#each of them had an important role at some point in my life

[buddieism]

tommy's character, bucktommy's inherent flaws, tommy & eddie as mirrors and buddie endgame; a (lengthy) meta analysis

honestly, what's really confirmed my feelings about tommy (and the imminent bucktommy bones -> buddie pipeline) is that there have now been multiple opportunities for the writers to actually make tommy a likeable/serious love interest for buck and they just…haven’t. because while fans are naturally going to overanalyse every little thing, the vast majority of the show's audience are regular viewers who consume the show at face value and don't think twice about it -- so if tommy was intended to be buck's endgame or anything remotely close to it, they'd absolutely want to make the most of his (very limited) screen time to present him in the best light they could. think about karen, the only non-main LI, and how she was introduced to us -- despite hen's cheating, we can see how dedicated karen and hen are to each other and how karen is a complex character in her own right who is immediately easy to root for and love.

comparatively, when we look at tommy's s7 appearances and specifically his interactions with buck, it becomes abundantly clear that there isn't really much depth to their relationship at all. which is fine! it's just... you know. fine. let's get into it.

following the cruise arc, we watch tommy through buck's eyes in 7x04 where he's basically wining and dining eddie -- flying him to vegas, getting them front row tickets to a fight, sparring with him in muay thai, playing pick up basketball with him -- tommy and eddie are so similar (which we'll come back to later), and we even get that line from eddie about how well they "click." as the audience, we are being subconsciously told to align tommy and eddie together -- and furthermore, we are told that tommy can easily make grand gestures when he wants to. now let's compare that to the bucktommy moments of the season.

bucktommy's first date: tommy makes a shady comment that would have outed buck if eddie or marisol caught onto it and then proceeds to abandon him on the sidewalk because he thinks buck isn't "ready" for a relationship with a man

i'll be objective here -- i understand in a show like 911 there's always going to be "unnecessary" relationship conflict for the sake of drama and i can also see how buck trying to play off their date as platonic to eddie might have put a bad taste in tommy's mouth. but we hear from tommy himself that he struggled with being open about his sexuality when he was at the 118 so he could have absolutely extended some sympathy towards buck for not wanting to come out on the spot to his best friend -- especially when tommy fully knows how important of a role eddie plays in buck's life. at the very least, he didn't have to leave buck alone on the curb. this isn't me trying to woobify buck because yeah, he's a grown man, he's fine -- but that doesn't mean it still isn't a bit of an asshole move.

the bachelor party: tommy doesn't dress up for the theme and dismisses buck when he's clearly disappointed about him doing so

tommy showing zero interest for the bachelor party buck planned is practically the writers waving a massive red flag in front of the camera -- him having to leave because he's on call is an understandable 'conflict' plot point but why not have him show up in an 80s themed outfit? it wouldn't have changed anything except that he and buck would have had a positive interaction; buck would have been happy that tommy cared enough to make that small gesture and it could have been a cute way to establish their relationship as one built on mutual effort. (btw, the bucktommy hospital kiss could be seen as a big gesture, sure -- but from a more practical viewpoint knowing how rushed this season had to be, it was also just an easy way for buck to "come out" to the rest of the 118 without having to spend too much episode airtime on it.)

the medal ceremony: tommy says 'enjoy it while it lasts' (which, LOL) and also is not shown reacting to buck receiving his medal. he also has a conversation with henren in a deleted scene.

again, i'm going to try to give tommy the benefit of the doubt -- i'm not saying he has to be sunshine and rainbows all the time and i have no issue with a character having a snarky/sarcastic side. but when his screentime is so minimal, every line of dialogue matters. and it's pretty damning that the writers aren't taking those few chances to give us something to appreciate about him. with buck, tommy makes a dismissive comment for literally zero reason, and with hen and karen, who are rightfully looking out for their friend, tommy refuses to take them seriously at all.

bucktommy's dinner in the finale: buck displays some vulnerability about losing bobby, and tommy... really doesn't seem to care.

honestly i refuse to rewatch this part of the ep because it really icks me out on another level but iirc: buck says he's glad bobby's okay because bobby is like the father he never had -> tommy says "your father's alive" -> something something joke about daddy issues. ignoring #that joke entirely, it's really insane to me that they have tommy even acknowledge the nuclear bomb that is buck's relationship with his parents. yes, we had a bit of a ham-fisted 'redemption arc' in s6 but that doesn't negate the buckley parents being absolutely heinous and the fact that buck verbalises how bobby played the role of the father figure because philip didn't -- all for tommy to basically deny that to his face -- is absurd. tommy has expressed on multiple occasions that he's jealous of the 118 family bond, so this line is just... very interesting to me.

now, let's recap all these events and bring eddie back into the mix!

post-bucktommy's first date, buck is more torn up about the fact that he lied to eddie than the actual date to the point that he has to vent to maddie about it. he then comes out to eddie, who is incredibly supportive (and oliver and ryan make some very curious acting choices indeed). eddie is reiterated as one of buck's most significant relationships.

pre-bachelor party, eddie is the one to suggest he and buck dress in matching (queer-coded) costumes. he then stays by buck's side at the party when everyone else leaves and although we'll never get to see it (tim minear i'm inside your walls👹), they sing an absurdly romantic karaoke song together. eddie is reiterated as one of buck's most significant relationships.

during the medal ceremony, when the camera pans to each member of the 118's love interest/family, it is eddie we are shown smiling at buck, not tommy. this is especially interesting considering we get buck reacting to tommy. i honestly can't get over how a reciprocated tommy reaction would have been an easy yet significant moment to cement bucktommy as a relationship, but they gave us eddie's instead (with chris in the background and marisol conveniently obscured, mind you). eddie is reiterated as one of buck's most significant relationships.

in the final episode, when eddie is experiencing his personal worst nightmare, buck is the one at eddie's side every step of the way. buck talks to christopher, buck reassures eddie (without judgement), and it's made clear that buck will be there for eddie, whatever he needs.

at every possible opportunity, we the audience are being implicitly told that eddie is buck's person. he is his place of support (buck having his more vulnerable coming out scene with eddie rather than his sister); he has buck's back (the bachelor party); he is his family (medal ceremony reaction), and ultimately, this goes both ways (finale).

some other things worth noting: when buck has his coming out scene with maddie, she tells him he's confused about his feelings in a way that seems to indicate she's talking about his feelings towards eddie ("if you there's something you need to tell eddie, you will"). in bobby's conversation with buck in the firehouse, he's verbally supportive of tommy and even asks if buck is going to see him, but buck goes to eddie's house instead. these were deliberate choices made by the writers; eddie has been consistently intertwined in bucktommy's relationship both overtly and subtextually throughout the entirety of s7. and let's not even get into the whole 'evan' thing, because that could be a whole other post in itself.

from the first moment we start to learn about tommy's character (beyond his... coloured past), we find out that he and eddie are practically mirrors. why not make tommy and buck share similar interests? why not give them something to bond over? why present tommy and eddie as almost identical in every way? because tommy is a placeholder for eddie. buck's initial bisexuality journey can't happen with eddie when eddie still hasn't come to terms with his own feelings. so, in the meantime, tommy is the "safe" choice in buck's mind because buck has nothing to lose with tommy whereas he's got everything to lose with eddie. buck can't confront what he truly wants yet because the risk factor is far greater and it's been repeatedly asserted that buck has an issue with people in his life leaving -- he would never do anything to jeopardise his relationship with eddie.

but ultimately (and in my opinion, fairly soon), we are going to get that moment where it "clicks" for buck and he realises that it is eddie he has feelings for. and when that happens, there's basically only one way it can go. we know buck can't keep secrets from eddie; we know eddie is going into s8 feeling "isolated"; we know tim loves making his characters suffer before they can be happy. in my mind, the narrative is going to go something like this: buck feelings realisation -> pining buck era -> eddie healing journey and a reevaluation of what buck means to him -> some insane life-threatening situation that really doubles down on how buck and eddie care more about each other than anyone else because it is 9-1-1 at the end of the day -> love confession induced by their dramatic near-death experience -> #BUDDIE_CANON !

when we factor in how there was a possibility of eddie having the sexuality arc this season instead, how tim has said buddie is one of his favourite dynamics of the show, and how supportive both oliver and ryan are of the ship, i really can't see how everything isn't building to buddie endgame. every other main pairing of the show has had seasons of development, of conflict, of bonding moments. buck and eddie have gone through that with each other time and time over (tsunami/lawsuit/shooting arc etc), which is why every other random love interest that's introduced for either of them falls flat in comparison. they quite literally are exactly what the other person needs; buck wants the stability of a home, a family, and unconditional love; eddie wants someone he can trust, a caretaker for his son but also a partner. buddie is the ship the audience wants to root for, because we know they work! now that we have canonically bisexual buck and eddie finally having to face his complicated feelings about losing shannon, buddie isn't just the logical conclusion -- it's the inevitable one.

[jewishconvertthings]

I can't remember if I've posted about this before, but tonight I was reminded by a class of a thing that I think may be helpful for some folks.

Because converting is *so* permanent and irreversible, and one should take it at least as seriously as entering a marriage (with the understanding that there is no divorce, only alienation), I think it's honestly a good idea to wait until you've had a major fight with your Judaism before you complete your conversion.

It's the same principle as wanting to wait until you've been sick with the flu together or had a major life setback or are lost at 2 a.m. on a road trip with your fiance before you actually get married. In that case, you want to know (1) what does this scenario bring out in them? (2) what does this scenario bring out in you? (3) how do those things interact with each other? and, most importantly: (4) how do you resolve it together?

With Judaism, it's easy to fall in love with Torah. It's easy to fall in love with an idealized version of your community. With the rituals and the liturgy and the music and the ruach.

It's harder to learn a point of halacha that hurts deeply and to be forced to reconcile what you know in your bones is right with the reality of the words of Torah and its interpretation by the rabbis. It's harder to meet your congregation in love and tochecha when they have fallen short of their vision and failed you in important ways. It's harder to force yourself to engage in mitzvot that you don't see the point in or that are boring or repetitious or do not spark joy.

And until you know how you will react when (not if) that happens, until you know how you will resolve it - or if you will even want to - you aren't ready to commit to something you can't just take off.

Sometimes it sucks to be a Jew. Sometimes Torah is more yoke than honey. Sometimes you're just not feeling it. And that's okay! That doesn't make you an imposter or a bad Jew; it makes you human. But you still need to address it, because that day will come.

I love being Jewish with all my heart, but there are parts of Torah that are like a knife in my soul. For me, the way I resolve it, is that those things in particular are the shards my neshama was sent to liberate the sparks from. We live in a broken, unredeemed world, and sometimes you should feel that, acutely. That is part of being a Jew, that you are sensitized to the world and its suffering. But it should still, in the end, lift you up. It should not break you, and you should not have to cut off major pieces of yourself to fit the role. Hitting that wall and feeling that pain before you immerse in the mikvah can really open your eyes to what kind of Jew you want to be - or if you actually want to carry this burden as well as taste its sweetness.

[rin-and-jade]

Are You? What about You? Them? : A Post about Differentiating Types of Parts.

We all know that spiderman meme where they pointed to each other because they share similar qualities that confuses their selves;

Like this. Right?

They all sounded so similar that we neither knew which is which at first glance..

And so, at the end of this post you will be confident in pointing out who is who, just like a spiderman who can tell apart from its own multiverse friends, that is. So let's get pointing to the smaller details!

How it works..

We know what it's like to be conscious, yeah? What if i were to tell you that yes, there are varying degrees of consciousness, and that we all can fluctuate on those levels too?

The levels of consciousness can vary from only being aware of its physical surroundings and react instinctually (lesser level), to being able to self-introspect and understand what they like and dislike (higher level). This is all dependent on many different factors and i want to clarify that it takes more than just 'awareness' to tell a fragment apart from an alter for example. But, still important to know what level its at.

This explains why shards, and fragments are less flexible when facing an issue, as they're more limited or not as equipped as an alter in terms of reasoning or level of logic/knowledge. So why is that? It can be from the intensity of dissociation, and other things like how much implicit and explicit memories it retains, this includes experiences.

How to tell them apart..

Sure, theres a spectrum to this too, as every type of part can be a bit different though still can categorized loosely, not meaning it has to fit perfectly to the box :

1. No sense of identity and, or tangible form/shape outside of performing a specific task, or hold a single memory/mood. (Shard)

2. Small sense of identity (a trait that is distinctive/distinguishable), possibly have a less blurry appearance than level 1 and still performs specific tasks, have little to no memories/range of emotions. (Shard)  

3. Mish mash of small qualities, but not enough to encapsulate an identity/personality, may have a sense of existing, and can emotionally react to environment/situation. Usually have a defined innerworld form, and may retain some memories but depends on origin, still fixed on role. (Fragment)

4. Has a developed dominant facet, which can be seen more lively and autonomous compared from level 1-3,, but still a bit rigid and have a narrow/limited view in general. Can distinguish and identify feelings, and have goals/hobbies/interests, self curiosity/exploration to function outside role. (Fragment, leaning to alter)  

5. Has a multifaceted personality in which it cannot defined by one word, fully knows its likes and dislikes, long term goals, morals, and a complex view on life. May have developed purpose outside role job, pursuing self-fulfillment. (Alter)

So in conclusion, shards are not wholly self aware and rely on current implicit memories, from my own system experience shards feels so blank, lifeless, somewhat robotic. Fragments have a partial sense of autonomy, it can rationalize and react to its own accord, reason, and learn/explore,, though had not fully know who they are. Alters are like any other usual people, where it has accumulated knowledge and experience that had shaped then throughout existing, reinforcing a faceted sense of self and purpose.

