#it just further proves the point that people don’t ACTUALLY want to learn and do better

[avichor]

very weird that the rpc wants to do “better” but feels attacked when their “way” of “better” is rightfully criticized

[neiptune]

i got nothing to believe unless you're choosing me

cw: 2k wc, blank blogs don't interact, hurt no comfort (ish), something is wrong and tobio can't quite put his finger on it, excuse the angst i promise i like him

Kageyama Tobio has never been particularly skilled at picking up on social cues but he’s certainly learned how to read your cues. It doesn’t mean he knows how to properly voice his concerns.

Your shoulders are tense when he describes how the training is going in agonizingly specific detail over dinner, the inflection clothing your good morning and have a good day hasn’t been particularly warm or affectionate lately, even when his body felt heavy from muscle fatigue, as if he was trying to move through mud, but he still suggested a comfortable movie night on the couch, you refused and went to bed early because you were tired. What could be possibly tiring you?

Tobio doesn’t mean to be an asshole but knows he can easily come off as one, so he doesn’t ask. He doesn’t get annoyed when you anticipate his usual goodbye kisses by briefly pressing your lips to his cheek, doesn’t investigate further when you start suspiciously timing your morning showers just perfectly to miss the exact moment he usually heads out. You still make him breakfast and pack his lunch and reply to his texts and pick up when he calls.

But you barely touch him anymore and it’s with a heavy heart that Tobio realizes that it’s almost never him that initiates physical contact anyway. It’s easy to melt in your hands and nuzzle his face in the crook of your neck and tighten his arms around your frame once you climb on top of him or gently cradle his face or start running your fingers through his hair.

You ask questions and reply when he asks about your day, friends, family, but you don’t smile as often and when you do it doesn’t even reach your eyes. He doesn’t remember the last time he heard your laugh.

There’s a weird feeling infiltrating his heart and it sucks that Tobio only realizes something is wrong when focusing becomes increasingly hard. He doesn’t see the ball or the court just as clearly, can’t think of how to run his team’s offense, suddenly forgets all the Italian vocabulary he’s worked so hard to master.

There’s an odd emotion that clutches his chest, it’s cold and it scares him because he knows that, whatever it may be, it’s his fault. Somehow, he has disappointed you. You, of all people. The person who moved across the freaking globe to support his career, who accepted to leave family and friends and life behind out of nothing but love. Fuck. What did he do? How did he do it?

Tobio wants to ask but he doesn’t know how. And suddenly his world seems on the edge of shattering, so much that he thinks leaving you alone and giving you time to figure it out on your own isn’t exactly proving to be a successful strategy. You’re drifting away and Tobio isn’t sure you aren’t already where he cannot reach you.

The apartment you share is significantly close to the gym and it came fully furnished. Yet you insisted on adding some little personal touches, dragging him to ikea over the weekend and asking him opinions on napkins, bath mats, duvet covers, dish towels. You’ve never been one of those people who ask for someone else’s thoughts only to follow your own taste in the end and that is why he actually felt invested enough to pick things he actually liked, albeit hesitating, hyper aware of just how differently you would’ve picked. But you never once faltered as he pointed towards the less exciting, not really colorful options.

“You’re back early” is the soft greeting Tobio gets as he takes his shoes off, leaves the gym bag by the door because he knows if he’s a second too late the courage will melt away and leave him a sweaty, timid, confused coward.

“I’m not very hungry but we have some leftovers you can heat up” your eyes have only shortly darted to him before settling on the show you’re watching on tv once more.

“I was hoping we could talk” he feels a weird lump in his throat and suddenly swallowing seems hard. Is his voice coming out weird too? It feels weird. Like he’s watching the whole scene from the outside, you turning to look at him as he mechanically makes his way to the couch, sits reasonably afar from you.

You look at him with what feels a weird mix of apprehension and distress. Are you anticipating the topic? Would you have preferred to be the one to bring this all up? But just how much longer did you want him to wait, exactly?

The tv is turned off.

“Yeah. Yes, we should talk”

Tobio recalls feeling nervous a couple of times in his life, maybe the worst anxiety he’s ever felt was the one creeping onto him the night before the 2021 Tokyo olympics. But this? This feels so much worse. It’s dreadful. There’s no outcome he can predict, only one he can pray against.

“Something is wrong and I want to know what it is” he knows he’s picked the wrong words, the wrong tone, from the sigh you heave. “I mean, I feel that something isn’t right. Please tell me how to fix it” and then, much more quietly, “I miss you”.

Your eyes soften at that but, much to his horror, also fill with fresh tears.

He’s made you cry before. Out of anger, frustration, petty arguments, sharp edged comebacks. But right in this moment Tobio feels you’re about to tell him there’s nothing to fix anymore, that it’s too late. Those are the kind of tears he’s never made you shed.

“What did I do?” his uniform sticks uncomfortably to his sweaty back, he didn’t shower in order to get home as fast as he could.

“You didn’t do anything, Tobio”

Well, that’s not exactly the truth, but he didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. Nothing you haven’t been used to throughout the years spent together.

“Please. I really want to understand” it scares me he wants to add.

“This is nothing I can hold you accountable for. It’s always been like this, after all”

“What has always been like this?”

“My place in your life” you smile sadly with a slight shrug of the shoulders “I always come second. It’s fine, I know I do, really. I guess it has just been weighing extra heavy lately”

Tobio blinks once, twice, genuinely surprised and even more confused. “I love you” he articulates slowly, as if to express what should be the most obvious thing on earth “the only person I love as much as you is my sister. But it’s different, she’s family”

“I would never expect you to love me more than it” you carry on as if he never interrupted “volleyball was there first, I get it. Please know I actually get it. But it’s just… not always easy”

Tobio gets that feeling he sometimes gets when trying to fall asleep, the oh-no-I’m-plummeting-from-a-fucking-skyscraper one. His body jerks the same way, an involuntary contraction to the last words he was expecting to hear. “I don’t understand” because volleyball is different too. It’s a comparison his brain can’t process the right way. You’re the person he’s in love with, volleyball is the one thing he has dedicated his entire life to. He doesn’t dare put you both on a scale.

“I know you don’t” you reply softly, cheeks now stained with tears that put a knife through his heart “and maybe it’s on me because what else did I expect?”

“I love you” Tobio scoots closer now, takes your hands in his “I will be better at proving you how much I love you” it sounds desperate and pathetic even to him as you shake your head.

“And I love you, Tobio. But you’re just… never here. You’re either training or staying for extra trainings or on the road or playing, always playing. You forgot my birthday, which is no big deal because I know how tired you were and it’s not like it hasn’t happened before. But then you forgot our anniversary. You forget the promises you make. You don’t come home for dinner or meet me at the restaurant or pick up the groceries. You can barely keep your eyes open while I tell you about my day” he watches you choke up on your words and it’s like someone is toppling a bucket of iced water over his head. So he was right. It is his fault. But he did worse than disappointing you, he hurt you.

“I just think… I need to go home for a while. I miss my family, I miss my friends. And, well…”

“I promised we’d travel home for our anniversary” he murmurs, realization hurting his chest and twisting his insides. He tightens his hold over your hands.

“Yeah” you offer another grim smile “yeah, you did”

Tobio has no idea how to fix any of this. He just knows he might lose you forever if you step on that plane without him and the thought alone is enough to make his eyes fill with tears too. “Don’t go. Please, I’ll make arrangements, take some time off, and we can go together. I promise-” he shuts his eyes the second the word leaves his mouth, disgusted. This is what he has sounded like for the past months. He feels sick.

“I have my ticket ready. I need to go alone, I think it will do me good” your thumb travels over his uncharacteristically chapped knuckles “I might even surprise Suga at his school”

But all Tobio hears is that you’re leaving. Without him. “Don’t do this. I need you” he flinches when you free one of your hands to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye.

“I don’t think that’s true, Tobio. I think you have one priority in your life and that it’s unfair to ask everyone else to be okay with being eternal seconds”

“I don’t love it more than I love you” he bites “it’s a fucking stupid comparison. It’s a sport and you’re a person”

“Would you stop playing if I asked you to?”

He stays silent, petrified. That question also feels unfair and so unlike you. “You would never do such thing”

You chuckle but there’s no actual humor in your laugh. It’s empty and so exhausted. “You’re right, I’d never. But that still isn’t the answer I would’ve hoped to get”

“So what, if I don’t give up on my entire life it means I don’t love you enough? Is this the yardstick by which you’ll decide if you’ll break up with me or not?” he hopes he seems angry because he’s desperate more than anything else. He feels inadeguate and, for the first time, wrong for you. Like you’re a perfect match but a one-sided one. Could he ever be a match for anyone, honestly?

“But I did give up on my entire life, didn’t I?” you lean forward, press your forehead to his shoulder because looking into his pained eyes is torture “for something that now feels like the shell of what we once had. You say you miss me but I’ve been missing you for far longer, Tobio”

He aches for the way your body shakes as you try to muffle your sobs, his arms around you don’t feel nearly enough. Tobio wishes he could rip his chest cavity open and tuck you inside, right next to what’s sure is a bruised heart. Maybe then you’d believe how deeply sorry he is. Maybe then you’d feel loved once more, you’d be safe from his selfishness.

“Don’t leave me” Tobio whispers it into your neck, lips grazing your skin. He wants to be better, knows he can be better. “I wouldn’t be who I am without you”

“I don’t want to stay and end up hating this, or you. I want to shield the love I have for you and I can’t do that if I stay here. It's like I'm... fading” your voice isn’t but a murmur “you understand, right, Tobio?”

