#or maybe even the hidden villain of the entire show

[kadextra]

my biggest question rn is how much are oscurucho and the eye guy connected

are they working together? if so its a solid plan- the eye guy takes over the federation’s communications, remakes egg island into purgatory behind their backs & tortures the islanders there, while oscurucho/cucurevil stomps all over the federation and takes control of quesadilla island when everyone’s gone. that’s my current theory of what’s happening, but the problem is I don’t think we actually have solid confirmation of them working together. oscurucho does know about eye guy from it calling them “the watcher” and saying that they seek chaos, but at most that confirms oscurucho knows a lot. eye guy hasn’t talked about oscurucho

also, you’d think dark matter would be present in purgatory too right? literally like the best place ever for it to appear, but it’s not

the dark matter seems to be connected solely to oscurucho’s activities, the stuff has only been present wherever it is. in the maze, the nether, and on q!forever who directly interacted with it. now that the entity is freely roaming around the island & inside fed facilities, the dark matter has fully taken over too.

It feels like oscurucho has been carefully orchestrating things for months in comparison to eye guy who bulldozed in and grabbed the main plot by the neck lmao. like we all thought oscurucho was the hidden great evil who stole the eggs (and it still might be) but then this walking eyeball stepped up like “allow me to introduce myself, sinners.”

I have a lot of thoughts but I just need to know 100% if they are working together, or if both are separate villains overlapping by twisting the same events into their favor, and have their own evil plots running simultaneously. I want to know more about them so bad it’ll help sooooo many of my theories. I hope tomorrow’s stream gives some answers bc these new entities are making my head spin (in a good way <3)

[eddwardharrison]

MOON HOW MANY BRAINCELLS DO YOU HAVE??

TSAMS RANT/ NOT HATE / ALL LOVE FOR THE SHOW

Moon, moon. Moon. Look at me. Look at me with your eyes. Answer something for me. ARE YOU STUPID?? YOU CLAIM TO BE SO SMART AND YET YOUR LACK OF CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS HAVE RENDERED YOU THE STUPIDEST CHARACTER ON THE SHOW.

He never seems to learn basic emotional structures and it angers me beyond belief. You have Ruin AT YOUR DOORSTEP saying “Hey I’m going to help the world just for a minute by roasting my blueprints over a flame” and then also saying “Hey, yeah, so…if I tell you anything…I’m going to be killed.” AND MOON’S RESPONSE TO THIS IS “OKAY CRYPTIC ASSHOLE.” SHUT UPPPP AND LISTEENNN RUIN IS IN DANGER, HE’S BEING HONEST WITH YOU, HE /WANTS/ TO HELP, HE COULD BE SUCH A FUCKING ALLY AND YOU AREN’T DOING SHIIIIT WITH THAT. COME ON!!! Eclipse got this SAME TREATMENT WITH NEW MOON WHEN HE BEGGED HIM FOR HIS HELP.

Moon’s are just apathetic anti-empathy asshole and I cannot be proven wrong. (I do not actually think this its just an angry statement)

I understand Ruin is a sore spot but you have been shown time and time again that all Villains have a soft spot and they have secondary motives that are hidden away behind their villain ego. Eclipse wanted to have control over his own life, Killcode wanted a second chance to help people, Bloodmoon didn’t want to be used anymore, Ruin is just trying to survive, Solstice wants to liberate Sun from his 2 year torment, Nexus just wanted his brother back, EVERYONE HAS A SECONDARY MOTIVE. And thus for, EVERYONE CAN BE UNDERSTOOD AND MAYBE EVEN TURNED AROUND TO THEIR BETTER SIDE. ECLIPSE DID (no thanks to ANYONE except for Earth.) and he was the OG villain that tormented them for HALF THE SHOW! He, as of now, is the ONLY character that came 🤌 THIS CLOSE to the most RADICAL change TSAMS has ever faced (See Lord Eclipse for example) And if ECLIPSE turned around, with Sun and Moon’s help, EVERYONE COULD’VE BEEN TURNED AROUND. Solstice doesn’t even have a DARK MOTIVE! He just wants to save Sun from all the pain he endures every day! Nexus just went emo because he’s mourning his brother which is VALID??? His entire life has just been not his to control and so seeing the only thing Nexus chose to forever care about get stripped from him IS TOTALLY TRAUMATIZING AND A LITTLE VALID FOR A WHOLE MENTAL SNAP.

Maybe if Solar GOT OFF HIS ASS and DID SOMETHING ABOUT THIS instead of trying to KILL HIM, Nexus could be good too! And don’t get me wrong, I was so happy when he tried…but my smile DROPPED when he decided “We have to kill him.” NOOOOO DAMN IT NOOOOO THAT’S NOT HOW IT WORKS NOOOOOOOO!!!! YOU ARE ALL A BUNCH OF TRAUMATIZED ROBOTS AND YOU NEED TO HELP EACH OTHER LIKE ONNEESSS!!

ugh but back on topic

Ruin is the most honest character in the show. I’m being so serious right now. Yes, I am holding a straight face. BECAUSE HE IS. He only lied for months on end because he was forced into lying to survive, but his intentions are all genuine and he just wants to stay alive and not die like all of his friends did before him. He is a sole survivor and he cannot let his guard down during his whole “Virus Infection” act. Ever since he was “fixed”, he had a reason to not act anymore and he could show his full genuine side while still lying because HE’S STILL VERY MUCH IN DANGER! Not only that but his vile acts like DESTROYING 5K UNIVERSES was in the name of saving TRILLIONS OF OTHERS! Yes, it’s a heavy price, but those tough decisions are things people with that kind of power have to make.

Examples: Old moon sacrificing himself for Killcode, Sun blasting Eclipse at the price of his body and almost his life, Sun trying to kill Eclipse that one time to save his family, Nexus deciding to nearly kill his family for the sake of Solar, Solstice protecting Ruin from Nexus, etc.

I’m not saying Ruin is necessarily a good person, when you make those decisions and you act the way you need to to survive, you aren’t going to be a pacifist. But I have confidence in saying that not a single person in this show is a saint or completely innocent…other than dazzle and jack ‘o moon… (I love you guys <33) But putting them all together to compare and contrast, Ruin is a far better person than all of these characters simply because his intentions are pure, and it’s simply to stay alive and often times also help others stay alive. When he first studied eliminating universes, he knew Solar would be sacrificed. He says he tried EVERYTHING he could to prevent this. He looked up how to avoid it, if it was possible to avoid it, even if there was a way to bring him back after death. He found nothing, and had to make the decision to go through with his plans anyways, because he HAD to.

(also I find it funny everyone was so caught up in trying to bring him back and running into dead ends, crying and sobbing pver it with no leads…and then Eclipse in the back goes “hey guys so Solar is coming back…you’re welcome. I’m dipping now. Bye.”)

Throughout following Ruin’s lore…and from experience of depicting and eating away at psychoanalyzing ECLIPSE of all characters, I am confident in knowing what I know about Ruin. EVER SINCE HE WAS CURED I KNEW THAT BITCH WAS LYING!!! AND THEN ECLIPSE KNEW IT TOO. AND I WAS LIKE “YEAH YEAH ECLIPSE BEAT HIS ASS GET IT GET IT GET IT!!!” And thus for I am prideful in what I know for a (opinionated) fact

Ruin is completely telling the truth right now, he has always wanted to and he always wanted to try. He’s tired of acting but he has no other choice. He wants to help, but his job isn’t done. His motive right now? I’m really not sure. Maybe he’s destroying all evidence of his knowledge as we see with his blueprints before allowing himself to die, or maybe he has a bigger purpose.

My predictions are very iffy, but this is something to think about: Maybe because of what Eclipse did for Solar, he may now believe his own universe could be saved. Just an idea, though.

Ruin cares for the celestial family, he really does. It more than likely reminds him of the bonds he lost. And in such a mourned idea, he has grown attached to them from afar. He’d hate to see them be torn apart as he was once was.

So…Moon…if you’d kindly…think….with that…big, BIG brain of yours….I would love if you developed some empathy for once and maybe tried to help Ruin. Maybe share some of your “brotherly love” you so generously let JUST Sun have. Just a thought….or…y’know…maybe you could just get another “what if ther was a Good Ruin in VRCHAT?!” episode. Because that seems to be what Moon’s do best. Replace rather than fix.

Hahah. I’m hilarious.

Fuck you, Moon.

[lynsstrange]

The one thing I wasn’t a fan of about Annabeth being there for Luke’s betrayal is the potentially lost conflict for seasons later on.

The most interesting part about Percy being alone for the betrayal in the book is Annabeth’s internal struggle with the way she sees Luke.

Even in the later books, when they’re well past Luke’s betrayal and into the war, she still acts desperate and excusing whenever Luke is involved.

Desperate to see an ounce of the boy she knew before. Some hidden bit of kindness and compassion he still has left that she felt when she was seven and needed someone to show her love. Some vulnerability he’s willing to show her that he didn’t show to Percy when they were alone in the woods.

Because if she had been there, he wouldn’t have been able to look her in the eyes and backstab her, right? Because they’re family.

And again, and again, and again he proves her wrong. In the worst way possible. She has to force herself to believe it, to fight him over and over again. But I think there was always a, tiny, irrational part of her that thought maybe he wasn’t too far gone. That his care for her could override the bitterness that had consumed him. Until the last Olympian.

I’ve talked about this passage before, but it’s so interesting to me.

It’s only when they’re on the literal elevator trip up to end the war that she finally, really accepts it. Luke isn’t ever coming back from this. He won’t even be coming back from it alive.

But when she’s on the ground, battered and vulnerable, with Luke standing over her, she still can’t help but say one last time “you promised.”

Because deep down he’s still that boy to her, and will always be.

I just feel like some of that depth is lost with her eavesdropping on Luke’s entire villain monologue to Percy. There’s less room for the interesting conflict between her and Percy that we see later on. And the way it becomes obvious how truly torn she is. How much it rips her apart to have to truly come to terms with it at the end of the series.

This was just my opinion on it. If we’re getting future seasons, I’m sure it’s gonna do a good job with the fallout of Luke’s betrayal, just maybe not in this way. But I still feel like that that was a really interesting layer to the scene that was taken away.

Edit: I think I worded the second half of my post poorly. in no way am I saying there can’t be internal conflict !!! Annabeth obviously watches Luke do terrible things later in the series, and her desire to see him in a good light comes from seeing him as an older brother, above all else. Not just from not witnessing Luke backstabbing Percy. I just think that her not watching it happen is an interesting extension of that. Like, does she think she might have been able to talk him down if she were in the forest with them, deep down? Her fatal flaw is hubris, after all, and maybe she could have fooled herself into thinking that her being there could have made him think twice. Because she’s his little sister, and would he have hurt her? It’s probably harder for her to accept the complete 180 between the last time she saw him and the next time she sees him in SOM when she wasn’t present to see exactly how angry and bitter he’d become.

By TLO, I know it’s about much more than that, it was my mistake using a photo from it, it was just what I had on hand. I’m saying it’s an interesting idea that could have been explored, especially in the second season.

[yoku-yukihime]

would love to know more about yuki if you're willing to share. I like how scrungly her staff is.

Im honored! shes a pretty deep and complex oc all things considered tbh. so apologies if i ramble a bit! im going to try and include everything about her story wise lol. She comes from a hidden society of fox people, the society is pretty in tune with magic and stuff. very scholarly. most of the people that fall out of it become the kind of kitsunes u see that seduce people and steal spirit energy. but Yuki was a studying sorcerer. she was pretty invisible to move people, nothing fancy or stand outish. she happened to fall into a trap along her evening walk through one of the many archives and stumbled onto hidden books tucked far out of reach. forgotten memories and stories forbidden for the ages. Yuki became fascinated with dark arts and taboo mysteries. and important thing with the foxes of this society is that age is shown with tail number, often translates to wiseness. most get to nine and dont reach any more before passing from age. yuki still only had one around this time. she was maybe in her 20s. but looking upon the scripture she found, she stumbled upon legends of an ancient god that could grant a very special artifact. Yuki wanted it to show off, it promised great power. so she got Obsessed with this rabbit hole. she would spent hours, days, weeks, months wandering up the cliffsides by the ocean waiting and watching as she repeatedly tried to summon this old god. she camped out there, starved herself, almost died multiple times she hadnt been seen in the society for months and all searches were called off. she was considered dead. until it happened. one night it appeared over the ocean. It was completely inconceivable. the mere sight of it changed her world view entirely. her mind could not even begin to comprehend the higher existence this ... this thing came from the old god... was a text box. like one you'd see in an rpg game. upon laying eyes on it, yuki became aware of higher existence. it spoke to her in its beeps and text. it offers her its treasure. a red orb of endless magic. a bottomless well of mana to pull from to do whatever she liked with. this was it, what she wanted, she no longer cared after so long. she placed her hand upon the orb, and with that, the old god took over her body... but she made no resistance. she wanted this. she accepted the god inside her. they could work together. she was 100% Interested in what it wanted. and from then on, she started to call herself "The Great Witch" with the old god inside of her, she gained a special ability, being naturally aware of this Higher existence she can use an rpg menu, like dragon quest! check peoples stats, statuses, use her spells from a list instead of reciting incantations or waiting for cast times. every battle with her is Forcibly made turn based, for some reason people Cant attack if shes got her menu open. the gods rule forbids it. so she recognizes her new power, and she gets to go on a romp and do as she pleases! the forgotten young sorcerer is no more, but the soon to be greatest villain in all the land is born, Yuki never looks back and embraces the new her!

[witchhazelevesque]

“I can’t believe it,” [Percy] said. “Six months—” 

“I told you,” Leo said. “We tried sending more holographic scrolls. We tried Iris messages, dream visions, phone calls. Nothing worked… Anyway, we ran into one crisis after another.” (The Hidden Oracle p352)

Imagine if dream visions had worked because like. 

So far it seemed like something that was mostly done by Hypnos kids and other demigods who are magically inclined. 

Calypso lost her magic, which is a plot point I don’t like but that’s a different conversation. So like, she probably had some knowledge of how it’s done even if she could never do it on Ogygia, and Leo words it like they both tried. So imagine Leo actually does get through to Nico and Nico’s like how dare you if I ever see you again it’s on sight watch your back-

And Leo is just Over It in every capacity because he’s been questing for literal months- the war and the entire time since he came back to life and he’s tired because resurrection really takes it out of you, and he has to deal with nonsense on nonsense on nonsense all day everyday. Cause like, he and Calypso are this infamous duo to monsters and gods now because she broke out of her eternal magical prison and he literally cheated death and the universe is like. Hm. That doesn’t sound right we should do something about that and they did.

