#and how it would add to the tragedy of her relationship with her dad

[simpotat]

Hi if I may just have a ramble about how ace Oc.tavia may view her dad's affair (ft. my ace experience)

Now I found out my orientation at sixteen. Up until then, though not consciously, I'd always had this sense of lacking in relating to the sexual innuendos and jokes on TV or in real life made by my classmates. My thoughts on the concept of celibacy could've been summed up by: "well, duh, it's not hard". Sex in my head existed mostly as a punchline. Some fictional characters were obsessed with it, sure, but I perceived sexual desire as just that: fiction. I didn't understand why people cheated, or why sometimes teens my age got pregnant, or why it was said to be difficult and especially prudish to wait until marriage. All that evaded me. I didn't have context for my non-experience, so I figured I was the normal one and in the right. It's only thanks to the internet and my ample opportunities to have educated myself that I now see why my perspective is different, and that's okay, and the fact that allos are horny and want each other is also okay.

Via doesn't seem to have friends, and her family situation is shit, so I imagine her retreating into the internet just as much; which suggests that she would know her sexuality by now, but I for one had known about asexuality for a few years before I realized I identified with it. And some people only do when they're well into young adulthood. This kind of self-realization can take a few years to brew, so for the sake of the argument let's suppose she doesn't know it yet.

From the perspective of sex being a punchline, something completely optional and hardly motivated by urgent desire, something you can just give up with ease like skipping the orange juice to go with your cereal in the morning... how much more heartbreaking for her would Sto.las' cheating and continued simping for Blitzo be. Because she just doesn't get it. She just doesn't get why this random imp has become so much more important to her father than herself that he's willing to wreck the family and continually ignore and neglect her for him. Because it's not that they like each other, whenever she's seen the imp he's grudging and spiteful at best, and her racist ass dad condescends him at every turn, they're not in love, that's not even why this is happening, and maybe if they were that'd be something she could forgive... with time, and if she ever saw her father making an effort. She knows it's about sex, unfortunately, because Sto.las is a disgusting piece of shit who dirty talks the imp in front of his own underaged daugther.

He's having sex with an imp he's become obsessed with and in her eyes it's torn her family apart. And it was a choice. Well, of course it was, but if she doesn't comprehend the sexual frustration that would have accumulated for him during years upon years in an unhappy marriage where they haven't touched each other since their daughter was conceived, and he's gay by the way, and he's a lonely loser with no friends and no one to show interest in him, and if she doesn't comprehend the attraction or desire that can urge allosexuals to such actions so burningly and then keep them hooked, then it was an especially frivolous and hollow choice in her eyes. He occupies himself with some weird red dickhead because he cares about her that little. Sex, this non-necessity, was more important to him than keeping her family intact and caring for her. She knows her parents hate each other, now at least if she didn't already, but he continues to be distracted when she needs him at a time like this... by something so completely trivial. (Or, well, maybe she just has a freak for a father.)

And she wouldn't be wrong for thinking any of this. Because no matter how tormented the horny owl is, he continues to hold responsibility for his daughter, and he's done spectacularly terribly at attending to that. Twice he's attempted, and twice he's been distracted by the weird red dickhead... and his only selfish reason for it she may not even get.

[shmaimy]

Okay, I had a thought a few days ago and have been trying to get it right. But. I think I figured it out. (Don't expect 100% accuracy)

So, Pallas and Athena. Athena bursts out of Zeus' head, and confusion and chaos and Hera, so Athena ends up at Triton's camp/school/military base thing. There, she meets Pallas, Triton's daughter, and as such, is Poseidon's granddaughter. The two become close, very close. I've seen them be close as sisters and be lovers, and I'm not 100% sure what they were, but, I mean, they were Greek...

Nevertheless, Pallas means everything to Athena. Athena grows close with Pallas' family, I mean, her mom lives in her dad's head and said dad kicked her out, so...

Then, tragedy strikes. Pallas dies at Athena's hand. Whether it is a true accident, or Zeus' pride... Athena doesn't know what to think. She is sent away, basically banished by the grieving, who forget that she, too, is grieving a great loss.

Poseidon remains bitter, and continues pushing Athena away. They both remain bitter towards the other for thousands of years, and encourage their children to do so as well.

Put a pin in that.

Remember how there were a bunch of people that were really angry about Annabeth's casting? They were wrong, of course, but hear me out. Leah does look practically opposite to how Annabeth was described in the books. In fact, Walker looks more like Annabeth than Leah does (though, you gotta admit, they are their characters irl too, especially Walker)(also, i think the Annabeth being assumed to not be smart because she was blonde doesn't work as well as institutionalized and the many other types of racism. Athena's "gift/curse/however Annabeth described it" is still at play, so people really need to stop it with the hate towards Leah and Riordan)

ANYWAY I think it would be interesting if they made blondeness/light hair a Poseidon trait, and that's why Athena has avoided it like the plague since Pallas' death: its too painful. Contrastly, Poseidon gives his children light hair in honor of Pallas, as well as to torment Athena.

Specifically, Percy looks basically exactly like Pallas. It would drive this point further if the casting of Athena looks just like Annabeth, too. Thus, when Athena first tells Percy, "I do not approve of your relationship with my daughter," we see so much more than just a spat over Athens (I mean, really, a salt water spring?), we see a romance to last the ages, and a tragedy who's thorns grow ever sharper. Athena is not just being selfish, not wanting a reminder of love lost, but she knows the fierceness of an ocean's love, and would not wish it lost on anyone, especially one of her own. Percy has had a choice thrust upon him: he will be the prophecy child. To the best of everyone's knowledge, Percy will die at 16. Athena will do everything in her power to not hear her daughter cry tears over a child of the sea, not even she knows then so well herself.

(It could also be interesting if Percy looks like a mix of Athena and Pallas (because we know genetics are weird with the Gods), since that would cause extra pain in Athena's heart)(also makes Poseidon extra sad)

(OR Athena makes all her children look like Pallas to honor her. I don't like that one as much)

I also really like an idea I had that it was NOT Poseidon and Athena who invented the chariot, or however that went. Pallas and Athena invented it together, and Athena still uses that first chariot to this day.

Also, it could add some nuance to the Mark of Athena. When the Romans stole Athena, they erased Pallas from her story. Minerva looks like Pallas, and her love for Pallas is gone. She is not just searching for herself, she is searching for the string so interwoven with her own they are the same: she is searching for the soulmate erased from her story.

ALSO, or would be interesting to see this dynamic play out in the 4th book, when Percy is thought to be dead.

I want this to be released as a short film (I would be a great Pallas???? Think about it???? Am I selfish to think that??? Ambitious??? Yes???? What's your point?????????)

[gaygoetia]

Background Details in Helluva Boss S1 E5 - The Harvest Moon Festival

Millie's Family

We can see from the family photos in Millie's parents' home that Millie has three brothers in addition to her sister Sallie-Mae, though their names aren't mentioned in the episode. We see two of them briefly helping load pumpkins into their dad's truck, looking visibly older than in the family photos.

Also this isn't a background detail as such but unlike most female imps shown in the series, Sallie-Mae has striped black and white horns and her hair is white at the roots, implying that she dyes it. This suggests that Sallie-Mae is a trans woman, something which I believe has been confirmed by the show creators and/or the trans voice actress who plays her.

Moxxie being a theatre kid

There are several fun references to Moxxie's love of musical theatre in this episode, including the music notes on his wallpaper and alarm clock and theatrical posters in his bedroom. His phone case says "I don't cry, I sing" and the stickers on his suitcase also reference the theatre (one says "break a leg" and the other is a picture of tragedy and comedy masks)

Striker's Motel

The Motel Striker stays at is called "The Hideaway Motel" and the guy that tried to kill you definitely isn't there.

Blitzo's Car

Once again the little horse decoration makes an appearance but we also see that the back window includes a decal of Blitzo, Loona, Moxxie and Millie.

Stolas being horny for imps

Just a couple of Stolas details this episode but both relate to him having a thing for imps.

The book he's reading at the dinner table while Stella is openly making arrangements to assassinate him is called "Imps in the sheets".

He's also fanning himself pretty emphatically when Blitzo and Striker (both of whom he's canonically attracted to) are wrestling in the mud. This may or may not be for horny reasons but knowing Stolas it probably is.

