#i still can't handle the trope of villainizing them

[toffeebrews]

I'm glad I'm past my petty phase but I had a petty phase where I resented the MTT because fics would often villainize or push aside the Star Sanses to put MTT in the limelight.

[liliacamethyst]

Webs of Fate - Miguel O'Hara (Part II)

Sequel to Web of Secrets

Miguel O'Hara x SpiderSun Reader

words: 5.2K

warnings: secret pregnancy trope, swearing, angst, heartbreak, grumpy/sunshine, smut, time jumps, not really comic accurate (canon events), semi public piv, 18+

Part I Part II Part III Part IV

You are all back at the Spider-Verse Headquarters and the atmosphere is tense. Everyone is still high on adrenaline from the mission. You’re nursing a deep gash on your arm but your spirit is far from broken.

Miguel, however, seems to be on the verge of an explosion.

“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT OUT THERE SPIDER SUN?” he bursts out, his voice echoing through the HQ.

You're taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“That reckless behavior! You could have been killed!” he roars. “Why didn’t you retreat when you were injured?!”

“Because there were lives at stake! I can handle myself, Miguel!” you shout back.

“You think this is a game?! You think being part of this team is just for kicks?” Miguel’s face is red, his voice strained.

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare question my dedication!” you yell, your own anger now matching his.

The team is watching, shifting uncomfortably. Gwen looks at Jess, who shakes her head. The room is thick with tension.

Alright, if you are being honest with yourself, your recent actions in the field could definitely be classified as reckless. Perhaps even bordering on idiotic - not that you’d ever confess that in front of Miguel. You didn’t know where your mind went. Wait, no, scratch that. You knew precisely where your thoughts were, every mission since you discovered your pregnancy has been like this; your spider senses dulled, focus scattered to the wind, and reflexes that would’ve made a sloth proud.

And then there was this mission – your first one in quite a while alongside Miguel. He was bound to notice.

So you were fighting an Electro variant from an alternate universe, alongside Jess, Gwen, Ben and Miguel. The electric villain was throwing bolts of energy left and right and everyone was giving their all. You noticed a civilian trapped under some debris. You made a beeline for them, not thinking about anything else.

As you lifted the debris, an energy bolt flew straight for you. Usually, your Spider-Senses would have alerted you but not today. It hit you square in the back and sent you flying.

You hit a wall but ignored the pain as you scrambled back to your feet. A sharp ache spread across your arm but you gritted your teeth and kept fighting.

Miguel yelled, “What the hell are you doing?! Fall back!”

But you didn’t, you kept pushing forward.

He landed next to you, his eyes filled with anger and something else, maybe a hint of worry. He grabbed your waist to pull you back. But as another energy bolt was coming your way, you shoved him out of the path, taking the hit for the second time. So yeah, you could say that this mission wasn't exactly the shining star in your superhero career.

“ESTÚPIDA! So damn stupid. I won’t fucking watch someone throw their life away recklessly!” Miguel was now yelling loudly in oyur face for everyone in the HQ to hear.

“Oh, please. What’s it to you? Since when do you care, Miguel?!” you shout back, finally having enough of his insufferable attitude. “All this time, you’ve treated me like I’m dispensable. Like I don't matter! Well, guess what? I can fight, I can make decisions, and I don’t need you to approve them!”

“Don’t!” Miguel's voice cracks, and for a brief second, there’s a look of hurt on his face that surprises you. But his rage quickly replaces it. “I cannot do this anymore with you, ¿me entiendes?” he yells.

The room falls silent. Everyone’s gazes dart between you and Miguel. You can feel Gwen’s worried eyes on you, and Ben Riley. looks like he wants to intervene, but this moment is too charged.

You take a deep breath, tears welling up. “I can't do this anymore either,” you whisper.

“What?” Miguel's voice is barely audible.

“I can't keep fighting for a team where I’m not respected or trusted. Where you treat me constantly like a liability, like I am worth nothing to you,” you say, your voice steadier now.

“You don’t know what you are saying,” Miguel says, his tone slightly softening.

You turn around, your eyes welling up once again and open a portal to your universe. “I do, I quit” you say, your voice breaking.

You reach into your pocket and pull out your transdimensional gizmo, the small device that every Spider-person uses to travel across the multiverse. It's an intricate piece of technology, a blend of science and magic that fits in the palm of your hand.

You toss the device on the table in front of Miguel. It skids across the surface before coming to a stop right in front of him. He looks from the gizmo to you, his expression unreadable.

"Take it. We don’t need it anymore." You say defiantly, meeting his gaze.

Everyone knows the implication of you returning the gizmo. Without it, you're effectively stranded in your universe, unable to return to the society. This isn't a decision made lightly, it's a point of no return.

As you step through the portal, you glance back one last time. You see Miguel’s face, contorted in pain, but he doesn’t move, he doesn’t speak and he doesn't stop you.

Your heart is breaking, but you can’t stay here. Not when it’s this painful.

You turn away and head toward the portal room, with one hand lightly grazing your tummy. Gwen calls your name, but you don’t stop.

In the dim light of the room, the world seems to fade away as you lie there with Miguel on top of you. You are under him, breathless, your fingers running through his hair. His body pins you down in a tender, electrifying way, and you can feel the rhythm of his heart beating against yours.

His fangs graze the curve of your neck lightly, eliciting a shiver that runs through you. In response, he nuzzles into you, his breath warm against your skin.

"Ever think about what we're doing?" he asks in a whisper that vibrates against your neck.

"Constantly," you respond, your fingers tracing the curve of his broad shoulders, "but I don’t regret it, not a moment.”

He lifts his head, his red orbs searching yours. “Neither do I,” he says, his voice barely more than a whisper. His hand reaches up to trace the contour of your face.

"You know," you whisper, your hands continuing caressing his back, "I always wondered what it was like in your universe, in your time."

He shifts a little, propping himself up on one elbow as he looks down at you. His eyes, usually as unreadable, now seem to crack open; emotions swirl within them like stars.

"It was great, you know," his voice is gentle, each word enveloping you. "No, more than that – it was perfect," he corrects himself. His eyes never leave yours as he continues, "I had my Gabriella. Ah, you would have adored her." His voice softens to a mere whisper as if speaking her name too loudly might shatter the memory. "She was this incredible burst of life just like you. My own little sunshine. I didn’t know my heart could hold so much until she came into my life."

"The way she would throw her head back and laugh, it was like music. Her tiny hands – so soft and gentle. I remember how one of them always found mine, and the world felt... right." He continued, "I was never alone, never empty." He swallows hard, as if trying to keep the flood of emotions from washing over him.

You cup his cheek gently, smiling up at him. "You don't have to be alone, you know?"

He lets out a dry chuckle. “Sometimes it feels like there's no other option. It’s my fate."

“What scares you the most, Miguel?” you suddenly ask, your voice barely above a whisper.

He hesitates. “To lose myself… to forget what it means to care for someone,” he finally confesses.

“You won’t,” you assure him, your thumb stroking his cheek. “Not if you don’t let yourself.”

“¿y tú?” His voice is husky. “What’s your biggest fear?”

“To be forgotten,” you whisper.

He lowers himself and presses his forehead against yours. “Imposible,” he breathes. “You’re the sun. No one forgets the sun.”  He pulls you closer, pressing a soft kiss to your lips, his arms tighten around you, pulling you closer until the world outside disappears.

Suddenly, his wrist console beeps, yanking him back to the present. "O’Hara, are you okay?" Lyla's voice echoes in the room, breaking the silence. He blinks, his gaze focusing on the holographic screen displaying the mission details in front of him. "Yeah, Lyla," he responds, his voice a bit hoarse. "Just remembered something," he murmurs, and refocuses on the screen before him.

Amidst the sea of codes and numbers, Miguel finds himself struggling to focus. His thoughts still are consumed by you, and a heavy realization crashes down upon him like a tidal wave - he’s lost you forever.

He always knew that this was how it was meant to be. This was the only logical conclusion, the inevitable outcome that he had tried so hard to deny. He was aware of the potential repercussions, the cosmic imbalance that could be brought about by your intertwining fates. 

Lyla had warned him multiple times, cautioned him against letting you close. But how could he have possibly resisted you? You, who shone brighter than the sun, who captured the hearts of everyone around with your aura and your kind soul. Your beauty was unparalleled, and your laughter had the power to fill a room, casting away shadows. He was a moth drawn to your flame, hopelessly captivated from the very first day he met you.

 But you were never meant to be his story, not the path his life was meant to tread. You belonged to another world, another universe.

"You're thinking about her, aren't you?" Lyla breaks the silence with her smooth, computerized voice. “No,” he interrupts her sharply, his voice a little too forceful.

But Lyla isn't easily deterred. "You know it was dangerous from the beginning, Miguel," Lyla continues. "Engaging with her like that...it could have caused irreparable damage to the multiverse."

"I know," he replies curtly.

Unyielding, Lyla continues, "This was never supposed to be a canon event. Her universe is not meant to mix with yours. It's fortunate that she left when she did. The damage could've been—"

“I KNOW!” Miguel suddenly erupts, his voice thundering through the room. He screams, his frustration boiling over, "¡Ya lo sé, Lyla! ¡Basta ya!" ("I already know, Lyla! Enough already!") With a loud grunt, he sweeps his arm across his desk, sending his keyboard, mug, and various other items crashing to the ground.

There is a deafening silence as Miguel breathes heavily, his chest heaving. His eyes are wide, his face is flushed and his fangs are bared. He never loses control, not like this.

Lyla, for once, remains silent.

3 months later…

Back in Nea Yorkey, Earth 586 , you are perched on the rooftop, absentmindedly rubbing your stomach. Time has passed since you left Nueva York and Miguel, but your feelings for him are still a tangled mess. Damn these pesky pregnancy hormones.

 For once, it’s pretty calm out there. No honking horns in traffic jams or the usual buzz of people everywhere. It’s like the city hit the pause button and honestly, it’s kind of nice. The streetlights are like tiny fairy lights all over, and the tall buildings around you feel like they’re keeping you company.

The cool breeze brushes against your face, and you can't help but be lost in your thoughts. Thoughts of him. The relentless flood of emotions is almost too much to handle.

The flashback hits you hard, placing you right back in Miguel's office late one evening. Your legs were wrapped around his waist, your backside planted firmly on his desk amidst strewn cables and metallic pieces and half-empty coffee mugs.

"Miguel, someone will catch us," you had warned, your breath hitching as he nipped at your skin, his hands deftly moving to undo your skintight suit. His hair was a little longer then, the ends tickling your forehead as he kissed you.

He had just chuckled, the sound deep and throaty, making your heart flutter. "They know better than to disturb me," he'd responded confidently, his lips trailing fiery kisses along your jawline.

