#both because so much of note writing is now a brainless activity for me and also bc it's really not easy to exaplain certain aspects

[the---hermit]

how I take notes on non fiction books

I recently made a post on my study method, and decided to make a whole separate post on my note taking method. The structure of the notes I write doesn't vary too much from my lecture notes to things I might have to read. A couple of useful informations you might want to know before I start actually talking about note writing is that I am mainly focused on studying history (tho I have had other humanities exams in my degrees), and that I study for oral exams in which the material is mainly composed of non fiction books, but sometimes include articles as well as lecture notes. Somehow I have also failed to mention that I am speaking about HANDWRITTEN NOTES. I only do handwritten notes, I don't work well digitally, so keep that in mind. And with this being said brace yourselves for a very long post. The bullet points I will be making are not really in a specific order and I will be including a few pictures too.

The first step when I am working on the materials for an exam is to figure out in which order I will be reading (and writing notes) the books. This hasn't really much to do with the notes themselves, but it's important to know which of your materials is more general and what other things go more in depth, so that you don't struggle too much while studying. Another plan related thing I always do is to write down each chapter of the book I have to study on my bullet journal and how many pages it is so I can plan my studying more comfortably. If the chapters are very long, and divided in subchapters I sometimes also write those down.

The goal of the notes I write is to fully take the place of the book, so they tend to be very detailed and long. I do this because the very act of writing is part of my study method, and working on things I have written down in my own words is just much better for the type of learner I am. So basically I read the book only once, then it goes back on the shelf and I work exclusively on the notes. This means my notes need to be detailed and well organized.

My method is to read a chapter, underlining important stuff as I am reading, and then right after I am done reading I work on the notes for that chapter before moving onto the next. I do this because it makes the note writing more effortless, I am fresh with informations I just read and I basically just need to skim over what I have underlined.

On underlining, since it is so important. I underline everything I will be including in my notes, it might seem much as sometimes it consists of full paragraphs, instead of key words. But this is okay because my notes I don't just copy and paste.

To create useful notes you need to be re-elaborating the informations. You need to read, understand what you read, and be able to write it down using your own words. That way the notes will be easier to review, they will often be composed of shorter sentences, and by doing so you are also actively making writing part of your studying and not just a mindless activity.

Personally I don't work well with full pages summaries, I need the text to be visually broken into sentences/small paragraphs, and I use a lot of symbols as well as abbreviations.

Symbols and abbreviations are in a way part of your very own language when you are writing notes, you tend to develop these with time, but they are so useful. I personally use different types of arrows, all caps words, position of the text in the page, different methods of highlighting and abbreviations (usually for words that come up often like country names, for example Italy becomes ita, France becomes fr, etc.).

Your notes need to be useful for you, they don't have to necessarily be comprehensible for another person (which means you can and will fuck up sentence structure because sometimes skipping a couple of words makes the notes shorter and still understandable), and they do not have to be pretty. They should be as tidy as possible, but again that might change from person to person, I have some very messy looking notes that make total sense to me. With time you'll learn what works best for you.

I have a visual memory so as I mentioned titles, highlighters, all caps, the placement on the page and other similar things are very important in my notes. I cannot fully exapain some of these things because some definitely only make sense to me in the moment (like the words I choose to write in all caps, or the way I highlight things).

I like to have a clear chapter and subchapter break (so that in case I need to refer back to the book it's super effortless). I like to write those with a red pen, usually the chapter title is in all caps and the subchapter in coursive, but it really depends.

I use only two highlighters in each set of notes yellow for dates, and the colour I associate with the book/the subject of the book (I have synesthesia I don't make the rules when it comes to colours). This of course might change depending your preferences and on the element of your notes you want to focus on. I like to have spacific colour for dates and time periods, because of course while studying history that is a fundamental element. If you are focusing on other subjects you might want to have a specific colour for names, or other elements.

I like to leave a big side margin to add either key words (especially in lecture notes since they might be messier and jump around informations more often), or additional information in a second time (sometimes it happens, after you read another book, or attended a particular lecture you have to add a couple of sentences and I rather have a blank space that never gets used rather than no space at all for emergencies).

I honestly mentioned everything that came to mind right away, but since note writing is now basically a mindless skill I have been practicing for years I surely forgot about something. I might end up adding to this post in the future or write another one. My note-writing method has also changed a lot thought the years from high school to university, it's a skill I have been perfecting for the past decade. This to say that depending on what you are working on things might change, and by experimenting with different things you might find out things that work very well for you. If you have any questions on specific things I didn't mention or that wen't clear my inbox is always open and I am more than happy to help.

Since this post is already very very long I am adding the pictures below the cut

Example of a page of notes before and after highlighting

Example of symbols and structure of the notes and the way I highlight things (in which you'll hopefully be able to understand my handwriting, and in which there might be some spelling errors but alas that often happens in my real notes as well so if there are any it's for the sake of accuracy lmao). If I end up adding informations on the margins I always use a pen of a different color so I can tell which informations I got from what source (ex. main notes from lecture, colorful notes from additional article).

Example of messier notes in which the main text in black are the notes I took during lectures and the additional colorful text was added while writing the materials (I rarely do this, it usually happens when the lectures follow a book precisely, which happens when we have to study books or summaries written by the professor). As you can see I often use post it notes to add more writing space, and sometime I even use them to create visually separated sections. If I end up adding some drawings I also usually like to have them on post it notes so they stand out more (and if you are wondering why the hell would an history student need drawings it's usually either because I need a map or a region/state to mark things out, or when studying for archaeology exams I often needed visual references, for example to identify different types of vases or decorations).

[lupically]

#F40B32 | RYOMEN SUKUNA.

genre | light fluff, light angst, very faint romance undertone 

word count | 2616

warning | mention of death, mention of injury, mention of killing, decapitation 

note | i just wanted to try my hand at writing for a villain that is obviously irredeemable in a semi-realistic way.

what happens when you are irredeemable? you will fall in love anyway.

but ryomen sukuna wasn't in love with you. after all, he had killed you one too few times to claim that he was in love with you.

the first time he killed you was out of instinct. you were an intruder touching his soul the way mahito did, except you barged in without any malicious intention. he had gazed over your fallen body with mild interest then; a mere mortal, yet you emerged from thin air into his locked tight domain without dying?

the second time he killed you was a choice. he gave you not a minute to explain yourself, even though you had wasted the minute asking questions about his identity and the skull-filled area instead of giving him any valuable information about yourself. he had been fed up, he was never a man of patience, so he killed you with a wave of his hand and returned to his dull life alone on his throne.

the third time he killed you—he did not kill you. there was no third time; people liked to say the third time's charm but sukuna believed no such superstition. he killed you twice already and each time, you came back unscathed, both your body and your memories. whether he liked it or not, killing you for the third time would do neither you nor him any benefit, so he kept you alive.

you were afraid of him. he could tell, and he meant for things to be that way until he realized it served as a misfortune on his part. in order to understand this mystery—your sudden appearance into his domain, as well as your inability to leave it and his inability to kick you out—he has to gain some piece of information about you, but you were too shaken up from being murdered to talk to him at all.

sukuna's patience was reaching a breaking point and he thought about torturing it out of you, but he understood that humans are fragile, way more fragile than your typical jujutsu sorcerer. he could accidentally kill you and you would return with no scars and more unwilling to converse with him than before. then it was the waiting game all over again.

he wasn't planning on going through such a dull ordeal again, so he left you be and waited for you to calm yourself down.

the first time you talked to him, you asked him a question.

"are you going to kill me?" you asked him.

sukuna peered down at you from his throne. small, frightened, curled into a ball with no desire to touch the skeletons at his feet, but you looked up at him out of politeness.

he scoffed, displeased. "no, but i always can."

the second time you talked to him, it was to exchange a brief introduction.

"ryomen sukuna," he hummed curtly then he nudged his chin toward you. "your turn."

you shuffled up to your knees and sat down on your heels. your fingers fidgetted at your lap as you timidly peered up at his tattooed, disinterested expression.

"[full name]," you said with a nod, unable to meet his eyes. "nice–nice to meet you, sukuna-san..."

the third time you talked to him, you flinched.

"ma–may i ask you two questions... if i can...?" you asked, for the first time standing up to face him directly.

sukuna leaned away from his propped-up arm. after taking a better look at you, accessing your figure analytically despite having seen you move around slowly for days already, he shoved his hands into the sleeves of his robe and he suddenly jumped down from his throne to stand before you.

you pursed your lips nervously over his looming figure, face heating up with terrible anxiety while your eyes darted down to the watery ground. oh, his presence has been so overwhelmingly deadly that you forgot your white tennis shoes were stained red and your pastel ankle socks remained wet. you did not dare to complain, not even in your head.

"i'll allow it," he said.

"where am i?" you quickly asked.

"an innate domain," he replied.

you have questions, but you decided not to ask. you only nodded after breathing out a soft sigh to calm your nerves. this man constantly sounded condescending, he was kicking open your comfort zone without actively doing anything that would make you uncomfortable.

"okay..." you said, "thank you."

"aren't you going to ask me another question?" he stated with a raise of his brow. "you wanted to ask me two questions."

you gulped, blinking hopelessly at the air as a grimace appeared on your face. "the first question was if i can ask you two questions, and the second one is about where i am... so that makes two."

oh, a meticulously cautious one, and somewhat humorous too he would give you that. sukuna scoffed loudly, but it was less out of annoyance and more out of disbelief of your incredible dullness. however, as plain as you were, he has grown accustomed to your presence; the scent of fear that bounced off of you and the fact that he cannot kill you at will.

"you must be dying to know what this place is, are you not, you brat?" sukuna asked.

when he saw the flashes in your eyes, he knew he had you down through and through. all you were was but someone who was too afraid to say what they want, which was just as he expected from you. you wouldn't cause him trouble, you never could.

reaching his hand out of his sleeve, he stayed silent despite seeing the way you flinched with your eyes shut at his raised hand. his movement had been slow, but that was an involuntary response, an instinct that he didn't craft into you. he wondered what it was.

"you can ask me three more questions," he said as he pushed the heel of his palm against the curve of your head. he was gentle at first, then he clamped his hand down on your head as he bent his waist to meet your eyes. he laughed. "i'll allow it."

he could keep you here. he has no choice but to keep you here, and he would kill you once he realized he has the ability to. but for now, perhaps he could act a little civil, something like a human being but one that people would hate to the core.

except he was met with a little obstacle in the way, which was that you were no bad company.

the first time sukuna gained a liking toward you was when you asked him a peculiar question.

"sukuna-san," you called one time when there was only silence within the innate domain.

you sat on a bed of skulls, one that you tentatively asked the king of curses to make you so you wouldn't have to lean on the rib-cage structure and sit in water for slumber.

he denied it at first. calling you names and threatening you about ever requesting something from him—a bed in his domain? fucking atrocious. but your insomnia was killing you; you hated the blood water and your neck burned whenever you wake up having it arched at the worst angle possible.

he did not grow soft. he just made one so he didn't have to watch you sleep in his peripheral vision.

"hmm."

"why do you think curses exist?"

he raised a brow at you. "did i not teach you that before?"

"you did, sorry," you nodded, "then do you believe in god?"

"where the fuck is this coming from, you brat?"

"from where i came, god is good. but from what i am seeing, whether from where i came from or here, everything goes against that value," you muttered loudly as you pulled at your fingers. "cursed spirits harm people. if i can argue that way, i think cursed spirits are harmful within themselves."

"if god is good, and god is real, why would this happen," you said. "why should we feel negative emotions? why do we have the ability to create cursed spirits? why do curses like you exist?"

he furrowed his brows in irritation. have you reduced him to mere curses? have you reduced him to nothing but a brainless being that only takes joy in the suffering of others? no matter how he approached your words, he felt infuriated that you could minimize his importance to simply being a bad person.

he was much more than a bad person, much more than just a pain! he has ideals, he has goals and ambitions, he has wit and strength! he has anger and malevolence and power beyond which your soul could ever contain and endure! he was ryomen sukuna, the strongest curse in a thousand years and more!

he will fucking kill you.

"i'm really glad you're here, though," you finished off softly, an unknowing smile on your face as you rubbed your thumbs weakly together.

he will kill you.

"for a long time, i was told my anger and hatred aren't real. that they don't and should not exist, and i learned to bury them to the ground so they never appear on the surface again," you said, your innocent smile audible to his ears and making his chest twitch with guilt.

"cursed spirits' existence is proof that my negative emotions are real. they may be a problem, but i am not crazy for having them because they're here. they became something, they're here and alive."

he will... he will kill you.

"i just think it's unfair to put the blame on cursed spirits and cursed energy alone when the society's standard guarantees the manifestation of them," you said. "if my anger got out to the world in the form of a monster and it hurt someone, i'll forgive it. i will forgive myself."

he...

"you don't need to hear this, i wish i had your confidence, but i have to say it," you looked up and smiled at him, "i'm a little glad you're here, sukuna-san."

he will kill–he will ki–

the second time, he went stoic.

mahito was too smart for his own good. the first thing he noticed when he entered the soul within yuji's body was the way sukuna has the collar of your shirt clutched in his hand and your body pulled close to his side. it was a glance, he had one small glimpse of you both before he was kicked out of the domain.

your face was riddled with tears—crying, disappointed, and frustrated, but why? for the transfigured human whose name mahito almost forgot, or because sukuna just had one of the most sadistic outbursts you have ever witnessed.

and sukuna, the king, the lord, the almighty—didn't he look annoyed. well, not annoyed, per se. angry, mad, overwhelmed, knowing, protective. very, very, very protective; glowing eyes that glared at mahito's patched up face, fingers that gripped at your shirt so tightly he could rip the fabric apart, an aura that was ready to spit any moment if mahito so much as reach a finger toward your direction.

you meant something to ryomen sukuna. mahito realized that, so the second time he entered the innate domain, he killed you.

right before his eyes, with a cunning and triumphant smile, your neck cracked and your skin broke, and mahito tore your head off just before he was once again beat out of the domain.

sukuna tried to heal you. he tried to seal your head back to your lifeless body, time and time again pushing your decapitated head against your haphazardly cut neck. but his reverse curse technique wasn't healing you. your skin refused to piece itself back together, you refused to come back to him. time passed and he was getting mad, he was going batshit crazy trying to force himself out of this body.

bastard! bastard! bastard! he was supposed to kill you! he was supposed to be the one to kill you! he would murder that patch-faced piece of shit! he would kill mahito! and he would destroy the whole world, light it on fire and kill all that wasn't worthy of his time! he would jump universes, light-years, the bloodstream of the galaxy to find you and bring you back to him. he would—

"sukuna-san, i'm sorry i took a while! i thought you were fighting–holy shit, is that me?"

the third time, sukuna admitted to himself.

"what kind of flowers do you like, sukuna-san?" you asked, voice drowsy and your legs dangling after you climbed on one of the bones of the rib-cage structure.

"why does it matter?" he asked from his throne, eyeing you carefully.

your were a clumsy idiot. you could fall anytime.

"it doesn't, but it's flowers," you mumbled with your chin leaning against the bone, eyes threatening to close. "sukuna... sukuna..."

"what?" he snapped.

