#i literally just want to take his character and improve upon it. but i fear it is not improving and is instead just making him fit for Me

[dandyshucks]

once again wishing Guz was an OC and not a pre-existing character because I feel like ppl who selfship w OCs are seen as cool outside of the selfship sphere but ppl who selfship w pre-existing characters from media are seen as weird and cringe >:[ (perhaps this is just true of the specific people i have seen though and not indicative of the wider culture outside of what i've seen)

[mymarifae]

i just want to share my thoughts about akito and Death. because even now—even off the back of an event like burn my soul—people STILL talk about him like he's an explicitly depressed, suicidal character whose every action is cause for concern.

i think the idea that akito is suicidal has been floating around for a very long time. and while it's not entirely without merit (more on this in a bit), it's still a misconception. and it really feels like kashika exacerbated the issue. which is unfortunate! it's sad to see such a beautiful song be misinterpreted like this.

now don't get me wrong! kashika is about death. but two things:

1. kashika may have been written for akito, but it's not just for him. it's also deeply personal to ryo haruka. there are certainly similarities and haruryo undoubtedly understood everything akito felt during the events that led up to the crawl green incident, but i don't think it's entirely fair to equate his very real emotions and struggles to those of a fictional character. he and akito share kashika! you can interpret it through either lens, but trying to do so through both is where things start getting messy

2. whiiiiich leads me to my second point. who decided that the only way to interpret kashika and its themes of death is literally?

i think it's pretty common for people to automatically interpret any themes of death literally—or at least very negatively. we're naturally conditioned to fear death, and then we're taught to fear it even more. it's the change. it's the unknown. it's the very idea of an "end." most people aren't very fond of these things! understandably so. but personally? i think the symbolism that can exist behind death is beautiful.

Death is the 13th card of the major arcana. above all else, it symbolizes change (positive change; it's always, always about what's ultimately best for you). Death tells you it's time to move forward; this part of your life is done. there is more waiting for you—new opportunities, new experiences, a brighter, more fulfilling future—but you must be prepared to let go.

the habits and routines you have now? the mindsets that have kept you alive? your current sense of self? whatever it is, whatever Death is asking for, you have to let it "die." it won't serve you anymore. it will only drag you down. and it might be terrifying and you might not be able to comprehend what lies ahead and you might want to kick and scream and struggle, but you can't cling forever. endings are never easy, and sometimes they hurt like hell, but with each end comes a new beginning.

and yes if you've read burn my soul this should all sound very familiar lol:

looking at death from this perspective, kashika and the entirety of find a way out should read a lot more like akito caught on the cusp of a monumental transformation. suspended between "life" (the old) and "death" (the new) so to speak.

up to this point he's been fueled by spite and desperation. two very intense, very negative emotions—but it's an intensity that worked. everyone else on vivid street had years of musical experience, and he had 0. he needed to catch up and he needed to catch up quickly because it's not like he could put the whole world on pause. he could take his time to learn the basics, sure, but every other vivid street musician would continue improving and growing while he did that. there would always be a gap between him and Them.

unless... he worked harder—WAY harder—than all of them combined.

and maybe that wouldn't do it either. maybe he would be stuck in place forever, always playing catch-up, always struggling to stay afloat, always being left behind. he knew this. and he knew the amount of destruction he'd end up inflicting upon himself if he went down this path. but in his mind, it was okay. it was worth it. because he'd rather die endlessly pursuing what he loves most than live not trying at all.

but in find a way out, when facing off against his old bullies, he starts to realize that he was wrong. he's not just stuck in place. he bridged the gap a long time ago, and he almost didn't even notice. and where he's going now, spite and desperation are the wrong emotions to sing from. he needs to let the unhealthy, extreme mindsets die, but also it's hard to let go of something when you would have given up a long long long LONG time ago without it.

but with time, and enough poking and prodding from ken and luka, he does it. he lets go. he lets the old parts of him die, and he passes on to the next stage of his life.

akito's character arc has always been about growth. improvement. learning. Becoming Better. and not just in a musical sense although Yes That Is A Huge Part Of It. his arc is also about his growth as a person. it's about him becoming more confident, and learning how to be kinder and more patient with both himself and other people. it's about him learning how to let his walls down and let his loved ones in. and to trust that they won't start kicking him to death once they're in there.

it's about him learning to exchange the Spite and Desperation for Passion and Love.

it's about him becoming happier.

which is why it's so fucking startling when people talk about him like he's suicidal and on the verge of a breakdown. like, woah, what?

as i said though, kashika isn't the only source of this misconception and i find more merit in the other sources because they're actual aspects of his character and scenes in the story and not song lyrics that shouldn't have been read so literally in the first place. like, yeah. we've seen a ton of unhealthy behavior out of akito. he's had a very extreme perspective on his place in the world from a super early age, and while the severity frequently gets exaggerated in fanon spaces, the shinonome household isn't exactly sunshine and rainbows.

he's been moody, he's been prickly and abrasive, he's lashed out. he keeps most people at arm's length and builds walls so high not even toya can get through them at first. he had to! he wouldn't have survived if he didn't! like, he was targeted and bullied by a group of adults when he first started singing on vivid street. that is actually a genuinely traumatizing thing to happen to a kid!

so no, i'm not against the idea that akito has experienced depression and suicidal ideation in the past. kinda comes naturally with the territory he ended up in. but that's the key word: past.

i get confused when the idea is dragged into the present. because again! the whole point of his character arc is he's overcome all that PAST adversity! recovery isn't linear but we're not about to see him hit rock bottom any time soon. or ever, actually. you know why? because we've already seen his rock bottom. stray bad dog. that event was his big breakdown moment. that's what opened him up to try to start healing.

we're not getting another stray bad dog. stop expecting another stray bad dog.

he's alright, i promise. he's growing up. he's gotten better. he knows he belongs in vivid bad squad. he knows he's loved. he knows his friends will be there to catch him when he falls. he's always been strong, but now he's even stronger. he's excited for his future, and i think we should be too.

[intheorangebedroom]

Hi Maddie! I hope you are having a wonderful September and you are enjoying the start of autumn. This might sound obsessed or weird, but PTMY and TYBTM are seriously some of my favorite things I've ever read... ever, like I'm putting it up there with novels I've read. It is insane to me how much talent there is in this fandom. Like the Pedro girlies are literal authors, putting out works of art. For me, you are the best of the best! Obviously, both stories have me very hot and bothered lol, but it's just the way you write intimacy and relationships, the peculiarities of your characters and the world's they inhabit so brilliantly, beautifully. I'm sure you know that at times you write like it is poetry! It is so immersive and I love it deeply. My question (apologies in advance) is about writing. I was wondering if you have any tips on (a) how you have improved as a writer, like in terms of how you've been to find your style? (b) how to overcome perfectionism? I've been wanting to take a crack at some Frankie ideas I've had, but I get so weighed down by self doubt and inertia. And also, I worry it's just not original enough. Okay, sorry for the rant! I will never be as good as you OBVIOUSLY lol, but for you I am grateful. I'm so excited for the next part of TYBTM and sad we are almost halfway to the end. I'm so excited for whatever you have in store for the future. Sending you so much love and hope you're having a great day.

Hey Nonnie 🧡

I apologise in advance for the length of this answer. 

Your kindness, your generosity and your time mean everything to me. I’m the worst at expressing gratitude when I’m paid a compliment. "Compliment" doesn't cut it to qualify what you said about my stories, it’s too much, it’s so incredibly kind. You made me so soft but also so much stronger. Thank you 🧡 My first impulse upon reading your message was to throw away my phone and scream I’VE NO IDEA WHAT THE FUCK I’M DOING but I owe it to you to at least try to answer you. Also do you need some blood? A kidney? I have two. You name it it's yours.

I would like to start with the second part of your question, if you don’t mind. 

I have never ever thought any given piece I wrote to be perfect. At best, I think it’s not that bad, but that’s when I read it again a month after posting, because at the time I post it, it’s more like omfg if I read that shit one more time I’m gonna stab myself in the eye.” 

But life is too short for perfectionism. I’m sorry to be speaking like an old fart, but it is. You blink and it’s over. If you have a milligram of creativity in you, do not hesitate. Channel it. Create what you want, what you like. I’m serious. DO IT. Enjoy doing it. 

Self-doubt is a fucking bag of dicks. I’m riddled with it. In every corner of my existence. Every step of the way. Every word I type (not in my mother tongue…). How many times have I wanted to give up, especially during PTMY. The current tybtm chapter has fucking killed me dead. I hate it. It’s not good. Bad. But I’m forty fucking five years old and I’ll be damned if I let self-doubt and fear prevent me from achieving what I set out to do.

When I came back to tumblr in 2020, I saw numerous posts saying “you write for yourself first,” and I did not really understand what they meant. It’s nice to have an audience! It’s nice to be liked and validated! It’s nice to connect with people over something you’ve created. Musicians play live, and get a hell of a kick out of it, right? Why not us, writers? And one day, I think at the beginning of tybtm, it hit me. I understood. Fuck yeah I’m doing this for me. Because I need it. I need to tell this story. I need the satisfaction of having done it. The entire process makes me both incandescently happy and abysmally miserable, and you know what? That’s the fucking spice of life. I want both. I am alive when I write. Through the pleasure and the pain. So if you need it too, well, go for it. Don't let anyone, including you, tell you you're not good enough. Got for it.

There are 99% of chances that what you’re gonna write has already been written. So what? It hasn’t been written by you. No one sees people, life, or Frankie the way you do. Even if you write an age-old trope, even if you write the same trope over and over again in every story (me!), you’ll still bring your own precious singularity to the story, the characters, and the narration. That’s worth EVERYTHING. Please trust me. Maybe no one will like it. Maybe every one will like it. Whatever. At the end of the day, you still did what you set your heart on. I cannot stress enough how important this is. Carpe diem, baby.

Then, how did I improve as a writer, oh Nonnie, I’ve no idea. I don’t think I’m any good. I don’t think I am legitimate to give you any advice. 49.5% of the time, I think I’m too much (too gothic, too lyrical, too big with the feelings and emotions). 49.5% of the time, I think I’m not enough (not precise, concise, clear, good enough). But alright, I’ll try. For you. But please bear in mind I say all this in the most humble spirit.  

I write. All the time. In my head, in the shower, walking in the street, driving, aaaaaall the time. And then I type it down in a doc. And edit it and revise it again and again and again, until it feels smoother and/or I want to puke at the thought of having to go through it again. 

I try to take my time without panicking. If I’m stuck or in a bad mental place, I try to let it rest a bit.

My first year at uni, I studied screenplay writing. I would be unable to tell you precisely what I learned, but I think some of it is ingrained? In terms of conveying intentions through actions and dialogues (I know I tend to write pages and pages of introspection, and I swear I try to restrain myself, even if it doesn’t always translate to the doc).

Then, I’m an art vampire. I soak up everything I can, especially painting, music, and movies. I let it inspire me. I take notes on my feelings, fleeting emotions that I can’t articulate at first, and reflect and work on them until they become fully formed ideas I can inject in the writing. 

I read. A lot. And sometimes not at all when it feeds the self-doubt (comparison, you bitch!). I wait until I feel better, stronger. It may take time. 

With books/fanfics and movies, I analyse the narrative process employed. What I liked or disliked, what moved me, what didn’t. I take notes. To that effect, you can read reblogs of your favourite fics! Sometimes people reblog with some pretty neat analyses, just soak it up!

My obsession is finding the Right Word. I can spend days on the quest. A thesaurus helps. And sometimes it doesn’t. I also read my stuff out loud, because I like when it has a certain rhythm. And when the meaning of a sentence doesn’t work in a rhythm, I rework it tirelessly until it does. Fun times... 

I want to say that if you take the leap and start writing, after a while, you will feel instinctually what works for you. What feels right in terms of personal style. Maybe at the beginning you'll subconsciously write like someone else, but with practice and patience, your style will come out. If you need someone to cheer you on, I'm here.

Oh yeah because, very important, I whine to the very good angel friends in my phone whenever I’m stuck (they will recognise themselves if they read this)(okay they are @dreamymyrrh and @pedrit0-pascalit0). I forfeit all dignity and beg them for virtual hugs. I don't know what I did to deserve them.

And lastly, I have been privileged to witness the genius of Kelli ( @frannyzooey ) in the works and wow. She's it for me. Everything she writes resonates with me, so I just soak. it. up.  

So yeah. to sum it up: carpe diem and be a vampire 🦇

Hope that helps 🧡

I’m also gonna leave that here: 

Claire ( @just-here-for-the-moment ) is one of the best people I’ve been fortunate enough to meet here. She’s patient, sweet, kind, and SO FUCKING SMART. Don't be afraid to reach out.

