#look i just think it's really weird that despite all of the characters being flawed and contributing to abuse

[blissfulrain12]

Do you ever think about how Jimmy verbally abused Curly in front of the whole crew and no one did a thing to stop him? Do you ever think about how confident Jimmy must have been that no one would help Curly to casually abuse him in front of others?

Do you ever think about how only Curly carries the title of enabler and just as bad as Jimmy for failing to act?

[sparrowlucero]

i enjoy ur bird abode thoughts! I was a genuine enjoyer of the show when it was airing, I’m no die hard fan though and love to see ppls personal takes on the overall story/plot. Im curious if you also would agree or have any thoughts on the impacts The Mouse’s cancellation had on the shows ability to be more than it was? srry im not super eloquent with my words, but basically ur response to that ask got me wondering if part of the reason the show like genuinely wasnt all that ground breaking or unique in the end plot wise (other than the villain faces consequences in the end ig) as far as YA/Teen animation goes, was because of The Mouse’s inability to let the writers flesh out the show before gutting it? i have a negative bias toward The Mouse franchise and obviously dont know anything about how writing a show under the eyes of a franchise that big would work, its just smth that rattles around in my head and wanna know what u think!

Well to an extent, but I think it's much more the effect the studio had on how the owl house started out as rather than it not getting a full season at the end - It didn't escape my noticed that the show was initially announced as being a "horror comedy" when it doesn't really seem like either, especially by the second season, and yeah, the original pitch bible is obviously aiming for that much more than the show proper is as it goes along (and is honestly seems quite a bit more funny, weird, and dark, with an overarching plotline about a giant bug being used to religiously suppress people, eda able to cure her curse by killing luz, and one of the major characters being a teen boy awoken from a sleeping curse who ends up being a weird little bigot because he's from the 13th century, among other things)

(side note, i just noticed they actually specifically describe the thing i assumed the show was gonna be about here. huh.) but ultimately the bulk of the show that was actually made seems very influenced by a writing team that was genuinely interested in making a tropey YA fantasy story rather than just being mandated to. I mean even in what aired you can see the show sort of settle in ways that feel less like studio interference and more like, you know, art students creating their ideal fantasy show, like how King is clearly Eda's roommate who's funny because he looks like and sounds like a little dog despite being an adult man at the beginning but by the end they've made him her adopted sad backstory son who's explicitly a child. While I think a third season would have made the show as it existed better, because they clearly didn't get to finish the plot they wanted to (frankly to the point where some major aspects of the show are a bit confusing, I'm still not sure what a grimwalker is), I don't really fault the show for that but also don't think that hypothetical season (which pretty clearly would have been mostly about the magic school teens going to normal school) would suddenly flip around into something that I personally found interesting and subversive. Nor should it, really; again, it being Queernorm Harry Potter thing is clearly the intended appeal of the show, it's not really a flaw but just not a genre I'm personally interested in when compared to what I initially expected the show to be.

HOWEVER I will say they robbed little weird girls of their representation and that can't be forgiven

[alottiegoingon]

but i'm a cheerleader

jackie taylor x fem!reader

summary: where reader is a cheerleader and jackie taylor is the football captain

warnings: jackie being too obvious and reader too oblivious, characters are aged up, 90's but no homophobia cause its pride month and bc i can, really cheesy and lots of fluff, not proofread

a year ago, when you made the decision to try out for the cheerleading team, you had no inkling of the repercussions that would follow. you were uncertain if cheerleading was the right thing for you, especially considering the many sexist comments aimed at the girls. yet, it would look quite good on your college application.

neither extremely popular nor a complete loner, you were content with your close-knit group of friends. however, everything shifted once you joined the team. suddenly, you found yourself the center of attention in the hallways, drawing looks of both amusement and envy, a situation you still hadn't fully adjusted to.

one person in particular seemed more entranced by you: jackie taylor. the football team captain constantly had her eyes on you. no matter where you were—be it the cafeteria, by your locker in the morning, or during class—you would eventually see her watching you, prompting you to quickly look away after making eye contact.

thinking it couldn’t get any worse, you were stunned to find jackie gazing at you from the bleachers during cheerleading practice. you nearly caused the entire pyramid of girls to collapse, resulting in numerous angry stares from the others and a lecture from the coach.

you were starting to suspect that there was something wrong with your face!

⚽︎

"this is getting really weird, i swear, tai," you blurt out as soon as you sit down beside your friend at lunch. after setting your tray on the table, you take a sip of orange juice and tune into your friends' discussion.

"you're overthinking it," your friend, van, steps in, swiping an apple from your tray, "it's jackie. she's harmless."

"right! except every time i look at her, she's staring right back at me. maybe she just hates me," you reply, trying to retrieve your apple but getting a slap on your hand instead.

"hate you?" lottie scoffs, "she's like butt-crazy for you. i bet she writes your name with hearts all around it. no wonder she's terrible at french."

that was an actual good argument. jackie was really bad and hearing her attemps of speaking french was torture. still, it would make absolute zero sense. jackie taylor was popular, stunning and smart and the fact that she was the captain only added to that. she was probably memorizing your flaws to make fun of you with her friends.

⚽︎

seeing your coach step onto the field with coach martinez, the one in charge of your friend’s, and jackie’s, football team, made your heart sink. you’d experienced this before, back when the schedule became so tight that they had to combine cheerleaders and jocks.

a really, really, really bad idea.

the field was huge, yet it still felt too small to avoid jackie’s piercing glare. the worst part wasn’t your constant stumbling and tripping over your own feet and the others', but the relentless urge to look back at her.

from the other side of the field, the girls’ taunts directed at jackie reached your ears, and you knew it was because of you. you weren't the only one to notice her stares.

“careful not to slip, jackie,” van teased, their breathy and tired voice not hindering them from poking fun while playing on opposite teams for practice. she chased jackie, trying to swipe the ball while gesturing to the ground.

“what? where?” jackie stopped and looked down, not wanting to slip in front of you, giving van just enough time to snatch the ball.

“on your own drool,” their joke made the entire team laugh, and even from a distance, you could see jackie’s face turn red, speechless.

what a dweeb, you thought, even if you were also smiling at the oddly funny moment moment.

⚽︎

despite all the teasing and awkward moments, you couldn't deny that jackie's constant attention was doing a number on your nerves. you couldn't decide if you liked it or not, if she hated you or not, if you should confront her or not. one way or another, she wasn't discreet at all.

in the very next saturday, your phone rang with tai's voice, inviting to a party. you hesitated for a moment, maybe a party was just what you needed to get your mind off things but, at the same time, it would be too naive of you to imagine that the thing you were fighting to avoid wasn't going to be in there as well

as you arrived at the place, you noticed the usual crowd already mingling. music blared, voices echoed, and the familiar scent of pizza, soda and alcohol filled the air. a very weird mix, you'd say.

you tried to relax, but your eyes instinctively scanned the room, searching for jackie. it didn't take long to find her. she was in the corner with a group of friends, a jacket draped over her shoulder and a pretty dress catching your eye. but you didn't want to cross her way, at least not now.

"someone's looking at you," lottie's voice linger in your ears, scaring you away from all the jackie taylor's thoughts inside your head.

"hi, lot," you ignore her words, not daring to look in the opposite direction, "i don't know what you're talking about."

"oh, come on, don't be so boring. jackie’s been staring at you all night."

you rolled your eyes, trying to focus on your drink and the conversation around you, but the weight of jackie's gaze was impossible to ignore. you stole a glance in her direction, only to find her quickly looking away, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.

"seriously, what's her deal?" you muttered, more to yourself than anyone else.

lottie chuckles, "she likes you, duh. everyone knows it except you."

before you could respond, your other friends joined your little circle, a mischievous glint in their eyes. "so, are you finally going to talk to her or just keep pretending you don’t notice her staring?"

you sighed, feeling cornered. "I don't know. what if she hates me?"

"you are so complicated," tai groans, arm resting over van's shoulder, "just go find out!"

with a deep breath, you decided to take their advice. you just had to be confident.

instead of walking straight to jackie, you made your way over to the drinks table, trying to appear casual. she was close by and you figured grabbing a drink might be a discreet way to approach her. if it was too awkward, another word for 'if you were too much of a coward, you could just back off.

as you reached for a cup, your hands shook slightly. not only you had accidentally knocked over a few cups but also spilled soda all over the counter and the floor. the noise drew everyone's attention, including hers.

great, you thought, just what you needed.

before you could react, jackie stepped in, grabbing some napkins to help you clean up. her proximity made your heart race even more.

"you okay?" she asked, her voice gentle and concerned, wiping the counter around you. at least she wasn't judging you.

"yeah, thanks," you mumbled, feeling your cheeks burn. you could barely talk or breath at that moment, too stunned it even took you an extra second to help her clean up your mess.

noticing your jitter, as you both cleaned up, jackie glanced at you. "this party's pretty wild, huh?"

you offer her a nervous grin as she hands you a clean cup. "right, i guess people really like the weekends."

"absolutely. and they're probably too stressed with ms. jamison class. four pages in a day? that woman crazy," jackie's gaze softened as she glanced at you, attempting to ease the tension between you.

"what about her hair? she looks like she's stuck in the 70's," you added, feeling a peculiar flutter in your stomach as a tender giggle escaped from her lips.

the two of you stood there, the awkwardness lingering in the air like a heavy fog as the sound of your laughter slowly faded into silence.

"i gotta say, though, this wasn't what i had in mind when i decided to come here tonight," you admit, reaching a hand to grab a drink, being much more careful this time.

she looked up, her eyes locking onto yours. "and what was your plan?"

you hesitated for a moment, then blurted out,"honestly? trying to dodge you and those pretty eyes of yours that seem to follow me everywhere."

a look of surprise flashed across jackie's face, her eyebrows shooting up and her eyes widening briefly before she couldn't hold back a snicker.

"it's not funny, jackie," you interrupted her giggle,"why do you keep staring at me all the time? do you hate me or what?"

as your confusion amused her further, her grin widened. could she be any more obvious? "hate you? no, not at all. It's the opposite, actually."

you frowned, puzzled. "what do you mean?"

drawing nearer, jackie's gaze held an earnestness that sent a flutter through your chest. "i like you. a lot," you stole a glance downwards, observing her fingers twisting nervously. she seemed as jittery as you now. "i just didn't know how to tell you. and I guess I was too scared to find out if you felt the same."

her confession left you at a loss for words for a moment, this wasn't something you had prepared for. "so, you... like me?"

jackie nodded, a shy smile tugging at her lips. "yeah, i do. i thought i was being clear about that."

it all fell into place in an instant—the lingering looks, the nervousness, the way she seemed to be everywhere you were. feeling a warmth spread through you, you couldn't help but smile back. "i gotta say, that explains a lot."

jackie's laughter echoed softly, easing the tension in the room. "sorry, i just didn't know how to handle it."

you paused for a moment, gathering your thoughts. confident enough, you spoke up, "maybe we can figure it out together."

jackie's eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "i'd really like that."

[dreamingjuno]

THOUGHTS ON : Michael Kaiser !

MICHAEL KAISER’S NARCISSISM ( not a licensed professional, i just thought it would be fun to take a look at this perspective to better understand him! )

i was having a conversation about his character, more specifically his narcissism and had the idea to share my findings after deep diving into his character again!

NOTES ; cracks the old analyst bones in me. with the conclusion of the NEL arc (as it seems), i thought i’d explore my favorite complex god-chosen emperor! (edited a bit to fix some wording)

This part of my Kaiser analysis shows me analyzing his narcissistic traits!

SPOILERS FOR : Chapters 158-295 (basically the entire NEL now that I think about it)

(sorry if this isn’t too good or just repeating points lol)

KAISER’S NARCISSISM

I’ve heard multiple times before about Kaiser being possibly NPD coded and I considered it too, I mean — yeah it makes sense, he’s very narcissistic on the surface!

Talking through Kaiser’s character with my therapist however (yes, I did use a bit of my therapy session to discuss a fictional character’s diagnosis) and going through the important chapters where Kaiser’s mindset is shown lead me to realize he exhibits many traits of narcissism but also a deep sense of perfectionism and depression/insecurity.

Realizing that made me try to look at Kaiser in a newer light, unbiased, and this is the results of me diving deep into Kaiser’s narcissistic qualities and his character in general

So, let’s go through symptoms listed for narcissism and discuss how they do or do not relate to Kaiser to understand him better as a whole!

