#What is it with characters who’ve blackmailed other people

[i-wanna-show-you-off]

the fifth guy took me out back and blackmailed me

characters I relate to core ❤️

[antiquarianfics]

Taken pt. 7

If Bucky Barnes could time travel, he would go back to that morning. He would hold you a little tighter in his arms, and he would kiss you a little deeper. He would pull your daughter in between the two of you, letting her giggle as loudly as she wants whilst her parents kiss her cheeks and tickle her belly. If Bucky Barnes could time travel, he would have told you not to go to the park—to go anywhere else. But Bucky Barnes can’t time travel, and his wife and daughter are gone.

a/n: we’re halfway through!! I’m sorry this part is shorter, but things are about to pick up!

warnings: swearing, blackmail, mention of murder, themes of conspiracy, canon typical violence.

note: I do not own the character Bucky Barnes or any other Marvel affiliated characters. Any and all characters are a work of fiction and any likeness to real persons is wholly unintentional.

You do not have permission to copy, translate, or repost my work; however, feel free to like, comment, and reblog.

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“What do you want me to do”

Morozov grins, pulls a paper out of a manila folder next to his laptop, and slides it across the table to you.

“This list contains the names of people who are keeping HYDRA from its full potential.

“Eliminate them.”

You cautiously pick up the paper Morozov slides to you, letting your eyes wander meticulously over the list of names presented. Your eyebrows shoot up in surprise as you read.

John Atkins, President of the United States of America

Elizabeth Fitzgerald, U.S. Secretary of Defense

Antonio Smith, U.S. Director of Homeland Security

Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD

Phil Coulson, SHIELD

Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America, Avenger

Your head begins to ache as you try to comprehend the names in front of you—the targets you’ve been given.

“You’re insane if you think I’m going to kill these people for you,” you say, bringing your attention back to the monster sat in front of you.

Morozov sighs dramatically.

“Again, Mrs. Barnes, I remind you HYDRA has eyes on your family. Each of our undercover operatives are trained snipers and combatants. Do you really think I’m bluffing when I say I’ll have your daughter killed? Your husband? Your friends?”

You purse your lips tightly.

“The names on that list belong to the people who consistently prevent HYDRA from realizing its mission. If I am to accomplish what our forefathers couldn’t, I need to eliminate any potential threats.”

“And what are you trying to accomplish?” You ask petulantly.

Morozov stands, letting his hands rest clasped together behind his back.

“I thought you’d never ask!” He sings out. “You see, eons ago, the ancient inhumans banished the all powerful inhuman HIVE to the planet Maveth. HYDRA has lost its way over the years, but our purpose is to bring HIVE back to Earth so that he may purify it.”

You scoff and Morozov glares at you.

“Steve Rogers, SHIELD, and the American government have foiled HYDRA’s attempts to bring HIVE back to Earth too many times. The HYDRA leaders who’ve come before me didn’t have the gall to eliminate such prominent leaders. That’s why I will be the one to bring HIVE home!”

“I reiterate, you’re insane,” you spit. You can hear the venom in your own voice.

“I reiterate,” Morozov mocks, “I will have everyone you love killed.”

Morozov presses a key on the laptop and a camera switches to whom you assume is one of the undercover HYDRA agents at the Compound. Morozov hits another button and speaks.

“Agent 0412, go to standby.”

You watch as the agent nods subtly before pulling out a gun, turning off the safety, and walking towards the Avengers living quarters. You suck in a breath. While you’ve been acutely aware that Morozov isn’t joking around, you hadn’t quite felt the weight of your own choices until this moment. You note that every choice you make will directly impact the next choice Morozov makes.

“Fine,” you concede. “Call him off and I’ll do it.”

Morozov grins before calling off the guard.

—

You’re sitting on a jet heading back towards the states. You wish you were headed home, but you choose to take some comfort in the fact that you’re at least leaving Siberia.

You check your gear, taking inventory of each gun and knife you have hidden in your suit and strapped to your body. Then, when you’re comfortable enough with your gear, you pull out a crumpled piece of paper that has the names of Morozov’s targets. You’ve chosen to move down the list so that you’ll start with President Atkins and end with Steve. You only hope you manage to break free from HYDRA before you actually have to kill anyone.

“Agent Barnes,” a gruff voice states, and you look up to meet the burly man speaking.

Ever since you formerly agreed to Morozov’s conditions of your family’s safety, you’d been treated more fairly and addressed more respectfully.

“Hmm?” You hum, having taken to speaking as little as possible.

“Hold out your arm, please,” the man says as he comes to kneel beside you where you’re sat. It’s then that you notice the metal case he holds.

Cautiously, you hold out your arm, and you watch as he pulls a large syringe out of the case. The man picks up a small device and loads it into the syringe. He then rolls up your tac suit sleeve and injects the device into your arm. You grimace. It hurts going in, and you can see a bulge in your arm.

“The fuck was that?” You ask incredulously.

“Your tracker,” the man responds dryly. “Dr. Frost asked me to remind you that you’ve nowhere to run. One move in the wrong direction and he orders the kill shot on your family.”

With that, the man leaves and you sit in silence for the rest of your flight towards DC.

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ko-fi

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Tags: @just-henny @jasminocano @browneyedgirl22-blog @barnesboo1967 @matchat3a @unkasworld @qwertyb2577 @raajali3 @yoruse @iilsenewman @alysianc @fairytalegirlofurdreams @marvelxlevram @casa-boiardi @buckybraneslover111 @hhiggs @smolracoon25 @questionableratatouille00 @heytheredemonsitsyourgirl @thearieunhinged @sebastianstansqueen @middaystarlight @talesofadragon @killerwendigo @ozwriterchick

[theminecraftbox]

Obviously we know now that staged finale is very much real. But...BUT. Do you have any thoughts about how/why a non-staged finale might have shaken out with the same result (ie, the Vault)? I just think your c!Dream takes are So Very Good and am curious how you'd fit his characterization into that framework.

/dsmp /rp

My first answer is that this is impossible. The Staged Finale is not an incidental detail of Dream’s motivations and characterization, it’s one of the founding principles. A Dream who was sincere in the finale is simply not the same person as the Dream who was not: not even close.

It is incredibly fundamental to Dream that:

The things he DID in Staged Finale were not calculated to have him do anything but lose. The over-telegraphed, over-dramatized confrontation full of holes and inconsistencies was not simply Dream losing his marbles or being suddenly incapable of forethought, it was intentional.

The things he SAID in Staged Finale, about his motivations, about Tommy and Tubbo, about attachments, were lies. Dream does not believe most of it. Dream’s persona is an act, Dream does not care about power over Tommy, and his plan is not and has never been to rule the server via blackmail.

But, I mean, as accurate as that answer is, it’s kinda no fun, right?

I do still think this scenario is impossible if I interpret the challenge as, “everything in staged finale was instead a totally straightforward, what-you-see-on-the-tin ending, with Dream both meaning the words he says and being actually caught off-guard when he was killed and arrested.” So I’m going to instead going to take this as a challenge to see how close to a “non-staged” finale situation I can get while preserving Dream’s characterization.

A simple, if unimaginative, solution is to just say Dream has taken leave of his senses. He doesn’t sleep for a few weeks and he’s come to the end of his rope and he hates the people who’ve ruined his home and the paranoia gets worse and worse and he has a nervous breakdown. He builds a vault of attachments and doesn’t even bother finishing it or thinking it through. He slips into his villain persona and barely knows what he’s saying; he rails against Tommy and Tubbo, he’s several degrees from lucid when he’s arrested. When he snaps out of it, he’s already in prison. Embarrassing. I don’t really like this option because it feels too much like sewing a completely different character into the middle of Dream’s arc. Feels cheap.

Instead, what I’ll settle on is a “half-staged” finale: Dream has not planned to be in prison, but things are still not what they seem. A layer of duplicity, a staged SOMEthing, is basically required because, again, Dream cannot actually mean the things he says in the finale and be the same character.

So Dream has SOME kind of convoluted plan other than the one he’s monologuing about to Tommy and Tubbo (and don’t even bother asking what it is), but it goes wrong. Why?Because the betrayal from Punz is sincere. Punz has decided that the best way to help Dream is to make sure he loses (this alters Punz quite a bit, makes him more like Sapnap, but hey, the assignment is to keep Dream the same, not Punz). Then Dream allows himself to be captured without fleeing because…. Uhhh. Hmm. I guess because he overestimates his ability to escape from the prison he designed? And because he’s keeping up the performance for everyone. And he’s shaken by Punz’s betrayal, and trying really really hard (as he does with Sam) to tell himself it means nothing to him. He tells himself this isn’t a loss, he can work with this.

[7holyharpy]

Thoughts on bonkai

And julie plec hatred of them ?

I love Bonkai. I completely understand where skeptics come from when they ask why Bonnie fans would ship her with someone who hurt her so terribly - but, as I’ve said before, that’s what the entire show + nearly all of its ships are about. Bonnie has the most realistic reactions to the terrible things the other characters do, and that’s why Bonkai to me is so much more earned as a relationship (regardless of whether it’s ultimately reciprocated or not) than Delena or even Klaroline, for example. I’ll ship Bonnie with just about anyone who’s an actual character (and Enzo is not, but I digress) who has not cheated on her, but my main two Bonnie ships are Kai and Damon - merely because they’re the only two people who’ve canonically prioritized her first and foremost (as late as it was on both ends, and as twisted as it is for Kai). I will say, from what we got in canon, Bonkai could not have a healthy dynamic nor could Bonnie reciprocate fully until some major time and groveling had passed. Bonnie is not Elena (and not to bash Elena, she’s literally a traumatized kid), but a few well-chosen words and lustful moments will not make up for what Kai did to her and other innocents. The most compelling Bonkai stories are those in which Bonnie is drawn to Kai despite herself, and her fear of this attraction and what it means about herself means she resists it until she can’t - and then she uses that to blackmail Kai into being a good citizen despite his murderous tendencies. Because Kai can at the very least play nice when Bonnie’s approval is on the line - we saw that before he was imprisoned in the second prison world. And I’m convinced canonically that Kai is in love with Bonnie as it is possible for him to be - from seeking her out repeatedly to reminiscing over Bonnie in Legacies.

JP hates them because she hates Bonnie. That’s all. All those writers hate Bonnie, even Kevin Williamson, because how else do you write a show glorifying the Confederacy and conveniently forgetting the Black woman when it comes time to play dress up or receive a love triangle but remember her to have her die the most or be the only character to get explicitly cheated on? Bonnie’s storylines are no accident, and once the outcry was too much, they shoved her with the empty vessel of a character that is Enzo via flashback (and then killing him and sending her around the world, starting with Africa) rather than giving us any sort of genuine emotional investment for the character who’s suffered the most. I won’t argue this point - losing the people you love is terrible but not the same as sacrificing yourself repeatedly because you believe your only worth is as the help. I think they allowed Kai to fixate on Bonnie (they would never admit that he has any sort of genuine connections or feelings for her, at most remorse and at worst just a lust for the power she represents) because they couldn’t continue beating that dead horse for Elena (Damon, Stefan, Elijah, Matt, etc.) or Caroline (Klaus, Tyler, Stefan, etc.) while sidelining Bonnie and they noticed fans most loved the storylines where a compelling villain falls for one of the heroines. Kai does not necessarily have the same utilitarian impact Klaus does in calculating villainous damage, but he’s significantly more twisted and his crimes more horrific, at least in the way he’s presented. So we get him fixating on Bonnie - but he’s not allowed to be a legitimate love interest - because JP and co. genuinely do not believe that someone as interesting as Kai could fall for Bonnie, especially when Elena (“sorry I’m nervous, you’re so pretty” what the fuck was that) or Caroline (lest we forget, she was Enzo’s second choice after Lily and before Bonnie) exists. In fact, I’m sure JP only found Kai’s thing for Bonnie believable because she’s the only woman he’d seen in twenty years. I don’t know who we have to think for Kai’s clear adoration for Bonnie regardless of how many women he’s surrounded by (probably just Chris Wood himself), but the entire show running team would never allow them to be canon simply because they hate Bonnie. And yes, it’s racist.

[goldemas1244]

Heyyyy I have a question :3

Do you have any headcanon/s for these character : Scraptrap, Scrap Baby, Lady Dimistrecu, the three daughter of Lady D, Heisenberg and/or Molten Freddy ? :3

You don't have to do all the proposition, you can choose what character you want to do :3

Have a good day/evening and stay safe ! :3

*Cracks knuckles* \(^v^)/

You already know I'm doing all of them! Thank you for the ask! Headcanons under the cut!

FNaF6

Scraptrap

He loves rice and would do anything to get his paws on it. Fortunately, the pizzeria is quite close to a Chinese restaurant so rice is easy to get.

He orders a rice-based menu at least three times a week, so the owners aren't at all that surprised to see a tuxedo-clad zombie-rabbit come in and ask for their signature fried rice with buttered lobster on the side.

Since he like to dine-in there, he usually asks Michael to give him a bath in exchange for pizzeria improvements. Michael usually shrugs and gives him a well-deserved bubble bath and his tuxedo.

He likes it when Michael gives him head pats and rubs. It makes him feel loved and appreciated.

He has a pet pigeon named Fernando Buschmann. It's German and likes to listen to the violin.

He likes ASMR and memes. ASMR makes him go feral with murderous intent while memes make him question the modern generation.

