#i have also never done a proper background before i think

[moriipoda]

my contribution to @chrisrin 's gemcyt au :)

+ inspo from @lolli-popples 's jade design for scott n cleos fusion

[sporefound]

thinking about how amanita is pretty young for a drow & basically speedran the beginning stages of her life. i think she looked promising on the surface but was also reckless enough that when it was time to step back, she chose not to & had to face the consequences for that.

[pastelaeqy]

very generic swap AU for ava. Lots of yap below the cut where I talk about important changes and my thoughts about the differences between victim and Mitsi here.

couple important differences between her and victim

The big one is that she doesn't actually pursue revenge until she realises the guy who tortured her malewife would give her access to the guy who killed her malewife; before this, she basically has a big personality change, becomes a bit bitter, cold, managing with an iron fist etc and changes Rocket Corp's focus from general tech to arms/defence using blueprints victim had made.

unlike victim, who loses like 90% of his workforce and tanks the share prices, Mitsi instead sells to the gov because they are now obviously wanting some protection against terrorists. Whereas victim is too caught up in his own trauma to think of any other future for the company, Mitsi capitalises off the fear The Disappearance caused and quickly becomes the wealthiest figure in the entire Outernet. I think she’d be an absolutely terrifying boss using her old personality as more of a Customer Service mask. This would definitely be obvious though and I think it would make her more terrifying if anything 

As to how victim dies in the disappearance, my best guess is once people start disappearing from the party, he realises it’s to do with Newgrounds very quickly and he rushes over there with the rocket he fixed probably not long after he landed. He gets there, finds her, and saves her in a final moment of self sacrifice. I think this is a good setup because it puts Mitsi (and Agent) in the exact position Agent is in canon whilst also allowing Mitsi to see who the culprit was. I think it’s a good (temporary…) ending for victim as well, since he dies on his own terms rather than that of his creator’s

It's not until The Showdown that she realises she has a proper shot at getting revenge AND getting victim back; I'm certain victim has at least told her a little about how he was made, and she realises that she could totally get that revenge she's been craving for years whilst also convincing victim's creator to "make him again". Another big difference between victim and Mitsi here is that whilst victim quite obviously stews in his rage and grief for an extensive period of time (and quite frankly never actually has any real proof TCO and Alan are working together and simply just assumes that until he gets that showdown clip), Mitsi doesn’t let it show until she knows it’s actionable i.e. she has solid proof that going after TCO would give her access to Alan. 

Something else to add on here is that where victim is more or less using Mitsi’s death as an excuse for revenge, Mitsi is using her love for victim as a motivator. Because Mitsi simply doesn’t have the sort of background victim does (the disappearance is like THE traumatic event of her life rather than one of several), victim takes the emotional centre of her eventual desire for revenge. In canon, it’s pretty clear victim is more obsessed with getting revenge on Alan than getting revenge on TCO (still absolutely brutal towards TCO though, don’t get me wrong); his hatred for Alan/TCO outshines his love for Mitsi.

Big flaw here is that she doesn't really grasp how bad Alan was to victim; she’s so deadset on getting him back that she won’t stop and think “how might this actually be a bad thing”. I wouldn’t imagine he would be normal after being revived again and I think this would work as a good climactic point of conflict for like act 3. Where in canon there’s a good chance Mitsi will be revived no immediate consequences (thanks orange), victim would be redrawn the same way he had been all those years ago (and hence would not actually look like the victim Mitsi knew in the first place). A nice touch of “revived but came back wrong” to get Mitsi to hop off the revenge train. Another big aspect here is that victim would be like “what have you done to our company” much in the same way id assume Mitsi would in canon.

Overall I think the events we see in canon (other than the ones I have described) would play out about the same. I think it would be clearer that Rocket Corp. has a way bigger presence in the Outernet rather than being some weird creepy company that people vaguely remember as having a change in management some time after the disappearance. Mitsi would be probably more precise (and markedly less brutal) in capturing and extracting information from TCO because Mitsi doesn’t have the inferiority complex victim does. I think he’d still take a couple hits though, but Mitsi has no need to exemplify her control over TCO like victim does; she just needs to weaken him enough to make him talk.

That’s all i’ve really thought about so far. She’s spinning around in my mind like she’s in a microwave.

[krysmcscience]

It’s finally done, guys – five whole pages of Narilamb AU comic AND MORE be upon you! (If you have trouble reading any of the text, view the full-size! These pages are huge!)

Yeesh, this took forever. <:)

There’s probably a ton of inconsistencies and anatomy/perspective wonkeries, but this was mostly just comic practice, so Oh Hekkin Well, Lol <:D

(Yes, I am aware the Gateway’s door isn’t present in the Afterlife, and the actual way in is just a pentagram portal. Yes, I put the door in there anyway because Artistic License, i.e. it felt more impactful for there to be a prison door of sorts to walk through to freedom, rather than just a bland boring portal on the ground. 😠)

anyway, i hate backgrounds so much lmao

Alternate ending and a buttload of bonus art under the cut, followed by goofy AU rambles and headcanon stuff:

I’m calling it the Revival AU. It’s not all that creative a title, and someone else has probably used it already, but I am too lazy to really care, LOL

Alternate ending page, which you will Definitely need to view the full-size for, Whoopsie Daisy:

The alternate ending was actually the first ending I finished things off with, because I had a brief badbrain moment where I forgot the emotional beat I initially wanted the comic to end on, and I tend to write comedy, anyway. I later remembered and drew out the proper ending, but I preserved and finished this one, too, because it still makes me giggle.

They had to go back for the followers off-screen in the AU’s real ending. And by ‘they’ I mean just the Lamb, because they weren’t about to ask three newly freed cats to go back into what used to be their prison. The Lamb DID spend some time watching Narinder and the bois enjoying the outdoors first, though:

In other news, here’s the Lamb and me making fun of my anatomy-drawing ‘skills’:

Meanwhile, if you’re wondering why the Lamb is just a-okay with how things went down vis a vis Their Murder, this bonus comic should answer at least some of your questions:

Ah, yes, also this is how they get engaged outside of the alternate ending. Forgot to mention that bit. XD (I already refuse to believe that Narinder is capable of flirting normally, so why would his initial marriage proposal be any better???)

Oh, and before any of them get a chance to actually head back to the cult grounds, there is one potential problem:

And by ‘problem’ I mean something Narinder intends to ignore for At Minimum a thousand years. Cuz he’s a petty bitch like that. :D

what do you mean i drew the lamb too tall compared to the background? clearly they’re standing on top of baal and aym lmao, why else would you think those two aren’t in this one??? (aym and baal got way too excited about finally being outside, you see, and their silly modes are nothing to sneeze at)

And, speaking of heading back to the cult grounds, I’m sure y’all would love to know how the Lamb’s followers felt about the brand new change in management:

It all went better than expected. <:D Tiny ramble now, feel free to skip down to the next comic.

Before you ask, no, the Lamb does not have any actual powers anymore, other than the immortality Narinder definitely grants them. The Red Crown just thinks it’s funny to suggest otherwise, and Narinder does nothing to discourage this. Also, the Lamb and Narinder aren’t actually married here yet, but, uh. Pretty safe to say that particular ritual directly follows the events of this comic. XD

Given how quickly he mellows out in canon, Narinder probably chills out a lot in this AU once he’s in charge of the cult, too, if only because 1.) He’s finally free, and 2.) He’s equally smitten with and distracted by the Lamb. He’s definitely in charge at least 95% of the time, though, because the Lamb never actually wanted to be a cult leader and, now that their time as a vessel is done, they just want to be a normal(ish) sheep who’s wholly devoted to their hot new divine husband.

Some followers do still have some valid concerns about these two being together, though, which I’m sure at least a few of you might share…

Unfortunately for any such concerns, the Lamb is a bonafide masochist in this AU. :D

They’re also 100% a sub, obviously

Anyone at all: Your relationship is problematic and potentially toxic

The Lamb: fuck yeah it is, it’s so hot~ OuO

Here’s just the last panel, made transparent for whatever nefarious purposes y’all might have for it:

Additional exchange Narinder and the Lamb have at some point, probably after the Lamb does a fatal whoopsie while out on a mission trip or in response to things getting a little too sadistic in the bedroom, ahaha:

Look, there is a very important distinction between life and death, and if you don’t understand that, then you’re probably not worthy of being the God of Death, anyway. (At least, according to Narinder, and ONLY Narinder.)

Last but not least, have these shittens:

~Such creative naming conventions I have utilized, lololol~ :D Anyway, there's a few deets on them in the rambles down below.

The rest is all ramble, so before I get to that, I’ll just say – likes and especially reblogs are very much appreciated!!! :D If you happen to really really REALLY like my stuff, meanwhile, I do have a link in my bio to my ko-fi page, where I’m accepting commissions and donations if you’re especially generous… ÓuÒ

Now, BE FREE IF YOU AIN’T DOWN FOR READING MY GOOFY RAMBLES

First ramble is re: Baal’s question of ‘Did it really work?’, since I didn’t feel like expanding on it in the comic proper, and it’s arguably pretty vague? He doesn’t ask because he doubts Narinder or his capabilities, exactly, but because neither Baal nor Aym have ever actually seen their god at full power before (he’s still technically not at full power here, either). It’s not expressly stated how soon the brothers were brought to Narinder after his imprisonment, but whether it was early on or after a length of time for Shamura to (somewhat) recover from his attack, he must have already been weakened, since I have no doubts that there was a huge battle that accompanied the Bishops working together to trap him. So, between that fight with all four of his siblings, sharing his power with a variety of vessels over time, and being chained immobile for a thousand years, he must have been severely weakened by the time he lent the Red Crown out to the Lamb, which would have only weakened him further.

