand times more.

There’s still the creeping feeling in the back of his mind that there’s something else going on, but he didn’t want to be like that again. He’d already known he’d crossed the line to being too much like Neil, but that night had really cemented it in his head, and he regretted all of it. A thousand different things could’ve played out, and he’s pretty sure that because of him, the worst of all possible scenarios had occurred, and he wished he could go back.

But he couldn’t, so he tried to apologize, but Max wouldn’t hear it. He’d been halfway through saying he was sorry when she’d opened the car door and stomped away, slamming it shut in his face. That was fair, he deserved that, but he wished so desperately that there was something he could do.

He guessed his problem was just, keeping doing what he knew was wrong until it was too late, and then not knowing how to like, change from that. Just apologizing meant nothing at this point and he knew it, but he hadn’t meant for this to go on for so long. Which also meant he sure as hell didn’t know how to fix it.

It made him feel hopeless, being caught between so many different expectations, especially when he realized that he had set most of them for himself. He was a monster of his own making, and he would have to own up to that before anyone would forgive him.

——

Things never really work out for Billy.

The instant things start to look better, Neil would do something that set his son back to the start of it, and he’d screw things up with Max and her friends all over again like clockwork.

It felt like he would always be trapped alone with the quaintness of Indiana, locked up in the confines of his bedroom, unable to break the cycle of abuse.

He never expects that statement to be as true as it is.

Glass shatters, he panics, tires squeal, he loses control, broken ribs, he can’t breathe. In and out, he can’t remember, chemical burns, his face and his throat and his chest burn like fire, fades to black, what did he do? It hurts, he’s sorry, burning heat, he didn't do it, it hurts. Gun fire, he floors it, fireworks, he wants it to end, seven feet, he was happy, blood on the tiles, he’s not gonna make it.

Billy Hargrove dies on the Fourth of July, 1985.

He doesn’t get the chance to move on, doesn’t get to prove his father wrong, or ever have the chance to live his own life.

There’s no turn around in his young life to get back on the right path and leave behind his trauma, to be better than what his abuser did to him. He’ll never see his mom, or his home or his sister ever again.

He doesn’t have the chance to make it up to Lucas or Susan or Steve or Tommy or Max. Or to escape the mindset he’d been raised into so he could be free and safe and happy again.

Billy’s last words are an apology to his sister. He chokes on his own blood, or maybe not his own, he’s not sure, and he goes out of this world at only 18 years old, a monster of his own making.

[sinsbymanka]

Thank you for the prompt, @tevivinter​! For @dadrunkwriting​, may I present Maria and her daughter!

The sounds of the party spilled out into the evening air even as Maria shut the shimmering glass door behind her. The garden was silent, too early for lovers to slip away and hide among the strategically pruned hedges and cozy nooks. The darkness of the keep’s garden was illuminated by nothing more than stars piercing the sky above them. Maria took a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the darkness before she stepped away from the glow of the windows and the clink of glasses, the murmured hush of conversation broken by a shrill laugh. 

Maria paused on the path into the hedge maze, chuckling to herself as she crouched down to pick up one perfectly formed rosette, crafted cleverly out of silk with a seed pearl sewn in the center. Casting her eyes down the path, she saw a trail of near identical flowers scattered over the ground. 

And she thought Magpie liked her dress this evening. Apparently her mercurial child had changed her mind. 

Maria’s own skirts, still too cumbersome even without all the hoops and layers every other noble in the blighted ballroom wore, whisked too loudly against the ground. It would be just the sound to give her away to an assassin, if one lingered. Which, of course, they probably didn’t. She was, after all, home. Surrounded by guards, thick stone walls, and all the goodwill and power Varric could fortify them with. 

But Maria hadn’t gotten this far by being stupid. She let her skirts trail anyway, the same way a snake rattled it’s tail. A warning for all those who dared get too close. 

As she drew near the center of the maze, she could hear the trickle of water. The rosettes came less frequently, but Maria didn’t need the trail. She knew where Magpie went as soon as she saw them heading into the maze. She knew the way, under a floral arch, heavy with the scent of jasmine, and emerging into a clearing with benches and a large, solid fountain. 