He shuts his eyes, time and space and his house and the room you’re both in cease to exist. He doesn't. But he thinks the least he can offer, at this point, is understanding.

“Yes. I do”

[forever-rogue]

yayy now that ik you're open to write for joel, i propose smth angsty along the lines of "you came back for me" bc reader and joel got into a really big fight before getting separated. i just want the angstttt pls crush my heart tear it apart then put it back together by ending really fluffy plssss

AN | The inevitable has arrived - here we are foraying into Joel territory. Enjoy ❤️

Pairing | Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

Warnings | Language

Word Count | 2.4k

Masterlist | Joel, Main

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“You’re really stupid sometimes,” it was an exasperated huff that had your hands on your hips as you looked at him. You didn’t mean it - not really anyway. Joel was probably one of the smartest and most resourceful people you’d ever met. He hung his head with a heavy sigh before turning back to you. His expression was entirely unamused, “so foolish and - and stubborn!”

This got a laugh out of him, a bark of unamused laughter but nonetheless. He crossed his arms over his chest, “I’m stubborn? Have you met yourself? You don’t get what you want and you act like a petulant child!”

“I am not,” you hissed, trying your best not to stomp your foot; you didn’t need to help prove his point any further. Maybe he was a little right…Joel often was. But you also felt like your point was right too. Even if this was the middle of a weird zombie apocalypse you were now living in, you should be able to take some time out for yourself. Especially now that you had a more stable living situation, “it’s always work this and work that with you. We should-”

“We should do what we need to in order to survive,” he cut you off, refusing to meet your eyes. He knew, begrudgingly, that you also weren’t entirely wrong, “that is the most important thing.”

“What about us-”

“There is no us,” he insisted and damn. Those four little words broke your heart more than anything. All this time spent together, getting to know each other both on a physical and emotional level meant nothing to him. You should have known. It was almost funny in a horrible way. The older man refused to look at you and you couldn’t help but think him a coward. Maybe he was right after all - maybe you were just a child, “get that in your head and let’s get this over with. We’re losing daylight.”

He took a few steps forward, dirt and gravel crunching under his boots. You shook your head, more to yourself than anything but didn’t follow him. When Joel didn’t hear your footsteps behind him, he turned around, “I’m not going with you.”

“C’mon,” he insisted, “don’t be like this. It’s dangerous for you to be out here by yourself.”

“Well, how am I ever going to learn to survive solely on my own if I’ve always got you or someone else leading the way?” He was correct in reasoning though. It wasn’t safe for anyone alone. It was also recommended that people go out in pairs for that reason, “just go on and I’ll find my own way back.”

“Stop acting like this,” but you just shook your head and took a step further back, “can you just listen to me for once?”

“Actually, Joel, for once it would be me not listening to you. So…you do whatever it is you need to do, do it. I’ll go back and patiently wait. Then you can come back and tell me what to do,” you offered him a sticky sweet smile before turning on your heel and heading back in the direction from which you came. You took off before Joel could say anything, biting your lip in order to keep from making any extra sounds or letting your tears fall down your cheeks. 

You heard him call after you, your name falling from his lips in an increasingly exasperated tone. You heard him come after you for a few moments, but eventually he stopped, his signature sigh falling from his lips. But eventually he moved on and you continued back towards Jackson. 

Realistically you’d just proved his point by acting in such a childish manner. But you didn’t care, not right now. He’d hurt you, and you didn’t even know if he’d meant to or knew the effect his words were having on you. 

“Dumb, stupid girl,” you groaned at yourself, “had to go and mess everything up. And now you’re going to get yourself lost.”

Admittedly, your sense of direction wasn’t the greatest. But the path you’d taken to get to this point, the point where you’d picked an argument with Joel, had been a fairly linear path. Surely you couldn’t fuck that up.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

And yet…you managed to fuck that right up. 

It was dark and you weren’t back to Jackson yet and you knew that was wrong. It shouldn't have taken so long to get back. You should have been back already. Somewhere along the line you had either taken a wrong turn or missed a turn but you found yourself wandering aimlessly. It was too quiet out here, not even sounds of nighttime creatures reaching your ears. If there were anything out there with you, they’d probably hear you in a heartbeat. You’d just have to hope that there wouldn’t be any runners or stalkers or worse - clickers. You were glad you’d remembered to stash an extra knife in your boot and still had the shotgun slung across your back. You’d never taken one on your own, but you figured you could manage. You were going to have to. 

But you just hoped that you wouldn’t come across everything. You’d just camp out in one of the abandoned buildings you’d found until daybreak and then make your way back. That seemed like the most logical and smart thing to do. 

You went to check the front door of the building and, naturally, it was locked. Luckily there was an open window nearby that you figured you could use to get in. Hopefully that was a good sign that nothing else was able to get in either. You jumped the little bit of distance that you needed in order to climb up, catching your hands on the window sill and pulling yourself up. You managed to get in, but suffered a less than graceful landing as you plopped on the ground. And…managed to roll your ankle in the process. 

“Fuck,” you cried, clutching at your ankle in pain as you tried to stifle your whimper. Tears rolled down your cheeks as you slowly sat up and tried to massage the pain in your ankle away, “shit, damn it. Fuck!”

As soon as the words left your mouth, you slapped a hand over it to try and keep any further sound at bay. You sat still, and listened for a few moments to make sure you didn’t hear anything. After a few tense, still minutes had passed, you relaxed; it didn’t seem like anything was there with you. 

Crawling towards the corner, you made yourself as small as possible, sitting with your back against the concrete wall, and hugging your knees to your chest. Anything to make yourself as small and unimposing as possible. It was probably a stupid idea to sleep, alone and vulnerable, but it had been a long day and you needed some rest. Your eyes grew heavier and heavier and before you knew it you had succumbed to sleep’s siren call.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

By the time your eyes opened up, heavy and dry, it was the morning. Daylight was streaming inside the room and you let out a relieved, but shaky sigh. You’d made it through the night. That in and of itself was a good sign that you’d make it back. It was safer in the light and you might even meet someone from Jackson on the way back. 

As you tried to stand up, you quickly remembered what had happened. The stabbing pain your ankle causing you to yelp as you leaned against the wall, using it to help support yourself. Okay, okay, okay - this was going to be trickier than you thought but you’d be able to get yourself out of there. Your survival instinct was stronger than that.

But before you could do anything or plan anything else you heard it. It was your name being called out in the distance. Gooseflesh erupted all over your skin as you tried to pick out the voice. It came closer and closer and it didn’t take long to figure out who it was. Joel. It made your heart jump before you remembered what had happened. You could just - fuck it. You needed him to survive and while you were stubborn among a whole lot of other things, you were willing to put aside. 

“Joel!” you held onto the sill so tightly that your knuckles were turning white. You poked your head outside and looked around until you found him a short distance away, “Joel.”

He stopped at the sound of your voice, and you could see the evident relief that washed over his features. He jogged over to you, and you offered him a tentative, nervous little smile. He shook his head when he realized that you were safe, running a hand through his dark hair. Joel exhaled slowly before looking at you, a hard glint to his, “do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?”

“I’m fine, thanks,” you rolled your eyes lightly.

“This isn’t a game,” his voice sounded between annoyed, worried, and relieved all at once. He reached over and gently touched your face, his hand resting on your cheek, “you thought you could just go off on your own and find your way back? You couldn’t even do that. I got back and you weren’t there. Do you even know what I thought? I-I…”

“I’m okay,” you promised, putting your hand on top of his and giving it what you hoped was a reassuring little squeeze. He wasn’t looking at you, instead looking up at the blue sky. It was almost funny in a way; if you looked up, staring into the bright blue sky, it almost seemed like nothing was wrong and the world was as it had always been, “look at me, please. Joel.”

“I thought something had happened,” he swallowed the lump in his throat as his eyes met yours. There was a hard edge to them, but they were still soft, “I thought I’d fucking lost you.”

“You came back,” you took his hand in yours, admiring the feeling of his calloused fingers against your surprisingly soft skin, “you came back for me.”

“Of course I did,” he said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, “that was never a question. You should have just come with me and none of this would have happened. You stubborn, foolish girl.”

“You…” it all seemed so trivial and silly now. Now that he was back and had come for you, “I…’m sorry. I shouldn’t have just left. Not with my sense of direction.”

“I’m sorry too,” he admitted and you raised an eyebrow in surprise. That was not what you had been expecting to hear. Joel Miller was a hard man and he didn’t generally didn’t experience situations in which he had to apologize, “I shouldn’t have said the things I did.”

“I shouldn’t have just assumed that you and I were…anything,” your voice dropped as you tried to blink back the tears that threatened to well up, “it was stupid of me and ended up causing both a lot of trouble.”

“You are extremely important to me,” his voice was gentle when it broke the silence that had fallen over the two of you. You couldn’t help the small smile that ticked up the corners of your mouth, “even if I didn’t make it seem like it. We’ll…figure it out, okay? But I want you to know that…I…”

“I know,” you did know. You knew exactly what he was trying to convey, exactly what was going through his mind. It was the same thing you were still scared to say, “me too, Joel.”

He brought your hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to your knuckles, “c’mon. Let’s get you back home and we can…go from there.”

“There’s, um…just a small issue with that,” you put on a sheepish smile as Joel looked at you expectantly, “when I found this place last night - the door was locked. I didn’t want to make too much noise so I didn’t try to force it open. Instead, I climbed in through the window.”

