#and instead became spy episodes

[luffington]

hiii im the anon from way back when now that ur at whole cake i wanted to spin the block on my sabo request from earlier (of course only if you want to no pressure!)

✧.* art credit!

➤ prompt: can i request a sabo x f!reader who’s a strawhat who joins the revolutionary army alongside robin during the timeskip and immediately hits it off and becomes close friends with him while on baltigo and then reunites with him in dressrosa [fwb trope perhaps?? 👀👀]

➤ pairing: sabo x afab!reader

➤ word count: 2.5k

➤ warnings: dom!sabo, semi-public sex, praise kink, thigh riding, facial, friends with benefits, fluff, fem reader

in episode of sabo he officially entered the colosseum competition but it’s never explained in canon so let’s pretend he somehow snuck in before the final battle hehe

i really hope you like this after waiting for so long!! :') i've only seen him in dressrosa so i'm sorry if this isn't accurate to his character in future arcs! (also if you can't tell i Love koala <3)

NSFW under the break! minors dni thank uuu

Soldiers with guns ready to fire surrounded you the moment you landed on Baltigo. In a panic, you insisted that you weren’t an intruder. You didn’t even know where you were intruding. One moment you were on Sabaody Archipelago and then Bartholomew Kuma touched you and suddenly you were soaring through the air in a giant bubble — and that made them pause. Kuma would never send an enemy to their headquarters. The paw-shaped crater left behind was undeniable proof of your story, and your bounty poster confirmed that you were a Straw Hat Pirate instead of a spy. With no plausible way to get back to your crew, you decided to temporarily join the Revolutionary Army. 

About a week later, Sabo returned from a successful assignment and was enthusiastically welcomed back by everyone at the base. He seemed nice enough, but as the chief of staff, he obviously had more pressing issues to attend to than getting to know a new recruit. He would give you a friendly wave whenever he saw you, but nothing more.

Then the news of Ace’s death came and all of his memories flooded back. He was absolutely heartbroken, but you didn’t want to intrude on such a personal moment for a man you hardly knew, so you decided to leave him alone. Instead, you begged to borrow a ship to find your captain, who must’ve also been suffering terribly. 

As soon as Sabo heard you mention Luffy, he remembered that you were a Straw Hat – and you’d been with them long enough to have met Ace in Alabasta. He quickly latched onto you and you were more than happy to tell him stories about his brothers, as well as your brief encounter with Garp. Robin arrived at Baltigo a few days after Luffy’s appearance in the newspaper and gladly joined your conversations, but slyly gave the two of you lots of alone time.

You liked Sabo more and more each time you talked to him. It didn’t take long to notice his similarities to his family – they all had the same reckless confidence, happy-go-lucky attitudes, and admirable dedication to whatever cause they put their mind to. Even Dragon shared these qualities under his stony exterior (and you realized in horror that you now knew that entire insane family). 

But the blonde was flirty. And touchy. The friendly hugs he gave you grew longer and more intimate; his hands lingered on your shoulders and brushed against your thighs. You were delighted to reciprocate – though you had no romantic feelings for him, he was undeniably gorgeous. Sexual tension between you grew until it exploded with the help of several bottles of cheap sake and a shared hotel room. He pinned you down and fucked you dumb until you were covered in cum and screaming his name. Poor Koala in the neighboring room was traumatized, especially by the sound of your bedframe collapsing.

Sabo became your best friend and your best stress reliever, effortlessly transitioning from casual conversations to shoving his dick down your throat. Being in the Revolutionary Army was incredibly dangerous, of course, but Sabo always made sure you were well-protected and cared for. However, you still had no doubts about returning to the Straw Hats after two years had passed. You were sad to leave your friend, but he promised you’d see each other again. 

You didn’t realize it would be so soon.

Only two weeks after you departed for Sabaody, you found yourself wandering the colorful cobblestone streets of Dressrosa in an admittedly terrible disguise. Separated from your crew and searching for the SMILE Factory despite having no leads. Everything about the country, its citizens, and Law’s supposedly flawless plan felt strange. 

But what caught you off-guard the most was a hooded figure passing by and grabbing your arm, leaning close to your ear, and using a very familiar voice to whisper, “Hey.”

A hint of soft blonde hair peeking out from under the fabric nearly gave you a heart attack. “Sabo?!”

He quickly clamped a gloved hand over your mouth, shutting you up immediately. He brought his face close to yours, whispering in a teasing tone, “Are you trying to blow my cover? Naughty girl.” Your cheeks burned bright red.

Sabo glanced around cautiously, but no one in the streets spared a fleeting glance at the two of you. The majority of Dressrosans were further down the block in a large open plaza, watching the Colosseum match broadcast in real time. The opening ceremony had just finished and the first round was beginning. He didn’t give a shit – he only needed to pay attention to Hack in round two. 

“C’mon, let’s talk somewhere else.” The blonde grabbed your hand and led you down a back alley hidden behind a row of shops. Once you were sufficiently shielded by a stack of wooden storage crates, he pulled down the hood of his brown cloak.

“What the hell are y–” Soft lips slammed against your own as he caged you against the wall, pulling you into a heated kiss and biting your bottom lip. Sabo was as unpretentious as ever, not wasting any time to take what he wanted. Fingers trailing up your thigh in a very obvious way before he grabbed the meat of your ass. 

“Figured it was better than a hug,” he laughed. A beautiful sound that you missed hearing every day. He kissed along your cheek then nipped at your earlobe, causing you to flinch. “You know I’m here to stop Doflamingo’s weapons trade. I don’t have a lot of time, but I needed to see you and make sure you’re doing okay.” 

Sabo paused to run his hand down your chest until it reached your clothed core, palming you through your pants. You whimpered and instinctively bucked into his touch.

“And have a quickie. It’s been too long since I felt this pretty cunt. Don’t know when I’ll get a chance again,” he growled against your neck, using two fingers to stroke the outline of your pussy lips and push the rough fabric tighter against you.

“B-but we’re in the middle of the street…” You glanced at the sunny entrance to the alleyway, heart racing at the thought of someone seeing you. 

“I wouldn’t say the middle,” the blonde chuckled, gesturing to the desolate space around you. “Besides, with everything happening today, I don’t think public indecency is anyone’s biggest concern.”

You bit your lip anxiously, but the feeling of his warm body pressed against yours and his lips moving down your neck overrode all rational thoughts. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t fantasize about him pounding into your cunt every night since you left the Army. Plus, his cloak was large enough to completely shield your bodies from any prying eyes. To any passerby, you would look like a couple engaging in a little too much PDA – not a rare sight in the kingdom of love.

“W-why–” Your breath hitched as he shoved his hands under your top to roughly squeeze your breasts. “Why did Dragon decide to do this operation now? The meeting we had was–” You tried your best to stifle a lewd moan, the soft leather of his gloves not hiding the roughness of his fingers tugging at your nipples. “W-was weeks ago…”

“Can we please not talk about Dragon while I’m trying to fuck you?” Sabo pouted cutely, making you giggle. “We’ll have a real conversation later, I promise. I need my little stress relief toy right now.” He shoved one of his knees between yours, tensed thigh pressing insistently on your cunt. “Grind that cute pussy on my leg. Show me how much she missed me.” His eyes darkened when you immediately complied, letting out cute whimpers at the delicious friction. “Fuck, that’s so hot.”

Loud cheering echoed down the street, likely related to the tournament, and you instinctively turned towards the sound. Sabo gripped your chin and forced you to face him again. 

“Hey. Eyes on me.” You nodded obediently, and he whispered “good girl” before shoving his tongue down your throat. You tangled your fingers in his soft blonde locks, running your thumb over his scarred cheek affectionately. He truly was so handsome.

Deciding your pace was too slow, the blonde grabbed your hip and roughly guided your core back and forth on his thigh. His noticeable bulge strained against the fabric of his elegant cadet gray pants – even undercover, he was as well-dressed as always. “Sabo, please…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll give you exactly what you want.” He unbuckled his belt and let his cock spring free, bouncing against his stomach and standing proudly at full hardness. Your pants were abruptly yanked down to your knees next. Sabo didn’t miss the chance to take off his glove and swipe a finger through your wet folds, making you shiver. “You’re already dripping.”

“You’re one to talk,” you smirked, playfully running your palm up his length and wiping away the precum beading at the top.  

“Such a fucking tease.” He groaned, pretty eyes darkening. “Lift your leg for me.” 

You kicked your pants off completely and did as you were told. Sabo hooked his hand under your knee, tilting your pelvis towards him for the best angle to fuck into you. Paused to adjust his cloak, making sure you were completely concealed, and looked around for any prying eyes. Once he was satisfied with your relative privacy, he lined up his cock with your entrance, tauntingly tapping the head against your puffy clit.

“Wait, Sabo. Condom.”

“Don’t have any.” He shrugged and your eyes widened. “What? They’re not exactly essential on an espionage mission.”

You frowned, but it was too late to find one now. “Just don’t cum inside, okay?”

“‘Course not.” He chuckled lightheartedly, contrasting with the rough way he thrust his dick inside your cunt, fully sheathing it inside in one go. It stretched out your pussy perfectly, hitting every sensitive spot inside you.

“Oh, fuck,” you whined, throwing your head back, realizing too late how loud you were and quickly covering your own mouth. Sabo’s gaze darkened with lust and a smug sense of pride that he made you cry out like a whore. 

“Weren’t you concerned about being caught?” The blonde snickered, grinding his hips against yours in slow circles. He yanked your hand away, pressed a chaste kiss against your lips, then thrust his removed glove in your mouth. Not caring that it would definitely be soaked in spit by the end. 

Sabo braced one hand on the wall next to your head and fucked you hard and fast, bullying your cunt and smacking his balls against your skin with every thrust. Even without any time pressure, this was how you normally had sex – he was always impatient and greedy to take whatever he wanted, and you were more than willing to give him everything. 

The filthy sound of your wet walls squelching around his cock and his debauched groans filled your ears. You clenched onto his overcoat for stability and buried your face in the crook of his neck, but he tangled his fingers in your hair and yanked your head back. “Eyes on me, remember?”

