#and they never understand that he is a separate person from the idea of Captain America

[momosweetpeach]

This is in no way me trying to be like rude or hateful, so if it comes off that way I apologize.

Like I kinda understand the CoraLaw ship, I also like don't? For some reason my brain just views it as like almost grooming??? Idk, would it be possible for you to please further explain your view on the ship? Obviously you are under no obligation to do so, and it's fair of you think you shouldn't have to explain your thoughts on it. I am moreso just curious.

Regardless I absolutely adore your art, especially how you draw Penguin and Shachi.

This isn't rude at all, this is actually quite polite and civil! And also-

I shall go in depth below since it'll be a lot.

First and foremost, a lot of people seem to have a totally bastardized idea of what "grooming" actually even IS nowadays. It gets tossed around so much that people forget that the main trait is INTENTIONALITY. It is an INTENTIONAL process of manipulation and abuse for selfish reasons (similar to gaslighting). It is very hard to "accidentally" groom someone. You can give them the wrong idea, maybe, but that's not grooming. It originally means to basically prep and train up someone for a specific role later in life. Doflamingo uses this meaning of the term when talking about wanting to train Law up to become his righthand man.

Cora-san's character is LITERALLY DEFINED by his selflessness and sacrifices he makes to save Law's life. He doesn't expect anything in return. He acts on a sense of duty and then empathy. He suffers greatly in attempts to allow Law to survive and live freely, out from under the thumb of his brother.

Speaking of Doflamingo real quick, for some reason I feel like I see the ship of DofLaw get a lot less hate than CoraLaw despite the fact that they're in similar positions. Usually, because people have the headcanon of DadCora even though Law never views or refers to Cora as a father figure in any canon or spinoff material. If you have that headcanon, fine, whatever, but you have to remember that canonically, Law and Cora do not see their relationship as familial. That's part of the weight in the scene that Law has with Sengoku after Dressrosa. "Don't look for a reason for somebody's love."

Law didn't have to be family or important or anything for Cora to love him. He just did, if anything, from a sense of deepseated empathy and understanding of the pain that Law was going through.

Now- the actual shipping part of it.

It is also extremely difficult to groom someone if you are GONE FOR 13 YEARS.

The most commonly depicted manner of CoraLaw as a ship is Cora returning after 13 years, whether he secretly survived Minion Island, has been a ghost, was resurrected- whatever it may be, there is the gap of Cora being gone and assumed dead for over a decade. That is a LONG TIME to be separated from a person, and by the time you reunite, things will have changed, ESPECIALLY LAW. He is NOT the same person he was at age 13 anymore, obviously. He is a fullass grown adult at age 26 in the current canon. He has become an entirely new person with new strengths, confidence, and outlook on things.

Another important part of the ship to me...is that it is most often LAW who is pursuing CORA, not the other way around. LAW is the one who has spent all this time devoted to avenging Cora and being basically obsessed with honoring his memory and repaying the sacrifices that Cora made to him. The devotion is met in equal measures in that sense.

Their relationship as adults, 26 and either ALSO 26 or 39 (depending on if Cora is resurrected or has actually been alive this whole time) is them recognizing how things have changed and how their dynamic has now evolved into something totally different. Law isn't a kid that Cora can pick up like a football. He's an accomplished pirate captain. He was a warlord for a bit!!! He's an insanely powerful and scary guy tbh!!!

But Law still has a soft spot for Cora, still talks about him with an edge of kindness and love. Law would he terrified of admitting that he's perhaps developed feelings because of the fear of rejection from his most precious person, the one he owes everything to.

A lot of fics go with the mutual pining angle, both afraid of ruining what they have, despite the fact that things aren't the same as they were 13 years ago. It's an interesting space to explore and requires a lot of trust ans vulnerability on both ends-

No. It's not a conventional relationship by any means. I won't argue that. But that's why I like it, damnit. It's a fictional scenario that is largely impossible in our world, and it's a fun space to explore and to consider the depth of the affection they already have for one another, evolving into something different and new.

That's the main takeaway here tbh for me. It's FICTION. Literally no individuals are being hurt and it's not even ticking off any boxes of the usual Dead Dove sort of things so. Yeah

Jazz hands

[gazstations]

Come Home, My Darling

PROLOGUE

ᯓᡣ𐭩 CHAPTER SUMMARY

John Price learns what it means to not have all the cards in his hands. He's at his breaking point when he learns information that ruins his day even more.

♡ Chapter Warnings: Descriptions of a corpse???

◇ Notes: It’s here, guys!! I had so much support for this idea, so I'm excited to bring this to you. I hope you guys enjoy 💜

○●○ SERIES MASTERLIST ♡ NEXT

NAVIGATION MASTERLIST

♡◇♡◇♡◇♡◇♡

CAPTAIN JOHN PRICE RARELY GOT THROWN OFF KILTER. He had varying moments of befuddlement, but he always figured out the best play in the end. Well, the best play for him. Some would say his tactics were rather morally questionable. He just got the job done. If he had to make a bit of a mess, so be it.

The John Price on field was far separate to the John Price off the field. The two met, shook hands, but had a mutual understanding that there were lines that didn't get crossed. Maybe the two would have a drink or two, but at the end of the night, their lives were never meant to intertwine.

The captain was a cold-blooded killer. The crimson red stained his hands until it became a part of his veiny flesh. Just as the heart that beat inside his chest, his victims were tied taunt around his ribcage. It was a necessary evil to cleanse the world. Some feats took sacrifices most civilians wouldn't understand.

John Price was different, though. He was smooth. He carried himself with content that would make those who knew his other half stumble. He was a protector, though not with the steel cold grip of any tactical rifle or melee weapon - though he could introduce that easily if it came down to it. That protector side came from softened gazes and gentle pressing on the spines of those he loved.

John Price off the field was a father, a husband. The world dimmed down to his created family. He wasn't the most important puzzle piece then. His wife and two kids were the earth he revolved around. He was meant to light their way, not smother nor control. He took a backseat in a way that made him truly content.

Before July of 2020, that had been his life. He deposited his baggage at the door and became the man his family needed him to be. He was present, he dropped the cigars to once a day, he rarely had a glass as his bedtime snack, and he never spoke about the demons that went bump in the night.

Then that July, the lines of hell and heaven merged, making him take action he never thought he would have to take.

Witness protection was very rarely a medium that affected him. He had known of plenty of assests that were silently placed within a version of protection, but never had he been personally involved. When the lines crossed and someone threatened his sanctuary, he was quick to jump.

He would've been ruined had there been a different outcome. His heart would've grown a bit more frigid had he lost the ability to hold his babies or kiss the sweet imperfections on his wife's beating body. He thought endlessly what would've happened had Kate Laswell not intercepted vital intel.

It was one of the many times he found himself grateful for the American. She knew how to do her job, proving that he could entrust her with three of the most important people in his life. She wasn't the godmother of his eldest son for nothing.

Someone was out for blood. Someone was itching to mutilate his family to get to him. That shit did not fly with him. Yet, it terrified him all the same. It took a lot of willpower to make the experienced soldier lose his wit, and a shadow in the dark had stabbed their grimy fingers into flesh, hoping to spark bleeding. They bit into food that wasn't theirs, sat at a table not meant for them.

It made John Price see red.

Someone was the reason why he couldn't show his son the art of fishing. Someone was the reason his daughter couldn't make an art piece of his face in glitter - weeks later, he was still shedding iridescent color. Someone was the reason he couldn't slide beneath the warm, plush sheets of his bed and carve himself into the fleshy grooves of his wife.

No, because witness protection meant that his family was hidden even from him. Anyone who could have sacred information beat out of them was kept out of the loop. That meant there were only truly a couple of people who knew where his blessed family lingered.

It was a smart yet stupid plan.

With bitter resentment, he would and could not be the first man on scene should something happen. There was a heaping load of information he was not privy to. He would have to jump through hurdle after hurdle just to get one sliver of detail. It killed him faster than any bullet. Festered into malice and despondence.

You couldn’t clip the wings of a man that thrived off of agency.

For a long time, life was quiet on that end of his life. He assumed-and hoped-you and the kids were making the most of your guarded lifestyle. He had to go dark to protect his little bubble. He never breathed word of it to his team, yet in the confines of his sparse quarters on base, he yearned for sustenance.

He longed to be home in the small cottage he bought when he knew he was ready to settle down. It hadn’t been a true home, though, until you worked your magic. There were throw blankets hanging off the back of the couch in case you got cold, pictures hung along every square inch, the colors all matched, and the whole house was warm and inviting. Now, it had kids’ toys to give proof of existence to the two little ones that blessed the both of you.

But no one had been home for months. For all John knew, squatters had ransaked the place and called sweet dibs. At least he had been smart enough to stash important documents away from his family and house. Anyone with the intent to find would see the bedroom safe empty. John's gun and ammo had been with him when he was off the premises.

There was also the deeply rooted anxiety that one day, when his precious little ones played where they shouldn't. He couldn't fathom one of them wielding a pistol and firing It lethally. The less he brought home as the captain, the better.

But one day, he'd have no choice.

♡◇♡

The room was hot, thin blanket on the shitty bed was thrown askew. John lay on his aching back, mouth parted as snores filled the room. It wasn't a satisfying sleep, but the fact he had been allowed to even close his eyes was a gift.

Task Force 141 had just returned from running an operation for the last 3 weeks. There were purple bruises lining his obliques where he and Gaz took a fall off of a balcony. The rest of his body was marred by small cuts, especially on his thigh, where glass had embedded through his attire. He had iced his lower back before laying down, though the decade old flare-up crept up his spine.

An old dog still trying to pass off as young.

His restless sleep was broken by the chattering of his phone. He snorted slightly as he came to, hand blindly prowling along his nightstand until he found the noise maker.

“Price…” he answered, not even bothering to look at the caller ID.

“John, you available?”

John breathed out through his nose, “Always, Kate.”

While John appreciated Kate as who she was, he didn't always like her presence and what it meant. She was the one with the plans and intel. Having information meant it was usually wheels up in one way or another.

John Price could never catch a fucking break.

“I’m listening.” he uttered as he sat up in bed.

He ran a hand over his face, blinking back the vestiges of his poor slumber. He pulled his phone away for just a moment to look at the time. Way too fucking early. His bones creaked and protested as he was forced into wakefulness yet again. Tongue dry, breath hot, body clammy - John quite honestly felt like hell.

Your hands would usually prod at him when he was like this at home. Your form would slither around him like a boa constrictor as your eyes blinked to find him in the darkness. Wandering hands composed him enough to squeeze you back.

Within minutes, you were clambering out of the bed and going downstairs to make some tea. You cared without wasting the time to ask what he wanted.

He missed that.

“Not on the phone,” Kate’s voice brought him back. “I want to meet with you.”

“Don't reckon you're in the neighborhood, eh?” John remarked, a sigh leaving his lips.

“Have a debriefing room for us. Need you to come now.”

