#mostly just villain encounters that was my bad

[felinecyan]

Turned Tables

[Toshinori Yagi x Female!Reader]

Synopsis: Although being with All Might meant you’d have to be saved twice as much as a regular civilian, it didn’t mean he was completely invincible. Sometimes, he also needed saving, and sometimes, you were the only one able to do it.

WC: 1859

Category: Mega Fluff

My beloved 🥹🥹

『••✎••』

If your future self told you that your life would be filled with the most bizarre, unpredictable situations and involved with the number one hero in all of Japan, would you believe it? Absolutely not.

If you had asked your younger self what she imagined her future to be, you could never have come up with something so ridiculous. The mere thought of All Might being your soulmate would have sent you into hysterics.

But that was then.

And this is now.

You weren't sure how it had happened, and you called it cliche, but you swore it had been a twist of fate that had brought the two of you together. I mean, he saved thousands of people on a daily basis. There was no reason he should have paid attention to you.

He was just doing his job.

It was only chance that the villain that had been terrorizing your neighborhood had targeted you. It was luck that All Might had just happened to be passing through when you found yourself staring down the barrel of a gun.

In the end, you were unharmed.

All Might had arrived just in time, disarming the villain and delivering him to the proper authorities.

You had thanked him, of course. Maybe it was your calm nature or perhaps the fact that you had remained surprisingly unshaken during the encounter. But somehow, fate decided that the two of you were perfect for each other.

The second All Might had turned his back to you and begun to walk away, he froze. It was as if the air had suddenly gone stale. All Might felt an overwhelming presence behind him and a voice that seemed to be calling out to him. He hadn't even known that you had followed after him.

He spun around quickly, and the next thing he knew, his vision went white.

When the world came back into focus, he saw you standing there. You were looking up at him with an expression he couldn't quite understand. Then you smiled.

It was like he had been blinded.

And don’t worry, you were the same way.

Your life was a whirlwind of activity after that.

You had learned his true form, not that it mattered much. Toshinori Yagi, or All Might, was still the same man you had fallen for. He was sweet, funny, kind, and everything you could ever ask for in a soulmate.

He did tend to be loud at times, accidentally yelling when he was nervous, and sometimes the volume of his laughter was a little too much, but those were the small things.

You were sure the press would have had a field day with your story. After all, not many people got the chance to date All Might.

It had taken you a while to get used to the sudden increase in popularity. It had gotten so bad at one point that the two of you had resorted to disguises when going out on dates.

Of course, his disguise choices were less than ideal.

You had laughed when you saw the first wig and mustache; it was such a poor attempt at blending in. But you had to admit, his smile had never looked so good.

There was one thing, though. Something you both dreaded and knew was inevitable.

The villains.

All the popularity and attention was a two-way street. You had gained fans, but you had also drawn the attention of his enemies. Most of the time, you could brush it off as if you were some overzealous fan trying to get close to All Might. But every now and again, a villain would come looking for trouble.

Those were the days you worried.

It was a constant concern that plagued both of you.

What if he couldn’t make it in time? What if something happened to him? What would happen to you?

These thoughts always manage to find their way into your mind. Nightmares mostly. The thought of him not making it in time to save you was what you feared the most.

It was a terrifying thought, but that’s what it was. Just a thought. Because he was always there.

Every. Single. Time.

It really made you realize why he was picked to be the symbol of peace. He was the number-one hero for a reason.

Him saving himself, though? Yeah… that was a little harder.

He could handle civilian savings. He could handle villains, and he could handle the regular fans. But the fangirls? That was something else entirely.

One of the things he had never quite gotten used to was their obsessive behavior. They could be rather scary at times. And they were always a bit too… forward with their advances.

Most of the time, it was fine. He was polite and would smile and wave at them, as a hero does. Occasionally, though, he would get cornered.

And today was one of those days.

It had been a busy morning, as usual. There had been a bank robbery, followed by a mugging and an attempted kidnapping.

All in all, just another typical day.

Now, he was making his way back home through the streets of Musutafu. He was looking forward to relaxing, maybe having a nice bath and a nap.

He could use a break.

But just as he was beginning to think he might make it back home without incident, a group of girls spotted him.

"It's All Might!"

He knew what was coming next. He didn't have time for this.

"Please excuse me, ladies," he called out to them. "Duty calls."

But his attempts were in vain.

They weren't having it. He thought he was super speedy, but apparently, he had met his match.

The next thing he knew, a mob had formed, and he found himself surrounded by a bunch of overly excited teenage girls.

"Oh my god! It's really him!"

"He's so handsome in person."

"Can we have your autograph?"

"Hey! Hey, All Might!"

He had barely gotten the chance to say anything.

"Yes, well-" he was cut off before he could continue.

"Can I feel your muscles, please, All Might? Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"I'm sorry, but-"

"My sister would be so jealous if she saw me hanging out with you. She loves you, y'know. Can I have a hug?"

He was overwhelmed.

He felt his patience waning. The more they pressed, the further his smile became.

"If you would just-"

He tried again. Useless.

"Hey, hey, All Might! Can I touch your hair? It's so big. It must be soft."

He was completely and utterly stuck. Every second that goes by was a second too long. More girls kept showing up.

It was a nightmare.

"I'm very sorry, but I have somewhere to be."

He could barely get a word out, and he was too exhausted even to move.

"Oh my god, are you blushing, All Might?"

He wasn't. But his smile was becoming increasingly strained. God, they were persistent.

Then, like a light shining from above, he heard it. His savior's voice.

"There you are," you said as you made your way through the crowd.

You pushed your way to the front and placed your hands on your hips. You looked absolutely annoyed.

"What did I tell you about wandering off? We're supposed to meet my parents in half an hour. Do you want to be late? You know how my mom gets."

His eyes went wide, and he let out a nervous laugh. That was a complete lie on your part; your parents weren't exactly expecting you anytime soon, but they didn’t need to know that.

"Right. Right, of course, my love," he said.

He wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you closer. It was amazing how you could find him in a crowd so easily.

He was a good head and shoulders taller than everyone around. His hair made him stand out. And, of course, his booming laughter was always a dead giveaway. But, still, he was amazed at your speed. Sometimes, it feels as though you have a secret radar that lets you know when he's having lady trouble.

You leaned into his embrace, and his strained smile relaxed.

"You’re so good to me," he whispered.

He planted a kiss on your temple. Then, a mischievous grin formed.

"Sorry, ladies, but I have a prior engagement," he said. "Maybe next time."

Since your glare was fixed on every girl that was surrounding you, they finally took in his words and backed away.

"Oh, okay. Yeah, of course," one of them said.

"I can't believe I just met him. I can't wait to tell my sister," another said.

"That was so awesome."

"See you later, All Might."

"Goodbye."

They scattered like a bunch of cockroaches, leaving the two of you alone.

The moment they were gone, All Might's demeanor changed. He let out a sigh of relief and pulled you into a proper hug.

"How do you do it? It’s been decades, and I still can't escape the fangirls."

You chuckled and wrapped your arms around him.

"They're persistent; I'll give them that," you said.

He was tired, so you were careful when pulling away. You were sure his exhaustion was due to his hidden condition.

"We should probably get home," you suggested. "You could use a break… and a nap."

"Sounds perfect," he said.

You were just about to start heading home when you stopped. Something about the look on his face made you think.

"Is everything okay, my love?" he asked.

He tilted his head slightly, his brows furrowed in confusion. You could only smile.

"Y'know, you never did answer her question," you said.

"Huh?"

"You know, about the hair. Is it as soft as it looks? Because I've always wondered that myself. I’m always too short to reach."

Laughter flooded the air as he rolled his eyes and shook his head. The smile returned, full force.

"You’ve felt my hair before, darling; it’s all you ever do."

"Yeah, well, I was distracted."

"Distracted, huh?"

"Extremely."

"Well, here," he said. "Feel to your heart's content."

He leaned down so that you could run your fingers through his golden locks. And just as that one girl had guessed, it was incredibly soft.

“I could never grow hair this nice, no matter how hard I try," you mumbled.

"It's a burden, but someone's gotta bear it."

He stood upright and looked down at you, a smile gracing his features.

"Alright," he said. "Shall we go now?"

"Just one second."

"Huh?"

He raised a brow in confusion. But you didn't answer him. Instead, you grabbed the collar of his suit and pulled him down to your level. Close enough, at least.

"Wha-"

You stopped him, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. It caught him off guard, but it didn't take long for him to reciprocate.

He wrapped his arms around your waist and lifted you slightly. This allowed you to reach his cheek. He was still smiling when you pulled away.

"Now," your voice was on the verge of a whisper.

"Now, we can go."

[tomwaterbabies]

disneyland happenings

featuring varian and hugo. since thats what our costumes were

^(us trying to be very spooky) (there is a lot below btw lol)

someone asking if i (dressed as hugo) was from atlantis. surprisingly this only happened once

we went to kingdom hearts mickey first bc that was gonna be a popular one the rest of the night. the idea of varian in kingdom hearts is definitely really funny. i do not go here im just being honest

OH. new addition to the costume. i had olivia with me as a shoulder friend

met bruno from encanto who commented on her. we talked about our rodent friends he was very nice. he said he brought "all 200" of his rats with him and wanted to help feed them and knows mickey is a big mouse so maybe we could ask him. i said we could just steal some food. varian got mad

went over to see sid from toy story because he seemed like a mean little bitch. he was a mean little bitch. i may have said that his creations could use a little work but thats no reason for him to say "your mouse needs a little work" and "i hope you kept the receipt".... cunt

laughing about how mother gothel was no longer part of the characters to meet. "they killed her forever this time" etc etc

watching the parade and varian almost jumping out of his skin when mother gothel was in the parade. her ghost

we went to this thing called villain's grove which was a bunch of light and effects n stuff through their little forest area. it was mostly a cool immersive experience so most of the footage is on the Lights And Effects Themselves but here's a few of us that look cool lol. gay tunnel (maybe not) (that segment was themed after frollo)

met hans from frozen. we absolutely had no clue he was going to be there it was pretty funny. you may guess that my friend @kristoffs-lullaby (varian cosplayer) is a frozen enjoyer. so we hopped in line to see him

hans asked if varian's alchemy balls were some sort of magic or enchantment and you'll Never guess what varian responded with

though explaining its alchemy and science and all that didnt really make him feel better. he even asked if its something that would be in danger of bringing in an "eternal winter". varian did not like that :)

saw dr. doofenshmirtz (?) i didnt watch that show. he was pretty fun to meet though. i know some people dont like his creepy ass design, but i do, its fun and weird to me. he wanted to collaborate with me and varian since we're scientists. really funny to have him say "i'll have my people call your people". a possible strange message that rapunzel will get later /j

also encountered hades. though our friend @iammisswow was with us and so i had him focus on her since shes a big hercules fan. the visual was hugo getting this scary man's attention to be put on someone else by calling her out. it worked obviously. "oh SHE is a HUGE fan of hercules"

madam mim from sword in the stone didnt really have as big of a crowd so we actually talked with her a pretty good amount. shes SO fun. lots of discussion about magic vs science and how she thinks knowledge is stupid. you can imagine how we of all people felt when she said "KNOWLEDGE is not power, MAGIC is power". she also liked olivia (she thought she was a familiar)

meeting judge doom from roger rabbit was kind of scary LOL. very intimidating man. but his area had vats of chemicals and all that so you can imagine we had fun with that. WE can be trusted. obviously.

nervously just nodding our heads as judge doom tells us to come to him if we have any information regarding where "that rabbit is" (we are not doing that)

and also we saw ernesto de la cruz from coco. we were actually able to catch him right as he started performing which is rad but i dont actually have any interactions to tell u about here it was bad ass though

and, unbeknownst to Hugo (as in i also didnt know about this), varian had a surprise for him. he had a whole... horribly genuine and flustery spiel to say about messing around in his lab and all that and made something for hugo. which was a necklace with a piece of colored glass-like material (teal) in the shape of a heart. hugo handled that whole situation really well (lie)

ANYWAYS ! that's it. i've mentioned before but Disneyland Trips will be retired really soon since I'm not too fond of a lot of their wack shit right now, but wanted to share some of the last bit of enjoyable times to be had there before that happens

[super-paper]

"Thank you for such wonderful comedy."

I've been wanting to talk about how MHA plays with the concepts of "fiction vs reality, the characters vs the actor, the world vs the stage" for awhile now, bc I believe understanding how MHA utilizes these concepts is pretty crucial to understanding our Big Bad (and Tomura!) (...and Izuku!) (.. etc!) (y-yeah...!!!) (wooo.....!!!!!)

If this post is more incoherent than usual, I apologize-- I'm just really enthusiastic about stories that play with the fact that they're stories and characters who throw themselves into a fictionalized role as a means of coping. I love the way MHA handles these concepts in particular, so I lost all sense of restraint as usual.

Hori: "I'm Like Dropping Hints That Hero/Villain Personas Are Actually Coping Mechanisms Lol"

"As Tomura Shigaraki and Tenko Shimura, I've got just one wish: the total destruction of everything that created that house." "If my origin as Touya and Dabi was such a simple thing, then... No, there are still things I want to say. Arguments I want to have."

