#she-ra did the raising stakes thing pretty well

[fazedlight]

How I think the Supergirl seasons should've gone...

Season 1: Leviathan

Hear me out. By far the biggest screwup of season 1, in my opinion, was getting rid of Kara's status as the Last Daughter of Krypton so quickly. I want to see more of her angst as a character, as a refugee from a dead planet, coming into her own powers. Give me the complicated emotions of missing her family, of feeling like she is honoring their memory, of wishing she had more guidance from her culture and values.

Starting with an Earth-based villain is a good scope for season 1. I think Leviathan could be reimagined to be remaining an Earth-based villain (none of this "technology" plot). What if they want to decimate all humans via increasing natural disasters? How would she stop them, when destruction is so much easier than creation?

Season 2: Rhea & the Daxamites

Season 2 was actually a great villain setup (Mon-El aside). I don't have many complaints here from a Big Bad perspective - Rhea was interesting and compelling, and it was fun watching her manipulate her way into a world invasion.

(I will say, if they wanted Mon-El to be a vaguely compelling character, they either should've made him some sort of freedom fighter rebelling against his parents, or they should've made Daxam a less terrible planet to begin with - with Kara learning how much propaganda she had been fed on Krypton.)

Season 3: Worldkillers (feat. Villain Alura + Worldkiller Kara)

There are hints that the original plan for season 3 was to have Alura amongst the Juru witches and Kara as a worldkiller (I may have written a fic on that). We could've combined the worldkiller arc, with Kara's angst about her parents' flaws and her existence, with Kara finally learning that she wasn't the Last Daughter of Krypton.

Her people would be alive - at a cost. Suddenly she'd be thrown into this conundrum... what did it mean to be kryptonian, and what did it mean to be human?

Season 4: Lex (and xenophobia)

Much like season 2, I really liked the existing plot of season 4. I'd make some minor changes, but overall it was a strong season.

Seasons 5 & 6

The Lex redux is kind of weak (and Lena's villain era, if she had one at all, should not last an entire season). Nyxly and Lex were the worst combination ever in my book. Not a fan of these seasons' big bads and I don't want to reuse them. But there are a few other options:

Bringing in Astra and Non at this point might be interesting. After the Daxamite invasion, the first solution people would think of would be "what if we spread kryptonite in the atmosphere?" with obvious angsty implications.

I would've loved to see Brainiac here. Perhaps he's mad that he didn't get to bottle Krypton before it exploded, so he wants to bottle Earth since it has the last kryptonians left. (Would've been an interesting arc for Brainy, too.) Or maybe he bottled Argo City.

Nyxly could've been a better solo villain, I think. I'd remove her backstory with the king/etc - make her some unhinged imp who somehow got around the usual limitations on 5th dimensional magic usage.

There are other great classic villains, like Darkseid.

As a final aside, I really loved the Red Lantern Kara arc in the comics, and wish they had done that on the show. It could've been...

A solution to the Astra/Non/Myriad problem. I thought the season 1 ending was kind of cheap, in that Kara only won because all of the kryptonian criminals were asleep on Fort Rozz when she was fighting Non and Indigo. Having Kara go red lantern and wipe them all out instead would've been immensely satisfying.

It could also have been an angsty response to Lena's betrayal, perhaps combined with the above.

Overall, the point is that there should be increasing stakes as time goes on. Moving from physically destructive villains (with increasing emotional cost) to something more vague and existential (the risk of being frozen in time, brainwashed, or fighting an unknowable magic) would've been a good escalation path for the show.

[quidfree]

have you every watched voltron or she-ra? if not, highly rec!! she-ra's amazing ( in my humble opinion ) voltron is uhh the start was great bUT GIANT ROBOT CATS THAT TURN INTO A GIANT ROBOT HUMAN

hi anon- i’ve watched both, actually, though not all the way through- thoughts below the cut just because i can feel this will be long despite my best efforts. def agree on voltron but cannot say i think shera is great haha

let’s start w voltron bc it’s the og. i watched it when it was first coming out and yeah- received w great enthusiasm. keith, unsurprisingly, was my guy. allura was probably my second favourite character. love the space lion robots of it all. really enjoyed the alien fantasy drama. was extremely on-board with unlikely teammates saving the galaxy and secret galra heritage and shiro’s war ptsd and all that. i think the early seasons had a good balance of drama and comedy, too.

definitely went downhill fast, and i didn’t watch past the season where lotor first starts playing a big role in the show, in part because i could Feel the bad prince zuko arc they were going to do and absolutely did not have the time for it (cannot believe they had him and allura be a thing…. and then she dies at the end of the show). basically just got frustrated by the way the characters were handled after a certain point, the tone was a mixed bag and the plot got messy. i was lucky bc keith was one of the people who got the most consistent/thorough focus and development, but the sidelining of certain charas and the weird dvp of others was just annoying. plus the ‘funny’ episodes… no. love shiro getting gay married tho good for him #lovewins.

shera…. hm. to give it some credit: i do enjoy the silly retro cartoon energy of it (the Names!!), i think the core 3’s friendship is good throughout, and naturally i think adora and catra’s relationship is compelling, fucked up and endearing. also there were def points where (like w voltron) the smaller-scale conflicts were pretty engaging to me, esp in the way they managed to overlap them w personal struggles- adora vs the horde, glimmer’s family drama… and mermista is an icon throughout love her energy.

now for my overview of the show… season one was promising for me but the like Positivity of it all just doesn’t speak to me- it’s Very power of friendship sparkles somehow. yeah theres darkness but i feel like it always gets mishandled. the villains in shera are sooo inconsistently framed as big menacing evil or harmless funny guys & i hate it- for eg why set up shadowweaver as this military evil child abuser for the early seasons and then make her a snarky teammate by the end?? it has ambitions of doing moral greyness but it’s mostly just badly executed for me… and that extends to catra fyi, for as much as i love her. shes easily my fav character but shes not very well-written. let’s not even start on hordak and his whole mess of a plot.

on that note both shows have a weird relationship w their genocide plots also. if you want to have genocide in your fun lil show you still need to take it seriously and there are ways to do it- think of avatar or of full metal alchemist, idk. making the big bad someone who wipes out planets and civilisations to raise stakes without ever considering the ramifications / while giving them easy redemption arcs is so lazy.

both theme songs absolutely slap though.

[hintofelation99]

Hi! I love your posts and want to ask your opinion on something. Who do you think in the batfam has the most and the least common sense of a normal person? If you can, can you also list how they are arranged? Thank you!

Ooohhh, this is a fun one! In my mind all bats lack common sense. Like obviously they're hella smart, after all they are a family of detectives, they just aren't very bright.

Here's a quick rundown (least to most): Tim and Dick tie for first place, both lack common sense in just in completely different ways. Then Damian (mostly cause of the whole 'being raised by league of assassins' thing), Bruce, Cass (controversial ik), Steph, Jason, Duke, Babs, and last on the list is obvs Alfred. (Kate is probs between Cass and Steph, but I've only really seen her in the DCAMU and need to get to know her better).

And Ima add a 'keep reading' cause this is gonna get long.

Tim:

Tim is one of the smartest in the family. He deduced Batman's identity as a child, majorly fucked up the League of Assassins, and has been honored (I say this v sarcastically just btw) with Ra's creepy obsession. He's smart, plain and simple. However, when it comes to just day to day survival and being loved, goddamn that boy is dumb.

He regularly mixes energy drinks and coffee. Sometimes he even mixes energy drinks, alcohol, and coffee.

In his mind warnings are optional. "Tim, did you just sniff that drano?" "Yeah, why?" "IT LITERALLY SAYS DO NOT SMELL" "Oops"

He regularly tests shit on himself. "Why is Tim on the floor?" "He mixed joker venom and fear gas to see what would happen" "HE WHAT"

Also if you try to compliment him or tell him you love him he will find a way to misunderstand. "Tim, I love you and you are an amazing son." "I don't know who this Tim is but he sounds great" "It- it's you, literally you. Timothy Jackson Drake." "I'm a bit confused, I didn't know you knew two Timothy Jackson Drakes. You should really introduce us."

Dick:

Dick in many ways is a total himbo. He's a complete sweetheart, super supportive, and very ditzy. His ditzy-ness directly correlates to how relaxed he is. Chilling in the manor? Peak himbo. A mission in space? Absolute genius and amazing leader. Just took down a bunch of thugs? Slowly reverting into dopey boi. He always has the ability to be super analytical, smart, and big brain, but he likes being whimsical and even airheaded. And that's not a bad thing, it's just him taking mental breaks, being lighthearted.

"YOU PUT DIESEL IN YOUR CAR?" "...Yeah, in my defense the nozzles look basically the same" "They're different colors?! Also the diesel nozzle doesn't even fit into your gas tank, how did you get it in?" "I'm a good pourer."

He always responds to the word dick and it always confuses him. "God Ra's is such a dick!" "What?" "Ra's is a dick" "I'm not Ra's!" "Wha- no! I mean penis dick!" "Ohhhh, yeah he is a penis dick"

Once Dick is safe he reverts into himbo pretty quickly, even after stressful situations. "Hey Wally?" "Yes babe?" "I forgot how to change my lock screen again" "Dick, you just hacked into an alien spaceship not even an hour ago??" "What's that have to do with anything?"

Damian:

Damian lacks common sense from growing up with the League of Assassins. He's an amazing warrior and super analytical but casual human interaction alludes him. He is getting better though, so eventually he'll be lower on the list than Steph. But for now he's a senseless bby.

The first time someone tried to give him high five he assumed it was an attack and flipped them. Same with a fist bump.

This is complete canon but his original treatment of Alfred, his brothers, and, well, everyone. Like bby boy please read the room.

His ego can easily override common sense. Like he wouldn't jump off a bridge if everyone else was doing it, but if someone said he couldn't he'd immediately swan dive off that bridge.

Bruce:

For the world's greatest detective he can be a major dumb bitch sometimes. Some of it's growing up rich and some is being so wrapped up in his 'crusade for justice' that he just misses basic shit.

One time he walked in on Roy and Jason making out, the next day he saw them cuddling, then they mentioned moving in together. It took him three months to realize that they're dating.

He doesn't understand coupons, like at all. Jason has tried to explain them but Bruce just gets even more confused.

Bruce tried to make coffee once. He literally just poured coffee beans in water and microwaved it. He was surprised when it didn't taste good.

Cass:

Cass is similar to Damian in she lacks common sense from an unconventional upbringing. However she's learning way faster than Damian and depending on where in the timeline you're looking she might have more common sense than Babs.

Basic things like lines, turn taking, and speaking when spoken to aren't innate to her. Like, she knows and understands them, but often forgets about them.

There are many times that she blurs the line between civilian and vigilante because she'll do something that looks v stupid and dangerous for a civilian. The thing is she never notices when she does this.

One time she was in a restaurant and there was a cockroach on the wall across the room (cause Gotham) and instead of getting up and killing it like a normal person she threw her steak knife and impaled it.

Steph:

Steph is probably lacks common sense the most conventional yet slightly concerning way. She lacks common sense in the same way a cartoon character or sitcom character would. Like it's sorta realistic but at the same time damn bby girl why are you such a disaster??

She will do anything on a dare. Anything. There is a rule against daring Steph to do things while in the manor or on patrol.

Every time she hears someone say Red Robin she yells yum. This has gotten both her and RR shot.

Steph is v lucky that 1) she's a badass and 2) the batfam loves her because she annoys absolutely everyone just for shits and giggles and the only reason she hasn't been murdered is that Cass scares everyone.

Jason:

All common sense is lost when dramas at stake. Say what you will but Jason is the (second) biggest drama queen in the family. Also he, like most bats, lacks a sense of self preservation which leads to shit common sense.

He tried to steal Batman's tires.

Sometimes he listens to music during patrol and tries to hit people/shoot on beat. This has lead to stab wounds.

Jason loves to loudly quote classic literature while on stake outs. This is a problem for obvious reasons.

Duke:

Ok this is around the time you get to average common sense levels. But he still runs around Gotham beating people up in tights (or kevlar) so he doesn't get full points. Also he's still not Babs level common sense. One area Duke lacks common sense in is how to deal with the Batfam (which is v understandable tbh)

One time Duke was joking around with Jason and decided to steal a roll off of Damian's plate. This ended in blood.

Other than lacking Batfam common sense, most of his poor judgement moments are less notable but still concerning.

For example the time he challenged Dick to a hot dog eating contest then went on a roller coaster.

Babs:

Other than being a vigilante Babs almost has normal human common sense. However being a vigilante has negative side effects on ones common sense.

While Babs' sleep schedule isn't as bad as Tim's it's not a whole lot better. She's stayed up 72 consecutive hours multiple times.

She has accidentally poured coffee onto her computer instead of into a coffee mug.

One time she drank an entire gallon of milk before realizing it was a month expired.

Alfred:

Most assume that working for Bruce Wayne is a sign of him lacking common sense. But nah, it's him knowing, understanding, and challenging his own limits. Also it's him being a charitable human being. Like he has enough common sense to go around and tbh it's the only thing keeping the family alive.

"Master Bruce, you may not use Elmer's Glue All to close a wound."

"Master Dick I would encourage you not to teach Master Duke acrobatics on the glass coffee table."

"Miss Stephanie I would not advise trying to consume an entire jar of peanut butter in one sitting, and no, I do not care if Master Jason dared you to."

Tada, there's the list! Sorry that was probably a lot longer than anyone wanted, but I enjoy talking about how ditzy the batfam is. Like they're all geniuses but at the same time they're just sooooo dumb.

[abeanblogs]

I’ve never fully talked about my feelings about season 5.

I’m mad. I’m mad it had SO MUCH POTENTIAL.

Don’t get me wrong. It had a LOT of good in it and Catradora was great. But all of it was RUSHED

Season 5 should have been spread out over 2 seasons. It’s as simple as that.

My main issue is that the side characters were discarded. They had so much story and development built around them in previous seasons and never got a resolution.

Lonnie and the Horde Squad had so much development in “Protocol.” Kyle proved his worth and saw that he had true friends. They got to talking about leaving the Horde, which was repeated when Glimmer and Scorpia showed up at the Horde. They could have joined the rebellion or just become a neutral party, but all we get of them is a cameo in season 5.

Double Trouble was so fucking hyped up in season 4, especially in the media over being the first nonbinary character in the show. They were the catalyst most of season 4’s events and even Catra’s will to change. While we did get Perils of Peekablue, they were pretty much reduced to a comedy character and were just used for some exposition. It’s very rare you see chaotic neutral characters. It would have been interesting to see if they joined the rebellion and switched to Horde Prime’s side, for example. They could have learned that burning bridges with the only friends you ever made is a horrible and lonely life. The other side characters had story arcs and character development, where was theirs? I’m working with a bunch of DT fans to make a whole AU around this concept. (@chipped-dt )

Huntara. She only had two episodes in season 4, but she deserved better. We don’t know much about her story, but we should.

And there were a lot of things we didn’t see enough of for our main characters.

Glimmer reuniting with her dad after decades of thinking he was dead???

Catra literally is the reason Angella is gone. Glimmer knows that. A resolution for that? Did they forget about the portal?

Glimmer and Bow should NOT have made up that quickly. I thought “you can be angry and you don’t have to forgive me, but I will always be here.” “Okay” thing would mean that it would show that it would take time. Glimmer and Adora didn’t stop fighting in season 4 after one episode. Forgiveness takes time.

Speaking of forgiveness taking time...Catra being held accountable for her actions but still being allowed room to change. I feel like nobody asks “why.” Why did Catra do everything she did? Why did Glimmer want to use the weapon? Understanding why is a big step towards forgiveness.

Horde Prime was hyped up to be a horrible villain, so it would have raised the stakes if we saw what he was capable of. We needed to see him in action. It sounds awful, but we needed to see him destroy worlds to actually believe he’s as big a threat as they make him out to be. The “purification” thing was a perfect example, but we don’t see much other than that.

Season 5 would have been better like this. Best Friend Squad should have spent more time on Etheria investigating Horde Prime. Then we could have seen more development of side characters. Double Trouble and Horde Squad joining the rebellion? We could have seen how they lost Brightmoon. Why they had to hide in the middle of nowhere instead of any other kingdom or town?

Save the Cat should have been the season finale. Imagine a whole season without She-Ra, and Adora coming to terms with that. Imagine seeing her using her Horde training and fighting the entire season, only to have her FINALLY transform when she saves Catra! The theories that would have followed after the season ended about where it’d go from there would be amazing.

Then season 6, the final season, could have been focused on Catra’s redemption. Adora could have learned not to internalize all her pain and unlearned her unhealthy coping mechanisms. It could have talked about how people got chipped and how it affected them. Plus adding conclusions to all the side characters’ stories. Catradora could have gotten the time and development it deserved. As in Catra and Adora actually being on the same side and coming to terms with their feelings for each other, and working through the pain their past actions caused. It could have resolved so much.

I know season 5 was focused on Catradora, and that was so important and well written in its own right. But it feels like they got a little tunnel visioned on that and neglected tying up all the other characters’ stories they previously established. I don’t know if they were worried about it being cancelled so they rushed it, but it felt like so much was missed. And it makes me sad.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! What would you have liked to see?

[anestheticrage]

Be me: Japanese honor student🎓, 15, with half a brain and even less of a plan. Hunting bitches by day and witches by night. Livin that dank only child✌️ life while mom n dad yeet all over the globe, leavin me plenty of time to forget not to make 2 lunches for myself #quirky 😜

no time for socialization or basic electronics skills ???📱??? when your best friends are an alien demon rabbit🐰👽 and the inexplicable Hole ™ in your brain. lmao, btw did i mention im ✨M✨A✨G✨I✨C✨A✨L✨

dreamin bout my 2D waifus again when familiar pink haired cancer patient dances through my brain passin out fliers: Kamihama Meguca Dating Service: Sponsored by Cult of the Magius. 250 stones per session 🤔

seems legit, Mr. Moneybags. wasn't spending my unwieldy sack of gemstones on anything else anyway. lets pull 💎💎💎

first up we have Redhead Radagast and her plethora of plants. 🌿☺️🦎

anndd, nearly dies immediately. 

well not off to a great start but i guess shes pretty cute at lea- oh FUCK its her girlfriend, Tsundere Poseidon😒🔱💦, and their exasperated, straight and single Sword Mom 😔🗡️🔥. fml gonna have to save up for the next pull. might as well play a few rounds with what i got tho. 

get in some good girl talk about things like school, color coded hair styles, body count, permanent soul damage, and our personal demon pacts. ya know, the usual 😚 . realize my dark backstory seems to be missing, so the girls take me to Ketchup Queen Sappho 🍅🥧 (wtf?) to molest my glowy egg stone. whatevs, more action than ive had since Kuroe 🖤 got added to the story anyway

the gang agrees it's time to hunt down the cutest rabbit pimp 🕶️🐇💵 in the city. >> say 🎵mukyuuu🎵 one more time and ill hug you so hard my backstory will pop right out, you adorable fluffy bastard. plz be my new best friend 💕

Form brand new friendship pact with Kyubae, and remember that my lil Sis 🐥 was always the best wingman for pickin up magic chicks, and kept her side of the room so spotless i forgot she existed. whoops 乁༼☯‿☯✿༽ㄏ Maybe if I find her i can stop paying these exorbitant pull fees.📵💎

speaking of which: hot damn this week's featured bachelorette is a 19 year old model and magical detective🔎 with massive levels of PTSD and self loathing 🥵💙💦 more likely to stab you or dramatically jump off a rooftoop than utter a single positive comment. wow, maybe i really COULD find true love…

... if i had MORE THAN A 1% FUCKING DRAW CHANCE. 😡 smh

hard to make much progress finding sis or winning the broken heart of a hard boiled detective amidst the never ending lover's quarrel of the Trident Vine Lesbians. 💔 Sword Mom tells them if they don't behave a monster will take them away. LOL classic mom 🤣

>>>HOLY FUCK IT DID

declare all-out war on urban legends, starting with staircases ⚔️ to reunite the dysfunctional trio, and hope that I net a way better lineup with the next 10x pull. at least sad sleuth lady came to help out. they say combat is the best way to bond wi-   and there she goes off the rooftop again 🙄 fml

alright that got way off track, we need a fresh start, away from all the loli drama. how bout a little B&E🔓🔨🤷🏻‍♀️ at the local house of worship to clear my head. ahh nothing like the unanswered prayers of the masses to get you in the mood for another wasted pull, and the 🔥 MIGHTIEST 🔥 headache you could ask for with a side of Double Cooked Pork 🐖🍜 (meh 5/10🧾)

venture forth into the spiritual unknown with your new human flamethrower🔥🌻🧡 and ask your favorite private eye to please, for the love of Eve, trade Meguca accounts with me~~~ Head through the eastern spirit portal to meet up with hologram propaganda sis and detective crush's evil ex, who joined a dating-app cult (#fuck) and also turned into the moon?🌕?(that's rough buddy)

get ambushed by Acid Horse on Wheels 🌈🐴 and vomit up my soul so hard that its time for a crossover episode. T U R F F F   W A R R R *que operatic harmonies* 💛 Blondie with the hair drills and enough attitude and guns to fill up a noble phantasm tries to ban my account permanently, but PI heartthrob denies her admin privileges. aww babe i didn't know you cared. 😭♥️

get kidnapped by my new true love and go back to her place 😏  defs enough empty rooms to house five emotionally traumatized girls and at least two ghosts hehehe👻 XD 💚🃏💜🎸 decide to form the anti-gossip brigade and recruit my blazing sunflower after getting ambushed by the witch living in my fruit loops🥣

❌outvoted 2:1 that cults are bad. mf. fiinneee one last pull to round out the team and then I'll delete the app. cmonnn Karin 🎃~

OH HELL YEAH TWO FOR ONE.

