#by which I mean she's a) Strong b) Flexible

[grison-in-space]

this is why we call her the flip wizard

[blues824]

Imagen izuru Kamukura dating the mitsuri kanroji.

💞He is the obanai to your mitsuri (he is more obanai and giyuu combined.)

🍡Imagen the contrast between them a person who constantly shows emotions and loves everyone dispite their flaws and has her own flaws with a guy who doesn't feel emotions gets easily bored and doesn't have any flaws.

💞Imagen her braiding izuru his hair like her and him letting her and him doing her hair in return.

🍡Imagen his reaction to her hair being pink and green because of her love for sakura mochi and learning that she had to eat 180 sakura mochi for 8 months staigt of it to acedently happen.

💞Or het mussels mass being 8 times denser than everyone even surpassing him and her being able to beat 3 sumu wrestler in a food competition.

🍡I know he whoud be able to be as flexible and as tallend with a sword like the mitsuri mc or even stronger but she doesn't mind she always wanted a strong and intelligent husband.

💞Her being a cat person and always doing adorable things and izuru is just starting their watching over her imagine her making a flower crown for him and him just walking around with it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANGEL!!!

Izuru Kamukura

When I say that this man fits your type perfectly, I mean it. You were invited to Hope’s Peak as the Ultimate Swordswoman, which made sense. The only thing was that you were well-versed in every weapon, and your signature was a pair of whips instead of a sword. However, Izuru could wield them just as well, if not better. 

Now, you were his perfect opposite. You were very sensitive to your emotions, being way more in-touch with them than he was. You don’t get bored too easily, and you are rather happy and joyful despite being shy. He, on the other hand, was not a fan of emotions, as they tended to get messy. He tended to think about the negatives, being a cup-is-half-empty kind of person. He was not shy, nor was he soft-spoken… he was just a lone-wolf.

But, here you were, sitting behind him at lunch and braiding his hair into smaller braids. All of your classmates were purely amazed that Izuru was just allowing you to do it as you talked to him and did his ‘daily affirmations’. Truth be told, your gentle hands felt good in his hair, and he found himself relaxing in your arms. You were the only one who could make him temporarily forget the pain he has gone through to be here, but he’s grateful for it because he has you.

Izuru has what one would call a ‘sleeper build’. His muscles won’t show unless he flexes them. Your muscles work pretty much the same way, but you often use yours more. He makes it known that he doesn’t care that your muscle mass surpasses his and that the concept of femininity has been frayed since the beginning. This came up when he saw you refusing food for the nth time. Afterwards, he gave you a box of sakura mochi, and his heart melted at seeing you so happy.

You totally call him ‘honey’ or ‘sweetie’, and again, everyone is questioning how you are still alive. In your mind, though, you were already married. Despite there being a certain absence on your finger, you have already pictured up an image of you and Izuru growing old with each other (think Ellie and Carl from Up). 

For your pink hair, he kind of guessed that it was because of the pigment in the sakura mochi you loved so much. But he didn’t really care. You were eating something you liked, and that’s all that mattered. Plus, your hair was a pretty pink color that allowed Izuru to distinguish you in a crowd, which he definitely liked. You stood out like a pink highlighter, and that’s actually Izuru’s contact name for you in his phone. Don’t be offended, it’s affectionate.

Once, you came to school with a flower crown in hand. It had all sorts of daisies and dandelions, and you placed it on your boyfriend’s head. You then placed a kiss on his cheek before heading off to drop your stuff off at your locker. Throughout the day, Izuru could be seen wearing the flower crown, as he didn’t bother to take it off. Plus, he didn’t want to make you sad by taking it off, so it stayed on.

[pluckyredhead]

i really wanna know your ideal dc publishing cause seriously they could be doing so much and instead choose the absolute worst trashy choices

Lol thank you for indulging me, anon. I have thought about this EXTENSIVELY so sorry not sorry for the tusnami of opinions you have unleashed.

Before I get into the list, a few points to explain my approach:

ONGOINGS. I am a firm believer in the importance of ongoing series. There's nothing wrong with a miniseries but you can't get any forward momentum or character development with them because things keep getting reset to their baseline. Get really strong teams on your ongoings and let them develop their stories for years at a time. That's where all the legendary runs come from.

To that end, I am proposing a list of 30 books, which is a little more than 7 per week, which is roughly what DC publishes now (not including things like Sandman, Looney Tunes, etc.). They can add on as many minis as they want but will need fewer since so many more characters are accounted for with ongoings.

I am a strong believer in backup features - more value for your dollar and double the amount of characters included - so you'll see a lot of those.

I tried to balance what I personally think would be the most holistic representation of the DCU with what I believe will sell, so you're still going to see a lot of Bats. It should be understood that books without Bats are not going to be treated like throwaways like they sometimes are now. They are going to get top tier creators with long, sustained runs, just like Bruce always gets.

It will not be a publishing slate of all straight white guys from the 30s-60s.

Books with an asterisk* mean they will be kid-friendly. Not exclusively for kids, but appealing and accessible to young readers, the way Young Justice and its members' books were in the 90s. They can still include ongoing plots and queer characters and serious topics! They just shouldn't be relentlessly grim.

OKAY THE BOOKS!

Super Books:

Superman*: The lead Superman title, with a backup featuring starring Jon.

Action Comics*: Focuses more on the Superfamily as a whole, though the plot can dovetail and cross over with the main Superman book. (This is basically what's happening now.) Backup feature rotates between Kon, John Henry, Natasha, Kenan, Lois, and Jimmy.

Supergirl*: Why did I give Kara her own book and not Kon or Jon? Because a) DC needs more female-led books and b) I want to. The primary audience for this book is women who watched the CW show, or girls who have outgrown TTGo! and DC Super Hero Girls, NOT ADULT MEN. (Optional: Kon or Natasha backup feature.)

Bat Books:

Batman: Like the Super books, this would be the central title and focus on Bruce. Backup feature can rotate between the nine billion Gotham characters who need a home.

Detective Comics: Focuses more on mysteries/the family. Another rotating backup feature. NOTE: These backup features CANNOT star a character with their own book (Bruce, Dick, Damian, Selina, or Harley).

Nightwing: Dick sells. ;)

Robin*: Starring Damian, Tim gets a team book further down.

Batwoman: Perhaps we could try letting a queer woman write this for once? Revolutionary, I know.

Catwoman: Because she fucking rules.

Harley Quinn: Because she fucking sells.

Birds of Prey: I prefer a classic Babs/Dinah/Helena lineup but I'm flexible.

Batgirls*: If it’s too messy to have Babs in BoP and this, take her out and add Harper.

Red Hood and the Outlaws: Imagine if this book was good! In my universe, it will be.

Solo Books:

Wonder Woman

Flash: This will star Wally. Optional backup rotates between Jay, Bart, Ace, and Avery. Barry can show up sometimes I guess.

Green Lantern: Starring Hal, John, or Kyle. Whoever is the lead CANNOT also be on the Justice League.

Green Lantern Corps: Okay yes technically this is a team book. Shhh. Guy should always be on this book since he does better in an ensemble. The plot should dovetail loosely with the main GL book with an annual crossover but you don't have to read both if you don't want to. I am flexible about how to fit all the Earth GLs in (including Simon and Jessica), whether that's backup features or just including them in the GLC ensemble, but all six should always have a publishing home. Jo should get as many prestige graphic novels as N. K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell care to bless us with.

Aquaman: Jackson backup. Please let him go back to being Aqualad and stop making everyone grow up so fast.

Green Arrow: This book is currently perfect, no notes.

Blue Beetle*: Starring Jaime, though Ted may show up to be annoying if he would like. A Booster backup is permissible.

Vixen: If they have a Webtoon they should have a comic for $ too.

Zatanna: See above.

...I'm torn between Shazam!* or Stargirl* here. I feel like they both kind of fizzled? I guess it depends on which book gets the better pitch.

Team Books:

Justice League: I mostly don't care who is on this but if it's a bunch of white guys plus Wonder Woman and either John Stewart or Cyborg as tokens, AGAIN, DC gets shut down permanently. I don't make the rules.

Justice Society: This is also not allowed to be only old white guys. I know that's harder with the JSA. I don't care.

Titans: I'm going to be honest, I'm not convinced the OG/New Teen Titans can star in a decent book anymore, since they haven't done so in two decades. But I will give them one more try. They can call themselves the Outsiders instead if that helps.

Young Justice*: They also maybe need a new name because they are all legal adults, but this is Tim's book. I'm highly skeptical of success here as well but I think the right creative team could make something really soapy and New Adult and queer work. Please keep in mind that there are nine trillion characters in the DCU who are roughly Tim's age to draw from; the "Core Four" (ugh I hate that term so much) can all be members but they are not the only members. (Cassie cannot be the only girl and it cannot be all white.)

Teen Titans*: Damian's team! I vote for characters like Emiko, Ace, and Jackson here, but I'm flexible. THE AUDIENCE FOR THIS BOOK IS MIDDLE SCHOOLERS, NOT PEOPLE WHO GREW UP ON WOLFMAN/PEREZ. Jesus, DC.

Suicide Squad: I truly do not care about this book but we need to do something to appease the edgelords.

The New Gods: I'm thinking EPIC, I'm thinking KIRBY, I'm thinking SIMONSON. Everyone talks in a serif font and it should be impossible to explain out loud with human words. It's what Kirby would want.

So there it is, there's my pitch. Again, this doesn't cover minis (Elongated Man miniseries WHEN), event books, etc., but I think it gets most of the key players on the board!

(And yes, I know I left the Legion out. I'm sorry. But not very sorry. They can cameo in Kara's book.)

[floor031]

re my last rb: my ranking of nami's favourite partners for general illegal activities whenever they hit a new island, pre & post-timeskip, including but not limited to:

swindling

scamming

small-scale grifting

gambling (& therefore cheating at gambling)

small-scale heisting (ones that require infiltration or more subtlety than usual)

ok let's go

pre-ts (pre-grand line):

zoro - it's so fun to get dramatic with him. he's very perceptive, he always plays along no matter what, he knows when to push the intimidation (and is very good at it. eternal attack dog privilege ftw) & when to dial back. he also knows nami best/longest out of them, though that quickly stops making a difference in most contexts

usopp - OBVIOUSLY!! he is quite literally perfect in every grift you can think of. the only problem is that he starts fumbling when the other party at, say, the casino gets a lil too threatening/seems to be catching on. whereas nami (& zoro) chase the adrenaline he doesn't like to toe the line TOO much.

sanji - automatic 3rd b/c she gets annoyed with how he can't function when a hot woman so much as breathes his way (she doesn't even scam other women! not when she can help it!) or if it's a grift that requires him to get the least bit touchy with her. but he IS objectively GOOD at it.

GREAT WALL OF CHINA

400. luffy - she does not let him grift OR gamble with her. subtlety of a fucking toddler. derails every single grift/mini heist. NEGATIVE poker face, ESPECIALLY when he's actively trying. when she's forced to bring him along though he always notices something she hasn't because he is bizarrely perceptive like that, he just doesn't really care. unfortunately this also means he doesn't always care to inform her about what he observes. (luffy: "but you told me to keep quiet!!") he also has really good luck so if he manages to stay quiet and not attract attention he can act as a good luck charm. however that is impossible

(later) pre-ts:

usopp - everything stays the same AND he's getting better at keeping his cool. what's not to love. this is their bonding activity

zoro - nami has learned the hard way that they both CANNOT take themselves seriously for long when they are required to get touchy. he's also demoted bc he refuses to part with his swords, which is really quite inconvenient if she wants him to be her partner for, say, a gala dinner they're sneaking into.

sanji - still 3rd but a closer 3rd now!! stay strong sansan!! more on earlier, grifting with him isn't as effortless/fun as it is w usopp or zoro but that is in no way due to lack of skill on his part. he's not just good at landing a cover; he's strategic like zoro and flexible like usopp. plus, he just FITS into a high class setting with the seamlessness that neither usopp nor zoro have which makes him very, very useful for grifts requiring more formality. however due to his also aforementioned flaws he cannot hit top 2 im (not) sorry...... ALSO! this is partly bc im so sanamipilled but i do think that she's grown to enjoy the touchiness sometimes - and now she can admit it to herself. 's a fun little excuse for her to indulge sanji a bit, especially if their mark for the night is easy

robin - she is last bc she is usually simply not interested in all that. however she will creep people out with her general aura when needed!

post-ts:

usopp - everything is just so easy with him x2. they fall back into their dynamic and it's perfect and even BETTER than before because they're both a little out of practice after 2 years, but they've also both got new tricks up their sleeves. they don't get as many chances TO grift anymore in the new world though. always onto the next big adventure. plus now she's notorious enough that people actually RECOGNISE her in bigger cities/towns (she's not too happy about this)

sanji - he's been promoted :) but also demoted especially freshly post-ts bc of fishman island related crimes.

zoro - he doesn't let nami convince him into grifting with her anymore :-(( but if nami still requires someone to stand menacingly behind her as she extorts some rando then [mbappe voice] He Will Be There No Matter What

luffy stays the same :p

chopper is too young to be engaging in these activities & franky and brook are wayy too conspicuous. jinbei just joined they do not have the time for that shit yet. also i havent read beyond wano

[artzychic27]

Batraculous East➡️

Austin A (Glam Bat): Austin A sticks to the daytime crimes, but mostly joins his squad in tackling the crimes happening at night. His hairspray is amazing at keeping his hair in place, and it's strong enough to make criminals freeze in place. His Pink Bat suit allows for excellent mobility due to its lightweight, and he has tons of hair-care-inspired weapons in his belt

