#and he's bad at dealing with them

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Conceal, don't feel, don't let it show.

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[landedinpayne]

love the difference in charles’s & crystal’s initial reaction to finding out edwin was in hell. we have crystal who was like HELL? HE SPENT DECADES IN HELL? versus charles who was like whoa mate that’s sick oh also we’re married for eternity now lol fyi

[myuminji]

9 days, 12 dead.

[blorbologist]

Y'know, I think I figured out why the Hells still feel like a new low-level party to me, even though they're level 13 and almost 100 episodes in.

I don't quite think it's the lack of conversations, or the fact half the party's plot hooks are big ties to past campaigns - though that definitely plays a part.

... Bell's Hells still primarily rely on quest givers.

Most of their goals are given to them and do not feel organic to the party, and constantly remind us that the Hells are pretty much never the most powerful people in the room. Which is usually something you see with a low-level party.

NPCs offering jobs is not a bad thing; it's a very common plot hook. Matt has been extremely skilled with using NPC quest givers in those two campaigns. Not only do they provide an obvious plot thread, but they can put the party in the path of others (say, the Nein running into the Iron Shepherds while doing a job for the Gentleman and everything that came of that). And the Hells had a solid start with it too - Eshteross was an excellent quest giver!

The problem is that Bell's Hells have never really not had a quest giver.

Maybe it's a byproduct of the more plot-heavy structure of this campaign? But while prior parties have felt like they decided on their course of action and what they prioritized, Bell's Hells feels less like level 13 (13! Level 13!) experienced adventurers and more like an MMO group clicking on the exclamation point over an NPC's head. Where does the plot demand we go next? Who do we report back to?

They're level 13.

At level 13, Vox Machina had just defeated a necromantic city-state to clear their name and Percy's conscience. And, you know, the Conclave just destroyed Emon. No one was explicitly telling the group to gather Vestiges and save the world (though Matt guided them there), and they were usually among the most powerful people in the room. They chose which Vestiges to prioritize, which dragons to tackle when, even if the over-all plot was pretty clear.

At level 13, the Mighty Nein were celebrating Traveler Con (another PC goal, I'll note) after brokering peace between two nations, accidentally becoming pirates and heroes of the Dynasty. The Nein regularly chose what to do based on personal goals, not grand ones. Though definitely smaller fish than Vox Machina at this level, they were very independent and gaining solid political clout.

While we're at it: level 13 is one level lower than the Ring of Brass, who had a huge amount of sway over Avalir. They ended the world, and also saved it, while in the grand scheme of things being only a smidge more powerful than Bell's Hells are now.

Can you really see the Hells wielding that amount of influence, when they're constantly being told what to do next?

The god-eater might be unleashed, so Bell's Hells have no time to do anything but what is asked of them. No time for therapy unless stolen from Feywild time, no travel on foot and late-night watches. They haven't even had time to grieve FCG. Percy was grieved in the middle of the Conclave arc. Molly was grieved when half the party was still in irons.

Matt is in the very unfortunate spot of not being able to give the Hells the same agency as the other two parties. Not only because of the world-ending plot introduced so early on; they are surrounded by characters they know (and the cast knows) are stronger and wiser than them - the familiarity of the past PCs and NPCs is to their disadvantage.

Why would the party reasonably ignore Keyleth's task that will help save the world and go off on a romp? Why would the cast when they know well Keyleth has to be sensible and with the best intentions in mind? The stakes are just too high.

It means that the Hells still feel like they're running errands instead of pursuing their own destiny. Their accomplishments are diminished as just being parts of a to-do list, and any stakes feel padded by several level 20 PCs/NPCs standing 5 steps away ready to catch them.

This isn't Bell's Hell's fault, nor is it Matt's. It could be amended, I think, if the Hells are really left to their own devices for a long period of time without support and shortcuts (like during the party split)... which would be really tricky to pull off at this point in the campaign.

They're level 13. They're big fish, but they're stuck in a pond full of friendly sharks, so they don't feel big at all.

[bacchuschucklefuck]

space sweepers but they're delivery people and are at no point on screen through the entire movie

[ruporas]

in a mood (ID in alt)

[clairenatural]

okay but you see sam has ALSO fallen for dean's act. sam also believes dean to be the macho, daddy's soldier, beer boobs cars guy he presents himself as. this is why sam makes fun of dean whenever he even lightly steps out of that mold and thinks it's harmless banter instead of attacking an insecurity. it's why he laughs when john talks down to dean in the early seasons and it's why he seems surprised when dean is more comfortable with himself in the later seasons. it's why he just scoffs but doesn't push it when dean puts up a front and refuses to talk about his emotions and just accepts whatever excuse he makes at face value. it's why he offers dean a strip club to make him feel better when cas dies. and this isn't his fault!! dean has spent a very long time perfecting this image in front of everyone and ESPECIALLY to sam because along with it comes safety and security and stability and the only person. who has consistently been able to see through it. is castiel

