#so inherently that's gonna throw up defenses

[truecorvid]

starting to suspect that i am not very good at engaging in open/honest/non judgmental conversations on the internet actually

[sepublic]

So there's gonna be chaos after Belos' death, and people are going to need structure, they're going to look to for guidance. So I can see people temporarily resuming the coven system form of government for the sake of simplicity, until they can all repair and then figure stuff out. So given what we've seen of Terra, Adrian, and Vitimir, what if they tried to run for election as the new Emperor of the Boiling Isles; Everyone was betrayed and targeted by Belos, so it's easy and not really untrue to hide under the defense that they also didn't know better and meant well.

I'm just imagining it now; The Coven Heads agreeing to an election to prevent a messy war, competing over the role of new, interim Emperor, and vying for control in a mostly-legitimate way. Adrian obsesses over getting his campaign videos and presentations right, but his notoriety as a bad and incompetent boss quickly spreads and he becomes like that Jeb Bush meme. Hettie Cutburn utilizes her E-girl status and understanding of social media to cultivate a decent following.

Given Abomatons were present during the failed sabotage, I like to think they have the ability to record footage, and Alador released the footage of the CATTs trying to prevent the draining spell to give them validity. Mason would've been a popular candidate, being seen as a witch of the people, but he's not sure if he can trust his own judgment after misplacing his trust in Belos; So instead he throws his support behind the CATTs. There’s accusations of staged footage but some people were able to notice the commotion from below, and Mason’s support adds trust, but of course others like Terra and Vitimir will attempt to discredit.

Osran is forced to drop out early from the election because everyone places particular responsibility and thus blame on him for failing to predict Belos' treachery. Kikimora would've attempted to run for election given her previous role as Belos' right hand, and bring up the fact that she saved everyone by introducing King to the Collector; However, the kids at Hexside made sure to keep her in the dungeons to prevent this. And thank goodness for that, as she considered spinning the narrative that the draining spell was only because of the CATTs’ sabotage, and that Belos is being slandered (so as his confidant Kikimora can preserve his image to hitchhike on it).

In the end, at least one of the CATTs is elected (maybe Darius since Eber is fairly nonverbal and Raine has stage fright), and there's a bit of awkwardness in that a lot of citizens don't consider the idea of a dictator to be inherently flawed, and are assured that this new one is an actual good guy so there's nothing to worry about; So then you have the CATTs using their power to pass legislation that lessens it, and results in the council system that the writers confirmed as canon.

Technically, nothing's saying Raine, Darius, and Eberwolf are the ONLY members of our confirmed council (signified by their Titan badges); For all we know, Hettie, Mason, and Osran are included given they're not depicted among the coven heads who clung to the old structure for power. Just because they didn't show up in the epilogue doesn't necessarily mean they aren't up to anything; It's just that Doylistically speaking, the epilogue is meant to check up one final time on characters the audience was actually introduced to and thus familiar with!

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Sword gays showdown, round 1 of bracket one

Several different versions of Zorro were submitted, I decided to count them as one guy. I don't know enough about him to judge if there are any significant differences between those versions.

Propaganda:

For Zhou Zishu:

he has a magical sword that bends called a whip sword! he keeps it around his slutty waist! it's one of three legendary magical swords made by the (formerly) immortal "ghost hand" swordsmith! his love interest uses it to make dick jokes!

he's an unmatched swordsman that created and led a secret assasin organization and then he retired to get drunk and be gay. he's never lost a fight unless he was at ½ or less of his power (he got terminally ill for a hot second) and the only person that compares to his skill is his husband, the former leader of the ghost valley. he's so babygirl and so gorgeous and so swordy.

he's got a special little bendy sword and he's my girlfriend (don't tell his husband)

He's already super dangerous with just his hands and random objects he picks up (from a stone Buddha statue he throws at a bunch of assailants in early chapters to flinging a clothes button right /through/ a man's wrist), but once he pulls out a sword, you know it's for real. He's gonna disarm a dozen people in a few seconds - as in, literally, he cut off a bunch of people's arms because they were trying to kill his bf, - or cut a "十" into someone's throat. He's especially hot... ahem, proficient with his personal sword, Baiyi, which is a soft sword - allowing it to pass defenses by bending in motion. Very fitting for a sneaky assassin & spy like Zhou Zishu!

For Zorro:

Has been an iconic swordsman for over half a century. Ask any Spanish-speaking person and they'd tell you how loved he is. Has strong bisexual energy regardless of which version of him you're watching. His mask is very cool.

An entire arc is just him wondering about the risk/benefit balance of coming out (being able to openly be with the one he loves, but at the cost of lifelong danger for himself and everyone who associates with him). The inherent queerness of secret identities. The also inherent queerness of hiding your real self and opinions from everyone except your closest friend, only for your parent to later admit they knew about it for a long time and just waited for you to be ready to tell them. The swordiness? Being one of the best swordsmen around is fundamental to every version of Zorro. He's so famously known for being good with a sword that One Piece translators were worried their Zoro character would be mixed up with him so they changed that other guy's name to Zolo.

Zorro = Fox in Spanish

All you need is a gif of him making the 'Z' with his sword

[chubbyheadquarters]

Monkey King Reborn

Genre: Romantic

Pronouns: Gender-Neutral

TW/CW: None

Character(s): Sun Wukong-Monkey King

Just some headcanons that I wrote way last year that I never got around to posting. Oops-

So-👀 My little dumb brain is like-what if, in the movie, since Sandy has his knowledge, Wukong is the muscle and speed and Tripitaka is the center of the group-Why not have a healer/protector?

You, a seemingly normal child, who was bullied for their weight and told that you'd never make it anywhere, awaken your powers when helping a merchant passing by your village. They got hurt, and with your caring nature and panic at the moment, awakened the power within you. People in your village raved about you, sweeping all the bullying and harassment they did to you under the rug and begging for your help.

You agreed for a price. After all, in this cruel world, you only had yourself. Very quickly, people got greedy and even wanted to marry you off since your children had the chance to inherent your powers, which disgusted you. At one point, you just got up and left, never wanting to return. These people weren't savable, nor did you want to help them.

After leaving and wandering on your own, you meet the gang. Tang Sanzang, who had just started his journey and needed another human around, was happy to have you on board, ready to teach you what he knows. The bond you two build is one of siblings. He, the strict yet gullible brother, and you, the more realistic but still kind sibling.

Of course, you meet the others. Sandy, the cute and wholesome water demon. He'll tell you all about the books he has, from myths and stories to demon knowledge. It's adorable how invested he is, and he's happy that you listen. Nerdy friend + supportive bff. You also think it's cute when he's excited or shocked and a bubble leaves his mouth.

Pigsy, the perverted and cocky pig demon. Of course, he sees you and he's drooling. Trying to flirt but quickly getting rejected by you. Every once in a while, he pulls through, which you appreciate, but your relationship with him is aquantices at best.

And then, there's Wukong. He sees you and, like the other beings he's encountered, doesn't really notice you. I mean, you're different from all the women he's seen before his entrapment, being more curvy, and you've got a warm aura, but that's about it? He doesn't really get why you're traveling with them. You just seem...so defenseless? Weak? Way too kind to just be kind.

He's got his eye on you. Thinking that he's gonna catch you doing something bad and call you out. But as time goes by, he realizes that you're...just a nice person, much to his shock. You never ask for anything in return, and you're always happy to help them out.

Let's say that he takes an interest, say when you use your powers. Whether to protect him from an attack with your barriers or when you heal a bad wound of his. He hasn't seen many with your abilities, what with everyone usually just fighting it out. It's a bit interesting, but he still thinks you could learn some self defense.

Your kindness towards him is...strange. He's so used to everyone blowing him off, throwing insults and hate his way, cursing his birth. But you cheer for him when he kicks ass. Compliment him when he finds food and water. And when the others, really just Zhu Bajie, start throwing him under the bus, you're there to defend him. You do scold him, but definitely not as much as everyone else, and when you do, you always do so as calmly as you can and tell him that you're worried about him.

He does notice that, for as kind as you are, you are a bit...distrustful towards people, keeping them at a distance until proven to be an ally or a good being. If they know about your powers, you keep a greater distance from them. It baffles him because you're on good terms with everyone on the team.

When you tell him about your past, since he's a nosy motherfucker, he starts to understand WHY. People have taken advantage of your powers, your kindness and belief that not everyone will use you, but you've pretty much been proven wrong. So when you say that you're thankful to have met them, and that they're the closest thing you've ever had to friends, he's...touched. The fact that you consider him a friend and never try to hide it makes him feel...less alone in the world.

If he ever finds out about the bullying and the people who did it, especially because of your weight, he'll keep it in his mind for later. 'You're pretty wtf???''Well, sucks for them, they missed out on a hot s/o'. He thinks in his mind. He'll visit them and teach them a lesson. Will he ever tell you? Hell no. That's a secret for him and only him to know.

In battle, you two become an absolute unit. You heal, he takes care of the enemies and you defend each other. He really likes the synergy you've built, like you can read each other's movements and just...flow with one another. He knows that if anything, you'll have his back, like he'll have yours.

When he compliments you, you know you're getting closer. He doesn't compliment just anyone, and is only directed that those he REALLY cares about. So even if it doesn't sound super cheerful or cheesy, know that him complimenting you means he likes you. "Not bad. I've never seen something like that." "Thanks Wukong!" Cue blushing monkey.

He'll unknowingly get soft for you, sitting a bit closer, sharing some of his water or food, keeping a closer eye on you in case danger appeared. It isn't until one of the members, maybe Sha Wujing or Zhu Bajie point it out, that he actually starts to think about it. My man starts going through the stages of grief.

Denial is his strongest stage. Why!? He's Sun Wukong! The strongest demon to exist! He doesn't need love! Then he'll start getting angry at himself for getting "soft". He's a demon for heaven's sake! He doesn't FEEL! At one point, he'll start bargaining with himself about how maybe it's the QUALITIES you hold.

The depression be hitting hard when he finds out it's YOU he likes. Don't get him wrong! It's not that there's anything wrong with you, it's just-he's used to being alone. He's never loved anyone, especially like this! Love is seen as a weakness, and now that he WAS IN LOVE-He was worried. He was scared for you-Not that he'd ever admit it. It doesn't help that he's immortal and you're not. Eventually, he half-accepts it. He just needs to be 1000% sure.

When y'all arrive at the Temple and he finds out about the manfruit-Say goodbye to your human years, cause you're gonna eat it. No ifs, ands or buts. He'll feed it to you if he has to. Don't test him. He's not taking no for an answer. In his mind, he's accepted that he enjoys your company, mainly because you take his side and you're literally the light of his life. He still doesn't want to admit how soft he's gone for you. He's such a tsundere I swear to god-

BDJSBSJBSJSNSBSJ-

When Yuandi is released and you're traveling with Fruitie, he sees your bond with the Qi Energy as...kinda cute. Fruitie seems so comfortable around you and you let them talk away, asking questions every once in a while. And you save Wukong the trouble of getting pissed on.

Imagine when you're all fighting against the demons, Wukong is worried about you, looking to see if you're alright every second he can. He knows you're capable, but he's...he's scared to lose you. But it gets even worse when Yuandi-When this dude roles up and starts tossing y'all around-

Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing are killed, and both you and Wukong are the only thing between him and Fruitie. You're doing everything you can to protect them, using all your energy to keep them safe. You don't want to lose anyone else-you can't-BUT THEN YOU'RE KILLED WITHOUT MERCY AND- 😢😭

Wukong, weak and close to passing out, takes your hand in his. Feeling the warmth leave it breaks his fuCKING HEART OML THIS MAN IS WEEPING FOR YOU- 💔 It isn't until you and the others are revived and next to him that he's truly okay, and without any hesitation, sweeps you into his arms and doesn't let go. You and the others are surprised by the open affection, but you return it none the less.

It isn't until you guys have said your goodbyes to Fruitie and arrived at a safe place to take a breather that he just confesses his feelings for you. It's randomly thrown out there, with the only indication of it happening being the small hue of red on his cheeks and refusal to look you in the eyes.

If you have self confidence issues and ask him if he's sure, he's looking at you, questioning if you heard what he just said. Of course he's sure! He spent all this time making sure, and now that he's accepted it, he's giving you his heart! Not just anyone can do that! It just proves how special you are! But after talking it out, you two eventually get together.

Gifts? Honey, good luck with that-He's so fucking clueless about it that it's kinda cute at times. He's a monkey. He's been surrounded by monkeys. Yeah, he's been around humans, but he's not asking them about human courting and gift giving. If he knew that he was gonna meet you, he would have asked a few questions, but that's about it.