A structure that literally dwarfed the young woman sitting on the edge of the basin, the water lapping at her legs, ruined silk clinging to her up to her waist. She’d ripped the pins out of her hair too, and it fell out of the braids to her shoulders. Magpie didn’t turn at the soft sound of silk on the ground, and that made Maria frown. 

If she was an assassin...

But her daughter didn’t need to be frightened in her own home, that was why Maria and Varric existed, after all. She approached silently, listening to the soft humming as Magpie trailed her fingers through the water. 

The ten year old didn’t know Maria was next to her until she thrust her arm forward, crumpled rosette in her palm. “I thought you liked the flowers?” 

Magpie whirled on her, pale eyes reflecting Maria’s shadow and the stars above. She took in the false flower, then latched onto Maria’s gaze. “Is dad angry?” She asked quietly.

At his Sunshine? Maria couldn’t even imagine it. “Worried.” She said, sitting beside her. “More worried when you didn’t come back. I thought you wanted to come tonight, love.” 

“I did!” Magpie protested, kicking her heel into the water, causing a small splash that sent ripples in all directions. “I did. Until that stupid bard and his stupid song.” 

Ah. Maria had to fight to keep the amusement off her features. “What was it called again?” 

“Ode to the Flower of Kirkwall, Marguerite Tethras.” Magpie wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Did you hear it?” 

“Only the part about the warm sun bequeathing you with a glow that caused you to burst from the soil with vigor and, what was it?” Maria paused, thoughtful. “

“Youthful vigor and the promise of fields of wildflowers in my wake. It was embarrassing.” Magpie huffed. 

“Aveline chucked him out the backdoor and told him not to come back.” Maria soothed gently, dropping the rosette in the water and bringing her hand to rest lightly on her daughter’s chilled silk-clad skin. “All things considered, the dress was bad luck, wasn’t it?” 

“I don’t want to be the Flower of Kirkwall. I want to be...” Magpie trailed off, fisting her own hands in the wet silk. Maria waited, patiently. 

“Can I come with you?” Magpie turned to grab her arm, imploring. “The next time you leave? I’ve been practicing with the bow. Donnic says I’m as good as any guardsman. I promise, I’ll listen.” 

Maria paused to give the impression she was considering, even as the word burnt the tip of her tongue. “No, Magpie. You’re too young.” 

“When, then?” She asked, impatient and reckless, looking so like Bea in the darkness, rebellious and proud, that Maria could weep. “I want to be like you.”

Maria Cadash learned to slit a man’s throat at twelve. She watched life bleed out of many more before that. Zarra always said she wouldn’t shield her granddaughters from life’s brutality. 

Maria wanted to do better. She could afford to do better, couldn’t she? That was the reason for the silk dress, the walls, the parties and meetings and endless trivialities that her and Varric were far too old for. 

Her daughter could be better than she was. 

“We’ll all talk about it in the morning, but not for a couple more years at least, Magpie.” As long as Maria could put it off, honestly. 

“You don’t trust me.” The sulking pout didn’t dim her daughter’s pretty features. Flower of Kirkwall, indeed. They’d have their hands full, someday. 

“I do.” Maria wrapped her arm snugly around Magpie’s waist and pulled her tight. “I especially trust your aim. I cannot believe you managed to hit that man with a piece of cake so perfectly. I’ve never been more impressed.” 

That was enough to make her daughter giggle and lean into the one-armed embrace. Enough to allow Maria to escape the question one more time. 

When can I come with you?

Never, Maria thought. The dread wolf wouldn’t catch her daughter’s scent while she still lived, whatever it took. 

[calliecat93]

It’s been a long and chaotic hiatus period folks, but at least we’re here. RWBY Volume 7. There’s been a lot of hype in the leadup to this. New outfits. New setting. New characters. Old characters making long-awaited comebacks. There is so much to be excited about this season, and the absolutely insane opening only added more fuel to the fire. I’ve done a review/analysis on the opening already, which if you’d like to check that out, you can find it here. 