Blitzo's Horse Thing

Blitzo's thing for horses manifests in this episode mainly as him admiring Striker's hellhorse Bombproof. Don't have much to add to this except look how cute his lil face looks! If Stolas witnessed this he would probably buy Blitzo a horse on the spot.

Blitzo and Stolas' bedroom scene

I wasn't sure whether to include this because once again it's more foreground than background details, but I thought while I'm talking about this episode I might as well.

This scene is probably the most insight we get into Blitzo and Stolas' sexual relationship. It starts with Stolas tied to the headboard and absolutely beaming so clearly something kinky has just gone down. This is also apparent from the harness he's wearing and the ball-gag around his neck (which additionally references the fact That Blitzo doesn't like it when Stolas talks about/during sex)

Another thing I thought was interesting in this scene is that Stolas stubs his cigarette out on Blitzo's horn to no visible reaction on Blitzo's part. This leads me to believe that imp horns either don't have pain receptors or that they have some level of fire resistance even within Hell which is preventing this from harming him.

I also think this moment and this scene in general is a great example of why Blitzo thinks that Stolas views him as a novelty and a plaything. This gesture is so casually objectifying and Stolas' tone of voice comes off as quite condescending. I don't think either of these things is intentional on Stolas' part but it shows that Blitzo's cynical view of their relationship hasn't come out of nowhere.

That's it for episode 5 but you can see all my other Helluva Boss background details posts here.

[itsclydebitches]

thank you for acknowledging how messed up the jane/beard ending is. as an abuse survivor it's been pretty bad seeing the controlling relationship he's in be treated like a joke (and then apparently it's true love? the finale was a let down in many many ways) especially when Keeley's arc with Jack controlling her this season was (rightfully) played straight? it's just the larger trend of "abuse is bad but it's funny when it happens to a man" and i wish ted lasso had been better than that

Same, same, same, anon -- and I'm so sorry to hear you've had personal experience with that. But it's reassuring to likewise hear that that's in your past.

I got a comment on one of my posts (which I bring up because the author has already blocked me and it's proving to be a useful example for a lot of things I want to talk about) basically rolling their eyes and saying that Beard and Jane aren't real people, so it doesn't matter. Besides, he's the comic relief!

Meanwhile I'm like:

Yes, it's hilarious that Beard is committing himself to an abusive relationship, unable to break away despite recognizing at times precisely how harmful this is (and yes, I'm being sarcastic). I'd actually be less frustrated by this if Ted Lasso had treated it as a joke across the whole show because as awful as that is, at least it's a common and understandable (from an ignorance perspective) trend in media. But the number of times we had the text overtly commenting on how horrible Jane is tells us that the writers are well aware that they're writing an abusive relationship and that commentary likewise tells us that they wanted to do something with it, like Keeley got. They just inexplicably... didn't. Beard does not leave Jane, Jane does not undergo self-improvement and become a better person -- the route I would expect a show like Ted Lasso to take, especially with Season 3 throwing out curve balls like Jamie forgiving his dad -- and their marriage is not treated as the mistake it was, settling simply on a realistic tragedy. Even if that montage was just a dream Ted was having, the fact that he's likewise well aware of how bad they are for each other just maintains the strangeness of that choice. I could buy a picture perfect wedding fantasy from a character who doesn't know either of them well and assumes they're just quirky, but Ted knows precisely what Jane has been doing to Beard, he knows Beard's history of self-destructive behavior (better than anyone), and he's consistently been shown to be uncomfortable with their relationship, yet unwilling to speak up about it. That's another bit of tragedy to add to the pile: not allowing Ted to undergo the growth needed to speak up on his best friend's behalf. Beard has consistently called Ted out on his flaws across the show -- sometimes in a rather cruel manner -- and I had hoped that they'd reach a point where the roles were switched and Ted could provide Beard with some tough love in turn.

My best guess at the moment is that the writers realized how little time they had compared to how much there still was to cover -- despite the claims that this would always be a three season show -- and they changed course as a result. There's no time to take them on one of the above journeys, so just play the relationship straight. Which, given my experience with some fandoms and their unwillingness to take into account anything but the most recent episode, Ted Lasso indeed might have been able to skate by on faulty memories/willful ignorance... if they hadn't tossed in another 'She tore up my passport! Isn't she a peach? :)' joke half an hour before we watched them get married.

[trashtasteforasimtownie]

I've also got another legacy family, the Duncans.

---

It all started when Moira Duncan and her teenaged daughter Tia moved into a ramshackle house in the edge of Moonwood Mill.

Moira got a minimum wage job, while Tia attented high school. Education was the least thing on her mind when she met a neighbourhood boy, Jacob Volkov. The two became fast friends, and not long after, lovers. Tia saw Jacob and his close family as a safe haven (even if they were wolves) and Jacob was happy to fill the role of a protector.

Tia would need all the support she could get, as her mother died suddenly. Little did she now, she was already pregnant at the time, carrying the legacy heir.

Even if the young couple was wholly unprepared to start a family, Jacob was excited to be a dad, and Tia gave birth to twin boys, Chann and Lowe. Unfortunately, tragedy struck again and Tia passed unexpectedly.

(Tia and Jakob are on the top left corner.)

Raising two wild boys wasn't easy, especially when Chann had inherited his father's beastly side. But with the help of his pack, Jacob managed to keep the boys fed, warm and (relatively) happy. Growing up, Chann and Lowe were unseparable but as time went on, they started to show interest in different things - Lowe wanted to educate himself and, frankly, get out of Moonwood Hills, while Chann wanted to stay and live a quiet life away from too much civilization.

(Chann and Lowe are on the right side of Tia and Jakob.)

In the end, Lowe got the upgrade he wished by marrying a Landgraab heir (even he doesn't know how he landed that) and moved to Oasis Springs. Chann saw this as a betrayal, and the two never spoke again.

(Lowe and Allyson Landgraab are below Tia and Jakob's picture.)

In the meantime, Chann had figured out a way to make money - selling his locally grown weed - and how to spend that money. He spent his nights at pubs and bars and nighclubs, meeting new people, having some relations of the casual type. Just enjoying life, y'know.

There was a new add-on to Moonwood Mill - Rose, who had moved in with her grandmother, Lily Zhu, after some scandalous event in her home town. As an insecure young adult, she was prone to the wooings of someone like Chann, and it didn't take long for Rose to fall for him.

(Chann and Rose are below the picture of Chann and Lowe.)

Eventually Rose got pregnant and moved in with Chann, only to learn he was a cheating bastard. She was hesitant to leave Chann, especially after giving birth to twins, Lucian and Daciana, hoping a family would change him. The last straw was when Rose learned Chann had gotten another woman pregnant, and she left to live with her grandmother once again.

Lucian and Daciana are both blessed (or cursed) with their family's bloodline, which made raising them difficult - especially since Rose is only a human herself. Both kids have a somewhat strained relationship with their parents, but eventually moved back in with their dad into the ramshackled house. Daciana even picked up the family business of selling weed, while Lucian wishes to better himself as a man and a werewolf.

Now Lucian is married to one of his packmates, Donna Pleasant, and has hopes of leading the pack one day. Daciana on the other hand has copied much of his father's lifestyle and currently has three children with two different men. She isn't too keen on child-rearing and has left much of it to Lucian and Donna.

(Daciana is on the right side, Lucian is on the left next to him. Below him is a picture of him proposing to Donna.)

---

And here is the complete family tree.

[illusion-of-death]

All right, I'll throw in an ask. Partly for Carry Me From These Walls, partly for your BotW fic as a whole.

So you have Daruk and Urbosa - and to a lesser extent Teba - as the Adults of the group. Ostensibly responsible and worrying over their charges, yet sharing a chaotic energy that's kept slightly secret.

It's a fun dichotomy. Which elements of that pair are most fun for you to write? And now that I've stumbled into the thought, would formally adding Other Dad Teba to the mix make them more responsible or open new avenues of chaos?

Thanks for writing these characters!

Ooo, this is a fun one!