You nodded, unable to do anything but let out muffled moans around his glove. Eyes glazed over and drool dripped down your chin. Your fucked-out expression went straight to his cock and made him rut into you even faster, the tip of his dick kissing your cervix. Feeling himself getting close, he flicked your clit and rubbed tight circles on the bundle of nerves. He leaned forward to kiss a sensitive spot right under your jaw – you never told him that he couldn’t give you hickies.

“You gonna cum?” A rhetorical question. He could definitely feel how soaked you were around him, how you desperately met his thrusts and sucked his dick in even deeper. Your body would’ve collapsed long ago if he wasn’t there to pin you in place and use you like a fuckdoll. The blonde whispered absolute filth with interludes of praise into your ear to help you to the edge even faster. 

Divine pleasure consumed your body as you hit your peak, cunt tightening around Sabo’s cock and nearly causing him to empty his balls inside of you. He carefully restrained himself to honor your request – and he had a better idea, anyways.

Once the aftershocks of your orgasm had subsided and you descended back to reality, Sabo pulled out of you. His dick was angry red and painfully hard. After removing the sticky glove from your mouth, he commanded, “On your knees.”

Your shaky legs gave out and you sank to the ground, knees hitting the solid stone street hard enough to bruise, but you barely noticed. The blonde positioned his cock in front of your face and rapidly jerked off inches away from you. You opened your mouth obediently and he murmured “fuck” underneath his breath. 

He bit his lip hard enough to bleed when he came seconds later. Thick strings of white painted your face and barely landed in your mouth. You looked up at him with cum on your eyelashes, slightly annoyed but incredibly aroused. “Sorry,” he panted with a grin, and clearly not apologetic at all. “You’re just so goddamn sexy like this.”

You swallowed the drops of cum lucky enough to land in your mouth. Sabo wiped the rest off with his cloak — it was his mess to clean, after all – then pinched your cheek lovingly. He helped you fix your clothes and hair to make sure it didn’t look like you just had rough sex in a random alleyway. 

A muffled Transponder Snail rang in his coat pocket. He looked at you for permission, and you grinned and told him he could answer it. 

“I’ve been trying to reach you!” Koala’s annoyed voice shouted through the Snail. You were obviously too preoccupied to hear any of her previous attempts to call him. “Hack lost to some green-haired weirdo. Can you figure out a way to get inside the Colosseum? We need to find that underground port.”

Sabo quickly handed you the Snail. “Hi, Koala,” you giggled.

“Oh, hey! What are you doing here?” She brightened up immediately at the sound of your voice. There was a small pause as she took a moment to process, then the Snail mimicked her furious expression. “Sabo, what the hell? Really?!”

He laughed loudly. “I couldn’t help myself. But I’ll go now.”

“You better.” Koala grumbled, then said goodbye to you in a much nicer tone. 

The blonde turned to you apologetically, but you just smiled and said, “Go win the Flare-Flare Fruit. You deserve it.” Then gave him a good-luck peck on the cheek, which made his face light up into a giant grin. “And find Luffy while you’re at it!”

After the chaos of the day was over, Sabo met you and the Straw Hats at Kyros’s house, where you were finally able to sit down and chat for a while. Before he left, he repeated his promise that he’d see you again no matter what. 

[piracytheorist]

Twilight Eyes Project: "Operation Strix" (part 2)

(part 1 here)

As Twilight tries, very unsuccessfully, to convince Anya to study for the entrance exam, we get Twilight eyes.

He still approaches it from a spy point of view. It's interesting that up to now he's only used his "Loid eyes" once for Anya, to try to make her stop crying by luring her with peanuts. It's probably a combination of him not knowing how kids work and of his own distancing from his emotions and childhood memories, that makes him think acting cold and calculating with a child will work.

It's interesting, however, to see how even with "Twilight eyes", he can still subtly express emotions.

Investigative eyes in the manga, full-face Twilight eyes in the anime.

I assume this was a choice in the anime, since in the manga there's a small panel of his face as he first notices the barricade was moved, then a panel of the trace the barricade left on the floor, then a focus on his eyes. Instead, in the anime, we see the traces on the floor at first, and then we see Twilight notice them as well and react to them. Manga can afford a narrow panel that focuses on something very specific. Anime needs to use the entire 16:9 screen almost constantly, so they utilize animation to draw our attention to the thing they want us to notice.

And something super interesting from the manga: Along the way, we'll get to see many moments that focus on his eyes, as I already mentioned, either through "sad eyes" or "investigative eyes".

Here, where his first instinct is to go find Anya, and he immediately flips back to "No, I've got to get to safety, fuck them kids"... we don't see his eyes.

Not only is the focus purposefully on a close-up that doesn't really show us his eyes (the window to the soul and all that), in the next panel his eyes are covered in shadows by his hair.

It makes a lot of sense when you realize that he actually ended up waltzing straight into enemy territory just to save Anya. The spy rule to protect his cover at all costs became a hindrance when the cost was the safety of a child. He'd been working dutifully as a spy for so long that his first plan was to ignore his instinct, but then he switched back to following his instinct anyway.

What I'm trying to say is that abandoning Anya in danger was not his true self.

Full-on, almost exaggerated Twilight eyes as he considers starting over and leaving Anya to her fate (interestingly enough, he bends to pick up Mr. Chimera in the anime).

Twilight eyes under and through the mask...

And then, interestingly enough, in his most vulnerable moment in the episode, and one of his most vulnerable moments in the entire story up to where the anime has adapted, we don't get to see his face. We see it through Nguyen's mask as he reacts to Anya crying and he realizes why it upsets him.

This vulnerable, hurt side of him is not something the audience will be allowed to see yet.

Passing onto that, the manga doesn't show his young self's eyes from up close. It's something hidden within his memories, something he doesn't want to face himself.

I'm sure it would look awkward in the anime, to only show half his face - there's different ways to portray tragedy as this in static art and in animation - so they zoomed out, censored some violence, and used animation to make the portrayal impactful.

Another interesting addition from the anime: his face, with Twilight eyes, superimposed over the image of masked Twilight leading Anya into safety, as he reminds himself what his original purpose for becoming a spy was.

Yet, we don't see his face as his internal monologue reaches that part. It's still a vulnerable part the audience won't get to see yet.

A rare case of elusive nightmare eyes as he faces Edgar and his goons...

Although the anime omits the first and shows the second with Twilight eyes, only turning into nightmare eyes when he outright threatens Karen's life.

I guess that was a choice of tension escalation.

A new expression with real eyes, as he notices Anya stayed behind.

Twilight, best spy of Westalis™, caught off-guard by a five-year-old.

Jump to Loid eyes as he tries to convince Anya he just happened to be here! What a coincidence, huh!

Two expressions in the manga as Anya tells him she wants to go back home with him...

but three in the anime.

An additional expression of surprise in the middle.

All visibly different from the "Twilight eyes", and the scene closes with a last shot of sad eyes.

After they see Anya passed her written exams, we get an outburst of emotion, wide open real eyes expressing happiness he probably doesn't realize he's experiencing.

Finally, is there a better way to force a character to show their real face than when they're asleep?

Calm, relaxed eyelids, and a hint of a blush. It's the one time he's vulnerable, open, real... and that's the reason he's mortified at the fact that he fell asleep even in Anya's presence. Can't have that!

(anime only fan here, don't spoil me for the manga)

[genericpuff]

Looking back on it, Rachel really should have called Lore Olympus something else. It really doesn't seem to want to focus on 'lore' or 'olympus' and would rather be a romance with her self insert and celebrity crush. So many plot points and characters got thrown away for her two characters. It reminds me of Twilight having interesting background characters (Rosalie deserved better) and an interesting supernatural world. Yet Stephanie just focused on the dry ass romance of Edward and Bella.

I mean, the title totally worked in the beginning, the comic just lost the plot after its first season and became more like what you're describing, a weird May December romance about a girl who's only empowered enough to wait until marriage with the first guy she ever crushed on before having sex 💀

And yeah true that, a lot of fantasy dark romances like Twilight suffer from the issue of getting too hyperfocused on the main couple doing stuff and not paying enough attention to the actually interesting stuff going on around them. Though I will say, in Twilight's case, a lot of the "interesting stuff" was grossly misrepresented from Indigenous tribes and beliefs so... maybe it's for the best Stephanie didn't expand too much on it all in the end LMAO

Of course, the same can be said for LO, there were some really interesting plot hooks happening around H x P, but by the time S2 rolled around, all of those hooks got shoved under the bed until it was time to hastily wrap them up for those of us who were waiting to see them resolved. I think the Hera and Echo plotline was one of the worst culprits for that, you can tell in S2 she had an idea for some kind of "double agent" story with Echo where Echo would slowly come around to Hera's side and have to choose between her and the job Zeus clearly hired her for (to spy on Hera) - but then it just wound up skipping all that so we could watch Hades and Persephone play golf with diamonds, go shopping, and fuck around in the Underworld, until Rachel had to suddenly wrap up the entire Hera x Echo story in the most rushed, confusing way possible just a handful of episodes before the end.

LO had a lot of interesting concepts and ideas especially with the added benefit of it being based off myths that many readers were already familiar with, but unfortunately they were in the hands of a terrible writer working for a terrible company that didn't provide her with the resources she needed and could have really benefited from to tell a better story. It clearly needed a more involved editing process, more drafts to work through and scrap and work through again, more time to really plan out the full skeleton of the story, but what we got instead was more like a rushed first draft that spent more time on the bland uninteresting DDLG couple because they were clearly the easiest things Rachel could write about - fantasy shipping scenarios of them talking romantically to each other, making out, and having sex, boom, plot 🥴

[thebloodredraven]

"He's more of a brother to me than you ever were to him."

- Naruto, talking to Itachi about Sasuke

I'm rewatching Naruto as a whole because I'm introducing it to my friend, and I like to watch it every few years as I gain new life experience to get a new perspective of something I've been watching since I was a little kid. I've never finished the series past the very beginning of the war arc, though (working on it!).

