#i'll always be a saga defender

[koumeowkami]

saga is so criminally underrated seriously. how the fuck did it not win the consolation match

[the-lazyyy-artist]

Pairing: Kunigami Rensuke x GN!Reader Synopsis: He left as a hero, and he returned cold and heartless. What adventures have made him like this? Would you still love him? Themes: angst, post-WC! Kunigami, set during Blue Lock's two-week break after their win against JP U-20 (chapters 150 - 153), reader is hopeful, Kunigami lost all humanity, established relationship, if you squint a little it's kinda like Epic's OdyPen lmao Author's Note: Epic The Ithaca Saga is ruining my brain chemistry. A mutual and fellow writer already created something like this but I wanna put my own twist on this hehe!

@thebestsetter ✨

Kunigami Rensuke was a hero before he became yours.

He always believed in goodness, helping everyone else, and acting like a big brother to those who needed his guidance. It's no wonder his morals bleed through his play on the field. To win each game fair and square while he showcases his skills. Watching how he turned into a knight in shining armor every time he stepped onto the field, defending his team from the enemy and scoring his goals was mesmerizing.

So, when he was invited to the Blue Lock Program, you weren't so surprised.

"How long will you be there?" you asked him once while you were on his bed, watching him go back and forth around his room, packing a small duffle bag of the things he might need in the facility. "That's something I can't answer right now, love," he replied, "it's something they never clarified in the letter. But let's say 2 or 3 months, give or take."

"Take care of yourself in there, okay? Show them the hero that you are," you reminded him, smiling up softly as he zipped the bag close. He was ready. Ready to face a new adventure, new challenges, and new foes and allies. You can feel the excitement radiating from him. "I will. Then when this is all over, I'm coming home to you with stories from my training."

"You're not leaving me behind, are you?" you teased, reaching for his hand. On his ring finger was a promise ring, the same one you wore. A symbol of his love for you and his promise to marry you. Your fingers gingerly held on to his ring, feeling the rough metal against your skin. "I will never. I'll always take you with me, remember? I'll be back before you know it."

3 days later, he left with a kiss, a promise, and a vision of him taking over the world with his aspirations.

A few weeks in, you received a call from him, happy and excited to talk to you. He told you about the things he's learned, the friends he's gained, and the foes he's made. He spoke about an Isagi, a Chigiri, and a Bachira, and how these people made him feel stronger with how they all blended on the field. You were proud to hear him grow and find friends.

"How did you get your phone anyway? I thought the letter said phones aren't allowed?" You asked him.

"We were given a star system where goals are exchanged for points that we can use for different privileges," Kunigami explained, "I exchanged my first goal for steak, and shared that with Isagi. Now, I exchanged two of my goals for my phone so I can talk to you."

Always so considerate. Your hero never changed despite the changes he's experienced in Blue Lock. With every point he earned, he'd always exchange it for phone time to call you and tell you about his adventures.

Suddenly, the calls stopped.

You're sure Kunigami wasn't the type to never make a goal. Was he getting into harder challenges in there? No matter how hard it was, you knew your hero would never back down.

Right?

It worried you. You kept looking at your phone, waiting for a call. You kept replaying your conversation weeks ago about a possible second selection and how it would play out, and you worried it was even more challenging than the team matches. Would he get out of it alive? Triumphant? Of course! Since when did you start doubting your hero?

You began to twist your ring, anxious about Kunigami as the days went by, each one feeling longer than the last. It's making you sick. He was never the type to just disappear without saying anything.

The announcement of an exhibition game with Japan U-20 made you feel hopeful again. Knowing your hero, he would be part of the starting 11. You saved enough for the tickets for you and your sibling to watch him play live. You were excited about what skill he gained in Blue Lock, and if he improved to be the best version of himself.

But why wasn't he there?

You know Isagi was there... Chigiri... Bachira... but where was he? Where's your hero?

The win was a blur. How can you even cheer for his team when he isn't there? It's impossible that he's benched too. Kunigami was never the type to warm the bench for the whole game. You wanted to ask Isagi... Maybe Chigiri because Kunigami has talked about him the most. Bachira might know too. But it's impossible to reach them, especially with how they disappeared into the building after the game.

"Where are you?" you whispered into the empty stadium.

Maybe it's time to let go. No. Kunigami made it clear that you would never let go. You'll wait for him to call. You'll wait for him to send you some kind of sign. Anything. Letting go is never the answer, he would say if he's beside you. So, with every passing day after the match, you never went anywhere without your phone, hoping soon he'd call.

How cruel must fate be that the only time you let your guard down was on the day he decided to show up?

Your mother opened the door for him, a gasp leaving her lips. She led him to your door and left him to talk to you. From the outside, Kunigami tensed as he wrapped his large hand around your doorknob, hearing your voice spilling out as he opened it slowly. And for a moment, Kunigami would like to believe nothing has changed. For a moment, all he could see was the light he held on to.

There you were, sitting on your desk as you studied with headphones on, singing one of the songs from the playlist he created for both of you to listen to. Clearly, in your little world, you didn't hear Kunigami enter and close your door behind him. Kunigami sighed, and then he opened his lips to say your name.

Oh, it felt like a lifetime since he spoke your name. Kunigami felt a piece of him remembering what it was like to say your name the first time he met you.

"Y/n."

No answer.

"Y/n," he said once more, a little louder. He saw you perk up a little.

You don't know if you're just imagining things or if Kunigami's voice sounded nearer than how you'd usually imagine it on the days you missed him. And then...

"Y/n."

You removed your headphones, standing up so quickly that your chair toppled over and fell to the floor with a thud. In front of you right now was your hero, the man you waited to return. You held your breath for a moment as you took a good look at him. He looks... he looks...

Tired. His build was bigger, but he looked tired. His hair was a thick mop of messy orange, his eyes...

"Rensuke?" You spoke with caution, "Is it you?"

Kunigami felt like he could fall to his knees the moment you spoke. But he wouldn’t allow himself to do so. You stepped away from your desk to walk to him, holding out your hands to touch him, that this wasn't a dream. He was cold, his cheeks, at least.

That was enough to break you. You embraced him, crying and grateful that your hero had returned. "You're back," you sobbed softly, "my Rensuke, you're back to me." You felt him lift his hands, but instead of embracing you, he gripped your shoulders and pulled you away from him. "Y/n," he spoke, his voice ragged but soft, "I'm not entirely back."

"W-what do you mean?" you asked, your teary eyes, wide and confused, looking up to meet his dull orange eyes. This was the first time you've seen him so lifeless. What the hell happened?

"I'm not the Rensuke you once knew. That version of me is gone."

"What?"

"I'm not the hero I promised you to be."

"What... I-I don't understand. What happened, my love?"

Rensuke looked at you with a slight hint of vulnerability. He must not show weakness. It was drilled into him that he'll be ruthless, he'll become irrational if it means becoming the best that the world will see. But with the sight of you, it felt impossible. "They... changed me. I'm not the hero we both envisioned to be. I... I had to become cruel and let go of my beliefs... The Rensuke you fell for because he believed in doing the right thing fair and square is dead.

"That's why I decided you can no longer love me, Y/n. Because I can't."

You're not hearing this, right? Yet, he sounded so sure. His voice was firm, the same one he would use on his teammates.

"Who are you to decide that?" you asked calmly, reaching for his hand again. Your gaze lowered to his hand, callused and tired, yet the ring was still there. A little worn out than the last time you saw it, but he's still wearing it. Your fingers worked on twisting the ring off his finger, causing him to tense up.

"What are you doing?" he asked, a hint of panic in his voice. You looked up at him with determined eyes. "You once told me when you got these rings for us that if we no longer love the other, we should remove our rings.

"I'm removing yours for you, Ren."

The ring was almost off his finger when he suddenly closed his hand. You looked up at him, and there he was, the Rensuke you fell in love with. "Don't, please..."

"But you said you can no longer love me," you reasoned, still holding his hand. Rensuke stared at you, his walls slowly breaking down at the reality of what he just told you. A stupid, stupid decision because he can't stop loving you.

The whole time he was in the Wildcard Project, the only thing that made him hold on to the little humanity he had in him was the promise of forever in your arms when he returned. The ring on his finger comforted him on nights when he almost gave up because his dream of becoming the best came from you. He promised he'd bring you with him and that he'd come back to you. So, he persevered and came out triumphant... but at what cost?

"How could you even love a cold-hearted man, my love?" he asked, his voice now a mere whisper, slightly cracking, "I have nothing left in me but the drive to win. I am no longer the warm man you want to be with for the rest of my life. I did all I could inside that facility for us to reach our dream, but they drained me. How can you still love me if I have nothing to give you any more?"

"I would still love you because no matter what, you're mine. You're my Rensuke, the man who made me believe that love as pure as yours exists in this world," you replied, "I don't care how much you've lost in there. As long as you return in my arms, I know a part of you that loves me and believes in us is still in there. I know you're still in there, Ren."

And with that, Rensuke broke down in tears in your arms. The place he had always longed for in the days he felt so alone. The warmth that he always yearned for in the coldest and loneliest nights. He's home. He's here.

"If you didn't care about me, you should've removed your ring a long time ago," you added, "but the symbol of your love for me is still there. A little worn, but I know you still have love for me.