He has social media accounts, all named "Willton-Moldover". He usually posts cosplays and furry art on them and has 93 followers on his Reddit profile, 1.5 million followers on his Instagram, 550 followers on his Tumblr, 35 on his Snapchat, and 3.95 million on his TikTok.

He also has a YouTube channel with 10.784 million subscribers called "Willton-Gameover". He plays videogames one-handed and roasts popular YouTubers and famous people. He would never roast Keanu Reeves though, because Keanu Reeves is precious bean.

Due to his popularity he gets a lot of hate mail and private pics. He doesn't like them at all so he blackmails the people who post them. And if the media and police are involved? Well, he has a strong fanbase that's not going down as well as a good alibi so that works out well for him.

Yes, his fanbase also knows of the Fazbear Murders, and he admits to it but frankly, he's shown them the approving ghost kids (who've bonded and gamed with him) so that's no big deal. Only Cassidy hates him, but it's usually constipated anger.

He's bisexual and has an ENORMOUS crush on one of his favourite game characters, Karl Heisenberg. Something about that man reminds him of himself and Henry, although he's not sure what. Still, don't let that distract you from the fact that he owns a nude Karl Heisenberg body pillow, CAPCOM official.

Scrap Baby

Her favourite Monster High doll is Draculaura. She doesn't understand how pink goes well with black but oh boy, pink goes so well with black.

She knows how to skateboard like a pro. Despite her weight, her trusty skateboard still stands and, if she falls, she's always got her skates to spare. She likes to impress the boys at the skatepark with her ability to perform even the most difficult of moves with ease.

She's subscribed to fifteen different tabloid subscriptions. She likes to read them and criticize the stupidity of the human race, like her father. Hey, it's hereditary.

The lights in her boobies glow in the dark. They also glow whenever she gets tired.

She likes reading furniture and gardening catalogues. She's judgy of the prices though and usually becomes a full-on critic with Lefty listening.

She owns a crab named Mr. Tootie. No I will not elaborate on the name. I'll only tell you that it's taken a liking to kazoos and party favours.

She's listed as the No. 1 Best Fan of her father's social media accounts. Michael's in nineteenth place but don't worry, he's as emotionless as a mushroom.

She likes to make origami lotuses. She's such a pro at it that she's even got a mini-stall at the pizzeria: 1 lotus for 50 cents. It's a lucrative business, and it's still growing. Oh, and she switches to other origami works of art every week such as origami guns and origami nine-tailed foxes.

She's the Restaurant Rescue manager. Usually she saves kids from trouble. For this reason, yes, she's commonly seen in the pizzeria itself. Kids love her though the claw worries the more irksome parents.

She's a professional Karen dealer. Karen comes to see the manager? She's hypnotically talented in weaving her words through the toughest of craniums so don't be surprised if a Karen walks out with a new viewpoint of life.

She performs on stage on the occasion, which usually gets her a lot of fan love. She cherishes everything good they give but ignores the problematic everythings. Problematic stuff? Oh, she's good friends with the police chief.

Molten Freddy

He loves noodles. Give him a bowl of ramen and he'll shut up for the entire night. Enter him in a noodle-eating competition and his high metabolism rate means absolutely non-stop spaghetti.

He misses Bon-Bon very much. To the point where he's even tried to make a scrap version of him. Sadly, it doesn't work. He cried that day.

He dies inside whenever he finds out there's a spaghetti shortage in Utah. Poor Molten.

He's a bit wonky, but if he tries to play with you or get into your personal space, don't get mad at him! He's just lonely and wants someone to talk to and play with.

He likes to play Exploding Kittens. It's the only card game he's good at. It's also the only card game he owns.

He sees Helpy as a little brother and boops his nose on a daily basis. He also likes to reenact The Lion King with him (It's the ciiiiiircle of liiiiiife~). Hopefully Helpy doesn't mind.

He knows a lot of jokes in a lot of languages. So German-speaking Molten Freddy wouldn't be too far away from expectation. His favourite jokes are in French though; the wordplay is just immaculate.

He's good in French, English, German, Russian, and Malay. He's currently learning Japanese because he's a mega weeb.

His favourite cartoon is Charlie and Lola. He just likes to see the sibling shenanigans as it somehow reminds him of the good old days.

His favourite shows would be prankster shows. He especially loves the ones that give him new and creative ideas. He doesn't like the scary ones though. They make him feel unsafe and give him anxiety.

Surprisingly, he has a distinct taste for opera. He can modulate the remnants of his voice box to perfectly sing I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General. This both pisses off and impresses Henry to an extent.

Resident Evil 8

Lady Dimitrescu

She might act like the opposite but she really loves Heisenberg as her little brother. His determination, strength, speed, dexterity, and workaholic nature impresses her, who can't even fit through a doorway. She sometimes wishes she's as short as him too.

She's an avid collector of glass, porcelain, and anything fragile. It's a good reason to always be careful where you tread in her lair. She'll make you swallow every last shard if you don't.

She's an avid romance fanatic and is very loving towards the romance novels she owns. All those books you see in the in-game library? They're her collection of lesbian romances that she's collected over the past decades.

She doesn't like hats and prefers to stick to the one she wears in-game. She DOES have a collection of hats though. Last anyone counted, there were over fifty, one or two for each decade she's lived through.

She files her nails on a constant basis and owns an ornately decorated nail-clipper. Hygeine is of the utmost importance. She doesn't want to be compared to that filthy Heisenberg.

Despite her size and carefulness she keeps losing her stuff. Over the course of a week she could misplace three wine glasses, two reading glasses, and fifteen bottles of wine.

She's an expert at dodgeball and golf and even owns a lifetime access to the most prolific Country Club in Romania. With permission from Mother Miranda she goes there every year for the yearly party. It's one of the times she gets to see modernity (and Ed Sheeran) at its finest.

She loves bands from the 1920s and 1940s. However, she gets bored of them occasionally and switches them to something more modern, like Ed Sheeran. Seriously though, what is up with mums and Ed?

She's into executions and torture methods. So it's no surprise that she's a HUGE fan of Horrible Histories; even if she can't watch the show, she'll binge-read the books over and over again. She's even had the chance to encounter (and receive an autograph from) Terry Deary. They have sworn a bond not to tell anybody about this.

She loves exotic animals like anacondas and jaguars. She may or may not have owned a 10ft long Saltwater Crocodile (which was also about 5ft wide).

She's an incredible physicist and mathematician. She's also created many original formulae but unsurprisingly, she doesn't tell anyone about them, for fear that either more people may know of her, or that she may be wrong.

Dimitrescu Babes

They can devour an entire human being in mere seconds as flies. It's sort of like the scarab beetles in The Mummy movies. However, unlike the beetles, they are able to strip the bones as well. They leave nothing behind.

They all know how to play the piano with varying levels of success. Daniela can already play professionally while Bela is still stuck on Grade 5.

They love to listen to their mother when she tells them stories. Gotta hand it to 'em, when you're a fly, you know how to enjoy life in its most simple of moments.

They all love being around the hunky Soldats of Uncle Karl. Fortunately, they don't know of the rebellious plan to conquer Miranda.

Bela is bisexual, Cassandra is asexual and pansexual, and Daniela is demisexual.

It gets hard when you're a fly during the summer. If it's not the lizards, spiders, and other predators, it's the heat. Because of this, despite the material waste, they have invented the world's first blood-powered air conditioner.

The three girls have never ever ever touched a stove or oven in their life. They HAVE touched the hot end of an iron though. A good reason to not touch a bloody oven. Alcina has though, but doesn't tell them that.

They love puppies! Uncle Karl brought them a baby labrador. For the rest of the week Alcina had lost quite a bit of favour from them. Not that they minded of course. IT'S A PUPPY.

They don't like snow one bit. Not just because it's cold, but because it's too white. Too bright. Too shiny. They just can't focus on their prey!

They like to go over to Auntie Donna to play with Angie. Well, you know what they say, crazies attract the crazies, and the crazy has attracted the crazies.

They also like to go to Uncle Moreau's because he's the only one in the village with a PS4. Usually they'd spend about three-quarters of a day playing his games and eating his cheese.

Karl Heisenberg

He owns a dark blue armchair named Junkyard. Despite the name, he loves it dearly because it was a gift from Alcina for his twenty-first birthday. It became part of his final transformation too. Right under the hat.

He's a little blind in the right eye, much to his annoyance. It was a minor accident with Sturm; another reason for him to hate the uncontrollable wretch. He'll never live that day down.

Somehow, he sees better in the dark, which is why he wears such tinted glasses. He also wears them to hide his expressions, since, more often than not, he tends to end up wearing his heart on his sleeve, and his emotions in his eyes.

He's under a lot of pressure so it's no surprise that he breaks down in his factory when he knows he's alone. And by break down I mean crumple into an exhausted heap on the floor. Not even his Soldat Jet squad can wake him up until he's had a reasonable eight hours of rest.

He bathes once a day, every evening, but only three times a week. Perfume, tobacco, and cologne keep care of the rest.

He's the only Lord with a daily contact with the outside world due to his electrical abilities. Don't tell Miranda, but he can electrically CONNECT TO GOOGLE AND THE ENTIRE INTERNET IN GENERAL. He likes to play funny YouTube cat videos in his head when Miranda's having a boring meeting. It's also how he finds out that Chris is a boulder-punching asshole.

He does stimming! He likes to tap his fingers on his desk and the metal rails in his factory. He also buys stim toys from the Duke and keeps them in a well-kept box. His favourite is a non-ripping squishable toy duck. He also sings to chill out.

He's absolutely in the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise, and may have once believed in the pizzeria's existence. Come on, he's a mutated Overlord with magical magnet powers. Children souls stuck inside animatronics isn't too far-fetched of an idea. His favourite characters are the Funtimes and the Scraps, mainly because of the blueprint complexity. He HAS tried to replicate the animatronics in his spare time, but he's usually too busy with his Soldats so the project gets scrapped. He loves The Living Tombstone's songs and remixes though.

He doesn't like William Afton at all (though he marvels at his survivability). William's nature and habits remind him of Mother Miranda. He DOES however enjoy Michael Afton and often thinks how it would be absolutely amazing to have that resilient being in his Soldat army.

He's scared of what lurks below the watery depths and fire. Ironic because his brother is a literal fish and he works in one of the most hazardous fire-conducting environments. He's also scared of heights, though he doesn't get airsick.

He once died due to a killing electric shock whilst working on Sturm. It's the only time he's felt that sort of pulsing agony and also the first time he's had the confirmation that yes, Hell is real and yes, he'll end up in quite a dark pit in it. Or it could've been an electric dream, who knows? Anyways his soul apparently ran towards the opposite direction of the flames and he woke up alive after the passing of FIVE ENTIRE WEEKS. Oh boy did Alcina get worried when she couldn't find him.

Thank you for the ask! I hope you enjoy!

[tonystarkismyprompt]

Submissions galore! So sorry I’ve been away and haven’t been posting these! (from the same anonymous tumblr writer as the last several posts, seriously, just shoot me a message if you want me to add your name in to credit you, this is a lot of work!) Give it a read!

Universe: AU/Canon

Pairing(s) and/or Major Character(s): Tony Stark/Stephen Strange; (past) Tony Stark/Pepper Potts; Tony Stark & James Rhodes; Tony Stark & Happy Hogan; Tony Stark & Pepper Potts; Rescue!Pepper Potts; Extremis!Pepper Potts; Extremis!Tony Stark; Tony Stark & F.R.I.D.A.Y.; Tony Stark & J.A.R.V.I.S.; J.A.R.V.I.S. lives; Tony Stark & Harley Keener; Iron Lad!Harley Keener; IronSupreme Family; Tony Stark & Peter Parker; Loki is Hela’s child; Loki allies with the Avengers; Tony Stark & Loki  

Assumed Rating: T - MA

URL/Name: [Optional]

Prompt: Canon fix-it. Tony is initially thankful that Coulson helped save Pepper from Obie but Fury made a grave mistake, attacking J.A.R.V.I.S. and it doesn’t help that he’s never even heard of S.H.I.E.L.D. before. He’s provided most of the US government’s weapons for years, so how can S.H.I.E.L.D. possibly be legit if he’s never heard of it before? So he updates J.A.R.V.I.S., tells him that he has permission to protect himself if anyone else like Fury tries to come calling, and then he goes digging. And digging. And digging. And finds Hydra right around the same time that a certain redhead goes all ninja on Happy (which only seems to prove that S.H.I.E.L.D. can’t be trusted). So Tony saves himself with the breadcrumbs that S.H.I.E.L.D. deigns to give him, but he doesn’t forget how Coulson essentially threatened to kill him (which is what a strong enough taser directly to the chest would probably do. Does no one remember that he has a heart condition?), he doesn’t forget how cavalier S.H.I.E.L.D. is towards J.A.R.V.I.S. (his brain child, his son), he doesn’t forget that an assassin snuck in to his company (putting all of his employees’ livelihoods at risk) and tried to steal from him and hurt Happy (his friend. One of his few true friends), and he definitely doesn’t forget that S.H.I.E.L.D. has essentially deliberately sat on the information that could literally save his life it was almost too late to do any good. S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to play hardball with him? Fine. Let’s see how S.H.I.E.L.D. likes having its Hydra roots exposed to the world.

