#Like last time these are all based on canon lines from era ! interactions

[happywitchesofnewdi]

You shouldn't lie, Shisho~

[winpocalypse]

i’m not sure if anyone has asked you this already but when do you think it’d be most realistic for them to have their first time (specifically during kripke era)? i can imagine dubcon/noncon happening post hell, and i can also easily imagine sam (especially in s5) kind of offering himself to dean (in a “you want to take another swing? go ahead”/“you want me that bad? then do it” sort of way) similarly to how he always offers himself when it comes to the non sexual physical dynamic between them, and post hell dean is just. so unhinged and even more desperate for control over sam than usual that i think he wouldn’t even hesitate. i’m not the biggest enjoyer of fanon interpretations of how it could go so i’m just trying to picture it in the most true-to-canon way based mostly on power dynamics and their emotional/physical interactions with each other :)

oh i love a first time so much. and i agree with you!

i'm actually quite indecisive if it would happen all sweet or if it would be a noncon scenario. i like the idea of them starting sweet and then it going downhill into noncon territory but also from them to start with noncon and find their softness later, i think both kind of fit them, so this is a tough one

i do think it would happen in kripke era, of course. probably post s2-3.

i like the idea of a fake first time, or one of them not being aware, because it would be a good way to open up the possibility of the sexual aspect, you know. like in the djinn episode in dean's dream or in the panic room with sam hallucinating, that would mess them up. maybe one of the loops on mystery spot, sam just out of his mind, and then not bringing it up with dean later, would be such a interesting take. or them fucking as strangers in it's a terrible life and having to go back to brothers, but with that line crossed it would make it easier for dean to rail sam into submission. (i won't say endverse because in canon sam didn't get to meet 2014dean, but we know that would be everything)

with all that aside tho, for a sweet first time i would probably say mystery spot, it would be such a good opportunity to explore sam's psyche more. but s3 overall would be a good pick. or maybe! swan song. one first and last chance for them before sam jumps? oof i think that would fit well into canon

for a noncon first time oh dude take your pick lol i do think it would be in s4, because it's where we see the shift in their relationship. they would go into s5 with that line already crossed and then it would be all about control and miscommunication but like leveled up in angst, because sam would try to make things right with his body

but yeah, as you can see, i have no idea lmao i love almost every version of their first time and i think a lot of them fit into canon because, fortunately, we have a lot of dynamics and scenarios to work with!

[bebx]

Hey there! I hope you are doing well. I don't mean to bother you again as you are gonna figure out I am the same person who asked about your unexpectedly but hopefully temporary drifting away from ST sub fandom hehe. So I decided to do my homework and see if you probably left some clues or hints regarding your hiatus from it before but unfortunately I couldn't find any unless my dumb@$$ missed it despite thorough research as if I was looking for easter eggs in a deeply layered show like ST. My search report :- It had been going well on your side even when there was a drought in HC contents but slowly it lost the 'momentum' which I feel you played a key role in wonderfully building up yourself, ironically right at the moment of D-day which honestly feels like if reality had tv drama like loopholes lol.

So all I have now is what you last said to me that you are busy with stuffs and other things like hyperfixation on a character from Harrow series { although I haven't watched it yet but based on your enthusiasm which mostly resonates with my own interest, I have added it in my watchlist :) Cuz Bingo I can't tell you how happy I was when I found you with the same sentiments as mine after watching Damsel! } plus point is you did mention how he is certainly still in your heart and you are planning to make more posts and fanfic about him in future. So I decided to wait, months passed with more tempting Henry Creel info pouring while I still kept up with *patiently waiting for my favorite Tumblr user's ST fandom era to resurface as well as coexist with her new obsession of Harrow series*, so that one hyperfixation won't have to be sacrificed for another still worthy subject of hyperfixation :) Hence it has been quite an introspective and empathetic time but now I am like "okay at least lemme just ask her how she has been and what exactly is the status", to stifle my other apprehensive thoughts forming with the passing time as well as disappearing silver lining( as there is no sign of either Henry or JCB these days at all lol apart from Jamie Bower World Domination post) out of overthinking.

I always felt your contribution to this fandom has been immensely valuable and even though others may or may not have been enough reminding you that as I can see I am probably the only anonymous seeker regarding digging this matter up, I miss you and your blogs about it. I have mostly been a lurker kind so I never interactively participated in any discussion or thread but I have always inwardly appreciated people with a good taste of art. So even if anonymously, this is a great deal to me, sharing my wish embedded in vulnerability. *nervously chuckles* Idk if this is a stretch but given how what Jamie manually allows to be displayed on his tagged section had most of your posts, tells me that he must have subconsciously felt your absence lately too. The fact that this is true tho, makes it a reasonable theory.

So now after hopefully doing a great job at explaining the deep context behind my "ask away" here are the main deal of questions xD;-

How are you, once again? (I don't want to pressurize you into rejoining it earlier than you planned according to your life and schedules uk. Besides I don't wanna interrupt your balancing of multifandom fascination.)

Is there any particular reason behind this seemingly complete "switch off mode" which you can share? ( because my Spidey senses keep feeling it's more than what it is, could be false alarm tho) Could it be potentially because Stranger Things is so addictive, it is not possible to keep a track of its updates while continuing with hyper fixating on other fandoms?

If the aforementioned fear is unfounded, then here are my other theories and questions, have you stumbled upon the TFS spoilers of any kind?

If no, are you planning to watch it LIVE soon or later? (as the canon play is gonna stick around for a long time) is this why have you been avoiding discussions as they would involve major spoiling of the experience?

Or are you planning of watching it whenever it streams on Netflix as technically it just has to one day?

Have you been weakly following any ST S5 leaks? ( as we finally got a very *greatest leak of all time* kind of leak not even exactly 24 hours ago lol) [to tell you the truth- this is exactly what triggered me to get some clarifications from you, as despite knowing that I would open your page only to be greeted by Harrow, deep down I felt maybe you would say something about it because it directly involves JCB and it's quite making waves already.]

Did you check out the VR Game released this February?

Or are you taking a complete long break for a while because once S5 release date inches closer, there is no going back from its fever for another 2-3 years anyways? haha ( ngl this is my most optimistic theory I am clinging onto)

(optional question xD) Am I seriously the only one approaching you by bringing this old buried fascination or others have felt the same way too and they express their perplexity in your inbox instead?

(anyways I will be very grateful if you respond to my plethora of mystified emotions even though I think it would secretly answer to many other lurkers like me who found a sense of kindred spirit through you but are too busy abiding by their lurking policy)

hi, I’ve been looking at this for…. a while, because… oh my 😅 I understand that it’s been so long since my Stranger Things era, and I know some of my followers follow me for my Henry / ST content. I just didn’t know my silly ST posts actually have this much impact that they stay in people’s memories even after it’s been a long time. so this ask actually brings back so many memories. and I really appreciate that you’re still sticking around. really. I had to take a moment to just sit here and stare at this ask in my inbox and go “whoa” — but it’s a good kind of whoa. I am touched that you still remember, because gosh how long has it been since my ST days!

to answer your questions, I am fine and I am doing well. thank you. I didn’t mean to “abandon” my interest. and I AM still interested in the show. I still love Henry, even though I don’t really talk about him on here anymore. it’s funny because a part of me is kind of sad that I don’t talk about him on here anymore? to tell you the truth, anon, I don’t exactly know why? I mean… sure, my blog currently focuses on something else, but I never really stop loving Henry as a character. this sounds extremely cliche, but it’s the truth. I still love him and I still think about him and those time I spent writing fics about him.

I don’t know if there’s any particular reason behind this, according to you, seemingly complete "switch off mode" on my blog. but there’s no conspiracy theory or anything, if that’s what you’re worried about? I just kind of focus my attention on something else, for the moment, but again, I still do love Henry. just because I don’t talk about him here like I used to does not mean I love him any less. rest assured. he’s still in my heart.

I haven’t stumbled upon any real TFS spoilers, but that’s probably because I don’t follow many blogs that talk about it so it rarely reaches my dashboard anyway.

and I don’t live near the place where the play takes place, so unfortunately I don’t see myself traveling there to watch it live, as life has been a little busy for me here to take that kind of vacations. but I would have loved to. if the time were right. I do look forward to streaming it when or if it becomes available on Netflix though.

I haven’t been following ST leaks much, I can’t see “weekly” because I kind of just look at them if they reach my dashboard here or my twitter’s/X’s timeline. but I don’t actively go search for it nor do I avoid it for fear of any potential spoilers either. but I did just see the leaks you talked about, and I’m actually very excited. it actually reminded me of my fic “Salvation” — I’m not sure if you’ve read it, but yeah. gosh I am genuinely very excited.

though I haven’t checked out the VR Game. I mean… I don’t really play video games so that might explain why.

and no. I’m not “taking a long break” because I think there is no going back from its fever for another 2-3 years after season 5 is released. I don’t even know why I’m “taking a break” except that my mind has just been focusing on something else, currently.

also, yes, some people have asked, and I haven’t had the chance to answer them (I’ve been meaning to, though), so this might be the answer they were looking for as well? there’s no “real reason” behind my lack of activity when it comes to ST fandom, except that I’ve been focusing my attention on something else lately, but that doesn’t mean I love the show — or especially Henry — any less. I still am a fan of the show and of Henry. and I still love Jamie with all my heart, obviously. I still keep up with him and his music and I am so incredibly proud of him as an artist and a person.

I am super excited to see Henry again when season 5 drops. I don’t know when or if my hyperfixation will come back, so I wouldn’t wish to make any promises. but what I can say for sure is that, even though it’s not exactly a hyperfixation, I still love Henry just the same. I hope I will start making lots of posts and writing fics about him again one day.

last but not least, I will always love and support Jamie in everything he does. and he will forever be my source of happiness that keeps me going when things are difficult.

I also want to thank you for reaching out. it means so very much to me. if there is any further matter you wish to talk or discuss with me about, you are very welcome to drop by my inbox anytime.

(and yes, I still love talking about Stranger Things and Henry here. anybody is more than welcome to drop by my inbox to talk to me about Henry — who knows, it might re-spark that hyperfixation within me…)

[theoscouts-sideblog]

I don't want to think about the election tonight, so I'll think about Wicked the musical that I watched today. It was so good! And I got one or two headcanons.

As of the current script it feels like Oz didn't really have explicit problems that required a scapegoat- Elphaba's dad did all of that just in case there were any. I have a personal headcanon/theory that Elphaba's dad had era-typical eugenicist beliefs and decided to target sapient animals in particular because he saw them as a competitor species to humans. It's also why he exiles himself instantly when he realises Elphaba is his daughter- he probably taught eugenics to a bunch of Emerald City residents, and realised what deep shit it would mean to his safety and reputation if his secret got out.

I don't know how to feel about Boq/ Tin Man's transformation in terms of personality- since in the book it was made apparent that he only needed to believe he had a heart to act like he had one. So! I have a headcanon that Nessarose's spell removed his memories- to stop him from remembering his love for Glinda. That explains his change in personality- he was made anew and just happened to absorb all the violent anti-Elphaba propaganda that he was exposed to. Also, it wouldn't make sense for him to not have his memories erased, because then who's stopping him from squealing on Nessarose collaborating with Elphaba, even just for a little?

I headcanon the potion-thing that Elphaba's dad was giving Melena was a magical energy drink, that normally doesn't have an effect on humans from earth aside from maybe tasting good, but (temporarily) energises humans from Oz.

So theoretically, if a pregnant person drinks it while holding a child with both Oz and Earth lineage, the baby's dual heritages will interact. Since they neither can ignore the energy nor absorb it directly, it instead gives them energy through other means- such as giving them chloroplasts and making them able to photosynthesise!

That's why it feels as though there are 0 people who have heard of whatever condition that causes Elphaba's green skin before- it only happens under rare and highly specific circumstances.

This excess energy is also what makes Elphaba is so good at magic. It also means that if Elphaba were to eat less and stay out of the sun, she'd begin to lose her magical energy. Though she'd only need to stay healthy in order to maintain it again.

The original writers of the magic language that the spellbook is written in drove themselves to extinction or some kind of apocalypse where all this technology was forgotten via warfare.