"I've waited for you to return. This is all that matters now."

"I love you," Rensuke said between his tired sobs, his orange eyes sparkling with a little bit of life. He's still in there, the hero you loved is still in there.

"And I love you."

[taxidermycanine]

5 WAYS TO HELP WITH SPECIES DYSPHORIA AS A THERIAN (with and without gear)

- please note that most of these are focused mainly on being a wolf therian, but i'll try my best to make it more inclusive to others.

1 •

my personal favorite, wolf quest! this one does cost money, so this isn't for those who don't have the money/don't already have the game. it really helps me feel more connected to who i am. you find a mate, raise pups, hunt prey, defend your den and pack from predators, and there's even a multiplayer option for you to play with your friends. :o)

(and yes, you can customize what your wolf looks like. all NPC wolves in the game have different personalities for immersion, including you, your pups, and your mate)

please note that the game is still in development! they plan to add a saga where you can live constantly with your pack and continue with new generations each year (and no, you don't HAVE to pass away). you can toggle whether your mate dies or not, if you play on easy you can avoid your pups getting sick by reloading saves if you're sensitive to that, there are constantly new updates being brought out that make the game feel more realistic each time and the development team are incredibly sweet. if you have the money i highly recommend this game, wolf therian or otherwise.

2 •

documentaries. a wonderful way to not only feel more connected to your theriotype(s), but to also learn more information about them! my favorite thing to do when i'm stressed is to wrap myself in warm blankets, turn off my lights and put on a documentary to calm myself down. bonus points if you DO have gear to wear during this, if not that's okay too.

i also like to have my plush friends join me so i can act like they're my pack :o) it's a nice way to feel less lonely as i watch. this also works if you're a domestic cat therian, have your plushies be your clouder! no matter what animal you are though, never feel less valid for wanting your stuffies with you during this. it doesn't matter if your theriotype isn't a social animal in the wild.

if you're an aquatic therian of some kind, i think a good idea would be taking your phone in the bathroom with you and setting it up outside of the tub to watch whilst you're in the water! (or shower if you don't have one, you can also use a kiddie pool outside in the warmer months). PLEASE remember to be safe during this though, if you worry about getting your phone wet then instead find some blue blankets and pretend it's the ocean!

3 •

going outside to where your theriotype resides in naturally. of course this won't be for everyone, since a lot of the time trips can end up being quite costly. something that i like to do is go to my local forest whenever i have the time to do so! i find it refreshing to sit by the stream and play in the water with my mate.

if you're a domestic dog therian, ask to go on a walk around the neighborhood with your friend! (or hell, go by yourself if it's safe enough, you're a free dog, you can do what you want). even as a wild animal i still enjoy this, so don't feel ashamed if you're ALSO a wild animal who wants to do things that domestic dogs do. it doesn't make you any less undomesticated.

if you're an animal that's used to deserts, i recommend going to where you can access sand (e.g. a sandbox at a playground, asking for a small sand tray to play in as a gift, a day out to the beach if you live near one). i also find that dried dirt that's very damaged can feel sort of similar to sand!

if you can't go outside for whatever reason, then there's always ways to make your bedroom feel similar to where you would be more comfortable. if your theriotype lives in dens like caves and underneath trees, make a blanket fort and pretend it's your home! if your theriotype rests in a burrow, make a tunnel with some blankets from the top of your bed all the way down to under it (if that doesn't work, pretend that anything below your bed is underground, and anything above your bed is the surface).

4 •

dressing in clothes that are the same color as your theriotype. i have this fluffy hat with ears that feels very affirming for my species dysphoria, paired with my favorite dark sweaters, warm pants and my tail. if you don't have any gear, don't worry! you don't need to have any to complete an outfit. sometimes clothing textures can also be affirming. for example if you have smooth skin like a whale, a bathing suit can feel similar to blubber. (if you have gender dysphoria, i recommend either full body bathing suits, or wearing pants on top of it and a jacket to help yourself feel more affirmed). i wear fluffy clothes because my fur is fluffy :o) it helps me, personally, but this might not be the same for everyone!

5 •

studying the behavior of your theriotype and trying your best to imitate it to the best of your abilities with the body you have. this can be as simple as copying how they act around each other as a family (for example wolves who are mates will rest their chins on each other to display affection), and as difficult as trying to vocalize what sounds your theriotype makes.

if you wanted to try the latter, i recommend looking at vocal exercises online before as a lot of creature sounds can and will strain your voice, i promise you that warming up your chords will not only help you sound clearer, it'll ensure that it won't take as much effort to do!

[gotstabbedbyapen]

I honestly don't really like how Odysseus defeated Poseidon. Maybe with explanations from Jay, time, and the last saga releasing I'll come around to it, but yeah. I feel like it would have been so much more logical to see Odysseus try to be as ruthless as possible, while being cunning, but ultimately failing because it's POSEIDON, and then Zeus comes in and is like "that's enough, let the Greek go" or something. Because he's not only the king, but it would redeem him from that mess in God Games.

Fans who dislike criticism, please stay away from this post because I will not hesitate to speak my mind.

I'm glad to see others still have faith in Epic, but I'm sorry to say that I don't hope as much anymore. I did try after God Games but it only let me down. And I don't think any amount of explaining and marinating time can make it any better.

Epic the Vengeance Saga not only nerf down Poseidon in the most ridiculous way possible when he was an undoubtedly powerful god-king who was revered as the Biggest Villain throughout the musical, it also broke its own establishment that the gods always have a power leverage over the humans. Odysseus was tip-toeing around all of them, even with the seemingly friendly ones like Aeolus and Hermes, because he's literally one wrong move away from getting killed by them.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: If Odysseus needed a power boost from the moly just to corner Circe, he had no chance with Poseidon when he had nothing but a sword and a wind bag. No amount of pure rage and wife loving can help him charge at the King of the Sea (in his own domain even!) and leave unscathed, he'll be lucky Poseidon just drown him faster the second time. That cheap Gary Stu fight traded good storytelling for some dramatic effect and ruined it for me.

Any other route for the Odysseus VS Poseidon showdown would be significantly better. Like you said, Odysseus can try to fight or just defend himself against Poseidon for as long as he could, then Zeus and the other Olympians can intervene to save him. And yeah, Zeus deserve a redemption and an apology for ruining his image and establishment in the musical (his attack is also super OOC)

If there's an Epic adaptation on a different media, I seriously hope they'll rewrite Six Hundred Strike completely. Anything but that godawful mess.

[tunamayuuu]

yoy did not see the last ask you did not see you did not see

How about Kouyou and Kyouka? :]]]

HI i said i'll answer asks 2-4 hrs ago and i lied </3 i was playing games with my sibling. anywho!!! my favs!!!

kouyou ozaki (bsd)

favorite thing about them: her role as the overprotective mother hen! she's pretty textbook example of what some real-life mothers are, seeing their daughters as extensions of themselves than their own being, and that's what pushes her to cling to kyouka so closely. because she genuinely believes what she's doing is preserving kyouka's emotional state, when she couldn't be further from correct. she's also one of my favorite character designs in the girls cast.

least favorite thing about them: the time she stabbed atsushi but that's it lol. i understood why she did it

favorite line: "Listen to me, Kyōka. I know how you feel. But... some things are simply impossible. No matter how much a natural-born assassin like you seeks light... A flower that blooms in the dark can survive only within the dark. If you pursue the light, its heat will burn you up in the end."

brOTP: her and ace bickering is comedy gold to me

OTP: none

nOTP: none

bonus interaction that's my favorite: i genuinely enjoy her putting her trust in atsushi to take care of kyouka as she adjusts to the day world. i know that it isn't 100% perfect that she still entrusts a different person to care for kyouka when she has seen that kyouka is more than capable of deciding for herself and taking action, but it's a step towards fully accepting that kyouka has left the bird's nest.

random headcanon: kouyou has definitely tried dressing kyouka a little more similarly to herself in the past. dressing her in pink, black and white, putting her hair up in a bun, and she looks back to those memories fondly.

unpopular opinion: she is Not a mommy figure to thirst after, she's not a girlboss, she's a thoroughly damaged woman that does not want her baby bird to suffer the same fate she did. also, i feel uncomfortable with bsd fans feeling high and mighty about hating her all along when there's criticism directed at her. i've never seen anyone make excuses and defend the emotional harm she inflicted onto kyouka during guild arc and it confuses me when i see fans insisting that to be the case. instead, i just don't see a lot of conversation about her story until recently when she's hated by many fans.

song i associate with them: Mother Knows Best from Tangled, Puppeteer and Done For from Epic the Musical (Circe Saga), Dance in the Dark by Lady Gaga

favorite picture of them:

-

kyouka izumi (bsd)

favorite thing about them: she's one of my favorites to draw! what i love about her is her determination to keep moving forward, she's so young and yet so assertive to her own desires. if it weren't for her attachment to atsushi and the desire for the mundanity of living as a girl and not an assassin, if it weren't for her voicing to atsushi that she didn't want to kill any more people than she already has, she wouldn't be where she is now.

least favorite thing about them: can't think of any

favorite line: "I saw a bright world. I cannot go back to a time when I did not know such a thing existed." and "My name is Izumi Kyouka, I've killed 35 people. I don't want to kill anyone else!"

brOTP: atsushi and kyouka!! they're inseparable and will always be the home to the other.