But for now, after nearly ten months of waiting, it’s finally time. Review season is in full swing. So why wait any more than we already have? Let’s kick the Volume 7 Reviews off with Chapter One, The Greatest Kingdom. Because of course, that would be the title of an Atlas-centric chapter. Of course.

Overview

We begin exactly where we left off before. RWBYJNRQOM have reached Atlas… but Ironwood’s fleet is armed and ready as though expecting an attack. Everyone is taken aback by this, especially Weiss. This causes complications. With Atlas this high alert, if they dock in an unauthorized ship, they’re going to be in a lot of trouble. Weiss also worries that if that happens, they may very well return her to her family, and to her father. But she then remembers that since they’re now back in Atlas’ range, she can contact Winter. Thus, Maria steers the ship downward, towards the city of Mantle.

We get our first glimpse of the former capital, and it’s telling. The location has a New York kind of vibe. It’s big and industrial but also run down. One reason for that may be because of the number of troops and drones in the city. They’re making people afraid or rebellious, even children as we see two throw a rock at a drone. But even more telling is that the holo-screens have Ironwood talking, claiming that this is all for their own safety. Everyone is unnerved by this, and worst? Winter is also spewing out the propaganda, shocking Weiss. Due to this, the plan is to ditch the ship and join the masses in Mantle.

Thus, the ship is parked… somewhere. We never see where. But the gang walks through the city, and get an even better look at how rundown that it is. Thre’s political posters around, namely featuring some kind of pale blonde-haired figure. We also see some headlines highlighting events like the Embargo, the discovery of a dead journalist, and damage to the border. Drones are going all around and take photos of Yang, which earns a kick from her and then it gets run over. Oops. We even see graffiti that says “Show Your Teeth”. Best guess is that that’s the White Fang’s doing. Life looks awful in Mantle, and Blake expresses this out loud. This earns her getting told off by two drunkards, who go off about Atlas being great and all that kind of stuff that we’ve heard before. But when one starts to make racist Faunus remarks at Blake, Weiss responds by gravity Glyphing into a dumpster. This attracts security attention, but it was worth it.

Maria knows where they can go, and she takes them to some kind of clinic. This is where she had intended to go in order to get her eyes adjusted. We, therefore, meet the man who runs the place. An elderly, wheel-chair bound man named Pietro. He is a well-known scientist who has made various advances for Atlas and Ironwood, but he volunteers in Mantle to get away from the stuffy atmosphere and to help the people below. The gang has questions about Atlas, so Pietro explains how Ironwood’s paranoia has gone into overload. Not just because of the Fall, but because of how badly his forces were hacked and made Atlas look like both terrorists and buffoons. But we do find out that they still don’t know who hacked their systems, but they /do/ suspect that it may very well be one of their own. With everyone blaming Atlas for the Fall of Beacon, the council is so scared that they’re just doing what Ironwood says. So needless to say, Atlas is in utter chaos and isn’t as safe as our heroes previously thought.

Pietro begins to talk about Mantle’s representatives taking action… until he recognizes Weiss. Yang tries to get things back on topic, only for Pietro to recognize her arm. He sounds… kind of offended that she painted it, haha! But he soon recognizes Team RWBY, having heard of them from his daughter. Who is his daughter? Well before Ruby can find out, a warning siren goes off. A group of wolf-like Grimm that I believe are called Sabers are attacking, so our heroes fight back. It’s a pretty good action sequence, full of a lot of high-paced energy and an awesome guitar riff in the background. Poor Blake’s sword is still broken, so she’s forced to stick to the gun mode. Fortunately, our heroes are ripping the Grimm apart with ease… but they ultimately don’t defeat the Grimm themselves.

A series of lasers blast away the remaining Grimm. We see a figure flying up above. A very… familiar looking person. Green color-scheme… red hair… a pink bow… freckles… wait… the figure lands, and we get to see them in full. Ruby’s eyes widen in shock as, for the first time since the Fall of Beacon, she sees Penny Polendina. 