Nonnie, again, I'm so sorry this is so long. I sincerely hope you'll find something useful in all this gibberish. If not, come back to my ask box with any question. And again, thank you 🧡 From the bottom of my broken vampire heart, thank you 🧡

[sea-owl]

So, I know we bully the Bridgertons in the isekai au because the Spouses want nothing to do with them and reject all their attempts (which I find hilarious because I enjoy making them suffer)

But how do you think the Spouses would start falling in love with them? What are the things that make them "click" and see their respective Bridgerton in different lids?

So a big part of the change of perspective for the spouses is gonna back to two things. The first is the root between this divide between the two families, and that is Portia's fear for her family and the relationship she shares with Violet. Until that has some change in it, the spouses are almost guaranteed to be at arm's length from the Bridgertons. The champions for helping to solve that mess will be Lady Danbury and Mary. Though to be honest that's probably just a fun game for them or at least for Lady Danbury who lives for the drama and is the whole reason this started when she isekaied Portia.

The second thing is that the spouses have to learn to grow beyond the family and beyond the mothers. Now that is to say they don't love them and will always be there for the family. But part of growing up and moving forward is learning to move beyond your parents, which a part of that is starting a family of your own.

There are little things that help with that second part. Things that helped the spouses see beyond the Bridgertons public personas.

For Kathony it's when Kate sees Anthony not as the viscount but as the man who got thrown into a seat of power and essentially fatherhood before he was ready. She saw it when the siblings were playing pall mall, and she saw it again when she stumbled upon Anthony during a stormy night in the library. She was trying to find a distraction while he was letting himself have a vulnerable moment with some of his father's old things.

For Benophie, I want to say it's when Sophie discovers Benedict's sketches. You can see a lot of what the artist does in their work. There was such beauty in them it left Sophie stunned. Especially when she got to the sketches of herself. She never knew she could be so beautiful to someone.

Weirdly for Polin, I can see the change happening when Colin blows up on Penelope. Penelope recognizes Colin as a snake charmer. He uses pretty words, and while she loves pretty words, she thought there was nothing else. Then, one day, Colin caught her by surprise when he followed her doing some of her more illegal activities, and he blew up on her. It's not the fact that he was angry at her but the fact that he was angry because of his fear of her safety. The multi-level emotions she had never seen from him before were now there.

Saphne's change came when Daphne punched Simon and gave him a black eye. (He deserved it. Also, Simon has a strength kink, and no one is changing my mind on that) All the time Simon has known Daphne, she has been the model debutant. (We all know she has a body count in a literal sense, but he doesnt) This is the first time Simon gets to see more of the real Daphne.

Philoise happens right around the twins' birth. George died in war, leaving behind a pregnant and unwed Marina. Marina sadly passed in childbirth. Phillip adopts the twins, and Eloise, in a roundabout way, comes to his aid with parenting books or the closest thing to it in that time. The twins also take a liking to Eloise. We'll Phillip have to listen then, babies do generally have a good judge of character on who is safe.

Franchael happens around the time of John's death. Francesca, in this timeline, fell in love with Michael first but was still good friends with John. Michael, whose loyalties lied with his found family, still loved his cousin, and their relationship actually improved when Michael started living semipermantly with the Featheringtons. Mourning together over a loved one can bring people closer.

The babies really didn't have a big defining moment. They followed the older ones' leads when the two sides started getting friendlier, so did they. Being younger, they had more time to let things take a more or less natural course.

[amysgiantbees]

KinnPorsche

Doing a re-watch, spoilers

Genuinely love that there is a sexy woman and man waving flags about at the illegal fighting match. Gender equality woo!

Not looking forward to my least favourite plot twist that also does not even last very long. Kinn and Porsche being related for a hot second.

Ugh I love this show but watching the beginning reminds me of how many issues I have with the end. The family plot twist upon familial plot twists. Porsche joining the mafia despite initially starting this as someone vehemently opposed to what they do and knowing full well they pray upon others and hurt innocents. It's frustrating.

I LOVE Porsche and Kin's fight. The way Kin isn't taking it seriously enough. The way Porsche is taking it SO seriously, it's almost life or death for him, playing dirty, ball shots, biting.

Love the way Apo puts his whole body into being afraid of the gunshots.

I've watched Perth's video where he talks about what he imagined Ken's backstory to be. That he's motivated by selfishness and money. I think it's such a good foil for Porsche and comes back to why Korn said he wanted to hire him in episode 1. Porsche can't be bought.

Apo is so good at physicality. The way his whole body flops when he's drunk, absolutely weightless. Or the full body shudder after the apple. The way he hugs so tightly like he never wants to let go.

Cute but how the fuck does Porsche not know how to make a coffee? Surely he's made his fair share of espresso martini's before?

Tankhun is definitely reading as ADHD this time. I don't remember picking up on that when I first watched this, but I'm not sure if I was diagnosed then so I mightn't have been watching out for it. But forgetting faces and characters in shows, playing multiple games at once, having hyper fixations, high energy, chasing dopamine. Very ADHD.

Porsche also reads as having ADHD to me. He's rarely still. Literally always takes a nap if he's asked to sit still. Is always shifting when asked to stand still. Impulsive. Drinking on the job, jumping off the boat, arguing with his employers, going to the debtors house because he's sick of being inside. Gets unstimulated/bored very easily. Like at the bread party or watching the show with Tankhun. He appears to be hyper focussing on improving. Unable to stop even when it's annoying Tankhun and thinking about nothing else. His dream job is being able to have his own bar that he can open and close whenever he wants. Which makes me think of time blindness and how ADHD people are often late. It sounds like a dream to me to never be late to my job because I'm in charge of when it opens.

YES Porsche loan sharks are bad! Again, I wish you kept this energy at the end of the series. Your uncle might be a jerk but he is also an addict who needs help and therapy! Not to be a ploy in Korn's plan to keep you close but ignorant.

Like it's not only that I'm a filthy leftist but Porsche's empathy is a strength of his and one of his defining traits. He's the one that emphasises with debtor, even though he's rich and likely has very little else in common besides being in dept. He understands people and it makes him able to talk to and connect with others. It's a great thing about him. I just feel like he looses some of that by becoming a part of the mafia proper in the end. Sure, maybe they destroy the mafia or reform it, but from what I remember that isn't what they were implying at the end of the show. IDK maybe there will be a season 2 one day and we can know for sure but I doubt it.

Also it's shown that being in any of these mafia families is to have a miserable time. Tankhun is, I personally believe, some combination of mentally unwell and exaggerating due to being unwilling to be a part of the business. I don't know how you'd begin to heal from the fear of kidnapping when it's been a real danger and continues to be. People are always out to get you in a mafia family. It would make you paranoid. He is either genuinely traumatised by being a part of this family or faking it EVERY DAY OF HIS LIFE out of fear of what of what being properly involved entails, or some combo of the two like I think. Either way that's not healthy. Kim is so unwilling to engage with his family he will not even stay for a meal. He's almost allergic to their home. Kinn the "most normal one" supposedly, is so terrified of intimacy he took advantage of someone he liked and assaulted them. Their money isn't even good, it killed his dream. Without even mentioning everyone else in the family. It is a mess.

Although by the end we will be shown that bonds are starting to heal. However, I'm pretty sure I remember Korn is still alive by the end so I can't see too dramatic a change happening overall. It's not a good family to join. Maybe if Korn was dead then Porsche joining the family would feel more hopeful at the end. As it is though, the ending is bittersweet at best.

Yok you queen, angel, talented, beautiful woman. ICON

I love a show that doesn't forget about the character's friends or family. Love that Porsche invites his old friends to party.

Very cute that Kim signs over Chay's heart.

That's one thing about the ending I like. I'm glad Chay and Kim stay broken up. It feels at best a bit gross to have a full on university graduate dating a high schooler. Even if he's nearly finished HS by the time they get together.

I missed this line by Kim initially in episode 5 "If they weren't raised by you" referring to bodyguards. It might be standing out to me more because I've now seen Pit Babe but now all I can imagine is Korn having his own little human trafficking orphan school for bodyguards.

I like as eccentric as all of the Main family siblings are they still feel like siblings. Tankhun is the protective older brother, checking in on people and smacking Vegas in the head before he can do any nonsense. Kinn is the tired middle child. Keeping their dad's attention so his siblings can have more freedom. Kim is sort of the meddling younger brother/black sheep, if meddling consisted of spying and a Batman-esque string board.

As someone who agonised over her decision to go to university to study art it sounds strange for Chay, someone who is poor, to say his whole motivation for studying music is IDK it seems fun. I get that it's also because of Wik/Kim. However, you'd think he'd talk about it being his own passion too, especially since they were struggling to pay for HS previously. I get he doesn't end up going, which I'm glad he doesn't, but it's just funny IDK.

I love Porsche and Kinn's dynamic. Even if they probably wouldn't be good together in reality it still feels realistic. Porsche isn't a doormat, he respects himself and won't let Kinn walk all over him. He also isn't unrealistically argumentative or bratty. Even if he's impulsive sometimes he does know his place at work usually. He disarms Kinn. Kinn in turn is on the same level (apart from being his boss) as Porsche. He's smart, athletic, quick witted, they match each other. And once he softens up he's good to Porsche.

I'm head cannoning that at the end of the series they kill Korn. Techkun gets to continue living as he is or becomes a very fun model. Porsche opens that bar he always wanted on a private beach. Kinn and Porsche get married. Then Kin, Kim, and Chay form a band and play at the beach as the Thai Jonas Brothers.

It feels like the bare minimum but I love that Kinn apologises and really tries to make up for taking advantage of Porsche. Other shows might have them both shrug it off since Porsche was into it at the time (because in reality that doesn't matter he could not consent). However he has to atone (even if he fucks it up a bit more at first) the bar is in hell but I'm glad they crossed it.

This is much better this time around because I actually know this time that I'm meant to watch the special episode after 6 instead of finding out about it after I finish and getting very confused.

Love LOVE love my plus size cage queen in episode 7!

Love that Pete is the only one not to look away while Vegas is torturing the grenade guy.

Absolutely love how they use the Mother Mary piece in episode 7. Having it glow behind them from one direction, or being a unique frame from the other. Not the only great bit of cinematography in this episode either. The golden light in the NC scene that surrounds them is beautiful.

A part of me wants to show my girlfriend this show. The other part of me does not want to explain episode 8 bread sex to her. It does subtitle the English though so that's a bonus. To all the translators out there: Thank you very much for your hard work but some people who watch foreign language media need the subtitles for the English too because they're deaf or HoH, just FYI.

[thewriteroflucifenia]

Character Notes from my Medusa Novel part 2

Perseus

In this story, Perseus is actually a dear friend of Medusa's, and is essentially her adoptive little brother. They go on many adventures together and have both become heroes.

He's a compassionate person first and foremost, always wanting to do right by others. He struggles with turning someone away or cutting off second/third/fourth chances. There's been a few exceptions, anyone who directly hurts his loved ones likely won't be forgiven easily, but he's extremely hesitant to hurt anyone and tries to use violence as a last resort.

He's having to get caught up educationally before he can become king of Argos, and his many adventures tend to get in the way of his studies.

During the novel, he's engaged to Andromeda, but they are waiting to marry until he's prepared to become king. Danae houses Andromeda in the palace to keep her safe from her family.

After returning his loaned equipment to his half siblings, Perseus was gifted a new pair of flying sandals and sword by Hephaestus.

He has a slight fear of horses, mostly because he finds Pegasus in particular intimidating. He still hasn't learned how to ride one, despite Medusa attempting to teach him.

Danae

Simultaneously the most gentle soul you will ever meet and completely incapable of putting up with bullshit anymore.

Danae is a nurturing person who loves being a mom. She became an adoptive mother to Medusa, Euryale, and Stheno and considers them just as much her daughters as Perseus is her son.

She has a mostly managed phobia of gold which led her to smelting all gold in the palace of Argos and replacing everything with other fine materials instead. She refuses to wear it and hesitates to touch it, but also is able to control her anxiety enough to function when she is forced to be around it.

She loves birds and accidentally befriends Hera when they both are watching the same pretty flamingo. Hera has a small crisis when she realizes she doesn't hate her or Perseus. This is more for a short story I want to write on the side, but it's my Tumblr post so ha.

Kordelia (Delia)

The original love interest of the story! She's my take on the blind woman Medusa falls in love with.

Delia is a physician's apprentice and literal genius. She can be a bit arrogant about her intelligence and often defensive as an educated young woman in a man's field, but she genuinely wants to help people.

She has a strange, innate power to manipulate the states of matter.

Delia has a special gorgon pendant she always wears because it used to belong to her mother. It's a comfort item of sorts, she often fiddles with it when she's in a tense situation.

