#and she does like Auto. she likes that she has someone to relate to in that their upbringings were similar

[autoboros]

Auto.......... Your fans need to know if you have any agent hc!!!!! Or ocs

Ah yeah, I've got agents but I never really talk about them because they don't grip me like my other guys do

Dillon (3), Nate (4), Jaime (8) and Boro (N3) (and Auto (N3.5))

Dillon has fallen down a rabbit hole of nihilism as he realised joining the SS essentially ruined his teen years and his life and his relationships. Nate is an anxiety ridden mess who basically resigned as Agent 4 as he deeply regrets doing what he did. Jaime tries to see the best in things and to appreciate her life on the surface, but she also has great distance between her and the NSS and really, really dislikes Dillon. Boro is Boro

[souliebird]

[[and then I met you || ch. 27]]

Series: Daredevil || Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader || Rating: Explicit

Summary:

A one-night stand years ago gave you a daughter and you are now able to put a name to her father – Matthew Murdock. Everything is about to change again as you navigate trying to integrate your life with that of the handsome and charming blind lawyer’s and Matt realizes he needs to not only protect his new family from Hell's Kitchen, but from the world.

chapter masterlist

Words: 4.4k

ao3 link

Police Arrest Three After Mass Protests in LA County

By C. Grant

Three people were arrested in Pasadena, California yesterday after a crowd gathered to protest the death of Sheila Pom. Police say the three individuals, whose names have not yet been released, appeared to be Enhanceds attempting to agitate the crowd. Witnesses claim one of the individuals was creating sparks with their fingers and threatening to start a fire, while the two others encouraged the behavior. Police have made no comment about these arrests and all questions about the incident have been redirected to a now defunct phone number. 

Sheila Pom was killed in an officer-related shooting two weeks ago after neighbors reported her as a Dangerous Individual under the new Sokovia Accords Act. Pom, 23, worked at her uncle’s auto body shop as a mechanic while also attending online classes to get a degree in Engineering. She was also a telekinetic - someone who can move objects with their mind. 

Pom was known to not be shy about her gifts. Pom was seen frequently lifting cars and trucks within garages without the help of equipment and is rumored to have once righted a tipped over semi-truck. Neighbors became concerned when Pom began using her gifts at home.

“We’d come home, and things would be floating up and down the street,” one neighbor said.

Another claimed Pom was unstable, and when she would become upset, things around her would begin to shake.

“I thought it was an earthquake until my TV hit the ceiling,” a source who lived in the same building Pom told GKTV, “I learned the next day her boyfriend broke up with her.”

Officers were called when Pom refused to return a motorcycle to the ground while working on it in a residential neighborhood. After a brief standoff, officers fired two shots, striking Pom in the head, and killing her. 

Pom’s family claims she was unaware of the officer’s presence, as wireless earbuds were found near her body after. Pom was known to listen to music to block the noise of machines. 

Protests began after the officers involved in the incident were cleared of any wrongdoing. 

----

A full-page ad takes over your screen, and instead of continuing to read the depressing article, you close the tab.

There has been a palpable unrest in the news cycle the past week that is starting to leave you with an uneasy feeling in your stomach. You’ve noticed a shift in the general narrative tone and terminology used when discussing people who have superpowers. 

Before Sokovia, before Lagos, before Connecticut, the morning shows would bring on people with amazing gifts and gently joke about them joining the Avengers as they made water fly around the set, but now those same hosts debate if they should be allowed to have the right to privacy. ‘Enhanced Peoples’ has been shortened to just Enhanceds and is now spit out like it is something dirty. 

You don’t know when the conversation stopped centering around heroes and vigilantes and started being about everyday people, but it scares you that the change happened. There seems to be no official power scale about what is deemed ‘dangerous’ and your mind keeps zipping all over the place trying to justify different lines of thinking.

Does Matt fall under the category of Dangerous? 

He is a vigilante, so by default the Accords are directed at him, but is it doubly so? If he was forced to reveal himself to the government, would they require him to wear a tracking device? Or would they try to lock him up?

Could he fight it in court, or would they whisk him away in the middle of the night and you’d never know what happened?

If Matt is deemed Dangerous because of his senses, and not just because he is a vigilante, would Minnie be considered the same?

With how intense and angry everyone is becoming you could see yourself having to take her in to be tested.

To be monitored. 

And she is just a baby. 

You can’t imagine how others must feel - people who are older, who are just trying to live their lives. The girl who was killed was just trying to fix her bike, like millions of other people do every weekend. She wasn’t going to other countries to fight terrorists. She wasn’t trying to use her powers to rule over others. She wasn’t hurting anyone.

But she was different, so they killed her.

“Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! I need help!”

You’re ripped from your spiraling thoughts and look across the room to where Minnie is sprawled out on the floor. Her Starkpad is in front of her, and she’s set up Pig and Scooby so they are also peering down at the device and you know exactly what she is doing.

It is the same thing she has been doing for a week straight - playing a bootleg Muppet’s math game. 

Since meeting Spider-man, all your little Mouse has wanted to do is learn math. She keeps saying she wants to impress him and make him proud, and you are in no way going to discourage her. Every day has been filled with counting and addition and subtraction and you are a bit amazed she has stayed so focused. 

You are not going to complain at all about it - you are getting time to yourself while she has been glued to Elmo and Kermit. 

You leave your phone on the dining table and head towards your daughter.

“You need help?” you confirm as you crouch beside her. The screen shows a Muppet you don’t recognize, along with various numbers floating around them, and up at the top, the equation that has your little Mouse stumped. 

“I need help!” Minnie repeats as she scrambles up off her belly and into sitting. “I don’t have enough fingers!” 

She holds up both her hands to show you all ten of her itty-bitty fingers and you make a sympathetic noise. 

Mouse has been getting pretty good at using her fingers to help her with addition and subtraction, but on only one hand. She uses the index finger on her right hand to help count by pointing at each finger and hasn’t quite worked out she can use her fingers to point and count. That is okay, though, as you are happy to lend yours to her important cause. 

“Okay, how many fingers do you need?”

You hold out your hands and she instantly begins to manipulate them. 

“This one…this one needs three! One, two, three!” She pushes your thumb and index finger down so the other three remain up, then she pushes down the pinky of the other hand. “And this one is four!”

“So, three and four? What are we doing with three and four?” You ask, trying to not laugh at her determined face.

“We adds them!” She chirps, before starting to jab at your fingers, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven! That’s seven fingers! Mommy, it’s seven! Three plus four is seven!” 

“That’s right, it is seven. Which number is seven?” You direct her back to her game, where she triumphantly picks the correct symbol. The Muppet congratulates her before presenting a new equation. 

Minnie squeals in delight before ripping the device off the ground and shoving it in your face, “I know this one! Mommy! I know this one! It’s three! Mommy! It’s three!” 

You can’t even process what the question is before the screen is out of sight. Your daughter holds her Starkpad above her head, treating it like some war prize as she starts spinning and dancing around the living room. 

“It’s three! It’s three! It’s three!” 

You laugh at her antics, heartwarming at her pureness. How could anyone ever think she’s a danger?

“Are you sure it’s three?” You tease as you watch her. 

She whips around to you, eyes scrunching up into a glare, and barks, “It’s three!”

“Okay, okay, it’s three.”

You push yourself up into standing just as Mouse returns to her spot. She drops her Starkpad to the ground a little harder than you would prefer, but that is why it has a big bulky case. She plops down in front of it and happily smacks the number three that is floating around the screen.

You let yourself watch her for a few seconds, silently bombarding her with all the love you feel for her. You want to wrap her up and live in this bubble forever.

Except, there is one element missing from your perfect moment. You wish there were a pair of arms wrapped around your waist and a chin on your shoulder. You want to lean back against a muscular chest and lose yourself to eternity like that. 

Instead of indulging those thoughts, you tell yourself to stop fantasizing and you make your way back to the kitchen to check on dinner.

Vegetable curry has been simmering on the stove for most of the day. It has been a while since you had the energy to make the dish from scratch, but you had a craving this morning and went all out. You’ve made curry for Minnie before, and she did not complain - though you think that is because her portion was mostly rice and hot dog cuts. You plan to do the same again tonight, and if she wants more sauce, you’ll give it to her. 

You check your seasonings and give everything a stir to make sure nothing gets stuck at the bottom of the pot. The rich aroma tickles your nose, and you are glad you don’t have to wait much longer to treat yourself.

As you debate adding a pinch more salt, you catch Minnie sneaking towards you out of the corner of your eye. Her movements are slow and dramatic, and you pretend you don’t notice her. This ruse works, and you appropriately jump in fear when she suddenly tugs on your shirt.

“Up!” She demands and you oblige, scooping your daughter onto your hip. As soon as she is high enough, she cups her hands around your ear and leans into whisper, “Daddy saids the food smells yummy-yummy.”

She quickly dissolves into giggles, and it is infectious, so you end up smiling. 

Matt hasn’t been over for dinner in a hot minute, and you are hoping to have a nice quiet family night, before he goes out on his Patrol. The plan is to watch a movie after your meal and Minnie has already prepared for this by dragging multiple blankets out to the couch. You just know she is going to demand a cuddle pile, and now that you and Matt are intimate, it isn’t something you are nervous about. 

You just want to have a good time.

“Can you tell Daddy everything is almost ready?” you ask, even though you know Matt can probably hear you just fine. 

Mouse, always eager to be helpful, nods and relays the message directly into your ear. You try to not grimace, and so it won’t happen again, set her down on the ground. 

“Can you plug in your Starkpad so it can sleep for the night?” 

She streaks off to do her newly assigned task, leaving you to start setting the table. When you were at the store, you bought Matt a bottle of beer - a brand you know he likes - and you set it at his designated spot. You’ve grown accustomed to just drinking water and juice, but you don’t want to push that on to him - not when he’s a guest and coming over after a long day of work. 

As you start to make everyone’s plates, you hear the water in the bathroom turn on. You know Minnie knows the routine for getting ready for dinner and you just hope she isn’t trying to wash Scooby’s paws again. You are worried he’ll end up moldy and you aren’t sure what you will do if that happens. You peek into the living room and are relieved to see your daughter’s best friends have been relocated to sitting on the coffee table, facing the television. 

You finish setting everything up just in time, it seems. Minnie runs from the hallway right to the door as you go to wash your own hands, and you rush to get all the soap off so you can help her open the door. 

Matt is standing on the other side, looking handsome as ever in a gray suit. He looks like he’s had a busy day - his hair is windswept, and he is sporting a strong five o’clock shadow. There is a garment bag draped over his arm and his saddle bag looks a little bulkier than usual and you wonder if he ran some errands on his lunch - picking up his dry cleaning and such. 

You barely have time to take in his appearance before Mouse is launching herself at him.

“Daddy!” She shrieks and Matt oh so easily swings her up onto his hip. “Daddy! We’re having vege-tuhble kermies for dinner! I helped make it! I cut up ALL the carrots! By myself!”

“By yourself, huh?” Matt confirms, a bright, warm smile taking up his entire face. “Soon you’ll be making us dinner.”

You step aside so he can come in and help to take his things to hang while Mouse soaks up his attention. 