Always wanted a daughter 💜🔨🐄 with a penchant for pissing off the local Martial Arts & Books Club and drinking suspicious liquids offered by total strangers. Well if it's good enough for her AND the sexy mayadere with enough game to seduce a mermaid, might as well get in on that myself. 

#curseddrank 🤢 0/24 would not recommend to a friend, 'cept maybe Ria

win alot of cash 🤑, blow up a fountain, meet the pied piper²🎶🖕, moon cult, monochrome feathers, something about liberation✊🏻; adopt temper tantrum cow girl. aces 💜🥩

Next up!!! skydiving with DJ Hammer! Jump to apparently-not-certain death after suicidal A.I. 💚💾🗼 tells you to rescue her hostage before they run out of Radiohead albums and have to move on to Thom Yorke's solo discography. save the invisible shield kitten 💚👑😿 from happiness and get chased through the internet by the sexiest homicidal Paint Pallette 💚🎨😈 since Caravaggio. (apparently green is the color of the digital apocalypse. i’m deleting Kako from my friend's list)

that’s it, fuck this app. 250 stones 💎 per-life-threatening-experience is more than i’m willing to deal with 😓 don’t wanna mess with the perfect nuclear family anyway. we've already got: 

✔️the two emotionally traumatized moms with memory and commitment issues

✔️the adhd daughter with anger management problems and a giant hammer

✔️the psychologically abused scizophrenic cat

✔️and the eccentric aunt with crippling anxiety

#squadgoals

now that were done hoarding bitches, its time to hunt the witches. and the bitches makin the witches. btw did i mention the witches ARE the bitches! AND WERE ALL GOING TO DIE!? 📽️⁉️💀 wait fuck lets back up a second

This is Nemo📕 and Token🧪 and they have all the answers but prefer if you only ask vague questions in exchange for vague responses so they can fill in the rest by discussing their superior intellect 🧠 at length. not to mention they built that dating app, so of course everyone in my harem decides to be a FUCKING. TRAITOR.🤬

cept waifu prime ofc 🥰💙. [PTSD > brainwashing] 'yOu CaN bE tHe LeAdEr NoW'. i have been from the very beginning you traumatized Hinedere nightmare. maybe if you weren't so caught up collecting surrogate daughters you would've noticed IM👏THE👏ONLY👏 ONE👏PROGRESSING👏THE FUCKING👏PLOT✨

rescue the rest of dysfunctional found-family™ from selves before my adorable firebender burns down Disnihama🎡🔥😱 during her weekly anxiety attack. (love the makeover T B H) 

CHAPTER 8: Magical Girl Massacre🩸🗡️

   - everyone has like, the shittiest day ever

   - the new Pope really needs to be extradited from the church

   - make friends with a really pretty tree 🌺🌲✨

i swear, if i don't finish this god damn story in time to get that free pull im gonna beat the shit out of every mirror i find in that giant mansion that i haven't even had any time to even mention yet. 🖕🏚️ let alone EVERYTHING happening with the prequel [fuck you, I'm the star] girls 💗💜💙💛❤️️ and their multidimensional melodrama. We don't need that many repetitive af episodes to emphasize that Homo-ra is a shitty person. we've all seen Rebellion. 🙄

NO, I DONT CARE IF YOU WANT SAPPHO'S BACKSTORY, I ONLY HAVE 79 STONES LEFT AND IF YACHAN FINDS OUT I HAVEN'T DELETED THE APP YET IM GONNA HAVE TO GO SLEEP IN WITH SANA 😭💎💸😠

uhhhggggg where were we… Topple a cult and burn down Hotel Denoument only to realize that Sis was fused with the dating app servers this entire madokafuckin time (told ya she was the best wingman 😊). 

Dilemma: Sis =🥚, Triumvirate of Trouble want 🐣. What do? vote now:

Help Hatch - IIIIIII

Not Do That - IIIII

What The Actual Fuck Is Going On - IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Lets just fight everyone until something good happens.

🔥🔫🔥🗡️🔥😱🔥🌆🔥😱🔥🛡️🔥💣🔥

Kill (???) the artist-in-chief of the italian reindeer murder police after teaching her the true meaning of Christmas 🎄 hatch 🐣lil Sis and realize she WAS your wingman all along🐰 MUKYUUUU! we're just gonna ignore how much trouble it would have saved if you'd just mentioned that. "yOu DiDnT aSk..." 

FUCK YOU SPACE BITCH. ONCE AN INCUBATOR ALWAYS AN INCUBATOR 🖕🐇🔪

anywho, somewhere along the lines we of course summoned the Antichrist ⚙️ because why not raise the stakes to max and still not kill off a single character. Madofuckinkami, can we PLEASE wrap this up. 😩💤

feathers (not the culty kind, tfm) rain from the sky, and the power of friendship and not having the Urobutcher 🔪🩸as a lead writer saves our peacefully sectioned off alternate reality 😇

TL:DR fuck cults, real life waifus DO exist, don't sell your soul to space rabbits, or your stones to megacorporations. Enjoy arc 2 on the JP server with your shitty translation patch you filthy fuckin weebs 

Yours Truly, 

- Thirsty Weeb Eroha 💗💎😘 

[battlekidx2]

She-ra Season 4 Review (Spoilers)

Wow...Just wow. These past two seasons of She-ra have managed to blow me away. She-ra truly found its footing with season 3 and it hasn’t slowed down this season one bit. The character and relationship writing has been spot on and they managed to raise the stakes without losing the heart of the series, which is a difficult feat. The first season, while a pretty strong start, had some trouble with balancing the tone. It would go from incredibly light and goofy to dark and serious and touch on some really heavy stuff which was jarring at times. The show seemed to mostly correct that problem with season 2 which was largely a transition season for the series and was the calm before the storm. Seasons 3 and 4 have truly been great. They both greatly expanded the lore of the world and series while producing character and relationship focused episodes that have been some of my favorite episodes of tv.

She-ra, while bright and flashy, has always been a character focused show. This season puts heavy focus on Glimmer, Adora, Catra, and Scorpia. The deteriorating relationship between Glimmer and Adora is the driving force behind this season and all of the tension feels believable. Glimmer’s stress over her new position as queen and grief over the loss of her mother lead to her making questionable choices and that become more and more morally ambiguous all while still believing that she’s on her “hero” pedestal. She trusts shadow weaver and doesn’t listen to her friends when they know more about the situation than she does. This lead to some believable, but at times frustrating, character development because I knew that if Glimmer just calmed down and listened a lot of the bad things that happened at the end of the season wouldn’t have. That is a minor complaint on my part because it gave Glimmer some much needed growth and a future potentially fascinating dual redemption arc with Catra.

Catra is the character I believe to be the best written in the entire show and that continues to be the case this season. Catra went through an arc similar to Zuko’s in the first part of book three. She finally achieved everything she believed she wanted at the cost of all her connections. This leads to her breaking down mentally because she can’t understand why she feels so empty despite achieving her “goals”. She breaks mentally and finally realizes that while she was a victim in the beginning every bad choice she’s made throughout the show is her own fault and she is the one who pushed everyone away despite their desperate attempts to reach her. The end of the season leaves with her having realized this and deciding to help Glimmer. “When you hit your lowest point you are open to the biggest change” basically embodies what I believe was happening with Catra’s arc. She had to spiral to her lowest when she thinks she should be at her highest to finally realize her own shortcomings and make steps towards change. I really hope that Catra is now on the road to redemption because so far she has been the most consistently fascinating character on the show and her redemption arc can be a powerful and well constructed one that will be remembered. 

Each season seems to have a stand out episode or two and for this season those episodes were “Hero” and the finale. “Hero” did a very good job of juxtaposing the present and the past to effectively show both Mara’s journey and the dissonance within Madam Razz’s head. It dropped game changing revelations about Mara’s end and the Heart of Etheria and ended on a tragic, bittersweet note that hits emotionally. Mara’s story may not have had a happy ending, but that doesn’t mean Adora’s won’t. Adora is simultaneously given a heavy load to bear and a weight is lifted off of her. Adora’s will to keep going despite the odds becomes even more commendable in light of these revelations, which comes to a head in the finale. The finale changed everything once again. The world and characters can’t go back to what they once were. Everything was flipped on its head. It ended many plot threads, but left a devastated Etheria and seemingly insurmountable odds for our heroes to face. It really seemed like the beginning of the end.

She-ra has managed to impress me yet again and I will not hesitate to say that it had a fantastic season. It seems to constantly one up itself with each season in one way or another. The show runners, voice cast, and animators have all done a phenomenal job. There is so much potential going forward with the world, characters, and conflict. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

[schweeeppess]

Do you have any angsty fic recommendations? I feel like ripping my heart out for no reason and figured you'd have some good recommendations

OH BOY DO I EVER!

(Dick & Tim & Jason) theyve broken me by Princex_N

Retraumatization is a conscious or unconscious reminder of past trauma that results in a re-experiencing of the initial trauma event. It can be triggered by a situation, an attitude or expression, or by certain environments that replicate the dynamics (loss of power/control/safety) of the original trauma. Being forced to talk about your trauma before you're mentally ready to do so can also be a trigger.

Jason agrees to talk to Bruce about the circumstances of his death and resurrection in Batman and Red Hood #20, at serious detriment to himself.

If you mention angsty fics, you literally cannot just not mention this one. I cried so hard reading this, it’s not funny. It breaks your heart into shards then stabs you with them, and bruh. I just. 1000/10

(the batboys in general) When the Stakes are Higher by keeptogethernow

There's a new serial killer in Gotham, and he's managing to evade even Batman's attempts to catch him. The psychopath's inclinations have Bruce on edge, but Jason's not as worried...until it becomes personal. But when even the world's greatest detective is at a loss, will their efforts be enough to prevent another tragedy in the Wayne family?

Not as angsty as the last rec, like at all! It’s very suspenseful though, and there is quite some angst, but it’s not as bad as “theyve broken me”.

(Dick & his brothers) the man with guns for eyes by 8sword

“Don’t blame him, little D. He gave me a choice.”

"He always makes it a choice," Damian mutters. "If you’re the one who makes the decision, it’s your fault if it’s the wrong one.”

(Dick comes back from the dead.)

Oooooh, boy, this one had me crying hard in just the beginning! It hurts! Very, very bad!

(Tim & Jason, mostly) New Alphabet by AllumetteRouge (RedRaidingHood)

Tim had hoped to have the manor (and Alfred’s cooking) for himself today. Only, there’s a fourteen-year-old Jason and a whole lot of trouble waiting for him.

Again, not as bad as the last one, but it is angsty--like real angsty--at certain points.

(Tim & Dick & Bruce, mostly) (You) Forgot About Where it All Began by Qais

Bruce is back from his jaunt through time, but his sons are not okay. Jason is aggrieved on Tim's behalf, and he isn't going to stay quiet about it.

This one makes me cry, too, and I just. It’s so emotional, at least to me.

(Jason & Tim) Tightrope by Acxa_Kogane for Kyra_Marmora

Time passed with baited breath as the gentle wind swept through the void, lightly pressing against Tim's outstretched fingers and playing with his hair. 

The two who stood at the beginning of the rope never took their eyes away from the one that was floating above the shadows.

Then, the careful steps began to slow, and suddenly stopped altogether.

I CRIED SO FUCKING HARD AT THIS ONE, JUST LIKE THE FIRST AND THIRD RECS. I WAS LISTENING TO THIS SONG AND WAS JUST SOBBING. HHHHHHHHHHHHH.

(Jason & Tim, mostly) Stages of Deterioration by aradian_nights

After Bruce finds Jason Todd, catatonic and traumatized, miraculously alive on the streets of Gotham, Tim, Dick, and Barbara attempt to fix their broken brother. AU for Invasion.

Horribly angsty at many points, this one gets ranked right up there with recs 1, 3, and 6. 1000/10 breaks my heart and actually made me cry a little during certain chapters.

(Damian and Tim & Jason) It's Not Poetic by the_authors_exploits

There is laughter in the air, and tears in their eyes; because it's all a ploy, a facade, and people fall for it all the time. Until it becomes too much to hide and the laughter fades and they can't ignore it anymore. PLEASE READ THE TAGS

I will absolutely never not recommend this fic, unless the tags are triggers for you. Otherwise I adore this fic--it is definitely one of my sheer favorites--and highly recommend it.

(Jason & everybody) The Calling by LananiA3O

Three years after escaping from prison, after almost complete radio silence, Jason heeds a call for assistance from Batman. When he disobeys a direct command in order to save more lives, old issues arise again, and Jason finally has enough. It is time to set the record straight...

This one will run you over, stomp on you, slam a piano on you, then stab you straight in the heart just to make sure you’re crushed and dead from angst. You will cry. You will grieve. I recommend it.

(Dick & Jason) these things define you by Miisakee

Jason and Dick go to fight a gang and it all goes downhill from there.

Another one of the lesser angsty fics! It is still very, very angsty, so be reassured you just might cry. Maybe. I can’t remember if I did.

(Bruce & Jason) Morning Sun by Lilfunny for drakefeathers

Between his death, resurrection and subsequent replacement, Jason Todd just really needs a hug. Or maybe he just needs his dad.

AHHHHH THIS ONE I DID CRY FOR! SO EMOTIONAL! BROKE MY HEART AND HIT ME IN THE GUT WITH A CROWBAR. I CRIED. MOST CERTAINLY RECOMMEND.

(Jason & Tim) It's Not That Funny by Ionaperidot

“I’m sorry I killed you, Jay," Tim says. "Please don’t be mad at me.”

Jason sighs, raising his head slowly. “You are not handling the Pit nearly as well as I thought you were.”

After Tim kills the Joker, Bruce sends him across the country with his parents, where he'll be safe. After Jason finds out, he tracks him down to visit. It's all going pretty well until Ra's al Ghul gets involved.

Okay, you really really need to be careful with this fic. There is very unhealthy coping mechanisms, several suicides, several murders, Jason lets Tim cut and burn him so he doesn’t do it to himself... It can be extremely triggering, so I strongly suggest you be careful before deciding to read this. It’s so utterly heart shattering. It makes you so very sad.

(Dick & everybody) If Night Falls in Your Heart by WithTheKeyIsKing

Dick never knew how to tell his family about what Tarantula and Mirage did to him, so he simply didn't.

That solution works, until it doesn't.

Hoo, boy, this was written by a friend of mine and she did not pull her punches as she wrote this, I’ll tell you that. I fucking cried. This one hurt and it hurt bad. This fic and the next rec both deal with Dick’s rape, so be advised.

(Dick & Jason) When I Needed You by firefright

On the night Blockbuster dies, Dick goes through one of the worst experiences of his life. But this time he's not alone, this time someone comes to save him. Someone familiar, though he doesn't figure that part out until much later.

Grahhh, I hurt so bad when I read this, and every time I come back to it I ache. It’s so heart-wrenching and emotional and I just--hhhhhhh. Recommend! If it’s not triggering, of course.

I’M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! I WAS MAKING THE LIST THEN MY PAGE REFRESHED AND I LOST EVERYTHING SO I HAD TO START ALL OVER AGAIN AND I DIED A LITTLE BUT HERE IT IS! HERE YOU GO NONNIE! I’M SORRY THERE’S ONLY LIKE A FEW RECS BUT IT’S ALL I COULD REALLY FIND.

I HOPE YOU ENJOY!

[lastwolf]

she-ra season 3 thoughts:

it was so good!! it was so good. I had some issues with season 2 (pacing felt off, it was kinda unfocused, the tone didn't do it for me) but this season really lived up to and improved on the promise of season 1

shows with ensemble casts often suffer from shallow character development (bc they're trying to allot arcs to too many characters) but s3 really focused in on a few important players and was stronger because of it - I finally feel like adora was fleshed out as a character

catraaaaa!!! I love the way her arc is going SO MUCH. like yes, it was sad, but I want to watch things that are emotionally trying and impactful. at this point she’s already probably the best and most complex villain I’ve ever seen on a TV show, period. you just don’t see female villains done well almost ever, so it’s unbelievably refreshing to see her character development consistently done so well

the western vibe & the twangy showdown music really made the episodes in the crimson waste shine - and they provided levity in a season that got pretty dark 

look, it goes without saying that watching she-ra while gay is a transcendent experience. but this season really continued that legacy - in particular, the scene when huntara is flirting with that cute buff waitress and gets annoyed when adora et all interrupt made me so happy to watch. and of course every single scene scorpia was in was great 

entrapta / hordak shippers really won this season. even I don’t dislike the ship anymore, and I am very, very biased against f/m pairings. on that note, angella and micah were cute 

I’m not 100% sure I like what they’re doing with shadow weaver, in that I’m not sure she deserves a redemption arc and it seems like they might be going there, but I’m reserving judgement. I wish she wasn’t sexy

finally: a lot of shows raise the stakes every season, and that often feels forced and annoying. in this case, I think she-ra did it perfectly, because they way the stakes were raised flowed perfectly from prior foreshadowing and expanded the worldbuilding in meaningful and interesting ways. I’m so excited to see what comes next

[shera-dnd]

Ethermania

Listen up, punks, you have heard of modern AUs, coffee shop AUs, D&D AUs, but today you’re gonna meet the biggest and meanest AU of all: WRESTLING AU!

You thought that wedding fic was long? Then get ready for 23k words of pure ass kicking!

Brought to you by the greatest tag team of all times: This blog’s admin and our very own buff anon!

So buckle up, because this is gonna be a wild ride!

“Welcome welcome, ladies, gentlemen and all the inbetweens. Tonight will be a night to remember, for tonight is the night of Ethermania! My name is Sea Hawk and joining me at the announcer’s table tonight is my amazing co-host, Entrapta.” Sea Hawk dropped down from atop the announcer’s table and sat down next to Entrapta, who was jumping in her seat.

“Thank you, Sea Hawk. Tonight we’ll have the most amazing matches between the greatest fighters from all over Etheria. Members of the Horde and Rebellion alike meeting in epic confrontation, to cap it all off we will have the final no holds barred match between the chosen champions from each side and the winner will receive the coveted title of ‘Defender of Greyskull’” Entrapta grabbed Sea Hawk’s suit and started shaking him “I’m so excited!”

Sea Hawk did his best to continue talking as he was being shook by his co-host “And who are these champions? you might ask. Well, you’ll have to watch and find out.”

Entrapta calmed down a little and cleared her throat “Ah yes, our opening match will be between two Horde wrestlers, fighting for the right to become the Horde champion”

“That is right, the Horde champion will have to be in two matches in the same night. Well, I don’t know what crazy tricks Hordak has in store for us tonight, but he sure must put some faith in his staff” Sea Hawk quickly glances over his papers “And how do you feel about his choice of contestants?”

“Felina and Shadow Weaver” Entrapta cringed a little as the words left her mouth “It won’t be a pretty match. Those two have a lot of baggage to work through and I have a feeling they are gonna do it the most violent way possible”

“And with She-ra away from the Horde it is almost like those two changed personalities in these last few months. Shadow Weaver has been going savage in the ring, especially when her former pupil was involved”

~~~

Of course they would find a way of making this about Adora. Everything has to be about Adora. It didn’t matter, she had her own plans for tonight and she couldn’t afford to lose her temper with something so stupid.

She wandered around backstage, looking for her next adversary and, knowing Shadow Weaver, she would be looking for her too. The pre-show had barely started when she stumbled across her target “Ready to get what you have coming to you, Weaver?”

Even with her mask on Felina could still imagine the scowl on her face that brought her so much joy “You!” Was all she said at first, but it was loud enough to start attracting attention. Good. “Do you think you’re being intimidating? That you can scare me? You’ll be the one being put in their place tonight.”

Felina just smirked as she saw a cameraman coming their way “Put in my place? That’s cute coming from the woman who shouldn’t even be in the ring in the first place. Attacking her own team. You even make me look good!”

“I will not stand here and listen to a stupid little girl blame her own incompetence on me. You’ll be defeated tonight, I’ll be Horde champion and you will cease with these foolish accusations” Oh, Shadow Weaver was pissed. That was way too perfect.

“Fine then,” Felina shrugged “since you’re so sure you’re gonna win. How about we raise the stakes a little? Let’s make this a Mask vs Mask.” Felina noticed Weaver hesitating for a second. If she failed here she would suffer the ultimate humiliation. Felina gave a quick nod towards the cameraman behind her and she knew she had made her point. She would have to accept her terms or admit to the live audience she didn’t know if she could beat Felina.

The grunt of frustration from her was so satisfying to hear. “So be it. I have nothing to fear from you.” Oh, but she had, and Felina would be more than happy to remind her of that.

