#MY PRECIOUS BOY DIED TWICE?????

[tending-the-hearth]

*pats bumblebee's hood so very very gently* this best boy can fit so much character death in him

[gothamite-rambler]

Gordon meeting the first Robin:

Batman: Commissioner Gordon, I'm here.

Gordon: Finally-

Gordon notices the young black haired boy next to Batman dressed in a bright and colorful hero suit.

Gordon, pointing at the kid: Who's that?

Batman: The child next to me?

Gordon: No the bat signal. Yes, I mean the kid!

Batman looks down at his Robin who is looking at a railing curiously. Batman turns him around to face Gordon.

Robin, waving: Hi!

Gordon: Hey, little kid. Oh you're so cute. I'm just going to talk to your guardian for a second.

Gordon looks directly into Batman's eyes with a judgmental stare.

Batman, unaware: What? Is it the costume I gave him because that was his idea.

Gordon: Oddly enough that's not my issue, he looks adorable in it.

Robin, smiles and sways on his feet.

Robin: Awww thank you!

Gordon, frowns: Batman, I can forgive you for many things. The numerous parking tickets that you haven't paid for your batmobile, the fact that I had to install a giant bat signal on the building and you still have not paid me the rest of the money for that yet, and even the time that you hit a fire hydrant and left a note saying sorry, but why is there a precious child next to you?

Batman: Well... I have a side kick now.

Gordon: You have a seven year old!

Robin (Dick Grayson), offended: Hey, I am 8!

Robin holds up both hands with four fingers on each of them.

Batman: He's 8 and an orphan. Not as weird.

Gordon takes a deep breath, trying to accept that this is really happening..

Gordon: I should not have to explain to you how that is not better! That's infinitely weirder, not going to lie.

Batman, hiding his embarrassment on his bad wording: I know how this looks, but he is legally adopted, by me. That is all you need to know.

Gordon, taking a deep breath: I have so many follow up questions and as a cop, I need you to answer a few of them. I won't be mad if they don't lead me to arresting you because I do kind of like you.

Batman: Oh... Thanks. Do I have to tell you though?

Gordon, sternly: Yes.

Batman, relenting: I didn't kidnap him. I legally adopted him after his parents died, through no fault of my own- I realize how weird that sounds, but it's true. I took the kid in and he's my... son- ch- sidekick! Yes. It's not weird! It's not. He just needed a home. He's a good fighter too. Right, Robin?

Robin, confidentally: I can do flips and tricks!

Batman: Yes, he can do flips and tricks. I like him so far, he's... He's neat.

Batman pats Robin on the head. Robin smiles.

Gordon: Aww... Dang it that is cute. Just don't get him hurt, okay?

Batman, sheepishly: Mm hm... Definitely did not have to deal with him getting eaten by a rose venus fly trap. Twice. Yeah we dealt with Poison Ivy earlier.

Gordon remove the glasses and rubs his eyes and frustration.

Gordon: Right... He's walking across the edge of the building, by the way.

Batman: Yup, he has a lot of energy.

Robin: This is awesome!

Batman spots the child flipping on the ledge effortlessly. The new father groans.

Batman, monotone: I'll go get him.

Batman goes to pick up Robin, but the young energetic child hops off the ledge and sprints away, giggling. Gordon watches confused while the usually stoic Batman chased after a precocious child sidekick.

Gordon: My kid is hyper like that... I hope she got her milk tonight.

Gordon wipes an imaginary tear from his eye.

Batman, trying to grab his son: Robin, stop running!

Robin: No!

Batman: Dang it, child! Stop!

Robin: No! I want to play!

Batman: The night of patrolling isn't over yet.

Robin: I'm hungry!

Batman: I got you McDonald's earlier!

Robin: I want more McDonald's!

Gordon, chuckling: You get used to it. Tell him you'll punish him if he doesn't listen.

Batman stops running realizing that it could work.

Batman, sternly: Robin, if you don't stop running I will make sure you have no cookies for dessert at dinner tomorrow!

Robin stops running, huffs and walks back to Batman. The little hero crosses his arms pouting.

Batman: Thank you, kiddo.

Batman pats the boy on the head again. Robin giggles and hugs the man's waist, surprising the adult hero.

Gordon, smiling: Okay... I'm not too worried about this anymore.

[maisiestyle]

"Ned Stark's Precious Little Girl"

Arya is a mix of both her parents. But as her story unfolds, with every new chapter and book, Arya has moved beyond her parents and into a far more dynamic character.

Ned was a role model to Arya, she loved him more than almost anyone (she loves Jon most of all). She holds on to Ned's memory now more than any of his children.

Ned is stubborn, quick to anger, loyal to a fault, and deeply devoted to his family to the point where he sacrificed his honor and died for his children.

Both Arya & Ned had a dislike for Southern culture. Which is double odd considering Ned was fostered in the South: That was never truly his place. Whereas Cat and Sansa are very much creatures made for the South.

Treatment of the smallfolk and not judging those lower than their station... That says a lot about their character, something Ned, Lyanna, Arya & Jon have all shown in the books.

Arya & Ned are similar but different as well. Where Ned was lacking, his ability to not see the truth in the lies around him - Arya has developed beyond that point. Ned was too slow and unyielding until it was too late and he died. Cat was to heedless, prideful, and emotional - that cost her life. At the beginning Arya was a mix of both her parents BUT her journey so far has made her grow and develop where her parents had not. By Book 5, Arya is extremely artful and considerate, patient and willing to face the truth in all its ugliness, adaptable and fluid like water - a changeling. That's how she'll survive where her parents did not.

While Sansa is learning how to flirt, organise a glorified party and remain passive and isolated.

Arya lives out in the open, has escaped death and captivity by her own wits, travelled all over Westeros leaving her memory imprinted on the people she met along the way, and her unyielding desire to never be helpless again which brought her to Braavos. The Sealord of Braavos stood up to a King and his dragons and won - all he did was whisper the "faceless men" and King's Landing yielded - that is true power. Arya will return to Westeros having grown in many ways. But like her father and mother, her family will always be her guiding light.

I love how the Northmen constantly connect Arya to Ned and want to fight for them both:

When White Harbour (a place Arya has visited twice with Ned) hears of "Arya Stark" marrying Ramsay.

“Was ever snow so black?” asked Lord Wyman. “Ramsay took Lord Hornwood’s lands by forcibly wedding his widow, then locked her in a tower and forgot her. It is said she ate her own fingers in her extremity…and the Lannister notion of king’s justice is to reward her killer with Ned Stark’s little girl.” - (Davos, A Dance with Dragons)

~*~

As "Arya" suffers in Winterfell, they connect her to Ned:

"The bride weeps," Lady Dustin said, as they made their way down, step by careful step. "Our little Lady Arya." ... What do you think passes through their heads when they hear the new bride weeping? Valiant Ned's precious little girl." ...

"Lady Arya's sobs do us more harm than all of Lord Stannis's swords and spears.

~*~

The northmen want to fight for Arya:

“Even ruined and broken, Winterfell remains Lady Arya’s home. What better place to wed her, bed her, and stake your claim? […] Let Stannis march on us. He is too cautious to come to Barrowton…but he must come to Winterfell. His clansmen will not abandon the daughter of their precious Ned to such as you. - (Reek, A Dance with Dragons)

[…]

Lord Arnolf shoved himself up, a vulture rising from its prey. One spotted hand clutched at his son’s shoulder for support. “We’ll take [Winterfell] for Ned and for his daughter.” - (The Sacrifice, A Dance with Dragons)

~*~

"Winter is almost upon us, boy. And winter is death. I would sooner my men die fighting for the Ned’s little girl than alone and hungry in the snow, weeping tears that freeze upon their cheeks. No one sings songs of men who die like that. As for me, I am old. This will be my last winter. Let me bathe in Bolton blood before I die. I want to feel it spatter across my face when my axe bites deep into a Bolton skull. I want to lick it off my lips and die with the taste of it on my tongue." - (Dance with Dragons)

[tainted-liquor]

'Watching You Always ...‧₊˚❀

...₊˚ʚ₊˚✧ ﾟ.

𓆩Miles Morales x Deceased!reader𓆪

・₊✧Ingredients: Salt and Tears

₊✧TWs: 'cide, Grief, 'cide attempts

Miles Morales was your everything. Your boyfriend of 2 years was just...perfect.

But with everything going on in your life, there was no support that could save you.

At first, he didn't believe it, simply denying the 'rumor' that you succumbed to suicide until your mother personally reached out.

Miles Morales, the boy who attended your remembrance assembly in a pool of tears.

Miles Morales who was absolutely inconsolable ever since your passing. he stopped eating for weeks, barely went out as Spider-Man, and never spoke in class.

Miles Morales, who has beat himself up every single day since he saw that tear-stained note placed neatly on your nightstand.

Miles Morales, who keeps a collection of all your stuffed animals and perfume. He never moves or uses them, afraid of losing or damaging them.

Miles Morales keeps a photo album of you, labeled 'my angel' and plays the clips of you on repeat to hear that pretty voice of yours one more time.

Miles Morales, who finds himself bursting into tears whenever he sees anything that reminds him of you remotely. Your favorite flower, a pink rubber ducky you've had since childhood, a hello kitty plush, anything.

Miles Morales, who has spent weeks on end bunking with Hobie due to not being able to trust himself alone.

Miles Morales, sitting in the bathroom, clutching onto your pink satin headband for dear life as he desperately missed laying his head on your chest and listening to your rhythmic heartbeat.

Miles Morales finds himself walking to your grave twice a day, whether as Spider-Man or just plain old Miles.

Miles Morales makes sure to leave fresh flowers on your grave, anything in pink, and your favorite doll right by your headstone.

Miles Morales wanted nothing more but to sit on the bathroom sink, listening to you yell at him for coming back with bleeding wounds and scraps. He'd let you yell at him 24/7, scream at him, hell even attack him with a Spider-Man plush as long as he got to hear your precious voice again.

Miles Morales, who loses his shit anytime someone tells him 'she'd want you to move on', always yelling "IF SHE DIED BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T FEEL SEEN, WHY WOULD I REFUSE TO SEE HER?"

Miles Morales, currently ripping his vocal cords from how viciously he was sobbing into Hobie's forceful hold, saving him from walking off of his houseboat and right into the ocean.

Miles Morales who spent hours and hours scouring the multiverse for a universe in which you were still alive, watching you from afar as he observed his first love make herself a cup of peppermint tea before bed. Just like always.

Miles Morales never felt more alone, somehow feeling worse than when he was betrayed by his closest friends.

Miles Morales, who couldn't handle his grief twice.

"Miles? Miles? Oi, mate. C'mon, y'gotta come out the bathr-...MILES!?"