[hinamie]

atla!au designs part 3 !! one of these things is uh. not like the others

first year trio gojo/choso/nanami

[snowyh2o]

Just a random thought about how Alastor and Vox must’ve been really good friends before everything fell apart. Because Alastor knows how to make a video ad, he knows how to set things up for a movie/video shoot, things that had nothing to do with his medium, that he probably learned how to do because of Vox, because he was willing to try and learn from or for Vox. And Vox literally welcomes Alastor back home when he finds out he’s returned, has literally counted the years Alastor’s been missing when no one else seemed to know, and fashioned his clothing style to match Alastor’s (assuming it’s not just a case of everyone gets a pinstripe suit!), uses the same techniques Alastor taught Charlie about how smiling can be a tool to keep you ahead of the game.

And how it all fell apart and it wasn’t just Vox that was hurt in the process. Because you can’t tell me the man who hates TVs and modern tech due to its association with Vox doesn’t feel anything for what friendship they had and lost. Who snarls at the mere sight of him on a screen (admittedly while also dissing Alastor), who went straight back to his radio tower to diss Vox right back (and absolutely crush him lol), before threatening him against taking action, privately, twice. Alastor’s just better at hiding how much it’s affected him, and doesn’t let the bitterness of what used to be consume his every waking thought.

And maybe that’s the difference between how they view their old relationship and how the fandom seems to view it. Alastor’s upset about it, sure. He’s bitter now about Vox and everything Vox represents because he’s a past friendship that failed, but he’s also moved on with his life. Vox hasn’t. Vox still obsesses over Alastor, in the way he dresses, the way he talks, how he presents himself. It’s all reminiscent of Alastor. And when he finds out Alastor’s returned, the first thing he does is draw attention to how Alastor’s back! Talk in a roundabout way about how much he’s missed him! Has wondered where he’s been? Sends a spy into the hotel to, well, spy on Alastor! And when that doesn’t work, Vox continues to stalk Alastor through his drones instead. (And then gets off on seeing Alastor get beat up.)

Vox very much has not moved on from whatever friendship they’d had before. He hasn’t moved on from Alastor. (Or from his heavily implied obsessive crush).

We don’t know what happened between them, aside that it’s complicated and sad, that they were friends, and now they’re very much not, and that maybe part of the reason why is because Alastor rejected Vox’s request to join his team (upend his entire life to partner with Vox, assuming Alastor always worked solo and what the Vees currently have is what Vox had wanted with Alastor with his request). We can assume maybe part of why they fell apart was because Vox wanted something more from his relationship with Alastor, something Alastor could not and did not want to give him. Or maybe they just grew apart, grew distant. Vox constantly upgrading and changing and keeping up with the newest trends, chasing whatever new Thing that’ll keep him relevant, while Alastor remained set in his ways because he’s not looking for the approval of the masses.

Anyways, all this to say: when I, and I assume most other OneWayBroadcast fans talk about one-sided radiostatic, it is specifically about how Vox has a one-sided romantic/sexual attraction/crush on Alastor, that Alastor does not return, that has now turned into a one-sided obsession over Alastor. Not that their entire friendship was completely one-sided. I think saying that Vox was the only one who was ever invested in their relationship is a rather bad faith interpretation of Alastor’s character, but also does not do their relationship justice at all. It minimizes Vox’s responsibility in the fallout of their friendship, and puts the blame only on Alastor. It takes away all the juicy complexities of Vox’s character, how he’s bad person who’s done and is doing bad things, and paints him as an innocent victim to “Alastor’s manipulation”.

That’s not to say Alastor was completely innocent in the fallout either. But I hear a lot more about how the fandom woobifies Vox in their relationship than I do Alastor.

[dat1angel]

Trans!Danny is stuck at a gala when his period starts and gets caught unprepared. Thankfully, he finds some girls willing to help him out.

~~<◇>~~

When Vlad made him heir to DALV.Co, Danny knew that he would have to go with him to social events such as the gala they were currently at. That doesn't mean he has to enjoy them though. And he especially wasn't enjoying this one. Of course he had to be in public and without supplies when his period started. So now he had to find someone he could ask for a pad, no matter how mortifying it would be.

Danny scanned the crowd, trying to figure out who would be the least snobby if he tried to talk to them. He decided on two girls about his age who were standing semi away from any large groups. With a sigh and silently grieving his ego, Danny made the walk of shame over to them.

"Excuse me?" The girls snapped to attention when Danny spoke up.

"Oh, hello there!" the blonde greeted, "I don't think I've seen you at one of these before. My names Steph and this is Cass". The dark haired girl, who he now knew as Cass, smiled and waved at him but otherwise didn't speak.

"I'm Danny, it's nice to meet you," Danny fidgeted in place and a hand came up to rub the back of his neck, "Man, there's really no way to ask this that isn't embarrassing..."