“No! Mommy makes dinner because…’cause she makes the bestest foods. I just help!”

“You are a very good helper,” you interject, “You keep a very clean workstation. A professional chef would be proud.”

Minnie beams at the praise, then a microsecond later, is wiggling in to be let down. Her feet hit the ground and she takes off running back toward the living room, probably to collect something to show off to her Daddy. 

Matt takes the small break to turn his attention to you. A hand goes to your cheek, and instead of a brief ‘hello’ peck, he kisses you like he wants to turn and pin you to the wall. It catches you off guard, but you easily melt into it. You clutch at the lapel of his suit jacket and try to not moan as he nips at your lips. You open your mouth for him, but being the tease he is, he pulls back just enough to whisper against you.

“Been thinking about that all day.” 

The words send your blood rushing - some north to your cheeks and the rest to your cunt. 

He’d been thinking about you? About wanting to kiss you? Or has he been thinking about more than that - because you must admit, you’ve been thinking about it. You’ve had more than a few thoughts about what you want to do to him the next time you two are alone together and those thoughts were certainly very explicit. 

“Matt…” you totally do not whine out but instead of replying, his grin just turns cocky. He pulls away as Minnie returns to the entryway, and you decide you need a drink of your water. You escape and Mouse starts showing off her latest masterpieces to Matt. 

Food coloring, cotton balls, and popsicle sticks have proven to be a massive hit and Minnie has made a whole collection of things for Matt - there’s butterflies and flowers, a house with clouds, and various abstract pieces. You are sure his office is already filled to the brim with his daughter’s art, and you would not be surprised if he started to hang things from the ceiling when he does run out of room. He seems to treasure every little thing Minnie has given him and it warms your heart so much. You hope that love never runs out. 

Somehow, Matt ushers Minnie back to the dining room while she shoves different papers into his hands and gets her up in her booster seat. 

“I’m going to put all these in my bag, so they don’t get dirty or lost, okay?” He tells Minnie, who nods way too enthusiastically. 

“Keep them clean!”  And then, just like that, she switches from being excited her Daddy is there to being a hungry toddler. She whips around to face you and asks in an almost impatient manner, “Can I has my hot dogs now?”

You give her the go ahead as Matt returns to the table and takes his place. You quickly tell him the placement of everything, including his beer, then quickly add, “If you don’t like it, I have a few different things I could make you. Or we could order something.”

A brief panic runs through you when Matt scoffs. You think you’ve insulted him - having him come all the way to Chelsea to eat a dinner he won’t enjoy and having to find a substitute. 

“I love curry and this smells delicious. I wouldn’t trade it for the world - in fact, I’m hoping some of those leftovers on the stove are for me to take home and lord over Fog tomorrow.”

You flush at his sweetness and mumble out you’ll pack him some to go. This seems to please him, and he starts to dig in. Ever the little parrot, Minnie mimics him by shoveling food into her mouth with a big grin and you can’t help but laugh a little. 

“It’s nummy!” Your little one declares, and even if she’s just eating plain rice right now, you’ll take it as a win. You know well she won’t eat what she doesn’t like.

“Speaking of yummy,” Matt starts, slow and deliberate, with his head angled towards you, “I was hoping we could go somewhere yummy together.”

You blink slowly at the statement, rolling it over in your mind and trying to dissect the meaning. Did he want to go somewhere for dessert? Maybe get ice cream or something? “Somewhere yummy…?” 

“Mhm,” he hums, then his smile becomes a bit more sly. Even though you know it isn’t true, you feel like, behind his glasses, he is hungrily looking you up and down, “Somewhere like Uvas.”

The name doesn’t automatically generate anything for you, but after a moment, it dawns on you. Uvas in a Spanish restaurant near Central Park known to be high end and impossible to get into. It’s been in the local tabloids a few times for turning away minor celebrities who don’t meet the dress code. You’re mouth parts slightly in shock.

“What’s Oo-vuhas?” Minnie asks around her fork, her big eyes looking between you and Matt. “Do theys has yummy foods?”

“Oh, they have yummy food,” Matt teases. He then leans forward a bit in his seat and stage whispers to her, “It’s where I want to take Mommy for a date.”

“A date?” Minnie scrunches up her face at the word while your mind is still spinning. 

Matt wants to take you on a date? To Uvas? You have never been anywhere that fancy or expensive as a date. Hell, you’ve never been somewhere that fancy, period. The nicest date you’ve ever been on was Hard Rock Cafe - which says a lot about your dating life.

“A date,” Matt confirms, smug and knowingly scheming. You can hear it in his voice as he tells Minnie, “That is where Mommy and Daddy go and have dinner together as grown-ups.”

Up goes Minnie’s hand into her mouth, but it stays there only a split second. Her eyes get impossibly bigger and filled with wonder, and she whispers, “Like Lady and Tramp?”

“Exactly like Lady and Tramp.”

“Mommy!” Minnie says a little too loudly, pointing her fork at you. “You gotta go to Oo-vuhas and be Lady and Tramp! You gotta!”

And at that moment you know you can’t say no, and that Matt knows that. You can’t tell your daughter you don’t want to be like Lady and Tramp. Not that you don’t want to go on a date with Matt - the idea gets you giddy and makes your stomach flutter - but you thought if it happened, it would be a coffee or something. Not somewhere where you can’t even afford to look at the building. The idea makes you a little nauseous, because you are sure you’d make an absolute fool of yourself.

But Matt looks determined and sure of himself. You are certain he asked in front of Minnie so that she could help bully you into saying yes to such a lavish date. 

Luckily, your mind is working in overdrive, and you choke out, “I don’t have anything to wear. They have a dress code, don’t they?”

You don’t expect Matt to push his chair out and get up. Your throat instantly tightens up and fear shoots up your spine. Have you offended him? He clearly wants to do something with you and you’re over here hesitating. You must be coming off as a complete bitch. 

You start to stand up yourself as Matt disappears into the entryway. You don’t think he’d just leave without saying goodbye to Minnie.

Maybe you can talk to him - explain that somewhere a little less grand would be ideal to start.

Before you can start to follow him, Matt is coming back to the table, holding up the garment bag he brought with him, still looking like the cat that got the canary. 

“I thought you might say that,” he starts, his voice almost a little musical, “so I got you this.” 

You stare dumbly at him, shock and confusion overtaking your system. 

He got you something to wear? To Uvas? 

No one has ever bought you clothes before - except your parents. Even when you were pregnant, the small amount of gifts you got were all for Minnie. 

You distantly hear Minnie start saying something about presents, but it is all muffled under the sound of blood pumping through your ears. You step forward hesitantly and reach out for the zipper of the bag, your hand shaking slightly.

You expect it to be a joke. You’re going to open the bag and there’s going to be a clown costume inside, or a skimpy dress people like arm candy to wear, or something akin to a Burka. 

You don’t expect a black floor length sheath gown. The silhouette is simple, but you can tell just by looking at it the quality of the dress is top notch. The fabric has a nice weight to it, and it is incredibly soft to the touch that you have the distinct feeling that it did not come from a dress warehouse or a department store. 

This type of dress would come from a boutique uptown and would cost a few hundred dollars. 

You are so caught up in admiring the dress, you don’t notice Minnie come up beside you until she is also touching the dress. Panic that she might have crumbs or curry on her fingers runs through you, but you force it down.

“It’s like a princess dress for Mommy!” Mouse cooes and you feel your face start to heat up.

You’ve never worn something so nice before and certainly nothing that would be fit for a princess, but it seems like Matt and Minnie are on the same page.

“Well, I want Mommy to feel like a princess.” 

You want to hide your face, but you know you can’t, so you cover your mouth instead.

“Matt, this is beautiful. But this is so much, I can’t accept this.” 

You know that while Matt is a lawyer, he’s still struggling a bit financially. If he had his way, you know he wouldn’t charge anyone for his services, and even though Nelson, Murdock, and Page has paying customers, they still have to stagger out their bills. 

He shouldn’t be spending his hard saved money on you. 

Matt sighs your name before gently draping the garment bag over the back of his dining chair and stepping towards you. Both his hands go to your waist, and you freeze up as he steps close enough to press his forehead to yours. Your heart begins to wildly beat when his hands slowly begin to rub your sides. 

“Let me spoil you. To make up for all the dates I’ve missed. Please?” His lips dip into a small frown and you feel like you’ve kicked a puppy. 

He’s gone out of his way for you, and you are being so ungrateful. 

But it is so hard to say yes. Guilt is pooling in your stomach, and you just want to disappear into the shadows and be forgotten about. That is so much easier than Matt holding you, saying such sweet things.

You don’t want to ruin everything. 

You close your eyes as you have a war inside yourself. All you have to say is ‘Yes’ and you’ll make Matt happy, but the monster inside of you keeps dragging your mind into a pit. 

Matt wants to treat you like a princess, but how crushing will it be when he decides that is no longer the case? Can you take that?

The corners of your eyes start to sting and your monster starts to mock you for getting worked up over something as simple as being asked on a date. 

Why can’t you be normal?

Why can’t you accept this?

Why can’t -

The thoughts cease as Matt’s lips press against yours, soft and sweet and tempting. You respond hesitantly.

“Let me take care of you,” he breathes into your mouth, making you shudder. “You deserve it.” 

“You deserve it!” Minnie chirps from beside your knees and you very suddenly remember where you are and what you were doing. You try to pull away from Matt, thinking Minnie hasn’t seen the two of you like this yet, and it might confuse her, but he keeps his hands firmly planted on your hips, not letting you go. You don’t try to fight it, instead, you turn your head away, trying to hide away in your shell. 

You know there is no way you will win this. Matt is determined and he clearly has Minnie on his side, so, very hesitantly, and feeling like you are going to throw up at any moment, you nod into Matt’s shoulder.

“Okay.”

Mouse lets out a deafening cheer and you feel her dart away.

“LADY AND TRAMP! LADY AND TRAMP! LADY AND TRAMP!”

Matt laughs at her excitement over something she doesn’t understand, while you tuck yourself into his hold, wondering how long you have before he ends up shattering your heart into pieces.