Bonus points if the following all happen at some point in the story: J.A.R.V.I.S. asks for another AI to help divvy up the workload (fully intending to put his younger sibling to work with Pepper and Stark Industries while he focuses on protecting Sir) and F.R.I.D.A.Y. comes online before A.I.M. becomes a problem; J.A.R.V.I.S. and F.R.I.D.A.Y. decide that Tony needs more backup and the Iron Legion gets started shortly after F.R.I.D.A.Y. comes online; S.H.I.E.L.D. is kept too busy dealing with Hydra, bad PR, multiple lawsuits (really, it’s just stupid to mistreat the person you’ve basically been stealing from for decades to help finance you. And it’s even more idiotic to piss off the people who make it their business to protect that person. J.A.R.V.I.S., Pepper, Happy, Rhodey, and F.R.I.D.A.Y. are all out for blood), and constant government subpoenas to keep trying to pull their manipulative gaslighting ways on Tony; Tony ends up semi-adopting several of the victims of SHIELDRA who’ve either been illegally stashed places like the Raft, blackmailed/brainwashed into working for one side or other of the organization, or hounded into hiding, like Dr. Bruce Banner, which means that he accidentally forms a far more stable (and less backbiting/manipulative) version of the Avengers all on his own (without Steve Rogers, since S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn’t had the time or resources to thaw him out and Fury’s keeping the knowledge of where he’s at a secret); Thaddeus Ross ends up in jail pretty much for life for crimes against humanity and treason; Tony ends up with the Tesseract (and a lot of information on really hostile aliens. Yikes! Maybe he needs to start working on an AI who can be a suit of armor around the world) after Pepper convinces him to sue S.H.I.E.L.D. for all of Howard’s intellectual property, so there’s no meddling and no opening for Thanos to use, with Loki, which means that the crisis with the Mad Titan is pushed way back, since Earth never gets drawn to his attention (writer’s choice if this means that Loki has to figure out how to free himself and if this perhaps involves him stealing the Scepter – and, thus, the Mind Stone – after killing his main tormentor); Tony, with so much extra time on his hands (now that he’s not being browbeaten by S.H.I.E.L.D. into basically working for them for next for free), decides it’s time to address others hurt by his weapons and promptly gets introduced to a certain snarky perfectionist neurosurgeon when he starts working on a line of affordable prosthetics; Dr. Strange ends up helping with the Extremis problem and the result is a form of Extremis that’ll give Pepper a fighting chance if anyone ever tries to grab her again (which she firmly insists on having, after being kidnapped, experimented on, and nearly killed by Killian. She’s a big girl and she’d prefer being able to protect herself, rather than having to play damsel in distress, thanks all the same); Tony, who’s already working on a version of the bleeding edge armor, puts off the surgery until he figures it out (with help from Dr. Strange, who’s somehow become Stephen); Iron Dad starts with Harley Keener; the Convergence still happens but much differently without Loki in prison on Asgard and with Dr. Jane Foster and Dr. Selvig on Stark Industry payroll (and a third Infinity Stone ends up staying on Earth. Writer’s choice if no one royal dies or if Odin is the one who dies this time around, but since Hela is Loki’s mom I would prefer it if Ragnarök doesn’t immediately happen, if Hela gets out of her prison. Perhaps Hela goes off to find/rescue her child, instead? Or Frigga figures out how to keep her sealed away, at least for a little while longer? Or the traitorous Lady Sif and the Warriors Three or Heimdall – who never get punished for disobeying orders from Loki as acting ruler of Asgard or orders that Odin, himself, gave, regarding Thor’s banishment! – get sucked into the mini black holes instead?); Tony, who’s been working with the US government and the UN to protect the world’s enhanced pretty much from the moment he realized that there were enhanced (and that they didn’t have the money and power of Stark Industries to protect them, like he did), since he’s all about transparency and accountability, gets the Avengers’ Accords passed right around the time that Ultron comes online without a hitch; all of the Winter Soldiers are put in play by a desperate Hydra and Tony’s Avengers have to figure out how to deal with them (preferably without killing them, which means Stephen gets tapped to try to help figure out how to deprogram brainwashed assassins); Peter Parker gets bitten by a spider and immediately goes to the Avengers when he figures out he has powers; and Loki decides it’s time to stop running and hiding and ally with Earth’s mightiest heroes.  

[elrhiarhodan]

White Collar Fic Recs

@darkisrising asked for some Collar fic recs.  These are some of the best.  Of course I know I’m missing a few and I’ll probably need to add to this, but let’s call this a good start.`

Call of the Void - @theatregirl7299 Author Peter Burke can't seem to get a handle on his latest Gothic horror novel--until he meets Neal Caffrey. There's something about this charming, sophisticated club owner that strikes a chord with Peter. But is Neal all that he appears to be? Or is Peter entering a world of darkness that he may not be able to come back from?

Dragon’Verse - theatregirl7299 Peter Burke is a high-end jeweler. When he meets Neal Caffrey, a talented young jewelry designer, it seems like a match made in heaven. But when Neal discovers that Peter is an ancient dragon, it sets in motion a firestorm that neither one may survive.

Chasing Tails - rabidchild67 Meet Neal Caffrey: convicted bond forger, suspected art thief, con artist. And dog whisperer. This is a canon divergent retelling of the Pilot.

Neal vs. the LOLcat - rabidchild67 Neal has a LOLcat. Named Henri.

Steal My Body Home Series - rabidchild67 Sometimes, running away means going home--you just might find what you need there. And sometimes, you just need your mom. Neal finds out all of these things on a road trip with Peter.

Pillow Talks - @rubynye Three and one true stories Peter, Neal, and Elizabeth tell each other.

White Collar Artist AU - Storiesfortravellers AU where El is an artist who photographs nudes and Neal pretends to be a model to steal something.

Clever Men - Storiesfortraveller Angsty Peter/Neal slash and UST. The fic starts in Season 1 and ends a few years into the future, and shows snippets of different stages of their relationships.

Always the Same, Starts with a Boy and a Girl - Lightgetsin Summer, 1998. Neal Caffrey robs the gallery where Elizabeth O'Dell is working late, and comes away with a lot more than art. Agent Burke has no idea what's about to hit him.

Contractual Obligations:  A Love Story in Three Traffic Lights - Shaenie The way Neal says it, though, amused and dismissive, is almost insulting. Of course Peter would never do such a thing, Neal's tone implies. Absurd notion.

If You’re Gone - Sahiya What do you do when the people who've become your Pole Star move three thousand miles away? Neal Caffrey is about to find out.

Without You - Sahiya Working for Kramer in D.C., Neal is doing his best to get by until, quite suddenly, he isn't.

Somewhere I Have Never Traveled - @copperbadge-writes In another universe, Peter Burke went corporate. He wouldn't have met Neal Caffrey -- except Neal tried to rob his company. And Peter, naturally, caught him.

The Wonderful Years - @elrhiarhodan School Years A/U centering on the friendship between Peter Burke and Neal Caffrey, from the time they are in kindergarten through their senior year in high school. For the purposes of this story, all of the characters are roughly the same age (Peter is a year older than Neal). The setting is middle class suburban New York (Westchester County), circa 1970–1983.  The series continues through their lives, from college to careers in the FBI to domestic happiness.

The Lost and Found Series - @elrhiarhodan Time is irrelevant when you’re traveling without purpose, when it’s not the destination but the journey itself that matters.

The Gloriana 'Verse - @elrhiarhodan Early Elizabethan Era Historical A/U - Peter Burke works for Sir Francis Walsingham, the Queen’s Spy Master, Elizabeth Burke is the Queen’s Mistress of the Revels and Neal Caffrey is a ne’er-do-well artist and courtier, incarcerated in the Fleet Prison for debt. The golden age has yet to flower in Merry Old England, and it’s going to take a deft hand to manage all the players that will keep Good Queen Bess on the throne.

Let Your Honesty Shine - Elrhiarhodan (Crossover with The Normal Heart) On a hot June day, one summer in the near future, Ned Weeks finds himself in a West Village coffee shop. When he overhears a fascinating conversation about blackmail, kidnapping and getting shot at, he has to take a look. One of the speakers is definitely a Fed – Ned can tell just by the haircut and the ugly suit. The other man is his lover, Felix. Except that Felix has been dead for thirty years.

The Eternal Optimism of Two Men Stuck in a Single Hotel Room with One Bed - Elrhiarhodan

The blizzard of the century is about to hit, and Peter and Neal take refuge in the last hotel room available in Schroon, New York.  The only problem is that there’s just one bed.  At least it’s king sized, right?

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell/Don’t Ask, Don’t Care - Elrhiarhodan Admiral Peter Burke is having a bad day. He walks into a dive bar off of K Street in Washington and meets Commander Neal Caffrey. To say they hit it off would be a vast understatement. And that’s going a problem of monumental proportions for both men.

[adhdgoro]

The after credits scene in the true ending really just. Makes Akechi such a funny fucking character. Like i know its not meant to but

Like ok imagine ur 15 right. You probably know what 15 year olds are like. You get this really cool power to go into the hearts of people and you realize that you can kill without leaving a trace in the real world. So what do you do? You decide to create a whole revenge plot for killing your asshole dad.

Fast forward some years and some other kids also have this power and u blackmail ur way into their group bc u wanna get as much praise from ur dipshit father as possible before u take him down. Plot twist tho when u kill their leader turns out u didnt do that and theyre fine so you go to kill them but this time in your father's mind, which you had access to the whole fucking time

Naturally, these kids who've had this power for like 6 months, kick your ass. Instead of doing the normal thing and fucking you up afterwards they're like "dude im sorry ur life sucks but ir being kind of a dick rn. Anyway wanna join us and we can kick ur dads ass together?"

Instead of being like "haha yeah ok" you tragically stand there in disbelief and then bigger plot twist, you show up and threaten everyone with a bunch of shadows.

Instead of fighting alongside the people that just kicked ur ass a second ago and have gotten out of worse situations before, you sacrifice yourself by locking urself in with new evil you.

Somehow you dont die here.

Back in the real world they stop the world from ending all is well and then all is too well as someone with another special persona decides to merge the cognitive world and the real world.

Now you show up bc their leader wanted u alive and wanted you to come back, after you fucking SHOT HIM (remember how much joker wanted akechi back this becomes relevant again later)

You work with his group who's whole opinion of u is "u killed a lot of people but like you also sacrificed urself for us? We dont fully forgive but we'll work with u and also engage in friendly banter in mementos and shit."

Anyway later its discovered that this was the leader's wish and that ur alive bc of that.

Mysteriously enough even after finding out, youre still there, unlike the others that had been brought back. No one thinks this is suspicious.

You save the world, whatever,

Then everyone thinks u died. U have no memory for like the month after u died. Maybe even more. But by March ur up and able to walk around and shit so you must've been awake before that.

During all that time you never ONCE tell these idiots that obviously cared about you that youre alive. What are u doing during this time? Why aren't u telling them ur okay?? Whats going through ur dumb idiot head??

Are u literally not able to text them or are you being fucking petty? What is it? Are you too good for the phantom thieves? Are you afraid they won't accept you again, despite how much its been made obvious that their leader cares about you? Do you just not care after all that's happened? No, obviously you do care.

You care because you show up at the fucking TRAIN STATION and watch him from afar and his train LEAVES. AND BECAUSE HE ALWAYS MISSES THINGS SINCE HES ON HIS DAMN PHONE HE DOESN'T SEE YOU.

SO OBVIOUSLY YOU CARE ABOUT HIM ENOUGH TO WATCH HIM FROM A FUCKING DISTANCE AFTER GOING OUT OF UR WAY TO SHOW UP AT THE TRAIN STATION

So why the FUCK haven't you texted him or his friends that ur alive. I hate it here. All these dramatics and for what?

Its just. Funny. Like it shouldn't be but that level of like drama is just too much. All u gotta do is open up the groupchat and be like "heard u were leaving" like oh my god. Why

[eloarei]

Okay, I’m going to babble about Greedfall under a cut. I just have to.  tl;dr, you should have been able to romance Petrus and Constantin, no I am not taking critique.  Under the cut: 1500 words of basic Greedfall explanation, and then me lamenting ships that didn’t happen; includes spoilers (noted). 