Daruk and Urbosa's relationship is one that I really wish we'd gotten to see more of in canon—all we really know for sure comes from a line in Urbosa's DLC diary about how she and Daruk "hope to help [the other Champions] see the future." I choose to interpret that as the two of them feeling at least some responsibility for the wellbeing of the others, particularly because of their youth (something else Urbosa mentions in that same diary). So, you've got that, and you've got Urbosa's canonical love of pulling pranks on people important to her, and Daruk's own enjoyment of a little tomfoolery here and there. It makes for a really fun potential dynamic! I don't think I can really say which part of that dichotomy is my favorite to write, because I love both sides of that silly/serious coin so so much, but if you're asking what's the most entertaining for me, it's gotta be the shenanigans. CMFTW Daruk not knowing how cereal bars work and Strength of the Mountain Urbosa not realizing just how badly she's about to be victimized by the laws of physics are both standout moments for me. But I'm primarily an enjoyer of tragedy, and so those lighthearted moments really serve to make the heartbreak feel that much closer to home, and the quiet but steadfast way those two insist on supporting each other through thick and thin means more to me than I can really say as well.

To answer your second question—I honestly have no idea what adding Teba into the mix would do! If we're considering actual BotW canon, I think he's a much more serious character than either Daruk or Urbosa really make themselves out to be onscreen. (Teba was born and raised in a world ravaged by the Calamity, after all, and never knew anything else—Daruk and Urbosa were not.) If we're thinking more SMtWO canon, that dynamic would be incredibly complicated, and I think that while ultimately the three of them would get along, Teba would not participate in anything like their minecart shenanigans.

For CMFTW, though? Who knows! Teba's definitely got his ultra-serious work persona, but he's also the guy who named his D&D character after the beloved chain restaurant Kraken Barrel. And is also the adoptive father of the kid who made Ikea of Furnichar. And regularly hangs out with his very unserious students on purpose. Admittedly, I've done VERY little writing for him in CMFTW—Hope does a fantastic job with him, and might have more to contribute to this very fun thought exercise—so it's hard for me to say for sure. (Pspsps @ofstormsandfire anything to add?)

That was probably entirely more detail than you were really asking for, but also I love Daruk and Urbosa SO much and can't help myself sometimes. Thanks for asking; this was a really fun question to answer!

[magicmarked]

✧ they asked me if i love her to death, and i said "speak of her over my grave and watch how she brings me back to life"

— mahmoud darwish, the butterfly's burden

Is that  AMOS DIGGORY  stepping out into Diagon Alley? Ministry records tell us that they were born on  APRIL 2ND  and are a  27  year old,  PUREBLOOD  who works as a  SINGLE DAD & LITTLE LEAGUE QUIDDITCH COACH.  Some have said that they can be described as being  PASSIONATE, SOCIAL & PROTECTIVE,  however, they also see themselves as being OBSTINATE, TEMPERAMENTAL & UNFOCUSED.  Apparently,  HE  look(s) a lot like  MICHAEL EVANS BEHLING,  whoever that is, and if they had to pick a side in the war, they would choose to  JOIN THE ORDER.

𓆩　𓇯𓇯𓇯𓇯﹒ㅤBASICSㅤ﹒𓇯𓇯𓇯𓇯ㅤ 𓆪

FULL NAME : Amos Percival Diggory.

NICKNAMES : Ame, Daddy.

AGE : Twenty-seven.

BIRTHDAY : April 2nd.

GENDER & PRONOUNS : Cis man, he/him/his.

SEXUALITY : Bisexual, biromantic.

RELATIONSHIP STATUS : Widowed.

AFFILIATION : The Order of the Phoenix.

FACECLAIM : Michael Evans Behling.

OCCUPATION : Single dad, part-time Little League Quidditch coach, former Magizoologist in training, but that doesn't pay the bills.

𓆩　𓇯𓇯𓇯𓇯﹒ㅤPERSONALITYㅤ﹒𓇯𓇯𓇯𓇯ㅤ 𓆪

POSITIVES : Passionate, social, protective, stout-hearted, loyal.

NEUTRALS : Grieving, mercurial, defiant, adventurous, daring.

NEGATIVES : Obstinate, temperamental, unfocused, audacious, blunt.

MORAL ALIGNMENT : Chaotic good.

WESTERN ZODIAC : Aries sun, Scorpio moon, Sagittarius rising.

HEAVENLY VIRTUE : Charity.

DEADLY SIN : Wrath.

TAROT CARD : The Tower ( upright ).

𓆩　𓇯𓇯𓇯𓇯﹒ㅤFAMILYㅤ﹒𓇯𓇯𓇯𓇯ㅤ 𓆪

FATHER : Cedric Diggory sr ( deceased ).

MOTHER : Catriona Diggory ( owner of the Murtlap Inn )

SIBLINGS : Twin sister, younger sibling.

SIGNIFICANT OTHER : Florence Diggory ( murdered 8 months ago ).

CHILDREN : Cedric Diggory jr ( almost 2 years old ).

PET(S) : N/A.

𓆩　𓇯𓇯𓇯𓇯﹒ㅤMAGICAL PROFILEㅤ﹒𓇯𓇯𓇯𓇯ㅤ 𓆪

HOGWARTS HOUSE : Hufflepuff.

ABILITIES : Almost fully trained Magizoologist.

WAND : Cedar wood, dragon heartstring core, 13", somewhat bendy.

PATRONUS : St. Bernard dog.

ASSOCIATED MEMORY : It is the first moments after Cedric's birth, the infant laying on his wife's chest, the happy but exhausted smile on her face, the warm feeling of joyous tears on his cheeks, happiness like he had never known before.

AMORTENTIA : Amos smells a forest bonfire first, with fragrant herbs added to add a pleasant scent to the flames, followed by orange blossoms, and finally, freshly made pumpkin pastries.

REVERSE AMORTENTIA : When thinking of Amos, you'll first be hit with the scent of bergamot, followed by undertones of freshly mowed grass, baby powder, and a vague but sharp tang of antiseptic.

BOGGART : It's a kneeling figure that resembles Amos himself, kneeling on a freshly overturned grave, that has the name of his deceased wife, and in scratch marks underneath it, the name of Cedric has been added.

𓆩　𓇯𓇯𓇯𓇯﹒ㅤBACKGROUNDㅤ﹒𓇯𓇯𓇯𓇯ㅤ 𓆪

[ trigger warnings for : pregnancy, murder, grief ]

Amos Diggory had always enjoyed a simple life. There was no great tragedy or betrayal haunting his family, his parents were happily married, their jobs kept the Diggory family in comfortable middle class life, they weren't known pureblood supremacists, nor were they blood traitors — no, everything about Amos' life was perfectly content, average almost, and he certainly enjoyed it that way.

The first perceived tragedy came to Amos when his twin sister was sorted into Gryffindor and he was sorted into Hufflepuff. It was made worse by the Sorting Hat's doubt — he almost made it into the house of lions with her, almost, but not quite. Hufflepuff suited Amos just fine, but being separated for the first time in his life certainly did not. With how many of their peers had more tragic upbringing, Amos' complaints were brushed off by both his housemates and the school staff, but to him? This mole hill was a mountain.

Forced to be on his own, away from family for the first time, Amos spent the first few weeks at Hogwarts with a grumpy frown on his face ��� though it didn't last long. He had always been naturally gregarious, a good time boy, easy-going and even easier to befriend, and if there was one thing Amos could not bear, it was loneliness. He thrived during his school years, there was sometimes a certain guilt at his lack of involvement in the horrible war consuming his peers, but Amos did not feel strongly enough to sign himself up for something so deadly.

After graduation, he was aimless — he'd hoped for a Quidditch scouting (despite subconsciously knowing he was not good enough to play professionally), but found himself with less prospects than he thought. He drifted through a series of jobs, bartending at his parents' inn, security guard at Gringotts, even spent a month or two in hitwizard training — until one day, a few years after graduation, he ran into his former Care of Magical Creatures professor. Surprisingly gifted at the subject and having spent many summers on his cousin's Erumpent range, he fell into an apprenticeship with a Magizoologist head first — though the pay was poor and the days long, he finally found something that truly brought him passion and excitement.

Travelling the world changed Amos somewhat, he came home more cultured, more experienced, more daring. No longer simple, but with a love for adventure — which was what first drew him to Florence. Bold and exciting, she loomed larger than life in the pub where they first met — her smile lighting up the room. Their romance started as a whirlwind, and by the time Amos realized how engrained she was with the Order of the Phoenix, he was already head over heels. As a muggleborn, Florence had strong opinions on pureblood supremacy and was never afraid to voice them. Amos felt lost in that world occasionally, increasingly worried for her safety.