Taglist: @ashsostrange @chessbox @janaeby @faeriesoiree333

[thesimulacrasimp]

Okay so im gonna just throw randomly my thoughts on sm6 while rewatching it cuz why not, I was doing the same thing for hazbin hotel so why not spooky month too?

So yeah, SPOOKY MONTH 6 SPOILERS WARNING‼️

Ok im just gonna say: that starting scene with thieves was kinda funny. Also rewatching it, im starting to suspect that this giant spider thing in Lilas attic have her husbands soul, IDK WHY, I JUST FEEL LIKE IT, it just looks so important, it even appeared twice in the ep: in the begining n in the end.

Also ARE WE JUST GONNA IGNORE HOW JAUNE CALLED LILA "HOT STUFF"??? WHILE HAVING A HUSBAND?????? A HUSBAND THAT SITTING NEARBY HER WHEN SHE SAYING THAT???????? ARE THEY IN A POLY RELATIONSHIPS HOLY FUCKING SHIT????????????? IM EVEN MORE INTRIGED NOW

Okay so Skid does know and remember his dad, I just was thinking that his father left/died when Skid still wasnt born or when he was very little so Skid doesnt even know that he had a father, but no he does remember his dad, so that means he presented for quite long time in Skids life.

Also im really suprised how big Pumps house is, well i mean— he said that his parents work alot so ig i shouldnt be suprised-

Poor Ignacio just wants some peace– *watched the ep a lil longer* Oh hes kinda fucked up actually---

Also for some reason i find kinda interesting that Ross n Rob were kinda comforting Roy every time they were on the screen like "We're here for you, Roy" etc etc, so im thinking maybe something bad happened to Roy? I mean he looked kinda frustrated n angry, so maybe somethng between him n his parents?

Okay but can we talk about how Moloch look so much more scarier than before?

Okay so--- get ready for my rambleling bout my boy Dexter-- HE LIVED WITH HIS MOM N ALOT OF CATS😭😭😭 N HIS MOMS PURE GRIEF BOUT HER LOSS WAS GENIUNALY SO SAD TO WITNESS 😭😭😭😭

Okay so looking at Skids impression when Father Gregor asked him bout his father-- yeah i think his dad actually died---- but i can be wrong ofc

Okay- im sorry but-- why does Kevin n Radfords interactions make them look like a couple--- I AM SORRY BUT----

Also the way Father Gregor gave Kevin holy water was really funny to me, it was like: "You know these children?? Yeaahhhh i feel bad for u, kid. Here have some holy water, just in case...." ALSO the fact that ppl started coming in the store ONLY after Radford sprinkled holy water in it-- DOES THAT MEAN THAT THERE WERE DEMONS IN IT THAT WERE KEEPING PPL AWAY???

Dont mind me guys, im just a little crying :')

Okay but the way how Skid n Pump were SO exited to see Moloch again was really funny n cute at the same time

Okay... This is the part when i literally teared up. I know it was just Moloch trying to fool Father Gregor to give him kids but idk.... It still made me tear up for some reason, and i even know the reason: i just miss Dexter so much n i didnt expect him to appear so much times in this ep, I just think hes a precious boy who deserved better. I KNOW THAT HE WAS KILLING ANIMALS N I DONT APPROVE THAT AT ALL, but hes still a sweetie idfc.

Also why would Patty need a gun so immediatly?..

Also that part when Moloch were wandering around the town n Father n spooky bois were trying to catch him was so funny and entertaining

Poor Pelo got ooffed again. Press F.

AND OMG THIS PART WHEN MOLOCH POSSESED SKID N PUMPS BODIES AND THE FATHER EXORCISMS THEM WAS SOOOO COOL, I DONT EVEN KNOW WHY, I THINK I JUST HAVE A THING FOR DEMONS N EXORCISM.

And this is the part where i actually cried alot. Poor Skid doesnt know that its not his fault at all.. Also even if Father Gregors words were kinda mean, that Lila is irresponsible mother, I cant disagree with them. Yes, she is an alone mother, but it doesnt give her permission to just leave her child to himself n his friend n go drink n then spent time w her child drunk. Yeah i know, that she leaves him to mr Wonder n Susie, but lets be honest, were here even a single time when the kids didnt just leave the house n cause problem? No. So i think the Fathers words are make perfect sense, n Lila should think bout it. Also a lil thing i just thought bout, why would Lila throw away her husbands stuff? If he actually died why would she do this? Or hes not dead n he just left for some reason? Idk

Also OMFG THAT OOGA BOOGA JUMPSCARE GOT ME SO FUCKING GOOD, I WASNT READY FOR AT ALL

and so ummm i think thats it. It took me 1 hour to write this lol.

[anxiousnerdwritings]

def not an request but i wnt ur thoughts on this. you answered an ask once about the batboys + bruce lovin bruce's adopted sibling bcuz of how affectionate they are. and while I have alot of thoughts, my main one is just wonderin how they'd react if they died.

it could be from the rogue of the week, them dying bcuz they were held ransom and one kidnapper was trigger happy, a hitman for some reason. point is they died but i know for a FACT that jason and damian wouldnt think twice about using the pits to bring them back. they wldnt even think,, theyd just share a glance and nod.

like can you imagine bruce spiraling (they all are tbh) cuz his sibling died. alfred is trying to console him while comforting dick as dick is sobbing buckets. tim is trying to fight tears as he scours for any images of his aunt/uncle's killer and jason's in the back like "damian get the shovel" and a shovel spawns in damian's hands magically

sorry for this being long btw i waa excited

Everyone would be completely distraught at the loss of the only thing they felt kept them grounded. Their only sense of outward love, affection, and warmth being ripped away from them like that would be detrimental to everyone of them. Especially if the Reader has been killed so senselessly, like their killer didn’t even know who they were or their ties to Batman and the Batfamily or to Bruce Wayne in general. They could all blame themselves for being the reason a rogue got to them but just some random mugger having been the one to take away their beloved sibling/aunt or uncle would tear at them even more. Especially for Bruce, having the Reader taken away from him like his parents had been would mess him up all over again.

Honestly, there’s no doubt that Bruce, Tim, and Dick would heavily contemplate using the Lazarus pit to bring the Reader back. But it’s definitely Jason and Damian who don’t think twice about it and go through with bringing their precious aunt/uncle back. I feel like Alfed would be the only one to not consider it, whether he just can’t bring himself to do so or he’s come to accept the loss of the Reader.

The only reason I could see him being accepting/tolerating of the idea of the Reader being brought back by means of the Lazarus pit would mainly be for the sake of Bruce and the boys. Of course he’s affected by their death and not being able to be in their company again or to have them fret over him like they did, but it’s how hard Bruce and the boys take it that really has him willing to turn a blind eye while Jason and Damian go through with their plan. Alfred would also low key give his reassurance and acceptance to Bruce for him to go through with his own thoughts of bringing the Reader back to life. It may even be Alfred who plants the seed of using the Lazarus pit to begin with, in his own desperate way to get the family back to the way it was.

Also, in the case of a rogue having taken the Reader and was using them to get to Batman and the boys, I could totally see one of the villains’ lackeys being the one who deals out the Reader’s demise. Whether they went too far with trying to get information from them/roughing them up to add to the vigilantes rush to meet with the respective rogues demands or they just really wanted to take it into their own hands to get back at the Dark Knight/prove their worth to their boss. Either way, I could see their boss even being like “👀 You done fucked up and now we’re all going to die😬”. Trust me, Jason and Damian would go on a bloody warpath killing and maiming everyone involved in the death of the Reader or even just for being there, and I don’t even think Bruce would be in the mindset to stop them. Or maybe he doesn’t want to stop them.

In the case that the Reader was pointlessly killed by a mugger or low grade criminal for no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Bruce and the boys would work tirelessly to find the person who did it. It would especially be infuriating and defeating if the Reader’s killer was just gone in the wind. No trace of the assailant, no leads off what evidence they did have, nothing. If they aren’t able to hunt the Reader’s killer down before they bring the Reader back to life then they would all be extremely paranoid about something similar happening to the Reader again, whether it’s the same assailant or someone else. Not getting that closure of permanently getting rid of the person who tore away their darling from them would weigh and all of them. They’d become even more overprotective of the Reader once they have them back and wouldn’t allow them to leave the manor for anything out of fear of losing them all over again.

Similar to Alfred, Dick would be the one consoling and trying to keep everyone together knowing that the Reader wouldn’t want them to tear apart like they already are. He pushes down his own heartache and hurt over the loss of the Reader to try and be there for Bruce and the boys, especially Damian. Alfred knows exactly what Dick’s doing, focusing on the others so he doesn’t have to deal with his own trauma regarding the ordeal. But Alfred doesn’t let that fly and he confronts Dick about it only for Dick to breakdown and unleash everything he’s been keeping under wraps.

The death of the Reader would really affect Bruce and the boys severely, they all shut down in their own ways. Sick is the only one who still comes off as his normal self but behind closed doors in another thing. Jason becomes even more aggressive and rough when dealing with any criminals, no matter how high or low on the food chain they are. Whatever sleep and healthy habits the Reader had gotten Tim to do to take care of himself went away the day they died. If anything he’s only gotten so much worse, a husk of what he used to be running solely off of caffeine and the need to find the Reader’s killer. Damian shuts himself off completely from everyone, not even Alfred or Dick can get to him. He won’t let them. All the wonderful progress he made with the Reader regarding letting others in and being able to let go of being the child of an assassin and vigilante and just allowing himself to be a kid is destroyed. He doesn’t want anything to do with anyone unless it’s his beloved aunt/uncle.

Bruce is a mess, both physically and emotionally. He’s taken a backseat from things, mainly pertaining to the Justice League and Wayne Enterprises. He stops by every so often and does want he needs to but he isn’t involved unless he really, really needs to be. Even though he has Alfred, Damian, Dick, Jason, and Tim, Bruce can’t help but feel cold and alone after losing the Reader. He feels the exact same way he did when he first lost his parents, before he adopted the Reader and brought them home to be his family. He knows he’s not truly alone, at least not physically but there’s a hole in his chest and he finds himself completely lost. He know he needs to be there for the boys, that the Reader would scold him for not being there for them when they need him most but he just can’t. He tries but he can’t do it, he can’t give them what they desperately need, not like how the Reader could. And that makes him feel even worse.

Bruce would be overcome with the feeling of being useless and vulnerable and he hates it. It would especially be hard for him if Dick and Jason were moved out of the manor leaving the family to be apart in such a trying time. Although, having Jason and Bruce in the same place together might not be good given that that may cause strife between the two. Especially if Jason blamed Bruce for the Reader’s death, or at least used Bruce as a way to let out his own grievances about not being able to save the Reader himself and projecting his own guilt and self blame about the whole ordeal.

