#she doesn't tolerate people killing innocent people

[the-real-sasuke-uchiha]

OP doesn't hate on Sasuke. We were just talking about the reasons I love Sasuke, and I enumerated several without much context, including that Sasuke punishes the bad guys (with references to Orochimaru and Danzo) and that he never hurts an innocent. I guess Sakura doesn't fit the criteria for that kind of evil, and that's why they asked. Also, not everyone remembers all the details of the story, and Sakura is presented throughout the arc as a victim that just wants what's best for Sasuke.

Indeed Konoha seems to have a lot of tolerance for shinobi that leave its borders. They couldn't even locate Tsunade while she was gambling and drinking, and nobody had a problem with that. But they sent people to chase Sasuke way before he did anything against Konoha. He had killed 3 ninja that were objectively considered enemies of Konoha, and they still sent a squadron to retrieve him and forcefully take him back to the village. Just their usual hypocrisy, I guess.

hii since i was intrigued by your last post about your 10 reasons you love sasuke. in one of the reasons you stated that sasuke doesn’t kill the innocent ( correct me if im wrong) he definitely did try to kill sakura though, i wasn’t sure if it was intentional or if he was on a killing spree; sakura is pretty innocent she hasn’t done anything against the village! i want to know your thoughts on that?

thank you so much!

xoxo

shisui

Hi there, my friend!

Thing is, Sasuke never even envisioned killing Sakura. He didn't even dedicate her a thought. The only reason he tried to kill her, was because she was the one who went to him with the intent to kill. She tried to perform a sort of summary execution for Konoha that, funny enough, nobody asked her to do. So, she freely decided to go murder Sasuke, she wasn't coerced or even requested to do so, she can hardly classify as an innocent. She was of course innocent of other issues of the shinobi world, but not innocent in her conflict with Sasuke. She was acting as a soldier for Konoha, trying to eliminate someone who represented trouble for the village. Sasuke was in his legit right to defend himself.

Thanks to you for your asks, lovely person 🤗🤗🤗

[the-haunted-office]

Doom: Killing people is funny.

Doom: (witnessing someone killing someone) Hey, stop that or I'll kill you!

[bisclavret]

there's a palpable missing link in gwen's characterization that the show has almost hinted at but never explored in a satisfactory way and after hours of riffing with @morganadismay i think it might be summarized with just. ambition? on a show as juvenile in its moral politics as bbc merlin ambition might be seen as a hunger for something and therefore a sinful bad thing so gwen just seemed to kind of seamlessly and elegantly rise to power, but honestly when you attribute a sense of ambition to her, the entire character that is guinevere clicks into place:

she has the most solid moral compass out of everyone in that castle - and she knows it. by her late teens she is already lady morgana's servant (morgana who, at this point, is the progressive and rebellious "adoptive" daughter of the king - perhaps someone to stay close to if you want to see reform?) and she flocks to merlin the second she sees him stand up to the prince. then, as soon as she realizes prince arthur actually listens to what she has to say and that it has an effect on his actions (makes him more progressive, open-minded, and class conscious) she subtly moves her interest from merlin and morgana onto him.

((affection is a propelling part of all these decisions, of course, anyone that's seen how gwen treats people doesn't doubt that it's with genuine love and kindness and care for their well-being. i'm just trying to argue that there's more to her than that, or rather that it's precisely this love that is driving her ambition as well:))

the show is written in such a way that only one person per episode can have a braincell so gwen's cleverness is often cast to the wayside so another character can have a go at using their brain, but we can all agree she is overall the smartest character out of the core four. and when you're as smart and full of love and worry as gwen is, it's intolerable to acutely feel the kingdom's injustices and do nothing about them. people often talk about how gwen is impossible to upset or make angry because she is just that empathetic and understanding and can easily put herself in people's shoes. these are definitely elements of gwen's personality, but i don't care how empathetic you are, when someone kills your dad - a sweet, innocent man - in the name of tyrannical ethnic cleansing of people with magic, you do not, you cannot brush it away. especially if you are as clever and empathetic as we know gwen to be.

and yet that's what she seems to do. in one of the most tone-deaf and frustrating and nonsensical conversations in the entire show, she tells merlin she would not kill uther, the mad tyrant king that just killed her fucking dad and is killing so many people on a daily basis, because then she would be just as bad as him. and i do think she believes this. because that's how she was written. however, there were other ways for her to show her displeasure with the royal family after they killed her literal dad. and she chose none. instead, she stayed close and hardly ever acknowledged her huge, enormous loss (elyan had been away for years and she had no mother to speak of - they killed her only family).

because she's strong? sure. but have you lost a loving parent? strength has nothing to do with what that sort of grief does to you. and i think it is precisely through that grief that gwen makes her choice to stick around and see this relationship with the royal family through as far as it can go. she lets her anger solidify into determination - determination to turn arthur into a better version of his father so these injustices have a chance at stopping once he's king.

she lets go of lancelot. she becomes more feminine, her hair longer and her corsets tighter every time we see her. she tolerates arthur's indecisiveness and brashness and morgana's increasing outbursts of cruelty. she never fully seems to expect to become queen, always quick to offer to let go of arthur for The Greater Good (merlin could take a page from her book), but that's precisely what makes her ambition a good trait. it's steadfast, it's logical, and the end goal isn't power for the sake of power. it's a slow, borderline sisyphean climb up the social ladder until she has stable enough footing to enact the reform that her contemporaries were too undiplomatic to achieve.

TL;DR you cannot get where gwen gets by the end of the show through true love or luck or a series of accidents. it would be a disservice to gwen's character to ignore the hints of calculating ambition in her actions and to pretend the compromises she had to make to get where she ends up were easy. what's amazing about her is that she is the sort of lovely, warm woman whose kindness could get taken advantage of until there is nothing left, but instead she turned her love and wisdom into an asset that helped her, essentially, win the game of thrones. i just wish the writers had let this side of her shine through.

[thefiery-phoenix]

YANDERE BAKUGOU FAMILY HEADCANNONS (Platonic)

There would be NO DOUBT that they would ALL be HELLA OVERPROTECTIVE about you 

I mean, Masaru would be kinda chill actually compared to Mitsuki and Katsuki. He won't freak TF out if you talk to other people and have fun with your friends and he's the most lenient one in the family and he doesn't give a damn what you wear. He likes seeing you in all sorts of clothing and thinks his darling little daughter looks good in whatever she wears and won't force you to do anything 

But when it comes to the question of sleepovers and going to other people's houses WITHOUT EITHER one of the Bakugou's to accompany you is a big no go. They're worried that something might happen to you if you step out of the house and they half wish you'll stop trying to be apro hero. Why be a hero and put your life at risk while you have the big strong Ground Zero as your brother and 2 parents who are perfectly capable of protecting the youngest Bakugou?

Mitsuki, on the other hand will treat you like a child along with Katsuki. Everyone loves spoiling the shit outta you and Mitsuki likes dressing you up in cutesy cutesy little outfits. Mitsuki however will NEVER allow you to break rules like disobeying her when she says no to something and sneaking off with your friends. She simply will NOT tolerate rule breaking and even if you DO manage to sneak around her back, your brother Katsuki will always be there to 'get you on the right track' even if he has to use his quirk on you. They just want what's best for you after all

They are self aware yanderes and their relationship towards you is unhealthy and delusional and they KNOW it but they have to protect you from the horrors of the world. If you used to attend the UA, you bet Katsuki had something to do with why your mom suddenly wanted you to drop out and take a break for sometime and soon that 'break' turned into a never ending relaxing vacation at your home for you. You won't be working anytime soon while they're around that's for sure and while Masaru talks to you, Katsuki and Mitsuki will be busy preparing food for you guys to eat. They don't want you going in the kitchen, what if you accidentally hurt yourself or boil or burn yourself?

They'll love cuddling with you and making you feel safe and comfortable in their presence. They have NEVER hit you till date and never will either. And WHO expects parents to starve their own kids? Cuz, they aren't those types of parents

For punishments, they'll just restrict your usage of your favorite items but they won't leave you isolated or without food and water. They aren't THAT heartless psychopaths 

Katsuki is the world's MOST short tempered brother one can have and you BET he's gonna cling to you 24/7 and tell on you to your parents what you both did the entire day (This boi should come with a blabbermouth and a tattletale warning label). You can hate him all you want for it but he just wants what's best for his youngest sibling. He loves and cares about you too much and he won't cuss around you so much either since he actually rather enjoys your innocence. His blood will BOIL when you talk to other people ESPECIALLY other GUYS and he'll obviously threaten to blow them up, even if you talk to Kirishima

 Being in relationships is COMPELTELY off the table for you. They will NEVER allow you to date and if you are in a relationship in secret, oh... what a shocker, that scumbag broke up with you the next day? Well, you can BET your allowances your OWN family was behind it but they'll just comfort you as they get you and give you whatever you want

The house will be full of baby pictures of you and Katsuki and you all as a happy family. They'll have guests over a few times but they can't ever let someone try taking you away from them so they'll try limiting the time of the guest's stay in their household instead of maniacally killing them. They won't let pro heroes enter their house either and will come up with INFINITE excuses as to why they can't come in. They just don't want to lose you 

Just let them take care of you and everything will be all right after all, family ALWAYS knows what's best for you...