She wasn't always blind. Delia lost her eyesight due to a curse from a god who she refused to acknowledge during a face to face encounter. Every time she cries, she loses more of her vision. This went on for four years until she was left completely blind. The gradual loss allowed her to learn to navigate well, however, and she's quite capable of accomplishing her daily tasks on her own, including mixing medicines.

She meets Medusa by chance and upon feeling her scaly hands, believes that she has a terrible case of eczema. She gives her a homemade cream for her skin and asks her to let her know if it improves her symptoms. Medusa was confused until she realized that Delia was blind.

Delia likes to pet the individual snakes on Medusa's head because she thinks they're cute and friendly.

[melishade]

ok what about knockout somehow arriving on attack on titan earth the characters meeting a bad guy turned good

The thing is with TFP Knockout: He didn't turn good for the sake of knowing that the Decepticons were wrong in their endeavor and the Autobots were right. It was literally out of a necessity for survival. So Knockout didn't necessarily become a good guy, he was just trying to play it smart. And it worked, he wasn't given any prison time by the end of the series and the Autobots seem to be just fine with having him around. It's weird. It's like everyone's okay with the vain doctor.

That being said, if Knockout were there he would ABSOLUTELY HATE IT!

It more primitive that Earth! The titans are terrifying! The humans are gross! Hanji won't leave him alone! There are no car washes! And worst of all, his former boss is there!

Primus might as well just kill him now!

So Knockout would stay as close to Optimus as he possibly can the first couple of weeks because he's the only person that isn't out to get him. And Optimus just accepting it at this point.

The first human that he even starts to like is Levi, because is essentially a germaphobe and he would give Knockout a wash. Knockout's never felt this clean before in his life, that's how precise Levi is, and vows to keep him safe for this very reason.

Levi's annoyed and Hanji laughing her ass off.

Knockout would totally give Historia and Ymir relationship advice. He sees from a mile away that those two are soulmates and gives them tips on how to improve their relationship. Surprisingly they would work. Historia asks how Knockout would even know this, and Knockout briefly talks about Breakdown to her. Historia ends up giving him a comforting pat on the servo and offers her condolences. She ends up confiding in Knockout her fear of losing Ymir to the 13 year curse and how she was scared she wasn't going to be prepared when she's gone.

"You're not going to be," Knockout states bluntly, "It's going to hurt. It's going to be painful, because the person you spent every day adoring will be gone forever."

"That's...scary," Historia swallowed.

"At the very least...you have a good support group," Knockout reasoned, "Decepticons aren't known for being soft."

Historia and Ymir actually feels safest when talking to Knockout about relationship advice because same-sex relationships would definitely be more common on Cybertron and not frowned upon. It's unexpected. The Survey Corps and Optimus were not expecting this.

BTW Knockout and Breakdown relationship is the literally personification of "Be gay. Do crimes." and you can't change my mind.

Hanji ends up taking one look at Knockout prod and immediately wants to replicate it for 3D gear purposes. She starts pulling all nighters trying to get it right and continuously asks Knockout about it.

The Survey Corps do eventually see Knockout bring his a-game in a fight and immediately become terrified of him. Seeing Knockout ram his prod into the neck of Reiner's titan form with a grin on his face would haunt them for a good few weeks. Decepticons are just ruthless.

I think that Knockout would do his best to avoid Megatron, considering he did betray the Decepticons while Megatron was hijacked by Unicron. Besides, Knockout has both seen and dealt with Megatron's brutality. He doesn't want to be anywhere near that if he doesn't have too. He'll probably do a quick repair but that's it.

The only time that Knockout would even think to muster up the courage to confront Megatron would be about Breakdown. We know that Knockout and Breakdown have just become canon over the years since TFP, and they were most likely in a relationship in TFP. Based on what we've seen in show after Breakdown's death, Knockout was given no solace or comfort after the loss of Breakdown. He was basically told to suck it up and move on. The closest thing he got was torturing Cylas, but that was still the corpse of his former lover. That's messed up on so many levels.

Once the distrust would dissipate between the Autobots and him, I think the Autobots would give him solace and comfort him for his loss and the abuse he went through under the Decepticons, which is one of the things Knockout grows to like about the Autobots. He won't admit it out loud, but he appreciates that they give a damn.

So if Knockout were to confront Megatron about Breakdown, he would really just call Megatron out for his blatant hypocrisy. How he refused to save Breakdown from the hands of MECH, and that it was Bulkhead who went to go and save him. Not the Decepticons, Breakdown's most hated nemesis. How he constantly berated him after what happened with MECH. How Megatron refused to ignore the decrease in morale among vehicons after Breakdown died because Breakdown was the only one talking to them and treating them like more than drone. The biggest one, being the Cylas incident, and making the conclusion that if Cylas had succeeded, they would've kept him around. And if Megatron did, Knockout would've defected on the spot.

The Survey Corps would definitely get more insight to the Decepticon work environment and would just despise Megatron from then on out. The fear would turn to hatred.

Levi would add this to the increasing list of reasons they shouldn't trust Megatron.

(This was interesting. I didn't think I would have a lot to say about Knockout. Although I feel like I'm going to need to make a list of "What if this TFP character was in Attack on Prime" soon.)

[crabdancecrab]

One thing I noticed about stray is how, as you climb the four key levels with robots living there, each new level has better and better overall conditions/quality of life, but less and less heart and soul, I guess?

Major spoilers below! (Like seriously don’t read if you haven’t played and finished the game)

(I’ll be using they/them pronouns for all robot characters unless I can specifically recall the game using otherwise, such as with Seamus and Clementine.)

You first meet the companion robots in the Slums, and it’s sad and dark and literally trash in many places. Everything is scraped together with the refuse from above that was tossed into their home; the place is literally the dumpster for Midtown, but the robots are full of life despite everything!

There’s a soul to them!

A lone guitar player makes music just to add ambience, one robot takes it upon themself to tend the plants that grow in a few sparse places, two other robots toss buckets of paint over the rooftop just for fun, a trader barters for things you can just find! A grandma knits ponchos for the cold robots. A son follows his father’s footsteps to find him after probably years thinking he was dead!

A Guardian protects their people and stands alone against a potential threat, one that initially they believe to be one that could destroy them!!! Like they fully thought that we (the cat) were a Zurk! And they still closed the elevator door and stood against us, ready to die to defend the people of the Slums.

And, may I remind you, these are robots! Robots who, based on the graffiti and dialogue and items, think fondly of humans and miss them and aspire to match their life. These robots want the humanity they already embody in the game, and  their human predecessors; they call humans the Soft ones, and remember us with love.

Here, in this darkest, saddest place, the furthest from the lights of the roof and surrounded by enemies, the Outsiders were born. They dreamed of what many called impossible; seeing the sun.

So you follow their steps, eventually reaching Antvillage, and here the robots have a sort of peace. They don’t have the constant fear the robots in the Slums did, these robots don’t fall over themselves in terror like them, but rather greet you with a bow and invite you in. Light shines down in a way reminiscent of the sun, and plants grow around the tower that you climb to meet the Outsider there.

I don’t know if the Antvillage has less soul than the Slums, but rather it’s the neutral transition point. The peace it has lets the robots enjoy a calm before the storm; they are taught by the outsider Clementine in a school-like environment, there seem to be children robots here! Seamus, a robot in the slums, gave the impression of a young adult, but the Antvillage feels like it has robots of all ages. They play mahjong, paint the walls of their tower home, grow plants and adore the different colors of them, and meditate to “ascend”.

Antvillage showed a peaceful coexistence of robots with personality and life, and furthermore showed that this peace would continue even with improved conditions. It wasn’t just the darkness of the Slums that led to the robots’ souls, but the bots themselves! This chapter was really a “people have always been people” moment for me.

This chapter is also very short. You meet the Outsider there, do a few side quests if you want, and then climb up and leave. You could argue that the Sewer is why the Antvillage chapter was so short, but I have other ideas. Still, I was confused at how quickly I made it through the Antvillage, even being a completionist, but I’ll come back to this.

Above, you arrive at Midtown.

Midtown is an urban nightlife styled area crawling with oppressive guards, and its residents are largely selfish or alone. Companionship is found in a few rare, quiet places, and it feels like a thing that the robots have to hide.

In this chapter, you are largely tricking the robots to get what you need, or hiding from cameras, or running from guards, and when you do finally find an ally, she swings a lamp at you at first! Because she thought you were one of the guards!

This environment fuels fear, pain, and loneliness, and you see it in so many of the robots there. It’s the kind of place that needs bars and night clubs, not to mimic humans with fondness, but as genuine escapes from the reality they live in. You have to wake up one drunk robot in a bar to force him to go do his job.

Robots bar you from places left and right, not with accidental garbage or closed doors you can circumvent with open windows, but with nightclub bouncers and harsh words and anger. They don’t want you in their places, because you are not greeted as a friend, but rather seen as another stranger that hopefully won’t be a problem to you.

An early robot you meet in Midtown is being searched by a guard, and when you speak with the stopped robot, they ask you to leave them alone. These robots don’t want your help, and they don’t really care that you’re there. All they want to do is mind their own business, and make sure you mind yours.

I would say Midtown is a reflection of the more unfortunate reality of late-world humans, rather than the fond imagination the Slums have of them. It’s steeped in capitalism’s effects, and the corruption and suffering that comes with it. The Sentinels that roam the place are described as “designed to keep peace, but grew to per

However, as with life today, there are rays of hope in places. A band of musicians refuses to bow to the guards that would stop them from enjoying their music; the dancers in the club enjoy life, despite the fear they live in. The bar in the area has a back room with a small plant in the center of the table, and the walls around it are covered in pictures of sunny beaches and outdoors from a better time. One cowboy robot enjoys a cat sitting on their lap while they both take a catnap. im sorry

Its fitting that the Outsider in this section is a fugitive; Clementine is relentlessly brave, determined, and resilient, and the Sentinels do not like that. She hides alone, until you come along and reignite her fight for the Outside. If you show Clementine’s picture to robots around Midtown, many of them feign they don’t know her, but “she probably lives in residence”. Even though they won’t openly pledge support to her and her cause, the game implies that they’re rooting for her and aren’t going to sell her out to the Sentinels.

Which makes Blazer’s betrayal a slap in the face. 

Blazer is the ultimate show of greed behind a pleasant face, of the person who caves into the worst of choices in an environment like this where there aren’t many good choices. His betrayal leaves you, Clementine, and B-12 locked up, powerless, and back in a dark environment reminiscent of the earlier parts of the game.

This part of the game hurt me more than the Slums and scared me more than the Zurk chases.

Robots in the jail are locked up, alone, in cells, with no people around; the guards are all the drone bots, not even the more cold-hearted and soulless Sentinels bots. The first one you see after breaking free from your cage is tied down in a chair, their head broken from its shell, and they’re sparking off as if being electrocuted.

The jail is a nightmare of loneliness, pain, and hopelessness. It spits in the face of the humanity the Companion Bots had built in the game up until now, saying the cruelty of the world will still exist, despite your kind acts and the love you’ve seen in the robots before now. It holds the darker parts of humanity; the consequences of selfishness, the callousness of those who harden themselves to survive a cruel world. It’s the part of the game that most asks you to give up.

But, you don’t, because this is a video game, and if you’re like me, you’ve joined the hopeful fight for the sun that the Outsiders pledge themselves too, and you’ll be damned if you don’t let these people see the sun.

Clementine has other ideas, though. When you reach the gate to the subway, she closes the door behind you. Clementine tells you that the Outside pledge doesn’t require everyone gets to the Outside;

“Its not that everyone has to get to the Outside. But one of us has to.”

She gives herself up to give you a chance to see the sun again, and promises to keep you in her memory. As tragic as this was, it was the reminder I needed to continue in the game, to keep fighting for all the robots that helped me get this far. The darkness of Midtown didn’t matter anymore in that moment; what mattered was one robot had enough soul and heart in them to keep fighting through it all.

The Control Room was where this entire post’s idea first came to me as I ran around the too-clean halls and spoke to every robot there.

These bots have no names, no clothes, and repeat overlapping phrases. They do not have the life of the robots you’ve seen up until now; even the Sentinels seemed more like people than these automatons. The orange Helper Bots ask what they can do for you, and paint the walls, and clean the windows, and wipe the floors, and keep the entire place spotless and perfect and empty.

The only real sign of humanity in this area are the newspapers on some of the tables and the occasional coffee mug. Otherwise, the Control Room feels like a freshly built home, decorated with placeholder furniture to tempt a buyer. It has the technical ingredients for a home, but it’s empty and lifeless in a way that’s frightening compared to what you saw up until now.