Aaand I think this is pretty much confirmed canon, but I think when Elphaba cast a spell on Nessarose to let her walk, it targeted her shoes. If you translate whatever magic words she says to English, they're something along the lines of 'these shoes will take you wherever you want to go'. So on a paraplegic person like Nessarose, they would give her the ability to walk.... but also give someone who wanted to go somewhere badly like Dorothy the ability to teleport.

I have 1 or 2 complaints about what I've seen of the film. I kind of wish they had cast actors who looked more like each other for the plot twist that Elphaba is the Wizard's daughter. Also, some dialogue really shouldn't have been kept imho. It looks like they followed a lot of it word-by-word from the musical, which isn't great because while it works for a musical due to the plot needing to be fast and the songs and most exchanges needing to be (entertaining) summaries, it feels really awkward when imagining it happening irl. Musicals aren't meant to be literal, they're meant to be interpretative. They're making the same mistake that Cats 2019 did, but without the uncanny valley effect.

That's all for now, I might rewatch the original 1939 film since the last time I saw it I was like 10, and come up with new headcanons based on that.

[the-s1lly-corner]

I wish to hear about the knd oc

>:3c

Give us the lore Silly!!!!

Sososo sorry for taking so long to get to this! Admittedly I was putting this off simply because theres so much lore! I'll be adding a cut to this because with me summarizing stuff, it's still a lot! I'll try to break it up in sections, since there are different.. chapters... for lack of a better word.. this ocs entire life is plotted out! From early childhood to present day when the show takes place! That's a lot of lore considering the character is well into adulthood by the time the main series happens!

Apologies if it's all over the place and some points are.. whack.. this is my first time putting everything into writing! I'll also need to talk about other ocs so this main one can make sense, mostly it'll be talking about their sector, in regards to other ocs! Also its 3am at the time of writing this + my stomach is being MEAN

With all that said, let's hope this doesnt turn into a novel!

Also also** lore may contradict what's in canon, maybe.. I'm not sure! I'm still not done reading the comics and I havent touched anything GKND so I'm unsure if theres any extra info that in unaware of that would complicate things

Feel free to send any questions about the oc!! Lore stuff, interactions with canon characters, ect!

cws: mentions of controlling/toxic parents but i dont go too in depth about it but just know that this is a part of her story. mentions of sexism as well, obligatory its there because "admin uses his ocs to process his experience with his gender as well as being afab and other stuff" but i dont go toooooo deep into it

Name; Rose Wood

Pronouns; she/her

Age; obviously since we're sliding around all over her time line I'll let you know based in the section... but shes in the same age group as Benedict and Monty

Appearance, present day; short, rocking a chubby mom bod! Red hair that's a little faded with a prominent streak of grey. Green eyes. Very curly and fluffy hair! Not sold on a length, but currently it's just last her shoulders! Often wears cardigans or sweaters, though I'm yet to make an "official" outfit for her... her default outfit! Short :( she stopped growing in her early/mid teens height wise, about 5'5

Appearance, KND era; assuming this is in the later half of her time as a KND operative shes tall by kid standards (assuming like. 4'6 is the average for girls as google is telling me). Lanky!! Very long hair, hair is more vibrant but that's really just a design choice rather than an in universe thing. Hair changes length, it starts at mid back but she cuts it to her jaw a few months before shes decommissioned. No default outfit but she swaps between her school uniform and baseball uniform (sports kid before her dad made her stop!!)

Personality; very sweet and kind, patient.. however shes no nonsense, though that develops slowly over time and really roots and shows itself in her young adult years. Lots of internalized feelings, as a child and teen, she feels she had to suck it up and put on a happy face because to do anything else would be "unbecoming", at least according to her parents. As an adult shes oblivious to the whole child vs adult war and doesnt realize how serious it is, shes just vibing

Occupations, past and current; knd operative (decommissioned), teacher (current)

Family; she doesnt talk to her parents all that much however she keeps in touch with her grandfather (very old, think 80s, rose was an oops baby + so was her dad LMAO), and 2 younger sisters. She does have other family members however they're not very fleshed out currently. She does have a son who is a teen by the time the main series takes place! Maybe I'll make a short follow up post on him!

Former Sector teammates, numbers and names; Numbuh 246 (Rose Wood), Numbuh 165 (Jamie Robinson), Numbuh 162 (Kimberly "Kimmy" Wilson), Numbuh 527 ("Sammy" Jones), Numbuh 129 (Davis Peterson) (the leader of the sector)

i'll probably make a separate post for her teammates, this post is already pretty long LMAO

KND days;

she joined within the very early days of the KND, after monty started it. i would go further and say shes a "first generation" knd operative, being there when they fought and overthrew grandfather. she didnt actually join a sector until the last year or two of her time as an operative, working solo prior on missions and helping built up the operation. thanks to her experience, she was sent to go basically work and "pass off her knowledge" before shes decommissioned.

a actually wrote in parallels between her sector and sector v for thematic reasons but i wont get into that here; but if i had to make a comparison shes like the numbuh 5 of the group. fairly level headed and in tune with whats going on as well as being able to step up when it counts to push through on a mission

"if she was sent to basically pass her experience, why wasnt she made the leader?". tight schedule on her part, parents cared a lot about keeping up appearances and they worked rose like a horse by having her sign up to a bunch of extra curriculars + her having her share of chores as well as her parents being strict. she just did not have a lot of time to spare. a lot of her ark is her slowly becoming more and more independent as time passes, but as of now shes pulling herself between being this model student to appease her parents and fighting for the knd's cause. ironic given the whole fighting against adult tyranny thing

there was some friction in the beginning when she first joined the sector, shes the second newest member the newest being 527 (Sammy). a lot of coming from 165 (Jamie), actually throws her failures in her face if they ever fumble a mission because of her whole history. they do eventually become buddies though, but its a slow burn!

she does get what she was sent to do done before she turns 13, her decommissioning is your standard decommissioning albeit with some pizzazz; she was a first gen operative but she was one of the last remaining ones at that time so its like. a whole chapter ending in their history with only a handful of others remaining. she doesnt get to be a secret operative

Teenager;

probably the most underdeveloped part of her story, i mostly focused on her childhood as well as the present day.. so this section and early adulthood is a little under baked. a lot of the themes as before are still here, overbearing and controlling strict parents completely dominate her time so she doesnt have much time to just. be. she does end up reconnecting with some of her old teammates, but theyre all of course decommissioned at this point in time. the only one who is still an operative is sammy, but thats due to them being so young in comparison to the rest of the sector and even then theyre at the end of their time as an operative. due to the whole "operatives arent to mess with the lives of ex operatives" rule thats mentioned, sammy doesnt interact much with rose or the others unless they approach them first.

main thing to note is that rose and davis have a short fling that quickly burns out due to teens being dumb: short explanation davis was insecure and jealous and rose did not want to deal with that on top of everything else going on with her. good for her for looking out for her health

she was not an evil teen, though, far too deep in her studies to really do anything rebellious as well as being afraid of falling behind and disappointing her parents

around this time, not long after her and davis break up her and her family moves out of town

Young adult;

she went NC with her parents not long after she turned 18, moving out soon after. she does keep in touch with her younger siblings, though. the breaking point was really her parents confirming that theyre disappointed with her existence. literally all but saying they wish they had a son instead of a daughter as a first born, lots of old values/views there that finally pushes rose over the edge. noting now that rose did have some feelings about her gender but never really explored it due to feeling the need to conform + this takes place pre 2000s so... but moving forward she does start to embrace herself and slowly take the time to get to know herself now that shes got the time and space to do so. i do like the idea of her experimenting between now and present day, and while she does eventually lean more towards presenting feminine there are instances where shes presenting more masc/feels more masc

while at college she meets someone, obligatory "i havent given him a name yet", they get together. everythings good, they have a kid. they break up. im still cooking up a reasoning for why they split but for now its just "they changed because they got married young, and now theyre older"

Present day;

a few years before the events of the show she moves back to town, i was going to say she moves in during the current events but i decided to be nice and give her a chance to get accustomed to being back in her hometown. i havent decided how it happens but she ends up getting in with the villains but like. not in the way that shes a villain too, in the "shes like the nice lady from down the street who makes some killer brownies so we all vibe with her". kind of just started as a joke that i turned into the canon for her because i can... kind of see that happening... this leads to her meeting benedict, blah blah she vaguely remembers him, they catch up and it leads to them getting together

i actually didnt originally ship them because "ooooooooouuugh father kinda...." actually it was because "the delightfuls need a decent parent figure because GOD!! i love father and my take on him does soften him a bit with time but GOOD LORD" and then it mixed with that and the "ooooooough hes kinda..." LMAO

not much to say other than shes the cool mom at the PTA meetings and just gets along with everyone, probably thinks the delightfuls and sector v are friends. which drives both of them up the wall they HATE it LMAO

Post series finale;

Dead/j

Okay well, that's just a concept. Admittedly I dont know what to do with her after the series finale takes place. Logically one can assume she just continues on with her day to day because shes not really involved in the fight against children, shes quite literally. Vibing and staying in her own lane asides from when she gets dragged into things by the people around her; even then shes still.. oblivious.. not much different than how Monty reacts to the knd stuff, when hes not recommissioned. Simply thinking it's this elaborate game of sorts, ESPECIALLY if she were to get dragged in through the delightfuls (who are. You know, effectively her step children thanks to her relationship with father)

[arabian-batboy]

I know you mentioned wanting to talk about damian earlier so what is your ideal direction for damians character? Assume you can retcon out details of Canon events

I think I talked about this a lot on my blog here and there, but Its not like I have ONE very detailed direction for his character and honestly I'm starting to try my hardest to not think about what we could have, because I know it will probably never happen and I would just make myself sad.

As for what I want, it depends if you mean from this point-on or if I could just go back in time to a certain point since Lazarus Planet is still going and I have a feeling it will fuck up do a lot of changes to Damian, so we will have to wait to see what happens. Either ways, I personally just want everything that happened since 2016 to be undone, I don't care how, just erase it all and lets pretend like the last issue of R:SoB was just released and lets start from there.

You know what's funny, even though Damian's fanbase is extremely diverse, almost all of us have been asking for only one of two things for so many years now, which are either A) bring back Maya & Suren and have Damian form a team with them B) have Damian be forever trapped as Jon's partner in a Super Sons comic that doesn't end (which I’m obviously not here for.)

That's it, there are really no huge amount of Damian's fans who are asking for anything else, yet DC keeps doing stories that no asked for that are always forgotten about after they end. Not only have they completely discarded point A, but they actually even have the balls to semi-discard point B, which I’m actually glad about don’t get me wrong, but I’m just surprised considering how feral and loud SS’s fans are, so if THEY can’t have what they want, I’m afraid no Damian’s fan can wish for anything, even though again, we're easy to please and what we want done with his character is clear as the day (we’re are not asking for much either)

Now if I was like the CEO of DC, I will just be an asshole who ignores continuity and have Damian deaged to like maybe 11/12 years old, put him back in his classic costume and have him return to Gotham as its official Robin, who actually has a personal/civilian life and regular interaction with all Batman's related characters (the fact that the last time time he had proper one-on-one interaction with any of the Batgirls was in the 00's decade is ridiculous, especially when one of them is his literal sister)

I would have Talia taking a small amount of members from the LOS who were always more loyal to her goals and means than her father's to form her own small spy organization that focuses on saving the Earth in ways other than killing a lot of people, similar to how Talia destroyed Lex Luthor Crop during her spy era, so maybe we will see her going undercover in corporations that commit a lot of pollution and making them go bankrupt or something similar?

Maya, Suren and Goliath would be living with her, however they wouldn't really be involved in her spy work (except maybe Maya, whose stealth powers can come in handy) instead they, along with Damian who will occasionally leave Gotham to team-up with them, will play a more action-based role.

So it will be 3 books, a Talia's book about her doing spy work, a Damian's book about him being Gotham's Robin and a team-up book with him and his friends going on adventures, which I have plenty of ideas for.

From expanding on Maya's backstory and doing something with the plot-line about her mother that Gleason didn't get to write, to a story about the Darga tribe who have been teased for a while now without anything coming from it and their connection/rivalry to the Al Ghul family (maybe even have a story about Suren betraying his friends for his family before double crossing them and declaring his friends to be his real new family) and the Year of Blood's storyline is a treasure trove that can be used as basis for newer stories. For instance, a lot of the artifacts that Damian stole seem to have some kind of power/magical properties to them, so I wouldn't mind seeing a story about a villain getting their hands on them to use them for evil and our team retrieving those items from them.

