#like he doesn't have any money and all his stuff is on the revenge

[areyoudoingthis]

all i get from the discussions about stede's masculinity and what he should and shouldn't do and should and shouldn't be in s2 is that none of you understood a lick of that show

[kujakumai]

On the subject of being good with children, which characters do you think WOULD be good babysitters?

YUGIOH CHARACTERS AS BABYSITTERS, RANKED

TOP PICKS:

Seto Kaiba runs an entire company dedicated exclusively to safely entertaining children, and unless his parks are getting continually sued I believe he knows how. Your kindergartner is not only safe with him but will probably leave knowing how to play chess and write in C++. He may allow them to play with knives, but only if they're 9 or over, plus he has all the emergency numbers on speed-dial.

Hiroto Honda babysits his niblings on the regular. Can warm a bottle and change a diaper. A level-headed and practical guy. He’ll be fine as long as his friends don't drag him into a horrible game-themed deathtrap. Don't ask why that caveat exists.

Rishid Ishtar is safe, experienced, has dad energy, however he will crumple like wet paper at the first sign of conflict re: ice cream for dinner / no bedtime / blood-soaked cross-country quest for revenge / an extra episode of cartoons over the screentime limit.

Ishizu Ishtar would make a great babysitter. I don't really have a quirky joke here she just would.

"MAYBE"S

Jonouchi used to watch his little sister and I think he'll do about as well as any other teenager you're paying minimum wage, and with a lot of earnest enthusiasm. Your child will be fine at the end of the night, though they will probably have eaten some junk food and played a T rated videogame.

I do not think Atem would know what to do with a baby, and may panic about it, though if you have an older child he will be happy to offer a rousing speech and some deep-voiced mentorlike advice while teaching them to play board games. Not a bad choice, just try not to leave him with anyone under seven.

Yugi knows zilch about kids and often appears a little annoyed by them. Same general rules as Atem--do not leave him with a baby, but he'll probably just teach an older kid to play shogi or something.

Mai Kujaku will put the kid in front of the television and order pizza while she paints her nails. Honestly, though, what more are you paying her for?

Listen, I love Anzu. I do. She’s smart, driven, and big-hearted, but she is also sort of short-tempered and impatient, and patience is like 90% of child-rearing. Please do not ask Anzu Mazaki to watch your children. She WILL say yes because she needs the money, and she WILL go into it with optimism and gumption, and yes, both she and your child will both be in one piece at the end of the night, but it will be clear from both of their frazzled expressions that she lost most of her sanity an hour in after the fifth "Why?"

DEFINITELY NOT

Ryou Bakura would in theory be a perfectly good, if kind of spacey, babysitter, but you cannot trust him to remain Ryou Bakura, and the other guy is definitely not someone you want anywhere near your children.

I don't think Marik Ishtar has ever interacted with a child for very long and the number of people he talks to that are even his own age is in the single digits. And he is definitely not getting spat on or dealing with any bathroom stuff. I'm not saying he can't figure it out but the learning curve is going to be steep.

I have to put Yami Bakura here in principle and yet for some reason I think it wouldn't go that bad? I mean he definitely doesn't care about the safety of your child. And he may enlist them to the armies of darkness. And he's not cleaning anything up. But he's like, a weird socially awkward over-the-top guy? And children love those? Honestly I think they would both have fun. For at least an hour until everything goes horribly wrong.

Please do not summon Zork Necrophades to babysit your child.

[cannellee]

hey, pls cant you do Mikey, Izana, hanma, kakucho and koko (manila arc) with a s/n temperamental, impulsive, umpredictable Dear who as bipolarity and 0 empathy, insensitive with mbti intj? Bean years younger than them, like a teenager. Thanks!

TOKYO REVENGERS OMEGAVERSE ★

୨୧ alpha! Tokyo revengers x omega! Reader (pairing: mikey, izana, hanma, kakucho, kokonoi)

— their reactions to an unstable s/o

(that's a lot! I'm not very familiar with any of these - forgive me if it's not really representative - and I'm not sure if I quite wrote the reader you had in mind. I hope you still like it!!🫶🏼 I just realized i forgot kokonoi, I'll probably do it later if I'mmotivated sorry)

my masterlist : ☆

KAKUCHO

he is very attentive of every single details about you and completely supports you no matter what.

he always has the right words when you're feeling down and respects your boundaries.

he often hesitates to leave you some alone time or to actually listen to his instincts and stay by your side.

he's aware you value moments of calm and peace and doesn't want to interfere and stress you out.

he's so delicate with you and always there during your episodes. he started to take note of your triggers and symptoms early in the relationship to make sure he could offer you the best support.

if you have to take treatments or medications, he has it all planned, he knows exactly when you need to take them and make sure you do. he doesn't want to risk your health!

he's so patient with you:( when you get irritable easily he gives you time and space and silently envelopes you with his calming pheromones. and when your thoughts are racing and you're not able to talk clearly, he's making you slow down, he doesn't mind if you repeat yourself and stutter over your words : he's actively listening and nodding along to whatever you say.

MIKEY

mikey tries his best to be understanding but honestly he sometimes crosses the line.

he knows you have a short temper and gets angry easily, especially when you're tired. most of the time, he'll try to appear calmer to make up for your restlessness, but there are times where he'll purposely get on your nerves.

angry, you end up saying something hurtful to him to make him shut up and go inside your nest to get some rest. he's kinda used to you cursing at him so he doesn't really take it to heart. it kinda amuses him if you ask, he just thinks you're really cute. his adorable omega getting all worked up everytime he messes up with her is truly a sight to see for him.

he's very careful with you though, and that's something people don't usually notice. you tend to do things out of the blue without a second thought and that scares mikey. it's most of the time harmless stuff, but he can't help but worry and think of the worst.

he tries his best to make sure you feel at home and comfortable with him. he doesn't judge you or anything. if you don't want to do anything at all and rest all day, that's fine with him, he'll even help you build your nest!

the only thing he wants from you is to stay loyal to him and never leave him or for you to hurt yourself. he values your health, probably more than you and accepts any of your mood swings with teasing remarks and comforting hugs.

IZANA

he's so whipped he absolutely doesn't care about anything you can do or say to him.

you can suck the money out of his wallet and not even thank him and he'll accept it. you often demand things from him, order him around when you need to do your nest but you're too tired to do so, make him buy you the finest jewelry and lash out at him if you don't get what you want. izana does it all and feels proud to be able to fulfill all of his precious omega's needs.

you often surprise him with your antics. it's not rare for you during one of your manic episodes to engage in risky behaviours and being overconfident. lucky for you izana is always keeping you under his watch and is quick to bring you somewhere safer and eliminate any danger.

he's always impressed at how long you're able to sleep. he'll leave for work early and come back at night and find you at the exact same place. it warms his heart to see his sweet omega looking so peaceful he wants to join you right here right now!

he does his best to keep up with your change in appetite. he constantly buys you a lot of food, the most diverse he can find and lets you do your little selection each day. he does worry when you eat very little though. that's why he tries to buy sweets and snacks he knows you love best. he's able to adapt himself very quickly, that's why he identifies which food you like to have during each episode or depending of your symptoms.

When you reject what he offers you with a scowl on your face, he takes it to heart and actually feel like he somehow failed as your alpha. he listens to any of your requests in hopes to make up for his mistakes.

HANMA

good luck with him tbh.

he met you when you were studying at the library of your university, although you surely were the prettiest omega he had ever seen, you seemed to drive people away from you. you didn't engage in social interactions and answered him with short and cold responses when he tried to make a conversation with you.

he actually is very fond of your extreme mood and snarky remarks : you never hold back your words and he loves it.

he doesn't reciprocate because deep down he cares a lot about you, but he does tease you when you don't seem really sensitive.

hanma absolutely lives for your choices and decisions in life, it doesn't matter how crazy and dangerous they are. he'll follow you and discreetly make sure you don't jeopardize yourself.

he has a lot of money and he'll happily let you spend it. he only asks for a few kisses and affection from you because he knows you hate that. push him away and he'll come back even more in love.

although he supports everything about you, there are things he doesn't tolerate. when you once felt like trying drugs and alcohol together, he took them away from you and looked the most angry he ever had. you would have shaken in fear if you were just any omega : his pheromones were filled with worry and anger, it was a new scent for him who was always so confident.

actually convinces you to quit school to live with him. your episodes make it hard for you to be around others for long periods of times, especially since you're an omega and you're drained easier of your energy. he doesn't understand why you just don't accept being with him 24/7.

you sometimes question why you actually listened to him because he seems to love provoking you. you do threaten him but he doesn't care.

[follows-the-bees]

Stede Bonnet character study in 2x7.

What the audience sees and what Stede sees/feels/thinks are different, and I think that's a really important perspective to consider, especially with everything that happens in Man on Fire.

When Ed went to the party in 1x5, he was having the time of his life at first: dancing, making up stories, winning them over. And then when they turned, he had Stede. Stede came through using the "upper crust use cutting remarks" method.

In a direct parallel, in 2x6, this time Stede is getting recognition. His entire life he's been bullied, beaten down, laughed at and - just like Ed - he is having fun being the center of attention. This has never fully happened to him, even his crew - especially at the beginning - didn't fully respect him.

So, let's talk about Stede's perspective of Ed and his crew vs our audience perspective.