“I can get you out of the window-”

“I hurt my ankle.”

“Of course you did.”

“Joel-”

“It’s always something with you,” he tutted at you, but there wasn’t any anger or malice behind the sound, “what am I going to do with you, huh?”

“Keep me around because I keep you on your toes?” you tried and he couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. You looked at him with a gentle smile, “can you help get me out of here?”

“Of course,” he promised, “sprained or broken?”

“I dunno,” you looked at the swollen joint and grimaced, “I think just sprained. But I’m not a doctor so…”

“Kid,” affection laced the nickname that he liked to tease you with. He came closer to the window and held his arms out to you. You quickly wrapped your arms around him, letting him tug you closer to his body before he picked you up and swung you through the window. You thought he would set you down, but he didn’t. Instead he held to you his chest, “you’re okay. I’ve got you.”

“Thank you,” before you could stop yourself you kissed him tenderly on his scruffy cheek, “thank you for coming back for me.”

“I’ll always come back for you,” he promised and you knew he meant it, “always.”

“I know,” you hugged him tightly, “me too. I mean, if the situation were ever reversed. Which I doubt it would be, but you know, the sentiment is there.”

“I know, Kid,” you could feel the laughter vibrating in his chest, “I know."

[mac-n-chees]

man i fucking hate enji todoroki

when i say that i hate endeavor i dont mean i think he’s icky and i dont like him. i mean i dont think he deserved the forgiveness he got im so sorry. for context let’s back things up. the entire todoroki family lore is SO FUCKED UP. the whole “convenience marriage” thing? WHACK. sa-ing rei until she gave him the child he wanted? WHACK. and we don’t talk about that enough! it was rape! he didn’t care about her at all, he just wanted the perfect weapon to beat all might! and then touya’s whole deal? the fact that he was literally self destructing bc he thought he wasn’t good enough? and endeavor never made him feel good enough? he had all the right to become a villain.

and then, shoto. literally alienated him from his siblings so none of them know a single thing about him and vice versa. weaponizing him since he was a TODDLER. and saying he was “tough on him” is a SEVERE understatement, that little boy was thoroughly abused.

and then the aftermath of the whole thing with rei. he traumatized her so bad it led her to BURN HER OWN SON’S FACE. and what did he do instead of reevaluate his behavior? LOCK HER UP IN A MENTAL INSTITUTION. and not because he cared for her health, but because he didn’t want her to hurt shoto again. messed. the fuck. up.

and if yall gonna come in here and say “oh but other characters have been forgiven after their redemption arcs like zuko and regina mills” DONT YOU EVER COME IN HERE WITH THAT SHIT. their entire redemption arc revolved around them making a wrong choice that further proved to them that being good was the right way. they felt severe unease, and like it wasn’t “them”, so to speak, at being inherently “evil” so they CHOSE to convert because being “evil” was not their true selves. they made MISTAKES but learned from those mistakes BY THEMSELVES without anyone else influencing their thoughts or telling them anything. they CHOSE good because the people they cared about were good, and they wanted to be with them. they made a bad choice, yes, but the whole point of the redemption arc was that they learned from it and improved their characters. endeavor did not make a bad choice, he abused actual, living people for many, many, MANY years. it wasn’t a “bad choice” it was a deliberate decision to fulfill his stupid fucking delusions of grandeur.

how are those antiheroes different from endeavor you ask? I WILL TELL YOU. sure, he got a redemption arc, and sure he got forgiven. but did yall notice he only did an effort to do better after he became the number 1 hero? after shoto was in UA and his children were grown? after rei was locked up so she couldn’t tell anyone about what happened? after all might was no longer the symbol of peace? he only made the effort to become a better person once his OWN PERSONAL GOALS were fulfilled. he always prioritized himself. he didn’t learn shit. he’s not sorry for shit. he regrets nothing. he just wants to be perceived as the perfect #1 hero like all might was.

be fucking for real, his redemption arc was NONEXISTENT, and his children should not forgive him no matter how hard he begs. he does not deserve forgiveness. he’s a fucking abuser, rapist, and all around ASSHOLE.

if he has no haters im dead. and if i see even one endeavor ass kisser in the comments, you’re getting blocked idgaf. the fact that you think he’s hot and just because of that he earned his forgiveness will not fly here hoes idc. that man deserves to rot in hell for all he’s done, if he wasn’t (and i cannot stress the “quote unquote” part enough) “attractive” yall would be on the other side. i can’t anymore, endeavor stans gtfo.

[cerealkilleratmidnight]

A few kids were gathered around in one bundle, Billy was curious as to what was going on but he wasn’t curious enough to approach the circle that was forming. Then he saw who it was in the middle of the circle, full attention on this one child. He appeared to have a cast or something. ‘Oh that must be why all of them are so interested, someone broke their arm and everyone is amazed’ Billy sighs as he moves his head from afar, trying to see the boys face to make out who it actually was. Some adult joined the gathering as they tried their best to make the kids leave him alone or something, some left as their attention was occupied with something else that was plain and boring. Now Billy could see the boys face. ‘Huh? It is Stu, when did Stu break his arm? He was fine yesterday?’ Billy looked around , waiting until the boy was alone before approaching him, he made his way over.

Stu knew him and they hang around a bit already before, but still Billy was shy. He stops as he stands in-front of Stu, Stu looking at him with his expecting eyes as he waits for Billy to say or do something. Billy moves his arm, pointing at Stu’s cast on his right forearm. Stu blinks as he looks at his cast and then where Billy is pointing at , before he speaks:

“Ooh… yeah I got a cast yesterday! I broke my arm” he says , voice chipper and unbothered. His smile wide as he moves his arm up to show off the cast to Billy.

“Pretty cool! People been drawing on it all morning and-“

Billy interrupts him as he speaks quietly, it probably wouldn’t have been heard over Stu talking but Stu reacted to it so quickly , immediately shutting up.

“Did it hurt?” Billy speaks with his quiet voice, not looking up at the boy.

Stu’s eyes wander as he musters Billy, before the smile reappears.

“No not really!” He says proudly.

Billy gives out a small huff as he stares at the cast, he hits his fist against it with a bit of force, making Stu squeal.

“Ow..” He mutters as he retracts his arm. Billy chuckles for a split second.

“So it did hurt! “ Billy says with a stronger voice than before , happy that he proved a point.

“Well yes if you hit it, it hurts! Ow…” Stu seems a bit hurt by the fact that Billy would just hit it like that. The two share some awkward silence for a while until Stu speaks again.

“Do you …want to sign it?”

Billy’s eyebrows furrow as he examines the poorly written on names and drawings on his cast. He seems to think about it before he nods. Stu takes out his sharpie as he lends it to Billy, who takes it and starts to scribble something on it. Stu is quiet as he watches Billy draw something on, a scrawly looking face. When he’s done he gives Stu back the pencil without further comment. Stu moves his arm closer so he can see what Billy drew.

“Woah you can draw! It kinda looks like that dude from that Halloween movie” he says as he smiles at Billy , who actually smiles back as he nods.

“Is it from the Movie?” Stu takes his nodding as a cue that’s Stu guessed right, even if it only was by chance (definitely did not look very much like Micheal Myers) since he watched that movie with his sister a few nights ago and had it on his mind ever since.

“Micheal Myers” the boy simply replies. Stu grins.

“I loved that movie !!” Stu exclaims.

That’s how Stu would learn the fact that Billy is obsessed with horror movies , making it his mission to watch them all behind his parents back in an attempt to get to know the quiet boy better.

I see them as being around 10 years old maybe? Had to think about it randomly so why not try and write it down, I always like writing but I never really think I’m good at it nor am I satisfied with it. There are probably so many grammar mistakes and all but still. I wish dyslexia would not exist :)

largely inspired (and the thought originally sparked) by @sharpth1ng fic Butterfly eater (hope it’s okay that I tagged you, don’t want to annoy you 🙇🏼‍♂️)

[comradekarin]

That last ask you got here, just reminds me of the fact that while TS fandom claims to be all about feminism and women supporting women, it surely lacks intersectionality and it SHOWS and this is in great part because that’s the kind of advocacy they get from the celeb they worship, that’s why is dangerous to just pander to one kind of feminism as if everyone had an universal experience, when it couldn’t be further from the reality, we need to have those conversations we need to learn from one another and whoever has a privilege, should make good use of it to uplift those who can’t at the moment

Yup!! That’s basically the point I’m trying to hone to be honest. Again, I absolutely believe we should support female artists in the music industry, especially when they will be held to higher standards than other male artists (even in that area we can have a conversation about the dynamic race plays between male artists, too). However, it’s imperative we discuss how Taylor and her fans only use feminism to tell other people they can’t be mean to her, or critique her. Are these group of people the minority in the fan base? Maybe, sure. But should we sweep it under the rug and let it fester just because it’s the minority? No.

Do I believe the average Taylor Swift stan is normal and doesn’t hate black women? Yes. I believe there’s a lot of them who just enjoy her music and don’t feel the need to bash other black female artists in order to prove how much better Taylor is. Nonetheless, there’s still a large group of her fans who claim to support all women but will not hesitate to degrade and shut out the voices of woc making valid criticisms against Taylor. Just look at the Matty Healy situation. A white woman’s partner is exposed for making disgusting racist comments about black women, and the responses are not “this powerful rich white woman is continuing to date this man and is being complicit through her silence, which is enabling his repulsive behavior and she needs to be held accountable” but instead “we need her to stay away from this bad man!”. Yes, because the image and reputation of this white woman is more important than the dangerous rhetoric her partner is spreading about the same women she claims to support! Yes, because this white woman can have a collab with the same woman (ice spice) her boyfriend was making racist remarks about and everything is ok! Yes, because it is the white woman who is the victim here, and if you can’t see that you’re a misogynist!

