#THEIR MURDERS FROM THIS NEW PERSPECTIVE. NO LONGER BEING THE ORPHAN BUT BEING A FATHER.

[martyrbat]

[ID: tags from @batgirlissue64. In all caps, it reads: prev yeah!! The cycles of martyrisms. And!! Do you ever think about Bruce post Jason's death, getting that haunting feeling that he suddenly understands his parents' decisions with a gravity he never thought he would? END ID]

LEE YOU ARE KILLING ME PLEASE

the man who falls - secret origins (1989)

[ID: two panels of Martha Wayne. In the first panel she's blocking her son as she gets shot, her arms up and purse falling in the air. In the second panel, Bruce is staring horrified as his mother collapses near his dead father. The mugger has his back to the viewer and is looking at Bruce. END ID]

[black-streak]

Little Pistol - Millstone

Chapter 4

First Previous Next

This feels almost like I'm starting a new story and in a way I am. Tim's story. His side of this world in creating. That being said, for those who only got into DC and Batman and the Robins through the Maribat fandom, this actually gives a lot of background on Tim that isn't normally covered from what I've seen. Or at least, not in depth. Sure, I'm giving my own perspective on how canon events could of turned out, but all the way up to Damian taking up Robin is technically canon compliant.

That being said, here we go. (Song is Millstone by Brand New. All songs are featured on my Timinette Angst Playlist)

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~---~

Traveling downhill seemed so much easier than trekking up. In truth, it all depended on how you went. Slowly making your way on foot could end in braced, straining joints and burning calves from the effort of keeping balanced on steeper angles and rougher terrain. You could bike down faster, but you might miss everything that happens along the way or hit an edge and end up crashing to never see it through one way or another. Taken out of the race too soon. Running proved dangerous and much the same as a bike. One could always roll down the slope, but that leads to veering off course and coming up dizzy and disoriented. Falling was easy, but there was no control on how you went or how fast and many end up injured or lost by the time they hit the bottom.

Tim decided to mark his own path. He hadn't necessarily meant to find the bottom, it sort of found him to be honest, but nevertheless, he chose to make his way slowly down from the start. Twisting and winding carefully, every step deliberate and calculated until he stood where he is now, living in the brownstone with Jason Todd of all people. His would be murderer.

Funny how that worked.

It started early on, far sooner than most would guess, with his blackmailing his way into the mantle of Robin. Sure, it was ultimately Bruce's decision, but what else does one do with a kid with photographic evidence of your identity who saved your skin and insists on helping any way he can? Train him, send him around the world, and hone his skills under the nose of his parents, apparently.

Then his mother died and his father went into a coma. Bruce feared he'd fall to anger and vengeance, bringing up Jason as a reminder of what not to do.

It was interesting, the amount of times Jason was brought up as a form of warning. As a guidance for what not to be. It came to a point where he resented hearing the name, equated it to disappointment and idiocy. To brashness and brute strength. To death. His opinion of Jason was similar to that of a dumpster fire. Contained and expected, but needing to be put out before it could do any real damage to something actually important. 

That was in part due to being a child who'd grown up watching Dick fly in the Robin colors and seeing how his successor performed afterwards. In some ways, the magic of the Robin suit transferred with its new owner, still amazing Tim with its ability to make Gotham a little brighter, a little safer. But the disconnect between Robin and Jason was too strong for him to see them as the same person. He still thought of Dick as Robin, despite knowing he wasn't in that suit. Then Jason died and soon after he began his training, not really out of desire to BE Robin, but more for knowing someone had to do it. 

Then Bruce and in parts, Dick himself, kept reinforcing the story of Jason as something bad. As something to be avoided and better than. Jason was no longer a person at all in his mind. More of an urban legend told in bedtime stories to scare children into being good.  It only furthered the disconnect he felt between looking at the case with the old Robin suit and hearing the name Jason Todd.

It was a while afterwards that his next step down occured, with his return to no man's land, his rescue and finally, his father barring him from Robin and Stephanie taking up the title. He didn't mean to feel resentful, but it happened nonetheless. He fought so hard to be good enough, to hold the Robin title and be worthy of it only to have it ripped away by Jack Drake's form of blackmail. Oh, the irony of it being the same as his own from long before.

It took manipulation and carefully working from the other side, but soon he convinced his father of his need to be Robin. Of how Gotham needed him. And Jack let him. Too bad it led to him being killed.

He faked an uncle to avoid being completely under Bruce's thumb. Wanted a say in his own life and felt adoption wouldn't be the way to go about it. Didn't want to replace his dead dad so soon after losing him.

Things went faster after that. Stephanie died. Then Kon. He switched his colors in remembrance of his fallen friend. Became a little darker. Colder. Distant. Bart died. He fell further. Stephanie was alive. She let him think she was dead. Batman knew and felt no need to tell him. She lied to him. Bruce lied to him. Everyone he loved left him one way or another. Jason tried to kill him. More than once.

Surprisingly, almost dying at his hands was what began to help Tim see Jason as he truly was. A human being. He opened up the files on Jason and began his own research, no longer taking his mentors for their word. If Jason was alive, he needed to know who exactly he was up against. And he did, now. He knew who Jason was. A guy who'd been just a kid, taken off the streets and thrown into the nightlife of Gotham. A kid who loved his mother and did what he could to keep her alive. Who did what he needed to keep himself alive. Who loved school and maintained perfect grades and read classic literature. Jason Todd wasn't some punk who died because he was a brash idiot who got in over his head. No, he was just a boy who found out his birth mom was alive and went looking for her. Who died trying to protect the woman who birthed him, despite being the one who betrayed him. The Robin costume wasn't magical. Wasn't it's own living thing. The mantel was only as strong as the one who wore it and Jason had worn it well.

Funny how the resurrected version saw who filled the suit now and decided to try and kill him. Guess he couldn't really fault him for it, though. Talia threw Jason in the pits and practically siked him on Tim. If only she had kept Damian to herself. 

Tim took the child's attempt on his life to heart, despite the pardon to Jason for much the same. See the difference there was that Bruce didn't treat the two attempts the same. Both tried to kill Tim. But while Jason was condemned and seen as the enemy for it, Damian was barely punished. Sure, Bruce expressed anger and disappointment, but all and all, that was it. Quite frankly, Tim thought Jason was more justified and yet, he received the harsher treatment. 

The injustice and unfair treatment of the Robins was never more clear than in that moment.

The true fall of Tim, however, was after Bruce died, leaving the others as orphans to battle over the cowl.

He never wanted to hold the title of Batman, but Dick was so reluctant and then Jason started posing as Batman, so Tim took him up. Just to put an end to it. To make the madness stop for just a second.

And finally, finally, Dick took his rightful place. After the loss of his father and adopted father and so many friends and teammates, Tim was ready for a semblance of normal. He'd worked under Dick before and it'd gone so well, he knew this is what they needed. What the city needed. Something was finally going to be okay.

But then it really wasn't. Dick gave his position to Damian. To the kid who killed, who tried to kill him. To an ungrateful, insubordinate, murderous child who held no morals or standard for anything that wasn't an animal. Dick took the only thing Tim had left and gave it away to the person who hated him most.

Well. 

It should have come as no surprise that when Jason showed up, offering him refuge, a place to belong, a place at his side. He took it. 

He took it on his own terms.

Taking up the mask, not behind Jason, but at his side, as his partner, Tim took over the Brownstone building and created his perch. His and Red Hood's basis of operation. Dick thought Gotham needed a cruel, brutal, ruthless Robin? Fine. He'd give it one.

Sipping on his mug of hot chocolate and looking out into the night, he couldn't help the twinge of a frown that creeped onto his face. The downhill descent was a difficult one, yeah, but one way or another, he found his way to the bottom.

[archivingspn]

Entertainment Weekly Special Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Supernatural 2017

SAM AND DEAN WINCHESTER KNOW "WEIRD." Their entire life has been weird, ever since the moment a demon claimed their mother's life. In case anyone has forgotten over the course of the show's past 12 seasons, Supernatural tells the story of the Winchester brothers, portrayed by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, who fell into the family business of hunting creatures after their mother's murder. What began as their father's journey for revenge has evolved into endless monster slayings, near-death experiences and more than a few actual deaths.

By this point the Winchesters have been to Hell and back, killed Death himself, come face-to-face with God and prevented the Apocalypse. But perhaps more impressively, the series has survived three network presidents, five showrunners, a writers' strike and five different time slots. Turns out the only thing harder to kill than the Winchesters is the series itself. "It's one of those shows that has moved a lot, and yet each time it has found that core audience and built on it," Warner Bros. Television president Peter Roth says. "It's been an unsung hero."

If anyone knows about being an unsung hero, it's Sam (Padalecki) and Dean (Ackles), who've dedicated their lives to saving others and asked for nothing in return. Seriously, how many nights have they spent sleeping in their car?And yet that on-the-road lifestyle has paved the way for a number of the show's riskier episodes, which play a crucial role in keeping the audience engaged. In 2015 "Baby" was told entirely from the perspective of their beloved 1967 Impala, and that's not even close to the craziest thing the show's tried.