We know the crew loves Stede, he is their captain - for better or worse - but they continually choose to stay with him and use the methods he taught them to get through: the act of grace, Jim telling Fang the story of the wooden boy to make him feel better, the marooned crew continually to stick with him at Spanish Jackie's and saving money to buy a new vessel, using the safe space talk when the two new crews come together and the trauma makes them paranoid of each other. And of course, arts and crafts time to bring them together again as a crew but also to present Izzy the unicorn leg and welcome him unconditionally.

Out of all these instances, Stede only sees the act of grace and them sticking together and getting back to the Revenge.

Stede has been prioritizing his crew a lot more this season - even over his self interests (mainly, there is some stuff we can talk about how he immediately leaves after Ed is voted off the ship and then spends all day with him and brings him back.) But he kicks Calico Jack off, he saves the marooned crew from the island, and then for the Pirate Queen's ship, holding back his grief of Ed's death, only going to him after the crew is safe. And after he realized how much the curse was affecting him, he does ultimately give up the suit.

Now Ed. We of course see how much Ed loves him. I wrote a lot about Stede's perspective of Ed coming to his room after he kills Ed and how much that is a substantial moment for them. Not just because of the sex but because in the past Ed shuts down and leaves when Stede stands up (when he kicked Calico Jack off - Ed leaves, he doesn't do anything when Izzy challenges Stede to a duel, etc)! So Stede is afraid Ed will leave, but Ed doesn't, he shows up. He's there for Stede. Read that meta here.

But we also know what's going on with Ed's head, his insecurities coming back, his wanting to not be a pirate and seeing Stede become the biggest one right now. But Stede doesn't get it.

So everything spirals so quickly in 2x7, Man on Fire. As I mentioned previously, Stede is enjoying being the center of attention after a life of not having any respect from anyone.

And in his mind, him and Ed are partners. "But we're a partnership" it's already set in his mind, probably further cemented by them sleeping together and taking that next step. So he goes to Ed, realizing he's not by his side and Ed tells him he's leaving, already made up his mind, randomly mentions the fish - which Stede doesn't understand the meaning of - and then tells him that last night was a mistake. This has to be a mindfuck for Stede. Ed chooses to come to him and then immediately saying he regrets it - we know it's not the sex but the moving too fast - and is leaving, something that he was already afraid of happening and he thinks has happened in the past when Ed shut down. He tried to salvage it "well, you know, this can be whatever we want it to be."

So now, his boyfriend broke up with him and he's spiralling even more, and like Ed does when he is spiralling (hides under a blanket or in a blanket fort, or Stede's robe, getting comfortable and warm) Stede surrounds himself with people. His own warm blanket of loose acceptance.

But then he sees his crew getting supposedly poached. (I'm not sure if he actually knows anything about Olu and The Queen). And now everything comes crashing down again. Ed left him, his crew is leaving him, he doesn't think he's good enough. All those insecurities, things falling apart. And his self esteem issues are raging.

And then Steak Knife dies (I assume he is supposed to be dead) for him. Another person to haunt Stede's dreams.

Yes, you can read Stede challenging The Queen only as an ego trip, but in no way do I think that's all of what's happening. It is more of a frightened traumatized man at his wits end trying to save his family. "We've been through hell together."

Everyone is leaving him, he's got tears in his eyes, and he's doing something, anything to keep his family together. Even if it's something against an opponent he can't win against. Cause isn't it better to at least show his crew he's there for them again, than have to see everything he has built, he has loved, walk away from him?

[ihni]

Imagine, a charity auction - you know, those ones from the movies where people bid on another person and it's like a "date" or a picknick or whatever. I'm not sure about the setting or the story behind it (school? basketball fundraiser? country club stuff?), but Steve goes there (is dragged there, perhaps) and he's Over It already and thinks it's stupd, but he's got money and it's for charity so whatever, he figures he'll do his duty and bid on someone and maybe have a meal and exhange awkward small talk with whoever, and then go home.

Anyway, to his great surprise, Billy Hargrove is one of the people who have agreed to be auctioned off for charity (unknown to Steve is that the charity is for abused kids or animals, and Billy feels Strongly about that, okay?). And like, he's wearing a good shirt, unbuttoned to his chest, and tight jeans and he's smiling with white teeth and his hair is perfect and Steve hates him suddenly, is filled with rage about this guy, his bully, standing there and smiling and thinking he's gonna bring in a lot of money and probably, like, score with whoever buys him.

And the announcer must know that Billy will bring in the most money, because she saves him for last, and when she presents him she wags her eyebrows and says that whoever buys Billy will have him all to herself, for the whole evening, and that he's up for almost anything and like, Steve wants to throw up a little.

But then an idea hits him and he thinks, what better way for payback than to bid on Billy? If he wins, Billy will be his for the whole evening; he can make Billy do whatever he wants - like rearrange the garage or clean the upstairs bathroom with a toothbrush. Or maybe, just maybe, he can demand an apology for that time when the guy gave him a concussion - he doubts that it'll be sincere, but just the possibility of watching Billy Hargrove growl out an apology, however insincere, is enough to have Steve's heart speed up.

Okay, so the most likely thing to happen is that Billy will laugh in his face and refuse to do anything Steve tells him to do, but at least if Steve wins, Billy won't be going home with any of the women here. Won't get laid, if that's what he's counting on. And honestly, even if Steve won't get to live out his petty revenge fantasies, it'll be worth it just to ruin the guy's plans for the night.

So Steve checks his wallet, and then waits until the bids are trailing off - they're already higher than for anyone else, and perhaps not so strangely, it's mostly adult women who have been bidding - and then he clears his throat and doubles the latest bid.

Everyone turn to look at him, but Steve only has eyes for Billy. His eyes are very blue in the light of the spotlight where he's standing, and wide as if startled. The smile has fallen off his face, but he quickly puts it back when people's attention drift back to him for his reaction.

The gavel falls, and Steve has just won Billy Hargrove for the rest of the day.

Now. What happens next? It could be a kind of pick-your-own-adventure kind of thing.

Romantic/fluffy: They are awkward at first, but they eat their food and Billy really IS kinda different like this, when it's just the two of them, and maybe Steve asks about why he even did this, and Billy lets slip that he really DID do it for the charity, that he doesn't care about the ladies but the CAUSE, and maybe he thanks Steve for the bid. Says that it will help a lot of kids/animals. And that thank you startles Steve, because who knew that Billy could be polite, huh? Human, almost. So he doesn't go through with his plans of making Billy work for it, but instead they just hang out for the rest of the night and like, they CLICK, you know? And in the end Steve confesses that he was GOING to make Billy do menial work as payback, and when Billy laughs and asks why he didn't, he just shrugs. "I don't know," he says. "This was ... better, I guess." And Billy looks down and then back up and licks his lips and nods, too. "It was good. Thanks. For not making me scrub your bathroom with a toothbrush." And they laugh, and then maybe they drink a little more and i don't know HOW but once they're both a little tipsy and interested and such, they kiss, too.

Angsty af: Billy 100% definitely expects the worst. He heard what the announcer said, too, and he's seen the leering way these women looks at him and he KNOWS it's a meat market, barely veiled prostitution, okay, so he knows what's expected of him by whoever wins. He's been psyching himself up for it - he's gonna sleep with whoever wins him, and he'll make it worth their while because while he won't enjoy it, it's what's expected of him and besides it's for a good cause and it means that he can somehow help kids/animals who are being abused so he'll just ... do it. But then STEVE is the winner, and Billy is so confused. Because he knows that Steve hates him, he's never made a secret out of that ... so why did he bid on Billy, when he has to know what kind of auction this is? (Spoiler alert, it's not REALLY that kind of auction, but of course Billy believes it is) Obviously it's payback, right? Right. So Billy squares his shoulders and figures he's gonna take this, too - if he can sleep with some old lady, then he can definitely stomach Steve and whatever the guy has in store for him (because at least Steve is a GUY, and also maybe possibly Billy might have had a tiiiiny crush on Steve since he rolled into town. Okay it's not so tiny. Okay it's still ongoing. Fuck). It's not gonna be like in his fantasies, maybe - Steve still hates him, after all - but he'll take what he can get. And so when they get somewhere alone and Steve starts making awkward smalltalk, maybe Billy is so set on what he's sure going to happen, that he decides to take the first step. Get it over with. Rip the bandaid off. So he turns so he's facing Steve and is like "Okay, so how do you wanna do this?" Steve looks confused and is like, "What?" Billy continues, powering through, "How do you want me? On my knees, or ...?" or maybe he just drops to his knees, to show that he's not gonna back out, he's not a pussy ... Cue a very confused and appalled Steve, but not for the reasons Billy probably thinks. Bad continuation; Steve goes with it, because hell, how many chances are he going to get to shut Billy up this way? Less bad continuation; Steve is horrified and pulls him to his feet again and they talk and clear the air. Billy being like "... but I thought you bid on me for payback" and Steve's like "Yeah, I was gonna make you clean my bathroom, you idiot!" (and Billy's like "... I'd rather suck your dick.")