Growth to perfection..

Are you also wondering if shards and fragments can grow to an alter? The answer is, yes! Though some can be stuck in a certain stage, which is nothing to be ashamed about, and doesn't need changing.

Though, this takes a really long time and process, i note my own fragments will reach to a stage where it barely matches the loose category of an alter in 6 months, and to be a fully developed alter, it might need a whole year (okay this is my own calculations, other people will have it slower or faster).

To grow a shard towards a fragment category, my theory is that you have to interact with, and let them immerse/exprience the real world by supervision (outside of its role task) to develop more environmental, and self awareness. They will be very limited in terms of knowledge and names so this is a good time to start introducing these, and they may not even realize they exists themselves before sometimes,, try nudging them activities to experiment, and foods to taste, examine emotion wheel.. theres a lot to start from.

To grow a fragment to an alter, start introducing other views and complex topics, the goal here is to create a more developed understanding of life. From my experience, all my fragments have a dominant facet, e.g. angry dog vibes; and slowly let them learn how to be soft, or act more polite,, it will slowly solidify as a new facet, now capable of being kind and not always behaving threatening/i-will-still-bite-you attitude to every situation, as it now can be more flexible which facet it should use depending on situation.

Last words..

So, you are now an educated spiderman who can not only point out, but understand the basics of why,, and how to grow a part to have a better sense of awareness!

Let me know in the comments, i would like to hear why the part you had specifically picked/chose is possibly a shard/fragment/alter from your own reasoning and interactive mini discussion with me,, lets finally put them into real practice yeah?

Also, Happy Valentines, *offers you a free heart chocolate*

- j, your educational fiancée

[set-wingedwarrior]

My most important sapphic ships post before Pride Month ends

What the title says, studying kept (and still keeps me) busy so we gotta go fast lol

Bumbleby (RWBY)

to the surprise of absolutely no one, they get first place (despite me not going in a particular order) because of reasons. They're perfect. Soulmates. Slowburn of all time. Yin and Yang. Eyes the color of each other's souls. Truest OTP to ever OTP in my book. ∞/10

Konosetsu (Negima!)

I already talked about them in their own post, this scene changed my life leading to my self-discovery and it still lives rent-free in my mind.

Kyosaya (Madoka Magica)

I'd also add MadoHomu but I'm trying to keep it to just one for each fandom. That said, they still make me mentally unwell. I love them, and I did for a long time now. I can't wait for the next movie to come out and suffer.

Ruby and Sapphire (Steven Universe)

These bitches had the first cartoon gay wedding and kiss DO I NEED TO SAY MORE???

Korrsami (Avatar)

Still down the queer cartoons making history path, these two made me insane back in the day because I still didn't understand I was queer and lots of sapphic couple were starting to appear in media, and I remember jokingly say how "lesbian ships were hauting me". All I can say now is "Thank you" lol. Anyway, they were incredibly important and all the people criticizing how little queerness there's in the show will never understand just how massive this scene was.

Catradora (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

Friends to Enemies to back to Friends to Lovers. Iconic. I still want a movie with their adventures bringing magic back to the universe.

Hollstein (Carmilla)

My third beloved blonde with a cat gf ship. I miss this web-series every day. Also, Natasha Negovanlis played an immense role in my gay awakening.

Ellie and Riley (The Last of Us: Left Behind)

Ellie and Dina are adorable and I love them, BUT I just will never get over these two. That dlc fucked me up. (also, they're in the same category with Korrasami as "gay ships that hauted me before I realized I was queer" lol)

Lumity (The Owl House)

I remember starting this show feeling it as the successor of Steven Universe, at least to me. We could say that at level of mistreatment from its parent company, it defenitely surpassed it, but at least I'm glad I was right and we got Luz and Amity becoming canon. I love these two and not a day passes without me yelling at Disney for what it did to them.

Bubbline (Adventure Time)

I actually watched Adventure Time fully only recently, but I always loved them even when I watched the show randomly when it appeared in tv back in the day. Getting to see the progression properly just made me love them even more.

Yasammy (Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous/Chaos Theory)

Incredibly recent addition, but I am so glad that I checked out Camp Cretaceous and got into it. It's a nice show and these two are a really cute couple, their confession and especially Yaz's internal turmoil were just so on point. I was really happy to see them go still strong in Chaos Theory, and I can't wait for next season.

Pricefield (Life is Strange)

These two caused me pain in the best possible way. I felt literal heartbreak at the Bay Ending, and I was just as emotional at the Bae one (Bae > Bay Forever) I hope the new game will respect their relationship OR ELSE.

Wow, this is quite the list. I do have an amazing taste, if I do say so myself, ahah!

Well, I guess this is it for now, glad I could make it before Pride Month was over! Knowing myself I might have actually forgotten some though, so keep an eye out for possible updates (what makes me even think that you'd care? lol).

That would be all, be gay and do crimes! Bye!

[owlwithanapple]

Blossom ❤️‍🔥🌸

Content : First love/Young love/Kissing...

Characters : Jonathan Kent x Y/N Wayne

17 years old—

“Everyone, sit down. We have a new student in our class today.”

“Damian! It’s a new student!” Jon said excitedly.

“I know… no need repeat it.” Damian said impatiently.

The moment you stepped into the classroom, saw your twin brother Damian Wayne. After writing name on the blackboard, you turned to your classmates with a bright and sunny smile on your face to show friendly attitude. The classmates focused attention on you. What was shocking was you and Dami had a very different personality. You were optimistic and positive, while he was cold and indifferent. Although were twins, but still different.

Jon was surprised and pulled Dami's sleeve and whispered, "She's your sister?!"

Dami covered his head and sighed helplessly, "Shut up, Jon."

Daddy once said you are the type of person who is charming and will attract a lot of attention. You are the only one in family who has the biggest contrast with them. Your optimistic and cheerful personality attracts the attention of many classmates. During lunch time, everyone gathered around you to chat. You didn't know how to get rid of them, until your brother walked into the crowd.

"Hey. Get out of my way. Stay away from my sister." Thanks to Dami's help, your classmates finally gave you some space.

"Dami... I..." You looked straight at his expressionless face.

"You're welcome as usual." He teased you with his hands in pockets.

"Haha, thanks for the compliment?" You laughed for some reason.

"Hello, Damian's sister! My name is Jonathan Kent, just call me Jon." The boy with glasses who stood behind Dami greeted you warmly and cutely.

"Hi, just call me Y/N. Dami's friend, also my friend." You said generously.

Jon had a smile on face but suddenly became shy and hid behind Dami to secretly look at you. He was Dami's good friend, and personality was opposite of your brother's. It was impressive when first met him. Dami glared at you and left the class. You understood what he meant so you left your desk and followed him. You walked to a quiet place, where you two were alone. To be honest, your brother's personality was so arrogant and unique charm.

"Father arrange it?" he asked.

"Yes. He wanted me to get in touch with ordinary life." You smiled calmly.

"TT. Come to school, and same school." He covered his forehead and sighed.

"It's just class, as a leisure and entertainment." You swayed back and forth in front of him.

"What about Robin?" he asked.

"Hmm... I want to try, wonder if dad will allow it." You turned around and looked at him.

Suddenly, an inexplicable fierceness surged, you knew where it came from, you stared at your cold brother with a smile in your eyes. You knew very well how important Robin was, he relied on dad very much, wanted to be the best Robin and fight side by side with Batman. But you are not interested in the role of Robin, just curious.

"Don't worry, I have the ability but won't snatch it. There are so many Robins, I will look inconspicuous." You enjoy the solemn atmosphere he brings without worry.

"I'll give you a piece of advice, if you want to snatch it, do your best to snatch it. Robin is not as simple as you think." His tone became heavy.

"That's why I said I won't snatch it." You smiled.

The brother and sister are not arguing but enlightening each other. Each has own mission. You have your own sense of propriety. It is a wise choice not to intervene in the dispute. There must be conflicts between people, but you choose to maintain good communication with others, whether family or friends. The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. You have secretly reminded Daddy and Dami several times, but didn't stop them. With your ability and wisdom, there is no need. Mommy's education is different from Daddy's philosophy, and your point of view is also different.

"Hey~ Damian! Y/N!" Jon ran towards you two.

"Tsk, the annoying one." Dami scratched his head impatiently.

"Jon!" You were jumping and laughing enthusiastically.

"Hey... Hey... Hey...!" Jon braked and stopped in front of you, not daring to raise his head.

"Hey~ Jon." You leaned close to his face and blinked, keeping a close distance with him.

"Wow!" He blushed and immediately dodged you, hiding behind Dami.

"Don't get so close to me, it's hot..." Dami complained reluctantly.

"Sorry..." Jon apologized like a puppy.

The interaction between the two of them is really good. Such a stubborn and arrogant brother can become friends with Jon who is lively and cheerful. Your brother is the least good at dealing with the character and one of the least suitable people for Jon to meet. It is really an interesting combination of two people. Your stomach is rumbling, you leave that place to find food and fill hungry stomach, before run far, you turn back smile and wave goodbye.

"Tsk..." Dami looked at your back indifferently. At this time, he noticed Jon's face was red and full of joy. He pushed Jon with his arm to pull him back to reality.

"Sorry! What's wrong!" Jon was panicked.

"Since my sister came into the class, you acting weird." Although Dami is very indifferent, he still cares about his sister, not completely zero.

"It is ...?" Jon whistled in his mouth to ease the tension.

"I'm warning you, don't think about my sister." Dami left these threatening words, and Jon realized he was really in trouble.

At night—

You followed dad to the Batcave, Batman's hideout. Looked around and were shocked by these technological caves, which were filled with countless efforts and sweat from your dad. You had underestimated your his ability, but now have seen it with your own eyes and realized how good he is. You looked carefully, everything was unfamiliar.

While you were appreciating these wonderful moments, he took you to a room with many glass display case containing equipment. Many equipment of Batman and other partners were gathered here, you walked forward curiously to observe carefully. It was the first time in your life that saw such a huge base, and this was the meaning of Dad's protection.

"Y/N, come here." Dad stood next to a glass display case.

"Here we go~" The equipment lights up your eyes. The R design on the chest represents Robin, the bright yellow cape, the red and green combination, the mini skirt and the black tight pants, just like the image design of the male version of Robin in previous generations, then mix and match the female version.

"Do you want to put it on? It's customized for you." Daddy waited silently on the side.

"I want it!" Daddy avoided it, and you put it on quickly. You look at yourself, reflecting the vivid brilliance on your body. The bright colors are as eye-catching as the first generation Robin. The brothers used to debut with Robin, now they are expanding themselves in different fields.

You stepped out of the door, turned around and put hands on waist, posing your own unique posture, showing energetic and charming temperament. Daddy walked forward with a smile on face to help you adjust cloak. He held your shoulders looked at you as he had something to say but couldn't express.

"Little princess! It suits you so well!" Your brother Dick Grayson, Daddy's adopted eldest son, Nightwing himself. He rushed over give you a big hug, lifted you up in the air and turned around a few times before putting you down.

"Thank you for the compliment." You turned around gracefully and saluted.

"Wow, my little princess has become Robin~" He expressed his opinion proudly.

"She's just doing an internship." Dad on the side interrupted.

"Hm, that's right. The little princess has no actual combat experience." He touched your head regretfully.

"Can I go out with brother tonight!" Your eyes are shining, even dad and brother have trouble controlling them. The two of them discuss it while you wait and do warm-up exercises.

"Little princess, come with me today!" Dick was very happy.

"Keep an eye on her. If something goes wrong, retreat and don't force it." Dad warned you two.

"Wish me good luck~" You pecked Daddy on the cheek, and excitedly went to the scene to experience Robin's busy life.

After reaching the high place, Dick introduced the Robin equipment one by one. The Grapple Gun on your waist is a must, allowing to fly and escape at high altitudes at will. You took it out and shot it towards the opposite side, tightened it, ran at full speed, turned over in the air and swung in that direction, and landed there smoothly. You opened arms and looked at Dick. He came in front and touched your hair several times.

"Good job! You are so brave!" He applauded you repeatedly.

"Hehehe! ~" You are full of confidence.

"If you perform well, maybe Batman will make you Robin." Dick brought up the topic that you care about.

"Nah... I'm just curious." You hesitated a little.

"Don't you want to be Robin?" He asked you curiously.

"I haven't thought about it. I'm just curious what you do every day? And why Dami is so determined to help dad?" You responded to his answer with a question.

"Hmm... I see. I thought you moved here for this reason."

"Nah... I'm here to enjoy life." You curled lips and smiled.

"Nightwing!" A familiar voice caught your attention.

A boy with a red cape and an S logo on his chest, holding a boy with a black cape and an R logo like you, landed in front of you from a high altitude. It was your brother Damian Wayne and Superboy. Superboy admired Nightwing very much and quickly ran towards him quickly. The two hugged each other happily. Dami stared at your whole body to see what was going on. You posed for him to see, he shook head helplessly.

"Hey, why she come out with you?" Dami walked towards Nightwing and was about to scold him.

"Come and experience it, it's okay." He convinced Dami with an optimistic attitude.

"You just spoil her too much. You know how dangerous our job is!" Dami complained to Nightwing.

"Only tonight. I will keep an eye on her. You can rest assured." The two seemed to be in conflict or in negotiation...

