#and i can't decide if they're going to make him a kind of good redeemable guy

[meownotgood]

ok I'm awake and a little more sentient. there is a whole lot of stuff I really really like about the episodes but I think my main disappointment right now is just that. viktor became the machine herald because of his own conviction. he forced himself to become stronger, specifically attempted to remove his own emotions because he felt they made him weak. but now this viktor just gets thrust into this situation, like the hexcore is just manipulating him to do whatever the fuck, he didn't even get to choose what he wanted because jayce chose it for him

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Do you think it's weird that I was fine with Roxas finding out he was Sora's Nobody in Kingdom Hearts, but Adrien not being what we thought he was triggered my ick factor a lot? Do you think it's because we learned that about Roxas before we had a lot of time to get attached to him?

I was initially going to say that I can't answer this because I've only played Kingdom Hearts 1, so my knowledge of the later games is pretty limited. Then I remembered that my little brother is both obsessed with those games and the Mycroft to my Sherlock*, so I gave him a call and got the expert opinion (and a reminder that I need to play the Kingdom Hearts games so that my brother can talk about them with someone who understands story telling because those games apparently make a lot of... interesting choices.)

Here is the sum of my brother's analysis:

The two properties handled the concept of personhood and artificial beings in such wildly different ways that it would never even occur to him to compare them (though it was an interesting question once posed). A good portion of the later Kingdom Hearts games revolve around asking what a person even is. Should they try to make the Nobodies into people? Do the Nobodies even need to change to be people or are they people already? What makes Roxas different from other Nobodies? These questions start being asked very early on and, for all the story's flaws, you can tell that the writers are aware that they're dealing with a serious topic and that they're trying to do it justice.

Meanwhile, Miraculous introduces artificial beings who don't have true free will and then... completely ignores all of the ethical implications of that plot point. Emilie and Gabriel are good parents. The fact that the heroes have been killing off sentimonsters isn't concerning. Gabriel's commands are just a minor inconvenience to Adrienette and not anything that needs to be explored in a deeper way. He's still totally redeemable and it's fine that Adrien never learned the truth while his father was alive so that he could decide what that meant for their relationship on his own terms.

Given all of that, it's really not shocking that Kingdom Hearts makes you feel invested while Miraculous repulses you because the Miraculous introduced human sentimonsters for cheap shock value to the point where I firmly believe that it was a retcon. Meanwhile Kingdom Hearts planned major elements of the plot around the concept and set it up right from the start of the second game. If Miraculous had done the same kind of thing, then I doubt that most salters would be deeply upset by the concept. They still might dislike it, but it would be seen more as a matter of taste than as a true flaw.

*For those who don't know, Mycroft Holmes is Sherlock Holmes' older brother. Sherlock openly admits that Mycroft is the smarter and more observant of the two siblings. The same can be said of my sibling when it comes to story telling. Everything I can do, he can do just as well or even better. He's never seen miraculous, but knows the major plot beats from a mix of cultural osmosis and reading the occasional fanfic when an author he likes crosses fandoms. He is highly amused that no one he follows does anything save for fix-it type stuff and says it tells him everything he needs to know about canon's writing quality, an assessment I fully agree with.

[oatmealaddiction]

Rant time, but like, people who complain about the diamonds in Steven Universe getting "redeemed" and "facing no consequences" like, why did you ever think the diamonds getting destroyed was on the table as an option? Why did everyone think the show was going to end with Steven fighting and killing the diamonds, or the universe dolling out some Hayes Code Karma Violence like a giant rock falling on them at the last second? Like I guess I understand the criticism in theory that Steven Universe's metaphor for the diamonds as toxic family members falls apart when you consider they're crimes as space monarchs doing a colonialism, but Steven isn't The Avatar. At no point in the show does he even have the power to doll out the punishment you guys want.

Steven *does* try to fight the diamonds, and he gets his ass kicked. He gets smashed under his own shield and knocked out. His mom forms an entire army to fight them and LOSES and has almost all of her friends corrupted by them. The Diamonds are bigger, badder and stronger than The Crystal Gems (kind of like how adults are bigger and stronger than children.) So instead, he reveals his identity as Pink and the Diamonds immediately stop trying to kill him and the show instead pivots to be about political diplomacy. He doesn't like the diamonds, by the time Future rolls around we find out that he hates them and has private thoughts about killing them even now that that they don't pose any threat. But during the show he's powerless and so instead, talking to them and trying to change their mind is just a practical option because fighting hasn't worked. Because in the real world, there are times you will be outmatched and violence won't be the answer—even if the people hurting you probably do deserve violence.

And the diamonds aren't "redeemed," they just change their mind. They just decide that they want to keep Pink in their lives, so they begin to take accountability and undo the damage that they caused with their war, and presumably will spend the next thousands of years of their lives dismantling their own empire. And again, Steven Universe Future discusses the discomfort and the downside of this approach, that even if it's better and harm is actively being undone, the diamonds can't resolve all the harm they've done and Steven largely doesn't feel like he's gotten justice for what they did to him and his mother—much less the universe. So I don't get where anyone gets off saying this story is irresponsible or saying you should just forgive bad people. I don't see that anywhere in the story. The theme of Universe has always been the necessity of change, and so it makes sense that the villains aren't forgiven or revealed to be good people—but that they just change.

[lxkeee]

BEGGING FOR A LUCIFER X FEM!READER SMUT ABT HIM EATING READER OUT AFTER SEEING HIM DO THAT GESTURE AT THE LAST EP PLSSSS 🛐🛐🛐🛐 would do anything for that man omfg I'D KILL FOR HIM TO CALL ME GOOD GIRL

genre: plot with some smut ig

warnings: cunnilingus, oral (fem receiving), soft dom! Lucifer, thigh marking, praising (both receiving), pet names (love, darling, sweetheart), whiney Lucifer.

notes: I don't do porn without plot so yes... There's a little bit of plot to this 💀 it is quite long as they're not having sex but making love soo you better bet he's going to take his time with herr... This one is hella long btw.

additional notes: banners are made by cafekitsune, reader wears gloves and I can't explain what kind but the kind Child/tartaglia wears from genshin impact. Also, I don't know if this will be good as it's been a long time since I've written smut 💀

tags: @adaizel @xx-all-purpose-nerd-xx @thedarkitten (I can't tag you </3) @brithedemonspawn @dinawss @froggybich

“Good luck kiddo.” Lucifer said to his daughter before eventually slowly teleporting away from the hotel and back to the palace. His body manifested on the arm chair that's in his room and his shoulders sagged a bit. A heavy sigh left his lips.

“She grew up so fast but I still can't help but get worried...” he muttered underneath his breath as his eyes gazed upon the hanged picture frame of Charlie. Removing his hat from his head and placed in ton the table then his eyes slowly gazed into the framed picture that was on the table it was him and his new lover, [y/n]. He gave himself a second chance at love and he met [y/n], the only sinner that he actually likes being around with. Despite her mysterious yet charming personality, [y/n] is a nice woman, very patient and understanding. Although, there are moments his heart would yearn for his ex-wife, Lilith during his relationship with [y/n] but surprisingly [y/n] herself is very understanding, she understands that he cannot immediately and completely erase a love that lasted for so many years and with that, he is grateful for [y/n] and with that he always reassure her that he loves her and is happy with her. Though, right now, he is completely missing her as she's currently away for a week due to her status as an overlord. Despite [y/n] being an overlord, she didn't become one because of cruelty but many sinners would want to work under her as she treats her souls with care, providing a roof under their head, food, medicine, and protection as long as they follow her orders. [Y/n] didn't really specify how long she'll be gone as there are important matters to deal with but she promised that it won't take two weeks. She reassures him and vice versa.

“Oh [y/n], I've missed you.” Lucifer says to himself, shaking his head with a small toothy grin on his face that shows off his perfectly white sharp teeth. The circles of his cheeks turning a darker shade of red as he thinks about her. He sighs longingly as he squeezes a rubber duck that looks like her, the small rubber toy making a loud 'squeak' sound.

He didn't realize it as the arm chair was facing the opposite direction of his door, he didn't notice the said woman arrived awhile ago and decided to surprise him and opened the door without any sound. [Y/n] grins as she watches the man she loves plays with his rubber duck, her body leaning against the doorframe and her arms crossed over her chest.

“[y/n] come back soon, I need your insights on whether my decision of allowing Charlie a meeting with heaven was a great idea.” Lucifer whines to himself as he talks to the rubber duck version of [y/n].

This caught the woman's attention, [y/n] has met Charlie and she absolutely loved the girl. She heard that Charlie's opening a hotel that redeems sinners, she saw it on the TV and she honestly found it funny how she fought the TV host. She supports her cause but [y/n] thinks she wouldn't be joining it, not because she doesn't believe it will work but she doesn't want to leave Lucifer alone.

[y/n] let out a silent sigh as she continues to listen to her lover ramble to the rubber duck version of her, “If only you could see how motivated she is, love. I couldn't say no and I am afraid they'll crush her dreams like they crushed mine.” he says softly, his voice dull as he recalled what happened to him when he had so much hope and dreams for his people.

“I am sure Charlie would be fine, she's an amazing kid and she has an amazing father who will support her.” [y/n] says with a small smile, finally announcing her arrival. Lucifer slightly jumped from his seat from hearing her voice, turning around quickly to see his beloved leaning against the doorframe with her arms over her chest, the black suit she was wearing hugged her figure perfectly, the red tie adding a pop of color to her outfit. She looked gorgeous, she always does.