~~~

“Entering the ring now for our opening match...fighting both for the right to become Horde champion and to maintain her honor as a wrestler, we have Shadow Weaver” As soon as Sea Hawk finished his announcement the lights around the arena began to slowly dim and the crowd quieted down. The sound of roaring cheers replaced by sinister chanting.

In one moment the only lights in the arena were that of the crowd’s cell phone screens, in the next a beacon of red light emerged from the ground and in the middle of it stood a dark figure. Covered by a cloak and surrounded by fog, the figure slowly made her way down to the ring as the chanting grew louder and the red beacon followed her.

Her entrance to the ring was deliberate and calculated. She was fearsome in everything she did and no one dared boo her. When she reached the precise center she shed her dark cloak with a single movement and, with perfect synchronization, the lights returned to the arena, but instead of the cheer and applause she expected all she heard were gasps of surprise.

Felina was already behind her, waiting for her in the ring. Not only had she stolen Shadow Weaver’s entrance, she had made her message very clear ‘I could have beat you there and you wouldn’t even notice’. Words failed to describe her indignation, all she could do was wait for the ref to officially start the match and then show this foolish girl the mistake she had made.

Felina was grinning at her as they waited for the ref to start the match. Oh she would wipe that self satisfied smile from her face. No, she had far more important things to wipe from the girl’s face.

At first it had all gone according to plan. Felina’s first attack was pushed back with a kick and when she insisted in trying it again she was stop by a knee to the face. Another kick to the back of her knee and Felina was already on her knees. Shadow Weaver could barely contain her laughter as she kicked Felina again and again as she tried to get up and until the ref pushed them apart she had no plans on stopping, but Felina did not need the ref to stop her.

Felina grabbed Shadow Weaver’s foot and twisted herself around, forcing her opponent to the ground. Before Weaver could get up she rolled forward and finished the movement with her knee - the same knee Weaver had kicked - firmly placed against her foe’s neck. Without getting up she posed a little to the crowd so she could humiliate Weaver just a little more. She even caught a glimpse of someone in the front row with a sign saying “Felina can climb MY top rope!” Good to know there were still wrestling fans with good taste.

When she finally got up and allowed Shadow Weaver to move again, she saw that her foe was trying to be quick and brutal. She attempted to rush Felina down, put her on the ground and pummel her with abandon again, but Felina was expecting this. She dodged under the first attack with a split, then vaulted over Shadow Weaver to avoid the second and soon she was dancing around her opponent, laughing at her failure.

Shadow Weaver had grown distracted in her rage and as she turned to strike her foe again she was met by a foot solidly planted against her chin, and as she hit the ground she was vaguely aware of Sea Hawk shouting “Felina with that Chin-tah’s Paw”.

Shadow Weaver had beat her up again and again trying to break her, to get her to quit, but what she had called torture Felina had called training, and now she was showing how much stronger that training had made her. She was the strongest fighter in the Horde and she did not need Weaver or Adora anymore.

From that moment on there was no question on who would win, there was only one option and when the match finally ended Shadow Weaver waited patiently on her knees. She was an awful human being, but even she knew what she had to do and she would do so with dignity. Perhaps that was some part of her Light Spinner persona still showing. When the camera focused on her face she slowly removed her mask and made her way out of the ring.

~~~

Felina did not see Shadow Weaver backstage again, but she didn’t care about her anymore, she got what she wanted. “Hey, boss, guess who just got themselves a new champion?” she announced entering Hordak’s office.

“Good,” Hordak allowed the word to hang as if tasting the satisfaction it carried “you have once again proven more than capable of destroying whoever the Rebellion choses as their champion.”

The man knew how to give an ego boost, Felina had to admit that, but she still had a question in mind. “Now care to explain why you booked this for the same night I would have to fight their Champion? Couldn't we have done that before just to guarantee the victory?” She knew she would still win, but she would have prefered a day or two to rest before her big match.

Hordak laughed a self satisfied laughter “It is all very simple. The Rebellion is too honorable for their own good. Whoever they send will also have fought tonight, after all that is the fair thing to do. So I have instructed your colleagues to leave victory as a secondary objective tonight. Their main goal will be to hurt and maim their enemies, so no one will be fit to stop us!”

~~~

Adora had arrived late for the event, everyone told her to rest at home until she was healed, but she couldn’t just sit and watch the massacre playing out on her screen. The Horde had lost 3 consecutive matches, but never without wounding their opponents in some way. Even if she couldn’t fight today she had to be there to help them, to give them some support. When she finally arrived at the First One’s Arena it was just in time to catch her best friends and new tag team making their way to their big match.

She was waiting at ring side when the lights began to dim. One after another black light spotlights turned on, revealing the letters B F S written on the ground and when the final spotlight shone two silhouettes came into focus. Glimmer and Bow posing dramatically, their black light clothes glowing in their classic purple and white, with Bow’s heart and Glimmer’s hair brighter than anything else. They jumped and flipped and danced their way to the ring as their fans shook glow sticks to the rhythm of their theme song. A trampoline waited for them at ring side and they entered the ring with one more flip and one final pose.

They had huge smiles on their faces when the lights turned back on. Adora loved those two dorks so much. Already in the ring were Scorpia and Kyle. Adora had to admit that she felt bad for missing their entrance, she didn’t want her former colleagues to think she didn’t care about them and, as if summoned by Adora’s stray thoughts, she heard one of said colleagues calling her “Hey, Adora, here to watch your friends get crushed?”

“Felina.” Adora answered, “Shouldn’t you be resting before your big match?” Adora was legitimately worried about her former tag team partner, but of course that was not how she saw things. Felina could only see this as Adora looking down on her, so she answered the only way she could.

“Shouldn’t you be in a hospital bed? Like the one I put you in.” Aggression was Felina’s favorite way of expressing her feelings, something that lent itself well to her wrestling career, but that meant interacting with her could be very tiresome. Thankfully they were both distracted by Kyle being tossed against the ropes next to them.

Apparently Glimmer had been spending the last couple of minutes handing his ass to him and before Scorpia could tag in, Glimmer jumped between the middle and top ropes, grabbing them for support and using the force of her jump to spin around and hit Kyle on the back with both her feet.

“Seriously, Kyle?” they both said together and laughed. They could not believe that the first time they laughed together in months was because of Kyle, but while Adora had shown that disbelief through more laughter, Felina did so through anger. She was supposed to make Adora feel miserable, not make jokes with her. It didn’t matter how good she looked in her casual clothes or how beautiful and earnest her smiled seemed. No, she had a mission here and she was going to complete it.

“And what do you think you’re doing here?” That’s it, angrier. “Do you think you’re gonna just get your injured ass into the ring and magically save the day?”

Adora sighed loudly “No, I’m here to give moral support. Something that you used to do too, before you got so obsessed with revenge.”

“Well, excuse me if I don’t take well to being betrayed and left behind!” At this point they were shouting, and were it not for the match going on right next to them the cameras would probably all be aimed right at them.

“Hey, hey Felina, look at what I can do!” Scorpia called from the ring while holding Bow upside down. She lifted him up and proceeded to do squats while holding him in place.“ Hey Felina, isn’t this cool?”

Bow struggled to talk, with all the blood flowing to his head and his lungs being crushed by Scorpia’s powerful arms “I don’t think she is paying attention...”

“Oh, she does that sometimes,” She said as she lowered him again. “I’m gonna pile drive you now.” That was all the warning Bow got before his head was driven straight into the ring. His struggle went completely unnoticed by his ringside friend as she was still focused in her argument.

“Do you really think I wanted to leave you?” Adora’s voice was quieter now, almost too quiet to be heard over the crowd “I cared for you, I still do.” and for a moment there Felina believed, she wanted to believe that, that she could have her Adora back, but as her eyes darted away trying so hard to avoid Adora’s gaze, she caught a glimpse of that sign from before, but it was being flipped around and now it said ‘Suplex me She-ra!!!’.

“No!” She pushed Adora away “You just want me so you can feel better, so you can always be the best, but I’m done playing second fiddle to you!” And with that she made her way backstage, leaving Adora by herself. Questioning what to do now.

“Are you seeing this?” Entrapta’s shouts snapped Adora back to reality. In the ring Glimmer was standing on the middle rope, using the top rope for support, while Bow pulled her back “It’s the Sparkling Arrow!” When Bow released the rope Glimmer went flying right into Scorpia’s chest, knocking her to the ground. They were announced victorious soon after.

~~~

“Absolutely not!” Angella announced firmly.

“But mom,” Glimmer tried arguing back, but one look from her mother was enough to shut her down.

“She-ra will not be our champion for the final match. She should be resting at home and not risking herself here!” Her tone made it all sound very final.

“Please, you have to understand. This may be the last chance Felina has.” Adora begged.

“She is a Horde wrestler. Are you seriously asking me to put our chance at the title at risk for the sake of the enemy?”

“Yes!” Adora shouted this time “I used to wrestle for the Horde too and haven’t I changed for the better? Why can’t she do the same?”

Angella shook her head “That girl wants nothing to do with redemption. What makes you think you can just walk in there and save her soul?”

Adora stood tall again and spoke with certainty “I cannot save her. The only one that can do that is her, but she can’t do that unless we give her that chance, a chance to prove that she doesn’t need to live in my shadow anymore.”

Angella sighed.

~~~

Felina was fidgeting in place, the room she was waiting in was dark and the only company she had was a member of staff responsible for giving her the go ahead signal. This was gonna be her big match as champion of the Horde and she couldn’t afford to mess this up. No, she shouldn’t be thinking like that, she would not mess this up and she knew that.

She adjusted her lion fur cape one last time - the fur was fake, she was a heel not a monster - and lowered herself, preparing for a running jump. The staff member next to her started counting down on their hand. When the count reached zero she ran.

Outside a loud roar boomed through the speakers as she jumped into view. Ripping apart a thin paper wall on her way out. Her music was loud and angry, just the way she liked it and by the sound of the crowd her fans loved it too. As she made her way to the ring she jumped and clawed at the people near her path, she was scary and those people loved scary.

When she reached the ring she stood outside the ropes, posing one last time for the camera, before backflipping into the ring itself, leaving her cape behind. Her fans might have cheered, but everyone else was booing her now and she looked down at them with smug superiority. Poor bastards, can’t accept that their favorites are all about to lose. No matter who they send out she will just crush them. She casually leaned against the ropes and waited for her challenger to appear.

“For the Honor of Greyskull!” The way too familiar voice echoed through the arena, the sound nearly deafened by the roars of the crowd.

“What!?” Felina exclaimed. She shouldn’t be here, she shouldn’t be able to fight, but here she was and Felina was left stunned, watching her entrance unfold before her.

A show of colors seemed to flow towards a single point and from the bright white light it formed emerged Adora, or rather She-ra. Her body covered in armor and her sword held aloft, she smiled and waved to the crowd before pointing her sword towards the ring. That same show of colors began again, but this time it formed a rainbow bridged between the two of them. God, Felina hated that entrance.

After waving and high-fiving for a disgustingly long time She-ra finally got to the stage and began to take off all her armor pieces. This was a no holds barred match, but of course She-ra was too good to take her props into the ring itself. Now came the part Felina hated the most, She-ra took off her cape and tossed it into the crowd. Felina was willing to bet that after tonight that thing would be on sale on ebay for a stupid amount of cash. She was very motivated to reduce the value of that cape now.

As soon as they had both entered the ring all screens immediately changed to show Light Hope in her office “Champions of the Horde and Rebellion, you have proven to be the strongest amongst your people and now you’ll have your chance to prove who is truly the strongest of them all. Strong enough to bear the ultimate title: The Defender of Greyskull” the screen changed again, this time to the image of a large belt, adorned by a silver skull with two large fangs sticking out, around it in the language of the First Ones were written the words ‘Defender of Greyskull’.

Light Hope herself signaled the start of the match and that was not a pretty start. Felina was much more aggressive than she ever was before, she knew that Adora had grown much stronger in her time as She-ra and even wounded she would have to give her all to take her down.

With kicks and punches she tried to wear She-ra down, to keep her on the defensive, but that wasn’t working. Why did she wait to get this strong only after betraying Felina? Fine, if hitting her wasn’t doing the job then she would just have to leverage her weight. She jumped, trying to lock her legs around She-ra’s head so she could toss her around again, but this time she was waiting.

She grabbed Felina before she could get a firm hold and tossed her to the ground with force. Felina barely had any time to recover her breath when She-ra came crashing down against her elbow-first. She-ra tried to pin her down right there, but a quick elbow to the nose was enough to dissuade her.

Felina lost no time and quickly used the ropes for impulse on a good dropkick to the chest. She-ra was thrown off balance and Felina rushed in to capitalize on that, but she let her guard down. She-ra grabbed her arm and spun her around. Next thing she knew she was locked in a bear hug from behind and that could only mean one thing.

No matter how many times it happens to you, you never get quite used to the feeling of getting suplexed. She could vaguely hear Entrapta going on about the details of the ‘Eternia Suplex’ and how it was passed down by generations of She-ras, but that didn’t matter right now. What mattered was taking down this She-ra.

This time she held back, her style was more defensive anyway. She hated to admit, but she knew the only reason she was being so aggressive was because Adora was messing with her feelings and she knew she couldn’t win if she continued to allow that to happen.

This time she allowed She-ra to come at her and began to have her fun. She-ra may be the strongest, but she was too slow and too stupid to actually get a hit on Felina. Time after time she dodged everything that came her way and soon her wounded former-partner was panting and gasping for air. Now she just had to make use of it.

Felina positioned herself just right and started goading She-ra on. She ran at her in wild fury and once again Felina vaulted over her, but this time She-ra had no time or energy to stop herself and Felina was positioned perfectly to have her run straight into the turnbuckle.

She-ra tried to get up, but Felina slammed her head down and slumped back against the turnbuckle. Felina walked around the ring, looking for something to play with and she was so happy to find out that She-ra was stupid enough to just leave her sword laying around next to the ring. Sure, that thing was closer to a bat than to a real sword, but that was just perfect for what she wanted.

She was cackling when she hit She-ra’s back for the first time. This would be her revenge...for leaving her alone, for making her feel weak, for stealing the one person she cared about. She-ra would pay. She hit her again and again and for every hit she listed another thing she had done to her. This was her victory, her ultimate victory. But then, why wasn’t she feeling any better? Why did this hurt so much?

She-ra had to pay, she told herself. For everything she had done to her. or stealing her Adora. But she couldn’t do this anymore. She dropped the sword and stumbled back. There were no cheers or boos from the crowd, only stunned silence as they watched She-ra slowly rising up again and dragging herself towards Felina. She-ra stumbled, falling to her knees in front of Felina and she couldn’t stop herself from lending her a hand.

For a moment there it felt just like the old times, like Felina was tagging in to help Adora finish someone off, and they just stood there, looking at each other while holding hands, it would be almost romantic if they weren’t so bloody from beating each other up. Unfortunately She-ra had to put an end to this.

Felina was pulled close and slammed back first into the ring by a clothesline. This time she didn’t know if she could get back up, but she didn’t have to worry about that, for She-ra collapsed next to her immediately after.

“I’m sorry,” She-ra said, without moving from her spot, but this time Felina knew it wasn’t She-ra, it was just Adora. “I know it must have hurt to be left alone all this time.” Felina couldn’t help but laugh.

“Couldn’t you have said that before beating me up? Actually nevermind, I wouldn’t have listened.” She sighed “I guess I’m sorry too. I was just so angry and….look can we have this conversation later? I feel like the crowd doesn’t wanna watch our therapy session.”

“Yeah,” Adora laughed, getting up. “I guess that wouldn’t make a good show.” Adora helped Felina up and they both took their time getting ready, but before they could restart the match they were interrupted by a ground shaking bass.

“Oh crap...” Felina knew there was only one person who would start their entrance like a damn movie trailer. She looked up to see the Horde logo taking over every screen and soon several Horde soldiers were marching down towards the ring escorting a very large man, with a very long cape.

Hordak walked with a casual pace, like he had all the time the world and nothing to ever worry about, his soldiers on the other hand rushed around him making sure everything was in order. They placed stairs in his path to the ring, handed the ref some weird paper and  removed his cape before he got in.

The ref started talking to the soldier who handed them the paper and started signaling something to the announcer’s table “It appears Hordak is cashing in a contract with Light Hope and choosing himself as a second champion for the Horde!” Entrapta announced, as confused as everyone else in the arena.

“It looks like this just turned into a handicap match.” Sea Hawk pondered “But who really is at a disadvantage here?” Was Sea Hawk seriously implying that Felina was going to betray her boss? No way she would do something that dumb.

The ref restarted the match and Hordak got to work with impressive efficiency. He delivered a quick punch to She-ra’s - already very wounded - nose; the pain taking down her defences as he took the opportunity to toss her over his shoulders, hooking his arms around her and then pulling down. The sounds of agony she made as she was subjected to Hordak’s personal Hero Breaker was enough to convince Felina that she was about to do something very dumb.

She jumpkicked him in the chest, throwing him off balance and forcing him to drop She-ra. When he got up again he simply stared her down and stated “I expected better of you, I will not make the same mistake again.” At least now Felina wasn’t lacking any more motivation to kick his ass.

She-ra had yet to get up, her body didn’t seem to have any more strength, and though she could still hear the sounds of Felina struggling against Hordak, she simply couldn’t move. She heard a loud thud and managed to look up just a bit. Felina had been thrown around like a ragdoll and landed right in front of her. She couldn’t allow this to continue. She had to do something. Mustering all her strength she got up on her knees, she looked Felina in the eyes and gave her a reassuring nod. She knew what to do.

Felina jumped up and ran towards She-ra, jumped on her shoulders and then lept once again, front flipping right onto Hordak. Before he could get up again she ran back to She-ra and started pulling her up “Come on, that brick house ain’t gonna stay down for long.”

She-ra was going to remark on how odd it was to see be working with Felina again, but she had more important things to handle. She pushed her partner aside and prepared for impact. Hordak was trying to run them both down and she would not let that happen. Lowering her body she grabbed him by the waist, right as they slammed together. She was about to toss him over, but he simply grabbed her as well and lifted her above his head.

She had accepted that this was gonna be the end for her, when she was saved in a way she simply didn’t expect, by having a cape hooked around. Felina pulled on Hordak’s cape in the opposite direction that he was about to throw her and now both She-ra and Hordak were falling again.

Unfortunately Hordak had yet to tire himself out and got up very quickly. He gave his cape a quick pull, forcing Felina close to him so he could toss her aside with a backhand. Now She-ra was pissed. She grappled with him again, forcing him down and slamming both her fists against his back. She grabbed him, successfully this time, and began to lift him, her knees faltering for a second. He was struggling and she stumbled around trying to hold him, she brought him closer to the ropes and started lifting him again, this time above her shoulders. “Felina, now!”

Felina didn’t have to hear that twice, she took a running start and jump kicked her boss for the second time that night. She-ra let go of him just as she made contact and he was sent flying right over the top rope and by that cracking sound, right through the announcer’s table.

“Ouch, that was a rough landing.” Entrapta said, holding her mic and standing a good 5ft away from the possibly unconscious Hordak. The ref climbed out of the ring and went to check on him. “Well, it looks like Hordak will be needing some medical care, because he is out! No really, guys, we should get a doctor here”

She-ra struggled to get up again and she could see Felina wasn’t doing any better, but they had somehow done it, Hordak had been defeated. They couldn’t help but laugh again at the absurdity of it all, but the ref had to remind them that the night wasn’t over, Felina and She-ra still had a match to finish.

“Felina, I want you to know that you deserve this victory more than anyone else, without you I wouldn’t-” Felina held out her hand to silence She-ra, her eye roll was almost audible.

“Just pin me, you dumbass. I don’t want Hordak to lose the match and still get what he wanted.” Felina said dropping to the ground.

“You know you could just forfeit, right?” Was this somehow another trick?

“Yeah, but I still want you to pin me.” There was something else in her voice this time that made She-ra go red, Felina just laughed at her reaction “God, you’re so dumb sometimes. Fine, I forfeit!”

The crowd was extremely confused by what just happened, but still cheered when She-ra was handed the belt. Felina was standing right besides her, slowly clapping and shaking her head. “Are you sure you’re ok with losing the title?” She-ra asked one more time.

“Would I let you win if I wasn’t? Besides, I won something even better.”  She pulled She-ra in for a quick kiss “Yup, definitely better.”

[lokgifsandmusings]

I just NEED to know your thoughts on the new She-Ra series (in case you watched it. If not, please GO AND WATCH IT! It’s fantastic!). And I‘d be especially interested in your thoughts on the complex relationship and arc of Adora/Catra (I‘ve seen several comparisons so far, Zuko/several A:TLA charas, Gamora/Nebula, Rey/Keylo, aso.)

