#but ultimately she chooses to go back to him

[cloudedmoonofficial]

Grey was ready.

He stood by while Rainfall finished her other announcements… he saw right through her and he couldn't wait to get big and become a Ranger. She would never choose him as an Envoy, he knew that. No, Grey would have to take a different path to remove the cruel Captain, be it Herbalism or just all out rebellion! But he had to learn first, he needed to complete field training. His conviction set fire to his heart, but he kept it well hidden from anyone who looked too close. He wasn't sure who he could trust yet.

It was a miracle any of them had finished base training! His friend, Tiger, had paid the ultimate price at less than three months of age, swept away by the river, at Rainfall's order. It wasn't fair! Grey could see the sorrow on Lily's face as she sat next to him, waiting to be assigned to a teacher, same as Grey. Tiger was Lily's sibling and all the young cats in the colony still missed him… They missed a lot of cats, so many had disappeared lately…

Many cats in River Colony whispered behind Grey's back that he was the son of a renegade, but he knew better. It was so long ago, but his mother would never have left him on purpose, that had to be Rainfall's doing, and Iceclaw… he held back a snarl, realizing that Rainfall had already assigned Lily and Ivy was next.

“--teach her loyalty and obedience!” Rainfall sneered before her gaze landed on Ivy, “Silverblaze, you will train Ivy. Make sure to train her to follow orders well, those long legs will make her a good scout.” 

“Yes, Captain!” Silverblaze nodded before turning around to greet Piketail, Ivy's aunt, as she ruffled Ivy's fur and congratulated her on reaching the next step of training. Piketail was one that Grey might be able to talk to… maybe…

“Grey.” Rainfall's ice cold gaze fell on him finally, “I can only think of one cat to match your weak will.” she seemed to goad him, but he didn't falter, not even as he heard some snickers behind him. ‘Don't let ‘em get to ya’ Rockyshore had told him, ‘Let it all roll off you like water.’ “Wolfthorn, how would you like to actually pull your weight in this Colony, hm? I'm sick of you freeloading, so you will train Grey. That is all. Dismissed!” she finished, her eyes still trained on Wolfthorn.

“Sure, Rainfall,” Wolfthorn's smooth voice answered, “I'm sure that decision won't come back to bite you.” He shrugged with a smirk. Several cats gasped, no one dared talk back to their Captain, but Grey had witnessed Wolfthorn do it on more than one occasion since he had entered the colony. Apparently he was born here too, but he left on a long journey before returning. Rainfall had just… let him come back. 

“It had better not.” Iceclaw growled a threat. It made Grey's neck fur stand on end, but Wolfthorn didn't seem put off by Iceclaw at all. Why? Grey knew there was more to that story, there had to be, and he was going to uncover it! He could barely hide how excited he was to be assigned to Wolfthorn, of all cats! The Spirits might have been on his side after all!

Grey looked back at the silver striped tomcat with an eager smile, ignoring the flashes of pity in many cats’ eyes. They certainly didn't think his assignment was a good thing, and he would pretend to be unaware of why; he would continue his act of naivety until he had Wolfthorn alone. He had to be careful about it if he was to succeed. 

There would be no harder working new-claw than Grey, Wolfthorn wouldn't even need to try very hard to train him. He would practice his stances, his tactics and his strikes until they were flawless. And one day he would be good enough to beat Iceclaw. Hopefully he could get Lily on his side too, and Talon, Ivy and Falcon! 

Wolfthorn blinked at him and then turned away, walking toward the west shore of their island base. Grey hurried after him, following across the stepping stones and through the mangrove tendrils. They didn't stop until they had reached the Rainbow Trees, the huge eucalyptus trunks towered above them, reaching for the sky. Grey bounced into a trot as he realized they were the only cats here. What should he ask first?

Wolfthorn stopped abruptly, turned and sat down, his striped tail flicking from side to side and his eyes narrowing, “What’s your story?” Wolfthorn asked before Grey could speak, “You're not as naive as you let them believe.”

“...No.” Grey's heart jumped into his throat, should he really trust Wolfthorn? His idealistic plan started to sound stupid suddenly, he didn't know what to say, “I--well, I just…” he cleared his throat and trailed off, shuffling his paws nervously. 

“Relax.” Wolfthorn smirked and rolled his eyes, “I'm not going to bite you. Obviously, you are aware that Rainfall isn't my biggest fan, so I'm sorry she made me your teacher, I don't know why, and I'm not exactly a good one.” 

“That’s okay!” Grey blurted out, “I can already do a lot! I've been practicing!” he launched into his best leap and roll technique before bouncing over Wolfthorn’s back, swatting him gently and then leaping back in front of him, a huge smile on Grey's face as he finished.

Wolfthorn chuckled, “Look, kid, you don't have to impress me. Mine is an opinion no one cares about.”

“I do! I think you might be what I need to save the colony!” Grey almost looked like a kitten again, huge yellow moon-eyes gleaming.

“You're really into this, aren't you?” Wolfthorn raised an eyebrow. He seemed caught off guard, but also a bit amused. “Save them from what? ‘River Colony is the best colony in the Alliance’ after all.” he echoed Rainfall, fishing for an answer that suited him. 

The last thing Wolfthorn expected was to hear Grey out himself for treason, but that is what happened: Grey's face turned serious as he prepared to speak. This was it, if he couldn't trust Wolfthorn, all hope was lost anyway, “Save them from Rainfall! She got Tiger killed. My mother is missing… several cats are. Piketail tells us about them, she says not to talk about it though… you never know who's watching…” 

“So, you're a little traitor huh?” Wolfthorn laughed in Grey's face, after a moment, Wolfthorn tilted his head to the side, “I suppose I underestimated you. Kittens don't normally have such resolute opinions.”

“I'm not a kitten anymore, I'm six months.” Grey stood tall and Wolfthorn realized how large he was, almost as large as any adult really, “And yeah, I am a traitor! Are you going to report me?” Grey's demeanor was more challenging than anything, “Someone has to do something or more cats are going to get hurt.”

It almost gave Wolfthorn hope… hope for the colony he knew as a kitten: safety and pride in their work. He sighed, “I suppose kittens are forced to grow fast in River Colony now… No, I'm not going to report you, but keep all that to yourself.” Both toms relaxed a bit, “I suppose you've noticed that my relationship with our Captain is a bit different, hm? Well, don't test it for yourself, alright? Your job is to become a Ranger right now, you'll be playing the long game.”

“So, you do have a plan? I knew it!” Grey's ears stood on end as he prepared to listen

“Not really…” Wolfthorn answered and Grey's excitement melted, “I don't really do… hard things anymore.” He yawned.

Grey's brow furrowed, “But, all we need is a few more cats on our side! You could lead–”

“I'm no leader.” Wolfthorn interrupted his new ward, who drooped a bit in disappointment. It hurt Wolfthorn's heart to see Grey's conviction shatter… Who was he to tell this new-claw that his idea of justice wasn't tenable? Not wanting to completely break this young cat's confidence, Wolfthorn caught Grey's gaze and said, “But I know who could be.” He supposed he was about to do a ‘hard thing’ after all.