So. Greedfall. Basically, I had never heard of this game until it was free on Playstation Plus a few months ago, and I was like “yeah okay sure, I’m not doing anything else”, so I played it. I had no idea what to expect. I don’t recall watching the trailer. From the icon, I expected maybe pirates? As it turned out, no pirates ...exactly? But kinda. They’re mostly just colonists with pistols and big hats. Lots of big hats. There are a faction of characters that live on ships, but they’re not pirates. I don’t think they’d appreciate being referred to as such.  Anyway, it’s a rather Dragon Age-like game. I don’t mind saying so, since everyone else has. It has its similarities and differences, but it definitely feels familiar in that way. It’s definitely not a copy, just... inspired, I guess.  You play as Lord or Lady de Sardet, (that’s a silent t, btw), who’s tasked with representing her people on the ‘new continent’ of Tir Fradi-- mostly to the other countries that settled there in the past few years, but also to the natives, who’ve lived there for ever and ever and actually respect the land, unlike you dumb colonizers.  The factions are real pains in the ass, but in a way that’s a litttttle bit charming. Theleme is full of propagandizing Catholics who aren’t above a little witch hunt now and again. The Bridge Alliance are all science-obsessed atheists who think progress is more important than basic morals. The natives are VERY in touch with nature, and have cool Russian accents, skull-like face paint, and sometimes branches growing out of their heads. (The natives have the most diverse opinions, so they’re the least annoying. In fact, they’re rather likeable, except that sometimes they hate you, and don’t bother with pretending they don’t for diplomacy’s sake.)  There’s also the Nauts (the pirates), the Coin Guard (mercenaries, but they kind of work for your country?), and the Congregation of Merchants, aka your country, which are basically neutral ground capitalists that everyone sort of doesn’t hate. (Theleme and Bridge Alliance despise each other, roughly a little more than they hate the natives.)  You’ve got one companion from every faction:  Siora from the natives, Kurt from the Coin Guard, Vasco from the Nauts, Petrus from Theleme, and Aphra from Bridge Alliance. They’re all representatives of their people, but also (as you might guess) non-extremists. Because otherwise you’d want to murder them.  Siora isn’t desperate to kick out the foreigners, she just wants her people to be safe and respected. Kurt and Vasco are basically just following you because it’s Kurt’s job and Vasco’s boss told him to. Petrus is a conniving old man, but he doesn’t shove God down your throat too much and seems to respect the natives, sort of. And Aphra has enough morals to agree that killing for science ain’t cool, and maybe the natives aren’t just savages. All in all, they’re all pretty reasonable.  Compared to Dragon Age, none of your companions (or other NPCs) have a ton of personality, but somehow they still manage to have a good bit, and I ended up really liking them.  SO LETS TALK ABOUT SHIPPING You can romance Kurt if you’re playing a woman, Aphra if you’re playing a man, and Vasco and Siora in either case. But, oh my god?, getting the romance to happen is practically impossible. Save first. I romanced both Kurt and Siora (in different saves; can’t do ‘em both in one), using a guide, but by the time I had thought about romancing, I’d already said one wrong thing to Vasco and screwed my chances hahaha. There’s basically 3 specific conversations you have to have with them, and each time you have to pick the right thing to say, out of three choices. If you offend them at all, there’s no going back. Wow. They’re not very intuitive, either.  ANYWAY. The romances aren’t all that interesting, but they add a bit to their stories, so it’s cool. I think my ship preferences with these four characters are Kurt, Siora, Vasco, and Aphra, in that order.  But you KNOW WHAT? I wanna romance Petrus. Yes, the old man. The bishop. And yeah, I know why you can’t.  (It’s spoiler time!)  You can’t romance him basically for the exact reason you should be able to romance him: he was in love with your mom. Your birth mom, who was a native, which you never knew about. He pined for her after she was captured and taken from her land, and when she was in pain and wanted to die, he didn’t help, and now he’s like “woe is me, I’m flooded with guilt”. Which is partly why he’s following you/ de Sardet around.  So you can’t romance him because he sees you as his kid... kinda?... ish?... I guess? Sure. Ok. I mean, that’s cute. I like it. He makes a pretty bad dad, to be honest, because he’s more like that one slightly morally corrupt uncle who lets you drink hard alcohol when you’re a teenager but only under his supervision. But he cares, and that’s the important thing. I don’t dislike dad-Petrus at all.  But you should still be able to romance him because of the good old classic “you’re so much like your mother”. Problematic? MAYBE. =D But a real missed opportunity. Also he’s my favorite companion. He’s a real manipulator. Gets excited about blackmailing politicians. Sounds like he’s smoked a pack a day. I just like the guy a lot. (And you know how much fanart he has? Like none. Le sigh.)  (Also very few ship fics with him; I’m not surprised, but of course I must remedy this. I’m 4k in already and it’s a lot of de Sardet thinking, and her friends poking at her.)  BUT ALSO, to move on from Petrus.  There’s a character I neglected to mention at all, because he’s not a playable companion (except for a tiny while in the beginning, iirc). He’s perhaps my real favorite character... or maybe tied with Petrus.  Yes, it’s Constantin, de Sardet’s “dear cousin”. Oh my lord, Constantin. What a cutie??? He’s basically the prince. He’s been appointed as the governor of their city on the new island, and he’s precious. Genuinely a puppy.  And I think you should be able to romance him. (It’s less crazy than you might think!)  MORE SPOILERS TIME  So, as it turns out (well, I already sort of spoiled it up there), because de Sardet is actually a native, s/he and Constantin are not actually cousins. They love each other immensely. The game makes no mistake about this. They’re absolutely besties. I think Constantin calls you his lucky star. He’s always so flattering, and seeing de Sardet just makes his day. And since it turns out you’re not really cousins, you should be able to romance him.  And do you know why?  I mean, because they love each other, clearly. But also, that ending. Good lord that ending. I mean, if you didn’t think that they loved each other that much, the ending basically says, “HEY ACTUALLY they totally love each other more than anything”, which makes it terribly depressing either way, because you can either... well, stay with him forever, to the detriment of literally everyone else, or, you know, not stay with him, in order to kind of save everyone. It’s already very heart-wrenching, but letting them literally be in love? GAWD. Talk about pulling heartstrings. It would have made the ending like... an actual choice.  (BIG SPOILER BELOW although you probably already guessed.)  Yeah so you have to kill Constantin to save the island. OR, you two can become the new gods, and everyone fears you and it’s terrible. Lordy. Just terrible either way, because there’s no way you played the game and didn’t end up loving Constantin somewhere along the way, even when the red flags started going up that he’d gone power mad. (Because even when he’s power mad, he still obviously loves de Sardet SO MUCH,  OH my god...)  So. As I said. You should be able to romance Petrus because, well, I want to. Need me that problematic ship, c’mon! And you should be able to romance Constantin because the whole plot is literally written that way??? It’s like the romance that is set in stone, you know? And it literally drives the plot.  The whole “Constantin gets native powers and decides he wants to be a god” thing was sort of predictable (as soon as it started happening, because shit, I didn’t have a clue what was going to happen before!), but overall I thought the game and story were pretty good. I recommend playing it if you’re got 40 hours free and it’s really on sale or something. I give it an 8.2 out of 10. (Higher if it didn’t start to feel kind of grindy at points. Lower if I’d had to pay for it. Much higher if they let you romance your pseudo-dad or pseudo-cousin, hahaha.) 

[butwhatifidothis]

Feel free to ignore if you don’t want to answer, but why do you hate Balthus so much? I pretty much don’t have an opinion on the guy.

My hatred for Balthus comes strictly from his supports with Claude.

Now, other characters have traits that are either “straight evil but since they’re the villain I can view them from that light and appreciate them in that regard” ala Edelgard and Hubert or “definitely bad but they grow from them so I might not like them but I respect as characters” ala Gilbert and Ingrid. Say what you want about them the way they fit into the story allows for their unsavory traits to either be what makes them likeable (villainy) or allows for growth away from them.

Balthus? He blackmails a teenager with information they both acknowledge as devastating if found out by the wrong person all so he can talk to their mother. It’s something he dangles over Claude in some way throughout the entire chain, Claude is visibly uncomfortable every time it’s brought up, and even after they supposedly become buddies in the A support (out of fuckin’ nowhere?? Claude asks Balthus if he remembers the first thing that needed to be accomplished in the war and I’m like ???? I sure don’t remember but whatever) five years later Claude still feels the need to ask Balthus if he’d sell him out and Balthus responds with “hey c’mon, I was jokin’! But you will let me see your mom right, after all you promised me you would (except no Claude didn’t)” and that is just... so unbelievably scummy.

And like what pisses me off is that Balthus could have been something of a big brother figure to Claude, or otherwise someone he can get a different perspective from. They both have their parents be from two different worlds and Balthus does give Claude some good advice in the A support so there are crumbs of a good bond, but my fucking god dude Balthus uses their similar backgrounds to try to weasel up to Claude! He flat out asks if he managed to “drum up some empathy” from Claude after detailing the shit his mother had to go through, and like... compare that to when Claude opens up with Marianne about his past. The language used, the tone throughout. There is a night and day difference between the two’s intentions. And when it’s clear Claude isn’t opening up any more to him he pulls out the “ Say, Claude... It'd be a shame if your true identity was exposed, yeah? A real shame. I'm thinking you'd better...set up a meeting between me and your mom. She was my first crush, after all” lines

And... what? Am I supposed to find this funny? Endearing? That Balthus is willing to put someone’s safety in danger just so he can talk to some lady he crushed on when he was a teen? That he’s willing to try and emotionally manipulate someone with personal issues that affect them deeply so he can sneak his way into their good graces?  Because the game never treats this as something particularly bad, Balthus never apologizes and just keeps going with it despite the clear discomfort Claude is showing him both from the “joke” of exposing him to nobles that want him gone and the “he’s actually serious” idea of some guy wanting to “just talk” with his mother, Balthus doesn’t grow past this. Balthus isn’t a villain per the story, so him doing something like this isn’t integral to his position in the story. Am I supposed to believe that Claude coming to him for advice is a sign that they developed their friendship past this, or that it was always considered a joke between the two of them? Well, no, because Claude still unironically asks him if he’d sell him out and shows genuine concern when Balthus answers “Most likely not” (and we know it’s real because Balthus tries to say it was a joke, meaning Claude didn’t think it was one to begin with) so they couldn’t have gotten that close. Before the A support Balthus always sought Claude out just for the convo to end both times with “Hey Claude I’m on to that secret that you are desperate to not have anyone know” which, and maybe I’m just crazy but hear me out, really doesn’t sound like someone Claude would like to be around

Like, with damn near every other character who’ve done very shitty actions you can finagle some kind of digestible pretzel that explains why they did it in some kind of understandable light that doesn’t make them a complete piece of shit (Sylvain fucks around with women because he feels a need to lash out against them before they view him as nothing but a Crest baby maker due to the beliefs his family installed in him, Felix says the shit he does to Dimitri and Dedue because he’s concerned over their extreme actions and ideals that could drive the people around them to ruin, Ingrid hates Duscurians because she was led to believe they were the ones that ruined her life, her friends’ lives, and the entirety of the country she calls home and loves - shit like that where there’s at least the barest of minimums of the chance of a deeper explanation for their surface level shittiness, added with the fact that the game at fucking least says they grew past these issues). Balthus? “I never got to tell Tiana I liked her so I’ll put her son in danger to do so now”... and that’s it! Does he regale us with stories of Tiana saving his life and him wanting to show his gratitude to her by any means necessary? Did Tiana help his family with their issues at all? Does Balthus - or any part of this story - tell us any other reason he’s doing this? Nope! Does he see how uncomfortable his “joke” makes Claude and try to make amends for it? Nuh-uh! He just want see pwetty lady again like the actual fucking oonga boonga ape he is

Can I acknowledge that there’s other aspects of his personality that are interesting? Sure. Do I personally give a shit? Not really. What he does in his supports with Claude and how he never grows past them even in a shitty tell-don’t-show manner peeve me off way too much for me to care to like him at all

[maryellencarter]

SO! A week or two ago I got the DVDs for both seasons of "Justice League: The Animated Series", which I hadn't seen in ten years and remembered loving a lot. Spoiler: I still love it a lot. I put off watching it for a while because I was scared I wouldn't, but then I watched it pretty much straight through without even stopping to liveblog.

So. THOUGHTS! ^_^ Any of y'all who've ever shared a fandom with me know I'm always around for one particular character. In this case, that's J'onn J'onzz, the big green guy, whose official comics codename (sensibly not used on the show) is Martian Manhunter.

(There's a bit in one of the tie-in comics where a parent is telling their kid "don't be scared, honey, he won't hurt you, that's the uhh... Martian Maneater..." which has never ceased to amuse me.)

Anyway, we all know I have a tendency to give reviews in the vein of "Good story but no werewolves", and it must be granted that I never did bother watching Justice League Unlimited because Carl Lumbly (J'onn's voice actor, Minnesota born and raised with Jamaican parents, which is apparently how you get a Martian accent I couldn't place to anywhere on Earth) wasn't a regular anymore. But y'know, it's a really good ensemble team too, even if I like Tim Daly's Superman (from Superman: The Animated Series in the same animated universe) a lot better than George Newbern's. Or, well, I did. I haven't heard *him* in ten years either. Anyway! Off topic.

SO ANYWAY. Obviously, spoilers hereabouts, although it's what, fifteen, twenty years old by now? But if you care about spoilers for somewhat elderly TV, you might not be following me anyhow.

So the meta premise, just in case anybody was unfamiliar, is thuswise: First there was Batman: The Animated Series, in which Mark Hamill was the best Joker while not being an asshole as a person, because he is a competent actor and not a dickwad. Then there was Superman: The Animated Series, which I remember as being a delight and I want to watch it again too someday. Then, because apparently if you have Batman and Superman the next step is the entire Justice League, there was this.

The actual premise is, that during an alien invasion of Earth, Superman and Batman rescue a prisoner, J'onn J'onzz, the last survivor of the Martian society the invader aliens wiped out. (J'onn and Clark get little bits of bonding over the last-of-their-kinds thing but I've always wanted more. In a fandom auction I once donated $60 for a fic on the topic, but life happened and I do not hold it against the person. Still a little sad though. It's not something I've ever quite been able to write myself.) J'onn has a whole grab-bag of superpowers including telepathy, with which he summons additional heroes The Flash (speedster, this one is twentyish goofball Wally West), Green Lantern (specifically John Stewart, a black ex-Marine), Wonder Woman, and Hawkgirl (a winged humanoid-alien woman with an energy mace). Together, they fight crime! Mostly.

Specific episodes: I'm going to use "episode" to refer to the runtime covered by a single title so I don't have to say "two-parter" or "three-parter" every single time, because this show had literally only one single-part episode out of the whole 52 episodes.

