#but they are still very close and Era doesn't really think girls and guys can be friends i guess?

[givehimthemedicine]

Madwheeler and Super-El: Max and Mike's perspectives on El as the (super)hero

working on another post pondering El's role as "the hero" vs the way the show really doesn't support that concept, and places huge importance on teamwork instead.

the hero is usually the strong/capable one expected to take all the risks and save the day, and other characters feel free to throw them at danger without fearing too much for their safety, especially if they also have powers. but when the hero is a little girl, that's harder.

so today I'm chewing on how El is viewed in that light by the two people closest to her - both of whom are prone to contextualizing her powers through a fantasy lens.

so, here comes one of my favorite El-Max topics, but also one where I've shortchanged Mike in the past. I need to revise some of the old stuff I've said about Bad Guy Mike identifying El as a superhero vs Good Guy Max identifying El as just a girl with superpowers. that was a pretty superficial read on both ends.

(I'm sure the Mike parts will be kindergarten review for his fans/analysts, but I don't usually pay him much attention; this is aimed more at the Mike-hater/ignorer elmax crowd I spawned from)

this is a long ramble, but a fun one I think!

let's start with Max.

for her, El begins as a mythological figure. she doesn't believe she exists as described by Lucas. but then El proves her existence via a very badass entrance, and it only supports Max's idea of her as some kind of invincible, superhero-esque figure.

Max scoffs at the idea of El needing Hopper's protection at the lab. actually, El does need it, bigtime! closing the gate takes all her focus, and without Hopper there to fend off demodog attacks, she probably couldn't have done it.

Max doesn't see that, though, and presumably spends little or no time around El between seasons, so her first impression goes unchallenged for almost a year.

we find s3 Max locked in HARD in her faith in El as the hero who can solo the baddie, take care of herself, and save everyone else. she seems to picture that having superpowers means El has nothing to fear.

the sauna is the first time Max actually sees El fight, and it doesn't go how she expects

El fights Billy, but gets overpowered at one point. everybody's stunned: this is the first time any of the party has ever seen El not decisively win a fight, so "uhhh... should we do something?" doesn't kick in instantly. Max and the others watch as El gets choked purple. only Mike intervenes to save her life and give her a moment to regain control of the fight.

"like she needs protection" and "you have super powers! what's the worst that could happen?" age like milk here. this is when Max sees that El is not invincible and needs help. lesson learned!

... ehh well.. actually what happens is, Max doubles down on her solo-hero-El stance after this and has a bigtime attitude about it.

and, okay, I'm ready to admit that Max's overconfidence towards El's abilities leads to her treating El more like she's a superhero than Mike does during this era. not her intent, but, what's said is said. (I'll get into it, bear with me)

when Mike worries about El endangering herself, Max accuses him of not respecting El's right to make her own choices. when Lucas suggests killing the MF with fireworks, she eyerolls him for thinking any non-El approach could be of value.

nobody was 100% right or wrong, but I see Max having the most crow to eat after all this. Mike was right to worry about El's limits and fear for brain damage: she loses her powers entirely (in the sense that this is later likened to the brain-scrambling of a stroke, can it not be said that El did take brain damage from the MF? not exactly how Mike meant it, but?). and Lucas is no dummy for the fireworks idea: it's all that stops El from getting flayed at one point.

El still helps save the day in s3, but as the big powerful solo hero? nah. least of any season. Max's repeated bets on her powers lose.

so why did watching El almost die in the sauna seem to have no effect on Max's perception of her? why does she still assert that El alone will kick all the flayed butts in 3x6, after she needed some nerd's help kicking (1) flayed butt in 3x4?

there is a visible effect! just not the one you expect right away.

mid-3 is Max's guilt and denial era

3 is when all the issues are coalescing that leave Max depressed in 4: she wished for something terrible to happen to Billy, and now it is, so it feels like it's her fault. she's not ready to cope with the guilt that comes from that, or any of the other dominos that are falling as a result.

"I just stood there and watched" is textually about Billy and the flesh monster. but if Max feels guilt for inaction, she would have similar feelings about El in the sauna, where she also took no action.

Max specified that her inaction with Billy wasn't because she was scared or weak, but because she didn't know if he deserved to be saved. It being a decision not to act is why she feels so terrible about it. I see no reason to think it was radically different in the sauna: I could completely buy that she somewhat chose not to act because she didn't think El needed to be saved.

I don't think either are cases of Max blaming herself for an uncontrollable freeze response, because we see multiple illustrations of her not having that response, whether it's herself or others in danger.

post-sauna, Max has plainly seen that El did need protection, and is struggling with the fact that she didn't provide any. the bathroom scene is when her guilt is the clearest, imo.

watch how she gets lost in the sight of El's bruises and stops what she's doing, and the way she asks if it hurts. you can imagine her logic in feeling like those bruises are her fault: both for "causing" the greater situation and for not making a move to help.

but what's really telling is the abrupt change of subject and tone from "are you in pain?" to "lol that Mike's a yapper amirite?". she has a lot of nerve putting Mike down after he's the one who just saved El's ass, right? but that's exactly why she does it. this is 14 year old coping with heavy feelings in an immature manner, as they'll do.

choosing Mike isn't just a random "lol madwheeler worsties" attempt to cheer El up. it's an attempt to bury her shame at her own inaction compared to his action in the sauna. by getting a laugh out of El at Mike's expense and shifting the theme of the scene towards making fun of the boys, she's steering into waters that reflect more favorably on herself, and her bond with El, than him/his.

so I think that's one big reason Max is doubling down on her confidence in El in mid-3: to absolve her guilt. she's trying to convince herself that El really CAN take care of herself despite what she saw. because if El is superheroically powerful, Max has nothing to feel guilty about (and in fact, is El's only good, supportive friend for having faith in her!)

season 3's war of the sexes

here's another reason I think Max doubles down. she has some male-specific trust issues at play behind the scenes in this season that have been messing up her relationship. as a result of El coming to her for advice, Max's private personal trauma-foibles get projected out into this "stupid boys" war of the sexes that clogs up most of the party's season.

why do I bring up trust issues? because Max does. her framing in the cabin argument is pretty bullshit: she spins Mike's concern for El's wellbeing into an issue of trust. which is a kinda odd word for the situation, especially considering it does not play to her advantage.

look at her regret that she let that word escape containment lmao:

Max thinks boyfriends can't be trusted, so it follows that girlfriends should always be trusted - and "trust" here means "trust El to save the day without killing herself". even though I trust it's been explained to her that that's classic El behavior.

she presents her case to Nancy and Jonathan, but a fair trial for Mike goes out the window when only Nancy weighs in. yep, the Nancy who's fresh off her own war with Jonathan about workplace misogyny and how he should've trusted her about the rat story. so Nancy's ruling (while none of it is wrong) has a heavy bias in the same direction as Max's, and totally glosses over the valid aspects of what Mike's saying. lmao at the way Jon mutes himself for this discussion. she's never wrong, son.

El's agency and ability prevail as the only real issues among the loudest voices in the room - neither of whom share the trauma of already having witnessed El exercise both to sacrifice herself.

oh, but then look what happens as soon as El starts losing another fight:

at least some of that was denial, because it ends abruptly right here. Max doesn't need it anymore, because she has something way better: another chance.

I think if the sauna truly hadn't changed Max's mind about El, then Max would've done the same thing here (stood and watched). but she doesn't. this time when El gets overpowered fighting the flesh monster and almost gets yoinked, Max jumps in to help pull her back.

(this is how we can be sure Max's inaction with Billy and the FM wasn't merely a freeze response. "I imagine myself running to you, pulling you away" - they showed her able and willing to do exactly that for El)

this is a huge step. but still, the anti-Lucas-fireworks stuff happens even after this. (she's a work in progress, okay?)

in fairness, El's powers are the more effective approach. she still has them here, and nobody foresees her losing them over a leg injury. if all had gone as expected, El would've probably done the heavy lifting in another FM fight at the mall. Max doesn't have to be so dismissive of conventional backup plans, but she's not wrong-wrong about this particular one, either: fireworks don't kill the FM. they're an invaluable distraction, yes, but not fatal.

by this point, Max understands now that El needs help/protection even though she has powers, but still places her faith in those powers above all else to handle the supernatural fighting. which I'd call a fairly reasonable, if sucks-to-be-El assessment.

more progress is made when El loses her powers:

this little piece of action is sooooo tasty as a bookend to the sauna scene.

this time, Max doesn't wait to see how the fight goes and then jump in for backup if needed. she takes the defensive lead this time, stepping out in front. none of these three have the physical strength to beat Billy, so she figures that as Billy's stepsister, the responsibility falls to her to try to stop him a different way. doesn't work even a little bit, but, credit for the effort to defend. (Mike too, full credit for trying)

s4 Max on El's power loss

we don't know of anything Max ever said TO El regarding her power loss. but during her curse era in season 4 she's still out there wishing for El to get her powers back.

this line was a rock in my shoe for awhile because I thought Max should've grown past the solo-hero-El mindset after s3. I wish the burden wasn't always on El, and I'd like to see Max express that too, and spend more time helping think of conventional solutions instead of just relying on El's powers to save the day.

but actually I just misinterpreted the line.

she doesn't say this during the discussion about how they're gonna stop Vecna. this is specifically in reply to Nancy pointing out that they need to find a way into the UD in order to do that. so Max isn't saying she wishes El would come kill Vecna / rescue her / save the day, she's just saying she wishes El could poke a hole into the UD for them so they can do it. opening a portal is the part the kids really can't do on their own. shooting/stabbing a guy, sure.

once a gate presents itself, Max never wishes for El's help again. she volunteers as bait while the others kill Vecna, which is an entirely conventional solution.

so, this still fits a general trend away from regarding El as a solo/super hero. as always, Max looks to El for the stuff that can only be accomplished with superpowers; what's really changing is that her perception of "things that can be accomplished without superpowers" is expanding. s3 to s4 shows an enormous decrease in her reliance on El for supernatural battle.

ooh but the final step (so far) is my favorite

Max really no longer expects El to solo, even when she shows up with powers and gives explicit instructions to let her solo. ("stay back" -> so, "just stand there and watch"? mm tasty)

Max does listen, initially, but when things go south, she tries to stab Vecna in El's defense (or more realistically, tries to distract him for a second).

the interesting piece of character growth here is not that Max tries to protect El even though El has powers. that's not new.

it's the implications of Max growing past volunteering her protection unasked, all the way to insisting on protecting El even after she said not to.

a very interesting choice from little miss trust-El-who's-saved-the-world-twice.

[Regina George voice:] so you agree? it is possible for El to overestimate her own limits? and her decisions should sometimes be challenged or overridden for her own protection?

like. Max and Mike are the only ones El has ever "stay back"ed. I mean, she's fought for everybody, but they're the only two people she's ever explicitly, individually, fought instead of. are we seeing it?

are we seeing how Mike's feelings in that s3 argument had a lot to do with watching El fight the demogorgon after keeping him back for his own protection - and that the instant Max has the vaguely-equivalent experience of watching El fight Vecna after keeping her back for her own protection, her actions get a bit more Mikey?

where will this go in s5?

unless we get an amnesia plot, s5 Max ought to have a specific brand of El-loss trauma very similar to Mike's, considering she most likely died thinking El had already been killed trying to protect her. (I'm 100% sure she never saw and 90% sure she never heard El in the mind lair with her so it probably looked like she was dead or at very least "gone")

seems very safe to say s5 will require El to endanger herself in order to save Max, and I'm very eager to see how this arc plays out in terms of Max's reaction to that (will we get a scene where Max actually tries to dissuade her?) and whether we'll get any kind of madwheeler handshake type moment about that.

