#so obsessed with legacy you want your kid to be exactly you

[gaymurdersalad]

Jack! You should try talking it out with Dave. Tell him how you feel, how from your perspective how tiring and agonising this whole situation is.

Dave cares about you a lot. I'm sure he'll understand you.

> Fuck you! Quit giving me those puppy dog eyes! It’s not gonna work this time, no, you’re not gonna ruin my life and waltz back in like we’re still friends. I only liked you when I hated myself. Get it through that fucking lobotomized skull, you purple leech.

> … Do you even realize what you’re sayin’ to me, Sportsy?

> I know exactly what I’m saying! You deaf too, you bastard?

> I didn’t ask for your help! Y’know, Sportsy, I coulda been perfectly fine rotting in that alleyway! You didn’t HAVE to drag me back to your home just to fuckin’ chew me out you goddamn hypocrite! What the fuck is wrong with you?!

> It was a moment of weakness. Never in my right mind would I ever let you back in here!

> Sportsy, I know that ain’t really what you think, so can you stop bein’ so goddamn difficult and just tell me what the hell is pissin’ you off today?

> Today? Today?! You’ve been making my life fucking miserable since the moment I met you! You saw I was struggling, you noticed that I hated the company, and instead of leaving me well enough alone, you took advantage of me and made me do your fucking dirty work! I was prepared to do good, I was prepared to save whatever kid was stupid enough to let your cryptid ass lure them into the backroom, but god, when offered with the opportunity to burn it all down, I took it! I couldn’t have met a worse person, someone who fed into that fucking hate and malice and made me worse!

> You’re— You’re blaming me? Sportsy, You’re grown! You are a grown man, you made your own goddamn decision! How are you being so childish right now?! Stop tryin’ to escape the parts you don’t like about yourself, just deal with ‘em like every other adult!

> Deal with it?

> I killed children! Little kids!

> And that’s somehow my fault?

> If you’d have never been there, I never would have done it.

> But you did, you stupid motherfucker, you did! So grow up!

> If you weren’t so fucking obsessed with the legacy of a man that doesn’t even love you, I would never be here! I’d still be living my shitty existence with my shitty family in a shitty house that I couldn’t afford in a shitty world with a shitty job! Your bullfuckery cost me a life, it costed dozens of kids their futures, it destroyed families! Telling me to grow up?? You can only do whatever the fuck your daddy tells you to do!

> Do you know what the hell this means to me? Do you even understand why I’m doin’ this at all? It’s ‘cause I trust him, Sportsy, I trust him with my life ‘cause he’s saved it over and over again! You don’t know what’s happened to me, you don’t know what the hell I’ve seen, what Henry’s dragged me out of! You’ll never fuckin’ understand what he means to me!

> You’re right. I don’t know. Although what I do know, as any other sane, rational person would, is that whatever he’s done for you, it does not justify snuffing out the lives of little kids as some twisted form of gratitude.

> You’re bein’ really unfair!

> Unfair?? I didn’t realize murder was unfair! Okay, you should have every right to take someone else’s life! It’s only fair! It’s only right ‘cause it’s Henry!

> You’re just sayin’ that ‘cause you ain’t never had a dad, you don’t know what the fuck I’d lose if I didn’t satisfy him!

> …

> Yeah, turns out I ain’t brain dead, you soulless bastard. I remember everything you’ve ever told me. Everything you spilled outta those rotten guts in Vegas. You wanna know why, you sick fuck? ‘Cause I liked you. I liked how you treated me, like a person. Lookin’ at me wit’ them doe eyes, so fuckin’ receptive and so goddamn… affectionate.

> Look, Sportsy, I know you whether you want me to or not. I know you don’t hate me, I know you never did. I don’t hate you neither. It’s not a question of if you’re ashamed of what you’ve done or whether it’s my fault or not— you like me. You are so fuckin’ violated to know that I can see through you. Sometimes that’s what I like about you, but right now it’s pissin’ me off. Lay down the goddamn charades and tell me what you want without usin’ any of that goddamn language you were dishin’ out earlier.

> Stop living for Henry.

> …

> Stop making it impossible for me to like you.

> … I can be close with Henry and still be your friend, Sportsy—

> No, you can’t! My entire reason for existence is to right Henry’s wrongs! My best friend cannot be his fucking protégé! Dave, you don’t understand what this is doing to me! I want you more than I want to do good in the world! Do you realize how sincerely fucked up that is?!

> … You’re not the only one who feels this way, Sportsy. This is puttin’ me in a uncomfortable position too. You’re askin’ me for a lot.

> I didn’t realize not murdering anyone required serious introspection.

> Gah, it’s not just about the murder, get over it! That’s all you ever wanna fuckin’ talk about! The very fuckin’ notion that I should lay all my loyalties down for the likes of you is downright insulting— the one who abandoned me after givin’ me a taste of humanity! Yer a joke and a conman and I cannot fuckin’ stand you!

> Yet I care about what you think of me, which is the wildest part of it all! I want you to like me again, but as you’ve so clearly forced down my throat, you won’t do it again unless I betray my own father! Unless I submit to YOUR goddamn ideology! Is it just that you’re usin’ me? Do you just want another pair of hands just like I asked for yours all those years ago? Trynna worm your way into a heartless vessel, are ya? All I got left is my brain, Sportsy, and you and that pink fuck are rippin’ it apart at the seams! Gah!

> You ain’t blameless yourself, anyhow! What, you had one good trip on ether and decided you were a saint? You’ve killed same as me, don’t you dare try and look down on me like you’re any better! So easily persuaded to kill, so easily persuaded to spare— can you ever make up your goddamn mind, or are you just gonna let people boss you around your entire afterlife? Yer like a fuckin’ sheep, like goddamn livestock for people that wanna use you! Turns out we ain’t so different after all, huh?!

> GOD, YOU’RE SUCH A FUCKING PLAGUE!

> I WISH I NEVER TOLD YOU TO SKIP WORK! I WISH I MAIMED YOU IN THAT SPRINGLOCK SUIT, I WISH EVERY RIGGED PIECE IN THAT FUCKIN’ THING WRANG THE LIFE OUTTA YOU OUT FOR GOOD! GOD, I WISH YOU WERE FUCKIN’ DEAD!

> … You… You wish you what…?

> …!

[raven-6-10]

@a-world-in-grey

Right, after some deep diving through FFXV wiki and some research into hereditary titles, inheritance laws and various historical and fictional courts, I think I have a general idea of what I want the Niflheimr court in general and the Aldercapt dynasty in particular to look like.

***

Let's start with the inheritance laws.

I settled on agnatic-cognatic (male-preference) primogeniture i.e. the throne goes to the eldest son, then his brothers by order of age, then his eldest sister and so on. And since the Aldercapts don't have Bahamut artificially pruning the family tree to one child per generation in recent centuries, there are actually people related to the Emperor with a legitimate claim to the throne.

(Side-note: some pruning is still happening as a result of children competing for the throne. Iedolas' brothers and one sister had died before he even came to the throne.)

The issue here is that Iedolas is an ambitious man - even if he's not obsessed with reviving Solheim (at the moment) - and wants to leave a legacy. Which means he wants his heir to be his child/grandchild.

You raised a valid point about Iedolas having children before that point. Which. Uhmm. Canon doesn't exactly help here. The only thing we know for certain is that he had at least one son (b. 720 ME) who died at the earliest in 748 ME (because that's the birth year for Solara Antiquum) but was definitely dead when the game kicked off in 756 ME. Considering Iedolas is from Mors' generation that's kind of late to have your first child.

So!

I'm gonna make an executive decision here.

Iedolas did have children before that with his wife. Specifically two sons and a daughter. Possibly some grandchildren even. However they all died due to combination of illnesses, accidents and deliberate action. At that point he tried for another child with his wife, which canonically ended up with her death from childbirth complications within a year. In this au, the son in question was born early - resulting in underdeveloped lungs plus host of other health issues - and died as a young teenager due to pneumonia.

Hence, the order for Besithia to create an heir for him.

***

Situation at the Imperial court is surprisingly stable at the moment.

Just because the Emperor has no children doesn't mean he has no heirs*. The current heir presumptive is his younger sister but since she's rather elderly, the throne is actually probably going to be inherited by his great-niece. The woman in question is from a high-ranking house, married to a man from similarly titled house, has a range of useful political and military connections and a daughter of her own at the time of Prompto's birth.

(Iedolas had been planning to betroth Prompto to his great-great-niece and name the mother a regent just in case he dies before his son is an adult.)

So most of the politicking is currently about getting into the good graces of the imperial heiress and discrediting the rivals. The most opposition is from warmongers (Ulldor) as she's much less militant than the current emperor, so will likely focus on consolidating the imperial gains in Tenebrae and addressing social issues instead of continuing the conquest.

***

As for where that would leave Prompto (or whatever Iedolas would rename him)?

I'm headcanoning that Niflheimr royals don't introduce their kids to public until they are at least 10. Before that there might be rumours, especially if the Empress is obviously pregnant, but nobody will confirm anything outright.

There's a bunch of historical reasons behind that, but mostly it's very useful if you need to, erm, adjust the family tree.

And right now it means that Aldercapt still has time to get his kid back instead of writing him off as a lost cause and trying again or just formally declaring a new heir from among his relatives. Because nobody will bat an eyelash on the boy not being seen before his formal introduction.

If the Nifs actually recover him, he will be raised in a secluded estate on the outskirts of Gralea with staff being responsible for his upbringing and Iedolas visiting often to check on him.

***

*I was inspired by the House Arryn. Somebody once joked that even if you are five generations removed from lordship, you can still end up being the Heir Arryn. A peasant sneezes in the Vale and they've lost half their house members.

[alegacyofmonsters]

Legacies 1x02 Rewatch

Hope's love for Shakespeare should've been a common thread through the seasons

Missing Emma hours. They all needed therapy so bad.

Lizzie getting so enthusiastic about game day 😭😭😭 Protect her at all costs

No because the way Josie's black magic had negative effects on Lizzie but Josie not being affected when Lizzie did black magic was never explained will always be one of the worst Legacies mysteries. I'm just gonna have to assume it's because Lizzie always handled hers better.

"Maybe you're pregnant" is an ironic insult to use on a lesbian virigin

"Bounce MG" 😭😭😭 She's the definition of unserious

The way Hope was sharing memories left and right in the first few episodes and then never again. It's such a cheap special effect too???