And I love the character of Ruh, if they don't plan on reviving Ra's, I wouldn't mind her leading the rest of the League that Talia didn't take (lets be real, DC will never fully disband the League) and maybe Talia + the kids will act as a throne in her throat by always beating her to any newly discovered Lazarus Pit and destroying it before her League reach them (I feel like I would be able to come up with more stories after LP ends)

I have so many ideas in my brain its ridiculous, but like I said at the beginning, I know none of them would ever happen, since all of them require Talia and Damian to not be demonized and to be written as main-characters, which 90% of DC's writers are not interested in doing, so it would be better to just forget about them.

[ectonurites]

hey! how knowledgeable are you on stephanie brown? because i got in a bit of an argument with a dc fan on reddit who claims she's all these awful things, but im still relatively new to steph and i want to see what was true and what wasn't. link to screenie right here: https://ibb.co/vh6CYCJ

these may be matters of opinion, but even then, i'd like to know your take. i haven't read her firsthand often enough and i trust your judgement over this random redditor who seems to have some sort of blonde-woman related trauma left untapped.

I'm not necessarily the most knowledgable on her in the world, but I do know a decent amount because she's one of my absolute faves and I love her

But ohhhh boy that screenshot is a lot.

I will say that several of the things this person brings up are based in canon but are taken in the worst faith and framed in the way that makes her look as bad as possible, if that makes sense? It’s ripping things away from any context, because there's a very clear bias against her here.

I'll go through it point by point under the cut

First of all though before digging into this, I want to make it clear she was a 15 year old for the majority of the things this person is talking about. Like just pause for a second and remember she’s a 15 year old victim of abuse. That is something that I think factors into a lot of her behavior! Anyways, I kinda while doing this got into a ranty 'talking at you' format in response to the person who wrote all that, so don't take any of this as me yelling at you who asked the question/you anyone reading this.

"She always acted entitled" - Saying Steph is entitled is absolutely ridiculous to me. Stephanie grew up with a very unstable childhood due to her dad frequently being in prison and her mom dealing with a drug addiction, living in a lower class part of the city. Tim is entitled. I don’t mean that as like a bad thing about him, but he is based on his living situation, she is not. She has wanted life to be better for herself and her mom, and is determined about that, but she is not and does not act entitled.

(Secret Origins 80 Page Giant)

"and stubborn" - I will give you stubborn though, that one is true. She’s stubborn as hell! I don’t really see that as a bad thing though, pretty much every bat is stubborn?

"demanding that Batman and Robin accept her untrained ass" - Steph may have been untrained in fighting but she's shown to have exceptional gymnastics skills from the start, and at one point Bruce even says that with the right training she could be as good if not better than Tim (in Robin #88)! So like... her realizing she enjoys trying to be a hero after she tried it out to deal with her personal business, so she looks to the local experts… and is determined about it… how is that a bad thing? It’s also not like she walked up to them and said ‘im perfect as i am let me in’ what she wanted was a chance to be a hero. But she also wasn't even really looking for approval, either, not having Batman's blessing was never going to stop her. ("So excuse me if I don't jump when you bark, Batman." in Robin #16) Later when Bruce does bring her in to train (and she also gets to train with the BoP) she's excited! She’s stubborn about wanting to be in the hero business, but it’s not like she’s unwilling to work for it.

"advocating leaving criminals to die because they 'deserve it'" - She’s a 15 year old who grew up knowing firsthand how dangerous Gotham criminals can be because of her dad, of course off the bat when they’re in a dangerous situation where any of them could die (because that’s the context here, this is in Robin #35 where they’re trapped in some super dangerous snow) she thinks they shouldn’t go back for another criminal who just tried to kill them and should instead save themselves. But she also literally WITHIN THAT SAME ISSUE then says she realized she learned something after listening to Tim and trying to save the guy! In the same issue! Characters in a story aren’t supposed to be perfect from the start… they learn things along the way???

(Robin #35)

"trying to steal from the shops they just stopped from being burglarized" - She’s 15 and doesn’t have a ton of money. She was gonna take two sodas, and when Tim said not to do it she paid with very little fuss. They stopped people who were robbing the place at gunpoint for prescription drugs. If you can’t understand the difference in severity between those things like… I do not even know where to start. (this situation is in Robin #56 btw)

"forcing physical affection onto Tim despite his visible discomfort and repeated objections (not even stopping when he told her he had a girlfriend)" - This one I will give you because she did cross boundaries with all that! But I do also want to clarify that she didn't start coming onto him until after Tim kissed her first (in Robin #5) while not telling her he had a girlfriend. That doesn’t excuse her later actions but for the first issue that she’s coming onto him from her perspective he expressed interest and she was just returning it! She even specifically says 'Maybe I should pay you back for saving my life the same way you paid me' (in Robin #16) before kissing him. That first time she kissed him unprompted was under essentially the same circumstances he kissed her unprompted, and she literally did not know about Ariana until after the fact. From that point once she knew about Ari she definitely should have backed off and she didn’t, that’s a very fair thing to criticize about her as a character. But Tim lead her on first, and I feel a lot of people like to casually forget that when talking about this situation. The way this is phrased of ‘not even stopping when he told her-‘ implies she was repeatedly doing the bad behavior before he told her, which is not the case. She still did bad things here but don’t misrepresent the situation.

"And lashing out at Tim, her mother, and her classmates in violent fits of anger" - Every comic book character lashes out at other people for the sake of drama like, I dare you to come up with a well-known superhero character who hasn’t done shit like that to a partner/family/friends in a moment of high tension/stress?

"She treated the girls around her like they were stupid bitches" - frankly this ones a little too vague like, I'm not sure off the top of my head exactly what they're talking about? in that era right around her pregnancy and stuff I really don't recall her being mean with other girls? I could be forgetting something I guess but the closest I can think of is a bit after this period of time when she has the confrontation with Greta in Young Justice but that was Greta attacking her first, not the other way around.

"got insanely jealous if Tim so much as expressed concern about another girl" - Steph getting jealous and thinking Tim was cheating isn’t that crazy when STEPHANIE BASICALLY WAS THE OTHER GIRL DURING TIM’S LAST RELATIONSHIP? Tim has cheated a little bit before! Tim cheated on Ari with both Jubilee from Marvel (during a crossover thing where he even mentions Ari specifically so it’s not like this was out of continuity/a setting she wasn't an issue or something) and also with Steph. While most of the kissing between them was Steph coming onto Tim which I wouldn’t count as cheating on his end, he did still kiss her which I would count. Not to mention that the jealousy thing (I imagine they’re talking about the instance with Star, the girl who taught Tim to skateboard, this arc of stuff starts in Robin #80 and continues for a few issues) is happening during the time she’s dating him while she still doesn’t even know his real name. He literally has a whole other life she doesn’t know about, and is someone who has initiated romantic moments with other girls while in a relationship multiple times before! With that in mind I don’t think a 16 (she's def 16 by this point) year old girl being kinda paranoid about how he interacts with girls he might know in his civilian life is that unreasonable? The later big instance with jealousy is the Darla situation- where Steph sees Darla kiss him and gets mad about it (and doesn’t talk to him about it) and thats what prompts her to become Robin. The important thing to remember about Steph in this time frame is that DC decided she had to die and they wanted to make her Robin first to drum up more attention for that death. They were doing ooc things with her to set those pieces in motion, and that needs to be taken into account. I think her getting upset about seeing something like that isn’t even ooc, but her using it as motivation to become Robin and not even saying anything to him about it is. In the earlier instance where she’s upset/jealous about Star, she does communicate to him what’s going on at least a little bit on the rooftop after they’d saved her. She makes it clear the thing she was upset about is that she feels like she can’t trust him because she doesn’t really know him while he knows everything about her, and that’s why she thinks he’s cheating. Her reaction to the Darla thing is not in line with how earlier in canon Steph would have handled the same situation, because they wanted her to die and needed a way to explain her becoming Robin.

"and expressed that jealousy by accusing him of cheating and throwing things at him" - I just addressed the cheating stuff but the throwing things was fucking slapstick oh my god this is a comic book for kids/teens like. ah yes this is horrible abuse in this little funny montage of how Steph wants him to leave her alone because she’s mad at him and he refuses to give her space

(Robin #82)

I don’t think anyone at DC or even in fandom would/should try to argue she’s perfect, because she’s not! And I don’t want her to be because perfect characters are boring. Steph is flawed, Steph has been compared in canon to Robin-era Jason by Cass & Bruce

(Detective Comics #790)

And I think these highlight some of her very real flaws that are an interesting part of her character. These plus her stubbornness and determination are part of what makes her her.

And for fuck's sake the world was mean to her, and to act like it wasn’t is just blatantly ignoring a lot. A criminal father who made her life really difficult (‘when my dad was mad at me he’d lock me in the closet!’), that time she got kidnapped for two weeks and her mom had left her (a 15 year old) alone at home so long she didn't even find out it happened (in text Steph says Crystal was visiting friends, a lot of people interpret that as her mom possibly being in rehab for her addictions again), that whole thing about how one of her dad’s friends tried to sexually assault her as a child, also just how due to her dad's work sometimes criminals would be living in their house (Literally the fucking Riddler at one point!), the fact that we as an audience watched her get tortured for several days because a plan she tried to enact to prove herself backfired since Batman didn’t trust her with important information (something Selina even calls him out on in her internal narration), like… sorry but in what way is all that not the world being mean to her?

She was Robin, she dated Robin, she likes Eggplant (because purple would've looked stupid), and makes jokes. She’s also impulsive, headstrong and determined, and wants to prove to herself and others that she can be more than just the daughter of a shitty criminal, that she can actually be a force to do good in the world.

She’s a complex character, and nobody is required to like her, but to act like she doesn’t have a single redeeming trait is ridiculous. You could write a paragraph like that with the worst moments of basically any character and make them look like shit if that's what you were setting out to do.

[bigskydreaming]

So its no secret that I’ve always been RAWR about takes that talk about how Dick and Bruce aren’t father and son because that doesn’t sum up all they are, really, and actually their relationship is more than ‘just’ father and son.....

But see my issue there, specifically, has always been that for all that people SAY that, when expressing this kind of view, these takes never seem to actually include the idea that Dick and Bruce ARE father and son in ADDITION to whatever ‘else’ they are, that makes their relationship more than ‘just father and son.’ Y’know?

And so it always comes across to me as kinda being one of those lip service things that’s meant to placate resistance to this idea, while still pressing forward with the idea itself and attempting to slot it into the overall narrative/impression of Dick and Bruce’s relationship without anyone being able to actually counter it to any degree. Because then people can be like “no but see, we’re agreeing with you, we’re saying that Dick and Bruce ARE father and son, we’re just not focusing on that label because we feel it doesn’t encapsulate ALL that they are and thus its not the best way to describe them.”

But again....how is that actually agreement with the idea that they’re parent and child, if there’s never any actual inclusion or acknowledgment of the idea that they’re parent and child in ADDITION to anything else that describes what they are to each other, that can’t be summed up as JUST that? If there’s never any acknowledgment of the fact that whatever else Bruce is to Dick, he always had full parental authority over Dick from the moment he came to Wayne Manor? Of the fact that so many of their most iconic conflicts are not those of brother and older brother, but disputes unique to fathers and sons, or family members of two different generations at the very least? If focus is never put on, but instead meant to distract from, the fact that when Dick bucks against Bruce authoritatively making a decision about his life, its that of a child resisting OVER-REACHING exertions of parental authority.....like its not even Dick objecting to Bruce wielding ANY kind of parental authority over him whatsoever, the canon is never actually Dick being like ‘you dont get to decide that for me because you’re not my real dad,’ its literally ‘you dont get to decide that for me because its MY life and I’m an adult at this point.’

Like, even when Bruce acting in his capacity as a parent is the SPECIFIC point of conflict between them, its never because he dares to do so whatsoever, like Dick implicitly always cedes him the power and authority to MAKE decisions based on him being Dick’s parent....the resistance is always tailored AROUND the built in acknowledgment that Bruce can and will act as a parent, even if that’s not what they’re officially calling it at that particular point in canon.

