#cause honestly i'm still conflicted on whether or not i should make this an actual series

[xulips]

🌻🥀 first meeting

[ray935sworld]

Son of divorce Rosquez AU. David has already confirmed to us that Valentino actually sent him a DM congratulating him and thanking him for the celebration. If that happened in the AU how would David feel? Because it has been quite private and hidden while, for example, a few weeks before he republished Alex Albon's (f1) helmet that he made in his honor. I'm between whether he would take it as a step forward or badly. I mean, in the sense that a stranger deserves that he make public his thanks but his own son can only have an MD?? Although an MD is also more personal. Idk. I feel that Marc, upon finding out, would also be conflicted, because its another way of not publicly recognizing David as his son but at the same time he has recognized his son even if it is in private.

Oh my god, Calia, I am so sorry that it took me an eternity to answer. I swear I didn't mean.

Thank you so much. I think you nailed it pretty good. Honestly, I think David would be pretty happy because he just wants to be aknowledged by his dad so he spents a good 10 minutes just jumping around and being happy. Sure, I think he'd be disappointed about not getting a public review like so many other did already but he knows the situation is complicated so he takes everything he can get and digs his claws in. I also think he wouldn't answer right away. I think he would tell Marc and Alex, maybe his grandparents and ask them what they think he should reply because he doesn't want to seen eager and annoy Vale. (Seeing how nervous and excited he is, breaks Marcs heart a little bit cause he is once again reminded that he is not David's everything. David still wants more. He still wants his other father even after everything Vale put him/ them through)

I'd say Marc is more concerned because he doesn't get what it means. Does Vale want to start making amends? Is this a way to get back in touch? Like an olive branch? And what does the 2nd part with the 'hope see each other soon' mean? Does he want to invite him to the ranch? Or is it all just publicity? He doesn't trust this whole thing. But it makes David happy so maybe it isn't that bad... Right? And Luca is at the ranch too. Luca surely influenced Vale. (he send him a text - yes, Luca helped Vale phrase the message and Uccio has no idea which calms Marc A LOT) So... Maybe it isn't as bad as he expected.

Nonetheless he can't know what will happen. He doesn't want David to get his hopes up too high. What if Vale was just being polite but didn't mean anything if it? What if this is a one off and then they'll never hear anything (good) from him again? What if this whole thing just ends up hurting his baby?

Oh yes he is very conflicted about this message.

[beybladefanboy]

Metal Fury Has The Weakest Villains

After thinking about it, I have to admit that as much as I love Fury and still consider it my favorite season of Beyblade, one thing Fusion and Masters have over it (besides a better written Kyoya, still the only problem I have with Fury that majorly affects my enjoyment) are the villains. Aside from Johannes, who is very memorable and honestly does way too much of the heavy-lifting for a henchman, Fury's villains are really forgettable.

Starting with Fusion:

Its main villains are definitely Ryuga and Doji but I'll throw Reiji in as well since despite being in fewer episodes than some of Fury's villains, he's far more memorable than them.

Reiji, along with Doji and Ryuga are very memorable villains. I remember their goals, their beys, how they battle, how they look and sound, and just who they are in general even when it's been a long time since I've seen the series. Destructive purple dragon, giant torture snake, and wolf that drags people into darkness are just very distinct. These characters' goals are very simple. However, I will always remember the way Doji and Ryuga go about those goals by manipulating notable characters like Yu, Testuya, Tobio, and Ryutaro into the Dark Nebula to ultimately just use them and all the ripple effects that causes. Not to mention the way Reiji is merely Doji's sadistic puppet, the way he gleefully and viciously tortures children, his breakdowns that they never properly utilized, all of that sticks in my mind and creates a set of very memorable villains.

Masters, while less iconic, also does its main villains really well.

Ziggurat is probably the most realistic villain in the entire series. Slight goofiness and generic design aside, a mad scientist who's so concerned with whether or not he can do something that he didn't stop to think if he should is very rooted in reality and quite frankly, that's terrifying. And like Doji, Ziggurat also manipulates Bladers into his cause like Damian, Jack, and Zeo, the last of which causes so much interesting conflict for Masamune and Toby. Damian and Jack as well, while technically "henchmen" too, are very memorable thanks to how they look and how they fight. Like the Fusion villains, Peacock the Ripper and dog who drags people into hell are memorable and interesting. Plus the way Ziggurat swayed characters from earlier in the series to join his cause like the Garcias and Julian, and the ripple effect that especially the latter caused was very engaging to watch, and similar to Fusion with the Dark Nebula, makes even the henchmen interesting.

And then there's Fury.

Johannes, I think, is actually done well. He's, despite fandom perception, actually competent as a henchman, knowing when it would be most optimal for his plans to flee or fight and cleverly swaying both Aguma and Chris to his side with just his words. He's also got a distinct look and way of acting in and out of battle. "Cat boy thingy" is memorable, if on the silly side.

The other Fury villains though...

While it's cool that Pluto works in the shadows and wears a mask most of the season, he doesn't have anything besides that to make him stand out like these other villains do. Often when I rewatch Fury, I only remember he's the masked man after he takes his mask off and when he does, he just becomes some guy to me. He doesn't do much outside of the big semi-final battle when he uses his special move to separate the legendary bladers and prevent them from making Zeus's Barrier, which is cool and engaging in the moment but easy to forget about when I'm not actively watching those episodes. It's more memorable because of how Kenta breaks through it and saves the day rather than anything Pluto does.

And then Rago...

Rago just sucks. I'm sorry. He's again just some guy who showed up out of nowhere when the villains literally brought in to control Nemesis. Yeah, I know Reiji was also kind of just "some guy who showed up" but him never being seen before (even by others in the Dark Nebula) was something that was used to add to his creepiness and intimidation factor, and build up the feeling of uneasiness throughout his battle with Hyoma. Plus, Reiji was basically kept in the Dark Nebula's basement prior to "showing up", not off some undisclosed somewhere in the world like Rago was.

What else is there to Rago? Well, he killed Ryuga... rest in peace, legend.

That and the whole "copied bey spirits" thing (which admittedly is a really cool visual) are the most memorable things Rago does honestly. He's also, I think, descended from the original controller of Nemesis. Or maybe that's Pluto. I don't know. They blend together in my mind so I can never remember which is his descendant when I'm not actively watching Fury.

Hell, for that matter, I can't remember anything about either of these characters when I'm not actively watching Fury. Who are they? Why do they want to destroy the world? Who are they outside of that goal? How do their actions (not Johannes's) affect the main cast?

For Fusion and Masters' villains, I, and probably you reading this, can answer all these questions easily.

For two random examples from each:

-Doji likes orange juice, uses a Dark Wolf, hates cacti and childrens' happiness and is a manipulative sociopath who wants to use the dark power to take over the world.

-Damian is a brainwashed germaphobic child who uses a Kerbecs bey and believes using the arrangement system is the best and only way to become a powerful blader.

Hell, I can even do this for Johannes in Fury: He likes cats, using a Lynx bey with different spin track lengths, is a bit of a weirdo and a coward, and believes in Nemesis's cause to destroy the world and bring about a newer better world.

Pluto and Rago don't have any traits like these that make them stand out. I'm not saying they need to be silly but my god give them something. Or at least consolidate them into one character. Why couldn't Pluto just be the one to control Nemesis and maybe be unmasked earlier? That alone would've made him at least a little more memorable than what we got.

Tldr: I love Fury but compared to Fusion and Masters, its villains are lacking.

[onionkrisp]

Hello! I am the anon who sent the ask you replied to on sharonz-arty-corner's post. I'm really glad someone else is interested in disabled Assassins!

I liked what you wrote about the Deaf Assassins. If you ever research on that and come to conclusions, I'd love to hear it. Specially since very few Assassins have Eagle Vision, so relying on that wouldn't work for the Brotherhood.

I have a pet peeve with people who use EV as a fix-it for any character's disability or limitation. But I was happy with your post, you seemed to want to use it more as an adaptation/tool.

Referencing this post

Hey, I'm glad you liked my ideas!

I also hate it when people find a need to 'fix' disabilities or when disabled characters in media have their story come to a conclusion with their disabilities disappearing or being 'healed', especially if it's as a 'reward'; it's just so nasty and underhanded.

As I said in that post, I went in to a rabbit hole soon after writing it, so I did come up with a sort of 'conclusion'. Currently I'm waiting to hear about @sharonz-arty-corner03 deaf assassin OC, but I'll gladly share my ideas in the meantime.

Off the bat I'll say that hoods will be a no no. The assassin's beaked hoods are an iconic and easily recognizable feature that the fans love, however when the assassin already nearly/fully lost one of their senses, it would be unwise to restrict another.

Even if the assassin is deaf and does not possess an eagle vision that specifically evolved in order to let them 'see' sound, they still would be able to fight and serve their cause just as well as their hearing counterparts. Take for example Maya Lopez (fictional character) from Hawkeye or Thomas Paull a (real) professional deaf MMA fighter, their disabilities do not restrict them, do not hold them back, even without hearing aids they are casually kicking peoples' ass.

And they rely solely on their vision.

So as long as our assassin is always keeping track of their environment and does not turn their back on potential enemies, they will be fine.

Another thing is that they must keep their disability hidden. Whether that is from their enemies, new allies, informants or other. I'm usually against these sort of things being hidden, but when the character is constantly fighting and getting in to conflicts, they will have to hide their possible weaknesses lest they get used against them.

Obviously this will be a huge problem for the character, especially if they are deaf. They will likely have to take on a fake personality in order to hide why they don't speak much (especially if they can't lip read or talk), but if they have a fellow assassin with them that can be trusted (and therefore knows about it), they could be the one acting as a (subtle) translator.

This is far from my favourite solution, but at this moment in time it's the only one I can come up with, so yeah.

Also, when it comes to communication, especially ASL/BSL (or any other sign language), it's obviously gonna take a while for the assassin to learn it (if they didn't already know it) because it is an entirely separate language from english, with it's own grammar, sentence structure etc.

So I can imagine that at the beginning the assassin and their allies will communicate with each other mainly by finger spelling (a form of sign language where the user uses their hands to sign words with the alphabet letters). They could also make up their own signs that are mission specific if they don't at the moment know the actual ones, for example 'target', 'go', 'stay back' or 'there'.

If they're weary of others understanding what they mean, they could also just not stop creating those unique signs. That, however, does not mean that they should stop learning the appropriate sign language either. As it would prove helpful if they ever come across another assassin/civilian that is deaf/ hard of hearing.

Honestly, when it comes to writing a disabled/minority character, they should be written as a character that just so happens to be disabled (deaf/HoH in this case), obviously they will have their own unique obstacles, but it should not be made their entire personality and they should not be infantaliced.

Now if only writers just understood this whenever they wrote female characters...

Fun fact(s), there where actual deaf WW1 soldiers that served in the military regardless of how discriminated against they were; and during the Texas Revolution and the army of The Republic of Texas, there was a deaf war hero called Erastus 'Deaf' Smith.