The best he can do right now is flowers and small trinkets he finds along the way that he thinks you'll like. The fact that you enjoy them even though it's another simple flower or trinket, it makes his heart skip a beat. Zhu Bajie had the audacity to question why one day, but your sweet answer saved the pig demon from a beating. "It's BECAUSE they're from him. He's doing his best, and that's all I could ever ask for." Cue blush.

Hug this man! Give him pets and cuddles please this grumpy monkey needs it-😭 Hold his hand when he starts getting mad, it calms him down and he'll hold it back once he's cooled off. Hug him when he's done something good! Pet him when he's tired or bored, that'll get him purring and falling asleep in no time. Of course, this man is a tsundere, so he'll prefer it with just the two of you and without the teasing. You get it though, and always ask for consent, which he highly appreciates. So when it's just you two, he's all over you and adamantly refuses to let go.

If anyone even THINKS to flirt with you-Meet him out back, hands are up and he's ready to throw them for you. If anyone actually DOES, he'll give them the dirtiest glare. And people run away, never to be seen around you again. NOW-If a fool has the guts to actively flirt with you after that-oh boy 😔 They better have their funeral set up cause he's putting them in it.

But if anyone even dares to insult you and call you names. 👁👄👁 They have reached their expiration date on life and are now on their way to the Netherworld. They will not be spared and will not be forgiven, even if YOU forgive them. You deserve respect-after all, you're his queen, and as your king, it's his duty to protect you.

[vyrantium]

hi!! 25, 30 and 68 for leyla from the tav asks🥰

Tav Asks

25. Does your Tav have any biases against other classes or races?

Leyla inherently trusts druids. Straight up. She always assumes good intentions from them, she grew up in nature and surrounded by druidic magic, so she feels connected to them.

Leyla also loves meeting other wizards. She doesn't trust them like she does other druids, but she loves having conversations with them. They can learn things from each other, which she appreciates! It's also easy to learn what not to do by meeting other wizards.

Also. It was a joke during her campaign that Leyla was only attracted to clerics. I will not comment on if it's accurate or not.

Other than that, she doesn't really have any biases for classes or ancestries!

30. How does your Tav react when someone insults their friend/partner?

Leyla, despite being a squishy wizard, is ready to throw down if someone insults someone she cares about. She won't stand for it, unless it was really deserved because her friend/partner was being an ass. She has enough wisdom to not start throwing punches immediately all the time... But she daydreams about it. She uses her words as weapons more often instead. She's said some vicious stuff in her time. She's probably burned a few bridges because of it, but she doesn't care. No one insults her friends and gets away with it.

68. How does your Tav get along with each party member?

OH BOY HERE WE GO. Gonna go in order that she met them! Under a cut since this is going to be pretty long... Gonna only do the origin party members for now but I might add the others later if there's interest!

Lae'zel initially scared her quite a bit. Leyla was still reeling quite a bit from getting a tadpole inserted into her brain and Lae'zel can be quite forceful. In time Leyla came to appreciate her dedication and her will, and feels terrible what she had to go through growing up. She was ready to fight a god on her behalf.

When she first met Shadowheart, she wasn't quite sure what to do with her, since she obviously wasn't trying to be too open about her past... But also, Leyla had studied the gods from a young age, and it wasn't too hard to place the holy symbol of Shar she had plastered all over her things. Still, Leyla played along and pretended she didn't know until Shadowheart was ready. And she was glad she did, as Shadowheart ended up becoming a very good friend after everything.

Her intuition told her to trust Astarion. Even though she really probably shouldn't have, given everything he'd done in the first few days of knowing each other. But something about his demeanor told her that this was a defense mechanism. Leyla didn't appreciate him constantly questioning his decisions at the start, even though in time she started to understand why. Overall they weren't the best of friends, but she hopes he's able to live a happier life now that he's free to do with it what he wishes.

Leyla was immediately charmed by Gale. She knows a wizard when she sees one, and his ramblings when he first fell out of the portal onto her were delightful. She loves talking magic with him and is happy to listen to him speak about the things he's passionate about. He reminds her of Traven in a way, which was both comforting and painful in the beginning. It's no wonder she fell for him.

Speaking of falling for. Leyla had a crush on Wyll for the longest time. She loves dancing, so they quickly became dance partners! It ended up not working out between them, but she still cares for him platonically. Honestly, he's probably her closest male friend of the group.

Leyla adores Karlach's intensity. She's got a love for life that Leyla strives to meet. Also... Don't leave these two alone if you know what's good for you. Absolute chaos if left unsupervised. Leyla's common sense plummets when she's alone with Karlach and they would absolutely get up to wild shit that could get them both injured.

Bonus: Alfira is Leyla's best friend. From the moment they met, they clicked. She wasn't able to travel with them because Leyla didn't want her to be in harms way, but after the Absolute was dealt with? They spent so much time with each other.

[system-of-a-feather]

I want to thank you for writing about your persecutor. I don't have DID but the way I handled the abuse was by becoming very mean and, well, "evil", and it worked! The abuse didn't stop but it became less severe. Ad it has been awful to unlearn the behaviors that saved me. Combined with the shame, it makes me hate myself most days. It feels better when I see other people having the same experiences. ❤️

(gonna just put a disclaimer that I am probably saying shit that isn't the "most healthy" at some point cause I'm not giving a shit and my filter is kinda off so like, I'm kinda just speaking my mind, good shit and bad, so like, obligatory "I have an egosyntonic disorder and I'm speaking my mind so theres probably Disordered Stuff here but idgaf enough to do more than put a disclaimer on here"; I think I might start using the tag "pd hours" if anyone wants to filter that)

I technically don't consider myself a persecutor even though I have persecutory tendencies, but that aside glad to share. Tbh I run on the life principles of hide nothing and never sacrifice your own self for the sake of others or anything, so I'm unapologetic for who I am, sometimes to a point people might call it a problem, but quite frankly that mentality was key and vital in the past and has been serving our healing and recovery massively.

We have another part in our system that ran a similar function and dynamic but they have a history of actually feeling shame around it due to how the systems previously treated it and honestly, if you are feeling the same, then Ill say what I said to them and tell you that you really dont have to and shouldnt have to feel that guilt and shame for survivng effectively in a way and environment that was inherently abnormal and abusive.

Fuck the narratives of shit like "eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind" and crap. 9/10 times it comes from people who haven't lived through the shit themselves and like to judge what they think they would do in the situation cause they have a moral high horse, and that 1/10 times that it comes from another survivor it comes from someone who coped and survived in a different manner and is on a high horse as a defensive "us vs them" mentality (ex "narcissistic abuse"). And if its not either of those two groups, fucking bitchasses didn't live through the same shit I did and don't know what the fuck they are talking about regarding my life and should keep their fucking noses out of it.

If there is anything I learned from surviving what we did, it's that my life is here for me (collective) to live. If anyone that isn't a part of "me" wants a say or judge in my fucking life and life story then they can quite frankly go stick their nosey noses up theirs and fucking leave. If people can't respect the fucking strength that comes from surviving that crap just because you "uwu became mean" then they can really just fucking get lost

Don't let anyone fucking make you apologize for living and being alive, and as a result, dont let anyone fucking make you be sorry that you did shit and learned to be a way that kept you alive. Your life is yours to live and you have a right to do what it takes to defend it.

Like political XIV moment here, but any person that runs a system (not DID, just like general term 'system') that puts people in a place where they have to struggle to survive, that said person should expect misbehavior, lashing out, and a sense of chaos and instability. People struggling to survive will inherently fight back and anyone who thinks that is wrong is just fucking stupid. Its a natural thing to do and a natural instinct. Anger, rage and destruction is an adaptive response to people encroaching on your life, your boundaries, and your basic human rights and needs. If anyone fucks with any of those three, they should be expecting retaliation

You don't have to retaliate and those that don't are completely valid and that survival mechanism should be respected as long as they don't throw others under the bus, but anyone who tries to shame those for retaliating are honestly assholes I want nothing to do with cause lowkey radiating so much "me centric" capitalistic privilege.

But anyways, I digress.

Long story short, you don't need to feel like shit for surviving and being alive. Your life is yours to live and you have a right to defend that in whatever means is necessary. Anyone who says otherwise can shut the fuck up cause they don't know shit about you or your life, especially if you are working on fixing it.

Besides, evil and good and morally right and wrong is really just bullshit social constructs to control behavior and force assimilation but thats a whole separate ramble of mine.

-XIV

[your-dar-ling]

Why Penny is RWBY's Jesus

Don't look at me like that. You all knew it was coming. Yes the idea sounds ridiculous, but RWBY was made in America, primarily written by two cishet white guys. The show is at least culturally Christian. And! This post also doubles as a defense of Penny Polendina's writing, which means positive RWBY content on your dash! So are you gonna scoff at me or let me tell you why?

Well, it all starts with this image that I saw on IG one day. You don't have to read it all, I'm going to hone in on each important part.

Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

Jesus was born crucified. Whenever he became aware of who he was, he also became aware of what he had to do.

This pretty blatantly applies to Penny. She was born to protect Remnant and more specifically -- though this is only commonly accepted fanon -- to become a maiden, whose purpose is only fulfilled when they die. She understands this goal as her destiny. Let's unpack that.

RWBY's understanding of destiny is extremely culturally Christian. Everything on Remnant happens for a reason. This is baked into RWBY's text as a "story about stories." The writing of this show comes to embody this theme increasingly as it approaches its end, as the writers grow and change from their own real life experiences, and naturally improve upon their skills as the narrative progresses. And Penny as a character begins to see to see what role she plays in all of that too, so these themes become diegetic (I could make a billion posts about diegesis in RWBY). Pay attention to that quickening, to that hyperrealization of these themes. We're coming back to it.

RWBY's definition of "destiny" inherently implies The End™. Your "Final Goal." The last thing you do before you die. And everybody gotta die. Salem refuses to accept the death of her dear Ozma, and thus becomes immortal, stuck without a destiny. Without end. So as Salem is the obvious anti-Christ (I mean her name... c'mon), Penny becomes Jesus in her willingness to die.

And this is very important, and not rarely completely missed by those disparaging her story as shock value or fridging or what have you. Penny is WILLING to die. Her choice to die has ALWAYS been the thrust behind her character arc. Penny starts the show completely unconvinced that she is worthy of life at all, but her story in Volume 8 does end in that place; and she literally dies 4 separate times to prove it.

"The Father loves me, because I give up my life, so that I may receive it back again. No one takes my life from me, I give it up willingly!"

The show takes great care to show the difference between Penny's growing acceptance what her humanity means.

Penny spends Volumes 1-3 completely innocent. She is excited to be alive, and wants to forge her own path in the world, but no one values her as a person. She's genuinely shocked when Ruby affirms her personhood. And while her desire for self-determination is something that never fades, right now she is entirely unaware of the harsh realities of the world. Her life is taken from her simply because of the circumstances of who she is and where she was. Completely out of her control. She wanted to live, but did not get the chance.

Penny dies again in Volume 8 Chapter 5 (from henceforth writing these as #.#, so 8.5). She doesn't even make it a full two volumes this time. She doesn't actually "die" here, but it at this moment that her choice, her autonomy, what makes her human, is stolen away. She also falls a from a phbfgillion feet in the air in a flaming, apocalyptic meteor, so. I mean. Anyways this period of her character is marked by the desire to be someone else. She says herself in 8.2: "I was the Protector of Mantle, and now I am much more than that, and I wish I was not." Ruby says "You're still you, Penny," the poor thing, Bestie's depressed. She doesn't wanna be herself. She wishes to live, but as someone with less responsibility and purpose. But not so she can throw all her responsibilities away. Pfft, she's not Raven. It's just that the gravity of her position in the world is now at odds with her desire to protect others. But in any case, those that love her choose to support her decisions and allow her to make those choices, even if it means she dies...and she does, so.

Nnnot everybody is as supportive, and girl actually is suicidal now. This is the ultimate commodification of her person. Her worst fears have come true. She is being literally driven away from her own choices and also towards death, which is not helping with the ideation of it all. Death has officially become a desirable outcome to living, in her mind. She barely makes it half a volume before 8.11, wherein she asks Ruby, who assured her that she could never be anything but herself, to kill her ass and inherit her burden. But! Once again, with the support of those that love her (is it too late to start calling Team RRAYNBOWE her disciples? Add Maria, Winter, and Pietro and there's 12!), she is able to choose (!!) to be reborn as an official Real Girl ™, rid of her depression and completely ready to do what she always wanted to, which was just to protect folks.