''Come on little firecracker, you'll look cute and adorable in that dress and I think we should CERTAINLY put up some pictures of the wall after this. What do you think Masaru?''

''Sure, our little angel looks nice in whatever they wear''

"Tch... you don't look THAT bad firefly..."

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

What do you think about Equius and Eridan's ship? I think this is a pretty entertaining idea (I'm aware that they don't really tolerate each other, but maybe they could share their problems with each other and help each other?)

I won't tell people what they should and shouldn't ship, but it's unsupported by canon & I personally don't think they'd be a good fit for each other, because Equius is kind of a prude who's genuinely made uncomfortable by Eridan's incredibly strong emotional neediness, and Eridan needs attention from his friends and especially romantic partners, which Equius isn't really equipped to provide. But again, if you like it, don't let me stop you!

Uhhh warnings for talking about sexual stuff because unfortunately Equius is just kind of Like That and you can't really discuss him in good faith without getting into it.

Basically, Equius's deal is that he's kind of sheltered. His specific position in the hemocaste means he gets to avoid a lot of the awful shit the other highbloods have to deal with, while still being high enough that he gets to avoid lowblood problems entirely. He doesn't have to worry about being culled or even of having to cull others - at least, not until adulthood - to the point where he's in a position to object to Nepeta killing wild animals. The murder of other real, thinking, breathing people seems like a distant problem for future Equius - not a tangible reality quickly catching up to him.

CT: D --> You e%terminate beautiful, innocent creatures by the hundreds CT: D --> I can't condone such wretched behavior CT: D --> Beasts are meant to be 100ked upon with adoration AC: :33 < but AC: :33 < i eat them! AC: :33 < i dont kill anything i dont eat, that would be mean CT: D --> I guess that's basically acceptable in principle, but I still find it a bit unsavory

He knows that Alternia is dangerous, and that bad, horrible things happen to other people (I mean, he's neighbors with Vriska lmao), but he has the privilege of simply electing not to participate, and that's the solution he keeps presenting to Nepeta: don't talk to the lowbloods, because they'll harm you, don't talk to the highbloods, because they'll harm you, and don't play their dangerous games. I mean, it works for him!

CT: D --> The thought of you fraternizing with and abetting those stink-b100ded h001igans strikes me as scandal beyond measure CT: D --> I'm afraid you're too delicate to withstand that sort of corruption

EQUIUS: D --> Yes, which is among the reasons why I must make your prote%ion a high priority EQUIUS: D --> The highb100d has joined a stable of those who are becoming increasingly volatile and murderous as we remain stranded in this laboratory EQUIUS: D --> I command you to steer clear of them, do you understand

He has a kindly lusus who takes very good care of him, met his soulmate very early on, has a neighbor/friend he gets along with pretty well, and gets to spend basically all of his free time pursuing his hobbies and interests with no pressing duties or responsibilities to distract him. As far as is possible on Alternia, he's lived a charmed and peaceful life.

Now, although I'm going to make the caveat early that he's not actually that casteist, Equius is still the most casteist member on the team, short of post-corruption!Gamzee. The fact that he's sheltered is one of the primary reasons for this: he's never had a reason to question casteism, because casteism has always been pretty correct in his book, and he's never had the need nor impetus to question it any further than that. After all, lowbloods DO wind up getting themselves into horrible situations, and highbloods DO tend to be murderous, dangerous assholes. This is just The Way Things Are, right?

For more specific examples, the Team Charge debacle - which Equius had to know about because he's the one who patched Vriska up afterwards - ended with Tavros unable to walk and Aradia "broken" (most of the team didn't know she was dead until they entered the game; Terezi tells Vriska she thinks "whatever Vriska did to her" must've broken her brain somehow since she was never the same since). Meanwhile, the two highbloods really only got injured by each other. In Equius's eyes, this would've reinforced his views: lowbloods live dangerous lives wrought by their inherent degeneracy, and always suffer worse for it, while highbloods are unstable and violent, but ultimately faultless and unpunishable except by each other.

He also - again - is Vriska's neighbor, and Vriska's psionics work best on lowbloods, so that's the vast majority of who she brings in for her lusus to eat. The two most crass people on the team are also Karkat and Sollux - the latter of which is very much a lowblood, while the former regularly throws himself in with the "gutter bloods"; the fact that they swear and make sex jokes genuinely freaks Equius out, since he's a sheltered little noble boy who refuses to say cuss words.

EQUIUS: D --> For pete's goodfornothing di%ie whistling SA%ES, Nepeta

So with Equius, we see how unexamined and uninterrogated privilege and sheltering can lead to genuinely harmful beliefs. Equius's feelings come from a good place: he sees all these poor lowbloods dying and suffering, and all these high bloods doing horrific, scary shit, and he instinctively knows that something is wrong and the world they live in is dangerous - or else he wouldn't be trying to protect Nepeta from it. He knows that because she's lower than he is on the hemospectrum, she's much more at risk than he is of something terrible happening to her, so as much as possible, he tries to keep her away from engaging with the rest of society.

CT: D --> Well, green b100d is ok, but it's not great CT: D --> But that's why you're lucky to have me to 100k out for you CT: D --> Because you don't know better, and you can't fight the role the mother had in store for you

But because he's had no reason to challenge or question the casteist beliefs he was taught, the horrific stuff he witnesses actually reinforces them. In an attempt to make sense out of the terrible world he lives in, he falls back on the easy answers, the ones he's been repeatedly told since he was a child: lowbloods suffer because they are inherently "worse" than highbloods, and highbloods are inherently "better," so they're allowed to indulge all their most violent and horrific impulses and it's not actually a problem. He's comfortable with his reality; why isn't everybody else?

So um, that brings us to the sex stuff. Basically, because Equius is so sheltered, he doesn't realize that he has a massive BDSM kink, and kind of a voyeurism kink, and that a lot of the gratification and pleasure he feels from indulging in them are... um......... "that kind" of gratification and pleasure. To be honest, I think if someone genuinely levelled with him and pointed it out, he'd have a mental breakdown over it. Because, like, at his core, Equius is a polite, kind, helpful guy. There's a reason he listens to Karkat same as the rest of the team, why he helps with Tavros's robot legs, why Nepeta even likes him so much. A lot of his worst aspects just stem from the fact that he's conflating his desire to be stepped on with the hemocaste being an inescapable, correct reality.

He's basically this post lol:

So about specifically him and Eridan, like. We actually have Equius's outright stated opinion on Eridan.

CG: YOU ARE SUCH AN IDIOT, I DON'T GET IT CG: YOU KISS THE GROUND THIS LUNATIC WALKS ON BECAUSE HE HAS PURPLE BLOOD CG: BUT THAT DOESN'T STOP YOU FROM RIPPING ON ERIDAN, I KNOW FOR A FACT YOU DON'T LIKE HIM CG: AND HIS BLOOD IS EVEN PURPLIER, ISN'T IT? CT: D --> Yes CT: D --> That's different CT: D --> He is a sea dweller CT: D --> Our feud is codified in tradition CT: D --> Neigh, we are obligated to be at odds CT: D --> It's dignified ... CG: THE POINT IS, IF YOU SEE HIM, WOULD YOU MIND SNAPPING HIS STUPID WAND IN HALF OR SOMETHING? CG: AND THEN CHOKE HIM TO DEATH WITH HIS OWN SHITTY PRETENTIOUS SCARF. CT: D --> Do I really have to CG: GOD, WHAT IS THE PROBLEM NOW? CT: D --> I'd prefer not to interact with him CG: WHY CT: D --> It's primarily that his advances make me uncomfortable

See, Eridan... is not really Equius's type. And I can see why! Equius places a lot of importance on decorum and a100fness. Here's him basically telling Gamzee about why he's attracted to Gamzee and Aradia:

CT: D --> See, that's what I mean CT: D --> How is it possible for one of your distin%ion to be so ignorant CT: D --> And loathesome CT: D --> Whereas CT: D --> A member of the most abject, verminous b100dline of all CT: D --> Can conduct herself with such grace and possess nothing but admirable mannerisms CT: D --> I find these striking ju%tapositions perple%ing, and I confess strangely into%icating

He hates that Gamzee acts dumb and friendly, and wants him to be mean and commanding - and is probably lowkey picking up on the fact that Gamzee DOES have that within him, although he's hiding it. At the same time, he's weirdly attracted to how Aradia is aloof, intelligent, and strong-willed, despite being the lowest possible caste. Basically, Equius wants a pretty classically cultured dom to put him in his place - bonus points if caste-play is involved, whether it's a higher caste acting in accordance to their position on the spectrum, or a lower caste degrading him to a point below themselves.

So, initially, you'd think that Eridan would actually be his ideal for such a position, land dweller/sea dweller feud notwithstanding. After all, Eridan is all about acting like a traditional sea dweller, talking up his nobility and how much better he is than the lower castes, wanting the land dwellers dead/in their place, etc. etc.

But that's where we hit a snag. Eridan is pretending. He's pretending in the opposite direction of Gamzee, in fact. Where Gamzee is genuinely quite mean and nasty, but masking that in an attempt to get along better with his friends, Eridan is actually pretty - well, "nice" is the wrong word, but he's desperately presenting himself as meaner and more casteist than he actually is.