* Secret Origins, three-parter: In which the Justice League is formed and repels the invasion of Earth by the aliens who wiped out J'onn's people. A very strong start, good character intros. I will never be over the very small worldbuilding fact that J'onn is rescued by Superman and Batman, and has seen nobody else on Earth yet but invader aliens (these are what used to be called the White Martians but the show does not use this name either which I think was a wise choice), so when he shapeshifts from his more alien "natural" Martian form to the look which will be his default for the series, he chooses a briefs-and-cape look because based on the two examples he's seeing, that's what Earth people wear. It's not explicitly called out, but it's a great way to make it a little less... comic-booky that you have no less than three extra-beefy guys with almost identical costume silhouettes here.

I think the arc between Batman and J'onn is one of my favorite parts of this, the way Batman starts out being like "I still don't trust him" and winds up trusting him enough that it's their teamwork which saves the world this go-round. Also, speaking as a fan who likes me some whump, can we talk about the scene where J'onn is being mindprobed with all those tentacles under his skin? I have so fucking many feels about that scene, okay. God, that whole climactic sequence is so damn good. And his tiny lil smile at the end of the last episode! I do love me some microexpressions, nonetheless that they are animated. (I can't draw so I am constantly boggled by just the skill it has to take to draw a character so on-model that varying one line by a few pixels Says Things.)

* In Blackest Night, two-parter: The one where the extremely Kirby-designed cop robots frame Green Lantern into believing he blew up an inhabited planet. Introduces several alien members of the Green Lantern Corps. Flash trying and failing to act as GL's lawyer is fairly embarrassment-squicky to me; many of the things anybody does with Flash on this show are fairly embarrassment-squicky, although he does get some great moments. René Auberjonois does two voices, as a spherical Green Lantern and as the "witness" who helps frame GL. The climactic scene is great -- sometimes the Green Lantern ditty just doesn't work, but between the sound design and the animation and Phil Lamarr's voice acting, this scene blows me away every time. I feel like this one could have been shorter though.

* The Enemy Below, two-parter: In which (blond) Aquaman guest-stars, J'onn takes on the first of many roles where he acts as bait by impersonating a villain's target, and the thing where Aquaman cuts off his own hand to escape a manacle is very tastefully handled for a kids' show. I probably would have found that scene way too suspenseful and traumatic as a kid but I was an extremely sensitive small child. Opinions on this episode: I don't really have many. This universe's Aquaman is a *dick* who appears to live by the rule that you must always fight a superhero when you meet one on the street before explaining your business. I always squee when somebody turns out to be J'onn, because I've usually forgotten. (He usually is people and not animals or, like Odo more than once, a bag. I wonder if he has some conservation of mass thing going on or if it's just easier to animate when you keep your same basic arrangement of limbs.)

* Injustice for All, two-parter: Lex Luthor, dying of kryptonite poisoning, puts together the Injustice Gang to try to destroy the Justice League. He didn't invite the Joker, but Hulk expy and heavy hitter Solomon Grundy is also voiced by Mark Hamill, so the Joker naturally turns up around the point where Luthor captures Batman, commentating on Luthor's misguidedness in keeping Bats alive and generally providing a running peanut gallery. Clancy Brown and Mark Hamill are both always fun, so this one is pretty entertaining.

* Paradise Lost: Wonder Woman backstory-ish episode. A sorcerer turns the other Amazons to stone, then blackmails Diana into stealing four artifacts for him, which he assembles into a key to free the god Hades from Tartarus. Notable mainly for the extreme mangling of Greek mythic cosmology into an aggressively Christian shape. Not good. It does have J'onn and Flash teamed for a bit, which is interesting, and J'onn gets to one-punch a giant magic brass cobra, but that's about all there is to speak for it. It looks like the writer also did my very least favorite two-parter of the whole series, unless this is some sort of Alan Smithee situation, because the name is Joseph Kuhr and I have a half-memory I can't catch that there is *something* more than coincidence in the whole, you know. "Joe-Kuhr" thing?

* War World: Apparently this one was pretty nearly universally hated. I do not hate it, because the concept "Superman and J'onn are accidentally blown across the galaxy together and sold to an alien gladiatorial arena" is something I am 110% down for, but I wanted a lot more interaction between them and possibly a lot more fic. I can't decide if I actually want to ship them, but they're obviously very close and I want to see more than snippets of that, dammit.

That's halfway through season one. Imma go sleep. more later.

[excorcismic]

ALRIGHT SO HERE’S THE DEAL ; if misa is my first favorite death note character , this angy kid right here is my second - i adore mello to pieces and he’s very close to misa in terms of how much i love him , but ultimately does she remain queen . but ! the cool thing is that in the series they never actually interact ( the closest being mello spying on her for a brief period of time ) which means i could play my two blonde fashion icons and voila , here they are . so here’s the gist on mello in canon & alucard and most importantly the plots i am digging bc my muse for him rn ?? is off the charts . LESGO !

IN A CANON NUTSHELL ( HUGE DEATH NOTE SPOILERS ) : So Mello’s introduced during the latter half of Death Note ( or maybe it’s more the final third but either way there’s a part where it significantly breaks in two ) - or , the very end of the first half , takes center stage during the second . He’s from the original home of the detective L , an orphanage of gifted children known as Whammy’s House - and essentially , the goal of the children is to maybe one day live up to L , one person taking his place . Mello !! Is one of the candidates . But he has a permanent chip on his shoulder since Near - the other candidate - always managed to beat him at everything . So when Light Yagami gets his way & L dies , Near and Mello are told that L didn’t choose a successor between them . When the idea that they work together to do just that is brought up , Near ( who honestly really liked Mello ) is like ‘hey! let’s do it’ and Mello ( still angy that Near is always right in front of him ) is like ‘FUCK you I’m gonna catch Kira myself’ and leaves the orphanage . Five years later , he works with the mafia , even getting his hands on a Death Note & with the help of a shinigami ( that he scared the living piss out of ) concludes that a rule that states a human will die if they haven’t written in the notebook in thirteen days is fake . He also like , blackmails the president and orchestrates an explosion that Soichiro Yagami dies after but he gets a wicked ass scar afterwards so it’s okay . Now working with L’s third potential successor , Matt , he spies on Misa Amane and makes connections between the second L ( Light Yagami ) & Kira , deduces that Kiyomi Takada is an accomplice , and kidnaps her to try and expose Kira as Light Yagami - but . . . he dies in the process , and so does Matt . The cool thing is though his discoveries led to Near’s breakthrough in the Kira case ( as he and Near met one last time , where he gives Mello the photo he has here in Alucard ) and Mello kind of gets the last laugh post-mortem . And also a kind of neat thing , his last appearance is as the narrator in the Death Note prequel , the Los Angeles BB murder cases - I’m gonna quote the whole thing in my eventual intro but ! It’s an awesome book and Mello is an awesome narrator . ( dn spoilers end here tyvm )

IN AN ALUCARD NUTSHELL - So Mihael Keehl ( his real name in canon , mind you ) is a twenty year-old runaway from the foster system - also sometimes lived in an orphanage but when he wasn’t , the constant tossing around because of his rebellious tendencies wrecked him . He isn’t employed , not does he actually have an actual home - living in a beat down truck most of the time if he can’t get a motel / hotel room for a night or a few . He makes basic expenses and fills his basic needs by doing odd jobs in exchange for money or favors - stuff like ‘if I do this for you for x amount of days or I get this for you you’ll pay for my phone bill for the next two months’ and that stuff . Basic arrangements . And he knows he can like , maybe try to commit to a job or a home but he’s actually . . . way too fucking scared of being tied down or in a worse situation that’s somehow more stable so the nomad life is kind of what he sticks with . But he’s homeless & it’s not good for him . At all . He’ll never flat-out admit that though which is why he calls himself a drifter . His main reason for being on his own , and refusing any extensive help from anyone outside of these favors , is because he has a point to prove - because that inferiority complex kicks in because the other kids he grew up against are doing amazing things and he wants to do better , and not receive any large amount of help . He just ,,, doesn’t understand he’s not doin’ any good for himself .

BUT OOOOOOOH YOU WANNA PLOT WITH MELLO SO BAD OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

so the biggest connection in the sense that it’s the most open , i mentioned that mello mainly pays for his own expenses ( or more so , gets other people to pay for them ) by doing favors or small jobs in exchange for either money or other forms of payment . so obviously , people he has these arrangements with - they can range from anything , mello is extremely smart ( a thing that comes up is that he has a shit ton of wasted potential ) in the books , technology , the streets and has a bunch of small talents he’s picked up over the years of living on his own ( saving money , sewing and mending / caring for clothes how else is he gonna keep that amazing fashion , cooking with very little ingredients , cleaning with little tools , fixing the kinks / souping up automobiles , ahem sexual stuff , tutoring , sometimes even mild illegal shit , you name it . ) so he can offer these talents / skills / etc . to other people who could use them ( most of the time repeatedly ) and in exchange , the other muses will pay him in cash or by doing things like paying his phone bill , car insurance , health insurance , food / groceries , hotel/motel room for a few nights , or even just offering him a place to use the shower or bathroom or even a bed for certain days of the week . This can also lead to many of the other plots I have listed here in the sense it’s a start , and it can happen with anyone , anywhere , for any reason .

literally the thing w/ mel is that he knows no limits and will do anything for anyone and is hardheaded as fuck about it because he’s got a point to prove and things to do and he won’t waste time refusing but the moment you offer your help in exchange for nothing or you’re trying to hold his hand a little too much and he catches on , the arrangement’s over and you’ll be lucky to see him again .

okay so uh . in that sense ?? maybe ppl who kind of helped him out and he did like . one thing for them and once he got his payment for that one thing he kinda bounced n they never heard from him again for whatever reason . nothing against them but he rly isn’t gonna make a habit of staying in one place for too long . 

obviously , those people that really think he’s gotta give up the ghost of trying to survive like this bc it’s wearing on his health & he doesn’t wanna admit it . and he’s tried shaking them off but he won’t leave and sometimes he’s forced to give into the help they offer but tries making them take a payment back .

old peers that felt whatever way about him back then but feel pity for his wasted potential ( at the moment ) , bc this dude was like . . . a straight-a student and was rly good at a bunch of things and now he’s living the way he is . whatever they wanna do and however they felt about him and how he interacted with them back then Differs but . there’s kind of like ‘damn u live like this’ now . gimme some kids who had crushes on him , kids he was rivals with , kids he got into fights with and maybe socked in the jaw a few times , kids who always admired him , kids who hated his guts - it always comes down to what life is like now vs. what life was like then .

i’d like some friends who were formed from the favors - and maybe they’ve stopped whatever they had with him but they still regularly hang out or something , maybe offer a place to stay for the night . 

just in general ?? people who keep their home open for him and whether he takes them up on their offer on a rare basis .

pls some folks trick him into accepting their help like leave him basket of chocolate candy and trap him or something like just . make it ‘wait what’ deal bc they all know he’s stubborn .

also uh . he’s been arrested for minor offenses a few times so some ppl who’ve bailed him out pls and he’s tryna repay him back .

mentor figures . mentor figures pls he’s trying not to accept their mentor-y guidance from .

so maybe the hero  . . . maybe the one person who was like the l to mello of alucard ( maybe even the Man himself ) that he just . looked up to forever and probably still does .

. . . favor idea ?? maybe he’s a stand-in boyfriend or date for events or somethin’ like mello kinda has that bad boy reputation but maybe he dated them for show on their whim at some point or they have that kinda thing ‘pls pretend to my boyfriend and i’ll let u use my shower every weekend for the next month’ or so .

also , one night stands or friends with benefits he uses only for the bathroom / a place to sleep . folks he’s dated for a period bc he did feel something and therefore he had them as an outlet but then broke up with them ( most likely ?? he was the one who ended it bc he has never known love stability & got spooked on it ending and just - did it on his own accord before he could further get hurt BUT THAT NEVER WORKS and he has hella commitement issues ) and tried to shrug it off as ‘ just another fling ’ even tho he’s highkey sad over it . ppl he’s slept with and then disappears with only a ‘thank you’ note as the evidence he was there . and do they accept it ?? are they pissed over it ?? that is up to You but it’s probably gotten around that mihael keehl has never had a stable relationship and never , ever stays . 

lots of ppl he probs has the above two arrangements or scenarios with bc again , gotta get shit done somehow .

enemies . . . he has an endless grudge with for some reason like maybe they screwed him over , 

i want . . . folks he can eventually get soft with and maybe actually seek that comfort in even tho u gotta chip at the five thousand concrete walls to get to that stage . i want to see him become better and that’s an ultimate goal for him in alucard ( even though it’s gonna be a bit more difficult with his memories returning ) to get better , commit to something , accept stability and get his life on a better track .

and yes , that includes an eventual ship ! really it can build off of any of these dynamics just . give me sneaking in through windows late at night , soft words and gentle kisses and protective hugs and please stay i know you never stay but please stay with me and the thought that maybe he should leave but he doesn’t and they wake up with him after a night and he’s still there and maybe there’s a scare he left like he always does but he made chocolate chip pancakes and he feels safe & alright which is . . . a rare occasion in his messy ass life . maybe something like friends to lovers , fwb to lovers , an old flame , anything this could be fun to do !! end goal though , i’d like something on the softer side that’s healthy and loving because that’s really what he needs . 