(Taking each point from Harvard Health)

1. A grandiose sense of self-importance

He does, I won’t deny it because it’s obvious. Kaiser acts as though he is superior to others — yet, when placed in a situation where someone obviously more talented / superior than him (Noel Noa) talks down to him, he steps back. As seen here ⟶

To me, I think Kaiser subconsciously understands where he is beneath Noa for instance while still regarding himself (at least while this panel was going on) at the top of the food chain. It’s a bit of hypocrisy on Kaiser’s end which shows itself in multiple points of Kaiser’s philosophy on living, but that may be intentional to show how flawed his way of viewing is. He sees himself at the top, while still bending at the knee to those who are more superior than he is without Kaiser even really realizing it. Superior over the inferior, but what if the superior was still only halfway there?

This hypocrisy is even acknowledged and pointed out by Chris Prince before KAISER comes to this conclusion. He literally said it all. “You act superior toward those below you… and like a deferential coward to those above you.”

His supposed superiority as the Emperor is a sham — A way to compensate with his lack of self. The throne of corpses he climbed to become ‘human’ in his mind.

I think this falls into a superiority complex of his, again, not denying that having a sense of self-importance is apart of Kaiser. He’s shown time and time again to hold himself in a higher regard than the others around him — it does come from a state of insecurity. His ego is fragile (as seen in his glass collar in his cover art), and Kaiser understands he can’t beat Noa. That’s WHY he wanted to find another club to become their ace instead because Noa was just an impossibility of surpassing despite his saying of “I achieve the impossible.”

Kaiser reached the top, but didn’t? He achieves the impossible, but overtaking Noa is impossible? Hypocrisy… One he only sees later (in his own way…) Superiority is like his safety blanket, it keeps him safe in his mind. Being the emperor keeps him safe from harm and being taken advantage of.

2. A preoccupation with fantasies of success, power, beauty, or perfect love

They word it weird but from what I understand it means: “having a daydream / fantasy about having something greater, often at the expense of others.”

In some ways, Kaiser falls into this symptom too, but in other ways, he doesn’t. I don’t think his ambition is really ambition for to have something better, not entirely. It’s the drive to be at the top of the food chain (which is becoming my favorite analogy for describing Kaiser’s mindset!) so no one can step on him anymore. Kaiser fights for the identity and structure he’s worked for in my mind, the life and position he attained through soccer. Not necessarily the riches or comfort of his life. Even then, he never seemed like to me as someone who cared about wealth or success — caring mainly for the sense of humanity that came alongside it.

Yes, he wants to be better — but comes from a place of survival and staying at the top of the food chain than wanting things like success or power or beauty or love.

3. A belief that they are "special" and can only be understood by other special people

We’ve seen no proof at all that Kaiser sees himself as special (which IS different from holding yourself in a high regard/being superior) — actually, he views himself negatively on the inside truly. Calling himself a ‘piece of shit’ and regards everyone around him as ‘humans’ while seeing himself as less than due to the conditions and how he was treated at home. Honestly, that probably never went away even with his cocky persona. He’s still mentally weak despite how much he tries to bury it…

Neither does he show only feeling understood by others either, even the people higher class than him — it’s either frustration/anger or begrudging respect. (seen in his defeat by Isagi, where he openly admitted playing with Isagi was fun — instead of soccer just being a battleground to climb to the top)

I don’t think he’s even shown as wanting to be understood. I didn’t read the entire arc (I was already fighting procrastination to write this), but being understood? I’m pretty sure that was never even an aspiration of his, not even in his mind.

Kaiser isolated himself in BM, not accepting any of the good will given to him by his teammates. Not because he didn’t think he wouldn’t be understood, it’s that he was more comfortable being the enemy. Being alone was all he knew up to that point. Especially shown in the flashback in the BM Clubhouse when Kaiser was 15-16, he would rather be hated and feared than be loved and respected — Kaiser doesn’t know any alternative!

4. A need for excessive admiration

Again, it’s one of the symptoms that applies kinda but at the same time not.

Kaiser wants love, but not the type of admiration provided by Ness and the audience and such. While, yes, being acknowledged for his accomplishments probably feeds his ego — it’s just oil to a dying flame in my eyes. It isn’t what makes Kaiser feel seen. Why have admiration when you can be seen as a scar in malice?

“I will prove my existence through my malice.”

I don’t think admiration is the greatest need in his mind. Everyone likes to have their skill acknowledged, but for Kaiser — making others remember him by inflicting pain on them is what gives him the most satisfaction. Not happiness per se. Just… validated, I believe. Like the type of euphoria you get when you smoke a cigarette (not that I smoke but I've heard) It feels good for a little bit though even if it isn’t permanent. That’s what I believe Kaiser feels inflicting his anger and malice onto others.

A point where this is shown most of all is Kaiser’s general lack of reaction to Ness’s praise which usually ends in reprimand. He never demanded admiration or praise from Ness, Kaiser even seemed annoyed by it. He just wanted a loyal dog, not a groupie, if that makes sense. Making Ness small and dependent on him made him feel superior, and more secure — which is a trait narcissists have. But talking about Kaiser and Ness is its own can of worms!

In short, admiration doesn’t validate his existence. Malice does!

5. A sense of entitlement, which may include an unreasonable expectation to be treated favorably or for others to comply with their demands and expectations

Yeah. He does, in a way. You can see it in how the starting lineup was structured in the BM vs Barcha match. It all revolved around him. It doesn’t come from a sense of feeling he deserves it though. It’s because Kaiser needs that power over others: Kaiser wants to be the star actor in this play because that’s where he holds the most control, and that’s where he feels more secure. As I said before.

6. Behavior that is exploitative and takes advantage of others to achieve their own ends

He does! There are many examples of him taking advantage of others, but to not beat over the same points; I'll just go with the most obvious and clear example of Alexis Ness! Like, there's no denying that Kaiser manipulated Ness. Kaiser uses others to only further his own control and make himself feel less vulnerable. Superior over the inferior again. The ones at the top and in control won’t be hurt. That’s his mindset. So taking advantage of others is just another outlet for that control.

Kaiser uses others to further his own standing, to keep that security blanket of control over himself and the field.

7. A lack of empathy or an unwillingness to identify with the needs of others

Kaiser has shown before to understand the needs and emotions of others as well as being emotionally intelligent about where HE goes wrong (to a point). Showing his empathy, because empathy isn’t just about feeling bad for others — it’s understanding those emotions. The best moments where he reflects: THE LEAD UP TO HIS MAGNUS SHOT and AFTER ISAGI DEFEATS HIM POST-PXG MATCH.

In the lead-up to his Magnus Shot, he basically reflects on what we've talked about so far! Kaiser reflects on his own hypocritical ideas and acknowledges he isn’t at the top of the food chain yet as Isagi and Noa have already surpassed him and how he has to go back to his own self-loathing to continue climbing ahead.

Now, going BACK to another point I previously mentioned is Kaiser’s epiphany at the end of the PXG Match! (There’s not many examples off the top of my head)

Through that entire scene, Kaiser acknowledges that it wasn’t the fault of those around him like Isagi or Ness or any of his other teammates — but himself. It was his own will that led to the outcome of the match. Kaiser acknowledges his faults, without directly saying “It’s my fault.” He KNOWS his emotions, he ACKNOWLEDGES the emotions of the people around him as well.

Kaiser, I believe, understands what he’s doing is WRONG but doesn’t act on it. Which is why I think he’s emotionally intelligent without doing anything to change what he does. At least not in any healthy way. Kaiser justifies what he does in his head, even if he understands what he’s doing realistically. Falling into his own hypocrisy again. That’s how I took it as anyway.

He reads psychology and philosophy books. I HOPE Kaiser knows what’s wrong with him

8. A tendency to be envious of others or a belief that others are envious of them

His envy isn’t really envy. It’s like his ambition. I can’t recall a point where Kaiser seemed jealous over something or envious of their position or things they had (feel free to correct me if I’m wrong of course). His rivalry with Isagi isn’t one of jealousy for example — it was originally just to step on the more inferior players that later turned into ‘Oh shit, he may surpass me. He’ll make ME inferior… weak’ fear.

9. Arrogance, haughty behaviors, and attitudes

Talked about his arrogance in the superiority section so I won’t repeat myself!

This is PART 1 of 2 because this was already getting WAY TOO LONG.

After finishing writing this, I definitely repeated the same point multiple times and missed probably good points of evidence LMAO but I’m powering through this insanity with a dream and an unhealthy fixation with Kaiser. I hope I made sense… I really just rambled on my ideas and tried to piece them together as best as I could lol

Anyways… THANKS FOR READING!

[g0dwat3rwritings]

Can i request for any twisted wonderland characters that's fit x reader who don't know how to cook

yeah, of course!

Some of these characters have shorter parts because I added every character in the game, minus side characters such as (Artemiy Artemiyevich Pinker (Che'nya), Rollo Flamme, et cetera)

Also! If there are any inadequacies with grammar, I apologize, I'm at a friend's house while i'm writing this and I'm very easily distracted.

If it's not obvious, I'm a sucker for soft Sebek

Ortho is strictly platonic!

And Reader can be viewed as either Yuu or not!

@nisobird because there's Azul

Warnings ;; None

Relationship ;; Romantic

Type ;; Headcanons

Heartslabyul

Riddle Rosehearts ;; Heartslabyul Housewarden ;; Second Year

Riddle's world comes crashing down, in all honesty.

The boy was raised with the ideal that a partner is supposed to be at least a decent cook, but you are the exact opposite.

He will eat your food only to be nice.

Even though he can't cook all that well himself, he'll try to suggest ways to make it better even though none of his suggestions really, truly help the awfulness of your cooking.

Let's just hope you don't end up cooking for his mother.

Trey Clover ;; Heartslabyul Vice-Housewarden ;; Third Year

Trey is quite literally the sunshine to your moonlight, your sky to your ground.

You two are total, clear opposites.

He can cook almost anything without flaw, especially pastries and sweets.

He will panic if he ever sees you in the kitchen, trying to cook something.

He'll subtly take over for you, slowly taking more and more control of the kitchen.

Cater Diamond ;; Heartslabyul ;; Third Year

Cater would not care one single bit.

He is taking so, so many photos and posting them on Magicam, he does not give two shits whether it looks amazing, or absolutely terrible.

He will post it, specifically because you're his partner, you're his significant other.

And yes, he will shove it down his throat even if he needs to vomit it up later.

Ace Trappola ;; Heartslabyul ;; First Year

Ace can't cook, not one bit.

He's also very weird about his tastes.

He'll eat pickles and ice cream but he probably won't eat a single slice of cheese.

He'll eat anything you make at all whatsoever, unless there's cheese. (I headcanon he absolutely hates cheese, don't ask why)

He'll watch you cook and won't even interfere.

He does notice how bad your cooking is but he won't say or do anything about it because he genuinely does not care.

He'll even tell you it's actually good

Deuce Spade ;; Heartslabyul ;; First Year

Deuce doesn't even notice how bad it is, and if he did, he wouldn't even care.

He'll anything and everything, minus bell peppers.

He cannot, and will not, eat bell peppers.

He hates the taste, the texture, everything about bell peppers is everything he hates in all of Twisted Wonderland.

He tends to not watch you cook and has no reason for it.

Savanaclaw

Leona Kingscholar ;; Savanaclaw Housewarden ;; Third Year

Leona's not exactly shameless when it comes to meats, despite any sort of meat being among his absolute favorite foods.

He's not very picky about meats though. Just as long as it's cooked decently, and seasoned alright, he's fine.

Despite being a literal prince, he does not have a prince's palette.

He'll literally eat raw meat if it suits his needs

Of course, that's mostly because of the lion beastman part of him

Ruggie Bucchi ;; Savanaclaw ;; Second Year

Ruggie is literally shameless, make him anything and he'll eat it.

Just as long as it's not rotten, he'll eat quite literally anything.

He's not the greatest cook, but he'll help in any way he possibly can.

He'll most definitely bring your food to the kids in his neighborhood, no matter how terrible it is.

He wants to make sure they're fed, and he's happy when you're willing to cook.

He never tells you if he genuinely thinks you're food is bad, he'll end up feeling terrible and he knows that so he won't say a thing about your cooking.

Unless it's any sort of praise.

Jack Howl ;; Savanaclaw ;; First Year

Jack isn't entirely picky, but he's not the biggest fan of your cooking.

Being who he is, he'll feel bad for even thinking that your food is bad.

Also being the honest man he is, he'll sadly point it out to you, admitting his wrongdoing.

He's a big sweetheart, so he'll try to be as kind to you as he can, no matter how you end up reacting.

Octavinelle

Azul Ashengrotto ;; Octavinelle Housewarden ;; Second Year

Given that Azul grew up with his mother owning a restaurant, and he himself owning a restaurant, he's a bit... iffy over your cooking skills.

Of course, he'll always be nice when he brings it up. You're his significant other after all.

He'll point it out and he may give you some of his mom's recipes to help you follow along.

He helps you cook much more than he used to, letting you have most of the control, but he will come in if he sees you do something wrong.