"i like lilies, the red ones," you said with a silly grin. "will you visit me when i die? sukuna... will you bring... mmm... bring red lilies..."

he looked ahead. your death; your grave, decorated with red lilies, protected and preserved with his curses. your death—he gritted his teeth. he refused to think about it. it was a waste of time.

or maybe he simply hated the idea of your death.

sukuna has not gone soft. he was irredeemable; a killer, a curse, a tragedy to descend upon mankind. he was not good and he never would be, nor did he ever have the intention to be good.

still, from you, there was proof that he could be more. what was left of his being; his anger and his torture, what was left within the gaps of his hell, the rare softness that once was there, belonged to you now.

you were the vessel that pocketed all that he could potentially become if he wasn't born to be ryomen sukuna, a version of him that you have witnessed. within you, there was proof that he did not only exist to hurt people, but also to validate madness and pain, to acknowledge passion in its murderous wakefulness. within you, there was proof that within himself, there are pieces of what it means to be human and alive.

hearing your soft breath, sukuna looked up to find you asleep with your head against the bone. your arms barely supported your weight and you were threatening to fall off as you dozed with faint snores. he stared at you, his fingers twitching, then he finally waved his hand so he could bring you away from the ribcage and to where he sat.

he paid no mind to subtlety when he set you on his lap. his hand supported your back while he kept your head pressed against his shoulder. his other arm went around your body, preventing you from falling off the throne made only for him to sit on. when he was done adjusting to the new sitting position, he relaxed.

brushing the hair away from your face, he stared down at you with disinterest, but his heart pumped and pumped for you to be warm and well, his arms tightened for you to sleep soundly.

"i will bring you all the red lilies you want," he whispered, the back of his finger gliding past your soft cheek. you did not smell like fear when you fall asleep, you did not smell like fear now even when you looked at him. "i will allow myself that."

after all, ryomen sukuna was only fond of you. very, very fond of you. 

[sebastianshaw]

I know everyone here is SICK of my Duggan hate but-- It strikes me, he really just CAN’T write complex characters? I’ve noted many times over how he’s dedicatedly stripped Shaw of anything likeable or human not only the present, but actively retconned events to make him a 2D sack of evil (and frankly, inept evil) in the past as well. But he also goes out of his way to do the reverse for Emma, retconning that she’s ACTUALLY been a good person All Along even when she was at her most evil (so. . . what about her neverending journey to be a better person then, if she always was?) and actually Always Helped Other Women (which is like. . .pretty laughable to anyone who has read her past issues) to fit his ‘feminist’ theme. And there’s also, as many others have noted, how the secondary cast is just. .  .bereft of character, or likewise one-not. Bobby, Pyro, Shinobi, and Bishop can go for ISSUES without speaking, and when they do, it’s like. . .one line. They show the bare minimum of personality most of the time, and while sometimes Duggan can hit a home run (Shinobi’s remark about how he and his dad have done well in not trying to kill each other so far) a lot of it is just. . . why are they there? No, really. They don’t really do anything, and the “plots” he gives them are typically underwhelming and resolved in one issue.  Pyro, as @sammysdewysensitiveeyes has noted, hasn’t been demonized into a total strawman like Shaw, but he’s also really not at all recognizable as Pyro either. His character is entirely a one-note buffoon who is there for stupid comic relief, and there’s zero discussion about his past prior to coming back---his time with the Brotherhood, his battle with the Legacy Virus, the changes he underwent as a person when he was at death’s door, or even the stuff before that as a wartime journalist in Southeast Asia. None of that is there, there’s just this chaotic frat boy joke that Duggan pretty much entirely made up; he only even acknowledges Pyro is a Gothic Romance novelist after 20 issues, and even then it’s to make him look like a joke some more. Like Shaw, he’s just got one dimension now. Duggan seems to WANT to talk about abuse, specifically at the hands of men, which both Christian and Shinobi have experienced, as both were abused by their fathers. But he never, ever brings that up. Instead, he retroactively invents that Shaw abused Lourdes, and tacks on an abusive backstory to a female villain. I don’t think he thinks men can be abused? Or just. . .doesn’t care. His male characters are the ones who suffer most from flatness and having to be inept, evil, or both while the Cool Women Do Things, and I guess he, like lots of men, thinks that’s what Feminism (TM) is, just he’s not whining about it and is performing it instead. Speaking of that female villain, Wilhemina is a nasty evil sadistic little girl who not only happily kills/hurts people, she also kills and tortures animals, especially kittens. And you know what? I bet in the hands of a skilled writer, she very much COULD be made sympathetic and understandable. But what Duggan does is he just takes her and literally in ONE SCENE is like “oh she understands it was wrong now and is SUPER SORRY see she’s CRYING and also she did it because she was SEXUALLY ABUSED” and bam, we’re supposed to feel for her. There’s no buildup, no exploration, just a sudden explanation and remorse and that’s. . . .it?  Compare MANON AND MAXIME whom I’ve written about before. They’re two children who were traumatized, abused, exploited, and made to hurt others by their abuser, which they seemed to enjoy doing. Now that they’re free and living on Krakoa, they do still exhibit unacceptable behavior at times, sometimes out of vengeance, sometimes in self-defense gone too far, and sometimes out of a desire to help and please others but lacking the tools to understand boundaries and appropriateness and respect for other’s autonomy. They’re a very unsettling blend of being sweet, childlike children, too eager to please adults, and little gremlins who seem to take joy in messing with people’s minds---or who just don’t understand when it’s wrong even when they mean well. Unsettling, and realistic. Psychic powers aside, I find the twins to be much closer to real-world victims of abuse, especially children, in that they’re NOT “good victims” or “bad victims”. They’re not the “abuse makes you evil” trope, but they still have fucked-up behavior so they’re not the “little abused angel who just sobs beautifully but whose symptoms are all sympathetic uwu” either, which is just as rare and as damaging a stereotype in its own way because it holds that up as how survivors of abuse “should” be. And, as said, that’s rarely it. Most survivors come out of abuse with behaviors that AREN’T sympathetic but DID help them survive, and they ARE NOT BAD PEOPLE FOR IT. This shit is complicated. Then there’s Wilhemina, who starts out as just a monster (even though, realistically, if a child is hurting animals, they probably DO need help) and then the moment her tragic backstory is revealed, she also recognizes and regrets all her wrongdoings. She jumps from one extreme to the other in the space of a few panels, but remains totally one-dimensional either way. And of course, Lourdes. We didn’t see to much of her personality BEFORE Duggan got ahold of her, but in her two issues pre-retcon, she showed a surprising amount of depth and moral ambiguity. She was a member of the Hellfire Club and high enough in its ranks to try to prevent Shaw from being nominated as Black Bishop, claiming she’d seen how it changed people. She clearly had seen some shit and despises it, yet she remained within it. She also seemed content with the idea of Shaw and Buckman experimenting on mutants as guinea pigs, her concern was more doing it on the X-Men specifically and that Buckman would betray Shaw. And she had far more agency when she chose to give her life to save Shaw’s, than Duggan’s version that needed Emma to tell her what to do. Duggan’s Lourdes is a brainless doll who talks like a little girl and needs Emma to handle everything for her, despite it largely not making sense that she would, given her own resources. She’s more morally pure, perhaps, but also one-dimensional. Only room for ONE Woman With Agency here, honey! TL;DR Duggan really can’t write characters that are more than one or two notes, and it shows. 

[linphd]

dabi x sibling!reader | la vie en rose [sequel]

dabi x reader

gender neutral

(Y/N) finally meets Touya again, even if the conditions weren't those they expected.

no warning, except that it could be considered slightly angst ???

the prequel is here !!

this story follows the theory that dabi is touya todoroki

The meeting is kinda fast but I really wanted o focus on that instead of anything else

note : since you're meeting during the summertime, let's say that the provisional license exam took place before instead of after, moreover Shoto’s birthday is supposed to be in January but rose it fucks I’m the whole storyline so yeah let’s say it was before summertime 👉🏻👈🏻

        The summer camp was a really great idea, according to the students. Indeed, they could use their quirk as much as they wanted and find new techniques, and they also could enjoy the sun during their break time. You were talking with Setsuna and Juzo, while everyone was preparing for their little game with your brother's class. The 1-B class was hiding and stuff, preparing their plans to scare the other class' students.

         However, what you hadn't planned was a villain attack. How could they find you ?! You all received the order to fight, and you just ran into the mess without thinking. Your quirk was powerful, even more than Shoto's ; since you had also trained with your fire quirk for all those years.

          Indeed, you trained so bad that your flames turned to blue ones, those that Endeavor needed to make a lot of effort to use. But with you, they were almost natural. Sure you had to make some efforts too, but it was much less exhausting than when Endeavor was using them.

         You kept running, kinda hoping you would find your twin. You knew he was powerful, but you needed to make sure he really was okay. And knowing him, he was surely trying to protect his classmate, Katsuki, since the villains were looking for him. You kept running, hearing someone humming La vie en rose in the process. 'This music's following me' you thought. You noticed that it also was coming from a villain. Did he enjoy killing people so much, he was singing ?

         You almost bumped into him, but you had the quick reflex to use your ice. He bent, raising a hand at you, surely to activate his quirk, until he noticed who you were. His eyes widened, and he let his hand fall by his side. Seeing a villain stopping his actions like that, it confused you. You turned around, maybe there was another villain behind you and it was just a plan to confuse you. But then, even stuck in ice, the villain used his quirk to cercle you and him in blue flames. Blue flames.

          He then managed to make your ice melt. So you used your own blue flames to try and take control of those he had thrown, but seeing that he still wasn't attacking you made you stop. You stared at him, and he wasn't saying anything. Except that, after some seconds, he smiled at you. Those eyes, this smile, the spiky hair and the blue flames. ''Touya ?'' You finally were able to say, almost quietly. He smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. ''Hi, my baby...'' Oh, that's what he used to call you. You were a small, small little child.

            But even all grown up now -okay 16 was kinda grown, hearing that nickname made you feel weak like how you used to be, and when Touya had to come to calm you down. He looked like he was about to say something, when he felt you hugging him. Of course you were a hero and he was a villain now, but he couldn't help but hug you tightly. ''My baby you're all grown and tall now !'' You smiled at him, jokingly with the fact that he was still much taller.

          But then, he frowned when he heard : ''What happened to your skin ?'' He sighed. ''It happened not so long after I left the house. I got so mad, I couldn't control myself and it just happened...'' You caressed his face, to feel the burnt skin. ''Did it hurt ?'' He pushed your hand away, but he didn't want to hurt you. ''Yes, but I deserved it.'' You weren't done with the burnt subject, but he brought up another one already.

            ''Did you get my texts for your birthday ? I was scared that you'd changed your phone number, it would've been a shame if I had memorized it for all those years and you changed it.'' You giggled. ''Yeah, I kept the same phone number from when I was 10. More practical for mom too.'' He smiled at you when you pronounced that. ''How's she ? -She's much better without dad.'' He chuckled, playing with one lock of your hair. You had so many things to say, you couldn't think of only one. Except maybe...

            ''So, you became a villain ?'' He sighed. ''I didn't really want to, but yeah. But believe me, I won't hurt you nor Shoto. I don't want to hurt your classmates neither, okay ? I just became everything Endeavor despised so I'll avenge myself someday when we'll meet again. But I want you to be safe.'' You were trying to tell him some other things, but he wasn't letting you talk.

         ''So, you've got blue flames now ?'' You nodded, creating one in the process. ''Yeah, just like you.'' He chuckled. ''Dad must be crazy about you ! Both quirks but the flames are blue ? What a masterpiece.'' You punched his shoulder playfully. ''I don't know, we don't talk much.'' But then, you got another message saying that the villains were looking for Katsuki. Oh, yeah. That was the main issue.

             ''Why are you looking for Katsuki ?!'' He avoided your gaze, obviously, he felt kind of ashamed of himself, being in this state in front of you. ''We need him to join us.'' You frowned. ''He will never join the League of Villains, Touya. He's an asshole, but an heroic one.'' He snorted. ''We'll see that, then.'' But then, he heard Twice's voice. Oh no, he was coming back. Touya cupped your cheeks with his hands.

              ''My baby, listen. (Y/N), listen ! The villains can't see you cause they won't hesitate to hurt you, unlike me. We already attacked this building where your dumb classmates were studying, so we won't go there again. And no, nobody got hurt, thanks to that teacher of yours. You go there to be safe, okay ? And on the road, you just have to avoid the brainless. Go behind me, I'm not the center of the intervention, I'm actually far away from the others. It may be a longer way for you, but it'll be safer. I won't hurt Shoto, I won't hurt your crazy classmate neither. I just want to kidnap him.''

         That said, he hugged you, and stopped his blue flames that were preventing you from escaping. However, now many other voices could be heard ; many villains were coming back and they surely had Katsuki with them to do so. Then, he pushed you, like you guys had just fought, and told you to ice his feet so he'll be stuck to the ground.

         So when everyone arrived, it looked like you guys were fighting. However, the villains had Katsuki. Kurogiri made some portal so the whole League could escape. Touya smiled at you, your classmate disappearing with him.

         After the fight, when everyone was sure that nobody was hurt, Shoto walked to you. ''How did this villain know my name ?'' He asked, talking about when your brother pronounced it. ''Hm, the sports festival, I guess ?'' You answered.

            Of course, Shoto couldn't have recognized Touya, even with the blue flames. They had barely talked during his whole life, and he spent most of his time with your mom before she went to the hospital. And then, Endeavor trained you both even more and Touya went missing. But still, you smiled, because you knew that your brother was alive, and safe.

fun fact : while I was writing this, there was la vie en rose as a background music on a tv show

when reader said « this music's following me everywhere » it was true.

[ralfstrashcan]

3x13 Reaction / Commentary

Yeah I'm aware, stop judging X___X

I feel the need to point this out. Apparently it's common practice for the Praetor to just, kill off their more troublesome charges. Interesting. But Jordan has a different work ethic which is a) apparently not usual for praetors and b) something at least Nick attributes to his past and not, idk, common decency. Just how savage is the Praetor exactly?? (Also let me add this to the list of things why 3x15 makes no sense at all.)

Okay, so they found another mundane dead by Heidi's hand...... why exactly don't they call the Shadowhunters? Aren't they obliged to? I mean?

True, but it sure as hell is her responsibility how she handles them. But we established already that she has a serious perception problem and always sees herself as the victim.

I mean, prime example, if she could have made that smooth exit through the vent where the werewolves couldn't follow, why didn't she just do that from the start instead of attacking Nick? Because she wants to cause trouble and not just “live her life in peace” as she's pretending to.

More like, he didn't have the guts to face Alec like that. Also does that mean he draped Izzy on the couch like that in that cliché sleeping pose with one hand under the head? At least he took off her boots like a sane person.

“I'm just drained.”

Haha it seems Alec isn't the only Lightwood sibling with a shitty sense of humor.

“I don't have the same preexisting condition.” “You mean my addiction?”

No, Izzy, he obviously means your fashion sense, keep up. Seriously, who wrote that stupid ass line of dialogue.

I found it pretty hilarious that Simon, Clary's literally oldest and bestest friend since kindergarten, feels the need to apologize to Izzy for taking up so much time with his Clary-reunion and blocking the path for her. The Clizzy Energy is Strong.

“Hmmmm hot hot hot Clary, please show me more.”

MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY HAHAHAHA PERFECT

Also, Morningstar.... didn't Val name his dumbass tanker ship in S1/S2 Morningstar? Guy really has it with name repetitions, first Jonathan 1 and 2, now Morningstar Ship and Morningstar Sword... I bet he named all his stuffed teddys Mr Snuffels 1, Mr Snuffels 2, Mr Snuffels 3.....

The way he delivers this line me might've as well said “Please cut out the emotional disgusting bullshit my skin is crawling already from this I can't take any more mushiness PLEASE GO AWAY.” Gotta love Alec.

MAGNUS RAGE PUNCHING THE KEYBOARD IS THE MOST RELATABLE THING I HAVE EVER SEEN

Magnus opening up about missing his magic MY HEART OH MY GOD

(Sidenote though: No wonder he got frustrated with the pretentious Shadowhunter Technology, I mean, look at it. There are only runes. Runes may be called runes, but they don't actually make up an alphabet. Why the heck is there a flexibility rune on the screen? It makes no sense.)