His eyes widened before a smile finally found its way back to his gorgeous face, “[y/n]! You're back!” he exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and quickly running towards her. [Y/n] chuckles as she moves away from the door, spreading her arms open for a hug—only for Lucifer to hug her and dip her, the action causing her to place her hands behind his neck for support and his actions caught her off guard when he finally kisses her.

The lovers stayed in that position, Lucifer supporting her weight as he held her waist while in the dipping position. Her hands behind his neck, playing with his light blond locks, causing the man to groan against her lips. Sharp teeth occasionally clash as they kiss, two weeks apart made them yearn for each other.

Lucifer's lips slowly moved away from her lips making [y/n] whine softly as he began to kiss the side of her lips, her jawline, and then her neck. Wet sounds of his kisses fills the room, along with [y/n]'s whimpers as she felt the devil himself began to mark her flawless neck with his hickies. Lucifer gave her a smirk before placing a gentle kiss on the newly made mark he just made on her neck.

“Welcome back, love.” he says softly, looking down at her flushed features. Admiring her as he held her in a dipping position. [Y/n] chuckles softly, her cheeks warm and red after the passionate kiss, “Oh, Lucifer... You always know how to make me swoon.” she mutters and he laughs, his laugh is like a gentle breeze that calms you down, so soft. His cheeks are turning a light shade of pink, “Well, it's a natural thing I can do when it comes to you.” he says with a chuckle before eventually helping her stand properly, making her chuckle softly.

“Aren't you romantic today?” [y/n] says with a small laugh escaping her lips, he could listen to her laugh all day and not get tired of hearing it. Lucifer smirked before softly holding her hand, bowing to place a gentle kiss on her knuckle, “I just missed you, that's all. I haven't seen you for almost two weeks.” he says before the hand that was holding her hand slowly glides across her arm, reaching her chest by her tie and then gently tugging her tie downwards so he could reach her face, “And we have a lot of catching up to do, my love.” he says with a smirk, making [y/n] blush slightly at the action and from the tone of his voice, “Indeed we do...” she replied with a suggestive tone and eventually closed her eyes as Lucifer presses his lips against hers, tugging her tie to lower her more and turn the kiss deeper. [Y/n] chuckles against the kiss, parting away from him for a few moments as a smirk finds its way to her lips, “My... Someone's eager...” [y/n] says teasingly making Lucifer blush slightly and pouted, “Don't blame me, I have truly and deeply missed you.” he says before slowly intertwining his hand with hers, pulling her towards his bed and [y/n] complied with a smirk, deciding not to tease him further. She wants him and he wants her. It's been so long since they've last touched each other. They needed this.

Lucifer gently pushed her down into his bed, [y/n] landing on the soft mattress on her back with a soft 'thud.' Lucifer followed soon after, climbing on top of her, his hand caressing her jawline while his other hand supporting his body weight. They stared at each other, eyes dilated and filled with love and adoration for each other. [Y/n] shudders a little as she feels the soft material of his gloves against her skin, her eyes looking up at him, admiring his beautiful features—the red aesthetic of his room making his light blond hair and pale skin pop, complimenting his beautiful ruby colored eyes, sharp jawline, pearly white sharp teeth, so angelic yet sinful, “You are so beautiful...” she murmurs softly and she swore his eyes dilated more before his hand moved back to her tie and gently tugged her upwards so their lips pressed against one another once more.

Mouths moved against each other, soft whimpers leaving their lips as they tried to match the other's pace. Lucifer groans softly as he feels her fingers combed through his slicked back hair, making it messy but he doesn't mind. He can taste the cherry flavor of her lipstick as he kisses her, the taste of her making his mind swirl, “Fuck... I can't get enough of you...” he groans softly as he gently bites her lower lip, asking for permission in which she obliges, parting her lips slightly to allow him to slip his tongue inside.

[y/n] moans softly, fueling his passion for her. Sharp teeth clash against each other as they lose themselves in the moment. [Y/n]'s hand slowly found its way to his, intertwining her hand with his own. Lucifer squeezes her hand as he continues to kiss her, savoring the sensation of her lips against his and his tongue exploring her mouth.

Her other hand is exploring his body, caressing his chest through his suit, making him shudder slightly. Lucifer's kisses once more moved away from her lips, moving downwards from her jawline to her neck, placing a gentle kiss on the previous hickey he made awhile ago before gently pulling her arm that had her hand that he was squeezing, bringing her hand to his lips and gently bit the end of her gloves with his teeth to pull her glove down. [Y/n] gulped from the action, her body heating up from how attractive he is. Fuck... Why is he so hot?

“You're such a tease...” she mutters softly with a pout making him laugh as he holds her other arm and does the same thing to her other glove, biting it down to remove it before throwing the gloves somewhere out of the bed, “But you love it, don't you?” he asked teasingly with a smirk and she sighs softly with a smile, “I do, I really do.”

“You better say those exact words to me one day but that time, it better be when I'm kneeling down in one knee.” he says teasingly making the girl blush and groan softly and nodded, “that's my girl... Now, how about we take these off as it is in the way hmm?” he asked as his finger traced her chest, running across her suit, a silent question for her consent and she nodded.

Lucifer began to loosen her tie, throwing the red fabric across the room before he began to unbutton her top. Revealing her lacy black bra underneath, fitting her breasts perfectly. Ah fuck, she's so gorgeous...

Removing the black fabric off her figure, finally showing off her torso. [Y/n] did the same to his suit, helping her remove his clothes as he could feel the heat of his skin beginning to heat up more.

Slowly and surely, one by one their clothes were removed. Leaving them naked for each other's eyes. Both Lucifer and [y/n] had to avoid each other's eyes as they felt shy, it has been awhile since they've done something so intimate.

[y/n] slowly moved her eyes back on him, admiring Lucifer's bare figure—hair messy, cheeks red, eyes shy and avoiding, beautifully handsome face and body—clearly sculpted by God. She allowed her hand to graze at his arm up to his jawline, holding his chin gently and then slowly tilt his head back so he's now once more looking at her.

Lucifer's breath hitched as his eyes finally landed on her, [y/n] looked so beautiful—her hair sprawled behind her, her [h/c] complimenting her gorgeous face, half-lidded [e/c] eyes and dilated pupils looking at him with so much need and adoration, plump lips that he oh so wanted to desperately kiss all the time, her body most especially... He just wants to leave kisses all over it.

“You're so beautiful, I can't believe you're mine.” Lucifer whispers softly with his cheeks flushed while he was above her, his arms supporting his weight. [Y/n] blushed and chuckled, “You tell me that everyday, love.” [y/n] says with a small smile and Lucifer can only chuckle, “It's because I want to,” he says with a small smile, pausing a bit, “I want to remind you everyday, that my love and adoration for you will never change and I am grateful that I've met you.” he says softly, his voice gentle and vulnerable as he expresses his love for her, his hand caressing her cheek. [Y/n]'s blush turned into a deeper shade of red as she listened to his confession, a small and flustered smile on her face as she intertwined her hand with his once more, “With that, I am eternally grateful that you chose me, for loving me and with that I would love you till the end of time.” she says softly, Lucifer can only smile—the same dorky smile you always loved seeing on his face.

Lucifer leans down so he can kiss her again, [y/n] instinctively snaking her as arms behind his neck—pulling him deeper into the kiss. Their kiss was needy, fiery, passionate yet gentle, soft moans and whimpers escaping past their lips. I love you's being muttered occasionally between them and against each other's soft lips. Occasionally, Lucifer would let out a small whine as [y/n] began to stroke his cock while they were kissing, his whines were music to her ears, “Y-yes... That feels amazing...” he whimpered softly against her lips, his hips thrusting against her hand for more friction. She could feel how hard he is for her, she can feel the veins running from base to the tip, she can feel the precum staining her hands.

Lucifer's kisses once more slowly went down—to her jawline, neck, collarbone and finally on her chest. He looked up at her, his eyes needy and dark with desire and love for her before he finally took one nipple into his mouth, suckling and swirling his long tongue around the sensitive nub while his other hand played with her other breast.

Whimpers and whines left [y/n]'s lips as her hand moves away from his cock and squeezes the pillows, Lucifer really knows how to pleasure her, her other hand running through his hair and massaging his scalp while he moves to her other breast.

“Luci... Mhmm... That feels so good...” she softly moans out and Lucifer feels a sense of pride from hearing that, his mouth continues to suckle on her left breast before eventually releasing it with a small 'pop.'

Lucifer's eyes went back to gaze on her face—disheveled, flustered, and cute.

“So utterly beautiful...” he murmured before moving his body downwards as he finally reached her legs, “Spread your legs for me, love.” he asked with a small teasing smirk, enjoying the flustered look on her face. [Y/n] obediently followed and shyly spreads her legs for him, avoiding his gaze.

Lucifer smirked as [y/n] spread her legs for him, his eyes turning into slits as he saw how turned on she was and how much she needed him, “Good girl.” he praises, his voice teasing, “Only for you.” [y/n] replies with a smirk of her own.

“You better be...” Lucifer says with a chuckle as he begins to kiss her thighs, leaving hickies while his hands squeeze the softness of her flesh, his lips slowly going up and dangerously near her womanhood. Looking up at her, his eyes were soft but filled with want, “May I?” he asked and [y/n] looked at him shyly and nodded.