Equius wants to be effortlessly dominated, but Eridan puts in 110% at all times. Equius wants someone who upholds the caste system, and Eridan is actually totally indiscriminate when hitting on people because he actually doesn't give a shit about class differences. Equius wants someone who commands respect, but Eridan is kind of the team laughingstock. Also Eridan swears in proportion to his dialogue second only to Karkat.

Eridan's emotional desperation, disregard for the caste system, and cringefail antics are all massive turnoffs for Equius, and in a lot of ways, genuinely kind of scare him. I mean, again, Equius is a sheltered little noble boy who's made uncomfortable by cussing or killing animals for meat - and here's Eridan, one of the team's biggest murderers, genuinely obsessed with death and genocide, mouth of a sailor, willing to shoot his shot with anyone on the hemospectrum. Equius gets along better with Karkat, and Karkat's not even ON the hemospectrum.

It wouldn't even be pitch or ashen hatred to me, because Equius doesn't object to Eridan, morally or ethically - he just finds Eridan uncomfortable to be around, and prefers not to interact with him if he can help it. And that's really bad for Eridan, because Eridan's basically a huge emotional wreck and has a pretty fundamental need for emotional support and attention from his romantic partners - I've touched on it before, I think when I talked about him and Tavros, but Eridan has a genuine anxiety attack when Vriska accidentally ghosts him (because she's mercy killing her lusus), and I really don't think it would be good for him if he were to become emotionally attached to the guy whose whole Thing is standing in the background and watching without interacting.

As for discussing their problems... like, that's kind of the thing? They don't actually have overlapping problems. Eridan's issues primarily stem from the pressures his position on the hemocaste have placed on him, whereas Equius has actually actively benefited from and enjoyed his position in that class structure. Like, even if they tried to share notes on their respective character arcs about shirking the shitty things Alternia imposed on them, it'd be like,

EQUIUS: D--> Did you know that one's position in the hemospe%rum has little to no bearing on their moral integrity or worth as a person ERIDAN: are you a fuckin idiot eq

ERIDAN: guess all that obsessin ovver murder wwas a huge fuckin wwaste ERIDAN: and didnt do me no good nor anybody else for that matter EQUIUS: D--> Well EQUIUS: D--> Yeah

Even if we try to bring in things that aren't strictly related to being a high blood and what that means on Alternia - like if we run with the idea that Eridan's lusus contributed to Eridan's shitty childhood - well, unfortunately, Equius can't relate. Aurthour was incredibly kind to Equius growing up and he loved Aurthour dearly. So on and so forth.

And, uh... this is kind of weird to say, but despite how forward Eridan is about romance, he's actually... kind of reserved, sexually? He doesn't crack sex jokes and his fixation on romantic relationships is more about the act of being in a relationship than about what they do in that relationship. His date ideas are pretty straightforward and traditional, because he tends to prioritize "doing a good job" and "living up to the standard" over how he actually feels or his own personal interests.

What I'm saying is, Equius's horniness would probably make Eridan uncomfortable. Especially before Equius realizes that he's just got massive kinks that he should probably keep under control - which is basically the entire comic - Equius tends to prioritize what they do in a relationship over the act of actually being in a relationship. In fact, he'd probably be just as happy to get domm'd by Gamzee or Aradia even if they weren't actually dating. That's a kind of freedom and trueness to one's desires that Eridan can't manage; moreover, because Eridan tends to prioritize "doing a good job", he's pretty willing to go along with whatever his partner wants - which, in Equius's case, means Eridan doing more of the thing that's actively harmed them both. And I just don't think that that'd be good for Eridan.

So, yeah, overall, not a good fit for each other, but again, don't let me stop you!

The most interesting arrangement of Eridan and Equius, to me personally, is the fact that I think Eridan and Nepeta would actually be pretty good friends once they started talking (and Eridan got a moirail). Nepeta is the Anti-Casteism troll, the only one to outright state that she believes blood color shouldn't matter, and Eridan's whole deal is being less casteist than he pretends to be, to the point of genuinely being the least casteist highblood. And they both RP and hunt for stuff.

However, if there's any example of "dangerous highblood" on the team before Gamzee snaps, it's Eridan, and Equius has pretty deep concern for Nepeta's safety, which actually sometimes comes at Nepeta's detriment. It wouldn't escalate to pitch or ashen, but I really like the idea of the two of them having an antagonistic relationship because Equius does NOT want Nepeta interacting with this insane murderer, while Eridan is like, bro, let the kitty cat cave shipper girl decide for herself, and Nepeta is like, why must boys fight.

[mellkellyismyhero]

Lockwood and Co. and Haunting the Narrative

Lockwood and Co. is a masterclass in writing characters that haunt the narrative.

Lockwood's parents and sister are, I think, the obvious example of characters that haunt the narrative. Lucy, Lockwood, and George live in their house. Jessica's room is a huge point of contention and distrust between Lockwood and Lucy. There are constant, constant mentions of how cluttered the house is with Lockwood's parents' stuff. Lockwood's entire character and motivations are built around how each member of his family died.

But you know who else completely haunts the narrative, even better than Lockwood's family?

Lucy's friends.

(No, not the skull.)

We are told that Lucy's old team died horribly in chapter 2 of The Screaming Staircase. They are brought up exactly one more (important) time- in book 3, when Lucy and Holly are using their respective traumas to yell at each other. Otherwise, Lucy never talks about them. Lockwood and George don't ask her about them. The skull and Kipps don't seem to know about them, iirc.

But a lot of Lucy's personal relationships and character traits throughout the books (her being reckless enough to rival Lockwood, her initial hatred of Holly, even her friendship with the skull) can be explained, I think, by the fact that she watched all of her friends being brutally massacred at fourteen.

I mean, why does she tolerate the skull long enough for her to try to fight multiple grown adults to save him? Because he's the only friend she has who can't die. Because he can watch her back and offer advice in a way Jacobs never could. (The quality of the skull's advice and ability to watch Lucy's back definitely varies but ultimately, there's a reason Lucy trusts him enough to keep bringing him on cases.)

Why does she hate Holly? Because she's found a comfortable place in Lockwood and Co., which Holly innocently disrupts, but also because Lucy has had a bad experience with people in charge ignoring her opinions. Is it any wonder that she overreacted to Lockwood making a unilateral decision about the future of the company, when Lockwood and Co. is supposed to be a team without any one person making big decisions without taking input from the others first?

Fuck, why does Lucy leave Lockwood and Co.? Because she thinks she's going to watch Lockwood die, and the narrative tells us it's because she thinks Lockwood is reckless, which he is, but... it's also because Lucy has already watched people she loved and trusted with her life die. She knows, intimately, that she cannot save the people she loves, because she has already failed to do that. So she leaves, because if she leaves and he dies, she can tell herself it isn't her fault, because she doesn't think she could have saved him anyway.

Lockwood is the way he is because of his parents' and sister's deaths, which is pointed out pretty explicitly in the narrative. But Lucy is the way she is because of the deaths of her team before the story began, which absolutely no one in the narrative even mentions. To be fair, it's not like Lucy does the kind of soul searching it would take to figure that out. 

The way that Lucy's dead friends haunt the narrative is honestly impressive. If Lucy's team hadn't died, but she moved to London anyway, I'm not sure if we would have gotten the same story.

Sure, the large beats would be the same- I can't imagine a version of Lucy that wouldn't risk her life to save people from ghosts- but I think Lucy's relationships with Holly, the skull, Lockwood, Kipps, and maybe even George would be different. And I think she would make different choices. Maybe she wouldn't be so willing to push her powers to her fullest extent if she wasn't traumatized by having failed to correctly ID the ghost that killed her team. Maybe she would be more willing to welcome Holly if she didn't associate Holly with the feeling of having no control over her life. Maybe she wouldn't have joined Lockwood and Co. if she hadn't been so badly burned by the concept of having adult supervisors.

For people who basically never show up in the narrative, don't have big plot importance like Lockwood's family does, and are mentioned all of twice in five books, Lucy's old team sure does affect her character clear through book three, and probably all the way through book five.

I'm not claiming that the core of Lucy's character is her friends' deaths. Lucy herself barely ever thinks about it. It's a minor element of her character. But it is definitely an element of her character, and it's an important one that I think needs to be considered.