Helper Bots never grew a soul like those below. I don’t know why I assumed all robots would have; a sign in the Slums says “it’s been X days since robots gained souls,” so I guess I assumed all robots got their souls at once, together, in a collective enlightenment. These robots prove that to be incorrect; the soul the Companion robots have was not a random chance or miracle.

Exposed to human art and books and music, and human trash and man-made monstrous bacteria and darkness, the robots below grew their souls. It was something they cultivated and then reveled in. To live and love and suffer and exist was a gift to them.

The Helper Bots, alone and in an immaculately clean environment devoid of human works, never got there. They never grew. In the Slums, a mural describes the sun and how it helped humans grow, and it was warm and bright. The Slum robots have never seen it, so they can only assume this to be true from art, but many doubt its existence. They live for hundreds upon hundreds of years in darkness and garbage, and they love each other.

In the Control Room, Helper Bots live in sterile, plush conditions just meters below the surface and the sun, and they never learned to live or love.

If you ask me, I think the Slum Bots were the lucky ones.

[ameliterature]

A new AnderPerry Analysis

I will never get over the fact that instead of the OG screenplay's version of Neil being overly sour when he and Todd were alone and Todd being overly self-pitying, that (romantically or platonically), the movie version didn't make them project their worst traits onto the other as much.

(btw I never read the book sorry)

The "No <3" scene's main argument could've easily went on about Neil getting pissed at Todd for telling him to ask his father, that he wasn't just letting him be. The IMPORTANT moment, was right after seeing Todd afraid of Neil, the latter had that LOOK of REGRET.

OG script (no mention of Neil's regret/expression)

Todd and Neil basically ignore each other and Neil's protectiveness of Todd at the end is minimized :(

Movie Version

Properly displaying their current character flaws:

Neil: Hidden/Obvious resentment towards his father affecting his mood

Todd: Todd's reluctance to speak out more (esp after being shut down)

Fear, anxiety, shame

Regret, shame, frustration

This version of Neil knows he sounded like his father, he knows what he said was something damaging to Todd's motivations, he knows he doesn't wanna be like his father.

This version of Neil has empathy, which is why during the flying desk set, RSL and Ethan made a better effort to write a new Friend-bonding moment to bond over their shared parental neglect; rather than the OG 5.98 line

OG Script: Todd being self-pitying, Neil not comforting him properly.

Movie: Neil actively shows his character and tries to cheer up Todd <3

Neil actually understands Todd's plight, and rather than brushing off Todd's experiences, he decides to provide Todd with the paternal friendship he wished he got in his moments of doubt.

That's why before I even shipped these two, my natural instinct WAS to think they were best friends. Platonic soulmates that needed each other to validate their doubts, albeit Neil was the one who acted upon it first.

That's why it hurt more that Neil took his own life, because you literally see way more progress and hope for Neil's character compared to the OG script's heavily complacent or resentful Neil Perry.

Maybe, in Tom Schulman's mind, the OG Neil was always planning to end things this way, but for the movie version of Neil Perry that Peter Weir and RSL made had more to lose, more pain, was more lost and trapped because even after finding something that visually makes him happy, it was taken away from him.

[Side Tangent]

In my own way, it was harder to also accept that THIS version of Neil would want to take his own life because you'd think with a better perspective in life, with a greater friendship he could have with Todd in the future, that he would opt not to end things this way... but that's the point :( You can never tell who's really in pain, people may appear cheerful and happy on the outside, but depression is the same pain for all those affected by it.

[Tangent over]

The importance, again, of the Neil and Todd of the movie? They were far better friends/partners in the movie because they were actively improving each other. Neil and Todd, platonic or romantic, needed to have met each other. They deserve each other. To either lift up, improve, find someone else to understand and worry about than themselves. To have a friend you really needed.

Bonus:

The Dock Practice Scene didn't have "God I love this" "What, me?" lines lmao Ethan and RSL just shoved that in there to be fruity /j /lh

See? Don't ever say all we do in this fandom is mindless shipping, I think about this movie constantly <3 The themes are *chef's kiss*

taglist:

@yellowwood-roads @iori-utahime

@poetrusicperry, @poetofthedyingstars , @time-plus-night @auxctor @tuskofthyme @sapphicnoel @theluminoussunflower @she-nuwanda @maisietheweltoncow @sweetnessbythesea @cupiiid @nik-knacks @justarandompjofan @emilythefern @inahallucination @iguanamuppet @nocturnalnewsiestrash @matthewmurdockgf @palinoic-poet @toddtakefive @gerardpitts @chloe-octavia @feathers-arts-52 @pelicanchaos @spaced-out-state @nothing-gonna-wake-me-now @finding-an-angle @flustered-flux @anderperryshit @noelliza @babo0shka @sweatytootheddeadpoet @quartz-forest @poets-achilles @moose-blogs @srj901 @samnyangie @boy-wonder-oncologist-fan @plagg-wants-cheese

[bigskydreaming]

Part of why I harp on about Last Laugh all the time is because its not just about Dick killing the Joker which is what Jason always wanted someone to do for him, to know that he mattered enough for that......but also when you erase Last Laugh or discard it because it just doesn’t fit into your perception of the characters as fanon has dictated, like.......another huge factor of the Jason-Bruce-Dick dynamic falls by the wayside as well.

And that’s how Jason’s not only always been convinced that Bruce would kill to avenge Dick’s death.....but in ADDITION, Jason has always been convinced that Bruce would be more forgiving of the kinds of actions Jason has taken, aka murder, if Dick had been the one doing it.

Because see....the other thing Last Laugh showed aside from Dick’s feelings about Jason’s death......is that Bruce very much was NOT okay with what Dick had done. Bruce always said he brought back the Joker because he knew Dick wouldn’t be able to live with having done that, but IMO it was NEVER about what Dick could or couldn’t live with, it was about what BRUCE could live with Dick having done.

Because regardless of the Joker being resuscitated.....Dick was still keenly aware of the fact that he’d still beaten him to death first. Jason’s resurrection, Dick being revived after his own death, those never erased the impact of their actual deaths, rendered them moot, and neither did resuscitating the Joker. If Jason died and it matters? Coming back doesn’t make that unmatter. If Dick only was dead for a couple minutes tops, that doesn’t mean Luthor DIDN’T kill him and he wasn’t still dead; he’d still actually died.

The same is true of the Joker’s death, no matter how short-lived it was. Dick still DID it. Dick was still very cognizant of that. Dick actually struggled with this for a number of issues, though I don’t think that really was about regretting what he’d done so much as that he’d let the Joker ‘win’.....AND it was ALSO about how Bruce saw him now.

And IMO you can’t argue that Bruce only resuscitated the Joker for DICK’S sake and because DICK couldn’t live with that.....when Bruce notably, distinctly, NEVER EVER EVER actually....engaged Dick on the topic of what he’d done there. 

Ever. 

He went back to Gotham and never made a single appearance to help Dick process things, even when others like Wally showed up in Bludhaven while Dick was holing himself away from the world. Bruce and Dick literally NEVER spoke of it again. Because Bruce wasn’t okay with what Dick had done. He didn’t know how to forgive him or look past it, so he basically did everything in his power to make it so it basically never happened. 

And the difference with UTRH is....when Jason showed up, by the time Bruce knew it was him, pretending Jason hadn’t done the things that Jason wasn’t the least bit ashamed of was never actually even an option.

So I don’t actually think Bruce is any more inclined to forgive Dick of things like murder because its Dick.....I think Bruce had to force+quit all thoughts of Dick actually killing, in order to preserve his relationship with Dick. 

(Even though his relationship with Dick still suffered, because Dick was still keenly aware that Bruce was not okay with what he’d done, and like, not trying to understand WHY Dick had done it or that he was actually maybe okay with having done it albeit outside of the context of it having played into what the Joker wanted him to do. Like, Dick after Last Laugh still very much angsted about Bruce’s assessment of him after it, and did need that reassurance that Bruce still loved him and forgave him....and what Bruce actually gave him is “I’ll agree to never reference it as having happened and look past it for the sake of our relationship” which is very much NOT the same thing. And with, as I’ve also gone into before, this no doubt being HUGELY central to why Dick was so lost and shaken by his fears of having let Bruce down AGAIN by letting Blockbuster die. These things are absolutely connected.)

The flip side of this is that......I don’t think Bruce was any LESS inclined to ‘forgive’ Jason of murder just because he was Jason and not Dick. In that case, it was just more about the fact that there was no way for Bruce to even TRY to force+quit out of his awareness of what Jason had done. Denial wasn’t going to cut it in the same way it had with Dick, because Dick’s ‘crime’ had been one and done.

But THEN, the flip side of THAT - or maybe we’re just on a tangent now, oh hell, who can keep track, let’s all just agree that flips were flipped and tangents were...tangented - like, the other interesting facet of this for me is if Bruce HADN’T been so intent on forcibly ignoring or forgetting that Dick had killed the Joker, for the sake of their relationship or whatever, or if someone else had brought it up - not only could this have improved Dick and Jason’s relationship, it also could have forced Bruce to confront the logical fallacy inherent in like...his MAIN ARGUMENT for why he was so deadset against Jason’s choices. 

And that all goes back to how Bruce has a tendency to project his own worst flaws onto his children, and be paranoid that they’re going to go down the same dark paths he constantly is trying to keep himself from straying down - ironically in part due to how he uses his childrens’ similarities to him in order to build common ground and see a place and purpose for himself in their lives in the first place. He sees himself in his children, that’s what draws him to them in the first place, and makes him act to bring them into his own life and build a home for them....but there’s a double-edged sword element to this too, as Bruce I think often perceives his worst fears for HIMSELF in his childrens’ actions and choices....and acts based on that. Rather than keeping centered his awareness that for all that they are LIKE him in various ways, they are their own people. As different from him as they are alike.

See, because like....Bruce’s primary reason for why he can’t ever allow himself to kill, even someone like the Joker....is because he KNOWS himself, and knows that if he ever allowed himself to cite precedent by doing it even just once.....he’d open up the door and progress through it past a point of no return, whereupon he’d never STOP being able to come up with justifications for why he should also kill this villain and this one and this one. Its the slippery slope argument. He can’t ever start down that slope, because he doesn’t trust himself to ever stop.

And he projects this same logic onto his children, who he seems so much of himself in....the good AND the bad. And so his fears AND his judgment, for both Jason AND Dick when they kill, even just in one special case....is that it sets them both on the same slippery slope. Because they are after all just like him, right?

But also they’re not....as evidenced by the fact that Dick DOESN’T KEEP KILLING. The Last Laugh is basically an outlier (assuming we don’t count Creighton, which I don’t rate the same because while I think Dick definitely did kill him, it was a clear cut case of self-defense and thus a totally different ballgame). Its significant that Dick killed, not just because he did it, and not just because Bruce didn’t actually ever forgive him for it....but also because...despite Bruce being afraid to face or acknowledge it because of how it played into his own fears for his own worst self and choices.....Bruce facing it is exactly what needs to happen in order for Bruce to ever acknowledge that his actual fears of the slippery slope....DID NOT HAPPEN, with Dick. Dick’s never used what happened with the Joker to cite a precedent, to justify to himself the choice to do that again with another villain he had just as much reason to hate.

And from THERE....once you connect all these dots and all these parallels and contrasts and intersections......its notable not just that Jason has killed, and with intent and without regret....but also that there IS no rationale for taking it for granted that Bruce acts differently with Jason’s crimes than he would if Dick committed them, just because its Jason and not Dick.....because the key difference is not WHICH of them did it, its the CIRCUMSTANCES of them doing it....and Jason’s circumstances not affording Bruce the same luxury of denial.

And then from THERE, finally, the coup de grace at the end of it all:

Is it also makes it equally notable that....just as Dick’s lack of killing again after the Joker, like, establishes a counter argument for Bruce’s fears that such a thing is inevitable once Dick killed even once....and with this fear being WHY he comes down so hard on the topic of even his children killing villains guilty of heinous crimes....

Dick’s lack of killing others after the Joker ALSO establishes a PRECEDENT....for the fact that no, killing someone does not make it IMPOSSIBLE to ever step BACK from that ledge if one so chooses. ‘Pulling the trigger’ as it were, even just once, initially....does not doom one of Bruce’s children to a lifetime of never being anything BUT a remorseless killer who can never choose a different path.

And of course, the fact that Jason killing certain people DOESN’T mean that he can’t ever stop, like....this is actually central to the entire Batfam’s dynamics as a whole?

Because after all.....literally every canon story, continuity or fanfic that has Jason reunite with the family to ANY degree, after having killed....which is like, basically all of them.....

These all take it as a given that....Jason is absolutely fully capable of choosing not to kill. He is not LOCKED into anything, beyond the possibility of having any kind of relationship with his family whatsoever, just because he’s killed....with the proof being like....literally all the stories where he still has a relationship with his family despite having killed previously or even still killing in some circumstances in the present!