I like to think this is how the Lamb is able to defeat him if they refuse to be sacrificed, despite how it took all four Bishops working together to subdue and chain Narinder in the first place.

All that aside, the three cats have been trapped in the Afterlife for so long that Baal also wanted verbal reassurance that they are all, indeed, actually able to leave it now – something that I headcanon isn’t possible without a significant amount of power (i.e. the Red Crown’s cooperation with its bearer/vessel).

(On a semi-related note, I don’t headcanon Aym and Baal as twins. I like sweetheart big bro Baal and snarky little goth bro Aym too much to have them be that close in age.)

Ah, teeny thing: If you noticed I switched up the art style for Narinder on the second page, that was intentional. It's sort of a visual indicator that there has been a Big Change for him - that being, how much power he has after sacrificing the Lamb. As for why I changed up his arms in the grass rollin' pic, I don't really subscribe to the notion that his arms are spooky bones because they're horrifically injured (beyond chain-chafing scars, that is), but rather just because he's the Bishop of Death, so he can change how normal-to-spooky they look at will. At some point I might doodle out how I imagine his appearance to range between least to most eldritch... 🤔

Next ramble, regarding Narinder’s feelings towards the Lamb...he was initially too focused on being freed from his imprisonment to form any real attachment to them. They were a tool for his use, first and foremost, but he did notice their intense devotion towards him. It was impossible not to notice, because the Lamb was always very happy to see him, even if it was because they died during a crusade (yet again). He wasn’t originally planning to revive them once he was freed, either, because he saw no real point to it – after all, they were already dead when they first met him, just as any other mortal would be when meeting him in the Afterlife, so death has very little real consequence in his eyes. But, once the chains were off, and it really sank in that he stood to lose the most devoted follower he’s ever had, he decided…why put their soul to rest for good or leave them stuck in the Afterlife when he could just as easily revive them again? And why not reward them for their hard work, anyway? Not only would it cost him nothing by comparison, but the future devotion that could come of it would surely make up for his (bare minimum) effort in reviving them.

He wasn’t expecting to get a full dose of that devotion and a smiling face so soon after killing them, though~ :3c (because the Lamb is a bonafide freak, and not-so-secretly into the fucked up power dynamics going on here, lol)

I should mention here that I am firmly of the belief that any non-god/vessel who crosses through the Gateway and into the Afterlife just straight up dies. So, Aym and Baal? Also straight up dead, from the second Shamura brought them through. Their souls were just never put to rest so that Narinder could have some company – if only according to Shamura. Narinder kept the two around mostly out of bewilderment, because honestly, who are these kittens, and what is Shamura’s game here, anyway??? They never even explained anything, they just tossed these kittens into the Afterlife and LEFT!!! At any rate, Aym and Baal being dead is how I explain why their souls apparently become lost in the void if they’re killed, along with the added complications required to revive the two because of it.

So, with those deets in mind, and given a bit of time, if Narinder hadn’t chosen to revive the Lamb, and also hadn’t chosen to put their soul to rest, they still would have woken up at some point, despite being as straight up dead as Aym and Baal. Who, don’t worry, were also properly revived while Narinder was waiting for the Lamb to wake up. Because I am also firmly of the belief that, first, the dead cannot leave the Afterlife without the use of a ritual/relic (and can't stay in the living world for long regardless), and second, dead followers’ devotion isn’t anywhere near as potent as that of the living, given how much more the living stand to lose.

Final ramble, regarding the Lamb’s feelings towards Narinder, and why they’re so devoted to him…

Well, you don’t spend most of your life on the run with your steadily-dwindling herd, trying to evade the ongoing genocide of your species, without becoming a little fucked up in the head. Maybe a lot fucked up in the head. Life is suffering, so might as well have fun with it, right? Maybe start finding death and pain to be kind of hilarious, even a little bit hot, once everyone you know and love is dead and gone, leaving you all alone? And maybe after that, there’s something comforting in how, despite the cold, cruel uncertainties of life, at least you can always count on the inevitability of death, patiently waiting for you until your very last breath? Who knows. Either way, as soon as the Lamb was killed, and they learned that the literal God of Death was offering them a second chance at life and vengeance via effective immortality, they were 100% ride-or-die-devoted all at once. Turns out death is kinder than life – go figure. (Of course, it helps that Narinder is 100% their type.)

They weren’t put off by Narinder’s thinly-veiled sadism or manipulations, either – they’re not too different in those regards, albeit opting for vastly different methods. It’s a very ‘two sides of the same coin’ sort of deal. In order to stay alive once they were made the last of their kind, the Lamb had no qualms with using others to their advantage, and that did not change once they were revived and expected to run a cult. They didn’t care for the position of authority, though – being a sheep and all, they’re much more of a follower than a leader, and thus greatly appreciated Narinder’s need for control. With how they had to keep on their toes for so long, the Lamb was also pretty good at reading people by the time they died, so they could recognize that a lot of Narinder’s posturing was just that – posturing. Dude’s 95% bluster and only 5% bite. He could obviously be vicious when he wanted or needed to (the Bishops' injuries were clear proof of that), but underneath his outer layer of cruelty was a generous layer of tsundere, and underneath all THAT was a soft squishy middle sibling velcro cat in desperate need of attention and affection.

(Which, for the record, he Did Not feel comfortable getting from Aym and Baal – Narinder still has no idea why the fuck Shamura sent them to him, beyond acting as keepers at best or trying to sabotage his attempts to escape at worst. Which, he thought HE sabotaged in turn, by guiding the kittens into being his devoted disciples instead. He thought he was very clever for it. ‘I outsmarted Shamura!’ he thought, despite that there was never anything there to outsmart. ‘What do you mean, Shamura sent your kittens to me for company?’ he demands of Forneus later. It may or may not lead him to pull Shamura out of Purgatory just so he can shake them and scream about how they should have Fucking Explained that!!!)

But, getting back on track as to why the Lamb was so willing to be sacrificed, I cannot stress this enough – if you pay even a minimal amount of attention to what he’s saying, Narinder is REALLY NOT SUBTLE about his intentions. ‘Death is of little consequence.’ ‘Followers are for you to use to your advantage.’ ‘Sacrifice a follower to absorb more power.’ So, yeah, the Lamb knew exactly what would be expected of them once the other Bishops were dead. They knew Narinder would expect them to die for him one last time. But, after all, death is of little consequence (not to mention hot), so when the time came, they wanted to see him freed, even if it meant oblivion for them in the end.

He’d given them a second life, and the ability to avenge their kin, and they felt indebted to him for that – so, while they were still pretty glum about the possibility that they might not get to see him free of his chains, nothing beyond their devotion and debt to him mattered. They never wanted all the drama and expectations that came with the Red Crown’s power, anyway, so, better for Narinder to have it back so that he could deal with it. What he did with the Lamb afterward would be up to him, and seeing as he was their god, they’d accept his decision gladly.

Were they in love with him by that point? Oh, obsessively so, but only in the devotional sense – romance was nowhere on their mind nor radar. That is, until he unexpectedly revived them again, told them he still needed them, and then offered down his hand to help them up.

The Lamb fell HARD for him in that moment. :3c

And now, a tiny shitten ramble. Lu and Li are twins, because sheep tend to have those a lot, and are conceived not long after the Lamb and Narinder’s marriage ceremony. Lu is the minutes older one, but Li is much more mature. I have put no further thought into these two, other than that they are utter menaces, birthed by the Lamb, cling hard to both their parents but especially Narinder (who spoils them rotten), and they are both genderfluid, using whichever pronouns/names they feel like at any given time. They are also both intersex, same as the Lamb, who was initially infertile up until Something Something Vague Magic, which I have also put no further thought into ¯\_(シ)_/¯

oh, and before anyone tries to suggest i headcanon this AU’s lamb as trending more female due to them giving birth or whatever, no, no, a thousand times no, they might have a vag, but they've also got a dick, and even if it's not as big as they'd like, they still know how to use it

Finally, the very tentative name for the Lamb in this AU is Yazdi, which is really just another name for the Baluchi breed of sheep XD (Not that the Lamb is this specific breed, I just didn’t like any of the other sheep-related names I found, ahaha...)