This would only push each of them further towards bringing the Reader back by any means necessary. And they don’t care what anyone else has to say about it, they need their darling back otherwise their family isn’t going to last much longer without them.

Also, the overwhelming guilt and self hatred of Bruce or any of the boys if they had inadvertently been the cause of the Reader’s death. Like, while trying to get to the Reader maybe a stray bullet or knife/batarang/wing-ding hit the Reader and led to the their demise.

[whoishotteranimepolls]

Defend Your Blurbo Submission (this is LONG—1105 words, sorry!)

Dorsal Fin Appreciation or Lack Thereof

Hear me out y’all, but Arlong the Saw seriously needs more love in this fandom than he is getting. This is not a plea to the folks who don’t go feral at all for anyone in One Piece, this plea is for my fellow One Piece fans. Why so angry?

Out of all the villains in the entire franchise, and I am 100% ignoring the Live Action by Netflix—this is about OG canon Arlong from the anime (haven’t really read the manga yet), he seems to be the most hated. I have seen more genuine love and affection for Kleenex Boi Trebol than I have for He Carries Two Fish Sticks Everywhere He Goes Arlong.

Yes, he did conquer an island in the East Blue. Yes, he did extort money from the citizens monthly (effectively making him a loan shark). Yes, he took a young Nami and had her work for him, originally under horrible circumstances. And yes, he did kill Nami’s adoptive mother Bell-Mere. I feel like y’all shut him out of fandom love simply for killing Bell-Mere.

Out of all the villains that regularly see love, he killed a whopping one person. One.

He let Bell-Mere give parting words to her girls, he let her say goodbye, and he actually killed her rather quickly. He didn’t torture her, didn’t rape her, didn’t drag anything out. He stated that if you can’t pay, you die. He didn’t lie. She couldn’t pay so she died. Arlong is very cut-and-dry, you know exactly what you’re going to get with him.

Compare him to someone like Eustass Kid, who has killed way more innocent people than Arlong ever will. Kid got his bounty based on his egregiously high civilian casualty count. His big bad bounty came from innocent blood being spilled, that’s what makes Kid so damn dangerous to the government. Because let’s face it, he fails as much as Buggy does in the whole pirating thing. He took on Kaido at least once and lost and he took on Shanks twice and lost. He doesn’t win his pirate battles; he just wins at killing people who can’t defend themselves against him. And y’all eat him up like candy.

Arlong kills one backstory character and he’s the most hated man in One Piece. He’s better looking than Hody Jones and many other characters, he’s more humane than even he wants to admit, and he had great character development too.

He started off treating Nami like a slave or a pet and in ten years’ time grew to consider her a valued officer and crew mate. He wasn’t just fighting to keep his cartographer; he was fighting to keep the only female member of his pirate family from leaving.

Doflamingo killed his own father when he was a child, murdered his own brother, murdered countless other people, and overthrew a fucking country. And y’all drool over him like a stuck pig at a luau.

Arlong was a pretty solid pirate all things considered. He plundered consistently over the course of 10 years and built himself an empire on land rather than a fleet. He had a cunning plan. He had minions within the Marines (just as Doffy did with Vergo, but Arlong’s were actual marines), so he infiltrated through human frailty. He only committed one act of murder.

He had all the maps, a creature from the Grand Line and let’s not forget he and all but one of his crew were also from the Grand Line. He kicked ass. He even had convictions; he wasn’t all about himself. He cared about his own species, every single member of his crew, and he never turned on any of them. He did exploit a loophole with Nami but regarding his own people, he treasured all of them.

When they did something wrong or disagreed with him, he never harmed them. He didn’t treat them like shit. Their lives were precious to him. Hody Jones not only abused other fishmen/fishwomen, but he also flat out killed them. He murdered his own monarch and any fishman who didn’t agree with him 100% was killed. Arlong would fall on his own sword before even letting so much as the idea of killing any of his own kind cross his mind.

When Arlong did have disagreements with other fishmen, he just separated from them and went his own way. He never killed his own kind, wouldn’t dream of it. Arlong has lines in the sand that he will not cross, he has boundaries and respects them. Arlong actually has morals that he adheres to. Hody Jones is amoral, and Doffy isn’t far behind. Hell, Arlong has more solidified convictions and morals than Sakazuki, who like Hody, kills his own subordinates if they disagree with him.

Arlong really isn’t that villainous of a villain. In my opinion, he is a deeply traumatized person who never dealt with his trauma. He bottled it all up and is slowly consuming him. He’s damaging himself by doing that and he is able to be mislead by thinking he’s doing right and following solid ideals. He truly believes his species is superior and he truly believes that they need to rise up and take their freedom.

Now, he isn’t wrong. Fishmen are treated horribly and they do need to take their freedom, but treating humans the exact way they have been treated is also wrong. Arlong is so deeply wounded that he hasn’t figured that part out yet. He was starting to with Nami evolving in his crew. He even admitted to her intelligence and skill a few times, he was slowly starting to mend his ways when she left.

Arlong is deeply traumatized, misguided, but redeemable. And yet, no one gives him a chance. How can you all heap the love on civilian slaughterer Kid, pirate failure Buggy, snotastic Trebol, familicide Doffy, royal traitor Crocodile, domestic terrorist Sakazuki (because like me, some of y’all out there love him too), fish gutter Hody Jones, delulu “deity” Enel, lard ass Blackbeard, or giant psycho Kaido with the scrawny legs that shouldn’t be able to support him but y’all can’t find three nice things to say about Arlong the Saw and his glorious dorsal fin?

I mean come on! Have you seen that sexy dorsal fin of his? He’s tall, has luscious locks, teeth that regenerate, two fresh fish sticks in his pants, a cool ass sword, decent fashion sense, and he can breathe underwater which is just so cool.

Why must you hate him so? He’s not that bad all things considered.

Defend Your Blurbo #7

Please remember this post is about curiosity and genuine fandom discourse. Be kind with your answers because this is not a debate essay, this is a discussion between fans.

Well, in case anyone doesn't know who Arlong is, he's an early One Piece villain.

Now, this anon took a much different approach to the series than the others, so have fun with this and One Piece fandom. Defend your Blorbo

[candlecoo]

Do you happen to have an Au list?

I’m only linking the Main au’s (aka the named au’s) these are the ones I’m willing to make full au’s. theres too many as it is.

Wooden Doll au

Villain Deku au

Ghost Story au

Enhancement au

Other Worlder’s au

Inuyasha au

Catzuku au

Ant Antics au

Trapped in Form au

Dreams of Flight au

Tear to Pieces au

Have You Seen this Fox au

Depths of Darkness au

Izuku 1/2 au

Assemble Warriors of Light! au

Up in Smoke au

Unlikely Companion au

Norse Myth Modern Legend au

Change Your Reality au

The Lost Aizawa au

Vetitum au

Hot Air au

Dabi is a Midoriya au

Cyborg Heart au

Negation au

Birds of a Feather au

Persona au

Nomu Deku au

Bakeneko au

Sludge Slime Surprise! au

Digital Destined au

From Avalon au

Big Brother Mikumo au

Nimbus au

Show Me Your Daemons au

Once Upon a Dream au

His Majesty Deku? au

Beyond the Stars We Go au

Teenage Robot IZU-9 au

This Child’s the CEO! au

To Summon a Son au

Mother(?) of Dragons au

Pokemon Powers au

Ghosting You au

Power Up Punch au

Roll of the Die! au

New Day New Quirk! au

Let’s Rewind! au

School Hero! au

Legend of Izuku au

My Precious Golem! au

Blood Ties Blood Dies au

Mage Among Heroes au

Child of Horrors au

Weapon to be Wielded au

Works of Wonders au

Remember me Fondly au

Analog au

Cardcaptor Izuku au

Kaiju Gate au

Reporting from Planet Earth! au

Way of the Sword au

Life After Defeat au

Aspirations of Earth au

Mouse and Stout au

Test my Limits au

Prism au

Gravity of You au

Play Me a Song au

Aquarium au

Heart of Emerald au

Living Light au

One Good Man au

The Long Con au

Contracted Demise au

The Hauntings au

Maternal Pull au

Indian in the Cupboard au

Synthetic Experience au

Second Chances au

Shark Bite au

Harry Potter au

Full Metal Alchemist au

Pocket Family au

Legend of the Lightning Ram! au

Debt to be Paid au

Shepherd of the Soul au

Sighting Statues au

Aura au

Into the Woods au

Destructive Force au

Your Voice Draws me in... au

Sick and Tired au

Heroes One Door Down au

You Cried for Me au

Selkie au

The Cambion Boy au

Something on the Mountains au

The Half Genie Warrior! au

O’Clock Strikes Twice au

Miraculous au

SHP Project au

Whose a Takuni? Not Me! au

Little Godling au

You Are the Foundation au

Bippity Boppity Bam au

Cafe’s Open au

[little-peril-stories]

My Most Common Tropes

I was tagged by @i-can-even-burn-salad in this post. (....in August, lol.) Thanks, Elli!

Rules: Look back on your work, both past and present, finished and unfinished. What are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work?

OPEN TAG

My most common tropes and narrative elements are....

Angst

Girl Power

Violence & Power Dynamics

(Sad) Family Stuff

Slow Burn

Classic Big Bad Villains

And because I'm me, find four billion examples below the read more. :)

✨ Angst

What more can I say? I love it when my characters are sad. And hurting. And feeling hopeless. And helpless.

