#just started this arc but the way he talked to me???

[crescenthistory]

2K IS SO WELL DESERVED 💓💓

Please could you analyse a relationship (maybe how it starts/people finding out) between barty and potter!reader or black sister!reader 💓

thank you kindly sweetheart<33 i did poly!bartylus x potter!reader here, so i'm choosing the noble house of black scenario here lols. i loved this one so much, especially dynamic 2, so someone feel free to request a full version once i open my regular requests 🙂↕️🙂↕️

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i will ANALYSE barty crouch jr. with black!sister!reader

carina's 2k celebration

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cw: reference to walburga and orion's excellent parenting (abuse), fem!reader, sibling troubles, precocious barty

regulus was barty's first best friend and he is fiercely loyal to him, to a fault

however, he is loyal within barty's own moral compass, which, as we know, is a quite unique one

meaning he is "if i see you jumping someone, i'm jumping them with you, no questions asked" loyal and "if you are upset, it is my sworn duty to make you feel different" but he is NOT "your sister is off limits loyal"

which they both find out randomly one day, more or less like this:

"salazar's soggy balls, your sister is proper fit"

"EXCUSE ME?"

queue regulus whacking barty like he's a dog getting reprimanded while barty shrieks and yells some incoherent excuse like "what? she is???"

how it goes from there depends on which dynamic you have with the black brothers

i see two primary ones:

you were either really close with regulus and thus have a more problematic but still close relationship with sirius

OR you really looked up to sirius, which made regulus distance himself for you for periods of time

(the latter one prompts much more angst in the getting together process, naturally – in a good way)

DYNAMIC 1 (regulus centred)

if you and regulus are really close, you would be brought into the slytherin skittles from the get go and thus would have a friends to lovers arc with barty

after regulus whacked barty for drooling over "my baby sister" (you're like. eleven months younger than him.), he keeps an eye on barty

i think barty frankly would not care at all and would continue flirting with you unabashedly

"when have i ever let reg dictate my love/dating/sex life before?"

though he would be saving the more salacious comments for when regulus isn't around

and trust that he would be pursuing spending time with you when regulus isn't around – once he got hung up on you it's almost like a compulsive tic, he just has to be close to you

you would probably be the only one having any moral qualms about it, wondering how regulus would feel and how things might change

as a black sister, you would likely feel like everything good in your life is a hair width's away from falling apart and live in constant fear of that while trying to remain nonchalant

yet barty's pull towards you is far from one-sided – he gives you that calmness in the chaos and chaos in calmness that you craved

only when you nearly have your first kiss in a hallway and you pull away last second talking "what about regulus?" do i think it might register with barty that he could genuinely be upsetting his best friend

prompt the always direct barty more or less marching into his dorm he shares with regulus and evan, declaring: "regulus arcturus black, i love your sister. you have no right giving out blessings, but would you please get behind this, it's upsetting her."

it would be a ROUGH conversation, but regulus knows both of you well enough to know when you're being serious about something

and barty was being deadly serious

after they've talked it through and regulus has said something along the lines of "as long as you promise it's not just a shag, then sure, be my guest. but i want to hear NONE of it", i think he would make a beeline to gryffindor

to find sirius, of course, for once daring seek out his older brother's advice, because it's for their "better third"

"sirius, i need you to calm yourself and not be mad at them because i genuinely need your advice"

it took a LOT of schooling his face for sirius to not rip his eyeballs out at the mention that barty is interested in you, but he kept calm, for regulus

he could tell that he needed it

they talked it all out

it genuinely made regulus feel better and more secure in it, but the second he left the room, sirius turned around crying to james in the exact same way

queue sirius pulling barty aside the next day to borderline threaten him to not mistreat you

and for YOU to then pull SIRIUS aside and have an angsty sibling confrontation of "is it more important to you to go to him first and be all protective, instead of to me and offer any support or congratulations?"

i think regardless of if you have a troubled relationship for a while, he still sees you as his whole world; something to take care of

so he would nod his head, properly reprimanded and give you the first hug you've shared in a while

barty is by FAR sirius' least favourite in-law and barty adoreeeees that fact, loving to rub it in

you'll have to gently be like "babe, please" to have him calm down and not agitate sirius (and by consequence regulsu) too much

it was chaotic but just right

DYNAMIC 2 (sirius centred)

you grew up always looking up to sirius – he's three years older, so the perfect age for you to think everything he does is so cool

you were still relatively young when everything went down with sirius and walburga, so you had a slightly more coloured image and fuzzy memories surrounding the abuse at home

less resentment, more uncertainty towards your parents while still idolising sirius, at least for a while

i think sirius in any dynamic considers his sister his "baby" to some degree, partly because you were the youngest, partly because of his upbringing presenting women as someone to be taken care of – and largely because you let him baby you, unlike regulus

you saw sirius as more of an authority figure than you ever did regulus and he always felt safer than your parents, so when you had nightmares as a child, sirius was the one who could soothe you the best

when you were anxious, he was the one who could talk you out of it, tether you to the earth

sirius saw you as more innocent and less tainted than him, so you could in return make him feel a bit better, a bit more like he had a purpose

i think this dynamic would make regulus very resentful of the both of you

yet another example of him being the second option, of him not measuring up, etc. -> in regards to both you and sirius

in regulus' mind, you were the better younger sibling and sirius was the better older sibling – regulus was alone

so he isolated himself more and more from the both of you as he grew up in a misguided act of self-protection

to the extent that when you started hogwarts, you were never introduced to his friends

i think they asked about you when you finally started hogwarts, but he brushed it aside so assertively that they dropped it

this is in stark contrast to sirius' marauders who happily brought you along more often than not

you were not really a part of their friend group, more so that you became everyone's honorary little sister while you established yourself your own good friends within your house and year

sirius would meet you at every breakfast, even if only to ruffle your hair and kiss your head while you groaned, embarrassing you in front of your friends

you knew of who regulus' friends were and you saw him around often, but it had been made clear to you not to engage

i think it would be the kind of situation where regulus implied you stay away, which hurt you and made you stay away, which in turn hurt him – the cycle goes on

so you never really got to know them beyond their reputations and sirius' complaints about them

until around your fifth year when you would meet barty in some capacity (same class because you were excelling above your year, same secluded area of hogsmeade, etc.)

you hit it off massively, bantering back and forth in a way that makes barty feel both challenged and seen

his interest is piqued

after which is when he makes the comment to regulus about how he finds you "proper fit"

this time, regulus loses his mind over it not because it's his baby sister, but because of his resentment, jealousy and even fear that you would be taking someone else away from him

he would not be making sense to barty, reverting back to his younger and more hurt self before stalking off

if barty, evan or even dorcas tried to bring it up to regulus afterwards, he would just say "let's not talk about her/them" curtly

he only spoke to pandora about it and she kept quiet to the others, respecting his space and boundaries

in this instance, it would be clear to barty that his interest in you was not okay, but it didn't subside

on the contrary, it only continued blazing and he kept meeting you often, mostly by coincidence – but he stayed on purpose

you think nothing much of it before regulus angirly stalks up to you when he sees you chatting in the hallway, roughly grabs your arm to haul you away and whispers something along the lines of "you have sirius. you got sirius, you can't take barty too"

queue massive sibling fight that barty eventually has to get involved in, ignoring the sound of his breaking heart

while you often ignored each other, the tension that arose between you and regulus was now palpable and uncomfortable

you were hurt regulus viewed you the way he did and always competed with you – why did he care so much for sirius' love and not yours?

regulus was hurt because he felt abandoned yet again – both by barty, but also you because he loved you and missed you

having no idea what to do, i think barty would be forced to do the one thing he had sworn to himself, any god he occasionally spoke to and regulus he would never do:

he willingly went to speak with sirius black

"believe me, i don't want to do this any more than you do, but i don't think they can get over this on their own"

i think barty might be able to articulate how regulus feels like the "odd one out" of the siblings and show sirius that regulus' standoffishness is just years of pain schooled away and not him being an aloof bother

which sirius knows but has never been able to work past regardless, not before it was presented to him like this

and while sirius would still be disturbed by it, i think this might be the only way to make him understand that barty loves you – because there was no other word but love for the pull he felt towards you, the emptiness he felt without you

the two of them would plot and scheme to get you and regulus in the same room at the same time, locking all four of you inside

when they begin to try and start a civil conversation, you and regulus are on the offensive and hostile

it is when you burst out something along the lines of "why do you hate me?" that regulus' face falls

"i could never hate you."

it would be an even rougher talk, but you are able to understand each other's pain at last

"i never meant to take him away from you, i never meant to take anything away from you. i just want to be part of your life again."

"it's never felt like i deserve a spot in your life, though. like you want me there."

"regulus there is not a day that i don't wish you were sat beside me."

loooooooong awaited hug

barty and sirius would have stepped back as mediators once the first realisation set in between you, watching while leaning on a desk from afar, feeling oddly united for a moment

at last, regulus would murmur: "do you love him"

you looked at barty for a long time before looking back to regulus with a quivering lip, despite knowing the answer

"only if you'll let me. only if you'll be okay with it."

and though a part of him might still be scared and kicking and screaming, he would use all of his big brother love to pull you close, kiss you on the forehead and whisper repeatedly "it's alright, it's alright. i'm sorry, it's alright."

barty held it together well for regulus' sake, but the second he was left alone with you he swept you up in the closest embrace

"i'm so proud of you"

not only are you the most compelling, bewitching, well, witch he had ever met, but you seemed to be the one person capable of piecing his best friend back together

went through hell to be a match made in heaven

[flightfoot]

Top Ten Completed Miraculous Fics Of 2024

So here it is, my top ten list for the year. I'm gonna be adding this as a bookmark subcollection inside of the full collection. That way, people will still be able to see which fics I recommend most highly for the year, even if they can't find this particular tumblr post.

I've got a real range in popularity here. The most popular fic has over 2000 kudos, while the least popular hasn't even hit 20 yet, at the time of my writing this. Just goes to show that popularity doesn't necessarily track with quality, especially for fics that have more niche appeal to begin with.

All of these are over 40K this time. Longer fics just have more going on, so they dominate lists like this. Which is one reason I have the regular lists that are separated by wordcount, to let fics of every length have a chance to shine.

A lot of the lower entries here bounced around in placement. The top five remained pretty stable though, once entered.

Here's the subcollection I set up for them!

10.

Each Hum And Click by @echo-has-queries

Kagami thought her understandably high standards for a match in marriage would mean she could avoid being paired with a man by her mother. That she could keep perfecting her flying-machine skills and eventually take over her mother’s place in leading the Tsurugi steam engine manufacturing company without having to defer to a man. She would have thought that when her mother told her to test the Agreste boy as a marriage match she had been kidding - if her mother ever kid. But she was serious and there truly was no fault to be found with Gabriel Agreste's son - except for the small detail of course, that he was not human. So Kagami must turn to the only fine mechanic she knows in Paris to find a solution to this new dilemma. But perhaps the dilemma could turn out to be the solution itself. Written for the AU Roulette Challenge 2024 with the prompt: Steampunk AU

So this fic is entirely from Kagami's POV, and it is a treat! It's an Adrigaminette fic, which you slowly figure out from reading the fic, if you didn't check the tags - Kagami may have tried not to like Adrien, but he grew on her regardless, and then a few chapters in you find out about hers and Marinette's failed relationship. I loved slowly finding out why the two of them broke up, when there are clearly still strong feelings between them, and how it ties into Kagami's character arc and the overall themes of the story: standing up for yourself, breaking free from those who would control you, and forging your own path.