Thanks for listening to my Tedd Talk lmao.

[basingstokemercury]

The Magnificent Adah really is one of the episodes ever.

Oh yay! It's Younger Brother Hijinks - wait Adam is doing hijinks too? This is heaven - okay. that took a serious turn.

("They never kill off the hero"... Adam, you're the educated one. I'm sure you've read Shakespeare. I guess he's referring to his experience of the less-highbrow fare on offer in Virginia City?)

So I guess now the episode is an honestly terrifying depiction of stalking and Ben isn't telling the boys what's going on so they jump to conclusions and make things worse? Abrupt transition from farce to tragedy, here we come!

I'm still not sure what to make of Adam's attempt at confrontation. "Please don't date my father because I find you attractive myself"? He's supposed to be a man of honour, someone who can put others' happiness before his own impulses. Maybe this scene makes more sense to others, but it feels rather OOC to me.

JOE NO YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING YOURSELF INTO

"Adam, now, he's the dependable one. He's a worrier." So you do get him sometimes!

And we show just how ruthless our violent stalker antagonist is by having him half-kill a teenager for messing with "his" woman/because his father is dating her. As if things weren't dark enough already.

Not that I'm complaining though! Everyone is so upset and worried and they actually let him be scared and in pain and crying for his father, really good emotional decisions here!

"Pa?😢" (heart breaks) (but in a "this is good angst" way)

YES! VENGEANCE! DRAMATIC SHOWDOWN TIME!

Adam restraining Ben because he realises Hoss is better equipped to handle this... Such an interesting choice, I love how protective Adam is of his father but also it's another weight on his shoulders and nobody should have to be that strong...

But oh no! Even Hoss can't handle it because Antagonist has superior technique! Good thing Adam has proficiency at Insight checks and figures out his weakness!

So we get a happy ending, right?

Oh. No. That happened.

I won't say it quite comes out of left field because we've seen that Adah, while she knows this guy is dangerous and abusive, does remember good times and feel conflicted about him. Which, while tragic, is, I think, sadly often the case for people trying to leave relationships like that.

It's just a shame the story ends with her unable to break away. I won't say it's bad storytelling, everything makes reasonable sense logically and that gut punch is an interesting departure from the classic "and they deal with him and he never bothers her again and she's free to live as she chooses" windup for a plot like that.

It does make me sad, though.

I guess a question is whether she knows what was done to Joe or just sees the fight and assumes things escalated for other reasons? Because "I know this guy's awful but I don't want him hurt" isn't quite on the same level as "I know this guy nearly caused permanent injury to someone I see as little more than a child, but I'm going to take his side and comfort him".

[greenteabelle]

just finished watching the frog (2024) and wow i'm surprised go minsi manages to stay so skinny because she absolutely ATE AND DEVOURED her character !!!

spoilerish discussion below

there are some things that i feel like the drama did right and some that were just like ... you didn't have to do that but you did and now we're here like huh ?

for example , i love the fact the yoo seunga is just batshit insane . like , no redemption , no reasoning , just a plain old psycopath who kills like a child throwing tantrums . sure , her childhood probably had contributed somewhat to who she became , like her never receiving the approval or trust from her father who's too busy trying to keep up appearances , but it's so insignificant that you can tell that the drama doesn't try to humanise her at all .

yoo seunga is just purely insane , and i respect the drama for making that decision !

which is why it makes me feel so conflicted regarding the decision for her to ACTUALLY kill off the child . like murder is already bad enough , but the child of your husband ??? like i was genuinely so shocked i had to pause the drama a bit and debate whether i wanted to continue the drama or not , because i felt sick to my stomach .

sihyeon's death proved her lack of humanity from the get-go and ensured that there wouldn't be any redemption for her , yet i still wonder if it's truly necessary .

another thing i feel conflicted about is how yoo seunga died , because i genuinely believe the last showdown should have ended on the night she was surrounded . it was the best timing , and dragging it out to involve her husband and for him to be the one to deliver the final blow was just .... URGHHH IDK IT FELT A LITTLE FRUSTRATING ???

like my guy jeon yeongha was SUFFERING ( which does not negate his responsibility in covering up the crime just because he " didn't want to overthink " (??) btw ) and he doesn't even get to see her locked up and rotting away in jail ??

yeah if i were him i would have ended it all !

speaking of suffering , URGHHH I FEEL SO SAD FOR THE KOO FAMILY !!!!!!!!!! i honestly think focusing on their story alone would have been sufficient , but oh it hurt so bad i just wanted to rip my hair out !!!

like i fully understand that seo eunkyung had it rough , especially since she was the one who found the body , but straight up blaming it on koo sangjun was just RAHHHHHHH !!! not blaming her for it btw , i'm just lamenting the effects of ptsd and what damage it can genuinely cause to people , like they could have been so happy if it weren't for that damn killer FUCKKKKKK

and don't even get me started to koo sangjun getting dementia because i straight up started bawling when he started organising his bed like he used to in fhe motel !!!!!! why can't kind people have happy endings oh my goddddd

but overall , i don't regret watching this drama , even though it is admittedly ridiculous at some points ( like mother yoon bomi was CARRYING the entire south korean police force on her back and how does yoo seunga have so much strength in her tiny body to kill so many people like i need her pilates routine )

also side note i screamed when park mf chanyeol showed up on the screen because HELLO ??? I WAS NOT AWARE WE WOULD HAVE THE STAR OF EXO NEXT DOOR IN THIS SLASHER-ESQUE THRILLER DRAMA ??? that's what we call range !

so yeah 9/10 kdrama for me and if you disagree i think you are correct !

[fizzywashere87]

It Was Fun While it Lasted Pt.1

notes: kess emak. Warnings!: breakups, crying, physical pain, angst. Also, this isn't an x reader

M. List | Pt. 2

She's walking to her locker, binders from her previous class in her arms, She finds a piece of paper sticking out of one of the top slots of her locker.

It's February 13th, is it a Valentines day note?

Yes. Yes it is.

She only skimmed through it, only picking up things like a compliment on her hair and her smile. She wasn't amused, flustered or flattered, though she was very confused when she seen who had written the note. This wasn't real. Haha, funny prank, She's not fooled.

She drops her stuff off in her next class before heading to lunch, the note hasn't left her hand yet. On the off chance it was actually a confession, She didn't want to throw it away, although She was planning to reject Him. Of course, the one I'm narrating for is a fucking genius and an complete dumbass bitch at the same time. Constant overthinking, yet constant impulsive decisions.

On her way to lunch She spots her friend, the note was still in her hand she walks up to him. "Bro, I just got a love note from someone." She says, showing her friend the paper with the shitty ass handwriting. "Don't say anything though, I don't even think it's real." Her friend grabs the paper and immediately has a knowing smile on his face. She wasn't in the mood for this shit honestly.

"What?" She raises her brow at him, getting a shrug in response. "It's probably not even real, I've never talked to him once bro." She says as they get closer to the lunch room she begins balling up the paper. "Who do you think wrote it?" She asks him as they walk.

"Probably (A)." He shrugs, as if (A) had been pranking people around this time. Why would (A) know where her locker is? She didn't feel like thinking too much into it, deciding it's fake to be easier on her, she throws the note away, and her and her friend part ways as they go to sit at their own tables.

Debating whether or not she should mention it to her friends, she stays quiet for a few minutes as they wait to get dismissed to get their food. As they wait in line for their trays, she pulls one of her friends to stand next to her. "I got a fake love note today." She tells her friend, who looks as confused as she did when she first read the note.

"From who?" Her friend would ask her, nose scrunched in confusion.

"Him." She answers, and her friend's face contorts in mild disgust.

"I know, I've never even talked to him before. He's not that bad though." She shrugs, not really caring. "I think it's fake though, (AB) told me (AA) probably wrote it as a prank." She says and her friend nods, though still also confused.

She decides not to tell anyone else about the note, not wanting to spread untrue rumors about him, as she thought it was someone messing with both him and herself, but that doesn't stop her mind from talking about it. Why would he choose him to make it from? And damn, she probably looks like an asshole if that note was real. Part of her hopes the note is real, but most of her mind is still conflicted...

If the note was real, would she reject him? Would she accept him? Her problem was that she had never even talked to the boy, how is she going to know if he's who she would like?

Although, now that she's thinking about it, he may actually have a crush on her. She wasn't stupid, she knew how to connect the dots, she knew to play dumb until she knew for sure, but, one thing stuck out to her as she thinks back...

"Hey," (AA) calls her attention as he's walking to his seat, causing her to perk up slightly and look at him.

"Hm?" She hums in acknowledgement, she hasn't ever talked to him before so it's kind of weird he would be calling her right now.

"Do you like Him?"

Huh? Why him? She's never talked to him before. To her understanding, he was friends with (AA) so he could be just messing with his friend but still. She glances at him briefly, seeing he's not even looking this way, and turns back to (AA)

"No, I've never talked to him before." She answers honestly, seeing (AS) who was sitting next to her also turn his head to look at her. Before she could ask why, he spoke up again.

"Would you ever date him?"

What the fuck. Where did that come from? Bro's pulling this shit out of his ass because what in the Redbull gives you wings?

"Uhm," She didn't want to say no. He wasn't half bad looking at all, but at the same time, she didn't even know him, and she's doesn't want to go for looks. "I don't know, I've never talked him before, how do you expect me to answer that?" She says, slightly irritated if she was honest.

"Is he cute though?"

Alright bud. Alright. She shrugs her shoulders, there's no way in hell she's saying yes to that when he was sitting right there. "Why're you asking me these questions bro?" She asks watching as he just shrugs his shoulders with a little smile. Whatever.

Yeah. That probably meant something. But you know what? She doesn't care unless she knows for sure. She goes through the rest of her lunch break not saying anything about the note, and she messes with her friends like she normally would. As her table gets dismissed to go back to class she spends time in the hallways with her friends as she already put her stuff in her 5th hour class before lunch. (On Tuesdays their schedule is changed up and they're let out 90 minutes earlier from school.)

The rest of the day was boring as hell, she went through it like it was any other day. She probably enjoyed gym, it's not really important as of right now though. She went to her basketball practice, everything went normally. She came home, ate, took a shower, and eventually went to sleep.

On Valentine's Day, nothing out of the ordinary happened with him, although, she did technically get asked by another boy...

She was setting her stuff in her 4th hour class, going to lunch right after when (S) calls her name. She's never talked to (S) before either, she only knew him because he was dating (MS), one of her close friends.

"You're @^@ 8@221, right?" He asked her, getting a slightly confused nod from her. (S) looks to the boy standing outside the door by him who seems to be awkwardly standing there like he was waiting for something. The boy had a crush on her, she found that out a few weeks ago.

Welp, she knew what was coming next. Damn, she was hoping this wasn't going to happen right now but it seems fate has woven itself already. Sighing internally, she listened to (S) as he began talking while mentally preparing herself to say no respectfully, "Uhm, he likes you and he wants you to be his Valentine, do you accept?" On impulse, she shook her head in a small-ish manner,

"No." So much for respectfully.