Lucifer's smile widens before he eventually allows his head to dip into her most intimate part. His mouth began to suckle on pussy, moans escaping both of their lips.

Lucifer felt hungry and he can only satisfy this hunger with her. He suckled greedily like a man dying of thirst. His tongue lapped along her folds, circling her clit that invokes loud moans from her. He misses this, he misses her so much.

[y/n]'s eyes rolled back and her back arching from the pleasure, toes curling, whimpers escaping her lips. She can feel the texture of his tongue against her most intimate part, a gasp left her lips as she felt him slip a finger inside, his long and slender finger thrusting in and out while his mouth worked wonders along with it.

“So utterly wet and so good for me, sweetheart,” Lucifer praises as he continues to eat her out before finally adding a second finger inside her, he could feel how easily his fingers slide in and out—a perfect manifestation of how much she wants him, he enjoys how she can no longer form coherent words aside from moans she let out. He is incredibly hard but this isn't about him but this is about her pleasure, she always comes first after all.

“You are so good to me... I love you...” [y/n] whimpered softly making him chuckle, “I love you too, darling.” he murmurs with a small smile, his tongue flicking through her hidden areas of her intimate area while his fingers continue to thrust in and out. Skins heating up from the passion.

Lucifer can tell whenever she's close, from the obvious sign of how her toes curl, how high pitched her moans are becoming, how hard she is gripping his hair and how far her eyes rolled back at the back of her head.

“Is my love gonna cum?” he asked teasingly making his girl whimper, “Yes...!” she replied and he chuckled as he increased the pace of his fingers and tongue, “Be a good girl for me and cum for me, [y/n]” Lucifer says and that was enough for the knot in her stomach to break, “I'm gonna cu—” her voice was cut off as she let out a loud whine.

Lucifer greedily lapped at her essence, like a nectar from the gods that he cannot get enough of. Small whimpers leaving [y/n]'s lips as she felt so sensitive.

He eventually removed his lips from her intimate area and along with his fingers, he looked up at her disheveled, breathless and flushed but beautiful face. Lucifer smiled, “Are you okay...?” he asked, his voice was gentle and worried and [y/n] nodded, “More than okay, my love.” she replied with a small smile, “We can stop here if you want? I don't want to force you or anything...” he says and [y/n] shakes her head, their love was both giving and receiving afterall, “I can still go on and besides, I know you need help with that.” she says with a smirk as her eyes landed on his painfully erect cock that was begging for her and he blushed, “Now, be a good boy and let me take care of you this time.”

[starryeyeddreamer21]

So I have this idea for a Hazbin Hotel au and just hear me out okay.... CO PARENTING AU

Like the hotel residents are just chilling when the doorbell rings and Charlie goes to answer it hoping that it's a demon that wants to be redeemed but no it's a little baby wrapped in a fuzzy pink blanket

Charlie freaks out, y'know as you do when there's a baby on your doorstep, and she calls the others over

Angel is the first to respond he squeals and picks up the baby Nifty climbs onto his shoulder to get a closer look

"Can we keep it?"

Husk facepalms (mostly to hide his smile because Angel looks so cute with that baby)

Vaggie is horrified and continues refusing to let Angel keep this baby

Angel just goes on a whole rant about how her parents left her there and he wasn't going to abandon her (he's really going for guilt tripping them tbh) In the middle of the rant he thrusts the baby into Vaggie's arms and she just stares down at this baby and you can see her fall in love right then and there

Charlie is watching this with heart eyes because Vaggie looks so soft right now

Sir Pentious is just like "Sssso are we keeping it?" (He's not very good with kids)

Spoiler alert: they kept her

I've been thinking about this way too much so here's what I think they'd be like as parents

Most of them in the same boat where they're good with kids but being good with kids and raising them is a whole nother story

Vaggie: is a little too strict at times and is probably the one saying you can't have too much sugar. She didn't really have a childhood so she's trying her best to give the baby the best childhood she can while also keeping her safe and probably being way too overprotective

Charlie: is spending as much time with that child as possible. She never wants her to think she's being abandoned and wants her to know that they love her more than anything. She's basically just trying to be there the way her parents weren't.

Angel: His style of parenting is very different from Vaggie's. He's not strict at all he just really wants to be liked. He's still a good parent though. He's basically trying to give her the childhood he didn't get and is definitely overprotective. He's terrified of what Valentino would do if he found out about her which he knows is irrational because she's got the most powerful family in hell but he still has nightmares about it. He will definitely bring the baby into his bed a lot of nights instead of leaving her in her crib. He talks to her a lot in Italian and sings her lullabies.

Husk: He's an amazing father. He's logical but chill enough to be a good middle ground in the middle of all the crazy. He's basically the kind of parent we all need. He's very intune with others feelings and always knows what's wrong when she's crying.

Nifty: She takes on a lot of the important stuff like changing and bathing her. She's tiny and can't actually pick the baby up but she's a surprisingly good parent anyway. She's still Nifty though so she's definitely making toys out of roach corpses and entertaining her with those puppet shows.

Sir Pentious: Okay this man has no idea what he's doing at all. He's not very good with children just because he doesn't know how to interact with them but he shows love in his own way. He's the one that makes her crib and most of her toys. He's definitely the one that teaches her math and science when she's older and they would probably invent together too.

Alastor: He wanted absolutely nothing to do with this baby. He was against bringing her into the hotel all together but eventually he warmed up to her. It starts when everyone else is asleep and he hears the baby crying. After a minute of contemplation he decides to go see what's going on. He ends up rocking her and humming his jazz music until she falls back asleep. He starts doing this every night (someone has definitely walked in on him doing this but nobody mentions it to his face). He's the kind of parent that takes a vow like "I will protect you to my dying breath" y'know some crazy shit like that

Lucifer: He's there all the time helping out. He's the kind of grandparent that would brag about his grandkids, he's showing everyone pictures of this baby it's honestly embarrassing. He's really doing his best to make up for not spending enough time with Charlie. He's also the only one who knows anything about children like they wouldn't even know how to feed this kid without him.

[mdhwrites]

Honestly I personally believe Sasha Waybright character arc was better written and engaging than Hunter and Amity’s arcs combined mostly because there was more agency in her arc and while the other two characters who go from enemies to allies to friends just didn’t engage me as much as Sasha’s.

I’m especially dissatisfied with Hunter and how his story while interesting wasn’t as cool as it could’ve been

So I've talked a lot about this in the past but the angle I'll take this time is simple: Sasha is more compelling as a villain to ally arc because the show let her be a villain.

That might sound simple but it's clearly something TOH itself struggled with. One could argue that ALL of the redemptions in TOH follow a pattern of one bad action followed by them being tenuously on the same side and then on the same side. Amity is out of character for her first episode and then Luz is actually at fault for Covention, even if Amity takes it too far. Then Amity is weirdly antagonistic during Hooty's Moving Hassle and then NEVER AGAIN. Three episodes into knowing her and she is now the person we are supposed to sympathize and want around and her biggest crime feels entirely out of character for the rest of her portrayal.

Hunter is similar. His first appearance is not Hunter. It's the Golden Guard who is WAY more fun a character than Hunter ever was and kind of a bastard. Then the mask is removed in his second real appearance (not counting the stinger in Escaping Expulsion) and he is someone to start sympathizing and working with. He is the sad but mad boy by his third major appearance and his second appearance makes him somewhat sympathetic, just like Covention did for Amity... Or For the Future does for The Collector despite lines like "I can't wait to play amongst the bones!" in Hollow Mind that feel, drumroll please, OUT OF CHARACTER TO THE REST OF HIS WRITING!

Lilith is the only to subvert this... Kind of. No, they actually go out of order but still the same essentially with her. Her first appearance makes her sympathetic and not properly a threat because she's still willing to play ball with Eda for a one on one competition, then she spends the second half of S1 just palling around in shenanigans she should not be allowing but is because... Fuck you. Then we get her one truly evil action in kidnapping Luz, coupled also with having been the one to curse Eda but that's also used to show she's a good person now so the kidnapping is the bigger deal here. Then... She's just a good guy afterwards.

This all makes for the most shallow, bullshit uses of this trope I think you can do while being allowed to claim you did it. After all, a key point to all of these redemptions aren't "Then they sided with the good guys," it's just "Then they're a good person." They don't bring who they were as a villain with them. The strengths that led to their villainy are just gone and they're hard to say what they were in the first place, what they add to the narrative in their redemption and joining of the main party because who were they before they joined. What are they actually fighting against as a person instead of just deciding not to be evil anymore or wanting the cookies that the light side offers?

It'd be like if after Sasha was redeemed, she was as bad as Anne at being able to lead and use people. If the show went "To better erase all the crimes she's done, not only will we say Sasha only is a bad person because her father is Ultra Satan but also she now is entirely incompetent in what she was good at before." Amity loses her intelligence. Her plans are always the most straightforward after she starts getting a crush on Luz and she canonically started having her grades slip. Hunter is the most pathetic character in the main cast with I think zero wins in his belt besides his first appearance despite being the only one with combat training. Lilith is just... Sad in how much they reduce all she was for over forty years of her life to go "Now she's a silly nerd girl. Fuck ambition."

And, of course, their bad sides being blamed on mother, uncle, mother kind of for Lilith actually, just that the exposition for that comes after her redemption, and the Archivists and Belos for the Collector. They aren't bad people, they just were forced to spend time with the wrong people. Now that they're nerds and led by nerd Jesus, everything is okay.