I've seen a few ppl saying that it sounds awkward/strange to have the characters repeatedly asserting themselves in the third person, but imo, the emphasis on real names versus hero/villain names during these particular scenes plays into the idea of the villain/hero identities being "alter egos" that might not actually have the same core desires as the """"actors"""" that are behind these personas.

Tomura and Touya invoke both their real and villain names while asserting their respective wishes. Himiko also invokes her villain name, though it's less obvious to english speakers because she uses her real name as her villain name (in the raws, "HIMIKO TOGA" as a villain name is written using katakana-- and this is what she uses when asserting her wish). MHA plays with the idea of "fiction"/"Alter Egos" as a form of escapism and as a coping method, and at this point in time, the Dabi/Tomura/"Himiko" identities are still being utilized as a crutch/mask by these three very hurt individuals.

*loud, terrifying chanting* PEAK FICTION PEAK FICTION PE--

Ochako's fight being like the second most thematically important fight in the whole series still makes me unreasonably giddy btw.

To contrast, Ochako uses her civilian name alone when asserting her wish-- and imo we're meant to read this as Ochako wanting to save Himiko as herself, not as Uravity. Saving Himiko is not something she can accomplish as her alter-ego-- Ochako is able to save Himiko by stepping off the stage and becoming a "real" person, while also acknowledging the person behind "Toga Himiko (villain name)".

Izuku hasn't had his "I'm Izuku Midoriya"/"I'm-saving-you-as-Izuku-not-as-Deku" moment yet-- instead, we see Tomura intentionally making that distinction between the-hero-and-the-true-self by constantly referring to Izuku by his real, full name. And I'm pr sure Izuku is also the only one he does this to-- we see him referring to all the other heroes he encounters by their hero names alone, or by insulting nicknames (l-lol). Correct me if I'm wrong, tho!

(side note: Tomura switching to calling Izuku just "Hero" in the aftermath of Bakugate is actually a big step backwards imo-- it reads as Tomura trying to push Izuku away by shoving them both back in the hero/villain box and doubling down on enforcing their respective "roles." Not that I ever expected mister doomdere to make things easy, but, woof. Good Fuckin' Luck, Izuku ( ´･ω･) )

TL;DR The final arc has mostly been about tearing off the hero/villain masks to reveal who is hiding underneath— MHA's careful use of names and monikers plays heavily into that and its distinction between "alter-ego"/"true self" a lot. Which is... probably one of the many reasons why All For One still doesn't have a given name, as someone who has all but completely lost himself in his character.

Anyway! That brings us to the meat of this post: how does MHA take the concepts of "reality vs fiction" and "the character vs. the actor" and apply it to All For One (...and Tomura) (and Izuku--)?

"Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain!"

"If you refuse to submit, then I'll just rewrite the story." - it's amazing how all of this coulda been avoided if someone had just introduced AFO to Demon Lord x Reader fanfiction. (/j)

AFO fancies himself as the author of MHA's greatest tragedy (the desecration of Shimura Nana's legacy via the sacrifice of Shimura Tenko), while simultaneously inserting himself into its overarching narrative and treating himself as the leading villain of the story-- it's self-indulgent and intentionally invasive in the way that most self-insert fanfiction tends to be invasive, with him going to extremes to make it seem as though the whole story revolves around him. AFO wants to be both the author and the leading character and the leading antagonist. This greed is typical of him, but it also establishes him as a character who's more caught up in (read: trapped by) his relationship to "fiction" than anyone else. Again, MHA explores the use of fiction and alter-egos as an escape from a painful reality-- so, it's entirely reasonable to assume that this applies to AFO as well.

To me, so much about AFO reads as an escapist fantasy of someone who is utterly terrified of being put in a position where he is truly seen. The idea of being vulnerable, of being naked, of being "human," is intolerable to him. But by not allowing himself to feel and "be a human," he has effectively cut himself off from what he wants most. The character of “Shigaraki Tomura” is as much an escapist fantasy for AFO as it is Tenko-- It's just another (younger, prettier) layer of skin he can hide his true self in.

"so basically you're saying that AFO is a never nude" yes, actually :)

AFO dehumanizes Tomura through his attempts to turn the boy into his personal comic book character, but he also dehumanizes himself by desperately trying to insert himself into that “character." It's only fitting that Tomura’s innate humanity and capacity for feeling ends up rendering AFO himself painfully, painfully human-- and ultimately causes AFO's carefully constructed character to start crumbling.

If All the World’s a Stage, Then Let’s Destroy the Stage

"That stage is gone now. The theater's knocked down. How much longer can we afford to be spectators on the sideline?" "Once upon a time, a man named All Might showed all of us how to be a hero. But somewhere along the way, people forgot about the heart and soul that made the man." -MHA, Chapter 325

Tomura is attempting to destroy the stage, because without the stage there can be no "Shigaraki Tomura" (Or "All Might," or "All For One," or "Endeavor," etc etc etc). Without the stage, there are no more "characters" and no more tragedies. But-- without the stage, there are no more stories period. There are no more tragedies, but there are no more happy endings either. The world never recognizes the actor behind "Shigaraki Tomura" without the stage. The stage is not inherently a bad thing, so long as people can remember that the actors on the stage still exist outside of it.

But Tomura himself cannot imagine what happens after the curtains fall, and all that's left is Shimura Tenko. He is stuck in a role that was written entirely for someone else, but remains convinced that the role was always his and that the role defines him.

Tomura rebels against the story the only way he knows how--against an "author" who *LITERALLY* views him as a spicier self insert, and against a "setting" that treats his death as a happy ending-- but even so, Tomura still can't picture an ending that doesn't end in tragedy. His rebellion is not about him trying to wring a happy ending out of a miserable, mean-spirited book-- it's about burning the whole damn library down so he never feels let down or hurt by a story again.

Basically: Tomura cannot act outside the confines of his "character" in a way that will truly save him. Even as he rebels, he's rebelling in a way that is painfully consistent with the way his "character" is written-- and that's why AFO (the author) still poses such an enormous threat to him. Destruction cannot save him from this story when he was explicitly penned to destroy.

The only way to break this narrative is to act in a way "the author" doesn't expect, and to tap into all the traits that AFO desperately attempted to "write out" of him-- Shimura Tenko is someone who has always rebelled against his writing, his author, and the unfairness of this story with his kindness and his willingness to accept those that no one else will.

AFO cuts off Tenko's own power at the root by reinforcing Tomura's belief that the world will always inherently reject him, without fail, always and forever-- so he should just reject the world, too (and I've talked at length about this before, but this is why a story that ends with Tomura dying or locked away from society is an ending that fails in its goal to save Tomura). The more Shigaraki Tomura rejects everything and the more Shigaraki Tomura is rejected by everything, the more he distances himself from his root and the source of his power-- and the more Shimura Tenko gets lost in this character.

While AFO is terrified of someone seeing behind his mask, Tomura longs for it. Tenko has been there since the beginning and has been begging for someone to finally see and acknowledge him (both in-universe and out of universe).

"I’ll Be There, Changing Fate by Your Side."

AFO: "Blah Blah Blah Do you still believe myths can save you? Foolish creature. Let me be clear: every version of the story ends with you being slaughtered yadda yadda yadda :) :) :)" ENTER, MIDORIYA IZUKU WITH A STEEL CHAIR.

Izuku's role is that of a completely average boy who gets pulled into a narrative ''that wasn't for him"-- he has no heroic lineage, no hidden powers, and no connection to the centuries old conflict that drives the plot. He's just a boy who did the right thing at the right time and was rewarded for it. Izuku is someone who was "never supposed to be a hero" the same way Tenko was "never supposed to be a villain" per the "rules" of their world-- and Izuku, like Tomura, is someone who exists to destroy those rules and the expectations of their narrative, completely changing the ending.

But rather than burning the book and ending the story forever (like Tomura wants to do), Izuku believes that the story and characters can still be salvaged. There's always something worth saving. It doesn't have to be a tragedy, they can still change the ending. They can talk specifics after Tomura's crazy ass puts the lighter down.

Izuku, like Tomura and so many other characters, throws himself into an alter-ego in an attempt to redefine himself and escape from pain ("Nobody's been saved yet. Don't be the worthless old Deku who can't save anyone" 😬). He almost loses himself in the role of "OFA's torch bearer" the way All Might did-- but just as Izuku managed to find Toshinori Yagi and helped in convincing him that his life as Toshinori has meaning, Izuku ends up getting saved by his friends who couldn't care less about OFA's ~protagonist power~ and know that Izuku is just a goofy, awkward, human boy who needs help.

Like.... If we explore quirklessness as like... a narrative stand-in for characters that the story typically views or dismisses as irrelevant extras/npcs, then AFO's barely restrained anger at Izuku and Toshi (and possibly Yoichi if we're being honest) for daring to ''act beyond their roles'' becomes even funnier. AFO can't stand the idea of his power/the protagonist role being passed on to someone who seems so utterly unworthy, unremarkable, and plain. He can't stand the idea of someone without a quirk/"role" standing up to him, the leading character. Dude really is a toxic comic book fan to the core.

afo really said "I didn't like how things were going so I stopped reading and just wrote a better ending to the story :^)" like...... @mhareddit that's u buddy...........................;

Anyway...........!!!!! AFO is someone who cherry picks what he likes about a story while ignoring the actual intent/message of the work (#theabsolutestateofthemhafandom), but he has no intention of breaking down the dichotomy between heroes/villains and instead actively enforces it (.............#theabsolutestateofthemhafan--). He just wants to flip what side wins in the end.

Tomura wants to break the narrative because he sees that as the only way to escape from his pain (but in doing so, he permanently cuts himself off from being a part of a story with a happy ending). He wants to destroy the dichotomy between heroes and villains because heroes and villains "will never understand each other and never stop creating each other" (lol. lmao, even).

Izuku wants to break the narrative because he's realized that there's something more to this story than your standard "Hero versus Villain," "good vs evil" affair and that he cannot explore what lies behind those masks and labels without tearing them down, first.

These three work together well as a narrative set of Fucking Nerds, and AFO works well as both Tomura and Izuku's villain for all of the above reasons (& also bc he's the only one who is actually benefitting from their current society) ((which basically offers him an endless buffet of hurt and angry children he can exploit on a silver platter)).

Anyway! Kick his ass, Izuku.

[gothamite-rambler]

Spoiler (Stephanie Brown) getting her first rogues gallery member... and it's flipping Kite-Man

Context: Stephanie Brown, known as Spoiler, has navigated the challenges of being a Gotham hero and a member of the Batfamily, facing death, heartbreak, and personal struggles that have defined her journey. Now, Kite Man wants to be her nemesis, dubbing it a rivalry.

As she juggles her responsibilities, the last thing she needs is a villain in a kite suit. This series will be ongoing, though updates will be irregular. Notes at the bottom for anyone curious why I'm making this a series :)

Spoiler Meets Kite-Man:

As Spoiler sang "Plastic Love," she takes on two thieves attempting to rob a teenage boy.

Spoiler: I'm just playing games, I know that's plastic love. Dance to the plastic beat. Another morning comes, I'm just playing games.

With a swift kick, Spoiler sent the last goon sprawling to the ground. She reached out to help the teenager who had fallen during the botched robbery, grateful to have witnessed the villains being taken down. He smiled in relief, but then noticed an irritating figure before Spoiler did. Kite-Man, on his way to commit a petty crime, abruptly stopped, impressed by the hero's singing.

Kite-Man: Dang, you sing really well!

Spoiler spotted him and grinned beneath her mask. As she flipped her hair back, her long blonde locks brushed against the teen's face, causing him to rub his eye in irritation.

Spoiler (with pride): Well, you see, I’m classically trained.

Kite-Man: In choir?

Spoiler (beaming): No, karaoke!

Kite-Man (sincerely): That’s awesome, it really shows!

Spoiler: Aw, thanks! By the way, aren’t you the kite guy?

Kite-Man (laughing): That’s right! Kite-Man’s the name, and I’m quite popular in Gotham.

The teenage boy standing next to Spoiler shook his head in disbelief at Kite-Man's ostentatious claims.

Spoiler: Okay, okay, you're not about to break the law tonight are you?

Kite-Man (lying): Just on a nightly stroll, not committing any crimes.

Spoiler: Huh, um, well you complimented my masterful singing skills... you can't be that bad. I’ll let you go this time. Consider yourself pardoned.

Kite-Man (smiling): Thanks! What’s your hero name?

Spoiler: Spoiler. Former Robin. Current girl boss.

The boy beside her rolled his eyes, genuinely perplexed that this was happening right in front of him.

Kite-Man: I like it! Thanks, Spoiler. See ya!

Spoiler waved as Kite-Man pressed a button his suit and flew away.

Spoiler (shaking her head with a chuckle): What a goofy guy.

Teen: He’s pretty dumb too, but aren’t you supposed to arrest him? He breaks the law all the time.

Spoiler (shrugging): Eh, he’s mostly harmless. I doubt I’ll be seeing him again.

Kite-Man’s Antics Continue

She was not correct about the not seeing him again. Over the next few weeks, Chuck—aka Kite-Man—continued his sporadic crime spree around Gotham.

Purse snatching

Stealing from stores and gas stations

Robbing the same three banks

Swiping prizes from an arcade because the ticket prices were “totally criminal.”