The slippery slope does not rule all, is the thing. And the proof that Bruce’s fears of the slippery slope once slipped upon, being a one way street straight the fuck to hell, like.....the proof that that’s more a HIM problem than a hard and fast rule that can only ever play out one way for everybody Bruce see himself reflected in?

That proof literally begins with Last Laugh. With Dick. Paving the way for Jason there, rather than making a case for how actually things with Jason and Bruce would look totally different if it had just been Dick and Bruce there instead.

The second you acknowledge that the comics and most fanfics ALREADY take it as a given that Bruce’s projection of his own fears of the slippery murder slope is like....NOT actually any more of an inevitable death knell for Jason’s relationship with his family than Jason’s own actual death knell meant shit about his own longterm survival.....

Then Dick’s killing of the Joker in Last Laugh becomes extremely relevant not just because of what it reveals about how Bruce’s views on murder and his sons doing the murder is NOT actually conditional, based just on which son it is that does the deed most dirty....

It also becomes extremely relevant because of the precedent it establishes in countering the very argument/view that is central to keeping Jason from having any real relationship with his family until Bruce gets the fuck out of his own and everyone else’s way on this front.

[lady-of-lyon]

So, I made one post a while back about how awesomely feminist the show Wild Kratts was, with how its two main female characters were women of color in engineering and deserving roles of power, female villains who weren’t motivated by spite or quest for youth, etc, but today I wanted to talk about something slightly different, that I’ve wanted to cover for a while now, because I also think it’s very good - and that’s how the show portrays masculinity, in a way that’s really positive!

First, we have our two main characters, Chris and Martin Kratt. Keep in mind these two are basically self-inserts - and there are plenty of creators, especially males, who have used self-insert characters in really scummy ways - all I have to say is Powerpuff Girls reboot and you know exactly what I’m talking about. Even if they weren’t literal self-inserts, male characters, superheroes especially, oftentimes serve the male power fantasy, being just the strong, stoic, all-powerful person so many boys are told they’re supposed to be. I could get into a whole discussion about how the male power fantasy is present even when males are not (ever look through a fashion magazine and wonder why there are so few men? Sure, part of it is that the industry thrives off exploiting women’s insecurities, and men aren’t as concerned for their appearance, but another part of it is so that the guy, looking through it, can feel like he has no competition for these women - there’s a reason so many comedians have jokes about fashion magazines being their sexual awakening as kids. It’s really scummy) but that’s not what this is about. So, the bros had every opportunity to do just that - make themselves these traditional heroes who aren’t actually really good role models, like batman or what have you. It’s certainly not uncommon for celebrity cartoons to do stuff like that. But Martin and Chris chose a different approach. They’re pretty strong standouts for positive masculinity. They’re openly affectionate - both with eachother as brothers, and with their friends. They cry, sometimes over little things - most of the time when big superheroes cry, it’s ‘cause they lost the girl they loved or their mentor or something like that, only in the big, most agonizing moments do they shed a tear. But here, Chris or Martin will cry just because they’ve had a bad day, or because they’re overwhelmed and overjoyed that someone named a mantis after them! In a lot of shows or movies when a guy cries over something little, it’s usually played for laughs, or to emasculate him, but here it’s casual without being unreasonable or overdone. The brothers cry just ad much, maybe even more (haven’t gone back and counted or anything) as the girls do. Not to mention, it’s a very nice depiction of a loving, healthy sibling relationship. As the youngest sibling myself, it’s refreshing to see a pair who don’t abuse eachother with noogies or cruel and snarky remarks. When they do fight, it’s never a screaming match, and also because they had a conflict of interest or disagreed over a fact, not because, say, one of them stole the other’s shirt or is neglecting the other’s feelings. Kids, being very impressionable, get exposed to a lot of abusive sibling relationships played as normal in media, and start thinking this is how siblings are and should act. For instance, my sister (who is now my best friend and has gotten over all these bad habits over time) when she was younger watched a lot of Kim Possible, a show that is great, but has a bad family dynamic with Kim and her little siblings. The “tweebs” as she calls them are always irresponsible, destructive, and making Kim annoyed to no end. My older brother was one of the most polite, reserved, kind little kids, but she still treated him like he was a brat and a nuisance, because that’s what shows like Kim Possible taught her little brothers were. Additionally, I was always treated like a spoiled crybaby who just wanted attention and got away with everything - I was not any of those things, ever, but that’s what shows teach you little sisters are. Sure, Wild Kratts has a smidge of that, with Chris seemingly being the stereotype of the know-it-all little sibling, but instead of being constantly looked town upon for being too “perfect” like with Hailey Long in American Dragon, Martin often praises his brother for his abilities. Sure, Martin gets annoyed when Chris tries to correct him on things, like in the episode Wolf Hawks, but everyone else does too, so it feels more like a take-down of mansplaining than a sibling spat.

I talked too in the feminist post about how refreshing it is that Chris and Martin more or less willingly put themselves under the authority of Koki and Aviva, two women of color. I don’t think it’s possible to say any one character is the “leader,” they all work as a evenly balanced team, but it’s safe to say that Koki and Aviva make the more responsible decisions. The bros try to get out of their calls a few times, but the show plays it more like they’re being irresponsible, and less like they’re renegade cool dudes who don’t take nothing from nobody, especially not two girls. They are pretty much always punished via karma for their reckless choices, most especially in To Touch a Hummingbird, where their arrogant attitudes blow up in their faces rather spectacularly. We also never see the narrative most present in sitcoms, where the male leads mess up and go out of their way to cover it up and ultimately gets away with it - after all, you have to root for them, right, because sure they messed up and had no consequences, but aren’t they just so lovable? No, here Martin and Chris always have to fix their wrongdoing, and it’s always deserved when they get comeuppance. Another aspect of the show I like is that, many times, when the bros get captured or are in peril, they are saved by the women - and most refreshing of all, there’s never a moment of “wink wink nudge nudge wow I can’t believe I had to be rescued by a GIRL” or even “wow you saved me you’re pretty good honey guess I shouldn’t have underestimated you, you go girl!” No, when the girls save them, it’s just - you know, relief? Because they were saved? It’s never a scenario played as an exception, or any more dire than when the bros need to rescue eachother. The bros are genuinely happy to have them as teammates. The show even did the standard “boys vs girls” episode in the form of When Fish Fly - but instead of being actually girls vs. boys, it’s engineers vs. adventurers. There’s nothing really gendered about it - the girls happen to be engineers, and the boys happen to be adventurers. And the episode doesn’t end with the boys being “wow gosh darn I shouldn’t have doubted you girls are better at everything,” it’s a mutual agreement that both parties have hard jobs. Basically, the bros are very naturally respectful of women. That plays more into their feminist narrative too, but either way, it’s refreshing.

Then, we have Jimmy! Jimmy, the lovable gamerboy pizza man. At first glance Jimmy seems like the stereotypical cowardly, pathetic, emasculated loser. He’s frightened of most things, as of yet has no power suit, and he BAKES for crying out loud! But none of these things are framed as terribly bad traits. Sure, we laugh when he screams and runs from an animal, but though it happens over and over, the crew doesn’t get sick of it. They don’t berate him or belittle him because he’s so gosh darn cowardly. There’s a great scene in Rattlesnake Crystal where Jimmy has to deliver something to the bros alone, in the middle of a spooky desert. He is terrified the whole time, sprinting off after he delivers the goods. When Martin and Chris run into him, they don’t laugh at him for being spooked, they just greet and then bid fair well to their friend. To them, this is just Jimmy, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Jimmy isn’t coddled, but he is reassured many times that he’s a valuable member of the team. I love that little message, that you’re just as important of a person even if you can’t do as much or have greater limits. When his friends do try to get him over his fears, it’s not because they have to, that the day will somehow be ruined by Jimmy’s incompetence p, but because they’re his friends, and want him to experience fun and wonderful things that he would otherwise miss out on. But what Jimmy CAN do is just as important! Jimmy is a gamer, which in a lot of shows, is portrayed as a lazy, useless, mindless hobby. But here, because he plays video games, it makes him essential for piloting the ship and teleporting important items. There’s always the joke that video games improves your hand/eye coordination, but recent studies have shown it has much better effects. It can make you much better at keeping track of multiple moving objects and processing technical but variable information- two traits which, fittingly enough, are really really important for air traffic controllers and airplane pilots! He also demonstrates a lot more courage behind the wheel of the Tortuga, which makes sense - in an impersonal setting, he would have more sense of calm and control and courage, because it’s so similar to a video game world. It’s not all too different with how I feel more emboldened to pick fights with people on the internet, but get crazy anxious if a real person so much as looks at me. So Jimmy’s love of video games isn’t because he’s irresponsible, it has real benefits. A quick last point - Jimmy also eats a lot, but they thankfully don’t make him fat or greedy or anything like that. He never takes food from people, he actually bakes, and shares it with others! Having the baker be a boy is a lovely touch.

I might do another post about the toxic masculinity of the two villains, (or four villains, I guess, if I wanna discuss the minions) but I’ve got other work to do, and this post is long enough already, so I’ll get around to it later. I’ll sum it up with this - Wild Kratts is a show that teaches boys it’s not only ok to be kind, but essential. The brothers protect defenseless animals, advocate for things “icky” and “weird,” like bugs or snakes or worms - not because they’re boys, and boys like icky things, but because they genuinely see the beauty in all life, and are encouraging us to slow down and do the same. The Wild Kratts are heroes who save the world not by being the strongest or smartest or coolest, but by looking after those who are exploited and vulnerable, who are essential to the world, even if they can’t always do everything. In Wild Kratts the only weaknesses a man can have isn’t what he can’t do, but what he does do that he shouldn’t have. Sure, it’s a cute show about two funny guys who have cool powers, but it’s also a show about accountability, compassion, respect and trust. The show says “boys will be boys” in all the right ways - Martin is a lovable goof with a heart of gold, but he still has to get his act together when he messes up, and he’s still creative and smart and openly sensitive. Chris is a bit of a know-it-all show-off, but he can also mess up as much as his brother, and is still bold, brave, adventurous, and can put his money where his mouth is. Jimmy is a cowardly, napping, eating machine video-gamer, but he’s still a valued member of the team, has incredible skills and talents, and will always help his friends, even if he is really, really scared. It is so important to have role models like these, in a world dominated by unhealthy machismo. The Wild Kratts are heroes who save the world - both animated, and real.

All they need now is a canon queer character, and I’ll stan them forever! My money’s on Aviva!!

[mikeshanlon]

i really enjoy the way young royals explores the theme of legacy and how detrimental it can be to have to live up to a legacy or be obsessed with reputation. (analysis and thoughts under the cut)

i think wilhelm resents the fact that he has to live up to the role of being in the royal family and yet is very afraid of ruining that legacy bc of all the pressure. before he was sent off to hillerska he went to a normal school and wanted normal people around him and was content with erik having to take on the responsibilities of crown prince. and when he does have to assume that role he says he can never be erik, that he’s always had to be compared to him and obviously doesn’t like that. but even before erik passed and he had to take on those duties he was afraid of fucking up the legacy of the crown, when he sees that sign in the hallway that says you are in charge of your own legacy after he holds hands with simon, his anxiety worsens. you can tell it’s been instilled in him for a long time that what is most important is the crown’s reputation rather than his own wants. in the scene where him and simon fight about alexander being caught, he obviously wants simon to stay, but he focuses on how him doing drugs will fuck up his family’s reputation if it gets leaked. as much as he cares for simon, his legacy and his duties are like this oppressive cloud hanging over him. 

i do think that wille cares for his family of course but to me it’s different that the sort of loyal unconditional care with simon and his sister/mom. erik and wille had unconditional love, erik understood how difficult being a prince in the public eye was, and wille obviously cared for him deeply and felt like he could to talk to him about issues. his relationship with the queen is much more strained, she wants a tailored, doctored representation of him in the media, he cannot be anxious and bite his nails, she makes all the decisions for him. family is important to wille partially because it has to be bc of how special his family is. he helps his family, he helps august pay his tuition, and then makes a point of disowning august after his betrayal as his new “brother”. but again, because of the royal status and expectations upon the family, that supersedes and colors all of their relationships with each other. it seems to be more a sense of “duty” than unconditional love. especially after erik’s death, wille always has to consider how the crown’s image will be impacted, even though he never wanted to have this responsibility, or even the responsibility of being the “regular” prince under erik. being a family unit that is under constant public scrutiny is going to strain relationships. the queen knows that the anxiety of fucking up his legacy will get to him, and she uses that to get wilhelm to back out of admitting it was him in the video and coming out. wilhelm has to choose between his own happiness and their reputation, is forced to think that denying it’s him in the video is the only way. he loves simon and wanted to live freely, but that pressure of legacy won out.