Aside from the rules the show creates within its canon—yes, they have a historian in the writers' room to keep them honest—not even the sky is the limit when it comes to story ideas. “[Show creator] Eric [Kripke] used to say, 'Smoke 'em if you've got 'em,' which meant: Anything crazy, don't be afraid to run it by us," executive producer Robert Singer says.

That motto led most famously to season 6's "The French Mistake," in which Sam and Dean found themselves in an alternate universe where everyone mistook them for Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, the stars of a show called Supernatural. "Our show's not bound by reality," Ackles, 39, says. "We're rooted in reality, but we're not bound by it. That gives us a fifth wall almost."

But Supernatural's season 12 finale managed to raise the stakes by somehow introducing the boys to something they'd never seen before: a world in which they don't exist and Heaven and Hell are locked in an eternal war. By episode's end, their allies Castiel (Misha Collins) and Crowley (Mark Sheppard) were dead, and their mother, Mary (Samantha Smith), who was resurrected-by God's sister!-in the season 11 finale, found herself trapped in this new reality with the Archangel Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino). If that doesn't seem bad enough, the birth of Lucifer's son is the very thing that opened the rift to this apocalyptic realm. "The world in which Sam and Dean were never born is not a good world," showrunner Andrew Dabb says. "It speaks to the importance of our guys. The world Sam and Dean live in is certainly not perfect, but it's a whole hell of a lot better than the alternative."

Dabb describes the new run of episodes as more melancholy than last year's, with new threats including some long-dead characters. And somehow Scooby-Doo has a role to play. (More on that later.)

"Last season was, in some ways, a very upbeat season for us," says Dabb, who goes on to explain that season 13 will be "darker." In their grief the boys will butt heads when it comes to both Lucifer's son Jack—Dean wants nothing to do with him; Sam thinks he's worth trying to save— and Mary, whom Sam refuses to give up on despite Dean's having lost hope that she's still alive. "The Apocalypse world hangs over our guys a little bit like a sword of Damocles," Dabb says of the season's beginning. "We're definitely going to spend a little time there."

And of course Sam and Dean have this new responsibility thrust upon them before they've had the chance to properly grieve their many losses, including Castiel, who Dabb says will appear, though maybe not the way fans are expecting. "We're not looking to hit the reset button," Dabb says. "We want to give both our guys an opportunity to react to that and ask the question: How would that affect them if their closest friend sacrifices himself for them? There is a certain amount, especially when you look at Dean, of survivor's guilt."

That being said, there will be at least one (animated!) moment of levity, though it's in the season's back half. Episode 16 will be a much-anticipated Scooby-Doo crossover, for which Ackles, Padalecki and Collins have already recorded the audio. "They've often talked about Supernatural crossing over into something." Ackles says. "I love that it's Scooby-Doo."

But even with exciting new ideas on the agenda, there's always the lingering question of how much longer the show can continue. According to CW president Mark Pedowitz, the answer is as long as the guys are happy and the ratings are relatively stable. As for Ackles and Padalecki, they are focusing on the next milestone: hitting 300 episodes (something that would take them 13 episodes into season 14). However, if Sam and Dean have taught the actors anything, it's that Death can be lurking around every corner (and he's usually eating pizza). "If we don't make it to 300, I think Ackles and I will both be truly bummed," Padalecki, 35, says.

Ackles adds, "They're paying us to bring that little bit of magic to what they wrote, and I still feel that magic. The day that I don't feel that magic will be a very sad day, and I hope that day never comes. I'd like to get to 300 before that day comes."

One thing everyone can agree on is that they want to know when the end is nigh. "I think it would be bad for this show to just ride off into the sunset without a finale," Singer says. "I think we've earned that." Ultimately the only thing that's certain about Supernatural's eventual end is the fate of Sam and Dean's Impala, Baby. "He gets Baby," Padalecki says of Ackles. "I get Baby Two." Ackles makes one correction: "No, you'll get Three. Two is a stunt car. It's beat to s---.”

But nobody gets Baby just yet. For now they'll need all the Impalas they can get as they try to solve the problems of not one world but two.

[pg 10-12]

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE

Stars Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins have rolled with rapid changes and some surprising detours during the series' remarkable run. BY SAMANTHA HIGHFILL

JARED PADALECKI CAN STILL REMEMBER THE exact pitch for Supernatural's first season: “Route 66 meets X-Files, brothers on the back roads of America hunting things that go bump in the night.” That was how he and costar Jensen Ackles were told to promote the show, which, in its first year, was just that-Sam and Dean Winchester chasing urban legends from state to state.

But over time that original pitch added a few sentences. Much like with any good road trip, there have been quite a few turns—and the occasional crossroads along the way. Although the show remains about two brothers on the back roads of America hunting things, those "things'' now include everything from vengeful spirits to imaginary friends and even Lucifer himself. After all, a show doesn't last 13 seasons without adjusting its game plan. For Supernatural that has meant an ever expanding mythology, some shocking deaths, resurrected characters, breaking the fourth wall and so much more.

Yet all the while, one thing has remained true: Sam and Dean Winchester will do whatever it takes to save the world and, even more so, to save each other. And they'll do it while navigating those seemingly endless back roads in their 1967 Impala.

Finding John Winchester (portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan) was the boys' goal in season 1, though that ended up being about as difficult as getting John to stick around once he was finally discovered. The Winchester family reunion was short-lived: Season 1 closed with a car crash and the fates of all three men up in the air. And then there was that demonic deal John made with the same monster they had been hunting.

JENSEN ACKLES Everything up until that point was about finding Dad. We found Dad, we continued to fight as a unit, and then we lost Dad, and now we were two orphans.

JARED PADALECKI And I think that was the first time we ever brought back somebody from the dead, and it was you [to Ackles].

ACKLES I died in the car crash, and he traded his life with Azazel.

PADALECKI I think that was the first time we ever saw a major character die and come back. And that was a total leap of faith. So we told the story of Reapers and the veil and what happens to your soul.

ACKLES That's when we got into afterlife.

PADALECKI That was a big title shift in what Supernatural could do...

ACKLES With the introduction of Hell and making deals with demons—which is funny, because you think about that now, and [creator] Eric [Kripke] must've always known because Mom made the deal with the yellow-eyed demon.

The next shift would come later in season 2, laying the groundwork for the introduction of angels far before Castiel spread his wings in that abandoned barn in season 4.

PADALECKI "Houses of the Holy” was the first time we ever talked about angels on Supernatural. [Jensen] and I both were like, “Whatever your religious beliefs, whatever ours, we're not here to proselytize. We're here to make a serialized television show, but we want it to be universal.” So we actually had a conference call with Eric Kripke, and we were like, "Hey, man, we don't know how we feel about this.”

ACKLES We didn't want to be a mouthpiece for writers' religious views, because it wasn't the show that we had signed up for. Our argument was: “We trust you. You've done good by us so far. However, this is our one concern, and we're just bringing it to the table so that we can discuss it.”

PADALECKI And they heard us out, and I think that's why they waited another year and a half before introducing our second and most famous angel. I think it's the one time we've ever called them together with a complaint. Because I'm not a writer. I don't want to be a writer. I enjoy my job as an actor. But that was legitimately like, “Listen, if you're going here about religion, I don't want to be a part of it.”

MISHA COLLINS And now amazingly, 11 years later, so much of the show has been hung on biblical lore and mythology that is actually drawn from the Bible. One interesting thing for us is that we end up talking along the way to priests and pastors and ministers, or even nuns, who love the show.

(...)

ACKLES It was amazing, but my point being that we're in one of the most religious places on earth, and they're catering to people from a show that deals with religiously inspired story lines.

PADALECKI But not telling the story that the Bible tells.

ACKLES That's the out. That's where we get a pass is that we're not trying to tell the story of the Bible. The writers take inspiration from biblical elements and then elaborate on them. So when we got into that original discussion, Eric came back with: “We're not here to tell the story of Jesus Christ. We're here to take that element and use it as inspiration for the story.” I think that alleviated any concerns that he and I had. And at the same time we really trusted Eric and still do to this day.

Another leap of faith came with season 2's "Hollywood Babylon,” which can be considered the show's first meta episode. It opened the door for everything from season 6's “The French Mistake” to the upcoming season 13 Scooby-Doo crossover.

ACKLES “Babylon” was the first time we took the piss out of ourselves and were poking fun at the industry.

COLLINS That has been a huge [help to know] that you can go to these absurd lengths and break conventions. Reading the script where we are doing a Scooby-Doo episode makes me feel proud. Where else can you do that?

Padalecki What other show does that and has the fandom at large excited that they’re going to do that? Can you imagine if JAG or NCIS did a Scooby-Doo episode? People would be like, “What?” Not only do we break the fourth wall, do we go meta, but those end up being some of our best episodes.