Plus, as I’ve said before, I’ll always be weirded out that people seem MORE ready to accept Dick as Damian’s parent even when Bruce returns and is there as an actual figure that Dick doesn’t want to get between building his own relationship Damian, or replace as Damian’s father.....than they are the idea that Bruce could truly be Dick’s father because it would put him between Dick and his memories of someone who isn’t even around to still act as a parent to him. 

Idk. Ultimately I think where I always get stuck here is with how often people refer back to canon as their basis for a particular interpretation of the character dynamics, even in a fandom that swears canon isn’t all that important....

Because the thing is, that whole bit about Dick not wanting Bruce to replace his dad is ultimately just one line from a story back in the GOLDEN AGE.....whereas since then, there have been tons of instances of Bruce and Dick being blatantly father and son and even explicitly referring to each other as such, as well as Dick’s actual adoption.

Its kinda like that thing I’m always pointing out in regards to Dick and Jason’s relationship, and how people point to the one line Dick said (in an era where editorial were really actively pushing the idea that Jason was responsible for his own death to distract from DC’s own culpability there), like....its that thing where people point to the ONE time Dick said something even tangentially negative about Jason as proof that he never liked or cared about him....while at the exact same time ignoring the far GREATER evidence to the contrary, such as Last Laugh, or Dick hallucinating Robin Jason as a comforting figure at one point, or the actual canon interactions of the two pre-ADITF.

Like, of course we all get to pick and choose what canon we abide by, especially when canon seems to directly contradict itself, but its always going to be significant in my mind when people point to singular moments in canon as ‘proof’ of something, while acting like the far greater canon evidence to the contrary is irrelevant? 

Idk how to precisely state my gripe here. I think maybe its the fact that singular moments are pointed to as EVIDENCE, specifically, while disregarding that there’s just as much evidence to the exact opposite of a take....instead of singular moments just being pointed to as being like “this is my preference for this, based on me having read this and it just being what happened to stick with me"?

Honestly just musing out loud, or in text, here, not really drawing any conclusions specifically, more just....working my way through thoughts on this subject in a way that might be of interest to others or launch others’ thoughts in various directions.

[ratcarney]

episode 23 and the characterization of yukimi, yoite, and miharu

there are several things about e23 (aptly named “activation”) that tear me apart but one of the main ones is how yukimi, yoite, and miharu react to raikou’s death. when they see raikou’s body hit the ground, when they see him let go of shirogamon, they all react in ways that are inconsistent with their characterization thus far in the series, and that’s what makes the scene so meaningful and crucial to the development of both the plot and characters.

we’ll start with yukimi:

yukimi’s character is based on his go-with-the-flow, if-you-can’t-beat-em-join-em attitude. he’s introduced by pointing a gun at a fuuma ninja, and takes the fuuma ninja’s surprise in stride. he explains himself thusly: “times are changin’, so i’m adaptin’. makes sense? it’s the 21st century. the age of the individual” (e3). yukimi prides himself on not being a by-the-book shinobi like tobari. he’s easygoing, if a bit gruff at times. overall, he’s not the type to spiral or get caught up in his own head, and he’s certainly not the type to show the enemy that he’s scared.

but as soon as raikou’s grip loosens on his katana, we see him look horrified.

this is an expression we’ve never seen on yukimi before. he’s scared. keep in mind that raikou had injured him just minutes beforehand. he’s still holding the shoulder that raikou slashed. yukimi was brought into the kairoshu with kazuho when he was younger as an attempt to escape an abusive father. hattori took him and kazuho in and raised them almost as if they were his own children (see: ichiki alluding to yukimi being something akin to hattori’s child in e18). if we do the math, raikou joined the kairoshu five years prior to canon era, so yukimi would have been 22. yukimi would have lived in the kairoshu for quite some time. we have to bear in mind that yukimi has known raikou since raikou was fifteen years old. yukimi basically watched him grow up. judging by their easy, familiar dynamic in e9 and the scene in e10 where yukimi tells gau how to approach raikou, the two of them had a good relationship, maybe even a semi-brotherly relationship.

so, applying that to raikou’s death scene, yukimi just watched as the man who replaced his own father murdered the boy he had come to know as something of a brother.

it’s now when all previous characterization departs. yukimi is showing real, genuine fear. he is no longer the easygoing, caustic ninja that we have come to know him as. even when he was injured by raikou, he still had his attitude intact (“so you’re a samurai again, huh?”), but now he’s a husk of that man, and the terror in his eyes reveals that. raikou’s death shocked him enough to lose all of his former bravado.

yoite’s situation is more difficult. leading up to this episode, he’s already been abandoning some of his former characterization, but it’s still in line with his MO. he wants to disappear, and even though his motivations are changing, he’s still yoite. throughout the series, we have seen him kill without a second thought. he says it himself: “i live to kill for the kairoshu.” (e12). he’s introduced as a “monster” (e2). and steps into the role neatly when he tears tobari apart and snaps kouichi’s arm. even as his kira is taking more and more out of him, he continues to use it without much sympathy for those it affects. he’s constantly walking on a “mountain of bodies,” so he’s become desensitized to death (e12).

but when we see his face when raikou dies...

he’s the only person in the room to quickly turn away.

yoite has never shown any aversion to looking at dead bodies prior to this point. his desensitization runs deep, and he’s normally unfazed by them. but it’s this particular body, RAIKOU’S body, that makes him look away. it’s a knee-jerk response. he turns his head and looks at the ground because he can’t bear to look at raikou. even when we see him later, through raimei’s eyes, he still can’t bring himself to look at raikou.

even though my personal belief is that yoite and raikou go way back, i’m focusing on canon here, so in canon, raikou and yoite met for the first time a few months prior to this, and they’ve worked in close proximity to each other since then. their relationship hit a rough patch just before yoite revived gau with his kira, but raikou’s gratitude to yoite only flourished since gau woke up, and it was present in the way he interacted with him. raikou became a protector of sorts for yoite in the last few days of his life, because he had “a debt that needed paying back” (e21). raikou was genuinely kind to yoite at a point in yoite’s life where he needed kindness (regardless of whether or not he necessarily wanted it), and for yoite to see his body on the ground, is (in gau’s words) “too much for any one person to handle” (e20). yoite’s desensitization to dead bodies is shattered when it comes to one of the only people in his life that granted him some semblance of kindness.

miharu. oh, miharu. the master of indifference.

in the beginning of the series, miharu’s main character trait is that he is “apathetic towards everyone and everything” (e1). it’s this apathy that keeps the shinrabanshou from truly and permanently awakening from inside him, as that would require miharu to make a wish according to his innermost desires, and he has none. we see him grow and change throughout the series up to this point as he comes to genuinely care about yoite and yoite’s wish, but he’s still gripping tight to apathy as a coping mechanism to separate himself from everyone else.

miharu and raikou didn’t have a close relationship, but they went on the koga mission together, and raikou liked and respected miharu a lot. he never treated miharu like a child, and never attempted to tell him what he could and couldn’t do (like tobari did). miharu is not as desensitized to death as yoite is, so he’s able to be disturbed by violence, but he’s not completely unfamiliar with the concept. he even partakes in violence himself when necessary (see: escaping from his hotel room in e21). however, when he sees raikou hit the ground, we see something break inside miharu. any last remnants of his previous apathy are forcefully cast aside as he’s forced to look at the body of a former comrade.

it’s seeing raikou get murdered that finally shakes him up enough to allow the shinrabanshou to take over. miharu is so genuinely scared in that moment, he completely abandoned all the walls he had tried to put up to protect himself, and the fairy is able to take advantage of him.

miharu’s apathy dies along with raikou, his pure, unadulterated terror creating a fragile state of mind that the shinrabanshou is able to seize hold of. raikou’s death marks miharu’s abandonment of his previous characterization and makes room for the growth he needs in order to harness the shinrabanshou.

taking all of this into account, it’s still fucked up that they killed anime raikou, but for the sake of the plot and characters, it’s understandable why they did so. raikou dying was the final drop of water they needed to get yukimi, yoite, and miharu’s characters to the point where they overflowed.

[ljf613]

Courtship, Arranged Marriages, and Unplanned Pregnancies

Like I said here, I’ve got a bunch of headcanons on cultural differences between the four nations of the Avatar-verse. I decided to hit you guys right with the heavy stuff, first, so let’s talk about dating, marriage, and kids born out-of-wedlock!

(Note that these primarily apply to the time period shown in ATLA-- things are probably a little different by Korra’s era.)

Water Tribes: First off, I feel like a lot of fanfic writers tend to act like these guys (particularly the North) are total sexists on every level, which is a little unfair. Yes, we’re told that they have strict gender roles when it comes to bending, but nothing at any point in canon suggests that they think of women as second-class citizens. Just because they have rigid gender roles in certain areas (which is not super-uncommon for a tribal culture) doesn’t mean that women are considered lesser. So, in the water tribes, out-of-wedlock pregnancies are considered a dishonor on the man, not the woman. They’re also, frankly, considered a rather stupid move. In a polar climate with limited resources, what kind of selfish man would put the responsibility of another mouth to feed on someone else’s family? (Also, rape and molestation are taboos considered the most heinous crimes possible. Such things are almost unheard of, with punishments ranging from death to banishment.) In short, just because a culture doesn’t believe in teaching their women to fight does not mean they don’t honor and respect them. Practically speaking, most people are married by the time they’re twenty or so (at the very latest). In the North, which has a much larger population than the South, this does mean that a lot of families arrange marriages. (Matches are based on a number of factors, including compatibility, and the people being set-up generally do have the right to refuse, although that rarely happens.) In the South, where everybody knows everybody else, things are a little more relaxed and people generally choose their own partners. While some do go through a few people before they find the right one, dating, even from a young age, is serious business, and people who marry their childhood sweethearts are the general rule, rather than the exception. (This, btw, totally explains why Katara spent so long trying to debating whether or not she wanted to be with Aang. She wasn’t just thinking “do I like this guy enough to make him my first boyfriend?” She was deciding whether or not she could see herself potentially marrying him a few years down the line.)

Earth Kingdom: These guys are much more relaxed than the Water Tribes. Arranged marriages are pretty rare, even in the upper classes (although they do happen), and most people date casually for years before they really start thinking about marriage. (For any of you who’ve read the comics, this also explains the interaction in “The Promise: Part 2” between Katara and Aang’s fanclub. They refer to her as his “first” girlfriend, and she gets super-insulted. In the water tribes, people often marry the first person they date, but in the Earth Kingdom, no thirteen year old boy or fifteen year old girl is even thinking about marriage yet. It’s more of a culture gap than a truly intentional insult.) Out-of-wedlock pregnancies, while uncommon, do happen sometimes, but unless you’re really upper-crust, they’re not a huge deal. However, they aren’t really talked about in polite circles-- the accepted thing to do these days is to pretend to be a war widow.

Fire Nation: These guys fall somewhere in the middle. They generally do date with the eventual intention of marriage, but it’s fairly typical to go through several potential partners before deciding on the one, and courtships typically last at least two to five years. (Arranged marriages among the nobles are definitely more common than in the Earth Kingdom, though.) However, they’re expected to stay fairly chaste during that time. Even among the common folk, an out-of-wedlock pregnancy is a huge scandal, tarnishing both the good name of the girl and the honor of her father and his household. When they do happen, they’re usually quickly hushed up-- either by the Avatar-world equivalent of a shotgun marriage, a discreet operation, or a “trip to the colonies” (where the child is then shipped off to an orphanage).

Air Nomads: I didn’t really need to come up with much for them, since canon practically spells it out for us. The Air Nomads didn’t actually practice marriage, ergo, technically all children were born out-of-wedlock. They didn’t have traditional family units-- kids were raised communally by the monks and/or nuns. Some of them had long term relationships, others just casual flings, but I imagine most fell somewhere in the middle. (Vathara’s Embers mentions “spring festivals,” which sounds about right to me.)

What do you guys think?

[rachel-matteo-merlin-recs]

Canon Era - Single Fic Arcs

Rheged

Author: McShame

Description: 

Post S5 (AU): canon to the end of S4 & part of the way through S5. 

Gwen and Arthur have been married for several years, Merlin’s magic has been revealed and Arthur has now reached a kind of cold peace with it.  Then a delegation arrives from a kingdom based on magic, and suddenly Destiny is starkly and ruthlessly thrust to the fore.  The question is should - can - it be avoided? 