The new-claw smiled with determination, but kept his mouth shut, waiting to be let down again perhaps? Or maybe just waiting for instruction.

“You are just a naive little kitten, yeah?” Wolfthorn raised an eyebrow. Grey smiled eagerly and nodded enthusiastically, “You would never dream of betraying Rainfall and I'm quite annoyed that she has you following me around.” Wolfthorn smirked as he got their story straight, “You're too dumb to see me do anything treasonous though.” Grey nodded again, laughing at the continued charade.

“I'm ready.” Grey said.

“I guess I am too.” Wolfthorn shrugged. He wasn't sure why he came back to River Colony, but he never expected to meet a cat like Grey. He supposed his shadow must have guided him home for this. Was he really the only cat for the job? He hoped not. Time to find out.

-Art by Snap

[vynxwave]

EarthSpark Frenzy's line in S1E08 Decoy "We're free now. You don't have to follow him anymore." has no implications about how Soundwave treats the cassette-bots.

I've seen this misconception a lot and I'd like to clear it up.

So, let's delve into the context surrounding the line, starting with the scene that precedes it:

After the cassette-bots get caught by the Autobots, Optimus allows Megatron to let them go. The cassette-bots beg Megatron to let them go free, and he does so but with a warning: "You will only get one second chance. Do not throw it away."

Megatron is saying that if they are caught again, then they will be imprisoned by GHOST (the organization that has forced all the Decepticons marooned on Earth to stay on the run or hide lest they be caught and imprisoned).

Now, onto Frenzy's line and the scene it occurs in:

Frenzy & Laserbeak are standing together, notably apart from and behind Ravage which represents their division and their background/foreground positioning representing Ravage leaving them behind when she does so.

Frenzy is trying to convince Ravage to literally not follow Soundwave into GHOST, because doing so risks her imprisonment, and she knows how loyal Ravage is to Soundwave. Frenzy & Laserbeak want to abandon the operation in favor of maintaining their freedom, which this is them heeding Megatron's words of not throwing away their freedom (their second chance), hence Frenzy trying to convince Ravage to do the same.

Frenzy's line does not imply anything about how Soundwave treats them because that's not the point of why she’s trying to dissuade Ravage — it's about wanting Ravage to use this second chance they've been given to maintain her freedom and be safe from GHOST.

Ravage, however, isn't dissuaded and leaves to follow Soundwave and the mission, and sneaks into Soundwave's chest cavity.

This scene ties back into one of EarthSpark's themes that run throughout the entirety of the show about making your own choices, whether good or bad ones (this theme also manifests in second chances — choosing to do better, or not), and these choices are what shapes your character (and this ties into EarthSpark's exploration of self-discovery and growth).

Circling back to the cassette-bots: Frenzy & Laserbeaking choosing to heed Megatron's words and abandon the mission and Soundwave doesn't imply anything negative about their relationship with him, only that they value the chance they've been given and perhaps ultimately that they're afraid of GHOST. Ravage not heeding Megatron's words and not being dissuaded by Frenzy shows just how important Soundwave is to her, regardless of the risk following him into GHOST poses.

Inferring that Ravage sneaks into Soundwave's chest cavity would've been easier had that one subplot cut for time with S1E08 Decoy's payoff showing her literally sneaking around GHOST (and Starscream's dialogue implying its habitualness) not been cut... but I digress. (She'd later get to showcase her sneakiness in S2E03 Control Alt Delete.)

Of course with these scenes/this subplot not making the cut it ultimately isn't canon, but I mention it due to it being the planned follow-up to S1E08 Decoy as it clearly shows a positive relationship between Ravage and Soundwave.

In S1E17 Home it's shown that Frenzy & Laserbeak decided to go underground — a choice that was made actively heeding Megatron's words and staying clear of GHOST.

In S2E07 The Imposters Soundwave is seen feeding Ravage and standing by her, and this shows that he cares about her.

In S2E09 Witwicky Laserbeak flies above all the gathered Decepticons and out of all of them chooses to perch on Soundwave's arm.

In S3E05 Fire and Ice Frenzy & Laserbeak take silly selfies aboard the commandeered starship. Evidently, they're messing around with a camera/technology they're not supposed to — and they're capable of sending its photos to Earth! — and Soundwave is quick to confiscate it. I'd presume he does this for purposes of safety/security — sure, they encrypted what they sent out, but now that they're in space who knows what could intercept their transmissions.

The tone of this scene is evident in Optimus's good-natured laugh and comment ("looks like they're having fun on your ship"), and Breakdown's grinning when Soundwave makes for the camera/technology. Ultimately, this scene doesn't convey much of anything about Soundwave's relationship with the cassette-bots, just that the cassette-bots are silly; Breakdown's wide grin likely doesn't suggest anything negative will happen to the cassette-bots.

[millidew]

its been almost 6 years since kaito and ouma have infested me. here's me talking out of my ass for over 2k words

to love the ouma-kaito dynamic is to love the themes of v3. to see one of them as 100% correct and the other as 100% wrong is to hate the themes of v3.

there must be balance. which is one of the themes!

at first, they each represent one end of their spectrums: lies, distrust, and logic VS truth, trust, and emotion. but it's not all black and white— they're far more similar than they think

to get the obvious visual foiling out of the way: short vs tall, scrawny vs muscular, pale vs tan (relatively...), round eyes vs sharp eyes, cool purple vs warm purple, black and white vs a colorful galaxy, and a tight "straitjacket" vs what's basically loose pjs

they're visual opposites, but they're also both purple, charismatic leaders, would rather die than their let go of their respective roles of hero and villain, and both want to end the killing game. they're also both SO dramatic. they cannot be separated.

all this is to say that they're the same, just taking different approaches (i mean, just compare their early FTEs. what are you two FUCKING talking about. your ass is NOT a pirate kaito shut up). ouma hides drops of truth within his lies and lives to poke holes in others' poorly concealed lies. kaito talks about being honest, but is also constantly lying to himself and others. and it's so fitting for them to essentially die with each other.

lying your way to the truth, and 10 other tricks to surviving a killing game:

v3 is a game that asks: who are you? why are you even alive? what parts of you are really "you"?

in other words: what is true and what is a lie? does it matter?

the flashback lights are all lies. tsumugi can literally rewrite their "truth" as she wishes. and of course, there's the fact that they're all fictional characters come to life.

and there's the big lie of ch1, brought back in ch6. although this is less relevant to me, personally, because kaede fully intended and did try her damnedest to kill so either way she's still at fault soo

the theme of the survivors is that they all have a reason to fight to live even if the world is hell, because they're pushed forward by the connections they made— kaede's encouragements, the training with kaito that led to shuichi and maki's happiness, and himiko's memories of tenko and angie. even though maki loses kaito, because she had those good times with him that led to her change in self-worth, she'll be okay in the end. she's not enforcing her own loneliness anymore.