The season 5 finale holds the No. 1 spot on EW's episode ranking, but that hour was important for many reasons, one of which being that it was creator Kripke’s farewell.

COLLINS “Swan Song" was another milestone because that marked the culmination of Eric's original vision for the show. He had a five-season arc in mind that tied up perfectly with a bow, and then he moved on and handed the reins over to Sera [Gamble]. That became, “Okay, guys, now let's figure out how to start a new chapter or a new volume in a series of chapters.”

PADALECKI It's the story that we were all born from, those of us who were introduced in the first five years. So to have the creator step away? I would argue that it was the largest shift.

Gamble served as showrunner for seasons 6 and 7, the latter containing another major show moment: the death of Bobby (Jim Beaver), Sam and Dean's father figure.

PADALECKI Bobby was such a big part. Jeffrey Dean [Morgan] was never as much a part of the show. He was obviously a huge part of the story, but he did [just a few] episodes, and Jim Beaver did 60 or something. And there was something about his death that we knew it was final...or final for Supernatural.

ACKLES Because his character said, “I'm done.” So it wasn't like he got killed accidentally and we found a way to bring Bobby back. He was like, “I'm hanging it up, guys." It was heavy.

PADALECKI That probably was the first big death of someone who'd been there for years...

ACKLES [Interrupting] A fan favorite...

PADALECKI Yeah, and I remember [CW president] Mark Pedowitz saying something to the effect of “As a fan, I hated when Bobby died, but it was great television.” That's how I feel. 

ACKLES Like when Sam Winchester dies for good, it's going to be good television. But when Dean Winchester lives on, it's going to be great television. [Everyone laughs]

The season 12 finale saw the introduction of an apocalyptic alternate world in which Sam and Dean Winchester were never born and Heaven and Hell are locked in an eternal war. And with that world comes the possibility for a number of character returns. But does it feel like a turning point? 

COLLINS Well, I think the rift and the fact that you can go into the apocalypse world and you can all of a sudden revisit every character in a different iteration—there could be a different version of every character—it opens up this incredible panoply.

(...)

PADALECKI And if an alternate universe exists, then how many alternate universes exist? It's hard to say, because I feel like it's impossible to identify a turning point during the turn. In hindsight it will reveal how this story will affect the show, the canon at large and the way we move forward. But I certainly feel like we're opening up doors with the rift and with the son of Lucifer.

(...)

[pg 20-26]

THE CORONER'S VAN JUST PULLED INTO THE driveway. It's the middle of August in 2016, and Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are filming a scene for Supernatural's 12th season at a farmhouse in the Vancouver countryside, which is standing in for Iowa. Sam and Dean Winchester have ditched their flannels and jeans for sweaters and slacks in order to pose as social workers. They're doing what the two brothers do best: lying about their jobs in order to solve mysteries and kill monsters—in other words, saving people, hunting things.

When Supernatural premiered, Sam and Dean Winchester were born into the family business of hunting creatures, and it's a lifestyle that, over the years, has left them with very few people they love. Turns out, when you spend your days battling shape-shifters, witches and the occasional angel—they're not all nice, you know—nothing is guaranteed, especially not tomorrow.

But no matter how crazy the Winchesters' world gets—or how many worlds they have to face—one thing remains unchanged: At the center of it all are Ackles and Padalecki, whose Dean and Sam are the beating heart of the show (whether theirs are beating or not).

(...)

(...) even pulling up their favorite scenes on their phones to watch at the table. Padalecki can easily name the scripts that made him cry—“Heart,” “Sacrifice" and "Baby" all land on the list. The common thread is a heartfelt moment between the brothers where they get to talk about their crazy life as if, say, having visions of Lucifer is normal. “I feel like those situations where we treat the abstract and the fantastical as just part of life is where the show thrives,” Padalecki says. Ackles adds, “I think the show is truly at its best when it doesn't take itself too seriously, then it does take itself seriously, and it gets scary as s---,”.

But whether Supernatural is making fun of itself, scaring the living daylights out of its fans, or just letting the brothers have a moment on the hood of the Impala, it all works because of our central heroes. “It's about the Winchesters," says Crowley actor Mark Sheppard. “We really do care, and it's a testament to the boys that we still care."

(...)

As the sun sets on the Vancouver countryside, Sam and Dean ditch their slacks for jeans and send the coroner's van on its way. It won't be needed—this show, and the brotherly bond that holds it all together, has a lot of life left in it. Not that death has ever stopped it before.

[pg 32-34]

(...)

DEAN WINCHESTER Jensen Ackles

He was always the good son. Dean embraced the hunter's lifestyle, and he idolized his father despite John's many faults. But with the senior Winchester devoted to tracking down demons, it fell to Dean to help parent Sam, and he went to great lengths to protect his younger sibling-at one point even making a deal with a Crossroads demon (at the cost of his own life) to resurrect Sam from the dead. The two have had their differences, but throughout, Dean's brother was his first priority. "Watching out for you, it's kinda been my job, you know? But more than that, it's kinda who I am." Cynical and initially skeptical of the existence of God, Dean has nonetheless managed to become best buds with the angel Castiel (and on first name terms with both God and God's sister Amara). His self-sacrificing nature means he would do literally anything for those he considers family-and that's a short list: Sam, Mary and Castiel.

[pg 38]

Sympathy for the Devil

EVERY HERO NEEDS A HELL, BUT SUPERNATURAL HAS JUST TWO PROTAGONISTS AND HUNDREDS OF VILLAINS. HERE’S HOW THE SHOWRUNNERS APPROACHED SAM AND DEAN’S MANY FOES, FROM WELL-KNOWN URBAN LEGENDS TO SATAN HIMSELF. By Samantha Highfill

[pg 51]

Stairway to Heaven

SAM AND DEAN MET CASTIEL. AN ANGEL OF THE LORD, IN SEASON 4, AND IT CHANGED THE COURSE OF THE SHOW. BECAUSE ANGELS WEREN’T ALWAYS THE PLAN— AND CASTIEL WAS ONLY THE FIRST. By Samantha Highfill

(on page 57 there’s a small box of print on the corner that says: In what executive producer Robert Singer calls one of the series’ most “iconic images,” Castiel (Misha Collins) is introduced as the show’s first real angel.)

WHILE OTHER CHILDREN WERE LEARNING multiplication tables, Sam and Dean Winchester were hunting monsters. “When I told Dad I was scared of the thing in my closet, he gave me a .45!” says Sam to Dean in the Supernatural pilot, recalling an episode when he was 9 years old. Clearly creature encounters were par for the course in the Winchester way of life. And when you grow up battling all the evil in the world, it's hard to believe in the good. But in the show's season 4 premiere, Dean would come face-to-face with the one supernatural entity he didn't think existed: angels.

“[Show creator] Eric [Kripke] wasn't in love with the idea of doing angels,” executive producer Robert Singer says of the early days. “But as things went on and we were getting into demons, I would say to him, 'I don't know how we do demons without doing angels.’”

The show tested the waters in season 2's “Houses of the Holy,” when Sam and Dean worked a case that appeared to involve angels then went in a different direction. It wasn't until late in the next season that the seraphim were finally embraced. When Dean was dragged to Hell, they needed to get him out. And if there's a Hell, it stands to reason there has to be a Heaven. "[The season 3 finale] was the gateway into this whole other world of angels and demons," executive producer Andrew Dabb says.

When it came time to spring Dean from Hell, it was Castiel, the show's first angel, who gripped him tight and raised him from perdition. But Castiel quickly established that he wasn't a typical cherubic angel. Many of the show's angels were, as Sam and Dean would put it, real dicks. “We have our own brand of angels and the idea that they were these warriors of God,” Singer says. “We introduced Castiel, and we just went from there. Heaven opened up different levels of angels.”

The moment Castiel spread his wings, the show expanded its universe. Castiel came bearing news of something much bigger: the Apocalypse, the ultimate showdown between good and evil-or more specifically between Archangels Michael and Lucifer. “We started with archangels and the idea that Lucifer was an archangel and was cast out of Heaven,” Singer says. “We certainly took some license, but it was all biblically grounded. We just took those things and went a step further to make them work for our story.”

From there the show explored all kinds of angels, from Zachariah and Naomi to Gabriel and Metatron, and, of course, it eventually arrived at God-or Chuck, if you prefer. “We didn't really know that Chuck was God when we first started with him," Singer says of introducing the character in season 4. (He wouldn't be revealed as God until season 11.) “That evolved. We wanted a relatable God, a God with foibles.”

Nine seasons later, what started as one angel in a trench coat has evolved into Lucifer, God, Leviathan and even a sister for God. “We play a little fast and loose with religion, but no one has really complained about it,” Singer says with a laugh. “So we'll just keep going.”

[pg 56-58]

CASTIEL Misha Collins

What can you say about the only member of Team Free Will who wears an overcoat? Cas has become a true member of the Winchester family.