We're up to the Tenchi Bridge mission in Shippuden and I have some thoughts on how remarkably similar Naruto and Itachi are, specifically when it comes to their shared trait of unintentionally dehumanizing Sasuke and viewing him as a possession, and an object to obtain, rather than a person with his own autonomy and free will. I also kind of wanna go into how Kakashi and Sakura (kinda) were probably the only people to love him as he was but still ultimately failed him, and how all of them drove him away.

Disclaimer: These are all my own opinions and you're under no obligation to agree with any of it. If any of what I have to say bothers you, you're more than welcome to exit the post at any time and ignore me instead of sending hate mail and leaving heinous comments. Anything you have to say in response can be said respectfully. Thanks!

Words: 2.3k

In episode 41 of Naruto Shippuden, there's a scene where Naruto is in his own mind as he's transforming into the Nine Tailed Fox (Kurama). In this scene, he sees an apparition of Sasuke walking away from him and when he tries to go after him, water floods all around him and he can't get to him. He's falling into his own darkness and giving in to Kurama's influence.

During this scene, he says, "I am weak, so my words don't reach [Sasuke]. Because I am weak, I can't win his recognition. So, whatever happens I must become stronger so that the bond I've finally forged will not be severed. So that Sasuke won't sever the connection with me."

It can be said that the entire reason Naruto is so obsessed with getting Sasuke back is because, as he's stated himself multiple times, he can't confidently fulfill his goal of becoming Hokage if he can't even save his friend from darkness. His entire self-worth rests in the validity that others provide him because he was deprived of that his entire life, and he represses his emotions to the extreme.

It's why he's irrational and dangerous to be around and difficult to work with; it's why he foregoes any plans or strategies people have on almost every single mission he's been sent on from the time he became a ninja till the war and is always the first to attack in these scenarios; it's why he's willing to start giving into the power of Kurama until Yamato tells him how he injured Sakura and how he needed to prove his strength with his OWN power: his need to prove himself to others and get that validation he craves trumps over anything, and anyone, else.

When it comes to Itachi, he told Sasuke that in order to become strong enough to kill him he needed to sever his bonds with those closest to him.

Opposite of Naruto, Itachi kept Sasuke at a distance at all times because of his own goals to rid the world of war and get into a position where he can render ninja obsolete (via Itachi Retsuden). His tunnel vision when it came to his personal goals caused him to disregard how his actions affected other people because he saw it as a means to an end, including slaughtering his own clan and becoming a double spy in the Akatsuki.

When Naruto and Itachi run into each other during the Gaara Retrieval arc, they get to talking about Sasuke.

When Itachi asks why Naruto is so obsessed with Sasuke, Naruto replies with the quote that leads into this post.

I was talking to my friend about Naruto's possessive nature when it comes to Sasuke and that led into be thinking about how Itachi also viewed Sasuke.

I came to the conclusion that neither of these people viewed Sasuke as someone capable of having his own autonomy, his own philosophy, and as someone deserving of having his own personal goals and feelings recognized. Sasuke was always within his full right to end up as hateful and as angry and as hurt as he was, but because Naruto and Itachi care more about their own goals and their own proximity to Sasuke, they don't view him as someone that can make his own decisions; that's why I feel Naruto had such a negative reaction when Orochimaru reminded Naruto that Sasuke came to him of his own free will after Naruto was screaming at him to "give him back." Even after three years, he cannot stomach or accept the fact that Sasuke made the choice to leave him, and it pushes him further into his obsession.

Sasuke made his own decision to go to Orochimaru because he felt like no one else around him genuinely tried to understand what he was going through. They, essentially, just wanted him to let go of his pain and keep living a "happy" life with them. How could they understand when they view him in such a way? Orochimaru was up front with his intentions and his plans for Sasuke from the very beginning. Yes, he was manipulated by the curse mark, but Orochimaru wouldn't have chosen him to begin with if he didn't see what was already in Sasuke.

He was very up front with the fact that he needed Sasuke's body in order to continue living as a powerful being and find immortality. He told Sasuke what the game plan was and knew that in order to get what he wanted, he needed to give Sasuke what everyone else had denied him: a choice. He saw a gifted child filled with jealousy and hatred, which was something fostered by his need to compete with Itachi and Naruto and gave him exactly what he wanted.

Sasuke's entire clan was annihilated by the one person he sought the most validation from. After that heartbreak, he was forced to live in that same Uchiha compound all alone.

While he was dealing with the trauma of that, every single person around him was idealizing him and treating him in a way that probably drove him further into isolation: he was constantly bombarded with girls that were crushing on him and wanting him for his talents and good looks, and the adults around him saw him as the perfect student that didn't need too much attention, so no one paid attention to his needs outside of what he provided in skill. Even though they very much provided the validation and attention he was seeking from his family, no one really bothered to see him.

Naruto was seemingly the only person that actively saw what he was going through because he also knew what that loneliness looked like, but his rivalry with him mattered more than that connection. That's why physical fighting is their form of intimacy. People propped him up on a pedestal from the time he was a small child and when that position was threatened by the least talented kid in his class, it threw him into a spiral (which is another topic).

Getting back to Itachi, he never saw Sasuke as his own person at any point in his life. I know he loved him in his own way. In some ways, he was the somewhat attentive father Sasuke should have had.

But Itachi was not always a good brother. Not in the least.

He always saw him as someone to protect, to coddle, to keep ignorant, keep below him because he subconsciously did not want Sasuke to become a shinobi and go through the same trauma he did (Itachi Retsuden). Eventually, that was no longer an option and that's when the distance happened (in conjunction to what was going on in his own life as a tool that others wanted to use for their own goals).

After Itachi slaughtered the clan, he reinforced Sasuke's lack of autonomy by giving him his own means to an end.

Itachi saw Sasuke as a tool -- a means to his own long, drawn-out suicide.

Naruto viewed Sasuke as the ultimate validation to his own goal to become Hokage.

Neither of them saw Sasuke for who he was or who he wanted to be -- for who he could have been.

I'll even add Sakura to this mix because she has a complicated relationship with him as well. She did end up with him and was his friend before anything, but she’s idolized him to the point of nausea since she was a little girl. She was obsessed with becoming the object of his affection. She had an unhealthy amount of loyalty to him just like Naruto (even though I'd argue she wasn't nearly as bad as Naruto was). She changed her own opinions of something to cater to what he thought so she could seem more favorable to him. For most of their childhood, she dehumanized him and didn't see him as anything other than a love interest for herself.

However.

You can see her slowly taking off the rose-colored glasses in the first part of Naruto during the Chuunin exams at two major points: when she chastised him for acting like a coward and freezing up while Orochimaru beat Naruto, and when she finally cut her hair in the middle of battle (context: she heard that Sasuke loved long hair and that's why she always kept it long).

Beyond that, she actually paid attention to his well-being and noticed when something was wrong or when he was hiding something and brought her concerns up in a non-aggressive manor. At the time, he was aggressive and agitated by her actions, and he reacts as such. Genuine concern is hard to come by for him, so how was he supposed to react?

But clearly, he recognized it and appreciated it because it's been confirmed through his Japanese VA AND English VA AND the novels that Sasuke was starting to fall in love with Sakura long before he realized it and was full of guilt when he left her on that bench.

When the time came to acknowledge that he was an internationally recognized terrorist and killer, the life drained from her face because she realized she had to put her feelings to the side and do what needed to be done.

Because she was willing to accept the reality of who he was and see him for what he'd become. And even though she was unsuccessful, she took steps to have Naruto forget about Sasuke and kill him herself.

At this point, he's learned to use the same tactics people used on him his entire life: only keep people around you that further your own goals. This time, he was in charge. When he formed his own gang, he encountered that dehumanizing behavior again when Karin constantly threw herself at him and practically begged to sleep with him. It was only after Itachi died and he decided to take down the Leaf that he was able to finally have a goal of his own that was solely for him.

I won't go into it too much because I'm already pushing 2k words, but it's worth noting that Sasuke was pushed to do crime because that was the only period of time where he was allowed to make his own decisions and have his own autonomy enough to pursue his OWN goals before that was swiftly taken away by The Akatsuki to....you guessed it, further their own goals.

Sasuke has never been the idol the people in proximity to him saw him as, from any person's point of view. Not Naruto, not Itachi, not Sakura, not Orochimaru, no one. Obito may have been the one closest to seeing Sasuke as he was, but he immediately took advantage of him.

They all wanted to possess him and obtain him in different ways, and one of the reasons I love his dynamic with Kakashi so much is because Kakashi did grow up very similarly to Sasuke, except his own dad died of his own accord and Sasuke’s father was taken away from him.

One of the main ways Kakashi has always been able to connect to Sasuke was the fact that throughout his life he’s had to watch every single person he’s ever cared about die around him. And for a while he was that cold detached person that didn’t want to keep up with friends, didn’t want to be around people, minded his business, and he was mean to everybody.

The whole reason he gave Sasuke that speech about choosing his own path right before he went to Orochimaru was because he intimately understood what he was going through emotionally.

Naruto and Sakura can say they get where he’s coming from, but Kakashi is really the only person able to empathize with what Sasuke was going through. And if Kakashi hadn’t been consistently sent out on missions and was able to take care of his kids the way he was supposed to, there was a slight chance Sasuke could have still healed from his trauma even with the manipulation of the curse mark. 

People forget that Kakashi very well could have ended up on the same path as Sasuke, even without Orochimaru’s influence, because he went through some very dark things. He had every reason to be a very dark character, but he didn’t.

He ultimately failed when he spoke to Sasuke as a soldier and not the traumatized child that was acting out on his pain.

In summary, Sasuke only went to the lengths that he did because of the people around him treating him as a possession to keep or as an object to obtain rather than treating him as an actual person. Sasuke goes through some of the most dehumanizing relationships, and I think that’s what irritates me so much about Naruto as a character.

Because he treats Sasuke, and he talks about him, like he’s a possession to obtain and because someone else “has” him, he has to get him back because Sasuke is his and his only. This extends to other characters around him, as well.

That lack of autonomy was what drove Sasuke away because he very clearly wanted to be seen as his own person but no one around him was willing to do that because they saw him as a means to their own goals. It's why Sasuke developed a "do you really think I give a fuck about what you want" personality trait.