---

tags:

@two-unbeatable-beaters @kiwwia-wiwwia @1988-fiend @xblueriddlex @loves0phelia @ninacotte @lovelyygirl8 @littlenosoul @ednaaa-04  @astridstark13

 @lovingkryptonitehideout @moongirlgodness @soocore @bluestuesday

@starry-night-20 @rebeccapineapple @writtenbyred @cherrypie5 @capswife @silvercharacterchaos @resting-confused-face

@Specialagentjackbauer  @yarrystyleeza @ofmusesandsecrets

@midnightreids @cloudroomblog @yeonalie @thychuvaluswife 

@petrovafire39 @ghostindeath @roxytheimmortal 

 @allllium @waywardcrow @thatkindofgurl @waywardxrhea 

@anehkael @akilatwt @lostinthefantasies @reluctanthalfwayoptimism @ethereal-blaze

 @nennia-2000 @seasonofthenerd @abucketofweird  @mattmurdockstateofmind @imagineswritersblog @hazelhavoc @smile-child-13 @allst4rsfall @hashcakes @kezibear @mapleaye @sammanna @gamingfeline @moon-glades @nightwitherspring @phoenix666stuff @dare-devil

@ladyoflynx @hobiebrowns-wife @sarcasm-n-insomnia @lillycore 

@dorothleah @mattmurdocksstarlight @mars-on-vinyl @mywellspringoflife @sleepdeprived-barelyalive @simmilarly @soupyspence @darkened-writer @akila-twt

@murc0ckmurc0ck @groovycass @sumo-b98 @just3rowsing @tongueofcat @zoom1374

@theclassicvinyldragon @aoi-targaryen @lunaticgurly @nikitawolfxo @shireentapestry @snakevyro @yondiii @echos-muses @honeybug-victoria @the-bisaster @ristare 

@mrs-bellingham @eugene-emt-roe @cometenthusiast @stevenknightmarc @yes-im-your-mom @hunnybelha @actorinfluence @capbrie @prowlingforfood @jupitervenusearthmars

@mayp11-blog @danzer8705 @thinking-at-dusk @remuslupinwifee @akila-twt  @nommingonfood @mattmurdocks6thscaleapartment @dil3mma @allllium 

[ihaveforgortoomany]

The American Dream explored through Schneider (spoilers mainly for Chapters One and Two)

Back again with Great Gatsby parallels with Reverse 1999, this analysis is inspired by the parallels seen in Chapter Six between characters like Isolda, Kakania and Marcus to the characters in Tosca; as well as how the nature of tragic plays are explored in said chapter.

Anyways here is a exploration of Schneider through the lens of the "American Dream" because while I love oranges I kinda wanna explore Schneider as a character more outside of the romantic angle (thats still here ofc but more on her motivations and development) .

What is the American Dream?

(Im not American, just someone who/ studied the Great Gatsby)

In short this is the idea that in the "New World"/ America, anyone can do anything as long as you worked hard for it - Gatsby embodies this idealism.

This idealism is notably disillusioned by the end of the 1920s known as the Jazz Age - a period known for Hedonism, Prohibition and the belief that society had become less moral. The Great Gatsby and Tender is the Night by Scot Fitzgerald is born from this pessimism of the 1920s.

So how does this relate to Schneider?

Schneider

Putting aside her flirtatious manner and being a literal mafia boss, she is a character that was forced to grow up very fast and provide for her family at a very young age of 11. The male voice hammers home how Schneider had taken on the mantle of the breadwinner for the Greco family and how she will go to every length to help and care for them, such as turning to the Foundation and the Manus.

Now cue the oranges

The American Dream and the nature of it being a myth is expressed in the storybook scene between Vertin and Baby Schneider, specially when they share that final big orange. Im pretty sure this scene the game sets to auto as baby Schneider talks about the New World and how the "God loves the world there" intercut with Schneider suffering and pleading - just like Vertin's illusion that idealised is not real.

Baby Schneider talking about the New World with so much hope and joy being cut by the older Schneider, now jaded by the rejection of the Foundation and now the Manus reinforcing the pessimism of the 1920s that concludes with the 1929 Wall St Crash.

The American Dream is a myth, it has always been: Schneider was denied salvation on the basis that she was human, denied by the Foundation, denied by the Manus once they found out her lie and is finally taken by the Storm because she could not be on the Ark/ the suitcase would not protect her.

(I wonder when Schneider realised no matter the outcome she would be reversed alongside her family, maybe the moment she told her mother to starting moving once she realised Forget Me Not was not going to hold the end of his bargain.

I mean like everyone I would of liked a playable Schneider or even more on her as a character than the crumbs we got. But I think it is more fascinating how we Don't. Know. Schneider. At. All. Purposefully we are left wondering who she is as a person with only less than 24 hours of knowing her.

We don't even know her actual name but shes left enough of an impression to

One - Trigger Vertin's deep sated trauma of the Breakaway Incident/ giving false hope of salvation for to fail

Two - Create a fandom wide trauma for oranges and haunt the narrative that we actively call a depressing moment oranges

Less than 24 hours Schneider gave us enough to never forget her.

[haechanhues]

Heart And All

pairing : a relationship that has never been defined! liu yangyang x gender-neutral!reader

genre : sick fic. angst.

warnings : sick fic! mentions of hospital and the typical hospital related warnings (sickness/dying/medications etc)

summary : you visit yangyang in the hospital.

You're a little nervous, unsure about whether or not you should be there or if you even deserve to be there. His friends know you as a rendezvous that they're used to on a Friday night. His family know you as a regular face during some early morning breakfast with easy conversations.

It was a casual situationship that bordered on relationship and friendship, crossing the barriers more often than not. But it was fine. Labels weren't necessary neither were they scary.

Until now

The smell of antiseptic was once a comfort to you. You ceased to understand why people would find it traumatic, you found it soothing, healing.

Now, you understood.

A little.

You find Liu Yangyang, jokester. Pain in your ass. The only person who seems to understand you body and soul. Heart and all. Looking too frail and weak on the hospital bed.

His soft eyes, and soft conversation with his mother halts at the sight of you by the entrance.

"Hi darling," Yangyang's mother sweetly smiles at you, "Come in."

"You came?" Yangyang questioned, a little touched. You look pretty as per usual. But hes super excited by the sight of you. Finally someone that isn’t his family that hover over him, nor his friends that sneak him shots of alcohol only to drink them themselves seeing his state.

You nod, a basket of fruit sitting awkwardly in your hands.

"That doesn't suit you," He comments and he's quickly chastised by his mother swiping him across the chest. You see the way he smiles, almost as if he's chasing the normalcy of being told off by his mother for his cheeky retorts.

Yangyang's mother excuses herself, rubbing your shoulder before exiting.

"Thanks, dickhead," You huff, and Yangyang's mother loves the laugh that escapes her son's mouth as she wanders down the hallway to give the two of you space. Her arm quickly wrapping around her husband's in a tight grip and an emotional sniff of breath.

You kneel beside him on the bed, eyes trailing across his body with wide eyes.

"Do I look that terrible?" He snorts and he expects you to laugh. To smile. Be the normal he craves. You know he does.

But,

Your expression crumbles instead, and he's alarmed by the pure emotion that glazes your eyes over, "I'm sorry."

He frowns, leaning over to wrap you in an awkward embrace, courtesy of the wires he's plugged into and the IV drip, "Why are you sorry?"

"I wasted too much time," You confess, gluggy in the throat and stuffy in the nose, "All this time."

"It's not too late at all," Yangyang chuckles, "Tell me what you want to."

"I like you," You vent, "Have for ages. So much so that I think I love you now..Surprise!"

His body shakes with laughter, but even he can feel his eyes welling with unshed tears, holding you, "I love you too."

He listens to the slow rise and fall of your chest. And you feel the warmth of his body soothing you. You've got your chin hooked over his shoulder as if you're the sick one.

His arms are like pillars, strong and inviting. And you feel the butterflies as his soft hair brushes against the skin of your shoulders and lightly touches the skin of your neck.

It's quiet.

But you enjoy it.

Basking in the hold a little longer before visiting hours end. You don’t talk and neither does he.

It’s serenity.

He smells like baby soap and bandages but you can’t help but settle into it. Committing it to memory.

Warmth like you’ve never felt before.

"This is comfy," You whisper, pulling away. Laughing softly as his head follows your body, "Are you sleeping, love?"

‘Love’ is a first, but you hope to use it more often starting right now.

You laugh because you don't know.

And you only stop laughing when you see.

Your body moves on auto pilot. Feeling the rush of movement around you. He sleeps and sleeps. Even when his friends and family plead with him. Bargain with him and with people they can't see.

Even when they push on his chest.

Even when they record the time.

He sleeps and doesn't wake up.

author's note : ❤️

[14thprince]

Killua CAA Parallels

I rewatched the chimera ant arc, and I realized something I'm not sure I've heard many people talk about. There are obvious parallels between meruem/komugi (or pitou) and gon/killua, but I actually think each royal guard parallels a different side of killua and his devotion to gon. These are just some instances I thought of off the top of my head, so if anyone has additional thoughts please feel free to add!

Pitou

I'm sure I'm not going to say much that hasn't been said already regarding killua/pitou, but I still want to include him. Pitou wants to protect komugi because she is someone who is important to the king, who is important to pitou. Killua is helping gon get kite back because kite is important to gon, who is important to killua. So when gon tells killua it must be easy for him because it doesn't mean anything to him, killua is so upset because it DOES mean a LOT to him, because gon means a lot to him. I think pitou's protective nature is supposed to reflect killua's.

Pouf

I've never seen killua and pouf compared together before, but when I rewatched the caa, I thought it was very in-your-face.

Pouf is extremely jealous of komugi, admitting to himself that he doesn't want meruem to be with "that woman". He tries to kill/hide her from meruem because he knows that if he sees her, he'll remember that she is the most important person to him.

I think this is supposed to show the internal extent of killua's jealousy of palm. He stalks gon and palm on their date, he actively does not like her... but he also tried to keep palm away from gon while he was waiting for pitou to finish healing komugi, because he thought gon seeing palm would be his final straw and breaking point, because he believed palm to be more important to gon than himself.

Pouf also believed he failed as a royal guard because he couldn't protect meruem when it mattered most, which is very similar to killua, who believes he isn't "qualified" to be gon's friend, especially when he continues to run away instead of protecting him.

I think pouf represents killua's dramatic, jealous low self-esteem side. Any time pouf is having one of his very dramatic flamboyant monologues, it really just sounds like explicit reasoning behind many of killua's actions in the caa that may not be shared directly to the audience, but is through pouf.

Youpi

Now this one was a bit harder to see, but it was often stated that youpi was more "beast" compared to the other guards, and he operated more on animal instinct. This is similar to how killua goes into his assassin auto-pilot mindset. Youpi can also morph into different bodies to make it easier to kill, like how killua can morph his hand to be sharper to kill. (I admit this might be a reach but it's still interesting!) They are also both transmuters i believe. If you have more to add on this please do! I do think youpi is supposed to show killua's instinctual side.

Conclusion:

I think all 3 royal guards represent different aspects of killua's nature and how they relate to his devotion to gon. Each guard member wants to protect meruem (the light that illuminates all), and killua goes the entire arc obsessing over how he can protect gon, who he deems to be shrouded in such bright light he has to look away. He doesn't feel like he's worthy to be by gon's side (similar to the royal guards) but he wants to put everything he can into protecting him, even if it means hurting/sacrificing himself in some way (also like the royal guards... pouf and youpi giving meruem their life energy.. pitou sacrificing himself so gon couldn't use nen again... etc). The royal guards are also inherently skilled beings who were born for a purpose, like killua.

This is just a more organized version of my thoughts, so it might not be the most coherent, and I'm sure I'll have more to add later!

[kateweathermachine2]

My thoughts on the Wisdom Saga

Legendary

TELEMACHUS MY BOY!!!

Honestly most of the stuff I have to say about him deals with the next two songs instead of this one…

Okay, but the more I listen to Antonius the more his voice is just ✨✨✨? Like Calypso’s voice being gorgeous was on SIGHT (on… hear? Heard? Audio?), but Antonius keeps getting better the more I listen to him. Don’t get me wrong he’s a bad dude, but his voice acting? Beautiful

I love the setup in this song, you don’t even notice because it’s so catchy

ARGUS CRUSHED MY HEART IN THE ANIMATIC (like I knew he would) poor dog boi… if Jorge doesn’t have Odysseus say hello to him in a song I will be heartbroken.