[pg 61]

[embarrassingresultofmyfreetime]

2020 Masterlist

Here’s a list of all the fics I’ve posted this year! (Listed by category, then chronologically:)

Link to my ao3 where you can read all of these: embarrassingresultofmyfreetime

~

Currents wips:

And They Were Quarantine Mates

An old disease has resurfaced on Earth- one which most humans recover from but is permanently lethal to Time Lords.

Because of this, the Doctor stays on Earth to make sure her humans make it through okay.

And because of the Doctor, the Master- against his better judgement- also chooses to stay.

Reluctant to leave the safety of the Doctor's Tardis, the Doctor and the Master find plenty of ways to pass the time but it can be difficult to enjoy each other's company with so many things left unsaid.

Good thing they have plenty of time in isolation to work it out.

Word Count: Currently 88,172

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Spyfall: Battle For Humanity

This is a little number I like to call: Roleswap AU with Dhawan!Doctor and Whittaker!Master

It's sort of a rewrite of Spyfall p2 but it's better.

Word Count: Currently 5,688 (will be about 12k when finished)

~~~

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Main fics (completed):

Please Tell Me Why Do We Worry

Summary: After learning about the final loss of Gallifrey, the Doctor takes some time to grieve and finds herself with surprisingly mixed feelings about the whole ordeal.

To her surprise, a knock at her Tardis door soon reveals the Master not only alive, but in uncontrollable mental agony as he reveals that the Doctor's suffering has been amplifying his own emotions via their telepathic bond.

Note: (After so many kind and positive comments on this fic, I finally gained the confidence to start posting more! A huge thank you to so many people it means so, so much to me!)

Word Count: 5,068

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Second Chances

When Graham finds a teleportation cube offering an all-expenses-paid vacation, he, Ryan, and Yaz take up the offer and give the seemingly-distant Doctor some time to herself.

After the events of Skyfall 1&2, the trust between the trio and a certain timelord is shaken. However, when their vacation quickly becomes a nightmare, it's up to the Doctor to bring about peace on an upsettingly familiar planet.

Note: (A rewrite/fix it of S11 episode Orphan 55)

Word Count: 7,130

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All’s Fair In Love And War

Having escaped alive and alone, the Master dwells on his failure and uncertainty at what to do next.

Purely by accident, he runs into a version of the Doctor he's never met before and she gives him a much needed perspective on their relationship.

Word Count: 4,653

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Truth and Reconciliation

“I... I destroyed a lot of things, but not this... trove of secrets. This is what started it all.”

Missing Scene where the Master goes to Gallifrey and discovers the truth of the timeless child for the first time + alternate ending to The Timeless Children episode

Word Count: 7,563

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The Doctor Finally Gets Some Rest

(Ch2 update Missy pov)

The Doctor promised to guard Missy for 1000 years, but Missy doesn't mind returning the favor.

Word Count: 5,671

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I Wouldn’t Wish It On My Best Enemy

"Just deserts appeared to finally be served for the Doctor. All her running had come to an end, all the lives she's taken or caused had finally been assigned a numerical value, and all the morals she had once believed in seemed to crumble to dust right before her eyes.

A life sentence.

She had JUST BEEN TOLD she would never die, and the first thing the universe does is give her a life sentence.

What kind of cruel joke is that?"

Basically: The Doctor reflects on herself while in prison, the Master rescues the Doctor and actually helps her, and idk read the tags

Word Count: 4,629

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Brand New Reality

In an alternate timeline: The Master is killed in the Time War but the Doctor finds a way to salvage his oldest friend's mind by binding it to his Tardis and building him an android vessel as a way to interact with the physical world.

The Doctor also manages to save the Time Lords from their war- but he is still a renegade in their eyes. As punishment, the High Council uses the Doctor- and by extension the Master- as their personal diplomats/field agents.

The Master isn't too happy about being trapped on the Doctor's Tardis, the Doctor is fed up with being the equivalent of a dog on a leash to the Time Lords, so in a moment of anger and also pure luck- they break out from their world and end up on a parallel one with a very different version of their universe and very different versions of themselves.

(Shalka!Universe Doctor and Master meet their modern counterparts- the Thirteenth Doctor and Dhawan!Master)

Word Count: 10,148

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The Imposter(s) Among Us

The Doctor has been searching the universe for the Master, but it's only when she takes a break to help a damaged space vessel that she runs directly into him!

The Doctor has a hundred and one things to ask him, but there's no time for any of that now. The ship is barely functional and if the mysterious murderer doesn't get to the Doctor first, then the trigger-happy crewmates might throw her out the airlock before the killer gets a chance.

Word Count: 12,655

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My Dear, Doctor…

The Doctor investigates an anomaly to find that her previous self has stood up their oldest friend for the umpteenth time.

Confused as to why the Doctor can't recall ever receiving Missy's invitation in the first place, the Doctor goes searching for answers and ends up finding far more letters than just one…

Word Count: 6,657

~~~

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Series:

And They Were Happy Au Parts 1-4:

Part 1: Dinner and a Show

All his lives, the Master had always believed that he and the Doctor could hold on for about the same amount of time. He always imagined that when they reached their last lives, they would both give all this up and spend their retirement years bickering and raising bees or whatever. The Master didn't particularly like bees, but he had always imagined that the Doctor did and as long as they were together, that was enough to satisfy him.

What he had discovered in the Matrix had proved his ideal endgame impossible.

The revelation that the Doctor was The Timeless Child meant that the Doctor would always live on. They would always evolve and survive no matter what happened. The Doctor would always race to people in need; and now, they would never have any reason to stop.

(AU where the reason the Master wanted the Doctor to kill them both in The Timeless Child is bc he's on his last life)

Word Count: 5,120

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Part 2: Dinner and a Show One-Offs

"The Doctor did her best to space out her visits with O. For every couple adventures she had with her 'fam', she would stop by his home once or so. Sometimes she let months slip by, because she knew that the longer she waited, the less of O's limited time she used up.

She felt guilty to calculate it, but if O was already in his mid-thirties and he lived a full human life...

Suffice it to say, she wanted it to last for as long as possible. She had never had a situation as stable nor as safe as she now had with O. After everything they had both been through to get to this point, she refused to jeopardize a single moment.

For all the pain the Master had caused her, O was well worth the wait."

(By popular demand, a continuation of 'Dinner and a Show')

Word Count: 10,926

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Part 3: Unjustifiable

O- having no recollection of his actions as 'The Master'- returns to being Earth's Horizon Watcher.

O is proud of his work and he cherishes the Doctor's frequent visits, but it's becoming increasingly apparent that she's been keeping more secrets about his past than he had theorized.

To make matters worse, the arrival of an advanced species of aliens on his doorstep brings with it a whole new plethora of problems. Something terrifying resurfaces when O hears they're searching for a Tardis and things go terribly wrong.

Word Count: 23,870

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Part 4: Found Family

The Master finally gets around to seeing the universe in a more peaceful way and runs into a young woman looking for her father.

Word Count: 3,663 (Will possibly be updated at a later date, but complete for now)

~~~

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Oneshots Inspired by others (specific inspiration in the beginning notes of each):

All Alone In The Dark

While heading back to Earth, the Doctor hears someone calling for her help.

She tracks it back to the Master- injured yet alive- and finds him trapped in his own head, reliving his last confrontation with The Time Lord Council before the destruction of Gallifrey.

Word Count: 1,926

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You Again

The 10th Doctor and Missy each escape their last canon appearances believing that the other is dead for good.

So imagine their surprise when they run into each other at a party in the 1920's.

Word Count: 6,943

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Sick Day

The Master has everything set up for his latest evil scheme but when he tracks down the Doctor, he realizes his best enemy is in no condition to fight. So the Master does what any good nemesis does and takes care of him.

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

Word Count: 2,807

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Prompt: "Right now, I don't know if I want to kiss you or shove you off a bridge!" "Can I pick?"

The Master’s Tardis had traced the call seven minutes in advance to this exact time and location. He pushed open his Tardis door to find himself in front of some no name bar with graffiti scrawled on the side, situated in front of an empty ravine. He was on Earth, and there was probably a similarly ramshackled city around him, but he didn’t so much as spare it a glance.

The Master’s steps were determined, his jaw clenched, and his hands shaking despite his signature device in hand.

He had been on the other side of the universe, licking his wounds like any old villain would when disappointed by their latest nemesis showdown. It all made his blood boil to have caved so soon. To come back and HELP the Doctor.

The Doctor still had O’s number and her call was scheduled to be made in exactly seven minutes. A hysterical, agonizing call that begged the Master to intervene. He wasn’t sure what was worse, hearing the Doctor in so much despair, or the disappointment that hearing her in such agony somehow didn’t lessen his own.

Word Count: 2,410

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The Beginning and The End

Prompt: First Doctor, Dhawan!Master, Gallifrey, and the dialogue: "I know my words mean close to nothing for you. But I do, in fact, love you very much."

Basically Theta (Academy Era Doctor) accidentally runs into the Master on a burning Gallifrey

Word Count: 4,499

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Kisses Like That

The Doctor's never understood why humans enjoy kissing so much- but a certain, somewhat familiar woman piques his interest.

(Missy goes back in time to give 10 a lil kiss)

Word Count: 1,885

Spyvember 2020

Collection of short fics I did inspired by Spyvember prompts (from Tumblr)

Word Count: 15,506 (6 separate chapters)

~~~

Thank you to everyone who has inspired me, commented on my work, read any of my writing, and overall has just supported me in any way this year!! Thank you for keeping me motivated and helping me improve as a writer!

