#shes so much cuter looking this time than the standard unit

[feheroesmaxlvl]

Grey dragon Fallen F!Corrin in FE Heroes

Submitted by @kazeshxni

[puttingherinhistory]

“ Madison, who works a customer service job at an airport spa, has an employee handbook that says “makeup should be well maintained” and “hands and nails must be well manicured.” She says the few men she works with just ignore these guidelines “because they’re meant for women but [it] doesn’t explicitly say that.” Her wages ($13.25 per hour + 15% retail commission) do not include additional pay to purchase manicures or makeup. During her interview, her now-boss commented on how nice her makeup looked and how well her shoes matched her purse—comments that make her feel like she needs to keep up that kind of appearance even though she already has the job. 

It’s well known that a persistent wage gap exists for women workers in the United States, a gap that becomes even wider when race, industry, age and geography are taken into account. But less frequently discussed is the often silent expectation around appearance imposed on women workers, which has its own financial costs—known as the “grooming gap.” The grooming gap refers to the set of social norms regarding grooming and appearance for women, including the time women workers must spend to conform to these norms and the material consequences it has on their lives. 

We’ve all heard the common advice to “look the part” at work. For men, that can often just mean business casual clothing and a short haircut. For women, it can mean hours spent each week on makeup, hair styling and curating an outfit that’s both attractive and professional. 

The rules are usually unspoken; even when employers do not explicitly require workers to wear makeup, for example, women workers often feel required to wear it anyway. 

They’re not wrong: Sociologists Jaclyn Wong and Andrew Penner found that physically attractive workers have higher incomes than average-looking workers, but that this relationship is eliminated when controlling for grooming in women. In other words, if you purchase the right clothes, makeup and haircut, higher wages are more within reach. It’s true that men need to abide by certain grooming rules, too, but they are less complex, less expensive and less time consuming. Men’s haircuts, for example, often cost much less than women’s haircuts—regardless of hair length. The grooming gap essentially constitutes a pay cut catch-22: If women don’t conform, they are paid less; if they do conform, they’re expected to use those higher wages on beauty products and grooming regimens. 

Grooming costs for women can be extremely expensive; the global beauty industry, valued at $532 billion worldwide, directs aggressive advertising toward women to convince them they need to purchase a whole host of products to have a chance at being beautiful, well-liked or successful. The industry relies on maintaining impossible expectations around women’s looks so it can continue to rake in enormous profits. One 2017 study found the average woman puts $8 worth of product on her face each day; another found the average woman spends up to $225,000 on skincare and makeup during her lifetime. And then there’s the “pink tax”: Studies confirm that, 42% of the time, products marketed to women are more expensive than comparable products targeted to men. 

The grooming gap also results in a loss of free time: 55 minutes each day for the average woman, the equivalent of two full weeks each year. Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFACWA), says that, in her industry—a workforce that is 79.3% women—the expectation around appearance literally “interrupts your sleep”: Flight attendants get minimal rest between flights, and that rest time is further shrunk because they are expected to appear “perfectly coifed” before their next flight. Nelson says that all of her grooming tasks took 30–40 minutes each day (more than two hours in a five-day work week). Madison agrees: it takes her 45 minutes to do her makeup and style her hair before her 7 a.m. shift—and she wakes up at 5 a.m. to get it all done. Prior to this job, Madison says she worked at the beauty department at Target, where she spent $200 on products every other week. 

Restaurant and hospitality workers are perhaps hardest hit by the grooming gap, as they rely on tips to survive. When I was a barista in 2010–2011, the only official dress code rule was to wear closed-toed shoes, for safety. Still, I knew I had to show up looking pretty to pay the rent; I made less than $10 an hour and I needed the tips.

Katie, 36, a veteran bartender and server in Fort Smith, Ark., says at her current job, it’s “understood” she should wear makeup. At a previous restaurant, a manager even told her and her coworkers they would “make better tips if [they] wore makeup.”

“Based on my own appearance—weight fluctuations, makeup versus no makeup, jewelry versus no jewelry—there’s a definite difference,” Katie says. She adds that she was passed over for the most lucrative bartending shifts at her previous job after overhearing her managers say they wanted “cuter girls” to bartend instead.

Multi-billion dollar industries also market fad diets and anti-aging products to women. Both Katie and Jeeva, 24, a bartender and member of UNITE HERE, the union representing hospitality, hotel and airport workers, worry about aging. “As you get older, as a female bartender, your tips can go down,” Jeeva says. Katie says she “hope[s] to leave [the service industry] in the next 10 years, before I get too ugly.”

The grooming gap’s effects are compounded for women of color. According to Restaurant Opportunity Center, restaurant owners look for workers who are “clean-cut, [have] good hygiene or a professional appearance, all potential code words for race.” For instance, Black women spent $473 million on relaxers, weaves and other hair care in 2017, in part because of racist ideas that natural Black hair is not professional or attractive. Black workers annually spend nine times more on hair and beauty products than other workers. 

For transgender women, too, there can be an added layer of work, stress and self-consciousness. Autumn, who transitioned while at her current publishing job in Washington, D.C., says she quickly realized how much time and energy it takes to perform femininity for work. She used to spend 20 minutes to get ready in the morning, but now takes at least 45 minutes. Autumn adds, “I have to do things that cis women don’t have to… [but] it’s gotten easier with time and practice,” like tucking and dealing with facial hair. Because she presents extremely femme, Autumn says she hasn’t dealt with enforcement around her appearance, but other women workers around the country have been disciplined and even fired for appearing insufficiently feminine. Women workers have sued—and won—over gender discrimination that manifests as attractiveness discrimination.

Nat, a trans woman who works at a union in the Washington, D.C., area, says, “I didn’t feel like I was allowed to be a woman if I liked masculine things. It delayed any kind of self-reflection” about gender and identity “for such a long time.”

At work and in the world, all women—cis and trans—feel the pressure to conform to normative standards of femininity and attractiveness. But the solution to this problem isn’t to throw away all the eyeshadow or take out a new line of credit for weekly manicures. The solution is to organize together.”

Continued in the link to the article, but uh

TL;DR: There’s a significant wage gap between women who conform to traditional feminine beauty standards by, for example wearing makeup and heels and using a lot of hair and beauty products, and the women who don’t. Meaning women are financially punished for not conforming to femininity or beauty standards. The gap is worse for women of color and trans women because there’s higher beauty standards for women of color and trans women.

And when women do get those higher wages by playing the game and conforming to beauty standards and femininity, they have to spend 2x-3x+ more on grooming and their appearance than their male colleagues, so those high wages just disappear and go right back into keeping up their looks, making it difficult if not impossible to keep up financially with men, this isn’t even mentioning how much more time women lose each day to having to keep up their “professional” appearance compared to male colleagues.

[raijinhasverybigpecs]

THE RE-UP: Tu’er Shen, the Leveret Spirit 🐇

“While other gods may proclaim endlessly over the power they have over their domains, causing no end of trouble for their fellow pantheon members and their followers as a result, Tu’er Shen patiently and quietly tends to those who request his services with unmatched loyalty and dedication.”

Name: Tu’er Shen, the Leveret Spirit​

​Pantheon: Chinese, Minor Diety​

Class: Hunter/Healer Hybrid, Medium Difficulty​

Positives: Healer, High Movement​

Negatives: Hybrid Specialisations​

please click on the read more for everything else lol

appearance details 🐇

old (above) vs new (below)

so perhaps i made him a bara rabbit after all lmao. blame the new outfit and how much better it’d look if tu’er shen has big ol bitties to work with :^) it’s still the same hair as the ears work really well with that colour but the basically the whole face has changed to be a lil more Dramatic(tm). the makeup skills have also improved with new tu’er shen rocking more subtle eyeliner alongside some very pretty and shiny pink liner. the eyes are also another major change, they’re a pretty grey as it goes nice with his hair. i still love the idea of his eyes changing colour according to his mood and grey is just a neutral mood :^) anyways, yes he looks beautiful, yes you can compliment him!

outfit details 🐇

tu’er shen now has an in-game outfit!! yay 🥳 it’s been a while coming mostly bc i have no art or visual character design skills but i’m pretty proud of how this turned out lol. it’s super cute and p goddamn chinese if i say so myself but it’s still very hoe and feels modern enough to fit smite’s standards i feel lol. big thanks to @izahunny​ (who is dead on that blog but a clown on twitter) for helping me with designing the outfit, the back layers and lil extra dress fabric for the front bottom left corner of the dress were his idea and they make everything much more balanced 🥰 i didn’t add a weapon but he’s just using a bow, i might update this later if i care enough to add that lmao

abilities 🐇

(please note that i am terrible with stats and don’t care about how viable in-game he actually is, these are just general ideas and the stats can be changed lol)

PASSIVE - Protector​

Tu’er Shen passively grants a medium range aura of regenation around him to his allies, increasing their HPS, MPS and magical and physical protections by 5% of their totals for each statistic. Additionally, Tu’er Shen gains a 3% movement speed bonus every 4 levels.​