Hafael's chemistry was off the charts and I can't believe they never shared more than a dream kiss

"I have ACTUAL magic powers" Is this wolf on wolf violence??

"Put a shirt on." I see where Lizzie gets it from

"Dad loves Hope more than us." "You're being melodramatic." "You really want Dad to stop loving us? Keep it up." Mm hmm. Nasty.

The way Alaric probably will miss Lizzie's wedding too ...

Just not for the reason she thinks

Hope mocking Landon for running like she didn't just get called out for being a runner last episode. I'm gonna need you to tone down the soulmatism here.

The Connor-Dana-Josie trio truly is something else

"I was being recruited by D1 schools before I got here" TELL US MORE. GIVE US YOUR WHOLE BACKSTORY. I CAN'T BELIEVE WE NEVER GOT IT.

"I've been at the school for two days and I've already heard all about Hope Mikaelson and her sunny disposition." #People need to keep Hope's name out of their mouth at that school

Really can't believe we didn't get another football episode ever

I can't prove it but Connor shoving Kaleb to the ground from behind was racially motivated, I just know it

Sorry but Lizzie talking about "perky little boobs" unprovoked is gay. Why are you looking at other girls' boobs and why are you obsessing over how perky they are. That's gay.

"When someone other than Lizzie takes a shot at Josie, they tend to wake up with scabies." Big sister energy for sure. Everyone else is wrong, sorry, not sorry.

"If Lizzie Saltzman is what you want, I can help you get her." SHE'S NOT A PRIZE.

"Does a girl have to have a motive to do charity work?" Cruel but iconic

"I just want to take a minute to let you know how proud I am. You're all doing a great job." How did anyone think she was a bitch?? Just because she came up with some funny nicknames???

No because do you ever think how Lizzie was literally trained to lose games for other people's benefits her whole life and then that's exactly what she did for the Merge? Oh I'm gonna be sick.

MG the second someone bullies Lizzie:

No but Penelope, Dana, Josie, Alyssa ... there's a clear pattern there ...

Hope is such a bitch 😭😭😭 I love her

"If he says there is a fire breathing woman running through the woods, then there's a -" "THERE'S A FIRE BREATHING WOMAN RUNNING THROUGH THE WOODS." This show is comedy gold

"Maybe she wants the knife you said you don't have." Get him again Hope

The fact that Lizzie just let Dana walk all over her but the second Dana insulted Josie, the gloves were off

"Maybe I just get a thrill from tormenting all the crazies." ABSOLUTELY NASTY.

MaYbE yOu'Re FeElInG a LiTtLe DeLuSiOnAl BeCaUsE yOu'Re OfF yOuR mEdS

"You can count on my steel." "Ew, gross." TELL ME AGAIN HOW YOU THINK SHE LIKED IT WHEN HE HIT ON HER REPEATEDLY AFTER BEING REJECTED

No ThIs IsN't WhAt We TaLkEd AbOuT And???

"Can you prioritize your rage?" 😭😭😭 No, Rafael, it's how she flirts

"Not if SHE has anything to say about it"

"MY dAd bUiLt ThIs ScHoOl" Okay, first of all, Alaric is father to like 90 kids so I need you to calm down and secondly, I forgot how self-centered and entitled Josie was in S1. I know it only gets worse from here.

"It's like she appears out of smoke." She's been there the whole time. Just because you've been pretending to ignore her because your crush is not gone, doesn't mean she's not there.

"My immortal soul." Well wait until your body's immortal too Lizzie

I love how Penelope was willing to find a compromise between the twins and Lizzie was immediately down

So YoU cAn ThRoW mE uP LaTeR

God I love this show but I truly hate the shot inconsistency. Tell me why Josie tackled Dana and bounced back to her feet but somehow six seconds later was back on the ground to screw the team with her spell.

What exactly was on the clipboard Penelope was holding the whole time

Real answer: She was just holding it to look like a boss bitch and it worked

Lizzie throws literal PUNCHES to defend her sister

"Earth magic" implies the existence of air magic, fire magic, water magic ... Imagine if Legacies embraced the whole elements thing ...

"This hatred, this vengeance, this isn't you. It can't be you. I won't allow it." And yet he said nothing when his daughter went around ACTUALLY killing other students ... no wait, he made one of her victims play her bodyguard.

Us never getting to see the insides of those ritzy Salvatore School bathrooms is a crime

"You're my sister. My best friend. She spent the last ten years making us feel like we don't matter." I wish I could go back in time and tell Lizzie the whole truth

"I don't like that feeling that way. Not from Hope. Not from girls like Dana. Not from Dad. And not from you." "I promise."

"You had my back today." When? No, like genuinely, when? Lizzie was out there defending Josie against Dana left and right but when did Josie have her back??

"What are we gonna do about Dad?" "More like what is he gonna do to us?" Give you a hug. Literally.

Hayley missing from the photos gets me every time 😥😥😥

[titisorriso]

Chapter 9/ Never Again (Wild Skies AU)

  The days were restless, the mornings were spent forging, the afternoons training, and the nights passed with her watching the skies and sea. Astrid led all the activities, the bags under her eyes hidden by the war paint, her tiredness obscured by her yells and tenacity.

Berk was at war.

She never thought this day would come. They were vikings, sure, but their tribe never worshipped war. Stoick did his best to avoid this, to maintain allies across the land, and although he had many, even them weren't expecting this fight.  

Astrid swung her axe, demonstrating to some young yelps how to fight and protect themselves. The strong shield, symbol of a Viking's battle proficiency, was held by each and every one of the warriors. The newbies were struggling; the wood and metal too heavy for their weak arms to keep up. Astrid noticed:

 - Never put down your shield. It is the one thing that will stop both a man's sword and a Nadder's spikes. It's your best friend and savior, so either you grow to carry it, or you better tell your family which rite you want them to say when you make your way to Valhalla.

One of the recruits raised his hand, Astrid sighing as she allowed him to speak.

 - No offense, ma'am... But where is your shield?

She scowled, the boy cowering back.

 - I don't need one. One day, if any of you become respectable warriors, you won't need one either.

A friendly, scruffy voice spoke up, entering the arena:

 - But until then, you can get all sorts of shields in all shapes and sizes right back at my shop! We're having a discount sale for young meat!

Astrid dismissed her soldiers, who made their way back home quickly, relishing the free time. She approached her tired old friend, a weak smile sprouting forth:

 - Gobber, you should be forging, not taking strolls.

Her voice was softer than when she talked to most people. Gobber had been someone to rely on in dark times. The moment Hiccup disappeared, both of them found comradery in talking about the scrawny boy who forged like there was no tomorrow. After some years, Astrid started visiting less and less, and now, with their respective problems, they rarely saw one another.

 - Ah, you know me. I'll find a way to do everything without help on time, don't you worry about that... Actually, i wanted to show you something. There were some interesting developments that i made with Hiccup's old drawings and schemes.

She shivered. The Valkyrie had completely forgot she asked that of him all those years ago.

Asking Gobber to figure out what all those plans were, what legacy did the boy leave behind, if he made anything that could be used against the dragons. Afterall, in the past, Astrid thought of Hiccup as a genius and one of the smartest vikings in Berk; how foolish was she.

Now, those papers were found useless. Even if there was something important there, it was probably made to aid Toothless. Besides, she wanted nothing to do with Hiccup anymore. He was a page in her book she was ready to rip off and set fire to.

 - Listen, Gobber, i...

He interrupted quickly:

 - Astrid, i know, okay?... I know i'm hanging on to false hope, i know i'm not your teacher anymore, but please, trust me when i say, you want to see this.

He looked earnest. Gobber suffered a lot of punishments thanks to the heir's disappearance. Gobber was the one responsible for the kids, he was their teacher and keeper when their parents weren't around, so when the news came out, Stoick couldn't think straight. Gobber went to trial, losing his honor and role of orientator in the arena; the only thing stopping his sentence to escalate to death being his title of Stoick's brother-in-arms. Subsequently, he became obsessed with the theory that Hiccup didn't die, that there was no blood or fabric or vestige of him, so he must have survived. Afterall, dragons weren't exactly polite eaters.

Astrid felt guilt, and maybe it was that guilt that drove her to accept his offer.

  He closed his forge. All windows, doors and exits barred, the only light being the fire inside the smelter that burned bright enough to illuminate the walls. Astrid observed Hiccup's childhood schemes, remembering his drawings back in his hut and noticing how rudimentary these ones looked in comparison. A smile forced itself on her lips, a certain nostalgia to imagining the boy jumping around the forge trying to do all of these in secret while also doing his work.

 - I miss him too.

Gobber spoke, snapping her out of her haze. She straightened her face, clearing her throat as she tried to not involve herself too much.

 - So... What did you want to show me?

He smiled, the normal excitement and edge of insanity in his voice popping back as he hooked and pulled as many pages from the wall as possible.

 - So, it's no secret that the boy was a bit nutty in the head, even when the job was as easy as sharpening swords, he still found some distraction to keep him occupied. Weird inventions with the sole purpose of "aiding us" in our battle, but as you know, it always managed to make everything a bit worse.

She held back from whispering a "still does".

 - Because of that, i looked at all his drawing and creations with those lenses. Thoughts filled with good intentions, but ultimately helpless. Something that any self-respecting viking would turn their nose at!

Astrid crossed her arms:

 - Yes, Gobber, i understand. You don't need to spell it out to me... I remember how he was. Just get to the point.

The smith halted for a moment. Stacking the specific papers in a curious manner as he prolonged his pause. He seemed unsure, almost aware of how crazy he was about to sound.

 - Well... That's how i chose to see it. That he made certain things with good intentions... But what if... - He took a moment to gather courage, spilling out what he meant with a mournful look - Astrid, what if Hiccup wasn't helping us. What if he was helping them.

Astrid shivered. She tried to mask the expression that forced its way up, begging to be seen. Her eyes went to the floor, trying to not make direct contact with the man, begging he would brush it off as being uncomfortable talking about the "dead" kid.

 - ... What do you mean them?

He took a step closer, his wooden leg dragging on the ground. The Valkyrie met his eyes.

 - I mean, what if Hiccup didn't get eaten or killed and tossed away... What if he ran away with the beasts?

Astrid took a moment... Then burst out laughing. She held her stomach, turning her face away, laughing until tears came out of her eyes.

