#like not that I necessarily think he should turn into a full blown villain

[bluemew-theturtle]

I've been re-reading (or rather, re-listening) to Wilderlore and I'm at the end of TES where Asfour announces her running for Grand Keeper.

The fact that Leopold almost immediately accused Runa of "being loyal to her" is INSANE. Not just because it was unwarranted in the moment (all Runa did was point out that Asfour announcing it to his face is better than him hearing about it second hand), but because of the way that he's treated Runa from the very start. Like what's the alternative here, being loyal to you? He has absolutely zero warmth towards her. He literally said that it's her fault that his other apprentice turned out to be a terrorist. And yet he had the audacity to imply that SHE'S betraying HIM for not being disgusted that Asfour is practicing her right to run for election LOL

[kittyprincessofcats]

I finished RWBY Volume 5!!

Loved it!! After volume 4 was (understandably) a bit slower-paced, I didn’t expect things to get intense and serious this quickly, but I’m glad they did! I have so many thoughts I wanted to write down, so here we go:

[There will be spoilers for RWBY up to Volume 5 in this post (duh). Please don’t leave spoilers for anything after Volume 5 on this post, otherwise I will block you.]

- I have to say, I definitely liked Cinder more when she wasn’t talking. During Volume 4, I kind of started feeling bad for her on some level, but then she got better and started being her old condescending, power-hungry self and I was like… nevermind, I hate you again.

- Qrow being super drunk when he first brings Oscar home was absolutely hilarious.

- Yang is SO COOL. Have I mentioned that she’s so cool? Like wow, I wish I was that cool! The bike, the new (amazing) outfit, the way she just punched that creepy guy and walked right up to her mom’s bandit camp making demands of her – she’s so cool and I’m here for it.

- Yang and Weiss’ reunion was so sweet! 😭 I was waiting for literally any of Team RWBY’s members to reunite and that got me right in the feels! (Also, I loved the whole “Wait, your mom kidnapped me?” “Wait, you kidnapped her?” exchange - brilliant 😂.)

- Ruby’s reunion with Yang and Weiss was so sweet, too! 😭 Tears were definitely shed over reunions in this volume! And it was so nice to finally have most of Team RWBY and what’s left of Team JNPR back together and see them bond and catch up with each other 😭. Found family back together! It’s what they deserve!

- Yang being so angry at Blake for leaving makes perfect sense, imo, especially considering her own abandonment issues. And even more so considering that she lost that arm while protecting Blake. Also, I don’t think it’s reading too much into it to say that Yang and Blake’s interactions and their storyline together have had romantic undertones since volume 2. (And no, I’m not just saying that because I ship Bumbleby; it’s the other way around – I ship Bumbleby because those romantic undertones were there in the first place.) So yeah, Yang always tried to help and support Blake, lost an arm protecting her from her abusive ex, and then Blake just left – I get why Yang’s hurt and angry. And that moment where she goes from complaining about how she just wants to be there for Blake, before finally admitting “What if I needed her there for me?” - that’s a really good moment for Yang, even beyond the romantic subtext. It’s nice to see Yang admit that she also wants someone else to be there for her, that she wants to receive that same love and care in return.

- I also want to point out that it’s nice to see how far Weiss has come since volume one. She really took a level in kindness and became a lot more mature, to the point where she’s now giving Yang relationship advice. It’s really nice to see.

- Ruby’s talk with Oscar about Penny and Pyrrha really got me teary eyed.

- I wasn’t that fond of Sun at first, but he had some really great moments in this volume, so he’s starting to grow on me now. I still don’t ship him with Blake, but their friendship is sweet.

- And now, let’s talk about THE standout character of the whole volume for me: ILIA!! Holy hell, I love everything about her! You know how some characters grow on you over time, and then there are those characters that you see one episode with and they just become instant favourites? That second one was Ilia for me. I watched Blake’s character short before Volume 5 and the moment I heard her backstory she jumped right to the top of my favourite character list without question AND I started shipping her and Blake right away. (Yes, I love Bumbleby and all, but I’m a multishipper. I’m perfectly capable of equally loving two ships that contradict each other.)

- It’s just – Ilia and Blake’s dynamic got me hooked! Not to compare everything to my OTP (Catra and Adora from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), but let me quickly make this comparison: Two girls who grew up together, were both members of a certain evil organization until one of them left it and the other didn’t, now they’re on opposing sides and have to fight each other, but they still clearly care about each other. Plus, there are confirmed romantic feelings from at least one side there. I know many people (including myself) have compared Bumbleby to Catradora before – because you’ve got one blonde jock and one catgirl – but when it comes to the dynamic and the backstory, Blake and Ilia (what’s that ship called? Catmeleon, I think?) resemble Catradora even more. And it’s just the kind of dynamic I’m weak for.

(Honestly, it’s kind of funny how predictable I am both when it comes to favourite characters and favourite ships. My sister, who got me into both She-Ra and RWBY, took one look at Catra years ago and immediately predicted that I would love her. And when she first saw Ilia, she also immediately knew she’d be one of my favourites. Basically, my sister once described my “type” of favourite characters as “troubled, cute and gay” and that pretty much sums it up.)

- Speaking of troubled, cute, and gay: I’m glad RWBY finally has some CANON LGBT representation! Hell yes for that! Honestly, I interpreted Ilia’s feelings for Blake as romantic right away, but I wondered if it was just bait or my usual tendency to see romantic undertones in any interaction between two girls. But then that “I wanted you to look at me that way” line happened and… WOW. Yes. Amazing, talented, brilliant, never been done before, showstopping, incredible. I’m 100% sold on both the ship and Ilia as a character.

(One more thing before I change topics: I try to keep these posts positive and not get into discourse too much (since I’ve heard there was (is?) a lot of discourse in the RWBY fandom – but I took just one look into the tag for Volume 5 and immediately saw people arguing that Ilia’s not good representation because she’s a villain. And I just want to quickly address why that’s nonsense, in my opinion (and before you ask, yes I am a lesbian myself): First of all, she’s not even a full-blown villain. She’s clearly shown as confused and misguided from the beginning. And her feelings for Blake are never portrayed as a negative thing. She also has a redemption literally two episodes after being revealed to be queer. And in general, I don’t think queer villains are necessarily a bad thing and I’m tired of queer characters not being allowed to be flawed. How come straight characters get to just exist, but any queer character better be a shining beacon of morality or else they’re bad representation? I agree that RWBY should introduce more queer characters to balance things out a bit, but I wouldn’t say Ilia was bad representation by herself, since she’s a character I think we’re meant to have sympathy for.

- Now I just hope that future volumes of RWBY don’t pull a Bury Your Gays and kill Ilia off... I’d really hate that. (No spoilers on this post, please!)

- The entire fight at the Belladonnas’ house had me so on edge the whole time. I thought someone (most likely one or both of Blake’s parents) was going to die any second. Basically, the ending of volume 3 burned me and now I constantly expect characters to die. I’m glad it all (mostly) turned out well!

- Blake’s speech to the Faunus might have made me a bit emotional. That was a really great moment for her.

- And then there were those final episodes… WOW. Like I said, I really didn’t expect everything to go down so quickly (or for the ending to be that happy – like I said, volume 3 burned me.)

- Jaune unlocking his semblance was nice! And I’m proud of myself for having correctly predicted that he’d have some sort of healing powers. (I was waiting for him to unlock some healing semblance back when Qrow got injured in Volume 4 – I’m glad it finally happened!)

- I was worried about Weiss for a second, then I realized there’s no way she can die since I’ve already seen pictures of her outfit in later volumes. (Plus, I’m pretty sure if a main character had died, I’d have been unable to completely avoid spoilers about it. So those 4 are pretty much the only ones I’m not that worried about.)

- Raven is a really cool and interesting character, but an awful person. (I got so angry at her when she blasted Ruby after Ruby was just so nice to her*. How dare you, lady?) I love her design, though!

[*EDIT: I just rewatched it and realized that it was Cinder who blasted Ruby, Raven just created the portal. Point still stands, tough.]

- The plot twist of who the Spring Maiden really is was EPIC. Really loved that reveal! (And I honestly didn’t see it coming.) Though I have to say, I feel really bad for Vernal, and for the previous Spring Maiden.

- The Cinder VS Raven fight was absolutely epic and just stunning to watch visually. I was wondering if we’d ever get a maiden vs maiden battle, and that scene more than delivered! And while I don’t particularly like either of them, I was definitely rooting for Raven in that fight.

- I’m not sure if Cinder really died there. If so, I’m honestly not too sad about it, but I would be disappointed because I kind of expected her to become a more interesting character later on. After Volume 4, I expected at least a bit of growth there or something that would make her more interesting. And I’m not talking about a redemption, just to be clear! I just think the potential to make her more interesting as a villain was there, and if they just killed her off it’s kind of wasted now and she stayed a very flat character until the end. But I guess we’ll see.

- Raven and Yang’s confrontation was pretty intense. I liked that Raven finally had to admit that she’s afraid and doing all of this just to protect herself, and the contrast to Yang, who is also scared but still does what she thinks is right. And the fact that Raven was willing to let Yang have the relic despite the danger that would put her in – mom of the year indeed 🙄.

- Blake and the other Faunus are the real MVPs of the battle, tbh. The fact that they just completely stopped Adam and the White Fang by sheer numbers and didn’t even give them the chance to attack anyone? God tier stuff. And when Blake’s mom came in with the police? 10/10, we stan.

- Also, Blake telling Adam she’s not there for him? Hell yes, girl! I love how she’s taking power away from her abuser by showing she isn’t doing any of this for him. Really nice.

- Yang and Blake’s reunion in the last episode was super nice. I like how there was so much attention on that reunion in particular. And while I’m glad Yang wasn’t too angry at Blake and it makes for a nice happy ending, I still hope there’s a scene next volume where Blake properly apologizes to Yang for leaving and explains her side of things. And then, they should get together and live happily ever after and have lots of kittens. I mean, what?

- And finally, all of Team RWBY is back together! And they’ll have a lot to catch each other up on. Blake doesn’t even know about the maidens, the relics and Salem yet, while the rest didn’t even know about the White Fang attack. Also, I want Blake to introduce the others to Ilia and to her parents.

I really loved this volume. Lots of action, lots of really sweet moments, lots of epic fights and cool plot twists. I find it hard to rank them, but this might have been my favourite volume yet (volume 3 was also really good, though).

[luxfurem]

@treppenwitzz​​ asked: i need all the deets about your bellatrix... ALSO ANJI i wanna know more about anji | MEME.

So... this ended up really long and therefore it’s under the cut! I sort of left out the “who they could get along with” part but I also feel like that really just depends on verses and such, so we can totally discuss that sometime  🥺🥺🥺

Bellatrix Lestrange

TW for mentions of alcohol, abuse, death and miscarriage

TROPES/ARCHETYPES: The Champion, Femme Fatale

Bellatrix is the very first muse that I officially wrote on indie, but also a muse that I’ve explored in the many group rps I’ve been in in the years before that. Because of that, she’s been through a lot of changing and tweaking over the years, but I like what I’ve got going for her now.

I’m absolutely a big fan of villain characters and I support the humanizing of them because in my mind, it is all the more terrifying that a villain could like the same things as you, could be like you, but be capable of such terrible things. I think it creates a frightening perspective that’s the quiet sort of terrifying, and it’s what I aim to do with Bella. I wanted to create a villainous woman who is powerful without being sorry for it.

I do want to stress that a villain doesn’t necessarily become worthy or deserving of pity or redemption because their story contains sad aspects. In the end, everyone encounters terrible and sad things in life, and it’s what you do with these experiences that matters. If you become bitter or vengeful, that is a decision, and the consequences of however you decide to treat the world after are not cancelled out because of the reason why you became this way.

On the one hand, she is this terrifyingly powerful witch who, despite her comparatively young age, climbed up the ranks of the death eaters to the position of lieutenant at Voldemort’s side, but on the other she is someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s wife. I wanted to explore how these two aspects of her story intertwine, or, in some cases, clash.

My Bella is a bit canon-divergent in that I absolutely refuse to write a woman who’s completely submissive to a man, especially one that doesn’t deserve it. Of course, I don’t want to stray too far from her original arc in that I still believe she’s absolutely starstruck by Voldemort, but she is more interested in his abilities, his mind and his cunning than she is in him as a partner. It’s a different kind of infatuation, where she isn’t all too sure if she wants him or wants to BE him. In time, she settles with neither, and becomes his champion, instead. She’s a knight under his banner, a soldier under his command.

Much of Bella’s arc comes down to a dominant woman living in a society that doesn’t like dominant women. Pureblood circles are catered to the pureblood man, whereas the woman’s job, much like in societies of previous eras, is to bear a husband's children to continue the pureblood line. It’s a crude and sexist thing, and Bella wants none of it. From a young age, she rebels against her father’s firm beliefs in the way things are supposed to be, and rebels against her mother’s attempts to “guide” her back to how she’s supposed to be. She’s the feral child with the holes in her dresses, the scrapes on her legs from climbing trees and running too fast. Her long hair always tangled and messy. She knows that as a girl in the Black family, the highest achievement would have been to become matriarch, but even that wasn’t ever going to be enough for Bella.

When her mother dies, about two years after the birth of Narcissa, the matriarch of the Black family, Walburga, takes over the role for a short amount of time while her father drinks his grief away. After Sirius is born, however, even this steadiness falls away, as their aunt spends her full time caring for him and the second son, Regulus, born a year after. This leaves Bella to assume responsibility for her sisters at the age of 8. Her fights with her father, their temperaments going head to head resulting in situations I don’t really care to divulge about.

Once accepted into Hogwarts is where things start to divert. From one day to the next, her previously always messy hair is neatly combed back into a braid. Her clothes are pristine, not a spot in sight, and her sharp commentary is kept to a minimum. To all those around her, it seemed she had finally heeded her mother’s wishes, and embraced her place in society. But to those who knew her well enough, to her sisters and to her cousins, there was a stubborn fire burning behind those crow-black eyes, burning higher and brighter the more time passed. It was only a matter of time until the fire either consumed her, or consumed those around her.

It was at the age of 17, during her last year at Hogwarts, that Bellatrix was introduced to the Dark Lord. She’d seen him before, of course, but the Black family had stoically kept their stance on the matter of his campaign neutral, although this wouldn’t last. Her fiance-to-be, Rodolphus, who was a few years her senior, had already joined the ranks, and Voldemort’s actions could no longer be brushed off as a mere whim by the family. And Bella, who desired more than the life of a housewife, saw this as an opportunity to lift herself up.

I want to stress that I, as both a Tom Riddle and Bellatrix writer, don’t think their dynamic was of a romantic or lustful nature at all at this point in time, if ever. Voldemort saw the fire and the potential, and decided that he wanted both of these things for himself, for his ranks. She exceeded expectations and he decided that, if anyone was worthy to be his student, it was her. Over the course of the next two years, he trained her in the dark arts, eventually revealing her, at the age of nineteen, to be his new lieutenant. This was met with some resistance, of course. but Bella was quick to silence that. After all, she had risen above her station, and it had taken effort. She was not about to lose that to a bunch of butthurt men.

It’s also around this time that she marries Rodolphus, whom she puts through the ringer for months before and even post-marriage. She hated the idea of being passed from one man (her father) to another (her husband), as if she is nothing more than a possession. The marriage was arranged, and this bothered her, too, considering her lack of choice in the matter. And because she couldn’t exactly fight her father on it, she fought Rodolphus instead. On every turn, hoping he would be turned off and cancel it. After all, a man’s voice, even if he was only an heir, and not patriarch, still sounded louder than a woman’s voice ever would. But it only seemed to invigorate him, pulling closer the more she pushed. As if he were attracted to the fire, wanted to scorch himself just to stand in the light. He never forced her and he never would, even as she refused to let him into their marriage bed for months, even as she taunted him and ridiculed him. The marriage, in time, seemed to grant her a certain freedom that she never had as a daughter of house Black. She could go where she pleased, do as she pleased, pursue her position among the death eaters as she wanted to. She lost her wariness towards him, her anger. And eventually, she learned to love him.

Bellatrix used to be closest to her sister Andromeda. The two of them were, for a long time, practically inseparable, two halves of a whole. It was as if they should have been twins, and what one lacked, the other would possess. Where one went, you could soon expect the other to be. That was, of course, until Andromeda defected. When she did, Bella’s whole world collapsed. Her castle was captured from the inside, by sadness, by grief and by anger at the deceit. Because Andromeda hadn’t chosen her. Had chosen a “filthy mudblood” instead of her own sister, who had always cared for her, always been there for her. If Bella had had a mean streak, before, it was now full blown, a riptide that would destroy everything and everyone that didn’t get out of her way. She was devastated by the loss, and would never quite recover from it. This event had a huge impact on her view on muggleborns. Whereas before she allowed herself a certain tolerance, where she still viewed herself as holier than but limited her disdain to snooty looks and haughty comments, she now was actively hostile, threatening and garnering a reputation among the ranks of the death eaters for her ruthless, cruel actions.

During her marriage, Bella was pregnant exactly 4 times, but all 4 pregnancies ended up miscarriages fairly early on. It’s my belief that her problems stem from the inbreeding within the family and the English pureblood society in general. Contrary to her other beliefs on the woman in pureblood society, she was interested in being a mother and had the motherly instinct to go with it. Her not being capable of bearing children left her feeling devastated and hardened her heart. In AUs where she does have children, whether of her own or adopted, she develops a sort of caution, a knowledge that she isn’t just responsible for herself, but for this child as well. In these AUs, it keeps her out of Azkaban.

Speaking of Azkaban, I usually don’t write about her time there or really post-Azkaban, and this is mostly because I hate the narrative that she’s “crazy”, and I think it’s harmful towards people who have mental health problems. I believe, due to how Azkaban’s dementors suck the happiness out of people and how Azkaban looks like hell on earth, she suffers from a form of PTSD, but she is not “crazy”.