The most tragic part of Penny's final death is that she can't do it herself. It isn't random, it isn't the result of who she is, or someone using her, or even necessity. It's a direct result of her own choice to turn around and fight, despite her loved ones' pleas, despite knowing she is meant to die, and this death would be final...and still. She can't do it herself. The real test of faith here is whether or not her family still believes in Penny's RIGHT to choose, even when they disagree with them. It's a very extremely philosophical example of that, but well, remember what I said about hyperrealization and the "quickening" of the story's pace? This is it. Not even 2 full chapters after the last death. And well, Jaune passes, at least. The point is, Penny is not suicidal here. Penny got to choose how she lived her life, including ending it by the hand of a friend. We are all human, which means we all have goals and hopes and dreams we want to achieve in life, which means, we all, on some level, have to want to die a little as well. It's the inevitable risk of life. At any moment, that could be it. Penny was only able to truly live once she accepted it, which is ironic because it seems like some of the audience can't even accept this fact, and Penny is LITERALLY FAKE.

But I'll empathize for a moment. I could see how someone could think, "Penny didn't get to choose anything! She got stabbed through the heart and was left with not enough time to be healed, Jaune was her only option outside of leaving things to fate entirely! That's not choice, that's just awful." And honestly? I'm inclined to agree. But here's the thing: even if Penny didn't get to choose how she lived her life, she gets to choose what it all means.

So call it what you wish: An act of grace. A martyr's sacrifice, but whatever you call it, don't call it an accident. Things did not just "happen" to Jesus. By following God's will, he changed our history. It was God's plan from the beginning.

Penny knew what her destiny was and she fulfilled it. She got Jaune to kill her because he was her only option, yes. But she also got Jaune to kill her because she wanted to die by a friend's hand instead of an enemy's, in the ultimate show of trust and vulnerability. She gives Winter the powers so that she could beat Cinder, yes. But she also gives Winter the power because "You were my friend." Mind you, she doesn't even know that Winter is alive. She just takes that risk because she WANTS Winter to have the chance to escape the cycle of duty and sacrifice that she herself couldn't more than anything. Do you understand how powerful this is???

So after after all this you might be wondering, "Who is God?" Oh if only you cod see the grin on my face. It's Penny. It's all Penny. She rejects Trinitarianism lol. After all, there are 4 versions of Penny, not 3: and 4 is the biblical number of creation (although: you take three 4's and you get the angel numbers, just like Penny is an "angel" watching over Penny, and the 12 "disciples" that watched over Penny herself, but that's a bit more tinfoil hat behavior than I'm used to)! So just as Jesus died for our sins, the world of Remnant is created in Penny's image. They call it "The Final Word" for a reason.

Amen.

[fanfic-me-up]

All The Colors We Cannot See {Bakugou x Reader}

Synopsis: He sees you in the colors that light the sky, and longs for you in the darkness that follows.

Pairing: Pro Hero! Bakugou Katsuki x fem! reader

Warnings: attempted suicide, suicidal thoughts, language

Word Count: 4k+

A/N: This took me like 9 months to complete, but it’s finally here. I didn’t completely stick to the request, but this is what came out. I still hope you like it! Banner made by my amazingly talented friend, go follow her @jm.rvice on instagram! 💖

💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

Blood pumps to his legs. Cement pounds his feet. Bits of rubble catch in his boots. The first spark of the night shoots up- swallowed whole by the black sky. A trail of embers remains in its wake. 

Katsuki stops. And waits.

A second passes- the crowd silent in anticipation. No one can see the spark, but everyone knows it’s there… waiting…  for the right time to explode. And just when the darkness thinks it has won, an enormous burst of light blankets the sky. In that moment, it’s so bright that Katsuki can see the skyline. Like paint splattered on a blank canvas, the sky now bleeds in red, and the explosion leaves an imprint the size of a supernova long after it’s gone. 

The crowd applauds. 

A roar is ripped from Katsuki’s throat. He pounds at the brick wall again and again, despite blood trickling down his fists. He rips his cochlear and smashes it against the wall. A sick satisfaction settles within him. The ringing that greets him is like a devil sucking on the lobe, whispering tempestuous nothings into his ear. 

Katsuki continues his ascent, taking steps by three until he reaches the top. The poor door is yanked off its hinges, but it doesn’t even cross Katsuki’s mind as he’s hit by everything all at once. Smoke slithers down his throat, roasted yakitori wafts up his nose, the rhythmic booms caress his ear, and the lavender shaded sky comforts his eyes. From up here, the people below remind Katsuki of the dots he used to see after he ignited a big explosion- how the dots blur, mix, and separate in one fluid motion again and again. 

His phone ringing is a distant echo. They’re looking for him no doubt, but who the hell cares. Not like they’d find him up here. This was yours and Katsuki’s place.

-------------------------------------------------------

He’d blow himself up if he missed even a second. 

His lungs burned. They ached for a clean breath, yet inhaled the stench of nitroglycerin-like sweat. He could’ve just blasted himself to the top and saved himself the trouble, but fuck. That. Katsuki thrived on a challenge. He loved the rush of adrenaline more than his own mother. (He’d never tell her that- she’d kill him before he reached this goddamn roof.)

He threw himself against the door in time to see the first burst of citrine hit the sky. But he also saw you, a trespasser, standing on the ledge and looking like you were about to kill yourself. You didn’t flinch at the sonic boom (like most people) nor cringe at the heat. It was like you thought the beauty outweighed its destruction. 

All that said you were fucking stupid.

“Oi! Get down from there!” 

You were immersed in skylight, and though your back was turned, Katsuki knew you were staring up in awe; your eyes reminiscent of glassy pools reflecting red, yellow, blue and all the possibilities they create. 

“Fuckin’ hell…” Katsuki muttered. He just wanted to enjoy the show in his spot. Alone. Like he did every year. “Oi, lady! You wanna kill yourself? Do it on some other roof dammit!” 

You jumped at the blasted words, losing your balance and falling off the ledge. Katsuki expected you to scream, to gasp, to cry... anything but fucking wink on your way down like playing with death is just some fucking game. But Katsuki had no time to think before he blasted himself across the roof to grab your hand- but you didn’t need it. You threw a safety line in mid-air, hooked it to the ledge with skillful precision, and used the leverage to hurl yourself back up. You landed on the ledge like a ballerina tip-toeing on a tightrope. The sheer turn of events rendered Katsuki speechless. 

 “Phew! That was fun! Let’s do it again sometime, yeah?” You wrapped the safety chord before bouncing up to Katsuki.

The fuck?

How did you…? 

 You didn’t seem to notice Katsuki’s loss for words.

“I’ve never met someone with a quirk like yours. You could put on your very own firework show!”

You tried grabbing his hand, but Katsuki’s growl stopped you. The flickers popping in his hands were a sign to back the fuck off.

You’re scared. Good, Katsuki thought.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m a bit of a pyro.” You sheepishly smiled, twirling a pink and yellow band around your finger. (You’d later twirl your wedding ring the same way.) 

Katsuki’s growl cut in its tracks. You weren’t scared like he thought, in fact, you looked lost in his sparks- your eyes zooming back and forth, trying to catch each and every one. Katsuki killed his sparks, causing you to look up at him in disappointment.

“I can’t. Mine don’t change color,” he muttered. 

Fireworks always fascinated Katsuki. As a child, he wished his explosions could change color. He imagined people looking up in awe when his sparks rained down. They’d recognize the power and the beauty.

“Hmm…color is what makes a firework...” you trailed off.

“No shit,” Katsuki snorted. How stupid are you? 

“Hold out your hands.” 

Katsuki crossed his arms, “No.”

“Oh, c’mon! Gimme your hands!” You bounced up and down, overcome with excitement. Katsuki stepped back but immediately stopped himself because Bakugou Katsuki never backs down. 

“I’m not giving you anything, woman. You’re fuckin’ weird for jumpin’ off roofs and asking for stranger’s hands. Stay the fuck away from me. In fact, this is my fuckin’ roof. Find your own.” Katsuki looked down to see his hands popping. It must’ve happened on instinct- a defense mechanism to scare off the extras who won’t leave him the fuck alone. 

Except it didn’t work on you. You only came closer. 

“Do you want to burn in color or not?” 

Katsuki saw flashes of himself in your eyes everytime a firework went off. A hunger burned in the pit of his stomach- one he’s felt countless times during battle, but this one was different. This strange warmth made him feel like jumping off the roof himself, and if he put all his might into it, he could brush the spark of a firework from fifty feet above.

“Yes,” he said. 

“Then you’re gonna have to trust me.”

“Trust you!?” Katsuki shook his head, “I don’t even know you!”

“That’s half the fun, isn’t it?” You giggled, “Now hold still.” 

Katsuki grumbled how ridiculous this was, and that whatever you tried wouldn’t work, but you ignored him in favor of pulling his hands and laying them face up. You nodded and Katsuki sighed, activating his quirk anyway because what the hell.

You’re entranced from the moment flickers popped, one by one, in his hands. They died as quickly as they were born, but still left their mark in the air. 

Katsuki’s sparks faltered as cool fingertips brushed against his wrist. 

“It’s okay, keep going,” you encourage, and he does. 

He can’t pinpoint exactly when the change happened. Like all change, he blinked and suddenly his sparks burned in color. Angry red, rooted in tormented crimson, ravished the usual, boring, orange of his sparks. 

Katsuki laughed in disbelief because how is this real? Yellow began to flicker in and out of the red, until it finally caught like a flame and engulfed the red like a warm blanket. Pink and light green began to swirl around the yellow, and the firework show Katsuki had been looking forward to all year didn’t hold a candle to the fireworks fluttering in the palms of his hands.

Katsuki looked up at you. 

Who the fuck are you? 

You giggled at his awed expression, “Our very own firework show.”

And that’s how you spent the rest of the night. His hands in yours while he burned in color for the first time.

Katsuki later discovered you could read emotions through auras. The aura becomes visible, allowing you to color a person’s quirk.

He also discovered that you didn’t need to hold his hand for it to work.

-------------------------------------------------------

A round of fireworks triggers the ringing in Katsuki’s ear. He throws his head back in ecstasy and prays the sensation tickles his eardrum for a little longer- enough to shut the part of his brain that keeps remembering you. 

Katsuki pulls the pistol out. The leather grip, so slick with sweat, that Katsuki has to wipe his hand to make sure he doesn’t accidentally set off his quirk. 

He’s not an amateur. He’s held a gun before. Every pro-hero has to undergo weapons training, but he’s never used one in combat. His quirk was always more than enough. But there’s something inherently dangerous about a gun. His quirk is an extension of himself, but a gun is a separate entity altogether- and it was designed to kill. 

Growing up, adults would praise Katsuki for his quirk. They’d say, “With a quirk like that, you’re destined to become a hero!” But they were still afraid to get too close. They saw his quirk as a weapon that was designed to destroy. And soon enough, Katsuki became the embodiment of just that. But he always felt incomplete. He wanted to be a hero like All Might. One that people looked up to- in awe of their power, not in fear of it.

That’s why he loved fireworks. The only explosion that makes people stop and stare, instead of running away, in fear for their lives.

You were the first and only person to see the beauty in his quirk.

-------------------------------------------------------

“What’s your favorite color?” 

Such a basic question that Katsuki should already have the answer to. But color meant so much more to you. You saw the world in a way that made everyone else seem colorblind. 

You twirled that same pink and yellow band around your finger as Katsuki twirled the ring in his pocket. You leaned in closer, basking in the warmth radiating from Katsuki. He watched how your eyes never left the sky, and he was content with missing the show if it meant he can watch you instead. He caught glimpses of you only when lit by a firework. He made sure not to blink during those moments else he’d miss you. Your expressions mixed and swirled as the fireworks continued, but you never lost the primary color of mesmerization painting your face.

“Blue,” you said. Katsuki had to lean in to listen; your voice an ember in a sea of fire. “But not sky blue like on a sunny day. It’s nice, but I much prefer the darker washes of blue, deep like sapphire.”

Blue, the color of sadness. 

“Why blue?” Katsuki asked. The ring in his pocket danced between his fingers.

You turned back to the fireworks. You always made sure to think before you speak when answering a question that mattered.

“Because there’s always an interesting story behind an aura of such sorrow, more importantly, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.”

“So your favorite color isn’t blue, it’s yellow,” Katsuki cut in, but you shook your head.

“There’s nowhere to go but down with yellow. Yellow is the epitome of brightness and joy, and when you crash during the high, you crash hard. But when you’re drowning in deep blue, as I’ve seen many people do, you’re at the lowest of lows- you really can’t get any lower in this life. But when an aura- and I’ve only seen this once- when an aura changes from the deepest of sapphire to sunrise yellow- well it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

The twirling of the ring in his pocket stopped. 

“That is why I believe blue is the true color of hope,” you whispered.