Questions festered in his barely operating mind. Of course she was here. Meant whatever she had to say was pretty fucking important. If he was less of a person, he'd tell her to piss off and reconvene when it was socially acceptable. But Kate was his friend and he knew she was just doing her job, just as he always did.

“Bloody hell, Kate,” He pushed himself to rise. Yeah, his ribs definitely took a good hit. “Alright. Am I bringing the lads?”

“No. Just you and I,” she said.

John raised an eyebrow despite her not being able to see him. He wanted to make some remark, but nothing came to mind. He was definitely crabby. Started when he realized he ran out of whiskey. For the first time in a long time, he went to bed straight away. Even as his mind was still running rampant inside his skull.

“We can work the team into the equation later,” Kate added. “I want this under the table for now.’

“How encouraging,” John muttered as he threw on a t-shirt. “What's the reason?”

“Because I have bad news, John.”

♡◇♡

The room was tense, thick with John's anticipation and Kate's knowledge. John was leaning against one of the walls, arms crossed as he analyzed Kate. She had files in her hand and was sorting them while he waited. That was never a good sign. She had definitely stirred up some of the finer shit just for him.

Kate dropped an open file onto the conference table between them. John's eyes flickered down to scan the contents. His face remained unchanged as he took in the crime scene photos. Nothing too extreme from what he had experienced before, but gnarly all the same.

The man was past the initial death, that much he knew. His body was discolored with purple and greenish hues. It looked like maybe he had been wailed on for hours, but maybe that was just the stage of decomposition the pictures were taken in.

His neck was wide open. Nasty throat cut. Bastard didn't go down peacefully. That was for sure. A close-up picture showed the maggots and ants that had already clustered, eating away what they could. The wound was a festering gash, the neck almost completely cut straight through.

“What am I looking at?” Price deadpanned. He was unamused. Don't be a bloody prick, John. But he was already one step before the fall into complete insanity and so his weak fuze was barely hanging on.

“Henry Ortega,” Kate spoke.

“Poor bloke,” John muttered non committedly.

“This is serious, John,” Kate chastised. She gave him a disapproving stare, the lines of her forehead drawn tight. She was evidently at her wits end, just like they all were. He wasn't special in his weary state.

John sighed. “Right, sorry.”

Kate was one of the only people he let knock him down a peg. He respected her far more than he respected a lot of people. She was smart and poised, a good ally to have.

“Henry was in charge of keeping your family safe,” Kate finally said what had been grinding in the back of her head for hours. She knew it would not go over well. She dreaded it, but she had to be the one to face it.

John's face paled, his mouth forming a thin line. His sleep deprived brain stirred with adrenaline. It ignited every nerve in his body, his posture going rigid. “Say again…” he ordered sternly.

“John…” Kate admittedly didn’t know how to explain this.

“My family, Kate…” John couldn’t finish. He pinched the bridge of his nose and started to pace and shift.

This was an absolute nightmare. His family was compromised. Someone had slipped their way between the cracks of the foundation. It shouldn't have happened. Someone got sloppy, and consequences shone bright.

He was a simple father and husband who feared now. He was the protector. He promised his little girl that everything would be okay. He lied in a lot of ways, he had conned. He always vowed never to let that poison taint the one good thing he had in life. Now, his hands were crimson red, and his heart felt tight.

“This is beyond what we wanted,” Kate tried to reign John back in. She needed his head clear. “We’re talking about a mole. Someone is in the system. This could be catastrophic for multiple factions of our security.”

“Mole…” John said under his breath like that one word was arsenic. He glanced up, fixing Kate with a murderous glint. He scowled, “I'll wring their fucking necks.”

“Keep your head on,” Kate said. “If this is going to be too personal for you…”

John towered over her, glaring down at her. His anger was wafting off of him in smokey fumes now. Kate kept his gaze, not faltering in the slightest. She had the benefit of knowing he wouldn’t hurt her. That is why she planned this so it was just them.

“I'm fine, Kate,” John stated.

"Are you?" Kate questioned.

Get your head together, John. He took a few deep breaths. He had to do this right. The time for ripping heads off and falling apart was for later. He was a captain first in this situation. Couldn't be a father out on the field. Not if he wanted to risk being pulled from whatever op they decided to run.

“Right. So, where's my family?” His throat felt like it was filled with acid when he spoke. His composure was crippled. The man was wounded. In an attempt to protect everything sacred to him, he had unknowingly and potentially signed their death warrant.

If that was the case, he'd be on Death's front porch bargaining in ways he shouldn't. He'd pry open his own ribcage and present the pumping mass of his heart to whatever entity was cruel enough to tease him with possibility. He'd pledge his need to be a sacrifical lamb if it meant his children got to grow up and live fulfilling lives.

When Kate opened her mouth, John learned he didn't quite enjoy the answer.

“Gone. We don't know where.”

[mind-intheclouds342]

Do it for them - Co-captain reader x Curly

Previous - Part 9 - Next

You banged on the door of the room where that man was locked up, waking him up abruptly.

"Let's talk"

Jimmy: "I thought visiting hours were over."

He complained, turning around to turn his back to the door.

"Don't try to be funny with me, Jimmy. What the hell did we do to deserve so much hate from you?"

Jimmy: "Don't play innocent, you know very well what you did!"

"Honestly, I have no idea! That's why I'm asking you!"

Jimmy: "Of course, because I was always the shadow of your dear husband. You never turned to look at me again after you got with him, you never smiled at me like you did with him, you didn't even speak to me. It was as if I were invisible to you!"

"Oh, of course I was looking at you!"

Jimmy: "Then why didn't you ever tell me anything?!"

He shouted that, getting up from his bed to head towards the glass that separated them, watching your face to see you when you replied.

"BECAUSE I'VE ALWAYS HATED YOU!"

You screamed with all your lungs, to the point of making your throat hurt.

"You always brought trouble to Curly! He was always so naive, a sucker for approval, of being the good guy in the story, of not letting anyone down! That's why he never abandoned you! I knew better that's why i stopped talking with you! Because you were and are a piece of shit!" 

Jimmy: "Oh, but you talk as if I were the only fucked up one in the story."

"Yes! I admit it! I was also a mess when I met Curly, but I did something, I was able to see beyond that mess I was, he showed me that I could improve, he gave me opportunities that I knew how to take advantage of and become a better person! In someone who could make his mother proud instead of making her cry because she didn't know if he was coming home or not!"

There was a silence when you finished saying that, until you saw him smirk, that reaction you didn't like at all.

Jimmy: "You're right, Curly loves to please, you should know that very well."

"Ugh, for the love of God, I don't know why I try to reason with you, it's impossible."

Jimmy: "But you were the only one who refused to give in to make me happy."

You opened your eyes wide upon hearing that, turning again to the man who still wore that smug smile.

Jimmy: "Just as beautiful and messed up as I am, I thought you would understand me, but then you became a good girl, yet I still hoped you would look at me..."

"Shut up-"

Jimmy: "Oh, and the damn way Curly talked about you, how incredible you are, so kind, hardworking, so beautiful."

"I tell you to shut up-"

Jimmy: "Those lovely moles in the center of your chest that look like a constellation"

"He wouldn't talk about those things with you!"

Jimmy: "I saw it myself"

You felt like you were going to puke at that moment, you didn't want to believe that he had really done something like that to you while you were unconscious, you didn't want your suspicions to be confirmed, you refused to believe it.

"Liar. Anya wouldn't leave me alone, she would lock the nursery door-" 

Jimmy: "Yes, yes, she did that, it was a pain in the ass. Every night when she went to sleep, she locked the nursery with that code that only Curly and she knew... But that place wasn't closed while someone was inside."

"She wouldn't let you get close to me!"

Jimmy: "They were so sweet, Anya staying by your side saying she had to make sure all your signs were okay, and when she left, she would ask Swansea if he could keep an eye on you. But he was so depressed that he didn't dare to stay with you for long, so... I took his place to make sure you were okay."

"In front of Curly..."

You murmured at having to imagine the scene your husband had to witness without being able to do anything about it other than watch.

Jimmy: "That was the funniest thing"

You hugged tightly, feeling a horrible tingling all over your body, as if you were dirty.

Jimmy: "Swansea had no idea about anything, Anya didn't want to talk about it with anyone else. Thanks to her silence, I was able to finally look at that body that you always hide from me, thanks to Swansea's stupidity and feeling sad for his little captain, feeling all guilty and shit."

Swansea: "What did he just say..." 

You turned to see Swansea at the end of the hallway, carrying Jimmy's rations, holding an axe firmly in the other hand; he had managed to hear everything.

"Swansea-"

Swansea: "Open the door, captain"

"Listen - it's not worth it, do you have any idea what they'll do to you if they find out you hurt someone from the crew? Please, I don't want them to lock you up." 

You said immediately, positioning yourself in front of him, trying to get him to see you, but his eyes were glued to the door where he could see Jimmy's face.

Swansea: "How are they going to know? Let's say it was an accident. Open the door!"

You wanted to keep reasoning with him, but you couldn't deny that you also wished he would face consequences for his actions.

You took the axe from his hands, making him look at you annoyed.

"I won't take the risk of you killing him."

Those were your last words before opening the door, Swansea didn't take much more than a few seconds to fully open the door, step inside, and throw himself at Jimmy.

You could hear the sound of the blows, the insults, and the screams.

You stood at the door wide open, axe in hand, watching as the blood spread across the floor with each blow Swansea dealt.

You watched Jimmy and tilted your head, waiting for him to defend himself.

You wouldn't hesitate to cut off his hands if he touched Swansea.

[deebris]

Seems like destiny

Simon "Ghost" Riley x fem!Reader

Synopsis: After spending years in the bone marrow donation system, encouraged by the army, Simon was finally notified that they had found a match. He just didn't expect to find out that he would be donating it to his own son, who he had with his teenage love and never knew.

Warnings: Family problems, panic attacks, teenage pregnancy, swearing, mention of diseases such as leukemia, murder, archaic ideas, anguish.

Word count: 3.5 k

Any questions or errors, please let me know.

Simon always remembers how the army encouraged soldiers to be blood donors. There was a great concern within about it, as it was one of the ways the government found to help hospitals and people who depend on transfusions to survive.

Then campaigns for bone marrow donation began, but it was so rare to find someone compatible that after 6 years on the waiting list, Simon thought he would never find someone who would need him. But that changed two months ago when he received a call from the institute informing him that he should go there immediately.

He underwent more medical exams than he had ever done, and although he was a tough guy, he couldn't deny the pain he felt in the weeks following the procedure. Among so many people dying in beds waiting to find a donor, someone could finally heal because of him. It made Simon feel good about himself, as good as he hadn't felt in a long time. That had been one of the reasons why he joined the army: to help people.