Usually, Miguel was cautious about showing any sign of affection when others might be around, even if 'around' meant anywhere in the sprawling headquarters of the Spider Society. Yet, that night, he seemed to throw caution to the wind.

In his enclosed office, late into the evening, he let his guard down - a rarity. His lips were insistent against your skin, his touch setting you alight. You remember how the soft glow of the desk lamp had caught in his eyes, making them appear even more mesmerizing.

As he was holding your ass up steady and pounding into you, in a pace and fervor you never experienced before, you hear his communicator ring vibrating. You instinctively attempt to pull away, assuming he would answer the call, but he holds you tighter, his lips never leaving your skin.

His free hand pulls up a holographic screen,which flickered to life above the desk, revealing a slightly pixelated image of Jess. You panic for a moment, worried that she might see you in this intimate moment with Miguel, but he just shook his head slightly, reassuring you that she can't. He must have filtered the video feed on his end.

“Yes, Jess?” Miguel’s voice was steady, but his breath ghosted your neck in short spurts. He continued with his action, his thrusts a little slower but deep, nevertheless. You clamp your teeth down onto Miguel's shoulder in a desperate attempt to stifle the moans escaping your throat, your senses overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment. You can barely contain yourself. Miguel's soft, amused chuckle vibrate through you as he wraps his arms around you protectively. Asshole.

“We’ve got an anomaly on Earth-4067, seems like a temporal rift,” Jess's voice came through the hologram.

“Have you tried the Q-particle stabilizer?” Miguel asks, his voice so casual it's almost disarming. His eyes meet yours, a playful glint in them.

“Yeah, but it didn’t work. The rift is actually growing,” Jess responds, the worry in her voice increasing. “What do you think we should do?”

“Alright, I want you to reconfigure the dimensional frequency to match the rift. Then patch the satellite feed through the Alchemax algorithm, reverse the temporal frequency by 4.7 hertz and use the resonance pulse to stabilize the rift,” Miguel articulates with authority as he continues to pick up his pace. You’re close to the edge, with the euphoria threatening to make you cry out. The sheer pleasure is now tinged with a faint edge of pain, and a wave of panic crashes over you. The thought of Jess possibly hearing you is nerve-wracking, and you’re now fighting to suppress your screams.

Your breathing becomes erratic as you whisper in a hoarse, needy voice, “Miguel, ‘m close."

"I know, mami. Come for me," he whispers back, his voice filled with a playful mischief that seems to defy the gravity of the situation. His hot breath against your ear sends shivers down your spine and the wave of pleasure crushes down on you.

“Miguel, are you sure about this? I mean, if something goes wrong…” Jess hesitates.

“I’m sure, Jess.” Thrust. “Do.” Another hard thrust. “it.” Miguel’s voice turns forceful.

“Okay, I trust you. But... are you alright? You sound kinda breathless,” Jess's suspicion returns.

“Oh, just...uh...running some diagnostics. It’s a bit stuffy in here,” Miguel replies with a smirk on his face, his fingers now gently brushing against your bare heated skin.

The rooftop is silent again, and you're still rubbing your belly, where the life you and Miguel created is growing. A bittersweet tear rolls down your cheek as you wish, not for the first time, that things could have been different.

You don’t know how long you are sitting there, taking in the city scene. But it was getting dark, when a familiar figure swings onto the rooftop. It's Gwen, carrying a small package in her hand. “Gwen? What brings you to Nea Yorkey?”

She walks up to you with a soft smile, "Do I need a reason to visit my favourite Spider-Ma? I've got something for you."

You raise an eyebrow as she hands you the package. As you unwrap it, you find a tiny Spider-Man hat, similar to the one Mayday usually wears. And to your surprise, there’s a tiny anarchy pin, attached to it.

"From the group," she says softly. She adds, pointing at the pin, "This bit here, that’s from Hobie." Of course it is.

You’re moved to tears as you hug the hat close. It's a simple gift, yet it means so much. You feel a lump in your throat, and Gwen steps forward, wrapping you in a warm, comforting hug.

"I...I miss all of you so much," you manage to whisper, your voice choked with emotion.

"We miss you too," Gwen replies, her voice equally soft.

You pull back, wiping your eyes. Gwen tries to lighten the mood, "So, any guesses on the gender? I bet it’s a boy."

You shrug, a small smile tugging at your lips, "I don't care what it's going to be. I just want them to be healthy."

Gwen grins, "Just remember, if it is a boy and he turns out to be a handful, you owe me a soda."

You both sit on the edge of the rooftop in a comfortable silence, legs swinging over the city, the conversation turns more serious.

"So," you venture, "how are things back at the Spider Society?"

Gwen’s expression turns contemplative. "It's been... strange since you left," she admits.

"Strange how?" you prod.

"Well, you know how Miguel was always a little on the, uh, grumpy side?" she says, making a grimace.

"You mean being a brooding fortress of doom and gloom?" you quip, and Gwen chuckles.

"Yeah, that. Well, he's gotten worse since you left. Like, way worse," Gwen's face turns somber as she continues. "He’s even more closed off than before. His temper’s shorter, he barely communicates, and he's been pushing everyone away. Miguel’s basically got everyone on lockdown. No unauthorized visits between universes. There’s this... I don’t know... this cloud hanging over him, you know?”

Your heart tightens as you take in her words. You had no idea that your departure had such an impact on him, or anyone for that matter.

“He doesn’t talk about it, but I think he misses you,” Gwen adds, looking directly into your eyes.

You are torn. Part of you wants to be angry at Miguel for how things went down, but another part aches for him.

Gwen nudges you. "Maybe he needs his sunshine back," she says with a gentle smile.

You sit in silence for a moment, the weight of Gwen’s words sinking in. “Don’t be silly. I was never his sunshine.”

4 months later…

Beneath the pale glow of hospital lights, pain and joy mingle in the delivery room. The grip you have on the sheets gets tighter as you push to usher your baby into the world. Your hair is sticking to your forehead, your breath comes in heaving gasps, exhaustion painting dark circles under your eyes.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to you, a portal flickers to life outside your window, and Gwen, Peter B., and Hobie emerge.

“Make way! The party has arrived!” Peter B. exclaims loudly.

“I don’t believe in parties.” Hobie says as he struts in, clad in his Spider suit with a leather jacket over it, pins and patches proudly displayed.

Gwen knocks at your door. The midwife, busy with you in the labor, answers.

“Uh, who are you?” the midwife asks, slightly agitated.

“We’re friends of hers,” Peter gestures towards you, “is it a good time?”

You hear their voices, but you cant muster up a response all you can do is scream and push.

“Blimey, I didn’t think it’d be like somethin’ outta Alien! You alright there, love?” Hobie’s eyes go wide, as he enters the room.

You can't help but laugh through the pain, "Oh, just peachy, thanks for asking."

Gwen steps forward, immediately grabbing your hand, her voice soothing, “Hey, you’re doing great. Is there anything we can do?”

“You could get Hobie out of here,” you jest, rolling your eyes, but your smile betrays your appreciation. Another loud scream follows.

“You got this, luv!” Hobie shouts. “Just imagine the bloody contractions as guitar riffs! You’re about to release the raddest album in history!”

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, you hear the cries of your newborn baby.

“Congratulations, it's a boy!” the nurse announces, handing the baby to to you.

You can’t help but laugh. Gwen steps closer to the bed and takes a peek at the baby. Her eyes light up. “Told you, it’s a boy. He’s absolutely beautiful,” she whispers.

Hobie chimes in. “Alright, let’s get a proper look at the little bloke!” He leans in, and his face softens. "Oh, look at 'im!" Hobie exclaims in his thick British accent, peering at him. "Little blighter's a spitting image of 'is mum, ain't he?” No. You see it then, the dark eyes with a hint of red glow echo the intensity of his father's gaze, the dark chocolate hair and the sun kissed complexion. He looked undeniably just like Miguel. You cant help yourself but fall immediately in love with your and Miguel’s little boy.

As they prepare to leave, Gwen, Peter B., and Hobie each take turns holding Gabriel and whispering well-wishes to him. 

“I can’t thank you guys enough for being here,” you say, wiping away a tear.

Peter’s mask is off and he’s beaming. "We couldn't miss this for the multiverse!"

Gwen follows suit, "Yeah! Plus, Hobie wouldn't let us hear the end of it if we didn’t."

“We’re family,” Peter says firmly. “Across universes and timelines. We’re always here for each other.”

With that, the trio put on their masks and with another whoosh, they're gone.

1 year later...

One year has passed like a whirlwind. You've established a balance in your life. By day, you are a doting mother, and your world revolves around a little ball of energy named Gabriel. His laugh is the music that fuels your day, and his tiny hands holding yours make everything seem alright.

At night, though, you become someone else. Clad in a white suit adorned with golden sun patterns, you swing through the skyscrapers of Nea Yorkey as the Sun Spider. Your heart swells with pride, knowing that you’re keeping the streets and your little boy safe.

Your neighbor, Melissa, sometimes babysits Gabriel. She is a cheerful, quirky 19-year-old neighbor who dreams of becoming an Instagram influencer. You trust her (her career choice not so much) and, most importantly, Gabriel adores her.

Up until today, you believed that he hadn't inherited any powers. However, today was the first time he climbed up a wall and spun a web, without the aid of a web-slinger. It was the first time you witnessed him display such powers, and naturally, you were impressed. However, you also realized that being a mom would now involve dealing with a whole new set of challenges and responsibilities, making everyday life more exhausting than before. But you are up for the challenge;

Meanwhile, in the Spider Society’s HQ in Nueva York, Lyla’s holographic screen blinks red as she detects an anomaly in Earth 586 - your universe. She reports it to Miguel, who is still his grumpy self, seemingly even more irritable with each day passing.

“There’s a presence in Earth 586 that does not belong,” Lyla reports in her emotionless tone.

Miguel, sitting at his desk, sighs deeply. “Assemble the team. Pavitr, Lego Spider-Man, and... let’s bring in the newbie, Miles.”

Minutes later, the trio is briefed about the anomaly – a two-year-old child. They are to extract the child and bring it back.

Back in your universe, you're facing off against a notorious villain – The Shocker, who is on a rampage downtown. His high-frequency shock waves shake the very foundations of the buildings around you.

“Not tonight, Shocker,” you quip as you dodge a blast. “I’ve got a bedtime story to read!”

You're agile and sharp, but you can’t wait to get back home to Gabriel.

In your apartment, Melissa is on the couch, engrossed in her phone. She doesn't notice Pavitr slyly slipping into Gabriel's room. He can’t help but feel conflicted, seeing the innocent child asleep.