-------------------------------------------------------

Katsuki should feel the smooth texture of leather as he grips the gun in his hand. He should feel the weight of the gun as he brings it to his temple. But he’s numb to it all. It’s like an invisible string, pulling at his muscles, directing his body how to move. His mind goes blank for the first time, and all the inner-turmoil he’s been unable to escape just straight up… stops. It’s like he’s floating in a body of water with no current. Complete and utter stillness.

It scares the fuck outta him, but it feels good. 

As he’s about to turn the safety off, his phone rings again, snapping him back to reality. Katsuki guts his phone.

“Die!” 

The phone slides down the door like a dead pidgeon. 

“God-fuckin’-damn it...” He pushes the barrel back to his temple, craving that mind-numbing stillness once more. Anything to stop the feelings that just won’t seem to go away. 

The fireworks crescendo as the show reaches its climax. The colors begin to mix and blur together so much that it becomes too convoluted to look at. An infinite regress of color swirling in Katsuki’s mind.

-------------------------------------------------------

You glowed on purpose so Katsuki could find you. He spotted you from miles away, like a beacon of light in the middle of a storm. The melancholic blue of your aura contrasted against the raging reds that painted the sky.

Katsuki ran. He pushed and pushed past his limit, harder than any battle he’s fought in. He could’ve made it if he used his quirk, but he was in a crowded marketplace with too many people. He ripped off his gauntlets and threw them in a random alley. He immediately gained speed. A couple more feet and one minute left.

He should’ve saved his breath. If he did, he would’ve caught you in time. But he had to make sure you knew he was there. You looked down at the sound of your name. He could barely make out your face, but you saw him. He knew you saw him because your aura changed from that melancholic blue to sunrise yellow in an instant. Everyone around him gasped at the flood of light emanating from above. 

You were right. It was the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

If Katsuki produced a strong enough blast, he could make his way to the top and get you out before the bomb went off. At this point, he didn’t care who else might get hurt in the process. Next to him, Kirishima knew what Katsuki was thinking. He hardened himself to block Katsuki’s takeoff.

“Don’t do it, bro.”

“Get outta my way.”

“You can’t make it.”

“Yes I can.”

“You’ll both die.”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP” Katsuki pushed him away, and prepared to blast himself, when two other heroes stepped in to hold him down, but no one stood a chance when Katsuki goes feral. Explosions erupted, not enough to seriously hurt, but enough to get people to back the fuck off. Even Kirishima (whose quirk is to literally be a human barricade) was having trouble blocking Katsuki. One more blast was enough to send Kirishima back and Katsuki used that half a second to blast off. But suddenly he couldn’t. He tried and he tried, but his quirk refused to work. A growl escaped from low in his throat as he whipped his head around, trying to find the cause to his problem so he could decimate it. 

Target acquired. 

Katsuki was about to march right up to his high school homeroom teacher and deck him right in his fuckin’ face, but before he could, he was held down once again.

He couldn’t fight three pro-heroes off without his quirk. He couldn’t get to you without his quirk. All Katsuki could do was look up and watch you die. 

Five seconds left.

He saw it in your face. The moment you realized he wouldn’t be able to save you. The yellow of your aura growing dimmer and dimmer.

Three.

You smiled through your tears.

Two.

And winked. 

One.

Then closed your eyes as you took your last breath.

The darkness that followed was unbearable.

A cacophonous wail erupted from Katsuki’s throat- loud enough to go up against any explosion. He couldn’t help but fall to his knees, unable to hold himself up any longer. He still wasn’t able to use his quirk and that only frustrated him more. 

He’d never felt so helpless in his life.

-------------------------------------------------------

He hardly uses his quirk anymore because he sees you in the sparks. He’s got no drive to be Number 1 if you’re not here to watch him do it. His will to live is gone without you and that scares the fuck outta him. He hates you for filling his head with ridiculous bullshit. He hates you for opening his mind to the possibility of love, and hope, and shit that shouldn’t matter but it fuckin’ does for some goddamn reason. He hates you. He hates you. He hates you.

That same cacophonous wail erupts from his very core. The gun falls from his hands, to the ground. It could’ve gone off at that moment and Katsuki would never know. 

His focus zeroes on his hands. How tense they get when he flexes them, how the vein protrudes from his wrist, and how his glands secrete sweat from his palms. He points them to the sky, and a familiar rush of power, that he hasn’t felt in months, surges through him. His blood boils from under his skin and he’s literally shaking from the intensity. Like a volcano spewing hot-blooded lava after an eternity of dormancy, he shoots blinding white heat into the black night.

The color from the fireworks surround his explosions as if they’re echoing his sentiment. Hot red dominates the sky- reminding Katsuki of the sky that night. This causes Katsuki to rattle off explosions quicker, setting off one after another in a staccato rhythm. The crimson sky ravishes all other color. 

If only he saved his breath. If only he’d taken off his gauntlets sooner. If only he ran a little faster. If only he blasted himself a second earlier. If only he didn’t stay back at work that day. If only he turned right instead of left at that goddamn intersection. If only he picked up the ingredients for your favorite meal the day before so he could go straight home. If only he didn’t have to drive back to the market because he fuckin’ forgot the milk again. If only he decided it was still worth it to pick you up from work early like he planned. If only he cared more about your anniversary than about cracking Top 10. If only he went to more of your art shows instead of taking extra patrols. If only he went on that trip to New York with you instead of cancelling last minute because the agency needed him. If only he realized that you meant more to him than being Number 1 before it was too late.

Little by little the crimson wash is buried by the black night and Katsuki’s eyes hurt just staring into the black abyss. It’s suffocating him, weighing his chest down and making it hard to breathe. It’s enough to drop him to his knees, just like he did that night.

You and Katsuki had long talks about your future plans. How you fit into his life, and how he fit into yours. When you’d be able to properly settle down and have kids. You accepted that the first couple years into his career would be the toughest on your marriage. Katsuki would spend more time at the agency than at home with you. Relationships with pro-heroes were like that. But you respected his ambitions. You understood the amount of time that was required to fulfill those ambitions. You never held it over him, never guilted him into spending more time with you, and never made him choose between you or his career. You loved him enough to share him with the rest of the world. You were never each other’s other halves. Instead, you co-existed as separate individuals who made the best team Katsuki’s ever been a part of. 

Yellow begins to flicker in and out, but it’s muted behind the black veil of regret. The more Katsuki thinks of your empathy and your love, the stronger the yellow becomes. It finally brightens the black sky, to the point that Katsuki almost has to cover his eyes because it’s like looking into the sun in the middle of the day. 

And that’s when it clicks.

He’s burning in color.

You must be conducting this masterpiece from above, using the sky as your canvas and coloring the emotions coming from within him.

He kills his explosions as quickly as he fired them. The fireworks come to an end at the same time. The crowd’s cheers is a fly on the wall to Katsuki.

He falls back, lying flat on the ground and looking up at the sky still shaded in yellow. His chest heaves as he tries to get his breathing back to normal, and the sloppy mixture of sweat and tears continue to slide down his face. The cool breeze is a blessing against the nape of his neck.

He struggles to hold his hands up, they shake as he brings them up to his face. He reignites his quirk with the last bit of strength. The sparks lack their usual vigor as they flutter lazily in his palms. They remind him of fireflies swirling in a jar. For once, the orange doesn’t piss him off. 

Has anyone else seen his quirk like this? When he’s not trying to intimidate or take down a villain? The only person he could think of was you. Maybe his quirk wouldn’t be seen as a weapon, maybe he wouldn’t be seen as a villain, if the world saw what he’s seeing right now.

Katsuki sits in this revelation, and the calm that washes over him is nothing like the numbness from before. He’s far from being okay, and he still longs for you in these moments, but Katsuki has a hunch that if you were here right now - holding his hands in yours- his sparks would be burning in your favorite color. And he’s okay with that.

“That is why I believe blue is the true color of hope.”

Katsuki’s phone goes off even in its broken state. His eyes dart between the phone and the gun. He groans as he gets up. His limbs, heavy, after exerting himself. He picks up his phone.

“Hey. Yeah, man, I’m fine, don’t worry about it.” 

Katsuki’s about to hang up when he takes a look at the gun. A reminder of what he was about to do. A decision he could never come back from.

 If things turned out different, he would not be here right now.  

Just the thought is enough to make Katsuki slide down the wall. He takes a deep breath- his heart beating rapidly at what he’s about to admit aloud for the first time.

“Actually, I’m not okay. I need you to come get me.”

-------------------------------------------------------

The Plus Ultra Chronicle

Musutafu Tower Attack: 06/18/2020

WHEN HOPE PREVAILS:

A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

By: Yamamoto Ichika

06/18/2021

Today marks the one year anniversary of the 2020 Musutafu Tower Attack. Hundreds gathered this morning in remembrance of the lives lost that night. Several people who’ve lost loved ones in the attack have already come forward with statements.

Of those people, Number 7 Hero, Dynamight, has chosen to sit down with The Plus Ultra Chronicle for an all-exclusive interview. His late wife, Bakugou Y/N, was among the citizens that were held hostage that night. After taking a year sabbatical, he has decided to return to the field of pro-hero work. Here is a snippet of that interview; you can find the full interview here. 

“Thank you, Dynamight, for sitting down with us. It is truly an honor. The people want to know- what are your thoughts on what occurred that night? Can you take us through what happened?”

“It was hard on us all. Whether you were at home watching on a screen or out there in person. All of us heroes felt like sh*t- unable to do anything. It’s even worse when you had a personal attachment to a victim like I did.”

“It must’ve been difficult as a hero- having to make quick decisions that forced you to separate your personal life from the objectivity of the situation.”

“If I’m being honest, I couldn’t, and it took a toll on me.”

“Is that why you took the sabbatical?”

“Yes. I constantly questioned the validity of my title. Whether or not I deserved to be called a ‘hero’ if I couldn’t save the one person I vowed to always protect.”

“You’ll be returning to the field next month, and with a new addition to your hero costume. An amulet of what looks to be a blue-colored spark attached to the left side of your chest. It stands out against the black, orange, and green of your costume. What is the meaning of this?” 

“When I was at my lowest, my failures were all I could see. But someone once told me that you can’t get any lower when you’re at that point. The only real change you can make is to acknowledge and move forward.” 

“A symbol of hope is definitely something we all need right now. What made you decide to finally give an official statement?”

“It is my responsibility to protect the citizens of Japan so this never happens again. But I also think it is important for people to see the shortcomings of the heroes they look up to. We’re human too. We f*ck up. I used to think that made someone weak. Now, I see it as part of the journey. The testament of a true hero.”

[surfalldaybaby]

First this fandom is so fucking toxic it’s honestly hard to read posts or want to interact with people anymore. Some of yall I’m legit worried about how you see and interact with other people. You’re posts seem to lack so much compassion, objectivity, and have such a hard core judgements on morality.

Yall acting like Mor is the devil when all she did throw Nestas bad attitude in her face. She put her in her place after Mor tried to reach out to Nesta- did y’all forget- and Nesta was unreasonabley rude and cold back to Mor.

Nesta was treating Cassian like shit during the war so Mor told Nesta to go clean up with the same tone of voice. I would be defensive over my friend as well if some girl I don’t know was debasing his name based on being of a lesser bloodline. Like what the fuck?

Literally there hasn’t been ANY other circumstance to show Mors disrespect except for in the recent chapters.

The Hewn City comment was a lot but she is also a survivor of assault, seen Nesta be cruel to Feyre and Cassian, seen her alienate Elain, and watched her spend her courts money on booze and gambling when the people of her court, the people she loves are still suffering from the invasion. I don’t blame Mor for disliking Nesta. Nestas attitude directly correlates with the lack of care and cruelty that she saw and experienced in the Hewn City. We only know Nesta isn’t really like that because we see her POV and know more of her story. Mor doesn’t. Yall exagérate and dramatize the mutual dislike or apathy they have and use any single excuse to hate Mor. It’s disgusting. Just say you hate women who don’t do exactly as you would like and leave.

Mor is a survivor. She was almost murdered and raped at 17-18 after being abused by her family for her whole life. She turned that darkness in her into something beautiful and kind and forgiving but she isn’t always rational in that thinking. Y’all forgive nestas blatant lack of ability to get past her trauma and all the dysfunctionality that that causes but put a time limit on Mors trauma and judge her reactions to everything. You can’t put a time limit on someone’s grief or trauma! She was saved by Cassian and Az and Rhys and for 500 years they made a family and yall seem to think that relationship can be torn down or diminished because of Nesta? No. Trauma, abuse, and healing looks different for everyone and who the fuck are you to judge her? If you wanna judge Mor are you also going to judge Nesta for spending money that should have been used to rebuild innocent people’s houses and lives and help their children and instead went to seedy bars and gambling? Instead went to taking precious resources and basically shitting on everything that they mean? No I don’t think you are gonna judge for her that. Just because youre biased and have a prejudice against Mor doesn’t mean you are vindicated or correct. Try to be objective.