i don’t know if i think wille necessarily values the crown over his own personal happiness and relationships, like in the way maybe the queen does--i don’t think it comes from a place of “i’m lucky to be prince and owe my duty to the crown, so i do what i have to do to stay that way” (like how the queen said the crown is a privilege not a punishment), but from fear of destroying the legacy and his family. afterall, he still wanted to pursue a secret relationship with simon, i think if he fully valued the crown and uplifting legacy and fulfilling his duties he wouldn’t have tried that. he wouldn’t have made a point to tell simon he loves him. hopefully we get another season because i think with the iconic ending revolution rendition and him looking in the camera, which also parallels the shot of him being forced to apologize/go to hillerska, he is realizing that focusing on legacy is taking away what’s important to him, and he’s going to shake shit up.

august is definitely the most obsessed with legacy, wanting to carry on his father’s business, being persistent on befriending wilhelm and trying to social climb, wanting power and perfection with being prefect, rowing captain etcetera. he is so obsessed with perfection and reputation he gets addicted to drugs, he fucks with simon and makes him get stuff for parties he can’t afford because good parties will make him look better, he manipulates sara multiple times, he mostly wanted felice because of her nobility, he fucking films wilhelm and simon and OUTS him, his own cousin. he hates that wille has everything he wants but isn’t as interested in preserving and more importantly improving the legacy he’s inheriting. meanwhile august’s familial legacy is dwindling, and he holds on to the last bit of assets and names that he can.... v much sick and a weirdo that shows how harmful being obsessed with legacy is

the queen is of course v focused on legacy and it really breaks my heart and makes me angry that she doesn’t care about wilhelm’s happiness more than their reputation, and moreso doesn’t get august in trouble for literally leaking child p*rn of her kid for the sake of appearances?!?!?! like how is he even remotely trustworthy she is wrong for that! like i said earlier the obsession with legacy puts a strain on their mother/son relationship. she doesn’t even really say anything about wille’s sexuality or his relationship, and barely comforts him, mostly goes in with a plan she’s already concocted without him to fix everything. 

erik seemed to understand and accept his role as crown prince but obviously had issues with it as well, like when he makes the plan for him and wilhelm to run from the press, or when he tells wilhelm to enjoy himself while there aren’t so many eyes on him that care. erik shows someone who has more unconditional love and empathy but still has to focus on legacy and is much more inclined to continue his legacy, but we do see those glimpses over how even the most “ideal” attitude of preserving legacy causes issues.

felice is expected to live up to her mother’s legacy, of being an equestrian, of being the lucia, but she doesn’t want either of those things. her mother wants her to be thinner and straighten her hair, and find someone of nobility to be with. obviously she does find wilhelm attractive lol but i think the main reason she pursued him and definitely why she pursued august was because she was expected to social climb and have royal kids. felice feels the need to portray a false narrative of herself on social media to uphold a certain image of herself. it’s very fucked up that her mom wants those values instilled in her but i love that felice was putting up boundaries and pushing back against her mother and the narrative she’s supposed to live up to. her giving sara the role of lucia and focusing on supporting her friends more in the latter half of the season shows growth and i’m excited to see where her story goes. 

sara is interesting because she seems to want to reject the legacy of her family and being working class and to fit in with the elite of hillerska. sara hates micke, hates that simon contacted him because it’s bringing in this “shameful” and painful part of their past (which i mean is def fair). other than sara’s betrayal in 1.06, i think the scene where she tells her family that she wants to reside at hillerska really exemplifies where she’s at in her relation to legacy/class. after dining at hillerska and living amongst the elite she gets annoyed at eating around the TV, she blames her mother for not leaving micke sooner, she gets angry with simon for caring for her. she wants to lead her own life, be popular and wanted because people want her, not for pity (even though i think simon of course truly cares abt his sister she feels annoyed with his protection and care). felice says early on that she thinks sara doesn’t care what other’s think or having friends, and sara says she still wants friends though. i think sara’s biggest thing is she wants to belong, her and simon moved schools after she was bullied for being autistic so i think that definitely affected her even though she tries to act nonchalant about hillerska at first. we see sara’s longing to fit in in smaller ways at first, like her asking her mom for a better piece of her uniform because hers are “cheap” and already worn out. she gets annoyed at simon for chewing loudly, or her mother sitting casually at the table. as she gets closer to felice and madison and all the other students, the allure of the upper class and their lifestyle draws her in more. so much to the point where she gets very anxious and upset at the idea of her and simon leaving hillerska because he’s having his own crisis and doesn’t consider his pov. so much so that she effectively betrays simon and felice, the people she’s closest to, to make a deal (and make out lol) with august to room there and “be just like him”. personally i think sara’s attraction to august is mostly that allure of the elite and that he seemed to “desire” her when he kissed her because he was being a manipulative dickhead--again that want to fit in and be wanted. and  i think there is a really interesting angle of jealousy and competition in female friendships, even if it is really subtle or not intentionally insidious or anything, sara does slowly start to trying to assume all the roles/fashions/mannerisms of felice to live that life she wants. i do think felice and sara’s care for each other is genuine and one of my fave parts of the show, but i think a lot of people who experienced being a teen girl know how we are always pitted against each other even in our subconscious because of how society treats and values women.

simon seems to be the character that is least interested in upholding legacy and tradition or giving a fuck what anyone thinks (as omar said here lmao) and that makes him a really interesting foil to wilhelm. there could be something said about micke fearing that simon is following in his footsteps, but to me that plot more so reveals how the upper class (august) continually exploit the working class for their benefit, and the trappings of generational oppression. the other thing that can be said is simon signing up for private tutoring and rowing, but again i think that serves to further show that he is forced to “play” by the game of the elites because the school/society is corrupt, and also, that simon has further ambitions outside of where he’s at. he wants to get good grades because he wants to explore new places and avenues. to me simon’s biggest motivations are his passions, the things and people he loves--music, his family, wilhelm. he isn’t loyal to others just because he’s expected to be, or uphold a certain image but because he really cares. he doesn’t watch out for sara because that’s his expected role as her brother to do so, but because he cares. he wasn’t interested in knowing wilhelm because he’s a prince like everyone else, he makes it clear he thinks the royal family are privileged and exploitative, but he is interested because he saw the real wilhelm. he’s out and proud even though his elite classmates are more conservative, he doesn’t care about voicing his unpopular opinions, he has no problem walking away from august’s dickhead behavior or calling him out on his shit. simon doesn’t care if people don’t think of him in the best light. (the only exceptions ig are the drugs conflict and the video, though literally anyone would have a problem with that because it’s much deeper that public opinion and has ramifications and is deeply traumatic--but just adding that before someone is like “well actually!”) i also think it’s interesting that most of the songs simon sings has themes of pushing back against the societal norms, and being remembered in history, plus of course the revolution song motif, and how much those songs affect wilhelm, he seems to connect deeply, like he wishes he could do those things but simon is the one who gets to sing them and actually live them.

[sutcliffe-v]

| Admin Info

Blogs

; @poohwhin — personal

; @deux-ombre — art

; @sakamaki-richter — canon

; @deciipula — other oc blog

Admin Aesthetic

Name

; venwhin | whin | literally whatever idgaf SKSK

Age

; 19 ( i have the mental and emotional capacity of a toddler)

Gender/Pronouns

; Nonbinary ( i’m just vibing so perceive me however. or don’t perceive me at all actually ) | They/Them

Occupation

; failing artist | professional screamer | ceo of creating things then abandoning them halfway through

Other Facts

; i am mentally ill and anxious. if that shows through text™️ i apologise SKSK.

; social cues aren’t my strong suit so pls tell me if i say/interpret smth wrong or smth you don’t understand!

; i’m broke™️

; if i say i’m going to do something there’s a chance it won’t be done for a solid year.

; i suck at this art thing but if you’ve been here long enough you might see some improvement.

; i’m actually out of it or delirious during most conversations so i may or may not start spewing shit that doesn’t make sense sksk.

; don’t trust anything i say after 10pm, if you’re flabbergasted that’s on you /j

; i’m a pro at making up words on the spot, some of which may be jarring. (rip to people who talk to me regularly)

Boundaries (pls read!!)

; i’m currently not roleplaying with this character. as much as i would love to keep up with threads, and develop relationships with characters, i simply cannot right now. (wanting to focus more on his canon content.)

; i may sometimes keep up crack threads with friends, or you may see me send in silly starters to others; this is nothing against anyone else, but i’ve likely talked about these scenarios with them in private beforehand, and just felt like seeing the in-character reaction. while this may seem exclusionary, or may ‘picking favourites’, trust that i love each and every admin and character that interacts with me.

↳ to build off this: there is a chance that i will hold up a few threads for the holidays, or at least give one response to people for holidays and events, as a treat for the occasions!

; this is a problem i’ve had in the past with toning down my character for fear that he may have been ‘too boring’ or perhaps ‘too rude’ for some (i suppose its affected how some relationships develop, but i won’t worry about it that much now); however i should say that virek is not a nice character. he isn’t of course the same level of fucked up as the diaboys (at least i don’t think(?) idk they have a few centuries of atrocities on him), but he’s certainly up there in terms of fucked up

; while all of my posts are tagged accordingly in the off chance that those under 18 stumble upon here, i run my blog as if it is 18+ (i’ve really only kept the 17+ tag for the few exceptions) . which means that there will be mature content here; that isn’t exclusive to NSFW, but includes darker content and serious topics as well. (i mean this /is/ a dl blog, so i’d hope you understand what you’re getting into)

; PLS READ THIS ONE ITS VERY IMPORTANT: okay i say very important but it’s just something that happens a lot sksk. for ask games, i try to give people at least two days to send in their ask, before i stop accepting (just to make sure that the game was seen.) i would like to say to pay attention to the tags on each post! i’ve recently started tagging ask games with ‘last one’ or some rendition of that. if you see that tag, i’d like to ask that you don’t send one in. this may seem rude, and limiting, but it honestly just kind of ruins my workflow when i mentally check something off as done, only to receive a few more. but i usually take a while to answer things, so please please please pay attention to tags!!

; something that’s more non-serious i guess, even though i’m not rp-ing, i love love talking about how relationships could potentially develop/sillier and smaller scenarios with characters. and that’s something you’ll see me implement a lot of my blog (through art or writing). a lot of the scenarios you’ll see me portray are likely things that me and other admins have talked and joked about in conversation. so never be afraid to reach out!! (even if i do suck at conversation SKSKS)

Other Other Things to Note

; i’m notoriously all over the place, so i’ll do my best to keep my blog organised.

; i’ll usually try to use ‘(( ))’ on this blog whenever i’m talking in the tags. (i don’t do that on my other blogs though, SKSKSK)

; i yell™️. no speak only yell.

[pathetic-dumpling]

Being People

Techno owning the fact that he was- is- a person was explosive. It was loud and powerful. It was a battlefield, with him screaming his woes to deaf ears. Dream’s realization was quiet. Almost if he hadn’t believed it himself.

aka Techno and Dream talk, and together they're just people.

warnings: implied/referenced torture, abuse, dehumanization, starvation, dark portrayals of c!quackity, and abuse of power

or read on ao3 instead!

Techno owning the fact that he was- is- a person was explosive. It was loud and powerful. It was a battlefield, with him screaming his woes to deaf ears. Dream’s realization was quiet. Almost if he hadn’t believed it himself.

It had been on a quiet, restless night. Techno and Dream only ever got around to talking, really talking and spilling secrets beyond simple pleasantries, at night, Techno noticed. He wonders why. Maybe it’s the serenity, the quietness knowing that you’re the only person in the world for just a little bit. That there is nothing around but the snow and the moon and the forest. There is nothing that wants to hurt Dream within the small haven countless blizzards have brought them. Maybe it was the subtle comfort of that that allows Dream to finally spill his secrets.

Dream confessed his treatment in the prison almost as if they were sins of his own to bear. He kept his head low and his voice even more so, almost as if he was afraid that someone outside of the small bubble of safety could hear. The active focus on listening made Techno’s ears flick, darting between the soft crackle of the fire and the soft curves of Dream’s voice, but he would listen the best he could. Techno made sure that no one would be able to sneak up on them like this, but as his own paranoia creeps in now and then, he can hold nothing against Dream’s quiet fear.