Now he could only hope that whoever he donated to would improve. He found himself during the day thinking about it, wondering if in a few years it would affect him as much as it does now. It's not very fresh in his memory, but Simon is able to superficially remember the day he registered on the bone marrow donor list. He had been in the army for a short time, still a soldier, and "Ghost" didn't even exist yet.

He thought this would be put aside. He didn't understand if he would need to donate more often, not really knowing the process deeply. That's why when he received another call from the same institute, he thought there had been some mistake, or that they would need more, but the reason for the contact surprised him.

The recipient's caregiver wanted to meet him and was willing to break the standard anonymity by revealing their identity. Accepting the offer would mean that he would also need to disclose his personal information, which is why he hesitated so much. But as he constantly replayed the woman's words in his head, he grew restless.

"The caregiver wants to meet you," that's what she said. Could the recipient be a child? Or perhaps an elderly person? Or maybe someone who was already so ill that they could barely decide for themselves. He shouldn't have any information about this person, even something as empty as what that lady had let slip.

"You should accept. Everyone would like to have the opportunity to personally thank the person who saved their life," were the words of his Captain, John "Price." And it had been the push that Simon needed to agree to the idea.

Now, standing in front of the hospital room door, Ghost debated with himself whether he should open it. Just a few meters away was the little boy who had been haunting his mind for the past few days. And how did he know it was a boy? He had been directed to the children's oncology ward when he arrived at the reception minutes ago, as soon as he was cleared by the unit director, who already knew about the situation and the breach of anonymity.

Furthermore, the clipboard with the patient's information on the door also made it clear that it was a boy. The name "Lucas" was printed on the paper, accompanied by a surname that was familiar to him. There weren't many people in the UK with that name, which caught his attention.

All that separated him from the family was that door, dividing the cold hospital corridor from the room he could only hope would be less disheartening and empty. He didn't know if he would find a smile on the other side, or if he would be met with the sad gaze of the child's mother.

This woman had contacted him through a letter. On that day, he hadn't yet notified the institute that he was willing to speak with her, so the letter came anonymously since nothing had been filed. He read what she had to say, revealing some things, such as the fact that she was a single mother and was extremely grateful to God for sending him to save her son. Some paragraphs were difficult to read, where she recounted how she had lost hope before.

The little comfort he found in that text was when she talked about the boy. In those passages, her handwriting was less shaky, and he was sure she was happier when she wrote those parts of the letter. He knew that this had been her attempt to persuade him to come meet her, but without her knowing, he had already decided. Simon kept the piece of paper with him and reread it in his spare moments.

That stirred his emotions. He thought he had managed to harden his heart after everything he had been through, but he was wrong. Deep down in his soul, he was more emotional than he let on to others. He hoped that "Soap" would never find out, or he would be eternally tormented.

"Damn," he muttered softly, snapping back to reality. Simon began to bitterly regret agreeing to this. He should have declined and moved on. He could leave, but he was already here, so he mustered up the courage to knock on the wood.

He considered himself presentable in the civilian clothes he wore, accustomed to the heavy military equipment he carried all day at the base, and also missing the mask covering his face. Simon adjusted the collar of his dress shirt, as a way to occupy his sweaty hands, more nervous about the approaching footsteps he heard than his appearance.

Before the door opened, he had already told himself he would remain silent and wait for the boy's mother to start the conversation. If she asked who he was, he would state his name and explain why was there. But as the woman inside was revealed to him, he fell silent not because he had decided to, but because he was speechless. Suddenly, those seconds he spent admiring the child's surname on the door seemed like a scene from a comedy movie to him. How ironic it is considering he was just thinking about you moments ago and, like magic, you appeared?

It seemed like you took a few extra seconds to recognize him, and he doesn't judge you for that. Although you have changed and are now an adult woman, with a more mature face and body, he had changed much more since he was a teenager. Back when you two were in school, he was shorter and thinner, and he didn't have any of the scars on his face.

But it wasn't just that which changed in him. You stared in complete shock at how different the demeanor of the guy you were in love with was. He was more serious, more intimidating, very different from his brother, Thomas, whom you had seen years ago, just a few days before he was brutally murdered along with his wife and child.

Your legs went weak, and your eyes burned with tears threatening to overflow. You wanted so desperately to say something, but nothing could come out of your mouth. Was this real, after all? You withdrew your hand from the doorknob, not realizing you had been gripping it tightly until now, and sat in the nearest chair to avoid collapsing to the ground.

Your blood pressure had surely dropped, as you were sweating cold and seeing black spots. What were the chances, after so many years and after everything you had been through, of finally finding him just when you weren't even trying anymore?

Your memories since you found out you were pregnant began to flood back. You vividly remember your father's reaction when he found out you were having a baby; what he said when found out that the neighbor's son, Simon, was the father of the child; how you struggled to escape him after he took you away to another state, to cover up the shame of having a "prostitute" as a daughter.

You never managed to tell Simon, and when you returned to that town, the town where you two met, he was no longer there. You didn't have a penny in your pocket and only survived that week because of Tommy's help. He gave you a bed to sleep in, food, and clothes, both for you and his nephew. You remembered the perplexed expression he had when analyzed Lucas's appearance, it was impossible to deny that he was a Riley.

It was because of him that you found out Simon was in the army and that he hadn't come home in months.

You never managed to thank him properly. Just two days after showing up there, Tommy handed you half of the money he had in a bank deposit. He told you that a good part of that money belonged to Simon, and therefore, it belonged to your son too. You rented a hotel room so as not to continue bothering his wife, especially since she now had to cook and clean for five people.

You left for the hotel with the promise to reward him someday and continued making visits while anxiously tried to contact his brother on his phone, but Simon never answered. You didn't have a cell phone and couldn't spend the money Tommy gave you so lightly, deciding to prioritize your son's needs.

Several voicemails were recorded, but there was never a response. You felt angry at Simon. You screamed into your pillow, frustrated for not being answered and repeating to yourself how stupid he was. But the possibility that maybe he was dead haunted you. Tommy had told you how complex his work in the army was, that it was more dangerous than usual.

You always feared what you would find when you saw him again. He could have a wife, a beautiful house, and everything you ever wanted to have with him one day but couldn't. He could have children, children who had the opportunity to grow up with him, unlike Lucas. And then when you found out that no, none of that had happened, a kind of happiness flooded your chest, even though nothing in the world guaranteed that he would want anything with you again. The last time you had anything, you two were barely adults, until one day you left without saying anything. You thought he hated you.

That lasted until one time, when you went to Tommy's house, there was nothing there but blood. You still remember how scared you were when you found the broken door and called the police, who surrounded the scene of the violent crime that had just happened. You waited so long, but so long for Simon to show up. What kind of person doesn't attend their own brother's funeral? That's when you decided to forget him and threw away the phone number you had written down.

Some more time later, when Lucas had just turned 7 years old, your life was turning upside down again. It all started with symptoms of a common virus. He had fevers, weakness, and got tired very easily. Then he started losing weight and getting pale. Many pediatricians said it could be anemia or hepatitis, but more symptoms kept emerging. Joint pains came, as did swellings, and after a year of medical investigation, the diagnosis came: leukemia.

You entered a state of denial. Was there something wrong with his diet? Or his lifestyle? It could be genetic, but there were no cases of cancer in your family. Maybe the Rileys had some?

Since that day, your life has never been the same. With each passing month, your son only got worse. You would give all your savings, live on the streets, or even rob a bank if it meant seeing your baby well again. Fortunately, the government offered treatment for free, but some medicines needed to be acquired more urgently than the hospital could provide, and medicines for such treatment were not cheap at all.

The only thing that could cure your boy was the marrow from a compatible donor. You prayed so much that you could save him, but when the tests were done, it was impossible. If no one in the family could donate, it was almost a death sentence. Your last hope was your father. You hoped to never have to see him again, let alone tell him where you had run away to, but now you were no longer the same foolish young girl who depended on his money.

Despite everything, you knew he loved his grandson, and a single phone call was enough to make him come running. In recent years, he had been worried about the two of you, not knowing where you had gone. He never had the courage to admit he was wrong, and apologizing was never his strong point, but he regrets every day what he did. That day he didn't know how to react. He wanted to kill Simon, the brat who got his only daughter pregnant, just as he was afraid you would become a joke in neighborhood for having such a young son. He only managed to think about leaving to avoid a disaster, never asking what you wanted or how you felt.

For the first time, when he saw you so tired and alone, he held his tongue to not say anything that could ruin everything. Instead, he hugged you tightly, and you were so craving someone's company that you curled up in his arms just like when you were a little girl. He was a grumpy and archaic man, someone who made many mistakes, who still makes them, but he still has humanity within him.

Unfortunately, he was not a match either.

You stopped daydreaming, and you didn't realize how bad you were until you saw an adult Simon crouched in front of you, shouting in the hallway for a doctor, but you tried to silence him by grabbing the nails on his rolled-up shirt sleeve, catching his attention. The last thing you want is for the doctors responsible for your son's health to be alarmed, thinking he's worsened. These professionals worked as hard for him as you did. Simon seemed to understand and went to close the door to prevent curious eyes from appearing.

Simon looked at you with sadness, and it crushed your heart. He was afraid you wouldn't be able to breathe properly again; he knew you were desperately begging for air, but couldn't draw it in. He hesitated to touch you, but gave in to the desire and placed both hands on your cheeks. He was incredulous. It was really you, the girl he loved most in his entire life, more than he thought he was capable of loving another woman. Simon had imagined so many times meeting you again, and he had so many doubts.

"Calm down," he repeated in a whisper, locking his eyes onto yours. He knew panic attacks; he had experienced them himself several times. "I know. I know, dear. It's a lot to process."

"You…" your voice tried to come out amidst desperate breaths, while also trying to swallow the lump in your throat. Your hands grabbed both of his wrists, and your thumb smoothed over the skin, feeling his heartbeat. "It's you who…?"

"Yes. Yes, it's me, the donor," he quickly confirmed, even before you could finish the question. "Don't speak. Breathe."

You were managing to calm down and think more rationally. Understanding hit you like a bucket of cold water, and your embrace made the big burly man he had become freeze. The feeling was so strange. Of course, among so many people, the only one who could save your little son would be his own father. The person with whom he shared half of his genes.

"He's yours, Si," your voice sounded like a spell in his ear, the old nickname sending shivers down his spine. Your tone was so gentle that he barely understood the meaning of the phrase. But soon he felt his lips quivering, recounting the events of the past few months and how unbelievable this would sound if he told this story to someone. "I swear he's yours," you repeated as if that made it easier to assimilate.

The content of that letter invaded his mind again and again. He felt horrible.

Simon pulled you closer to him, your bodies almost merging. You were still beautiful, even in your disheveled state, betraying exhaustion. And even after so much time, it was as if nothing had changed between the two of you. He knew there was a small body behind him, sleeping peacefully in the bed, but he didn't dare to look. He could hear the sound of the machines, and then it all came crashing down on his shoulders at once: he had a son with you. By his calculations, the boy should be 9 years old. Wow! He hadn't seen you in over a decade.