Taylor’s silence during the wave of transphobia, the criminalization and banning of drag shows, the uptick of hate against black women, and so much more just makes sense when you look at the company she keeps. Didn’t her team try to sue a journalist for stating Taylor constantly toes the line with conservatives and white supremacists a few years back? Just look at the CO2 emissions drama where everyone was like “man I hate privileged white millionaires” and then she dropped an album and everyone forgot? Any critique for Taylor is met with these responses: A) Taylor isn’t the worst apple out of the bunch so why is she getting attacked like this B) Y’all would never do this to male celebrities so just say y’all hate women C) Why is Taylor blamed for the actions of other men or D) [justifying anything Taylor has done].

So, what you’re saying is correct anon. We can not talk about feminism and supporting “all women” while also trying to lump the struggles of all women into a single category. The initial Feminist movement itself excluded other women of color, it was something only meant for white women. White women have a level of privilege over other women of color, and we can’t pretend they don’t because they’re just “women, too”. White women and their fake white tears have done so much harm to marginalized communities, especially my own black community. I want this conversation to actually mean something, for it to be a moment of self reflection, for it to actually be about supporting, advocating for, and uplifting the voices of all women. I don’t want this talk of “support all women” to only be brought up when someone attacks your white fav.

[ughmyreality]

Thoughts on S3 E2

(SPOILERS ahead)

There might be positives, there will be negatives, so please be forewarned that I am not going to solely praise the show. Also, it needs not be mentioned, I am but a single negative person on the internet talking about a fictional story. We are all not going to agree. With that said, let’s move on.

Episode 2-

They really did their thing saying diamonds aren’t the only things that sparkle and then cutting to Eloise. 

How fake can a person get? Actively listening to your crush plan the downfall of your alter ego. Penelope girl.

This scene just further proves that Colin and Penelope were never that great of friends. Why would Colin ask to see how she acts out in public if they were already friends? He should already know that. I also don’t see why he’s acting as though he doesn’t already know how “awkward” she is, anybody can see it. Then again when is he ever home to see it?

“Not me. Them.” Penelope, dearest, I beg of you find a man who actually wants you. He yet again practically threw it in her face that he doesn’t want her. How much rejection can she take?

On another note, I love how they’re doing Penelope’s hair. At least she’s leveling up in one way or another.

I love the fact that lady Danbury is gossiping as usual.

Portia’s disappointment at the lack of an heir is enjoyable. Hopefully they’ll continue with this storyline.

I thought that Benedict was going to be the cliche “lady’s man” but it appears that Colin has his way with women as well. Not as if we could have possibly known this sooner because what have we learned of him up until this point.

I actually agree with what Colin is saying about societal expectations. With new people, you get the chance to rediscover yourself. Even just the jump from, let's say, high school to college, I think you may change because you’re free to reinvent yourself. However, if I’m thinking correctly, this is not his first adventure. Correct? So, what about this trip in particular made him so “different”.

Why did Penelope think she was so sly saying “before we are noticed”? For an area so enthralled with gossip, no one else is noticing that Colin and Penelope are spending more time together and walking side by side. We haven’t seen them in a public area holding even a fraction of a true friendly conversation but now that they are no one bats an eye.

Colin is finally interacting with his siblings but ditches them the moment someone else arrives.

How tone deaf can Colin get? Penelope all but proclaimed her love for him to the rooftops but his first idea is to have her “pretend” to flirt with him. Even worse, I don’t think he’s doing this with malice, but at the same time it’s sending me into a rage. 

Since when does Penelope Featherington say “nothing at all”? Yeah right.

Ugh, this clip! Your eyes are the most remarkable shade of blue… girl, she’s a writer. I’m sure they could have come up with something better for her to say than some chatgpt poetry line. The second hand embarrassment, and as usual Colin wasn’t for her advances.

Colin should have known better than to bring Penelope to the house. I know he claims that Eloise was out but it is their house after all. He apparently had no clue what time they’d be back and was just hoping for the best.

Give me strength! Why does Penelope keep on digging further into Colins business? She never likes what she finds. Her reading Colin’s writing is not only a breach of privacy to the man she claims to want but also only serves as yet another way to humiliate herself. How much longer can this go on? The man honestly doesn’t want her but she still subjects herself to such torment.

I literally started laughing out loud when Colin found her reading! Oh my gosh! The strife!

Another nitpick, I feel like there was way too much blood on Colin’s hand for that small piece of glass. Then that loose tie Penelope put around it probably wouldn’t stop the bleeding. But I’m sure no one else cares about that, so I won’t go any further. 

 Colin knows that Penelope and Eloise don’t want to see each other and that should really be enough. Him trying to act oblivious and say he doesn’t know what happened is irrelevant to the situation. Penelope didn’t want to stay in the house, Eloise doesn’t want her there so why is Colin trying to instigate.

He was quick to shut down Eloise at the mere thought of Penelope seeking him as a husband. At times I feel like Colin doesn’t like her at all much less as a romantic interest. When you’re friends with someone there are obviously certain things you like about them, maybe even things you would seek in a partner. However, Colin seems repulsed at the thought of Penelope. Even when he’s trying to “help her” he doesn’t seem that excited. He acts like they are but acquaintances. On another note, I feel like his voice is so monotone, but that's neither here nor there I suppose.

I feel like Penelope has had more positive chemistry with Lord Remington in this one scene than I have seen with her and Colin this entire time.

Why does Colin automatically assume Eloise told everyone about him “helping” Penelope. They weren’t exactly making it hard to see that they had been talking more than usual. I don’t know why he is blindly taking Penelope’s side. He has no idea what's going on and you’d think he’d hold some sort of solidarity with his sister. I feel absolutely no sympathy for Penelope, girl go ahead and cry. She should have ditched Colin, she knew this was a bad idea from the start. 

Although I like Eloise, Cressida lowkey told her what she needed to hear. Yet again a Bridgerton jumping to conclusions. Both Eloise and Penelope are hypocritical for commenting on Cressida’s tendency to gossip when it appears that’s all they do. 

…never before have I felt this close to being on the brink of insanity. PENELOPE! I wish she’d understand that you cannot simply do the same thing over and over. How many more ways can one profess their unrequited love before they move on? You know what her claiming she doesn’t want to die before being kissed gives me the vibes of? Exes that say if you leave me, I’ll die or I’ll harm myself. That is absolutely so manipulative. Time and time again Colin has shown no interest in her that she has had to resort to the possibility of hypothetical death. I’m surprised this hasn’t been more cause of contention. This kiss means absolutely nothing. If anything it is discrediting any sort of “cute friends to lovers” storyline that could have been. This is nothing more than a guilt trip.

[okaratauri]

For the character ask: Skippy

Also, because I know you're in the fandom, how about Starflight?

YESSIRRRR OKAY

here’s the thing:

https://www.tumblr.com/okaratauri/759735234791129088/give-me-a-character?source=share

OKAYOKAYOKAY FOR SKIPPY

How I feel about this character

I RELATE TO HIM WAY TOO MUCH. He is literally me im just not as big of an asshole EXECPT TO ONE FRIEND. I am legit his Skippy and he’s Joe. 100%

Skippy’s character development/design is beautiful. He has a slow burn development that you kinda don’t notice, until you do. Just like Rodney McKay from Stargate. The parallels between Rodney McKay/John Sheppard and Skippy and Joe are all too similar. I’m convinced the author based Skip and Joe’s duo off of Sheppard and McKay. I’m also a SUCKER for the arrogant genius tropes. Skippy is my all time favorite character of all fandoms ever, which is funny bc that title had belonged to McKay which further proves my point.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Nagatha. Those two are freaking adorable. Nagatha and Nagatha alone. Sorry doll lol

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Halloween colors oooo

okay I really like Frey and Skippy’s friendship. The way she sings with him and makes him feel wanted and not like he’s a burden to talk to? Amazing. I’m here for it 100%. Also Skippy and Tripps! I would’ve KILLED FOR TRIPPS TO SURVIVE OH MY G O D. AHHHH. Also Skippy and Friedlander is hilarious. And Skippy and Joes mom. I can see her chatting away with Skippy over tea about Joe, Skippy tryna learn more about his favorite monkey and Joes mom tryna make sure Joe is doing alright and hearing about his adventures kicking rotten kitty ass.

My unpopular opinion about this character:

Home front was amazing. Seeing as it was written by skippy. My only problem with home front was the battle cries that’s it, I bore through everything else and loved it.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

I wish he actually snuck a puppy onto the ship…or had more heart to hearts with bishop…or yk…

TRIPPS SURVIVED AND THEY INTERACTED MORE??? PLEASE??? GAH. IMA KILL ALANSON. (Not really) BUT OH MY GOD 😭😭😭

OKAY NOW FOR STARFLIGHT

How I feel about this character

baby boi baby

I wanna hug him 😭😭😭 he deserved so much 💀 it’s not his fault he was born into a bunch of racist, god complex, lyin little worms! Honestly his queen reminded me of the Maxholx commander Reichert loll. Anywho I was so sad when he lost his eyes but also that’s really cool to visualize. He needs a scavenger companion.