A few loose facts about her:

is bisexual but leans towards men

loves to write poetry, but she never shows it to anyone.

has a very low tolerance for alcohol and barely drinks.

loves coffee and can’t function without drinking it every morning

is obsessed with taking care of her hair. It’s long and dark and very well-maintained

loves to wear red lipstick

forced herself to learn to use her wand with both her left and her right hand

Anji Terryll

TROPES/ARCHETYPES: The Antihero, The Living Legend, The Reluctant Hero

Anji is actually one of my older muses, who doesn’t see the light of day often because I suppose the Skyrim fandom is sort of dead. On top of that, she’s a female oc. i don’t think i’ll need to explain this. Regardless of that and the lack of information I’ve put online about her ( which I actually seek to remedy by writing this ), she’s a quiet favorite who will never disappear from my roster.

I wanted to create a person who fate had been thrusted upon unwillingly. I wanted to create a woman who had never planned to do anything that didn’t benefit herself in life. Anji’s early life consisted of what was barely a life at the orphanage in Riften, where she watched the Thieves Guild lift jewelry from a man’s pocket with the man none the wiser. She never entertained the idea of being an honest worker, because she’d seen how the jarl treated honest workers. Of course, she knew that if she were to be caught thieving, the storm she’d call over herself would be worse, but that was only if she was going to be caught.

So she got herself into the Thieves’ Guild, worked her way up the ranks to Guild Master, before, near the border, she was caught stealing a horse and shipped off to Helgen, where the main story begins.

Anji is, from the start, reluctant about her supposed fate. She never believed in prophecies and rarely in Gods and now, everything was real, everything was true. And she was the main character of a legend. Thrust into a role she doesn’t think fit her. She isn’t who these people deserve, a thieving woman who serves only her own benefit. The people deserved a selfless knight, advocating for the survival of mankind, believing so wholly in oneself that they could overcome a legendary monster like Alduin the World-Eater. Someone who isn’t her. So she rejects her abilities, rejects her destiny, and pretends for months that she isn’t the one the Greybeards are calling from the Throat of the World.

And for a time, it works. For a time she can focus on the physical gain, the money she earns, the reputation. But in the back of her mind, the knowledge scratches at the door she keeps it behind. She sees the destruction the dragons are causing all over Skyrim, the terror of the people. The loss of morale. She tells herself that she decides to see what these Greybeards have to say, if only to tell them they’ll need to find someone else.

But she comes to learn that there is no one else. There is only her and her bow, and her lack of morale, against an ancient dragon.

Anji is the Reluctant Hero, the Unlikely Hero, not the woman you’d expect when one mentions the Dovahkiin. She’s slight and flighty, quick as a whip with her twin blades, relying on speed above strength. She prefers sneaking through the shadows instead of fighting her way through boldly and openly, and she never starts fights she can’t win. This doesn’t mean she won’t kill, and doesn’t mean she won’t use her powers, even for personal gain. She enjoys the power of the Voice and, as lore suggests, overtime grows more and more powerful (think: her voice can at some point burn the ice off a mountain), but she hates the responsibility that comes with it and will never fully accept it. She’s practical and quick-witted, more on the serious side of the spectrum, although she possesses a funny streak that only shows up in intimate settings ( think: close friends/guild/lovers ) or when she’s completely drunk. She observes each angle of a job or mission before proceeding, wanting to be ahead of each trap she might run into.

A few loose facts about her:

is bisexual but leans towards women

has absolutely no interest in bearing children, adopting is fine though

favors her bow over her twin blades

carries two daggers in each boot

In some verses she can be a werewolf for absolutely no other reason other than that i can

in modern verses she owns a martial arts school

Play smart not hard

[jacksgreysays]

audiatur et altera pars "let the other side be heard also" (aka free pass to dig up and expand any of your previous works :p)

A/N: Hm, I do love digging through my own old work, anon, like a narcissistic raccoon, so having a pass to do so and further write about it is pretty nice :P

I will be honest though, a lot of my time was trying to figure out which previous work I wanted to do or which best fit the prompt or which I've been wanting to do and needed the excuse to touch back on...

So I narrowed it down to nine. Which isn't particularly narrow, but considering the list I started off with... is pretty good? (Although, one of the nine could be considered technically three for an actual total of eleven? But... uh... yeah...)

At this point I'm typing out my thought process so as to help me eliminate/figure out which 'verse I want to use for this prompt. And also, in a very meta way, this kind of fills the prompt since it's like the other side of the curtain? Anyway, here's the honorable mentions:

9. Torifu POV of Ascendant : an outside (but still close enough to witness) POV of Danzo is in theory a cool idea. Because he can't have always been that megalomaniacal sadistic bastard, surely. But for Torifu, depending on how much he knows about his former teammate/friend's actions, how sad this would be? Not just in seeing all of his former teammates/friends turn into increasingly bitter people but also, if he tried to save any of those ill-fated Hokage candidates it would just be a series of failures. And that's mondo depressing. Plus, part of the... fun? challenge?... that was the original Ascendant was to do a... not necessarily unreliable narrator but a villain's POV and mitigating it with Torifu's POV would peel back a layer unnecessarily.

8. rockstar!Shikaara AU AU : here's the problem, because it wasn't a full fic (this 'verse originated way back in the ask box three sentence fic event) I don't have a proper tag for the rockstar!Shikaara AU. Best way to find it is probably through the Sabaku No Gaara tag, chrono, and then search for rockstar!Shikaara. It is not a great method. However the reason why it came to mind was because of the literal "hearing" part of the prompt and, well, muuuuusic. So then I thought, hey, what if it's an AU of this AU in which Shikako is the rockstar? However, I think we've established that the Nara twins actually aren't that musical and I have to admit that I do still love Shikaara, I haven't been in those feels for a while. And I'll be honest, that ficlet would've been mostly froth.

7. The Saga of Windy Strife: I'm just very fond of them. Unfortunately, it does need to be revamped. And also, I haven't actually FFVII, not even the remake! Something about Windy Strife is just... they're always against something. Which is... there's a difference between being a champion of something vs being a soldier fighting something and they've always been in the latter. And I guess in that same literal "hearing" part of the prompt, it would work well to address the language barrier of Unto The Climate. But again, I'm just not vibing it :(

6. Tamed (aka, the fairy tale!AU) : There's no real plot to this one which was largely the problem. I was thinking about--hey, what if I added a war in there and the team of misfit fairy tale protagonists have to use their unique talents to stop the war before it consumes the land? But then that was a little meh... while there is some misunderstandings about Sasuke hating magic because of his brother and Shikako having magic its largely. That's just drama and rehashing friendship that I'm not so keen on.

5. dragon rider!AU (another one of those “lost” ‘verses): baaasically for the same reason as above but the conflict already exists there. And like, I'll be honest, I did have a little bit written which I've let stagnate on my laptop for literally years and given the premise of it was Shikako showing up and trying to convince the Sand dragons to aid against probably Akatsuki. And literally about getting herself heard by Sand's government. But again! A little meh!

4. Indelible: I mostly wanted to play around in this world because of how hyper-political it's become. I mean, I made it so of course I'm enjoying the drama, but it's one of those things where it's just--hey, a tiny thing can be blown so out of proportion and have so many consequences but it's not out of anything evil or mean. If anything Danzo's bullshit machinations were made obsolete because of this. Which is a little hilarious. The only reason why this didn't win at being the prompt fill is that, kind of like the Torifu POV for Ascendant, this fic would have to be either a Gaara/Sand POV during the chuunin exams (which is so far removed from the original butterfly flapping its wings) or a Nej POV as the only person other than the Nara twins to be in on the secret. And I don't really write Neji well... or at all...

And now for the top three, in no particular order:

Cadmium City/Counterclockwise/Ode to 11010201: ie, my original fiction world. Mostly because, uh, yeah. There's a lot that's happening in that which the prompt could apply to. I was thinking about using the framework of Twelve Sessions since of my original fiction series I think this one is the best received. And, also, the literal "hearing" this also applies to this in multiple ways. But for the prompt this would mean its about Curtis learning about Simone's backstory which isn't as fascinating as a literal superhero going to therapy. Maybe more of an exploration of the other Could/Should/Actually 'verses? Alternatively, and this is a little weirder, I was going back over the Ode to 11010201 'verse and just like. Realizing all the personal shit I put into its foundation and thus how inherently biased it is. I was considering trying to write from R's sister's POV but its almost too personal? Because then I'd have to reexamine the IRL analogue of the situation and consider what pushed me there in the first place. And why, conversely, I haven't written that much in that 'verse since. Emotional Maturity is not here right now.

Iron Will: the only thing stopping me here, tbh, is that I still haven't figured out which iteration of Tetsuki is the one I'm going with. Is she actually the semi-feral, Earth Kingdom, would be Freedom Fighter? Or is that a cover that the Fire Nation heiress uses to manipulate and murder on Azula's behalf? I legitimately do not know.

Primadonna Girl (Says No Thank You): specifically, the dark future AU. It's such a bonkers AU that I don't think I'll ever really be able to justify playing around in it, truly, but dang. I went real bleak with it.

... so less of a fill and more of a fanfic equivalent of a clip show, I guess. Sorry, anon. If any of these struck your fancy, let me know and I'll try my hand at it. Otherwise, uh, feel free to send in a different prompt.

Ask Box Advent Calendar 2020

[cheryls-blossomed]

I'm not keeping my hopes up for them not redeeming Eva cause when they do I'll be annoyed cause she's the least deserving of redemption villain they've had on the show (also they've never tried to redeem the male villains so I don't know what to do with that). Also, she isn't Marlize. Marlize did shitty things but she didn't commit human rights violations and abuse the bodily autonomy of multiple people and commit rape by deception. I even thought it was an odd choice to redeem Marlize

It was definitely an odd choice to redeem Marlize, but it was probably the only narrative choice available to them after they made the extremely distasteful choice of having DeVoe drug and abuse Marlize. The show likes redeeming its multi-episodic female villains or at least making them sympathetic (or in Killer Frost’s case, just ignoring that she did horrible, terrible things and turning her into a so-called hero overnight), which doesn’t sit right with me, because it’s okay to have full-blown villainous women. Even in Grace’s case, while her adult form was defeated and not redeemed, it was through young Grace that they were able to defeat Cicada II, and in the present, Grace now won’t have that villainous future. Women do not have to be boxed into “sympathetic villain” category repeatedly, especially when they do terrible things. In general, we just need more fully realized evil, villainous women who are allowed to be evil and who are not excused for their villainy. That’s part of writing different kinds of female characters. 

I’m with you: while I wish Eva wouldn’t be deemed, I can’t hope for it, because I do they will redeem her. If I took the narrative, as it stands right now, at face value, I don’t necessarily think there have been hints at redemption. However, Eric talks about Eva as if he doesn’t see her as a villain, and he talks about the evolution of Iris and Eva’s dynamic in a way that makes me uncomfortable. Especially in Iris’s case, she should not continually be put in a position of having to forgive or get through to people who have abused her, and Eva has done the absolute worst to Iris. The amount of human rights violations she committed is truly appalling, and the show can’t just have a villain do the vile things that she did to both Barry and Iris and then have her, essentially, get away with it by the end. 

[bakudekuficlibrary]

BakuDeku: Protective Katsuki Part I

Click here for Part II & Part III!

1 Series. 64 Works.

Before Midnight by DriftingGlass ( E | 211,528 | 28/28 )

Izuku Midoriya takes the same train to and from school Monday through Friday, morning and night. His only company during these lonesome hours comes in the form of another boy his age—a teen with scarred hands and blood gem eyes, a stranger with ash-blond hair who walks in a shroud of danger and mystery.

"Would you stop with that fucking muttering, idiot?"

And before Izuku can find his footing, his life becomes a full-blown collision course thanks to walking cannonball Katsuki Bakugou.

(And along the way he may have found the missing fuel to his fire).

[Graphic Depictions of Violence | Underage | Abuse]

Cinnamon Bun Bun by DarkMachi   ( E | 108,071+ | 45/? )

In a world with humanoid creatures called "pets", Katsuki Bakugou finds himself suddenly the owner of a timid curly haired rabbit.  How the fuck did that happen?  Will the reluctant new owner and abandoned pet be the best thing for each other or will it end in disaster?  Only the tags will ever know.

Warm and fuzzy fluff pet AU with hints of angst and humor!  

*This story is mostly about fluff.  Warning and "past" tags for a backstory chapter(s) almost exclusively.  Will warn at the beginning of ANY chapter with ANY sensitive issues.*

[Rape/Non-con | Past Abuse | Panic Attacks]

Lost Omega by GreyDayMoon ( E | 45,574 | 15/15 )

Izuku was just trying to take care of himself and his mother but a single slip up sends him into unfamiliar territory where he encounters an aggressive alpha who drags him into tribe life.

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Underage | Dubcon]

Dark Side of the Sun by Synnie ( T | 51,597 | 20/20 )

Staying up too late playing video games, Kirishima wasn't expecting to get an urgent call begging for help. Next thing he knew, he was letting his classmate Izuku Midoriya take refuge in his apartment - without consulting his always angry roommate.

Series Part 1 of Dark Side of Space

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Past Abuse | Stalking | Self Harm | Panic Attacks]

briar roses (and hundred years of sleep) by vannral ( E | 15,951 | 5/5 )

In complete honesty, no one who knows the Class 3-A should be surprised anymore. Izuku is asleep.

In which Izuku is hit by a ‘Sleeping Beauty’ Quirk, Class 3-A tries to find his True Love and get them to kiss him, and Katsuki’s very angry about it all.

In A Sky Of A Million Stars (Who Cares If One More Light Goes Out?) by Stringlish ( M | 49,956+ | 15/? )

He could never forgive himself.

It was his fault.

He’d planted the idea like a seed he’d never known would grow.

(Or: What if Izuku jumped?) (OR: The one where Izuku jumps and lives and Katsuki visits him every day and Class 1-A not-so-secretly finds it adorable that their designated angry pomeranian brings flowers to his comatose childhood friend.)

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | PTSD | Suicide Attempt]

Hear Me by my_name_is_Levi ( G | 22,419 | 5/5 )

It wasn’t as if nightmares were uncommon for the freshman class of Yuuei. They’d seen plenty of things, heard and felt and witnessed enough travesty in their lives to last them a lifetime. But Midoriya Izuku was screaming, and no one, not even Bakugo Katsuki could ignore it.

On The Run by Justaperson1718 ( E | 159,534+ | 29/30 )

(Based in an AU where All Might loses to All For One)

Follow Izuku and Katsuki as they fight together for their very survival and mature through their experiences with each other, on the run together from the League of Villains with no one to depend on but each other. The two will have to work out their differences if they want to continue to live and escape the villains.

Izuku will have to become stronger to finish what All Might started, meanwhile Katsuki will figure out his feelings for his new companion while slowly overcoming some of his bad habits.

[Major Character Death | Underage]

{Note about completion status: The fic is essentially complete, as the author has stated the main story is complete and the epilogue is up. The final chapter that is yet to be posted will show a side-character’s side of the story.}

New To Both Of Us by GrumpyTanner, underoriginal ( E | 37,774+ | 16/? )

Bakugou hadn't expected this when he got his first (and only!) Pet on a whim. He hadn't expected the nibbling, the teasing, the fear...

And he definitely hadn't expected to find the love of his life. But here he is, with a rabbit and a hard-on. What's a hero to do?

[Past Abuse]

Quirks of the Soul by Rxel ( M | 52,047+ | 38/? )

Something in Izuku's mind snaps when Kacchan flings the words "Make a leap of faith from the roof and believe with all your might that you will have a ‘Quirk’ in the next life" at him after he exploded his Hero notebook.

It was the last push he needed to tip over the edge.

Quirk!Izuku

Series Part 1 of Katsuki and Izuku

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Suicide Attmpt | Self Harm]

[On Hiatus] Forget Me Not by datboii ( M | 52,542+ | 17/? )

Izuku was hit by a memory regression quirk. Katsuki was having none of that shit.

[On hiatus]

Hummingbird Heartbeat by Tokiji ( M | 76,731+ | 16/? )

“The knife went through his fucking chest, Kirishima.” Katsuki spat his name into his face, mouth twisting into a vicious snarl, teeth and all. “You know that's where his heart is, right? And his fucking lungs? All the vital shit?”

Kirishima blanched. “I-I know, I just meant—”

“What, you mean to tell me that your stupid fuckin’ ass is so ignorant to forget that he lost a shit ton of blood, hah?! Yeah, it was a flippin’ knife wound, oh hoo-ray, but look at the nerd now! He’s fucking dying because of it!”

The World Is Silent (we are loud) by RedHeadsRock1010 ( T | 62,233+ | 14/? )

There is only one Angel and one Demon at a time – born each generation after the previous one dies and destined to keep the balance of the world in a vicious battle of good verses evil until the end of existence.

The current Demon stared at the Angel humming and weaving pink flowers into his own bright green curls next to him. A crown of red roses already sat on the Demon's head.

Yeah, fuck that bullshit.

surveying, reconciliation (and other forms of not-matchmaking) by vannral ( E | 17,449 | 6/6 )

In all honesty, Izuku thinks he really shouldn’t be having this crisis.

In which Mina has fun trying to play matchmaker, Izuku has Realizations™ about his feelings for Katsuki, and the class 1-A will witness many weird things.

Second Chance by Saysi  ( M | 84,140 | 42/42 )

"If you are still breathing, you have a second chance" - Oprah Winfrey

Izuku Midoriya's life has been plagued with mistakes. People have been hurt, friends have been lost, accidents have happened. When the country is nearing imminent destruction, he remembers every bad move, every wrong word, and wonders if he could have changed things.