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9.

Do You Read Me? by @19thsentry-blog

The problem with being a Couffaine was the hereditary bits. The stubbornness. The weird need to pick a fight with authority for no reason besides the principle of it. The way being a Couffaine meant falling in love, fast as a car crash, and just as deadly. It ruined you forever.

So basically, this takes place a few years after Season 5, in the post-Wish world. Luka takes over as the Ladybug Holder, battling Chrysalis in Marinette's place. It's causing him some strain, since it's hard to hold down a job when you need to vanish randomly for long periods of time while on the clock, and it doesn't help that Chrysalis is a lot sneakier than Monarch was.

That's not the core of the story though. No, the real story starts up at chapter 3, when Luka suddenly wakes up in 19th century London, supposedly having always been there, and talking to a 19th century version of Max. From there, he soon gets escorted to Felix, who is a detective around those parts and agrees to host him for awhile.

This is a Sherlock Holmes inspired story, with the setting ripped straight out of those old stories, and I think it does a great job of that! Felix feels natural as Sherlock, with his deductive abilities, and the mystery really does read a lot like a Sherlock story. Though of course, the ultimate cause is more magical in nature.

I love Luka's perspective in this story and his and Felix's dynamic, it just feels very natural and well done!

I was satisfied with how the mystery wrapped up, 19thsentry did a good job of making things make sense at the end, and it felt satisfying. If you want a story with some great characterization for Luka or Felix, or just feel like a mystery, this is the story for you!

8.

A Breach In The Brooch by @piromina

Ladybug and Chat Noir are the heroes of Paris. Hawkmoth is Chat Noir's father. Chat Noir is aware of this. Hawkmoth is not.

So this is an interesting spin on the classic "Gabriel recruits Adrien early on to help him" plotline. Mostly because Adrien is still Chat Noir in this AND still helping Ladybug as a superhero - Gabriel has no clue about his secret identity.

Plagg, unsurprisingly, isn't thrilled about Adrien refusing to tell Ladybug what he knows about Hawkmoth's identity, and that Adrien keeps following Gabriel's orders, even when he knows they're wrong. Though he figures out before Adrien does that Adrien's compulsion to follow his father's orders isn't just a psychological thing...

I really love Plagg in this especially, he's the MVP. He knows what it's like to be compelled to do or not to do certain things, so he's good at comforting Adrien over it and at finding loopholes for him.

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7.

Phantom Pains (and other hints of you) by @buggachat

She couldn't remember anything. Not where she was going, where she'd been, why she was in this stairwell, or even her own name. But as she watched the blood pool at the base of the steps, she at least knew one thing for certain: the corpse was hers. Getting used to being dead was going to have its growing pains. — “Well, unlucky lady,” Chat Noir greeted with a bow, “Can I get your name?” “Didn’t we just talk about this? I told you, I don’t remember it.” “And I told you,” he reminded, “that you can just pick whatever fits you best.” — Ladybug and Chat Noir may not remember who they once were, but at least the two lost souls can find comfort in each other's company. But as Ladybug starts uncovering more and more memories of her life, letting the past go doesn't seem as easy as Chat Noir claims it to be.

So this is a beautiful, sweet, tragic love story of two lost souls wandering around with each other, yet with Ladybug still desperately wanting to be found, to remember who she was - and wanting to know why Chat so adamantly wanted to stay amnesiac. It's got some neat worldbuilding, and some fantastic prose. It's just a really nice little story!

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6.

A Small but Stubborn Fire by @cardiac-agreste

What if you were the parent of a teenage superhero, but didn't know they were? All you know is the nightmares, the panic attacks, and the bruises. She's missing school, she's disappearing on you, and she's not telling you anything. So you assume the worst: Assault. Depression. A permanent rift in the family. And what do you do when you realize you weren't thinking dark enough? Because your fourteen-year old daughter is the hero who flirts with death on the nightly news. -- Come inside and read about one mother's struggles to raise her daughter in a dangerous world while avoiding the mistakes her own mother made with her.

This is a more serious take on the consequences of Hawk Moth's war on Paris, with actual bloody, painful deaths as a consequence of many akumas, and Parisians developing PTSD because of what they've gone through. Ladybug can fix all the physical scars, but not the mental ones, including her own.

I love the focus on Sabine here. She's not just presented as being a mom - though of course that IS an important role she has. But she's explored as a character in her own right, one with a lot of emotional baggage as a result of her abusive mother, and trying to not fall into her mistakes, but sometimes doing so anyway out of fear for Marinette's safety. She's a really fleshed out, humanly flawed character, sometimes admitting that she would do something selfish if it means protecting the people she cares most about, like her daughter, even if its at others expense. She grows and changes a lot throughout the course of the story, her perspective on many matters changing multiple times as a result of getting new information or seeing the consequences of her previous approaches, and adjusting as a result.

If you want a fic that more realistically explores the dark consequences of Miraculous's setting, that fleshes out Sabine, or just develops a character in a complex way, then I highly recommend you check "A Small but Stubborn Fire" out!

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5.

Finding A Way by @uptoolateart

Collège is nearly over! And what better way to celebrate than a class trip to Costa Rica? But with only a month left to tell Adrien she loves him, Marinette is feeling the pressure. Then – an accident at sea leaves them stranded together on a tropical island…alone. Or are they? Because those footprints in the sand don’t resemble any bird they’ve seen before. And what’s that roaring sound coming from the jungle? ‘Adrien…where ARE we??’ ***** A Jurassic Park / Camp Cretaceous AU that’s been kicking around in my head for over a year

I love the sense of danger permeating this fic, it really feels like Adrien and Marinette are stranded on Jurassic Park (well it's called something else in order to integrate it better into the ML universe, but it operates like Jurassic Park). They're making the best of it though, doing their best to survive - and along the way, getting closer together.

I like that it's not JUST them though, Gabriel and Nathalie find out where they ended up pretty early on and go to rescue them, with Alya and Nino stowing away. It was cool to see that side of things as well.

Oh yeah, this fic is rated M for violence and gore. It's because dinosaurs eat people alive and leave their body parts everywhere. If you can handle the Jurassic Park movie (or presumably the book the movie was based on, but I haven't read that), then you should be just fine.

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4.

Boulangerella by @aidanchaser

Once upon a time, magic was wild. The two princes of the kingdom have been tasked with choosing their brides by the end of their 21st birthday celebrations. Crown Prince Adrien Agreste will have to choose between a woman who can protect his kingdom, a woman offering the power to wake his sleeping mother, and the woman he has loved and admired for the past year. Then there's also the seamstress that he is suddenly falling for. By the time he realizes he doesn't have the power to choose at all, it may be too late.

I love a good fairy tale AU, and this is no exception. Aidanchaser started writing it before Season 5 came out, so it's wrong about some things. Most notably, Felix's posthumous father was a good and decent person here, and one of the twin rings is Felix's Amok while the other one is Adrien's Amok, instead of both of them being Adrien's Amok.

This was a well-crafted tale, with kwamis operating as Fae: they can give power, but only if the wielder gives something up to pay for it. For temporary usage of their power, it can be something small and innocuous, such as giving Plagg cheese in exchange for his help. More expansive uses of their power requires greater sacrifices however, even sacrificing more nebulous things such as memories or hope.

The kingdom's currently being terrorized by this unknown villain, Hawk Moth, as in the show. Ladybug and Chat Noir emerge to battle him, but for some reason (*cough, cough*), King Gabriel isn't fond of the superheroes and wants them captured.

Gabriel isn't the only threat out there, Lila's skulking around, hinting that she knows how to wake up Emilie from her mysterious illness, if only Adrien marries her. And she's not about to take no for an answer.

If you've been wanting a fairy tale/fantasy Miraculous AU, I recommend giving Boulangerella a shot!

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3.

He Couldn't Remember (Falling For Her) by @purpleautumnvision

"If I was given a choice in who Chat Noir would be, I would've chosen you." "And there's nobody else in the whole world I'd rather have as my little bug." Without secret identities in the way, Marinette and Adrien get to live out their love story and put their heads together to discover the identity of Hawk Moth... but an unforeseen twist puts the Miraculouses in Gabriel's hands. When he makes his wish for a world where his wife never became sick from using the broken Peacock Miraculous, the universe requires someone else to become sick in order to maintain balance. Who better than his greatest enemy, Ladybug herself? Adrien, with his memories rewritten by the wish, wakes up in a world without superheroes, without Hawk Moth, without Marinette, without friends, and without a clue as to why everything feels so wrong. Something's missing, but he's gonna find out what. Then he'll put his world back into place.

So this was a fascinating scenario, with Adrien waking up in a world where Marinette was dead while his mother was alive, a world that as far as he knew had always been the case... but having weird feelings he can't explain. And not just him, I love how much focus Alya gets here as well! Turns out that the memories are kind of hidden, but still present, and since Adrien and Alya never got to meet Marinette in this universe (she died just before the new school year began, at the same time that Emilie did in the normal universe) AND Adrien and Alya were her closest friends in the previous universe, their feelings towards her are closest to the surface and least impacted by the memories from this universe.

The other people in this universe... well, the class isn't taking Marinette's death well. It's fascinating to see just how much her death effects them, to see how it haunts them, and I loved seeing their reactions to Adrien's weird behavior about their dead classmate who he never got a chance to meet, it shows how strange some of this can look to the outside, and it doesn't help that these are grieving kids.

Just... this is a great fic, I highly recommend checking it out!

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2.

Symbiotic Whiskers by B1ackout

Adrien Agreste aka Cat Noir was given the cat ring miraculous to help Ladybug in protecting Paris. But something had found him first, a silent companion that granted him strength and power he never knew existed. Bonded with a symbiote, Cat Noir faces Paris alongside Ladybug without even knowing that someone left a magical ring in his room. (Canon Divergence)

This is a phenomenal fic that deserves more attention. It's kind of funny how he just goes "hey I've got superpowers, she says that the thing we have that gives superpowers is called the Black Cat Miraculous and that the being that gives them is called a kwami, obviously that must be what I have!" though that gets stretched more and more as Adrien's experiences with the symbiote contradict what he's heard about how kwamis work, and Tikki gets increasingly worried about "Plagg's" weird behavior. It's a dark, somewhat brutal fic (people die permanently, and they're not always villains), and it's absolutely worth a read, this is an excellent crossover!

1.

Withered Wings by @11jj11

Nino wasn’t sure if anyone had ever willingly took the akuma butterfly before him, but with his mind completely open to this apparent son of Hawk Moth he knew that he couldn’t turn him away. Not someone that was so afraid, not someone who would be left at the mercy of Hawk Moth.