You read right folks, Penny is back! Pietro tells her to say hi to her friends and… she recognizes them! She recognizes Ruby! She flies right into Ruby to hug her! That probably gave Ruby a concussion, but eh she’ll live. But only one thing matters right now: PENNY! PENNY IS BACK!!! SHE’S ALIVE!!! WHOO~!!!

As it turns out, Pietro is Penny’s father/creator. After Amity Arena was brought back to Atlas, they were able to recover Penny’s core and Pietro was able to rebuild her and even better. She is now the official protector of Mantle. Penny is excited to catch back up with Ruby… but another siren goes off, and she has to go off. Everyone has questions, but fortunately, Pietro is more than happy to answer them. So successful Grimm fight, they made it to Mantle, and they found a friendly face. Two friendly faces! Sure we had the rough patch with Ironwood’s forces and his propaganda, but hey! So far things are going pretty well!

Well, let’s ruin that!

The gang is suddenly captured and bound down by a group of blue and white-clad soldiers. This is a security force known as Ace-Ops. Qrow argues that he’s a licensed Huntsman and was doing his job, but Ace-Ops take their weapons and, even worst, the lamp. Pietro questions the meaning of this, and their leader named Clover Ebi reveals the list of charges. The unauthorized ship, disobeying commands from Control, and fighting Grimm despite all but one of them being unlicensed. As such, they’re being arrested and taken to Atlas. The episode ends with everyone loaded up into the back of a police van with Qrow hating himself for jinxing everything up. Stupid Bad Luck Semblance.

Review

So this was a bit shorter than the previous couple of premieres, but really? That’s not a problem whatsoever. This premiere was really good! Not the best, but certianly does its job and does it well. We get to see Mantle after so many years, get to finally meet Professor Polendina, and we get a big surprise in the return of Penny. We get a fun action scene as well, which is always nice. And it has a solid ending in everyone getting arrested… well okay, that sucks for them, but it was an appropriate place to end.

Before we go into more detailed stuff though… let’s talk about the elephant in the room first. That being Qrow’s new voice. For those unaware, Vic Mignogna was fired and I don’t feel like going into it any more than I’ve already had to. But long story short; Vic did a lot of gross, horrible stuff and he deserved to be kicked out. As such, voice actor Jason Liebrecht was cast to take over, and so far… I think that he’s good! It was a tad bit spotty, but he’s still new so I’m not expecting perfection. But it still feels like Qrow and the voice honestly sounds like a cleaner, healthier version of Vic’s Qrow. Which if Qrow starts to sober himself up, it will fit very well. So yeah, I am perfectly happy with Jason’s rendition and I am looking forward to hearing more of him going forward~

Okay, got that out of the way. So let talk about good stuff now!

Mantle looks amazing. IIRC, Miles and Kerry said that Mantle and Atlas are based on different periods of America’s evolution. Mantle represents the Industrial Era, in particular New York, and it certianly feels that way. It’s a big city, but it’s not happy. The place looks run-down and dirty, there’s tons of unrest, and they have to watch as Atlas stands above them in all of its glory. It was meant to be a symbol of hope, but now? It just represents the oppression of Mantle and how Atlas stands superior to them. One of the most telling scenes is when we see a wagon of miners pass by. All of them are covered in soot and just look sick and miserable. It paints a very harsh picture, and it’s only going to become all the harsher as we learn more in the future.

But there is a bright spot. We FINALLY get to meet Pietro. He’s as I expected, a kind old-man, if a bit scatter-brained and forgetful. He very much fits the image of a Gepetto-inspired character. Though him being wheelchair-bound and his frequent coughing certianly has me concerned for him… and I have a very bad idea about his final fate by the time that this arc is over. Still, we get a very clear image of his character and there’s a lot of Easter Eggs in his office. Like the whale statue on his shelf, another allusion to Pinocchio. It’s that attention to detail that makes me appreciate CRWBY so much. Also fun fact, his voice actor is David Fennoy. Which this isn’t his first time working on RWBY. The other time? As Dr. Merlot, the antagonist of RWBY: Grimm Eclipse. Who, if you don’t know, was a mad scientist… so great casting gag there CRWBY!