Then time stops.

Izuku Midoriya grew up thinking he was Quirkless - turns out he just needed to face death to activate it.

PSA: People, please, do your homework before reading. The fic will still be here when you get back, I promise.

[Suicide Attempt]

Scream Like A Banshee, Make You Jump Out Of Your Skin. by LahraTeigh ( T | 2,235 | 2/2 )

Midoriya presents as an Omega in the middle of class, and unfortunately for everyone they witness the moment Bakugou finds out who his soulmate is.

It's Okay, Quirkless by VMarus ( M | 34,187+ | 15/? )

Izuku just wants to make his mother proud and to be happy with himself.

AU. Quirkless Vigilante Izuku!

Series Part 1 of Quirkless, Not Helpless.

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Major Character Death

[Series] This is why I don't have kids by Saysi ( T | 15,132+ | 2 Works | WIP )

When Midoriya Izuku gets hit by an age-reversion Quirk, the last thing anyone expected to find out is that Toddler-Izuku is a little shit. Except for one Bakugou Katsuki, who has seen this phase one too many times already. And apparently his "Kacchan" is the only one who can deal with Izuku's screaming fits.

When Bakugou Katsuki gets hit by an age-reversion Quirk, no one is surprised to found out he's still an asshole. Unfortunately one Midoriya Izuku is stuck taking care of him to repay the favour. It's a good thing his "Deku" makes a good wife.

Remember Me by Blue_Writer ( M | 61,066+ | 23/? )

It had been years since Bakugou was exiled from his home and became the savage dragon king, but one good thing finally came to his life when he met Izuku again. The only issue, is that he doesn't remember him.

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Racism]

Oubaitori by DriftingGlass ( M | 32,666+ | 4/16 )

From the moment he was born, Izuku understood that he was different. He was a rarity, an omega; not necessarily seen as useful or even desirable. It didn't take long, however, for his entire future to be placed in the hands of an alpha, one by the name of Katsuki Bakugo.

Through many pitfalls, confusion, and pains of growing up in a city where both are outcasts of their own kind, it takes more than just the threads of instinct and arranged contracts to bring two hearts together.

Love isn't fate. It's pure luck.

[Underage]

[On Hiatus] Lex Talionis by DriftingGlass ( M | 40,232+ | 6/35 )

“Are you sure you’re willing to do this?”

Aizawa barely recognized his own voice, ashen in the grasp of a stormy summer night.

Under the glare of his living room lights, Toshinori’s leathery face held a smile. A ghost from times long gone.

He stirred a cube of sugar into his coffee, fingers bony and shaking around his mug.

“If there is one good thing I can do for this child, as dangerous as he is… then it will be this.”

Aizawa knew, once the words fell from his comrade’s mouth—a more solid declaration than the deaths he’d witnessed—that there would be no changing his mind.

[ In which Toshinori Yagi, a shadow of his former self, raises an orphaned Izuku as his disciple... with a little bit of a twist. ]

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Abuse]

Law-Abiding Citizen by s_trychnine ( T | 2,131 | 1/1 )

Bakugou Katsuki has very little chill, this is a known fact. He does however, do his best not to get into legal trouble. Bakugou Katsuki couldn't get along with Midoriya Izuku if you put a gun to his head, this is an even more well known fact. Apparently someone decided to chew up those facts and spit them back out because that was definitely not the case in this very moment and christ almighty someone's going to have to pinch the entirety of Class 1-A, because this had to be a fever dream.

Or alternatively: Deku's dad is back in town and nobody is happy about, especially not Bakugou.

[Implied/Referenced Child Abuse (Past Abuse)]

2,645 Miles by mynameis152 ( E | 124,500+ | 36/? )

Izuku wants so badly to get to the other side of the country without his parents realizing he's missing. He just wants to find out who he is.

Katsuki is desperate to make it to Los Angeles without being caught by the police, desperate to fix his mistakes.

Neither know what to expect, but on a roadtrip across the U.S. involving four fugitives, two oblivious runaways, a high risk crime ring, and a police taskforce, the two will discover that there's more in store for them than what they originally thought.

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Attempted Sexual Assault | Panic Attacks]

Marshmallow by choimarie ( Not Rated | 3,359 | 1/1 )

day 3: tears

“Yo! Look at what we have here!” A voice said loudly and Izuku's heart stopped.

He turned around, his eyes widening.

A group of six alphas was walking his way towards him.

Series Part 3 of Bakudeku week 2k18

Hero & Zero by GreyDayMoon ( Not Rated | 10,751+ | 5/? )

Bakugou was the number one hero, surrounded by fans, and loaded with fame and fortune. So why would he care if a boy from his childhood still watched him from the edge of crowds? He wouldn't give a shit about Deku who would? Who would even be looking for that stupid messy green hair?

Except maybe he would.

Instincts by HG_Wells ( E | 4,184 | 2/2 )

Izuku presents as a very special and VERY rare type of Omega and enters the worst heat imaginable, he needs to find an equally as rare Alpha to help him with this problem. Not so thankfully, he knows only one person that is able to help him with this situation. His very own personal bully.

Bakugou Katsuki.

[Underage]

Wild Child by SaltyTofu  ( E | 10,309+ | 5/? )

Imagine Tarzan, but KatsuDeku,

with wolves instead of gorillas,

and with a lot more smut.

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence]

Don't Look by GrimReader ( M | 56,089+ | 12/? )

No one spots the cracks. No one notices how carefully pieced together he is. Under his bright smile and determined gaze no one sees, no one hears, NO ONE feels how broken he is.

At least, that’s what he thought.

Izuku is not human. He is a fraud. Not deserving of any love. Nothing but a vile monster.

At least, that’s what he believed.

He’s made of scales not glass. He’s always in control. He is invincible.

That is, until he became Midoriya Izuku.

[Former title: H(iS)tory]

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Major Character Death | Self Harm | Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con]

Yūrei no Eiyū by FandomManiac22 ( T | 11,769+ | 5/? )

"If you wanna be a hero that badly, there’s a quick way to do it. Believe that you’ll be born with a quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the roof!”

When Katsuki’s comment comes at just the wrong time, Izuku takes his advice. But it is not the end.

Alternatively: In another world where Izuku is attacked by the sludge villain on the way to school instead of after it, his dreams get crushed too soon. With nothing to save him and Katsuki’s words ringing in his ears, Izuku decides to end it all by jumping off his school’s roof. As his body cracks on the ground, Izuku does not pass on to the next world. Instead, he is left as a ghost among many others. When the slime villain escapes from jail and attacks the person Izuku can’t help but care for, he learns that there may be more to his afterlife than he thought.

And maybe he can be a hero after all.

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Major Character Death | Suicide]

The Offering by Bakuholic ( T | 7,032+ | 4/? )

Every year, an offering is given to the dragon race as a trade off for the dragons' protection. This year, Izuku Midoriya is the human offering.

He trembles at the very thought of his death being by the claws of a dragon. However, his expectations of his future seem to turn when an ash blonde alpha dragon begins to grow fond of him and adds him to his hoard of treasure.

(I"m not good at summaries it seems)

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence]

Not All Heroes Wear Capes by vulcanhighblood ( T | 11,002 | 3/3 )

When Kacchan offered to scare off pushy groupies and nosy reporters for Izuku, he hadn't realized that Kacchan was planning to lie about the two of them being in a relationship in order to do so.

Petals In Your Hair by Yuechum ( T | 16,121+ | 15/26 )

Katsuki sees him with sunlight in his hair, the lines of his face softer and more gentle in these brief moments. He looks breathtaking like this he'll think, watching all the while, wondering just when Izuku became someone to long for so deeply.

The slightest hint of a smile lingers on Izuku's face when he notices, and the urge to touch grows, grows, grows.

katsuki bakugou is incapable of love. or so they thought. by alpwaca ( T | 6,276 | 1/1 )

in which their class tries to figure out if Bakugou and Midoriya are dating.

Lights. Camera. Hero! by brichibi ( E | 23,248+ | 6/? )

If there’s one thing Izuku Midoriya’s good at, it’s dreaming big, and dreaming hard. That’s why he’s in Hollywood, of all places, his hometown an entire ocean away along with his graduating high school class and single mother. But he’s gonna be an actor, an international sensation, a superstar like no other.

He just.

Has to convince the rest of the world.

Which is, admittedly, a difficult task.

[AU where "My Hero Academia" is an upcoming television series, everyone's an actor/actress, and romance happens behind the scenes]

Day and Night by Soundsoftherain ( Not Rated | 18,527+ | 4/? )

Midoriya Izuku was born quirkless in a society where your quirk equates to your worth. What did this mean then, for the child whose smile was made of sunshine? The boy who had selfless dreams bursting from the seams?

His father knew, that’s why he’d left. And his mother?

Well…That’s where the story begins.

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Abuse]

Lovebites by mynameis152 ( M | 58,375+ | 18/? )

Katsuki Bakugou was going to hate this summer.

He thought he'd hate it because he was being forced to leave home and work for his mother's friend in a small, seaside town. He thought he'd hate it cause he was being punished for burning his room to a crisp. He thought he'd hate it because he hated change.

But it turns out, he hated the Supernatural Turfwar between four species that shouldn't exist but do a whole lot more....

Or

The one where Katsuki is forced to move in with Inko for the summer and finds himself falling for a particular bloodsucker....

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Abuse]

[On Hiatus] The Duo by furipuri ( M | 21,385+ | 8/? )

As children, Katsuki and Izuku make the promise to become a duo hero team. Things don't go quite as planned.

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Attempted Rape/Non-Con]

I'll Be Your Hero by bakudeku ( T | 2,536+ | 4/? )

Katsuki wants to protect Izuku. He wants to make sure Izuku never has to cry again. Maybe this was his chance to fix everything, to make sure he didn't make the same mistakes as before. If this really isnt a dream, if Katsuki really is in the past, then he'd do anything his little body could to keep Izuku safe.

This time, he'll stay by Izuku's side.

[On Hiatus] synthesis by DriftingGlass  ( M | 31,325+ | 6/? )

They didn’t know how it happened, or when a concept so fickle and ridiculous blossomed in the garden of doubts, anger, and pain in which they so frequently visited.

Between scarred hands and bloodied knuckles, unspoken thoughts stirred like petals in springtime rain.

Bakugo was not prepared for the undeniable change spurring between them.

Unfortunately, neither was Midoriya.

[Underage]

Baby Boom by Minglisabeth ( T | 20,546 | 10/10 )

Bakugou and Midoriya accidentally have a baby.

NOT MPREG, Baby comes from quirk shenanigans.

Series Part 1 of MHA Adventures in Parenthood

Back to Reality by menengaur ( M | 46,975+ | 10/? )

Katsuki's childhood friend disappeared when they were both seven. While everyone else gave hope, Katsuki made a promise to become the No.1 hero. If he couldn't find Izuku, then he would at least destroy those who took him.

How will he react when Izuku returns with powers beyond what should be possible.

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence]

Room 207 by bakudeku ( Not Rated | 8,796+ | 4/? )

No one, not even Bakugou Katsuki, could deny that Izuku was adorable as fuck.

ᶜᵃⁿ ᶦ ᵍᵉᵗ ᵘʰʰʰʰʰʰ

ˢᵒᶠᵗ ᵏᵃᶜᶜʰᵃⁿ

[Suicide Attempt]

Late Bloomer by HG_Wells ( E | 4,752 | 1/1 )

It's the beginning of their last year of Junior High, Izuku Midoriya is a normal Beta. He isn't anything special, at least he doesn't think so. His first heat comes at school and in the end, he ends up at Bakugou Katsuki's house.

Alone with him.

What's the worst that could happen?

(It's better than it sounds I promise)

Bakudeku Week 2018

[Underage | Bullying | Attempted Rape/Non-Con]

[On Hiatus] The Mummy by Spectra ( E | 98,732+ | 17/? )

[TEMPORARY HIATUS]

Midoriya Izuku's adopted brother, Kirishima, brings him a strange puzzle box that contains the whereabouts to the famed Hamunaptra, otherwise known as the City of the Dead. The city, lost somehwere within the depths of Egypt, is said to have held great power during the golden All Might Era. It is also rumored to be the final resting place of the king's all powerful books; The Book of Life, and the Book of the Dead. Izuku doesn't believe in magic, he believes in history, and that's exactly what he expects to find in these books.

To actually get there, Izuku has no choice but to accept the help of the infuriating, and ridiculously short fused soldier, Bakugou, who claims to have been there before. The ensuing ride tests both Izuku's and Bakugou's patience, and the two form the most unlikely of alliances.

Little do they know, the power that they are messing with should have remained undisturbed, and there is something more lurking with the tombs of Hamunaptra than treasure...

All the Cracks They Left Behind by linkami1379 ( M | 11,175 | 1/1 )

Katsuki and Izuku become soul bound to each other when Katsuki is captured by the League of Villains.The shift in perception rocks them both to their cores and they seek to fill in the cracks life has carved into each other's hearts.

Series Part 1 of My One and Only

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Underage]

A Place Called Home ( E | 3,812 | 5/? )

"It's okay now, we're your new family. We won't ever hurt you."

[Past Rape/Non-Con | Past Abuse | Homophobia | Addiction]

and the rest is rust and stardust by youreanovelidea ( G | 8,587 | 1/1 )

Kirishima likes to think that he knows his classmates pretty well. But sometimes, he looks at Bakugou and Midoriya and wonders if he even knows them at all. He wonders if anyone does.

(or, Kirishima notices the moments hidden between childhood friends, offers encouraging words, and maybe kisses Kaminari in the process)

A Little Issue by arealhoe ( G | 6,985+ | 3/? )

Everyone awoke to an ear piercing screech.

“MAMA? WHERE ARE YOU? W-WHERE AM I?”

A child? What’s a kid doing in the dorms…? Aizawa thought, as he lugged his tired body through the hall, trying to find the source of the screams. One by one, students started bursting out of their rooms, “What’s that screaming? “Did a kid get in here?” everyone was panicking at the sudden chaos. “Calm down, everyone. Jirou, use your quirk to find where that shrieking is coming from, everyone else, quiet down!” Kyoka plugged her earphone into the wall, closing her eyes. “It’s coming from… Midoriya’s room?” Aizawa threw open Izuku’s room door, only to find a small Izuku, huddled in the corner, crying his heart out. Jesus fucking Christ… Aizawa whispered under his breath, walking towards the child. “W-who are you? W-where’s my mom? Did she send me away?” Little Izuku could barely get the words before everyone saw him, and the chaos started all over again.

Tinted Windows by sula (black_oak) ( E | 18,250+ | 8/? )

Bakugou and Deku have been rivals since the third grade. Now seniors in high school, Katsuki looks forward to destroying the nerd once and for all. But, on the first day of school, Deku arrives a mere shell of the boy he used to be…

Nothing will ever be the same.

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Underage | Self Harm | Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-Con]

[On Hiatus] Please Don't Take My Sunshine Away by estupidaval ( T | 5,994+ | 4/? )

“Oh- oh my god.” He whimpered.

“What?!”

“I,” Izuku swallowed. “I think they heard the phone ring.”

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence]

20% by MayTentacleBeWithYee, MissEmotionallyMasochistic  ( Not Rated | 1,386+ | 1/? )

Izuku should have been paying attention.

The man behind him looks hungry.

[Rape/Non-Con | PTSD]

and the screams all sound the same by youreanovelidea ( Not Rated | 1,265 | 1/1 )

"Quiet, Deku," a low voice says quietly. "I've got you." And an arm slips around his waist and there are fingers carding through his hair, gentle and soft, and he can feel the screams that he had shoved into his stomach threatening to escape.

(or, Izuku's nightmares are cold and Katsuki's hands are warm)

Reignite by MorningMoon ( G | 1,400 | 1/1 )

Their classmates knew there was something going on with Izuku and Katsuki, but they didn't know how much they had been missing out. Also, Kacchan saves the day and proves that he has redeemed himself.

[Panic Attacks]

Yell It From The Top Of Your Lungs by estupidaval ( T | 2,897 | 1/1 )

Being seen as weak by many is frustrating. Even so when it's almost everyone who looks at you.

-

At this, Izuku sheepishly lowered his gaze, and said “Strong people cry…”

At this, Aizawa smiled again, “And what are you doing right now, Izuku?”

“Crying,” He replied as he picked at his finger nails.

Aizawa decided to keep pushing, as Izuku knew what he was implying, but wouldn't budge.

He raised an eyebrow and spoke up once more, “So, you are…”

And ‘Ah, there it is.’ Aizawa thought to himself as a smile crept it's way onto the boy’s mouth. Izuku lifted his gaze once more and looked back into Aizawa's eyes,

“Strong.”

Entanglement by srysmnwrites ( T | 14,847+ | 7/? )

Izuku thought that returning home would be good for him.

Oh, how wrong he was.

Returned Favor by CrystalDragonette  ( Not Rated | 1,332 | 2/2 )

Set when Bakugou was taken by the League of Villains, he finds out that Dabi has less than innocent intentions towards Deku.

Series Part 1 of Dekubowl

[On Hiatus] Daemon Sense by LostBear ( G | 14,266+ | 8/? )

Midoriya Izuku has the quirk daemon sense, to be able to see manifested souls in the form of animals. She is determined to be a hero, with her daemon Naoko by her side. Her best friend Kacchan is taken along -willingly- for the ride.

Watch Izuku nose her way into other -familiar- peoples lives without thinking of the consequences...

It All Started With Beer & Pizza by x_tincan_x ( E | 29,237+ | 11/? )

Half an hour after Kirishima had left, there was a knock on the door. Katsuki had a beer in his hand and walked over to the door. Mumbling under his breath, “fucking shitty hair forgot his fucking keys again..” to himself.