This fic is amazing! Just... some absolutely stellar Adrino, with some nice Alyanette on the side, AND it's one of the best Enemies AU (well, sort of. Adrien's on Hawkmoth's side, but Nino isn't, exactly), in the fandom! I love how much we get of Nino's perspective, his determination to save this boy who's been thrown into these battles, who clearly doesn't want to hurt people but is compelled to do so, while balancing it with trying to prevent damage to anyone else as well. He has to be the one to look after Adrien, because no one else will do so.

I also love the focus Alya gets here, as Marinette's partner. She does an amazing job in the role, with every Miraculous she gets, even though she isn't a perfect wielder.

That's something else, I like the bits of worldbuilding this adds in, with people who fully embody the aspect a kwami represents being able to transform more fully. That does not mean, however, that an imperfect match is a bad thing, the kwami and wielder can still be very strong together and get along well, even if they don't perfectly align.

I adore how Nino had to balance his roles in this, helping Adrien without hurting others, even fighting back against the heroes as needed, as much as he didn't want to. And how understanding people were when they found out the full story of what was going on. It's a truly fantastic story that anyone who likes Enemies AU, Adrino, or just want to read a good Miraculous fic should check out.

I do want to warn that Gabriel and Nathalie are significantly OOC in this. Gabriel's even more abusive and colder than he is in canon, and Nathalie is WAY worse. This fic started before season 5, so it wasn't known what Nathalie's red line would be. As a result, Adrien's more downtrodden than he is in canon, since the consequences of disobedience are worse than being cut off from friends, or even being made to sit in a blank white room indefinitely.

[lame-cameoliob]

The Narritive Potential of lower level! Kallus

Alright literally nobody asked and this is totally just me thinking way too much, but I NEEEEEEDDD to talk about the Kallus from the lower levels headcanon and just how much narrative potential it has

(also If you see anything spelled wrong or phrased weirdly NO YOU DIDN’T)

To be completely frank I think that Kallus’ character is almost out of place in a children's TV show– DO NOT GET ME WRONG, he is a fantastic character that is integral to the Rebels plot, but many implications made by his character are much more fitting in shows with higher ratings– that’s why he comes of so fucking ridiculous half of the time, he is a character with massive implications, but he has to be readable to a younger audience. PLUSSS Rebels was made on a tiny budget compared to other Star Wars animated projects, so the producers could not put time or money into further delving into his arc because they needed to focus on the main cast. They couldn’t afford to go into smaller character-centric arcs like in the clone wars. Now, taking that into account, it is no doubt that Kallus has an incredible character arc (tbh I’d say the best in Star Wars, but i might be glazing idk) but there are aspects of that arc that could not be explored more due to the aforementioned restrictions on the production side.

Thing is, Star Wars is all about making connections to the real world (ex. Return of the Jedi was an allegory for the vietnam war– or also THE ENTIRETY OF ANDOR) And although Kallus’ arc already does that on a baseline level, its potential for drawing these connections was for sure not explored to its fullest. 

Now, I know you didn’t sign up for a lesson in world history and politics when you started reading this but you’re gonna have to stick with me to see where I’m coming from; 

It is no secret that the greatest defense against propaganda is education. That’s why maps that show which states have less extensive education and maps that show which states are conservative look nearly identical. That’s why conservative states are far more likely to pass legislation that bans books with political content; they need people to continue to be uneducated in order to keep the state conservative. Even if we omit nefarious political intent, in order for educational institutions to truly thrive they need funding (which tends to be severely lacking in conservative communities) State legislation aside, some school systems literally cannot afford to give their students an all encompassing education. And next to that, in many impoverished rural communities, you end up having kids that need to start working early on in order to make money to support themselves and their families OR they start working early just cause they want to (bootstraps mentally and all that); these kids do not have a reason to set aside their time to sit down and think about the politics of the world around them, which is why a lot of people end up just falling in line with the conservative mindset that surrounds them. 

“What about the people who aren’t conservative / patriotic? How do they play into this?” You may ask– AND LET ME TELL YOU– it’s not really a huge secret that the United States Military does this quirky little thing where they pay for your college and give you financial benefits while you’re an active service member. That’s actually a MASSIVE recruitment tactic that they use in schools! IN FACT, (as someone who grew up in a blue state) wherever military recruiters would come to my school to yk…recruit people, they would almost ALWAYS stress the financial benefits more than promoting the whole “SERVE YOUR COUNTRY RAHHH AMERICA” thing . 

So basically it’s a system that sets children up for failure by leaving them broke and struggling, and some of those children grow up in areas where they are funneled into having certain political beliefs without the resources needed to form their own opinion, OR you have kids that just want to reap financial benefits because living is too damn expensive. (And of course there are people who fit into BOTH or neither of the categories; I’m generalizing a little bit for the sake of keeping this post shorter than it could be) (This is a very nuanced subject and I know that, I just don't want to make you all read an entire essay)

The issue comes when these misinformed children grow into adults, and those adults become dangerous. 

BACK TO STAR WARS

So there’s not really a whole lot of extensive canon lore (at least that I’ve seen) about how the Coruscant economic system works, but I think it's fairly obvious that it is operating on a capitalistic system not unlike the united states, where the richest of the rich own most of the wealth, and the rest of the population are left living paycheck to paycheck; it’s just that some paychecks are bigger than others. 

It is this system that allows for the lower levels to fall into complete poverty. None of the wealth from the top is trickling down (literally) and the people in the lower levels are left fighting for scraps. 

Most areas in the lower levels are controlled by money hungry gangs, and corrupt law enforcement does what these gangs want just because they’re paid to. The further down you go the less control The Republic has; at some point you reach a depth where the Republic has zero influence. And even if they did, at this point in history, most of the senate no longer represents the people.

THIS IS WHERE KALLUS COMES IN 

I want you to imagine being a kid in the lower levels. You’re fighting for your next paycheck so that you can help pay rent, you’re shoplifting and picking pockets just so that you can eat. You cannot afford to live. And not only that; you’re suffering from intense vitamin deficiencies, the air is undoubtedly toxic, the water probably isn’t good to drink. You are exhausted. Physically, mentally, even subconsciously, you are a kind of bone-deep tired that nobody– ESPECIALLY A KID– should ever have to feel. If you can even afford to go to school you’re not leaving with a better understanding of the galaxy, because all you’re worried about is finding something to eat and going the fuck to sleep. But that's your normal, you’ve never known anything different. 

You’re not thinking of ways to question the system, you’re too tired to. 

And you don’t care about The Republic because The Republic doesn’t care about you. 

But then The Empire rolls around. And the Republic didn’t give a fuck about you, but maybe the Empire will– besides you don’t really care about the politics of it all, because you see that they offer free room and board to those who enlist, and that is your one way ticket out of the fucking hell hole that you’ve had to endure for your entire life. 

And so you enlist. And even if you didn’t care about politics before, the people around you do, and they are telling you exactly what to think without giving you the resources to form an opinion of your own. 

If Kallus grew up in the lower levels, that would have been his reality. He would have been the perfect person to indoctrinate because he came from a system that wouldn’t have allowed him to know any better.

This is especially palpable when we think about why he became Fulcrum in the first place;

He educated himself in ways that the empire did not allow him to be educated before. He asked questions and he did not like the answers that he got. 

He realizes that he’s been fed lies and propaganda that have made him complacent in a system that had done immeasurable evil, and he HATES that. He realizes that he does NOT believe what the empire believes and that he has to align his actions with HIS opinions, not the empires.

He realizes that harm that his ignorance has done and he takes it upon himself to lock THE FUCK IN in an attempt to help and rebalance the scales. 

(And this bit is kind of a side note, but idk where else to put this:if Kallus comes from a background like the one listed above where he is constantly fighting for survival, he becomes a narrative foil of EZRA!!! They become two sides of the same coin; a kid whos impoverished because of the Empires cruelty, only looking out for himself until his worldview is changed for the better by the kindness of the people around him VERSUS a kid whos impoverished because of the Republics failures, only looking out for himself and CONTINUing TO DO SO as his worldview is changed for the worse by the greed of the people around him.) (DO YALL GET WHAT IM SAYING??? I FEEL LIKE IM ONTO SOMETHING THERE??)(I MIGHT BE CRAZY BUT LIKE I FEEL LIKE THATS ⁉️⁉️)

All of this is really just to say that Kallus is the perfect example of the dangers of complacency. He is the bystander effect at its worst. He admits that he “never asked questions,” simply because the empire told him not to, and he becomes dangerous because of it. He does evil shit just ‘cause he’s told to. The empire says that a certain number of civilian deaths fall within an “acceptable margin” and he just shrugs his shoulders and goes “yeah, okay, if you say so.” 

Already in canon, he is an example of what people can become if they refuse to question the systems in power, but when you take into account the possibility that he’s from the lower levels, he also becomes an example of how people end up in a system where they are set up for failure so that they don’t end up questioning those systems in the first place. He’s an example of how the Empire benefits from systematic suffering because the people who suffer without even realizing it are the people most easily shaped into pawns. 

End of rant

[wishfulimaginings]

Spoilers for Onyx storm ending ahead.

You've been warned !

Yes it's about the unconscious rider in Xaden's pov

Long post alert.

I'm going to start off by saying it's not Garrick. With all the Garrick and Imogen scenes and his second signet ,his arc is going in a different direction. I have theories there but that's not what this post is about.

It's Bodhi.

If there's one thing I learned about him in this book, it is that he's not jealous of Xaden , not the way people in the book seem to think he might be. His whole life it's been drilled into him that Xaden would be Duke one day and Bodhi needs to protect him.

Bodhi's dream in life is to be Xaden's right hand man. His security detail.

And he says as much in Chapter 55

He has unwavering loyalty to Xaden. Not Tyrrendor.

Exhibit B

Next, lets look at the scene where Violet and Bodhi are fighting Theophanie.

Theophanie might be powerful but a mind wielder she is not. She wrongfully assumes Bodhi wants Xaden's crown. But you know who IS a mind wielder aka a Dream walker- BERWYN. But I'll get to that in a moment.

For now lets look at the fight. Theophanie wields, Bodhi counters. Bodhi fails because his magic doesn't work on her.

The next time we see Bodhi , he's fighting wyvern with Imogen and Dain. Clearly he disobeyed and stayed to fight. And it's raining and hailing, we see this fight both from Violet's pov for a second but majorly from Imogen's pov.

Then Imogen and Dain leave to find Quin. And the next time we see Bodhi, he's throwing up.

I think this is where Bodhi pulled from the ground. Imogen's chapter ends here but I can bet my first edition copy of Onyx storm that this is where he pulls from the ground and then counters Theophine's signet again. And he succeeds this time.

Proof

Violet thinks Theophanie is killing the storm but I'm telling you that was Bodhi.