Little Wolf

This song… the appearance of Athena in this song brought my prospective ranking of it from likely low to battling it out with Love in Paradise for top spot (I’m STILL not sure which one I like more).

When Athena first appeared in the livestream I (mentally) SCREAMED- MY FAV IS BACK SHE’S BACK AND I LOVE HER (very platonically)

I love the little interlude with her and Telemachus- speaking of which-

I’ve seen some people mention how Telemachus seems much younger than 20/21. Something about the portrayal of Telemachus as this naïve inexperienced child? I’m not sure. But I have my own thoughts to share on this, because as someone who’s close to that young adult age, I think it’s actually pretty accurate for Telemachus’s character. He’s lived in the palace all his life, he’s longing to adventure in the world beyond, but he doesn’t know how to fight… I mean, I don’t specifically relate to Telemachus but I can see aspects of this in my own life. I’ve taken my first baby steps into the big adult world, and it’s intimidating and scary, and I don’t know how anything works, but I’m trying anyways. Point being, I don’t understand how people think that Telemachus has to be younger just because he doesn’t have certain life experiences or knowledge yet. I think it’s a very good portrayal of a young adult being unsure of his coming into the world but excited for it anyways.

Anyways back to ATHENA MY GIRL

I love that we get an in-musical explanation of Quick Thought!! I think it’s really important for a musical to be self-contained with its important lore/information and Jorge does such a great job with that.

Athena’s entire speech about the suitors and bullies and inspiring Telemachus and reframing his “Little Wolf” title CHUCKED THIS SONG SO HIGH IN MY BOOK I need to find a character of mine to associate this part to

The little “ooohhhh, maybe I pushed him a bit to hard” is hilarious

Interesting thing we’re doing with transitions into the next songs with this saga. I do agree with some of the people who said it sounds kind of off in this song; I think it might’ve flowed better if it introduced the next one, but honestly, I’m entirely willing to ignore that because this song is *so* good

We’ll be Fine

I have one glaring complaint about this song…. WHY ISNT IT LONGER?!?! I NEED MORE OF THIS

I can honestly see this becoming a comfort song for me, it holds such great messages to remember

“Cause I got in a fight, and I didn’t die!” The bar is on the FLOOR with Telemachus

The voice actors are rocking their respective high notes! Jorge pushed them and they owned it!!

Speaking of those good encouraging messages- I absolutely adore Telemachus’s chorus. Every time I listen to it, my brain auto-fills the lyrics ahead, and I hear, “maybe it’s all gonna be okay,” but then Telemachus actually sings the verse and it’s “maybe it’s all gonna turn out great!” And that’s just… such a good thing to think about. Yeah, it’s gonna be okay in the end, but what if it was better than okay? What if it turned out to be absolutely amazing?? That’s… such a positive way to view things and I need it more in my life. Of course it could get toxic but for me, it’s a great reminder of how good things can become

Love in Paradise

I read a post that mentioned how the happiest song in the Thunder Saga is called Suffering, and the saddest song in the Wisdom Saga is called Love in Paradise, and I hate how accurate that is T^T

THE TIME DIVE MONTAGE WAS SO GOOOD- such a fun mini mash-up of the rest of the songs! I wish I had more to say about it because I want to keep gushing over it but I’m just gonna end up repeating myself saying it’s so good

The little replay of the “Captain?” “I have to see her” ;-;

WANGUI’S VOCALS— I CAN’T— THEY’RE SO GORGEOUS *unintelligible squealing*

“She’s my wife”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Anyways-“

Her voice is so pretty help I don’t approve of her actions but her VOICE HER VOICE

Can I also just say the animatic/visuals for this section were also gorgeous, such a great compliment to the audio

The way it goes from all sweet and bouncy to “oh ****” and right back to sweet was so good

“Last I checked goddesses can’t die!!” *cue the Wisdom Saga stream crash of 2024*

The cliff scene… oh my goodness it’s so *good* it’s all so *good* Jorge how are you so good at writing

He pays such close attention to characters and motifs and lines too- you can hear how Calypso triggers Odysseus’s flashback.

NOT TO MENTION- when Odysseus yells his line “All I hear are SCREAMS”, it’s in response to Calypso’s line “I’ll stay inside your heart”- which is Odysseus’s mom’s lyric from the underworld!! I literally just noticed the connection between the line and his reaction and I haven’t seen anyone else mention it before so-

And Athena’s little “he needs my help”- aaaaaa we all feel the pain

God Games

Oh *boy howdy* this one is a doozy

The intro is great, I adore Zeus’s voice- this cast is just FULL of talented voice actors man

“… Hera!…. Or me” …. A-wha-huh? I’m sorry didn’t you used to be “and”???

I was intrigued what Apollo’s grievance would be based on the whole “who’s cows” debacle- the sirens kinda threw me off guard xD

His voice is ✨✨✨ though, I love listening to him

JORGE’S DAD HEPHAESTUS!!!!! Aghhh his voice was so good for the part! And I loved the commentary on trust too

Aphrodite’s and Ares’s parts are still amazing even after all this time- I LOVE the details of Ares’s musical motif! He has the same melody as Athena, but played on this raw-sounding violin/cello? And he *also* has quick thought- but it still all feels different from Athena’s too! Because they’re both gods of war but with different domains and attributes AAAA so good!

And Athena’s lyrics in response- I love the re-do and the little extra quirks in it, like the extra growl on “ARES!!!” And the little riff(?) on “his son’s my FRIIIIEND”

Hera’s part was amazing. 100/10. Her voice was a lot… smoother than I was expecting honestly. It took a bit of getting used to but now I love it. And I am HERE for the dance battle

“Never once has he cheated on his wife”

“Release him.”

10/10 ✨✨✨

I was… really excited for an Athena/Zeus debate in this song when listening to all the snippets. I couldn’t wait to see how Athena would try and persuade Zeus, what arguments he would use specifically, how it would all go down… instead I got uh-

“I played your game and won! Release him.”

Oh so, no Zeus round? Ohh this is why it got changed to “or” isn’t it-

“You DARE to defy me?”

Huh-

“To make me feel shame?”

What’s happeni-

“No one beats me, NO ONE WINS MY GAME!!”

Oh boy howdy-

“THUNDER BRING HER THROUGH THE WRINGER, SHOW HER I’M THE JUDGEMENT CALL, THE ONE WHO MAKES HER KINGDOM FAAAAALL—“

I’M SORRY THIS WENT FROM 10 TO 100 SO FAST WHAT IS HAPPENING?!—

Athena in the flashback scene- holding baby Telemachus- the music- my HEART

And the end instrumental is so triumphant aaaaaa

“Let him gooooo! Please-“ JORGE WHEN I GET YOU JORGE—

Uh, so

My thoughts on God Games right after it came out were

Mixed

At first I was so absolutely frazzled from the livestream I could barely put thoughts together outside of incoherent screaming

But then I read a few tumblr posts about how some others were disappointed in how God Games ended and Zeus’s character- and I found myself agreeing :/

I do have a propensity for latching onto different opinions because I think they’re the “expected” one for me to have- and I totally think a bit of that was going on here- so I took some time off of tumblr/limiting my scrolling (which needed to be stopped anyways-) to really sort out how I felt on this

And I think I feel a bit stilted by God Games from its ending. The ending was… underwhelming? Which sounds INSANE considering the end of the stream but it’s underwhelming less because of actual shock factor and more because of what specifically happens versus my expectations.

Zeus just kind of… blasts Athena in the face??? Without provocation?? Athena DID win his game, she passed the terms he set out, she did all of that… and he shocks her anyways. It just. Doesn’t really sit right with me.

But I love Epic, and want to enjoy every song I come across, and I REALLY didn’t want this view of the ending of God Games to taint the rest of the song or the rest of the musical. So in my next big post, I’m going to do a mini “rewrite”/reworking of God Games that I’ve been toying around with in my mind for a little while now!!

I’ll explain more about why and what and the details in that post but for now, just know that it’s been a helpful exercise in enjoying God Games as it is too, and I’ll get to posting that the next time school isn’t absolutely crushing me with long homework assignments

Anyways, those are my kinda-in-depth thoughts about the Wisdom Saga!! I’ve been so excited to write this out and I’m happy to be posting it finally

[thatfragilecapricorn30]

I like The X-Files, should I watch Fringe?

I decided to watch Fringe because it was frequently recommended as a show for fans of TXF. I was really curious how similar it would be and would I actually enjoy it? I'm only on S2 E5, so this post will be my impressions of the first season. I'll probably write another post after watching more of the show. I'll also try to make this as spoiler free as possible so anyone can read it!

What is Fringe about? The main character is FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham. We meet her when she's assigned to a case in which everyone on board a plane dies from a mysterious illness. The plane lands successfully at Boston Logan (due to some auto-landing feature - not sure if this is even real) and this is where we find out that Boston (aka Vancouver) is our setting for the show. Dunham traces the mysterious illness back to the research of a former Harvard professor (Dr. Walter Bishop), who is currently in a psychiatric institution, and she needs his son (Peter Bishop) to get him out. By the end of the episode, the three of them form the core of the Fringe division, a cohort of agents and consultants working on unexplained cases (sound familiar??).

How are Fringe and TXF similar?

Both shows center on a special division within the FBI that involve unexplained phenonomen.

Both are filmed in Vancouver.

Both feature monster of the week and mythology episodes.

Both have a strong female lead.

Both have the potential for romance between the two leads (Olivia and Peter).

How are the two shows different?

Fringe features an ensemble cast, whereas TXF was really only Mulder and Scully. I enjoy the relationships between the characters (like Peter and his father, and Walter and Astrid), but the show hasn't done a great job of fleshing out characters aside from the core three. Poor Astrid has pretty much no personality aside from performing lab work with Walter.

The show does not have the same atmosphere as TXF seasons 1-5, even though they're both filmed in the same locale. It might be because of film vs. digital, but the cinematography on Fringe is lacking compared to the beautiful forests we're used to seeing on TXF.

Fringe does a great job of tying a majority of their monster of the week episodes back to the main mythology. The problem with this is that it's hard to watch these episodes independently as they don't have a truly self-contained story.

The mythology storyline is well-developed and I heard that there's actually a plan for the plot (unlike TXF).

Fringe is sci-fi. There are no paranormal, supernatural, or horror elements.

Other impressions:

It took me about halfway through season 1 to start getting into the show, and it seems like that might be some others' experience (and why they may have stopped).

I find it hard to follow the cases sometimes, because they involve technology that is extremely advanced or currently doesn't exist at all, and it seems like the writers don't really understand it either.

I have a feeling we'll be seeing a romantic relationship between Olivia and Peter at some point and I think the show is doing a good job of slowly developing their bond. I've also heard that Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson did not get along on set (sound familiar??) but they have decent chemistry - not as good as David and Gillian but as we all know, there's not a fair comparison.

