#he was always willing to fight villains if the situation called for it

[scootersscooter]

I think Oliver should've been allowed an arc where after being confronted with him not being naturally gifted with his powers he hid in medicine and became the team medic, eventually coming to the conclusion that he can't hide from everything that makes him uncomfortable, slowly becoming more confident using his powers in fights

[elvishdemigod]

Okay. Stolas is a complete piece of shit of a father.

Stolas has chosen Blitz over his daughter multiple times.

He hired and flirted with him at the carnival with his daughter. Oh, and before that, said very sexual things in front of her when calling Blitz. His mind, when preparing for protection for a trip with her, went to calling the guy he hooks up with and immediately thinks about sex.

When he went to find her in the mortal realm, he not only had Blitz along, but also preoccupied himself with thirsting over him. And it was Loona that found Octavia. Not him.

Then he was willing to not only get himself killed for Blitz, but on live tv, where his daughter could see

She's told him how she's scared he'll leave her for Blitz. He promised he wouldn't.

Yet he did.

He actually fucking ditched her for the guy he was running around with. Was about to let himself die (as he thought would happen) on live tv, where his daughter could see.

Octavia saw her dad ditch her and sacrifice himself for his side guy.

See, Stella shouldn't have been made a villain. Because this shit is not okay. She could've been shown still loving her daughter, while hating Stolas at the same time. Because we've seen her be less shitty with her daughter than Stolas has. Even if she faked a sad face and open arms probably out of manipulation, she's still done less harmful things to her daughter than Stolas has.

Imagine how low Octavia's self-esteem is that her dad, who she loved, just prepared himself to die for the imp he always forces along while with her, without a single thought to her. So bad, that the side piece is a better dad to his adopted adult daughter than Stolas is to his biological kid daughter. Not sure if it's true, but I heard Viv actually hates Octavia. Which...says a fucking lot about her, tbh. "Teenage girl with parents always fighting, who just wants her dad and terrified of losing him, but has to deal with him choosing casual hookups over her many times" does not sound like a hateable character. If Viv hating Octavia is true, that just makes all this so much worse.

Stolas uses sex as extortion, doesn't give a shit about his daughter outside of empty words, still sees imps as lowers and uses them like objects and somehow expecting Blitz not to see that shit as shitty? I don't care if he's a gay guy forced into his situation, that's no reason to ditch the daughter who you explicitly told you weren't going to ditch.

Yet I'm supposed to believe Stella is the evil one here? So far, all I've seen is she deserves to take Octavia.

[altocat]

I am starting to see that Sephiroth was not really the leading and confident type that I thought he was. Everyone in fandom called him “general” and I went along because it made sense that the great hero would be a leader of men and soldiers. But Sephiroth was barely the leader of his own team in Rhadore. They made many of their own choices and led him too. When Sephiroth meets Glenn as an adult, Sephiroth follows Glenn’s lead right away.

Now we have Angeal as team leader and he commands authority that Sephiroth does not. Even if Sephiroth were the leader I don’t feel like he would be the one with Angeal’s presence. I don’t think Sephiroth was the leading one in AGS either. My old image of Sephiroth is crumbling and I don’t mind. But it’s weird to me. Sephiroth never took control of his own life until Nibelheim.

Yeah, it's basically confirming what I've always thought. I think Sephiroth commands a lot of respect due to his position and reputation. And he probably holds some level of authority over younger soldiers when the chips are down. He's given the biggest tasks and he's even assigned the honor of personally guarding President Shinra during heavy fighting. So he holds a lot of importance based on his capabilities.

But personality-wise? He's not the commanding daddy-dom so many people portray him to be in fic lolol he's actually a very passive, submissive sort of person. He really seems to have a very low opinion of himself, at least in the sense that he doesn't seem to find value in himself beyond his skills in combat. He's not arrogant. He doesn't think he's better than others--only different. And he's probably not the dominant leader of the trio beyond battlefield tactics. Sephiroth isn't a push over, per se, but he's probably something akin to the group baby in the trio, just sort of going with the flow. Sephiroth seems to have lost a lot of his more timid personality as an adult around the time CC rolls around. But he's also not really all that willing to take control of a situation, at least not beyond basic mission stuff. He seems to fall back on Angeal a lot. And possibly did the same for Genesis. He certainly does so for Glenn.

So yeah. The "real" Sephiroth was never an especially dominant person at all. Nor was he really greedy, egotistical, or someone who enjoyed the spotlight. The real Sephiroth was kind of shy, occasionally soft-hearted, a bit aloof, and more reliant on his companions in order to function on a day to day basis. Which makes it very interesting when he loses it in Nibelheim because it only further adds to his transformation into the villain we know today. And THAT Sephiroth MAKES his presence known, so incredibly arrogant and focused on his own evil desires that he no longer cares for anyone else at all. Willing to sacrifice EVERYONE and EVERYTHING just so HE gets what he wants. Complete character 180.

[darkcomets]

God I was not ready for that 😭

MAJOR SPOILERS LOL

BAKUGO’S DEATH HAD NO RIGHT BEING THAT GOOD, GOD DAMMIT-

Boy don’t I love seeing my favourite character die

I love his character and development, and while I know that he’s coming back, I’m still crying over this. Well done MHA, you’ve officially broken me for life

Bakugo started off as an absolute asshole of a kid, a product of society. Because of his quirk, he was always complimented and encouraged by his classmates, which helped inflate his ego. He was bratty and aggressive, mainly thinking of himself, constantly trying to beat down Midoriya because of his own insecurities.

But because of the newer environment at UA and all of the villain attacks and events that forces high schoolers into situations they shouldn’t have to handle yet, Bakugo has been forced to see that he isn’t the strongest person around, and that he isn’t the centre of the world. A fact that he eventually has to accept. And we can see that it works. Bakugo and Midoriya’s relationship throughout the series is one of the most important ones (in my opinion) for both of their characters and perhaps the storyline too. It starts off with a bully and victim, two people who have been stuck with each other for basically their entire lives. Bakugo bullied and abused Midoriya for his quirkless mess to make himself feel superior, and once they got into UA, the bullying died down because of the new environment they’re in that won’t enable Bakugo’s behaviour, but their relationship was still strained. After being forced to work together time after time again, they eventually start to learn to work together. Then Camino happened and Bakugo basically broke down in front of Midoriya, expressing his frustrations and anger at his weakness and Midoriya’s newfound strength, and the two of them fought. The fight ended pretty quickly (I think), but by the end of it, the two seemed to have gained a better understanding of each other.

In the movie, Heroes Rising, we can see the two now being able to work together. Izuku is at a point where he is able to trust Bakugo with giving him One For All, and Bakugo asks him ‘What about your dream?’ He is literally thinking about Izuku in this moment, and his future, and sounds like he is almost worried. While he doesn’t remember anything afterwards, it was a hell of a fight, and their relationship has continued to evolve.

In Season 6, during the first war, Bakugo literally sacrifices himself for Midoriya. His body ‘moved without thinking’ so it was an instinct to protect Midoriya, someone he used to despise and constantly shit on. And during Deku’s vigilante arc, he not only stood in front of Class 1A and somewhat led them in the search for him, he apologises to Midoriya for everything he had done. Of course, an apology can’t undo everything that he had done to Deku in middle school and before that, but it is a huge development in his character. Because the Bakugo that we started off with would never have ever apologised once. Bakugo is calm throughout the entire apology, and not an inch of anger or aggression is shown in his expression, this is pure and genuine emotion. He admits his weaknesses and his reasons for his actions towards Midoriya, acknowledging them as something he should not have done. He knows that an apology doesn’t change what he has done, but Bakugo is willing to change. He is starting this change by calling Midoriya ‘Izuku’ instead of Deku. Bakugo using his first name shows how their relationship has grown immensely and that they really have gotten closer. It’s a huge moment for the two of them, and what ultimately causes Izuku to finally relent and falls into Bakugo’s arms. And now in Season 7, during the battle against Shigaraki, Bakugo reflects on things with Shigaraki’s words. And most of those thoughts is Izuku. And right as he’s walking up to Shigaraki, ready to fight again, he is thinking of Izuku. He thinks about All Might, and admits himself that he was ‘kind of a brat’ when they first met (slight understatement, but still). And right as his body falls onto the ground, the All Might card he opened with Izuku falls next to him. He kept it, after all those years. Something he opened with Midoriya. Personally, I see it as some kind of significance that it’s Izuku losing a key part of him. They started this journey together, and now one of them has fallen, and two has become one. I am not ready to see his reaction oh my god-

That’s just how I see things. I might be a bit biased as a bkdk shipper, and I probably got some things wrong since I haven’t watched the anime in a short while, but that’s my view on this. Bakugo isn’t a saint for apologising and calling Izuku by his actual name, but I think that’s the whole point of his character development. Going from an absolute asshole who looks down on everybody around him and thinks himself better than those around him, to someone who knows that he was wrong for his previous actions and has started to learn to work with the people around him. Someone who still has his flaws but is learning to get over them, acknowledging his own weaknesses. Bakugo isn’t an amazingly kind person like Izuku, but he has still made amazing development in character. And that’s what makes him one of my favourite

Damn this is long 😭

Tell me if I got anything wrong or missed anything out

[writerfae]

No thoughts, just Aiden and Henry hugging!

Also, how come Ranva used to call Henry little crow? (Not that it doesn't fit, it does (duh), I'm just curious if there's a story behind it)

And how did Hela end up in the human realm when she met Aiden?

Forest demons: uniting friends since day one!

And I wanted to rant at you a little about Bendegúz because I realized that I haven't really done that since I talked about his dad, and it made me sad, because I love him (also, I'm scared that sometimes I accidentally mischaraterize him because him and I have the same exaggerated humor but if you mix those together it just makes him sound insane💀)There's a very good reason why the difference between the villain Adél au, the villain Ákos au and canon is what Bendegúz does!