So Leo’s like. Hey yo slow your fucking roll, you don’t even know me like that, I know the besties Hazel and Frank explained everything like right away and I have been trying to get back, you wanna give this mess a whirl and see if you do any better?

And Nico’s like god fine if you’re gonna be like that damn fine okay

So he goes to the rest of the camp like “yeah okay so he did call, things are weird but he’s trying so like I guess we shouldn’t be so angry anymore I guess I guess” but he’s all petulant and reluctant and petty about it.

And Leo keeps showing up and they keep talking and actually get to know each other, swapping stories of trying to get through the European continent (which yeah if Nico had such a hard time then you’d think he’d be a little more understanding about this whole situation)

And Nico realizes eventually that oh he was so mad because he loves him and that’s. Okay fine. Embarrassing, whatever.

Bonus points if Leo ends up in Clovis’s dreams first because the Hypnos cabin is like the central hub of dream activity and Clovis is the one to languidly announce Leo making contact and Nico is fucking seething that Leo hadn’t shown up in his dreams.

Anyway the main reason for this is that I love the idea that Leo was a little off after he died, like, touched by death and more inclined towards shadows and the in-between and ghosts and magic and stuff and this was one of the manifestations of that. Which would explain why Leo couldn’t use dreams to tell Nico about his plan to resurrect himself before hand because Nico will of course bring that up at some point. 

Also I like to think that Leo and Cal broke into random places to make those phone calls- did Leo have numbers memorized? Maybe he could have looked up the strawberry farm that the camp poses as for their number or he must have Annabeth’s cell phone number memorized or maybe he looked up the Jackson’s or tried to call Piper or some random New Rome number- does New Rome have its own area code? That’d be funny if it did and he just went down all the possible sequences of numbers but every time he said who he was the person would just hang up. Okay maybe not funny funny but yeah.

Anyway yeah like them breaking into places and it playing out sort of like that scene from Buffy where she’s going through some villain’s  office and the person comes in and demands to know what she’s doing and Buffy’s all nonchalant like “I’m going through your files” and the evil person is like “I’m calling the police” so Buffy just rips the phone out of the wall.

I’d like to think that’s the sort of energy Calypso has because she’s still figuring out how the modern world works and how mortals do stuff. 

Or they just do the distraction and sneaking in thing at like a restaurant or office and then get told to stop doing that and buy something.

Or maybe Leo just whips up his own phone, who knows?

[dokidokitsuna]

BLADE_Princess

…I’m glad this AU idea came along, because I’ve been in WIP hell for so long…I really needed some reward doodles that I could actually feel motivated to draw~

So about 1 in 5 Kirby AU ideas takes shape as a game concept rather than a normal narrative, and this is one of those, the first one that’s JRPG-inspired. ^^ The main protagonists are a 5-member party of villains, but these two are the central characters, whose choices can affect the outcome of the story.

Blade The title character, who eventually becomes the most powerful in the group…due to a debilitating sickness that slowly destroys her mind and body. After losing her home, family, and entire civilization to similar strains of bio-magical warfare, she alone is resurrected by a strange wizard and his evil allies, and agrees to take part in their plans. During the story, Blade is continually confronted with memories of her past, and the destruction wrought by her happy family on the rest of the universe. She starts to wonder whether they all deserved to be exterminated, as her illness progresses and the idea that she should rejoin them consumes her thoughts. Meanwhile, she gradually loses control over her actions in the present, and in the end is torn between begging her adoptive father for help, or using the last of her self-awareness to take him down with her, for dragging her into this hell in the first place. +++ In this AU I really tried to break away from my usual depictions of the characters, and I think going from my usual portrayal of Dark Matter Swordsman as a classic “crouching moron hidden badass” to this more somber, sensitive character is probably the most dramatic example here. ^^; A little of that old characterization remains, however, as she’s not much of a deep thinker…she only joins the adventure because war is all she understands, and because Magolor really does remind her of her own father. Whether she remains fully loyal to him, or tries to choose a different path before the end, is up to the player, I guess. ^^;

Magolor The secondary protagonist, and the leader of the group. After his previous attempt at world domination centuries earlier, he’s back for a second try, and this time he’s assembled a whole team of formerly-defeated villains to help him out…including a strange alien girl that, until now, he had written off as a failed experiment. During the story, he comes to realize that the universe has changed a lot since his younger days, and that maybe his ultimate goal of taking it all for himself might not satisfy him as much as he’d hoped. Whether this shifts his priorities or makes him more hungry for destruction, desperate to feel something, is up to the player. And whether he decides to show concern for Blade’s suffering, or purposely take advantage of it to accelerate his plans…is also up to the player. ^^ +++ Since I’ve written so many Magolors over the years (I think I’ve done at least 10…I do have a problem, yes) I’ve formulated a basic breakdown of the essential aspects of his character: Charisma, Deception, Sweetness, Fury, and Bloodthirst. So every time I make a new Magolor, I try to emphasize different ones. For example, for Dream Alliance Magolor I downplayed Fury and removed Bloodthirst entirely, creating a very heroic and likeable version of him to serve as the main protagonist. This time, I’m going to downplay Charisma and remove Sweetness…so I’m sure you can guess what this version of Magolor is like. ^^; By default, he doesn’t really care about Blade, and reciprocates her concern for him only as far as it helps him manipulate her. I don’t think seeing her in pain would actually affect him emotionally (he’d probably just be wondering how much longer she’ll be useful…); what would get to him is her flipping the script and lashing out at him, even if she ends up backing down. Y’know, some tangible proof that his influence is having an effect on her, and that, in a strange way…she might be the only person left in the universe who still cares enough about him to truly be hurt by him.

[tildeathiwillwrite]

June of Doom Day 25

"I should have listened to you." / Guilt / Backseat / Failure

Prompts List | Event Masterpost

Hero x Villain Masterpost | <- Previous Part | Next Part ->

Fandom: Original Work

Words: 900

Tag List: @juneofdoom @fourwingedsnake @whumperofworlds @pigeonwhumps @mr-orion

@scaewolf @doctorsawyer @pinkrangerv @42questionsandaloafofbread

CW: anger, fear, guilt, swearing, deception, choking, paranoia, last resort

A/N: Sorry not sorry. Never underestimate the tech guy.

----------

“What did you do to them?”

Techie winced at the ferocity in Hero’s voice, the hurt, the terror, the fury in their words as Leader stepped into their cell minutes after torturing Villain with nothing but their touch. Even in the relative safety of their control room, with the massive computer towers, monitors, and all sorts of machinery scattered about, the full force of Hero’s anger hit them like a truck.

The guilt came with it, of course. The guilt always came whenever they thought about Hero.

“I simply showed them who is really in control,” Leader said, leaning casually against the doorframe as if they were discussing where to get coffee.

“Bullshit!” Hero shouted, face contorted in rage. If Techie hadn’t watched their look of horror at Villain’s screams just moments before, they would’ve thought that Hero wasn’t afraid. But they knew.

And they wish they didn’t.

Techie knew a lot of things like that.

“Why are you so concerned for them? They’re a villain, after all. They’re your nemesis. So why couldn’t you get them under control?”

“Because—because—because fuck you that’s why!”

Techie had to admire Hero’s gall. Once, Hero would never have spoken to Leader like that. The old Hero would’ve been on their knees long ago, begging Leader’s forgiveness for speaking out of turn. Techie allowed themself a small smile despite the dread curling in their stomach.

Hero shouldn’t be here. The only one who deserved to be in that cell was Techie. If Leader knew of all the information they’d scrubbed from the internet, all the phone numbers and names and addresses kept in no database but Techie’s own brain… everything they’d hidden from Leader and the rest of their team….

Leader threw their head back and laughed. Techie jumped and returned their attention to the security footage. Hero’s face was now a mix of that same anger with a slight hint of fear and confusion.

“I… I just…” Leader giggled, composing themself, “I just find all of this quite ridiculous. You see, they claimed that they saw your wounds. And tended to them!”

They waved a hand vaguely in the air. Techie didn’t miss how Hero flinched back at the sudden motion. “Which can only mean, of course, that you sought them out after your fluke of an escape. How did you do that anyway?”

Hero set their jaw. A brief flash of panic set Techie on the edge of their seat, but Hero just repeated their first question. “What. Did. You. Do. To. Them.”

Leader smirked. “I didn’t feel like getting my hands dirty with their civilian blood.”

“I—they—” Hero stammered, the rage returning to their face, “Villain’s no civilian! They’re the best shot in the whole city, maybe even the entire world! The people they protect aren’t afraid of Villain, they actually care about their protector! They’re a better hero than you’ll ever be, you sadistic, abusive piece of shit!”

Techie slapped their own hand over their mouth, as if that would silence the traitorous words spilling from their former teammate’s lips. Hero really had changed. All fear was gone now, buried under the worry and anger for Villain. Did they… did they….

“I think I see now…” Leader said slowly, stepping forward. Hero stepped back, their hard expression cracking. But there was nowhere to run.

Leader slowly, agonizingly, backed Hero into the wall of the cell and reached out their hand, pressing gloved fingers around their throat. “You love them,” they hissed, voice so low Techie had to strain to make out the words, forcing out the word ‘love’ like a curse. “You actually love them. How can my protege be so naive as to think a villain would fall for them? Just because they only showed you a shred of kindness?”

Hero, for what it was worth, met their gaze evenly, but their knees shook, betraying their terror at Leader’s closeness. They didn’t speak, couldn’t speak, not with Leader’s hand around their throat, constricting like a python.

Techie’s mouth went dry. Leader wouldn’t actually kill Hero… would they? 

They couldn’t let Hero live, either.

Not when Hero was already declared dead.

“This is all my fault,” they murmured under their breath, staring blankly at the screen as Hero’s face began to turn red. They couldn’t even grasp at the hand choking them, Leader’s other hand was tightly wrapped around the power suppression cuffs, keeping them down. “I should’ve listened to you. Should’ve gone with you when I had the chance.”

The night of Hero's escape, half of the city-wide power grid went completely dark. Their team headquarters was one of the affected buildings. It was later determined that the culprit had been sabotage, but the perpetrator was never found. Hero escaped when their power suppression cuffs, kept continuously charged via a wireless beacon in the headquarters, unexpectedly ran out of power.

Techie had claimed ignorance. What other choice did they have? It was bad enough when Hero ran to the control room first to convince Techie to run away with them. Techie had to convince Hero to knock them out before fleeing. Hero's hesitance almost cost them both their lives.

“I thought I could do more good from here. Instead… I’m so sorry.” Techie’s finger hovered over a button on their console. A dark blue one. Something they’d installed shortly after Hero’s escape, out of paranoia that something exactly like this would happen.

“I was wrong. I failed to keep you safe. I failed to keep Youngest safe.”

They closed their eyes.

"I'm sorry.

"But I'm going to make it right."

And pressed the button.

[iztea]

I confess!

I'm curious to hear your thoughts hehe.

wdym by "beastzai's plan failed in a way, which makes it even more tragic"?

since his goal was to make oda live and be happy, wouldn't that mean his plan was a success? since oda got to live in the end

do y'all really read all my tags man i was just rambling😭

okkk yes of course, he did succeed in the sense that yeah, Oda gets to live here, but when i said that "his plan failed" i meant it in a broader, existential sense. he thought he was going to offer Oda this peaceful, ideal world by playing God and orchestrating everything, but (if we consider the Beast movie that shows the aftermath canon) his death caused a big havoc and hurt a lot of people in the process. Chuuya got mad and destroyed the city and they planned to attack the ADA as some sort of revenge, which doesn't sound like a Very Good Time for Oda. To him, Oda is more important than the world he lives in so he is willing to burn it all down for him, but wouldn't that affect Oda's "happiness" as well? Yes, he succeeded in making sure Oda lives, but he failed in achieving the ideal, quiet world where he gets to write his books that he hoped for, he failed in mending bridges, he failed in realizing just how important his own life is to those around him (Atsushi, Chuuya, even Aktgw) and simulatenously (and quite ironically) just how "unimportant" he is in the eyes of Beast!Oda himself (the bar scene). Overall, he failed in being this hidden "hero" who played the role of a villain. And even if we don't consider the Beast movie canon, the story ends with his death; we only get a few scenes after that so, just like him, the audience doesn't get to see the future, it's left to speculation. I think he was so blinded by his one and only true goal that he overlooked his own significance in this world; that he will also be missed when he dies, if not on a personal level, then at least on a "political" level --being the boss of PM and all of that. He just passes the mess he's made to sskk and almost hopes things will sort themselves out, but the thing is.... he doesn't know and, by extension, we don't know either which makes up the entire tragedy of his character, his plan and story overall. That's why i said his plan "failed in a way" -heavy emphasis on the *in a way* part. Maybe failed is not the right word but again, i didn't think anyone would read my tagggs bhjsd tl;dr it's like that "we did it, Patrick! We saved the city" spongebob meme

[recurring-polynya]

My Top 5 Bleach Filler Characters, Appropos of Nothing

5. Inaba Kagerouza, Reigai Arc

Inaba is, simply put, the pinnacle of Soul Society worldbuilding. He's got this long dramatic backstory and a bunch of rage bottled up in his chest, but also a guy needs a paycheck, so he's just been doing the R&D grind for a hundred years. He knows a shit-ton about the Dangai, which is relevant to his evil scheme, but it's also just his day job (also the Dangai owns, I want a PhD in "the Dangai"). No one else in Squad 12 seems to have the least bit of beef with him, even after he builds an evil duplicate of every person in the Gotei. Unlike a lot of mad scientist characters, he's good with his weapon. Maybe he's weirdly jacked under his villainous smock?? Also, his evil scheme was generally well thought out, and took into account the fact that the Gotei is a bunch of buffoons. ngl, I kinda wish his plan had succeeded, if only for the fact that it would probably really piss Aizen off.

4. Ran'Tao, Bount Arc

Everything about Ran'Tao owns, including:

Sexy glasses

Condemned so hard by the Central 46 that they gave her a kidou seal back tattoo

KIDOU. SHOTGUN.

Stabbed Kariya in the gut

Noped out at the end of the arc because Who Needs the Gotei's Shit?