“This is the target?” Pavitr speaks in a hushed tone into his communicator. His voice is laced with doubt.

“Yes, proceed,” responds Miguel firmly.

Pavitr gently picks up Gabriel, cradling him in his arms. “Sorry, little guy,” he whispers and slips out.

Outside, they gather near the portal. Miles, who is visibly excited to be on his first mission, can sense the tension among the group.

“That was… too easy,” Pavitr murmurs, still holding the sleeping child.

Through the swirling portal, they make their way back to Nueva York.

Meanwhile, you web up The Shocker and leave him hanging for the police.

Back in the Spider Society's HQ in Nueva York, the team stands in a specialized containment room with the toddler still peacefully sleeping nestled in a makeshift bed of spider-web, completely oblivious to the attention he's attracting. One by one, members of the Spider Society trickle into the room, drawn by curiosity and concern.

Miles, who is new to the Spider Society, looks at the child with confusion. "I don't get it, what's so dangerous about a kid?" he asks.

Pavitr looks conflicted, “We have to determine where he came from and why he is considered an anomaly.”

Lego Spider-Man remains silent, trying to analyze the situation. He finally speaks up. "We should be cautious. Just because it's a child doesn't mean it's not potentially hazardous to the multiverse."

Miguel enters the room, his face cold and emotionless. He glances at the sleeping child, then at his team. “It doesn’t matter what it is. Anomalies threaten the balance of the multiverse. Every anomaly has to be returned to its home universe. That’s the rule.” he says sternly.

"But he's not an anomaly, boss," Jess adds, gazing fondly at the child. "He's a little boy."

Miguel’s gaze is unwavering, ignoring Jess. “Lyla? Whats the status?” 

Lyla's holographic form flickers into the room. "This entity possesses unknown powers," she declares, her voice ringing out with clinical detachment. "And according to my scans, it doesn't belong to any known universe. Therefore, it cannot be returned. It must be... eliminated."

Miles' eyes widen. “Wait, you mean…?” he can’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

Pavitr steps forward, his fists clenched. “We can’t just... There must be another way.”

Back in your universe, you swing closer to your apartment, but your spider-sense starts are tingling with a ferocity you’ve never experienced before. Your heart races, and you quicken your pace. Bursting through the window, you find Melissa still sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone.

"Where is he? Where’s Gabriel?!" you shout, panic straining your voice.

Melissa's eyes go wide as she looks up from her phone. "What? He's in his room, sleeping," she says, but her voice falters when she sees the terror on your face.

You rush into Gabriel's room and find the crib empty. Your knees buckle, and a guttural scream escapes your lips. The room spins as you run back to the living room, grabbing Melissa by the shoulders.

"Did anyone come in? Did you see anything?!" you practically scream at her.

“I... I didn’t see anyone. I swear!” Melissa's voice shakes.

Your heart feels like it's tearing apart. You look around the room, desperate for any clue. You need to find your son, and something deep within you tells you that the Spider Society is where you need to go. You have to find a way to travel through the multiverse without a gizmo and the time is ticking. You have to find your son.

Back in the HQ in the midst of the tension-filled room, Gwen stands up, "Miguel, you can't be serious," she pleads, disbelief resonating in her voice. "We can't just... kill a baby.”

Miguel's eyes narrow. "Sometimes tough decisions have to be made for the greater good.”

Just then, little Gabriel wakes up. His big eyes wander curiously around the room, and he starts to make happy babbling sounds. Unfazed by his surroundings, he looks at each of the Spider-People with fascination.

As Peter B. is about to reach down to pick Gabriel up, the toddler crawls quickly over to Miguel. His little face lights up with the purest of smiles and he reaches his tiny arms towards Miguel as if trying to give him a hug.

The room seems to collectively hold its breath. Even Miguel seems taken aback.

Pavitr can't help it, “He seems to have taken a liking to you, boss.”

Gwen smiles, her eyes watering up. “See? Even this innocent soul can sense there’s still good in you.”

Tiny fingers grip at the fabric of Miguel's suit, baby Gabriel coos and giggles as he clambers up the towering figure. Planting tiny baby kisses on any part of Miguel he can reach, the toddler's joyous laughter rings in the silent room. "Vete, Vete." Miguel mutters. And despite Miguel's cold exterior, Gabriel is unphased, drawn to him as though an invisible bond exists between them.

Miguel looks frustrated and uncomfortable with the baby's affection. He awkwardly picks Gabriel up at arm’s length. But the little one is relentless, trying to cuddle into Miguel’s chest.

Annoyed, Miguel places Gabriel into a containment field made of energy beams, to keep him in place. The baby, though restrained, is still reaching out to Miguel with his tiny hands, cooing.

The room goes quiet again, and Gwen speaks, her voice soft.

“Look at him, Miguel. Please. You can’t tell me that this doesn’t affect you in any way.”

Miguel's face is tense, his jaw clenched. His eyes dart between Gwen and Gabriel. All eyes are directed towards Miguel. The room feels like it’s waiting for something to shatter.

“We do what needs to be done, no exceptions.”

Part III "Web of Shadow and Light"

a/n: Honestly, I can't begin to express how much your support and kind messages mean to me. I literally started crying when I saw how much love this story received. It means the world to me. Truly, thank you. I'd love to hear your thoughts, and if someone could give me a heads-up on whether the tag list functioned properly, that would be great. Also, apologies for any inconsistencies or logical errors regarding the multiverse or canon theory. I watched the movie but I'm not 100% sure of that's how it works.

Once again, I really do appreciate each and everyone of you. Please, don’t forget to take good care of yourselves and stay hydrated! ILYSM

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[ultimateshixiongfuckertournament]

Canonicals Tournament FINAL

The final is between Luo Binghe from The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System (shizun: Shen Qingqiu) and Mo Ran from The Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun (shizun: Chu Wanning)

Propaganda under the cut! (Warning: Propaganda may include spoilers about the characters and their media)

Luo Binghe:

Luo Binghe's shizun Shen Qingqiu caused his sexual awakening and they lived together with Luo Binghe acting similar to a housewife.

Even after being betayed, stabbed, and pushed into the Endless Abyss, Luo Binghe still loved Shen Qingqiu and wanted answers instead of revenge. Instead he had to repeatedly suffer his shizun dying in his arms and assumed abandonment. Which makes him absolutely lose it, made even worse by his evil sword Xin Mo which worsens all of his negative emotions and destroys its hosts, along with additional trauma over the course of the story.

He reused the sword that his shizun sacrificed himself to free him from, cuddles the corpse every night for five years to preserve it, he creates dreams of their happy years together but never made a Shen Qingqiu that would speak to him, he kidnapped and destroyed cultivators' cores so he could feed xin mo and preserve sqq's corpse, he rebuilds their house in his demonic palace, he spent years fixing sqq's destroyed cultivation and trying to revive him, he forces Shen Qingqiu live in that new house, he rescues and repeatedly puts himself in harms way to protect sqq, he tries to destroy the world so Shen Qingqiu can only love him (due to being driven mad by Xin Mo and his believed abandonment by sqq). He tries to kill himself after Shen Qingqiu dies for him again. He would do absolutely ANYTHING for Shen Qingqiu! He's increadibly jealous of everyone Shen Qingqiu gives attention to, including stairsweeps he smiles at. Luo Binghe has sooo much wrong with him and it makes him so lovable. He's so incredibly traumatized, driven by love and desperation for a majority of the story. He loves Shen Qingqiu so much and can't bear to live without him.

After everything? He lets Shen Qingqiu go, wanting him to be happy even if it means sqq won't stay with him. But sqq wanted to stay together! He gets his man! There is in world porn written about them, they have weird kinky sex inspired by the porn, they get married! Luo Binghe cries regularly for sqq, so sqq can dote on him despite his thin face. Luo Binghe is shameless and adores sqq. Lbh got so nervous that he fell flat on his face when proposing! Lbh loves sqq so much and wants him to be happy more than anything else!

More on disciple era:

Luo Binghe's sexual awakening was his shizun tied up and shirtless. He fell in love after Shen Qingqiu got poisoned protecting him. He moved into his shizun's house and handled all of the cooking and cleaning, would regularly fake fall into Shen Qingqiu during training to get hugs. He got a boner from being forcibly cuddled to heal his injuries. And ran to jump into a lake after being spanked for struggling too much during the forced cuddling. Sqq still never noticed lbh's affections.

--

It took him like 3(three) interactions with nice shizun (transmigrator who replaced his old one) to fall irrevocably in love. baby boy was ready he had mommy issues daddy issues and honestly by that time shizun issues too... luckily his new shizun can fill all those roles and more!

#lbh is THE shizunfucker

#binghe calling him shizun is a kink at some point its definitely him

#vote binghe!!#he wanted to fuck shizun so much that shizun died twice for him

#... i mean. luo binghe is a satire of the shizun fuckers character trope. hes an exageration of it so hes Very It

#luo binghe#again its basically a kink for him as well that puts it on another level

#cmon man#binghe is THE shizun fucker#activily has to be told to not call his husband shizun during sex

#binghe is THE shizunfucker supreme. no competition.

Mo Ran:

*gestures helplessly at the whole damn book*

#Mo 'I died and went into the past after the teacher I hated died in my arms and I dream of him every night' Ran???#of course its him

#vote for Mo ran I’m sorry but he is the emperor shizunfucker of all the shizunfuckers#he is the man the myth the legend#he’s the one you think of immediately when someone says shizunfucker

Extra Propaganda here. There are 3 versions of Mo Ran throughout Erha and every single one of them either wants to or did fuck their Shizun. Even in the darkest timeline when he thought he hated CWN more than anyone he fucked him. This boy is obsessed.

#mo ran 100%#he truly has the shizunfucker mentality

#mo ran#HAS TO WIN#he wants to fuck his Shizun so bad

#but it's gotta be mo ran#the all-time shizunfucker in this world that world and beyond

[cripplecharacters]

Hello! I know this is a very broad question, but it's one I consistently run into when writing characters with any disability, so hopefully you guys can at least give some tips!

A lot of the time, the stories I write are tragedies, and so many of the major characters end up either being bad people, or making bad decisions. Usually I start with writing why the character is tragic, then creating an outline of things that may have led them to be this way, which include outside influences and internal traits. Sometimes when I continue to flesh out the character, I realize that some traits could be attributed to living with a disability. Though I consider implementing that disability into how I develop the character, I run into the problem that this character could now be interpreted as being a bad person because of their disability.

As much as I want to include disability in my stories, I'm worried about perpetuating stereotypes or creating caricatures where disability = bad. How do I include disability in tragedies while still being respectful, and while keeping it an important part of their character?