Word Count: 124,383

Completed: Yes

Comment(s): 

Definitely might want to pay attention to the tags on this one; one scene can be interpreted both as dubious consent (but more like a I want this, but I can’t do this type of situation), as well as mentions of infidelity and attempted suicide by magic because Merlin just doesn’t want to deal with the fallout and aftermath of his and Arthur’s actions and the consequences it has on their relationships with Gwen and Gwaine.  But if you can handle the rough spots, this fic is truly spectacular.  

Whispering Your Name

Author: CaffeinatedFlumadiddle

Description:

A different take on the dorocha.  Instead of them being faceless screams that attack you, they are actually figures of the dead.  Merlin doesn’t quite realize how much death affected him until him and the knights go to close the veil.  

Word Count: 22,517

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

One of my absolute favorite fics of all time.  It also has a bit of Uther redemption in it and Lancelot lives! It also has one of my favorite interactions in a fanfiction: 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Arthur growled, throwing up his hands.  “That thing murdered my people and you allowed it to live--” 

“You murdered my people and I allowed you to live,” Merlin said sharply.  Gwaine felt his eyes widen.  Bold words.  Part of him wanted to ‘ooh’ at it but knew it would lead to a very bad outcome.  

Dower the Stars

Author: RurouniHime

Description:

During a time of great prosperity in Albion, the Druids offer Emrys a precious gift.  Arthur is not amused. 

Word Count: 40,654

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

A super fun but also very romantic fic.  Druids far and wide come in and kiss Merlin, hoping that their magic will react a certain way with Merlin’s and he’ll bond with one of them.  Merlin however decides to throw a wrench in his plan when he chooses to bond with Arthur instead after almost losing him.  

Overstepping

Author: Masked_Mayhem

Description:

Merlin knew he was pushing his limits, that he was millimetres away from overstepping the invisible line that Arthur had wordlessly set and the warlock had been careful not to cross, but he was never one to listen to the rules that were set for him.  Especially not when he was afraid. 

Agravaine had managed to weasel his way into his king’s mind and ingrain doubts in the people he loved, the people that loved him...doubts that only took place and bloomed as the traitor lied and deceived and planted things against them. He had gotten rid of Gwen easily enough, and had almost gotten rid of Gaius. Merlin was afraid. Were a few words and items all it would take for Arthur to turn against him too?

Word Count: 51,915

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

Merlin steps over a line and Arthur punishes him for it.  Later, when Merlin was right, Arthur regrets his decision and saves him.  Romance blooms between the two, but a wrench gets thrown in along the way with the reveal of Merlin’s magic and deeds in Arthur’s name.  There is a lot of angst, but I like to feel as if it’s a happy ending for the two.  

Springes to Catch Woodcocks

Author: myashke

Description:

When Arthur pushes Merlin away to protect him, what lengths will Merlin go to remain in his life

Word Count: 83,292

Completed: No

Comment(s): 

Unfortunately the only negative that this fic has going for it is that it doesn’t seem as if it’ll ever be finished.  There are 7 chapters and they were last updated in December of 2011.  Still worth the read.  

Two Souls

Author: Naelyn

Description:

A few days after Camlann, Merlin and Morgana find themselves imprisoned in the same place, and forced to spend their days together.  Basically, this is just a pretext for non-stop Merlin and Morgana interaction once the Emrys reveal has been made. 

“I’ve gone soft over the day, you know.  A few months ago, I would have killed you where you stood.” 

“A few months ago, you did try to kill me where I stood,” Merlin reminded her, and she could hear the smirk in his tone.  

Word Count: 11,417

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

One of the only fics on this list that won’t be specifically a Merthur fic; but it still isn’t Mergana either.  The idea is that after the revelation at Camlann, one can assume that Arthur lived and that Morgana wasn’t killed; that Merlin had been banished or sent away for the lies he told and somehow was subsequently captured.  

What starts out as a hostile interactions between Merlin and Morgana leads to understanding and apologies that lead on a path to healing.  The end is left open ended, it’s implied that they are sent to their deaths in another kingdom without hope of being rescued, but you can use your imagination to decide if you wanted them to have a happier ending.  

The Patter of Tiny Feet on Cold Stone Floors

Author: TheAvalonian

Description:

When Guinevere finds that she is unable to bear Arthur a child, Merlin offers her the perfect solution: an ancient spell which can create new life out of love, if that love is pure and powerful enough.  But after the ritual, it becomes increasingly obvious that while Gwen has indeed become pregnant, the child she carries might not have been created from the love between Arthur and his wife - but rather from the love between Arthur and his Court Sorcerer.  

Word Count: 79,131

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

Merlin and Arthur have a baby!  But it’s not an mpreg fic.  Guinevere discovers that Arthur and Merlin are more tied together than she and Arthur are - and while that is difficult for her to come to terms with, she concedes that Arthur has the chance that she never had with Lancelot and doesn’t want to stand in the way.  Queue of course evil plotting on behalf of Morgana and a kidnapping of the queen and princess - who happens to have shown gifts of her own - and it’s a rollercoaster of a tale that leaves you wanting more.  

Metamorphose

Author: clotpolesonly

Description:

When Merlin falls into bed with Arthur, he doesn’t expect to wake up alone.  He doesn’t expect Arthur to give him the cold shoulder either, but there is something else he expects even less which forces him out of the kingdom for over a year. 

He returns to find a traitor in the court, an army on the way, and a love he’d thought all but lost waiting for him with open arms.  

Word Count: 33,753

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

I don’t usually enjoy mpreg fics because they don’t make sense to me from a biological stand point and usually get explained away as “because reasons”.  This fic is an exception, it does a good job of explaining why it is that Merlin might wound up in his situation and it deals with difficult question about how to handle the knowledge and who to share it with.  

Flowers in the Wind

Author: the_seaworthy_muffin

Description:

A thousand and five-hundred years ago, Arthur Pendragon is sent to the god Emrys as Camelot’s yearly tribute.  He comes to befriend the god, and as the prince continues to spend time on the god’s island, something more seems to blossom between them.  But then the Lady Morgana goes missing, and Arthur betrays Emrys to his father in a moment of misguided trust.  Emrys’ island burns, the heart-broken god refusing to fight for his life.  In dying, he puts a terrible curse upon the prince: to live forever, and never forget. 

A millennium and a half has passed.  Arthur is being slowly torn apart from the inside-out, memories of the past an ever-growing weight in his chest.  When he finally finds Emrys again, he is elated - he’s ready to beg, weep, anything, if only he can find blissful forgetfulness.  But while the god’s power has not faded, his memories have, and he lives his life as young artist Merlin Emrys, believing himself to be a simple man with interesting gifts.  And Arthur’s hopes are dashed.  But there is one last way: Arthur can try, and make Merlin remember again. 

Word Count: 67,366

Completed: No - but it is being continuously updated

Comment(s): 

This is a truly spectacular work of fiction and I almost didn’t give it a chance.  I am so glad that I did.  Honestly, this is now one of my favorite authors on AO3.  

Peace, Plum, Pear

Author: sweetestdrain

Description:

How in his tenth year of rule King Arthur chose a man to take the role of Court’s Magician, and how Arthur made his decision.

Word Count: 13,700

Completed: Yes

Comment(s): 

Merlin fled the kingdom after Uther found out about his magic, and now it’s been ten years since the old king’s death and Arthur’s ascension to the throne, and yet Merlin is still nowhere to be found.  

Arthur gives in and holds trials for the new Court Sorcerer and in walks in an old man named Myrddin Wyllt.  But, there’s more than meets the eye to this strange and mysterious magician.  

Deluge

Author: Suaine

Description:

In the aftermath of Merlin’s battle against Nimueh, the rain seems a minor complication, perhaps even a cleansing influence.  When the rain doesn’t stop, Camelot is pushed to the brink once more.  This time, Arthur may be in over his head.  

Contains: a lot of wet boys in emotional scenes, Arthur knowing more than he lets on, Merlin being an idiot, both of them being a bit stupidly heroic, telepathic chess, rain (lots of), war, making out against a tree, coincidental druids, co-opted history, co-opted myths, magic, coming of age (metaphorically), and more magically annoying yet surprisingly un-floody water than you can shake a stick at.  

Word Count: 50,565

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

Beautifully written fic, truly a great addition to the fandom. 

Idiosyncratic Romance

Author: F0rcryinoutloud

Description:

“And what about your destiny?” Gaius asked softly.  “Merlin, you know Arthur needs you - whether he realizes it or not.  You won’t have to hide from him forever.”  

Word Count: 13,942

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

Beauty in the Ashes of our Lives

Author: Fulgance

Description:

After Merlin is executed for Uther’s murder, Arthur’s world falls apart. 

Word Count: 21,599

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

Arthur makes a huge mistake when he executes Merlin following the reveal of his magic.  

Tiercel 

Author: waldorph

Description:

Arthur is constantly at war. 

Word Count: 6,571

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

This is a wonderful magic reveal fic where Merlin goes out and discovers more about magic while still taking care of Arthur and protecting him; Arthur is constantly at war because Uther has decided he wants to take over and unite Albion.  

[farharbour]

talk about kaz!! we would like to hear 🥺

i love you. thank you for enabling me. i will now say five things i like the most abt his character:

1) first off i would die over the symbolism of his name. like. it’s just so good even though it’s like super cliché to have a character with a name meaning “peace” be a war guy. but it’s like. deeper than that also u know...

his whole existence is a byproduct of war given he was born in 1946, post-war japan. his background is i think an interesting commentary on growing up in that time period while having an absent father who is a part of the american military that brought destruction to his mother’s country. and his mother still chose to name him peace.

he goes hard for pmcs during pw and at one point and because of the whole msf thing he steeps his whole person in a drive for revenge and for violence, but even then later in life he dedicates himself to fighting against big boss’ dream of a world in constant war. like. at that point he’s fighting war for some semblance of peace i guess, albeit in a really roundabout way. parallels to david snake too, there. maybe kinda shows you how much influence he had on him. you love to see it!

2)  on a related note the whole “i may act like i’m cold and heartless and angry with everything in the world but the truth is i genuinely care about this thing i’ve helped build so much that i’m scared to think about loosing everything again, and i want to get revenge on cipher not only because of the hurt i carry and the want for revenge for those whose lives were lost but also because of the guilt i feel about letting cipher onto mother base in the first place to inevitably destroy everything i cared about and the fear it could happen again” thing that was going on in tpp really gets me

i love kaz’s entire character arc in tpp tbh and the ways he’s changed and the ways he continues to change, both good and bad. and the thing i hate most about his character is the fact that his arc was never really brought to a satisfying conclusion and i wish we could have seen how things played out for him. i will also always be curious about the whole “he goes back to foxhound potentially knowing that bb was commanding the unit again” thing especially considering what was said in the after credits dialogue with ocelot

3) and speaking of bb i am obsessed with their relationship. love how it’s heavily implied on like 10 different occasions that kaz is bi and has romantic feelings for him (even if u ignore the whole date with kaz side mission in pw because it’s “not canon” or whatever) and i love how there’s like... there’s trust between them but there’s also very little trust there, too

kaz lied to him about his ties with cipher and i don’t think bb ever forgave him for that. and then bb went and did what he did back to him, after kaz had already lost everything and felt incredible amounts of guilt that was both deserved and undeserved. it’s kind of reminiscent of that thing that bb said at one point about war showing you who your real allies and enemies are, and how those lines aren’t always drawn by what you’re told or who you’re fighting against on the battlefield. like. you can find an enemy in your biggest ally and that’s exactly what ended up happening

and yeah the whole foxhound thing just. really gets me. i think a lot about how that had to go and the hurt he further dealt with during n313 and wrt zanzibar

4) also ok talking about foxhound-era kaz... i’m loathe to pick a favourite kaz our of the three major eras we see him in but old man kaz might just be my favourite and i really could not tell you why exactly. i guess it’s because it’s the only era where he gets to interact with snavid and i love them both so much so that’s a lot of fun

i think that their relationship is done really well but you’ve also kinda gotta read between the lines to get at the intricacies of it. like you’ve got kaz who it’s implied has only become david’s master to make him strong enough to help him get his revenge on big boss, but then by the time mgs1 hits david basically says he trusts him on the battlefield more than anyone. there had to be time between mg1 and mg2 or mg2 and mgs1 where that relationship changed from what it was to something more based on mutual respect, while also obviously still maintaining that master/student dynamic 

i think about that mg2 carrie radio call sometimes (even though it was cut) where she asks snake to play with her “next time,” implying that there was a first time and that he and miller have hung out at least once with her around. like tbh i’m still not sure either if carrie is like a legit part of canon but she is to me & i do think kaz deserves to be a little domestic in the last years of his life. fishing. raising his daughter. having a wife. taking care of 50 wolf dogs.

and i think he looks very nice on top of all of that too. i’m literally So There’s This Senior Citizen right now but his hair is very very very good if nothing else. the ponytail really suits him and i like to think about all the different hairstyles he could wear. u think carrie ever braided it because i sure do :buttercat:

5) he is one of the smartest most articulate characters in the entire series. his college degree is definitely in business. he reads theory and knows the intricacies of world politics and law. but he is also a complete himbo who can barely rub two of his brain cells together

[ironwoman359]

EMBARRASSING PHASES: The Endcard and what it means.