Jade Leech ;; Octavinelle Vice-Housewarden ;; Second Year

Jade finds you and your cooking very, very entertaining.

He doesn't ever actually help you unless he finds you cooking mushrooms and.... screwing them up.

After that, he's immediately on your case and helping you cook.

Within the next two or three weeks, you're an absolute master chef.

Especially with mushrooms. By time Jade is done with you, you're more than likely a better chef when it comes to mushrooms than he is.

Floyd Leech ;; Octavinelle ;; Second Year

Floyd thinks you are the most entertaining human he's ever met.

Like some other people, he doesn't think your food is bad, just that it's so unbelievably entertaining and unique.

He actually doesn't try to help your cooking or change it or buy you anything new.

He simply watches the chaos of your cooking unfold, while occasionally adding his own, odd concoction to the mix.

And he will eat your food, no matter what you put on his plate, or what you put in the odd concoction you call your cooking.

Just don't add any shiitake mushrooms, he begs of you.

Scarabia

Kalim Al-Asim ;; Scarabia Housewarden ;; Second Year

Kalim more than likely trusts you enough to not have Jamil test the food you give him.

The only way Jamil would let Kalim eat your food is if Jamil himself trusted you.

So, if Jamil trusted you, Kalim would more than happily eat your food himself.

He probably wouldn't care if your food was the best food in the whole of Twisted Wonderland, or if your food is the worst thing in all of Twisted Wonderland.

He'll eat it happily and won't complain one bit.

Jamil Viper ;; Scarabia Vice-Housewarden ;; Second Year

Jamil, if he truly trusts you, will eat small bits of your food and will help you cook every single time you step in a kitchen.

He won't completely take over like Trey would, but he will guide you in every single way, subtle or not.

Once you get better and better, he'll eat your food more and more.

He'll take over for you at any time and finish the cooking for you, if that's what you'd like, all you'd have to do is say the word.

Pomefiore

Vil Schoenheit ;; Pomefiore Housewarden ;; Third Year

You're going to make the Vil Schoenheit break out. And that's a feat, especially considering his rigorous skincare routine.

He won't eat any of your food, and he will flat-out tell you, in a relatively nice tone of voice, that your food is not exactly good.

If he realizes that it hurts you, he'll try to find ways for your cooking to taste relatively better, whether it be buying you new utensils, or buying you cookbooks or any other things like that.

He promises you that he never meant to hurt you, he just wants to... help.

Rook Hunt ;; Pomefiore Vice-Housewarden ;; Third Year

Oh, Rook does not care. He genuinely thinks that your cooking is beautiful and wonderful in every single way possible.

He will eat your food and compliment you even if you put whole-ass children's toys in your food.

He'll buy you whatever you need for your cooking without you even need to ask him, he's kind of a freak like that.

Epel Felmier ;; Pomefiore ;; First Year

Epel is very in the middle, he's fine with your bad cooking just.... don't make him eat it because he will act like a toddler having to eat vegetables.

Or, that's what he says he won't do.

He says he'll be all manly and eat it like a man, but you know for a fact that he won't and he will act like a little kid.

Ignihyde

Idia Shroud ;; Ignihyde Housewarden ;; Third Year

Idia barely eats as it is, so when you bring him food, his hair will immediately turn pink and he'll try to hide his face by tightening his hood over his head.

He won't care whether it's bad or good, he'll only care about the fact that you actually... brought him food.

Of course, Ortho does so all the time, but it's different when your significant other brings you a whole meal because they don't want you to starve.

Once again, he doesn't care whether it's good or bad, he'll shove it down his throat either way.

Ortho Shroud ;; Ignihyde ;; First Year

Ortho can't exactly eat, given that he's both a robot and a machine.

But he'll look up recipes and help you cook and help you get as best and as good as you can get.

He'll always help, and use every single upgrade he's ever got put into him by his big brother to help you cook as best as you can.

Diasomnia

Malleus Draconia ;; Diasomnia Housewarden ;; Third Year

Oh, boy. Malleus is scared that he has another Lilia on his hands. Of course, your food is not as bad as Lilia's, but it's still not, for lack of a better word, good.

He will eat it, but he'll compliment and praise your cooking in a very... odd way.

He'll compliment you, yes. But he'll also add in some, not-so-subtle ways you can improve.

Don't tell him, he genuinely thinks his attempts at helping are extremely subtle, when they are absolutely not.

Lilia Vanrouge ;; Diasomnia Vice-Housewarden ;; Third Year

Lilia, like Rook, Kalim, and Deuce, won't even notice that your food is bad.

And that is mostly because he, himself is a bad chef.

He's such a bad chef he can't even tell when foods are actually bad.

Even if he could tell that your food was not good, he still wouldn't care because he just loves you far, far too much to even think of pointing it out.

Silver Vanrouge ;; Diasomnia ;; Second Year

Silver is internally sobbing. First, his Father, and now, his significant other.

He's very sweet about telling you ways you can improve.

He actually does this with his father, too. But you're the only one who picks up on it, Lilia, sadly, does not.

Silver tries his absolute hardest to help, but he eventually succumbs to his sleep, but he always profusely apologizes afterward.

Sebek Zigvolt ;; Diasomnia ;; First Year

Sebek is oddly much sweeter about it than you'd ever expect.

He doesn't yell, but he does let you know that it doesn't taste good.

He explains ways you can fix it, despite he himself not knowing how to cook all that well.

He explains everything he knows about cooking to try and help you.

If Sebek manages to view a human as a significant other, or partner, he will dote on your every need or want in the sweetest way that you'd never, ever expect from him.

He's very sweet as he helps you cook, making sure that you do everything to the best of your genuine ability.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Apologies if this question has ever been asked before, but wtf could Malleus' loss of magic and broken horn mean for book 8 and beyond? Like, is he gonna jump in and attempt a self sacrifice against Grims overblot? Just kinda chill at the sides and help in other ways without risking his life? Or will it be focused on Briar Valley? I hate how his character is written, it feels so inconsistent and confusing 😭 what should point to him potentially sacrificing himself to atone in one area, is different in other areas. Like, other areas says he shouldn't sacrifice himself and doesn't need to, nor is that the intent (for obvious reasons.. Like genre convention)

His role in the story is weird.

I’ve discussed this a few times before. Please consult this post, which I believe is the most recent and covers the most area on the subject. There’s also this post, which talks more about the themes of book 7.

To summarize: I don’t think Malleus’s injured horn is supposed to be a death flag. It reads to me like a way to power cap him (to prevent him from immediately defeating OB Grim with a snap of his fingers). It also reads as a way to “force” socialization with peers (since his immense power was once a reason for him to self-isolate + control his emotions and made others peer him; without his insane powers, peers may be more comfortable approaching him). His character development JUST started. I think it would be really rushed to have someone who struggled for three years to understand humans suddenly empathize with them enough in the span of a few weeks post-OB/before the end of the school year + feels guilty enough to throw himself in harm’s way, completely disregarding his other obligations (like to his country + people as the ONLY heir).

I believe the reason why Malleus is written strangely is because the writers have conflicting motives, especially if you consider that he has always gotten special treatment as the “poster boy”. His book also involves the theme of inevitability, or the passage of time despite one’s own will or wish to compel it to a standstill. All the supposed themes of fairy tales and Malleus being lost to time feel like callbacks to the book’s theme to me and not like ominous foreshadowing.

I feel like even if we interpreted every possible thing as a death flag… so what if they are? Lilia had tons of death flags too (many of which I would argue are more blatantly in-your-face about it), and look what happened to him. They literally used the “it’s love magic” (Disney trademark/j) to revive him. What’s to say Twst wouldn’t pull that again??

And like 😭 Malleus isn’t depicted as a particularly self-sacrificing person?? If I had to assign that role to someone in Diasomnia, it would go to Silver, who frequently beats himself up for minor failings and literally jumps in the way of attacks for his father. This is a pretty notable flaw of Silver, not Malleus.

The future will probably feature a culmination of everyone coming together to fight Grim as a team. This would cap off the “you should teach everyone how to cooperate” thing posed to us in the prologue. I don’t see a reason why Malleus and Malleus alone would attempt to sacrifice himself??? Diasomnia would definitely be returning to help out, but I wouldn’t take that as a “Malleus will die” detail. There’s tons of ways he could assist—for example, Ortho asks early in book 6 is Yuu knows any fae who may be able to assist them in finding a way home, to which Yuu has a flashback about Malleus. I feel like that’s what he will probably need assisting with, not putting his life on the line.

I don’t see us focusing on Briar Valley in the next main story installment. It just would not make sense, nor is there a previously consistent pattern for it to occur. For starters, why would we (Yuu) leave for an entirely different country when it is not relevant to us at all? What happened to the rest of the school year? Why are we spending another book focused on Diasomnia and their country’s history and politics? (I understand that they didn’t get much screen time in their own book, but this can be remedied with just their return as “helper” characters and not necessarily by hopping on over to their country.) Is Yuu expected to help with something over there? (If so, that’s doesn’t make sense because their abilities and reputation don’t extend that far.) This should be saved for a hometown event or something of that sort.

While we’re on the subject, may I ask (not specifically to you, anon, but to anyone reading this post) for an explanation of this… line of thinking???? I’ve heard the “Malleus will sacrifice himself” thing several times at this point and I’m wondering where it came from or why people genuinely believe this. dhsvwjkwkw Maybe it’s just me, but it feels very… fear-monger-y 😅

[oceansarepink]

ppl point out Blitzo literally apologized to Stolas in Ozzie's (when he shouldn't have had to) when Stolas accused him of never feeling sorry but I just noticed

that wasn't the only time

Blitzo literally says 'I'm sorry' when he says he can't go rescue Stolas from Striker because he's busy.

so that's twice he apologized and Stolas somehow forgot

and if you count non-Stolas related apologies he also apologizes very loudly and sincerely to Loona at the end of Seeing Stars.

Stolas acting like Blitzo is this prideful guy who never apologizes and it's a major flaw of his is just him rewriting reality, yet again. it comes off like he only believes it because Blitzo wouldn't cave immediately and apologize a second time for expressing how Stolas made him feel (or in Stolas' head, for refusing to believe Stolas genuinely liked him despite it being entirely Stolas' fault that Blitzo has no good reason to believe that)

honestly it really feels like the classic abuser strategy of projection where the perp accuses the victim of doing something they literally just did to their victim

the perfect moment for Stolas to apologize would have been at the end of full moon - a genuine apology, not that weaselly-words 'I'll do everything but say it's my fault for making the deal' speech he did earlier. but he doesn't and in the very next episode accuses Blitzo of being the one who is incapable of apologizing

yucky abuse dynamics asides, idk why we're expected to believe Stol1tz will last longer than five minutes when one party is comically incapable of self-reflection or sincere regret and the other party is being manipulated into apologizing just for expressing their feelings

🤕 except it’s the writer herself who keeps altering past events to make her favourite character look better. So she creates a new character flaw in Blitzø who has actually apologised more than any in the character in the show. 7 times in the series.

1. Sorry I (x) your husband - to Stella (weird but it counts)

2. In truth seekers when he vowed to be a better friend to moxxie and reminded him his value, and to use his actual name. I count that.

3. I can’t do it tonight alright, I’m sorry. - to stolas

4. Loona my sweet baby girl I’m so sorry I’ll never replace you no matter what.

5. Aw shit stolas i cant today alright I’m sorry I’m literally on my way to take Loona for her very important S.H.O.T.

6. I’m sorry Fizz. I’m so sorry you got so hurt, I’m sorry for what you’ve lost and I know I can never make that right. But You have no idea what I lost in that fire. I mean it’s all my fault, I’d hate me too. I do hate me.

7. Stolas, wait, I’m sorry. - stolas kicked him out

8. Him berating himself and verbally lifting stolas up as amazing, so that he stops crying and stops drinking. Shows remorse also. None of which stolas deserved.

Stolas has once. To via. Unless you count a polite ones in those simpering texts of his. In seeing stars via doesn’t let him because she blames herself entirely due to Loonas words. I struggle to count the “sorry it’s a bad time yet again Blitzy but I’m in a sitch” because he’s asking for something. So if you stretch, that’s maybe 3.

The sad part is Blitzø internalises all of stolas’ cruelty and insults and believes them to be true. Blitzø already has an internal voice of hate and criticism; stolas is his externalised self hatred. Because why wouldn’t he believe the prince, stolas is the one dressed so nicely, singing so nicely with pretty props, crying and surrounded by people crying with him, who all hate Blitzø, so stolas must be right.