"I have so many questions," he confessed with a choked voice, and you don't remember ever seeing him cry before when you were younger.

"I searched for you so much. I called so many times," the last thing you wanted was to make him feel guilty, but hearing that, he felt like he should have kept searching for you too. As soon as you left, he went asking where your father had gone. He worried and tried to find out something, until enlisted in the army, and then all he did from then on was just think about you; never seeking; never trying in any way to find you again because it seemed easier to accept that you had left forever.

You tried to distance yourself, even though you hated it, to look at his face one more time. Simon allowed you to run your fingers over his features until your eyes landed on your son behind him. He knew where your gaze had gone, but he didn't follow it. And of course, you would understand what was happening.

"Look at him," you pleaded with tenderness, but he shook his head while rubbing his eyes, as if they hurt. "You're hurting me doing this, Simon."

The last thing he wanted was for you to think he was rejecting the boy, so he stood up, fighting the weakness in his legs and slowly approaching the bed. The child's face was turned exactly in his direction, as if anticipating he would be there, but his eyes were closed, and his breathing was peaceful. It was only then that Simon realized how he was hyperventilating until he felt your hand gently pushing him closer.

His heart hammered in his chest, overwhelmed by anxiety and fear, as he watched his pale and still son. Each step was a journey through an ocean of uncertainty, each breath an effort to maintain composure in the face of the storm raging within him.

As he leaned over the fragile and inert body of the boy, a wave of emotions engulfed him. His broken heart cried out to stop the affliction that plagued his son, that beloved being he barely knew.

Tears blurred his vision as he stroked Lucas's hand, so small and vulnerable compared to his, so similar to yours. Each touch was a silent promise to stand by him in every moment, even in the darkest and most painful.

He found himself whispering words of comfort, as if each sentence could ignite a spark of life in his son's dormant soul. He pleaded to the heavens, to the stars, to any higher power that could hear, for a miracle, for a chance to see those childish eyes shine for the first time in his life. He was an identical copy of Simon at that age, and it made him wonder if the color of his irises was also the same, the same shade of brown. A sudden curiosity arose: what was his voice like? Would it sound like yours, so gentle and reassuring, or could it somehow sound like his?

There, in that moment, time seemed to freeze, the whole world disappearing. It was as if he were dreaming. There was no way all of this could be true, someone must be playing a prank on him. He wanted to look at your face again, to smell you while he ran his hands through your hair to make sure it was really you, flesh and blood. "He's going to be okay," he poured out the words, even though he knew the danger in promising that, and you dove into them, knowing you didn't have to face everything alone anymore.

[canonizzyhours]

I'm a professional screenwriter. I know nobody reading this has any reason to believe that, and I work pretty hard to keep my fandom activity separate from my professional identity, so I'm not going to offer any proof that would doxx me here, believe me or don't. But it's true and I don't just mean I'm trying to get hired as a screenwriter, I mean I am pretty well established in the industry and I've worked on some stuff big enough you've probably heard of it. I've also been active in OFMD fandom for about two years now, since nearly the beginning.

The canyon really freaks me out because seeing it up close makes me worried I've drastically underestimated audiences' empathy gap around characters of color and tendency to sympathize with and excuse the actions of white characters. I've always tried to be conscious about that sort of thing in my work but now that I'm seeing the whole process up close it's so much worse than I always thought.

I think a lot about what I would have done during season 1 of OFMD, if I were in the writers' room and I'd wanted to make sure it would be clear to the audience that Izzy was Ed's abuser and wasn't acting out of secretly sympathetic motives and we're supposed to be genuinely horrified by his actions. I'm in writers' rooms workshopping issues like this all the time. I know the kinds of suggestions I'd make.

Like, if we were worried that the audience would think Izzy's hostility toward Stede was about class instead of homophobia, I might have suggested we make sure Izzy's dialogue never has any reference to Stede's class at all, and that we might do a subplot in one episode where Izzy is equally hostile toward Lucius, since Lucius clearly isn't rich but is extremely gay. But that already happened, and it didn't help.

If I wanted to make sure the audience understood that Izzy is bossing the crew around and screaming at everyone to work harder because he's a petty little bully on a power trip and not because the work actually needs to get done, I might have suggested a scene where Izzy deliberately makes a mess on purpose just so he can order the crew to clean it up. But that already happened, and it didn't help.

If I wanted to make it clear that Izzy has always been awful toward everyone around him -- especially his colleagues of color -- since long before the show started, I might have suggested we repeatedly emphasize throughout the season that while Fang is willing to work with him, he doesn't like or respect Izzy and this is because Izzy has always treated Fang very badly. Have him pull on Fang's beard for no reason and have Fang explicitly say he hates that but knows it wouldn't help to complain. Have Fang tell strangers jokes about times Izzy humiliated himself in public. Have a scene where everybody unanimously VOTES TO MURDER IZZY and someone explicitly stops to ask Fang if he's cool with this and Fang explicitly says yes this is absolutely fine with me and then he actively participates in the murder plan while smiling. But all of that happened and I still see the canyon insisting that Izzy was a much nicer person before the events of s2 when he wasn't under so much stress and has always been liked and respected by the PoC around him, including specifically Fang!

If I were worried that the audience might take seriously the idea that Izzy is motivated by "loyalty to your captain" -- well, honestly I don't think it ever would have occurred to me to worry about that, since he says that in a scene where he's in the middle betraying his captain and I'd probably assume people are capable of picking that up and understanding that when someone says they're abusing you for your own good you should not believe them. But if someone else insisted we address the concern, suggestions I'd make would include: make sure some of the first interactions we see between Ed and Izzy involve Izzy complaining about how he doesn't want to do the job Ed just gave him, then half-assing the mission and lying to Ed's face about it. Show Izzy deliberately undermining Ed to the crew by telling them he's half-insane, then insist to Ed that he's the only one keeping the crew loyal when they're worried about his judgment. But they did that stuff and we still have people thinking Izzy's central motivation throughout season 1 is selfless devotion to Ed.

The show did every single thing I would have suggested, and none of it worked. So what does it say about all the stuff I've already worked on, whenever I've written a scene where a white guy was being a dick to characters of color? Have I just been embarrassingly naive this whole time? Have I undermined my own work by not getting this?

You can't control audience reactions, I know that, that's part of what's great about art, you have to let go and accept that people will interpret things in ways you never intended, I get it. But if it's THIS impossible to choose words that will create the kind of feelings you meant to, what's the point? Is it even possible to write about the kind of abusive relationship Ed and Izzy have, where the white guy thinks he's entitled to control a brown man's life "for his own good" and that the brown guy is obligated to be grateful and reciprocate his "love" and not have a huge group of people creating elaborate justifications for the white guy? What else could they have done? What else can I do, when I'm writing about characters of color? I'm seriously asking. If anybody reading this has advice I want to hear it. What could I do?

#408.

[elitehanitje]

Vince McMahon Sabotaged Christian Cage's Career

In February 2009, Christian made his surprising return to WWE and debuted on the ECW brand. The moment was exciting for fans, as Christian had made a big name for himself during his nearly four-year stint with TNA Wrestling.

Some fans don't look back on the moment fondly though, as commentator Todd Grisham didn't have much enthusiasm in his voice for the return of a legend. As it turns out, Vince McMahon himself instructed Grisham to have a low demeanor about Christian's return to the company.

Right before I walked out of the Gorillia position before the show. Vince McMahon called me over and said, “When Christian walks out..don’t get excited at all simply say ‘it’s Christian’ and that’s it. Understand me?” Me: “Yes sir”

Tony Khan responded to Grisham's post, calling the behavior insane.

In a recent interview, Kurt Angle stated that there isn't much difference between Vince McMahon and the character of 'Mr. McMahon'.

Reacting to a post criticizing his commentary on X, Grisham recalled the infamous moment. The former WWE personality detailed how McMahon ordered him to say those exact words when Christian returned. Grisham could do nothing but accept and follow his boss’ instructions. Over the years, this moment has become a running online joke. 

For some reason, McMahon never saw Christian as a potential main-event talent in WWE. Therefore, Captain Charisma failed to reach similar heights as his best friend, Edge (Adam Copeland). Even after winning his first World Heavyweight Championship, the Canadian star ended up losing the belt in five days. 

The story reignited the long-standing debate around McMahon's supposed dislike of Christian (rumors mentioned that Jay wasn't a yes-man and didn't want to be involved with any shenanigans backstage involving Vince and his bullying/harassment way).

The latter was once one-half of his most profitable tag-team stable with Edge. However, following their diversion into single competitors, the former 'Captain Charisma' was never treated as a prized asset.

Former WWE star Lance Storm confirmed the official WWE program incorrectly billed Christian at 5’ 10” when the man whose real name is William Reso is 3-4 inches taller.

McMahon's old WWE lead writer Alex Greenfield later revealed the billionaire once pitched to have Christian's face covered by a blue dot.

"Right before I started, there was a big show, I think it might have been in Toronto. Christian was just so completely over, and everybody thought he was going to get a push at, I think it was the World Heavyweight Championship at that point. We were on the plane one time shortly after I started, and Vince was just like 'God damn, I just don't like his face. His face really bothers me.'

"I was like, 'He's ugly, Vince?'

'No, it's not that he's ugly, it's just, I don't know, it's ratty!"

WWE executive Bruce Pritchard even waded in on the theory, by explaining McMahon was never a major fan. "[Vince] didn’t feel that [Christian] had the personality to connect with the audience in a big way. He didn’t think he was larger than life and at that time Vince wanted the top guys needed to be larger than life. You needed to be The Rock, needed to be Stone Cold, you needed to be Undertaker. Every time you would come up with an idea for Edge or Christian it would be like okay, there is a lot of excitement there with Edge."

"‘Oh by God, we could do this with him. We could do this with him, a big good-looking bastard and then we’d get to Christian and it would just be, ‘Ugh, God, do we have to shoot him? Do we have to see that face? The fuck’s he gonna say?!’"

Even after winning his first World Heavyweight Championship, Christian ended up losing the belt within five days.

He inducted long-term partner Edge into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012 but is conspicuous by his own absence from the list over a decade later. The veteran wasn't offered a new WWE contract following a separate return at the Royal Rumble in 2021.

He has since found a home in AEW under Tony Khan's leadership, who reacted to Grisham's story further in an additional post that read: "Christian Cage is the man."

[tenebraevesper]

Sonic Prime (Thoughts)

So, since the finale of Sonic Prime has finally aired, I had figured to offer my opinion on the show.

I absolutely LOVED IT!

I know that not everyone was fond of the finale, and were also confused by the ending (EDIT: Note, I understand the ending, I'm just talking about what I heard through the grapevine), and there were some wars over Ian's comment about Sonic Prime taking place after Sonic Advance 3... but I didn't mind it too much.