But speaking of Pinocchio… 

Well everyone, we knew that it was coming, but we weren’t ready. Yes, indeed, Penny is back. So… there’s been some debate over her re-introduction. While everyone is happy to have her back, some have questioned the under-whelming execution and lack of reaction from Ruby. Now I will admit that it is more subdued than I was expecting, but Ruby? I don’t at all get her so-called ‘lack of reaction’. You can see how wide her eyes are and how stunned she is, but it quickly evolves into over-whelming joy. Not every reaction has to be tearfully breaking down, guys. Ruby processed it quickly and was just overjoyed. Then after the tackle-glomp, you can hear her struggling to find the words to say as she starts to ask what happened since she thought that Penny was dead for at least a year. So no, Ruby’s reaction was perfectly IC for her and he DID have a reaction.

But yeah, Penny is back! But unlike what we all assumed, she has her memory! I was confused on how since we saw the Nevermore stomp on her remains… but considering that the area was sent back to Atlas, I can buy that they dug around enough to find the core and repair any damage that it had. I admit her return is a lot less dramatic than I thought it would be… but I really have no issue with it. For one, there’s plenty of things with her that can be touched on later. How she felt about dying. Her status as Mantle’s protector. What’s happened with her since the Fall. Plus after everything that’s happened, I think that we deserved this one break regarding Penny and her having her memory still. So yeah, maybe the execution could have had a bit more substance, but I really have no problem with it. Penny is back, and that’s all that matters.

Thre is a lot of good setup here. We have Ironwood’s paranoia on full display as well as the results towards Mantle due to it. We get a look at the mindsets of people like the kids throwing rocks at drones and the drunkards shitting on Blake for her comments about Mantle. But we also have Weiss Glyphing the one guy, which while it was oh so deserved, she did cause a fuss due to it when Blake was trying to deal with the matter peacefully and had even previously stopped Ruby when she was about to argue back. It’s good to see Weiss not dealing with any racist garbage thrown at Blake, but it was not the best way to deal with it when Blake had it under control, and that may very well be something that we see touched on more and more with the plot as a whole. Not just regarding Faunus racism, but regarding the conflict of Mantle vs Atlas.

We have the propaganda being spewed in Mantle not just by Ironwood but also from WInter. Something that Weiss is clearly unhappy about, and something that may cause friction down the line. We have the Ace-Ops, who going by the opening is going to play a major part in the volume. Which funny how they showed up to arrest the gang… but none of the vast amounts of security forces were around to stop the Grimm. Sure Penny was there and she is officially Mantles protector, but a good chunk of the Grimm were stopped by our heroes. So much for looking out for Mantle’s safety, huh Ironwood? Clover doesn’t even listen to Qrow or ask to see his license for proof of it… okay yeah, Qrow would still be arrested for the unauthorized ship, but still. There are so many small things that show us exactly how oppressed the people of Mantle are, and we’re probably going to see even more of that unrest and protest as we go on. Especially with this Robyn Hill character that we see is running for Council, and against an Atlesian tycoon. And I have a good guess at who that tycoon may be…

Chapter Two Predictions

Introducing a new section to the reviews! Which I will also add to the Red vs Blue reviews when that starts up again (2020, hurry the heck up!). But yeah, I’m gonna start doing predictions and see how well I do… or more likely, how badly I do. It’s all for fun though, so keep that in mind.