Austin B (Bat Byte): Austin B prefers to stick behind the scenes when it comes to stopping crime due to some breathing problems, and often sends his avatar to assist his teammates while he takes care of things at the Bat Cave. Bat Byte, controlled by Austin B via tech goggles and wearable sensors, is capable of teleporting, hacking into any database, and sending electric shockwaves

Austin Q (Shark Bat): Austin Q handles aqua crimes, such as bastards dumping oil into the water. His sharp teeth always send people running. His Shark Bat suit allows him to breathe underwater, and it can withstand the pressures of the sea

Austin T (Bake Bat): Austin T also handles daytime crimes, usually domestic disturbances, and he's not entirely gentle when apprehending abusive partners and parents. The scents of fresh-baked pastries he releases from his suit help to calm victims down, and that function comes in handy when someone's having a panic attack

Lotta Jameson (Stunt Bat): Lotta's entire suit comes with shock absorption technology, so she can get hit as many times as she'd like without issue. She'll handle any sort of crime you throw her way, no matter how dangerous

Kendra Anne Gundersun (Upside Down Bat): A nighttime hero who handles stealth missions. She's extremely flexible, and her suit is made to contort with her. It comes with an invisibility function, along with one that allows her to scale walls (Though, she prefers ceilings)

DJ Detwiler (Prank Bat): DJ's suit is made to fit her love of pranks. It comes with an invisibility function, a voice changer in the mask, x-ray goggles, and more. His Prank Bat suit is made to blend into the night, which is when a lot of crime happens and makes for the perfect opportunity to test out a few of his best pranks on criminals

Austin Spinelli (Grace Bat): Spinelli's Grace Bat suit is inspired by male ballet outfits, lightweight and breathable, but it still offers plenty of protection. The ribbons tied around his arms act as grappling hooks or binds for when he's apprehending criminals

Gia Griswald (G.I. Bat): Gia focuses on defense when out in the field, but once she's up against a criminal, she puts her training to use and takes down someone twice her size in under a minute. Her suit with shock-absorption and bullet-proof fabric

Victoria LaSalle (Hoop Bat): Do not underestimate the wheelchair, Victoria as Hoop Bat will still take you down. His bat suit, lovingly created by his boyfriend, Gerard, is capable of creating plasma orbs, which she throws like they're basketballs, and with excellent precision. They can electrocute anyone they hit and momentarily incapacitate them

Gerard Grundler (Genius Bat): As the name implies, he is a genius. Like Austin B, he also works behind the scenes and sends his avatar, Genius Bat, to fight in his place from time to time, but mostly goes out on the field. His suit comes equipped with a badass labcoat

Mindy Blumberg (Harmony Bat): Mindy, like Jean, also has a voice amplifier in their batsuit, but when they don't feel like singing, they occasionally throw a mean punch thanks to their weighted gauntlets

Rochelle Weems (Blackmail Bat): Rochelle's got dirt on everyone. Zir batsuit mask comes equipped with technology that allows them to hear even a pin drop from miles away, and ze can filter out certain sounds to focus on only one. Ze usually handles undercover missions with Mason

Mason Ewing (Info Bat): As Info Bat, Mason can decipher any sort of code created by criminals, and he can figure out passwords in five seconds flat by using his tech goggles, which project all sorts of info before his eyes. Her suit comes equipped with a holographic screen for her to log any information she comes across

Beck King: (Bat King): A veteran of Batraculous East and the best older sibling figure they've had. They've gone solo, but occasionally stop by just to be around their old teammates. Their suit comes with a hover function, almost making it look as if they're gliding through the streets, and allowing them to perform some excellent parkour moves

Batsuits

Austin A's Batsuit: A sleek suit with a pink and black color scheme and a sparkle emblem on his chest. His utility belt comes equipped with numbing spray, lipstick taser, and a comb knife, and his cape comes with a hood to protect his gorgeous hair from the rain

Austin B's Batsuit: A tech-inspired suit with a yellow and black color scheme and a pixelated bat emblem on the chest. Byte Bat's mask connects to Austin B's goggles, allowing him to see what he sees. So far, the only thing in his utility belt is a pair of handcuffs

Austin Q's Batsuit: Very Shark Boy-inspired. A slate blue and grey color scheme with a shark emblem on the chest. His batsuit is similar to a wet suit, and his mask is hooked up to a small but long-lasting oxygen tank built into it. The vision settings adjust the further he goes underwater, it can release pheromones that scare off predatory fish, and he has claws built into his gloves that are just as strong as a shark's teeth

Austin T's Batsuit: So. Much. PASTELS. Pastel green with white, and a pastel green bat on the chest. His batsuit is not all too intimidating, but that only gives criminals a chance to underestimate him and not put up much of a fight so he can deck them. His utility belt comes with a taser, pepper spray, a collapsable staff, and capsules filled with deconstructed baked goods for him to give to kids (Don't worry, he replaces them every day) His cape acts as a blanket for kids because he's sweet like that

Lotta's Batsuit: A sleek, reinforced, and lightweight suit with shock-absorption technology, allowing her to parkour and get into fights with no fear (Not that she ever had any) Lotta's suit is green with hints of brown, and a black bat emblem on her chest. Her utility belt comes equipped with a collapsable staff

Kendra's Batsuit: As bright and pink as Austin A's with a white bat emblem on the chest. Her suit is lightweight and not too bulky so she can perform some of her contortionist stunts. The protective material absorbs any blows and her utility belt comes equipped with several mini spy cameras for her to place where people would least suspect

DJ's Batsuit: A bright green color with hints of orange, and a smiley face emblem on the chest. His suit is almost like a Batsuit version of Miss Joke's hero costume, and there's a smile painted on their mask. Their utility belt comes equipped with laughing gas spray, a small jellybean can that releases a net, itching powder, and ink bombs

Austin S's Batsuit: A lightweight red and black suit reminiscent of a male ballerina's costume with a red bat emblem on the chest. The ribbons around his arms act as Aizawa's capture weapon. No one knows how they work. His cape comes with a hood that shadows his face but only shows two glowing red eyes, making for some haunting performances.

Gia's Batsuit: Gia's suit is reinforced with Kevlar. Her suit is an army camouflage print with a black bat emblem on her chest and comes equipped with weighted gloves that can knock someone out with a single punch. Her utility belt contains non-lethal hand grenades that give off small blasts when activated and incapacitate anyone standing too class. Her cape is bullet-proof for added protection

Victoria's Batsuit: Athleisure-style Batsuit with a green and yellow color scheme and a basketball with bat wings emblem on the chest, and her cropped cape comes with a hood. His utility belt is equipped with a grappling hook and taser, and his gloves are capable of making the plasma orbs. His wheelchair has voice-activation settings, only responding to his voice alone, and the wheels can fly off on their own and strike a criminal. (Imagine Go-Go's wheels)

Gerard's Batsuit: A high-tech suit colored a light blue with hints of white and a beaker emblem on the chest. His utility belt comes with tracking chips, capsules containing gaseous forms of his elixirs made to either heal his teammates or knock out criminals, and a taser. The hologram wristlet displays maps, records, the locations of his teammates, etc.

Mindy's Batsuit: Imagine badass Juliet Capulet. Her suit is a pastel purple with hints of white and has a music note with bat wings emblem on her chest. Poet sleeves. Her belt is equipped with a whip, and, like Jean, a device that's able to throw her voice. Her cape also comes with a hood because... Dramatic.

Rochelle's Batsuit: Rochelle's suit is dark blue with black accents and a black bat emblem on the chest. Zir utility belt comes with a tranquilizer gun and small microphones to leave in certain areas and pick up any conversations. Zir mask covers zir mouth and allows zir to hear anything from miles away. Zir cape also functions as an invisibility cloak

Mason's Batsuit: A lightweight suit colored blue with hints of black. Her mask is equipped with tech goggles that project the entire internet before her eyes (Even the dark web) The bracelet on her wrist can open up a holographic screen for them to take notes on, and their utility belt comes with an audio recorder pen, whip, and ink bombs

Beck's Batsuit: Beck's suit is black with some hints of blue and red. Their leather jacket is covered in graffiti and has a crown emblem on the back with bat wings. Their utility belt comes equipped with a grappling hook, collapsable staff, and throwing stars. Built into their gloves are brass knuckles and right at their fingertips are tasers. Their boots have hidden blades in the heels and allow for them to scale any surface

Base Rooms

The secret basement of the Tomassian estate is used as their home base

-The Main Control Room: The main center of the Batcave, equipped with all sorts of holographic displays built by Gerard and Austin B that track criminal activity and show maps of the city. There's a table-like touchscreen that controls the whole room- lights, furniture, and music. This is where DJ organizes each mission

-Garage: Their garage is filled with their own personal vehicles

-Armory: Gia, Gerard, Austin Q, and Kendra keep the room stocked with many different weapons ranging from hand grenades to DJ's prank supplies

-The Lab: This is Gerard and Austin B's territory. If you see the red light outside the lab is on, it means they're working on something, so do not disturb them. There are five supercomputers, a massive chemistry set, a 3D printer, a testing area behind indestructible glass for the others to test out any functions of their Batsuits, and three robot assistants

-Training Room: The training area comes equipped with state-of-the-art workout equipment, virtual training simulations, practice dummies that track their progress, and a wall of traditional weapons. Gia, Victoria, Kendra, Beck, and Austin Q run that very room with iron fists.

-The Library: It's full of massive shelves filled with paperback books and some Kindles (Mostly used by Gerard and Austin B), and the backroom contains records of the city, known criminals, and gangs. Gerard, Spinelli, Rochelle, Mindy, Austin B, and Mason frequent the library the most out of the others

-The Infirmary: Mostly frequented by Lotta. Austin T, Mindy, and Gia oversee the medical bay equipped with all sorts of medical technology and supplies. Gerard created Med-bots designed to safely carry anyone injured into the infirmary

-The Lounge: A comfortable space for the team to relax, watch movies, and grab something from the kitchen where Austin T. and Victoria cook every meal. It's also where the couples like to make out... A lot. If you see Austin A and Spinelli making out on the couch, just don't disturb them, alright? Seriously.

Vehicles

-The Batcycle: A tech motorcycle used by Beck that can move swiftly through any crowd. No one dares to ride it, because Beck will know and give the disappointed look

-The Bat Boards: Kendra, Austin A, Lotta, and Spinelli's hoverboards, used by them for patrols and surveillance through the city. The Bat Boards can travel at high speeds, and someone who's not used to riding one may find themselves a little shaken up

-The Bat-Tank: A reinforcement manned by Gia in the event the team is facing the occasional robot army or villain in an indestructible suit. for even the harshest terrains. The Bat-Tank comes with a cannon that should only be used in dire situations

-Victoria's Bat Chair: ONLY to be used by Victoria. A high-tech wheelchair with voice activation technology. The wheels can be thrown or shot off on their own like disks and can flip over horizontally to make the Bat Chair hover

-The Bat Jet: A high-tech smart jet piloted mainly by Austin B and Gerard. It can hold the entire team, is equipped with cloaking technology, auto-pilot, a long-lasting battery, and a fully stocked fridge for long-distance traveling

-The Bat Pack: Jet Packs used by Austin T, Rochelle, and Mason for surveillance missions. The Bat Packs are light-weight and battery-powered, barely making a sound. They also come with small grappling hooks to easily get from one spot to another

-The Bat Vespa: DJ and Mindy's Bat Vespa is built for two, comes equipped with motion centers so they can detect if someone is following them at night, can dispense smoke bombs, and is even able to hover

-The Bat Convertible: Operated primarily by Austin Q, this is a sleek sports car that blends in with the night. It comes with auto-pilot settings, can be driven from the Bat Cave using a tablet linked to it, and has an underwater function in case Austin Q drives it into the water... Again

Night in Paris

Glam Bat: Glam Bat was getting his hair done at his usual salon when an armed robber burst in and held a beautician at gunpoint, threatening to fire unless everyone handed over their valuables. Not missing a beat, Glam Bat flung his comb knife at the robber's hand, making him drop the gun, and then he sprayed him with his numbing spray

Bat Byte: A string of cyber crimes has been hitting the city for quite some time now. Phones were blaring random alarms for national disasters that never happened, and computers were suddenly short-circuiting and losing all sorts of important date, so Bat Bye put on his tech goggles and did some digging. After looking through the Dark Web, he tracked the offenders down and sent his avatar to apprehend them

Shark Bat: While making his rounds through the water, he was about to resurface when an anvil dropped into the water with a rope tied around it, and the other end was tied around a man's ankle. Shark Bat tore through the rope with his claws, offered the man his mask to breathe, and swam back up the surface where he then proceeded to knock out the bastards who were trying to dispose of the man so he couldn't testify in court tomorrow

Bake Bat: While doing some surveillance in a neighborhood, Bake Bat was keeping tabs on a home that many people have reported regarding child abuse. Just when he was about to leave, he heard something coming from the backyard and found out that the shed was holding three children captive. After handing the children over to the police and giving them some cupcakes, he gave the "parents" a lengthy and graphic threat

Stunt Bat: Stunt Bat was hired as security for an actress who was being stalked by an unknown person. While guarding the hotel room, Stunt Bat heard a scream coming from the actress' room and found her in the middle of being kidnapped by the stalker. Stunt Bat barely stumbled when the stalker threw a barrage of punches at her, and easily knocked him out with one punch

