#i hate her treatment but im just relieved she's not dead

[shivasdarknight]

The...the devs admitted to killing Ysayle because they didn't know what to do with her? We were denied Scion Ysayle because they figured the best way to handle being at a loss for her was to kill her off?????????

Y e a h. And there's a bit more to it when you look at some of the behind-the-scenes stuff beyond her, but yeah that was it. Instead of shelving her for later (like they did with Estinien), they just killed her. Despite talking about how she qualified as a scion and would be a good ally, and despite all of her present relevancy especially with Thavnair and Vrtra. Estinien is a good enough example of how they saved a male character for later, but they went further and killed Zenos but brought him back through - need I remind - the Echo (ik his is a resonance but regardless), which Ysayle had, and kept him around for two more expansions (more minor in one, but regardless he lived longer than she did).

The devs did this to Yotsuyu, as well, but the thing about Ysayle that makes this one so telling is that she is one of three characters designed by the same person to die one after the other; those being Moenbryda and Haurchefant, who were all designed by Natsuko Ishikawa, the writer of the rog/nin & drk job quests, the Doman half of Stormblood, and MSQ for Shadowbringers and Endwalker. She - as the only main female writer on the team - has gone on record saying that the deaths of those three in quick succession felt targeted. And out of those three, it's only Haurchefant that gets to remain relevant, has a permanent grave, gets emotes and allusions to him, and DSR is centered around saving him (while Ysayle is alive by consequence) because Yoshi-P likes him. Sections where Oda takes over (eg parts of post-stb involving Yotsuyu and Tsuyu) plus the post-arr to hvw stuff is where it's really clear something went fucky here. They have stated they didn't know what to do with Ysayle, but her death in conjunction with Moenbryda's - as both were designed by Ishikawa - along with their lack of acknowledgement in story reeks a deeper level of sexism on the devs' parts.

So, yeah. She's dead because:

The devs didn't know what to do with her, so they just killed her off - had she been a man, she would've just been shelved (like Estinien)

It seems to be something personal as she's the third of Ishikawa's characters to die immediately after introduction, especially since the only man in the group gets tons of focus while Ysayle and Moenbryda are sidelined constantly

It's only during content written by Ishikawa that we see allusions and direct references to Ysayle (and Moenbryda) and it feels like the devs are trying to ignore what they did and just move right along. If the fucking Resonant and what that Sahagin priest did to stay as a soul and around could keep Zenos and a Sahagin Priest alive, then there's no excuse with Ysayle. And I'm saying this as someone who is actively writing a fix-it fic tackling many of the aspects of her character that they just left unresolved and unexplored - like this isn't even getting into the fact that Estinien has had 4 different stories going into his background and where he's been this whole time, while Ysayle's only story was just a beat for beat rehash of her death scene.

Also, as I feel it needs to be said since this Is tumblr: my bringing up any male characters is not a condemnation for anyone Liking said characters. Estinien's one of my favs in this game, but the guy was wrapped in death flags and he's still around as of 6.4?

Really?

[lazulian-devil]

Thoughts on Book 9, halfway point

Okay so im in Book 9, right? End of Phase 1 of Skulduggery Pleasant.

And I remember, back when I read it as it came out, that I hated how it ended, how everything was so fixed on Darquesse, that I was relieved that she was finally gone from the story (lol) and that I went into Phase 2 weirdly exhausted. Book 9 actually made me abandon SP until something like Book 12 was out?

Now, according to my Kindle, Ive read 94% of Phase 1. Im somewhere around Chapter 56 of Book 9, so Im about halfway through.

And I have to say.

Its such a full book? So much happens? And its so all over the place? Okay we are here now, and now we are here. Brides of the Blood Tears, other dimension, back again, Darquesse, Mirror Image revival, future perspective telling us its all gonna be okay, and and and.

I think Im overwhelmed by this book. Last Stand of Dead Men was utterly enjoyable. But it felt like the book had purpose. Book 9 on the other hand feels like its desperately trying to write itself out of the godhood of problems it created. It wants to do justice to everything Darquesse was built up to be and yet still defeat her.

The problem is that the strategies are simply not very clever and knowing in which direction its going also makes so much of it appear cheap because it wasnt really relevant later?

Darquesse is both built up to be non human and yet appeals to humanity. And I suppose theres a point made there but its... shes just not fun? I think she never was as a villain. Her whole speech about how changing energies is not killing someone and then through like five minutes of group time she remembers "oh fuck, yeah nope that was wrong". Its so weird. Its so jarring. The character feels inconsistent in their own darn book.

Its not that its badly written. Tanith returning is great. Billy Ray is such an utterly human figure in this one and I genuinely feel bad for him (as he evidently truly loved Tanith as a Remnant). Skulduggerys treatment of the "other" Nefarian Serpine shows so much character growth. China is more and more actually an involved character. And a few others I cant remember.

I just.

I dont know. Its a weird feeling because many of the books I have read over the last dozen weeks were also in my head as "not actually that good storywise but well written" and some of that has turned out wrong! I always enjoyed reading them but some stories are much better than I remember.

But I think I arrived at this point in which the story is too large for the books. I care about the characters. About the world. But I dont know if I care about the stakes anymore. I dont know if Darquesse matters to me anymore. What does she even say about humanity? What does she reflect? That we can grow? That we are inherently evil? These are all things better illustrated by other characters.