40 unit aura radius, 5% increase of total HPS, MPS and protections​

3% bonus movement speed every 4 levels, total bonus is 12% at level 20​

ABILITY 1​ - Passion Arrow​

Tu’er Shen charges his arrows with passion, amplifying his next basic attacks with a small AOE on hit or at max basic attack range and causing them to go through minions. If Tu’er Shen hits an ally while Passion Arrow is active, he heals them for a flat amount. If an enemy is hit the charges deal increased damage on impact and if they are hit 3 times they are charmed and walk harmlessly towards Tu’er Shen for 1.5 seconds.​

Cooldown: 10 seconds

3/3/4/5/5 charges, Heal: 50/75/95/125/150 + 30% scaling​

Extra damage: 10/30/60/90/120, Mana cost: 55/60/70/75/85​

ABILITY 2​ - Matchmaker​

Tu’er Shen calls upon his matchmaking skills to select and connect two allied gods or one ally and one enemy god with each other in a 55 unit targeter. If two allies are linked then their damage is increased by 10% and they receive a heal over time. If an ally and an enemy are connected then the enemy is revealed to Tu’er Shen’s team and the enemy deals 20% less damage to their partner. Additionally, the connected ally receives 50% of their enemy partner’s healing.​

Cooldown: 20/19/18/17/16 secs​ 

Duration: 6 seconds, Heal over time: 20/25/30/35/40 + 20% scaling​

HOT ticks every 1 second, Mana cost: 50/55/60/65/70​

ABILITY 3​ - Bunny Hop​

Tu’er Shen hops in the direction he is currently travelling. If Tu’er Shen hits a wall, player-made deployable or god he bounces off the surface, doubling his movement. Additionally, enemy gods are stunned for 1 second upon impact. Tu’er Shen can store 1 charge of this ability.​

Cooldown: 14/13/12/11/10 secs

2 charges maximum, range of 55 with an amplified range of 110 units​

Damage: 100/150/200/250/300 + 100% scaling, Mana cost: 70/80/90/100/110 mana​

ULTIMATE​ - Romantic Rush​

Tu’er Shen, after a short duration, channels the full extent of his love powers, amplifying all of his basic attacks with the effects of Passion Arrow for 10 seconds. If an ally is hit and they are at full health they receive a a health shield equal to half of Passion Arrow’s healing. On enemy hit, the charm duration is doubled but they cannot be charmed again while Romantic Rush is active. The effects of Matchmaker are doubled and Tu’er Shen receives a 20% damage buff if he is linked with another male god.​

Cooldown: 80 seconds

Duration: 10 seconds​

Mana cost: 80/90/100/110/120 mana​

lore 🐇

While other gods may proclaim endlessly over the power they have over their domains, causing no end of trouble for their fellow pantheon members and their followers as a result, Tu’er Shen patiently and quietly tends to those who request his services with unmatched loyalty and dedication. For he is not a god who takes to the spotlight easily, but one who will see his responsibilities through to help and protect those who he serves, an opportunity he was once not afforded in his youth.​

​Such are the origins of Tu’er Shen, the Leveret God. ​

​Once a young man known as Hu Tianbao, he fell deeply in love with a handsome imperial inspector of Fujian Province. Such was the intensity of his love that he looked upon the inspector while he bathed, peering at him through a bathroom wall. Tianbao was caught in the act, confessing his sincere affections for the other man in hopes of reaching an understanding. The inspector was quick to retaliate in violence, sentencing him to death by beating.

Underworld officials, seeing his crime as one of love, sought to justify his death by appointing him the god and safe guarder of homosexual affections. A month after his death, he appeared in the dreams of a man from his hometown – not as Hu Tianbao but reborn as Tu’er Shen. From this came the erection of a humble shrine for his worship and Tu’er Shen has dutifully served those who seek him ever since.​

​The battlefield of the gods is a strange place to find Tu’er Shen, usually one so far removed from the world of ugly violence and mindless bloodshed. Even so, perhaps love can soothe and heal the wounds caused by the warring of pantheons, or maybe it can even help end the war in some way. Knowing firsthand the true cost of thoughtless hate and violence, Tu’er Shen picks up his bow in the hope that he can protect even one person of those who cannot protect themselves in the war of the gods.

voicelines 🐇

god selection

“Tu’er Shen!” (duh)

introduction

“Is anyone in need of my services?”

“Let’s see what I can do.”

“Wonder if there are any cute gods around? Wait, no! Work first, then play later!”

“In their own ways, everyone here is fighting for love.”

(this isn’t an official one but as a joke it was highly entertaining) “Come on Season 6 let’s get sickening!”

abilities

ability 1 - passion arrow

“Fallen for me yet?”

“I’ve got you!”

“Coming for your heart!”

ability 2 - matchmaker

self/ally match - male gods only

“Our connection is strong.”

“Let your heart speak to me.”

self/ally match - general

“Together we’re stronger.”

“I’ve got your back.”

ally/ally match

“You’d make a good pair.”

“Another successful match.”

ally/enemy

“Swipe left next time!”

“This’ll end badly.”

ability 3 - bunny hop

“Excuse me!”

“Coming through!”

ability 4/ultimate - romantic rush

“Feel the love!”

low health

“I will not give in just yet.”

“I don’t mind playing rough, but this is a bit too much even for me…”

items

when placing wards

“Reveal their hearts to me little ward.”

“Any romantic confessions I should be aware of?”

when buying consumables

“Isn’t this interesting?”

“The colour is lovely.”

when buying offensive items

“I don’t want to harm others but if I must.”

“Love hurts indeed…”

when buying defensive items

“Will this protect my ears?”

“Hope this won’t slow me down.”

“Even the gods have to use a little protection.”

kills

when in a killstreak

“I can heal them later on, right?”

“Love never misses its mark.”

when killing a jungle boss

“That creature was awfully big…”

“Thank you for your sacrifice.”

when destroying a tower

“Love conquers all, man and structure alike.”

“Ack, that’s so loud!”

death

“You’ll never kill my spirit…”

“Love is eternal…”

directed voicelines

Aphrodite - “It’s a great honour to finally meet the goddess of love, I have much to learn from you.”​

Cupid - “Speaking from... past experiences, it seems as though you should work on your aim.”​

Jing Wei & Xing Tian - “I admire your perseverance in the face of insurmountable odds, we are not too dissimilar in that way.”​

Loki - “If you haven’t already, I suggest you pay Chiron a visit at some point. He is single after all...”​

Bellona - “Any luck asking Amaterasu out yet? She’s still waiting for you to make a move you know..”​

Raijin - “I’m willing to bet you’re more satisfying in bed than you are an opponent on the battlefield.”​

Bacchus - “I’m not the drinking type... but perhaps you’d like to come in for tea?’​

Achilles - “How’s Patroclus doing? Maybe you should spar with him more often, you’ve gotten rusty.”​

Apollo - “Playing the lyre isn’t the only thing you make look easy.”​

Ravana - “When I see you, the term ‘rope bunny’ comes to mind...”​

jokes

“I hope Cupid doesn’t get jealous of all the time I’m spending with Aphrodite…”​

“Technically I’m not this closely associated with actual rabbits, but the aesthetic was too cute to pass up.”​

“Considering what I’ve been through, I think I’ve earnt the right to proud of who I am.”​

“It is technically homophobia if you hit me. Just saying.”​

“The Jade Rabbit? He’s certainly cute... but I think there’s another rabbit who’s cuter.”​

taunts

Animation: Tu’er Shen draws a neon heart in the air, shooting an arrow through it shortly after.

“[Yawns] I think I might have a nap, perhaps that’ll give you a chance to catch up.”​

“You have an awfully big weapon there, are you compensating for something?”​

“I’ll show you why they say love hurts.”​

“Fighting for your overblown ego isn’t a good reason to wage war.”​

“Take it from a matchmaker, I don’t think anyone’s standards are low enough for you.”​

skin concepts 🐇

new tu’er shen body

floral fairy

squeaky clean, night corps, bunny server

country cowboy, casual, devilish

old tu’er shen body

kitsune, spring revelry, leather bunny

hello nurse, debonair devil 

old notes 🐇

this concept is super inspired by Kaios’ concept for Tu’er Shen (which you’ll find linked in the description of this post), i loved his ideas for rabbit lad and wanted to add more to the concept. my final kit concept is a lil bit similar but i think i’ve changed enough for it to not be a copy lmao. anyways, i’ve wanted a hunter support since i played tyrande a while ago in heroes of the storm. she was super fun and the mix of dealing strong consistent damage and still being able to support allies is something i’d kill to have in smite​

​tu’er shen is also a really cool god, and recently I’ve been prokoved by my mutuals making lots of god concepts when i haven’t made any in a very long time lol (if you remember my other smite oc you’re a real stan). obvs i don’t think hi-rez would do him justice and gamerbros would totally complain about the Gays™ shoving their unsatiable need for Representation™ down their throats and what not but it’s still a fun concept regardless!