This whole scene (and Izzy's lipstick lol) is absolutely perfect. I love everything about it, especially Magnus and especially Izzy. I'd be really surprised if Magnus didn't find a way to get her that weird root thingy anyway, because he surely doesn't buy the “feeling a lot better now” line.

(Edit: Now thinking about it I realized two things, a) she probably didn't take him up on his offer to go to another warlock because she felt like that was unnecessarily rubbing in that he can't do it himself anymore* and b) with that line she probably meant she feels lighter already for sharing what happened and just <3<3<3<3<3)

*The only think that would have made this scene more perfect is if Izzy hadn't skimmed over his magic comment without acknowledging it in any way. Though with this thought in mind, that she rejected his offer to spare his feelings, I find myself placated.

Also I love how Magnus pretends he's going to look for pen and paper when really he's running straight to Alec to tell him all about this (and to prevent a repetition of 2x09 form happening.... and now I made myself sad again).

#effortless (Also reminds me of that post about fire message mechanics that I still owe a certain someone. Where is the time.)

HAHAHAHA

???????????? How do they know that? More importantly, does Alec know? Will he hear through the Shadow World grapevine??? So many questions.

I mean, I have sympathy for her. But like, she's too smart for me to buy that she genuinely can't see any other course of action. She just does this because it's the least effort for her, not because she's truly clueless what alternatives are there for here (aka not running around, killing mundanes, starting a fight with everyone). She just thrives on chaos.

Also “Wolves don't just attack without cause. Not in New York” ? Seems like all Institute except the NY one do a shit job since supposedly keeping peace between the Downworld factions is part of their responsibility. Yes, I am still salty about 3x15. (Also, if anyone's confused by this weird foreshadowing, I wrote notes for this reaction post while watching 3x13 when it first aired, but only got to finish it now after 3x19 aired and I can't keep my chronology-screwing bitterness to myself while finishing up the post. But mostly these are my thoughts from then.)

Yeah something tells me she's not gonna be totally uninvolved in that.

This and the fact that Russel wants to stop Bat from even leaving the Jade Wolf are the final proofs that all the werewolves actually live at the Jade Wolf and pile up in a giant snuggle pile in the kitchen at night. This is further cemented by the fact that Luke and Maia claim to have flats of their own but we never actually see them. Clearly they're both dirty liars that just wanted to mislead.

*late Jocelyn's late friend Eliot #rude #whatever

.......why the hell would Elias code that shit in Circle short hand? So other Circle members, who Jocelyn was hiding from, could easily open that super important safe? So smart! Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Luke in the Circle as well? Shouldn't he be able to read that, too?

1) Eliot is such a loser and a showoff for ostentatiously writing that J in Jocelyn 2) His hint is seriously “Don't open with brute force.” Wtf kind of hint is that man are you even real.

I'm sorry, okay, but everytime I see / hear Bellicosi I think Maxi-Cosi XD

*glares at 3x15* Will I ever tire of raging about that episode? Unlikely.

Why.....? Since he didn't have any problem 100% blaming Raphael for everything Heidi did (not unjustified, but I'm just saying he's suddenly changed his mind). I mean, if he'd said she's dangerous to him and his family that would've been another matter.

These are all runes that I don't remember seeing on the Shadowhunters' Wiki Rune Page. Please tell me more.

Jace: “Clary, you've been going nonstop since you came back. You need to take a minute.”

lol if only Jace would implement the same advice himself.

“Wow I suddeny remember I had a life before I was 10.”

German Dubbing: Yeah, the ones Consul Penhallow categorically ignored. Honestly. Who dubbs this shit. Wtf.

Listen I love everything about this scene. (Fun Fact: In the German Dubbing she says vampire addiction, not venom addiction lol as if she was addicted to vampires XD)

Alec Lightwood, best brother of the year. Btw he's been holding that title since birth. I also don't think Alec would ever judge Izzy for her addiction / look at her as if she's weak, so the fact that she thinks that says a lot about how the addiction affected her self-image.

Too bad Alec forgets this for the next few episodes and acts like a total tool in that Clave Investigation Thing, smh.

Good to know.

Haha that was witty.

Oooooh why don't they ask another warlock then? For example one who's actually always the smartest person in the room?? Who's also willing to work on this??? Just a thought tho, don't let me interrupt the Maruke Bonding. No, you know what? I hate the shipname Maruke, it's shit, so I'm calling it Luryse as it should have been called. Then again, when am I even gonna talk about that pairing? We shall see.

“Outrageous, just because people around me keep turning up dead! It's ridiculous, really, that they'd think I could have something to do with that. It's as if they're not aware this is a TV show and supporting characters die because *Moriarty Voice* THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE DO!”

“That what the kids call it these days when they get kicked out on their ass?” She literally says “From one exiled to another” so she clearly realized he's full of shit.

“And that's why in two episodes Imma get myself arrested by behaving like a dumbass and then chill in prison as if it's my greatest accomplishment.” Honestly Luke, so many No-s. I can't even.

“Wow I can't believe I have to see this Luryse bs up close.” Hah, now I used the right shipname and can move the f on from bashing that pairing. Sorry about that. I'm sleep deprived. That always makes me extra salty.

“When you're alpha you need to make the pack your first priority. Your personal life needs to take a back seat. And mine never did.” I applaud Luke for admitting he was a shit alpha because he didn't proritize the pack. Hindsight is 20/20.

Wow Luke so helpful <3<3<3 Just like I know and love you.

I also love how nobody questions that Heidi bit that mundane and then chilledly made a phone call at the scene of her Accords-violating crime. How frakking convenient.

But their runes aren't on the same side. Sloppy work. Also, if the illustrator obviouly takes artistic liberties, then the rune missing on the second pic doesn't have to mean anything. Maybe they just forgot to draw it. Then again this isn't even the most flimsy conclusion-making I've wittnessed on this show so I'll let it slide.

lol Jace and Jonathan are basically playing tug of war with Clary: Jonathan burning himself, Jace activating her healing rune XD

Ooooh brainless S1 Clary, how I have not missed you. Srsly now? Carve it out? That didn't work for Simon so why should it now? lol she should ask the seelie queen if she has some handy floor mosaic thingy in her courtyard to help with that.

In his defense, he moved.

It's not gonna work is what it is. Srsly how dumb are they? Why the hell does she think something so powerful can just be carved out?? Wtf.

Woooow they're using a rune removing device, color me impressed. I really thought they'd just put a scalpel to it. So, at least points for trying.

Uuuuh get some morphin, try again. I mean. But anyway.

*break up

......didn't she just break up with him because pack reasons? Where is that not a Shadow World Reason? Please explain. (Also choosing an unflattering screen cap of Simon because he annoys me? Absolutely. I am petty like that.) The easy way Simon accepts their break up really makes me wonder. If Maia hadn't said anything, would he have broken up with her? Since apparently things “changed” and they could “both” “feel” it. Honestly. He literally calls her his girlfriend at the start of the scene as if to draw attention to how ridiculous this is.

You know what, I don't even have the energy to rage about this. Their relationship was so great, they were so supportive of each other, they had great chemistry, great communication, they always stood by each other. And just because Sizzy has to be endgame there were suddenly weird-ass tension between them for no real reason – none that 3A Saia wouldn't have worked through like pros anyway – just so this break up wouldn't come out of absolutely nowhere. It's shit treatment of both their characters and their relationship and I'm just so exasperated with it all. (Also not the way to endear me to Sizzy. But at this point I feel like a broken record.)

Discount? It was free. Which I'm still finding super hard to believe by the way, that a werewolf establishment would just give out free food to vampires who don't even work there. But what do I know, right, I mean it's not like they just mentioned a few minutes ago how werewolves and vampires hate each other? Right?? Hahaha.

Wow. This actually takes the time to highlight that this break up wasn't as amicable as Simon thought. Maybe he thought that they were breaking up for human reasons, but Maia clearly feels she threw her relationship away for the pack and it's hard for her. And Simon's tirade wasn't really encouraging her to let him know that. I really appreciate that detail.

Other things I want to say: 1) I didn't like that Maia just flat out broke up with him. She should have informed him that she was going to step up for the pack and would have to prioritize that over their relationship and then leave it up to him if he wants to put up with that or not. By breaking up she made the choice for him. Her course of action is ic, I'm not critizising that, but from like, a personal stand point I don't like it. 2) Foreshadowing: Since her whole pack gets slaughtered, if that would have been the only reason to break up with Simon she coulda just gotten back together with him lol. Haha sorry I'm trash. I know.

Wow he's really dumb. He knows Heidi's brand of crazy and still he doesn't realize this was a trap. He said himself that Heidi must have done something for the Preator to be after her, and when the Praetor tells him she's been leaving copses left and right he...... takes this as his cue to ally himself with Heidi??? Wtf?????? Does he not believe what Jordan said? Again, he suspected something like that himself and since the Praetor are playing at being the Downworlder Police they wouldn't just make something like that up with no proof. The heck. I don't get you, Boss Vampire Guy.

Also, thumbs down for the Praetor, if they'd just told them their source was Heidi herself (on the phone) this could have been prevented. But, ugh. With how things are I can at least kinda buy that no working communication between vampire clan and Praetor exists.

Still, if the Praetor wants to be accepted as some kind of Shadow World Institution they should really work on their manners.

.................................................

I I don-- I can't. *sigh* I can't believe I just had to watch this with my own two eyes. Have they not been trained for a case like this? A fellow shadowhunter injured in the field? That activating the healing rune should be the first thing you do? Before lovingly prying information from the dying person?? I mean, if that's not Plot Convenience then I don't know what is. Sure, he needs to give them a snippet of info, but not too much. But please, please, couldn't writers have found a way for this that didn't make them look like the stupidest of idiots in the entire frikkin world?! Wtf. WTF. I can't believe it.

Uuuuuuh how did she know how to turn those things if all she had to work with was Don't use brute force?? Do I have to understand that?

“You brought coffee, after all.”

Look she's so ashamed she even turned away from the screen haha. Also it's so refreshing to see grown ass people approach a relationship like idiotic teens. (Yeah, that was sarcastic.)

“And right now I wanna do you.” Hahahaha sorry, too good to pass up, you can bet your ass imma turn this into a dumb comic XD

“I love you, Clary. And I'll love you until I die. And if there's a life after this I'll love you then, too.”

Okay, I wanted to roll my eyes at their love confession, but what Jace said was actually really sweet <3

Alec: All our people were accounted for at the time of the murder. Izzy: We think it was a Clave hit.

Oh couldn't have been one of the millions of Shadowhunters from another Institute? No, I'm sure Alec checked that on their neat little Shadowhunter Intranet, that all other Shadowhunters all over the workd were accounted for as well. Honestly.

Also, Maryse says “By the angel,” but in the German Dubbing she says “What the angel” which makes it seem as if Shadowhunters curse by replacing dirty words with “angel” and just... what the angel XD

Why the hell are they all so obsessed with Latin? Ugh. Exhausting hobby.

Btw lol, please rewatch that scene, the background music is weirdly reminiscent of the Stranger Things Theme hahahaha. (Also omg I'm peeking into the German dubbing and it doesn't even make SENSE hahaha what the shit.)

LOL that's like the soulmate trope but in painful XD basically the creepy incest edition XD But honestly can we appreciate what a nice hand Jonathan has with a knife and with his left hand?? Prodigy.

This is it, the final proof that they actually all live at the Jade Wolf hahahha.

...................................? Why the f is she happy to see Jordan? Last time they saw each other she clearly stated she hated him?? Do I need to understand?? Oh right. In the books Maia and Jordan get back together. Right. Stupid, why am I even surprised by this??

Wtf isn't he the clan leader? Why the hell is he acting so submissively to Heidi all of a sudden? Literally half a day ago he threw her out of his clan, knowing his place. And now he's like a puppet on her strings. Wtf. But I guess that happens when you treat characters as plot devices. They get inconsistent even if they only have two scenes. *sigh*

Awwww would you look at that, werewolves and vampires fighting with fists like mundanes. (Okay some of them had like, daggers, but where are the fangs and the claws? Honestly.)

Okay I did her injustice in my trailer reaction since this is a vamp and a legitimate fight situation.

Wow that actually surprised me. But Jordan also dies in the books so, oops. Just didn't think they'd skip the getting together.

WOW that really surprised me. I thought Maia would challenge him and they'd have an epic fight to the death or something. (Also wtf Griffin guy, what's with that creeper face.)

To be honest I find it hard to believe that Maia acts like this. Scared out of her mind, yeah sure. But she acts helpless, and she's never been that. When she got that pipe thing I thought she'd use it as a stake. Using it to block the door is smart, too, but why didn't she get another to have a stake? Her whole posture, uselessly hangig over Jordan screams damsel in distress and I don't like it at all.

Edit: I had certain fears how this plotline would be developed in 3x14 which thankfully didn't come true, but my conflicted opinion on this ending scene remains.

Anyway let’s take a moment and appreciate Maia’s Killer Boots.

BTW watched the 3x14 trailer and just.... what. Why the f would Magnus ask Lorenzo of all people for help? He can't be trusted. As if he wouldn't use that opportunity to break Magnus even further! WTF! Where's Catarina? Oh, let me guess, another Drunk Doctor Conference *epic eyeroll*

[apparitionism]

Helicobacter 10

Well. Anybody else do anything interesting last weekend? I’m not going to put up a separate post about it, as my inclination at this point is to keep things pretty quiet. JK—and JM, but we all know her attitude toward social media is more laissez-faire—gave me permission to tweet that one photo of her and JM on the first day, so based on how it all played out, I’m going to say, for the time being and as a reminder to myself when I one day look back on this, that that and the wedding question are my contributions. (All hosannas to @lejunkdrawer for giving everyone access to the panels, particularly Sunday’s unprecedented experience. Although I suppose most of the experiences were unprecedented...) As I mentioned in tags of this very story, in late June, a lot of things happen in due time—specifically, I noted a quote of which I had lately been reminded, that “the universe’s delays are not the universe’s denials.” As you might imagine, I’m more convinced than ever that that should be taken to heart: I’ve been lurking in this fandom since it began, and I’ve been posting my writing for it since 2013. I noted also, in early August, again in tags on this very story, that the fact is you never know what you’re setting in motion. So we’ll see. As is the case here in Helicobacter: don’t say I didn’t warn you. (See part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, and part 9 for all of that.) Anyway, this is a short part; talky as ever. How they do go on. As do I.

Helicobacter 10

And if the kiss had lasted forever, they would have lived happily ever after. Easily ever after, never needing to face a consequence or make any active, possibly disastrous choice ever after. One continuous moment, perpetually right and good...

The kiss did not last forever. It ended, and that meant something had to happen next.

Don’t think don’t think—but then Helena thought. Her mouth still poised near Myka’s, she thought of mountains and fountains, what was and was not, what could be and could not.

“You’re thinking,” Myka said. She moved her head away, only a little movement of neck, but away.

“And what am I thinking?” Helena said, with some difficulty. I could pull her back to me. Should I pull her back to me?

“Every point is a decision point.”

“That’s what you think I’m thinking?”

Myka said, “You might as well be. Because it’s true.” She offered a small shrug under Helena’s hands.

That made Helena think some more, and what she thought she said out loud: “I wouldn’t have believed it, not before you. Before this. I told you: impulses.”

Myka nodded. “Getting you into trouble. Although following an impulse is a decision. A snap one, but still.”

“Still ill-considered,” Helena said. Their mouths remained very close.

“I wouldn’t call all that thinking you’re doing right now particularly good or healthy. Come with me.”

The hallway down which Myka had run before, down which Helena had wanted to follow: Myka pulled Helena down it now, not aggressive but insistent, taking little steps, not room-devouring strides, letting Helena keep her balance; considerate motions, sweet even, but what balance?

And then they were in a room—not the transitional hallway anymore, but a room. Its purpose right there in its name. “Your bedroom,” Helena said. Brainless stating of the obvious... or perhaps brainful. Overthinking: unhealthy and poor.