All that being said, do I think they all genuinely loved him? Yes.

Ultimately, we have to remember that these are all small-town children with very little experience of the outside world and that the adults around him grew up in the same conditions because that's what the politics of that world demanded.

I have my opinions about the manga's imperialist propaganda, use of child soldiers, Sasuke's emotional development and how people chronically misunderstand complex PTSD, fascism, queer baiting, etc. but that's another post. Several others, actually.

Believe it or not, I had to shave down a lot of what I originally had in order to keep this relatively short LMAO

If y'all read all of this, THANK YOU! I rarely ever flesh out my thoughts about this show like this and it felt refreshing to get off my chest. Feel free to send me DMs and RESPECTFULLY speak your own mind in the comments/reblogs! ♥

[fabuloustrash05]

Things I Would Change/Add in TMNT 2012

A rewrite post, but it's a lightning round with quick explanations.

Leo never crushes on Karai, but he does hang out with her because it gives him a sense of freedom and rebellion. When with her he gets a strange feeling, like he already knows her from somewhere. The other Turtles feel the same when they meet her. This feeling turns out is their sibling bond.

Donnie and April are friends to lovers, basically Donnie doesn't start crushing on April until around the end of season 1 and it becomes a slow burn from there. (Edit: Full rewrite is HERE)

Hun would be introduced and established as the leader of the Purple Dragons earlier on. Also Fong would get a little redemption arc.

Leo wears a leg brace for the rest of the series after his fight with Shredder in the season 2 finale. He also has a slash scar across his plastrom.

Irma is not revealed to be Kraang Subprime in disguise, instead she escapes New York with April, Casey and the Turtles, and lives on the farmhouse with them.

Irma and Donnie bond and become good friends (irmatello maybe??)

April and Casey would officially date, but then break up mid season 3 (they stay good friends)

Leo x Casey

Timothy would come back in season 3 as a half mutant like Karai (think of his powers like Sunita from Rottmnt), he'd even continue his ninja training and become an official ninja of the Hamato Clan.

Brainwash Karai never happens, it's replaced with Timothy plots and other mutants trying to get Donnie's retro mutagen.

We would actually get to see how Slash and the others met and became the Mighty Mutanimals (there's actually a comic book covering it so that could've been an ep!!)

Irma and Rook are the same person, Rook went undercover as a human as a way to keep an eye on April and find the Turtles for the Utrom council. That's why she was so noisy about April's "secret friends" in season 2 (Edit: to hear more about this concept, I made a full post on it HERE)

Irma and Rook being the same person leads to Bishop being introduced earlier on as the one who give the Turtles and Mutanimals intel on the Kraang's mutagen bomb plans mid season 3 instead of Kurtzman. Bishop would also indirectly mention and foreshadow the Triceratons and hope the Kraang don't get their attention (planting earlier seeds for the season 4 finale)

Instead of blowing up the Earth with the Black Hole Generator, the Triceratons just to a hostile takeover on Earth, turning it into a prison for in inhabits, with secret plans to blow it up within a year. With the help of Fugitoid, the Turtles, April and Casey escape Earth on a mission to take down the Triceratons. Meanwhile on Earth, Splinter, Slash and Karai form a rebellion to fight against the Triceratons and give their friends time.

Mona and Sal would be in more episodes, specifically after their betrayal, they join the Turtles on their mission as a way to repay them for forgiving them.

Returning to Earth, Mona meets the Mutanimals and she decided to stay on Earth earlier instead in season 5, she also appears in more episodes such as Mutant Gangland and actually showing up in Insecta Trifecta. Her and Splinter also get to bond. (Edit: Full rewrite is HERE)

The burnt scar Karai gets in Broken Foot remains.

Shinigami is revealed to be a villain and a spy Shredder sent to keep an eye on Karai. She betrays Karai in the season 4 finale. (Edit: Cause people keep asking me YES she does get redeemed! Check out my full post on the this rewrite)

Splinter still dies in the season 4 finale, or another way I could do it is he gets badly injured and paralyzed from the waist down, being in a wheelchair for the rest of the series. Either way, Leo would still become the new sensai by the end of season 4.

Shinigami is the one to start the Shredder cult and know how to summon Kavaxas. Tiger Claw is just there for the ride.

Alopex returns to help the Turtles stop her brother.

Tiger Claw redemption??

Baxter Stockman returns as a season 5 villain, he's been using his smarts to turn himself into a cybernetic being, missing his mutant form and wanting to go back. He basically goes mad.

Fugitoid returns, but now works for Dregg and Newtrailzer, being found by Dregg and reprogrammed to think the Turtles are his enemies. Donnie ends up saving him.

Mona Lisa and Sal Commander backstory in When World Collide

Raph gets the electric powers, NOT Mikey

Slash is in When Worlds Collide instead of Karai

April and Casey meet Renet and join her and the Turtles on their Halloween time travel adventure. (Edit: full rewrite HERE)

Usagi becomes a mentor for Leo and helps him overcome his stress and insecurities of being a leader.

Mutant Apocalypse happens (kinda) but Renet gets involved and has present Turtles team up with MA!Turtles to save their futures and rewrite history (cause Renet claims the MA was not supposed to happen) The series and finale episode ends with the present day Turtles winning, saying goodbye to their future selves and wishing them luck in their new future. Renet sends the MA!Turtles to their corrected future. As they go through the timeportal, Leo is demutanted from being a monster, Donnie gets his body back, etc. In their true future, the Turtles find all their friends alive and well in the lair, greeting them as they are about to celebrate their 50th mutation day. Raph and Mona are happily married with kids, Donnie and April are married and he's a famous scientist, Leo is highly respected as a great leader and sensai of the Hamato clan with multiple students (one of them being Mira) and Mikey is a successful restaurant owner. The show ends with them all enjoying a slice of pizza, finally at peace and living out their happily ever after.

[applebuttercringe]

Arcane finale initial thoughts

This episode was a roller coaster for me.

-She cut her hair off screen? Why? If she is about to commit suicide I don’t see the desire to get a new look beforehand. Usually stuff like big haircuts signifies rebirth is storytelling, a shedding of the past. This is the opposite.

-A whole melancholy Jinx tries to kill herself scene. I’m so tired. Give her a break.

-the song is haunting

-I know that they established that the time travel doesn’t work past 4 seconds, so no saving Isha. But they should have saved Isha.

- I don’t get the Jimx with the flag in the intro. She never really became a leader for Zaun. She briefly called herself it during the prison break out. But that was about saving Aisha. Then she abandoned it entirely for Vander. She really never became a revolutionary. She avoided it.

-They built the hexgates with no off switch? Did Dr doofenshmirtz teach us nothing?

-We never see Caits reaction to Jayce’s….everything?

-How does Jayce know that?

-so Viktor died, he was brought back via mad science that stripped him of his humanity, and then, the exact same thing happened again. Something something two nickels weird that it happened twice.

-Does Maddie know about the sex with Vi?

-Is this the Waarwhik Viktor team up?

-If shutting down the hexgates is a slow but steady process. He probably should have started it earlier instead of having meetings to tell them how long it will take to shut down. Is there a reason he didn’t do this immediately after Viktors mannequin attack.

-Is Loris dead?

-Is Cait never gonna tell Maddie?

-Is Maddie gonna die so it never has to happen?

-The Undercity member of Caits new team is the first to die.

-Very similar imagery to Caits gassing of the Undercity

-Oh damn, they won

-Maddie was a spy, the theories were right

-Cait used the same gun butt jam move on Maddie that she did on Vi.

-Cait won’t die. I don’t believe it.

-MADDIE THAT IS COLD

-Damn Mel

-Are they gonna be saved by Mel’s newly revealed magic powers that came outa nowhere? How did she master them so quickly?

-Jinx incoming

-I guess Ekko convinced her

-Ex Machina

-Dod Sevika convince the Undercity?

-what is with the sense of time this act. I have no idea the time between events. I thought Cait passing out was at least an hour time skip seeing as everything calmed down, but then Vi and the pianist are in the same place and same position as before?

-Is Viktor dead? Oh it was a trick.

-He ain’t in the egg.

-the hex ray from season 1?

-NEW DESIGN SLAYS

-nevermind he looks like a hammerhead shark.

-Cue all the fanfictions where this is resolved with freaky sex

-Is Sevika dead?!

-Cait you just got stabbed, how are you walking?

-With every scene change you can feel the writers struggling to keep track of all the characters. This fight scene is never ending cause we keep needing to pause for an ex machina reveal. It’s Voltron all over again.

-This is reading as Mel will become a new league champion. Mage support. The new design and everything.

-“People deserve to choose their own fates.” Says the guy who fuses Viktor with the Hexcore against his will.

-That was a cool Mel moment

-Is she saving her mom?

-So will Ambessa give up and Viktor is the new main villain?

-How did that kill Ambessa? I’m so tired.

-I can’t tell if 23 more minutes of this is a good or bad thing

-This redemption is sweet but, meh.

- Aw, they are flying like it is the invention of Hextech again.

-More loss for the sisters, cool.

-Oh, it’s the top of the hexgates like it was in the dystopian apocalypse.

-Them losing and the apocalypse happening would at least be an interesting ending.

-Viktor is spirit bending Jayce’s soul like he’s the avatar

-AS IF THEY COULDNT GO HARDER WITH THE CHRISTIAN SYMBOLISM. Jeez

-It’s like Viktor is asleep behind the mask, or dead.

-“what you thought were weaknesses” “your leg, your disease” “there is beauty in imperfection”. Was he supposed to find beauty in dying young Jayce? It wasn’t a random imperfection. It was a disability and debilitating disease caused by Piltover senseless mistreatment of the Undercity. Demonizing Viktor for wanting to cure himself, or make life better, or being able to run is so dumb.

-Yeah Viktor how dare you wanna live.

-Between that and the Silco speech this seasons big moral monologues are really flat yet sanctimonious.

-Viktor is in there. Seeing once again!

-“All I want is my partner back” gay baiting till the end eh Arcane. I’m not complaining about this, I eat it up every time. I am losing chess to this dog.