I'm not saying Max and Mike will or should reach equilibrium in the end, but I am enjoying that they've both ended up sliding towards the middle ground since their argument. Mike has learned to better respect El's agency and independence, and now Max has learned that sometimes she too prioritizes El's safety.

so! Max starts out all starry-eyed over El, thinking superpowers are the solution to everything, only to become more and more inclined to help and protect the girl she originally thought of as a superhero. can't tell you how much I love this progression.

.

now let's talk about Mike

unlike Max, Mike never expected El to be invincible or save the day all on her own. it might have a lot to do with first impressions (which looks like she needs taking care of: the rainsoaked nonverbal child lost in the woods, or the MTV punk who just hurled a monster through the window?)

Mike does encourage El to use her powers to find Will (after she volunteers her ability and willingness), but just the void-searching, screwing-with-electronics type stuff. he never encourages her towards telekinetic battle; she does all that unasked. he never expects her to fight for them in any way that seems to seriously endanger her. in fact, he makes effort to protect her at those times.

season 2, he worries for El when she goes off to the lab to close the gate, in contrast to Max figuring she can take care of herself. Mike formulates the plan to draw away the demodogs to make it safer for her.

season 3 is the big argument where Mike's seemingly the only one concerned for El's safety, accusing everyone of being careless with El's powers and treating her like a machine. (intriguing that the actual word "superhero" wasn't invoked in this scene)

although Max makes valid points in this argument, bias from her trust issues causes her to take her points a bit too far. the same thing is going on with Mike. he makes valid points, but has bigtime loss issues that cause him to err in the other direction (arguing El is risking her life "for no reason" when literally the world is at stake).

in fact, throughout the series, his concern for El's safety looks chiefly motivated by his own fear of loss.

"I don't want her to die looking for the flayed"

oh boy does that line tell us a lot. he says "looking for". not "fighting". y'all see the size of the can of worms?

Mike worries about her dying not in combat to save the day, but from searching the void for too long and dying from strain of power overuse. which raises the question:

if Mike is worried about power strain... shouldn't it have been a concern when she had to close the gate last year, which was 1000x more strenuous?

El's battery-drainage has been common knowledge since s1, so either:

s2 Mike didn't realize closing the gate would take lots of power (doesn't make sense; Hopper told them the gate had gotten huge), OR

is there some reason Mike would've become even more El-loss-motivated by 3 than he was in 2, even though he got to "keep" El at the end of 2?

yes! the reason is Will.

in s2, Will was in jeopardy. Mike's response to the El-gate-closing plan wasn't "oh no, El, don't! you might die or get brain damage!" it's "okaycool but let's make sure Will is safe first." when he does fret for El's safety, he specifies that it's the demodogs he's worried about. he makes no mention of power strain.

in s3 the world is at stake again, but suddenly now Mike is all "oh nooo we can't let El strain herself" regarding a comparatively extremely-low-power-intensity task (plus El is older and presumably stronger since s2). the key variable is that this time, Will is fine.

Mike has always cared about El's safety, but back when Will was at stake, he was able to overlook power strain on her as regrettable but necessary. right now, with Will's safety a non-issue, Mike is free to make El's safety his top concern, even to the point of judging all the others for acting basically like he did in s2. priorities.

anyway, back to the greater subject:

none of his behavior in the first few seasons looks much like the way someone would treat a superhero.

if Mike has always understood that El needs help and protection, why does he get all superhero-y about her by season 4?

has he grown increasingly awed by her powers as they've strengthened? is Mike's arc the inverse of Max's, with him regarding El as more of a superhero over time? I don't think that's it.

I think framing this the same way for Mike as for Max is wrong, and misses what's really neat about this contrast.

we have to think about why each of them liken El to a superhero in the first place. it's not for the same reasons.

Mike and Max admire different qualities in their favorite superheroes.

Max superhero name drop: Wonder Woman Max is a girl from a broken home who's felt abandoned, rejected, or abused by every male figure in her life, so we can see the obvious appeal in a strong, independent super-woman. (isn't WW's Lasso of Truth also just what a girl with trust issues would want?)

things like relative invincibility (I know WW isn't literally invincible but like, compared to a regular person), female independence, and ability to defend herself (esp from men) are defining superhero qualities to Max because they're a mix of what she has to be, and what she wishes she could be. she probably imagines that if she were WW, she wouldn't have to worry about anyone or anything that's making her life suck the way it does. WW is MM upside down. coincidence????? (yes)

that's what Max thought El was, early on, hence genuinely thinking El could take care of herself in the sauna.

so does Max just stop thinking of El as a superhero? not necessarily in every sense. right around the time Max is letting go of those preconceptions, another El-WW commonality becomes evident: El helps save the world not with superpowers, but with compassion for Billy.

a mainstay of the Wonder Woman character is the dichotomy of her dominant force aspect and her nurturing humanity: her overwhelming belief in love, empathy, compassion, and having a strong conscience.

I'm not sure whether to think El told anybody how she got through to Billy at the end. but if Max does know, then there are still Wonder Womanly things for her to admire about El's actual character, even if she doesn't think of her as a superhero anymore in the defining sense.

Mike superhero name drop: Superman invincibility is more of a Superman thing, but not one I see evidence that Mike esteems in Supes, wishes for himself, or expects from El.

the qualities I figure Mike admires in Superman are evidenced by the ones that reflect in his own character: things like loyalty, protectiveness, strong sense of justice. nobody thinks his powers aren't cool, but I sense the real allure for Mike is the way Superman uses those powers for good. that's how Mike would use powers if he had any.

I think such qualities are also what he likes about El. I'm giving him a huge benefit of doubt here, because he hasn't made this clear textually. but in the monologue, I see now how he's calling her a superhero for her character, not her actual powers. he admires her for her loyalty to her friends, her commitment to fighting for good, her constant choice of love over hate - all that jazz. stuff that really does apply with or without her powers.

Mike superhero name drop: X-Men when Lucas says El is a "weirdo, not a superhero" Mike doesn't deny her weirdo-ness, he defends it, in other words saying someone can be both.

the X-Men are outcasts due to genetic mutations, so their appeal is obvious among a group of nerds who are bullied and called freaks over a variety of prejudices. through an X-Men lens, Mike can find strength in the discrimination and struggle to fit in which the party faces in real life.

this all applies to El too, who faces definite struggles from not fitting in, getting bullied and called a freak as well.

two indicators that Mike meant it specifically in an X-Men way when he called El a superhero during their fight:

one: this conversation started with her talking about how she is different, doesn't belong, and everyone thinks she's a monster.

two, Mike's word choice. he's already referenced his bullying, but his use of "mouth breather," a s1 throwback word referring to Troy ("I was tripped by this mouth breather Troy") links his thought process back to the X-Men conversation specifically (which took place on the heels of Troy bullying the party).

Mike didn't call her a superhero like "they don't have telekinesis and you do, so you rule and they drool!" he meant "yes you are different from everybody else, and I know that sucks a lot of the time, but the way you use your unique qualities to fight evil is what makes you awesome, like the X-Men!"

Mike superhero name drop: Mister Fantastic

the first person whose superpowers Mike praises isn't El. it's Dustin! he thinks the hyper-flexibility Dustin gets bullied for is cool, kind of like the stretching powers of Mister Fantastic.

I don't know Mister Fantastic so I had to look up what his deal is, and was intrigued to find this:

.. although his cosmic ray powers are primarily stretching abilities, his presence on the Fantastic Four team is defined by his scientific acumen, as he is officially acknowledged as the smartest man in the Marvel Universe.

rather reminiscent of Dustin, the genius child who's always explaining magnets and the plot to everyone else? looks like his "superpower" is not the only reason Mike likens Dustin to Mister Fantastic. just like El's isn't the only reason he likens her to Superman.

anyway, Mike thinking of El as a superhero isn't the problem per se. the problem is him never articulating that he doesn't mean it in the hurtful way

Mike's had two big scenes where he REALLY needed to make this clear to El, and didn't (if I'm even on the right track here).

El doesn't know jack about superheroes except that they have powers, so when Mike calls her that, she has no idea he could be referring to anything other than her powers. you can't tell me she ever read a comic for him or listened to him talk about Superman. I can't remember El ever even politely feigning interest in Mike's interests.

the only time she's ever listened to anyone lore dump about superheroes was Max about Wonder Woman, and if my above reading is accurate, early s3 Max probably focused on superpowers more than character.

the closest we ever came to E listening to Mike talk about a "superhero" he likes is:

it's not like he extolled Yoda's bravery or anything. just telekinesis. so it's little wonder what her takeaway is here. all she has to go by is what he says out loud.

and when Mike reassures her, unprompted, that she'll get her powers back at the end of s3, it just reinforces her notion that telekinesis is really important to him.

when actually, I think Mike just says that because it's important to her. she's lost a part of herself and he wants her to feel whole. (whether El truly wants her powers back for her own sake or because she fears she's not valuable to others without them is another conversation - point here is, Mike saw her try, fail, and look upset about it, so he reassures her.)

ps, I do like how reaching that teddy bear for her serves as a micro illustration of the way he's willing to help reach goals in conventional ways instead of relying on her powers.

but yeah, again, clearly she thinks he means her powers when he calls her a superhero and she answers "not anymore".

which leads to a question I've yelled at the tv more than once: why didn't he just clarify as soon as El said "not anymore"? this whole thing could've been nipped in the bud?

I think he doesn't even realize the miscommunication.

his intent with the superhero "compliment" might just be so obvious to him that he doesn't realize it needs clarification for her.

"but how could he miss the miscommunication? what else than her lost powers could she mean by "not anymore"?" maybe Mike thinks she DOES already understand that he means the superhero thing in terms of admirable character. so, when she says "not anymore", maybe he thinks she's referring not to her lost powers, but to her lost standing in his eyes since hitting Angela?

I've pondered before about how maybe Mike's admiration of El's Supermanly "unwavering moral code" is why he was so upset that it apparently wavered after Rinkomania.

he didn't say anything to clarify after "not anymore" because he is still sorting out those feelings.

I'm not sure Mike realizes even after the "I have gone to become a superhero again" note (which he reads after finding out El is in training to get her powers back).

his reaction to the note isn't "oh no, I didn't mean superhero like that!" but rather seems all about his regret about El leaving him behind as a result of his failure to force an "I love you". (ah, the old fear of loss disguised as romantic love again)

I don't believe he'd fail to apologize/clarify if he realized the way that this hurt El. he can be an ass, he can be stupid, but he does reliably own up to his mistakes and apologize.