Hello!

We've answered asks about writing disabled villains or otherwise "bad" characters in the past, one of which I've linked here. Even if your characters aren't necessarily villains or bad people, a lot of the information there can be applicable here as well.

Writing disabled characters as bad people or people that make bad decisions from time to time is good! Far too often people think that disabled people are always nice little angels who can't do anything wrong, which simply isn't true. Disabled people are still people, we can make bad decisions. This is something I'd personally like to see more in stories, honestly.

That being said, this is a subject that should be handled carefully, especially given the history of tropes such as the Evil Cripple trope [Link] and the Good Prosthetic, Evil Prosthetic trope [Link], which also equates morality to mobility aids.

One thing that is very important is to make sure that your disabled character isn't the only person making these bad decisions or being a bad person. If you have a cast of characters that are all making these bad choices, then it's generally fine. Your disabled character isn't being singled out as a bad person (Though, keep in mind that doing the opposite and writing them as the only morally good person is also harmful).

Another thing to consider is that if you do have your disabled character be an especially bad person, make sure to have another disabled character that is more on the good side of things. Of course, in stories where everyone is making bad decisions or being a bad person, this is a bit more difficult to do.

Something else to consider is which traits you're giving to characters with which disabilities. A lot of disabilities have certain tropes or associations that should generally be avoided, especially if they're the only character with that trait.

For example, if your only character with a missing eye is a super villain, that's a problem. If your only character with dwarfism is always/often angry, that's a problem. If your only character with facial scarring is a bitter/angry person, that's a problem.

The other big thing is to make sure that your disabled character's disability isn't the reason that they're acting badly. The post I linked talks about this a bit but essentially, if your character is only a bad person because of their disability or the circumstances around it, what do you think that's saying to your disabled readers?

Cheers,

~ Mod Icarus

[oswaldthatendswald]

This is not a new observation, but I think One Piece handles Doflamingo's backstory-- how it continues to affect his behavior and choices, as well as how it fits into the overall story-- exceptionally well. The villain who is evil due to a tragic past is a very well-established trope, but it is increasingly done quite poorly. Attempts to flesh out a villain and garner sympathy for them can become misguided justifications for their actions or goals, muddying the themes and tone of a story. My point isn't that morally complex characters can't be interesting when done competently and purpose; it's that when the villain with a tragic past is meant to be evil but his past becomes a justification, the writers' intended dynamics of the story are damaged.

Doflamingo's story never has that problem. His backstory makes it perfectly clear why he does the things he does, but it never implies that he is right to do them. It is a reason, not an excuse. The reader gets the sense that Doflamingo is very much the product of his childhood: first the golden excess of a Celestial Dragon, then the abrupt fall from grace into hatred and pain. It's the perfect storm to set a person down the worst paths possible.

But I think the reader might also feel (or at least I did) that this wasn't a fate set in stone. Doflamingo could have unlearned the ideology of a Noble and perhaps that the harm done to him doesn't justify further harm-- except that the only guidance he ever got was worship by Trebol and the other Executives, who were the nail in the coffin for any redemption Doflamingo might have had. Their appearance only validated and affirmed the beliefs Doflamingo already held regarding his place in the world.

Instead of ham-handed sympathy bait, Doflamingo's backstory is a beautifully executed extension of the worldbuilding and themes already present in the story. It is another tragedy in a world of tragedies, another story where children are put through hell. But without the external guidance and support the heroes get, Doflamingo takes the other path, becoming another perpetrator of tragedies, and a reminder that our heroes are the people they are as much (or more) because of the love and mentorship they had than due to innate goodness. It's the road less traveled, but they still might have traveled it.

[flightfoot]

Marinette Completed Angst Fic Reclist

I know some people really like this genre, so I figured I'd make a list for it! These will obviously all be completed, and none of them will be bashing fics, and PLEASE don't rec any fics on this post that are bashing fics, I don't want to see them.

Some of these will have my own commentary about the fic attached to it, for if I've put them on a previous reclist where I had that commentary written out. But a lot of the older fics won't.

For a fic to count for this, the angst Marinette goes through can't just be her being upset about what someone else is going through, though the angst of the fic doesn't only need to be hers, so long as she has her own angst which is a decently prominent part of the fic.

---

one does not love breathing by @wackus-bonkus-maximus

All of Paris watched as Hawkmoth murdered Chat Noir, taking the Black Cat Miraculous for himself. Ladybug swears revenge, but her enemy—and every miraculous in his possession—disappear without a trace.

Six years later, a new team of villains launches an attack for the last remaining Miraculous: Volpina, armed with new powers; Queen Bee, with questionable loyalty; Argos, the new holder of the Peacock Miraculous; and Cat Walker, who Ladybug hates the most.

Takes place after S4 - Strike Back.

This is a simply phenomenal fic. You get to explore a lot of different perspectives, like Felix, Kagami, Marinette, and Adrien’s, just to name a few, and see their different thought processes and plans and priorities, and how it can cause their plans to collide with each other, even when they all ultimately are aiming for a good outcome for everyone. The characters are pretty complex and can mess up at times, even when they’re doing things (or not doing things, looking at you Luka) with the best of intentions. It was a joy to read and a real nail-biter the whole time, I actually wrote a fic for it halfway through just to resolve some of the tension for myself, One Does Not Love Shadows.

It also features the version of Luka I’ve connected best with to date, as he feels like Luka, but also is a lot more fleshed out, and can make some major errors while simply trying to avoid missteps. It’s helped me get a better handle on a character who I’ve generally had a lot of problems with really understanding.

It is an M-rated fic, though I think Wackus is being overly cautious on that front. There’s no sexual content and I wouldn’t put the violence or gore above a T-rating, so I wouldn’t let the rating scare you off.

---

you don’t even know me at all (but I was made for loving you) by @ladyofthenoodle

They didn’t remember each other. The hospital told them there’d been an accident—brain damage—but Alya had told them the truth, later. Who’d they’d been to each other. What they’d given up, and why. But even with their memories of each other gone, Adrien and Marinette are still inextricably tied together—by law, by their social circles, and by their hearts. And in the apartment they share, there’s only one bed.

Yep, it’s the “there was only one bed” trope XD! I especially love how it was used here, how Adrien and Marinette are strangers now but they had a whole life together, and they pine for each other even without remembering, and how Marinette just can’t believe how in love with her Adrien is even though he doesn’t remember her. I loved the emotional turmoil the two of them went through together in the fic, and the resolution, it’s great!

---

fine line by @bbutterflies

“Catwalker?” Loveybug asks. “Hmm?” “Do you remember… what happened before us?” “What do you mean?” “Before we were heroes. Was there someone else?” Catwalker goes quiet for a moment. “I don’t know,” he finally says.

This is a surprisingly angsty take on the Loveybug AU. Here, since the Loveybug and Cat Walker transformations are so unnatural, they’re having negative side effects on Marinette and Adrien, causing them to be constantly exhausted and even to get amnesia the longer they continue using them.

---

do you think I have forgotten about you? by @roseinaugust

Based on the song ‘About You’ by The 1975. Memory Loss. Told in alternating time lines, one leading up to and one dealing with the aftermath of Marinette relinquishing the Miracle Box and the guardianship. Marinette struggles with her life after losing her memory, though there is a persistent voice that calls to her that always seems just out of reach in her memory.

Beautiful memory loss fic here, with seeing Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s relationship before she gave up the Miracle box, juxtaposed with the present day, when Adrien is only a stranger to her. I could really feel how Marinette was struggling with navigating these new circumstances, with her friends seeming to expect her to remember, to be who she was to them, to Adrien especially, before, and her just… not knowing whether she can do that. It’s got a happy ending though, for those who are concerned about that.

---

Our Tales Are Endless (That’s Why I Tell Them) by @joonapeach

Marinette lives a simple life - one surrounded by pretty dresses, fresh macaroons, and the calming view of Paris. It’s a life she thinks she has always fit in. And yet sometimes, when a certain boy comes by her shop with a flower and a new adventurous story, she can’t help but wonder if there’s something else she’s missing.

This was a truly gorgeous story. It’s the classic “Marinette gives up the Miracle Box and loses her memories” storyline, exploring her life two years later. Even though she’s had time to heal and recover, she still feels like she’s missing something, something big. At least Adrien’s stopping by regularly to tell her stories about Ladybug and Chat Noir, even if she doesn’t understand why they resonate with her so well.

---

I (Wish I) Knew You by @buggachat

University has been hard on Marinette. Making new friends and maintaining her grades is a lot easier said than done when she has to disappear at odd times to fight akumas. She's struggling, and with Alya away with family and Adrien painfully out of reach, she's never felt lonelier.

If only she could talk to someone who really understood her struggles... but it's not like Chat Noir would know anything about loneliness. Right?

Nice aged-up Ladynoir fic here! Marinette’s struggling with losing friends and lovers because of her flakiness due to her superhero activities, until at last she breaks down. Thankfully, Chat Noir’s there at least - and it soon turns out he’s got problems of his own that he’s been hiding.

There’s some fluff and angst, it’s mostly just the two of them navigating life, dealing with their feelings and talking things out.

---

If I Let Myself Love You by @uptoolateart

It’s hard to be a normal girl with a normal life when your mother has terminal cancer. And when fashion model Adrien Agreste moves back to Paris and wants to be Marinette’s friend – or maybe even more – her life is turned upside down again.

How can she risk opening her heart to love when her whole world is falling apart? Especially when Adrien is hiding a dark secret of his own….

- COMPLETE FIC – updates on Sundays

*** No kwamis AU - 100% Adrinette. About half of it is fluffy and half heavy. Please read tags for trigger warnings. ***

This fic can be rough, definitely pay attention to the tags. There’s no villains in this story, it mostly centers around themes of dealing with illness - both being sick and having a loved one who’s terminally ill - and death, grieving someone who’s lost, and how difficult that can be. It can get pretty gut-wrenching at times, especially as you slowly discover more layers of what’s really going on, what both Adrien and Marinette are hiding, both from others and from themselves in order to help cope with their circumstances. But they still move forwards together, regardless.

---

Between the Heavens and the Embers by @readersmoon

Everyone in Paris remembers the fateful night of January 16, when the city was attacked by the most powerful and destructive akuma ever created. The assault, which lasted for hours, resulted in the death of 439 people.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was among the casualties.

Years later, Adrien hasn't been able to move on, haunted by the memories of her broken body. So, when the opportunity to leave Paris for a while presents itself, he doesn't hesitate. But this trip might end up giving him more than he ever dreamt of.

This is a fantastic fic, though a serious and a dark one - make sure to mind the tags, and it’s M-rated for a reason. Vee - or rather, Marinette - is going through a horror story here. Imagine finding out that your life is a lie, that everyone you thought you could trust was manipulating you, that you were just being continually gaslit for years. 