And while she agreed with that last part, Spoiler just couldn’t catch a break; she always ended up confronting him, no matter the time or the weather. It wasn’t just that she was encountering him; she was the only one actually arresting him. Here she was once more, stepping in during an active robbery at Bill’s Gold and Pawn, a place Stephanie thought of as a hub for taking advantage of others.

Spoiler: Don’t be him, don’t be him, don’t be him! Don’t be robbing this pawn shop—

Spoiler kicked the door to the shop open and rushed inside, spotting Kite-Man holding a sack for cash and aiming what was unmistakably a prop gun at the frustrated worker.

Spoiler (exhausted): God damn it- Oop!

She swiftly covered her mouth, mortified at her mistake.

Spoiler (frustrated): You just made me swear! Thanks a lot!

Kite-Man: Oh… sorry! How you been, Spoiler?

Spoiler: Not great; my ex-boyfriend stole my car and crashed it—why are you robbing a pawn shop?!

Kite-Man: These people rob customers! They’re selling an iPad for $250, which I bet someone traded for cash and only got half that back.

Worker (sheepishly): She… got a hundred dollars back.

Kite-Man shot a glance at Spoiler, as if he believed she completely grasped his reasoning. She somewhat did, but she wasn’t about to let him off the hook, especially since Batman had been suspicious of her for a while, given how consistently he managed to evade her.

Spoiler (annoyed): Kite-Man!

Kite-Man: Come on, I need the money!

Worker: You’re stealing Pok��mon cards and cash, dude.

Kite-Man: Can’t a guy have hobbies?

Spoiler covered her eyes with a hand, perplexed by how she had ended up with this relentless crook on her hands. He wasn't a cool villain or even insane enough to fear for her. At this point, he was just an annoyance.

Spoiler: Why is this my life?

Oracle (over comms): Spoiler, don’t waste time; you need to arrest Kite-Man.

Spoiler (into her comm): Oracle, butt out of this!

Oracle (annoyed): Oh, well ex-freaking-scuse me. I’ll just stay quiet while you deal with your “friend.”

Spoiler: He’s not my friend! Oracle, focus on someone else!

Kite-Man (confused): Oracle?

Spoiler: Um, it’s Bluetooth with my… mom, who also happens to be psychic.

Regret washed over her as she realized her mistake in labeling her highly catholic mother as a psychic. At least she was there to hear it, but Kite-Man nodded understanding.

Kite-Man: My aunt was a psychic. She predicted her husband would die… she left out the part about her stabbing him to death. You know, Spoiler… we’re kind of in sync today.

Spoiler (stunned, whimpering): What?

Kite-Man turned his attention back to Spoiler with a grin.

Kite-Man: You’ve stopped my crimes more than any other hero in Gotham! You don’t mop the floor with me like Batman, Nightwing, or Red Hood. You even let me escape a few times!

Spoiler (frantically pressing her comm): That happened one time!

Oracle (scolding tone): Spoiler, be honest.

Spoiler: Okay, rule of threes! Three times, and I have reasons for all of them!

Oracle (with a mocking tone): I'll make sure Batman gets those reasons. I'm texting him as we speak. You can continue bantering with your friend.

Spoiler heard Oracle chuckling with amusement causing the hero to clench her fist in anger.

Spoiler (replacing all curse words): Son of—glip glop meep top slot pot! Dang it! Batman is going to chew me out!

Kite-Man: Oh my God, same dude! Hell yeah, we’re still in sync! This has got to mean something.

Spoiler's eyes widened as she processed where this conversation was heading.

Worker (joining in with a smile): Dude, she’s like your… rival. The one you battle with the most. Like if you're committing crimes, she shows up!

Kite-Man (excited): Yes! Joker and Batman, me and her, him or them- no judgment, I respect the pronouns you go by.

Spoiler (squeaky voice): Why are you respecting my possible pronouns? This is not happening!

Kite-Man (snapping his fingers and lowering his prop gun): I know this is crazy right, but that means I have my first rival who isn’t a six-foot-tall man in a bat costume! We’re rivals! And look at you—you’re young too, so thank you for making me your first rival. Hell yeah, high five!

Kite-Man held up a hand, waiting for a high five. The disinterested worker shrugged and slapped Kite-Man's hand as Spoiler seethed, her left eye twitching.

Spoiler: Okay, hold up—I’ll take the young compliment, thanks, but that’s not—this is not—

Spoiler's rant is interrupted by a cackle from Oracle, which quickly escalated into a laugh that seems to last forever. Spoiler groaned in frustration. She had to squash this before it became permanent then she would arrest Kite-Man and go about her day.

Spoiler (waving her hands to end the conversation): No, no, no! That’s not even the right word. You’d be my nemesis.

Oracle (between laughs): Oh yeah, give it a different word. That’ll fix it! I told you just to arrest him—nope, you just kept it going! Karma!

Spoiler (ignoring Oracle): “Nemesis” is the word if we were that, but we’re not!

Kite-Man (missing the point): Nah “rivals” sounds better and it works for us. We have good banter and you let me go that first time we met—

Spoiler (irate whispering): Would you stop saying that out loud?! Oracle, you did NOT hear that!

Oracle (gleefully): I already sent the text, girlfriend. You two continue your chat. I’m just enjoying my water.

Growing furious, Spoiler stormed over to Kite-Man and snatched the prop gun from him. She started punching him in the nose until he collapsed on the floor, groaning in pain.

Spoiler (to the worker): We’re not rivals—I mean, nemeses!

Worker: Kind of seems like you are.

Spoiler: Whatever! Your opinion means nothing, because you resell people’s valuables for outrageous prices after giving them a quarter of the value!

Kite-Man (weakly lifting a finger): That's what I’m saying! They’re the true villains!

Spoiler (dropping the fake gun onto Kite-Man's head): Shut the frack up!

After the chaos, she escorted Kite-Man out of the pawn shop and toward the Gotham police station. Just before the cops took him away, he cheerfully addressed one of the officers with some great news.

Kite-Man: Just keep an eye on her—she's my rival, and I'll see her again.

Spoiler: Stop manifesting this it's not happening! I'm not your rival or nemesis! I'm just the one who saves your sorry self more than any of the other fifty heroes in Gotham!

A drug dealer sitting in a nearby cell clutched the bars and chimed in, echoing the disbelief of everyone nearby.

Dealer: You just confirmed what he said, but you twisted the definition.

Jim Gordon (sitting at the front desk): Pretty much. He’s an idiot, but he’s not wrong—you're rivals.

Spoiler (yelling): We are not!

Oracle (laughing): Would you just leave? I'm about to pee myself, this is hilarious.

Spoiler pivoted on her heel and marched toward the door, but Kite-Man's next words stopped her in her tracks.

Kite-Man: Sorry about your crappy boyfriend stealing your car, Spoiler. Crazy exes are the worst; I totally get it.

Dealer: Oh yeah, he’s definitely your rival.

Spoiler refused to continue the conversation and walked out of the precinct grumbling under her breath. 

Int. Stephanie Brown's apartment - Midafternoon

In her apartment, Stephanie sat across from her mother, Crystal Brown, as they talked about Kite-Man. Crystal, an Irish immigrant who moved to America in her twenties, had been married to Clue Master for a time before thankfully leaving him.

She struggled with a prescription pill addiction for a while, which strained her relationship with Stephanie, but she'd since recovered and found faith. A small silver cross necklace hung around her neck at all times. Today, even though, Stephanie wasn't in the mood for her mother’s often annoying religious musings, she needed to vent to someone free for the day after Bruce had scolded her for letting Kite-Man escape three times and throwing a fit at the police station.

Stephanie: I can’t stand him! He'll be there with a goofy weapon or bungling and just when I think I can handle it, he starts talking. He sounds like a total douche from California!

Crystal: Sort of like that one man ya dated in college?

Stephanie nodded, burying her head in her hands.

Stephanie: He is so annoying! His whole schtick is wearing a kite suit! Not flying a kite, which would actually be cool—his suit is the kite, and somehow he knows how to fly it!

Crystal (placing a hand on her chest): My word, I thought your father had a stupid schtick.

Stephanie: Right?! I was so frazzled during that pawn shop robbery that I lied and said Oracle was you, and that you were a psychic! I even cursed!

Crystal (bothered by one detail): All right, I can understand the cursin' with a man like that—I was married to Clue Master after all—but don’t drag me into ya lil charade as a charlatan. I’m many things, but I’m not into mysticism. God knows all, not me—

Stephanie groaned, having expected her mother missing the point.

Stephanie: Ma, focus! He keeps saying I’m his rival, which is totally not the right term, but at the same time, he’s not wrong. He’s messing with me, and I can’t shake him off! Bruce is already mad that I let him get away! How was I supposed to know he’d rob all those places right after?

Crystal: Aye, well, first off, Arthur has met this Kite-Man and said he was a goofy nuisance in prison but considers himself the best bad guy in Gotham… so there’s that. And as much as it pains me to say it, Bruce was right it wasn’t smart to let him go.

Stephanie (monotone): I don’t know what scares me more: that you’re agreeing with Bruce or that now I find myself agreeing with Arthur. Oh God, he’s making me see eye to eye with my father!

Crystal: You won’t like this next part then… from the way you’ve been describing him, I hate to say it, sweetie, but he’s—

Stephanie (covering her eyes): Don't say it.

Crystal placed a supportive hand over her daughter’s.

Crystal: I'm sorry, love, but he's your nemesis - or the rival thing.

Stephanie whimpered, lowering her head in shame. Her mother patted her hand with a plaintive smile. She just wanted this day to end, but with Kite-Man potentially joining her rogue gallery, it seemed this wouldn’t be the last time they crossed paths, nor would it be the last time she’d have to arrest him or let him go.

A/N: I chose to write this because I love the trope of bumbling villains who mistakenly thinks they’re a hero’s main adversary. Kite Man believes he’s Spoiler’s (Stephanie) ‘rival’—a word I used when I forgot the word 'nemesis.' Although Spoiler doesn’t like him, he sees her as a cool hero who doesn't beat him up as badly as Batman has. This dynamic is reminiscent of the Flash’s interactions with his villains. It's inspired by jokes from Kite Man, Hell Yeah!

[justali-anne]

Thought Week: Flowey

Flowey is apparently the most popular character right now! And while that is really intriguing, I'm not surprised! He's one of the most complex and most tragic characters in the entire game. So, here are my thoughts about him.

(BTW, if you want to share your thoughts on Flowey, please reblog and share them! I love it when people come together to talk about a certain character, it brings a sense of community and I REALLY want to be a part of that. So please, reblog!)

(Also, the subheadings are gonna be colour-coded based on the character. I love colour-coded characters with a passion.)

First Impressions

I first encountered Flowey during my MLP phase when I was 11. I was watching a Fluttershy Plays Undertale Let's Play, and to be honest, I didn't think much of Flowey at first. To me, he was just the meanie that tricked Fluttershy into running into his friendliness pellets. I was more focused on Fluttershy, to be honest.

However, that is my earliest memory of Undertale. My first exposure to Undertale, funnily, wasn't Sans. It was Flowey. Well, Fluttershy, but Flowey was the first Undertale character I ever saw. Toriel was the second.

And I only just saw Flowey as a cheeky flower with a thirst for blood. I didn't look into him as anything more than that. Not until I got into Undertale as a 16 year old, anyway.

When I actually did get into the Undertale fandom and learned about his backstory, I thought, "Oh. That's a cool character. A sad one, but cool nonetheless." He was interesting, but not my favourite. I liked his sassiness and his tragic side and his creativity, but other than that, there just wasn't a lot I could say about him.

My Thoughts Now

Frick, I love this guy! Not as much as the Skelebros, but he's by far one of the most interesting characters in the whole game! While there wasn't a lot I could say about him in the past, there's definitely a lot I can say about him now!

By the way, I'm going to talk about Asriel here too, since I consider them to be the same person. Well... They are, but I think people tend to forget that.

One of my favourite things about Flowey (and Asriel) is that he's actually a genuinely creative person! He's creative in such a childlike manner, and I find that so very charming. Some of his incredible creations include things like...

Photoshop Flowey!

And the God of Hyperdeath!

Just look at this kid go!!!!! He is clearly a creative genius!!!!

No, but seriously, he gives heavy edgy 12-year-old vibes, and that just works so well, Toby Fox is so good at writing complex characters, it's just... AJEJHFHSJSJG. ...!?:.

It really hammers home that Flowey is a CHILD. He is a child who never got to grow up, who went through something insanely traumatic, who misses his best friend, whose loneliness has driven him to commit terrible acts just to FEEL SOMETHING. I used to see Flowey as a sadistic villain! But now it's just... sad. Sad and nuanced.

Even Flowey isn't all evil. Heck, I have a hard time even seeing him as evil anymore. He's definitely a bad guy, but he's just so... tragic.

Honestly, I think people often forget about Flowey's ability to be GOOD despite his lack of compassion. He is capable of making good choices! Mostly during the True Mercy ending, but even without a SOUL, Flowey is still capable of being nice. And that is another thing I like about him, and something I feel like should be discussed more often.

This is only one example.

Flowey and Asriel

There's a lot more I can say about him, but these are the first things that pop into mind when I think of him. He's such a sad character, it's not even funny. Personally, when I write him, I like to write him as very nuanced. His psychology is what I'm most interested in. The same can be said for a lot of characters, though.