3. Kuchiki Kouga, Zanpakutou Rebellion Arc I think that when you hear the story about how Byakuya was forbidden from marrying Hisana because she was a commoner, you're supposed to feel this great sense of injustice, like wow! Byakuya actually showed character by standing up for his love! And that's great and all, and then you get the Zanpakutou Rebellion Vintage Kuchiki Bullshit Flashbacks and it's like, oh, the last guy they married into the clan mass murdered a bunch of people and then they had to seal him up in a cave and I feel like that's an important piece of context in the entire Kuchiki Family-Being-a-Bitch-About-Who-Byakuya-Marries debacle.

Which isn't to exonerate the Kuchiki, here! It's very clear that Kouga wasn't that bad before he got pushed over the brink by Kuchiki family machinations. I mean, this is very much an Everyone's The Asshole situation.

I love the fact that they never come out and say that Kouga is Byakuya's uncle, but he's very obviously Byakuya's uncle.

I love the fact that he dramatically cut his kenseikan off with his sword and threw them at Ginrei and they made a gree card of it.

I love that he appears to be exactly Renji's height and has one chunk of hair that is the same color as Renji's and he over-accessorizes horrifically, and at best the Squad Six old-timer's had to be like "Byakuya don't do this to us again" when he hired Renji, and at worst there's a chance that Renji the secret baby that was born after Kouga was banished and he was hidden away in the Rukon so he didn't screw up the succession line but he's actually the true Heir to the Kuchiki.

2. Harugasaki Seizo, standalone episode 313 This dude had a homoerotic rivalry with Ikkaku (doomed, of course, because who could compete with Yumichika?), lost his shinigami powers when he took a blow meant for Ikkaku, and then spent the next hundred years putting his entire pussy into doing laundry for Squad 11. This man invented yearning, even if he did choose the worst possible person in the history of ever as the target of his affection.

1. Amagai Shuusuke, New Captain Shuusuke Amagai Arc He looks like Ross Poldark. He can't hold his liquor. No one knows who witnessed his Captain's Exam. Ukitake and Kyouraku tried to talk him into a threesome. He was nice to Kira. His bankai was a tuba that made a foghorn noise when it belched out fire. His dad was the shinigami equivalent of a narc, who got done dirty by the Captain-Commander. He fought the Dangai Cleaner and won. I love him more than anything.

Honorable Mention: Kenryuu and Enryuu, New Captain Shuusuke Amagai Arc Because they are an important reminder that for all the shinigami buffoonery I am forced to witness, day in and day out, some people graduate from Shin'ou, get shikai even, and still can't get hired by the Gotei.

[chaotic-orphan]

Could you do a story where a guard of a Supermax prison befriends a supervillain, because he treats him like a genuine human being instead of an animal; and later, all the power-dampeners suddenly fail; and all these villains just revolt against the guards; but supervillain makes sure he’s safe since he was always kind to him?

I apologize if you don’t take asks, I wasn’t sure!!

I absolutely take asks! It’s confusing because I made Orphan a secondary blog by accident, and I don’t think the ask shows up but please don’t be afraid to send them!

This looks fun thank you very much!

*~*~*~*~*

When Superhero brought Supervillain to the Supermax prison, Jack and Rufus were on duty to bring Supervillain to his specially made holding cell. Fabricator had been in the Daedalian all week, making sure that Supervillain’s cell would hold him for his entire sentence.

Rufus was impatient after getting word from Superhero that Supervillain was apprehended and on route to secure him in the Daedalian.

The prison was called the Daeds colloquially, or at least that’s what Jack and everyone around him had always called it. The Daeds, not a very terrifying name but its idea was that the prison was like the labyrinth that Daedalus made in Greek mythology, keeping the minotaur at bay. Or in this case: keeping the Villains away from the rest of society and keeping the rest of society away from the Villains.

“Do I look okay?” Rufus asked for the seventh time since Superhero’s warning. He was sitting at the reception desk while Jack stood behind the reception desk, arms folded leaning against the wall, eyes focused on the doors.

“You look fine,” said Jack without looking at him.

“We’re going to meet Superhero; I want to make a good impression.”

“I’m sure Superhero will have other things on his mind than to notice you,” said Jack, voice dry and mocking. Rufus turned in his seat to throw a glare Jack’s way.

“I know you’re new here, Rookie,” said Rufus, knowing Jack hated the name, “So let me give you some advice if you don’t want to be a Rookie for the rest of your life. Superhero sees talent and professionalism as commodities and if you get on his good side then you get promoted.”

“Oh yeah?” Jack asked, raising his brows, taking his eyes off the door and looking at Rufus.

“Yeah,” Rufus said, a superior smile gracing his ugly, rat-like face.

“How’s that working out for ya?”

Jack suppressed a smile when the insult landed on Rufus’s ears. He opened to his mouth to argue back but stopped at the noise. Jack’s eyes went to the doors as they heard the familiar buzz of the prison doors, followed by commotion.

Rufus’s retort was lost on his lips as he straightened, standing up to greet their guests. Even Jack fixed his uniform before the double doors opened in front of them.

Sidekick came in first, tall, skinny, face hidden behind a mask that covered his mouth. Jack couldn’t remember his power but could tell from the way they held himself that Sidekick wasn’t one to be messed with.

Maybe the superiority came with the job description as Superhero’s assistant.

“Hello, Superhero will bring Supervillain in in a moment. They told me to warn you again, not to look Supervillain in the eyes.”

“Of course, Sidekick,” Rufus said, bowing his head solemnly.

Jack tilted his head. “Doesn’t Supervillain have power dampeners on?”

Sidekick looked back at Jack, eyes narrowing slightly at being questioned.

“Always good to be cautious,” said Sidekick coldly.

“Of course, Sidekick. You are absolutely right. You will have to excuse Rookie here, they are new.”

“Right. This is the way things are, Rookie,” said Sidekick with a roll of his eyes.

“My name’s Jack,” said Jack flatly. “Maybe with you heroes this is the way things are, yeah. However, in the Daeds your job is done, respectfully, Sidekick. We’ll handle things our way.”

“Jack!” Rufus chided, and at this point Jack didn’t care anymore. If Sidekick was going to be rude, then Jack could be too.

Sidekick narrowed his eyes further at Jack’s comment but couldn’t speak further on the matter when the doors opened again, and Superhero walked in.

A hush fell over the room. Superhero had a hand on Supervillain’s elbow as they escorted him in. They both looked like shit, but Supervillain was definitely the worse off of the pair. Jack noticed the Sentinels from the permitter of the prison follow behind.

Two stayed on the other side of the door, two more followed Supervillain and Superhero inside, standing like statues with guns ready to fire at any point. Their faces covered by visors, and Jack wasn’t entirely sure they were human, but they gave them the creeps, nonetheless.

Jack noticed Rufus bow his head and make a point of not looking directly at Supervillain, but Jack stared at his ruffed-up face as they entered. Supervillain’s face was covered in bruises, some an old, fading green like the one on his jaw, and the newer ones angrier looking, a mix of purple, blues and reds.

Blood was crusted on Supervillain’s upper lip and chin from what Jack could only imagined came when Superhero broke Supervillain’s nose. The broken nose and busted lip and blood trails only added to Supervillain’s already roguish appearance. A devil-may-care smile made its way onto his lips when he saw Rufus bow his head on Superhero’s command.

His grey eyes widened slightly when he met Jack’s, and he tilted his head slightly, smile growing more bemused than smug.

“Hello Rufus, good to see you. Have all the arrangements been made for the security of Supervillain like I asked?”

“Yes, Superhero. Uh good to see you too! All requirements for, um, the prisoner’s cell have been fulfilled.”

“Marvellous,” Superhero sighed, then nodded at Rufus. “If you will show me the way I can escort him.”

“Of course, Superhero,” said Rufus, grabbing the keycard from behind the desk and nodding. “Right away, Superhero.”

“Actually— “said Jack without thinking, and then instantly regretted it when all eyes turned on them. Two pairs unfriendly, one set tired, and one set of eyes curious, surprised even. “The protocol is you sign in the prisoner here and we take it from there.”

Supervillain suppressed a laugh, lips curling in on themselves as he turned his head away with a slight breathy huff.

Superhero cocked an eyebrow, glancing from Jack to Rufus for an explanation. Rufus was instantly at Jack’s side, slapping him on the arm.

“Forgive them, Superhero… they— “

“They’re new,” informed Sidekick curtly.

Superhero blinked. “I— okay? Nice to meet you, we can discuss this further after I have made sure that Supervillain is secured.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you beyond this point,” said Jack, standing his ground. “No member of the public— “

“I am not just a member of the public,” Superhero interjected, more confused than angry. Although Jack noted, Sidekick’s stare had enough hatred in his gaze for them both. “I am— “

“Not just a member of the public,” said Jack coolly, cutting them off, “but a member of the public no less. Unless you are officially authorised— “

“Of course, they are officially authorised,” Rufus said through gritted teeth.

Jack shrugged. “Sorry, I just didn’t see any papers. I have no problem letting you through if you have the authorisation, Superhero.”

Supervillain let out a squeak before he swallowed the rest of his chuckle.

It was Sidekick who answered: “call the Mayor, she’ll give the authorisation.”

“Not political authorisation. Legal authorisation.”

Superhero was starting to grow more tired by the minute. “Listen, kid— “

“Officer,” Jack supplied helpfully.

Superhero grit his teeth at being cut off again. “Officer, I always bring in Villains. I understand there is a need to prove yourself, however— “

“However, section 38 of the regulatory arrests by Heroes act says that in regard to the apprehension of Villains, and or, Supervillains, by a Hero, and or Superhero, a Hero will be permitted to bring a Villain into the custody of [Supermax prison].”

“So let them in,” said Sidekick, but Jack just smiled at them.

“You are permitted only to bring a Villain into the custody of the Daeds. However, I realise you want to bring Supervillain into the cell and make sure he is secured. In that case, I assume that you have an order pursuant to section 38, paragraph 3A.”

Superhero blinked at Jack, while Sidekick stepped forward threateningly. “Do you know how long of a day we’ve had? Just forego the fucking Heroes Arrest Act and let us through.”

Jack’s eyes were cool when they found Sidekick’s blue ones that were blazing with hellfire. Jack stepped forward, matching Sidekick’s stance, and thankfully he was roughly the same height as Sidekick otherwise it would have been awkward.

“I’m afraid this is a prison, Sidekick. Laws apply here. I can’t just disregard statute, and unlawfully allow you to enter to satisfy your tantrum. Unless you want me to authorise everyone to be allowed entry to the most secure prison in the country?” Sidekick’s jaw set hard, but they were the first to look away and step back slightly. Jack turned his attention back to Superhero who was far more amiable.

“I am assuming by Sidekick’s anger that you don’t have the proper authorisation to bring Supervillain further. I will take Supervillain off your hands and make sure they are secured and properly handled under our care. You have my word. Rufus, here, will take care of the proper paperwork you have to sign,” Jack said, taking a bit of joy in Sidekick’s furious helplessness.

Superhero, who looked like shit too, just nodded, rubbing their temple at the many, many words Jack was spouting. To be honest, they didn’t want to sign paperwork. They just wanted to get home and have a long hot shower. Order a takeaway. Relax.

“Okay,” said Superhero with a nod. “We’ll do that. Stand down, Sidekick.”

“But— “

“We can talk to the mayor, tomorrow,” said Superhero, staring at Jack with a measured gaze and a neutral expression.

“Give the Mayor my best,” said Supervillain casually as Superhero handed Supervillain over to Jack.

“He’s your problem now,” said Superhero. “Good luck.”

Jack nodded at Superhero, then turned and brought Supervillain through to processing. Only after the doors closed with a loud beep did Jack let out a breath, he didn’t know he was holding.

“Very bold of you to stand up to Superhero,” Supervillain mused, voice teasing. “What was your name again, Officer?”

“I didn’t give it,” Jack said with a shrug.

Supervillain hummed. “Of course, what is your name then Officer?”

“Officer will do just fine,” Jack replied curtly, heart hammering against his chest.

“Of course, Officer. And is your background in law, or do you just like to know your rights?”

“I’d prefer if we didn’t talk about me if it’s all the same to you.”

Supervillain went quiet for a moment. Then said, “alright. You’re a smart one, never give anything for free.”

“It’s just not professional,” Jack said after a hesitant pause. Why did he feel he needed to explain his behaviour to Supervillain of all people?

“Of course, I understand Officer. I’m guessing I never killed anyone belonging to you since you’re very calm and collected in my handling. Unlike Sidekick.”

Jack clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “I’d prefer if you stopped trying to get me to talk to you, Supervillain.”

Supervillain went very tense under Jack’s hand and Jack was sure that Supervillain was going to strangle him there and then. Then, Supervillain relaxed and nodded.

“I can respect that, Officer.”

That was it.

Supervillain didn’t speak again, didn’t put up a fuss or plead or try and persuade Jack to free him. He didn’t make another offer or attempt to start a conversation. He followed all the procedures up to, and including, taking his cuffs off when he was in the cell.

“This place…” Supervillain said, a shiver running down his spine. “It’s strange. Unnatural. With the power dampeners you can still feel your power underneath them, trying to escape but here— I just feel empty.”

Supervillain looked at Jack through the bars, grey eyes apologetic as he spoke. “I’m sorry. I just— I talk a lot. It’s strange.”

“I’ll bring by dinner and get the Doctor to fix you up in a while.”

“Thank you, Officer.”

Jack didn’t say anything to that as he left. He didn’t know how to respond and even if he did what would he say?

I’m sorry you’re uncomfortable?

This is what you get for the blood on your hands?

Neither of them seemed satisfactory to Jack so he left the room in silence. Leaving Supervillain’s words of gratitude lingering on the air.

                                        *~*~*~*~*

Rufus didn’t talk to Jack for a few days after “embarrassing” them in front of Superhero and Sidekick. Jack honestly wished he knew how to get Rufus to shut up sooner, or he would’ve done it weeks ago.

Alastair laughed when Jack told him the story in the locker room two days later. Alastair was pulling on his steel toed boots, sitting on the bench in the middle of the locker room while Jack buttoned up the shirt of his uniform.

“Damn, kid,” he said in his rough, northern accent. “I don’t know if I would have done that.”

Jack furrowed his brows. “What do you mean?”

Alastair shrugged and said: “Superhero is a powerful enemy to have.”

“Superhero didn’t really have the problem; it was more Sidekick.”

“Same difference.”

“How?” Jack asked. “The law is the law. I can’t bend the rules for the superhero who seeks to enforce them.”

“I’m not saying you should. I’m just saying you’re braver than I am.”

Jack smiled at that, as he pulled his tie from his locker and wrapped it around his neck.

“Well, that makes sense. Your bones old and weary now.”