OTP: kyoukenji! i want to explore their dynamic more in canon and in the kny au

nOTP: atsukyou. i agree that kyouka definitely admired atsushi in a "crush" way when they first interacted but i am deeply uncomfortable in putting them in any kind of romantic dynamic, regardless of when kyouka grows older.

random headcanon: whenever kyouka wakes up in cold sweat from a nightmare, she knocks on atsushi's closet and asks if he could keep the closet open so they can sleep in a shared space. they don't sleep next to each other due to atsushi's awkwardness, but kyouka feels safer knowing that atsushi's always nearby.

unpopular opinion: can't think of any

song i associate with them: Warrior by AURORA, Elastic Heart by Sia, Tokyo Teddy Bear (Juby Phonic Cover) by Neru, Dandelions by Ruth B, Lagtrain and Lost Umbrella by inabakumori, Therefore You and Me by TadanoCo

favorite picture of them:

fav scene

fav image

[lakemojave]

Mojave reads X-Men: X-Men #1, X-Men #2, and Tales of Suspense #49

That's right gang, I'm finally sitting down and reading some comics. Now I've attempted to read a manga or two in my life, I've read some tintin comics in the library as a little kid, I've read an Alan Moore graphic novel in my day, but never have I actually read a serialized, long running comic series like this. I have very limited vocabulary for talking about comic books, and my experience with superhero media is pretty much limited to movies and shows. I have never read or critiqued a comic book of any kind.

Now I should say that even though I don't really give a shit or fuck about superheros, I do have a favorite superhero, and it's none of the X-Men. I do have a place in my heart for the caped crusader, so why am I not reading every single batman comic ever written? Well you see, the reason is simple. If I read a batman comic, even if it's a bad one, I will be distracted by how much i already like batman. I will probably learn a thing or two about batman, but I won't really be properly immersed in the comic-reading experience if i start with somebody I already enjoy.

So I'm excited for this! I'm basically going in blind, except for some passing knowledge about the over-arching themes of these characters and season one of X-Men '97 (a fantastic show that you all gotta watch). Now I know some reading guides online will recommend that you skip some stuff, but I wanna challenge myself to do a completionist review of this whole series. For an artistic medium that I don't know shit or fuck about, this may be a long commitment, but this is gonna be a fun way to do it.

If you wanna follow along with me, I'll be basing my order based on the reading guide from this website here:

Now for the review!

X-Men #1

This one is really fucking stupid.

In this first issue, we meet our X-Men and learn their powers through a goofy ass training scene, Jean Grey arrives, then they defend a military base from Magneto, and that's about it. It doesn't do enough to establish what exactly a mutant is, but it does establish the X academy as a safe haven for mutants where they can learn to be superheros, and how Magneto wants mutants to rule the world. There isn't much nuance here yet, but these motivations will echo down throughout the entire X-Men saga.

The designs here are particularly undercooked compared to the more modern iterations, but I do like that Professor X has always been a bald dude stuck in a chair. Magneto's imperious personality is established here as well, but the X-Men themselves are mostly just rough sketches of the idea of people. We're not gonna get into the family drama soap opera nonsense for a little while I think.

(Also my favorite part of this panel is how you can't tell cyclops has a visor and it looks like it's just a guy. With two eyes. Which is, by definition, not a cyclops.)

I also adore how whimsical this first issue is. The fighting is very cartoonish and everyone says what they're thinking out loud. I dunno if that's just how comics tend to be or if this is a product of the age, but I actually find it really endearing! I have a fondness for this era of comics where you could pick up a batman off the shelves and see a panel of him shooting and killing his enemies with a mosin nagant, or that infamous panel of superman melting a dagger with his heat vision and slurping up the molten metal.

Also, poor Jack Kirby. You can tell by the homogenous designs and Magneto's crooked ass eyeballs that he was very overworked in this period. The superhero team composition here is definitely less creative than the Fantastic Four for instance, which was running at the same time and will crossover with our reading list a few times.

Though my favorite panels from this issue are right here:

I'm sorry if the difference in time between your two panels is "Exactly fifteen seconds" then you don't need a text box explaining it.

Either way, while this first one isn't very good, I was really entertained. I'm really looking forward to immersing myself in this period of the art form and learning a thing or two about this franchise!

X-Men #2

That's right baby. We're gonna be in stupid town for a few weeks.

In this issue, a new evil mutant attempts to take on the X-Men and realize his loosely sketched evil plan for world domination and such. This guy, The Vanisher, has teleportation powers so fast that none of them can lay a finger on him. With his X-Men's reputation on the line, Professor X himself has to step in and use his psychic powers to vanquish The Vanisher and his army of goons on the White House lawn.

We learn a lot of new things about the X-Men in this issue; one, that Charles is a snitch for the FBI; two, sometimes the X-Men will just randomly start fighting each other almost completely unprompted.

Oh yeah also they call Jean Grey "Marvel Girl" in this run. I don't know why, ya just gotta deal with it.

The Vanisher basically has Goku instant transmission, allowing him to teleport literally anywhere he wants in an instant. In his master plan to steal US Army secrets and rule over humanity, a bunch of random low level goons just start worshiping him cause he's just that awesome. Like they're not even getting anything out of serving him, they just love this freak.

God could you imagine the alternate timeline where The Vanisher is the X-Men's arch enemy instead of Magneto? I think I would've canceled this series early if that happened.

Needless to say, this one is also insane. Like whenever the X-Men need to go anywhere, they rely on the goofiest modes of flying transportation that I've ever seen.

This one is also pretty dumb, but I can't say I had a bad time reading this one too! I think the first one was more interesting, seeing the prototype for such an all time comic villain, but this fight against the Vanisher is just a straight forward good time.

Tales of Suspense #49

Here we have our first ever crossover! In this comic, Angel accidentally gets nuked by Iron Man during a weapons test. The radiation makes him turn evil. Iron Man has to stop him.

This is the goofy bullshit I crave. There is no explanation for why any of this happens. Angel suddenly swears his life against all crime fighters and tries to make friends with the evil mutants. Iron Man talks completely different than I'm used to in this modern MCU era (plus his identity actually is secret!) Although the other X-Men do show up in this one, It is so strange to me that the first X-Man to make it into another series is one of the most forgotten characters of them all.

Oh man they just. They just don't make em like this anymore.

I do like that the X-Men as characters are starting to settle into their personalities. Angel's the boyscout, (normally,) Iceman is a little shit, Beast is a funnyguy, and Jean is a woman. Cyclops is still a little undercooked, but in terms of actual art I think I like how he looks in this style better than anybody. It helps that the art is getting ever so slightly better issue by issue.

But I also love that there's like. No backgrounds. It's crazy that in these early comics they just frame characters in a blank, colored void. I have no idea where these guys are right now.

The writing is still hilarious. Like everyone in these comics just says whatever they're thinking out loud. If these comics weren't written for little kids I'd make a big stink about it, but I just find this so endearing.

Eventually Iron Man does the thing where his power runs out and he falls to the earth in the middle of the fight, then Angel comes back to his senses, possessed by the instinct to save him. As he flies away, good ol' Anthony Edward Stark gets a call from Professor X saying that some day he hopes that the Avengers and the X-Men will one day fight alongside each other...as allies! And from this day forward, they'll never fight again!

Um. Ignore that.

See y'all with more soon!

[g1rldrool]

Could you please write something to do with hazel x an autistic reader? (Sorry if this is a strange request)

HAZEL X AUTISTIC!READER

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warnings: nothing! fluff, idk if this is a warning but hazel is also a little autistic coded!

word count: 0.4k

notes: hii tysm for this request anon!! I'm autistic myself so I was already planning on doing this so ty for giving me an excuse to post it! I did this in the form of hc's! if you want a full fic tell me and I'll write it:)

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-so I think that hazel wouldn't know that much about autism, I think she didn't really think she would have to be informed about it

-but when you stared dating she would do sooo much research about it, like she had no idea what a "safe food" was when you told her. then the next day she bought all of your safe foods and just came knocking on your door.

-if your overstimulated in public she obviously has something in her tote bag that could help, whether it's a pair of headphones, a sensory toy or anything that could help she's got it

-she loves hearing about your special interest, like she'll listen to you talk about them for hoursss, like if your special interest is a saga of movies, she'll lay down with you and watch all of them or she'll watch them all by herself so then she can surprise you with information

-she'll bring you small little gifts related to your interest, like pins or necklaces maybe socks, just small cute stuff!!