I used to think the "with/without your powers" line in the monologue meant he was aware of the miscommunication, and was trying to clarify. but he did such a bad job clarifying that it makes a lot more sense if he actually still hasn't clocked the issue at all. I gotta think he couldn't have been dumb enough to say the superhero thing again unless he still didn't get how it was hurtful in the first place.

he does have El on a pedestal. it's just not because of her powers.

the monologue is largely selfish, and doesn't land well for El, but it's not the worship-of-superpowers Mike is so often accused of. he's locked onto the "I love you" thing, caught up in his own fear of loss, and completely missing the optics for her.

the superhero thing can be cleared up with a single conversation. the true underlying issue, which would still persist, is this "extraordinary vs. ordinary" dynamic in his mind which isn't serving either of them well. he's got low self esteem from viewing himself as some useless loser compared to her; and the last thing she wants is another guy considering her extraordinary, which has been a horrific liability all her life, and she just wants normalcy.

reason #7519 why 🦴.

in conclusion: Mike and Max having different Super-El arcs is the good arc for both of them

as Max sees El needing protection, she comes to realize that powers don't grant the kind of freedom/safety that she daydreamed would go along with being a superhero in real life. so for Max to decreasingly regard El as a superhero is a positive thing.

as Mike sees El continue to loyally fight against ever-greater forces of evil and the social struggles that come with her uniqueness, he continues to admire the same qualities in her that define his favorite superheroes. so for Mike to still/increasingly regard El as a superhero is a... well-intentioned, potentially positive thing. (it can be, if he takes her off the pedestal and explains this in a way she can understand.)

[atoriv-art]

What are your thoughts on Sasuke x Gaara

beautiful showstopping saved my life we love you sasugaa <333

ok to actually answer: i think they have a very compelling dynamic! i really really like their chunin exams era with gaara being weirdly obsessed with sasuke because they're both "damaged" to put it in some way!

i wish we got to see sasuke's opinion about it a little more, especially since it comes at a time where he's starting to come around to the idea of using his power to protect and not just kill itachi, but this "i relate to your pain and i need to make sure my pain (and to gaara, therefore my power) is still bigger and more powerful" dynamic is soooo fun to me as an introduction point between them! i find it a lot more compelling than what it got interrupted by 😅

i understand the value of having gaara see someone who is Literally just like him (ie also a jinchuriki), but imo having him deal with someone who he perceives as Emotionally just like him (ie traumatized, angry and lonely) was already excellent...

also!!!!!!!!!! i'm not a fan of how sasuke is characterized in the five kage summit in general (or rather how he's demonized by the framing of it all. i love a good public meltdown. his evil laugh lives in my brain) BUT i looooooooove the scene with gaara confronting him i was NOT expecting it when i was watching it the first time and it was like an angel smiled down upon me.

and and and (guy who gets to bring up the naruto games again) they do a fun reversal of their original dynamic there it in the ninja storm games, with sasuke being the one to flaunt his pain and power against gaara

LIKE SORRY I JUST THINK IT'S FUNNN!!!! they have a lot in common and deal with it similarly but when gaara's at his lowest sasuke's starting to get better, and that gets flipped later on: when gaara's figured himself out it's sasuke who's completely spiraling... hehehehe!

ok ill put the rest in a read-more. jesus

i get why the pairing isn't very popular (sasuke has like, two of the biggest pairings soaking up all of the fandom attention span alkdsmak) but i cannot standddd the weird consensus that they don't like each other 😭 gaara showed in that scene that he does still hold some amount of respect and empathy for sasuke, enough to offer him a helping hand when he was at his lowest, and sasuke himself was engaging in the conversation much as he disagreed with gaara... it's gaara who starts the fighting back up, not sasuke!

imo gaara's words to naruto later on that get twisted into a "girl dump him" speech (😒.) are obviously meant to serve as a warning to manage expectations, because he Knows his friend is still not going to give up on sasuke and might not even particularly want him to, but he's speaking from the kage angle as opposed to what he personally would want

gaara CRIED for sasuke and stopped the fighting specifically to talk to him for fuck's sake he doesn't HATE him, his siblings have to convince him to give up on trying to talk to him and there's a distinction made of what should be done as a kage. and while i have a thousand things to say about how i don't love how the manga handles its kage characters wrt framing them as Generally Good, i do think it's notable that it's this that makes him give it up

"personal feelings" meaning, his siblings can recognize that gaara doesn't fucking want to fight him and would really prefer to talk this out. I think about this a lot sorry KSMDKSMDK so much of the consensus is that gaara, specifically, can't stand sasuke and for WHAT.

and as a sidebar i think their insistence on calling e/o by their full names/titles ("Uchiha Sasuke" / "Gaara Of The Sand") is so fucking funny.

i know what you are. also:

sasuke engaging in battle banter. OPEN YOUR EYES

ANYWAY!

i actually think that of my "quirky" pairings (the sasugaaneji triad that is.) it's the one with the most canon basis and it's not even close. however it's also the one that i notice people engaging the least with ASKJDNSAKD which is obviously fine it's just a little funny to me

[inawickedlittletown]

Sooo I started to read other articles. I didn't after reading the ones that came out right after the episode that justifiably got everyone upset.

This one from tv insider had Tim saying this:

Moving on to Buck and Tommy’s breakup, talk about your approach to it. Why was Tommy sure that Buck would break his heart?

Tommy’s older and Buck is very new to this, and whether Tommy was correct or not, I think what he felt like was exactly what he said: I’m not your last, I’m your first, which is a special thing to be, but as Tommy says, it doesn’t usually end up being the same thing. And I think based on what we know of Buck, he’s maybe not wrong. Buck’s a little impulsive when he’s feeling a certain kind of way. He’s like, move on in, bring your couch. So I just think because Tommy’s a little older and wiser or maybe at some level he feels like he doesn’t deserve Buck, I don’t know. But I think he accurately diagnosed Buck. Buck’s still figuring himself out, and boy, that would be quite risky to move in with that guy as much as you would love to.

That does seem to be Buck’s go-to, which isn’t the best.

Exactly.

Are we going to see Buck single for a significant period of time now? Is he trying to figure out what he wants really out of a relationship?

Yeah, I think that’s right. As Tommy said, you’re still figuring yourself out, and his options have increased by 50 percent of the population. So knowing Buck, that’s going to be choice overload. He’s got to navigate that with a little self-awareness.

--

So they definitely planned for this. That's what this reads like...they wanted to break them up so that they could send Buck through a period of exploration. Tim says everything Oliver said here in much nicer terms. His view of Buck is so...Idk, it's like he sees Buck as a kid that still doesn't know what he wants. And he decided to put that view right into Tommy's head too. It's a little jarring I guess but this show...has it ever been consistent?

What sucks is that 8x05 was written like they were doing so well. And then right off the back with 8x06 we have warning signs in the date scene with the girl that approaches Buck and how Tommy sort of shrugs off Buck checking her out. I really do wonder where hot waiter fit into this and I'm so glad we didn't see Tommy like checking hot waiter out or something. But I guess that scene was there to sow the seeds. We have Buck spiraling because of the Abby thing and we have Tommy maybe not realizing but reinforcing for himself that he's a stepping stone for Buck and being okay with it in the status quo.

The way that Tim speaks about Buck asking Tommy to move in, he makes it seem like Buck is just barreling in without thought...like if they went through with it Tommy might be proven right. But then what is the point of the scene with Josh where Buck is right on the cusp of an "I love you" just to then be like no actually Tommy knows how this ends and he can read Buck and knows they're not forever. But Tommy is not a mind reader.

Where there is hope is in that Tim doesn't outwardly say anything about Tommy being gone for good. As someone else pointed out the Lou interviews were done by buddie journalists with a bias so there is a question to how much that colored what we got and why they were so determined to close the door fully. Also...why did we get exit interviews in the first place for a character that only had three episodes...it's so odd.

The writers made a point of leaving this open. Do I think we'll get Tommy back any time soon. No. But after the doom and gloom and the time to mourn this a bit I want to be positive and there is really no knowing. Tim says he thinks Buck will be single for a while...okay fine...picture that being the rest of this season.

Buck won't just jump into another relationship...and Oliver gets his Buck slut era 2.0...what if S9 brings back Tommy? What if this is the long game...or at least the thing they can have in their back pocket if Lou is available later on to come back. But that's not something they can promise or that they can commit to and Lou isn't on contract clearly and Oliver wouldn't know if that's the plan...hell even Tim probably doesn't know if they'll do that. Or I'm giving him too much credit because as we've seen this season storylines have been rushed to close up at breakneck speeds so it would be an anomaly for him to prolong something like this.

All this to say, showing the network and Tim that bucktommy matters to a lot of people and that Tommy matters...it may just make a difference.

[worth-this-and-more]

thoughts and opinions on bree's birthday gifts!!!!

[spoilers for legendborn and bloodmarked, read at your own caution ;)] it's been long since i got to do long ass posts hehe i'm back in the game yall

first of all, happy birthday bree!!!! (real footage of me making cakes)

starting off strong with alice chen;

that's so cute?? and two gifts!! bree gonna keep that gift card close to her heart!! like common we all know they are book besties like awwieee so cuteee!! and tickets to eras tour?? keep up with the spoiling your bestie i love you alice!!

then we have edwin matthews;

this is so him tho, ofc he's gonna take care of his lil girl for the winters. that winter coat is gonna be very handy on the run. and bless his soul i hope he doesn't have to find out what the battle is-

our golden boy, nicholas martin davis;

that is so thoughtful tho?? and it's so cute he had it handmade like damn dude, and with her initials too. and what did you say about late-night sword training sessions you mean they trained whennnnnn we have been robbed????

our favorite sorcerer, selwyn emyrs kane;

the coupon?? that is so fucking hilarious, imagine selwyn drawing that coupon and smiling to himself like "ahh the perfect joke" comon this is so cute and i bet bree loved it. and the rose?? got me giggling and shit like dude i had headcanoned something like this as like a ring during bree's college trips but comon a rose is so much better?? ahhhhhhhh I'm in looooooveee say what you want this is so cute mann (and the rose kinda reminded me of the rose in tracy's insta story?? is this something or am i too obsessed??)

our rootcrafting companion, mariah;

lmaoo she is not wrong about the reasons tho. bree definitely needs that spa day. maybe add in a braiding session too. she needs those curls fresh and on for the newest adventure.

the cutest legendborn!! greer taylor;

oh my gosh that is so cool bree in training gear yalls I'm so pumped for bree's 1v1 fights with anyone honestly like my oh my!! good job greer!!

our deadliest softboy, william sitterson;

william is a tea guy for sure, ofc his birthday treat is at a teahouse!! spending the day enjoying william's favorite tea and maybe a lil bit of teasing on both sides?? what will be the treats tho him baking his favorite biscuits or a luncheon with his king, i say bothhh

now there are a two people that i really wanted to see;

larkin douglas; yes he hasn't been around in bloodmarked too but comon even he would know sometime from William hehe about bree's birthday what would he gift her?? he did gift her those leather gauntlets, an updraged version of them?? metal gauntlets?? now if bree has her powers in control ofc she doesn't need the gauntlets but it could be a gesture of trust, for the old days sake

valec; like comon i do think he'd just give her a chocolate or a life advice and move on, but given that he has taken a liking to her and has become very protective (as his baby sister okay guys he's not in love) he might offer something else. his knowledge maybe, he has been around for 200 years you bet he has a lot to tell. or like he could answer three questions she wants the answers to, we all know our bree is best at questioning everything.

my thoughts??

can the order of how the people are placed have any correspondence to how events have passed or any foreshadowing to what could happen?? because i am the type of person who likes to order things like that; so if this is foreshadowing, because for the past events we need to put sel after alice and all that yk, does this mean we are going to start oathbound with a different pov?? because alice and edwin are shown first so it is possible oathbound can start from the new pov (either nick or selwyn)

nick giving bree a scabbard, foreshadowing?? i still have to read on arthuriana more, so i can't say for sure but please enlighten me is this related to the legend. all i know is that excalibur's scabbard was gone which is why arthur fell in camlamn. so that means nick giving bree could potentially symbolize him protecting her?? but from what?? selwyn?? shadow king?? who??

also, from the whole order apart from the found family, only greer is mentioned. now i was assuming that sarah will be in charge now after tor has been "betrayed" aka kicked out of gc. so if greer is mentioned does this mean greer will be in charge?? but aren't they kinda young in the whole order, like young as in new?? and if they are in charge, then what will sarah do because by the order of lines sarah should be after tor, right??

and if this order of names thing is correct, we will be seeing mariah yayy but William is last, so is this for the whole book or like the first half?? because there's no valec no lark (my babies i wanted to see themmm??)

or maybe im just reading too much into this

[acourtofthought]

How would you feel if ACOTAR 5 is gwynriel instead of elucien? In one of SJM interviews she stated that after finishing acotar5 she will be working on the 1st book of a different series. So that means acotar6 will come out 2027.