Greetings Guys, Gals, and Non-Binary Pals! Tis I, Taylor, resident theorist and Screenshot Queen, here to talk about the endcard to the latest Sanders Sides video! This endcard was short, but it had a lot of information squeezed inside it that I’m really excited to unpack! Now, there are a lot of different theories that could be based on this information, but for this post, I’m going to try and stay away from speculation (as much as possible, anyway) and stick with what we can safely say for sure is canon based on the data provided and using deductive reasoning, and deliver my own personal theory as to what’s happening storywise at the end.

Without further ado, the game is on!

SO, our main dilemma with this whole segment is that it’s hard to understand anything that comes out of Deceit’s mouth. He has a tendency to speak in opposites...but he doesn’t do so in canon the way he often so clearly does in fics. It’s more fluid, more confusing, more difficult to understand what he really means. But fortunately, we have an advantage for this analysis...we have Virgil. Virgil, who doesn’t seem to have any trouble understanding Deceit throughout the entire scene. Using his responses, things we know from past videos, things we learned in this video, and a small amount of deductive guesswork, we can piece together what exactly Deceit is hinting at at the end of this video.

We start with what seems like some typical, unfriendly banter between Virgil and Deceit, which can actually reveal a lot about their relationship.

“Very well done, Virgil.”

“You’re so...”

“...evolved.”

Once again, we get that glare from Virgil that seems to be specially reserved for Deceit. Compare the look Virgil shoots Patton when he’s worked up and stressed and Patton calls him a cutesy nickname:

To the glares he gives Deceit:

One is the exasperation you shoot a parent who, for the hundredth time, has said something embarrassing in front of your friends, the other is pure contempt.

That being said, the familiarity with which they talk to each other, in my mind at least, all but confirms our previous theories that Virgil and Deceit used to know each other very well.

“Oh, you are HILARIOUS, Virgil, you always have been!”

This line is not just said for the sake of Deceit making fun of Virgil (though I think that is his main intent here), it once again implies a familiarity between the two. I also think this is one of Deceit’s mirrored statements, he’s saying Virgil never has been the funny one (which really, he’s right. That’s not really a big part of Virgil’s character).

“What are you doing here?”

“Hm, a bunch of talk about Halloween...a season for dressing up and pretending to be something or someone else. You’re right, a master of deception such as myself has no place in that kind of discussion.”

Oooooh, this line is so fun to take apart. First off, on the surface, Deceit is saying that, because he is the embodiment of pretending to be something you’re not, he should have had a seat in the Halloween video. And while that is a point he could be making, I don’t think it’s really what he’s talking about, and I think Virgil knows that. (Remember, we’re operating under the assumption that Virgil has a lot of experience dealing with Dee, so he knows how to navigate what he’s saying. As @what-even-is-thiss​ pointed out, “We’ve now seen a full conversation with Deceit. Not only that, but both sides seemed to understand what was going on. Showing it’s possible to work past Deceit’s lying thing enough to get info out of him.”)

So what is Deceit really talking about here? Well, look at Virgil’s face when Deceit says “pretending to be something or someone else.” He rolls his eyes:

But then for a moment, he looks uneasy:

And that moment is exactly when Deceit says “something or someone else.” Besides, the video wasn’t really about Halloween, Halloween was just the catalyst for Virgil trying to get them to see why it was a big deal to him that they were ignoring his past, and also that he still has his ability to be scary (which Logan points out is important to his function as Anxiety).

No, the video is about phases, and how they shape you as a person. And if Deceit was a big part of Virgil’s past phases, this could very well be his way of reminding Virgil of that past. I think that Deceit is trying to tell Virgil that, because he’s still trying to be scary, he’s not really changed in the way he says he has. “Pretending to be something or someone else” could very well be Deceit’s way of trying to tell Virgil “you’re fooling yourself if you think you’ll ever be anything more than Anxiety, if you think you can change and be better than the rest of us Dark Sides.” And then, we get Virgil’s response:

“Okay, me being able to elicit fear doesn’t take away from the fact that I’ve grown. So don’t even try me with that, Harvey Dense.”

That’s really Virgil’s whole thesis statement for this video: I can still be scary, but I’ve grown. I still was who I used to be, that was real, but I’ve moved beyond that. To Thomas and the others, the message was that they can’t pretend everything is perfect now, because that undermines everything he struggled with. But to Deceit, the message is I’ve moved on. Perhaps even a final, I don’t need you anymore.

From this video, I think it is now safe to assume that Deceit and Virgil used to work more closely together. So now since Virgil is working with the Light Sides instead, how often do you think Deceit has tried to get Virgil to come back to his old ways? What kinds of things do you think Deceit likes to whisper in Virgil’s ear? How much has Deceit been bothering Virgil since the Can LYING Be Good video? We can deduce that it has been at least somewhat regular. Because while in CLBG, Deceit compliments first Roman’s new outfit, then Virgil’s new makeup look, implying he hasn’t intentionally interacted with any of the sides since before Fitting In, when here we get this interaction:

“Clever retort! And convincing statement. And cool costume.”

“You know this is what I normally wear.”

Deceit wouldn’t know that, if the only time he’s seen Virgil recently was CLBG. Virgil had two outfits in that video, and Deceit wouldn’t know what his usual one was...unless he’s been coming around more. Unless he’s been pressuring Virgil off camera for months.

“Don’t even try that with me” implies that this is indeed the case, and that Deceit has been trying just that for awhile now. But why would Deceit be so invested in trying to convince Virgil that his change isn’t real, that his growth is just a facade? Deceit is accusing Virgil of “pretending to be something or someone else,” and why?

Because Virgil has the capability to be the most influential side out of all of them.

I think we can all agree that currently, while all four main sides have a “seat at the discussion table” as Thomas puts it, Patton, as Morality, is actually the side with the most influence, at least when it comes to Thomas’s decisions. But this video confirms something for us: That side used to be Anxiety.

When talking about his emo phase and teenage years, Thomas said that he was “terrified out of his mind” in those days, and later he tells Virgil “You work with us now. You’re not in the driver’s seat anymore...” which implies that Virgil at one point WAS in the driver’s seat.

And when you’re afraid, when you’re driven by your fears and anxieties and insecurities...isn’t it more likely that you’d listen to that voice in your head that tells you to lie? Isn’t it easier to succumb to the darker parts of your mind when you’re confused and afraid and lost? Not saying that you will, of course. Thomas certainly didn’t. But if Thomas is Anxious, I mean really Anxious, I think it stands to reason that the other Dark Sides’ power could be much more pronounced.

Thomas said something while he was talking to Patton that caught my attention:

“There’s a lot that Virgil could do that I don’t want him to do. He knows exactly how to push my buttons.”

If Virgil wanted to, he could absolutely wreck Thomas. He could wreck all of them...but the thing is he doesn’t want to. All Virgil wants, all he’s ever wanted, is to protect Thomas. And here, we come to the question of what exactly is it that a Side wants?

Simply put, every Side wants what is best for Thomas, but every Side is extremely biased in what they believe that is. For Roman, it’s creative fulfillment, for Logan, it’s a healthy lifestyle and the pursuit of growth and knowledge. For Patton, it’s a happy life built on love and kindness, and for Virgil it’s safety, both physical, mental, and social/emotional.

So what does Deceit want? He wants all the things the others want, safety, happiness, success, but he wants it done his way. He wants bliss born of ignorance, security born of secrecy, and prosperity born of lies. That’s what separates him (and I assume the other Dark Sides) from the main four, he is utterly unwilling to compromise on his desires and his methods.

And that is what also separates Virgil from the other Dark Sides, he was willing to compromise. He did see things the others’ way, and it was through that ability to see another perspective that he first decided that he must not be good for Thomas and quit, and then came the new era of him being able to work with the others successfully, on an equal footing that he’d never experienced before.

But Deceit doesn’t have that equal footing, and none of the other Dark Sides do either, because they all refuse to compromise.

Deceit, at least in my interpretation, clearly believes that he can use Virgil somehow to extend his own realm of influence over Thomas. And with that information in hand, we can try and interpret this last, and most confusing, line.

“Just be sure to keep up that personal growth, Virgil. Who knows? Maybe soon, you could be rid of us all...”

SO what does this mean? Is he speaking in an opposite? Is he telling the truth? Is half the statement true and half an opposite? Who is the “us all?” The Dark Sides? The Light Sides? It’s a lot to unpack, and is the most speculative part of this analysis, because really, we’re not meant to have all the answers from this. It’s clear this endcard is a teaser for things to come in the Sanders Sides storyline, and I’m sure in a few months we’ll all be nodding in understanding and praising @thatsthat24​ and @thejoanglebook​‘s genius, but for now we’re a bit in the dark. So, to figure out what Deceit means, we have to figure out where his truths and where his lies reside.

“Just be sure to keep up that personal growth, Virgil.” To me, the way Deceit places emphasis on the words ‘keep up,’ making them sound almost sarcastic, indicates that this is the lie in his statement. He’s telling Virgil to keep growing, but Deceit doesn’t actually want Virgil to grow. Based on this analysis, it is in Deceit’s best interest that Virgil does not grow, and reverts back to his old tactics.

“Who knows? Maybe soon, you could be rid of us all...” Now here, I think the lie is ‘rid of us all,’ which is based on my assumptions of their character motivations. I believe the “us all” to be the other Dark Sides, and Virgil would be happy if Thomas was rid of the influence of the Dark Sides. Meanwhile, Deceit wants the Dark Sides’ influence to grow stronger, and Deceit’s entire manner in this scene has been vaguely sinister and threatening, which is a conclusion supported by Virgil’s extremely defensive attitude throughout the segment. I think through this sentence, Deceit is saying that soon, the opposite of getting rid of the Dark Sides is going to happen.

So putting the entire statement together, we have “Just be sure to keep up that personal growth, Virgil. Who knows? Maybe soon, you could be rid of us all...”

I believe that to be a threat from Deceit to Virgil: “If you don’t quit this silly personal growth nonsense and go back to doing your job the old way, you’re going to have a much harder time dealing with Us.” It’s intended for Virgil to hear this threat, panic, and go back to his old ways in the hopes that it will protect Thomas from the Dark Sides, which will in turn only make them stronger.

The funny thing is though, if you take his statement completely literally, it gives away how to beat Deceit and his plan. If Virgil keeps growing and learning and becoming closer with the others, it may be even harder for the Dark Sides to gain more control, effectively “getting rid” (or at least diminishing) of their influence.

Deceit’s lies aren’t always based on fact, they’re based on perception. When he tells Thomas “You’re a good person. Everybody says so,” he was intending it to be a lie. The kind of lie you tell yourself in order to stay sane. But that isn’t a lie. Thomas felt like a bad person in that moment, so his inner voice of deception was telling him he was a good person, but as Logan said, “Belief doesn’t always translate to reality.” Thomas is a good person, so Deceit therefore inadvertently (and unintentionally) told the truth.

I believe this is what’s happening here. He doesn’t mean to give away how to beat him, he means Virgil to believe that the Dark Sides are more powerful than they actually are, and that if Virgil doesn’t do what Deceit wants, they’ll make life more difficult for him and for Thomas. But this isn’t actually true. What’s true is that the Light Sides have the most power right now, and the person who holds that balance between the two is Virgil himself. Virgil has shifted his influence to the Light Sides, and Deceit desperately needs that influence back, which is why he wants to stop Virgil’s personal growth right in its tracks.