To me, Flowey and Asriel are two sides of the same coin. Simultaneously, I see them as the same person. They represent periods in his life. Asriel for the simpler, happier times, before everything went to shit (excuse my language), and Flowey as the traumatised result of that shit.

And no matter what he does...

He can never get those simpler times back. And that's why Asriel can't stay...

People always talk about Asriel as this sweet-hearted, innocent crybaby, but I think that Flowey gives hints as to what he was really like in life. He was someone who would do anything to make his best friend happy, who liked to engage in mischief, who was a sore loser. And yes, I still think he was a kind-hearted soul... When he had a soul. I still think Flowey has some shades of kindness in there. Some emotions too.

Flowey ISN'T emotionless. I think we know that already, though. Throughout the game, Flowey displayed emotions like frustration, fear, excitement, sadness and grief. He GRIEVED for the loss of his compassion. For the loss of his best friend. But eventually, he just became numb to it, especially after he got the RESET ability.

Oh...

The Narrative

Flowey is up there as one of the most important characters in the entirety of Undertale. That is just a fact.

Story-wise, his death, as well as Chara's, set in motion the series of events that led to what the Underground is like by the time Frisk falls down. It created a whole domino effect! If it weren't for Asriel's death, Asgore would have never made that policy, Toriel would have never retreated to the Ruins, Alphys wouldn't have done those experiments, Sans wouldn't have found an anomaly in the timeline, and so on.

In a meta sense, Flowey is also the most important character, especially when it comes to resets and time loops. Imagine having the power to do whatever you want and take away the consequences. It sounds exciting, but eventually, you just grow numb to it all. Perhaps you'd want to try something different. Something more... extreme. He reflects the player in such a terrifying way, although I can argue that he had more freedom than Frisk because Frisk is literally being controlled by us, and in terms of exploration, we don't really stray off the path that much. But Flowey could go anywhere, do anything, and that's what makes him more scary.

Also, I've just had a thought. In typical RPG games, you come across enemies and bosses that you have to defeat (usually by killing or dismantling), and if you fail to do that, you die. "Kill or be killed".

And that's why Flowey's so important. If it weren't for Flowey, we wouldn't have Undertale the way it is. He's more than just the main villain, he's a representation of a player who's been playing the same game for far, far too long.

Conclusion

I like Flowey! He's not my favourite, but I can see why he would be to a lot of people. His tragedy, his creativity, and his role in the narrative are the three things that stick out to me about him the most.

But most of all... I love that he's essentially a bratty, traumatised kid.

I haven't covered every single aspect about Flowey, but this is just thoughts about him, this isn't an analysis or anything.

If you want to add your thoughts about Flowey, please please please please PLEASE add them in the notes! I wanna see people come together to talk about a character, it would be so cool!

See you tomorrow with Papyrus!

[emotionaldashtoons]

More of my INSIDE OUT/SPY AU!

I've created all six characters to finish up my character list of my Spy AU of Inside Out, first I did Fear as Agent Flint, Disgust as Agent Daphne, Joy as the bad spy girl, Joyce, and Anger as the villainous Dr. Ira August, but what about Envy, Nostalgia, Sadness, Ennui, Embarrassment, and Anxiety as my own Spy AU characters. Well, let's find out on these AU characters I've made.

For @re-colligere

(The GOOD SPIES)

AGENT EMILY

Emily is a small rookie that has so much experience by seeing the agents in action. She got hired by doing well at filing and creating documents and stylized weapons. When she supports Agent Daphne, like... really supports her. She wants to get into in the most dangerous missions. But Daphne motherly keeps her safe. Flint is supportive to her because she knows that Flint has a crush on Daphne and gives him love and action advice.

COL. GRANNY NATALIE

Granny is the CEO and Lt. Col. of the E.A.H. (Emotional Agents Headquarters) and she would want her agents to be keep in order during the investigation of Dr. Ira August, she would also want Flint to stay fragile onto Daphne's backstory because Daphne has good and bad mannerisms. But during the climax, when Dr. Ira captures Daphne, Flint and Granny would have to go save her at a moving train. Granny knows how to ride a helicopter to track her agents.

MISS SABRINA

(Sabrina is an anti-hero. Both bad and good at the same time).

Miss Sabrina is an anti-hero in my spy au. She is the engineer of Dr. Ira's flying machine called, "The Flames of Anger." The gadgets she creates, for Dr. Ira, Joyce, and the rest of his crew, are very, VERY, VERY, deadly. She also happens to be Joyce's girlfriend and Joyce gets very angry when she finds out Sabrina portrays The Bad Spies, and Daphne saves her before Joyce attempts to blow up both Sabrina and her certain crush known as...

AGENT EDDIE

Eddie is the muscle, the chauffeur, and the shy guy! He is the big man of the group. He owns lots of cars that matches the Agents' colors. And during in the missions while helping Emily, his favorite car happens to be The Pink Diablo. Very fast just like a GTA 5 lamborghini. He also helps Miss Sabrina (which I'll introduce more of her when you read more) (also Embarrassment did help Sadness just like in Inside Out 2 so that's my idea) to help Flint and Daphne to get well done with missions. And he has a big shy crush on her too.

(the BAD SPIES)

PROFESSOR ANNABELLE

In her story, Professor Annabelle lost her eye and arm in two accidents. Her eye got blasted when fighting against an android with laser guns alongside with Dr. Ira. And her arm got exploded off in a dynamite experiment. He is commonly good friends with Joyce and Miss Sabrina because both the three of their likabilities onto hating the good spies really steps in first into their friendship. Dr. Ira is a nice friend to her too, but Ira is immune by her one puppy dog eye when she wants to help Dr. Ira onto stopping Daphne and Flint. Speaking of Daphne and Flint. Annabelle has a small evil crush on Flint but Daphne is hesitant against that and her. And the weapons she creates can destroy anything, everything, and everyone on sight when she's fully anxious. Between Sabrina and Annabelle, they are both tech buddies until when she hears about Sabrina and Eddie teaming up, she has a laser detonator that Joyce and her created to obliterated them until Agent Daphne saves Sabrina and Eddie.

EVELYNN Lè BOUEF

Evelynn is a French assassin hired by Dr. Ira trying to hunt down Daphne and Flint. If she gets them, she is rewarded for $200k grand, if she fails, she will do the mission again but her only reward.. will be her life. She only wears gray, blue, purple, and white clothing, those colors are only her four favorites. When she encounters Flint, she is lovely yet evily intimidated by him (mostly beacuse when Flint is around Daphne, Annabelle and Evelynn, he doesn't take a break to rizz). And for Daphne, both of them can't stand each other. Because an assassin and spy are not alike to each other.

\______^______^______^______^______^______/

And that's about all with the main ten emotions from Inside Out 2 in my own spy au. Sorry for the mis-wording and the mis-spelling on my paper. I still made sure I had to type on Tumblr correctly to have you guys know what I'm showing you, or talking about. And if you guys want to see more of my own au, let me know. I hope you guys have a great day!

[mdhwrites]

thoughts on Lilith Clawthorne? Her redemption or her time a villain etc?

So I actually haven't of just Lilith and this is going to be fun for me because if you talk about Lilith, you have to split her into two halves. S1 and everything beyond. This division is not about villain versus protagonist though. Her narrative role does change into that but the thing is that those are secondary roles to her main roles.

Namely, that of a straight man vs comic relief.

In comedy, the straight man is given the veneer of seriousness for the sake of having someone who will react to the jokes in a way that helps elevate them where a laugh wouldn't. This is your stick in the mud who hates sarcasm or puns or stuff like that. They see the absurdity happening and clap back. People like Red from that 70's show, or Doctor Cox from Scrubs, are straight men who help play on jokes through contrast. This isn't even that they cannot be funny themselves but that usually their humor is more rooted in a grounded sense, such as Doctor Cox ranting at someone after they've been stupid because they've been stupid, rather than the absurdity the other characters revel in.

For The Owl House, especially Eda's sister, this was a masterstroke. One of the biggest issues TOH has with its comedy is actually a lack of reaction to them. Few people laugh along and almost no one will ever get upset, not unless they themselves are the butt of the joke. My favorite jokes in TOH are essentially all rooted in someone actually killing what you'd expect, such as Gus saying he gets it when Luz says no offense to him for saying Willow is stronger or the monster hunter who has always dreamt of pushing children off giving a deadpan "I was a weird kid." But no one in the series really has it as a dedicated role besides Lilith.

The only problem, and this is a core issue with her character, is that she's actually not a very good straight man. She never has barbs to throw back or moments of actually winning against the others comedically. Yes, we like seeing the straight man suffer, which Lilith does, but we love just as much when he can actually fight back. Lilith never fights back, not with comedy. She'll shout and throw a tantrum but honestly, she gets so frustrated that it isn't even a comedic reaction like a straight man should have. She never has that normal groan, roll your eyes and then bring your paper up as you put a wall between you and stupid. Instead she gets loud and meets Eda every time on her level which is NOT THE POINT.

Otherwise, how is she as a villain? Well, she only has the VENEER of seriousness, like I said before for this role. She is knocked down in almost all encounters with her and made into a fool in some way. In some way made out to be honestly kind of bad at her job which she shouldn't be. She's the only witch on the Isles who can compete with Eda, the literal only representative of the EC proper before the S1 finale and the best member of the EC. If she's a joke, what are we supposed to think of the main villain faction as a whole? It's like if instead of Zuko in S1 of Avatar, it was Azula who was the bumbling fool, constantly failing to catch Aang, sometimes in comedic ways.

The saving grace for her though is three things: A lack of screentime and paced out far enough from each other mostly that it's easy to respect her title and forget how much often she gets punk, the fact that usually it is some sort of trick that beats her, even if it makes her look foolish and finally her relationship with Eda. Mind you, that last one is actually really shallow. There's nothing really here besides the fact that they care about each other but are on different sides. We actually never get an exploration of why they're on different sides, minus the curse obviously but that's hardly personally driven, that was inflicted on one of them by the other, how they've dealt with this divide, how they actually see each other even, etc. like that. Most of their adventures honestly portray them as not even giving a shit about the core conflict between each other because they're more than happy to goof around, bend the rules, BOTH OF THEM, and just act like they're teenagers to be frank. It's shallow but it's effective enough to make you want to see them getting along.

Then I will admit she gets a good finish and an act of redemption that feels entirely correct for the fact that Lilith really wasn't much of a villain ever but had committed a grievous mistake upon someone else. A good finish to a character who was entirely unremarkable besides a kick ass design. That's S1.

You all remember that I said TOH had a problem of having NO OTHER STRAIGHT MEN OUTSIDE OF LILITH?

Okay, I defined Straight Man, let's talk about comic relief. Now, we actually need to acknowledge, thanks to a bit of lingering strength to Lilith's writing, that comic relief is not actually a character trait. Comic relief itself is a writing tool. It is just anytime comedy is used to help ease tension. That's what it's relieving. Much of the time, there will be one character who is better at this than others. Sokka is the comic relief of Avatar much of the time. However... He's not a comic relief character because his existence is not the joke.

That inherent fact is the reason why 'Comic Relief Character' is purely negative. By the mandate of the label, all they are is a joke. They are entirely 2 dimensional and exist only to insert comedy when comedy is decided as being necessary. Now you might go "Wait, isn't the Straight Man all about comedy?" but hear me out. The veneer of seriousness means that a good straightman gives as good as he gets. When he rolls his eyes, the joke isn't rolling his eyes. The joke is whatever came before and the gesture amplifies it. Meanwhile, when King has a tantrum about not being taken seriously, the tantrum is the joke. We're supposed to laugh at King, not laugh with him. S1 King, S1 Gus, HOOTY, all of these characters in TOH function like this to the point where when they do have focused episodes, they feel out of character because to try and give them something more to do, they inherently have to get rid of the one core trait you laugh at and that's their entire identity. This is why Gus and King become drastically less fun, and honestly less interesting, when the shift is attempted with them, and stuff like King caring about Luz going or not comes out of nowhere, just like Gus' anxieties do. These characters are so much dedicated to their comedy that even trying to play on shifting perspective of it rings hollow unless you're REALLY good at it.

SO. What about Lilith? Well, through Affearances, she's actually pretty good because is comic relief, not a comic relief character. We see elements of it brewing, the fact that she is definitely being taken less seriously, the fact that she just is less serious and the fact that while we have in the past pitied Eda for her helplessness due to lack of magic, we're meant to laugh at Lilith. Following through on the finale though is seriousness enough and gives her enough genuine personal motivation that while many scenes are played for laughs, she still feels distinctly Lilith.

The second Coll Aunt Lilith shows up, old Lilith is dead and buried. All there is now is the comic relief character. We laugh at her version of nerdy, while Luz is accepted. She is now all about history, a trait she barely had before now, and is for the most part entirely oblivious to anything going on around her because she's just a comic archeologist now. She has barely two brain cells to rub together, questions nothing and even her trauma, her losing EVERYTHING, in a manner very similar to Hunter but way more effective because she actually had something to lose at the time unlike Mister "My Uncle is gonna kill me anyways, may as well turn good," is treated as a joke. Maybe the most offensive line, just singular line, to any of the core themes and things TOH technically claims to care about, is "I'm realizing I was bad at my job." The fact that we are meant to laugh at that, laugh at the ONE accomplishment Lilith has ever had in life and sacrificed so much for, and so sacrificing it made S1's finale powerful... Fuck you.