 - Have you gone completely insane, Gobber?! These devils have no feelings or rational thought. They can't run away with Hiccup like some sort of scorned bride!

Gobber remained serious. Astrid tried to keep the mocking smile on, but the lie did not stick.

 - Astrid... I know i have no title, no worth and no claim... I know that questioning you, as a thane, can get me in a lot of trouble, but i need to know.

He took a step forward, the Valkyrie unmoving, paralyzed. Slowly, he grabbed her hand, holding it between his palm and hook, a pleading, teary look as the question rolled out of his tongue like a relieved breath, as if he already knew the answer before even asking.

 - ... Is Hiccup alive?... Astrid, is Hiccup the one that saved you from drowning?... Is he... The Night Stutter?

  A heavy silence. Moments of breathing and staring as she felt that urge. The urge to be a bad person, to lie and walk away, break his heart and let him believe himself mad. The urge was strong, and although it was wrong, she knew it was about self-defense rather than actual mean-spiritedness. About keeping yourself safe, knowing not many people like her got a chance to be where she was, a thane, the future chief of Berk even without any blood relation to the current chief. She couldn’t throw that away in a whim. Still, there was something in the now pathetic man that drove her to empathize: Gobber's situation could have been the same as hers. She always felt on the edge of falling out of Stoick's good graces, and she saw before her what would happen if she crossed the line.

Hiccup was alive. He was alive and well, flying around and enjoying his freedom while people like her and Gobber stayed behind to fix the mess. To take the brunt of the sword.

She turned away, unable to keep looking him in the eyes.

 - ... I don't... I'm sorry, Gobber.

She slowly pulled her hand away.

 - I'm sorry that i can't give you the answer that you want.

That was as cryptic as she could afford. A bad taste in her mouth with each word, something brewing in her stomach as she felt the necessity to heave and cry, but she held her ground. The man looked down, his hands falling to his sides, dejected.

 - ... It's okay, Astrid... I shouldn't put this much weight on you... Afterall, you're still a young lady!... You need to be fighting and courting! Pay no mind to the ramblings of this old man.

He turned away, his shoulders slumped, the warrior wondered if he was hiding tears. He slowly started putting the schemes and drawings back in place, mumbling things to himself so quietly Astrid couldn't discern any of it.

 - I'm... Going to go now, okay?

 - Yes, yes, you have a war to fight. Go ahead! Knock'em dead!

He spoke cheerful but did not turn around.

Astrid turned to leave, the sound of the door creaking open.

 - Just one more thing, if you wouldn't mind, thane?

She whipped around, staring at his back.

 - Anything, Gobber.

He turned to look at her, a huge smile with tears of joy streaming down his cheeks.

 - Just tell him to come by if he ever has time, alright?

  Staring at the ceiling, playing with the sheets, counting the seconds. All techniques she tried to find herself asleep, to no avail. There was a plethora of moments in her life that she was not proud of, that kept her awake and bursting with nightmares for many years; but ever since that night it had gotten worse. Ever since Hiccup said he loved her.

There was no one to turn to. No one to tell. Gobber now knew the truth, but she still couldn't risk confidence, not when it could put his life in danger.

So, she laid there. Questioning her feelings for him, her duty with the village and her role in the war, and somehow, above all of that, the tinge of doubt that came to her whenever she thought of dragons. Calling them devils, monsters, beasts, all of it felt wrong, but it wasn't supposed to.

She was a dragon hunter. She killed and maned many of them, and in turn, they killed many of hers. Did Hiccup know that? Something about the way he said things, it seemed like he believed Berk was no longer looking to exterminate dragons. How much did he know? Even more important, how much he didn't?

Rain fell on the roof, the sound being the final straw as Astrid got up, realizing there would be no sleep tonight.

She grabbed her axe, moving through the darkness and silence of the village towards the arena, unbothered by the heavy droplets drenching her.

  The arena was eerie. The usual clattering of blades and yelling replaced by water meeting rock and metal. She opened the wooden gate, the rain slowly fading out as she approached a still lit torch. With the light source in hand, she slowly marched towards her goal.

The cage of a Deadly Nadder was usually heavy metal doors and wooden beams to stop the beast from breaking or melting their way out, but this one was different. This dragon had been here since Astrid was a girl, she fought against it and trained many recruits with it, and after a while, it stopped trying to get out.

The Nadder was now behind bars. That was it. All that stopped the beast from leaving was thin metal bars that it could melt any day. Still, it never left.

Many times, Astrid wondered if it had just been broken, if it finally realized it had no way out and accepted the life of a prisoner rather than death. Often, Astrid thought of this beast as a coward, but now, the feelings of the beast felt a bit too familiar.

It was young back then, when it still had a fighting spirit and the dream of running away, of finally escaping and meeting others like it, but with time and training, it realized the world had other plans. That people expected something from it and it had no choice. With time, that trapped feeling felt like home, like how things were supposed to be. It's not that it wasn't fighting, there was just nothing to fight. It realized its role; it needed to obey and follow. No second thoughts or chances.

Astrid stared into the beast's eyes.

This was home. 

The fire flickered, the Nadder waiting for orders, for the gate to open so it could perform its duty again. The warrior obliged.

She opened the cell, taking steps back as it took steps forward, mimicking her, watching her movement as if it were a dance and it was waiting for its cue.

Carefully, Astrid put her axe down, watching as the beast's pupils grew. The Nadder was confused, but curious, almost expectant.

The Valkyrie took a deep breath and dropped the torch.

Her eyes took a while to adapt to the darkness, the rain had completely stopped. Their breaths were synchronized, waiting.

Her hand went forward, staying in the air right in front of the dragon, her palms sweating as there was still uncertainty in her mind. What stopped the beast from attacking? From taking this opportunity and biting off her hand? The hand on her side clenched, her unease quickly becoming fear as she noticed the beast approaching.

The texture of the dragon's scales was different from Toothless. Her nose meeting the warrior's palm like it was normal. As if they had done this many times before. The Nadder rubbed herself against Astrid's hand.

"She trusts me."

The realization came like a wave. She didn't run or fly away because, to her, Astrid was her friend. The dragon trusted her to not harm her, to do what needed to be done and then allow her to go back to her spot and sleep and eat. Astrid didn't even realize what she was doing, the respect that she gave to this dragon without even realizing. The trust she instilled and the false kindness she had given out of routine, out of obligation, like second nature.

Tears streamed down her face as she took a couple steps forward, the beast not even flinching as Astrid hugged her tight.

 - I'm so sorry...

Hiccup was right. She couldn't believe it, her mind reeling from everything that she had done while believing these creatures were nothing but monsters. She let go of the dragon, the Nadder tilting her head to the side, confused with Astrid's behavior, but still appreciating the affection.

“Never again.”

She wiped her tears, determination filling her heart.

 - I'm getting you out of here.

  His head was pounding, his skin itching and his lungs hurting. Of all the times Hiccup had been captured, this was by far the worst scenario. They even took his metal leg! Who does that?!

His eyes creeped open, his vision hazy and a bit blurred, but on the upside, he could move his body. On the downside, he heard and felt the rattling of chains as his hands were restrained.

He leaned his head back, hitting it against the stones a few times. There needed to be a way for him to force his mind to create some smart ideas.

 - Hello?... Anyone there?

His voice was raspy as he tried to get some attention. Were there no guards? Well, there really was no need for them anyway, it's not like there was a way out of here.

He felt his body wanting to find Toothless. To see if he was okay, wondering what terrible things they were doing to him, but those thoughts wouldn't help right now. The questions of how long did Johann plan this, who's attention was he trying to get, how were these buildings made and did they have to do with the Razorwhips disappearing?

He pulled forward, testing the strength of the chains. They tensed but remained strong.

 - HEY! Anyone! Let me OUT!

He yelled and made the chains rattle. A punch to the metal door of the cell:

 - QUIET DOWN, PRISONER!

So, there was someone there. Hiccup itched his face against his shoulder, noticing his armor was filled with holes and burns from the acid. His voice came at an almost reassuring tone:

 - Oh, so there is someone there... What's your name?

He was met with silence, but he could hear a shuffling of fabric as the guard moved.

 - C'mon, what bad could it do for me to know your name? It's not like i can do anything.

The guard punched the door again:

 - I said SILENCE! You are not to speak another word.

Hiccup noticed his tactic wasn't working. Since being friendly wasn't the way, he would try a different method.

 - You know... It doesn't really *matter* how trapped i am right now. I have dealt with worse enemies than a trader with some exotic weapons. Ever heard of the Grimborn brothers? Yeah, i dealt with them. Let's just say it's not a good idea to be on my bad side.

He was met with a long silence, and then a prolonged laugh.

 - Oh, i'm aware of your doings, Night Stutter. I know them way too well.

He heard keys jingle as the door was unlocked. Hiccup scooched back, thinking of how he could react against this guy while fully in chains.

The familiar face that appeared made the rider shiver.

 - ... Krogan?...

The man smiled. There was a huge new scar going across his face, and his right leg was replaced with a metal spike.

 - Surprised to see me, Haddock?

Hiccup's stomach turned, his anger rising as this simple kidnapping became more problematic than he imagined. He killed the Grimborn brothers, he defeated Drago and Toothless became the new alpha. Krogan was Drago's servant, a lackey he thought the monster had given an end to; but now, Hiccup wondered how big of a threat this all was, who was involved in this and what was really happening.

He jumped forward, forgetting his wounds, the chains and the lack of a leg. The rider fell backwards with his failed attempt of lunging at him.

 - WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO TOOTHLESS?!

Hiccup expected anything from him. A sadistic laugh, a mean remark, even a punch to the gut.

Krogan said nothing.

The man just stared at the rider, a mysterious look over his eyes.

 - Your dragon is unharmed. Johann needs him alive to command the other beasts.

Hiccup's rage did not falter even with the reluctant answer.

 - I swear, if only one of his scales is out of place, Odin have mercy--

 - What? What will you do, rider?!

The interruption caught Hiccup off guard. What could he do? Nobody knew he was here; he didn't even leave a note back home because he thought it would be a quick surveillance.

 - That's the thing, Hiccup Haddock, you always need others. You're useless by yourself. The dragon is gone, your precious Berserker friends are too busy dealing with a sudden Dragonvine outbreak, Alvin has a little riot the hunters incited on his hands, and Berk... Well, it's not like Berk can miss what they don't know exists...