Somewhere in between the two: Steve DOES go through with making Billy do menial work at his house as a means of payback. And Billy knows that he doesn't have to do it, that he can just up and leave, but he figures a) he kinda owes it to the guy for breaking his face that one time and also b) it's for charity and Steve DID shell out a lot for his payback so Billy will play along. So he rearranges Steve's garage, with dusty heavy boxes and stuff. He cleans the bathroom ... with a goddamn toothbrush, because apparently Steve is mentally eight years old. Steve, in turn, didn't expect Billy do ANY of the things he came up with, and is confused as to why Billy hasn't punched him in the face and left, yet. So he comes up with worse and worse things for Billy to do; hand-wash his dirty socks. Crawl in under the crawlspace under the house to remove old building material. Clean the drain under the sink. The whole time, he's expecting Billy to snap and just, stop. But he doesn't. So when Steve tells him to climb onto the roof and remove the bird's nest in the chimney and Billy's only reply is to ask for a ladder, Steve snaps (because that's dangerous, okay? he could DIE). "What the hell, Hargrove, why are you doing this??" "Doing what?" "Everything I say!" and then they shout a bit and it all ends with Billy saying that it's his way of saying sorry for what happned at the Byers' house, and Steve is stunned because he did NOT actually expect an pology. And of course Billy is embarrassed for not understanding that Steve didn't actually expect him to do all that stuff, and Steve feels like shit for making him do all that stuff when apparently the only reason why he did it was as a way of an apology. And by then it's pretty late so Steve offers for Billy to have a shower at his place and he'll get a late dinner started (they never even got to the eating part, since Steve didn't think Billy would even stay around for the FIRST task). And they have a late dinner together. And talk, like two civil people. And actually learn a bit about each other, after that.

(I'm sure there are like 20x more events that could happen, too. I just like the charity auction plot and I want like ALL the variations.)

Thoughts?

[panthera-tigris-venenata]

A bag of choice (tm)

Mal - she continuously causes Evie heart attacks by refusing to use any and all designer bags and even just the decent looking ones she gives her and using the same tattered old tote bag she found and improved when she was thirteen.

Evie - you know she has at least one from any occasion, and we love that for her.

Jay - pockets. Does he lose half the groceries he was supposed to buy? No, absolutely not, these items were never written down in the first place.

Carlos - I feel like his cousins suceeded in getting him reasonable bags. Criticism will NOT be accepted by any of the de Vils and also that thing somehow fits an entire toolbag.

Ben - ...auradon royal family merch :( he hates it :( (Mal quickly improved it for him. He loves that version to bits and his parents despise it just as much.)

Audrey - a small shiny clutch that fits barely a phone, a credit card, and lipgloss. Y'know, the essentials.

Chad - nope. No. He doesn't even bother to use his pockets, he loses his stuff all the time. Just. Puts it down and that's it.

Jane - very cute and very practical backpack with a little ribbon <3 and lot of cute added charms <3 we love our practical girlie <3

Lonnie - hmm. Probably a sports bag or backpack of choice. Secret compartments for reasons that are definitely NOT "war-induced generational paranoia".

Btw ALL VK bags have secret compartments, just so you know.

Uma - first of all, Uma rarely ever carries her own shit. Harry and Gil are being gentlemans and the rest of the crew is lowkey afraid for their own life if Harry saw that they let the Captain carry heavy things . Second of all, she got the crew tote bags with Lost Revenge logo.

Harry - ...yeah he forgets that bag all the time. That's fine tho, he has like not normal amount of pockets.

Gil - the crew logo bag but Claudine embroidered more decorations on it for him.

Claudine - she doesn't have vibes for a bag, okay? She can carry everything she needs without it. (...yeah, she doesn't carry ANY of the stuff most people do. Phone? Devil's machine. Keys? There's always people to let her in. Money? Ivy has those. Or Uma, or Harriet, or Gil. Someone will pay for her.)

Ivy - either a designer bag that SOMEHOW fits an entire bottle of whiskey, or she goes out without any means to carry anything, including pockets, cos designers hate women. She has cigarettes behind her ears, phone, money, and emotional support lipstick in her bra, keys strung on dress strap, and she keeps playing with the lighter. Flickering it on in a completely non-threatening way.

Diego - okay, all de Vil cousins deserve designer handbags. His prefered one is dark leather.

Anthony - he has a collection of bags he got as gifts. Dark leather one from Diego, crocheted one that Dulcia made when bedbound and refused to use, a bunch of bags decorated by his little cousins withvarious amount of sucess and glitter.

Dulcia - she also has a collection. Some designer ones that Audrey got bored of and passed to her through Anthony (displeased at having to play messenger), and lot of bags decorated by her little family members. Also a... Contraption gifted to her by the Hearts kids, she slightly afraid to touch it.

Dizzy - you know that thing is bedazzled enought to blind someone (affectionate)

Celia - you know, this little shadow witch manages without a bag just fine, it's like magic.

Freddie - not sure, either a cute hand-decorated tote, or whatever shiny thing CJ stole for her.

CJ - nope. She has slightly better record of losing shit than Chad, because she has shit ton of pockets in her coat, no reservations about sticking shit into her bra if she needs to, and slightly exasperated Freddie picking the stuff of value that she dropoed after her.

Harriet - it goes about like so: *already paying at the counter, realising she cannot carry all that shit with sheer power of will and hubris:* „...hey, Sam? Do you have a bag?“ (they always do)

Ginny - lol, a crocheted one from Dulcia that she complains about all the time but won't ditch. (She has sewed-on compartments for the actually important stuff on her clothes also)

[jewishcissiekj]

hi let's talk about her

Honestly I have so much to say about her. so much. so here's some of it

-Asajj (NOT VENTRESS THAT'S HER LAST NAME ISTG PEOPLE JUST HATE USING HER ACTUAL NAME AND IDK WHY I GUESS IT'S A COOL NAME BUT ASAJJ IS ALSO A COOL NAME AND)

-Asajj was last seen in canon in the Dark Disciple novel. Where she died. I would never recommend that book to anyone so if you haven't read it yet please don't. In short, after becoming a Bounty Hunter in The Clone Wars she grew out her hair, got a cool yellow Lightsaber and for some reason teamed up with Quinlan Vos to try and kill Dooku. They didn't manage to do it. And Asajj died (was fridged) trying to protect Quinlan. The Bad Batch will not contradict that, as was said by the creators. So this is just a summary for anyone who hasn't read it because I wholeheartedly believe that book is bad

-I have not watched a single Bad Batch episode in my life. As a disclaimer. I started the first one, watched their TCW arc and saw memes screenshots clips and spoilers but I do not know this show. I will watch it now that Asajj's there tho

-She does not have the same outfit anymore! It's a change, and we haven't gotten a clear look at her new design so idk how to judge it yet. Might be to look less recognizable, but it has a very different vibe than any of her prior outfits. There's a leftover shoulder pad and probably some other stuff from her last design but I feel like they kinda clash with the new one and tbb's design language in general. The Bounty Hunter look has a very TCWish feel to it and this one is a sharp turn in another, much more casual direction. I'm not inherently against it but I guess we'll see how it looks in action soon

-In my opinion the hair looks like shit. I don't think she should have hair ever. I don't understand why she can't be bald. Why is she bald when she's evil and has hair when she's a padawan (good) and when she is "redeemed"? guess we'll never know. It's a leftover from the cancelled Dark Disciple TCW arc design (and the Dark Disciple cover and promotional material ofc) and it's bad if you ask me but to each their own and if you like it good for you

-Her Lightsaber!!!!! Same case as the hair in terms of irl development but I like it so much better. The yellow just fits her character and it's pretty. Would love for her to find another one and get back to dual-wielding (I know that won't happen)

-The bag and pouches make me so happy as a design element do you think she carries a (tooka) cat in there

-Now, visually she looks great and the animation style is smoother and nicer than TCW (as is the quality), but what about the direction the character's going in? I didn't like her being dead before, but I felt like it was somewhat better than her being shoved into being a cameo character in new content. If you can't touch her after a certain point, you also can't mess her up. But I do wonder where they're going with her. A few questions:

-Asajj in canon is a directionless character. Also, a partially nonsensical and inconsistent character in her choices and storylines. I've talked about it a lot but in short she just feels messy. What's her purpose in life? Her motive? Her origin story doesn't really make sense, even. She's a Bounty Hunter, sure, but why? If all she wants is revenge on Dooku and maybe money (which was pretty much the case in Dark Disciple), what's she doing after the Empire? And more importantly, why?

-Obviously, the question I haven't asked yet because I don't like it: How the fuck is she alive? Nightsisters have a weird relationship with death but seriously, how?

-She's a Force User after the Rise of the Empire now, so what does he do about that? Is she founding The Path? Fucking around and finding out? Making a not-Jedi-not-Sith order with other force users she finds? Is the Empire after her? Do they know she's live?

-What about her girlfriend? Is Latts Razzi safe? Is she alright?

-Why is she in The Bad Batch show? Are we making her into a cameo character or is there a purpose? Why'd they bring her back? For fun? What is she doing after the show? Floating in dead space? Cameo-ing? Will we have a book?

-OK enough for tonight but if we see Quinlan Vos in the show I'll become violent (/neg). We probably will (he might just get mentioned idk).

[six-of-cringe]

I think that one of the reasons why people misinterpret Wylan's character and arc, among others, is because they misinterpret the relationship between him and Kaz. This post has kind of mitosised off from the BFWP (Big Fucking Wylan Post) I'm writing because it's a bit of a different focus and constitutes its own post.

A lot of people talk about Wylan's character and development as though it's meant to match Kaz's - starting out as a nice kid who the city forces to become amoral, indifferent to violence, and well-versed in crime. These qualities are usually talked about with a weird reverence as an irrefutable symbol of "badassery", as though it's always a positive development for any character regardless of the story's narrative, which annoys me but is not the topic of this post. That's part of the BFWP's job.

Following Kaz's exact development is not the point of Wylan's character. The point is that Kaz and Wylan narrative foils - very similar in many ways, but with a fundamental difference that creates the "broken mirror" effect/shows how they could have turned out if they'd chosen differently. I think that difference is how they respond when they climb out of the harbor after their respective betrayals. Narratively, Ketterdam represents a very harsh system that presents the people struggling there with very few options. You can either choose to ditch decency, play by the Barrel's rules, and live, or you can hold on to decency and die.