“I can still beat you in a fight ya wee shit,” Alastair said without hesitation. Jack let out a loud, bold laughter at that, and Alastair joined in soon after.

*~*~*~*~*

Alastair got off the phone later that same day and let out a sigh. Jack was just coming back from his lunch, and when Alastair’s eyes landed on him, he beamed with a devilish glint in his eyes.

“Chef doesn’t want to give Supervillain his food,” said Alastair.

Jack wrinkled his nose at that. “Why?”

“Afraid he might hex them or something. Said he can’t afford to be fired if he tries to stab one of us later.”

“Just tell him that his powers don’t— “

Alastair waved Jack away. “Ya can’t explain all that high spec shit to the superstitious small-town folk, Jack. The only reason there’s a small town here is because the Daeds makes jobs, and jobs mean people and people mean towns and schools and — “

“So, what, did Supervillain not even get breakfast?” Jack asked, incredulous. Alastair shook his head with a resigned “Nope.”

“Fuck. Well…”

“That’s what I said too, Jack,” Alastair said with a mischievous grin. “I told Chef it’s fine. Jack is immune to Supervillain’s powers and that you’ll bring him his meals every day.”

“Everyday? I don’t work seven days, Alastair.”

“I guess he’ll starve then when you’re out, won’t he?”

Jack glared at Alastair. Then shook his head and sighed. “I’ll arrange something with Chef for when I’m not working. Maybe double up on meals or something.”

“God damn, kid,” Alastair grinned, beaming his handsome smile at Jack. “You just solve all my problems.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jack said, waving him off as they headed for the Supermax ward of the Daedalian. “You just sit here and rest, wouldn’t want you breaking something if you had to actually work.”

“Come back and say that to my face,” Alastair threatened as Jack swiped his card to the iron bolt doors.

“Get hearing aids, old man.”

Alastair quipped something back, but the door had closed in that time leaving Jack alone in the hallway that connected the reception desk to the Supermax ward.

The closest ward to the Guard’s hut, and consequently, the Sentinels. Jack had to pass them at every corner once they got into Maximum Security. The cold, unfeeling things, always staring vacantly through his visors down at Jack.

Maybe they would bring Supervillain his food on Jack’s days off.

The thought of speaking to one of the sentinels scared Jack more than Supervillain starving to death on his watch. So, Jack would have to figure out something else.

*~*~*~*~*

Supervillain’s cell was locked behind locked door on locked door, on a locked ward from a locked corridor and buried under 50 feet of concrete. If there was any signal going awry in the prison, Fabrikator would know and would be alerted with her strange power that there was a fault and come fix it.

The best repair woman to have around, but her eyes were always a little to the left of you in a conversation, like she was seeing things that normal people didn’t.

When the final doors opened up to get into Supervillain’s cell, Jack took a breath then walked in. The door closed and locked behind Jack and couldn’t be opened from this side anyway. He had to wait for the person at the desk to buzz them out.

Supervillain was sitting on his bed at the back of the cell. His grey eyes found Jack’s and they smiled. His colour was better, his face a little less bruised. Now just more swollen than sore looking.

“I thought you were going to starve me,” said Supervillain, voice dry and crackling from disuse.

“Oh, we are,” said Jack, and Supervillain froze. “This is my lunch. I just thought I’d torture you with it.”

Supervillain raised his eyebrows, questioning how stupid they look at moving to stand from the bed. “I— “

“I’m just joking,” Jack said, smiling and walking over to the bars of the cell. “Sorry. The chef is superstitious. Afraid you’re going to control his mind and make them do awful things.”

“Who can blame them, really,” said Supervillain. His tone was self-deprecating, but behind it, Jack detected something sad. He pushed the tray through the hole in the bars, and Supervillain took it. “Thank you, Jack. Your kind to bring me this.”

Jack stepped back and nodded. “It’s a basic human right, Supervillain.”

“Some people say I’m not human,” Supervillain said, bringing the tray to the table and sitting down at it. Plastic knife and fork and spoon.

“I think with all the shitty things you’ve done, Supervillain, you could only be human. You scare people because you’re powerful, yes, but I don’t think that’s the extent of the fear you get.”

“No?”

“No,” said Jack, “I think people fear you more because you’re a reminder of who we all have the capacity to be.”

“Hmm,” was all Supervillain replied as he cut into his roast chicken dinner. Jack stood there for a while, more because Chef said that he has to collect the tray and the dishes.

Supervillain didn’t leave him waiting long. It must have only been five minutes when Supervillain sat back with a big sigh and a satisfied smile. Those grey eyes found Jack’s and his smile almost softened. Or maybe Jack was just imagining it.

“Please give my compliments to the chef, Officer.”

Jack let out a little awkward laugh. “I would, but they’d probably think it was a spell that you were using to control them.”

Supervillain laughed a little at that too. He picked up the tray and brought it to the bars, sliding it through for Jack to take.

“Officer, if you don’t mind, can I request a favour?”

“I can’t— “

“Just some bottles of water,” Supervillain asked, voice low and kind and a little pleading. “I can go without food, it’s just— “

Jack softened and nodded, taking the tray from Supervillain’s hands. “I’ll bring some more back to you at Dinnertime?”

“Thank you, Officer,” he said, his smile genuine.

Jack waved at the camera and the room filled with the sound of buzzing, the door opening slowly for Jack to leave through. He waited until it was closed, a voice in his mind locking down his nerves and muscles and rooting him in place. Just to make sure the door closed properly, and sealed.

The light of the lock flashed from green to red, and Jack could move again. He was fine. Supervillain was secure. He made his way back to the kitchens to talk to chef and make sure Supervillain doesn’t go without food.

To get to the kitchens, Jack had to pass by the moderate security prison for powered individuals. They were far rowdier and more boisterous than Supervillain.

“What’s this? Jack, you get demoted to kitchen duty?” Other Villain jeered. Jack ignored them and kept walking.

*~*~*~*~*

Jack was off for two days after that, and all they could think about was Supervillain. If he was fed, if he was starving, if someone remembered to top up his bottles of water.

It was driving them crazy. He should be relaxing but no, here they were, forgetting his grocery list as they stared at the multipack bottles of water in the supermarket and all they could think about was fucking Supervillain.

He needed to figure out a better way to make sure Supervillain had his basic needs attended to before he could actually relax on a day off.

Jack shook his head and went back to his shopping list and tried to push thoughts of Supervillain from his mind.

*~*~*~*~*

“Was Supervillain fed?”

It was the first question Jack asked when they walked out of the locker room. Rufus was on with them today and didn’t move or do anything to acknowledge Jack’s question.

“Rufus.”

Silence.

Jack rolled his eyes and walked up to the reception desk, slamming his hands down on it. Rufus looked up, a horribly smug smile on his face that made them look like a goblin.

“Oh, hi Jack. How were your days off?”

“Great. Was supervillain fed?”

“Hmm, Supervillain… Supervillain… nope,” Rufus said, popping the P. “Doesn’t ring a bell Rooks. Are they a new admission?”

“You’re such a dick, Rufus,” Jack all but growled, walking behind the desk and scanning his key card to maximum security. The door buzzed and Jack slammed it open, half jogging to the kitchens to talk to Chef.

“Hi Chef,” Jack said a bit breathless. He must have looked a sight.

Chef turned and smiled a wide smile at Jack. “Ah! Jack. Thank God. I have the voodoo man’s breakfast prepared for you.”

Jack followed Chef’s hand to the tray set aside away from the rest. Jack walked over and picked it up, thanking Chef.

“Did Supervillain get food when I wasn’t in, Chef?” Jack asked, turning back to face them.

Chef nodded proudly. “Yes Jack. I recruited Rufus and Alastair to feed him when you are gone.”

Jack blinked. “And they did?”

“Yes Jack. Or they ate the tray and returned it. Either way, I am happy.”

Jack’s hands tightened on the tray creaking the flimsy plastic slightly. Jack nodded and said nothing, he didn’t trust his voice to speak so he left with Chef’s comment hanging in the air.

A seed of worry planted itself into Jack’s stomach lining and ricocheted out into a ball of anxiety at what he might find at Supervillain’s cell. If he’d be alive or not. Two days without water, Supervillain could survive that right?

The anxiety didn’t leave Jack, in fact it got worse the closer they got closer to Supervillain’s cell up to the very point that he was buzzed through and opened the door to Supervillain’s cell.

He barely registered the door locking with a buzz as he half jogged over to the bars of Supervillain’s cell. Jack’s eyes went to the lump in the bed under covers and rapped on the bars with the tray.

“Hey, Supervillain. It’s breakfast,” Jack announced, his mind reeling with the same mantra: please don’t be dead, please don’t be dead, please don’t be dead.

“Supervillain?!” Jack asked, voice rising in pitch. The lump stirred in bed and Jack felt the anxiety flood out of him, his shoulders sagging in relief.

He was still alive.

“Off— “Supervillain said with a dry throat, cutting himself off with a raspy cough.

“I have water,” Jack said quickly. Too quickly, too eager, why did Jack even care? Because someone had to so Supervillain doesn’t sue them, a pragmatic voice told Jack and he nodded.

It had to be that.

 Totally.

Supervillain moved slow, languid. Each movement an effort. Jack frowned. Surely, he wasn’t that famished from hunger?

It was when Supervillain turned to face Jack that drew his expression into a horrified one and stepped back. Supervillain was bloody and bruised, but these weren’t the old bruises. They were fresh, new. The bandage that Doctor used to set the swelling on Supervillain’s nose was covered in blood, re-broken. The stitches from the cut through Supervillain’s eyebrow was reopened, dark blood crusting over it and his lips were bruised and darkened by blood.

“What— “Jack began but shook his head. “Who did this?!”

Supervillain managed a smile, cracking some of the dried blood from his lips and stood from the bed. The moment he placed weight on his leg Supervillain collapsed, coughing and sputtering dryly, barely catching himself before his head hit the hard floor of the cell.

Jack put the tray on the ground and opened the doors to the cell before sense told him otherwise and ran to Supervillain’s side with a bottle of water. He put a useless hand on Supervillain’s back and Supervillain flinched.

The scariest, biggest, baddest Villain of all time flinched from Jack’s touch.

Jack took his hands off Supervillain as if it burned and sat back, giving Supervillain some space. Jack looked on helpless, worrying his bottom lip and said: “I have water. I need you to sit up, if you can. I won’t touch you, but you need to help me here.”

Jack needed Supervillain to work with him so they could see the extent of the damage. Supervillain composed themselves, sucking in a sharp breath with an arm wrapped protectively around his ribs they sat up, pressing his back against his bed frame.

Up close everything looked worse; his bruises looked angrier, his blood looked black, and his face was far too pale to be okay.

Jack opened the lid of the water bottle and handed it over to Supervillain who took it with a wince of a smile and drank greedily from it. They were drinking so fast that some of the water ran down the corners of his mouth and Supervillain yanked the bottle away with a sharp hiss as the water hit some of the cuts on his mouth.

Jack leaned forward but Supervillain’s eyes shot to him, wild, wounded and angry and Jack stopped, pausing uselessly.

“Sorry— “Supervillain offered; his voice had a little more volume to it now. He sounded like an off-brand Supervillain instead of the real, terrifying one. Jack shook his head and got to his feet.

“It’s okay. I have food for you too.”

Jack felt Supervillain’s grey eyes follow his every movement and when he turned back to face him, Supervillain had a wry smile at the open door to his cell.

“No fear of me escaping like this, is there?” he asked with a dark chuckle.

Jack placed the tray down beside Supervillain and back up a few steps, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the wall.

“Who did this to you? Was it Rufus?”

Supervillain shrugged weakly and winced again. “How do you know it was a Rufus?”

“They’re the only ones with keys to your cell,” Jack spat. Supervillain hummed, picking at the food on his tray and then pushing it away.

“Maybe I did it to myself,” Supervillain mused taking another sip of water, being careful to drink slower this time.

Jack rolled his eyes and said, “if you want me to believe you just got up and beat yourself bl— “

Supervillain’s eyes cut Jack off. “I didn’t say anything about beating myself up, Officer. Just that maybe as a result of my actions this is what karma has in store for me.”

Jack’s frown deepened at Supervillain’s reply, brows furrowing.

“You— you can’t seriously think that!”

“And if I do?” Supervillain asked, voice more like velvet again. He tilted his head at Jack’s expression, grey eyes smiling smug. “Just because I am a villain, Officer, does not mean I don’t understand consequence. In fact, as a villain, I think I understand it more than the average civilian.”

“You’re not in a prison to be beaten by the people who are meant to ensure you serve your sentence, Supervillain.”

Supervillain pursed his busted lips. “Maybe not. Or maybe, I’m in a prison to serve my time and repent my sins. I’m in here for justice’s sake. Perhaps justice means different things to different people.”

“Maybe,” Jack replied hotly, stepping forward and dropping to a crouch, looking Supervillain in the eye, hands bawled into fists at his sides, “but standards of practice don’t, so tell me who did this to you so I can bring them to justice. Please?”

Supervillain smirked and sat back against the bed frame staring up at Jack with smiling eyes and replied: “Officer, I did it to myself.”

Jack shook his head with a huff and stood, walking towards the cell door again and locking it. Looking back through the bars, Jack said: “Try and eat some more, I’ll get the doctor to come and check you out. Hopefully clean the cuts at the very least.”

“Thank you, Officer,” Supervillain said politely, and it felt like a punch to the gut.

*~*~*~*~*

After the Doctor saw Supervillain, Jack returned to reception, fury winding every nerve tight and hot. They moved faster, anger spurring him on more than energy. Once he swiped his card to reception, he threw the door open and stalked out, eyes zeroing in on Rufus’s back and strutting towards Rufus, looming over him.

Jack grabbed the back of the chair and swung it around.

“Oi!” Rufus exclaimed in surprise, but his mouth shut when he saw the look on Jack's face and an ugly smile spread across Rufus's face. “Jack! You've been gone so long, tell me, how is Supervillain doing?”

Jack didn't think.

He reached forward and grabbed Rufus by the collar of his shirt with both hands and dragged him from the chair. The wide-eyed surprise was enough of a gift, but it didn't satisfy Jack's anger. He didn't want Rufus to be surprised; he wanted him to be scared.

Jack pivoted on his foot and brought Rufus with him, slamming the weasel back against the support beam of the door. Rufus let out a harsh oomph and gasped when Jack twisted his wrists, turning his knuckles in on Rufus's collarbone and pressing down hard.

“You want to fucking ask me that again you piece of shit?”