THAT’S ALL FOR NOW (collapses into an exhausted pile of goopy limbs)

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Wait, I was reading your posts and came across something I've found confusing. How is Adrien asking Ladybug wth she is doing in Volpina a bad thing? From Adrien's perspective, Ladybug's a celebrity tracking down a middle schooler with zero clout and humiliating her for lying about meeting her before. That's, uh yeah? Imagine if that happened irl lmao. Millions of teenage girls would perish at 1D's hands. My middle school would be a horror story. And it's made clear multiple times in the episode that her motivation is jealousy. It's one of the few episodes where the lesson Marinette gets makes sense I think, because she was genuinely spiteful in shitting on this random girl in front of her crush. That's significantly different than Ladybug just asking for a retraction from the Ladyblog. It's also one of the few times when Adrien's celebrity background actually affects how he acts, and it makes sense that Marinette doesn't make the connection between superhero=celebrity=not allowed to scream at middleschoolers in public. If half the kids in her school didn't lie about meeting Ladybug before, my suspension of disbelief is gone.

I've seen this argument before and it makes no sense to me, especially in the context of the lie that Lila actually told and the way the Lila confrontation actually goes down. A lot of people who have this take seem to think that Lila's lie was, "Ladybug saved me," and that Ladybug made a big public confrontation which is not what canon actually gave us. The confrontation was done in a mostly private setting and, while we never see Lila's full Ladyblog interview, this is how Ladybug sums up the interview in Volpina:

Ladybug:(sarcastically) Well hey Lila! How's it going? Long time no see. I saw your interview on the Ladyblog, awesome job. Oh sure! I remember our instant connection when I saved your life and we've been really good friends ever since! Practically BFF's! Uh actually, when did I save your life again, Lila? I don't recall. Oh yes! Of course, now I remember. Never! And we're not friends either! Miss Show-Off here was trying to impress you and everyone around her.

Lila didn't just lie about meeting Ladybug, she lied about having an ongoing, close relationship with Ladybug, two very different things. And Ladybug isn't just a celebrity, she's a superhero who is fighting an active terrorist. If I had to rewrite this confrontation, I'd keep it pretty much the same and just change the "Miss Show-Off" line to something like:

Miss Show-Off here was trying to impress you and everyone around her, putting herself and all of you at major risk! You know that Hawkmoth would do anything to get these, right? (gestures at her earrings) Did you even stop to think about what he'd do if he learned the identity of my supposed best friend? Of course not. You were too busy trying to look cool to stop and think things through like an actual superhero! We keep our identities and relationships secret for a reason!

Is this the kindest, most gentle way to confront someone like Lila? No, but it's very in character for Marinette to be filled with righteous fury when she sees someone using her name for their own personal gain. I really can't blame her for getting incredibly angry at this total stranger presenting herself as a Ladybug authority and using that authority to manipulate Marinette's friends. As I've said before, take away the crush complication and Marinette's actions still make total sense to me.

I'm not a huge proponent of virtue ethics. That's the idea that you need proper motivation for an act to be morally justified. If you do the right thing for the wrong reason, then the act is bad no matter how good the results and vice versa. If you view the world that way, then sure, you could possibly argue that Marinette's actions were wrong just like you can also argue that Gabriel's actions were totally fine, but I don't view the world that way. Switch Marinette's motivation from jealousy and a little righteous fury to pure righteous fury and almost nothing changes. She'd still need to confront Lila, the words would just be a little different.

It's not like this confrontation stops Lila, either. Chameleon gives us this:

Lila: (in flashback) Not only did Ladybug save my life, we've become very close friends. Marinette: She lies with every breath. Nino: Wait. You eavesdropped on Lila and Adrien? That's not cool. Alya: A good reporter always verifies her sources. Can you prove she doesn't actually know Ladybug?

Quick mini rant before I give the next Chameleon quote: this isn't how verifying your sources works, Alya! You should be verifying that Lila does know Ladybug, not the other way around! Right now, Marinette and Lila have equal authority on the topic as far as you know and there is no evidence to support either claim, so you should be looking for proof that Lila isn't lying! Proof isn't a first come, first serve problem even though a lot of people fall into that trap. This is especially true since Lila goes on to make claims like this:

Lila: Of course Ladybug saved my life. She never misses an opportunity to rescue her best friends. Max: Didn't your tinnitus give you vertigo when you went up the Eiffel Tower? Lila: Oh no. Ladybug knows me so well that she brought me an earplug to stick in my right ear.

So Lila keeps right on lying about her relationship with Ladybug, presenting them as close friends, making it even harder for me to get on the "Marinette was in the wrong for privately confronting Lila" train. If anything, Marinette was too tame! She needed to go full scorched earth and have Alya post a public retraction that included a message about the dangers of claiming to be personal friends with someone you don't actually know.

If the show went that route and had Ladybug give an equally furious smack-down and Alya posted it without a second thought, THEN I'd probably be on team "Marinette needed to tone herself down because she went too far" because that isn't a heat-of-the-moment reaction. It's something Marinette would have time to think through. But Volpina didn't go there. Instead, we just get Marinette reacting live to someone using her name to flirt with her crush. Remember, this is the setup to Marinette transforming and jumping in to stop Lila:

Lila: Not only did Ladybug save my life, we've become very close friends because we have something very special in common- it's what I wanted to tell you about. I'm the descendant of a vixen superheroine myself, Volpina. Adrien: Volpina? Marinette: Volpina? Adrien: Wait a minute! I think I read about her in my book. Lila:(stopping him from grabbing the book) Of course she's in your book. She's one of the most important superheroes. More powerful and more celebrated than Ladybug. Between you and me Ladybug doesn't even make the top ten. My grandma gave me this necklace. [Marinette runs off to transform] Adrien: (holding Lila's necklace) Are you telling me this is a Miraculous?! (Ladybug lands in front of them)

This wasn't a planned confrontation. It was Marinette reacting live to some pretty massive lies. If Ladybug had been swinging by and just overhead this, then the scene once again wouldn't change much. That's why blaming Marinette for confronting Lila in the "wrong way" feels so victim blame-y to me. "How dare Ladybug not be perfectly poised at all times and react with grace when someone lies about being her close friend and teammate!" is not a take I'm ever going to agree with. And if you want to use the middle schooler defense? Then it applies to Marinette, too. She and Lila are the same age. Why the different standards just because Marinette has fame that she never asked for or sought out?

I've never been much of a fan of holding celebrities to an "always on" standard where their every interaction needs to be done with poise and grace even if the interaction happens out in the wild and not at a planned even where the celebrity can be mentally prepared for dealing with fans. That's extra true for accidental celebrities like Ladybug. Marinette didn't take up the earrings for fame and they certainly haven't brought her fortune, plus she has no PR training. Expecting her to be a PR master who knows how to handle her accidental fame is, once again, a little too victim blame-y for my tastes. Ladybug is here to save the world, not sign autographs. You can hold her to politician standards when you start paying her for risking her life on the daily.

There's a version of Lila where I would have a different take. A version where the lie really is minor and Marinette really did "overreact", but even there my lesson wouldn't be "Marinette was totally in the wrong" because I genuinely think that sends the wrong message to kids and kids are the show's target audience. Think about what you're actually saying here, "Because Marinette is famous, she needs to accept that people will lie about her and just ignore them even if people believe the lie."

While that isn't exactly a wrong take, it's still really messed up. It's not okay for people to use Marinette's name like that just because she's famous. The reason she needs to learn to let it go is because that's what's best for her mental health, not because her fame makes her lesser than others when it comes to things like personal privacy. The lies are not magically okay just because she's well known.

Remember, Marinette is a fictional character, but the kids watching this show are very real and they're way more likely to be Lilas than Marinettes. And the kids that do relate to Marinette in this episode? They'll be kids who have dealt with the rumor mill spreading lies about them or their friends without the celebrity complication. The show should not be telling either set of kids that Marinette is the one in the wrong here. That is the wrong moral and why I hate this episode so much. I might feel differently if the intended audience was teens and if this plot was allowed to be more complex, but none of that is true. The show is aimed at kids ages 5 to 12 and every episode is supposed to teach its own moral with Volpina's moral being "Marinette was explicitly and totally in the wrong here."

This is the age of internet personalities where there are more easily-accessible celebrities than ever and where many of them do not have the wealth needed to protect themselves from fans nor the PR training to know how to handle extreme fans if there even is PR training for that! That means that it's honestly really important for kids to learn to view these individuals as people who it's wrong to lie about and who deserve the same respect as non-famous people. Treating celebrities as public commodities is how we get things like the Kit Connor scandal where an 18-year-old actor felt forced to publicly come out because the internet wouldn't shut up about his sexuality. Oh, and since you brought up one direction, I'll also note that the band members have publicly stated that online shipping discourse has negatively impacted their relationships. So, yeah, I'm never going to agree that kids should be told that it's okay to lie about celebrities or treat them as fictional characters to play with and that the celebrities are the ones who are wrong if they get upset about that behavior. That shit is toxic.

If we go the "minor" lie route, then my version of this episode would be a very sad one where Marinette learns that people are going to ignore her boundaries and lie about her and there's nothing she can do about it. A lesson in mental health training that will hopefully help kids who are dealing with bullies, but that does not present Marinette as totally in the wrong. It just teaches her when to pick a fight and when to let it go, which is a very important skill to learn even outside of lies about your own person. There will be many times when you hear people say something that you vehemently disagree with and it's important to learn when to pick a fight and when to just let it go, knowing that no good will come from speaking up even if you're 100% in the right. It's a very sad, but also very necessary skill.