[valzhanginator]

calypso having an emotion-centered character and being viewed & getting treated as the ‘evil woman’ is actually a reflection of how every woman's emotions are villainized when they’re shown vividly and are a main part of their character in popular media.

in general media and riordanverse specifically, women with emotions are always looked down upon because showing emotions is regarded as a dramatic act so when a female character shows and acts on their emotiotions they get degraded and instantly despised because of it. this is done with every single female character while male characters who show emotion are treated like saints and found worthy of self redemption. this happened with annabeth when she didn’t want to believe luke was the bad guy and wanted to try bring him back because she was manipulated by him her entire life, meanwhile luke, who did batshit crimes like causing hundreds of innocent deaths, manipulating little girls by flirting with them, admitting his crush to a 16 year-old at his ripe age of 23, is remembered as a hero and considered ‘redeemed himself’ after sacrificing himself while annabeth was called insufferable when she didn’t believe he was evil in the first place. let’s not forget piper, who’s a lesbian that was forced into a relationship with a man by a goddess and thought she was in the wrong for not feeling right with jason. during the entire relationship she was experiencing a very hard comphet and couldn’t figure herself out because of the fake memories, everybody was bashing her when she was acting confused, when she was, in fact confused. i have a longer post about this specific topic, so if you guys wanna check it out it’s right here. 

 coming back to calypso, first we need to clear out the misconceptions about her curse on percy that affected annabeth. she wasn't blind nor was personally attacking annabeth, her curse was to make someone feel like how she was feeling all time and that’s why percy and annabeth couldn’t reach out to one another while being right next to each other. annabeth’s blindness came from the titan she defeated in the sea of monsters and is actually the first curse to be put by the arai on them, so it has nothing to do with calypso. the curse was affecting annabeth because she happened to be the person percy loved and was right next to him. if percy was there alone either percy would feel alone and abandoned or the curse wouldn’t affect him at all, since there’s no person he can go back to save. and the curse itself wasn’t even a death wish type of curse she just wanted to be heard, be acknowledged and wanted free off her island. not to forget the curse wasn't harming or killing any of them yet it’s still demonized more than by literally every other thing that happened in the books. nothing luke has ever done is seen as evil as her curse just because it was by her and i’m pretty positive if something like this was shown in pjo by luke it would be glossed over and romanticized in the fandom. further proof of how a male character's actions get brushed off and forgiven easily but soon a female character does something even slightly questionable they get villainized on the spot.

she is also despised because she doesn't let everyone's favorite man get away with his misogynistic stuff. calypso doesn't treat leo any worse than he treats her. whenever she starts arguing it is a response to something leo has said or done, which in the most case she's in the right but leo gets so much slack from his past and being fandom favorite to be held accountable for the way he treats people. he's always been written as a misogynist, he never treated any women with any respect. he always had some sort of disrespect for every female character he seems have some sort of closure with like piper, hazel, calypso, the list goes on, but yet calypso is always expected to be more 'tolerable and understanding' bc of his trauma, as if every single character in the series isn't written upon a single trauma they had and have their character built on it. and he always had a problem dealing with others and their emotions and instead of expecting him to be working to change that, calypso is expected to adjust his manners.

oddly enough, she's also expected to show some gratitude towards leo for saving her, when she never asked him to do so and not for a second believed that he was actually going to come back when he said he would. is she grateful that he came back and freed her? yes. should she feel any obligations to make him feel greater because of it? NO. everything leo did for calypso was his and only his choice and nobody else's. calypso is happy that he did so, but expecting her to tolarate every single thing he does solely because of that is wrong.

[opinioncore]

* ੈ✩‧₊˚— VICTIMs HOLD GRUDGES

౨ৎ ⋆ ｡˚— Reader x Yan! Various Genshin Impact Cast (Childe, Xiao, Scaramouche, Wanderer, Kunikuzushi)

୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ— INCEST (not to you tho), OC's, death, blackmail, murder, obsessive and possessive tendencies (yandere yadayda), ASSAULT, stalking, abuse of power, manipulation, afab reader, you/your pronouns or they/them... really just some messed up shit that I thought of while sleeping.

·˚ ༘~ Modern AU. Academy AU. Siblings AU. Triplets AU (for Scara, Wanderer and Kabuki).

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ The death of your beloved and dearest friend has caused you to go to the lowest point of your life. And everyone just decided to make your life even lower. ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ first, second

ﾟ𐦍༘⋆! — INFOS~!

Zhongli, Ei are both owners of the largest, most successful, wealthiest and powerful companies out there. They are the top investors in Teyvat Academy.

Venti is also an investor but is a student.

Zhongli is the father of Childe, Xiao and Katrina (OC)

Patrina — Female. Is known for her spoiled brat like behavior and is infamously known for dating Tartaglia, which is her brother. She deeply hates her overprotective family and wants them to stop. Is the middle child.

Ei is the mother of Kabukimono, Raiden Shogun, Scaramouche, Wanderer (triplets) and Amaya (OC)

Amaya — Female. Known for her naivety, push over, innocent and meek attitude. She doesn't like what her brothers are doing to her, but she can't say anything about it. Is the youngest child.

Inako (OC) — Your homeroom teacher. Female. She's heavily mistreated, she has it worse than the other teachers. She can't fight back at all and is helpless.

Nayako (OC) — Dead. A student who was murdered brutally in Teyvat Academy. The murder was covered up to keep any kinds of scandals from the Academy. Your friend.

—-·-——-·-——-·-——-·-——-·-——-

You were never a fan of death.

And you weren't a fan of people who hide the truth.

Being a witness to the murder of a friend of yours, the closest one you've had and having it covered up made you feel numb.

Nayako didn't deserve that. No one deserves that. Not only does she get harassed by your fellow classmates, she gets killed too. And all the academy does is get you therapy (which is basically forcefully trying to make you forget it) the corrupt environment of the Academy is insane.

You hate everything that has got to do with the Academy. The students, the faculty, the environment... Everything.

You hate it. So why, why were you having one of the biggest investors and the one who paid hush money to keep the murder quiet — Zhongli Dei Lapis's — daughter cry on your shoulder as if she's a friend?

And why were you crying too?

-–———————————————–-

Patrina was a brat. Yet she was easy to tame. You avoided her at all costs but had to cross paths with her for a school project that your homeroom teacher, the only teacher you like and can tolerate — Inako — gave. Patrina at first was trying to do it all herself, you wanted to not help at all, but you instead insisted on helping instead of leaving her to do it herself because she couldn't do anything right.

You ended up doing the entire project as Patrina was too busy conversing with her older brother — Tartaglia —. The one that people think she's dating. It's weird and creepy as hell — especially when he's just openly talking about her in a sexual manner — aren't they siblings? You attempted to keep a low profile but failed when you heard him speak in Russian...

"I wish you could understand me in this language, my love. Because the amount of things I could tell you that others can't understand makes me feel so warm..." He spoke cheesily, but also in a creepy manner, because they are indeed acting like a couple. You snapped your head towards them when you heard that. Patrina just looked confused.

"My love?" You muttered confused in Russian albeit too loud for Tartaglia to hear. He perks up and looks at you, shocked. "You can understand me?" He asks, maybe it sounded amused, maybe it sounded excited, maybe it sounded confused... You could never tell.

You nod your head, and you could swear his lips lifted higher. "You can speak Russian?" He stood up from his seat next to Patrina and sat next to you. You averted your gaze and reluctantly nodded. He's delighted about that information.

"Wonderful! The name's Tartaglia, what's yours?" He asks, you don't know whether to answer or not, "My name is..."

—-·-——-·-——-·-——-·-——-·-——-

Patrina felt like her entire world lightened up the moment Tartaglia started paying less attention to her. For the whole class, all he did was talk to you in Russian, she thinks. But either way, she's happy about that. But she can feel the stares from Xiao on the back, he was sitting next to his peers — Venti, Heizou, Kazuha and the two of the triplets - Scaramouche and Wanderer —. Those guys are one of the many groups that harasses the homeroom teacher Inako.

You were getting agitated by Tartaglia and are trying to cut the conversation short and you failed miserably.

Class ends with nobody giving an effort in the school project but you. You gave your project to Inako to at least brighten her day up. She perks up to you with a hopeful smile on her face and takes your project happily, muttering a 'thank you...' and almost crying.

That is when Scaramouche decided it was funny to just — destroy the project by sweeping it off her hands and throwing it on the ground and stepping on it. You looked at him furiously. You were about to step up and stop him when Amaya gets in the way with Kabukimono trailing behind her.

She knew what you were about to do.

"Please don't — ah!" She gets pushed off by Scaramouche, and you immediately step in and push him off instead and get Amaya behind your back.

Amaya does not deserve the brothers she has. Scaramouche and Wanderer were pieces of shit and just like Patrina, Tartaglia and Xiao, is rumored to have a relationship with her. What's with the incestuous relationships in this school?

But either way you glared at Scaramouche who glares at you back. "Give that whore back to me." He demands. "Fuck off." You grit your teeth. He steps forward, about to forcefully take Amaya back but Inoko steps in like a teacher should and stops the fight. She ends up getting glared at by the guys, and she's trembling.

"Stay away from this, teach." Xiao warns, but Inoko insisted.

and you ended up outside with Amaya but with Inoko inside the classroom getting punished by them. You grit your teeth knowing you can't do anything, you can't barge in, you can't save her, you're helpless—

"This is all your fault..." Amaya whimpers, "You shouldn't have fought against them! Do you know how much power they hold in this school?!" She almost wanted to sob.

All your fault...?

What did you do wrong exactly? Being a decent human and actually doing something against their inhumane actions?

"How is this all my fault?" You muttered.

"Uhm... How is it her fault?" Kabukimono spoke up, oh shit, you have forgotten Kabukimono's presence and never expected him to follow Amaya

You stormed away. Patrina follows after you. You cannot handle this shit no more! This school is full of shit and dirt and everything derogatory.

That was what you kept repeating in your head, over and over again. Patrina is concerned and Amaya ends up getting forcefully dragged by Patrina, so now you're sitting in the cafeteria with both of the girls notoriously known for being in a relationship with their family.. and there's Kabukimono too.