-AAAH LOVE IS GONNA SAVE HIM

-oh, the mage is Viktor. That’s. Hmmm. It’s fine. Don’t know how I feel about the goatee.

-Do you think they intended this twist from the beginning?

-“In all time lines, in all possibilities, only you can show me this” damn. Diversity win I guess.

-Now kiss lol

-Handing the bracelet back like Viktor gave it back to him in Episode 3 of season 1

- and just like that I’m back

-“We finish this together” 🏳️‍🌈

-They’re writing the fix it fanfic for me

-All the mannequins go to space?

-The hug 🥺

-Caitlyn’s gonna get a dope eyepatch

-Aww, Vis arc is about trying to save people and self sacrifice. You have to move on and live for yourself Vi. You can’t save em all.

-Save her Jinx, get involved and make a positive difference.

-Oh no, don’t kill Jinx. Don’t do it. I saw it in the trailers. No

-If this is a fake out death it is dumb, if this is a real Jinx death that is dumber.

-

Jinx suffered the most out of anyone in the series. She tried to kill herself and was saved by Silco, she tried to killer herself and was saved by Isha, she recovered with Isha, Isha died so she tried to kill herself again, she is saved by Ekko, and finally kills herself as a sacrifice for Vi? Fuck that. This endless pain train was t a recovery, it was just revelling in her pain till her violent death.

-SHES ACTUALLY DEAD

-Oriana, sure

-SINGED GOT TO LIVE. HE GOT A HAPPY ENDING? HE KEEPS THE HEADS OF KIDS HE KILLED IN HIS EXPERIMENTS IN JARS.

-alright. Ultimately fuck this show. It was so good, then it messed it all up. Ultimately this show was just about reveling in Jinx’s pain. I’m too tired to have coherent thoughts but. That was the worst ending they could ever had done. F this

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

New SpaceTime out Wednesday

SpaceTime 20241023 Series 27 Episode 128

Scientists date the Moon's oldest impact crater

Scientists believe they’ve pinpointed the age of the massive South Pole-Aitken basin largest and oldest impact crater on the Moon finding it to be over 4.32 billion years old.

Scientists recreate the sound of Earth's magnetic polar flip

With growing evidence that the Earth’s magnetic poles are about to flip, scientists have recreated the sound of Earth's magnetic polar flip.

X-37B Space Shuttle undertakes pioneering aerobraking manoeuvre

The United States Space Force's X-37B space shuttle has just completed a novel aerobraking manoeuvre to adjust its orbit flight path around Earth.

The Science Report

A new study has found that deaths tend to increase in the days after an extreme rain event.

The real health effects of Mediterranean style diets on young people.

New energy-efficient bricks using scrap materials, including glass, that are normally destined for landfill.

Alex on Tech is your car spying on you.

SpaceTime covers the latest news in astronomy & space sciences.

The show is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Apple Podcasts (itunes), Stitcher, Google Podcast, Pocketcasts, SoundCloud, Bitez.com, YouTube, your favourite podcast download provider, and from www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com

SpaceTime is also broadcast through the National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio and on both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

SpaceTime daily news blog: http://spacetimewithstuartgary.tumblr.com/

SpaceTime facebook: www.facebook.com/spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime Instagram @spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime twitter feed @stuartgary

SpaceTime YouTube: @SpaceTimewithStuartGary

SpaceTime -- A brief history

SpaceTime is Australia’s most popular and respected astronomy and space science news program – averaging over two million downloads every year. We’re also number five in the United States.  The show reports on the latest stories and discoveries making news in astronomy, space flight, and science.  SpaceTime features weekly interviews with leading Australian scientists about their research.  The show began life in 1995 as ‘StarStuff’ on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) NewsRadio network.  Award winning investigative reporter Stuart Gary created the program during more than fifteen years as NewsRadio’s evening anchor and Science Editor.  Gary’s always loved science. He studied astronomy at university and was invited to undertake a PHD in astrophysics, but instead focused on his career in journalism and radio broadcasting. Gary’s radio career stretches back some 34 years including 26 at the ABC. He worked as an announcer and music DJ in commercial radio, before becoming a journalist and eventually joining ABC News and Current Affairs. He was part of the team that set up ABC NewsRadio and became one of its first on air presenters. When asked to put his science background to use, Gary developed StarStuff which he wrote, produced and hosted, consistently achieving 9 per cent of the national Australian radio audience based on the ABC’s Nielsen ratings survey figures for the five major Australian metro markets: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.  The StarStuff podcast was published on line by ABC Science -- achieving over 1.3 million downloads annually.  However, after some 20 years, the show finally wrapped up in December 2015 following ABC funding cuts, and a redirection of available finances to increase sports and horse racing coverage.  Rather than continue with the ABC, Gary resigned so that he could keep the show going independently.  StarStuff was rebranded as “SpaceTime”, with the first episode being broadcast in February 2016.  Over the years, SpaceTime has grown, more than doubling its former ABC audience numbers and expanding to include new segments such as the Science Report -- which provides a wrap of general science news, weekly skeptical science features, special reports looking at the latest computer and technology news, and Skywatch – which provides a monthly guide to the night skies. The show is published three times weekly (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and available from the United States National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio, and through both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

[morganas-pendragons]

till we were too far gone | master chief

@empresskadia inspired me to continue writing this, on top of my recent rewatch of s2 -> so here's the next part of my series, which drops into parts of episode 2. the next part will combine 3 and parts of The Fall of Reach!

I was listening to Cassandra by Taylor Swift (this series is based off of You're Losing Me by Taylor Swift) when I wrote this lol SO if there's references to that in here, oops

***

You cannot help the urge. A natural human urge, a desire, to meet him in his spot on that bench where his soul calls to yours. You can't help it.

If only John would take it.

"What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"Like I said," You removed your hood and slipped inside the room. "I know you. We need to talk."

There were so many things you could've said in those few minutes that passed after the door shut. You knew he had questions about Ackerson, about what Ackerson had asked you and what he'd said to you in that initial meeting following your return from Sanctuary.

Do you think that, at his core, The Master Chief is broken?

The longer you'd looked between John and the AI that bore a remarkable resemblance to Cortana, the more you were beginning to question if he was.

"I don't know what Ackerson said to you," You said quietly, gaze averted to the floor as you fidgeted with your fingers in your lap. "Or why you've been so on edge recently. You haven't breathed a word. I don't expect you to. I just... I need to know."

"Know what?"

"When did you stop trusting me?"

His form is imposing as he stands, green eyes shifting to the side to stare at the dormant AI. Your breath catches at the sight. There hasn't ever been a time where you've found yourself intimidated by John, much less afraid of John. That was then.

This was now.

"When you became one of Ackerson's lackeys and refused to tell me what he was saying to you!" John hissed. "Why wouldn't you say anything after you left his office when we debriefed from Sanctuary? What did he ask you? Why were you in there so much longer then the rest of us?"

You almost want to hit him for the clear implication behind his questions. John, the man you have loved for so long now, either thinks you are a liar or a spy for ONI. It's enough of an implication for you to retaliate. To lash out. To use your own anger and do something about it.

You don't. Instead, you reach outward to cradle his hand in your own and press his fingers against your cheek. You don't speak for a long minute.

"You've been angry since they took Cortana out," You said. "I used to be someone you trusted. Someone you confided in." Your lips are poised to say someone you love, but you're a little too hesitant in that thought because he's never outwardly confirmed it for you. Better to deny than assume. "I am capable of many things, but containing that fire that's been building in you.... I don't want to be burned."

All of the rage and defiance that's made him imposing in these precious moments of privacy deflates as soon as John recognizes the fear behind your words. He willing to be perceived as many things by the people around him, by the public eye.

He is not willing for you to see him as someone to fear, as a threat. Not when The Master Chief still struggles with comprehending the way he feels about you.

"Soles," John started, swallowing the knot in his throat as he moved his fingers to tangle in your hair at your temple. "There are alot of people I would burn without fear of repercussion. Most of them deserve it. But you-"

"What about me?" You interject.

I would burn down entire galaxies if it meant that you were kept safe.

John doesn't give voice to those thoughts though. He can't. Not with Ackerson sniffing around, not with the two of you in ONI's crosshairs. He will not risk you.

Before he can give some kind of sufficient answer, the door is opening with another client wanting to come through. Your hood rises on instinct before you are disappearing out the door as fast as you came, leaving nothing but the phantom feeling of your warmth under his fingers.

***

"And you're sure?"

"Of course I'm sure, Kai. Have we met Mr. Emotionally Repressed and Has a Death Wish?"

Kai snorted as you narrowly blocked her attack and pivoted your feet to navigate across the gym floor. You'd spent the last few days actively avoiding The Master Chief unless you had a reason for direct contact. Kai had been a welcome reprieve from the constant torment of your thoughts. She provided plenty a distraction from them veering back toward John.

That was where they always went.

"You know him as well as I do, Soles," She murmured lowly, grunting as she blocked your own strike with both of her gloves. "And you know he cares. Ackerson coming in to take over for Halsey is a problem. He's just trying to keep you safe."

"He doesn't need to keep me safe. He needs to stop treating me like I'm the enemy! Or even worse, a liar. I may be many things. A weapon, sure. A soldier? Yeah. A liar? Not to him. Never to John."

Little known to you, Kai is incredibly aware of the actual reason John is trying to keep you off of Ackerson's radar. He and Parangosky could collaborate and have you sent back to the Headhunters without a beat of hesitation if they believe you could be an asset to the war elsewhere. With his reawakened affection and desire to protect you, he won't be risking it.

"Sierra-343," You turned your head toward the door of the gym where a crew hand donning UNSC blues stood with a cradled datapad in her arm. "Colonel Ackerson is asking for you at the ONI building."

Dread flooded your veins as you relaxed your body and began removing your gloves. That was twice now. What on Earth was Ackerson so insistent in getting out of you?

"Duty calls, 025."

"Give him hell, 343."

You dressed back into your flight suit and took the quickest route to Ackerson's office in the ONI building. What you found waiting for you was John, who seemed to be in heated conversation within Ackerson's office. The person in question who was looking for you was lounging comfortably in his chair behind his desk.

You jumped out of sight before either man could see you.