In my personal opinion, I found Sonic Prime to be a very enjoyable show with an interesting take on the Sonic characters, the highlights being the Amys (Rusty Rose, Thorn Rose and Black Rose and their development as sisters), Captain Dread (I loved his redemption!), Rebel and Renegade Knux (Knuxouge anyone?!; also Rebel showing off her leadership skills and Knux punching Nine) and Nine (we now have evidence that Tails will commit war crimes if Sonic isn't around). I'll also add Mangey and Sails for their adorableness.

However, what impressed me the most was the character development of the two particular hedgehogs shown above - Sonic & Shadow.

Sonic started out the show as someone very reckless and doing his own thing instead of listening to his friends, causing him to shatter the Paradox Prism and create what becomes known as the Shatterverse. He projects his vision of his friends on people that look like his friends, getting himself more and more into trouble, especially with Nine, until he finally starts to listen, starting with Shadow, and over time gains the trust of the others, showing that he did become a bit wiser by relying on his Shatterverse friends' (and enemy's) advice. He really came a long way from how he used to be.

As for Shadow, I had actually planned to talk about him more in a separate post, but to keep it short - Prime!Shadow is peak Shadow! Just like Sonic, he underwent through character development, even though his was a bit more subtle. Shadow is a character who too has issues with communicating people, preferring to punch Sonic (admittedly, it also doesn't help that Sonic refuses to listen to him) over talking, but over time, he and Sonic start working together, showing to be the dream team. Not only that, but I loved how Shadow starts to become more and more protective over Sonic during the finale, trusting Sonic's plan and even not minding the hugs from Sonic. Also, that finale, where he saves Sonic's life had my heart racing!

Yeah, I've been freaking out over the Sonadow content the whole time and Sonic Prime never failed to deliver. Oh, I know that Sonadow will never become canon, especially given how SEGA had taken a step away from romance, which I don't mind, but I love to see how fan content is thriving.

I'll be also looking forward to reading any Post-Sonic Prime ideas, especially in regards to Sonic and Shadow's relationship, as it is implied that both remember the events of the Shatterverse (again, Sonadow shippers are thriving).

All in all, Sonic Prime was awesome, but I do have a question - why are there 23 episodes?! Netflix, where is the 24th episode?!

Sonadow Prime AMV (Enjoy!)

#Sonic the Hedgehog Analyzer (Masterlist)

[cuculine-nelipot]

One way in which OFMD exceeded expectations this season is the emphasis they placed on the need for personal growth, especially in the pursuit of relationships - all relationships, not just romantic . Buttons laid it all out for Ed, and then turned into a bird just to prove that it is possible if you believe enough. They repeatedly drew attention to Ed's and Stede's flaws, and why they need to work on them in order to become better people not only for each other, but for everyone around them

Lucius told Stede that he was selfish and self-centred, that despite his self-proclaimed love, respect, and kindness, his actions made him anything but. He and the other crew members told him that he was wilfully ignoring reality so that he could believe in the fantasy of Ed/Blackbeard that he had constructed for himself. These are all things that prevent him from being both the captain and the romantic partner he wants to be. The main thing he needs to do to change is listen actively. This has been true since season 1, when we saw him refusing to engage in an honest dialogue with Mary, and several times when he ignored his crew. However, throughout season 2 he is given ample opportunities to listen, to grow as a person, to become a better leader and partner, but he doesn't. At all. He tells Lucius that he can talk to him about his bad experiences, only to quickly tell him that it's too much, talk to Pete instead. He lets the crew vote as to whether Ed should be allowed to stay, only to invite him back shortly after they decide against. After much arguing, he begrudgingly accepts that the crew believes his red suit is cursed, but he does not get rid of the shirt. He agrees when Ed tells him that he needs their relationship to progress slowly, only to initiate sex with him soon after. When Ed expresses his anger about that, he does not understand, and he does not take responsibility. He murders Ned Low even though he knows how desperate Ed is to leave violence behind. In the final episode when everyone tells him that his plan is terrible, he does not listen and insists that they do it anyway, and Izzy dies because of it. He does not take responsibility for that either. In fact, throughout the season he happily comments on the fact that despite his staggering incompetence, things always seem to work out for him specifically, not acknowledging that the same is not true for anyone else. He has remained just as self-centred and self-serving as he was in the very beginning.

Ed too experiences a similar state of arrested development. His core motivation is still to be a different person, and like in the first season he swings from one persona to the next, never reconciling the disparate parts of himself. The closet he gets to reckoning with himself is when he admits that he does not think he is worthy or capable of being loved, but that he wishes he was. However after being "reborn" every attempt he makes to that end is at best superficial and half-hearted. When he addresses the crew he does not say he's sorry, and the only thing he does that could be framed as an attempt at reparations is when he gives them money to throw themselves a party. At that same party he (at Stede's encouragement) congratulates himself for dispelling the poison, disregarding the fact that it was the crew's idea, and the crew who put all the effort into it.

Like in season 1, each of his personas comes with a costume change. There's the kohl smeared face of the Kraken, the cleaner crisper Blackbeard, and the neutrals of Ed - a blank canvas. He does not know who Ed is yet, and he is prevented from finding out by his unwillingness to accept that he is the Kraken and Blackbeard, to sit alone with himself. Fang points this out to him, but instead of anything meaningful coming from it, we get two separate scenes of Ed thinking about being quiet, about being present. Just for a laugh. Because, like with Stede, it's funnier (apparently) for him to stay exactly the way he is.

So he does not grow, because despite the writers putting him in positions to do so, their idea of comedy is for him not to. His brief stint as a fisherman is shockingly reminiscent of the end of season 1, where he's so focused on being zen and chill and being a totally new person that he neglects the basic functions of his job. Unlike then, he does not have the excuse of being burnt out. There is no commentary on toxic masculinity here. It was just 'funnier' to show him being incompetent, and apparently the only way the writers could think to get him back to the main narrative. By which, of course, I mean Stede. Because despite it's ensemble cast and the seamlessly integrated character-driven storylines on season 1, this is the Stede Bonnet show, right?

In spite of his very real, and understandable frustration with Stede a) initiating sex despite his explicitly saying he wasn't ready and b) killing Ned Low right when he was trying to leave violence behind, he makes a beeline for him. He rows back to the Republic of Pirates, sees it on fire, and immediately thinks of Stede. Not the crew (because despite Izzy's quite frankly insane last words he has not done anything to build a relationship with them) and not either of the two men he's sailed with for years. Only Stede. For Stede all of his development (as little as it was) is undone. He kills some naval officers despite his previously established desire to avoid violence. he dives to retrieve his Blackbeard outfit, simultaneously completely undermining the significance of him tossing them in the first place, and of his swimming upward towards a new life.

In season 1 he left Blackbeard for Stede and in season 2 he reclaims him for the same reason. But that's not growth. That's not character development. In both instances he is simply being reinvented in the context someone else. He pursues Stede simply because Stede enables him to imagine that he is a different person, he becomes the version of himself that exists in Stede's mind. If this were real life, it would be an extremely unhealthy way to live. In terms of fictional media, it's just lazy writing. Putting him next to Stede is the easiest, least meaningful way for Ed to change. Despite insights into his interiority, he is not being written as a character with agency.

This becomes especially obvious when we look at Izzy's dying words, and at David Jenkins own thoughts about their relationship. Jenkins says that Izzy fed Edward poison and ended up eating it too. Izzy says that he fed Edward darkness because he needed Blackbeard. There is exactly one instance where this is true. That one instance does not in anyway serve as evidence that Izzy was responsible for every violent thing Ed had ever done. Izzy was not responsible for Ed killing his dad, Izzy was not responsible for the joy Ed admitted he took in maiming people, and it certainly does not in anyway justify the violence Ed enacted on him. That one instance also does not change the fact that Ed very clearly had all the power in his and Izzy's relationship. He ignores Izzy continuously. His reaction to Izzy's anger is violence - he chokes him, he maims him. Izzy has no power. Ed chose violence - for a myriad of complex reasons, yes, but it was his choice. But the writers are framing it so that Ed is simply a puppet - he can either be filled with "Izzy's" poison, or Stede's "goodness." He has no agency, because it's too hard. It's too complicated. It would be too much for Ed to be a complex, morally flawed character who grows and changes for the better, and it would be so hard to write him having his happy rom-com story. So it's better to just simplify all that complexity, right? Forget the trauma Ed endured, forget the trauma he inflicted, forget his depression and his mania. Izzy fed him poison. Izzy made him Blackbeard. Let's just leave it at that. Except that's not the story they wrote, is it. If Izzy made him Blackbeard, fed Blackbeard, wanted Blackbeard, needed Blackbeard, then why does he almost never call him Blackbeard? Consistently, since episode 2, it's a constant stream of "Edward", "Ed" and "Eddie" and we're supposed to believe it was Blackbeard he was after? Speaking of Izzy, his arc is the cruelest of all. And no, I'm not salty that he died. I am beyond disappointed that he died in the arms of his abuser, that his last act was to not only absolve his abuser of all responsibility, but to take it on as his own, and that David Jenkins seems to think that this is a good end to his story.

At this juncture it's important to say that Izzy Hands is very clearly a victim of abuse - physical and emotional. It has however become abundantly clear David Jenkins and many fans of the show do not see it that way. Why? Is it because he's a man? Because he does not act like some preconceived notion of an abuse victim acts? Because it's possible that he "brought him on himself"? Is it really possible for anyone to bring that level of violence on themselves? He experiences the most growth of this season, yes, but as we've established the bar is very low, and he was not given the chance to flourish like it first seems. He does not remove himself from the abusive situation. He is confronted about it, he lashes out in panic, and he is consoled, but he still cannot admit to it. That one moment of care allows him to distance himself from Edward - just a little bit. It allows him to stop enabling Ed, and to stand up for the crew. Not himself, the crew. He is just as selfless and as blind to his own needs as ever.

When Edward shoots him in the leg he screams for death. When Edward confronts him again, he surrenders to the fact that he is not loved, or wanted, and he tries to kill himself. He does not survive for himself, or of his own volition. He survives because the crew makes him survive - they try to hide him, they cut off his festering leg, they make him a wooden one, they allow him to lean on them (physically and implicitly emotionally) for support. He begins to heal, but he does not fully get there. He still loves Edward. We see it in his desperation to know what Ed told Stede about him. We see it in the way he approaches Ed, hoping for a moment of his time. He never reckons with the fact of his own abuse. He tells himself a shark took his leg. His dying act is to apologise to his abuser, to blame himself. He lets Edward go not for his own sake, but Edwards'. He lets go of Edward, and he says he wants to die, just like he did when Edward shot him, just like he did when Edward talked to him after that. He hasn't healed. While Ed's and Stede's fatal flaw is their selfishness, Izzy's has always been his selflessness, and that is still true. He still loves the man who hurt him beyond comprehension, he still gives his life - takes away his guilt and gives him the family he earned for himself - so that man can be happy without him. He literally dies for Edward's sins. He is denied the opportunity to ever live for himself. He was given the beginnings of healing, a home and, a family; one party and a swan song.