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

I think him and Sunny are a-freaking-dorable! I haven’t read the series in a while but yeah him and Sunny I can’t change it it’s too good. Ik I haven’t branched out from canon much but sometimes canon is so good it can’t be changed.

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Star flight and Glory. The quiet, introverted, people pleasing bookworm and the loud, sassy, bulldozer of a queen. Love it so much. Also I feel like Starflight and Cricket would be such a great duo to follow.

My unpopular opinion about this character

uhhhhhh idk lol. It’s been a long while since I read the series.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I wish he got a scavenger friend or two to help him in the library. Ik that’s it and boring but srsly it would’ve been adorable.

[rhondafromhr]

Little snippet from something I’m cooking up where Linda and Zoey become toxic besties and combine their powers for evil <3

Summary: Linda Monroe walks into Beanie’s one day and Zoey is enamored with her rudeness to Emma, her commanding presence and her general rich energy. She manages to impress Linda in turn with her rarely used barista skills and a carefully placed spit wad in Becky Barnes’ coffee, leading to the two becoming fast friends. As it turns out, they both have a lot to learn from each other and when it comes to sabotaging everyone standing between them and what they want, they’re much more effective as a team. Hatchetfield has never seen a more iconic duo. Or a worse menace to the public.

Every shift at Beanie’s might look slightly different from the last, but there are a few constants. Zoey can always expect a never ending parade of annoying, entitled customers who are awfully picky about their coffee for people who have no idea what they’re ordering. She would bet her entire nonexistent life savings that for every twenty people who ask for ristretto shots, only one actually knows what that even means. She usually doesn’t bother. She just pulls regular espresso shots, and poorly at that. It’s not that she can’t properly tamp the coffee grounds, it’s that she’s not going to bother when these people are adding fifteen pumps of vanilla syrup and literally aren’t going to be able to taste the coffee, anyway. Her drinks rarely get sent back and when they do, she just remakes them the exact same way and the customers almost always say they’re much better and go on their merry way, further proving Zoey’s theory that they have no clue what they’re talking about, they just like being high maintenance.

She’s guaranteed to be asked for things that literally don’t exist and expected to make them happen somehow. She has no idea how it would be possible to make an iced cappuccino (the whole point of that drink is the extra foam and the milk has to be steamed to create it), but that doesn’t stop people from asking for it. She’s just taken to ringing up a cappuccino and making an iced latte (complete with a generous wad of spit, naturally); it’s easier than explaining that iced cappuccinos aren’t a thing, then trying to argue and getting herself all worked up like Emma always does. Zoey can see why she smokes so much weed. She definitely needs it.

Luckily, it’s also guaranteed that at least a few of these extremely picky people who are perpetually confused about what they’re ordering will toss a few spare coins (or, on occasion, a whole dollar) into the tip jar and she’ll get to take a break from it all to sing the tip song and give them all a performance to rememember, a brief high point on an otherwise dull day in their otherwise boring and pathetic lives. She considers it a public service, honestly. Plus, there’s always a slim chance that a Broadway casting agent will just happen to be rolling through this nothing, podunk town on an extended layover or something and catch her at just the right moment, realize she’s exactly the triple threat they’ve been looking for and cast her in their next big production, whisking her away to the bright lights of New York City and securing her the ticket out of here she’s longed for since she was thirteen.

Deep down, she knows it’s unlikely. That’s not how casting usually works. People land big roles by trending now. Everybody knows that. Besides that, most people coming to Beanie’s are loser townies without any connections in the musical theater industry. Broke loser townies, if the way they tip is any indication.

The next customer who walks through the door is none of those things. Without a word, she immediately commands the room, despite her short stature that’s only mildly offset by the black, heeled boots that probably cost more than Zoey’s Onlyfans nets her in an entire month. Her jeans are perfectly tailored and she’s wearing the same sleeveless, white designer turtleneck that Zoey’s been trying to find a dupe of for months now and damn it, she’s wearing it way better than Zoey would have. She even manages to pull off one of those black brimmed hats that all the cool hipster girls who actually enjoy drinking their whiskey neat wear. She makes it look trendy and elegant. Zoey hates her. At least she does until the woman struts up to Emma at the register, a condescending scowl on her face.

“Welcome to Beanie’s, what can I-” Emma starts, but the woman cuts her off.

“Large, extra shot, extra hot, no foam latté with almond milk and light cinnamon. And do make sure it’s no foam and light cinnamon, I have places to be today and I don’t have time to wait around for you to remake it if you screw it up. Surely, even you can manage that.”

“Uhh, sure thing,” says Emma, the weariness and irritation apparent in her voice. Zoey’s certain the woman would have gotten an “Uhh, fuck you” if Nora hadn’t already gotten on Emma’s ass about her customer service and threatened to fire her earlier this week.

Zoey has to talk to her. She needs to figure out what her deal is so she can steal it. When Emma takes a name for the order and wearily heads over to the espresso machine to start making the drink, she has her chance.

“Nora says to go take your ten,” Zoey says “like, right now. I’ll make the drink.” Emma eyes her suspiciously, but shrugs and hands over the cup, all too eager to go hide in the back room.

Zoey carefully removes the portafilter from the machine, dumps out the condensed puck of espresso grounds from the previous order and carefully rinses it out. The baristas here should be doing that between every single drink, but rarely bother. In a place where literally spitting in the coffee is common practice, keeping the equipment clean isn’t exactly high on the priority list. She places it below the coffee grinder and measures out just the right amount of espresso grounds, gently tapping it against the counter, then takes the tamper and presses down with a steady, even hand to compress them, carefully twisting it as she pulls up. She inspects the puck and is pleased to see that there are no gaps, then gingerly wipes the excess grounds off the metal edges with her finger and twists the portafilter back into its place on the machine, then hits the button to begin pulling the shots. It’s been a long time since she bothered trying to make halfway decent coffee. She’s a little rusty, but it’s coming back to her.

She fills the steam pitcher with almond milk and begins aerating it with the steam wand, leaving it at the surface for only a brief second before fully immersing it, so as to create as little foam as possible. She presses the back of her hand to it and when it’s so hot that she can’t help but wince, she knows it’s ready. She taps the steam pitcher against the counter until there are no bubbles whatsoever, with such force that a few stray droplets of extra hot almond milk go flying and hit her wrist. She pours it into the paper cup over the shots, painstakingly straining out the foam with a spoon and then skimming the little bit that remains off of the top. It’s almost complete. She just needs to figure out what this woman’s definition of “light” cinnamon is. She settles on one more forceful shake and one daintier one.

Finally satisfied with her work, she lids the drink and all that’s left is to hand it off to the woman - Linda, according to Emma’s messy scrawl on the cup. She tries to figure out something cool to say, something that will make a good first impression, but won’t come across as trying too hard.

“Here’s your coffee,” she says “my coworker would have just screwed it up, so I made it.” Real smooth. It’s far from her best work, but she couldn’t think of anything else.

Linda practically yanks the coffee from Zoey’s hands. “What, do you want a medal or something? I’ve been waiting for three minutes, I have places to be!” She takes a sip and her face softens just a touch, her lips pursing in reluctant approval. “Acceptable. Better than that big chain coffee shop across the street does it, anyway. Those idiots always get it wrong. Honestly, how hard is it to follow simple instructions?”

[bisluthq]

Regarding Blake/Justin, I do think each person's history does provide some insights.

Blake got married on a plantation (and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe only Ryan has publicly apologized for it). Her defunct lifestyle website published a story called The Allure of Antebellum (https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2014/10/76178/blake-lively-preserve-antebellum-shoot). She's been in a Woody Allen movie. We just saw that interview from the Woody Allen promo cycle were she was rude to the interviewer. If it was a one time thing it could maybe be excused as her having a bad day, but then we have this interview from a few days ago were she gave a very tone-deaf borderline rude answer about people possibly wanting to talk to her about their experience with DV. And as we know she is using this promo cycle to promote her haircare brand etc.

Also, there was rumored beef with Leighton on GG, there was rumored beef with Anna Kendrick on A Simple Favor, and now there is beef with Justin. At some point it becomes a pattern...

I'm not saying she is evil, but at the very least she is very ignorant and self-centered, and not nearly as nice and wholesome as her public persona would have us believe.

When it comes to Justin, I don't know the guy so maybe something comes out tomorrow that proves me wrong, but he's been focusing on deconstructing toxic masculinity for years (his very famous Ted Talk, video series, podcast, books). And he hasn't shied away from leading by example by talking about his issue with body dismorphia or having struggled with a porn addiction. His previous movies were basically about people living with illnesses, to being awareness to those topics. And he seems to have maintained good connections with his past cast members (including Sabrina).

He's also been involved in charitable efforts for a long time (like Skid Row Carnival of Love). And he is actually promoting this movie as a movie about DV.

Was his decision to adapt that book a mistake? I haven't read it, but from what I've heard about it, probably. But based on what is known about him publicly (as I said, I don't know him so I have no idea what happens behind closed doors) he does seem to be a pretty wholesome guy generally.

I mostly agree with what you’re saying with one big caveat: Blake and Ryan apologized together. They issued a joint statement and then he elaborated on it further in an interview and said “we” so I don’t think it’s fair to say she didn’t apologize. We can say it’s a bit weird and says a lot about their dynamic that he seems to do most of the talking for them both, but all that’s giving is trad relationship and he’s the bigger star and stuff lol. I think they both should’ve known better and DONE better but I also don’t get the sense that Ryan’s off apologizing for that and feeling bad while learning how to be a better person and Blake just dgaf. I think they both did genuinely feel a bit bad about it but I don’t think either has taken like a class on race relations or anything. I think if Ryan cared more about this kind of thing, he’d be… making sure he’s producing works by marginalized creators and using his platform to broadcast marginalized voices/scripts that would struggle to get made and casting marginalized performers. He doesn’t do that. So like… yea. I’m not into even subtly implying he’s “better” than her, especially since he seems to control a lot of her life.