You don't even feel like eating anymore. Kabukimono was eating peacefully. Looking at you from time to time.. "Are you gonna eat that?" He asks softly. You don't know how Amaya and him can be so... Innocent with siblings like Scaramouche.

You nodded, you didn't want to waste food anyways. Because unlike how Teyvat Academy is known for having rich students, you aren't rich at all.

You're also bullied because of that, but you don't really think of it much.

"Look, I know it's weird for me to say it but.. I'm grateful for you." Patrina starts, you look up at her, raising a brow, she blushes, "..Well— I'm grateful that you... managed to get Tartaglia to shut up." She admits. Amaya joins in too, "Yeah! Uhm, I'm glad that you actually fought for Ms. Inoko!" You feel warm about that, everyone just ridicules you for that, but they're over here... Just... Thanking you.

Kabukimono joins in, "I think you're great too!" He smiles. You feel speechless, oh wow.. I guess it's nice to be thanked rather than ridiculed. "What kind of food are you eating anyways? Let's skip school and go out!" Patrina says, you are slightly offended because so sorry for being poor.

"I.. I'm too broke to go out." You admitted, Patrina scoffs, "I'll pay~ I mean, I am one of the richest~" she smirks.. oh well...

And that's how you got to be good friends with all of them. Well at least you hope you guys are friends. Kabukimono doesn't think so, because he can feel his heart flutter whenever you're there. He'd always ask you about it, and you tell him he's in-love. So.. does that mean, he's in-love with you?

But anyways, Scaramouche and Wanderer are irritated, Xiao is hysterical, Childe is just thinking about you.

"How could I lose her..." Xiao is going insane silently, "That fucking slut is getting it when she gets home..." Scaramouche grits his teeth.

While you're getting overwhelmed by the amount of food and how tasty it was! So this was rich people's food, Patrina is just flexing, and Amaya and Kabukimono are eating.

Little did you know, Wanderer has his ways to find his little sister. And so does Xiao.

—-·-——-·-——-·-——-·-——-·-——-

Days pass by and both Kabukimono and Childe are falling for you harder, Patrina and Amaya are grateful to you and even Inoko.

You were trying to get away from Childe when you bumped into Scaramouche. Oh no.

Scaramouche was irritated, but then he got amused. "Well well well... It's the broke girl. You have fun picking scraps?" He mocks, and you just glared at him

"Oh? Feisty of you. I'll gladly get you to submit to me." He pulls your hair and shoves you in a wall. That hurts! You immediately pushed him off with all your might. What the fuck?!

He stumbles back, irritated, and immediately lunges at you, but he ends up getting punched in the face. You held your hands, shocked that you actually punched someone. He's shocked too. And he was about to pounce on you again but you ran away immediately. Leaving a little necklace behind. A necklace he oh so familiar with.

And the necklace just happened to have your scent.

-–———————————————–-

You hate every single second you spend on that place and you might just avoid those hallways at all costs. Running was never your forte, so of course, as cliche as it sounds, you ran over someone, and he was quick to catch you before you fell on the floor.

"Agh! I'm so sorry—" you apologized profusely. Until you got a good look at his face. It's Xiao. You pulled away immediately, running off. And he was left shocked. Weren't you the one who's been keeping Patrina occupied lately?

He smelled Patrina's scent on you, but that wasn't what he enjoyed, rather your scent was what he enjoyed. He looks forward to bumping into you more, you look very clumsy...

-–———————————————–-

Holy shit, embarrassed two times. Where the hell are the girls and Kabukimono are when you need them?

Patrina crashed towards you. Shocking you. Not again! But Patrina looked troubled, she was relieved it was you.

She felt like crying, and she immediately broke down in your arms. You didn't know what to do. How do you comfort people anyways. You reluctantly put your arms around her... And she sobbed in your arms, incoherent words and you just listened to it all. Soon she stops crying, her eyes puffy and face wet.

"Can you... Could you please come over to my house?" Patrina asks, no she pleaded at this point, she needed you to be there. Especially when she finds out her father —Zhongli — knows she's been skipping class. You were shocked. You didn't want to say yes. How could you? Especially when her father is one of the guys who paid hush money to keep the murder of your dearest friend Nanoko.

-–———————————————–-

Why do you keep on being a push over and just saying yes to everything people ask you of? Why are you here? You're seeing red. Seething angrily. You don't want to see one of the biggest investors, the man who paid hush money to cover up the murder of your friend— you don't want to!

The moment you stepped inside, Tartaglia was about to greet Patrina then saw me and he lightened up, it didn't show on his dead ocean eyes, but he definitely lightened up, "Ah! Ангел!" (Angel) He walks up to you happily and embracing you, you feel repulsed and pushed him off. "Don't call me that..."

Xiao was playing on his phone while sitting on the large couch and he smelled your scent and perked up. "The clumsy girl?"

"It seems you brought a friend over." A smooth and deep voice calls out.

Oh shit.

You slightly trembled when hearing his voice. And there he is. Zhongli Dei Lapis.

He seems quite surprised to see you, "Hmm, it's you. Have you been taking care well? Have you been attending your weekly therapy sessions?" He asks, but he doesn't really care does he?

Patrina looks shocked, and you averted your gaze. "Yes." You managed to mutter without stuttering.

Patrina soon starts speaking, "..I.. I brought her because she's my friend and has been helping me study for a while..." She said. Zhongli hums, "Is that so?"

"Well then.." he walks closer. "You wouldn't mind explaining why my dear Patrina has been skipping classes, hmm?" And you feel your face pale as you look at Patrina, who looked away.

-–———————————————–-

You feel betrayed. Done. You would never be the same person ever since. You have been avoiding Patrina entirely. For a whole week and more. Even her family members. You've just been hanging out with Amaya and Kabukimono.

It was fine and all.

Until it wasn't.

Because you just saw Amaya beaten and battered up in the hallway, and you have the girl you've been avoiding for a week and more, in your arms, crying about Amaya.

And you're crying too.

-–———————————————–-

:3

[iamnmbr3]

I would love to hear your snily thoughts 🤍

Idk. I just think they're neat you know? I think they should both be rough and angry with jagged edges and ferocity and power and creativity that often gets overlooked and underestimated. I think this would make them very interesting together but also make them clash in interesting ways. We see how flawed their friendship is and I think they'd have to overcome a lot to be together, while at the same time being incredibly similar and compatible in many ways. I also think they have a lot more in common than they get credit for.

Snape is tremendously intelligent and creative and likes to play around with the nature of magic to the point that he is already inventing spells in school, which is extremely impressive. And I think this is something he would also have in common with Lily.

I subscribe to the theory that it was more than just her sacrifice that saved Harry that night in 1981. I think she did...something. My money's on some type of blood magic ritual with herself and potentially James as sacrifices. I mean Voldemort's spell doesn't just rebound. He's ripped apart - at a metaphysical level. Not only is his body (and the house) destroyed but also his very soul is also shattered. Something that never happens again despite the fact that he later makes more Horcruxes and kills more innocent people. Not only that but the spell later burns Quirrel alive when Voldemort possesses him and tries to hurt Harry. Only by taking Lily's blood is he partly able to circumvent this, so I think a blood magic ritual makes the most sense.

So yeah I kinda like the idea of Lily and Snape both being kinda scarily inventive and creative and holing up together somewhere to experiment and play with magic and just being utterly fascinated by it and maybe a little scarily risk tolerant (after all, Luna's mom died experimenting with magic so we know it can go very wrong). Also I like to think that they both shared a passion for potions. Slughorn mentions Lily having been really good at the subject so I love to imagine them both being genuinely enthusiastic about obscure potions topics and debating them and mutually admiring each other's skills and building off of each other. Not to mention they are both fiercely devoted to their love ones and willing to die for those they love.

Also consider the fact that they were both probably called mudblood by some of the same people (because remember while Lily would certainly have had it way worse, "mudblood" is also an insult for halfbloods). And consider also the bitter areas of disagreement. Snape's resentment of muggles and his muggle heritage driven by his relationship with his father versus Lily feeling much more positively about that side of her heritage (despite her deteriorating relationship with her sister) because of her supportive parents. Snape's resentment over Lily accepting Slug Club party invitations (because as a muggleborn she lacks connections in wizarding society) and Lily being horrified when Snape rubs shoulders with some of the very same people in his House.

They both have sharp tongues. Consider them enjoying each other's wit but also both being vicious in their arguments. Consider them being the only ones to really see each other when they are both caricatures to so many people. They both see each other's isolation and anger and daring and intellect and creativity and sense of never quite belonging in either world and need to prove themselves.

Imagine them slowly weaving the messy bits of themselves together, learning to build something functional, learning to compliment rather than undermine each other. Imagine them standing together to face a world that discounted them. Imagine what they could create and invent.

Imagine a soft world in which Snape turns away from Voldemort and Lily tells James that he will not be getting the idealized fantasy version of her (or indeed any version of her) in the end. Imagine them going through life judging everyone together, with a fierce loyalty only to each other, perhaps becoming Unspeakables or perhaps striking out on their own and continuing to invent and discover. Imagine them having a child and Lily immersing herself fully in that - because so often I see characterizations that try to make her "more badass" by trying to minimize how important motherhood was to her, which I personally really dislike.