There was a gaze staring at you for a long time, from Superboy. You walked up to him and observed him carefully, he kept avoiding your gaze. It was indeed him, Jonathan Kent, your brother's friend. You met him for the first time in this way, which shocked you. You approached him, and he dodged you again.

"Jonathan Kent!" You called him.

"I'm here! No! How you know it's me!" Jon looked surprised.

"Hahaha, come on, it's already been exposed." His innocent and naive look made you laugh.

"...I still want to show my handsome side." Jon frustrated.

"Then how do you know I'm Y/N?" You leaned close to his face.

"I..I..." He blushed, could it be...

"Are you using your X-ray vision on me!" You said loudly, covering your chest.

"You dead bastard! Using X-ray vision on my sister?!" Dami grabbed Jon.

"You'd better explain it, otherwise..." Nightwing suddenly became a different person.

"Absolutely not! I...!" He wanted to say it but was shy.

Your two dear brothers started to pick on Jon because recognized you right away and they were very curious. The situation was two large dogs surrounding a cute little dog, which looked really pitiful from the perspective of a bystander. You stepped forward pushed them away, pulling Jon aside.

"Can you tell me?" You leaned close to Jon's face.

"I... you will be very surprised to hear it..." Jon scratched his head and his face turned red.

"I don't mind." You encouraged him optimistically.

"Your... heartbeat..." He clenched his hands and lowered head with a blushing face.

"My heartbeat?" You were confused.

You were stunned. He recognized you by the sound of your heartbeat. This is the power of Superboy. It was really shocking and touching. You looked at the other two who were whispering, their eyes full of curiosity. It really exciting to see brothers around you. You just made up a random excuse to dispel their curiosity.

"He recognized me by my hair color." You pointed to Jon behind you.

"Ah? Oh oh oh! Yes! Just as she said!" Jon straightened his spine.

"If you dare to look at my little princess's body with X-ray eyes, I will pierce your body with Kryptonite. Do you understand?" Nightwing lowered his voice to threaten Jon.

"I will tie you to a chair and stuff Kryptonite into your mouth, so you can know for yourself." Dami also joined in.

"Stop! Enough! You are scaring Jon!" You opened arms in front of Jon to save him from the innocent.

"Hey, little princess, you are biased~" Nightwing pulled you.

"I'm not biased. I'm trying to stop you two from bullying my friends" You confessed earnestly.

"Y/N..." Jon behind you showed a happy face.

"Now let me ask a question. Dami, aren't you supposed with Daddy? Why with Jon?" You put hands on waist.

They stared at each other, obviously hiding something. You walked towards them step by step, but Dami stopped you, "Superboy and I have something to do."

"Something? Is it necessary to be fully armed?" Nightwing interrupted.

"I see. You're doing it in secret, right?" You realized something and snapped fingers.

"Eh!" Jon's expression was completely exposed, as you guessed.

"Explain. Do Batman and Superman know where you two are going?" Nightwing leaned against the wall and became serious.

With no other options, Dami and Jon confessed. They said there was a rumor a factory was producing counterfeit drugs, they were going to investigate the matter before reporting to Batman and Superman. Nightwing said he had indeed heard the rumor, but no reason to interfere without a precise statement. Dami couldn't wait and took the initiative, Jon came to help as a partner.

"You all go back. I'll take care of the rest." Nightwing walked towards them.

"Wait a minute! We're going too!" Dami and Jon shouted at the same time.

"How about we go and see it? It's just a look." You raised hand to comment, out of curiosity whether it was true or not.

"Little princess, you..." Nightwing held your shoulders tightly.

"If something happens, I will notify Daddy and Superman immediately. Besides, you want to handle it, so having a few more followers to help won't get in the way, right?" You turned to the other two and blinked, Dami shook his head because he was very knowing your rhetoric, Jon nodded seriously.

"Fuck...I know. Remember, don't rush into the vanguard. If something happens, I will open a way for escape. You must escape, do you understand?" Nightwing scratched his head and pointed at you.

"Yes!" You and Jon saluted Nightwing.

"It's so noisy." Your noise made Dami speechless.

After some thinking and analysis, Nightwing has no choice but compromise. You arrive at the rooftop where Dami said, it's suspicious. You notice Dami's focus there, the hound is on the target. At this time, you and Jon's eyes meet, he smiles, you smile too, until Nightwing comes between you.

"Enough of the flirting?" Nightwing whispers.

"I'm not!" Jon yells shyly.

"Shhh!" You cover Jon's mouth with your hand.

"Rooftop! Shoot!" shouts from below.

The people below fired at the rooftop. Nightwing reacted quickly and pulled you away. Jon and Dami dodged the rain of bullets with agility. No one was hurt, for now. You followed Nightwing to a safe place. Dami jumped in without following the rules. Jon had no choice but to keep up with him.

"That guy didn't intend to stay still from the beginning!" Nightwing complained.

"Nightwing..." You held him.

"Little princess, I'll deal with it. You notify Batman about this, stay here don't run around. Do you understand?" Nightwing held your hands tightly.

"Got it." You nodded.

He rushed inside. You turned on the communicator contact Batman and Superman. If they knew Dami and Jon were messing around like this, they definitely be scolded.

"Speak." Batman and Superman answered the call.

"Batman, it's me. There's a suspicious pharmaceutical factory here. Nightwing, Robin and Superboy are currently taking action to fight."

"Jon is here too?!" Superman screamed.

"Hahaha... I just found out..." You're afraid of being scolded, especially by your dad.

"Turn off the communication device, or your throat will be in danger." With a knife on neck, your whole body stiffened. You had no choice turn off the communication device and raise hands in surrender.

"I turned it off." You stayed calm.

"Eh?" Jon, who was busy inside, heard your heartbeat.

"Hey! Why are you in a daze?!" Dami kicked the enemy away with a flying kick.

"Y/N she..." Jon was very uneasy.

"Don't move! Otherwise, I won't care if her head is smashed!" A gunshot instantly attracted the attention of the three people, you were threatened by the enemy with a gun on your head.

"Damn you!" Nightwing clenched the weapon in hand.

"Tsk..." Dami clenched fist.

"Put your hands up! Or I'll kill her!" He fired a gun beside your ear.

The gun was only a millimeter away from your ear. When fired, the sound of gun went straight into your ear, causing tinnitus. The ringing sound in mind kept repeating. You closed eyes in discomfort and wanted to cover your ears with both hands. When you opened eyes again, the gun had been crushed into pieces. A pair of bright red eyes appeared in front of you. It was Jon.

Jon threw the broken gun on ground and punched the person who threatened you. You were so surprised that forgot how to blink. All the gunfire focused on Superboy and you then started to shoot randomly. He used his steel body to protect you from any bullets hitting your body.

"Jon..." You looked at his face.

"Don't worry about me, I'm invulnerable." He smiled to reassure you.

You used the hacking technology Tim taught you to hack into the circuit of this factory and temporarily shut down the whole factory, plunging into darkness. The enemy began to panic. You felt someone grab your arm, and didn't know who it was in the darkness. You struggled to shake his hand off.

"Don't afraid, it's me." Jon's voice is right next to you.

"Nightwing! Now!" The vision is black, but it can't affect the actions of the other two.

"Ok!" Nightwing responded.

"Don't move here." Superboy quickly knocked down the others.

After the circuit returned to normal, it was bright and peaceful again. All the enemies had been annihilated and fell to the ground. You stood up saw three of them were safe. You walked slowly towards them. Suddenly, one of the people screamed like crazy and grabbed your feet, attracting the attention of the other three. You kicked his chin and made him faint.

"Are you okay?" Nightwing hugged you worriedly.

"I'm fine. Thank you." You patted his back to comfort him, looking at Jon standing beside and winking.

"Really, how could you be caught so easily?" Dami came forward.

"You blame me. You acted on your own." You stuck out tongue at Dami's stinky face.

"The most important thing is that everyone is okay." Jon came forward to comfort everyone.

Everyone went to investigate the situation separately, and just as the rumors said. You collected all the information handed it over to the police and dad later. The other three tied up the enemy who fell to the ground. You moved closer to Jon to help him. He would sneak a glance at you from time to time, so you seized the opportunity to make eye contact with him.

"Got you!" You laughed playfully.

"Eh?! Haha... Sorry..." He lowered his head shyly.

The other two who were busy, you closed the distance with Jon. He dodged you again, and you moved closer again until he gave up. He kept avoiding you, even his ears were red. You reached out to touch his ears, and his body trembled and turned head to face you. You finally waited for this moment.

"Thank you, Jon." You leaned close to his face.

"Well, you're welcome." He smiled and didn't avoid you.

Suddenly, the door was blown away by some strange force, and a gust of wind rushed inside. Jon hugged you tightly block the sudden attack prevent you from being hurt by the impact. When everyone entered a state of alert, two tall figures and familiar voices stepped in. They were Superman and Batman.

"Father!" Dami stood up straight.

Batman walked up to you, and said coldly, "Too tight, let go of my daughter."

"Ah! Sorry!" Jon quickly let go of the hand that was tightly holding you.

"Little princess, are you okay?" Batman knelt on one knee on the ground.

"I’m good." The serious daddy called by your name, and the gentle one called you little princess like Dick, you smiled and shook head.

"It seems we don't need to help." Superman walked towards Nightwing.

"Yes. Thanks to them." Nightwing said politely.

"Them? You mean Robin and Superboy?" Daddy's face suddenly darkened.

"It's not good to make decisions on your own." Even Superman had a blank expression.

"Everyone go back to the base." Batman helped you up.

The four of you all returned to the base, and all defeated by the aura of Batman and Superman. All of you stood there silently, waiting for their terrible punishment. Daddy's quiet look is always scary. This time Superman was so quiet. Everyone is really finished.

"Dick. I told you to keep an eye on her and retreat if something goes wrong. I trusted you to take care of her, why did she get involved in this situation?" Daddy stared at Dick, you didn't dare to speak at all.

"I did, but one of them caught her unexpectedly... It was my mistake, sorry..." Dick blame himself and helpless.

"Damian, Jon. Why are you two handling this matter?" Superman questioned them.

"We just want to investigate the truth of the rumor, just..." Jon lowered his head.

"The incident happened as the rumor said, the enemy has been captured, and the evidence is conclusive, which means the matter itself is over." Dami said.

"Damian, can you think about the consequences when do things? Your sister is there, she inexperienced, what will happen if something goes wrong!" Daddy stood in front of Dami.

"Jon blocked the bullet for her, she was unharmed, isn't it okay!" Dami angrily retorted to Daddy.

"Damian!" Nightwing hugged Dami to comfort him.

"Bruce..." Superman stepped forward.

"This time it's my fault. I didn't stop them." Dick told dad guiltily.

"She is your daughter who you raised with your own hands. Her life is more important than my contribution. Even the identity of Robin should be given to her. Am I right!?" Dami roared.

"I instigated it!" You shouted.

"Little princess?" Dick called, everyone looked over.

"I told Dami and Jon the rumor, then used a bunch of twisted logic to convince Dick to let us go. I wanted to take this opportunity to get Dad's attention." You clenched your hands and looked at Dad.

"Y/N. Bear the consequences of what you say. Do you understand?" Daddy glared at you.

"Everything I said is true. You can punish me however you want." You curled lips and smiled.

It has always been everyone indulges your willfulness and unreasonableness. This time have to pay the price for them. You did have idea to convince them to solve this matter, but realized they were all trying to protect you. This fault cannot be entirely blamed on them, even if you are lying or true.

"You are grounded for a week. Put all your equipment back and go back to your room." Daddy said and turned his back to you.

You put away the Robin suit, a feeling of frustration surged in your heart. Perhaps this is the best ending. You didn't want to be Robin, just wanted to wear that suit and run around. Experience the adventures that your brothers experienced. You kept smiling said goodbye to them and left the Batcave.

"Y/N!" Jon caught up.

"What's wrong?" You held hands tightly behind, not wanting to show your emotions.

"It's not your fault at all! Why did you do that!" Jon's voice was messy.

"Nono... That's fine." You put your index finger on Jon's lips.

"But..." Jon's expression was solemn.

"Thank you for saving me, Superboy." You hugged him tightly to express your gratitude.

After letting go, you immediately back to room and lay on the bed, wanting to cry but not letting the tears flow. Dami was reckless, but the matter was perfectly resolved thanks to his efforts. Jon risked his life to block all the risks for you, and the innocent Dick almost took all the blame. At this time, there was a knock on the door, you opened the door and Dick walked into your room sat on the chair.

"Little princess. Why did you do this?" Dick questioned you seriously.

"It's not your turn to say." You sat on the bed.

"This was done without permission. I have the responsibility and obligation to stop and protect, but I didn't." Although he looked solemn, but still kept a gentle tone.

"You were instigated by me. Don't forget that I convinced you." You shook your feet to ease mood and smiled.

"Little princess, you making excuses?" He smiled.

"No, I'm adapting to the situation." You said with ease.

"Are you imitating Jason?" He leaned back in his chair.

"Oh, you caught me." You laughed.

"Have a good night's sleep, little princess." Dick gave you a goodnight kiss and a hug before leaving the room.

Jon POV

I clenched my fists, feeling very resigned. It was clearly our fault, but Y/N had to bear the consequences. Damian's twisted thoughts and the words he yelled. I couldn't understand why he had such negative thoughts about Y/N, why he was obsessed with getting his father's approval over his sister.

"Why do you say that?" I stepped forward block Damian's way.

"Get out of my way, I have nothing to say to you." He glared at me with hatred.