When Kaz returns to the streets after Jordie's death, he chooses the first option. He copes with what happened through ideas of revenge, and to survive long enough to see it he quickly turns to thievery and violence. He thinks to himself after he robs a kid for money and food that it was much easier to survive when you've left decency behind. He survived through violence, creating the Dirtyhands persona around himself for protection.

When Wylan has to fend for himself, he choses the second option. He finds "honest work" at the tannery, where they exploit workers and expose them to toxins. He wonders if he'll live long enough to use his savings to leave the city, or if the chemicals would kill him first. He was smart enough to steal and survive, but he chose decency, and with it, he chose death. There are a number of reasons why he chose differently than Kaz despite their similarities - his older age and thus more developed moral code, having no one to avenge but himself when he believed himself worthless, his more privileged upbringing, and his relatively low drive to live. Alone, he would have died.

Then Kaz steps in. Kaz's role in all the crow's lives is that, intentionally or not, his ruthless rule of the Barrel creates a sort of haven that allows them to survive where they would have died had they stayed alone. Wylan is a really clear example of this, and though Kaz's intentions were at least partly self-serving, his involvement both kept Wylan from dying of exposure or street violence as well as prevented him from needing to do the more terrible things that it takes to survive in the Barrel. Throughout the books, we see Kaz kind of taking the brunt of enacting violence in Wylan's place - traumatizing Smeet's daughter, killing the clerk on the lighthouse. Wylan could get by making explosives in the workshop rather than having to shoot or stab or beat the life out of people. And at the end of the series, Kaz sees to it that he never will have to. Of course Wylan did bad stuff to survive when working with the Dregs, it's the Barrel. But the extent is greatly lessened because of Kaz's involvement.

Wylan's arc was never about becoming comfortable with violence, or becoming just like Kaz - the way people characterize him as some sort of ruthless murder mastermind is inaccurate and redundant with Kaz's character. He isn't nonchalant or celebratory about crime or death or violence by the end of the book. He doesn't HAVE to become like Kaz, because Kaz himself gave him the space to continue being decent, intentionally or otherwise. Understanding that dynamic is important to understanding what Wylan is like as a character and as a person. If you assume Wylan's trajectory is to become "Kaz 2.0", then you're going to mischaracterize him. I've seen posts about how Kaz was the Jordie that he didn't have to Wylan, and I think that makes a lot more sense. Because Kaz is willing to do the horrible things in his stead, Wylan has the third option otherwise impossible in the Barrel - maintaining his decency and surviving.

[natriae]

WEDDING REVENGE. MIYA ATSUMU

timeskip! Miya Atsumu x Fem! Reader

a/n: This is extremely self indulging with some stuff i've been dealing with lately and i just want comfort

C/W: MINORS DNI, VERY VERY HEAVY, mentions of sh (not in detail) , suicidal thoughts, panic attack, sexualish content, reader is from a country that doesn't speak japanese

You're not mad at Miya Atsumu. You're disappointed that's for sure. Now you have to get on the plane by yourself and try not to break down at this wedding all alone. Always alone, huh. They were right you will always be alone.

You left that place to prove yourself. Prove to them that you could survive the harsh world alone. You would grow and you didn't need them. You left them because it was good for you. But now you're going back. You wanted to come back stronger, and more successful then any of them.

You were successful that's for sure. You had your dream job. Athletic trainer for MSBY in osaka, Japan. You chased your dream and you didn't stop till you made it, but you were alone. You left "home" for a place thousands of miles away right after college. You only knew enough Japanese to get around, but you were determined to learn and live there, but now you are going back. Yes, it was just for a few days but you wished you never had too.

The memories held there were to much to bear. The people you will see, the voices you will hear, and the scents. Not only will you be battling the trauma you experienced but you will have to experience all of the people that were apart of it first hand.

please dont talk to me. please don't notice im there now that im alone.

Atsumu was kind. When he over heard you were going to a wedding ( you never actually said if you were going or not) he had asked if you were going alone. He could see your hesitancy. You repeated once again that you weren't sure if you were going, but if you were you would be alone. "i'll go with ya" He had said with a smile. You never got to say no, but you found comfort in his response. Glad he would be there with you. You wouldn't be alone anymore.

You bought the plane tickets and he sent you money for his. You felt happy that he was gonna go with you. You felt more secure knowing that he was gonna be with you. Someone who was like you. From the few times you guys hung out he accepted you for you. He listened to your interests and never made you feel invisible.

Now it felt like the times you would go home to an empty apartment. That didn't change till recently when every weekend Atsumu would come knocking at your door just to walk in and spend several hours on your couch bothering you.

-----------------------------‐--------------------

The actual service was over and now it was the reception. You saw them. The ones that hurt you. They were still together and they still seemed happy. They had each other. You on the other hand still felt out of touch. Like you weren't welcome here or accepted here.

Walking in to the reception their words from highschool were eating at you. It took so many years to get better. So many years spent grieving. So many years spent telling yourself that you were worth being alive. So many god damn years spent being comfortable by yourself and now all of it came crashing down.

They never had to feel the pain you did and it wasn't fair. Why didn't you just do it all those years ago. The pain would have ended. They would have understood how much pain they caused you. The confidence was gone. You felt like the same weak 16 year old. Nothing has changed.

Little did you know a 6'1 asshole with a slightly better blonde dye job was walking through the door to the resception asking everyone he incountered, in broken (your native language) if they had seen you. Thank god he knew who not to talk too.

One time after work he took you to Onigiri Miya and spent the whole night trying to break you to get you to tell him about your past. Not once did he look away from you as you spoke. It honestly was probably the longest Miya Atsumu has been quiet.

Once he saw you his signature grin appeared on his face and he lifted his hand up in the air and began to wave at you. You couldn't help but smile watching him. He was always so confident. Out of the corner of your eye you could see them watching. They had made a face. They must have been confused to see you with a friend let alone one they have never seen before. He ran over to your table and said "surprise!...are ya okay?". He genuinely seemed worried. That was new. Normally people don't care what you feel. Normally they try and steer the conversation away or not even look at you. Yet once again Miya Atsumu was watching you. Really watching you. "if yer not okay we can get outta 'ere"

"i'm okay. I promise," You faked a smile at him.

"okay stop sittin and lets dance," His grin appeared on his face again and he grabbed your hand. Somehow he walked to the dance floor like he's been here all night. Like he knew everyone here and was ready to have a good time.

What they say about him was true. He knew exactly how to stop time and make you feel like the most important person in the world. It was so god damn hard. How easily he was able to breakdown your walls, and have you fall into his arms at any given moment. The last thing you wanted was for all of this to be a joke. For him to just to be pretending so you give him attention and then leave you and have you question if you ever really knew him. Because you thought you knew a lot of people, but all of them hurt you and left.

"hey, the people behind me right now. They're the ones that hurt you right," He lightly moved his head back while still dancing to the music.

"yeah," you sighed out in response not exactly wanting to talk about them after trying to ignore them all night.

"i fuckin' hate her smug face back there. I saw it when I walked in 'an i knew that it was 'er." he said like she directly offended him. You let out a little giggle at that lookin at the ground. A little quieter and a little closer to you he lifted up your head with his fingers and told you "thats why i made such a scene when i came in. I wanted her and all of 'em to see that you have such a tall, sexy, muscular man on your side," He smirked at that and you couldn't help but let out a bigger laugh at that. Throwing you head back and immediately putting it back into place and covering your mouth. It's been a while since someone has made you felt this comfortable. He laughed at your wide eyes and shocked face holding his stomach. If people weren't looking at you guys before they definitely were now. You grabbed his arms and told him to shush while still giggling over the situation. Because he kept moving the two of you in circles when you looked up you made directed eye contact with her.

Your laughing stopped and your smile dropped just like you heart. All the memories came flooding back. The nights filled with with pain in more then one way. Filled with so many questions questions of why? And the fact that they just kept coming back to torture you more. They found every way to remind you that they were doing fine with out you. That they had no remorse for the pain they caused you. That they would always side with her no matter the amount of proof you had.

You didn't even realize his laughter had died down and he was now looking at you like he was trying to finish a puzzle, but that very last piece couldn't be found. "hey. Hey look at me. Let's go outside, yeah," he jerked his head towards the door and began to move your body towards them. He kept looking towards the door and back to you.

Once outside he sat you down at a bench and kept his hand on yours that was resting on your thigh and thats when you felt it. The heavy feeling on your chest and the racing thoughts. Thoughts about the fact that they are all talking about you. That you are still weak running away from your problems. Your stuck in the constant loop. She still had so much power over you. That if you just learned to keep your mouth shut none of this would have happened. Before you realized it was hard to breath, see, and even to hear. It's been a long time since you've had an attack like this. And it's so so embarrassing. You could hear small 'hey's said and his hands never left your body. He held them on your shoulders to keep you rooted to you seat. You could see him in your line of sight but everything was blurry. Like he was a ghost you made up to comfort you. He couldn't really be here. You didn't snap back into reality till you heard his calm voice tell you to breathe and him lifting you up to place you on his lap. He took of his suit jacket and placed it so it covered both of your faces. It layed on both of your heads and probably looked really stupid, but that didn't matter. All you could see was him.