There is a VEEERY real problem in TOH of Us vs. Them mentality that comes from these arcs that's really gross. Swap Luz to a white, male jock and suddenly the show becomes WAY MORE UNCOMFORTABLE!

Sasha dodges all of this because no one tries to excuse Sasha. Sasha never tries to pretend she's anyone other than who she is except for when she's explicitly putting on an act. This means everything compelling and good about her as a villain can cleanly transition to when she is a hero, even if it's hard to believe that which the show even calls out.

There is no Sasha's Angels in TOH. That might be a weird one to reference to you because it doesn't include much Sasha but it nails on the head what makes this trope so exciting. To Anne, Sasha letting others do the work while she gets to theoretically kick back looks like the same old Sasha that she now is suspicious of. Someone who is self serving and so Anne lashes out. However, it's not the case. Sasha's ability to manipulate always came from being able to read a person's weaknesses and strengths. She's a MUCH better manipulator than Belos in this way because she doesn't leverage on you or for you to already be siding with her. She can read you like a book and tear apart your pages until she plays with your spine. And as a hero, that's going to mean she's a great delegator. She's the sort who would go "Nah, we don't need to save them from what you see as certain doom. I know he can deal with it." And she's right. Not because of blind faith but because of the same skills that made her villainous.

Something that wouldn't hit nearly as hard, or feel reasonable on Anne's part, if we didn't get so many examples of this being who Sasha is. Of the fact that Sasha uses other people for her own means. And even now, you can claim the same... Except it's not for her means. It's for their needs.

It actually is part of what makes her becoming a therapist so pitch perfect. A good therapist can call you out when you're trying to hide behind something to not get to the core of your problems. They can catch what is at the root of your issues even as you don't see it yourself. They also can see your value and use your strengths to help combat those problems after helping you identify them. It's actually pretty close to how she tried to get out of Toad Tower in her first appearance. Bring in someone, earn their trust, use their passions against their weaknesses and make them better. The only difference is that now she cares about making them better.

Amity, Hunter and Lilith could never have such a satisfying future because again: What are their strengths? Hell, post redemption, that statement stands true. You can call Amity good at magic I guess but Hunter and Lilith are pathetic people who kind of luck out in being useful at times and that's really it. These aren't people who have anything going for them. They're as good as goons with one of them being an elite in a one off episode as far as villain forces go and that's not very compelling for a redemption of this sort. Not unless you're really going to get into that and A: Lilith was one of the strongest mages on the Isles and studied her ass off so you'd think she'd mocked less for sucking at her job and being a fucking moron and B: they didn't even try for half a second with Hunter who I don't really know if they intended to make look as pathetic as he did skill wise.

So their futures are just random factoids introduced during the story. Does Amity being an inventor say anything about her redemption? No. In fact, it really sucks because Odalia would have LOVED her daughter to follow in her father's footsteps because that's the most profitable option for their company. Good job show. Hunter just takes up the job that connects him with the only thing we know is explicitly Caleb related, no conjecture needed, which sucks for a character who was supposed to be his own person. Then Lilith is... A historian. Because she likes that I guess. Does that have anything to do with her time as the coven head? No. Her ambitions? GOD NO. It's just a random choice that puts her in line with the inoffensively nerdy cast.

And before ANYONE says anything about the shortening, I want to say I've done a blog comparing the fact that Amity, in S2A (so before the shortening) has as many appearances as Sasha does in Sasha's entire redemption arc. You didn't need more time to do this better, the show needed to actually commit to its concepts. Actually needed to be willing to do its tropes rather than slapping it on for marketability and to make lazy analysts happy.

Because enemies to allies is not one of those tropes you can half ass. Not unless you want none of its power and boy, these are some weak character arcs. At least we've got Sasha.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[midnight-bay-if]

I'm so torn between ROs... Honestly can't decide between S, who seem to be like the greenest of flags here - they're human, and have no ulterior motive (I think?) to pursue the MC, apart from the initial spark of attraction and curiosity. Also their personality seems okay as well, they look like a mature person, someone with whom it is easy to communicate and just be around. Sure, they have their own inner demons, but come on - who doesn't? At least S try to not make their demons everyone else's problem.

But also there is N, who seem a little bit too much for me personally, but, oh, I do want to romance them just to spite Alek.

And also there is Umbra! Umbra, reappearing out of thin air, when they are needed. Umbra, who looks like an encyclopedia illustration of 'ride or die' term. Umbra, who follows us around like a lost puppy. A little bit creepy - in a sexy way - tall, dark, alluring puppy. Somehow the fact they do not realize how attractive they are and how much more they intrigue the MC by trying to keep us at arm's length, makes them even more attractive.

God save multiple save slots 🤣🤣🤣

Also, if there is some kind of petition about making Hunter a LI in the next book, please, sign me in. I really like their personality. They are surprisingly honest and do not try to cover their motives behind pleasantries. Yes, we do not know yet what those motives are, but still. I also love their 'no f***s given' attitude and the fact that they like to get on the MC's nerves a little bit. But at the same time they immediately back off when they see we are genuinely not in the mood. What a beautiful potential for the 'push and pull' relationship dynamic! To annoy each other, first out of spite and mutual irritation, using pet names as an insult, but slowly starting to anticipate this banter, making it flirtier and annoying not each other, but everyone else around... Starting to like each other's stubbornness and edginess... Chief's kiss.

Oh, but also, of you say Hunter is a shitty person, and there is nothing to redeem them, that's all right, too. If they are genuinely a bad person, and want to use our MC for whatever reason, and do not care for us as a person, then we can just ask Umbra to pay them a friendly visit and to (intimidate them to death)... I mean, poop on their porch or something. Like a good puppy they are.

Hi, anon! I’m so glad my evil plan to have everyone fall in love with each of my ROs is working, haha.

But yes, you are right about S being the greenest of green flags, lol. All the ROs have a journey to go through, but S is well in the depths of theirs already and has mostly come through the other side. I wanted at least one RO to be well-adjusted. That isn’t to say they won’t experience struggle in their route, but they will handle it with dignity and maturity.

N is definitely a little full-on, but they can also be good fun to write, at least, haha.

Umbra is a cutie. Definitely MC’s ride-or-die. Umbra came from a really personal place, so I can’t help but have a soft spot for them. They were my guardian angel exactly when I needed them, so now I hand them over to everyone else, too. Just in case.

I’ve been giving it a lot of thought since the discourse started about Hunter. Hunter is not a good person, but I think it will make for a very interesting dynamic if people decide to pursue him. By the time his potential romance comes around, people will be able to make a much more informed decision about him. So, although I couldn’t make him an RO in book one, I think it will work out for the best this way.

Thank you so much for the kind message :) It really means a lot.

[thewebcomicsreview]

Hate to tell you this, but the HSBC update just got updated.

I get that they wanted to keep the Hell Arc confined to page 666, and it'll make the archival experience pretty cool, but hard refreshing the site didn't let me see the update to the page due to cache bullshit, I had to use a different browser. So let's liveblog now before it breaks again:

Looks like we're back to Tavros. I guess it makes sense that the first path to update would the one where they could reuse the talksprites.

So, as directly stated by Davepeta, Vriska is trapped in a time loop, where Tavros doesn't remember anything that happened the previous day, just like in the movie Groundhog Day. That Davepeta called out the movie explicitly in-universe as the reference makes me wonder if events will follow the rough plot of that movie. It's clearly what Davepeta wants to happen, but...Vriska....

Anyway, Vriska offers to let Tavros decide what to do today, for the first time. It took two whole years for her to try that, but she is the Thief of Light and not letting anyone else decide what to do is literally her cosmic role and stuff, so I guess that tracks. And what Tavros wants to do is....play a game.

Last update I said that Vriska saying she's done some things wrong while shrugging and laughing is the ultimate distillation of Vriska, but her having won everything and being miserable about it is also the ultimate distillation of Vriska. She's a woman of contrasts, that Vriskers.

The use of the phrase "session" here outs this line as having Deeper Meanings. Having SBURB sessions over and over so we can play forever is literally Dirk's plan, and most of the fandom is assuming a Candy session is coming.

So, even though they're talking about playing FLARP (the troll DnD game, which is apparently PvP), this is also an argument over whether or not Homestuck should continue. You can't really "win" if the game keeps going, but that doesn't mean you're stuck doing the same thing over and over.

I know Vriska is Problematique, but I'm still taken aback by her 2000s kid usage of "gay" as a general-purpose insult, and not just because trolls don't have a concept of "straight" or "gay". Apparently she doesn't even know what it means and learned the word from Da-

Oh, it was just to set up this line for people to screenshot. Alright. Fine.

brb, gotta go post this in the hard to use reaction images channel on the discord and have someone complain it's easy to use.

Tavros accuses Vriska of projecting her own fears onto him, and then gets into a tangent about being a "soft" female fairy and Vriska takes him up on playing this new "game for girls" and he panics and changes the subject. There's a...lot....going on there.

Vriska starts to have an actual breakthrough, when suddenly Aradiabot appears. Wait, is this where Aradia and Ult!Dave went?

We fade to black and I thought that was it, but apparently not. This being a visual novel makes it feel like a much bigger update than it is, and also kind of makes you read each line a bit more carefully. It's a good way of having multiple meaty (or, um, candy-y) updates in a short stretch of time, and that's kind of an important part of the "feel" of Homestuck that no one can really replicate.