"What about your sister? Why didn't you admit that we acted on our own?" This was the first time I was unwilling to accept it for someone else.

"Is it necessary?" I was furious when heard this, I grabbed his clothes with fighting spirit.

"Jon! What are you doing!" Dad rushed over.

"Why is it not necessary! Batman, you know!" I roared at them.

"Is it wrong I don't want her to become Robin! She is very good and smart, and she meets the requirements to become Robin! She will be hurt after becoming Robin, but am I wrong if I don't want her to be hurt?!" Damian's explanation shocked me, this was the first time.

"Y/N refuses to become Robin." Batman, who was sitting next to him, finally spoke.

"Eh?" Damian and I looked at Batman at the same time.

"I won't give Robin to her either." Batman looked at us calmly and said.

"Father..." Damian's heartbeat calmed down.

"Then why punish her?" I asked.

"It's a good thing my daughter rebelled against her father for the first time." He curled lips and smiled.

"You have a really bad character." Dad stood aside and laughed.

"Jon, thank you for protecting my daughter." Suddenly Batman expressed his gratitude to me.

"I...!" I wanted to explain but was interrupted by Damian.

"Even save my sister, I still have to warn you not to think about my sister." Damian told me fiercely.

Y/N POV

You were so bored lying on the bed staring at the dark ceiling. Everyone was busy, but you were bored and lonely. At this time, there was a knock on the window. You got up from the bed in shock. This was the third floor, why would someone knock on the window? You went over carefully, opened the curtains and saw Jon floating in the air, you quickly opened the window.

"Jon? Why are you here?" You were surprised.

"I came to find you. Do you want go out and play together?" Jon told you shyly, scratching the back of his head.

"Unfortunately, I'm grounded." You sighed helplessly.

"It's okay if you're not found~" He showed a bright smile.

"You're so bad, Superboy." You smiled wickedly.

"Let's go, Y/N." He approached the window and stretched out his hand to guide you away.

You chose to go with him without hesitation. He hugged you and flew to a distant place. The panoramic view of the entire city from high above were so beautiful. You looked at Jon, who was full of confidence and looked so handsome. You didn't expect that he would block all the gunfire damage for you. Wonder if he would feel any pain.

"We're here!" He landed on a quiet beach.

"Wow~ amazing. You got here so quickly." You told him excitedly.

"Just a small matter." He said shyly.

You stood on the beach, the sea water rushed to feet, enjoying the coolness brought by the wind, and there was a crisp sound from the sea water. There was no one on the endless seashore, only you and Jon. You opened arms to embrace the world, and screamed loudly to vent the emotions that had been suppressed in your heart for a long time.

"Jon, thanks for bringing me here." You turned around and smiled at him.

"I should thank you." The sky was dark, and Jon's smile was very moving.

"It's me who should say it. You stood up to protect me, don't know how to express my gratitude." You told him sincerely.

"Then... how about staying here with me?" Jon smiled.

"Okay. I'm happy to." You laughed along.

A plan emerged in your mind, turned around and splashed water on Jon. Jon, who was splashed with cold water, laughed loudly, and he ran over to play with you. You accidentally fell into the sea, Jon quickly pulled you out of the water, you looked at him, he avoided your gaze again.

"Jon, look at me." You hold his face.

"Y/N! I..." You can feel his face is warm.

"Why did you recognize me through the sound of heartbeat?" You look expectantly.

"Because... you. Y/N, you are very special." He leans on your forehead, closes his eyes and breathes gently.

Your heartbeat speeds up as if it is about to jump out of chest, feel unimaginable and indescribable emotion. His breathing is so calm, and your heartbeat is agitated. The simple close distance at the beginning has a different feeling compared to now. You can't think calmly, heartbeat is messy, as if your emotions are about to burst out at this moment.

"Jon, you're so weird." You curled lips and smiled.

"Because you... I'm weird... only for you." When he opened his eyes again, you were really caught in his eyes, you wanted to possess him.

He shyly lowered his head to your face, because of him your face was also hot, couldn't take your eyes off each other anymore, it seemed confirmed that the two of you hearts belonged to each other. The two of you gave up all feelings for this wonderful encounter, kissed each other's lips, leaving a sweet mark.

"Y/N..." He called your name again after kissing you.

"Jon..." Not only his lips, he kissed your forehead.

"It's you. Only you." He hugged tightly and whispered softly in your ear.

"Jon, that was my first kiss just now." You blurted out, and he was shocked.

"Really?!" He shouted nervously.

"Really." The two kisses made your heart beat.

"We..." He looked at you with a puppy dog ​​expression.

"I don't have any idea about love yet... How about we get closer first?" You said shyly.

He smiled with eyes shining, this side of him left a deep impression on you. His sunshine-like gentleness and strong body kept making your heart beat. You held his hand and kissed his cheek, his shy expression turned into a smile, and his smile also infected your heart.

You returned to the beach, he used his super breath to blow out a strong wind to dry your wet body. If he hadn't held you tightly, would have been sent away. After dry, he picked you up, floated in the air, moved towards home. He opened the window, and you quietly stepped into the room when no one was there.

"Goodbye, Y/N." Jon said goodbye to you reluctantly.

"Good night, Jon." You were reluctant but still smiled.

Jon POV

A good night makes me look forward to tomorrow, want to see her soon. I flew home and went in through the window, changed into pajamas and wanted to drink a glass of water, went downstairs saw my brother Connor Kent and dad Clark Kent sitting there. I walked to them with the water, wanted to get some advice from them.

"You're late, I thought you would be home first." The first thing my father said, I left earlier than my father and went to Y/N's place before going home.

"Where have you been fooling around?" Kon said with a smirk.

"I have something to talk." I sat up straight.

"Tell me." Dad put down what he was holding and listened carefully.

"I fell in love with a girl." I blurted out shyly.

"Really? Who!?" Kon pulled me closer.

"Falling in love is a happy thing. Who is the lucky girl?" Dad looked at me with a kind expression.

"Damian's sister...Y/N." I said.

"No hope." Kon made a conclusion at once.

"Huh?! Why?" I stood up in surprise.

"It's a bit difficult indeed." Even my father said so.

"Y/N Wayne. The little daughter of the Wayne family. She has a father and four brothers, the most vicious of whom is Jason Todd. You have encountered a problem." Kon's words made sense.

"Jon, you are fine, there will be no problem." Dad put his hand on my shoulder gently comforted me and gave encouragement.

"Take it step by step, maybe soon Batman will recognize you as his future son-in-law~" Kon curled his lips and smiled.

"Future son-in-law!" I became shy.

"Hahaha, still a long way to go and a lot of tests. Especially her family, you know..." Dad encouraged me but was a little confused.

"I know. I'll try my best!" I was full of fighting spirit. Since I love her, can't give up halfway. I have decided she is my life partner, no matter how terrible her family is, I still have to do my best.

"So passionate." Kon laughed at the side.

"Who wouldn't chase love madly." Dad looked at Kon.

— The End —

🖤Like and Reblog to motivate me🖤

AO3 Heroes in Love by owlwithanapple

[prettyboykatsuki]

wyll, in my opinion, gets the standard fare treatment for characters that are unequivocally good. i.e. people think he's boring and uninteresting. standard fare might be kind actually given the level of racism and unexplained slander (which is often just more thinly veiled racism). his reputation about being boring is not helped by the very blatant neglect of his storyline post his rewrite and release. as a wyll enjoyer i am hyperaware of the sorry state of his current story in all three acts

despite all of that and the glaring flaws - i still believe that wylls storyline is worth of being engaged with and explored.

one of the reasons (not the most major one, but one) i think wyll experiences so much neglect as a companion stems from a wider idea that "goodness" is always the uncomplicated, easy choice.

it's something i see a lot. wyll is boring because of his archetype as a princely and universally righteous guy. and this is interesting, because it always seems to functions under the assumption that wylls moral character is innate. that his heroic and righteous actions are in some capacity, uncomplicated.

uniquely among the male origin companions, through the course of wylls story - there is never a point in which he is at risk of making a truly 'bad' choice. both gale and astarions story have them at risk of making choices that are ultimately bad for them and others (especially tav when each character is romanced). gales godhood and astarions ascension are their in game moral failings. they are the result of having not broke the cycle and are 'bad' choices for the individual character.

wylls main choice is however his pact and the choice to break that pact. notably - wyll is never at risk of making a bad choice, only a selfish one.

from the critique i see of wyll - it seems like this is the element of him people find most egregious. he's too smooth, not rugged enough, not gritty enough. but i don't think wyll's character needs grit, necessarily.

if you take any time to dissect wyll at all, based on dialogue and character interaction, many of his choices put himself at the forefront of sacrifice. the game strips wyll of a lot of agency, but wyll also always abides by and sticks to his core belief. so often towards his own detriment.

not only does wyll bear the consequence of being turned into a devil (stripping him of the last remaining shred of identity he's ever had and one of the most important things in his life), he bore the burden of being banished when he made his pact, and was willing to do the same for the sake of his father when he is taken to moonrise.

and unlike gale (who i adore, to be clear) who's concept of self-sacrifice stems mostly from a low self-worth - the belief that dying is the best he can do - wyll truly views that it's better him than them.

wyll does not think twice about allowing himself to be the one to take the fall. he can play any part, take any role, even when these choices haunt him so obviously. wyll claims that he forgives his father, but opens up to you about fearing his feelings of missing him are one-sided. he believes that making his pact was the right choice, the one he would make again - but doesn't deny the obvious pain and solace that came along with being a wandering traveler and banished son.

wylls goodness is so deliberate. he is so staunch in upholding and acting on his beliefs that it is always narrative to his own detriment. when you view wyll like this , and view his choices with regards this character attribute, it is imo very hard to hate him.

wyll's goodness is his double edged sword. it makes him heroic, brave, fearless. and it makes him scared, uncertain and lonely. again, the story itself is bare bones and i understand that - but it is so very beautiful to me thinking of him and tav or just his general romance.

as wylls romance partner, encouraging wyll to break his pact is as tragic as it very beautiful. tav is wylls one selfish thing. one of the only reasons that would move him to not give himself up. one of the only reasons he is okay with forgoing his beliefs. he loves tav enough to break his own oaths, and make choices for himself and no one else. not as the blade, or as a ravengard - but just as wyll.

and that aspect of him is in my opinion, enforced, by the mindflayer tav ending. in which wylls monster-hunting and morals are made exceptions with / for tav. my enjoyment of hero corruption might be speaking for me, but i digress.

in every way though - i truly love wyll as a character. and while im well aware of the critical flaws in his in game story state, i think it's both unfortunate and unfair that people call him boring. to me he is anything but

[dementedspeedster]

I realized I've never compiled all of my Twin Verse images into one place, so I'm doing that now. (The last one is a new addition.)

Twin Verse Summary:

Twin Verse: A universe in which Thad accepted Max’s offer to live with him, Helen, and Bart and learns to become a hero, though not without difficulties. Thad and Bart share the role of Kid Flash / Flash in this universe.

General History:

The history/events within this verse follow the events of Impulse and basically Bart’s life. Thad lives with Max and Bart in Manchester, Alabama during the events of Impulse. He begins to learn about becoming a hero under Max’s tutelage and very slowly develops a bond and rivalry with Bart. They’re not immediately brothers, but just learning how to live with each other and both of them want to make Max proud the best way they can though they still but heads with each other. When Max’s body is taken over by the Rival he moves in with Jay and Joan along with Bart. Max’s disappearance is what solidifies a bond between them. They’re the ones who are concerned and care about Max. Who refuse to let him be forgotten and for some time try to find him. Max is important to both of them and through their mutual love of Max as a parental-like figure they bond and stick together as each other’s most trusted person in their life because they know what the other is going through. When they grow older they both take up the role of Flash. (Which is quite helpful for their personal lives, but also keeping their identity hidden as they can use the other to keep the idea that the Flash and their civilian identity are separate. Ex: They’ve both been seen with the Flash on separate occasions, therefore neither of them could be the Flash!)

Additional Notes:

'Two Flashes?' I hear you ask? Yes, two Flashes working at the same time. Now as for why (other than the fact I think it's a fun idea)?

1. Because as I mentioned it's incredibly helpful in keeping up the illusion that neither Bart nor Thad is the Flash when it is initial assumed that there's only one Flash.

2. I like the idea of how it messes with villains outside of Keystone or Central City. I think the Rogues and local villains would definitely know/figure

3. I didn't want them to fight over the mantle. They both deserve the mantle in a scenario where they wanted to take on the mantle of Flash and give it their own spin rather than it being a contentious point between them and their growth.

4. It could keep up an even more solid illusion of the Flash can be everywhere at once.

I also think the local public would either know that there are two of them or have theories. When the Flash is out though you just don't know who you're getting. It makes for the potential for them to have different fighting styles, strategies, and how they deal with villains. But also the similarities between them. They might handle press different. Other heroes differently. Have different relations with other heroes and villains, etc.

Ex: Neither Bart nor Thad pulls their punches, but Thad is definitely softer on younger villains and tries to steer them toward reform/just steer them in a direction that doesn't lead them to a life he had in his youth.

[thequietkid-moonie]

Their child experience their first crush

[ HEADCANONS ] [ Reaper & Aguri, Umi & Kousuke, Adam & Eve, Loid & Yor, Usagi & Mamoru ]

[ Assassination Classroom ] [ Gakuen Babysitters ] [ Shuumatsu no Valkyrie ] [ Spy x Family ] [ Sailor Moon ]

What a cute prompt!!! I loved writing it!! Enjoyed a lot writing ever single word!!