No matter what I do, I can’t move. I can’t get to her. I’m helpless. I’m useless. Maybe that’s all I’ve ever been—failing Jamie, failing IA, and now I’m going to fail Bree, too. - TPOT

What difference did it make? He would take her home, and she’d be his pretty possession once again, and every choice she’d made to escape the fate she’d so foolishly chosen for herself four years before would mean absolutely nothing. - TQOL

Yes, the thief thought, he was lucky. Lucky to have had Bree—who didn’t even know him—and her gentle hands on his skin, taking care of him for reasons he didn’t know or understand, doing something for him when he could never, ever pay her back. [...] Lucky that she was real, and that she had been there. Lucky, most of all, that she was gone, and that he would never see her again, because if he did, he’d have to face all over this alien, unwelcome pain of farewell. - TQOL

Being dead and suffering through some kind of purgatory was the least palatable option he’d come up with, yet the scholar half-hoped it was true. If he had died, the hell he was living through now was the false reality. It would eventually crumble into oblivion, blown away on the wind with his ashes, or buried in the ground with his decomposing corpse. - Man of Letters

✨ Girl Power

Action Girl / Plucky Girl / Determinator

Pour one out for my girls Bree, Colette, Alice, Fen, Ivy, Bridget, Nalia, Oriana, Ker, and Balain. Even when they're fucking up, which they do a lot, they're making it through and, in some cases, saving the day. Girls rule, boys drool. (shhh I'm just kidding)

Those same fears come back, renewed and armed with sharper, more vicious teeth than before. But so, too, does that promise. And even though the wind is just as cold as it was that night, and even though what I am leaving behind is infinitely more precious than what I abandoned four years ago, the taste of freedom on the wind is just as sweet. - TPOT

“Put the princess in a pair of pants and watch what happens.”- TQOL

“I chased a fucking wagon across this goddamn city. And then I chased a carriage across it again. I nearly got trampled twice. Do not fucking start with me.” - TQOL

They didn’t know what they were getting themselves into when they decided to kidnap me. I hope I get the chance to make them regret it. - TCOR

“I may be dying,” she said, her voice trembling with fury, “but I’m not dead. And I’m not going to lie around waiting to die, either.” - Book 1

✨ Violence & Power Dynamics

Violence is the Only Option / Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique / No-Holds-Barred Beatdown / Restraints / I Will Punish Your Friend For Your Failure / Defiant Captive

No respite—the rope grew tight again, accompanied now by Baden Hatchett’s hand on his chin. “Tried to take what wasn’t yours, and when she was rightfully repulsed by you, you thought you’d get to me another way instead?” - TQOL

I can’t suppress the cry that escapes as he twists and presses his fingertips against the wound. - TPOT

“Answer me,” the prince said softly, tightening his grip just enough that the scholar’s jaw began to ache. - Man of Letters

“Try to run away and I’ll let him drown your friend,” she said, digging her fingers into Nalia’s arm. - Book 1

✨ Family Stuff

Annoying Younger Sibling / Disappointing Older Sibling / Dead Parents / Abusive Parents

When Will kept bouncing, seeming not to hear their mother’s question, Jamie picked up one of his brother’s abandoned socks from the floor, crushed it into a ball, and hurled it at his head. - TPOT

“No one says anything. No one. Even you. You got arrested and you never fucking told me and he had that old record and that’s how he knew your name, and I can’t believe you never said anything, for fuck’s sake, and that happened when Ma was still alive—” - TPOT

The entire time I was in jail, truly believing and even hoping that my brother had skipped town and saved himself and left me to die, I never wanted to hurt him as much as I do right now. - TCOR

A knife under the ribs. It was Bridget’s fault. “I didn’t—I should’ve—I know I waited too long to go to the feds. I’m going to regret it forever, you know.” - Fen and Freddie

“Keeping me here to suffer more because your mother died on you, that’s not fair.” I know these words will hurt her. I don’t care. “I watched my ma die, too.” - TPOT

“My mother…she used to. She lives in the country now.” A distant look came into his eyes. “My dad’s dead. Of the fever. When it came here.” - Book 1

The soft words of her mother often came to her in such moments—the gentle but fragmented counsel that had helped Cecilia Cooper through her own marriage to Silas Cooper, a bitter man prone to temper and partial to drink. Stay with me, my love, she had whispered so often, and I will keep you safe. A mostly empty promise, untrue but well-meant; Breanna had known even then that her mother had tried her best. Let’s practice some sums, she would sometimes say, smoothing away her daughter’s tear-damp locks, watching the door with a frantic eye in case the handle began to turn. - TQOL

✨ Slow Burn

Make them go through a billion and a half awkward moments and almosts before they kiss!

Almost Kiss / Rescue Romance / Sleep Cute

I bet that hair practically glows red when the sun hits it just right. Especially in the light of sunset, when the sky turns to pink and orange flame. - TPOT

Dawn, of course, does not reach us inside our cell. Its rays can’t drift inside and wake us gently, can’t illuminate our fingers that remained entwined through the night; perhaps it is some innate, natural understanding that it’s almost time to rise that makes my eyes flutter open. A pair of hazel ones stares back. - TPOT

Are we closer than we were a minute ago? Can I better see the flutter of her eyelashes, glittering with tears, as she looks up at me, her cheeks pale, her lips parted to let every frightened breath pass, her hair brushing against her skin in perfect disarray? - TPOT

This was different: lovely, potent, thrilling. Like silken threads woven with bronze, like some entity of creation had crafted this man from warm earth and molten metal. - TQOL

This gaze burned like sunshine—like spring, like warmth on meadow grasses, like the glint of golden light off a pond. It burned, and it didn’t waver, and she knew where he was looking when he shifted a strand of damp hair away from her neck. - TQOL

He fixed her with that annoyingly penetrating gaze, like she was a book he wanted to read. - Book 1

✨ Big-Bad Style Villains

Big Bad / Lack of Empathy / Blaming "The Man" / The Chessmaster / Implacable Man / Evil Gloating

“Mouth off to her again,” he said softly, “and I’m going to make you very sorry.” - Book 1

“Oops,” Brockhurst said. “That might have broken a rib. Or several.” - Fen and Freddie

“Look at you. You’re no hero,” Hatchett says. My eyes fly open again. “A thief is all you are—a terrible one at that. Iustitia aecum, indeed.” He bares his teeth. “You and the others, you wear your guise of honour. Still, you are nothing more than lowlife, thieving criminals. Her, just as much as you.” He scoffs. “She says you saved her, once upon a time. Today, you will not.” - TPOT

“I most certainly am not mistaken,” says Jean Regent. “I did hope we could be civil from the start, but if you continue to be evasive and spout pointless lies, then I am afraid I shall have to resort to more barbaric measures rather quickly.” - TCOR

“Remember this, will you?” Regent lifts the poker from the hearth. “Remember that I could have ended your sorry life and chose not to. Remember that I showed you mercy. And remember…” His smile widens to a grotesque, gaping grin. “Remember that if you anger me again, the girl pays the price.” - TCOR

OH MY GOD THIS WAS SO FUN THANK YOU FOR TAGGING ME IN THIS AHH

[desultory-novice]

Have you ever just looked at a unimportant character no one cares about, and you just go

“They could have so much depth”

- the necrodeus anon

...I've been passively trying to come up with a compelling backstory for Brobo of all characters so yeah, I do...

Jokes aside (though I was being serious about Brobo!) I sympathize, Necrodeus fan! Some people might notice that I don't ever seem to draw the Dream Team as a whole? Or even all that much indidivually.

It's not because I don't love them. In contrast, I love them all sooooo much! But I also know that as a fan-artist (1) I don't NEED to do anything for them. They're so important to the, err, "brand" that I'm going to get my daily dosage of Kirby and others being cute by checking Twitter for merch announcements!

King Dedede, who is not as well loved by merch as the other three, gets a lot of fan-made content exploring his backstory, relationships, traumas etc, so I'm feasting on his majesty that way! (...I-is that phrasing too weird?)

--

It might seem weird to position myself like I'm some champion of giving minor characters depth when I draw a lot of Magolor and Marx, characters who are also showered in love and attention. But as much as I love jester boy, I know that for a variety of reasons, Marx is still in the exact same tier of cameo character as Daroach is, regardless of the difference in merch-love and fan content for the two. Neither of them are going to top the list for "characters to make important in the next Kirby game." That's just facts.

That's why, instead of producing a whole bunch of Meta Knight content, even though I do have ideas for him, I lean towards characters who were important once and are likely never to be important again. (The exception is Magolor, who has been made so important lately, he's likely to stay a reoccurring character. My excuse there is just that I'm biased. (2) Though even I start to feel his spread too much lately? He's trended on JP Twitter twice this last month and I don't even think it was for anything special.)

I LOVE Elfy but I didn't have much for them in the wake of FL's release because Elfy was everywhere I turned. A year later the fire has died down somewhat and I'm ready to write and draw more about Elfy in a relatively collected way. It's weird but sometimes hot news characters can turn into unimportant characters?!

I wasn't here for this, but Daroach was an important figure in two games, back to back! Imagine at that point, he must have seemed like frickin' Magolor to people! Isn't that wild? And the Animal Friends too! They WERE Kirby's friends, allies, family, supporting cast! They were Kirby's everything! ...Fast forward to the years between 64 and Star Allies and it's like... who?

And even then, trying to "spread the love around" is something I have to make a conscious effort to do, and I still know I'm WAY lacking in this department! I'm sorry, my other precious blorbos! Someday I will give you all each the visual masterpiece you are deserving of!

--

A thought struck me, as I watched a longplay of Kirby's Pinball, Kirby's Blockball and Kirby's Dream Course (three games I didn't play because even as a Kirby fan, young Dess avoided anything that reminded me of "sports.") that there are more "tiers" of Kirby characters than I typically think of!

If you love even the non-Dedede and non-Magolor last bosses or if you love the Dream Friends, you're still eating good. Because in the early games, our "supporting cast" to develop were things like the Poppy Bros, Squishy, Broom Hatter, and Kabu!

And I LIKE those guys! I like the Helpers! I like Wheelie and I like Bonkers! I mean, Chilly, right?! We all love Chilly! These guys were actually treated as kinda important in the older games! (The older manga gave focus to them too.) They didn't have compelling narratives out of the box, but they were staples in Kirby's world!

Have I ever drawn something for them? Have I ever stopped to think up a story about Simirror or Gim...? I'm not trying to guilt anyone or myself. After all, they really don't have compelling narratives, and I think you'd have to do some serious stretching to come up with one. (It might be a little easier for Gigant Edge and Bonkers and Mr. Frosty since they all spent time in the Forgotten Land...)

--

I think what I'm getting at is that we, who love characters who were important, if only for a single game, are kind of blessed to have that experience. Even if it's only for the length of the Milky Way Wishes sub-game or Mass Attack's main campaign. Our favorites were the shining stars with their own arc: triumphant rise and downfall.

So of course we want to plumb their depths! We got attached! And we're still better off than the Brobo fans or... dare I say it... the GRYLL FANS who dearly love a tough as nails last boss with a great design and... that's it...? We Gryll fans (because I am one of them) have pretty much had to make up their character whole cloth.

(On that note, even Gryll being non-binary is not a 100% canon thing. Gryll's just a character who we know so little about, even their gender is "unknown." There are artists all over the world who have settled on either a strictly fem or strictly masc interpretation for our onion witch. Though I prefer enby Gryll and am actually pretty confident that should they make a future appearance, the official localization will go that way themselves.)

For a long time, what informed Gryll's character was "Gryll introduces themselves with the same line that Marx does. Marx Soul and Drawcia Soul share the same attacks. All three use magic. Maybe these three who have never interacted know each other?!" That is, as far as I'm aware, the "origin" of the semi-popular HC that Marx and Gryll are friends/rivals/pseudo-siblings and both of them know/respect/fear Drawcia.