Upside Down Bat: While staking out a mansion linked to several civilian disappearances, Upside Down Bat finds out that the owners are auctioning off human beings to rich buyers. She easily sneaks in undetected, takes out a few people who manage to spot her, and leaves several mini-cameras where the auction is being held. In just a few seconds, the auction was being broadcast all over the city

Prank Bat: Prank Bat often frequents a comedy club in the evenings when he's free. While up on stage and making the audience burst into laughter, he caught a guy hitting on a girl who was clearly underage and uncomfortable. She then proceeded to heckle the guy and turn everyone's attention toward him. To further humiliate him, Prank bat threw a couple of ink bombs the guy's way, covering him in an array of colors

Grace Bat: While giving instructions at a dance studio for children, Grace Bat heard some commotion coming from outside. Two very angry parents were questioning the whereabouts of their son who they forbade from taking "sissy dance lessons." He apprehended them with his ribbons when the two began harassing people, and quickly called the police. According to them, the boy's aunt and uncle took out a restraining order on them a year ago

G.I. Bat: G.I. Bat was doing a few patrol rounds one evening when she saw two guys trying to force a woman into a car. Not wasting a second, she hurried over, easily defeated the two very muscular men, and blocked gunfire from the driver before taking him out. Apparently, the woman escaped from an organ harvesting organization and led G.I. Bat and the police right to their base

Hoop Bat: He occasionally teaches kids and teenagers how to play basketball. While at their usual court, Hoop Bat noticed a well-known street gang occupying it. When they refused to comply, and even whipped out a few bats, Hoop Bat shot a few plasma orbs at them and knocked them out cold

Genius Bat: The avatar was doing some surveillance when he came across a hostage situation at the bank. Genius Bat got his gear on and hurried over. He maneuvered his way through the vents and dropped a few capsules on the criminals, causing their body's to go completely numb and allowing the officers to easily apprehend them

Harmony Bat: Harmony Bat was working undercover, singing in the choir for a cult hidden in plain sight. After collecting all of the evidence they needed, showing the cult leader harvesting the organs of children, they immediately sprung into action and temporarily deafened everyone in the room, leaving the children unharmed since it was only at a frequency adults could hear. The cult and several other sectors were raided and put to an end

Blackmail Bat: Blackmail Bat, like the name implies, blackmailed several government officials who have done... Less than wonderful things. Orphanages are being renovated, there's better health care, and abusers are actually getting arrested. This went on for a few more weeks until Blackmail Bat decided ze was satisfied, and exposed every single crime

Info Bat: A string of kidnappings has been going on all across the city, and the perpetrators always leave a clue behind in the form of a strange note with some sort of code just to taunt officers. Info Bat easily figured out the codes and tracked them down to an old apartment building where the kidnapped people were being held

Bat King: This was their last mission with Batraculous East before going solo. Spotting a group of armed gunman in a massive estate, they stealthily made their way in, easily disarmed the gunman with only their staff, and saved the family that was held hostage

@imsparky2002 @msweebyness

[hazelcephalopod]

*sigh* As someone who mainly watches the Good Doctor… for reasons… despite its many, many flaws. At least it’s the last season and soon I will be free. a) I was elated to see Kayla Cromer in something. I even like Charlie, I think some of her writing fucking sucks. Specifically, she’s very similar to Shaun in many respects, both are very opinionated and very outspoken and have a lot of issues reading social cues from others. (I have thought onthe general writing of autistic characters but that’s a different and more complex point and others have likely made it) anyway. Their similarities are part of the reason they clash so severely, while some of their differences -Charlie’s needs more stimuli and externalizes her thoughts, I think and Shaun needs far less stimuli and internalizes a lot. That and imo Shaun has a lot of internalized ableism and trauma from working through his residency in abysmal conditions that he’s taking out on her. (Plz someone make this man go to therapy) She’s been there like two weeks. She needs consistent rules and boundaries set for her. She needs to be have a time to ask all of her questions and review her progress in a non-judgmental space. However she does need to learn better workplace etiquette and appropriate workplace conversation, I’m not arguing she’s not flawed by any means. But she deserves some grace -we’ll get more to that. Shaun changed tactics and rules every other day and gets mad at her for nothing. Tbh. He maybe shouldn’t be her teacher and the hospital shouldn’t force that, or needs to remind him to settle on boundaries and give it a week to see if she progresses in following those rules. But again, s/x accommodation is not forcing two disabled people with conflicting needs to work with each other if not absolutely necessary.

Now what more concerns me about her is that the fandom… fucking sucks in their rxn to her from what I’ve seen. This is what I mean by her deserving some grace, Bc in the show admittedly a lot of characters are giving it to her. She’s like what? 21? Probably never worked before, a med student. I’d guess has AuDHD and probably other disabilities and also. imho she is written to challenge Shaun, so that he has to learn more flexibility and learn how to be a better teacher -and therefore a better father. The fact that she’s written very similarly to Shaun, but also oppositional to him and still needs to learn a lot that he has come a long way on mean people are… not reacting well to this head strong ND young woman and I do think it’s because of the intersection of her gender and disabilities. Is that entirely the writers fault? Admittedly no. But I think it could have been executed better.

b) Asher wasn’t a perfect character but he kinda was my favorite one on this show. So uh. Killing him -very probably, I’d love to be wrong- in the middle of the last season. Was… why? Like. Killing the only gay and Jewish character… I think it’s a bit much for this show. I don’t think anyone needed to die this season. Certainly I’m not entirely opposed to exploring that, but there’s five episodes left. And this….. it’s not the show for it Imo. This show has been about people succeeding despite the odds and so why is he the exception. Idk. Maybe I’m wrong and he will live, I hope so, so take that one with a grain of salt. He looked really dead, there’s was a lot of blood, I think the rabbi was saying the Jewish prayer for the dead at the end. So my hopes are… very low.

Anyway. I’m going to go watch “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay”. Which features far more interesting exploitation of autism and queerness that this show desperately wants to have but simply isn’t capable of.

[lune-de-miel-au-paradis]

Oncoming

Summary: After they fought Nina went back home. In a wedding she gets philosophical about life and marriage specifically. Maul senses her thoughts. We can read a part where Nina interacts with a local asshole.(side note: this interaction happened to me before I met my husband, this guy kept being annoying but in the sunny side it also inspired me to write this scene into my story, so I guess that is a win for me)

Pairing: Darth Maul x OC Nina Cerasus

Warnings: Mention of wounds, medication, anxiety, panic attack, mutual pining, miscommunication, idiots in love, angst (Let me know if I left out something.) Minors DNI! Every sentence in italics is an inner monologue.

AN: This fic means a lot to me and I worked on it a lot. If you have any advice or comments, please share them with me kindly. I'm posting for the first time in years and I don't want nasty comments to discourage me from posting again. Remember it’s a slow burn! If you don't like it, please go to another blog. I did my best to translate it, so pls forgive me, English is not my first language.

Please enjoy reading!

previous chapter

divider by the lovely Saradika

Nina, upset , left the garden, the stars and Him behind. She tried very hard to keep herself together, she didn't want to fall apart, into tiny pathetic particles. The past forty-eight hours had been long, eventful, and not at all to her liking. She was tired and felt defeated, even though she tried to bend flexibly despite the harsh treatment, but now everything was strained inside her and she snapped. The final blow was delivered by Maul's words, directly to the heart, hard and without hesitation. "So you really are insignificant."

Those words hurt more than the wounds from the attack. They had a devastating effect on her. She left with her back stretched out and the pride of having the last word. But the blood in her veins turned icy cold, so much that, at first, she didn't even notice that her teeth were chattering, her body trembled and the shame caused by anxiety washed over her in waves. The house was still empty, her grandmother must be finishing work at the hospital, and Polina will arrive with dinner soon. Stepping into the bathroom, Nina looked in the mirror and noticed that tears were running down her face unstoppable and silently and without her permission.

"Come on Nina pull yourself together girl!" she scolded herself while furiously wiping her face with her palm.

She suddenly felt a stabbing pain in her palm, it wasn't strong, but it burnt like a cut caused by a paper. She stared at her palm. Four barely visible crescent-shaped wounds bled faintly. 

For kriff's sake!

She felt another storm forming in her soul, a panic rising up. She turned the cold water in the shower. quickly dropped her clothes on the floor and stood under the cold dripping water. 

“Suppress it!” she ordered herself.

She didn’t wanted to give the satisfaction to cry because of him. She crouched down. 

She doesn't care that her hair will be wet and her makeup melt down, or that her teeth will chatter from the water.

The coldness helped her break out of the spiral that drove her towards panic. It helped to sharpen the picture and separate the real emotions and facts from the imaginary ones. The water washed away all weakness from her and she let it flow down her body and disappear into the drain. She felt clean again when she opened her eyes. While drying herself up with a towel, she thought about the facts she knew. 

She survived the attack, she obtained the information, which she just has to decipher and finally have something against her father. She survived the encounters with Maul. She guessed that the male was not going to kill her, something was holding him back. That made this devilish tango seem exciting between them. But now she's tired. All she wants is a soft nightgown and spicy noodles.  

She looked in the mirror again. She seemed calm, a bit pale but put together. She seemed strong even though she had bruises all over her body and soul. Still she wears them gracefully as a silk robe. She will not bend, not break, and will succeed. She smiled at her reflection and left the bathroom.

Days later...

If she had an idea about her weekend, Nina didn't have this in mind. She didn't really know how and in what way, but it turned out that on her weekend day for rest, she sat dressed up at a wedding ceremony in one of Theed's smallest chapels. One of her high school mates invited her to their wedding.

In a room covered in yellow bouquets (maybe a little too many), her shoes are pressing on her feet uncomfortably (still worth it!), and the only thing she can think of to get through this day is cake. Which, of course, she'd have to wait for the young couple to cut up. Not that she had a problem with the couple (Kiya and Frwen), but Nina was not really impressed by weddings. At least that's what she liked to make people believe, and maybe she tried to make herself believe that too.

As a little girl, she did not plan the color of the dress, the format of the invitation or the venue. Yet she could appreciate the effort others did for their own.

100% of the guests (yes, Nina too) thought the bride was amazingly beautiful in her ecru colored  beaded dress. And everyone was also sure that tears of joy shone in the groom's eyes during the vows. The priest leading the ceremony gave a speech that was too long for a ceremony that was held in a small chapel filled with guests and it was very hot that day despite the end of spring. Still everything seemed perfect. Because everything was perfect. 

The couple's close friends and relatives cracked five jokes and seven heartwarming stories about the couple. And the word love was uttered at least thirty-two times. (note that this number will increase to forty-three later in the evening. Nina actually counted it.) Extra points if the word love is preceded by the characteristics ‘eternal’ or ‘true’.

Then there was a photo montage, which according to Polina was too cringe, but Nina secretly liked a nice reminiscence. It was charming in a nostalgic way. And perfectly suited Kiya and Frwen, who were perfect for each other. 

Nina and Polina both were happy for them, though. Polina even had pressed a silk handkerchief to her face to wipe away a few tears of touched emotions. 

But Nina didn't really believe in the institution of love or marriage. At least not in the "our love will carry us through everything" interpretation. In Nina's opinion, marriage could easily be concluded if the partners knew how to operate in completely separate spheres in the same area. They can live in their own little orbit but also they live in a kind of common section, just like the stars in the milky ways and galaxies. 

But again, the only references she had were those of her own parents. A tragic one where when her mother, Holly, fell ill and her father, Félix, had already left to find another much more suitable for ‘perfect’ family. The other one was quite sad too. A marriage from Polina's stories about her parent’s back in Serrenno. 

Her parents had been married for almost a decade, and after spending many years back and forth with the devil's tango, they officially lived separately - on other planets. This is a pretty lousy statistic, but the point is that none of them were specifically "happily ever after" ones.

If Nina were to make a Venn diagram about Kiya and Frwen she would put their jobs and studies and friends in separate piles and love would be the center. Nina thought that they could be the exception. Kiya and Frwen would make the “happily ever after”. They were made for each other. 

But then again, what's the point of making it official? What is the point of a piece of paper, which is only good for you to take out a joint loan or to call the child ‘legitimate’ and to make the separation more difficult by enlarging and blurring the boundaries of these center sections?

Oh so Kiya takes her husband's last name. Nina toyed with the idea. Her mother also took her father's name until he claimed it back in the divorce.

Maybe one day she will find someone who is not too boring and decide to stay, eventually she would marry that person, then like Kiya she would take her husband's name and thus completely vanish into his family line. Just like Maul’s ship’s cloaking device. She would be a blank space and have a new start. That sounded both terrifying and exciting at the same time. She could reinvent herself. 

She would be Mrs.We-don't-know-the-name-yet, and no one would ever know a thing about her.The fire in her soul would be calmed down to a handful of embers. She would become an accessory, and her illness would be some sort of exotic characteristic, like her diastema.

Thinking it through this fact rather terrified her, she didn't want to belong to anyone, just to belong to herself, like her grandmother.

She continued fiddling with her bracelet and biting her lip from the light panic that started to crawl out from her subconscious to these thoughts. Suddenly she felt a warm hand caress her cold one. Polina kindly took her hand, sensing her anxiety. The pink haired vampire didn't look at her, but smiled and drew letters in Nina's palm with her index finger. Nina began to concentrate on them already feeling calmer:

R

U

OK

?

Nina softly hummed "yes" as an answer. Polina's attention was focused on the couple again, but she didn't let go of Nina.