I grew curious and ask my mother how she deal with this and even when my sister and I are so diferent the experience wasn't that diferent! Honestly was so interesting to heard her opinion!

Reaper & Aguri

Reaper and Aguri are really loving parents, both of them want to show all their love and support and actually are a really close family, they balance each other, while Agury want to be clingy and totally affectionate, even babying you a little, Reaper takes a role to be a little stric and a good mentor in life

Both want to share a lot of moments, and, as much as they want to keep you as their baby both are well aware that you have to grow and do your own life, and even when they are looking forward to see you grow, you experiencing your first love will definetly hit them hard

Both are really smart, while Aguri may notice the hints because she is a teacher and has a little sister, Reaper is extremely observant and knows a lot about human behavior, but both will have really diferent reactions, while Aguri is incredibly happy and excited, wanting to show you all her support and want to know all the details, Reaper isn't happy at all! Not that he is mad at you, of course, is something completely normal and he had tell himself that he would happy when you find someone to love (just as he had done with Aguri), but the truth is that the moment he notices it all his maturity and role as a good father is throw away from the window, he only wants his little baby back

Reaper will be the kind of father that feels like your lover is trying to steal you away form him but at the same time he feels incredibly happy for seeing you so happy, is so contradictory that is giving him headache. However, he is smart enough to know that it isn't right for him to act from those feelings, he just puts a smile and acts as if it doesn't bother him all while Aguri is asking you for all the details

Even if you prefer to don't say anything about it there is no way to hide it because both will find out and both want to know about your crush! And at some point Kaede will get to know too and she will be the one to came and give you some peace, stoping Aguri and Reaper from asking (if they were being pushy, but if you were willing to share the information she will be there to heard you too)

All of them will make a big deal out of it, Aguri is incredibly happy for her baby and is wishing you the best (while giving you some weird advices about romance), Reaper says that is alright but deep down he is trying to judge the person you like to see if they are worthy of being your partner (don't be surprised if he comes to pick you up from school more often), Kaede acts as if this is one of the greatest events, as determinated as her more important works, and be the one who gave you an actual useful advice

It could be embarrasing and a complete mess, specially because is the first time you develop a crush in someone, but at the end they only want the best for you

Umi & Kousuke

Umi and Kousuke Mamizuka are really loving and supporting parents, they may be busy most of the time but they always try to be there for you (specially in hard times, they are always there), the Mamizuka family is really close and loving

Umi is a teacher, she knows to identify when you need her and when you need time for yourself, so is more than obvious that she'll know when her precious child develop a crush for someone for the first time, she sees it all the time on school, and she couldn't be happier to see her baby grow up!

Choosing to tell them or not is up to you, but Umi soon or later will start to ask you about it, even if you decide to don't say anything she will start to ask indirectly, a little teasing honestly. Changes of your behavior like being more distracted or noticibly more happy or even blushy by school will be noticed by Takuma and Kazuma (they are rather clingy and affectionate with you, so if they will notice even if they don't understand it) and they will also start pointing it out and asking you with their innocent but cheerful expressions (Umi will just laugh at it, specially if you try to come up with a excuse)

Kousuke will be the last one to know because he is always busy, and is more likely that he will know by the others, even if you wanted to tell him is more likely that Umi will tell him that their precious child is in love once she is sure about it, and Kousuke will make a really big deal out of it! It isn't that he is overprotective, but he will be in tears while talking about how his precious little baby is growing so fast and soon you'll probably just go away and make your life (even if that is far from happening yet), honestly he is being a little over dramatic, acting as if you were about to get married soon

It could be embarrasing his behavior because even if you talk about it directly he may or may not try to sneak to see who is the one trying to steal his baby, and will end up envolving Takuma and Kazuma too because he wasn't able to shut up and end up telling them that you love someone, he end up explaining as if you were already in a relationship with that person, what will lead the twins to ask you if you are really in love, and if you go to the same school (that is probably, since Umi works there) they will sneak out of the nursery if they have the opportunity (or just see you around) and start asking you about your lover, what will lead the other kids to ask too (and Usaida will be teasing you, not even try to save you from the embarrasment)

If they actually make you pass an embarrassing moment or just upsed you they will deeply apologize (Kousuke wil be dramatic as always), at the end is Umi who will make everyone calm down and just wish you luck with your first love, willing to give you advice but telling you that you shouldn't feel frustrated if things doesn't work, just enjoy it! (and at the end, Kousuke, Takuma and Kazuma will show their support too, but they won't be as calm as Umi)

Adam & Eve

Adam and Even loves their family dearly, they want to protect their kids but loves them in their freedom, both want for their precious childs to discover the world from themselfs but are always close to whenever they need them, honestly the entire family develop a really wholesome enviroment, united but still free

Honestly, the fact that you are experiencing your first love can easily go unnoticed for a while if you don't say anything, Adam and Even will notice the little changes on your behavior (like being flustered, more shy or even excited to be somewhere) but won't say anything, or at least not to you, they will talk about it and will be Adam who suggest to let you be for now and wait until you feel ready to talk about it, in the mean time they will just keep an eye on you in case is something bad

Soon or later Cain and Abel will notice the little changes too, but they won't be as discreet as their parents, asking you right away about it or probably at your parents, at first they will try to push you to talk about it in a joking manner, and maybe even teasing you about you probably having a crush on someone, it would depend on your reactions, but at the end they will get the answer they wanted and they won't be too happy about it

Is a big contrast because while Adam and Even are taking the news more calmly and just trying to calm your brothers, is Cain and Abel who are taking the news more dramatically, no matter if you are older or younger than them, even if you were the middle child they had grew quite atached at you, they consider you not only as a sibling but also as a best friend, it always had been only the three of you against the world and suddenly some stranger wants to take you away from them! (thats actually not true, is just them being overdramatic)

Adam and Eve will try to calm them down and stop them from making a scene by assuring them that all of you will always be a family no matter what happen, but what Cain and Abel said will end up bugging Eve a little, later she will try to talk about it with Adam, what if that person really tries to take you away form all of you

At the end Adam and Even will want to talk to you about it, wanting to know how the person you like is (and who is, if you are willing to tell them), they want to respect your privacy but they are also eager to know (you still are their baby after all), and even if they don't say it both want to make sure the person you like is someone good for you

Eve and Adam will try to give you advices about love and relasionships, about how it has to be give and recive equally, their advices are actually really good, Cain and Abel will promise to be some kind of bodyguards, promising to don't let that stranger breakeyou precious heart

Loid & Yor

Even when the Forget seem like the perfect family is because Loid and Yor always tries their best to play as a family, and Anya helps a lot too to keep the family enviroment!

Even when both are always looking after the family is Loid the more self-aware of everything that happens with his family (or at least tries to, he just want to ensure the peace for all of you), so it won't take him much time to notice the little hints on your behavior that you had just developed a crush on someone, he may don't want to asume it is a crush right away because he is pretty much cluesest when it comes to it (or at least with more real and deep relasionships) or even nervously in denial, but as time pass the more obvious it becomes for him and he almost panics

As much as Loid wants to repeat himself that all of this is just for his mision is undeniable how much he cares for his family, he wants to ensure your peace and happiness and you having a crush in someone is something he can't control and that makes him nervous! It triggers a little bit his protective side

There is no way Anya will not know, it would be a little confusing for her since now your mind is plagged with thoughts of someone and nervousness, still it doesn't take her much time to undestand it and, honestly, she'll find this funny only because of the reaction of your parents, she isn't interested on any kind of romance right now but she cares for you and wants to support you (even when she doesn't know how to do it or how important this may be to you)

If you don't say anything it would take Yor a long time to realice it, and she is so naive at times that she may just asume that you are being bullied at school, what lead her to be worry about you, leaving her to choose between ask you right away or try to find out who is bothering you

At some point Yor will also tell Loid that you are being bullied, what will lead him to explain that you just have your first crush (a little awkward since he isn't used to things feel so personal), both will be awkward and nervous about it the whole thing, wanting to protect you and support you but not knowing how to do it, and if you decide to don't say anything about it it would make things even more difficult to them, leading them to try to make weird plans to get information about who is your crush and to see if is someone worthy. In the other hand, if you do say them they'll try to show your support and give some advices, Loid's advaces are the most useful only because he know all of that for his job, but deep down he is being extremely careful with what he says, wanting nothing but to ensure your safety

Honestly, Anya could be of a lot of help here, innocently trying to bring the topic somehow if you or your parents decide to don't say anything (because is had started to stress her a little)

Usagi & Mamoru

Usagi and Mamoru tried to be good parents and be always there for you, but if they already lead Crystal Tokyo it would be a little more difficult for them to be always there, however they always tries their hardest to at least let you know they are there for you, as well the Sailor Scouts are always there for you and treat you as family

All of them are really caring and try to look after you and Chibi Usagi, so there are high chances that when you develop a crush for the first time you went to at least one of them for advice, or even for help to try to undestand your feelings, and even if you decide to don't to tell them anything at some point at least one of them will notice your strange behavior (probably Minako, Makoto or even Usagi)

It isn't that they want to embarrased you or anything but once one of them get to know then you having your first crush it quickly become the biggest ghossip among the sailor scouts, if one of the sailor scouts know first they will talk about it a lot before even telling Usagi, but if is Usagi or Mamoru who get to know first then Usagi will be ranting about it, between wanting to tease you and ask you all the details and crying because her little baby had grow so fast! In the mean time Mamoru is trying to calm her down, but he also think that it would be good to talk about it with you

All of the sailor scouts are debating about it, trying to come up with a plan with how to help you, well, half of them don't think is the best idea to intervene if you haven't asked for help

Soon or later Usagi, Makoto and Minako start trying to ask you about it with little discretion, they are usually protective and watch over you but now they are a little more clingly just in hopes to see who your crush is (and try to get a glance of how you act with them), at the end is Mamoru and the other senshi who are more respectful and does support you and give you advice in a more mature way, wishing you the best

As well, you'll have Chibi Usagi's support, no matter if you are older or younger is probably that she grows attached to you since in Crystal Tokyo she used to be more lonely, so, if you don't mind, she will grow a little clingy with you (just like she is with Plut), she will be bothered if you decided to don't tell her and gets to know because of the other sailor scouts, but at the end she will be the first one asking you about it, she will be really interested and will tell you her own veredict about your crush, telling you if is a good or bad person for you (she is being a little prideful and playful, but at the end she wants the best for you)

However, no matter if they all are pretty cheerful about this whole situation everyone wants the best for you and will cheerish for you, actually giving you some useful advices, however there are also high chances that they will end up embarrasing you by trying to help (hopefuly not in front of your crush), also, some of them will try to watch carefuly your crush to make sure they don't want to take advantage of you because of your title

[wszczebrzyszynie]

hello! i've seen you've mentioned the sibling relationship between przemek and lena in your last post and the topic seems really interesting. would you have some time to get into it more? or are there any already published posts of yours talking about them?

truth be told i dont remember what i talked about already on here exactly but im pretty sure this will be the first Przemek-Lena relationship mini essay to post. well either way as always its under the cut and thank you for being interested in my ocs 💐😊 if dns was real (a real piece of media not a real story) and for some reason started doing huge numbers i firmly believe Lena discourse would be the most divisive

Lena is at the beginning the only person in Przemeks life he gets to somewhat depend on; despite her being younger (Przemek is 17/18, and Lena is around 15), in his eyes she was an anchor to him of sorts, someone to hang out with, and, once he gets hired, someone to come back to. While both of them are very family-oriented in general, the relationship they have with one another was for the longest time most important to them, and went back to back with both their ages (theyre the closest in age compared to the rest of the family) and their closely shared experiences, compared again to their other siblings - after Przemeks accident, it was Lena who took care of him the most (their father has already passed away at that point, their mother wasnt exacty capable of doing that at that point in time (after which Przemek became her favourite of sorts; she latched onto caring for him after the worst has already passed, not out of malice, but more as a hm, compensation, and out of guilt). This post accident time is the most meaningful moment that formed their relationship going onwards, establishing Lena as a sort of... caretaker figure in his mind, someone who didnt leave him and who he could depend on. For Lena this wasnt exactly the case - while she wants her family to be able to depend on her, in her mind it was a more equal relationship, she saw Przemek as the same as her; they both had to navigate their family falling apart as young children, had to take care of themselves and of each other, having to mature too fast, lived through Przemeks accident together, and now got to go into life with all that baggage. They were never fully honest with each other, and never talked anything through, but they didnt have to, as the idea of their relationship they had in their heads was enough for them. This disonance is what sets the stage for Przemeks overarching arc

Him leaving to work in the palace was different for both of them. For Lena it was loosing a part of herself, the only person she thought could understand her, but she was willing to go through it knowing its for greater good. For Przemek it was a lot of regret and fear of other people, lacking the person he depended on. And while Lena, who now is deemed the dependable one for good, the most stable pillar in their family, stays the same at their family home, Przemek gets to change and grow after meeting new, often outcasted and strange people. They both start as tools to be used and be useful, but where Lena stays that way even in her brothers eyes to some extent, Przemek doesnt. In some way, the role he made Lena fit into in his head, was instead taken by Ryba, in a much clearer and reciprocated way. Przemeks unability to see Lenas struggles, him putting her on the pedestal, someone to save him, despite her still being a child, is mirroring the way their mother sees Przemek; something he recognizes she does, something that makes him into such a mess in the first place, but doesnt do so in himself and his treatment of Lena. With Ryba on his side this issue doesnt reappear - they start as strangers, in a vastly different enviroment, and even when they end up codependent on each other, its more similar to the way Lena saw Przemek, than the way Przemek depended on her. And, under Rybas influence (and Mikitas unbearable behaviour), Przemek gets to start mentally leaving his depressing family home

Its Przemeks slow change that starts triggering the rift between them; it esentially questions the before unquestioned status quo of the siblings relationship. Przemek leaves his home for a month, comes back for two days, and leaves again. And in those two days every time it feels like he comes back a different person. Hes not afraid anymore, or at least, not of the palace, but starts being anxious over his home. Hes more open about it, too, at least to Lena. He grows less reserved, more content and, generally, more happy. While in the beginning she is able to ignore it, after each visit she slowly realizes shes being left behind. To her, this is losing a part of her life that was constant, that she too could depend on; something that made everything less dull, someone she loved and who loved her, as cold and tough as that love often was. Shes becomes disgusted by her brother - to her, hes getting weak, hes selfish, and even if hes now happier, she wasnt allowed the same chance. Instead of now sharing their pain together, she is now completly alone, being abandoned by the only person she thought understood her. And this resentment is something that carries on even after he apologizes; she cannot fully forgiving him now that she knows they are not and were never the same. While it never was Przemeks full responsibility, he made her feel completly alone in a house she already was a ghost in, and all he can do now is work to become someone she could trust again; and all she can do is try to move on. She never sees him off when hes about to go back to work after that, always leaving first on her own terms

[thegreatcaptainusopp]

Sogeking vs God Usopp: Usopp’s Dual Roles

So I’ve been doing some thinking about Usopp’s two titles on his wanted posters: Sogeking and God Usopp. Both of them are larger-than-life personas connected to Usopp, and inform the way that he’s viewed by the world at large. And after thinking about it some I think I’ve come to the conclusion that each title reflects something about Usopp, and I think we can track something about his move from one to the other, as well as speculate where he goes from here.