Or imagine the alternative. In which something happens between them. But it can't last. Because they still end up pulled to opposite sides of the war. Imagine Lily marrying Snape's worst enemy partly out of spite. Imagine their affection turning to bitterness and no one even noticing that even though they aren't together so much of what they do is still a private battle between them. Because even if they look at each other with bitterness now they still see each other in a way no one else does. Imagine them both compromising their loyalty to their respective sides to spare the other, even while still feeling angry.

Imagine them both being petty and vindictive and deeply flawed and deeply human, both extremely different and so, so similar. And imagine all the ways that a relationship between them, whether or not it works out, could help explore and illuminate the facets of their characters.

[mommyclaws]

Opinions on Leopardstar? I haven't read leopardstar's Honor yet, not sure what happens there, but I've heard it's somewhat disappointing.

I was always somewhat angry that she never really mentioned Tigerstar after the whole Tigerclan thing, and we never really got to see how she felt about the whole thing, just that the people she sent to die really didn't like her.

A Shadow in Riverclan also kinda did the same thing where she gave a little pep talk and suddenly everything was ok for Feathertail, after she had horrible ptsd from Leopardstar

I want to like her but she's such a nothing character imo to actually have an opinion on because I think she was done pretty dirty, as Riverclan and her weren't really the focus of the series for so long

I consider myself a Leopardstar fan. I’ve been wanting to talking about my feelings/view on her for a while so i’ll put all my thoughts here!

The direction they took with her in canon is dissatisfying but she has alot of groundwork that gives her interesting potential. Her father is a medic- formerly warrior- who changed his position because he is against violence. She turns into everything Mudfur wanted to escape from. Too proud, itching for a battle, apathetic to the suffering of the other clans. And even if it was a let down, I can appreciate the authors at least tried to do more with her character than let her off the hook as easily as Blackfoot.

I like her mostly in comparison to my dislike for Blackstar's character. He teamed with Brokenstar and Tigerstar, committed murders and didn’t protest to the abuse of his own clan. He does nothing to atone and doesn't even seem particularly remorseful but he's still rewarded by being made leader. Leopardstar was already in power when she made the decisions that cost cats their lives. Cats trusted her to protect them and her neglect threw them into savagery and death. Standing by to allow kits and her own deputy be slaughtered is GRUESOME. I read her as someone blinded by ambition, just another product of the code. She misjudged then got in over her head with Tigerclan and was willing to toss others aside to save her own tail. Maybe she truly is remorseful, but it doesn't change what she did. Nothing can.

Crookedstar's leadership was very relaxed and she considered him weak. He gave up land to Shadowclan, he could never keep Sunningrocks, he allowed Thunderclan to take refugee on multiple occasions, and all of the half clan cats he accepts are seemingly only because they're his kin. She had thoughts of making Riverclan powerful and feared once he was out of the picture, it's why she completely disregarded his dying wishes- She couldn't bring herself to respect him.

The politics of Riverclan change drastically with her nine lives. Closed borders and no tolerance for Thunderclan, not even Graystripe, who only wanted to be with his kits. Riverclan is strong. But it could be stronger, couldn't it? She and Tigerclaw served as deputies together, even if he was the enemy, she thought well of him. He is a fierce and respected Thunderclan warrior. Or so he was. While she initially thought it a red flag he was now serving Shadowclan, she couldn't disagree with him for leaving Thunderclan when she already had so much resentment for them and ruling Shadowclan, it was true. They had been weaken for many moons, it was Tigerstar who reunited them and made them powerful. So when he promises to make her clan just as powerful, together, she doesnt refuse.

She very consistently and vocally had a dislike for half-clan cats. She exiled Graystripe. She calls Featherpaw and Stormpaw liabilities. She banishes Stormfur and Brook. I think she has very genuine hateful beliefs but at the same time she’s horrified at what happened to Stonefur. That was a cat she was trusting to become the next leader of Riverclan. And he was killed for defending innocent lives. She knows she was wrong, she regrets it, she has nightmares about the bonehill. (<- This was confirmed by an author apparently!) but her attempts to “atone” are surface level and shallow at best. She wants to be forgiven without changing. She makes Mistyfoot deputy to show she’s better now, but what meaning does that position have after Stonefur was slaughtered? She apologizes to Feathertail and Stormfur, but they still feel like complete outcasts. They’re more friendly with their former clanmates in Thunderclan and Leopardstar later exiles Stormfur over a faked sign. I think her attempts were never to better herself or right her victims, but to relieve her own guilt. She’s always prioritized herself above others.

[lilaccatholic]

Things I'm hoping for in Sunrise on the Reaping:

More character names in general!! Not just because SC infuses so much character into the names she chooses but also it would make fic writing so much easier if I just had the names of Katniss's parents for the love of goodness

I want my heart BROKEN. We know that Snow kills basically everyone Haymitch loves as punishment for what he did with the forcefield, but I legitimately want to feel as much of the tragedy as possible so it doesn't become mindless bloodsport.

As always, worldbuilding!!! Panem is such an endlessly fascinating world, and what we got in TBoSaS was so good, but I crave so much MORE about how this system works. Remember, the second Quarter Quell is basically Snow at the height of his power. We've seen the first days of Panem as the Games are first becoming a thing, and we've seen the end of the Capitol's reign of terror when things were more relaxed right before amping up in an effort to prevent war. There's no other way Katniss could have been out there hunting, that there could have been a tolerated (and thriving!!!) black market in 12, that so many people could have been collaborating to organize a rebellion. What must Panem have looked like at the height of Snow's might? What might we learn of the harsh realities of the Seam that Katniss, jaded though she was, missed in her innocence?

Tie-ins with the other books! I'd love to see more about characters like Greasy Sae, Ripper, even the Mellarks, and other merchants, and see what they were like before Katniss knew them. If anything, I feel like that above all would show how devastating the firebomb attack on 12 at the end of Catching Fire was. Look what's been destroyed. Look *who* has been destroyed. See these characters you've grown to love? In 25 years, all of them, even the children, save who Gale could usher into the forest, they're all dead.

In that vein, I'd love more info on the culture of 12. I feel like that goes along with worldbuilding, but this is so important to me that it bears repeating in a slightly different font, lol.

I have soooo many thoughts on this, but this is what I've come up with so far. I'm so excited to see what comes when the book is released in March. Let me know what you guys are looking forward to!!!

[nightingale2004]

Harry Potter next gen: Draco x Astoria vers.

Sidra Narcissa Malfoy

Faceclaim: Lily Rose Depp

(First off, thank you, @kind-hufflepuff. You inspired me to make this character)

Sidra is the oldest child and first daughter of Draco Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass. She is also the older sister to Scorpius.

Sidra is 3 years older than Scorpius and is SUPER overprotective of him

When Sidra first went to Hogwarts, she was sorted into Ravenclaw

Loves her parents and is a total daddy's girl

Has a Cleo DeNile and Regina George vibe

MASSIVE diva

She knows what people say about her family, but she doesn't care.

Often teases Scorpius out of love

Helps her father keep Scorpius's innocence intact

Her patronus is a peacock

✨️fashion icon✨️

Has a hard stare that will make you fear for your life, and if her looks could kill you would already be dead

She does not speak peasant

Despite what half of Hogwarts may think, she does not mind getting her hands dirty as long as she looks good doing it

Is incredibly intelligent and has a very curious mind

Knows wizard law by heart and will not hesitate to unleash her inner lawyer

Did not like Albus Potter anywhere near her brother, but she learned to tolerate him because he makes Scorpius happy

Constantly threatens Albus that if he breaks her little brother's heart, then she will break him

She knows Legilimence and Occlumency

Feels like she is surrounded by idiots

Her favorite classes are astronomy, ancient runes, arithmancy, charms, and history of magic

She has a sketchbook where she draws clothing designs and ideas (gift from her grandmother)

After her mother died, she put on a mask of perfection. The only people she takes that mask off for are her father, grandparents, and brother

Knows ballet and how to play the violin, flute, harp, and piano

Does not like the Potters but tolerates them

Surpringly for everyone, she is on the Ravenclaw quidditch team and plays as seeker, chaser, and keeper (she is also Ravenclaw's best player

When someone hurts her family, she will not hesitate to hurt them back (public image be damned)

Likes painting and sketching (helps her relax)

She and Scorpius are attached to the hip, and she can easily read her whole family and what they're thinking

Visits her mother's grave occasionally and talks to her about anything and everything that's happened to her and her family

She is pretty much Draco when he attended Hogwarts

If you bully her brother and she stares at you without saying anything, she is planning your death

The Black family madness runs deeply through her veins

Their are moments where she reminds her grandparents of Sidra's aunt Bellatrix Lestrange

Sidra keeps her father updated about Scorpius

After her mother died, Sidra and Draco's relationship was awkward, but they still loved each other and expressed it in their own way

Is completely weak for her brother

Knows her own self worth

☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇

Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy

Faceclaim: Percy Hynes White

The first son and second child of Astoria Greengrass and Draco Malfoy

Autistic af

The kindest and most sensitive person you'll ever meet

Slytherin boy

Loves his family with all his heart

Hates it when other people talk bad about his family

He can read a person's body language

Has a great interest in dinosaurs to this day

Would play doctor/healer when he was younger

When he was a kid, he would sneak into his parents or Sidra's room and sleep with them. Now, he mostly sleeps next to his sister whenever he doesn't want to be alone

Tries to keep his sister from killing anyone

Loves seeing Albus and Sidra getting along

Calls his sister Sid or Siddy

Loves herbology, potions, care for magical creatures, and history of magic

Will go to his sister's games and cheer for her the loudest

He doesn't like crowds or social events. (It easily overwhelms him and triggers panic attacks)

He is jealous of Sidra and Albus but they always encourage him and love him despite being sensitive

Doesn't like to be touched without consent except if it's with someone he trusts

His patronus is dog

Whenever he needs to vent to his sister, she immediately drops everything to listen to him

Incredibly shy and bashful. He also does not have a great grasp of social cues

Sometimes, he visits his mother's grave with his father and sister. He likes to talk with her too

He is an incredible fan of Severus Snape along with Sidra, and they both often converse with his portrait

People have commented on how Scorpius and Sidra should've switched houses and how the hat got them mixed up

Draco loves how close Sidra and Scorpius are

He is the tall bf in the relationship

[rey-jake-therapist]

A few Acolyte theories...