I wanted to tell you about some moments of his that I love (angst warning)

I mentioned that he and Ákos sometimes playfight, and Bendegúz sometimes shows him how to use his spear. And can you just imagine 8 yo Bendegúz with a 3 yo Ákos, and they're playing with sticks (pretending they are spears), and Bendegúz isn't that good with a spear yet, but to Ákos he already looks like an expert ❤️🥺

Also, there's this sweet moment where they're preparing to fly home from the swamp (and it's not the happiest circumstances for Ákos' first, real flight) and Bendegúz apologies for this and promises that after this is over they'll go on a real, nice, pleasant flight

The fact that he took care of Moss (who he doesn't even like) while Ákos was gone

When Adél is told that Ákos is dead the first thing she does is run to Bendegúz and he's holding her so tightly and aaaaa

Just his inner struggle of "It wasn't MY litte brother! I can't be sad!" But as soon as there's even the slightest chance to get him back, he's on it!

Both him and Adél being willing to go to the swamp even though they know that the chances of Ákos being alive are close to zero.

Adél and him spend so much time together! Ever since their parents introduced them to each other as babies they were always together. Never one without the other

Bendegúz learned to fly, and now him flying up to Adél's window just because, is a regular occurrence. They constantly have sleepovers (it's really easy since Bendegúz and his mom live on the castle grounds)

It's really cute because in Bendegúz's house Adél's childhood drawings are hung up, and vice-versa 😭

And they play a lot of boardgames 😭

He is very good at lighting up a bad situation with a joke but never in an inappropriate way. Just in those moments when people need a little cheering up, and this always makes his friends feel all warm inside.🥺

I'll stop cause we'll be here all day...(sorry if this got long)

I hope you liked this little rant 🙈

Ranva called Henry her little crow because of the color of his hair and for a second reason that I can’t say out in the open xD she also referred to her sons as her little crows sometimes, also for that second reason.

And Halea came to the human realm because while fighting the forest demon, the beast and her practically “fell” through an open portal to the human realm that someone (or something) must’ve opened shortly before and left open.

Bendegúz really is a sweetheart, his relationship to the royal siblings is really adorable! You can tell he loves them!

[are-you-still-writing-that]

Yandere Alphabet: Chrollo Lucilfer

That man was one of the first villains I ever truly found interesting, just because he himself doesn´t know who he is. That was such a funny thing to me. Like, considering everything he has done, and he doesn´t know the reason for it? I´m so glad, that the Phantom Troupe will be returning in the latest Manga Arc, though I know they won´t make it out of there alive. I always enjoyed seeing them, after they were first introduced to us. So, I simply had to do something for their boss.

Chrollo Lucilfer

He is the head of the spider, the leader of the Phantom Troupe. A man who is a phantom himself. A man who laid his entire self into a group of people. Who holds onto anything that live has for him with a tight grip. Who is so afraid to let go, because then he knows, those things would be lost forever to him. He is taunting, and when he has the chance to be smug he will be as well. He has problems to see you like a person, but oh dear he still loves his treasures so very much.

Affection: How do they show their love and affection? How intense would it get?

There are two very clear ways in which Chrollo will show his affection to you. One of them is loud and acted and the other one is far more quiet and honest. He will shower you in some of the jewellery he stole or anything else that either caught your eye or his. He plays it up for an imaginary audience. The other, more true to him, way to show affection is far more quiet. Sometimes he will read out a poem that reminded him of you, otherwise he will simply seek out your company. Otherwise he makes it clear, that he listens to you every once in a while.

Blood: How messy are they willing to get when it comes to their darling?

He doesn´t mind killing, because over the years he simply got used to it. It´s nothing special for him, just another thing, that needs to be done. Though he still tends to be quick about it. There is no need for him to spend more time on something insignificant as that as needed. It´s hard to piss him off enough to make it messy and even then he is more likely to just be clean while murdering someone brutally. In the end, he is more likely to play mind games.

Cruelty: How would they treat their darling once abducted? Would they mock them?

In the first few moments, maybe even days, he would ignore you. He doesn´t do this out of malice, but out of a misguided sense of care and, well let´s call it empathy. He knows, that this is a lot for you, and so he thinks the lack of interaction will help you settle better. Though, there isn´t really any kidnapping happening because he will move into your own space and keep you there with him. He gets a bit petty, when you insult him and tends to give back as good as he gets.

Darling: Aside from abduction, would they do anything against their darling’s will?

He is a charmer, a born manipulator. Chrollo gives you the illusion of choice over and over again without you even noticing, that it isn´t really choice you can make. He manipulates the situation your in very carefully, as he doesn´t want you to notice this either. He tailors every situation, so that it will fit to his desires, so that his will will prevail.

Exposed: How much of their heart do they bare to their darling? How vulnerable are they when it comes to their darling?

He doesn´t make himself vulnerable with you. He doesn´t want to be like that with you either. He barely knows himself, so how could he even show you the parts he doesn´t show anyone else either. He doesn´t know. He bases his personality on the people around him. He becomes whatever is needed for the people he holds close to his heart. So, if he had to be honest, he is quite happy never baring his heart and soul to you either. Maybe he doesn´t even have one.

Fight: How would they feel if their darling fought back?

He very quickly grows annoyed with you but still tries to hold back and treat this like a fun game. Though, he will lose his patience with you at some point and show you what he is capable of. He regrets it almost immediately and apologizes to you. Without a moment´s notice the mask of the charming and kind man is firmly back in place.

Game: Is this a game to them? How much would they enjoy watching their darling try to escape?

Though he sometimes thinks that your attempts are kind of funny, he still would like it better if you would stop doing it. He looks at you in those moments, as one would, watching a beloved pet do something stupid over and over again. He knows that there is no real chance that you will be getting away from him. So he thinks of it as being hilarious, but would prefer you settle down with him.

Hell: What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?

He can change his personality at the drop of a head. Chrollo is very good at acting. The moment you realize that, a shiver will run down your spine and a chill will settle in your bones, that will never leave again. He makes it clear, that the way he appears to you is decided on a whim of his. There is also the lurking disregard of human life, his or others, that also carries over into his every action, that tends to freak you out.

Ideals: What kind of future do they have in mind for/with their darling?

He can´t imagine any kind of future with you. He carries the beat of death in his heart. And he is satisfied with whatever he already got with you. He reached out to you with open hands, and he managed to catch you as well. At the moment he is content.

Jealousy: Do they get jealous? Do they lash out or find a way to cope?

He is confident in himself, when it comes to you interacting with other people. He knows, that he is able to twist himself into a personality that is everything you could ever want from him. And he also knows, that he is the only one that can do this to such an extent. So he doesn´t really get jealous, though he still wants to be the centre of your attention, and will do what he can to keep that position.

Kisses: How do they act around or with their darling?

Chrollo will be as gentle as he can with you. He likes to adore you. Most of the time he tries to act overly sophisticated, while he generally isn´t. Reading you poetry, comparing you to some of his favourite figures in literature, and quoting you some of his favourite lines as well. He acts almost sweet with you

Love letters: How would they go about courting or approaching their darling?

He is a picture perfect gentleman around you. Polite, careful and attentive. He intrudes into your spaces without really crossing any lines at the same time. The meetings seem coincidental. At least at first. They occur to often to be chance. But because he depicts himself as non-threatening you will let it slide. This is how he gets close. Involving you in several conversations just so, that he can learn more about you.

Mask: Are their true colors drastically different from the way they act around everyone else?

Considering, that he has a habit of basing his entire personality on other people, there is always a mask in place, that he can never get rid off. He feels empty inside. He is the amalgamation of what all the people he ever loved needed from him. And so he becomes what you need from him as well. But over time more and more of his other personality traits will slip in as well.

Naughty: How would they punish their darling?

He goes all quiet when he is angry. It´s a slow anger, that he keeps a tight leash on. It´s something, that is vicious and barely noticeable at the same time. It hardens his face and wipes every emotion out of his face. It makes him cold and cruel. It makes him creative.

Oppression: How many rights would they take away from their darling?

When he moves in with you, no matter what you have to say about it, he also takes control over your life. Well not completely. Only when he is around. He still travels a lot, as he did before. Always on the move. It´s rare, that he demands that you will come with him. He likes it better when you are safe at home, where nothing can really happen to you. When he returns to you though, he craves to be the centre of your attention. He wants you around, and to interact with him. You won´t have single moment truly to yourself, when he is near by.

Patience: How patient are they with their darling?

Chrollo likes to display himself as a patient man. He isn´t really, but because he holds on tightly to this image it makes him quite patient anyway. No one needs to know, that he is clenching his jaw and his body tensing with annoyance. With you, he tries even harder to patient and charming and most of the time he is even quite successful.

Quit: If their darling dies, leaves, or successfully escapes, would they ever be able to move on?

He will mourn the loss of you. It feels to him, as if he lost another piece of himself with you. He has laid loving you, adoring you, as an important foundation of his personality. You were something, someone, that he based his personality around again. You were as important to him, as his spider is. And now he lost you. His grief overwhelms him and he doesn´t know what to do. So he throws himself back into being the head of the spider.

Regret: Would they ever feel guilty about abducting their darling? Would they ever let their darling go?

He can never regret reaching his hands out for something, that he wants. He knows, that he needs to take what he wants, because the world will never offer it to him for free. There is nothing there that he should regret. He sometimes feels almost melancholic though, when he realizes that you aren´t as carefree as before, that he made you change. That he is the cause behind this change.

Stigma: What brought about this side of them (childhood, curiosity, etc)?

He grew up with nothing. Life taught him over and over again that if he wants to have something that he will need to take it. It taught him that if he wants to keep something he will have to fight for it. Over and over again these lessons were drilled into his skull. Over the years he would find peace in his eventual death, because he laid his life into the hands of his spider. It´s strange for him to feel so strongly again.

Tears: How do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry, and/or isolate themselves?

It disappoints him to see how you loose your composure that quickly. In the end though he will be far more interested to observe this new facet of you. It makes you appear more human that something like this seems to pull out such a strong reaction from you. Though if he notices that you start to pull back is when he will pull you out of your fit again. No need to loose that shiny personality of your now.

Unique: Would they do anything different from the classic yandere?

He will invade your space, instead of forcing you to stay in his. There won´t be a chance of him kidnapping you in a traditional sense. Also, he will be well-liked by most of your peers, because he can play of normal and charming young gentleman very well. Another thing that differentiates him is that he will never be able to open up to you. No matter if you try or not.

Vice: What weakness can their darling exploit in order to escape?

He has an unfortunate habit to shift his personality to fit better into any situation. He always tries to be the most charming version of him that he can. In the end Chrollo lacks an identity that he can rely on. There is no sense of self that can help him to steady himself. This doesn´t mean that he necessarily easy to shake up, but it´s something that can be achieved. Something that can be exploited to manipulate the situation to your favour.