(S) muttered a 'damn' and turned to his friend who was already down the hallway, and instantly she felt like shit as she heard (S) call out to his friend about her answer. Damn.

The rest of the day was uneventful, nothing happened. It was boring again. Though now, as a few days went by, she's thinking about him a bit more, here and there, sometimes when she's in her thoughts, they'll walk back little ways to the note she wishes she read slightly more thoroughly now. Still, not knowing if it was fake or not, still not really interested, though now, she can't help but notice him.

[justatalkingface]

Thanks for answering my ask! Just one thing though I probably should have worded it better, my bad, when I asked if ochako's goals conflicted, I was thinking something like she might be rejected by hero society despite everything she's done, in a more extreme sense. Like if ochako started advocating for better treatment for heroes and eventually villains, then hero society might literally try to get rid of her.

In the chapter with izuku and the civilian mob outside UA (main character's solution: bring it all back 😅), nagant and hawks with the commission (I know they're technically gone but with no safeguards preventing them from coming back, you know), the heroes and civilians have been shown to fight against and in many cases eliminate those who they feel are a threat to them or their way of life, no matter who they are. Maybe it's just overthinking on my part in hoping that ochako might really accomplish something in the end, but with what we've been shown in bnha on the 'heroes' side, it just never seems like a clear picture that'll turn out well. Does this make sense or no?

Oh, sure.

There's actually two questions here, whether you know it or not.

There's would this happen in a 'realistic' version of MHA, and would this happen in our MHA.

In reverse order, in our MHA? Not a chance. Ochako, the half assed love interest of The Main Character, if she was campaigning to do The Right Thing, after the story is over? There's no way she'd be shunned. It's just... not going to happen, because she's a hero and as I've said before, Hori is afraid of letting his heroes look wrong, or having problems where they're morally conflicted. If they're doing something, its right, therefore they'll do it successfully because it's right. At worst, there will be some minor protest from someone unimportant, solely to be shouted down and prove Ochako's point.

Granted, I'm not sure how much advocating for the villains would happen, what with this series's complete refusal to address the problems it brings up, but off screen there could easily be something done that 'fixes' things, somehow, about villains, when it's clearly a societal problem the heroes are having problems admitting even exist, because at the end of the day Hori has locked onto the basic story book ending here.

Also, this assumes that hero society and/or Quirks is still around post canon, which is actually up in the air at this point.

On a more realistic sense... that is where it could get interesting.

Assuming, for this, that after the story everything is the same, more or less, that there's still Quirks, heroes, ranked heroes, monetization, Japan hasn't been Dusted or SMASHED into oblivion....

Basically, Status Quo is God, and Ochiko wants to punt God into the sun, as is right and proper, yeah?

Then she could be having some problems, because while she would have a lot of good feelings going her way, as a hero of the... war(? whatever AFO's suppression get's labeled as), and probably with her classmates support, villains are probably going to be loathed by the general public, since, you know, they keep killing everyone and starting a war. It's the reason the League is so nonsensical; they're so extreme in their actions that the public can't have any sympathy for the causes they (theoretically) are fighting for.

Moreover, heroic society itself has serious inertia to it, and it is (theoretically) filled with heroes more concerned with money or fame than actually helping, and they wouldn't want their cushy jobs, after the the brief period of stress that is the war, to be messed up any more, or heroes who just hate villains or what not who honestly think these policies would be wrong. That's not even counting the HC's work with people like Lady Nagant and Hawks which is just... never acknowledged in story? Or presumably dealt with in any way? (Destro did kill some of them, yeah, but the structure is still there. It's relatively simple to just... slot some other people in there, since it's not actually gone) So yeah, that'd still be there as well, and that means there's actually a chance that Ochako would be assassinated for 'The Greater Good'.

In a 'Hori if he had put work into all this' kind of story, where he's attached to the characters, of course that'd never happen (or rather work), but in a just 'realistic' story Ochako using her influence like that to 'support' villains would be viewed as a threat to the industry (and I do mean industry) by the powers that be, and if she's the primary voice of it, an 'accident' could stop it from continuing on as much.

But that's an extreme option, and there's plenty of more reasonable options to use before then, by giving her worse jobs, having the media that would presumably be in their pocket work to discredit her and tar her image, and all the other petty bureaucratic shit that can be used against someone to try and make her life hell until they give up or quit.

[quietbluejay]

Sins of the Wreckers 6

This time: some unsettling imagery though honestly that warning should apply to this whole thing, also Tarantulas' choice of words may make people uncomfortable, also he is a giant spider, I did try to cut most of the spider images because they're very spidery but, just putting that warning out there, there are giant spiders present here

it's a maze

it's got noise

what's not clicking

squid guy is cackling loudly

Hubcap is just standing there

Verity: someone tell me what's going on!

yeah. Tarantulas is a giant spider

Tarantulas: No

Tarantulas: Not any more

Tarantulas: Now I'm called Tarantulas

Prowl: what are you? What have you done to yourself?

Tarantulas: Changed, Prowl. You know change; that thing you try and fail to do every few million years

another ???? Tarantulas moment

quoth friend:

also gotta question why he thinks prowl is in an "up" part of this imaginary cycle, since he's deep in the whole "mind control kup/steal evidence/hermit because everyone else is unbearable" grind it's a mental break down off key harpsicord plays even his fight with optimus in that mess was mostly yelling about optimus's garbage more then justifying his own Prowl is pathologically avoidant of justifying himself it's actually a serious problem he has he never justifies himself so no one ever knows what he's thinking or why

Prowl falls

discussion with friend: friend: i know the "struggle to actually change" is a series theme me: it's a continuity theme from phase 2 onwards! (disregarding Roberts who is mainly focusing on other things, but Barber, Roche, Scott, even McCarthy all grapple with it) friend: but also the irony of tarantulas "learned nothing from being trapped in his own torture device" transformers saying it is me: in a different series it could be something about how suffering doesn't make you into a better person me: but SOTW isn't engaging with it

"all the soul staining muck" okay so you got evidence of other Prowl shenanigans why did you not bring it up instead of aequitas which, AS WAS ESTABLISHED EARLIER, has nothing on prowl come on, man if you're going to get him, do it on what he actually did

thought from friend: it's because all that stuff would only affect Prowl personally (and Prowl is currently public enemy #1 so like...hard to make it worse for him lol). So he fundamentally doesn't care about it. Aequitas works because it's something that would affect other people, and the whole cause he's dedicated his life to, whether or not it actually exists any more.

Impactor and Prowl are foils because they both fully expect their job to kill them

there you go (and i'm still not over that everyone thinks this is going to restart the war) (like where???? in all the scattered corners of the galaxy where autobots and decepticons are still stranded? dude they're still FIGHTING OUT THERE, it won't change for them) (on earth? again there's still conflict!) (on cybertron? where starscream is in charge over majority neutral-leaning-autobot?) organics? the organics still don't like and or trust cybertronians of any stripe, they've experienced some of these war crimes, their opinion is already at rock bottom

i just feel like im missing something big in my understanding some natural assumption that leads to why Roche has all these characters think that

Prowl: what do you want, Tarantulas?

Tarantulas: Come…

Tarantulas: I want to show you something naughty

combined thoughts from me + friend again:

yeah aequitas is a compilation but the immediate consequences of all those evils still spun out when they actually happened there's an assumption here that aequitas was contained, in a way? that the horrors were somehow reduced to just the trial and their only legacy is that thumbdrive and not that it's painted in blood over half the universe (which it totally should be) ultimately it's a misattribution to why the decepticons stopped fighting that they're in any way positioned to start fighting again if they want to and not that they basically lost the autobots aren't in a great position for fighting either but they were slightly better, better enough to be the winners (also that the decepticons don't know what the autobots have been up to when they're the perennial victims, but that's it's own can of worms) until further notice i am going to headcanon this as "the autobots will start fighting each other" as the thing people mean when they say "the war will restart"

so we got kup, guzzle and impactor still in alaska

Impactor jumps out of the way of an explosion

Impactor:…cos i bet being inside that thing is a lot easier than being out here. Incoming! "that thing" - impactor that is a person

He starts transforming back into a whale and jumps back to the water

Tidal Wave: …back to the depths, i think that's where I left my morale…

shark dude: this guy…

Kup looks to the side

Kup: through me.

Kup: The cogger had me bugged with a mind-link so he could pull my strings and make me dance to his lying little tune

i mean, springer wanted to save you, impactor

Impactor looks back, panicked

Impactor: Kup, help me get Guzzle back to Debris - now

Impactor: we are all in so much danger

Tarantulas: that's not what's happening, Prowl (he said, like a liar)

also I know I said it already, but not just the Alaskan landscapes, I love the art in general, it's so good very evocative

this is like the opposite of dignified

does tarantulas have to phrase everything in such a creepy way

Prowl: humans…they could even be human…

Tarantulas: Well, it's all a work in progress, Prowl. New breakthroughs every day.

Tarantulas: Onward!

of course it's a giant spiderweb what did I expect

sjdkflSHDFDS ITS UNOBTANIUM ROCHE I TAKE BACK MANY OF THE ANGRY THINGS I SAID ABOUT YOU

look at this it's so beautiful, it's so classical comics

Tarantulas goes bot mode and frees Prowl from his cocoon

Tarantulas: Here, inspect it for yourself. I trust you not to try anything. Hyah!

Prowl: "try anything"? What would be the point…

Prowl basically says "ok fine you've won"

I mean dude, you basically said it was

Prowl looks at him in shock

some thoughts on the Carpessa war crime I do wonder about the actual mechanics of setting it off in theory at this point Prowl is in some kind of command position if not on high command but also given we basically see every single character he's supposedly the superior of argue with him and/or don't do things, the one exception being Perceptor making the Kup mind thing, and this happened when he was even lower in the hierarchy than the present... maybe Impactor did it lol Impactor just takes off from work (since his thing with Prowl is off the books) to drive a bomb into a city ...huh, why didn't Impactor spill any of Prowl's secrets at the Aequitas trial what did he have to lose

actually, hang on, to an outside observer, Prowl should absolutely not look like he's going through a conscience heavy stage, if they know about him trying to do the thing with the spacebridge (i.e. GENOCIDING HIS ENTIRE RACE)

(if you're wondering "bluejay how can you be a fan of a guy who tried to do that" well i mean nearly every single character i like in 40k is a far, far, worse person with the exception of Iyanna and maybe Andromeda-17)

[painted-crow]

hey so i'm looking to figure my sorting out. i'm p sure of my secondary but honestly i've gone in circles so many times that i'd believe anything lmao

so i guess to start like. i'm fairly sure i'm an idealist, but with a twist. i care about making the world a better place-- i'm kinda infamous among my friends for being a little TOO outspoken about my opinions. on a small scale, i have strong opinions about a lot of things, but on a larger scale... idk. i don't think any one person can know what an ideal world looks like cause there really is no such thing. there are literally countless variables when it comes to implementing even small systems, countless ways to fuck it up, so i don't think i'd be choosing some grand ideal over the people i love anytime soon.