Osha and Mae were conceived the same way Anakin was. Their mothers were witches with a great knowledge of the Force, so they may have used an ancient power to create the girls. Anyway it was something that the Jedi would have considered dangerous and not tolerable, hence the secrecy around the girls existence.

Qimir/the Stranger knows everything about Osha and Mae's nature, just like he knows what Sol did to their mother. He tracked the girls, saw that Osha was unreachable because Jedi but Mae was an easy prey full of anger, so he went for her first. But how did he know all this? He was a man, so he couldn't have been one of the witches 🤔 my theory so far is that Koril, the other mother, survived, and crossed the Stranger's path. They both hated the Jedi (Koril at least did, for good reasons), so Koril told him her story and he decided to help her find the girls.

Which brings me to an even crazier theory: Koril trained Qimir but it didn't turn out well, so they fought and she left him that big scar in his back. I know we're lured into believing that his former Jedi master did that to him, but The Strangers DOESN'T tell Osha a Jedi did that to him. Why wouldn't he, if it's the truth? He only tells her that someone who "threw him away" did that scar, and seems very reluctant to tell her more.

Even if I'm wrong about Koril and Qimir, which is very likely, I'm 100% convinced that she survived on Brendok and will seek revenge on the Jedi.

He didn't tell Mae that Sol was directly responsible for her mother's death, and I wonder why. Maybe he thought that if he told her, she would be all about her revenge and not so much about being his Acolyte... He'll totally tell Osha in the next episode, though.

The Strangers says two important things about him: he was a Jedi "a very long time ago" (before Osha joined the Jedi Order), and he "lost everything". I'm not sure that he hates the Jedi, mostly he seems to dislike the fact that they won't let him do what he wants.

What I mean is: I don't think he lost everything because of the Jedi. My theory on this is that he lost his family at a very young age and was taken by the Jedi, but like for Osha the Jedi training didn't work for him, and he left. He's sincerely annoyed that Osha cares so much about Sol, because he knows what Sol did and he realizes she doesn't. It's not so much jealousy as it is concern, imho.

When Osha learns the truth, she'll go bonkers. All her life she believed her sister killed her entire family because SOL, A JEDI, TOLD HER SO! Her world will turn upside down when she realizes that the Jedi can kill innocent people and get away with it by lying, and worse, that her father figure lied to her all along.

Osha will turn and become the Stranger's lover Acolyte😈 I mean, that's the title of the show, right? Someone will become an Acolyte at some point and it can't be Mae anymore. Osha and Mae will switch sides, as Mae will come to forgive Sol when she see his remorses are genuine. She proved since the first episode that she wasn't entirely corrupted, when she spared the bar owner because he had a little child with him.

I really hope they won't say that Osha and The Stranger are a Dyad. I don't think they're set up to be that at all, especially considering that Osha has a twin sister who's said to be literally the same as her! What place would she have in this? Also the Stranger isn't said to be special, unlike Ben Solo. As far as we know he's just a former Jedi who went rogue.... I like the idea that he founded the Knights of Ren, though. He's NOT a Sith. He told Sol he would call him a Sith because that's the only Dark side reference that the Jedi know of, imho.

[clangenrising]

i think the hate comes from the fact she still does try to justify/excuse Razor, despite hearing from many cats how horrible he was to them. like we know he is an abuser and a rapist. she thinks it's bizarre/odd/whatever that his rape victim (Scorch) calls the idea of him being sweet and caring 'nightmarish'. brother or not, he is emotional, physical and sexual abuser, and she still seems to find it weird that cats dont… tolerate him in the slightest. that does rubs as rape/abuse apologism bc 'he was nice to ME and he is MY FAMILY, he would NEVER do something like that..' soo many irl families have sadly ('no way my son could had possibly violated someone. this bitch is clearly lying and trying to ruin our family' type of shit you know)

like yeah having to live for months with people (cats) who killed your family member celebrated it is harsh, i do give her that ofc. on top of her kitten crash and being more or less forced to tend them or else, and she is in no good shape to properly accept and internalize the Shadow Truth. but many people irl dealt with people like her, trying to bend over and backwards to justify their family members and friends, even after coming in contact with those who were deeply hurt by them.

That is a good point, I see where you're coming from. Clearly you've been very hurt by this kind of thing in the past and I hope nothing I've done made you feel more hurt.

I was just surprised because Mystique isn't like, for example, a parent who makes excuses for a son who has been accused of sexual assault and insists that he's totally innocent despite evidence to the contrary. She's a victim too, even if she was never physically or sexually assaulted by Razor. All of her denials aren't meant to hurt the victims or protect Razor, they're to protect herself from the terrifying reality of her situation. Does that make what she did right? No, and I don't think I've ever said that, but I do think it makes it less deplorable.

As well, its not like Scorch has told her "he assaulted me." Scorch is VERY private and so that stuff isn't public knowledge. I feel like there might be some projection on to her because of information the audience has that she doesn't. As far as killing Smokyrose, that was framed to the city cats as a casualty of war, not the murder of a peace negotiator, and to her is similar to if say, Razor were a cop who shot somebody. We obviously would find that terrible but from her conservative point of view that's just his job, to protect the city from dangerous cats with lethal force if necessary. When she got to the Clans that became more complicated for her and she's hasn't ever once claimed Razor was in the right to kill her.

What she did ask for was that the fight be solved peacefully. As far as she knows, the Clans are blowing Razor's actions out of proportion and jumping to killing him when there could have been a different solution. Like, imagine if you went to a village and everyone there was like "your brother is an evil murderer" and then failed to present you with any substantial evidence. Who would you want to believe, the strangers ready to kill him or your brother who has only ever been good to you and everyone you know (or at least, you've rationalized his behavior to believe that's the truth, lied to your self enough that you believe it)?

This isn't to trivialize what you went through or excuse real life cases of people who deny heinous acts. This is simply to say, I feel like anyone who hates Mystique isn't engaging with the entirety of the story I'm telling. I understand, though, that this could be because of a defensive reaction and I don't mean to put any blame on someone who might be feeling that way. This is a complicated topic and its possible for neither party to be the bad guy in this situation.

[ada-tan]

Was talking with a friend earlier today, and even though it's an optional choice in gameplay, the thought of Diamant and Ivy both having to kill their fathers is so painfully... symbolic?

Both Morion and Hyacinth represent the old order, in a sense. They uphold the cycle of war and hatred that's held Brodia and Elusia in a grip for at least thirty years, as innocents of both countries are caught in the crossfire, their lives taken and villages razed. Neither of these kings (or the leaders who came before them) have been willing to compromise.

And after all this time, as hatred and fear has settled into the fabric of both societies, it's not so easy to do.

Brodia invades Elusia to claim territory, but also cite the country's worship of the Fell Dragon as a major reason. I definitely think that, for some of the more ambitious Brodians (particularly the nobility, often painted as a problem in Diamant's supports), it's a convenient excuse. Both Firene and Solm are more tolerant in Elusia's choice of worship, and not even Lumera has raised a hand to stop them after all this time.

But Morion, portrayed as a hero in the eyes of the Brodian people, and an honorable warrior (to his eventual downfall), gives me the sense that he genuinely buys into the dangers of the Fell religion, and believes that the invasions are the best way to protect Brodia in the long run.

Hyacinth, portrayed by Hortensia and Ivy as a once kind man, is implied to have turned to extreme forms of Fell worship to combat the Brodian threat, i.e. resurrecting Sombron and being caught under his thrall. This, of course, leads to the Elusian army being used for the Fell Dragon's ambitions, and plunging all of Elyos into chaos.

Brodian society honors might and claiming things by force, while Diamant wants to reform it into a peaceful country whose economy doesn't hinge on war.

Elusia worships the Fell Dragon, while Ivy turned to worshipping the Divine as an act of rebellion, and because their values aligned with her own. (Or at least, the type of person she wished to be.)