Wit’s end: Would they ever hurt their darling?

Chrollo wouldn´t hurt you directly. He has enough self-control to avoid that. But what he will do is threaten everyone you love with a pleasant smile on his lips. He doesn´t care about other people. He doesn´t have the energy for it either. His priority is you. Not whoever you hold dear. He also won´t mind to render them apart if it ensures that you will stay at his side. Or at least won´t act out in an obvious manner.

Xoanon: How much would they revere or worship their darling? To what length would they go to win their darling over?

He is someone that sees you as an immeasurable treasure. He wants you as soon as he sets his eyes on you, and is not willing to change his mind over you either. While he doesn´t outright worship you, he still puts you on a pedestal. After all you make him feel alive. A feeling that he very deeply treasures and will chase after. He tries to be charming at first, and will try to win you over like that.

Yearn: How long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

He doesn´t really pine in the first place. He sees you, recognizes that he wants you, then he takes you. There is no period of time, where he just can´t stop thinking about you. His desire overtakes him quickly and completely. Like it always does. And he has learned early: To get what he wants, he has to take you. Nothing comes for free after all, and while patience is a virtue, there is nothing, that can hold him back.

Zenith: Would they ever break their darling?

He would threaten to do this to them. Though he would never actually do it. He makes you aware, that this could be a possibility, without the intention to do it. He likes you. He thinks, that they are interesting. So, why would he break that? Sure, there is some beauty in all the broken things of this world. Doesn´t mean you have to break too. But there is no sense in letting them know that. He likes the fear in your eyes, when he tangles the empty promise over their head.

[incorrectmhatweets]

Shouta Aizawa/Eraserhead HCs of mine:

- Aizawa hated Pro heroes since he was a child, stemming from his mother’s unhealthy obsession with heroes.

- Aizawa’s mother was, what many people referred to as a cape bunny/chaser. She had a quirk that, upon looking into someone’s eyes, could make them lose their inhibitions for a brief period of time. This helped her with her goals as she was a professional villain victim. She knew who to contact when a villain needed a victim for their big debut with a hero for the public. That, and she purposefully would walk through dangerous alleys and knew the best places for patrols and crime to get the chance to win the heart of some unsuspecting Hero, afterwards, she would show him her gratitude.

- her intimate goal was to win over a hero and have him marry her. Unfortunately, she enjoyed the high of being rescued and being in dangerous situations so much that she was rarely able to stay faithful. She was engaged a total of 9 times, mostly to low ranking heroes. She only successfully married 3 times, and only once did it last over a year because she couldn’t stop trying for bigger and better heroes. Despite being payed generously to keep quiet for the heroes public image, and in child support, she often blew it all perusing her dreams

-Aizawa has a total of 14 siblings of various ages, genders, and quirks, all of them half siblings. Some of them he never even met because they ended up taken from his mother at an early age due to child endangerment and neglect and only in two instances did the father actually choose to take full custody of their child.

- Growing up, Aizawa always hoped and prayed that the heroes who ‘rescued’ his mom, and him on a few memorable occasions where his mother used him to gain a heroes attention, would rescue him as well. After a time, he stopped caring. He didn’t understand why his mom thought a second of their attention was so much more important than him. He didn’t know why he was never enough for her.

- he frequented an old pre quirk style dance studio to avoid going home after school. He used to loiter on the roof and watch the people inside from the window. His life changed when he was invited inside and essentially adopted by the owner.

- over the years (he would have been bullied even harsher if the kids at school learned about it, who bullied him because of his quirk and because everyone knew about his mother) he learned many different styles of dance. His favorite when he was younger started with ribbon dancing, and eventually evolved into scarf dancing and eventually pole dancing, though if he had a partner he loved ballroom, ballet, and tango. Something about the push and pull of two bodies in motion and watching his partner’s move while predicting the next to move with them. This eventually translated into his fighting style.

- the owner of the studio would never admit it, but she thought Aizawa was a little homeless girl when she first spotted him, with his small, lithe prepubescently androgynous body and long tangled hair with dark lashes. Traits that he unfortunately shared with his mother, which is why he hated to take care of his looks, and would often avoid shaving cleanly as an adult. His teacher was where he learned to wear his hair in a messy bun.

- he grew up in a dangerous neighborhood and narrowly avoided scrapes. Also, he oftentimes didn’t get along with his mother’s boyfriends, who were either low ranking villains she often used to gain the attention of heroes, or (as she got older and began loosing her beauty and her name became more well known by heroes and first responders that often took her calls) lower and lower ranked heroes that were often willing to take bribes and look the other way on things.

- He also didn’t get along with the few siblings he had. When he got older and decided to look into it, several of them went into the system and he was never able to fully figure out where they went, several more became criminals, a few of those criminals also became villains, and a few of them had died. He is the only one who became a hero, and that was only because of Nedzu’s intervention.

-His mom was the one who forced him to apply to Hero school, hopeful of parent teacher conferences with the all hero staff and hopeful of gaining the attentions of older students. She was very upset with him for not even trying during the practical exam. Which he purposely sat to the side for. He did not want to be a hero. But, his mom pushed for him to get into the general education course. Somehow (where there is a will there is a way) she scrounged up enough money to send him through.

- wearing his UA uniform on his way home from school resulted in him being chased down and mugged a few times, resulting in his mother thanking a few heroes who helped him. While he never confirmed it, he was pretty sure at least some of the later attacks were plotted by his mother to some degree.

- the day of the sports festival he had been through a lot. The dance studio that was his safe place for the longest time had closed. His mom’s now ex hero boyfriend had smacked him around a bit because of his freakish quirk and mother. He hadn’t slept in some time because of the anxiety of everything boiling over. His own classmates had started to learn about him and his quirk and his poor family and mom and started to shun him. And here he was. In a sports festival meant to glorify the hero course while they beat all of the other students in the school like they existed to be nothing but props, stepping stones for a hero’s future. Victims. Villains. Poor, helpless civilians. He couldn’t take it anymore.

- Aizawa snapped. He went into survival mode. Fight or flight, and he had been running all his life. In the arena there was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Nowhere to escape. Maybe escaping was always an illusion. Because it would always come down to this. Heroes hurting him. And nobody ever cared except himself. It only took 13 years for Aizawa to finally snap. He didn’t want to hurt anymore. Definitely not for someone else’s entertainment. Leading up to that point in his life he had always avoided using his quirk.

- Truthfully, Aizawa didn’t remember much of his first sport’s festival. Looking back at the videos he would be shown, he fought like a man possessed. It was… unsettling, that he, a no name general education student, was capable of taking down the top hero students. The crowd was silent when he accepted his gold medal on the podium. The only fortunate circumstance out of all of it was that the first years weren’t televised. People only tended to tune in for second, and mostly third year sports festivals. Still, enough people were in the audience that it was bound to make the news. Only a villain would beat an aspiring hero so soundly, much less several of them. That, or maybe UA’s hero course teachings weren’t all that great if some nobody could kick their butts so soundly?

- To save face, Nedzu stepped in, transferring Aizawa into the hero course. Aizawa couldn’t decline, because if he did he would more than likely be pictured as the villain everyone thought him to be and would be targeted by society and the media. Nedzu blamed the entrance exam on Aizawa’s failure to make it in, and claimed to media outlets that the young winner of the first year sports festival clearly wanted to prove himself capable of being a hero despite the entrance exam only catering to hard hitting quirks. And, that is when Aizawa became Nedzu’s pet project and his mole for the hero course and hero teacher’s for favoritism and quirk biased behavior.

- Aizawa hated being in the hero course. Hated how much his mother loved him for it. Hated that the entire hero class also hated him, because the lowest ranking student of the class had been kicked out to make room for him, and apparently a lot of people had liked him. The only thing he liked was the fighting.

- When Hizashi suggested his hero name, he thought the guy was bullying him. Sure, he had to graduate from hero school, but he never planned on actually becoming a hero, so it didn’t matter what his name was. He never had control over his life, so why would he have control over his hero name.

- He played along with Hizashi and Oboro and any other hero student that befriended him. Waiting for them to announce it as a prank. Waiting for them to do something cruel. He had lost his faith in heroes a long time ago.

- His hero outfit was a simple black jumpsuit and a belt because it was cheep, and if he had to wear something it was going to be comfortable and practical and easy to replace if he got the tar beaten out of him.

- I have more thoughts on Hizashi and Oboro, but this post has gone on long enough.

- have a cookie if you made it this far. 🍪

[hephaestuscrew]

I want to talk about the significance of which characters defeats the different antagonists in the Wolf 359 finale: Kepler kills Rachel (and vice versa), Jacobi kills Riemann, Minkowski kills Cutter with the help of Lovelace, and Hera and Eiffel wipe Pryce's memories. As I'll argue below, none of those combinations are incidental.

Jacobi and Kepler each get to dispatch an adversary, but, since they've only recently and - perhaps reluctantly - aligned with our protagonists in their aims, they each deal with more minor antagonists. Rachel and Riemann are ultimately following orders rather than giving them, so their defeat - while important - doesn't have the same emotional weight as that of Pryce or Cutter. This is also why the confrontations with Riemann and Rachel each conclude significantly before the confrontations with Pryce and Cutter. (Cont. below cut)

I'd argue that Riemann is the least developed character in the show (of those that are voiced and appear in more than one episode). He's nothing more than a Goddard henchman, and that's deliberate. Jacobi’s investment in this fight is practical, rather than emotional. There's no personal antagonism between the two of them. And this works for Jacobi as a character - his job has always been to “make very big things blow up” and he's only recently started properly putting his own independent thought into who he wants to be blowing up. So Jacobi and Riemann face off against each other in a locked room, with a fistfight and then an explosion.

In contrast, Kepler and Rachel do have personal antagonism between them. It's clear that they have a history of professional dislike. In Kepler's backstory episode, Rachel clearly takes a great deal of glee in mocking Kepler about “Operation Gigantic, Humiliating Screw Up”, and Kepler certainly doesn't seem pleased to see Rachel when the Sol arrives at the Hephaestus in Ep55. Although there are obviously other motivations involved, their petty interpersonal hatred gives an interesting extra significance to them killing each other.