new notes 🐇

he’s back and 10x beefier and sluttier looking than ever lmao. the self-insert squad may be missing plenty of people (y’all better come back like...) but it’d be a waste of time and effort to not do more with tu’er shen. also i love him so! i’m still kinda sad over twink tu’er shen being replaced by bara tu’er shen but it’s for the best, he’s v handsome now and big ol bitties in that dress? iconic. he does fit better into the male cast, the added beef makes him more attractive to basically everyone (he’s serving taric teas now lol) and he was a soldier so there’s plenty of reasons to make him a hunk. anyways... i don’t have much to say about the outfit than it’s flawless lol. it was interesting and p fun to make although i always feel awkward about posting drawn stuff in a serious context. it’s weird but i’m happy about the final product 🥰 i’ll try to write more stuff about him soon but don’t expect too much lol

links/resources 🐇

personal

headcanons (they’re a lil outdated in reference to his body lol)

tu’er shen’s tag

original post

my smite oc tag

other

kaios��� super cool concept for tu’er shen you should check out as it’s cooler than mine lol. his art of tu’er shen goes full furry and it’s kinda cute ngl

other links you can read for more information about tu’er shen: 1, 2

a beautiful short film about tu’er shen helping a guy accept his sexuality, gore warning towards the end

thanks for reading if you got to the end! please send asks or whatever, i’m dying for any excuse to talk about him lmao 🐇

[juste-xiv]

JUSTE DELACROIX

Ⅰ.▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

◆ NAME

Juste Delacroix (Juste Monteclair)

◆ NICKNAMES

Flower boy, Little Lordling, Commander, Juste of the Gilded Dusk

◆ AGE

29

◆ RACE

Elezen

◆ GENDER

Male

◆ SEXUALITY 

Asexual

◆ MARITAL STATUS

Single and eternally oblivious

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Ⅱ.▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

◆ HAIR

Windswept platinum blonde

Never behaves

He swears it has a mind of its own

◆ EYES

Soft, cornflower blue

◆ HEIGHT

6’0”

◆ BUILD

Lithe

Broad shouldered

Compact and agile

Regal, dignified posture

While he’s softer than he used to be it’s apparent that he’s seen his fair share of combat

Surprisingly strong for his size

Totally aware he’s short by Elezen standards

◆ DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

Various battle scars all over his body

Prominent claw mark scarring on his right side, stretching from his hip bone to just under his rib cage

Dragon fire scarring on his left shoulder

◆ COMMON ACCESSORIES / IMPORTANT ITEMS

A simple pendant made from a piece of smooth, oval shaped snowflake obsidian worn on a leather cord around his neck

The only possession he brought with him when he left Ishgard 

PERSONAL / RELATIONSHIPS

Ⅲ.▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

◆ OCCUPATION

Botanist

Owns a small flower shop in Gridania

Former Knight, Negotiator and Political Figure (Currently in hiding)

◆ BIRTHPLACE

Ishgard

◆ RESIDENCE

Gridania

◆ ALIGNMENT

Neutral Good

◆ SIGNIFICANT OTHER

None

◆ CHILDREN

None

◆ PARENTS

Baron Vespasien Monteclair (Father, Disgraced Knight)

Baroness Céleste Monteclair (Mother, Noble Woman, Socialite, Maiden Name - Haillenarte)

◆ SIBLINGS

None

◆ OTHER RELATIVES

None

◆ PETS 

Sesame (Small, fawn coloured female lop-eared rabbit)

Kind of a terror

Way cuter than she has any business being

Uses that to her advantage/to get out of trouble

Fueled by dandelion greens and spite

Juste found the little rabbit injured one day while he was tending to his plants

Nursed her back to health and looked after her until she healed

Slight limp

Tried to release her back into the wild but she kept coming back

He ended up giving in and keeping her

PERSONALITY

Ⅳ.▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Warm and charming

Sharp wit, good sense of humor

Often uses said wit to deflect from things he doesn’t want to discuss

Contagious laugh

Poised, polite and refined

Gentle demeanor

Compassionate

Genuine

Wears his heart on his sleeve

Charismatic and outwardly confident

Hidden introvert

Passionate about learning

Has a mischievous streak

May not be the greatest at taking care of himself but he’s trying his best

Constantly sleepy

Needs to actually sleep

Sometimes stretches himself too thin or wears himself out trying to help others

More than a little bit self destructive in his own ways

Guilt complex

Post-traumatic stress disorder relating to his service as a knight

Tries his best to hide said post-traumatic stress disorder because he doesn’t want to worry anyone

At times there is a quiet sadness to him

Can be distant or guarded under certain situations

Avoids talking about his past like the plague

 BACKGROUND

Ⅴ.▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

             Even though Juste is still relatively young and he doesn’t often speak of his past he’s lived quite an eventful life. The Ishgardian noble is a former knight, negotiator and political figure born into House Monteclair, a minor house under House Haillenarte. His father, the head of the house, fled during the attack where the Dravanian Horde overtook Stone Vigil and due to the Baron’s cowardice their house hasn’t always had a favourable reputation. Since his childhood the weight was put on Juste’s shoulders to redeem their house. Determined and driven to make his house proud he spent his youth training near constantly, often sneaking out at night and practicing under the cover of darkness or studying until the early morning. Despite putting in so much work to ensure he was at peak physical and intellectual prowess he did his best to keep his efforts hidden, working himself to the bone while letting others believe his skill was due to ‘natural aptitude’. By the time he was able to join the Temple Knights Juste had already made quite the name for himself as a formidable fighter, a brilliant tactician and cunning strategist. Due to his smaller stature he had to rely heavily on agility and finesse in combat rather than brute force but he was still a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. This paired with his sharp mind and his natural charisma helped him shoot through the ranks far faster than anticipated, earning him somewhat of a ‘golden boy’ status and the epithet ‘Juste of the Gilded Dusk’. While he was often distant and aloof when caught alone the young knight was natural born leader and he knew just how to play a crowd. He had a winning smile and a silver tongue and he knew just how to inspire people and win their hearts. His hard work was rewarded and at a young age Juste attained the rank of commander. After a time he was put in charge of a small, specially trained elite team of knights and those under his command acted as a strike force, using precise coordination and calculated strategical advantages to turn the tide of a battle. The young commander always gave off an air of confidence and despite his stature he cut quite an imposing figure in his plate mail.

                    During the end of his military service Juste was injured in an incident that still haunts him. His team was tasked with taking out a group of dragons heading towards Falcon’s Nest and he made the decision to engage them as a single unit despite explicit orders to wait for back up. He believed catching them off guard would give him and his knights the upper hand but he was very wrong. The Dravanians were prepared for an ambush and if it had been just the dragons Juste and his knights had accounted for it would have been an easy victory but there were others lying in wait for the perfect time to strike and they were overwhelmed. They managed to win the battle and the young commander made it out alive but just barely and he was one of the lucky ones. The majority of his knights ended up dead, burned beyond recognition or horrifically injured. The few that made it out alive did so with wounds and injuries that would stay with them for the rest of their lives.

                    During the confrontation Juste engaged the largest of the dragons, the one leading the assault. He fought valiantly but during the fight the dragon’s claws connected with the front of his armor and cleanly ripped through the metal plate of his cuirass, removing one of his pauldrons in the process. The dragon fire that followed charred his left shoulder and left his arm immobilized due to the physical damage and the metal of his armor fusing together. Caught off guard he lost his footing and the dragon managed to pin him, taking the upper hand and crushing several ribs in the process. In a last ditch effort he managed to grab his sword in his good hand and drive it through the base of the dragon’s neck as it attempted to finish him off with one final bite. When the reinforcements found him he was unconscious and barely alive, the body of the dragon slumped over him and still pinning him to the ground. Juste still has vivid nightmares of laying in the snow covered in blood, surrounded by the smell of burning flesh and the bodies of his comrades. The eerie silence of the aftermath, punctuated only by his own ragged breaths and the sharp whistle of the wind, still haunts him. After every nightmare the fear of bleeding out or freezing to death still feels as fresh as it did in the moment.

                    He was honoured for killing the dragon as well as his role in protecting the settlement but he was also deemed no longer suitable for frontline combat due to his permanent injuries. The dragon fire that scorched his shoulders had damaged the nerves in his left arm and left him unable to grip his great sword properly. On top of that his ribs would never properly mend, leaving him vulnerable to reinjuring them. Juste was racked with guilt, mourning the loss of his comrades and blaming himself for everything that had transpired. After his recovery Juste threw himself into a political career. While he still acted as an honorary commander and tactical advisor he put his natural charm to work and also began acting as a negotiator and diplomat. To keep himself busy and his mind occupied he worked too hard, slept too little and drank to cope with his guilt. Dark circles under the young noble’s eyes became a near permanent fixture and there was always a hint of sadness hidden behind his smile. Eventually Juste cracked under the pressure from his parents, his house, his work and his own remorse and he fled Ishgard under the cover of night. The former knight left everything behind, practically untouched and almost as if he planned to return, and the only thing he brought with him was a simple snowflake obsidian pendant. No one knew what happened to him or if he was even alive.

                    Upon leaving he took the surname ‘Delacroix’ as a way to hide his identity. It seemed common and inconspicuous enough that Juste assumed no one would question it. He did mercenary work for a time, travelling from place to place until he finally settled down at a small bookshop in Gridania. While working there he taught himself about botany, finally taking the time to explore passions he had ignored in favour of trying to advance back home in Ishgard. He spent most of his time reading, tending to the gardens and taking care of the flowers he kept in his private chambers. During his time there he met his pet rabbit Sesame. She was injured when he found her tucked behind some of the shrubs outside of the shop and he took her in and cared for her. After her wound had healed he tried to release her but she kept coming back and he decided to cave and keep her.