Hiccup's brain yelled at him to not incite the hunter, but something about this situation made his rationality be destroyed:

 - I have more allies than you know. You haven't even scratched the surface.

 - Oh, please. They know you, Hiccup! Bayana, the Wingmaidens, the Defenders of the Wing, they're all busy. You are helpless, and soon, you will be dead.

The rider's head dropped, the anger slowly fading to a sense of despair.

 - I... I've been through worse. This is nothing.

 - Do you truly believe that?

Krogan approached Hiccup, kneeling to see him eye to eye as the rider sat dejected against the wall:

 - You have nowhere to go, Hiccup. No one to turn to. They won, and you will be nothing but a faraway memory of what could have been.

Hiccup's face lit up, coming to a conclusion he hoped wasn't the wrong one:

 - ... You keep saying "they" instead of "we"... Why are you here, Krogan?

The two stared at each other. That similar flame of rivalry and hatred threatening to spark again and ruin whatever was about to be proposed. Krogan was one of the only hunters to have come close to killing Toothless, and that was all it took for Hiccup to hate someone. He was heartless, emotionless and observant. In many ways, he reminded Hiccup of Viggo, but Viggo had some sort of feeling, just any feeling. He got something from this cat and mouse chase. Krogan seemed to only focus on his goal: Surviving. Anything else was just colateral damage. Krogan’s voice turned somber:

 - ... These people, they are not to be trusted. When Drago tried to execute me, i barely made it; having to hide in corners and stay away from the public... I would thank the gods if i believed in any of them for letting me live for so long, but i'll settle for thanking you.

He got up, holding a key as he showed it to Hiccup, just out of reach.

 - You, rider, killed Drago. You freed me from that prison of shrouded shadows.

 - Believe me, you weren't really in my mind when i did it. Call it a unfortunate consequence.

 - Ah, but that's where you're wrong.

Krogan took a step forward, Hiccup flinching backwards, ready to headbutt or kick as much as it was necessary, but the hunter simply threw the key into his hand.

 - ... I'm returning the favor. Go, Night Stutter. You're free.

Krogan turned around, already leaving as Hiccup shouted:

 - WAIT!

The man stopped.

 - You expect me to believe that? I'm not a child anymore, Krogan. What is your true goal?! What do you want from me?! I'm not going to be a pawn in your sick game!

The hunter put his hood on, a low chuckle making even the walls shiver.

 - Just get out alive, rider. We have just begun.

  The devil was stubborn. Astrid tied a rope around her neck, pulling her silently through the houses and fields... Except the dragon didn't get the sudden change of pace.

The Nadder groaned and perched on every fence and wall it could find, Astrid having to pull extra hard for the beast to keep it pushing. The Valkyrie would often whisper in anger:

 - I swear, you're not exactly making this change of heart easy. 

The dragon flapped her wings in response. Unbothered and quite excited to see the outside again.

They eventually reached the forest, Astrid less worried about being found out as Raven's point was the only spot she didn't assign a patrol to, worried Hiccup could be stalking around these parts again and not wanting him to get caught.

The open sky was littered with stars, the warrior remembering her first time flying as she realized the time had come. The wind howled, a bitter cold predicting the arrival of winter. Astrid turned to the Nadder, untying her rope.

 - Well, this is it.

The Nadder stared, confused. Astrid smiled, finding the beast's confusion endearing.

 - C'mon, go! You're free. 

The dragon remained put. Seconds passed, then minutes, and all the beast did was look around the woods and stay put. Astrid lost her patience.

 - I'm serious, go! You can leave!

More empty staring.

 - Sweet Thor, do you not understand me? Is that it? Okay...

Astrid took some steps back, the dragon tilting her head as she observed the woman start mimicking flying.

 - You... SOAR! Go... UP! The SKY is OPEN! You can GO!

The Nadder sat down. Astrid's palm went to her face.

 - You are smarter than this. I know you are! Why are you resisting me?!

She was talking to a dragon as if it had feelings and thoughts. Dear gods, she was becoming Hiccup. The warrior decided to change her method.

 - Okay... Maybe you just don't know i'm talking to you. I mean, Hiccup named his Night Fury, maybe you want a name too...

The Nadder seemed interested, loafing forward like a hen as she waited for a name.

 - Uh... How about... Zephyr? Like the wind! I always wanted a daughter named Zephyr.

The dragon shook her head.

 - Okay... Maybe Gunnr?! Like battle! That's a solid name, right?

The dragon groaned in disapproval. Astrid stared at the sky, bewildered and annoyed. She was really asking a dragon what she wanted her name to be. A stark contrast to the butchering and axeing she could be doing instead.

She watched as the wind brought dark clouds over Berk, a weird tint to them that she had never seen before. An idea formed as she looked to the Nadder.

 - How about... ÉlFljúga? Stormfly? Do you like that?

The Nadder jumped up, considering it, then running towards Astrid and nuzzling the woman who giggled with the affection.

 - Alright, alright. Well, Stormfly... It's time to go. You can't stay, it's not safe.

Stormfly moaned, confused at the woman pushing her away.

 - I'm serious, girl. You can't stay, they'll... We'll kill you.

The dragon looked into Astrid's eyes, still confused and reluctant, but a certain understanding went between their hearts. There was a connection there, as Astrid touched her forehead to Stormfly's spike, the dragon closed her eyes, saying goodbye.

 - I'm sorry that i hurt you so much... I promise that there is someone out there who will treat you with the most love and respect.

She kept holding on to the dragon's face as she moved to the side so Stormfly could see her as she spoke:

 - There's a guy that will find just the right habitat for you. He's a bit smelly and has a bad sense of humor, but he'll treat you right. Just follow north, he'll find you.

She let go of Stormfly, the dragon moaning as it once more refused to leave, but clearly more willing to do so if ordered again. Astrid felt a pang in her heart.

 - ... The world isn't ready for you. We... We don't deserve you. At least i don't. Not after everything i've done.

 - Well, at least you admit it.

The Valkyrie turned around like lightning, grabbing her axe and swinging it to a fighting pose. Stormfly jumped beside her, readying a shot.

A hooded woman mounted on a Razorwhip. Astrid had never seen one face to face, the surprise must have been all over her complexion, for the woman laughed.

 - Don't worry, Windshear doesn't bite... Too hard.

 - Who are you?!

The woman dismounted her dragon, revealing her face and long black braided hair.

 - Name is Heather. We need to talk about Hiccup. °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°    This one took a lot of editing. Had to find the old notebook i wrote the story on to see where i was going with this and decided to change it all. Hope you enjoyed it! (And i know this is looking like the end, but believe me, there is so much story to go. I had way too much freetime back then.)

[rosedesang]

The left hook from one of the competitors throws the room in a heat, a fervor that Bellamy can feel. His typical smile is spread on his lips, the smile of a man enjoying every drop of violence the show is giving to him : entertainment. It isn't the violence only, it is the context the violence in born in that he loves so much, men turned into animals, stock in order to prevent the elite from getting a little Too Bored on a thursday night. There is a hierarchy in this society, a hierarchy in life itself that follows the rules of nature, one that Bellamy affectionates and chose the mission to preserve it, maintain it, like a monarch would. "10k. I want this one." Speaks Bellamy to his assistant who never leaves the heir's side. Immediatly, the assistant disappears to get to Mr. Kang everything he wants. Despite Bellamy firmly believing in the preservation of titles and social classes, he's always been interested in the mechanics of the mind of the other side. Yes, despite his beliefs and obsession for his legacy, Bellamy is a man attracted by the philosophy of nuances, a man who likes to watch the big picture, understand it all and only when time comes, knowing what needs to be done. Taiyang Tseng to him is particularly interesting in that case. A crime lord offspring turned a crime lord himself, yet, desiring of a Better World, desiring of Giving back to the people, a Modern Day Robinhood would the tabloids call him. It is fascination to the Kang - In a way, Taiyang Tseng ( @velvetineblue ) stands in the middle : he is someone who has never truly known misery yet sympathizes with it, puts his life on the line for it. Why? A brow then raises on the heir's face. The respond of the crime lord son is one the heir was not fully expecting. It is : nuanced. "Interesting." He admits, his eyes now directed towards the other, his sly pinched smile on as usual. His assistant finally comes back after taking care of the deed, this time busy with lighting up a cigar for Mr. Kang, handing it to the man who then places it between his lips.

He inhales, exhales, thinks, his attention distracted away from the fight. "Individuality is the greatest of Evils. There is no empathy left and we are fooling themselves if we expect a revival of it. In that metro scenario of yours, the watchers appear more concerned by the preservation of their well being - What happens if they interfere and the aggressors turn against them? Assault them? Kill them? The watchers have their own problems to solve, their own life to live, their spouse to go home to and fuck, their kids to feed and raise. Why risking it all for a stranger huh? I mean, they look around, nobody's fucking moving anyway so why on earh would They?" He questions before his attention is directed to the fight again. "YES!" He shouts together with the crowd as he stands up, this time clapping with fervor as the fighter he put a bet on throw his competitor down, a knock out is coming. "THAT'S MY BOY. GET HIM. KILL HIM." He keeps on shouting with a passion and a rage from above as the VIP section has a nice view on the ring. Bellamy turns around then, facing Taiyang who got his feet up to booth, telling him about the rich on the ring instead. A sinister laughter escapes from Bellamy's mouth followed with another hit on the cigar. "A good fight? Come on. It would pathetic to watch. Mamas boys whimping and pissing themselves because it's the first time they can't use daddy's money to escape - I know exactly where you're going with it. But you know what would be waay more interesting? What happens next"

Shoving a hand down his pocket, now, he really is more and more curious about Taiyang's motivations, the Story of the Fight behind the man. Out of curiosity but Oh well, he also is aware of the recent quarrel between him and his cousin. Bellamy despises Gaya : she is not one of Them he says and because of that, she finds her particularly dangerous. A non-Kang granted with the power of a Kang could turn her back on them any minute, a white wolf among the pack. If there is Someone capable of taking away everything he has and aspires to have, it's Gaya and so, her enemies should be his friends. Just in case. "They learn. The rich boys learn how to fight, how to dodge, it's slow but it's coming. Some get really good at it and finally... They kill with their own hands for the very first time. As for the destitute, the ones who put the rich boys in the cages.. Well, well, well, would you think they will release them once they had their little fun? No no no. They keep the rich boys there, they enjoy the show, out of revenge sure but then out of comfort too. And by the end of the day, out of habit. Are they right to do that? Is it justified? Isn't it just as disgusting of what the rich boys used to do? "His smile never wither. "Like you said, we might never get the answer of who's worse. Or perhaps we could.. If the Cycles are broken. Do you believe they can be or do you believe it's in human's nature to always come back to the Dominant/Dominated pattern no matter what?"