-if you don't understand sarcasm she's fine with that because neither does she😭 the girl is clueless, a lot of times if you go out in a group and someone says smth sarcastic and neither of y'all get it and you just kinda look at each other confused on why they would say that

-if you only like certain fabrics and she happens to have clothes with that fabric, it's yours now!! whenever she buys you something she makes sure it's not any of your sensory issues, like scratchy shirts? she doesn't even look at them, or shirts that are to tight? she wouldn't even think of buying it for you

-if anyone made fun of you she's defending you hard, like either making them feel embarrassed or just yelling at them😭

-if your burnt out and don't wanna hang out she's giving you all the space you need!! like she'll just wait for you to text her when your feeling energized again

-okay so if you have a meltdown she would try her best to calm you down, if you just need to cry she'll hug you and just let you get it out, or if maybe breathing calms you down she'll do special breathing with you

-she will send you stuff like "you call it autism I call it having that dawg in me" she finds it sooo funny

-if you don't like physical touch she'll only give physical affection if it's like asked for😭 she would hate to make you uncomfortable so she tries to make you the most comfortable person ever, her ways of showing affection if of course gifts but also words of affection, she always tell you how much she loves or how much she's proud of you.

-overall she's the sweetest:')

[guardiandragon98]

I've been following and liking a lot of creators' content and realized, hey, I'm a creator too. Might as well share to the Tumblr-verse my big bag of stories. Click the link above to access my AO3 profile.

For those who want to browse my stories per category. Here's my...

MASTERLIST PART 1 - this focuses on all my fics that are part of a series.

How to Train Your Dragon... with The God of Mischief

Summary: After falling off the Bifrost, Loki finds himself not as a pawn of Thanos, but transformed into an ordinary mortal and sent to the island of Berk. Taking on the name "Erland", Loki makes his way in the world of dragons and Vikings alongside the village outcasts - Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and Zenna Arrowhead Fiersome. And Loki soon discovers he may not be as powerless as he originally thought.

In Order

The Inventor, The Healer, and The Fallen Prince - Prologue, Complete

How to Train Your Dragon... With The God of Mischief - Follows the events of the 1st film, Complete

Legend of The Boneknapper Dragon with The God of Mischief - one-shot

Gifts of the Night Furies with The God of Mischief - one-shot

Riders and Defenders of Berk with The God of Mischief - Follows Riders and Defenders of Berk, Ongoing

Where Ever Your Road Leads, You Can Always Come Back Home to Me - one-shot crossover with Thor films

HTTYDWTGOM One-Shots - A collection of one-shots sometimes set during in-between moments of the films and series in no particular order and just some fun things I can cook up, Ongoing

Sonadow Boom

Summary: An AU of Sonic Boom where Shadow isn't a brooding edgelord, is Sonic's boyfriend, and Eggman doesn't realize he's hired a mole. This has fluff, a little bit of smut, and a whole lotta Sonadow cuteness. Enjoy!

For this list, I'm putting the ratings here as a heads-up. For those who are underage, steer clear of the rated M and Explicit stuff.

Words of Encouragement - General Audiences

Serenade - General Audiences

It Takes A Village to Defeat A Hedgehog - Teen and Up Audiences

I Will Never Give Up on You - Teen and Up Audiences

A Moment of Pure Bliss - Mature Audiences

A Night in the Most Non-Secluded Secluded Jungle Ever - General Audiences

Let Me Tip You with Kisses and A Little Something Extra - Mature Audiences

Eggman The Video Game AU - Teen and Up Audiences

Closure - Teen and Up Audiences

Follow Our Rainbow - Teen and Up Audiences

The Next Great Adventure - Possibly the Greatest Adventure of All

Summary: When a string of garbage can thefts strikes Seaside Island, Sonic and Shadow lead the gang on a search for the thief. What they didn't expect was to become parents to a scared little tenrec with electrokinesis and a troubled past.

Sonic Boom Season 3: The Faith Tenrec Saga - the one that started it all :) Complete

To My Darling Faith - one-shot

Sunflowers for Mommy - one-shot

Love That Lasts Longer Than Paper Hearts - Valentine's Day one-shot

You're My Heroes - Father's Day one-shot

The Tale of the Space Child and the Wind Child - one-shot

In Every Shape, Way, and Form - one-shot tie-in with Sonic x Shadow Generations

Faith's First Halloween - Halloween one-shot

Now All My Stories Have Been Told, Except for One - tribute one-shot to my Dad

The World is Big Enough for All Your Love - Ongoing

Welcome to the Greatest Storm - one-shot

These Are A Few of Faith's Favorite (Fluffy) Things - one-shot

His Purpose, His World - one-shot tie-in with Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings

We're A Pusheen Family - one-shot

I'll make another masterlist for the stories that don't have any series, though some of them are connected to my Sonic fic series in this list.

Happy reading ;)

[the-most-faithful]

The other day I published an edit what if Lily had chosen Snape without war, (you can find it here if you want to see it) which the two have a child. Now among the various comments the classic Marauder Stan who tries to throw mud at Snape has obviously popped up, let's analyze the points touched, because they could be interesting

Obviously we start from a classic, they try to pass off Snape as a homicidal madman who wanted all non-magic people to die, we know full well that it's not true. He joined the Death Eaters it's true but he didn't really want to kill all the non-wizards. Having established this, let's move on to the slur

If you've been following me for a while you know that I find it quite problematic to associate Death Eaters with Nazis, I understand the meaning but it's a delicate topic, so sorry if I'll use the term classists instead, but it seems more respectful to me.

Now the fact that Snape apologized for the only insult ever directed at Lily can't be denied, it's canon, so what do the Marauders Stan? Well they obviously gloss over "yes he apologized BUT THEN he joined the Death Eaters" and excuse the frankness, but thank fu*k, despite having apologized he was dumped by the only friend he had in the canon and the guys who should have represented the good have continued to bully him for years. It's not like Snape had many choices. Let's reiterate the obvious: Snape was wrong to join the Death Eaters, what he suffered is NOT an excuse, we are just repeating the reasons for his actions. Understanding is different from justifying.

Honestly I'm missing the logical leap here. How does the fact that I pointed out that the Marauders never apologized for their actions, unlike Snape, lead to the conclusion that James and Sirius' heavy bullying equals a classist group of Death Eaters? Really, it escapes me.

So I corrected, saying that bullying is always wrong, it doesn't matter if the victim is a bad person, it's still bullying. And I thought we had at least reached a meeting point, they are all wrong, James and Sirius are wrong like Snape. Well not really since Snape was the victim, but hey if it can't get any better I can accept it, let's pretend they're on the same level. But no, the Marauders Stan always try to make Snape look worse than he is, so he magically becomes worse because when he grows up (in the future) he will treat his students badly. Clear isn't it? Future faults are why the bullying was less severe, which really makes sense. (BIG Face Palm)

They were all bad people, can we accept this? Obviously not, because Marauders Stan always have to defend their pupils, even going so far as to invent things. It starts to get comical how they want to distort the canon. The Marauders have gone from arrogant bullies to, in their imagination, vigilantes who defend others and attack bad guys. It's a shame that the bad guys who attack the weakest are actually them. You also notice how inconsistent they are, they admit that they were bullies BUT they try to justify them. Snape joined the Death Eaters after school so the Marauders bullied him from first year. The sense? Do you see it? Is it under the carpet by any chance? But by the same "logic" of this person the fact that Snape will join the classist group in the future justifies the Marauders bullying Snape.

Of course, Snape was bad since he was a child because... well we don't know why, they never explaine this. So he was bad from an early age because they say so, then only when Lily was in danger did he do the right thing. Do you hear the bells too? He did the right thing. They admitted it, he did the right thing. "Yes, but only because Lily was in danger" Exactly, this is the exact definition of an antihero, he is not someone without blemish who saves people for no personal reason. Regardless, everyone in the saga has personal reasons. James, Sirius and Remus didn't join the war against Voldemort because they had nothing better to do. They couldn't stay out of it. Let's dispel this false idea. James was with Lily who was a target, could he have stayed out of the war? Obviously not. Remus was a werewolf, or he was with the Death Eaters who would have disgusted him or he was with Dumbledore who always protected him, did he really have a choice? I would say no. Sirius same thing, his family disowned him, he only had his friends and since they were in danger he joined the Order. So they all had a personal reason too, the fact that they did the right thing for this doesn't seem to create any problems to me, why does it for Snape? Usual double standard.

Here I meant future sins, but I think the meaning is understood.

In all of this, they managed to defend the Marauders by proving that they weren't bullies? Obviously not. They're just trying to attack Snape.

If there are any updates I will let you know

[kuramirocket]

Continued playing Brothership and I screamed. In one of the battles Mario got knocked out and Luigi screamed, 'Mario' before running over to him, picking him up and fought with one hammer when it was the enemy's turn to attack. As always my mother wss watching play and she too loudly was like, 'Awwww.' It was just so cute!!! I heard that the same thing happens in Superstar Saga where the bros defend each other if the other gets knocked out. I am so glad this also happens in Brothership!! 🥹❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚

I was also on that desert island, I think it was called, Allsand Island, with those level 40 shark enemies. So, by this point of the game, even if you have fought every single baddie that appears in the game like me, you'll still only be like level 20-21. So, one successful hit from those sharks and it's instant KO. Well, I wasn't about to get a gameover and wondered if the game would let me flee even with one bro knocked out (in this case Luigi). I chose to flee and yep, Mario quickly grabbed Luigi, swung him over his shoulder and ran. And ofc, this is me, and I'm just here like too cute!!!

Now, I need to see both these scenarios with Mario and Luigi just to see the animation. Though, I don't want to force a KO. Lol. Maybe after I pass the story I'll make it happen.