“That’s what this is, yes,” Myka said. Also stating the obvious. Gently. She had only one hand on Helena now, her left palm warm as it rested on Helena’s right arm, just above her elbow.

The hand lay soft, with no intent, as if Myka thought that anything more would make Helena startle. And it might have done; she might have run out and away, now that she had yet another moment to think, which she hadn’t wanted to take, but the doorway had affected her. Going through it: wrong, right. She sought—literally, looked around to find—something about which to speak and lit, somewhat incongruously, on the bedroom itself, because it was, itself, incongruous. “This room... it’s perfect. Photograph-ready.” Each piece of furniture was placed well, at precise, correct angles with every other; every opulent, expensive textile was folded or draped just so. Pillows were dented as if by a designer’s hand. Nightstands... the only things even vaguely out of place were the stack of books on one of the nightstands and the tortoise-shell-framed eyeglasses balanced atop that stack, yet even they might have been chosen by a photographer seeking to convey essential facts about Myka, so well did they signify the presence of intellect. “The rest of your apartment isn’t like this,” Helena said. This room breathed design intent, and while Myka’s other spaces weren’t unattractive, they were more haphazard, a “this piece was given to me by X” sensibility. Nothing in this expensive room had been obtained from any friend.

Myka looked around, as if through Helena’s eyes, and she nodded at the impression she received. “That’s true. I try to keep it up, because I had it redone—actually, done in the first place—right after the cancer.”

“Because...?”

The hand on Helena’s arm became a tease, a little push. “You want me to say ‘because I hoped you’d see it eventually,’ don’t you?”

“No.” But now that Myka had said that, Helena found herself hoping it could be the reason. What an egotist you are, and Myka knows it too.

“Doesn’t matter,” Myka said, and with a mind-read: “I’ll freely admit to finding your ego attractive. Attractive and justified, which just makes it more attractive.”

“Stop. You think highly of yourself as well. And it’s even more justified.”

“Now you stop.” One more push, and Myka gave a little eyeroll as well.

“If you didn’t have a sizable ego of your own, you wouldn’t have set any of your plans in motion. But you were certain you’d get away with all of them.”

“Not certain. Hopeful. So hopeful.” Her hand fell from Helena’s body, but a beseeching note in her voice called back to the abandon of those few moments earlier. Now a small but not inconsequential space separated their bodies—a space that left them far too close to continue having this conversation, but not close enough to not continue having it.

“But we were talking about your opulent bedroom,” Helena said, with what she hoped was only the smallest of hesitancies, “and why it is so. Not egos and whether mine prompted me to think that you hoped that I’d... see it. Which I now have. Rather, am. Am seeing it.” She didn’t mean to say it again, but she did: “Your bedroom.”

Myka said, “The real reason isn’t unrelated. I didn’t ever honestly believe I was going to die, but—reassessment. Things I’d always vaguely wanted.”

“Pushed, like problems, into the future?”

“Exactly.” Myka moved closer again. She raised that same hand to Helena’s face, stroked from her temple down to her chin. Helena leaned into the touch. “And you. I would have pushed you into the future, too—some alternate future.”

At that, Helena leaned away. “You should have.”

Myka stayed where she was, but she said, “If you don’t want this to happen, it won’t happen. If you really think it shouldn’t.”

“I told you I didn’t have explanations for you.”

“But you do?”

“But I don’t,” Helena said. “Other than: I have wanted this to happen, from the beginning. Which is not at all compatible with anything else.”

“You didn’t make any move. Was that all ethics?”

“Any move?” That was too much, and untrue besides. “I kissed you completely inappropriately! And extremely thoroughly! In front of your mother!”

Myka laughed, but she said, “It could have been an act. Because I forced you into it.”

“Do you believe that? You can’t possibly believe it now. Did you believe it then?”

Myka was silent.

“You came to my house,” Helena said. “After your mother told you what she told you.”

“And I told her yes.” Retestifying.

“And you said you meant it. If you did mean it, you knew you hadn’t forced me into it. You knew it wasn’t an act.”

“All I knew was that it wasn’t on my part.” Myka paused. “I thought you’d see. I thought you’d already seen. I mean, if my mother had.”

Helena smiled. “I’m fairly certain she knows you better than I do. I didn’t trust what I thought I saw—rather, couldn’t let myself trust what I hoped I saw. And it did begin as an act, didn’t it?”

“You keep forgetting that it’s H. pylori’s fault: it began as a medical emergency, one that you helped me through. Which I’m still betting you would have done anyway, never mind the act.”

Helena was not entirely certain that was true... but then she thought of the ambulance, of stricken Myka. What wouldn’t she have done, when faced with that vulnerability, all while telling herself—pretending—it was about the bid and nothing else? “But what if it is only that I was there when you needed support. And we’re both still being... affected by that circumstance.”

“What if it is? What if we are? I think that’s how things like this start. You’re in a circumstance, and things happen that affect you. Would you rather we met some other way? Online? Or in a book club?”

“I would so much rather we met online,” Helena grumbled. “Or in a book club.”

“Look at it the right way, and we sort of did, both of those. Emails about books,” Myka said, with an I’ve got you there note in her voice.

“But that was because I researched you. Those Twitter accounts you follow.”

“But then you came up with interestingly booky things to say to me. Unless Steve or somebody else was Cyrano-ing for you?”

Helena tried for a moment to work out the ramifications of lying, saying yes. Would that fix anything? All the ramification roads seemed to lead to Myka discerning that she was lying, particularly since Myka was looking at her now with that “you’re so transparent” expression. “No one was Cyrano-ing,” Helena thus said, a little sullen at having been read.

“You do keep trying, don’t you? It’s sweet. Anyway, I told you, I looked you up too. You, your projects... I was interested in you, even at the beginning. I liked those emails. Even if I didn’t recognize that it was my old friend H.G. Wells sending them to me.”

Helena remembered Abigail using the word “moony.” She said, “I’m glad you did like them. For whatever reason you did.”

“What if they really were reminding me of undergraduate you? Maybe they weren’t, but what if they were?”

“Then I’ll try to be grateful for that. And yet I’m sorry at the same time, for it’s true that I was trying to influence you.”

“Well, so it worked. You influenced me to bring you all the way into my bedroom. It’s your own fault.”

“This and everything else.”

“And H. pylori!” Myka said with mock exasperation. “But I like eloquence. Whatever form it takes. Emails, margin notes...”

“So do I. Do you remember what you said, at the very first, about Wilson’s Odyssey?”

“Right now? No.”

They were stuck staring again.

“I wonder if it’s like smiling,” Helena said, to say something.

“Wilson’s Odyssey? That’s not what I said.”

Helena would have kissed her perplexed mouth, but she was not sure where they stood now. Other than in a bedroom, not quite in each other’s arms... wanting was one thing, but wanting and doing were not the same. She retreated to science: “The way in which the physical act of smiling—the performance of a smile—can elevate mood. That is, the causal arrow need not point in the direction one expects.”

“I’ve read that too. So you’re saying that in our case, performing this intimate relationship led us to the real thing? Or led us to want the real thing? Fake engagement was the smile, and here we are in an elevated mood of...?” Myka hooked a finger in the V of Helena’s shirt-neck, gave a little tug, then let her hand fall again.

Helena swallowed. “What do you think?”

“What do I think?” Myka stepped back, put a hand to her chin, and contemplated Helena, who found it both disconcerting and flattering to be so carefully regarded, preparatory to a verdict, and this was the verdict Myka gave: “I think you should smile more—and by the way I don’t mean that the way men tell women ‘you should smile more,’ and while I wish I didn’t have to tell you that’s not how I mean it, I do want to be clear: I think you should smile, but mostly around me, and mostly because your smile’s so beautiful. I mean you’re beautiful, so I guess it was always going to be the case your smile would be too—then again, teeth. You never know. Anyway, you’re beautiful, and so is your smile, and I love to see it, and I love to see you, and I don’t care at all why I feel romantic about you, because the only thing that’s important to me right now is that I do, and you had better feel the same way, because otherwise I don’t know why we’re standing here in an overdecorated bedroom making awkward conversation about whether this is authentic Duchenne romance or some facsimile version where nobody’s eyes move.”

“You certainly know how to make the causal arrow point in the direction one expects,” Helena said, for who, in response to that mood-elevating monologue, could have refrained from smiling?

“See, there it is,” Myka said, with a smile of her own. “Beautiful.”

“Did my eyes move?” Helena asked, even as she knew they had, and were moving still, as her smile continued to grow.

“The corners of your eyes are crinkled like...” And then the thesaurus: the pause, the search, the surrender. “Like something really crinkly. You’ll be even more beautiful decades from now.”

Decades from now. Helena felt an unexpected anthropological wish to this minute see Myka’s own decades-from-now face, and, paradoxically, a wish to have watched it become that face. To be able to answer “decades” when anyone asked, “How long have you two...”

“I want so much to kiss you,” Myka said, as if from inside that wish. “Kiss you and more, both of us, on purpose, knowing why.”

“Not pretending to fool anyone?”

“Not even each other. Not even ourselves.” She moved close again, her fingers back at the neckline of Helena’s shirt, playing there, whispering a touch. “We’re in a bedroom, and nobody knows we’re here. We can do anything.”

They could have, yet Helena stood still, savoring Myka’s light physical coaxing even as she wondered aloud, “Why am I letting you do all the pursuing?

Myka’s smile in response to Helena’s wondering was, without question, authentic, her eye-corners crinkled like... something exceptionally crinkly. “I think you like it. Even beyond all the very good reasons for you to try to be good and resist, I think you like it. Sitting back, waiting till I prove to you that I can’t take it anymore and I have to see you or die. Speaking of ego.”

“I may have liked that,” Helena conceded, “and it may have had to do with...” She stopped speaking as the fingers on her neck stopped playing, to be replaced by Myka’s lips. “With... ego. But I meant this minute, now, here, when nobody knows. When we can do anything. That isn’t my...” She found herself kissed on the mouth, still light, but it was a less subtle form of persuasion. “My MO,” she finished weakly.

“Maybe it is with me,” Myka told Helena’s collarbone.

Helena gave one last try at some sort of challenge: “I thought I wasn’t supposed to change.”

“I like that you remember I said that. And I’m in no way opposed to you working very hard. But let me do a little work first, because I sort of get the feeling that you—”

One ecstatic jump-cut later, Myka’s leg was stilling between Helena’s and a new and wicked and sinful smile was curving Myka’s lips as she said, “I knew you’d be fast.”

“That was embarrassing,” Helena said, trying to avoid looking Myka in the eyes. Just like a body, to take it upon itself to tell the truth. To make everything so very clear.

Myka kissed her deep and long, then said, “Not if I’m fast too.”

She pushed Helena to the bed, pushed her down, pushed and pushed, then gasped, laughed, and said, “See?”

“You did that to make me feel better,” Helena said, up into the curve of a long neck.

“Trust me,” the neck-column vibrated back at her, “it had more than a little to do with how I feel. Besides, I told you, there’s only so long before you can’t stand it anymore. I was pretty sure that’s where I was. It’s more than gratifying that you were too.”

Both of them, on purpose, knowing why. Knowing why not, but also knowing exactly why.

TBC

[themangaguide]

The way sweet escape

About the story!

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[its-love-u-asshole]

Our Best Bet [fic]

Pairing: Matsukawa Issei/Hanamaki Takahiro 

Summary: Takahiro didn’t plan to spend part of his honeymoon lost in a corn maze, but it’s not as bad as he would’ve thought.

Rating: T

Tags: Halloween exchange, established relationships, honeymoons bc I love these nerds, fluff

Note: Look at me, I got to get this fic out on the first day! This fic is for @catholicorprotestant for the Halloween fic exchange! I’m so happy I got to participate in this exchange, it was a lot of fun, especially because it was my first time writing this pairing ^^ I hope you enjoy! <3 

AO3

Fall was the best time of year for a number of reasons, but mostly because it meant the arrival of all things dark and eerie.

Takahiro ate that shit up.

It had always been his dream to take a trip to the world's most haunted locations. Think of it as his chance at studying abroad, only with getting scared shitless as the main focus.

And he was lucky enough to be blessed with a husband who felt the same way.

At the thought, Takahiro couldn't help but link his hand with Issei's as they walked down the dirt path, content with taking in the fresh air mingled with the faint scent of hay.

Pumpkins and crates littered the path, some molded, some huge and perfect for carving. Fall was definitely here, and he soaked up the season like a drug.

As if sensing Takahiro's giddiness for what was to come, Issei grinned lazily at him, squeezing his hand. It only made Takahiro's energy rise further.

Issei really was his best friend, and when they'd finally tied the knot a week or so ago, there had been no question as to what their honeymoon would be. Naturally, they were pretty in sync about the decision.

Now, they weren't the richest, so Takahiro's teenage dream of traveling the globe in one go was farfetched. But well, they could start small.

After all, they were going to be together for the rest of their lives. They had time.

The rush of the fact still sent a tiny thrill through Takahiro's body. He was married. Married. It was fucking awesome. They got to do cute domestic shit, like grocery shopping, and bickering over what brand of chips to buy. He could steal Issei's covers in bed and not worry about when he had to return to his own apartment. And yeah sure, he knew there was way more to it than that, but he'd picked Issei for a reason. All the emotional and mental support Takahiro needed, Issei had already proven himself capable of giving, and vice versa.

He'd get to have Issei as a constant companion, which honestly, wasn't that big of a change. He just had a ring to go with it. At the end of the day, if it were the two of them together, their honeymoon would be amazing. And if they had all the time in the world, what better place to start than America?

It definitely didn't have a shortage of haunted locations, and Takahiro had studied profusely before narrowing it down to five. Tomorrow, they had a haunted hotel they were going to be staying in, along with taking a night tour of the old town ruins and other supposedly haunted buildings nearby. Takahiro was stoked. He'd yet to actually have an experience himself, but feeling the chill in the air and hearing all the myths surrounding the various locations always interested him. He'd studied history in college, sue him.

Also, Issei kept swearing he'd caught pictures of flying orbs, but Takahiro had yet to be convinced.

One day. One day he'd have his dinner party story. Until then, he'd waste time in corn mazes.

Oh yeah. The corn maze. They wouldn't be able to check into their haunted hotel until the next day, so they'd decided to find a cheaper motel for the night and scout for a good corn maze, because why the hell not? Takahiro had seen them everywhere since arriving in the states, and he felt sickened to have never experienced them before.

They seemed like an essential fall activity, and he was going to get in on that dammit.

"Ready to lose?" Issei's smug voice already had Takahiro geared up to go, but no, he had to re-establish the rules first. He loved his husband, but Takahiro doubted his sportsmanship when it came to these things.

"Wait, rundown time," Takahiro spun around, facing his husband with a seriousness almost too severe for what they were doing. In fact, as he spoke, he saw groups of giggling children exiting the corn maze to his right, but that was unimportant. "After the extensive research of yours truly, we have agreed that this is the best corn maze in the area. Correct?"

"Check," Issei said, obviously amused by Takahiro's ramblings.

"Good," Takahiro continued, signature smirk on his face. "I don't need you being a sore loser at the end of this."

"You're the one who threw a fit last time you couldn't finish ten brownies before me--"

"Unimportant. You cheated by the way, but it's in the past. This, this is the real deal," Takahiro said, pointing to the shoddy corn maze sign above them. "First person to find the way out buys the loser dessert at the hotel tomorrow. Deal?"

Takahiro extended his hand, forming a fist, because fist bumps were the only certifiable way of making a contract.

Issei smirked wider at him, and had he not been so hellbent on crushing his opponent, Takahiro might've suggested just going back to the car to make out. But no. He had to do this, it was his calling.

Issei raised his own hand, bumping their fists together. "Deal."