[perenians]

ntt for the ask game!!

1. which character do you relate to the most from your fandom?

terry long dick because he is. sad in a snazzy way LMAO also he’s in love with kory and terrible at feelings

2. which character do you look the most like?

hmmm. i want to say donna. like roundish faces with a noticeable chin, black hair, tan skin, a bangin figure,

3. what is your favorite ship?

donnakory <3

4. what is your favorite canon ship?

it’s gotta be dickkory i mean. the others simply cannot compare ALTHOUGH i had a brief obsession with kory and her plain npc boyfriend for reasons i cannot explain

5. who is your favorite character (and why)?

donna, because she puts a lot of pressure on herself and feels that she has to live up to diana’s legacy. she forces herself to be independent and mature, even when she doesn’t know exactly what that means. also she’s pretty

6. when you first think of the fandom, what image comes to mind?

raven body pillow

7. when did you join the fandom?

uhhh at least a year or two ago

8. why did you join the fandom?

i saw some issues being sold at a con and i read them. which. yes i know i’m not supposed to do that but i liked the comics! and also. ntt fanart goes so hard

9. what is your favorite fanfic for the fandom?

we have fanfic??? /j (i haven’t read very much tbh bc it’s hard to find)

10. what song do you associate with a ship?

patricia by florence + the machine for donnakory 💕

11. what song do you associate with a character?

full of empty by black square for dick tbh

12. favorite hc

everyone’s bi <3 or some other flavor of queer except for wally LMAO

13. if you could be in the universe of the characters, what would you do first?

become donna’s kid sister. get out of my way cassie

[hoarding-niffler]

Thanks, I really appreciate it. I'll try leaving politics out. I really have nowhere else on the internet to socialize anymore since breaking from tumblr, and rn in my life situation the only chance I have of making friends is online. Sorry this is so long, I hope this much text isn't off-putting. In any case I appreciate seeing bloggers like you who keep on enjoying the game and hp universe despite all of this.

I'm nonbinary, nonwhite, studying to convert to Judaism, and I've been obsessed with hogwarts since I read the books as a child. I can't not interact with this world I love so much, not just as an escape to real life. I'm autistic and had a bad childhood and the books were the only thing that helped me deal, and now I mainly interact via fanfiction that essentially 'fixes' things from the books, and watch the movies. At this point I feel I can't live without the HP universe in my life, it is a core part of me. It bothers me that people in my own communities would essentially cast me out, because I play the game and have wanted something like this since I was a kid, that I'd be considered a bad person and cut off from necessary support. As if being accused of bigotry and hurt feelings is the only consequence I could face.

I already deal with a mild fear that toxic ex friends from on here will find my new blog, because of the way they went about ending our friendship. I'm afraid if they find my blog, which is loosely connected through a few old friends, they'll see it and put me on blast/ screenshot my blog/ talk about me with their friends like they used to. Like I used to (which I regret) because that's behavior that people in my 'community' encouraged when someone 'needed calling out' even if it was a mistake, or a well intentioned attempt at conversing and understanding someone else's pov to learn. I'm afraid to post screenshots on my main, or attach my HL sideblog to my main, in case it gets me hateful interactions which I have no heart to deal with anymore. It seems like hating this game and anyone who plays it is the stance of the majority of online LGBT spaces rn. I don't wanna hide it, but also need support from online spaces. I even feel bad playing and haven't gotten very far because this has all cast a negative feeling on the game for me.

I'm so sorry you're struggling with this and it honestly shouldn't be like that, but I'm well aware that things are nearly never black and white. There's a whole lot of grey in the world and most people do not know how to deal with it. That's how you get bullies, haters, scapegoats, and the list goes on.

I did not grow up with the books but I did grow up with the movies and I rewatch them regularly. I also love to read tons of fix-it fanfics (my favourite character is snape, of course, I need alternate universe fics where he survives lmao). I feel like most people hate so much on others enjoying the world of Harry Potter and therefore now Hogwarts Legacy because they are notoriously online and forgot what life is like in the real world. Things are not as simple as "Oh, you play this? Then you're EVIL". A lot of times, just like in your case, franchises give us support and strength, because life is fucking hard sometimes. Most times. Especially as a minority, I can't even imagine what fears you must face. And instead of realising that NOTHING we consume is pure and that people should look closer whether a person uses a franchise to gain strength from it or to spread hate, people rather point with their fingers and gatekeep their own communities, not realising how much damage they do on a broader scale. It's not only the people they keep out, it's also the people who listen in on this infighting and either get turned off from ever engaging with those communities (in positive ways) or the wrong people use exactly that to fuel their own hateful agendas. It's damaging all around, all because people prefer to take the easy route and accuse rather than discuss and understand.

Honestly, I get why you in your specific situation can't really say "fuck it" and ignore any possible consequences but I also think you shouldn't deprive yourself of what brings you genuine enjoyment. My suggestion would be to create a completely new main Tumblr blog with a second mail address and then a sideblog for your HP needs. And considering how you can look through the Hogwarts Legacy tag and finds SO MANY active players and defenders of the game who are, at the same time, completely against JK Terfling's insane views, shows that you can have your cake and eat it too. So far I experienced this community as very supportive and you just block everyone who gets aggressive. It makes your online experience so much more enjoyable, believe me.

You will not be able to stop people from talking about you. But you can stop it from affecting you as much as it does and seek out people who wouldn't do that to you in the first place.

Man, this got long and rambly and I don't know if anything of what I wrote makes sense BUT

you're always welcome in my asks and I bet the same goes for other Hogwarts Legacy fans on here. We got each other's back.

[brightonpages]

Ashes (Index) Chapter 2 Part 5

Garrett did not have friends.

He had arrived at the Academy nearly two years ago, and he did not trust that quickly. He might never trust again. Rebuilding his life after being accused of murder and sent to a new school, leaving everything he knew behind, hadn’t become any easier or more appealing. He had magic, and he had himself, and for now, that was enough.

That did not mean he didn't have a friend group, people who had claimed him, although he was unsure entirely why. He thought of them as his allies, the thing he had decided he did need. The same group had texted him throughout the incident. Things like "the Academy is evacuating!", "where are you??", "are you okay???". But also, when there wasn't a crisis, more generic things about homework and stray bits of gossip. He was in a text chain that he mostly read, but didn't respond to. Because he was still very much invested in the subtleties and evolution of human communication, even though he wasn't currently taking part. They cared. He believed they cared. He just struggled to care back, and wasn't ready for the effort of pretending.

It was another failure, of course. He was aware of that. He hadn’t quite blossomed into the person he wished he could become. He had wanted confidence and, honestly, popularity. He was still marked by the experience with the Legacies, the way they were so singularly insolent, like nothing he had ever seen before. Even rich kids could be impressed with the right approach, but these people were impossible to get near, unless you could prove your heritage.

His allies weren’t obsessed with heritage - not like Legacies were - but he still couldn't escape the questions about his parents. It was like the equivalent to 'what do your parents do' in a world where no one cared about their profession. Unless they were Council, of course. (And everyone knew exactly who the Council kids were, an information Garrett filed away for later.)

Now, when asked which of his parents were the mage, he answered that he didn't know. That he had grown up in the foster system, and had no idea who his parents were, which he feared that earned him pity, and even more misplaced affection.

Because they cared, because this small group of his peers had decided to adopt him like he was a stray kitten, he was followed out.

Grace was still the one. The one, who hadn’t given up on trying with him. The one, he was pretty sure, was the reason the group hadn’t left him behind a long time ago. Garrett was entirely sure she had a crush on him. It would have been easy to encourage her, to ask her out and try dating, try having a girlfriend, but he wasn't attracted to the idea. Mostly because he had never experienced attraction to another person. He wondered, as he watched other people fall in and out of love, if it was something that needed to be forced, something that needed to be learned. He just had yet to arrive at the point where he was willing to try. Despite lacking the feelings, he excelled at reading them in other people, and Grace had a lot of the markers of someone in love. She was attentive to him, she would always sit close to him, she attempted to start conversations with him, still, even when many of the others had given up. Of course there was also the option that she thought he had some sort of social disorder and was just being nice.

"Are you okay?" She asked, now. She had fine features and sleek, black hair. She was pretty. It wasn't like he couldn't tell, it just didn't make him feel anything.

"I'm fine," Garrett said, smiling as softly as he knew how. "Just restless."

Grace nodded. "It's terrible."

"Which part?" It wasn't the right thing to say. She frowned, and he corrected. "Sorry," he smiled. "The deaths. Of course. I just meant that those people saved us. Luka. Abel. Lena. They shouldn't be blamed for it." He left out Hadley, seeing as he had avoided blame entirely. Somehow more than the boy who had died for their sins.

"I know," Grace said. "But the Council is right. They should have left it to the Agents."

Garrett only nodded. He could have said that he had seen the Agents, standing back, doing nothing, but he didn't. He wasn't going to be the one to expose them. He didn't want to single himself out. He didn't want to cause trouble.

He wasn't a revolutionary. So, he would do what everyone else were doing, and pretend everything was okay.

"Are you going back inside?" Grace asked.

"No," Garrett answered. "I need to get out of here."

"Do you want company?"

No, he thought, but he smiled and said, "Sure."

[unravelingthepages]

Hamilton- a review and a shoutout to my current favorite musical

hi! just got done with my mid-semester exams this week and thought I would start by recommending a musical I absolutely loved (yes I’ve been on a musical kick, I blame my cousin).

Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda is musical comprising of AMAZING soundtracks that I re-listen entirely every couple of days (I wish I was kidding) with the music spanning over genres of hip-hop, rap, musical theatre and more.

Just a note before I go into more about why I loved it- this is not a play made with the intention of depicting history. Yes, it draws from historical events and has historical figures as the main characters but the fact remains that it is a musical, and not intended to have a political message glorifying things like slavery. I will say that it while it does not forgoe looking at the themes of feminism and slavery and does have references to them, it in no way focuses on them and therefore might have the unintended consequence of glorifying figures like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington who owned slaves and such. If you plan on watching this musical, do go into it with this information.