Katsuki opened the door, he looked from the dripping wet Kirishima to the equally soaked male he had gone to pick up. When he saw the familiar tangle of green hair and freckles, he choked on his drink. “The fuck…?” he half whispered.

~~~~

Or, the one where Izuku has a past that he finds hard to talk about. Can he build himself back up with the help of his new friends, and re-kindle a relationship with his childhood friend?

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | PSTD | Panic Attacks | Past Abuse | Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-Con]

A Reaper's Assistant by TatoBugTheDestroyer ( T | 23,121 | 14/14 )

What kind of fucktard is in charge here? What dumbass thought it was a good idea to pair Katsuki with an angel! Of all creatures to help him play the role of a reaper, they chose an angel! He didn’t even need any help, dammit! So, yeah, he missed a few deadlines, accidentally delivered a few people to the wrong place, so fucking what! He damn sure didn’t need help!

-Or- Reaper Katsuki fucks up and as a result, is paired up with Izuku, a High Councilman angel of Heaven to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Void of Pain by Running_wild829 ( T | 19,308+ 12/? )

Kidnapped by his own villainous father at the young age of six, raised by villains since then and sent on countless missions filled with murder, Midoriya Izuku is anything but normal. He may be fifteen years old, and have a quirk, but that doesn't make him normal. He's been careful on all his jobs, except this one. When Shigaraki turns him loose to kill the infamous Hero Killer Stain, he gets sloppy and goes down at the hands of a couple of Yuuei kids. Dragged into the police station and waking up to a detective giving him a second chance was the last thing he thought would ever happen in his fucked-up life...

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | PSTD]

[On Hiatus] Two Sides of the Same Coin by LocalTrashBin ( T | 82,009+ | 10/? )

Dangerous missions across the continent are one thing but dangerous missions across the continent with zero experience, a cursed bracelet and accompanied only by a difficult, hot-headed protector is a whole other story.

He's a Little Spoiled by DeathByShyKid ( T | 3,477 | 1/1 )

His class may have babied him while he was still recovering from an accidental femur break but one weekend with them out of the dorms and Katsuki is already there with open arms as well as some non-negotiable terms. Katsuki makes Izuku cuddle with him since he refuses to succumb to his pain medication. (bad summary)

Heroes in Underland by BebbekKuning, HG_Wells ( Not Rated | 45,950+ | 19/? )

Years suffering from wars, Monsters and Humans wars led to the point where the third side of the wars step in. The side of supposed to be neutral. The side that wants peace for both; Monsters and Humans sides, the ones who bear with half-blood. But it’s still not working.

That was until the fourth side of the wars waltzes their way in, they didn’t call themselves humans, nor Monsters or the half-blood. But they called themselves the Artificial. They not made by gods, so the gods can’t bound them to their rules or their dice of fate.

This makes the Artificial do what the three sides can't do; Bring peace.

They stay nameless, and still nameless. Their existence always vague in every history books, and always will be. But their tales always stay at every storybook for the young ones.

Now though, when Monsters, Half-blood, and Human reunited, thanks to Quirks existence, new differences poke their ugly heads yet again; Heroes, Vigilante, and Villain.

With that, the Gods roll their dices and play with their children, again.

That was before the forth side trashed the Gods playground, again.

[rayegunn]

Thor ramble

Preview for Thor is out: https://www.adventuresinpoortaste.com/2020/03/06/marvel-preview-thor-4-2/  I felt the need to ramble about it. It’s been a while since I’ve had a good ramble here.

First off, to Sif Bifrosting Mjolnir away.... hehehehe... good trick. And Thor deserves it right now. He needs to have his toys taken away until he behaves, I don't give a damn if he's king, he’s being an ass. Not that he will, probably, looks like he's about to throw a tantrum there, but still. I mean look at that, he's already beaten a close friend of his to a pulp and destroyed his hammer, and now Sif, his ex lover and current friend, and now guardian of the Bifrost, shows up to defend Bill and repeat what should be a uncontroversial opinion, that helping Galactus to destroy inhabited planets, and beating up your friends, is wrong, and his response is to hurl the hammer at her head. I mean I thought Thor was being a dick when he threw it at Loki, despite Loki's past, but THIS? Much worse. I get that he feels the fate of the universe is on the line, and that sacrifices need to be made towards that end, which mitigates it some, but... there has to be a better way to resolve this conflict than with violence. Thor has been acting all hyper-aggressive and, well, toxic from issue 1, and just seems to be getting worse. I see a lot of Thor fans glad that he's like, really powerful and kicking ass, and I don't get it. Is him being powerful worth it if he loses his soul and sacrifices his morals in the process? tho I have never gotten the obsession some fans with characters being powerful, it's always been much more important to me that they are interesting characters first and foremost, and that usually means they have flaws and weaknesses and can't just steamroll everything. I do think a story exploring power vs morals with Thor, where he sacrifices his morals for power in order to achieve a greater good could be interesting and could end up adding more depth to the character, so I am not saying the story is bad... but it is still sad to see him possibly fall  from grace, same as it would be for any character in that position, and all the power in the universe doesn't make up for that. In Aaron's run, his unworthyness wasn't really a fault of his character, it was a technicality. He was still the same guy, morally, as he was before (tho he did go through a rough patch due to depression) it was just he lost the whole 'knowing you're unworthy but trying anyway' thing that apparently is a major box that needs to be ticked for Mjolnir to allow itself to be lifted. This though, I am seeing what he's doing, and I think to myself that it's no wonder the hammer is getting heavier, because this really is the sort of 'doing evil things for a greater good' deal that I could see Loki doing rather than Thor. If Loki was doing this, it would still be a very murky situation, but it would be in line with his past actions and morals. But for Thor, it's a fall, and that kind of makes his actions feel worse. I'm more upset  at him doing these things than I would be if it were Loki, because Loki has already done this kind of shit before. Recently, even. Maybe not on quite the same scale, I can't think of any planets Loki has blown up off the top of my head, (in the present/past, not counting King Thor) but same sort of morally questionable tactics, so  it would not be that unexpected for him.

I'm betting that Thor will successfully deal with the Black Winter using these tactics, despite various characters, such as Bill and Sif here, standing against him, and that will make him feel everything he did was just and right, he will feel vindicated. And yeah, you could make an argument for that, depending on what he does, I mean, the universe continuing to exist when it otherwise would have died is a bit hard to argue with. And many fans will support his actions because the ultimate outcome was good. But... it may be the start of a slippery slope that he slides downwards on. If these tactics worked out here, why not in a different situation with lower stakes? Will the justification he needs to do these things become less with time? And he will fall, not like Aaron's run where he was unworthy but not immoral, an actual fall from grace where he loses his way. And he, and many fans, may not even realize it until it's too late. Hell, some fans will NEVER get it if he goes bad. I mean, I’m not saying people have to stop liking him as a character, but you can like a character while acknowledging they are not the most morally upstanding person. Liking Punisher doesn't necessarily mean you support gun toting vigilantes wandering the streets, right? I hope, anyway. Like, I think lots of things Loki has done have been pretty scummy, even recently, but that doesn't make him an uninteresting character, I still really like him as a character even if i disagree with some of his actions. Though Loki's trajectory is good right now, while he is still prone to morally murky actions, he's moving in the right direction, his actions right now are comparatively better than they used to be, so I am hopeful he can continue to  improve. But Thor’s trajectory, if this trend continues, is not good, his actions right now are comparatively worse than he has been previously. It's kind of funny, or sad, that as Loki is moving away from these 'bad acts for a greater good' methods, Thor is embracing them, and they may end up still as antagonists, but on opposite sides. (I want them to be friends tho :( ) But some fans (of lots of things, not just Thor) really seem to have a lot of trouble understanding that the protagonist is not always right by default, and they think anyone who stands in the protagonist's way is the bad guy, even if it is clearly a villain protagonist, (see: Breaking Bad) which is bizarre to me.  And I suspect the same will happen with Thor, even if he does not go THAT bad, and just... gray. Comics have long had a bit of a problem with fans completely missing the point when it comes to the morality the books are trying to get across; you somehow have some overtly bigoted X-Men fans, and alt-right Cap fans, etc. it's bizarre sometimes how completely some readers/viewers can miss a critique of something in a work, and the same thing will likely happen here, where the point may be that he’s losing his way, but fans think he’s in the right.

Where did she send Mjolnir, though, i wonder? I have long suspected Thor would have to give up Mjolnir, but because he is all-Father now. Aaron set up a situation with roles that need to be filled, and several other characters have stepped into new ones, Jane is Valkyrie, Sif took Heimdall’s role, Balder is King of the Norns, it looks as though Tyr is going to take Loki’s place as God of Chaos, (though it may be Loki’s solo series was more of a spoiler than most people thought, where Thor was the big bad at the end of time, trying to destroy the Earth, and Thor goes full on bad guy instead, though i am holding out hope for merely gray which he can rebound from after learning a lesson) Loki is King of Jotunheim (tho i suspect there is something more in store for him, given all the teases with him and Mjolnir) and I really like this. I know some people find comfort in an unchanging status quo, but I have always found it boring, and one of the reasons I have been all over Loki the past 10 years or so is that he has been undergoing character development and changing, and I find that interesting. So to have it suddenly applied to Asgard as a whole, where everything is shuffled around and characters are in new roles is something I find very interesting, and I want to see where it leads, and I hope it doesn’t all just revert to the old default status quo. But Thor stepped into his role as king, but didn’t want to give up his old role, and I think that has to give at some point. He has to choose, even if he was not doing some morally dubious shit, All-Father OR hero of the realms, can’t do both at the same time. After last issue, i thought Bill might, at least temporarily, take Mjolnir from Thor, (though, since he has no ties to Earth 99% of the time, I don't think he is right fit to fill Thor's old role permanently) but now it's who knows where, so maybe not. But he's still had Stormbreaker destroyed. :-/ anyway, it has to be really far away, or Thor's just going to call it back in like 2 seconds, not quite sure how far away they are relative to Asgard/Earth, so sending it back there may be far enough... or maybe Jotunheim? Though not sure why Sif would do that. But it could turn the scene with Loki in issue 1 into foreshadowing, if it pops out of the Bifrost coming for his head and stops again. May also be a catalyst to have Thor attack Jotunheim, even tho Loki had nothing to do with this.  But it may also be too easy for him to find in those locations, if she really wants to keep it from him until he calms down, it would be better to send it to some dusty moon orbiting an uninhabited world  around a distant star. Though with Sif controlling the Bifrost, she could simply refuse to send him anywhere near it, regardless of it's location. He may be king, but she has the power in this situation. Also, I wonder how it's trajectory works. Will it carry on with just the momentum it has on the other side of the Bifrost, eventually falling to the ground or hitting something on the other side, or will it try to continue towards his intended target? Though I suppose it doesn't matter too much, if he can summon it no matter how far away it is, so it will be on it's way back to them either way. Though it may be that it is out of range, he may not be able to call it if he doesn't know it's location, (he asked where it was, so he doesn't seem to be able to sense it) or if it's just too far away.

[phantom-thieves-official]

My younger sister passionately hates Haru but loves Akechi for some reason. I think she's got her priorities skewed. I took one look at Akechi when he showed up during my first playthrough and said to myself, "Damn this Light Yagami-looking fucker is annoying," and then he turned out to be a mass murderer and I just don't get how people can overlook that. I get he's got a sympathetic-ish backstory, but "Cool motive, still murder" is fully in effect, y'know? Not even that good a motive tbh

Oh my god AGREE.

Like okay I get it. He's got a sad backstory and a motive. It's not like he's just deranged and wants to kill people. so yes he could be redeemeded.

But uhh Guess what. Murder is still murder, no matter the motive (self defense is the only exception I can think of, and Akechi's crimes definitely don't fall under self defense.)

I mean I understand like. People have different tastes in characters than I do. And just bc he did some bad things, that's not going to stop people from Liking him (hell, that doesn't stop people from Liking irl celebrities and stuff). Which I can respect. Not everyone does or should or ever will like and agree on all the characters.

While I'm sure the vast majority of his fans are reasonable about it and can admit he was in the wrong (all of them I've interacted w have been), I can't help but feel like the fandom as a whole is too easy on him. I remember, specifically in early days of the fandom, where people would get into full blown arguments about who was more in the wrong, Ryuji or Morgana. "Ryuji is loud and careless and starts to only care about the popularity" (all valid complaints about his Character!) And "Morgana is too harsh, and he overreacts when someone is harsh in return." (Also valid.) I saw a post once berating Yusuke for doing nothing - literally the post was about how yusuke is useless and doesn't add anything to the team. There are plenty of people who don't like a certain character without good reason. (my brother dislikes Makoto bc he thinks she's boring. That's literally the only reason. but he likes Akechi.)

But then actual murder gets overlooked and swept aside for Akechi, while the fandom as a whole focuses on what is, in comparison to actual murder, a small problem with another character. I don't get it.

I can respect that people like Akechi. That's chill bro. Villains are popular. Morally grey characters are popular. Far be it from me to tell people they can't like a character. I can understand the appeal on some level - he is an interesting character at the very least. He's not the most heinous person in the game. What I don't get is the general refusal to admit that he did some fucked up things. He's not a good person (maybe not necessarily bad either), but that doesn't mean people shouldn't like him - it just baffles me when people like him but don't want to admit he's not a good person. That's part of his character. By ignoring that you're ignoring a large portion of what little story & development he actually gets.

ANYWAY this got really rambling I'm sorry. Tldr; People like Akechi. That's fine. Why is the fandom in general though so quick to overlook the shit he did.

[monkey-network]

redPill Your Mind [Part 1]

This is gonna be one of the drunken things I’ll ever write, but there needed to be balance so I hope you enjoy.

So, you know what I expected when I saw the title Change Your Mind? A sequel to Sorry to Bother You, in which Rebecca Sugar and Noelle Stevenson’s [self inserts] head to a Penthouse house party hosted by Buzzfeed type millennial hetero CEOs and they eventually have to slaughter their way out of there before they’re injected with a serum that turns people into jungle cat human hybrids......... instead we got a special that one could say had too many cooks in the kitchen, only for all to season the roast with the same salt, water, & pepper. But hey, whence you read all of this, know that it was all very entertaining to me. Okay, so...

We return to Rapunzel’s tower where Steven is still locked away in his sequin suit where Blue comes in and has an argument with him who is actually Pink and it’s all a dream that apparently took place in the past but the question here is when? Like it supposedly takes place before Pink got Earth but after she started acting like less of a brat? So it’s like... she was a pretty entitled brat at one point but here she’s restrained and regretful of herself here now. What?

I’m honestly at a lost at how I should feel about Pink Diamond cuz on the one hand she basically lied, used, and manipulated others into false realities and subconsciously relied on a 14 year old to be their guiding key to relieving the weight they had on themselves because she wasn’t mature enough to face this herself. On the other hand, she is seen as somebody that’s in a strict, estranged relationship with her parental figures and comes across as the one gets the rod and yet is pretty spoiled. On one hand, she sent Steven some positives vibes before her death, so that’s great. But on the other hand with this dream scene, we, or at least I, don’t really see her getting abused by the diamonds as much as having to be disciplined and told to for goofing around? Like Blue Diamond agreed to letting Pink keep the rainbow worms, Pink took advantage of that and did something unruly, and she’s put in time-out because of it. Like yeah, that tower is pretty depressing even if you can escape from it with your shapeshift and floaty powers, but it’s not like she’s in there because the others think she’s always a waste of space but because she acted headstrong and is sent there to have some time to reflect on her repercussions. Blue doesn’t figuratively looks down on Pink, think of her as any less in that scene in particular, she just appears disappointed that Pink isn’t acting like an expectedly responsible leader. Like yeah, Pink’s treated like a child but the show made me believe that she was only a child back then.

Not to mention, her “parents” are dictators, explicit dictators that are trying to maintain a galaxy wide empire full of destroyed planets and massive use of structural militarization. They have to chastise Pink for not living up to their expectations because their expectations amounts to being sith lords that seek to kill, look grandiose, and control at will. They weren’t trying to get Pink into an Ivy League and get a million dollar business afloat, they were trying to build her into the next conqueror and I’m at a lost as whether I’m supposed to empathize with that. The show made little effort in helping me think of her as anything more than a based ass bitch among a group of the same stitch that sorta kept the cycle of control going when she finally stepped up to be a leader and yet the show wants me to think that her intentions overall meant something sincere but fuck, man. Intentions work when the outcome is most probable and soluble on all accounts, it doesn’t help with three mentally stunted alien women that apparently haven’t integrated too well into society despite the fact that there are entire libraries to learn from and grasp the ups and downs that humanity have gone through since one of the purposes of staying on Earth is to protect the life on Earth as well as coexist with the inhabitants otherwise a World War 0 would’ve been imminent from the get go. Honestly, WW0 would’ve probably been cool too. I guess that’s why Russia is nonexistent cuz the fight between Russians and Gems would’ve been too epic to be detailed.