I think Adrien has a place in that story. A place where he still tells Ladybug to let it go, but it should NOT have been played the way it was in canon where he acted like Ladybug was totally out of line. He needed to be way more compassionate and understanding of her very justified anger. I've written Adrien giving advice on this topic before and it's always presented as, "people are going to be assholes and you have to learn to ignore them for your own well being," not as, "you are wrong to be upset about strangers telling lies about you. You agreed to deal with this when you decided to be a hero" because what kind of asinine lesson is that?

You could also keep Adrien's canon reaction and have the lesson be him learning that it's okay to have boundaries. That his fame doesn't negate his bodily autonomy and right to be treated with dignity. That people chasing him down, invading his personal space, and otherwise preventing him from living a normal life is wrong. I love it when fanfics take this approach to Adrien's part in the Lila conflict. It's very cathartic to see his friends supporting him and protecting him from Lila.

I really have tried to see Volpina from the "Marinette was totally in the wrong" perspective because I've come across it several times, but I just can't wrap my head around it. If you've got a counter argument, then feel free to try to change my mind because I've given you my full thoughts here, but know that I'm probably not budging on this one. You'd have to make some pretty dramatic changes to canon for me to feel like this take has a point. I think the only way that I'd be on Lila's side is if it was very clear that no one believed Lila and Marinette still had the same reaction that we see in canon as that does feel like going too far. But everyone believed Lila so that's not a solid argument and I'm just never going to agree that people have to be cool with others lying about them just because they're famous. I honestly despise celebrity culture so much and hate that people are basically forced to deal with that bullshit if they want to be successful in certain artistic fields.

[mylittleredgirl]

all right! who wants my chrysalis device theories?

i've been pondering the way alisa says this for a while now. i think it's not just that she has never used this word because she lives in space and hasn't been to school since age 12.

i think delenn may not know what it means either. what if "chrysalis" is a proper noun in minbari, the name of the device and nothing else?

it's an english loanword, but one that valen didn't otherwise translate. he's a mysterious guy, and he's not going to tell them too much because revealing his origin would defeat the purpose of transmogrifying in the first place. there's some kind of religious mythology around it or delenn wouldn't know what to do, but presumably nobody has seen the process happen or gone through it in the thousand intervening years.

the minbari don't really know what the device does. delenn knows that she'll either be changed in some way or die ("speak well of me when i'm gone"), but she looks surprised (and terrified) when the device starts spitting out cocoon threads as soon as she adds the triluminary to it. lennier doesn't know what's happening to her in there, and neither of them know what she is when she first emerges.

--

i also find it fascinating that while there's a lot of sacred mystery around the triluminaries, and minbari loooove secrets in general, there's no attempt to hide the rest of the device.

delenn starts playing with it long before she gets the triluminary in hand. she adds pieces to it in front of sinclair, and it's left out in her quarters in plain view of both aliens and other minbari.

i thought for a long time about whether valen left thousand-year-old ikea instructions about exactly how this thing fits together, but i don't think so. we see it arranged on different surfaces in a few configurations in the background of other scenes, so either there's some creativity to it, like a mandala or zen garden, or it's a 3D jigsaw puzzle that makes sense to minbari minds. either way, these can't be the same triangles that valen touched, or she would never handle them so casually.

my theory is that it's a meditative puzzle that isn't unique, and may even be a common decorative activity in religious caste homes. maybe even with a little ceremonial (but not real) triluminary-like triangle to put on top when you're done! if that practice was also a Gift From Valen, it's one way to ensure that both the materials and the knowledge remain available through the generations.

--

and a bonus thought: how did sinclair know how to put it together later on? zathras could have done it for him, but it seems kind of spiritually important to do it yourself. did he learn it on minbar as a meditation technique? did he learn it from her out of context??

[cartoonistcoop]

ShortBox Comics Member Interview: Jona Li

Throughout the month of October, the Cartoonist Cooperative will be sharing interviews with members of the Co-op who have a new comic available at the ShortBox Comics Fair 2024! 

NOTE: The Cartoonist Cooperative is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way formally connected with ShortBox.  

Today’s spotlight is Jona Li and their new comic for ShortBox, Rewired

We’d love it if you could introduce yourself and tell us about your background in comics.

Jona Li: Hello! I’m Jona and I’m a comics artist based in Tkaronto. I’m an animation school grad so I was originally working in the animation industry before I decided to do comics full-time, which was possible largely thanks to an arts grant I got from the Canadian government. I’ve always drawn short comic strips and one-pagers in my free time, and comics have always been my go-to medium for storytelling. My first real foray into comics was exhibited at ShortBox Comics Fair 2022, and since then I’ve done a couple of other short comics for anthologies and zines organized by friends. Even though my professional background is largely in animation, the comics medium is still something that has stayed a passion of mine, both with consuming and making them. I’m excited to continue to possibly make comics full-time.

Tell us more about your new comic?

JL: My new comic Rewired is a speculative short using surface-level sci-fi elements to tell an interpersonal story about someone who’s willing to change anything about themselves for someone they love. I guess it’s an inherent tragedy where you know it won’t go great either way–you can’t really change who you are without consequences and you can’t fully understand another person enough to fully cater yourself to them. The MC thinks interpersonal relationships and romance can be solved like a math equation, but the worst and best thing about people and relationships is that it’s unpredictable and indefinite. In many ways, it’s also an allegory for neurodivergence–wouldn’t it be great to simply program yourself to behave a certain way so others will like you more? That’s kind of what I was trying to do with this comic.

Tell us about your creative process; how did you develop this comic and what are the steps you took to bring it to the final stage?

JL: I had a lot of trouble at first coming up with a short and concise idea for something that’s ideally just twenty-ish pages long. At first I tried out a more lighthearted, comedic short about two friends reconnecting and having a blossoming romance while trying to give a burial to a dead cat they found. I guess I never grasped the characters enough for that one, so I looked around for other inspiration. 

I really like the concept of mundanity mixed in with the fantastical, something like Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, where an android girl runs a café in a post-apocalyptic setting. That was kind of the blueprint for the comic I have now. From there, I wrote out the general beats for how I want the story to go, and then I wrote the script and did my thumbnails. 

This was actually the first time I ever had a proper thumbnail stage while doing a comic, the last few comics I did were purely just me making it up as I go…in the end I still changed a lot from my thumbs to the final sketch. Then I decided on the general look of the comic, which is what you see now! 

Read the rest of the interview HERE! And dont forget to check out the Shortbox Comics Fair to support these lovely creators!!

[rennythepoo]

“sometimes, love is bold, yet somehow loudly quiet at the same time; and I learnt that with you. ♡”

Tsukishima Kei x Reader mini drabble! || tags: fluff, established relationship, gn!reader, pre-timeskip, slightly ooc I think??? but I hope not.. :(( || not proofread! + a/n at the end! || WC: 645

the love between you and Tsukishima wasn't at all as quiet as people liked to assume, it was bold and undeniably obvious before you two even started dating. all your friends could tell the chemistry between the two of you before you both even realized it yourselves.

and so when you zoned out at a party while a guy was hitting on you asking where your boyfriend was after you had told him off, one particular comment stuck with you: "almost no one knows you two are in a relationship!"

it stuck with you because.. how could he say such a foolish lie? it was truly the small things that were so blatantly screaming your affection of one another.

the way he rests his head on yours or in your neck when he's tired no matter where the two of you are, the way he started to not mind pda that much without even realizing it. the way your hands always find each other under a table, how he simply lets you get on his back without even asking if you're tired or just too lazy to walk home.

the way your hands easily slip into his pockets when it's chilly and he wouldn't even be phased, and even would shove his hand in the pocket to warm yours. the way he opens all the cans for you because he's far more scared over you breaking a nail then you even are yourself. the way he mumbles that he likes when you get your nails done longer because then your head scratches are heavenly he'd say while basically half asleep and you'd tease him about it in the morning.

how he never complains when you can't walk straight for absolutely no proper reason and doesn't get bothered when you accidentally push him into something, because then you'd frantically apologize and it would be the cutest thing ever in his eyes. how he would hand you his glasses when they need to be cleaned without saying a word because he now he is quite literally unable to clean his own glasses in your presence ever since you offered to do it and he quite liked the idea.

he put up with your horrid "cute" rubbish collection because you put in effort to know the names of all the dinosaurs from his collection. how he would blow on your hot food before handing it to you if he got to hold it first.

"hey!! are you even listening?!" the guy shouts at you, you flinched, startled. before smiling gently, "sorry, but you must be blind if you think my relationship is anything other than obvious." your voice was laced with a sarcasm you had subconsciously picked up from Tsukishima over the years of knowing him.

so yes, the gestures of affection between you two weren't anything grand or ultra romantic, but to you it was just perfect, like you didn't have to scream to prove something that's already obvious. to the both of you, your love was so loud that it was deafening, turning everything around you into quiet- irrelevant nothing in the background of your bold connection.

oh! and would you look at that! Tsukishima came right in time to pick you up from the party, you both locked eyes at the same time and he walked over. you turned to face the guy with an even happier smile, "well! I gotta go now, my 𝘣𝘰𝘺𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 is here to get me!!"

you declared as you quickly went over to Tsukishima, he looked at you confused that you basically ran away from the guy. but nonetheless, without a word the both of you were out of there. "why did you cling onto me suddenly?" he asked, you pouted and pretended to be offended that he even asked for a reason, "what? I can't miss my boyfriend anymore?" he rolled his eyes and chuckled.

bonus scene: "can your man fight!!" you raised your eyebrow "oh, he definitely can! but yk... I also can too." and with that you slapped him square on the face!!!

a/n: hhey.. T-T it's currently 3 am! I'm so tired eueueeueue,, but ahem, important confession.. I haven't even watched haikyuu yet! it's just I recently started getting a lot of haikyuu moots on tektook and Tsukishima in particular stands out to me ;;;;

[alittlebitofloveliness]

Could you do some modern day Soda headcanons please? I love him so much and I love your blog so much soooooo….