Meanwhile, 22% of guests were moved to tears. Two restless children were told to behave properly. Five of the guests wore a hat. They exchanged two rings and the green-eyed girl from the fourth row couldn't stop thinking about the crimson-colored zabrak man while she fidgeted with her bracelet. 

The ceremony ended and they were outside under the colorful sky of sunset, in the chapel's gardens. They served food under a big cream colored tent decorated with the same flowers as in the chapel. The guests were already mingling, dancing, or just snacking and talking at the reception. Everyone had a sparkling flute of crystal glass full of bubbly drink in their hands. Polina was dancing with the best men of the groom. He was quite handsome and had an interesting scar on the left side of his lips. 

Nina was asked to dance by a man named Larkin, the second best man.

He was average height, with an average face and body. Nina felt bad for judging him, so when they started to sway to the light melody she gave him a chance. 

At the edge of the dance floor, he carefully wrapped his arms around her waist, while Nina put hers on his shoulders. They started getting to know each other by small talk. But after the usual rounds, Larkin started talking about the new ship. In five minutes, Nina would have been able to take an exam about  that model of ship. Larkin was cute and enthusiastic, but it seems the vehicle alone turned him on. He told her everything about it, the color, the leather of the seats, the cylinder heads, the gearbox and the insurance conditions. Nina hummed quietly sometimes and stared into the distance. She imagined the hands on his waist to be Maul's hands, Maul's scent instead of the sweet patchouli and a crown of horns instead of Larkin's thick blonde hair.

When the couple shared their first kiss as a husband and wife, everyone started clapping and the room felt a little lighter and happier.

But to Nina it felt rather suffocating. She wanted to see him. Maul.

She liked his name. It suited him in a raw, mature and erotic energy kinda way. And she loved how his name rolled off her tongue as the syllables tumbled. She would prefer to say it out loud several times over and over like a magic spell.

Maul.Maul.Maul.Maul.Maul.Maul.Maul.Maul.Maul.Maul.Maul.Maul.Maul.Maul.Maul.Maul.

She doesn’t know much about him, but wanted to. She wanted to know his thoughts, his past and origin, and she definitely wanted him to kiss his tattooed lips. He was a mystery, something that Nina craved and wanted to figure out. 

“Would you mind please and bring me some punch?” she asked Larkin. 

“Yes. I’ll be back in a moment.” 

She stood near the table where the cakes and cookies were served. 

“Don’t hurry.” she said through gritted teeth, as she rolled her eyes in annoyance.

It wasn't Larkin's fault, at least not entirely. Nina just wasn't attracted to him. There was no chemistry between them and nothing in common. However, in contrast, Maul was there, she felt the chemistry sparkling, but she didn't know much about him, yet.

She sighed. Their last meeting was not quite a ray of sunshine but she still thought that seeing him will make her feel something new. A deep breath of fresh air from her safe and mundane life.  

Her weeks usually went by this: morning yoga, taking medications, university, study and work more study. Some medical examination, where she receives a dose of a new medicine, or is examined by machines and pricked with needles, like a lab womp rat. 

Even her dates were the same. Average male's with an average life and background and purpose.

Everything was the same. Until it isn’t. Until she met him. 

If she ever sees him again, she’ll have some questions for him for sure. She started compiling a mental list. 

“Questions for the handsome and mysterious guy in the forest: 

- How old is he?

- Where does he come from?

- About his tattoos

- What is he? If he is not a Jedi apprentice? ..”

She was distracted from her thoughts. Polina’s floral scented perume filled the air between them, and she held two plates, with slices of cakes on them. 

“I know that look.”

Nina raised an eyebrow. This was one of her signature mimics, observing suspiciously.

Polina sent her a knowing look. 

“You are thinking about him. Mystery guy. Don’t insult me and try to deny it. I already know you, Nina Cerasus, just like the palm of my hand.” she said in a sing-song voice. 

Nina blushed by being caught, she never showed her thoughts or emotions but with Polina it felt easy and natural. She never judged, only listened and shared her thoughts. Nina loved her soul, and never quite figured out how she was still by her side, she wasn't as interesting as Polina, nor wealthy. But still felt grateful for her loyalty. 

But back to the point, Polina once said to her that her curiosity often got her into trouble. Into relationships that didn't have a long outcome nor meaning. They failed and failed like dominos, each in its own time with it’s own reasons. For her, curiosity was almost the same as sexual attraction. The former both prevent but cause the latter. Now that she felt it both, for equally at the same time (for the first time in her 22 standard years of life and 6 years of dating) she felt a bit excited, confused and maybe a bit scared. Scared of the effect he already had on her, and the terrible outcome which was inevitable, since the males she dated always left at the first difficulty.

Nina wasn't looking for something enduring, she wanted her freedom.

She had a hunch that Maul was the kind of person for whom attraction, curiosity and freedom go hand in hand.

She decided to go to the old villa. Now. 

Unfortunately Larkin was coming back with a smile and two glasses of sweet pink punch. 

“Please stick a fork in my neck.” Nina mumbled.

“You don’t like him? He seems cute though, like a puppy dog. You fetch something he’ll definitely bring it back to you with enthusiasm and heart eyes.”

“ Until he starts talking in every detail about his new ship and the rest he has at home. For every possible topic, the conversation turns back to ships.” Nina said, annoyed. 

“Yikes. That is definitely an undiagnosed symptom of mental illness. He could be psychotic. You’re lucky he didn’t murder you.” joked Polina.

Nina laughed, she loved Polina’s sense of humor.

“I don’t know how to give good advice but I can always make you laugh with a sarcastic comment.” the vampire shrugged “Don’t worry girl, just go. I’ll cover for you.”

“You are the best and I love you.” Nina kissed her cheek and took a plate which had a cake on it.

But fate had other plans for her. Larkin bypassed Polina and went straight to Nina. Nina stopped herself from rolling her eyes, but she grimaced when Larkin took the cake from her hand and replaced it with a drink.

"There you go. See? I am such a nice gal I even make sure you don't get fat sweetheart."

Seriously?!

Larkin acknowledged it with serious satisfaction and considered himself entertaining.

After that, he started chatting about relationships, asking questions and hints as discreetly as a cannon to the young woman, what she thinks about relationships and weddings.

"I don't really know, I haven't had a relationship." Nina shrugged.

"A woman as beautiful as you and you haven't had a physical relationship yet?" Larkin was shocked. "How come?"

"I didn't say that I don't have sex, I just hinted that every time before it got serious, the current male ruined everything between us. Now was my answer satisfactory enough?" Nina started to get angry. 

Under Larkin's cute side, Nina started to recognize the conceited asshole, he was just as boring as the others and predictable. Wasting her time. Pathetic!

"Couldn't the problem be something else? There's no way that all your boys were idiots. Maybe there is something wrong with you Nina. I think someone mentioned that your mom died..” Larkin confirmed.

Nina has decided that she already hates this man! She would prefer to strangle him with his own flasy imported silk scarf. 

“Who does he think he is? To analyze her! “

Her hands clenched into fists and she raised one of her eyebrows, curiously waiting for the continuation. She didn’t plan to make a scene, it wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t worth it.

“This can’t be worse. Can it?”

"My mother is not the reason, so leave her out of this. I’m better alone, easier.” she answered calmly but inside her heart was pounding, she put down the punch glass before pouring the contents onto the man's cream-colored set, dyed bright pink with it.

"Nina. Nina. Nina.” he tsk-ed her in a patronizing honeyed voice. "You can't decide that at such a young age..."

Nina answered with an expression on her face that made it clear that he had better choose his next words carefully, then turned her back and stared at the landscape from the balcony. In a softer tone, he reached out to touch her, but pulled it back before making contact.

"Now you need someone to sweep you off your feet. A true romantic. Someone to guide you to a reasonable lifestyle. ”

Nina just laughed softly to herself, staring at the distant mountains, trying to hold back the urge to throw this idiot over the fence, to fall into the abyss and not be seen again.

The sunset painted the lines in a wonderful burnt orange color, it was almost crimson. She was thinking about the zabrak again. She longed for him to seduce her. 

"Oh Ms. Cerasus, why did you freeze me out so suddenly? What are you afraid of? Beware the ice queen has arrived! Can you even hear me?!”

Nina sighed. She had had enough of this, the man was annoying like a gungan.

She pushed herself away from the railing, which was decorated with wildflowers, and headed for the exit, picking up another larger slice of cake.

"You know you should really learn how to listen." Larkin gave one last piece of unsolicited advice.

Nina stopped, smiling.

“And you should really learn how to filter!” And showed him the shiny ring on her middle finger.

Maybe the male zabrak is still camping near the ruins and maybe he is still angry with her. But none of this matters, based on Nina's experience, 85% of quarrels and 45% of problems could be solved with a slice of marzipan pear cake.

Maul sat on the grass cross legged position with a straight back. He was meditating. Trying to meditate.

This time he was doing better since he met her.

Better but not immaculate like it used to be.

He was annoyed, this time not because of the anticipation of the Grand Plan, or because of his hatred of the Jedi. Something much less dignified for an almost pathetic cause.

He hasn't seen her since they fought. She didn't come.

Three days had passed and Maul had not seen the young woman's pretty figure appear either in the forest or in the ruins of the villa. He didn't feel her presence. He didn't even know why, but he felt that he had offended the female's pride, crossed a line, entered a door that Nina wasn't ready to let him in yet.

"What nonsense!" he frowned. “He is the apprentice of the most powerful person in the galaxy, a descendant of ancient warriors. And yet, a simple commoner, a woman with physical weakness dares to influence him!  How pathetic!”

Nina got under his skin and poisoned his thoughts. He had such nonsense in his mind that perhaps he was too intrusive and crude.

He allowed himself another frown.

"Why doesn't she come?"

"Will he ever see her? Maybe after the grand plan takes its place. "

Why did he think she looked like an angry tooka with her defiantly sparkling green eyes?

Why did he find this cute?

Cute?! Maul had never used that term before in his life.

“If Sidious doesn't do it to him, then he shall learn Sith lightning and use it on himself for these stupid and foolish and pathetic thoughts.” he rolled his eyes.

He jumped up and started walking, he was restless like a caged tiger.

But why does the Force let him feel this miserable? What lesson does he has to learn? Why? And why now? 

He had an unconscious urge to go and see her, but something held him back. Pride, or perhaps he was afraid that she would reject him.

His gloved hands were clenched into fists, his claws (although they were cut back just like his horns at the command of his Master) cut into his flesh, leaving a crescent moon shaped wounds in his palm.

Pain. It was a familiar feeling, a feeling he could always count on. He can rely on pain easily.

He activated the lightsaber and went through the usual figures he used with decisive elegant movements. Each time he felt stronger in the Force.

Still he thought of Nina, He lifted stones with his outstretched hand and cut them to pieces with his weapon. His anger oosed around his aura like a chalk coloured shadow. 

“Stars, Woman! What kind of spell have you casted on me?! 

You're in my mind, in my dreams, I can't focus. What kind of wicked test are you? Maul was sure that this was a test of how dedicated and loyal he was to his Master. As much as he underestimated her, she still managed to have an effect on him. Not a little, the impact was huge... Witchcraft!"

She was a tempting spell. A siren who mesmerized him, there is no other answer to his state.

Twice she had the opportunity to extend her spell on him. Both times in the dark with special lights and gorgeous green eyes.

He needs to see her. Her freckles, her eyes. Her scent and her aura that simultaneously awakened in him feelings of attraction and lust, interest in a conversation, and a kind of peaceful state that was unknown, but still carved by him.

The Force heard his thoughts because suddenly he felt her, for the first time in days. It was light and weak but still he felt her thoughts, lingering around Maul.

He felt some sort of tingling, in his fingers, horns and mouth. What is this?

He began to focus, and sit down to meditate again.

The female was quite far from him, yet he faintly sensed the longing, whether it was physical or not. She was thinking about him.

He despised himself, but he had to admit that, no matter how pathetic, he was filled with self-satisfaction that the female was thinking of him even though she was on the other side of the planet. Thinking about Maul.

Never having been the object of someone's concern before, it was somehow an honor.

He decided to continue his training and decided to use this vantage point when they met again.

Little does she know, he thinks about her too. 

next chapter

Taglist: @stardustbee @hellhound5925 @cloneloverrrrr @the-chains-are-the-easy-part @firstofficerwiggles

Let me know if you want to be added 💖

[thekaijudude]

MAJOR Decker Movie Leaks + MAJOR implications on Ultra Lore

1. Ultraman Dinas is a "clone" of Dyna

So what exactly happened was that when Ravi was still a normal person, her planet got attacked by aliens and Dyna showed up to save her planet

And because she was near dead after the attack, Dyna gave her a piece of his light which allowed her to assume the form of Dinas

And she has seen this as an opportunity to use this power for good and help others ever since

But because she hasn't really been able to controlled the power well, Dinas' color timer is still red in color

2. Decker Dinas Type does not show up in the Movie

So I suppose this was a cancelled concept before they decided on who Dinas would be

-

So this is a very radical concept coming from this franchise, that being an Ultra can give portions of their light to hosts that they themselves have independent and permanent control over

Usually the case is like what we saw with Trigger where the remnants of Tiga's light allowed Tiga to manifest for a brief period of time only in his original form

And rmb that there was an info saying that Decker also has the same origin as Dinas?