Is it supposed to be a play on the Phase 2 reveal of Valkyrie being actually a Faceless One? Is Darquesse a shard of said ungodly evil? If so, wouldnt we have benefitted from said reveal in the Phase of its relevancy? Why is it so late?

I think SP sometimes suffers from the Star Wars "Skywalker" symptom of everything being connected at all times.

I dont know. This is weird. I still have 6% and around 50 chapters to go but Im unsure now. I stand before the mirror of literary interest and wonder if there is anything substantial to be seen.

And I know I'll enjoy the book. Its well written. I love Landy.

But having read them all in a row in such close succesion makes me realise how somewhat badly planned they are and how many massive plotholes there often exist.

Maybe the story got too big. I dont if i'll be exhausted. But Im a little worried.

[yesimwriting]

Searing Starlight (chapter one)

SERIES SUMMARY: the most powerful inferni alive, raised to see herself as a god-in-the-making, the bastard of the barrel and his team, and a shadow summoner with a common goal. What could go wrong? The giant mass of darkness known as the shadow fold and y/n’s sense of humor. 

CHAPTER SUMMARY: Y/n is sent to hustle the Crow Club. Technically it’s not cheating, but Kaz Brekker isn’t the type to let people off on technicalities alone. Especially when the one that committed the offense could help him earn 1 million kruge. 

a/n just a little something based on the show bc IM OBSESSED :)) --I’m planning on making this a series so if you want to be tagged let me know :)

The candles flicker as Kenya's palm makes contact with my face. I used to cry after he hit me; I used to run to Anya’s room for comfort and my energy would became so irritated I snuffed out all the candles in the church. Now, I just stand there. You get punished worse for showing fear. Gods fear nothing, and that’s what he wants from us--to turn into Gods so that the heavens will owe him. 

“You risk us again and again!” 

The yelling is worse than the stinging of the slap. I make a point of keeping my palms flat; the candles of the room flicker as if feeling my restraint. “Watch yourself or the tidemaker you’re so fond of will feel my wrath instead of you. At least when I bruise his face it doesn’t cost me a night of revenue.” 

I want to point out that the men I trick in the pleasure district don’t care about bruises, but the reminder of Jace has me frozen in place. Jace is good. He doesn’t deserve this treatment. “It won’t happen again, Father Kenya.” 

He nods once, unsatisfied but growing bored. “Disappear from my sight before my flesh wins and I forget to show you mercy.�� Kenya turns sharply, watching Anya’s stoic expression. “Anya--we’re in need of funding, take these coins and triple it by morning.” 

Anya’s lips part; I shake my head once, a subtle plea for her silence. “Father Kenya, y/n’s the most talented card player we have--if she comes with us we can bring five times what you’re going to give us.” 

The promise Anya makes is that of a fool, but I know I’m capable of it. People are easy to read when they’re drunk, they’re easy to trick and lie to. And drunk people exude the clearest energy, something about their bluffing is as tangible as fog to me. 

Kenya squeezes the drawstring bag between his violent fingers. He loathes me more than the others. He expects more from me. He’d lock me in the cellar if he could afford to. But he can’t--he knows what I’m capable of. 

“Go somewhere in the Barrel--somewhere that doesn’t ask questions if the money is good.” Kenya looks at me, the bruises on my arms and cheeks. “Clean yourself up beforehand.” 

I nod once, stomach rolling at the thought of going out and knotting at the thought of staying here. I keep my steps even as I approach Anya, grateful for the excuse to disappear behind the chapel’s doors. 

----

This club is louder than most, boisterous men drinking constantly, slurring their words and leaning over bars. I only smile when someone’s looking, tugging on the dress Anya picked for me subconsciously. 

“Relax, y/n,” Anya hums, “Men don’t understand they’re being hustled when someone pretty is the one swindling them, and you look hot.” 

A particularly drunk man walks by slowly, eyes reflecting no shame as he blatantly rakes his gaze down my form. I shift uneasily. “That might be the problem.” 

She tilts her head back, gaze focusing on the crow marking etched into the back wall of the club. A very strange and consistent crow theme in here. “Maybe you should keep the dress on until you run into Jace.” 

The mention of Jace in that context leaves my face warm. “Wha--what?” Great. I’m sputtering. “Shut up!” 

She laughs easily, “I’m only teasing--he’d probably ta--” 

“Anya!” 

Again, her laugh is loud and bright. “Kidding!” Before I can scorch her, she nods her head towards a gambling table. “An open seat--go, you know Kenya’ll have our heads if we don’t multiply this,” she tosses me the drawstring bag, I catch it awkwardly, “By five.” 

There are a lot of things I’ve ruined--but I never mess up when it comes to gambling. We’re all entitled to our talents and mine are destruction and trickery. “I’ll have six times this amount before midnight.” 

A little cocky, but it’s well deserved. I stroll up to the table easily, comforted by the fact that Anya’s only a few feet away. 

“You’re playing this round?” 

I smile politely, used to this kind of hesitance. “I think I’d like to try it.” The mock-hesitance in my voice burns coming up, but the dumber I seem the faster I make up my money. The rest of the participants snicker. Expected. I’m going to enjoy taking their money. “I can pay if that’s the issue.”