Yeah! I just finished it yesterday!

It was nothing short of delightful, and I’ll give it my hearty recommendation to everyone. The worst charge against it is that it’s sort of unabashedly campy, but I hardly find that a negative. If the SU tone has worked for you, this one will too.

I’ll give some mild spoilery thoughts below the cut, especially re: the ATLA comparisons drawn. As of now, we’re planning to cover She-Ra on our next Fandomentalist podcast episode due out Monday too. From there, I’m sure there will be good meta fodder.

So yeah, if you’re fussed about spoilers, don’t read on.

The Adora/Catra relationship comparisons are interesting to me, and I’ve seen Catra likened to Zuko, along with Azula, in general. I honestly don’t think any of those listed really match it in dynamic (Gamora/Nebula may come the closest as far as arc is concerned, loosely speaking, but given that Adora/Catra were protective of one another throughout their childhood, the situation is almost completely reversed here).

The thing is, they’re friends to enemies, and I’m assuming that’ll go back to friends at some point (and likely more), which is pretty dang rare. There were shades of like, how Aang or Katara tried to reach out to Zuko, but again, they knew him as an adversary first, and the stakes and history of Adora and Catra just feel different. It’s like how Zuko/Aang felt different than Zuko/Azula when he was in opposition to them, respectively, and it was the latter that had the depth just oozing out of it. (This is not to knock what was built by Zuko and Aang or that dynamic either; but sharing a background with someone creates that extra layer of fraught-ness, for lack of a better way of putting it.)

I guess what I’m really saying is just that Adora and Catra are Adora and Catra, and it’s refreshing that this doesn’t feel well-trodden. Catra’s logical motivation of staying with the Horde isn’t there (if we can assume Adora is right about her not being a bad person, and given how she outright told Shadoweaver that Adora might have had the right idea about defecting), but I think we’re clearly shown her making decisions out of spite, fear, and conditioning.

Catra is also just Catra. Her plot function may be Zuko-esque, her flirtation methods may be Marceline-esque, but she doesn’t strongly remind me of another character. She is a child-soldier who is striving to gain control so that she can protect herself, and she’s been pretty clear about that. Her plan originally was to do that with Adora, and their mutual protection was something she clung to, and it’s not shocking that with that stripped away, she’s spiraling and trying to regain control any way she can.

And it’s actually that point where this show has blown me away. Because She-Ra does not at all back away from the whole “conditioned child-soldiers” thing. In fact, I’d argue they handle it far, far better than ATLA ever did. Yeah, we saw the Fire Nation school, but 22-minutes later and they were cheering on Kevin Bacon. Azula came the closest as a tragic depiction of what that role does to someone’s psyche, but the other end of that spectrum is Zuko walking into his first war council and immediately questioning the morality of it all. I’d say it’s inconsistent, at least where loyality to the state is concerned (the interpersonal cycle of abuse, however, tackled wonderfully well).

On She-Ra, we’re never allowed for a second to forget the hell Adora was raised in and the way her mind is…not healthy, even if her glowy sword was able to break through some of the conditioning. Sometimes it’s played for laughs, like when she approaches a prom as if it’s a literal battle, but there’s always that tragic twinge to it where she doesn’t know what a party is, or can’t sleep on a soft bed (or alone). There was also that time where she was full on triggered by Shadoweaver for a full episode.

Then we see Catra dealing with it up close and personally, and very explicitly reclaiming her agency over her primary abuser in Shadoweaver (outright telling her that she was conditioned for that fight). God, no wonder taking that #2 place was so appealing to her, in addition to getting positive feedback and rewards for the first time. 

It’s clearly not smooth sailing for her (yes, Catra, you giving Adora back her sword means you like her), and I’m guessing her position as antagonist isn’t going to be a permanent one. But boy does it make for a compelling dynamic. And it’s one that I honestly can’t quite liken to something else, which I think is pretty cool.

[poison-basil]

Part 6: Intervention

Prompt -  I do not know if you accept suggestions, but you could do a chapter where many people (like Bruce, Jason, Conner, Ra's Al Ghul, Selina, Damian or someone else you want to add or remove) threaten Dick not to hurt Temperance they know that Dick is very flirtatious with the other girls already had many girlfriends, it would be fun to see.

Summary -  Five times Dick was warned not to hurt temperance and the one time Temperance was warned not to hurt Dick.

1.

Dick should've expected it, should of known this was going to happen, but they had lulled him into a false sense of security, leaving it weeks after they had got together. Dick had just finished his food shopping and was closing the door behind him, when a knife whistled past his head and embedded itself in the door. (guess who was going to be fixing that?)

Tensing his shoulders, Dick slowly looked in the direction the knife had come from. Sitting on the sofa was one Jason Todd, his booted feet kicked up onto the coffee table, twiddling another knife between his fingers. Jason looked ready for a fight, and that made Dick tense up, this hadn’t happened for years, maybe something was wrong, maybe the pit was resurfacing within him? But upon looking more at the relaxed nature Jason was sitting, the deep blueness of his eyes, Dick couldn’t see anything like the pit sickness. This was personal then.

Not sure on what to do or say, Dick started to wrack his brains about what he had done this past week that might lead him to knowing why Jason was here. He had just seen him two days ago though and nothing seemed to be wrong then and as far as Dick knew, he hadn’t done anything to warrant this type of welcome.

“Calm yourself Dicky, I’m not gonna hurt ya” Dick relaxed a little at this, moved into the room making his way to the kitchen so that he could put the food down. “Not today at least.” Dick gave him a sharp look and noticed the smirk unfolding on his face.

“What do you want Jason?” Sighed Dick, why was nothing simple with Jason?

“It’s not about wanting anything, more about letting you know a little something.”

“Alright, and what’s that little wing?”

“Just wanted you to know, that I will gut you, slowly and painfully, if you ever hurt Tee,” Jason made a low thrusting gesture with the knife in his hand, “Just thought I would be a good little brother and let you know.” He was back to spinning the knife in his hand.

“You know I would never hurt her Jason…” Dick gave Jason a wary looks why did he think he was going to hurt Temperance?

“Not intentionally, no… But on accident? That’s you all over Big Wing and I’m not letting you get away with it.” Jason's words stung. Giving Dick an ache in his chest.

Dick held his hands up in defence, wanting to make it clear to Jason. “I promise, I won’t hurt her, intentionally or otherwise”

“You better not or i will -- “

Dick cut him off, “Gut me, yeah, I got the memo, it was on really nice stationary.”

“You know it!” Jason was out off the sofa in an instant and making his way over to the door, grabbing the handle he looked back at Dick, “Now I gotta go, some asshats, doing stupid shit in my area,” he grabbed the knife from the door, pocketing it, just as he was closing the door behind him Dick heard him call, “Don't forget Dicky boy, I will come for you.”

---

2.

This was the strangest situation that Dick Grayson had ever been in, sure as Nightwing, thing’s got pretty weird. As Officer Grayson? Once in a blue moon did anything remotely strange happen.

But now, sitting in interrogation across from Ra’s al’Ghul takes the biscuit. He was dressed in fine, green silk robes, and looking like it pained him to be in here. All Dick knew about the situation was that Ra’s apparently had some information that he would tell to Officer Grayson. That’s how Dick ended up in here after his lunch break, but he has been sitting here for nearly ten minutes without a word leaving Ra’s mouth. Dick didn’t know what he was up to, but it couldn’t be good, Ra’s didn’t usually cause Dick problems directly.

Dick’s attention was brought back to Ra’s when he shifted slightly in the metal chair. Sneering at the uncomfortableness. “Richard,” hearing his name, coming from Ra’s was weird, was this how Tee felt, when Ra’s called her Temperance?  “I have come to understand that you and the young detective have entered relations.”

Dick raised an eyebrow at the statement, “Yeah? Like 3 Months ago?”

“Yes, yes, I know, I wanted to find the right opportunity to talk to you, without others interrupting.” Well, that wasn't worrying or anything.

Ra’s carried on, not taking notice of the  slight change in Dick's posture,“You see, I wanted to make it clear to you, that I should take action if I find you are not attending to Temperance. As one should.”

He was getting the 'you break her heart, I break your face’ talk from Ra's? What was his life coming to? “Even though you may have her for a short time, I shall allow this due to the innumerable years after your death we would live together.”

Oh damn, he was staking his claim! This fucking asshole! “Tee, doesn’t want to be with you! She would never do that!”

Ra’s was giving him a pitying look, like he was a small child. “Grief can be a terrible thing Richard, especially the passing of a loved one, I almost had her in my grasp once, you were the cause of that too, I won’t let her slip away again.”

That hurt, being told of his past failings towards Temperance, he would always regret it, but now he had plenty of opportunities to try and make up for it, even slightly. “That won’t happen, there are people that will stop you, make sure that never happens…”

Ra’s waved him off, as though what he said meant little. “I can bide my time till there is no one to interrupt… Bringing Temperance back would be no trouble...”

Dick slammed his hands so hard on the metal table in front of him it sent a sting right up his arm. “She would hate you! Detest you!”

“She already does, what more could she do? She will have no one but me, I shall keep her chained if need be…” The lear in Ra's eyes, and the reverence in his voice made Dick feel sick.

“No..” Someone would save her, if he couldn't. There was Jason and Bruce, and if they couldn't, Clark and Superboy could, they would live for a long time right?

“Never mind that Richard, my original purpose was to inform you that should you hurt Temperance, I would not hesitate to move plans forward, to give her a space at my side.” Dick was glad this was over, he wanted out of this room, away from that man. He was going to make contingency plans, there was no way Ra's was getting his creepy hands on her!

---

3.

Walking back to the plane after dropping Temperance off, Dick was stopped by Superboy, floating in front of him with a frown on his face, arms folded across his arm. Dick was still a little wary about the relationship between Temperance and Conner, even though she swore up and down there was nothing between them and there never has been. Just seeing them laughing and casually touching each other set a fire within him, he hated it, the irrational jealousy that would flare up. Staring at Conner now, seeing just how good looking he was, and thinking about how Temperance was about to spend the weekend here with him made him feel uncomfortable.

Conner softly landed in front of him and ran a hand through his hair. Dick remained silent, taking it that Conner had something he wanted to say, if he went to come find him.

“Look man, I know this sounds weird coming from me, but you gotta look after Temp, make sure you’re good to her.” Superboy looked uncomfortable. Like he wanted to be anywhere else.

Dick threw his hands up, groaning, “I know, I am, why does everyone think I’m going to fuck this up?”

Conner grabbed the back of his neck, and looked to the side, “Well, you don’t have the best track record right?”

“What?” Superboy was going more and more uncomfortable, Dick didn't care though, what was he talking about?

“Well i just heard that you are bit of a…” Dick could see him mulling over his next words. “Slut? I guess?”

“What!?”

Conner raised his hands in front of himself,as if to block a punch, “It’s just something I heard, that you’ve slept with and gone out with a lot of people, and I just wanted to warn you not to hurt Temp.”

Dick stared at Conner, was this real? “One, that's rude, I treat every person I’m with, with respect and love. Two, this is between me and Temperance, why are you butting in?”

Now it was Conner’s staring at him. “She’s my best friend dude, she has looked out for me, basically all my life, always been there for me, so i am being there for her too.”

Dick understood that, he had friends and family he would die for, protect. “Well, listen, this thing between me and Tee? It’s good and I love her, I’m going to look after her.”

“You better Grayson, or I’m coming for you, I don’t care how much kryptonite you might be packing, you have to sleep eventually man, and that’s when I will come for you.” Superboy started to levitate, hovering before Dick, making himself taller and more imposing.

“Alright, I get it, though hopefully it never comes to that.” Dick truly hopes it never come to that, because when it does, that means he's fucked up.

Superboy nodded, with a strong gust of wind he was gone.

--

4.

Sitting at the table in the Manor kitchen, Dick was helping himself to some of Alfred’s cookies and nursing a dark roast coffee. It was as close to peace Dick got without Temperance around. He hears the door to the kitchen open and sees Damian walking through.

“Ah, Grayson, I wanted to talk to you,” He stood by the kitchen counter, close to the plate of cookies Alfred had left out, “According to Todd, it is customary to warn the partners of people you feel close to, of bodily harm one will inflict should anything happen to them.”

Dick was at a loss for words, “Dami?”

“This is me warning you Grayson.”

Damian grabs a cookie from the plate and made his way out of the kitchen, leaving Dick to stare into his coffee, what was his life coming to?

--

5.

Temperance wasn’t expecting anything interesting to happen today, so when a bag is forced over her head, on her way out of Wayne Tower, about to go home, Temperance is appropriately surprised and angered. She’s roughly pushed into a car and pulled into a sitting sitting position by the person getting in behind her.

“Go…” She tries to place the voice, but is distracted by the car pulling out and onto the road.

A hand throughly comes up to her head and pulls the bag off, she is greeted by face of Deathstroke, scowling at her.

“Well this was unexpected, what can I do for you Slade?” She really didn't need this today, she had just got out of a stuffy board meeting with men talking down to her, she didn't want some mercenary rattling off their latest plan… wasn't this Dick's bad guy, she already had her, creepy, old bad guy slot filled, thank you Ra’s.

“I heard al’Ghul gave Dick a little talk, thought I would return the favour, villain for villain.” God, what was it with villains these days? Weren't they supposed to like, hate heroes?

“Right, well, you could've just made an appointment with my secretary, you know, instead of this…” She trailed off. The car windows were tinted black, she couldn't see where they were going, and was too distracted by deathstroke's spiel to think about the rout the car was taking. Stupid.

“Thought this would be better. So you understand, if anything happens, I’m coming for you.” Temperance nodded.

“Yes, I gathered that, I'm sure Dick will like to know you have his best interests at heart.” Slade smirked, he always like how sassy this Robin was.

“Well, as long as we understand each other it’s fine.” Sitting back she watched as Slade pulled out his phone and started tapping away.

“Noted.” Temperance moved, her hand reaching for the door handle, ready to just jump is Slade tried to keep her in the  car. “If you could be so kind I would appreciate it if you stopped the car, so I can do home?” She felt a tightening in her chest when he smirked at her. Something was wrong.

“We’re dropping you off outside your’s and Dick's apartment.” As he said this the car slowed to a halt, and Temperance pushed the door open, to see that they were in fact outside her apartment, she looked back to see Slade smirking and waving at her, as soon as the door on the car was closed it peeled off down the street.

Temperance has to say, that was the nicest kidnapping she has ever been apart of.

Now she just had to inform Dick that they were going to move.

--

6.

Dick was enjoying a casual spar with Temperance when they were interrupted by a cough from the side of the mats. Stopping mid position they both turned to Bruce, he was scowling down at them.

Worried, Dick moved to stand by Bruce, “What’s up B?”

“I don’t know how to say this...” They watched as Bruce paused, his brow furrowing more.

“However you want Burce, we can take it,” Temperance put her hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze, “It’s gotta be bad if you’re having trouble with it”

Bruce gave a frustrated sigh, “It's not that, it’s just, difficult, I see you both as my kids, both equally important. So I wanted to do this with you both here.”

Bruce kept going, so he didn’t lose courage, “I know that you, like each other, love each other even. I’m ok with that, but I don’t want it to affect the job, for everyone’s safety.” Bruce put a hand on each of their shoulders, “Also, I will never take a side, I’m letting you know this know, so that it doesn’t come as a surprise later. I could never turn against one of you on this.”

They look to each other before looking back to Bruce, “We know that B, we already discussed worst case, and you’re our Switzerland, someone who will, without a doubt be neutral.”

Temperance gave a gentle shake of her head, while smiling at him. “Bruce, we would never make you choose between us.”

Dick pats Bruce on the back, “Ok, well good talk B! Me and Temp are gonna go back to training.”

Temperance gave a quick kiss to Bruce’s cheek before moving back, “See you later.”

Bruce pat them both on the shoulder before turning and walking towards the batcomputer, effectively putting an end to the conversation. Dick and Temperance looked at each other and sniggered. Dick put his arm around her waist and dipped her, giving her a light kiss, before pulling her up again.

“We, now that conversation is out of the way, what do you say to more interesting training?” Dick wiggled his eyebrows.

--

Dick was in the middle of patrol when he got the anonymous text, his eyebrows furrowed reading it.

‘U hurt T, I will come for you’

It wasn’t the text that was the problem, he’s been getting threats all over the place about what people would do to him, should he hurt Temperance, it was that it was done on an unknown number. Who would warn him and not let him know who it was? This was just plain weird, Dick tried to call back the number, though all he got was a voice telling him the number had been disconnected. Strange.

Dick shrugged it off, with all the threats of death he got, he could just add another to the ever growing list.

**

Pru sat back in the hotel bed, pleased with the knowledge that she had successfully warned Dick Grayson.

[thetourguidebarbie]

Just a Bloody Rib

I wrote this for the 2017 Vacay Exchange. It has been revised since I first posted it on Ao3, and the smut is about 1k words longer and much better. The replaced version is now on Ao3, and you can find it here. This was written for @klarolinedrabbles, and it also happens to be her birthday today, so I highly encourage all of you to go wish her a very happy birthday. She is a gift to this fandom and a lovely human. 

Thank you again to @garglyswoof & @goldcaught for their help with this.

Whitmore seemed pretty normal at first glance. Students walked to their classes in tight clusters, went out to the small town nearby on the weekends to drink and let loose. There were loud complaints about professors and difficult classes and debates about whether you could murder your RA and get away with it.

Then again, at Whitmore getting away with murder was basically the entire point.

Below the surface of the school’s charming southern exterior something far more sinister lingered. When students weren’t focused on homework and who was eating their yogurt from the communal fridge, they were practicing weapon skills and subterfuge. Crime. Murder. Espionage. Etcetera.

Caroline fidgeted with her class ring as she stared at the plaster wall in front of her, the lump under the fabric of the chair back pressing uncomfortably against her spine. The receptionist was shuffling papers at her desk, the sound oddly harsh in the otherwise silent air. Caroline was understandably on edge; the possibilities for her final project had been weighing on her mind all summer. Every part of her was humming with energy, though she wasn’t sure whether it was out of anticipation, terror, or excitement.

She tried not to show it, though she’d always been terrible at keeping her face blank. She’d learned that she was much better at completing the practice missions when she embraced her inability to inhibit her facial expressions rather than trying to fight them off.

Her first step on campus felt like home. She’d always known what her father did for a living, their father-daughter bonding sessions mostly involving practicing observational skills and occasionally weapons training once she was old enough. She originally hadn’t wanted to go, thinking that it would be nice to have a normal life with a liberal arts degree and boring, non-violent afternoons, but her father had asked her to go to his alma mater when he was on his deathbed, and she hadn’t had the heart to say no.

Now, after four years of hard work, she was ready to take her diploma and the dangerous, adrenaline-spiking missions that came with it. The only problem was her final project.

The goal always seemed simple at first look - they were paired with another student with complementary skills and given a target or task. Though they could ask their class advisor for help or recommendations, the majority of the mission was supposed to be planned by them, from constructing the plan to getting away with the crime. Whitmore did not allow hand-holding. Caroline was pretty sure she knew who her partner would be. She excelled at subterfuge and luring her targets into a false sense of security before striking, her ability to plan the perfect heist one of her best assets. Enzo, her best friend, wasn’t great with preparations but was brilliant at thinking on his feet, his instincts superb. There had been rumours of one pairing being tasked to steal a painting from the Louvre, and she was so up for it.

There was only one person in the whole class who she absolutely did not want to be paired with. So when Sheila stuck her head out of the office to beckon her in and she saw who was sitting at the desk, her heart dropped to her stomach, her insides twisting.

Klaus Mikaelson was reckless and dangerous, known for his charming dimples and lack of empathy, and she knew from personal experience that he was the actual worst.

Just by looking at the way his nails were tapping on the desk, the other hand absently spinning a short, sharp knife between his fingers, she knew that her assignment wouldn’t have anything to do with high-stakes thievery. They were clearly going to be working together to murder someone. She wasn’t surprised that he was tasked with it, since heartlessly hurting people with no regrets seemed to be what he was good at, but she had no idea why she would ever be paired with him.

“Hello, love,” he said, his eyes slowly dragging up and down her body in a way she knew was meant to bait her, head cocked to the side. “So pleased to see you again.”

She was tempted to let out a string of expletives and unflattering names, but she settled for a saccharine smile and a venomous, “Wish I could say the same,” before sitting down, crossing her legs at the ankle. She felt nerves build in her stomach when she saw him shoot her a searching look out of the corner of her eye, but she viciously pushed them away. Klaus had ruined enough for her, and she wouldn’t let him do it again.

The first time she’d stepped on campus it felt like home. Her parents had just been buried and her life changed, and it was the only connection to her family legacy she had left. She held on to Bonnie, her best friend and the only other person she’d grown up with who knew what Whitmore really was, like a lifeline. Still, her long-held insecurities popped up unwelcome, and the first few days had been hard.