                    Eventually Juste followed his heart and he used his earnings from the bookshop to open a small, quaint flower shop in the Lavender Beds. Currently he lives in the back of the shop and he sends most of the earning from his business anonymously to the families of those injured and killed while under his command as a way to make amends. It’s a happy, quiet life and while he’s still working through things he finally feels content and in control of his own destiny.

POSSIBLE RP HOOKS

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◆ Fellow Ishgardians

Fellow Ishgardians may or may not recognize the runaway noble. Personality wise Juste is currently very different from how he was back in Ishgard so that could come as a surprise to someone who would remember him during his time back home. Also open to discuss pre-established connections!

◆ Botany Related Inquiries / Botanist Colleagues

◆ Need flowers?

From individual flowers to bouquets to herbs and medicinal plants Juste has a wide range of things in stock. He’s also willing to lend his services to decorating for events!

◆ Adventure!

While he’s been told he should avoid combat due to his injuries that probably wouldn’t stop him if something interesting came up. He’s content with his quiet life but the boy has been missing that sense of adventure and itching to explore more.

 ◆ Got any ideas? Just let me know!

I’m pretty open so if you have anything you would like to know or explore RP wise just send me a message, I would love to hear it!

CONTACT

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◆ SERVER

Balmung

◆ IN GAME NAME

Juste Delacroix

◆ ADDITIONAL NOTES

If you would be interested in RP plotting or setting something up please contact me here on Tumblr or in game! Discord is definitely an option but it won’t be provided right away.

[jbuffyangel]

Stolen Identity: Arrow 7x10 Review (My Name Is Emiko Queen)

Arrow kicks off their mid season with a slumpy snoozer of an episode, but there are a few golden nuggets to chat about.

Let’s dig in…

Olicity

Oliver is beginning his new career as a legal vigilante by working with SCPD as a consultant. I wonder how much that pays. Hmmm. 

Anyway, Dinah is a little know-it-all about the crime scene when she tells Oliver, “Try not to screw it up.” 

Source:  smoakmonster

By screw it up do you mean solve all the cases the SCPD can’t? Because that’s what Oliver has been doing the last six years. He was casing crime scenes while you were in cleaning toilets in the police academy, Dinah. Actually, I don’t know if that’s true. Oliver and Dinah are pretty close in age, but I’m feeling punchy today so I’m standing by my analogy.

The forensics officer is feeling punchy about Oliver too. Apparently, not everyone is thrilled the Green Arrow is working with the police now. God only knows why. It’s not like he hasn’t saved the city from annihilation several times. OH WAIT HE HAS. Ungrateful twats.  Respect your elders!

Can we have a side bar about the SCPD? 

They are throwing shade at Oliver and instructing him to not screw up a crime scene, but if they did their jobs in the first place the city wouldn’t need the Green Arrow. Are we really blown away by the SCPD’s accomplishments over the last seven years? They can’t arrest anyone unless Oliver delivers them with a bow. We are given the token “good” cop every season:

Quentin Lance: great detective, but ended up working with the Green Arrow because crimes actually were solved then

McKenna Hall: shot and left the city

Billy Malone: shot and killed

Dinah Drake: became a vigilante

Curtis’ boyfriend: also shot and I can’t even remember his name

They were incapable of handling Malcolm Merlyn, Slade Wilson and Ra’s Al Ghul’s attacks. The citizens of Star City fought back with Oliver against Damien Darhk. Oh and the entire police department was corrupted by Diaz. Not to mention crime is back on the rise and the citizens are bemoaning the lack of Green Arrow assistance. Not exactly a stunning endorsement of the SCPD, so cool it with the uppity comments. You’d be dead ten times over if it weren’t for Oliver Queen.

Oliver offers to speed things up by using his “resources” do analyze the blood on a piece of broken window. 

Source:  smoakmonster

Meet Oliver’s resources:

Felicity has a new security system which can read DNA. 

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

Uhhh that’s amazing. I want one. 

Source:  feilcityqueen

My babies are all made up and back to being a united team with adorable they’re-so-married banter punctuated by smush face smooches. WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE FANDOM! 

These two fell in love over a bullet ridden computer, so analyzing DNA is their idea of Netflix and chill. 

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

Look how happy Felicity is! Has a cuter cupcake ever existed? The correct answer is, “No except for your daughter Jen.” Why thank you. I quite agree.

We all know Felicity has Oliver’s DNA sequencing memorized. 

Source:  olicitygifs

Yes, I know the memories of the Season 4 crossover are still traumatic. If you are triggered watch the Olicity wedding to ward off the flashes and nightmares. 

Oliver is a little too surprised the archer is a woman. 

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

Hey! We have hands and eyes too big fella. Men aren’t the only ones who can point an arrow. Hang on. That sounded dirty. 

My point (HA!) is GIRL POWER.

I love how Felicity asks Oliver to sit down and he does his patented side eye thing and asks why. Hilarious. I never tire of that reaction from Oliver. 

Felicity is remarkably calm which, let’s be honest, is probably because she’s relieved Emiko is just Oliver’s sister and not another spawn from a one night stand. No offense William. Mama Jen loves you pumpkin.

Oliver, however, is shocked. Is it really a big surprise your father was a little slutty back in the day, Oliver? Apple meet tree. 

Robert keeps enormous secrets and expects Oliver to fix all his “wrongs” post mortem. That’s it. That’s the show. 

And yet I still love Robert Queen and so does Oliver. If Robert was alive right now Oliver would probably punch his dad, then hug him, and ask all the questions he wants. Scratch that. Oliver would hug his dad first and then punch him. Unfortunately, Robert is dead and there’s no one to really answer why. There’s no where Oliver can channel his hurt, anger and confusion. The same goes for Emiko. Or is there? Hunting bad guys with a bow and arrow is therapy in this family.

Source: olicitygifs 

Felicity continues to win the award for Supportive Wife of the Year. Oliver is floundering in unknown yet familiar waters and Felicity is his life raft. She handles all of this like a pro. She’s probably used to Queen family shenanigans by now. Noah’s criminal record and Donna’s penchant for five inch heels really pales in comparison to the crap Oliver’s parents pulled.

Oliver wants whatever answers he can find before he introduces himself to new little sister. As Felicity said, Robert Queen did love a good paper trail. It seems he handed those books out as stocking stuffers. Is it the same book? Or maybe Emiko made her own book and this is some truly bizarre Queen genetic characteristic.

Oliver doesn’t have it all together and he’s spiraling a bit. Oh how far we’ve come my friends. A few years ago Oliver would have shut down and buried his head inside that hood.

And now he’s allowing himself to feel. Oliver is hurt, angry, confused, ashamed and deeply sad. He’s grieving the relationship he was cheated of having with Emiko for all these years. Yet again, Robert and Moira have acted in their family’s self interests and without much concern who they destroyed in the process. 

The reason why Oliver is falling to pieces is because he knows Felicity will be there to pick them up. Oliver doesn’t need to be on top of things because Felicity is, and even better, he is letting her take care of him. Oliver no longer chooses to go it alone. We’ve come light years with Oliver Queen.

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

Oliver’s love and pride in his wife bubbles to the surface even when grappling with another earth shattering secret being exposed. This soft smile is pure you-are-my-genius-and-I’m-so-thankful-I-wife’d-you-so-hard. You can feel the relief Oliver feels over being home with Felicity, out of prison and in his own damn body. He can face anything as long as she’s by his side. Slabside didn’t cause any kind of regression. In fact, Oliver came home ready to double down on everything he’s learned over the last six years. He is holding onto his wife even tighter now. It’s beautiful to see.

Does anyone else find it hard to believe it took seven years for Oliver to discover a secret storage unit given how shady both his parents were?

At least it gives us more adorable Olicity. Felicity looking at Baby Oliver’s drawings is everything I didn’t know I needed.

Source: oliverxfelicity

This Thea mention isn’t accidental. It took time for Oliver to love Thea. I am fairly certain my sisters are still adjusting to my arrival and I’m 37. Oliver was just a little boy reacting like how many older children react to the news a sibling is on the way. However, it’s slightly applicable to what is happening with Emiko and Oliver. They will grow on each other. It will just take time.  

Of course, there’s a letter from Robert Queen to Walter Steele in like the third box, sitting right on top, which explains exactly who Emiko is. This is major plot contrivance even by Arrow standards, but whatever.

Robert admits he loved Kazumi Hadachi and the daughter they had together, but abandoned them both. They were supposed to be cared for in the event of Robert’s death (translation: write a check Walter), but that never happened because of Moira. 

Who didn’t see that one coming? 

This has Moira “I Hide Babies And Lie About DNA” Queen’s sticky fingers all over it. If you are losing track allow me to refresh your memory: 

Moira paid Samantha off and let Oliver believe she miscarried

She lied about Thea’s biological father

Kept Robert Queen’s love child hidden and in abject poverty for her entire life. (allegedly)

I love Moira and she has her good points, but man she was a piece of work sometimes. 

The question of course is why? Moira knew Robert had affairs. It’s the reason she had an affair with Malcolm – a little tit for tat. Emiko is older than Thea though, so one of two things happened: 

1) Walter showed Moira the letter and she found out about Emiko after Robert’s death. She refused to follow his wishes and locked up the secret in a never-to-be-found storage unit. 

2) Moira knew about Emiko and Kazumi, but forced Robert to give them up. He left the letter to Walter in hopes he would circumvent Moira. It seems Walter did not do as Robert asked or he tried and Moira stopped him.