Cedric was not planned, but he was news happily received. Amos would be a full-fledged Magizoologist soon enough, and Florence was a gifted Cursebreaker. They married in a small, private ceremony, not wanting to scare her Muggle family too much, and welcomed Cedric six months later. However, there was an increase in the recklessness that consumed Florence after their child was born. She wanted to make the world safe for him — but as a result, put herself into danger more often. There was a sense of dread haunting Amos, one that was unfortunately confirmed eight months ago, when Aurors knocked on his door with the news of his wife's murder at the hands of suspected Death Eaters.

Amos wanted to let his grief consume him. When his father had died of illness a few years ago, he had been sad, but it had been bearable — the death of Florence threatened to tear him apart. He could not let it happen, he was desperately willing for it not to happen. Cedric needed him. Cedric needed him. Barely a year old, and desperately missing his mama — Amos had something earth shattering happen to him, but he could not let it break him. Shoving down his heartwrenching grief, Amos pushed forward instead.

He left behind his passion for Magizoology for a better paying job at the Quidditch stadium, coaching the children's team. He moved back to his parental home, out of the small cottage filled with memories of Florence and their life together. He attended the trial for his wife's murderers with a stoic, still expression. There was so much emotion churning underneath the surface, and soon there was a fist shaped indent in the door to his bedroom. Anger took over grief, and Amos found himself following in Florence's footsteps, joining the Order — at least, that's what he tells himself. Nevermind that it is a good outlet for his anger too.

Eight months since her death, and Amos is holding himself together with duct tape and a prayer. He had just found his life, his future, everything he had ever dreamed off — and now his world had ended. His family worries that Amos is hurrying towards his own early grave, and knowing Cedric would be alone is the only thought that brings some caution to his deeds. But there is always a cliff, and Amos is eagerly dangling off the edge.

TLDR : Danai loves hurting characters. Amos was a middle class, easy-going young guy, never involved in the war or politics, enjoying his neutrality. He apprenticed as a Magizoologist for years, travelling the world and finding new adventures. He fell head over heels in love with a muggleborn Order member named Florence, and together they had a child, Cedric. Eight months ago, Florence was murdered by suspected Death Eaters, shattering his life. He is growing increasingly angry and reckless as a result, and is trying desperately to keep himself together for the sake of his son.

[hopeswriting]

Are are your opinions on LucexReborn and the theory on Aria's dad? Yuni's dad is Gamma far I am aware.

hi nonny, thank you for the ask!

if we're talking canon, i do think there's room for the possibility of romantic feelings between luce and reborn, or at least from reborn to luce. i think that based on one (1) scene lol, but look at it:

[ID: Panels from the manga Katekyo Hitman Reborn, showing Gamma and Reborn talking to each other.

"What is it you want to ask me?" Gamma asks. "Calling me way out here..."

"You... How do you feel about Uni?"

"What kind of random question is that?!" Gamma says, taken aback.

"You know that Uni admires you, right?" Reborn says. "I know it's none of my business, but there's no time. If we waste any more time, then they'll... slip through before we know it. I know you're aware... that the Sky Arcobaleno is blessed with deep emotion, and has a smile brighter than anyone, but they also shoulder the heaviest responsibilities and are taken away from us by destiny." The next panel here shows Gamma thinking of Aria. "There's no time to wait until she grows up," Reborn continues. "Stop treating her like a baby and look at her. Look at her soul." /End ID]

i think it's obvious how they're discussing romantic feelings here, however ambiguous amano chose to make the relationship between gamma and uni, for some reason lol. so when reborn is clearly talking from personal experience here, and not just from factual and objective knowledge; when he says "they" and "we" and "us", i think it's safe to assume he's saying to gamma the words he wished someone would have told him or that he'd have realized in time as he thinks back to his own relationship with luce. that, plus how fondly and warmly he describes the sky arco to be, and how he's the arco closest to uni (iirc he's the only one uni calls "uncle") and presumably had a close relationship with aria too, it's clear he cared a lot about luce at the very least, and still cared about her even after the curse and her death.

(interestingly enough tho, this says nothing about luce's feelings for him. like here, luce & reborn relationship is paralleled with gamma & aria's, but as much as we know aria reciprocated gamma's feelings to some extent, the way reborn says it, "wasting time" and the sky arco "slipping through before they know it", it seems he never got the chance to tell luce how he felt about her. so luce's feelings for him could have been platonic unlike him, or like with aria and gamma, she might have chosen to not act on her feelings even if they were there because of the curse.)

if we're talking about how i feel about the ship, i like it! tho now i say it, i realize i've never really taken the time to think about them before, surprisingly enough, so i have little else to say about them off the top of my head. if not that, of course, the possibility of romantic feelings between them would add yet another layer of pain and tragedy and cruelty to the arco curse when it comes to them, and i'd love to delve into and explore all that angst and hurt/(no) comfort one day!

when you say the theory about aria's dad, i assume you mean how some people headcanon reborn to be her dad, right? if so, personally i really can't see it. i mean, i can see it as you can easily make it fit within canon, but for me it makes little sense character-wise even if it works timeline-wise. by which i mean, luce's shown to be visibly pregnant the day they were cursed, if not heavily pregnant too, so she did the do a couple of months prior. i personally headcanon kawahira kept the whole chosen seven thing going for a year give or take tops, but if we're strictly talking canon, i think it's more likely it only lasted a couple of months seeing as how it was all one giant trap, and kawahira probably wouldn't have wanted to give enough time to the strongest/greatest of their generation to figure it out. and, you know, as two consenting adults, if reborn and luce decided to get it on on sight, then good for them lol, but i don't think for a second they'd have been careless enough for a baby to be born out of it.

i mean, just think about it. luce knew they were all going to get cursed, knew aria would take upon the curse after her death, knew she'd die young because of the curse, leaving aria alone likely when she was still a child, but she'd still have wanted/chosen reborn of all people (or any of the other arco for that matter) to be her dad? would have been okay with that? knowing the kind of situation they'd have had to be a father and daughter in? like, at least luce got to raise aria in an adult body for as long as she was alive, you know. and this point stands especially true if luce & reborn relationship is truly meant to parallel gamma & aria's like implied in the scene above. i.e., luce wouldn't have let herself act on her feelings even if she had them knowing all she did, let alone would have let herself have a child with reborn.

on the other hand, from reborn's side of things, if we say becoming a father is a thing he wants at some point, i just don't think he already wanted to become one at that point in time tbh. or that he's the type to trust someone so much and commit to a relationship to such an extent in only a couple of months. especially not when they got to meet and knew each other in the incredibly suspicious setting that was the whole chosen seven thing, which they were all definitely more or less aware and wary of. and more rather than less, for sure.

reborn also knows to be pragmatic/rational/logical when he needs to be, and seeing that the chosen seven business was when they were all at their prime mafia-wise (or he was at the very least anyway), meaning that's also when they had the most enemies after them who'd also have been powerful, even if he wanted a baby at that time, he'd still likely have chosen to wait for another time when his child would have been less likely to be targeted to get to him. and if not that, like i already said, from the way he advised gamma, even if he already wanted and was ready to have a child at the time, it seems he thought he had the time to take things slow with luce and acted accordingly.

so for all these reasons, i personally don't think reborn is aria's dad, or that there's anything in canon that really hints at it despite how, at the same time, there's also nothing that go against it.

about gamma being uni's dad, i also don't believe he actually is either. it's purely fanon as far as i know. this is also based on one (1) scene because that's pretty much all we got about gamma & aria relationship lol, apart from gamma being/having been in love with her, but look:

[ID: A panel from the manga Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

It shows Gamma thinking about moments he spent with Aria. One of those moments show him sitting shirtless on the window of her room, raising his hands in surrender as Aria points a gun at him, sitting on her bed and covering herself with the blanket. /End ID]

if you look at this, there was something definitely not platonic going on between them lol, so i get why gamma is made out to be uni's dad, but at the same time aria was also clearly intent on not letting their relationship become too much not platonic, no matter how she might have really felt inside or what she might have really wanted to do instead. there's also the fact that gamma explicitly says in the future arc that his feelings were unrequited. also he had no idea of uni's existence until she showed up (didn't even know aria was ever pregnant either), and when she did gamma never reacted to her like there was the possibility she was his and aria's daughter.

but most importantly, there was definitely something romantic going on between gamma and uni. and amano somehow managed to both make it explicitly clear and also ambiguous lol, but also they literally confessed to each other, you know. uni even said "i like you just like my mother did", and reborn talks about "admiration", but just look at what else he says in that scene with gamma above. so like, it's clear amano didn't mean for gamma to be uni's dad lol.

that's all strictly canon-speaking tho! as far as fanon goes, i know it's common to make gamma her dad, and like reborn being aria's dad, it easily fits within canon too. but tbh i think either their dads are some random dudes we didn't get to know and that they ideally loved, or there's NO dude at all and just. well, you know. they're half-aliens, so like. who knows what pregnancy and having children even mean for them lol.