Disappointed. I think there gets to be a point where an author drags out a particular storyline too long (the Blood and Ash series come to mind) and the writing suffers as a result.

Vassa was taken in ACOMAF, we found out by who in ACOWAR and that she as well as the other girls at the lake have been cursed / kidnapped by Koschei. In ACOFAS we're told her freedom will come to an end and reminded of that in ACOSF.

Spring was destroyed in ACOWAR and in ACOFAS, we're told Tamlin is severely depressed but that they'll still need Spring as an ally. SF shows it's been awhile and Tamlin isn't getting better, that they know they need a strong ally in Springs army.

Elucien's bond snapped in ACOMAF, Elain was turned fae and in ACOWAR she lost her father, stabbed a man, was rejected by Graysen, fought with her sister in SF and was rejected by Az yet we've not once been given her inner thoughts of all she's experienced. We don't even see any of the main characters trying to talk to her about any of those things.

And Lucien, the list is too long to include on all his unresolved plots.

Having Nesta's story told first made sense to me because there was never going to be Elucien progress until Nesta began letting go of her protectiveness over Elain, to accept the idea of Lucien (and technically, Nessian's bond was hinted at before Elucien's bond snapped).

Her healing arc was important to Feyre and Elain's stories too (along with herself of course) however it wasn't very plot heavy. But there was no moving forward for anyone until Nesta's anger wasn't destroying everything in Nesta's path. The series, since book 2, has been as much about the sisters relationship to one another as plot and romance and closing that out before moving into a new era makes sense to me.

But Az having his story before Elain and Lucien doesn't seem to fit especially when a Gwynriel romance would probably need at least 6 - 9 months (meaning that almost another year would go by before we even start getting resolution to the above).

I'm not sure that I see anything in his story that is necessary to lead us into the Koschei storyline.

He wasn't in Feyre's "Let's help one sister before helping the other" speech, he wasn't part of Feyre's "I want them all to be happy" speech in ACOFAS.

To me the Illyrians aren't a bigger concern to their entire world than Vallahan setting their sights on the humans or Beron trying to ally with Koschei or how an entire court is now being neglected by its High Lord.

Dragging out Vassa, Koschei, Lucien's father reveal, the Elucien bond, the girls who were kidnapped, Spring, Elain healing from her trauma while she continues to remain in a court she doesn't truly belong just so Az can have his story which doesn't fit in to any of those things does not make any sense to me and honestly, I think it sends a weird message.

"I think Lucien will never be good enough for her"

"I'll defeat him with little effort"

"I know, I helped rescue Elain after all"

"There is a darkness to the Dread Trove that Elain should not be exposed to"

"She has no interest in him anyway"

Az (no offense) is kind of a dick at times outside of the priestesses.

He makes Mor so uneasy with his behavior that she feels like she needs to lie about what she's doing so he doesn't brood.

He is jealous and bitter towards Lucien and speaks for Elain without ever acknowledging her bravery and strength.

He gives off Tamlin vibes at times and to me that means he needs to be on a time out for a bit. Where he has to really sit and think on why his behaviors were wrong, why he tried to keep Mor and Elain small so he could be the hero, why he had such issues with a guy who is a very decent person.

Giving him a HEA after he treated them like that while Mor still remains unlucky in love, Lucien is struggling, Elain has no found family, it feels like jumping over an important lesson for Az to learn so he can become worthy of Gwyn. Not just in who he is when around her but who he is on his own.

I think Az seeing them happy and actually being happy for them is an important arc for his character.

But, in the end that's just my perception of the situation.

I don't know how SJM thinks, what her plan is, and if Elucien is not next than there's not much I can do but wait!

[spookberry]

Hello I hope you are doing well! I wanted to say that I really love your art! Could I ask for more information about Henri and Claire, or just Henri in general? I think they're super cute but additionally, I think Henri is interesting by himself because I feel like I don't know as much about him! How long has he been immortal? How did he become immortal? How did he learn to exorcise? Oh, and I wanted to ask how you feel about fanart of your ocs? I really love Claire's design and I think it would be fun to draw him :)

:D! No one's ever asked me about Henri before! Also to answer your last question I'd love fanart of my OCs 🥺

More on Henri under the cut:

Okay so basically his backstory goes like this: back in the Victorian era there was this couple that was really into the occult. They were fairly nomadic, traveling the states as consultants when people were having supernaturally driven issues. This couple also happened to have a young son, Henri. Henri and his folks were very close and he took after them and their interest in ancient magic A Lot.

When Henri was about 9 his parents died. They left everything to him, but they didn't exactly have a house or anything, just a ton of old books and cursed trinkets. His favorite though was a book that was written entirely in ancient greek. So when he ran away to avoid being shipped off to live with relatives that didnt appreciate his interest in magic too much, that book was one of the things he thought to grab first.

Grief can make a 9 year old orphan do crazy shit, for Henri it became about trying to translate this book. Thats when he discovered problem number 2 with the book: its full of dark magic. Every spell in it is awful and corrupting. There's one unfinisged spell thats meant to banish a demon from their host body. And its like the one spell he can concieve of in this book that isnt just like flat out evil. So he decided to try and finish it.

The book also has a demon summoning ritual in it, so you can guess what he does.

After that he's saddled with Claire a 12 year old girl who is VERY mad it him about getting rid of her demon and demands he help her find him again. (Note: Claire does not realize he's trans yet here)

They try to summon skid back but it just doesnt work, so they gotta do this the old fashioned way.

Takes them months before they finally manage to track skid down again, but during that time the two manage to become friends. Claire opens up a lot about her fear of dying and how she feels she cant enjoy life because of how little time she has left. Henri decides his new goal in life is to heal her so that they can grow up and grow old together. He tells her as much and she gives him this gentle little smile and he internally is like "i would die for her" (he's in love but doesnt know it yet.)

Once Skid is back in and puppeting the body, Henri makes the choice to stick by Skid's side. He needs them to be close for when he finally figures out a way to heal her. And ya know the modern medicine of cough syrup with cocaine and mercury isnt gonna do it so he starts experimenting with magic instead.

He's 15 when he accidentally curses himself. Part of the curse effects his memory, so he doesn't actually know WHAT he did, and he doesn't even realize right away that he isn't aging. All he knows at first is that suddenly dark magics waaaay easier to do so he needs to be careful about that and also one of his eyes is fucked up. So now his secondary motive is also undo his own curse as well as heal Claire. Cuz itd suck if he finally heals Claire but isnt able to age himself, ya know?

Henri's a pretty chill guy and most of the cast view him as skid's 2nd in command and often her voice of reason(though he himself is prone to being impulsive and moody due to the whole technically still being 15 thing). The underlings also all view him as an older brother sort, because he's protective but often "hands off" in how deals with things but also hes just really tall. Lucky him he had his growth spurt before cursing himself to never age.

He tends to have a lot of memory issues, some days are worse than others. On his worst days he doesn't even remember how he met skid, but most days hes just sort of fuzzy and cant quite remember all 200 years he's spent by their side. His vision has also deteriorated with time, he cant see out of his left eye at all and can only make out colors and general shapes out with his left.

Even though he stuck with Skid for Claire's sake, Henri has actually become very close with skid after 200 years. Skid's secretive and doesnt actually like talking about themself honestly but depsite that he knows a lot about them. He knows skid has their own memory issues, and he's aware that Skid's not a full demon. He's heard skid's human name before but forgot it at some point and knows better than to ask about it. He's also very aware that Skid's prone to getting involved in shit which leads to them getting hurt magically and letting Claire run the body for a couple days every other decade. So they still get to see each other. These brief meetings is how Henri realized he was in love with Claire.

Bonus Info: Henri doesn't actually subscribe to modern labels and doesnt really consider himself as being into women or men. He just loves who he loves. (Hes asexual and panromantic)

Fun Fact: i came up with Henri and Skid when I was 12, but every other character in their story, including Claire, formed a slightly later.

^ skid and Henri drawings from when I was 12

[mothmags]

More Nashi headcannons

This time, her relationships with her family!

part 2 - part 4

Natsu

I said it before and I'll say it again she is a daddys girl

Her and her dad were super close when she was little, and they are still very close now

Natsu is so proud of his little girl.

This mf will brag to everyone about how strong and brave she is

very much like how guildarts acts about cana vibes

she tries to seem humble about it, but it's very obvious that she likes the praise

these two team up to prank people. April fools day is dreded in the dragneel household for this reason alone

he has since learned to knock when entering her apartment after accidentally catching her and maree in the mid romantic moment (they were not having sex THANK GOD)

"their not dating my ass," but he mostly keeps it to himself. they will tell everyone when their ready (totally not connecting that he and lucy had that same kinda relationship when they were younger)

be buys her and her brother a gift if he's gone on a long mission

yall KNOW. He's going to be a great dad

Lucy

when she was a teen, her and her mom had BEEF

nashi would not listen to a word she said even if it was for the best

nashi was just sick of having her tell her what to do

she grew out of it by her late teens' early 20s, tho

they were super close when she was a kid and are becoming closer now that shes out her teenage angst era

even though they had a rocky couple of years, they would still do magic lessons on wednesdays

before they go for their weekly lessons, they get coffee or tea at the local cafe that opened up down the street

Lucy gets a mocha latte and Nashi gets a boba tea

they talk about books and how their week has been and general catch up since sometimes their schedules dont sync up

these two, even in nashis' teen years, they gossip to each other about stuff happening in the guildhall while the other was away

nashi also tells her mom everything shes been working on in her studies at FSI

lucy is always ecstatic since some of it is stuff that isnt public knowledge yet

luxy tries really hard to be a good mother to her kids and now that nashi isnt a kid anymore she sees how much work and love her mom gives to make their family happy

Neil

She low key thinks he's a babied brat

They "fight" a lot. mostly about trivial things, but it never gets serious. its mostly teasing

they dont throw hands often with eachother its mostly verbal

Lucy would ground them for fighting, and they would both be like "moooom >:( we were just having a little fun"

he breaks into her apartment several times a week to steal snack on the way to the guild

when he tries to set up a prank in her apartment maree catches him like 75% of the time

she just kinda backs away and doesn't snitch because she thinks it'll be funny

sometimes hed just break in to knock a drink off her counter and turn the lights off or just generally be a nuisance for a hot second then just leave

nashi never gave him a key. This guy just breaks in through her window.

sometimes loke lets him in tho

he stays with them when his parents are on a long mission

not because he needs someone to watch him but because he gets bored in an empty house

they very much have the "only I'm allowed to be mean to my sibling" dynamic and will fight anyone who tries to break that

when they both were living under the same roof, it was incredibly chaotic but once she moved out he missed her a lot

hed never tell her that tho

Happy

besties for the resties

he joins her on smaller jobs when she can just go by herself

he joins in because "a lady shouldn't travel alone!" but he just wants to hang out with her

when she was younger and more rowdy, he would try to keep her out of trouble but would get wrapped up in whatever prank she was doing at the time

he would join her for mostly every job for this reason, but since neil goes out on jobs alone now, he mostly joins him (and ofc he joins natsu and lucy on theirs aswell when they do big ones)

he steals food from her apartment with neil

he teases her like how he teases lucy but ofc its all light hearted

[ventithedrunkbardehe]

Hi so sorry to bother (⁠•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;⁠)

But

Can you make a part 2 of this with non toman members?