"She has no recollection of what you say you encountered on Sanctuary."

"That's impossible. Did you ask Silver's newest member? Our Headhunter can tell you. They were there with me on the ridge."

"I haven't. They're far more loyal to you than I anticipated. Regardless of whether or not they were to agree or disagree, that's not the point." Ackerson waved a dismissive hand. "Put yourself in my position, John. Given your recent behavior... would you trust you?"

"You can't win this war without us, sir."

"And you're right!" Ackerson exclaimed. "We need The Master Chief. I need that Headhunter. We all do. But John, at the end of the day, you're both just people in suits."

You slipped out of your corner by the wall and folded your hands behind your back as you approached the office. The impassive expression on Colonel Ackerson's face shifted into something warmer as you approached, beckoning you deeper into the office.

Things were beginning to make more sense. Ackerson was the problem. He was far too interested in you. In what you knew about John.

If distancing yourself saved him, you'd risk it.

You'd rather him be alive and hate you than love you and be dead.

"Sierra-343, thank you for coming to see me. Please." The Colonel extended a hand before his gaze fell back to John. John had not moved since you'd entered the room. "Master Chief, you are dismissed."

Unease licked at the corners of John's mind as the two of you met eyes, if only for a moment, before you were turning back to the chair offered to you and sitting in it to speak to the Colonel directly.

Whispers of disbelief echo in the back of your mind.

It's Ackerson. He's the problem. He and Parangosky are going to be the end of you.

"I'm assuming you heard the duration of that conversation." Ackerson idly remarked. "And I come to ask you this question again now that I am aware you have. The Master Chief has made it clear that you were present with him and Perez during this supposed attack on Sanctuary."

You leaned forward and pressed your elbows into your knees, expression impassive. "No matter what I tell you," You replied gravely. "You would not believe me. Why would you? You have no concrete proof, so there's no reason for the UNSC or ONI to take up arms against a threat. You'll just do it when it's too late and Reach is a graveyard." You nod. "Yes, I was there on Sanctuary. The Master Chief and I directly encountered Covenant Sangheili and were overwhelmed by the mass of them. We do not know why we made it out, but we did. Are you inclined to believe me? Unlikely."

"It sounds like you blame ONI for the losses The Covenant caused. I would expect you of all people to comprehend the magnitude of what they can do, as you suffered and survived it first hand during your time on The Exalted. Your team did not."

Ackerson wants you out.

You slammed your hand against his desk and shot upward. "The losses I endured were because the UNSC did not do anything. You had your best weapon in your own grasps with Cortana and John being a singular unit. You botched that." Shrugging, you sat back in your chair and crossed your arms over your chest. "I'm going to be frank with you. I do not care what happens to ONI. Not you, not Halsey, not Parangosky. The only thing I care about is that your continued pursuit of my past is causing my team leader to treat me differently, and your continued denial of The Master Chief's recounting of Sanctuary is sowing doubt among Silver Team. We are supposed to be unified, not disjointed!"

He smiled. That Colonel, damn him, looked up at you and smiled.

"You've given me quite a bit of information that will prove vital to my investigation, Sierra-343. Thank you. I can certainly ascertain the extent of what he sees in you." Ackerson extended a hand towards the doorway of his office, and you felt your heart sink as your eyes followed his clearly offered exit. He had gotten exactly what he wanted. "Dismissed."

You did not allow your head to hang until you were alone in the elevator. You would not give Ackerson the satisfaction of knowing how defeated you felt.

***

"We're being called out for a mission? Seriously? To where? I thought Keyes had grounded us until further notice."

Kai tossed you your helmet as the two of you stood at your lockers. "Visegrad Relay. Chief says that's Cobalt's last known location. He wants us to find them as a way of preparing for when The Covenant land on Reach."

"He's getting more reckless," Your eyes slowly shifted to the other side of the room in search of John. Part of you, a deeper part you would never allow to see the light of day, was wondering if he'd finally had enough and went AWOL. "I miss Cortana. She kept him far more in line than any of us ever could."

"You severely underestimate your own role in his life, Soles." Kai called over her shoulder.

"This is the same man who implied I was a liar and a spy in one breath!" You whipped around to face your sister in arms, eyes brightened by the ever-constant anger you've felt begin to settle itself into your bloodstream. Spartans are made of quite alot of things. Part of you wonders if your child counterpart was as fueled by their anger as you are. "I don't know what they did to him, but that is not the same man I treated on that medical table. Ackerson is trying to warp the story and turn us against one another. Don't let him ensnare you too, Kai."

There's not much left to say after that. Kai wants to encourage you in remembering who John is as a man - someone who would always put the betterment of his men ahead of himself, a soldier who saw very little importance in his own life and would always go to great lengths to ensure everyone else made it home.

You had been the one to ensure he came with them. The one to remind John that there was someone to come home to. To drag his bloodied body back in your own arms, determined to keep him alive and to teach him the importance of his own life alongside his men.

You needed him alive. Not because the UNSC did to fight their war, but to continue to walk this path as a Spartan and allow yourself to love in the way you believed he loved you.

Maybe that too was just another dream. Everything he'd done prior to Cortana being removed felt as if it were a dream, slipping out of your fingertips before you could grasp onto such precious memory.

"Do you know what happened to Cortana?"

The question in itself causes you to pause. Now that it's been asked, you realize that you don't. You don't know what happened to Cortana.

Why? Why was her location so secret, especially given the fact she was such a crucial asset to the UNSC's intelligence network?

Where are you, little love?

***

"Copy that, Bravo. 3-2 out."

You peered at the cockpit from where you sat in the bay with Vannak, Riz and Kai on the Pelican that John had commandeered. "No training?" Vannak called out. "I thought we were going to Longhorn valley."

"Sad." You pouted playfully, laughing when Vannak turned to glare at you. "I was looking forward at pounding all of you into the dirt."

"Change of plans," John interjected. "We're going to Visegrad Relay. Riz?" With a motion of his head toward the cockpit, Riz nodded and stood to her feet to take the pilot's seat in the front of the Pelican. "The comms array on Sanctuary went down just before The Covenant attacked. Visegrad went down a few days ago. They sent Cobalt. We're going to get them back."

"Chief, with all due respect, I really hope you are not sending us in blind." You replied uneasily. "Are we cleared for combat?"

"Affirmative."

Something tugged at your stomach as you watched his eyes deliberately avert yours. Liar. You are a liar, and a hypocrite, and I will never forgive you if this goes south.

For someone who had shown and claimed he cared so much about you, it felt like the two of you were standing on opposite ends of the chasm waiting to fall. Too far gone to attempt to reach the other on the other side.

It was just a matter of time before the darkness took you both.

You and Kai were ruminating on too many questions that both of you knew were going to be left unanswered.

"What exactly is the mission?" Kai asked.

"The Covenant is on Reach."

part three?

[lycanpunk667]

Okay so I have hyper specific thoughts on Tom's background and why he operates the way he does when it comes to his relationship with trusting the government and the agency he's attached to. And also a general guess at why he became a cop. This is mostly based on personal interpretation as well as some bits we've seen in canon but I haven't seen ALL of the first episode of the tomjake series so this might change.

Putting it under a cut in case people don’t want to see this rant

Tom— in terms of canon Tom— is a government dog. Like he clearly trained his whole life to be a spy, possibly grew up in an environment that was DELIGHTED to help him considering he was 26 in season 1 and on missions. Which might not be THAT young technically, but going out into the field? Where he could die? This either implies he’s extremely physically capable (which he is in terms of physicality and training), he was raised for it since a very young age, or he’s a prodigy at whatever he was. And considering how socially inept and trusting he tends to be I’ll bet it’s something along the lines of all three. Well trained dog wasn’t properly socialized at a young age.

Speaking of missions, ALL THAT happened to him on his FIRST one. He was a YOUNG MAN. And he clearly got deeply physically scarred and traumatized and instead of trying to distance himself or ask for time off he not only went right back to the agency but blamed himself entirely for what happened and tried to MAKE UP FOR HIS FAILURE. And not, oh, you know, the fault of sending someone out who was not prepared to be singled out and tortured to the point of EXTREME physical scarring. He blamed himself, and he's spending his time in season 1 apparently hunting down the guy who is a direct source for a lot of his trauma. On a reality tv show where he is so so deeply not trained obviously to interact with people. He's not designed for that. And then he fails.

Then he gets fired, has a breakdown, and he gets a job offered by the one occupation that would even come close to mimicking the thing he’s literally spent his whole life working towards after he maybe kind of gets some unofficial closure? Kind of. He's still fired, and so he goes to the Next Best Thing. Which is a cop.

He’s just raised in an environment that primes him to overly trust people in power like that! And he became a cop because he wasn’t built for anything else! He believes that Stopping Bad Guys is the way he can help people! And he STILL trusts the people who threw him into this enough to go right back to a system this corrupt! Anyway I'm gonna make a reblog specifically for the MI au spin on this whole mess. which is even more messed up but it's way less applicable to canon Tom.

[diorysuss]

dio’s big list of murder drone theories

so hi. it’s me dio. i’ve been cookin a bunch of theories i think you guys will like so I’m gonna masterlist em here. these range from “serious” to “crack” so be warned (nothing extreme dw)

Nori will be french (Semi-Serious)

Evidence gathered -

1. In episode 2, Khan holds up a manual that has 3 languages; Russian, English, and French. These can be linked to Yeva, Alice, and by proxy, Nori.

2. The colors of the French flag, red, blue and white, make what? Purple.

3. As seen in the 7&8 teasers, there is a secret underground cathedral. Cathedrals are French architecture. Perfect to experiment on a FRENCH drone, don’t you think?

4. The French love pissing off the English. Like how Nori pissed off Alice. Coincidence? I think not.

5. Russia, France and the USA happen to be world superpowers. Hm.. powers.. like the solver.

Foreign Accent Syndrome & The Solver (Not expecting it to be canon)

Evidence gathered/Reasoning -

Alice could suffer from foreign accent syndrome (shortened to FAS) , a condition where it makes the afflicted person speak in a completely different accent in their native language. Linked to brain damage and strokes, the disease is thought to sever connects to the part of the brain that controls your lip movements, thus giving you a different accent.