Another way to frame it is that Kepler and Rachel are two people at a similar middle-of-the-hierarchy level who've both been faced with a degree of undeniable evil even beyond what they've previously encountered from (and enacted on behalf of) their employer, and had to decide what they are willing to go along with. Their mutual killing of each other is the result of a conflict between two contrasting potential decisions in that situation. 

It's also notable that while the minor antagonists are each defeated by a single character on their own, the major villains could not have been defeated in this way. The two most significant confrontations in the finale each involve a pair of characters who care deeply about each other standing together against someone who has personally hurt them. 

After killing Cutter, Minkowski acknowledges she “couldn't... have done it... without you, Captain”. Similarly, the way Eiffel and Hera defeat Pryce required both Eiffel's sacrifice (it is important that wiping the mindspace is his idea) and Hera's abilities (it takes a lot of mental and emotional strength for her to enact that plan). The ethos of the show all comes back to that quote from Eiffel in Ep25 that needing help from others “is called being a part of a crew. You ever meet anyone that could get things done all on their lonesome?”

It's important that Hera confronts Pryce - she gets the chance to stand in defiance against a person who has caused her so much pain. Hera gets to assert herself as her own person against the first person not to treat her as one. While I certainly don't think anyone should feel responsible for confronting those who have personally hurt them in real life, it would have been narratively unsatisfying for Pryce to have been defeated without Hera playing a central role. That confrontation is necessary for catharsis and resolution of Hera's character arc. But it's important that Hera doesn't have to do it alone. It's important that she does it with Eiffel, the person she is closest to, by her side. And what's more, in that mindspace, he's by her side in a more literal direct way than he has ever has been before.

Terrifying as Pryce is, it's Cutter who has been our 'big bad' throughout the whole series, the one that we've been aware of since we became aware of larger sinister forces at work in this narrative. And so it's apt that he's defeated by Minkowski, the Commander, with the help of Lovelace. Our two protagonists who have at points been defined by their leadership positions defeat the villain who has been defined by his leadership over them. Our two Commanders defeat the person above them in the chain of Command. 

If Minkowski has a personal nemesis, it's Cutter (as I argued in my Minkowski harpoon essay). Now that Hilbert's gone, the same could probably be said of Lovelace. He's the one who recruited them (and their respective crews, assuming that he was involved in the recruitment of the other members of Lovelace's crew as well) into the hellscape that is the Hephaestus. He's the one basically all of their pain and turmoil ultimately comes back to.

Minkowski & Lovelace's confrontation against Cutter, and Hera & Eiffel's confrontation against Pryce, are both about the harm that's been done to them as individuals. And about the harm done or threatened to their loved ones (including the friend they each stand beside in this particular confrontation). And about their principles and themes around control, autonomy, personal agency, and identity. And about the desire to protect people in general on a larger, global or even galactic, scale.

And all of those resonances work particularly well because of the specific choices made about which protagonists should face off against which antagonists, in order to provide the most effective culmination of the character arcs that have been built over 61 episodes.

[ben-101-rewrite]

So how did the other Ben's deal with their respective Zy'Skayrs? Like has Ben 23 dealt with him?

For all the Alt Bens their story with Zs'skayr depends on what Zs'skayr is up to in their timeline. I can sum up ideas I would have for alt Zs'skayr in each timeline

-Gwen 10- He's basically the same as the prime timeline, but now Gwen has to deal with him, sadly.

-Ben 23- Zy'skayr 23 never got into the omnitrix, instead he's been in a constant war/fight with Vilgax and his empire. I mentioned elsewhere that Vilgax 23 is just a dude trying to run his kingdom, so here he is expanding his empire against someone no one really likes, hoping to take control of the Anur System and help it in his own way. Of course, Zy'skayr does not like that one bit.

-Ben 10k- Similar to his Vilgax, he killed Zy'skayr a long while ago, another situation where a villain pushed things too far. Though thankfully not to the same degree as Vilgax had.

-No Watch- With no omnitrix, Zs'skayr mostly spent his time trying to cure his boredom elsewhere, and partly running his kingdom. He did have an encounter with this timeline's version of Azmuth, and loves to bring it up to rub it in his face.

-Omni Ben- Zs'skayr's escape from the watch was a little more complicated, and he knows he can't exactly possess Ben easily due to him being the omnitrix itself. But he finds Omni Ben to be fascinating, seeing how even a piece of tech can become so alive. He loves to see how Ben ticks, even via unpleasant means.

-Jen 10- The same as his prime counterpart, but now a female called Zs'feear. Still an awful being.

-Julie 10- Being that his timeline from escaping the watch happens during their version of the hybrid war, he tries to turn the tables in his favor by corrupting some DNAs and even a couple of highbreeds with corrodium. He also loves to torment Julie regarding her kindness and soft side.

-Sentient Omnitrix & Ben- Zs'skayr finds the whole thing interesting, and finds entertainment having discussions with the Omnitrix, finding ways to push her buttons. He knows very well she would be willing to kill him, but enjoys walking on the thin line.

-Rooters Ben- There was an entire situation where Zs'skayr infiltrated the Rooters, and it has left him as being high on the Rooters' hunting list. But he always finds a way to escape, living out in the Null Void to spread his own influence.

-Eon- Like everyone in his timeline, dead.

-Bad Ben- A soft, kind, and wandering ectonurite, having never fit in his monstrous planet of people, failing to keep them under his ruling as he didn't have it in him. He tried to possess Ben and the watch in hopes to gain power to do the right thing.

-Mad Ben- The Anur System got taken over by Vilgax a long while ago, but Zs'skayr slipped through the cracks and now wanders, doing his own thing, engaging with the chaos around him. While he does miss being king, he's not burdened enough to do much about it beyond screwing with Vilgax wherever he goes.

-Negative Ben- He decided to help Azmuth, becoming one of his assistance during the creation of the omnitrix, though it was clear he wasn't a great person either. Something sinister with him going behind the scenes, seeming to prefer using words to mentally mess with people, including Ben.

-Benzarro- Fused with Ben during a possession attempted gone wrong. He still calls himself Zs'skayr, but it's clear it's not exactly him anymore. Having a mix of him and Ben's personalizes.

-Malware Ben- Ben went to Zs'skayr once in a desperate attempt to try and get help removing Malware, and while Zs'skayr decided to give it a go due to being amused by Ben's pleading, he didn't calculate on Malware just storing him back into the omnitrix with high security measures in place.

-Forever Knight Ben- He watches the Knights and Vilgax's empire at war with each other, along with others involved, and does a lot of puppeting behind the scenes. He rarely shows himself, and people didn't know how involved he was for a long while.

-Fusion Ben- He is stuck within Ben's fusion, and has been trying to escape for a long while, however it seems his background influence makes things worse for him and Ben.

-Ultra Ben- It seems he's gone into hiding since catching word of Ben killing many of his villains, no one knows where he went, though there have Ben rumors and people thinking they see him, with Ben often investigating.

-Light Magic Ben- Something old, something clearly not a normal alien, Zs'skayr seems to be something similar to Dagon, but strangely there are no books or writing on him anywhere. He just merely exists, living in the shadows of Ledgerdomain.

[bisexualfemalemess]

BRIDGERTON SEASON THREE PART TWO SPOILERS

I’m actually not ready for this because it’s the last episode of the season and still so angsty but of course it has to be.

Already can’t do this. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE OPENING SHOT IS COLIN BROODING ON THE SOFA WHILE DRINKING HIS TEA FUCK OFF???? 😭😭😭 Communicate please??? Or at least look at her, colin. I actually can’t handle this. WORST MINUTE OF MY FUCKING LIFE, NOW HE’S FUCKING OFF TO BRIDGERTON HOUSE BECAUSE HE WISHES TO LEAVE????? MAKE UP OR I WILL KILL MYSELF!!!

Fuck off, cressida, not her knowing about lw and black-mailing her??? So much for her redemption arc. Not her telling portia??? Like that’s not your place???? Someone needs to give our baby a break. Aww, portia’s character arc is actually so important to me like not her thinking penelope just always left because her social battery died and she just let her be, that’s actually so cute. I swear if portia turns on her now too i’ll kill myself again, at least we got peneloise back though so maybe i won’t actually. WHY ARE PEOPLE SO PETTY TOWARDS HER ONCE THEY FIND OUT ABOUT WHISTLEDOWN??? LIKE THAT IS STILL THE SAME GIRL YOU KNEW MINUTES BEFOREHAND YOU JUST KNOW MORE ABOUT HER NOW???? At least penelope immediately tells colin this time so he cannot be petty about it.

DOES DANBURY KNOW??? Is this how we get agatha x penelope friendship next season??? Agatha bridgerton coming home????

Ooh a finch x dankworth ball??? Interesting. Oh? Francesca and john moving to scotland?

STOP BROODING COLIN AND TALK TO YOUR WIFE JFC! I love how eloise isn’t choosing sides, our baby girl has truly grown. AH! ELOISE SO TRUE “do not let your marriage be the scar.” Queen behavior, peneloise and polin soulmate-ism. Aww Poor baby pen sounds so tired of all the shit that’s happening to her. I love how they’re trying to figure out how to get penelope out of this situation and i love how colin ‘my wife’ bridgerton made an appearance even though he’s angry with her, 🗣️ He will not stand for anyone blackmailing his wife 🗣️ they’re all so shocked that baby girl’s filthy rich. ALSO LET HER FUCKING SPEAK. this is her mess, she was not looking for help just support and all of a sudden her opinions don’t matter anymore :( Y’all need to let go of your anger towards lw and try to support pen instead of trying to fight her battles for her. She’s just standing in the corner watching as they’re talking about her and what to do :( at least involve her, don’t ignore her and cut her off. Jesusss.

And Benedict’s having a threesome again, interesting but unnecessary.