There's random things that rub me the wrong way, like Walter performing autopsies (someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think he's an MD, just has several PhDs), how every single case relates back to Walter's research (this man is like 10 Einsteins because he was conducting experiments in every field and all of it beyond the realm of known science), Walter touching dead bodies at crime scenes without gloves (I know this happens in TXF but it's so egregious in Fringe). Despite all this, I do like Walter's character and I think John Noble gives an excellent performance.

Olivia Dunham is a well-rounded character and Anna Torv is great. I really enjoy the relationship she has with her sister and niece.

So far, I enjoy the mythology episodes more than the monster of the week, which is the opposite of my opinion for TXF.

It's funny that there are 15 years between the premiere of TXF (1993) and Fringe (2008) and about another 15 years to present day (2024). But Fringe seems so modern compared to TXF. You can barely tell it's 15 years old, except for the lack of iPhones and I'm sure even that will change in the next few seasons.

Should I watch it??

If you really enjoy sci-fi, I would say definitely check it out. If you're on the fence, or don't like sci-fi at all, I would skip this one.

It probably sounds like I don't enjoy Fringe based on my above points. I think part of it is that I am comparing it to TXF, even while watching, and TXF is definitely better (imo). I also enjoy horror more than sci fi. But, Fringe is holding my interest for now and I've heard that it improves throughout the seasons, so I'm going to keep watching.

I'll definitely write an update post at some point - if I finish the show or stop watching it.

I'm so curious to hear the thoughts of others who have watched Fringe! Do you agree with my assessments so far? What are your opinions and how does it compare to The X-Files for you?

[phantomdialogue]

˗ˏˋ. ݁₊ ✶ ˖ 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐥𝐢 𝐇𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐥𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝 - 𝟒.𝟕𝟓/𝟓 ☆ . ݁ ˖ˎˊ˗

Premise: Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through—and he’s a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can’t stop thinking about. The woman who's off-limits to him. Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business—one that plays for keeps.

Couple: Eli Killgore and Rue Siebert

Tropes: forbidden romance (ish), he falls first (and is obsessed), found family, somewhat enemies/rivals to lovers, "friends" with benefits

Content Warnings: extensive discussion about food and food insecurity, light/mild kink discussion

Review Below!

Review:

I don’t think Ali Hazelwood can write a bad contemporary romance. She’s become such an auto-buy author for me and this is no exception. After I read Love, Theoretically I thought surely no man could endear me to him like Jack Smith-Turner did and yet… Eli Killgore came in and destroyed my entire book boyfriend ranking for the year and all-time. Ali Hazelwood’s books are so centered around their characters and so if you don’t connect to the characters too much, you likely won’t enjoy it as much as someone who does connect to those character. For me, I immediately was connected to Eli and Rue and I love them dearly. 

One complaint that I’ve seen about this book is that the characters are not IN LOVE (as the title would suggest) but I think this story really centers around the characters learning to fall in love rather than knowing how to do it or how it happens and that was something I really enjoyed so much. For the amount of smut in this book (which I don’t truly think is that crazy), there are obviously some aspects of insta-lust and such that play into their attraction for each other and while it’s very enjoyable to read, the only real complaint I had with the book was that I wish it took them even just the tiniest bit longer to have that immense lust. I loved the dual pov aspect of this as it’s something I haven’t read from Ali before and I think it plays into the dynamic of these two characters so well. In order for the story to work of them learning how to fall in love, you need to experience both of them doing so for the story to work as it did and the dual pov accomplishes that really well in my opinion.

The plot reminded me a lot of Love, Theoretically and since that is my favorite Ali Hazelwood book, perhaps I’m a little biased when saying that it really worked well in companion to the romance. But I did thoroughly enjoy the plot as well as the romance and it felt like it moved at a good pace with the rest of the book. Though, once some things came together, if you have read Love, Theoretically, I think you would be able to predict the ending conflict quite well which is a tad bit disappointing but still well done all in all. Ali Hazelwood is also known to have the token best friend character in her books and for me, Tisha is the best one I’ve read so far. Again, I love Ali Hazelwood and Eli Killgore is now at the top of my book boyfriend ranking for the year. It’s not a perfect book but it’s still so so good and I loved it a lot. I’m very excited about the next book so soon!

My Ratings:

Characters - 5 ☆ - believable, change and grow, multilayered, relatable

Plot - 4.25 ☆ - fast-paced, predictable but satisfying, repetitive

Setting - 4.5 ☆ - realistic, setting fits the story

Writing Style - 4.5 ☆ - easy to read, funny, straightforward, witty

Favorite Quotes (some spoilers here, of course, but minimal):

I could do it. If I had him, I could stop wanting him. It’s what always happened. No repeats.

“I forget to look at other things, when you’re around.” “I’m sure I do the same.” I feel it, too.

There was no pity in Rue’s blue eyes, just a silent acknowledgment that she’d heard him—just like he had heard her.

“I think,” he said with a kiss to her throat, “I like to remind myself that it’s you I’m doing this with.”

If he couldn’t have her, he at least wanted to know things about her. Tiles for the Rue mosaic that had taken up residence in his brain.

“Maybe some people are meant to be tragedies.”

“Do you think that maybe there’s another version of us, somewhere in another timeline? Where we’re not just a messed-up lump of scar tissue, and we’re whole enough to be capable of loving others the way they want to be loved?”

Call me if you need me. And then, right below, scribbled more hastily, as though he’d decided to add something when he was already halfway out of the door: Call me even if you don’t.

“Rue. My sad, beautiful fortress girl.”

He felt a bone-deep, chest-warming amount of joy—like she’d taken a knife from his heart and placed it back in her drawer. She still had the power to destroy him. Always would, he suspected, hold him in the palm of her hand. He hoped she’d be merciful.

[gxtchas]

# 𝐆𝐗𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐒 - independent, low-activity, extremely headcanon based and canon divergent portrayal 𝙹𝚄𝙳𝙰𝙸 𝚈𝚄𝙺𝙸 from 𝚈𝙶𝙾! 𝙶𝚇. other blog is : darkburning. dearly cherished by ailli ( she / her / 25+ / pst ).

PSA : although i have no problems exploring the earlier seasons of judai, my primary focus will likely be post season 4 judai and/ or the aftermath of his graduation. naturally this does imply that i will explore triggering topics like his depression, trauma, self-isolation, and frankly a more in-depth consequence to his connection to haou. judai is the reincarnation to the supreme king, and thus his powers relating to the gentle darkness will not be downplayed. needless to say i am also slowly rewatching the series, so my portrayal is everywhere at the moment.

please note that while yubel plays an important part in his transformation and abilities, yubel's consciousness will remain dormant and inactive since i would rather just focus on judai sense of being instead of makeshifting an npc of another character lol.

credits : royalgfx - psd ; ariapsds - icon

RULES BELOW

01. hello, hello, once again i will reiterate this is an extremely private and likely very slow activity blog. i work very strange and inconsistent hours, and thus availability has been rather scarce. discord is available to mutuals, where i eagerly await to plot / chat / geek out about our muse. also duplicate friendly.

02.  my memory is terrible and despite rewatching this series in the past ( and presently ) i will likely not remember much -- if anything, really. therefore i will firmly categorize this bloggo as headcanon based, and nothing like the fanon / canon depiction of my muse.

03.  shipping is not a priority in this blog, that is reserved for friends and partners who are interested in plotting something beyond the ship. i am not interested in vague shipping, auto shipping, shipping for the sake of shipping, or changing my portrayal to suit your own interpretation of my muse. presently, this blog is single ship with omorrow. i am still open to explore other dynamics : friendship, kinship, rivals, etc ---- but in terms of romance, judai is an idiot.

04.  i am someone who adores plotting okay. i love complex plots, plots that compliments canon, plots that derails from canon, i think plotting is great. my motivation for threads is honestly influenced by context, and if we have that i can definitely go ham. of course, i know not everyone carries my same preference, but i will do my best to accommodate.

05. please be aware : i have grown extremely tired with drama / gossips circulating around the rpc. i will follow / unfollow people at my own discretion and would prefer to stay away from any spectacle or public showcasing. frankly i am just here to write, have fun with mutuals, and preferably not pick sides. my current stance on call out is rather neutral, and i would prefer to make my own conclusion rather take on the pressure of public outcry. i take this level of judgement seriously.

06. keep in mind : i do not do character exclusives. i do not have the energy to commit to anyone's portrayal nor do i want to make anyone expect / wait from me in general. as mentioned above i am really busy, so i cannot and will not do an exclusive writing with any character. i do practice having mains, but even then i am just a very chill and lazy blog lmao. also the gx fandom is already very small and limited, i want to be as inclusive as possible.

07. i ask that you tagged your nsfw content, particularly anything involving nsfw imagery. due to the nature of my job, i have free access to tumblr and would prefer not to see any nsfw visuals if it can be tagged and avoided. i am very attentive when it comes to adding tags in my filter list, and if the untagged offence happens repeatedly then this will be one of the few reasons i will unfollow.

08. by default i prefer to keep his name as judai, rather than his english dub name. however, i will not correct others nor will i be offended if that is the name you prefer to use on him. i also grew up listening to the english dub, but in terms of preference : i do like the sub continuation overall.

[yonemurishiroku]

I was rereading The Blood of Olympus today, and I realized how much I just do not like Piper.

Whenever Piper is in a chapter, to me it feels like she’s always being pushy, selfish, or overprotective. Also, it may just be me with this opinion.

When Piper is in the temple of fear with Annabeth, Piper is the one who takes control of the situation. In my opinion the way Rick explained it didn’t make sense. Annabeth is the one who is always calm and collected. Even with trauma. Piper is the one who acts on impulse and what she wants, (as displayed when she jumps down the chute even though Annabeth warns her not to). Although this action may have been necessary to the mission, it what reckless.

Also, despite Piper knowing something is up with Leo, continues to treat him like a third wheel and as someone who could be sacrificed. It just doesn’t make her a likable character.

As my last little tid-bit on this topic, Piper committed crimes before becoming part of the seven. I don’t think this should be ignored as a part of her character. It shows how much she craves attention and isn’t above breaking the law to get it. There is certain things that are *somewhat* understandable for not having attention from your parents, but never should breaking the law be considered okay to do because of that.

Who knows, maybe I’m reading her character wrong but that’s the way I see her. Please dissect this.

I just want to say that, as someone who has been trying to keep it down to only Nico, to receive an ask specifically about another character I've paid no attention to surely is an experience lol.

Anyway. Let's see. From your words, Piper doesn't seem to be a likable character, which is to be expected. As far as I'm concerned though, Piper, as a character, just does not interest me enough for me to form an opinion. I'm more of a "eh whatever" or "oh. cool" when it comes to her. It also does not help that I haven't read The Lost Hero, and my brain just straight up auto-deletes everything that's not Nico-related, so you can say my grasp of Piper McLean is limited at best and non-existant at worst.

If there's anything I remember about her, then that'd be the times I had to skip some pages of her and Jason (like I did to Percabeth, bc I disliked romantic scenes with everything in me and that's nothing new).