Then she’d met him. He’d looked at her like she was enough for the first time in so long. He’d given her genuine-looking smiles and spent a good month popping up everywhere she went, charming her with his willingness to banter and tease, his accent and heated gaze. She was almost as ashamed that she’d fallen for him as mad that he’d fooled her. He’d lured her into his trap, enticed her with pretty words and looks, and despite the warnings from everyone around her that he was manipulative and skeezy and terrible, she’d fallen into his bed willingly.

Now though, she would show no weakness. If anyone was going to back down, it would be him.

“Is this pairing going to be an issue?” Sheila asked lightly.

After lying to their advisor’s face that they were both going to be grown mature adults when dealing with each other, Sheila explained their assignment. Caroline felt excitement buzz through her as her confusion was wiped away. Sure, murdering people was wrong, but Stefan and Damon Salvatore were basically walking examples of people who theoretically deserved to die. If she squinted hard at her damaged moral compass and tried to ignore the voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like her mom telling her to maybe not kill people, she would probably be okay with pulling the plug herself.

When Bonnie’s mother died, she’d spent weeks watching dumb movies and holding Bonnie while she cried. She’d planned Abby’s funeral so that Bonnie and Sheila wouldn’t have to think about it, had been the only one Bonnie knew who understood.

No one could prove it, but everyone knew who had been the one to kill Abby, and Caroline knew that Sheila had probably been itching to take revenge for the murder of her daughter ever since. Since Bonnie didn’t enter combat (she didn’t like blood and was much happier hacking her way into what were supposedly the best security systems in the world), it made sense that she’d assign the Salvatores to the two other students who would be the most likely to make revenge long and painful.

Caroline because Bonnie was her best friend, and Klaus because he was a sadistic monster.

“You’re two of the best we have, and I know you’ll follow through,” Sheila said, her voice businesslike, the only hint of the pain she still held present in her stiff posture and the hitch in her voice.

“Yes ma’am,” Caroline said, looking her straight in the eye, and Sheila gave her a small smile.

“Do you have any recommendations?” Klaus asked quietly, and Caroline raised an eyebrow.

From what she remembered, he wasn’t usually one to ask for others opinions, preferring to make the plan by himself and trusting no one else to have anything meaningful to contribute. She doubted that he was emotionally attuned enough to realize that Sheila’s personal preferences might matter to her, and Caroline thought it most likely that he wanted to get back to what he considered the subject at hand rather than the pesky feelings of decent human beings.

Sheila seemed to consider the question for a few moments, looking between them before speaking slowly. “They know you two, so luring them into a false sense of security will be difficult. I recommend that you utilize your respective specialties into organizing an ambush.”

“But luring them into a false sense of security is all I know how to do,” Caroline pointed out, frowning. “Subterfuge is like, my thing. I don’t do missions that involve straight-up ‘hi, nice to see you again, here’s my gun’ murder.”

“But Klaus does,” Sheila said. “And you’re an excellent planner, Caroline. You know how to predict your targets’ next moves and have excellent observational skills. I do recommend that you brush up on your hand-to-hand combat, but Klaus can easily help you. I put you together because I believe that you complement each other. Don’t make me regret my choices.”

There was a threat present in the words that sent a shiver down Caroline’s spine. Sheila might look like a harmless grandmother, but Caroline knew quite well how ruthless she could be.

“I’d be happy to help you practice, love,” Klaus cut in with a smug smirk, and she gritted her teeth.

“No pet names,” she bit out, tempted to tell him that she didn’t need his help but knowing that Sheila would take that badly.

Maybe she’d get to punch him in the face. That would be immensely satisfying.

“I suggest you begin with creating a timeline for your project, and meet three times a week to refresh Caroline’s combat training. I’ll obviously be here to help should you have any questions, but you’re both immensely capable,” she said before giving each of them a stern look. “This wasn’t an uninformed choice. I know that you have a history. However, I think that if you can act like the mature adults that I know you’re capable of being, this mission will go more smoothly than those assigned to the majority of your classmates. Are we clear?”

“Yep!” Caroline said, wanting to get out of the office as soon as possible.

Klaus nodded as well and followed her out, and Caroline rounded on him as soon as the office door closed behind him. “I hate you and you’re a sadistic, heartless bastard,” she said bluntly. “You’re a disgusting sleaze and I hope you burn in hell. That said, I’m willing to put aside what a terrible person you are to guarantee that Stefan and Damon are given a slow and painful death.”

“That’s rather harsh for someone who never let me explain what actually occurred,” he said, his voice mild, though she could see the genuine irritation in his eyes.

“I know what I heard, Klaus,” she said, the memory still painful despite how long it had been since it happened.

She had been on her way to his dorm to meet him to finalize their plans for the summer. She’d just entered his building when she overheard him and Tyler ‘Douchebag’ Lockwood talking in the hallway. The words were still burned into her memory, stubbornly sticking, validating all of her insecurities that she’d never quite been able to shed.

“--going to let her go yet, not until I get what I want. The chase is too much fun, and I want to see the light fade in her eyes when she figures it out.”

All the breath had left her lungs, her eyes burning with tears, and she’d wanted to march in, wanted to punch him in his stupid smug smirky face, but she didn’t want him to see her hurt the way he clearly wanted. She swore she’d never let him or anyone else make her feel that way again.

She’d waited until the next time they saw each other, told him curtly that she’d overheard his conversation with Tyler and if he was just taking advantage of her she’d decided that this just wasn’t going to work out. He’d asked her to let him explain, but she’d ignored him, walking away with a sinking heart, tears in her eyes, and the determination to never talk to him, look at him, or acknowledge his existence ever again.

“I judge harshly and don’t like bullshit excuses,” she said with a shrug. “Are you free Tuesday night?”

“I can make time,” he said dryly.

“Good. I’ll brainstorm a few ideas and meet you in the study in my dorm suite at eight. We can talk about how you want to do this.”

“It’s a date,” he said with a mocking smile, and she resisted the urge to drive her heel into his foot.

“Can’t wait,” she muttered, and he tilted his head to the side, eyeing her with an intensity that she wasn’t used to. She suddenly felt almost unbearably uncomfortable and transparent, like he could see the inner workings of her mind, the vulnerability and hurt she still held despite her best attempts to fight it off. Even after he’d given up on reeling her back in and eventually retreated back to his mask of cold indifference that he aimed at everyone else, she occasionally thought she saw hurt in his eyes, defensiveness in his posture, but she knew she must be imagining things.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said, and she was upset to find that it sounded completely genuine. She knew it wasn’t, though. Sure, he could be charming when he wanted to be, but he was a manipulative ruthless asshole, and that would never change. Now that she was forced to be near .him, she had to keep up her guard. He’d wasted almost an entire year of her life, and she couldn’t let him near her heart again. Their relationship would be strictly professional, and that was that.

XXX

Of fucking course he’d get paired with Caroline Forbes.

Caroline Forbes, the only person he’d ever felt a single flicker of affection for in his four years at Whitmore. The only woman who had been able to make a genuine smile bloom on his face, had made warmth melt at the walls of his heart. Had made him weak.

He tried not to stare as she bent over the paper in the common room of her dorm suite, her lips moving as she talked about some sort of security system nullification program, and she glanced at him mid-sentence, her eyes narrowing. “What did I just say?”

He had no idea, and his silence seemed to show that because she huffed, curling a piece of hair behind her ear. “If this is going to work you need to actually listen. I doubt you’ve ever cooperated in your life, but can you please stop staring at me and do your work?”

“My job is to follow your directions and murder the evil-doers.”

“Well, follow my directions now and pay attention, okay?”

“Happy to follow your directions any time, love.”

She shot him a look so filthy that he almost felt proud, and she sat up a bit, poking him in the chest with a pencil. “New rule: no flirting.”

“Who said I was?”

She didn’t seem to have an answer to that, just rolling her eyes and turning back to the paper. “Ready to pay attention or do you need another minute to prepare your goldfish-level attention span?”

“Ready, love.”

She started talking again and he hung on every word, noticing the slight tilt to her body as she relaxed, her words speeding up excitedly as she talked through a strategy she’d clearly been having trouble with, and he felt an unwanted warmth bloom in his chest.

He’d been taken with her since the first time they met. Her hands had shaken nervously the first class, her tongue darting across her bottom lip as she dutifully took notes until they had broken off for small group discussions about the pros and cons of untraceable poisons. He’d said something she disagreed with and she pointed out calmly that he was wrong and hadn’t he done the reading, earning a rare smile from Professor Shane, who had been walking around asking prompting questions.

Over the next week he’d had fallen hard for her well-thought out answers, quick wit, and clear relish in ‘I-told-you-so’s’. She was beautiful and fiery and self-righteous and loyal, had a clever barb for every doubt thrown at her, and he’d wanted to memorize and hold every piece of her. He’d finally won her over after a month of his best efforts, and once she was his he couldn’t remember the last time he felt so whole. It was new and exhilarating and he’d hated how weak she made him, how vulnerable, but every moment of that year with her had been worth it.

She’d never given him a chance to explain what she’d overheard. Seeing Katherine Pierce squirm as she awaited the execution she knew was coming had been deliciously satisfying, but if he’d known that his conversation about it with Lockwood would lose him Caroline he would have tracked her down and slit her throat.

Caroline had captured his heart and then mercilessly crushed it with a cold smile that didn’t conceal the betrayal in her eyes. Her walls had unexpectedly slammed up in front of him. He’d known that she was as stubborn and vicious as she was bright and tempting, but her abrupt cold shoulder was nonetheless a kick to his gut, a prick to his admittedly over-inflated ego. Since she’d let him go without so much as a moment to listen to him, he’d developed a resentful dislike for her, had tried to push away how fascinating he found her.

It hadn’t quite worked.

His interactions with her were now reduced to casual observation and second-hand accounts of her behavior, facts he absorbed with a blank face and eager ears. He was careful to stay subtle, to not show too much interest. He remained cold and distant, too uncomfortable with the knowledge that he genuinely felt something for her after all this time, that he still wanted her so much after she’d left.

“So, I think we should exit through entrance B then,” she finished, circling a marker on the map she’d constructed. “Does that make sense?”

“I still think exiting through the roof would be better.”

“I know,” she said with the air of someone who was desperately trying to be patient as they explained to a toddler that they weren’t allowed to have another piece of cake. “But I think it would be best to use entrance B.”

He knew how to pick his battles.

“All right.”

“Wait, really?” she asked, her eyebrows raising. “You’re okay with that?”

“I trust your instincts, love,” he said, his voice unintentionally serious, and he was faintly surprised as a light pink flush creeped up her neck. She hurriedly cleared her throat, bending back down over the paper, and though he was tempted to comment he decided to stay quiet, knowing that teasing her would most likely scare her off even more.

He’d always been good at reading people. It was part of what made him so good at what he did. He knew how to cajole the most stubborn people into his clutches, to manipulate and take advantage and then finally pounce. The chase was satisfying, seeing the realization in the eyes of his victims just before he slit their throats. It was a rush that he didn’t try to fight down.

Caroline was different. She’d somehow pushed him off-kilter, had realigned the axis on which his world rested. It was infuriating and humiliating, the way her wide eyes and bright smile had punctured between his ribs to his racing heart. The way she’d looked at him when their hands brushed, the way she subtly inhaled his scent and had a forced bite to her tone, told him that she might not be as hostile as she pretended to be. There was a small, petty part of him that didn’t want to make amends out of spite, but he knew that if he let her go he’d never forgive himself, and he hated himself for it, hated her for making him feel like this. Her abrupt dismissal of him from her life had made him bitter for the entirety of the years they spent apart, angry at himself for being unable to fight down the pain whenever he saw her face.

Still, he tried to pay attention as much as possible, giving his genuine opinion whenever she asked (and sometimes when she didn’t), and she seemed to respect his willingness to contribute, giving him a small smile that he suspected wasn’t intentional as she packed up her things a few hours later. “That was really productive.”

“It was,” he agreed, standing up as well. “First sparring session tomorrow?”

She wrinkled her nose but nodded. “Gym at eight, maybe? At night, I mean.”

“See you then, sweetheart.”

She didn’t seem to notice the endearment he’d always reserved exclusively for her, or if she did she didn’t comment, just nodding and slinging her bag over her shoulder. “Let me walk you out.”

He followed her to the door, running through all of his possible next moves.

He was opportunistic by nature, wasn’t one to throw away an opening when someone had so kindly provided it, and this mission was definitely an opportunity to win Caroline over.

The question was how.

XXX

“Let’s take a break, sweetheart.”

Caroline nodded, rolling her shoulders before reaching up to tug the elastic out of her hair and re-doing her ponytail. She tried to be subtle as she admired Klaus’s shirtless back when he walked to the minifridge they kept by the stereo equipment, bending to get out two water bottles and closing the door with his foot. He tossed one to her and she caught it, sinking down on the mats cross legged and eagerly taking a few gulps.

They’d been sparring three times a week for the past month, and though she’d taken all of her hand-to-hand combat classes in her first two years to get them out of the way, she was starting to get back to the level she was at when she finished them. Klaus was an annoyingly competent teacher, and she hoped that he’d deem her good enough for them to stop soon.

He was so gentle when he touched her, his palms hot on her hips or waist when he corrected her posture, and she’d begun to wear a tank top over her sports bra to fend off the electric brush of his skin on hers. She hated how much she loved the way he pressed his front against her back when he guided her through different kinds of strikes, his breath hot on her neck as he explained every detail. She knew that the touch was completely unnecessary, but for some reason she hesitated to fend him off, found herself craving the scent of him cloaking her, the feel of him against her. It was nice to have a justification, to allow herself the freedom of giving in. She soon found herself questioning why she’d never let him explain himself, wondering whether she could have been wrong.

She knew it must be his goal, to slowly pique her curiosity until she asked for the explanation. He’d had two years to come up with an adequate one, and she had no doubt that whatever it was, it would be completely believable. It was dangerous to start down that path, but as they spent more time together it became more and more tempting. She’d never quite forgotten how fun it was to banter with him or the way he made her feel when he looked at her, but she had been hoping to get through the project without being reminded.

She snuck a glance up at him and found him watching her with heat in his eyes, and she flushed and stared determinedly at the cap of her water bottle beside her on the mat. She hated how he could make her feel sexy when she was in tight sweaty lycra and flushed with exertion, but when they’d been together he’d never failed to make her feel special and wanted when she doubted herself the most.

She could still feel his eyes on her and she cleared her throat, looking up. “Ready?”

“Of course, love.”

The way the endearment fell off his tongue made her skin pebble, her nipples tightening, and she was thankful that the thick fabric of her sports bra was obscuring her reaction. He stretched, the muscles of his abdomen tensing, and she couldn’t resist licking her lips as she watched, the urge to refamiliarize herself with his taste a siren call that was difficult to resist. She realized that he was watching her with an amused smile, though he didn’t comment on how she’d drank him in, instead setting down his water and walking towards her, assuming a sparring position.

She matched him, bouncing on the balls of her feet, trying to judge his first move. He didn’t have tells, never gave a single hint as to what he was going to do, and it meant that she had to be aware every single second. His fist shot out suddenly and she easily ducked it, narrowly avoiding the hit to her shoulder and shifting to hook her foot around the back of his ankle. She knew he wouldn’t fall, his balance was too good, but he did stumble. She used his new position to punch his shoulder, hoping to knock him down. He dodged, rolling easily to end up behind her, and before she could turn to face him he’d grabbed her around the waist, pinning her arms to the side.

She could feel his hot breath on her neck, and she knew that the position wasn’t supposed to be comfortable, the scent of him not supposed to send heat underneath her skin, but she somehow couldn’t resist leaning into him.

He seemed to stiffen for a moment as though he wasn’t quite sure how to respond, but before he could she’d lifted her legs off the ground to try to wrap them around his legs, the sudden change in the weight he was supporting making him stumble.

She didn’t want to hurt him, so she rolled off as soon as they fell to the ground, his body cushioning their fall, and turned to pin him when she realized that he was on his feet again. It happened in an instant, one moment she was sitting on her knees and the next she was flat on her back, their noses barely an inch apart.

She hadn’t realized how hard she was breathing, her eyes widening as he pinned her wrists to the mat on either side of her head, his breath hot on her lips. His body fit on top of hers perfectly, the hard angles of his body pressing deliciously against her curves. In a normal fight she wouldn’t be tempted to wrap her legs around the waist of her opponent and pull him down by the hair to taste him, but she and Klaus had never been normal, their respective quirks and hangups a perfect clash, and she knew in her heart of hearts that Sheila had known quite well what she was doing.

She wanted him so much, had never stopped wanting him, and...

“I was scared,” she blurted impulsively.

“Beg pardon?” he asked, though he was alert, and she could tell that he knew what she was talking about, that he was hanging on every word, desperate for the truth.

She took a deep breath. “I...Everyone kept telling me that you were terrible and that I should stay away, and I knew that you weren’t exactly the most morally upstanding person in the world. It scared me that I liked you anyway, that I wanted you. And it scared me that you wanted me.”

“Caroline--”

She shook her head, cutting him off with a huff. “No, like...I’ve never been someone’s first choice. Even when I was in high school and had boyfriends they never really wanted me. I was worried that I’d just jumped on the first person to look my way and that you actually wanting me was giving me rose-colored glasses. I was scared that you were manipulating me and I’d fall in love with you and you’d just ditch me.”

“I would never,” he whispered, letting go of one of her wrists to cup her cheek, the tip of his thumb stroking her cheekbone, and she leaned into his touch, closing her eyes.

“How was I supposed to know that?”

“You can’t know for sure, I suppose. I understand why I’d be a difficult man to trust,” he said, still stroking her face. He rubbed the thumb of his other hand against her pulse, the motion against the sensitive skin making her shiver, and she opened her eyes slowly to meet his. “But Caroline...I had no intention of letting you go.”

“What happened?” she asked softly, wanting to believe that he was telling the truth so badly, needing to hear it.

He shifted on top of her as he seemed to choose his words before he spoke. “I had been chasing Katherine Pierce for two years. I always let her escape by the skin of her teeth, and she was always ready to flee at a moment’s notice. It made me feel powerful, to hold her life in my hands, to know that I could take it at any moment. I liked making her live in fear. What you heard was me telling Tyler that I wasn't ready to give up that rush just yet.”

It took Caroline a few seconds to process his statement. “Wow,” she drew out slowly. “Seriously?”

His lips twitched. “Seriously.”

“God, you’re a terrible person,” she huffed, letting the back of her head fall against the mat. “How do you live with yourself?”

“Like everyone else does, I suppose,” he said, and she could hear the amusement in his voice.

“How did I ever fall in love with you?” she grumbled, and she felt Klaus freeze on top of her. She looked up to meet his eyes, realized what she’d said, and felt her heart drop. “I mean, back then, obviously. I don’t mean, I’m not saying... Stop looking at me like that!”

He flashed her an unashamedly smug dimpled grin, bending to brush his nose against hers. “So, you love me, then? Still?”

She huffed, glaring in the general direction of the wall. “No.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yep.”

“Now, it’s not nice to lie, sweetheart.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said with as much dignity as she could muster, turning to look at him and a bit shaken by the openly affectionate expression on his face, trying not to lean into his touch when he tucked a curl behind her ear.

“I think you do,” he said, and he was way too pleased with himself. “I think that you’ve been knowingly lying to yourself about why you left. Perhaps you were terrified that what you overheard applied to you, but you never asked. But tell me, sweetheart, was it because you were afraid it did, or that you were afraid it didn’t?”

Her breath caught, her heart pounding, and her teeth sunk into her lower lip. She knew that her hesitant silence was enough of an answer for him, but she took a shaky breath to answer anyway. “Both.”

“And are you still afraid?” he asked, his tone changing from infuriatingly smug to a tenderness that she knew no one else would ever associate with him, that he saved only for her.

“Yes,” she breathed. “But...”

“But?” he prodded once she trailed off, looking at her with badly concealed apprehension.

“But I think...I think we’re worth it.”

She’d never seen him smile so brightly, her body shaking with anticipation as he drank her in before bending to press their foreheads together. Their breathing mingled for a moment as they stayed that way, savoring the closeness, and she took a shaky breath before she spoke again, her lips barely touching his when she formed the words.

“Don’t make me regret falling in love with you.”

“I don’t intend to,” he said quietly, pulling back to search her face for just a moment, and then his lips were on hers.

It was slow at first, their lips meeting in lazy, drugging strokes. She closed her eyes as he gently tugged the elastic out of her hair to bury one of his hands in her curls, cupping her head as he sucked her bottom lip, nipping it before soothing the sting with his tongue. She felt her nipples tighten, an ache beginning to stir at the apex of her thighs, and she couldn’t help but arch her back to rub against him, her need for friction building with every second. He pulled back to look at her through heavy-lidded eyes, his lips slightly parted, cheeks flushed.

“I missed you, sweetheart,” he said softly, his forehead dropping against hers.

“I missed you too.”