About the musical

Hamilton is the epic saga that follows the rise of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton as he fights for honour, love, and a legacy that would shape the course of a nation. It is based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography and has the themes of romance, honour, war, revolutions, adultery, politics and more.

Why I loved it

Did I mention I absolutely ADORED the songs? Because I'm obsessed with each and every one of them. The way you can read into them and how each song can be seen as a build-up for the next and how later songs reference lines from the earlier songs- it's frankly amazing and so cool.

Speaking of the songs, I loved that this was essentially just music and continuous beats. The conversations followed a pattern and more often than not, ended up being part of the songtrack itself. While I do love musicals that have songs and then periods of just dialogue in-between where 'the plot thickens' (imagine with the hand gesturing and air of mystery, please tell me someone knows what I'm talking about); all the plot advancing needed in Hamilton is mainly included in the tracks (hell, an entire Cabinet debate is a rap battle) and I adore this form of storytelling. It's also another reason I love re-listening to all the songs, since I know exactly what part of the musical it's from and what's going on in that number.

Moving on to the characters- I loved that none of them were glorified but still given human qualities such you can find them tolerable and want to listen to what they are saying. That's not to say I like most of them as historical figures (I decidedly do not). But they were all so distinct here- in their personalities, their style of talking, their general demeanor and more- that it played a large part in how their contasting characters fit into the story so seamlessly. A huge shoutout to the cast for that, I absolutely loved how they embodied their characters.

Let me end with saying the way the story is written and portrayed is incredible. It goes in a linear timeline and have so many cool elements to it that you can't take your eyes away from the scene. There are so many different ways to look at every scene and… well, I could go on but it's safe to say I'm in love with this musical. (My favorite songs are Wait For It and Burn and my favorite scene has to be the whole rewind scene with Angelica Schuylur and the characters of Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr and King George III HAVE to be my favorite because I honestly laughed out loud every time I saw some of their expressions and the lines that went with them.)

All-in-all, I recommend watching this musical with all my heart! I loved it and would a thousand percent rate it 5 stars.

[anthropictales]

What's in a Nom de Guerre?

"So before we do this, tell me, why do you want to change your Title?" Lord Dark: Obliterator asked his youngest lieutenant.

"Some of the kids at school thought it was lame, they called it cringe, and sad." said Destructor Tyrannosaurus Supreme, fidgeting in their over-engineered armored suit.

"Ah. I see," Obliterator said.

"We could change your name, kiddo, but, first..." he beckoned, leading the youngest of the Council of Dark towards the halls in the legacy Fortress of Dark built by the Original Lord Dark, back when he wielded the Darkblade, and the Council of Dark ruled the Bi-state passage and the northwestern stretch of I-22 with impunity.

The Hall of Ambition was lined with newspaper articles, some printed, some projected on screens, tv news segments playing on loop, footage from dozens of eras of history, photos lined the walls, objects, some intact, others mangled beyond recognition, sat in glass cases along both walls...

here was the history of the Council of Dark, a potential treasure trove for prosecutors.

He started at the back, a life-sized photo of the Darkblade alongside trophies of Lord Dark at his earliest, news articles decrying the actions of the super-terrorist who styled himself 'Lord Dark'.

"Kid, there are many kinds of evil in this world. you know that, yeah?" the older villain asked.

Tyrannosaurus nodded.

"Good kid. what makes us different from the banker who denies loans to black folks, or the pharmaceutical company that prices the poor out of life-saving medicine, or the fascist dictator with his army of tanks and bombers, or the real estate company that evicts people, and leaves houses empty for a tax dodge?"

"I dunno."

"Good. I will tell you. The difference is that most evil adheres to and manipulates the law for its own gain, hiding behind a pretense of rationality.

the meanest drug dealer and gangster imagines themselves some kind of businessman or community member, and the random murderer and predator either follows an ideology or an obsession.

the worst criminals do not attack strangers, but those under their supposed care and control, and abuse the law to keep that control.

We are not common criminals, monsters or other such pathetic creatures. we are not lawmen or government agents, not businessmen with an odd hobby. it is creatures like that that desperately seek public approval, the approval of those around them, and fear most of all being embarrassed.

Cringe is their word. not ours.

Cringe is something they fear, because they are not supervillains.

My protege, we are more than them, because we do not rely upon others, upon secrecy, upon reputational dodges and bullshit for our rep, we earn our reputation on the strength of our accomplishments, the power and consequences of our deeds.

Your grandfather, the Original Lord Dark, couched mere sedition and" Lord dark curled his lip in disgust, "Bigotry, in the costume of vaudeville and theatrics, relying on the very ridiculousness of being "Lord Dark" to turn suspicion away from the family." he strode down the hall.

"The first Dark Claw did us a favor, taking the Darkblade and thus, him, out of the picture so the council could form as it now is.

But we keep the name, because once people learned to fear the name, it lost the siliness that would normally accrue to such an overwrought name. your father is Duke Tenebrous the Deranged, your grandmother is the Voice of Shadow, I am Lord Dark Obliterator, your aunt is the Shadow At Midnight.

Too many, these names would be cringe, too. silly. are we cringe or silly?" he asked.

"No, you're scary." Tyrannosaurus said.

Obliterator snapped his fingers. "Exactly. our ridiculous names stopped being funny because we do things that give us a reputation. and so it is, that we continue the tradition, the ridiculous names and costumes, because we care not what ordinary folks think of us, until we earn that reputation.

It is not your place to bow to the dictates of the common culture, Tyrannosaurus. you are not just a criminal, not a petty thief or pathetic white-collar looter, but a supervillain! "

he turned to face his protege. "Your place, is to defy the common man, laugh at their attempts to impose limits upon you. it is your place to punish the world for the temerity of telling you you shouldn't call yourself whatever you damn well please.

and," he knelt down, putting a hand on Tyrannosaurus' shoulder.

"When the time comes to pass the mantle of Lord Dark on, I would be stoked for my successor to be someone as badass as Lord Dark Tyrannosaurus. we can change your name if you want, but I want you to ask yourself, if you truly want to change your name, or if you are changing it because some silly little kids at school laughed at it, not knowing the true might of the one who wears it."

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

Weird how the most common takeaway from Jango’s decision to have Boba is some flavor of “uwu asexual king” or “aaaaw can you believe how badly he wanted to have a child <3″ and meanwhile there’s that other interpretation staring us right in the face that nobody seems to care about because it doesn’t fit the good dad Jango ao3 tag: the man literally wanted a COPY OF HIMSELF.

[ink-on-the-brink]

Yandere Merc Dads (Imagines)

[Spy, Soldier, Medic]

A/N: Guess who's back bitches! And I've come with the last part in the yandere Merc dad series! Let's GO!

Spy

You become his kid in a similar way you become Scouts. His wife dies at your birth and in doing so leaves a vacant hole on who will take care of you. However, the only way he's going to take you in is if he's not at the mercenary base anymore. So this would have to happen before or after joining the team.

"mon amour, s'il te plait...s'il te plait ne me quitte pas, s'il te plait ne pars pas-"

"Please don't cry for me. You have a child to take care of...don't make their legacy my death"

The moment he laid his eyes on you he was immediately obsessed. If he's being honest, that's how he felt at the birth of all of his children. But it was always a weak obsession in the beginning which was overpowered by the fear of what would happen if his work-life mixed with his personal life. So he had always left. Now though, without the option to leave you for your own good, that obsession was allowed to grow within him.

"Shhh, ne t'inquiète pas mon petit bijou, papa est là. Je sais, je sais...elle me manque aussi"

He's extremely protective but no one would be able to tell, even you. He knows where you are and what you're doing at any moment of the day and no matter how free you think you are you're always exactly where he wants you to be. Sure, you can have friends, but he's going to be the reason you meet them after he's practically picked them out for you. You want to go out with said friend? He'll subtly implant ideas of where you should go and what you should do until you choose them, thinking that you came up with them the entire time. Romantic partners? Yeah, he's definitely picking those. He'll cause whatever chain of events he has to. Everyone in your life is someone he put there and anyone who isn't is seen as a threat.

"Papa! Papa! I made a new friend!"

"Really? What's zeir name?"

"Lilly! They just moved in next door!"

"Oh really? Hm. What a lucky day for you zen petite bijou"

Spy always has eyes on you. Always. Whether it's his own or his most trusted workers. That being said, if say one of those workers happened to lose track of you or he happens to look away at just the wrong time...This isn't going to end well.

"What do you mean you lost track of zem!"

"I mean I was watching them and they ducked behind a building and didn't come back out! I don't know where they are!"

"You imbecile!"

His first objective is to find out where you are. He's going to every imaginable length to find you and nothing is going to stop him. He'll threaten and kill until he knows where you are and gods forbid it's somewhere unsafe. After he finds you he's immediately relieved. Unless you're in Immediate danger he won't directly appear but instead subtly direct you home through the environment. He doesn't want you knowing that he's watching you and popping up out of nowhere would compromise that. So he simply cools down from his panic in the shadows as he guides you home.

"I'm so lost! Papa is going to be so mad when I get home late-"

Click, click, click

"Huh? Oh! A map! That's...oddly lucky..."

And what about the person who lost track of you? Well that's exactly it, what about them? As far as he's concerned they no longer exist. Their name is erased from this planet, along with their body. They are nothing more than ash in the wind now.

"Sir, have you seen Darin? Hasn't been around since last week"

"Who? 

"Darin? You hired him for a few jobs? 

"Apologies, I don't zink I know zat name"

Despite his care, Spy isn't the best with kids. He's not very experienced and is rather cold towards most people in general. So it will take him a while to get used to being around you, let alone being your parent. Even when it does finally click though he isn't immediately lovey-dovey. He kills for a living, he almost can't risk showing his care for you. But you will know that he cares, even if it's just the small things. It's just important that no one else does.

"And what about that kid of yours?"

"...I don't know what you're talking about-"

"Oh, don't play coy with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about"

"I'm afraid not. I'm a man of espionage. A child would just get in ze way of zat"

He loves giving gifts to you. It's sort of his way of showing affection. He gives you exactly what you want and nothing less. You'll treasure these gifts and love how much thought is put into them. He'll sometimes get you things even before you knew you wanted it. He's an incredible gift giver and does undoubtedly spoil you.

"Bijou, I got you somezing"

"Really?? What is i-...oh my god..."

"...do you like i-"

"IT'S PERFECT!"