Now lets talk about Theophanie and Berwyn for a sec. This is important. See Bodhi's comment that Theophanie is the one trying to prove herself really hit me because it seems like she's in competition with Berwyn and Berwyn is winning because he got Xaden to turn. And so she's doing everything she can to get Violet. She literally tells Violet to choose her as her sage when she turns.

Now Theophanie is a shit manipulator. She's so bad at it, its actually funny.

Berwyn on the other hand is a mastermind. He's the venin opposite of Violet and they're both Dream walkers. The irids were aghast when they read what Andarna had given to Violet calling it a really really dangerous signet. And Xaden told her that she doesn't simply see other people's dreams but that she can "meddle". As untrained as she is , she can still meddle. Berwyn is a fully trained maven. He's been trapping and torturing Xaden in his dreams since Resson, until Xaden finally turned at Basgiath.

Who is to say he wasn't doing the same to Bodhi ? I think Berwyn, cunning as he is knows what Bodhi really wants and where his weaknesses lie because he's been in his head. And thats how he got Bodhi to turn, just like Xaden , doing the wrong thing for the right reason.

On an unrelated but totally related note-

Rebecca was recently asked , in an Onyx Storm event, what each character would order at a bar. She said Xaden would order a Beer. And so Bodhi would also order a beer because HE HAS TO DO WHAT XADEN DOES.

Edit: i found the reel. Watch reel here

Thats all folks.

[beans-in-your-socks]

bkdk would be canon if izuku was a girl.

“WOOOOW VEE!! Starting off strong with such a bold statement!!” I hear you, ok but wait. I have reasoning to back me up.

bkdk would be canon, or, at least less hated on if Izuku was a girl. And A Silent Voice is proof of that.

now if you have no idea what I’m talking about go and watch that movie it is beautiful and will change your life but let me continue.

throughout the first arc of A Silent Voice Shouya bullies Shoko. Very harshly as well, doing things such as ripping out her hearing aids causing her to bleed, making nasty comments behind her back and to her face and generally just being an ableist bitch. Starting to see the parallels? In season 1 of MHA we can see how Bakugou Bullies Izuku because he is quirkless, which I guess in a way is the MHA universe’s equivalent of having a physical disability.

throughout ASV we follow Shouya’s journey of making amends with Shoko and, despite their history, Shoko catches feelings, confessing to him towards the middle of the movie saying “I love you” which Shouya mistakenly hears as “I love the moon”.

obviously what Shouya did in the first part of the movie was horrific and should not be condoned, but he took that time to improve and better himself and show Shoko that he was sorry and that he cared.

again, seeing the parallels? In MHA bakugou actively tries to improve himself and make ammends, after realising his actions were very wrong and trying to unpack his inferiority complex (because that is what led him to do a lot of what he did, as we see in season 3 ep deku vs kachan pt.2) he wants Izuku to know that he’s sorry and that he cares, he even says this to all might, and this is how we eventually reach, The ApologyTM, in season 6. Again as we see, Izuku forgives him and comes back to AU.

now, back to my original statement. Shokoxshouya is a very popular ship in the ASV fandom and is implied to be canon, especially seeing how Shoko canonically likes Shouya. I’ve never actually seen anyone hate on them, loads of people saying that they’re “made for each other” and the like. now ofc again, Bkdk is a very popular ship in the MHA fandom but somehow is also the most hated. This is partially attributed to SOME shippers being weird asf such as pixeldrink but every ship has those people (unfortunately) people just tend to bring more attention to it when it comes to bkdk cause ppl need an excuse to hate. But another driving factor of the hate? This idea that the ship is toxic because of the events of s1. “ but bakugou told Izuku to swan dive ☹️” babes that was seven seasons ago and he’s come A LONG WAY since. Bakugou is probably one of the best and most interestingly developed characters in the whole series. (Also apparently horikoshi said he felt the line was too far and ooc for bakugou? This might just be a rumour tho idk)

now here, ASV boy bullies a deaf girl, makes an effort to be better, becomes her friend, shows her he cares and saves her life. MHA a boy bullies a quirkless boy, makes an effort to be better, becomes his rival then his friend, saves his life AND ALSO SACRIFICES HIMSELF FOR HIM!!

the only major difference here?

they’re both boys.

and unfortunately, at the end of the day, it all boils down to homophobia. I constantly see comments saying “can’t two guys just be friends” and “NOT EVERYTHING HAS TO BE GAY” and “why’d they make it woke” etc. people will find anything to try and cover the fact that they’re literally just a gross homophobe. And unfortunately, majority of the time, these comments are coming from izucha shippers, who, I’m sorry to say, are some of the most INSUFFERABLE shippers I have ever come across. Some of them are really nice but a bunch of them are just homophobic cis-het dudes who have absolutely no passion behind the ship and just ship it cause it’s implied and cause it’s hetero. And the whole using chapter 431 as a GOTCHA to Bkdk shippers is just so annoying and immature. Same goes for ppl using chapter 431 as an excuse to be lesbophobic to togachako shippers. THIS DOES NOT GO FOR ALL OF THEM!! Some of them are genuinely really sweet and have passion for the ship which is what shipping is supposed to be about!! But unfortunately a lot of them are really shallow :(

anyways yeah that’s why I think it’s dumb that people are so hypocritical when it comes to Bkdk when shouyashoko is praised as a perfect dynamic, when BOTH are flawed! But that doesn’t make them toxic. Contrary to popular belief, people do have the ability to grow and fix their mistakes. There’s a massive double standard and it ticks me off.

(Also wasn’t Bkdk supposed to be canon in horikoshis prototype of MHA? Or at least once sided cause Bakugou was supposed to be obsessed with Izuku? Which would’ve been a really interesting dynamic to explore. Not necessarily a healthy one, but interesting.)

anyway I’ll sign off now cause it’s 11 pm and I just needed to get that rant out

[michanvalentine]

This post is going to be a bit heavy and boring. I'll talk about Astarion, but also about real life, so if you're not interested, scroll away without hesitation!

So, lately, I've been pretty pissed off. I feel like I'm being made fun of by certain comments I see around regarding Astarion's redemption arc—how I supposedly have some kind of "Florence Nightingale syndrome" that makes me want to "fix" him with the power of my love (a syndrome that, in real life, would obviously put my own life at risk) and how I’m supposedly willing to justify anything he does just because he's traumatized. Seriously? So I must be some kind of idiot, a lovestruck teenager who knows nothing about how the world works, who's never stepped outside her house, who's never had a healthy relationship, and so on. And that pisses me off. Because maybe, just maybe, I know something more, not less.

And that’s exactly why I read between the lines, why I don’t judge instantly, and why I don’t delude myself into believing in the power of love as some kind of absolute force that magically fixes everything just because. Maybe the love we're talking about here has nothing to do with romanticizing (butterflies in the stomach, kisses and cuddles, "I’m the only one for him, and for me he’ll do this or that") a horrific situation—one where a man has been mentally and physically broken, one that comes with a whole range of possible unhealthy behaviors that could be dangerous to himself and others.

Maybe we’re talking about something more real, about lived experiences, about how people can support and help each other crawl out of the darkness. About how love simply means being there, without necessarily doing anything. In both good times and bad, because healing isn’t a straight line. There are ups and downs. Love means being aware of the struggles and working hard on them, it means listening, accepting, waiting, being patient. It means pushing back when necessary, confronting the person you love, and stopping them from hurting themselves. It also means giving up, running away, screaming at the sky, and then coming back more determined than before—even knowing you might have to start the process all over again.

Are the people who love this hard just idiots who think they can "fix" their loved ones with the power of love? And what if it were your child? Fuck no, I won’t accept that! That’s a message that cannot and must not spread, not when there are people out there fighting this battle every single day.

Sure, there are plenty of lost causes in this world, and yes, real danger exists. But the key is being able to recognize them. No one wants to be a martyr, but there will always be someone worth fighting for. Because yes, loving someone who struggles—with depression, personality disorders, eating disorders, anxiety, PTSD, etc.—is a fight. But that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve love.

And Spawn Astarion is not a lost cause. He comes from a background of every kind of abuse imaginable. He’s an asshole because he has to be (and he’s also a fucking vampire!), but then—something changes. Possibilities open up before him. And immediately, he shows he can adapt, that he can learn, that he wants to change.

And when that internal drive is there (that inner force of the individual himself, which makes all the difference in the world), you can’t and shouldn’t ignore it—even in real life.

It’s not about "fixing" someone. It’s about helping them feel better, about helping them achieve their goals (yes, their goals—even when they can’t quite articulate them), about changing in a healthier way, about healing. Because Spawn Astarion wants to live more than anything else. And he wants to do so fully, not as a broken man.

That’s why he approves when Tav/Durge tells him he just needs to find a place for himself, that he can find so many people willing to care for him if only he is willing to care for them. That’s why he approves when Tav/Durge reminds him—despite his fear, despite the intoxicating scent of blood—that maybe, just maybe, ascension isn’t what he truly wants. He approves. There’s no room for misinterpretation here—this is as sincere as it gets.

And in both cases, these situations are directly opposed to his obsession with taking Cazador’s place.

But, going back to the point—thinking that the power of love can magically fix everything is stupid. But we also cannot allow the message to spread that, in real life, a person who struggles due to trauma (and hell, it doesn’t even have to be torture in a dark dungeon—it could be something as "simple" as a profound loss) is incapable of healing or being loved, despite the difficulties. It’s not easy, but there are men and women in this world with immense strength and hearts big enough to do this and more.

If this isn't for you, fine. No one is forcing you. But make room for these heroes instead of spouting nonsense.

Now, fortunately, BG3 is a fantasy game where you can do literally anything, freely, even recklessly, without any real risk. And that’s fine—let’s have fun experimenting, living out our fantasies, being heroes (after all, we’re not actually picking up swords and charging into hordes of pissed-off goblins), becoming ultimate villains, bringing the world to its knees, killing anyone who gets in our way.

But when we bring real life into the discussion to make a point or compare it to the game, let’s do so with a little more thought and tact. Kindness is a virtue, not a flaw.

And to end on a lighter note—hell no, I don’t approve of everything Astarion says or does! I try to understand him, to grasp the many whys behind his actions, but if I had him in front of me, I’d straight-up say, "Oi, what the fuck are you doing?! Asshole!" I’d argue with him, I’d get mad at him—just like I did in my playthroughs.

And for the record, I never had to step off my heroic path to gain his approval. I simply disagreed with him when I felt it was right and treated him kindly when he needed it.

Honestly, earning his approval in this game is the easiest thing in the world—let him drink your blood, trust him (defend him from the other companions’ suspicions), let him decide how to handle his diet (which, honestly, is a fair compromise), tell the devil to go to hell (xP), and do something ridiculously stupid like giving him the necromancy book, interrupting the two ogres having sex, licking a goblin’s boots, and getting whipped a little—voilà! Suddenly, you have Astarion in your arms, and you haven’t even had time to save the druid grove yet.

In my very first playthrough, with my super-good Selûne cleric who was always helping the needy, I was actually trying to romance Shadowheart—when I somehow found myself magically in a relationship with Astarion just because I told him, "I care about you" (the same reason I didn’t let him bite the pervy drow). Lol.