Protective Colin bridgerton but he’s still angry with her :( “to hear word from home. From penelope, in fact.” STFUUUU STFUUU STFUUU JUST MAKE UP ALREADY WE DON’T NEED ALL THIS YEARNING AND ANGST AND PINING WE GOT ENOUGH OF IT IN PART ONE :((( Aside from that I’m actually so fucking happy that he essentially just called penelope his home, I’m actually gonna combust. I hate how he’s still trying to separate penelope from whistledown “penelope’s no villain” and then he goes on to say that he gets her hate for whistledown???? Did we not just learn that they were the same person, colin? CRESSIDA I STILL FEEL INDIFFERENT TOWARDS YOU BUT BLESS YOU FOR CLOCKING HIS TEA!!!!! “You do not sound as if you hate whistledown. You sound as if you are jealous of her.” PREACH IT! He shut that shit down to fast, like the moment he’s gonna admit that to himself he’s gonna be able to forgive her. THAT FUCK ASS WIG I HATE IT SO MUCH. PLEASE THE RESHOOT WIG MAKES HIM LOOK LIKE A KEN DOLL LIKE ITS SO PLASTIC 😭😭😭😭

PENELOISE SCENE I LOVE THAT THEY’RE BACK. “tell me what you are reading?”With eloise grabbing her hand? 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 WAR IS SO TRULY OVER. Colin literally fucked up so bad, not cressida asking for double 🙄🙄🙄 Also penelope’s dress in this scene is so gorgeous. Aww, he’s willing to lie to Benedict for his wife so that the cressida drama can stop. PLEASE JUST MAKE UP YOU IDIOTS. Awwww eloise grabbing her hand in support. I just know peneloise and polin will mirror the christina x meredith x derek dynamic from grey’s with Eloise just bursting into their home unannounced and colin will understand but still be so tired of it.

STOP CUTTING TO BENEDICT THREESOMES THEY HAVE NOTHING TO ADD TO THE STORY IN THIS EPISODE 😭😭😭😭😭

Honestly the lady danbury and violet friendship is so special to me like violet did not care that she was running around with her dad and Agatha loves her more than her brother, that’s so cute.

STOP IT RIGHT NOW THE POLIN SCENE LIKE HE WANTED HER AND HE LOVES HER BUT HE CANT BE WITH HER UNTIL EVERYTHINGS FULLY OKAY BETWEEN THEN BECAUSE HE’S A DEMI SEXUAL KING. THEY NEED TO MAKE UP SO BAD SO THAT THEY CAN MAKE UP FOR THEIR WEDDING NIGHT.

STOP IT HE LOOKS SO DISTRAUGHT SLEEPING ON THE COUCH AND PENELOPE FIDDLING AROUND WITH HER BRACELET AS SHE SAYS SHES GONNA SPARE HIM THE CONFIDES OF A SHARED CARRIAGE ACTUALLY SHUT UO THE ANGST IS TOO MUCH :(

AWW PENELOPE’S LETTERS MADE A COMEBACK. THE FACT THAT HE KEPT ALL OF HER LETTERS WHERE IS MY COLIN BRIDGERTON????

PENELOPE MY QUEEN GETTING TO SEE SOME OF HER MOMS WORST SIDES AND POPPING OFF ON HER. Mother-daughter bitch off! “Oh and from whom?” Well, her family actually. Portia crediting penelope and apologizing for overlooking her, the development is so cute. “We must do better.” So true actually and the fact that it’s coming from portia just shows her development.

Francesca’s wedding was actually so beautiful and her heart to heart with violet beforehand was so cute. Polin sharing a look during francesca’s and john’s wedding and penelope subtly touching him with her shoulder, i’m gonna throw up. STOP THE ANGST.

the bridgerton siblings being chaotic and teasing each other is something so dear to my heart actually.

Penelope’s outfits this episode are all actually so gorgeous, she looks so ethereal in this season in general but especially in this episode. No not her seeing a genuine smile on colin’s face during their wedding party and her smile slowly fading. The angst is angsting.

Aww penelope loves his family so much. The study scene is actually so… “then how am i meant to help you?” “By loving me!” Pop off, pen. Might need to bash his head into a wall a couple times though because our baby boy is very stubborn right now. Like it’s so special to me, her speech is sooo dear to my heart. HANDS, HANDS, HANDS! 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

Oh? Penelope writing to the queen AND Violet? What is going to happen?

Lmaooo Benedict got one taste of men and he could not stop. I’m actually crying, my favorite pansexual, (i love you but please stop taking screen-time from polin during their own damn season the irony of people complaining polin got too much screen time last season and now during their own season they barely get as much scenes as the previous leads) IM CRYING BENEDICT DOES NOT GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THAT WOMAN LMAOOO.

Aww a benedict and eloise swing scene, so on brand. Real el back not giving a fuck about fitting in anymore because she got pen back. ELOISE IS A LESBIAN I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH AND I WISH BENEDICT SHARED WHAT HE FOUND OUT WITH ELOISE SO THAT SHE WOULD KNOW THAT IT’S OKAY 😭😭😭

Penelope’s ball dress looks so gorgeous. AWW SHE PAID FOR THE BALL 😭😭😭😭 SHE’S SUCH AN AMAZING SISTER DESPITE ALL THE SHIT THEY’VE SAID AND DONE TO HER OVER THE YEARS. Not my poor baby standing on the sidelines again 😭😭😭 Where’s colin when you need him???

Oh, the queen showed up. SHE’S PISSED???? PENELOPE WHAT HAVE YOU DONE??? AWWW. Penelope revealing herself to the ton, girl boss. Her entire speech is her admitting her flaws and defending herself in the same breath. She’s one of the best, if not, the best written character on the show and it is about time the haters realize that. The fact that she keeps eye contact with El and Colin while defending herself but also assuring them about their own insecurities while doing so 😭😭😭 I’m crying, Colin actually smiled at her, he looks so proud of his wife 😭😭😭 Stfuuuu. Are we getting that make-up? PENELOPE MY QUEEN INTO THE LIGHT INDEED! AWW THE QUEEN ACTUALLY PARDONED HER OH MY GOD.

The ton needs to stop whispering if you have anything to say, say it to her face, The Featheringtons showing support and phillipa demanding that varley releases the bugs to save her sister from embarrassment 😭😭😭

Colin i’m so serious when i say go to your wife and ask her to dance. AWW THE DANBURY-PENELOPE SCENE. I have hopes for a friendship in season 4. She knew all along and kept the secret 🥹🥹🥹 “who loves the Bridgertons more than I” Especially her soulmates colin and eloise 🥺🥺🥺🥺 Aww penelope and her mother are actually so important to me “my girl” OH MY GOD THAT SCENE FROM THE TRAILER WHERE SHE LOOKS SO FONDLY AT SOMEONE AND THEN TURNS TO SEE COLIN WAS WITH PORTIA. SHUT UP THATS SO CUTE.

She looks so worried, please make-up i swear to god. “That i would not object to an annulment if you requested one.” COLIN WE HAVE 14 MINUTES LEFT IF YOU DO NOT SHUT THAT SHIT DOWN AFTER EVERYTHING SHE’S DONE TO SHOW YOU SHE CARES I AM PERSONALLY GONNA BASH YOUR HEAD INTO A WALL REPEATEDLY.

Oh never mind, the shock on his face, like that was never even a thought to him. He was always gonna stay married to her. FINALLY “you are her.” It took him a while to get there but he finally accepted that part of her and it’s so cute. His speech is actually so…he’s such a healthy male character, the only man ever actually, like you will not be able to find a man that is so in touch with their feelings that he can admit he was jealous and that you’re actually a braver, better person than he is. COLIN BRIDGERTON THE MAN THAT YOU ARE🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️ this speech is so dear to me.

STFUU THE PARALLEL TO EPISODE ONE

Episode 1: “Goodbye, Mr.Bridgerton”

“Pen, i….”

Episode 8:

“You are a very good man, mr. Bridgerton.”

“Now, will you please do me the honor of joining me on the dance floor, Mrs. Bridgerton.”

STFUUU HE ACTUALLY CALLED HER MRS BRIDGERTON THAT IS A WIN FOR ME. Them dancing together will always have a special place in my heart, especially since everything’s resolved and they’re all giggly.

Oh, Eloise moving to scotland with francesca, oh my god. OH??? Francesca bridgerton, i know what you are and Michaela stirling i did not realize your game. Welcome to the sapphic club, fran.

OH????? Penelope riding colin!!!! Yay! I wish they kept in the longer version of the scene since this was apparently originally part of a montage but i’m so glad they finally got their shit together and consummated their marriage. Penelope loves colin’s chest hair so much.

OOOOH? Masquerade ball. Ben’s season next?

Pen’s and eloise goodbye hug was so long actually, they’re the cutest. Penelope’s little wave to her, my peneloise heart 🥹🥹🥹

“Goodbye.” SHUT UP

Oh my gosh, the epilogue. Polin had the heir so fucking cute. THEIR MARITAL BLISS IN THE EPILOGUE THEY’RE SO SICKENING ACTUALLY. Aww phillipa wants her daughter to be a writer so cute. POLIN WRITER COUPLE AND PENELOPE SUPPORTING HER HUSBAND IN WRITING AND PUBLISHING SO TRUE . NO STOP THE TRANSITION FROM JULIE ANDREWS TO PENELOPE’S VOICE WAS ACTUALLY GENIUS I’M GONNA THROW UP.

ALSO THE SYMBOLISM OF PENELOPE AND COLIN HAVING THEIR FINAL KISS BASKED IN SUNLIGHT IN FRONT OF THE WINDOW WHERE SHE USED TO SPENT HOURS TRYING TO SPY INTO HIS ROOM IM GONNA CHAIN MYSELF TO A TRAIN TRACK ACTUALLY.

Yours truly, Penelope Bridgerton

That’s it, i’m checking myself into a mental hospital now. What the actual fuck.

Wow. Awww guys all i want is playing during the credits that’s so cute 🥰

I actually don’t know what to do with myself for another two years until we learn what these characters are up to again. Like this season was actually so special to me i am dying for more especially more polin since they cut that short for some benedict awakenings and setting up for his season but i am glad for the bits that we did get.

Overall i do not have too much criticism for this season so i give it a solid 9.5/10

[fun-k-board]

Could you possibly write some dating headcanons for Ben Reilly?? He is such a himbo, I love him sm :D

Dating headcanons for ATSV Ben Reilly

Note(s) : The reader is a Spider from another universe!

I'm just gonna guess that you mean ATSV Ben! My bad if that's not the case, this might be OOC because I haven't seen the movie since it came out.

He feels like you're so strange and different to him, you don't speak out loud what your emotions are and that's so different from his universe, it's almost like a puzzle that Ben is desperate to solve, even if he can just ask you, audibly guessing is just that much more fun.