Idc, Blitzø knew stolas was in trouble and reacted accurately. He had other things to do and Millie offered to help him. He was going to go over there. It’s weird that Viv wrote him to say “he can get hurt?” “I didnt think he was capable of-” and this was all she could come up with to make stolas all wounded and all betrayed. I’m tired of Blitzø throwing himself in the line of fire all the time. Stolas encourages his worst instincts. It’s not his job to protect stolas. But he did anyway. Even if he had saved him Viv would say “but it’s his fault striker even came back at all because reasons” I think it’s Stella’s fault actually but maybe that’s just me? He’s angrier at blitzø than Stella because he didn’t fulfil his damsel fantasy?

I think vivzie doesn’t account for fans who aren’t knee deep in stolitz Twitter, Instagram, ao3, r34, tiktok etc. Those fans have the romance in their heads the show doesn’t need to even write it. I’m guessing their dynamic will end up as Stolas replacing Loona. Blitzø allows him to abuse him because he feels guilt and sympathy, he wants there to be love between them. The relationship is based on this feeling of remorse and self hate, and pity for how lonely and hurt stolas is.

[cdroloisms]

thinking about c!dream earlier on in the server just makes me sad man. like, c!dream has never been a perfect character. he's always been flawed, always been a bit of an asshole, always had control issues. but also he knew that. he tried to work on that. he and tommy were friends, despite being flawed people with their own issues that would bump into conflicts because of the ways that they differed. c!dream tried, god, he tried; he wasn't even on the server, when the drug van happened, and walked into a place with someone who was practically a stranger to him building a wall and calling for war and having turned half the people dream knew against him, apparently, for no reason that he could've known at the time, and he had looked straight at tommy and tubbo and asked if that was what they really wanted when wilbur told them that there was no such thing as dual citizenship. he tells tommy when he has to sell a disc for spirit's leather even though tommy had surrendered the discs to him at the end of the revolution because he knows it'll matter to him. he and tommy truce, multiple times, and c!dream gets tangled into conflicts that literally don't involve him repeatedly and gets targeted Because He's Dream repeatedly and he plays along with that trivia contest and he gives gifts to fundy and tommy after terrorizing them a little for fun and he plays along with the dreamon thing and he keeps getting pulled into fights that weren't his but tries to make them a little more fair when they get him involved. he fucks around with tommy and they have fun, they're friends, and when he and wilbur look like they're in danger dream is one of the first to find them and lend them real, practical, valuable aid. he calls himself "Big D" in that book and he tells the man that wrote him as a tyrant that he doesn't want to be a villain in the story anymore. he asks tommy if he's okay, and watches that kid's back when he walks alone and unarmed into manberg, and fights with him at the battle of the lake and all of that is thrown back in his face as being a lie. half the intial community structures that exist were built by him; the community house, the nether portal and hub, the prime path. during a time where every other piece of leverage got burned or killed (rip the casualties of the pet war), dream was kind of known for being one that could be fairly traded with, that would minimize permanent damage. the kills in the final control room were originally to strip lmanburg of their gear, which he had kept in a chest so it could be returned to them after the war.

like no c!dream isn't perfect at the beginning of the server. yes he's kind of a jerk sometimes, kind of an asshole sometimes, kind of neurotic most of the time. but god dammit like c!dream does try to mitigate the worst of his control issues, when they flare up early on; the initial disc war ends with tommy getting his discs back as well as a stack of diamonds, in exchange for a netherite chestplate. he's a flawed character and he's still someone pretty friendly on the whole to most of the server, he's also kind of just known for being a little weird. he gives gifts randomly. he fixed creeper holes, and houses, and went along with bits. like whatever im a c!drolo c!dream woobifier and i admit it lol but for as much evil as he ends up doing, pretty damn consistently early on, he's . friendly? kind? funny? helpful? their neighbor. their friend. c!dream isn't just some stranger that flew off the handle; he's someone they knew and lived with who had his actions taken in bad faith because the goddamn story said so and kept fucking trying anyway until he believed the lie too. like he was just a guy!! a guy they knew and lived with!!! like my god

[misty-memories09]

Zenitsu actually is better written than you might think [part i.]

to me revisting shows/books means that you tear apart every character to see what they're made of.

is this pro zenitsu? depends on how you see it.

i feel like, sometimes he's overhated like yeah it's not wrong to hate him (its not wrong to hate any character as long as it's not mean spirited because thats just weird; it's okay to hate any character for whatever reason i just think it's crossing the line when you're treating the character as a real person you know or harassing fans of said character) but sometimes it's just over, you understand what i'm saying? i can't fully blame them because there are sometimes that he's used as a character archetype which makes me frustrated aswell, however it's so so overdone it's actually pathetic.

personally, i don't think it is because some of his actions don't have to be "correct" for him to be well-written. there are absolutely times where i don't like him but the thing is, studying a character's arc and claiming it's well-written is not equals to the character is perfect or dumb shit like that because if he was, he wouldn't be well-written because being flawed is necessary imo.

i'm going to be clear here this post is only going to cover the anime and the manga not the light novels because i haven't read them(i couldn't get myself to), and no doubt they may have something about his character so feel free to spoil me, however this is only about the anime/manga.

anyways, with that out of the way this is strictly my opinion regarding his character arc. you're free to disagree, and we can even talk about it as long as you're respectful about your opinions and understand that you're gonna have slim chances of changing mine.

to start off, this is going to be a long one, so i'm going to split them into parts.

(now that i think about it i should make the texts yellow not purple but my blog's theme is purple so eh).

Part I.I — Cowardice; what does mean to be brave?

Now look, I don't understand why people hate him for being a coward considering the world he's being exposed to at the age of sixteen.

I don't know about you but I think it's not unusual that after being exposed man-eating horror in person someone's reaction is shock, terror or fear, even sorrow and/or anger depending on whether they witnessed the death of someone they're close to and their own personalities.

Naturally, it would be on different from person to person. Zenitsu happens to outwardly convey this...this is personal opinion but i absolutely hate the emotionless character types, don't get me wrong I don't dislike the one's that actually have depth, I mean the one dimensional ones sung jinwoo because I think backstories, what reason is it that they behave this way for is much appreciated because it adds actual depth to a person while not exactly apologising each one of their actions.

now, there is a reason why i think s1 zenitsu was the best which feels like a wild thing to say but stay with me, okay?

Subpart i; Not so trope-y as he seems?

we're not talking about this right now, I do have things to say about it but I'll cover it in a bit because I think there is a deeper connection to his behaviour, despite me thinking this was rather creepy, especially from the girl's position.

however for now I would like to tell you to completely disconnect from this world. Look at him like your learning a subject for now and not think from the girl's position because this isn't about that, not yet.

My personal way of studying characters is to first take in all the information, find the connection and then think about it from the character's point of view and then from the surrounding.

now throughout this whole episode we see him being a total coward and crying his throat off which is funny because in the episode after the next one we find the first actual instance of him being brave.

Now, ofcourse, during the mansion fight we find out that he fights really good when he sleeps which feels like a plot device because all he needs to do is sleep and it'll be okay.

Anyways in Episode 13; 'Something more important than life' we get the first glimpse of his bravery.

Here, he was just thinking about Tanjiro and how what was inside this box was more important to him than his life, despite knowing there was a demon inside of it.

And oh my god is that depth? In Zentisu? Already? seriously though how is this not talked about at all? I truly felt that people would be talking about this more when I first watched the show.

he knew his opponent was much stronger, he still stood his ground, why?

(If it's starting to sound like Zentan propaganda it's because I've shipped them ever since this scene lol so it's probably showing)

Because of this, just because of this. And it's honestly very sad if you think about it, it's never talked enough about even though it's right there. It's possibly because s1 isn't as liked as the other seasons, however I think character-depth wise this was the best zenitsu season.

We come to know that he's been lied to a lot, even still he's always believed them even if he knew just because he wanted to believe that there was someone who actually liked him.

Which leads me to believe that even the act of believing from a person like zenitsu is actually an act of bravery itself, despite the countless times of hurt he's choosing to believe whether or not the person is lying to him.

Even in Mt. Natagumo, we see him showing bravery. [Yes he did go inside because tanjiro took nezuko with him lol but he still went after them to the scary mountain so]

This is also the second time we're left alone with Zenitsu's thoughts. We actually see that he has some form of abandonment issues.

This could actually be because of all the times he's had his trust broken and also the reason why he always wants to believe despite knowing what they actually think of him, and this is what makes me think that him still choosing to believe might not actually be a brave thing but rooted in something more sadder, instead it's him wanting to think that maybe there is someone who actually likes him. [fucks me up that giyuu gets more leeway and even gets infantalised...makes sense they find giyuu attractive but this is a topic for another day]

in this very same episode, he admits that he hates himself more than anyone else can. I feel like he acts this way because this is the only way he can, acting dumb about people's opinions on him actually attracts them, even if it's just to exploit him.

I think this really needs to be talked about more, he's a teenager, not a fricking adult and hell even adults have their moments! It's normal for people to react to their own traumas their own ways.

It takes me back to our first impression of him, which we can now connect to this newly found information.

subpart ii; What does his actions truly reflect?

From what we've now learnt from him is that, in the past he's had many girlfriends who wanted to exploit him for money. He knows when people talk behind his back but he still believes in them even though he knows they don't like him.

On top of that he's so used to that certain type of behaviour towards him he wants to cry when he first hears the sound coming from Tanjiro. Here, the focus isn't Tanjiro's sound but Zenitsu's reaction to it.

If we focus on Zenitsu's reaction to Inosuke and Tanjiro going inside Mt. Natagumo, we can see him wondering whether or not they hate him over just that. It's actually rooted into the idea that he has of the people surrounding him, as if he can feel happiness, even if it's fake, if he just puts his faith on those wrong kinds of people.

So when we see him harassing that girl, it is definitely a wrong action and he does face consequences for it aka getting beaten up by the girl so now what I want you to focus on where does this behaviour even come from? And you'll find that we already figured out the answer, he's someone who doesn't realise how actual relationships work due to being exploited in every single previous relationships.

aanndddd I used of 30 images per post, meet you in part 1.2 💀

[pridoo]

I'm really sorry if this sounds rude, but I wanna ask what do you like about the ekurei ship? I kinda thought it was just a crack ship but your comic and calendar thing looked really passionate for them- I'm sorry again for such an intrusive question, but I really want to know

Oh, I don't mind at all! I know it seems pretty funny on the outside so I understand. Buckle up though, because I'm insane <3

they hot

The easiest answer is that I've seen tons of hot fanart (mostly from Asian mp100 fandom) of Reigen getting railed by Ekubo/Dimple possessing that security guard – but I also have seen tons of art of Ekubo being a green fart cloud and their dynamics still pull my heartstrings, so it's not that simple.

"Human" Ekubo and Reigen have never even met in canon, so I know it seems silly, but there's a lot of official art from studio Bones of them interacting. I have no idea what's up with that but I'm not complaining. Seems like they are having fun.

common goal

Mob is of course the common interest for both of them. At first they both aim to exploit Mob for their own goals but learn that their shit doesn't really matter, unlike this amazing 14-year-old. Maybe it's me getting old but co-parenting/looking after the next generation is really special to me. if you read/watch the series finale, this dynamic is at the heart of the story to the very end. They learn to be better people through Mob but also share the burden of it, being "the adults" in the situation.

Their skills are also incredibly silly yet compatible. Reigen can win any argument ever and punch people and Ekubo has an unique insight on the spiritual and ordinary world, plus psychic powers. He also does sick backflips. It's a good team.

cunt4cunt

Reigen is a conman and Ekubo an evil spirit. Both of them know this truth about the other from the start, so there's no reason to pretend otherwise. Somehow this makes them incredibly casual acquintances. I think there's something incredibly special about being able to be your worst self and the other still chooses to be around you. You're awful, I'm awful, let's be awful together. They call out each other's bs but also know that they can rely on each other. Reigen always treats Ekubo as an actual person, be it shitty or casual.

They are both witty and smart but also kinda losermen because they lack some necessary qualities to become truly popular or successful, but also because the circumstances in the series are very realistic to the real world. If you fuck up majorly once, it's pretty hard to climb back. Despite this, they pull together.

better people

During the series, both of them go through a huge character development. There's something stupidly good in both of them from the start though, and it starts to show at the end of 1st season and especially during 2nd season. The catalyst for this change is of course Mob, but they also choose to become better.

It's funny to me that they both wallow in some weird self-hatred that makes them seem really narcissistic, and without Mob they would probably stay that way. They are so convinced that they are the single worst person in the world so even their good sides, like loyalty, ability be quite genuine and caring seem like flaws to them. Joke's on them, they are both lonely and sad people and actually understand something very human because of it. Do they actually reach their goals? Well, mp100 has a kind of absurdist core to it. Because nobody is special, you can make your life what you want.

TL;DR I think they are funny, kinda stupid, pretty hot, surprisingly genuine and lonely people in a lonely world. Plus: no sense of personal space.