basically, "maybe the real reason to live is the friends we made along the way"

shuichi explicitly says that his feelings are true, even if they're born of lies. to lie, there has to be a truth. to be truthful, you can't lie. yin yang and all that

it's even shown with the game mechanic of perjury. kaede and shuichi can literally lie for the sake of finding the truth

he rejects being forced to choose between "hope" and "despair," breaking the cycle. it's pretty easy to apply this to the other dichotomies in v3: truth vs lies, trust vs distrust, logic vs emotion. even heroes vs villains.

ultimately, i think v3 aligns more closely with kaito's ideology, because of course truth and trust is a good thing....!, but not without poking massive holes in it too. because kaito's a prideful hypocrite and the game does NOT let you forget it <3 more on that later

little white lies AKA ouma is sick of your shit part 1:

"is the truth worth it? aren't feel-good white lies ok? what even is a lie?" ouma asks with his little hater heart. (ch1 and ch4)

here, we see ouma questioning the individual nature of common sense ("gut instinct", if you will)— how can kaede decide if his talent is a lie? what is a lie? if ouma is 99% lies by weight, what is ouma??? an annoying grape??

we all want the truth, right? but the truth can be ugly. that's what ouma's always showing.

this is something shuichi also tackles with his feelings on his own talent. by exposing the truth, he causes pain to others. but this isn't about him, so you'll just have to keep that in mind

in the death road to despair in ch1, it's kaede's optimism that causes misery to the rest of her classmates. they're lying to themselves when they try to do it over and over. again, ouma calls her out on it, pissing off kaito who supports kaede 100%. the idea they can all get out and become friends is…also really unlikely. and even with kaede's murder "for the greater good", ouma disparages her for doing it in the first place: she lost the moment she seriously considered the thought, and played right into monokuma's bloodthirsty lil' paws.

right after the ch3 execution, himiko still refuses to let herself feel… until ouma calls her out on it. stop lying to yourself. and they all let it out, crying together. it's a good thing, and spurs on himiko's arc to be more true to herself. you did a good thing, ouma. now onto ch4! yay!

the "truth of the outside world", and ch4 as a whole, is probably the most in your face way of showing this. but more on that later.

the boys are back:

if you want a good relationship with someone, vulnerability is key, one that ouma unfortunately can't replace with a lockpick. you have to be honest. maki and shuichi were honest to kaito, which let him help them out.

ouma is definitely not vulnerable, up until the very end. ouma's distrust of everyone pushes them away, leaving him alone— without the "reason to fight to live" the others have— living out of spite and determination, until he dies for that too. like maki, he reinforces his own loneliness, but unlike her, he never makes those connections that make him change into a more well-rounded person.

kaito's better than him, which is a really low bar, but the game goes out of its way to tell you that he's still hiding secrets and adamantly refuses to let down his hero persona, harming both himself and those around him. you are COUGHING UP BLOOD, you are NOT okay. while his sidekicks still know something is wrong, he refuses to truly let them in, instead just brushing them off.

and that pisses ouma off. at the very least, ouma's honest about being a liar. kaito, in his eyes, is a coward. (not only that, people still like him despite being a liar..... but that's probably more to do with kaito being way less of a dick).

ouma, in kaito's eyes, is also a coward. he can call ouma a two-faced coward as much as he wants, but pot, meet kettle

chapter 4 AKA ouma is sick of your shit part 2:

ok. seriously onto ch4 this time. it's the perfect set up to the insanity of ch5. the tension is insane. also, ouma does not shut up about kaito having a crush on him. ok man.

from now on, it's the kaito & ouma show, the truth & trust & hope & emotion & hero VS lies & distrust & despair & logic & villain show.

and the game puts kaito, and all his themes, in the wrong. poor gonta and shuichi are just along for the ride

the stubborn belief that worked so well for maki in ch2 makes kaito refuse to believe, despite the evidence pointing to it, that gonta is the blackened, endangering everyone. and this is the cause of kaito and shuichi's rift which ouma takes great pleasure in. i'm sure this greatly validates his own distrust and loneliness, seeing it as the superior option

kaito's a liar, shuichi's a liar, and gonta is...not a liar but still technically wrong. YOU'RE ALL LIARS AND KAITO/SHUICHI STANS. YOUR FAVE IS PROBLEMATIC. OUMA'S FUCKING PISSED

it's the hypocrisy that gets to him the most imo

does he know?

anyways, it's a great showdown between their two ideologies. up until now, i'd say the score was roughly 3:1 in kaito's favor, but now it's definitely more even. it even features ouma punching kaito instead of the other way around like last time: something made possible imo because of kaito's sickness, which ouma forces him and everyone to acknowledge by doing this

this is a massive L for the hero side.... can the sidekicks clutch this victory and save the princess?

(interestingly enough, note that kaito doesn't even seem to hate ouma after all that. at the start of ch5, he puts ouma and gonta in the same category as having snapped under the pressure due to monokuma. his feelings, of course, change later on.)

...

are you sure about that

yeah, the truth sucks sometimes, huh?

what now?

chapter 5 AKA the boys are back 2 AKA voyage without passion or purpose AKA the sickest chapter name ever

ch5 combines ouma and kaito's ideologies through their swansong, their magnum opus, their collective theatre kid dream

the hangar man. THE HANGAR. no more cameras. no more prying eyes. no more heroes. no more villains. NO PASSION (KAITO). NO PURPOSE (OUMA). WHAT'S THE POINT. IT ALL BLURS (probably because of the blood loss)

think about it this way: kaito is literally dying, hypocritically refusing to let his friends in. ouma is metaphorically dying, because he lacks the "reason to fight to survive" everyone else has, because he has no trust, no friends, no bitches... anyways

(also the poison, which is. you know. is also literally killing him but shush)

the closest he had was, imo, miu for a little, then kaito in ch5. but in the end, it's all spite, not connection, that drives him. ouma kills himself to prove a point, and they both die as a middle finger to the mastermind— a hollow victory, in many ways.

think about kaito sitting alone in the exisal, hacking his lungs out in the metallic silence of the belly of the beast, having just learned one of the truths behind ouma's act, then killing him, then having to lie to all your friends for the hope that ouma's final, crazy plan works out. he's finally stooped to ouma's level. he's so used to the smell of blood by now. does ouma's blood on his hands look any different from his own?

even kaito's motto: "the impossible is possible! all you gotta do it make it so!" is pretty much an admittance. you can make a lie (impossible) the truth (possible).

also ouma bleeding out looking like shit laying in kaito's galactic coat like a cape. kaito squeezing his eyes shut before before pressing the buttons. these images changed lives.

the lying truthersssss...working together!!! to literally pretend to be each other!!! to blur into one being!! trusting each other to see it through for their shared goal!! at first glance, maki thinks it's her fault— that ouma manipulated kaito using her, but kaito disagrees, saying it was for the sake of ending the killing game.