And just like that, they were off, picking their destined paths. The weather was perfect, the sun was still out, and Takahiro's navigation skills were not something to be doubted.

Oh yeah, Takahiro had things in the bag.

--

Things were not in the bag. They were very far from the bag. The bag had been shredded and tossed in a ditch somewhere.

Takahiro had made more wrong turns than he could count, and not even his footprints in the dirt were helping him steer clear of repeated paths anymore. Simply because now they were everywhere, littering the ground, as if he'd exhausted every conceivable pathway, but still had yet to find a goddamn exit.

If there were any exits. He couldn't be sure anymore.

This. This is what hell is like.

Every twist seemed to lure him deeper into the never-ending maze with no hope of salvation. The sun was setting just beyond the horizon, the chilling wind disturbing the acres of corn stalks. He was surrounded. He could be being watched and not even realize it. The stalks felt taller and taller as he walked deeper into the maze, like they were consuming him.

Fuck this. He could die here. Why hadn't they thought to carry flares or some shit?

Did no one realize how embarrassing it was going to be to have to explain in the afterlife how he'd died in a goddamn children's corn maze? No one would respect him.

Fucking corn. Bullshit.

The fact that this had been his idea was an even harsher blow.

There was only one thing worse, one thing which he couldn't resolve within himself. It hurt his pride, and that far outweighed any satisfaction he might've gotten otherwise. See, on top of all that other shit, he kept running into--

"Son of a bitch!" Issei yelled as Takahiro turned a corner, bringing them face to face. For the fourth time. It seemed they were both cocky asshole, go figure. They actually thought they could manage to get out of a godforsaken corn maze.

They'd been arrogant. They'd tested heaven itself, making a competition out of this. Who the hell did they think they were?

Takahiro threw up his hands, resigned to his fate of dying right in that very spot. "I've had enough, we both suck! There's no way out of here!"

Issei kept pacing the small length of the section they were in, his normally relaxed expression teetering on full blown anxiety. His eyes darted towards the corn stalks, the approaching darkness making their surrounding presence all the more unsettling.

"Okay babe, we should...we should think about this...eight year olds can do this," Issei informed, as if Takahiro didn't know any damn better.

"Issei, we're twenty-six, and neither of us could find a damn way out of here," Takahiro deadpanned. He was so not here for this shit. Normally he'd find this sort of situation funny, but now he was just getting pissed. Plus, he had no way of knowing what kind of murderers hung out in corn mazes. "Trust me, you'd know. If I had to come back into this hell just to find you, you can bet your ass I'd be gloating about it. Do you see me gloating? No."

"You're so romantic," Issei said, his lips quirking up in that way which would never stop being annoyingly attractive. Damn you.

"I'd be even more romantic if we could get out of here," Takahiro said, his brief smirk turning into a grimace as he turned his attention towards the pathways.

From the section they were in, there were only two ways that led out towards other parts of the maze. One would lead them closer to the exit, and one would lead them to sudden doom (not to be dramatic).

They had to work together on this, since apparently they were more brainless than originally thought.

Which meant one thing and one thing only...

Motherfucker. I really wanted that dessert.

He'd figure out how to pester Issei into buying it for him anyways, but for now...

"Truce?" Takahiro said, glancing towards the path which somehow was clear of footprints. How had he missed that before?

Issei already seemed way ahead of him, taking Takahiro's hand in his before the word was completely out. Heat rushed up to Takahiro's cheeks, and he had to curse himself. What was this, high school?

He'd held Issei's hand so much, he felt like he knew it just as well as his own, to the point where it bothered him to not be holding his hand. In fact, even in the hour they'd been apart in this dumb corn maze, he'd missed it.

Screw the competition for real, nothing was better than walking side by side with his husband, getting lost together. It's what they did best.

And well, if they ended up being cut up by a serial killer, that's just how they would go.

Issei grinned at him, pulling Takahiro along with one chaste kiss. "Definitely."

Takahiro would make sure to give him way more back at the hotel, but that plan could wait. 

--

Okay so, maybe the kissing would wait until after Takahiro could take a long bath, but that wasn’t the point. He was exhausted, but they were making progress.

They’d managed to get lost together a third time, leaving them on the south side of the maze. The only upside was that they’d only been through this section once before each, so it was probably their best bet to finding the actual exit.

It had to be around here somewhere…

“If we die in here, do you think we’ll come back as ghosts?” Issei asked as they strolled along the next dirt path, coming to a fork in the road.

“God I hope not. If I have to walk this shit forever, I’m going to be so fucking pissed,” Takahiro responded, squeezing Issei’s hand for support. “Now, which way?”

It was a much more difficult question than it sounded. Both new paths had yet to be explored by either of them, judging from the lack of footprints. It was a blessing and a curse, and Takahiro wasn’t willing to take chances anymore.

Carefully, he drew an ‘X’ in the dirt behind them, so if the path they chose ended up being wrong, they’d maybe be able to try again.

Yeah, if we can even make it back here.

If they picked the wrong way, they could end up back in the middle of the maze for all they knew. Takahiro’s only way of knowing they were even in the south portion was thanks to the unhelpful signs which were posted (they didn’t actually provide any help, and Takahiro was almost one hundred percent sure they were there to increase despair. He was going to leave one hell of a review on yelp).

“I say right,” Issei said quickly, and Takahiro turned to him, stunned.

His husband simply shrugged. “This whole maze, I’ve been picking left, because I prefer to go left, but I’ve been wrong each time. As petty as I am about that, I’m sick of being here. I want to go back to the hotel and make out, so, right it is.”

Huh.

Takahiro couldn’t really argue with that logic.

Snorting at Issei’s motivations (and totally agreeing), Takahiro pulled them forward, dead set on making his husband’s dreams a reality.

--

Takahiro’s number one rule: always trust Issei.

He’d been right, and as soon as the path began to open up, Takahiro felt his hopes rising, until…

They finally made it out of the hell maze, and Takahiro almost kissed the dirt beneath his feet. But he didn't.

Because there were still some people around.

And that would've been extra.

He did it in his mind though. Issei on the other hand, had no issue dropping to his knees and thanking the heavens above. He went as far as to pull Takahiro into a cheesy movie hug afterwards too, twirling him and everything.

Takahiro didn't protest, his husband was the biggest nerd, but it wasn't like he was any better. Man, he loved Issei.

Like a lot.

Takahiro didn't mind the stares as he kissed Issei openly, the random surge of affection overpowering him in that moment.

To think a corn maze could get him going, he'd have to recommend it to Oikawa and Iwaizumi.

The thought itself made him chuckle against Issei's mouth, and his husband returned the joy without question.

Oh yeah, Issei was the one.

"So..." Issei said slowly, squinting at Takahiro as they started walking back to the car.

"We never mention this to anyone?" Takahiro finished hopefully, and laughed when Issei exhaled in relief.

"You read my mind," Issei said with a smirk, swinging their joined hands like they were school children. "But, I still want that dessert."

"Split it?" Takahiro suggested, and kiss to his cheek was confirmation enough.

The day hadn't exactly gone as expected, but he didn't regret a moment, especially if it was getting finished off with cream puffs.

They still had plenty of honeymoon plans to check off their list too, and no doubt room for more fuck ups they would take to the grave. What else was marriage for than to have a partner in crime?

After today, Takahiro was pretty sure they were prepared for anything.

Having Issei by his side, he already felt invincible. And to think, they still had a multitude of haunted places to conquer (or run from). They might not be the best at it, but as long as they were together, Takahiro didn't doubt they'd make it out alive.

It's what they did best, after all.

[illuminating-dragons]

Fading Scars (12/?): Love In Time

Summary:  Some headcanons on the original generation's love stories.

Harry & Ginny

           Harry didn’t cry when Ginny told him she’d been accepted to play for the Hollyhead Harpies, so she’d be travelling a lot. He cried three days later, when he offered to break up with her and she held him for hours, promising that she still loved him.

           It took years to forgive himself for the year of leaving her, all the uncertainty, all the time he hadn’t been in love with her. It took years for her to forgive herself for not realizing how much needless guilt he carried.

           When Harry has bad days, he goes and walks around London for hours and hours, sometimes under the Invisibility Cloak. When he gets home, Ginny makes him tea and nearly smothers him in blankets, even when it’s a hot summer day. She still has that coldness in herself too.

           When Ginny has bad days, she can’t stop herself from crying. Harry doesn’t freeze in front of her tears. Instead, he cuddles her on his lap and rubs her back. When they have children, he lets them play in the same room; he was worried at first, but James and Al and Lily just understand that “Mummy’s blue” and they let her calm down and come back to them at her own pace, and then they all play a rousing game of Hide and Seek.

           Harry was very unaware of his own body before he dated Ginny. He’d never been all that enthused with sex, never found the need to draw his curtains as often as his roommates had (he would always quietly retreat to the common room if he saw anyone with them closed). He was even less aware of girl’s bodies. Ginny taught him how to enjoy sex, and he learned to, but it’s always been more about giving her pleasure. Their sex is hardly ever serious; they laugh, they’re playful, and sometimes it just settles into cuddles and tickles in the middle. Harry’s also made it clear that he’s okay with Ginny enjoying herself without him, although watching her is one of his favourite activities.

           When Harry and Ginny announced their engagement, Molly Weasley whipped up a feast immediately and sent out Patronuses to their entire family. Near the end of the night, Harry came to thank her and Arthur again for giving him permission to ask their daughter to marry him. “It’s like I’m really part of the family now,” he said.

           “You’ve been real since I made you fudge for Christmas,” Arthur replied, and that was the end of that conversation.

           The week before Harry proposed (though Ginny didn’t know it at the time), Ginny went to Godric’s Hollow alone. It was a beautiful summer day, but nothing could quite erase the sadness of the graveyard.      She went over to an old white marble gravestone. There were two newer monuments on either side; one was a tiny dogwood tree with a plaque in front enscribed ‘Snuffles’, and a multicoloured geode on the other, with the initials NT and RL engraved in it.

           Ginny took a deep breath. “Alright. I know that you don’t know me Mr. and Mrs. Potter. And Harry and I weren’t together when you were alive, Sirius. And we were broken up for a lot of time Dora…Remus…but I promise I love your kid. He’s brilliant, and he’s amazing, and he’s so good to me. I’m sure you’re really proud of him wherever you are. I promise I’ll take care of him, and I’ll let him take care of me too. I just wanted to tell you before I asked him.” She felt a bit silly. She knew they were gone, that they’d crossed over. They probably couldn’t hear her.

           But when she stood, she swore she could smell lilies.

Ron & Hermione

           Ron doesn’t write down any notes about their days. Their anniversaries, their big moments, nothing. He’s never been good friends with the written word. Instead he measures them by a special set of hourglasses that pour beads instead of sand, cascading down slowly in their kitchen. He rarely needs them, but they’re pretty, and there’s something truly satisfying about turning them over at the end of a holiday, looking forward to the next.

           Ron used to take his bad days out on Hermione. Hermione took out her bad days on Ron. That stopped before they were married. Now they retreat to the garden, working on it the Muggle way, except for the winter plants Luna brought back for them from Tibet. Sometimes they’re together, sometimes it’s just one, but it always ends with tea and Ron’s biscuits at the kitchen table, because that’s where they get the most sun.

           Crookshanks, of course, lives with them, but when Hugo is five he begs for a puppy. They have the room, and Crookshanks is the one who chooses a small brown puppy who quickly grows into an enormous dog. Chocolate and Crookshanks become fast friends, and when Chocolate finally reaches her full growth Crookshanks sometimes sleeps on her back.

           Sex surprised both of them. For Ron, his only experience was with Lavender, whose passion had been grabby and intense. Hermione had a few quiet moments with Krum, but those were more about holding and being held. When they lie together, it becomes about exploring, finding what works, what doesn’t. They adventure, they explore, they try everything they can. They make love to music, they have sex in the day, and they finally feel comfortable in their own skin and desires.

           When Hermione found out she was pregnant, she was worried. Ron had grown up with a Mum who stayed at home, and Hermione respected that. But it wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted to keep working, to keep pushing for rights taken for granted by some and desperately needed by others. So she was relieved when the first thing out of Ron’s mouth (after a cry of joy that brought tears to her eyes) was, “do you mind if I start working part-time? I’d like to be home with them.”

           So they worked out a schedule; after her year of maternity leave, Hermione walked with the children to daycare for the morning, and Ron picked them up at lunch.  

Neville & Hannah

           Neville didn’t date much at Hogwarts. He’d had a brief crush on Ginny Weasley, and another on Ernie MacMillan, but they hadn’t lasted. He’d struggled so much with feeling like anyone would like him. Friendless, brainless, helpless, hopless[1]…he wouldn’t date him.

           But then the war happened, and things like that didn’t seem to matter. With Dumbledore and Harry gone, and Voldemort breathing down their necks through the Carrows and Snape, Neville had no reason to look in the mirror. He had to take care of things, had to save people, had to keep fighting and hoping and refusing to bow.

           And Hannah was there with him, her body bent from curses and grief, her home empty, her eyes haunted. But she was still so kind, so keen to help people stop suffering. She and Neville would stay awake long into the night, supporting the lonely and hurt. Sometimes she would fall asleep with her head in his lap, and he would stroke the tangles out of her hair. Sometimes he would fall asleep on her shoulder, drifting to a quiet lullaby.

           When the Battle was done, Neville went to check on Hannah. “Get some sleep, love,” he said.

           He hadn’t meant to say it. Hadn’t realized that it was no longer scary to admit that he cared for her. Somehow he’d discovered that he was, in fact, likeable. And she was loveable.

           Hannah smiled back tremulously and took his hand. “I’ll only be able to if you’re there.”

           So Neville conjured some cushions in Greenhouse One and they fell asleep together under the Flutterby bushes.

           Hannah started working at the Leaky Cauldron on Aberforth Dumbledore’s reference [“the girl made my place feel cheerful, she’ll do brilliantly”]. She loved the pub, loved seeing all the new people, and it helped to pay for her tuition at a Muggle university. She’d gotten her NEWTs, she could have easily gone straight to working as a Healer, but magic wasn’t enough. She wanted to understand the body from a Muggle perspective.

           Years later, she would coach Lucy Weasley through Muggle university applications, but for now Neville would sit in on a couple of classes with her and they would have supper at the pub before they went back to their little cottage.

           Hannah and Neville take a while to get around to getting married. It’s a little unusual, but neither see the need. It’s not until Freddie Weasley, Neville’s best student, asks if Madam Hannah would like to be married that Neville realizes he should probably ask. Hannah was agreeable, and they had a quiet wedding with their closest friends. His students give them enough plants to start another garden as gifts.

           They don’t have children of their own. They’re happy in each other, happy to work side by side whatever they do. But just before Neville’s twenty-fifth year of teaching, they meet a student who goes straight to the Hospital Wing first week of class. They adopt Bailey and his nameless infant sister by the Christmas holidays, and they name the baby Mary Alice.

Luna & Rolf

           Luna’s heart was broken long before she was ever old enough to fall in love, and that shapes the way she feels about people leaving. Harry was first pushed to fix the old mirrors when Luna couldn’t travel with Rolf for a month due to a nasty cough, and they used them near constantly.

           Rolf’s mother Nadeen was suspicious of the British witch her son had fallen in love with, naturalist or not. Nadeen was married, after all, to New Scamander’s second son, and knew the gossip about him choosing an Egyptian bride. To her relief, her daughter-in-law doesn’t treat her like an exotic creature, and they get along very well, helped along by a mutual adoration of art and of Rolf. Nadeen weaves them a blanket every Christmas, and Luna sends one of her paintings. They don’t talk about religion, but Luna wears a headscarf when she visits, and joins her in meditation. She never converts (and Rolf himself isn’t practicing), but she respects the depth of Nadeen’s faith in a world where magic is allowed but beliefs in a higher power are frowned upon.