Ok, I'll try not to make any more heavy posts like this. I feel a bit like a broken record, singing the same song over and over—sorry about that. And of course, have a great day, everyone! <3

[purplerakath]

Feels less than charitable, to me. A key part of Log Horizon, like a major plot carrying factor of the story, is that every character is a little bit socially dysfunctional in different ways. Akatsuki (who took up gaming because she's 4'11" and started getting self-conscious wearing her younger sister's hand-me-downs) doesn't really know how to interact with people, so she's reverted to her character as her defense mechanism.

A loyal ninja useful and with a place to belong.

Which is a pretty big part of her development, as she's got no ability to make friends early in the series and gets better at opening up to others as the series moves on. Her big character growth arc is her learning to trust other people (mainly other girls) having lived a life of being bullied for being small. Most of the main cast have similar levels of weird. You say 'Shiroe and Naotsugu are just average guys' Shiroe is a devout loner who prefers to have everyone fear him than trust him. He's adept at combat coordination and politics but can't make small talk to save his life. Naotsugu has a panty fetish he has zero issues talking about, and couldn't get a girlfriend in the real world because of it.

This extends to most of the other characters. Like- Nyanta who speaks mostly in cat puns is the most social and functional of the cast (and that's largely due to him being in his late 30s, when everyone else is in their teens or early 20s).

Akatsuki acts like that because she's an insecure dork who really is afraid she'll end up alone if she isn't useful.

Why is it Isekai specifically that always goes like that? It does it disproportionately more that other genres.

Because it's written mostly insecure dudes who've never had a healthy relationship of any kind with a woman and hacks copying those insecure dudes because they see it's profitable? That would be my guess.

Like, okay, perfect example: in Log Horizon, a bunch of normal Japanese people are zapped into a fantasy world that's a version of this MMORPG they were all playing. Mentally, they're still the people they were in the real world, they just now look like their game avatars and have all the equipment/skills/etc their characters had. But while the guys of the main trio, Shiroe and Naotsugu, feel like (somewhat) ordinary dudes from our world, the one girl, Akatsuki, talks like she's in character. Instead of just being some person from our world, she acts like an actual fantasy assassin with her speech patterns and calling Shiroe "my lord" and all that. Is she just really into LARPing? Maybe, but we're never given any sort of explanation. She just... acts like she's part of this fantasy world instead of like someone from our world who just got airdropped into this strange and unusual place.

So why is she written this way? Well, I obviously can't read the writers' minds, but I suspect it's because they wanted an Exotic Action Babe in the party, so they wrote her that way despite it making no sense for a normal Japanese college student to talk like she's in a bad kabuki play. The guys get to be normal, relatable dudes that the presumed male audience can project onto, but the girl is othered, made into an object to be admired from outside for her attractive qualities rather than someone who's headspace we're invited to share.

Is that subtle? Maybe. But it's an example of just how ingrained this shit is in isekai. Log Horizon would literally rather break the logic of its fiction to turn a modern-day girl into a stilted fantasy roleplayer than let its most prominent female character be someone audiences can actually relate to. And it's still not even in the ten most egregiously sexist things I've seen from this genre.

[hopefullyyoursmcg]

Hii!! 🤖 Anon here (sorry I’ve not been active😭)

I‘ve been thinking about which Batboy would make the most sense to be the Baby daddy and to be honest I have no clue.

I think in a way it could all fit and make sense really.

For instance:

Dick has always tried to have some sort of connection with Routine!Reader, an perhaps it was never really in a sibling way because of the distance between them both.

Jason and Routine!Reader weren’t even raised at the same time within the manor, and by the time they met properly she was already past the age of wanting any connections.

Tim already had pre-existing obsessive tendencies surrounding her, from what I can tell, and probably has had the most interactions with her due to their similarities.

But I’d love to know what you think! I really loved your response to my previous ask about these three being romantic yanderes in this fic because I think there’s so much potential that should be explored by writers because, to a point, some of these platonic fics just seem so repetitive. Let’s change up the dynamics a bit y’know?

Ok good news, I put up a poll and it looks like you will still get some Romantic batboys.

Now let's get into the romantic potential of the batboys.

Now first of all, as Rountine! reader did not grow up anywhere near the three boys(because one was busy, one was dead and the other was doing his own thing until the actual moment they meet) or she was just at the time where she couldn't give a damn.

Dick, as you said, couldn't really grow close to the reader due to not spending time with her when they were younger. However, when he was trying to be better and be close to the growing family, routine!reader just didn't want to be near him. She did not look annoyed, nor did she look angry, she just looked at him like he was nothing. In the past when Routine Reader was at a family dinner(which she didn't want to be there) Dick would try to talk to her, but she gave him nothing. Now thinking about how dick actually realizes it is a whole new battle. I like to believe that he would realize what his feeling is while he's trying to sleep and all he can think of is Routine! reader's cold face staring at him.

Now as I said many times before, Jason was dead when she was brought in. But they meet after his vengeance arc, at the manor library. Now reader and Jason were neutral with each other at first because Reader at that point had the mindset of "if they don't care about me, I don't care about them" and Jason just wanted the new books that Alfred told him about, but that didn't mean he didn't stop and stare. Now after feeding Jason some extra pork chops you had cooked, that's when the feelings started to show. Jason, to put it lightly, is a fucked up guy. Who wouldn't be after what he went through? And fucked up guys, do fucked up things. For example, he wouldn't leave you alone unless you cooked him something, and even if you still didn't cook for him, he would stare at you, no matter what you were doing. Jason's feelings for Rountine! reader aren't normal romantic, but I like to think that one of the main components in his feelings towards reader is how reader cooks. On the very rare occasion when Jason gets reader to cook for him, as he watches them cook, it kinda heals him? Does that make sense? Like he's just sitting there waiting to be fed, and it just feels normal and quiet.

Tim's obsession with the reader came from wanting to research reader and how she thinks. Basically like a lab rat. And you are right when you said she had more of an interaction with him. As both of them during their early teen years, grew up together in the manor. But it wouldn't be until maybe a year after he became Robin that he met Rountine!reader in the kitchen. As time passes on, the more private research Tim has done about the reader. Which is a very small folder of nearly nothing. Besides her full name, date of birth, a list of friends, and other small things, that was pretty much it. Every so often if he has the time, he tries to find something new about Routine! reader, which is nearly impossible she doesn't even have any social media accounts. Tim sees Rontine!reader as a perfect puzzle, and he want figure out how she ticks.

(hope ya like it 🤖)

[dr-spectre]

Ok... is it safe to talk about Sonic Movie 3 spoilers yet? The movie is out on digital and it's been over a month.

Idk. Anyways.

I am both curious and utterly terrified on how they are gonna write Metal Sonic and Amy for Sonic Movie 4.

I will start off with my boy Metal first.

Metal Sonic to me is a very interesting character due to his goals and motivation. His goal to prove that he is the REAL Sonic and that he's better than the "fake" one. The way that he acts is a near perfect replication of Sonic's attitude, from the finger wagging to the poses he does in Sonic CD and the OVA, he is all about proving that he is Sonic the Hedgehog.

Metal Sonic is just not a simple robotic clone, he has depth to him and they expand upon GREATLY when he becomes Neo Metal Sonic and becomes SO OBSESSED with proving that he's the real Sonic by turning into a monster and trying to rule over everything, just so he can finally kill Sonic.

EVEN EGGMAN IS LIKE "Yeah naw dude we're fucked, we NEED the chaos emeralds to have a chance at beating him."

After his Heroes appearance, he became nothing more than a robotic clone used in spinoff games and in terrible mainline games like Sonic 4 and Forces. He only had splashes of depth to him in the IDW comics with this phenomenal scene.

So when i see Metal Sonic and a whole army of him in the post credit scene of Sonic Movie 3, i can't help but feel VERY WORRIED on what they are gonna do with him.

I mean don't get me wrong, the design is nearly on par with the game version, aside that fucking mouth piece thing, it looks AWFUL!!!! I HATE ITTTT!!

WHAT IS THIS!?!? WHY DOES HE HAVE AN ANGRY MOUTH!? ITS NOT SCARY AT ALL LMAO!

But now I'm just wondering, will they give Metal Sonic that depth he used to have? Will we actually see Neo Metal Sonic or will the main Metal Sonic be the coloured one we saw?

I don't want Metal Sonic to be like his appearances in Sonic 4 Episode 2 and Forces. I want it to rival his appearance in the OVA and Heroes dude. I want a fucking great antagonist, not a cheap robot that shoots out energy blasts.

I want a god damn intimidating robot Sonic.

Now... Amy Rose.

As some of you probably know, i like a character wrapped in pink, is hyperactive, wields a giant melee weapon and is always mischaracterized in the fandom they are from. When i was younger, i used to dismiss her or think she was just funny and move on. But as i've gotten older, i've actually grown to really like the character, especially in the older 3D games and with retranslation mods. Her story with Gamma was beautiful, her speech to Shadow, her jokes, her flirty/fangirl attitude towards Sonic. It's really fun to watch. Most media has a boy fall in love with the girl, but with Amy and Sonic, it's the opposite. Their dynamic is unique.

I also love how in some stories, Amy can get REAL PISSED OFF and have anger issues. Even roses has thorns.

However... in more recent stories like Frontiers, her personality has been mellowed out by a lot and her crush for Sonic is pretty much gone now. She's all about "sharing love with the world" now and her anger issues are gone.

Some say she's grown up and "oh she changed!" But we actually don't see this character growth at all. It's one thing to tell a story about how Amy learns that maybe her love for Sonic is too much and she learns to just be a good friend to Sonic. But it's another when the character has a MASSIVE personality change between Lost World, Forces and Frontiers. AND THEN THEY CHANGED GENERATIONS TO MAKE AMY LESS FLIRTY AND ANGRY LIKE.... HUH!?!? WHY!?!?!? THAT'S NOT HOW YOU WRITE A CHARACTER ARC!!!!! YOU GOTTA SHOW IT!!!! (A lot of Sonic characters have this issue too so it's not just an Amy problem.)

And them also doing the whole "Amy is no longer a damsel in distress anymore and her love for Sonic is over" is just... no dude. Amy was a damsel a couple of times and they never lasted that long. She's not on the same level as Peach. And the IDW comics tried to make her a Sally Acorn type character for some reason as well at first. Which was REALLY WEIRD! But maybe it's changed idk, i haven't kept up with the comics these days.

The only Amy that i really like in more modern stories is the one from The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog. Now THAT'S how you write Amy.

So now, when i see Amy come in with a hood on and destroying Metal Sonics with ease, I'm left wondering, "oh no... how are they gonna write her?"

Will they actually show Amy's crush on Sonic? Will Amy just have Sally's personality? Will they give her some damn thorns? Will they make it to where SONIC IS THE ONE WITH THE CRUSH!?!? PLEASE DON'T DO THAT! DO NOT GO THE GENERIC ROUTE PLEASE!!