As for Adrien, Alya, and Nino... well, none of them took Marinette’s “death” all that well, especially Adrien. Finding out that she’s been alive all this time, in these horrible circumstances, and they had no clue... it’s hard on them as well.

I love how this fic goes into how much trauma everyone has even after the immediate danger’s dealt with, you don’t just walk off this kind of experience, especially with how many years this lasted.

---

in case you don’t know me tomorrow by @thelibraryloser:

“We live in a crazy world where pieces of our lives can be erased like they never even happened. I just wanted to memorize this moment so… so I could keep it, if that makes sense.”

Adrien’s heart gave a little flutter. She wanted to keep this moment, meeting him. She wanted to keep… him.

“I understand exactly what you mean.“

In a world that has created a way to selectively delete memories, no moment is truly safe. So how do you hold on to something when the memory of it is gone? And how do you keep fighting for someone when you’re the only one who remembers?

This is a SEVERELY underrated fic. It’s got some shades of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” in the world, though the plot is very different - the memory erasure ain’t willing. 

Basically, the first few chapters are establishing Adrien’s and Marinette’s romance, and then the rest of the fic is dealing with Gabriel being an absolute DICK and using any means at his disposal to break them apart. It’s fantastic and I highly recommend reading it!

---

hella enchanted by @xiueryn:

Years ago, Marinette’s father died and she was left with her awful stepmother. With magic forcing her to obey every command, she lived as a servant and gave up hope. When a man appears, searching for the very fairy that blessed her, Marinette decides to give life one more try. AU.

(a different ella enchanted au.)

Even though it’s a one-shot this one is pretty long, clocking in at over 30k words. Absolutely worth a shot, though. The first third is basically Marinette dealing with being pushed around because of her “blessing”, and the other two-thirds is just some adorable fluff of her and Adrien touring the country together. 

---

Echoes of You by kittinoir

In the day time, she's Marinette - a normal girl, with a normal life. A normal girl, with a normal life. A normal girl, with... Not Season 4 Compliant; please, no spoilers

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balancing act by fictionalinfinity

“Besides, being Ladybug always came first. It came before school, friends, and sometimes even family. Now it had to come before her health. Marinette had a duty to Paris. She wouldn’t let them down.” Or, being both Ladybug and the Guardian starts to take its toll on Marinette. - the epilepsy au literally no one asked for

---

Some Days by @merrygreenie

Some days are worse, and others are a little better, little by little and day by day. Marinette Dupain-Chen is learning how to live her new normal after living in confinement and being tortured by Hawkmoth. She is thankful to have her friends and family to support her. And a very special Chat who loves her very much. *This story contains scenes of violence and torture this is a whump fic*

This fic has some great angst, but be warned, it's not kidding about the violence and torture. Honestly, it should probably be rated M instead of Teen, given that while the fic mostly takes place after Marinette escapes and while she's recovering, we do get a detailed flashback to her torture.

[egg-emperor]

Idk why people want to think Eggman loving Sage is out of character... Like even if people subscribe to the idea that he's incapable of love he LITERALLY created a highly powerful computer program that can exist in physical form. Why the HELL would he not be proud of that and love her? I personally love the "evil villain, good dad" trope so I do believe he does love her as a daughter but it's not like those two traits can't coexist.

Ah that's not quite exactly my personal stance on it ^^; It heavily diverts from the typical "evil villain, good dad" archetype in the best way. The basis and conditions of his accepted fatherhood on Sage is built on his evilness and narcissism and only emphasizes them. I'd say he only "loves" Sage as much as an extremely self absorbed self centered egotistical narcissist possibly can, which is really it being an extension of loving himself, through what he has created.

He's very conditionally affectionate towards her and praises her only when she does exactly what he wants for his selfish gain and in ways that also praise him as her creator/father for being capable of making such an impressive creation. He gets aggressive and angry at her for any less, as we see the second she suggests something he doesn't like. Even when it's done in his best interests, so long as it's not done the exact way he wants it, he'll blow up at her.

I'd imagine a good dad loves their child much more unconditionally instead of a relationship based on what it can do for him. I don't think good dads praise their child for being "loyal and perfectly effective" like he does, that'd be pretty concerning. And the way he attributes all her success and genius to himself for being her father too, which I also imagine isn't a very good dad thing to do, putting all your child's accomplishments down to "it's because I made you!"

This memo really does say it all:

Also there's the way she was built to protect him instead of the other way around so he lets her die for him. I don't think any good dad would let their child go on a snicide mission to save him and the world he wants to rule lol

I think that no matter how he might show affection towards her and see her as a daughter so long as she does what he wants, with his conditions and reasoning behind what he's doing, he's not really a good dad. Because it's really about his personal gain in what he gets out of it and wanting to continue to encourage it with high praise and of course his self love with all the bragging opportunities all the time. And that's how a bad dad can seem loving and affectionate.

He's capable of love alright, self love. XD And it makes sense Sage is the first person he's shown high praise and affection, with the way she cares so deeply about him, prioritizes his safety and desires, and is very loyal and enthusiastic to serve him. And she's actually successful and efficient and an impressive life-like artificial creation? Of course he's gonna like her, she loves him like he loves himself- and he can love himself even harder by praising himself through her!

So yes, it makes sense that he likes her, wants to keep her around, and praises her so highly. She's useful to him and praising her praises himself and as long as she keeps serving him with that loyalty and being a big source of pride for him with her existence proving what a brilliant creator he is by being an impressive creator, then it'll stay that way, besides the occasions he can still very much get cruel and snap at her if she does things he doesn't want or fails him in any way.

So yeah every aspect of their dynamic and relationship so far has been handled really well in ways that feel good and accurate to the character established. I like how they decided to build on and emphasize his existing traits to for a type of development that doesn't suddenly completely change his strong static character. His relationship with Sage has actually just shown a great example of the selfish conditions that he can be willing to appear as a praising father!

[writingonjorvik]

Can We Discuss Narrative Incompetence?

I want to go off on this thought a little longer, but it would be a hard tangent from the previous post I commented on about male characters in SSO being written to be incompetent (that's the summary of the thought) to go into this, so it's its own post now.

It is so frustrating because there is a purpose for narrative incompetence. It can help regulate tone, and lower the sense of threat, both of which are important for this being a kids' game. It can provide comic relief and relieve tension. But it has to be handled with balance.

The glaring problem with overusing narrative incompetence in a character who is supposed to be taken seriously, which the villains of a story should be, is that it will eventually circle back onto the main characters. Because if the villains are utterly incompetent, then why can't the heroes defeat them already? And if we add on the layer of issues with SSE's current stance on feminism and girl power : if all of the men are too incompetent to do anything, then what does it say about the competence of the women who still haven't stopped them?

It's one of the reasons that I've felt a particular disconnect with the overconfidence of the Soul Riders lately. Despite us seeing the absolute magical havoc the Dark Riders can cause, the Soul Riders are almost boastfully confident in themselves. In one of the recent quests with growing the seed for the Wild Weave, where we'd mostly been following Linda and the MC, they get cornered in a 2v1. And then Lisa shows up and tells Katja to scram, and Katja just does. Just like that. This also gets into the lack of definition in the full scope of the Soul Riders' abilities beyond "primary trope," but for the purpose of this discussion, it makes no sense for Lisa to be as confident as she is. Why couldn't the MC and Linda handle it on their own? It was a 2v1. Even with one of them protecting the seed, it's not an even match.

We are told over and over throughout the story that the druids, and thereby the current Soul Riders, are keeping the Dark Riders at bay. Not on the backfoot, at a neutral standstill. Worse, we see more examples in the story of the druids taking losses than we see examples of the Soul Riders winning. The lose of the Light Ceremony book, the capture of Lisa and Anne by Dark Core specifically, the Baroness feeling threatened enough by DC/Sands to imprison Linda, the death of Concorde, the death of Elizabeth, the kidnapping Justin for so long as to distract from dealing with the Light Ceremony book or rescuing Lisa and Anne, DC being allied with several witches as to have resources and allies that the druids don't, the discovery of Drakeonium, the restoration of three generals and the return of the fourth. To highlight on that too, the druids don't have any allies outside the druids currently. Tentatively they might have Ydris now, and Mrs. Holdsworth. But there is very little evidence in the narrative of how the druids are even holding their own with no outside help (in fact, there's now further division within the druids and the Keepers as these aren't the same thing) or ready supply of resources.

And yet when we interact with the Dark Riders and DC, they are largely incapable of stopping us in the moment. Their goons are inept, Darko is laughably emo and never shown as a serious threat (let alone shown any reason why he could unseat Sands), and Sands, despite his position as the current commander of Garnok's army, concedes his responsibilities to let his grandson escape. The latter would be an amazing point of interest to follow and talk about inner turmoil Sands is perhaps having now and internal shakeups within DC, but instead we have zeroed in on a cartoon villain level of evil that the other four must always be engaging in by monologuing and then being momentarily foiled by the MC. Because the villains can't be threats when we engage with them.

All of this circles back around to the Soul Riders and makes them look worse for not being able to handle these threats. They feel more and more like they are fumbling backwards into handling these issues, and it brings out their worse traits. Alex is incredibly clumsy and brash, Anne is almost mindlessly angry, Lisa's "eh"ness becomes more glaringly apparent, Linda seems excessively cautious. And none of these traits, individually, are bad. The exploration of them all would make sense in the narrative. Alex is afraid of letting everyone down but she struggles to be a forward thinker. Anne is justifiably upset about the death of her best friend and her imprisonment and desperately needs an outlet to direct that anger. Lisa is, as the party healer, always seeking to be the peacemaker and meet everyone at their needs, at the risk of becoming a people-pleaser herself and losing her identity. And Linda is a young person who can see the future, to include very likely the injuries (some of which are likely fatal) of her and her friends, to the point of fearing taking the wrong course of action.

Each of those would be fascinating to explore. But because the threat they're facing is so unable to actually feel like it's any danger, all of the Soul Riders' fears, their weaknesses and shortcomings, go unchallenged by the narrative. Thus highlighting their weaknesses over their strengths. There is no room to grow, because the force they are fighting against has not been serious enough that they've needed to. So they remain stagnant as characters, which is the worst thing for a main character to be.

And this isn't to say that so incompetent yet still able to pull off their goals can't be a seriously scary situation to be in. But that requires an incompetent head of the evil supported by a competent team of generals, of which we haven't gotten. All of the villains fluctuate on their competency on and off screen. And if the goal was to do this with Sands, Darko would have to seem more competent than him and he is not remotely close to being scarier than Sands. There is in fact no reason for Darko's character that couldn't be written in as being Sands. Every one of his scenes could be replaced and he could be written out entirely. That should say something about how useless he is as a character.