“Who are you to do this to me!” Rufus screeched, indignant. Jack just yanked Rufus back and threw him back against the wall with ease. Rufus gasped out again and wrapped his hands around Jack's wrists trying to remove them but failing. “I AM YOUR SUPERIOR!”

“You're a fucking idiot, Rufus. You attacked Supervillain in his cell. Admit it.”

“I only admit to doing what any rational person would do to a scumbag like him.”

“You are fucking psychopath! He isn't a threat in here! You abused your position of power by assaulting him.”

Rufus's eyes turned murderous. “And he didn't abuse his power when he was terrorising people in the streets, did he? When he was attacking businesses, people's livelihood? How many people died because he could abuse his power?”

“You should know better.”

“No, Jack. You should know better. Do you really think the rules apply to him? If he's willing to break them, he should be willing to have rules broken for him.”

Jack pinched his lips together at that, the logic was there, and Rufus was angry and Jack should just drop it. He sighed, grip loosening but not letting go completely. “You're not the law.”

“Either are you, hotshot. You glib know-it-all bastard. You just think you're so smart, don't ya? Well,” Rufus said, screwing his nose up in disgust and pressing forward against Jack's knuckles harder. Jack breath came out faster, heart beating harder, lips curled back. “I know you're just another bastard kid from the Daeds whose father probably abandoned him when he saw you in the crib after he left you and your whore mo-”

Rufus didn't get to finish because Jack had shot a swift uppercut to his nose.

“YOU FUCKING BRAT!” Rufus wailed, stumbling to the side and holding his nose as blood gushed from it. “YOU BROKE MY NOSE!”

“What's all the--” Alastair said, coming out from the break room along with the sentinels who had drawn his guns at the pair. Alastair's eyes went wide, taking in the scene within a second and was already moving towards them, telling the sentinels to “stand down. I got this.”

The sentinels obeyed with a heavy shuffle, returning to his eased position guns no longer pointing at Jack and Rufus. He left his sandwich on the counter and Rufus saw him and cried, “Alastair thank god! Jack's out of control! The little bastard-”

Jack didn't think. They just moved. His fist was caught before it could make contact and they almost growled his displeasure.

“Call me a bastard again you fucking coward!” Jack yelled as Alastair bent Jack's wrist behind his back and slammed his front against the wall. Jack struggled, head butting back trying to get Alastair off them, but Alastair was twice as big and twice as strong as Jack. He just placed a hand on the back of Jack's neck and held them still. “Get off me!”

Instead, Alastair turned to Rufus and said: “go get cleaned up. I'll deal with him.”

“Be careful,” Rufus sneered, “Jack's gone feral.”

Jack struggled more in Alastair's grip until his wrist was pushed further up his back and Jack hissed in pain through gritted teeth.

“Go to Doctor,” Alastair ordered, “and don't say another word or I'll let Jack break something else.”

Jack struggled futilely in Alastair's hold, trying with all his might to push back but Alastair had him effectively restrained so he had to wait for Alastair's orders.

“Ssh, kid,” Alastair said, voice gentle as he rubbed a thumb over the back of Jack's neck. Jack's struggles ceased, a warm wave of calm overcoming him. “Deep breaths, come on now. It's okay.”

Jack took deep breaths, in slowly, feeling his ribcage expanding against the cool wall and exhaling again. “You're okay. Relax, that's it.”

It took another three long deep breaths before Alastair said, “okay. I'm gonna let you go now, and you're going to tell me what happened okay?”

Jack nodded, even though it was hard to do with his cheek smashed against the wall but still somehow, he managed. Alastair released him then. The moment his contact ended Jack felt that warm calm that overtook them rinse away like cold rain and they turned wearily, rubbing his wrist which was already bruising and looked up hesitant at Alastair.

Alastair turned and walked to the countertop, grabbing his half-eaten sandwich and nodded for Jack to sit in the chair. Half fearing Alastair wrestling him into the chair, Jack sat obligingly and stared past Alastair like a bold child about to be scolded.

“What happened?”

“I went to see Supervillain today and he was beaten within an inch of his life.”

Alastair blinked and took a bite of his sandwich. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Jack asked, incredulous. “I just told you that a prisoner was beaten up under our watch.”

“And you assumed it was Rufus?”

“Who else would it be?” Jack hissed.

“Me,” said Alastair flatly and Jack sat back in his seat, shock forming an uncomfortable lump in his throat. “Doctor. Chef. Nurse. Fuck, one of the many cleaners?”

“They don't have keys to his cell.”

“Okay. So maybe one of them came to Rufus and asked for them. Maybe it was innocent, maybe it was nefarious, and Rufus knew what they planned, but that doesn't make Rufus responsible.”

“It's his responsibility to-”

��To step in the way of people's vengeance?”

“That's not-”

“Fair?” Alastair asked, raising his brows into arches. “Listen kid, I'm gonna tell you some truths about your new best friend, Supervillain, okay?”

“He's not-”

“Shut up, don't speak and just listen,” Alastair ordered and Jack's lips closed at the command. “Your pal that got ruffed up in his cell has murdered people, Jack. That's something you should remind your righteous moral compass when you're exercising judgement on his behalf. He has killed many, many people. Doctor's husband and daughter was two of them when he collapsed the train lines on seventh.”

That fact hit Jack like a stab in the gut. “She...” Jack said and then swallowed. “Doctor never told me.”

“Why would she?”

“But Doctor's fixed-” Jack began, but the fire burning in Alastair's eyes shut them up again.

“Yeah. Doctor does her job. Chef still cooks him dinner even though his brother and nephew were killed in the central bridge crash because of fucking Supervillain. George, the cleaner for us, his sick mother was in Westfront hospital when Supervillain gave Superhero that impossible ultimatum between the elementary school and the hospital, so don't come in here, acting like a righteous prick and being Supervillain's number one fan when you have no skin in the game.”

Jack was uncharacteristically quiet. The silence was deafening. Jack swallowed, eyes down and the guilt started weighing heavy on his chest.

After a few minutes of a terse silence, Jack looked up to apologise and noticed the bruises on Alastair's knuckles. His eyes stopped and stared. It felt like his stomach ran right off a cliff and was in freefall to the choppy, unknown waters below because Alastair would never…

It did not go unnoticed.

Alastair looked down with a fond kind of smile as he ran a thumb over the broken and bloodied skin that was fresh, only just scabbing over.

“My sister-in-law was in Westfront hospital in labour, about to give birth to my nephew. I was about to be an uncle. My brother was about to be a father. He lost everything in the incident. It ruined him, he blamed himself. She told him to go home and get a shower and sleep, and then she was dead. A week later he took his own life.”

A tear ran down Alastair's cheek and trailed down his strong jaw like a gentle trickle. It looked so foreign on his face, his usually happy-go-lucky charming face and smile.

“So don't you blame Rufus and go guns blazing giving him credit for my work again, Jack. Ya understand me?”

Jack felt the threat in his words.

Jack swallowed and nodded and said, “yeah. I understand.”

“Good. Then we won’t have any more problems here will we?”

Jack let his displeasure show through his petulant gaze, cocking an eyebrow at Alastair. “Depends. Will you beat up Supervillain in his cell again?”

“If the mood takes me, yeah.”

Jack sucked in a breath and set his jaw, looking to the doors of the Maximum security murderously. A strong hand reached forward and grabbed the head rest of the chair and turned it until Jack was facing Alastair again. Except it wasn’t the same Alastair that he knew. This one was strange, something uncanny and off glinting in the corner of his expression.

“I’m sorry it’s not the answer you want, kid, but it’s the truth. I’m not gonna lie to you, I’m still very fond of you and your integrity. I’m just trying to paint the picture for ya,” Alastair said leaning down, forcing Jack to sit back into the seat until his back was flush with the cushion and head rest. He was trapped under Alastair’s arm and body, and all he could do was glower up at Alastair’s charming smiling face that had an edge to it. “If you stand by Supervillain in here, you stand on your own.”

Jack pursed his lips swallowing a witty retort.

“Understand?”

“Understood.”

*~*~*~*~*

@annablogsposts sorry this took so long, I had to split it up into parts to get it out this week, I hope you enjoy!

[randomly--accessed--memories]

Just a tiny little side note; I’ve noticed another popular Vox headcanon throughout the fandom was that he had a daughter when he was alive - and said daughter was either

an innocent child who ends up dying tragically young directly before Vox’s death

an innocent child who ends up loosing her father when she was incredibly young and never truly knows how terrible he was

either way it leaves for Vox to suffer with emotions except NO! cause he suppresses them to the max lol (it causes more damage lmao!!!)

also seen people use this to layer Vox as a villain by showing more “softer sides” (well as soft as somebody like Vox could be)

Absent father who somewhat loves his kids to think about them & buy them plenty of gifts but not enough to actually be around

He will buy the ballet slippers but he will not be at the dance recital basically

Maybe juuusst maybe he will bring them along on “take your kid to work day” but will probably treat them like trophy children to show off

“Yeah. She got the 1st place in the spelling bee out of her entire elementary!! She’s also a piano prodigy! Ain’t she a smart girl? I’M such a good dad!!”

(Maybe Tom has gifted child burnout)

Oh, I wasn’t aware that Vox having kids was a popular headcanon. Yeah, Sarah definitely falls into the latter category; she lived to a ripe old age and clung on to the handful of fond memories of her dad, remaining in denial about how much of an asshole he really was, despite her brother and mother’s attempts to convince her otherwise (although the other day I came up with an idea where Vox’s kids die young in a car accident (their mother was driving under the influence) and end up in Hell for some reason. Vox probably kills their mom— partially out of anger for getting them killed, partially just because he wanted them for himself— or just picks them up off the streets if she survived the crash and takes them into his care. He keeps them hidden away (possibly in a literal fish tank since they’re both aquatic demons) to protect them from those who might try to harm them to get to him. He gives them all the material comforts they could ever want but never lets them out of his cameras' sight— he’s somehow both a helicopter parent and still super neglectful).

Vox sort of saw his kids more as facets of the “perfect life” he constructed for himself rather than as full people. The All-American Man™ was supposed to be the doting father of 2.5 kids, so that’s what he decided to be. Sarah slotted into that role well because of her timid, docile, and unconditionally loving personality, but Tommy was always more wise to how shitty and fake that image was and refused to fully play into it. As a result, Vox found it easier to interact with Sarah since she craved and would happily accept his affection/attention whenever he bothered to be around, whereas Tommy always looked at him with a more critical/resentful eye. He did genuinely love both his kids, but his self-absorption poisoned his relationships with them.

He’d provide them with all the material comforts they might need but never actually made time for them, only showing up when it was convenient for him. He loved bragging about their achievements to colleagues; he didn’t pressure them to excel that much since his own parents made his childhood miserable by constantly pushing him to be The Best at everything and he didn’t want to inflict that on them, although he could get pretty snappish when he felt like Tommy wasn’t performing his baseline role as The Happy, Perfect Son™. Vox would be thrilled if he ever reunited with him in Hell and learned he went into government— his son, a governor/state representative!— and even though Tom doesn’t want to want this asshole’s approval… he still kinda does.

Thankfully, after 170 years of Insane Stuff, Vox has gone through enough that when he reunites with Sarah in Heaven, he actually wants to build a real relationship with her. He has a hard time accepting his past faults as a father, but he’d too worn-down to continue being a phony asshole, and, well, now he’s got nothing but time to work on correcting those flaws.

[ravenalla]

Just watched the new helluva episode and..ugh okay opinions under the cut.

Some people are saying this episode is better than the others of season 2. And while visually it’s stunning and not as directly insulting as some of the others, I think this episode is one of the best examples of how these writers don’t understand pacing, comedic timing, or creating a coherent plot. The cuts between locations happen way too fast, some scenes feel like they were written under a minute just to add fluff (like the Moxxie hat fight, Blitz talking with the woman in the waiting room and the entire joke once again just being a character saying curse words or insults multiple times in a sentence, camera crews conveniently being at the hospital to see Stolas hurt for some reason.) Also god Stella. At least when they made her a one-dimensional boring villain she was competent at being one. Now she just looks like a whiny idiot so they could have her brother be there for no reason.

Speaking of which, that was a damn terrible introduction to Andrealphus. Unless your following updates about the show on Twitter, you don’t know who the fuck that is, why he’s here or what his connection to either Stella or Stolas is until now, there’s only been one passing mention she even had a brother before this. He’s just suddenly there with no proper introduction, and then Striker just appears now to kidnap Stolas in front of tons of other people (I guess him trying to kill Stolas with the angelic weapon hidden in the shadows didn’t matter that much after all) and take him back to an underground lair he has for some reason. He also brings up the classist system and Stolas’s bigotry but it doesn’t matter because he hurt the poor uwu prince baby 🙄 I swear it feels like this show is AI generated at this point, or at the very least the writers know that the pretty animation and shipping fuel will keep diehard fans around so they don’t actually have to make anything tightly written and can just do whatever random hodgepodge of scenes and dialogue they like. Which whatever its clear this show is just “the sex joke” show most of the time, but don’t then try to tell me this is some masterclass of writing and character development when the entire climax of Stolas and Blitz’s relationship problems at Ozzie’s was addresses ENTIRELY OFFSCREEN THROUGH TEXT MESSAGES. Even if you ship Stolas and Blitz, how the hell can you accept that? That’s the sloppiest way they could have handled that, I don’t even like this show and I feel disrespected lmao.

And just the way they tried to make us “feel” for their relationship this episode. Why the hell would Blitz be so shocked Stolas could get hurt, you literally fought Striker before because he was two seconds away from killing Stolas instantly otherwise?? You were hired to be his bodyguard in one episode! Like yeah maybe actually seeing it happen is causing the reality of it to sink in for Blitz, but everything we’ve been shown so far INCLUDING IN THIS EPISODE shows how much he does not care that much about Stolas and at best has a mild acceptance of him (at least outside of seeing stars which everybody’s already talked about how weird that entire thing was). I literally have no idea why we are suppose to be rooting for these two to get together at this point. It’s just watching uwu Stolas get hurt over and over again so we can pity the guy and wonder why Blitz wont love him boohoo 🙄 it’s annoying and not fun to watch. Also this might be more of a nitpick, but did anyone else think characters looked weirdly off model a lot in this episode? Like yeah the animation was impressive at some points during the action scenes but during regular dialogue it looked like it was done by a completely different studio than the other episodes, especially with Stella, Andrealphus, Millie, and Moxxie. Not sure what that’s about or if I’m just imagining it.