My best wishes to you in the new year! <3

[bonef0cker]

🛑⚠️Dragon Raja Spoilers/Trigger Warnings⚠️🛑

(So the events I will be talking about is a gold side quest, and an event happening when you hit level 85. (All from a male perspective as my MC is male)

✋Side Quest BTW is called 'The Innocents' if you don't want to face any Triggering material✋

(Just using a photo of my character to make it long. Some notes on this

° I have only played the store to level 86.

°Again some spoilers and Trigger Warning for a Gold side quest

°Also the level 85 spoiler was the only time I felt a different emotion then confusion (which isn't surprising tbh) and made me want to make this post. I may add more to it as I progress in the game.)

Can we talk about how mentally damaged the MC is? Like from the beginning your orphanage/everyone you know is perceived dead. Even before that you see someone who you can perceive is your father figure (Herzog) torture Anton. And like yeah he was a dick, but he didn't deserve the torture. Then you wake up in Cassell 20 years later. (Like wtf?) Not to mention when you hit level 85 you see Herzog (Ghost? Projection?) and learn the truth of why Black Swan Bay was destroyed and their intent of forcing the orphans to be dragons when they become strong enough. AND NO ONE FUCKING TALKED ABOUT IT AFTER?!?!!?? LIKE CHISEI GEN KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED AND YEAH I FEEL BAD THAT YOUR DAD DIED BUT MINE WAS GONNA MAKE ME BECOME A DRAGON AND POTENTIALLY KILLED MY CHILDHOOD FRIENDS/SIBLINGS. BUT HOW COME I HAVE TO COMFORT LUMINOUS WHEN HE AND ERII CANT BE TOGETHER OR HIS CONFUSING FEELINGS FOR NONO. WHAT ABOUT ME??? I'VE GOT NO FAMILY AND Y'ALL ARE MY NEW FAMILY! IM GOING THROUGH SOME REAL SHIT AND YOU AIN'T NO HOMIE HERE. LIKE WHAT THE FUCKING HELL AM I TO Y'ALL?? NOTHING?????? I KNOW Y'ALL DON'T KNOW ME FOR THAT LONG BUT HAVE SOME HUMAN DECENCY! SERIOUSLY I HAD TO MAKE MY CHARACTER STAND IN THE CORNER AND HAVE A CRY. LIKE I FELT GENUINE SADNESS THAT NO ONE CHECKED TO SEE IF MY CHARACTER WAS OK.

Oh and I completely forgot how your boss from the host club wanted you to kill Erii during the Love Tokyo Love Story. How can you just casually ask someone that? Or just in general force me to make Erii and Luminous fall in love? Like wtf??

Double OH! When you finish the under water scene and think everyone died but nah while I was searching for all y'all's asses you guys were just being hosts while I probably went through some relapse from the events ESPECIALLY SINCE IT ALL HAPPENED RIGHT AFTER I WAKE UP FROM A 20 YEAR FUCKING COMA! HELL EVEN THE FAKE DRAGON ATTACK MUST HAVE BEEN TERRIBLE FOR THE MC

⚠️Side Quest W/ Trigger Warning!!⚠️

Then the side quest holy fucking shit! So the side quest is called 'The Innocents' you see a girl get abused and have to solve an attempted murder. And in the end you see the cop kill the boyfriend and himself. AND ALL THE FUCKING COLLEGE AI SAYS IS THAT THE INCIDENT WILL BE PUT INTO THE DATA FILES. NO CHECKING THE MC IF THEY ARE OK. AND SHE MUST HAVE SOME PROGRAMMING TO CHECK STUDENTS HEALTH. SERIOUSLY AM I SUPPOSE TO BE AN EMOTIONLESS SACK OF MEAT?

⚠️ End of trigger Warning ⚠️

Don't get me wrong this game is very interesting, beautiful, and I will admit I'm intrigued to see how this will play out. But my God the MC must be going through some shit and the support system in the NPC's is shit. Like where is my comfort???

Sorry for the long ass rant (that may become longer in the future. Gotta see how this all plays out.) But I just really needed this off my chest. May even talk about more of the side quests that I see mental issues with. We will have to see.

[cassandraclare]

Queen of Air and Darkness q’s: Kitty, and blame

sweetestheavencanmake said: Hi. Out of all of the amazing ships from TDA, I have to say Kitty holds the number one spot for me. Despite how Kit and Ty left things I still have high hopes for my precious boys. But I can’t help but think

 that Kit might have overreacted a bit. I mean, did I miss something? I know he thought he got rejected by Ty and that he never cared about him, but I really didn’t get that impression. Ty was just hurting, I don’t think that there was a lot of place for new love just yet. Thx.

Hi there! I'm glad you like Kit and Ty. It's such a compliment! That said: It's natural and something that often happens, that readers react to a separation or a conflict by picking a side, saying one person is more in the wrong, blaming them and excusing the other. It is easier, I think, to imagine that it’s one person’s fault than to accept that sometimes these things happen even between two people who care about each other because of misunderstandings, because of circumstances, because of honest mistakes, or because it’s maybe not the right time for those people to be together.

(Believe me, I also have messages blaming Ty and asking if he ever cared about Kit at all, so it’s possible to read what happened with Kit and Ty many ways. I’ll answer one of those in a bit, since I don’t think the situation is Ty’s fault either.)

It may seem clear to you that Ty’s rejection of Kit had extenuating circumstances, and that Ty may not be in a place to form a new relationship right now (in which case, even if Kit had stayed, they still wouldn’t be together what with Ty not being in any state for it!) But consider Kit's situation. Kit has been raised his whole life without love, absolutely aware, as we know, that his father didn't love him in the way the Blackthorns love each other. His mother has never been a presence in his life. She was murdered, and her absence--and Johnny Rook's missing her--created a gaping wound in the middle of Kit's family life that he felt though never understood. He was neglected, raised scrambling through the Shadow Market, taught to be jaded and taught--via not being loved--that he wasn't worthy of love. If Rosemary Herondale had understood how her son was living, her heart would have broken. Then the only constant support in Kit's life, inadequate though it was, was taken away--his father--and with his father's murder, Kit's whole life and world was ripped away from him. He had no family. He was no longer welcome at the Shadow Market, the only home he ever had. He was drowning, and he clutched at the Blackthorns as his only hope.

Ty suffered a terrible loss in Queen, and that led to him making mistakes--grief for Livvy means Ty makes the wrong decision to try to raise her, just as the same grief means Julian makes the wrong decision to render himself emotionless. But Ty still has many other loving siblings, and the benefit of their love and support. Julian and his siblings wrap Ty in affection throughout the books. At the end of Queen, Dru embraces Ty, accepting and understanding why he did such a terrible thing as to try to bring Livvy back from the dead. There is never a time when Ty is living without love. Kit spends the entirety of The Dark Artifices living without family love. It says a lot about Kit that he is still able to feel love himself, and offer love. It's a big deal for him to do so. Kit saying “I love you” to Ty was the first time he'd ever said that to anybody other than his dad. Most of us, who have loved family and friends if not romantic partners, cannot conceive of the kind of loneliness Kit feels.

And we know what response Kit received. Sure, Ty--a deeply mourning kid--shouldn't feel like throwing himself into a romantic relationship at this time! (If that's even what Kit was offering.) But Ty didn't say “I love you too, but I have to do this” or “You're very important to me.” Now, Ty was in  a fever state, desperately trying to get this spell to work at the last moment — it’s arguable how much he even understood what Kit was saying to him. But the result remains that this left Kit, a traumatized and neglected orphan, with the impression that Ty didn't care about him--something that makes sense to Kit, because nobody ever has. Ty (accidentally) reinforced a belief Kit has had his whole life.

Ty was the one who offered the Blackthorns to Kit as a potential new family, saying “you'd like us if you knew us” and Kit accepts them as his new family, saying home was where the Blackthorns are. His primary bonds among the Blackthorns are Livvy (who dies) and Ty himself, who has responded to Kit's declaration of love by (or at least, this is how it feels to Kit) telling Kit he doesn't matter to him--only Livvy matters. Now, Ty interacts with and talks about emotions differently than the neurotypical do, but mainly this is Ty's totally understandable grief at work. Ty spends the whole book in a fog of grief, and thus doesn't offer support to Kit--he can't. He doesn’t, as they say, have the spoons for it. But that doesn't mean Kit doesn't need support, and he spends all of the book with absolutely none. Kit is also a deeply hurt kid, dealing with his own grief, and he can’t shoulder the entire responsibility of figuring out and allowing for Ty's emotional state while putting aside his own. Not because he wouldn’t want to — he literally can’t.