Ben isn't too smart with body language, in his universe, everybody says what they're feeling or doing, so if you're somebody who has very neutral expressions, he tends to get confused a lot and misinterpret your actions. He doesn't do this on purpose, and you can always correct him which he fully accepts.

Ben loves to give you things, usually it's a modified version of your web shooter, or maybe extra web fluid, if you're a spider that needs it, a gift that would benefit you and the missions you go on, but he also gives you matching clothing items.

While he'd never trade his blue hoodie for something else, don't even try it's not going to happen, he's willing to wear bracelets, rings, a new belt, etc, etc. Sometimes he makes them, which is usually from one of those crappy DIY bracelet kits, but usually they're one of those couple bracelets with magnets you can click together.

But he might wear a different hoodie for casual clothing, maybe on a date to another universe of one of your own, he's not a suit and tie, fancy dinner type of guy.

He's a clone of Peter, he's going to be broke.

Fully willing to give and receive PDA, the only times he won't is if you don't want to, he always says things audibly so you can know when he'll give you a hug or a kiss, and if you don't want one, then you can just say no or move away.

Ben despises beach dates, the sand gets everywhere, it triggers his spider sense whenever a beach ball gets near him, if you're in your universe or one that isn't like his, people stare when he narrates.

His ideal date is a pizza date, what does that entail? Either, you go to one of those places where you can customise your own pizza, or, you bake your own at home! He thinks it's fun to experiment with flavour and different kinds of pizza.

He just likes pizza, okay?

Specifically Hawaiian pizza.

Ben's a workout boyfriend, he's always lifting, fighting villains, or holding up a helicopter, he's buff, and he also likes to carry you. It doesn't matter how heavy you are, or if you're not heavy at all, he's strong enough to carry you wherever or whenever.

He gets sad whenever you have a mission and he's not paired with you, and vice versa for when he's on a mission and not with you. Sometimes he calls you mid fight, which means either one of you is running from a villain and being all 'awh, I love you!(⁠｡⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♡' but then a metal tentacle crushes your watch because you were distracted.

Let's hope Miguel finds your or Ben before your atoms dissolve.

Ben isn't too panicked when you're hurt, it all depends on how you're reacting, even if you've broken all of your bones, if you're chill, so is he. Obviously, he's always concerned, and you'll hear 'my beloved is injured, they're hurt and I can't do anything! But I must stay strong, so they can.' But besides that, he's cool.

Speaking of, he has a lot of harrowing memories, and while he doesn't rely on you, he will occasionally seek comfort. Ben will usually just sob into your shoulder for a few hours, and after that, will probably cuddle you and trap you into a snuggle buddy situation, not like you're complaining.

Whenever you're sad, he won't expect you to come to him, but he'll accept you with open arms if you do. Whether you just want to cuddle, or have him in the same room, or if you just want comfort food, or a drink, or whatever. He's fine with whatever you want, and he'll provide whatever you want.

Within reason, obviously.

Ben isn't dumb, yes, he's a bit clueless and tends to get distracted, but he's incredibly smart when it comes to fighting, and he was previously a teacher, (I think, correct me if I'm wrong) so he's completely capable of being a smart ass if you get something wrong. Not in a mean way, just a corrective 'uhm, well actually 🤓' type of way?

He likes to have double dates! Whether Peter is with MJ, or Gwen, or whoever Peter Parker managed to rizz up, given that Peter is sort of like his brother, he likes to spend time with him, and he also likes spending time with you.

[sharpth1ng]

If someday they will make last part of scream, like definitely the end who do you want as ghostfaces? I saw different opinion, probably Sam and Sidney being the most popular (in this duo or in one of them + Billy ghost duo). I personally would like to see Stu + Billy ghost as like final Buckle but that’s maybe because I love that kind of plot twist.

Let’s say that we are in different universe where scream don’t have problems with production, no one was fired and everyone are willing to come back to play their roles

I can't really see Sidney going ghostface in the context of the movie franchise as it's played out so far. Sid has successfully moved on, she retaliates unflinchingly when attacked but she doesn't attack first because she doesn't want a life of violence and vengeance. I think bringing her back in and making her a ghostface at this point would be a regression for her character and I would need that to be justified pretty well for it to work for me.

In terms of making Sam a ghostface, I think that would be a bad call in terms of her character arc. Part of what works for Sam (and I think the movies could have done a much better job of this) is that she experiences insane amounts of victim blaming but for the most part the movie sides with her.

Unfortunately we live in a world where the violent actions of victims against their aggressors are heavily scrutinized, and victimhood gets questioned if the victim is angry, imperfect, or if they fight back. Sam FIGHTS BACK though, and she isn't bad for that. I also wouldn't want to see her turned into a villain because I already feel that the representation of her mental health/hallucination situation isn't great. I don't experience psychosis so other people are better positioned to speak on this, but from what I've heard from friends the way the movie deals with this part of her character makes them uncomfy too.

SO thats why I wouldn't want Sam and Sid ghostfaces at this point. I can see them putting on the mask to fight back but I cant see them being the killers themselves.

Now on to who think should be the final ghosties:

Gale

I've been thinking she would make a good ghostface for a while but where we are in terms of her character arc in the series I think she's extra well set up for it. We've always known Gale to be cutthroat and career focused. We've also known Dewey to be someone who anchors and softens her but Dewey has passed so she doesn't have that anchor anymore. Even with the boyfriend she has in scream 6 she barely reacts when he dies; she's struggling to form real attachments. We also know she's struggling with her career. Her main subject is ghostface, that's her claim to fame and her writing doesn't sell as well without it.

So we have a Gale struggling with meaningful social connections, struggling with her career, and her entire adult life has been defined by ghostface. She's been dragged through movie after movie getting chased around and having people killed off around her, and this is where it gets meta (like a good scream movie should).

Because at this point in the franchise what can we be commenting on? We've commented on sequels, requels/reboots, trilogies to a certain extent. And to be honest I think scream 6 totally failed with the meta-commentary part here but that's a rant for another day. So I think what we need to comment on is something like genre fatigue.

We have this final girl (Gale absolutely is, even though we don't always call her that) who's been forced through movie after movie after movie, and what does that do to a character in the context of a franchise? They become flanderized. They become a hollow and superficially characterized version of themselves, occasionally they become someone you can't even recognize as the original version of the character. Of course this doesn't always happen, careful writing and attention to character progression can keep that from happening, but to be honest Gale hasn't had much of that (not none, just not enough imo).

So to bring Gale in, socially isolated, unwilling to keep forming connections because they all fucking die, and desperate for some more recognition and a paycheck, and have her put on the mask and robe to revive the series? That feels like meta-commentary, baby.

Can you even imagine the reveal of that? Especially if Sidney comes back? That would be a legitimately tragic betrayal the likes of which we haven't seen in this franchise in a second. It's always a significant other, a family member, or a friend. But we've never had a former survivor as ghostface, and certainly never the other final girl, so this would be a legitimate plot twist if done well (scream 6 plot twist fell flat on it's face for me ngl).

There's also something good about the way this comments on different reactions to trauma as well. Not everyone is like Sid. Some victims internalize the abuse and repeat the cycle, especially when they've had to re-live it over and over to the point that they're numb to it.

In terms of Gale's partner we could go a few different directions. I could see her hiring a few randoms to ghostface for her, maybe like 4 or 5 so several can die through the course of the movie and still we know it can't be over.

That said, Gale's partner could also be a freshly released Stu. While I don't think they would be super in-sync with each other, I can totally see Gale seeking him out because ultimately she's doing this all for a good story, and what could be a better story than one of the original killers coming back?

I also think that this would provide some good final act drama because Gale would clearly be trying to frame Stu as the only killer to position herself as a victim, and Stu would absolutely double-cross her. Beyond that I would love to see Stu interacting with Billy's daughter, especially because I think he would disobey Gale if she told him to kill Sam.

So yeah lmao wrote another novel but these are my thoughts. Fuck Spyglass pictures though.

[lizzardwitch]

Top 3 Kendall Ships?

Ooooof I've got a lot to say let's go

3rd Place: Kendall/Ivan. Definitely not helped by the fact that I crushed heavy on Ivan (still do) when I was a kid & and that I just as heavily related with Kendall then as I do now. It's so adorable how Kendall always looks to Ivan whenever shit is going down and he tries to make her feel better, the entire episode where he destroys the suit of armor and IMMEDIATELY upon clocking how terrible the situation is, tries to do something about it because he doesn't want to make her upset especially is too fucking cute. They're like a subversion of the princess/knight dynamic, instead of insisting that Kendall be his damsel in distress, Ivan adores her just the way she is. The way he's constantly calling her "m'lady" (even though he does this with every girl) has me weak every time. In the Halloween episode where they were skipping together in their costumes <333. Their height difference is also adorable (and I think it's great how someone who is so used to old customs and traditions manages to get along with and have a deep bond with someone who is constantly developing technological advancements and believes in science).