           Luna knew Rolf was the right one by the way he talked about having kids. He said that children were fascinating, and that he wanted to let the children they had lead how he parented. He even offered to take Polyjuice so he could be the one that experienced pregnancy, but Luna was alright with being pregnant.

           Luna developed her way of coping with bad days before she ever met Rolf, so he was a little surprised when she vanished one day without telling him. She returned a few hours later, soaking wet. The next time she goes to dance in the rain, he Apparates with her.

           Luna derives a lot of pleasure from sex, but she doesn’t know how to ask for it as often as she wants it. Rolf is the one who learns to speak her language, and to let her know that she’s allowed to have those desires and he’s more than happy to fulfill them.

George & Angelina

           Angelina didn’t forget about their kiss all those months of the war. But it wasn’t the right time, and she couldn’t bring herself to be there for George as much as she should have. She regrets that at first, but George finally sets her straight. He didn’t want her there during the war. Knowing she was protecting her family and keeping her head down was all he needed to know.

           As much as she loved Quidditch, Angelina doesn’t pursue it the way that Ginny and Oliver did. She thought about being a Healer, but she can’t stand to see people in pain the same way Hannah Abbot can stand it. During the war, she discovers her true passion; childcare. Looking after several Muggleborn refugees at her home translated into a daycare after the war for any children below Hogwarts age. Some of her clients can pay, others can’t, but Angelina adores her work, especially when it lets her spend more time with her own children. She just wishes that George wouldn’t bring so much merchandise when he drops by.

         George and Angelina have an understanding with Katie and Oliver Wood. They’re not always open, but there are definitely nights when the four of them end up in bed together. Besides being incredibly hot, it helps to work out some of the frustration left over from the Quidditch field (Oliver can be persuaded to submit), and heals the cracks where someone is missing. They have their own relationship now.

           When George and Angelina moved in together, there were no mirrors. Angelina coaxed George into buying one, and by the time Freddie is born there are enough reflective surfaces for the baby to be constantly entertained by the other baby in the mirror. George keeps his hair short though, above his ear, just to be sure.

Percy & Audrey

           On his first day at the Ministry after the war, Audrey and Percy bumped into each other at in the elevator. Percy was instantly smitten, to the point that he apologized when Audrey spilled her tea on him.

           Audrey is three years older than Percy. She graduated the year before he became a Prefect, and doesn’t know much about him from school. Percy is profoundly grateful for that.

           Percy enjoys the bondage portion of BDSM (both ways), but he’s unwilling to inflict or receive pain. Audrey can work with that.

           A year after they started dating, Audrey was going through the Department of Magical Law and discovered piles of falsified records of Muggleborns and Order sympathizers. It takes her less than five seconds to recognize Percy’s handwriting from his love letters (one a day on her desk), and five hours to read through each and every one, marvelling at the careful, clever work. Percy had never planned to tell her, and was very surprised when she brought it up. He was even more surprised when she asked him to marry her.

           Any ambition beyond being a good person again vanished from Percy’s mind after the war. He still worked as hard as ever, but he went as far as to avoid promotion. Audrey, a halfblood whose mother had been placed in Azkaban for crossing her Death Eater boss, had even more fire in her blood. She worked to climb the ranks, and Percy felt mostly content to stand by and let her.

           That was, until she ran for Minister for Magic after Kingsley Shacklebolt retired.

           Percy had to gather all his courage to face his quickly rearing insecurities, and he tried to search for why he was so upset. He looked at his daughters, who were both at Hogwarts now, both growing into fine young women who fought to be better than they were.

           And that was the problem. In giving up his ambition, he’d stopped fighting to make himself better.

           By the time Audrey was elected nearly unanimously, Percy had changed jobs. He was back in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and he had big plans to make sure that his wife’s international alliances were the best they could possibly be. In the years to come, he would champion Lucy’s ideas about technology, consulting with witches and wizards all over the globe to create a committee on magic’s interaction with Muggle systems, and how they could smooth out any ‘bugs’(he really hoped Lucy was joking about the computers being full of creepy crawlies. He couldn’t stand them).

           Once he straightened out the filing system. What on earth had they been doing all these years?

Draco & Astoria

           While Draco was still doing community service, he was given just enough to live on. Harry helped him out with extra money, and Draco swallowed his pride, thanked him, and bought Astoria jewelry. She loved sparkly things, and didn’t care whether they were imitation or not. Later in their married life, he was able to afford real rubies, diamonds and sapphires, but her favourite necklace was one with sparkly beads he’d given her on their very first real date.

           Astoria and Draco are in a Dom/Sub relationship. It’s a good thing that Astoria had plenty of experience as a Dom, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to tell the fine line between Draco’s pleasure-centred masochism and his occasional desire to be punished, to hurt, to cleanse his soul of guilt. She doesn’t let him get away with that after his first subdrop; it’s about pleasure and trust. As far as she’s concerned, absolution doesn’t happen in bed.

           Draco was terrified the first time he’d met Astoria’s parents. After all, he was a Death Eater, a Malfoy; her parents must disapprove of him. He continued to be terrified throughout the visit, but not because her parents hated him.

           No, it was because Astoria’s parents were stark raving mad.

           Her father was a simple kind of mental; he’d named every object in the house, but other than that he was a very pleasant man, and confided in Draco that he’d once been attracted to the Death Eater philosophy. “I couldn’t commit,” he said. “I got out before it was too late, but I was lucky. You can get over it, lad. It doesn’t poison your mind forever.”

           Her mother, on the other hand, was a whole other kind. She told outrageous stories that Draco couldn’t help believing, given her level of detail and conviction. When Draco accidentally spilled a few drops of tea on his sleeve, she screamed and tried to call a Healer, worrying that her ‘future son-in-law was going to be scalded for life!’ It took a while to calm her, but Draco couldn’t help feeling pleased about the ‘future son-in-law’ part.

           When they left, Astoria squeezed his hand. ‘They liked you.”

           “I like them,” Draco replied. He paused. “Were any of your mother’s stories true?”

           “A few of them. Trouble is, her memory’s starting to go and we’re not sure which ones are made up anymore. She’s remembering more from when she was young, so the ones when she was a girl are new, but so are the ones from before she met Dad.”

           Draco paused for a moment, content to just walk, worried about asking the question.

           “You can ask, Drake, it’s okay.”

           Draco flushed. “Your mother…”

           “She was born a man,” Astoria confirmed. “She went through a potion regime that gave her the ability to bear children. She carried me and my sister. Was it the height?”

           “No, it was her throat. She still has a bit of an Adam’s apple.” Draco put his arm around her. “I’m happy they liked me. I was a bit worried.”

           “They’d be mad not to. Well, madder.”

           Draco looked at her, astonished.

           Astoria giggled. “I know they’re not sane, Draco. But they’re not hurting anyone, and they know enough to realize when something is too far. They’ll be fine for now.”

           Astoria calls him Drake or Dragon when she’s feeling playful. Draco calls her Tori except when they’re in bed (or he wants to go to bed).  

            When Draco begins to work in the prison system, Astoria follows him. Her magical architecture background is vital to creating a reasonable blueprint (and for creating temporary prison quarters for the prisoners). She also helps Draco go through the files and try to categorize crimes in a new way, to find patterns of redemption and patterns of complete hopelessness. The work is hard on both of them, but they solve that by joining a Muggle singing group. No one knows or cares who Draco is there, and it turns out he loves to sing.

Bill & Fleur

           Fleur knew that Bill was the one when a year had passed and he hadn’t made her Change. Her Veela blood was diluted; she was only a quarter, but it left her with a few instincts. One of them was Changing when a man made her feel insignificant in his life. Fleur never Changed their entire marriage.

           Bill is the only Weasley child who actually remembers the first Wizarding War. He remembers his uncles, his father’s best friend Timothy Bones, even meeting Lily Evans Potter once when she was pregnant and looking at a house in the area for her and her husband. He rushed back to England when the Second one started, and it was only Fleur who really saw how scared he was, and how hard he tried to hide it from his siblings, how much he felt like a child again.

           Everyone thinks that Bill is the luckiest man on earth because he has a beautiful wife. “Part Veela, hm? Lucky boy!”

           Bill does think it’s lucky. He feels lucky that Fleur trusted him with the secret that she was gray-asexual, and that when they do have sex she lets him see how vulnerable she feels, how insecure. He’s grateful for the chance to teach her how much he loves her, how beautiful she truly is, and for the fact she’s willing to bear him children.

           Shell Cottage was a safe house during the war, with exhausted, hurt, broken people coming through when they were home (and sometimes when they were out on missions). When the war ends, they buy incense and open every window during a storm, washing out the old hurts and fears, hoping to have a clean place again. They still build new rooms for their children, just in case. They can bear the strain of memory. Their children shouldn’t have to.

           Bill understands Lou deeply. He’s okay with using ‘he’, but there are certainly days when he doesn’t quite feel like a male. He buys Muggle women’s clothes, not just dresses, and he and Fleur spend some afternoons playing dress-up.        

Dean & Seamus

           They weren’t a couple at Hogwarts, no matter what anyone says. Dean was happy when he was with Ginny Weasley and (very briefly) with Michael Corner, and Seamus was coming to terms with being gay. They didn’t become a couple until the day after the Battle, when they took a walk outside the Hogwarts grounds, down the path to Hogsmeade, hand in hand without thinking.

           When Dean finds out about his father, three weeks before their wedding, he bursts into tears and immediately tells his mother. The idea that a father he’d hated for so long for leaving had been killed trying to protect his family, that he wasn’t a Muggle but a wizard, sent him reeling. Seamus offered to put off their wedding, but Dean refused. When he walks down the aisle, he goes down arm in arm with his mother, and his father’s watch, broken in the Death Eater attack, firmly in his pocket.

           The wizarding world has a mystifying attitude towards gay people. In that no one really cares, but no one really talks about it either. Dean and Seamus have no trouble getting a marriage license, but to their shock they discover that they are still expected by Seamus’ family to acquire a female in order to have kids. Neither of them want kids; instead, they adopt several cats and go to football and Quidditch games together.

           Before he starts training Hogwarts’ football teams, Dean works at a Muggle women’s shelter. When he realizes there are no equivalent institutions for wizards, he starts one. It sounds simple, but there are so many more levels to the problem that he needs help. Luckily, Fleur Delacour and Parvati Patil are happy about the prospect, and they help develop it. When he isn’t coaching, Dean spends his time helping witches change their identities, relocate, lobby for more laws about prosecuting abusers (which has Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy’s attention) and teaching the children who ran with their mothers how to draw, and how to protect themselves from bad people. Seamus is very proud of him, and he brings toys to the shelter from Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. He also participates in the pickups and drop-offs; he’s learned to control his explosions, and he can channel an Irish temper just as well as his mother.

           Dean is an incorrigible romantic when it comes to sex. Seamus lets him get away with it, because the romance does make him feel needed. He still won’t let Dean bring roses home, though. He has to draw the line somewhere, and he really hates that flower.

           Dean understands, and brings him carnations instead.

Cho & Chris

           The war damn near broke Cho. She gave up on trying to be strong, gave up on being brave. She started to drink and didn’t stop for two straight days. When she woke, to her surprise she was in a room with Viktor Krum. Viktor handed her a Hangover Cure and a Portkey ticket.

           “You need some time,” he said.

           Cho remembered how much Cedric had liked Viktor. She took the ticket.

           She travelled to Florence. Hot and sunny and far away from the Wizarding world, Cho gradually came back to life. She wrote her mother only to tell her yes, she was still alive, learned Italian, and tried gelato from every store in the city until she found her favourite.

           She gained ten pounds, and for the first time in her life she didn’t care.

           On the other hand, when an adorable Canadian student named Chris let her cut in line at the gelato store (“ladies first, please”; she found out later that was his attitude towards orgasms), she did agree to go on a run with him. They ran up a hill outside the city, and Cho was exhausted when they got to the top, but they watched a beautiful sunset together.

           When Chris left, she followed him. They backpacked across Europe together, and when Chris quietly brought up that he wanted to see London, Cho returned with him.

           To her shock, Chris wanted to contact an old friend of his. Dean Thomas.

           Dean was a second cousin through his Mum. Chris knew about the Wizarding World, and wasn’t surprised at all when Cho revealed she was a witch. “I thought you might be. But you didn’t want to talk about it, so I didn’t.”

           Chris ended up staying in England. He got a visa with the help of the Ministry (Kingsley had an excellent relationship with the Prime Minister), and he and Cho lived in Berkshire. Chris got a job teaching physical education, and when his visa ran out they got married. They spent a lot of time travelling together in the holidays, and Cho ended up starting to film their adventures. Her wand stayed in her pack, but she used it less and less as the years went on.

           Cho stays in touch with Harry, and she tells her daughter Tina about Cedric. Chris would have felt jealous, but he knows his wife loves him now. That’s all he really needs. And he knows that she needs to explain to her daughter (and to herself) how those romances changed her, made her, broke her.

           Cho was taught that sex was for procreation, nothing more. Chris teaches her otherwise, and they run the gamut of sexual experience before they settle on positions, times, toys and safe words. Their daughter isn’t born until five years after their marriage.

           When Tina is little, she has to make a family tree of flags of where she comes from. There isn’t much room for Cho’s Chinese and Welsh flags, Chris’ Canadian, Mi’kmaq[2] and Scottish flags, and finally the England flag, but they do their best.

           Cho and Chris compete against each other, running for fun and for prizes. Chris is strong in triathlons; Cho takes a while to learn how to ride a bike properly. But she leaves him in the dust during marathons, including the one she ran four months pregnant.

[wingsoverbros]

"All along the Watchtower - are disappointed watchers" or "My thoughts on SPN 12.23"

As the finale night was a double episode, I split up the reviews to handle one at a time. This time, it's the last one. The link to the first episode is in the list of links below, but I'll put it here as well. On to our second episode of the evening, and our last episode of season 12.

Sorry this comes so late after the episode aired, but the episode was distressful enough to require some time and contemplation (and one decent spoiler with same-con confirmation) to digest. The end result otherwise would have been unreadable  (essentially, a massive rant on the writers and fridging.) You'll see some of what's left of the rant below, with the rest of the rewritten and much more comprehensible (and significantly less overwrought) article. Please enjoy.

For previous episodes: 12.01 - 12.02 - 12.03 - 12.04 - 12.05 - 12.06 - 12.07 - 12.08 - 12.09 - 12.10 - 12.11 - 12.12 - 12.13 - 12.14 - 12.15 - 12.16 - 12.17 - 12.18 - 12.19 - 12.20 - 12.21 - 12.22

Now, on to Supernatural 12.23 - "All along the watchtower"

In the early years, the titles of the episodes actually predicted the plot of the attached episodes, a fact that boosted many a discussion on the forum boards. Eventually, they (generally) stopped matching the episodes they were attached to, so people stopped paying attention to them. So when the episode title for this episode was released, I paid it no mind. Who would have expected the episode to actually be inspired by the title?

"All along the Watchtower" is a Bob Dylan song that goes into circular loop. It draws the listen back to the beginning of the story. In the episode, things go horribly wrong, leaving Sam and Dean facing an unknown potential enemy alone, family either lost to extreme danger in an alternative universe or left as a charcoal smudge in the mud. The questions we need to ask are "Which beginning did we return to - Season 4 or season 7?" and "What happens to the lost characters? Who are we getting back, and how?"

Supernatural over the years has gotten a terrible reputation for fridging all the hero female characters in the show. Starting off killing Mary and Jess in the pilot was a terrible way to start the series, but could be seen as necessary. The same could not be said with all the other women that have followed them. Dean had a guest character named Layla to feel bad about in season 1, but at least they didn't show her die. Madison, a memorable Monster-of-the-week, dies to further Sam's angst in season 2. Bela was killed in season 3 simply because the writers had no idea how to write her. Then the writers started getting really obnoxious.  Ellen and Jo died in season 5, simply to ratchet up the stress levels for the guys. And whenever the guys need a good haranguing, the writers pull out one of them for one of the guys (usually Dean) to angst over.