When Magolor came along and hinted he knew Marx, suddenly that lent some credence to all the magic-users knowing each other. Then Taranza came in with some weird hints of his own about knowing Magolor, and then Drawcia started to get pushed out because she was a little bit less "fun" seeming than the others...?

But I want to highlight that this is all made up!!

And I think it was made up because of people like us. People who still hold fondness for the characters that sparked their imagination and, because they were never likely to appear again, started making connections between other benchwarmers.

:cough: currently in the middle of a lengthy comic connecting Adeleine and Dark Matter Swordsman :cough:

--

I'm not going to say that we "keep the fandom going" or are somehow more important than people who just draw gorgeous fanart of Kirby. Everyone please keep doing that, btw! (Although it's funny that prolific Kirby fanart master, Suyasuyabi, will often draw these bottom-tier no-personality characters alongside Kirby. We don't get to see what motivates Chip or Blipper but we do get gorgeous visuals of them just living their lives) But our weird little hyperfixations are valuable and do have a purpose!

Still, if we want depth for the non-tier 0 characters, we will need to act on it. We can be helped along by inspiration from other people via weird, off-hand ideas that will make you think "Oh my god, wait what?! Oh, that's PERFECT!"(2) but your brain is going to be the one that makes the most fulfilling connections to you. Thus, my "compelling Brobo backstory" quest.

(I'm currently thinking he could be made by King Dedede? His majesty has a way with robots, after all. Or DOES he? What if there's a person or a place or a Weapon Shop Waddle Dee or Planet Mecheye that his majesty goes to to make his golf robots, blockball robots, and rocket hammer??)

-

Have I mentioned this about myself? As everyone knows by now, I'm one of the oldies. Not old as in I've been in the fandom forever. I've only been here for like, a year or two? But I am physically older than the rest of the people I know here, at least. But I only started drawing a few months before officially joining the fandom. (I did write fanfic when I was much younger but I hate all of it. Whee!)

Part of the reason I started drawing at my age was when it finally hit me that I would have these utterly brilliant ideas for cool things! "Oh my gosh, this would be SO perfect for X!" And I would patiently wait for someone to make this same connection and draw or write something for it that I could then love...!

:insert crickets chirping:

And...yeah... This could basically summarize my participation in my last fandom. Now, I actually wrote a lot of essays/answereds some ask questions. I didn't just sit quietly in the corner. But no matter how much I emphasized "This is a really cool thing more people should do something with!!" no one, outside of my one fandom friend, ever did.

I began to despair that maybe no talented artist/writer would ever come along and wave their magic brush/magic pen and fill me up with serotonin in accordance with my dreams. And it's a good thing I realized that because, oops, that's actually kind of true?!

Anyway, not to hammer on Dess's Philosopy of Fandom: that you should make the works you most want to see, regardless of how poor a job you do at the beginning but... yeah, actually. That.

Anyway, keep giving depth to characters! In whatever form you can!

I want to say once more to everyone who follows me and likes my art that I learned all this in like... two years. It just takes obsession :cough: dedication. But yeah, also obsession.

Also insomnia and sacrificing your free time to devouring every piece of beautiful art you come across and dissecting it lovingly. You can do the same with fiction, if you lean more towards writing. Not that I am recommending anyone pick up my regemin...

...Regemen? Regimin? RrrghI JUST looked up this word the other day. How could I have forgotten how to spell it so quickly?!

Aha! It's "Regimen."

...Wow. That's not how I pronounce it at all.

--

--

(1) Note that I seemed to talk a lot about drawing fan art up above, because to me, that IS giving them depth. When you draw a character participating in a hobby, enjoying a certain food, or talking with another character, you are giving them depth! You're rounding them out and making them feel whole!

(2) Another reason I draw a lot of Magolor is that I follow a bunch of obsessive Magolor fans on twitter who seem to do almost nothing but speculate on things that could have happened to Magolor all day(?) Just the other day, someone wrote something like "What if Magolor didn't immediately threaten to take over Popstar in front of Kirby et al? What if he just calmly took over Halcandra on his own and then realized too late that he couldn't take off the crown?"

I found that idea so compelling that five minutes later, I was scribbling this script down...

So, yeah. I want to apologize because for all of my nattering up there, it really isn't all that fair across the board when you like an unloved, unimportant character because the popular characters ALSO get talked about more, which leads to more sparks of inspiration and opportunities to explore ideas and plumb their depths. And that does suck. It just does. It can drain the inspiration you have to work on growing your favorites and make you feel alone and unloved yourself until the love you once felt for your beloved fictional muse is more like a heart-shaped hole in your chest...

...On the bright side, sometimes you can use another character's popularity to grow the less important characters too! I saw another gorgeous and scary comic (in JP) the other day about Magolor and the Master Crown that treated Dark Nebula as a cruel, dangerous, highly intelligent and threatening rival to both of them!! How awesome was that?!

So yeah, try riding the coattails of popular characters to make your favorite blorbo more interesting! Merry Magoland as much as confirms that Magolor has interacted with a stunning amount of Kirby characters. Use the squishsy wizard egg's popularity for your own benefit! (You could argue that's what I do with Marx all the time! Use Magolor's constant appearances to loop Marx into his activities and keep Marx relevant/give him stuff to do...!)

So, what WOULD the fandom's darling think of X canon character we don't see enough of? Or King Dedede. Or Meta Knight. Make connections between the characters that everyone is devouring up content for and draw people's attention that way!

--

This is a bit of a silly thing but... my Dark Matter + Adeleine comic-in-progress? The actual base comic did really CRAZY numbers! To the point that it's not even a month old and it's almost as popular as my most popular post! (That being my "moon's haunted" meme I drew when Forgotten Land came out - and oh.my.god it looks so bad?! I want to redraw it just to wipe off the shame... I feel that way about a couple of my more popular pieces tbh...)

Legitimately one of the reasons it became so popular initially was because it featured King Dedede in a sympathetic role. So it got boosted by certain Dedede fans and, not to diminish my own talent, spread way further than it would have on my art/storytelling abilities alone! (To which I'm thankful. And also, I love Dedede myself and love seeing him in serious roles, so it all worked out.)

Anyway, I hope that proved entertaining and maybe a little hopeful?

[fantasies-fairytales-n-fics]

Code Blue Ch. 55 - Flirting With Disaster

Summary: Lee drives down a dark road. Jo searches for him. A nasty phone call triggers her anxiety. Craig is a hero, but Orlando is not impressed. A warning is given. Lee and Gordon scuffle once more. Donna puts her foot down.

*Chapter Warnings* Alcohol use, drinking and driving, language, angst, anxiety, mentions of drugs, physical altercation

Chapter characters: Lee, Josie, Emily, Craig, Orlando, Gordon, Donna

Stories Stories Stories Masterlist:

Salem, Massachusetts

March 22, 2022

It was now dark and Lee had been driving for hours, swaying back and forth in his Dodge Dart with the windows down and the music blaring, trying to wash it all away just like you said, but his version of that was sipping on his second pint of Fireball. He was now at the impaired level to where he didn't care if he wrapped his car around a tree, but he chuckled when he thought of how it would be much more ironic if he crashed into an oncoming train.

As he changed the radio station, he found himself screaming with vein popping rage at the top of his lungs when the song came on that he had texted lyrics to you of earlier that day.

I had all and then most of you, some and now none of you. Take me back to the night we met. I don't know what I'm supposed to do, haunted by the ghost of you. Take me back to the night we met.

Simultaneously, you had been doing the same thing, minus the booze but listening to the same radio station as you drove around, crying your eyes out to that song and looking for Lee after he had just left you standing in the cemetery at his father's grave. You had called him over and over but he had shut his phone off. You left repeated voicemails and went to every known place you could think of that he might be, but he wasn't there or anywhere. Lee was just gone boy gone.

Was it all worth it? Dragging the truth of his past out of him, especially on that day of all days? His father's one month of passing. None of that day was supposed to go the way it went and it suddenly went from bad to worse.

Your phone rang as you pulled up to your apartment, but it wasn't Lee. It was Emily, your good friend from Ireland who had extended her stay in Salem when Jason supposably died to be there for you, but in all of the chaos, you had forgotten all about her.

"Em?? Hey." you softly sniffled. "What's up?"

"I guess I could ask you the same thing." she scoffed in her subtle Irish accent. "Where have you been and why have you not told me about Megan?? I just found out from your mom who I called to find out where you were at."

"Oh Em, I am so sorry. So much has been happening and it's all just a mess."

"Right. Well...are you ever coming back to the ice skating lessons for the kids? I've been covering for you and I need a break. I want to go out with someone on the 25th to a party and I'd like to take that entire day to go shopping and stuff. Can you at least do it that day?"

The 25th...that was Lee's upcoming birthday which you had forgotten about too and now you felt like even more shit, if that were even possible. Of course, you and he were supposed to spend it together, but now, all you could hear was his cold voice reiterate through your mind...fuck forever.

"Hello? Josie...can you?"

"Oh...sorry, I umm, I can't Em. I just have so much going on."

"Yeah, I noticed. Well, I can't do it. I'm not missing out on my plans."

"Ok, well. Just cancel the class. There's plenty of time. It's no big deal."

"No big deal? What is wrong with you anymore? You love that class and the kids. It's like no one exists now except your precious Lee."

"Hey, don't do that. Don't talk about him like that."

"Whatever."

"Em I said I'm sorry."

"Of course. And that makes it all ok. I stayed here for you ya know? And I've seen you not even a handful of times in 2 months. Twice to be exact."

"I know and I swear, I'll make it up to you soon, just not right now. So umm...who's the mystery man you're going to this party with?"

"Oh so now you're interested in my life? Well, if you must know, it's Johnny."

"What? Are you mad?? Jesus Em. You KNOW who he is."

"Oh stop it. You're not my mother. I'm a grown ass woman and can do as I please. In fact, I've been seeing him awhile now, ever since he came to the ice arena that day."

"Well that's just great, so you're into drug pushing mob men now."

"Don't be a hypocritical bitch. You had your fun with him before too and let's not forget who Jason was and from what I've heard, your landlord is one too who you're quite cozy with."

"Wowww. They don't do or sell drugs Em! So now you're letting Johnny fucking Zacchara fill your head with bullshit about me I see. You've never acted like this. He's bad news and you know it and clearly, he's rubbing off on you."

"Get over yourself already. Jealous much?"

"WHAT?? Jealous of Johnny??? Em grow the fuck up. You KNOW I don't want him. If anyone's jealous, it's you because he still wants me and you know it and he's using you to stay in my orbit."

"Oh, that's right. I'm not good enough compared to you. Johnny could never truly like me for me right??"