Re her and leighton, multiple people have said it was less of a feud and more that they just weren’t friends. They were colleagues. CW wanted to promote them as irl besties because CW loved that kind of promo - everyone was meant to be besties or dating off screen and they had clauses that made it difficult to publicly date anyone not on the network like that was an actual thing they did - and blake and leighton never fucking were besties off screen but that doesn’t mean they full on Kim Cattrall x SJP hated each other.

I do agree that she’s ignorant and self-centered and super fucking privileged and tone deaf, and I think her husband makes most of her decisions for her and kinda runs her life lol but obviously she could change that if she wanted, so that’s her choice.

Justin seems like a decent enough guy, just not imo as smart as he thinks he is, but also not as stupid as I thought and he’s about to give those two a serious run for their money in terms of public perception like… as he should.

Blake and Ryan are def not as wholesome as some people online like to act and re Justin obv we don’t know but he doesn’t appear to be a Disney villain (or even like idk Hollywood high on power levels of shitty - that seems more Ryan).

[adamwatchesmovies]

Wanted (2008)

If Wanted is your favorite film, it might be because you’re the kind of person who dreams of shooting up a school. You think I’m exaggerating. “Come on Adam; sure this film might glorify violence and gunplay, but don’t most action movies?” Yes, but Wanted takes it a step further. The film has such a hard-on for firearms and is so mean-spirited its nastiness will be obvious to everyone. Or it would be if it weren’t drowned out by an idiotic plot with no identity of its own, Maxim Magazine-like titillation, and admittedly dynamic action scenes.

Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is a nobody loser. He has no money, no future or aspirations and worst of all, no will to do anything about it. Everything changes when he crosses paths with Fox (Angelina Jolie). She reveals to him his identity as a member of The Fraternity and the son of the world’s greatest assassin. His crippling panic attacks are actually superhuman killer instincts trying to break out. Daddy’s been murdered and only Wesley can avenge him. Leaving his cheating bitch of a girlfriend, his crummy job and the boss he hates behind, he begins training and prepares to take his revenge.

I am not a fan of the comic book that inspired Wanted. While I admire writer Mark Millar’s vision of a world secretly ruled by supervillains - actual supervillains who gleefully indulge in crimes even the most evil and demented monsters our history has ever produced could dream of - six issues about a rapist who does nothing but shoot innocent people in the face and then laugh about it loses its appeal pretty quickly. In theory, this means I should like the softened-up movie more than the mini-series… but I don’t. Gone are the costumes, the references to well-known works and the amorality of the protagonist. This film has so little in common with its progenitor it’s almost unrecognizable. Instead, it’s a rather by-the-book leather-clad gun-wielding assassin movie… until it becomes so dumb you can’t believe it was written by adults.

To its credit, the film firmly establishes itself as taking place in a world that's not ours. Guns can shoot around their targets if the wielder swings their arm the right way. The chases and stunts prove Wesley and the other members of The Fraternity are indeed the world’s greatest killers. The climax is an orgy of mayhem and bullet holes so well done it makes you forget everything you hated about this movie, if only briefly. Say what you will about Wanted, but it's not boring.

While Wanted may seem like nothing but harmless escapist fantasy, certain aspects make it more than a little distressing. When we meet Wesley, his life belongs at the bottom of the trash can. His girlfriend is having an affair with his best friend so he’s got no friends and no sex life. His boss, an overweight woman (Lorna Scott) has no redeeming qualities (they couldn’t make her just overweight or unbearable, she had to be both). His mother is unimportant and Wesley doesn't know his father. Everything changes when he picks up a gun. Suddenly, Wesley’s looking up Angelina Jolie’s skirt, he’s got millions in the bank, he’s respected, and he’s saving the world… by killing people in ways no one else could. The better he gets at killing, the more fortunes are heaped onto his lap. Even when he loses everything, he has learned to kill and that makes his existence better than ours. He breaks the fourth wall to tell us so.

Perhaps I’m looking too deeply into the importance of the gun in Wanted. I’m sure you’ll nonetheless grant me that this whole Fraternity thing is pretty dumb. Mr. Sloan (Morgan Freeman) interprets the “Loom of Fate”, which weaves a fabric that - once in a while - contains errors. If a strand is misplaced in this way, it’s a 0. In another way, it’s a 1. Through this binary system, the Fraternity has been finding targets for 1,000 years. You read that correctly. At some point in history, some bored weaver looked at a piece of cloth through a microscope, decided - for yucks - to write down the errors in the fabric and realized it could tell us who would turn out to be evil. Wesley just accepts this without batting an eye. Now, when Mr. Sloan is revealed to be corrupt and we learn he’s been lying to our protagonist the whole time, you might think the whole thing’s been made up, but no. In fact, he’s something that’ll bake your noodle: At one point, Fox is assigned to kill Wesley because he will cause the death of thousands… and he does. In his quest for vengeance, Wesley causes a train full of innocent people to derail and fall down the deepest canyon you’ve ever seen. Every single person on that train except for him and Fox dies. Of course, our lead character is too self-obsessed to even think about that tragedy.

Wanted might have some stylish elements in that “curving the bullet" thing and this might also make it memorable in a way, but once you start thinking about this movie, it becomes more than a little uncomfortable. Not helping is the supremely unlikable protagonist. Wanted barely even makes an attempt to emulate the work that inspired it. Some people might say that's a bad thing. Some might not. It just means any way you look at it, this film is dreadful. (June 24, 2022)

[hoperays-song]

Johnny’s Fight Scene

***Potential TW: mentions of past injuries, abuse (just say the word once), fighting, and questionable fighting tactics.***

For those of you who might not know, I was in martial arts for several years growing up. In fact that’s where I met my girlfriend! I was in the class for numerous hours a week for over five years, so the things I learned there definitely stuck with me. 

And one of those things that I learned immediately jumped out at me as I was rewatching Sing 2 with said girlfriend and their younger brother who was in the class with us. Johnny appears to use a mental method of losing your inhibitions during a fight, something we called flipping the switch, in his fight with Klaus.

Now, this technique is kind of odd to describe. It involves you essentially shutting off all your thoughts and switching into fight or flight mode (we were trained to go immediately into the fight aspect). You stop thinking. Your mind goes blank. All that matters is getting out of this situation and giving your attacker as much hell as they just gave you.

And when I say you stop thinking, I do literally mean that. I once broke a bone during sparring with someone who had “flipped the switch” (that was not the other student’s fault but our teacher’s, I should not have been allowed to fight). And the person who did that? Amazingly sweet guy. Literally like a big brother to almost everyone. Which just shows that this flipping of a switch method is extremely effective since it bases itself off people’s survival instincts. 

Now, why would I and my family think that that is what Johnny did during his Sing 2 fight? Because it’s Johnny. We’ve seen this kid trapped in a flooding building, was in a room with angry gang members who seemed pretty chill with murder, at active bank heists, and run from people who want him dead. And yes, he did break his skateboard out of frustration after weeks of literal abuse, but we also see him immediately regret that action. In no other scenario do we see him act on a fight instinct. Ever. Hell, even that skateboard scene started with him running away from what was happening. Johnny’s first instinct isn’t to fight, it’s to run. 

So why would this suddenly change? Why would the kid who had been solely on the defensive the entirety of the fight before that point just change to extremely offensive in a second? Well, we know that Johnny likely is trained to fight. His father boxes for fun, and every other member of his family has proved themselves to be extremely good at fighting as well (to the point they can easily take out professional bodyguards). And despite it being a very poor excuse for a gang, Johnny was still in a gang. He knows how to protect himself. And judging by his reaction to being told he has a fight scene, not only is he likely good at it, but he enjoys it.

But the point stands that he didn’t fight back until he looked back up towards the others. Which actually just further proves to me that he used the “flip the switch” method. That technique is harder for some people to learn than others, especially if they don’t like hurting people or are worried about hurting people. That anxiety can cause someone to not fight back in dangerous situations as it essentially stops that survival instinct I was talking about earlier. 

To get around this in training, our teacher would either physically place one of the younger kids a few feet behind us or tell us that they were in danger (though that was typically after the physical method had been used several times), trying to get protective instincts to come into play. And speaking as someone who had to be told this a ton as I don’t like hurting people, it works insanely well. Like scarily so. And I imagine it would work for Johnny too. We see just how family oriented this kid is. His dad and uncles are extremely important to him. His theatre family is extremely important to him. He cares a lot about them. He’s willing to do just about anything for them, no hesitation.

And if he was to tell himself during a fight that he had to protect them, that they were in danger, it’s likely that flipping of a switch would be pretty much instinctual (think of all those references to (insert family member)’s love being a powerful force to be reckoned with).

However, it is important to point out that Johnny was still restraining himself during that fight scene. We see Johnny throughout both movies perform acts of pretty extreme strength (ie. lifting giant slabs of concrete with a basic pulley in Sing 1). The fact that the most destruction he causes during that scene is the breaking of his opponents staff shows the restraint that Johnny was using, despite being in a defensive mindset. 