"breathe with me," is what you heard him say. He exaggeratly breathed in and began to count. He did the same to breathe out. It was hard and you were doing those stupid little inhale hiccups trying to catch your breath. "ya are safe with me, okay." He held you close to him and held you tight. This is all you've ever wanted. He stayed and held you through it.

He didn't take his jacket off your heads still you stopped crying. A few tears would slip here and there but he was quick to wipe them. "when your ready were gonna go back there an kick some ass," you let out a little giggle at that again. He really knew you. He knew exactly what to do to brighten your day.

Before you could look over he watch the group of them leave the building. They were definitely looking for you because they were obsessed. That's all he could think. He thought they were sad human beings that had nothing better to then tear others down because they didn't feel good about themselves. You looked up at him and behind him you could see them looking around. Once they spotted you they began to converse with one another like they weren't searching for you.

Then the fire started in your gut. You could feeling nothing more then the years worth on anger bubbling inside you. You got up and began walking over there. You knew that Atsumu would hold you back when he needed to but right now he was to excited to see the drama unfold.

Before you knew it your fist collided with her nose. She fell back and then rest of them grabbed her and began asking if she was okay and calling you names. "alright little one it's time for you to go back to you hotel," Atsumu said as he rushed over to where you stood. He's never seen you this angry, and he knew that if he didn't stop you now it would end really badly. He asked you where your rental car was and took you back to it so you guys could leave the party.

You guys sat in your car in a comfortable silence as the sun went down and your tears slowly came to an end. "God knows how long i've waited to do that," you giggled. You felt crazy, but so much more free. Surpised that Atsumu didn't say anything you looked over.

He was just watching you. Love stuck puppy eyes on his face. You began to worry. He looked as though he was think a lot, and that was never a good sign. You felt stronger about yourself at this moment so you took the leap and decided to ask him what was up. "what are ya thinkin about," .

It took him so time to spit it out like he was worried you would punch him in the face too. "that was just- that was really hot,". Not in a million years did you imagine the Miya Atsumu would be calling you hot. He still looked at you like you put the stars in the sky but all you did was punch a girl from high school. "i-i've liked you for some time now, and i know that I sound stupid and you probably aren't ready for a relationship but god," he let got a breath that was similar to a giggle. He threw his head back and said "god what have ya done to me," He let out a longer laugh at that. After taking a deep breath in he looked directly into you eyes. "god i wanna kiss ya so badly. I wanna kiss you till all ya can think about is me" He said all while shaking his head slowly like he was fighting the words in his head.

"do it," is all you could say quietly with a breathy air to it. You kept looking between his eyes and his mouth. This was all so much but he just knew you. He knew what could get you to fall into him, and some how he knew your boundries.

He slammed his lips into yours and kissed you like he would never be able to again. If this is what Heaven is like you want to bask in its sunlight till you fry up and can't move. He leaned so far over the console just to chase your lips, and it seems as though he was holding himself back from crawling right over it and directly into you seat. You pushed him back a bit and got up on your knees. This time you were reaching over the console just to chase the lips you had to tell be quiet all the time. With the amount of filthy words that left his mouth all the time his lips were surpisingly sweet. He knew exactly when to bite, kiss, and lick. Could there possible be anything he wasn't good at. You felt his lips curve up into their signature smirk as you kissed and it made it all the hotter. Your sure the windows were fogged up at this point and it was so hard to not climb onto his lap and start unzipping your dress and unbutton his white button up.

He was right just from a kiss all you could think about was him. You wanted to see his abs in all their glory. You wanted to see his V-line more then just the teasing you saw when he stretched. You wanted to see where it lead and the rest of his happy trail. You wanted to see his thighs and bite and suck on them till he couldn't hide the hickeys. You wanted to hold on to his muscular back. Leaving long sratches down it so that ever time he moved he would remember the night you guys had together.

Once again it was hard to breathe, but this loss of breath felt much better. "please come stay at my hotel room" you asked. You hadn't realized the face you were making to him. Pupils blown out and lips swollen with need. You needed him, and he would never deny you of that.

"yes yes of course i will," At that you moved back to sitting in your seat and put your seatbelt on. Taking a deep breath you began to reverse out of the parking spot. Wow, today was eventful.

i wanna make a part 2 but ive never written smut before so its probably gonna be bad :,(

[callsign-bunnie]

I would love a comp of all your slasher stuff!!

Sorry this took so long!

Alright so first we have Slasher Fieldtrip

Soap Mactavish does not have a good feeling about this fieldtrip for his college class, especially considering it's a fieldtrip to Simon Riley's house, who was widely known for murdering his entire family and then disappearing into the woods. And they just go to his house and mess around in it. Soap really doesn't think this field trip is going to end well.

And when some girl runs out of the woods with a knife embedded in her skull, he knows he was right.

Unfinished but sort of the OG of it all

-

Next we have one that isn't necessarily Slasher but in the same vein, Every Move You Make

It started subtle. Soap started to notice things going missing in his dorm. A tee shirt he didn't particularly care about, but wore enough to notice it was gone, was the first thing he noticed. He'd gone to pull it on for class and realized he couldn't find it, anywhere. But, he'd just passed it off as probably having left it at the laundromat. Then notes started. Soap got home from a date and he found a sticky note on his bathroom mirror. He doesn't deserve you. It'd made Soap's blood run cold.

Or, Soap has a stalker, but he doesn't think he minds so much.

Finished and written a while ago

-

Slasher Party

When Rodolfo and Soap go to a party in an abandoned school in the middle of the woods, Rodolfo decides not to expect anything. It's decrepit, it's creepy, it's dark, it's loud, and he doesn't really like parties, anyway. On top of that, there's this awkward tension between him and Soap, his best friend, that it's really not shaping up to be a great experience.

Oh yeah, and then two murders start running around.

Basically Slashers but omegaverse, though I took a new spin on it!

-

Blood and Revenge

You know that one friend group? The one where it doesn’t quite make sense for them to be friends? None of them have any common interests, in fact they seem like polar opposites. Well, that was Rodolfo’s friend group. Rodolfo Parra, Kyle Garrick, Johnny Mactavish, and Gary Sanderson. To outsiders, the most they seemed to have in common was just that they were omegas and they went to the same college together.

No, it didn’t really make sense for them to be friends, but… somehow, though none of them really knew how, they had become friends. Best friends. Nothing would ever split them up.

Someone asked "what if the omegas were slashers" and told me I could do whatever ship so I did them all

-

Law Of Madness

"Rodolfo had met… them on a Tuesday. He remembered it so distinctly, because how could he not? In fact, he remembered everything about that day. It was raining outside and so his sweater was still slightly wet. His coffee had been a bit too bitter that day, tasting like the coffee shop had burnt the espresso when they made it and he’d woken up to a hole in his favorite sweater, which had put him in a seriously unhappy mood.

He was an intern for another lawyer, her name was Kate Laswell, and she was… brilliant. She was a criminal defense attorney and apparently this was a favor for her best friend, John Price, though she’d never explained to him what the favor was in return for."

Or

Rodolfo Parra is a law intern for Lawyer Kate Laswell. He's been her only intern for close to two years, now, and he loves his job. However, when she picks up a case as a favor, his entire world is thrown into contention by two alphas accused of slaughtering an entire frat at a party. He's choosing to believe they're innocent, even if everyone wants him to believe they're not.

Someone asked what if Rodolfo was a lawyer and I made it omegaverse

-

Slasher... Haunted House?

Rodolfo hates haunted houses. He's desensitised to them so they don't scare him and he can think of about a million better things to do than to go to a haunted house. However, when Soap uses the money for a movie they were planning to see in order to go to a Haunted House and make his exes jealous... well, he doesn't exactly get the choice.

However, while there he meets a scare actor dressed as one of the slashers from his favorite Slasher film and he decides he doesn't mind so much...

I was bored and found some vids on tiktok! Non abo

[xf-cases-solved]

S1E22: Born Again

Case: In an episode I always get mixed up with Shadows (Shadows is better)—and one that David Duchovny is quoted as "detesting"—a little girl, Michelle, is found outside alone on the streets of Buffalo, NY, when she gets picked up by a cop and taken back to the station. While there, two detectives, Lazard (which I keep wanting to spell as Lizard) and Barbala interview her. Lazard leaves the room briefly, and in that time, Barbala gets launched through the window and gets pancaked onto the ground. The sanest assumption is that Barbala chose that moment to commit suicide, which still doesn't make any sense, but there's no way anyone else could have gotten inside without Lazard noticing, and Michelle couldn't have done it, bc she's just a little girl... right??

Hence the X-File. Mulder and Scully, and their team of deeply, deeply New York-sounding episode NPCs work together to figure out who killed Barbala. But as another bizarre death occurs, and weird coincidences start to pile up, Mulder starts to suspect that Michelle might be experiencing memories from a past life, as is the conclusion any sane and rational person would immediately jump to. 

A therapist has a cabinet full of unsettling, mutilated dolls; Mulder finally convinces someone to let him use hypnosis as a detective's tool, but then is denied a second time when he tries to push his luck; magic procedural cop show photo editing provides convenient evidence; and Michelle's mom just wants her daughter to be less creepy. (In her defense, her daughter is legit kinda creepy. X-Files kids are always fucking creepy.)

Does someone die in the cold open: Yes. Concrete pancake with a side of bacon.

Does Mulder present a slideshow: No, he's still recovering from the shame from last episode. (Jk, Mulder doesn't feel shame. Well. At least not about stuff like that. Shame and guilt about who he is as a person and the impact he has on the people he loves? That, he has in abundance, but that's neither here nor there.)

Does the evidence survive the investigation: Ig, but none of it was particularly good evidence to begin with.