Would call you "mon petit bijou" which translates to "my little gem"

"petit bijou-"

"You know, I'm not little anymore. You can stop calling be that"

"Would you prefer gros charbon?"

"...I retract my previous statement"

He's only letting you go to the best, most expensive school. He wants you to have the best life and that requires the best education. That being said, like everything else in your life, it's controlled through the shadows. He personally picks your teachers and pays them extra if they give you extra attention. He knows all of the kids in your class as he's the one who picked each one of them. Even down to the janitors. Everyone you'll ever meet is someone he's picked beforehand.

"Y/n, you seem like you're not understanding something. Can I help?"

"Oh! Uh, yeah! I don't think I understand this question"

Spy's worst fear is his work life at all interfering with you. So all it takes is one small slight insinuation or even so much as a broad gesture from a colleague or enemy towards you and he's killing them. He doesn't care how important they are or how much chaos it would bring to kill them. Absolutely no one is causing any harm to you. And if they do? Well, they will be forgotten by time itself as he erases absolutely everything about them from existence.

"You got any kids snake? Y/n ain't it? I'd hate to see someone lose their daddy over some petty job. So come on, let it go-"

BANG!

"Absolutely no one speaks of my family"

Spy is a rather strict parent. He wants you to grow up intelligent and independent and if he is to do that then there will have to be rules. His rules though are a lot more normal than the others. Keep your room clean, do your chores, don't go out without infotming him, do well in school, etc, etc. He doesn't have to put limits in your social interactions because everyone you know is someone he put there. So he just simply focuses more on giving you good skills to bring into life.

"J'aime dessiner mais je n'aime pas parler anglais"

"J'aime det-"

"Des"

"-desiner uh...je-"

"Non, you forgot mais"

"Ug! This is so stupid!"

Breaking these rules does have its consequences. Again, he's rather normal when it comes to these. You can be grounded, get your hobbies taken away, be given extra chores and the list continues. He knows rebellion is a part of growing up so he isn't unnecessarily cruel about it. 

"Y/n"

"Uh oh...Yes papa?"

"Sit"

That being said, if you were to gain a mean streak and say, run away? Well, he has simply no tolerance for that. He can and will find you, there is no hiding from him. You'll be locked away in the house for weeks, maybe even months. He'll grow colder than ever before and might not even speak to you during this time. In truth, it's because he was terrified. At any moment you could have been killed by people looking for him. If you would have died at the hands of those looking to harm him he'd never be able to live with himself. He had tried so hard to detach himself from his family due to this fear. You were the only one he had let in and now there was no getting out.

"I will not tolerate zis rebellion! Do you know how many people could have hurt you?! Ze dangers zat I protect you from-!"

"God, that's such horseshit! You're paranoid! No one's looking to kill me and even if they were it wasn't like I was just walking around like a defenseless dipshit! All I want to do is be by myself for like- five minutes! Without having to be in my room!"

You very likely will never notice his obsession as you grow older. He's a master at depiction and manipulation, no one's ever going to notice enough to tell you. You'll likely never leave his care either. He has enough money to keep you living comfortably for the rest of your life and it doesn't matter what he has to do, you're never going to live too far away.

"Will I have to move out when I get old enough?"

"If you would like. I have no problem paying for your apartment if you wish to be on your own"

"Really-?"

"Zat doesn't mean you won't be working zough"

"Oh come on-"

You and him will have a strange relationship as you grow older. He's caring but cold, protective but seemingly never in your life. You'll care a lot about him, he's your dad after all. He was always there for you when you needed him. At the same time though you knew next to nothing about him and he'd seldom tell you about himself. As you grow older you'll see him less and less until eventually he's out of your life almost entirely. The only thing that lets you know that he's still alive are the small gifts on your birthday along with the money you still had access to. You'll never be told why he left and it frankly might leave you a little heartbroken.

"Did...Did I do something wrong? Why did you leave? Where are you?"

You'll never know that he is still constantly checking up on you, unable to fully leave you even if it's for your own good. He's grown too attached to you; too close. He couldn't fully leave you no matter how hard he tried. He knew he had to go for your own good but the paranoia of not knowing where you are and what you're doing would never go away. So he decided it was best to stick to the shadows and hopefully keep as many of his enemies unaware of you as possible along with helping you through your life.

'I'm sorry zis is 'ow it 'as to be. I hope I can see you again, when It's no longer so dangerous'

Shadows surround your life and in them is where he'd stay.

Soldier

I'm almost fully convinced that Soldier just straight up kidnaps you. Like he just sees you chilling in a stroller or one of those baby rooms in the hospital and he just yoinks you as his own. Straight up he just sees a baby and goes 'hey, that looks cute. I'm gonna keep it'

"THIS BABY IS MINE! I WILL NOT GIVE IT BACK!"

The moment his raccoon friends accept you he's in full obsession mode. He will protect you with his life! His raccoon army will need a competent leader when he's not around and you're it!

"Hello lieutenant bites! I have brought you new company!"

"Chrrrr"

"...YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED YOUNG CADET!"

Soldier is overprotective in a strange way. If anyone even so much as looks at you wrong then he's ready to send them six feet under, but his lack of self-preservation when it comes to his own actions rubs off on you. So he will encourage you to do dumb shit that gets you hurt, but not a single living creature is going to lay a hand on you.

"It is time for training little cadet! Today you will learn to jump...WITH ROCKETS!"

He is an extremely paranoid person. So any person that comes near is automatically assumed as a threat to him, and that's when you're not around. So you can imagine how much of a hair-trigger he has when it comes to other people around you. That being said he also isn't very observant. So all it takes is a little trickery and people will be able to sneak behind his back to get to you. That, however, never ends well considering he will eventually notice when you're not there and go on a spree of absolute destruction until he gets you back. He will level mountains (literally) if it means getting you back.

"I do not take kindly to your words commie! Y/n! We-...WHERE IS MY RACCOON LEADER!?"

Kids love Soldier, parents despise him. Sure, he's good for a bit of roughhousing and make-believe, not to mention that his stories are amazing to listen to. But his antics can, will, and do get you hurt on numerous occasions. He doesn't feel pain much anymore, so it's very hard for him to realize that others do. So it might take him a moment to see that you're hurt. But he's quick to act when he does and will try his best to make it better which, surprisingly, he's somewhat capable at. You don't travel overseas and blow up (supposed) commies without learning a thing or two about medicine. That being said, he'll still probably take you to a doctor of some kind.

"Great job cadet! You'll be as good of a soldier as me in n-"

"Mr. Soldier"

"What!"

"I think I have a boo-boo..."

"Oh...OH NO!"

Soldier treats you like a little member of his army. You are trained as a soldier but in a milder sense. He seems to still understand the difference between a child and an adult and so he won't treat you as harshly. That being said you will most likely have a gun in your hands by age five.

"Hut two three four, Hut two three four- pick up your knees cadet! There is no time for loose formation in war!"

Often refers to you as "cadet" or "little soldier". If you take these titles on with pride he'll grow the widest and most lopsided smile on his face.

"Hello cadet! Proud to see you up and at 'em so early!"

"Yep! I'm ready to start training!" 

School? Psh, those are full of nothing but unamerican losers! They never helped him! They only called him stupid! No, he wouldn't put you through that! You're going to learn how to be an all-American soldier! You and him, you're gonna have each other's backs! No one's getting through the two of you! You'll be unstoppable!

"It's just you and me little soldier! And we're going to kick so much unamerican ass that our footprints will be permanently imprinted!"

"Yeah!"

"YEAH!"

Soldier doesn't tolerate anyone trying to hurt you or take you away. It's a swift neck snap for him. That's all it takes to protect you most times anyway. He isn't very calculated with these attacks though so it's often that he hurts someone who's done nothing wrong or someone with maybe a bit more power than he expected. So there have been numerous occasions when the two of you have had to flee from angry crowds or law enforcement.

"Mr. Soldier! They're gonna get us!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!"

Soldier doesn't have rules so much as he has expectations. He wants you up bright early, to participate in training for the day, to grow strong, and to stay alert at all times. Breaking any of these 'rules' isn't common considering he has the persistence of a cat trying to get into a cabinet of treats. He will sit there, making your life as annoying as possible, until you do the thing he asked you to. 

"Cadet! Cadet! CADET!"

"What!"

"You are up late! You will do two extra laps today!"

"But I don't wannaaaaa"

"That is not a factor in my decision!"

If, however, you are just as persistent in breaking his daily routine, he's willing to up the ante. He can and will pick you up and carry you where he wants you to be, no matter how hard you kick or scream. Once he has you where he wants you and you still refuse to do what he asks he'll start yelling. This will have absolutely no effect considering his default setting is loud and you can't tell the difference. After a while of ranting and realizing that none of this is working he'll grow silent. Which is downright terrifying because that means he's thinking and Soldier thinking is rarely a good thing. If you somehow withstand this bout of silence he'll take a seat next to you, his arms crossed and huffing. He will then sit there with you until either you do what he wants or it becomes time for bed. You won't be allowed to move from your spot unless you agree to listen to him. You won't be able to outwait him no matter how petty you are. He can go on like this for literal weeks with the only exception being bathroom and food breaks.

"YOU WILL STAND UP AND YOU WILL DO YOU'RE TRAINING RIGHT NOW!"

"No!"

"YES!"

"NO!"

"..."

"..."

"Then we will not leave until you do!"

As you grow older you might start to notice Soldier's abnormalities. And though you'll most definitely still love him, you can tell that he isn't fully alright in the head. Especially as you start to want to become more independent and explore the world more. He won't let you stray too far and his mental state only continues to deteriorate when you're away. His paranoia skyrockets and he will become suddenly more controlling. If you choose to stay by his side his grown paranoia won't cool again. You'll have to constantly assure him you're not leaving though. 

"You are not going to leave me, right Cadet?

"Of course not! We're going to kick ass together! We are a team!"

"You are right! We are a team!"

If you do attempt to leave you'll see a side of Soldier he’s never shown you. What you would call your father disappears and is replaced by the battle-hardened paranoid man you recall people telling you about. You won't get far and if you do he will spend his entire life trying to find you. Once he does he will never let you go. You'll never be allowed out of his sight again and he won't be so kind about it either. He will grab you if you try to flee and doesn't hesitate to boast his utterly insane amounts of strength compared to you. Again, he doesn't feel physical pain, so your punches and struggling only hurt him emotionally.