"God, you sound just like Megan."

"Well clearly Megan had a point! Everybody wants Jo! Well you know what. I DON'T. Fuck off!" she shouted and hung up.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!!" you screeched as you squeezed your phone with two hands, picturing yourself strangling her.

As you made your way up the stairs of the complex, it slithered up on you like a python in the everglades, wrapping around your chest and throat and relentlessly constricting as it pulled you straight to the ground to devour you whole. Shaking, gasping, clutching your chest, you crawled towards Craig's door where his music could be heard thumping about. He was never going to hear you. You had no voice. Even if you made it to his apartment, you didn't have the strength to bang on the door or reach for the handle that you knew was locked. You frantically dumped your purse out and grabbed your phone but in your frenzy for air, you couldn't turn it on. You must have literally squeezed the life out of it like your anxiety was doing to you at that moment. It was time to focus and fight. Your ears concentrated on the muffled music, your hands focused on the feel of the carpet beneath you, your tongue could taste your chap stick but your nose, it was useless to search for smell. Your eyes then caught sight of the fire alarm that happened to be just above you. Reaching, stretching, grasping and clawing at the brick wall, your fingertips were merely inches below it. Time was running out. Everything was about to go black. In your desperation, you found one last boost of adrenaline to lunge upwards and pull the lever. Ear piercing decibels sounded through the halls and blinding overhead lights kicked on as you slid down the wall, and then...there was darkness.

"Jo! Jo, come on sweetheart, wake up!" a desperate voice echoed in a gargle, sounding as if it were underwater.

"Miss March, can you hear me? Open your eyes for me." another voice, unfamiliar, stern but calm and more clear triggered the flickering of your lids.

"That a girl, there you are." the voice continued and now you could make out a face.

It was an EMT. As you gasped and darted your eyes all around, you then realized you were in the back of an ambulance. You swiftly sat up, knocking the oxygen mask from your face to see the very frightened face of Craig gaping in at you from outside the open back doors. Behind him was your car and a firetruck there, red lights swirling about. You were still at the complex.

"C..Craig??" you fearfully stammered and began to sob.

The EMT quickly jumped back before he knocked senseless by Craig's catapulting entrance. As soon as he reached you, he pulled you right onto his arms, clutching you tighter than the snake attack had done.

"Jesus Jo. You...you weren't breathing. You scared me to death. Don't cry. Don't cry. I've got you." Craig huffed into your ear.

"What...what happened??" you squeaked through his beastly bear hug.

He leaned back and cradled your face in both hands, his baby blues glassy and wet as he began to ramble. "I...I heard the alarm and ran out to find you unconscious in the hall. I had to give you cpr Jo and then finally, you gasped the most beautiful, sweet breathtaking breath I had ever heard besides Blaise's when she was born, but you were still out of it and then the EMS got here and I informed them of what I knew, about your anxiety and all and..."

"Oh my god...I...I remember now...I...it just hit me and I...I couldn't get to you...I pulled the alarm..."

Craig stroked your cheek and became the most open and vulnerable that you had ever seen him. "Thank the mighty lord above that you did or you'd be...Jo...I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you."

"You...you saved me? Craig...I...I don't know what to say."

"You can call him a hero Ma'am." the EMT intruded. "His quick thinking and actions kept you alive until we could treat you. With that said, we really should take you to the hospital now."

Panic crept up on you again and you began to ramble and beg. "N...NO. I am fine. I feel fine. I'm used to these attacks and I have meds for it...and my mom...she don't need this. No Craig...no, tell him I'm fine and that you'll be with me...right?? You'll stay with me...won't you?? Please don't make me go...PLEASE!"

"Jo I...I can't make you do anything and I won't...but...I'm worried about you. I know you know your body and all, but I also know you do not take your meds..."

"Craig...I swear to you....I am alright. I would never lie to you....not again."

"Not even to save your ass from going to the hospital?" he softly grinned as he stroked your hair. "And to be clear, you never lied to me. At least I don't see it that way."

"No...I won't lie even for that. I just don't want to go when I know I'm alright now thanks to you....and I don't want to face Orlando or Dave right now either. Can we please just go inside."

"I'll tell you what. Let's compromise. Please, for me, go to the hospital just to get checked out and then if all is good, I promise, I will bring you right back here. You'll be in the ER so I doubt your mom will see you and if you see your doctor friends, then you can ask them not to tell her. I will stay right by your side Jo. Please, it will make my heavy heart feel so much better."

His damn smile had some way with you. "Fine. I'll go but not in the ambulance. You have to take me."

"Deal."

You were quiet the entire car ride, staring out into the darkness while feeling Craig's eyes glancing upon you from time to time, but he also remained quiet. Knowing the man you had come to know, you knew he was trying to be respectful and let you rest. When you were ready to talk to him about things, you would. You knew though that you would be talking soon enough...to Orlando because he was the general physician of the ER and sure enough, his car was there when you arrived and he was at the nurses station when you walked in.

Orlando's eyes widened with fright and he sped right to you, offering a hand of support under you elbow and frowning as he gazed at your forehead.

"Josie? What happened?? You're limping and you have what looks like rug burn on your head."

"I...do? I guess I should have looked in the mirror. It's no big deal Landy. I just had a..."

Orlando's chocolate eyes became black as licorice as they darted over to Craig with a death glare. "What did you do to her!" he snarled and inserted himself between you and the man he knew was a mobster.

"Whoaaa down Fido." Craig commanded in a most calm and collected manner. It was not easy to intimidate him from all that you had seen.

"Landy, no. He didn't do anything to me. If anything, he saved my life."

"What??" Orlando gasped as his concerned eyes bolted back to you.

"I...I had a panic attack. A bad one and I passed out. I must have hit my knee when I fell and my head too. Craig found me and he helped me. I wasn't breathing, so....that's why I'm here. He really wanted me to come be checked out."

Feeling rather foolish, the good doctor apologized, but you still saw it in his eyes that he did not trust Craig, nor like him at all. "My apologies. I shouldn't have made presumptions. Thank you for what you did."

Craig's simple reply carried a hint of cockiness in his tone that you immediately recognized. He had been offended and you hoped he would let it go, but... there was also the fact Landy was Ethan's brother and you knew that didn't sit well with Craig either, even if Orlando was nothing like Ethan. "No worries Dr. Bloom."

"Alright, let's get you in a cubicle. Looks like I'll be your doctor again." Landy grinned and led you away.

"Wait!" you snapped and halted to look at Craig. "He comes too. I want him there."

The two men locked eyes. Craig's were smug and satisfied. Landy's were perplexed and wary.

Orlando was stern in his stance as a physician and as your friend. "He may come in AFTER we get you situated and assessed."

Your eyes saddened as you moved them to Craig's. "It's alright sweetheart. I'll be right outside this door." He assured and then his eyes went straight back to Orlando's with warning. "I'm not going anywhere."

Landy angrily whipped the curtain shut behind the two of you. "Sweetheart??" he groaned. "I do not like that guy. Since when are you so friendly with him??"

"Landy. Let's not talk about Craig right now...or ever for that matter. He cares about me, that's all and don't forget, I'm breathing because of him. Now...I need you to PLEASE not tell my mom about this..or Dave or...well, it don't matter."

"Lee? Did you ever find him after you called me earlier?"

"No and we're not talking about him either got it?? Can we just get this over with and this day already??" you snapped as you sat down on the bed.

Orlando half smiled and his eyes fell after your harshness towards him.

"Shit. Damn it Landy...I am so sorry." you reeled and took his hand. "I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just so exhausted, physically AND mentally."

His fingers caressed over yours as the smitten doc tried to hide how good it felt to touch you. "It's alright. I know you're stressed and how scary panic attacks are. They take a lot out of you. And my lips are sealed. I can't talk about my patients anyways remember? Let me check all your vitals, do some routine blood work and then since you did fall and have a wound on your head, I'd like to send you down for a CT to rule out a concussion and get an x-ray on that knee as well."

"Ughhhhh....ok." you moaned.

Landy did all his preliminary testing, then gave you a gown to put on and left and sure enough, Craig was standing right there when he walked out.

Orlando stopped with a hard sigh and slammed his pen down on his clipboard. "Stay put. She's dressing." he scoffed and walked away.

Craig arrogantly followed. "You know." he softly whispered near Orlando's ear as he came up behind him while he was writing. "I don't like you much either."

Orlando swayed around with a glare. "You were eavesdropping??"

Craig chuckled. "Curtains are paper thin, practically useless for sound barrier. I'm pretty sure you knew that when you decided to complain about me to Jo, whom...by the way," he raved. "She shut you down real quick didn't she? You see, it's really simple Doc. She cares for me and I care for her. Get over it."

"I'm sure her boyfriend won't...get over it. Did you forget about him while you're staking some wolfy claim on her?"

"No. But it seems he's forgotten about her. I'm pretty certain that he is one of or possibly even the main reason she had that attack tonight. From the things she's confided in me, I would bet my life on it." Craig then looked around with gloating eyes. "Where is the good Dr. Pace anyways??"

"Don't you have a daughter to look for or something?" Orlando irrationally retorted with instant regret.

Craig stepped forward, leaving only a foot's length between the two 5'11 men as his eyes and tone hardened. "You definitely have that Bloom blood and mouth don't you? I'd watch what you say to me, especially about my daughter. Ethan didn't watch what he said to me and he didn't enjoy the consequences of that. I will find that little bastard, mark my words and I will get my daughter back and that ball-less brother of yours will meet his judgment day right here on earth just as others have for messing with me and those I love. Even that cop brother of yours walks a thin line with me. Those who like flirting with disaster get eaten by the so called wolves you speak of, or in my world as they put it, go swimming with the fishes. Have I made myself clear Landy?"

"Crystal." he snapped and daringly pushed past Craig's shoulder to go back to you.

"Knock knock" he called out in a pretend pleasant voice before opening the curtain.

"I'm good Landy."

Orlando brought in a wheelchair. "Hop in."

You giggled. "I'm so doped up right now on what you gave me that I can barely move."

"Here. I'll help."

After he wheeled you out, Craig came right to you and dropped to his knees to hold your hand.

You smiled and took his hand as your words slightly slurred. "They gave me drugs."

"I can tell." he chuckled. " So you're feeling ok then? No pain?"

"Oh I am feeling just fine." you giggled. "You're so sweet Craigy. I'm glad you're here with me. You make me feel better."

Craig squeezed your hand and smiled, giving a swift, smug glance up at Orlando. "I'll tell you a little secret. You make me feel better too Jo."

"Well it's not a secret anymore silly. Landy's standing right here. Oh gosh, I just love your smile Craig. It's so pearly white."

He released a hearty laugh. "Just how much drugs did they give you?"