With that being said, as someone technically blank, I feel that your dislike to Piper is already set in stone, so there's no changing to that, and it's not like you need to change anyway. I wouldn't like such a character in your description either. 😂😂😂

About that scene of Annabeth and Piper, (keep in mind that I am not aware of that scene but directly referencing it through your retelling) I think what Rick was trying is to make Piper a direct contradiction to Annabeth in terms of action repertoire - a type of recklessness to the latter's meticulousness.

(Wow Percabeth and Jiper are actually a square full of contradictions)

However. The line between 'bold, risk-taking' and straigh-up stupidity is but a fine line. I will not judge Piper without properly re-reading the whole thing (which I won't), but I can see where you get it from.

I just want to say a few words about the last part. The thing about Piper's criminal record.

I understand that, from a reader's point of view, it'd be unlikable for a character to commit a crime, specifically, to "gain attraction". Though, while the action itself is inexcusable, it should also be acknowledged that Piper - like 90% of the PJO cast - was a teenager, who grew up with barely any parental guidance (or at least that's what I remember). A figure as such is bound to make mistakes, as well as cause debates over their likeliness. I do agree that what Piper did was wrong (I mean. that's like. the law), however there's a reason and background to said wrongdoing.

It's not okay, nor is it right to do so, but it's understandable. That's all.

That is to say: fuck it. I have been resenting Percy since the day I read PJO, you can dislike Piper all you want. We're just humans, not saints. Just don't go around shitting on people with different likes then you're good to go! 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️😂

While we are at it, I'm quite curious as to how this was "ignored as a part of her character". I'm guessing that Rick failed to incorporate Piper's background into her own character as she's developed? Then that's not Piper's fault. That's just Rick and his YA writing lmao.

[rrrrinmaru]

liveblog of 01 - to begin

first thoughts are that i really like the podcast-esque opening of the prologue with DPSC FM - it's giving wtnv vibes and the va does an excellent job of delivering his lines. i would actually enjoy hearing a full podcast version of the events of this game narrated through a radio station i think...

"traceback ii is about to pass the event horizon and enter the black hole" / "we are stuck in this loop, in this never ending journey" - pensive... is this related to the main storyline or is this foreshadowing about the multiple world theory?

"metaflux index" - it's fascinating that they've developed the technology to sense this metaflux index and identify problem spots in the city where wanderers are more likely to appear. they seem to be able to predict the rough locations where the wanderers will appear and likely can dispatch hunters to these areas on standby, but i wonder if they can narrow it down to the time itself?like "1400, wanderer attack down at the pizzeria", or if it's a shorter warning time, like the metaflux index spikes and it signals a wanderer attack in the next 20 minutes?

deepspace tunnel appearing leading to anomalous geomagnetic storms, which caused the wanderers to appear - i'm assuming the deepspace tunnel is something like a wormhole / space portal. does this mean the wanderers entered our planet through some portal / wormhole tearing a rift in space and time to deposit them directly on our planet (think loki and the first avengers movie when he brought the chitauri over with his spectre)? did someone create this portal or was it like some act of mother nature?

if you listen carefully during the 01 story, when tara is speaking to you, the president in the background says "but we only care about results. the ends justify the means." considering they view the wanderers as invasive aliens (zergs www), the standpoint makes sense, but it is quite funny to hear it be declared so self-righteously. does make me wonder how much you can get away with if you claim it's for the purpose of defeating the wanderers though... severe structural damage ala the avengers?

it seems that the new list of hunter graduates are released ahead of graduation and the leaders (?) of each hunting division / squad / team get to select the rookies they want to join their team - there doesn't seem to be any autonomy on the part of the graduates to indicate which team they want to join.

i do wonder why mc is the first rookie called up to receive the badge: from a gameplay perspective, it makes sense since it would be a chore to have to "sit through" other people before it reaches our turn. i don't think it's based on alphabetical order either since all the players' names are different, and it's likely that any numerical number (e.g. student number 12020) would be in order of name. from a plot perspective, are we like... hunter valedictorian???

tara being into tarot cards is so funny i won't lie. all this technological advancement and the venturing into space to see all the planets and having a wormhole tunnel appear in our planet and having to fight aliens and still bestie believes in fate. i mean so do i but it's still kinda funny wwww she's super cute though. i love her short bob.

interesting how mc uses a gun for the first mission - are they assigned guns only as beginner rookies? it's clear mc can use other weapons from the battle mechanics, so why gun - more importantly, have they invented auto aim in plot yet or does she still have to manually aim at people?

not sure if this is a gameplay thing or intentional plotwise - xavier's wounds were glowing with "metaflux" (suggests that wanderers' attacks use metaflux?) but the moment you touch him to try to wake him up, the glow disappears.

IS XAVIER COLLARED? COLLARED? COLLARED? HOW HAS NO ONE SPOKEN ABOUT THE COLLAR? WHAT THE FUCK? HE HAS A COLLAR?

"it activated its protofield" - are there any repercussions to like... just ignoring the protofield? like you see it manifest in front of you and you know a wanderer's lurking inside and you just decide no thanks and walk away? obviously you cordon off the area so the public can't wander in and stuff, but apart from that are there any... space time repercussions? like the protofield gets bigger the longer it goes ignored, or the wanderer can just dismiss the protofield and come back out to walk the earth?

protocores are crushable??????

erm very bold of xavier to just take my wrist and drag me along but ermmmmmmmm hehe hehe...... let's just say i'm agreeable.

hm i'm a bit confused. luminivores eat light - xavier's evol is light - they eat the light he produces (??) - therefore the warehouse full of luminivores is likely a trap for him. i think xavier mentions that the luminivores will respawn with the light if they don't defeat the luminivores quickly enough, meaning the luminivores consume the light and use it as refuel / to respawn with health. but when mc and xavier resonate, the combined power of the resonated light evol is "so bright" it seems to dissolve all the luminivores? does this mean it's like a speed / intensity thing? shine a bright enough /damaging enough light on the luminivores to hurt them faster than they can devour the light and it's enough to destroy them? maybe part of the hunter gear should include really, really, really high powered industry grade flashlights

protocores seem a lot weaker than i imagined... can they really be destroyed so easily? xavier crushed them in his palm and they were disintegrated by the power of the resonated light evol? regardless, protocores can be broken into protocore fragments - can they be pieced together to form a new protocore?

i do wonder - they can sense metaflux energy levels, and a high enough metaflux energy level typically means that wanderers will be appearing / have appeared in the area. is the reverse true, whereby a metaflux "explosion" (maybe in the research of metaflux energy and somehow the scientists accidentally create an explosion), will it draw wanderers to appear at that location like a beacon?

tara was about to try every method possible to contact mc, both scientific AND mystical? i would give money to see tara conduct a seance in the abandoned warehouse to try to triangulate my location. maybe pull out an ouija board. speak with any lingering spirits to figure out if i'm having a little tete-a-tete with a hot single silver-haired injured man in my area.

do teams like data analysis go into the field as well? that is so funny... imagine joining the hunter academy (?) because you've always been fascinated by metaflux and want to help develop technology / weapons to better sense and identify and hunt wanderers, and you suck it up throughout all the combat fitness and field training because you just want to be Where The Scientists Are and when you finally get assigned to data analysis you find out you still have compulsory field assignments. like i would end it all

mini drones with 360 degree eyes and infrared sensors designed to monitor wanderer activity patrol the sky - oh so we are in the Surveillance Society that all the sci-fi books predicted. got it

if jenna saved tara 14 years ago during the wanderer attack, and assuming jenna was like employed with some kind of law enforcement at the time, putting her at maybe 20-22 (at least), she should be about >= 34 years old? sexy... ok i am seeing the tara/jenna vision...

i wonder if they have flying cars....

fucking funny how rafayel just catches the fish and. lets it flop on the net pathetically for however long he talks, SUFFOCATING, before he plops it in your water container. he was really ready to just chat with you while he let his friend (fish are friends not food) die

HE JUST WALKS OFF OH MY GOD ok lilydally i see what you see in him. the bitch energy is hilarious

mc says she hasn't met zayne for over a decade and only recently met him 6 months ago for a follow-up checkup for her heart, but their families are friends and meet occasionally for meals - did they just stop meeting post wanderer attack? actually, did mc's grandma take mc in before or after the wanderer attack? if mc met zayne when she was 8 (and assuming this was pre-wanderer attack), she's at least 22 years old

not gonna lie if my ex-childhood friend turned out to be my primary care physician i might ask for someone else to be my physician... unless they were the best at their job and irreplaceable (which i assume zayne is?)

damn this office is fancy as hell... what kind of doctor's office has a whole ass couch inside? with a long table? with multiple couch cushions??

i like how low caleb's bar is. what matters is that you're alive. thank you chief.

military flights go INTO the deepspace tunnel?! by military she meant SPACE EXPLORATION? < with hindsight i now know by military, caleb is in the deepspace aviation administration. it's funny how they still call it aviation. the sky is vastly different from space, methinks........

you can find wanderers IN the deepspace tunnel? like are they floating? are they in their own spaceship of some kind? how do their bodies adapt to the change in pressure from space and on earth? if it's revealed wanderers are capable of flying spaceships too that would be so funny.... forget hand to hand combat on solid ground. let's have a laser battle in space in the deepspace portal. we'll see whose nuclear shields hold up better

caleb doesn't like cilantro... i will remember this

[ghostchanuwu]

Thinking about AniRedux Sinnoh and I think I figured out how it would function (yes I will make a graph and nobody can stop me)

AR Sinnoh is Platinum's Sinnoh (very snowy borderline perpetual winter while the outskirt cities are the complete opposite being in perpetual spring/summer and places like Oreburgh Pastoria and Hearthome being in perpetual autumn)

Sinnoh has no extra gyms and only has 2 reserve leaders (Riley being Byron's/Roark's and Flint and Volkner being interchangeable)

The Celestica people are very complicated, they are believed to have fully died out and can be confirmed by writings of their own but that is completely contradicted by people coming forward saying that they themselves are Celestica/of Celestica decent and have been able to prove it by translating Celestica writings (they are written in a blend of ancient Hisui and Unknown and are completely illegible to anyone who is not Celestica since the written language itself was a gift given to them by Uxie)

The Celestica people also have a thing akin to immortality,if someone comes from a Celestica lineage then their life span is just slightly longer than it should (ex normal human longest being a bit over 100 whereas CL would be 130), now if someone were to come from a direct unbroken Celestica lineage they are pretty much pseudo immortal (ie Volo and Cogita,their maximum lifespans are well into 400 nearing 500), AR Cynthia is directly related to the two with her herself having Celestica parents (Cynthia has been around for roughly 230 years now,she has had to drastically change her appearance throughout the years along with her name as to avoid suspicion) Celestica do age slowly hence why Cynthia still looks to be in her mid 30s despite being over 2 centuries old

(This one is a bit out of left field) Hisui itself is a pocket dimension namely being the PLA Hisui

There was originally the 1 Hisui and no pocket dimension shenanigans but it had split into 2 when the Dimensional Rift above Mt Coronet first formed (there was no noticeable difference between the two), AR Hisui became Sinnoh just like in vanilla canon whereas PLA Hisui is stuck in a permeant time loop

How the loop occurs is that the events of PLA happen but instead Akari takes the role of the player character since Dawn/Lucas haven't yet been isakai'd, events go as normal up until the final Volo fight, Akari loses since she does not have Arceus' blessing and Volo goes onto resetting the world with Giritina (ie fight 'Arceus' and force a reset even though the Arceus he fights is only a shard and on top of that the reset is destined to happen)

Nobody remembers anything after the reset not even Volo (literal hard reset like fully deleting everyone's memories) and it all happens again exactly the same time and time again

Arceus has tried to isekai people into PLA Hisui but it has always failed resulting in their deaths almost immediately after being sent in due to injury sickness ect (those loops are auto doomed since only 1 chosen can be sent in per loop)

Ingo was eventually chosen and sent in which he did almost die in the Alabaster Icelands but was rescued, he essentially acted as the player character and instead of being Pearl Clan he had joined Jubilife, timeline continues as planned (1-1 with PLA's story), Ingo was ment to be the person to finally stop Volo and end the resets for good but he had failed too and the world was reset

A thing about resets with a chosen still in the pocket dimension is that if they are not recalled in time they will then become a permanent fixture in the loop (Ingo suddenly becoming Pearl Clan and having no memory of anything before) said person can be brought back to their time only if the next chosen is able to send them through the rift (Arc-Phone is basically a chosen's lifeline and only 1 can exist per loop)

[reddragon-cowboy]

SHIPPING INFO // ANSWER THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR MUSES SO PEOPLE KNOW HOW SHIPPING WORKS ON YOUR BLOG.