The moment was almost too much, blood rushing in her ears, her heart pounding so harshly against her chest that she felt like it should be loud enough to hear. She reached up with the hand he wasn’t holding to the mat to run a finger down his jaw before freezing at his chin, lingering at the scratch of stubble before tracing his lips with her fingertip. He let her, his body tense, eyes closing, and she felt his cock twitch against her thigh. She smiled at him, lifting her hips just slightly to tell him that she’d noticed, and his dimples flashed before he took her finger between his lips, sucking it into his mouth. His tongue lightly flicked against the pad of her fingertip and she shivered, her breath catching at the nip of teeth. He fiddled with the strands of her hair he held to untangle them from his hand before grabbing her wrist, holding eye contact with her as he gently tugged her finger out of his mouth and kissed her palm. She moaned softly when he flicked his tongue against the creases where her fingers met her palm before dragging it along her lifeline, and he grinned, pressing a final soft kiss to her skin and pressing it down against the mat beside her head, both wrists pinned down.

The connection between them crackled as he held her gaze, and she always felt like he could interpret the inner workings of her mind, like he got her the way that no one else seemed to, always knew what she needed even if he wasn’t quite sure how to give it.

“I’m sorry,” he said finally, the phrase cutting through the charged silence.

“I mean, it was a misunderstanding. If it was anyone’s fault it was--”

“I should have been clearer back then,” he interrupted, and it was a rare moment of nervousness, the apprehension he clearly had over what he was about to say telling her that he was about to give her a rare moment where he purposefully let down his guard for her, where she didn’t have to fight to break through the facade of a heartless monster they both know she could see right through to find the (honestly still pretty terrible) man beneath.

“What do you mean?”

“I love you, Caroline,” he said, the words so soft that she barely heard. “I would never knowingly do anything to cause you pain.”

It was nice to hear, but she’d known that deep down. Through every fear and insecurity, every logical thought that he was dangerous and the reality of what she’d overheard and the insistence of everyone else that he was a mistake, that they were a mistake, she’d always known that he was in it for the long haul. It had been a scary conclusion to come to, and she’d done her best to lock away that instinct once she’d overheard him, needing to justify walking away, but she knew that she was just as deeply connected to him as he was to her.

It had been a heady dose of power that she knew she shouldn’t focus on, knowing that one of the most dangerous men she’d ever meet had a soft spot for her, only her. She liked that power, but more than that she liked him. She liked knowing there was someone who got her, who wanted her, that she was his first choice. Self-sabotaging because of a misunderstanding had been the only way she knew to try to forget what the cost was to be that first choice.

Now, though...Now that she’d lived without him and been bitter about every second of it, she was willing to pay it.

He had been watching her process what he’d said and seemed to be growing more nervous by the second, and she abruptly realized that she’d never answered. “I know you wouldn’t,” she said. “And for the record, I would never want to hurt you either.”

He smiled again before bending down to take her lips, this time with a clash of teeth and tongue, the urgency filling her with a heat that made her pulse rush, the ache between her thighs growing stronger. She tried to tug her wrists away from his hands to rake her nails through his hair, to fist his shirt, but he pulled back with a smirk, his forehead pressed against hers. “I quite like your wrists where they are,” he said with a wicked grin, stealing another kiss before she could reply before dragging his lips along her jaw.

“Yeah?” she asked breathlessly, her hips rolling naturally when he pressed his thigh between them.

He hummed, bending to nose her jaw before dragging his tongue along the hollow of her throat. “If I do recall correctly you didn’t used to mind.”

She flushed, memories of his cock filling her as he pinned her wrists down, her legs in the air as she moaned and writhed beneath him, his low voice murmuring in her ear about how good she felt and how he loved the way she said his name, how he could listen to her moan for him all night, liked the reminder that she was his. His movements were always deliciously rough as soon as he’d figured out she liked it, his nails biting into her skin like a brand, and she had responded in kind when his hands were occupied on other parts of her, drawing nonsense patterns on her lower back or dipping into her back entrance just enough to make her shake beneath him.

Just him bringing up those memories made her wetter, the reminder of how she used to demand that he go harder or faster, how her demands turned to begging if he felt like being mean and she felt like indulging him, and her pussy throbbed as she realized how unbearably empty she felt.

His lips curled in a smile against her skin as she moaned, his teeth dragging along her jaw before he nipped her ear, and she hooked her legs around him, grinding her hips against the bulge behind the thin barriers of cloth separating them.

“Keep them there for now, love,” he murmured before running the tip of his tongue along the shell of her ear, and she shivered. She was vaguely tempted to ask what he would do about it if she didn’t, but when he pulled back she felt like her breath had been stolen from her lungs.

His eyes were dark and greedy as they drank in her form, and she squirmed underneath him as he rubbed the hem of her tank top between his fingers before moving down to press kisses up her abdomen as he inched the cloth up her body, dragging his teeth along her clavicle after he tugged it over her head before popping open the front clasp of her bra, bending to take a nipple in his mouth. She swore, trying to keep her hands where they were, longing to run her fingers through his hair and tug at his curls.

His touches were frustratingly light as his palms skimmed her hips through her yoga pants, the scrape of his teeth infuriatingly gentle. She doubted that he wasn’t completely aware that the touches weren’t quite enough, and she squirmed underneath him, trying to find friction.

“Klaus...”

“Yes sweetheart?” he mumbled, dragging his tongue along the underside of her breast.

“I need you,” she said, her voice shaking, and he chuckled, not responding, though she felt the tip of his finger edge under the waistband of her yoga pants, stroking her hipbone. She lifted her hips, trying to encourage him, but he didn’t pull them, simply scraping her skin with his fingernail. “Klaus...”

“I want to take my time.”

“You can take your time later.”

“I have been fantasizing about this for years, Caroline. I came on my palm to the vision of you like this, flushed and desperate for me as I teased you until you were on the brink. You’ve made me wait so long and though I have no intention of holding out, I admit it will give me an immense amount of satisfaction to watch you beg for it.”

Of fucking course. “I’ve been waiting too, and I don’t think your ego needs stroking considering that I’m flat on my back letting you fuck me in the middle of a public gym. In case you haven’t noticed, I want you.”

“I know,” he murmured, laying wet, open-mouthed kisses to her abdomen above the waistband of her yoga pants. “Good things come to those with patience, sweetheart.”

“Unless those ‘good things’ are either your tongue or your cock between my legs in the next thirty seconds I don’t really have any incentive to be patient.”

He laughed quietly, beginning to peel the tight cloth down her lips little by little. “I do enjoy it when you tell me what you want, love.”

She was about to respond when the breath left her lungs, shivering as he made eye contact with her when he dragged his tongue along her hipbone. She moaned his name softly as he pressed kisses to the skin just above the waistband before he edged the fabric down her thighs. She nearly laughed at his low groan when he saw that she wasn’t wearing anything underneath, his forehead falling against her thigh, breath hot against her skin. “Fuck, Caroline...”

“You get lines when you wear them under tight pants,” she said defensively, fighting down a smile.

“Worried that I’d stare at your pretty arse, sweetheart?”

“Knew you would.”

He grinned, pressing her palms to her inner thighs to nudge her legs apart and bending to press soft kisses to her sensitive skin just a few centimeters away from where she desperately wanted his touch. “I’m going to taste you, make you squirm,” he said quietly, his eyes flicking up to watch her face as he spoke. “I’ve missed it immensely, sweetheart. I’ve stroked my cock so many times desperately trying to remember how your pussy tasted against my tongue, the way you used to moan for me. I want to hear it again, to rememorize it. It’s haunted my dreams for too long.”

“Dream about me a lot, then?” she teased, but the look he gave her was serious in a way that made her breath catch.

“Yes. I have so many things I wanted to do to you, Caroline. So many things I wanted to give you, but never got the chance.”

She wanted to ask, wanted to know the no-doubt filthy scenarios that he’d come up with while they were apart, but she cut herself off with a moan at the first touch of his tongue to her clit, the flick making her entire body quiver. It wasn’t a hard decision when the fantasies were at odds with coming on his tongue, but she fully intended on interrogating him later.

Her hips jerked when he swirled his tongue around her entrance before slipping a finger inside, and her mind went blank after that, too occupied by how much she’d missed this, missed him. No one but him had ever been able to make her feel like this since she’d left him behind. He knew exactly how to touch her to make her shake, had memorized her tells so completely that he’d gotten her off in the computer lab in the fifteen minutes before the next class came in more than once. and she moaned his name as she rolled her hips against his face. Every touch of his tongue and curl of his fingers was a reminder of how he used to make her a desperate mess beneath him, and it wasn’t long until she tipped over the edge.

She watched with hazy eyes and ragged breaths as he sat up, licking his lips before bending down so that she could taste herself, his tongue stroking the roof of her mouth. She moved her hands between them to tug at the drawstrings of his sweatpants, gasping when he grabbed her wrists and set them back by her head, his eyes flashing. “I told you to keep them there,” he said, pressing another soft kiss to her lips, the tenderness a direct contrast to the way he was pinning her down. “I told you, sweetheart, I remember all those times you let me tie you to the headboard of my bed and spread your legs for me, the way you begged for it. You want my cock to fill you hard and fast, for me to groan your name as I feel you clench around me. When I stroked my cock thinking of you it was a frequent staple in the memories of you I conjured up.”

She gasped as he ground the bulge of his hard cock against her soaking core, her eyes rolling back in her head. “Klaus...”

“Caroline.”

“Please,” she whispered, lifting her hips, her oversensitive skin still throbbing. It had been so long since anyone had touched her like this, her short flings and one night stands not even close to comparing to how good he felt, and he grinned.

“Please what?”

She’d never felt comfortable being vocal with anyone but Klaus, but the way his eyes darkened with lust when she confessed what she wanted, how much he paid attention, hung on her every word, had always made her more willing to. “I need you to talk to me,” she said quietly, swallowing when he smirked. “And I want your cock inside me.”

“I know,” he said quietly, and she felt his hand brush against her pussy as he pulled his sweatpants off, giving her a warning look when her hands twitched as she fought the urge to reach to help, needing his skin on hers as soon as possible. She felt the head of his cock against her entrance and whined out his name to encourage him as he pressed inside.

The first thrust of his hips was heaven, the second even better. He dug his fingernails into her hips to pull her against him again and again, taking her rough and fast, exactly how she liked it. “Tell me the things you wanted to do to me,” she breathed, her voice shaking as she looked at him through heavy-lidded eyes, and he gave her a wicked grin.

“I want to take you from behind in front of a mirror,” he began without any introduction, his hands sliding under her ass to change the angle, her head tipping back as he fucked her harder. “I want you to see your face when you come, the way your lips form my name. I want you to watch yourself as you fall apart around my cock. Would you like that?”

She swallowed, nodding, and he bent to bite her lip hard, making her moan. “Would you like that?” he repeated, his voice sharp and demanding, and she breathed out a faint ‘yes’.

“I want to bend you over my bed, to tie you up just the way you like and fuck your pretty arse. I do love the way it looks framing my cock, how you squirm and moan for me as I take you in the most primal and filthy of ways. Perhaps I’ll put a toy in your pussy as well, fill you completely while you writhe beneath me. Would you suck it clean after you come around the toy, Caroline? Would you let me use it to muffle your moans as you taste yourself? Desperately wanting to rub your clit for some friction but unable to give yourself relief? Your hair looks so lovely wound between my fingers, you know, and I recall that you love it when I tug it just the right way. You’d make such a pretty picture with my hand in your hair and your wrists bound, taking my cock as you moan around a toy that’s covered with your own arousal...”

She nodded frantically, meeting every thrust of his hips with her own, her breathing growing more ragged. They’d never quite gone that far kink-wise, but she couldn’t help but be excited by the idea, her mind racing to all of the possibilities it opened up. She wondered how much his fantasies had wandered from things they’d already done, the things he desperately wanted that he’d never had enough time to confess.

It was so difficult not to claw at his back, not to touch him, but she knew that choosing to give herself to him, to let him have this control, was what he wanted, what he needed. He needed to know that she was serious, that she was willing to trust him, and she needed to know that she could. His cock filled her so perfectly, his low groans making her clench around him as he managed to change the angle, hitting her perfectly with every thrust, and she was so close to the edge, just on the precipice of tipping over...

“Tell me again.”

She knew what he meant and she gave it with no hesitation. “I love you, Klaus.”

“Yes. You love me. You’re mine, sweetheart. Aren’t you?”

“Yes,” she hissed, nodding, completely lost in the way he was touching her, how close she was, how much she needed him.

“Mine,” he repeated, bending to kiss her roughly as his thrusts sped up. “I’m never going to let you go again, Caroline. You’re a weakness I’ll never be able to shed.”

“You’re mine too,” she breathed, and she saw him smile through heavy-lidded eyes, his satisfaction from her simple statement bleeding so clearly from the smirk he wore.

“That’s right, love,” he murmured, kissing her surprisingly gently despite his rough thrusts. It wasn’t long before she was coming around him again, his name falling from her lips in between ragged breaths and creatively-combined expletives, and he spilled inside her soon after, rolling off of her to pull her close, burying his nose in her hair.

They laid there in silence for awhile, their breathing calming. She had forgotten how safe she felt in his arms, and she’d almost drifted off when he spoke, the words so quiet she barely heard them.

“I love you too, Caroline.”

She smiled.

[ryqoshay]

How to Handle a Nico: How to End a Date

Primary Pairing: NicoMaki Secondary Pairing: NozoEli Words: ~4.4k Rating: T, I guess Time Frame: Late in Maki's 1st year and Nico's 3rd year in college. Story Arc: "First Date" Morning Preperation First Date How to End a Date

List of all HtHaN scenes

Author’s Note: Well, this ended up being a heck of a lot longer than intended. Not complaining, mind.

“You’re kidding right?” Maki said in disbelief. “Hanayo said that?”

“Yup.” Nico confirmed with a nod before opening the door to the apartment complex.

“Hanayo.” Maki repeated, moving past the other girl who was holding the door for her.

“Mmhmm.” Nico let the door close behind her and bounced the few steps over to catch up. “You’ve seen her when she gets serious about idols.”

“Well yeah, but…”

“She’s even more intense online, but always civil and polite.” Nico explained. “And she doesn’t take kindly to cyberbullies. She and I had a few heated encounters back before we both joined µ’s; back when I was a bit more…” She hesitated as she considered the right term.

“Troll’ish?”

The older girl balked. “Maki-chan knows that a troll is?” She feigned extreme surprise.

Maki returned a deadpan stare. “I know of them because people have talked about them, but you know how little time I have for all that forumy, gossipy, socially media stuff.” She flipped her hair as though to physically represent her dismissal of what she felt to be rather droll pastime.

Nico smirked at the other girl’s choice of words. “A~nyway,” She continued. “Etsuko and I used to be a kind of team…”

“A troll team?” Maki raised an eyebrow.

Nico pursed her lips at the interruption but otherwise ignored it. “I mean it wasn’t anything official; we didn’t have any sort of special agreement or anything. But we were both highly critical of idol groups and would often play off each other’s comments. I suppose we may have taken things a bit too far a few times.” Nico sighed at the memories. “But all that changed when you guys dragged me into µ’s.”

“Dragged?”

“Kicking and screaming.” Nico grinned.

Maki rolled her eyes.

“So Etsuko took it as some sort of traitorous act when I started singing µ’s praises instead of bashing them.” Nico shrugged. “And apparently it was some sort of grave injustice when we started getting popular while she was still struggling.”

“And you said she’s always been like that?”

“A jaded jerkass? Pretty much.” Nico nodded. “It’s probably why she and I got along at first. But then things changed.”

“And now she’s gunning for you?”

“She’s always been gunning for me, well for µ’s in general, really.”

“And how come I’m only now hearing of her?”

“Because Hanayo and I didn’t want to raise a fuss about it. She mainly stuck to slinging barbs in the comments sections of our videos on YouTube or threads about us on the forums; she never confronted any of us in person.”

“I see…”

“I mean I saw her in the audience of a few of our lives, but she always left early and never did anything.”

“Strange…”

“Nozomi found out about her at some point.”

“Of course…”

“But by that time, we had enough fans backing us up that her negative comments were quickly buried and her more threatening ones were reported and deleted. So again, we just didn’t feel it necessary to stress out anyone about it.”

“So meeting her today…”

“Was just a coincidence.” Nico shook her head. “A really unfortunate coincidence. So like I said, you’ll probably see her skulking around as I continue to shine as an idol, but so long as she sticks to online stuff, it’s best to just ignore her.”

“She confronted us today in person.”

“It was just a one-off.” I hope… “Don’t worry about it.”

“Alright…”

“Well, here we are.” Nico said as the pair arrived at the door to her apartment. She turned to Maki with a smile. “Thanks for coming with me today, I had a lot of fun.”

Maki returned the smile. “I did as well.”

“And thanks for an amazing dinner. We should go there again sometime.”

“Definitely.”

“But next time I’ll get the check.”

“It was my idea to go.” Maki pointed out. “Don’t worry about it.”

“It’s only fair.”

“That’s fine but…” Maki paused for a moment before continuing at a lower volume. “I’d rather you just cook for me…” She admitted.

“Well I suppose I could do that.” Nico’s smile grew. “But I’d probably have to cook like five or six meals to match that price.”

“I’d… be alright with that…” Maki’s hand reached up to twirl a strand of hair.

Nico couldn’t help but laugh at that. Truth be told, she loved the fact that Maki liked her cooking so much. Still giggling, she started fishing for her keys in her purse. As her fingers found the collection of trinkets on the ring, a thought crossed her mind. Was it too soon? Technically, this had only been their first date, but considering the circumstances, maybe an exception was in order? She fidgeted with the keys as soon as her hand was back out in the open and immediately chastised herself for it; Maki wasn’t the type to pick up on subtle gestures like that. If Nico wanted to do this, she would have to be more blunt. But what did Maki want to do?

Nico stole a glance at the redhead beside her. The younger girl was on the tail end of recovering from her mild embarrassment from her recent admission. As such, she was standing quietly, her attention not seeming to be focused on anything in particular. Nico’s gaze moved down from lavender eyes to lips that had just a bit of sheen to them… Did Maki’s RA suggest the use of gloss?

Unconsciously, Nico licked her own lips.

“Hmm?” Maki blinked, apparently having caught the motion.

Nico’s heartrate spiked as her eyes met Maki’s. By the gods, why couldn’t she move forward? The movies always made it look so easy; the girl just flutters her eyes, tilts her head up and the guy leans down and… When did Nico actually take that step forward? She didn’t remember doing that. She heard Maki’s breath hitch. Did she know Nico’s intentions?

Wait, what was the proper procedure? Should she ask first? Should she just take the lead like and grab Maki? Nico’s mind whirled. She had read dozens of different methods claiming to be the right way to do this and she couldn’t remember a single one.

Just do it already!

Soft.

Nico heard a gasp and her eyes snapped open. When had she closed them? Her vision focused in time to see Maki stake a step back as her hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes were wide in panic.

Oh no… Had she taken things too fast? Nico couldn’t even remember the entire thing clearly; it really had occurred to fast. But there was a residual tingle on her lips and she resisted the urge to touch them.

“I’m sorry…” Maki uttered after an awkward moment of silence.

Nico blinked. Maki was apologizing again? “What?”

“It’s j-just you were…” the redhead started to stutter. “And I th-thought… uhm… maybe I…”

So she had discerned Nico’s intentions. Perhaps she wasn’t as dense as Nico tended to think. “It’s fine, Maki-chan.” The raven-haired girl assured, closing the distance between them. “I was worried I scared you.”

“No.” Maki shook her head slightly. “Actually… uhm…”

“Do you want to maybe…” Nico couldn’t help a fair bit of hopefulness in her tone “try that again?”

“…” Maki merely nodded.

Without another word, Nico reached up and placed a hand on Maki’s cheek, smiling as the taller girl pushed a little into the touch. She drew her hand slowly back towards herself and the redhead followed obediently. Oh gods, this was really going to happen. Maki’s eyes fluttered shut as the distance between them was reduced to mere centimeters.

Oh gods. Oh gods…

Everything within Nico was on high alert, determined not to miss a single sensation as she had so carelessly done the first time.

Contact.

And there it was. Nico was kissing Maki. She was finally kissing the girl she had dreamed of kissing for years. And it was glorious… but…

…

Now what?

What was the next move? Maki was motionless; not tense, but definitely not relaxed either. It was up to Nico. But what?

More.

Closer. More contact.

With that thought in mind, Nico rolled up onto her toes to push upward and deeper into the kiss. She would not soon forget the sound Maki made in response and it caused her to slip both arms around the taller girl’s neck and to pull her down. Finally, Maki took the hint and wrapped her arms around Nico’s lower back to press their bodies closer as well.

So this was what Hollywood made such a big deal about? Nico understood now.

Air.

As much as Nico wanted this moment to continue indefinitely, apparently her body still needed oxygen. Reluctantly, she pulled away and immediately started breathing heavily.

Now there was a sight she had never seen before. Maki’s eyes were completely unfocused and she seemed to be looking almost through Nico as they both recovered. Nico was aware that she was probably staring, but she didn’t care, she wanted to enjoy this.