Also, we see the Diamonds do the truth bomb again and it’s like were they trying to kill or corrupt the gems cuz it seems that they weren’t aware of how their powers work and it’s like what the fuck. You just throw up your hand and expect the worst? They didn’t test this power far beforehand before decidedly saying “You know what? Let’s try these hand beams. I’m sure they’ll be super effective in wiping them out.” On top of that, the Diamonds didn’t bother to see what happened afterward? They just nuked the planet and left not caring if there were any survivors to squash out? Like yeah, if I set off a nuke then I’m certain many would die but if I wanted to make sure everyone dead, I’d cover my tracks and send some drones down to comb the area to make sure of no survivors and if the corrupted gem count were overwhelming then yeah I’d step in and take care of it again. Just saying, I would be a far more tactile villain but apparently there are no villains in this show so I guess not doing this is consistency? Wonderful.

We cut to the present where a Deja Blue, that isn’t ass tasting water, happens and Blue is like “Dang it, I try to be the better, more lenient dictator mom and you just soiling the good order and my patience. I’m putting my foot down this time.” And they mention dehydration and starvation but it’s like how would Blue know what those are? This small moment comes off as Blue being quite a brick wall but that’s the fact she doesn’t know what human customs are because.... she was never informed or obligated to care of such things. 

In any case, Steven tells Blue that this dynamic of theirs ain’t gucci, and Blue breaks down coming to terms with her estranged behavior with Pink. And I gotta look a little further into this. So the scene amounts to Blue realizing that Earth suited Pink or Steven better than the likes of Homeworld and yet it didn’t feel earned in the sense that Blue truly saw what Steven saw in Earth.  

Remember the episode When It Rains where Peridot felt more comfortable with Earth after experiencing raindrops for the first time? That could’ve been for the Diamonds, somewhat. Legs from Here to Homeworld rushed and brushed off what could’ve been a chance for Blue and Yellow to at least grasp the perspective Pink had all those years ago before they came to a full realization in this episode. They didn’t have to be as blown away as Peridot was, but they should’ve had some time before to somewhat get a sense of conflict in their own ideals and how Pink was probably in the right of her actions before falling in line to Steven’s gospel.

Like we can point the finger at Blue for being an emotionally controlling parent but like I said, she is a dictator, one whom, based on what we got, didn’t figuratively looked down on Pink as much as wanted better from her, and punished her accordingly when she went against the order that the Diamonds built for themselves. She was negligible to Pink’s real desires, but then again she had to run an empire and had to make sure Pink would follow suit so it’s like what Pink wanted was irrelevant to what was expected of her. The chamber’s a bit much, and I ain’t excusing it, but it’s like they could’ve done far worse to make Pink see things their way. And we never really see Blue enforce any control over Pink, be emotionally dysfunctional towards her, or diminish her sense of self as much as give her a stern talking about what she must uphold as a Diamond, what she born to be, as any sense to diverge from that should be absolved, while being consistent in her soft-spoken yet straightforward tone. I’ve seen a few say that she alludes to abusive parenting but the show never indicates that her disappointment and frustration enabled a subtly abusive side of her. Only one moment presents such a case where she uses her power blue balls on Steven and he takes this as a regular occurrence, but this only happens when Steven pushes her to do so out of frustration not long after trying to reason with him. For the sake of Pink Diamond, Blue really just agrees with Steven instead of understanding this for herself. Yeah, this is meant to feel like a one sided argument, but it didn’t feel like Steven had to think that much to get her on his side. While it makes sense that she would be the first who comes to terms with her past transgressions, those transgressions aren’t exhibited well to say that she was truly in the wrong for everything she did to Pink, based on what we’ve seen and heard of her. I ain’t trying to defend the Diamonds, but Blue’s revelation feels more by design of the plot and less out of earnest rationale that’s emotional resonating.

And trying to say the Crystal Gems are better parents than Blue and Yellow is a big ass understatement because their expectations weren’t as necessarily impactful as being a responsible ruler of a fucking galactic empire. Those are two different planes of settlement and standards, and Steven trying to say what is normal or not rings hallow when he didn’t make any case back on Earth for what is considerably normal there. Not to mention, Pink and Steven, despite how it may seem, are two different characters. The show tries to provide that Steven is his own person yet has to work out the complicated relationship of somebody he’s never seen and still knows minute about with her emotionally stunted parents, or his other family, by making believe that they’re almost one in the same based on pattern recognition? Say what? I mean we’ll get to this later... but let’s say Pink is quite the catalyst in this special and the uphill battle is only the slight incline from here.

So after Blue joins the party temporarily, she hides Steven and Connie in her boobs, they head to Pink’s quarters, the two eat, get clothed, and head out to get the gems back. And this is where I stop for now cuz I’m tired.

Continued in Part 2 (eventually...)

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 018: Please Don’t Cut His Dad in Half

Previously on BnHA: Ochako showed that punk Kumogiri what’s what. Iida managed to escape and get help. Bakugou and Kirishima hung out together for a few pages. Aizawa was basically fucking tortured, but somehow still saved Tsuyu’s life and I’m planning to name my firstborn child after him. Deku used One for All without dying. All Might finally showed up after seven years to kick some ass.

Today on BnHA: All Might storms in to save the day, but ends up in over his head. Or under his head. There is a whole suplex thing going on which is compounded by the usage of portals. It’s really fucking weird. Deku tries not to do anything stupid but then almost does something stupid. Kacchan, Todoroki, and Kirishima descend onto the scene looking way more badass than a trio of 15-year-olds has any right to be.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 27 now, so any ETAs will reflect that.) 

oh we have another one of these little side chapter things like what we got with the last volume change

actually, there’s not much here, but this little bit is worth a gander

MISMANAGING FIRE MEANS MISMANAGING LIVES!!!!

these quirks are fucking wild sometimes. did this guy’s hands really turn into water spouts back when he was four. or is that just part of his costume

I suppose if he can control water then he can just make water hands like that lady from The Legend of Korra. idk, I myself like having hands. my own human hands which I have just two of and no extras and which don’t disintegrate anything I fucking touch

Thirteen is such a little cutie, I want a plush of them

that’s about it so let’s move on now

NEW VOLUME COVER

Todoroki makes his cover debut! and surprisingly, so does Kirishima! I guess we’re gonna get some more hijinks with these two. excellent

(ETA: I actually felt like they got only minimal hijinks in the end, but it’s still nice to see them getting that cover recognition)

Facepalm also makes his cover debut. could have done without tbh

I see you in the top left corner there Bakugou

YOU AND I NEED TO HAVE WORDS SOMETIME, CALEB COOK. AND YOU, MIKE MONTESA

looooool what the sunshiney hell is this

I note that this volume is called All Might! that sounds promising

this thing Deku’s riding in is wearing enormous fucking shoes for absolutely no goddamn reason

some sort of steampunk medieval chicken in doc martens

“this is no time to be drawing mixed-up junk like this!” I just. I don’t even know

IT’S A GIANT CHARACTER GUIDE. I OUGHTA PRINT THIS OUT AND PUT IT IN MY POCKET

look at all these fucking hands

Iida getting dangerously close to Nazi salute territory there. just... be careful, Iida

no fucking thank you, table of contents. keep your spoilers to yourself!

finally the actual chapter!

ALL MIGHT DIDN’T EVEN COME BECAUSE OF IIDA? HE WAS ALREADY ON HIS WAY BECAUSE HIS HERO INSTINCTS TOLD HIM HIS SON WAS ABOUT TO BE CRUSHED BY SOME MUSCLE LORD WITH NO SKULL

THEN HE RAN INTO IIDA ON THE WAY!!

IIDA YOUR HANDS ARE A TREASURE

LORD ALL MIGHT MUST HAVE FREAKED THE FUCK OUT

(ETA: I don’t feel like my initial reaction conveyed just how much I loved this part. what I love about All Might -- one of the many things I love about him -- is his empathy. he genuinely cares so much, not only about everyone’s safety, but also about their well-being. like, he doesn’t just want to keep people safe; he also wants them to feel safe, and he goes above and beyond to reassure them that everything will be okay. he doesn’t just go out there and save people, he also inspires courage and strength in others.

and he’s so upset here when he hears about everything that happened. but even now, he barely shows it on the surface (Deku is the only one who notices he’s not smiling), because he knows it’s not what the kids need. and if you look at how everyone reacts, at how the kids’ fears are immediately put to ease and they all feel like the day has been saved -- it all just goes to show that it works.)

ALL MIGHT I’M SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU BUT ALSO SO, SO GLAD TO SEE YOU

“my colleagues did their best” somehow that sounds strangely patronizing which I don’t necessarily appreciate, given all the shit that Aizawa in particular has been through today. THEY FUCKING DISINTEGRATED HIS ARM, ALL MIGHT. HIS FUCKING ARM. AND THEN CRUMPLED IT LIKE TINFOIL

oh shit I just noticed that

“I’ve been waiting, hero. you’re worthless trash.” whoa now. do you want to die fast or slow, son?

everyone please look at the way All Might is skipping down these motherfucking stairs

and apparently this is striking fear into the hearts of these men

actually he seems to have trampled like six people on his way down the stairs, so maybe their fear was justified

and now he’s checking Aizawa

:|!!

my god Aizawa is soooo tiny compared to AM in his full-blown superhero form

(ETA: okay so when I watched the anime version of this I noticed that All Might calls him “Aizawa-kun”, and I don’t know why but that just wrecked me even more. it makes me wonder how well they actually know each other? or if All Might might possibly be older than him?)

(actually, how old is All Might, anyway? his muscle form is pretty hard to judge, and his Skinny Steve self doesn’t seem that old, but if Aizawa is 30 and Might is referring to him as -kun, then he’s at least the same age and most likely older. I’m guessing mid-thirties, but that may just be because I want to date him)

he just kinda plops him onto his shoulder and turns to face the remaining bad guys

OHHHH DAMN

BETWEEN THIS AND HIS LACK OF SMILE AND THE WAY HE JUST RIPPPPPPPED OFF HIS TIE EARLIER, I HAVE TO CONFESS THAT ALL MIGHT IS DOING THINGS TO ME IN THIS CHAPTER, YOU GUYS

OH SNAP I THOUGHT HE WAS GONNA TEAR THE VILLAINS A NEW ONE, BUT INSTEAD HE SCOOPED UP ALL OF THE CHILDREN AND IS CARRYING THEM TO SAFETY

HE’S TELLING THEM TO GO TO THE ENTRANCE AND GET AIZAWA SOME MEDICAL HELP

HE’S SO COOL. HE’S SO FUCKING COOL, YOU GUYS. I WOULD FEEL SO SAFE WITH HIM OH MY GOD

BUT HE DOESN’T KNOW YET THE EXTENT TO WHICH THESE GUYS HAVE PLANNED THIS WHOLE THING SPECIFICALLY TO GET TO HIM

whaaaat... the fuck...

Facepalm’s hands appear to be talking to him?????

“father...” WHAT. EWW. WHAT

“state-sponsored violence” motherfucker are you serious right now, you were about to murder two dozen innocent children and now you’re gonna go off on All Might about him being some kind of government-owned thug? don’t you dare disrespect MY symbol of peace

“you’re fast... but not as fast as expected” oh fucking shit

this is still creepy, don’t get me wrong. but after a few chapters of him doing it once every fifteen pages, I think I’m starting to get used to it

now Deku is frantically trying to explain to All Might just how dangerous these guys are

“One for -- I MEAN, MY ATTACK” jesus Deku. I guess he can be forgiven considering how stressful the circumstances are

All Might keeps saying “fear not”, but the more he says it the more I start to worry that maybe we should be fearing :/

Carolina... well, okay, I’ll count that one as a coastal state (technically two states). still the south, but at least we’ve got ocean!

this smash is very cool-looking but sadly not very effective

“seriously?” lol AM being so shocked and exasperated is more humorous than it rightly ought to be

Facepalm says that Noumu has shock absorption abilities. “if you really want to damage him you’d be better off slowly ripping him apart piece by piece.” hoh-lee shit. what a thing to say

and of course we all know All Might is totally the type of guy to just go ripping people apart limb from limb whenever the occasion calls for it. that’s why he’s known as the Symbol of Ripping People Apart Limb from Limb

-- wow dude I was being sarcastic. you think you know a guy

now he’s slamming him into the ground. how is that going to do anything against a guy whose powers were just established as being shock absorptive, All Might

I do not like the way Deku is carrying Aizawa here at ALL

his arms are fucked up, Deku. please be more gentle!! you of all people should know a thing or two about fucked up arms by now!

they keep glancing back at All Might. we’re all worried about All Might, kids

I’m glad Deku seems to understand that they’d just get in his way if they went back and got taken hostage again, though

but unlike his classmates, he knows that All Might is close to reaching his limit

goddamn it, now they’re flashing back to All Might’s line in the first chapter about smiling to stave off the fear

well. I did ask the universe for All Might angst, now didn’t I

he is not looking too hot

son of a fuck now Kurogiri has gotten involved in the mix once again

this... this is it. officially the weirdest image ever put to paper

I can’t stop staring at it

I can’t believe events in BnHA transpired in exactly the right way to make this image a reality

it’s like those fucking paradox stairs in Inception

fucking amazing

oh SHIT I just realized Noumu’s grip around All Might’s torso is dangerously close to where All Might’s secret wound is

oh my godddd

ugh he’s just enduring it and thinking “cut it out”

both he and Aizawa are just SO FUCKING STOIC in the face of what has to be unimaginable pain and I just can’t!!

Kurogiri says he’s going to close his warp gate on All Might while he’s still halfway through and cut him in half?!

that was their plan? seriously?

why the fuck are they explaining it

fuck, it finally got to be too much for Deku

he’s turning back

DON’T CUT MY DAD IN HALF

aaaaaaaand here comes the feels train!!

I think what got me this time, even more than all the usual stuff (crying Deku/running to save All Might/being afraid of losing him/not having a plan but not caring/doing something stupid and brave out of love), is the fact that there were so many panels prior to this where Deku was repeatedly trying to convince himself that he couldn’t go back, that it would be stupid and dangerous, and that he had to trust All Might. the fact that his mind knew what the “correct” decision was, and he was doing his best to try and follow that, but in the end he just couldn’t go against what his heart was screaming at him to do instead

in fact, if I may, I’d just like to point out the parallels between this scene and the All Might scene a few chapters ago, when he was on his way to work but kept running into people who needed help. and even though he knew there were others who could take care of it, and that it would only make him late and wear him out and use up his already-limited Allotted Daily Hero Time, he fucking helped them anyway, because HIS heart wouldn’t allow him to do otherwise

basically what I’m saying is that they are two of a kind and too goddamn pure and precious for this good earth

-- HAHAHAHAHAHA

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS

HAHAHHAHAHAH

YOU GUYS. I DIDN’T SAY A SINGLE THING THIS WHOLE TIME, BECAUSE I SO BADLY WANTED SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO HAPPEN, BUT I DIDN’T WANT TO JINX IT, OR RISK SOUNDING STUPID, BECAUSE I KEEP BRINGING BAKUGOU INTO THESE THINGS EVEN WHEN HE’S NOT REMOTELY INVOLVED, BECAUSE I HAVE A BIT OF A FIXATION WITH HIM, YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED!! BUT DON’T THINK FOR A SECOND THAT I’D FORGOTTEN ABOUT HIM WANTING TO GO AFTER THE VILLAINS, AND ANNOUNCING THIS IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER, AND THE FACT THAT HE’D BEEN ABSENT FOR A LITTLE WHILE AFTERWARDS! AND THEN, JUST NOW, THE FACT THAT DEKU WAS ABOUT TO BE TOTALLY SCREWED IF SOMEONE DIDN’T JUMP IN TO SAVE HIM AT THE LAST SECOND. AND WITH AIZAWA AND THIRTEEN INCAPACITATED, AND THE OTHER KIDS HEEDING ALL MIGHT’S ORDERS AND GETTING THE FUCK OUT OF THERE, PRETTY MUCH THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD DO SOMETHING AT THIS MOMENT WAS BAKUGOU

WHAT I’M TRYING TO SAY IS THAT I SHOULD BE SURPRISED AND DELIGHTED, BUT IF I’M COMPLETELY FUCKING HONEST I’M NOT SURPRISED AT ALL SOMEHOW, BUT YOU’D BETTER BELIEVE I AM FUCKING DELIGHTED AS HELL

JUST. :D :D :D!!!!!!!!!

YES I DID ORDER FEELS ON THE SIDE!! THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH!!!!

somehow this just seems so very awkward

I’m sure that when I reread this later, or watch it in the anime, I will have some idea of what the hell is actually going on. but for now, Kiri’s here as well, and one or both of them is doing something to Noumu, and that’s just swell

oHHHHHHHHH. the reason I didn’t understand it is because there’s a third young chap who’s also just appeared in the nick of time who I didn’t realize was there at first!

Kacchan looks like he’s having the time of his fucking life. this kid was born to bust villain chops

Kirishima still looks SO DAMN MUCH like Mikoshiba Momotaro to me. they’re both so cute too

Todo looks like Zuko and Hibari’s lovechild as always

Kacchan! you other two people!!

well then, villains. how do y’all feel about taking on a few more high schoolers? fair warning that these ones are just slightly less intimidated by you than the last group

gotta say, this is a much better chapter to go to bed on than the one I fucking read 24 hours ago (16), goddamn

and I did write “Kacchan saves Deku” on my wishlist a few chapters back, but this is less angsty than I had envisioned, and is in fact really hype and badass. I guess that’s just the way Kacchan likes to do things. can’t say I’m really all that put out

BONUS:

“someone who could bring the different members of the class together and bridge gaps” sooo... what you’re saying is... Yamamoto. he’s Yamamoto

no wonder people ship him with the closest thing to Gokudera this series has so far

I didn’t even notice he had a scar over his right eye. and of COURSE it comes with a long and detailed history

I really like the story, though. I honestly wonder how more of these kids didn’t accidentally maim themselves when their quirks first manifested. I still think about Thirteen’s quirk, and to be honest that shit is terrifying

those are some sneakers. looks like that auto-lace shit from Back to the Future

[akatokuro]

The Inevitable StS Rewatch, Episodes 20-22

AH YES, AFTER TWENTY EPISODES, MY TRUE ANIME STS NEMESIS HAS ARRIVED....... THE ANTI-CAMUS.............

- When I first watched Saint Seiya a million (or six) years ago, I didn't really have a strong opinion on the Crystal Saint. Like, yumetabibito made sure to inform me what was actually up with the "Hyouga's master" situation, and it was obvious at a glance that Camus was the superior option for drama and Hyouga's development, but... he seemed okay for what he was?

- But on rewatch, phew, the Crystal Saint comparatively is... really, really bad!

- And it's not like Camus got much more screentime or anything versus the Crystal Saint. Camus is literally featured in like two episodes total out of 114. I don't even really count Camus as being present in the majority of the Hades arc, because he's there as part of a blob with a Saga-shaped head so Saga can dramatically Athena Exclamation at people. But even so, Camus is so much a better character in like every way possible holy cow.

- Before delving into that, though, I do want to note that a) Marin is super cool! and b) these early Aiolia cameos continue to be charming and also hilarious. I really seriously doubt Toei knew Aiolia was a Gold Saint at the time of writing these appearances, and only had his cameo in the first chapter of the manga to go off of. This leads to some really weird but ultimately interesting depictions, like the Silvers repeatedly disrespecting poor Aiolia hard. It was an accident, but it really works for his character and his endless, endless rage.