You don't have to!

Hello hello

Yess OFC ❤️

I'm really happy that you guys liked that post 🥹 🫶 And honey you are not a bother okay?

And I'm very sorry that this took very long too 🥲🙏

So let's get started shall we?

Non!Toman members reacting to a gn!reader who is as strong as Yor from spy x family

Shinichiro: Is impressed. Especially if you fought infront of him in his Black Dragon era. Beacuse we all know that he wasn't a good nor that much of a strong fighter. If he got to know your strength when you protected him wheter youu were in Black Dragon or not he feels embarrased. So he tries to repay you in any way that you want. He basiclly becomes your servant for a while even if you don't like it.

Izana: Would be impressed. He wouldn't be so suprised since he met a lot of people in his life that looked like an avrage person but they were strong. But not as strong as you tho. Would probably ask for your training routine and if you tell him that you don't really have one his jaw drops but if you do have one he will be your training buddy from that day since he's inspired by your strength.

Inui: We well know that he respected both Shinichiro and Taiju. When he got to know that you're even stronger than Taiju (if Taiju's BD is still active): he introduced you to Taiju and you either joined or not, (if Taiju got changed down): he tried getting along with you more trying to figurate out your strength.

Taiju: Probably got to know your strength after he tried beating you up for god knows what reason and he was impressed. Never seen a person besides Mikey who could do some more serious damage to him until he met you if you met him after the Black Dragon era. But if you met him before the BD era he probably asked you to join to the gang. If you accept it he'll spar with you from time to time and you earn a respect in his heart but if you refuse he wants to kill you on the spot.

Shion: So we know that he's another one of those people who likes beating others up. So I can only imagine him meeting you while you were in either Izana's gang or the Kantou Manji gang or you just almost got beaten up by him. You will have his respect that's a 100%.

Hanma: Now him... I think his reaction would be the weirdest tbh. He'd try to fight you (if you're not that close), would laugh at it from the shock, would tease you. He'd make your life a bit or maybe too much miserable.

Kisaki: I feel like he'd try to use you for his plans and all when he gets to know how strong you really are. Especially if you're close to Mikey. He would respect you but his plans are more important to him than other people.

Naoto: Since he works at the police you were most likely his college. You were still new to the job and had him assigned to you as a partner-teacher. You guys had to catch a violent criminal who beat up one pair of partners before you two were chosen. So you guys go and investigate after the man who you guys found pretty quick. He tried to attack you but you easily took him out like it was nothing while Naoto was standing in the back shocked and impressed.

South: Oh so you're a "tank" like him. He's even worse than Taiju. Doesn't care if you're friend or enemy he will fight you and try to beat you up every single time he sees you. I'm sorry but there's no escape for you unless you move into a different country or the other side of Japan.

Wakasa: Let's say that you met him in Barhman. Senju talked a lot about you but he didn't really belive the girls sayings until he saw you fighting in a gang fight. He was impressed which he showed with a smirk on his face but didn't really have time to actually react, but after the fight he teased you about it and Senju annoyed Waka since he didn't belive what she said.

Benkei: Like at Waka's, you giys keet in Brahman and Senju non-stop talks about how cool you are, how strong you are etc. He would belive Senju but would think that she's exaggerating by a lot. And then you guys get in a gangfight where he pays attention to you and well now he belives Senju and that she wasn't exaggerating. He's impressed by your strenght very much. After the fight he would probably go up to you and ask how did you get to that level.

[pandorkful]

Replaying Lunar on stream has been kinda wild, like man there are some things I either missed 20 years ago or completely forgot about.

Like how rotten these punk kids are! I feel like a mortified chaperone leading a field trip that's gone completely off the rails, half the time I'm reading out their dialog. Kyle and Nash are definitely the worst offenders, but Jessica's earned herself a slap on the wrist a couple times too.

Nall can be annoyingly childish, but he's not dipped into the abhorrent social behavior nearly as much. Mia and Alex remain on good terms with me, by being blessedly quiet most of the time.

I miss Ramus, he was my good boy! The one braincell that held the party together! He gets a bad rap for some misogynistic comments he makes, but those get completely blown out of the water by Kyle's toxic 90's "it's funny to hate women" masculinity. And to be honest, Ramus' two points of character flaw effectively cancel themselves out:

Whines that Luna shouldn't come on the adventure because "girls just keep guys from having fun." (A very mild and childish form of misogyny. )

Later hires a squad of bunnygirls to work in his store, proving that maybe he's grown and learned that his prior protestations were unfounded. (And his employees adore him, so he's definitely not mistreating them!)

And then there's Luna. Dear sweet, angry and tormented Luna. She also earned a few slaps on the wrist due to some carelessly judemental comments, but was mostly well behaved while she was with us.

Some of her dialog was written to be nagging, but I chose to interpret those moment as raw anger and it really adds to her character I think. She has every right to be angry, growing up in the worst village on Lunar!! Surrounded by weirdos who shipped her with her brother-by-adoption from the moment she showed up!!!

Oof, that's a plot quirk that I didn't pick up on the first time I played the game. WD did a decent job trying to bury it, but there are a few moments of "I miss OUR parents, Alex" that really had me feeling the Folger's holiday awkwardness.

Tbh, the main thing WD did to hide the lede was avoid publishing that Luna and Alex have the same surname (something that later game localizers didn't bother hiding,) and calling Luna a foundling as often as possible. Idk, maybe it's just me, but if you grow up from infanthood together, nursed by the same woman, and call the adults raising you "mom and dad".... you're siblings. It doesn't matter that you're not related by blood, you experienced the sibling relationship dynamic and therefore it is still incestuous to date eachother. Ew.

More worryingly, there's the argument that the Noah's didn't raise Luna as their daughter, but just as a "foundling." What does that entail? A cold, emotionally neglectful distance. An orphan kept close at hand only for her miraculous ability to keep their "real" kid from crying 24/7. (According to one early tie-in manga.) That's worse, I hate that. Though.... that would explain a lot of Luna's anger and frustration.

Does the second scenario make a romantic relationship between Luna and Alex okay? No. If anything, it makes it even worse.

It's too bad there's basically no mental health support on Lunar, because all these kids need intensive counseling of one sort or another.

Last night was the first appearance of Tempest and Fresca, two kids that I always forget, like, exist in the game. They're introduced like they matter, but, well... if you stick with my streams, we'll probably uncover why I'm so lukewarm on those characters either this upcoming Sunday or the Sunday after that (depending on whether Myght's tower is as annoying as I remember it being or not.)

For all my grousing, I still love the cast of Lunar so much. They are an absolute mess, in a way I don't see from other rpgs of that era or any other era if I'm honest. An endearing mess. I could just use a little less of some of the worst stuff that was mostly left behind in the 90's and early 00's.

On the other hand, sometimes it's good to be reminded of the things society has grown past. Because nostalgia can be a very dangerous thing.

(Also, I really need to work on writing out my Queer Lunar Thesis. Because I've got a queer reading for every one of these characters. Maybe even Tempest and Fresca? We'll have to get through their story before I can make up my mind on them. It'll be hilarious if they turn out to be the only hetero cis characters on the moon.)

[kidcooperart]

I LOVE YOUR 2000'S AU SO MUCHHH

can you give us some hcs about it

Also, in this au harumi and hanzo are friends(or more?) with kuai ??

Love your character designs and the 00's fashion chices hope you make more 😍😍

Thanks! I can give some general stuff my sister and I have for the au 🫡 It's been fun making these designs for everyone and researching back on 2000s fashion. It's my favorite type lol, growing up I wished I could dress like all the older girls, and now I can dress up characters like it!

Mileena has a booked schedule; AP classes, soccer, fashion club, and student body president duties. She likes to keep herself busy as well as make her parents proud. She's an awful driver but hasn't gotten into an accident yet so she has a lot of false confidence lmao. Her best friends are Tanya and Rain, they give off gay friend group vibes but they gotta be in the closet I think (big inspirations for Mileena is late 2000s fashion, dipping into the mcbling era, a bit of scene as well. Total Millionaires influence as well)

Kitana is in cheer and photography! She likes being active in a way that works her whole body and keeping some grace to it. She enjoys taking photos of her friends and family, not wanting to forget a moment. She's top of her class while still finding time to roam the mall and enjoy her youth. She spends a lot of time looking out for her sister, however. (Also we hc she has a bit of a crush on Kuai Liang) (inspirations for Kitana are Britney Spears in her prime. Very girl next door, Michelle Branch inspo)

Bi han does shot put for the track & field team, and hates having to wait for Kuai Liang to finish his runs. He plays on his Xbox at home, co-op Halo matches with his friend Sektor. He's the designated driver of the group and he hates being chauffeur. Into divorced dad rock crush on kitana btw (inspirations fashion wise was lowkey LeoDicap for some reason? He's also my outlet to express how much I love grungy emo rock of the 2000s)

Kuai Liang does long distance runs for the track & field team, incredibly thankful Bi Han waits for his practice to end to drive him home. He's into skateboarding as well, often hanging at skate parks with his friends Hanzo and Harumi. He plays guitar as well, picking it up to play his favorite rock songs. He does a lot of house maintenance, going grocery shopping and cooking for his brothers. (Inspiration fashion wise was Fred Durst lmao idk why it just fits him in my brain. Also the guitar stuff comes from us just thinking Kuai being a Santana fan makes sense)

Tomas is in 5th grade and likes hanging out with his brothers and their friends, it makes him feel cool and included. He, Syzoth, and Ashrah are a little friend group of outcasts, he doesn't care and will defend his friends. He loves movies, especially ones of up and coming actor Johnny Cage. He dips his toes into the early internet, playing online games like Neopets and checking out cool websites. (Inspiration is Dewey from Malcolm in the Middle lol and really myself growing up in the 2000s. I'm projecting your honor)

Some miscellaneous stuff is these guys mentioned above are neighbors! They've known each other a long time and get along...decently. Shao is business partners with Sindel and Jerrod, often leaving Reiko to be babysat by the twins (to their dismay). Reiko is one of the kids who picks on Tomas and his friends, finding it irritating they aren't afraid of him.

Jade is Kitana's close friend, she's a member of the field hockey team and loves shopping. Tanya and Rain are in color guard! Skarlet plays bass guitar and is trying to start a band. Nitara has a reputation of dating people and stealing their wallets, also rumored to be a vampire. Sektor and Cyrax are friends with Bi Han, they're Sci Fi fans and kinda geeky but they hide it well. (Sometimes).