Oh, I do not care for this talksprite.

The downside of this format is that it's harder to liveblog, I think, but basically Aradia is complaining about the Vriska Cycle of "Do bad thing, self-flagellate to be redeemed, repeat".

Vriska justifies it because she has to take action and set people straight and stuff, and if this conversation/game isn't leading to the return of "(Vriska)", the OG timeline Vriska who died and got a ton of character growth before post-retcon Vriska stole her girlfriend, then what is it building towards?

A lot of these lines make good single-panel memes. Yes, Vriska, you are the problem in nearly every situation, even (especially) when you're also the solution.

Aradia sa- oh for fuck's sake this is unreadable, guys. Anyway she says that getting into a routine leads to stagnation and slow death, which, mood, but also is about Homestuck itself as much as it is about Vriska.

Jesus Christ, how long is this update? This page is a full on Pesterquest game when the other five routes are finished.

Oh, okay. That's it. Vriska levels and we get a bunch of fire-themed pun ranks for her, of which Skinner's Bane is the best

[spyroforlife]

What are your thoughts on the latest Helluva Boss episode?

Personally, I loved seeing Blitzø not fully redeem himself, as that kind of mindset doesn't just go away overnight. Production wise, it's my favorite-looking episode of season 2. Vivzie knows how to make colors pop.

I liked it. Stolas and Blitz both clearly care about each other, but they have both been so bad about actually communicating their feelings and so they've both been operating on the wrong impression of the other, so it's good that they FINALLY hashed that all out and they can reflect on all of it on their own time, and decide whether they want to maybe give their relationship another shot in the future.

It feels too like a lotta people in fandom keep trying to push this abuser/victim dynamic on them, arguing about which one is The Bad One and who's the poor helpless victim, when it's like. They're BOTH at fault for how poorly the relationship is going. They're complicated characters who both have their own problems, and they're taking it out on each other. Blitz has commitment issues and can't bring himself to imagine that Stolas genuinely wants him, because why would anyone want him when he's so awful, so he insists it's just a transactional thing for fun, no deeper feelings. And the class disparity comes into play here too, Stolas is a prince and Blitz is just a lowly imp, there's no way someone like that would really love him. Stolas sees him as an amusement, a toy, and so Blitz refuses to believe there's anything there. He can't let himself think that. He doesn't want to get hurt when Stolas inevitably gets bored of him. So despite how much Blitz cares about him, Blitz pushes him away just like he did all those other people who dated him. Those people deserved better, and Stolas.. well, Stolas deserves someone who's not just a tiny little imp, huh?

Meanwhile, Stolas wants a romantic fairytale relationship and is blind to how his pet names and his behavior comes across as him talking down to Blitz, who is lower ranking and has the aforementioned commitment issues so why would he ever believe someone who belittles him actually cares about him?? And yet when Blitz points out how much Stolas talks down to him, Stolas is confused and grows defensive, insisting he's never done that. Because he has such a position of privilege he genuinely doesn't realize that's how he comes across, and that's something he needs to reflect on and come to terms with if this is ever going to work.

So it's like. idk I'm not good at explaining this stuff but they're both making assumptions and it's backfiring on them. So I'm glad that they finally both laid out their feelings, and Blitz can know for sure that Stolas truly cares for him and wants this sweet, romantic relationship, and Stolas now knows that Blitz has felt talked down to and struggles to accept that anyone could genuinely love him. Now it just comes down to what they both DO with that information.

For that reason, I love that the episode didn't end with them just deciding all is well and hooking back up. That would have felt cheap. I like that Blitz isn't with him right now and can think more on how he needs to address his own issues around commitment and self-loathing, and Stolas can spend time with someone who seems genuinely interested and wants to dance and chat with him. Someone who has no obligation to be with Stolas, Stolas isn't providing him a service, he's just attracted to him and wants to get to know him. At this point I think seeing someone else is the healthiest option for Stolas.

I still like Stolitz, they have chemistry and I can see them finding their way back to each other, but right now I think they can benefit the most from spending time apart. I hope Blitz will be able to work on himself, and I hope Stolas will more fully realize how condescending he was coming across, and when they next speak, it will be with a great understanding and respect for each other.

also I liked seeing other characters during Blitz's apology tour and Martha being with Mrs. Mayberry now cracked me up SO hard, three cheers for toxic yuri 🥂

[idv-sweethearts]

Hellohello! The luchino fan back again LMAO, I loved your other writing it was so good! I'm back again for more if you have the time, could you write about luchino comforting reader after a bad match? I usually feel shitty after messing up a match and wanna see how my fav would comfort me, if it's not too much thank you!

Luchino (Professor) Helping Reader Through Aftermath of Bad Matches ☕️

Notes: EHEHE. I HAVE A RECURRING ANON. EHEHEHEHEHEHE. YIPPEE. Also, I decided to go with a story format for this one, which is why the title's more creative. I also apologize if this is short.

You'd made a few silly mistakes and hoped like hell that would be the end of it. You hoped that maybe your team could recover and perhaps even achieve a win or a tie, though you knew the moment you were placed on that godforsaken chair for the final time that whatever victory your team achieved, you certainly wouldn't have contributed a damn thing to it.

And to hurt your pride even further, like it was all some kind of sick joke that some unknown deity of probability was playing on you specifically, it soon became as clear as day while you spectated that not one Survivor was going to make it out of that match. Was it your fault? At a certain point, they should be able to get the game back on track, right? But they'd have had a much easier time if you hadn't messed everything up like a complete and utter moron.

Now that you've gone and made yourself look like a fool, a failure, and a god damned mess, you've decided to spend the rest of the day in your room. By yourself. With no-one around to see how insanely stupid you are. Maybe if you read a book or something, you'd get smart enough to not make such dumb decisions! Maybe! Who knows! But whatever you choose to do with your time in here, you're sure as hell not about to out there so you can hear all the things they're going to say about you. You just can't bear to face them right now.

So, your room is where you've been for the past few hours. On one hand, you haven't been busy since that pathetic match. But on the other, that match being your last for the day means you'll have no chance to redeem yourself until tomorrow.

You swear that next time, you won't let those pitiful Hunters taste even a single victory if you can help it. You won't let them strike even a single one of your allies. They'd have to get through you first. But how could you even be that good? Wasn't your little display today proof enough that you can't do a single thing right? You have to get better. You have to do better. You have to-

There is a soft knock at the door, startling you and returning you to reality. You're in your room. Aside from the knock at your door a few seconds ago, it's dead silent and it has been for a while. Maybe, if you breathe quietly enough and don't answer the door, whoever it is will leave you be.

What could they even be here for? To mock you? To ridicule you for your poor performance today? Why would someone even go out of their way to do that? How sickening. You won't allow them even the chance.

You hear a second, slightly louder knock at the door, followed by a voice you know you'd never hear mock you. Not in a million years, no matter what he'd ever become, reptilian or even further into the future than that.

"[Y/N]? I know you are in there. You have not left your room since your most recent match, a match your team unfortunately lost. I have reason to express concern."

You let the voice and words of the professor sit in your mind for a moment before finally opening the door a bit. You trusted him to see you upset. You two were quite fond of eachother. Quite romantically attached, despite everything. After all, facing the incomprehensible is much easier when you aren't alone.

"Ah, [Y/N]. Are you alright? You seem... Unwell."

Your expression shifts into something more content and you silently open the door further and step out of the way, indicating an invitation into your room. After closing the door, you finally confirm your reasons for being so upset, while Luchino nods attentively, waiting patiently for you to finish your explanation.

He sits down, gestures for you to do the same, clears his throat, and politely offers his hand to place yours in. Almost hesitantly due to your mood, you place your hand in his.

He's naturally not the most skilled when it comes to social interactions, but he's more than capable of using his intelligence and observations to get him through most conversations. However, he's more nervous than he normally would be right now because the quality of his lover's evening is on the line. One could tell by how hesitant he is to even speak.

"Failure is... Necessary, I believe."

Wow. What a strong start.

"Through imperfections, one can learn and improve to a degree to a degree where they become almost unrecognizable. Do you think you are the same person you were when you first started? You are not and neither am I."

You'd always be the first to hear of all of the things he had to say, his failures and his accomplishments alike. Just as long as no messes were made, he'd always been happy to let you witness every little thing he'd ever discovered, no matter how beautiful and no matter how objectively disgusting. He was proud of every bit of it.

"You've come far, you'll always continue to progress, and it is not your fault that another happened to perform more skillfully. I fail too, at times. Disgracefully, in fact. I think everyone fails sometimes, just as everyone should. If everything and everyone were perfect from birth, there would be no need for change or variety, and there be would be no catharsis from overcoming challenges, because there would be no challenges to overcome. What do you think of that idea?"

[sir-subpar]

Blitzo

All right! Redesigned/reimagined Blitzo.

So, heres the thing, I don't hate his current design, but I don't love it either.

Under the cut I will talk more

Alright, Blitzo. Biy do I have some thoughts on Blitzo.

I do love the idea of a failed clown turning into an assassin. I love the idea of an assassin from hell slaughtering people that sinners pay him to. I like the idea that this is his way of proving others wrong and trying to redeem himself. Him not wanting to be a failure anymore is a decent idea for a character.