- Also, Shun and Saori's friendship is cute as fuck. See, this is why even though the filler is ridiculous, I do like some of the feelings of the dynamics we get out of it before the Bronzies get trapped by eternal stairs.

- I LOVE that Seiya repeatedly loses against Shaina early on and keeps having to be rescued from her by others. I really do like Shaina, but I think her having a crush on Seiya is super unnecessary and a total shame - I love her as ruthless and effective, but not necessarily evil.

- Marin throwing shade at Shaina and trolling her is fantastic. Shaina, fall in love with Marin, not Seiya, goddammit! She is objectively the superior option even putting aside Seiya's brain eventually going full broke for Saori!

- My Camusfamily-loving heart did eeeee to get a quick peek at the village I'm sure they had to go to to buy supplies and such. Please give me a filler episode of nothing but Camus terrifying the grocers as he simply tries to purchase carrots for his kids. Look, he doesn't mean to be scary, guys, he's really just figuring out which carrots to buy, it's just his face...

- I always wonder what's up with Camus (and his kids) wearing, like, the sleeveless shirts but also legwarmers? okay guys.jpg

- Okay okay okay. Crystal Saint time.

- It's really funny to think that the Crystal Saint actually probably preceded Camus as a character concept, since we know Kurumada literally pulled Camus straight from his ass ten seconds before introducing him. What makes it kind of a fun thought exercise to compare both of Hyouga's mentors is that they're really the same character concept and "type."  In some ways CS almost feels like a rough draft for Camus, honestly: Hyouga's kind-hearted master who loves him, and really wants the best for him, but whom Hyouga is tragically forced to fight and kill. 

- Crystal Saint, however, plays this absolutely straight with zero nuance or deviation from the script. He is a Good Guy (slaughtering the poor Sanctuary guards and snapping that one dude's neck aside) who objects to Sanctuary's brutality and evil. He smiles and laughs and pats Hyouga on the head and openly encourages him. The only reason he and Hyouga are forced to fight is because he is literally brainwashed.

- Aquarius Camus, on the other hand, needs no fucking outside influence or brainwashing to make a giant fucking trainwreck out of the situation involving the student he loves. HE DOES IT ALL ON HIS OWN, BABY.

- That instantly makes him a better character, because Camus - again, with pretty much the same amount of screentime - manages an interiority and an agency because he's conflicted about what he's doing and does not know the right or best thing to do, and his priorities are a complete tangled mess. He doesn't have it in him to just turn against Sanctuary on a whim. But he doesn't want Hyouga to die. But he doesn't go out of his way to find out what Hyouga is trying to do and if it's right or not, because oh my god Hyouga is going to fucking die aaaa aaaa aaaaaaaaaaa oh god aaaaaaaaaaa

- Part of what makes me like Camus so much is that he feels really interesting and unique for a "good shounen anime mentor" in what an utter fucking mess he is. Most characters in his type, like the Crystal Saint, essentially have their shit together to be very stable and solid figures for the protagonist to fall back on. They might put up a certain harsh facade in order to push their students forward, but ultimately they are in control of themselves and are deliberately orchestrating how they present and such for their students' benefit. I'm thinking of, like, figures like Hiko from Kenshin, or Izumi from FMA, those sorts. But not Camus. He is held in extremely high regard as a beloved mentor by the text - "not a day goes by that I haven't thought of you!" cries Hyouga (lol), and there's no questioning his love for his student, but he is a legitimate panicky fuckup who makes an assload of genuine, unnecessary mistakes in how he handles things.

- I should probably save some of my Camusramblings for when Camus, like, actually shows up though huh. OR I COULD JUST REPEAT MYSELF WHEN THE TIME COMES. YEAH. I'LL PROBABLY DO THAT.

- I also want to note that it's fucking hilarious that, like, Yakov tells Hyouga "oh no the Crystal Saint is evil now" and Hyouga is like "sounds legit" and fights him; meanwhile against the, er, "master of his master", Camus, Hyouga cries and breaks down and can't bring himself to punch him. I... hmm. HMMMMM

- But that's what makes Hyouga and Camus's relationship great and fun. The love between them is what gets emphasized, more than anything else - because their duty as Saints gets very entangled in the doubt that that love brings them.

- ANYWAY. MOVING ON. tl;dr, Camus is so obviously a superior option for "Hyouga's tragic mentor" in every way - as an individual character, and in his relationship with Hyouga, and how events play out - it's obvious why the franchise as a whole sort of innocently whistled and nonchalantly kicked Crystal Saint down a cliff.

- Shunrei and Shiryuu are cute as fuck! I don't give a fuck! They're sort of fun and unique in this setting as Shunrei is a "normal person" who is forced to just sort of deal with what it means for her beloved person to be a Saint.

- W-why do soldiers from Sanctuary have guns...?

- WHY BUILD A COMPLETELY RANDOM ICE PYRAMID?

- I like how they even ask the filler villain "why the fuck are you building a random ice pyramid" and it's like "IT'S A MONUMENT OKAY. FOR REASONS."

- I do like Hyouga being well-known and beloved by the villagers, though! I could totally see that! Playing interference for his extremely socially awkward master when they need to buy carrots...

- Camusfamily is forever my favorite, but Dohkofamily can be pretty fucking cute too...

- Boy, how many times is Saori's house gonna get blown up...

- Saori's reactions continue to feel really fluid and fun if you pay attention to her. I really like her panicking at first at her house getting blown up (AGAIN), but then forcing herself to hold it together and do the rationally correct thing, with obvious difficulty.

- Tatsumi you useless FUCK

- oh my god tatsumi giving in instantly and giving them information. why didn't you  guys let ikki kill him. jesus fuck

- It's a small thing, but I appreciate Saori remaining focused on her worry for Shun in this situation instead of, like, falling back on crying for Seiya or something. It's a bunch of little things like that that make me able to like them as a shounen hero/heroine pairing. Saori has a lot of different things on her plate, not just Seiya.

- Chains aren't the best weapon to fight against a fire-based Saint, huh, Shun? Try hard! If only your boyfriend was here!

- PHOENIX IKKI TRIUMPHANTLY REAPPEARS IN THE ANIME EARLY TO DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING UNTIL HIS MANGA REAPPEARANCE EXCEPT BE REALLY CREEPILY OOC. THANKS, IKKI!

- i know it's a meme but i still can't deal with that bit ikki waving shun's tears in his face what the fuck

[dudence-blog]

Dear Dudence for 30 November 2017

It’s the penultimate day of the week.  Friday Eve.  Time to start warming up for the weekend.  With a glass of wine in hand and a series of questions needing answers it’s on to the fun!

My 5-year-old daughter is the joy of my life. She is smart, funny, kind, and adorable—but she is a terrible singer! I mean, dogs will howl when she sings. But for some reason, she thinks she is a great singer and insists on doing it often and at the top of her lungs, which annoys me to no end.

Dear Breaking a 5-year old’ heart, this is my face as I read your letter:  :-I  I’m hoping you’re rereading this yourself and realizing you’re the villain in a children’s movie.  All that being said, of course your five year old is a terrible singer.  She’s 5.  They’re terrible at everything.  Have you ever seen them run?  Ride a bike?  Cook?  Throw a football?  Drive a car?  They’re awful at all of them.  You know why?  Because they’re five.  Do not, I repeat DO NOT stop your child from singing just because you think she’s a terrible singer.  Teach her time and place for quiet time, and if she’s just too precocious maybe look into a children’s choir (your local church almost certainly has one).

My significant other and I have been together for a couple of years. When we met, I knew that he was in the poly scene, but he said that was not a necessity for him. I was curious about opening up the relationship but wanted us to build our relationship first. At this point, I feel like we have a strong foundation and am curious about opening things up. I have not had great experiences with nonexclusive relationships before and know that I have a strong jealous streak. However, I am also turned on by the idea of my partner being with someone else, although I wouldn’t want us to have full-blown relationships with other people.

Dear Happily considering an open relationship, I’m going to guess that “strong jealous streak” and “open relationship” are not quite mixing nitro and glycerin, but it’s a close enough approximation.  That being said if it’s something you’re interested in, bring it up with your partner.  Talk, talk some more, then talk some more, and if you’re both still down for it go and start banging other people to your heart’s, or wherever else’s, content.  But, let’s go ahead and back up a bit.  You mention that you’re turned on by the fantasy of your partner being with someone else.  One, not every fantasy is meant to be experienced, nor will they live up to the hype.  Two, “I get wet/hard in my nethers thinking about him with someone else” doesn’t necessarily need to be satisfied by both of you needing to seek out half-blown relationships with other people.  Maybe just a threesome with a professional satisfies that particular itch?  Remember, shop local this holiday season.

My stepmom has always had an odd habit of trying to co-opt my parents’ shared history to minimize my mother’s role. For example, someone will tell a story that happened in the ’80s, when my brother and I were toddlers, and my stepmom will remark on how she remembers or was present at that event, even though this was years before my parents broke up.

Dear Mom who, not to be that guy but how sure are you that something which happened before your parents broke up means it’s impossible your stepmom wasn’t around then?  Nevermind.  Not to defend an evil stepmother here, but “I don’t want my husband’s ex at family functions involving me, his current wife,” is not the most unreasonable request in the world.  It would be great if we lived in a world where, even after divorce, all parties behaved respectfully towards each other.  Also, if you were a toddler in the 80s you’re a grown-ass (wo)man now.  You might just need to accept that your dad and his wife are just not going to be able to play nice with your mom, and stop trying to make it happen.  You might not be being petty, but you’re certainly refusing to acknowledge the actual state of the relationship between your parents and their current spouses.

After my brother’s divorce, he doesn’t speak to his daughters (ages 16, 19, and 23). I have maintained a great relationship with my nieces. I feel that that their relationship with their father has nothing to do with me. I am supportive of all mature behavior, by anyone.

Dear Auntie in the Middle, I’d say keep on keeping on by being someone on their father’s side of the family the can reach out to.  If you want to take some extra effort to keep the grandparents and grandchildren connected then arrange a time when the girls will call that the grandparents knoew to expect the call.  “Hey mom, Daughter 2 would really just like to speak with you.  She’s going to call you Sunday afternoon, please make sure your phone is on.”  Also, there is no rule which says people can’t write.  “Hey dad, you and Daughter 1 keep missing each other’s calls, could you shoot her an email? She’d really like to hear from y’all.”

My boyfriend’s family is all very abusive to each other, and in turn, it’s all he knows. He is a very sweet and loving person, but if even mildly agitated, he’ll call me names and scream at me that I’m crazy. Today he told me that he was breaking up with me and to get the fuck off his property or he would call the police, after pushing me out and slamming my arm in the door. Turns out, it was his mom’s birthday and I wasn’t invited, and he forgot when he invited me over and said we were going out tonight. He then texted me, acting very sweetly again, saying he just wanted me to leave and didn’t know how to make me leave, that he’s sorry, all that.

Dear Boyfriend’s Abusive Family, you know my expression from the mom who hates her child’s singing voice?  Yeah, I’m giving you that face hoping you’ll hear what you’re saying.  Your boyfriend is a monster and he’s going to seriously injure you.  I get it, he’s from a terrible family and he’s acting the only way he knows how.  He’s also going to put you in the hospital one day.  The reason he’s a wonderful, caring person when he’s not a rage demon is because if he was such a creature all the time he wouldn’t get you to want to stay with him.  Leave.  Leave now.  

I have been in a relationship with the same person my entire adult life (10 years). We’re all but engaged, and he wants very much to buy a house and settle down into a blissful future. It’s a beautiful dream, but I feel discontent, and there’s a big part of me that desperately wants to run away, drop 70 pounds, and sleep with other people. I want to sleep around and date and do all the things I missed out on, but I can’t bear to lose him.

Dear FOMO or something more serious, you could discover you’re half Amish and want to give rumsphringe a go.  Much like Newdie I cannot predict the future.  Unlike Newdie though I can give you one of two options how it’s going to go.  1, you’re going to break up with your long term boyfriend who satisfies you in all those dull, mundane ways which long-term partners satisfy each other and you’re going to find out that banging bunches of people you don’t know well and who don’t care that much about you isn’t all you thought it would be, that travel is actually kind of dull; sure it has its moments, but at the end of it you spent a lot of money to go someplace that wasn’t all it looked to be in the movies, and kind of smelled like pee (Hello Paris!), and at the end of it all you’re going to find your ex used the opportunity as well and enjoyed it.  2, you’re going to find that, now freed from your anchor of a boyfriend you shed that weight and it turns out you love banging hot guys and gals in hidden nooks and blind corners in all the places to which you travel.  I know which outcome I’m going to bet on.

I have a co-worker who is very polite, fun to be around, and treats me with respect. The problem? My intuition is telling me that her kindness is fake and that I should be careful to trust her. I just have this feeling that I can’t trust her and that she will use our friendship against me. I have no evidence to back this mindset up, but it’s always in the back of my mind when I’m around her. How do I get past this?

Dear Deviance in my head, you don’t get past it.  It’s work, not play group.  You don’t trust them.  Be professional, but they’re not your friend and you don’t need them to be to do your fucking job.

I am a middle-aged woman. The past year has been stressful: My husband retired due to disability. I gave up a part-time job to travel with him, but we ended up staying home. Our 20-year-old daughter had a mental health crisis, left college, and moved back home. We are in very good financial shape. We get along OK, although I find myself mediating arguments between the two of them.

Dear Rehab, several aspects of your life were unexpectedly turned on their head, and not for the better.  Honestly, I felt like refreshing my drink just reading it.  Being aware that you’re upping your alcohol intake and that you’re likely doing it in response to some stresses in your life is a good start.  Instead of running off to find a program to control your suspected alcoholism, maybe you should first just try not drinking as much.  Have your beer with dinner, and then stop.  If that doesn’t work you might want to look into getting some help, but I’m having a hard time thinking you’re an alcoholic when you haven’t actually shown you’re not in control of your relationship with alcohol.

One of my good friends from high school recently came out to me as gay. We were part of a tight friend group—all cis men who graduated from high school about 10 years ago. He and I have remained friends, and since he came out to me, he has mentioned having boyfriends and dating men since at least early college, meaning he was in the closet (or at least not out to me) for a while now.

Dear Did I keep my friend in the closet, I have an acquaintance who files letters like your under the header “Dear World, how can I show the world how woke I am?”.  You are being selfish, overthinking this, and are definitely trying to insert yourself into your friend’s relationship with his own sexualtiy.  Also, it’s likely you and your other friends talking about masturbation and discussing porn with him made him gay because that is totally how that works.  You should tell him that.

I love my boyfriend, “Stan,” and I see a future together. My only problem is how enmeshed his life is with his ex, “Sara.” Sara is gay and came out after she divorced Stan. They have a son together. Sara and her partner have three kids together. Stan got remarried but lost his wife to cancer. His stepdaughter is still in her final year of high school so she lives with him. Stan and his family go over to Sara’s all the time for dinner. Stan is the Little League coach for one of their kids and takes the other two camping and hiking. His son is in college, but Stan refers to Sara’s kids as his all the time! His stepdaughter calls them her “aunts” and “cousins.”

Dear Separate Lives, your boyfriend didn’t lose his wife to cancer, she died from it.  Back to the letter.  It’s good you feel like an ogre for resenting the positive and fulfilling relationship your boyfriend has with his son, his son’s half-siblings, and the daughter of his dead wife, because “ogrish” is one of the words I thought of while when I saw how this letter was going to go.  The way you start this conversation would be to discuss how you view your future together.  Maybe, just maybe, Stan doesn’t see the same future you do.  The dude does have bad luck with wives afterall.  Maybe he is looking forward to downsizing and letting the kids live their own lives when they’re older.  You won’t know unless you ask.  There’s nothing in your discussion with Stan that is guaranteed to start a fight.  I mean, unless you go into it demanding he boot out his stepdaughter (she’s not his real daughter away) and get those disgusting lesbos away from y’all.  If you do that then, yeah, it’s going to be a fight.

[justanotherwannabeclassic]

Bloom (4/?)

It’s nice for the latest edition of The Happiest Pregnancy Ever! In this chapter, Belle and Killian discuss Gideon’s magic, leading Killian to freak out about what it might mean for his unborn child. Good thing he has Emma there, right?

Many thanks for @unfolded73 for the beta!

[Ch.1][Ch.2][Ch.3]

You can also read on AO3! Chapter 4: Magic There were many things that Killian believed the denizens of the Land Without Magic took for granted. Warm running water, the machines that kept the air cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and the sheer availability of everything -- clothing, food, and information. The first time he'd stumbled across the food market, he'd marveled at the options. He could purchase fresh fruit and vegetables out of season, and there were spices from all over the world that cost barely any coin. Even better, he could use the magic box and "google", as Emma and the boy called it, a variety of recipes which he could then follow in the kitchen. He still preferred books to the Google, but he marveled at how easily he could find information cobbled together by experts on this matter or that. 

It was his quest for more information by means of books that drove Killian to the library. He had a few texts tucked under his arm to return, and was intent on gathering more. Besides, he hadn't spoken properly with Belle in a number of days, and he was eager to catch up with his friend. Unfortunately, when Killian entered the library, he found a mess of books scattered across the floor flung around the room, a shelf knocked haphazardly to its side.

Worry pricked at him, and he found himself reaching for the cutlass at his hip. It technically wasn't proper regulation for the Sheriff's deputy to carry a sword, but that was not a concession he was willing to make. Despite wearing the star of law enforcement, Killian was still a pirate, forever and always. A sword he would carry. He set down his stack of books, giving him free motion with his hooked arm. Should anything attack, he would be prepared.