This does speak more on Johnny’s character than anything, as he was able to disarm his opponent in a hyperfocused state, especially since he still has to blink himself out of it at the end and be surprised when the scene was over. He genuinely forgot what was going on and was focused on protecting himself and his loved ones. He forgot he was performing. And yet he still managed to avoid seriously harming his opponent. 

That amount of control is insanely hard to come by. It takes years and years of training (the shortest amount of time I saw was 4 years) to be in a flip the switch mindset and still be able to subconsciously access the situation. Johnny is a skilled fighter for sure, with an insane amount of control in his techniques.

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

TLDR Conclusion: 

Johnny used a trick taught in some martial arts classes called “flipping the switch” which involves tapping into a person's survival instincts and essentially only focusing on getting away from/hurting your attacker back during his Sing 2 performance. This shows how skilled he is as it is extremely hard to do damage control subconsciously (ie. Johnny not actually hurting his opponent and only breaking the staff), and that he was likely trained in self defense for years.

TLDR Evidence:

- The look back at family and friends is often used to get your brain into a protective mindset.

- Flipping the switch involves instantly going onto the offensive, which we see Johnny do after behaving purely defensively in the past.

- Johnny would likely know this trick as we know he at least knows how to fight.

- The fact he seems surprised at the audience at the end of his scene is similar to what it’s like coming out of a “flip the switch’ mindset, you’re shocked by reality or where you are.

- Johnny is very protective of loved ones, as seen with him helping Mrs Crawly and Rosita during the escape, as well as never turning in his family to the police despite not agreeing with the gang.

- Johnny’s typical first reaction in dangerous situations is flight (as seen by him running from the classroom before), so the sudden switch would have to have some motivation behind it.

[myinterestsvary-writes]

The Beach episode

Tamaki is sexist…

specifically in the way he treats Haruhi that he grows out of, which can be explained by the fact that girls his age - whom he is notoriously popular with - fit the way he idealizes and wants Haruhi to be as

…but I specifically remember watching Haruhi coming out of nowhere and redirecting their antagonism towards her and immediately thought as a little girl, “what are you doing by yourself like this?! Are you crazy?! You’re so small…plus you’re a girl against three men.” for real, THEN feeling further validation from what Tamaki had to say. That helped grow my admiration for Haruhi while reaffirming my stances on gender roles and heroism through seeing both sides, I.e Tamaki’s and the boys’ side of things. You can be a hero no matter your gender but you can also be smart about it no matter your gender (and I also thought Haruhi wasn’t being smart about it *cough* and I still do *cough cough*). You don’t have to care about gender while simultaneously acknowledge that not everyone thinks that way too. I’ve internalized this message so strongly up to this point in my life, it helps me not be selective in my understanding and usage of gender roles to my advantage and allowed introspection.

Haruhi was a boy to those offenders, so they attacked her as a guy (punching her in the manga) by pushing her into the ocean after berating her and not sexually harassing her like they did the girls. There’s not a doubt in my mind however that they wouldn’t have acted the same had they discovered Haruhi’s actual gender.

I don’t believe in victim blaming but I do think people need to take accountability somewhat for the choices they make that sometimes lead them to becoming vulnerable and harmed, that way things can be prevented or prevented from happening again. May sound synonymous to victim blaming to you, but I’m just not interested in woobifying anyone. It’s more disrespectful than victim blaming in the right circumstances. As in this one, not the bedroom scene I ain’t touching on because that’s pretty clear as an message for me as well but like…

Although I now believe Tamaki worded what he said poorly, I understood his intentions which I valued more than kind of weird imo interpretations of him saying, “you’re weak because you’re a girl!”. That just further proves my point of thinking this to just be poorly written, than anything, because Tamaki respects women in his own way that most women in his life adores (and if not then he adapts to them as individuals as a respectable person should) and holds no contempt for them in general. The message here in my eyes is that to others you’re more so viewed as weak because you’re a girl on average, because really, it’s kind of true. Gender does still matter, being trans surely does NOT erase that notion. Being GNC though, sure, but there’s still a ways to go in my opinion before there’s complete respect for that logical as shit perspective on things. Being outnumbered and being outmatched more than likely because you’re a girl against a guy, much less three matters because it is reality. Matters a little bit, just a little bit less so when you’re a guy because guys on average are stronger but no matter what the situation will be dangerous to take on alone. To say Haruhi shouldn’t have learned anything from what she did is a bit ridiculous to me, you have friends and family for a reason.

But I also get her point, “in a situation like that, you don’t have time to think.” And she’s right, which is why that kind of situation was inevitable for her to be in for me. It says a lot of good about her character, as we all know.

[floatingcatacombs]

Trying to Talk about Touhou

12 Days of Aniblogging 2023, Day 9

This is the year that something finally clicked. I went from getting a game over halfway through any given Touhou game to racking up Normal one-credit clears in Touhou 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 17. It’s a journey that’s required self-restraint so I don’t destroy my hands (see my Caves of Qud post), but I’ve gotten to a point where I can try out a new Touhou and largely intuit what that particular game is putting down without bashing my head against the first few stages for days. It’s a really nice sweet-spot to be in, even if it took years of on-and-off play since 2016 to achieve.

I’m not in a position to give hot bullet dodging tips or anything (you’ll have to turn to John Madden for that), but maybe I can share some scattered views on these games I’ve come to love.

A lot of advice given to new players boils down to either “don’t bomb too much, you’ll lose valuable practice” or “you can bomb, it’s fine”. But my biggest roadblock was actually sticking to one game for years instead of trying out a bunch in that time. Practicing the same spell cards over and over helps you progress much further through one game than your skills would otherwise allow, but I don’t think you’ll learn as much overall! Because even though all the games look very similar from the outside, Touhou is an exercise in constant experimentation between releases.

ZUN is never content to rest on his laurels for too long, always going back to the drawing board and making minor adjustments to the Touhou formula that carry far-reaching implications. For example, Mountain of Faith may be one of the mechanically simpler games, but changing the bombing system from fixed quantities to bombs that lower the player’s shot power has a ton of knock-on effects! It makes bombing during the stages far more viable, and lets the player bomb through spell cards with confidence if they know they’re going to be regaining that power afterwards. This makes Mountain of Faith one of the breezier entries in the series, but only if the player is comfortable with bombing that much. The people who want to prove themselves by capturing as many spellcards as possible will continue to do that and face a moderate challenge. The next Touhou game, Subterranean Animism, uses an identical system, except bombing removes 25% more power from the player, and bosses drop fewer power items after each phase. These little tweaks flip the equation on its head entirely, as bombing even once will leave you noticeably weaker for the rest of the fight. You can’t bomb proactively anymore, but it’s still absolutely worth it when the alternative is dying. It makes these games feel extremely different from one another, and not being able to play them in the same way means you'll have to gain some flexibility.

The method through which you earn extra lives is also in constant flux. ZUN’s thrown every idea at the wall, from score thresholds to collectible UFOs to grazing lots of bullets to just being able to buy them at the metaprogression store. The problem is that no matter the method, it’s going to be gamed by better players and underutilized by novices. That’s why I’ve gradually come around to Subterranean Animism’s system, even though it’s one of the most frustrating at first. It’s absolutely brutal for new players but rewards the right behavior – surviving by any means necessary. For every segment of a boss fight that you make it through without getting hit, regardless of whether or not you bombed, you’re rewarded with a fifth of an extra life. This snowballs both ways. If you’re getting hit a lot in early stages, you’re not going to be receiving any extra support at all, but if you can survive everything thrown at you, you’ll be rewarded with more extra life opportunities than in nearly any other Touhou. My winning run of Subterranean Animism had me get through the first four stages without dying and then break even on Stage 5, letting me face the final boss with eight lives. As mentioned earlier, SA is extremely stringent on bombs, forcing you to learn patterns to a painful degree, but my god did finally capturing all of Satori and Rin’s spells and fumbling through Utsuho’s feel good. After two years of practice, it’s definitely my favorite of the games, and the clear that I’m the most proud of.

top 10 spell card name btw

So switching between games is a great way to pick up general skills and it’s cool to watch ZUN’s gamedev iteration cycle, especially if you’re playing somewhat chronologically. The only challenge is having to learn to allow seven or so girls into your heart at a time. Touhou characters are like Pokemon in that whenever there’s another installment, all of the new ones feel kind of fake for a bit and the part of your brain that keeps track of all these creatures needs time to really integrate them. Maybe this is just a me problem. Eventually though, they are friends all the same. Also, you will learn to love the character portraits. Every era. Give it time.

The early Windows games have most of the classic characters and generally play on the easier side, so maybe start with one of those if you’re interested? Touhou 8 (Imperishable Night) is often recommended as a starting point, and is regarded as one of the easier installments, but the one-off gameplay systems are as numerous as they are ridiculous. Time of night, human/youkai meter, minions, alternate stages, Last Spells - it’s chaos. Also, any plot involving the moon is bound to be truly convoluted, even by Touhou standards. Play 7 or 10 instead (or be like me and start with 6 (definitely use the hitbox patch tho)).

JUST DON'T PLAY LEGACY OF LUNATIC KINGDOM BECAUSE YOU'LL FALL IN LOVE WITH THE MUSIC AND WANT TO KEEP GOING BACK BUT THE GAME WILL BE EXCEEDINGLY FRUSTRATING EVEN IF A LOT OF THE IDEAS ZUN IS TRYING OUT ARE REALLY COOL (i will not be clearing this one ever probably)

I’m glad ZUN is thoughtfully experimenting with trends from other genres such as metaprogression and checkpointing with infinite lives in his more recent games. The non-numbered side games in particular provide a space for him to further mess around. My personal favorites are 100th Black Market, which recontextualizes the roguelike shop from the previous game while acting as a great practice tool, and Fairy Wars, which is stupid fun.