Oliver: How can I believe that he ever loved anybody but himself? How could he abandon them in the first place?

Felicity: I don’t’ think Moira gave him much of a choice.

Felicity has danced this paternity dance before with Moira Queen. So, she’s leaning towards Option 2 and I agree.

Oliver already answered the why. Kazumi and Emiko were Robert’s second family. There was another woman and child Robert deeply loved. We can multiply whatever hurt Oliver is feeling by this betrayal ten times over for Moira. Cheating is one of the worst things you can do to your partner.

I sympathize with the pain Moira must have felt after discovering Emiko and Kazumi, but it doesn't excuse what she did. Robert should have acknowledged his child and cared for both, but that would be unacceptable to Moira for a few reasons. 

She would never allow Robert to make a public mockery of her. Moira would be humiliated if Starling City knew Robert cheated on her and had a second family. Furthermore, the scandal would be enormous and could damage the Queen family name – i.e. their company, which means the bottom dollar.

Moira always did whatever she believed necessary to protect her children. Thea wasn’t born yet, but I’m sure Moira viewed Oliver as the rightful heir to the kingdom. She wouldn’t want a child not of her blood threatening to take it all away or force Oliver to share it.

It’s not just that Robert cheated either. It’s about who he cheated with. The Queen family was like royalty to Starling City. Robert cheating on Moira Queen with a poor woman from the Glades. This would be another level of humiliation to Moira. Nope. She ain’t having that. 

Moira was absolutely classest enough about the Glades to look down on someone like Kazumi. Hell, she was working with Merlyn to blow up the Glades at one point. Moira looking down on someone like Kazumi isn’t a stretch. 

There could be a level of revenge to this. Robert hurt Moira deeply and chances are she wanted to punish Robert. He had to make a choice and he better damn well choose Oliver and her.  

Not that I’m putting this all at Moira’s feet. These are Robert’s choices too. Moira can demand all she wants, but it was Robert who ultimately made the call. He walked away from Kazumi and Emiko. He abandoned them.

Obviously, it’s wonderful Robert raised Thea as his own. However, Emiko does bring another layer to the decision. Robert was denied a relationship with his biological daughter, so of course Thea gave him an avenue to a father/daughter relationship again. Perhaps, Robert’s forgiveness and acceptance was atonement too. He acknowledged his actions were no better than Moira’s.  

However, if Moira refused to let Emiko be part of their lives then Robert refused to do the same to Thea. It is forgiveness Moira did not show him. She could have welcomed Emiko into her life just like Felicity welcomed William. Robert loving Thea was a constant reminder to Moira that she did not give Emiko the same love. That could be viewed as extremely passive aggressive behavior. Their marriage was so fucked up. Yikes.

Oliver: I worked so long and hard to redeem my family’s name after the terrible things they’ve done, but abandoning someone and a little girl? It’s unforgivable.

Yeah that line is no accident either. I’m quietly whistling and taking a long hard look at the flash forwards and Blackstar.  If William and Roy do not know her, and she is Oliver and Felicity’s daughter, then they must have been forced to separate from or hide her. It won’t be anywhere near the same situation as Robert and Emiko, but there could be some kind of parallel drawn.

The first five years of Oliver’s story was about a son righting his father’s wrongs. Oliver is still dealing with the consequences of Robert Queen’s sins, but they’ve added another layer to his character. Now Oliver is the father. He’s had to sacrifice his family to do noble things, but that doesn’t make the pain of those sacrifices any easier.  

I’m sure Oliver and Felicity will have a good reason for all of their decisions in the future, but it doesn’t make it any less painful for their children. It’s not an apples to apples comparison by any means, but Oliver may come to understand or even sympathize more with the choices his father made.

That said, it’s hard to imagine Oliver and Felicity “abandoning” their children for any reason given how strongly Oliver has reacted to what Robert did and how hard they both fought to bring their family back together. Also, this is Oliver and Felicity we’er talking about here. Oliver would loathe himself to repeat the same behavior. So, if this isn’t all a ruse, I’m expecting some seriously major extenuating circumstances.

I also want to add we may be dealing with a very broad definition of abandonment at least when it comes to William. Based on Beth Schwartz’s remarks from her latest interviews, the abandonment William is referencing in the future may very well be Oliver and Felicity sending him to board school.

Uhh... that’s not abandonment kiddo. But it’s also entirely possible another separation is coming too.

However, Oliver is exactly who Robert Queen asked him to be – a better man. Whatever mistakes Robert made with his life and children, Oliver will either avoid or fix it. Oliver is the hero and father Robert never could be. The only real  certainty we have is Oliver’s love, honor, selflessness and constant striving to be better can heal whatever pain is caused. That’s just who Oliver is. It’s why we love him.

Source:  olicitygifs

This is exactly what Felicity tells Oliver on their balcony, complete with shoulder nuzzle. 

Source:  olicitygifs

Robert committed a great wrong by abandoning his own child. Oliver can’t fix everything for Emiko, but he can offer to be something no Queen ever has- her family.

Emiko and Rene

It’s very important to the Arrow writers that we understand Emiko is just like Oliver. She chases bad guys in dark alleys, hangs them upside down and puts the fear of God into them until they talk. She has her very own book with names to cross off. (Seriously how many copies did Robert Queen hand out?) Emiko works in a super secret dilapidated lair with perfectly lit soft glow lights.

Not green though! Emiko is back lit in purple because she’s a girl.  Honestly, at times it looks a little red too. Do what you will with that information, but no green lights should be your immediate tip off that Emiko won’t become the new Green Arrow. Is Arrow really that obvious? Yes, my sweet summer children. They are.

Emiko even has her own voice over talking about injustice, the broken system and how someone must stand up to stop it. The similarities to Oliver don’t end there! Emiko is also a stubborn, extreme loner with severe anger issues. I may have wiki’d Bereavement Disorder too. But darn it, Emiko has a good heart and is a hero too!

If you’ve sensed some sarcasm coming from me you’d be right. I know the Arrow writers love a good parallel. It’s their crack cocaine, but pulling major beats from Oliver’s storyline and making Emiko Oliver 2.0 felt like lazy writing to me. It’s a quick way to imbed Emiko in the story without doing seven years of character building. Oliver did all the heavy lifting and Emiko is cashing in.

She even gets shot and has to turn to her beautiful, genius, funny and IT – wait. No. Emiko goes to Rene. Not Felicity. I suppose it’s nice our couple is so iconic the writers are stealing storylines from them, but get your own damn shipper moments! I draw the line at Rene being the Felicity in any situation. Nope. No sir. Unacceptable.

I’m hopeful we’ll get more individualism from her character as she develops. I know I am typically a fan of the super obvious parallel, but it felt like a short cut this time around. The great thing about all these similarities to Oliver is they will be like two cats fighting. They’ll drive each other nuts. Or at least Oliver will drive Emiko nuts. Oliver will be more focused on apologizing for their douche bag dad and begging for a chance to get to know her.

After Rene blows one of Emiko’s ambushes she warns the next time it happens she’ll put an arrow in him. There. We found a difference! Oliver would have shot Rene now. 

But Emiko wants to know why Rene is helping her.

“You said your mission is personal. So is mine. I watched as my wife got shot to death by a drug dealer from these streets. And for a long time, all I saw was red. Then I met Oliver Queen and the team and they helped me channel my anger into a fight for a better life. I just want to pay that forward.”

It’s a good speech except Rene leaves out how he turned states evidence on Oliver, but that’s just details. There’s another nod to red. Someone on Twitter told me Emiko will become Red Arrow, so maybe that’s going to happen. Or it could mean nothing. Time will tell. Rene does get Emiko to trust him and she finally fills us all in on her back story.

A fire began in Emiko and Kazumi’s apartment building, but the fire department never came because it was in the Glades. The building burned down and her mother died. However, Kazumi wasn’t killed by the fire. Emiko believes she was shot in the head by Glen Morgan. Emiko is hell bent on getting justice for her mother’s death.

Unfortunately, Glen Morgan swears he didn’t kill Emiko’s mother. He was out of the country for the last two years. He’s being set up. This means Emiko is no closer to finding her mother’s killer. I have a feeling Kazumi’s murder will lead back to A.R.G.U.S. and Deputy Director Bell. 

Emiko needs Oliver’s help, but they’ll have plenty of issues to work through. No shortage of drama there! 

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

Felicity: I mean I’m no therapist but I’m pretty sure the technical term for that is cry for help.

Felicity is right. Becoming Green Arrow 2.0 isn’t exactly a subtle way of signaling a connection to Oliver. 

Emiko put on the hood after Oliver admitted who he was and went to prison. She had to know either Oliver or Team Arrow would be curious about her identity. Perhaps Emiko thought it would be impossible to discover her identity because Oliver was in prison, she’s not in the system, and there are no birth records. Emiko Queen doesn’t exist according to the world.

Source: @smoaktechs

Hence her anger. She was abandoned by her father and then again by the Queen family after he died. Robert’s reasons don’t really matter to me. The bottom line is he chose Oliver and Thea over Emiko. At least that’s how it looks, regardless of Robert’s intentions, and I’m fairly certain this is how Emiko feels about it too.