I know I've been wanting to see what happens if you fail the timing with jump attacks and such. Though, I did somehow mess up once with Mario's jump and it was so funny to see him flail sideways at the enemy 😅

Anyways, truly any M&L games is a gift soley for the interactions between the bros! Granted Brothership is the only M&L game I have played and haven't really seen gameplays or spoilers story wise for the other games, but as I thought, Brothership has not disappointed at all in the brotherly love department!! We truly are feasting so good!

[tfa-archived]

Yeah, that's a pretty good analysis. I don't see Poe included hardly at all, in fandom or in canon to a degree, and I think it's safe to say he has one of the least number of fans who are specifically fans of him. Like I don't see many blogs/accounts that are specifically Poe centric.

Oh man, I actually got up to answer this on my computer rather than my phone, so we'll see how into it I'll get into this ask, but yes! It's vastly unfortunate that he often gets excluded or overlooked when he's the entire catalyst for the sequel trilogy. He is, archetypically and narratively within the story, the Leia of our generation: if it was not for Poe and BB-8 (who is really like an extension of Poe), then Finn wouldn't have been able to escape the Finalizer, and Rey would have never left Jakku.

While yes, it's true that Poe wasn't initially meant to survive The Force Awakens (and other nine word horror stories for me), Poe is still one part of the primary trio of the trilogy and has been since 2015. He is not only Leia's first protégé, but the eventual leader of the Resistance, and according to the Rise of Skywalker novel, the heir to the legacy of House Organa (cue me loudly proclaiming him a Disney Prince). Yet, somehow, at the same time......no one seems to ever want to include him as part of the saga, and an important one as that?

(@dameronalone points out ever so often how much they love the shot where everyone leaves Exegol for this reason, because we see Poe flying alongside the Falcon, which really hammers in that Poe is an important player in the history of the saga).

More thoughts below the cut, because I have more and this is already lengthy.

The worst thing is that Poe was extremely popular. Lucasfilm and Marvel pretty much immediately greenlit a comic series for him, and while that was definitely to flesh his story out, if my memory serves, it was so popular that I believe the first printing sold out? And it was originally only meant to last 25 issues (which personally I think it should have stayed at, because I don't super vibe with 26-onward and it feels off and tonally disconnected to the rest of the series and also the ending of TLJ, and the characterization for Poe also feels off, but that's!! a different rant!!!) but the title was so popular that Marvel decided to extend it for two more storylines!

The issue was the fandom backlash to TLJ.

You don't have to look too far into my blog to know that I adore Poe in TLJ, and that I like his arc in the movie, and that I avidly defend him for it, but the internet in 2017-2019 was an entirely different universe from that. You could not go anywhere - Tumblr, Twitter, Youtube, fucking hell, even most major media news outlets and clickbait websites - without hearing about how much everyone hated Poe Dameron.

Why? Because they walked away from his arc deciding that he was sexist and the movie's perfect example of toxic masculinity (although, lmfao, the First Order clowns are right there). It went further than that, with headlines about how everyone hated him, how he was personally responsible for everything that happens in the Resistance in the film, and how he was the worst character in Star Wars since Jar Jar Binks (because clearly the Star Wars fandom never learns from its previous toxicity, right?). It was to the point that, to my immense horror and frustration, even as far as into promoting TROS, a reporter described Poe as a "secret villain" in TLJ to Oscar (and man do I hope that man knows Poe is loved, actually).

Fandom wasn't much different. Fanon Poe prior to TLJ was....a lot different. In some ways, a lot of fics hit the nail on the head on who Poe was, but there was a definite unifying idea of who Poe was: a pure cinnamon roll who never, ever swore, and always listened to Leia and never argued with her - let alone disobeyed her orders or put a toe out of line (this is even illustrated in canon, with the first Poe Dameron annual, where the author has Poe declare that Leia is "always right" and instantly caving in an argument).

And TLJ Poe is about....as far removed from that vision of Poe as you can possibly get - although nothing about him in TLJ is ooc. We see the bare bones of it in The Force Awakens, and Before the Awakening and the comics further flesh out Poe in a way that perfectly leads into the Last Jedi. But the cinnamon roll fanon was made so common and leaked so far into fandom consciousness, that there was this strange concept that Poe was never, ever angry even in expanded material, which...he does. He gets pissed off plenty of times in the comics, and with the Defense Fleet while arguing with Deso.

So, canon Poe did the unthinkable and, y'know, didn't fall in line with how fanon saw him, which resulted in a huge backlash over the fact that he was a character with agency and a personality (that is NOT sexist thank you), which resulted in us getting books like Resistance Reborn, by authors who can't stand him or describe him as anything besides "supremely arrogant" and spends three hundred pages emotionally torturing him, claiming he needs to die, physically assaulting him, and you know...having the person who attacked him and the other person who claimed he needed to die flirt with him, because it also spends an ungodly amount of time sexualizing him to an uncomfortable degree, because the one thing fanon could agree on outside of the fact that he had been "ruined" or that he was a jackass or a "fuckboi" (yeah that went around too), was that Oscar Isaac is really goddamned fine in the Last Jedi (he is, I'll give them that, there's something about tlj!Poe, scientists remain baffled).

And on top of all of that, a particular fraction of the fandom developed an interesting habit of taking new pieces of canon and spreading them around online out of context, claiming that the writers were now intentionally writing him as sexist and as a jackass, and ruining his character further. I don't know for certain if this had any effect overall on the fandom's perception of him, but I know that it did almost break my spin in him for a while because I thought people were being very genuine, and it wasn't until 2020 that I got curious and started doing my own research into the panels/paragraphs being shared online, and sure enough, discovered that the angle had been falsified to paint Poe into a worse light (which, if anyone is curious, is why I did my deep dive into everything that he was in, because I didn't want to be fooled again. You can't trick me if I know everything lmfao).

So essentially, his popularity nosedived after the Last Jedi. It seemed to bump up a little bit, or at least there definitely seemed to be more people interested in him/writing for him in 2020 coming off the lockdown, but obviously that has very much dwindled. But I've definitely not seen any blogs dedicated to Poe as a character since 2017, and you don't ordinarily see him in miscellaneous Star Wars gifsets that go around either, let alone solo Poe gifsets (I know because I lose my shit anytime there's a new one that's not by me), and Poe creations that have nothing to do with a ship is.........even less likely to be found.

I definitely think canon is at least trying to keep him in our minds though. He was the second character to lead one of the Lego Specials, and that Rey short story ("Through the Turbulence") was focused on her friendship with him. Whether or not that's because of the possibility of Oscar returning for the Rey movie (which feels fairly tangible, considering he's been kind of shady about it after mentioning he'd come back for a good story, and doing that Halcyon video), or if it's just because of Lucasfilm maybe warming up to him as a character again*, I don't know, but I hope it means we get good-faith content for him again soon.

*Because I'm tired of the story group constantly being a little bitch about him, and the same goes for the Topps Trading Card App. Maybe people wouldn't think he was a villain if you stopped describing him like a terrible person? Just a thought.

[scratchpad-sagas]

Daredevil-ing

So, originally, I had planned to have this post out *before* the release of Daredevil: Born Again, but life had other plans. Now, I'm going to have my thoughts on the OG Netflix series set up in 2-3 posts, then I'll write up my thoughts on Born Again, because holy fuck was that a trip! (Been writing these on off time the last couple of days, but it's all finished, so expect the next part soon [and much shorter!]).

/\/\/\/

Recently, as in my post about "my mid-life Marvel marathon", I've binged a LOT of comics content in the last 6-8 months. From Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Spiderman movies, to all of the X-Men films in chronological order, I would say I'm pretty well caught up with a majority of the things I missed.

After watching Deadpool and Wolverine in theaters, then discussing it all with my fam (mom and dad, love ya 🤟) I wanted to watch the movie where Elektra came from. This started my spiral through the New York Defenders Saga: first came Ben Affleck's DD film, which is, in a ranking for adaptations of the blind vigilante, a close second as the next (and only other) item on my list -- Charlie Cox and the Netflix iteration of Daredevil.

(^^^ they're best friends, your honor!)

I plowed through all 3 seasons of that show in late autumn of last year, and whoo boy, did I not expect for a SINGLE SECOND the RIDE I was in for!

I can confidently say now, having re-watched the show a few times and devoured the music score, that Daredevil of Netflix has become my newest comfort show.

Everyone has different criteria for calling something a "comfort thing". For me, it's a blend of a lot of different details. The music usually has a lot to do with it, and I mean the background tracks, not whatever pop music they blast during fights. Music is a big deal, but so is actor chemistry, and the writing, the actual cinematography... no matter how fantastical the universe, it's always the little things that count, for me. The coming-of-age story in HTTYD with Hiccup and Toothless, as well as learning to love and to let go; the bond between the Winchester brothers, Castiel, and, eventually, their son Jack in Supernatural... these three are my top 3 comfort things. All of them are iconic for their own reasons, and I could go on and on about their own unique features, but that's another story for another time.