Tagged by: Stolen ;3

WHAT IS YOUR OTP FOR YOUR CHARACTER(S)?

At the moment I don't since my blog is fairly new, right out the womb, so I've yet to have developed an OTP for my muses at the moment. But I do find delight in the romance between my muses that's involved in my cowboy bebop fic, and based on that I can say they are my OTP of this blog. It's also encouraging to hear when friends/mutuals say they also ship them together since oc x canon are usually treated in a negative way.

But I really really love opposite attract and pred x prey dynamics; I'm drawn those tropes like a moth to a flame.

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?

I won't ship with a muse who's younger than twenty-five, bare minimum. I also prefer not to go over a twelve-year gap. Both of my muses are in their late 20's ( 27-29).

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY ARE CONSIDERED NSFW?

When things start to get extremely heavy with petting and there's grinding involved. It veers into NSFW territory for me so I'd just fade into black. But I'd probably go to dm's for details >\\>

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?

Honestly. I've very selective and chemistry based. Particularly for Spike because he's like a cat, I can't force him to ship with anybody if he's not feeling it. Niah also requires chemistry but she's easier to ship with.

Usually, I don't think too much about shipping nowadays, and when I meet new people, it doesn't really cross my mind, except if I see a muse that my own might potentially like. . . which is a bit rare.

WHO ARE OTHER CHARACTERS YOU SHIP YOUR CHARACTER WITH?

At the moment, I got something going with @straye with their Kogami and my Niah (ShinNiah) which has been fun. It's such a good slow burn between them as I watch how their relationship progresses into something more. I feel like Ko really tries to relate to her on different levels and understand her at a lower depth where he sees more than what's on the surface. She wears a mask, but he seems to have no problem with wanting to lift it up to see all of what she tries to hide. They're lonely people who found each other to be alone with together.

I've yet to find someone for Spike ;3; he's soo difficult, but it would help if someone was patient with him. However, me and @junksatellites are in talks to do something! I But Spike also does have a dream sequence thing with their Faye as well if that counts, and other interactions they may find themselves in ;3

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?

Yeah, it's okay. But I can't guarantee if my muses may feel the same way for a particular muse.

ARE YOU SHIP OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?

I'm moreso ship more-or-less, mainly because I don't expect for people to be interested in my muses, especially Niah due to how most female oc's are treated. Shipping is also never the first reason for me to interact with a muse since I greatly value platonic/familial/antagonist relationships first. I don't auto-ship either with canon x canon since I like for things to develop naturally (usually through ic interactions or plotting ideas).

ARE YOU MULTISHIP?

Of course!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?

I'm a huge sucker for Spike x Electra. It's my all-time favorite in the series ;3;

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?

It's important to me for muses to have chemistry with one another, but it's also equally important for there to be chemistry between muns. After that first step, see how our muses interact with one another, whether through ic or dms. If both muses are feeling something then that's a good sign, but if not :( although I am fine with unreceptive feelings to occur in a relationship.

tagging: @gumpistol @erthlyheavn @straye @perceptualephemera @junksatellites @alaikhadal @xissp @liesandalibis @dynamoprotocol @pzfr @thrillrs @kaizokugaris @dandelicn @batinstincts & whoever want to do it :3

[asoulofatlantis]

Remembering what he has been through it pisses me a slight bit off that Ka Fai could have helped Rean, but avoided him instead. HOWEVER... that was probably the best thing to do, with how insecure he has always been. Its like that story were the Lion mother pushes her cub into the water so it learns to swim instead of showing it how to do it. Still... not very nice, if you think about the fact that Rean always held his master in high regard.

Yun Ka Fai basically said that there was only a small chance that Rean would become what he is today. I wonder if this also hints at the fact that there might have been plenty of loops where Rean did not manage to come far enough to beat Ishmelga. Leading to what could possibly be a shorter time left for Zemuria until the Sin-Counter was too high and a new loop started.

Rean in a nutshell XD

You know how ridiculous it is (and got even more ridiculous in this game) that EVERYONE and their mother knows Cassius? BEHOLD! This man knows even more people!

Trails obviously doesn't play in our world but they sure as hell love to borrow legends from it XD

I told you we will be too late. The launch was planned for 13 and we only started approaching the Mountain range at noon. They should have known better than to think one hour would be enough.

So this guy is related to Yun Ka Fai and Shizuna has decided to play hooky and help Van instead even tho she was supposed to be here and would have likely served as a much greater threat to rean then Kurogane - not that he is to be underestimated, but Rean managed to handle him a year or so before already. Alone, I might as and that even tho Kurogane attacked him out of the shadows without warning.

This man! Telling Rean that he would revoke his title if he loses too fast as if he hasn't proven plenty of times that he more than deserves that title.

UFF! This fight was hard!

This is how legends are made, guys! Rean might not be able to defeat his master yet, but he is certainly standing tall for someone who had (according to Yun) only a small chance to become what he is now.

For a second there I thought Walter and Zin wanted to fight each other. But no. They were aware of those two Remenants. The Color of the light in their Masks is different as well. Orange and Pink. So I guess it does not say anything about gender or threat level. I mean it could still be threat level, but then the system would be blue is the weakest and red the strongest? Its a bit too much for something that we will not be able to see anymore as soon as the masks are gone anyway, tho...

T-This man has been working with Hamilton. I didn't catch that when I was watching Inferno play, because it was such a chaotic moment and the text was on Auto and the translator and my eyes weren't fast enough but. WTF?`! Why? Why would he support Hamilton? I don't understand.

And with this - as we are far too late to stop anything, Rean final chapter for this game ends. Hach... it was really nice to play him again. And I am very proud of him and how he has grown over the past In-Game year. I was also very happy to have my Azure-Traitor back as well as Altina of course and it was nice to see them all 3 reunited with Towa and Fie. It was an honor, even if it was just a small part of class 7 to feel like being a part of them yet again.

I hope they will be playable in the next game too - I also hope for some additional characters.

Reans story here is not completely over yet, but we can not see the rest of it before Vans hasn't reach the critical point in his Act.

So... lets move over to Kevin then. Funny enough, his act has the same title as the story where young Domenique meets Sheena Dirke.

[currentfandomkick]

While i do like the other reblogs (especially the one where Danny’s way to avoid killing someone was to poison Ra’s) it could be fun to play with Danny having left with the LOA’s consent.

How about with Ra’s blessing, as Danny argued he was too easily emotionally compromised, and wanted to focus on the environmental impact side of the league, magic, and even how they handle diplomacy and trade but cannot tolerate killing himself and is aware of this weakness in himself. Tiny Danny doing the equivalent of going “hey, you let mom choose to be the League as an adult. I am choosing not to stay here as an assassin and have different aspirations like her. I doubt this will change, can i be placed in another family unit that does not expect murder or for me to be cool with killing? with your approval, of course.”

And Ra’s was shown in a lot of early comics and later one to value integrity and loyalty highly. Danny indicating at a young age he’s aware he will hinder the league but could flourish elsewhere and offering listed interests and relevant skills he has could amuse him enough to inform Talia and get her take on what type of family she would want a young Danyal to be placed in, as they’d rather find one sooner to prevent Danny from being a long term security risk.

Talia was fully aware Danny does not want to kill, much like she did once and knows she can’t give him that life, so she chose to give him up as a small child. Damian stayed in the League as he did look up to his grandfather and wanted to be Heir. She decided it was better to separate the twins and let them chase their ambitions and moral codes than to force both to stay with her.

This also is a foundation for her sending Damian to Bruce when he’s ten—she remembers that Damian would learn well under him sure, but that Damian can learn if he does truly prefer killing as a primary option, or if he prefers alternative solutions to handling targets/dangerous individuals. To a degree, a test as an heir, to another degree, her trying to let her remaining son decide if he truly wants to lead the LOA as her father’s heir or not.

Danny could have been unofficially ‘gifted’ to the Fentons around age 4/5. with Maddie as a former LOA agent’s daughter and struggling to have a second child due to prolonged ectoplasm exposure. He was the ‘solution’ to them wanting and being unable to have another child. They just need to make their findings publicly accessible and keep him involved in the engineering aspect so long as he continues to show interest in it.

Problem: Danny does not favor fighting, and becomes Phantom on his death and auto-revival. He made sure not to tell his current parents, as he is aware Talia would be told and she would end up telling Ra’s. His reason to not tell the Fentons is to prevent Ra’s from trying to make more Halfas to be assassins. As Danny fundamentally is opposed to killing in this, and while fine with a varied range of other solutions, including Sam’s brand of ecoterrorism, killing is his Hard No.

From Damian’s POV his disowned twin showed up with a billionaire in Damian’s ‘territory’ between the two and realized Bruce and co were unaware Danny existed, let alone was with a pair of mad scientists loosely related to the League’s scientific and occult endeavors… and said twin is with a man that is not those approved individuals claiming to be his twin’s father. Was his brother kidnapped after the adoption? Adoptive parents dead or otherwise lost custody? He has no way of knowing as he’s not in the League anymore and lost that right to know when he chose his father over the LOA.

From danny’s POV he just found out Bruce Wayne is in bed with the LOA, and does not want to deal with the fallout of Damian a) catching him in his territory b) associating with a man that’s team ‘murder solves problems’ and c) is claiming to be his father when there’s no way Vlad’s ass would pass LOA standards for a branch member’s foster/adoptive family. He does not want Damian’s murdery smoke and is bailing as fast as he can without outing he’s meta/supernatural now. No idea how Grandfather would react or if he’s be used like Freakshow had puppeted his body with the red orb. Danny does not want to Find Out and has no clue Damian left the league.