The sound of me fishing through the small bag of golden coins silences the men at a table. The man closest to me, the one with smooth brown skin and a smile I imagine has convinced many people to play into sins for him, leans forward slightly. I let him peek at the coins, the more they want my money the more they’ll believe my lies. 

“How much to enter?” 

A tall man snorts. I fight back the urge to glare. 

“Three of those coins should do.” The boy next to me is decent enough to answer. I’ll steal from him least. “I’m Jesper.” 

I’ve been to enough clubs to know when a man is attempting to find company for the night. I hope the playful niceness I see in him is real. “Kamil.” My sister’s name is salt water on my tongue. 

The first game is easy enough to throw. The second, I have to work at a little more--their smugness is killing me. I pretend to be ready to step away from the table.

“Where are you going?” 

I shrug at the stranger. “I shouldn’t lose any more money, my father won’t be happy with me as it is.” 

The stranger leans forward, glancing at his chips. “We don’t want a girl like you in trouble at home--why don’t we up the stakes? You win this next hand, and you’ll win double what I did.” He pauses, eyeing my drawstring bag, “Of course--you’ll have to be willing to risk a matching sum.” 

Awful odds. “Deep odds,” Jesper mumbles, “Consider cutting your losses.”

Jesper is a better person than the other men here. I almost feel bad he’s going to be losing any money. “One more game won’t kill me,” I smile as politely as I can manage, “Besides--my luck could be about to change and I’d never know.” 

I hand the coins over to the dealer. I watch as the money is shuffled onto the center of the table, suppressing the grin of someone about to release her killshot. Ten minutes later, I’ve doubled what I’ve lost. The man who upped the bet is gaping, Jesper’s expression has shifted entirely, and everyone’s staring at me like I’ve shifted into another person entirely. 

“Wow--luck really does change quickly here.” I’ve hooked them. They’ll want to play again, to prove that my victory was a fluke. “Do you guys want to play again? It only seems fair I give you a chance to win back everything you just lost since you did the same for me.” 

Everyone’s quick to agree, but I’m quicker to win the second round. Some men look murderous, some look ready to play again, their egos incapable of handling defeat at my hands. 

“You came in with a surprising amount of coins,” Jesper muses, reaching over to pick up a piece of gold that rolled towards him, “I hate to accuse you of counterfeiting, but one has to wonder.” 

Typical. “I swear my money’s real.” 

“Real money can take a bullet…” Is he going to shoot it...in doors? Jesper tosses the coin easily, letting it flip in the air before taking out a pistol and shooting it dead center in a movement so casually fluid and deadly I’m taken back. 

The coin clatters onto the table, the bullet embedded into the precious metal. I eye it cautiously, beyond relieved that Kenya at least doesn’t lie. “T-told you.” 

His eyebrows narrow as he reholsters his pistol. “About that, I guess you did.” 

Jesper’s skepticism is a red flag. I need to get out of here before my winnings are taken from me and Kenya kills me or Jace for my failure. “I didn’t take you for such a sore loser.” 

Before Jesper can respond, something black raps against the table once. “What did I tell you about loud noises at the table?” 

Jesper’s gaze leaves mine immediately. “Sorry boss, just checking a swindler.” 

He--he knows. I blink twice, forcing surprise to color my features. “Swindler?” I look between him and the man he called his boss. “N--no, it was just--luck. I played a hand, I lost some money, I played again and I won some money. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work?” 

“You only started winning after the stakes were raised--I’ve seen that tactic before and it’s not appreciated here.” 

I swallow once, a pinch of dread making its way through my stomach. He had shot that coin with no hesitation--I didn’t even see him click off the safety. How dangerous is the man at my table? How dangerous is his boss? Everyone seemed to straighten at the sight of the stranger with the cane. 

“There was no tactic--it was a game.” 

The man I don’t know tears his gaze away from Jesper. “Someone like you shouldn’t even be here.” 

He has a point--my demeanor doesn’t exactly scream someone who frequents establishments at the Barrel during the night. “I’m only here to keep my friend out of trouble.” A fair enough response. “And I played a game and someone can’t handle a loss.”

“You should have seen her bluff, I’ve met professional thieves that lie less fluently than her.” 

At Jesper’s words, the stranger’s grip around his cane tightens. I imagine that beneath his gloves, the color of marred souls, his knuckles are white. “Who do you work for? Who sent a girl to invade my business?” 

Who do I work for? No one that has any business with him. “What?” How self absorbed can one man be? 

“If playing the fool didn’t get you through a card game--don’t think it will get you through this.” 

What? Before I can question him, Anya grabs my shoulder, pulling me so that there’s a safer distance between me and the man. 

“You’re an idiot,” her whisper is pointed, directed solely at me. “Of course you’d find trouble with Dirtyhands.” Did I hear that correctly? Dirtyhands--as in the Dirtyhands? I stare at her, eyes wide. How had I been so stupid? I should have recognized him from his gloves alone. Anya turns her head towards them. “We don’t want any trouble--forgive my friend, she’s not a spy she’s just an oblivious idiot.” 

“Rude.” 

She throws me a glare. “But she did win.” The money isn’t worth the trouble we’ll find trying to keep it but Kenya’s words follow us wherever we go. “We’ll take what we earned and never come back.” 

“I don’t concede often.” 