this is all to hammer home the idea that we shouldn't see them as "hero" or "villain." the cast sees them as it first, but of course, we know that's not so simple by the time kaito steps out of the exisal.

in the end, they fail, but kaito puts his and ouma's dreams in their hands. they can do it better this time.

plus, kaito finally stops lying to himself and others about being a liar, the thing ouma gave him endless shit for. it only took him 5 chapters

is it wrong to call "that was a lie" ouma's catchphrase?

i still can't believe maki believed him. love makes you stupid i guess

extra thoughts:

you might be wondering why i call him "ouma" and not "kokichi." i do the same with some other characters: kirigiri, togami (though i switch between that and byakuya nowadays), and komaeda. it's because i don't know them like that. we are NOT friends. "kirigiri" is out of respect however

don't you think ouma has his own "sidekicks," his "villain lackeys," if you will, in DICE?

kaito's execution music should've had the "reach for the stars" line from sdr2 and i'm still mad about it

and they should've both in that exisal idc

kaito somehow exited that exisal with a new jacket. it's my headcanon that, in respect of a fellow theatre kid, ouma stole a second jacket from kaito's room and put it in the exisal

VR au post game low(high)key codependent oumota is everything and i'll happily read 1000 fics about it

also just outside of the Themes of it all, and tbh my main draw to this duo... they're so funny. they are SO. FUNNY. THEY'RE SO GOOFY TOGETHER. STOP TRYING TO ONE UP EACH OTHER

they should run around and beat each other with toy hammers. it's enrichment.

this isn't like thematically relevant but their love hotel events really show how well they could work together. they want a rival to pump them up and fight back so bad!! they'd have the craziest vigilante beef

WHY IS THIS 2.1K WORDS/???!> i am so weak to rivals man

tldr: look at this meme.

tldr 2.0: a true kaito fan is also a true ouma fan and vice versa. you may not like it, but they're two peas in a pod. don't worry though, they're not happy about it either.

[multifandomloverthrowaway]

What Sky’s Character Should Have Been

(And why her and Viktor needed to be canon.)

This is LONG, and just my opinion. Please be nice!

In storytelling, each character, each scene, and each literary device is crucial for the advancement of the plot. If any is over or under utilized, the story remains cluttered or incomplete. That being said, it truly is a tragedy how horribly the characters, especially the Zaunite characters, came to be treated in season two. The characters and arcs set up in season one are butchered, and Viktor’s story is particularly disappointingly miswritten by the authors and misrepresented by the fandom, and we see this in the narrative and to a certain extent even fan treatment of Sky.

Sky is a ghost. Her presence, while tangible in the story, is not fully realized to the audience. We do not get to know much of her besides her interest in Viktor and a small flashback indicating that they knew of each other in their youth. Thus her existence and her death are ultimately unsatisfying; we do not know enough about her to be able to connect with her, and so she is ultimately only perceived to be an object to propel Viktor’s descent, even though we do not know much of his feelings towards her either. This is an unfortunate misuse of her as a supporting character, especially when it has a good potential reason to exist other than to solely be Viktor’s love interest.

Before understanding what Sky can represent, let us first define her in the context of the setting, particularly in relation to the characters that she supports. I have touched upon this in more detail in my Viktor character analysis posted, but for the TLDR:

It is clear that Jayce and Viktor are foils to one another. The difference in their opinions on Hextech sets them up to be a parallel to an important aspect of the class struggle set up in season one: Even when the oppressed are “good enough” to compete with their privileged peers, the resultant treatment by the oppressor between both is starkly different. Where the privileged will be lauded and commemorated, the oppressed will only be served minimal acceptance and approval. Thus, their characters and how they interact with one another, as well as the characters of their immediate mutual contacts and their own corresponding interactions, should serve explore this struggle further, especially when it comes to Sky, Mel, and Heimerdinger.

So Sky, like Viktor, should show how Piltover can misuse Zaunites against their hometown. However, to keep her character separate from him, unlike Viktor, who loses himself getting out of this trap and back to Zaun, Sky must be lost to trap itself. She must show just how inhumanely far Piltover will go in exploiting Zaun to maintain its subjugation over the latter. Like we see with other innocent Zaunite background characters that are killed by Piltover on the battleground, Sky must represent those that are killed in softer, more covert methods: through the extraction of Zaun’s finest intellect and the resulting false diplomacy. We must eventually see how Piltover indirectly kills her for being Zaunite, even though we know she is killed by Viktor and the Hexcore.

Sky then needs to have a fleshed out background that indicates of her optimism, grit, and innocence. It does not have to be as in depth as that of the main characters, but the audience must be shown the following:

Her academic prowess that indicates how she can capture sponsors and spin her botany research to help Zaun into something that Piltover thinks it can also benefit from. From which councilors or patrons does she benefit? How and why?

Her motivations for Zaun. What does she view an ideal Zaun to be? What would its relationship with Piltover be? We know she wants to make it better by creating natural greenery, but why does she choose to do so in Piltover? What pushed her to apply to the academy?

Her relation to Viktor, the only other known Zaunite at the academy. Did they interact more than that one time in the river? Were they friends or mutuals? How did Viktor help her get a position as his assistant and why? We know she is fond of him, but what about the other way around? What are their experiences at the academy like? How do they interact with casual prejudice? Do they stick up for each other? Do they find support in each other?

We must see her struggles to successfully obtain funding and traction for her own research due to Piltovan pushback and prejudice. (In this case, she must be in the same research group as Jayce and Viktor, but no longer their assistant as a decade is far too long to remain as such. She will be tied to Jayce’s name but not under him or Viktor.) This needs to be shown to contrast Jayce’s ease in becoming a councilor and gaining enough authority to push out Heimerdinger to further his and Viktor’s research. We need to see her project take the back seat because it is not the project that Jayce is directly tied to. We must see her have to to be careful and planned in who she talks to, how, and what she is able to get from them. This would provide a perfect parallel to Mel and about how being outsiders provides challenges when it comes to change; one being born into power with an imperialist upbringing and getting past Piltovans gracefully to a councilor position to invite it, and the other having no power and so relying on the street smarts and a resource seeking mindset from a more impoverished background to scavenge for it… yet both using the same methods (smooth talking, strategic connections, etc.) to do so.

We need to also know her relationship with Zaun and her perception of Piltover. She must be shown to nurture her feelings about the unfair treatment of her home into a more determined and optimistic view of potential equality and diplomacy, and their growth over time with her and Viktor’s research and their duty to represent Zaun. We should see her friendship with Jayce. We should see her interact with Mel and Heimerdinger. This not only lets the audience sympathize with her by empathizing with the struggles she faces above and her defiance in face of them, but also contrasts Viktor’s internal anger about Zaun and Piltover that he lets fester with his growing ailments and erasure of academic and technical contributions. This contrast sets her up nicely to symbolize the “good that could have been” in the relationship between Zaun and Piltover, and thus by extension, between Viktor and Jayce - hence her initial role as their assistant, and something that is cast aside as each character grows more towards their goals rather than the partnership.