2nd Place: Kendall/Shelby. Probably one of my favorite wlw ships in fiction, I absolutely adore the development their relationship had from the beginning where they would antagonize one another, moreso on Kendall's end to Let Sleeping Zords Lie, when Kendall actually makes good on her creed to correct her mistakes and begins to cooperate with Shelby more. Given how they're the only main female characters out of the entire team of 10 and incredibly intelligent, it's really nice to see them stand in solidarity with one another and support each other given their similar situations and interests. Definitely giving the writers props for subverting the childish trope of pitting women against each other for no reason in favor of character development for both. Their sunshine/sunshine protector dynamic is so cute and Shelby helping Kendall relax while Kendall employs her musical background to help Shelby got me going crazy oh my goddddd Kendall/Shelby girlfriendism is so real (+ I actually have some drafts/drawings for a Madoka Magica AU featuring these two lmao since I'm a sucker for pink/purple girlies)

1st Place: Kendall/Heckyl, hands down. This is gonna turn into a yap fest but I've been obsessed with them for nine years and that shows no signs of stopping any time soon, they're in my top 10 favorite ships of all time. Much like Ivan, I crushed heavily on Heckyl when I was a child (and still do) and absolutely ate up his flirting with her, calling her 'pretty lady' and things of the like. You can see it gradually, when he hesitates between saving her or revealing his identity upon Wish Star attacking (although he's still in his evil arc so he runs off). When he catches glances at her while working. When Shelby revealed his villainous nature and referenced him saving her from the car she looked and sounded so heartbroken during the scene :( (and in the Beauticruel episode he mentions that love hurts, which I interpret as him feeling at least a twinge of remorse about fumbling his relationship with Kendall)

I also love how in the finale they actually work together more once he turns good (after literally SAVING HER AGAIN AAAAAA), like how they cooperate in taking over Sledge's ship along with James & Phillip, and he's STANDING WITH HER IN THE MEGAZORD AND STAYS BY HER SIDE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST SNIDE. I'm willing to bet the only reason it took him so long to turn good in the finale was because Kendall wasn't in the café to convince him lmao

These two are the standard of what I want in a relationship: his constant flirting, the way they're both sassy, snarky, and intelligent but also provide a great contrast (her stoic, deadpan nature w/ his flamboyance and effervescence), and when his convictions are turned for the better, he always comes back to aid them no matter how much he wants to deny it initially (he's such a softie omg). These two are like the old married couple of the show. The autism/adhd couple next to Chase/Riley. The girlboss/malewife next to Shelby/Tyler, if you will. I've got so many headcanons & AUs for them, drawings of them, fics for them, I have a playlist for them, I'm just delusional over them bro

[shamythelazypotato]

Nocturnal Bonds

Fandom : Animator vs Animation (AvA)

Word count: 1109 words

TW: Mention of blood and violence

Notes: this fanfic takes place before the showdown, I saw this idea somewhere a year ago and now I could finally write a fanfic about it, hope you like it :3

It was late at night for Chosen and Dark, these two stick figures were sleeping peacefully. Dark, with a gentle snore, lay sprawled on his back, one arm casually thrown across Chosen's face. Meanwhile, his leg, seemingly intertwined with Chosen's, created an unintentional yet oddly comforting connection.

Dark was sleeping peacefully, dreaming of violence and fighting as much as you can expect of someone called The Dark Lord.

However, unlike their usual success, Dark found himself trapped between two guards that easily doubled his size; he was weak and overpowered, and so his partner who was pinned to the wall with a knife in his throat and being threatened by an unknown teal stickfigure with a wicked smile on his face, he looked like the type of maniac who wouldn't hesitate to kill someone for their own gain and recognition...

The Dark Lord has never found himself in a situation like this, his eyes were wide and full of a mix of emotions ranging between confusion, anger, frustration... and a new feeling he hasn't felt in a long time since he was created:

Fear

But this time, it wasn't the fear of getting killed; it's the fear of getting his only best friend and partner in crime killed.

The one who always puts up with your temper

The one who doesn't hesitate to defend you

The one who forgave you even though you tried to kill him

And the one who is now sacrificing for you...

Dark's breathing quickens, his desperation increases so does his fury and anger, he tries to kick, punch, crawl and bite, anything possible just to save his friend from this horrible fate, but at seeing that he lacks the strength to free himself, he tries to use her only weapon left.. his sharp tongue.

"Don't you dare to touch him!" Dark snarls with full hatred, his glowing red eyes piercing through this navy stickfigure soul and flesh. Even in the face of death, Dark wouldn't beg but he's willing to even murder only for Chosen.

The teal stickfigure only scoffs as a small smile tugs at the corner of his lips, the knife dangerously moving tantalizing against Chosen's neck.

Chosen's face goes through several stages, from anger to sadness in a few seconds, as he accepts his only fate he gets to say slowly in a few words.

"I'm glad it's me and not you, I love you Dark" a small smile shows in his face before...

Blood

Lots of Blood.

And then a piercing bloody scream

"CHOSEN!" His name leaves Dark's lips as soon as he woke up from his vivid nightmare.

just... a nightmare, only that, right?

Dark had to make sure it was, he turned his head at his side of the bed only to find a startled Chosen sitting on the bed, looking at him concerned and surprised, he has never heard screamed his partner that way before..

"Dark? Are you okay?" Chosen whisper his question, his dark eyes looking at Dark through the night. "What happene-"

A tight hug cut his words, The Dark Lord, was hugging The Chosen One with such determination and desperation he hasn't seen since they escaped noogai computer.

"...Dark?" Chosen asks, not able to hide the hint of surprise for this sudden affection. Dark's breathing quickens in response, but he lets some words spill from his dry lips.

"I thought I lost you"

And without further words Dark let out a strangled sob, and threw himself around Chosen, unable to hold back the tears of relief. Chosen was fine, he was okay, but even most importantly, he was alive.

Chosen looks taken aback for Dark's tears, the red and villainous stickfigure doesn't often cry over silly things such as a nightmares...let alone about the thought of him being murdered

Chosen doesn't let his thoughts wander on why, the only thing he needs to know right now is how to comfort his usually unafraid and bold partner so Chosen awkwardly yet genuinely wraps his arms around Dark's shoulders, pressing slightly against his chest in an odd way of comfort. Years of conquering worlds don't prepare for something like this!.

The black hollowed head just sighs tiredly, yet remains at Dark's side wordless, afraid to say something that could make things worse, Dark just keeps sobbing until his tears drift into soft sniffles against Chosen's shoulder, without meeting his partner's calm yet concern gaze he says barely above a whisper.

"I thought I lost you.." Dark repeats again in a hollow and sorrowful voice.

"What? Like in your dream?" Chosen says as he looks at his companion with a hint of sympathy in his eyes. "What...what happened?" Chosen asks tentatively, begging inside it's the right time and question to make in this sensitive situation.

Dark takes a deep breath before looking at Chosen's eyes, vulnerability showing through yet also a bit of bashfulness at being seen so..weak even for himself, he says in what he prays is his usual steady and confident voice "I... dreamed we were in a fight, and a strange stickfigure somehow overpowered you while I was just.. trapped on the floor.." Dark's breath gets heavier, he fights against the tears and says with his head bowed "And I saw how you sacrificed for me" There, he said it, Dark just keeps up his strong facade as much as he can, enough tears already!

Chosen remains silent for a few long seconds, and then a small chuckle

"And you believed it?" Chosen can't help but say, in a mixture of amusement and sympathy evident in his tone "C'mon Dark, you know I'm better than that, but I guess even in your dreams you see me as weak" Chosen jokes lightly, Dark looks up, slightly surprised yet quickly recovers,he growls but he simply nudges Chosen's arm roughly "Hey! I can't control what I dream y'know?" Dark says slightly annoyed, yet also relieved when Chosen decides to not acknowledge his brief vulnerability.

"But y'know, maybe you got something right after all" Chosen continues, not flinching slightly at Dark's punch; he leans closer as he says "I would sacrifice my life for you" Chosen says bluntly and earnestly. Dark is at loss of words for a few seconds, and then he shakes his head and finally says

"You're such a dumbass if you think I'm letting anyone kill you that easily, you're mine to deal with " Dark retorts back sharply, yet also slightly touched by Chosen's words. Chosen lets out a small yet amused chuckle

"Whatever you say Dark, I'm the one protecting you, y'know that?" Chosen's words are as close as he can pass through as an "I care about you"

Dark responds with the same level of subtlety "Not as long as I breath, Chosen one" and with that, another vow was made for tonight.

...

Little did they know how easily those vows would turn to ashes in a matter of months...

[4dorks-1windmage-1shadow]

Would you be willing to do the most recent headcanon list you reblogged for each of the colors?

I already did Red but I'll do the other four here

Sexuality Headcanon:

Green - Bisexual & Polyamorous (this will be a trend)

Blue - Pansexual & Polyamorous

Vio - Bisexual & Demi-romantic/Polyamorous

Shadow - Pansexual & Polyamorous

Gender Headcanon:

Green - Cis male

Blue - Cis male

Vio - Genderfluid, sometimes trans (again, modern AUs)

Shadow - Genderfluid/nonbinary what is a gender he doesn't care to know

A ship I have with said character:

Green/Vaati i LOVE hero/villain dynamics, they are golden retriever/grumpy drama king to me, their relationship is "me + the bad bitch i pulled by being effortlessly kind/charming/funny/humble/gay" instagram captions.

Blue/Everyone. The secret to Blue is that he actually cares SO MUCH, but if anyone calls him out on it he will die on the spot. This is tragic and inevitable (he is bad at hiding it)

Vidow is my ultimate OTP, they are so fascinating to me i want to put them in a blender set it to high and then watch it go nuts. They are toxic and co dependent and would kill for each other and also kill each other too. 100/10 ship I'm a Vidow apologist and i will die on this hill

Is it cheating to say i ship all of them together? They can be one big polycule as a treat

A BROTP I have with said character:

Green and Shadow. Unstoppable force (Shadow) meets immovable object (Green). They have oldest sibling/youngest sibling energy

Blue and Green is also good, they have a bromance unlike anything the world has ever seen. They are always pushing each other to be better and also doing the dumbest stunts for the vine

Vio and Vaati would be infodump pals. They started talking about magic theory at 10 in the morning over breakfast and are still talking about it at 1 am the next day

A NOTP I have with said character:

Literally the only character i can think of is Tingle.

A random headcanon:

Green - my most consistent hc across all AUs/canon is that he has head to toe freckles.

Blue - given a modern AU, Blue joins theater as a way to deal with his anger issues. Not only does it work, but he ends up with a passion for the performing arts as a result

Vio - he has crippling anxiety and is a chronic over thinker. He needs Xanax and a nap.

Shadow - given a modern AU, Shadow is the lead guitar/singer/screamer in a rock band (Sleeping With Sirens, Pierce the Veil, AS IT IS aesthetic/sound), and he can also play almost any instrument that he picks up. He has a huge collection of instruments.

General Opinion over said character:

Green - the funniest thing I've ever seen is people saying that Green wouldn't cheat in a fight RE: my "who would win in a fight" polls and like you're all valid and all OBJECTIVELY wrong, he cheats in the fight against Vio at Death Mountain. He may have morals but he is not lawful good

Blue - I miss him. Where are the blue centric fanfics. Come back from the war please. Someone put this idiot in situations

Vio - perfect amzing beautiful showstopping spectacular always original awful awful man his veins are filled with anxiety instead of blood and i want him dissected by the fandom immediately

Shadow - scrunkly. Shaped. I want to hug him and never let go

[thirdrootwriting]

Brother of my Brother (Infinite Crisis - Bad End) pt1

I am sorry if the timeline events of Infinite Crisis here are a bit wonky. Also we are going with Nightwing run version of Jason and Dick's first meeting, bc that one's my favorite.