If they make it to where when Amy takes off her hood in Sonic Movie 4 and immediately falls for Sonic I'll eat all of my words, but i doubt that would happen....

Anyhow, those were my thoughts, i know that it's too early to make a definitive statement on things but i just wanna voice my concerns due to other recent Sonic stories not landing in the characterisation department for me.

[aperrywilliams]

Satellite Call. Part II: I Wish I Could Do More (Spencer Reid x Fem!BAU!Reader)

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Author Masterlist | Series Masterlist

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Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader.

Words count for this part: 4.1k

Series summary: Your world crushes when Spencer is arrested. Between finding a way to get him out and keeping you afloat, there is something else you need to focus on, too. And even when you thought things couldn’t go worse, a tragedy makes you question if you can make it through.

Part II summary: While Spencer is transferred to Milburn, you must be strong and find a way to get him out, even if you're hurt by what he did. Some news could make this even more difficult.

Series warnings: ANGST (with CAPS). 18+ (MDNI). Some heavy topics will be discussed and shown here. Prison arc, but mostly from Reader's perspective and Emily’s. More detailed under the cut.

Spencer lies to his wife. Drug consumption (against their will). Pregnancy symptoms. Spencer is in jail for more than three months. Hospital visits, doctor’s info dumping (not accurate). Alcohol consumption. Arguing. Strong language. A lot of crying. Emotional breakdowns. A car crash happens (as in the CM storyline). Character dies. More hospital things. Miscarriage. More angst. Depressing symptoms. Mourning. Self-doubt. Suicidal ideation, and almost consummated. Emily is everyone’s emotional support.

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You couldn't sleep that night. The mere thought of Spencer in a cold cell, alone, disoriented, and scared, makes you sick. You had been talking to Emily late into the night, trying to figure out legal options. She assured you she had an excellent lawyer who could defend Spencer and that they could visit him the next day to give him the news.

As planned, you and Emily arrive at the police station early in the morning. After a routine check, you are allowed into the cell block. Emily tells you to go first while she waits for Fiona, Spencer's new lawyer.

The moment he sees you, Spencer rushes to hug you. You hug him just as tightly, resting your head on his chest.

"Are you okay?" you ask, muffling your words in Spencer's old cardigan he is wearing. It gives him some kind of normal semblance, considering the circumstances.

"Yeah. I'm okay," Spencer says, kissing the top of your head.

His voice tells you he is everything but okay. You are sure he didn't sleep, the same as you.

When you part of your embrace, Spencer doesn't want to let you go, clasping his hands in yours. Inspecting your face, he knows there is something you need to tell him, and you don't know how.

"What is it?"

You sigh, tightening the grip of his hands.

"The FBI decided they won't support you legally. They refused to provide a lawyer to take your case."

"What?" He lets go of your hands, surprised by the news you are giving him. "But why? I didn't do anything!"

"We know, but you made that trip without your FBI passport and didn't tell anyone. They won't take responsibility for it." As you see Spencer starting to hyperventilate, you rush to explain Emily's plan.

"Hey, Spencer. Listen to me. It doesn't mean you won't have a defense, okay? Emily is here too, and she got a lawyer for you. They will be here in a minute."

"But - but I don't have money to afford a lawyer. I - I spent a huge amount of my savings on my mom's treatment."

You didn't know that. That's another thing Spencer hasn't shared with you in the past months. He notices your expression after what he just said. He can see the betrayal in your eyes, even if you want to mask it for his sake.

"We'll manage." It's the only thing you can say, keeping your voice steady. Spencer sighs and grabs one of your hands.

"I know it's not fair for you. Please, tell me what you are thinking; tell me what you are feeling. Tell me everything that I deserve to hear."

What are you really thinking and feeling right now? It's a mix you can't decipher yet, but this is not the time or place to try to figure it out.

So you act as if he didn't say anything and try to divert the subject.

"Emily and Fiona will be here in any minute. Fiona is your lawyer's name. Emily told me she's good-"

"Baby-" Spencer calls you, but you continue with your rant, letting go of his hand.

"Her credentials are pretty impressive, to be honest. Emily handed her your file already, so-"

Spencer knows you are deflecting, so he cut you off.

"Can you stop for a second, please?"

And you do. Spencer's frustration is very clear in his voice, although as the words leave his lips, he retracts immediately. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to snap."

You keep looking at him. It's not you're annoyed or angry. It's not difficult to understand Spencer's anxiety about all of this and the compel to explain himself before you. But you don't know how to deal with it either, so you think being proactive might help. Help to focus on the important, leaving behind the storm blowing inside you.

Spencer can see you're holding back. He wants you to talk to him, but since you arrived, the conversation has only focused on him, and you don't seem keen to change that.

You are considering switching subjects again, but what can you talk about that isn't the obvious topic? Before you dwell much on it, Spencer spares you the decision.

"So, you say she'll be here soon?"

"Yes."

"Will you stay?"

"No. By protocol, Fiona must talk to you alone. Also, you must tell her everything in detail. Even the things you haven't told me."

Spencer might be in a vulnerable position right now, but he's still a profiler and, beyond that, your husband. He can read your subtexts better than anyone.

"You are still mad."

It's simple and accurate, but you don't want to acknowledge it, much less address it.

"Can we focus on the important here?" You don't deny it, but you prefer not to talk about it.

"And you think how you feel is not important?" Spencer asks, eyes scanning yours.

"It's not important when the one locked here is you, and we have to use all our energy to get you out."

Spencer knows you are right, but he also knows you're hurting because of him.

"Not a million 'I'm sorry's' will change where we are now, and it is very cynical of me to ask you for this, but please, don't leave me in the dark. I want to know what you are thinking and feeling. Although you believe the priority is focusing on my case, that's not the only thing that matters to me."

You take in his words for a moment. You know he's genuine, but the clench in the pit of your stomach makes it difficult to push away your anger. All this situation is unfair, and you don't know how to deal with your emotions.

"You're right. Nothing will change where we are now. That's why I'm trying to focus on the practical things. I can't even process what I'm feeling right now, so don't ask me something you didn't do, and I can't do either."

What you said is not much in words, but it's heavy enough to make Spencer's head hang low.

Spencer knows he's a hypocrite asking you for something he didn't do: talk to you when it was needed.

"I'm so sorry," he mumbles, stepping closer to you. He wants to hold you, but you are shaken enough, plus you are starting to feel nauseous, so you step back.

"Baby," he repeats, and before you can reply, Emily and Fiona enter the room.

Emily quickly notices things are tense between you two.

"We can give you some more minutes," she offers. But you brisky refuse.

"It's okay. You guys need it more than me," you say, now looking at Fiona. "Nice to meet you, by the way. I'll leave you at it."

Spencer calls your name, and you turn to him with apologetic eyes. "I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise. We can talk about that later, okay?"

And before anyone in the room could say anything else, you leave.

You feel suffocated, and your feet don't move fast enough to get out of there. Your breathing quickens, and you start to feel like the walls are closing in around you. Luckily for you, the exit is only a few more meters away. Once you're out of the building, you crouch down and start to inhale and exhale hard. Over and over again. Your breathing is getting controlled, but you get a horrible nausea that makes you empty your stomach in a corner of the sidewalk.

You considered staying and waiting for Emily, but you decided to go home instead. You messaged her to let her know when she had news.

That same afternoon, Emily calls you and gives you details about the legal strategy Fiona will pursue while the team is instructed to look for evidence to exonerate Spencer. The arraignment will be the next day, and Fiona will try to get Spencer out on bail. That gives you some hope, although, in terms of the investigation, you're all still in the dark.

It doesn't help that the judge denies Spencer’s bail the next day. Neither the evidence of his impeccable previous conduct nor the arguments about his contributions to the FBI convince her to give Spencer bail, so she orders his incarceration in the Milburn correctional facility until his trial, which will take place in three more months. You can’t believe it. No one does. It breaks your heart to see Spencer’s face when he looks at you before being cuffed and whisked away from the courtroom. He’s scared, and you can’t do anything about it. Spencer tries to mask it, mouthing an ‘I love you’ to you. You do the same, trying to keep your tears at bay.

Never in a million years would you have imagined something like this. Still in shock, you can barely hear the encouraging words of Fiona and Emily, who begin to formulate a new plan for Spencer. Helplessness overwhelms you, and not wanting to listen anymore, you excuse yourself and walk toward the exit of the courtroom. You are not sure why, but there is no reason to remain stunned in the same place, either.

This time, it’s  Rossi who finds you sulking as you sit on the stairs of the building entrance.

“The kid is strong, you know that, right?”

You look at him when he sits by your side.

“He is. I know,” you sniffle. “But he needs more than strength right now. He needs us to prove his innocence, and here I am. Crying and doing nothing to help him.”

“And we’ll prove his innocence. But one step at a time. Today, we lose, and it’s okay to dwell and cry, to get up tomorrow and keep fighting.”

Rossi is probably right. After all, he is the one with the most experience in life. But it is hard for you to see how to continue fighting when you feel like you have been losing battles for days.

You take David’s advice—one day at a time. Exhausted, when you get home, you plop on your couch and try to digest everything. You cry and curse, but at the end of the day, you just hope the next day could be better.

When you arrive at the BAU in the morning, Emily calls the entire team into the conference room. On the round table, you see a pile of papers while Penelope is already sitting, working on a laptop.

“Okay, we need to assume Scratch is behind Nadie Ramos's murder. We need to figure out how he knew her,” Prentiss starts.

“She wasn’t his target. It's circumstantial due to her connection to Spence,” JJ states. Tara nods.

“True. But it can’t be a coincidence we’re talking about someone connected to alternative medicine and plants. The same Scratch uses them to make his drugs.”

All give some ideas on how Scratch could be related to Spencer’s case, but even when they have good hypotheses, there is something that doesn't fit you.

“What are your thoughts?” Stephen asks you when he notices you’re the only one who hasn’t said anything yet.

“Why Spencer?” Your colleagues' attention is on you now. “I mean, it could have been any of us. If Scratch already targeted us, why Spencer, and why now?”

“He had messed with Hotch and Tara by now. I guess he will try to get us one by one,” Luke answers.

“Yeah, but isn’t it inconvenient for him to expose himself like this? I mean, he didn't do this alone,” you argue.

“I don’t think that bothers him. He likes the attention and will do anything to get it. This time, it is the kid who is in the middle,” Rossi concludes.

You’re not so sure, but you don’t have any evidence to refute your teammates. You also feel that maybe you’re being a bit paranoid saying this is especially against Spencer, so you don’t keep pushing and leave the team to bounce their theories.

Two full days pass, and you don’t have anything to prove Spencer’s innocence. The team keeps the same approach settled the days prior, and you’re getting impatient. That, and the lack of sleep, gets you irritated. It's something all can see, but they don’t have the heart to call you out.

Emily has to do something after you yelled at Penelope in front of everyone after she came with nothing about Scratch's supposed partner, and two seconds later, you started to cry disconsolately, asking her for forgiveness.