Only time will tell if I’m right...and only time will tell which Side will win this battle of wits. I don’t know about you all, but my money is on our resident Emo Knightmare.

[itsclydebitches]

Jinn: A Quick Character Analysis

So some people are Big Mad about my recent asks regarding Jinn---yay gleefully deleting more shitty anons!---so instead of engaging with them I thought I’d try to better articulate for others what about Jinn’s interactions with Ozpin gave me the sense that at best she’s indifferent towards him (in a way she’s not indifferent towards Ruby) and at worst actively dislikes him. 

We obviously don’t have many scenes to work with and what we do have relies a lot on tone and body language. With that in mind, let’s start with Jinn’s first appearance. 

She’s clearly thrilled to be let out. She stretches, exclaims---”Wonderful!”---and immediately sets about explaining who she is and what she does. Her entire attitude is a blend of happy relief and educational info dump. However, this changes when she starts to say that there are still two questions left this era. Ozpin cuts her off with, “That’s enough!” and after a pause Jinn finishes her thought and says, “It’s a pleasure to see you again, old man.” 

On the surface? Very friendly. A greeting and a nickname, what’s wrong with that? Problem is the tone and the context. For one Jinn prefaces this with a haughty little laugh. She’s amused by Ozpin’s distress here and his attempt to keep her from making things worse. It reads very much as a “You think you can order me?” which wouldn’t mean half as much if we didn’t see Jinn adhering to Ruby’s whims just a few episodes later. Second, Ozpin’s distress is pretty obvious. If I see someone again after a long stretch and they’re looking like this 

Then me saying “it’s a pleasure to see you again” isn’t a true greeting. It’s an insult. Think Southern sarcasm: “Bless your heart” and “Well, isn’t that nice.” Everyone knows you’re not really happy here and if you are, it’s in response to feeling superior---like if that acquaintance of yours is on his knees and trying desperately to keep you from talking. If I laugh and tell someone it’s a pleasure to see them again right when they’re in the middle of a breakdown? I do not care about this person. At all. Now granted, sarcasm can be a pretty subjective thing. As a non-RWBY example, I’ve been fascinated by the different readings of Crowley’s “Oh you’re an angel. I don’t think you can do the wrong thing” from Good Omens. It’s canonically sarcastic in the book, but Tennant’s tone in the TV adaptation is iffier, poised somewhere between the expected sarcasm and heartfelt earnestness. I think an argument could be made for the same ambiguity here, depending on how each person reads Jinn’s tone/body language, but for me? I don’t think she’s actually an ally of his. There’s too much “pleasure” stemming directly from his fear, her body language becomes much more arrogant, and that “old man” doesn’t come across as an endearing nickname. This is the pose of someone happy to see someone else down on their knees. 

Later on, Jinn is our narrator for the lore dump and to be frank I don’t have time to go back through all of it, but what does stand out to me is one of her final lines of the episode: “and though I gave him my answers... not all of them were to his liking.” Again, a lot of Jinn’s character is subtle, but that phrasing feels like it’s... blaming Ozpin somehow? It’s drawing attention to the fact that he was upset in a way that implies he shouldn’t be. I gave you my answer. It’s not my fault you don’t like it. On its own it means next to nothing, but combined with all her scenes it feels like another dig. Remember, Jinn is essentially speaking to the group here. Her narration is for their benefit. Imagine you were saying to a group of people, “I told him his mother died and that wasn’t to his liking.” It’s an invitation to judge the person. Let’s talk about his ‘absurd’ response to this objectively horrifying news. 

Which then leads directly into her “You can’t,” a phrase that I’ve always read as bordering on pleased. Though again, I acknowledge that others will read the tone differently. At the very least though, Jinn doesn’t sound remorseful here, nor apologetic, nor even just resigned. Given that she was created by the God of Light and has no reason to want Salem to succeed---she should WANT to help Ozpin---it ends up sounding like she’s taking him down a peg, similar to her attitude towards him in the snow. Earlier Jinn goes, “He believed he could fulfill his promise to the God of Light,” essentially framing Ozpin as... foolish? Naive for thinking he could do the task he was told to do by her creator? There’s nothing about Jinn’s words, tone, or body language that suggests to me she’s happy to help him in any way. Rather, she seems pleased by Ozpin’s backslides and his distress. 

EXCEPT, that is, when Jinn interacts with Ruby. We all know the scene. Ruby’s eyes have failed, she glances at the relic, and desperately calls out for Jinn to stop time. After explaining that she doesn’t have a question, Jinn acts all stern... but it’s just that. An act. A second later her expression morphs into a real smile. 

Jinn is like an authority figure who knows they need to admonish a child for something they did wrong, but can’t help but be secretly pleased with their actions. Her warnings are completely undermined by that happy ending, telling Ruby that her plan “was clever.” Jinn is (stupidly) impressed here and is giving Ruby a bunch of preferential treatment. She says she knows Ruby didn’t have a question, but decided to give her the time freeze anyway. She says she knows Ruby doesn’t seek knowledge, but she’ll offer some anyway. She says she was wrong to do this, but then undermines that with smiles and praise. 

Why would Jinn do all this? I personally don’t think there’s a reason outside of “Ruby can do no wrong in Volume 6. Apparently.” Some people have brought up that Jinn doesn’t want Argus destroyed, but there are a ton of holes in that argument. We’ve seen no evidence elsewhere that she cares about Remnant as a whole. If she did care why caution Ruby against using her again in the future? How does she know these few seconds are going to do any good? Logically they shouldn’t. Ruby spends this time talking to Jinn, not coming up with a new plan, calming herself down, etc. This moment is essentially wasted and Ruby just happens to hit on the needed mindset for her silver eyes the second time around because the plot needs her to. Nothing in her interaction with Jinn prepared her for that. In addition, Ruby’s eyes didn’t actually save the day. Cordovin’s drill did. Yes, freezing half the grimm helped keep it in place, but I highly doubt that with all these fighters they couldn’t get a mega-sized monster to hold still long enough for Cordovin to slam her equally giant weapon into it. Jinn’s little bout of special treatment didn’t do much, if anything really, and is thus not a justification for why she’d give that special treatment in the first place. 

What’s a more likely reading? What we see elsewhere just a minute later. Cordovin suddenly decides to let Ruby go... just because? There is no reason based in logic or her characterization that explains this decision. It exists solely because Ruby is our protagonist and the plot needs her to not be in jail. Same applies to Jinn. Why give her preferential treatment? Because she’s Ruby and Ruby has spent the last few episodes being rewarded for all her mistakes. 

Which brings us back to Ozpin because the reverse holds as well. Why would Jinn express arrogance towards Ozpin? Satisfaction even that he’s beaten down and failing in his quest? Because it’s Ozpin and the theme of Volume Six is that Ozpin can’t be trusted. RT wasn’t interested in providing any counterpoints to that, so why would they suddenly do so with Jinn? If she’s actually welcoming towards him, trusting him, kind towards him, treating him in any way that actually acknowledges how important he is, that undermines the rest of the group’s attitude. You don’t want the all-powerful, magical being greeting him like an actual ally when everyone is currently supposed to hate him. Jinn as a character is crafted to fit into the tone of the group. They distrust Ozpin and they adore Ruby, so she’ll be haughty towards Ozpin and preferential towards Ruby. 

So yeah. Thoughts articulated. Until there are more scenes with Jinn, that’s all I’ve got. Peace  ✌️

[bat-lings]

Opinion on Jason Todd/Bruce Wayne relationship as a father-son?

ALRIGHT the human rambling disaster that I am struck again

Jump to the conclusion if it’s too long!

It’s just really hard discussing anything about Jason without acknowledging the sheer mess that DC’s whims made of him. To take that inconsistency into account let’s consider his relationship with Bruce from three angles:

Before Jason’s death / during his Robin days as portrayed before Starlin;

Before Jason’s death / during his Robin days as portrayed since Starlin and up until Jason’s resurrection, through mentions & flashbacks;

Post-resurrection.

Sadly enough the first era is the only one that bothers to portray a father-son dynamic with enough content to have a real opinion on, but I’ll take what I have. And what we have then is pretty great.

Jason’s Robin days

We’re in the 80’s, and Jason & Bruce’s relationship is the most ridiculously pure thing to have graced our poor souls. It’s soft and good.

They have great interactions, a real proximity, and overall bring a lot into each other’s life. Alfred and Bruce are happy to have another kid at home, and Jason is as much in need of guidance & of a family as any other kid. Jason doubts himself a lot and Bruce does his best to reassure him. He’s also is a teasing little shit and that’s great.

[Batman #377 || Detective Comics #579]

[Detective Comics (1937) #573]

JASON YOU’RE TOO CUTE. Also the tired dad feel is strong in that one lmao. Jay, lad, my son, my life,, what have you done to the newspaper,,,,

Ahem right, less gushing more commenting.

As you can see, Jason and Bruce’s relationship before his death/resurrection is pretty peachy. The slice of life sequences strengthen their father-son bond into the reader’s mind. We’re shown they’re father and son rather than just told so.

At some point Bruce’s custody of Jason is temporarily threatened, and that arc is a vivid telling of how strong their bond is.

[Detective Comics #542 || Batman (1940) #377]

Just. That whole speech. “Only Jason is real.” Definitely one of my favorite papa-bat moments.

And as Robin? Jason is clever, often brings valuable insight during cases, and respects Bruce’s teaching and authority. Bruce makes a good job at addressing Jason’s insecurities and guiding him, both through his training and by honing his moral compass.

(Note that I said honing, ‘cause Jay’s moral sense is very much present well before he meets Bruce. He was cool with stealing to survive but Ma Gunn’s school was too much for him.)

He’s initially nothing like the violent angry kid he’s now known as. Pre-Starlin, the only times Jason acts brashly is when confronted with his father’s killer. When Bruce addresses the matter, it’s not about blaming or judging him. ‘Cause he gets it, but it’s also his job to make sure Jason’s not compromised.

[Detective Comics #580 & 581]

And when Jason promises to keep himself in check, it’s all it takes for Bruce to take him back on the case. That’s how much he trusts him. Read the end of the issue and see how Jason proves himself worthy of that trust.

Not only does Jason understand Bruce as much as Bruce understands him, but he’s very perceptive in general. He tends to be straightforward with what’s on his mind… at least when it comes to calling out Bruce lol

[Detective Comics #579]

(They’re talking about Leslie on the last one btw. She was Bruce’s surrogate mom after his parents’ death and they have a great dynamic. Another pearl straight outta the 80′s!)

They get each other, they trust each other, they respect each other. Honestly Bruce’s relationship with Jason was the most healthy he’s had with any of his kids.

We can kiss all of that goodbye after Starlin has his way with Jason. And since Starlin’s “““characterization””” is the one that crossed the years, of all things, we can consider Jason’s initial portrayal pretty much retconed— and his relationship with Bruce with it. Shame, huh?

Of Flashbacks and Victim-Blaming Robin days, 2.0

From the 90’s to the reboot there is… few material about Jason’s relationship with Bruce. Or about Jason outside of his death/Robin.

Whether Jason is mentioned or appears in a flashback, the goal isn’t to recall a father-son relationship. It’s to drive through the point that Jason was reckless and violent. That new portrayal has its predictable impact on their relationship, and that’s pretty much all there is to say.

[Gotham Knights #43]

Obviously Bruce doesn’t trust Jason, since Jason is now a “reckless angry kid who likes to inflict pain on criminals”. Beatty delivers cool stories, but if you read that arc you’ll see that he lies it very thick when it comes to victim-blaming Jason.

Depending which writer/comic book you’re reading, it’s implied or affirmed that Jason is Bruce’s son. You’ll probably have a line about Bruce’s unending guilt, or Jason’s (*sigh*) recklessness. Mostly Jason’s a cautionary tale addressed to either Tim (who never gave much of a shit about Jason btw) or Cass (Batgirl #7 is a rare instance where it’s done without victim-blaming because Pucket is da bomb).

But there’s legit no material about Jason’s childhood in the Manor, or how him and Bruce acted around one another, what they talked about, Jason’s personality aside of “angry”, how Bruce addressed his son’s self-doubts – oh right modern!Jason is an arrogant brat who claimed the Robin mantle for himself so that’s out.