[stevetonyweekly]

SteveTony Weekly - December 1 - Week 48

Ok, so friends, I’ve got a poll coming in a bit--please come back and vote, I’m trying to decide how to proceed in the blog. I’ve been doing the same thing for close to three years now, and I really love the blog, but I don’t want y’all (or me!) to get bored with it, so--IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE! 

In the meantime!!! Here’s this week’s fic recs! 

~ 

space and time, separating me from where i want to be by softanticipation

“I feel like I know you,” Tony says, and there it is, that bleeding heart of his, the one that got him killed in the end.

This isn’t his Tony, Steve reminds himself. Nothing has gotten him killed yet.

“You will,” Steve says.

*

Most men have a laundry list of regrets. Steve Rogers only has one, and he's not telling just anyone what it is. It might take him the better part of two lifetimes to figure it out, but unlike most men, he gets the chance to make it right. After all, he's lived it once; there's no way in hell he's letting Tony Stark die again.

sit down beside me and stay awhile by soliloquent 

“You’re the only person who knows I don’t wanna play football anymore.”

Tony is silent for a few seconds before replying.

“You’re the only person who knows I don’t wanna be a Stark anymore.”

—⎊—

or: MIT Engineers football captain Steve Rogers and Stark Industries heir Tony Stark share a late-night heart-to-heart under the guise of studying, their conversation revealing many earnest admissions. 🦫

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Oblivion by sabrecmc 

“Mr….Mr. Stark?” the man asked, shaking his head as if to clear it, grip convulsing spasmodically on Tony’s hand.

“That’s me,” Tony responded gruffly. Of course the man recognized him. His face had been everywhere before the whole Iron Man thing and now��well, now…so yeah, totally understandable. Guy was probably thinking of his lawyer’s speed dial number. “Look, ambulance is on its way, okay, so just sit tight. You’re going to be fine.”

“I—I think I missed my date,” the blond man said. And promptly passed out.

Or, how Tony accidentally kidnapped Captain America and then wanted to keep him.

Mechanical Heart by Albuss

Steve didn't run away to be found, but he was.

His Fate Will Be Unlearned by scifigrl47 

Tony Stark spent his childhood making weapons, filling the hole his father left in the world when he succumbed to alcohol, grief, and his own demons. At the age of fifteen, he ran away from home, and made it as far as MIT before all of his responsibilities caught up to him. Now seventeen, he just wants to finish his degree and escape from everything connected to the Stark name.

Steve Rogers crashed into the icy North Atlantic in the 1940's, sacrificing himself to save the world. He never expected to wake up, and now that he has, he's not sure he's glad. The US Army has other plans for him, but for now, Steve is slowly learning to live life in the 21st century, and taking classes at Boston College. He's beginning to suspect that there is no escape.

Boston College is on the T's Green Line. MIT is on the Red. The two lines meet at the Park Street Station, and so will Steve and Tony.

[ghcstao3]

(Inspo is "First Person on Earth" by Robert DeLong)

Soap and Ghost immortals, living new lives as they blend into society. They both remember what it was like to watch the world form. They both remember what it was like to meet each other for the first time.

They hide their long pasts best they can, but Gaz catches onto their familiarity when Soap joins 141 a few years after Ghost. He starts demanding answers so an interesting meeting is called with Price and higher ups involved.

(apologizing again for taking so long to reply to this. also sorry for the mild angst it's the idea that struck)

-

One would think that after having lived the length of hundreds of human generations, Soap would have better learned how to hide his... circumstances.

Or perhaps he should know better that confiding in others is to be left between people like himself, and Ghost. Perhaps he should know better than to let his guard down, to let familiarity that shouldn't exist show—but sometimes, after eons, Soap can’t help but have the need to feel normal. Unrestrained.

Unfortunately for him, though, Gaz couldn’t let his suspicions pass. And when he’d begun to feel distrustful of Soap for his lack of explanations about anything ranging from his familiar knowledge of the past to why he barely batted an eye at what should have been a fatal bullet wound, it’s understandable that Gaz would bring something up to someone who could coax an answer out of Soap—and Ghost, by extension, for similar habits.

It’s only Price. It makes sense for Gaz to go to the team’s captain—immortality should be a concern for the entire team, for safety and advantage. That much Soap can understand—that much he can confess.

But that's only the beginning of a chain reaction. Of the irreversible fall of dominos that was never meant to happen. Because he was supposed to be careful. They were supposed to be careful.

Immortality goes beyond Price, of course. No matter how Gaz attempts to rescind his concerns.

They all realize too late that the brass would only endeavour to make assets out of Soap and Ghost. With soldiers incapable of dying, the possibilities of things that can be accomplished are near infinite.

It's the first time in centuries that they've been properly separated, because of the discovery. And it hurts more than any physical wound Soap has ever suffered.

Fortunately, even as he's exploited as nothing more than a weapon—Soap finds solace in knowing they'd still find their way back to one another. It's another inevitability of being immortal.

And one that may come sooner than the brass surely would have hoped—if only they had realized that that same immunity to death, to time itself have only made Ghost and Soap experts at disappearing.

[ewingstan]

Been curiosity-reading comics lately and rather enjoyed Immortal Hulk. I noticed it was Ewing and looked up what he's done, but that's a rather long list of other things he's written-figured it'd be best to ask tumblr user ewingstan for any particular recommendations to look at from here.

Oh dang! Glad you're enjoying yourself. I'll say up front that Ewing likes to use a lot of the same characters across series, and that they tend to have larger arcs between series, so reading all his stuff in order is pretty rewarding. I also provided a few reading lists below the cut. That said, If I were to recommend some highlights:

Iron Man: Fatal Frontier— Co-written with the incredible Kieron Gillen, this is one of Ewing's first series working in Marvel. A mini-series with a great premise (Iron Man acting as basically a sheriff on a Moon colony) and a great take on Stark, emphasizing a pig-headedness that makes him very entertaining to watch. It's also Ewing's first use of Doom as a character, who'll become one of his favorites to use—and damn if he doesn't write a good Doom.

Loki: Agent of Asguard— One of my first experiences with comics, and one that set the benchmark for what you could do with an extended universe. What starts as an interesting setup for a mythical spy storyline spirals into a larger tale of deciding what kind of character you want to be. Technically a follow-up to Gillen's runs on Journey into Mystery and Young Avengers, but these aren't at all necessary—Ewing sets up the context quickly.

Contest of Champions (2015)— An especially zany one, this series lets Ewing indulge in his favorite passtime: bringing back a bunch of unconnected obscure characters and banging them against each other like never before. An excellent showcase of Ewing's abilities to quickly spin a compelling character out of very little.

Avengers: No Surrender and Avengers: No Road Home—These two series have a soft spot for me. Co-written by Ewing, Mark Waid, and Jim Zub, they're both some of the best examples of classic "there's a big weird threat, lets assemble some heroes" storylines to date. They also serve as a culmination of sorts for Ewing's various scattered Avengers series, though they can each be taken on their own. (Those scattered Avengers series are typically quite good, though they tend to be mired in event cross-overs. Usually you'll need to quickly look up the basic premises of the event an issue is tying into to avoid confusion, though larger engagement with the events are unneeded. These two series thankfully avoid that trend).

Guardians of the Galaxy (2020): This is Ewing firing on all cylinders. It arguably requires a bit more comics background to get the full effect, but it employs some of his most interesting ideas and most compelling action. This ended too damn soon.

Now for the reading lists:

Ewing loves working on team books that are 80% made up of heroes the average person has never heard of. Some of his favorites to work with are Blue Marvel, Spectrum, Sunspot, and various iterations of White Tiger. The most direct reading order for what I consider his most classic, pulpy superhero work is going in order from Mighty Avengers (2014), Captain America and the Mighty Avengers (2014), New Avengers (2015), U.S.Avengers (2017), Avengers: No Surrender (Avengers #675-690), Avengers: No Road Home, Empyre, and Avengers Inc.

However, you can alternatively take the Mighty series to be the start of his exploration of Marvel's larger cosmic makeup. For this somewhat separate, trippier storyline, the reading order is Loki: Agent of Asguard, Mighty Avengers (2014), Captain America and the Mighty Avengers (2014), Ultimates, Ultimates ^2, Contest of Champions, Avengers: No Surrender, Avengers: No Road Home, Immortal Hulk, Marvel Comics #1000, Defenders (2021), and Defenders: Beyond. From what I understand, Venom (2021), The Immortal Thor, Venom War and All-New Venom (2024) also follow from this storyline, though I haven't gotten to these yet. Do make sure to check out the tie-in Absolute Carnage: Immortal Hulk, the one saving grace of the whole Danny Cates Venom series.

Finally, you can construct a list focusing on his take on Marvel's interplanetary politics: Royals, Rocket, Empyre, Guardians of the Galaxy, S.W.O.R.D, X-Men: Red, and The Resurrection of Magneto.

Here's a more detailed breakdown with notes on where you can continue specific storylines. Note again that many of these will have tie-ins, just look up the basic premise of whatever event they're connected to and you'll be fine.

Mighty Avengers is directly continued through Captain America and the Mighty Avengers.

After that, Ewing starts working on two different ensemble books: Ultimates (2015) and New Avengers (2015), each using some characters from the Mighty Avengers books. Each of these are followed up in later series, creating two separate storylines. The New Avengers is arguably a more direct continuation of the larger Ewing Avengers storyline.

If you liked Spectrum and The Blue Marvel, and like your sci-fi with a dash of mytho-poetics, start with Ultimates and continue with Ultimates ^2 (2016). The team also makes an appearance at the tail-end of Contest of Champions. Much of the focus on the big cosmic beings it explores gets revisited in Marvel Comics #1000, Defenders, and Defenders: Beyond.

If you liked Power-Man and White Tiger, and want something pulpy and frenetic, start with New Avengers. Optionally, read the 3-issue Ultron Forever miniseries first. Then move on to U.S.Avengers.

After finishing U.S.Avengers, continue onto No Surrender (aka Avengers 675-690.) This is the last hurrah of the team started in New Avengers, and ties back in several characters from the Mighty Avengers runs. If you want more Roberto Da Costa afterwards, check out X-Men: Red.

No Road Home follows up on No Surrender, and follows up a bit more directly with some of the plot threads from the Ultimates series. Optionally read Rocket beforehand. Afterwards, you can continue the storyline it set up in Guardians of the Galaxy.

The event series Empyre, co-written with Dan Slott, follows up on character arcs from the Mighty Avengers with She-Hulk, The Ultimates with Captain Marvel and Black Panther, and from New Avengers with Wiccan and Hulkling. It also sets up storylines in GotG.

Avengers Inc. is not especially related to other works here, though it uses several characters that he's frequently used across his Avengers titles. Optionally read Ant-Man (2022) and Wasp (2023) beforehand.