Thanks and sorry for the lengthy essay! 🫡

[firfirov]

{I should have posted this a day ago but I forgot.}

Almost a month has passed since that post, but my studies and business got in the way, forgive me.

To be honest, I can't really think of anything for most of the characters, so... Thank you for at least having something.

❗IMPORTANT. I didn't think through the design for some characters in different forms very well, so they may look weird. And it really was easier for me to simplify my task. + Initially everything was written in Russian, so it may look different in English (in the Russian version it will be in ALT).❗

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Peppino. Quite nervous for his job as a Seraphim (I think he's Seraphim, I'm not sure). And despite this, he does his job well. His best friend is Gustavo (obviously). Confronts Pizzahead in Divine Tower to stop him from putting his plan into action. After the events of Divine Tower, he became a meeting, but still remained nervous. /In another form he is a human, he uses it often./

Gustavo. Unlike some, he has 2 eyes in the form of dots/ovals in true form. A cute and unusual looking Cherub (more like an angel with 4 wings, or something like that), and also short. Gets along well with everyone in the tower. His best friend is Peppino (obviously). Helps Peppino during his journey through Divine Tower. After the events of Divine Tower, nothing has changed. /In another form he is a gnome, he uses it depending on the situation./

Bruno. Another Seraphim (I think Seraphim...), it's not hard to guess who he's clearly related to. He was last seen "a week ago before the Divine Tower events." It is unknown where he is now, and whether he is alive at all. Maybe... You know? After the events of Divine Tower, he was also not found. /In another form he is a human being, he uses it when necessary./

Pepperman. Half-fallen angel. Artist with his own views on art (please don't be indignant). 1 boss in Divine Tower. No mouth, but can still talk. He gets along well with many people, except The Noise and Pizzahead. He can often be seen talking to The Vigilante, like best friends (or maybe even more...). After the events of Divine Tower, nothing has changed, he also continues to create art. /In another form, he is a human, he rarely uses it./

The Vigilante. Half-fallen angel. "Justice is his middle name." 2nd boss in Divine Tower. He is not blind, just the blindfold on his eyes symbolizes "impartiality/justice". Normal relationship with everyone except The Noise and Pizzahead. He can often be seen talking to Pepperman like best friends (maybe even more...). After the events of Divine Tower, nothing has changed, he still administers justice and balance, although in addition he is looking for Pizzahead. /In another form he is a human, he rarely uses it./

The Noise. Half-fallen angel. The one who will lead House the most. 3rd boss in Divine Tower. Keep your hands away, otherwise he might bite again. Apparently he's really annoying everyone with his antics. His best relationship is only with Noisette. After the events of Divine Tower, nothing has really changed for him. /In another form, he is a gremlin, which he uses often.

Noisette. Half-fallen angel. A pretty girl who works in her own cafe. I hope she learns to cook.''' Although she looks a bit creepy in her true form, she is actually kind and fluffy. She treats everyone positively, no matter who it is. Her best relationship is with The Noise. After the events of Divine Tower, she opened a new coffee shop because the old one was badly damaged. /In another form, she is a gremlin, which she uses often./

Fake. Literally a copy of Peppino, but with flaws and a texture like dough. Is there anything more to say about it?.. 4th boss in Divine Tower. Periodically behaves like a frog. Generally good, if not angered or provoked. After the events of Divine Tower, he often follows Peppino around like a little tail, or just watches him. /In another form, he is a "human", and uses the same as Peppino./

Pizzahead. A fallen Seraphim (I think he was Seraphim...) with severe delusions of grandeur and hypocrisy. If he had been a little better, this would not have happened to him at all. The final boss in Divine Tower. Despite his plan, he "successfully" failed it. Treat everyone, naturally, hypocritically. After the events of Divine Tower, he disappeared, but he will surely be found. /In another form is a person, used in extreme cases./

...

So... If anyone has a question about why I named these variations this way, then... I had no ideas, sorry.

And I hope in the future I will reach the rest!.. I'm not sure😕

But in any case, they can be drawn more or less, they can even be depicted together... uh... I have strange thoughts, I know. And for some reason I have a joke in my head about "pigtail cheese"...I wonder why?

Edit: I just now noticed some inaccuracies, damn.

Edit 2: I was supposed to post this at 9am but I must have accidentally left it in draft so I'm posting at 3:30pm.

[bobbile-blog]

Not sure if anyone’s said this yet but now that we have Laterano events plural I’m fascinated by their (imo) very deliberate choice of protagonists, and there are almost a couple of layers of narrative going on there. I struggle a little figuring out how to get this into words but specifically I think they’re chosen to be people who can carry a narrative without contradicting the orthodox morals of the church. There’s a LOT of vaguely anti-authoritarian rambling below the cut so please kindly bear with me and my English major brain.

I can’t really start there though. One of the reasons this is so brain hurty is how deeply it’s woven into the storyline, so to start, I have to verbalize how Laterano and Arknights writing more generally is different from other, similar settings. Because like, I hear the words “morally negative church in a grimdark setting” and my brain immediately shuts off. Come on, that’s so far beyond low-hanging fruit, if you’ve seen any grimdark setting ever you know exactly what that looks like. And sure, it was fine the first two or three times you saw it, depending on your tolerance for that kinda thing, but it gets boring quick and even when it was new it was kinda uninteresting story-wise. “Religion is always fake because it inspires hope which means everyone who takes meaning from it is either a corrupt grifter or naive and misled” isn’t just edgy nonsense, it’s also basically useless as an actual critique. It tells you absolutely nothing except how to tune out a particular kind of story, and a story that tries to get you to hear less is doing its job wrong.

So, Arknights does something different. Instead of denying the premise of the church entirely, it actually takes it at its word. Laterano is, in almost every definition of the word, a paradise. It is basically unmatched in terms of actual quality of life, with its only competitors being the Durin cities and maybe Aegir, and is worlds apart from now much the rest of Terra sucks. More than that, though, the paradise is specifically tailored to the worldview of a religion with a strong central authority - when I say it takes it at its word, I mean the authoritarian bits too. Laterano is a city that lives in perfect order and peace because everyone follows the law perfectly and they all understand each other and never fight. Empathy is really important for this, as it allows for a believable amount of superhuman societal order. Laterano has very little crime, political drama, or quarrels in general. It’s the promises of a strict higher authority actually taken at face value: everyone follows the rules and that means they have effectively unfettered freedom, because they don’t want to break the rules and therefore they can do anything they want.

Laterano is specifically written to be a believable paradise in a setting that has none, so that when the story then turns around and criticizes that setting, it has significantly more weight. Even when the promises of paradise are taken at face value, there are still issues that cannot be addressed because the system is inherently flawed even in the imaginary scenario where it works. Even worse, the problems that poke holes in the imaginary perfect scenario are the same problems that they face in the real world, like “how do you deal with the interpretation of scriptures” and “hey there’s this racism thing I keep hearing about should we be worried about that or what”. Because of the way this imaginary perfect system works, we then look back on our real world in a new light and understand it a little better. It’s good critique.

Okay so how did we get here and what does this have to do with the protagonists? Well, this starts with Fiametta in Guide Ahead, because she’s a really weird protagonist. This is a cold take at this point but despite being the character on the front of the box, she has very little to actually do with the central conflict of the event. Most of the conflict is handled by Ezell first and Andoain second, and Fiametta mostly putters around putting holes in people until the finale where Andoain receives the answer he’s been looking for, he turns to explain it to the world, and he runs into the only person in the whole of Laterano who does not care about his motivations or his revelation. Her role, in other words, is to replace the climax of Andoain’s story with her own, and in doing so she makes it much harder to actually get a resolution and a meaning out of the story (this should not be taken as a criticism of her character, let me cook). Guide Ahead’s ending is hazy, with only small piecemeal resolutions to its conflicts, and for the longest time that was just the way the event was written and it stood on its own.

But now, Hortus de Escapismo is out and the monkey brain see patterns. Specifically, with the choice of protagonists. Because Executor is definitely different from Fiametta as a protagonist, but there’s one particularly important connection between the two, and that’s that as I mentioned in the beginning, they allow for stories don’t contradict orthodox morality. Fiametta we went over, as she’s uninterested in any of Andoain’s morality and just wants him dead. Executor, though, is purely focused on his mission and views the world through that lens. He only wants to achieve his objective, and while helping the needy is in line with the stated objectives of the church and he does do so when able, it’s secondary to his assigned task. He does change as he gets further into the story, and we’re not gonna ignore that, but we’ll be back to it later. What I mean is more that he is designed as a person who is able to lead a story that doesn’t contradict with the morals of Laterano. He sees the injustice and suffering around him, but that’s not his job, so he doesn’t need to solve it to have a complete story with a happy ending.

This is where it really gets complicated, so I apologize if I don’t explain this very well. I see this as us dealing with multiple layers of fiction: the events of the story, the perspective of the church, and our perspective as readers. Back to the first point - authoritarian institutions almost always use stories to sell people on their brand of order. Simple stories, simple enough that even calling them myths seems like overselling it a little, your “Saint George slays a dragon” kinda thing. This is the point of the second layer, the perspective of the church. I don’t really have an in-world justification for this layer - maybe you could make the argument that it has to do with Law’s perspective on things, but I don’t totally buy that - I think it’s more in a weird narrative transition space for people who don’t read very carefully. Regardless, Fiametta and Executor’s shared indifference to the questionable circumstances surrounding them is designed to let them tell a story to prop up the existing order. Their protagonist status and their missions are specifically constructed to allow them to ignore the suffering around them, and as such ignore the larger questions that might poke holes in the larger order. They’re both playing out the story of Saint George, where they go and find a bad guy and kill them and that’s all there is to it. The story is designed and told specifically for that “that’s all there is to it”.

But, as we said earlier, this is a good critique, and as such it intentionally undercuts this story with the third layer: what we actually see as readers. We are shown the suffering and the injustice, and then get to see our protagonists ignoring that to pursue their goals. This is what gives Guide Ahead’s ending its unique texture, which sets it apart from every other event with a vaguely unresolved ending. We have seen the actual issues with Laterano, and also watched our protagonist explicitly ignore them in favor of her own story. It’s unsatisfying in a way that only really makes sense to me if we as the readers have an understanding of intentional authorship. Whether it be Yvangelista XI or Law or The Actual Real Life Pope, there are issues here that we want to see a resolution to but people are choosing not to address them. Again, it’s good critique. Not only does it push the reader to unpack and understand the actual real-world technique, but it also helps blunt it. You have just seen a plot and protagonist ring uncharacteristically hollow. You then look around to see why that is, and you realize there are many things that should have been resolved that weren’t. The next time you see a story resolve with that same hollow-ness, you know where to look. Surprise! Harry Potter was propaganda the whole time. It’s okay, it was never good, you were just twelve.

I guess the last thing is where we go from here, because Executor’s story breaks this mold somewhat. In Hortus de Escapismo, he has to deal with a mission that isn’t actually bounded by his normal rules, and because of that he actually does have leeway to help the people around him. He starts as someone who is totally mission-focused, but by the end of the event he’s done a total 180 and is blocking Oren’s attack, which makes the mission harder but helps the non-mission-critical civilians of the monastery. He breaks from the rigid thinking of “kill the bad guy and that’s all there is do it”, and gives his attention to the people he isn’t supposed to see. I think this is an indication of the direction we’re going to be headed in the future with Laterano events. The events aren’t going to get better - they’re going to keep being just as morally murky and complicated as in the past - but the characters are going to get better at handling it, and when they do, they’re going to actually start to change things for the better.

Goddamn that was a lot of writing for 1 AM. I still have a. Lot of thoughts on this event with stuff like empathy and Lemuen and Federico being an autistic icon(my beloved) but I’m going to leave things there, I think, because if I write for any longer my phone is going to crash when I try to post this. Anyway if you actually made it to the end thanks for listening to me rambling and I hope that made sense. Cheers.

[justcallmemrslupin]

Analyzing Remus Lupin and N. Tonks

EDIT: I want to make it very clear that I love Lupin and Tonks. I always did, since "Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix" (the book) came out. I had a massive crush on Lupin back then (still have, to be honest! LOL) and I saw so much of myself in Tonks that I was really happy that they became a couple. But I do see a lot of flaw in them. I may have read the books too many times and cannot stop analyzing them (and I'm not the biggest fan of the way JKR developed some aspects of their relationship). Sorry. It's an hyperfixation. :/ Many people hate Lupin because he was willing to leave Tonks pregnant.

But here's the thing: He did it out of love for her and self-loathing. He really thought she and the baby were better without him. Hating on him because of it is a rather immature and shallow Interpretation of his character. He wasn't perfect - not a single character was - but he was definitely one of the best people in the whole series, despite all of his flaws (and boy, did he have flaws!). He just felt real.