( some notes tho bc he’s only twenty i’ll sayyyy max i’ll do the more romantic / spicier stuff with in that aspect is . . . 23 - 24 ?? bc he’s almost 21 like if we put the fact we’re in october into account and his birthday is december 13th that isn’t too far away so . That’s That . he’s also pan as fuck . )

BUT , yes . the main connections / plots there are what i can think of . ik a lot of these are so wordy and i’m sorry bt as always ! i will take literally anything i love plots and i think with what i have for mello there is so much potential in what we can do here .

and as always . give me other death note characters . near or matt specifically would fucking make me cry and i’m here for it .

[princeescaluswords]

Tragedy of the Good Boy

One of the things that attracts me to Scott McCall is how much I can relate to a particular burden his character carries throughout the seasons: the expectation that he has to be better than everyone else on the show.   All the heroic things that Scott does – and they’ve been listed out time and time again – are done consistently without expectation of reward and, in the end, most of them are actually done without reward.   In fact, his attempts to save people often cost him a lot in physical pain, emotional pain, and life opportunities.

Scott’s aware of this, yet he does it anyway because he’s the good boy.

The production starts out establishing his attitude when they introduce him.  He was dedicated to improving himself so he can make first line, but he wouldn’t blow off his best friend to do it.  He won Allison, not through sports prowess, but through kindness.  He offered her a pen when she needed one, and he comforted her when she hits a dog with her car.  His teachers were surprised at the drop in his grades and truancy. Melissa worried that his new behavior wasn’t like him.   Deaton said “You’re literally the least slacking kid in this city.”   He’s presented as a kid who doesn’t act out, even though he had a father who is obviously voluntarily absent from his life and a mother who worked ridiculous hours.  He got up to some hijinks, like playing ball in the house with Stiles, but he didn’t get into any serious trouble.  He’s responsible, he’s compassionate, and he’s moral.

We can reasonably assume these are part of the reason he rejects the idea repeatedly put forward by Peter, Chris, Derek, Gerard, and Deucalion – all the villains really – that he has to abandon this part of himself.   We can reasonably assume it’s why he tries to save Jackson and Lydia and Boyd and Isaac and all the other people he tries to save.  It’s who he is.    

But’s it’s also why he submits to letting Stiles make him his pet super-hero; why the only way he reacts to Derek is to employ him in defeating Gerard and then refuse to follow him after Derek has consistently hurt and betrayed him and tried to murder innocent people; why he doesn’t hold it against his mother when she refuses to talk to him for a week.   It’s why he only expresses his anger at Isaac for moving in on Allison after Isaac has moved into his house and his life when he’s consumed by the darkness of the Nemeton sacrifice.   It’s why he follows Liam into the tunnels under Beacon Hills after Liam nearly beat him to death and only expresses his anger about this terrible betrayal when white boys give him permission to do so.

Because he’s the good boy.   Good boys save people.  Good boys help people. Good boys stuff their fear and their anger down so they can be what everyone else needs rather than what they need.  It’s why he can try to stop Theo from falling for the Surgeon’s taunts even though Theo tried to destroy everything that Scott cherished and even takes a step forward to save Theo from Hell mere moments after Theo tried to kill him once again.

Why is this a tragedy? Because when someone is established as the good boy, the audience comes to expect them to be good, in the same way as when someone is established as a bad boy, the audience comes to expect him to be bad.  Derek feeling up Erica in the hospital isn’t taken as a sign of him being a sexual predator because Derek’s already a bad boy anyway.  After all, he’s been through the metaphorical ringer, so we’re supposed to give him a break. Yet Scott sitting on Allison’s roof to make sure she doesn’t get attacked by the alpha is stalking, because he’s a good boy.   Stiles lying to the entire pack about Donovan, sabotaging the investigation into who was taking the chimeras’ bodies, and allowing himself to be blackmailed by Theo wasn’t taken as a sign of selfish treachery, because Stiles was already a Bad Boy anyway.  After all, he was possessed and his mother died hating him.  Yet Scott not believing Stiles after catching Stiles’ lying to him is a sign of bad leadership and bad friendship, because Bad Boy Stiles can be flawed, but Good Boy Scott must be perfect.  

Fandom sorting these men into these categories is a tragedy because people don’t really work the way those categories require.   There is no biological factor that makes you morally gray, just as there’s no secret blessing from the universe that makes you effortlessly good.   All these things are choices – and sometimes characters make the good choice for which we should cheer, and sometimes characters make the bad choice for which we should hold them responsible. 

In my opinion, the production – I’m not sure whether they did this on purpose but hope springs eternal – focused on this as well.  The longer the show went on, the more they indicated the price of Scott being the good boy by portraying him as trapped by his own virtues.  Think about it: in 5B, there’s not even a single moment when any character wonders if the True Alpha is going to get back up and battle against people who’ve demonstrated that they can defeat him effortlessly.  There’s not a single scene where Scott ponders saying “Fuck it, let Sheriff ‘The Law is the Law until My Son is Involved’ Stilinski deal with the Dread Doctors, I’m moving to San Francisco.”  We get those moments like this for Stiles, for Malia, for Liam, for everyone, but never Scott.  His behavior is taken for granted by ever other character, and even by himself.

In Season 6, they don’t even bother to have Scott try to send Peter back to Eichen House or punch Theo in the throat a few times to balance things out.  In Season 6, there’s not even a moment where Scott contemplates going to UC Davis and letting the adults handle the Anuk-Ite.   Even more telling, not a single character really gives Scott’s future that much thought – Melissa tries half-heartedly in 6B, but she abandons that position as soon as humanly possible.   Malia gets to whine about going to France, and Liam gets to pout about not being able to handle things, yet Scott is not only there to fight the Ghost Riders and Monroe’s crusade, but he also has to give up his position as Lacrosse team captain to focus on his grades, like a Good Boy.  And in the end, giving it up was all for naught, because the show ends with him miserably fighting a war years after he’s graduated.

The worst scene ever is the one where Argent, of all people, goes to Melissa with an evaluation of his father’s plans in 6B, and Melissa – completely unrecognizable as a mother – scolds Argent for even suggesting that Scott’s life is worth more than fighting for a town that is turning against him.   She’d rather see him dead and in the ground than have Scott put himself first for even one second.  I mean, his life has already gone to shit by his 18th birthday, with torture, violation, betrayal, mutilation, a girlfriend murdered and a girlfriend lost, possible forever, so if he gets gunned down in the street like a dog, is it really a big deal?  The whole concept that Scott might have a choice about whether he wants to risk his life and future after everything else he’s done is simply not addressed.   Why should it be?

This is what happens to Good Boys.   If they make the correct choice, if they do what they should do, other people consider them boring, take them for granted, or even worse – when they finally do decide to do something for themselves, it’s seen as a betrayal.   Eventually, they’re not even given a choice; it’s simply what is.  Instead, they’re supposed to be good and do good in the background forever and ever, while the Bad Boys violently scheme or angst uselessly in the foreground.

[pikorinnobu]

I don’t know if you all’ve already known this but about pikorin's cheating news

There’re weird parts in the news.

1.Many parts of the video was obviously cut out.

https://youtu.be/1DTPHgrA800

If it’s a real bad thing why would they cut it out? They’re making the news that says Nobu is bad right? If they cut it out, that means it’s not benefiting them. It might be where he explain everything and they cut it out to make him look bad. His laugh could also mean there's nothing and he doesn't understand why he was asked about it. 

He also confirm that it’s “___ko-san desu” He said it confidently there, like there’s nothing going on. The only part that he didn’t answer was about his wife which is because they decide not to publish their marriage. 

And after the STALKER tabloid reporter consistently follow him all along the way to the extent that they both start to get exhausted, asking all those private matters for so long, Nobu still being unbelievably polite with that stalker tabloid reporter. Normal people would be mad right? At the end of video the reporter ask “you're so famous nowadays, aren’t you”, he humbly answer that he's not and he'll continue to work hard. I saw Japanese youtuber react to this video, he also think like me. Nobu is toooo polite with this tabloid reporter, and he just answer almost everything when he can just ignore it!! That tabloid reporter might think Oh he’s such an easy target, let’s get more of him TT

2. Contradict content in the news

https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/36761?page=3

The news say Nobu walk from hotel to train station to drop her off then go back around that area to meet up with other seiyuus at a restaurant and after that his wife come to restaurant and they go home together.

Isn’t that sound sweet though? And

Why would he meet up with the girl near the place his friends and his wife are coming, if he really want to cheat?

The news said Nobu were very wary of surrounding when he went out shopping with his wife(since their marriage aren’t publicised) but he's walking openly freely in the picture of him with the woman he’s accused to be cheating with. 

It's strange isn't it. Walking like it’s nothing to hide. For cheating, if they’re seen, it’s the end. So it really doesn’t make sense at all for him to just go to love hotel there out of all love hotel in Tokyo. This make the picture seems more like a set up. 

My assumption is, they couldn't get anything from that video (bcoz ...ko-san is obviously only his friend) so they set him up with another woman to get those pictures to sell their tabloid news.  Nobu could be just walking pass that hotel with that girl, as you might’ve seen in many dramas: the girl lead the target to pass by some love hotel and have paparazzi shot them in front of hotel and use the picture to blackmail. Maybe Nobu was just asked to tell direction to train station and fell into this trap. 

So then why does he say sorry if he didn’t cheat? it could be that he feel sorry that he's not careful enough. maybe after the stalker reporter came he didn't take serious action, maybe he think he has already explained everything so it’ll be ok. He wouldn't have thought that he would later be set up and become a big news like this. and this news obviously hurt people around him. His wife, his fans, his family, his character he has voiced. That's what he feels sorry for. That's why he didn't mention he did cheated. (and those people I mentioned are from what Nobu said in all apology video. he sincerely feel sorry for everyone having to hurt because of him) He's the type who feel very responsible for everything, to me who’ve known him for almost 10 years, it seems like he is carrying this whole matter alone coz he probably think it's his fault for not being careful enough and hurts everyone. That's why he apologised again and again everywhere he appeared for weeks. And that's why everyone around him continue to work with him. those around him know him better than we do. Japanese fans who understand Japanese and its the context much better than we do and know how tabloid reporters do their work in j-entertainment world better than we foreigner would understand, they(Japanese fans) continue support him and give him a lot of encouragement in his blog. I don’t think they’re too kind or blind. They’ve thought through this and decide to believe in him. This is another possible story I want to share. I hope anyone who read this will consider about these weird parts of the news too.

also the word “prostitute” that many site’ve translated the news like that. It’s wrong. It’s a massage service girl, not sex service girl. 

please don’t quickly spread the news without checking TT Japanese word are very complicated. It can have so many meanings.

and Tabloids are cunning. 

if anyone wanna translate any tabloid news, you have to translate the whole thing. or else it will lead to misunderstanding coz that is what they want. They always write about accusation as big as they could and write about something that could deduct that accusation as minimal as possible that if you don’t read the whole news carefully you can be misled. Even if you read the whole thing you could still be misled. These tabloid always do it this way. 

I also feel  quite frustrated that he should tell us if he really didn’t do anything. but he later post he’s sorry for writing the letter like that. I guess he also regret that he didn’t tell us more directly. there must be situation we don’t understand his decision to post it like that. his agency statement also say it’s just massage girl. With all these and the pitfall I mentioned above, I’m more convinced that he is set up to look like he’s having affair.

I’m sorry anime fans who might not want to know about this but I heard there’re misunderstandings in the fandom. Please excuse me a little. I can’t endure this misunderstanding anymore. sorry to disturb your tl  / \

[gascon-en-exil]

Joining the Game Late: S7E5 “Eastwatch”

Synopsis

Jaime and Bronn surface. Dany offers terms of surrender, but Randyll won’t take them because xenophobia so she invites him and his son to a barbecue instead. Cersei is pissed that Olenna went out quietly. Jon pets Drogon - foreshadowing! - and also Jorah is back. Bran sees the dead marching on Eastwatch, and Sam has little luck getting the Citadel to give a damn about it. Varys drinks his doubts and Tyrion has a stupid idea that everyone’s on board with. The Stark sisters resume their old friction. The Lannister brothers have a meeting courtesy of Davos and Bronn, and Cersei knew but now she wants to be clever because she’s got another twincest baby on the way. Davos finds Gendry, and they almost get out of King’s Landing with bribes of money and crab aphrodisiac until Tyrion’s arrival necessitates that Gendry break out the hammer. Gendry’s also not into hiding himself around Jon, and they bond over their dead fathers(?). Sam steals some scrolls from the Restricted Section and flees with Citadel with his family after Gilly reads to him from a record of foreshadowing and bowel movements. Now Arya’s watching Littlefinger and sneaking into his room to find an incriminating scroll, but he knows that she knows. The Brotherhood is going north of the Wall too, and it’s awkward reunions all around in the fellowship of...breathing.

Commentary

Now we’re in the setup for a heist movie? Huh?

This is the turning point of Season 7′s main plot, where it pivots from the back-and-forth war between two queens for the Iron Throne toward the threat everyone faces in the form of ice zombies descending on Westeros. That’s not inherently a bad idea given the form the conflict escalation of the final season takes, but the execution is bizarre to say the least. It all hinges on Tyrion’s absolutely ridiculous idea of bringing a wight back from north of the Wall to prove to Cersei that the threat in real and they should all work together, and yet in a conversation with Jaime Cersei admits that their recent losses to Daenerys have already placed her in a more diplomatic mood. Shouldn’t Tyrion or Varys or somebody else have figured out that that was likely to happen with Cersei backed into a corner, with or without the whole proof of undead angle? Naturally she’d be expected to have some underhanded way of killing them all, but it’s strange that Dany uses her recent victory to gain a bunch of new followers (and roast some C listers - they really could have written Dickon out rather than recast him with how little he did this season) but won’t leverage it to discuss a temporary alliance with Cersei against the Night King.