Sure, from the outside readers can say “Ty probably does care about Kit.” But from the outside readers can also say “Wow, Ty, necromancy is a bad idea and will only hurt those you love farther!” Books ask you to understand why people do the things they do because you believe in them as people: they’re not going to do what you’d do, they need to do what they’d do. This book asks you to understand why Ty, terribly grieving, makes an awful mistake. And why Kit, a deeply wounded soul, might be more easily hurt than someone with a different history.

Just as an interesting note, I often see people saying that characters “deserve” and should have PoVs, not realizing that actually often the characters who are most beloved are the ones who aren’t given PoVs but are people we see from outside and idealize. To the last, Kit's feelings about Ty are sympathetic and not angry--he tells himself to remember him smiling, even while he is wounded by what he believes is Ty's lack of care for him--and thus I think people feel very understanding of Ty's mistakes and less so of Kit's, and don't realize this is partly because of Kit's PoV. We see inside Kit's head his deep concern for Ty, and his efforts to understand Ty, but we don't get that forgiving perspective on Kit. We're not inside Ty's head in TDA, and that means we don't see his flaws and mistakes as up close as we do Kit's. We look best in the eyes of those who love us, so Ty can be beautiful and shine in Kit's eyes (and in Julian's eyes, and in Emma's eyes, and Dru's eyes, because the majority of PoVs we get are of people who love Ty! Whereas--and this is terribly sad even to write, but true--nobody loves Kit.). But Kit deserves understanding, too, and the love he doesn't receive. Kit's just as beautiful as Ty. And Ty's just as flawed as Kit.

Ty was hurting, yes. But that wasn’t a hurt that had some soon to be reached expiration date on it. Had Kit remained, it’s likely Ty would have still gone to the Scholomance, and Kit would not have been able to go, and Kit and Ty would have been separated and perhaps still at odds. At the moment there are both things they need that they cannot get just from each other in order to heal and grow in security and wholeness. So I would disagree Kit over-reacted. Kit's belief about Ty is mistaken, and parting from the Blackthorns with no goodbye is sad for everyone--but it's also something that Kit needs, psychologically.  Kit acts throughout Queen to protect Ty's feelings, and finally, at the very last, Kit has to act to protect his own feelings. It's OK for Kit to do that. After TDA, Kit will be with Tessa and Jem, who want to care for him and bond with him, to make him a priority and family--and he will have a familial relationship with Jace, too. Adults have come, and are no longer directly dealing with wars and assassination attempts but able to offer Kit the peace, love and understanding he's always desperately needed. Kit needed to go, to make a clean break, and to have a chance to heal from his own grief and pain. In a few years, Kit will not be so entirely alone and feel so entirely unloved, and Ty will not be reeling from fresh grief. They will both still feel their wounds, but they'll have more tools to cope with their pain and understand the pain of others. Which will put them in a much better place when they meet again.

[inumbro]

a collection of some of the ama answers, all the twitter posts, and all of red posts on the boards about zed & some related topics that I can find from the last ~1.5 years (with a few exceptions), so that I have all this info in one spot for reference

organised based first by topic, then by rioter

if anyone has any jhin / xayah / rakan / vastaya related information that I missed I’d appreciate a link so I can add it bc there’s not nearly as much not-officially-canon-canon information on those connections as I remember there being!

Morals:

WAAARGHbobo said:

No. He is, if anything, a hardline nationalist and federalist.

WAAARGHbobo said:

Zed is, indeed, much more complicated than you think. But he is definitely not a nice person.

@miketmccarthy said:

At the moment, [Akali] does not align with [Zed’s] philosophy. He killed Shen’s father and master. Although they are both aggressive, Akali is inherently good and Zed, well, notsomuch.

Shadow magic:

WAAARGHbobo said:

...A wizard has a different, more studious, and analytical way of accessing magic — but arguably a shaman has a more inate connection to spirit magic. While warriors like Zed, Shen, and Kayn have studied a different way to access magical power—

The strenght of the connection, the control, and the narrowness of focus are all important variables...

@LaurieGolding said:

... but Shadow Magic had not been practiced in Runeterra for a long time, before Zed started. Jax hasn't had time to master it in the ~10 years since then!

Kayn:

Scathlocke said:

Kayn's principal conflict is almost not with Rhaast at all, but Zed. It is very likely that his master sent him to retrieve the weapon knowing that it would be the ultimate test for his protege - either it would destroy him, or he would conquer the Darkin and become a worthy new leader for the Order of Shadow.

Basically, Kayn and Zed have a super-complicated "adopted father" type of relationship going on. Rhaast is more like Lady Macbeth, in this current situation.

@LaurieGolding said:

I think [Kayn’s] shadow-form is what Kayn and Zed both hope the outcome will be - he's been given a near-impossible task by his master, as a true and final test of his worthiness to one day lead the Order of Shadow. If he fails, the weapon will consume him.

It's interesting, because both Zed and Swain seem to have engineered their plans for succession into their own rise to power. Both of them seem to say "You can have my job... IF you can take it!"

@LaurieGolding said:

Kayn is a singularly gifted student, but Zed gave him the hardest test imaginable - to withstand the power of a Darkin. ...

Jaredan said:

I wouldn't take the horror of Kayn's experience as typical of Noxus's approach or attitude to recruitment. The Ionia conflict saw some very strange things happen within the Noxian military and beyond. I can't talk about them yet. But that day will come.

@miketmccarthy said:

I think a lot of that will come out later... Zed has had a complicated run in his life, he wants a successor, and I believe he hopes Kayn is 'the one' and time will tell whether or not he can be that. Zed saved Kayn from certain death, trained him, raised him. He cares.

Interlocutioner said:

Link to Zed: Functionally, they're master and apprentice. But in truth, I think they have a deeper relationship than that. Zed sees himself in Kayn. An orphan with a gift and a drive that others can't control, no matter how much they try. No matter how much Zed tries, in Kayn's case, lol. I think Zed might also see something he could never be in Kayn. Kayn's link to the shadow is deep, for whatever reason. Maybe Zed hopes this is a sign that Kayn could do better than him? Ultimately succeed him? And he may have other, darker motives as well.

I think Kayn's respect for Zed is just as deep. Unfortunately, he's in the process of convincing himself that the only way he can prove himself to his father figure is by becoming something more than Zed wants him to be. Stronger than Zed. Strong enough to defeat him, if necessary.

They have a bond, but it will be tested.

...

I just mean their bond will be tested by Kayn's possession of Rhaast, if nothing else.

Kinkou + Jhin:

Jaredan said:

The characters you mentioned [Shen, Zed, Jhin] are very important to each other's lives going forward...

Jaredan said:

Shen, Zed, and Jhin, sitting in a tree. K. I. L. L. I. N. G.

In their history, Jhin is absolutely an antagonist. But Shen doesn't look at Zed with any kind of fondness, only with betrayal. The man he thought was his brother murdered his father, the person that Shen defined himself by.

However, it's true that Shen can't give into his own immediate, visceral anger. Perhaps he even tells himself he doesn't hold that anger against Zed. His job does require him to hold that inner balance to perform it. It's a role that he does partly in honor of his father. Still, if Shen told you he isn't angry, would you believe him?

When he has two worlds balanced on the edge of a blade, how long any man keep his hand steady?

I'm not going to talk about where their story might be headed in specifics, but those are the things that are involved in our thinking.

Jaredan said:

Yup, though Shen and Zed's relationship is a bit more complicated than Tobias and Malcolm's. Zed and Shen also have more complicated personalities and responsibilities than TF and Graves (that's not a challenge when it comes to Graves especially, he's a to-the-point kind of fellow).

Scathlocke said:

Shen is most likely seeing quite a few parallels between Zed's path, and Akali's. There is some significant crossover in their ideology, and they both rejected the Kinkou Order in some way... but Zed rejects the notion of "balance" as weak, and is more than happy to use any/all means at his disposal. Akali is certainly not there, yet!

Thermal_Kitten said:

Akali knows the cost of Zed’s break with the Kinkou. Zed was training alongside Shen, but after their first run in with Jhin, Zed began to have second thoughts. (We updated Zed’s bio to add more context and details surrounding this.)

...

As far as the Order of Shadow and the Kinkou, they don’t exactly work together, it’s more they tend to keep out of each other’s territory and see to Ionia’s future in their own ways. If it came to a direct disagreement, it could come to blows.

WAAARGHbobo said:

Jhin give us a chance to show that Ionia is in transition. The attack on their nation changed them. They are embracing technology they had previously thought unnecessary, and they are questioning their morale foundations. Jhin is the true villain of Zed and Shen's story-- and he represents everything that could go wrong for Ionia.