When he tried to leave Tonks, they were in the middle of a war and almost ALL characters snapped and lost their minds. None of them were mentally sane then. And Lupin... He spent his whole life hurting and running away from people and feelings. He was always self-controlled because he wanted to tame his human form, since he couldn't tame his wolf form.

He had to deal with a war, the constant fear of death (his and his loved ones), the loss of his best friend, Sirius, and of his mentor who he saw as a second father, Dumbledore (that's the first time Harry sees him loose control), and with a love he thought he didn't deserve and he knew ir would bring harsh consequences on Tonks (and then the baby). He had a nervous brakedown. (I won't even mention the fact that he would have felt guilty for not being able to protect George from losing his ear)

You see how he was in that scene when he tries to leave Tonks?

"Lupin actually seized handfuls of his own hair; he looked quite deranged."

Yes, "deranged", that's the key word. He talks about himself in that scene not as a human being, but as a "creature" whose "kind don't usually breed".

He's totally deranged with guilt. Look at what he says:

"I made a grave mistake in marrying Tonks. I did it against my better judgemente and I have regretted it very much ever since."

"Don't you understand what I've done do my wife and my unborn child? (...) I've made her an outcast." "Even her own family is disgusted by our marriage..."

"How can I forgive myself, when I knowingly risk passing on my condition to an innocent child?"

"It will be better off, a hundred times so, without a father of whom it must always be ashamed!"

Besides, there are also things he didn't say, but we can see all over the 7th book:

• Voldemort shames Bellatrix for the fact that her own niece has married a werewolf and influences her to kill Tonks. After the Seven Potters, Tonks tells Remus that Bellatrix is targeting her as much as Harry and that she "tried very hard" to kill her.

• He's always looking miserable throughout the book, even when Tonks looks happy (which is actually weird, if I didn't know better, I would think she didn't care if he was miserable as long as she was with him.)

• We do know that he and Tonks got married only a few days after Dumbledore's death, when Tonks basically shamed Remus into being with her (everyone turned against him). Which was actually a bad timimg, since Remus was totally heartbroken over Dumbledore's death. It's the first time Harry sees him losing control, he collapses on a chair, takes his hands to his head and screams: "No!" He was in such a frail emotional state and everyone decided to gang up on him.

Molly, Arthur and even McGonnagal pressured Remus into being with Tonks... And we all know how he hates to disappoint people. He's the ultimate people pleaser.

• Tonks works for the Ministery... But we can see that she and Remus have to hide from Scrimgeour at Harry's birthday party. We can assume that Tonks lost her job because she married Remus.

• If we read his biography in the official Harry Potter website (old Pottermore), we can see that his parents were outcasts because of him. Everyone who was attached to a werewolf would be an outcast. Wouldn't Tonks and the baby be better off without living with a werewolf?

The thing is, Lupin was an emotional wreck in the last two books, mainly the last one (well, he had always been, being bitten as a child and losing all his friends at the same time). So, how can we blame anyone for anything they did when they weren't in their right mind?

There's no one single character in Harry Potter that has no flaws. Lupin and Tonks are not perfect either:

LUPIN

Good side: He's a really good person, kind, wise, witty, brave, resilient, always putting other's well-being above his. The scene where he learns about Dumbledore's death and loses his legendary self-control over it, but minutes after he'd comforting McGonagall and Hermione…. That always breaks my heart. He always has the right word at the right time to everyone, and people who actually knew him respected him a lot.

Bad side: Although he was really brave on battle, he was a coward in the way he acted with the people he loved. He had never had friends before Hogwarts, he was terrified of losing the ones he got, so he didn't actively stop them from being reckless idiots. Even when he grew up, be didn't have the guts to tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an animagus. That could have had cost Harry's life. And the fact that he needed friends so much that he even forgave Sirius for using him as a weapon against Snape says a lot about him. He was - and had always been - an emotional wreck. He needed lots of therapy before he could even think about being with anyone. But he let everyone bully him into being with Tonks, not just because he loved her - which he did - , but because he was emotionally distroyed (with all the pressure from the war, the missions among werewolves, the losses and from having to run away from a love that he knew would bring Tonks a terrible fate) and… yes, because he was a people pleaser and couldn't stand the ideia of everyone being against him.

TONKS

Good side: She's funny, brave, has a heart of gold, she has no prejudice in her and she loves unconditionally and fiercely.

Bad side: She didn't take a no for an answer - she was an only child, maybe we can assume that she was spoiled, although I hate that theory being an only child myself - and she let her love for Lupin become an obsession. She made the scene after Dumbledore's death all about them, even if she knew that Lupin was devastated at that time. And in the last book, she's always happy despite him being miserable. And in the end, she leaves her newborn baby with her mother and runs to a battlefield because she “couldn't stand not knowing” if Lupin was dead.

I don't think Tonks is analized enough. She's much more than the funny romantic woman most people see in her. People seem to forget about her (unless we're talking about those Wolfstar shippers who are always bashing on her and Remadora). She's much more interesting and complex than people give her credit for.

They both have flaws, but that doesn't make them bad people, does it?

[whereianonymouslypostfics]

Negotiations

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x reader

Word count: ~4k

Summary: You sneak out one night

A/N: Sorry y'all, I'm in an angsty mood

Warnings: Angst, relationship troubles (distrust and such), sneaky behavior.

You’re trying to ignore how sweaty your palms are, and you quickly reach for your drink to try and hide it. The condensation from the glass of course makes it worse and you hold back the urge to curse as you check your phone for the time.

It’s 8:15pm.

Usually at this time of night you would be at home with your wife and dog finishing up dinner, or more likely sitting on the couch in the living room. After dinner you walked the dog before settling beside your wife to cuddle while watching something mindless on TV. If Wanda got her way, it would be a sitcom with a laugh track that you hear in your sleep sometimes, but if you’re lucky, you’d start to doze off to a nature documentary before Wanda drags you upstairs.

You would much rather be at home with her, but you had something you needed to take care of first.

You are only a few seconds away from checking the time again when you feel a cold hand on your upper arm, and you have to stop yourself from bristling from the touch.

“Y/n Y/l/n. I didn’t think you would show.”

As you turn to greet the woman who’s been on your mind and the bane of your existence for weeks, you fight the urge to grimace. It had been a mistake to get involved with her, and you knew it from the very beginning, but you were desperate. One of your character flaws was that you were damn stubborn, and when you wanted something badly enough you couldn’t help but go for it.

You try to offer a sincere smile, but you’re tense and she can tell as she sits down on the barstool beside you and reaches out for your drink. You don’t mind that she’s finishing it because you don’t even want it, but you don’t like the message that it sends. You’re trying to be as incognito as possible with this arrangement. You waited to meet until a night that you knew Wanda would be working late, and then you’d left the house under the guise of going grocery shopping. You then ditched Bucky by sneaking out the back of the store and walking three blocks to this hotel bar where you’d agreed to meet.

You hated lying, but there really was no way around it. If anyone found out what you were up to, you’d be in deep shit and you didn’t want to deal with that. You couldn’t explain why you were being so needlessly reckless except for maybe to blame your determination.

This had to work.

You only take a moment to glance at the blonde’s outfit before you sit up a little straighter and offer an only slightly forced smile.

“Rosalie. Thank you for meeting with me. I’ve been looking forward to this all week.”

Wanda sighs in exhaustion as she arrives home to a dark house a little after 9pm. She stifles a yawn as she rolls into the garage only to do a double take when she sees that your car isn’t there. She quickly reaches for her phone to call you, but by the time she walks into the house you still haven’t answered. When Boone comes up to greet her, the call’s gone to voicemail and Wanda just hangs up with an annoyed huff. She scratches Boone for a second longer as she glances at the clock to confirm that it’s way too late for you to be out.

Bucky responds almost immediately and Wanda’s hand stops mid-scratch as she reads his message.

She went to the grocery store near Glendale but she’s been in there for an hour. I’m going to check on her.

Wanda has no idea why you would drive so out of your way to go shopping so late at night. Admittedly sometimes you had weird cravings, but this was odd even for you. Despite often losing track of time in a grocery store, Wanda figures that at such a late hour you would be in and out for whatever you wanted.

She decides to wait until Bucky finds you to respond, and she heads toward the kitchen to find some leftovers to eat. She hopes to be able to claim to have eaten dinner by the time you get home so you won’t get upset with her. When she has late nights like these, sometimes she forgets to eat and she comes home without having eaten for over 14 hours.

She can barely focus on dinner as she tries to patiently wait for Bucky’s response. She can imagine him finding you wandering around aimlessly as you try to figure out what food you’re craving. She’s had to drag you from several grocery stores when you’ve done this for over 30 minutes, and she’s almost wishing that you’d waited so she could have done this tonight.

Twenty minutes later, Wanda’s only had a couple of bites to eat before her phone rings. She sees that its Bucky, and she doesn’t hesitate to answer it as she takes a deep breath. She’s sure he’d found you roaming the candy aisle.

“Hey Bucky.”

Bucky is near sweating as he speed-walks up and down the aisles of this too cold grocery store. He’s looked for you for nearly 20 minutes, and he’s run around the store like a lunatic to the point of worrying that someone is going to call the cops. He’s tried calling you only to have it go to voicemail, and he doesn’t know what else to do. He stops by the ice cream for a moment before pulling out his phone to call Wanda. He has a feeling that you aren’t here, but he’s not sure if he believes that you’ve been taken. There was no one suspicious here except him, and after speaking with a disinterested cashier, he figures nothing sketchy went down.

As he waits for Wanda to answer, he tries to figure out what the hell you were up to.

The smile you receive in return makes you wish you’d said anything else, but it’s too late to take it back now. You decide to ignore your discomfort and get right down to business because you’re sure this will take a while. Wining and dining someone takes tact and patience, neither of which you are in possession of tonight. After leading Rosalie from the bar to a secluded booth in the back, you wait for a waiter to take your next drink orders before taking a deep breath.

“I really do appreciate you being here, Rosalie. I’m not sure what I would do without your help.”

Although you know that you’re feeding her enormous ego, you have to kiss her ass to get her to agree to your proposition. You know that under normal circumstances you wouldn’t have been this successful in your campaign. That said, your chance meeting with this woman who was capable of making you so happy was something you couldn’t overlook or take for granted. You aren’t even sure that she knew who you were before flirting with you, but that was of no consequence to you. If anything, it helped your chances.

You’re reminded of this as the blonde not-so-subtly, looks you up and down while you wait for your appetizer. You take a deep breath behind your glass when she’s distracted, and you pray that this all works out.

When Rosalie offers you a near-predatory smile you realize that you’re going to have to take it up a notch.

“What can I say? You made a very appealing offer, Y/n.”

When Bucky had called to tell her that you weren’t in the grocery store, Wanda had been opening the app on her phone to track you before he could even ask. For safety reasons, you and Wanda had your locations turned on your phones. Wanda had insisted and despite arguing that you never went anywhere other than work, the store, or home without her, you acquiesced. You’d had nothing to hide and you did sometimes check and see where Wanda was occasionally, only to wonder what she was doing on late nights away from home.

Wanda’s frown deepened when she’d realized that your phone was turned off. The last place it had been on at was the store, and now Wanda was oscillating between pissed and worried.

What were you up to?

“Oh really? You must have the cutest pictures!”

You smile widely because you really do and you’re already reaching for your phone to find some when you remember why you’d switched it off.

While you and Rosalie ate dinner, conversation had luckily transitioned to your work and more specifically your patients. This was something you were comfortable talking about, and honestly you could go on and on about your adorable patients. That said, you hesitated long enough for Rosalie to notice, and her brow furrows slightly in question.

“What’s wrong? Do you have other photos on there that you don’t want me to see?”

You can’t help but blush, and you poorly conceal it with a cough as you shake your head and turn on your phone. You’ll make it quick before powering it down again. It will be fine.

You reach out for your fork to take another bite before you shake your head with small smile.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

After showing off the last few adorable patients you’ve seen, you steer the conversation back to the reason why you’d invited Rosalie to dinner in the first place. You try to push down your discomfort of asking for something from someone, but you think about the puppies before you meet Rosalie’s expectant gaze.

“So have you thought anymore about my proposition?”

After checking continuously for nearly half an hour, she jumps when your blue dot appears on the map. She watches it move not far from where it had been earlier before she calls Bucky back. He’s been searching nearby buildings while she waited impatiently, but now she was going to look for you because she was beyond angry.

“Bucky, I found her.”

Wanda pauses as she zooms in on the map for a precise location. When she sees where you are, her breath catches in her throat and she just stares for a few long seconds.

“Yeah? Where is she?”