Even more disgusting some of you ship Eris, Mors abuser, with Nesta, a victim of abuse. That is fucking unbelievabley disgusting and startlingly cruel. You would want nesta to be a relationship with the one person Mor still cannot speak to or look at because he almost murdered her and incited so much fear in her that it’s taken her 500 years to grow event a little bit of strength back? I can’t get past that ever. You know who also can’t get past that. Cassian or any of the inner circle. For good fucking reason.

Mor is the seeming exact opposite of Nesta and she conforms to a lot of societal norms that Nesta doesn’t, so it’s interesting to see how once that dynamic was solidified people jumped on the bandwagon to hate Mor specifically while being infatuated and seeing no faults or wrongdoing with Nesta. When the characters are literally all written to have faults.

If you really want to say you hate her because of Cassian and how she and Cass treat Nesta they treat her like she treats them, a little standoffishish, rude and observant.

For most of the books Mor is said to have just ignored Nesta like literally that’s it. She doesn’t make comments when Feyre or Cassian speaks about her she minds her business until this moment when ALL the inner circle was speaking about what to do with Nesta.

As of right now there is no Nessian. It doesn’t exist. There’s a bond but Mor isn’t acting like she’s Cassians best friend friend and Nesta doesn’t matter. ITS THE REALITY. Mor is acting like she’s acted with Cassian for 500 years and he hasn’t told her to back off. That’s on him. Friends who flirt, friends who love eachother as viciously as they love eachother are not going to relent on their affection for some woman who continually is disrespectful and questions Cassians worth because of his bastard status- which is Inherently racist but y’all seem to gloss over that. Nesta is not worth that right now because she is still not a good person. Objectively nesta is not a good person she has lots of faults that even the author has said need to be brought up and worked through. She has a lot to be sorry for. I honestly think once Nessian is solidified, if it is, Mor will 100% back up on the obvious affection and blurred boundaries. As of now she hasn’t had too.

Pretty disgusting y’all hold genders to different standards. Mor and Nesta are very similar and it’s wild how y’all pick and choose whose trauma is ignored or applauded and whose is explored and ridiculed. You can’t hate one female for doing the same thing as another, holding one female up as if she can’t do anything wrong. HOLD THE SAME ENERGY!

[ladycatland]

Rant time!

You know, I've been thinking it for a while, but fanon c!Dream is straight up boring.

And you know that c!Dream is one of my favourite characters usually, but... man. The idea that he needs to be sympathetic or justified in what he did to be enjoyed just sucks out all the fun for me!

It like trying to give sympathetic reasons to Bill Cipher from Gravity Falls. Why would you do it? They are both chaotic assholes who hurt others for fun, why is it this hard to enjoy them as such?

Like... man...

I sometimes see takes that are like: "but c!Dream did everything for a good goal, he was trying to bring the server together" and I'm just sitting here wondering if we even watched the same streams.

Like, yeah, he WAS planning to bring everyone together, after kidnapping c!Tommy and killing c!Tubbo, but he wasn't planning to do so in any way that's considerable "good". He was literally planning to blackmail everyone into obedience. How is that a good or noble goal? Since when wanting absolute control over people was a good thing?

And some of this people are the same who'll call c!Wilbur or c!Tubbo a "dictator" and they really don't see the irony there.

And the big issue I have with this is when people try to use this reasoning to justify exile, because it doesn't even make any sense. How did abusing a teen further the goal of bringing a server together? Seriously, how did kidnapping and abusing c!Tommy to the point of him becoming actively suicidal help anything? It only motivated c!Tommy in wanting to bring him down more, which, good for c!Tommy, he deserved to murder a bitch, but still! How does that help for unity?

Oh absolutely.

Though, while I don't really like fanon Dream either and find him boring, the concept is... Interesting? Well, it's definitely interesting it's just not as new and unexplored as what we actually get with many characters in canon.

Someone, who apparently holds a position of authority and power by nature, with no inherent malicious goals or anything, just the normal amount of imperfect morality; being challenged on the grounds of the duality between his inherent power and his inherent flaws, becoming defensive and over time becoming more and more removed from his own humanity and morals? Maybe his morals didn't even change, maybe he was always willing to do the things he ended up doing and what changed is his judgement on when these actions are warranted?

And if you've managed to follow my thoughts you might have noticed how fanon Dream easily turned into what a lot of us consider canon Dream. Because in my opinion, those two aren't that different. Fanon Dream might (mostly) be how canon Dream saw the entire conflict at some point in time. I don't like throwing around medical terms because I don't like perpetuating any wrong stereotyped and all that jazz, but I can't start studying psychology so I'll kinda have to, so please excuse me when I say this but. Dream is delusional.

Nowadays he's separated himself from his own humanity to such an extreme that, yeah, he's not gonna see himself as the victim, but also. Such things change and we legitimately don't know how he was thinking before. Well... Exile? I guess? We don't know how much of his godcomplex is this showmanship against himself similar to how Wilbur often fooled himself into thinking that he was thinking a certain way. We don't know how much of the way he acts is performance especially if the audience might be himself.

I like to think that most fanon works are legitimately just his delusional daydreams in a time when he was still maybe grappling with the knowledge of his actions. Because I like to imagine that there was an internal conflict that he resolved with his godcomplex.

That when he took a breather and re-evaluated his own actions, he found a way to justify it in his head to keep him going for a bit more and the longer he went down the road, the less he could justify his actions and the more he had to justify that with just. Distancing himself from... Well... Humanity, morality... All of that.

I hope I'm making sense here? Fanon Dream is such a microcosm of the complexity that canon Dream likely is and yeah that's usually disappointing but also. Sometimes we have 10 minutes of absolute simplicity.

Usually I know that I'm a complex human person, in a world that wasn't created In a specific way to fit the shapes humanity moves in, that date both exists and also doesn't and that life just is. And sometimes I just lie down, know that I'm an utter failure and that's it. And then after those 10 minutes are over I once again have the energy to know that I wasn't born with a purpose given to me because there is nothing with the authority and power to give me a purpose and that that is both absolute meaninglessness and absolute freedom.

So yeah, dream apologism fanfics are dreams way of coping with depression or whatever that is when his brain doesn't have the energy for keeping up his godcomplex. Mayhaps.

Holy shit i gotta Sound pretentious as fuck

[spideyspeaches]

I'm sorry but agreeing to act, which is his job, does not make Tom an immediately irredeemable, horrible, problematic person the way you're throwing a fit about.

Split is a good example of how someone with DID can be both the villain and the hero/generic character. How multiple personalities who have clashing or differing morals, perspectives and behaviors can impact a singular body and the other personalities.

Saying Hollywood shouldn't ever, ever make a villain or a morally grey character who is also X isn't feasible and shouldn't be your point. Because there are in fact, in real life, people with DID who follow the depictions stated. Life isn't all sunshine and rainbows and while I agree that Hollywood needs to buck its ass up about how they, in general, treat disabilities and neurodivergencies and physical disfigurements its also actually realistic to portray negative experiences and impacts.

Not least Tom is thus far one of the most active charitable and morally influential young actors in mainstream media. He refused to food challenge because it would be wasting food and there were people who would've needed it more. He spends nearly every day promoting The Brothers Trust and other charitable organisations. He supported Sebastian Stan and RDJ's own projects, both of which are having significant impact on their focus issues.

Frankly your issue should be how accurately Tom depicts DID, personality fronting, ect. If its a repeat of Maddie in Music, then sure, bury his ass. But don't come for him over the fact that he's literally doing his job and expanding his skills as an actor with a different, actually interesting concept.

While I agree with everything you said here anon, I think you misunderstood my point. We haven't gotten a peek at the film, he's barely talked about the project. But what point I'm trying to make is NOT that he's a horrible neglectful/ignorant actor. I'm well aware of his works in charity thank you, what I'm TRYING to say is that if he's gonna actively be talking about the filmmaking in a neglectful way (which we don't know yet... he's been a real nice person so far, but sometimes he does something dumb) that's where he's gonna be problematic. No one's perfect, him dismissing Jewish Peter Parker, Zendaya filming M&M during the PEAK of COVID, those are examples of being problematic. Everyone does something that's not exactly ethical at some point.

And Split was... well I don't wanna go there.

Anyway tldr; until the show comes out, we won't know how exactly it's gonna depict DID, Hollywood doesn't exactly have a stellar reputation at positive representation (*cough* Music *cough*) and while that won't inherently make Tom horrible, the fact that *he* chose to do the project knowing that it would get negative press would be on him and his manager.

Ps. Yes, he's trying to expand his skills in acting, we saw his range plenty in Cherry, but there are plenty other genres out there that he could be playing lol, so. Don't come at me being all defensive and mighty unless you know what I'm talking about

I literally have his face on my blog, so don't think I won't defend him on something that's not his fault :D

[vivithefolle]

Hi Vivi, can you share some thoughts on the "Hermione deserves to be/should have married to XYZ because she is way too good for Ron" mentality of this fandom??

I’m gonna copy-paste a Quora answer of mine, because recycling is important!

Claiming that Ron is “out of Hermione’s league” is a statement rooted in sexism, classism and probably a bunch of other -isms.

It might seem like I’m just throwing buzz-words around but let me explain.

First off, the sexism.

Oh, the sexism.

As I’ve pointed it out in yet another one of my answers  (I’m so sorry for drowning you all in a plethora of links), Ron is very much a female-coded male character.

Ron is emotional, wears his heart on his sleeve, has anxieties and inadequacies, walks off in order to cool down, has a temper, puts other people before his needs, and pretty much adopts Harry when he rescues him in the second book. He’s the Heart of the Trio: he doesn’t rely on sole logic, he can believe something without proof, he is sensitive and thus is the easiest to hurt emotionally.

Whether you call it a “beta male”, a “wuss”, “defying gender roles” or a “soft boy” is your own business, but the core of it is that Ron doesn’t meet the standards for people’s vision of a “desirable” masculine figure.

The little things Ron quietly performs in the books - when he helps Harry into his pyjamas in Chamber of Secrets because Harry’s arm is bloop; when he’s worrying about Hermione’s whereabouts in Prisoner of Azkaban; when he helps Harry unwind after his visions in Goblet of Fire; when he puts food onto Harry’s plate and wakes him up from his nightmares in Order of the Phoenix; when he beams that Hermione was “perfect, obviously” when she passes her Apparition test - all those caring gestures don’t seem like much, but if you bother to think about it, they paint an enormous picture.

Who gets Hermione to stop overworking while making her feel good about her accomplishments? Who comforts Harry from his nightmares and cares for him in the dead of the night, when nobody is awake? Who makes sure his friends are healthy and happy? Who wards off the dark and depressing thoughts, be it with his fists or a joke?

It’s Ron.

When you think about it, “traditional masculinity” in Harry Potter is as much frowned upon as “traditional feminity” is - which sometimes bites Rowling in the butt when you remember how she obviously seems to consider that Hermione and Ginny are the only desirable kind of girls.

Vernon Dursley? The entrepreneur “king of the household” prejudiced suburbian middle-class Dad? Fits in the usual tropes of traditional masculinity.

Dudley Dursley? The typical “boys will be boys” spoiled middle-class only child who’s the apple of his parents’ eyes and even takes up boxing, as if he wasn’t traditionally masculine enough.

Draco Malfoy? See Dudley, but toss in “upper-class posh aristocrat bully who doesn’t like to get his hands dirty so he has henchmen do it for him because he’s too rich for this sh-t”, would remind you of a few Christian Greys or Gatsbys.

Dolores Umbridge? Oh no, cat pictures, decorative plates, talks to teens as if they’re babies and PINK, SO MUCH PINK!!! So disgustingly feminine!!

Rowling very much frowns upon traditional gender roles - with Molly Weasley being an exception because Rowling feels very strongly about being a mother, and relates to Molly a lot.

Right - so, being a beautiful mess of paradoxes and contradictions (a “soft boi” who also punches bullies in the face, a fussy mother-hen who swears like a sailor, a tall athlete with badass scars on his arms who’s nurturing and sweet; in short, a wonderfully human character), Ron is obviously going to be a polarizing character. You painfully relate to him and get defensive when he’s criticized, you feel his characterization hits a bit too close to home so you hate him, or you disregard him completely because you can’t see anything “special” about him…

Now, onto another very, very sexist point that is often made.