DC rolled with Starlin’s portrayal, and didn’t bother to construct anything else between Jay & Bruce to replace the parts they chose to erase.

[Batman (1940) #645]

The point is: Jason and Bruce’s father-son relationship before Jason’s death is barely spoken of. We don’t know shit about how Jason was as a kid. Bruce loved him but didn’t trust him since his “mean streak” made him sooo dangerous and unmanageable. That’s it. Jason is the bad Robin first, the dead Robin second, and Bruce’s son last.

Resurrection and onward

Jason and Bruce’s relationship post-resurrection is complicated, for obvious reasons, and has interesting potential. My main problem with it is that it’s seldom addressed after Jason makes his dramatic return in UtH & the arc is closed.

For all that I have a love-hate relationship with Winick’s writing, and for all that I don’t like everything he’s done with Jason, his narrative is mostly coherent (and a good read overall!).

Winick doesn’t talk outward about Jason and Bruce’s bond before Jason’s death, but enough is implied. Jason’s damaged psyche centers around Bruce and what wrongs Jason considers to have suffered from him. He reorganizes his entire identity and actions around Bruce.

It’s not only consistent with Jason’s mental health at this stage, it’s telling of Bruce’s importance for him. The same way Bruce must have been his world after he took him out of the streets, Bruce is still very much his world when Jason is on a vengeance frenzy.

Killing Bruce, taking revenge against Bruce, making a point to Bruce; everything is about Bruce. It’s the whole “the opposite of love is apathy not hate” thing. DC could’ve expanded on that and made it evolve into whatever, but they just, y’know. didn’t.

[Batman (1940) #650]

I like Under the Hood and Lost Days well enough except for the Jason/Talia ugh. Problem is, DC obviously had no idea what to do with Jason after that, so his relationship with Bruce stays at a status quo.

Post-resurrection Jason isn’t so much estranged family than an antagonist who makes some cool appearances here and there— when they’re not so terribly written that they make me cringe.

There are some other interesting things here and there, giving depth to Jason’s estrangement from Bruce & the batfam…

[Green Arrow (2001) #72]

… but those elements are few and far between, and fail to establish a solid construction/development of any kind between Jason and Bruce. UtH!Jason put on some interesting bases but afterwards? Jason as a character is stagnating, and so is his relationship with any member of the batfam.

And then there’s the n52 & Rebirth I guess. It obviously wants to deliver a father-son narrative, but doesn’t do great job at it. Again, aside from a few cute scenes, the “he’s my son but he does baaaad things” eternal dilemma, and Jason’s newfound proximity with the batfam coming out of nowhere (especially with Tim wtf), I didn’t find much content to have a solid opinion on.

(Salty) conclusion

My opinion of Jason & Bruce’s father-son relationship is that it’s hella cute pre-Starlin and that Winick’s version of it makes sense within his Under the Hood & Lost Days narrative (I personally cut out “bad seed Jason” and keep most of the rest).

I think we lost a lot of potential when Starlin’s work became the reference. I think the Red Hood and his baggage with the whole fam could’ve been richer and more interesting if Jason’s initial characterization was kept in mind.

Yes, Jason and Bruce’s initial relationship could’ve used some more tension/conflict in between the sweet moments but… as far as I’m concerned Starlin’s writing wasn’t the way to go.

I think the only way to build a coherent interpretation of Jason & his relationship with the fam is to make a patchwork of canon elements and to fill in the blanks yourself. Thus what I have on Jason & Bruce that takes the Red Hood into account isn’t so much an “opinion” on canon material than a personal construction.

I’m sorry Anon, I bet that’s not what you expected when you sent that ask, but it’s all I have to give :’) Hope the answer is still okay & thanks for the ask!

[mossflowermouse]

Second ‘When Christ and His Saints Slept’ reaction post (part one here), covering chapters 11 to 20 aka the bit where I start shipping actual historical figures for the first time ever (other than Wars of the Roses-era people, but that’s different because they were actually married and it wasn’t a ship ship in the same way these are. Anyway.)

Chapters XI and XII:

Annora and Ranulf still love each other :) and they found a loophole so they can get married when Maude's queen! I really should've remembered about that plight-troth. Now a bit worried about all the ways this could go wrong, not least because I'm aware Maude doesn't become queen, but that was really sweet and I'm glad they're happy and things have been resolved (ish)

UGH, GEOFFREY. He's being awful about Maude and Henry's overhearing :(

Between the odd mentions of her here and what little I know about her historically, I'm so excited for when Eleanor of Aquitaine shows up!

Whoops, Chester. Genuine anger and a lack of mercy from Stephen may be a rare thing, but I have a feeling this has crossed the line.

I like it when Maude has interactions with people she likes and trusts - her brothers, Adeliza, and now Brien. It's good.

...okay I might be starting to ship this. 

Oh dear I'm definitely shipping this. It's impossible and a mess and they both (Maude especially) seem like they'd rather be swallowed by the earth than actually admit to feelings, but it's so sweet and they trust each other so much and must have such a long shared history? Help?

And also lbr this is just That One Dynamic that absolutely kills me in every piece of media. The mutual trust, the quiet but unbreakable loyalty, the circumstances making things so difficult for them? This is absolutely my thing.

This might be the first time I've actually shipped people who existed. Like, there were some good moments in TSiS but all with people who were actually couples in real life. But with this, I don't know many of the specifics, I have no idea what happens to Brien and only know slightly more about Maude. This is strange.

AAAAAHH. Maude you can't do this to my heart. You just can't.

Chapter XIII:

I like Robert.

Hmmm. Looking at both sides' chances in this battle, and knowing Stephen gets captured at some point during the Anarchy, I have a feeling I know how this will end.

Why does it feel like the awful déjà vu of this part was intentional. This is making me have Bosworth-related emotions all over again.

Okay, wow, that was all quite a lot to take in. Chester's plan was good, and I'm grateful that he saved Robert; wasn't expecting William of Ypres of all people to flee*; Stephen's determination is also making me remember Bosworth in TSiS; I liked the bit with him and Robert and Ranulf at the end.

Chapters XIV and XV:

Aww, family (Maud and Robert and Ranulf) 

Maude :')

Matilda just found out about Stephen :(

Maude's going to have trouble winning over the people. London's apparently still loyal to Stephen, and their favour was often an advantage in struggles like this war (looking at you, Edward IV)

I'm feeling more sorry for Constance with every scene she's in or mentioned. Things just keep getting worse for her.

William de Ypres just showed up; Matilda is (understandably) furious about the Battle of Lincoln and letting him know it. 

Alliance time! This is one of the things I was vaguely aware of before starting the book, and the anticipation of it has been a lot of fun. Also, I like how honest he’s being here - he made a choice, realised/decided it was the wrong one, and is making no excuses, instead being clear that he wants to try and make things right. The contrast with, say, Bishop Henry’s total lack of self-awareness (or maybe it’s wilful ignorance?) about his moral bankruptcy is wonderful.

Chapters XVI and XVII:

My ship! They're interacting!

HAND. KISSES. My weakness. I know they're the norm and not necessarily romantic at this time but still. 

I am deceased. This ship has killed me and they've only had two direct conversations.

Bishop Henry is possibly about to switch sides. Again. I ought to keep track of who’s betrayed both sides the most times (probably him right now).

It's been four months since Matilda joined forces with William de Ypres to try and save Stephen, I wonder what they've been up to? (They haven’t been mentioned in the novel since then)

Everything about this:

and then THIS:

I love this conversation for so many reasons. Most of which involve Maude and Brien because apparently now I’ve dedicated my life to being emotional about them.

Matilda!!! It’s been too long.

Okay, so based on Northumberland's thoughts:

hmmm, new ship?

they're using nicknames they're being familiar this feels like a Big Deal for people in their position at that time. It’s certainly a level of informality that very few others have in the book so far.

Wait they just mentioned a Thomas Becket. Is he that Thomas Becket? I know his feud was with Henry II, whose reign begins in about fourteen years, so it's possible.

I love every mention of the chronicles. It's really cool having the regular narration of the novel interspersed with little pieces of old accounts.

I also love the little moments like Ypres here and his quiet admiration of/confidence in Matilda.

Chapter XVIII:

Not content to just leave me to deal with my feelings from the last few pages, the chapter opens with this:

Immediately following that last part, we now switch to Matilda’s thoughts about de Ypres? He’s trying to hide his exhaustion and she’s not having it? Literally standing over him to make sure he eats? Fond??? Yup, I'm definitely invested in it now. These relationships will be the death of me.

Stephen listing Ypres as one of the people who he could never expect to help Matilda :')

And he's just found out about their alliance!

The guard saying "No one knows how your lady won him over" before being cut off is just really funny. I'm just picturing all of England in total confusion about how Matilda managed to get this cynical, battle-scarred mercenary's unwavering loyalty after Stephen couldn't manage the same. Just. The entire country, collectively looking at this alliance and going '???'

"I had my own miracle all along. I'd married her!" Stephen you cinnamon roll you're completely right

Maude and Brien Maude and Brien Maude and Brien Maude and Brien Maude and Brien Maude and Brien

:DDDD

...I have become hopelessly obsessed. This book has two ships that are my favourite dynamic. Two. This is turning into Code Geass all over again.

(The dynamic is "mutual trust, admiration and respect; if there are romantic feelings, they might be ambiguous and possibly not acted on for any one of a number of reasons, most of which can be summed up as ‘external circumstances getting in the way’; absolute loyalty through thick and thin; help each other grow and get through difficulty; one or both is probably also a little scarred by the world". Bonus points if they have a long history, or any period of time spent together that’s not fully described in canon and can therefore be speculated about.)

 Chapter XX (and some reflections on XIX):

The thing about recognising Matilda’s habits:

made me think immediately of this post

Hell yeah teaming up to get Chester to leave. 

Ypres just internally being like “oh god I’m actually caring about someone’s emotional wellbeing what is this what do I do”: 

(also “the one man she trusted not to lie to her” is sweet but it’s also kind of upsetting that Matilda’s surrounded by allies and yet knows she can’t fully trust most of them)

my heart???

Some of my favourite ships are the ones where I don’t even know if I see it as platonic or romantic, just that these people have such deep affection and trust for each other and it’s wonderful. This is absolutely one of those ships.

I’ve not written anything about the destruction(s) of Winchester, mainly because this book is once again difficult to put down, but suffice to say that it’s pretty harrowing. Seeing things from the perspectives of Maude and Matilda, who haven’t witnessed this side of the war up close before and are feeling responsible for everything awful that’s happening, as well as Ranulf, who’s similarly horrified and hasn’t seen this kind of destruction before, possibly makes it even worse. Also I love the occasional scenes from the point of view of ordinary citizens – it really makes the wider effects of this civil war between cousins sink in. This may have begun as a personal tragedy for Maude, Stephen and their loved ones, but it’s become a catastrophe affecting so many more people across England, Normandy, Anjou…the fact that the narrative brings in the thoughts of people from all across society in recognition of this is one of the things that makes this book so good imo.

Okay, so I’m getting very attached to quite a lot of these people and it’s occurred a few times that I don’t actually know the dates of death for anyone except Stephen. But because this is history and also the first book in a trilogy spanning many decades and the characters are (as far as I know) not immortal, they’re all going to die at some point. I just don’t know when. There is no way to be prepared for the sadness that this book and its sequels will bring.

OH NO RANULF

At this point he should really just stop trying to break into nunneries. As Gilbert mentioned, it never seems to go well.

Wait, if they’re specifying not to kill Ranulf does that mean everyone else who was with him was killed? FEAR

Okay good there are more survivors

That fire was awful. Although I’m going to keep in mind that Gilbert and Marshal are only dead according to the people outside the church – the narration moved away from them when Marshal lost his eye, so there’s still hope (albeit not much). Also, this really showed both sides of de Ypres – he’s managed to be merciful and ruthless in the same paragraph.

Ancel!

And Ranulf is free, but with a hefty dose of survivor’s guilt.

Awww, Maude’s really openly relieved he’s safe. Robert too.

Gilbert’s alive too! I’d suspected but wasn’t sure. Glad for him and Ranulf that they’ve got each other back.

 *I’d known that he’d abandoned a battle at some point before allying with Matilda, but had thought that referred to his feud with Robert during the Normandy campaign, which was briefly mentioned earlier, so this came as a surprise.