So the gang has been arrested and is going up to Atlas. So we’ll probably get to see that and get to compare it to the worn-down Mantle. We see in the trailer that Ruby and Ironwood are talking, so chances are Ironwood will recognize them and hear them out. If we’re lucky, he may have gotten the letter that Qrow sent as well. Now whether hell license the kids or not I’m not sure, but he clearly is going to allow them to work with Ace-Ops (likely under his strict rules) so it could be that or he’ll mark it as Community Service to make up for the charges against them. I can also see him deciding to take Oscar under his wing both for his own safety due to Ozpin, and/or to properly train the kid since even with Oz’s muscle memory, he needs all that he can get. After that, the gang is able to get their new gear, get some haircuts, etc. Only one IDK what’s going to happen to is Qrow… but he’s likely gonna do whatever the Hell he wants or Ironwood’s gonna give him the harder jobs. But we’ll find out soon enough.

Episode Stats

Favorite Character: Pietro and Penny Polendina Favorite Scene: RWBYJNORQ vs The Grimm Least Favorite Scene: The intro before they went into Mantle since it was just re-establishment exposition. Favorite Voice Actor: Taylor McNee (Penny Polendina) Favorite Animation: Either the Weis and Ren combo on the Grim or Ruby slaying the Grimm. Final Ranking: 8.5/10

Final Thoughts

We are off to a very good start! We get to see Mantle and understand exactly the state that it, as well as Atlas, are in. We get a nice action sequence. We get a lot of setup for things later, like the propaganda and introduction fo the Ace-Ops. But most of all, we have Pietro finally appearing and, of course, the return of Penny. Not my favorite premiere, but it did its job and was a very satisfying watch. So I say job well-done CRWBY! It sure as Hell makes me excited for what’s ahead!

[havenoffandoms]

Once Upon a Time in New York City (Loki x Reader)

Pairing: Loki x Fem!Reader

Fandom: MCU (yeah, I’m trying something here)

Summary: Stargazing was, in a way, therapeutic for you.

Warnings: mention of death of a parent through cancer

Stargazing was, in a way, therapeutic for you.

It was the only thing you missed since moving into your dad’s home six years ago. New York was not the stargazer’s favoured location, and not even Tony Stark’s money could change that fact. The light pollution sometimes made it difficult to make out the moon on a clear night. Ok, maybe it was not that bad, but it was close.

You missed stargazing with your mother. The only reason you had moved in with your father was because your mum succumbed to cancer. You were fourteen at the time. It could have been worse, you reminded yourself. They could have made you live with crazy aunt Maria. Instead, you ended up with a billionaire dad who readily gave you everything you wished for. Perhaps Tony Stark's generosity was motivated by love, perhaps by guilt… you did not really care. The only thing you ever asked for were books, anyway.

Reading did not truly replace stargazing, but at least it allowed you to escape reality in a different way. Being Iron Man’s daughter was not always easy, especially when you had become a target for his enemies to use as leverage against him. The whole Avengers team adored you, and would hate if anything happened to you. Natasha had even offered to train you so you might join them one day, but you were not a fighter. You would rather stay backstage and lead the operations from behind the scenes. You could not imagine yourself killing anyone in cold blood, even in self-defence.

Your head jerked up when you thought you heard a rustle behind you. You quickly scanned the area, making sure you were still alone. You gently chastised yourself for being so paranoid. Who in their right mind would come looking for you on the roof of the Stark Tower? You were not even sure if your father knew about your favourite reading space. It was eerily quiet at the top of the sky-scraper, the only sound that of the wind gently blowing through your hair. You returned your attention to your worn copy of The Great Gatsby.

“It seems awfully dangerous for a mortal young lady such as yourself to be sitting at the top of a very tall tower unsupervised,” you heard a calm, smooth voice talk to you, startling you a second time. You instantly recognised the British accent as being Loki’s. You had never truly had the chance to speak to the God, seeing as your father kept him as far away from you as humanly possible. The only thing you really knew about the God of Mischief was that he had nearly destroyed all of New York three years ago. He was technically the Avengers' prisoner, and was not allowed to leave the Stark Tower alone and only if it was absolutely necessary. Were it not for Thor, you were convinced Loki would not even be permitted to roam the premises freely. 

“It’s not dangerous if you know what you’re doing. See, I’m away from the edges.” Your comment earned yourself an amused chuckle from the mischievous being.