In conclusion, Touhou demonstrates through its excellency that the ideal skill hierarchy for solo gamedev polymaths is music > gameplay > writing > art. See also: Toby Fox.

[josiebelladonna]

so, a couple of nights ago i changed my pfp on instagram and threads to this:

a cartoon of alex that i made for hanukkah a couple of years ago and i had been getting a lot of comments from the pro-palestine side just from today alone, and they are always abusive (yes, i blocked most of them, i don’t need that shit). initially, it was just for hanukkah but seeing those comments gave me an idea. i’m keeping it up for a while just to make an experiment of sorts, to really show just how openly antisemitic everyone has become (full disclosure: i myself am not jewish but i have been standing in solidarity with them, because they’re quite literally sustaining the brunt of all of this).

you see that star of david and your mind immediately jumps into action.

so, putting this cartoon up as my pfp is an act of trolling. it’s meant to be an act of solidarity but it’s now something to test these people.

from what i’ve seen, just from today alone (and i’ve been busy all day and i’d rather not be around that because there’s literally better things in life than bickering with people, especially people who don’t listen), pro-palestine doesn’t listen. this side only cares about being right even if it makes them bullies. even if it makes them guilt-trip and/or scream at someone who’s not only on the side of human life but isn’t even jewish. you guys only care about one-upping everyone else and putting words in people’s mouths. you guys are incredibly disrespectful and judgmental. you have the gall to accuse jewish and israeli people of being genocidal (that word on its own annoys me just from how loosely it’s thrown around now) when you should really be critical of their dumpster fire of a government. “free palestine” is a useless phrase. it’s pointless. and the hypocrisy within this so-called movement is astounding and even horrifying, to the point i’m actually concerned for you guys, like… you need psychiatric treatment.

you also refuse to listen and learn. you also exhibit unreal amounts of abuse, shit that would get you banned in a heartbeat (and zuckerberg did very little and we all know that tumblr staff is completely useless). i wouldn’t engage with them just for my own sanity but all too often, i got replies that were often openly hateful, and i knew it was because of this drawing here. for example, i was just talking to someone on threads—you know just trying to console them because every jewish person alive right now is dealing with an ungodly amount of guilt—and i swear to god, the amount of people who (are still) jumping onto me and attacking me. i’m able to detach myself from it all because again, i’m not jewish just standing in solidarity, but what a crock of shit this whole thing is. and i’m pausing that app for a bit because it hasn’t even been a day and i have already seen enough. none of you are telling me anything new or insightful or something i haven’t read yet. it’s obvious that you don’t know the amount of nuance behind this because you’re all so quick to jump on the jews now (and failing to realize that you’re not doing anything for muslims and the palestinians, either. “free palestine” is pointless on its own, now you have to write its obituary. you made your bed, you have to lie in it).

it really does feel like you guys just want to bully and pick fights with people rather than stand for a cause, something that was inescapable in 2014 tumblr and holy smokes, we’re coming up on 10 years of that.

i am immersing myself with that drawing just to prove a point that we are currently in the midst of the horseshoe effect (the far left gets so radical that they’re indistinguishable from the far right and vice versa). pro-palestine is the new maga, and you guys will never admit to that, either, but i am witnessing it firsthand as a gentile. i’m also doing it to further build on empathy: i already did have plenty of empathy for the jews, but witnessing it has really given me so much more perspective. a small percentage of the human population—that is also decreasing, there’s only 16 million jews on earth right now (in 1948, it was closer to 17 million; in 1939, it was around 30 million)—and they’re taking the brunt of it all… why?

the jews i have interacted with are actually (and ironically) the complete opposite of pro-palestine, which has become toxic and cult-like (really, i don’t know how you guys function, and nobody is saying anything that gives food for thought, nobody). the jews i have interacted with so far are actually… sweet. friendly. tender even. a couple of them called me a mensch! and you might find this hard to believe but they want to see palestine in good shape. they want palestine and israel to coexist in harmony (i certainly do). it’s the equivalent of looking into the face of the sweet old lady down the street and spitting into her face all because her son gets kind of loud when he gets drunk. and you all wonder why you’re getting called antisemites. it’s all driven by antisemitism, and trying to justify it all by saying that palestine has it worse only makes me say, “start digging.”

and all i can think is, this is going to be your legacy. tumblr, gen z, some people my age (oh, my god, that’s sad, seeing 30-year-olds acting like they’re fucking 15), white people, people who “don’t have time to read”, tiktok, some poc, third-wave feminists, most of the lgbtq+ community (OH GOD), some academic scholars (phew, talk about sad), some politicians, pretty much the entire left wing and some of the right… this is your legacy. complicit and condoning and conjuring and justifying hate. screaming at the top of your lungs thinking you’re doing someone justice when really, you have become the evil ones. start digging. start digging your graves.

“you either die a hero or see yourself live long enough to become the villain.”

[yuridovewing]

*knock knock* Trick or treat! I’ve been really enjoying your Thunder coverage! Can I get Candy in the form of your thoughts on Splashtail and any theories you might have on how he became ambitious at such a young age? Or how you’d like they do it?

OOO thank you!! wasnt expecting to get a trick or treat lol <3

Okay so. Disclaimer: I have not read the actual ASC books for myself so I haven’t read any individual scenes with Splashtail, so my thoughts as of now are all from secondhand information. So if anything here sounds off or wrong, that’s why.

That being said, from what I’ve seen of him, I think he’s interesting! People have grabbed my attention by calling him a Hawkfrost parallel, since Hawkfrost and Mothwing have one of my favorite dynamics in the series.

I don’t know if the new team would try to go at him with this angle at all, but I’d like to see him as a sort of… clanborn Hawkfrost? To me, Hawkfrost is defined by his heritage. He was pushed into overachievement and villainy, and got pushed straight into his father’s claws, because he’s an outsider to his clan and needed to prove himself. And the sad thing is- he’s not wrong, just look at how Mothwing was treated. His actions are his own, he abused his own sister and used her status to further his own goals, and I got the impression that he did that because he felt he needed that boost and Mothwing is oh so wrong and judgmental for not wanting to give him that. I dunno, he’s an example of how clan culture can warp a person into someone unrecognizable, as Mothwing says in her novella.

Another is just his relationship to Mothwing in general, and I feel it’s worth pointing out that he and Mothwing were alone in RiverClan and only had one another to truly relate to and confide in- which makes his later abuse all the more traumatic for Mothwing. Cause now she has nobody and her only confidant has permanently damaged her psyche.

Okay this turned into a Hawkfrost ramble so, back to Splashtail- I think a good way to make him a Hawkfrost parallel is to highlight how he’s a product of clan culture in the context that he’s clanborn, and grew up in a highly restrictive and volatile period of the clans in TBC, where his leader was one of the biggest supporters of Ashfur and exiled their medic. I like that being a very formative period for him that would churn out some of the clans’ harshest and volatile warriors yet. So that probably pushed him into wanting a position of power- maybe he wanted to feel in control or maybe even try and continue punishing codebreakers? I have no idea how he feels about that last part in canon so that’s just speculation.

Since Curlfeather was the original mastermind, I like to think a lot of it also came from her promising him the deputy role (probably due to his age, and he let that get to his head, which was why he turned on her- “I know better!”). We don’t really know why she chose him as of yet in canon so I won’t linger on this til well learn more, but I can see maybe a sort of enabling angle there. Like maybe she saw how volatile he was becoming or how he could charm people and decided he was a good ally.

I think the most obvious parallel and the reason why people are comparing him to Hawkfrost in the first place is his relationship to Frostpaw though and how he manipulates her. Which makes sense! She’s young and he can take advantage of her. From what I’m gathering though, I’m getting the impression that that’s where the similarities end since they’re a romantic duo, not a sibling one. (Which like… hm. Given that apparently they are related in canon… which is why I’ve already decided to just cut that and make him Frostpaw’s older brother from a separate litter in my au)

I think the most interesting thing here is his age. I’ve seen people say it’s weird and bad that someone his age wants to be leader which… I gotta say I wholeheartedly disagree LOL. I think it’s normal for the younger cats to be super ambitious and in over their heads. I think it connects to his volatile upbringing well too. He’s got a messed up mindset because of that upbringing and is willing to perpetuate that violence, and he’s actually charming enough to climb in rank.

(Also ngl I want more young leaders in general. Not Splashtail himself probably but I wanna see a really young new character become leader and how that affects how they rule. Like oooo does the pressure get to them… Does their immaturity screw over their clan… I dunno I think this should happen more!)

Canon probably won’t do this but I kinda want Splashstar to crash and burn- hes in over his head baaaadly and once he has the power he wants he’s going to get trampled. His immaturity will hurt his clan and get him killed. He needs resistance cause he has power, but he can be a sort of self destructive villain.

I’m sorta clueless about his relationship with Frostpaw atm. Or at least how it connects to Hawk and Moth beyond both of the warrior/deputy boys manipulating the medic girls. I’ll probably figure it out more when I read it.

TLDR: I like the idea that he’s a Hawkfrost parallel by being clanborn and shaped by his experiences in TBC, as well as being sorta entitled due to his heritage as a whole maybe (compared to Hawkfrost I mean).