[angstycrying]

It's actually well past my bedtime, but I thought I'd just jot down some ideas for my AU and just headcanons about Kaeya.

Well, let's go:

• Varka, Albedo and Lisa know that he is a spy for Khaenri'ah. I thought for a long time about who and how would find out about it, and decided this:

— Kaeya will tell Varka himself: it will happen quite quickly, within 1-2 days after the quarrel with Diluc. He will, of course, expect the worst, but Varka will say that he guessed about Kaeya's origin, and he bad spy, very bad. In fact, I think Crepus and Varka were good friends, and when Crepus picked up the abandoned Kaeya, Varka helped to investigate where the child was from and who he could be, and then together they covered up any traces so that Kaeya could live peacefully, without the ghosts of the past.

— Albedo also guessed about Kaeya's passing (how unexpected), but they did not discuss it. However, as they were getting closer to the level of family thanks to Klee (only platonic family relations!!!), Kaeya decided to reveal his secret to Albedo because he was worried - everyone knows that Kaeya considers Klee his little sister, and if someone from his "life before Mondstadt" comes, Klee might be harmed. But Albedo shrugged and said that if that happens, he will be there and will not let anyone even touch Klee. And Kaeya, of course. That evening, Albedo, Klee and Kaeya fell asleep on the same bed, after a good fairy tale from Alice's collection.

— Lisa was simply in the right place at the right time. She helped with errands for Jean so that she could rest a little, and noticed how Kaeya was communicating with the abyss mage. She did not interrogate or interfere: she invited Kaeya for tea, started a pleasant conversation, and then told him that he should be more careful during conversations with hilichurls and others: Kaeya would then almost choke on his tea, start to feel panic, but Lisa would calm him down and say that she did not suspect him of anything. Then Kaeya would begin to unconsciously avoid her, and when the girl got tired of it, they almost quarreled: Lisa would be soft but persistent, and Kaeya, due to excitement, would be rude and desperate, and in the end he would tell her his secret. Lisa will only exhale and hug Kaeya, promising not to divulge it to anyone - she did not believe that someone in Mondstadt would raise the captain on a pitchfork because of his truth (hello Diluc), plus he loves his city very much, which dismisses the possibility of espionage, but she will compare Kaeya's past, his quarrel with his brother, and understand that it is very important for Alberich to keep such personal secrets. But she will be there, and in a lazy but interested manner to listen to what gossip the hilichurls spread (even if Kaeya does not translate it literally, only the meaning), and also help Kaeya cope with the fear of his origin and the possible return of his biological father (several times Kaeya was really close to full-fledged breakdowns, and Lisa never tired of reminding him that he is not alone - he has loving friends, a family (she spoke mostly about the knights, but also subtly hinted at Diluc), and also a city that will never turn its back on him). For Kaeya, Lisa was both the main listener and the main adviser. They are very good friends, I believe (even if Lisa is sometimes capricious, saying that Alberich owes her a lot of cookies and sweets for their "therapy sessions")

— I want to mention Jean separately, because I like two versions of events with her. The first one — Kaeya tells her everything on the same night, how the quarrel with his brother happened, hoping that Jean will finish him off or banish him from the city (because in Diluc and Jean he always saw the ideals of the knights of Mondstadt and those closest to him (also Crepus), and if they both cannot accept him, then no one could. But then, she heals Kaeya, hits him on the head, and says that spy or not, Kaeya will never betray Mondstadt, and she will personally beat the crap out of Diluc, since he did not see it. The second option concerns my idea with Kaeya's teapot: Kaeya has a very bad day after meeting the Herald of the Abyss and several mages in one of the new Dungeons, he is wounded and mentally tired, does not go to the Cathedral, but goes home to get his body and mind in order, in the teapot. Jean and Diluc, who has begun to restore relations with his brother, are worried, and Jean suggests checking if Kaeya is in the teapot. In the end, she remains outside the house, Jean goes inside, tries to persuade Kaeya to visit Barbara, but he simply asks everyone to leave him for a while. Diluc is irritated by his brother's stubbornness, he loses his temper, presses him, and Kaeya breaks down, saying that he got it from the Abyss today - dozens of voices shouted at him "Traitor! Renegade! Liar!", and he continued to cut the Hilichurls under the laughter of the Herald of the Abyss and his attacks, under his statements that Kaeya is the biggest sinner of them, because he kills his people, but the Abyss can forgive him if he wants to return to the side of his home. Kaeya says that he's had a bit of a hard time today, and he demands that Diluc leave him alone, just now, until he's okay himself. Diluc says that he doesn't want to leave Kaeya alone like this, and Kaeya's brakes completely fail: Diluc is already pushing him too hard with his desire to finally make peace, and Kaeya very sarcastically reminds him that sometimes Diluc does a good job of leaving his brother, sent to Mondstadt as a spy for the Khaenri'ah, alone. But after his words, Kaeya immediately cools down, wants to apologize because he didn't think about what he said, and then Jean comes in. And Kaeya realizes that she heard EVERYTHING. And he is frightened by her confused look, not knowing how to interpret it - he has talked to Lisa many times about wanting to tell Jean everything, and was preparing for this, and now she finds out about it from his hysteria, and Kaeya himself is clearly not ready to answer any of her questions. Or to Diluc, who has turned pale due to the realization of his mistake. He wants to be alone, and one word is enough for Jean and Diluc to be thrown out of the teapot, without a chance to even return or say a word. After this, Kaeya does not leave the teapot for several days, forbidding Tubby to let anyone in. But then Tubby will still let Jean and Diluc in, they will talk about everything and a huge burden and fear of her friend will fall from Kaeya's shoulders, I think. And with Diluc, everything will go smoother, because he will stop pressing so hard and will go towards his brother more slowly.

• Animals. Kaeya loves animals - horses (especially), birds, cats, dogs, fish, lizards - and crystal butterflies! His teapot is jokingly called a "petting zoo", but he can't help himself, especially when the Traveler catches new animals in his teapot once a week (he really looks forward to at least one horse, and once Aether promised that someday he would give Kaeya a horse for home. Alberich doesn't always believe people, but he really wanted to believe Aether). However, not all guests of the teapot like certain animals, and, for example, before Venti's arrival, he has to clean up and take the cats to the "cat room" so that the bard doesn't suffocate. But there is a lot to say about animals, and someday I will dedicate a whole post to this!

• Kaeya has two cute fairies that were given to him: one, a water fairy he named Eri, was given to him by Aether and Paimon; the other one, Mira, is a cute dendro fairy that was given to him by... Collei. Yeah, yeah, as scary as it is, I think that once she stopped being an enemy, showed that she wasn't a threat to Mondstadt (the place he was willing to die for), and accepted his apology for Kaeya's overly painful manipulations (and dropped his jokes on the girl), they became pretty good friends. So yeah.

• Collei and Kaeya are friends, that's what I'll say again :3

• Kaeya sleeps in the pajamas Furina gave him. Why? We'll definitely get to that later (and I haven't even brought up the headcanon of Kaeya once disappearing for a week and returning with gifts from the Harbingers of Fatui and confirmation that he spent three days in Meropides Fortress drinking tea with Wriothesley and Sigewinne)

In general, I'm a little ashamed of my ideas, and I think I need to think about them more, but for now I'll just enjoy what comes to mind when I think about my beloved Kei and his difficult but happy life in a teapot :3

And I apologize if there are mistakes here - English is still too difficult for me and I use a translator, but someday I will learn it!!!

[krinsbez]

Random Captain Marvel (meaning the OG, the Big Red Cheese that Billy Batson turns into, and is currently owned by DC) Headcanons and such.

-The most important thing to keep in mind about Mister Tawky Tawny is that while he is a kind, gentle, sweetheart who, if he had his druthers wouldn't hurt a fly (and was willing to forgive bigots who tried to burn his house down with him in it when they realized their error and reformed)...the fact remains that he is A BENGAL TIGER. He is 500lbs of terrifying apex predator. He is the result of millions of years of evolution to produce one of nature's most effective extant killing machines. And while he is somewhat embarrassed by it, it IS part of who he is and something he is at peace with.

-I prefer to imagine Magnifcus and Beautia being full siblings with Georgia and Thaddeus Junior. I also love the idea that their mother still looks like a bikini model after having four children, two of whom are adults.

-I go back and forth on the idea of Georgia having a complex about her looks.

-That said, I like the idea that Magnificus has a complex about his looks. Beautia looks like their mother. Georgia and Junior look like their father. He doesn't look like either. Also, while everyone notices Beuatia's, well Beauty and Georgia and Junior's intelligence, the trait of his that people are most likely to notice is that he is freakishly strong, which is not exactly something the Sivana family is inclined to value. The other is his being absurdly attractive, and true he shares this trait with Beautia, but given the patriarchal nature of society his experience is not the same; also she can talk to their mom when she gets upset at being reduced to being a pretty face, who's he going to talk to about other men getting defensive around him?

-Sidenote, despite this, it is important to me that Sivana is a good dad who loves all his children, even after Beautia and Magnifcus make Heel-Face Turns; he doesn't understand their choice to become tax-paying solid citizens when they could be helping him do Mad Science and take over the world, but he supports them anyways.

(sidenote, I have several vague mental images in my head of a story where Sivana goes on the warpath after Lobo or someone careless damages spacecraft Magnficus is on whilst fighting Superman, resulting in Mag being injured)

-Sidenote: also important, Captain Nazi isn't a Captain Marvel foe. He is a Captain Marvel Junior foe.

-I am 100% certain that Freddy is Jewish (despite having no basis for it and getting annoyed when people declare other characters to be Jewish with no basis), but it is very important to me that Captain Nazi had absolutely no awareness of this when he crippled Freddy and killed his grandfather.

-Bugs me that people don't use his name anymore. I understand why, but it still bugs me.

-...I don't have anything on Mary, other than that i don't like them making her not his long-lost twin sister. That's weird.

-Can never make up my mind if I prefer the Captain to be a separate entity from Billy, but I do love the idea that he looks like Billy's dad.

-Also don't have anything on Uncle Dudley or Hoppy, other than that I think they exist.

-Love that the age of the podcast means that Billy can be a famous radio personality again. It's actually even more plausible now!

-I fee like it's important to keep Billy's backstory of his parents being murdered, then his legal guardian stealing his inheritance and throwing him out on the street, and then him managing to survive on his own for an extended period (not sure how long, cuz I'm not sure how old he should be) is important. Cuz part of the reason he got picked is because he has EVERY reason to be jaded and cynical. He has extensive, intimate knowledge of cruelty, injustice, and man's inhumanity to man. But despite that his spirit, and his belief in his fellow man remains unbroken because he's also seen how people under duress can still maintain their dignity, how even in extremis many people will choose to do the right thing, how people will go out of their way try to reach out and help those who need it with no expectation of personal gain, etc. So yeah, he knows that people can be horrible monsters, but also that people can be heroes.

[dcs-fkin-mystics]

Shazam! title cancelled?