And you might go "Well, she became comic relief because King and Gus, as I said before, stopped. So they were the straight men, right? Or Hunter?" No. They aren't. Because they don't react to jokes like Lilith did. So much of the sparse humor in S2 and 3 is just joke and then crickets. Worse yet is that the comedy isn't fast enough to make the dead reaction to jokes actually work. It's why the like ONE good joke I can think of in S3 is Amity yes anding Luz talking about who might want to eat Stringbean because SOMEONE reacted to the fucking joke. Otherwise, the lost comic relief relief characters (and honestly, Hunter is so pitifully framed that it's hard to take him seriously and he almost comes across as primarily comic relief too, especially after his second appearance) are just boring now.

The degradation of Lilith is emblematic of so much that is wrong with TOH as a piece of entertainment. That is an important element to remember after all. We talk about fucked up themes, arcs, etc. in the show but as a kid's product that IS a comedy, how well it entertains is an important question. How well does it make you laugh, stay engaged and be entertained?

And well, by the end, the greatest joke of all is simply the show itself. See you next tale.

======+++++======

Btw, I think there's something to be said that Luz actually acts as a straight man but uh... You might have noticed that I mostly listed assholes. Luz gives us, by far, WAY more than anyone gives her, negative reactions to other people being themselves. She does most of the subversive humor, she doesn't like Hooty, her most expressive faces are almost always someone expressing themselves and her being against it or thinking they're stupid. For a show that wants to preach 'be yourself' and 'self expression is king' having your main character be a judgemental bitch about these elements is a... Choice. It also makes her poorly suited to be a straight man because instead of elevating a joke, it just comes across as mean spirited or hypocritical.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[laurelnose]

stealing these tags off @roughentumble’s post to talk about something totally unrelated. this reminded me of my friend who works on anglerfishes and a couple of papers he told me about once regarding the immunological factors in anglerfishes that let male anglers face-fuse to females without her immune system, like, melting him. some anglers literally have NO immune system whatsoever which is WILD but also sort of makes sense in an environment where you mostly just. don’t encounter other living creatures. communicable disease who? there’s nobody down here to communicablize! but there’s a spectrum of immune system adaptation here, not all of them ditched the whole thing. i need to go find the papers again bc I don’t remember the details.

point being. i have immunological questions here. what ARE the immunological factors for a guy with super healing even like. probably you don’t really need a super immune response. if you have a normal guy’s immune response and can also do super healing of viral and bacterial damage that’s already better than the normal guy. plus if you do have a super immune response you’re vulnerable to Super Autoimmune Diseases too, and that sounds wretched. so you prob just want a normal immune system? maybe? depending on what kinds of super viruses the villains are putting out these days? though super immune systems also have concerning implications for an arms race, like how anything that makes the jump from bats to humans specifically is bad fucking news because their basal body temp is pretty close to the temp we raise our own bodies to in order to kill stuff.

anyways. toxic enmeshment step 2: you fused with a second guy with super healing and have created the world’s most fucked-up autoimmune situation in the world. fighting your own body AND his body even if you detach yourselves again. or not! maybe you can do the anglerfish thing, whatever the anglerfish thing is, I’m on gscholar right now looking

[venticuliao]

Thoughts on Arcane

Arcane's writing is built on a basis ideologically opposite to mine, as every work of American fiction is by design.

I like it on its own terms, without projecting my beliefs into it. All American media is held back by ideological constraints, this one has great writing within these limitations which I don't see often, so I like it a lot. Doesn't represent any ideal for me, is all.

I don't know why that is, if every American creative director just happens to be a loyal imperialist dog or if executives in the corporations that own the product share a guidelines of what has to be portrayed by the narratives. Every villain with a reasonable goal has to be morally antagonized in some way, Killmonger wants to be the head of the new power structure, Magneto wants to return the violence, so on and so forth, for whatever reason.

What I know is it's inescapable, even biopics of real life people have their beliefs trivialized or sidelined, even when the directors behind them sympathize with it. Oppenheimer defined his role in the creation and use of the bomb through Hindu beliefs that he was very serious about, yet the movie trivializes it with a scene where he recites the Vedas during sex; Fred Hampton was openly a communist yet Jesus and the Black Messiah gets away with mentioning it only once.

This is just how American media is allowed to exist, I've never had the luck to encounter any exception. When I started Arcane I didn't have any different expectations, regardless of what was presented to me on the screen. Anything that has the remote appearance of a reflection of my ideals can only be a mirage that sooner or later will show its real face, that's more or less how I interact with American media, and I've learned to not resent it. I don't compromise my ideals in watching and enjoying how the enemy makes art, something like that. Everything can be appreciated within its own terms.

Such is the case of Arcane, although only explicit in the second season at the very least. I think fans in general attribute what they consider flaws in the writing to a lack of skill or a failure, but just from my perspective drawing from what I described before, these are deliberate choices.

The optics of having rioters, especially black rioters, willingly join armed forces against the threat of war is pretty incriminating on itself. When the country demands duty from its citizens even the most rebellious ones will attend.

On the other hand, for every act of violence against the people of Zaun there is a reasonable justification, although parts of a larger conflict between the two cities.

This story was never about rebellion to me, that much I can vouch for. It seemed to me that it was rather about powerlessness. I think just most people are used to dystopian YA novels where the teenage protagonist overthrows their corrupted government at the end, but that's not usually how dystopia genre works. Outside of YA you're more likely to see pessimistic stories where the characters are beaten down by the system into submission. This isn't a bad thing, fiction that produces negative feelings like this or tragedy aren't bad media, they're good, it's good to experience these bad feelings in this context. And Arcane never seemed to me like it would build up into a grand rebellion that would serve satisfactory justice, it starts with a failed one after all. Vi has a rebellious spirit when she's a teenager because she doesn't understand the consequences of impulsive acts, even when these impulsive acts have justified rage. Vader tries to teach her that the potential losses aren't worth the risk, it's his fault her parents are dead after all. Hence....... the powerlessness..

I felt that's mostly the vibe of season 1, following the characters through their struggles in this realistic approach to dystopia. I wasn't paying a lot of attention then, so maybe there was something I didn't catch, but that's how I feel right now.

I do however have some notes on season 2, beyond the fact that the sociopolitical conflict between the two cities was sidelined, and this is mainly a confirmation that it all stems from deliberate choices and not careless or rushed writing: the narrative of the hextech.

I, uh, appreciate how it was written, and I enjoyed it a lot, like I said I can enjoy fiction that's rooted in ideology or philosophy I disagree with. And I think it was well written in its own terms too, under its own rules and themes.

How do I put it..

Themes of individuality and identity in western philosophy tend to be contrasted by the equality of socialism and the unity or denial of ego from eastern philosophy. The threat is a collective force that takes your identity away from you and to which you have to stand up to as an individual. Philosophers like Nietzsche specifically identified dharmic religions (Buddhism and Hinduism) and social changes that sought equality like liberalism (of that time period), socialism and even democracy as culprits of producing mediocre culture, anything that subordinated the individual's will to the will of a majority or sought to control the individual's will was understood as a threat in this type of western philosophy.

In Arcane Viktor attempts to absorb every individual into a collective consciousness where they become everything and nothing at the same time through a violent process. The peaceful commune formed by his cult that works on the basis of mutual aid and collectivism is framed as the first stage for this authoritative resolution. By Viktor's own admission, this pursuit ends up being meaningless.

Socialism is framed with similar threats: the leaders are authoritarian, it deprives you from your own individuality, followers are cult like believers.. and so on.

Another thing that called my attention is that Viktor is seen mediating in a pose that resembles that of eastern religions and he remains isolated. Another enemy of Nietzsche's was the figure of the ascetic that he mostly associated with the dharmic religions, someone who by western standards denies their own self to live in isolation. Dharmic religions are rooted in beliefs of unity with the world, universal consciousness, a concern with unavoidable suffering, and the separation of or control over one's ego, all which stand in conflict with western ideals of power.

Like I said, these are elements that already make up parts of the western sci fi genre in and of itself, precisely because the pursuit of technological advance acts as an affirmation of power over the environment and others. Imperialism but through creative lenses, and of course the beliefs of unity and self restraint stand in its way.

Like I also said, they wrote this in such compelling ways! If they're gonna write imperialist western values, at least make it interesting, y'kno.

The resolution between Viktor and Jayce is incredibly moving too, it has made me feel things I hadn't felt in years, but in perspective it seems more like an enforcing of the status quo.

Anyway, I don't know if the creators or the writers are to blame, it's not the first time a popular franchise suddenly asserts this kind of ideology (see Korra or superhero movies), singling out individuals for what seems like a problem in the industry (dare I say the country) doesn't seem useful. Perhaps Netflix executives had their hand in this, who knows.

[theheirofthesharingan]

In defense of my pov and maybe I wasn't very clear in the ask... I do think the point of Itachi in the earlier arcs is that he is meant to come across as one dimensional (of course to writers and those who read a lot this actually should equal something potentially being incredibly fishy), so when we get the conspiracy reveal after his death I mean that I wasn't surprised there was more to it and I love how it threw every interpretation of his actions from beginning to end into a new light. (And I realize I forgot to fix a sentence and I love Itachi now, but when I first encountered naruto in my early teens, he honestly didn't scare me that much 😅, he comes into town, doesn't kill any of the main characters because that point in the story wouldn't have made sense for such a thing, and then he leaves, seemingly on a tactically considered whim which fits his characterization at that time)

I also think it's actually incredibly important that Orochimaru and Itachi are both meddling in Sasuke's lives at the same time, which is why I brought them up as a "comparison" even though their motives are never even remotely the same! Orochimaru is horrific as an individual and a villain, but from a narrative standpoint serves as an incredibly effective smokescreen. Orochimaru is an immediate threat from the moment he is introduced, he's a constant and threatening presence and Sasuke goes and exposes himself to that for years which leaves him very little time to introspect on the circumstances around his family's death.

Itachi on the other hand is more of a goal than a threat. He's dangerous, we see enough of him vs other cast members like Jiraiya and Kakashi for that, and he very badly wants Sasuke to pursue him (seen as early as the hotsprings town attack and later made abundantly clear to be because he wants Sasuke to spend his vengeance on him, although even that reasoning is multi layered). He's one of Sasuke's primary enemies, but he functions so differently from Orochimaru that the audience just sees him as a different kind of big bad is all.

(Sorry for the long explanation, I just don't want you to think I'm stupid 😅 but I also might be coming at my interpretations from a different place than you and that's fine too! I appreciate your first answer regardless and thank you for those panels! The manga is so long that I definitely forget things.)

For the purposes of my own work, I often think of how information is compartmentalized in the village... because other members of the konoha 11 also come to the conclusion Sasuke should be killed, but the tactical ones have different justifications than Sakura if I'm remembering correctly? I think they're mostly meant to parrot the village policies, esp since they're secondary characters at best, just cementing the way that villages sacrifice individual members for the sake of less war (which is different than real peace!), but it still makes for some interesting considerations of how much/what other characters know and where they get their information from.

Anyways, sorry again for the long ask but thank you for so much uchiha content!

Oh, of course. Initially, he is meant to be a one dimensional villain, and there are hints dropped to give him more nuance, which make sense after the truth reveal. When we move towards the chapters/episodes leading to his death, the story starts to explore his fragility while he's still a villain.

His reveal didn't surprise me. It devastated me. I've been one of those who had some gist of him not being evil, but the tragedy was entirely unexpected.

If you love Itachi too, then welcome to our hell because we suffer forever here, loving both the brothers.

Don't worry, I loved reading your interpretation of both Itachi and Orochimaru and their influence on Sasuke. Itachi is a big deal because even though Sasuke faces an actual threat from Orochimaru, he isn't scared of him. But whenever he sees Itachi, his reactions are always intense. And even after their battle, he was completely shaking, even if he knew Itachi would have exhausted his chakra too. The only person Sasuke was really scared of was probably Itachi. Other than Itachi being invincible, there were a lot of feelings. Itachi had been cruel to him. Not only physically or psychologically but also emotionally. The only one who could dismantle him was Itachi. And Sasuke had all the unanswered questions in his mind because from his POV, his beloved brother one day stopped loving him when he'd always been so supportive of him.

I think other Konoha Shinobi wanting to kill Sasuke is different from her wanting to kill Sasuke. They didn't love him, they didn't care about him, and that also includes Kakashi. She claimed to love him, and concluded that he needed to die for his own sake. I have no expectations from Konoha 11 and I don't care about their opinions on Sasuke either. But she married Sasuke and never bothered to know why he changed so suddenly and why he would want his brother back. Does she even know anything about the Uchiha clan and its history? And what happened with Itachi and all? Probably not.

Don't worry about the long ask. It's totally fine. Thank you. :)

[cerinslair]

Clashing Antagonists

Something that I find extremely useful when running a long-form TTRPG is to have not only multiple antagonists, but to have those antagonists be at odds with each other in addition to the player characters.

And I don't just mean as an opportunity for "enemy of my enemy" type diplomacy, alliances, inevitable betrayals, or faction-based game play (although that can also be a bonus, it's not necessarily the function I'm getting at).