I reach for Anya’s arm, brushing her forearm in hopes of telling her things will be okay. Kaz Brekker may be feared, but we’re gods in the making. “Neither do we.”

He seems to want to play at an odd, power-filled standstill, but Anya and I are more desperate than him. Anya leans forward, ready to take the money from the table, but the unidentified man who upped the stakes earlier is quick to grab her forearm. 

“I don’t take losses, little girl.”

Anya. I can only imagine the horror she feels when a strange man touches her. Screw precaution. “Is that money worth burning for?” 

“Y/n.” Anya’s warning comes out low; Jesper raises an eyebrow. I guess being Kamil was short lived. 

“Excuse me?” 

The man will not intimidate me. Fear is a crutch men use to keep women in check. “You heard my question.” I hold up my hand, releasing enough energy to develop a flame in my palm. “And if your answer is ‘no’, I suggest you release my friend before your body is nothing more than a pile of ash your own mother wouldn’t even be able to identify.” 

The stranger blinks, touches the gun on his hip, and then releases Anya’s arm. 

“You can’t come into my club, hustle money away from my men, and walk away unscathed because you’re a grisha.” 

Words cannot express how badly I do not want to speak to Kaz Brekker at any point in my life. His grip on his cane is a silent warning--a threat. But what is a man’s threat to a girl that’s meant to be a god? “You can kill me but I’ll use my dying breath to burn this entire building.” I’ve publicly backed him into a corner--I’m insane. 

Dirtyhands opens his mouth to reply, anyone within earshot holding on for his next words. Anya yanks me back as the sound of something explosive interrupts the room. A bullet flies past directly where I was standing and strikes the wall behind me. Anya just saved my life. Someone just shot at me. 

“Y/n, do you think it’s--” 

“No.” It can’t be. There’s no way a soldier found me again. “It can’t be--we were--we’ve been careful--and Kenya said they wouldn’t look for me--that he purchased me fully.” 

A man is moving through the crowd. A blue kefta. No. No. 

Not here. Not now.

And why are they shooting at me? “Anya,” I breathe out as cautiously as possible, “Run and no matter what don’t turn around.” 

“I’m not leaving you.” 

Anya. Always the older sister. “They don’t want you--they want me.” 

“You’re not a real Sun Summoner--it’s suicide for you.” 

I don’t have the heart to tell Anya I don’t particularly care about my life. It’s never truly been mine anyway. “I’ll make it out.” 

“You’re an inferni, not a miracle worker.” 

My lips pull into an odd sort of grimace. The gentle kind one hopes is mistaken for a smile. “I thought we were meant to be gods.” 

“A god can’t do what they want from you.” She mumbles. “So you’re capable of producing more fire than most--it’s not the same as creating light. It doesn’t matter how many drugs they pump into you it’s--” 

I shake my head once, “Anya--go.” 

“They want you to play Sun Summoner.” Dirtyhand’s tone is too smooth to trust. I know when someone’s trying to sell dreams that don’t exist. “The way they’ll have you do it will cost you, but the way I’ll have you do it will be practically painless.”

Is he always this confusing? “What?” 

The question is an irritation, that’s apparent in the cold tint that takes over his practically blank expression. “I need a Sun Summoner for a business deal--and lucky for you I’m out of time.” 

“You don’t want to work with me.” 

“No,” his voice is dismissive, he didn’t understand I meant that as a warning, “But I need to have some form of mass light before sunrise.” 

“The man I’m indentured to will never go for it.” Proposing such an idea would leave me with a broken rib again. 

Dirtyhands nods once, a vague acknowledgement. “That’s not your problem.” I keep my jaw set, scanning at the crowd for a flash of that blue kefta. “After all, it wasn’t his problem when he hurt you.” 

I had been careful to hide the bruises. The reminders of my humanity. My weaknesses, my failures, written onto my skin in purple and blue ink. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“I didn’t until I got that reaction.” I’ve never so quickly felt the need to loathe someone. “It was easy enough to assume--young girl, desperate for money, a grisha powerful enough to be hunted down.” 

Is that supposed to be some sort of consolation? “My freedom would never come so easily.” 

“It wouldn’t be freedom--you’d owe me more than you already do for the kruge scam.” 

I swallow before I can make the mistake of telling him I’d consider any escape from Kenya freedom. “Close enough.” 

The grisha’s closer now, the light blue kefta so easy to spot amongst a sea of darkness. “You’re running out of time.” 

“Can you get my friend out?” 

“Y/n.” She can be mad for the rest of her life if she wants. 

He nods his head once. “She’ll be out the back before anyone knows she was even here.” 

“And she can take the money I won.” Maybe the income will be enough to spare her from Kenya’s wrath. “That’s a dealbreaker.” 

Kaz Brekker hesitates. It’s such a normal pause I almost think it’s a trap. “If she takes it there will be no way out for you--you will do what I ask even if it endangers your life.” 

“Y/n, it’s not worth it.” 

I don’t look at Anya. “You have my word.” 

“Y/n, I’m not taking anything and I’m not leaving you.” 

I finally turn. “Don’t be a self-sacrificing idiot--it’s not in your nature and frankly it doesn’t suit you.” Acts of goodness towards me have always left me feeling raw. Too raw. Like I’m bleeding out. “Sorry, I just…” Anya’s eyes are soft. She knows. She always knows. “I’ll get through whatever it is he’s planning and I’ll come back.” I swallow once, nerve draining from my body slowly. “Take the money--Kenya will be angry enough as is.” 