This also sets her up to personify Viktor’s humanity. We’ve seen them meet. Let us see them study together, build things together, perhaps even fend for essentials together. Let us see how and why Sky fell in love with the Viktor from her youth. Let us know of Viktor’s endearment of her as we see him choose her to be his assistant. Let us see how they interact after facing prejudice from Piltovans and band together. Let us see her meet him when he’s on the hospital bed. Let us see her and Viktor be protective of and vulnerable with each other as they face the enemy. Let us see them bond just like we have seen him do so with Jayce. With Sky, we can see Viktor’s insecurities and his empathy like no other character can; in her we can see what makes him human.

This is integral to Viktor’s character and his arc. Whereas Jayce can actively work towards a future for his life with Mel and his career outside of Hextech, Viktor does not have the same luxury due to his illness. He cannot pursue anything but Hextech because his life and the lives of his people are on the line due to Piltover’s control. And that is precisely why when Sky loses her life due to the technology, it isn’t just Viktor that kills her. It’s Piltover’s waste, Piltover’s luxuries, Piltover’s unfulfilled promises that do. And Viktor realizes that after. Sky, in all her optimism, is fundamentally what Viktor could have strived for had he not let his anger and urgency spiral. As a mirror to Mel and Jayce, Sky is not just Viktor’s past but also his hopes for the future. And he realizes that he and Zaun has lost what could have been.

By giving Sky agency, we see just how much she could have done for the plot. But seeing how much the story fumbled Viktor, it’s not surprising to see her get “fridged” twice. I hope I did her justice!

If you’ve read this all, you deserve all the desserts. Thanks for reading!

[lesbiandreamriso]

What I really like about Pluto is how morally gray almost every character is (with the exception of my baby Pim). I wanna talk about Kosol and May and why I think Ben is the MVP.

As a certified May defender my favourite ship is still Kosol x Jail. However alot of Kosol haters would be Kosol. Think about it. Your best friend is almost murdered and has to live the rest of his life disabled. His mom who is also a parental figure in your life kills herself. You want revenge but you cant go after the criminal who has all the resources to get himself a slap on the wrist so you go after the shady lawyer that got him off because in your mind its the lawyers fault.

She didnt hurt your friend but she let a criminal back into the streets. Her defense got him a win in the court of public approval. Instead of being seen as the murderous bastard he is he's seen as a hero now and your friend is a nameless motorpunk who deserved it.

Its terrible but it is realistic and the profession of law is fundamentally immoral. The job of a lawyer isn't to seek justice its to defend their client and while we the audience can understand this because we are far removed from the repurcussions of May's actions if it were your friend or your family you would be tempted to get some payback even if you didnt do it.

Cases like this cause me to have a huge amount of cognitive dissonance because i love stories about vigilante justice. I know if this story was from Kosol's pov I probably wouldn't feel as bad for May as I do.

With Pluto alot of the central characters have some sort of logic behind what they do no matter how shaky. The difference between villian and victim depends on the point of view and the amount of informatiom we have at any given moment. Kosol is wrong no matter how you slice it but the only reason why we think May didnt deserve it is because we know and love May.

May knows this too. She may not have hurt Ben or killed his mom but she set his attacker free. Her crime was enabling and she feels terrible about it because under normal circumstances she wouldn't do it. That's why she wont turn him in. She believes those who do wrong deserve punishment. In her mind she did wrong and the universe punished her. The specifics dont matter anymore especially when you factor in Ai oon's relationship with Kosol.

Back to Ben. I say he is the Mvp because he has every reason to hate May and hold what she did over her head forever. He has an idea of the guilt and anguish she's facing because he no doubt blames himself for his mom's death the way May does and he not only frees himself from the prison of guilt and pain he likely lived in for years, he freed her too. If I were in his position I wouldn't have the strength to do it.

This is very much an explanation not an excuse. As a May lover my favourite ship is still Kosol x Jail but as a person who sometimes lets thoughts slip through when I watch shows I have complex feelings about Kosol. No love or hatred just confusion and because of that he may be one of my favourite gl characters in 2024. In terms of writing.

Side note: Ai oon's reaction to finding out the news also reinforces this point. She was far removed from the repercussions of Kosols action. She saw only the "villian" side of May and decided to pass judgement, determining what she did and didnt deserve. Then she meets May and falls in love. Now she is haunted by the fact that she not only enabled the crime that caused the person she loves most to become blind. She inspired it. She planted the seed. We can say she did nothing wrong. I maintained that stance till i found out she knew exactly what Kosol did and didn't stop him. Now I think she is partially guilty but ultimately Kosol is a grown man who makes his own choices and he choose to do what he did. The real question this episode is asking is how do we measure guilt. Does being a bystander make you guilty? An enabler? Or a perpetrator? The answer is all but only sometimes. Everything is relative it just depends on who is telling the story.

The last thing I'll say is there is no villian in this story just people doing questionable things for love and getting mixed results. I know the gl fandom loves a black and white hero vs villian narrative. I have fallen victim to this in the past when talking about kosol and oom but pluto has shown that its a show that requires a more critical lense. Lets ignore personal feelings about the characters for a minute and really examine their actions as objectively as we can. The discourse around the show could be so fun if we did.

[whateverisbeautiful]

I have to piggy back the question that you answered recently. What does Michonne love most about Rick?

Thanks for asking this because I was wanting to address what Michonne loves most about Rick too. Similar to Rick, there’s a long list of things Michonne really loves and respects about her true love, and I think she even got to verbalize some of her favorite things throughout the shows.

From TWD, we know that she loves the sounding board and partner in crime he is, and also that walk. But when trying to assess her favorite qualities of Rick, there are a few major things that I think would be atop the list. And I think both a scene from TWD and a scene from TOWL really support these two unique aspects of Rick that she loves ⬇️💗:

#1: His Resilience, Fight, & Fierce Protection = That He’s A Fighter & Never Gives Up 

I think Rick’s mind got it right when he envisioned Michonne telling him that she fell in love with him because he’s a fighter and he never gives up. Michonne loves that Rick is such a determined protector and that he’s willing to stand on the frontlines and lead not from a place of ego but because he's selfless and genuinely cares to take care of the people he loves. She loves that the fighter he is means that even when his back is against the wall he’ll find a way to do whatever it takes to overcome. Hence why she fell in love with him around the time she saw Rick kill Joe the Claimer to save his son, her, and Daryl.

She recognizes that fight in him as a similar one she has in herself and I think she really appreciates the way she and Rick understand each other on that level. So much can be thrown at Rick and he’ll ultimately choose to be resilient and keep going which is one of Michonne's favorite things about him.