“You need to go home. I won’t tell you the reasons because you already know them. We need you with fresh eyes. Spencer needs you with fresh eyes,” your boss reminds you. Of course, you want to argue with her, but she is right. With no words, you nod and grab your stuff from your desk.

Emily is right; you need to find a way to keep your shit together. It's hard, you tell yourself, but you have to try. The next morning, you’ll visit Spencer at Milburn. It’s the first time they will allow him to see someone that is not his lawyer.

Sleep doesn't come so quickly that night, but at some point, exhaustion wins the battle, and you fall asleep.

You don’t remember if you were dreaming or not, but still, in a haze, you feel your stomach churn and then some horrible nausea. That’s what fully wakes you up. Jumping from the bed, you run to the bathroom to empty your guts.

Jeez, not again. You have been cautious not to eat something that could make you sick. But to be honest, you haven’t been eating much the past few days due to stress. Maybe your nausea is also due to that.

When the uncomfortable feeling dissipates, you peak at your clock and realize it's time to get up. After brushing your teeth, you jump into the shower.

You've been to different prisons around the country many times. Sometimes, with Spencer himself, interviewing inmates. Some of them being the worst scum the world has to offer. And now, in front of Milburn correctional, the irony isn’t lost on you.

The visiting room is full of people waiting for the time when the prisoners can enter and sit in front of their visitors. After the sound of an old buzzer, a gate opens at the back of the room, and one by one, the prisoners begin to enter. They are all dressed in that orange jumper that already bothered you before but that you will now learn to hate even more.

You spot Spencer, and your stomach tightens. His gaze meets yours, and he gives you a shadow of a smile.

“Hey,” you mumble as he sits in the chair in front. Separated by an acrylic glass, you can’t touch each other. That’s the rule, and you already hate it.

“Hi,” Spencer greets back, biting his lower lip. For him, it's so good to see you, but not like this. Your last encounter didn't end well either, so Spencer is worried about how to talk to you.

“How are you holding on?” You are direct; it is not useful to ask how he is doing in a place like this. Spencer shrugs.

“They let me read. It's not that bad.”

“Have you been sleeping?” You have a list of checkup questions to assess Spencer's current state.

“Not that much. But it's okay, you know I usually don’t sleep that much.”

Before your next question leaves your lips, Spencer speaks.

“I love you,” he whispers, and you are left speechless. It’s the cue Spencer needs to keep talking. “And I hate every minute I can’t be with you. I fucked up, and I know you want to focus on my defense instead of talking about how you feel about this.”

“Spencer-”

“It’s okay,” he rushes to say. “I’m going to respect that. But I want you to know I do care, and you don’t have to spare me anything for my sake.”

Your eyes fill with tears, and some start to run down your cheeks. You can’t help it. The knot in your throat begging to be untied.

“I - it’s like-” you try to collect your thoughts as you wipe your tears. Spencer only wants to jump the glass to wipe them himself.

“It hurts, Spencer. It hurts that I can’t do more to help you. Yeah. I’m mad at you for not trusting me. I’m mad at myself for not being enough for you to trust me. I love so fucking much, and it scares me because I’m not thinking clearly, and I should be working to catch the son of the bitch who puts you here.”

Your rant finishes with you out of breath and hiccuping. “I’m sorry, I just spilled-” You want to apologize, but Spencer calls your name to catch your attention.

“Baby, it's okay. It's okay to let that out. You need to. And I’m here to listen to you. I would never judge you for telling me what you are feeling. I love you so so much. I know you are doing your best, and I wish I could be more helpful, too. After all, I‘m the one who left his guard down.”

“What can I do, Spencer? How can I help you? I feel so lost right now,” you admit, and Spencer understands perfectly your frustration.

“The only thing I dare to ask you is to keep loving me. Please. To know you are here and that you love me gives me a reason to go on. To fight.”

“There isn’t a universe where I don’t love you. I’m your wife through thick and thin,” you tell him, voice full of emotion.

It is raw and utterly true. Spencer’s glassy eyes are evidence of how your words hit him in the best way possible.

“I love you,” he mutters, resting his palm on the glass. You mimic his gesture to match your palm with his.

“I love you, too.”

The visit ends not much later, but you can discuss the lack of progress in the investigation and how important it is that Spencer remember more details of his days in Mexico. This will give you a clue about who Scratch’s partner can be.

You go home with a bittersweet taste. Seeing Spencer and talking to him is the sweet one, but the lack of good news is the bitter one.

In the afternoon, you call Emily to tell her about your visit to Milburn and ask for updates. While you do so, your stomach reminds you how little you have been eating in the past few days. Between the bug you think you had and the stress, your last meals haven’t quite achieved the minimum nutrient requirements. So, after an inner struggle, you go to the kitchen and cook something better than tea and crackers.

You boost some energy into your system and use that to do some of the house chores. The place is kind of a mess.

That's why at night when you let your head hit the pillow, you’re fast asleep in a matter of minutes. And unlike the days prior, you dream.

-

You and Spencer are sitting side by side on the jet, discussing the last case you closed—coincidentally, your first case as a BAU official member. ‘How is it that she didn't notice any signs of being pregnant? I mean, your body changes; you should notice it at some point,’ you argue, talking about the unsub wife, who didn't know she was expecting until the day she gave birth. ‘It’s not that uncommon. The known symptoms of pregnancy can include missed periods, tender and swollen breasts, nausea or vomiting, increased urination, fatigue, and food aversions or cravings. However, each woman's experience with pregnancy can vary significantly, and not everyone will experience all of these signs. Plus, some of those symptoms can be related to other health affections, such as stress, digestive issues, or even blood imbalance like anemia.’ ‘Why do you know a lot of things about those things? The last time I checked, none of your PhDs were related to an MD.’ ‘I like to know about a lot of things. And I read a lot.” ‘I can tell.’

-

You wake up startled from your dream. Why did your brain trigger that specific memory right now in your dream? Sitting on your bed, still panting from the sudden wake-up, you go to recheck.

It does not take you much time to connect the dots. Fatigue, morning sickness, mood swings, food aversion. When was the last time you got your period?

Fuck. Fuck. And fuck.

You jump from the bed, pacing in your room. No. It can’t be.

But after a quick trip to the pharmacy at five in the morning and three pregnancy tests later, you get your answer: the three came positive. You are pregnant.

What will this mean in the vast aspects of your life? In this timing and these circumstances?

You don't have answers. You don’t have anything at hand to help you think clearly, so you decide to go to the person who maybe can see this from a better perspective: Emily.

When Emily opens the door, she looks already concerned that you’re knocking on her door at 6 AM, and her worry worsens when she sees you crying.

“Hey, what is it? Why are you crying? What happened?” As every question leaves Emily’s mouth, she rushes you inside her apartment and makes you sit on the couch.

You feel like you're having a hard time breathing, but you close your eyes and do your best not to collapse on your friend’s floor. Emily moves quickly and goes to the kitchen to grab a glass of water with some sugar to calm the nerves. After you take some sips, Emily holds the glass and leaves it on the coffee table. Now, with her full attention on you, you know she needs answers.

“Emily, I’m pregnant.”

Without any prompting, the words leave your lips. And it still feels so foreign to you. Even if the three pregnancy tests on your bathroom counter can confirm it’s something real. It’s your reality right now.

Emily is silent, not because she doesn't know what to say, but most of all because she wants to gauge your reaction and know your thoughts about it. Your face is unreadable, though.

“Are you sure? Did you check with a doctor?”

She thinks it’s a cautious question, considering everything that has been going on, and it could be a false positive.

“Not with a doctor. But three different tests say I’m pregnant. Em, what I’m going to do?”

“Okay. Let’s see,” your friend prompts. “First of all, we need to get you checked. The past months have been rough, and we need to know how your health is. Then you can think about what to do.”

You still can’t wrap your head around the idea of being pregnant. But when the doctor confirms you are, it becomes real. Fortunately, Emily is by your side when this happens because you’re sure you have fainted without anyone to ground you there.

“How are you feeling?”

Emily returns with you to your apartment after the doctor’s appointment. She’s handing you a mug of tea while you’re tuck-sitting on the couch, hugging your knees.

“I don’t know. I mean- I don’t know,” you confess as Emily joins you on the couch.

“It's okay if you don’t know yet. You need time to process it.”

“Do I have time to do that? Knowing Spencer is in jail and - and this,” you look at your still non-existent baby bump. “And this is happening? What am I going to do?”

“It’s not ideal, but you need to think this through. I can’t tell you what to do because it’s your choice.”

Your choice. And the less you want to do is to decide big things these days.

“At least tell me what you think. An insight can help here.”

Emily contemplates her answer for a moment.

“Okay. Have you had this conversation with Spencer before? The kids thing?”

“Yeah. We agreed that, at some point, we want to. I guess that's why we haven’t done much to prevent it.”

That's the thing. It's not that you both were actively trying, but the fact that it is happening now? It's not the best timing.

“Well, if that's the case, just know I’m here to support you. Whatever you decide to do. I’m not going to judge you. No one will do. Not even Spencer, okay?”

You know Emily is telling the truth, and you appreciate her support, although you still don’t know what your choice will be on this. The only thing you‘re certain right now is how complicated everything has turned out.

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Series Taglist: @strawb3heart @lunaryoongie @bwlol7

[sympathytea]

Yeah Prince Zam is an active threat and also a problem in Evbo's eyes. Although Zam clearly isn't after him anymore in s2 (atleast to our current understanding, he is definitely plotting something with Parrot though which. Parrot you aren't beating the traitor allegations buddy whats up with that.) Evbo however, doesn't know that! And thats a valid concern. I don't think Zam is..too awful of a threat to Evbo considering Zam got his ass kicked twice. But thats just me, who knows he might surprise me next time! But assuming its not JUST Zam to worry about, here is my theory: TW we are discussing self harm.