The torture and the pain and the fear are spilled into the night, Techno a willing listener to whatever Dream has to say. Techno tried to not let himself be angry, or at least not let the anger show. This isn’t his anger to feel. It should be Dream’s; it is Dream’s. The anger is not Techno’s. These are Dream’s experiences, his trauma. Techno knows more than anyone how frustrating it is for others to decide to feel something for you. Instead, Techno lets himself be angered by the abuse of power, something he has always stood against. He allows himself to feel empathy for the suffering his friend has gone through. He lets himself be calm and solid, something for Dream to cling to and ground himself in. It’s what he’s always done, for everyone he cares for, and Dream is no exception.

At some point, Dream started crying. His voice cracked and broke until he could no longer use it, and then signing made his arms tired, and his hands became too shaky. Techno did his best to calm Dream down, throwing out a few jokes, moving to the couch across from Dream, and offering his cape to the other. That seemed to do the trick because soon enough, Dream had control over his breathing.

Techno sighs, leaning back and rubbing at his legs. Dream had fallen silent, which he took as permission to begin adding his thoughts. “Well, you know, you deserved none of that, right? What Quackity did- it wasn’t in the right. It wasn’t good, and it certainly wasn’t deserved.”

Dream sucked in a shaky breath, wiping away some leftover tears. He sniffed, glancing over to Techno with red eyes. “Why?”

“Well… because you’re a person.” Techno shrugs.

Dream pauses. He looks down at his hands, rubbing them together. “Oh…”

“What do you mean ‘oh’?” Techno chuckled lightly. “You’ve always been a person, Dream. Y’know… we’ve worked together, you warned me about the Butcher Army… you’re just as much of a person as me.”

“No, I… I know that you-- you’re a person, yeah, but… me?” Dream’s voice breaks lightly as more tears pool. “But Quackity said-”

“What Quackity said doesn’t matter.” Techno is never really firm with Dream, but this is one thing he’ll let form a slight edge in his voice. This is one habit that he won’t quietly address with Dream. “He was your torturer, your-your abuser, Dream. What he says, whatever he said, it doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t reflect you or your character. Other people shouldn’t control who you are.”

Dream looks at him, wide-eyed as a single tear rolls down his cheeks. Techno makes a mental note to tell Phil to try to get Dream to drink more water tomorrow. “But Tommy, and Wilbur, and-and-”

“Hey, that… they were your enemies, alright?” Techno’s voice catches in his throat, and he shoves down memories that threaten to rear their heads and make his words bitter. “They’re bound to say some nasty stuff about you, okay?”

“But I did things, I-”

Techno holds his hand up, cutting Dream’s small tangent short. “Don’t tell me this stuff to justify that you aren’t a person, Dream. That you’re not worthy of basic decency, alright? Tell me this stuff on your own time; when you’re not trying to convince me of something. Plus, you’re kind of talking to a guy who blew up a country to prove that I was a person, right? I’m the wrong guy to talk to if you wanna go down the route.”

Dream watches Techno for a moment, eyes darting around, searching, looking for something that he’ll never find out here in the arctic. He sniffs, wiping at his nose, then the rest of his face, and nods silently.

“Okay,” he croaks out. “But I… I’m…”

“You’re just a guy,” Techno says, a small smile forming as he tilts his head. “You’re just a guy I watched build a dirt house after I made fun of him for being homeless one time.”

A slight, choked-out wheeze leaves Dream. “You watched that?”

“The whole time. Lead a creeper or two into your house, too.”

“You fucker,” Dream laughs, dragging his hand down his face. “Why would you do that? I worked so hard, you bastard.”

“In my defense, it was really funny.”

“Oh my god,” Dream sighs, shaking his head. “This is stupid. This is so dumb.” Dream sighs again, fondly this time. His shoulders sag, finally letting go of the tension building in his frame as his body slumps against the soft material of his chair. He pauses, letting the small, warm smile drop from his face. “Why are you so nice to me?”

Techno’s ears flick. “Have I ever told you about my ‘absolute reciprocity’ policy?”

Dream shakes his head.

“Well… those who treat me with injustice and cruelty, I will repay that tenfold. Whatever suffering they inflict upon me will be given back.”

“Like L’manberg.”

Techno nods. “But it also applies to kindness.” He holds up a finger like he’s making a speech to the syndicate. “And that kindness will also be repaid tenfold.”

Dream blinks at Techno owlishly, clearly not catching the point.

“You saved my life, Dream,” Techno smiles. “The least I can do is help you get yours back on track, all right?”

“Saved your life?” Dream echoes. “At the execution? Please. All I did was get Carl back for you.”

“You underestimate how much I love that horse.” Techno smiles when a small laugh spills out of Dream, but he hopes the message isn’t lost. Dream has been kind, has done what others haven’t for him, and Technoblade plans on repaying that.

Eventually, Dream’s dry and scratchy throat sends him into a coughing fit, shaking his frail frame in a way Techno doesn’t think he’ll ever be comfortable with. He’s up and out of his seat before Dream can even open his mouth to ask for a glass of water, returning with a full glass and passing it off gingerly. Dream sips, quietly soothing his aching throat. Techno doesn’t return to his seat just yet, planning on probing Dream just a little more before the night ends.

“You tired enough to go back to bed?” Techno asks.

“No,” Dream shakes his head lightly. “I’m kind of hungry, though.”

Techno rubs his hands together, already moving over to the kitchen as Dream watches him. “Anything you’re feeling in the mood for?”

Dream shakes his head, making Techno grimace lightly. Dream almost always has something he wants, he just has to wiggle it out, so Techno throws out a few feelers.

“Something light?” he asks. “Do you want, like, an actual meal or just a quick snack?”

“...something light, please.”

“Sure.” Techno gets to work, making a small plate of buttered toast for Dream to munch on for the time being. They, and by “they,” Techno means himself and Phil, have finally gotten Dream to warm up to the idea of asking for things like water and food but incorporating preference has still been a bit of a struggle. That’s alright, Techno has all the witty patience he needs, and Phil has lived forever, so they literally have all the time in the world for things like these. They’ll try for as long as it takes because Phil has always stayed by Techno’s side, and now Techno has decided to not leave Dream’s. Parts of him are bitter, memories still taint him in some ways, but he’s more than willing to throw them away to convince someone else that they’re human, too.

Techno can’t help but feel a slight sense of pride when he hands Dream his plate. Dream takes it with a small thanks thrown Techno’s way, holding the plate solidly in his hands before setting it down in his lap. The heat of the bread doesn’t bother him anymore like it used to, and holding ceramic plates isn’t a struggle either. The tremble in Dream’s hands is still present but not nearly as bad as it used to be. Techno doesn’t know if Dream knows how much he’s recovered and improved; because it’s all something so small, and he’s sure saying “good job being able to hold plates again” would sound a little belittling. Instead, he waits for Dream to finish eating before taking the plate back to the sink.

“Better?” Techno drapes himself over the back of Dream’s chair, letting some of his hair slip forward and tickle Dream’s face, making his nose scrunch up.

Dream nods. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Silence fills the cabin. The fire begins to die down, so Techno throws on another few logs, accidentally disturbing Steve in his sleep. The bear makes a small sound of displeasure before falling back asleep, practically dead on the floor. Dream hums quietly, playing with his fingers. He rubs over the nub of the ring finger on his right hand as he tongues at a tiny bit of bread stuck in the gap in his teeth.

Eventually, Techno asks if he’s tired again. Dream still says no, but he assures Techno he’s fine to be alone for the rest of the night.

“I’m asking for you, dude.” Techno shrugs. “I’m used to sleeping at weird times- I used to do it with my hoard all the time.”

“...your piglin family?”

Techno nods.

“Okay… stay with me, then?”

Techno smiles quietly, almost entirely to himself. “Sure.”

[nissanmaxima]

Imagine Being in a Play with UA High

Foot Note: Hello dearies! I am back from the dead! I DO in fact have one for the pro heroes too and Class 1-B but I don’t know if I should just scrap Class 1-B cause like Shinsou and I haven’t found anyone who likes Tetsutetsu ;-;

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Summary: UA High School has decided that the students do in fact need a time for recreation that doesn’t involve peeping toms or the constant fear of being stabbed from behind. So, Principal Nezu has decided that there shall be a play! Yes! Hamlet! A story told around the world and shall be performed by the students of classes 1-A, 1-B and the other classes shall help with sets, costumes and marketing! Oh what fun they’ll have!

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Yo peep the banner

👓 - Without a doubt, Tenya would probably be the director and you would be the stage manager, just to be around him.

👓 - If, for whatever you reason you actually decide to actually be in the play, he would criticize you the least and be the hardest on Izuku or Todoroki or... Whatever...

👓 - You’d visit his dorm late at night so you could rehearse your lines and ‘practice’. It usually ends with his face as red as a tomato and a hard on as big as Mount Rushmore.

👓 - Trying on outfits that Momo and the support classes made in front of him will turn him into a blushing mess!

👓 - “Iida, do you think this is too tight?”

👓 - He turned around and saw the beautiful corset wrapped around your upper body, it pushed your breasts up, the sleeves of the arms so long they sank to the floor.

👓 - He took notice that you didn’t wear the wig given to go with the outfit. You told him it would mess with your edges. He took note of the light makeup.

👓 - In short you looked like a fucking queen. As you should.

👓 - He couldn’t fight the urge to just hug you. You looked so beautiful, and you were going to show everyone the beauty that he sees almost everyday.

Yo I said peep the banner

💥 - “I’M GONNA BE THE LEAD, NOT YOU DEKU!”

💥 - We all know where that was heading. Of course, his constant need for praise due to his own insecurity has made him the perfect role for the lead male. You’d be the perfect female role!

💥 - “Susu, you shouldn’t yell. We have to save our voices for once we perform-“

💥 - “Yeah yeah, just help me rehearse my line, idiot...”

💥 - Like Tenya, a late night visit would be an actual rehearsal but then it’d turn into late night kisses, kisses that led to slow grinding and that grinding led to something that almost woke up the entire floor.

💥 - Day of the performance and Bakugo’s got anxiety. Bakugo? The one who’s usually telling people to get it together and bring it their all? Yes that Bakugo.

💥 - You hugged him from behind and cooed in his ear. Whispering sweet nothings and telling him it’ll be okay. You felt him exhale and you let him turn around to face you.

💥 - He stared you straight in the eyes and leaned in. But before lips could touch, he was called to the curtains so he could go out. A smile danced itself onto your face before pushing him to go out.

BITCH I SAID PEEP THE BANNER

🥦 - We all know Deku would somehow get the lead. Maybe because of his dedication to be the #1 hero? I don’t fucking know. But you loved being his costume designer

🥦 - “Zuzu, is this okay?”

🥦 - He tried on the suit given to him. With your creativity and Momo’s... Literal creativity. The idea came to light. It hugged the front of his toned chest.

🥦 - You blushed at the sight. Yes Zuzu was your baby but whenever certain thoughts creeps into your head, you go into a daze. Nodding frantically, you told him the costume was fantastic.

🥦 - Unlike Tenya and Bakugo, you didn’t have any lines to rehearse, but you did like helping Zuzu with his lines once it’s time to turn in to your separate dorms. Sneaking past the other rooms, you’d bring snacks and little gadgets to pass the time.

🥦 - Believe it or not, Zuzu doesn’t have the greatest memory. As seen on stage when he was doing a scene with Bakugo and he tensed up. A wave of anxiety washed over his body and he started to sweat. He didn’t want to mess up in front of you.

🥦 - He looked around only to find you in the audience. You gave him a hopeful smile and two thumbs up, encouraging him to keep going even if he forgot his lines. After all, Improv is better than complete silence!

🥦 - The crowd cheered them after the play and everyone congratulated them, including you. A big confident smile adorned his face as he knew you were proud of the confident boy he had become.

Thank you for noticing the banner

🧊 - I feel like Shoto would be a supporting character in the play. His father, Endevour, would urge him to be the lead, making him want to play a supporting role even more, his rebellious nature showing even in the most relaxed places

🔥 - “Do whatever makes you happy, Sho-Sho! I think playing any role is amazing!”

🧊 - He decided on playing a supporting role. You, however, were in charge of special effects. Smoke, lightening, blood, etc. Shoto was curious as to how you’d work with the options given to you. How the blood would spray if cut a certain way, how the smoke would cover the stage, etc.

🔥 - Late night sessions were pretty chill. It’d start out like Midoriya and his end up as Bakugo. Other times it’d be just regular sessions with you helping Shoto practice his lines and show emotion.

🧊 - “Sho, I have to plan out these effects...”

🔥 - “I know I know just let me see this...”

🧊 - What you were most proud of for Sho was his ability to show more emotion. Sho wasn’t the greatest at explaining his feelings, if anything went wrong, he’d close off and try to cool off on his own. Cooperation wasn’t his strong suit either, thinking the he had to carry the show on his own when he didn’t.