Daredevil, of Netflix, captured me almost instantly with the bond between Matt and Foggy. Best friends (without any forced macho intensity), with a rhythm that they can bounce off each other with! Foggy brought the humor, Matt could play along brilliantly, but both of them could get down to business and absolutely SLAY at the job they share. Foggy is the sense of comfort and ease that foils Matt's eventual default to cynicism; Matt does his best to follow the code they share, to trust in *people* and the system, to hope for the best, and it's beautiful. I know that struggle, to want nothing more than to have faith in the goodness of people and the hard, unbending rules of the "system", and yet, I feel for those characters like Matt (and Magneto, among others) who find it SO HARD to keep up that almost-ignorant hope. To get pushed around and showed the worst of the worst, and wonder what ever made you believe there could be good in the first place...

It's a struggle that's captured perfectly in this show, and EVERY season managed to find a different facet of that struggle and handle it with grace. From the onset with the Devil of Hell's Kitchen using his violent skills to help the people who went unnoticed, to season 2 and his clash against Frank "The Punisher" Castle who's own perspective on the issue is just as valid. Season 3 then upped the ante to a boiling point, and climaxed iconically at the end of the final fight between Fisk, Dex and Matt. The three fighters were constantly at each other's throats, never backing down until they could hardly stand back up, but, by the end of it, there was no one, single victor. Matt grappled with the stakes of Fisk being allowed to live against his own impulse to finally kill him and get it over with. Resolving to take the harder path, Matt chose not to kill Wilson and instead channeled his rage into a final ultimatum that has stuck with me since I first witnessed it months ago!

Yeah, the inner and moral conflicts of the show are compelling, but so are the more direct plot points. From Karen's plea of not-murder and the clues leading all the way back to Kingpin's illegal industry, to the mystery of Frank's case and the true goals of The Hand in season 2, and how exactly Wilson was able to sink his filthy claws into the FBI during season 3... there wasn't a single narrative that took me as out of place or problematic. Everything just *worked*! The hole that The Hand had been digging did stump me for a while, but the Defenders hit it out of the park. All of it blended into each other, able to fold the fantastical elements of the Iron Fist's enemies and origin into the more grounded, realistic events of New York's many vigilantes.

As for characters? I eventually grew to appreciate all of them for their purpose -- I say that to include the antagonists, who I probably shouldn't "like", but do. Hardly any of them were uninteresting or unlikeable, even side characters like the two shady cops that helped handle the Russians for Fisk during season 1. Speaking of the Russians, right away, Daredevil's crime lord ring had me hooked! Each of the mob bosses were unique, with just enough character to get me invested in their side of the story, too. The Russian brothers were charismatic, in a snarky kind of way. I enjoyed their willingness to snap back at Wesley and Fisk, holding their own. Madame Gao brought an intense air of mystery, given her age, lax attitude among her peers, and slightly more respectful opinion of Wilson. Knowing now that she was among the most important and dangerous of the initial antagonists makes me appreciate her scenes all the more. Owlsley played the weak link between them; the self-serving coward ready to do anything to save his own hide -- every circle needs one, and he played it well!

Wesley, however, is another story entirely. Right off the bat, I was immediately turned off by how conventionally attractive he appeared, and how... highly he thought of himself and the actions he undertook for the man he served. Then, his death came around, much to my total surprise! Of course, Fisk losing his right hand man would be a hell of a blow, but seeing how much Wesley's death weighed on him was a refreshing change of pace. The grief that Wilson showed when first seeing Wesley's body got me to rethink Wesley's part in the series. His loyalty bordered on love for that man! The highfalutin attitude wasn't just snobbish for the sake of it, he genuinely thought highly of Fisk and understood the role and power the two of them had. I do wish he'd lasted longer, and I dare say, in some alternate universe, Wesley survives his "encounter" with Karen and assumes a place like Vanessa's at Kingpin's side.

The mystery surrounding Nobu and "those he spoke for" was super interesting! I didn't expect him to be the red ninja that tore Matt up, and I wonder if Gao knew who she was working with that whole time. When Nobu returned after what seemed like certain death, the intrigue grew infinitely higher, and helped anchor me to the villains of The Defenders. However, with knowledge of The Defenders, I do question why The Hand wasted part of their precious supply of ancient-dragon-marrow-juice to resurrect ... what inevitably was just a henchman. While Nobu was formidable, and in my opinion, more formidable than his superior that featured in The Defenders, his role being so far beneath didn't seem worthy enough to spend revival power on. Honestly, I hoped Nobu had been the other member of The Hand within Wilson's crime syndicate, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

Enough about antagonists! I'm gonna gush about our people! Karen was built up SO well! From the very beginning, I knew I was gonna be on her side and that did NOT change a bit. She meshed so well with our boys, and, I'm gonna be real, from a romance standpoint, I couldn't decide if her thing with Foggy was cool or not... then season 2 came around and I still wasn't sure. At first, seeing Matt and Karen try going out got me upset: Karen had been testing the waters with Foggy! That's so not cool, and I knew it was bound to drive a wedge between the three of them... but... it didn't. At least, not in the way I expected. Then, thinking about it even more, and starting to re-watch the show, I started to notice a lot more subtle details regarding Karen's romantic subplot. Really, I think she tried it out with Foggy because he made the first move! He's a great guy, he's funny, he's *there*, and he helped handle her defense case during the Union Allied issue. Why not?

In between EVERYTHING, though, there were a LOT of details that implied Karen was definitely feeling something for Matt. She'd give him these lingering looks, ask about him, and, hell, on her "date" with Foggy in Mrs. Cardenas' apartment, she got oddly interested in the way he talked about how Matt would create his "mental images" of those he trusted. The whole feel-my-face scene, while very sweet, would probably be a strange thing to ask in real life, not necessarily because of the action itself, but because of what, or who, it was inspired by.

Romance aside, though, the duo-become-trio are a brilliant force to be reckoned with! They just... work so well together! They know when to take it easy and when it's time to get to business, when the truth is being told and when there's definitely something more going on. Karen brings the perseverance, Foggy brings the optimism, and Matt brings the unmoving determination. Truly, when they can get their heads out of their asses, unstoppable.

Then came Elektra in season 2. Initially, I was against her, didn't want to like her, didn't actually like her, etc etc... it took until the final few episodes for me to warm up to her, and then it was all downhill from there. Now? Ohmygod, I can't get enough of them! I've been thinking about the depth and dynamics of their relationship over and over, and recently came to the conclusion that they are a literal Greek tragedy. The woman who is a force of nature incarnate, with a ravenous taste for wanton violence, who found the one being in the world that saw her for HER. In the end, she *wants* to "be good" for him, but can't deny the bloodlust within. The man burdened by tragedy, struggling to deal with his own temptations into wrath, who puts purpose to his actions and who loves a goddess he cannot abide. They understand each other for their flaws, and probably know one another better than most because of that. While Foggy is Matt's best friend, Elektra shares his thirst for blood. She knows his feelings and has thrown just as many punches. They are on another *level*. Truly, a mortal falling in love with an "immortal" (figuratively).

But, enough waxing poetic.

My first reaction to Elektra, especially throughout her debut episode (after she snuck up on Matt in his own apartment) was literally the thought, "Oh. She's *actually* just crazy."

This thought would later morph into, "Matthew Murdock, stop THINKING WITH YOUR DICK, drop the CRAZY and do your freaking job!!"

It's final evolution ended up as, "Ok, so most of these people are their own, special kind of crazy. Cool."

Yeah, season 2 is probably my favorite for a variety of reasons. Not only did it kick off with two, equally intriguing plot lines, season 2 kept up the pace, stakes, AND intensity just as well! Keeping the mafia-murderer as mysterious as possible was *gold*; I had my suspicions from the start that it might have been "The Punisher", whose real name and story I didn't know at the time, but whose title had always carried rumors of unmatched strength and brutality. By the time we finally get to see him for real, I was already on the edge of my seat, desperate to know who it is! Then came his purpose, WHY he rains bullets and death down upon the organized crime of NYC... and suddenly, he'd become an entirely different character. I'd never imagined I would end up liking The Punisher as much as I do now, and I call him Frank as often as I can. He deserves peace, and rest, and to find that dog he saved from the Irish, and some time with Karen (or the lady from the bar in season 2 of his own show).

Ok.

This post is getting REALLY long, and I'll be real, I think I need another rewatch of DD season 3. My initial reaction? Confusion, but intrigued. I LOVE that they didn't shy away from the events of The Defenders, starting off season 3 showing how exactly Matt survived the collapse of Midland Circle. They could have not! They could have made vague references to what happened there, but they took the bull by the horns and put Matt through a swim of the good ol' trauma-juice. I always appreciate the realistic magnitude of the injuries in this show, as well; after he was found and taken to Father Lantom, it would take a LONG time for Matt to heal from what he'd suffered in the bowels of NYC's literal underground. His hearing was messed up, his balance was off -- he was bruised and broken in a lot of ways. Seeing his journey through recovery was awesome, until both Sister Maggie and myself started realizing he was pushing himself wayy too much. Then, I realized just how badly Matt was still suffering when he went out as the Man in the Mask, trying to stop a beating, then collapsing into a suicidal wreck.

The Defenders REALLY messed with Matt. He was already struggling internally, doing his best to keep his relationships with his friends while grappling with his decision to hang up his horns. Getting pulled into the conflict between Danny Rand and The Hand, alongside Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, did NOT do him any favors. Not only did it pull Stick back into his circle, but he discovered that Elektra (the forbidden love of his life) had been mysteriously resurrected. She died in his arms once, and she does so again at the end of the show. Kind of.