Yup, this most likely means that Future Decker also received a permanent portion of Future Dyna's light and most likely has more time to master his control over it to allow him to of course have a blue color timer and assume his Strong and Miracle Types

This is so interesting cause it brings up so many new opportunities and questions about this new revelation

Considering that Kanata eventually evolved Decker to Dynamic Type, this clearly shows that recipients of Dyna's permanent light can master it beyond the basic Flash/Strong/Miracle, and this really puts what Future Decker said in context, like him noting that Dynamic Type is Kanata's "Unique Form", does that means that not all evolutions are the same?

Like will Dinas eventually look like Decker Flash Type after some time? Or each "child" will look different from each other, even as they evolve?

Imo, most likely since the chest patterns and color scheme of Dinas is totally different from Decker. But the fact that Future Decker knows of the concept of "unique forms" highly suggests that either:

a) Future Decker DOES have a Super Form of his own, which also means that all the evolution stages before their Super Form would look the same

b) Future Decker has seen the "Deckers" of other recipients, means that in the future, Dyna has given this power to others as well

Personally, would prefer the latter cause it'll give more possible designs lol

And the fact that Dynamic Type exists clearly hints that Dyna has some form of Super Form still up in his sleeves (Unity Type Theory back in full swing lmao)

Additionally, this would mean that one day, we would see Dinas gaining his/her own Flash/Strong/Miracle or even Super Form eventually?

And does this necessarily make Decker and Dinas the children of Dyna?

This whole thing is literally a huge Nexus reference

This is a very clearly a revolutionary concept cause its literally an alternate option for nearly unlimited legacy based characters of Ultras can simply just create new ultras out of the blue, very interested to see exactly what they can do with this new concept

-

UPDATE: I just realized a pretty shocking fact

Rmb O50 can also literally create Ultras outta nowhere? And that it's sentient as well?

Yeah u can definitely see where I'm going with this

And we do know from Tiga that Ultras can leave their body behind and live as light or sth

What if the Voice of Light is simply another Ultra altogether that's been giving permanent portions of its light to form New Ultras?

Suddenly the dynamics of this system makes so much sense on why theres so much flexibility with O50

Tho the VoL seems to be far more advanced as seen with Orb, it bestowed further evolution forms, weapons and even the Orb Ring that has the ability to merge the powers from Ultras of different universes

But another fact is that somehow they can also create kaiju, like how the VoL created Grigio Bone for Saki, which is similar to how Decker had access to the Capsule Kaiju as well

But the qn remains, how are they able to do this for kaiju???

And what could this mean for perhaps other sources of Ultras? Like we know that the Plasma Spark is artificial, but considering that it does have sentience and it did also gave Zero an upgrade. Also knowing the history of the LoL which if u recall, King alr existed before the Plasma Spark and is considered one of the elders that predated it.

What if the Plasma Spark is artificial in the sense that they've managed to isolate a permanent portion of light from either King himself or another elder?

And could we say the same for the Ultra Mind for U40? Z95? Planet TOY-1?

Hell, even the Absolutians which was something I postulated about the Lord's awakening being the reason the planet is gonna blow. Literally because he's the entire source of the whole Absolutians' planet itself

Holy shit the entirety of Ultra lore has gotten FAR MORE INTERESTING with this new fact

THE PLOT THICKENS

[skinnamon39]

For the Oc/Creator ask: multiples of 6 and B,D,E,G Love, fluffyapathybunny

thank you for purchasing a ticket to my improv show <3. I will be basing answers off of one of my four main blorbos (Em, Marine, Thymus, or Savitri) based on whoever fits a question the best.

OC Questions

6. Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable?

I think Savitri, having grown up in a high-ranking noble house and thus being forced to learn rules upon rules upon rules, would definitely think of the law as a cold, ruthless weapon used by the top dogs. She's set to inherit a position that puts her very close to the royalty of Lechtera (that's the name of the kingdom she lives in), so she'll likely have a not-insignificant amount of influence over the law-making process. She benefits from the current king's laws, since she's an aristocrat and all, but all the same, influence is not the same as having the final say, and she will always resent that.

12. How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?

In the event of an elusive itch, Marine uses one of her knives to give herself some extra reach. More recently, she lets Em scratch the spot, since the knife thing makes him nervous.

18. What embarrasses them?

Thymus gets amazingly embarrassed when people catch him talking to the dirt.

24. Is sex something that they’re comfortable speaking about? To whom?

Marine is willing to talk about or explain sex in general to anyone, but asking about how it pertains to her personally will get you a big fat "fuck off".

30. Who do they most regret meeting?

Every so often, Marine thinks about that girl who taught her how to muffle her footsteps, how to hide in rafters, how to effectively distract people. Would she have clung to her teachings so zealously had she not been so hungry?

36. Do they actively seek romance, or do they wait for it to fall into their lap?

Thymus is quite the romantic, and will try to worm his way into a conversation with people he thinks are cool and interesting. Since he's from Tiny Village, Middle of Nowhere, that includes basically anyone in his age group, but he never really gets anywhere.

42. How badly do they want to reach their end goal?

Em is slowly discovering that he will do anything if it means he can wake up to see the sun pouring through a window, sit in a circle with some other people eating soup together, and never have to feel cold again.

Creator Questions

B) What inspired you to create them?

"Inspired" is a bit of a strong word. It was originally just Marine and Em in my whumpy daydreams, and it took almost a year for them to even get names. Thymus and Savitri came about when the daydream started getting specific enough that I realized I had to make it into A Thing or I would explode.

D) Have they always had the same physical appearance, or have you had to edit how they look?

Truth be told, I am still editing how they look. Despite being the OGs, Em and Marine have actually gone through the fewest changes, only having their eye colors change one time each (green to gray and purple to blue respectively).

E) Are they someone you would get along with? Would they get along with you?

Narrowing it down to just one of them, I'd probably get along with Thymus the best since he's 13 and, more importantly, is the only one of the four who hasn't experienced Backstory Horrors. I actually really like interacting with kids and am only held back by my doubt in my ability to care for another living being (taking care of myself alone is a handful as is). Would love to help him churn butter when his arms get tired and let him show me cool rocks he found while plowing the fields.

G) What trait of theirs bothers you the most?

Savitri is a real stickler for the rules, which means I get to spend minimum-4-hour google sessions on aristocracy and etiquette to have an idea of what rules she's stickling to.

[hiraganasakura]

I'll admit to having a Problem with br1dgy deeming Team Expanding Acronym's suggestion to continue the Mantle evac & hold the line while calling Vacuo a 'terrible plan'. I mean, it seemed feasible enough right up to the point where Salem rolled in with the city-sized siege whale, *still* beats *leaving the laborers,* and Cinder was already up there, so the 'raise Atlas out of theoretical Grimm reach' thing doesn't really guarantee relic security either.

(For others' reference, anon is referring to this post (link) I recently reblogged (warning: that post is *very* long!))

Yeah, I'm ngl, that point was the major reason I said I agreed with *most* of the points made, not all. I just didn't rly wanna point that out that moment bcus

a) it was a post nearing two years in age that I didn't rly wanna stir the pot about

b) I worried it was kinda nitpicky considering the fact that I agreed with the major points in that series of posts, so bringing it up risked detracting from those main points, and

c) at that point in time I had few coherent thoughts to put down in a way that would make sense anyway

But since you brought it up...

The points in that post that I would dub the "main points" that I agree with are as follows:

Ironwood is a tragic character due to being a villain of his own creation

Atlesian society is horrifically damaging to just about everyone who grows up in it; Ironwood was no exception, which is also smth that lent to his spiral

During the confrontation in Ironwood's office, nobody was entirely in a position to negotiate. Ironwood's PTSD (and probably his Semblance) was kicked into high gear, and his decisions were all but made. RWBY were running ragged and exhausted from their efforts during the evacuation, and as a result were unable to reach Ironwood and convince him to at least find a middle ground

Ironwood's true point of no return wasn't when he declared martial law, or he deemed RWBY and co enemies of the state. It was when he attacked Oscar, who was actually in a position of theoretically being able to negotiate with him, that he crossed the line that he couldn't be pulled back from

All of this being said, the way Ironwood's arc was executed was imperfect, and could have greatly benefitted from having a bit more time sunk into it. (Mostly, I personally wish they had an in-show conversation about his Semblance and how it affected his spiral.) Altho, I understand that CRWBY does not have an infinite budget, so the fact that they didn't is smth I can get

But circling back to your original ask, I agree with you. RWBY and co's plan, while it had its kinks that there was only limited time to work out, was imho an overall better plan than Ironwood's. Going off the information they currently had, there was little (rational) reason to believe that raising Atlas at that very moment was the right choice, for the exact reasons you mentioned

I feel like for me the main issue with that point isn't necessarily the argument itself (I respectfully disagree with it but I can still see the train of thought ppl may have approaching it) but the (imo) strong language of referring to RWBY and co's plan as "terrible". (And this is why I felt my comments on it may have been needlessly nitpicky and why I didn't comment until prompted)

Like I said, yeah, their plan may not have been perfect, but tbf? They didn't exactly have a lot of flexibility to adjust to the new threat level accordingly and in a timely manner, which was why they wanted to keep going as they were until they could get to that position

Now, Ironwood's plan? That's worse. To echo and add onto your points, they didn't know exactly how close Salem was or how fast she was approaching at the time, so to assume that it was already too late was presumptuous; raising Atlas immediately would not only leave countless innocents behind that could have been saved, but all it would do was maybe buy some more time... which wouldn't rly matter, either due to Salem just flying up there with Monstra immediately, or due to Salem's immortality allowing her to use Atlas's isolation to her advantage and chip away at the rest of the world until only Atlas was left and *then* go for them, but either way there is no guarantee that it will be enough time to buy considering Atlas's isolation would make it difficult to obtain necessary materials; and someone already had to be up there to place the Black Queen (who we knew were Cinder and Neo), so all it would do is isolate Atlas with the enemy. So yeah, there's rly no way to win with the "raise Atlas *right at this moment*" plan imo

Now, to be clear, Ironwood's side not having much long-term practicality (I don't deny that it may have had *short-term* practicality for Atlas (but not Mantle obviously), but the questions of "How long will this last?" and "How far can we go before the ends no longer justify the means?" are very important, and the answers don't look good for Ironwood) was like. Kind of the point. He's *not* thinking rationally rn. And I think maybe a lot of ppl in the FNDM viewed him as this level-headed general who fought for the greater good, and had a hard time seeing how that deteriorated until it was too late

But point being, the word "terrible" for the protags' plan is a bit harsh imo. Especially when comparing it to the worse plan that Ironwood had

Another little point I disagreed with (also nitpicky due to its relation to word choice) is the statement of another user on that post that Blake and Yang's decision to reach out to Robyn was "dumb". Again it just feels kinda harsh to me, yes, even taking into account the fact that Blake and Yang did not know what to expect from Robyn's reaction at the time. I mean, maybe "naive" (and contrary to what seems to be a common belief [nobody here] dumb =/= naive, there's more nuance than that)? But I don't think I would personally call it that

Actually, I think it indicates smth much different that *Blake and Yang* of all characters chose to tell Robyn the truth bcus of their trauma-induced trust issues...

But ykw? I've been going on about this for a while and I think the post is starting to derail from its intent lol. I can expand upon on the Robyn thing on request if anyone's interested but I think I'm talked out for the night. Thanks for listening to my rambling

[gameinfoxtbr]

Pixel Hunter Idle Tier List

Pixel Hunter Idle Tier List Looking for the best characters to level up as well as the right gear to aim at in Pixel Hunter? Whether you’re running after pixel hunter codes and seeking rewards in the game or if you are attempting to find out how to qualify in the game, knowledge of the tier list is necessary. Pixel Hunter Idle Tier List categorizes heroes, weapons, and abilities in a Power Ranking system so you know for sure which one to level up first.

GameInfoX In this post, you are going to learn about the high-level heroes and gears that will make you level up and enjoy the game even more! ☀ What is the Pixel Hunter Idle Tier List? 🎯 The Pixel Hunter Idle Tier List is a list that provides information about the tier one and tier two heroes reinforcing that some weapons and abilities are stronger than others. This applies to which players should concentrate on particular characters or gears, and which areas can be cleared quickly and bosses overwhelmed. The list is divided into several tiers: - S-Tier: The meat and machinery of the game, the maximize that rules the strongest amongst the pack. - A-Tier: Very good characters and items that provide fairly good results in many cases. - B-Tier: Better than basic but comparable to the superior levels of equipment. - C-Tier: There are also characters and gear that aren’t bad, but take more work to be effective. - D-Tier: Congregations and other lesser items yet and heroes which preferable should not be relied on if it is not needed much. Top S-Tier Heroes in Pixel Hunter Idle Tier List 🏅 Below, we will outline some of the most potent characters you should aim for in Pixel Hunter which belong to the S-Tier. These heroes have exceptional stats and abilities, making them the best investments for your resources: 1. Warrior King 👑 - Strengths: High attack rate, as well as defensive capabilities. - Role: Tank/DPS - Why It’s S-Tier: The Warrior King is good at health and attack power owing to which he can work well with most stages. Able to live longer in battle, this only means he is a necessity in boss fights. 2. Shadow Assassin 🗡️ - Strengths: Stolen and sneak attack damage. - Role: DPS - Why It’s S-Tier: The Shadow Assassin is targeted for its great critical strike and large amount of damage per second; the class is suitable for taking out enemies immediately. She can also avoid attacks due to her flexibility making her defensive also. 3. Elemental Sorcerer 🔥 - Strengths: Area-of-effect (AoE) magic. - Role: AoE/DPS - Why It’s S-Tier: This hero is an expert in applying a substantial amount of damage to a couple of enemies. For clearing waves of enemies, no one is better than the Elemental Sorcerer. Best Weapons in Pixel Hunter Idle Tier List Of course, everyone needs the right tools to hone their abilities as the hero of the story. Here are some of the top-tier weapons you should aim to acquire and upgrade: 1. Dragon Blade 🐉 - Type: Sword - Why It’s S-Tier: Dragon Blade is an effective attack that has the Probability of Burning which means it deals constant damage to the enemies. I find it as versatile for singular targets and elemental damage attacks as well as for area-of-effect damage. 2. Thunder Staff ⚡ - Type: Staff - Why It’s S-Tier: This staff fires bolts that chain to two or more targets. Especially for heroes with magic prowess, it is excellent to use for the Elemental Sorcerer. 3. Doom Hammer 🔨 - Type: Hammer - Why It’s S-Tier: The Doom Hammer has brought heavy attack damage and is especially strong for bosses. It applies a considerable amount of damage and contains the capability to briefly immobilize foes, which grants you a victory in the most difficult situations. Pixel Hunter Latest Update and News 📰 Knowing what’s new in the game and some of the recent events happening around is the key to your success in Pixel Hunter. Daily some patches contain new heroes, weapons, and new balances of the game. These updates can impact the tier list by amplifying some characters or depowering others. 🔄 Please remember to always come back to the Pixel Hunter latest update and news section so that you will not be left behind!