"Belle?" he called out. Whatever caused this mess, he hoped that Belle was in a state to alert him of her location or safety.

Killian skirted around the books and upturned shelve. His stomach churned uncomfortably. He was not prepared for another villain, and Emma certainly wasn't in the condition to risk another battle, no matter how much she claimed otherwise.

He sighed deeply and silently thanked the gods when Belle walked briskly from the back of the library, a fussy Gideon secured in her arms, looking somewhat distressed but unharmed. Thankfully, she and her son were safe. 

"Sorry about the mess," she said. She swayed from side-to-side, her son calming at the motion. Killian took note for future reference. 

"Nothing for you to apologize for," he replied. He sheathed his sword. "What caused it?"

Belle frowned and glanced toward her son. "Gideon."

"He has magic." It was a statement, not a question. A foolish one at that, because of course he knew the boy had some magic. Killian saw what he became, the sorcery the boy's older self had used to torment him and Emma. Not willingly, Killian reminded himself, but it was difficult to shake the memory of Emma being stabbed. Killed.

"We didn't think it would develop so early," Belle replied, not taking her eyes off Gideon. "Well, I don't think Rumple wanted him to develop magic at all."

"That's surprising."

Belle glared at him. Her relationship with the Dark One was still a sore spot between them. He didn't trust the Crocodile, and doubted he ever would. Nevertheless, the man was still married to Belle, and they were trying to make the relationship work. Killian didn't necessarily approve, but Belle was her own woman, so he tried to keep the sniping remarks to a minimum.

"Believe it or not, he doesn't want that life for Gideon," Belle said evenly. "He knows better than anyone the damage magic can do, so he worries."

Belle sighed and walked over to the play area she kept for Gideon. After what happened with their child, both Belle and the Crocodile had been hesitant to hand him over to a babysitter. Killian doubted that Gideon would ever be allowed to be supervised by the fairies again. Not that Killian blamed them. If anything happened to his and Emma's babe...Killian shook his head, unwilling to think such thoughts. Their daughter would be fine.

Of course, Belle had thought the same with her son.

Killian watched the boy as he lunged for his toy blocks. He was already standing, and a few weeks ago, Belle had sent in a group message a video of Gideon taking tentative steps toward his father. How could this technically be the same person who'd run Emma through with a sword?

"For what it's worth, the only dark magic Gideon seemed to do was under the control of the Black Fairy," Killian said more for his own benefit than Belle's. He wouldn't grow up to hurt anyone, Emma or their daughter. "Magic doesn't necessarily turn one evil."

Emma was proof enough of that.

"That's what I said. Besides, between Rumple, Regina, and Emma, Gideon will have plenty of opportunities to learn how to control his magic. There are people here who want to protect him." Belle folded her arms around herself. She was clearly distraught by the whole affair. "Rumple doesn't necessarily see it that way."

"We would watch out for him, you know," Killian promised, feeling quite defensive. He might have his own issues with the boy, but he wouldn't want anything to actually happen to him.

"I know that, and I think Rumple knows that," Belle said, even though she didn't sound fully convinced. "It's just..."

She trailed off, and her expression knitted into a look of conflict.

"It's just what?"

She sighed. "Rumple wants to bind his powers."

Killian quirked his brow. "What does that entail?"

"He wants to use magic to remove his powers, temporarily -- until he is no longer a baby," Belle explained.

Killian considered her words. Loathe as he was to admit it, the Crocodile's plan wasn't the worst. He knew how unstable magic could be when wielded by an untrained user. Strong emotions still occasionally gave Emma trouble controlling her own powers, and she was quite capable.  An infant or toddler would have no such ability to manage its strength. Books flung around the library were one thing, but Gideon could accidentally cause more damage with a full-blown tantrum. 

Of course, Killian knew better than to give his opinion entirely unsolicited. He'd learned that quickly with Belle, so he instead tried to coax her to explain her own feelings. "And you disagree?"

"Yes? No? Honestly, I don't know." Belle replied. She looked over to Gideon, who was now banging loudly on a toy piano. Thankfully, Killian was the only patron in the library. "On one hand, he's right that it could cause more problems with him as a baby. You can see that." 

Belle gestured toward the books still on the floor.

"But?"

"But if we do bind his powers, then we will be denying a fundamental part of him, which feels wrong." She began to pace. "Honestly, it’s the whole thing with the shears all over again."

Killian recalled her conflict with removing Gideon's destiny and how it had driven her from her husband. He also remembered his own struggle with Emma’s fate.

“But you said yourself, it’s only temporary,” Killian reminded her. “It wouldn’t be removing his abilities completely. You could get them back.” 

“I know,” Belle sighed. “After everything that happened with Rumple’s mother and Gideon -- if we had used the shears like Rumple had wanted, would she have taken him? I sometimes wonder that I was wrong then, and if I am now…”

She trailed off, and Killian could see the tears brimming in her eyes.

“You did what you thought was best,” he assured her. He hated seeing his friend full of self-doubt. She had no way of knowing just what would come from her decisions early in her pregnancy.

“And I almost lost him.” Belle brushed at the corner of her eyes. She shook her head as if willing the tears away. She then moved to pick up the books, and Killian joined her.

They worked in silence to the backdrop noises of Gideon’s babbling as he played with his toys. Killian wasn’t sure what to say to Belle, or even the best way to comfort her, so he stayed quiet and busied himself with righting the bookshelves. He’d spent enough time here to learn the ordering system so he could put everything in its correct place. Finally, the library was sorted, even if Belle still didn’t appear terribly happy. 

“What would you do?” she asked suddenly, catching him off guard.

 “In which situation?”

“This,” she answered, gesturing toward Gideon. “What would you and Emma do, if your baby has magic? Have you talked about it?”

“Not explicitly, no.”

Emma made offhand comments every now and then, but they’d never actively discussed how they’d handle a magical child. They hadn’t even named the baby or decided on the color for a nursery (much to the chagrin of Snow). How could they be expected to discuss the possibility of their child being magical if they couldn’t yet make those simpler decisions?

Belle, thankfully, didn’t pry for more, instead settling on telling him, “You can read all the books, but nothing ever prepares you for being a parent.”

Killian didn’t stay long at the library after that, but Belle's words haunted him for the rest of the day. How would he and Emma handle their child having magic? They'd love her regardless. Nothing could ever make them not love their daughter, even if she decided to change her name to Gold and ally herself with the Crocodile. But fear had started to prick at him.

What if she had magic? What if she were given a destiny similar to Emma's? What then? These were things Killian had forced himself not to consider in the early months of the pregnancy, intent on creating an air of calm around an already anxious Emma. He tried to remember the words he'd used to soothe his beloved, reminding himself just as Belle had done that they had family to support them and protect their child. But Killian had never done well with calming himself, often feeling adrift in a storm of emotions. 

He knew part of the reason that fear gripped him now was the tangibility of their child. Before, though the pregnancy had been very real, it felt like just an idea. The possibilities were endless. But "it" had become a "she", the bundle of gray on the screen resembling a person. He and Emma had a list of names they endlessly debated, and in a few months time, he would be holding his child in his arms. Gods, he was terrified.

He tried to busy himself with tasks to keep his mind occupied. He filed documents at the station. He researched a particularly complicated recipe to make for dinner, and set out to the store for all of the ingredients. He cooked, and relished the way Emma's eyes grew wide when she saw the dish, as well as her sighs of enjoyment as she ate.

Unfortunately, none of those things kept the weight of his worries off his shoulders, a fact that Emma cottoned onto quickly.

"Okay, what's up?" she asked him as they worked through their nightly chore of cleaning dishes.

"Nothing to worry about, love."

"Uh-huh." She sounded unconvinced. "You've been broody all night, and you've been drying the same plate for the past five minutes. So, I'll repeat again, what's up?"

He sighed. There was no use in evading her questions. She was damn fine at interrogation, which he had the pleasure of witnessing occasionally at the station and the torture of being subjected to at home. "I visited the library and had a conversation with Belle that vexed me, that's all."

"Was it about her and Gold? 'Cause babe, you've gotta accept that ship has--"

"It wasn't about her relationship with the Crocodile. We discussed Gideon...and his magic."

"What about it?" Emma asked, leaning against the counter. The remaining dishes sat forgotten in the sink, and Killian knew that should they continue the conversation, they would remain forgotten.

"He's already exhibiting his abilities, which obviously worries his parents." 

"Um, yeah, I bet." Realization quickly dawned on Emma's face. She reached out to grab his hook, and nudged him away from the kitchen counter. "C'mon, this is a couch conversation."

He followed her -- he'd always follow her -- as she led him to the couch in their den. They settled together, Emma leaning her back against the arm to better face him. That sat in silence for a moment, and a quirk in his wife's brow indicated he was expected to speak first.

"Belle and the Crocodile are debating whether or not to temporarily bind Gideon's powers," Killian explained, "and she asked me what we had discussed if," he gestured to her rounded belly, "she did the same. Showed early signs of her powers, that is."

Emma pursed her lips. "You know, the benefit of our friends having babies before us was that we were supposed get advice from them, not the other way around."

Despite the severity of the situation, Killian couldn't help but crack a smile. "Aye, there's that."

"There's no guarantee, you know, that she'll have magic. She might not," Emma said, placing her hands protectively over her stomach. "I mean, Henry doesn't have magic. Neal hasn't shown any signs either, despite also being the product of True Love or whatever. And other than me, it's not like anyone else in my family is inherently magical. My magic could just be a destiny thing."

But that raised the silent question: what if she has a destiny?

The thought had him shifting uncomfortably on the couch. It was one thing to worry about her being a target because of him or Emma. That Killian was sure he’d at least come to term with and could potentially control. But an outside force -- fate, destiny, a god -- dictating his daughter's life and safety didn't sit right with him.

"But, hey, if she does end up with magic or a destiny, she has us and our family," Emma said, and Killian wasn't sure if it served as a reminder for her or him. "You told me that once."

"It's also what I told Belle."

"It's easier to say things than it is to believe them.”

He barked out a bitter laugh. "So it seems, my love."

Emma reached out to him, grabbing his hand and squeezing tight. "It's okay to freak out a bit, you know. You don't have to act one hundred percent fine with everything all of the time. You can talk to me about things that scare you." 

"Ah, but therein lies the problem: I don't wish to also alarm you."

"Yeah, well, sooner or later Belle would probably be asking me the same thing, causing me to freak out anyway," Emma replied with a shrug. "At least this way, I know I'm not alone in my anxieties. It makes me feel less like a hormonal crazy lady to know you also worry about these things."

"You are not a hormonal crazy lady."

“Damn straight,” she stressed. She bit her lip, and considered him carefully. “So what did you tell her? You know, about what’d we do in her situation. 

“That we hadn’t discussed it,” he answered truthfully. “That seemed to be enough for her.” 

Emma shifted herself so that she could lean against him. His hooked arm automatically went around her shoulders and she sighed. Her pressure against his side was a calming weight, anchoring his tumultuous feelings. 

“What side was Belle on with the whole binding Gideon’s powers thing?” Emma asked, her voice slightly muffled as she buried herself further into his side.

He placed a kiss on her head before answering. “She’s conflicted. She believes if she does, she’ll be suppressing something fundamentally him. But she also worries about his safety. A small child with unbelievable power and little control over it is dangerous, not just for him, but others.”

“What would you want to do?” Emma asked, finally getting to the point they’d been dancing around since they retired to the couch. She tilted her head up to look at him, her green eyes shining bright. He hoped their daughter inherited her eyes.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. He felt ashamed to say such a thing, as if he was failing his unborn child for questioning the best way to protect her. Emma tugged him closer to her.

“It’s okay not to know, Killian. I don’t either,” she said. She was quiet for awhile before speaking again. “I talked to my mom not long ago about being pregnant. Did I tell you that?”

“Regarding what?” he asked, confused. He knew that Emma and her mother talked often about a variety of things, and the pregnancy had factored in heavily recently. Of course Emma talked to her mother about being pregnant. He just wasn’t sure why it was relevant.

“About worrying and stuff. You remember how crazy she got when she was pregnant with Neal,” Emma replied.

Killian did remember, though he couldn’t recall everything Snow had discussed. She’d rattled off plenty of facts about pregnancy and illnesses, but he’d been distracted then, mourning the loss of the Jolly and desperately hoping Emma would someday see him as a better man. Looking back, he wished he’d paid better attention.

“Anyway, she and I talked about that, and she gave me some pretty solid advice.” 

“Did she now?” He didn’t doubt that; Emma’s mother was a wise and caring woman.

“Yeah. She told me we could worry about everything that could happen, stress ourselves trying to prepare for the worst-case scenario, or we could accept whatever might happen and go from there.” 

“That doesn’t sound like the best plan,” he said. As a ship’s captain, he’d liked to be prepared for all scenarios, best and worst case. Not that he knew what was which in this instance.

He could sense Emma’s glare in response. “Basically, she was saying that we can drive ourselves crazy over what may or may not happen to the baby, or we can take the problems as they come.”

“I’d prefer for no problems to come our way.” 

“We’re having a kid, Captain, there’s no avoiding it,” Emma said with a laugh.

“A man can but dream.”

“Hey,” Emma said, looking up at him and tilting his chin toward her. “I’m scared too, but we can plan and plan, and then once we meet her, we might realize our first plan was wrong and end up starting over from square one. She might have magic, she might not. But right now, maybe it’s best for us to focus on ensuring that she’s the most loved baby in Storybrooke.”

“She’s already the most loved baby in Storybrooke,” Killian countered with a grin. Emma matched his smile. Her words made sense, even if he still wasn’t sure. Then again, he doubted he ever would be. 

“Besides, we can just see how Gideon pans out with whatever Belle and Gold decide.”

This time, Killian couldn’t help but laugh at Emma’s comment.

“Aye, darling, sounds like a plan.”

[archetypal-conte-blog]

[SPOILER ALERT!] Archetypical chatterbox: Harry Potter and The Cursed Child

Different from my other review posts, Archetypical chatterbox will going to be a specially customized segment for casual reaction or discussion about movies or novels. By any means, it won’t be as well-researched, well-written and well-thought as the other reviews (not that my other reviews fall under all those categories, but you know what I mean. If not, just give it a shot - it’s free, who cares).

               Speaking of which, I just finished reading the hottest newborn baby by J.K Rowling, The Cursed Child and now I decide to write my thoughts about the play script (I haven’t watched the play because I live in a continent miles and miles away, so it is impossible, plus I’m broke, nah - scratch that, I’m poor). And just as precautions, this thought does not justify anything nor does it necessarily true since it is purely my own opinion and I believe that there are many Potterheads out there who probably have different view. Should you peeps have different thoughts, please feel free to share but no hate please.

               I’ve been a Potterhead my whole life, starting when I was pre-teen till now (I’m practically ancient) and I can confidently say. Always. And to say that I am ecstatic to know about this new project JK Rowling has is an understatement, I am SHOOK, especially with the release of Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them, I feel like I was swept away by the warmth from a full blown Patronus after a nearly-Dementor kiss.

               Speaking of The Cursed Child, I could not really say that I love it, but I don’t despise it either so it’s pretty much a mixed feelings here. I could say that the scenes are always in between a swoon-worthy moments, depressing teenage vibe from Albus (which annoys me SO much, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this annoyed reading Harry Potter after Umbridge, but she’s a villain so it’s understandable) and well, nostalgic of course. But most of the time questions, questions, questions – there’s just too many questions but too limited pages to turn. I am in DESPERATE NEED of a full novel. At this point, I have decided that a play script just wouldn’t cut it, just like the movies wouldn’t ever do justice to the novel.

               Maybe, the fact that I haven’t seen the play contributed enormously to my reaction because it was supposed to be for a play, so I should’ve seen the play before chirping about what I feel. But, I think it could’ve been more, could’ve been better that this. I felt incredibly bad to write this and BEWARE OF SPOILER but this seems to me like it revolves around one teenage guy (NOT SCORPIUS, HE’S A LIVING AND BREATHING FUZZY UNICORN, SO DON’T TOUCH HIM) thinking the world was unfair and decided to play hero to justify himself, and hey there’s this old man who lost their son because of his dad in a Triwizard Tournament and apparently he knew there’s this time turner, how convenient is that? I believe by now you know who did what to save who because of what. Plus, parents chasing around their kids and somehow always fall behind, too much, it’s weird considering they are the smartest bunch around. Also let’s just have a moment to think about how bad is Harry’s parenting. AND more importantly, he shouted at Professor McGonagal to SPY on his kid so that he won’t hang around Scorpius. I mean, dude, she’s your professor, have some respect :(

               Don’t even let me talk about Albus. I don’t hate him, I swear I don’t, I just feel immensely annoyed by his guts and impulse. He NEVER thinks before he does something. At first, I thought, is it because he is a Potter so he thinks that doing big things and having an urge to save the world is in his path? BUT HEY, no, Harry is the furthest thing from that, it was all those miserable things that’s always harshly shoved to his way. I could not justify his action in any way, I mean, I know it’s hard to have a famous dad, and to be the only one sorted in Slytherin and all that regular outcast thingy but what’s so hard to talk. It’s not like your parents ignore the shit out of you, they care and they tried. This complicated relationship Albus and Harry is unbelievable but what I understand is that sometimes one ends up saying things they don’t mean or saying nothing at all because they just don’t know how to act. That is understandable and I don’t blame how the dynamic of their relationship is narrated. I swear the only good thing Albus did was to stay with Scorpius in Hogwarts Express despite knowing he’s a Malfoy. He’s a good kid, Albus, he doesn’t judge others based on their parents’ past but his impulse though.