Anya drops her gaze as she collects from the table. It takes me a moment longer than it should to recognize this is shameful for her. I consider telling her that she’s doing the right thing, but that would burn her heart more. 

“You’re my sister,” Anya’s voice is lower than it’s ever been, “I should have stopped him.” 

Her guilt hurts more than the bruises. “You were as hurt as me--you have nothing to feel guilty about.” 

This is already more emotion than we’re used to expressing when alone let alone around others. Anya stretches out an arm, squeezes my shoulder once, and then takes a step back. “I’ll see you again.” 

“Yes,” I nod once.

“Jesper, take the girl out the back.” Turning forward blankly, Kaz begins to speak to me, “Hide behind the bar--my wraith will find you and take you somewhere else.” 

“Y--you have a wraith?” And I thought Kenya was weird. He lets out a sigh. “Sorry. Not the time.” 

“Desperation leads to bad decisions.” 

Dramatic. “I agree.” 

His gaze falls on me, taking in my narrow-eyed glare. There’s a moment in which I think the left corner of his mouth twitches upwards, but then he turns his head again. A trick of the light. “Go before you’re found and I’m out the money I let your friend take.” 

Yes. I’m not exactly safe right now, but Kaz Brekker needs me for something. That means I will not be leaving this building. By force or willingly. 

Silently, I turn, melting into those in the crowd that are either oblivious or don’t care enough to react to the cat and mouse game I’m currently in. When I reach the bar, I’m quick to duck behind it, pressing my back against shelves of alcohol. 

[alwayskaysanova]

To me legacies is a dumpster fire they never should have existed im not surprised they still disrespect and act as if bonnie doesn't exist unless its to save one of the other characters or her blood is used for some bs spell that hope ass can't do even though she's supposed to be this powerful character smh bonnie deserves better then that garbage show its a relieve that they didn't use her in their crappie spin off they used bonnie enough now everyone sees why kat doesn't want to come back as bonnie because they would power her down to be weaker then hope and the wannabe kai twins

exactly all of this! listen from the beginning bonnie was used for every single plot they wrote themselves into a hole for

her sole purpose was to either be screwed over by another character for the drama or save all the characters when everything else had failed

literally the one (1) plot that she was given that was explicitly about her e.g. discovering she was a witch, was stolen and used for the entirety of the remainder of the show

her grandmother dies? elena/bonnie drama. she has a witch cousin who could help her discover her powers? whoops no that witch works for katherine and is brought in purely for a plot twist then disappears. bonnie’s mother is back? nope that’s just to give her a weird relationship with her stepbrother bc the writers don’t want her with anyone else except nope again they’re actually gonna kill abby and completely forget about jamie to the point they don’t even bother to write him off with an explanation as another plot twist and also for bonnie/elena drama

actually introduce her dad as a character, kill him off almost immediately for the plot

bonnie’s the anchor so she can save everyone. bonnie is jeremy’s love interest until anna comes along then whoops lets have him cheat but kill anna off anyway and have jeremy face practically zero consequences

bonnie sacrifices, bonnie dies, bonnie cries, bonnie bleeds, bonnie gets locked away, bonnie saves, bonnie gets forgotten, bonnie disappears, bonnie EXISTS but she doesn’t get to LIVE

SHE DIES TWICE AND BOTH TIMES ARE FROM OVERUSE OF MAGIC ffs

all her love interests are killed off over the course of the show and her ultimate happiness is TO GO BACK TO AFRICA WITH ENZO’S GHOST??? LIKE??? i mean come the fuck on...

like honestly look at this shit

ben? fakes interest to manipulate her, attempts to kill her, dies

jeremy? cheats, dies, ghost, alive, leaves

jamie? stepbrother, prom, leaves ??? who the fuck knows

luka? witch, dies

enzo? liked caroline first, dies, ghost, apparent forever love BUT HE’S STILL DEAD

and like her treatment isn’t even a show specific problem, the fandom is fucking disgraceful when it comes to bonnie and kat

i remember when the casting was announced and the absolute hate and viciousness that was directed towards kat bc she wasn’t white and ginger, she got hate from the minute she was associated with the show and it never stopped, you can probably still google the casting announcements and read through what she had to deal with and then to have that validated by how she was treated on the show is fucking awful

and i know that the only cast member that didn’t receive hate when they were announced was ian but there’s a whole other level of hate directed at kat than there is nina for not having blonde hair and we all know what that level of hate is about

i guarantee that if they had cast an actress that matched the description of book!bonnie then show!bonnie would’ve had completely different storylines and been treated in equal measure to elena and caroline instead of a magical get out of death free card

like we’re introduced to witches and as far as the show tells us from minute one it’s a line of very powerful poc until it comes to them revealing the most powerful witch and she happens to be esther who is white, ya’ll couldn’t sign post the racism clearer from those writers

it’s so frustrating bc the show has been gone for almost 4 years now and they’re STILL finding ways to disrespect bonnie

i just want it all to end so i no longer have to see them fuck up one of my favourite characters

[kiara-carrera]

5-26 FOR GABI AND STEVE

5. nicknames? pet names? any in-jokes? okay, gabi is HIGHKEY big on nicknames and pet names, so steve honestly gets called everything under the sun. the usual pet names are baby, sweetie, hot stuff, etc. she also calls him mi vida, which means my life in spanish and it’s probably the only bit of spanish steve knows off the top of his head besides like hola and adios. steve, being the old fashioned man he is, usually just sticks to calling her gabi at first, but as they get more comfortable, things like doll and darling start coming out and lemme tell you, gabi nearly faints from cuteness. as for in-jokes, i got nothing so moving on…

6. any tasks that are always left to one person? ummmmmm, i mean i think when it comes to cooking, steve sort of just accepts that gabi won’t let him even touch the food if he’s planning on only seasoning with salt.