"It's time to go Josie." Orlando interrupted.

"Ok but...Craigy...will you follow us down and wait for me?"

"Anything for you.... sweetheart."

Orlando rolled his eyes and wheeled you off with Craig on his heels. Once you were all done, you were taken back to your room to wait on the results and to rest and during that time, Craig stayed at your side and listened to you blabber about your burdens under the influence of your meds.

Finally, you were cleared. No concussion, no concerning damage to your knee, just bruised, and BP and oxygen normal so you were sent on your way. By the time Craig got you back to the complex, you were out for the count with your head on his shoulder. Unable to wake you, he carried you up to your apartment and placed you in your bed, covering you up, then he opened a bottle of your wine and sat on the couch drinking until he too fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Lee had miraculously made his way in one piece to Gordon's house in Boston, but he was definitely broken inside. Once he forced entry into the garage, he began trashing all the contents of a storage unit in search of something important to him.

"Come on... Where is it??!!" he growled as he threw boxes and knocked over shelves.

Gordon was still up and heard all the commotion and when he got to the garage, he found his brother panting in a confused state as he sat on a toppled box.

"Lee! What are you doing???"

"Where is it?" Lee softly snarled through his exhausted pants.

"Where is what?? Why did you trash my things??? and...how the fuck did you get in here??? Are you drunk???? You drove here this way???"

"Spare me the bogus brotherly concern. Where...are...my...drugs??!!" Lee fiercely chanted.

"You're kidding right?? We, meaning you AND me, used that stash years ago. Jesus Lee, how much have you had to drink or...are you high??"

"I certainly wish I was! That was the point of coming here!"

"Well you waisted a trip. You know I don't keep that shit around with Donna here."

"Oh come on Gordo! You probably snort that shit from her ass crack while she's sucking it off your cock."

Gordon's eyes widened and then he raised his brow. "Yeah, I...I've probably done that a time or two...so??!!"

"Come on man...you can't tell me you don't have anything at all...somewhere!! A little white lightning...that's all I need."

"Well...even if I did, I certainly wouldn't give it to you!"

"Why?? Because I'm drunk??"

"Nooo? Because you're a dick!!"

Lee chuckled sarcastically. "Oh, I'M a dick?? Who's the one trying to take MY farm from me??? and who's the one who didn't show up today at dad's grave???"

"DAD'S FARM! and we're both his sons!! You got him to sign it over to you under false pretenses and you'll never convince me otherwise. He wasn't in his right mind! And...and...who says I had to go to dad's grave with YOU??? I can go by myself!!"

"We're both his sons, you got that right, but YOU are NOT my brother!! You never had one ounce of interest in that farm. You HATED it there!! Look at you...you're a big city guy!! You only want it to spite me because dad left it to me...legitimately!! He didn't want you to have it!!!"

"Whatever. I'm not doing this with you. You're fucking wasted. Look, I don't know what's going on with you, but you're clearly on some downward spiral and I'm not contributing to it. Give me your keys. You can go sleep it off on the couch and then get the fuck out tomorrow."

"Fuck you. I'm leaving."

Lee pushed past him and Gordon grabbed his arm. "No, you're not! Give...me...your...keys or I'm calling the cops and telling them you're drunk and driving!!"

Lee jerked his arm away and shoved Gordon against the wall. "I will rearrange your fugly ass face if you so much as touch your phone."

"Fine...but you're not driving."

Gordon gloated as he held up Lee's keys he had taken out of his jacket and dangled them from his fingers, then ran like hell up the stairs to the house with Lee stumbling up the steps behind him.

"Give them back!!"

"NO!" Gordon yelled as Lee chased him around the kitchen table. "Call a cab if you want to leave!!"

Lee hopped on the table and crawled over it, then dragged Gordon to the ground and pinned him down, aggressively twisting his nipples.

"STOPPP IT MAN!!!"

"If you want me to stop..." he huffed through pursed lips, "then just give me the keys!"

"Get off of him!! ALL I gotta do is dial three numbers Lee!!" Donna shouted from behind, holding her cell in hand.

Lee stood up, defeated but kept a smug expression as he glared at her. "Well if it ain't ass crack Donna."

"Get out of here Lee. Now." she barked, ready to dial 911.

"Fine...fine...fine. Have it your way." he snidely complied, then looked at Gordon who still laid upon the floor, terrified. "Your dope probably smells like shit anyways. I'll be back for my keys tomorrow."

Lee took out his phone and called a cab as he staggered his way out the door. When he reached his car, he leaned upon it and lost his footing. Sliding down hard on his ass, he stayed there and sobbed with his head in his hands until the taxi arrived and took him home.

@redeemer46

[paledarklight]

How long have you been a Bethyl fan? And what made you love them and be a fan of them

Oohhhhh , man...I've been a fan for a long time . I can't tell you when it started .

Beth's very sweet and innocent, don't let that be confused with being simple or naive.

She is fully aware someday she will die but she doesn't want that to be a excuse to not live or to be a coward.

She was a mother of Judy without complaining, she did what was asked for and more z she took on Ricks job of being a parent to his kid.

She killed walkers , she cooked, she mended clothes, she was also prepared to save Maggie.

She risked her life to save Carol who was in a coma , she got in trouble for it.

She saved Noah even though it cost her everything. .

Yes she was a brat mostly but Carl has had his times and no one complains about him half as much.

Daryl feels comfortable around Beth. He can be truthful and she accepts it, she doesn't shame him or yell at him except for when she really has to ..

He said that Faith ain't done shit, not even for her dad and Beth was hurt but she didn't force a apology.

When Zac died she comforted Daryl and asked him if he was okay vs him comforting her. He tells her truthfully " I'm tired of losing people" (he lied to Carol, he told her what she wanted to hear)

Beth only really yells at him twice. When she wants him to get off his butt and either help her find their people or help her find some booze cause it was something she wanted (I interpret this she knew she needed to get him moving and she needed to give him a reason because he was starting to shut down)

And the second time they fight is when she tells him that he needs to stop acting like he doesn't feel anything, which is exactly what Carol tells him post Coda , you need to let himself feel it

But she is never malicious towards him.

But she isn't afraid to bump heads with him either.

When they talk about his brother she doesn't make him feel ashamed vs Carols speech " he's not good for you"

He doesn't need somebody else telling him, he is fully aware who his brother is he is still allowed to miss him that's the only family he has.

He didn't need one more person telling him that his brother is a junkie and will probably hurt him again he is fully aware of that he isn't a child he's a grown man

BETH accepted his words and says " it's okay I hear you I miss my siblings too"

There was a love and sweetness that he got from her she was able to give him hope in a way nobody else was able to. She was able to show him things that changed him.

Before Beth he did not try to look for anyone he shut down he went back to how he used to be

Now... We literally have a show about him looking for Rick, that's because of her.

He put a blanket over a Walker. That's because of her.

Even the scene of him tossing water to Carol and her dropping it, he's so used to BETH knowing his next move that Carol not grabbing the water and letting it fall, thus that precious water spilt was wasted.

Beth would have caught it without question.

When Daryl is walking through the tunnels with the claimers and he tells them that they are not very friendly

He is used to somebody kinder somebody gentler.

When Carol sees him years later and she says you were like a boy and now you're a man she sees the change in him, why is him with Carol at the prison never made him a man vs Daryl and Beth alone for years from summer to winter and he becomes a man.

Being alone with her changed him for the better and he has forever different because of her, even if the show tries to give him another woman they will never know who he was before so they can't see the difference of growth in him.

Beth is and always will be the apple in the middle of the forest and he's dying of hunger -Norman

"Daryl is like a cat out in the rain they're hiss and bite you but if you take them in and you dry them off and feed it it's going to follow you for the rest of his life" -Norman anyhow Daryl shows love

Daryl only loves once in his entire life.

He can't love anyone else

[freesidexjunkie]

I want to know more about First Light and the Nathaniel Howe x Cousland fics please!

!!! Bestie you've made my whole morning asking about Nathaniel Howe. I love him dearly and I never get to be feral about him enough 🥺

I'm gonna start with First Light to be in order. First of all, I never looked twice at Rolan til adorabLE fics and characters for him like JUNIPER(!!) started popping up on my dash so thank you for helping indoctrinate me, 10/10 having a great time 💕 I originally wanted to write a scattered Rolanmance story of disconnected chronological scenes to build their story for Nanowrimo, and I had the whole fic plotted out and worked on by late October before school spiraled out of control and the burnout made me think all my words were garbage. The bulk of the story is slotted for act 3 scenes, but I've got a few scenes for act 2 that may or may not have varying levels of spice (we'll see what the characters feel up to ig). I see act 2 as them being relieved to find the other alive and very much getting closer to each other, but terrified to put a name on it in case the worst happens. "Yeah we are inseparable and glued together and if anything happened to him I'd probably lose every last strand of my mind but it's like. lol probably nothing serious right?" Act 3 feels more like finally being able to settle into each other without as much constantly worrying about if they'll even survive this. It's the end of the road for Rolan and it's the most stability Rhiannon has had for weeks, so now's as good a time as any to pursue a real relationship rather than stolen moments. I have plans for them to both awkwardly dance around the topic and hope the other will bring it up first; also for lots of cute teasing, some sibling antics etc. I'm super excited to get into it, but I feel like the Veilguard announcements are making me give myself a deadline for the Solavellan fic first. It's already got a whole notebook dedicated to it tho and plenty written down, so it won't get lost in the shuffle, I promise!!

And for Nathaniel....my sweet precious baby boy who I fell in love with at first sight.... my first DAO playthru ever was human noble, and I was faithfully married to the king of Fereldan but enemies to lovers has been my kryptonite since Jane Austen first got her hooks into me with P&P. I've put a lot of thought into the Cousland I would pair with him. I think the age gap between them in canon is about ~10 years, but fuck it we snip and shape canon to our own whims. Elissa Cousland (I really like the default name and I won't apologize) ~21 and Nathaniel around ~28. The Howes and the Couslands were already very familiar with each other, so Elissa and Delilah (Nate's sister) were inseparable best friends growing up. Elissa very much had a childhood crush on Nathaniel, in the "younger sister's annoying friend" kind of way that was absolutely not reciprocated. When Arl Howe says in the intro "my son was asking about you" she definitely gets major butterflies until she realizes he means Thomas. She definitely asks about Nathaniel but Bryce diplomatically shoos her away since the whole uh. Disowned and cast out thing. Not knowing how much the rest of the family is involved in Howe's betrayal and not being able to reach out to them at all really hurts her. In Awakening she's definitely intimately familiar with the castle as she grew up as a semi permanent fixture there. She doesn't hear much about the rest of the family other than that Thomas died in the blight; she's holding out hope for Delilah and Nathaniel tho. When he shows up spitting venom and letting her know in no uncertain terms that he blames her for everything.....it hurts ngl. But she conscripts him because she cannot be the person to condemn him to death. She absolutely cannot.