Part 1: Why did Luffy recruit Usopp?

I wanna start here by discussing something I’ve noticed about the way Luffy recruited Usopp onto the crew.

Firstly, I realized upon doing my reread of the manga that Luffy did not know about Usopp’s sniping ability until after he had already joined the crew.

This was incredible to me, because I had figured that, well, Luffy had witnessed Usopp’s almost supernaturally-good sniping skills and wanted him to join the crew on that basis, but nope. According to what Luffy actually saw during the Syrup Village Arc was Usopp, village boy, Yasopp’s son, protector of his friends, courageous hero, and, most importantly, liar. Or, in other words, storyteller.

So, my thesis about Luffy’s recruitment of Usopp is the following: Luffy wanted Usopp because he wanted a storyteller for his crew, and this is what Luffy initially envisioned his role to be until he saw how skilled he was as a sniper.

Here’s my proof:

When Luffy meets Usopp, he’s not actually all that impressed by him: he thinks he’s funny, but explicitly notes that he doesn’t want him to join the crew (Usopp said he’d be captain, but still). The turning point for Luffy’s opinion of Usopp happens here, when the Usopp pirates tell the straw hats about why Usopp tells Kaya stories:

Here, Usopp’s good qualities are tied directly to his lying, or to his storytelling, and wins Luffy over. This happens multiple times throughout the arc, with Luffy getting increasingly more impressed by Usopp, and many of these examples include Usopp lying or telling stories to either protect his friends or hide his great courage. Zoro and Nami also begin the admire and like him for similar reasons:

Again, none of this has anything to do with Usopp’s ability as a sniper. Luffy specifically likes Usopp’s courage and lying, and it’s these two qualities that lead him to want to add him to his crew. It is important to note too that a key role of Zoro’s in the final confrontation was removing items blocking Usopp’s shots: so he at least knew Usopp was a more than decent shot, and he is crucially the one to actually invite Usopp aboard the Merry. Luffy seems to treat it like it was forgone conclusion instead.

And it is the chapter after the leave Syrup Village with Usopp already on board that Luffy, after seeing him fire a cannon, awards him the role of sniper. Which means that he had not recruited him to be that person, he had recruited him based only what he had seen earlier: the courageous warrior who steps up to save his friends, and does so in many ways by telling stories. And that is the person Luffy initially wanted in the crew, and by happenstance ended up with a world class sniper to boot.

Interestingly enough, Luffy knew full well about Yasopp’s sniping skills, and was very impressed by them. Usopp, too, takes pride in being the son of a skilled sniper and great pirate, and much of his dreams focus on both of these goals as it’s what he admired the most in his father.

So, what does this mean? Here’s why this is important to establish:

1. The crew has already seen Usopp act as a brave warrior of the sea, and already knew he achieved his dream before even starting it

2. Luffy rated Usopp’s character and lying so highly that he not only befriended him, he wanted him for his crew

3. Usopp’s role as a sniper was not something Luffy saw as a core element of his personality/dream until after the fact. Meaning that Usopp also did not ever mention his sniping skills as being a large part of his identity.

Part 2. Sogeking the sniper

Now with that established, let’s talk about Sogeking.

Sogeking as a persona was born out of Usopp’s lies, out of his storytelling ability: he brought him into existence out of thin air, wearing the mask of the hero that he needed to be to save Robin.

The thing is, this hero is specifically and necessarily themed around Usopp’s sniping ability. It’s revealing of what Usopp considers to be his own best quality, which is his sniping skill. Therefore, Sogeking IS Usopp’s sniping ability in every sense: his confidence, his heroism, the things that he’s good at, all wrapped up into a person that Usopp constructed and meticulously maintains.

So, Sogeking exists at the overlap of both of Usopp’s roles on the crew: he was born out of a story that Usopp purposefully maintained and put effort into: everything from his costuming to his way of speaking to his backstory was constructed with intent and meaning. But he is maintained through Usopp’s insanely skilled sniping, which takes the story that Usopp initially constructed and turns it into fact, the Sniper King started out a lie but turned into a truth because Usopp is just that good at it. This reflects our introduction to Usopp too: as a storyteller first, a sniper second.

Sogeking also reflects something about Usopp’s power as a storyteller, which is autonomy. In creating Sogeking, Usopp created the narrative to which he was exposed to the world through his bounty poster and title. That is a name and narrative completely of his own devising, whilst everyone else got names & narratives driven by the world government. Usopp, in having the power to create his own public persona, chose to theme it around sniping, and thus deliberately placed his sniper role in a higher position than his storytelling/lying one. The role he shares with his father, rather than the one that is entirely his own.

Part 3: God Usopp the Storyteller

Now, let’s go to God Usopp.

This persona is the mirror image of Sogeking in so many ways. For one, God Usopp was born in the inverse style that Sogeking was: whilst Sogeking burst out of Usopp’s head fully formed, God Usopp was a gifted title, a persona that was bestowed upon him by others. Unlike with Sogeking, God Usopp was not an expression of Usopp’s autonomy, or of his ability to tell his own story. Instead, it is the opposite: God Usopp is when he lost control of the story, where others stepped in to control his narrative, to choose the kind of person he is going to be. And the persona they chose? God Usopp, a savior, a creator. A storyteller.

The general public, when faced with Usopp, again notice and admire what Luffy first noticed and admired: Usopp’s courage and ability to create something out of nothing. It is an enduring trend with Usopp, where the people around him hold his storytelling ability in the greatest esteem, while he believes that his sniping ability is the more important one by a long shot.

Furthermore, and more importantly, God Usopp is the inverse of Sogeking because while it’s the story that created Sogeking and the sniping that maintained it, it’s the sniping that created God Usopp and the storytelling that maintained it. Usopp was only able to get to helping Sugar’s victims in Dressrosa because of his sniping ability, before transitioning to lying (and claiming, well, Noland the Liar in a very on-the-nose comparison) and, eventually, falling into a completely out of control situation that causes the people to be freed and awarding him the title of God.

Of course, his sniping ability does return in a big way to complete the arc (and unlock his haki), but it is only effective because of the trauma inflicted on Sugar in the first place, the trauma that directly led to the birth of the title of God Usopp. And, as a consequence, the death of Sogeking, unless Usopp ever decides to break out the mask and take back control of the narrative. If that is even the narrative he wants anymore.

Part 4: What does it all mean?

So, we have Sogeking and God Usopp. Two sides of the same coin, both inverses of each other when it comes to Usopp’s dual roles on the crew: sniper and storyteller. Can the inherent tension between the two personas tell us anything about what comes next for Usopp?

Maybe. I think, based on how Usopp was recruited, and the slow transition from Sogeking to God Usopp, that we’re going to see a Usopp who leans much more into that element of himself. In other words, I think Usopp is going to embrace his role as a liar/storytelller to finally achieve his dream.

Because, the thing is, his sniping ability is already perfected. Has been, from the very beginning. On that, he didn’t need much training, and has since received a couple upgrades that instantly skyrocketed him to one of the best in the world. In a similar sense, his dream has also already been achieved: his is a brave warrior of the sea. If he wasn’t, ironically, he never would’ve been recruited by Luffy in the first place, nor would he have received Zoro and Nami’s initial approval.

I also want to bring Yasopp back into the discussion here. Usopp’s pride in his sniping ability is very much connected to the fact that he shares this skill with his father, and that is partly why he loves to highlight it as something he is proud of. Even though, as mentioned earlier, he did not seem to see it as a core part of his personality early on in the story.

I think, by embracing what makes him truly unique, and truly Usopp (his lying, his storytelling) he will unlock the final level of his power and finally come to realize that he had achieved his dream all along. He just needed the self confidence to realize it, and this confidence would come after accepting every part of himself, including the ones he might feel ashamed of.

After all, his storytelling and lying is what endear people to him, what made Luffy and Zoro and Nami initially be willing to risk their lives for a kid whom they had just met, just because he needed help. And, as evidenced by the God title, very much extends to others who’d be willing to follow’s Usopp’s direction, perhaps hinting at a potential to unlock a certain branch of haki that focuses on leadership and control…?

Regardless, I think that Usopp is due for a large power up of some sort, especially as they reach Elbaf, and, well, Elbaf IS Fable backwards, very much a type of story…

All this to say, Usopp’s role IS both storyteller and sniper and both of these things are as important as the other, and in order to achieve his full potential Usopp needs to acknowledge all his strengths and fully complete his journey to be a full fledged brave warrior of the sea

[ginger-berrie]

SO I JUST SAW FALSETTOS LIVE FOR THE FIRST TIME

HOLY SHIT OKAY. HEY GUYS I JUST GOT BACK FROM SEEING FALSETTOS. LIVE. MY FAVOROITE MUSICAL EVER. I HAVE WORDS TO SAY.

So firstly I of course have to say this musical is fucking phenomenal and if u havent seen it even on youtube you HAVE to. onne of the best musicals ever wrutten. ignore any typos in this my hands r still shaking and im not editing htis. OKAY.

The actors. It was a college level production but the actors were so so talented. My favorite performances were from Mendel and Jason, who both pulled off their roles INCREDIBLY. Mendel was like a carbon copy of Brandon Uranowitz he had his mannerisms DOWN. All the nervous ticks, touching his face, being generally so awkward all the time, even his face was just perfec t for the role. And Jason was played by an adult femme-presenting person but they were so good as him!!!!! their voice fit him perfectly and she also perfectly encompassed Jason;s awkward childlike nature. The entire cast was incredible but those two really stood out to me!!!! Everyone's singing voices as well were fantastic, especially Trina's—she KILLED the high notes and even sung up the octave on a few lines !!!! including the "but still the bastard divorced me" and she still belted the "you must exorcise a devil" even AFTER Im Breaking Down. In fucking sane.

THAT BEING SAID THOUGH. Even though i enjouyed every second of it I do wanna make some more analysis-related directing critiques because im fucked up and evil about this show . im so sorry just let me speak here meaout. Stating right now though I've only seen the 2016 revival (about 2 dozen times) and not the original 90's version (been meaning to watch it just havent gotten the chance) so i reserve all TRUE judgement until after I see it!!! maybe some of these choices were in the original but tbh if they were i still like how the revival did it better. okay i swear im not just one of those ppl who is like "tHaTS noT hOw ThEY dId iT On BroADwAy" calm down. thanks <3

First of all. Some of the scenes lacked energy !!!!! Thrill of first love had no homoerotic choreography!!!!! they just kinda sat there on the couch looking morose and barely looking at each other as if they truly just hate each other and feel ANYthing towards each other anymore at all. But thats not the point!!!!!! They dont fully hate each other theyre just lacking the excitement that they once had and it's been replaced with nothing but disagreements and sex. When Whizzer and Marvin do their gay little dance theyre not just dancing and being gross and sexual theyre also FIGHTING!!!! they still care about each other they just dont know how to act!!!! and marvin's a bitch of course. Marvin was still very much a bitch. But because of the lack of energy in this song there was a bit of a lack of chemistry between the two as well, which carried through the whole show. I feel like it's important to see just how gross fucked up n nasty these two are about each other to see how its truly affecting the other people in Marvin's life. Even their chemistry during the chess game was lacking. They just kinda felt like they really hated each other. Which isnt the pointtttttt. Guh

Trina (or the directors idk) also made some choices I wasn't 100% on board with but they were more subtle. Mostly in her tone about Mendel. Up through Please Come To Our House she seemed to really really like Mendel. Like it was clear she was attempting to woo him. But then when he was proposing, and when they were maknig their home together, she just seemed. Unenthused. I know Trina truly doesn't really love her life, and just needs the stability of a nuclear family, but it was odd to see her not even attempt to keep up the facade on her own. Her and Mendel were similarly lacking in a lot of chemistry because of this, which, maybe to some of you makes sense but to me i do want to see them be close even if Mendel isn't absolutely the best.