I mean as a narrative tool to help keep the story moving in a gratifying way.

Players get stuck while trying to figure out what to do about Villain A? Have them run into Villain B. It spurs motion back into the story, while carrying more narrative weight than a random encounter. Sometimes they'll even elect to switch priorities between villains all on their own if they feel like they've hit a dead end with one or the other; or just feel like it's been too long since they kept tabs on the other villain.

It allows you to change the status quo when things get stuck in a way that isn't just giving the players the answer or fudging dice rolls, and maintains the PCs agency in the game. Maybe once they've caught up with Villain B and foiled their scheme of the day, the issue they were having with Villain A just isn't even relevant anymore. Or maybe they learn something from V.B. they can use to get back on track with foiling V.A.

It creates opportunities for the players to learn more about the villains. Again, not just via "enemy of my enemy" diplomacy - if Villain A keeps tripping up Villain B, seeing that in action or even the aftermath of it can grant the players new insight into both V.A. and V.B. You made these cool bad guys, and you wanna show them off! This is another way of doing that that isn't having the antagonists monologue at the PCs.

This can also help diversify the types of enemies your PCs encounter, even if you don't want multiple groups of villains. You can still make this work by having infighting factions within one overarching group. In the Pokémon TTRPG I've been running, the two branches of the villainous team (a mad scientist branch and an occult branch) are supposed to be working together; but in practice, they mostly compete with each other to prove to their Big Boss that their version of the evil plan is better.

It also creates more opportunities for the PCs to see the effects their choices have on the story. Swat down V.A. hard enough and maybe V.B. has more opportunity to grow in power. Maybe if the PCs can keep both villains occupied fighting each other long enough, they can afford to turn their attention to some other important objective for a while. Sometimes there will be tough decisions over which antagonist to pay more attention to during a certain time period, at the expense of allowing the other to get away with more of their scheme.

It's such a generally helpful tool I've used it in basically every longform game I've run.

[baileypie-writes]

Hello. How about those sunshine villain friend!Reader headcanons, but this time with Star Twinkle Cures?

A/N ~ Sure! Hope you enjoy!

~The Star Twinkle Pretty Cure With a Sunshine Villain Friend~

~~~💫~~~💫~~~💫~~~

Fandom: Star☆Twinkle Precure

Fanfic Type: Headcanons

Reader: Gender neutral, a villain, heavily implied to be an alien

Relationship: Platonic

Characters Included: Hikaru Hoshina/Cure Star, Lala Hagoromo/Cure Milky, Elena Amamiya/Cure Soleil, Madoka Kaguya/Cure Selene, Yuni/Cure Cosmo

Genre: Fluff, a pinch of angst

Word Count: 1,899

Warnings: Spoilers for Yuni’s backstory, possibly OOC Elena, Madoka and Yuni.

~Masterlists~

~Star☆Twinkle Precure Masterlist~

~~~💫~~~💫~~~💫~~~

~Hikaru Hoshina/Cure Star~

~~~⭐️~~~⭐️~~~⭐️~~~

~ Hikaru wants to befriend everyone she can both on Earth and in space. So she couldn’t care less that you’re evil. Sure, you were working to practically destroy the universe, but she thought you were worth getting to know, and hopefully, change! You sure made it easy being your friend too. It was hard to believe that someone as sweet as you was a villain!

Hikaru: “A Notraider? No way! You’re joking right?”

(name): “Nope! I’m a Notraider!”

Hikaru: “Wow! I would’ve never expected that! You’re so nice!”

(name): “Haha! My team often says I’m too nice!”

~ Most encounters the you two share outside of battle is purely happy and kind. Neither of your jobs are ever brought up by her, as she only wants to have fun! If anyone else tries arguing with you, she’s quick to scold them. You’ve been nothing but kind(minus the attacks on Earth and space), so you don’t deserve to be ridiculed!

Madoka: “Why is (name) here?”

Hikaru: “Because they’re our friend!”

Madoka: “But they’re, you know…”

Hikaru: “What? The nicest person ever? Yeah, they really are!”

~ Hikaru believes that there must be a reason as to why you chose your path. And she’s determined to find out. But instead of pushing you for info, she just talks to you like a friend. She hopes that if she gets close enough with you, then your backstory will slip out!

Hikaru: “So, where are you from?”

(name): “Nowhere special. What about you? Have you lived here your whole life? It sure is a nice town!”

Hikaru: “Yeah, it is! But you totally changed the subject!”

~ Whenever you help the Pretty Cure or innocent bystanders out, Cure Star’s overjoyed! It’s proof to her that you’re not all bad, and that you don’t actually want to hurt others. She always gives you a big hug afterwards, thanking you for your support.

Cure Star: “Eee, (name)! You were so cool! You really helped us out back there!”

(name): “Of course I did. You’re my friends!”

Cure Star: “See guys, I told you they’re not acting! They really are nice!”

~~~⭐️~~~⭐️~~~⭐️~~~

~Lala Hagoromo/Cure Milky~

~~~🚀~~~🚀~~~🚀~~~

~ After finding out that you’re a Notraider, Lala was very confused. Your personality didn’t match with your job. Yuni even nearly convinced her that your kindness was fake. But after getting to know you better, that possibility never crossed her mind.

Lala: “You really think they’re faking ~lun?”

Yuni: “I’m positive. There’s no way a Notraider can be that nice.”

Lala: “I don’t know… it seems pretty real to me, but you could be right ~lun.”

~ She mostly just does what Hikaru does; not mentioning your occupation outside of Pretty Cure related business. It does make it easier to have fun. She often finds herself forgetting until someone brings it up. She gets quite annoyed when that happens, as she sees it as the happy moments being ruined.

Lala: “If you hate (name) so much, then you can just go away ~lun!”

Yuni: “Oh, well excuse me for not wanting to be around the bad guy!”

Hikaru: “Lala! Yuni! Please cut it out!”

~ She especially gets along with you better if you’re also an alien. She’ll ask you about your planet, curious about your origin. If you don’t want to talk about it, she’ll talk about Saman instead. While she wants to know about your home place, she doesn’t want to be pushy.

Lala: “This is how we greet each other in Saman ~lun!”

(name): “Oh, cool!”

Lala: “How do your people greet each other ~lun?”

(name): “We do this!”

~ It throws Cure Milky through a loop whenever you help her and her team out. It doesn’t make sense to her as to why you’d help out the opposite side, but she’s happy nonetheless. And she’s always quick to thank you afterwards.

Cure Milky: “Thanks for saving me ~lun! But be careful next time, because I nearly hit you with my Milky Shock ~lun!”

(name): “It’s no problem! And I definitely will. That looks like it hurts!”

~~~🚀~~~🚀~~~🚀~~~

~Elena Amamiya/Cure Soleil~

~~~☀️~~~☀️~~~☀️~~~

~ Elena is always positive about embracing differences. So even though you’re from the opposite side of the battlefield, she still makes an effort to be kind and respectful to you. Even if you’re fighting face to face, she never shows any distain towards you. After all, you’re sweet and kind, so it’s only right to match your energy.

(name): “Good morning Elena!”

Elena: “Oh, good morning (name). How are you doing?”

(name): “I’m pretty good. How about you? How’s your family?”

Elena: “They’re all good!”

~ Another reason as to why she’s so kind to you, is because she feels bad for you. Every Notraider has a similar reason as to why they chose their path. They either have a hatred for their own planet, or other planets. And there’s always a sad backstory as to why. So Elena knows that’s most likely the case for you. So she hopes that becoming your friend will help heal you, and hopefully help you turn a new leaf.

Elena: “Do you ever wonder why (name) chose to become a villain?”

Madoka: “Yes, at times.”

Elena: “I mean, when you think about it, there has to be a good reason. Remember Tenjo? What if they had a similar life that made them choose to be a Notraider?”

Madoka: “I never thought of that. That could be the case.”

~ She really has a way with words. So she tries using it to her advantage. You’re given many talks by her, trying to make you switch to the good side. She desperately wants you to leave the dark side, but that doesn’t show in her words. She remains calm and collected, even when you reject her offer for the millionth time.

Elena: “It just feels like a waste for such a kind person to be fighting for such a bad cause.”

(name): “I honestly think it’s a necessary cause.”

Elena: “Are you absolutely sure though?”

(name): “Yes.”

Elena: *sigh* “Okay then.”

~ When receiving help from you, Cure Soliel is not only happy, but very proud. The fact that you care so much about your friends and the innocent, that you’d fight your own side for them fills her with hope and gladness. It’s just another reason for her to believe that you can be changed.

Cure Soleil: “Thanks for getting my siblings to safety, (name)! That was so kind of you!”

(name): “You’re my friend, so of course I’d save your family, silly!”

Cure Soleil: “Not such a bad guy, are you? Haha!”

~~~☀️~~~☀️~~~☀️~~~

~Madoka Kaguya/Cure Selene~

~~~🌙~~~🌙~~~🌙~~~

~ Madoka is always a logical thinker. So she was not a supporter of you at first. It didn’t matter how much nice energy radiated off of you. You were evil, and that was that. But of course, your kindness wore her down, and she couldn’t help but be your friend.

Elena: “I thought you said you weren’t gonna get close to (name)? So why are you hanging out with us if we’re with them?”

Madoka: “I don’t know. I just always seem to end up in their company.”

Hikaru: “Awww, is someone becoming their friend?”

Madoka: “I suppose so.”

~ While she likes you, she’s still always careful not to reveal any important information about the Pretty Cure to you. While you may be nice to them, you’re also nice to the other Notraiders. So there’s a pretty good chance that you’d share that information to help them. So she never lets anything slip. You’re not allowed on the spaceship either. She’s always gentle and kind about it, though.

Madoka: “Sorry, (name). But this as far as I can allow you to go. We have some important Pretty Cure business we have to discuss.”

(name): “Oh, I see. That’s fine! I have a meeting I have to go to anyway! See you!”

Madoka: “Good day.”

~ Madoka isn’t one to prod into other people’s business. So while she wishes you’d turn to the good side, she just leaves it alone. Besides, some of her other friends are trying to persuade you themselves. Why add more stress and pressure? She even talks to them about getting off your back sometimes.

Madoka: “I know you want to get (name) to join us, but don’t you think you’re being too… um… pushy?”

Elena: “Yeah, I guess I kinda am. I’ll try to tone it down.”

Madoka: “Great. I think it’s for the best.”

~ Cure Selene is always taken aback whenever she receives help from you. She knows you’re dedicated to your job and its cause, so it confuses her as to why you’d fight against it, even if it was for a moment. It warms her heart when you tell her the reason, though. It truly makes her glad that she became friends with you. You’re genuinely a kind person.

Cure Selene: “Won’t you get in trouble for this?”

(name): “Probably. But you’re my friend, and I don’t want you getting hurt!”

Cure Selene: “You’re truly one of the kindest people I’ve ever known, (name).”

~~~🌙~~~🌙~~~🌙~~~

~Yuni/Cure Cosmo~

~~~🐾~~~🐾~~~🐾~~~

~ Yuni refused to let herself like you. You work on the same team as the alien who turned everyone on her planet into stone. You may have had nothing to do with it, but she didn’t care. She was even convinced that your kindness was fake. She thought there was no way a Notraider could be a walking ray of sunshine. She never talked to you, and she minimized eye contact as well. If she knew your location, she’d stay far away from it.

Hikaru: “Hey Yuni! Do you wanna go-“

Yuni: “Will (name) be there?”

Hikaru: “Yes, but-“

Yuni: “Then count me out.”

~ You, being the kind person you are, tried your best to respect her wishes. However, a certain pink-haired girl didn’t. She always found a way to make the two of you bond, whether Yuni liked it or not. So, while it took way longer than it did for others, your rays of sunshine eventually peeked through the cracks of the wall that she had put between you.

Hikaru: “Yuni, (name), will you two go get some donuts for while we’re working?”

(name): “Um-“

Hikaru: “Thanks! Bye!”

Yuni: “She didn’t even let us respond.”

(name): “That’s Hikaru for you!”

Yuni: “Haha! I guess you’re right!”

~ Even after breaking the ice, she’s still a bit distant. A part of it is because she feels awkward from how she acted previously. But even so, she’s still nice. She now understands that the fate of her planet wasn’t your fault, so she lets go of her hatred. You’re friends now, so there’s no need to blame you for something you didn’t do.

(name): “What’s your planet like?”

Yuni: “…”

(name): “Ah! I’m so sorry! I forgot!”

Yuni: “It’s okay. Do you still want to know?”

(name): “Oh, yeah!”

~ Cure Cosmo only grows closer to you after you help her or the innocent during battle. She’s proud of you, though she’d never admit it. Your powers combined obliterate the threat with no problems, so the fact that you’re also a great team together is another reason to like you even more. A small celebration with donuts always follows your victories!

Cure Cosmo: “We were so awesome! Hey, why don’t you join the Pretty Cure (name)?”

(name): “Haha! Nice try! But I’m very dedicated to my team.”

Cure Cosmo: “Eh, you’re loss.”

~~~🐾~~~🐾~~~🐾~~~

~~baileypie-writes

[gothamite-rambler]

Current Fics I'm Working On To Post Here And On AO3

Dimensional Crossroads: A fanfic where portals open around the world and Gotham, leading the main Batfamily to encounter alternate versions of themselves, their friends, and those they’ve lost.