People say that Hermione “deserves better” than Ron, often claiming that they “aren’t intellectual equals”, then citing Harry (who is mistaken as being some sort of slumbering genius but honestly, the kid is really a bit daft) or Draco (since apparently, being rich must equal to being intelligent) or, god forbid, Snape (because he’s a teacher and teachers are meant to be clever).

Soooo, I could go the loooooong way and pull out all the receipts that prove that none of these characters are perfectly intellectually matched to Hermione…

Or I could go the long way and simply give you this: this obsession with finding an “intellectual equal” for Hermione reflects the mentality of “women are not allowed to be better at something than their husband”.

Yep.

A woman has to be all-around pretty good at everything, whereas a man has to be the absolute best in his area of greatest competence (surely better than any puny female!) with a help-meet there to compensate for his weaknesses. People are very, very uncomfortable when Ron and Hermione reverse this dynamic. Hermione is extremely intelligent and dedicated to intellectual pursuits, but is complete pants at things like self-care and people skills. Ron is bright enough to keep up with her and strong in her areas of weakness.

Even if Ron was as dumb as a sack of rocks (he’s not), his other virtues are more than enough to “justify” Hermione loving him. (Because she needs an excuse?) But no. A woman has to be with a man who outdoes her in her area of greatest strength. - credit to @lytefoot

People don’t want Hermione to be with a man who’s her “equal.” They want her to be with a man who can be The Man so she can know the contentment of being The Woman.

But, with this sexist line of thought, how do we justify how Ron is supposed to be such a bad match for Hermione? Because if it was just about mere sexism, Romione would surely be more popular. Imagine! Ron happily raising the children, being a house-husband and proud of it, while Hermione is out there fighting for justice in the wizarding world! What a power-couple, defying norms and gender roles and not being the least bit conscious of it, prime OTP material for sure! So why do people still want Hermione to put Harry, Draco, or god forbid², Snape in Ron’s place? Is this an irrational hatred of redheads? An Harmionian’s delirious wet dream? A failure to separate the actors from their characters?

It’s all this and, quite frankly, something more: the inherent classism that comes with Ron’s status as an explicitly working-class coded character.

I know, I know, “Vivian! Calm down with the buzzwords, you’re starting to sound like an online pretend-feminist magazine!”

Or “Come on, people who don’t ship Ron and Hermione together aren’t all sexist or classist!”

Of course, of course! I know that! I’m not implying that!

But some of the “reasons” why they claim that Ron and Hermione can’t work - are extremely classist in nature, that’s just it!

Come on, think about it! What are the Number Ones arguments people always pull against Ron? Or the most common Ron-bashing tropes (look at fanfics and watch the number of stories that use at least one of those)?

Ron is stupid/mediocre

Ron is lazy/useless

Ron resents his wife’s hard work/success

Ron is a homophobe

Ron is a drunkard

Ron (the big prude who at 16 had never kissed a girl and sees a first kiss as the prelude to a wedding) is massively oversexed and cheats on Hermione with anything that moves

Not only do these “reasons” completely ignore ALL OF RON’S CHARACTERIZATION - except for the “lazy” bit but come off it, all teenagers are lazy and Hermione’s the exception to the rule - but it matches perfectly with the negative stereotypes associated with working-class white men in fiction.

It’s also very funny to note how many (assumedly middle-class or financially secure) fans look down on Ron for being “whiny” or “greedy” when he expresses the desire to have money of his own, or blame his parents for “not knowing when to stop” or “being irresponsible”, or even look down on them for being “too proud to accept help”!! Also how shocked people are when Ron dares to stand up for himself when Hermione or Harry act badly towards him. How dare this country boy not listen to the wisdom of his social “betters”?

So, obviously, because our Heroine can’t go with a Nasty, Mediocre Working-Class Man, she must be paired off with someone of Proper Status: say, a Hero that was raised in a middle-class home and might be a bit psychologically damaged but it’s nothing all those gold coins in his vault can’t fix; or this Rich Posh Aristocrat who actively rooted for her death, he’s a little bit eccentric and has some exotic pet-names to call you, but I’m sure you’ll learn to love him and will unearth the gold coins in his bank account… I mean, the heart of gold that lies within the surface; oh, why not a Way Too Big An Age Difference Teacher if you’re looking for a “cultured man” who has zero things in common with you; we can also bring Convenient Plot Device Famous Rich Foreign Athlete if you want some diversity and you don’t feel original!

But we can’t - oh, we mustn’t let her be with this Terrible Working-Class Boy! His brothers are fine, they have money, they have jobs, so they’re obviously Not As Mediocre. But let our precious Hermione be with this Just-Got-Out-Of-School hooligan? She can’t possibly be in love with him! You’ll see darling, you’ll get bored eventually! He’s too mediocre for you, you deserve a man who outclasses you - I mean, who can provide for you! You’re a fragile little flower who scars people for life when she’s not happy with them, what makes you think that this boy can possibly handle you even though he’s done so for the past seven years?

You wanted it, you got it.

People are shallow, have misconceptions about Ron’s character that they are unwilling to correct or use classist and sexist arguments to try to make it so that either Ron is the Devil himself / Hermione is a higher kind of being that can only orgasm if sufficiently “intellectually stimulated” / what-have-you.

[whatudottu]

So I’m sure y’all (ben 10 fans specifically) know about the episode Inspector 13? And how Gwen couldn’t used her mana like she usually does?

Yeah, those are my thoughts today and I’m gonna talk about ‘em.

Let’s get this out of the way first, pure full Anodites will not have the same trouble that Gwen has, regardless of form. Basic reason here same as normal, they’re pure mana and Gwen is a fleshy human with a spark, so inherently there’s already a difference in the flow of mana.

But are other species capable of magic and mana manipulation?

Heck yeah!

Knowing what we’ve seen with Anodites already, sans Gwen of course, they’re the... uh... hmm let’s say playboys of the universe. Much in the same way that humans can’t keep it in their pants, Anodites don’t have pants in the first place and would definitely proliferate with life spanning galaxies. And just like with humans, there is a chance that any hybrid child of an Anodite can have the spark.

But does that mean that Gwen can use mana as each of the aliens she turns into?

Heck no!

At least not on first try.

Now let me explain. Humans have a filter on their flow of mana, one which Anodites don’t possess, but other species have that same filter. Why? Well, it’s their DNA of course, it’s what separates them from the pure energy beings of Anodites, the unfiltered raw flow of mana. This filter is there because while Anodites are filled with mana, a hybrid with a spark produces their own unique life energy that interacts and mingles with the flow of their mana.

But what does that mean for Gwen?

Given that the spark is not... uh... entirely genetic (there’s a need for an Anodite SOMEWHERE in the bloodline for the spark, but it doesn’t come up in DNA), it should exist through each transformation. But the issue here is that, while the spark stays the same, the filter wildly changes.

Gwen, as herself, is athletic and light on her feet, so her mana floats, twists and turns, and when solid, is akin to glass. But as Diamondhead, suddenly there’s more weight and less dexterity. There’s a difference that opens a new set of rules for Gwen that she’s never had to deal with, and just like at the start of her magic career, things don’t work exactly as they should.

I’m done with the whole analysis side of this thought, but the main reason why this is on my mind is because... well... I didn’t like how the show handled the differences in mana manipulation. It’s maybe a sneaky little episode rewrite, and maybe a little more interesting version of the ‘getting-used-to-another-person’s-powers’ trope... which I’m pretty sure is a thing. I don’t know I’ve seen it before a few times so whatever.

ANYWAY! Moving on to what I would’ve like to have happened, let’s go in order of Gwen’s transformations.

As stated (and is obvious), Petrosapiens aren’t very known for their light weight and dexterity, so one’s magic would reflect this. How this will affect their mana would turn the free flowing looseness of floating mana into physics based materialisation. But what makes this different to a Petrosapien’s natural crystalkinesis?

Let’s demonstrate with Diamondhead.

A falling Gwen would realise quick that her attempts at making platforms would fail, seeing them fall alongside her. However, producing these solid objects took nothing away from her physical levels of energy, meaning Diamondhead wasn’t growing fatigued unlike with typical crystalkinesis. Gwen would have the ability to form as much ‘crystals’ as she wants in order to keep her from crashing too heavily into the ground.

This use of mana is more so built upon traps, because they last a lot longer and barely need concentration to work. Used as a replacement for crystalkinesis, a Petrosapien ain’t gonna get very far, because these ‘traps’ work on everyone even if they can disperse the constructs. No, it’s better to stay away from the constructs because they amplify sonic waves (the mana vibrates as if like a tuning fork) and can create shatter explosions if struck the right way. For the latter, if y’all have seen the dude pressure plating a diamond, it’s like that.

Now, let’s talk about the second alien Gwen transforms into, Clockwork!

Chronosapiens are a little more robotic than Humans and Petrosapiens, especially Anodites, so their filter of mana is a lot larger. It is the fact that they are alive in the first place that let’s them use magic at all, but their mana capabilities are extremely limited. It’s like being trapped in a metal suit, where it’s hard to allow the internal spark to manipulate the external environment. But what if one doesn’t use external magic?

Clockwork can work like this.

Gwen may not manage to bypass the filter and create mana constructs, or even a flowing tendril, but she can find ways for her modified magic to work. Clockwork keeps the spark internally, so why not help that along with less offensive and defensive skills, and instead more utility casting. What does this mean? Flight, babes! But instead of the traditional sort of flight, Gwen finds that she can ‘walk on frozen time’ and ‘slip through the seems’.

Okay maybe that sounds a little too much like the Esoterica power set, but it’s not like seeing a fourth dimension and accessing the inaccessible. It may appear to be the same, but just like how people may perceive Clockwork to have super speed, even though he’s just slowed time for everyone else, it’s just a matter of perspective. But in general, learning to use mana outwardly would need more time than Gwen had.

Moving on to alien number 3, we have Humungousaur.

Now, in terms of filters, Vaxasaurians have a little more access to mana manipulation than Petrosapiens and especially Chronosapiens, but they have a whole lot of life energy due to their size, which has an effect on their spark. While the dexterity of their magic can be comparable to Human’s manipulation, the strength of it is quite limited, so while a Vaxasaurian may be dependent on their physical bodies for attack and defence, magic is just a bonus action.

So how would Humungousaur use magic instead?

Well, while Gwen would engage in a good old round of fisticuffs, she can use mana like a lasso/whip to trip opponents and yank them this way and that. And by ‘this way’ I mean directly into her punch, like you’re the ball of a paddle-board. It’s definitely more of an assistance type of magic, and it’s definitely not strong enough to support the weight of Humungousaur, but Gwen can control the battlefield by controlling the stability of the enemy.

Think hunting and gathering, this is where a Vaxasaurian’s magic thrives, where it helps with restraining and retrieval rather than attack and defence, they’ve already got THAT down. Prime Vaxasaurians, with their size increase, would lose the use of their mana when at max height, but Reboot Vaxasaurians can emphasise their tail shockwave with magic to make it even more deadly.

Up next is Upchuck, and boy is this an easy one.

Gourmands already have a natural relationship between themselves and energy, so someone with the spark can super enhance their energy bile. To the point where it’s almost unnecessary to actually eat anything to get at least some sort of fire power. Of course, with a Gourmand’s small squishy body, they are perfectly capable of throwing up defences (I swear that pun was an accident), but who needs defences when you’ve got a whole arsenal of explosive mana.

But there’s a little issue with Upchuck that Gwen has to get over.

The problem? Gwen’s a little self-conscious about a Gourmand’s abilities. Mana is the flow of life energy, so if the flow is restrained by embarrassment, it doesn’t act at its full potential. Upchuck can certainly try to use magic as a crutch to avoid needing to eat and spit her way in, but the free flowing stream cutting off is inhibiting the strength of her defence too.

SO! When Gwen finally caves and eats some metal, there’s enough power to blast a hole into the techadon factory big enough to get inside with time to spare. Aside from enhancing the blasting power of a Gourmand’s natural energy, the use of mana manipulation can change the ‘weaponry’ of the attack, which can turn into a gassy smokescreen (burp) and a sticky ball (loogie) to name a few. A Gourmand’s best strength is confidence, so Gwen would need to adapt her mana the same way.

And last but not least, we have Rath stepping up to the plate.

Now, Appoplexians are... rather straight forward and fight tooth and claw rather than strategically. They have a similar mana to life energy filter ratio to Humans, but that doesn’t mean that they’re just as magic friendly. Mana manipulation typically requires coherent thought other than the urge to beat someone up.

But Rath can use magic, and here’s how Gwen works it.

Cutting to the chase, there’s no range mana attacks, at all. For one thing, Rath would find it cowardly, another being that unlike ripping out a turret and throwing it at something else, there’s not enough brutal violence. And utility magic is not even considered. That needs some planning, and the only plan Rath has going into the fight is to WIN! And Gwen is not immune to the urge for violence.