The issues I have:

His treatment towards other characters. I am not opposed to him being an asshole. I like characters who start off terrible but then become good people through consequences and change in Behavior. But blitz's Behavior doesn't actually change for the better in the show. It's more like everyone around him changes to justify everything that he does.

Stalking your employees? Barely addressed.

Setting your best friend on fire? And insulting and guilttripping said friend in a half-assed apology? Apparently good enough.

Stealing from your girlfriend? (I have thoughts on Verosika too, I'll get to her at some point). It brought up in maybe two conversations and never again.

My big issue here isn't so much that Blitz is a bad person as much as the fact that there's no consequences for him except for when the plot demands it. And then said consequences go away an episode later. Especially if we're meant to sympathize with him.

I hate this line. So much. This is one of those times where you can't really redeem a person. Not when they say something like this:

Anyway, back to the design.

Once again, like usual with Viv, there's too much red.

It's kind of easy to lose track of details in his design.

His feet are just really weird to me. Why are they shaped like shoes? His heels are really weird

As mentioned in some of my concept sketches, I feel like if he survived a fire that did *this* to fizz

It should have done more damage to Blitzo. Hence why I made him blind in one eye

I gave him fingers similar to his sister Barbie wire, it just looks better to me. And since they're twins I think it makes sense. Once again, I will do her design as well soon

I do keep his striped horns, as I feel like it makes sense for him to have them with the whole ex clown thing, but since a lot of the other characters aren't clown based they won't get the same stripes on their horns. I know Viv said that hell is like a circus, but it so rarely comes up outside of the jester designs that I decided to omit that in my rewrite

I really want to lean into the idea that he goes through change and improves his behavior bit by bit. With little hints of his soft side towards the beginning, that comes out more clearly as time goes on. Him learning something different from each character

He could learn to take accountability from fizz. Learn professionalism and good business practices from Moxxie. Learn boundaries from his daughter Loona. Etc.

I made him pink as I've heard a few ideas floating around that he might be part succubus or part lust imp and I think that fits him.

And finally... the elephant in the room. Where does Stolas come in?

Look. The way it's portrayed in the show, I don't like it. I liked Stoas better in the pilot. He was just a rich 1% who did what he wanted regardless of who it hurt. I like the idea of that for an antagonist. Blitzo uses him, he uses Blitzo. They both did things for selfish gains.

I also liked the idea that he would send IMP on hit jobs as well. That would have been really interesting to see in the show

I will discuss more about their Dynamic when I do stolas's design. I will give some quick bullet points for now

Blitzo and Stolas don't fall in love.

Stolas constantly holds the grimoire over Blitzo's head to get what he wants. He knows Blitzo's business and livelihood depends on it and he takes full advantage of it.

Blitzo doesn't want to be Shackled to the prince, but doesn't see any other options until Striker appears (again, I will explain that when I get to it).

He resents stolas (and himself) for being trapped in this arrangement

[xxrainbowvibezxx]

To be fair, NRS can't handle their straight ships either. Like, let's look:

Liu Kang x Kitana - basic at best and bland at worst. Kitana has more chemistry and sexual tension with her best friend than she does her supposed soulmate.

Jade x Kotal - passable. But this pairing was so out of left field and the writers knew it too. So they tried to be slick by shoehorning in that weak-ass "they knew each other in the past" excuse.

Mileena x Reiko - toxic and abusive. But it did highlight how Mileena treats physical and sexual validation as equivalent to love, as well as how truly love-starved she was.

Skarlet x any guy - guaranteed to be toxic or abusive in some way. Plus I continue to side-eye MK11 for attempting to ship her with Shao Kahn (her abuser and unfortunately adoptive father). Like why. Why was that necessary.

Bi-Han x Sareena - this one is personal for me. Their story during the OG Midway era was so intriguing and had a lot of promise. I love a "redeeming one's self through helping another" story and their story hit all the right beats for me. But in this current timeline? They cooked them. Look at what they did to my girl Sareena. They completely wasted her as a character.

Jacqui x Takeda - god,this one hurts. They were my one "straight ship so good that the gays ship it" ship circa MKX. They were so cute and the puppy love was palpable. Then Jacqui's MK11 ending happened. Sis, are you not engaged? Why didn't that come up when she decided to erase herself from history? (insert something here about women having to lessen themselves for men to succeed)

Johnny x Sonya - same issue as Liu and Kitana. Bland as shit. MKX was their most interesting run. Sonya would have never married Johnny if she hadn't gotten pregnant. Sad to say it,but it is what it is.

(The fact that there's this many more or less canon straight ships, but the one singular queer pairing that debuted circa 2015 is enough to set people off really says a lot about how far we still have to go.)

That's true.

People till this day will deny Taleena. They've been canon for almost a decade. It's just now, in mk1, it's not as discreet. Everyone knows they're bumping purses, but NRS isn't going full force with it. They wrote their relationship to be secretive and scandalous.

(I know damn well Mileena changed those umgadi rules the first day she was empress.)

Also, can we talk about how weird it was that they had Skarlet have some obsession over Shao khan and wanted to be his empress? I love Skarlet, but her writing, specifically that shit is so weird and unnecessary, like you said. Not every character has to be interested in another character, especially like that. Who the fuck writes that, goes over it multiple times and think, "Yeah, this is good."

I also had high hopes for Bi Han x Sareena in mk1. Very disappointed. I don't usually care for straight ships, but this one had potential, and the fact that they're both in mk1, I thought they would proceed with this ship in the new timeline.

I love Jacqui x Takeda, too. Justice for them. Honestly, if they had more time, they'd probably be the best straight ship in Mortal Kombat.

Hanzo x Harumi- Harumi dies (and then the only timeline she alive, Kuai is scorpion)

Kenshi x Suchin- Suchin is dead. Not much is known about their relationship (in mk1, she's mentioned in a few intros. Seems like they used to be something)

Nitara x Erron Black- happened off screen

Shao Kahn x Sindel- Sindel was retconned in mk11 to be as evil as Shao Kahn. Originally, she was forced to marry him. She offs herself to get away from him.

Sindel x Jerrod- They always loved each other until mk11 retcon. Mk1 kind of gave us more content. They definitely love each other in this timeline. It sucks that they're both dead.

Sektor x Bi han (mk1)- genderbent Sektor to make a straight ship.

Kuai Liang x Cyrax (mk1)- genderbent Cyrax to make a straight ship.

Kitana x Raiden (mk1)- Basically liutana.

Ashrah x Syzoth- I don't hate it, but I think they need better development if they continue with this ship in the future. Cause in storymode, Syzoth was depressed and mourning his family. Suddenly him and Ashrah are together? Idk, but if I had just found out my wife and son were murdered and realizing all the shit I did to keep them alive was for nothing, I wouldn't be jumping into a relationship. I just think this ship needs more time to develop. It happened too quickly.

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

i am here to ask dw questions! favorite and least favorite series? and which is your favorite and least favorite of the male companions? :)

-ninthdoctorr (sideblog)

Alright, I am so down to answer this!

Favorite series is a tie between 3 and 1. I cannot decide. You cannot make me decide. They are both absolutely brilliant in terms of season arc, character development, and the fascinating companion/doctor relationship. (Plus Jack swings in to contribute to what are far and above my two favorite season finales in the show.) Nine/Rose and Martha/Ten are my two favorite doctor & companion pairings in the show because of the way that they affect each other and push each other's characters forward (both for the good in both cases and the bad in Ten/Martha's case). Nine is my favorite Doctor but Martha is my favorite companion and so it's so hard to choose. So I won't :)

As for least favorite season of the show, well, it would either be Season 7 or 13. Though both have redeeming value (I love the new characters in both seasons- Karvanista, Bel, Vinder, and Clara all have their merit), they're dragged down in different ways. Season 7 has some absolute STINKERS of episodes dragged down by Moffatisms or sexism whether overt or not (asylum, dinosaurs on a spaceship, angels take manhattan, time of the doctor, name of the doctor, day of the doctor) and even though there are some good episodes (A Town Called Mercy, Hide, Cold War, Journey to the Center of the TARDIS), they can't make up for the bad beginning and ending to the season. Then 13 is just...I'm sorry, it's not for me. Jodie is acting her ass off, but there's so many exposition dumps and the villain is threatening but not emotionally tied to the main character (yes, they took her memories, but I always struggle with amnesia plots when they're retroactively fitted in to a character's backstory rather than part of character development going forward, if that makes sense). Plus, the shortness of the season really hurts it, just as it does the 60th anniversary specials (which are a conversation of their own).

As for favorite/least favorite male companions...that's a complicated question. If you take Adam out of the running for least favorite, then I think it might be Dan. Sorry, the actor is very good, and he's funny, but he's got so very little character development going on other than his brief moment realizing his worth/leaving in the finale. He's fun but he's not interesting, if that makes sense?

And as for favorite...god, I love each of the male companions for different reasons. Mickey has the best character development. Ryan & Graham are a fantastic duo and their relationship development might be the best thing from Thirteen's era. Rory is a caretaker, possibly the most loyal character in all of the show, and is the voice of reason/kindness in a lot of his episodes which normally male companions don't get to be. Jack's vibes with Nine/Rose and Ten/Martha are unhinged and really need to be studied under a microscope but his tragedy is unparalleled in the entirety of Doctor Who (fight me on that, I dare you). Danny DESERVED to be an official companion because he was the best thing about Season 8 and had a lot of that same kindness/voice of reason as Rory did.