Ok so soda is tricky for me to write but I tried my best!!!

Modern Au Sodapop Headcanons

-Drinks every single energy drink imaginable. Rockstar? Like its water. Prime? For the plot. 5 hour energy? He’ll down it in five seconds. Darry is HORRIFIED.

-Is pretty enough he’s one of those people who becomes moderately famous on TikTok without having to really do much. His followers notice he’s always talking to someone off camera, and they’re desperate to find out who it is, but Soda only ever responds to comments with ‘oh that’s just Stevie, he doesn’t like TikTok’.

-Soda’s followers have a lot of theories about this ‘Stevie’. Soda is weirdly tight lipped about him, despite the fact he often breaks off mid rant in videos to talk to him. There’s also the fact that the rest of the gang is often around/in the background of videos, but the mysterious ‘Stevie’ never appears. (okok I’ll stop here before this becomes a Stevepop social media au)

-Regularly forgets to take his ADHD meds and Darry often has to remind him

-Would either have a hockey flow or a mullet (whatever y’all think, personally I think modern Soda with a hockey flow tracks with his character)

-One of those people who loves horror movies but is also completely terrified of even the dumbest ones and has to sleep with the lights on for weeks afterwards. Steve makes fun of him for it, but will also stay up on the phone with him if Soda watches one by himself and freaks himself out

-Has a million fidget spinners because they actually help him focus on stuff when he needs to

-Soda in modern AU wouldn’t call Ponyboy ‘kid brother’ as a nickname (don’t get me wrong, I love it but Ive never heard it used irl). Instead, I think him and Darry (and thus the rest of the gang) refer to Pony as ‘shrimp’ and Ponyboy absolutely hates it  “where’s the shrimp” “he’s has track practice ‘till four, you of all people should know that Dar” (brought to you by me and my interactions with my own little brothers)

-The whole gang is super into video games, but Soda is kind of shit at them and lowkey grumpy about it

-Every teacher he’s ever had has done that thing where they expect him to be exactly like his older sibling, and therefore expect him to be a model student like Darry, and every time they are proven entirely wrong. By the time the same teachers see Ponyboy’s name on their class lists they’re terrified of what to expect

-He definitely had that horrible middle school boy stage where he just reeked of axe body spray and BO before he figured out proper hygiene

-Every two weeks him and Steve end up doing some sort of YouTube deep dive where they end up being convinced of some sort of wild conspiracy theory that Ponyboy and sometimes Darry have to spend three hours talking them out of

-Uses far too many emojis in texts

-He had a pet hamster once and you know that thing died in the most horrendous way imaginable. Two-bit probably farted into the cage at one point as a joke and the poor thing asphyxiated to death or some shit like that

-He’s that kid in group projects who does nothing and tanks the presentation for everyone by mispronouncing half the words on the slides some other group member made for him

-Him and Steve are so inseparable that when they’re not together people will be like ‘where’s your boyfriend’ and he just answers without thinking before flushing really hard and sputtering a bit. 

-One of those people that casually catches snakes with his bare hands. Steve HATES it and Ponyboy is TERRIFIED of snakes so he gets in trouble with Darry if he does it too often or brings them near the house

[bloomingkyras]

Travelogue Journey with Shawn Takahashi a Bachelorette Challenge

I'm back.. with a new Bachelor..

In this season, we will go travel with Shawn and get to know him or 😉. That not just travel but there will be a challenge that the contestant have to compete.

But let's meet the Bachelor.

Meet Shawn Takahashi, age 32, A freelance painter and A traveler. He Asian Mix America which his mum are from MT.Komorebi and His dad from San Myshuno. He is the only child and very closed to his parent. Since he too busy with his job and sometime travel, he never had a chance to find love. He only had a crush when in Senior years.

And now he ready to meet and mingle with new people. More detail about his BC are under the cut.

Who is He looking for?

Ladies only (he's straight btw) | Background stories are welcome.

U can give any traits (but please give 1 negative traits and avoid using love bug, romantic & romantically reserved if u have lovestruck) aspiration, skill (please have ur sims a skill minimum level 4), like & dislike or if ur sims had a job then it's ok, so we can continue her job if she win later.

if u have Lovestruck u can set ur sims their turn on and turn off but if u don't have that pack u can let me know what her turn on and turn off.

human only (occult next time ok)

To be fair since my sim had cc on him, u guy also can use cc for cloth or either way but Maxis match / Maxis mix are ok but no alpha hair. I have all the pack.

Regarding this BC gonna be some kind of globetrotter, some adventure activities and also there will be a party, please give ur ladies a proper outfit (if u want me to put them the outfit also can)

Don't worry about skin default or eye default I won't be touching any of ur ladies genetic. I will only change,if the item on her missing or broken.

How and where was the challenge gonna happen? or are there's a challenge they have to join? (😈)

This is the house where some of the event will happen and some of them will be outside MT.Komorebi.

There will be a challenge after or before the group party (i'm still drafting the challenge when this post up and will be update once the BC start)

If u are my former BC or have being in my BC before, u know that I use a lot of pose mod and script but this time I'm gonna take a break from it. and use the pose mod when necessary. Wicked whim? hmm...if it's happen then I just let its happen but no 18+ post 😎.

All the impression are from Lovestruck ep and 1st impression mods

All ladies will have their solo date with Shawn before they compete into a challenge. And the winner of the challenge each week will have a special treat from Shawn.

Just like My previous BC challenge, If any of the ladies being caught have a feeling toward other contestant, they will get eliminate but I'm not that cruel, I will check their challenge point that they collect and if the point lower, she will be in the list of elimination. And there will be for the 1st time in my BC, we will have Rose ceremony.

And here come the part where's how many ladies will be taken.. For this event there's will be 2 group. Means, there will be 10 ladies in the house. (I will post more detail once the BC start cause it's will impact the challenge too)

How to submit?

Since there will be a holiday, event and I'm also will be flying back to my country. I will not put any date of sims submission. U can just drop ur sims tray file to my messages (i will set the chat for everyone) once u done with them or u can post ur sims and tag me #TJ With Shawn, so I can drop by to pick ur sims up, if u can't reach my chat. Yes u can reserve, if u really want to join. I will only close the submission after I have all the 10 ladies and the post will be live after that.

what else...hmm..10 ladies for future kyra to handle...I think that it's. And I'm proudly welcome to everyone with 10 of their Ladies to join this BC and have fun with Shawn. So that it from me and if u have any question feel free to sent an ask. -Love kyra -

i forgot, I want to say thanks to my mutual who inspired me to do this challenge again and letting me get some idea from u ❤️

[cedarwrought]

my thoughts on tbhx ep 7 (spoilers below cut) (if you saw this before no you didnt)

im curious about e-soul's health condition now- at first i thought it was just the old e-soul who had the labored breathing but it seems that yang cheng has inherited it too? im thinking back to when he was in the hospital and mentioning that e-soul's power felt similar to electricity. i really want to know the details of this power and its health effects!

yang cheng losing the same arm the old e-soul lost in their final battle is sad but it represents the never-ending cycle of heroism and capitalism. despite what yang cheng thinks, he's not changing a system. it can't be done with only one person's will, strong as it may be. i'm hoping that this will all change in the tournament we've been hearing about, but i'm worried about his mental state as of right now tbh.

uncle rock is so scary- genuinely. not only did he take advantage of two young men in his scheme to kidnap little pomelo, but he had no qualms kidnapping one in order to leverage it against the other into shooting shang chao. AND PROCEEDED TO DROWN THEM BOTH IN WET CONCRETE AFTER THE DEED WAS DONE.

but besides that, his understanding of perception and how it's wielded is terrifying. he knew how to draw out og! esoul into using a particular move and was able to manipulate the public into pressuring him into doing exactly that.

it makes me wonder if he had cultivated yang cheng's personality to be the way it is, but i'm leaning towards him knowing yang cheng's background, seeing how his trajectory in life was going and taking advantage of the opportunity that presented itself. after all, it's like the special love seat: it doesn't have powers or anything to make you fall in love, but uncle rock took advantage of an opportunity already present.

also. to me . shang chao and xia qing represent the upper class and middle/lower class respectively. xia qing wanted yang cheng to have a normal life- to go to a concert with her and not lose himself to the identity of e-soul. meanwhile, shang chao immediately wanted to thrust yang cheng into the world of heroism (and in a top ten spot, no less). he grew up with these types of privileges and thrusts them upon yang cheng without a second thought, but we can't be having that now can we?