And yes, the result is that Jon forms a crack team of not-dead men to venture beyond the Wall, composed of a random assortment of moderately-developed characters from all manner of storylines. I appreciate that Beric points out that all of them have tried to kill or been allies with people who’ve tried to kill each other in the past, but while I enjoyed the plotline pileup in Dany’s war council at the start of the season I’m less sure of it here. For one thing her new allies made some sense in coming together, as all of them were major political players with a vendetta against the Lannisters. Here it’s just a bunch of guys from all walks of life meeting semi-randomly for an expedition, some of whom have little to no knowledge of what it is they’re planning to do. I guess Gendry and the Brotherhood get filled in between scenes? One could also make an observation about the demographics of these two groups. Daenerys’s allies were principally women and physically marginalized men, representing - for lack of a better word - progressive stances: slavery is bad, women can be rulers, one’s grandchildren should not be imprisoned by religious fanatics and then blown up because one of them likes it up the ass, etc. Jon’s team by contrast is entirely male, no eunuchs and dwarfs and (probably) all straight unless they have to huddle together for warmth, and setting out on a mission not unlike the subject matter of certain male-dominated movie genres. That may not have intentional per se, but given the flak the show’s ending received for what it said about women and specifically women in positions of power it’s not a great look in hindsight.

Honestly I’m more invested in the Winterfell storyline at this point, which remains as more or less the only subplot that hasn’t been welded to something bigger yet. Sansa and Arya pick up their disdain for each other’s priorities right where they left off, making for a refreshingly mundane bit of sibling interactions that will nonetheless have major consequences. I didn’t pause and read the note that Arya found in Littlefinger’s room, but online commentary tells me that it’s the letter that Cersei had forced Sansa to write to Robb asking him to bend the knee to Joffrey. I take it that’s going to be the basis for a blackmail plot, or something to that effect.

[racefortheironthrone]

Thoughts on House of X #6

The penultimate issue!

While You Slept, the World Changed:

Before I get into the content, let me say that I think Hickman et al. really brought it with their two final issues, which are some of the best of the miniseries. 

Showing Hickman’s love of circular storytelling, we flash back to the speech from the very first page of House of X #1, where Xavier announced the formation of Krakoa. The always-frustrating timeline is cleared up a little: Xavier’s speech happened a month ago, although we know from that same issue that work had been going on on Krakoa for “months” before the announcement - more evidence that the schedule was important.

Despite this all of this preparation, Xavier takes a moment before the speech to ask Moira and Magneto to join him for this “leap of faith,” which requires “total commitment.” (Which is interesting, given Namor’s questioning of same.) Moira agrees quickly, but then hangs back and watches, as is her wont (as we’ll see in Powers of X #6). 

By contrast, Magneto makes a significant shift from his earlier pledge of unrelenting accountability to burying the hatchet completely (I love how “all the anger at the other’s relentless ideology and unyielding persistence” so perfectly describes both men) and promises his complete support (and possibly more, depending on how you interpret the hand-on-hand-on-shoulder panel) going forward. That’s a big moment for the two of them.

And then we get Xavier’s speech in full, which I’m going to do my best to annotate. 

“Humans of the planet Earth...I am the mutant Charles Xavier and I bring you a message of hope. ”

The first thing I’ll note is that we’re already seeing a rather significant change in Xavier’s behavior: for decades, Charles Xavier refused to come out of the closet as a mutant even when asked directly, and only did so in New X-Men when possessed by Cassandra Nova. Here, he’s straightforwardly describing himself as “the mutant Charles Xavier,” putting his group identity before even his name.

Secondly, there’s an interesting tinge of classic sci-fi in the way that Xavier addresses “humans of the planet Earth” - it’s very reminiscent of The Day The Earth Stood Still - and I wonder whether part of this has to do with the so far largely unspoken Krakoan ambition of beating humanity to the Moon, to Mars, and the stars themselves.

“In the coming days, you will learn of several far-reaching pharmaceutical breakthroughs that have been discovered by mutant scientists. These drugs extend human life, heal disease of the mind, and will prevent - or cure - most common maladies. Influenza, Alzheimer’s, ALS, many cancers...gone. Overnight. These drugs will make life on this planet...better. Remarkably so.”

First, this is very much of a part of Hickman’s technocratic futurism from his F.F run, which I have to imagine often leads to a bit of frustration with the editorial mandate not to use super-science to make the world unrecognizable.

At the same time, I’m all the more convinced that the point of this proffer (in addition to buying U.N votes and diplomatic recognition) isn’t to mess with human biology - I think the drugs actually do what’s advertized, rather than mind-controlling people or activating the X-gene - but rather (according to what we learn in Powers of X #6) to dull the drive to achieve post-humanity, solving humanity’s problems but leaving the source out of their hands. This is a theme that featured quite heavily in the finale to Hickman’s Transhuman.

“All this...we have made for you. In the past they would have been a gift. Something freely given by me -- to you -- because I believed it would create harmony between our two peoples. That was my dream -- harmony -- but you have taught me a harsh lesson: that dream was a lie. You see, all I ever wanted was peace between humans and mutants. All I ever wanted was to love you and for you to love us.”

Here’s a great example of how comics can use text and imagery in different ways. Visually, what this page shows us is different levels of humanity: ordinary people in a hospital room, who see Xavier’s speech as a message of hope, the promise of deliverance from disease; a board room full of businessmen who probably see either opportunity or competition, depending on their market position; and a situation room of national security types who represent human power structures that have always viewed mutants as a threat.

At the same time, I think the text is an answer, if not a rebuke, to those fans who’ve been decrying Charles Xavier as acting “out of character” or spinning conspiracy theories about how it’s actually the Maker or the like. This is clearly the same Charles Xavier, who has come to change his mind about his vision of society, because he’s seen how humans have responded over again. (I think it also gets at one of the problems of grounding the X-Men in a “dream” of harmonious co-existence when genre conventions prevent that dream from ever coming to fruition. Especially given how the serial nature of comics leads to repetitions of “anti-mutant hysteria,” it’s not surprising how much of the fandom have shifted to a “Magneto Was Right” perspective.)

“We wanted to save you -- and we did, many times -- but in return, all you did was stand by while evil men killed our children. Over 16 million of them. So there will be no gift...for you have not earned it. We will -- however -- let you pay for it. In return for two things, we will provide you with the means to have a better life. One without pain or suffering and full of hope -- and it will cost you so little.”

Here, instead of constrasts, the text and images are working in concert, with the art giving pointed examples of whom Xavier is referring to - pointing to the Avengers as “stand[ing] by while evil men killed our children” (given that the Avengers tend to specialize in threats to the planet, but have had a decidely mixed record when it comes to threats to mutants specifically, to say nothing of the fallout from the Scarlet Witch’s actions), or the Fantastic Four as having “not earned” his “gifts,” given that the FF haven’t exactly been at the forefront of applying scientific advancement to specifically mutant concerns. Similarly, Doctor Strange was willing to brave the dangers of hell to bring the city of Las Vegas back from the dead, but didn’t do the same for the victims of Genosha.

At the same time, it becomes clear that what Xavier is getting at isn’t just direct complicity in anti-mutant violence, but the broader systemic problems of human apathy towards anti-mutant violence. (Although, to be fair, he’s bringing this up as, essentially, emotional blackmail to justify his economic policies and his political demands.)

On a different topic, it’s interesting that Xavier is offering something of a utopia for humanity - “a better life...without pain or suffering and full of hope” - but may instead be planning to put humanity inside a walled garden where they will be cared for but kept out of mutant-kind’s way.

“First, you must accept the island of Krakoa as the nation-state of all mutants on this planet. We will happily go through the same process as any newly formed nation with the U.N, but there is an expectation that our sovereignty will be recognized. Second, all mutants -- by birth -- can claim Krakoan citizenship. And with that citizenship, we expect a period of amnesty. So that those who have been singled out as criminals -- or punished and imprisoned by humans -- can overcome man’s bias against mutants.”

So here we get Xavier’s main political ask: international recognition of Krakoan sovereignty, mutant citizenship, and amnesty for mutants in prison.

It’s clear from his tone, however, that Krakoa is going through the “same process as any newly formed nation” mostly as a formality, with “an expectation that our sovereignty will be recognized” - both because humanity needs what Xavier is offering and the unspoken fact of mutant power.

One thing that caught my eye is that the citizenship/amnesty isn’t just a one-for-one copy of Israel’s law of return; given the heavy focus on human judicial system’s “bias against mutants,” it also borrows heavily from the 1966 platform of the Black Panther Party, which called for “freedom for all Black men held in federal, state, county and city prisons and jails,” because they had been denied a trial by jury of their peers.

“From this day forward, mutants will be judged by mutant law, not man’s. These are our simple demands, and they are not negotiable. In return for making our lives better, we will do the same for you. And if you find yourselves asking, who are these mutants to think they can dictate terms to us? We are the future. An evolutionary inevitability. The Earth’s true inheritors. You closed your eyes last night believing this world would be yours forever. That was your dream. And like mine...it was a lie. Here is a new truth: while you slept, the world changed.”

Here’s where we get a firm statement of mutant-kind’s manifest destiny, although how accurate a description of “evolutionary inevitability” it might be is up for debate, given what we learn about Moira’s Sixth Life in the next issue. No wonder that Magneto is eating it up, but Moira seems more ambivalent.

One important thing to note: as the art demonstrates, ORCHIS is very much in operation when Xavier makes his announcement. Rather than being a response to a more militant and separatist Krakoa, their motivations are much more driven by eugenic fears of demographic replacement, which is way less defensible. 

Quiet Council of Krakoa Infographic:

In the wake of Powers of X #6, we now have to ask ourselves whether the (un-elected, possibly temporary) Quiet Council is, if not a Potemkin government (this would be a bit much, given what they get up to in this issue), but perhaps not the only locus of authority on Krakoa.

In addition to continuing the naturalistic themes of Krakoa, I wonder whether the Autumn/Winter/Spring/Summer designations suggest a kind of rotating chair system for a council in which all are supposedly equal...but who is primus inter pares? Xavier is acting as speaker, setting out the agenda and moving the action along, but he’s not the only voice in the room - a sign that he is sharing power to a significant extent.

So let’s talk about the membership of the Quiet Council:

Autumn: here we have the three ideological leaders whose ideas have led to the formation of Krakoa (although Apocalypse’s contributions are less public), and potentially Moira’s exes (although we never learn whether Moira was romantically involved with Magneto in her Eighth Life). 

Winter: is “where we parked all of the problem mutants” other than Magneto. Mostly, this seems to be on the basis of both necessity and “better inside the tent pissing out than outside the tent pissing in.” One question I have is whether Exodus, as someone who used to basically worship Magneto, is a vote that Magneto can count on, since clearly he and Sinister aren’t on the same page, and Mystique is very much on her own.

Spring: here is Emma’s quid-pro-quo, and a recognition that the economic and foreign policy might of the Hellfire Corporation has to be represented within the governing structure of Krakoa. Given the structure (down to the very seating), I have to think that Xavier and Magneto had always planned for the third vote that Emma demanded. It’s also quite notable in later deliberations how limited Sebastian Shaw’s influence is on the Council. 

Summer: as we might expect, given who’s extending the invitations, Xavier gives three seats to “my children,” which gives Xavier at least four votes that he can count on - although Ororo, Jean, and Kurt clearly have their own minds and priorities. As the Krakoan national project continues, counting votes will only become more important.

Speaking of which, we can’t forget about Krakoa and Cypher. While not formally one of the twelve, they are nonetheless a powerful influence who have a voice if not a vote on the Council. And ultimately Krakoa’s voice is quite loud, because the whole enterprise cannot happen without its consent.

The Great Captains:

So here we see the division of civilian and military government, with the “great captains..assum[ing] the responsibility of defending the state” during “times of conflict or war.” 

The more curious question to me is what counts as a “state-related excursion” - it would seem to cover X-Men missions like the one at Sol’s Forge and at the ORCHIS facility in X-Men #1, but does it mean that Kate Pryde wouldn’t be in charge of her own vessel if Bishop steps on board? Does it cover X-Force clandestine operations, or would plausible deniability be important? Who does X-Force report to?

Cyclops as first among equals makes sense, although it does raise a question of what happens when you have two other captains in the field.

So Bishop makes sense as a head of whatever the name of the agency in charge of resurrection-related investigations is (possibly X-Factor), but I was surprised to see him show up in Marauders #1.

I wonder what Magik’s role as a Captain is supposed to be, especially since it seems she’ll be heading off to space in New Mutants. Down the line, I’m going to guess she’ll be involved in Krakoa’s version of Inferno, but what’s her intended role supposed to be?

Finally, what’s Gorgon’s role as Captain supposed to be.

The First Laws of Our Nation

Before I get into the content of this section, I want to talk about the beautiful panelling here that starts wide, shrinks down to the nine panel grid as the political debate intensifies, and then opens up again once the decision is made. 