So what happens instead, Gwen would accentuate a punch, slash or block with the extra kick of mana. Enemy fist approaching at 5 o’clock, t-minus 2 seconds? Mana armour. The techadon warrior is regenerating a little too fast for liking? Mana blade! Inspector 13 is being an annoying little techadon engineer with his constant downplay of their abilities? MANA PUNCH!

And after all that, Gwen gets to be in her own skin again. Some of the abilities she learnt that day don’t translate to her Human form. She can’t form crystal traps, she can’t slip between the seams of time, she can’t modify the properties of her mana. But some of the techniques she learnt can be adapted into her regular fighting. She can manipulate the battle field, she can construct armour on the fly.

But most importantly, she can see the differences of life energy, and how they effect magic use. Seeing a range of different mana manipulation, Gwen has unlocked a more open perspective on magic and can learn so much more, her expectations of Human magic pried open wide.

I think THAT would’ve been neat.

But instead we got same face syndrome not to rag on the episode haha.

[lover-of-trash-and-people]

bittersweet netflix shadow and bone finale (s1 e8) rewatch; accoutrement: white wine with ice cubes in it (no YOU'RE a mom drink shh)

my wine's like fruity I love her

light and darkness title card we love to see it

Inej looking at Alina before she goes below deck to hide <3

okay that 'what can you really do on your own' was like not fun that shit hurted

okay but Jesper's 'not enough'? <3

oh no my baby Zoya's first inkling that Darkles does not really care

omg Helnik just appeared and I remembered how much heartbreak I have to face in this episode

gods I love Danielle as Nina so so much

'this can't be it' said she with her pleading smile with downturned eyebrows MA'AM I-

don't break my dumb little heart

I might hate Calahan's little accent but they're making me tear up

oh gods I literally cannot keep a hold on myself when Dani's accent bleeds through with full force, it's like she comes more alive or smth

'I will keep you warm' SIR WHAT-

I am surprised they showed a leaning in for a kiss so soon but I'm not mad about it

her little eyebrow twitch at 'what are waffles'

when that rando said 'i hunt slavers now' a dread settled into me because I knew what was about to go down

Matthias looking somberly at the stuffed wolf's head </3

I am so incredibly entranced by this exchange between Fedyor and Nina and what it represents, it's very interesting that they pushed up their storyline to match with the timeline

damn it's kind of jarring to be back in the Fold

'REMEMBER WHO'S DRIVING'??!!!! *you better stop* meme, *i am, disgusted* meme, *oh wow, oh wow* meme

Mal you fucking idiot you could never take the crows by surprise

the music rising as Kaz starts explaining his thought process, fucking perfection

haha Mal bitchass Inej caught you

'Because if he isn't with Kirigan's crew, he's with ours' WHEN I TELL YOU I SCREAMED

'And why would we destroy the Fold? It's the greatest weapon we've got' valid point at the moment but you know I don't necessarily agree with your methods

the use of the light tunnel in the show instead of Alina just being a super flashlight in the books is quite an interesting addition as well

is this an inappropriate time to point out how pretty Ben Barnes is

okay I kind of love the depiction of the shadow powers okay sue me

'they are traitors who tried to kill you' why are you suddenly making valid points despite having kind of committed low scale genocide

'i never said I was smart' YES MAL BE THE VOICE OF HIMBOS EVERYWHERE

Kaz's face going from 'can you believe this idiot' at Mal to 'fuck me I'm gonna do the same thing aren't I' at Inej

'For who would oppose us now?' *himbo romantic rival appears out of nowhere and shoots at him* god I love this show

him standing calmly in his ridiculous all black attire after nodding at his soldier to stop the himbo in his tracks, i fucking can't

could she summon light without the Darkling making her after he put the collar on her until the uhm moment in the books? idts but in the show she can hmm

'only because I'm not in the game' you tell him Jesper

not me snickering at 'you'll be seen not as a saviour, but as a heretic' LMFAO

'Shame. I'll have to give that speech again now.' THIS SHOW IS A FUCKING COMEDY AND YOU CAN'T PROVE ME WRONG

YES LET'S FUCKING GO SULI SOLIDARITY

Darkles casually whipping the Cut out like a shuriken or a throwing knife at Jesper because he shot at him lmao I can't

INEJ FUCKING GHAFA STABBED ONE THE OLDEST AND MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN THAT WORLD AND THAT IS VERY TELLING OF HER POWER

that moment where you actually think that affected him despite having read the books and watched the show

and then he has to go and fucking say 'it will take more than this' and I can't be help but be a little bit impressed at this old fool's resilience

throwback to when he said 'the king is a child' sir you make some valid points sometimes and it does make it difficult to hate you

I would just like to inform everyone that it is currently 6:09 am IST and I am sipping my second mug of wine while watching netflix sab for the second time instead of doing my three papers that are due tomorrow

I'm sorry but Inej jumping to check on Zoya after she gets knocked over by the volcra? first class display of solidarity and sisterhood as well as Inej's inherent kindness

Kaz jumping in front of a FUCKING VOLCRA AND STABBING IT WITH HIS CANE to save Inej, you best believe love is true, kids

god the volcra are so ugly and gross, they did such a good job with them

they kind of remind me of these creatures (I think they might have been called Hollows or smth) from the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children movie

STAG VISION TIME

despite my dislike for the callous nature with which the stag plotline was handled, I kind of dig the stag vision scene

'It's just me and you now, Alina. And we're all we need, anyway.' I actually feel bad for this old fool simping for this wonderful gorgeous powerful woman despite lying to her and manipulating her and exploiting her power

okay 'I never needed you' *stabs the bone fragment out of his hand* beautiful power move I fucking love you so so much

alright ben looking like ✨ that✨ not only in physical pain but also emotional pain at what the Darkling clearly considers another betrayal from this girl he wants to give the world and maybe? loves? maybe? or at least has feelings for makes my fucking heart hurt while simultaneously soar at Alina taking back control and reclaiming her power as her own and stepping into her own

'how do you claim such power' okay could have had better dialogue there writers

the fucking score lifting as she says 'you cannot claim what was not given to you' good people my heart is full

one day I'll talk about my defense of the chosen one trope because god damn I kind of love it

hmm I wonder was that brief hesitation that we saw on Alina's face due to her thinking about the 'you chose to betray our people' comment or the 'i was trying to save us' comment because that will define some of her actions in the later seasons (hopefully god if we get some, I honestly don't know what with this stupid brownface debacle)

I'm not saying talking about brownface and pointing out that it is wrong (for further context, I am actually brown) and harmful is stupid btw I'm talking about the incidents involving brownface in question

I don't wanna talk about this anymore but I might feel like I need to and end up posting about it idk

goodness Ivan actually believing in this cause makes me so sad because he too has been victimized by the system that ostracizes Grisha and he has every right to feel the way that he does

Ben actually fighting in that ridiculously heavy cloak and kefta when he's about to turn 40 this year makes me super impressed because I as a 19 year old sometimes wake up with muscle pulls after weeks of inactivity it's weird idk

also I understand that this Mal Darkling fight is completely fanservice and serves nearly no purpose to the plot in general but like I? love it?

'I don't have to kill you Darkling. Your past will do it for me' YES HIMBO GO OFF YOU TELL THAT OLD MAN GODS THAT WAS SEXY AS FUCK

maybe it's because I know Darkles will survive and will come out of it more powerful but I can't get myself to feel bad for him at the moment

Inej and Mal tearing up at Alina's condition made me almost feel something despite it being super obvious she was gonna be fine and save their asses at the last moment

HER POWER

a solitary Kaz in spotted on the western side of the newly expanded fold in his signature all black emo boy look

okay but the crows with zoya and malina is such an adorable team? I literally love them so much?

INEJ'S FUCKING SMILE AT ALINA GIVING HER THE DAGGER AND KAZ LOOKING AT HER AGSGSGSHSJSJSK MY HEART CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE

SHE KNOWS JUST WHAT TO NAME IT WELL GIRLIE I KNOW IT TOO AND MY FUCKING HEART IS LITERALLY GONNA BURST

okay I know they had one interaction but Mal and Jesper would be besties in another universe

Kaz glaring at Jesper when he answers ''course not' to Alina's 'will you still be trying to kidnap me?' tell me one fucking adaptation that got the dynamics between characters this perfectly

okay why do I love that Alina kept the jewellery as maybe a small nod to she has the wits to, um, you know, I don't wanna say steal, but, um, yeah, steal it because she knew she would need money to survive on the run

oh Jessie I love you so much I wish you hadn't said those things on you ig story about the brownface

it's like every single celeb I grow attached to god's like nope that one is going to do or say something problematic (hey btw im not reassigning blame to god for stuff people have done out of their own free will, 'twas a joke)

AAAAAAAH them saying 'the deal is the deal' in the show even though they didn't have to but like they did and I love them for it

Inej literally not being able to not stare at Kaz's face and smile after this <3

'I didn't expect it to burn at all. But it can be destroyed in the end. Just like him' babe you're not wrong but like um just you wait

god Mal being on supportive boyfie mode is well, absolutely adorable, obviously, but I wish we got to see more of him as a person outside of his attachment to Alina

kaz my little demjin I wish you hadn't have had to suffer so much to meet the crows and find your calling

fastforwarding Zoya's arc is also an interesting choice to me

I wish the hug hadn't been done though, it didn't feel earned

maybe Alina awkwardly and half-heartedly (remember, at this point the alliance is fresh and they still don't entirely trust each other) reached for a hug and Zoya avoided her? and then the rest of Zoya's lines followed? that would have made more sense to me at least

I love Sujaya as well, she brought life into Zoya with whatever little screentime and scraps of writing she got

inej asking kaz 'what's your angle?' beep bop bleep morp I sense another incoming embarrassing love confession

'but we do need you' *stares at her face intensely* 'I need you' ah look at the clock, look's like it's time to screech and flap your arms like you're a volcra because you're incapable of containing your emotions

NO YOU CAN'T GO DIRECTLY FROM KANEJ PROGRESS TO HELNIK BREAKUP (TEMPORARY, MIND YOU)

helnik my loves you don't deserve this I'm so sorry for both of you

Matthias fucking smiling ruefully while he says 'this was... just a cruel joke all along' THIS IS NOT FUCKING OKAY

omg hellgate

AAAAAAAAH NINA IS ON THE SAME FRAME AS THE OG CROWS I CAN'T HANDLE THIS

CAMERA PAN FROM KAZ SAYING 'JUST HOW THIS ALL STARTED... WE'RE GONNA NEED A HEARTRENDED' TO NINA OVERHEARING HIM AND LOOKING OVER?????!!!!!! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING THIS TO ME?!

Nina genuinely being curious as to the status of the sun saint because she obviously still cares

Also, 'But she is a Saint' okay Kaz trying to earn brownie points you have succeeded

DID THAT SAILOR JUST SAY 'GOED MORGEN FENTOMEN' TO MALINA BECAUSE I AM NOT OKAY WITH THEM JUST THROWING THAT IN MY FACE ALL OF A SUDDEN

gods I know I'll probably see them again but my heart is full of sorrow as my eyes drink in the sight of my crows for the last time for a while

I know people were annoyed at the meadow flashbacks but guess what? as a darklina, I loved them

'now that the Darkling is dead' could have phrased that a little differently my dudes that line needed to hold more weight

am I glad that they showed Darkles in this state with his nichevo'ya as a tasty little cliffhanger despite not being entirely true to the source material? maybe but only because Ben Barnes saying 'follow' and the nichevo'ya doing exactly so sent a chill down my spine

well, that's it for now, I'll have to move on I guess, get back to my real life which I'm obviously not ready to do

thank you to whoever actually read these things

I probably should have just made reactions or commentary videos instead but I'm lazy

my tumblr will probably go into inactivity once more as I emerge from my stint in the grishaverse

it was quite short (less than 2 months), considering the length of my other obsessions but it was definitely more intense than the other ones

[dameferre]

i also wanna know abt who am i really 👀

okay. so. ‘who am i really’ is the first zukka thing i ever wrote, started before i had even. finished watching the show lmao

basically i have 25k of it written, probably another 4-5k written in notes and an outline, but i am mature and knowledgeable of my own shortcomings enough to know there’s no way in hell i’ll ever finish it, because that 25k? isn’t even. 20% of the fic if i were to actually write it, like this shit would approach 200k in its final form and i very simply do not have the time to actually. write that lmao

but i’m happy to talk about it! so basically it was the whole ‘oh my god they were roommates’ premise except zuko is sokka’s downstairs neighbour, they fight over music volume, and for the first part of the fic zuko’s a bootlicking son of the city police chief and starting out at the police academy, who calls the cops on sokka for his music one night

aand i just realised how long this is gonna be so under the cut!

so we start from the ‘zuko’s a fucking asshole’ stage and move on from there, and then due to a couple of different mildly traumatic events  zuko realises the police system is inherently evil, has his whole redemption arc slash emotional breakdown and quits the force, he gets cut off by ozai and moves in w sokka for cheaper rent bc sokka is a nice person (who’s seen the way zuko has been walking around looking like absolute Death for weeks) and also needs someone to help w the rent

we also start from the point where sokka’s dating suki, and zuko’s still coming to terms with his sexuality, so there’s all that to work through

basically it just goes into the development of zuko and sokka’s friendship, and zuko’s development as a person going from an incredibly sheltered, incredibly privileged life to... the opposite of that lmao and how his friendship with the rest of the gaang grows, and his personal journey, and whatnot, just a nice little mirror for canon except w more swearing and the author talking about how all cops are bastards

it’s all self indulgent nonsense and little bits of shit that popped into my head so i wrote it down, really, but here’s my favourite bit

“So I was thinking.”