[akatsuki-shin]

I always wonder how Yaga-sensei and Geto's first interaction would be when they meet each other again in that airport afterlife after Yaga died. :')

At the end of the day, no matter how strong and mature he carried himself, Geto was still a 17-18 years old student a.k.a. a teenager when he got hit full in the face with the whole Riko's assassination case. It was probably his first ever, yet extremely hard-hitting trauma.

He literally:

Saw his best friend got stabbed through the chest by an unexpected assassin and had to leave him for the sake of their mission (and later got told he was killed)

Saw the person he was supposed to protect, who had also become a dear friend to him, got shot right before his eyes just as he thought they finally made it, just as he decided they would stake everything in order to grant her wish to live normally as a normal human girl and not a Star Plasma vessel

Saw so many non-sorcerers clapping happily at the corpse of an innocent middle schooler due to their personal, cultist obsession, when he has been living his entire life by the principles that sorcerers should protect non-sorcerers

Continued to exorcise curse after curse by himself, swallowing that horrifying taste of absorbing curses times and again, in order to keep protecting the non sorcerers while already seeing their ugly side in the worst form possible, all the while falling deeper and deeper into the darkness while being left out by his best friend that he thought was once his equal

I think Geto's calmness and maturity is a double-edged sword for himself. Had he been a bit more childlike, maybe his stress and confusion would've shown more on his face and behavior, allowing others to notice and talk to him about it. Had he possessed a more candid or emotional personality, maybe the stress would've made him more impulsive, which will lead to others trying to rein him in and eventually look for the sources of his impulsiveness.

But no, because he is calm and mature, he kept everything bottled up to himself and he kept it hidden so perfectly. Nobody noticed his stress, nobody noticed his confusion, his dilemma, his depression. Nobody realized he was going through great turmoil for so many days and weeks, unable to find a solution. He thought about it by himself, he dwelled in his confusion by himself. Nobody realized he needed help until he was broken beyond repair and exploded — everything at the mere age of 17-18 years old.

And that became one of Yaga's biggest regrets in his life.

After all, he was Geto's teacher. He was one of the very few adults in Geto's life that Geto looked up to and could rely on (or perhaps the only one even).

Despite his scary and stern-looking appearance, we saw him sharing a close relationship with his students, that they have mutual trust toward each other, and that he cared about his students even though he was not someone who would put his honest feelings into words.

(I mean, just look at this scene and try to tell me Yaga didn't love or care for these five dummies)

And yet despite being the only adult figure they could depend on, despite being their mentor and father-figure in that school, he let two of his students went through the worst experience in life:

Haibara getting killed for the most ridiculous reason that is the wrong mission brief

Geto succumbing to his trauma and depression, and ended up turning into a curse user

Granted, it wasn't Yaga's faults but more because of the flaws of the people governing the Jujutsu society from high above. But I'm 100% sure he felt regretful and responsible for what happened to Haibara and Geto.

He must be one of the first people who was informed about Geto massacring those villagers and I couldn't imagine how it felt for him, to hear his best-behaving student turning into a villain overnight. But he couldn't show it on his face because he needed to tell Gojo about it, and he couldn't possibly show any sign of weakness while Gojo was freaking out in front of him, knowing full well the relationship between those two.

"I wish I had paid more attention. I wished I had been more attentive. I wished I hadn't left them alone."

I think those words were constantly on Yaga's mind up until the moment of his death. In the first place, he didn't even get angry at Gojo for letting Geto go in Shinjuku, didn't tell him to look for him again or go by himself despite Geto's sentence already been announced, and expressed his understanding instead. And I think his "This time we'll completely exorcise the curse known as Geto Suguru!" in JJK 0 is more of the only way he could think of to free his former student from the cursed fate that he believed was caused, among others, by his negligence as his teacher — than a desire to execute a wanted criminal.

I don't think I need to write down anymore proofs of how Yaga was actually someone who thinks deeply about his students and cares about them more than he shows, because otherwise, that conversation between him and Principal Gakuganji in those screenshots above wouldn't even exist, and they wouldn't be showing Geto's face there (in both the anime and manga) while he was speaking about regrets.

So back to what I was saying in the beginning, I wonder how his reunion with Geto (and Haibara) would've gone in that airport afterworld.

Would Yaga apologize to them first before Geto could apologize for the troubles he caused and before Haibara could express his dismay over Yaga's death?

Or knowing him, he might not put it into words. Perhaps he'd just pat them both on the head before they could say anything and ruffled their hair with his big hands like they were kids.

And this was more than enough to convey his feelings to them, more than any of his words could.

[still-a-morosexual-help]

Here's MY thoughts on the love island the game's seasons, for no reason other than I want to:

Also because the majority of the people following me are here for OM! & I want to drag more people down into the litg hell with me :)

Season 1: why is everyone so bitchy for no reason????? Talia & Jake are okay but other than that it's meh... don't really like the art style either

Season 2: Immaculate. Chef's kiss. They hit a high they never reached again. Somehow managed to balance the drama & the found family aspect and created a dynamic where you can actually believe everyone is friends and having fun even if sometimes they try to kill each other. Characters are flawed but generally decent people who are allowed to grow throughout the season. You get the option to make MC a bi gym-bro who can devour an entire cake in one sitting and bench press her partner. There's a reason this got two sequels.

Season 3: It's fine ig. Short and kind of boring. Nothing much happens. AJ is so cute though she almost makes up for it.

Season 4: Honestly a close 2nd favourite. We get a lot of character backstory and like s2 it touches on some serious issues. The season with some of the funniest moments/lines of dialogue - multiple moments where I just laughed out loud. I'm still only half way through it but the "villain" is just straight up mean for no reason and doesn't get any character development like the characters in S2 but makes up for it by having some of the funniest interactions with other characters and I was so sad to see her go. Also the season where I desperately wish MC was allowed to be in an open relationship till the very end and finish off the season in a polycule with every other islander who was in the love "triangle"s of the the season because this was the hardest season to pick a LI - Najuma is just all around amazing, Bruno is sweet & funny, Tom is so pathetic* MC & Thabi's friendship is also the best thing? It's great seeing a platonic relationship that is as loving (if not more so) than the romantic relationships. It's literally:

Season 5: Psychological horror. The producers said 'hey wouldn't it be funny if we torture this woman on national tv' and then committed to the bit. My memories are hazy because even though I only played it earlier this year it upset me so much I did my best to block most of it out but also I'm 100% sure there was actual galighting happening. Don't know why MC stuck around till the end because all she's gonna be able to use the money for is to pay for her therapy. Anyway I think MC should have been allowed to brutally murder everyone, she deserved it <3

Season 6: I liked the concept but I think they should have utilised it more. I'm still right at the very beginning (around ep 9) and I KNOW the general consensus from everyone who has reached the last eps seems to be that Amelia sucks MAJOR ass. But look, this is the first time a game has given me a MC with a canon family member who is also part of the game so in my opinion Amelia could commit war crimes and she's still be the most precious little uwu ever because I'm activating MC's insanely overprotective oblivious to all faults ""big"" sister mode

Edit:

*I just played more of S4 and holy shit someone needs to get this man away from his parents and also maybe get him some therapy jfc

Edit 2:

** youcef, mc & valentina helping tom figure out he likes flowers and pink and tie-dye clothes and makeup and being complimented and called pretty and getting hugs is getting to me okay his parents better watch the show and see their adult son finally discovering himself and what he likes instead of what they think he should like and finally being able to let loose and have fun without worrying about what others think of him and finally being happy and they better get some sense knocked into them OR he should go to therapy and realise that no matter how much he loves his parents their love and regard being so conditional to the point that he's hidden his entire personality and is now so extremely self-conscious of it whenever it does manage to peak out, that he nearly cries on national tv after a practical stranger compliments those hidden bits is not good. Also the man has some of the most insane repressed queer vibes???? What do you mean he sees a canon nonbinary person wearing a floppy hat and is reminded of the floppy hat he loved as a child that his father threw away and replaced with a baseball cap and then when he "lost" the baseball cap his father bought him the exact same one again

Edit 3:

*** i was 100% sure i was going to get mc to stick with najuma (dorky mischevious goth who is so so bad at flirting hello!!!?) but i got caught by "sad & shy with serious self-worth issues hidden badly behind an overconfident exterior (who blushes & gets flustered easily because he so rarely receives genuine praise/compliments) experiences postive regard for the first time and loses his shit" for the third fucking time

Edit 4:

Okay but why does Dylan get (rightfully) called out by everyone in S4 for all the bullshit he does to MC from blatantly lying to her to not listening when she says "No" But in S5 when Suresh (admittedly, more subtly) pulls off the same shit no one says anything, even MC's "friends" don't believe her.

In S2 when Luke/Henrik gets a little too forceful after MC says no, he gets called out by MC's partner and immediately apologises

In S4 when Dylan does the whole "stop pretending you don't want me" routine after MC rejects him multiple times, the rest of the islanders band together and basically chase him off the island

In S5 when Suresh pulls literally the same thing from the very first episode itself but none of the other islanders believe MC, and Suresh keeps getting to do this until almost the very end while also managing to constantly play hot & cold with MC and chase away all of MCs other romantic interests

[piastrixpole]

chapter 4

pairing: oscar piastri x carlos sainz

genre: written, love island au

prev / story masterlist / next

Oscar had settled in. Well, for the most part anyway. The villa itself was... alright, the kind of flashy you’d expect from a show like this. But no matter how long he stayed, he doubted he’d ever get used to the cameras watching his every move. They were everywhere—mounted in corners, hidden in plants, hovering over them like quiet observers, ready to catch every moment.

Still, the people weren’t so bad. Definitely far better than he’d expected. There was an easy camaraderie with the guys, a balance between the banter and serious talks. And Logan… Logan was a surprise. He genuinely liked her. She was sweet but had that driven side to her, the kind of person he could see himself hanging out with even if they hadn’t been thrust into this villa together. If their paths had crossed at uni, maybe in a different context, he could picture them getting along, grabbing a coffee after class, discussing assignments and pretending not to procrastinate. It was a weird thought to have, but he appreciated it. Grounded him, in a way.

Despite that, he hadn’t given up on the idea that this whole thing could be over soon. That maybe, just maybe, he’d fly under the radar long enough for people to lose interest in him and he could go back home, slip back into his normal life. No scandal, no drama—he wasn’t here to play the villain. The way he saw it, the worst thing would be to make a fool of himself on national television. He didn’t need the entire country talking about him for the wrong reasons.

His hope of just being forgotten was quickly extinguished when a text alert interrupted the villa after lunch the following day with the announcement of a challenge. Oscar’ vaguely aware of the antics these tend to involve because Lando, as much as he will deny it, tuned into the show every night since they moved in together so Oscar caught things out of context. It’d be a miracle if he came out of this unscathed.

They were rounded up into an array of jeeps driven by crew members almost immediately. The jeeps bumped and jolted along a dirt road, taking them to what seemed like the middle of nowhere, away from the villa's pristine beaches and manicured lawns. Oscar squinted into the distance, trying to get a sense of where they were headed, but all he saw was a wide-open field stretching endlessly under the sun.

When they finally came to a stop, the islanders were led out of the jeeps and corralled together by production. "Alright, listen up!" one of the producers shouted over the chatter. "You’re going to run sexy in slow motion into the challenge area—like a Baywatch moment. We want this to look good for the cameras."

Oscar could feel his internal groan building. Of course they’d have them do something ridiculous like this. He could almost hear Lando’s voice in his head laughing at him, the inevitable memes already being drafted online. Still, there was no way out. He shot a glance at the other guys, all of whom seemed equally resigned to the situation. Even Carlos, ever the charmer, looked a bit hesitant as he glanced down at his open white shirt, probably wondering if he could pull this off without looking completely ridiculous.

"Sexy slow motion? Seriously?" Pierre muttered under his breath, earning a few snickers from the group. Oscar couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head.

After multiple takes that left him feeling progressively more uncomfortable, they were ushered into the set that had been built in this random field for the first challenge. Oscar stood with the other boys near the towering slide, staring at the neon-coloured water waiting below. A giant waterslide that ended in a pool of thick, pink goo? Yeah, that was exactly the kind of ridiculous thing he should’ve expected from this show, but still, the sight was something else. He shook his head, half laughing at the absurdity of it all.

“Alright, boys,” Fernando called out from the side, his grin all too knowing. “Time to get wet.”

Oscar exchanged glances with the other guys—Daniel, Pierre, George, Alex, and Carlos—all of them looking either pumped or cautiously sceptical. Carlos, of course, was fully in his element, already smirking as he stripped off his shirt. The guy never missed an opportunity to flaunt, apparently.

“We’re really doing this, huh?” Oscar muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he stepped forward, grabbing a bottle of water that had been provided for the task.

Daniel chuckled, slapping him on the back. “Mate, if we’re gonna make fools of ourselves, might as well go all in.”

Oscar unscrewed the cap and, with a resigned sigh, poured the water over his chest, feeling the cool liquid trickle down his skin in sharp contrast to the warm sun beating down on them. The other boys followed suit, their bodies glistening as they prepared for the madness ahead. He cast a glance toward the girls, who were gathered around the pool, watching with amused expressions. Logan, in particular, caught his eye, giving him a little wave and an encouraging smile that made his nerves settle just a bit.

“So,” Fernando clasped his hands together in excitement “the way this works - boys you will take it in turns diving down the slide and into the pool to catch one of these pink cards. From there you will climb out of the goo and read the card to the group. You’ll have to work together to guess who it was written about and seal the deal with a kiss. If you’re right, your team will earn a point, and if you’re wrong….” Fernando trailed off with a smirk “well at least you got a kiss.”

Oscar rolled his shoulders back, trying to shake off the nerves. Carlos, who had apparently drifted in his direction while he was zoned out now stood next to him, giving him a competitive smirk, already exuding that effortless charm he seemed to carry in spades. Oscar wasn't sure if the tension in his chest was from the game or just Carlos' presence in general.

One by one, the boys doused themselves in water before diving headfirst down the slide, disappearing into the pink goo at the bottom. It was as ridiculous as it looked, but somehow Oscar found himself laughing despite the absurdity.

Oscar grimaced, his skin already sticky from the water they'd poured over themselves as a part of the sexy, slow-motion intro. This was all so absurd, but he was already committed. And with Carlos standing there looking far too comfortable in his own skin, Oscar felt that usual competitive edge creep in.

He watched as Alex slid down first, disappearing into the goo before emerging with a "DM" in hand. Covered in the sticky substance, Alex unfolded the paper and grinned. “Alright, here we go,” he called out, raising his voice to the group.