Then Maki’s eyes changed. Focused and frantic, they searched the area as her cheeks reddened. She let go of Nico and stepped back, still glancing about.

Nico was about to ask about the problem when it hit her; they were still standing outside her apartment. In the open. In public. Where anyone could see. And right after she had just vehemently denied to Etsuko that the two of them were dating. And after reminding Maki that they would have to keep their relationship a secret. Nico couldn’t help wincing as she also scanned the area for possible witnesses. Geez, she was going to have to be more careful in the future or she wouldn’t be an idol for very long.

“It’s alright, Maki-chan.” Nico finally spoke up, placing a hand on the other girl’s shoulder. “I don’t think anyone saw us. This place is pretty quite this time of night during the week.”

“I’m sorry.” Maki responded.

Nico shook her head. “I said it’s fine. We’ll just be more cautious next time.”

“Next time…” Maki’s hand moved again to her lips.

“Of course next time.” Nico couldn’t help smiling. “I’m looking forward to a lot of next times. And you should to.”

“Who said I’m not?”

“Nobody. I was just making sure you know what a privilege it is to do such things with the No. 1 Idol in the Universe.”

“Good night, Nico-chan.” Maki deadpanned, before turning.

Ask her! Ask her now!

“Maki-chan.”

The redhead paused.

“Do you, uhm…” Nico paused. “Do you want to stay here tonight?”

Maki turned, and was is Nico’s imagination or did the redhead almost skip on her way back? Either way, there was no mistaking the smile on the younger girl’s face as she came to a stop in front of Nico.

“So, I’ll take that as a yes?” the older girl couldn’t help a bit of a teasing tone.

Maki blushed a little. “Yeah. Yes. I mean…”

“Alright,” Nico replied, digging for her keys again. When did she put them back in her purse? “Let’s see what Nozomi and Eli are up to.”

“They’re here?”

“Probably.” Nico shrugged. “Is that a problem?”

“Not really…”

“Eli only has a few early classes during the week, so she usually stays here when she doesn’t.” Nico sighed. “But knowing Nozomi, she’s probably already told Eli about us. So even if Eli did have early classes, they’d both probably want to be here tonight so they could be the first to congratulate us.”

“I see.” Maki chuckled at the realization that they were probably in for some teasing, but it was nice to know their friends cared about their wellbeing. “Then I guess we shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

“I suppose.” Nico finally slid the key in the door and unlocked it. “Let’s get this over with.” She opened the door and entered with Maki in tow. “I’m home.” She said as soon as the door closed.

“Welcome back, Nicocchi.” Nozomi responded from the living room. A moment later, her head poked out from around the corner. “Ah, Maki-chan’s here too!” She grinned. “Welcome! How was the date?”

“It was amazing.” Nico’s voice slipped up almost an octave. “But when you consider that the likes of Maki-chan and I were involved, that much should be obvious.” She made a dramatic show of indicating herself and her girlfriend.

Maki opened her mouth to offer her standard rebuttal, but closed it when she realized Nico had uncharacteristically included her in her bragging. Instead she smiled and said, “It was fun.”

“So I heard the good news.” Eli said, walking into the entryway. “Congratulations, you two. You know you had us all worried there for a while there.”

“Sorry…” The new couple responded in unison.

“But you made it through and are together now.” Nozomi laughed. “That’s what’s important.”

“Oh, we did run into Etsuko…” Nico turned towards the purple-haired girl.

“Oh dear.” Nozomi placed a hand on her cheek. “Did she figure it out?”

“I denied it, but we’re going to need to be careful.”

“So no more kissing in the hallway?”

“What?!”

“Your lips are swollen.” Nozomi said with a wink. “So are Maki’s.”

“Who is Etsuko?” Eli asked, trying to change the subject to spare her friends further embarrassment.

“She’s complicated. I’ll explain later, Elicchi.” The spiritual girl turned her attention back to the other pair. “But you’re right, Nicocchi, we should only tell those we trust.”

“The other will want to know.” Eli pointed out.

“Honoka and Rin are the only two that concern me.” Nico admitted.

“Hanayo-chan knows the idol industry and will keep Rin-chan under control.” Nozomi pointed out. “And Honoka-chan has successfully kept her relationship with Tsubasa-chan under wraps this long.”

“Fair point, I suppose.”

“And you should probably tell your parents.” Eli said.

Nico scoffed. “I think Mama’s assumed as much for years…”

“But you should still confirm it for her, at least.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“What about you, Maki-chan?” Nozomi asked.

“I’m… uhm… meeting my parents for dinner on Sunday.” Maki reached up to twirl her hair. “I suppose I could probably tell them then.”

“Good, so that’s all settled. Now, come join us,” Nozomi motioned toward the living room, “we were just about to watch the next episode.”

“I kind of want to get changed first.” Nico admitted, pulling at a tighter part of her dress.

“Uhm…” Maki looked down at her own blouse and skirt.

“I might be able to find something that will fit you.” Nico said thoughtfully.

“If not, you can borrow something of mine.” Nozomi offered.

“I’ll… see what Nico-chan has first…” Maki replied, turning her gaze down.

“That’s fine.” Nozomi grinned. “The offer stands, just in case.”

“C’mon, Maki-chan.” Nico grabbed her girlfriend’s hand. “Let’s see what we can find for you.”

“I’ll make some tea.” Nozomi offered. “But don’t take long.”

“What do you mea… never mind.” Nico shook her head and moved down the hall.

“If you’re not back in a half hour, we’re starting the show without you!” the spiritual girl called after the departing pair.

Nico made a rude gesture in return before closing her bedroom door.

“Why would it take us a half hour to ch…” Maki started asking before realizing the answer. Immediately, her face flushed.

“It’s Nozomi, Maki-chan.” Nico moved to her dresser. “I can’t believe it took you that long to figure that one out.” Geez, she figures out the whole kissing thing then goes right back to being clueless. What am I going to do with this girl? “Here.” She said, turning and holding out a sleep shirt. “This one has always been a little big on me, but I think it will fit you fine.”

“Th-thanks…” The redhead accepted the garment but continued to blush as she stood motionless.

Maki had yet to move by the time Nico retrieved one of her favorite sets of pajamas for herself. “What?” the raven-haired girl asked, turning to find her girlfriend staring at her.

“Uhm…”

“Too pink for you?” Nico raised an eyebrow.

“N-no, the shirt is fine, but…”

Oh. “You don’t have to change here, Maki-chan. You know where the bathroom is.”

“Yeah… uhm… I’ll… be right back…”

Well that reaction probably rules out moving past just kissing tonight. Nico shook her head as she watched her girlfriend leave. Of course with Nozomi and Eli here, I’m not sure how keen I am on it either. Then again, I have to listen to them all the time. Turnabout is fair play, right? Nico sighed and proceeded to change.

A few moments later, Nico regretted thinking she shouldn’t push to progress things. The sleep shirt she had loaned Maki fit her well. Too well. The style was definitely a bit on the cute side compared to what Maki normally wore, but pink suited Maki probably more than she herself would admit. And while it wasn’t quite as short as some of the stage outfits they used to wear, it was definitely shorter than the sleepshirts she usually wore. As such, between the two outfits Maki had borrowed for the day, Nico was being provided with a plethora of pleasing perspectives.

“Nicocchi, Maki-chan, your tea is on the table.” Nozomi said as the pair entered the living room. Having pointed out the beverages, the spiritual girl took her position beside Eli on the loveseat.

“What are we watching?” Maki asked, taking the spot next to Nico as she had the night before. She blinked and tilted her head in response to Nozomi’s smirk.

“Same thing as last time.” Eli explained, aiming the remote to start the show. “You didn’t miss much; the last few episodes didn’t really have much to do with anything.”

Maki quickly found she couldn’t concentrate on the show as her attention kept drifting over to Nozomi, who kept leaning more and more against Eli, eventually sliding all the way down so she could rest her head in her girlfriend’s lap. She glanced at Nico out of the corner of her eye. As embarrassing as the concept seemed, she could not deny a strong desire to mimic the spiritual girl. But how would Nico react if Maki were to do that?

Without her bidding, Maki’s body suddenly shifted just enough to lean against Nico. Her girlfriend responded almost immediately by sliding an arm around her shoulders. Maki felt herself tensing and willed herself to relax. Nozomi might tease her later, but they were mostly in a private setting. This much was fine, right?

Nico pulled her closer and Maki felt her head resting against hers. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Nozomi drifting off and felt a small pang of jealously at the degree of comfort the other pair had with one another. She leaned a little closer to Nico, who responded by pulling her again.

For the life of her, she could not remember how it happened, but suddenly Maki found herself doing exactly as she had imagined; mimicking Nozomi. Oh gods! Her head was in Nico’s lap! Oh gods! A wave of panic shot through Maki and with it came the desire to bolt up and run out of the room.

And then it was gone.

Nico’s hand brushed Maki’s hair up and over her ear and Maki released a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. Every thought of moving away from this position vanished and was immediately replaced with a sense of calm. Maki understood exactly why Nozomi was on the verge of falling asleep. With Nico’s hand running through her hair, across her shoulder and down her arm, Maki felt she could almost purr. She no longer cared about the show as all of her attention was focused on Nico’s gentle touch.

Nico leaned down just enough that her lips almost brushed her girlfriend’s ear. “Time for bed, Maki-chan.” She murmured.

Maki stirred and muttered something unintelligible.

“You two sleep well.” Eli said, guiding a half-asleep Nozomi towards her bedroom.

“You too.” Nico replied with a smile.

“What time is it?” Maki muttered, slowly sitting up.

“Like I said, it’s time for bed.”

“Oh…”

“C’mon, let’s get to bed.” Nico said, taking her girlfriend’s hand.

“Nnn…” Maki replied.

Nico chuckled at a mild sense of déjà vu as she lead her girlfriend down the hall. Just like the night before, Maki staggered towards the bed and collapsed onto it. As Nico crawled on bed as well, she couldn’t help wondering if Maki would fall asleep before she could get the blankets over them again. However, Maki proved Nico wrong as she rolled onto her side to face her girlfriend. Well, almost wrong; her eyes belied her energy level.

“I’m sorry.” Maki said softly.

“What?”

“I’m sorry.” The younger girl repeated.

“You’ve been apologizing a lot to me lately, Maki-chan.” The raven-haired girl pointed out. “What are you apologizing for this time?”

“For calling you an idiot.”

“What?”

“For yelling at you about your grades and nosing around in your business.” Maki seemed unable to hold Nico’s gaze, be it though embarrassment or lack of energy, Nico couldn’t quite tell; probably both.

Nico scoured her memory for… oh… that… “I was upset.” She admitted. “And in pain. And on pain meds. I’m not entirely sure why I said all that.”

“But you were right.” Maki insisted. “I do yell at you over your grades. And I do…” She paused. “I do call you an idiot.”

Nico sighed. “Like I said last night, Maki-chan, I was upset about a lot of things then, and I took it all out on you. I know why you care about my grades, and I don’t actually think you nose around too much in my business.” She smiled. “And as for the whole idiot thing, I know you don’t actually mean it.”

Maki wrinkled her brow. “You do?”

“Well, you’re not always easy to read, but I think I’ve figured out at least that one. I do my idol thing, you call me an idiot, I say you like it, you say maybe, and we go on from there.” Nico chuckled. “It’s just a weird thing we do. I don’t even remember when we started doing that, do you?”

“Not really…”

“It’s not important.” Nico shrugged. “Anyway, a lot of my frustration over the last few years has been dealing with the fact that I wanted to date you, but not having the courage to ask and knowing you were to dense to do anything.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing.” Nico reached up and gently swatted Maki on the head. “It doesn’t matter now. We’re dating now. We’re together now. We just got back from our first date! Heck, we just had our first kiss! And I can’t tell you how happy I am after all that.”

Maki felt a smile come to her lips.

“So let’s not end the day on a sour note by dredging up all that stuff from the past few weeks. We have plenty of time to talk about all that and figure out that stuff later, alright?”

“Alright…”

“Good. Now come here.” Nico reached out and pulled her girlfriend into a hug. Maki reciprocated the hug immediately. “Better?”

Maki nodded, but after a moment, Nico felt her starting to pull away a little. She was just about to pull Maki back in when she felt the other girl slide her cheek against hers.

“Maki-chan?” Nico asked as the redhead pulled back just enough that they could catch each other’s eye for a moment before moving forward to bump their noses together.

Was Maki not-so-subtly seeking another kiss? Nico had intended to merely hug and maybe change the topic of conversation, but a kiss was definitely a more positive way to end the night. She tilted her chin up and almost gasped in shock as Maki quickly moved to capture her lips. Barely a second later, Nico felt something else brush against her lips. Was that Maki’s tongue? By the gods, was the girl who had balked at their first kiss and practically had to be walked through their second, now taking the lead on their third? What the hell?

Still, Nico was not going to pass up this opportunity and opened her mouth to allow Maki access. Forget the sound she made earlier, the moan Maki released then was ten, no twenty-five times better as their tongues danced against one another. Maki’s fingers threaded through Nico’s hair before pulling her deeper into the kiss and it was Nico’s turn this time to pull their bodies closer.

Bliss.

This was pure bliss.

Once again, Nico had to force herself to pull back. She giggled as Maki whined and leaned her head forward. “Just a moment, Maki-chan.” Nico placed a finger on her girlfriend’s lips. “Nico has to catch her breath.” She took a deep breath and smiled. “So Maki-chan really likes kissing Nico, huh?”

“You don’t like it?” Maki pouted in response.

Nico had to contain a bout of laughter for fear that it would be heard through the thin walls of the apartment. “No, that’s not it. I liked it very much. But how are you not out of breath?”

“…” Maki merely blinked.

“Well, whatever.” She was as ready as she thought she could be. “C’mere.”

No less than half a dozen kisses later, the two finally turned in for the night.

Warm.

Really warm.

But also soft. Why was it so…

No, Nico knew exactly why it was so warm even before she opened her eyes. Maki was using her like a teddy bear. Again.

“No…”

What?

“Nico-chan…”

Oh for the love of… Was Maki fighting with Nico even in her dreams?

“… is mine…”

What.

“My Nico-chan…” Maki’s embrace tightened. “Mine…”

Wait… Maki wasn’t hugging Nico like a teddy bear. Maki was hugging Nico… like Nico.

Nico had to resist laughing at the realization. Maki being possessive didn’t surprise her in the least, and to be perfectly honest, it didn’t bother her either. On the contrary, Nico found she liked it. But now she definitely needed to tease Maki about this.

Unlike the previous night where she had been too nervous and excited when Maki had hugged her in the middle of the night, Nico relaxed into the embrace this time. Smiling, and snuggling into her girlfriend, she let sleep overtake her again.

Author’s Note Continued: I suppose this probably could have been two, maybe even three scenes, based on how I’ve been writing most of this story thus far. However, there were two - technically three - things I wanted to include in this scene; four if you include the redo of the end of Forgiven.

I may come back to revisit this scene and touch up a few parts later, but for now I just needed to get the ideas out of my head and onto digital paper.

[thekeyissue]

HoX/PoX: A Narrative Breakdown

                                       ****SPOILERS for House of X/Powers of X below****

The first time I read Joseph Heller’s Catch 22 it punched me in the face. I don’t think I’ve ever met a story so disinterested in maintaining the reader’s understanding of its narrative’s linear order. Sure, there are chapters, but those mean donk-squat and the text bounces you between characters and events that haven’t been described yet while already in the middle of something brand new. Still, even at the end of that first confusing read-through, the book’s themes had cohesively built into something that gutted me.

It takes masterful story-construction and meticulous planning to pull off that style of story-telling (check out this outline Heller made), and Jonathan Hickman is on a very short list of writers I’ve discovered with the skill set to lay the groundwork for a similar effect. Heck, it’s not even that hard to draw some high-level comparisons between House of X/Powers of X and Catch 22 (both have a nonlinear story structure and a climatic reveal at the story’s end that recontextualizes what came before it, but actually occurred early in the plot’s timeline).

The comparisons between HoX/PoX and a novel more or less end there though. What HoX/PoX as a story accomplishes, despite employing two separate but interweaving series, multiple timelines, a large cast, and a nonlinear structure, is actually pretty easy to summarize: it believably gives readers the what and the why of a new status quo. In other words, it’s just the beginning of a story. Well, duh, Marvel said from the start that this was the plan – but when was the last time someone told you just the beginning of a story in a way that was satisfying, complete, and coherent. Like, if I pulled you aside and told you “Once upon a time, Tom went to the grocery store” and took a bow, you’d give me the finger and go find something interesting to do.

You know why 99% of TV show pilots are so bad? Exposition is really, really hard. But exposition is the beginning of a story and necessary, so there’s no way around it. The best story-tellers find ways to minimize the exposition they need, and dramatize the exposition that is absolutely necessary (this is why a lot of action stories start mid-action sequence – it’s an easy dramatic backdrop to explain what’s happening in an exciting way). The HoX/PoX team just pulled off a 12-issue dramatization of exposition that works! They created a mostly unprecedented and believable (by which I mean, character choices/story made sense as a whole) new status quo for mutants in the Marvel comic universe. Pulling that off is crazy-town high-level story-telling! So, how’d they do it?

                                                                     *           *           *

Understanding how HoX/PoX made interesting story-telling out of exposition requires a close look at the series’ overall narratives. Narratives always contain arcs, of which there are many types. A few examples:

Character Arcs: the growth/changes a character makes throughout a story – ex. Johnny grows up and starts taking responsibility for himself

Event Arcs: how a significant event affects those around it – ex. a movie organized around a specific event or movement, like the march from Selma to Montgomery in the “Selma”

Arcs of Understanding: an audience/reader coming to grasp the full truth of a person or situation – ex. a mystery, where our changing understanding of what’s happening drives the story forward

HoX/PoX contains two larger arcs: 

the founding of Krakoa

the reader’s understanding of the radicalization of Xavier.

There are of course many sub-plots that are not explicitly one of the two arcs mentioned above, but these are all in service of one or both of the larger arcs. HoX/PoX having two major arcs makes sense, as it’s technically two different series. If we wanted to generalize, we could call HoX primarily about the founding of Krakoa, and PoX primarily in service of our understanding of Xavier’s radicalization. It’s not a perfect split (I’m looking at you HoX #2), but it can be a helpful delineation.

The founding of Krakoa is an event arc – we get to see how it happens over the course of the series and what that means to different groups of mutants and humans alike. This arc mainly functions to define the new status quo for readers. We see:

the origins of the creation of Krakoa as a space, establishing our new setting.

the call for mutants to join Krakoa/humans to accept Krakoa, the inciting incident to tension/conflict that births the new status quo.

the political maneuvering to have Krakoa be accepted as an independent nation which establishes a new hierarchy of power between mutants and humans.

an introduction to the Orchid group and their attempt to combat the rise of mutants, which defines the current human+machine/mutant conflict within the new status quo.

groups of traditionally ideologically different mutants uniting, empowered, and successfully independent, which is the new status quo.

By the end of HoX we have a solid understanding of Krakoa as a space & nation, mutant’s new place in the world, and the opposition they may face going forward. To understand why this happened requires the larger series’ other arc, the reader’s understanding of the radicalization of Xavier.

Xavier is the key player in HoX/PoX because his traditional ideological position is in such contrast to the decisions we see him making. This is somewhat of a generalization over decades of continuity, but Xavier and the team he founded, the X-Men, traditionally fight for peaceful coexistence & equality between humans and mutants. Suddenly seeing him separate and raise he and his people above humanity seems out of character and requires explanation.

Moira’s story and timelines provide this explanation. Her ultimate truth, fully revealed only in the final issue of the HoX/PoX series, is that across every lifetime she has lived, mutants have always lost to humanity. Leading up to this final reveal, PoX is an exercise in slowly pulling the curtain back on this truth:

X^0 shows Moira meeting Xavier and sharing her experiences/lives with him for the first time (in the series’ current timeline).

X^2 portrays the short-term stakes of the potential future mutants face (bad – they’ve been driven off-Earth and almost extinct).

And X^3 ultimately shows the long-term stakes of mutant’s potential future (very bad – they’re caged up, almost extinct, and with no recollection of freedom).

The revelation of this consistent, demonstrated loss convinces Xavier to shift his ideological stance – although we don’t see his mind changing – which just points to how this series did not have or make the room for character arcs. Xavier’s ideological shift explains the radically different behavior he and the X-men demonstrate, justifying their behavior and the necessity of the new Dawn of X status quo.

While these two large arcs run throughout the HoX/PoX series, they are not shown in linear order. If the plot were ordered from beginning to end, we would never question the characters’ actions and decisions because we’d understand their motivations from issue one – HoX/PoX does the exact opposite: dropping us into the results of motivated characters having already made decisions without our having any context. This maximizes the tension between the old and new status quo and makes sure we’re questioning everything going on. The story doesn’t progress linearly, it progresses by a constantly revealing the context surrounding this shift in status quo.