Steph regarded him with a raised eyebrow, "You aren't going to ask for our numbers, are you?".

Danny's eyes went wide and he raised his hands in a defensive manner.

"Oh ancients, no. Ah- Not to say that you aren't attractive! You are! I mean, you're both very pretty but I don't swing that way-" He's cut off by airy laughter from Steph and soft chuckles from Cass.

"Relax dude, it's okay. So, your question?"

"Would either of you have and extra pad? Or a tampon? My period started and I don't have anything with me..." Danny flushed and didn't make eye contact as he asked.

Danny nearly sobbed in relief when Cass nodded, discreetly slipped a pad out of her bag, and passed it to him. "Thank you, thank you so much!"

Cass made a 'don't worry about it' gesture and Steph smiled.

Before they could say anything else, a tall man who looked like he could bench press Danny without even breaking a sweat came and interupted.

"Hey, have either of you two seen where Dick went?" He asked the girls.

"Last I saw him was by the refreshments table," Steph informed him. Cass nodded in agreement.

"Thanks," the man said. He then turned and walked off, presumably towards the refreshments table. Danny's eyes followed him as he walked away and- Ancients, that ass! Even the layered suit couldn't hide the clear musculature that made up the mans everywhere. He could step on Danny and Danny would thank him.

Danny only realized he was staring when Steph cleared her throat, an amused look on her face.

"Ah! I wasnt- I mean- I was just-"

"Totally undressing Jason with your eyes?" Steph smirked. Danny flushed and made a hasty retreat.

"WOw, would you just look at the time! I should go uh... take care of this!" He gestured at the pad in his hand. "Yeah! I'm just gonna go."

"Come find us when you're done, we'll introduce you!" Steph called to his fleeing form.

Danny practically flew to the nearest bathroom. As soon as the door was closed he leaned against it and screamed into his hands. He completely embarrassed himself! He could never show his face again! Although...

Images of Jason flashed in his mind. Maybe he would go find those girls again... But first he needed to get this pad on!

[dizzybizz]

ms jay herself (and apple)

[334iwatchshit]

please remember that luke skywalker adopted rey and fin a few years after marrying din djarin and and opening his jedi school on mandalor with their green rat son.

[aardvaark]

sophie devereaux being the person that the leverage team depends on for emotional intelligence is so funny. like she’s relied on to be the peacekeeper, to show compassion for clients, to provide friendship & relationship tips to her teammates… and this is the same woman who is unwaveringly obsessed with the most pathetic wet cat of a man who cannot verbally reciprocate feelings to save his life, and with whom she’s basically having a 5-year-long continuous argument. she has such extreme identity issues that she had to spend months abroad killing off her old aliases and she won’t let her bf know her real name. but SHE’S the team member with comparatively healthy and normal emotional advice?? this family is so weird and i love them

[skydaemon]

btw if you even care the ACTUAL bad ending of wwdits is if nadja remains aimless and unfulfilled, wandering from project to project without intention or internality

[odysseys-blood]

ive been wondering forever about when exactly levi was kidnapped and taken to the heaven lab and this bit from his new unit's board here doesnt help much but i wonder if those are just the first words he remembers learning and not the first words hes learned overall.

mainly this is all just speculation based on 2 things:

1) he ofc had some sort of childhood before the heaven lab from how old he looked at the time, plus his selfie comic art looking younger than his sprite art from ch5 (look at his little horns plus his hair's grown out)

2) he does also just say straight up that he doesn't remember his life from before the lab

i wonder if that means he had to get reacquainted with the kings all over again too. like he wouldnt recognize them at all even with how it looks like they often played together. (tho i do suspect a little that some comics might have been done before there was a more coherent story put together but thats whatever)

[dykedvonte]

Honestly I see Jimmy's refusal to put Curly out of his misery less about his weird feelings of envy or his delusions but the fact Curly is all but stated to be a shield to Jimmy from his actions and people seeing the worst in him.

The only characters that Jimmy really interacts with one on one before the crash are Curly and Anya, two individuals he has wildly different relationships with. It's likely that Curly really did most of the talking between them as the pilots and the rest of the crew as staff. They didn't know of Jimmy's more reprehensible behaviors cause they never really had the chance to and Jimmy is subconsciously aware. If they had disliked him more than Anya would have told Swansea earlier or even Daisuke when things got really bad.

It's why he takes the immediate opportunity to blame Curly; He's the shield. He's saved Jimmy's ass more times than he can count and more times than Jimmy would ever admit. Even when he can't really do it anymore, he mentally shields himself from his own faults by putting Curly between them. Letting Curly die puts too much on him because he doesn't know how to function without a safety net.

In the end Curly only lives because Jimmy needs the idea that Curly will inevitably make things better to stay alive, meaning Curly has to live, no matter how much it pains him to do so.