...where was I going with this? Right, I think I'd actually weirdly enough have to go with Mickey on this one? It would have been Rory if it weren't for some of the Moffatisms that kind of bring him down for me (making the Doctor ask permission to hug Amy twice, the lack of agency in his leaving, the sort of...puttering out of his arc in 7a) and just the fact that Mickey's character arc through season 1 and 2 gets better and better every time I rewatch it. The way that he interacts/grows to trust Nine fascinates me, from World War Three to Boom Town to Parting of the Ways. The fact that you can see the tension in him with his love for Rose/the fact that both are nineteen and making mistakes and figuring shit out/and his understanding that she found someone and something better. The fact that he jumps to help her and the Doctor in Boom Town/Parting of the Ways. The way that he finds his confidence and more importantly his purpose in Season 2 and is one of the only people that ever stepped away from the Doctor on his own terms. (Martha and Mickey make so much more sense when you look at them as the only two characters to find their own purpose on their own terms outside of the Doctor...I've written about it in fics because that one detail makes them work so much more for me). I love his dynamic with Jackie and the way they start off at odds but get so much closer to the point that his final goodbye in Journey's End is with her and not Rose. I like his dynamic with Jack. I think Mickey's seriously underrated as a companion.

...sorry for the rambling. You give me an opportunity to infodump about my current hyperfixation and I definitely will! Please feel free to ask more questions- I'd love to answer!

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

How would the Undertale characters react to seeing a homeless child? Like they went shopping and the kid just begging for food, clearly starving, and looking a bit ill.

Undertale Sans - Sans tries to just go on with his day at first, because he just can't help everyone, but as his day passes, he can't stop thinking about the kid, and it's eating him. Sans was an homeless kid at some point, and with a little brother to take care for, he knows how hard it is to not be listened by any adult. And he can't, he just can't pass by and do nothing. He teleports back to the shop and finds the kid crying in front of the doors. That's too much for him. He's taking them home. He doesn't care how or if the kid doesn't want to, he just can't let them here knowing he has room at home and the power to help them. He lets them stay a few days and tries to find a solution for them. If the parents are shit or if he's an orphan, Sans will think a lot about becoming their guardian. He doesn't want that kid to go through what he had to do to survive and get in trouble so young, or meet bad people.

Undertale Papyrus - Papyrus gladly buy them lunch every time they see them. He knows the feeling, and he knows being alone might be even worse. As days passed, Papyrus goes meet them every day, trying to learn more about them to find a way to help. He doesn't want to force things, he knows it's a delicate matter, Sans used to hate it when people just tried to help, and he doesn't want the kid to be wary around him. He's not their official guardian, but Papyrus ends paying for school, health care, and even Christmas gifts. His objective is to convince the kid to spend the winter in his house. He knows he can do it. He is very determined.

Undertale Toriel - She can't. That kid has give up on everything, and they already saw that on one kid's face, a long time ago: Chara. That kid is clearly suffering in silence, not wanting to bother anyone, and she can't take it. Her heart hurts just looking at them. Toriel pays them food, and then directly went to Asgore (at his surprise) to abuse her authority and find the kid's parents if he has some. When she finds them and they just say they're the one who put the kid's outside because he was a burden, she : explodes. It's really rare Toriel is getting angry, but her nickname is the Queen of fire and these people are about to know why. After that, she finds the child a foster home in the neighbourhood, in the Bun family, as the Inn lady just let her bigger child leave for college and she's heartbroken. Toriel is paying for everything they need for as long they need it.

Undertale Asgore - It happens a day Asgore was thinking too much about what he did Underground and he kinda saw that as a chance to redeem himself. The kid surely wasn't expecting to face the King of monsterkind, or that same King inviting him for a warm lunch in his literal castle. They were so in bewilderment they accept, without any idea what they are doing. Asgore talks to them a bit, and ask them if they want to stay here. The kid says he can't, it wouldn't be fair to have a house without doing anything, so Asgore makes him kind of his conselor. I mean, it worked with Frisk as an ambassador so... Asgore doesn't let the kid do any difficult task, he just asks for their help here and there to water the flowers. As the kid gets more comfortable, Asgore does the paperwork so he can take care officially of the child. Not a year later, it turns into an official adoption.

Undertale Undyne - The kid doesn't react well seeing her and immediately run away, as she has her police officer suit. But Undyne doesn't give up. She follows the kid at good distance to their hiding place. She's not letting the kid spend the night outside, she decided. When the kid is cornered, she just kneels at good distance and starts to chat with them to make them more comfortable. She's not the best at this, but the kid understands pretty quickly she doesn't want to put them in jail at all. Undyne proposes them to visit the police station, tricking them to following her there. She then calls children protection services. The kid desserves help. She makes sure they're alright and to give them her phone number if they needs it. She knows they will be fine.

Undertale Alphys - Well, she is clearly not going herself towards the child. She is too nervous, and she knows she is too awkward to convince the kid to finds help. But turns out her girlfriend is a very qualified police officer who can help. Undyne does the same thing as above.

Undertale Frisk - They chat with the kid to gain their trust, then lure them to their Mom's house. Toriel is then taking care of them gladly and tries to find how to help.

Undertale Chara - They wanted to ignore them, but then they saw some guy spits on the kid and their blood boils. They went back for the kid and convince them to follow them... And they brought them to Toriel as well :') That's like the lost child rescue services at this point.

Undertale Mettaton - He gives them 3000 gold, a poster and his last DVD. Here you go. The kid can't believe their eyes. What the hell just happened???

Undertale Gaster - Uh.... No. Gaster is not the best with children, as, you know, he fucked up a lot as a father to Sans and Papyrus, experimenting on them and stuff. If Sans ever saw him with another kid, he is: dead. So he just walks away as fast as he can and wishes them good luck. He's not dealing with that. Too much responsibility.

Undertale Grillby - That makes him very nostalgic, like the day he saw two small skeletons hiding in his bins, back in Snowdin. It's not that different. The kid is already ready to run away, but Grillby just invites him inside his bar and serves him food. He lets them stay the night in the kitchen... Then in his couch... Then in the spare room... When Grillby realises he could never let the kid go again, he's screwed. He's a dad now. Well shit.

Undertale Muffet - Muffet's pet thinks it's a lost kitten and adopted them. Now Muffet can't make her pet let go of the child. Because it's her child. Muffet is not too happy about this, but she could never hurt her pet's feeling so... Uh... Guess the kid is a permanent resident now. Oh well, she's already caring for 250 spiders, it's just a big ugly weird one more.

Undertale Burgerpants - "Little buddy, do I look like I have any money on me? I'm broke, kid. I am the slave on a shitty excentric robot." Burgerpants is having a mental breakdown. He sits with the kid and starts to tell them the story of his life as the kid is awkwardly patting his back. That's... uh... weird.

Undertale Flowey - He smiles. "I have friendliness pellets if you want!" In a psychotic laugh, Flowey attacks the kid like he's some sort of evil genius. He doesn't see the huge human walking behind him and looking at his phone, not seeing him. The flower gets walked on. Karma.

Undertale Gerson - The old turtle sits with them and just tries to talk with them like they know each other for years. The kid is awkward at first, but Gerson is really good to make people feel easy around him, and in two hours, the kid is eating in his hand. Gerson then invites them home. He has a big house and a spare room since Undyne is not coming that often anymore. The kid is confused but follows him. Gerson made very clear the kid is free to do what they want, and gives them a key, so they have a place to crash when they want too. He raised Undyne like this too. He knows the kid won't leave anytime soon though. Just like Undyne. And he's happy he has someone to talk too, it gets lonely in here.

[sr-sam-bodypillow]

okay pretty cursed idea but let me cook. au where Sam is a pretty infamous serial killer, and Kaif is both his roommate and the lead detective on his case. Sam has to do something about it, and he decides to fuck Kaif silly.

tw: noncon. this is really bad. REALLY BAD. i do not condone these kinds of acts in real life at all. somnophilia, yandere!sam, kidnapping, drugging, incredibly dark sam is not redeemable in the slightest tbh, mentioned murder/gore but nothings really described

Kaif is a detective. He's been assigned to the case of a new serial killer, and he's incredibly exhausted, having been forced to work long hours or risk losing his job. He hasn't slept in days, he's barely eating and he's losing weight, quite literally withering away as he works himself to the bone.

The only upside to all of this is his lovely roommate, Sam, who tries his best to take care of him, cooking him food even if he never eats it and carrying him to bed once he inevitably passes out at his desk.

There's just one problem.

Sam's the killer they're after.

He's always one step ahead of the authorities because he's been abusing the fact that he literally lives with the lead detective, and everyone is none the wiser.

But Sam sees whats going on, how the higher ups are quite literally threatening Kaif with his entire livelihood and career, ready to knock it all down at a moments notice. Playing with his life. He knows why- Sam's only been targeting corrupt officials and crooked cops, and they do not like that, allocating as much of their resources as possible to the case in order to solve it.

Sam hates it. He hates watching Kaif wither away, because, alright, yeah. He's in love. It's absolutely not a normal amount of love but come on he's been murdering cops by tearing out each of their ribs one by one whilst they’re still alive, he’s not exactly the pinnacle of sanity.

So, he gets an idea. Kaif's not willing to rest himself, not wanting to risk losing his job, so what if... Sam made him relax? If Kaif's missing, then they can't get mad at him for not showing up, can they? Just one little kidnapping, to buy Kaif some time to recharge and take care of himself.