[becomingkatie]

(this post ended up way longer than I'd planned. It's about mental and physical illness and family things.)

Yesterday my dad EMAILED my brother a picture of his truck in a ditch on the side of the road as the way of letting us know he'd been in a car accident. So Andrew forwarded me the email and we were both trying to call him but he wasn't answering. We were trying to decide how big of an overreaction it would be to just start calling hospitals, but the accident didn't look bad, but like... he wasn't answering his phone??

Except, my dad has also been rejecting my calls for a while because he feels like I've taken my mom's side in the divorce (because I won't listen to him vent about their relationship or divorce negotiations). So it wasn't clear if he wasn't answering because he was hurt, or if he was busy dealing with a tow truck and the logistics that come with a car accident, or if he just didn't want to talk to me. He doesn't seem to feel like my brother has abandoned him and he's accepted Andrew's calls more than mine, but he wasn't answering him, either. So we were panicking.

Eventually he called my brother to tell him he was fine, that the truck was being towed, and that was that. No more information.

But then he called me this morning. He was kind - it wasn't the awful, tense calls filled with accusations and vitriol where I have to repeat "I'm not going to talk about this" a half-dozen times. But he's not well. Like, "vomits in the house without warning but doesn't have the strength or energy to clean it up" unwell. Bed-bound, at least today. But when I said I was coming to help take care of him he vehemently refused the offer and cried that he didn't want me to see him like this.

He has a "friend" (girlfriend? friend from high school? how did she get roped into this I have no idea, since she lives like six hours from him) who comes to help him every so often, but she's not coming again for another almost two weeks.

I'm just at a loss. At what point do you say, "I know you don't want me to see you living in filth, but you can't live in filth, so I'm here and I'm going to clean you up and help you."

There's no way he'd let a home care nurse into the house. His delusions mix with reality and he can turn mean and nasty on a dime, so I also don't really want to put myself in that position. But I also love him and can't just let him exist in that state alone, or nearly alone.

As the older sister, I messaged my grandmother on facebook (that's the only way we communicate, and we rarely communicate at all) to let her know about the accident and his poor health. She's panicking wondering what to do, but like... you're his mom? I'm panicking wondering what to do, but it feels like I shouldn't have to be advising her. I don't want us to ambush him and show up, but I also couldn't let her just go on not knowing about this. But it turns out he was just there a week ago and seemed fine?? Which further adds to the confusion around what his condition is and how long it's been this bad.

Anyway, you can have a totally normal and healthy father for nearly thirty years (or be married to a normal and healthy man for 35 years) and then suddenly he's awful and mean and abusive and accusing you of poisoning him, and then suddenly he's sick, puking and shitting and can't clean himself up.

So that's my family tragedy right now. I got "comfort nigiri" yesterday and goodness knows I'm making Ken agree to "comfort pizza" tonight. I have my weekly write-in that I host so unfortunately I have to go out into the world and function.

[readerofoddities]

More warriors OCs because I'm finding love in them again

Meet Firestrike, finally! Amberheart's mate, Jadepaw's dad and the final member of the original friend group!

His family was from the mountains, where he was born, so he's pretty massive. When he was about apprentice-age, he left the mountains and joined the Clans. There, he met and fell in love with Amberheart, then Amberpaw. He and Fallenbranch were pretty close, due to Fallen's mountain heretiage, but he was always by Amberheart's side

He was ecstatic to find out he would be having kits and couldn't be happier to meet his four daughters. He died when they were still young, but formed a close bond with Jadepaw because of her ghost sight

Also, isn't his lil pink nose so cute? I decided I just had to let him keep it

Violetstorm is Fallenbranch's step-mom. She had a mate before Coralsong named Vinetail, but he died before her kits were born. She's used to tragedy unfortunately, because her parents died when she was young, her sister died shortly after her kits were born and one of her kits just couldn't keep going. So she has come to terms with death very well.

She's a very strong warrior and is happy to be standing beside her current mate to defend their Clan. She's proud watching her daughters and adopted daughter grow up and is happy to have more kits thanks to her step-kids.

Violetstorm's ears have always been kind of weird but I LOVE them. So I added them in so she can carry them on. Too bad the kit who died was the only one of hers that inherited her ears

Featherwing is a sweet guy, if a bit reckless

As a kit, he was almost carried off by an eagle with his brother. While he was saved, his brother was not (although a rogue saw his brother in the eagle's talons and saved him, but that's another story). After that experience, he got his first scars (the ones on his belly). He's gotten into a lot of fights and scary situations (especially one cold winter that resulted in the loss of his tail) to compensate for his trauma

Due to his scars, he assumed he would be forever alone, but surprising him, he has a mate currently! Her name is Grassfur and he loves her very much

His design honestly didn't change much from the original, but i did add ear spots because his head just looked naked without it

Silverstripe is Whitestar's older sister and one of the best warriors in the Clan. She's basically a second deputy, but Whitestar would never fall into the nepotism trap

She's had a complicated relationship with the rest of her family. Her mother pressured Silver into being a sort of protector for her younger sisters and it really messed her up. She basically tortured herself until she finally found it in herself to stand up to her mom and now she feels better about herself. She and Whitestar are very close and talk about everything

Silver didn't get much changes aside from getting the new cheek fluff I gave Whitestar. They actually have the same shade of white as a base color too in order to show how close they are

[alyssalikestoreadbooks]

Anatomy Of A Misfit - Andrea Portes

"Fall’s buzzed-about, in-house favorite.

Outside, Anika Dragomir is all lip gloss and blond hair—the third most popular girl in school. Inside, she’s a freak: a mix of dark thoughts, diabolical plots, and, if local chatter is to be believed, vampire DNA (after all, her father is Romanian). But she keeps it under wraps to maintain her social position. One step out of line and Becky Vilhauer, first most popular girl in school, will make her life hell. So when former loner Logan McDonough shows up one September hotter, smarter, and more mysterious than ever, Anika knows she can’t get involved. It would be insane to throw away her social safety for a nerd. So what if that nerd is now a black-leather-jacket-wearing dreamboat, and his loner status is clearly the result of his troubled home life? Who cares if the right girl could help him with all that, maybe even save him from it? Who needs him when Jared Kline, the bad boy every girl dreams of, is asking her on dates? Who?

Anatomy of a Misfit is Mean Girls meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Anika’s hilariously deadpan delivery will appeal to readers for its honesty and depth. The so-sad-it’s-funny high school setting will pull readers in, but when the story’s dark foreboding gradually takes over, the devastating penultimate tragedy hits like a punch to the gut. Readers will ride the highs and lows alongside funny, flawed Anika — from laughter to tears, and everything in between."