that being said, i think my idealist streak gets directed into something else most of the time. i'm very focused on understanding myself to a fault. i want to know why i do the things i do, why i believe certain things over others. when it comes to my beliefs about the world, they're strong but take it or leave it, but when it comes to myself they are not a good idea to push. i've ended relationships over not feeling like myself with them or feeling like i'm losing myself or they're pushing me to be someone i'm not. i make strong instant decisions about what the "right" thing to do is when it comes to how it impacts my perception of myself, especially with intimate relationships (i'm a lot less impulsive with things like friends and things i'm less personally involved in). i NEED to know who i am, way more than i care about any one specific person or thing. obviously i love people very deeply and would do just about anything to have both, but if i don't know who i am, if i'm not true to myself, then i have nothing. losing people happens.

the issue is, because i'm prone to doing that and not thinking as much about how it'll impact people, i've been called selfish a lot over my lifetime. recently i've started thinking more about how my actions impact people and their feelings, and i'm feeling a lot more torn. i want to do what i want to do, what i feel is best, but i feel immature for doing it a lot. i've started worrying a lot about being a bad person and hurting people, and i've been thinking about how the "right" way to be is. i went through a phase where i was repressing myself to make the "moral" choice, but i just felt so flat. ultimately i realized that it doesn't really matter how good i am if i have to repress myself to get there, cause then all it is is performance. tldr is i feel super guilty for making "selfish" choices rn, especially as i've gotten more aware of other peoples' feelings.

what i think is probably going on is that i'm an idealist primary with a badger model, but i'm not sure between lion and bird, and i'm still open to badger. pretty sure i'm not a snake.

the section on my secondary's gonna be a lot shorter, sorry this got so long! so i'm p sure i'm a badger secondary. considered lion and snake secondary too. whatever i am, i have a p loud lion model over it. i've always had a gift for making people trust me, for acting. i kinda blend in and become what i need to to both help them and get them off my back so i can do what i need to do. i have a serious passion for helping people with tough love (i like to think of myself as a p good advice giver, since i can both tell people what they need to hear and really get in their shoes and be kind where other people might not). i think i judge myself the least when i can kinda toe that line between pushing boundaries and stepping back-- i track where peoples' boundaries are constantly so i can push them to the limit without stepping over them. i'm very fluid when it comes to presentation in reality, even though i think people actually think of me as kinda controversial. i tend to see people who are ACTUALLY overstepping boundaries as lowkey selfish at times, even though i also really respect them. i like to do things the "right" way as long as i give a shit about them. the catch is, i don't want to blend into the background, and i don't think i do. a partner of mine called me a fox cause he noticed the way i constantly toe that line where i can get people to notice me and still keep them off my back, still make them comfortable. i'm also NOT a planner. people constantly give me shit for only ever feeling things out in the moment, and honestly thinking about the future freaks me out. i don't want to plan how i do shit i'd rather just get in the zone and figure it out from there. tldr i'm pretty sure i'm a badger secondary? but i could be convinced of snake. definitely see elements of both but my gut's telling me badger so take that how you will

anyway! thank you so much for taking the time to answer this, i know it's a lot.

also sorry one thing i forgot to add about my secondary! i think my lion model got so loud because when i do the shifty presentation thing, i have a tendency to lose myself and start perceiving myself as whatever i'm presenting. it's made it really hard to figure out who i actually am and so i started just being as clear about it as possible.

for my primary, i really care a lot about being right. i try to take every side into consideration to make sure i get the best conclusion. i can be super stubborn when it comes to certain things, but i don't want to just... hold to perceptions that are wrong. that being said it's important to me to trust my gut and i take it as a big input. i'm very felt out for most things, don't really have a strong system of how to be. i really wanna be able to trust myself but i just don't. i have a big habit of relying on other people to tell me what to think, which is uh. yeah.

Primary

You're a Bird primary with a Lion model, and you're trying on some Badger ideals. That's one of the easier Sorts I've done, lol! Possibly because your primary and models actually House match mine :p

Your reasoning process screams Bird xD and so does your writing style and just the length of the ask. Birds love self-analysis, it's part of how we make sure our systems stay as close to true as we can make them.

You've got some Lion too, but it's a model. It sounds like your Lion and your Bird have come into conflict before, and like most Birds with Lion models, it bugs the snot out of you when your Lion's intuition (which is important data!) doesn't line up with what your Bird knows.

You've prioritized Bird's conclusions before, but (as with many Birds) you don't entirely trust your own system and you're wondering if your Lion might have been right and you should give its reasoning more weight.

Also, you're consciously deciding that maybe Badgers' way of doing things is more moral than yours, and you're pulling in some of those ideals. That doesn't make you a Badger primary. Birds are notorious for this kind of thing actually 😂

The line between whether some ideals you've pulled into your Bird system vs. what counts as a model is fuzzy. It's up to you really, how important those pieces of Badger are to you.

For me, I think the line might be--is it wired into your sense of self on its own, or does it get filtered through your Bird and Lion? It really sounds like your Lion is a strong part of your sense of self: if you ignore its advice, you feel not totally like yourself. You don't have to feel all your models equally strongly, but thinking of it that way might help.

(It's also hard because Birds often feel like they kind of are their systems, or they are their ability to reason, that's a core part of their identity. ...It's complicated.)

Secondary

You sound really really Snakey. I'm not sure where you're getting Badger, actually!

Badgers are more than the mirroring ability. They also bury themselves in work or community, and it can sometimes look like they're neck deep in so many responsibilities that they couldn't possibly handle any more problems--and then they do have a problem, they do need something, and they stand up and all that stuff they were buried in turns out to be armor and tools.

Snakes, otoh, are improvisational and tend to be very aware of their surroundings. Unlike Badgers, the Snake brand of social shapeshifting involves a lot of keeping track of other people's reactions to what they're doing--trying something and then watching the response, then adjusting, rinse and repeat. You turn yourself into exactly the right person for this situation.

Badger mirroring is usually simpler. You reflect the other person's energy back at them: it's an empathetic response that says we're alike, I accept you, you're safe. A lot of Badgers do this without thinking--it can be hard to turn off.

Snakes also don't go in for prep work as much, it tends to trip them up (Snakes with Badger or Bird models notwithstanding). They're Improvisational secondaries, unlike Bird and Badger which are Built and rely heavily on some form of preparation.

The Lion model sounds legit, but just check for yourself: you might be learning to use Snake's neutral state. Snakes will sometimes drop all their layers of acting and maneuvering and suddenly they're just themselves. Different Snakes have different relationships with neutral state. For some Snakes, it's a relief to drop the mask; for others, it feels vulnerable and they only trust certain people with their full authenticity.

It does sound like you really admire Lion secondaries, though, so you might indeed have a model there! This is just something else you could check on.

Hope that helps!

- Paint

[meri-meri-mwah]

Okay, hang in there with me cause it's currently 12:30 am and reading all these Bad and Crazy posts got me THINKING.

TW: Suic*de

Okay so...damn, where do I even begin? I know I was on Sooyeol's arse a few hours ago, but now I'm starting to feel a little bad about it, gn.

Anyway, I think we are all aware that episode 4 f*cked us so hard, it wasn't even pleasurable (well, at least the darker parts of the episode). I know we came into a conclusion that Sooyeol has a split personality, but I just can't help and sometimes think that K is...a thought that turned into a person and only Sooyeol can see him. K can encourage good behavior and bad behavior.

Good behavior: Fight for justice, having a sense of respect to those who deserve it, self confidence, and etc.

Bad behavior: encourage degrading comments/actions (specifically that involves self harm such as forcing half a bottle of pills into Sooyeol's mouth and agreeing that Sooyeol should go jump off an orphanage rooftop), and... that's like the only thing I can think of so far.

As I mentioned before, I think K is SOMETIMES more of a thought process for Sooyeol. Do y'all have days where you need to make a decision, but don't know what to do? Do you ever experience happy thoughts? Or do you experience thoughts that leads you on to a darker path (mentally and physically)? I am positive everyone experience these kinds of thoughts every single day.

And honestly, I'm starting to think Bad and Crazy is a lot darker than we anticipated because we're centered around an ordinary man with thoughts that are affected by past trauma. And the fact that Sooyeol can see his inner thoughts as a... person probably makes him... terrified? Conflicted? Oh, yeah, definitely conflicted, because from what we see... Sooyeol isn't that fond of K so far. Perhaps, Sooyeol doesn't like the thought that something like K exist in his mind and in his everyday life. Sooyeol might think K is actually ruining his life by making him do things he doesn't want to.

If you think about it, people who experience mental disorders may have these conflicts about what they are. Especially if it's their first time experiencing something like this (keep in mind, everyone's experience is different). And we, the audience, are aware that K is quite... childish? Immature? He's strong, but still has that child-like nature. Which makes sense because he most likely developed from Sooyeol's childhood. Perhaps, K's immature/insensitive comments is adding on to the stress and guilt Sooyeol has been feeling since day one.

Knowing that Sooyeol is adopted, I feel as though he also wants to seek validation from people? His family, friends, coworkers, and even previous lovers... Sooyeol wants to prove that he is worthy. That he is capable of doing something. Based on that conversation he had with the little girl's uncle, Sooyeol KNOWS how it feels to be pushed out of society. However, when he fails someone, Sooyeol could have constant ideas that he's a total failure. A disappointment. Maybe he did try to stick up for himself before, but was immediately shut down by those who are bigger than him. More in power. So, instead, he becomes submissive. He does whatever it takes to please people whether it's good or not.

The same case can be happening for Sooyeol and K. Sooyeol wants to prove K that he is worthy of living. That he isn't pathetic or a coward. But it's gonna take time for him to adjust. To become familiar with going against those who are not only doing Sooyeol wrong, but his friends and family. It's gonna be a journey and he's gonna have to eventually become used to sticking up for himself without NEEDING K for backup. Of course, I hope K sticks around by the time this drama is over, but Sooyeol should be able to make his own, good, choices without training wheels. And come to accept that K has feelings, too! Heck! K might also be hurting because Sooyeol is hurting himself. They do share a body after all.

WHEW, I KNOW THIS POST IS ALL OVER THE PLACE, BUT IT'S LIKE 1 AM NOW AND I CAN'T CALCULATE ALL MY THOUGHTS INTO WORDS RN.

I am a firm believer that things will work out for Sooyeol and K. Humans are complicated with complicated issues and they always need a little nudge of motivation to feel better. Bad and Crazy will end off with a good ending and Sooyeol accepting the good parts of himself (c'mon TvN and Studio Dragon. Y'all know better).

P.S: Many apologies for grammar errors or typos. Making a post at 1 AM is not the greatest idea.

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About "Eda's Requiem" from The Owl House

Salutations, random people on the internet who certainly won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

...

...

...HOW IS SEASON TWO SO GOOD?! WE'VE HAD SEVEN EPISODES SO FAR, AND EACH ONE OF THEM WAS A HIT!