#2: His Warmth, Affection, and Family-Oriented Care = His Good Kind Heart  

As intense and lethal as Rick can be as a fighter, I think one of Michonne’s favorite things about him is that he’s equally warm, affectionate, caring, and family-oriented. And in fact, all his intensity as a fighter is because of how much he genuinely loves his family and just desires a life making enjoyable heartfelt memories with them. From the day she first met him, one of the first things she witnessed about Rick was that he sincerely cared about his people and was warm with them when she saw him reunite with Carol in the prison.

I’ve always felt that Rick’s warmth is part of what makes him such an intriguing protagonist in a zombie apocalypse, and I think Michonne really respects that Rick is unabashed in showing affection, vulnerable emotion, and love to his family. The tender family man in Rick is so visibly loved by Michonne. I think it made her so happy to see that RJ had his dad’s good kind heart because that was always one of her favorite things about Rick.

And the love and affection Rick has for Michonne specifically is often so intensely passionate, but you can always tell that Michonne absolutely loves the way Rick loves. So it can be best summed up as - I think Michonne’s favorite things about Rick is that he’s a resilient fighter and an affectionate carer and best of all he’s able to be strongly both all at once. 

Also, I was thinking about TOWL and how the fighter and family man that Rick is was still in him while he was living dead, but because of the trauma and depression it was distorted. He still was fighting to protect his loved ones just in a way rooted far more in fear than usual so it wasn’t fully like him. And I thought about how Michonne so often would say ‘This isn’t you’ in TOWL Ep 4 and how it must have been especially painful to see Rick not being himself because she fell so deeply in love with the whole of who he is.

She loves who he really is. She understands who he really is. Which is why it never scared her when she saw Rick's more intense layers. It didn’t scare her that he saw things. It didn’t scare her that he could kill a man with his bare teeth. It didn’t scare her when he crashed out and was waving a gun around that gated community. Each time she saw the good in him even amid everything else. She saw him. She got him. And once they reunite she so badly wants him to be him again - not perfect, just him. Because that’s the man she loves. 

And what I love is that we saw Rick and Michonne meet so many men and women throughout their ZA journey but their absolute favorite person that they met is each other. And they truly love each other for all they are. 👌🏽😊

[drtamarahayes]

Tamara’s shoulders moved with the vibrations of her laughter at Theo’s speechlessness. “It comes naturally when it comes to a certain someone.” She retorted, eyes dark and looking at him through long lashes as she pulled out a drawer and began sorting her kitchenware atop the counter, keeping duplicate items together. “You give me far too much credit than what I deserve.” She said humbly, before switching her tune back to a more playful manner. “But in saying that, please, do go on!” She laughed, lips spreading into a grin and feeling her cheeks flush. “I can’t help it. Have you seen yourself?” She asked rhetorically, flattening her palms against the stone bench top and leaning forward for emphasis. “…Especially after last time.” Tam added rather breathlessly, as if her mind temporarily transported back in time to their entwined bodies. Theo’s voice only brought her back to the present. “Hm? Oh, absolutely. When we’re physically moving into the new place, definitely.” Enjoying wine and relaxing while everyone else did the dirty work? Yes, please. Taking the phone from Theo once he’d submitted his order, Tamara pondered for a moment. “Butter chicken or lamb korma… tough choice.” She huffed a giggle, before ultimately choosing the latter. “I’ll get us some rice, too.”

Theo sighed contently, the familiar warmth creeping up his cheeks as he knew they were getting pink. "I....," he didn't have the words, he just felt the same with her, "damn you really know how to get a guy's heart pounding." He let out a soft chuckle, "because damn baby, I feel the same with you." As every day he fell deeper and deeper in love with her, physically missing her when they went back to their own respective homes. "Saving kids and knowing how to make someone feel amazing? Super woman indeed," he grinned, sending a wink her way before scratching the facial hair he had been sporting. He then raised both eyebrows, "who said anything about skin? I was only thinking about arts and crafts, your mind went to the gutter missy." He teased, playfully pointing it at her before putting it down to help her with the next task. "Though next time, I say we pay for movers while we sit back and relax and sip upon some good wine," he nodded as he had become a fan of wine, having a glass with dinner or to wind down at night. Looking around to see if maybe Nebula had come out from her hiding spot. He then laughed at the way she imitated how Nebula might respond, adding in some claps for a job well done. "Perfect! And Indian? Sure," he replied and pulled out his phone to pull up a restaurant to order from, typing in his food before handing it over to Tam.

[justafewsmallsteps]

Currently crying in a corner because I remembered that Inuyasha visited the well at least every three days.

And I don’t think he was waiting for Kagome to “come back”

As much as he was waiting/trying to see if the well would open for him

So he could go to her

Because he chose her. Because he thinks they were born for each other. Because since she has people who love her in her era, maybe that’s where she belongs

But he truly believes that he belongs with her, wherever and whenever.

[pulchrasilva]

Nobody fucking talk to me i just finished rewatching arcane and it was DEVASTATING I need to KILL

[cerealbishh]

"You get to see her understanding of how things really are. And so that becomes much more present on the surface. (...) In this season, we get to see her fall deeper in love with him but also navigate those challenges. And also becoming an anchor for Rhett but also struggling with his decision, 'Is this what I want for my future as well, as much as I love this man?'." - Isa in an interview with The Knockturnal(x)

[fortes-fortuna-iogurtum]

well, I am officially on to season 2 of "Miss Scarlet and the Duke", and based on the first episode at least, the writing does seem to have improved a bit?? this may be a case of First Episode of the Season Syndrome (added nuance and subtlety to kick the season off but immediately dropping back down to mediocre levels until the finale), but I'm hopeful that many of my complaints about the first season won't be as present going forwards!

but also, oww. the end... that was... yikes. my heart hurts now. 😧

[orcelito]

I was on call for nearly 7 hours between streaming my samurai game, watching anime, and then just chatting some. Which was really great for getting my mind off things!!! Hung out with a good assortment of friends, which was pretty great.

Though. Now I'm alone again. Which I usually enjoy. But it also has me remembering why I was on such a long call to start with...

I have therapy tomorrow, and I don't know whether I should mention this. She's primarily my grief therapist, so it'd maybe feel weird to spring something else on her... but I don't know...

[o-wild-west-wind]

While I’m still a bit bummed that they didn’t go with a more book-aligned POC Fiyero for the Wicked movie, I’ve been thinking (heheh) about how his being white highlights the really interesting foil relationship between him and Glinda (and, in many ways, the audience yourself).

At its core, Wicked is a cautionary tale about propaganda, (literal) scapegoating, and what it means to uphold the status quo. The audience is watching through Glinda’s eyes—it is through her, arguably the most beautifully tragic character of the show, that we learn how lonely life becomes when you forfeit your values in favor of systemic power and likability (“No One Mourns the Wicked” is, in many ways, about HER).