Batfam POV is Damian had a secret twin who likely needs rescue, and knows too much about cloning. Is he in the LOA still? Escaped? Is a clone of Danyal and presumed his ID? They dont know and will find out. After capturing him and the shady guy claiming Bruce’s parental rights.

Right Reasons; Wrong Kid

Summary: Batfam thinks Damian is being kidnapped when they see Danny getting manhandled into a car by Vlad; Danny loves to make Vlad's life difficult and puts up a fight getting into the car.

Word Count: 1450

Being in Gotham was the last place Danny wanted to be today, especially when he had to be here with Vlad. The fruitloop had somehow convinced his parents that he should go to this stupid three day business conference with him.

While Danny can't make any decisions right now he can certainly make Vlad regret his. Which is why Danny doesn't feel an ounce of embarrassment at what he is currently doing.

"Daniel, get in the car." Vlad hissed at him with a tight smile as they both stood outside of the building the conference was being hosted in.

"No." He said; even going as far as to take a step backwards to further spite the man in front of him.

It was clear Vlad was losing his patience with him if the subtle flash of red in his eyes is anything to go off of. "Daniel, I won't ask again. Get in the car now, or I can drag you in. The choice is yours, but you will be getting in this car one way or another."

"You really gonna drag a kid into your car in front of all these people you're trying so hard to impress?" Danny looked from side to side at all the people congregating on the sidewalk and steps as they wait for their vehicles to arrive.

"I'm hardly the first person they've seen that has had to deal with a stubborn child refusing to listen." Vlad says as he takes a threatening step forward, "Now get in the car."

"No."

Seemingly annoyed but not surprised Vlad takes a deep breath before his hand, like a snake, strikes forward and grabs a hold of him before beginning to pull. Just as quickly though Danny is trying to pull away with just as much strength. Quickly taking a moment to look around he sees that others are already starting to look in their direction; perfect.

With him distracted though Vlad was able to get a sharp tug on him causing him to stubble towards the car. Before he can fall into the car though Danny is shooting his foot forward, firmly planting it down as his hands land on both sides of the open car door.

"Gonna have to try harder than that, fruitloop. I can't make it too easy for you." Danny teased as he fought against Vlad’s pushing.

Vlad doesn't say anything back to him besides giving a low growl. This situation is clearly not going the way he wanted to and Vlad’s frustration was starting to show, and Danny was determined to watch this man break in front of all these people he so desperately wanted to impress.

He locked his arms and knees when he felt Vlad start pushing harder against his back. Preparing himself to jump to the side the moment Vlad loosened his grip even slightly. What he wasn't prepared for though was for the weight pushing against him to suddenly disappear.

"What is going on here?" A deceivingly friendly voice sounds out behind him.

Before Danny can realize what has just happened though a much stronger hand is gripping his shoulder and yanking him away from the open car door. Finally able to see more than just the car's interior Danny see's that three other men are now standing by the car.

Two of them, a teen not much older than himself and a middle aged man, are standing in front of him as if forming a wall between him and Vlad. Who is being held in place by the third man.

Danny can see that Vlad was just as thrown off by these strangers as he is based on the startled look on his face. What confuses him though is when instead of becoming angry like he expects Vlad only looks surprised as he takes in the three guys with them.

"Bruce Wayne!" Vlad announces with a tight grin, "I was just trying to get my son to cooperate with me and get in the car. I'm sure you understand how teenage boys are."

"I'm not your son!" Danny instinctively yells out; no way in hell was he going to let Vlad tell people they were any way related.

It took him a second to register what name Vlad had even said.

Bruce Wayne? He remembers Sam and Tucker talking about that guy and his family when they found out he was going to Gotham. Which means if he's remembering correctly then the young man next to Vlad is most likely Dick Grayson and the older teen next to him is Tim Drake.

Without looking at him Bruce leans towards him and whispers, "Shh Damian, let me handle this."

Wait. What?

"I'm not-" Danny tried to say that his name wasn't Damian, but was quickly interrupted before he could.

"Damian, quiet." Bruce lowly growls; still not moving his gaze to look at Danny. "Actually, Mr. Masters, you'll find that this is my son, and I don't think you should be putting your hands on him."

Vlad looks from Bruce to Danny and then back to Bruce, "While I do agree that you and Daniel share some resemblance this is not your son Mr. Wayne."

It seems Bruce wasn't going to entertain Vlad's "lie" because he still doesn't bother to even look at Danny. Tim on the other hand seems to consider what Vlad said, and turns to actually look at his face.

Danny almost laughs out loud when he sees shock immediately overtake Tim's face. At least one of these fruit loops is smart enough to recognize that he isn't the youngest Wayne.

"Bruce, this isn't Damian." Tim states with wide eyes still locked with his.

Upon hearing this the other two Wayne's finally take a hard look at Danny for themselves.

"Oh my God B, that's not Damian!" Dick exclaims before releasing his hold on Vlad.

Bruce on the other hand is frozen in shock as he stares at Danny as he comes to the realization that the boy in front of him is in fact not his youngest son. Snapping himself out of his stupor, the older man finally addresses Vlad. "Mr. Masters, my deepest apologies. It seems this young man and my son look remarkably alike, and I assumed the worst when I saw him fighting to get into the car."

Vlad takes a step forward towards Danny clear with his intentions of getting them into the car now, but before he can grab him Bruce is once more taking a step in front of Danny. "I would actually like to have a quick word with Daniel if you won't mind."

"And why is that?"

"I have a son his age after all, maybe I can help ease this teenage rebellion phase, and cause less fights when it comes to getting in the car."

Danny must have been more focused on the growing argument in front of him more than he thought because he ends up slightly jumping when he feels a sudden hand on his shoulder. Looking to his right he sees that Dick is now standing next him with a soft smile. "Daniel, right?"

“Danny actually, and you’re Dick?”

"Yup! That's me," He gestures to the boy standing on Danny's other side, "and this is Tim. Sorry about all this; we thought our brother was being kidnapped."

"Do I seriously look that much like him?" At this point Danny had to meet Damian if the guy's family was even confusing the two of them.

Tim is giving him a concentrated look when he replies, "It's like the two of you could be twins or maybe even clones. The eye color is the biggest difference between the two of you."

If Danny didn't know any better he would think Tim was accusing him of being a clone based on the tone of his voice. He knew Gotham was weird, but he didn't think he would have to worry about cloning here. "While I was adopted when I was pretty young, but I think I'd know if I had a twin or if I was a clone."

"Crazy things happen all the time in Gotham."

Well, that doesn’t sound ominous at all. Danny can't believe saying this, but it's probably time to get Vlad's attention and get the hell out of here. He already has one crazy fruitloop to worry about; he doesn't need more. "Vlad, I think we really need to-."

“Father, what is the meaning of all this?” A new voice interrupts him, and when he sees who it is truly shocking to see a mirror of his own face. The other is also now looking at him with something akin to shock and grief.

“Damian?”

“Danyal.”

[becauseimanicequeen]

Pride Month Watch: Mama Gogo (ep 9-10)

My thoughts on episodes 1-4, episodes 5-7, and episode 8.

I'm currently going through my Pride Month Watch List and Mama Gogo is on my list of shows/films I haven't watched before but have wanted to get to.

It feels like things are about to fall apart bit by bit, and I'm here for the ride because I'm sure that Annie will fight with everything she has if it does (it most likely will).

Let's dive into the 9th episode!

Did Auto just…

Walk into enemy territory?

He’s there to be a spy, right? There is no fucking way I’ll believe this pretty thief would stab Annie in the back like that and work for her enemy willingly. I mean, Annie even bailed him out after the drug setup thing…

I don’t care if I’m getting into delulu territory, my ass is firmly placed in this clown car! You will not trick me into believing Auto is shady. I refuse to believe it!

This…

Is exactly why I don’t believe he's there to join Annie’s enemy. Just saying...

At least Annie saw how talented Auto was:

And I love that she’s standing up for him against Choke (even though he fucking robbed her in the beginning!) since Choke is too narrow-minded and hot-headed to not drop his animosity for Auto.

Will Choke turn out to be right in the end? Maybe. Will Annie get burned for her willingness to trust Auto? Maybe. But I honestly think Auto just needs someone to believe in him (which Annie does). And I don't think Auto will willingly piss on that.

I love Annie so much…

She knows this is a team effort. One for all and all for one. She’s the best boss/big sister/friend these boys could ever have asked for. I love Team Annie so much!

Dude!

She’s not old. And she definitely didn’t trick Chen to go out with her. Can’t you see how whipped he is?

The way I smile like a fool when I see these two:

I love them individually and I love them together.

You can’t convince me he’s not whipped…

It’s palpable.

Okay…

Let’s see how loyal the boys are to Annie and how many will fall for Tina’s tricks. Please, don’t disappoint me.

Of course, there would be something…

To make the one who is most loyal to Annie waver. Considering he would do anything for his daughter (as he should), he might be the first to quit. And if he quits, this whole thing falls apart.

Damn, I really wanted to keep rooting for my pretty thief (Auto). I’m still in my clown car believing he's not really working for Tina, but it’s getting harder defending him, lol.

Finally...

And look at this baby gangster:

He's so silly and I love him for it.

Look at this beautiful woman in purple:

And the fact that her earrings are yellow! (And the weights in the background.)

Oh, lord. She's vibrant in those contrasting colors! The colors are doing things to me, lol.

Your honor! I fucking love this woman!

The way she delivered those words with such a sweet tone and innocent face... She's my queen and I will love her until the end of my days.

You know, for a woman I don't really like...

I can't believe I'm relating to her. At least she has perspective and priorities. That's always something.

The fact that they're emphasizing that Chen's mom absolutely doesn't want Chen to know about this is opening up to someone using this against Annie, doesn't it? Will Tina find out somehow and use it against Annie? Let's see...

Wait...

Yes you can. Loyalty doesn't necessarily mean working at Mama Gogo for the rest of your lives. It just means having Annie's back and not betraying her trust. Gayu can take Tina's money to follow his dreams and still be loyal to Annie. Just talk to her about it. Doing it behind her back, though. That's disloyalty.

She might be upset (which she has every right to be). But she might also be supportive since she is just as loyal to them as they've been to her.

Please don't do any of this shit behind her back. Just be honest. Talk to her.

Btw...

Real, mature adults know to apologize when they've been/done wrong. Another reason for me to love Annie with every cell of my being.

The way Annie stands up for Yuth...

If anyone doubted her loyalty to her boys, they were dead wrong.

I just...

Love them all so much.

And then it was shattered...

I almost cried during this scene.

Like I mentioned before, if he'd just talked to Annie, she probably would've been fine with it. But hearing it from someone else... That feels like a betrayal.

Annie still took it like a champion. She hurt, but the show must go on. They had a packed club and work to be done. No point in wallowing in this shit.

And then it just got worse...

It's obvious that he would find this out sooner or later since secrets like this tend to come out. But I'm glad he found out like this rather than Tina using this info against Annie.

Let's see how they will work this out (because I'm sure they will). It will be hilarious if Chen's mom convinces him to make up with Annie after being against her and Chen's relationship this whole time. But I feel like she has a different perspective of Annie now, so it's possible.

I've reached the image limit again... So, let's start a new post!