Take "Eda's Requiem," for example. It's yet another episode where I have NOTHING bad to say about it! That's two weeks in a row where that happened! HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?!

HOW!

HOW!

...But anyways, "Eda's Requiem." It's another fantastic episode, and I'm about to dive into explaining how and why. Just keep in mind, it's gonna require spoilers to do so, so be wary of that as you keep reading.

Now, let's review, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED

Eda’s Checklist and Grom Photo: Within the first second, "Eda's Requiem" perfectly sets up Eda's central conflict in the episode. Despite spending years being on her own and looking after herself, she now has two kids that she's constantly caring over. Eda can try all she wants to say that she doesn't care, and I bet she has in the past. But given the hard work she's putting into getting King and Luz what they need and having a grom photo of the three of them together pinned in her mirror, it's pretty clear that those two knuckleheads wormed their way into her heart and are never getting out.

Eda’s Worried About King and Luz Leaving: And thus, that's precisely why something like this bothers her so much. Eda inadvertently adopted two rambunctious rapscallions (Yeah, I know. I'll get to it), so the idea of them not being around her anymore is going to be terrifying. That is a situation most parents, especially mothers, can identify with. It’s called empty nest syndrome and it proves just how much Eda loves Luz and King that she can't stand the thought of her babies leaving the nest. It's yet another well-made, wholesome, found-family moment that this series continues to excel at each week, making me extra excited for more like it to come...while also readying myself for heartbreak when one of them eventually does leave Eda.

Eda and Raine’s Music: Ok, I don't know the exact instruments that were played during this episode, but I also don't care because it was all (for lack of a better term) music to my ears. Every time Eda and Raine played resulted in melodies that are so beautiful and filled with so much emotion and feeling that I'm honestly tempted to listen to them again, multiple times, on repeat. Shows rarely do that for me, as background music doesn't always draw me in as much as lyrical songs do. Usually, it takes something so extraordinarily composed to give me the desire to listen again, and that's the case here. So huge congrats to Brad Breek for doing so. Seriously, the man's been killing it this season.

Eda’s Bard Magic Causing Things to Turn to Ash: This was assuredly a surprise side-effect of the curse. The fact that Eda can sort of do magic at all was its own shock. To then reveal that a specific type can do dangerous things to people and environments is...Well, it definitely brings up its own fair share of questions. Like, how can she do this? Will she do it again, one day? And are there other types of spells that can be negatively affected by Eda's curse? We don't get answers for any of these questions, and odds are, we never will. But that's alright with me. Because if a show makes me consider these many possibilities after a brief amount of time, it is a show that has to be doing something right. Even if I don't get the answers I want, the fact that it caused such a reaction makes me less willing to care.

Raine Whispers: Hey, would you look at that. Another fun, interesting, and compelling character added to the list of this shows' other fun, interesting, and compelling characters...how is this series so good at this!?

Joking aside, Raine's pretty good. I like Raine. They could have been this super serious leader who lost all their fun after years apart from Eda, but I'm glad that they're not. There are moments when Raine takes their job as leader of the BATs seriously, as one would, but I still prefer the fact that they kept a jovial nature despite how grim their situation is. It's an admirable trait to have, and it avoids the trope of making leader characters boring just because they're the ones who have to take things seriously.

Oh, and also, Raine's Disney's first non-binary character who has a stake in the plot. This is a tremendous deal, as you don't usually see that many non-binary characters in children's animation, let alone ones that hold importance to the story. So it's pretty cool for the writers to feature Raine, as it helps several kids feel as though they're finally seen and respected. And the fact that Disney of all companies gave the thumbs up is even more impressive. I hear people say that Dana Terrace should have pitched The Owl House to more progressive networks to avoid pushback, and while I absolutely see your point, I'll have to respectfully disagree. Disney is the largest entertainment industry of all time, so if you want to make LGBTQA+ representation normalized, you gotta stop making splashes and start making waves. Because if the same company that made three racist cats in the span of a few years manages to say that being gay is a-ok, then you know there's something wrong with you. Yes, Disney ended up screwing over the show anyway. But for that one moment, when kids felt pride after seeing a character like Raine, then, in the end, it's kind of worth it.

Also, if you're still having issues with more representation like this popping up in kids' shows, then allow me to redirect you to the complaint department.

...I made that post earlier today for this bit. YOU HAVE BETTER APPRECIATED IT!

Day of Unity is meant to be a Secret: At least, that's what I got when Raine stumbled over their own words. So if it's true, then I wonder why? Why does Belos want to keep the most critical change in the Boiling Isles a secret? Does he want to make it a surprise for his grateful subjects, or does he not want to spread worry and fear amongst the wild witches? It has to be something big if he doesn't want his followers to even say the words "Day of Unity." Whatever reason he has, we most likely won't know until the future. A future that I grow more and more afraid of each week.

Hooty Eating Echo Mouse: My heart sank in that brief moment when I thought that Hooty intensely screwed Luz over in getting back home. But looking back...it is pretty funny.

Just the suddenness of Hooty eating the poor creature that Luz desperately tried to earn its trust is priceless in how shocking it was. And also, Luz's expression.

That was the look of a young girl who immediately shoved her hand down an owl demon's throat the second the scene cut away. The Owl House may not always be a hit in the comedy department, but scenes like this prove that when it's funny, it is hilarious.

Luz and King Entering the Grand Prix: Not much to discuss here. It's just a cute subplot that adds frivolity to the intensity of what's going on through Eda and Raine's story. But I will say that I love how both stories occasionally interconnect with each other through the many moments of Eda being worried about King wanting to leave to find his father and avoiding any conversation about it. It helps both plotlines feel like they belong together, without being something like "Through the Looking Glass Ruins," whereas both stories could have been in their own episode. Which is neat.

How Bard Magic Works: I really love how this season is diving into how the other magic types work. More specifically, the ones that seem a little vague. I mean, stuff like healing, potions, and plants are easy to figure out, but what does it mean when a witch's talents are construction, beast keeping, and bard magic? We've been getting a lot of clearing up lately, with bard magic looking like a witch can control their environments and enemies through the power of music. Which is fair. Music is pretty powerful in the metaphorical sense, and I actually love that it's powerful in the literal sense when in the Boiling Isles.

The BATs: Not much to comment on these three either. The BATs have the potential to have an entertaining dynamic, but they do very little in this episode that I can't say much other than I hope they make a return in the future. But I will make this claim: Amber is my favorite. I'm sorry, but her screaming "You're not our mom!" to then go, "Bye, mommy Eda" is just too precious for me not to love.

I'm a simple man who falls for cute s**t. Leave me alone.

Raeda (RainexEda): Well, EdaxCamila, you were a fun crack ship while it lasted, but I'm afraid that this is now goodbye. The current canon has provided an incredibly adorable and believable relationship that I would be a monster not to support with my whole bi-heart. It's been real.

Ok, back in serious mode: I love these two together. Eda and Raine are grown-ups, and they still act all flustered near each other as if they were still Luz and Amity's age. It's definitive proof that you're never too old to get flustered near a crush, and seeing them interact adds a sense of wholesomeness when seeing them together as well as heartbreak when they're forced apart. Plus, we get confirmation that Eda's LGBTQA+! Whether she's bi, pan, or whatever, now that we know Eda can catch feelings for someone like Raine, it's yet another case that The Owl House is the most important series to the community. Because having the main character be queer is fantastic in its own right. But having the same apply to the motherly mentor figure? That's is an extra bit of normalization that anybody would be willing to appreciate.

Unique Guard Designs: Not many fans are going to appreciate this, primarily compared to everything else this episode does perfectly. For me, I actually like that you see a few Coven Guards looking differently from the others, as it helps make them less like clones and makes it seem like anybody of any body type could be a part of the coven.

Gus Looking Uninterested when Presenting Grand Prix with his Dad: I am positive that you didn't notice this (I didn't even notice it until someone else pointed it out), but there's something to dissect here. It hints that perhaps Gus isn't as interested in his father's field of work as one might think. If he did, he would look a lot less bored and much more excited to be helping Perry Porter present the race. It could just be the race itself, but judging from Gus' expression, it really seems like the kid would prefer to be anywhere but there. And why would he have that reaction to a race that his best friend is competing in? To me, this seems like an inkling of what Gus' relationship with Perry could be, which may not actually get time to shine, what with how little wiggle room the series has now (Thanks Disney). Regardless, it is interesting to notice, and it will certainly have fans thinking for a while.

Bump Being Smug of Luz Being in the Lead: That's it. Principal Bump looking smug as his human student is beating the students of his rivals is yet another moment that proves why Bump is easily the best cartoon principal.

Darius: First of all, this guy is f**king fabulous, and I love him. *Snaps*

Second, he is definitive proof that you do NOT want to f**k around with Coven Leaders. Lilith may have had her intimidating moments, but none of them compare to the guy who can turn himself into an abomination monster where only magic that hasn't existed before can take him down. It's genuinely scary to see Darius lose control, and I fear for the day when Luz inevitably ends up in his crosshairs.

With that said, Darius' still a ton of fun! He may be threatening, but he's just a flamboyant guy that hates the idea of getting his outfit the tiniest bit dirty. And I love that. I love that these Coven Heads have actual personalities instead of being generically evil. I consider it preferable to make villains entertaining rather than blatantly scary as I'll remember the personalities first and the villainous acts last.

Eberwolf: But this one's my favorite. I told you: I'm a simple man who gets easily swayed by cute s**t. And Eber? I mean, just look at her:

She's just a cute widdle rascal! I just want to pinch her cheeks, give her a belly rub, and--

...Eberwolf is not a cute widdle rascal. She is a strong, independent woman, and I will respect her as such from this moment forward...lest I feel her wrath.

That is all. Let's move on.

Eda and Raine Attempting a Final Performance: This was the best scene of the episode. It looked gorgeous, it shows the dedication Eda and Raine have for stopping Belos, and it says so much through so little. Go back and look at how Eda and Raine regard one another when performing Eda's requiem. Through their expressions and a few short words, you know they understand that if they complete the song/spell, they probably won't make it in the end. And yet, they don't care. They both know bad stuff will happen if Belos wins, so Eda and Raine put everything to the side, both their feelings for one another and the people they leave behind if it means putting an end to a tyrant. That level of dedication...Words can't fully describe how powerful that is.

Raine Sacrificing Themselves Instead: But in the end, Raine can't do it. Not when they know the life that Eda has and the people she'll be leaving behind. It's an extra bit of nobleness to the character seeing that Raine refuses to take away a woman from two kids who need her the most. A tad bit selfish, sure, knowing what Belos has planned. But when it comes to love, the romantic, familial, or platonic, the best decisions aren't always the logical ones.

Eda Crying: Luz crying tears me up, but seeing Eda cry is a whole different level of heartbreak. Like Lilith, Eda has her emotions locked up tight, with the closest she came to weeping were those two tears in "Young Blood, Old Souls." In "Eda's Requiem," she cries but almost quickly stops herself. As if she knows that doing so isn't going to save Raine. That is...even worse than seeing Luz break down after losing Eda. The fact that Eda refuses to give herself time to mourn losing someone she loved is tragic because crying is the most natural way of showing grief. Turning that off isn't healthy, and seeing her do it with little resistance is sad to me. It's sad to see a character I love can easily shut off all emotions despite how badly she may want to embrace them. It's one of those moments that, again, by doing so little, it shows so much.