Read Date - August 2024

Length - 336 pages

Genre - Young Adult, Coming Of Age, Romance

Rating - 7/10

Stars - ★★★★☆

Notes - The start of the book was very interesting, and sets the tone of Anika thinking she’s part something (vampire potentially?), which makes her feel like an odd one out. Her dosing her bosses food/drink with valium is crazy and im shocked this was included. Anika thinking that Becky is pregnant is an interesting plot point because they are still so young. She wants to defend Becky, but she’s scared. The homophobia and racism in this book was played out well and wasn’t too offensive. It was realistic and I like how it was done. The kiss between Anika and Logan was sweet, it being her first kiss was adorable and her freaking out is realistic asf. Anika’s boss being racist is really hard to listen to, but unlike other books i’ve read, this was done in a tasteful manner that depicts real life scenarios. I love the ties this has to mean girls, and i think it’s very good in those regards. I see the similarities but i also see how this stands alone as it’s own novel. The relationship between Becky and Anika is interesting to me because they both use each other. Becky is extremely racist and prejudiced and Anika fears what could happen if she gets exposed by her. The dynamic of Anika and her dad is also interesting, because he’s very strict and wants her to have a good education, so he presses grades very hard for both Anika and her bother. The racism between Anika’s stepdad was shocking and i wasn’t expecting that. The dinner scene was also a twist, and it was weird to see Tiffany’s mom so upset. Logan and Anika hanging out more is sweet and i like their relationship. The necklace he gets her is adorable. Logans dad being abusive was another twist that i thing was important to include, because alcoholism runs deep in the family. Tiffany stealing is an interesting side plot to the story because it shows that stereotypes need to be broken by the people holding them. She didnt steal because shes black (OBVIOSLY) its because she’s poor. Logan attacking the security guard is a big WTF moment and i still don’t know how to process that, just like Anika. I can’t highlight or annotate this book because its a library book so ill just directly add the quote that hit me HARD ASFFFFFFFF:  "I did it. Not exactly the way I had planned but... I did it. I made him feel important. And walking back to the locker room with Shelli by my side, I can't help but wonder... If it's such a big deal for a middle-aged white guy to feel important... What happens when he doesn't?" like WOW. The dynamic between Jared and Anika’s parents is really cute, and i think it’ll work out better than it would with Logan, though the drama is there, seeing as Logan thinks theyre together, kind of. Anika giving Tiffany all the money she stole was really sweet and i liked that scene. The actual twist in the book is so reminiscent to “If he had been with me” and i genuinely wasn’t expecting it. Logan dying to protect his family was tear jerking, and i can’t believe this all happened. The sign were all there, but i didn’t expect it, just like real life. The ending scene was heartfelt, before it turned into a real mean girls retribution moment. It was deserved, and needed, and its a valid way to show grief if we’re being honest! The ending about the sky was so beautiful, and this book made me tear up multiple times reading it. This was such a good much of multiple things i’ve read and watched, while being nothing like them at the same time. Perfect as a stand alone book. I loved it, a lot.

[37-children-of-the-dreams]

Six in canonicaly loved by Hargrave, Chase and probably Sophia. And has big bro who loves him. Maybe when he got to Core Tech, Chase, since he felt guilt about Six, would take care of him. If Chase was an adult, he could adopt him(even if Six is his biological son). Actually, if Six was taken by Core Tech and he was his real age, there would be kinda simmilar situation with Six/Eira and their first child, cause Chase would be young dad, but he would be single one and parents here to help. Maybe Chase and Sophia would notice that Six seems hopelessness and tried to make things better for him, maybe even or giving him to Hargrave or allowing them to meet and maybe even, of course under control, to stay Hargrave with Six for day or few.

Six is loved by people, he just has a hard time thinking he is due to Klipse's influence on him. Once Six is freed from Klipse, he finally realized that there are other people who would have been the best family for him.

Unless it's Jeredy, but Sophia will overrule any of his decisions because she already loves Six. Like Sophia knows what Six technically is to her, and she's not caring one bit. Woman has been kidnapped from her son since Chase was a child and put through the ringer, you think she's gonna care that she's technically a young grandmother? No, Six is her family, and that's final Jeredy!

Chase would be the same. He knows he and Six have some bad blood, but given how Klipse brainwashed Six to only believing that Chase and the Sunos are enemies, Chase is determined to show Six that Klipse has always lied to him and that he does care for Six by giving him therapy and familial care so Six can know he is a part of the Sunos. It's a very slow process, but that's normal for people who're figuring out how brainwashed they've become, and Six and Chase are doing it step by step. If Chase was an adult, and he might have been pushing to eighteen by the end of the series, he would love to adopt Six as a Suno. If Six in his actual age, Chase would still care for him even if it meant he's now a teenage single parent because Six is a child who needs all the parental care and guidance he deserves, and yes, there would be some rocky time, but no parent is that perfect (Looking at you Jeredy).

Team Core themselves would help with Six despite all the bad blood since they want to know who Six is outside of being Six Klipse, the clone of Emmanuel Klipse. They want to know if Six can be his own person and try to get him to understand that Six is freed from being 'just a clone' and to be more what he wants himself to be. I think Dax and Beyal would be the two other than Chase to help care for Six. Dax was another one of Klipse's victims so he wants to see Six heal from being a victim of Klipse. Beyal is the kindest of Core Tech and their spiritualist so he'd try to get Six to find the peace within his broken soul. Jinja and Bren are there, they're just watching Six and care for him in their own way, even Jinja tones down her sarcasm.

But, if Sophia and Chase see that Six is in depression over losing his other family members on the Klipse side, they would take Six to see Hargrave, Dom and Drezz so he can be happy with the Klipses who do care and have love for him. They know they can trust Hargrave with Six since the butler doesn't seem to want to break Klipse out. And why would he when Hargrave can finally have the parental relationship he wants with Dom? And to add Drezz and Six back into their broken, but healing family? Klipse can stay in prison, Hargrave wants the clones, not the man who made them. Of course Six can't always stay with Hargrave and his brothers, but having sleepovers with him is better than not having any moment with his Klipse family. In a way, Six now has two birthdays, Christmases, Halloween and New Years with both the Klipses and the Sunos.

Six really did get something good out of all his tragedies. He got two families and that's before he got married to Eira!

[tokiro07]

Round 2 and still no propaganda?

I guess how I wrote it last time didn't fit the format...

I don't know exactly how it's meant to be done, but based on what I'm seeing here:

Fuuko became the boss of a time-looping organization designed to fight and kill God, looped back to the 1800s and used visions she acquired from previous loops to become an oil baron. By the 1970s, she'd amassed enough wealth to outstrip most governments, re-founded said organization with incredibly advanced technology, and used all of her resources to avert the horrific tragedies of all of her loved ones. Along the way, she became skilled in several fields, such as language arts, surgery, cooking, kung fu, metallurgy, sharpshooting, singing, dancing, boxing, and drawing. In addition to being an oil-baron and effectively the CEO of a secret organization, she also became a ramen-themed cryptid, an astronaut, and a deadbeat dad

While Fuuko was gathering capital and recruits, Andy sat on the sun for an unspecified number of years, but likely the full 4.6 billion years since the creation of the Earth, to keep God's ten strongest soldiers sealed away within it and prevent them from interfering with Fuuko's preparations. For all intents and purposes, Andy acted as a stay-at-home wife while he waited for Fuuko to finish her work

They are canonically in a relationship, and they weaponize it. Fuuko's power, Unluck, is directly proportional to how much she likes whoever she touches x how long she touches them x how much surface area she touches, and Andy's power, Undead, allows him to tank whatever horrible thing Unluck sends his way while redirecting it at an enemy. A single, one-second high-five between the two was enough to summon a comet, specifically to cancel out a meteor she'd accidentally summoned on a close personal friend. She was able to think of the plan needed to facilitate this while fighting one of the aforementioned ten soldiers within 10 seconds while also performing major heart surgery, and then immediately infiltrated the sun alone to confront the other nine

Andy was originally a nameless amnesiac until Fuuko came up with the name as a pun on Undead. Since Andy got his first name from Fuuko, many fans have taken this to the logical conclusion that he would also take his last name from her, and thus refer to him as Andy Izumo

I don't know if that's too wordy for what's needed, but I think it illustrates the point. If anyone wants to add or rewrite it, feel free!

PROPAGANDA

No Propaganda Submitted for Fuuko and Andy

Beatrice/Battler:

Beatrice was created to girlboss (litterally). Killing a whole family in front of Battler eternally is a fun activity. Battler is canonically incompetent. There is also a scene where Beatrice walks with Battler naked as a pet.

“Are they in a canonical relationship” UHH KINDA? These two are a mess. We stan a girlboss who murders her malewife’s entire family and also him and traps him in an eternal debate over whether or not magic is real and if she even exists <3

[phoenixyfriend]

Okay so you know how one of my big things with fandom is forcing characters into completely new contexts that they just have to Deal With (recently most commonly with time travel, crossovers, and things like the suddenly omegaverse AU).

So, canon characters get Yanked and somehow tossed into a Modern AU context, possibly just as some Matrix-esque 'your brain is trapped in a simulation' thing, possibly as a Sith Holocron thing, possibly as a weird crossover, it doesn't matter. The point is mostly this:

1. Nobody has the Force. 2. Ahsoka is suddenly human, and she hates it.

This is mostly an excuse for Ahsoka to be overwhelmed by some things (her sense of taste is completely different) and underwhelmed by others (this is your eyesight???) and panicked by others (her sense of echolocation is completely GONE), and then Anakin calming her down by Brushing Her Hair, something she's never had before.