It's not surprising that Matt's primary conflict in DD season 3 is a mental one. It's also a crisis of faith, but wrapped up alongside the hallucinations, reclusion, abuse of friendships and straight up abandonment of his own code, I'd say the mental breakdown is the bigger part of the problem. Watching that for the first time was actually refreshing, because I don't think I've ever seen another piece of media so directly handle a character's mental well-being. Often, those issues get reduced to subplot at best, or ignored at worst. While it would have been even better if there had been, yknow, talking about what happened to Matt, that might be asking for too much! In short, I think that portion of season 3 was expertly handled.

The FBI portion was a surprise! It didn't take long for me to warm up to Agent Ray Nadeem, but as for the actual plot? Every twist and turn was it's own surprise, though I wish Ray had been able to live. The fact that Kingpin has his twisted claws so thoroughly strangling even the FBI is a huge concern, especially after the end of the show, where the truth of his fate is, if I recall, kind of up in the air. His schemes in messing with Bullseye's head that entire time was a brilliant plot, and, hats off to whoever was able to write Dex as creepy as they did!

Also, one last note... what is WITH comics adaptations and making therapists out as awful horrible people?? If I had a dime for every time a therapist turned out to be a terrible person in a Marvel show, I'd have at least 2 dimes, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it's happened twice!

(This post has gotten WAYY longer than originally intended, but I do want to include a little more, so I'm going separate this into 2 parts. Part 2, on the way!)

March 6, 2025

[pastel-rights]

what's the story behind the school uniforms for Velvet and Clyde?

Oh, it's a bit of a long story tbh? Since it takes place several years prior to the current day Vel/Clyde lore.

So, for context, they're talking about the outfits in this post, which are basically their uniforms from back when they were both in high school/junior high, 4 to 5 years prior to the events of the modern timeline, back when they were 18 and 17 years old respectively. This part of the timeline precedes both the events of the official mass murders ( also known as💥🎊) at Halocene College. It explored their character arcs prior to their interactions in their college life and it offers some...

rather interesting insight into who they once were.

Basically, it came from a dream I had pretty much, as most of the current sona duos always have. However, this one was special because, while it's part of Clyde and Velvet's story, it precedes their main story by 4 to 5 years, which gave a lot of insight to their characters and who they were before... everything, and it gives a lot of insight, especially towards Clyde himself. Since, you probably noticed it, but Clyde's drawn... differently compared to all other artwork of him there are.

In high school, Clyde was basically the student council president and one of those "all-star students"/"those gifted kids" kind of stereotype. You can kind of see it with his uniform and how he wears it, especially in comparison to his older counterpart if that makes sense?

Everything here is pressed, steamed, without wrinkles, form-fitting, and things like that. When you compare it to his current outfit, a loose-fitting coat, simple turtleneck, etc. Not to mention his face and body in the high school outfit being covered in bandages and whatnot, but those items lacking in his grown-up version.

Compare that to high school Velvet's outfit, and... you can see a much bigger picture concerning Clyde. Velvet's coat is big and wrinkled, her vest is unbuttoned, and her shirt is a turtleneck compared to the usual button-down shirt, with no bow or tie, you get the picture.

Velvet's character stereotype is something close to a high school delinquent. Messy, pension for violence, on thin ice with the school, this is important I swear. Basically, Velvet's one incident away from being suspended by the high school permanently, while Clyde is moreso the picture-perfect star example of a student. He's the person you go to when you need help or assistance, he's the person who approves school events, he's the person who shows new kids around the school, he's... the student council president.

In which, for the story of the dream itself, I'll give you the TLDR for now. ( One thing about the dream saga is we often end up considering the events that occur in a dream canonical to a duo's lore. So, the following events are considered canon instead of a what-if scenario. )

Basically, in the dream, there was this 19-year-old boy bothering Clyde every day who is an incredibly crude and violent person. ( Look at the bandages/bandaids on HS Clyde, those injuries are from him. ) and eventually, this boy started to choke Clyde out in the middle of the schoolyard, and Clyde wasn't able to stop him or do anything to defend himself. And, Velvet was basically walking past when this happened, and saw it happened, tried to intervene, and when that didn't work as intended, she hit this 19-year-old boy with her guitar case, knocked him down, basically jumped on top of him, andddddd broke his nose.

At this point, she didn't really know Clyde or who he was really, she just saw someone who needed help and... helped them in her own way!

And, now she's about to get permanently suspended and probably arrested. lmao.

But it's okay because Clyde came to her defense and saved her like she saved him, pretty much.

In which, in this dream, personality-wise is where things got really interesting. Because, Clyde was extremely... soft and almost like a doormat personality, especially compared to how he appears in the current era. He took a lot of abuse and he took a lot of abuse lying down, never fought back (always too afraid to), he's somewhat of a people pleaser, etc.

He's a good person to his own detriment. Even as others are demanding impossible standards of him and damn near assaulting and possibly harming him, he takes all of it with a smile and a nod. In terms of fight or flight, he does this thing known as "fawning".

I imagine this personality of his in HS also extends into his college days pre-tragedy, since, the major turning point for Clyde personality-wise was when he himself was forced into committing mass homicide by someone he knew because he didn't have the heart to leave that relationship and stop the tragedy. Honestly, the sharp personality switch is probably a trauma response because of it, since, well.

Shit, this requires me to bring up this other dream, which explored the concept of adverting Clyde's path to one where he didn't continue the cycle he was forced into with Velvet. In which, Clyde's tragedy happens still, but someone actually saves him from... himself? I guess.

But, just for some context, Clyde himself underwent a lot of physical and psychological harm before and during the mass homicide he was forced into participating in. So, I imagine his current personality is the result of a trauma response due to his experiences because if he isn't soft or fawning, you can't overwhelm him. And, if he strikes first, he'll never get hurt again. Predator/Hunter logic in a way.

This means this doormat personality and the way he presents himself that we see in his high school years is most likely his true/original personality.

ain't that something. But, concerning their high school years, Clyde was in his senior year, while Velvet was a junior, meaning Velvet was a year behind Clyde basically. And, both due to Velvet being a year behind him, and timeline-wise, there only been a few weeks before graduation for Clyde, he never really got to know Velvet when they were younger. Honestly, he probably immediately went to college right after graduation as well, so he barely focuses on Velvet just amidst the chaos. He's grateful to her, yes, but she's simply not something his mind can hold onto at this point in time. Of course, not saying he forgot about her and what she did for him, but it's not something he's. consciously aware of I suppose?

In which. I mean, it's almost like he intentionally brings out the more violent and aggressive side of Velvet? At least, from my personal notes and experiences, he exposes sore points for Velvet (like the death of her best friend) and metaphorically digs his fingers into her wounds to rile her up. He enjoys it when she's frustrated, daresay borderline violent with him, when she hits him, pushes him around, and even attacks him (albeit to no avail), and before I thought that maybe its because he's just a fucking masosadistic asshole (which, to be honest, he might be that anyways.) who likes to see her in shambles. But, now, I think that side of her reminds him of that girl who saved him from harm when he was younger ("and weaker"), it reminds him of that girl who was rough, aggressive, vindictive, and uncaring of the consequences.

Of course, he loves to see her writhe in pain, he likes the idea of crushing her under his foot (metaphorically) because that's just the type of person he became, an immovable and untouchable wall. But that doesn't change the fact that... he seems to like her more when she's angry and aggressive. Just like the Velvet from high school who saved him when someone was hurting him (and he was too scared to fight back.)

Not to mention, when you fawn around him, he fucking hates it?? He's very... I do think fawning pisses him off, to be honest? Trying to please him, to buddy up to him in an attempt to survive, it riles him up in a way that's often... very deadly. A majority of those anons that died were fawning to him in a way, and when Velvet started fawning, he nearly choked her out. Like, full-on almost strangled her, it's wild!! But, fawning has reliably gotten people killed, and... well, it's the same thing Clyde himself used to do. Fawning to try and lessen the blow.

And maybe he sees himself in that fawning, that version of him too weak to protect himself and the people he cares about, and that just. makes him crash. A part of himself he wishes he could kill and bury.

Trying to make sure its gone and buried, and killing anything like it. Clyde, you got PROBLEMS. damn.

i don't know, it's just so. interesting?? The implications that come with their civilian lives while still in high school, and a showcase of something closer to their true selves.

and the themes and implications of trauma and how it shaped Clyde into the person he is today, as well as a deeper look into Velvet in general but its. also a little sad, seeing just how far gone Clyde truly became.

Knowing how sweet of a kid this man genuinely was at some point in time, knowing how meek and flimsy he really was, knowing how shy he really was. Shy, but kind, hating conflict and whatnot.

And, knowing what he's like in the future and. I wonder if it was. worth it? in the end.

it's food for thought, concerning their younger selves, I suppose? it's the implications and subsequent thoughts that make it so good I suppose.

Although, knowing what happens in the end, and knowing the person he is and the person he became, and knowing he's. it makes me sad, knowing just how far he fell.

Like, Velvet had some character DEVELOPMENT. and good for her.

But Clyde... hmm.