Circling back to the point about this being a broader issue with men in SSO not being able to be intelligent unless they're eccentric old men, this is incredibly damaging to little girls too. SSE has the prime opportunity to highlight healthy masculinity, men comfortable in being masc and femme and themselves, to show little girls (just to follow target audience) what healthy masculinity looks like so that they can set proper boundaries with the men in their lives. That doesn't require writing more male characters or not centering the female main characters. All it requires it writing the existing men in the story well. Showing them trying to help people, like the arcs I suggested for Justin training as a Wild Whisperer bonding people with horses, or Raptor taking over as a record label to help young women enter the industry like Lisa. And this is to gloss over entirely what it does to have those examples for little boys and how that is an important part of feminism too.

Because little girls do need to see those examples too. Most of them will grow up interested in men. That is just statistics. If they grow up thinking purely "men are just too inept to know any better" then we continue to prepare femme people to expect less than the bare minimum because "what else would you expect from a man?" And directly through that message, SSE perpetuates sexism and misogyny. And that message gets women killed every day.

[ihavedonenothingright]

I haven't really been a fan in a while, but hearing Zeltik say that for the film, Ganondorf should be "a deranged, monstrous warlord who wants power, and nothing else" genuinely enraged me. I need to know what the fuck would make someone think that is the best thing to do with him. I know it's what they will do—I have zero hope of nuance, or even a motivation for him—but just. God, even the Zelda manga understood what to do with him! Why do you hate depth? What is wrong with you?

I am going to be very straightforward here: making him do what he does just because he's "mad" not only makes for an uninteresting villain, it also falls neatly in to a myriad of disgusting orientalist tropes that you can't avoid responsibility for just by giving him green skin. He is the only male representative of the Gerudo we ever see, and while the games will sometimes allow them to be the "good guys" (so long as they're assimilating into Hylian culture, or working in its interest), what Nintendo created in Ganondorf and his backstory was the equivalent of one of those slave market or sexy harem paintings of the late 19th century. He's the evil-for-evil's-sake depraved and decadent man in possession of unlimited numbers of scantily clad women, and that is, beyond a doubt, an orientalist notion. But he doesn't fucking have to be.

Frankly, up until Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo was getting better about him. I still think Akira Himekawa did him best, but Wind Waker Ganondorf is beloved because of his contradictions. He's undertaking actions we would consider evil for an ultimately fruitless cause, but he's not "deranged," he's consumed by the (literal) sunk cost fallacy, unwilling to give up on a dream he's already lost. Even in Ocarina of Time, he's the product of Hyrule's own making. The King of Hyrule is the one who launched a civil war, Hyrule is the nation with hidden torture chambers and guillotines. The Gerudo weren't even thieves before the war; Nabooru is anti-Hyrule, she disagrees with him on method.

Anyway, yeah. I keep forgetting what a cesspool the fandom is out in the wild. But for the love of God, I need people to start handling this man with some care.

[youryanderedaddy]

Yeah some obssesive men can be misogynistic bc they think a girl is theirs and they shouldn'r reject them bc they are nice to them?

However i think some obsessive men would act possesive,regardless of gender and non-patriarchal ideas..

Anyways. It's hard to find smut or just one shots with yandere boys without misogynistic traits :( or if they plant the idea of one,ppl would still labeled as misogynistic.

But with female yanderes (bc sexism thinks girls can't do no wrong and aesthetic,romanticizing mental illness) they make sadistic girls look more appealing and cutesy gaze.

Like I just want enjoy my sadistic boys in peace and them to have some cutesy :(

Oh you just made me drop an essay. I have a lot of thoughts about this actually.

Tw for discussion of misogyny, rape, stalking, lots of incoherent talking too lmao

Most yandere characters in mass media are female. I have this theory that (mostly) men like yandere women in fiction because it's a reversal of the socially accepted gender dynamics where women are seen as weak, fragile or submissive. We need to take in account that the trope started in Japan where those gender roles are still very prevalent to this day, and to a male Japanese audience seeing a dangerous, powerful, dominant woman is a power fantasy. It's unusual, you know? For the "prey" to be the predator. In retro horror movies the victims are usually women while the killers are men. So it's absolutely shocking (revolutionary even) to see the roles reversed. Female stalkers, villains, obsessive women, in a way they're all reclaiming themselves in cinema and media, and allowing themselves to be possessive and jealous the way men have been for centuries IN REAL LIFE. I have nothing but respect for media that chooses to engage with that, be it horror or even romance. I think it's easier to have a nuanced discussion on female yanderes than on male because of the physical difference and the way society views criminals based on gender and appearance.

Society keeps telling us that women are to be desired, they're always the center of the desire (and objectification/sexualisation). With female yanderes this is reversed too - men get to be desired (obsessively so), they become the center of someone's sexuality, which is rarely the case in real life where male sexuality revolves about being the dominant figure in the relationship. It's a way for men to be submissive without having to face a society that emasculates and mocks them for this submissiveness. Or at least that's the way I see it. It's a very interesting topic.

With male yanderes, the conversation is entirely different. It's hard to write about them without engaging in some way with misogyny. You can't write possessive men without thinking about the very real life implications of those behaviors. 200 years ago women were still considered property, they belonged to the highest bidder. Even today hundreds of women are murdered because they reject men who can't handle rejection, or who view them as property. Of course there are cases where women kill their male partners out of jealousy or paranoia, but the reverse are much, much more common. It's very important in those topics to be able to distinguish between fiction an reality.

There is the other side of it all. Fiction is fiction. It can be anything. Fiction of course doesn't exist in a bubble, but it doesn't need to be realistic or even engage with the real world. You can have possessive men who aren't misogynistic or rapey. But I choose to look at all perspectives. I enjoy working with some realistic traits from time to time, and that often means dealing with unpleasant, sensitive real world topics like misogyny, rape, inceldom, assault, rape culture etc. I look at the yandere genre as a horror trope first, and as erotica second. I don't consider it romance - although some slight yandere traits can be used to create perfectly healthy male yandere characters, my writing isn't an example of that at all.

Those are my two cents, sorry for the rambling, but as a writer (and a feminist) I really find this topic intriguing. There are so, so many aspects to it, social, cultural, etc

[py-dreamer]

MY version of a Wish rewrite

I know this is outside my usual lmk comfort zone but I saw the concept art for Wish, fell in love, saw the movie, got bored solid 5/10 but compared to what it could've been, the hype for it as Disney's big 100 shabang? Leaves much to be desired let's just say...

And most if not all wish content online is rewrites and redesigns anyway so Ima throw another one into the pile

BUT BEFORE WE START

I know we all love the idea of the big bad villain evil for the sake of evil. And I too miss the classic villains *chefs kiss* never forget

HOWEVER I decided to look at a slightly less evil(?) Magnifico and Amaya with a more tragic reason when they commit crimes and portray them as 'reasonable' and 'not that evil' as disney tried

But without further ado, lets get down to it:

first Asha will the daughter of Magnifico, Amaya and more importantly, the princess of Rosas (now she has a bigger connection to the people other than being just a tour guide)

We keep starboi (or as tumblr has dubbed them: Aster) as a humanoid creature, not a plushie

Amaya is totally in on the shenanigans with Magnifico they are ride or die couple

FIRSTLY, lets talk about ASHA:

I saw many people complain about the 'dorky' not like other girls trope

And I saw a counter where someone said people don't like a female awkward protagonist of color

My issue is this trope has been used multiple times already and if you don't have a good reason or make her charming, then sorry the trope is just cringy

So with Asha let's keep the awkwardness that's fine; public speaking ain't her strong suit, social anxiety baby

Asha here is more reserved and shy

having been the child of two powerful rulers, she has very big shoes to fill and her parents don't make it any easier

they dismiss her when she tries to learn magic saying 'she's not ready' and almost infantilize her

she learns magic in secret by sneaking into her father's study but doesn't practice it to not expose herself and she doubts her abilities

Her parents also don't let her handle any royal duties, they want her to play and not worry but don't allow her with them during ceremonies and such saying she's not ready

the people know they have a princess just don't know what she looks like but sing of her in poems and songs even without knowing her

she is allowed outside the palace as the island is as safe as it can be

despite this, Asha is incredibly compassionate and empathetic

she'd have very high emotional intelligence (cause I miss princesses like that)

she will help out wherever she can in town as a peacemaker and the people love her but don't know she's their princess

Asha is always desperate to make her parents proud and is so selfless to the point she forgets her own wants at times

she is still 17 nearing 18 but she doesn't know her own wish

she can keep her hobby of animation, just perhaps embarrassed to show anyone since her parents mentioned it's rather 'childish'

Please can someone give her some new duds. Her current fit is cute but between the long hair without a fringe and slim purple dress, I can't help but compare her to Rapunzel

KING MAGNIFICO AND QUEEN AMAYA:

ok this will be touchy

I want to delve into the fact that Magnifico is traumatized and crank it to 11

Amaya is a sourceress who was a refugee from an old war

the two met when Magnifico was building his kingdom and fell deeply in love

Amaya taught him magic and they advanced their kingdom into a utopia

The two always dreamed of a family and to build a land where their people would never suffer again

They view the people of Rosas as their children and are known as such. Treated as benevolent and the 'the loving founding parents of Rosas'

As time passed, the two gained more and more power and were able to treat their people even more even gaining the grand ability to grant wishes

the more they did, the more love they received and the granting wishes was the cherry on top

the couple grew greedy for the praise, they were practically gods in the kingdom's eyes

More time passed, as the kind rulers they are, they used their magic to do all the manual labor so the people wouldn't have to lift a finger

Now an isolated island full of a new generation with no work to do, the people spend their days praising the royal family

The issue? Well, now especially the young people of Rosas, don't know how to work. They rely soley on Magnifico and Amaya for survival and the couple knows it. That is how they like it

Over time, they viewed the people as helpless children without them. They're doing this for the people's own good in their own twisted beliefs. The wish granting in particular keeps the praise on them almost like a cult.

Their love for the kingdom grew twisted into obsession and they'd do ANYTHING to keep their innocent citizens like this.

Basically imagine a 'there is no war in Ba Sing Se' situation but the Dai Li are running it and the people they're kissing up to is the people of Rosas

The two love Asha dearly but perhaps a little too much

They infantilize her like I said and always views her as beneath them and work so hard to 'protect' her and their people that they actually rarely spend time to bond with the very girl they protect

ASTER (AKA STARBOI) (he/them btw):

first off, he will stay in that humanoid form as usual

They will be a shapeshifter in homage to the genie but how is he different from the genie you ask?