67% percent of people who suffer from FAS are women, like a majority of the solver users, and we know the solver is notorious for messing with people’s brain. A lot of Russian viewers have pointed out Doll’s bad accent (which I’m well aware is just the VA not natively speaking Russian, but hear me out!) Doll has an American accent due to FAS and the solver messing with her brain.

Thad being the solver’s “spy” (Semi-Serious)

Evidence gathered/Reasoning

1. Consistent purple headlights in episode 4

2. Lack of vocal interactions

3. Eldritch J afflicting him (cannot be good)

With Doll and Uzi down deep under the surface, the solver has no one of the surface in order to do.. whatever. Not sure yet, but it seems like it choose Thad, possibly due to a closeness with N and Uzi. Whatever he has, it cannot result in him being normal in any way whatsoever. I just refuse to believe it. Interestingly, he also happens to be named after a disciple of Jesus who warns of heretics and is literally the patron symbol of hope.

The cross (Serious)

Evidence gathered/Reasoning-

The cross in the episode 7 teaser everyone is going crazy for, I know! But it being upside down will not necessarily represent an evil. Instead-

- A cross upside down is representative of St. Peter, who requested to be crucified upside down because he did not feel worthy of dying the same way as Jesus.

- An upside down crucifix, however does actually represent the devil, and would represent the solver in this case. The key difference is that a crucifix has Jesus’s body on the cross.

Uzi is clearly holding a cross due to the lack of Jesus. This makes me believe that she herself doesn’t feel worthy of something; my top pick is she doesn’t feel worthy of sacrificing herself for the better of Copper-9 and the universe, and gives into the solver as a result.

JCJenson is cover-up business for a cult (Serious)

Evidence gathered/reasoning -

1. Humans are not too concerned with events surrounding the solver- in fact, they seem content being around it. Tessa seems to be the only one to care.

2. JCJenson products and products of Cyn/Solver share a lot of characteristics

3. A very cult like area sitting under JCJenson labs is very suspicious

My best guess here is that JCJenson summoned the solver for money/power in exchange for giving the solver test subjects and sacrifices such as Nori and Yeva so that they can grow. However, the cult slowly began to corrupt the company until they became just a cover up- quickly switching to space travel to help spread the solver while still advancing their robotics. The Elliot’s were possibly a family who disliked this idea and made special leaps to make sure the solver didn’t infect their house; which failed, just look at episode 5.

Final Destination & an actual true important death (Serious)

Evidence Gather/Reasoning -

Final destination is a movie trilogy that is notoriously famous for having gruesome deaths and how attempt to escape death is futile. Since other episodes have been based off other horror flicks/tropes (I.E, episode 2 was based off Alien, episode 3 Carrie, episode 4 any slasher flick ever, etc) I believe someone important will “die” this episode and in a gruesome manner. J? Doll? Uzi? N? Fucking Khan? Who knows!

Teacher affiliated with the solver (Crack)

1. Orange eyes, like Alice had, suggests he was affected by the solver at one point

2. Wayy different from other worker drones, who are at most optimistic about death and at their worst having a panic attack. He simply does not care. About anything.

3. Knew something was up with Uzi before her solver was even revealed

4. Only worker drone who’s seen on screen drinking. Even if it’s just an alcoholic drink, we know drones can’t drink anything other than oil and batteries, so what’s in there?

5. No where to be seen during episode 4, considering he would have been an easy target for Uzi

Completely crack, I just like this theory cause it seems so out of place and different. I reviewed some cursive on the clipboard and apparently, his name might be Lu/Lou or some variant, maybe even Liam? Who knows it’s fucking funny lol

fish khan

fish fish/ fish

fish khan fish fish khan khan fish fish khan fish fish fishhhhhhhh fish fish fish fish figshhhhhh fish fish

[sketch-shepherd-art]

Alright so I’ve finally finished all of Make Your Mark on Netflix (I have no interest in Tell Your Tale) and, well… I certainly have thoughts. Unfortunately I felt MLP G5 (even including A New Generation) was pretty weak. I don't HATE G5 of course, but it certainly has problems. Not counting the ton of continuity errors and plot holes and retcons from G4, most of the episodes + specials on their own I found flat and boring.

And yes I KNOW that G5 deserves to be its own thing and shouldn’t rely 100% on G4’s popularity but come on… a sequel series still needs SOME connection to its predecessor, and G5 has so little of it?? And the worst part is that the super sparse FIM references were for legal reasons, which makes me even wonder why bother setting it in the same universe as G4 instead of just making a complete reboot. And yes I’ve heard that the G5 comics actually go deeper into the lore, but important worldbuilding details should be included in the show proper, not in supplemental materials. 

So yeah, that only inspired me to make even more changes for my MLP next gen AU. Starting with a bunch of different ideas I have for Opaline. More details about my revamped design and backstory for her under the cut

First off, her canon design is way too gaudy and takes away a lot of her intended scare factor, so I redesigned her with multiple variants. For all versions I removed her blue eyeshadow and the braids around her ears (too ridiculous-looking and difficult for me to draw), and made her hair a bit more asymmetrical. 

As for my version of her backstory, rather than Opaline being over a thousand years old and having known Celestia and Luna when they were fillies, I made Opaline a former student of Twilight who became her successor as the next Alicorn Princess. Only Opaline didn't do a great job as a ruler which caused Twilight to drain her of her magic and banish her to the outskirts of Equestria.

But after Twilight died of old age (don't ask me why Twilight didn't find a new successor, still working that out) the magic shield locking Opaline outside Equestria faded and allowed her back in. So she was the one who caused disharmony between ponies all over again (yeah kind of a repeat of the Nightmare Moon situation but), and additionally kidnapped Misty as a filly to use her as a spy and do tasks to help Opaline get her powers back, including her wanting to steal dragon fire to become a fire Alicorn like in canon.

Made this change for two reasons 1) the whole “ancient villain who knew Celestia and Luna back in the day escaped now and is planning to wreak havoc on modern Equestria” has been done a hundred times already in FIM, let a new villain form literally during Twilight’s reign 2) it would keep the rejection aspect of Opaline's canon backstory but give her more personal beef with Twilight which is why Opaline targets her

so my AU wouldn't just have all ponies restore unity and then have Opaline just come as a threat right after like A New Generation + Make Your Mark did. Achieving harmony between pony AND non-pony kind would be done over the course of a series and not just one movie, with Equestria being restored + Misty being freed after Opaline's defeat. The Unity Crystals still play a role in my AU, with Twilight having created them as a new alternative to the Elements of Harmony rather than just a macguffin to stop Opaline specifically.

Also if it were up to me I like my #3 redesign the best, the blue hues would probably fit the best for a fire-based villain (fire being blue when it's hottest and all) but that depends on if/when I wanna draw my AU Opaline in the future

[afra-blueraz]

🦋 Admin Afra talks:

I wanna recommend an anime to you to make you smile from the bottom of your heart. I watched ( Buddy Daddies ) anime yesterday and this anime has become one of my comfort animes. I love father-daughter relationships, and in my opinion, every story and anime needs one of these relationships because it's so cute. Now imagine what would happen if there were two dads instead of one. Also, I'm glad the anime didn't try to force a gay relationship between the two men. I am not a big fan of Yaoi anime. To be honest, I am not a fan of Yaoi and Yuri at all. I'm not saying I hate it, I just don't like this genre. I have not tried to watch Yaoi until now, maybe I will try it later and change my opinion about it. But what was so lovely about this anime was that it didn't try to go with a forced romance. Kazuki and Rei were two friends that a little girl changes their lives and they understand how much this girl is dear to them and decide to change because of this girl.

Story:

Plot Story: Well, at first glance, you think this anime is very similar to Spy x Family, but in my opinion, this anime was better than that. The comedy of the story and the relationship between parents and children was depicted much more attractively. It was very admirable that this story was related to the mafia but tried to maintain a sweet and family atmosphere. And that in the final episodes, we saw a combination of drama, action and the beautiful love of two fathers for their daughter. I was so hooked that I couldn't wait to see the next episode.

Characters:

Miri: Cute, simple and lovely little girl. Miri is very cute and kind. I swear, whenever she smiles, I want to hug her and squeeze her so that she suffocates. I know that her daddies will kill me. I was very upset when I heard the truth about Miri's real parents. I don't know if this is true or not, but I'm glad Miri's real parents are dead. Miri is a pure and innocent girl and deserves to always smile. She should be with her daddies. Those two are better parents for Miri.

Kazuki: Dad as a lovely mom. I love that he became Miri's daddy in such a profound way from the first time he met her. It's as if he's been waiting all his life for the moment when a child calls him daddy. Kazuki's relationship with Miri is sometimes very funny. That he thinks so much about Miri's future and does not want any boy to approach Miri. He is a very cute dad. Kazuki's past and the death of his wife and child were very sad for me. Maybe that was the reason why Kazuki was so afraid of change. But he has Miri now. A girl who really loves him and makes him happy. Kazuki deserves this happy and beautiful family.

Rei: I fell in love with Rei at first sight. His character and style are very cool. He was always tired and playing games or killing people. I love that in his first meeting with Miri he told Kazuki I can shoot that girl to complete our mission and in the last he turned into a man saying Miri is my daughter. Don't you dare to hurt her, otherwise I will kill you myself. Rei needed more time than Kazuki to get to know Miri and become attached to her. On that first day, he even refused to hug Miri, but he slowly approached her, he told the guards that she is my daughter and hugged her, he played with her, he slept in Miri's arms, he took care of her when she was sick, to the party He went to Miri's kindergarten and encouraged her, and in the end, he fought with his family, his own father to protect Miri. It was very interesting that in the end, Kazuki suggested that Miri be sent to an orphanage in another city so that she would be safe, but Rei refused and said that he wanted to stay with Miri for the rest of his life and raise her like his own daughter. Rei made a lot of progress. I swear I wanted to cry when he talked to his father about his love for Miri. Rei has really fallen in love with Miri and loves her more than anyone else. According to him, he was just like a walking dead before he meet Miri, but now he knows the meaning of life and he doesn't want to lose it. Miri is his dear daughter.