“Perhaps so. I’m sorry to have intruded. I was not aware that someone else was here.”

The polite tone sounded highly artificial, but somehow it did not surprise you. Despite his boisterous attitude, Thor spoke in pretty much the same old-fashioned way. You supposed that the brothers had been raised to use language appropriate for princes, and prospective rulers of Asgard.

“Tell you what, if you promise not to breathe a word to my dad about this, I’ll let you stay,” you joked, a small smile tugging at the corner of your lips. You could not help but feel slightly intimidated by Loki, and that reaction was certainly justified considering his past actions. At the same time, you did not feel like he consisted a threat to your life. You were curious to find out more about this mysterious character your father had expressly forbidden you to talk to.

Funny, you had never been the rebellious kind.

“If it pleases Milady,” came the soft reply. You noticed the blank expression on Loki’s face as he sat down several feet away from you, raising his gaze to the sky. Only then did you notice his eyebrows furrow in confusion. You observed his actions briefly, glancing at the sky to see what had caused the puzzled expression. You were merely met with the same starless view that you had become accustomed to.

“Whatcha looking at?” you asked the God of Mischief. Loki’s bright eyes briefly met yours before gazing at the soulless sky above him once more.

“Is it typical not to see the stars out here?” he inquired, genuine concern lacing his tone. You felt your heart clench at the innocence this supposedly dangerous God displayed.

“Yes, I’m afraid so. I hate it, too,” you admitted, closing your book and resting it flat on your lap. The action caught Loki’s attention, who immediately rested his eyes on you again.

“What’s that you’re reading?”

“This? It’s The Great Gatsby. It was my mum’s favourite book. Whenever I miss her, I read it again to remind me of her.” You were not too sure why you felt like sharing this information with Loki, but if the God minded, he did a good job at hiding it.

“I’m not familiar with Midgardian literature. Although I suppose that since I’m a prisoner in this world now, I should probably get acquainted with the most famous writers. Tell me, who are the main authors I should read to get a basic understanding of your literary culture?”

You shot Loki an incredulous look.

“Dude… is that a serious question?”

“Of course, I’m always looking to educate myself further.”

“No, I’m meaning… there’s just too many influential authors to just name a few for you to read. There’s different genres, different writing styles, different theories, and contradicting point of views. It would take centuries to read all of the works ever written on Earth.”

Loki seemed to take a minute to process your words, pondering what he was about to say next.

“I see… in that case, which book would you recommend, personally?”

His question was asked without malice. Of all the books at his disposition in this world, Loki wanted to start with your personal favourite. He honestly wanted to know what your favourite book was, with the intention of reading it as well. You forgot when the last time was that someone had asked you for book recommendations.

“I suppose you could start with this one,” you said, placing the unfinished book in Loki’s lap. He looked down at your mother’s copy of The Great Gatsby, picking it up delicately like it could fall apart any minute. Loki opened the book and noticed the words your mother had written on the inside of the cover. You were in two minds about snatching the book out of Loki’s hands. To your surprise, the God looked up at you with uncertainty shimmering in his green eyes.

“Are these words meant for your eyes only?” he asked, pointing at your mum’s handwritten note. You felt your throat tighten at her memory. You did not have the strength to speak, so you merely shook your head and shot Loki a reassuring smile. The God read the words on the cover that you had come to learn by heart after reading them hundreds and hundreds of times after your mum passed away.

To my dearest daughter,

You can be everything you want to be. I love you, and that’s the beginning and end of everything. Never forget that.

Love,

Mum.

Loki closed the book and was silent momentarily. You were not too sure what to say.

“You must miss her terribly,” Loki told you, causing you to frown questioningly. “Apologies, I assumed…”

“It’s ok,” you interrupted quickly, “you were right to assume so. She was very ill and passed away several years ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” There was genuine honesty in Loki’s voice, which surprised you, although you would never admit it.

“Yeah. Everyone was sorry.”

An uncomfortable silence settled between the two of you, during which you both wondered where to take the conversation from there. Thankfully, you had mastered the art of deflecting from a young age.