Now, this is where Fiyero’s whiteness can get interesting—if you consider him and Glinda to share roughly equal footing at the beginning in terms of privilege/how much they have to lose (applying our real-world lens of race and power here, where whiteness is the apex), his storyline essentially represents what could have happened if Glinda had made the brave (and arguably wise and loving, if you’re picking up what I’m putting down 👀) choice to go with Elphaba and fight the good fight (this is also why I feel like a queer reading of G&E’s relationship is almost implicit to the story, but I digress).

As the POC/marginalized allegory, Elphaba has much less of a real choice in her curtain-pulled-back turning point. But Fiyero and Glinda—both representing privilege—get to choose. So in Act II, we see the consequences of both the choice to stay (Glinda) and to go (Fiyero). In Fiyero’s case, his ultimate rejection of his own power, privilege, and even beauty leads to immense physical loss—including his own body—but that is then compared to the loss of love, community, and identity that we see Glinda left with by the end. And this brings us to the question that the audience is left grappling with: in an unjust system where loss is inevitable (a.k.a. our own world, as the Wizard himself represents), which of these things are YOU more willing to give up?

It’s important that Glinda is an empathetic character because, in reality, most people are going to be Glindas (obvi this is nuanced among us Elphabas of marginalized identities, but I’d still argue that there’s some level of Glinda in us all)—and it’s important to be rattled by the end of the show when you realize that she is the one who has the sad ending. But it’s also so important that Fiyero is empathetic (which I’m SO glad this movie leaned into)—because he’s ultimately who Glinda—and thus we, as the audience—should have been.

And especially given the state of US politics right now…this is just all more relevant than ever.

[here-lies-they-ran-outta-luck]

Prettiest Witch at Hogwarts (Theodore Nott x fem!reader)

Warnings: small italian!thoe, friends to lovers, comfort, angst, cussing, flirting, bad writing

a/n- this was not a request, but I did have a really good time writing it! I love this fic so much for no reason

word count- 847

“You, my dear, are the prettiest girl I have ever met,” Pansy said, dropping her voice an octave, reenacting what a boy had done to you today in an attempt to woo you. Her hand brushing your cheek the same way the boy had attempted to do makes you burst out in a loud laughter, causing the rest of the group to follow along.

“The poor bloke! Did he seriously think that would work?” Mattheo cackles, wiping a tear from his eye.

“I swear, I can never get a break! You four are the only boys that don’t chase after me!” You sigh, leaning back into the cushion of the couch, unbeknownst to you Pansy sends Theo a small smirk with raised eyebrows. Pansy was the only person that knew about your mild crush on Theodore Nott, your best friend. Pansy and Mattheo both knew that Theo has been in love with you for years. To everyone though, it was obvious that the lingering glances meant more than friends to the both of you.

The group decided to spend the rest of the night making fun of all of the boys that have tried to get with you since your growth spurt in 4th year.

“You’re gonna let me take you out to Hogsmeade, right?” Adriand Pucy, a boy you have rejected over and over since day one, asks you, leaning up against the exit of the Slytherin common room.

“Haven’t I told you no already today?” You reply, stopping and looking up at him with disgust present on your face.

“I know you don’t have a date, so why don’t you just give me a chance, let me take you out,” The boy says, pushing off of the wall in what was supposed to look attractive, ultimately failing in the end though.

“Who told you she doesn’t have a date? Come on bella, lets go,” Theo says, slinging his arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer into him, engulfing you in the smell of his expensive-smelling cologne.

“Out of all the boys she could choose you really think she’d pick you? You wouldn’t even be on her top ten,” Pucy says, glaring at the taller boy.

“Merlin Pucy, have some self respect! If you ever thought you had a chance with me you certainly have less of one than before,” you say, giving him the dirtiest look you could possibly muster, and pulling Theo away from him and towards your dorm.

You knew Theo almost better than you knew yourself. Even though Theo was the most handsome boy in the school and had his fair share of women, you knew that the mean words Pucy had said would get to him atelast a little bit. He was a Slytherin, but deep down he was still the sensitive boy you’d known for years.

“Are you alright, Theo?” You ask, sitting on your bed and scooting over so he could have room.

“I should be the one asking you that,” He replied with a sad smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“You know that Pucy is just an asshole right? You would definitely be in at least my top 3,” You say after a couple of seconds, attempting to lighten the mood and make him feel better. 

“You don’t have to lie to make me feel better,” He says, looking at you with his sad blue eyes.

“Theo, I’m not lying,” You answer, scooting towards him to show your sincereness.

“Did one of them tell you?” He says, hurt filling his eyes and his body language rigid.

“Did who tell me what?” You ask, putting a hand on his back to comfort him, his posture relaxing a little.

Theo looks up at you, his eyes softening a little, “You’re so amazing,” He says softly after a couple of seconds of looking at you.

“Oh come on Theo,” You say, blushing slightly, looking up at him through your eyelashes.

“It’s true. You’re so beautiful,” He says, putting some hair behind your ear, and giving you a smile, showing you his beautifully crooked teeth.

“And you are a flirt. To think you’d never chase after me,” You say, giving him the same smile.

“Would I- um, would I really be in the top three guys?” He asks, looking at you with a serious expression.

“I would date you before I even gave another guy even a look,” You reply, giving him a soft look.

“Are you sure about that though? You know I’m kind of a mess up,” He says, looking away from you.

“It means more to me that you think that I’m amazing and beautiful. I don’t think I would even be able to explain to you how it makes me feel when you call me by your stupid Italian nicknames,” You reply, waiting for an answer. You don’t wait long and you don’t get a verbal response. Theo pulls you in and gives you a soft kiss on your lips. It’s not how he kisses girls at parties, it’s soft and full of love and adoration.

[sunshineandspencer]

Jogging

A/N: I’ve discovered that I, actually, despise angst. I hate reading it and I hate writing it, unless specifically asked for, my brain thinks only happy thoughts. On an unrelated note, I’m also a very emotional person and perhaps angst sets off my severe second-hand embarrassment and I’ve never finished an angst fic. So, from that unrelated note, have a finished fluffy fic :) 

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Fem!Reader.

Summary: Aaron is incredibly attractive at the best of times, but put him in sports gear and it’s like flies to honey. Which is an excellent cultivator of jealousy for his jogging partner, until she overhears him talking to another woman.

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: fluff, kind of established relationship (you’ll see)

I have redone the form for the taglist now that I’m apparently expanding from Criminal Minds

Going for a morning run with her more-than-a-friend-but-not-quite-labelled man, was fun. Aaron taught her some proper techniques, and she got a kiss whenever they completed a lap.

There is an issue, unfortunately, and it’s one she’s desperately trying not to blow out of proportion.

Aaron is attractive, devastatingly so, and because he occasionally runs ahead to finish a lap and wait for her to arrive so that he can greet her with a kiss, people don’t always know that they’re out together. Added with him in those damn workout clothes - that she would burn if she weren’t mentally stable - it’s no surprise to her anymore to see women jogging up to him.

They’re almost always gone by the time she makes it over to Aaron, who kisses her and immediately moves on to their next lap. She tries hard not to let the clawing jealousy show.