7. what annoys them the most about their partner? would they change it if they could? sometimes gabi gets annoyed with the way steve literally THROWS himself into danger without even questioning it. like, sure she gets that it’s always for a good cause in battles, but when he throws himself out of a plane without a parachute? like give her a heart attack why don’t ya? i feel like there’s probably a lot that stresses steve out about gabi, most of which is centered around how stubborn she can be at times. she’s the kind of person who refuses to change her mind once it’s made up about something and she has a tendency to be borderline bitchy about it. also, she also tends to throw herself into bad situations (because she’s a full grown hypocrite) but whereas steve’s a lot more durable, she’s basically just a regular old human with electricity powers and he’s like that won’t get you out of everything??? but as for changing things, i honestly don’t think they’d change a single thing about each other besides maybe being a little more considerate of, like, fatal injuries.

8. what do the like best about their partner? besides the obvious gorgeous exterior, gabi adores steve’s heart. the way that he puts everyone else before himself and is willing to fight tooth and nail for underdogs and people in need is something that makes her heart swell. she also is sort of in love with how he is with her. he’s always wicked respectful and sweet and charming (once they get past the awkward phase). as for what steve likes best about gabi, it’s that she was completely different from what he expected. when coulson gave him the rundown of the team, he figured she was going to be this stuck up brat who was going to be unwilling to do just about anything and meeting her was a complete 180.

9. do they discuss big issues? religion? marriage? children? death? i feel like they sort of do and don’t on some levels. for religion, i’m assuming steve’s some form of christian?? gabi’s catholic, but she doesn’t really get too religious expect like on holidays. a headcanon that kayla basically put into existence and i’ve basically accepted as canon is that being mexican, gabi celebrates the day of the dead and steve asks if they can put pictures of some of his late friends up on the ofrenda. as for marriage and children i feel like that’s a topic that they skirt around until they arrive at clint’s farm and meet the barton family and steve is doing his woe is me i can never have this bit and gabi’s like so are you just assuming i don’t want to get married or have kids??? as for death, i feel like that comes up A LOT, especially when one of them does something stupidly dangerous during a mission.

10. who drives? cooks? does the handiwork? cleans? pays the bills? handles the public? okay, so i feel like driving they switch off (but on nice days, gabi’s like steve can you drive the motorcycle because this girl has never seen something that hot in her life and she likes having an excuse to hold onto him). gabi does the cooking simply because she doesn’t trust steve, mr. we used to boil everything, in the kitchen. handiwork, i feel like gabi will honest to god either call someone to fix it, ask dax how to fix it, or try to youtube the shit out of it until steve is like want me to try??? cleaning i feel like they split up the work once they start living together. gabi pays the bills, no questions asked, like the girl is fucking loaded and she hates when steve tries to pay. gabi also tends to handle the public simply because she’s been doing it her whole life and can literally have reporters wrapped around her finger in a second.

11. do they celebrate holidays? anniversaries? they definitely celebrate the big holidays, like christmas. gabi also basically ropes steve into celebrating halloween and valentine’s day because this girl is both spooky and sappy. fourth of july is a given because it’s his birthday. and like i said earlier, she celebrates the day of the dead and steve sort of joins in. they also celebrate anniversaries because they’re both lowkey those sappy people in relationships, okay?

12. is there a wedding? what was the proposal like? any kind of honeymoon? there’s no wedding, WHOOPS.

13. what do they do for fun? do they have a favorite activity or do they like to switch things up? gabi’s newest hobby since meeting steve is showing him everything he’s missed in the past seventy years. this includes movies, music, books, and food. i feel like steve is more of a having a set list of activities he likes, whereas gabi bops around to whatever is piqueing her interest at the moment.

14. anything they both dread? gabi HATES when he tries to drag her to work out with him. like she’s 100% down to just sit on the sidelines with a refreshing drink and watch him get all hot and sexy and sweaty, but the only way he’s getting her out of bed to run with him in the mornings is if he physically picks her up out of bed. steve highkey dreads when she takes him to fancy parties she has to do for the company because it’s really just not his cup of tea. but he endures it, solely because it puts a smile on her face and she always looks unbelievably pretty when she dresses up for it.

15. how adventurous are they? for like food and stuff, i feel like gabi is the queen of adventure and is always willing to try new things. so when it comes to showing modern things to steve, he usually gets roped into doing or trying things he normally wouldn’t. as for physical type stuff, steve literally yeeted himself out of a plane without a parachute so he clearly wins that meanwhile gabi is like im perfectly fine staying on this plane thanks.