HoX/PoX creates a huge breadth of potential reveals by containing a large amount of story time (thanks for all those lives you’ve had, Moira!) and by arranging this story time non-linearly. Four different timelines allow for four chances to establish settings/characters, create conflict, and reveal truths – all of which can (and do) inform one another. Juxtaposing the various timelines non-linearly creates double the amount of potential reveals. We get reveals regarding the order in which everything happens, and we get reveals about how what’s happening in one timeline relates to/informs our understanding of other timelines. Creating a structure that provides opportunities for reveal after reveal is what allows HoX/PoX to drive readers excitedly through a full 12-issue series of exposition, which in turn gives the story enough real estate to believably change the status quo so dramatically. Very, very cool.

                                                                    *           *           *

What’s really exciting is that this is just the beginning. Like, we haven’t even gotten into character driven story-telling and people are already HYPE – it should only get better, or, at least, it only has the opportunity to now that the story is ready to move past its introduction.

The creative teams behind the X-Men books have an incredible opportunity to explore the world of mutants in new and exciting ways. Mutants have always been a very vague stand-in/metaphor for oppressed minority groups in the real world. Often these real-world minority groups have various factions organized around competing beliefs regarding methods of empowerment, something somewhat reflected in past mutant vs mutant comic storylines. Because of HoX/PoX, the fictional world of mutants is set up, for the first time (at this scope), to explore the idea of an empowered and fully-united minority group successfully standing up for itself – that’s the kind of thought-provoking setting I applaud mainstream comics embracing, assuming it is done with the thoughtfulness and nuance it deserves.

Consider the film “Do the Right Thing” (and go watch it if you haven’t), which is famous for ending with the following quotes from MLK Jr. and Malcolm X: 

"Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding; it seeks to annihilate rather than to convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends by destroying itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers."--Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I think there are plenty of good people in America, but there are also plenty of bad people in America and the bad ones are the ones who seem to have all the power and be in these positions to block things that you and I need. Because this is the situation, you and I have to preserve the right to do what is necessary to bring an end to that situation, and it doesn't mean that I advocate violence, but at the same time I am not against using violence in self-defense. I don't even call it violence when it's self- defense, I call it intelligence."--Malcolm X

The juxtaposition of these quotes at the film’s end points out how different, even seemingly conflicting ideological standards can exist inside of humans simultaneously, and that holding oppressed groups to a single one of these standards can be an oppression in and of itself. Dawn of X feels like an evolution (lolz) in mutant-related story-telling towards representing this reality – treating mutants as complex beings (who are attempting to unite and rise despite their conflicting beliefs and ideologies) is a step towards realizing the full potential of mutants as metaphor. I am excited to see if and how the Dawn of X series creators will meet this opportunity to tell the epic, fun, meaningful stories the X-Men are known for - and if HoX/PoX is any indication, we are in good hands.

Here’s to Dawn of X, tomorrow and onwards!

[dazzledbybooks]

We are celebrating the release of 5 amazing bundles (20-24) from 1001 Dark Nights! Each bundle features novellas from 4 bestselling authors. The bundles released today, and you can grab your copies by going to the links below. Check out the book trailer for the bundles!   1001 Dark Nights Bundle 20 Featuring: Rebecca Zanetti, Kristen Ashley, Larissa Ione, and Laura Kaye About this Bundle: From New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors Rebecca Zanetti, Kristen Ashley, Larissa Ione, and Laura Kaye. Four Dark Tales. Four Sensual Stories. Four Page Turners. BLAZE ERUPTING: Scorpius Syndrome/A Brigade Novella by Rebecca Zanetti Hugh Johnson is nobody’s hero, and the idea of being in the limelight makes him want to growl. He takes care of his brothers, does his job, and enjoys a mellow evening hanging with his hound dog and watching the sports channel. 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Kids and school are kindergarten teacher Emma Kerry’s whole life, so she’s stunned to realize she has an enemy—and even more surprised to find a protector in the intimidating man who saved her. Tall, dark, and tattooed, Caine is unlike any man Emma’s ever known, and she’s as uncertain of him as she is attracted. Every Dark Nights tale is breathtakingly sexy and magically romantic.   Purchase your copy of BUNDLE 20 today! Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU Check out the authors: Rebecca Zanetti | Kristen Ashley | Larissa Ione | Laura Kaye ------------------- 1001 Dark Nights Bundle 21 Featuring: Joanna Wylde, Jennifer Probst, Elisabeth Naughton, and Carrie Ann Ryan About this Bundle: From New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors Joanna Wylde, Jennifer Probst, Elisabeth Naughton, and Carrie Ann Ryan. Four Dark Tales. Four Sensual Stories. Four Page Turners. ROME’S CHANCE: A Reapers MC Novella by Joanna Wylde Rome McGuire knew he was in trouble the first time he saw her. She was sweet and pretty and just about perfect in every way. Randi Whittaker was also too young and innocent for the Reapers Motorcycle Club. He did the right thing, and walked away. The second time, he couldn’t resist tasting her. Walking away wasn’t so easy that time, but her family needed her and he had a job to do. When she came around a third time, he’d had enough. Randi had been given two chances to escape, and now it was time for Rome to take his. THE MARRIAGE ARRANGEMENT: A Marriage to a Billionaire Novella by Jennifer Probst Caterina Victoria Windsor fled her family winery after a humiliating broken engagement, and spent the past year in Italy rebuilding her world. But when Ripley Savage shows up with a plan to bring her back home, and an outrageous demand for her to marry him, she has no choice but to return to face her past. But when simple attraction begins to run deeper, Cat has to decide if she’s strong enough to trust again…and strong enough to stay… SURRENDER: A House of Sin Novella by Elisabeth Naughton The leaders of my House want her dead. The men I’ve secretly aligned myself with want her punished for screwing up their coup. I’ve been sent by both to deal with her, but one look at the feisty redhead and I’ve got plans of my own. Before I carry out anyone else’s orders, she’s going to give me what I want. And only when I’m satisfied will I decide if she lives or dies. Depending, of course, on just how easily she surrenders... INKED NIGHTS: A Montgomery Ink Novella by Carrie Ann Ryan Tattoo artist, Derek Hawkins knows the rules: One night a month. No last names. No promises. Olivia Madison has her own rules: Don’t fall in love. No commitment. Never tell Derek the truth. When their worlds crash into each other however, Derek and Olivia will have to face what they fought to ignore as well as the connection they tried to forget. Every Dark Nights tale is breathtakingly sexy and magically romantic. Purchase your copy of BUNDLE 21 today! Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU Check out the authors: Joanna Wylde | Jennifer Probst | Elisabeth Naughton | Carrie Ann Ryan ------------------- 1001 Dark Nights Bundle 22 Featuring: Rachel Van Dyken, Lexi Blake, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and J. Kenner About this Bundle: From New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors Rachel Van Dyken, Lexi Blake, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and J. Kenner. Four Dark Tales. Four Sensual Stories. Four Page Turners. ENVY: An Eagle Elite Novella by Rachel Van Dyken Every family has rules, the mafia just has more.... Do not speak to the bosses unless spoken to. Do not make eye contact unless you want to die. And above all else, do not fall in love. Renee Cassani's future is set. Her betrothal is set. Her life, after nannying for the five families for the summer, is set. Somebody should have told Vic Colezan that. He's a man who doesn't take no for an answer. And he only wants one thing. Her. Somebody should have told Renee that her bodyguard needed as much discipline as the kids she was nannying. Good thing Vic has a firm hand. PROTECTED: A Masters and Mercenaries Novella by Lexi Blake Years before, Wade Rycroft fell in love with Geneva Harris, the smartest girl in his class. The rodeo star and the shy academic made for an odd pair but their chemistry was undeniable. They made plans to get married after high school but when Genny left him standing in the rain, he joined the Army and vowed to leave that life behind. Genny married the town’s golden boy, and Wade knew that he couldn’t go home again. Fifteen years later, Wade returns to his Texas hometown for his brother’s wedding and walks into a storm of scandal. Genny’s marriage has dissolved and the town has turned against her. But when someone tries to kill his old love, Wade can’t refuse to help her. THE PRINCE: A Wicked Novella by Jennifer L. Armentrout Cold. Heartless. Deadly. Whispers of his name alone bring fear to fae and mortals alike. The Prince. There is nothing in the mortal world more dangerous than him. Haunted by a past he couldn’t control, all Caden desires is revenge against those who’d wronged him, trapping him in never-ending nightmare. And there is one person he knows can help him. Raised within the Order, Brighton Jussier knows just how dangerous the Prince is, reformed or not. She’d seen firsthand what atrocities he could be capable of. The last thing she wants to do is help him, but he leaves her little choice. Forced to work alongside him, she begins to see the man under the bitter ice. 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Armentrout | J. Kenner -------------------   1001 Dark Nights Bundle 23 Featuring: Lorelei James, Kylie Scott, Donna Grant, and Kristen Proby About this Bundle: From New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors Lorelei James, Kylie Scott, Donna Grant, and Kristen Proby. Four Dark Tales. Four Sensual Stories. Four Page Turners. WOUND TIGHT: A Rough Riders/Blacktop Cowboys® Crossover by Lorelei James Bull rider Justin Donohue spent his youth hell-bent on winning world championships. After hitting the big 4-0, Justin takes a job at the Grade A Ranch and Rodeo School, where he immediately locks horns (and lips) with the sexy, sassy Callie—a 22-year-old cowgirl set on seducing him. From the moment Callie Morgan encounters the hot-as-fire new ranch hand, she knows his gruff manner is an attempt to mask his attraction to her. But she’s never backed down from a challenge, especially not when Justin’s actions speak louder than his denials. STRONG: A Stage Dive Novella by Kylie Scott As head of security to Stage Dive, one of the biggest rock bands in the world, Sam Knowles has plenty of experience dealing with trouble. But spoilt brat Martha Nicholson just might be the worst thing he’s ever encountered. The beautiful troublemaker claims to have reformed, but Sam knows better than to think with what’s in his pants. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to make his heart fall into line. DRAGON NIGHT: A Dark Kings Novella by Donna Grant There has never been a hunt that Dorian has lost. With his sights set on a relic the Dragon Kings need to battle an ancient foe, he won’t let anything stand in his way – especially not the beautiful owner. Alexandra Sheridan is smart and cautious. Yet the attraction between them is impossible to deny – or ignore. But is it a road Dorian dares to travel down again? TEMPTING BROOKE: A Big Sky Novella by Kristen Proby Brooke’s Blooms has taken Cunningham Falls by surprise. This store is Brooke Henderson’s deepest joy, and it means everything to her, which shows in how completely she and her little shop have been embraced by the small community of Cunningham Falls. So, when her landlord dies and Brody Chabot saunters through her door, announcing that the building has been sold, and will soon be demolished, Brooke knows that she’s in for the fight of her life. But she hasn’t gotten this far by sitting back and quietly doing what she’s told. Brooke has no intention of losing this fight, no matter how tempting Brody’s smile -- and body -- is. Every Dark Nights tale is breathtakingly sexy and magically romantic. Purchase your copy of BUNDLE 23 today! Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU Check out the authors: Lorelei James | Kylie Scott | Donna Grant | Kristen Proby ------------------- 1001 Dark Nights Bundle 24 Featuring: Heather Graham, K. Bromberg, Kendall Ryan, and Gena Showalter About this Bundle: From New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors Heather Graham, K. Bromberg, Kendall Ryan, and Gena Showalter. Four Dark Tales. Four Sensual Stories. Four Page Turners. HAUNTED BE THE HOLIDAYS: A Krewe of Hunters Novella by Heather Graham It’s Halloween at the Global Tower Theatre, a fantastic and historic theater owned by Adam Harrison and run by spouses of Krewe members. During a special performance, a strange actor makes an appearance in the middle of the show, warning of dire events if his murder is not solved before another holiday rolls around. Dakota McCoy and Brodie McFadden dive into the mystery. Both have a special talent for dealing with ghosts, but this one is proving elusive. With the help of Brodie’s diva mother and his ever-patient father—who were killed together when a stage chandelier fell upon them—Dakota and Brodie set out to solve the case. If they can't solve the murder quickly, there will be no Thanksgiving for the Krewe... CONTROL: An Everyday Heroes Novella by K. Bromberg Control is something Desi Whitman abhors. Why live life in black and white perfection when you can messily color outside the lines? But when she comes face to face with SWAT officer Reznor Mayne, he’s about to show her just how good control can feel. HUNKY HEARTBREAKERS: A Whiskey Kisses Novella by Kendall Ryan Everything’s bigger in Texas. And that includes Duke Wilder’s sexual appetite. Together with his twin brother, he runs a whiskey distillery, and when their business takes off—suddenly he’s got it all. Success. Money. Family. But he doesn’t have a woman to share it with. When Valentina storms into his life, her presence is only supposed to be temporary. She’s a feisty attorney hired to help clean up his company’s recent legal mess. He never counted on her being the one to turn his whole world upside down. THE DARKEST CAPTIVE: A Lords of the Underworld Novella by Gena Showalter For centuries, Galen the Treacherous has been the most hated immortal in the Underworld. Possessed by the demons of Jealousy and False Hope, he has always lived for a single purpose: destroy everything. Then he met her. Former demon turned human femme fatale — Legion Honey -- sought to kill Galen, but ended up parting with her virginity instead. Afraid of their sizzling connection, she ran away…and ended up trapped in hell, tortured and abused in the worst of ways. Now she’s free, and a shell of herself, afraid of her own shadow. Galen's hunger for Legion has only grown. Now the warrior with nothing to lose must help her rekindle the fire that once burned inside her. Every Dark Nights tale is breathtakingly sexy and magically romantic.   Purchase your copy of BUNDLE 24 today! Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU Check out the authors: Heather Graham | K. Bromberg | Kendall Ryan | Gena Showalter WATCH THE TRAILER  

http://www.dazzledbybooks.com/2019/09/1001-dark-nights-bundle-20-24-release.html

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Definitive Ranking of Book 1 Episodes, #8/12

8. 1x10 “Turning  the Tide”

Baby cramps, heroic sacrifices, turn-based combat, and some quality time for Hiroshi and Amon. 

If you read my last definitive ranking, you knew this episode was coming next. And full disclosure: I actually don’t overly mind it. I think the pacing is pretty decent and moves, the interpersonal tensions are...unfortunate though understandable given everyone’s perspective/history, and it raised the stakes of the season in a pretty tangible way.

Now, that said, this is also the episode many point to as where the wheels sort of came off in terms of the main plot. Amon bombed the city, and immediately all nuance was stripped from the narrative. The Equalists went from having a point, but going too far in their pursuit of their definition of justice, to being more one-note villains looking to break Republic City. From Nolan’s Bane to Lady Shiva, if you will. (I’m probably wrong about this comparison in some way.)

TEC is really good right now btw. And interestingly Nolan’s Bane is rather like this Ra’s.

What’s dangerous about this criticism is that it can veer into “well it’s not what I wanted territory.” But I truly don’t think it’s controversial to say that the best potential this season offered was digging into the nonbender vs. bender conflict and how the latter group’s privilege was creating quite the untenable society. I mean...that’s what the antagonist and the Equalists were built on, after all.

What’s weird is that Bryke did seem to want to tap into that, at least somewhat. “When Extremes Meet” showed the oppression of the masses in a pretty stark way, and a way that specifically evoked police brutality in our world. It’s impossible to separate Tarrlok rounding everyone up from today’s cultural context. Hell, even the series opener had Korra pointing out how the city was “totally out of whack”, because it was. She witnessed extortion and the domination of the triads first-hand, not to mention arbitrary “no fishing” rules when there were people who clearly were struggling to feed themselves.

In “And The Winner Is...” Amon painted the shock gloves as a means of liberation. Then there’s also a very valid reading of debending as “disarmament”, particularly when Amon was just targeting triad members. His debending of Tahno undercut his point, but there was some neatly spun bullshit about the bending-worship culture and Tahno being a symbol of all that was wrong.

I guess what I’m saying is that there was a very strong, consistent thread regarding the nonbenders’ plight and relegation from positions of recourse. There was room to debate Amon’s method and desired outcome, and obviously that room was filled with characters like Asami who would never blame benders as a monolith or join the Equalists, yet still were committed to justice. Granted, she was only given her father as a sounding board for those beliefs and it was framed in a very personal, rather than systemic way, but we at least know people like Asami exist, and are probably in the majority. (The full stadium for the probending final suggested that, for example.)

So what the hell were Bryke thinking when they had Amon and Hiroshi bomb the city? We’re not talking a targeted attack on the police department either...we’re talking a major bombing campaign that looked pretty damn arbitrary.

It’s like...they came up with a way to script the world that would have rejected Korra as a symbol (as her arc demanded) and challenged her to find her own voice and place within it. They also came up with an antagonist that was chilling in the way that you could see people signing onto his campaign, yet was out of balance in his method of achieving equality. But then Bryke were worried that given these two components, they didn’t have a way to argue our protagonists’ side for them or something, so they just...had the Equalists bomb everything.

It’s frustrating, because Amon’s targeting of council members and the policemen were effective parts of the episode. It was clever how they went about doing that (down to the exterminator-in-disguise and giant magnets), and the action surrounding those two events worked. Yeah, we had a weird turn-based combat thing going with Mako, Korra, Bolin, and Asami outside of the police department, but it also showcased their individual abilities and their collective action as a team outside of a car.

What boggles my mind is that Bryke had the perfect mouthpieces through which they could have dug into the implications of the story they were telling: Pema and Asami. I know I’ve complained about the wasted potential in their one shared scene before, and probably too much for most people’s liking. But come the fuck on; these are the two most prominent nonbenders in the show (at this point), and the focus is Pema’s baby cramps instead of us hearing it articulated why they can’t side with Amon—why it is that his methods are too extreme.

I think what’s worse too is watching this in 2018. Fighting back physically against oppressors and dismantling corrupt systems is a whole lot less of a hypothetical thought exercise than it used to be, and more like issues and decisions we may well have to grapple with. So let’s hear a word put in for nonviolent resistance! Let’s see what the counter ideas from the nonbending perspective look like. And for the love of god, let’s have people actually object to Amon’s various puppy-kicking moments. Hell, he and Hiroshi could have even had a conversation about the “necessity” of what they’re doing! It could become clear that Hiroshi disagrees, but is kind of in for a dime, in for a dollar, and blinded by his own personal grievance.

Ugh, I’m doing fix-it fic again, aren’t I? But these are very valid storytelling options that were ignored. Hiroshi just became the guy who provided tech, rather than someone who could have like...challenged this a little. Make him singularly focused on wiping out the triads, and it can become increasingly clear that his “acceptable loss” meter is wayyy out of balance, while Amon has no true interest in being remotely measured and is after every bender. Idk, I’m just spitballing here, but I do feel that actually digging into this would have made his ultimate defeat more satisfying. And the off-screen presidency less of an ass-pull and more something that came out of a dialogue introduced in Book 1.

None of these problems are contained to “Turning the Tides,” I should note. “Skeletons in the Closet” had very bizarre aftermath of the bombing, and also introduced personal stakes for Amon that were entirely separate from the cultural dynamic the season was digging into. Like it’s a fine story that he was cynically capitalizing on it for his own purposes, I guess, but then there was so little between him and Korra that any larger point was missing (unlike, say, Kuvira who was also personally driven, yet a perfect foil and actively “taking over for Korra” in Korra’s mind).

It’s just that “Turning the Tides” truly lived up to its name; it was the episode that scrubbed all nuance away from the plotline, even wrapping up the plotline was notably “worse” in terms of quality of the show.

What’s odd is that despite this, it was still fairly enjoyable, and not just because it gave us our first whiff of Makoperator.

As I said, the two bigger action sequences were good. Asami and Mako’s ongoing fight was not exactly compelling TV, but still gave Asami a fair bit of agency and was “realistic” enough for teenagers. Lin agreeing to protect Tenzin’s family shows us that once again she’s Too Good™ for literally everyone around her, and of course her sacrifice at the end was completely gripping. Too bad it gets undercut.

The worst that can be said outside of the implications is that the fart-bending was cringe-worthy, and I’ve yet to figure out a rationale for the necessity of that failed Equalist invasion during Pema’s labor. Rohan wasn’t even given a name like “Aemon Steelsong” where the situation of his birth affected anything. I guess it was cute to see Ikki, Jinora, and Meelo’s capabilities, though we also get that in “Endgame” (sorry, Lin).

Altogether, that’s why this episode ranks as back-middle. I can’t really complain when I’m watching it...just when I think about it.

But again and again I keep coming back to the main issue of the season: Bryke didn’t understand what they wanted to say. Not for Korra’s arc at all, and now as this episode demonstrates, not for the tensions introduced.

It was a cool concept, but this is the moment that marked it for just that, and nothing more.

#12 1x12 “Endgame”

#11 1x05 “The Spirit of Competition"

#10 1x11 “Skeletons in the Closet”

#9 1x06 “And The Winner Is...”

1x10 photo recap found here

Book 2 ranking/essays found here

Book 4 ranking/essays found here