GameInfoX A-Tier Heroes: Strong Choices for Most Situations 💪 Even though S-Tier heroes are the most powerful in the game, A-Tier heroes are also really good and shouldn’t be ignored in most fights. Here are a few standout A-Tier heroes: 1. Ice Archer ❄️ - Strengths: Shooting and freezing abilities or any other abilities that will hinder an enemy’s movement. - Role: Ranged/Debuffer - Why It’s A-Tier: Ice Archer's mobbing ability will cause a magnitude of slow effect around her which would give your team a good chance to attack without being interrupted by incoming enemy attacks. She is also very beneficial for managing several enemies on the screen at the same time. 2. Paladin of Light ✨ - Strengths: Healing and buffing allies. - Role: Support/Healer - Why It’s A-Tier: An excellent support hero, the Paladin of Light can heal a team and give it shields as well as other buffing effects. She is not the SS Tier damage dealer, she has more utility than that; she is useful in ensuring that your team stays alive. How to Use the Tier List to Maximize Progress 🚀 To make the most of the Pixel Hunter Tier List, follow these tips: - Focus on S-Tier Heroes First: First of all, aim for raising S-Tier heroes and weapons because using them will provide the highest efficiency. - Don’t Ignore A-Tier Heroes: If you are low in S-Tier characters, then A-Tier heroes are more than good enough to take you through challenging stage difficulty levels. - Balance Your Team: Both the DPS characters as well the tank characters together with support characters will put you in a position to deal with different enemies and the bosses as well. Behind the Game: Pixel Hunter Developer 🎮 Developers of Zillion Games are also dedicated to developing rather interesting RPGs which will be discussed below. They actively maintain Pixel Hunter, add new content, or change the balance due to users’ feedback and fix bugs. Developers of Zillion Games are also dedicated to developing rather interesting RPGs which will be discussed below. They actively maintain Pixel Hunter, add new content, or change the balance due to users’ feedback and fix bugs.

GameInfoX To find out more about the developers themselves and the ideas that inspired them, go to Pixel Hunter Developer. FAQs About Pixel Hunter Idle Tier List ❓ Q-1 Pixel Hunter embraces the concept of a Tier List as well.A-1 A Tier List is a form of sorting the heroes, the weapons, or the abilities used in the game in a quest to determine those that are more effective in battle and therefore those that warrant an upgrade.Q-2 How can I obtain the heroes of S-Tier in Pixel Hunter?A-2 S-Tier heroes come with progression or events, especially in the game, and not as simple as loot crates. Make sure to check from time to time and attend events to get these A-tier characters.Q-3 To answer these questions we must first analyze if A-Tier heroes are worth investing in.A-3 Yes! S Tier heroes are the strongest while heroes in A Tier are also very powerful and would aid in passing through the various stages.Q-5 When is the next update of the tier list?A-5 The Pixel Hunter Tier List is revised when there is something new in the game, a new update, a hero balance change, etc. Do check for newer versions for any changes done frequently.Q-6 Is it possible for the heroes of a lower rank to still be effective?A-6 Yes, it is sometimes possible to consider, that a lower-tier hero is as good as needed for a battle. But then they need amping and proper application to offer the strength of the higher-ranking character types.Q-7 How more news and information regarding Pixel Hunter can be obtained?A-7 You can also get the Latest news about Pixel Hunter and updates for in-game events on our Pixel Hunter Facebook page. Final Thoughts: Build the Ultimate Team in Pixel Hunter💥 So, learning the Pixel Hunter Tier List will help you create the right set of heroes and gears allowing you to advance through the levels and fight bosses quicker and more effectively. This means more points to the heroes and weapons you need in the S-Tier and more attention to future updates that may change the tiers. Do not forget to like Pixel Hunter on Facebook to get more tips, tricks, and news to help you in the game. Buckle up! Finally, pixel hunting season is open! 🎮 Word Count: 1025 Read the full article

[ariesjupiter]

Mitski Birth Chart Reading

This is just my interpretation based on Mitski’s birth chart and what I know of her music. Let me know if you have any suggestions of someone I should make a post on next! If you’re interested, I offer natal chart readings, just check my pinned post!

Libra sun: In terms of basic personality and ego, Mitski is focused on creating balanced, harmonic relationships. Intimate, one-on-one relationships are a major part of her identity. Libra is ruled by venus which represents love and beauty. After all, she is known for her lyrics relating to her romantic relationships. The lyric “I love everybody because I love you” is so profoundly Libra to me. She is friendly and charming. She sees herself reflected and other people and people see themselves reflected in her (for better or worse). Venus also rules the arts and Mitski is a natural artist in every sense of the word. Her music sonically is very unique, inventive, and creative as she experiments with mixing different genres. This is influenced by her sun in the 11th house. Sun in the 11th house also indicates an emphasis on friendships and memberships of certain groups and communities. It also indicates an importance of her hopes and dreams. Her sun in 3° explains why she is such a talented writer, communicator, and lyricist. Peak libra sun culture: “Young adult romance is the shit” (a real quote from the queen herself). And let’s not forget her iconic quote from 2016: “I’m a libra so my sexuality is essentially “you can really be any gender as long as you treat me like a princes.” Truer words have never been spoken.

Capricorn moon: Despite how personal her music is, Mitski is a rather private and reserved person, particularly when it comes to expressing her emotions. Also, Capricorn is associated with the father and she has been known to be especially private regarding her dad’s career. She is serious and intense with emotions but can sometimes get detached. The emphasis is on having control over her feelings. She is ambitious and a practical person. Her emotions are connected to her career. Those who do not know her well may see her as cold. In temperament she tends to be melancholic. Emotionally mature and wise beyond her years. Straightforward and honest with her expression. She is dependable, loyal, hard working, & realistic. Emotional fulfillment is often tied to achievement and success. Her moon in the 2nd house and 2° suggests material comforts make her feel safe. With the 2nd house being associated with venus, she is able to express her emotions in an artistic way. Could be protective over material objects. Sentimental. Music has a big impact on her emotions and mood. Peak capricorn moon culture: “I didn’t really feel anything. I’ve stopped feeling things for a long time” - Mitski, The Fader Interview, 2017. In all seriousness, I hope my capricorn moons are doing good.

Virgo mercury: Mitski is practical and detail oriented when it comes to communication and matters of learning. She takes the time to choose the right words to convey her thoughts. She is clear and concise. Mercury is in its sign of rulership here. Her mercury in the 10th house suggests that she will be known for her communication style. Has a lot of thoughts but is also organized. Analytical. Mitski likes making lists. Loves to give advice. Mercury is in 16° (cancer degree) and she has a soft spoken voice. Talks about the past and her roots (cancerian themes).

Virgo venus: In love, Mitski will assume a caretaking role and will gladly help her partner finish mundane tasks and chores. A devoted and faithful lover. Love is about the mundane and routine details of life. Love is about service. Acts of service tend to be virgo venus’ main love language. She wants to help improve her partner’s life. She is patient and observant. Values love that is simple and authentic. Appreciates a partner with whom she can have intellectual conversations. May have a tendency to be too critical on herself when it comes to love. Venus rules aesthetics & style and she tends to have a modest fashion sense. Mitski has voiced her interest in astrology and how she has asked people she’s interested for their birth times lmao. Her venus is in the 11th house, she treats a lover like she would treat a friend. In fact, romantic love probably equates to platonic love in her book. She has her venus in 24° which is a pisces degree, which explains this natural interest in astrology.

Gemini mars: Could be impatient because she moves quickly. Efficient. Has a lot of goals and likes to keep busy. She thrives when she talks to others and exchanged ideas. Likes to multitask. Very versatile. Probably has a flirty, bubbly energy when she’s attracted to someone. Attracted to intellect. Desire to see things from multiple perspectives. Gemini rules the hands so she’s skilled with playing instruments and writing. Likes to try new things. Witty and humorous. Could have nervous energy or fidget often.

Leo jupiter: The planet of luck and expansion in Leo is a big indicator of fame. Her jupiter is also in the 9th house and in 7°. Jupiter in the 9th indicates being born in a different country from where you reside now. Mitski is biracial and has lived in multiple countries growing up. She loves to learn, particularly about other cultures and ways of life. She is open minded, philosophical and values freedom and being independent. She attracts good fortune when she travels (touring!) and also when she focuses on partnerships/intimate relationships (7°). Combining this energy, Mitski attracts luck when she acts dramatically, demonstrates/teaches her knowledge, expresses herself artistically, shows her warm hearted and sometimes stubborn side, & takes chances, shows her bravery, and takes the lead. Be the Cowboy is big leo energy 🤠

Capricorn saturn: Mitski is responsible, practical, goal-oriented, and cautious. With saturn in the 3rd house, she probably had to grow up quickly and become mature at a young age. Capricorn saturn people tend to be very successful people. Strong willed. Tendency to be quiet and is a good listener. Could also be outspoken. With saturn in 18° (virgo degree), she’s very hard working but she may need to learn how to take a break and let herself rest and recharge.

Capricorn uranus: This placement also indicates that she goes after her goals and is efficient and practical in achieving them. Uranus being in the 2nd house shows that she could make money from being unique and groundbreaking. 2nd house also rules the voice! Her values are unique and she could be resistant to change them. Her self esteem could be in a constant state of flux and be tied to money. Her income could rapidly change, like maybe she did not get paid much but then suddenly she starts making a lot of money. Uranus is in 5° which is a fame degree. She’s famous for being authentically herself and very much an individual in the industry that can’t be compared.

Capricorn neptune: Capricorn neptunes are most likely realists. She is skilled at going after her dreams. Her dreams are practical and connected to themes of wealth, power, and control. Neptune in 3rd house shows a dreamy, poetic way of communicating. A very creative placement. Dreamy vibes. Could be elusive in communication, open for interpretation. Neptune is in 11° so this gives aquarian energy. Idealistic with friends and always searching for ways to achieve her dreams.

Scorpio pluto: Her power lies in her ability to analayze human interactions and be introspective with herself since it’s in the 1st house. She is very self aware. Mitski understands that life is about going through changes and she welcomes the ability to grow and rebuild. She has intense, deep emotions but has control over them and how she expresses them. Pluto in 16° adds a cancerian energy. Her strength lies in her ability to nurture and be empathetic.

Scorpio rising: First impressions of Mitski can be that she’s mysterious and secretive. A powerful and intimidating presence. This explains to me why she loves dressing in black. She probably has a strong dislike for anything superficial. She likes to get to know people on a deeper level and connect with them. She likes honesty and is probably very perceptive and intuitive. Privacy is so important to her! She has a lot of layers and wants people to unpack them, but it may take her a while to open up. She is powerful and has endurance. Her presence leaves an impact on people. Loyalty and intimacy is important. She’s not afraid to talk about taboo topics or scary, heavier emotions. Passionate and even a tendency to get fixed on or obsessed with something or someone. Her rising is in 15° (gemini degree) so she’s clever, curious, and thinks quickly. a little more flexible than a regular Scorpio rising would be.

Leo midheaven: People might see her as dramatic or arrogant. In the public eye, she was meant to be a performer. At her concerts she’s known for putting on a good show & includes interpretive dance and choreography. She becomes herself more when she’s on stage. The stage is where she shines. Has a lot of pride connected to her career. Reputation for creatively expressing herself and being brave and taking risks. Wants to be admired, especially regarding her career. Her purpose is to become a leader. Mc in 22° (capricorn degree) shows that she is a very hard worker when it comes to her career. She won’t let anyone stop her when it comes to achievement and success in her field. Another indicator of being at the top of her career and being publicly recognized for it!

TLDR: Mitski is a natural born singer, performer and artist. She is unique, talented, and an introspective writer. Being earth and water dominant, she balances practicality & stability with sentimentality & raw emotion. With all of her Capricorn placements, she is grounded and doesn’t let fame get to her head. Her chart ruler is Scorpio pluto in the 1st which means that major transformations will be a big theme in her life, especially regarding herself & her identity. She is always reflecting and looking at herself on a deep level.