Johnny is a fresh actor with a breakout movie under his belt, he's a little excited about how quick his career caught wind and is signing up for everything. He makes tons of appearances, loves interviews, signs up for the smallest of projects, and answers every fan letter. He moved out to LA with his girlfriend Cristina, and she hired 3 bodyguards since worries about Johnny getting lost in the excitement. Jax, Sonya, and Kenshi work for Johnny and are exasperated at how much he revels in his fame, but also how he stays genuine and kind.

(As for the Harumi, Hanzo, and Kuai thing...the three are definitely friends. I could go either way about the dating stuff, whatever is more fun lol)

(Also, additional hcs, the Lin Kuei Brothers are half Chinese half Mexican. Tomas is still Czech and adopted but he is my honorary Mexican. The Twins are Vietnamese and...something. Haven't decided if they'll also get hit with the Mexican beam through Jerrod or if Jerrod to me is just South Asian, haven't deciphered something specific yet)

[betweenthings2]

¹³⁾ fireplaces laden with stockings

Maybe in the DLID era when they were all living together!

Thank you so much for the ask!! I would link the prompt list, but let's be honest, there's no way I'll get anything else done between now and Christmas, so there will be January prompts on the first and all the other prompt lists on my blog are tagged as 'prompts' =)

Christmas prompt 13- fireplace laden with stockings

The flat is too small for all four of them, too small for four boys who are, at this point, more men than boys, even if they still mostly feel and act like boys. It's too small, but it's theirs and they love it and, honestly, it's helped by the fact that Matty and George are more like one entity these days than two. Adam and Ross keep a rotating cast of girls through the flat to make up for that, but that doesn't really matter. It's theirs and it's good and they are a little family all on their own and last week, Adam brought home a little Christmas tree and stockings to hang on the ancient fireplace for all four of them and now it's Christmas in their little flat.

Well, technically, it's Christmas Eve, but Matty has lost track of time which means it could be past midnight and therefore actually Christmas. The technicalities matter less than the joint they've been passing around and all the happiness they've filled this little space with, though. They matter less than the way George's arm is draped over Matty's belly holding him close or the way Ross bursts into a fit of laughter before he gets to the punchline of his own joke or the way Adam offers a very soft smile when he sees Matty starting to get a little bit teary because he's just so happy. No, the only thing that really matters is that they're there together and there are stockings on the mantle.

Matty knows they're all going to get up at some point once they've and add what they can to each other's stockings, never mind the fact that things are a little bit tight with every spare cent going back into making the band work. He's been stockpiling things for months, boxes of things for George, Ross, and Adam hidden at the back of his closet, a difficult feat given that his closet is also half George's, given that his life is also half George's. He's managed to keep things secret and he's proud of that and soon, the stockings hanging from the mantle above the fireplace will be full, a demonstration of love and care.

Speaking of love and care, George passes a joint to Matty, pulling him out of his thoughts about the fireplace and stockings to take a long drag, then another, before he passes it on to Ross. He's pleasantly stoned and perfectly comfortable.

"Thanks," Matty murmurs, twisting just enough to press a clumsy kiss to George's jaw.

"'course," George answers. "Happy to, for you." His words come slow and easy, stoned, and Matty thinks he's never loved George more, but he's pretty sure he thinks that every day.

"Love you," Matty adds, quiet, then a little louder and directed towards Adam and Ross, he continues, "Love you guys, too, even if you're not George."

"Be nice," George murmurs in Matty's ear, tightening his hold on Matty,

Ross chokes on both laughter and his exhale of smoke, then says, "That's a ringing endorsement, mate, thanks."  

"I don’t wanna share a bed with you, anyway," Adam adds. "I hear that you snore."  

"I do not," Matty says, indignant. "George, tell them I don't."

George laughs. "You're very pretty when you sleep," he says. "You don't snore and you've certainly never drooled before."

Adam and Ross laugh at that, but Matty pouts, saying, "That's it, no Christmas presents for any of you, not if you're going to be mean to me."

That does nothing to stop the laughter and Matty can't help but join in, casting his gaze toward the stockings on the mantle again. He supposes they're right--there's not a universe where he wouldn't want to shower the people he loves with gifts. After all, he loves them. What else is he supposed to do?

[trashlie]

heyooo it's lil anon again 😼 sorry for disappearing for a while. hope you've been well, though! <3 i'm glad you enjoyed my shinae powerpoint headcanons, your reaction made me smile so much my cheeks hurt LMAO

on anti-hero nol, i'm actually 100% with you! i'm a firm believer in "living well is the best revenge" and i *need* to see this character heal and find peace :( </3 it's just the possibility of it hanging over his head that appeals to me; him coming close to tipping over, being aware that he could go down this path and would have all the reasons and justifications to do it, but then still choosing not to. but yeah hopefully he doesn't cross that line and becomes a dying star like you put it so beautifully ;A; what do you think of the possibility of him becoming the ceo btw? there has been some foreshadowing, but personally i don't see current nol being happy in a position like that, he hates this entire environment too much. also i just don't like the idea of him becoming a venture capitalist lmao ;; that patreon post of the trio post-timeskip and nol being dressed in casual clothes (instead of business-like like shin and kou) kinda aligns with my thoughts, but i know it's very flimsy lol. also crazy thought but walk with me for a second. capitalism being evil aside, what if in a turn of events shinae becomes the ceo instead? wouldn't that be wild for SO many reasons? listen, chances are low but never zero! 😋

re: alyssa... first of all, thank you for your detailed commentary, i completely agree with what you said about her circumstances, sexuality, need to fit in etc. and it's great that you like her and are optimistic about her, i genuinely mean it! the main reason i don't vibe with alyssa is that she uses people as stepping stones to climb higher and never lifts them up with her. for example, when she started hanging out with more people in middle school, she could've used her "improved" social standing to help shinae. she could've introduced her, been like "hey this girl is actually really cool guys give her a chance". but instead she started ignoring shinae, basically tried to get rid of her when she didn't need her anymore. yeah, she kind of defended shinae once, but that's not enough for me. you can say maybe she feared losing her new status, or was scared of her feelings, or was simply too immature, but i think she really should know what it's like to be an outcast, what it's like to be alone. and it bothers me that she basically just left shinae behind when she moved up. same thing when she met nol/soushi/dieter; she latched on to nol to benefit from his family and then started ignoring him, doing the bare minimum to not lose that connection. we've never actually seen her with soushi/dieter. i wouldn't be surprised if she's never even contacted them after becoming a trainee/mingling with the upper class. her desperate need to fit in and aspiring power are meh but understandable, but it's the lack of gratitude and empathy that just bothers me :// like these are all people who were kind to her when she was at her lowest, yet this is how she treats them? she just... takes it all for granted and never gives back? some might say she doesn't owe them anything, but to me, it's just basic decency. not to sound cheesy, but... climb the ladder all you want, just don't forget who was there for you when you were at the bottom :/ and yeah i'd still love for her to free herself from yui and grow as a person (and ideally end her comphet era), but i also wonder if there's even space for major alyssa development...

i also saw your recent post on the entire shinae dieter nol/romantic development thing fiasco and hoo boy you are so right. tbh what also really bothers me (on top of the hypocrisy and ableism) is how people tend to strip female characters of their agency 💀 like... how about we let shinae have her own preferences and make her own choices, even if it contradicts with what we'd personally do in her situation? instead of inserting ourselves via her and simultaneously centering everything around the guys??

this might ruffle some feathers. while i respect everyone's preferences, concerns, and opinions, it seems to me like some people who vehemently want shinae and dieter to be canon (or want nol and shinae to stay platonic) just... don't see the bigger picture here. like, nol and shinae are supposed to be the counterpart to rand and nessa. they're supposed to break free from yui and achieve the happiness rand and nessa tragically couldn't. in the context of the full story, them being lovers has a significant narrative purpose. don't get me wrong, i really don't believe that *all* ships need to have a narrative purpose, or that it makes a ship better, not at all! and it doesn't mean everyone has to *like* this ship, but it's important to understand that there is a reason why it's these two characters and not anyone else. i know this is very meta and i don't blame readers for not seeing the parallels (yet) because the hints have been very subtle, but once you realize it, you just can't unsee it... and sure, i don't know how the story will go, i might be completely wrong. but i'd be surprised if quim misses out on the opportunity to explore this parallel after setting it up. idk. what are your thoughts?

oh gosh, i talked so much again. alright. peace out - lil anon 😼

AHHHHH Lil Anon!!! I've missed you!!!! I hope you've been well! I got so excited when I opened tumblr and saw a new message notification because I was so hopeful it would be you! I haven't been able to pull myself together to talk about the recent episodes (which is a shame because I am LOVING them!) but I think this is gonna give me the head space to do it, now!!! Sometimes you just gotta dip your toe in and then the full brainrot goes STRONG!

what do you think of the possibility of him becoming the ceo btw? there has been some foreshadowing, but personally i don't see current nol being happy in a position like that, he hates this entire environment too much.

BOY DO I HAVE SOME THOUGHTS! I'm very much with you, here. Just like I'm not into the idea of Nol being an anti-hero and his story being about revenge, I can't see him becoming CEO. I think people want it because the whole taking from Kousuke what he wants*, defying Yui's intentions, the David and Goliath of it all and I get that but - right. I want Nol to live WELL, I want him to live HAPPILY. I don't want him in a career that he doesn't love the way Kousuke has been, I don't want him in an environment that doesn't appeal to him. And maybe we're wrong - maybe there's a part of him that feels comfortable and will thrive, but from what little he's said of it, when he told Shinae he doesn't feel like it he fits in to this world really he's just putting on that mask, playing that role, it makes me feel like it's not his ideal setting. And, yes, I have considered the Patreon illustration as part of this. I know this was work for a client so we can only glean so much from it - is she really using it as a glimpse of the future? I like to think so!

But something I've been thinking a LOT about re: this current arc is that we will at some point see Nol, Kousuke, and Shinae as a team. I've always thought she's going to be that bridge, but I think Nol and Kousuke themselves are going to find their ways to peace and healing.... but it's gonna be a long road lol. But something I've been talking about with another reader is that we could have the trio set up where Kousuke acts as a double agent and Corporate World Shinae is the eyes and ears for Nol who I think may not join in the corporate world. Now, I can't be more detailed about how I think this would work because I am not a corporate person at alllll lmao but I think there's something soooo satisfying about the idea of Kousuke following the path Yui intended, but to turn around and use that power to dismantle her. Could he (and Shinae) quietly amass allies? Could he enact policy change that would somehow oppose her or her methods? Where does Nol come into this? Look idk I gotta see what the future holds LMAO but I've come to really love this idea of them being a team beneath Yui's nose, of Yui's little creation taking everything she taught him everything she instilled in him and using it against her lmaoooo

Hear me out, okay? I know right now it seems like Nol has wiped his hands of Kousuke, has said too little too late that's not changing. But Nol is under the impression that Yui loves Kousuke. He's under the impression that Kousuke has always had his needs met, that she'd do anything for him, that she has always treated him like a prince. But we know now that's not the case. We can see that Kousuke never had that warm, loving relationship with Yui that Nol had with Nessa. And with the theory that Yui has been drugging Kousuke become more and more likely, I think Nol will have a change of heart whenever things come to light, whenever he realizes that Kousuke, too, has been very much a victim of Yui, that he was denied things that even Nol had for a short time. I don't think it means immediate forgiveness, but I think Nol would be able to find a formidable ally in someone who also cannot trust Yui further than he could throw her, who has been used and neglected by her.