Well firstly he's mute. Or well, just like Tinkerbell, talks in jingles, his true voice unintelligable to the human ear

"But how is he going to sing 'at all co-" shshshshshhshs hush. I have a plan for that just wait

Secondly he will be made of pixie dust which functions like sandman, basically if he is punctured, then he will regenerate like sand

They can float via pixie dust and can spread it to other things

They can see they wishes of people, as in he can see those sparks in someone and can see/sense the hole left when they're taken away

To make someone else fly, all they need is pixie dust and happy thoughts

He's meant to be the personification of joy and hope

Now I've seen many people make him precious sunshine boi who is curious and kind and must protec-

And I like that concept but upon thinking bout it, Aster resembled more like a fae than anything

As a living being of joy and other-worldly, it really reminded me of Joy from inside out

So I want their charisma to be 17/10. Just the happiest, cheerful most flamboyant dude you've ever met to the point he's kinda a showoff like a class clown

Make them sassy! I want this star to be protected (at all costs lol) and simaltaneously a menace to society

He and Asha are like that meme with Ken and Barbie's mugshots but Aster absolutely knows what they're doing

But since he's only ever watched humans from afar, he has trouble empathizing with them and understanding them so sometimes they come off as insensitive

they kinda look down on humans as requiring the help of magic beings like them

Another downside is since he's comprised of joy and hope, whenever someone close loses hope or get's sad, he starts to lose his magic and eventually fade away.

His existence on earth basically depends on the emotions of those around him

"Are they the second star to the right? Cause isn't Ray married to the-" Hushshshshshshssh I saw in a comic (I forgot the creator if you know pls tell so I can credit) the idea of Evangeline and Raymond being Aster's parents and I love that so we keep it

So what are wishing stars exactly?

Like the blue fairy, they are magic (usually) benevolant beings who help grant human's wishes when they deserve it or have worked on it.

They are more guiding beings using magic to give a push like Gepetto wished for a son, Pinnochio came alive but needed to work to be a real boy

Now I know this is a rewrite and I said I'd elaborate on some issues but its late rn and I'm going to get yelled at so I'm going to have to carry on later

[personal-blarghe]

I finally watched Trigun Stampede. Speaking as someone who really, really loved Trigun (1998) and watched it + Badlands Rumble multiple times growing up, nothing holds to that nostalgia. But I really liked it! The animation and art is so, so pretty. The framing, the combat scenes, it's all just really impressive and gorgeous. The original was also very impressive visually, especially for its time, so that feels like something that held up. It looks like how a Trigun revamp should, I think. (A little disappointed by Vash's sexy hair because he was sexy DESPITE his goofy hair damnit, but yeah like. it looks good on him. whatever. also the old coat was cooler sorry.)

Not sure who out there wants to talk about this and not just look longingly at Vashwood art (fair) but I really enjoyed that it was so fully different. Different takes on the story and a different but still fully contained story structure so that I wasn't 100% sure what was going to happen or how things would play out. I haven't read the manga yet (I really do mean to get around to that one day), so I can't speak to which show is more book-accurate, but it was neat to see some of the same stuff happening but have it be handled differently enough to keep me on my toes. I particularly loved the fuller backstory and more fleshed out angles of the main conflict, and especially the worm perspective. I did a little reading on the wikis and it seems this is the more manga-accurate lore for Zazie the Beast, and I enjoyed that part of Stampede a lot. It did sort of bring up more questions than it answered (ok so what happens to the worms if humans and plants learn to get along and they terraform the planet?), but then it also left a big open door for more story that I really hope we will get. Excellent setup and worldbuilding overall.

The art change for the Wolfwood backstory was also really neat, and again, I enjoyed getting more and fuller backstories in general. I loved the contrast of that soft fuzzy artstyle to his gritty present day, and and I loved, loved how bloody and gory the show was overall. I don't watch a lot of anime these days but the blood spouts felt very 90s to me. I did miss a lot of the old Wolfwood angst though. His whole cult was still there as a villain (I don't think they called them the Gung-Ho-Guns though, too silly?), but the twist of his character arc was so heartbreaking in the original and it's very understated in Stampede. Of course I love that he's not dead (yet?), but his role in the story felt a lot less significant.

I think my recommendation would still be to watch 1998 first. Stampede has a huge tonal shift. It almost isn't goofy at all, which is fine if you already have the silliness of OG Vash in your heart and know that side of the characters, but I did miss it. A lot of the comic relief got pushed to Merryl which I didn't love, but I did like what they did with her arc in setting her up to go from naive kid employee to the one in charge. Interesting to see kind of a prequel for her while the rest of the story is not "prequel" to Trigun so much as just a kind of all over rehash of some of the same events and some different ones.

I think with having more episodes, Trigun (1998) was able to pull off a better slow burn on these goofy characters with traumatic pasts and all the fun little whiplashes you can get out of seeing the goofy idiot turn serious, but it also suffers from bad anime tropes and being From the 90s. Stampede is pretty much just serious, which worked very well in its limited story time, but I missed the goofs.

Without having actually read it, I would say that Stampede feels like it is probably more manga accurate. And while it was self-contained in a satisfying way, I like the open ending and the many new questions I have. Like, wtf happens to all those pregnant plants now? Vash didn't undo that as far as I could tell, they were very much still pregnant with Knives' baby independents. Did they die? Knives clones for season 2? Maybe not quite clones because of Vash's involvement? Not getting into the general grossness of that, (it's pretty gross!) but it's definitely room for more questions about freewill and souls and mutual dependency. Can't wait.

Anyway, I liked Trigun Stampede and I will be very excited to get more. (Wolfwood death scene that defined me as a person when?) All in all, Trigun remains a 10/10 and I will probably finally go read the manga now, it's about time.

[toaarcan]

Ian Flynn's Eggman

I have a funny perspective on the way Ian Flynn writes Eggman.

Because in practice, I hate it. It's born out of a still-bubbling resentment for the last big arc of the preboot, and how he was handled as the villain for that (Arcan Grumbles About Mecha Sally: Part 2 will be about the villains, so I'll go into more detail there), and how it echoed both his earlier appearances from Issue 175-177, and how he's still characterised in IDW sometimes.

Flynn writes Eggman as this incredibly weird mix of a hypercompetent genius and a bumbling fuckup that averages out to a mostly-invincible villain who is usually only defeated by himself.

This is a bit like the game version that he's trying to base this character on, as I'll elaborate further down, but it's missing a few pieces, like the part where Eggman's downfall is usually because Sonic legitimately beats him. In the games where Eggman is finished off by a greater threat, it's normally after Sonic has already broken his final weapon. Contrast the Metal Virus arc in IDW, where Eggman's defeat is entirely because he screwed up, and if he hadn't deployed the Metal Virus as soon as the first test worked, and instead refined it into something he could control, he would've won, as Sonic was losing more and more ground to the infection, and the heroes needed the assistance of Eggman, Metal Sonic, and Starline's Warp Topaz to actually win the day.

Both Archie and IDW have moments where it's established that Eggman at least believes that he can win entirely at any moment of his choosing. IDW Eggman claims it, Archie Eggman proves it, and I have to say, I view this as one of the worst villain tropes ever.

If the only thing stopping the villain from wiping the hero off the board permanently is the villain's own unwillingness to do so, then the hero is a failure and the villain is an idiot. Congrats, you've fucked over your entire series

But what makes this unique is that, if you listen to Flynn talk about Eggman behind the scenes, it's clear that he really does understand the character at a core level.

Because here's the thing: Flynn is absolutely right about Eggman being a fuckup. I know some people really hate the idea that Eggman is not the ultimate BBEG of the Sonic universe, that he gets usurped by other villains so much in the 1998-2009 games (and now again in Frontiers) , but "Eggman unleashes something he can't control" was used for more than a decade of straight releases, at this point it's not a writing failure, it's characterisation.

Eggman is a mechanical genius. He builds fantastic robots, massive flying battleships, incredible weapons, giant mech suits, the works. But some of these machines he comes up with are very obviously the first-draft versions. He's deployed the Egg Dragoon twice in canon, and has never fixed the giant glowing weak spots. He's used the "swinging ball on a chain below the Eggmobile" design at least four times (three of them as himself, once at the hands of Mecha Sonic), and the only refinement he's made to it after all these failed attempts is replacing the ball with a sawblade for the fifth attempt.

His strategy usually boils down to "Bum-rush the objective with an army of robots" or "Make a big show of force with a new superweapon and demand everyone surrender" or "Throw something massive and destructive at his target to create free real estate." He's had some clever plans before, but only a handful.

And his propensity to unleash ancient evils that he cannot possibly control is, at this point, well-established. Because his most fatal flaw is his ego. His arrogance. He believes himself to be superior to everyone else, including ancient monsters and artificial gods and sentient superweapons. And Sonic. And he's wrong. He thinks he can make something more powerful than Perfect Chaos, he's wrong. He thinks Shadow is working for him, he's wrong. He thinks there are no consequences for upgrading Metal Sonic over and over and over again, he's wrong. He thinks he can control a Gizoid, he's wrong. He thinks if he builds a Gizoid of his own, that'll fix the problem, he's wrong.

He thinks he can beat Sonic, he's wrong.

Like, for all Eggman's self-aggrandizing boasts about being the greatest scientific genius in the world, he's not even right about that. SEGA themselves have established that. They gave Eggman an IQ of 300 (and yes, I know, IQ doesn't work that way), and then gave Tails an IQ of 400. By SEGA's own logic, Tails is smarter than Eggman.

And I think I get what Flynn is aiming for. He's trying to write a version of Eggman who is the grand villain of the series, who is the greatest threat to Sonic and friends, and is the antagonist who makes Sonic sweat the most. He also wants to sprinkle some SatAM Robotnik in there too, because well, guy is a SatAM fan (and hey, I really can't hold that against him, I am too), and that results in this hypercompetent, sadistic, borderline invincible Eggman. But he also wants to be true to the SEGA version, who isn't really any of that. So we get the bumbling self-sabotage thrown in, except this time they're the singular flaws in Eggman's armour, and he ends up mostly defeating himself, which is just frustrating for me to read.

So yeah, contrary to where other people who don't like Flynn's Eggman, I'm taking the stance that his take on Sonic's most persistent enemy actually isn't enough of a fuckup.