“No one watches Crystal Balls anymore. It’s all about streaming.”: Oof. Even I felt that burn towards cable.

King’s Message: King's message was the pick-me-up I needed after the heart-wrenching sadness this episode put me through a few minutes ago. Seeing King say who he is and listing all the things he loves is nothing short of adorable. On top of that, I adore that Eda willingly recorded the whole thing. She may not want King to leave, but that doesn't mean she'll sabotage the one thing he wants. Especially not after Raine gave up everything so Eda could be with her kids. The opening scene may prove how much Eda cares about a rascal like King, but this heartwarmingly sweet moment reveals just how far she'll go to make him happy.

King’s Dad Reveal: ...ok, I'll be honest, I did not think we'd get that reveal this soon. Dumb of me to say, considering the number of times I've said that these writers don't waste time getting to the s**t, I know. But still, it's pretty cool knowing that King's dad is alive and well, added with the fact that we've got a fair idea of what he looks like. At this point, it's only a matter of time before we see him figure out where the Clawthorne residence is and witness the tear-jerking moments that will follow.

King Changing his Name to King Clawthorne: Not the official adoption I was expecting Eda to make...but DANG IT, is it still diabetes-inducing levels of sweetness!

Personally, I feel like the main reason why Eda breaks down this time is not only because she shouldn't be worried about King leaving her life, but also because Raine's sacrifice wasn't in vain. Her kids really do need Eda because no matter how far apart they'll be, she will always be a part of their life...dang it, I'm going to cry too!

What those Coven patches really do: Well...that was horrifying to see.

...Writers, if you kill off the best non-binary character in animation (it's a short list, I know), we are going to have PROBLEMS!

IN CONCLUSION

"Eda's Requiem" is--surprise surprise--another A+. The emotions hit hard, the representation hits harder, Raine is a fantastic addition to the cast, and it was all surprisingly cute at times. Season Two is currently on a hot streak, constantly winning with every episode that's come out so far. When a bad episode does eventually show up (IT'S GONNA HAPPEN!), I'll be sure to sing my requiem then. For now, I'm just gonna enjoy the ride.

[listless-brainrot]

I get haru’s chemistry with katara, but how does he connect with any of the other members of the gaang in your opinion? I'm genuinely curious

hey thanks so much for your curiosity anon!! i love talking about this and i’ve actually made a post about it already, lemme add it here but also elaborate further to include zuko and toph this time

haru’s character is one never intended to be anything beyond surface level given that he’s a background character but there is a LOT to deduce from his character and it’s really interesting how they managed to make a “boring” side character with a lot of main character potential, and i think i’ve finally managed to crack why and it’s because of how much of his character has in terms of potential with connecting and working with the main gaang

just gonna put it out here i’m also gonna pull some haru characterization from the videogames to help my case

let’s start with aang, who is actually kind of similar to katara in terms of complete cultural devastation, it’s of course much worse for him as he lost all of his people but that’s still a point of sympathy and i’m sad it’s not brought up as much as it should be because it’s absolutely integral to his character and position as the avatar. speaking of being the avatar haru clearly knows who he is and believes he represents hope in this world coming back, there’s that sense of wonder and true faith in his cause to end this war and just as katara gives haru that inspiration to fight and make a stand against this war, i think aang does that too, whether he realizes it or not. there’s also this cultural obligation to continue bending or practicing your culture when everything else has been erased or suppressed, whether it be to preserve the memory of someone you once held dear or just because you know its the right thing to do. i think haru would really understand that on a personal level, even if his dad and the earthbenders did come back, and in turn try to give aang hope as well. in terms of personality i’d also just love to see haru, who probably has some sort of reverence for the avatar and was taught to respect him and be polite all the time, see aang as this kid who’s optimistic and sweet while also being a wielder of all four elements and learn to see him as a person and even a friend.

i’m not going to go too in depth with katara, as that post already did a phenomenal job, but i will add on the fact that i believe that haru and katara would also bond over how they had to learn bending and its sources, especially if we cite the “haru bends using firebending techniques” meta, which is also super in depth and well worth the read, and especially considering how katara learned bloodbending if this was something actually expanded on within the show i think haru would be able to help her understand that she is much more than that pain and suffering, and even if the techniques were used to hurt people in the past, she can be much more than that now.

and man. haru and sokka. they’d get along so well like. “my dad who is the leader of my tribe/village was sent away due to the war and i have idolized/missed him so much since then and though it’s unspoken there is a lot of pressure on me as man of the house to protect what little i have left”?? cmon. “my dad who used to be a rebellious leader full of hope and strength was broken down over the course of his five year imprisonment and i struggle with who he has become now” haru and “my dad left me in charge of a tribe of women and children on my own and i want to be a warrior just like him but i wonder if he could see me now if he’d really be proud of me and who i had to become” sokka. that sense of imposter syndrome that comes with being the eldest and the son of a leader?? the sympathy and that personal understanding?? i would’ve loved to see it. also in the games haru often makes fun of sokka just as much as he makes fun of everyone else and it would’ve been really funny to see these two smartasses clash given their different styles of whiny attitudes. also haru is pretty book-smart, and knows a lot about earth kingdom culture and technology, and i think he’d work well with sokka in terms of strategy. however, given haru’s lack of an impulse control, the plans he suggests may be a bit debatable.

now we get to haru and toph, who i should honestly make an entire separate post on but. to summarize most of my thoughts, haru and toph are both earth kingdom kids who come from entirely different places and positions of power and class in the war, and have been affected by the war to differing degrees. haru is a peasant from a coastal farm living under fire nation control for five years. he’s our prime example of what average life in the earth kingdom was like under the fire nation. toph comes from the rich beifong family, with personal bending tutors and even guards. she’s so far removed from the war, and she joined to fight it on a whim. their personalities and viewpoints would clash so much, and i think they’d have a really hard time getting along at first. there would be a lot of misunderstanding and haru wanting to understand toph somehow but toph being toph thinking he just wants to parent her or something. it would’ve been interesting interpersonal conflict. but i think when they do eventually become friends they’d become really close, they’d have shared experiences and inside earth kingdom jokes the rest wouldn’t get and hell maybe even toph would try to teach him how to metalbend cause you can’t win the war with just one metalbender, and haru would finally be able to learn from a real earthbending teacher, whose style is so unrestrained and powerful because it developed in a place away from war. also they can bond over having strained relationships with their parental figures!

zuko is... hard to place with haru, i’ll admit. the fact that he’s fire nation is an inseparable fact given how much of haru’s life has been directly affected and ruined by it, as everyone else’s has. i think that, if he was treated more like an actual character, haru would offer a valuable perspective on the gaang later accepting him into their group. sure, he hasn’t been hurt by zuko personally (unless we count the possibility that after the prison break zuko may have followed the prison boats back to the village looking for katara and aang after getting her necklace but that’s another can of worms entirely), but he’s experienced the horrors of the fire nation soldiers firsthand. they’ve heavily taxed his village, they’ve taken all of the earthbenders including his dad, they’ve broken into and threatened to burn down his mom’s shop... these are things not easily forgiven, and it’d be interesting to explore his side. but in terms of them as people, i think what’s funny is that both haru and zuko are extremely dramatic and angry and their similarities, while tragic, would also be kind of funny to see. though, i think out of everyone on this list, haru and zuko wouldn’t get that close- i don’t think haru would let himself, but if there was an arc involving zuko gaining his trust on some personal level, maybe it’d be interesting to explore.

all in all, though- haru has been cited as lonely in many of his official characterizations. i’d just like to have some friends, and maybe he’d find them with the gaang.

[dreaming-in-alicante]

Chapter 3 is finally done! Sorry it took longer - finals week happened and it was a harder chapter to write for some reason. I'm excited to finish this story though - we're half-way through :)

Chapter 3: Lighting the flame

Christopher met his friends outside, where they piled into a carriage and set off for the Devil Tavern. The atmosphere between them was still tense; James and Matthew, sitting across from him, were quiet. Christopher wished, as he so often did, that he understood people better. He hated it when they all fought, and now it was partly his fault and he didn’t know how to fix it. Thankfully, James took the initiative.

“Kit,” he began, “we’re sorry for being so confrontational. It’s only you have to understand how it looks from our perspective. Grace’s actions, even if she regrets them, caused a great deal of pain.” James looked troubled.

“Thomas shared some of what you all learned yesterday talking to Jesse,” Matthew said softly. “About how bad things were for her with Tatiana. And it…well I still don’t trust her but it sounds like she’s trying to be – to be better. And I out of everyone should be sympathetic to that.” His hand moved unconsciously to his jacket. He had stopped carrying a flask everywhere but after so many years of drinking, it was still a reflex to reach for the alcohol.

James seemed to notice this motion, and clasped his parabatai’s shoulder briefly in support, then returned his attention to Christopher. “I suppose what I’ll say is that I cannot soon forget what Grace has done, and I prefer to avoid her,” James said carefully, “but I – none of us – should be trying to control who you spend time with Kit. I am sorry. If you trust her, then we shall trust you.”

“Oh, jolly good,” Christopher said, immensely relieved. He hated conflict, especially with his friends. “I am sorry that I didn’t think to mention her helping. She’s the first friend I’ve ever made.”

His friends all looked suddenly gut-punched for some reason. “Kit, do you not think we’re friends?” Matthew asked, appearing quite distressed.

“Of course we are! Aren’t we?” Christopher was, for a second time that evening, horribly confused.

“But you just said –” James began, looking stricken.

“Do you mean she’s the first friend that you personally have made, on your own, Kit?” Thomas asked, understanding Christopher best as usual.

“Precisely!” Christopher said, then realized, “Ah, I understand now how that sounded. I meant that – well, I’m related to two of you and we all just sort of fell in together didn’t we? I have never made a friend on my own.” The rest of the Merry Thieves relaxed visibly.

“Fair enough,” Matthew said, looking relieved. “Honestly Kit, Grace Bla – sorry , Cartwright – out of everyone you could choose for a friend.” He shook his head but there was a teasing glint in his eye.

“She’s really a wonderful lab partner!” Christopher assured them cheerfully. “She’s been organizing everything and making an inventory. And she had a wonderful insight the other day about this reaction with sulfuric acid.”

Thomas shifted on the seat next to Christopher as he said “I never would have expected scientific curiosity from Grace of all people, but she was right at home in that laboratory today.”

“Honestly, it took me a second to recognize her – wearing a dark dress, and those ridiculous goggles that you also wear in the lab,” Matthew said, gesturing at Christopher.

“They may not be fashionable, but they are very important as protective gear,” Christopher told him.