Looks like the current Shazam! title is being cancelled because there's no solicits after a few months and honestly? I'm not surprise given it's current direction.

Personally, the series is boring because it spends too much time trying to callback old-ass concepts that didn't work in the first place. For example, Billy and his champion form being separate entities? Talk about robbing your character's own agency. The fun part about Billy is interacting in a adult-like whimsical world with the mind and perspective of a child/teenager. It's also dumb because we don't' let him grow up a bit and he is perpetually 15 but we'll have this concept.

Another personal gripe is nostalgia getting in the way. Best example is that the name change; look, I personally prefer calling him Shazam and I don't care if you prefer "Captain Marvel" but it really says something in terms of priority when instead of continuing good stories, we're trying so hard make him back into his early Fawcett version he's canonically calling himself the "Captain" over it. Honestly? Lots of Billy's stories are not that great, they're dated, and a portion of them harbor racist sentiments so I don't get why there's this idea the character was SO good in the past. What was fun about it? Was it the racial stereotypes contained in older stories? Was the plotlines in the Power of Shazam! series where Billy, a minor who understands his actions, dates a adult woman and daughter of a superhero riveting? Did people enjoy the sexist idiocy such as the Wizard Shazam outright stating he thinks the work of a Champion of him is a man's work? There's a reason why I think these older books are nearly un-adaptable and most anything in media with the chatacter pulls from crossover stories and appearance in the Justice League, makes up their own stories, or uses Geoff Johns as a template.

Also, the Shazam! #20 issue perfectly encapsulate a reoccurring issue in that Billy's character has little actual direction. In that issue, there's a crossover where Jon is magically turned into a child accidentally and enlists Billy's help. Only Billy and Mary are not Doctor Fate, Zatanna, or John Constantine so they're essentially useless and the person who figures it out is Jay, Jon's boyfriend who managed to figure out the solution in two pages. What is the point of them being a "Champion of Magic" if it's been a decade and they're still written as not knowing what they're even doing? And what is it they do? Geoff Johns created an entirely new mythos for them that was used in both Shazam! movies and gives them something to do but this series treat him as discount magic Superman.

Even the usage of the supporting characters and villains is not that great; the Shazam Family STILL don't have codenames as a whole. It's just Billy, Mary, and Freddy. Fuck having a supporting cast I suppose. Kudos to Beautia and Georgia being used in the final arc but again Mister Mind being the overt antagonist AGAIN? Or the Greek/Roman gods (plus Solomon) being a focus despite being assholes dodging responsibility and goes virtually unpunished in the grand scheme of things by the narrative or the story for their actions but Billy and the story had all the fucking time in the first few issues to shit and villainize the Wizard Shazam for not being perfect despite never fucking appearing in the actual story even do anything while the aforementioned gods (plus Solomon) got sympathy because "they had it hard [sometimes] too"? This book didn't even bother to use Malik White/Bolt or any of the Black Marvel Family.

All in all, it's no wonder the people think about Billy is a tween interacting with the Justice League or Constantine/Zatanna; a solo like this is both boring and doesn't take advantage of any cool thing in his lore. The creative direction behind his book spent too much time trying to recall the magic of old stories when it's just the concept that's fun. There are some good but most of it is just middling or uninteresting in my honest opinion.

[scarfacemarston]

Legit Question

I'm not trying to start arguments and I know I sound crazy. I'm so sorry. I'm ashamed to have the thought, but it just popped into my head and I just want someone logical. If an actor plays mostly assholes and villains, do you ever wonder about them as a person? I know it's just pretend and it's a job, but I'm genuinely curious if it ever makes you wonder what they're like in real life. I've loved Sebastian Stan since Captain America the First Avenger. I love his early work in Political Animals, Kings, and some others from that era. He's the face claim for my OC I've had for like...4 years, but he seriously plays almost nothing but assholes and or villains. Like legit so many abusers. I AM NOT SAYING HE'S ABUSIVE AND NEVER WOULD. I am not saying he's legit a killer or anything crazy like that. That would be wild. I am saying, do you all think there is a connection between actors and the roles they play? As in a darkness or creep factor or something like that. Like there are a lot of roles in that person's filmography? And there are other examples in the world of acting, too! Am I thinking too much about it? I don't know him in real life, to be fair and no one else does. I don't want to know him or any other celeb. Maybe he just likes challenging roles? IDK. But it's making me wonder if I should change his face claim. I've essentially written a book length thing about a character with his appearance in mind. It's been bothering me. I've been getting some creepy vibes because of it. Do people get normal good vibes from him? (Knowing again that we don't know him.) I know I'll probably separate Bucky and Sebastian Stan at this point, but that's kind of hard to do. Again, I do not hate him. I don't know him. To explain my craziness: I'm Romanian so I legit get shit about Sebastian Stan every time someone finds out I'm from there so it's impossible to escape for good or for bad. Sometimes it's cool things sometimes it's not. To be fair, I think that's why this bothers me? People hate Romanians so much and I've been called horrible names like g^psy, been stopped by police for no reason, been nearly denied entry into places like the UK, told to go home back to my country, I'm stealing jobs etc. There's been a lot of shame being Romanian So I think that's why it feels a little more personal as far as who represents Romania. At the same time, I understand the idea of someone representing a country maynot be fair, but that's kind of how it is? I guess I just want the world to have like....one good Romanian example. I know I sound crazy, but I'm genuinely curious.

[privatecyberstalker]

Anyway, Anti-Entropy Kindergarten /j

Okay, I was a little little bit busy and now I'm very late at the party, but I still have a need to make an explanation of my brainrot about kids of main AE trio. Surely I can't write everything, so for now here's some thoughts about 2 out 3.

I may say in advance – there isn't used any particular timeline. The most important things timeline-wise is that «Thanksgiving Event» still happened, but with less/other casualties, and Anti-Entropy is independent more than a decade.

Let's started:

🟣 Grace Edison Born: August 31st Height (18 y.o.): 168 cm / 5'6'' Honkai Adaptability: Good / B-level

🔴 Victor Tesla (Edison) Born: September 1st Height (18 y.o.): 178 cm / 5'10'' Honkai Adaptability: Low / D-level

Grace is second oldest in the trio. She's older than Victor only on 10-15 minutes and yet - because of this Grace was born at August 31st and Victor at September 1st. They're considering themselves as lucky ones, because «it'd sucks to have a one bday for two». Were adopted as a babies.

P.S. I don't know how to describe their hair/eyes colors so I'll use the example.

Officially, miss Edison's wish to adopt kid was based on «need to raise an heir for a company for an emergency case», but also... after stabilising her relationship with Tesla (and spending some time with Joyce, Ein and their kid), both she and Nikola started to think about getting a bigger family. And yes, it was Tesla's idea to take both siblings, because «we can't separate them, right?» (Tesla saw their eyes and said «mine», nothing new /j)

Fun Fact: kids names literally came from mothers own names («Nikola» means «victor of the people» and «Nancy» means «favor and grace»). Surnames they initially have got from official adoptive mom (Edison), but Victor personally prefer to use other mama's surname (Tesla).

🟣: Active and warm-hearted, Grace slightly reminds miss Planck in her own manner. In fact, she always looked up on people like Emma or Welt, trying to use her «chaotic energy» for good and get to work under their command. Extrovertive, fan of natural sciences, active recreation and dogs. Favourite Joachim's niece (not because she's the only niece, but because boys in this trio are little devils). In childhood wanted to be a spy, partially cuz of her sport-oriented lifestyle, but now she's choosing between be a paramedic, a spaceship captain («brothers, we're going to steal Hyperion») or some other «risky, but very needed» specialisation, yet scared of parents disapproval. Actually has a quite unstable self-esteem.

Some outfits. She actually loves fancy-girly outfits, but when she has to chose, she'd prefer something comfortable. Is this from Tesla, Edison or Planck? Who knows.

🔴: When Victor was a kid, Tesla thought he will become more like Joachim, but «something went wrong». A cat person in all senses. A little menace that loves tricky mechanisms, big explosions and be everywhere at once, feeding his own curiosity and seeking for an «adventure». Really needs a stop-button. Some people would say that he's «born to be a comic relief, force to use his brain on full volume», but he's in fact a handyman, which dreaming about join the researcher's crew as a lead engineer/researcher. Has low emotional intelligence and hard time understanding that his actions/words/jokes could hurt someone. Doesn't really cares about the other people, but at least tries to properly apologies to his family, if it affected them.

Some outfits. He always wears shirts and coats (or something similar), no matter of season. Trying not to look like person who lives in a laboratory. Usually fails miserably.

And a little bonuses:

Schedules in this family exist only partially. When kids are free from school or other highly organised activities, only Grace and Nancy trying to plan their day ahead. Victor and Nikola never will use to this two waking up at 6-7 AM and starting doing STUFFS.

When twins were a little kids, Grace wanted to have a dog at home, but no one else was ready to take care of it. Once Nikola joked about «well, your aunt and uncle have two dogs and only one kid to take dogs on walk, so you can join him» (Grace said «deal» and started to annoy her cousin)(she succeed)

Also, yeah... We can say Victor is that type of twins who jokes about his sibling being an adopted one all the time. Usually Grace has answer on that, but sometimes she really feels out of touch with family. They love to prove her wrong. Especially Nancy (I swear, Nancy was one who sign up both Nikola and Victor on courses of «how to apologise»)

Under Tesla's supervision twins started to speak fluently on approximately three languages. Moreover, with Nancy's teaching both Victor and Grace on the way to become a smooth talkers... in a sake of the company, surely. Their skills still aren't perfect, but they compensating this by giving a stage to one another, depending on situation.

Sometimes they both are getting in a fights. Thanks God, their fighting skills and stamina (in a case of a «tactical retreat») are slightly better than bargaining ones.

Back to the Fun Facts about the names: they also have a nicknames – Phoenix for Grace and Salamander for Victor, which they've got in a prep school. Olders usually calls them by names, but Welt loves to use «birdie» and «lizard» (and says that last one is just short from «little wizard», we'll believe him)(btw, if Phoenix is kinda obvious, Victor become Salamander because he was «slippery guy, who doesn't burn in fire, neither drown in water» and he's genuinely amused by this reputation)

While we're in names territory, there's how twins address olders: Edison - «mom», Tesla - «mama», Joachim - by name, Planck - «miss» or «professor». With Einstein and Welt Joyce situation slightly more interesting: both twins address Ein as «professor», because she seems to be allergic to word «aunt». Welt on the contrary, prefer «uncle» (so Victor addresses him like this), but Grace mostly uses «sovereign» as – in her words – the most suitable and polite form.

Yeah. Though twins always are having something in common – this two isn't an exception – Victor and Grace even showing their respect in different ways. But this is even longer story.

P.S. Second part with einjoyce's kiddo and a little bonuses will be somewhere in a future. That's all for now. Thanks for attention and till I see you next time in my thread talk✨