16. do they keep secrets? lie? cheat? for secrets, they don’t have many. they’re the kind of couple that talks about, like, everything, like gabi deadass considers steve one of her best friends even before he’s her boyfriend. and lies, i feel like the only ones they’d have would be over wicked small trivial things. like if they went jogging and steve asked how many she did, she’d totally tell him she did three and not that she sat down on the bench two seconds in and bought a soft pretzel. but cheating is completely off the table, like neither of them would even consider cheating on the other.

17. what would make them break up? would it be permanent? as for what could make them break up, it’d have to be something big, something they just simply couldn’t compromise on, whether it be based in morals or family ties. as for permanence, i’m telling you right here and now that it wouldn’t. these two love each other way too much.

18. what are their dates like? how long do/did they date? do they ever feel the need to take a break from each other? their dates are honestly pretty casual. they do cliche things like dinner and a movie, but a lot of the time it’s just cooking food at home and watching random things on tv. sometimes gabi likes taking him out to her favorite spots in the city and they definitely hit up coney island so steve can relieve his nostalgia. for timing, they start dating somewhere after the first avengers, but before winter soldier. as for taking a break, i think they do a fairly good job of having personal time and space, so i don’t see either of them actively seeking for a break.

19. what do they fight about? what are their arguments like? how do they make up? i feel like they fight about stupid stuff? definitely after missions if one of them did something stupidly dangerous. those arguments are probably the worst and usually result in gabi storming off, cursing him out in spanish that he can’t even begin to comprehend while steve just resorts to silent treatment. making up would either be gabi showing up at his door and apologizing before hugging him or steve coming by with flowers and her being like jfc i don’t need flowers but thanks?

20. what does their home look like? their room? okay so fun fact they live together in tws in that apartment steve has. their room has a big ass bed because gabi is 100% that tiny ass girlfriend that somehow manages to take up more than half of the bed. lots of fuzzy blankets because gabi’s a sucker for soft blankets. i feel like when it comes to decorating, steve has no fucking clue what to do so he’s like have fun?

21. do they share any interests or hobbies? does sex count? no? okay, well i feel like they’re both into watching old time movies, steve because he remembers some of them and gabi because she’s a sucker for old movies.

22. does their work ever interfere with the relationship? YES. besides the whole arguments around both of them being careless during missions, i feel like sometimes missions get in the way of shit they have planned and gabi gets severely annoyed when they clash with date night because a bitch is trying to get her romance on.

23. how do they hug? kiss? tease? flirt? comfort? gabi is VERY big on pda, it’s just in her nature. she tries to tone it down for steve’s sake, but all bets are off once they’re alone. for hugs, it’s typically her either clinging to him like a child or a koala bear because she likes being close to him and likes his strong arms wrapped around her (and it also lowkey turns her on how easy he can pick her up). kisses range from soft little pecks on the forehead to really long intimate, sensual kisses (to which steve becomes a tomato). gabriela corona is the queen of teasing, like this girl knows this man is from a time where everyone was lowkey prudish and here she is just like actively talking about sex and wearing tiny little shorts around the apartment just to set him off because she likes pushing his buttons. but steve lowkey teases her unintentionally, like when he walks around shirtless or in tight tank tops (that fucking scene in tws will kill her). flirting is gabi’s general area of business, because once again, she knows how to make steve blush where he’s a bit of an awkward turtle. steve, certified mom at the ready, is the king of comfort which usually involves a sympathetic expression, long hugs, and caring words. gabi is lowkey like wtf do i do in comfort needed scenarios, so she usually just hugs him and lets him talk it all out.

24. any doubts about the relationship? they lowkey both worry that the other will get bored of them. gabi sometimes worries she’s too young for him and that he needs someone whose life is a bit more stable whereas he worries she’s going to wake up one day and realize she wants someone her own age, someone who can connect with her about things relevant to her generation.

25. how much time do they spend together? do they share their feelings, or hold things in? post avengers and pre tws, they spend a lot of time together. gabi honestly refuses to leave him alone because she’s like you’re literally alone in the 21st century nope not allowing it. but like once they get settled into their relationship, they definitely have personal time and space, but they honestly enjoy spending time together. like i mentioned earlier, they tend to share their feelings and talk things out because they both sort of know what it’s like to have things left unsaid with people they can no longer express those things to.

26. how do their friends feel about their relationship? their families? the avengers lowkey think they’re both adorable and amusing. adorable, because this ship is SOFT AS HELL, but amusing because it’s funny to see reserved little captain america with his tiny spitfire affectionate girlfriend. gabi’s best friend, dax, is honestly not surprised at all when they start dating because he knows gabi well enough to know that she’d go after cap. and gabi’s dead is lowkey skeptical at first and slightly disturbed because his daughter is dating someone who’s literally older than him, but i feel like once he gets to know steve better, he begins to be like okay this is fine, but he totally pulls the whole dad talk on steve. he’s like idc that you’re literally a national hero i will actually kick your ass.

send me a ship and a number and i’ll tell you...