LAST CRITIQUE OKAY. This one is BIG SPOILERS if u havent seen it yet but probably if ur reading this far youve already seen it okay. The fuckign bar mitzvah!!!!! There was no acknowledgement from Whizzer to Jason as he was reading his Torah !!!!!!! He just layed there in the hospital bed, facing AWAY from the audience so we could only see the very top of his head (which was on purpose for a quick change but) and he didnt get up at all to thank Jason or even acknowledge him :( for all the audience knows maybe he didnt even see Jason get bar mitzvahd. screaming crying throwing up.

OKAY IM DONE W BEING MEAN HERES A BIG CHANGE I REALLY LOVED !!!!!! as well as some smaller changes that i also really liked or were jsut neutral things i noticed

For most of act 2, up until Days Like This, They had this really cool circus imagery? Now once again idk if this is in the OG, but they had a picture of each cluster of characters set up on either side of the stage, and each of them was doing some sort of circus act both in the pictures and on stage, especially during A Day in Falsettoland. When a character was having their point in the song, they'd sometimes cut the lights briefly and suddenly the characters would be struggling to perform their little circus act, and each of them had a differnt one respectively and they all represented their immaturities/flaws/struggles:

Jason was on stilts, representing his need to grow up and perhaps his perceived mental maturity compared to the other characters

Trina was balancing/spinning plates on sticks, representing her need to keep balance and order in her life

Marvin + Whizzer were fencers because of their lingering animosity, yet newfound respect, for one another. Fencing isnt a dangerous sport, like you dont actually hurt your opponent in it, but it;s still a fight and youre still pointoing a weapon at them. guh. (AND BTW they did this during the racquetball scene and HOLY SHIT. I just gotta describe this one. Racquetball number 1 They had their little racquets as they were singing to each other but then when they got really into the game the lights would cut and then theyd be FENCING each other instead!!!!! and then the lights would cut again and itd go back to racquetball!!!! BUT THEN in the racquetball number 2 when it cut to them fencing ONLY MARVIN HAD A SWORD. WHIZZER STILL HAD HIS RACQUET. GIUUHUHGGHGHGHGHGH.;..,.,/;;'.';.;'[[[.)

Then the lesbians from next door were like a duo balancing/acrobatics act where they were always leaning on each other and picking each other up which was cute but also like. Charlotte would start falling in one direction and Cordelia would have to scrambke to catch her. I always hail them as the healthiest couple in the show but sometimes i forget they have problems too, like Cordelia;s insecurity and Charlotte's stress over the virus of course.

And finally Mendel!!!! was the fucking ringmaster!!!!! He had a hoop and a top hat and every time he was trying to calm down Jason (Everyone Hates His Parents), or Caroline, or Trina (A Day in Falsettoland), he would appear with his hoop and top hat, to show that HE is the one who needs to "control" other people's lives, or at least he feels the need to direct them. Mendel of course needs to feel like he's smarter than everyone else and like he's the only one who can help people. It really drove that home and it was an insane realization to come to. Phenomenal directing choice idk who came up with that but. bravissimo to you

Now miscellaneous stuff i liked or noticed!!!

They didn't have the big ol foam block. just some couch ends that they moved around to be diff pieces of furniture. If you've ever seen Waiting In The Wings' analysis on falsettos you might have seen a comment in the youtube section discussing how in the set design for the revival, the lack of real furniture through most of the show represents the lack of maturity of the characters, and as things get serious for them, more real props and set pieces get added. Like the chess board, the decor for Mendel + Trina's home, Whizzer's suitcase, the whole hospital room, etc. They didn't lean into that with this but i think that's fine! its not a necessary detail in my opinion and they did their best with what they had!!

Marvin didn't hand whizzer the suitcase after the chess game. He just grabbed it, and packed it himself. I was waiting for him to slam it into whizzer's chest or something. but no. Whizzer just picked it up and walked off. okay. Neutral bad change imo

Marvin's performances of What would I do and What more can i Say were. Breathtaking. Marvin actor if you're out there reading this your voice is lovely and carries so much emotion in your solo numbers. I Did Cry. a little bit

god their group number harmonies were AMAZING. All of the cast members' voices blended together so well and it was absolutely beautiful. the whole show was beautiful and i adored it i swear. I jsut need somwhere to put my feelings

THE ORCHESTRA FUCKED. IT FUCKED

Okay its getting late now and im fading quickly BUT IF U READ THIS FAR UR INSANE. This is for me and nobody else i just eneded to feelings dump. tl;dr: i fucking lvoe falsettos this was one of the best nights of my life i love you actors i love you pit i love you lighting i love you run crew i love you sound crew i love you musical theatre

[le-trash-prince]

Kenta

Okay. It is once again time for me to talk about my number one little man. I was interested in Kenta from the very beginning, and at some point I realized that I was not going to be normal about him, but I really did not anticipate how much he would come to mean to me. I hope y'all have enjoyed witnessing my descent into feral blorbo state. It is not over for me in the slightest.

I want to say that Garfield really acted the shit out of this role, and the writers knew what they were doing when they cast him. His arc was so important to the overall plot, with his growth being pivotal to Tony's downfall, and yet he had a relatively small amount of dialogue to work with (although certainly not the smallest amount of the cast).

A lot of his scenes involve him standing in Tony's office, taking instructions, or even just simply observing. A lot of his lines are based around business deals and errands—rather than furthering his emotional development. He doesn't give big speeches, he doesn't talk about his feelings or his dreams, it's always just "I'm doing xyz for Tony, and I will never betray him."

Some of his most dialogue heavy scenes are in one stairwell with Pete and in another with Tony, which I think are extremely pivotal moments, both of which reveal a fear of abandonment.

But it's honestly when he's quiet that he says the most.

And I love that, I'm obsessed with it. I love that the whole fandom could insantly tell that he and Pete had something going on, just from the way they looked at each other. I love that the storytelling in his arc was so highly visual.

In the beginning, Kenta appears to be nothing more than Tony's lackey: quiet, intimidating, and actively complicit with what is going on.

But as we see him more and more, it becomes exceedingly apparent that he cares, so much. I know I am biased in saying this, but I do also pay close attention to what other people are saying about Kenta, and I know almost everyone has been waiting the entire series to see him stand up to Tony. The amount of acting that Garfield did with his eyes, while remaining such a stoic character, was insane.

Despite him repeatedly declaring his loyalty to Tony, despite the fact that he does not reveal any actions against Tony until episode 12, we feel so much of his inner conflict.

I think for me, personally, the aspect of Kenta's character that I relate to the most is his inability to speak up when he wants to. I've struggled with selective mutism my entire life, and there have been countless, countless scenarios where I've had so many things to say and no ability to say them. The more dire the situation, the more my words fail me. I have to spend so much of my energy constantly planning for potential conflict scenarios just so I can have the time I need to figure out which words to use. Because it can sometimes take months for me to figure out certain phrases. And because it is so painful to stay silent when you want to tell someone to stop. To stop fighting, to stop hurting each other, to stop hurting me.

So I was beyond moved and proud to watch Kenta finally be able to protect his brothers and quietly say the one thing he has wanted to say all along.

Don't hurt anyone anymore.

Don't hurt anyone anymore.

Don't hurt anyone anymore.

I will take some of the words that P'Chod gave to Garfield before they went into production. "It’s just you want to live in a peaceful house and be happy together.” All we want is peace.

I wish that Kenta had not been forced to kill Tony because I don't think he has ever wanted to hurt anyone. But I'm sure as hell not sorry that he did it. There will always be people who are unwilling to stop.

And I recognize that Kenta tried a peaceful method first. He gave X-Hunter what they needed to put Tony in jail, and Tony refused to give up. He was never going to be the kind of person who would simply surrender. To him, these people's lives are property that he is entitled to.

Here is an auto translation of something Garfield said about Kenta at the final episode screening.

"I already knew that Kenta would be similar to me, in that I'm someone who doesn't dare to express my feelings to the people around me, saying very little. So when I got the role, I felt… that it teaches us that as long as we dare to be ourselves and do things that make us happy, that's enough."

We may never know what happened to Kenta after Tony died, but I hope he is able to find his peace. I hope he is able to engage with restorative justice, and I hope he is able to learn what family really should be.

And I hope that someone, anyone, will give him a goddamned hug.

the first shot / the last shot

Thank you, Kenta, from the bottom of my heart, for showing us yours.

[mrs-stans]

Meet Sebastian Stan, the actor who plays Donald Trump in The Apprentice

From Gossip Girl to Marvel Studios, to more independent productions: Sebastian Stan's career has been a roller coaster ride. During his visit to the Deauville American Film Festival, Vogue met the actor, who at 42 years old won a Hollywood Rising-Star Award.

BY LOLITA MANG

On October 9, Sebastian Stan will be Donald Trump in The Apprentice. Some know him for his role as Carter Baizen in Gossip Girl. Others, for that of the Winter Soldier in Marvel productions. But recently, the American actor, of Romanian origin, has ventured into more independent fiction, which sheds a new light on his career. At the Deauville American Film Festival, he came to present A Different Man by Aaron Schimberg, in which he plays Edward, a young disabled actor who decides to change his appearance to, he believes at the time, improve his life. On the contrary, this transformation marks the beginning of his fall. An antagonist role such as he has long played on our screens, and which he continues in The Apprentice, presented in May 2024 at the Cannes Film Festival, and directed by filmmaker Ali Abbasi. So many elements that made us want to talk with the 42-year-old actor during his visit to Normandy, where he was awarded the Hollywood Rising-Star Award. As proof of the new direction taken in his career, today considered by the proponents of European cinema, perhaps, let's confess, more snobbish than their American compatriots.

Vogue. Gossip Girl, The Covenant, The Apprentice or even Captain America: The Winter Soldier … Your filmography is full of antagonists!

Sebastian Stan: A lot of things came to me, other roles, I pursued them. What I am certain of is that I never wanted just one type of role. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I refuse the more traditional hero roles, which I also find very interesting, even difficult in some ways. But it's true, I've always been curious about the idea of playing complex characters, full of flaws. Sometimes, they are the antagonists. Often even! What interests me in human nature is the duality. We can be extremely good to each other, as we can become horribly evil. Life is more complex than that, there are not good guys on one side, and bad guys on the other. Each of us is capable of the best as well as the worst. The antagonists, in my films, offered a great potential for acting that I enjoyed exploring.

Even Edward, your character in A Different Man, seems consumed by envy.

Probably the most complicated character I've ever played! But he's still so realistic in so many ways. I was just talking about this: I hope a lot of people get a chance to see this movie because it's really about acceptance and truth. Someone asked me what I think are the most important human characteristics. I said: values, the relationship we have with ourselves, and how we treat others. When I look at younger generations growing up today, especially with social media, people are almost forced to be followers. Fewer and fewer people are brave enough to express their voices in a unique way to fight against conformity. When you look at a character like Edward, you understand that better. We've all lied to ourselves at some point in our lives. We've all wanted things we couldn't have. We've all envied the person next to us. I wouldn't go so far as to say that this film is a fable, but it has this ability to make us look inside ourselves, and ask ourselves: "What makes me different?" Rather than trying to be things that we are not.

For the first time, with A Different Man, you are putting on the producer's shoes. Why?

I found myself much more invested in the film. It was a very unique experience, which I had not anticipated, I must admit. When I met Aaron Schimberg, the director, at the very beginning of the process, we formed a great connection, and we tried to sell the film together here and there. He welcomed me with open arms in this collaboration, included me in all the conversations about the feasibility of the project. For example, I was the one who suggested that he watch the film Julie (in 12 chapters) because I think Renate Reinsve is incredible in it. I was even able to help with the prosthetics that are used in the film, as well as on the shooting. Let's be honest: it was a complicated shoot, to do in a very short time. Only about twenty days. As an actor, I worked harder, I didn't count my hours. As a producer, I helped Aaron Schimberg make the film as he had in mind. I learned a lot from A Different Man, that's for sure.

Does this mean you're going to try it again?

Oh yes! There are several projects that I have my eye on at the moment… But it’s very difficult to make films, which you probably know here in France. A film like A Different Man, honestly, if A24 studios hadn’t intervened, I’m not sure we would have managed to make it. The United States is not like France or the rest of Europe: there is not the same support allocated to the film industry from institutions. There are no dedicated funds, it’s up to you to manage on your own. When you fight for a film, in addition to playing in it as an actor, it’s both exhausting, but terribly rewarding.

It’s a role for which you were awarded a prize at the Berlinale , and tonight, you’re going to receive a Hollywood Rising-Star Award here in Deauville. At 42! That’s joyful!

I know! I'm a 42-year-old emerging actor, I should say that in my speech... The thing with this industry is that you're constantly growing. It's true, I'm 42, but for the first time, I feel like I'm learning very important things, that I wish I had known much earlier! It was a strange year for me, between the Berlinale, the Cannes Film Festival, Deauville ... For my two films, The Apprentice and A Different Man, I felt real support from the European festivals, very prestigious ones at that. It was very special for me who had never experienced that before. And then I have immense respect for European cinema, which for me is synonymous with real work and authenticity. Here, if people don't like the films, they're not afraid to say so! So that my films have been so well received here, it means a lot.