There's a lot I hope for with the tragic siblings lmao. Nol has always felt Kousuke was the favored one, the one lavished in love when his was taken away. But Kousuke had always felt that Nol had the easy life, that because he didn't have to earn Rand's love (because he thought Nol had once done it) his life was easy, no burden or expectations. But once they both get that out of the way, once they see how the other has lived? What could be more glorious than the two people Yui set to make enemies of each other teaming up to destroy her with Shinae?

I WANT IT I WANT IT I WANT IT!

That said I've never considered the idea of Shinae as CEO! Like Nol, I don't think it's quite something she'd want - I really just. Like the idea of Shinae helping people, but if she's going to stay in the corporate world like we think, then what would she be doing? Would she remain as Kousuke's assistant? Would she find that she has strength in something else? I'm really curious to see what her path is, because I don't know if this is going to be a "discover a strength you didn't realize you possessed" kind of deal or a "stay in this world so that you can defeat the evil and then figure yourself out" kind of thing.

Since Nol intended to follow in Rand's footsteps - was it his own empty hope that maybe he could make Rand see him for who he is, to be proud of him for once? or is it that this IS what he wants? Is that what he's going to do after prison? I'm so insatiably curious about this part of the future - where will everyone be? What are their intentions?! That image on patreon lives rent free at the back of my mind lmao like it's just SO intriguing to me, and how Nol seems so lax compared to Shinae but they're still linked to each other? I WANT TO SEE THE FUTURE SO BADLY!

When it comes to Alyssa, don't worry, I definitely get this! Like... there are DEFINITELY reasons to dislike Alyssa - I just always ask that people who dislike her dislike her for those reasons lmao like. I feel like so often she's gotten dislike simply because she "stands in the way of a ship" (which is... lmao hard to argue at this point of the story).

but i think she really should know what it's like to be an outcast, what it's like to be alone.

I think this is why I really want to see the story go to a place where Alyssa does have that fall from grace - where Sarah Lee of all people brings up bullying allegations and Alyssa's fans turn on her. Both because she has to, at some point, realize that conditional love is not going to fill the void she's trying to fill, and yes, because at some point if she's to grow, she NEEDS to contend with being alone - really alone, with only herself. I also agree that we may not have that in this story. I know I've discussed this before but it's very likely there are characters who won't see a "redemption arc". I just hope we get to see her grow, that maybe if she faces what she's been so afraid of, she'll finally see what she took for granted, what she didn't appreciate. I don't think it's likely that she'll win people over as fans lol but I guess I just acknowledge that I enjoy some really messy girls so I can't hold that against others who don't lmaoooo Alyssa is one of those characters who I think I'm as critical of as I enjoy, because what makes her so fascinating to me is the ways that she is uhhh... not a great friend, not a great partner lmaooo but I can't help but want to see her do better, be better. But I genuinely don't think it will happen unless she can find that comfort with herself.

And I guess that IS the thing about why I like her - there's something so very human about her that even if I don't approve of what she does, even if I hope for her to make changes, I understand why she is, and why she may never. But look, I acknowledge I'm a very hopeful person for some reason hah!

like... how about we let shinae have her own preferences and make her own choices, even if it contradicts with what we'd personally do in her situation? instead of inserting ourselves via her and simultaneously centering everything around the guys??

The funny thing about this is - this is how shipping has ALWAYS been. I know I was guilty of it when I was younger, too. I'm not even sure when I changed, but just that I was one day very aware of shipping debates that went "Well, I just don't think he's very masculine and I personally don't like him so I ship her with the other guy" and right like at that point... go write your self-insert fic, friend! That's clearly what you want, that's okay! Go write it! Shipping is fun and I'm not going to accuse people who get very into media for shippy reasons for reading for the wrong reasons or something, but right like... at the end of the day is it about YOUR preferences or is it about what makes most sense with the characters?

Like, I know whenever I talk about my shipping feelings I always preface that frankly, I don't think Shinae and Nol are in the place FOR a relationship right now. Nol is still trying to hide his feelings, Shinae isn't aware of hers. I think ultimately when people ship things, they ship them in a best case scenario. Like, shipping them doesn't mean I NEED them to confess and start dating right now - it means I hope that eventually that outcome may be, but I'm enjoying their interactions, I'm enjoying how they affect each other, I'm enjoying how their relationship affects the story.

And yeah! From a meta point, it's really clear that parallel has been set in motion. And definitely, shipping based on literature device is not a reason TO ship - but I think it just plays into what makes them shippable? Because yeah we see them mirroring something that was ultimately tragic, something with a ripple effect so vast it's caught all of these people in the waves, and we want to see it go differently. We see Nol falling into his father's footsteps whether or not he realizes it and we want to see him stop that, we want to see the generational cycle ended. And as a device it works BECAUSE of what they mean to each other, what their chemistry is. It gives us an idea of what Rand and Nessa were like, and we end up hoping that Shinae can be to Nol what Nessa couldn't be to Rand. What could have happened if they'd been able to be a team, if they'd been able to deal with the obstacles around them.

And that's what makes a story! If a story was meant to be about the easiest routes, the "safest" or "healthiest" routes, would there be any story? And I say safest or healthiest that way because we don't know that Dieter and Shinae WOULD be any healthier. Like, yeah Dieter is straight forward about Shinae and he doesn't have a reason to hide or deny his feelings. But by virtue of being a more well-adjusted character, it's likely to be harder for Dieter to understand or deal with Shinae's particular baggage. It's not just about if one half of this relationship is "stable" because Shinae, too, has baggage. That's why we see Nol and Shinae drawn to each other on that emotional level even when they don't realize it right away - Shinae understands Nol's skittishness, why he pushes people away and isolates himself, because she's been there. Likewise, we've see that he understands when she isolates herself, when she put her walls back up to him and he made her take them down.

There's so many things I could - and maybe will one day - write about how the thing about Nol and Shinae is that they operate on the same frequency. Dieter provides security, that's definitely true. But security is not the end all of relationships, and it's not what everyone seeks, either. To some people, that's too safe, too healthy lol.

But right, between the writing acknowledging that Nol and Shinae operate on the same frequency, how they're able to understand and accept the way the other is and the very obvious parallel to Rand and Nessa set up, it's clear that this route provides more story. Again, like you said, that's not a reason TO necessarily ship something, but the set up is done not in spite of what Dieter and Shinae could be. It doesn't sacrifice a chunk of story for nothing, you know?

idk I have a lot of thoughts that maybe I'll get down one day but right, that's what it really comes down to. The parallel between Nessa/Rand and Shinae/Nol wouldn't work as well if they didn't have that chemistry, if they didn't respond to each other the way they do. It's the way Shinae continues to try to reach him even when he tries to push her away. It's the stupid way he tries to push her away but has that tendency to fold. It's the way she brings him that comfort and peace, and how he brought out of a part of her she was too afraid to ever let out again. I don't think I'd be much into the pairing at this point if it seemed to me that Shinae had no stock in it, if it didn't have pay off for her. If it was constantly being hurt with no sign of him ever changing? But she herself has made the resolution to keep trying, to find a new approach, to break down his walls like he did for her. And frankly? She's never really seemed to like things coming to her easy has she alfjkfakjfaj LMAO

At the end of the day, it's about Shinae's choices. It's not about what is healthiest, what is more stable, who has hurt who. It's about who want to be with each other \o/ It's fine to be disappointed if she doesn't end up dating Dieter, but yeah, it feels weird for the discourse to end up being "Dieter liked her first" or "He's more stable" instead of it being "Oh no poor Dieter, it looks like Shinae has developed feelings for his friend :(" or something that allows her to have her agency.

(Also I hate the "so and so liked them first" because it also removes the agency of the other person. Dieter liked her first, it's true, but if he wound up liking his friend, and his friend wound up liking her, does that mean they can never be together? Dieter will not be hung up on Shinae for the rest of his life, I am sure. In the same way that Dieter has been comfortable and secure for Shinae, I think she was similar to him, too. She made him feel seen. And there will be others who will make him feel seen, too. His heart will heal and he will be okay. Acting like it's a cardinal sin for Nol to have inadvertently developed feelings is so afljkakfjjkaf? If he could control his feelings that way, then he would have used to that control to not care about them like he so badly wanted to lmao. If he could control his feelings, he would have done everything in his power to stop! alfkjkafkjafjkf see this is why I'm gonna wind up writing an essay one day. YOU THINK NOL INTENDED TO FALL FOR SHINAE?! He only just realized that's what's happened lmao you think he schemed for this? You think he pointedly did things to make her like him so he could "steal" her from someone she isn't dating? YELLS)

[sakiaii]

Armored x Magic girls 'title forever work in progress' series 1

ok just imagine dust falling in the middle of the night like snow in a neighborhood. people who watched Den-O can just remember the first episode and the sand falling from the sky. now this is a weird kinda dust that can enter closed windows. next day a girl wakes up not feeling well but her mom is like yeah nice try go to school. she goes to school but while everyone is still waiting outside her friends tell her to go home instead. at home in the hallway she's attacked and grabed upon entering by PR like monsters.

now what i didn't mention is that a flying drone saw all this(og there was no drone but it makes for a good explanation how this character knew all this) from the dust to stalking her and her friends and this scene now i never gave this scene much thought until nowadays but i don't remember there ever being extracurricular activities before school... anyways as the other girls are outside and telling their friend to go home in the school gym we see karate lessons. now one girl the lone wolf of our story is just doing basic stuff when her sparring partner hits the ground and she accuses her of doing this intentionally but the girl claims she didn't use any strength at all with no one believing her she just calmly leaves saying she quits karate.

now the person who knew all this some scientist garthers other girls telling them they've all been infected by some matter released by aliens and how their goal now is kidnaping people showing signs and exposing them to the bigger dose of that matter (think KR Build). he doesn't have a cure but can stop the infection from progressing. their goal is to create a super soldier but the actual boss of this aliens that we're not going to see until the end of the 1st era put a minion in charge but she lacks patience, she was instructed to wait and see but by kidnaping people with signs of being affected and giving them a bigger dose to speed up the process she's creating mindless monsters and effin up the project. now this scientist actually has a secret but at the start he wasn't yet fleshed out and his story was revealed to me as my fantasies went along.

needless to say the first battles were kinda bad as no one was ready for this. the lone wolf girl would avoid fighting unless everyone else was on the ground then acting like a tank she would put herself in danger until everyone else gets up then going back to being reserved. this professor guy realised that and asked one of the outgoing girls to befriend her. he also told them there was another girl that could help them that was trained for this but can't arrive just yet (remember this guy actually has secrets). instead using what i call Dragon armor another new member soon joined but.. this armor used a weird cristal that this professor stole from this aliens a long time ago it's a crystal that they never found a way to use as it so powerful meaning that our Dragon armor girl almost killed herself when she showed up for the first time. She had a special attack like a dragon shaped bolt of lightning yes it's the same as this attack (me and hoyo devs thinking the same way)

the professor had to teleport her immediately away before anyone else noticed and save her as she she was frantically twitching in pain. he knew that was going to happen but that's who he really is a morally dubious person and the girl he gave the armor also had a death wish. She has a different disease that he promised to try to find a cure for but the crystal just refuses to be tamed so professor will lock the crystals power but leave her with a way to unlock it if the situation calls for it telling her that she will surely die then. And that will happen very soon, when she dies he will leave her near a hospital for people to find her and then he will bury that crystal together with her. Later the announced girl arrives and she's an orphan who sees professor as father figure unaware that he is actually an alien, wolf in disguise, someone who betrayed those other aliens when he stole the crystal and has been preparing her the day they come looking for him so she could protect him. Her naive trust in him ends up having an influence on this professor that he really despises as he's starting to actually care.