it makes sense for shang chao to be dead- to someone in the lower class like yang cheng, you can never truly assimilate to the upper echelons of society.

it's also quite stark in the funeral scene when mr shang is confronted by yang cheng. yang cheng's wearing a blue shirt, black cardigan, and pants. he quite literally cannot afford a suit. and while i understand parental rage, mr shang's treatment of yang cheng is telling of the wealthy elite: unless you can make yourself useful, get out of their sight.

i wonder about uncle rock's background too. he seemed quite comfortable and didn't struggle with his transition to donning more refined clothing- i wonder if he had grown up well-off but had been cast off by his family or never really had a chance to make it big like mr shang and has been biding his time. yang cheng makes a comment about how his campaign would cost a lot of money but uncle rock seems very unbothered

another thing- yang cheng showing up to class late and covered with mud and spinning it into saying he guesses he's just more down to earth is foreboding of his future. like yes, he is. he wanted to enter the fight so that people can have a hero who fought for justice (albeit not realizing to be a hero is to resign yourself to the whims of corporations and public opinion- which doesn't always advocate for justice, particularly online). but also . he's naive. in a circumstance where most would make an excuse of some sort, he's painfully sincere and endearing about it. and that sincerity, that genuine desire, was easy for uncle rock to manipulate.

i'll do a proper analysis post later on once ive rewatched yang cheng's arc but in the meantime i'll weep for yang cheng and his future

[greensagephase]

a random thought/imagine because I NEED to run into a Miguel at a Mexican party and falling in love with him! @fairlyang 's post got me going, I was going to reblog my crazy scenario through their post, and then this turned TOO LONG (I'm delusional, so that's why this is so detailed)!!

If you're not Latina/Mexican - just hear a delusional woman out plsssss (me hoping to manifest by writing this fr fr)

Going to a Mexican party, sitting at a table with my family because soy una muchacha seria y callada (I'm a serious and quiet girl), so I'm not on the dance floor, but I see Miguel in the crowd with the other men talking, dressed with a sombrero and botas (cowboy hat and boots), wearing gold jewelry (he's Mexican he has to wear gold jewelry, sorry not sorry).

I'm trying very hard not to stare and make it obvious because my fam is there and I'm a good family girl, a proper señorita, who hasn't been with anyone nor has done anything with anyone (this is my version guys, so don't mind the personal touches here) but !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'M ALREADY IMAGINING WHAT HIS VOICE SOUNDS LIKE, HOW MUCH TALLER HE'D BE IF I WERE STANDING IN FRONT OF EACH OTHER!! I'm subtly -oh so subtly- admiring his large broad shoulders and BACKKK (having some serious thoughts about this part; hint: my long nails, anywayyyy), the way he stands, his thick thighs, the way he lifts a cup to his mouth, his laugh, his smile - yall, I'm planning a whole wedding, even though I know I'm not making a damn move because your girl IS SHY IRL (a moment for the shy girls ✊🏼😔), but a girl can daydream behind the centros de mesa (table centerpieces) my mom and grandma are taking home by the end of the night!!

I keep watching him, subtly, telling myself it's silly but I keep daydreaming anyway. IT'S FREE!!!!!!

He ends up spotting me from across the room while some love song is playing in the background because you know, Latinos and our love songs!! It's probably something like "Háblame de Ti" by Banda MS or some song by Grupo Frontera like "Bebe Dame" 😍 (iykyk) anyway, the music is not helping your delusional girl (me, you, us, everyone).

Imagine imagine imagine - MAKING EYE CONTACT WITH HIM AS HE BRINGS THE CUP TO HIS MOUTH WITH A LITTLE SMIRKKK-(why did I just get goosebumps?) YALL YAL YALL

Freezing up and going through all stages of grief because I was caught staring !!!!!!!!!!!! I look away, trying to play it off even though my cheeks are the color of the red flowers adorning the room!!! I'm drinking some water, trying to C H I L L because I can feel his gaze on me.

Thinking it's safe, I look again AND - HE'S STARING

Then for idk how long it's just a lot of ignoring/pretending that's not happening because once again, I'M SHYYYY (once I get to know you I open up but like, it takes a hot week) but I'm just thinking, "este hombre" (this man; also wondering what his name is and why I've never seen this man before???) because I'm literally dying pretending I'm okay and fighting the inappropriate thoughts while sitting next to my grandma because Miguel keeps staring, going along with his conversation with the men (who have noticed him staring and probably tease him about making a move, or telling him to forget it because "esa muchacha/morra no baila con nadie" (that girl doesn't dance with anyone). So he just watches from a distance, trying to gather some info and noticing little things like how I'm avoiding his gaze, the nervous smile, trying to pretend that side of the building doesn't exist-

and thennnnnnnnnnnnnnn

at some point he leaves his side of the room, steps determined. I once again *subtly* notice this and then freak out when he's coming my way but I'm like "no way, right? right?" *hearts racing abnormally*

IMAGINE HIM APPROACHING THE TABLE AND INTRODUCING HIMSELF TO YOUR PARENTS AND GRANDMA, OR WHOEVER ELSE IS THERE?? And then looking at you, giving you a gentle, soft smile WITH SOME MISCHIEF BEHIND THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BROWN EYES YOU'VE EVER HAD THE PRIVILIGE LAYING EYES ON AND MAKING YOU FEEL THINGS - or like a commenter said the other day in one of my posts "senti cosas de mujer" (I felt women things)!! YOU'RE FEELING THINGS THINGS !!!

AND HE ASKS YOUR PARENTS IF HE CAN ASK YOU TO DANCE WITH HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BECAUSE HE REALIZES YOU'RE A FAMILY GIRL, AND THAT'S HOW HE'S GOING TO WIN YOUR FAMILY SO HE CAN HAVE YOU BECAUSE MANS HAS ALSO ALREADY PLANNED THE WEDDING RECEPTION'S MENU !!!!!!!!!!!

ok bye, thank you for listening to my unhinged scenario but in all seriousness - God - I've seen what you've done for others !!!!! Send a Miguel O'Hara lookalike my way with sombrero y botas, chest hair, and gold jewelry, and who knows how to fix the light that turned on in my vehicle, which I've been ignoring for months, and who helps with the masa for the tamales para Navidad (helps with the tamales dough for Christmas) because he has large, warm hands 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[theidiotwhowrites]

𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑨𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒕

𝐵𝑦𝑎𝑘𝑢𝑦𝑎 𝑇𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑖 𝑥 𝐹𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑟 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟

Equals

(Story is related to this post I made, lol Togami won by a landslide)

Warning;

Rude comments, Classism, Pre Despair Arc, Reader comes from a financially unstable household (broke), Rivals to lovers (slow burn?), Reader with a fencing background, Slow start, Arguing, Multipart. Kinda petty Reader (Aren't we all tho?)

You have been warned

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

Hope's Peak Academy

was the most prestigious private institution where anyone could go to, fortunately, you were accepted but for you, it was a bittersweet moment.

Everyone praised you all you could think about was leaving your life behind.

Fencing is what you had that didn't let you down and now it would have been thrown aside.

You finally felt like you did something, made your family proud but it didn't feel right.

All those days you've practiced for your upcoming tournament felt like a waste.

Sleep, School, Fencing, Rinse and Repeat It was routine, the thought of breaking from it didn't sit right with you.

It wouldn't for anybody, yet. You were supposed to be grateful and not "whine" about it but how could you when what you held dear was getting stripped away you weren't an Ultimate with a mind-blowing talent; Ultimates are what the school called their most gifted and breathtaking students,

(Your fencing skills weren't all that)

Unlike them it didn't change lives, it didn't inspire hope and technically you also weren't a 'Proper Reserve Course' student by definition, being that you didn't pay your way in.

Maybe the school's leaderboard took pity on you and accepted you only because of your academics.

Maybe they have an ulterior motive.

Nobody Knows.

Standing in front of the tall building, blue pillars from behind peak out catching the corner of your eyes.

You walk through the gates but that was 2 months ago...

Now you lie awake in your dorm, boring and plain are the decorations. The only spark it has is what you added which wasn't much since you weren't able to.

The days passing by started turning into mirrored images of the last.

It is better than wondering about what you were going to eat today or if there's any water or something added to the unpredictable chaos of poverty.

You weren't your class's top student.

(mostly given that the ones that were bribed the teachers into giving them better marks)

Or had close friends of any kind from the school.

You simply laid low. Invisible.

Staying in the background, with the spotlight never gracing your face for no longer than a second...

...Till...

The speakers called your name. Echoing throughout the empty halls. The stares from the others you didn't see, you felt, buried in the back of your skull.

All eyes were focused on you while you packed your things and said your temporary goodbyes.

Sprinting, you rush towards the headmaster's office. Slowly knocking on the door, opening it with shaky hands.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble" Says the headmaster; Jin Krigri, next to his right sits another man one that's quite unfamiliar,

"Before your arrival, the school did a background check on you as we do with all our students."

He shifts his chair

"And I was informed that you had done extracurricular activities. So to make you feel more welcomed, I took it upon myself to give you that chance again".