🔥 - As for you, Sho was so proud of your confidence when it came to you putting your ideas and creative ability out there for everyone to see. Yes, you were wonderful at special effects. Behind close doors. When the show ended, everyone applauded you for your skills, especially Todoroki.

🧊 - Before going on stage, you hugged him, not knowing what to say. You just wanted to be around him before going to the back of the theatre to control the effects. Todoroki just hugged you back, not having anything to say.

🐙 - My Octo boy would be a backstage help and just all around helper when it came to moving heavy things. He’s a pretty simple guy after all. Not one for the glitz and glamor. He was pretty content with being just a helping hand.

🐙 - You, however, were a part of the marketing department and not to say the other groups weren’t as difficult but... Marketing is seemingly easy and a bitch once approached upon. Shoji commended you for your patience and skills with such a task.

🐙 - Considering your group had their own separate area away from the theatre, after finishing a meeting and planning for flyers, announcements over the PA and etc, you’d find yourself back to the backstage area of the theatre where Shoji was handling the crates.

🐙 - After rehearsals were finished, you two would stay behind and walk around the theatre and just chat. He was enamoured with you, simply by listening to you talk, it was adorable. After walking around the theatre for the millionth time, he’d take you back to your dorm.

🐙 - Walking back was probably the best time you two had together, right next to the late theatre walks of course. Being around Shoji when their lives were as hectic as it was a certain privilege you don’t ever want to lose.

🐙 - Somtimes, you’d find yourself stressed about marketing. When he’d notice, he’d come behind you, take his mask off and rub his face onto yours, as if a way to cuddle. A small smile would dance its way onto your face and the stress would seemingly disappear.

🐙 - “Thank you, ZoZo...”

[hello-im-not-a-possum]

18. Skeleton

Buddy and Sammy find the “goldfish room” as the latter calls it, AKA the closet where Joey keeps his skeletons, literally. And in the process, Buddy learns about a few of the skeletons in Sammy’s metaphorical closet. (Set during ink hell, pre loop, post Buddy befriending the lost ones/searchers.)

The Prophet was a strange ally.

It was weird to work alongside someone who worships the guy who tore you in half and is the biggest reason why you’re stuck in a nightmarish, inescapable studio, especially when it wasn’t the nicest or friendliest person before getting claimed by the ink. (Although, as he thought back on it, had he ever met Sammy before it was claimed by the Ink?)

But ANY ally was better than an enemy, especially when that ally knows the studio better than anyone else down here. Besides, it seemed like the Ink man was either unaware of their past or didn’t even know who they used to be, and even if it did, it wasn’t angry about their past issues.

At the same time, working on scavenging trips with the former musician was a nightmare; it was way too tranquil about the situation, and there were too many weird murderous monsters that the wolf and gofer were aware of.

“I do not need to run, little wolf. I can evade these creatures without issue through my Lord’s gift.” The Prophet calmly stated as Buddy gestured confusion about why it didn’t run when the pair heard something that sounded suspiciously like the projectionist’s screams. “Besides, running through these halls is risky, I would be heard by those… more unsavory denizens of this studio and get ambushed by them.”

He wished his typewriter was quieter in instances like this, being able to type out ‘But what if you get caught by your lord?’ and other messages to hand to him without risking alerting the Ink Demon would be great. Or just having his voice back in general.

“If my Lord decides to send me back to the puddles, then it is his right to do so to prove I have changed.” He answered the unspoken question. “But it does mean that I have to work harder to get him to notice how much I have improved, get him to notice me…” 

‘Please don’t read my mind unless I give you the “go for it” gesture. It’s creepy otherwise.’

“My apologies, little wolf, while your thoughts come in quieter than everybody else’s… they’re still noticeable, especially when it’s just the two of us.”

Buddy hesitantly nodded and just tried to lead the Prophet out of the ransacked room to look for more stray supplies.

A few more hours of searching lead the pair to a locked room, something that experience told him meant that either it was another dead end or a hidden treasure trove of supplies, and not wanting to go back to the safe house empty handed, he was ready to roll those dice.

Buddy gestured for the Prophet to stand guard as he picked the door’s lock, and as the door slowly creaked open, he was thankful that he couldn’t speak because the scream that came out from his mouth would’ve been loud enough to alert every monster in the studio.

The former gofer felt sick to his stomach when he saw them. Piles upon piles of rotting, mangled, corpses. Human Corpses, not toony corpses like the other Borises or the butchered up members of the Butcher gang. Most of them were unrecognizable, partly because he had never seen most of these people in his life, and partly because they had decayed so much that what remained was hard to figure out who was who and what. The oldest corpses were nothing but skeletons and clothes, and the freshest one looked like…

...Like his own body.

“The goldfish room...” The prophet muttered loud enough for Buddy to hear, startling the poor pup out of his skin as he didn’t hear him enter behind him.

The wolf shuddered and continued to scour the room for anything worth the hassle of all of this. Boris wanted to take a few of the bones, which Buddy unenthusiastically obliged.

“Don’t eat those!” The Prophet interjected so loudly and harshly that it startled both the former gofer and the wolf toon. The ink creature’s anger was so much scarier with how rare it was to see now. “Especially not him! He’s my-” The Prophet stopped itself by covering its ‘mouth’ with its hands as if it was about to reveal a big secret and just took the skeletal arm out of Buddy’s hands and put it back where he found it. Its voice went back to it’s normal calm tone that reminded him of someone who was on the verge of falling asleep, but Buddy heard somberness in the musician’s pitch. “...they’re unclean...”

‘Prophet?’ Buddy gave him the “go ahead, read my mind” gesture. ‘Prophet, what is this place? Who are these people?’

“...You’ve seen your own corpse among them, correct?”

Buddy nodded.

“I know you’ve met Joey, but tell me; ...Has he ever called you ‘Henry’ before?”

‘Yes he has, but what does that have to do with…’ he gestured at the bodies on the floor ‘this?!’

“Henry’s been gone for a long time now.” The prophet stated, but there was a hint of recollection in his tone that weakened the calmness, and the more he talked, the more broken (for lack of a better term) his voice became. “Do you think that you were Joey’s first replacement goldfish? That after Henry left the studio, you were Joey’s only other other Henry?”

Buddy’s ears began ringing and he heard music; it was loud, distorted, fast-paced, and all over the place, the type of music that makes your heart pound out of your chest and makes your hackles stand up, the type of music that tells you to run, but doesn’t clue you in to where or why. The prophet’s body started to shake and tremble.

“The first Other-Henry was actually named Henry as well. And like his predecessor, was an excellent artist who really connected with the characters...”

‘Sammy? What’s going on? do you hear this too?!’

“But unlike Stein, Ross was a very stubborn person who refused to let anyone push him around, especially by either Joey or myself. Surprisingly, I liked that man, but he didn’t last long...”

Fear kept Buddy’s legs frozen to the ground as he covered his ears in a fruitless attempt to muffle the music, it felt like it was being played directly in his head, and then it clicked when the whispers started up, whispers in their tone, but not in volume, they were loud enough to drown out parts of what the Prophet was saying;

‘Sammy help us!’

“The next one was more like you, a younger, less experienced and more skittish person, his first name was ‘Lawrence’ so everyone called him ‘Larry’ to avoid confusion...”

‘Sammy, where are you?’

“...But he was also too nosy for that poor boy’s own good.”

‘you’re too weak!’

“The one after that was a scatterbrained fellow, very passionate about his work but didn’t focus very much on one topic or another...”

The Prophet’s monologue was completely drowned out by the music and chorus of desperate and angry “Other Henries” at this point. Buddy knew he was still talking because of the musician’s gestures, but didn’t hear a single word out of him. 

‘Saaaaaammyyyyyyy....’ ‘You’re such a spineless coward...’ ‘Sammy please save us..!’ ‘Why did you let Joey kill us?’ ‘The ink... it’s so cold...’ ‘No wonder Susie hates you so much...’ ‘Sammy, please! It hurts!’ ‘Why did you let us die?’ ‘Why won’t you help us?’ ‘You’re no better than Joey.’ ‘Sammy, help us!’ ‘I thought you loved me...’ ‘Sammy, help us!’ ‘You promised me that you’d always be there!’ ‘Sammy, help us!’ ‘They were right about you...’ ‘Sammy, help us!’ ‘Saaaaaammyyyyyyy....’

He knew that the lost ones, searchers and Prophet could hear each others’ thoughts, but didn’t understand what that was like until now that he was hearing Sammy’s thoughts. No wonder most of them were always so depressed and on edge...

‘Sammy?’ the gofer shook Sammy gently, only to hear his own voice join the chorus of other Henries as one of the ones who sounded like he was mad at him. ‘Sammy, snap out of it!’ he shook the Prophet harder, still not waking the Ink creature out of its trance. ‘SAMMY!’ Doing the first thing that came to mind out of desperation, Buddy slapped the mask clean off of it.

The music and voices died as if they were a candle light snuffed out by the wind.

For a few seconds that felt more like hours, Buddy and Sammy stared at each other in silence before Sammy put its mask back on as if nothing happened and led the toon wolf out of the goldfish room, took a key out of its pocket and locked it behind them.

-----

Back in the safe house, Buddy started up a pot of bacon soup, the stuff tasted a little bit better when it was hot while Sammy tuned the banjo in the dining area and Dot tried to stir up conversation.

“So... how did the supply run go?”

“Fine.”

Buddy involuntarily let out a snort as he took the soup off the stove and took out his typewriter.

[It was the scariest one we’ve ever done so far.

While looking around for stuff, we ended up in this place S The Prophet called ‘the Goldfish room’ and it was filled with dead bodies. HUMAN dead bodies. And mine was in the pile! I couldn’t tell if it was haunted or if it was just the prophet’s thoughts going]

“Little wolf, I do not wish to think about that room again...”

[Sorry.]

The wolf sheepishly put the typewriter to the side and poured the soup into bowls. As the toon and lost one ate, the prophet mostly just stared into his bowl as if he was watching something in it.

“...Before my enlightenment, I was not a good person.” The masked musician stated unprompted.

“Huh?”

“I wasn’t an evil person per say, and I wouldn’t go as far as to call the man I used to be a monster.” He sighed and adjusted his mask. “But I was certainly a bad person, an asshole, a coward who hid behind physical strength, and I had more vices than virtues.”

[Prophet, what are you talking about?]

“I’m trying to answer the questions I know you have before either of you two pester them out of me. Maybe when you’re sated my Lord will allow me to forget again.”

[Are you sure? you seemed really upset back ...there.]

“Well look at it this way, maybe getting it off your chest will help you feel better about it?”

“I suppose...” The prophet sighed again.

“So what does you being a crackhead before finding the Ink Demon Religion have to do with a room full of dead bodies?”

“Dorthy!”

“...I’ll just listen before asking anything else.”

“Thank you.” It readjusted its mask. “Now where was I...” it hummed to itself for a bit before speaking again, with venom slowly but surly pooling into its words. “I had more vices than virtues, and Joey could see all of both, using my virtues to his advantage, and using my vices against myself, he did everything he could to keep me from leaving him too, and it worked.”

The prophet took in a deep breath to stabilize itself.

“Every time I tried to leave, he did something else to make me stay; ‘I love you’s turned to gifts, gifts to false promises, false promises to threats, threats to blackmail, blackmail to going through with it, and when he felt me slipping through his fingers he turned to taking advantage of my addictions... That... monster was a parasite in all aspects except physically... And I didn’t even notice until I might as well have been a walking corpse as I was seeing others march to my fate, but I couldn’t even so much as squeak out a warning without Joey swooping in on his behalf. Some Henries, heads of the art department, didn’t need to be warned by me as they found out what would await them and fled. But Joey didn’t like that... When I tried to warn the ones who needed to be warned, it was easy for him to dismiss me as a loon, a drunk, and an addict, until eventually I just gave up. I couldn’t even save myself, let alone anyone else... let alone the other art departments...”

“...I just stopped trying to keep Joey from leading the sheep to the slaughter, maybe they’re right to be angry at me for being such a coward...”

It then turned to face the wolf and put its hand on his shoulder.

“You’ve asked yourself if you’ve ever met me before the Ink had claimed me, as for that, I don’t know, nor do I think it matters, Buddy. I was nothing but a shallow and beaten husk of myself long before I even had tasted the ink. Even if you met me before then, you only met a ghost, not a person.”

The three then stayed in silence for a while before the clicks of Buddy’s typewriter caught the other two’s attention.

[Well, if it helps you any I think you’re not as bad of a person as you tell yourself you used to be.]

“And I don’t need to hear everyone’s thoughts to know that you’ve really stepped up to the plate when it counted. I don’t think a coward would try to do have the stuff you’re doing now.”

“Thanks you two” The Prophet’s voice cracked with emotion. “That... that really means a lot to me.”