[featherwingfox]

LIGHT STEVE MY SWEET BOY! MY FAVORITE! LOOK HOW NICE HE LOOKS!!! ISN'T HE JUST SO INNOCENT?!?! WHY WAS HE KILLED OFF??!?!! 😭 I don't think I could bring myself to do that! 😟 Sabre didn't have that many people to help him out during the Steve Saga so a lot of the characters were either killed off or left. Mostly killed off unfortunately, so there wasn't much he could do for the characters. (I'm not blaming him, just sad it had to be that way) But now that this is going to be a comic, nobody needs to die for the sake of space! 😀 The only reason why anyone would is for story purposes, and as much as I can write that, I don't want to for most of them... I am attached to a lot of characters, including ones I make myself, but that doesn't stop me from telling the story I intend as a creator. For this one though, I do not intend the main cast to die. Worry not, you will get your fair share of danger, death, and other angst my dark minded Sky People! 😎👍✨ Just please leave my Light Steve out of Death's way! 😭🙏 If a character does die, there is a much bigger reason for why than being a sad event. I prefer deeper reasons in storytelling, often it's used for motivation in why the characters are the way they are, whether they became evil because of it, good, or in-between.

Anyway, enough of the serious talk! I don't remember having any problems drawing him! I am happy with the pose, the expression, the proportions, the hands, the design, perspective, everything! I even tried to draw the back of his hair.

Fun Fact: when he is in a dark area he glows! Not very useful when he's trying to be sneaky, but it's great for guiding others when lost in the darkness! The best night light! 🥰 Even though his power is light, which is a warm thing, he also controls ice on the OG series. I have an explanation, that is also in the OG series, but there are minor tweaks that don't need to mentioned here, you can read about it one day when I'm ready for the story. But that is why he has such a soft, warm outfit on, he has ice and snow powers. I also did not need to color him in, this is self-explanatory.

Light Steve is like a little brother to Rainbow Steve. He looks up to Rainbow a lot and loves his company as he feels comfortable and safest with him. He is the youngest in the group so he is not used to his power in the beginning. This affects his confidence, so the others help him out whenever they can. Mostly Rainbow since he has similar abilities. Despite this though, even in the face of imminent death or pain, even if he doesn't have the ability to defeat a major enemy, he always jumps to defend the people he cares about. We've seen this in the OG series many times, and many times he DIED, and this part, the part where he cares so deeply about his friends to try and defend them, is why I love Light so much and why he became my favorite. He's such an adorable and amazing character.

(Feb 12th, I just realized I made a mistake.... His fuzzy turtleneck thing is supposed to cover his hair at the bottom as it is attached to his neck, it's supposed to be where the beginning of it grows, it's supposed to be under it! 😭 Not my number one favorite character!!! AUGH!!!)

I will try my best to stay true to his and the other characters personalities, choices, and behavior. I use the OG videos as a guide so hopefully I understand enough to convey truthfulness on who these characters are and how they act. I'll see you all tomorrow with the next design! You could say these might take a... Dark turn... 🌚

Story: Steve Saga (Fan Rewrite)

Character: Light Steve

Abilities: summon, ice, snow, pure light, and lightning, can fly, and glow in the dark. (He also has the power of being the sweetest ever!!!)

Personality: Timid, shy, kind, sweet, brave, caring, cautious, persevering, innocent, and quiet.

[leahclearwaterdefensesquad]

I love that post that's going around that's pointing out the inconsistencies in the writing of Rosalie's character, and I like how it inspires us to explore more of the dissonance in her behavior. Naturally, this all leads back to the context of who wrote her. I've said this before in a past, long buried post that I can't find in my search, but I'll repeat it because it at least influences why Rosalie was written to be a fierce protector of Bella's choice to have Nessie (as long as it went with her agenda, of course). Conservative women, who are overwhelmingly pro-life and pro-birth-regardless-of-circumstance, actually propogandize their anti-abortion agenda by framing themselves as the defenders of women who want to have children (and the unborn ofc) against the liberal pro-choice crazed feminists who supposedly want to force these aspiring mothers to undergo abortions and destroy the Godly nuclear family. To people not raised in a conservative environment, I'm aware this must sound nuts, but it is the way these people think. Notice how they themselves flip the labels on their head, so that they seem to embody the right of choice (revealing that they think it is the duty but also the desire of all women to want to be moms) even when they are in fact taking away any choice in choosing to terminate a pregnancy.

*Naturally, when I go to try to look that post up, I can't find it, so if anyone sees it again, feel free to send it over and I'll add a hyperlink.*

The post mentioned also talks about more aspects of her character than just what happened in Breaking Dawn - I cherry picked a specific detail above - but I really do like how it reveals Stephenie's own bias and warring purposes for her characters. Rosalie is meant to be the Mean Girl Bombshell Blonde type, so naturally she has to chafe with Bella and be against her life choices (but also be jealous of her) which manifests as Rosalie wanting Bella to stay human and acting cold to her most of the time. Rosalie is also being punished (twilight saga expert panlight has discussed many a time how SMeyer unconsciously punishes the characters who stand in the way of Edward and Bella's happily ever after within the narrative), so she can't have what all women SHOULD want in the eyes of women like Stephenie - children. A traditional, nuclear family. When Bella gets pregnant, Rosalie's emphasis on choice becomes her redemption - sure her motives are selfish - because now she's on the same side as what Bella desires, so she's going to get what she wants, which is a child in her life. Renesmee.

Rosalie is well known for preaching about the importance of choice, but that doesn't mean that she supports whatever others - in this case, Bella - decide. Rose defending Bella's decision in keeping the fetus and protecting her from a forced abortion (there's so much to be talked about with Bella's whole "I don't want just any baby, I want this baby" thought process but that's for another day), while also pushing Bella to stay human ("You have a choice. I didn't. None of us did. But you're choosing wrong.") showcases this.

That post was right, all in all. There is a LOT of cognitive dissonance with regards to the way Rose is written on Stephenie's side of things. People and their personal ideals don't always align with the behavior that they exhibit, but Rose is a character written by a not-all-that-self-aware author. Rosalie wasn't meant to be that complex of a character, she just had a role to fill. Her complexity was accidental, and now she illustrates a dissonant character that brings more enrichment to the story than the main character herself.

Anyways, I just wanted to ramble a bit about a great post that got me thinking. Send it to me if anyone happens on it again, please!

[kathbunny]

Maxim's Studies (why Maxim became interested in biology instead)

CW: bullying

Around 8 years had passed since Maxim's dream about the mermaid, and he hadn't stopped being curious about mermaids since. The teacher had stepped out of the classroom to talk to the principal in their office, assuming her students mature enough to work quietly, so he was taking the opportunity to read after finishing his work.

One of his classmates leaned over his desk suddenly, looking at the book in his hands. "Aren't you a little too old to be reading about mermaids?" He asked, poking at the cover. Annoying.

"Perhaps." Maxim said, knowing arguing or silence would both just result in things getting worse like always.

The book was pulled right out of his hands, his classmate turning it around the look at the page. "What is this?" He asked, sounding actually confused for a moment.

Maybe it wasn't malicious today. "A translation of some medieval Germanic literature, more specifically-" Maxim began, getting cut off by a second classmate.

"Aw, Maxim is reading fairytales!" She said, laughing a bit.

They weren't fairytales. Maxim didn't say that though, just stewing in the misclassification of something he liked, irritation slowly building. It was a saga! A saga!

The first classmate dropped Maxim's book onto the floor, laughing. "Aw, you're right, he was!"

"...that book belonged to the school library." Maxim said, staring at its spot on the ground. "You'll get in trouble if you damage it."

"Nah, they wouldn't believe you." He said. "It's your job to protect the books you borrow." He taunted, kicking the book so it went skidding under some desks.

Maxim doesn't think the librarian would blame him for a damaged book, they always helped him pick out new ones...

Maxim stood up, going to retrieve it from under the desks, only for it to get promptly quicked out of his reach once he kneeled. He grabbed the leg of his classmate and just yanked it up into the air, sending them toppling backwards onto the tile floor as they lost balance.

The door to the classroom opened, the teacher walking in on the scene. "...what in the world are you two doing?" She sighed, the second classmate jumping out of their seat and running over to the teacher with fake tears and some story to defend their friend.

-

After Maxim's brief suspension for getting into a fight, he was pulled aside by the science teacher after class. "Hey, Maxim, you doing alright?" He asked. "It was mentioned to me you're banned from borrowing library books now?"

Maxim didn't feel the worst about the school library banning him, he could always just go visit the city library over the weekend, getting in trouble for self defense though, bothered him a lot. "I'm fine." Maxim said, very simply.

The science teacher just sighed at that. "If you want, you can come read the books I keep in the classroom during lunch?" He offered. "It's certainly no folklore or mythology, but I've got a few things on marine biology. That might be up your alley."

Maxim thought about it for a moment, and the teacher just waited through the silence, always patient with him. It'd be nice to learn something else new, and he couldn't get in trouble if he was being watched by a teacher, and he might understand the stories better if he knew more about the ocean. "...sure." Maxim answered.

The science teacher seemed fine with that response, nodding. "I'll set a good one to start with aside for you then."

"Thank you."

"Of course!"