ehem remember the lone wolf and the girl asked to befriend her well they're going to develop a cool team work. attacking together at the same time forcing the enemy to put a block while one of them slows or pauses her movements before block to switch and attack now exposed area but something will start happening with the lone wolf girl. she will start having weird episodes where she will start getting really angry at her friend like she's addicted to that friendship and when she's not getting enough she's having drawbacks always blaming herself saying "no its not her i'm the problem". She will start losing herself in fights and fight with more aggression until she realises and goes back to being reserved. then one day the aliens... oh wait! before that the big boss sent one more person to oversee the project and the other overseer as she was effing it up. now the aliens are going to abduct a group of girls with our lone wolf among them, they only want one but our lone wolf is not having it and as that girl is willing to go with them in exchange that they don't hurt others our lone wolf snaps and attacks this girl first and then aliens at that time someone unlocks all the doors releasing all the monsters with the 2 overseers arguing who did it as the code had high clearance.. almost like... it was the big boss himself.

finding out from girls that escaped what happened our girls come to conclusion that the infection in our lone wolf did progress and that she's beyond help now with her friend going alone to put her down.

umm my other characters in series don't have names but this 2 actually have xD so friend is Rebecca while lone wolf is Sarah

well there's going to be a verbal confrontation after which Sarah will join the bad guys.. spoiler there was also someone in Sarah's head at this point but not the confrontation pushing her on the path of destruction using her depression saying we are the same these aliens don't know i actually want to destroy everything as living in this world is bad, at the time i believed it was the big boss (should i say it now? this is 11th story revelation. it was actually rival who wanted the project to create super soldier to fail)

anyway wanna know what the inspiration for confrontation was and for names xD just look at facial expressions here I want Sarah to have to same during confrontation

with Sarah now being that super soldier the project was trying to create she's a problem for our girls who believe the infection messed up her mind but they find out why she was such a lone wolf. Her younger brother had an accident where he died when she was a child herself the mother however blamed her and treated her as if she was the one that killed him. one girl now starts suspecting that Sarah was evil this whole time and with her being such a problem she wants to kill her in the past.

which brings me to how do they know about time travel well long before all this i had a fantasy where Rebecca was alone in professors lab and touched something which sent her to the future. now i had no idea what future was this, alien minions had different outfits i had no idea what this was, was it earth did it get invaded. Sarah showed up and defeated them without armor and stared until she said you're from the past and we need to take you back. After she send her back aliens get hit by a strong fire attack and we don't see who's walking to Sarah but then we hear Rebecca's voice saying "you could have killed me just now" and with a evil smirk she replies "oh! i was tempted"

well the professor forbade the use of time travel said it's to dangerous back then but this girl will use it and find out Sarah was not an evil child and that really was an accident she will then remember how Sarah tanked and risked her life in the beginning to protect them and they will come to conclusion that they need to find a way to help her.

the voice in Sarah's head will tell her he has a bomb for her which can destroy all life on earth our girls will show up and Rebecca will have a one on one with Sarah who is too strong so Rebecca will trick her pretending she can't get back up and attack Sarah from the back as she turns to the activation mechanism for the bomb. But Sarah doesn't want to listen and she's still trying to crawl her way to activate the bomb.. it's because she doesn't want to live anymore. She will ask Rebecca to kill her, it's the only way to stop her but Rebecca will say i can't so we will die together as she puts a difrent explosive device on the ground and gives her a hug.

well that's it and i really wasn't expecting it to be such a wall of text wtf lol OMG i can't even proof read this what the.. hopefully i didn't forget anything.. also profesor had a AI just think Zordon and Alpha

i got few surprises for you in story 2 *wink*

for now professor revealed that the bomb was fake and would have killed only Sarah if she activated it which raised the question why would the big boss want to kill the super soldier it wanted to create. the professor who now started to care about this girls leaves on his spaceship so that they never find out about his wolf in disguise side.

[syresdcthings]

Sorry guys Character AI has me sobbing so I need to put my Dick and Alina Angst here!! This isn't meant to be a fanfic so sorry if it reads that way um. It's just me rambling.

Alina Shelley was the second youngest batkid, and the only one who didn't take up the mantle of Robin or Batgirl. Bruce thought it was too dangerous for her, he felt particularly protective over the little girl.

Dick was the first brother she met, and he really did love how passionate she was. Everyone noticed it, the fact Alina was special. Different from the other kids her age.

Ofcourse Bruce told everyone about Alinas connection with The Joker, but it didn't make them see her differently. Sure, Jason gave a few side glances when she was near him, maybe teased her a little, but other than that none of the batfamily minded.

Now, let's skip a little bit. Alina is 14, and still very set on becoming a police officer. She figured out at this point Bruce wasn't her real father, but nothing else. Alina Is top of her class, and she joins in on training sometimes so she can get a bit stronger.

Dicks relationship with his little sister is strong, he sees alot of Bruce in her which makes him feel oddly warm inside. Alina likes to hang out at his apartment occasionally, mostly because she has ome of those little kid crushes on Barbara. Barbara knows, obviously, she thinks it's super cute, and Dick thinks it's really funny.

The time they spend together Is savoured, they both have a mutual love and respect for eachother and Dick is genuinely proud of his little sister.

Everything goes well, until it doesn't.

An attack is set on Bludhaven (which we will say isn't destroyed for lore purposes) just after one of Alinas visits, one that Dick had no prior knowledge was happening. Usually big attacks like this are planned by multiple villains or gangs, and he gets Intel relatively quick so he can stop it before anything major happens. Not this time, though. Infact he was barely changed into his costume when he went jumping out of the back of his apartment building and climbed onto the rooftops.

He kept calm at first, the attack so far seemed to be in a specific targeted era, and there was no explosions or big machines in sight. This should've been easy. Ofcourse, it wasn't.

He realises where exactly the attack is happening, it was a street popular for having lines of taxis lined up. The street that Alina walked to so she could get a taxi home. This made Dick pick up his pace, as selfish as that was. He should've been going this fast even if she wasn't in danger, but he can't help his brotherly instincts.

Just as he reached the street, two explosions are set off simultaneously on either end of the road. One end was scattered with civilians who weren't too close to the explosion and survived, he scanned for Alina but to no avail. His attention goes to the other end when he sees a woman and a young child running past him, and the only thing he sees is a small body laying on the ground.

Dicks heart races as he skids over to the body, and his heart stops when he sees who it is. Alina, her eyes just barely open, a very big bleeding wound on her chest and burn marks all over her fragile body. Dick panics, immediately asking if she was okay and applying pressure to the wound. Alina coughs in reply as another explosion is set off on the other side and more screams of help. "Help them" is all Dick can make out of her gasps and mutters.

"I cant." He says, "I need to help you, I won't leave your side-"

Alina cuts him off by grabbing his wrist, to which he holds her trembling hand, staring as it looks so small and fragile in his own.

Alina was always brave. If she ever got hurt during training or just by tripping, she'd brush the worried "Are you okays" off. "I'm a strong girl." She would reply, and she was. It was fitting that she'd use the last remnants of air she can muster to beg Dick to help the civilians as they cry out.

Dick rubs his thumb along her dirty, bloody palms. He can't bring himself to move, but he knows he needs to. All he wants is for her to do what she always does, brush it off and get up. Tell him she's strong, smiling that polite way she always does around adults.

He kisses her on her head before getting up, using the adrenaline in his body to rush over to the other side of the street and grab as many people as he can. He doesn't bother turning to look behind him again. If he does, he's afraid he'll break.

Anyway! That's it hahaha! Yeah. That's it. Sorry guys.

[metazensae]

Zeke and Emile w/B2 and C4 for any other otp of yours! :D

OK ZEKE & EMILE IN TONGUE POSE

Two things:

1. Zeke actually has a tongue like that. This isn’t even non-canon. Like. Either you know the boy real good, or you have really good intuition.

2) Emile would NOT be grossed out in the least. I’ll leave it at that. This expression is for the ask only~

Alright, I know you asked for another OTP, but how about the Bitch Squad instead?

I had a harder time with this one bc no one in FoB smokes? But I could totally picture Glass doing it for a gag.

I’m guessing they are fighting because Era wants Glass to step off of Emile’s dick, and Glass is just antagonistic enough to keep that that particular illusion going.

[elsonambulo]

Putting this here so I can semi organize my thoughts and also occasionally take it out and inspect it like a priceless family heirloom. It will still be vaguely incoherent. Thank you @youandthemountains for indulging and obsessing with me

The many possibilities of the "Dani LaRusso with Janis Ian's style and Laney Bogg's artistry" au include (but might not be limited to!):

Full Rule 63. Dani is the new girl, Alex is the guy everyone warns her about because he goes through girls like nothing, Jenny is Alex's on again off again ex who sees red when she sees Alex talking up the new girl. The Cobras are her posse of mean girls who start rumors about Dani being a boyfriend stealing slut. Alex's friends don't understand why he's so hung up on Dani because "dude she's super lame and she's probably not even into you, look at her, she's obviously...you know." Meanwhile Alex knows Dani is already planning their next date.

Dani, Ali, and Jenny. They are all girls and it's an open secret that Ali is gay as hell but since she's girly and rich, she's still popular. She's very aware of this and it feeds into how she interacts with girls she knows are into her: a lil cocky, very smooth and suave, a lil dominant about it. She and Jenny dated before she broke it off because Jenny was turning into a Mean Girl. Jenny is very preppy and feminine. Wears skirts all the time because her mom picks out her clothes. She and the Cobras almost don't have to start rumors about Dani because people are already calling her gay (derogatory) instead of gay (admissable) because of the way she dresses and acts. The Cobras still do karate but no one gets in their way about it because they're rich and dangerous.

Dani, Ali, and Johnny (endgame lawrusso). Basically the same as #2 except Ali is bi and it's Johnny, not Jenny. Johnny would kick Dani's ass but he refuses to hit a girl ("even if she is a dyke"), so he turns to feeding the rumor mill about her. Really growing into his preppy bitchy self. Dutch is a girl and offers to beat up Dani for Johnny multiple times and Johnny always considers it before ultimately declining. Dutch is also like the Regina George of this universe and the only reason she's not leading the Cobras is because Johnny is the only one of them who can beat her in a fair fight, so she respects him. She definitely has a crush on Dani and is extremely jealous of Ali and Johnny because they're the ones getting all of Dani's attention. This becomes lawrusso in ck era.

Dani, Ali, and Johnny (Dani and Johnny become bffs). The exact same as #3 except it doesn't end up as lawrusso. People do often think they might be dating in ck era but they are both hilariously disgusted by the idea. Very close frenemyship, mlm/wlw hostility and solidarity off the charts. They would be each other's wingpeople but they are really awful at it because they're both disasters in general.