From there, finding Delilah alive is kinda the turning point in his anger and hatred. "You better be nice to my best friend" and "so. She's still making puppy dog eyes at you huh." Kinda thing. I have a plan for going to visit Castle Highever to fix a problem and Elissa standing up for him to Fergus, etc etc. I have so many scenes planned that are heavily enemies to lovers and heavily comfort/angst kinda stuff. I swear I'll write it one day. Thank you for letting me ramble about him tho, I owe you a life debt 🥺🥺

[fivekrystalpetals]

Thinking about it, I find tons of similarities between Break and Lottie—

(yes this is yeeeet another of my break/lottie posts but please hear me out!!)

Both of them are:

Valets in their respective houses

Too loyal to their masters and went to the extent of killing hundreds of people for their master

Lost so many family members to an outsider (directly/indirectly because of Sablier)

Fell into the Abyss in the process of trying to keep their word to their master

Returned to the real world after a long time skip, not to their present but many years into the future

[Look at their matching expressions on emerging into the present and realizing the ramifications of their deeds i am crying they are just so precious to me ;_;]

Intent on finding out the Truth of what happened a hundred years ago (adding here: both of them are Seekers in the story. Break might hang out with the kids but he is not exactly the mentor/teacher character. Uncle Oscar is the Mentor/Teacher; Break is a Seeker)

Assumed a fake persona (in case of Break: a fake name as well) for the sake of their mission

Tend to put on the creepiest faces when others are watching and only reveal their true emotions when they think nobody is looking at them

Ruthless getting to their objective; ready to torture and force what they want out of the other party; maybe, even kill

Intelligent and perceptive and easily see through people on multiple occasions (mostly Oz (twice or thrice) and separately? They are reading through and keeping an eye on either of the brothers in their custody lol)

(Also I find it sweet that after Break passed away, Lottie took in Gil as well, Gil-Lottie were the best bros i bet,, ig after Noise's death, Lottie was the lone big sister kinda figure for the boys)

Other tidbits:

Both of them are fond of dolls! Break and Emily yes! and... remember how Echo offered that doll as a 'bribe' to Lottie to give her a few minutes to talk with Oz lol

Oh man they sure know to clean up well (how can I not add this when both of them rocked in their Head Hunter Arc attire :_: I wish we had a clear full shot of Lottie's dress; it was so gorgeous <3)

their real ages are... ambiguous. They could be anything from 20s to 90s depending on how you start, perceived age, experienced age, chronological age, technical age etc. etc. All I know is that these are old ageless people. annnnd Break is definitely younger than her, no matter how you see it lol. So him calling her "little miss/little lady" is....(ik he is flirting with her) but if they ever had a civil conversation, her reaction was gonna be something like this ahjhjgjskl

(unrelated but I love these three 💔)

ah yes this panel but make it Lottie, Break who is laughing HA HA HA HA and Lily in his arms; post-canon, nobody dies/everybody lives au that never happened ;_;

[letsrilakkusu-blog]

An ode to Given

A few days ago the internet collectively freaked out - myself included - when it was announced that the next chapter of Given would be the final chapter, ending its 10-year run. I'm honestly still in shock and while I'm trying to stay optimistic that maybe the big announcement that's coming with the final chapter will involve some kind of sequel, a second season of the anime seems more likely. It's difficult coming to terms with the fact that I may have to say goodbye to a series that I love so much, and with an ending that I most likely will not find satisfying. Regardless, Given has taken up a huge space in my heart for the past two years and I just wanted to write about how I found it, my experience with it, and what it means to me.

I've enjoyed manga and anime ever since I was in middle school, but toward the end of college I got too busy to keep up. Fast forward to years later in 2020, I was stuck at home during the pandemic and decided to dive back in. After rewatching a BL anime that I really liked in high school, Given came up as a suggested series. A quick Google search told me that it was a great romance story between boys in a band, cool.

The first episode starts with Mafuyu's melancholy monologue about the dream he keeps on having and I see right off the bat that I've signed up for a bit more than a cute love story with music. Then the opening song Kizuato hits and I'm totally captivated. It's probably one of my favorite opening sequences and truly captures the feel of the series with its hard-hitting instrumentals, Cenmilli's emotional vocals, and the moody art.

The series pace is on the slower side but there was enough drama and intrigue to keep pulling me in, and it's full of comedic gold. And then... episode 9, A Winter Story. It shook me to my core, everything about it was absolutely amazing. Ue's talk with Mafuyu before the show where he admits that even he doesn't know what he is doing or how to express himself, all he knows is that he loves Mafuyu's sound. The song itself, interspersed with flashbacks of Mafuyu and Yuki's relationship and Mafuyu's monologue (his "I'm lonely" is truly devastating, major props to Yano Shogo). THE KISS. A genuine surprise, so quick and so gentle from inexperienced Ue. I had to watch the episode twice because it left me in complete awe and I needed to experience it again. Then episodes 10-11 were the perfect wind-down with a lot of cute and legendary moments, aka Ue experiencing increasing levels of gay panic. The series became an instant favorite and I rewatched it immediately. I can't find the words to properly express what it did to me but it just made me feel so many things, things I don't think I've felt for a long time. I couldn't shake it.

After that, I was still hungry for more Given so I read the manga, which is a totally different and wonderful experience. The art is beautiful, and the way Kizu-sensei portrays emotions through the characters' facial expressions is unparalleled. Soon after that, the movie came to Crunchyroll, and I've been keeping up with the series in every form since. I read the chapters as they come out bi-monthly. I watched the drama adaptation (not great but not the worst I've seen). I watched the OVA many times (my favorite, all the precious RitsuMafu moments I was missing from the movie). I splurged on a second-hand DVD set of the stage play (really well done). I even watched the anime dub (tolerable), and I hate dubs. Rereading and rewatching the series are routine. Safe to say, it's consumed me for two years and the flame has not died down one bit.

Lots of fans joke about referring to Given as our comfort series when it actually hits on a lot of heavy topics and has eviscerated our emotions on more than one occasion. But it truly is my comfort place. Just as I had finished watching the anime for the first time, I lost a very close friend to illness. This friend was a fellow anime/manga enthusiast and was probably the one who introduced me to the world of BL. Although she didn't watch Given, I like to think that it could have been something we would have enjoyed together if we had the time. And although the circumstances are different, I could relate to Mafuyu prematurely losing an important person in his life. Because the story is equal parts pain and healing, Given kind of provided me with a space where I could dump all of the emotions I was experiencing, whether they were happy or sad. It taught me about loss, grief, and above all, the way music and love can heal the wounds that these things have left behind.

I also have to speak separately about the music of Given, it's just so well done, with so much care and attention to detail. You can tell that Cenmilli worked closely with Kizu-sensei or really dived into the source material when working on the music. Every song created for the series relates very clearly to an event or element of the story. I could write praises upon praises for all of them, but some of my favorites include:

Fuyu no Hanashi, for obvious reasons. Yano Shogo's raw vocals are haunting and the guitar riffs are insanely cool. The way the lyrics change from Mafuyu being stuck and unable to say goodbye in the first chorus, to finally moving forward despite that in the last chorus, show that he's getting the closure he needed.

Kizuato - The lyrics perfectly express the series' tagline "can't say goodbye, I'm still drifting with your echoes." And the pre-chorus is so, so good.

Hetakuso - A simple but insanely sweet song that is definitely Mafuyu's response to Ue's admission that he is bad at expressing himself. I squealed when I saw the lyrics mention "covered by the heat of summer" and "not being afraid of the next winter" in reference to the two of them.

Bokura dake no Shudaika - As I read the lyrics, I can't tell if the song is referencing Akihiko and Ugetsu's relationship or Akihiko and Haruki's (maybe it's both), but I actually like that ambiguity. I also love how it beautifully incorporates the violin as a salute to Aki and Ugetsu.

Uragawa no Sonzai - I know Mafuyu is singing the song but I like to think of it from Ue's perspective. He is aware that there is a side to Mafuyu that he doesn't know, his past, a time when he cried, a person he cried over. But he embraces this "existence on the other side" as a precious part of the person he loves and vows that he will fill up for what the other is lacking, and vice versa. I'm crying.

Now that the series is coming to an end, I don't know what I'll do with myself. If it's truly ending for good, I do have my complaints, but I'll save that for another time. No matter what though, Given is solidified as one of my top anime/manga series of all time, and I'm sure I'll keep revisiting it over the years even after it's finished. It's given me so much - joy (RitsuMafu soft moments are my serotonin), sorrow (Strawberry Swing, anyone?), laughs (too many to count), and some of my favorite music - and for that, I'm incredibly thankful.

[piracytheorist]

I FINISHED SHADOWS OF ROSE

bro i when I finished i was just:

"omg guess its time to cry right now 💪💪"

nah bc he died for rose TWICE. I cried so hard fre

They really said "Y'all thought you cried enough at the ending of Village you are not prepared for Shadows of Rose"

Congrats on finishing it! Even with the familiar surroundings and mechanics I know myself I would have a hard time playing it... particularly the mannequin statues game and the hide-and-seek from the dolls :) :) :) creepy stuff, dude

But yeah for real it's not enough Ethan sacrificed himself for Rose once, he had to do it again! Once again putting her first, prioritizing her safety over at least having one (1) moment to talk to her as father and daughter, like I'm thinking so much about how he could've told her from the beginning who he really is so they could talk, but he put her safety first because as he guessed, she would want to stay in there to talk to him T_T

And he just didn't even second guess it. He just fucking ran at Miranda fully unarmed all to not even kill her, merely to delay her while Rose ran away to safety. BUT ROSE IS HER FATHER'S DAUGHTER AND CAME BACK FOR HIM!! And still he sacrificed what little power he had left so that Rose could finish Miranda off so that she could be safe, even if he wouldn't be able to make it. MY BOY. ETHAN. YOU DESERVE SO MUCH LOVE T_T

Seriously the moments with Rose reading Ethan's letter and then when Ethan tries to fight Miranda and THEN the ending where they hug and he tells her how proud of her he is and they say how much they love each other... they gut me. It's so bittersweet and so fucking sad because Ethan poured so much love into that letter and it was all things he never got to do! But then the ending gives you a bit of closure, where they have a small but precious moment together. And with that you know that Ethan could go in peace this time, knowing Rose loves him, and Rose can move on knowing how much her father loved her and growing from that herself. It's still so sad with Ethan gone again but you know he will be in Rose's (and our) memory forever <3