Endorphins filled with excitement lace through your veins. This was your redemption, a second chance. The thought of it makes you wanna shout for joy. You felt like you were overflowing with bliss and swimming in happiness.

If you signed up, another competition would be in your grasp. To be able to do what was taken from you. Being awarded, adored, standing in front of a stage whilst the crowd cheers for you, holding a medal you earned.

It's almost too much to bear.

Almost.

"Why?" You question. It didnt make sense, there has to have some repercussions. Opportunities like these don't come without them. There is something that lurk beneath such a pretty offer.

A faint smile crosses the stranger's lips as Mr Kirigri speaks up again.

"I did expect that you are a smart student after all. In return, all I ask is if you continue your fencing journey with a new coach..." He gestures to his right.

"Coach Tsukuda" The man interjects, standing up from his chair before calmly walking over, and putting one of his hands in front of him.

Hesitantly, you shake it.

Mr Tsukuda's, hands are rough to the touch, lacking any moisture with it. Bumpy like an unrepaired road, It's an unpleasant feeling against your own but you don't feel the need to decline.

To not be impolite, of course.

"It's is a pleasure to meet you," He remarked.

"Ahem" Mr Krigri clears his throat, drawing attention back to him.

"As I was saying, if you choose to make the conscious choice to accept this proposal by joining our fencing club, all I ask in return is if you compete in a tournament overseas with your fellow members, you as well as them to talk about the school in a positive light. Too nudge our reputation in the right direction."

He puts heavy emphasis on the word right.

In other words, Mr Krigri wants you to make the school look good. It was nothing short of unsurprising. Playing only a pawn in the time-consuming game of social climbing.

You agreed to such conditions. Being the school's talking puppet for a moment in time is better than the constant agony of boredom and longing for excitement. Some may disagree but it is a price willing to be paid.

The next day painfully went by.

Seconds turned into minutes.

Minutes turned into hours and at this rate, you felt like you were going to rip your hair out by the roots as the hands of time perceived to move slower and slower and even slower.

The bell rings, ending your torment.

Lazily, you turn the metal handle mounted on the wooden door, walking inside.

Yanking the strap of the duffle bag, destined to be forgotten before today, pulling it over your shoulder, leaving from whence you came.

Hope's peak was undoubtedly beautiful. A perfect muse for photography. However its only flaw are the stairs, You trance your index finger over the matte black railing. It is such a tedious experience but how else were you going to get there?

After what feels like forever, you stand before the Gymnatorium.

The temporary room for the fencing club. It calls your name like a siren song.

Spacious

It's the first thing you notice, the room is elegant yet simplistic. Gym equipment is neatly placed in the corners of the room.

Everyone talked in their own flock, mingling with their friends. Selectivity amongst others. Everyone except one.

Silently reading on a bench with a scowl on his face. Blonde hair falls to his face as a white-gloved hand fixes his hair. For a second they look up, his eyes connecting with yours.

The door behind you creaked behind you, ripping you from your thoughts. Making you look at the source of the sound

Coach Tsukuda stands in front of the door, he signals you to come closer. A sense of unease washes over you.

"You're here," He says, his voice lacking surprise, simply pointing out facts. He pauses to think of his next words.

"How good would you say you were at fencing before now?" Odd.

You shrugged. Doubt clouds your next judgment.

You thought you were good but are you?. Are you actually or were the people you were surrounded with weren't any better? Questioning your abilities.

"I don't know, good I guess" Was your response. Being humble about your talents. Maybe they were good but I didn't earn you a title. You still weren't an ultimate.

"Why do you ask?" You added. Not really sure where he was going with this.

"I've been thinking. That's our best fencer-" Coach points at the blonde on the bench, who continues to read. Not noticing that he is the object of your conversation.

"He thinks he lacks any competition and truth be told he's not wrong and you haven't showcased your skills to me, go and put on your gear, I'll be back to you in a second"

You oblige. Putting on your gear you notice, it's tight.

You are still able to move somewhat comfortably but it feels strange. Perhaps it's from the length of time you haven't worn it or you just need a new one. You toss your uniform in your bag.

Out of the changing rooms. You see Mr Tsukuda who stands next to the boy on the bench, signalling you to come towards them. Well, he's off of the bench now so you can't call him that anymore. You should ask what his name is.

Standing on the safety mat, it's a peculiar feeling under your shoes.

Mr Tsukuda's gestures to you

"This is who you will be fighting against, nothing drastic, best of five hits. "

The coach steps to the side and steps forward, to the boy.

He looks you up and down. Sapphire eyes studying your body. Judging every inch of you.

The tension is thick. To distract from it, you try to introduce yourself.

"Uhhh, Hi my name is-" Try, he cuts you off.

"I know who you are, I have not the energy to entertain this discussion you plan on conjuring with me, commoner. Let's get this over with. You will lose either way."

His tongue is razor sharp, cutting into you, deep. Dripping with disdain.

What is his problem? Did he wake up on the wrong side of life or something? He had not only rejected your advances but as well as insulted you in the same breath.

Tough Crowd.

So sure that he's better. It doesn't matter to you who does but now you want to, to win, simply push it in his face. To mess with his sense of arrogance.

You scuff at his remark. Glaring at his monotone expression.

He grabs what seems random to be a random épeé however it has an interesting design, one you haven't seen before.

Like any sport fencing has rules, mostly with its equipment. Every fencing sword has its own set of rules. Foil, only being able to touch your competitor's torso. Saber, allowing you to hit your opponent's waist up, only. However, the Éppé is the easiest to remember, having free range.

Grabbing your éppé, you get in a stance. He makes one last swift movement as he puts on his mask.

"Start!" The words echo through your ears. With a quick pace, he lunges towards you. You raise your blade. Swords clashing together, stepping back. Maintaining momentum, dodging his attacks. The tip of the blade touches your chest. "I suggest you give up, to prevent the shame of your inevitable loss."

"Shut up...." You mutter under your breath, he seems to be getting to you. "En garde!"

The contrast of your outfits becomes more clear. A dry taste fills your mouth. Adrenaline rushes through your brain. Under your gloves, sweat drips from your palms. Your next moves are calculated. You swung, A slash against his waist stops him in his tracks. Gaining you a point.

"Wanna give up?" You taunted, mocking his previous statement.

You can hear his teeth clench under his mask as he makes his next attack. You move your blade. Determined. Both blades swing left to right.

Your eyes scan over the room, glassed over. The sleeves feel like they dig into your wrist.

Faces close to each. Weapons stranded against each other. Looking for an opening. A thud rings out, as he lands to the floor. The sound of your heartbeat fills your ears.

You hit him with one final strike, and simultaneously the metal of the sword hit your leg with force.

"Take a break" Coach says.

He gets up from the floor, brushing the dirt off of him. Dropping it without a care, leaving.

Your hands feel sore to the touch. He comes to a sharp halt. Standing there before he utters. For the first time in his life, he has met an equal. A person on the same level as him.

"Byakuya Togami...."

"Excuse me?" You say, taking off your mask.

"Byakuya Togami.....it's my name, considering you asked earlier. However, do not think for a moment this means I am willing to fraternize with you."

Oh....So he's not so cold after all?

... To be continued ...

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

Should I continue this?

I can't believe this took me a month, it feels like nobody write about fencing even though it's such an interesting sport and I say this purely off research. Where I live we don't have that so I have no prior experience.

And when people write about fencing in media, it's very overlooked. It's kinda like a place holder for time rather than the main plot point but whatever.

Also shout out to the people who supported me on this long adventure. (You know who you are)

Thank you for reading, it is really appreciated. (◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍)⁠ﾉ⁠♡

[struggling-jpg]

2.7 Quest Thoughts

Spoilers Under Cut, it's a long one and is kinda incoherent and definitely doesn't cover everything I would've talked about in proper detail v-v

I felt heavily moved by the themes of this quest. Both Sunday and Tingyun (Fugue) are characters met with a huge shift in their worldview due to near-death experiences (especially on Tingyun's part with death), so I just wanted to word-vomit about it.

Tingyun first since her section in the quest was shorter, but the fact that they brought up the whole thing where she technically never met the Astral Express and how having Phantylia copy her so closely felt tickled the part of my brain that loves when media explores these topics and scenarios. The confusion and heartbreak that comes with having most of your existence taken and used, people experiencing "you" without it actually being you but being so close to you that you can't even find much comfort in the fact that it wasn't you (say that sentence twice ToT). Also how the trauma comes in the form of "Destruction" creating scars in her that won't ever leave, and while she's troubled by it, and will continue to be troubled by it, she chooses to take a step forward and take action, which is really cool for her in long term storytelling! I just hope we get more time with her grappling with these changes while she makes these strides, because of course, as established, those scars won't heal (at least not so easily). I have more thoughts but I don't think I can put them into coherent words at the moment.

Now, onto Sunday, he's always been an interesting figure in this game, especially his place among the player base and fandom. Genuinely, I think he's one of the most easily misread/misunderstood characters in HSR through a matter of media literacy, which is a mix of many things, and a slight failure of Penacony's long-winded writing, but that's a discussion many people have already brought up (plus a very fair criticism). Despite that, I think Sunday's intentions were pretty straightforward in the end, but for the sake of memes or something else, I've noticed that quite a bit of players twist him into something more malicious than he actually was (which tbh, he wasn't malicious at all).