Ahsoka has a meltdown and Anakin, who is also very panicked because the Force is just gone for him, is doing his best to keep her somewhat level and ANYWAY Anakin knows how to do cool, solid, safe braids because Padme taught him how to do her wig-secure crown braids, so when Ahsoka's being overwhelmed by the sensory hell of her new hair touching her shoulders, Anakin brushes it out and braids it up for her while Obi-Wan tries to find them a way out, and Rex and Cody help him notice things like "we can't read this alphabet for shit" and "that's not a speeder... is it..."

The clones are Itchy without their armor in an unfamiliar space. The Jedi keep tripping on sidewalk cracks and stuff because they're not used to needing to look where they're going. Also they don't have their sabers or blasters.

Ahsoka tucked into Anakin's side in a coffee shop that they somehow managed to Exchange Currency at... sipping on something sweet and complicated-flavor that she doesn't recognize and is very confused by because none of these tastes are familiar... a barista asks if she's okay and Anakin has to stutter over "my padawan" in favor of "my sister" because it's kind of safer but anyway could they get a cup of ice water for the kid?

The clones get asked if they're from New Zealand or Australia because of the accents and just Blank Stare until the person leaves in discomfort like "Was it something I said? Maybe they think I should be able to tell the difference?" but no they just don't fucking know what New Zealand and Australia are.

Imagine if she couldn’t really taste sweetness before. She finally understands the appeal of candy!

Ahsoka doesn't like 'being' human but she decides she likes the Expanded Taste Range (now she understands WHY people add spices) and having her hair played with (she's maybe a little jealous of people like Padme now).

Several of the Jedi keep forgetting they can’t jump 20 feet high anymore and keep slamming into fences. One of them tries to jump off something and is tackled by a clone. The clones keep forgetting they can’t jump off things and get caught anymore.

“Normal humans die when they do that!”

The clones don't register as clones to anyone, just Young Hot Guys With Nice Muscles, so Cody and Rex get hit on by strangers more in the Modern AU adventure than in the rest of their lives put together.

They register as twins though. And some people are maybe into that specifically. Strangely, in this context, being genetically identical is more attractive.

The only person in this group that knows how to recognize flirtation and how to flirt back is Obi-Wan.

Someone sees a Marvel movie playing a TV store and just drags the other four over because IS THAT MASTER WINDU WITH AN EYEPATCH. Or alternately IS THAT AN OLDER SENATOR AMIDALA IN BORING CLOTHES.

Per @atagotiak on discord

Hey, it could be worse, it could be literally almost anything else Ewan McGregor is in. I enjoy the other movies I’ve seen him in (though I haven’t seen a lot) it’s just every last one would be jarring as heck to them.

Birds of prey “Wow Obi-Wan, you’re a dick”

It's just Moulin Rouge's steamy scenes and Obi-Wan is like [head tilt] is... is that supposed to be me????

(I'm going to say that none of the Star Wars movies exist in this modern AU, but only because that would get too complicated.)

Ahsoka gets yelled at by Someone (a store employee, a cop, a random douchebag on the street), and Obi-Wan steps in because he's closest and also the person most invested in making sure she doesn't start throwing punches.

Person: Sorry man, didn't mean to scare your, uh, daughter. Obi-Wan's face: [is doing complicated things]

(Being Ahsoka’s dad is probably less weird than being Anakin’s dad. Just agewise and all that.)

Obi-Wan objectively recognizes that this is a reasonable assumption and also a safe one to work with, in that explaining their actual relationship might be sketchy depending on whether or not apprenticeships are a thing on this planet, and going with a person's first not-terrible assumption is usually a safe bet to not draw too much attention!

But 'parent' is a bit of a loaded concept for a lineage so prone to attachment (and tragedy).

Ahsoka finds herself getting inexplicably tired a few hours into a walk that would normally leave her fine, and since Anakin and Obi-Wan are also having trouble, it's apparently not a humans thing, it's... not having the Force. They’re still pretty strong and have good endurance but they’re not superhuman anymore so.

Adding in that Ahsoka's a young teenager who has no idea what she can eat that she can actually stand the taste of yet, so she keeps getting sugar crashes since it's the only thing she can reliably stomach...

[therealvinelle]

Hey! Love your metas. In regards to your last one about "joke's on the demon, carlisle's dad never cared for him" what do you think each of the cullen's human family felt towards them? Like did carlisle's dad hate him just because or? Did Esme's parents dislike her or were they just a product of their time? Same with Rosalie i guess. Emmett perhaps has the most loving background, Alice maybe the least? Who knows... and what about Bella? Did Renee actually care about her?

Well, all I can do is point to what is stated in the Guide and in canon.

Alice had a mother who the Guide outright states "loved her deeply", and "(Alice and her sister) were fairly close despite the wide age difference". The paragraph describing her early childhood outlines a loving home: "At first her parents thought her premonitions were amusing. “Alice is always right,” they would say when the five-year-old dressed herself in a slicker even though the sky was blue; later, of course, the rain would begin. “Grandma will be here soon,” she would announce. They would laugh and put out an extra plate." Alice turned eighteen before any of the tragedy in her family ever came to pass, though the community was turning against her because of her visions. Her closest family was in her corner, though. In the end it was her father seeking to eliminate her mother so he could take a new wife, with the new wife very much in on it. Alice's desperation to prevent her mother's murder looks to me like what turned him against her: she would not stop, and she would not shut up, and she was accusing him of murder in a time when that carried the death penalty. It was a lot more complicated for Alice than "father bad".

Bella I think we've written enough metas on, but it always seemed to me that Renée loved her, it's just that she wasn't cut out to be a mother. None of her failings as a mother are because she wished Bella harm in any way, it's merely that she's wired in a way that makes it hard for her to understand what her daughter needed from her. Charlie, as we know, loved Bella as well, but he didn't get to be around her much.

Carlisle was a dutiful son, but clashed with his father ideologically and in how he thought he should do his job once he took it over from his father, which in turn disappointed his father. The Guide describes the man as "self-righteous and compassionless". By all accounts, they don't seem close. There's the tricky thing, though, that we only ever get Carlisle's point of view of that relation. When Edward speaks of Carlisle's past, he only has what Carlisle told him to go on. And Carlisle was young, and as we see in canon, can be quite oblivious. It's very possible that a rebellious Carlisle misjudged his father's character, and that his later regret surrounding his involvement in witch trials further clouded his recollections of his father. I'm not saying the man was necessarily secretly a loving father all along, merely that our only source is unreliable.

Edward's wiki section has this to say: "His father, a successful lawyer, provided Edward with many advantages, including music lessons and the opportunity to attend private school; however, although his father provided for Edward in material ways, he was emotionally distant and often away from home on business. This absence was made up for by Edward’s close relationship with his mother; he was the center of her life." I have nothing to add to that.

We know this of Emmett's human life: "He had what his parents considered a wild adolescence; never one to worry about consequences, Emmett ran with a wild crowd that drank, gambled, and womanized. Emmett was always a help to his family, however. He was an excellent hunter and woodsman, and always kept the McCartys supplied with game." That, to me, doesn't read like he's the golden son, rather it's the partying kid who refuses to listen to the parents. "Wild crowd" is code for "friends his parents disapproved of". Yes, he kept the family supplied with game, but that's because people are rarely one thing only. And notice how the way in which he contributed to his family was by doing something he enjoyed anyway, so it's not like he was making much in the way of sacrifices for them. I'm not criticizing the guy, just pointing out that he was hardly a saint to his family and I imagine their relationship was a complicated one where his family wished he would shape up a bit and grow out of the wild adolescence. Thanks to the bear, he never did.

Esme's section in the Guide has this to say: "Esme tried to persuade her father to allow her to pursue a teaching position in the West, but he didn’t think it was respectable for a lady to live alone in the wilds. Instead, her father pressured her to accept the son of a family friend who wanted to marry her. Several years Esme’s senior, Charles Evenson had good prospects. Esme was indifferent to Charles, but not opposed to him, so she agreed to the marriage to please her father." So, by all means not a modern father, though I'll point out that this was a time when being a respectable woman actually did matter if you wanted to live a good life. Not wanting his young daughter to run off and follow her dreams isn't necessarily the mark of a tyrant who doesn't care for her. As it is, he found Esme a husband who was established and could offer her an economically stable future, it would have been a good life if Charles hadn't turned out to be evil, something the father could not have predicted. That he and her mother then "rejected her plea for asylum; they counseled her to be a “good wife” and keep quiet." is where they fail as parents and as human beings, though you'd be amazed at the things people can justify to themselves. Their advice to her points to them having truly thought this was Esme's fault and she and Charles could work this out. Which... awful, but you hear about family members doing this in so many abuse cases, it makes them scumbags but not unique scumbags, and if you asked them what was up with their daughter they would likely have told a completely different story from what was really happening, featuring Esme impossible and ungrateful, and believed it too.