Similarly, I like the use of the two key symbols: the X of the chairs and the sigil on the ground (secular authority), Krakoa’s face looming over them all like a heart tree (spiritual authority)

Given what we learn in Powers of X #6 about why various council members was chosen, describing three of the four seasons as “family, friends, and allies” is highly ironic.

Sabertooth is removed from watery confinement - which, if Krkaoa can just hold people in water bubbles for an extended period, why isn’t that the punishment used late? - and Kurt sets an appropriately Biblical tone by noting that “our first bit of business is the oldest kind on this planet...judgement.” (Appropriately for Kurt’s themes, the judgement in question also centers on how to punish the first murder in this new land, and ends with exile.) Also, for those of you keeping track of how much Krakoan justice accords with human conceptions of justice, I will point out that Sabertooth comes out of the bubble threatening his judges/jury, which is never a good look for a defendant.

So let’s talk about the trial:

One of the things that jump out to me immediately is that it’s interesting seeing Magneto in the role of an idealist - “this is the establishment of a nation...and I would have it be one of laws.” - whereas Xavier’s acting as the pragmatist, acknowledging that “I cannot say everyone here best represents the ideals of what any society should be based on,” but that they have to do the best with what they’ve got. Ultimately, I think this is a tension at the heart of all national projects.

Meanwhile, we get precisely three speakers in before conflict erupts: Sinister is a camp shit-stirrer who (publicly, anyway) really only partakes in the meeting to poke at Xavier and Exodus. Meanwhile, showing how little bloc voting there will be in the “problem mutant” camp, Exodus goes right for direct threats, prompting Sinister to propose criminalizing “mutant-on-mutant violence” (again, the political resonances here are obvious), not because he believes murder is wrong but because he’s enjoying trolling Exodus.

Showing how much Krakoan technology and the...unique worldviews of the Council members are going to produce new forms of political philosophy, Aopcalypse opposes Sinister’s motion, because he doesn’t think it should be “a crime to kill someone who cannot be killed,” since killing mutants is now a non-lethal way of testing them for social Darwinian worthiness. 

This clearly does not track with Storm’s morality, and in a rare moment in HOXPOX where we get to see Jean Grey operating as a forceful political presence, she uses Storm’s interjection to pivot to an appeal to “the highest of ideals” (perhaps aiming her words at Magneto as well as her fellow X-Men) that it should be the “highest crime...killing someone who cannot come back.” (This is more in line with her more recent appearances in X-Men: Red.) Thus, the Second Law of Krakoa is established...without actually taking a vote. It seems that the Council operates on the basis that any proposal not actively objected to becomes law, which I imagine the political scientists out there have some thoughts on.

Before the law passes, Mystique raises the question of self-defense against human aggression (which fits her first X-appearance nicely). Showing how much his earlier views have shifted now that he’s operating in the context of a mutant nation-state, Magneto distinguishes between “murder” and killing “done in defense of a nation,” and while that question is formally tabled, it does suggest an exception for formal armed conflict at least in the founder’s intent.

Supporting my theory that he’s going to be the de-facto Chairman or Speaker, Xavier not only drives the agenda (although he’s not alone in this, Magneto is definitely acting in this capacity), but also makes sure to “call the question,” deciding when proposals become law as long as no one objects.

Another point wrt to the justness of this process: well before he’s found guilty, let alone sentence is passed, Sabertooth threatens murder and cannibalism against his judges...which isn’t a persuasive defense against murder charges (even if he’s just threatening the murder of mutants...which isn’t legal AFAWK, just not as illegal as the murder of humans.)

A nice bit of character work, and another rare rmoment where we see Jean’s power in action, Emma and Jean collaborate to silence Sabertooth’s ranting. 

With the Second Law established, and Sabertooth’s trial technically in abeyance, the Council moves on to “any new business.”

As we might expect from a neoliberal robber baron, Sebastian Shaw calls for “property rights, wealth, currency,” to be legislated for next.

In an interesting turn of events, Doug Ramsey interjects that “Krakoa is alive. Not a place, or a biome -- a person.” Krakoan (real) property rights will have to have a decidedly non-capitalist orientation, because as we see further in Marauders #1, in addition to not having rights in the land, you have to ask for Krakoa’s consent in order to build grow a house.

In a development I didn’t see coming, Storm takes the position that  that mutants can still own property, but “it has to be...out there...in the world. No one has said we have to run from it.” This is somewhat more capitalist than I might expect from Storm, but it does make sense that someone with her particular entanglements in the wider world would take a less isolationist position. This raises an interesting question: if mutants own property in a sovereign nation, and they decide to plant Habitat flowers on their property, does that make that property now part of Krakoa?

Doug’s position gets supported by Exodus (in a characteristically religious tone), and Xavier once again calls the question, creating the Third Law of Krakoa. For those of us keeping track of the colonial theme, it is interesting that this largely European-led nation state has taken a legal position on land ownership that’s much more associated with indigenous peoples. 

Befitting her role as the true power in the Hellfire Trading Company, Emma Frost tables the discussion of economic legislation, due in no small part to it impinging on Krakoan diplomacy and international economic policy.

With a decidely mocking air aimed at her son, Mystique shifts the agenda from the secular to the sacred. After a moment’s thought, Kurt who fires back with the original “manifest destiny” out of Genesis (the first creation), and we get the First Law: “make more mutants.” In addition to continuing the very horny feel of the issue, this law raises a set of interesting questions about Krakoan attitudes with regard to the right to choose, access to family planning services, and sexuality - although as Hickman has pointed out, the implications of an egg-based system for (re)growing people point in completely different directions. Why assume Krakoa will follow human social mores in any area?

With the fundamental laws established, the Quiet Council can now decide how to apply them to Sabertooth:

In an example of how subtly powerful agenda-setting can be, Xavier makes the question of voting guilty or not guilty a question of “making an example...that no one is above mutant law” or “giving you one last chance.” Fitting his somewhat collectivist bent in Powers of X #1, he frames this question not in terms of the civil rights of “Mr. Creed,” but in terms of how the decision “benefits our new society.”

While it doesn’t quite settle the post facto question, Magneto argues that Sabertooth’s killing of the Damage Control guards violatted the “strict instructions” he was given when Magneto dispatched him on the mission, making it not merely a question of the First Law but also of obedience to the chain of command. Apocalypse, who knows something about managing an aggressive workforce, agrees.

Sinister and Exodus, for once, are on the same page, and while Mystique ultimately goes along with the emerging majority, her body posture and dialogue suggests a degree of internal conflict - after all, she was the one leading the mission, so some responsibility falls on her shoulders.

Turning to the X-Men side of the room: as befits his spiritual role, Kurt feels shame for not turning the other cheek, Jean takes a moment but is more assured, and of course Storm has no problem with a bit of divine judgement.

Continuing the trend of divisions among the Hellfire Club, Emma is all about getting rid of Sabertooth, while Sebastian goes along with the emerging consensus because he doesn’t care. 

And once again proving that a defendant representing themselves is always a bad idea, before all the votes are in (and we don’t know whether Krakoan juries require a unanimous verdict) or the sentence is given out, Sabertooth threatens familicide of the Quiet Council. Not exactly a strong argument for leniency, since Sabertooth hasn’t exactly been pleading innocence at any point. 

Finally, Doug asks Krakoa to bring the hammer down, and Sabertooth is dragged down to hell put into an oubliette. As Xavier explains, “we cannot send you back into the world” (because Sabertooth is a serial killer who can’t restrain himself, and Krakoa just promised the world it would hold mutants accountable for their actions), they won’t jail him because “we tolerate no prisons here” (this seems a technicality), they won’t kill him, because seemingly the “resurection protocols” are non-optional (which is interesting, given what we learn about Destiny in the next issue), and so they “exile him.”  

One interesting question: given the resources available to them, why is it necessary to leave him “aware but unable to act on it” rather than have him be unconscious during stasis? My guess is that Xavier wants to motivate Sabertooth to “redeem” himself down the line. 

And then finally, we get Xavier’s concluding statement, where I think Hickman’s views on nation-states (“it’s distasteful, I know, this business of running a nation”), the proper attitudes one should have about holding and exercising political power (”I pray we never get used to it...never grow cold from it...never learn to love it”), and even parenthood come through.

Just Look At What We’ve Made:

But in the meantime, the council emerges to what almost everyone has analogized to the Return of the Jedi celebration: not only do we see bonfires and fireworks and a riot of color everywhere, but we see mutants flying around, using their powers, for the first time really feeling that they can live as mutants without fear for their lives.

As the Quiet Council walk down the steps, we see some of the reasons why and the consequences: the Five party as one, but near them we see the formerly dead raising a glass with the living. And echoing Magneto’s earlier statements about how Krakoa will change the way mutants see their own powers, we see Siryn and Dazzler combining their powers for the purposes of culture rather than warfare or high tech.

Xavier’s final message is that the Quiet Council will work like hell to ensure that the next generation of mutants “sleep in soft fields of lush green, staring at the stars and dreaming of a future where they hold those stars in their hands.” Once again, a sign that Krakoa’s manifest destiny lies in space, a common theme of Hickman’s from his FF run. As this happens, we see three of the O5 goofing around (I’m surprised how many people didn’t notice that Bobby had frozen Warren’s drink while he wasn’t looking), and Exodus leading storytime with the children as Sinister watches in the background.

But that’s not what people are really here for - as nice as it is to see Broo and Synch and Skin and Pixie, what people really care about is the Jean/Logan/Scott panel. As the now infamous architectural diagram in X-Men #1 makes very clear, this is not a case of a mere open marriage: the most famous romantic triangle in X-Men history is now a throuple, founded on the principle of beer and tummy rubs. 

Almost as exciting for much of the fandom is the next page, where Jean goes to make peace with Emma while Scott hangs out with Alex. One of the big questions going on is what Emma’s role is in the polycule, since she doesn’t seem to be living at the Summer House. My guess is that Emma is “part of it” (to quote David S. Pumpkins), but may only be with Scott, and definitely would refuse point-blank to share communal living quarters with Logan. We will have to wait for more evidence to be sure.

And so we end with Xavier and Magneto looking out over the celebration, taking a moment to feel (rightly?) proud of “what we have made.” And yet, all is not well, because Apocalypse, the third ideological force who (through Moira) helped to create Krakoa, broods on what he lost when Krakoa was born.

Krakoa Infographic:

With Krakoa now extant as a nation-state, we get one more infographic...that shows us that there is a Krakoa Atlantic to go along with Krakoa Pacific. This points to an important truth about this new polity - it would be a mistake to see Krakoa as an island nation like Genosha or Utopia, because the nation of Krakoa exists wherever the physical entity of Krakoa exists. It’s in the Pacific and the Atlantic, it’s on the moon, it’s on Mars, it’s everywhere a Krakoan flower has been planted. Which makes it a post-geographic power.

So what’s on Krakoa Atlantic?

The Pointe is one of Xavier’s Cerebro back-up locations, so that an attack on Krakoa Pacific won’t destroy the database. 

Danger Island is the X-Men’s new and expanded training facility.

Transit allows for instant transportation between Pacific and Atlantic to allow the X-Men to respond to a threat to either island or cradle, and possibly a final keep to fall back to if everything else is lost.

And finally we get one last map of Krakoa (All), and there’s a lot we don’t know about these locations:

The House of X and the House of M are Xavier and Magneto’s residences, and the location of one of the Cerebro “cradles.”

The Arbor Magna is the big tree where the Resurrection system is located in/on.

The Arena we don’t know anything about, but from the name it suggests that it’s a combat-oriented location, either for training or for entertainment purposes. 

The Akademos Habitat is almost certainly Krakoa’s educational facility that Jean mentions back in House of X #1, but the fact that it’s a Habitat is interesting, because a Krakoan Habitat is a ”self-sutained environment” of its own that is “part of the interconnected consciousness of Krakoa,” and I had thought that having a Habitat on Krakoa itself, as opposed to one out on the moon or Mars would be redundant. My guess is that this is meant to provide an additional layer of safety to the next generation of mutants.

We saw Transit back in House of X #1, this Transit location is the Grand Central Station for Greater Krakoa, linking all gateway locations together. Yet another sign that, for Krakoa, their nation has a different conception of distance. 

The Oracle is, I would guess, probably one of the Krakoan Systems, most likely either Sage’s or Beast’s part of the system.

I don’t know what the Grove is supposed to be, but given its proximity to the Akademos Habitat, I think it’s supposed to be a living space, possibly just for the young and possibly not. 

The Cradle, it turns out, is just a cradle.

The Resevoir could be that lagoon we saw back in House of X #1, which would make sense if the Wild Hunt is a nature preserve, because animals love to congregate at watering holes.

The Carousel’s name suggests it’s an entertainment facility. 

We know what Bar Sinister is from its last appearance; it turns out that Sinister recreated his little island Edwardian eugenics nightclub on Krakoa. Interesting that it’s locsated so close to Transit; maybe Sinister wants to be able to make a quick getaway.

Speaking of the fruits of faustian bargains, it turns out that the quid-pro-quo for becoming the economic engine of a nation is that the Hellfire Trading Company gets a whole Hellfire Bay to itself as its headquarters. 

Red Keep is almost certainly Kate Pryde’s new pad, which is conveniently ocean-ajacent for our newest mutant pirate privateer queen.

Blackstone is Sebastian Shaw’s Gilded Age “gentleman’s” club.

The White Palace is naturally Emma’s boudoir, complete with buzzsaws and spikes. 

The unnamed location 18 is clearly Moira’s No-Space.