So, it’s not all that surprising she chose to put on the hood after Oliver’s incarceration. The hood serves as a great vehicle for Emiko to find justice and she knows her identity will be fairly well protected. It signals a connection to Oliver, but also frustratingly denies him the answer to what the connection is. It is Emiko’s way of saying, “I know who you are, but you don’t know who I am,” while giving Oliver the middle finger.

However, the real reason Emiko became the Green Arrow was to steal a part of Oliver’s identity. She wanted to take something precious from Oliver’s life just like he took something precious from hers. Emiko wanted Oliver to see someone else living the identity that was rightfully his. She wants Oliver to sit in jail and watch, absolutely powerless to stop it. Just like Emiko was powerless to stop being denied a Queen.

@callistawolf mentioned this in our 7x10 podcast but it is so bang on I have to mention it here. Emiko is like Will Scarlet from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. 

Robin lost his mother at a young age and his father found comfort in the arms of another woman for a time. Robin felt Lord Locksley was betraying his mother’s memory, so his father gave the woman up. Will Scarlet was the product of their affair. Instead of living in comfort, with a father who loved him, Will and his mother were forced to live in poverty. Will was denied the name and life that was rightfully his because their father chose Robin.

Will: It’s not a lie! You ruined my life! I have more reason to hate you than anyone, but I found myself daring to believe in you. What I want to know brother is will you stay with us and finish what you started?

Robin: I have a brother? I have a brother. I will make my stand with you. Side by side.  Until the end.

It’s a great scene. I get choked up every time I watch it. No it doesn’t matter Kevin Costner could never master an English accent. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is the shit. Don’t @ me.

To be fair, Robin didn’t know about Will Scarlet so directing all the blame at him isn’t entirely fair. The same goes for Oliver. He didn’t know about Emiko so whatever anger is being directed at him isn’t entirely fair either. However, Will could only direct his anger at Robin because their father was dead. Sound familiar? We’ve even got the damn bow and arrows kids.

It’s not about what Oliver did for Emiko. It’s about what he represents. But as Emiko embraces a darker path with Rene, it is clear her big brother is exactly who she needs right now.

Flash Forwards

We finally see the inside of the Glades in the flash forwards and it looks exactly like the Capitol from The Hunger Games. 

Everything is bright, shiny and everyone feels evil. As we predicted, Rene is a mayor. 

He has spectacularly awful hair and needs to lay off the spray tan. 

It’s bad friends. It’s real bad.

A man who looks exactly like Seneca Crane hails Rene as the person who single handedly cleaned up the Glades. Uhhhh okay? 

Zoe is Chief of Staff, but she doesn’t seem to really care. She tries to tell Rene about the plan to blow up Star City, but Rene doesn’t  seem to really care. Well, great. Good talk guys.

Rene: When the Glades needed help no one came to our rescue.

Listen up, Mr. Mayor. Oliver Queen’s mission was never about saving part of the city. The mission was to save ALL of Star City. What’s happening to the citizens outside the Glades in the flash forwards is not any better than what’s happening to the citizens inside the Glades during present day. The location of the problem is just flipped, but it’s still the same problem. Rene is no savior and he’s definitely no Oliver Queen.

Zoe wants access to something called the Archer program. It’s the security system that wiped out crime and keeps the citizens of the Glades safe. It also sounds exactly like something Felicity Smoak would invent and then name after her husband. I STAN ONE COUPLE. 

In fact, Felicity is working on a new security system in present day which registers DNA (thanks to Delaney @Lane1812 for pointing that out!). That is probably the first genesis of the Archer program.

At some point this security program falls into the wrong hands - Deputy Director Bell perhaps or maybe the Ghost Protocol goes terribly wrong. According to Rene, they “barely recovered.” I’m assuming he’s talking about the Glades. It’s been a couple years since the Glades were attacked and it would make a great parallel to Star City being under attack in the flash forwards.

Rene refuses to give Zoe the codes to the Archer program and she pretty much gives him my speech (re: see above) about the days he used to give a crap about the entire city. You’re doing great, sweetie.

Dinah arranges a clandestine meeting by night with Rene and by that I mean she sneaks up on him. He refuses to hand over the codes until Dinah threatens to beat the crap out of him. Dinah would totally win. The accuracy is real.

She did try to appeal to Rene’s conscience first. Dinah tells him Felicity is dead and he seems genuinely shocked by the news. Dinah reminds Rene he is part of the Mark of Four and they owe it to Felicity to stop whatever is going to happen to Star City.

Dinah: We made a promise to always keep fighting, to be there for each other no matter what – all of us. You, me, Roy, Diggle, Oliver and Felicity.

Now we officially know the Mark of Four members. You know what name I didn’t hear? CURTIS HOLT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

We have a shot in hell now of Curtis being kicked off this show at some point. 

I expressed my joy about this on Twitter and I got a couple “this person isn’t on it either” as if it is meaningless Curtis isn’t included.  So I’m going to head these names off at the pass.

1) Barry – there is no way the writers would include a main character from another DC show (the lead no less) to be part of a major Arrow storyline, which the Mark of Four is. Thank you. Next.

2) Bl*ck Siren/L*urel – these characters are all Team Arrow members and BS has never been part of Team Arrow. I don’t think she ever will be. At best, she’ll fill a consultant like role. The Spike to Arrow’s Scooby Gang. For whatever reason she’s not part of the Mark of Four, which isn’t surprising, but in no way compares to Curtis. He is the only Team Arrow member left off the list.

3) Thea – Willa Holland is not on the show anymore. They would not include a character that is no longer on the show.

If you are wondering why Roy is part of the Mark of Four I would buckle up and prepare for some bad Thea news. Either Roy and Thea broke up or she’s dead. Personally, I prefer dead. I don’t want the reason Theroy not getting their happy ending is because they couldn’t make it work. Upside is we’ll get to see Roy in present day and hopefully soon.

Anyway, Curtis being left of the list is significant and nobody can tell me otherwise. I KNOW MY TRUTH. I shall celebrate with glee and keep a watchful eye for a potential exit storyline. 

If Diaz kills Curtis I might have to like him and that scares me.

Rene meets with Flash Forward Seneca Crane to tell him Dinah has “the plans.” So, Flash Forward Seneca Crane is the one planning to blow up Star City. Rene agreed to build up the Glades, but never planned to wipe out the city. Flash Forward Seneca Crane explains Star City is a “cancer which must be cut out.”

Finally, Rene asks about Felicity’s murder. Seneca Crane explains she was becoming a “liability.” It would seem we’ve met Felicity’s “murderer” or at least the person behind her murder. Where’s a bow and arrow when you need one?

If you’re wondering who the hell is Seneca Crane allow me to explain.

Seneca Crane is the head game maker in The Hunger Games, but Katniss Everdeen outsmarts him in the end. There is no way this half baked version of Seneca Crane outsmarted Felicity Smoak. She’s our Katniss Everdeen. Hell, she’s better than Katniss Everdeen. Felicity is alive and working undercover to stop the destruction of Star City. 

I don’t believe Rene is evil either, despite acting like he has zero problem with killing Felicity Smoak. It’s either one of two things. A) He’s been working undercover with Felicity the whole time or B) Rene was unaware of what was truly going on, but now that he does he will work with William & team to stop it.

I’m going with B for now.

Dyla

Back on the other show called “The Stupid Thing Diggle Did This Week,” John offers Diaz his freedom if he hands over the terrorist financier Dante. WHAAAAAAAT?

When Deputy Director Bell asks WTF is going on (dude same) Diggle explains he and Lyla are reinstating the Ghost Protocol, which is basically a poor man’s version of Suicide Squad. Lyla is pissed because Diggle cooked up this plan without discussing it with her and then, by telling Bell, made it impossible not to back it. Lyla shut down the Ghost Initiative and swore never to reopen it. Diggle knew that. He insists it’s the perfect cover for their operation and everything will be fine, which automatically means this will be a disaster.

Lyla: And here I thought I was the one in danger of becoming Amanda Waller.

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN. You want some ice on that burn Diggle?

Diggle needs to go back to Oliver and Felicity. He’s a mess without them.

Stray Thoughts

Hey! Who gave Emiko her mask? *side eyeing Barry Allen*

At some point they will need to tell us who makes the suits. This is like waiting for the identity of Gossip Girl.

Sara gave Emiko a leather jacket too. Uh oh. Don’t tell L*urel. ;)

I’d also like to know where Emiko learned to fight and shoot. Just details. No biggie.

I wish Emiko had money. I miss billionaire Oliver. 

Well I said Emiko’s mother is either China White or a random character. They went with rando.

The aging makeup is extremely bad in high definition. Has anyone Arrow actually met a 50 year old? They don’t look like Rene and Dinah. Moira Queen was 50 when she died. Robert Queen was almost 50 when he died. Did they look like they’ve been left out baking in the sun for twenty years? No. Do they not have hair dye in the future? This is ridiculous. People are living until their eighties and nineties. Fifty is not that old. Get a grip makeup department.

“One of the canaries.” OMG are there more in the future? Canary, LL Bl*ck Canary, White Canary, Bl*ck Siren, DD  Bl*ck Canary, ZR Bl*ck Canary. That’s at least six, but sure Jan she’s an original character.

Rene saying, “We need a person in the chair" proves my exact point about Curtis. The writers are constantly making the genius of Felicity Smoak sound replaceable and it fucking bugs the shit out of me.