“Do you like stargazing too? It always calmed me down when I was a child.”

“I find the company of stars appeasing, as well,” Loki admitted, leaning back on his hands to stare at the sky with what you believed was a sad expression on his face. “It’s tragic that you cannot appreciate their beauty and wisdom in New York.”

“Yeah…  I sometimes understand why you wanted to destroy this city,” you joked, but instantly regretted your words when you noticed the way Loki’s features hardened. You were about to apologise when he spoke up again.

“Is that what you’ve been told? That I meant to destroy this city?” You were not sure whether to lie or not, but decided to stay true to your honest nature.

“Yes. That’s what I’ve been told.”

“Well, you’ve been fed wrong information. I merely wanted to rule this city as a benevolent God.”

“Oh.”

There was not much else you could say. Your cheeks heated up as you blushed a deep crimson. Frankly, you did not consider his explanation any less tyrannical than your initial assumption, but something about his admonishing tone made you feel like a child being scolded by a teacher. You felt like apologising, but you knew deep down that he was not expecting you to.

“Forgive me,” his voice whispered almost inaudibly, “I didn’t mean to snap at you. Unlike everyone else here, you’re the first one who’s treated me with nothing but kindness. You deserve the same treatment in return.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m more resilient than you think,” you assured him with a wink.

“Oh believe me, I can tell. You appear to be a very strong and bright young woman. As much as I hate to admit it, you seem to have inherited your father’s brains. And I can only assume that you’ve inherited your mother’s kind nature.” Your heart swelled with pride at the compliment, and you felt yourself blush a deeper shade of red.

“And I’m starting to see why they call you silver-tongue,” you told him in a mischievous tone that matched his. The grin that appeared on his face sent chills down your spine.

“Sweet dove, you have no idea what things this tongue can make you do,” he said, his voice lower and more sensual. You could not hold back the disbelieving snort that pushed past your nostrils.

“Easy there, cowboy.” The frown on his face told you that he did not understand that reference, which made you laugh even more. “It means, easy with the flirtatious attitude, my Lord. Need I remind you that there’s a whole team of Avengers ready to pounce on you at the slightest sign of danger…”

“No, you don’t,” he grew serious again, “but need I remind you, Milady, that you’re technically not allowed to speak to me?”

“Fair point.”

Loki smiled softly to himself as he stared at you pensively. You cocked your head to the side, curious as to what was on the God’s mind.

“I know I’m not supposed to use magic, but… I believe this will be worth getting into trouble over.” Before you could question his words, you noticed Loki wave his hand at the sky, and not before long, you could see the smog and light nuisance fade away to reveal the stars hiding behind the veil of pollution. Your mouth dropped as your eyes took in the beauty of space. You had never, not even in the countryside, ever seen a sky so beautiful. The stars shone brightly, and you could make out several shooting stars, and perhaps even a few planets. You tried to make out constellations, but your mind constantly wandered back to the mesmerising beauty Loki had conjured for the two of you to enjoy. You wondered if any pedestrians had bothered to look up, and if the view had taken their breath away just like it had yours.

“Wow…”

“That’s the effect I generally have on people,” you vaguely heard Loki comment, which earned him a punch in the shoulder from you. The look of utter shock the God sent your way was priceless.

“You hit me!”

“Oh, don’t be such a drama-queen. It wasn’t even that hard,” you defended yourself, forcing the proud smirk off your face.

“That is beside the point! I am a God of Asgard, I could crush you with my boot.”

“Yeah, I suppose you could,” you casually granted, scooting closer to the God and resting your head on his shoulder, “but before you do that, let me take one last look at the stars.”

You refrained from smiling victoriously as you felt Loki relax against you. During the days that followed, neither of you mentioned what happened that night. It was as if your conversation had never even taken place. You had even convinced yourself that you had dreamt the whole encounter until one day, you found your mum’s copy of The Great Gatsby on your bed, a neatly handwritten note attached to it.

If you ever feel lonely, just look at the stars. For I will be looking right at them, too.