Jasper's family history is largely unknown, all we know is that his father found him charismatic and they did not stop him from running off to volunteer for the Confederate side.

Rosalie's parents saw her as their ticket to climbing the social hierarchy in Rochester, and as such tried to marry her off at eigtheen to a man who didn't care for her. They smell to me like parents who would have made the same choice Esme's did, had Rosalie been married to Royce and come to them for help after. Throughout her childhood she was conditioned to praise her own looks above all, with pretty outfits and good looks being the end-all be-all of Rosalie Hale's existence. It always seemed to me that many of her issues come from how she was raised, so they're gonna come out ranking pretty low on the list.

[rantswithhannah]

Euphoria Season 2 Review

Just finished the Euphoria finale, for season 2. I have a lot to say.

Firstly, it definitely wasn’t as good as season 1. Season 1 felt a lot more structured - it was more grounded, focused on a few key characters, highlighted each episode by the flashback character work at the start (which would then lead to something in the episode) and managed to center the narrative around a few key character arcs.

This season was a lot more messy.

Let’s list all the major plot lines this season (most of which occur from the fallout of the last season). And then let's unpack them! Warning - major major spoilers for the entirety of Euphoria Season 2!

1) Fallout from Jules leaving Rue, leading to Rue’s relapse, and the breakdown of Rules.

I like how Jules running away led to both special episodes - which unpacked the trauma both of them were dealing with. I especially liked Jules’s rejection of traditional femininity and linking that with being appealing to men. They did manage to solve this pretty quickly - Rules getting back together within one episode - although it did make sense: Jules wanted Rue to commit to something. And then the actual fallout from their split at the end of season one was Rue screaming at Jules and blaming her for her relapse. But the fucking thiing I hated the most was the addition of Elliot to this plot line. Aside from eventually telling Jules about Rue’s relapse, which he knew would cost her 10k fucking dollars, he didn’t really do anything. He wasn’t a good friend, he had no personality outside liking BOTH rue and jules, and he wasn’t a good person either. I think that the eventual devolving of Rules throughout the season due to Rue’s drug use would’ve been enough - Jules could’ve figured this out herself, and then the fallout would’ve been exactly the same. The rest of this plot is virtually the same as the last season - Rue arguing with her family, doing drugs, getting worse, having a traumatic experience and finally getting clean.

2) Ash murdering Mouse, and the whole drug dealing stuff.

This was kind of running throughout the season. I like the introduction to Fez and Ash at the beginning, and their backstories. I liked Faye and Custer. Laurie was kind of an unnecessary addition, in my opinion (at least bringing Rue into the equation - there doesn’t seem to be any reason to include her, at this point, since there wasn’t any fallout from the 10k Rue now owes her). She could’ve been mentioned, just so that there was an idea of a backup drug dealer to Fez, but other than that, the introduction scene in the first episode took too long. This show is character driven, it shouldn’t be focusing on the other aspects that don’t matter as much. I saw that a bunch of people thought that Ash was acting out of character - and that his death was fucking pointless - but I think it was a  decent try to show how growing up in an environment such as that can traumatize and eventually kill a child. But again - kind of unnecessary, but makes sense within the plot.

3) Lexi and Fez! And the play.

I like this aspect of trying to develop Lexi’s character. The play was a nice way to include flashbacks and show Rue and Lexi’s friendship (although maybe not in the last two episodes, where they should’ve wrapped everything up better). And I really like Fez and Lexi. This adds more tragedy to the fact that Fez is now probably in prison. Lexi is also a super compelling character, and I like how they contrast her dealing with her dad being gone in a completely different way to Rue and Cassie (despite all of them being in pretty similar scenarios). Overall, probably the best outlined of this season? It was neatly tied up, at least.

4) Cassie and Maddy and Nate.

This is probably the most interesting arc of the season. I liked how this wasn’t really “fallout” from last season, but was a newly introduced concept that slightly links to where our characters were last season. Maddie and Nate are on their “off” part of the relationship. And Cassie is boyfriend-less and looking for someone. This made Cassie a lot less likable, but also showed her true emotional trauma from her dad leaving - at the lengths she’d go to get someone to love her. It exposed Nate’s truly toxic side (as if he could get any more toxic) and it gave some sympathy to Maddy (who isn’t the best person, overall). I liked how Maddy had her side plot with that rich old lady, and how she finally is free of Nate. The last scene, of her and Cassie in the bathroom, and how she says “this is only the beginning” really sums up the toxicity of Nate as a person and how he manipulates people to be obsessive over him (or maybe it’s not a conscious thing, maybe that’s just who he is). Regardless, I want to see how Cassie pulls herself out of this, and how Maddy focuses on something else now that she’s free to be whoever she wants.

5) The tapes and Cal.

I liked the addition of Cal’s backstory - it gave his character a lot more depth. Him and Nate are definitely the most developed characters (aside from Rue) and you really see their dynamic in this season. How Cal was sexually repressed and forced into a life he didn’t want - making him create a “side” life which brought out a side of him that enjoys hurting people. How his actions of hiding who he truly was affected Nate (as he found out about the tapes) and how their entire family, with their repressed emotions, created the monster that is Nate Jacobs: too repressed to feel anything and only used to taking his anger out on other people. I like the idea of Cal being afraid of Nate - of how he’s ashamed of raising a son like Nate - but also aware that it was his own fault. Also - the fact that he tried to raise his sons to be nothing like him just resulted in his son being him and so much worse is very cool. This arc, with Nate explaining how he used to have nightmares of his dad assaulting him (which is just, woah, poor eleven year old Nate), closing off with Cal being arrested is great. I just don’t know where Nate goes from here. Also - the conversation with Nate and his mom added a lot of depth to how Nate considers his dad to simultaneously be a villain (explaining how all his pent up anger is for his father alone) and like him (with the whole being attracted to men thing) which pretty much sums up Nate - of course, with the added level of violence from the tapes he watched.

6) The forgotten characters.

So - this is what I’m angry about: Jules and Kat and the lack of both of them. Both of them had such compelling stories in season 1 - with Jules exploring her being a trans-girl and what it means to be feminine and how that intersects with being a girl. And Kat (who had a very relatable storyline in my opinion) with how she was insecure and how she had to accept herself for who she actually was. I like this a lot! And then Kat has a ridiculous breakup scene with Ethan (this plot actually had potential - they could’ve explored how you don’t need to be in love with your first boyfriend, how you can make mistakes and don’t need to feel pressured to love someone back) and Jules’s only plot is linked to Rue. We don’t have a single just Jules scene. The fucking scenes with Elliot are pointless - don’t give me a trans-girl and woman of color lesbian relationship, then insert a straight man in the middle. Rue and Jules LOVED each other - they should’ve thrown Elliot out the window. So yes. My two girls deserved better.

7) Cinematography and soundtrack.

I didn’t particularly notice any amazing songs from this season. And neither did I notice any particularly cool shots that did something for the narrative, and weren’t just added for cinematography value.

8) The narration.

For some reason, they got rid of Rue’s beginning narration - in season 1, this really held together the plot for me. Rue narrated at the beginning, gave us a brief look into a character’s childhood, and then showed us how it linked to current events. And then linked current events to other current events. It was a constant driving force that helped the show flow, especially with all the characters present. Why the fuck did they just decide to remove it this season?

9) The ending.

I think it’s a fucking fake out to have the entire last two seasons focus on Rue getting clean, and then state “and I stayed clean for the rest of the school year” like what the fuck? It was that easy this entire time? No, thanks.

10) Final thoughts.

So, euphoria season 2: pretty interesting watch, still with compelling stories and characters. However, not as good as season 1 plot wise, character wise, cinematography wise, or soundtrack wise. A little messy. Could’ve used a lot more Kat and Jules and less Elliot. Also - the pacing was wack. We’re going to have to wait until 2024 (at the least) for season 3, so I’m not going to hope for anything amazing.