By being the ones to end their fathers, it's another way of symbolically cutting their ties with that old order, and clearing the way for a better future they for Brodia and Elusia. One that they give each other the courage to achieve, and work together to make a reality.

But it no doubt hurts, because despite their faults, you can tell they both loved their fathers deeply. :")

[lucianalight]

Loki S2 Review

I rewatched S2 and I liked it even more on the second watch. I'm giving it a 6 out of 10 in average(8 for the finale). Since I didn't post a review week by week like for S1, I'm just going to talk about the main things I liked/disliked

The Improvements & Things I liked:

The pace and the narrative's tone and framing have changed. While the pace drops sometimes, these moments aren't as boring as S1. Meaning you don't want to constantly check when it's going to end(like you know, S1 and especially 1x06). The narrative is neutral and doesn't villain code Loki and hero code others. It doesn't turn Loki into a clown, a punching bag or someone who deserves humiliation(I guess they've done enough of that in S1). On the contrary the characters are shown as flawed people, with Loki being the most moral, considerate, logical and heroic amongst them.

They stated bluntly in episode 1, that what TVA used to do, were atrocities. That they were killing numerous innocent people who had a right to live their lives as they chose.

The characters were three dimensional, likable or tolerable despite their actions in S1. They showed remorse for the things they had done. Although the way the narrative chose to go about it in S1 still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It shouldn't happen to you for you to realize sth is wrong. But at least it was shown that the characters weren't slaughtering people mindlessly and some of them deep down knew it was wrong. Although the fact that they still did it, because of the "greater good", and "woe is me! It's not a comfort it's a burden" attitude about it is repulsive.

OB, Casey and Timely being funny, cute nerds and fanboys :D

Loki using amazing magical stuff and DID YOU SEE THE GREEN MAGICAL GLOW IN HIS EYES?*incoherent screaming*

No Romance. It was unnecessary and rushed in S1. This time they focused more on Loki needing friends and that was definitely a better choice imo and what they should have gone for in S1 too.

Sylvie's actions and personality framed as what they were. She wasn't put on a pedestal as this amazing different FeMaLe version of Loki. She was framed as a flawed character with wrong and right actions and beliefs.

Loki and Sylvie's talk in the pie land, about change, hope, fixing what's broken and being gods. That sigh before Loki saying "We are gods" with all the weight of the world on his shoulders. Wonderful acting.

The ending and its epic soundtrack.

Topics & Things That Could Have Been Handled Better:

The Topic of New York Invasion

"Sometimes a rage builds up and you just gotta let it out. Do you remember that time I was so angry with my father and my brother, I went down to Earth and I held the whole of New York city hostage with an alien army? Tried to use the mind stone on Tony Stark? It didn't work so I threw him off the building. It wasn't tactical. I lost it"

On the surface it looks like Loki's saying that's why he attacked New York and probably most people accept this without a second thought.

But the context of the scene matters. We see during the interrogation Mobius loses his temper. He was worried about Loki getting angry, but he was the one who loses his temper and hits Brad. Loki tries to calm him down by sympathizing with him to try and see what caused his behavior. It's the same thing he did for Thor in the first movie, before coronation and after it, while Thor was nervous and angry. What he says about New York while isn't the whole truth, it also isn't untrue. He was angry with Thor and Odin but as we know his anger and thoughts were influenced by the scepter. We also know Loki doesn't like to talk about his time with Thanos or being tortured. Instead he uses a half-truth, sth that is in character for Loki.

So the scene can be rationalized by this analysis but it's still annoying that this analysis is even needed. They should have been clear about the scepter's influence especially when mcu confirmed it.

Loki thinking about Thor's change as being a weakness. While both Thor and Loki were groomed and taught to consider being soft as a weakness, that wasn't Loki's true feelings. At least I don't think someone who prefers words and magic-that are considered a weakness in Asgard-over brawn thinks like that. His goal in the first movie was to goad Thor into fighting him. So the line should have been sth like this: "Asgard taught us being soft is a weakness, so I used that against Thor to goad him into a fight. I said he's gone soft…"

Plotholes and things that weren't explained.

Why Loki and Sylvie weren't sent to their original timelines like others? And why neither of them showed any interest in seeking their family? You're telling me Loki wants to see these people he knows for 10 seconds more than Frigga or Thor? OOC.

Sylvie's sudden mastery of magic since 1x06 isn't explained. She didn't know much, but then suddenly could do everything Loki did. I mean I can headcanon that her and Loki linking their power taught her some things but these sudden developments without any explanations are annoying.

Loki's genderfluidity. No mention of it at all. Although I believe that no representation is better than bad representation. And you should leave a topic alone if you don't understand it, otherwise you're gonna mess it up. Because bad rep can be more harmful. And so maybe it was a good thing mcu let that one go. But they could still fix it with some shapeshifiting, explaining its difference with illusions and Loki confirming that he is comfortable in her female form.

Loki's clothes. It's probably not that important in comparison with other issues but I really hate that beige suit. Why Sylvie who doesn't even want to be Loki and wasn't in Asgard since childhood changes into an Asgardian outfit for a fight and not Loki? Yeah I get it. It was because of the last reveal and transformation and finding his identity blah blah blah but at least they could have gave him his old Asgardian clothes or he could change the suit's color ugh

Criticism & Things I didn't like:

The ooc moments for Loki in some comedic scenes. Especially in episode 5. While the character has a comedic potential, it's not based on clownery or clumsiness. The best humorous moments for Loki are the ones where he outwits others, use sarcastic language or he is being outwitted despite his careful plans.

Certain emotional stakes aren't clear from the start. The audience know that saving TVA is the right thing because it protects all the freed timelines but they don't know why they should care? Or more accurately why Loki is so emotionally invested in this goal. That gets answered in episode 5 and while Loki's talk with Sylvie is a good emotional scene, the fact that it's stated so late in the story, makes the first few episodes boring when it comes to saving TVA.

The main reason the emotional stakes aren't clear(at least for me), I believe is because most of the people Loki call them his "friends",  haven't done anything to either deserve his friendship or aren't close enough to be considered a friend. Let alone someone Loki tries to move heaven and hell to be with them, instead of for example trying to find his brother and family. It is an issue which again is rooted in S1 and carried to S2. What happened in S1 wasn't therapy or a healthy friendship.

However, Loki being loyal to anyone who show him an ounce of affection or him being moral enough to try to save people are in character for him and that's sth good about it.

The torture scene.

The trick Mobius and Loki pulled was predictable as hell. I didn't even doubted Loki in TDW, let alone here. And even though I didn't believe for one second that Loki's actually going to hurt the guy, and he wasn't shown enjoying it, I still hated that he went along with the torture idea Mobius had come up with. Especially considering the fact that he was a victim of torture himself and never shown any sign in canon that he would torture someone. So yeah I hated that scene.

And why that scene was even necessary? Loki could get into X-5's mind when they weren't in TVA. We know he is capable of it. He did it both through mind stone in Avengers and in TR. how else they were going to delve into Mobius' problem though smh

But alright let's say they needed a scene like that. Still the whole Brad believing Mobius is against torture, and Loki's the one who would be in favor of it, is so fucking ridiculous. Any way you look at it, it has always been TVA and Mobius who did any torture we've seen during the two seasons. The tortures that Loki endured might I add. Even in the previous scene, it was Loki who didn't hit Brad and only tried to intimidate him non-physically by acting as a villain. It was Mobius who hit him, who was shown more affected by Brad's insults. So logically the scene they had planned to fool Brad, should have been played completely the opposite way. By having Mobius do the torture. At least it was recognized that the torture idea was from Mobius and both he and Loki gave the credits for it to Mobius.

Verity Willis. Hunter B15 unlike the Verity in comics, doesn't have a close friendship with Loki or truth detector powers. Not having a good friend like comics Verity for Loki, was such a wasted opportunity in the series.

Mobius saying to Loki "You're a man of action...". That was such a stupid, unnecessary line. As if the main difference between Loki and Thor wasn't Thor acting before thinking, and Loki thinking and planning before acting. While Loki is also a man of action, he is first and foremost a man of strategy. The only plausible explanation imo is that Mobius said it to not feel useless in comparison with Loki and his skills.

"Thor's not that tall". Yeah, no. I don't think Loki's reaction to seeing Thor and Odin's statues would be that. Knowing his brother and family were murdered by the very same people he's working with now. Remind me again why he's considering them "FrIeNdS"? Someone really needs to explain the concept of friendship to Loki. Or rather the writers of this show.

And while we are at it. Let's talk about how Loki's past and identity issues were completely swapped under the rug as if they were all magically fixed and didn't matter anymore. As if those weren't the most important part of his journey. Another issue rooted in S1.

Final Thoughts(for now :D)

Season 2 was definitely better than season 1. Not perfect, and not for those who care about OG Loki's issues. They set him on a completely different path in S1 and they messed up any chance to actually delve into his problems. So in S2 we're having a character that we're supposed to accept has moved on from certain issues, and now tries to find what he wants and where he belongs. Still, I think that they listened to the criticism for once as they tried to fix some of the problems of S1. After many years it didn't feel like that the creators hate the character, or using him as a prop, or a plot device. It was a story about Loki. A bittersweet story for the god of stories.