Whodunit: A dead guy avenging his death by channeling himself through a creepy little girl using telekinesis. Probably.

Convictions: The one guy who doesn't die gets arrested for murdering Charlie Morris, AKA, who Michelle was in a past life or something.

Did they solve it: Maybe. The murder of Charlie Morris is solved, but that wasn't what they were investigating. They were investigating Barbala's death, and while Mulder and Scully but mostly Mulder can speculate on whether or not Michelle killed him (and if so, then how?), they have no definitive proof. (Also, cherry on top, Scully literally calls the status of the case "unexplained" at the end of the episode, so she agrees with me.) 

[how do i determine if a case is solved? check the scale here: x]

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY: Learning a new skill from a past life. Have you ever wanted to pick up painting or drawing? Maybe sculpting, or perhaps knitting has caught your interest. Have you ever wanted to learn the art of Japanese paper folding? Sometimes it feels like there are a million new hobbies you could entertain yourself with, but simply not enough hours in the day to learn how to do them. This is why we suggest learning a new skill from a past life! Instead of wasting all that time "practicing," try channeling the lives you've lived before. Once you remember who you used to be before your soul inhabited this new form, you'll also be able to remember all the skills you used to have. Was your past self a talented musician? Well, it looks like you get to save money on those guitar lessons! Were you a gourmet chef in the 19th century? Well, now you're a gourmet chef in the 21st century! The possibilities are endless. Learn a new skill from a past life today!* *(Channeling your past self may result in knowledge that you experienced a wrongful death, and an uncontrollable urge for revenge may surface. We are not responsible for any violent behaviors, weird attachments to past loved ones, or inexplicable phobias that may arise once you have gotten in touch with the history of your soul.)

***

General Total Stats:

(green means stat has changed since last ep; red means new stat added to list)

Total Cases *Definitively* Solved So Far: 11 (guess they're not so high above bureau standards after all...)

Total Number of "Mulder/Scully, It's Me" Phone Calls: 1 (i promise you this stat will get extremely high extremely fast once they get into the swing of things. like, an ep i just watched had it happen 5 fucking times, so just be patient lmfao)

Total Number of Times Scully Has Conveniently Not Seen Something Crucial: 5

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Been in Mortal Danger: 7

Total Number of Times Scully Has Been in Mortal Danger: 8

Total Number of Sexually Charged, Uncomfortably Intimate, and/or Flirty Moments Between Friendly Coworkers: 11

Total Number of Autopsies Scully Has Performed On Screen: 3 (i don't remember it occurring, but my notes said it did so)

Total Number of Times Scully Plays Doctor: 2

Total Number of Times Mulder Talks to an Informant: 10 

Total Number of Times People Making Out in a Car Are Hurt or Killed: 2

Total Number of Nosebleeds: 4

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Tasted/Sniffed/Touched Something Questionable Without Following Proper Safety Procedures: 2 

Total Number of Times Someone Says "Trust No One": 1 

Total Number of Times Someone Says "I Want to Believe": 3

Total Number of Times Someone Says "The Truth is Out There": 1

Total Number of Cigarettes Cigarette Smoking Man Has Smoked: 6

Total Number of Maggie Scully Sightings: 1

Total Number of Lone Gunmen Sightings: 1

Total Number of Alex Krycek Sightings: 0 :(

Total Number of Times I Had to Look Up What State the Episode Takes Place in Even Though I Literally Just Watched It: 7½ (the people's accents in this episode are so strong it's impossible not to know it's in new york)

Total Number of Times I Had to Look at an Episode's Wikipedia Page to Fill This Out Because It Was Fucking Confusing and/or Too Boring for Me to Pay Attention: 5

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Daughter of the Rain and Snow

Concept: Around ten years after the events of Crooked Kingdom, 25-year-old Captain Inej Ghafa frees Maya Olsen from a pleasure house in Ketterdam. Maya is looking for revenge against the man who put her in her position, a man who she knows nothing about except his name: Kaz Brekker.

Tags: @wraith--2 @lunarthecorvus @just2bubbly @real-fragments7 @ethereal-maia @cartoon-clifford @origami-butterfly @lady-a-stuff

Content Warnings: in more general terms I want to remind people to be aware of the nature of Kaz and Inej's experiences and relationship since even if I'm not directly addressing these things they tend to be implicit in any writing about them, but specifically to this chapter there's threats and ptsd references.

Chapter 20 - Kaz

The five of them sat in the living room of the Hendricks house, staring at the ominous array of letters spread across the coffee table. There were seven in total, the two he and Inej had found in their house, Wylan’s, Jesper’s, Nina’s, and the second ones for him and Inej. Six of them lay open, their neatly inked words staring at the ceiling, their folded edges refusing to quite lie flat. Inej’s new envelope lay next to them, still sealed. Kaz had set them out in the order they’d been delivered - Nina’s, his and Inej’s, Jesper and Wylan’s, his, Inej’s. He let his eyes slip across the pages and read them for the thousandth time.

Do you like living in the fortress you almost destroyed? Does it amuse you? Enjoy your cage, little red bird, be it gilded or not.

You're losing your touch, Brekker. I hope you've enjoyed your time on top. Shame these things never last.

Hello, little lynx.

Did you think paying your debts made us even, Fahey? You may not owe us anymore, but I definitely owe you. See you soon

Enjoy your blood money.

And then the one he’d found on his desk this morning.

The countdown’s started, Brekker, how many breaths left til your last?

Kaz sighed. They had no clear starting point, no clues that pointed to any particular party.

“Only two of our names are used in the notes themselves,” he said eventually, even though he wasn’t sure that was particularly relevant, “Nina who was your letter for?”

“What do you mean?”

“Was it addressed to you or to Mila?”

“Me,” she fidgeted with her sleeve, “That was almost the most frightening part. Who would use my real name?”

Inej looked up sharply, panic in her eyes sending a shockwave through Kaz’s heartbeat.

“I do,” she said, “Always. An envelope that says Nina, inside an envelope that says Mila - with a little ‘X’ in the corner so you know to open it alone. Could someone have intercepted that, to find out who you are?”

“It’s possible,” said Kaz.

Inej flushed, dark eyes slipping to a downcast gaze. Nina took her hand and squeezed it tight.

“So the envelopes were all correctly addressed,” said Kaz, “Except for Wylan’s. Yours, Nina, had to do everything it could to get you to Ketterdam - scare you with your real name, reference the Ice Court heist, bring to surface doubts you presumably already had about living in Fjerda,”

“Gee, thanks, Kaz,”

“But it doesn't seem like ours were supposed to connect us straight away,” he continued, “Until I saw you were here, I had no reason to think these were coming to anyone but me and Inej. Did they want to keep us separate from the three of you?”

“I don’t think so,” said Wylan, “They clearly know enough about us for it to be a safe assumption we’d tell each other - especially if they wanted Nina to come to the house. If you two weren’t already here, we’d have been coming to find you anyway - at least when we saw they knew about the Ice Court,”

Kaz nodded.

“But I didn’t come straight to the house,” said Nina, “I went to Inej and Kaz’s first, then here when I found their place empty,”

“Then were we meant to be kept separate?” asked Jesper

Wylan shook his head.

“You’d have still known it was linked to the Ice Court,”

“So we still would’ve come to you,” finished Nina.

“I’d like to think you’d come anyway if you were in the city,” added Jesper, “I’m rather offended you went to find Inej first,”

“It’s because I’m her favourite,”

“I thought you were on a job, Inej” said Nina, “I went to find Kaz first,”

“Well now I’m especially offended,” said Jesper, “So I’m not going to offer you a coffee. Would anyone else like a coffee?”

Everyone requested one. Inej was refused one - on grounds everyone else seemed to be aware of and Kaz had no interest in trivially learning.

Kaz heard Jesper asking the maid for 4 coffees and a cup of tea from round the corner, that mousy little question mark of a girl he’d found wandering around the Crow Club like a lost lamb a few years ago. She didn’t seem to have changed much since then, still scrawny and nervous - and intriguing. There was mystery there he didn’t understand; the way she seemed to exist at odds with herself like there was something being kept from her about her own personality.

It was a trivial thing to think about. He nudged Inej’s unopened letter across the table towards her.

“Last piece of the puzzle?”

“I wouldn’t have high hopes,” she replied, picking it up.

Considering she wasn’t wearing any of her usual sheaths or quickdraws, Kaz had no idea where the little knife that appeared in Inej’s hand had just come from. She sliced deftly through the envelope and discarded it on the table as she slipped the paper free. Her eyes scanned the page and Kaz watched the tension in her fingers tighten, crumpling the edges of the paper ever so slightly where she held it.

“They’re listening to us,” she whispered, eyes not lifting from the words.

Kaz frowned.

“Right now?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. But they were listening in the shelter,”

“That’s not possible,” said Kaz, “No-one knows it’s there,”

“No-one knows I’m Mila Jandersdat,” Nina reminded him.

Inej passed the letter across the table and Kaz picked it up, brow furrowing as he read.

Do your Saints demand penance?

He passed the paper to Nina.

“Why does this mean they’re listening?” he asked

“That’s what she said to me,” murmured Inej, flicking that little blade between her fingertips, “When…”

Kaz nodded. He wouldn’t make her say it out loud again. If it became necessary for the others to know, and she couldn’t face it, he could give them the summarised version.

“What who said?” asked Nina

“A girl Inej sprang from the Tulip Mill,” said Kaz, ignoring the questioning expression that crossed Nina’s face.