Due to JAck, and both of them agreeing not to move too quickly so that they don’t confuse him, they’d just decided on not labelling anything yet. So she isn’t really anything official to him, and can’t do all the things her jealous mind screams at her to do.

Like today, for example, Aaron had pressed a kiss to her cheek and sped up to get to the end of their lap. 

The minute he’s not beside another woman, someone else runs up to him.

She hears the fading introduction of “hi, I’m Beth, I see you around here pretty often” and her stomach clenches.

Once again, her pretty, not-boyfriend is getting hit on by a woman who can actually keep his pace. She hates it, and hates the burning hole in her chest even more.

Deciding, this time, she would actually speed up and join the conversation. Which will ultimately be worth the burst lungs and exertion-flushed face. Until she turns the corner and sees them still talking, any semblance of confidence withers.

When she hears her name on his lips, however, she dives behind the nearest tree. Realising he just gestured to where she should be coming from, and hoping neither of them had seen her practically rush for cover to avoid being seen. Pressing her back to the bark of the tree and listening closely to the conversation.

“-out with my girlfriend, actually, we run together.”

If she weren’t hiding behind a tree, from a random woman and the man that just called her his girlfriend, she’d be doing a happy dance by now. Choosing to press her hands to her chest as the burning hole closed up, victoriously grinning as ‘Beth’ jogged on feeling pretty dejected.

Once sure that Beth was gone, she turned to place her hands on the tree, bracing herself to look around it to try and spot Aaron, that daft smile still on her face. But he wasn’t there, and that observation came with a pair of hands landing on her hips and making her jump and spin around. Meeting Aaron’s smug grin as he gently pinned her to the tree by her hips.

“Are you spying on me now?”

Refusing to meet his gaze, she started looking all around them - as if searching for someone, and that only made his stupid grin wider.

“Should be careful Hotchner, wouldn’t want that girlfriend you mentioned to catch you pinning a girl to a tree.”

“Oh?” Knowing she’d heard, he now has no plans to try and keep up the facade that he hasn’t wanted her, officially, for weeks now. “And do you think she’d be upset if I kissed the woman I pinned to a tree?”

Giving a dramatic gasp, she used it to breathe in fully to answer, realising that her lungs aren’t really cooperating with her right now. And he used that as his chance to lean down to kiss her, loving the sparky feeling he gets from her every time. Siling against her lips as she melted against him.

Pulling back with a soft nip to her lips that had her chasing after him. Before realising what she was doing and resting back against the tree, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of getting what he wanted.

“I think she’d definitely hate the thought of you doing that to anyone else.”

“Ah, so she gets jealous?”

As if she were caught out, her eyes darted away from his as she pouted - from a profiling perspective, she really does have cute tells when she’s been caught - tugging at the hem of his shirt.

“She pleads the fifth.”

Thankfully, as she knows he actually loves any jokes that relate to his time as a lawyer, he laughs, leaning down to kiss her again, hand trailing away from her hip to lace their fingers together. Pulling back with a soft hum and another soft peck.

Swiping his thumb across her knuckles as he waited for her to open her eyes again, loving the little flush speckled across her features that obscured her freckles.

“Will she forgive me if I take her to get ice cream?”

“Definitely.”

Tugging her away from the tree, he brushes the flakes of bark from her hair and clothes, spending a little too much time ‘brushing off’ whatever was on her ass, until she smacks his hand away with a laugh. Leading the two of them back towards the car, deliberating what kind of ice cream ‘his girlfriend’ would like the most.

But as they get in, he gives her another smile and laces their hands over the centre console.

“You do know I’m calling you my girlfriend, right?”

Shaking her head, she leant in to kiss him again, pulling away to pat his cheek lightly. 

“Didn’t need to be a profiler for that one, love.”

“Oh, so you’re a profiler now?”

“Best watch it, I’m coming for your job next.

Laughing, he lets go of her hand to start up the car, already knowing exactly which ice cream place they were going to - and exactly what she would order. Not that she’s predictable in the slightest, but she always orders the exact same thing.

“First my heart, now my job? At this rate you’ll have my house by the end of the week.”

“That’s the plan!”

He’s going to marry this goddamn woman.

Want more?! Good!

taglist ( ˘ ³˘)♥ @peliides ║ @peachsodameg ║ @angelinajolie0213 ║ @jiggly-puff-12 ║ @khxna ║ @kennedy2156 ║ @trulycayla ║ @none-of-your-bullshit ║ @alexxavicry ║ @meg-black ║ @princess76179 ║ @chicken-fifi ║ @averyhotchner ║ @punkyghoulz ║ @anotherpassiongirl ║ @princessjax ║ @gghostwriter ║ @pear-1206 ║ @justyourusualash (if your tag is here and not working check out this reblog to see if any of it could hopefully help!!)

[atalana]

also as a further addendum to my bill made a huge mistake underestimating stan post - i was recently listening to the commentary for sock opera

and like everyone and their mother can draw the parallels between ford/dipper and stan/mabel, it's one of the major themes of the show

bill gets the first half of the equation just fine - he thinks dipper can be manipulated in exactly the same way as ford, and while dipper will grow past that by the end of the show, in this episode, he's right. the best ways to get dipper to do what he wants, are to tempt him with all the secrets of the universe, and to remind him that he doesn't owe mabel anything, when mabel's done nothing but hold him back and cause trouble for him. it's probably exactly how he talked about stan to ford back in the day, who was still nursing those grudges and wanted to be the one to discover things no one else had

but the fun thing alex hirsch mentions in the commentary for that episode, is that bill doesn't see mabel as a parallel to stan (bc lbr he barely even recognises stan as a person). he sees mabel as a parallel to himself. yeah dipper and mabel are a good team together, but ultimately when it comes down to it, mabel is a powerful creature of chaos who would choose her own happiness over anyone who relied on her. (alex hirsch at this point jumps into bill's voice to say "how about instead of doing something lame, you do something fun, and crush whoever you want in the process!", and that bill genuinely thinks that is going to work, because it would work on him)

he doesn't expect mabel to destroy all her hard work and crush her own dreams just to help dipper. when he says "who would sacrifice everything they worked for just for their dumb sibling?", he's speaking from experience. he wouldn't. ford didn't. given the type of people bill considers worth talking to, i doubt he's ever come across that type of loyalty before

but the audience has, plenty of times, and will see it even harder by not what he seems. because while mabel does have some of the anarchy and selfishness bill sees in her, that kind of loyalty is a huge part of what she shares with stan

and like in a lot of the commentaries the writers say they weren't sure at first if bill would be the big bad, or how exactly the ending would come together, but in retrospect it never could have been anyone else, and there never could have been anyone but stan to defeat him

because so much of this show is about the relationships between family (including found family), what you would or wouldn't give up for them, but then how much better your life is when you value those relationships over temporary personal gain

so of course the main villain is someone so incapable of understanding that that he is utterly blindsided by the person who embodies it the most