Kyo: He had a mysterious personality and considering that he worked for the Suwa family, it was natural. When he said that he wanted to take care of Miri, I was very scared and said that if he finds out the truth, he will surely kill Miri, but what did he do instead? He made a special juice for Miri and called her my princess. This man is an exemplary father. The close bond he developed with Miri and helping Rei and Kazuki take care of Miri was so sweet.

Misaki: I hated her as a mother. I was very angry that she left Miri to go back to her mafia lover. She is your daughter, Bitch. But in the end she also changed. When she got cancer, she realized how precious Miri was to her. She decided to be a good mother to make Miri happy in her last moments. The fact that she regretted what she did is valuable to me, but to be honest, I am happy that she is dead, she does not deserve to be a mother for Miri. She could not be a good mother to Miri.

At the end of this story, it had a wonderful ending. Kazuki and Rei get the happiness they deserve, and Miri lives a happy life with two men who love her more than anyone else. If you want to have happy moments for a few short moments, I suggest you watch this anime.

[wyzsylover]

has anyone noticed how el and max both always wore long sleeved shirts, jackets, or multiple layers in s1 and s2 but wore short sleeves and tank tops in s3? the only season that they had someone else who saw the real them and when they became friends.

and the colors being vibrant in the only season they're together...

and then in s4, they're back to wearing long sleeves, jackets, and multiple layers. they're even back to wearing dark neutral colors like before.

el wearing a majority of blue but not wearing it when she reunites with max, when she finds the bottle her and max played the spying game with, during mike's monologue, and at the end (signifying she's not tied to mike anymore).

it's interesting how there's only small bits of color in el's outfits and max's only colorful outfit is the 'dear billy' one (and that was obviously intentional as it's the episode where she finds she's not alone and realizes her friends are there for her) which is a reference to s3 max, max finding herself again.

(elmax scenes in s4. notice how el isn't wearing any blue. she's wearing her white pants and white shirt with pink flowers on it, her new look. the all white with specks of pink, showing she's already becoming el who is independent, not el who is mike's girlfriend. and it's almost like the pink represents max, signifying that she's going to be el's main focus next season and el is going to be all about max instead of mike.)

(and no you can't say it's "because of the weather" "it's cold in hawkins" because literally other characters wear short sleeved shirts/tank tops so?)

[transingthoseformers]

You know how most Reverse Aus for Tfa just swap Optimus and Elita/Blackarachnia what if instead of just swapping those two Wasp and Bumblebee got swapped like everything is normal then Wasp Reports Bumblebee as a spy instead of Bumblebee reporting Wasp and then we have a slightly more fractured team with a Bulkhead that generally dislikes Wasp for sending his friend away. So the team would be Elita, Wasp, Prowl, Bulkhead and Ratchet

Oooo yesss

It would be interesting considering what we saw went down with Wasp, applying that to Bumblebee (hmm if tfa Wasp became Waspinator, would this be an opportunity for Bumblebee to become Goldbug?)

I SEE THE ULTIMATE OPPORTUNITY FOR OPPY TO BE CALLED OPTRONIX, LIKE HE WAS IN SHATTERED GLASS THAT ONE TIME. But hey just a suggestion, I've also seen Nemesis utilized, and I also see the opportunity for this being a way to integrate rid01 Scourge into this. Am I just naming alternate versions of Optimus or Optimus lookalikes, yes. yes I am.

It'd be so fascinating to see Wasp's thought process in this alternate version of the Boot Camp episode (kiiinda), because we know Bumblebee and Bulkhead were very suspicious of Wasp, and Shockwave Longarm egged them on. But now I'm imagining Wasp's side, who's very suspicious of the sudden attempts to "reveal" a spy because Shockwave Longarm convinced him they were a sign of bad news. So I'm seeing it as the ultimate uno reverse card of Wasp pointing the finger at Bee a good bit before Bumblebee and Bulkhead thought it was Wasp. (I admit I'm fuzzy on the episode, it's been a while, but I like the idea of Shockwave Longarm playing both sides and coming off as simply a concerned peer who means well and is just going along with someone else's idea, oh no I daren't say it was his idea /jk)

Bulkhead and Wasp would very much have a rougher dynamic, yep yep. It would be fascinating to see how Wasp grows and changes as a person without the Stockades.

I feel like Wasp being slightly less of a troublemaker than Bee balances nicely with Elita in general being more of a troublemaker than tfa Optimus is/was, even post Archa Nine.

[anyaprincessa]

since there are a lot of people creating theories about Anya's name,her backstory and discussing about chapter 90.1,I wanted to share my own opinion｡⁠◕⁠‿⁠◕⁠｡

tbh,I was surprised that Ania's name had all this time a meaning and it wasn't just a mix of Misha and Ashe from Endo's previous works kinda expected it though,I'm not sure why Endo was hiding it all the time,maybe because it was supposed to be a surprise..

I honestly think that Ania is a Russian name took from Anna,is she a reference of princess Anastasia?my own question leaded me to an imagination of her backstory,hehe(⁠^⁠^⁠);

Ania was the princess of a royal family,they all were under serveillance,all the members conversations were encrypted in classic language so that the content couldn't be understood it wasn't the native language of the country by the way

Desmond was the one behind everything happening to the country and the royal family,he nuked/destroyed the country it's kind of confirmed that he's doing suspicious activities,right?,all the family were killed but Anya wasn't,instead those monsters kidnapped her and she became their new test subject for the Ostanian project apple subject 007

everyone in the lab treated her as a tool and forced her to study..

There was a scientist,he was cruel like all of them and for some sort of reason,he changed later on and became a kind person,he was the one who helped Anya escaping the lab,she will surely start a new happy life with a new family,well,after a short period,the little girl was adopted and returned to the orphanage 4 times,till one day a spy codenamed Twilight waku waku came searching for a 6 years old child,ends up adopting her to become a part of a fake family,the forgers for the sake of operation strix (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

there is also a high possibility that there is a reason behind Anya's freedom...probably nobody helped her escape the cursed lab,the scientists just started a new experiment is her freedom itself, this experiment is designed to train her to become a skilled telepath naturally, so that they can kidnap their tool whenever they are ready to start the war

Melinda knows about her past herself, that's why she wants Anya and Damian to become closer because of some other hidden reasons idk myself..

and before I forget,here's some canon proofs supporting the princess theory;

Ania loves castles,she talked about servants in the first chapter,we even had a whole episode about her as a princess and her her papa saving her,most of the anime episode was an original though was it for a foreshadowing purpose from Endo himself?!

there's also several mentions about royality in the manga,for example in chapter 42,etc,etc..the lastest and the most important mention was in chapter 88,Melinda choosing specifically the royal top elite cakes as a gift for Anya wich Damian told her to buy,he didn't said for who exactly

"they were cakes said to originally have been created by king Willy II,as a conciliatory gift for the queen of an enemy country"!!! this line alone raised a lot of suspicion inside me...so I had to do some search(⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)I found out later on that King Willy and the queen from the enemy country are actually a reference of king Frederick the great and Empress Elizaveta!! probably I'm gonna make a thread talking about them

In addition to my proofs,we also had Anya comparing the Griffin wich is the symbol of the Desmonds and Chimera the possible symbol of her royal family and her dear friend who knows everything about her

I'mma include the Authens since they are 100% getting involved in this arc and were introduced just before the chapter we got a new hints about Ania's past and the confirmation of her backstory arc

First of all,Sigmund Authen might be a reference of Sigmund Freud the founder of Psychoanalysis,is related to minds?!!mind reading powers in sxf universe??!?the theory of super powers and all this stuff might be proposed by him since he was a professor teaching in the berlint university is owned by the Desmond family,you can notice the letter "D" in the logo

he is likely to be from Anya's same country,he's talking in Classical language most of the time,both Yor and Anya didn't understand most of what he said either Anya because the majority of what he was saying is complicated,unhearable and she didn't care

I think he is retired or perhaps not ,he seems that he loves Barbara sm and he definitely loves kids(⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)

the important person this arc is either him or Barbara

[the-9th-genderfluid]

Fuck it ok i have fandom opinion rants now.

911: buck x tommy suck, buddie need to wait until at least season 9 tho or it will feel rushed. Also this whole season kinda was not great sorry to say. I hope that season 8 managed to take the cool ideas introduced in this season and address them better. Also we need more henren, and main character ravi pls.

Spies are forever: amazing, makes me too queer and depressed to function. My only gripe is that I want it to actually be more depressing and make agent Mega more traumatized. In spy again, its very heavily implied/outright said that after owens death, Curt became kinda a alcoholic. (The "and another" lyrics) This makes me not love the vibes of one more shot. This man is basically a alcoholic dont give him more alcohol? This is the only one of these opinions i will accept criticism, please help me understand what im missing here, did i read to much into the song spy again?

Star trek: no mad rants actually i love tos and im growing to like tng as i watch more. I do wish the fandom would make more fic that are not heavily romantic and are written like actual episodes? Like i want more stories where the sci-fi is more important than the romance. Also if the fic is more about relationships than the scifi stuff, more fics that are less sex based and more romance based?

Criminal minds: i hate the new evolution seasons so bad, i always say that the last season and all of evolution dont exist. I have tried watching evolution, and i hate how it was not new unsub every episode. Also yall get the same message as star trek, more fics with well written unsubs where the bau unsub stuff is the main focus, not the characters getting in each others pants.

Hatchetfield trio: release the npmd soundtrack on Spotify soon please? I actually love how every fic in this fandom has a "think about the implications" reference. I dont actually have more opinions on this, the fandom and source material is all really great.

Bones: i will never forgive them for killing vincent. Also i have opinions about the last two seasons and the ending and all that. I hate bitter sweet endings, where you feel like the characters will never be in situations like they were in the series. I prefer when it feel like the series could go on, instead of ending with everyone moving up and away. (Looking at you b99)

Ok well i cant think of more to say, so bye babes, boys and boomerangs

P.S please feel free to recommend fics based on what i say in these rants.

P.S 2 dont come at me for spelling, i dont care enough to make my i a capital I and all that.