Inej was sure to talk to her later alone, she would get her answers then.

“Anyone fancy telling me what this girl said?” asked Wylan

Nina read the question out loud, and Wylan frowned.

“Penance for what?” he asked

Inej looked away.

“She called me a traitor,” she’d told him in the bedroom, “for being with you. A betrayal of all the people like us. Like me,”

“Do you agree with her?” he’d forced himself to murmur.

He needed the answer even though he thought he knew it. Because if Inej didn’t think that, at least to some amount, why would it ever have upset her this much? Baseless accusations don’t make people sink like that. There has to be truth to a thing for it to drown you.

Kaz thought of Nina’s letter, raising doubts she’d surely felt herself. Was he Inej’s gilded cage, trading one prison for another? And if he knew that, should he set her free?

Inej had swallowed, hand twisting in his palm.

“No,”

He’d nodded, watching her hand raise to slowly cup his cheek. He didn’t stop her.

“I promise you,” she’d whispered, like she’d known what he needed to hear, moving closer as they breathed in tandem.

Kaz tightened his grip on his cane. She was a good liar, his mind told him, that was all. He wondered if there was a way of throttling the taunting voice inside his head, as if it weren’t the only one in there.

[vincent-sinclair-deserved-better]

🍕 - What is their favorite food?

🎹 - Do they have any hobbies?

🙌 - How many sibling does your OC have?

🌂 - What genre do they belong in?

For Rón perhaps?

What is their favorite food?

Fried squid. His parents like to jokingly scold or criticise him for it, and it does make him subject of a lot of good-natured teasing. In revenge, he introduces his younger relatives to fried seafood in order to corrupt them.

Do they have any hobbies?

He likes making stuff with driftwood, sea glass, or shells, whether it's just decorations or useful objects - due to insistence of a friend (and coworker) he's tentatively started to accept commissions (from locals), although he also just gives things away to people and local tourist shops. He doesn't really want or need money since most materials he just finds, and making stuff is something he enjoys - giving them away saves him (and his home) from becoming cluttered. In his free time he offers free courses on DIY work with natural materials like that and how to responsibly collect them, without disturbing the environment and animals.

Additionally, since he loves swimming and freediving, he does occasionally (especially in summer) assist the lifeguards, and helps his sister with her freediving classes.

He also knits (though his mum is better) and likes writing and receiving letters.

How many sibling does your OC have?

Since I didn't have a response to this, I've now spent all day "quickly looking for a few names" and trying to figure out when his parents would've had children and what age they would've been (taking months into consideration because I already suck with numbers so why not make it harder for me amirite)

Anyway, it's five. As things currently stand, in June, if we take Rón being 27 as reference, they'd be 24, 17, 15, and the twins 11. Mum is 39 and dad 40.

What genre do they belong in?

Uh. idk man (gender neutral). Random daydreams, concepts, and a lot of thoughts I don't write down agdhgah

[angelsdean]

It's funny for me that fanon Sam is, following his time at Stanford, thee greatest of ally and defensor of human rights, while canonically college turns him into a judgemental snob - frowning upon winning money as a hunter, saving the prisoners, etc, etc (snobbish s1 Sammy my beloved !!!) (PS: also his alternative self in Lebanon XD)

no literallly. sam wanted to fit in so hard at stanford he drank some of the snobby rich kid kool-aid. and like, dissecting that is infinitely more interesting to me than perfect liberal and allyTM fanon sam. like i wanna know what sam's problem is sjdkfdfk. s1 does a great job of creating this dichotomy, esp in the very early eps, where dean represents the hunting world, the fringes of society, the outcasts and Other, and sam is coming out of this perfect idealized world that was college, where he absorbed some of those snobby ideals, as a way to reject his family / lifestyle (tho mostly as a way to reject JOHN and john's ideas of what sam's life should be). But then we see sam throughout those early episodes making choices that actively lead him further down the road of hunting, choices that have him rejecting "normal society" and choosing this journey, this quest, taking up the mantle and following john's path.

(there are lot of examples and maybe i'll make a post abt them all one day but one that always stands out to me is in 1x06 Skin, where the conflict is about the isolation of hunting vs the desire for community and connection to the outside world. it seems like dean is pro-cut ties with the world, but why? well, we later learn in 1x13 he tried to let an outsider into his world and cassie rejected him for it. but sam, at the start of the ep, is trying to have the best of both worlds. he thinks he can keep his outsider friends while still hunting. then by the end of the ep, his friend now knows all about hunting and wants to stay in touch. and sam shuts her out and says she probs won't hear from him anytime soon. and it's just so bonkers to me !! but he's making that choice, he's choosing hunting and slowly rejecting and cutting ties to his idealized stanford life.)

and he wants it, is the thing. he's on a one track mind: find john, find the demon, kill it and avenge jess and mary.

this got long-winded but anyway, i think all that s1 snobbery is SO crucial to sam's journey, it's important we see it, it's important we see where he was coming from, how stanford had begun to change and shape him in different ways, how stanford was symbolic of this total opposite to hunting, it's the snobby rich who don't care about the people on the fringes, it's studying LAW while holding beliefs that all people in prison are not "innocent" and a ghost killing them off isn't the biggest deal. and then dean + the hunting lifestyle is meant to be the juxtaposition to that. he's living on the fringes of society, he's Other. That's why the shifter in Skin identifies with dean so much, aside from the queer metaphors. The shifter choosing fresh-off-of-ivy-league sam would not make for the same kind of parallel, as much as sam has his psychic kid stuff going on, that's only barely begun at this point. He doesn't yet think he's a freak for being psychic or the demon blood stuff, he doesn't even know abt any of that. But paralleling the shifter with dean highlighted the isolating, othering nature of hunting, in an episode where the "brother conflict" was isolation vs community. And through the shifter we learn that dean didn't Want to be a hunter either. He had dreams, wanted friends. And sam hears all of this, and still at the end of the episode chooses to reject his friend's offer to keep in touch. Taking another step away from the idealized stanford life and another step down the path of hunting + his revenge quest. And it's so goddamn interesting and delicious and fascinating to me !!!! fanon sam could never

[felikatze]

i finished all the zeno endings yahooo

at this point i admit i played it because i saw gavinom make fanart for it and gavinom makes the most baller WH fanart to exist so obviously i had to check it out

on one hand i liked it, on the other i didn't... i think it's because themes and some narrative elements are at war with each other?

uhh cws i guess discussion of ableism (institutional), cannibalism, mental illness stuff, whatever happens in Zeno

I really liked the True Ending E and Ushinoro Ending H... It's a commonality of both "best endings" that it has all characters confront their traumas and learn to move on from them. This is most evident in Fuyu in Ending E, who copes with what happened to his sister and finally lets go of his revenge...

And in Ending H, i really liked that Haru is still messed up from everything he witnessed, but he's getting better. He still has these impulses in his heart, he knows it's wrong, but it's still something that shaped him, and he wants to get better... It's nice. Also notably, Ending H is the one where nobody gets magical memory erasure. Everybody has to recover organically..

In that sense, I like that the whole memory erasure thing never really works, mainly applying to the normal endings. Bcuz you can't face and move on from trauma by just repressing it. That's why Haru relapsed even after his memories got erased the first time. He didn't properly deal with it, so as soon as he was reminded of it, it just came bubbling back.

Similarly, in the Sin Endings where Aki tells Haru the truth, it doesn't work either, because instead of supporting Haru through everything, Aki kind of just ends up stumbling ass backwards into Haru's biggest trigger and retraumatizes him.

In all of the Sin endings, it shows that you can't cure someone "by force" in how Aki treats Haru in those. Reflects hamfisted therapy approaches that are too focused on fixing people instead of treating them as actual people.

There's also a similar thread in the backstory, of how Aki fought to keep the facility open because he saw that his talk therapy approach was working with Haru. and it IS notable that Haru makes first strides toward recovery when he's treated humanely and finds a friend, literally anything resembling a support system.

It's extremely common for people to relapse when in safe environments. Even afterward, Haru immediately felt immense regret and agreed to treatment, which is why he accepted Fuyu's memory treatment, even when Fuyu was being shifty as fuck. Haru wanted to get better for Aki. Cute.

Where was I. Ah yes the institutional ableism thing. Aki fighting to keep the facility open because a humane approach was working, but the higher ups wrote off every patient as a lost cause and just plain crazy. Reflects the real societal problem that there just isn't enough money invested into rehabilitation and humane medicine.

The True Ends and Ushinoro Ends really managed to pull through on not having me write the game off after the whole "cannibal disease" twist by portraying everybody affected as a victim themselves, who can still recover and get better, even if they never forgive themselves or each other. You can always move on bro.

Now speaking of what I didn't like. the cannibal disease thing.

I GET that part of the theme is "this could happen to anybody." ANYONE can experience something traumatic, be struck by mental illness at any moment. There is no use thinking you're "above" anybody when you're one bad day away from being like them, and breaking that barrier of "normal people" and "the crazies" is the first step to the long road of destigmatization, and of getting people some actual support.

But. the specifics of the Zeno disease.... If it's caused by trauma, what the hell was all this genetic shit about? There's several notes in the game mentioning it may be hereditary, which would explain why both Fuyu and Natsu were affected, as siblings, but you're cutting WAY TOO DEEP into "serial killer gene" eugenicist theories there, pal.

Like with Haru.... since we get to see his backstory First and the game presents a very reasonable throughline of why he ended up this way... Child neglect + abuse left him with a skewed worldview and when he witnessed Natsu being eaten that imprinted on him a distorted meaning of love. And like, i can Understand this sequence of events? I can understand why Haru is behaving this way, I understand why specifically cannibalism is what he does. Because THAT'S what impressed him.