Wanda still doesn’t answer right away. She’s trying to come up with a logical reason for you to be where you are. Anything but the worst-case scenario. Wanda clears her throat before shaking her head and speaking through clenched teeth.

“She’s at the hotel off of 5th. I’ll meet you there.”

You’re taking another bite of cheesecake, blissfully unaware of the storm that’s headed your way as you and Rosalie share a companionable silence.

She’d agreed to your terms and you were near giddy with excitement. That said, you were still aware enough to remember your manners, and you slide the plate toward the blonde with a teasing smile before setting your own fork down.

“Please. Eat the rest. I think you’ve more than earned it.”

Rosalie smiles and only tries to argue with you for a moment before she gives in. You could eat this slice and maybe three more, but you realize how late it’s getting, and you’re almost certain you’ll barely beat Wanda home. It’s nearing 11, but the fact that even Wanda’s early ‘late nights’ are rarely before 1am is enough to relax your nagging nerves.

It only takes a few more minutes for you two to wrap things up. You foot the bill because it’s the least you can do, and then you’re going your separate ways. You wait until Rosalie is out of sight before you near run to the exit. You don’t dare turn on your phone, but your watch is telling you that you need to hurry.

Wanda’s staring at the sky trying to calm herself down when you come running out the front doors of the hotel. She’s settled on the steps out front, sitting on one of the stone banisters as she tries to understand what she’s feeling.

She and Bucky had arrived and it had only taken a few minutes to spot you. When Wanda had seen you sharing dessert with a woman who was smiling at you adoringly, well she almost lost it. She stared at you for just long enough to convince herself that she wasn’t mistaken, before she stormed back outside and planted herself in this spot.

She had sent Bucky back to your car to make sure you didn’t sneak by her, but she figures it’s unnecessary. She mostly did it to be alone and shed a few tears without him watching. She had a feeling you’d walk right out the front door, and then she’d confront you. She just had to figure out what to say.

She almost misses you fly by her and her gaze snaps towards you with a vicious glare that’s wasted on you. She ignores the fact that you’re getting further away and she stays exactly where she is as she calls out to you.

“Hurrying home to someone?”

You think you’re hallucinating when you hear your wife’s voice when you’re halfway across the street. You stop in your tracks, stiffening in surprise before you dare to turn around to confirm your suspicions. You’ve never had any luck at keeping secrets from your wife, so you’re not sure why you thought this time would be different.

Despite being over 20 feet away, you’re sure Wanda can hear your audible gulp as you turn to face her.

“Needlessly it seems. You’re already here.”

Now despite your actions tonight, you’re not an idiot, and you know what’s about to happen. You consider how you’d feel about seeing Wanda in your shoes tonight. It might be slightly different because she has more of a reason to meet random, beautiful women at hotel bars, but for a moment you suspend your disbelief and consider how angry you’d be at her. At least half as angry as Wanda appears to be with you now. You walk deliberately towards her, and do your best not to flinch at her furious expression. You nearly startle when she jumps down the stairs and meets you on the sidewalk with a scowl.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

You can’t help but flinch and you think it makes Wanda even madder because her glare honestly makes you want to run and hide. You can’t remember the last time she’s been mad at you, actually mad, but you’re sure this is much, much worse. Unfortunately, in your infinite wisdom you dare to shrug before providing the worst answer possible.

“I was meeting someone.”

Wanda’s eyes flash as she remembers the beautiful blonde that had been looking at you like she wanted to take you upstairs. Her words come out as a snarl and you actually start to sweat as Wanda steps toward you.

“No shit. Who the fuck is she, Y/n?”

You realize, belatedly, that maybe this hadn’t been the best plan. Sure, you’d waited for an ideal night, or so you’d thought, but there had to be a better way. Clearly. It had to be possible to have pulled this off without getting caught. Right?

You sigh in defeat before you realize that there’s no way to lie yourself out of this one. You know Wanda’s going to be hurt, but you just have to say it. What was the point of dragging it out any further?

You run a hand through your hair and nearly roll your eyes at the fact that your ring snags on one of the knots. Figures.

“Her name is Rosalie Evans. She’s a donor who’s just pledged $10 million to help renovate the animal shelter.”

You and Wanda stand in silence as you let your wife process what you’ve said. You can tell by the look on your face that she’s trying to decide if she believes you, but after a near agonizing three minutes in silence, she just shakes her head. She walks past you with a huff, and you’re equal parts relieved and disappointed that she barely says anything in response.

“Come on. We’re not talking about this here.”

Despite Wanda’s desire to storm back into the hotel and find the blonde you’d been with; she knows there’s no point. She has a feeling the blonde is long gone, but that doesn’t mean she’s not going to have Bucky look into her right this second.

The trip home is made in separate cars and it’s silent for both of you. You’re lost in thought and Wanda’s waiting to get confirmation from Bucky that you weren’t just lying to her face. It comes only minutes from arriving home, but still the news that you’d been out with a rich, beautiful, animal lover didn’t sit well with her.

She slams her car door so hard the house almost shakes, and she waits impatiently as you pull into your spot before getting out as slowly as possible without ticking her off more.

She storms into the house, and you just have to follow her as she ignores Boone and immediately heads to the deck. You scratch your dog a few times as you trail behind your wife, but you leave him inside as you follow Wanda back out into the dark.

“Were you on a date just now?”

Despite expecting the question, you still can’t stop your initial reaction at the mere thought of doing something like that to Wanda. You would admit that you had been selfish and that you’d used Rosalie, but dammit if you weren’t desperate for the money.

“No, Wanda.”

You barely say her name before she spits her next question with such disgust that you instantly feel like a horrible person.

“Did she think it was a date?”

It never ceases to amaze you how smart your wife is. She’s always so many steps ahead of you that it would be embarrassing if you hadn’t already accepted that she was a genius. It’s only times like these, when you’re in trouble, that you truly regret this fact.

You don’t really know the answer to this, and you don’t take long to consider it before you shake your head. Wanda’s still facing away from you, and you can’t help but feel ashamed by this. She’s so angry that she can’t even look at you.

“I don’t know. It didn’t come up.”

This was technically true. That said, you would have let her believe that it was a date if it had gotten you the money. Is this what a gold digger did? Suddenly your self-respect tanks further at the thought.

Wanda doesn’t respond immediately as she considers all of her options. She’s still plenty mad at you for this, but she has to admit that by seeing this woman, you didn’t technically do anything wrong. That said, the way you went about it had been sketchy as hell, and she wants you to know that she doesn’t appreciate it in the slightest.

“Why did you go behind my back like this? Why not just tell me what you planned on doing?”

Wanda’s trying not to be angry about the fact that you’d snuck out of the house on a night that she’d specifically told you she would be late coming home. How you ditched Bucky to sneak away and make sure nobody was the wiser. She rolls her eyes at the thought of you pulling this off.

You have sat down at this point because you’re exhausted and you’re tired of staring at your wife’s back. You huff in frustration before you shake your head with a groan. You’re such an idiot sometimes.

“Because I didn’t want you to know what I was doing.”

You knew what question was coming next, so you tried to beat Wanda to it as she finally spun around to face you. You’d wished she’d stayed facing away from you instead. You would have preferred it to the glare she was shooting you.

“Of course not! You were practically on a date with this woman, and for what? For-?”

“For money!”

You’re back on your feet as you rip out some of your hair when your hand gets stuck again. You squeeze your eyes shut before you take a deep breath and try to calm down. You meet Wanda’s suspicious gaze and you feel your shoulders drop.

“I needed her to agree to the donation. I’ve only been trying to convince her for weeks. I-I needed the money, Wanda.”

Your wife simply scoffs before she crosses her arms and levels you with a look that hides how hurt she is. If you’d needed money so badly, why hadn’t you just asked her? Why had you needed to literally grovel to this woman you barely knew when she could have helped you easily? She asks this and your face says it all. Wanda almost wishes, for a millisecond, that you’d been having an affair instead.

“I couldn’t ask you Wanda. It couldn’t come from you. I needed the donation to be public. For campaigning purposes.”

Wanda suddenly realizes why you’d gone to so much trouble to keep this from her. You both often donated to various causes that you felt strongly about. Unsurprisingly, number one on your list was animals. You’d given countless donations to shelters and other rescues in the areas so they could keep helping stray animals. That said, sometimes you knew that an anonymous donation just wouldn’t cut it.

When the projects were larger and they required the help of many donors, you wished that you could be one of them without causing suspicion. Despite making good money at work, no one would believe that you could give $3 million without batting an eye. It just didn’t make sense. You also knew that since everyone thought you were married to someone named ‘Linda’; you couldn’t have Wanda donate either.

That and the fact that she’s a known criminal.

That wouldn’t go over well.

So you’d tried to go behind her back to accomplish your goal of getting money while sparing her feelings. She’s still mad at you, but she seems to deflate when she feels the familiar pang of disappointment that accompanies moments like this. Sometimes she thinks she’s failed you. Sometimes she desperately wishes that she could have had any other occupation as long as it was legal. At least then she would be able to support you more readily, more publicly.

She doesn’t realize she’s stared off into space berating her past self for her career choices until she feels your hand on her shoulder. She blinks before realizing that you’re standing right in front of her with an apologetic look. She suddenly feels exhausted, and she doesn’t want to talk about this anymore. She doesn’t want to think about beautiful blondes or not being able to help you with your selfless pursuits.

“I’m sorry, Wands. I should have told you.”

Wanda shakes her head as she sighs in defeat and walks past you toward your barking dog. She ignores the frustrated tears that are streaming down her face, and she hopes you can’t hear them in her voice as she lets Boone run past her so she can sneak upstairs while you’re distracted.

“It’s fine, Y/n. I get it.”

Wanda disappears up the stairs as you chase after Boone to get him to come back inside. It’s far too late for this and you quickly steer him back in the house before locking up and heading up the stairs. You need to follow Wanda and try to convince her that she shouldn’t feel bad about any of this. You’re the one who went behind her back. You thought that it would be worth it, but even the thought of $10 million doesn’t make the idea of trying to make amends with your wife any less daunting.

Masterlist

[kalinara]

So here are some thoughts about X-Manhunt.

First, it has all the usual flaws of this kind of big crossover adventure. It didn't seem all that clear that the writers were on the same page as to character motivation and beats. But then, I generally feel that way when I read cross-series events and I didn't really feel like this series was any better or worse. I'll be interested in rereading the series again once it's in Trade Paperback. It feels like the kind of story that reads better in that form than as a serial.

A funny thing about comics is that sometimes the incoherency or inconsistency between creative teams can lead to some really interesting elements for character analysis. And, in a weird way, I think Scott actually benefited from this.

IF there is an emotional throughline to this series, it's Scott and Charles. And while I've seen posts, rightfully, criticize the fact that Scott's motivations for wanting Xavier back in custody seem to be different in every scene and every book, I actually think that makes a certain amount of sense.

Scott's a represser, after all. He buries and avoids and denies, and that's how he tends to function. And his relationship with Xavier is complicated. It's always been. Even if we take a very narrow view and we look at the Krakoa era only, Scott's got a LOT to potentially be angry about.

How about the fact that Alex was made into a Hellion and given to Mr. Sinister, despite Scott's pleas and protests. The fact that Mr. Sinister was made a Council person at all is probably an even bigger one. The fact that Xavier's continued schemes and stratagems repeatedly led them to fall for Sinister's bullshit. Stasis's bullshit. Orchis bullshit. The fact that Scott ended up on trial for every single one of the Council's terrible decisions, the fact that Xavier actively sabotaged his rescue (thoughtlessly rather than maliciously, but it's not like he couldn't have contacted the guy at any point), the Agnew - even if Xavier didn't kill anyone in reality, he made Scott watch in simulacrum.

That's a pretty decent list. And that's not even getting into the fact that Scott spent six months being tortured, Krakoa's out of reach, it's more important that human-mutant relations go as well as possible because they don't really have anything else, and Xavier's idiot machinations have give everyone mutant-villain #1. You know, after months/years of presenting himself as the benevolent face of mutant kind.

So for me, the fact that Scott's motives are so incoherent actually works. Because he's repressed it all for so long and it's exploding out, and even he can't get it all straight because it's all there as a fucked up jumbled, inarticulate cry of rage and pain. It even makes sense to me that, in the end, he barely reacted to the revelation that the Agnew massacre didn't happen. The man is lost, tired, in despair, and the Agnew was just the tip of the iceberg. When Xavier is right there, spouting his usual bullshit, having learned apparently nothing...

As for the other characters...well...I'll leave it up to their fans to make sense of it all, if they want to. I'm a single character blogger after all. :-)

I actually rather liked the panic attack/power explosion moment. It IS very comic booky, which is disappointing when Scott's earlier attack was more subtly done. But I like that the thread isn't abandoned outright, and the power explosion is interesting. Scott's powers don't usually work that way, but it isn't without precedence. When his powers were out of control (or tampered with, IIRC) after AvX, it sometimes looked like that.