Matthew shuddered slightly but smiled good-naturedly as he said, “And that is why I will never pursue science. Terrible field for the fashion-minded.” This started him on a wild story about finding a new waistcoat earlier that week. Christopher was quite satisfied that peace had been restored, and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the night with his friends.

_________________________________________________________

The following Wednesday, Christopher was even more eager than usual to get to Grosvenor Square – Henry was due to arrive back in London that morning. He was keen to get Henry’s thoughts on several projects, especially the runed guns and the fire messages.

Christopher started the morning by testing another rune combination on a message. This attempt ended, as many did, in a small explosion. He was still putting out a fire on the lab table when Grace arrived for the day. She greeted him briefly before starting to set up a reaction flask. During her organization of the lab she had come across a vial with some mysterious white powder. Christopher had no idea what it was, so they decided it would be an intriguing exercise for her to determine the contents.

Soon after Grace’s arrival, a humming noise sounded, then a whistling, signaling that the elevator down to the lab was in use. Christopher hurried over as the doors opened. “Welcome back, Henry!” he said, grinning.

Henry looked just the same as always, with perhaps a bit more gray in his hair after the stress of the past few months. “Kit, my boy!” he greeted as he maneuvered his Bath chair out of the elevator and towards the lab table. “How are things going? Any progress on those guns with the pithos? And you must help me examine this sample of water I brought back from Alicante, I wonder if we could try using it in another version of demon repelling ointment. Being around so many wards, it may be imbued with some demon-repelling properties.” He reached the work table and paused as he finally noticed Grace standing there. Henry looked bewildered and Christopher struggled to remember whether he had mentioned Grace in his letter to Henry. He was fairlysure that he had.

“Hello!” Henry said to her pleasantly, “You’re the one with the demon powers that was briefly engaged to my son. Gladys, yes?” Well, letter or otherwise, at least Henry remembered her.

“Grace, actually,” she replied, looking tense, her posture stiff. “I do want to apologize again for…everything.”

Henry waved off her concern and said, “It all ended alright didn’t it? Charles Buford will find someone else. And Kit mentioned you’ve been a great help in the lab recently!”

Good, Christopher thought, I did remember to include that in the letter.

“I would actually be quite interested to hear about your power and how it worked. Especially through a bracelet, fascinating!” Henry continued as he maneuvered towards the rack of chemicals.

Grace appeared exceedingly uncomfortable, but quickly warmed up to Henry throughout the day as he described various project ideas to her and took a look at her reactions. By that evening, when all three were involved in a lengthy discussion about runes and the application of runes to invention, it was as if Grace had always been part of the team. Christopher was delighted anew that Grace understood both he and Henry in a way that very few others did.

They finally finished for the night after Charlotte had called down the stairs three times with increasing insistence about coming up for dinner. Grace left to catch a carriage home with a smile on her face. Christopher wished briefly that she could stay longer, but he was comforted by the fact that she would return in the morning.

_________________________________________________________

“Hullo Grace!” Christopher said happily as she entered the lab early the next day. He then bent back down to examine a glass slide under the microscope. Henry was occupied entertaining some visitors with Charlotte, but Christopher was already hard at work. “You must come take a look at this sample of water from Lake Lyn that Henry brought,” he told her. It was fascinating watching the microorganisms move about in the droplet under the lens. When Grace did not immediately respond, he looked up and actually got a good look at her face. “I say, is something wrong, Grace? You’re a bit –” He was about to say ‘splotchy’, for her normally pale face was quite red in parts. He caught himself at the last second however, remembering his mother saying that a gentleman should never remark on a lady’s less-than-favorable appearance. “You look upset,” he said instead. She was not her normal cool and collected self.

He thought that Grace would brush off his concern, and she indeed stiffened and started to turn away. Then she met his gaze and her shoulder slumped in resignation. “I encountered Charles on my way in,” she explained.

“Ah. I forgot that he would be returning with Henry,” Christopher said, wincing. “Things are still awkward after ending the engagement then?”

“More than awkward,” she answered, expression still pinched. “He is still extremely upset that I manipulated his mind. Said I’d made a fool of him and he doesn’t want me in his house.” She set her coat and hat down on the stool with more force than strictly necessary.

Christopher frowned and said, “Technically it’s Henry and Charlotte’s house.”

A faint smile rose on Grace’s lips. “That’s precisely what I told him, and I mentioned that I worked with Henry just yesterday. He then called you both ‘trusting fools’ and made some…unflattering statements about my personage.”

“Well perhaps if we give him some more time, he’ll come round!” Christopher said optimistically. “I suppose it’s easier for me to say since you only used your power on me once or twice compared to the many more times you used it on him.”

Grace looked at him, pale brows drawn together in puzzlement. “I never used my power on you, Christopher,” she said slowly.

Christopher was wholly astonished by her statement. “You – never? Really?” he asked, mentally reeling. “What ho! But the night you came to the laboratory and helped me figure out the pithos I – are you sure?”

Grace shook her head. “Never. I’m completely sure,” she said firmly. “I would have apologized if I had, I –” she stared at him, looking almost indignant. “You really invited me here, have been working with me, and all this time you though I had manipulated you that night? And never gave you a formal apology?” she asked incredulously.

“When you asked about joining me in the lab that first day, you apologized for everything again. I assumed that included any time you used your power on me!” Christopher said, thoughts racing. He had been so eager to help her that night. Although now that he thought about it, they had discussed a lot of science, which he now knew Grace was genuinely interested in. “Why didn’t you?” he asked her, very curious.

Grace hesitated before saying, “I didn’t need to. You weren’t bothered by my being there and you were happy to show me around.” Something flickered in her pale eyes. “I never liked using my power when I could avoid it. I suppose because I knew that it was wrong,” she added. She looked as if she might say something else, but at that moment a whistling noise from the elevator indicated that Henry was on his way down to the lab.

They were soon absorbed in experimenting and discussing theories but at points Christopher found his focus drifting back to their conversation, and even farther back to that first night in the lab. It seemed like Grace had used her power on nearly everyone at some point, yet incredibly, she had never used it on him despite numerous opportunities. Christopher didn’t know what to make of that.

_________________________________________________________

It was just Christopher and Henry in the lab the following day. Grace was training with Jesse, and then planned to take a tour around the city with her brother, Lucie, and Ariadne (who was apparently going by Kamala these days). Christopher could never be bored working with Henry but after having Grace’s constant companionship for nearly a month it was…strange, to be working with only Henry and not her.

The day’s work proved incredibly successful, however. Upon Henry’s suggestion, Christopher added a bridge rune to the fire communication rune he had been tinkering with for months. He was thrilled to observe the message burn up and reform a few feet away. Henry, delighted, helped him replicate the results numerous times to prove that it was a repeatable phenomenon. Henry demonstrated it for a startled Charlotte (she had been interrupted in the middle of writing a letter in her office). She beamed, proud of them both, giving Henry a congratulatory kiss.

Christopher could not wait to share the good news with Grace. He wished she had been there to see it the first time, but no matter – there would be plenty of time to demonstrate it tomorrow.

He and Henry spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get the messages to travel farther than a few feet. Although foiled in these attempts, the breakthrough left them both very pleased as they finished for the day.

_________________________________________________________

Christopher was waiting at the entrance for Grace the next morning, eager to share the news. She looked startled to find him right behind the door as it opened, which he supposed was unusual given that they always met down in the lab. She had barely finished saying good morning before he could not contain his excitement and exclaimed, “You must come see the breakthrough Henry and I made yesterday, Grace! We’re so close to having a working fire-message!” He caught her arm and hurried her to the stairs down to the lab. She seemed a bit disoriented by his sudden enthusiasm but listened intently with a bemused smile as he explained the thought process behind the rune combination they had tried.

They reached the work table and Christopher quickly traced out the new rune. The paper burned up and reformed a few feet in front of them. When it reappeared, Grace grinned widely. “Incredible!” she declared, and she snatched the paper to study the rune. It occurred to Christopher that Grace had a very nice smile. She normally had a serious face, but smiles had become more frequent as the weeks had passed.

“What have you tried adding to this so far?” she asked. Christopher grabbed his notebook and they reviewed what he had recorded the previous day.

“Do you mind if I try some things?” Grace asked. “I’ve been studying that book on runes that Henry gave me – I think I may have a few ideas.”

“By all means!” Christopher told her, delighted. “I could use a break from runes after all the work yesterday. I think I’ll experiment with the Lake Lyn water today and try a demon-repelling ointment again.”

“All right, then,” she said, and set to work with a determined expression.

Later that afternoon, Henry already finished for the day and off to some important dinner, Christopher was checking the now-complete inventory list. “Blast!” he said softly, then called over to Grace, “Do you remember seeing nightshade anywhere when you were organizing?”

She pursed her lips in thought, then shook her head. “No, none,” she answered.

“I suppose I’ll be taking a trip to the Shadow Market tonight then,” Christopher said. He was determined to try combining some nightshade extract with the new demon-repelling ointment he was developing.

“The Shadow Market?” Grace queried, eyebrows raised in interest. “Do you go there often? I wanted to go before when I was looking for something to help Jesse, but I was never confident that I could find my way around.”

“It’s a wonderful place! I have to go fairly often for ingredients that are, er, not strictly approved by the Clave,” he explained. “Oh!” he said, struck by an obvious thought, “would you like to accompany me tonight?”

“I would love to,” Grace said, looking excited. She sent a letter to Jesse to inform him of the change in plans, and eagerly questioned Christopher about various aspects of the Market.

They each wrapped up their work as the sun began to set, the changing sky visible from a high window in the basement. Christopher was locating his coat and hat when he realized he should ask Grace about weapons. It was unlikely they’d face any demons in the carriage or Shadow Market, but it was good to be prepared. She had daggers on her already, but he offered her a seraph blade in addition. Ready, with ingredient list in hand, the set out to the carriage.

Christopher offered Grace an arm up, then followed her in. Their knees brushed together as he settled on the seat opposite Grace and the carriage began moving. Christopher noticed that she looked somewhat flushed. “Would you like the window open?” he asked. “You look a bit warm.”

“No, I’m perfectly comfortable, thank you,” she said, appearing discomposed. “What are you hoping to accomplish with the nightshade that you’ll be getting?” she asked.

Christopher happily launched into a lengthy explanation of his thought process and the previous attempts at demon-repelling ointment, and the discussion lasted them all the way to the Shadow Market.

[gnar-slabdash]

I made my friend watch Leverage with me and we just finished season 5 last night. He asked something I haven't considered about the reboot - how are they going to explain Sophie coming back but not Nate when in the season finale Nate proposed and they left together? Now I'm worried they're going to break up Nate and Sophie. Any thoughts on how they'll explain Nate not being in the reboot?