[ninjaslegos]

Hello can I have the bois+nya and Pixal with a s/o thats has wings like hawks from mha it’s ok if you don’t do this

Hmm, I don't know what mha means, but I do know what a hawk is! I couldn't decide on whether to make the wings happen from an element or an accident, or anything else, so I decided to make it different for each person!

You didn't specify which one, so I hope it's okay that I did headcanons and not oneshots, as that would be 7 oneshots and this wouldn't get out for at least a week.

Having a Winged S/O:

Lloyd

You got your wings from an experiment. Your father tried to mix you with dragon and oni blood to make a false god, like the First Spinjitzu Master, but one of the vials were swapped and you ended up with oni strength and bird wings.

Lloyd pities you after hearing your backstory, but eventually grows to see you as someone like him. You also lost your father due to evil deeds, you lost your mother due to abandonment, and you were both powerful hybrids.

His appreciation for you soon shaped into love, and he asked you out on a date in the clouds, where he hung out with you in the skies. You even challenged his dragon to a race, and won!

Your strength and incredible skill with melee weapons makes you a big asset to the team, and your ability to fly means you can make sure no one ever falls off The Bounty again...

His favorite thing to do is have you fly on your back, so he can lay down on top of you while you hover around peacefully. It's quiet, and he can just escape for a while.

Kai

Your wings are actually a modified version of the wings from Shintaro Kingdom, where you are originally from. You don't talk about it, though, as a way to protect yourself.

It's okay that you don't want to talk about it, though, Kai doesn't mind. If you do tell him, he'll keep your secret, and will try to act indifferent about it. "Oh, that's cool, I guess." But you can tell he's just internally shrieking with excitement like the true fanboy he is. Who else can say they have a partner from the legendary Kingdom of Shintaro?

He honestly didn't know who you were at first, because you were the first person he'd ever seen from Shintaro, first of all, and secondly your wings looked different, so he wouldn't have recognized it. He grew to love you, though, and now you're inseparable.

You do fight if it is necessary, in a flamboyant yet elegant way, which looks more like deadly dancing than an actual attack. Your flexibility allows you to dodge nearly any attack.

He loves to just watch you train, watching you move about fluidly, or watching you flap your beautiful wings. He could stare all day, unless you wanted to cuddle. That's okay, too.

Nya

Related to Chamille, you also had the element of form. Unlike your twin sister, though, you couldn't seem to master your element, only being able to transform parts of your body at a time and never the entire thing. Thus, transforming into a bird only gave you wings. It looked cool though, so you stayed in that form for so long that it became your default.

That's fine by Nya, she thinks you look cool, and is even grateful for your wings, as they do still play its function, and you can fly around and help her with her inventions.

She wasn't sure how to ask you out first, but then she decided that she would surprise you with an amusement park date. It went horribly; one of the rides broke while you were on it, some of the food was stale, and it even started raining, so you couldn't fly yourselves home, you had to walk together. It makes the two of you laugh now.

You can't quite fight by yourself yet, you're not strong enough, but you can perform combo moves with others, like launching them in the air and catching them, or dropping them from the sky onto their enemies.

Your wings are so soft too, she likes it when you sleep together, and you tuck one of your wings around her body like a fluffy blanket.

Jay

Your wings are completely mechanical. You built them yourself so you could go gliding on cliffs, but you made so many modifications that they became actual wings that move like and look like bird wings.

At first Jay wanted to figure out how it all worked, despite your discomfort. "Oh, no, it's fine. I don't mind it." You told him anyway. You didn't want to crush his excitement. He stopped when he realized you didn't like it, and he knew why you didn't like it. If he figured it out and replicated the design, it wouldn't be special anymore; you wouldn't be special anymore.

On your birthday, he bust out his most expensive, high quality paints and sealants, and helped you realistically texture and paint your wings. It ended up being more intimate than he planned, and that was how you found out you loved each other.

You're not good at close combat, so that's why you have your wings. You stay out of reach and use ranged weapons, like crossbows and lazer guns, so you never have to get hurt. Jay likes it that way, anyway.

Your wings aren't soft, as they're metallic, but that doesn't stop him from appreciating them. His favorite way to do so is to have test runs with you, where you cling to each other and take off into the clouds, to see if they're working properly. He swears it's not an excuse for cuddles.

Cole

Not to be confused with the element of Creation, you have the element of Creativity. Anything you imagine can happen if you draw it. You actually didn't discover this power until you got a tattoo of wings across your back, and the next morning you had a new, completely mobile set of wings. You don't like to use your element though, as you don't completely understand it, and don't want to do anything that could mess up Ninjago.

Cole's first thought after you explained your power to him was that you should draw cat ears and tail on Jay 'For Fun' he promised with a hand behind his back. Needless to say, you don't draw unless you're tracing blueprints.

He eventually gets over your reluctance to use your power, and does other fun things with you. He loves when you take him out for rides, even if you're shorter than him and can't carry him on your back. He doesn't mind being held in your arms as the two of you soar over Ninjago, and land on the tallest building to look at the lights.

If you actually utilize your power, you can become incredibly powerful. Since you don't, though, you stay behind in battles and opt to become a medic/mechanic. He's proud of you for learning so quickly.

He's aware that bird bones are hollow, and with strength like his, he is always careful not to crush them by accident. Even when he is ready to pass out, he is hyper aware of where your wings are; it's his top priority, as he doesn't want to hurt you. If you're not scared of him crushing your wings in his hands, please let him pet them!

Zane

Just like with Lloyd, your wings are from an experiment. The difference here though is that you were an orphan when this happened, and once the test was over, you were dumped back on the streets. The way you were treated turned you into a bitter person.

Zane sought to change this, though. He was kind to you even when you snapped at him, he made you food even if you didn't thank him for it, and he always made sure you were okay when you were hurt. He never left you by yourself if you weren't in your room.

It all paid off when you broke down crying in front of him, telling him what happened, why you were this way, and how hurt you felt. Later, you admit that you liked him, and he vowed to be the best boyfriend he could be, and showed you lots of love.

You can't fight well; you're more of a runner. Being a thief in your youth, you preferred to be able to escape cleanly than to get into fights you weren't sure you could 100% win. Zane doesn't mind; just stay safe at home for him, okay? You're too tired and still resting from your terrible upbringing.

He's such a sweetheart; he wants to take care of you, and what better way to do that than brush your wings every day, and make sure nothing's hurt or broken? You can repay him with a soft kiss on the cheek. He makes sure you're well fed, given enough entertainment and enrichment, and even goes as far as brushing your teeth for you if you're too tired to take care of yourself.

Pixal

Your wings come from a possession. They're a ghostly shade of green, and actually still work properly. No one knows how it works or why it's happening, but you know that the ghost possessing you is your old pet hawk. She's just trying to lend you her power of flight, along with strong eyesight, fast reactions, and ghost claws that can come at will.

Pixal spent a couple months trying to solve this puzzle, running obscure tests and taking notes, but in the end, she realized that this just...was. She dropped the subject entirely and gave up testing you so you could actually be friends. You were rather intelligent about animals, and she had a lot to learn from you.

As you spent more time with each other, she learned that she actually...liked you. Not in a friend way, but something more. "Did you know that boy puppies sometimes let girl puppies win?" "(Y/N), I think I like you in a romantic way." "...oh." You were blushing a lot, and she thought she did something wrong, but you admit your feelings for her too, and now you're just a really cute couple.

Because of your pet hawk giving you her abilities, you make for a good close combatant. Using her ghost talons, you can slash through almost anything; using her sight, you can even see an ant's individual legs from across the room; and using her wings, you can cover great distances without becoming exhausted.

Pixal is proud of you. You make each other happy, and even if others find you strange for your possession, she doesn't find it weird anymore, and even accepts it as a part of you. She genuinely loves you, ghostly feathers and all.

[whentherewerebicycles]

I am driving everyone around me crazy right now with my endless job dithering, but: dear tumblr friends can I drive you crazy too? if you were me, which of these things would you choose?

my priorities in making this decision:

I want to have a baby or adopt in the next 2-3 years. I have very little in savings so one of my top priorities needs to be putting away a big chunk of money.

my sister is in residency in Seattle for four years and I want to be there for as much of that time as possible. I also promised her I would get there soon!!!!

I can make some compromises on type of work but also I don’t want to have a soulless job that makes me :-///

HERE ARE THE CHOICES.

OPTION A: remain in current role until May (nine months), then move to Seattle.

pros:

I just negotiated a big title promotion which I hope will make me a lot more competitive next time I apply for jobs

my boss approved a $11k raise (still pending dean’s approval but she thinks it’s possible)

the work itself is immensely rewarding/fun and I believe deeply in it

I have an insanely cheap lease (for my city) and the cost of living is significantly lower here so I could put away about $20k in savings. I also wouldn’t have to pay thousands to break the lease early

the job is very familiar and I’ve already built most of the structures that keep it running smoothly, which means I could likely take on a college consulting job or something and make up to $10k extra to boost savings

scheduling is insanely flexible apart from my teaching day meaning I could travel freely to seattle/bay area/wherever. so I could spend a lot of time on the west coast this year with family/friends

I’d get to move in may so: best of texas winter + a full seattle summer

I could have access to university $ to develop some relevant skills/get some certifications

cons:

I miss out on nine months of sister time

the job does allow me to coast a little bit, although I could make myself not coast by taking on more responsibilities or setting professional development goals for myself

life is giving me a chance to move on and I wonder if I am making a mistake in looking backwards/trying to stay in one place

the south is getting kinda scary :-///

OPTION B: move to seattle now and take job tbd

pros:

I really really want to be near family

I promised my sister!

I want to get out of this state

I could take a higher paying job in the private or government sector (like, $30k more)

I could get relevant experience that is legible to people outside of higher ed, which would likely make it easier for me to transition to different jobs if I didn’t love the first one

cons:

rent + cost of living is significantly higher and the salary ranges I’m looking at might not be enough to finance the move and save

if I don’t take this L&D job I don’t have other leads apart from an Amazon connection that I am a bit on the fence about. there’s a strong chance I’d end up living at home with my parents for a while as I search for jobs

breaking the lease is gonna be expensive. at least $2.5-3k but they also have me on the hook for the full lease if they can’t relet it, so it’s possible that could be like $5-8k on top of paying a new lease. I’m afraid this move is going to drain my paltry savings and then I’ll be stuck in a job I don’t like because I’m trying to build them back up

[demonslayedher]

Love Breathing Not Fully Bloomed: A Kanroji Mitsuri Meta

Some thoughts that have been brewing since we got a deeper look at the birth of the Breath of Love in the Rengoku Gaiden, boiling down to that Mitsuri had not yet reached her full potential.

SPOILERS AHEAD~!

While we don't have any reliable timeline for this series, we know that Mitsuri has been practicing swordsmanship for only about two years, likely less. The "two years ago" stated in her flashback to her failed engagement was back when she was 17, so let's be generous and say that was 2.5 years ago. But, we must also keep in mind that she's been a Pillar for at least several months by the time Swordsmith Village arc takes place. The Pillar meeting Tanjiro met her at was possibly her first of the twice-a-year meetings, but I wouldn't put it anywhere beyond her second. After the failed marriage discussion she would have spent some unknown period of time dying her hair and starving herself, before deciding to join the Demon Slayers. She accomplished her Flame Breathing training under Rengoku in six months, roughly half the time most Breath users train under their cultivators. Tokito is noted for becoming a Pillar in two months after taking up the sword, but Mitsuri probably stumbled her way into Pillarhood within months of passing the Final Selection; making the Kamaboko squad's quick ascension up the ranks look like nothing as she blows away the usual five years it takes someone to become a Pillar (or if they are especially skilled, more like two years, as stated by Gotouge in Taisho Secrets). While the way of swordsmanship and battle became Mitsuri’s everyday way of life, thereby leading to huge improvements, that's a really short time to develop actual battlefield experience. Among the Pillars, she is the least seasoned or naturally inclined for battle, it really is by accident of her bizarre strength that she’s gotten so far. That's hardly surprising, given her background and motives. For context, her interests are very domestic what with all the pet-keeping (four cats, a rabbit, and a whole hive of bees, by my count) and sweets and recipes, and her stated hometown would have been in the heart of developing city culture, with shopping and restaurants and movie theaters. There would have been no exposure to swords and the culture that goes with them, making her justifiably embarrassed of how monstrously her strength makes her stick out. Her inability to fit into a normal family life makes her feel worthless, even if she does have a base of love and support. (*Put a pin in these things, I'll be drawing a comparison to another character later.*) However it was that she was introduced to the Corp, it must have taken a huge leap of hope and/or desperation to leave the otherwise comfortable lifestyle for a life of battle. While Rengoku's home is not terribly far from hers, it still would have been a total break from the life she knew before, so she must had been betting everything on both her ultimate wishes; living in accordance with who she is, and finding a husband. Let's refer to these respectively as Wish A and Wish B. Note that "becoming a strong swordsman" and "elimating demons" are not among these goals; they are merely means to her goals. Now if we try to to follow her path as a swordsman chronologically, six months since taking up the sword under Rengoku, she's passed the Final Selection. On a mission with Rengoku, who now treats her as a peer, she's nonetheless filled with shame that she hasn't really picked up much skill and just waves her sword around with brute strength. 