The Noxus-Ionia war:

Scathlocke said:

Seven years since Swain seized power and commanded the Noxian armies to leave Ionia.

@LaurieGolding said:

Noxus has a HUGE military presence off the main coast of Ionia - the First Lands are so concerned with restoring balance after they "won" the war, they've failed to notice that Noxus hasn't actually abandoned the island of Fae'lor, for example...

@LaurieGolding said:

The Great Stand at Navori was about ten years ago, and she was something like 14 then. Swain seized control of Noxus roughly three years later and ended the war in Ionia.

@LaurieGolding said:

Noxus was originally supposed to be persuading Ionia to join the empire, which of course became an occupation, then a war. They didn't intend to pillage/destroy... But it seems Darkwill was actually looking for magical stuff to extend his life, so who knows? (LeBlanc, maybe?)

@LaurieGolding said:

The death toll was catastrophic, certainly. But also, Ionia has been marked with a big, bloody Noxian handprint that they'll never be able to wash away - the soul of the First Lands has been changed forever... Was that Swain's plan all along? It's hard to say.

Vastaya:

Q&A:

Why is there a rebellion? Is Zed doing something with magic that affects the vastaya and are they dying as a result?

Not dying, but magical essence sustains their continued existence. The less magic there is, the fewer resources there are to support vastayan life and tradition. Other humans tap into or twist up the same magic source that the Lhotlan vastaya need to survive. This is not necessarily a moral thing, good people do bad things for good reasons, unaware of the consequences it causes others. Zed and his people are unknowingly or uncaringly accelerating the drain of the magical energy though they are absolutely not alone in doing this. This is aggravating the growing tension between humans and some vastayan tribes in Ionia - and directly violates the agreements that were forged between species.

Miscellaneous:

In response to:

Then Zed decided to pull a Sasuke because he couldn't deal with someone being better/picked over him.

Jaredan said:

Zed's issues run a bit deeper than that.

WAAARGHbobo said:

[referring to the wild magic video] It is not a part of the timeline. Promotion team just takes inspiration from the lore-- they do not make stuff within the timelines. Because... uh.. Reasons? Well you'd have to ask them.

WAAARGHbobo said:

So as the guy who did this, and Jhin’s lore...

The character you love hasn’t changed.

This simply expands the timeline and shows how Zed’s descent can be understood from his own perspective.

This timeline was actually done during Jhin, and the goal was to give Zed’s fall a slower, more human, less arch, trajectory.

Timeline (rough from my phone):

Shen and Zed are students together and bros. Zed is clearly the better, more talented student.

Kusho takes the two young teenagers undercover chasing “the golden demon”

Jhin crime scenes traumatized zed. (And shen)

Zed begans to struggle with his studies.

Kusho catches but refuses to kill Jhin. Zed loses respect for his master.

Zed begins to study forbidden shadow magic. —gets in trouble.

Leaves.

Noxus invades —zed witness war crimes. Kusho’s refusal to help the war effort is the last straw, Zed is no longer sympathetic or allied to the kinkou. While not directly opposed to them— he begins to view the kinkou as rivals.

Zed forms his own order— related to the Navoi militia group. (Spelling?)

Some vastaya tribes looking for a better deal, ally with the Noxus. Others fight for Ionia. Zed begins hostility with non- humans.

The war is tough, zed returns to the take the last of the shadow magic. Kusho tries to stop him.

Zed kills his master, shen’s dad.

Shen becomes the eye of twilight.

Kayn.

The war ends.

Zed begins consolidating power. Trains kayn. (He continues hostility with noxus, growing hostility with many Vastaya tribes.)

Harrowing mists begin to bother the southern Ionia sea ports.

Kayn gets raaast (around here i think)

Jhin is frees.... by someone

Zed finds out jhin is free. contacts Shen.

Jhin heads to zaun.

[thehuggamugcafe]

The ABCs Of Wammy’s House: Prologue.

OOC: Well. Here it is, my dear customers. One of my old writings, just one of the few, very few, that I thought didn’t suck enough. Or one that I thought wouldn’t embarrass the heck out of me, wishing a black hole would suck me into oblivion.

Ahem. As you no doubt noticed, for those who are familiar with this particular anime, yes. For a time, I was hooked on Death Note, and I still find myself watching it occasionally sometimes.

This is merely a collection of OC’s that I thought up, OC’s who live at Wammy’s House, an institution that houses and raises geniuses who are to be “the next L.”

Um, yeah... Please enjoy this blast from the past, I guess? Here’s to you all! Cheers, my dears! ☕

Throughout my childhood and into my teenage years, I had always viewed Wammy’s House as an unknown island, smack-dab in the middle of nowhere somewhere in the raging ocean. Waves lapped at its beach-coloured sandy shore and seagulls cried over the horizon, but it was always whispered in folklore, local gossip, and wives’ tales. A thing of myth, of legend. It existed. It didn’t exist. Unseen and unknown say for those who have walked these halls, for those who will walk the corridors, shimmy up the apple trees in the orchid, teach and tend to the young geniuses, scrap their hands and knees on the playground equipment long after those of my generation are gone.

Or perhaps it was better to think of it as a prison, for that is how the new arrivals surely thought of it as being. I myself viewed it from that perspective the day I arrived. Barely past the age of four, and yet I knew... I knew there was something different, something... special about this institution. I remember grasping the towering bars of the gate on that hot summer day, feeling the sun-burnt metal scalding my hands as I pressed my face against the tiny intervals, watching as children laughed, yelled, ran, and played.

Isolation. Incarceration. Solitary confinement. Come one come all. Come join the secret freak show. That’s how I viewed it as being, and I still do see it as such, to an extent. Metal and cement and concrete and wood and glass. All constructed to resemble an orphanage as close as possible without passing off as intimidating, frightening.

The thought of attending this maddening carnival full of children like myself chilled my blood. A freak surrounded by other freaks, normal and abnormal. It made me wonder who the ring-leader of this grand, obscure-looking building was. At the time, I had wondered what sort of mind a person would have to possess in order to gather intelligent orphans from around the world, from all walks of life, and to put them all together in one largely confined space.

It has to be a mad man. I had thought to myself, my small hands still grasping and pulling at the resilient gate. A delusional genius meant to experiment on all of us, perform inhumane tests, and discard the failed subjects.

I know better now, of course. A child’s mind runs rampant and wild, as everyone knows full well. Through a child’s eyes, the world is full of wonders and an abundant of never-ending curiosity; the child wants to explore, to uncover mysteries, but they are always confronted, scolded, and punished by his or her parents.

Through a child’s eyes, the world is also dark and scary. When twilight’s last light flickers out and the encroaching darkness creeps upon them, they huddle in their room, under the blankets and surrounded by pillows, maybe a few stuffed keepsakes. Most children even cry for their parents at the slightest movement in the claustrophobic blackness of their small, shaded sanctuary, their minds tricking them into believing there’s a monster under the bed, that the boogeyman lurks in the closet, waiting to drag them inside.

Their parents come in and soothe them with soft words dabbled in affection, cradling them and hugging them, stroking their hair and telling them that there’s nothing to be afraid of. To a child, the world is curious and scary. Full of dangerous wonders. Black and white. A neutral grey at times.

For most of us, if not for all of us, our perspective of the world turns a murky grey before it finally shifts to an abysmal black at the loss of loved ones. Someone’s parents die in a car accident, another may lose their family in a fire. Catastrophe. Natural. Unnatural. Murder. Suicide. Accident. My own family... I have no honest recollection of them. No memories of sisters or brothers, aunts or uncles. No birthday parties or holiday festivities.

I have been told that I was born a bastard child, my mother unmarried, living only long enough to give me a name that I no longer remember having. My father raised me until I was two years old, until he could no longer deal with the responsibility of looking after his own flesh and blood, putting a loaded pistol to his mouth one stormy evening as I watched from my crib.

Hardly any of us have any parents, siblings, former friends or relatives anymore. Most of my friends, rivals, and acquaintances lost all those precious, irreplaceable people days before they were plucked from the child welfare nests and placed here. At Wammy’s House. Despite all the mishaps and rare triumphs, the Wammy’s institution was meant to be a place of security, of contemplation, and of acceptance.

We lived in our own time in a sense, for if something occurred on the outside of our quaint prison, it didn’t affect us in any way. It was as though we lived in a different dimension entirely cut off from the world outside, unaffected. Time seemed set at a stand-still. Nothing changed. One daily routine after another, with perhaps some surprises thrown in to make things more bearable, if only for a while.

Adults would call it a childish expression of selfishness to think of it in such a manner, probably. For now I currently have no desire whatsoever to leave the prison I’ve been in since I was three. No desire to go out into the world and see the monsters, the wide-eyed spectators who judge inadequate things, the true terrors that are only known to previous students who have returned with real horror stories.

I have my own toe-curling tall-tales to speak of. Wammy’s has had and still has its own gaggle of monsters and ghouls, of freaks and cruel pranksters. Those who lead and follow, those who judge and watch, and those who plot and scheme. Thieves. Liars. Cheaters. Scapegoats and users. Hardly different from the real world itself, I suppose, but on a smaller scale.  