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4.

The world nearly ended, it does that sometimes. A great, physics-defying colliding of universes and cosmic god-beings that required every sucker that's ever donned spandex -and occasionally some semi-willing, saner rouges- to put their noses to the grindstone , kick some ass, and maybe fart out a few inspirational speeches if you were the friendly paragon type like Superman, the Flashes, or darling Nightwing.

Jason's involvement in the whole thing had been minimal. He'd busted up some of the weird-ass robot things that preceded the main event, spared a whole goddamn sympathetic wince for the poor bastards that had to fight Superman's evil alt-universe son, and knocked around a couple of wannabe thugs that thought Bludhaven getting nuked was a chance to start getting cute with some profiteering or trafficking on his turf in nearby Gotham.

Not too helpful, cause Jason wasn't one of those fools wearing spandex anymore. (He had actual pants now, imagine that!). Not too unhelpful, cause he was a fool choosing to live in Gotham, and he'd prefer his city to not be a radioactive wasteland trashed by robots and mad Kryptonians and his universe not to be melted or unwritten or whatever cosmic bullshit the villain de jour had planned.

Eventually, the dust had settled. Heroes had run back to their claimed cities, the JLA fucked off back to space, and the various tech whizzes had actually started bothering to lock down or shut off the emergency channels they'd thrown together to call out the all hands on deck situation, making it a lot harder for those that weren't exactly invited to the party to listen in.

Leaning back onto his ratty but comfortable couch, in an apartment that edges closer to housing rather than a safehouse, Jason is now instead idly trawling through the official responses published by the JLA, the Titans, and a couple of the more put-together, public facing heroes.

He's not a bad hacker, far better than most, but Jason really only gives a fuck about information relating to Gotham and its vigilantes. (And well, formerly Bludhaven. Sucks to suck, circus boy, looks like even the great Nightwing fails sometimes). There's no way Oracle doesn't have anything Bat-related on lockdown already, and Jason's not fool enough to tangle with her in her home court like that.

He scratches his neck.

Nah, he'd rather not have cop-girl turned surveillance-woman rat out his location or get in his systems cause he'd gotten curious and poked his digital nose into whatever terse, control freak communications Batman was sending to the League and his little solider boys. Jason could just paint a general picture reading between the lines of official, publicly available reports, and then investigate through other, more in-person means after. Shake some people down, break into government offices that sort of thing.

Well, first off, it seemed his snobby little replacement was going to be in Gotham for a while. There's a short, despondent little announcement from knock-off Robin's knock-off Titans that due to the tragic loss of Superboy in the recent crisis, Young Justice would be suspending activity.

It's followed by a short but clumsily sincere little memorial piece about Kon-El, like that's supposed to make up for the fact he's dead, like just posting a couple of cheesy pictures of cook-outs and daylight missions and blubbering out a few sentimental sentences about how kind and heroic the deceased was enough to make up for his violent death.

Jason scratches his neck again. His nails are cut almost to the quick so they don’t catch his skin, don't draw blood, don’t really get rid of the itch.

Batman's more of a problem, as always. He'd never deign to give anything as mundane as a public statement, of course, but the JLA has an actual PR team and a constant need to maintain an image of transparency in front of the general public and its many trigger-happy governments. They've put out a handy list of various commendations being given, memorials being held, and ongoing efforts of various heroes to help with the after effects of the tragedy

Jason idly opens the memorials tab for some rubber-necking after he's finished investigating. He doesn't even bother glancing at the award ceremonies page (no Bat would fucking ever).

Little mention of Batman in any of the rebuilding projects or various JLA committees on preventing this horrible tragedy from ever occurring again . (Even though they all knew something similar would happen in another couple of years, cause the universe  tries to off itself on damn schedule these days).

Jason sighs. Nary a sign of the Bat on anything from the JLA, and the various social pages and gossip rags of Gotham were mostly empty of their favorite drunken fool, Bruce Wayne.

If Jason was lucky (and he never was), the Bat was on some short, international mission that would be finished up before the Red Hood's even had time to finish shaking down air traffic control for their records of Batplane sightings.  If he's unlucky, the old man's on one of his long-term out of the city projects or stupid self-discovery journeys that seemed to mostly involve screwing morally grey spies and assassins.

If he's supremely unlucky, though, Batman's fucked off to space or some alternate dimension to do this this, that, and the other cause he's similar to Jason in at least one regard. Occasionally they had to give a shit about the stability of the universe and the fate of the world, cause that's what Gotham is sitting on.

Uggh, it better not be that last one. Shaking down or threatening a Flash or Lantern would be a goddamn pain and require a fuck-ton of planning (steal some shit from Freeze? Lure the space cop into a sulphur mine? Might just be easier breaking into the Batcave.)

Jason rolls his shoulders face twitching into a grimace. He hasn't decided what he wants to do or say or whatever the next time he sees Batman, but he does know he wants it on his fucking terms. He's never gonna have a moment's peace if he doesn’t' figure out where Batman's lurking.

Shit, worst comes to worst he'll beat the Bat's location out of his shiny new Robin or prod it outta Nightwing who's almost certainly an emotional wreck now that Shithaven's radioactive rubble.

…. Maybe the Red Hood will even buy Nightwing a beer instead of greeting him with a gunshot outta consideration for his loss next they meet. Might be worth it so that Jason can see pretty, perfect Dick Grayson floundering in failure like the rest of the mortal world regularly had too, the prick.

Feeling a bit calmer, Jason settles back into a sprawl and starts casually perusing the JLA's page of memorial announcements for people he might've met with Batman or Dick. He idly scrolls down the page, stopping once in a while to search engine a name that rings absolutely no bells on the off chance it’s a rebranding instead of new-blood or a  total no-name. After all he very much doubts any mid-to-late twenties men are going around calling themselves Aqualad, or fucking Speedy.

Near the bottom of the alphabetically organized page is a blue hyperlink that reads 'Nightwing'.

Jason blinks. Clenches and unclenches his left hand. That's … a weird fucking way to list a memorial for the city of Bludhaven.

He knows a lot of the old core Leaguers like to fawn over Robin Number 1, Superman especially, and that Nightwing's probably the only non-exploded, halfway decent person left willing to admit association  with Shithaven, Gotham's poorer, dirtier little sister-city, but still. Not super tactful.

Jason stares at electric blue of the hyperlink for another couple of seconds, then clicks on it.

'The public memorial for the hero known as Nightwing will be held at 5pm on October 24th on the public access field in front of Titian's Tower. A beloved figure of the hero community, founding member of the Titians, and known associate of Batman, Superman, and many other long time Justice League members …'

The word 'Robin' does not appear once on the entire page, Jason notes hysterically. Like every two-bit thug with half a brain cell left after Batman's regular beatings and Gothamite still sane enough to parse a newspaper don't know that the little, grinning dare-devil child mad enough to take on the night in Gotham armed with nothing but pixie boots and a smile, good enough to not just fucking survive that but stay laughing and kind, like they don't all know he grew up into their migratory bluebird who would swoop between the brighter, outside world and their resident shithole city, returning to the nest to help beat down their rouges, remind Batman to act like a freaking human being, and teasingly rescue little Robins that got in over their heads. Perfect, lucky, Dick Grayson, Gotham's little songbird that got to grow up and stretch his wings.

Jason numbly realizes he's started to chuckle, an ugly smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

A hideous cackling monologue that never really shuts up in the back of his memories laughs and laughs about dead birds, about Batman's failures. The sentences are impossible to fully parse, every other word punctuated by a crack of pain or an ugly giggle.

A soft, sharp, croon in his recently resurrected ears, as Talia-of-his-memory whispers, "Family and love are just pretty, useless words until they've been proven in blood and sacrifice."

Jason hurls the laptop across the room, shattering the bright screen displaying its memorial message against the wall then stalks off to grab his helmet. He needs to see for himself if this is, if Nightwing is . . .

. . . If it is true, he needs to know who. Needs to know badly, insistently, itchingly cause Jason really fucking doubts whatever JLA fuck that wrote the page, or Titan hanger-on that organized that memorial actually loved Richard Grayson that way his brother deserved.

He sure as hell knows their father won't.

------------------------------------------

Six years ago

The first time Jason met his predecessor? (maybe his brother?) went  . . . . alright.

Sure Jason's flubbed the gauntlet test thing that Bruce'd set up, Nightwing dancing circles about him with his fancy flips. Then that had been followed by the older teen basically dragging him about the whole city like a scruffed kitten as they'd raced through the streets to save Alfred dressed as Two-Face.

 On the other hand, they'd basically raced the length of the whole city, bus-surfing and peeping into warehouses, and ended up fighting with some sewer-croc monster to save Alfred dressed as Two-Face cause Batman had flubbed his whole secret test thing worse. Jason had come out of that whole mess not looking too bad in comparison and gotten the official go-ahead to be Robin from both Batman and the original.

He'd parted ways with Dick kinda amicably. Dick had given him his original Robin suit (which was actually pretty cool) and his phone number to call in case Batman was being a 'stoic, immovable, grump' (actually a bit tempting to use cause  Bruce had been snit over his car crash injuries). Jason in turn had passed over the new Nightwing suit Alfred had sewn up and repeated his challenge that he was gonna be even better as Robin so Dick'd better watch out (he'd gotten a raised eyebrow  and a sigh again).

Not bad or anything. No hitting, no screaming (at him anyway, he's fairly certain Nightwing and Batman had it out behind his back at some point). No angry demands about who let a grubby, homeless kid have Robin's costume.

Still, Jason felt like Nightwing was just humoring him, and it rankled. Worse, was he knew why. In contrast to Jason's rather lackluster first night as Robin, Batman had shown him clips of Nightwing's Gotham debut right before he sent him out to catch him, and really those said it all.

A smiling young man in midnight blue and bright gold on a playful rampage through Gotham's darkness, a grinning Batgirl in tow. He knocks out street thugs with a showy, graceful kick on one screen, raids the Iceburg Lounge and talks down to Pengiun with an grinning, effusive, confidence on another, and on the final screen on the bottom right breaks into Arkham to play a prank on the fucking Joker, the clown's angry threats near drowned out by his fearless, undaunted laughter as he slips away.

"This is Nightwing" says Batman. "He'll be your test."

"That's Robin." Realizes Jason. "He's what I've got to live up to."