BOY HOWDY have I ever got some thoughts on that. ALL OF THESE THOUGHTS HURT. The fact is there is no way this can go that will not hurt me in one way or another, and I’m just gonna have to accept that. That said, here are some options. . . . 1) This isn’t my own idea, but I saw somebody kind of jokingly suggest they write it as sort of a comedy of errors where Nate is still AROUND but constantly JUST misses being onscreen, and actually I kind of love it. Having loved both  Frasier and Columbo growing up (one of these aged much better than the other lol), I LOVE the trope of the character who’s talked about all the time but never seen. I don’t think they should ACTUALLY do this because it feels too irreverant to me, but then again, maybe I’m just In Too Deep and it’s actually exactly the right level of irreverant. Regardless, it’s fun to imagine all the different ways it could go. 2) Similar but less funny, I would honestly be okay with it if they just had a decent reason why Nate couldn’t be there for the entire season/series/whatever -- not that he and Sophie broke up, but just that he has something else to do. He’s on his boat incommunicado and doesn’t even know this is happening. He’s running Leverage Europe. He’s in inpatient rehab. All totally plausible options that maintain the status quo, which is not a super dynamic way to handle it, but it is a solid possibility. 3) This next one is actually my FAVORITE idea, but it’s VERY ANGSTY and VERY SPECIFIC to the very particular type of angst that I love. In the Hannibal Lecter BOOKS, at the end of the first book Will Graham’s wife/girlfriend/partner/whatever breaks up with him while he’s in the hospital after being brutally attacked and horribly scarred. Then from then on, we never hear from him again except for ONE LINE in the next book that reveals how he is now bumming around in Florida drinking too much and fixing boats. It’s just such a horribly desolate way to abandon a main character, and my angsty crimebrain would LOVE for the same thing to happen to Nate. I don’t expect it to happen because on the surface it looks like it’s reversing his character arc, and that’s a horrible thing to do. But if you look a little closer? There’s a lot that goes unresolved. He never actually quits drinking, the crew just stops treating it as a serious problem. It’s kind of implied that he’s cut back such that it’s NOT a problem anymore, but it’s still pretty much constant and it’s GOING to get worse if anything changes for the worse. And speaking of things changing for the worse, Nate never actually resolves the question of what he will DO when he quits the crew. Sophie has directing and teaching; she’ll be fine. Nate has. . . . a boat. . . . and Sophie. A boat and a Sophie, while both great things, are NOT the makings of a productive life, especially for someone like Nate. He’s going to be bored out of his skull. And when he gets bored, he causes problems, mostly for himself. He’s going to either be extremely clingy and base his life around Sophie, which will be awful for her, or he’s going to just disappear on the boat without telling her for weeks at a time. And he is going to drink more. So I absolutely consider it plausible and in character for Nate to ruin what he has going at the end of Season Five, and wind up in Florida, fixing boats and drinking too much. And if it were me writing it, that’s what I’d do, and I’d even find a way to imply, without infringing on copyright, that Will Graham is his neighbor/drinking buddy/only friend.  4) You wanna know what I honestly think the writers are gonna do? I think they’re gonna kill him. And I think it’s gonna suck, but it’s gonna be the best possible option. There are so many things they can do with it. Sophie will obviously be the one to turn up for a visit out of the blue, to everyone’s excitement, only to burst all their bubbles when somebody asks “Where’s Nate?” Parker for sure will go on thinking that he’s faking for a heartbreakingly long time and then have a big moment where she accepts that he’s really dead. Eliot will take on the vengeance spree and have one of those conflicts where he has to decide whether to kill the guy responsible or whether doing so would undo everything he’s learned and worked for. Hardison has been playing snail-mail chess with Nate ever since he left and he will keep a half-finished game set up on the briefing room table for a very very long time until it gets knocked over somehow and then he has to really move on, and there’s a big moment where he resets the board and starts playing a new game with one of the new characters.  

[kuryoomi]

scars to your beautiful (kageyama x reader)

➸  genre: angst and fluff.

➸  pairing: kageyama tobio x reader.

➸  word count: 1.5k

a/n: wHEW. i wanted to write something meanigful, but idk how it turned out !! honestly idek if this is either angst or not lowkey,,, heart fingers.

synopsis: kageyama helps (y/n) love and embrace the scars from her past.

WARNING! mentions of relationship abuse.

ouch.

warm, red blood oozed out of the exposed wound, the sharp pain visible on your face. from your left side, a little boy was apologizing to you several times with tears in his eyes. and from your right, kageyama extended an arm to lend you a hand.

"thank you." you took his hand and pulled your body up from the ground, blood still gushing out from your scraped knee.

"i'm s-so s-sorry!" the little boy sobbed in between his words.

smiling at him, you shook your head before patting his head, "i'm fine! still moving, you see?" you shook your leg to prove yourself to the little boy.

"still, be careful. you might seriously injure yourself if you don't!" teasingly, you scolded the little boy, causing him to nod his head ferociously.

"i'll b-be careful next t-time!" swallowing his tears, the little boy picked up his skateboard before running off.

seeing as the boy disappeared from their sight, you let out a breath before stumbling to keep your balance.

"oi! don't fall!" kageyama pulled you back up, "c'mon, i'll help you get seated."

he helped (carried) your body while searching for an empty bench in the park. spotting one in the distance, he continued supporting you before setting you down on the empty, wooden bench.

adjusting your position to your comfort, a sigh left your lips.

"of course this had to happen." you thought to yourself, "i knew this day was going too smoothly for my own liking! ugh, why can't my first date with tobio be a success?? curse you, bad luck!!"

"(y/n)." kageyama interrupted your thoughts, "can you roll up your jeans for me?" he was knelt in front of you, one knee up and the other knee down.

"huh?!" you snapped out of your internal conflict, "why?"

oh no.

"so that i can see your injury." he pointed directly at your knee, "the blood is seeping through your jeans."

oh no. anything but that.

"pfft, i'm sure it's fine! no big deal." you swung your legs back and forth, "you see?" unknowingly, your face gave away your pain.

he took one look at your before shaking his head, "(y/n), don't be ridiculous."

you hung your head, avoiding his eyes, before beginning to slowly roll up your jeans. as more skin got exposed, your fingers hesitated.

kageyama noticed your hesitation and helped you roll your jeans up, thinking that the pain prevented you from continuing,

"no— wait!"

a long jagged scar snaked down the side of your leg, close to your knee. the skin around the mark was slightly discolored, suggesting that it did not heal properly. this was something you did not want kageyama to see, at all. but what could you do? lady luck was not on your side today. you grimaced, too afraid to see the male's reaction.

without any comments, kageyama stood up from the ground and turned his back towards the female.

"i'll be right back." he spoke before jogging away from the bench.

oh no.

he thinks they're ugly.

oh nonono.

what if he decides that i'm worthless—

haha, no way.

as if.

tobio isn't that kind of person...

is he?

amidst your worries and doubts, you noticed kageyama return from somewhere with a plastic bag hanging from his grasp. you jumped up from the wooden park bench, ready to explain yourself.

"t-tobio! you're back!" you shuffled your feet nervously as he stopped in front of you with his eyes on yours, "don't worry! i can explain my— my um. my scars! haha see, i was in this crazy relationship a few years back and my boyfriend wasn't exactly the best person alive. b-but it's all good now! he received his punishment and i'm—"

partially listening to your rambles, kageyama silently sat you back down on the bench. without a single word, he retrieved the item he bought from the convenience store (a first-aid kit) and opened it up before quickly soaking a piece of cotton with bottled water.

"we have to clean up your wound, first." he spoke calmly as his hands dabbed the piece of cotton on your knee.

unable to process his actions, you watched as he peeled off a bandaid before sticking it onto your wound. he pressed his fingers against it lightly, the bandaid sticking well to your skin. he was gentle, almost as if he were working with fragile glass, yet firm at the same time.

"and now we're finished." he smiled softly and awkwardly made jazz hands, signaling his finished work. still struck by silence, your eyes were glued on him as you watched kageyama throw away everything except the first-aid kit, "tobio.."

he returned back to the bench and sat down, his hand reaching out to give you whatever was left inside the first-aid kit.

"here. don't want you being unprepared again." with a kind smile on his lips, kageyama leaned back against the bench and stretched him arms out, "now you can continue your story, if you want. i'm here to listen."

oh.

initially, you weren't sure how to feel when he offered his ears to you. strange, right? just moments ago, you were desperately trying to explain yourself, your scars, to him. but now that he was actually listening, it was odd.

as shocking as it may seem, you weren't used to someone offering to listen to your voice, your past, your story. maybe it was because of this reason that you actually felt nervous to say anything.

but you were compelled to tell him. this guy, who had only known you for a couple of weeks, had knocked down any barrier you had built from a previous relationship, in a matter of minutes.

was it the way he looked? at you? or was it because of his caring gestures— you had no idea. whatever it was, it worked to his favor. you instantly desired to spill everything out to him. after all, you just couldn't hide it in any longer.

"my- uh. my ex-boyfriend was abusive, both physically and mentally. he would verbally tear me down with harsh words before resolving our fight with his fists. honestly speaking, it wasn't even a fight. whenever he spat out insults to me, it was all one-sided."

you paused, contemplating on whether or not to continue. spilling details about your painful past was overwhelming, to say the least. you swung your legs back and forth, allowing your silence calm you down. luckily, kageyama was patient.

"he told me that i was ugly with all these scars—said that i should be grateful he was at least willing to be with me, even though he was the one who gave me these."

another pause, with kageyama's eyes widened the slightest bit out of anger.

"my parents eventually found out, even though i didn't want to trouble them with anything, and they reported him. he received his punishment, and i got a restraining order! happy ending to a not-so happy story." immediately, you faked a laugh and encouraged a smile on your face, as if to show kageyama that everything was alright now.

but kageyama saw through it. vividly. even if both the corners of your lips curled upwards, your eyes betrayed you. no matter how convincing your smile looked, if the eyes weren't sincere then nothing was.

you gulped softly, expecting the silence from him. you figured he was processing the information you had given himㅡ it was a lot to take in, after all.

"your ex-boyfriend seemed like an ass." he stated bluntly after a painful silence as his body turned towards to face you.

"yeah, he was. i honestly don't know why i stayed with him." another laugh escaped your lips, nervously this time, "maybe i depended on him too much. pathetic, right?" you glanced down before lifting your wounded knee upwards, "now, i got all these ugly scars marking me for the rest of my life."

"they're not ugly."

you turned your head to the side, "excuse me?"

he shrugged, "your scars. they're not ugly." kageyama said once more, "nothing on your body should be considered as ugly. why would they be?"

"because they make my body seemㅡ destroyed."

he shook his head, "no. your scars show everyone how brave you are. how you survived through the worst of times to make it to the present."

kageyama crossed his arms before continuing, "the scars on your body from your past make up your own constellations. if anything, you should be proud and embrace them."

you bit your lip. since your previous breakup, the concept of loving your body seemed impossible. of course, you'd been trying for years now, but failed every single time. heck, was it even possible? you wanted verbal assurance.

"doㅡ do you think i'm capable of embracing them?" you asked, your voice laced with hope.

kageyama stared at the female, a brief moment of silence between the two of you. he was positive that you were more than able to embrace your scars. you were strong in his eyes. of course, he was willing to help you in any way, shape, or form.

with a hand on top of your head, he gave you a small smile before nodding his head, "absolutely."