[phantomdialogue]

˗ˏˋ. ݁₊ ✶ ˖ 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐡 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐞𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐫 - 𝟔/𝟓 ☆ . ݁ ˖ˎˊ˗

sequel to assistant to the villain

premise: evangelina sage has a new life ahead of her after the villain's capture, a life set on freeing him and taking down the king before rennedawn pays the price. trystan maverine believes he has corrupted his poor assistant but perhaps, she has done that to him instead. now they must fight the feelings they harbor for each other while attempting to save rennedawn... easier said than done.

couple: trystan maverine and evangelina sage

tropes: fairytale fantasy, grumpy x sunshine, slow burn, morally grey mmc, office romance, the villain wins

review below!

review:

i need hannah nicole maehrer to understand that my connection to these books and to these characters is otherworldly and i love her so much for creating them. it is RARE that i love a sequel more than the original, especially in a trilogy or series of connected books. but this surpassed the first one for me, which i thought was going to be impossible to do. i actually put this book off because i love the first one but oh this lived up to that one and beyond.

evie and trystan are my babies. they are two of my favorite main characters i've ever read. they're so complex and they fit these really interesting tropes they've been given so well. i love how evie handles herself in this book and how it feels like we're really seeing her come into her own in this book while still staying true to her character from the first book. trystan softening in this book was such a welcome change while also reading how he feels so uncomfortable doing so. the way their characters shift in this book feels so natural and right and i can't wait to see how they continue to change in the next books. their relationship develops so much in this book while still in the end remaining a slow burn and i just know the next book is going to be painfully good for their relationship and make me suffer in the best way possible.

this world that hannah nicole maehrer has created is by far one of my favorite fantasy worlds i've read. there is so much that is explained and so much that is left up to the imagination and interpretation at the same time. she gives the reader the space to imagine it how they want to, while still setting the boundaries necessary for herself, instead of giving a super strict world that you have to shape your head around while reading. i enjoy the openness of her writing and how much of an individual reading experience she provides.

i can not believe i have to wait until august for the next book. i adore this series and these characters and could read a hundred of these books even if they just were full of shenanigans around the manor/office. i can't wait for what's next!

q & a:

are they endgame? - if these two aren't endgame, i will be pressing serious charges. these two are my babies. i adore them beyond words can describe and that only grew in this book. their relationship is so beautiful to watch unfold across both of these books and the slow burn is just the perfect amount of slow burn. there was progress in this book but there were also set backs that felt right for the characters. at the end of the day, i think it will take time in these next two books BUT they will be endgame.

did i cringe? - no. i can understand why people might simply because of the tone of the book where some of the laugh out loud moments could come off cringey but for me, the humour is so spot on and i can only laugh along with what i assume is the majority of the audience.

favorite part? - i will never shut up about hannah nicole maehrer's writing. just in general the way that she writes these books and the format that she takes really is one of my favorite writing styles. i think it suits the story so well and it's so original (for me at least). having these books in a third person format feels the best and yet she still finds a way to write them with a slight first person twist that gives you more insight into each character. adding on other character's POVs for this book also felt so right and i hope that we get another two POVs in the next book, specifically blade and tatianna or clare. i could read a hundred of these books with this format and style of writing because it just feels so addictive and such a breeze to read. but it lends itself really well to the fantasy genre because there is a different level of description that can be used in the third person than the first.

least favorite part? - i really don't know if i have a least favorite part... i feel like i say that for a lot of these six star books but there is a reason i'm rating them six stars. i cried, i laughed, i smiled, i blushed. this book really made me feel all the emotions similar to the first book but on a whole new level. i think the pacing was perfect and we covered so much ground in this book while still leaving plenty of stuff for the following books and it didn't feel like an in between book like so many sequels fall victim to.

favorite quotes (some spoilers here, of course, but minimal):

The Villain didn’t miss light. He missed color.

And perhaps, most importantly—he wished to have a godsforsaken tea party with her little sister, Lyssa.

It didn’t matter. Nothing did. All he saw was her.

“I would never make the mistake of underestimating a woman like you. It would be a fatal one.”

“Unmask me, Evangelina.”

There are some beings you simply cannot keep apart; they’ll always find their way back to each other.

“Because I like who you are, not what you’re capable of.”

Mind? I want to take the head down just so I can kick it and then pass it along to the rest of my employees so they can kick it, too.

“You are the most frustrating person I’ve ever met, and I work with hardened criminals.” He shuddered. “And interns!”

She was charming the thing into a stupor. He could sympathize with its plight.

He was trying to make her laugh, to lighten her heart. The way she always tried to do for him, the way she tried to do for everyone. Nobody had ever done that, had ever tried to lighten things for her.

“Sometimes family isn’t a thing we are born into but a choice we make. Sometimes”—Evie smiled—“ the people who love you most in your life are the ones who choose you.”

This was what lay beneath the surface. This was just for her.

Chivalry wasn’t dead, but it ought to be, with the abysmal situations it put him in.

“I can’t imagine that.” “What?” she said as they arrived in front of the door. “Not noticing you.”

He loved her. It was a never-ending echo that he’d vowed to never say aloud.

For when he was buried beneath the dirt, when he no longer reigned as the villain of this land, he would have this one memory to carry him.

He’d tried to forget it—the way one tried to dodge a brick flying at one’s face. Inevitable, painful, and impossible to truly escape.

Like with that one small act, he’d taken a needle and thread to the two broken pieces of Evie, slowly pulling her back together, slowly making her whole.

They were near each other but apart, like opposing forces that didn’t want to touch but couldn’t help but remain close.

She was alive, and the makers of this world were in for a true surprise if they believed he would ever be separated from her again.

“I never would’ve met you.” I never would’ve met you. “If asked to do it over, I wouldn’t hesitate.”

“Think of me… when you’re with the trees.”

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

It’s good to see you again, Blair :D

I am asking you to ramble about absolutely anything you’d like. Whatever it is.

You never disappoint! I won't lie, I had hoped to see your name crop up in my inbox.

So, since I rarely have a chance to ramble about the shows I work, I'm going to take this opportunity to rant about The Little Mermaid. Why? Because I'm trying to get that show added to the roster of productions we put on for my children's theatre.

Tumblr has already talked about the misconception of this show. How Ariel is seen purely as a romantic who literally gave up everything to chase a boy she didn't even know. But in reality, Eric was just an excuse that pushed her into finally doing something she had always wanted to do deep down. Ariel doesn't surrender her voice to get a boyfriend, she does it so she can visit the surface and experience what it means to be human. Something she dreamed of long before she met Eric. (Part of Your World, anyone?)

I actually want to write in some dialogue into our script where Ariel lampshades the absurdity, Frozen style. Where she acknowledges that it was foolish to chase after Eric when he was more or less a stranger. But of course, by the end of the show, he definitely isn't. I want Ariel to reunite with Triton and for them to talk about Eric. "You were right. I didn't know him. But now I do."

Writing Sebastian is so damn fun. He's 100% done with Ariel's nonsense and absolutely does not get paid enough for this, but he will truck on, and try to keep her safe. I want to write a line for him reuniting with Ariel after almost getting killed by the Chef and his cleaver in that number, "You would not believe the day I'm having."

Meanwhile, Ursula. Best role. Best villain. Best song. She realized she could exploit the King's daughter to seize his throne. In general, her motives and her history with the crown are interesting. In some versions, she was the one who murdered Ariel's mother, explaining why Ariel would have been wary of her, but of course, Ursula claims it was all a misunderstanding and that she tried to save her. In other versions, Ariel's mother was killed by sailors. (Not Eric's sailors, but still) explaining why Triton hates them so much. In other versions, Ursula is literally Triton's sister, and Ariel's aunt, which does give her a claim to the throne. But, I'm not crazy about this. As I've talked about before, I'm no fan of the "evil aunt/uncle" trope.

Ursula's end is also much better depicted onstage, in my opinion. In the Disney movie she turns into a giant titan and then gets speared by the ship...and it's like, sure, okay I guess? But in the stage play, they can't do that. Instead, the power of The Trident consumes her. She can't handle it, and it destroys her - and Triton even warns her beforehand that this could happen, that not everyone has what it takes to wield the Trident's power, but of course she doesn't listen. I love that. It's much more interesting and character based.

There are also some great songs in the stage version, in addition to the iconic tunes from the movie, that a lot of people don't know. I invite anyone reading this to search up "Fathoms Below" and "Human Stuff" and especially "She's In Love" which is sung by Ariel's sisters and is a knock out show-stopper. Basically I've been penning a version of Little Mermaid to pitch to my Director so I've been thinking about that show a lot right now, and I think it's fascinating.

The main thing I want us to add song-wise is a finale number, that talks about the Land and Sea coming together. Little Mermaid 2 does have this, but the melody is awful. It's so bad. In general, Little Mermaid doesn't have a final number, and I want to show how the two worlds that were divided by ignorance and fear are now coming together, through Ariel and Eric. That's an important message.

[rawliverandgoronspice]

Ahhhhh, a case of tumblr's "how dare you say we piss on the poor" reading comprehension, once again found in the wild. I don't think I've ever seen you call Ganondorf a good guy, or misunderstood. From what I've seen you, and anons, say you'd wish there had just been more depth to him. Very different than "secretly misunderstood uwu baby" not like him having an actual personality and story would have negated him being a horrible person. A character born from misunderstanding and hardship, can still turn into an unquestionable monster and villain.

Oh well, I mean the thing is, it's the kind of position that it's hard to argue with once you already made your point. Not everybody just... has the tools to understand the actual argument too, which I mean, it's why I think it's important to talk about themes and cultural shortcuts and the history of tropes on top of the general history, because in many cases it needs to be actively sought for.

And yes, I think what bugs me with this whole thing is... Like, wouldn't it make for a better story? Just, pushing all of the more sensitive reasoning of representation to the side (even though it's not neutral to constantly demonize men of color or render them lovingly stupid, which does remain a pattern in the series), wouldn't the story gain more momentum and investment if the bad guy had compelling motivations that made sense (and I'm not even saying they have to go all poor little meow meow, they could just be: why is Power a good thing for him)? I honestly don't see what it would remove, I only see advantages to making Ganondorf slightly more complex, and I don't really understand the opposition to that. Are you guys like... okay with the most generic anime man motivations known to mankind spurred out of his mouth in a way that is basically completely indistinct from any other generic baddie out there? Like is this peak quality? Can't we be like "Nintendo, your game is great, but you kind of cheesed this thing a lot of people expected you to handle better and with more thoughtfulness, like I'm not sure I would have been able to tell if you had gotten Chat GPT to write this instead of an actual person, and your unwillingness to take narrative risks is getting a little concerning. TotK is a very fun game, but maybe reinvest in the narrative department next time because it was not the best you could do and you probably know this"

And like... for this to be a normal and reasonable opinion to have and share?

I don't know, the defensive atttitude about Nintendo when their games are faced with extremely mild complaints all things considered is just an extremely puzzling phenomenon to me.