I do wonder if it might not also be connected to R-LDS, since Magneto's powers exploded out of control too. I wonder if it will come up in Adjectiveless.

There were admittedly a lot better ways to deal with Scott in a panic attack, but Wolverine stabbing him was pretty in character, I thought. And that monologue, silly as it was in parts, was probably the kindest Logan had been to Scott in years. And I'm including Krakoa in that assessment. I definitely enjoyed the banter after as well. And I never turn down an opportunity to make a penetration joke.

Xavier though, Xavier was frustrating in a way that I kind of knew would happen since he was arrested in the first place.

I never liked Xavier playing martyr in prison, because I always knew it'd end up this way. He was in there unjustly because he didn't kill the people of the Agnew, he kept quiet about that for everyone's benefit. Supposedly. But now it's revealed that he didn't do it, so he gets to fuck off to space happy ending style.

Except the Agnew was the least of Xavier's sins on Krakoa. The big issue with Xavier, which Scott touched on a few times, is that he keeps making unilateral decisions for everyone else.

From the beginning, Krakoa was a beautiful concept poisoned by secret scheming. You had Xavier, Magneto and Moira as a secret cabal, who were enforcing secret edicts and defying their own idealistic positions. (Destiny is problematic sure, but denying resurrection to precogs outright also screwed over innocent people like poor Blindfold. And opened them up to retaliation by Mystique when she got sick of being dicked around.

You had Xavier deciding outright, without any apparent input, that Sinister needed to be on the Council. His DNA stash was that important. The idea of STEALING said stash never comes up, despite the fact that we know damn well Sinister never got those samples consensually.

Xavier was King Arthur and his Council was his appointees, and every good decision was matched with stupidity. Sure, having former adversaries on the Council is a good idea. Exodus, I think, worked very well as a representative for the Acolytes. Even Apocalypse as a representation of the culture who originated with Krakoa. But rather than chronic backstabbers like Sebastian Shaw or Mystique - why not CALLISTO?

It seemed like, after Sins of Sinister, Xavier had finally realized that unilateral decision making was bad and was agreeing to elections. But then the Gala. You'd think Xavier might have learned something from the horror he felt when he thought he'd sent all of the Gala attendees to their deaths when he forced them through the gates. But no. Still more unilateral schemes. Ordering Rasputin to help him with his scheme, without caring (maybe without knowing) that he was interrupting his "son's" rescue, endangering Piotr and Logan in the process. Trying to murder thirteen year old Moira, and even if her memory was wiped, could a subconscious recollection have influenced why she felt like she had to choose Orchis over Krakoa to spare her own life?

And as mentioned, when he decided to (apparently) turn coat to Orchis, he had a good reason and it did accomplish some good. It did get him close enough to reason with Moira. BUT, in the process, he traumatized his "son" again, and, as mentioned, made the face of mutant society into the worst boogeyman ever. And he never seems willing to acknowledge any of that.

Scott wants to leave him in Graymalkin. And admittedly, that's pretty awful. I wouldn't wish my worst enemy in an extra-judicial prison. But honestly, if you think about it, what indication does Scott have that Xavier wasn't doing fine in there? He certainly meddled with everyone quite well before that, and when he shows up in Raid, it's under his own power, flanked by the teammates that he's mentally influenced. He doesn't seem to have been brainwashed like poor Fred and company, he's not beaten up like Hank. He seems fine!

I feel like, if they tried, someone could come up with an option that's not an extra-judicial prison OR fucking off to be Prince Consort of the Shi'ar Empire. But it is what it is.

I did get what I wanted in the end though: Xavier's out of jail, unable to play martyr anymore, and he's not going to be plaguing any of the X-teams or former members. And while I'm looking askance at "Imperial"- I have no interest in Prince Charles Xavier or the dodgy ethics at best of the Space Bird Empire- I have no need to read it.

Unless it crosses over with Phoenix, but maybe I'll be lucky and she'll eat him. (I still think someone should ask Jean exactly what she remembers of that time her split off alter ego possessed her husband and helped him kill their surrogate dad. I hope it's a fond memory.)

So yeah, in the end, I didn't hate it. The complaints, I think are valid, but there's a certain "greater than the sum of its parts" feel that I get from it that makes me really interested in rereading it as a trade.

[homestuckreplay]

EOA3 - Character Opinions

This is just a quick breakdown of character thoughts so I can track how my opinions are changing over time. I don’t think I feel super different about anyone here compared to Act 2, but there’s probably plenty of acts left to, idk, suddenly become a John hater. I wrote most of these in the dark because I’m trying to avoid screens for health reasons so I think I got everyone who actually appeared in Act 3!

Love ♡

John Egbert - He's had less to do this act overall, but manages to retroactively be the world's sweetest person with his notes and birthday presents to his friends. Listen. I love a gritty anti-hero and all but there's something about an earnest, kind protagonist who still has an actual personality and flaws that put him beyond being a reader insert that just grabs me and won't let go. I love to see him starting to question his assumptions, re-analyze his relationship with his dad and his past (even though I think he's still in the early stages of that) and go from being absolutely overwhelmed by the crude ogres to just soloing his way through a house full of them. I love his creativity in alchemy and in his little doodles for his friends! I want him to win, whatever winning means in this story/game, and I am waving flags and cheering behind him.

Vodka Mutini - You stare into the void. The void stares back, and then slowly, blinks each of its four eyes in sequence.

Rose Lalonde - HEY LOOK IT'S MY BEST FRIEND ROSE LALONDE. <- me every time she's on screen. Rose was great to begin with and gets better each act. Seeing her explore her mom's mad science lab, interact with Jade again, psychoanalyze John for four pages straight, exclusively make conclusions that fit with her existing narrow worldview while ignoring obvious evidence to the contrary, and risk not one but TWO meteor impacts to save her dead cat, has been a delight. And I love that Rose is a client player now, as she's someone who really wants control over situations, and now she's at Dave's mercy in a way that's already making her even more reckless and emotional than before. The story is better when her facade cracks!! Also even though I love Zazzerpan I felt a small vicarious thrill when he got smashed up because I bet Rose was delighted.

Peregrine Mendicant - She is a true, classic fantasy hero. Traveling a harsh, gritty wasteland with naught but a sword at her side and an ideal to believe in and ignoring the personal cost, she's like a witcher or like those dad characters in video games before they find a kid. All three future folks are charming in their concept, and how much I like them does relate to how much I buy into the domain of society they've claimed. With the mail I am so 100% on board. But the general concept of having a responsibility and taking it very seriously even when others wouldn't, or it doesn't make loads of sense in the situation, is compelling to me, and I think PM embodies this the most of the three.

Wayward Vagabond and Serenity - Grouping them as one since Serenity is only seen with WV, more like a familiar than taking her own actions. WV's curious nature and appearification skills continue to delight, and he's brave as well. Despite one moment sacrificing a citizen he's mostly willing to put himself in danger to protect his town and carry out Jade's instructions, his nervousness when making friends is very sweet, and he has this sense of wonder in a lot of the art where he's looking around at the landscapes. Rationally I could critique his political ideals but I have this emotional attachment to him that overcomes all of that. I'm so glad he has a tiny blinky friend by his side.

Like

Jade Harley - Jade seems like a lovely person to hang out with, and a ray of sunshine in people's lives. I love how weird her daily routine is and how to her, it's completely normal. I love her unironic enjoyment of things seen as 'cringe' and the way she's the one encouraging her friends to share in each other's interests. It's still hard for me to be as invested in her story as in the other kids' when - for example - she spends the EOA3 flash sitting by a flower and patiently waiting while the other kids are all running around trying to save their own or somebody else's life. But Jade definitely has a lot of interesting stuff going on, at least as much repressed trauma as John does, and the potential for a fascinating arc when she leaves the beautiful remote island she's spent her whole waking life on. I think she's fairly passive right now due to carrying out the will of Skaia for so long, but I can totally see that changing.

Jack Noir - This guy is awesome even though I barely know what his deal is. I personally don't agree with his clown aversion, but I love his priorities. I love that a hat is the thing that makes him finally snap and turn against the monarch. Radicalized by a jester hat. I like that he's getting character development but not necessarily a redemption arc; there's no hint that he wants to go work for the light side, he's just moving from lawful evil to chaotic evil and potentially becoming a wild card (cards reference intended!!!!) for the ominous planet.

grimAuxiliatrix - Easily the coolest troll so far. Inventive. Original. Has a gimmick and commits to it. If all of Act 4 was just an extended conversation between Rose and GA I would be okay with it.

Mixed / Uncertain

Jaspers - what did he say!!

Dad - I think Dad is the most mysterious character. Obsessive level harlequin enthusiast? Regular businessman? Jail escapee via brute force? Baking champion? Amateur astronomer? Treasure hunt designer? Dad is some or all of these things, and it's way harder to connect them into a coherent character for him than it is for the kids' varied interests. We and John are both missing a crucial piece of the puzzle. It keeps me up at night.

Bec - His radioactive powers are sick af and his relationship with Jade is very sweet, I like when two individually very weird characters find each other and have a surprisingly normal dynamic (at the end of the day they are just a kid and her pet dog!) But we don't know the depths of his connection to Skaia, which is disconcerting.

Nannasprite - Recurring theme with guardians is that it's hard to decide how much I like them until I know how much they know about Sburb in advance, and how they acted on that knowledge. It's extra hard to decide with Nanna because she is a sprite now, and detangling her from the NPC is even harder than detangling her from the harlequin. Meeting Rose's sprite might help! Anyway I think Nanna is old fashioned but well meaning, and has an idea of John as both the generic Child and generic Hero without actually knowing John until today. That's not great but it's also not her fault that she was dead for like a decade.

Midnight Crew - "oh, look at us, we're mean and scary and have weapons" get over yourselves. I have a sword too but you don't see me going round cutting off people's heads about it. Try calling yourself the Daylight Squad and being nice, idiots. They are fun though, and I'm curious if they'll ever play a bigger role in the story - we've had more extended sequences with them each act so far.

Dislike

Sburb/Skaia - I'm still lost as to how much Skaia is passively reporting past and future events, and how much it's actively influencing. But I have a lot of suspicion of any entity that tries to present itself as passive while also causing large amounts of destruction. On the one hand, Skaia could be so alien that it doesn't really correspond to human morality, on the other, Prospit and it's dark counterpart do follow human ideas of good and evil, and WV, PM and AR pick up human institutions very quickly. I feel like Prospit's government might spout the official line that visions during the eclipse are seen randomly and are guided by forces beyond anyone's control, while the actual truth is that Skaia or Prospit's monarch do have influence over what's shown or what happens. Until further notice I'm just as suspicious of the light kingdom as the dark.

Dave Strider - I feel like Dave has been fucked with all his life by somebody who does not care for his emotional wellbeing or physical safety, and as such, it's really hard for him to have healthy relationships with other people without a model of what those look like. His moments of sentimentality come from what we now know is several years of friendship, and when he first met John, Rose and Jade, he was probably way worse, and they still put up with him. I can have all the sympathy in the world for Dave and still say he's a total asshole for putting the alchemiter on Rose's roof in the middle of a fire. That's a Bro-level dick move and I'm gonna need to see Dave stop repeating the cycle of violence before I can like him, because his positive moments of changing his sunglasses and admitting to John that Bro kicked his ass, feel very one step forward and two steps back.

Aimless Renegade - Hitting people with machine guns is not cool. Also, thinking that one specific guy (yourself!!!) can be judge, jury and executioner is extra not cool. I still love his design (can I wrap myself head to toe in caution tape and call it a cosplay??) and I am intrigued by why the mystic ruins contain 'illegal pictography', but otherwise, AR had big shoes to fill being introduced after WV and PM, and he hasn't filled them yet.

carcinoGeneticist - Lacks originality and the personal touch. Very hard to be upset by a troll when their whole angle is "you're stupid and I hate you." https://thesaurus.com

adiosToreador - Does not have the troll's true spirit, or a way with words particularly. That's okay. Maybe AT is incredibly gifted at mosaic making or mini golf or raising chickens. Those are great hobbies and way better things to be good at than trolling.

Grandpa - Apparently he was so much easier to deal with while he was alive, but like, how? Would Jade put a butterfly in front of him and go do her own thing while he was running around trying to shoot it?

Hate

Bro - Worst guy of all time. To quote my other favorite piece of media, 'I hope his ends are fucking great because these means are not forgivable.' Like I don't really care if he has some top secret ironic goal, he's still an adult beating up a 13 year old on a roof under the blazing sun and then leaving him wrecked there. I hope he rocketboards into the sun and never comes back.

Lil Cal - He is still bad to look at.