Harley Quinn's Redemption Arc: Harley Quinn, while admittedly insane from the effects of jumping into the Joker toxin, is making amends and bettering herself as best as she can. She's not a hero or a licensed therapist anymore, but being an anti-hero street therapist works for her. Now, she's attempting to repair her relationships with former foes, especially Jason. Her girlfriend Ivy doesn't fully support her working with the Bat Family, but she will still be there for her.

JayRose Fics: Focusing on the relationship between Jason Todd and Rose Wilson, this series explores their journey as they navigate a mostly secret romance. Together, they deepen their bond, confront their traumas, and ultimately fall in love.

Timbern Fics: These stories center on Tim Drake and Bernard, exploring their unique dynamic. Tim struggles to keep his superhero life separate from his love life, but Bernard isn’t one to shy away from a chance to fight bad guys. Together, they make the perfect couple—who knew romance could be so action-packed?

Tim Drake Fics: This series delves into Tim's journey as he copes with the tragic deaths of his parents. It captures his internal conflicts with villains who complement his persona, his occasional hair-trigger temper, and the way his intelligence and tendency to overthink often come in handy—at the most unexpected moments.

Duke Thomas Fics: Follow Duke as he adjusts to life within the Batfamily, carving out his own niche while embracing the unconventional nature of his new home. He’s not your average hero, and some of his moves—and perhaps even his strategies—are inspired by his favorite animes. Just remember, he doesn’t mess with the spirits!

Cass Fics: In these stories, Cass shows off her badass side while embracing her role as Bruce's favorite (and only) daughter. The series explores her deep bond with her "baby brother," Jason, as she navigates her own anxieties and issues. And who says dating life can’t be enjoyable?

RobStar Fics: Join Dick Grayson and Koriandr on their path to rekindling their relationship. With open communication and maturity, they tackle villains and share tender moments. Will marriage be in their future? You’ll have to wait and see!

Spoiler vs. Kite-Man Fics: Inspired by a headcanon I had after watching Kite-Man, Hell Yeah, this series humorously explores the unlikely dynamic of Stephanie Brown and Kite-Man. Though Stephanie initially dislikes Kite-Man, their odd relationship shifts as she lets him escape and he proposes a rivalry. She even gets to meet his fiancée! FML, indeed.

Jason Todd's Pre-Return to the Batfamily Fics: This series dives into Jason's tumultuous journey before rejoining the Batfamily. During this time, he battles Tim in a brutal second fight, keeps Damian’s identity a secret from Bruce, reconciles with Dick, rescues Bruce, and ultimately decides to stop killing—all while forming his own team.

Talia al Ghul: A Good Mom Fics: This series portrays Talia as a mother first, villain second, in her relationship with Damian. After making mistakes with both him and Bruce, and following her brush with death, she is determined to be a better mother, even if it annoys her son in the process.

Commissioner Gordon Fics: Follow Jim Gordon as he navigates the complexities of dealing with the Batfamily, particularly Batman, all while pretending he isn’t fully aware of Bruce Wayne's secret identity to the general public.

That's what I have so far off the top of my head! You can check out many of these stories on my pinned masterlist. Thanks for reading, and if I muster the courage to post them on AO3, I’ll share the links soon.

Love you all, peace!

[cursedvibes]

Do you mind if I ask why you dislike Getou, Yuuta and Choso...?

Sure. So for Geto it's mostly that I don't like villains with a bigoted ideology and he's too incompetent to even fall in the "love to hate" category. Really, the worst thing a villain can be is incompetent and Geto in Vol 0 is barely better than your average disney villain. Doesn't help that he never gets pushback on his ideals. Gojo tells him in Premature Death that killing people is bad, but that's it. He spouts his bullshit about how genocide is totally necessary and Yuuta stands there like "idk you might be right, but you want to kill people I care about and that's the real crime here". Nobody really engages with his ideology except Yuki I guess, but that was before he became an antagonist. I could forgive that to a degree if he was at least a real threat, but he isn't. Take the Major from Hellsing for example. I hate his guts, when Integra fought him I wanted to reach through the screen and strangle him myself and when he died it was incredibly satisfying. You don't get any of that with Geto, he's not even fun to hate because he barely provides any pushback. He's a bad villain and I dislike him as a person as well. His descent into embracing the superiority of sorcerers and resolving to kill all non-sorcerers was well written, but I don't feel for him at all. Good riddance to the guy, I'm glad he's now dead both in body and mind.

My main issue with Yuuta is that he barely gets challenged for anything he does. He never lost a fight, he pulls powers out of his ass (like doing RCT when we never even heard of it, who knows where he learned that probably just gifted by God), he's always right and can do no wrong. Seems like Takako's words about what it means to be truly strong did reach him to some extend, but we'll see if that will lead to anything for him. He builds his entire identity around other people, doesn't recognize how toxic that is (he kinda did at the end of Vol 0, but regressed again when entering the main series) and then has the audacity to preach at others with far more experience than him who face real challenges and then concludes that it must be the others fault, he only tried his best to get along after all. Why is Takako getting mad at him? So irrational. He's also not really done anything in the main series besides get points in the Culling Game. He killed Yuuji, but Kenjaku already took care of the higher-ups and the death sentence anyway. He beheaded Kenjaku, but anyone else could've done that. If Maki had been in his stead, Kenjaku probably wouldn't have noticed her at all until their head is falling off. He hasn't even fulfilled his promise to Gojo because when he killed "Geto", Gojo was already dead and wouldn't have needed to do it anyway. That's like I'm vowing to buy groceries for my old neighbor, but never get around to it. They die and I'm like "I'll buy more groceries in their memory", but those groceries won't help that old person anymore now. So any slither of anything interesting coming out of that Kenjaku-Yuuta encounter is gone. And that's it. That's all he has done so far. What's the point? I hope he dies like all the other special grades and makes room for Hakari. He's the same as Gojo with being a symptom of an old system, he's just less aware of it.

Choso is mainly too loud and annoying for my taste, but I also don't like his hypocritical view on family and how he treats his siblings. Eso really hated Yuuji for what he did to him and Kechizu, he saw Kechizu being tortured and didn't seem like he was likely to forgive that when he was about to die. Yet Choso comes along and is like "yeah no problem, water under the bridge, Eso would agree". Would he? Given how Eso looks in Choso's hallucinations, I don't think he knows his brother very well. I get that's the point and Choso needs to think like that to hang onto that semblance of family he still has and needs (and is ready to let Yuuji kill the rest of his family members if it means no more internal fighting), but I still don't like that character trait of his. Not to mention that he's very selective and mostly only talks about Yuuji, Eso and Kechizu when talking about the family he wants to protect, forgetting the remaining six Death Paintings. What is also very aggravating is that he barely develops over the story or does anything meaningful. He has a second chance to challenge Kenjaku and all he does is say the exact same thing he already did in Shibuya with of course leading to no change in attitude from Kenjaku. He even talks about his mother's curse beforehand, but then doesn't bring her up in front of Kenjaku, the person who suffered the most at their hands. He's also too weak to do anything against Kenjaku or Sukuna, so he mostly just hangs out in the background, not doing anything. The "onii-chan" bit can be funny I guess (even if not to me), but he hasn't really gotten anything beyond that in around 100 chapters. Turn his dialogue into "oniichanoniichanoniichan" and not much of value would be lost. Also, this isn't really his fault, but I hate that a majority of Yuki's character got turned into salivating over Choso's sweaty body in their big fight against Kenjaku instead of giving us more insight into why decides to fight for Tengen, her status as Star Plasma Vessel, her vision for the future that directly contradicts Kenjaku's and how she planned to achieve it (or if she even had a concrete plan). I don't dislike Choso as much as the other two, but he's getting pretty bothersome lately. Hopefully, when we officially find out that Yuuji ate the Death Paintings or when Kenjaku's "will" comes into effect he'll get to do something useful for once.

[rainbowyumy]

I JUST THOUGHT OF AN EVIL AU FOR AVIVA (Probably gonna be ignored of forgotten so just set aside when I have time)

This is inspired by littlecrittereli's "Reprogram AU".

A malfunction almost risk the life of Martin, and Chris gets super angry at Aviva. This results in a nasty dispute between the two and Aviva being scarred by Chris's harsh words. An enraged and depressed Aviva sides with her own ENEMY, Zach, for the sake of getting revenge against the team (mostly Chris.)

Aviva would use her tech building skills and her smarts to create defenses and weapons for herself and Zach. She would also use her smarts and great reflexes to physically attack her rivals, since I thought she would be the type to get her hands dirty.

Chris, already regretted what he said to Aviva in the past, and is constantly trying to apologize to Aviva and get her out of that state. But it fails to no prevail, at least during the beginning. Unsurprisingly, he's the main target whenever Aviva attacks them.

Martin is treated similarly, but not as bad as Chris. Martin didn't like how Chris yelled at her during the dispute, and therefore understand Aviva's reasons and uses that to get to her. Due to her being the cause of his injuries, Aviva is still a bit regretful of him. She's less aggressive with him during battle, but that doesn't mean she would spare him.

At one point, during her evil state, she almost kills Martin. Ironically, the second time since the malfunction. Luckily, MK is rescued before fatal consequences occur. This would be the perfect time for Aviva to question her actions. But it wouldn't fully convince her enough to redemption, yet. At least in my opinion.

Despite working with his enemy, Zach would be extremely thrilled. He always wanted to defeat the Kratt brothers and their team, and this advantage to Aviva's great inventions and strong traits would be in his favor. I'm not sure if he should concerned or even more happy of Aviva's brutal methods. (There will be no shipping involved, however. This would be more story based than shipping based.)

Koki would be as regretful as Chris, for a similar and different reason. She would think it's her fault for not being more supportive to Aviva and not standing up for her during the dispute. Just like Chris, she would try to get her to listen and convince her to stop. However, these attempts would later lead to Martin close death encounter.

Despite Jimmy's flaws of being in the side lines, that wouldn't stop him from assisting his team and getting his friend back. The whole event made a big impact on Jimmy as he willing to break his personal boundaries just to save his friends and stop Zach.

Aside Varmitech, I'm still wondering what to do with the other villains. I did have the thought of also having Paisley being involved, but due to her redemption arc in the season 7th special "Our Blue and Green World, " it wouldn't make sense. Donita would design Aviva's battle outfit, though.

I'm not sure if Aviva would be mind controlled (since that's the usual method many Wild Kratts evil aus do) or she would be mostly motivated by anger. I'm also unsure how she'll redeem herself in the end, but I'll figure both ideas out later.

This is still a draft. Any constructive criticism would be very appreciated. ^^ (I'm not good at make story by scratch, my apologies! )

[frozenjokes]

CuteGuy Would Prefer Greatly If HotGuy Never Ever Had Any Nice Things, But Especially Not His Good Friend And Roommate Cubfan135 (2/3)

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Grian, as CuteGuy, landed softly on the other side of the parking lot, tucking his wings non-threateningly at his back. Calm. Cool. Relaxed. He hadn’t been home when Cub left to meet HotGuy, but Grian knew well enough Cub would be timely, and with any luck, a little early. With no one in the empty parking lot, Grian wasn’t entirely sure what to do with himself, but he didn’t have to wait long before he spotted Cub down the street, absorbed in his music as always. Sure enough, Cub didn’t even notice CuteGuy as he entered the parking lot, only spotting him after sitting down on the curb and looking up, presumably for HotGuy. 

It didn’t feel tense when their eyes met. Cub didn’t look afraid. Part of Grian was deeply relieved; he cared very little about how the world viewed him, preferring they feared him if they felt anything at all, but.. Not Cub. He didn’t want Cub to be afraid. The other part of him was worried; did Cub not fear him because he recognized him? Not CuteGuy the villain, but Grian, who he thought was staying out of trouble and getting help- and it wasn’t that Grian wasn’t trying to get help. He was getting better, really! He hadn’t gotten into any fights as ‘Grian’ in weeks- hadn’t gotten arrested in over two months! But no amount of therapy could keep him calm in tense encounters or high stress moments; thinking about how he’d make it right, how he’d get them back later. That did it. Those sentiments brought the air back into his lungs.

“Should I leave?” Cub asked, a healthy caution behind his voice.

“I’d rather you stayed. I don’t want to hurt you,” Grian forced his voice lower as he spoke, hoping Cub couldn’t tell, and cursed himself for not thinking to practice. He sounded stupid. And given the small quirk of Cub’s eyebrow, Grian didn’t sound sincere, either.

“I don’t want to hurt you, either. But I do have pepper spray. Just so you’re aware. And it hurts. I know this from personal experience.” Cub paused briefly in a silent debate with himself, “I was curious. Mistake.”

Grian chuckled, but he couldn’t laugh too hard, not when he was there, and not when he had also pepper sprayed himself in some sort of horrible solidarity. Bad day. Horrible judgment from all sides, mostly because they had no one else to look out for them, literally as well as metaphorically. Top five dumbest things Grian had ever done, for sure. Even thinking about that day was enough to make his skin itch and burn. But there was a fondness there too, the type of fondness you can only achieve by doing something incredibly, irrefutably idiotic with your best friend.

“I’ve been there. Not eager to go back, either, so I’ll keep my distance if that’s what keeps you comfortable. I’d like to sit though, if that’s alright.”