“I called out my ex’s name during sex with his best friend.”

There was a collective gasp, then a burst of laughter, eyes darting around the villa to see who could possibly own up to such a scandalous confession.

Oscar glanced at Logan, her hand clapped over her mouth, stifling her giggles. Alex scanned the girls, then walked over to Lily with a cheeky grin. “It’s gotta be you.”

Lily raised an eyebrow, half-amused, half-unimpressed. “I can neither confirm nor deny,” she said with a smirk, and they shared a light kiss to seal the guess.

Hollers echoed from the islanders as the light kiss lasted a little too long to merely call it fulfilling the obligation of the challenge and Alex’s cheeks were dusted pink as he pulled away finally. Ripping off the strip covering the answer, it was revealed that it was actually Charlotte. She didn’t appear half fussed by the disbelief.

Daniel went next, he flew down the waterslide with a whoop diving headfirst into the goo with way more enthusiasm than Oscar would’ve managed. When he emerged, shaking his head and wiping pink slime from his eyes, he grabbed his “DM” and read aloud.

“I’ve made out with two people at the same party in under an hour.”

A few of the girls exchanged sly looks, and Daniel turned his head, zeroing in on Maxine with a knowing grin.

Daniel grinned and sauntered over to Maxine, locking eyes with her. “That sounds like your kind of fun,” he teased, and Maxine rolled her eyes with a smirk as he pulled her in for a quick kiss.

Oscar rolled his eyes, trying not to look too cynical about the whole thing. He could feel the cameras focused on him, waiting for his reactions.

Next, Pierre launched himself into the pool, coming up with another DM. He read it out with a smirk, barely holding back his amusement. If he could somehow make it out of this challenge without being utterly humiliated he'd consider the day to be a win.

The villa was a different kind of quiet that afternoon, the kind where something was brewing just beneath the surface. After the chaos of the morning’s challenge, everyone had settled back into a slower rhythm, lounging around the pool or sprawled on the outdoor daybeds. But the ease was only on the surface. Every few minutes, whispers passed between the girls as their eyes flitted toward Carlos, who was busy making his rounds, pulling different girls aside for chats. The simmering tension was palpable. Everyone knew what was coming.

Carlos, shirtless in all his glory with sunglasses perched on his head, had an effortless way of moving through the villa. He looked like he belonged here, like he thrived on this kind of attention. And maybe he did. First, he pulled Carmen aside, who was quick to engage with him. They sat near the edge of the pool, laughing softly as their feet dangled in the water. Carmen was clearly intrigued, leaning into the conversation with that same confident poise she always had. But Oscar couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more going on behind that cool exterior.

From his spot on the daybed, Oscar watched the scene unfold, jaw clenched in annoyance. He couldn’t care less who Carlos chatted with—really, he couldn’t—but the smugness with which he did it grated on his nerves. Oscar had told himself he wasn’t interested in playing this jealousy game, especially when it came to Logan. But it was hard to ignore the way Carlos occasionally glanced in her direction. Carlos knew what he was doing. There was no denying the tension in the air as each girl waited for her turn, and each guy tried to act like it didn’t bother them.

Just ignore it. Oscar mused to himself whenever he felt his gut wrench awkwardly in what he could only assume was jealousy. In a way, if Carlos did screw him over and choose Logan then he’d probably be out. Something which he had initially aimed to let happen early but now he wasn't quite so sure. 

Carlos’s latest target was Logan. He approached her with that trademark smile, the kind that seemed to light up his dark features even more. Oscar felt a flicker of irritation as he watched Carlos lean in close, their heads almost touching as they exchanged words. He could practically see the chemistry sparking between them, and it gnawed at him in a way he couldn’t quite explain.

“Hey, can I steal you for a minute?” Carlos’s voice cut through the poolside chatter, his tone light and inviting. Logan looked up, her smile brightening in response.

“Sure!” she replied, her voice warm and open, as she slid off the edge of the daybed where she’d been lounging. Oscar’s stomach twisted as he watched them walk away together, Carlos’s hand casually brushing against Logan’s back as they moved to a more secluded corner of the villa.

Oscar forced himself to focus on the other guys, who were joking around, trying to ignore the obvious tension. But he couldn’t help casting glances at Carlos and Logan. They settled on a sun-drenched bench beneath a sprawling tree, their laughter mingling with the sounds of the villa. Oscar could see Carlos leaning closer, his expression animated as he gestured with his hands. Logan seemed to hang on his every word, the light in her eyes unmistakable.

“Anyone want a drink?” Daniel called out, snapping Oscar from his reverie.

“Sure,” Oscar replied, his voice lacking enthusiasm. He couldn’t shake the image of Carlos’s charm, how easily he drew people in. It felt like a punch to the gut.

“What’s up with you?” Alex asked, elbowing him playfully. “You look like you just swallowed a lemon.”

“Nothing,” Oscar grumbled, shifting on the daybed. “Just... wondering what Carlos is telling Logan.”

“Are you jealous?” Alex smirked, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course not,” Oscar shot back, perhaps too quickly. “She can talk to whoever she wants.”

“Right.” Alex chuckled, clearly unconvinced. “Just don’t get too comfortable. You might be in the friend zone if you keep this up.”

Oscar rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. He turned back to watch Carlos and Logan, his heart sinking further.

“Do you think she likes him?” Oscar murmured, half to himself, half to Alex.

“Who knows? But he’s definitely trying to make an impression,” Alex replied, glancing over at the pair. “And it looks like it’s working.”

Meanwhile, Carlos was leaning in, his voice low and inviting as he said something that made Logan laugh, a sound that echoed like music. Oscar clenched his jaw, the unease turning into something sharper. He could see the way Carlos was completely focused on her, and it stung.

Carlos’s hand brushed against Logan’s arm, a touch that felt almost possessive. “You know, I think we’d make a great couple,” he said playfully, the flirtation clear in his tone.

Logan chuckled, rolling her eyes, but there was a playful glimmer in her eyes. “You say that to all the girls, don’t you?”

“Only the ones I’m really interested in,” Carlos countered, leaning closer. His eyes sparkled with mischief, and the chemistry was palpable.

As Oscar watched Carlos lean in closer to Logan, a whirlwind of emotions swirled in his chest. Instead of anger or jealousy, he felt a tightening knot of anxiety. He forced himself to look away, taking a deep breath as he turned back to the little bench, where Alex sat with a bemused expression.

“Hey,” Alex said, catching Oscar’s eye. “You okay?"

“Yeah, just peachy,” Oscar replied, forcing a smile as he flopped back onto the bench as well, trying to shake off the tension. “I mean, it’s not like I care what Carlos is doing. It’s whatever.”

Alex chuckled softly, clearly not buying it. “Sure, whatever you say. You seem a bit preoccupied with the whole ‘Carlos and Logan’ show.”

“Can you blame me?” Oscar said, glancing back at the duo. “It’s just... he’s so good at this. It feels like he’s playing a game, and I can’t help but wonder what I’m doing wrong.”

“Dude, it’s not a game. It’s reality TV,” Alex replied, rolling his eyes playfully. “And you’re not doing anything wrong. You just need to remind yourself why you’re here. Just because Carlos is charming doesn’t mean you have to compete with him.”

Oscar raised an eyebrow, considering Alex’s words. “You think so?”

“Absolutely,” Alex said, nodding vigorously. “You’re genuine, and that counts for way more than some flashy moves. Besides, Logan clearly likes you for who you are.”

“You really think she does?” Oscar asked, a flicker of hope sparking within him.

“Yeah, man. Just look at how she lights up when you’re around,” Alex said, gesturing back to where Logan and Carlos sat. “She’s enjoying the attention, but you’ve got something real. You just need to show her that you’re still in the game.”

Oscar pondered this for a moment, his heart gradually calming. “I guess I’m just overthinking it all. Maybe I need to be more confident about what I have to offer.”

“That’s the spirit,” Alex encouraged, clapping Oscar on the shoulder. “Focus on being you. And remember, there’s more to this place than just the drama. Make sure you enjoy it too.”

There’s a lull in conversation between them when Logan makes her way over to the little bench area secluded by overhanging trees. Alex leaves him with a supportive glance as he gets her silent cue to give them space. Things are temporarily awkward. Until Logan breaks the silence with the same tenderness he’s come to expect from her, “there’s nothing to worry about Oscar.”

He’s confused briefly and it must show because her hand lingers placatingly on his thigh “Carlos is attractive. I mean anyone with eyes can agree, but we don’t have anything in common. It just felt forced…I don’t know, it’s not like that with you. We get along - at least I like to think so and we like the same nerdy stuff. I wouldn’t get that with anyone else here.”

The moment Logan’s hand rested on Oscar’s thigh, a comforting warmth spread through him, momentarily chasing away the tension knotted in his chest. Her words echoed in his head, "There's nothing to worry about." He wanted to believe it. But as Carlos strutted around the villa, soaking up all the attention, Oscar couldn’t shake that gnawing doubt. Still, Logan’s reassurance meant something, more than he was willing to admit just yet.

"Yeah," he nodded, his voice carrying a sense of agreement more than certainty. He glanced at her, the natural curve of her lips and the freckles dotting her cheeks catching his attention. He could see how relaxed she was, even in this environment. It had only been a couple of days, but Logan seemed to carry this ease with her wherever she went—like she belonged here but was still somehow apart from the chaos of it all.

It was weirdly reassuring, being around her. He hadn’t expected to bond with anyone so quickly, and yet here he was, genuinely liking Logan’s company.

“Thanks for saying that,” he added after a beat, scratching the back of his neck. “About Carlos. I didn’t want to ask, you know… in case it came across as insecure or whatever.” He felt a little self-conscious even admitting it, but Logan’s eyes stayed soft and understanding.

She smiled, shrugging lightly. “It’s not insecure. It’s normal.” She adjusted slightly, crossing one leg over the other as she shifted on the bench. “I mean, let’s be real—we all know how this show works. Someone’s always stirring things up, but I didn’t come here just to be swayed by every hot guy who walks in. It’s not about that.”

Oscar raised an eyebrow, leaning back a bit. “Not even a little?”

She laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners, and the sound was infectious. “Okay, fine, maybe a little. But only for like two seconds. Then I remember he’s probably the same guy I’ve seen a hundred times at uni parties—minus the accent and abs.”

Oscar smirked, feeling a bit lighter. “Fair point. And the whole walking around like he’s auditioning for a perfume commercial.”

Logan burst into a short laugh, her hand reaching up to cover her mouth for a second. “Exactly! Like, come on. The sunglasses indoors? Please.”

Oscar chuckled, leaning into the moment. He liked this. The banter, the ease of it. It wasn’t like the forced flirting or the layers of pretence some of the others seemed to put on. Logan was just... real. That was probably what made this feel different.

Logan nodded thoughtfully, resting her chin in her hand as she listened. “For real though, I think a lot of us are still figuring out why we’re here. But I think you’re doing alright.”

Oscar raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah?”

She grinned, nudging him lightly. “Yeah. I mean, you’re not making a complete fool of yourself, which is more than some people can say.”

Oscar chuckled at that, shaking his head. “Low bar.”

“But seriously,” Logan continued, her voice softer now, “I think we’ve got a good vibe going. I wouldn’t want to be paired up with someone else, if I’m honest.”

That admission made something in Oscar’s chest tighten, but not in a bad way. He looked at her, searching her expression for any sign that she was joking or playing it off, but there was only sincerity there. And it was nice. Really nice.

“Yeah,” he agreed quietly, a small smile forming. “Same here.”

Their quiet understanding and reprieve from the chaos was short-lived.

Carlos' smooth, accented voice rang out through the villa, slicing through whatever fleeting peace Oscar had found “islanders, please gather around the firepit.”

His muscles tensed as the air seemed to shift immediately. The whispers that had bubbled under the surface all afternoon came to a halt, replaced by a collective hum of anticipation. Oscar cast a glance around, noticing how every set of eyes, even the ones that had tried to play it cool, now flicked toward Carlos. This was it. The moment they’d all been speculating about since the second Carlos stepped into the villa.

Slowly, the islanders began to gather around the firepit, finding their places on the semi-circle benches. Carmen, Maxine, Charlotte, and Lily were buzzing with anticipation, exchanging knowing glances and murmured predictions as they settled in. The guys were trying to keep it cool, but Oscar could tell they were all on edge too. Alex and George shot him a look of camaraderie as they took their seats, like they were all in this weird, high-stakes waiting game together.

Oscar hated how effortless it all seemed for him. He didn’t seem phased by the pressure, by the tension brewing between the couples. If anything, Carlos was thriving on it.

Carlos stood tall by the firepit, every bit as magnetic as he had been when he first stepped into the villa. His shirt, still unbuttoned halfway down his chest, billowed in the light breeze as the other islanders sat around in tense silence, waiting for him to make his move. The firelight flickered against his tanned skin, casting sharp shadows across his sculpted jawline. Everyone knew what was coming. The question wasn’t if Carlos would steal someone’s girl—it was who.

The air around the firepit was thick with anticipation. The girls sat upright, clearly on edge, while the boys, himself included, exchanged tight-lipped glances, trying not to show just how much they cared about the decision Carlos was about to make. He glanced at Logan, who sat next to him. For a second, he thought Carlos might actually go for her. Part of him almost hoped he did just to justify his superficial dislike of the guy.

Fernando, in all his dramatic glory, appeared next to Carlos by the firepit, his presence as commanding as ever “Carlos, the time has come...you've spent the past 24 hours getting to know these lovely ladies so the choice is now yours. Who do you want to couple up with?"

Carlos took a breath, letting the moment drag out and the tension heighten as his eyes swept over the girls. Each one of them seemed on edge, waiting for his decision. Then, he locked eyes with Charlotte. It was subtle, but Oscar noticed it. Carlos had been eyeing Charlotte all day, and as much as Oscar had believed that Carlos might go for someone else, it seemed like this had been his plan from the start.

"I’ve thought about this a lot," Carlos began, his voice smooth and confident, "and I’ve really connected with this girl today. She’s funny, smart, obviously very beautiful and we just clicked right away. I'd like the opportunity to get to know her better."

Oscar’s stomach tightened. He shot a quick glance at Pierre, who was sitting beside Charlotte, visibly tense. Pierre’s grip on his seat tightened, but he kept his cool, eyes narrowing at Carlos.

Carlos’s gaze lingered on Charlotte, and then he finally said it: “The girl I want to couple up with is... Charlotte.”