I love this bit of characterization because that is so, so easy a trap to fall into with martial arts. Even if you understand things in theory and do your best on proper form when taking things slowly, all of that very easily goes out the window when you're using them in the heat of the moment. The less experience you have, the far more likely one is to do this. Falling back on just throwing a punch as hard as you can instead of throwing a good punch makes Mitsuri so, so, so relatable. She is a normal girl with abnormal strength, not a battle genius. Like us normal people, and even like Tanjiro, she can only improve her battle sense with experience. This puts her in a very different situation than the other Pillars, who she meets either when they are very experienced, or when they are outright geniuses. This gives her a different sense of shame, which we'll come back to. While feeling ashamed that she can't live up to Rengoku's teaching, her fighting suffers with this lack of self-confidence (which, again, makes her very relatable because this is applicable to just about all of us normal people), and she only realizes the Breath technique when applying it through her own unique emotion-driven fighting style. While she goes on to name this Breath after Wish B (given that this is a romantic version of "Love"), it's powered more by a philanthropic love, realized only when she is protecting other people. This becomes a newly discovered third wish, as well as a source of confidence.

In the side story novels, Mitsuri later on suffers another blow to her confidence which compromises her fighting and makes her fall back into wanting to hide herself, for she is ashamed of how her motives compare to Shinobu's. Besides Shinobu's encouragement and giving Mitsuri a venue in which to openly express her love and appreciation for other people, another child whom Mitsuri has rescued looks up to her and says a few things to restore her confidence. Getting that feedback and being able to express herself openly (Wish A) is the cycle that powers Mitsuri's confidence and keeps her ultimate weakness, shame, at bay. This, combined with words of encouragement from Ubuyashiki and Rengoku, is what really empowers her to embrace her unusual constitution and develop the Breath of Love. While it's said that this is an offshoot of the Flame Breathing she's formally trained in, it's more of a stretch than the relationship between something like Snake Breathing stemming from Water Breathing, and more like she's hit at the basis of Breathing itself to create a technique suited to her, like Inosuke did with his entirely self-taught Beast Breathing. (*Put a pin in this self-created Breath style thing, we're going to come back to this too.*) So, Mitsuri went on to become the Love Pillar. With the rate at which Pillars cycle in and out (based on how many the Upper Moons claim to have killed), I have to wonder how fast the Lower Moons getting cycled in and out too.  Even though these are her peers and we never see any other Pillars looking down on her, she sees herself in a lower position than the rest of them. Case in point, one thing I love that the anime did is that when Tokito chips the rock at Tanjiro and tells him off, Mitsuri is silently fangirling, and then when Tokito orders the Kakushi to draw back/leave, Mitsuri silently and automatically obeys and shrinks back. That wasn’t directed at you, silly!

Though her Breath requires confidence, she still has a ways to go. When we see her again later, she's in a position of being a protector to everyone around her; the swordsmiths and her juniors, and she's treated with the awe and respect and acceptance of a Pillar; in this kind of setting she is fully in accord with Wish A (reinforced by her less formal third wish) and, thanks to Shinobu's encouragement, not ashamed of Wish B, thereby eliminating a big part of her shame-based weakness. She's added all this power and just as importantly, experience to her preexisting raw strength and flexibility.

The experience is key here; she's gained a lot of battle sense since her first mission. She's not as taken off guard by demon abilities, and with her risen confidence, she's also gained more flexible thinking and can make quick adjustments in battle as needed. 

Not entirely, though. At her core, she still relies on that brute strength.

Ultimately, though toward the end she thinks she might be overpowered after all, it's that boost of confidence and cycle of philanthropic love from her juniors and desire to protect them than she recovers and makes use of her mark. (I'm glad no one's told her that this means she's doomed to a short marriage, should she ever even get one.)

Following this historic feat; acting in a way that is natural to her and to her Breath to unlock a mark she didn't even know existed, she still feels a little shamed among the other Pillars for being so shamefully inarticulate about battle technique; despite this being what she's dedicated her life to. Again, it was never her natural desire to be a fighter, so it’s unsurprising that this part doesn’t come as naturally to her as it does to all those geniuses in the room.

Moving on to the battle with Nakime, this is mostly played for laughs because Mitsuri's lack of battle sense compared to other characters is put on full display. She's emotional from the get-go and easily overwhelmed and this affects her concentration drastically, leading to stupid mistakes and ultimately having to fall back on her brute strength to break through pieces of the fortress instead of survive and fight through observation. Getting called out on this is meant to help her, and she absolutely does her best to summon back her battle sense, but it's all downhill for Mitsuri and her Love Breathing technique from here.

As the battle with Muzan starts, that third wish is thrown back in her face as so many of her juniors die protecting her. Since he's powered by philanthropic love and confidence, she cannot recover any battle sense, and quickly falters so much that she must be removed from the battle rather than weigh everyone down. The difference between her and the other Pillars here is stark; her inexperience and lack of natural fighting inclination is, again, painfully obvious and relatable to a lot of readers. She has natural strength, but not natural talent. When she does return to battle, she only has that core strength to rely on again--no room for peace of mind, only brute emotional strength resulting in a panel that made me throw my fist in the air and cheer out loud because damn, that is hardcore, girl.

But, in the end, Mitsuri succumbs to her injuries, and only right before death does she get closer to Wish B. Even with Iguro's promise, it's too late.

This is super frustrating for a number of reasons, but if we're focused solely on the actualization of Love Breathing, it's because Iguro could have said something much, much, much sooner if he wasn't so ashamed of his own blood tainting her in this lifetime (not that she would have cared). Words from other people have such a huge influence on Mitsuri that if she had actualized Wish B, for which her Breath is named, she could have made humongous gains in confidence before being romantically loved, and having someone to openly shower in love. Imagine what she could have unlocked, if that shame she still carried for being too monstrous to be married could have been eliminated. But that's not all. What if the timeline had been different? What if she had not two, but five years’ experience? Or even more than that? What if, for a long duration of her experience as a swordsman, she was also experiencing a happy marriage? I invite you to consider the implications of a Mrs. Iguro Mitsuri who has the comfort and confidence of being herself with a husband, in addition to being in a leadership role in the Corp? A Mrs. Iguro who, with a little honesty from her husband who feels bothered that she’s embarrassed, stands up to Maeda-san and says that as a married woman she needs a more modest uniform?* A Mrs. Iguro who gained a level-headed battle sense that can only be refined through experience, not based in brute strength alone? She'd be such a happy badass. *(Not looking for a modern-era Western culture based debate on this; this is defined based on Mitsuri's desire for a proper Taisho Era marriage.) Now, remember those pins I put in place? Consider someone else who realized a natural Breath technique all on their own, who attained a mark without any intention to, who felt like a monster due to super human abilities that made them shamefully unable to fit into the ideal family life, despite only wanting a peaceful, happy wedded life? Someone who valued bonds with other people, a kind person who lived to protect others? Now, I'm not saying that Love Breathing is as powerful as the Breath of the Sun, or that Mitsuri is as innately powerful as Yoriichi (their natural skills were of different types entirely). But, as all Breath techniques stem from the same natural Sun Breathing source, Love Breathing might have found its way back a little closer to that source, in some way or another. Which is all to say, never look down on Love Breathing or on Mitsuri just because she didn't play as big of a role as the others in the final showdown. After all, that Breath was not yet all it could have been, and as a swordsman, she was not yet in full bloom.

[littlesmartart]

Leverage AU thoughts

okay so I wanted to keep the worldbuilding for the AU in that specific photoset relatively short for the sake of how the post worked, but I've seen a lot of questions in the tags so here is some more information for you all, under the cut because it got LONG:

MORALITY: okay so I called this the "(sort of) Leverage AU" because it basically flips the Leverage concept of "criminals work together with one non-criminal for the greater good" into "one criminal persuades a bunch of non-criminals that law =/= morality and that sometimes to make sure the bad guys get justice you have to work around legality". Obviously some people are easier to persuade than others (Huaisang has always been pretty ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ about the law, but before he joins the team he insists all of his crimes have been Theoretical, and besides, pirating movies isn't real crime, da-ge, god), and some of them are a little troubled by it but have their own reasons for joining (Mingjue has a LOT of issues with it, but joins to protect Huaisang for That One Job, and then stays with the insistence that a. they don't kill anyone, b. they don't involve anyone who doesn't super deserve it, and c. that their goal is always to get evidence so the mark can be convicted and the mark is always handed over to the appropriate authorities at the end of the job. he has a little more moral flexibility than canon Mingjue because of his Complicated Past He Wants To Atone For, but he still has an incredibly strong internal moral code that he absolutely will not violate. Jiang Cheng cares more about the law in principle, rather than personally, and as soon as he sees that they can get Justice that the law can't, he's sold). Xichen has the hardest time of it; he jumps into the first job without protest because Meng Yao asks (and Meng Yao never ever asks for anything, so it... it must be important, right? And Jin Guangshan definitely deserves it). After that he has a lot of internal struggling going on, and he's usually the one in the team trying to steer them towards legal means, and going through the "correct" channels. He probably has a breakdown about it at the end of a season and spends the next season Travelling To Find Himself. He winds up coming back to the team when, on one of his travels, he watches a family he's staying with lose everything after being targeted by a conman, but because of a dirty police chief the evidence is destroyed. They refuse to take his money when he tries to help, and he realises that they only way to get them justice... is to call in the team. That's not to say he is 100% cool with everything from then on, and he definitely draws the line at certain criminal acts (stealing for the fun of it he is not okay with, for example, and he gives a Hard No on the suggestion of trying White Rabbit) but for the most part he accepts the concept of what they do as being for the greater good.

GRIFTER XICHEN: yeah it's ridiculous and implausible but hear me out... that just makes it better. Because this man is terrible at improv and can only lie when he's in character (you see that means it's not lying then, it's just ACTING) and doesn't drink and absolutely will not seduce a mark past the level of general flirting... and yet he's somehow a wildly successful grifter??? How??? I'll tell you how: he's so fucking handsome and kind and charming and cultured that pretty much everyone who meets him just... melts a little bit and, with some coaxing, gives him whatever he needs. IT'S LIKE A FREAKIN SUPERPOWER and it's absolutely ridiculous. With the added bonus that he's juuust famous enough that the average person might kind of think he looks familiar, which means he's very good at coming across like he totally belongs wherever he's seen. Of course he works here, he's been here for months... don't you recognise him?

NO WOMEN ON THE TEAM: look, in Meng Yao's defence, when he put together this team he thought it would only be for one job, he wasn't trying to future-proof it! But yes, it can sometimes be an issue if they don't have time to plan ahead, and he and Huaisang - as the most stereotypically feminine members of the team, and by far the best liars - will usually take on any female roles they need if they're in a pinch and can't call in outside help, although all of them are ready to take on roles of different genders if need be (female roles are actually the only way to persuade Huaisang to grift, and he has an extensive shoe collection for such roles that he likes to expand by billing to the company account... Meng Yao is deeply unimpressed by this).

OTHER CHARACTERS: when Meng Yao started this, he worked very very hard to keep his siblings and the rest of his family out of it, to keep them all away from any fallout in case it went wrong (and also to stop any pesky Moral Issues from getting in the way). When that was over and they started taking regular cases, he relaxed the rule a little - Mianmian will sometimes step in to help if she can be sold on how bad the person is they're taking down, Zonghui can be relied upon if they need extra muscle, and Wen Qing is their go-to Ask No Questions doctor. Wei Wuxian frequently gets roped in to consult, as, if you give him six packs of hot chips, ten cans of monster, twelve hours, and a laptop, he can become a specialist in almost anything. Jiang Cheng was very very resistant towards the idea of his brother being allowed in the team, even just as a consultant, but the MOMENT Wei Wuxian was given any access to Shenanigans there was no fucking stopping him. In the later jobs Qin Su accidentally gets pulled into one of the cons and turns out to be a WAY better grifter than anyone could have imagined, so she winds up on the "ally call list". Meng Yao is both perturbed and proud, but absolutely draws the line at teenage Mo Xuanyu being allowed to help.

PAIRINGS: flipping the "two parents + three kids" dynamic in Leverage, this AU has 3zun and Sangcheng - so "three gege + two didi". Xiyao have a One That Got Away sort of past, and Xichen joins the team SPECIFICALLY because Meng Yao expresses emotional vulnerability by asking for help fOr OnCe In HiS fUcKiNg LiFe. Nielan dated when they were teens, and are happy to be reunited, but Mingjue refuses to rekindle a romantic relationship until Xiyao sort their shit out because it's obvious to anyone with eyes how hung up on Meng Yao Xichen is. Nieyao have a certain amount of "I'll work with you towards a common cause but that doesn't mean I have to like you" vibe, but veeery slooowlyyy wind up bonding over doing stuff they're not proud of for something they were so sure was a worthy cause at the time, but now they just feel jaded and used (there's a lot of arguments along the lines of "oh, so my corporate espionage is worse than what you did in spec ops... because the military says that what you did was legal. RIGHT. OKAY. SURE."). After several years of will-they-won't-they struggle, 3zun do get together, and everyone is very relieved. As for Sangcheng... it starts off as Huaisang just flirting kind of obnoxiously with Jiang Cheng, who rolls his eyes and snarks back, and then naturally Huaisang winds up catching feelings and is like [meme voice] Haha, I'm In Danger! He is unwilling to act on his feelings because he doesn't believe that Jiang Cheng likes him that way, and continues to believe that right up until the day Jiang Cheng snaps, and grabs him and kisses him, and is like "if I didn't actually like you flirting with me I would have punched you in the face years ago" and Huaisang is like "huh. Yeah that's probably true."