Sadly, although the depth and quality of the female characters have slowly improved over the years, the ways and timing of their deaths has gotten worse. One of the best characters invented in the show's run, one of the few good parts of dire mess that was season 7, ended up getting slaughtered in a particularly insensitive way solely to further Dean's conflict with Sam. (Who the hell thought it was a good idea for a lesbian to get slaughtered in a bathtub by a Nazi associate?) The delightful Witch twin, Alicia Banes, and her mother both get killed to give the male twin (Max) and Dean each a chance to navel gaze and make poor decisions. Eileen, a kick-ass deaf hunter, gets killed by an invisible dog controlled by a refugee from a 1950s secret society in the first 5 minutes without a single line, a rather disrespectful moment that actually reminded me of the horrible opening of “Hello, Cruel World” in season 7.

And now, in the last episode, they continued the mistreatment of characters with how they treated Rowena. I expected her to die, yes. I was disappointed, but I expected it. But what they did? Lucifer is evil, certainly, but the excessive violence in that seemed pointlessly cruel. At least they didn't show the active violence on screen, that'd have been worse. The whole idea just threw me right out of the episode, making me flash back to my one attempt to watch "Pan's Labyrinth", where the scene of the fascist stepfather doing to the peasant what Luci says he did to Rowena in this caused me to abandon the idea of watching altogether.

I'm so tired of watching everyone drown in blood and fire. It all just seems so freaking unnecessary. I was expecting Kelly to die, considering how they beat it into our heads all season, but I'm not looking forward to them likely using it to give Jack something to angst over next year. And what was the purpose of causing Mary to get sucked into the other dimension? They turned Mary into a massive Macguffin for the guys to aim at recovering, *if* they can do so. Considering what they did to the rest of the cast, it was unnecessary. With her loss, Crowley's suicide, and Cas's murder, there was just too many shocking experiences for any one event to have a good impact. If any of those had been removed from the list, the ending would have just as shocking, but far easier to digest without resulting in anger and rebellion from the audience. (Personally, I'd have gone with Mary in the Alt Universe and Crowley dead, and leave Cas alive. Hell, even if Cas was in the Alt Universe with Mary, it'd have been better.) The finale just seemed excessive.

At the time of the episode airing, the episode had once again reverted to the "really depends" status it was at the end of season 3. It really depended on what they do about fixing Cas. Despite the fact that the current set of show-runners hadn't (yet) lied to us and that Cas would likely be back next season, considering Misha is still signed for the series, I was concerned. I was worried that they'd pull another Midnight PR release about his role being "reduced" like after 6.22. Thankfully, that didn't happen, and Jared's accidental spoiler at JIB 2017 relieved my nerves about Misha's continued involvement in the show. Hopefully, they're aiming for some sort of surprise that's closer to season 4 then the horrible idea that was season 7. (More Cas, good writing, and a memorable set of characters and plot... not a loss of support and an endless supply of bad dick jokes.)

It didn't help that Castiel was written as rather severely off-center in this episode. I spent a large amount of time convinced that Cas had been replaced by a illusion-clouded Lucifer or Alternative Universe Cas because of that, but his character would subsequently swing back to normal each time, pointing to at least most of it being nothing but bad characterization on the writers part.

"All along the Watchtower" has one character reassure another that they've been through this before, and "this is not our fate". It also seems to leave out parts of the story, telling us the beginning and the end, but not the middle. You never find out what the events are that they are watching for, what the two in the song are discussing, just that people are watching and preparing and that the two central characters realize they'll get through it. So does that mean that although things look similar to before, a few things will change, go in a better direction? If So, what and for whom? Who is coming with? (Better have Cas in the group going forward.) And what haven't we been told that will effect how we see the episode once we know it? (And which character is the joker and which one is the thief?)

Or is the title and the "alone again" circular nature of the ending the only thing they borrowed from the song? Only time will tell.

Now, this is clearly not the end of the story. There's too many questions, and its finale status means I can't tell if it's well-written or not. If it hadn't have been the finale, it wouldn't have been, with all the unanswered questions and the characters acting a bit off. This is a shame, frankly, because the season started out well. The first episodes of the season had promise, and a number of the episodes (both arc and filler) were quite well-done. Sadly, the quality degraded sharply over the season, especially in the last few episodes of the season.

Among the many questions:

What did Cas say to Kelly that last time? Did it have anything to do with why he suddenly acted in a frankly somewhat brainless manner at the end of the episode, or was that just terrible writing?

Why did he go in and stab Luci when he *knows* his blade won't do anything? Cas is brilliant, so he's much too smart to do something that useless unless there was a purpose to it. He's fought Archangels before, and if he knows his blade would do jack against Michael or Raphael, why think it'll do anything but annoy Lucifer?

Lucifer is a bit one-note for the second half of this season, don't you think? Every time he's upstairs, it's "let's start the Apocalypse!" Raphael and Micheal were the same way. The Archs are rather dull and plodding sorts, with the exception of Gabriel. Can we trade Luci for Gabe?

Why did Cas come through the portal but not move out of the way? He had to realize that Luci was still there and had the potential of coming through after him.

It struck me that Cas and Mary are the only two characters that dealt with the pregnant Kelly in this episode. Does Jack remember them? (It's documented that babies recognize voices they've heard in the womb) Will he bring back Cas and help save Mary as a result of remembering they wanted to help him? And considering he would have heard the Winchesters trying to figure out how to de-power him, how much will they have to bargain to get him to act?

Jack being an adult at birth does work with the adult Jane in “Clip Show“ in season 8, but still directly contradicts the “The kid is a Nephilim” bit in “Lily Sunder has some Regrets”, one of the better episodes in this very season. The issue makes Cas and the other angels look like morons this season. Do *none* of the writers in this show ever talk to each other?

I was actually sad to see that the dusty world we saw in the promos was not, in fact, the Empty. Why spend so much of the last few years yelling about that if you're never gonna pay out on it? Instead, the dusty world was an alternative dimension where the guys never existed, a fact that made very little sense. If the guys were so important that no one else could be the true vessels in season 5, then how did it start in the alternative universe? Did John have some sort of distant cousin with kids who didn't have the same level of character? And why was the alternative world essentially a clone of the tv show "Dominion", styled to look like the battlefield sequence from the Prophecy movie series - A world of dust, sand, writhing beings on spikes and where Angels and Demons are not only exaggerated but enemies of what is left of humanity. (That comment about Baby Ear necklaces on the Angels was horrifying.)

Speaking of which, I was actually interested in the fact that demons in the alternative world had black eyes, piranha teeth and horns. If that happened to the demons, what do the angels look like? Do they have sometimes-visible wings and auras? It had to be noticeable, if Bobby could tell the difference between one of them and Cas. And can one of them bring Cas back? (Or can Chuck or Amara come back and do it? They do still owe the guys a few favors, in my opinion.)

From the statements in the episode and what we saw with the alternative version of Bobby, clearly people exist in both universes independent of each other. Since Mary and Bobby existed independently, and Azazel existed there (killing Mary over there at about the same time as our Azazel killed John), would Cas? What would he look like? Could that one that was stabbed be him rather then ours? What about Gabriel?

A few Observations:

The way Crowley died, martyring himself like Meg, actually made me rather sad. Going out like that redeemed the character, but it really pointed to the corroding nature of the Winchesters. Everyone they touch ends up going out with a whimper, often throwing themselves into the gears of the machine to try to buy the guys a few moments, which usually goes squandered. Why more characters don't just run when they see them coming, I'll never know.

The Winchesters actually failed utterly in this episode. They've lost both Cas and Mary, they failed to fix Jack or Kelly beforehand, and now are faced with an uncontrollable and unknown power who could be either the most powerful ally they've ever had or the worst enemy they have ever faced with no direction and no immediate allies on hand. And they've lost their only family (Mary and Cas). They've lost, despite besting Lucifer.

The current story-line possibilities are giving me bad flashbacks of the Jasmine story-line on Angel (I hated that story-line). I'm really hoping that they have a better idea then that.

They never resolved the death of Billie the Reaper and the "Cosmic consequences" it would supposedly bring on Cas. Could that be how he comes back? Or did the writers just plain forget? (Wouldn't surprise me, to be honest.)

In a previous review, I remarked that I didn't want to see Cas attached to any fire-covered ceilings or water-covered floors. So, of course, they killed him standing up in front of a door. Not cool, Supernatural.

I must admit to being tickled that when faced with a Doorway to another dimension, Dean's immediate response was "like Narnia?" That would be a reference he'd be familiar with, considering all his time hiding in that wardrobe.

Cas rented a house using the id "James Novak". Again, I'm mystified by the fact he can do that, considering Jimmy's disappearance, and the visual ties to the massacre in season 7 and Claire's disappearance in season 10. The police work in this show is either amazingly lax, or else the cops in this series (the male ones, anywho. Sheriffs Mills and Hanscum are awesome.) are morons.

Cas says that Jack showed him "a world without war, hunger, pain..." This sounds all well and good, until you remember that there are other ways to achieve that beyond creating a Utopia. After all, until people figured out the code and unhooked themselves and others, the Matrix would have been really peaceful as well.

Back in season 7, I discovered that the only way to deal with the stress of the crap the writers threw our way was by diverting myself into fan videos and fan fiction. This episode did a number on my nerves, especially towards the end, so immediately after it ended, I watched a cas fan vid to try to cheer myself up. I'd forgotten that the video opened with the scene of Casifer threatening Crowley in Rowena's presence in 11.10. The sight of all three on the screen actually made it worse. I ended up speed reading 3 fluffy AU Destiel fics to try to feel better. (Personal tip: Don't watch any fan video using "Dust in the Wind" as its song after watching this episode. You'll drown in the angst.)

In the end, the finale episode of season 12 left me generally unsatisfied, bothered by severe character mistreatment and far too many unanswered questions to truly enjoy it. Whither or not it's improved by time and the start of season 13 depends on many variables, and that uncertainty makes me uneasy. I hope, however, that 13.01 at least rights some of the wrongs of this episode and season, although some of it will only be solved by hard work and an improvement in general writing and leadership skills by the folks that create the series.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

-

Well, this has been the finale episode review of season 12. I still have a general season overlook and writer scorecard post I'm working on, and I'll put that up as soon as I can. It may be one big piece, or perhaps in chunks. It depends on the size.

Keep an eye out. :)

[halethesourestwolf]

Pass the happy along! When you get this, reply with 5 things that make you happy and then send it to the last 10 people in your activity feed 💕💕

This is a lovely thing to pass around, so thank you for passing it along to me! We all need a little more happiness in our lives, and to list a few of the things that keep us going right now is a beautiful thing. So, I’m going to do this before I crawl off to bed, let’s ignore the fact it’s 6am, oops, and then tomorrow I’ll pass it along when I’ve got the brain function to do it properly.

1. My animals. I love them to pieces! My beautiful and precious dogs who I would be lost without (Toshiko, Ianto, and Damon - they’re all special in their own little ways), my wonderful cat who deserves so much better (Rupert, my precious kitty who was born with his back legs backwards and still lives life to the full), and my three remaining guinea pigs who are the most ridiculous creatures in all the best ways (Brad, Ray, and Poke - I miss their brothers Nate and Walt every day). Animals in general make me so happy, because they’re such innocent creatures, and so many of them deserve better - they deserve everything.

2. Emmerdale, and, especially, Robron, because in spite of all the weirdness that’s been happening and still doesn’t make sense half the time, I do love this show, it’s been with me since I was born, it’s the only soap that’s ever really meant the world to me because it’s Yorkshire based and the rest of the UK forget we exist most of the time despite being the biggest county in the country, so I’ve always loved that we at least have this. And our boys, I would be lost without them, too, because they’re idiots, but they’re our idiots. They’ve both been through so much, and I live for the day when they see happier times (or when someone writes the fan fic and I devour it, either way). I love everything about them, especially their flaws, even when they threaten everything they’ve been working towards. I could write pages on them, but I’m half asleep right now, and not coherent enough to do them justice.

3. This fandom. I’ve been in a fair few fandoms over the years (Harry Potter, Supernatural, Teen Wolf, Mavel, etc. - all with so much more unnecessary negativity and horridness), but I can honestly say I’ve never come across one with half as much passion at this one, or as much talent - from the fan fiction and fan art, to the theories and headcanons, even the notes and tags people write hold so much thought and care for the show and the characters, and everything between, even in these dark times there’s been so much more positivity than negativity, there’s been so much laughter in the face of adversity, it’s such a beautiful thing to be allowed to take part in. But, most of all, the people themselves. I’ve never been welcomed into a fandom the way this one has welcomed me, I’ve never made friends quite as easily, and I do struggle with that, but I’ve been accepted so easily, met the loveliest of people, and I wish we could all meet up in this wonderful world and all be amazing together, but Tumblr is still more than enough. I love each and every one of you, and to everyone who’s given me the time of day, who’s listen to me ramble on, or who’s just generally supported me either with fandom things or me things in the smallest of ways, thank you. I appreciate all of you, and everything everyone does.

4. Writing. I know I’m not all that good at it, and I keep the best things I write to myself most of the time because I’m too terrified of the world ripping my happy places to shreds, but picking out ideas, grabbing hold of them for all they’re worth, and building all these thoughts and feelings around whatever characters I’m working with (either my own or someone else’s creation), the worlds they live in, and the plots that always get carried away with themselves. I love sitting down and writing out about all these other people, places, and things, because I’m rubbish at knowing what I’m thinking or feeling about myself most of the time, I struggle to connect me and the world together, to know what emotions it is that I’m feeling or to see clearly what it is I’m thinking, and yet I can so easily know and be aware of these fictional character’s thoughts and feelings, their motives and plans, and it keeps me going. It’s an escape, but it’s also so much more than that. It’s what I live for when I’m struggling to find things from my own little world to keep going for, it helps me to heal in a way nothing else ever has, and it helps me to figure myself out along the way and to learn new things when I’m in research mode, things I never would have considered otherwise.

5. I’m honestly struggling for a fifth, so I guess just general things that mean a lot to me like books and telly shows that I can connect with, the beautiful parts of natural, the sun, moon, and stars, and all the mysterious still out there waiting for me to discover, because there’s always so much to learn and I know I’m behind in that area, it’s just a nice thought that there’s still so much to find out about the world and everything in it. And I’ll probably think of something obvious I could have put for this last one later, but I’m tired and brainless right now. Oh! My bed, I love my bed, it makes me happy, even when it’s uncomfortable and not cooperating, it’s a beautiful place to be. So, I guess, sleep (when it’s available to me, at least, because, life-long insomniac here), and whatever place allows me to find it.

And with that, I’m off to bed. It’s been an amazing day, celebrating Robert Sugden’s birthday has been such a wonderful and amazing thing with all of you lovely people, so thank you for letting me be a part of that.