“Never a good sign.”

“Ha, ha.” Sokka deadpans. “Seriously though. I want a GNO. Drinking, dancing, questionable choices, might even get some action if I’m on my game.”

“And you think this is something I would enjoy.” Zuko, the introvert who can’t dance, responds.

“You’ll enjoy it because you’re going with your best friends, one of whom is just getting over the emotional hangover of the end of a three-year relationship.” Sokka pouts. “We can even go to a gay club! It’s been ages since I’ve been to one.”

Zuko snorts, and looks back to the TV. “I thought you wanted to get some ‘action’.”

“I mean, I would also be fine with just a fun night out with the gang. But if there are interested parties.” Sokka shrugs.

“Well, forgive me if my idea of a fun night isn’t watching Toph beat the shit out of you for creeping on lesbians at a gay club.”

Sokka makes an exasperated noise. “C’mon, you know me better than that.” He says, throwing a cheeto at the side of Zuko’s face. “I said interested parties. I can be strictly dick-tly for an evening, no sweat.”

Zuko turns, brow raised. “What does that even mean.”

“Y’know. I wouldn’t say no to a girl of the bipan persuasion if she wants to make a move, but if I’m actively pursuing anyone, it’ll just be guys. And, y’know, any non-girl people who seem into it.”

A record scratches in Zuko’s brain. “You… why would you pursue a guy.”

“I dunno, if he’s hot?” Sokka says, looking at him like he’s crazy. “Or has a nice smile? Shiny hair? I dunno, why do you usually pursue guys, Z.”

“But.” Zuko stammers, staring at Sokka. “But I’m attracted to men.”

Sokka blinks at him. “…so am I?”

What. “What.” No seriously, what. “What?!”

“Is this… are you trying to be funny?”

Zuko stares at his roommate, frantically trying to understand what’s going on. “Are you trying to be funny?!”

“No, I’m being bisexual.” Sokka says, slightly defensively. “Because I’m bisexual?”

“Since when?!”

Sokka stares at him, then gestures to wall. “Zuko, that’s been up since I moved in. I know you’ve seen it.”

Zuko turns to stare at the wall, but all he can see is- “The flag?”

“Yeah, Zuko, the fucking flag. Did you think I just thought it was pretty?”

“Is-” Zuko flounders. “Is the flag significant?”

Sokka looks intently, somewhat crazed, at Zuko’s face, like he’s searching for something. Whatever it is, he obviously doesn’t find it. His arm is still held out towards the wall, and he uses it to gesture towards the flag again, more aggressively this time. “It’s the fucking bisexual pride flag, Zuko!”

“I.” Zuko gapes at him, still confused. “I thought the pride flag was a rainbow?”

“Oh my-” Sokka starts. “Are you fucking with me right now. Is this you fucking with me.” He pauses, staring at Zuko. “Jesus fuck, Zuko, there are different flags for different sexualities. That’s the bisexual one.”

Zuko stares at the flag, then back at Sokka, then back at the flag. Then back at Sokka. “Well how was I supposed to know that?!”

“Everybody knows that, Zuko!” Sokka exclaims, then brings his hand up to rub at the bridge of his nose. “Okay, I guess you just. Didn’t know that. Somehow. And that’s fine. Point being, I am bisexual. I am attracted to all genders, I’ve been- I thought- out since I was sixteen. So yeah. I’m bi.”

“But.” Zuko’s brain has been trying to process this information, and now rejects it entirely. “But that. You can’t be.”

Sokka gives him a weird look. “I can’t be?” His face shifts, into something sort of… defensive. Wary, almost. “Do you have a problem with bisexuals?”

“What?” Oh shit. “No, of- of course not! I- I love bisexuals! All of the- um,” Zuko’s mind races, trying to think of a bi person he knows personally, and then frantically widening its search to any bisexual human being in all of recorded history. “Jet! Jet’s bi! Love Jet, he’s, um. Yeah! Bi.”

Sokka’s face isn’t defensive anymore, but it is shocked. And- something else, Zuko can’t quite place. “You love Jet?”

“What?”

“You just said you loved Jet.” Sokka says, sort of quietly. “I just- I guess I didn’t know you guys were at that point.”

Zuko absolutely does not love Jet. Only Jet loves Jet. But Sokka’s looking at him, lit by the artificial glow of the TV, still the most attractive thing Zuko’s ever seen. So Zuko’s self-preservation instinct kicks in. “Uh. Yeah, you know.” He swallows. “It’s still pretty new, but. Yeah.”

“Well hey, that’s.” Sokka gives a small smile. “That’s great.” He places his hands on his thighs, pushing up off the couch. “I’m just gonna text everybody, see if we can get the night planned.”

He walks away, leaving Zuko to his mental breakdown in peace.

Sokka’s bi.

Sokka.

Is bi.

[later that week or some transition i haven’t written lmao]

“Zuko, you know I’m bi, right?” Suki laughs, but the grin slides off her face when Zuko hesitates. “You know that, right.”

Zuko makes a reluctant face. “I know now…?”

“Oh my-“ Suki stares at him, then looks at Sokka who makes a face as if to say ‘see, what did I tell you’. “Ew, Zuko!” She cries. “Ew, you thought- you thought I was straight?!”

“You had a boyfriend,” Zuko defends himself weakly.

Suki looks like she wants to scream. “I’ve never been so offended in my entire life.”

“Now you know how I feel.” Sokka says.

“Me! A straight girl!” She laughs, slightly hysterical. “Me!”

“Okay, I guess I just-” Zuko starts, but Suki holds out two fingers in front of his face, shutting him up.

“No no, that’s enough from you today.” She looks, wide-eyed, at Sokka. “What do I have to do, paint the fucking bi flag on my face?”

Sokka snorts. “He wouldn’t recognise it, anyway.”

Suki turns back to glare at Zuko. “I thought we were friends, Zuko.”

and then in a perfect world this would be followed by a montage of all the times sokka has definitely been openly bisexual in front of ‘still coming to terms with his own sexuality’ zuko who’d just. wrote it off as bro culture

[normal-thoughts-official]

Izzy and magnus brotp headcanons if u have any bls

i do! i dont think ive ever been asked about them before so yay!

mandatory disclaimer that this post is about the show, not the books, and idc what happens in the books and wont be taking it into consideration here

okay so i think my brotp tag for them ("crazy scientists but make it glam") pretty much sums it up. i love the concept of crazy scientists magnus and izzy. like... if magnus and alec lose braincells when theyre together, magnus and izzy gain braincells, but lose Common Sense

because they are both so into similar things like physics and biochem and technology and magic, so if the subject comes up they will start excitedly talking about idk the possibilities for time travel or something, and alec of course has no interest in those things so hes like "k imma get a drink" and when he comes back magnus and izzy are Actually Seriously Planning On Launching Themselves To Mars and he has to be like "or maybe we could discuss this here on earth???" and alec is really not used to being the voice of reason when it comes to magnus but alas

and i just love magnus and izzy as that duo who can like spend hours talking in depth about the mechanisms of time travel or cures for magical diseases or whichever subject theyre focusing on at the moment and who make a mean team when working together but who can also get Too Excited and lose it a little

other than that the other thing i like about magnus and izzy is that they can relate to each other on that sense of being reduced to The Hot Fashionista, you know? like magnus is called a lothario and izzy is always treated like her one personality trait is Sexy™ and i think both of them kind of use that perception as an armor for themselves. i have talked about that in relation to magnus several times so i dont think it bears repeating because he himself compared his eyeliner to tiger stripes and magicked makeup on when he was feeling bad and alec was coming, so. but anyway my point is that izzy is no different and that was addressed in the sh that is good and lives in my head instead of her just being reduced to eye candy the whole show

like it's obvious that izzy's whole thing with being Sexy™ is something that she uses as part of her rebel act. like, her mom is gonna reduce her to a stupid slut anyway, so why not act the part? case in point: twi!izzy. in the world where the lightwoods weren't making her and alec's life hell, she allowed herself to be a lot more casual. also the way she is always talking about how she can do everything they do in heels, how she always uses her body to be "the distraction" and/or to gather information, to lure in demons even tho thats unnecessary, etc. like i think a part of izzy feels like sex is all she's good at and so she lays that in as thick as possible. she even kind of said so when she said that one of the reasons why she liked raphael is because she knew that sex wasn't a part of the equation for him

disclaimer! dressing in revealing clothes and/or sleeping around is not bad and doesnt inherently mean that the person has Unresolved Issues that end up manifesting like that, or whatever. i think izzy also dresses as she does because she likes it and good for her! she also clearly likes sex and good for her!!!! and it definitely doesn't mean her relationships are shallow because we saw how fiercely loyal she is to those he loves, platonically or romantically. i just think that the way she built her identity around that is partially because it is a good armor - if she presents herself as shallow and concerned only with instant pleasure and looking pretty, people won't get too close. and when they treat her as such, it doesn't hurt as much because she IS laying it on thick and she IS sexy and she can use it to her advantage, even to manipulate people, so whos laughing now?

for example, in s1 in particular izzy was always acting like she cared about nothing but having fun and going to parties, yet it was obvious that izzy actually cared way more about saving the downworld and helping those she loves, particularly alec. like she presents herself as shallow and unconcerned with anything but her own pleasure but it's clear that she's willing to throw all of that away - even give herself up to get married to whoever her parents choose, her own worst nightmare - for what actually matters and drives her: her loved ones and what she thinks is right. she was okay with getting deruned for what she believed in, thats not a shallow person. so obviously that whole thing was an act, and well, why put up an act like that when it borders on annoying honestly? i think it's to protect herself, for the reasons listed above

plus, it makes her mom mad, and a part of her is obviously defining herself in opposition to her mom. if her mom wants something out of her, she does the opposite, and that applies to her clothing too

anyway all of that is to say that magnus and izzy have a similar relationship with 1- their "lothario"/"slut" personas, and 2- the way they understand fashion and clothing. it's about expressing something to others, something that protects their vulnerabilities, for the both of them. and while i don't think they (particularly izzy) are exactly dying to go deep into that subject and their armors, there is that understanding between them, you know? and under the right amount of alcohol and in a safe enough environment when its just the two of them they might even talk about it and its nice to have someone who completely understands it, you know, that pretty specific defense mechanism and being reduced to sexualized stereotypes (especially since both of them are bi. id mention both of them being brown too but izzy's racial belonging in the show is uhhhhh weird to say the least so i wont get into that)

and also just the silly things! going to parties together, going shopping together, remember when magnus and izzy were both wearing the exact same color scheme and pattern? obsessed with the idea of them color coordinating just for like, the challenge of creating outfits that dont look the same or even like theyre supposed to match but that have similars colors and textures and patterns, you know?

also they are fantastic at gifting each other and somehow always know Exactly What The Other Has Their Eyes Own. like izzy will give magnus some eyeliner and he'll be like "how did you know ive been meaning to buy that?" and she'll go "i didnt" and wink at him, and the opposite is also true. or alternatively izzy will get him a book on astronomy and he'll be like "how did you know i was hyperfixating on black holes??" and she'll be like "i didn't" and the other way around as well. alec asks for their help buying gifts for the other more often than not, but izzy realized a long time ago that magnus likes alec's gifts better than hers, because even tho they aren't always a perfect fit, they are always so thoughtful and blow him away even tho that was in no way alec's intention (see: the omamori)

also izzy is fiercely protective of alec, magnus, and their relationship as a whole, which sometimes really warms magnus' heart when she just. jumps in to their defense when someone is being bitchy, you know? it's nice that she has their back

and i think thats all i have for now but aaa i love them