You are European yourself, you grew up between Austria and Romania…

That’s right. I lived in Romania for the first eight years of my life, and then in Vienna for four years. Coming to the United States in the mid-1990s was a turning point in my life. There, I had opportunities that I would never have had in Romania. That’s why I’m so interested in the idea of the American dream, which is reflected in many of my films. A Different Man and The Apprentice both explore it, in their own way. I think the central question of both of those works is: “When is enough enough? How far can we go to get what we want? Why do we always want to win?” Coming from Europe, where the philosophy is almost the opposite of that, helped me in many ways. I don’t know if I would have approached my roles in the same way.

In A Different Man , you don't speak much, but the physicality of the role is evident. How did you work on it?

Luckily, I was there from the beginning of the shoot. Our makeup artist, Michael Marino , who was working multiple shoots at the same time, would put the prosthetics on me very early in the morning. So I had this time before the shoot where I would walk around the streets of New York with this face that is not mine, and see the reactions of the people around me. It was scary, and enriching in many ways. It helped me understand what it meant to live in the shoes of a man like Adam Pearson, because I wouldn't have been able to realize it otherwise. Adam was very honest with me and talked to me a lot about his experiences, which helped me a lot. And then as an actor, I myself live this strange phenomenon of being recognized on the street every day. I don't have a private life. I sometimes feel like I'm some kind of public property: people can film me and do pretty much whatever they want.

Let’s talk a little bit about the Donald Trump you play on The Apprentice . How does one prepare for such a role?

Playing a real person has its pros and cons. The advantage, with people as famous as him, is the amount of archives available. Videos, articles, documentaries… you have plenty to study the character! But there is a problem: you have to find a place to insert yourself, as an actor. A real challenge, which I like to welcome without really knowing if I will succeed. That is part of the problem that faces me! But that is precisely the reason that makes me want to take on this kind of challenge. Telling myself that I can't do something only redoubles my desire to succeed. When you play a completely fictional character like Edward, it is up to you to build his story. How did he get there? That is what I am constantly looking for.

The Apprentice by Ali Abbasi with Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong, from October 9, 2024 in theaters.

A Different Man by Aaron Schimberg with Sebastian Stan, Adam Pearson and Renate Reinsve, coming soon.

[literaila]

I need satoru and reader to actually confront some of their issues bro😭😭😭 I feel like they would after so long and them just pushing eachother away every time they get upset hurts. Like their relationship doesn’t feel serious 💀😭😭 they don’t have to confront everything all at once but I definitely think they would start communicating better and not just keep going in a loop. I love angst and hurt comfort but I need more comfort 😩

the thing about their relationship is that it is so unserious.

i mean, both of them have grown up in places where everything was overtly serious—reader had to grow up and learn how to take care of herself, and satoru has always had to be a grown up, the strongest.

so although i agree that they never really talk out their issues, necessarily (or at least not on screen)—they also don’t need to.

there’s a strong understanding between the two of them. and something a lot of people miss (or i don’t describe very well lol) is that reader needs someone like satoru—someone who doesn’t want to be serious, or talk about everything—and satoru needs someone like reader—someone to care, someone to keep him grounded.

and when they’re avoiding each other, it’s because there’s so much that both of them need to comprehend. and understanding someone like that can be very fulfilling, but also equally exhausting.

also! i must add that i really don’t write about a lot of every day things for them—because it’s not very… helpful in guiding plot purposes. but they fight a lot less than as seen. or there’s subtle corrections:

“satoru, if you keep leaving your disgusting mugs in the sink, i’m going to plunge all six of your eyes from out of your skull.”

“that’s impossible.”

a harsh glare and satoru holds his hands up in defense. “okay. no more mugs. how about bowls?”

“satoru—“

or in a more serious case:

“please stop telling megumi that he should be on the lookout for curses at school.”

“it’s a school,” satoru points out. “and megumi is basically a beacon of cursed energy.”

“that doesn’t mean he needs to worry about it every second of the day.”

“he needs to keep his guard up. it’s good practice.”

“he doesn’t need to do anything.”

satoru smiles. “sweetheart, do you want him to be hurt at school? in front of his classmates?”

“well…”

“he’s a strong kid, and he already knows about them. you can’t just expect him to forget because you’d rather him not care.”

you pout.

satoru kisses the top of your head. “he’s just going to go down to the nurses office and call one of us, just so we know.”

“fine. but i’m not dealing with it.”

“wow, you’re a real slacker, you know?”

readers biggest flaw is that she wants to deal with everything on her own, and she thinks that the world is naturally evil. she’s good at talking her feelings out—but sometimes feelings aren’t logical. they can’t be. and living with two children is definitely helping her realize that.

satoru’s biggest flaw is that he’s spent his whole life holding everyone at arms length. infinity is a huge clue to his character, and how he relates to others (it’s my favorite detail about him, can you tell??). but he has to let it go, release his limitless technique, so he can get close to reader and the kids.

they’re taking steps, albeit baby ones, but steps nonetheless.

(plus, with their relationships in the past, the moment something’s gone wrong, people leave. so they both have abandonment issues, and yes, it’s so much easier to avoid a conversation than risk losing the person you love most in the world).

it also feels important to note that parents (most of them, at least) can’t focus so much on themselves. and it plays a big role in struggling families and relationship problems. because having kids is a devotion, a huge responsibility, there’s less time for other things.

so really, i think they’re doing pretty good. i mean, if toji hadn’t died—or hadn’t existed—their relationship would be more developed, obviously. stronger. but for their circumstance, they’re two very strong and intelligent people.

and they love each other, so what else matters?

[frostytherobot]

Alright. Because I’m thinking about Creep as a film series because they just announced more Creep in the form of THE CREEP TAPES (I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR SO LONG… it’s not a movie but a TV SHOW!!!) I’m just gonna ramble a little bit about why those movies are so important to me.

First, though:

^ That’s my Creep tattoo. I got it over a year ago and show it off whenever I can.

So, onward.

I watched the first Creep movie for the first time during quarantine lockdown. It was like March of 2021? (Hold on, let me link the episode of my podcast for that.) (Yup. Don’t mind my pre-T voice.) That was like one of the loneliest times of my life. You know how it was, you were there, too. Fucking. Awful. I felt like there was just this bubble of sadness around me and nobody could get through to me. Sure, I had friends I could talk to over the internet, but that can only get you so far. Especially when they have their own lives and you can’t see them face to face.

One night, my two best college buddies and I decided we should watch it for our podcast. That was the one thing we could do that we could talk to each other consistently with, so we went for it. And, fuck. You can hear in that episode how freaked out that movie made us! We talk about human behaviors and the compulsion to kill and where that stems from, the relationship between politeness and gender roles, and lot of other related topics in that episode. It’s a smart film that knows how to suck you into the reality; you see these two men up close and personal, their odd behaviors, and the found footage formatting and intimate setting make you feel as though you are there witnessing all of this with them. As them. Those awkward moments make you cringe; watching Josef admit to stalking Aaron, catching Josef on the lies, tubby time. Oh, god, tubby time.

And then there was the ending. The moment where the camera is left in the car, you’re left in the car, and you just have to watch as Josef puts on the Peachfuzz wolf mask, flourishes his jacket, and buries that axe into Aaron’s head. The shot is static. It’s matter-of-fact, and that’s why it’s so horrifying. He’s dead. You followed this shy, awkward guy on his journey getting to know an oddball all the way to the lake, and he’s dead now. And then, the murderous oddball looks directly into the camera, and while he says Aaron’s name, he’s looking at you as he says, “That is why I love you. And that is why you will always be my favorite. Of them all.” Like he was thanking you for witnessing this event.

I felt like there was someone behind me for hours afterward. Josef had somehow gotten into my home. And that’s how it started.

Months later, we watched the second one. (Episode link here.) Of course we loved it. I loved it. It wasn’t as scary as the first one, but the intimacy and emotional connection was still there. That feeling of watching two people through their own eyes was still there. Only this time, they were trying to out-weird each other, or at least come together on a level they could both understand. The thing is, they were still misunderstanding each other. Sara is only comfortable with Josef’s Aaron’s freakiness because she thought he was lying to her when he wasn’t. The moment she starts to take it seriously is when she decides to leave, and that’s when Josef Aaron pulls out the lies and the deceit to bring her back in. And when she comes back in, that’s when she starts being genuine, letting her guard down, and that’s when she gets into trouble. She starts to believe in the watered-down version of Josef Aaron, seeing the front of softness as a vulnerability in him, and to a point, it is. But she totally disregards everything else that has happened during this day as some kind of ruse, when she should have kept those moments in mind. He’s still a killer, and dangerous, even if he plays it like he isn’t.

Sara ultimately pays the price for entertaining his whims. I guess Aaron did, too, but in a different way. While Aaron died and became a part of Josef, Sara now cannot get rid of him. He tries to kill her, and she runs, refusing his gift of death and absorption into himself, but now he follows her. She’s literally moved on, but like a ghost or a bad dog with attachment issues, he still follows her. He gave her his heart, after all.

And then I got to putting two and two together on why exactly all of this was appallingly appealing to me. I was alone. I was drifting further into this state of paradoxical nothing-pain. And suddenly, I was being welcomed into a dynamic in which I was wanted. It was an obsessive want, but I was wanted. He got me. They all did. Josef, Aaron, Sara. Suddenly I’m seeing aspects of my loneliness on screen. The slow reveal of the odd personality traits, the waiting to see the reaction. Pulling those traits back in when they’re not met with the tolerance I wish was there. The staying when I feel so uncomfortable because I want to understand. Upping the ante in an act of bonding. Feeling like I’ve found someone who’s on my wavelength, only to find they weren’t as okay with the whole me as I thought. The sudden urge to end it all. To kill the relationships. Move on, knowing they were dead, but I could still have the memories. They were getting distant. I could do it, you know. Just end it all right then.

Of course, I didn’t do that. But I felt it. I felt it a lot during that time.

I’ve not been super mentally healthy over my time being alive. I’ve been hospitalized for it. Not a fun experience, by the way. But that was another aspect that just drew me closer to Peachfuzz. He’s funny, and weird, and unstable. Always lying to appeal to the people around him because he wants them to stay, for sincere and sinister reasons. He’s terrible and lonely. I was terrible and lonely.

And there it was. Crystal clear. Los aguas milagros de corazón. I was taking comfort in a manifestation of something dark that I saw in myself. A mischievous, funny, isolated, totally fucked-in-the-head, murderous darkness. I wasn’t alone in that room anymore, and yeah, perhaps my company should’ve been something not so, well, creepy, but I thanked him for being there. I could put a face with the feeling, and the nothing-pain started going away.

He’s a friend of mine now. And I love him a lot.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

i want to say something thats been bugging me for a while but there was this whole argument about katara and zuko being FUNDAMENTAL in each other's character arc and that baffled me because its simply not true? you can say they play an important role but to say they are fundamental is over exaggerating it. as fundamental at least to me inherently implies they are the foundation for each others arcs. like it got me sooo confused because i in no way see how zuko plays such a role for katara and same with zuko. because did we just forget that uncle iroh is the one thats actually fundamental to zuko? i feel like i never see him get talked about by these "zuko fans" unless its from a book with like one or two short sentences thats very clearly uncle iroh being a stereotypical dad and being like "oh a nice girl maybe good for zuko?" as if he wasn't pushing zuko to bring home a girl and getting him to go on a date with that girl in ba sing se idk to me it reads off as a parent thats just yappin lol

regardless of that though, im still baffled by that. katara isnt fundamental to zuko's character arc, uncle iroh is. zuko isnt fundamental to katara's character arc, her mother is (and i'd argue aang but i feel like that would just cause a shipping mess by even breathing his name lmao) anyways sorry but that still gets me to this day because how utterly confusing i found it. no one was even saying that they didn't play an important (role along with the other characters in the gaang) in each others arcs, it was saying they simply are not fundamental and that, for some reason, made them so mad lol

I'm sorry, anon, but I am saying they were not important to each other's character arcs, and this is taking into account my bias as someone who really likes their friendship. If a character is not around for someone's arc, or on their mind during it, they're not relevant to said arc.

Katara canonically saw him as nothing but the generic face for evil Fire Nation people until their talk in Ba Sing Se - only to then immediately regret her moment of empathy towards him and never mention him again. And as I've already said, that moment meant so little to Zuko that he couldn't even understand why Katara was mad.

They don't start interacting for real until Zuko the second of half of the final season, and they're not friends until the show is TWO EPISODES AWAY from the finale.

In The Southern Raiders, Zuko is basically the guy driving the taxi so Katara goes on her revenge quest. This doesn't hold a candle to the three seasons she spent being supported by the Gaang (or two in Toph's case), always thinking about her family, mainly her mom.

In the Last Agni Kai, Katara is just there to take action when it's time to shout MEDIC! This doesn't hold a candle to Ozai and Azula's shadow constantly hanging over him, Iroh's advice, the memory of his mother, his relationship with Mai, and the simple "Maybe we could have been friends" from Aang that was canonically haunting Zuko for months because it got to him that much.

Now, do I think it's possible, and very likely, that they will be very important in each other's lives from that point onwards? Of course! They ARE friends now, and if someone is in your life they're gonna play some kind of role when you're going through stuff. It's only natural.

But in the actual canon events? No, they were not important to each other's arc. They didn't have the opportunity to be - and that is part of why I wish the show had 4 seasons instead of 3, or that the comics had not sucked. It would've been so nice to see Aang not be the only member of the Gaang that plays a major role in Zuko's arc, and vice versa (especially with Toph, not only because I love their friendship but because she was denied a life-changing field trip).