Whereas for the other people with Zeno... because Haru is set up So Well for these specific symptoms, everybody else just seems wack by comparison. Like okay maybe Fuyu still works since his traumatizing incident was his sister getting eaten but for Aki himself there really is NO throughline between his parents dying and eating people. There's no presentation of how the cause leads to the effect outside of a general "Trauma causes Zeno".

and in its origin Zeno ends up directly paralleling PTSD, so u get why "trauma causes u to kill people" is like, bad. Again for Haru it WORKS because there's that specific throughline of how he ended up this way.

And Natsu's trauma is.............. being rejected by her crush? Seriously? Like cmon man. When i saw that i was just sitting there like. Okayyyyy. Because she's the Only Girl this had to happen I guess. Maybe mirrors how Haru is also blatantly in love w Aki in his own distorted way but still just so weak.

(Actually thinking abt that one Sin Ending where Aki forces Haru to eat part of him to "cure" him based on his own misconceptions.... Like that is more compelling as a reason for Aki to have cannibalized Natsu than "he just suddenly wanted to due to Fantasy Disease"... Like if Natsu actually forced him to or something. Whatever.)

I also didn't like on the Ushirono End Path where it's revealed it's Natsu's Spirit that caused Aki to relapse. I mean like, isn't Aki relapsing because he was put into the position of killing someone to protect himself more compelling and also more reasonable? Like you don't flat out Cure trauma. It's always gonna be there you can work with it you can move on with it but there is no state where it is simply 100% Erased without risk of return Ever, which I'd imagine is the same for Zeno.

So to say that "Yeah Aki's Zeno was Cured from eating Natsu but then HER Zeno infected him again" is so weird. First of all, it's never established anywhere ever that Zeno can in any way be transmitted. That's a false correlation Aki makes at some point because Fuyu bit Haru prior to Haru going off the deep end again. Second of all. What?

The game is TRYING to base it's lore in reality by making Zeno a mental illness caused by trauma and to then introduce Spirits at the last minute... Suddenly having a ghost as part of the climax. I SEE the symbolic value both in getting to learn about Natsu as more than just Aki's victim, in allowing Fuyu the opportunity to talk to his sister one last time, in having her dying one final time to give Aki closure over his guilt, but.

Thematically. Yeah sure it's great. Logistically... out of place.

What the fuck am i talking about. RIGHT ZENO. outside of the whole "it's bad to just invent a mental illness that has you kill people" and the complaint at how weak it makes Aki's backstory when Haru's is great, other lore around Zeno is also just a bit Weird.

Like that it was being researched in this facility as potential use for a military weapon, since Zeno made people tougher and improved regeneration. This is obviously drawing on the concept of "hysteric strength", that humans are much stronger when their inhibitions are removed under duress. But it also makes it weird that the military would then just call it quits on the research when the patients aren't being cured. Like, you don't want them being cured, right? It's the ableism of only wanting people to recover if they're "useful", and if it's too hard, then they might as well just die to spare the resources.

And part of me understands that Zeno is also of course a plot device. Aki eating Natsu is necessary to facilitate the whole plot. Without that inciting incident, Haru wouldn't have developed the way he did, Fuyu wouldn't want revenge, Aki wouldn't have started working in the facility, etc.

There's lore bits saying that the military was looking for a way to artificially induce Zeno, because of the whole hysteric strength thing, then called it quits when the patients turned out to be too much to handle. Why isn't there anything to do with that? Ig i'm just spitballing at least something like THIS would feel more adequate over "Natsu wanted to eat people because her crush rejected her" + the mini lore over the oldest Ushirono being the vice prime minister who signed off on the facility being destroyed, fully aware that his younger brother is an employee there. Like what if this guy used Natsu as a subject to induce Zeno, then Natsu forced Aki to kill her, which fucked up Aki and Haru which lead to everything?

And maybe you'd feel that cheapens the narrative but it WOULD reframe what happened with Natsu as "terrible shit that ultimately wasn't anybody's fault and we all just now have to cope with" which is ultimately the exact same thing as just going "Aki went through with it because he had Zeno" because both options resolve Natsu and Aki of responsibility for their actions.

And now I'm gonna ramble about another point which is that exact measure of "responsibility". Like. Fuyu still wants to kill Aki even after being cured. Haru still has these urges in him on the path to recovery. Aki takes personal responsibility for having killed Natsu.

It's so WEIRD to say "they did these things because of The Disease" and then still put everything squarely in their hands. And i guess that's the narrative of "everybody has these urges inside them and could become like this" but then why make it this funky disease if everybody is acting on their own urges anyway???

and also side note. no cannibalism is not a basic human urge. it's just. not. everybody doesn't have the desire to eat people in their heart. maybe hurting people. but eating people is a specific expression of that, not the universal one.

i feel like if i talk more i'm going to spin more circles than i have already.

SO!! CONCLUSION!!! I did like it. I liked the commentary on redemption and recovery and a sympathetic depiction of mentally ill people, even those who have done "unforgivable" things, and the best ending shows that despite everything they've done, Aki and Haru don't deserve to die. It's very humanizing.

But ultimately weakened by the last minute introduction of supernatural elements, and the basic worldbuilding of the Zeno disease that just feels completely out of place for Aki and his character.

Idk what rating I'd give it. Good but i have mixed feelings? I thought the ending portions were overall great? Fuck if I used a guide tho, I'd have never found any of that shit myself, and the Sin Path was pretty delightfully Fucked.

for just like 2,5 hours of playtime max, it gives a lot to chew on. also the puzzles were fun though i DID use a guide for the timed one on the Ushinoro End path because FUCK OFF MAENO I'M GONNA HAVE A HEART ATTACK SOLVING PUZZLES UNDER A TIME LIMIT.

i also very much appreciate that it just lets you turn chase sequences off because otherwise my poor fragile rabbit heart would not be able to cope and i would explode. thank u for the accessibility.

[quaz-art]

Grishastuck Kaz lore post let's go boys !!!

Note: the Cancerous Insurrection did not happen so adult trolls are allowed on Alternia.

Simple stuff first! Why a Bronzeblood? It's for obvious reasons I think; he's a farm boy, it just makes sense. My choice to make him Prospit is less obvious if you only consider the explanations used in the Extended Zodiac (EZ), but I would argue that even using only that it is by far more fitting than him being Derse. Yes his persona is that of a loner but Kaz considers the big picture and does work best with others to support him. He is not a solo act, despite what the persona of Dirtyhands might suggest.

Moving on from the obvious—time for classpecting! Thief and Mind are both pretty obvious choices, but together they don't make a whole lot of sense at first. The literal interpretation would be someone who steals others' plans much like how Vriska steals the spotlight. The problem with that is Meenah, she isn't stealing wealth and prosperity as a Thief of Life. Rather, she steals using her own prosperity as the means. This is the type of Thief I made Kaz, stealing using the aspect of Mind. In my personal analysis of the classes I describe a Limiter to their power that is unique to each class, building upon the ideas of the Instrument of the Muse and the Patron of the Witch from the comics. The Limiter for the Thief is the Treasure, something which they are trying to steal whether that be something more abstract or a physical thing. Acquisition of the Treasure is the ultimate goal of the Thief, and in this case Kaz's Treasure is earning his brother's forgiveness (whether through revenge or, later on, gaining the power and security to not be vulnerable again)

Speaking of Jordie, most of Kaz's backstory here is unchanged. Dumping hoards of lowbloods into the sea as a means of getting rid of the dead is absolutely something the empire would do.

Kaz and Jordie shared a Lusus—A Blind Woofbeast, pictured below next to an adult Kaz (he is still 6 foot do not let the stylization fool you. This is a big dog.)

(I modeled their Lusus after a sheepdog, it felt appropriate given the agrarian background and Kaz's affection for dogs)

The Ritvel brothers moved to the city after the death of their Lusus with the hope of making enough money to evade the draft. Things seemed to be going well, they were taken in by a retired off-world merchant named Jackob Herzon who ended up being the leader of the inter-world gang known as the Deci-lions; Pekkah Rolins. Kaz's time on the Reaper's barge is made worse by the sun burning away at his flesh. He ends up forming a cocoon of corpses to hide away from the painful light of the sun, though he has plenty of burn scars from where the light managed to peek through his makeshift roof of bodies.

Kaz ends up joining the Dregs, a gang run by a nobody jade by the name of Mr. Haskel who lives off-world and spends most of their hard-earned credits drinking away, much to the dismay of everyone who works for him. He still insists on calling their symbol an "ominous squawk-beast" like some sort of low blood pauper. Since Kaz took control everyone in the gang knows the tattoo to be of a crow and cup. Not a fucking squawk-beast and a chalice.

Kaz keeps his blood color anonymous for fairly obvious reasons, while hemo-heirarchy is less of a factor in the underbellies of society it would undermine his reputation just as much, if not moreso, as being found out as being from the country. There are plenty of rumors about Dirtyhands's blood, that he doesn't have any, that if you slice him open he'd bleed harbor water, that he's an indigo playing dress-up in the barrel. All of them serve him decently enough. The problem with his blood comes as his 9th sweep is approaching, while he can easily avoid the draft by this point the matter of his eyes is horrifyingly out of his control. Without a serious influx of credits the only option he has is to blind himself, at least until a councilman approaches him with a job offer from the empire. A job with a payout too big to pass up, even if the task at hand is impossible.