[horrible-monstrosity]

So how the fuck does the toe thing work? Macademia here is of course astoundingly far from the first series to pull out some nonsensical "evolutionary levels" thing in explaining its plot driver, but the particular way it's implemented just make it so, so much worse. So the toe joint missing is a sign of, effectively, the "next evolutionary level", as the body "streamlines" itself, and also it goes hand-in-hand with having a quirk (though we don't know if that's a 100% thing or just a very strong correlation). But with two such "evolved" parents, both having quirks and presumably supertoes, it's still possible for the kid to have the old toes (and no quirk). So Midoriya has... devolved? What? Really, if they had skipped the evolutionary-streamlining thing and just had it be an arbitrary indicator, it would have worked fine, but this is... complete nonsense.

hero ep 4 would be nice if dek did something actually smart when he was behind the others at the start instead of just running blindly behind them. even just splitting off in a different direction so he wouldn't be competing against absolutely everyone for targets or sumtin. "nothing is nobler... than SELF-SACRIFICE!" showing Deku not only with multiple decimated limbs fucking flailing in the wind like windsocks but with the fucking skin on his knuckles removed, exposing shredded raw red flesh... this is disturbing to me. How old is this kid again? Like, 13? So fucking noble Seriously, this entire plot is just somehow... brainless. Deku and AM never, at all, tried out the powers, even though not doing so puts Deku at a massive disadvantage by not knowing what he can do (leaving him paralyzed by nervousness since he's still in the mindset of being powerless... he'd likely still be a bag of nerves but it would be at least mitigated somewhat) and also not knowing what the results would be. But at the same time, for not knowing that one jump and one punch would destroy his fuckijg bones, he sure takes it damn well when it hits him. Hell he gets to be the most analytical and observant he's been so far (that is, at all) aside from what's implied by the notebooks, realizing he can save himself by breaking the other arm. He should try breaking a limb before every battle from now on, it seems to make him smarter. Also how much contrivance did this scenario take? Not only does no one else go for the big bot- even if it's zero points you'd expect some of them to want to show off- no one notices floatgril under the debris. Either that or none of them except Deku would save a bystander, which seems... please, no. And then, however stupid it was for Deky to have never used his powers until now, the only reason him not breaking multiple fucking limbs doing this isn't immediately deeply horrifying is that the kissy lady is there to magucally heal him. (Now it's just deeply horrifying if you actually stop to think about it.) Man, imagine how long this series would've been if there hadn't been a magically contrived way to get out of that actual consequences, lol. Or imagine if he'd had a reasonably realistic reaction to it. This shit's fucked. And then his mom... does she know he went to the UA admissions test? Does she know what happened there? If she knows he went shouldn't she have been expecting he'd have to do hero things and should have had the crap beaten out of him trying? What did he even tell her happened? What would even be on the written exam for this sort of a school, anyway? Would Deku's previous hero observation stuff have helped him at all? You'd think it would... No, really, a hero school should teach them about and require them to know things about how profession heroes do their thing, and what scenarios they could run into, and shit. But instead it's some vague unspecified nothing and he barely passes. ok

episode 5 i guess i lost track of what's what in my notes The teachers all go on about "hMhMm iT'S lIkE He cAn'T cOnTRoL hIS pOwErSS" but no one thinks to, like, I dunno, take him aside and give him some heroic special ed, maybe figure out what the fuck's wrong with him or something. It's not like it wouldn't be worth the effort- he's shown he has massive power he just can't control, and everyone there knows he has the perfect hero attitude. He's a fucking asset, but... naw, just sit by dumbly and let him keep breaking every bones. What would even be the cover story if that happened? Does the rest of the faculty know how AM's quirk works, or would they have to come up with some convenient lie (and how's AM dealing with being a teacher with the time limit on his powers, anyway)? It wouldn't even be hard to come up with some simple story, and it would probably make things easier if someone got suspicious- just like "he never realized he had a quirk because it takes such a high level of (whatever) to activate it, and that is also why he has so very little practice with it". Now you have a consistent, plausible story you can wave at people who get suspicious. Maybe be like, he first activated it 10 months ago or whenever, got injured, it's healed since then but he started training himself physically because that would help. Look, now it's literally the truth but with one thing swapped out, it'll be so easy to keep the story straight and at least part of it can be corroborated by anyone who saw him training during that time. I'm a fucking genius.

"you'll learn to master it" so when does he start learning how to not break bone- well, I already know the answer to that, in the second season at least he's still sacrificing his skeleton, now with new exciting moves like "breaking one finger bone per attack" and "break a broken bone a second time in the same fight, multiple times". What does improvement even look like here? What does training to control the power look like?

"you must be very perceptive" this isn't true, but it should be. Not in the way glasses guy thinks it is, that he slyly sought out the best way to pass the test by saving someone, but that he was writing notebooks full of hero analysis and shit.

i like how am's talking about how "oh don't cook your egg-powers too fast, that's the key to control!" but I aaaaalready know beku's just going to break his fingers instead, forever

"uh how's throwing a ball to infifinity possibible??" you literally just fucking saw how she just floated it out of the fucking atmosphere you dumb fucks

"someone like you should never be allowed to enroll in this school"... but wouldn't it be better for him to be somewhere he can learn to control his shit? "hurr ur not reddy" well where and when the fuck is he supposed to get ready? this is a school, we're not already on the battlefield you fuck. kid shoulda broken his middle finger instead and then flipped him off what did waiting til the last second even accomplish? his finger's still fucking borken. is it somehow less broken than it would be otherwise? If you're going to bother with something like that, why not have it have an actual impact, like this time it's only severe bruising? Like, have Midi make actual progress with controlling his powers? No? Okay... - had to fight through the pain- what, they didn't call the medic over a broken fucking finger? and after all that shit he didn't even use his powers again, not even on the last test. I thought the entire point was rationing your powers so you could use it more often in smaller bursts... and then he gets last place, so doing it meant nothing anyway. fucking good more contrivances, the teacher known for expelling first-years didn't expel anyone because deku is just that cursed. I can't even call it plot armor, because that implies the plot is going out of its way to make things better for the hero, not worse. healing takes energy, but last time when he broke three limbs it was fuckijg fine. ha ha don queston it

I know, heroics is sacrifice n shiet, but we're just watching a kid destroy himself over and over again to literally no gain. It's not like he's helping anyone by doing this, and there's no sign he's even improving himself with this either. This isn't herosim, it's just torture. Isn't a part of heroics supposed to be keeping yourself alive and healthy enough that you can actually do things? What would AM do if, because of his tendency to waste his now-limited hero power on pointless shit, once a serious battle came up he tried to stop it and got himself killed? Well, he'd die, but what would he think of the fact that he failed because he put his own health dead last? Does All Might have any loved ones who might be upset by his death? Did the author think any single aspect of this story through at all?

Also, if the point of learning to control his power is to stop breking bones every time he uses it... training and fighting normally while in this state is not only pointlessly painful but just plain pointless, because when he can control it he won't be strategizing around strategic skeleton use anymore- using it will be completely different. The entire fucking plot of this show is centered around this and there's no sane reason for it. Just... stop. This is so stupid...

[junker-town]

2017 MLB Season Preview & Predictions

It's that time of year again, when I'm wrong in public and write "it's that time of year again, when I'm wrong in public" to diffuse just how wrong in public I'm about to be. Baseball predictions are hard and pointless, but you're here, so we'll suspend our disbelief together.

Last year, the gimmick was false confidence. It ended with a prediction that Hector Olivera would win the National League Rookie of the Year award. He was arrested for domestic violence, traded, suspended, convicted, and released before the year was over.

He did not win the National League Rookie of the Year award.

This year, no gimmicks. I'll use the same alchemy of available information and gut feeling that I always do, except maybe this way will lead to fewer dumb emails from people who thought I was actually confident in last year's predictions. I'm not confident. I'm scared and cold, just like you.

AL East

This is easily the most difficult division to predict. Not at the top, with the Red Sox having a clear advantage according to the computers and our common sense, but the rest of the way down. Will the Yankees have enough youthful power to overcome their declining veterans? Will the Rays stop giving up dingers like it was 1987? Will the Orioles cobble together an average rotation? Will the Blue Jays overcome the loss of Edwin Encarnacion?

Maybe! Unless they don't. Unless they do. Give me answers to all of those questions, and we'll have a proper order for the East. But without those answers, we're just stumbling around with gut feelings and unconscious biases. The Blue Jays feel nice in second place because we're used to them. The Orioles look like a last-place team because it physically hurts me to watch Ubaldo Jimenez pitch. And so on.

The Red Sox are the easy pick for first, and there's a temptation to suffer from Red Sox fatigue and talk yourself into a wacky surprise of a pick. Don't fall for it. Even if David Price is out until May, this is a team with everything you want to see in a franchise: a stable mix of veterans and youngsters, a deep minor-league system, and the money and willingness to fix problems as they come up.

The Blue Jays made the postseason in consecutive seasons after going decades without getting in, and they have a deceptively deep rotation with a lot of upside. They're counting on an awful lot of over-30 guys, and that'll keep them away from first, but don't be surprised if they play deep into October again.

The Rays were blindsided by the jumpy home run ball last year, but they're too smart not to have address the problem internally over the offseason. They have the best defensive outfield in the game, and entire organization seems like it's built to prevent runs by suffocating hits. Their hitters also seem good at suffocating hits, which is why third place is as high as I can go.

The Yankees are going to be the Yankees from the GIF again, and it's going to happen soon. They've done a remarkable job building up the farm, and their worst contracts are coming off the books soon. This will be a year of purgatory, but it will be one of the last.

The Orioles might hit 250 home runs, bless them, but they might allow 260. There are a couple of ways that it might work. There are a couple hundred ways that it might not.

AL Central

It's taken a while, but the Indians are finally the clear favorites. This used to be the realm of the brainless Tigers prediction, easy as pie, until the Royals came around. Now there are two rebuilding teams and two reloading teams sinking under the weight of time and money. And there are the Indians, who won the pennant last year despite losing two of their best starting pitchers.

The Indians have health on their side right now, and they should get to show off the rotation that would have made them World Series favorites or close to it. They also made the most inspired move of the offseason, signing Edwin Encarnacion, who fits perfectly in the lineup.

The Tigers won 86 games last year, which is about six or seven more than I would have guessed if you asked me in February. They got nothing out of Jordan Zimermann, who seemed like the best value of the offseason, and Justin Upton was a bit of a flop, too. They should get more from both of them this season, but the question is if the pitchers will stay healthy and effective.

Also, I regret to inform you that the bullpen might be a problem, but there's no way anyone could have seen that coming.

The Royals were dealt an unfair, devastating blow with the death of Yordano Ventura, and there's no quantifying just how much they'll miss him. They're a team staring over the abyss, with important pending free agents and aging players who might not be this good again.

The White Sox and Twins are rebuilding. This has been enough content about the White Sox and Twins to hold you over for a couple months.

AL West

Another tricky division to peg, but this time at the top. The Astros have the burgeoning young stars and they enjoyed a productive offseason. The Rangers have history on their side, having won the last two divisions. The Mariners will pick one of these years to not be the Blue Jays of the west, just like the Blue Jays decided to stop being the Blue Jays a couple years back. The Angels are a little better than you think, and the A's aren't exactly a 100-loss disaster.

The Mariners have power and speed, and they should help their pitchers out with improved outfield defense, too. The rotation will need all the help that's offered, but everyone in the starting five makes sense for a win-now team, with the right mix of risk vs. reward.

The Astros have both risk and reward, too, but there's a little too much risk to pick them as easy favorites. They should play a game in the postseason, at least, and they have the talent to win 100 games with a few breaks, but that starting pitching, man. It was the wrong offseason to have that problem.

The Rangers were supposed to be rebuilding, remember. Their 2015 was a surprise, and their 2016 was, too. They needled the sabermetric community by winning nearly every one-run game they played, setting all-time records and tinkling on logic. They can win again, and they can do it in a way that makes us all less cynical. An awful lot has to go right for them, though.

The Angels can't rebuild — not when they have so many untradeable high-priced players who at least contribute a little bit, and not when they have the best player in baseball — but they don't have the money to reload. They split the difference and added some underwhelming but logical players, and now they'll have to hope their young pitchers stay healthy and stop acting like, well, young pitchers.

The A's are a creative small-market team that's struggled to produce capable major leaguers from their own farm system. That's a problem. They've been active enough to build a competent roster, but an optimistic and worthwhile goal would probably be .500.

NL East

The Nationals and Mets are the Mr. Pibb version of Yankees/Red Sox, with an annual rivalry that'll do just fine until some of the other teams can join in. The good news: Some of the other teams are about to join in.

The Nationals are the favorites, though, with one of the deepest rotations in baseball, if not the deepest. It's worth noting that they won 95 games with Bryce Harper being merely okay and several veterans falling down the stairs. They probably won't get the same kind of season from Daniel Murphy, but that doesn't mean this isn't one of the most well-rounded rosters in baseball.

The Mets are close, though! The Mets are close, especially if Matt Harvey pitches as well as he's capable of pitching, and the spring reports were looking good. They'll struggle to score runs, though, with so many boom-bust guys in the lineup that they're almost daring the baseball gods to light the fuse.

The Phillies can pitch! A little. When healthy. Possibly. But they're on the right track, and I'll reward them by being a little aggressive with this prediction. They could win 84 or 85 games, which would mean that we'd pay attention to them all the way into September. When they fell, they fell hard, but they didn't stay down for that long.

The Marlins, like the Royals, deserve better. They'll wear a patch on their sleeve and a hole in their hearts, and they'll have to make do. They have the best outfield in baseball, depending on your confidence in the young Red Sox or the renaissance of Andrew McCutchen, but there are just too many gaps in the rest of the roster to get overly confident.

The Braves might be the best last-place team in baseball, depending on the AL East, but they've done a nice job of being interesting in a crucial year for the franchise. I don't know if Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey are going to combine for 64 starts this year, but I know there's a chance, and that they're two of the most watchable 40-somethings in baseball history.

NL Central

The Cubs won the World Series. Seems like people should have made a bigger deal about that, but here we are. They'll win the NL Central in 2017, too. The fine print doesn't matter as much.

The Pirates are pretty good, too! Just not as good the Cubs. But if Jameson Taillon and Tyler Glasnow break out together, they might be as good as the Cubs. Let's all hold hands and wait for these young pitchers to not disappoint us, because when has that ever happened?

The Brewers aren't really better than the Cardinals, but this is my court-mandated Super Esoteric PickTM, and I'll stick with it. They have a young lineup that's worth paying attention to, even if their rotation features more Matt Garza than the FDA recommends.

The Cardinals aren't really worse than the Brewers, but I enjoy a good trolling and cigar before the season. More honestly, though, this is a team that overachieved their Pythagorean record last year, and I'm not convinced the lineup or rotation is steady enough to guarantee 89 wins and wild-card contention. Maybe I'm just bitter about the time Mike Matheny almost broke my face with a home run in 2005.

The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. They were a charter member of the American Association in 1882 and joined the NL in 1890.[2] (source)

NL West

The NL West has been a Giants/Dodgers battle for the last couple years, as it has been throughout history, and that shouldn't change much here. Except, hold on, watch out for the Rockies, who might score a million runs. And the Diamondbacks are probably talented enough to pay attention to, even if Yasmany Tomas is going to trip over the period at the end of this sentence.

The Dodgers are rich, the Dodgers are talented, the Dodgers have an enviable farm system, let's all blow kisses toward the Dodgers.

Miss u, Frank McCourt.

The Giants are also rich, but they've spent millions keeping players like Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Buster Posey, and Hunter Pence around, while spending big on Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto. They, uh, don't have an enviable farm system, though that means they're good for at least one surprising rando making a huge difference this season.

The Rockies are the dark horse team of 2017, with Nolan Arenado leading an impressive lineup that plays in a good ballpark for impressive lineups. The pitching isn't exactly suspect, but it's just dodgy enough to keep them away from the top two. If the rotation makes significant progress, though, we'll know by the end of May, and it'll be all aboard the Dinger bandwagon.

The Diamondbacks probably aren't as bad as they were last year. That's the good news. The bad news is that they won't be as good as they were supposed to be before last year, either. A.J. Pollock coming back will help a great deal, and it's not like Shelby Miller can be any worse, but a thin farm and a rotation that's almost entirely comprised of pitchers who stumbled last year will keep them away from the postseason again.

The Padres are rebuilding and proud of it. They're doing it right, so don't make fun of them.

...

Okay, maybe a little bit.

...

But Manuel Margot is going to be one of your favorite players, so you might as well start appreciating him right now.