(Part of me wonders if, in terms of players that also play Genshin, stemmed from the comparisons with Wanderer/Scaramouche, which that in itself is a can of worms I might make another post on.)

He's a lot of things. Very empathetic to the plights of those who can't fight for themselves, very meticulous and orderly (to the point disorder makes him feel uneasy), very sacrificial (self-sacrificial specifically, which I think players have confused with him having a "god complex" when it's more of a "savior complex"). Considering his background, he identified and related with the "weak" even if he wasn't fully aware of that before. All these traits that were shaped by his upbringing come to light in this quest.

Learning that Wonweek was a fragment of Sunday was really interesting, and what made things better was how their interactions near the end were handled. It could've been easy to do the merge and have Sunday "change" in ways that would have felt cheap or a speedrun of sorts to "redemption." But the thing about this quest is that this is just the starting point, so having Sunday express dislike for Wonweek, and while admiring certain traits, decide to maintain himself as he is now was great, in my opinion. It gives Sunday things to work towards at his own pace but also doesn't invalidate the intentions he came in with, which is the point Hoyo seems to be taking his journey with. Sunday's perspective wasn't entirely invalid like some players have made it seem to come across, it's just that his approach ended up being extreme/wrong. I appreciate that HSR didn't do a "we're absolutely right, you're completely wrong" approach with Sunday. I think it makes this new chapter in his journey feel more like a first step instead of a one-and-done "redemption quest."

Now we get to directly see Sunday trailblaze, learn, be challenged, grow, and have a potentially satisfying arc that spans over a longer time, which fits HSR's long-term storytelling. I, for one, welcome Sunday onto the Express.

I don't think I've been able to express my thoughts that well, but I wanted to do this while my emotions and memories were still fresh.

On another note, I found myself tearing up at the interactions between Tingyun and Yukong + Sunday and Robin. When you're aware of the contexts and backgrounds of these characters, it just makes the moments hurt more. There's so many things I could say from each conversation but I'm sorely lacking in the elegance to express them all. Different forms of support and parting, it's so bittersweet. (Yukong, my girl, I know you are suffering frfr)

Robin talking about Sunday and saying that he's stronger than most people but as a result, people expect him to get up faster when that isn't the case just got me, especially since he was actually agonizing over things in real time. The siblings make me sad, and I love their love for each other. The whole, we don't have to fly out together because we'll meet up in the sky stuff has me being a mess out in these parts. Maybe in a later post, I'll be able to talk about these parts with better articulation.

But for now, cheers to taking that first step forward!

[yuukei-yikes]

[old kagepro fan shinaya bias kanoshin curiosity] sorry i need to talk about ayano again because she means the world to me. don’t get me wrong i want to see ayano happy living her best life but rereading kagefuture im so glad she’s a proper mess. she still haunts the narrative BUT SHES ALSO IN THE NARRATIVE NOW!

you showing her retreating to favoring eyes more than once is one of my favorite things. i love (hate) that she uses it to cope instead of properly working through her feelings and that she doesn’t realize how invasive it is to put her emotions on other people. but she only does it to shintaro because she’s done that a thousand times! what’s a few more?

i also love that the kind and accepting ayano has some very rigid beliefs about love and relationships. you talked about it before with her thinking that harutaka “did everything wrong” before realizing they were happy and that’s what mattered, but she also struggles to understand why shintaro likes kano. like shintaro said, he wasn’t thinking “ayano’s brother” when he was with kano but for ayano the fact that she’s shintaro’s ex has to take precedence before anything else. so she doesn’t understand because she doesn’t look or act like kano! they’re not even the same gender, as she said! i’m your ex, that’s my brother, so this has to be wrong!

she’s really everything i wanted to see in a post str ayano and i love the way you depict her. her using favoring eyes on herself in the mirror and crying is probably one of my favorite moments in the comic so far because it’s so heartbreaking. obviously she’s caused as much mutually assured destruction as the other two but i feel like she’s in a very similar spot to kano right now. hating herself, feeling betrayed, but also feeling like it was all her fault in the first place. i want to see her happy so bad!!!

YOU RE READ THE COMICS? YOU MEAN IT??? RUNS AROUND LAYS ON MY STOMACH AND KICKS MY FEET BACK AND FORTH

ayano my beautiful princess with a disorder who keeps doing so many bad choices. finding herself in the middle of a drama like this when she's been basically a background character of everyone else's lives, still not understanding just how much she means to them or her role in their lives.... i love her being messy and doing things wrong. she is so fail girl.

about not being similar to kano. the thing is, she kind of is. they might be very different at a surface level, but kano's also a kind person. he's also sweet and giving to those he loves. he also acts selflessly in order to protect everyone. both ayano and kano act morally wrong at times for the right things. not main route, but ayano is capable of intending to kill someone (mary in second route) and kano has participated in the killings of harutaka and hibihiyo. not because they're evil but because they're put in the difficult spots of "them or your family" and of course, they choose their family.

both ayano and kano played similar roles. that's why they were the team. then ayano died and kano sort of carried on that stupid legacy of suffering on your own with all this knowledge, not asking for help, obsessed with protecting everyone.

both of them conceal their real feelings because they're used to putting others before themselves. so being that way, and with all the baggage they have with each other, it ends up on a weird dynamic of... do we really even know each other?

getting more on the stupid soap opera side of things, when these 2 people who, for all their lives until now, avoided their own selfish needs and wants, when shintaro's in the picture... shintaro, despite all his flaws and own baggage, gives them attention. he gives attention to them as actual people and not as just each other's siblings. i think shintaro makes them feel important and wanted and finding out they're not the only person who is special to him is what's shaking things up.

like after everything I've given you, why do you have to take him from me, the one person i never have to explain myself to? <- after not being selfish in every other aspect of their lives, they accidentally end up acting very selfishly with shintaro . Because then they fight with him precisely because they wont fucking explain themselves, and the thing with shintaro is that he cares about what they both want and they Wont say it, and he ends up getting sick of it.

being mad at each other for "stealing" shintaro from each other, they end up making him angry because he's got a strong character and calls them out on their bullshit. it's kind of contradictory bc that's what they like about him in the first place. anyways....

[my-pjo-stuff]

Luke Castellan is one of the (if not THE) best characters Rick has ever written. I will genuinely die on this hill, quote me on this. And the reason why I think that is because he as a character and his actions as a whole are just so incredibly realistic. Luke was a deeply traumatized child who never had a proper adult figure to take care of him, thrown into a system where he never got proper support or got his mental health looked after. There is no way that ANYONE in Luke's situation could have turned out a healthy, well-adjusted person. We have an irl pattern of the most evil, unstable humans we know coming from bad parental backgrounds and neglect. Now imagine how someone who not only had bad parents, but no parents at all would turn out? And on top of that add the trauma of living on the streets, having to watch your best friend die, and then basically having to take care of multiple kids. Luke was bitter, hurt, angry, and incredibly easy to manipulate and radicalize. Like he any real person would have ended up with his background! Characters like Percy and Annabeth, who despite everything still turn out to be relatively well-adjusted and happy are just that. Characters. It's fictional- which is totally fine, they are fiction after all. But Luke stands out in the way that his reactions are not fiction, but instead realistic.

These themes continue with his revolution. Luke does bad stuff for his goal. He hurts people and accepts the deaths of his own aswell as his enemy's. Luke expects and accepts losses and casualties.

Which is what IRL revolutionaries do! Revolts, coups, conflict- any form of such radical change is bound to get messy! It's realistic. Do you people have any idea how messy and bloody the French Revolution was? You know, the most famous revolution generally considered just and righteous in the Western World? Are the people who started that revolution suddenly evil because they "send others to die"? I don't think so! And as bad as it may sound- Luke allying himself with Kronos to garner support and strength is logical too! The fact is that there is no way that demigods alone could overthrow the gods- the power difference is simply too big. So what does Luke do? He employs the good old "The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend" and goes with Kronos. His seeking the help of Kronos was a tactically smart move for Luke at the time as bad as it may sound. It gained him support from the monster army and leverage to get minor gods to join him. And all that is ignoring the fact that he was probably manipulated by Kronos since he was 17. Are you REALLY expecting a 17 y/o to resist the guy KNOWN for his manipulation skills? Someone whom not even Ares, a GOD, could resist? We can also see Luke doing genuine diplomacy, plotting, organization, recruiting and everything else a revolution and war would need! All those "Dark Percy Jackson" AUs where he overthrows the gods completely ignore the true reality of the demigod situation. They have Percy be this valiant hero who manages to defeat all the gods while never truly compromising his core values. All the while never causing the death of too important characters or unnecessary destruction.

Which is, frankly said, unrealistic. It's fictional- which (as mentioned before) is fine! Do whatever makes you happy- just along as you remember the inherently unrealistic nature of it. Luke is ugly and does bad things because that's what is means to lead a revolution! It's the hard truth, sometimes shitty things have to be done to achieve a good goal. And Luke shows those shitty things. He's the realism in a world of fiction and thus looks much worse in comparison. That realism is also part of why I like him so much.