Evbo got stressed out a shitton. Clearly. And while he is handling himself okay now as we see him in s2 ep 1, there are very clear hints that. he is not doing quite so hot still. Lets run down the trauma list real quick: - Dying. And murder. Average Tuesday for this type of civilization, but these people are well. People. And generally stuff like that on a constant basis isn't very good to someone's brain. - The whole thing with him being farmed for an unknown amount of time during the prison arc. Very bad, but he pulled through eventually. Not enough time to heal from something like that though considering.. - Tabi's betrayal. I'd imagine this was probably the major stressor here. Like, finding out the person you ran around with for so long was planning on farming your entire civilization RIGHT after you just got done with dealing with what that would be like? Especially since she was the sole person keeping Evbo going with the golden sword layer. - Zam. I don't even need to explain that. - Finding out there are other civilizations. Finding out all of them are after the eternal weapons and the whole. Lore infodump that Julie put square on his head. Girl I love you, but that news probably did not help this guy. - Finding out he wasn't even The Chosen One, but Ferre was. And Ferre gave him that "gift". There are. A few things that could've happened there. Evbo took that news pretty well when Ferre first told him that, to our knowledge. But that definitely still would sting. So with all of the new stuff in mind I'd imagine Evbo probably felt like: "Wow, Okay, so I went through the worst experience I ever had in my life for the sake of getting me and my friend out and somewhere better, then she stabs me in the back, lets me live, I find out there's other civilizations that all want me and the diamond swords farmed, along with every other sword, for the sake of keeping themselves alive, and I got ambushed by one of my captors trying to kill me for real in my own house, that I thought was dead but wasn't, then I had to go deal with my enemies in the iron sword layer, then I get told that I'm just some guy that was chosen to go through this by one of my own kind that definitely also knows that respawning over and over again sucks. Why? What? And I'm not allowed to go find Tabi because I 'need to rest'? But I need to get that back its my fault that this happened-" And then the spiral would probably very quickly start. Considering his main thing for dealing with problems is talking to a video journal about it, but he recently found out that the other diamond swords can just read those entries, he wouldn't really have a place to vent this now would he? So what does a man with probably, nothing left to lose do in a situation where his brain is wired, he isn't being allowed to go after Tabi (because lets be honest the diamond swords wouldn't immediately let him go after her without recovering after all this, and there's a very clear but brief-ish time skip between the finale and s2) and has no other way to stress relieve? Obviously, he is gonna take it out on himself. I'd imagine he didn't want to respawn due to Zam being there. But nothing says it had to be fatal. He has a sword, knows how to use it, probably knows where to cut without bleeding out fully because he did that on the cell floor many, many times. So he cuts. Someone probably notices that he isn't doing well. His sword is damaged, sleeves that were previously cleaner have turned brown once again (He doesn't know how to tend a wound properly in my eyes and just lets it fester) and while he is smiling, its noticably weaker and he isn't really fully there. Someone finds out. They obviously tell the other swords. They take care of him, asking "please don't do that again this scares us please talk to us about things" and well. He doesn't. I'd imagine it takes awhile for him to fully develop enough trust to call these people family. Debatable how long that trust takes to form considering. The issues™ But eventually he does.

mild s2 spoilers im mostly talking about how the diamond swords are characterized

Alright I keep having thoughts bro. these swords.

Ferre being characterized as quiet and preferring not to talk? semiverbal perhaps? Julie's whole infodump during the s1 finale makes me think shes probably knee deep into the lore of this world and is an immediate hazard for spontaneous rambles. love that for her Do I even need to explain MinuteTech? His whole thing in the animation where he doesn't really know what hes supposed to do with Evbo, and then the whole acting strategically rather than emotionally and not getting Evbo's joke (according to Evbo himself who. probably did that just to make himself feel better) also "This will cost me precisely 3.2 percent of my lifespan." SIR.

Wemmbu is..a bit trickier but in my heart probably has something similar to what Evbo is currently experiencing? Maybe? He goes through the video journal HQ searching frantically for Evbo but other than that not much for me to go off of? I have plans for him though. And Evbo! Dear god how does he keep getting more unwell the more we see him? First off the guy literally claims to hear voices offhandedly (or at the very least, implied) at one point along with the whole. Trauma avoidance shit that he expresses in bow civ. Like hes probably not doing so hot after not just the Tabi betrayal, not just the prison and whatever happened between episode 4 and 5, but the reveal that shes going to hunt down all the other eternal weapons and he's the only one that's gonna be stopping her? Because the other diamond swords are staying put to guard their home and he's probably feeling isolated? He mentions that he regards them as family and also notably asks MinuteTech to buy the water bucket for him when hes too low. Despite him being very capable of respawning still i would assume.... What happened offscreen for him to do this? "retail therapy" bro no you need. regular therapy. wholeheartedly. like dear god man im sorry that you bear these burdens please be with your family

[concernedbrownbread]

Forget the Gloom the real villain in the Goron arc is capitalism

[ohrackham]

what was the point of lila thinking home was a feeling she didn't deserve and could never earn until she found diego. what was the point of them finding deep, meaningful love in each other. what was the point of lila opening her heart and confessing that all she really wanted was a family with him.

what was the point of developing diego and lila over two seasons, creating such a beautiful, chaotic bond, just to destroy it for no reason.

[please-read-the-manga]

Was thinking about an 'alternate universe' where a young Sasuke, in the absence of guidance on how to carry out his clan traditions, tries to connect to his fractured identity by spending time in the Naka Shrine and accidentally summons the ghost/spirit of Izuna who hears his cries of injustice and grief from the other side.

Truthfully, I don't know why it would be Izuna in particular, but I'm kind of playing around with the idea that his death was viewed as so unjustifiable and horrific by Madara that Madara's devastation over it prevented Izuna's spirit from properly/completely passing over into the Pure Lands. So, Izuna's spirit remains in this unaware-but-restless state and one day it materializes to answer the call of another Uchiha (who also just so happens to be an Indra transmigrant, like Madara, if we want to go there... maybe their emotions carry extra weight and power within the spiritual world) now trying to process his own unimaginable grief, this time over the death of his entire family, bloodline, and culture. Thus they become bound to one another (for better or worse) and Izuna is, from then on, always there, carried by (and only visible to) Sasuke on his journey...

Maybe they both come to believe that if they get justice for the clan (which they initially believe is by killing Itachi, 'the kinslayer') then Izuna will finally be freed and Sasuke will have done right by his family and avenged them. But really, I think what would actually be keeping Izuna 'stuck' is the plan that evolved (at least partially) from Madara's grief over his death, Project Tsukuyomi... thus their quest expands and the two then need to figure out how to alleviate Madara's guilt/sense of loss over Izuna's death and rekindle his feelings of hope in the world once more (ie. stopping the plan). Somehow, lol.

And I think Izuna would be a fun character to do with this with because there's so little we truly know about him, but so much we can infer due to his impact on other characters' actions/story events.

Idk, in my opinion there's just a lot of opportunity here for a good mix of heart and comedy, especially with Izuna as a more defined character that has a little more freedom than other characters to be molded. I also think having someone Sasuke can connect to, that's from his clan (but is also still deceased and a reminder of how alone he is, ie. end of the day Izuna is still a ghost, an ancestral relic of the now-dying clan) would have a profound effect on him.

It'd almost be like his own inner Kurama voice except Izuna provides no chakra or power amps, only scathing commentary on how much he hates the injustices of the village (and its Senju leadership) lol. Also, I like to think his reactions to all the in-universe stories about 'Madara's deeds' (which is really Obito) would be entertaining.

A sketchy comic since I like the idea so much haha:

[psychomusic]

oc time again! + her town & culture (heavily inspired by pre-roman italic populations)

she is suri sauthon. her story is linked to my swtor imperial agent, tar'x, but most of her life except for the one year away where she meets him, is spent in a town in the mountains of mirial.

despite mirial being cold and desert, and many cities developing underground, her town flourishes thanks to a force nexus, venerated in the form of an ancient, sacred, alive crystal. the ecosystem of that mountain depended on what "the horned crystal" was capable of giving them, but mirialans couldn't live off of that alone, so they developed trade and some rudimental technology, even if oftentimes it was bought thanks to the highly profitable trade of a plant used to make medicines that slowed down aging and had overall healing properties.

note: everything that's generated by this nexus has these healing properties BUT they have to be processed, except for those who bathed in the waters of the cavity under the crystal - the "real" nexus, but not the worshipped one. the waters were sacred but they were not thought to be miraculous, unlike the crystal, who instead was thought of as the keystone of the ecosystem: without it, everything would fall apart (and that is partially true: the cavity was the "real" nexus but thanks to the crystal, also strong in the force, the properties were spread all over the mountains). those who bathed in the cavity's waters - so, all of the town, who had a sort of baptism there - could eat the plant, make whatever food with it, and not only that plant, but everything generated by the nexus, that, again, had similar properties. this allowed people to live up to normal life-spans without advanced medicines or, much, really. to those who didn't live there, though, after the processing, had incredible effects, slowing down aging - for those who took it regularly - and making people able to live up to half a century more than the average]

originally, there were four tribes of nomads that lived thanks to horned farm animals that decided to settle down into one bigger town and other smaller settlements, to live off of transhumance. this division of the tribes stayed into the political and social organization: every person belonged to one tribe specifically, and had slightly different rituals and culture. for examples, each tribe had their own priests and healers, with different techniques and traditions. the town, tho, was guided by a group of people in the high priesthood, a position you could reach only by having earned the trust of all tribes. those high priests had many roles: they guided the people into sacred processions common to all the tribes, they managed the trading with outsiders, they did the maintenance of the temple of the summit (the one that functioned as casket to the crystal) and created a special liquid to offer the crystal that helps it grow.

this particular temple was important because 1. it was very visible, from every angle of the town, and it became an important identity symbol; 2. it stored the venerated horned crystal; 3. it had the altar where sacrifices were made for the crystals. that altar had a hole connected to the cavity, that allowed the liquids to reach the underground; 4. it had various symbols: statues representing each tribe + the high priesthood, and typical mirialan tattoos carved into the wood of the trees that served as columns for the temple, symbolizing 8 values that who dared to enter HAD to have; 5. it was on the way to an important lake (called "mother lake" because the lake the town was built around to depended on the waters of that other lake) where they traveled to in important processions; 6. it was said that a the wizard who unified the tribes made it with its magic, making the plant grow to hold the temple's roof. this wizard was, actually, a force user, obv.

BACK TO HER THOUGH: she's daughter of one of the high priests, who was in charge of managing the trades with outsiders, and lives in a house on the mountains with her mother and him. her parents are from different tribes (that's one of the things that earned him trust from the 4 tribes): when a child is born from two different tribes, they don't pick one to allign to, but they're usually linked automatically to the one with more relatives in it (in her case, the father's tribe: she had many uncles and aunts on his side while her mom only had one sister).

later, though, she got quite tied to her mother's tribe due to a mysterious illness that only her mother's tribe healer was able to cure. she spent 4 years (from 10 to 14 years old) living with the healer and learned her secrets. to better study, she wrote them down. when she returned home, she studied to become a priestess with her father. at 22 (the average age: you can't become priest before your 20s), she was supposed to take a test and become a priestess, but the healer of her mother's tribe died and the tribe asked her to take her place. she couldn't technically do that, but both tribes estimated both her and her parents and she was allowed to become both. she then decided to try to become a high priestess, and became one at 25 (a quite young age). being part of the council, she tried to convince the various tribe healers to unite their knowledges and write them down, and eventually made it. healers still remained tribe based but they now had an "upper, inter-tribe level" similar to high priesthood.

years later, the sacred horned crystal is stolen from the temple by some Hutt mercenaries looking for a profit. given the trust she has earned from all the tribes and the fact that her father is the high priest that deals with outsiders (and she's been hearing stories and advice about it since she was little), she is the one tasked with getting it back. without the growing crystal, the keystone to their ecosystem, the village would have lasted only a few years. in hrr quest, she meets imperial intelligence agent tar'x laran and, as they "solve the mystery" and fight to have it back, they get closer. they'll get married and have a daughter, Vegoia (who's the only one who actually will get to the plot of my story. this was all background)

[midnightdemonhunter]

Feel like a creep!!! (less that i give, more that you want me)