[danny-phantump]

okay so i was gonna wait until someone asked but im on a roll. ill post more later, but heres the first chunk of character info

Aradia Was in a car crash as an infant, but survived... kind of. She flatlined for a solid ten seconds before the doctors got her back online, and as a consequence, she's spent her entire life as a spectral. No one told her anything for a long time, leading her to have a little bit of a different understanding of ghosts and spirits than most people; she learned straight from the source. At a very young age, she met a young, shy spirit who wanted to be a human and often took a human form. Her name was Calliope, and one day she sacrificed herself to save Aradia from a vengeful grudge. She tooled herself in Aradia's grimoire, where she's been ever since. She could technically have been out by now, but she thoroughly enjoys living vicariously through Aradia and is very good friends with her. Aradia was the one least hurt by the Incident, because she used Calliope to save herself. She was acting on instinct; she did not have time or frame of mind to go for the others. Modern day, Damara is long dead from a "suicide" that has kept her haunting this world for years. Aradia can see her, but Damara is so screwed up looking from her anger Aradia is afraid of her, and because of this Damara has chosen not to engage. She'll get revenge some other way. She won't hurt the only person who ever loved her back. Aradia's been approached by Mr. Spender's origanization, but has declined to return their calls. However, everyone else's entry kind of forced her hand, and she is now a new recruit. Nonetheless, she's by far the most knowledgable about this new world out of all the kids. Calliope's powers- space warping, teleportation, and the ability to destroy space- are all very powerful, and Aradia doesn't use her full power for fear of alerting anything nasty that might come for them. They both have white energy.

Tavros Shy, stuttering, and paralyzed from the waist down from a childhood "accident", he was a pity case for a lot of foster parents before falling in with the kids. His big brother Rufioh is trying to reconnect after so long away, but Tavros isn't super interested in giving him a second chance after Rufioh left him to rot in the system for the majority of his childhood. Rufioh is a no good drop out who always ends up abandoning people when things get to heavy, and as much as Tavros desperately wishes for a permanent family figure, he's just waiting for the other shoe to drop. After moving to Rufioh's apartment in Beforus, he met his neighbor Gamzee across the hall, who introduced him to the kids. The Incident happened. They moved to Mayview, Rufioh moved with him, and at an antique gun show he went to out of sheer bordom, he felt one of the guns calling to him. He picked it up, and suprise! You're a spectral, and also meet Jake, a spirit from World War II who's been stuck in the gun for a long time. Jake doesn't seem to have any powers, but that can't be right... maybe he just isn't strong enough yet... They both have green energy, but Tavros's is a shade darker than Jake's.

Sollux Sollux had a pretty average childhood with his single dad and his snarky older brother, but then Mituna got hit by a train. Well, the front half of his car did, but it was more than enough to cause permanent brain damage. They packed up and moved to Beforus, near the state's best therapy place, but the Mituna Sollux knew was long gone. He sank into depression, and so did his dad, and figured the ghosts he began to see were just hallucinations brought on by his decaying brain, until one day he met an incredibly angry child online and was subsequently integrated into his clusterfuck of friendchildren. After the Incident, Sollux's dad sent him away to Mayview without him or Mituna, and as much as Sollux hates himself for it, he's relieved he doesn't have to watch the empty shells of his family shamble around anymore. There, he finally met the spirit that had tooled his phone ages ago, at the hospital visiting Mituna in fact. Roxy is a punk with a flair for the feline, and also for hacking. She didn't want to be insensitive, and also didn't want to be kicked out or discarded, so she kept on the down low for years. But the fact that Sollux didn't know her didn't mean Roxy didn't know him; she had been reading his texts and seeing his browser history for years. The dynamic of 'one of us knows a lot more about the other than the other one' made things awkward at first, but their fatalistic senses of humor and shared love of computers has brouht them together, and they now get along pretty well. Roxy can digitize real world objects and vice versa, turning them in and out of data. Essentially can both create and destroy things through her digital form. Roxy has vibrant pink energy, and Sollux has, somehow, chameleon energy. Naturally, it's somehow yellow, blue, and red, and the combination means he can make basically whatever color he wants.

Karkat He was young when his dad died. His dad was a preacher, one that was openly and actively pro-LGBT. He fostered a lot of LGBT kids who had escaped awful families, preached vocally for their better treatment. He was a devout Christian, but didn't see the two things as contradictory. Some people didn't agree with him though- he was black and pro-LGBT in a tiny speck of a town in the sun-bleached conservative heart of Texas. Lynching is not a pretty process. Karkat doesn't remember much, but anything is too much. After the hospital, after the funeral, after condolences from kids he had watched grow up in his house who were too afraid to do anything but call (of course they were), Kanrki and he moved to Beforus. Karkat's been living there ever since, torn between wanting to follow his father and memories of charred flesh and a bloody noose. The Incident happens. He moves to Mayview with Kankri. He finds half a katana buried in the backyard of a terrifying house that he entered on a dare before he heard the calling. Dave is a blank thing, devoid of emotion, and they fight and butt heads until one day they explode and both bear their hearts to the other in a violent display that leaves Karkat;s living room wrecked and both boys closer than they were before. Dave was abused by another spirit, but abuse doesn't work quite the same for humans as for spirits. Bro tried to mold him, shape his very essence, viciously and painfully trim the 'unwanted' parts of him until the ghost of a man who died run through by his own machine had a perfect little machine to run him through again. Bro probably tooled up- that monster always found a way back- but Dave just hopes he never sees that monster again. They became friends after that, getting closer and closer. Dave has the same time powers he does in the comic, namely jumping around his own timeline. They both have bright red energy.