Besides, Kaif's one of the very few good cops in this city.

Sam thinks he deserves a reward.

Sam kidnaps Kaif and ties him naked with a blindfold to a bed after injecting him with an aphrodisiac drug, and slowly starts to have his way with him, starting with groping his tits and playing with his nipples.

Kaif is panicking the whole time, desperately trying to ignore just how good it feels for him, but he’s fighting a losing battle as he’s already rock hard and leaking precum within the first three minutes of Sam starting to play with him, blush covering his entire face.

Sam eventually moves down to his legs which have been tied open, unzipping his pants and getting ready to fuck him. Kaif starts to thrash more, completely oblivious to the fact that his struggling is only turning Sam on further.

Sam slides inside with ease, because he’d already taken the time to finger Kaif and get him prepared whilst he was unconscious. Kaif whimpers, trying to keep his moans in, but it’s a futile attempt, and Sam can’t help but coo at how he sounds like such a slut.

Sam doesn’t move just yet, giving Kaif some time to get used to his size. After all, this is so that Kaif can relax. It would be no good for him to be in pain. When he thinks enough time has passed, he pulls off the absolutely soaked blindfold Kaif is wearing, letting him see just who is fucking him like this.

Kaif’s crying turns to outright sobbing at the sight of Sam doing this to him, which leads to Sam leaning down to kiss away his tears and murmur sickly sweet words in his ear, telling him that he’s doing so well for him and that it will all feel so good if he just relaxes. Additionally, he brings up the fact that he knows Kaif has been jerking off to photos of Sam recently, something that makes the man go pale. After all, the only way Sam could know that is if he’s been actively spying on Kaif (which, he has. He’s got cameras.)

Kaif continues to beg Sam, but he ignores him, opting to slowly start thrusting into him. Kaif’s pleas quickly turn into broken, ragged moans, the aphrodisiac well and truly having made its way through his blood by now. Sam continues to kiss him, leaving a trail of hickeys along his skin.

Kaif doesn’t last very long before he cums all over his own stomach. He’s utterly mortified, especially when he watches himself harden again within a matter of seconds. He can’t be enjoying it this much, right? Right? He can’t take his eyes off Sam, watching with a combination of both muted horror and arousal as the man stops so that he can lick Kaif’s cum off his stomach before continuing. He can’t hide the sounds he’s making anymore, and he doesn’t even try to as time goes by.

Eventually, he finds himself begging. Not for Sam to stop, but for him to go faster. For more, for him to lean down and keep fucking kissing him like that because it feels so good. He can’t even find it in himself to be ashamed anymore, rising up to sloppily kiss Sam back, panting and moaning like a whore as he bucks his hips, desperate for more friction. He’s… oh, god, he’s enjoying this. Sam only chuckles, speeding up his pace.

Kaif comes two more times before Sam finishes inside of him, each one more mind-shattering than the last, causing his entire body to tremble violently with overstimulation and pleasure. He passes out shortly afterwards, Sam still clinging to him.

They spend the next four days like that.

When Kaif eventually resurfaces after his… ‘kidnapping’, he receives medical treatment for the injuries he sustained (that were intentionally done by both parties to help establish a false story), recounts his experience to multiple investigators, regretfully telling each and everyone of them that his attacker wore a mask and did not speak, giving them no identifiable features.

When he’s discharged, Kaif will go home to his apartment with his loving boyfriend Sam, and end up cockwarming him for the entirety of their movie night.

(And absolutely nobody will ever know what actually happened during those five days he went missing.)

[stilettobitearch]

🥀 secret's canon gameplay events.

cece's story is one of complicated morality and finding herself in the midst of the amnesia, learning which validation she's chasing is the right validation to be chasing, and ultimately, that she should be doing what feels good to her on its own merit, and not dictated by those around her. she plays a redeemed dark urge and ultimately a good in general run, except for the fact that secret is a little shady in her methods and weighs up both the immediate and long term benefits for certain actions, while sticking to her own (almost impossible to decipher) moral compass, while somehow remaining mostly on the good side of things. this got long (even if its not as detailed as i'd like), so i'm putting it under the cut a note: obviously, everyone's playthroughs and canons are different, and plotting can happen about many certain things!

act i.

TADPOLE STATUS. dabbles with a few. trust in the dream guardian starts strong (it's in the form of her brother, who she can't remember but feels strongly enough for), but the tadpole consumption is more about her own power than respecting the dream guardian.

the nautiloid crash. - teams up with shadowheart, astarion, gale, lae'zel and wyll in that order. - agrees to help zevlor and the tieflings, investigates kahga, but doesn't confront her. - takes wyll's words at face value and strikes karlach before she has the chance to explain.

druid's grove. - convinces rolan to stay with the tiefling refugees like lia wants. - driven by her urges, strikes alfira down behind the emerald grove, but manages to make the final blow non-lethal. - isn't able to avoid killing quil. - saves arabella, doesn't help the kids steal the sacred idol. - approaches nettie for help, is poisoned by her, and she becomes hostile when the party try to find the cure. - raphael offers his aid and secret doesn't entirely turn him down, but is wary of making any kind of deal, less than him being a devil.

the goblin camp. - finds halsin and decides to take down the goblins down while he waits in the pens. - faces priestess gut alone, intending to take her away and kill her covertly, and is saved by korilla. - non-lethally attacks minthara after speaking with gut and realising they're all infected with a tadpole, with hopes of helping her, but she flees to moonrise before secret can talk to her on their own terms.

the creche. - visits the creche, sits in the zaith'isk herself, and is saved by her dream guardian. - does take the githyanki egg, but to give to lae'zel, not to lady esther. - defies vlakith.

misc. - saves barcus wroot. - saves councillor florrick. - intimidates ethel into letting mayrina go and takes a boon from the conversation, too. - snaps the wand that could return connor to life in front of mayrina after telling her she could bring him back.

the underdark.- (temporarily) works with brithvar after getting nere out of the rubble, only to extort him afterwards and demand the release of the gnomes. - finds omeluum and creates the potion he thinks will help. it doesn't, but she likes the guy. - eats the noblestalk, recovering the memory of baby's first murder spree. - lets baelen die. - turns the roethe against the duergar. - deliver's nere's head to soveriegn spaw. - finds the grymforge. - finds the sussur tree bark and makes a sussur dagger for herself.

act ii.

TADPOLE STATUS. continuing to dabble, but something feels wrong with the dream guardian, and over the course of act ii, especially after talking to minthara, starts distancing herself from consuming more tadpoles. power is important, but something more powerful on the other end of the tadpole that could take control is not a risk she's willing to take or encourage.

- takes the absolutist caravan with kar'niss to establish the cover they will need at moonrise. - tells elminster he can go fuck himself if he thinks she's going to let gale blow himself up. is gentler with gale one-on-one, but expresses the same sentiment. - saves isobel from being taken by marcus. - refuses to do as scleritas fel tells her to, not killing isobel, and then confesses to her partner that she is going to kill them and she can't control it. resists the urge, tied up by her lover all night. - frees minthara from moonrise and lets her stay in the camp. - finds arabella's parents, then arabella, and lets her stay in the camp. - saves rolan. - frees the tieflings and the gnomes (long standing grudge on wulbren bongle begins). - talks yurgir into killing himself. - talks all the thorms into killing themselves, with the exception of gerringothe. - encounters he who was, punishing the soul by telling her to stab herself (in he who was' body). gladly frees his corpse of his raven gloves. (the raven's name is quoth, but secret renames her imperator). - cures the shadowcursed lands of the curse. - helps shadowheart face the truth of her past with aylin, in turn saving the aasimar and beginning shadowheart's release from shar's grasp. - teams up with jaheira and invites her to travel with them. - tries, almost desperately, to save ketheric. ultimately fails.

act iii.

TADPOLE STATUS. the emperor can go fuck itself. no longer trusts it and will do anything against it out of spite, within tactical reason. rejects the astral tadpole.

- tries to kill the emperor in the astral prism, until its clear that it has been protecting them. begrudgingly allows him to live. - forms an alliance with gortash. - solves the open hand temple murders. - frees counsellor florrick. - doesn't hand aylin over to lorroakan - encounters mayrina again, helps finish off ethel for good. - helps wyll decide to claim his freedom, at the cost of his father's life. - keeps rakath's gold. - extends the astral prism's protection to minsc. - persuades astarion not to ascend, and to let the 7000 spawn into the underdark. - encourages wyll to become the blade of avernus. - helps shadowheart in the house of grief, ultimately killing viconia devir, and reconnecting her with nocturne. - considers raphael's deal (the emperor wouldn't like it), but ultimately double crosses him (the crown has caused too many problems for gale and thats personal now) and - enters into the house of hope to steal the orphic hammer. - made a deal with helsik, but doesn't honour it. simply doesn't return to the devil's fee once the gauntlets were acquired. - gains entry to the murder tribunal by murdering and taking the hands, contemplates becoming an unholy assassin, leaning into things that feel familiar on a muscle memory level, and very badly wants to kill valeria on non-bhaalspawn murderous impulses. ends up deciding to kill sarevok, however. something about understanding that bhaalspawn all want to kill each other and it was likely inevitable anyway. - defeats orin in single combat and rejects bhaal. - saves orin's hostage. - spits in the emperor's face and free's orpheus, who she let's become a mindflayer. - defeats the netherbrain and doesn't become the absolute.