Cub shrugged. “Whatever you want.”

“You can say no.”

“I don’t know if I can.” Cub eyed him evenly, not unfriendly as was often assumed about him, but cautious, appraising. It was a little bit funny. Cub looking at CuteGuy, a fairly well known supervillain, the way he’d look at any stranger; gauging intention. Cub didn’t navigate the world under the assumption that everyone was out to get him, but he was also the kind of person that liked knowing, and a Cub in the dark was not a Cub at ease. Grian hoped he’d be able to get Cub to relax with him before HotGuy arrived, but that would be no easy feat, not as CuteGuy. Cub was smart; he probably suspected CuteGuy knew HotGuy was coming. This was not a chance meeting. CuteGuy wanted something. And Cub wasn’t wrong, not really.

“You can,” Grian tried, hoping again he sounded genuine, but in these forced lower tones, it was hard to accurately get the emotions he was aiming for across. Grian wondered if Cub noticed the oddness in his voice, and was immediately sure of the answer. But Cub wouldn’t say a word, not to the avian known for being quick to anger.

“Well in that case, I don’t mind,” Cub said, almost dismissive as he looked back at his phone. Grian couldn’t quite tell if Cub actually did mind or not, but he sat on the curb regardless, not too close, but not far either. Grian winced at the thought of being pepper sprayed. He wouldn’t see it coming, that he was sure of; Cub was very good at concealing his tells. “Just so you know,” Cub continued after a moment, almost thoughtful, “HotGuy will be here soon. I’ve heard you two don’t get along, and, well..” he trailed off, gesturing vaguely, but Grian got the message. 

“I don’t know about that,” he said, the line vindictively practiced, and Grian couldn’t keep the smirk off his face, “Heroes are fickle things. I have a feeling HotGuy will be late, if he even shows up at all.”

Cub nodded, though Grian wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. “What’s he up to then, if you know?” His tone was mild, almost monotone, but there was a mutual understanding as to what was going on here. Grian knew better than anyone that Cub knew how to play his cards, and that he wouldn’t sit idly in the dark if he thought he could get away with it. Grian couldn’t remember a time when Cub had judged a confrontation incorrectly, or pushed his luck too far.

“Poultry Man made a bit of a mess on the other side of town. Left a message specifically for HotGuy, and if you didn’t know, HotGuy’s been dying to chat with him. As if Poultry Man would speak to anyone.” Grian laid back across the curb, spreading his wings in the grass. “No need to ask. I was involved, of course. We look out for each other, Poultry Man and I, but I just wanted to make sure you knew exactly where HotGuy’s priorities lie. Believe me when I tell you that you’re far from the only man he’s chasing. In every sense of the word.”

“What did he do?”

“What?”

“Poultry Man? What did he do?” It was a perfectly amicable, almost innocently curious question. Grian knew better than to take Cub at face value, but his facade was rock hard, and Grian had no idea what he was actually feeling.

“Told me he was saving these nails and things, sharp, sturdy stuff, and that he was going to dump a whole bunch of them in various parking lots of government buildings. They’re painted, of course. Like chickens. I don’t know how he was planning on leaving a message for HotGuy, but I’m sure he managed.”

Cub chuckled, which Grian didn’t expect, expecting even less for Cub to look genuinely amused. “I like that guy.”

“You-“ Grian felt his heart stop, or maybe beat faster, “You like Poultry Man?”

“Yeah. I kinda do.” Cub didn’t elaborate. Grian didn’t really expect him too, but he desperately wished Cub would. Well. He’d have to push for answers if he wanted any at all.

“I don’t understand how you can like Poultry Man and HotGuy. They’re like- complete opposites. Egg themed rebellion versus pathetic attention-hungry bootlicking, it’s not anywhere near compatible.”

“I wouldn’t go as far to say that I like bootlickers. I don’t.”

I know you don’t. Words Grian almost said, but couldn’t, so he settled on, “Well, given that’s basically HotGuy’s entire job, you may want to reconsider.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? HotGuy is like the government’s top lap dog! He isn’t even that good at what he does- he’s just got a tragic backstory and a chiseled body, so the whole damn world can’t help but fall for him. He’s going to use you until he gets bored, then dump you, because he’s HotGuy and he can do whatever the hell he wants without paying the price.”

“I just mean that I don’t know. It’s as simple as that. I don’t know him. But I’d like to. We’ll see.”

“You’re going to get hurt.”

Cub threw him a critical side eye, the type of look a winner might wear, the type of look that let Grian know he had made a mistake. Almost agonizingly, Cub did not gloat or hold this victory of gleaned information over Grian’s head; he just sat there, silent, contemplative. He gave Grian nothing. No hints of his thoughts or feelings. Cub knew he didn’t have to. He knew just as well as Grian did that Grian would keep talking, keep losing ground, keep revealing too much. But still, Grian couldn’t stop. It was fine, fine that Cub knew he was emotionally invested in some way, but clearly this wasn’t working, so it was time for a pivot. Throw him off.

“I think you can do better. I think you deserve better. My hands are plenty dirty, but not any more than his.”

Cub blinked, looking up. There were a mix of emotions there that not even Grian could decipher, but the fact that he even bothered to look at all showed interest. “Oh?”

“Yeah.” Grian had Cub’s attention now, and he wasn’t about to let go, “You can play with heroes and see where it gets you, or cut the shit and have a little fun. Do you want to play games, or is it easier to believe HotGuy’s any different than me?”

“I don’t think HotGuy hurts people on purpose.”

“How many accidents need to happen before the people he hurts are a product of careless negligence. That’s what he is, Cub, careless. And no matter what he does, no matter how many people die under his watch, he will never be punished.”

“Good point.”

“How does it feel to put your heart in the hands of someone who’s above the law?”

“I think you’re making quite a few assumptions, CuteGuy.”

“I can see where this is going.”

“And you think I’d be better off with you? I don’t believe we’ve met, stranger. If I didn’t know any better, I might think you’re only here to spite HotGuy.”

“The things I’m telling you are true.”

“They are. And I’ll keep them in mind. But I’m not looking to trade out one interest for another, so you don’t have to pretend like you care.” Cub turned back to his phone. Grian gritted his teeth behind closed lips.

“I think you’re cute.” Distantly, Grian heard footsteps, the fast, heavy footfalls of someone running very quickly. Cub heard them too, but he didn’t look up, so Grian didn’t either.

“I’m sure you do,” Cub said.

“I do.”

“Well thanks. I think I’m cute, too.” 

“He’ll treat you carelessly.” The footsteps were louder now, quite close.

“I’ll make that judgment for myself.”

“Hey!” HotGuy yelled from the other side of the parking lot, but apparently that was all he had in him, hunching over with his hands on his knees and panting. He jogged the rest of the way, chest still heaving, and spoke as he neared the curb, “Is,” HotGuy had to stop, not having enough air to form the words, “this guy,” another pause, shorter this time, “bothering you?” The last words fell with what looked like a massive effort, HotGuy, hunching again to breathe.

“Not really,” Cub said, not put off in the slightest. Grian didn’t bother to get up, only snorting as HotGuy caught his breath. Though that seemed to set him off, the hero jolting upright to fix Grian with a fiery glare.

“You know, I am fed up with you!”

Grian choked on his own laugh, “Fed up? You’re fed up with me?”

“I am!” if HotGuy understood Grian was laughing about his choice of words, he didn’t show it, “I can not believe you sent me on a wild goose chase tonight, when I told you I had plans! And why- why are you talking like that? You’re going to mess up your throat; I had to take tons of voice lessons to-“

“You know, I think we should go.” Cub stood up, definitive in his tone, but HotGuy didn’t move.

“Where are we going?” Grian asked, and HotGuy seethed; honestly, Grian was having trouble telling if he was legitimately pissed off or not. Cub fixed him with a glare of his own, which Grian was not expecting, and couldn’t stop himself from shrinking under the look.

“We aren’t going anywhere,” HotGuy hissed through gritted teeth, drawing his bow, and at this point, Grian was pretty sure he was actually angry. Cub had backed off considerably at this point, but behind HotGuy, Grian saw him stiffen, a far more real look of terror crossing his face.

“You can show me whatever it is you wanted to later,” Cub insisted, and Grian recognized fear in the way his voice lost all of its edge, but HotGuy clearly didn’t, not even turning around as he nocked an arrow. “No-“ 

Grian wasn’t about to wait around to find out if HotGuy was actually angry enough to shoot him, launching himself forward off the curb and under the line of fire as the arrow whistled by. He aimed to grapple HotGuy’s legs, but the hero had just enough time to retaliate with a weak kick, sending both of them stumbling in opposite directions.

Grian didn’t have time to look for Cub before HotGuy was closing the distance, and Grian had to roll out of the way to avoid another much stronger kick. He felt the boot graze his feathers, but HotGuy was vulnerable in the follow through, and slow; adrenaline didn’t change the fact he had run quite some distance, and in this state, it wouldn’t be long before he got tired. Grian rebalanced with a few beats of his wings, shooting forward before HotGuy could recover and sinking his claws into the hero’s shoulder pads, hooking his legs around his chest, and battering HotGuy’s head with his wings.

HotGuy yelped, spinning uselessly, but there wasn’t much he could do besides shield his face- at least, that’s what Grian had thought, but then he was falling- they were both falling, and Grian couldn’t even scream when HotGuy crushed him under his weight, knocking the wind cleanly from his chest. Blackness curled over his vision, but a glint of something sharp brought his sight back, just soon enough to see the wickedly barbed arrow in HotGuy’s fist, raised above his head.

“I promised not to shoot you.”

Grian was hardly aware of his own body as he moved, kicking up and connecting with something- he heard the crack of contact, but he didn’t stop moving, flipping back onto his hands and toes, with distance the only thought on his mind. 

“FuacKing-“ Grian saw HotGuy out of the corner of his eye, stumbling with his hands over his nose, “Avians. Flexible.” Blood fell from his fingertips; dark blood, always too dark. Grian never loved to see people bleed- it didn’t satisfy him, not like fear, not like bruises, but he especially disliked HotGuy’s blood. It wasn’t right. It looked sick.

HotGuy was breathing hard already, his arms holding a slight shake. Pretty bad, even for a human. Just how far had he run before to tire out so quickly now? But before Grian could make his next move, he was distracted, his eye caught by the lack of a presence, the lack of- 

A fist connected with his cheek, and Grian was violently reminded of just how fast HotGuy was, even this exhausted. If not for his wings to balance him, he would have been thrown off his feet, but HotGuy was relentless, throwing punch after punch before Grian could even hope to recover from the first. He ducked sloppily under the second, then the third, but the fourth grazed his mask, and the fifth landed squarely at the side of his head. The sixth was only dodged because Grian stumbled, and Grian didn’t even feel the seventh under his chin before he was nothing.

…

Being something again was more than unpleasant, especially being crumpled in all the wrong ways on the cement ground. Grian struggled to his hands and knees, but when he looked up, HotGuy wasn’t anywhere near him, brows hitched as he stared at his phone and paced.

HotGuy looked up at the movement, looking far more distressed than angry. “Did you tell him- tell him what this was before I got here? Why- why did you tell Poultry Man to- you made me late!” 

Grian blinked, first slowly, then faster. His face hurt. Shit, if he had a black eye he was screwed. And then he remembered. Cub was gone. 

He was too disoriented to lie. “Didn’t say anything. Just tried to keep him off you.”

A moment of anger flashed across Scar’s face, but it didn’t last, melting back into distress when he looked back down at his phone. “You must have said something. Maybe you didn’t mean to, but you must have- you- Why did I let you ruin this for me!” 

Grian grunted, his sense returning just enough to be indignant, “It was your idea, asshole. What, did he figure out this was a set up?”

“He wouldn’t have if you didn’t come early!”

“Whatever.” Grian stumbled to his feet on wobbly legs, trying to keep some amount of his dignity intact, “You’re an idiot and he’s whip-smart. Doesn’t matter what I did, he probably would’ve found you out regardless.”

“What?” HotGuy snarked, “Did you figure all that out in the twenty minutes before I got here?”

Grian couldn’t keep the sigh out of his voice. “Yeah, actually. Played me like a damn fiddle, he did. Couldn’t break through no matter what I did. This was stupid, anyway, but I’m glad I came. I hope he’s mad. Hope he hates you forever.”

“You- you’re so immature! You lost. Feel bad about it.”

“Y’know, I think I’m just going to let you dig your own grave here.”

“I- I don’t want to deal with this right now. I don’t have to deal with this. I’m going home. You suck.” HotGuy dug around in one of his pockets, producing a small envelope, “Take your damn money.”

Grian didn’t think he could get any more surprised. “You’re actually paying me?”

“Take it. And try not to be a pain in the ass next week, so maybe I can pretend like this was worth something.”

Grian stepped forward cautiously, like a mouse to a trap, then snatched the envelope from HotGuy’s hand before the wire could snap down. But HotGuy did not move, eyes glued back on his phone. 

Grian reminded himself he did not feel bad before taking off. 

Time to check the damage. Not at his apartment of course, no, he had a different location for nights like these. The money couldn’t have come at a better time; he was running out of foundation, and getting low on concealer as well. Given how badly his face ached at every corner, he had a feeling he would be covering up some nasty bruises.