Smeh. No matter how much they say they aren't doing a replacement Thea storyline that's exactly what it looks like. There was nothing in this episode that dissuaded my opinion on that matter. It sounds disingenuous to say otherwise.

Arrow is getting into a bad habit of killing mothers. This isn’t a Disney movie. Find a new theme.

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me. 7x10 gifs credited.

If you’d like to support the blog, please buy me a cup of tea!

[notsopersonalcharlie]

Normal (?) Neighbors

Spencer Reid x Fem OC

From the point of view of a teenage boy or girl

One in which Spencer is retired, teaching at the university, and gets to grow old and be happy.

Note: I decided to not give them kids because I felt like it would just be cuter

You parked your car on the curb in front of your aunt and uncle’s house and got out of the driver’s seat, reaching into the back seat for your duffle bag and backpack. You hauled it up to the front door and knocked. The door opened and your aunt opened it, hugging you tight and taking your backpack as you hugged your uncle. You were going to be house sitting for them nearly all summer and they were traveling for “fun”, which meant they were traveling to blog and write for newspapers around the globe. 

“Feel free to have some friends over, don’t go too crazy though! We’re going to be out of here in a few hours, but theres a list of numbers on the fridge, the key is on the counter and if you have any problems go next door to the Reids. They know you’re going to be here.” You nodded to your uncle’s instructions, trying to remember who lived next door. You couldn’t picture the adults, but you remembered two boys, one a little older than you and one your age. They were both white blond and had been shrieking at someone from the lawn. 

“They have two boys right?” Your uncle looked at you quizzically and then seemed to realize something, his eyebrows wiggling. You smacked him on the shoulder. 

“They don’t have any kids of their own, but Spencer is the godfather of a whole butt load of kids. You probably remember Henry and Michael, blond boys right?” You nodded. 

“Yeah, well if they come by this summer invite them over,” your aunt joked. You stuck your tongue out at her and she did it right back. 

“You know where your room is, so you’re all set to be free and roam. We’ll let you know when we’re leaving.” You nodded and took your stuff up to your room. 

-/-/-/-

You’d had a few days alone to adjust to the house when you decided to go for a run, tying your house key to your sneakers and putting your phone in your pocket. As you started jogging down the road you saw a middle-aged man out front. You quickly tugged your headphones from your ears and called out to him.

“Mister Reid!” He turned as you walked up the path to his front door. 

“Oh! Hi, you must be (Y/N). Your aunt said you would be around.” 

“Yeah, I just wanted to say hi!” Your pep made him smile. 

“Well it’s nice to meet you. You know you’re about the same age as one of my godsons.” You nodded and he checked his watch, which was on his wrist timepiece in over his sweater. 

“You know, it’s almost dinner time. Why don’t you come over after your run and have a meal with my wife and I? Our godchildren are all busy and we could use a young face in the house for dinner.” You smiled, thinking mostly about the idea of a home cooked meal that wasn’t mac n cheese.

“Sure! What time should I come by?” He gave you a time and asked if you had any allergies before shooing you off to run and calling his wife. 

After your run you showered quickly, putting on jeans and a nice shirt before pocketing your keys and phone, walking across the lawn and knocking on the Reids’ front door. 

A pretty woman opened the door and smiled. 

“You must be (Y/N). I’m Kayla, it’s nice to meet you.” You reciprocated, presenting a bouquet of flowers you’d bought at a farm stand half a mile away from the house. 

“Come on in.” Dinner was baked fish with pasta and potatoes and both adults insisted that you call them by their first names, Spencer and Kayla.

“So what do you want to do in college, (Y/N)?” Kayla asked. Conversation had turned out to be easy with them, where most adults would be stiff, they were happy to have you over and you could see how much they loved each other just by how they glanced over to one another. 

“Uhm, I’m not sure yet. I’m sure I’ll figure it out soon though. What do you two do?” 

“I’m a pediatric nurse and Spencer teaches at the university.” You nodded.

“What do you teach?” Spencer leaned back in his chair and Kayla stifled a smirk, it was a sign that Spencer would be talking for a while, and god knew how long he could talk about his job for. 

“Criminal psychology, calculus, and engineering on occasion.” Your mouth just about fell open.

“All of those? Are you a genius or something?” Spencer was going to say something, but Kayla cut in.

“He doesn’t believe that intelligence is quantifiable, but he is a genius, even by those standards.” Spencer made a face and Kayla laughed. 

“Hie version was much longer. He used to be an FBI agent as well.” 

“Kay!” he complained. 

“Woah, an FBI agent? Like spies and stuff?” Spencer laughed. 

“No, more like bureaucracy and stuff. I was part of the Behavioral Analysis Unit.” 

“Wait they’re the ones that catch the serial killers right?” Spencer nodded and you stared in amazement. 

“Your job was to catch serial killers and now you’re a professor. Why did you change jobs?” Spencer smiled and nodded at Kayla. 

“This one was very worried about my safety and I was already teaching part time.” You nodded, understanding. 

“Do you want to see some pictures?” You nodded, helping Kayla put the plates in the kitchen, despite her insistence that you didn’t. Then all of you sat down in the living room, which had wall to wall bookshelves on two walls, and Spencer pulled down three albums. He showed you pictures of his team, some of the cases they worked, and his god children (three boys and one girl). 

“These are our wedding photos. We were so tight on time that we had it in our backyard with just our team and Kayla’s family.” Kayla was blushing, pushing Spencer around and you smiled. You wanted to have a love like that one day.

“You seem to lead fun lives,” you said. 

“Once you find something you love to do and someone you love to be around, everything else is overcome.” 

“Even Mexican prison,” Spencer said, matter of factly.

“Spencer Reid!” Kayla hit him with a pillow and he laughed.

“Thank you for dinner,” you said, getting up, “And thank you for telling me about your lives.” 

“Aw, well at least we’ll have a reason to persuade the god children back to visit us.” Your eyebrows knit together. 

“Oh I know a choice boy who would like to meet you.” 

“Me?” 

“Yes, dear. Now go on, it’s getting late,” Kayla said, getting up and putting out her hand for Spencer. He got up and you noticed his slight limp.

“Off to bed now, (Y/N). See you soon,” Spencer said, opening the door for you. You waved as you walked out and turned back as you reached your front door. Both of them were standing on the front stoop and Spencer was pointing at something in the sky. Kayla looked up and Spencer stole a kiss. Both of them smiled and went back inside.

[changsunie]

hey! how was the 24k concert!!

omg girl you don’t even know……… btw i’m rly sorry in advance for how messy this answer is going to be bc i have a lot of feelings abt the concert and i’m still not okay and if i only talk about hui i’m sorry but he was all i looked at the whole time i legit don’t remember seeing some of the members for more than 3 seconds oop

it was so good, like REALLY good. they did all their title songs, performed other people’s songs like bang bang bang and when hui did top’s verse i changed like top who??? i only know liang hui. they also did performances by units, vocal (jinhong, kisu, cory, hui), hip hop (cory, jeonguk) and performance (hongseob, jeonguk, chansung) and they were all great but the performance unit slayed my entire existence, it was so amazing, they’re so talented i felt so proud watching them. vocal unit did a sexy song and the outfits oh my sweet baby jesus wow they were these black shirts and jeans, hui wore a choker and everything and i died he pretty much only harmonized and snapped his fingers for the whole performance but it was amazing, life changing, revolutionary

also, like i’ve already said, i only looked at hui for the whole concert but here’s some things abt the members

kisu is EXTRA, do you know the definition of extra??? it’s kisu. he kept lip bitting, body rolling, taking off his jacket, he was soso extra and i lived for it

cory was so nice, he’s really idol material. he was so nice to the fans, in the middle of the concert they asked three people to go on stage and dance to bingo and one of them was rly young and messed up but he kept trying to make her feel more comfortable and have fun, he was precious i love him

changsun is so cute, ppl said he left in the middle of the hitouch for a little and apparently he was crying?????? but idk i only had the standard ticket so i didn’t see anything, i hope he’s okay tho i don’t want him sad :((( besides that, he’s rly cute live! i always thought he was adorable but in person he’s even cuter, i only saw him for a few seconds but i looked at him when he was smiling and i felt healed, it was one of the most beautiful things i have ever seen

jeonguk was serving looks the whole concert tbh he also goes rly hard when he’s performing and he does tons of aegyo it was great

hongseob is the cutest i’d die for him tbh i didn’t look at him that much except when it was his part during the songs but he’s v cute and my friend says he kept licking his lips so she was struggling the whole concert but i only saw that once so i survived also ABS!!!!!!!!!!!!! that dude is a child and his abs are a work of art i didn’t even expect him to have them but he does girl he rly does…..