The words hung in the air for a moment, heavy and final. Pierre’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t say anything as Charlotte hesitated, clearly taken aback by Carlos’s choice. She glanced at Pierre, then at Carlos, and after what felt like a painfully long pause, she stood up. There was a tension between them, but ultimately, she walked over to Carlos.

“Thanks, Charlotte,” Carlos said smoothly, planting a kiss on her cheek before guiding her to sit beside him.

Oscar glanced over at Pierre, who was holding himself together but clearly fuming underneath. It was obvious this wasn’t just about Carlos stealing his girl—it was the way Carlos had done it, the effortless charm, the confidence. Carlos knew exactly what he was doing, and it grated on everyone, especially Pierre.

As Charlotte settled in beside Carlos, the firepit felt like it was crackling with more than just heat. The other guys shifted in their seats, some exchanging uncomfortable glances, but no one said a word. Oscar could feel the tension in the air thickening by the second.

Pierre, finally breaking the silence, forced a tight smile and leaned forward. “Fair game, mate,” he said, voice low but controlled. “But this isn’t over.”

Carlos flashed a grin, unfazed. “Of course not,” he replied, leaning back casually.

Oscar stayed quiet, watching the whole scene unfold. He wasn’t personally affected this time, but he felt the sting for Pierre. Carlos had made his move—and it was a bold one.

Once the tension around the firepit began to settle and the reality of Carlos' choice sunk in, Fernando addressed the group once more "Pierre, you are now single, but don't worry—this is not the end. You will remain in the villa and still have the opportunity to couple up in the future."

Pierre, who had kept his composure through Carlos's dramatic choice, nodded in acknowledgment, but his jaw was tight. His eyes shifted toward Charlotte, who now sat beside Carlos, looking torn but resolute

In the midst of his silent observation of that scene unfolding, Oscar leaned over toward Logan, lowering his voice to a private murmur. “Well, that’s a relief,” he said, a hint of amusement playing on his lips. “Thought I might’ve had to start worrying for a minute there.”

Logan tilted her head toward him, her eyes glinting with humour. “Worried about Carlos stealing your girl?” she teased lightly, nudging him gently with her shoulder. “Come on, you’ve been cool as a cucumber.”

“Yeah, well...” Oscar shrugged, glancing subtly toward Carlos and Charlotte, who were now deep in conversation. “It’s one thing to act chill. It’s another to actually feel it.” He chuckled under his breath, relieved that he hadn’t ended up in Pierre’s position.

Logan smiled at him warmly, her hand resting casually on his knee for just a second longer than necessary. “Well, you’re safe for now,” she said softly. “And for the record, I wouldn’t have made it easy for Carlos.”

Oscar felt his own grin deepen, a sense of reassurance settling in his chest. “Good to know,” he replied, his eyes lingering on her for a moment. “I guess we’ll just have to see how the rest of this game plays out.”

Logan gave him a playful wink. “Game on.”

As the islanders around them began to chat, speculating about Pierre’s next move and what Carlos’s bold choice might mean for the villa, Oscar couldn’t help but feel a wave of relief wash over him. At least for now, he and Logan were still on solid ground. But if the past few hours had taught him anything, it was that nothing in this villa stayed stable for long.

After the recoupling drama had simmered, and Charlotte was firmly sat beside Carlos, the producers weren’t about to let the energy drop. A crew member stepped into the villa, clipboard in hand, and called for everyone’s attention.

“Alright, islanders,” the voice rang out over the buzz of conversation. “We’ve wrapped the recoupling, but don’t get too comfortable. You’ll be getting new instructions shortly. Stay by the firepit, please.”

There was a collective groan from some of the islanders, while others exchanged knowing looks. Oscar felt the familiar weight of the cameras trained on them. He was just about to lean over to Logan with a sarcastic quip when he heard his name.

“Oscar, can we grab you for a quick confessional in the beach hut?”

He sighed, giving Logan a small, resigned smile before standing up and following one of the producers off toward the villa. Inside, the usual set-up awaited: the oversized wicker chair, colourful cushions, and the ever-present camera lens.

“Alright, mate,” the producer began from behind the camera, as Oscar sank into the chair. “Let’s talk recoupling. How are you feeling after Carlos’s decision?”

Oscar settled into the wicker chair in the beach hut, rubbing his hands together as he let out a long sigh. The camera in front of him blinked its red light, ready to capture every word. He glanced around the brightly decorated room for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts.

"So," he began, leaning back into the cushion with a half-smile. "Carlos swoops in, all suave, shirt unbuttoned to his navel—very 'I'm-too-hot-for-buttons' vibe—takes Charlotte right out from under Pierre. Smooth move, mate. Real smooth."

He paused, running a hand through his hair with a sarcastic smirk pulling at his lips. "I mean, not that I’m surprised. It’s seems to be classic Carlos behaviour, isn’t it? Show up, flex a bit, steal a girl... the bombshell role kinda seems made for him. But yeah, I’m not exactly losing sleep over it."

He leaned back again, crossing his arms with a faint chuckle. "Logan and I? We’re good. We vibe. I mean, let’s be real here—we’re both nerds, we get each other. It’s been easy. I don’t have to pull off some grand gesture to get her attention, thank God. We can just chat and laugh about random stuff, and it’s solid."

He paused, smirking to himself before adding, "Now, if Carlos wants to come after her next... well, he better brush up on his physics, because there’s no way he’s beating me in a nerd-off. That’s my domain."

Oscar let out a soft laugh, shaking his head before looking toward the camera again. "But yeah, overall? Feeling pretty chill about the whole thing. Carlos made her choice, Charlotte got her moment, and Pierre... well, he’ll live to fight another day, right?"

He gave the camera a mock salute, feeling a little lighter as he wrapped up his confessional. "And me? I’m just here to enjoy the show—preferably without getting involved in any ridiculous love triangles... but let’s see how long that lasts."

He stood up, giving the crew a quick nod as he headed out of the beach hut, mentally preparing himself for whatever chaos awaited back at the villa.

As Oscar stepped out of  the beach hut, his mind was still buzzing with sarcastic thoughts about the recoupling and his recent confessional. He turned the corner and almost collided with Carlos in the narrow hallway. The air between them seemed to shift instantly, like the sudden charge before a summer storm.

Carlos was still half-unbuttoned, dark curls tousled from the light breeze and the exposed part of his chest practically glistening. The hallway seemed to shrink around them the second their eyes met, and Oscar’s pulse stuttered as Carlos’ smile slowly curled, something dangerous and easy all at once.

"Hermoso," Carlos greeted, his voice like velvet, the Spanish accent rolling off his tongue like it belonged in the air. The word hung in the air, sinking into Oscar's chest, deeper than it had any right to. Carlos' dark eyes held his, the intensity behind them making it impossible for Oscar to look away, even though his mind was practically screaming for him to. His body? Well, that seemed to have a different plan entirely.

Oscar swallowed. His throat felt tight. It was just a greeting. Just a damn word. Except it wasn’t—at least not the way Carlos said it. The way Carlos looked at him. Carlos took a step closer, just enough that the space between them became almost non-existent. The smell of something warm—cologne and sun-kissed skin—wrapped itself around Oscar, and he couldn't shake it.

"Didn't see you there," Oscar mumbled, trying to sound nonchalant, simultaneously fighting off the sudden tension twisting low in his gut but his voice came out quieter than intended. Not like the dry tone he'd been aiming for. He should’ve kept walking, should’ve brushed past Carlos with an awkward nod and gotten on with his day. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. His feet felt like they were glued to the ground. something about the way Carlos’ attention fixed on him—like Oscar was the only thing in the world worth noticing—left him feeling vulnerable, exposed.

"You did good today," Carlos said, his tone casual but layered with something else—something teasing. His voice was warm, sultry. "Impressive." The word landed heavy between them, a compliment, but laced with a kind of knowing that left Oscar unsure if they were still talking about the challenge.

Oscar gave a weak chuckle trying to mask his discomfort, running a hand through his hair, trying to regain some semblance of control. "Uh, thanks, mate. Just doing what the producers want, y’know."

However it seemed his attempt at indifference had fallen flat. It didn't take a genius to figure that out with the way Carlos’ gaze was lingering on him. Like he saw something Oscar hadn’t even realized he was offering up.

And then, Carlos’ hand slid to the small of his back—so light, so fleeting, but enough to send a sharp thrill up Oscar’s spine. The touch was deliberate. Possessive, almost. A reminder of just how much control Carlos seemed to hold in this moment. Oscar’s breath hitched. He froze, mind caught in a scramble of confusion and something he didn’t want to name. But his body was betraying him, reacting to that brief touch in a way that had his skin tingling, hyper-aware of the warmth radiating from Carlos.

Carlos leaned in slightly, lowering his voice so it was just for them. "Maybe I should’ve chosen you," he said, the words wrapped in that same playful, flirtatious tone, but with a heat behind them that made Oscar’s stomach twist painfully. Carlos’ hand remained at the small of his back, fingers grazing the fabric of his shirt like a promise.

Oscar froze. His heart pounding in his chest, his mind at war with itself. What the hell was even happening? He wasn’t… he didn’t… this wasn’t something he was supposed to feel affected by. Not for Carlos. Definitely not for Carlos. Yet all he could focus on was the sensation of Carlos’ hand lingering at his back, the heat radiating from where their bodies were nearly touching. The words 'I should’ve chosen you' echoed in his head like some kind of loop he couldn’t shake.

His throat tightened, his brain firing signals that clashed wildly. This was...no. He wasn’t—there was no way he was attracted to Carlos. Absolutely not. That wasn’t part of the plan. But there it was—the pull. That strange, magnetic force between them that Oscar couldn’t shake, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that this was all just Carlos being Carlos, charming everyone he crossed paths with. Yet, it didn’t feel generic. It felt intentional, like Carlos knew exactly what he was doing, and exactly how it was making Oscar react.

Oscar forced a tight laugh, trying to break the tension, but even that came out a little too strained. "Guess we’ll never know," he muttered, stepping back, trying to sever whatever connection had sparked between them. The space should’ve helped. But all it did was make him hyper-aware of the absence of Carlos’ touch, like his body had already memorized the sensation.

Carlos didn’t move, though. He stayed there, eyes locked on Oscar, lips curved into that same lazy, confident smile. "Never say never, Oscar," he said smoothly, his voice low, almost a purr, before giving him a wink as he brushed past him, his fingers trailing off the curve of Oscar’s back in a way that was far too intentional before they slipped away like they hadn’t just branded Oscar’s skin with electricity.

Oscar stood there, watching him disappear into the beach hut, heart racing like he'd just sprinted through the villa. His skin buzzed, his mind struggling to process what had just happened—or more accurately, how he’d responded to it. He pressed a hand to his chest, trying to steady his breathing, but the memory of Carlos’ touch clung to him like a brand.

What the hell had that been? There was no reason—no logical reason—why a simple touch, a few words, should’ve made his heart race like that. But logic seemed to have left the building the moment Carlos had stepped into the hallway.

He was straight. He was here for Logan. Right?

Oscar shook his head, trying to clear the fog. His mind was spinning, the words "I should’ve chosen you" echoing in his head.

[mamadarama]

Yk recently I was doing the FUSIONIC STARS MV with mama as center and despite being a MamaP of several years it still astounds me how soft his voice is... It's very gentle and soft, definitely the kind of voice to sing about encouraging others and being happy... Double Face feels like his unmasked or natural self as many have expressed, but it's also the him that he wishes he wasn't. It sorta broke me a little lol :')

The way he was hopeful and he was a little boy that wanted to be a hero!! The very first person he wanted to save was probably his sister, and even if it wasn't, doesn't change that she was the one that impacted him first. Realizing and accepting that she can't be saved, Madara started to realize and accept other things as well, but not the freeing kind of acceptance that comes with relief. It's more of acceptance in the negative sense. He can't save his sister. He can't be a hero. He can't even be her hero. He's born into a villain family and he was raised to be one, even if he'll at least fight that notion a little, cuz hurting innocents and taking advantage of people is not what he wants to do.

What I'm getting at here is that he's a literal double faced guy (wbk) he's cheerful, affectionate, uplifting and caring, but he's also twisted, distant, detaching and scary. Both of those can coexist, it doesn't make one real and one fake. He's both of these things, and even if he doesn't want to be this big scary guy maybe, he accepts it nonetheless knowing he can't do anything about some things in life. Instead he strikes a balance between both although it's more like a seesaw with some springs and screws loose. It's not completely balanced, he probably wishes he can solely be one of both sides so things can be simpler and not conflicted all the time. But he tries nonetheless

The sweet, caring and affectionate mama persona of MaM, and the merciless, brute and just secret police that is Double Face. He's both. None is more real than the other. He just feels natural in Double Face as it was what he was born in, and MaM is something he's trying to grow into. But he's always also been the personality that is MaM, even if he doesn't realize it. Just because he's born in the mud doesn't mean his efforts and nature to be kind is any less real. He might know this, but believe he's tainted anyways.

Double Face feels like a title and unit made for him. Considering that most of his development happened there, and it's where most of his flaws showed and started to crack. I'm not gonna say much cuz again idk what happens in Last Mission, but it still makes me sad :') and happy.

Anyways here's a reminder to Madara lover's that Butoukai is coming soon lmao save up save up and may he come and be kind to us and not leave us like he did in his relationships lmaooooo

- @umiedibles 🍀

yeah , thats why theyre called double face. both him and kohaku have connections to the underbelly of society that they have to keep hidden or risk their reputation, and the original intention of double face was to be a facade for their actual mission . the whole point is that double face are "idols" not idols, theyre more like a mafias front company. double face is also just as much about kohaku as it is about madara. in fact, ibara only asked kohaku to deal with gfk. madara got involved to protect leo entirely by choice . double face is less about madara (or kohaku) as an individual and more about putting a magnifying glass on the similarities between the two of them to further emphasize that neither of them are alone not just in terms of having people that care about them, but also in regard to them not being alone in their experiences with loneliness and the way it affects how they perceive themselves as people . double face was made for both of them, but the impact its had on each of their characters varies in notability because of the contrast with the rest of their character traits. it stands out more in madaras context because working with anyone much less joining a unit is uncharacteristic of him and the contrast between it and the rest of his character is like putting black on white, compared to kohaku where despite preferring to work alone if given the choice, it isnt that unbelievable for him to team up with someone and its more like putting black on gray. but really its very much about both of them and how their perspective on their lives changes with seeing themselves in another person for the first time. kohaku finally meeting someone capable of understanding what hes gone through and that he can uniquely trust as an equal, and madara having a crisis over being forced to look in a mirror and see someone he doesnt hate .