               The story is almost very predictable it hurts, I couldn’t feel the usual suspense I’ve always felt when I read Harry Potter novels. I mean, shouldn’t he at least think that when people use a time turner, it will create a butterfly effect to the present time? THE PAST IS OBDURATE, IT DOES NOT WANT TO BE CHANGED! So, look at what hits you, chaos. Pretty much expected, but I would be lying if I don’t feel things in the midst of these series of unfortunate events rippled by one wave of one guy’s action. I do feel things because at some moments I was pulled back by memories and feel fortunate enough to encounter some small valuable information that I could not get from the previous novel series. During the second try of the time turner, I got to meet Snape again because one of the alternate universe portrayed the time when Voldemort triumphed. So that’s the moment where I tear a little, a little too much. When I hear what he said about knowing that Harry named his son Albus Severus, I feel like I’m in cloud nine. I’ve missed Snape, and Alan more than I know.

               The highlight of it all, I think, is the Malfoys. I got to know deeper about what Draco thinks and feels the whole time. It is a very exhilarating revelation because I’ve always had the soft spot for Draco especially when he shows a glimpse of himself starting from the Half-Blood Prince. That private but rather heated conversation he had with Harry sent me reeling, I crave for this and I’m happy it happened. Now, now, don’t even let me begin on how amazing Draco’s son turned out to be. The brief encounter the Potters and Malfoys had during the first Hogwarts Express boarding for both Albus and Scorpius on the epilogue of Deathly Hollow had sparked a lot of prediction about the Malfoy family and I’m happy it came true. Better than what I’ve ever imagined, actually. Scorpius is the most adorable geek who ever lived in the current wizarding world - very smart, reasonable and loyal. I feel like I want to squeeze him because he’s just too darn cute. He becomes the voice of consciousness for Albus most of the time but sadly he is not powerful enough to take lead, so his opinion always ended up being ignored.

               The role and characterization seems to reverse and I’m happy for some of the change but somewhat angered by some others. I especially saddened by the fact that there is almost no meaningful interaction between Ron and other characters. All in all, It feels like there is not much to it than just a brief nostalgic trip to the wizarding world of Harry Potter, but then again, I will always down to drown myself among those wizards and witches again. I know that no matter what, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home. ALWAYS.

[nellie-elizabeth]

Grey's Anatomy: It Only Gets Much Worse (13x13)

Well, I watched this episode in public which was a mistake, because it actually made me cry. Yikes.

Cons:

Meredith doing the voice-overs is always awkward when she isn't even in the episode. I've got to say that the voice-over thing is my least favorite element of Grey's Anatomy. I mean I know it's here to stay, but come on. Maybe try not to be so obnoxious with it.

For whatever reason, I'm noticing that in this season the ensemble nature of the cast has been a real burden. There are only so many characters you can focus on at a time, and as such, several plot threads get dropped and it feels very awkward. Is Alex not back to work yet? How is Meredith handling suspension? Even if it makes sense to set those two aside, what about Amelia? It makes no sense to me that Meredith and Maggie aren't more worried about where she's at. And hey, here's a question: why on earth bring Leah back if you're not going to do anything with her?

Pros:

Despite all the things this episode couldn't manage to fit in, we actually covered a lot of ground here. There was something very smart in focusing on one central theme: the battle for control of the residency program. Throughout this, you can tease out lots of different elements and character dynamics. Let's talk about some of them.

April: April is getting hell from everybody else about accepting Meredith's job. She's actually enjoying her promotion, but this doesn't mean she's against Richard, per se. What nobody else in the hospital seems to understand is that she's trying to do right by her hospital. It's kind of heartbreaking, because everybody is being so cruel to her, and nobody is congratulating her on her promotion. Eventually, Catherine does tell her the she deserves the job and is allowed to celebrate. I think the most telling moment here is when Jackson talks about how he's "surprised" by April. We can take that to mean disappointed. It's a cutting blow!

Maggie: Nobody is more harsh to April than Maggie, who is playing up her loyalty to Meredith to an extreme level. April, Maggie, and Jo work together on a patient that used to be Meredith's. Maggie glares daggers the whole time, and when there are complications, she blames April. April fixes the complications and removes the patient's tumor, causing said patient, who had been very distressed by Meredith's absence, to thank April for saving her life. I liked how harsh Maggie was. Sometimes a lot of the drama on this show is done through passive-aggressiveness, but here we had a real blow-out between these two women. It was refreshing to see. I also liked how April stood up for herself. I'm not sure I agree with everything April is doing or saying, especially since Minnick isn't all she seemed to be at first (we'll get there!), but I still like it when April stands her ground.

Catherine: She's still my least favorite character on the show, but I do enjoy the unique position she's in, and how she plays off of the other characters. She wants to keep the peace in her marriage to Richard, but of course she is the one who pushed Bailey into hiring Minnick. She wants to encourage April to take pride in her accomplishments, but by doing so she's taking April's side over Jackson's. Lots of delicious complexity!

Richard: Here we finally see why all the attending surgeons are so loyal to Richard. They were all taught by him, and he knows what he's doing. Stephanie loses a patient on the operating table during her first start-to-finish solo surgery. I'll talk more about that in a minute. When Minnick fails to comfort Stephanie, she goes to Richard, who handles it perfectly, helping Stephanie to grieve for the life of the little boy, and then going with her as she tells the parents what happened. This was the scene that made me cry, and it was all because of Richard Webber. Minnick's new technique might be better in many ways, and I really do believe it has many advantages. But here's where you have the writing on the wall: Richard knows how to be a mentor to these young doctors in a way that Minnick could never hope to compare to. Of course, along with Richard being there for Stephanie, he's also got to contend with the messy situation of his wife turning against him, and his favorite student and good friend Bailey losing her faith in him. This is the most interested I've been in Richard as a character in a long while.

Bailey: She's become something of a villain in all of this, in some ways even more so than Minnick herself. Minnick didn't know any of these people when she showed up, so she didn't really betray them. That was all Bailey. As I think I've mentioned in past reviews, the great thing about this is that I completely understand why Bailey is behaving the way she is, but I don't necessarily agree with her at all. The scene where Bailey and Richard get into a fight during Ben's solo surgery was one of the highlights of the episode. These two old friends are finally letting out some of their frustrations, and as a viewer, it's really hard to pick a side.

Ben: I take that back - I'm on Ben's side. The poor guy is one of two residents chosen by Minnick to implement "phase two" of her program, where a resident gets to be head surgeon from start to finish, with the attending assisting. Ben does a great job on his surgery, but the experience is somewhat ruined because Bailey and Richard won't stop arguing. The tension is delicious. Obviously, asking Richard to scrub in on a surgery that Minnick has arranged is already a tense situation. Add in Bailey, and you've got a full-blown argument. Ben expresses it best to Miranda at the end of the episode: he wants to side with the residents, because Minnick is good for them. But the attendings are his friends, and now they won't even talk to him, since he's married to Bailey. He's stuck in the middle of this thing more so than anybody else.

Stephanie: Stephanie gets the other solo surgery of the night, and as I mentioned above, it does not go well. I love this actress. Her performance was amazing. She runs the gambit from being really excited about her solo surgery to being scared and devastated when everything goes wrong. To see Stephanie, the confident doctor that she is, fall to pieces like that was really emotionally affecting.

Arizona: This whole scenario provided a lot of meaty tension between Arizona and Minnick. Arizona insists on being there for Stephanie's surgery, since the patient is a nine-year-old boy, and that's Arizona's department. After everything goes wrong, Minnick runs off, leaving Stephanie to seek comfort from Richard. Arizona is there for Minnick when she learns that Minnick has never lost a child on the operating table before. She also gives Minnick a hug as she sees her breaking down in her car at the end of the day. Arizona is another one of those character who is situated squarely in the middle of all the drama. Obviously, Richard is her good friend. But on the other hand, she's the only doctor in the whole hospital who has made any kind of a personal connection to Minnick so far, and she can see that this new woman is not a bad person at all.

Minnick: This episode certainly did a lot to humanize Minnick, who was starting to grate on my nerves a little bit. Everything she decides to do goes perfectly for her, so it was cathartic to see her fail in such a big way, and not know how to handle it. This failure doesn't mean her method is wrong. It just means that she's not equipped to handle certain aspects of teaching that she really should be equipped to handle. Nobody's perfect.

Political commentary of the day: everybody sits around and discusses April defecting to the other side. They remark that it's like learning that your friend voted wrong. Owen asks: "can you vote wrong?" and everybody else responds: "Yeah!" I liked the pointed look that Maggie gave during this scene. Especially given recent events, I'd say that there absolutely is a wrong choice sometimes.

I guess that's where I'll stop. This was a meaty episode that managed to keep the plot streamlined, and still explore a lot of different character dynamics. I hope we can keep things moving forward a little quicker now that we're in the back half of the season!

9/10

[letswatchwithlite]

Killing Eve (Season 2)

Type: Series (2019)

Platform: BBC America

What is it about?

A cat-and-mouse game between a psychopathic assassin, Villanelle (played by Jodie Comer), and the agent tasked to hunt her down, Eve (played by Sandra Oh). It is a thriller that has it all: guns, kills, drama, even comedy, largey hinged on the dynamic of the relationship between the two main characters, whom are fueled by obsession with each other.

Should you watch it?

Yes - If you’ve never seen S1, but likes cop-and-bad-guy thrillers, or delving into the minds of psychopathic killers (althought I wouldn’t say Killing Eve dived too deep into that compared to shows like “Mindhunters”), or you love some good old spy-action series with a healthy dose of comedy that is not slapstick, WATCH IT!

Also watch it for the incredible acting chops of Ms. Jodie Comer, which deservedly landed her her Emmy and BAFTA wins for Best Actress. If she was very good in S1, her performance in S2 is on another level - she made a psychotic killer ALLURING!

No - While still a commendable season, and I’m not sure if it’s because Phoebe Waller-Bridge is no longer the lead writer for S2, but the quality of the season in terms of pacing & storyline did drop a bit. Fans of S1 who had placed extremely high hopes on S2, will likely be disappointed.

For non-fans who’ve never watched this series before, what are you waiting for? Go and watch S1 FIRST before you even touch this!

How long will it take?

There are 8 episodes in total, at about 40-45mins each.

Rating: 85/100

Ready to watch? Or perhaps not? Here’s where you’ll want to stop reading if you want to watch the series spoiler-free and come back later for the full review. If you just don’t care, or you’ve finished it, read on my friend!

FULL THOUGHTS (SPOILER ALERT)

The Good Ones

I thought they did a pretty good job of keeping the relationship dynamic between Eve and Villanelle and cranking it up a few notches in S2. The tension is crazily good! The other characters, particularly Carolyn (more meat this round) and Konstantin (a slightly subdued amount of appearances, but lights up the scene everytime he’s with Villanelle) makes decisions that have far more profound impact on the lives of both Eve & Villanelle compared to S1. Those came at a bit of a price though at the sake of Kenny, as we see a decreased role for him this season. Hopefully we can see more of him in the next!

1. Chemistry & Heightened Tension

If Villanelle was hesitative and shy about meeting Eve in S1, her obsession with her was blown fully open in S2. A testament to Jodie Comer’s innate ability to disappear 100% into her character (watch her interviews and be blown away), she portrays Villanelle so perfectly in all her emotional range that you can’t help but feel for her when she’s disappointed or sad about Eve; or laugh at her childlike, compulsive behaviours and deadpan remarks, or be scared of her in her killing mode because you can never be sure when she’s going to strike you down.

She’s not alone with her thoughts though - Eve can’t shake her mind off Villanelle as well. While Villanelle develops an unhealthy, one-sided relationship with Eve in her mind, Eve goes through her life feeling sorry about what she did to Villanelle in Paris at the end of S1. Her fascination of how Villanelle works and her determination to catch her seems to have faded away to a more personal level - she wants to know everything about her, and the thought of putting her behind bars seem to dissipate even more as the season goes on.

The buildup to both characters eventually meeting each other was done so well - it’s just like the first time they met in S1. Even watching them together one can feel the tension in the air, almost as if you’re in the room with them and you’re peeking at them from the shadows. The dialogue, their movements, all are executed so well, which is great because their chemistry and tension are what’s driving this series!

Does Eve harbour romantic feelings towards Villanelle? Honestly I don’t think so. If anything, it’s likely an infatuation at this point. Here is an exciting woman who shows no intention to stop pursuing her (but happens to be a psychotic killer), on the other hand she has a loving husband who genuinely cares for her albeit a little too boring. I would understand if Eve’s intrigued, thrilled to be wanted even! But I feel she does love Niko more romantically compared to Villanelle.

2. Batman & The Joker Parallels

I can’t help but sense the increasing parallels between Eve and Villanelle, and Batman and The Joker in S2. Just like how The Joker is obsessed with Batman and vice versa, Eve and Villanelle both goes to the extreme in this slow but filled-with-tension dance between them. Villanelle starts to make direct moves on people she sees as a love threat (aka Niko) to her relationship with Eve, and Eve herself is spiraling down the path of psychosis herself by starting to disregard her own sanity and good judgment, and even Kenny who genuinely cares for her, to try and lure Villanelle to see her.

The chemistry and dynamics between Eve and Villanelle remains the core strength of the series, and it is made even better in this season, to some points poetic even. Villanelle repeatedly says that she and Eve are the same type of person, that what makes Eve interesting is she herself (can you feel the Joker-Batman parallel here?), and she is quite right as we slowly see the Eve untangling herself due to her own obsession with Villanelle. Has Eve started on the path to villainy herself? We shall see!

Not all the ‘good guys’ are as good as they seem to be, and not every villain is as bad as they make themselves out to be. Everyone operates in a grey area, and largely the focus has been on Eve & Villanelle.

Will we get more character backstory on Konstantin & Carolyn? I surely hope so! Carolyn has a bigger and shadier role this time around and you can’t help but wonder if we should be more careful of her from now on.

The Bad Ones

In general, there’s a couple of quetionable plotholes that I feel is a result of abit of too much going on to move the story along, and the first few episodes’ pacing were a bit too slow (in comparion, the entire S1′s pacing was excellent). Yes, there needs to be a new plot device to drive Eve and Villanelle back to each other, but I felt it could’ve been worked out better (is this because PWB is not the head writer anymore?).

1. “The Ghost”

I felt The Ghost was grossly underused and misused. Sure, she’s a plot device to get Villanelle jealous, and is also the prime suspect in a new case Eve is working on (thus the cause of said jealousy), but the way her character was handled felt very shortchanged.

It’s like she’s being built up to be the direct opposite of Villanelle yet equally lethal, but turns up and disappears in a rather anti-climactic way. She was cast aside too easily because compared to Villanelle, she is relatively ‘boring’!

Her confession: could’nt they have used her children as a leverage to make her confess? I guess that’s way too easy & convenient, as it wouldn’t have lead to Eve & Villanelle working together. Is this really the best way they could’ve brought the two characters together in the same room again?

The aftermath of her confession: wasn’t it enough to arrest Aaron Peel? There could be transactional records of payment for her service and whatnot, but Aaron Peel conveniently controls the whole of UK’s data now so....

It was a shame we didn’t get to see a direct showdown between Villanelle and The Ghost. I hope we see another opponent like this in next season?

2. Villanelle’s Escape

Villanelle had a REALLY hard time escaping from the Paris hospital and back to London. I’m pretty sure she would’ve eased through the trip quite easily in her S1 form. Yes she is injured, but her wit & survival skills would’ve moved her along faster innit?

So tough was the escape, that we needed 3 episodes before she was ‘rescued’ by a member of The Twelve. This was what bothered me about the pacing in the opening 3 episodes: they put a heavy handicap on her abilities. Also, given how efficient The Twelve is, it took 3 episodes for them to track down Villanelle? Really?

Villanelle and The Twelve, you both had suddenly become sooo sloppy.

3. Eve’s New Case

If the opening three episodes slowed down Villanelle’s return to badassery, it also serves an introduction to the new case Eve’s team is working on. From then on, the entire series’s plot suddenly lurches forward as we anticipate Villanelle finally reuniting with Eve again. Suddenly, they are working together on a case! Are international criminals allowed such freedom to walk across the globe so easily by exchanging personal favours with old acquantainces? Does it really work like that? It was even shown that Carolyn had an upper management to answer to! This means she can’t necessarily be allowed to make all the calls right? But conveniently, she does seem to have all the power to do so!

The case also involves a rather mediocre story about a son seeking to sell his dad’s company in a dodgy way. Carolyn so conveniently halts the Villanelle case as a result, at least for Eve. You couldn’t help but think - Villanelle definitely killed more and has more high-profile cases than The Ghost, and the entire MI6 division stops right there entirely to focus on The Ghost?

Hmm maybe that’s her deal with Konstantin? But it doesn’t add up still. Just like how Kenny reminded Eve and us all, “She killed Phil!”, Villanelle is easily let off the hook like that? Seemed abit too easy, and we’re talking MI6 here. I’m amazed though that the writers still remembered to use Phil! :D

Summary

I loved how they ended the season on another cliffhanger (and another amazing performance from both actresses!). The best episodes in this season happened in the middle, when Eve & Villanelle finally sees each other again and rekindled that chemistry/tension between them. After a rough start, it’s still a solid season carried well thanks to the performance of the actors, and some great cinematography and direction.

Season 3 should be exciting - what’s next? Can’t wait to see :)