i’ll just be honest now and say i only saw jinhong for a second the whole concert, i don’t rly remember anything about him, but he looked cute, he’s so pretty, it was nice

hui wrecked me, 90% of the reason i went to this concert was just to look at him. i LOVE him, i always have. ever since i saw this dude’s face i knew daeil was gonna lose his place as my 24k bias and after this concert i’m pretty sure my love for him multiplied by a thousand, i’m honestly not okay. he looked SO good, he was serving looks the whole time. he kept smirking at some people in the front and i’m guessing they were his stans bc he seems like the type to only do fanservice for his stans and i died every single time, i had one of those led banner apps and i used it to write his name and i held up my phone with his name for the whole damn concert my arms were aching but bithc it was so worth it in the beginning of the concert he waved in my direction but i wasn’t sure if it was for me even tho i was the one waving at him for the whole time bc i couldn’t see where his eyes were looking at so i kept trying to wave at him and during one of the break times when someone else was talking i was waving at him with my phone in the other hand and he smiled a little at me and waved and i didn’t stop waving so i guess he thought i didn’t know it was for me so he pointed at me and he was smiling the whole time and bithc that was the best moment in my whole life, the 17 years i’ve lived were all for this moment, every time i think about it i start crying i’m so extra wow i just love my man so much anyways hui served looks, sang, rapped and danced, he also said hi and thank you and portuguese and wow king of singing, rapping and dancing, language god, the inventor of the portuguese language i was alive he also spoke a little in korean and it didn’t sound awkward at all his korean keeps getting better and i’m so proud also this is completely random but he’s hella white, everyone else has this beautiful tanned skin but he’s WHITE, it was crazy also his lips are my religion they’re beautiful and idk what he had on his lips but i want it too he needs to hook me up

anyways, if you’re going to a 24k concert and wanna know actual important or useful information just message me or send me an ask any time and if you wanna know more abt a certain member i’ll ask my friends or try to remember something else for you, again, i’m sorry this got so long but yeah, liang hui completely owns my ass and the concert was lit, stan 24k

[tragicbooks]

Pets are becoming social media managers to inspire pet lovers to adopt.

They're doing their part to find homes for shelter pets across America.

Three years ago, I decided to adopt a cat from a shelter, and it changed my life completely.

I had debated doing it for years before actually walking the two-and-a-half blocks over to my local shelter, and now I wish I hadn't waited so long.

I stepped into the crowded pet viewing room and almost immediately locked eyes with not one, but two tiny tiger kittens, one gray and one orange, sitting quietly in the same cage.

I couldn't believe how steadily they held my gaze, and when I asked to pick them up, one climbed up my arm and perched on my shoulder, while the other snuggled under my chin.

That was it.

I went into the shelter with the intention of taking home one cat — and left with two.

Oh lord, what have I done? Photo via Ally Hirschlag.

Today, because I was open to it, I am the proud parent of two gorgeous cat siblings named Bill and Vespa, who fill every day with joy and laughter.  

Hug or chokehold? Tough call.

Bill and Vespa found their family, but there are millions of other pets who are still waiting at shelters and rescue groups for theirs.

And at the same time, there are an average of 29 million prospective pet parents looking to acquire a cat or dog each year. If fewer than 10% of them choose to adopt a pet, all the dogs and cats currently in shelters and rescue groups will find homes.

"We only need to find homes for fewer than 2 million pets each year — that's just a small fraction of the total number of pets who will be acquired in that same year," Mary Ippoliti-Smith, spokesperson for the pet rescue group Maddie's Fund®, a family foundation created to revolutionize the status and well-being of companion animals, writes in an email. "We're almost there, and every adoption gets us closer."

So how can we help reduce this number even further? Shelter pets themselves might be the answer.

What if shelter pets could use social media to showcase their friends to pet-seekers and help these amazing dogs and cats get adopted?

"Tell me more." Photo by Rex Sorgatz/Flickr.

That's the brilliant idea behind the Social Paws initiative — a brainchild of The Ad Council, The Humane Society of the United States, Maddie's Fund, and J. Walter Thompson New York.

These three organizations established The Shelter Pet Project in 2009 to make shelters and rescue groups the first choice and preferred method for those looking to acquire a pet. With the Social Paws initiative, dogs and cats from shelters and rescue groups act as social media managers, creating cute, funny posts for The Shelter Pet Project’s social media channels. With these posts, dogs and cats are demonstrating how amazing shelter pets are and encouraging people to adopt.

Here's how it works:

Thanks to social media-savvy pets like the ones above, adopted pets everywhere have a voice. Sometimes all it takes is a look to know they're meant to be yours.

When you choose to adopt a pet, you're not only making their life infinitely better, you're making your life better too.

Just look at these happy customers:

Rescue animals often do well together, unless of course you neglect Lucy the Princess cat.

Standard morning since #maxtheamazing came home. #Lucytheprincesscat is never happy when she's not the center of attention. #lovethatmax #lucyiscutetoo #rescuedog #rescuecat #rescuedogsofinstagram #dogsofinstagram #catsofinstagram

A post shared by Max the Mutt (@muttcalledmax) on Jun 23, 2017 at 8:16am PDT

Nighttimes are always better with a fluffy cuddle buddy.

Happy #flashbackfriday everyone! We were tagged by @dashandvinnie for the #selfiewithmyhooman challenge and our pawrents think we're cuter than them (I mean DUH, just look at us! 😹) so we don't have a ton of selfies with them but this is my favorite picture of my momma and I right after they adopted me! Look at my belly floof!! I allowed snuggles and kissies for 0.7 seconds before I jumped away to play with dad. #toocuteformyowngood #cutestillgetsmeoutoftrouble #exceptwithsisfur😹😹 . #fbf #tabby #tabbycat #tabbycatsrule #tabbysofinstagram #tabbycatsofinstagram #catsofminneapolis #catsoninstagram #catsofinstagram #catstagram #rescue #rescuecat #rescuesofinstagram #rescueismyfavoritebreed #tabbykitten

A post shared by Gunnar 💙 & Benelli ❤️ (@originalsasshole) on Jun 23, 2017 at 8:31am PDT

Adorable or adorably guilty?

Source @toretto.the.staffy Click the link on our Bio 🖙 @Staffordshire.Bull.Terrier 🖘 to get your 🐶🐾 #pawesome 🐾🐶 👕 & Hoodies now! We provide international shipping! 🗺📦 Looking for a shoutout? tag #StaffordshireBullTerrier_feature on your pic! 📸 Like and tag your Staffordshire Bull Terrier loving friends below! Make sure you hit follow for daily pics! #pitbulllove #pitbullnation #pitbullsofinstagram #staffordshirebullterrier #staffy #bullymix #pitmix#doglove #doglover #doglovers #dogsofig #pets #puppy #puppies #cute #animal

A post shared by Staffordshire.Bull.Terrier (@staffordshire.bull.terrier) on Jun 23, 2017 at 8:57am PDT

A cat makes the best yoga companion.

Have to get it in before his little is here. D26, UY Vitality. #camelvariation #camelpose #namaste #yogaeverydamnday #yogastreak #yogi #veteran #yoga #streak #streakwithjocelyn #tattooedveteran #tattooedmom #momlife #catsofinstagram #rescuecat #nike #motivation #inspiration #yogacat

A post shared by Jocelyn Williams (@yogivet8) on Jun 23, 2017 at 7:52am PDT

This is what best friends look like.

#flashbackfriday my Lil homie and me #friends #dogs #dogsofinstagram #rescuedog #rescuedogsofinstagram #photooftheday #pet

A post shared by Buddy Dog (@buddydogsandiego) on Jun 23, 2017 at 8:44am PDT

Who says your baby has to be human?

#dogbaby #rescuedog

A post shared by Bowmaning (@keldabowman) on Jun 23, 2017 at 8:42am PDT

Super Cat!

Sweet kitten. He's no guard dog, he couldn't keep the home invaders away, but he's always up for snuggles and belly rubs. #nofilter #catsofinstagram #kitten #rescuecat #sweetcat #orange #tabby #workathome

A post shared by Dana (@danaspaperflowers) on Jun 23, 2017 at 7:31am PDT

Take your dog to work day.

Giving Cutler a break from shelter life for #takeyourdogtoworkday 🐶 #dogs #dogsofinstagram #rescuedog #senior #adoptabledogs

A post shared by Rebecca Williams (@rebeccajwilliams90) on Jun 23, 2017 at 8:28am PDT

This pet owns his human as much as his human owns him.

Louie hangin' out 😻😻 #Louie #furbaby #rescuecat #rhondastreasures #ragdollx

A post shared by Jessica Stanford (@honey_139) on Jun 23, 2017 at 2:33am PDT

And it's not just about the happiness that endless snuggles can bring. Adopting a pet can have many other significant benefits too.

"Sharing our lives with pets has been shown to reduce allergies, lower blood pressure, help people get more exercise, feel more connected, and even contributes to shorter recovery times from surgery and illness," Ippoliti-Smith explains. "Add that to the joy of giving a second chance to a pet who needs one, and it's probably the best decision any of us will ever make."

The pets also get the opportunity to become the best version of themselves. Their personalities blossom when they're with a human family who loves them. You can see that clearly in all the personal adoption stories on The Shelter Pet Project's website.

If you've been thinking about adopting a furry friend, don't get cold feet.

Take it from a fellow shelter pet owner — the leap of faith will be worth it.

My husband, Mark, and our cat children. Photo by Ally Hirschlag.

For anyone who wants to start looking, you can search your local shelters using this helpful tool from The Shelter Pet Project. And if you have questions or concerns, you can always reach out to the organization from which you're interested in adopting.

Together we can easily empty out the shelters and rescue groups across the country. All it takes is a few simple steps to meet your new best friend.

*This article was written by Upworthy contributor Ally Hirschlag.