For an orphanage consisting of geniuses, it was packed full. Each one of us lead ourselves to believe that we were special, chosen, picked out from the rest of our divided pack, and that we alone were liable to achieve our main goal: to surpass our unknown idol, L. I suppose if any of us took the time to look at ourselves internally, we–and everyone else on the planet–have a talent that we’re viewed most excellent at performing. As for myself, I was best at displaying what my best friend, M, deemed as being “inconspicuous behaviour,” almost to the point of being anti-social. Weird, seeing as I have lots of friends and rivals, and twice as many peers and enemies.  

I have been called a ghost. It seems as if I’ve been here forever, ever since the very first orphans stepped through the wide mahogany, brass-handled doors of Wammy’s. Never changing. Like I said: I have no desire at all to leave here. Not now. Maybe I’ll never leave. Leave like the majority of the students do, trot down these halls, out the ever-looming mahogany entrance and out into the world, so bold and confident.

Make a place for themselves. Get a career. Find a love interest. Get married. Have children. Die young or old in their bed with their family and friends at their side.

We’ve all left our marks here, you know. So future generations can see for themselves the blatant messages we leave for them. “We were here. We were like you. We came before you.” Nostalgic nonsense at its finest, but our nonsense can be found everywhere. In the foot marks in the apple trees, in the cracks of water pipes from tinkering with them so a bathroom or two will flood, in the miscellaneous paintings that decorate the art rooms.

Everyone here has their own story. Heck, everyone in the whole wide world has their own beginning, middle, and end. Everyone everywhere has their own purpose too, of course. With constant and consistent sources of knowledge and mentors helping to nurture their talents, they become artists, private investigators, entrepreneurs, culinary experts, dancers, freelance writers. A small fraction of us become the psychotic monsters that make up a slice of the discordant, two-faced kingdom known as society.

Perhaps that is why I do not wish to leave yet. I do not know how I will turn out. If I never leave this place, then I will not be a threat to myself or anyone else. I’m better off fading into obscurity here than shining brightly out in that spacious, beautiful, dark and judgmental world.

But I digress. As I have said before we all have a tale to tell, and we each have our own purpose. My purpose seems to be story-telling to... to whom? Who is my audience? Whoever is reading these notes that I have collected and written over the course of my years spent here, watching and observing... Never speculating openly...

You are my audience. You and whoever else may be with you now. What you do with these notes is of your own choice. Shred them up or burn them–it will not matter to me in the slightest. I imagine you will be one of the many students a generation or two after my own.

Let me start at the beginning... The very first letter each child is taught... A.

[dtcommonplaceblogp4]

Commonplace Entry #12

          Roy Mustang. The Hero of Ishval, the Flame Alchemist. He’s been called many titles, but one thing is for sure: He’s sophisticated, hotheaded and classy, yet he is tragic, ambitious and overall one of my favorite characters in Fullmetal Alchemist. Once again, this entry will provide an introduction about his origins, abilities, achievements, weaknesses, and the irony surrounding his character.

Before he joined the Military as a State Alchemist supervising main protagonist Edward Elric, as an orphan Mustang was brought up to be a fine gentleman being raised by his aunt. Soon, he developed an affinity for alchemy under the tutelage of his master Berthold Hawkeye with the hope of becoming a symbol of strength for the citizens of Amestris.

In his late twenties, Mustang was eager to acquire the unique and destructive ability of Flame Alchemy from Hawkeye, who was the inventor of it. However, Hawkeye refused, stating that someone like him who was eager to be a lapdog for the military would ultimately use it for destructive purposes, not before passing away in his arms later from an unknown illness that very day.

As his dying wish however, Roy was to inherit the research notes for Flame Alchemy, which were tattooed on his daughter Riza’s back under the condition that he was to look after her and never use Flame Alchemy for ill purposes.

At her father’s funeral, Roy revealed his intentions of a vision- One where he would strengthen the government and protect the people with his own strength which impressed Riza enough to grant him access to the research and effectively became a Major in the military after deciphering the code.

Unfortunately for her late father... Roy winded up using it for destructive purposes.

The Ishval Civil War was ongoing for over 7 years, and Roy was conscripted into exterminating the Ishvalans on the orders of King Bradley. Using Flame Alchemy, Roy effectively laid waste to the Ishvalans. It was then at this point that Riza made the decision to order Roy to permanently scar her own back as evidenced by the image above these gifs to prevent a second “Flame Alchemist” from being created, having seen how deadly and powerful it is in the hands of Roy.

Roy himself was also guilt ridden, having seen himself as the “hero” of a massacre. He then made the decision to instead of joining the government to protect the people, he himself would rise above them and defend the lower privileged with his acquired authority and power.

Roy is a self-absorbed individual, infamous among his colleagues for his stubborn personality and fiery temper, which has been shown to cloud his judgement and ultimately lead him into trouble in dire situations. Because of his stern demeanor, Roy is rarely seen crying or sad. However, he did cry once...

And the reason for this?

The person with the gun above is his best friend Maes Hughes’ wife (Who is actually the shape shifting Homunculus Envy), who gunned him down while Hughes was attempting to warn Mustang of a dire revelation involving the government’s corruption. A fellow colleague was framed in Envy’s place, but not before Mustang deduced that she was innocent. Mustang intended to have Hughes serve under him when he became Fuhrer, and thus was filled with grief over his best friend’s untimely death. Mustang then swore that he would avenge Hughes’ death and fulfill his own wishes by finding the real killer.

As the Flame Alchemist, Roy possesses two ignition gloves made of pyrotex cloth. When he snaps his fingers, Roy can create sparks with them and can use his alchemy in conjunction to change the oxygen density to create highly accurate flame bursts. As a result, he has the ability to incinerate multiple enemies at once without having his allies get caught in the crossfire. With any outside source of ignition such as a cigarette lighter or a match, Roy can also produce extremely powerful, localized explosions.

Roy is among some of the most powerful characters in Fullmetal Alchemist. With his combat experience alone, he held his own during the Ishvalan War and was even powerful enough to kill 2 Homunculi, Lust above and eventually...

Mustang finally had caught up with Envy and was hellbent in putting him down for good after learning that he was Hughes’ real killer by subjecting him to slow and painful torture. Having the urge to avenge Hughes for a long time, Mustang let his thirst for revenge dictate his actions here, mercilessly incinerating Envy in what I consider to be the best depicted form of revenge in media. It is only until Riza and his two travelling companions which include Edward and Scar convince him to spare Envy that he finally puts Hughes’ death to rest, as by murdering Envy, it would effectively turn him into a monster no better than him, if not a dictator when he becomes Fuhrer in the future as the next time someone close to him dies, the option he will consider first is burning them alive instead of taking them in for interrogation. Doing what he almost did however, would have had a severe psychological impact on his identity. Plot elements like this are why I am so interested in Fullmetal Alchemist.

Despite all his power though, Mustang is by no means a perfect soldier. While his Flame Alchemy is destructive, it can be nerfed very easily and be rendered unusable should the gloves be exposed to water. 

“When water meets flame, the flame goes out!”

This applies to rainy days especially. Mustang is unable to use his alchemy when it is raining as not only will the moisture prevent him from creating sparks, but if he were to create a flame, it would use up all of the oxygen in a large area (Given that raindrops are water covering a large vicinity, water contains oxygen, and Roy uses oxygen to create flames), thus suffocating individuals who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

To perform Alchemy in Fullmetal Alchemist, one must use a Transmutation Circle to exchange the flow of energy with the environment. As Roy’s alchemy utilizes this, should his Transmutation Circle be broken, he would be left unable to utilize alchemy as shown here unless he creates a new, unbroken circle.

In addition, Roy can be curb stomped by significantly more powerful opponents like the Homunculus Gluttony who can simply eat his flames and the Fuhrer of Amestris, King Bradley here, who can outmaneuver his attacks effortlessly with his superhuman speed and pin down his two hands with his swords to prevent him from using his alchemy.

It is Mustang being pinned down and the event that transpires afterwards that ultimately leads to his ironic loss;

While it may not be understood here, Mustang winds up going blind, as him being pinned was to force him to perform Human Transmutation, which is the sin of toying with a human life using Alchemy and is considered a taboo among Alchemists. The Truth on the other side (Literally God in the FMA universe), which dictates the equal exchange of alchemy uses in the universe would then take what you heavily desire as ironic payment for seeing it. In Mustang’s case, he lost his eyesight, which meant while he can still become Fuhrer, he would no longer be able to see the vision- the future that he had laid out before and spoke to Riza about to protect the citizens-  therefore ironically he would no longer be able to see his wishes happen with his own eyes.

The irony alone in Fullmetal Alchemist is what attracts me to write about it and analyze it in a deeper perspective. Ultimately this plot device alone is one of the reasons why it’s still my favorite anime series to watch.