"Let me go! You. Are. insane! INSANE! Get the fuck off of me!"

"YOU DO NOT GET TO LEAVE ME! YOU ARE MY, MY CADET. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE! THAT'S AN ORDER"

He needs you. He has never really known unconditional love until he started raising you. You're his last line, his only true connection to those around him. Every other person has betrayed or left him. So he can't let you go. The thought alone strikes untold amounts of fear in him. It disturbs him greatly when you cry out for him to let you go and even more so when you pull away in fear, but he doesn't know what else to do to make you stay. You're his little soldier and as much as it pains him to hurt you like this, he believes it's better than letting go.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. I can not let you go. I'm so sorry. Please do not cry, do not cry- I have to! You can not leave me! You can not!"

You're his little Soldier after all.

Medic

There is no way in hell that you weren't just an experiment gone...right? While he would have never intended to create a child, if it happens he takes it on rather quickly.

"Alright zere, zat looks good. Hm...oh! Just a dash of zis and-"

BOOM!

"...oh...oh mein gott..."

"wwwwwaaaaAAAAAAA-"

He will not fully attach to you at first. You won't even have a name for the first few years of your life. He'll maul over whether he should keep you or not, but he will eventually grow to care for you too much. It doesn't take long after that before he slips into obsession.

"So uh...what's it called?"

"Experiment of highly intelligent lifeforms number 472! Or just 472 for short"

"...so it doesn't have a name yet?"

"Vhy vould I name it? I'm not even fully sure it has a conscious yet!"

Medic is batshit okay. He's fucking insane. So it's fair to say he isn't the most conventional of parents. He's extremely protective of you, to the point of murder, yet he does not see himself as a bad influence with the sheer amount of gore he shows you on a daily basis.

"Dada!"

"Jou vant to see what daddy's vorking on? Come, come. I'll show jou! Look, right zere is ze lungs, und is ze middle of zat is ze heart! Und if jou follow along here jou'll find-"

He has constant tabs on you. You are only allowed to go where he saids you can and you will have to run every idea by him before you can do it. Despite his lack of care for his 'patients', your health is a top concern. He worries constantly about your health and can not bear to see you even slightly harmed, let alone fully injured. So under his watchful eye you'll remain.

"Nein! Get avay from zose! Jou'll get hurt!"

"Hm! Noooooo! I wanna play!"

"Zose are not for ze playing maus! Zose are my dangerous tools! Vhy don't jou go play viz Archimedes? I'm sure he'll be much more entertaining zan sharp metal" 

Despite this Medic is actually strangely good with kids in his own incredibly strange way...When he's not scaring them, that is. He's rather excitable and has a habit of over-exaggeration. He also has a huge soft spot for babies, since he loves to dote on them.

"Awww just look at jou! Mein own little creation! Such an adorable specimen!"

Medic wants his child to be like him, so he'll encourage you to join him for experiments at a very young age. The moment you're old enough to pay attention to anything for more than ten minutes he has you sat beside him listening to his ramblings about what he's doing. When he thinks you're experienced enough he'll even let you help. Well, more like kinda force you. 

"Do jou see zat Y/n?"

"Uh-huh"

"It's a tumor! Fascinating isn't it? Now vatch, jou're going to do zis next"

He calls you "kleine Maus" which means "little mouse". He gives you this nickname for two reasons. The first is that he just adores how small you are, the second is because of your perceived ability to get into things you shouldn't be in, which is common when you consider nearly every room he occupies is full of Things A Child Should Not Be In.

"Kleine Maus! Hehe, Jou vin! Jou can come out now! Please-"

Crash- bang- crash-...

"...ow..."

"...how did jou even get in zere?!?!"

He doesn't send you to any type of school. You don't need that nonsense! He'll teach you everything you need to know! From medical textbooks to first-hand experience, you'll be a medic in no time! Then you can help with his experiments!

"Pop quiz, how do jou put intensities back in a patient?"

"anastomosis usually"

"Good! And vhat vital organ cant feel pain?"

"The brain!"

"Good job! Jou'll be a Medic in no time

As Medic grows even more attached to you, his fear for your safety only gets worse. He wants absolutely no harm to come to you, even with accidents. So if someone purposely tries to harm you? Or attempt to take you away? He'll snap. He will try to knock them unconscious if possible so he can use them for future experimentation, but if he can't he'll kill them in the goriest way possible before taking you and leaving the situation. He'll turn from serial killer mode back to 'normal' in an instant, a fact that is only enhanced by its common occurrence. No anger is found in him. If you were affected by the incident, such as getting harmed or terrified to the point of tears, he will feel as if he failed and will try to make it up by doing whatever you want for the next twenty four hours...within reason anyway.

"Oh mein sveet kleine Maus, are jou okay? Are jou hurt?"

"Th-They- Th-They wouldn't let go they-"

"I know, I know Maus...let's get jou get cleaned up, zen ve can do vhatever jou vant okay?"

"Okay..."

Medic has many rules. He works a potentially very dangerous job, is likely being hunted by multiple people and governments at any given point and to top it all off isn't entirely there in the head. His top rules are to always listen to him under any given circumstance, to never go anywhere he doesn't tell you to, and to remain careful with whatever you are allowed to do. 

"Y/n! Come here!"

"Hm?"

"Oh...vhen did jou get zere?"

"You never said I could leave"

"...so jou've been zere ze whole time?"

"Mm-hm!"

"...good"

You won't break any of these rules. You just won't. You’ve seen dozens of dead bodies in any given week, have watched him kill people who so much as looked at you, and have seen him fly into his frustrated rages when something goes wrong. Your imagination is enough motivation to keep you in line.

"Boo!"

"Meep!"

"Ha! I scared jou!...

"..."

"...Y/n? It's just me Maus, zere's no need to be so afraid!"

You're unlikely to notice how entirely strange your life truly is. How could you have? You were isolated from the outside world, only allowed to see things he allowed you to. You wouldn't know the concept of a life outside your own. You likely grow up to be like him, following in his footsteps the entire way. Especially seeing as he's made any other option unviable.

"Dad! Dad! I just made the most amazing discovery! If we add your serum with a drop of antibiotics it creates a super cell that, once ingested, can act as temporary bullet resistance- Like the Uber but without needing the medigun on them! And it can even fit in your crossbow!"

"Vhat a wonderful discovery maus! I knew jou held such great potential!"

You'll grow very attached and deeply dependent on Medic, following his lead every step of the way. You become his helping hand in a sense. You'll see him as a protector as he actively makes you afraid of the outside world. You won't stray from him, remaining loyal until death.

"Now maus, I'll only be gone for a few hours-"

"But what if people come! A-And they try to take me like they did before!? What if I get hurt and-"

"Taking jou vould be even more dangerous. Zis is ze safest place for jou to be, no vone vill look for jou here. I promise"

"...you'll be back soon?"

"Of course. As quickly as I can."

"...fine..."

Medic truly believes you are his best creation, his magnum opus. He loves working with you at his side and in doing so gains a new motivation to continue his work. Before he created you he was a lonely workaholic with no real purpose in life and now he has that sense of determination he had in his youth. This is why he must protect you and keep you away from outside influences. He must keep you safe, hidden from those who would seek to destroy you. No one will ever know that you exist.

'my sveet child, how I vish jou knew how truly important jou vere...don't vory, under my care jou vill be safe'

He'll make sure of it

[thyandrawrites]

I wasn't sure whether to ask you this now or Sunday but what did you think of the chapter? I liked it for the most part but I would love to get your thoughts.

So, to start off, I need to make something very clear: I think both brothers are wrong about and unfair to each other. I don’t mean any of what follows as a slight on either of them. I think it makes sense, considering both their backgrounds and the things they know about the other to make the kind of hurtful assumptions and dismissive remarks about each other’s baggage that they show in this chapter. But for the sake of analyzing why they just can’t seem to reach an understanding yet, I will go over both their mindsets and try to break down exactly why I think they’re both wrong. 

If that’s not your cup of tea, please do value your sanity and skip out on reading this post. What follows is my take, and I will ask everyone to please respect it as such. 

So, without further ado. [under a cut for length. grab some popcorn]

Let’s start with a simple concept. Dabi and Shouto have baggage. Both grew up in an abusive home, and though their experiences aren’t a 1:1 equivalent, both kids ended up developing a very strong belief system that they stick to with almost fervent drive. I believe that these strong beliefs are what are making it hard to see each other’s viewpoint. Currently, they both seem to be trying to make sense of how the other could end up like this by comparing them to… well, themselves. 

A necessary introduction: explaining Dabi and Shouto’s personal beliefs 

What motivated Shouto to help out his brother was noticing that Dabi was stewing in a spiral of hatred and thoughts of revenge similar to Shouto’s own struggle at the beginning of the series. However, because of this, I think he started seeing Dabi as what Shouto himself could’ve become if he hadn’t gotten support from class A and his family. And while this might or might not be true, it makes Shouto believe that the way he got out of that spiral will automatically work for his brother as well. I will go over why I think that in a moment. 

As for Dabi, he has such a disparaging opinion of his little brother because he can’t fathom how Shouto could not want the things Touya desperately longed for as a child. What he says here: 

is very telling. It seems that for all the things about his upbringing that Dabi rejects, he still hasn’t gotten rid of the mentality Endvr raised him with: when Touya and Shouto were small, he used to tell them that they lived in “different worlds” than regular people. The “world of heroes,” an elite space separate from the concerns of regular people. Of course, by the time he tells Shouto this, the words have become an excuse. A way for Enji to justify the isolation he forced on his youngest in order to make him as strong as he could be, as well as an excuse to keep training him in spite of Touya’s death. 

But Enji’s relationship with Touya started out differently enough for the words to solidly take root in Touya’s psyche. Till now, Dabi still holds on to this idea that he was made to be this strong. Even as he fights his brother, he keeps comparing the strength of their quirks and calling his superior. When AFO’s surgeries weakened his body and thus his potential, Touya spent years trying to catch back up even if it meant collecting burns that would’ve killed anyone else. 

The way he clings to this idea that he needs to prove that he’s strong is obsessive, unhealthy. It’s the result of Enji raising him with toxic expectations. Back when Touya was a child, Enji really believed him to be the key to achieving his lifelong obsession. He told Touya that he was the bridge that would close the distance between himself and All Might. All that was made possible by Touya’s quirk, one that surpassed Enji’s own strength. 

Dabi took that to heart. He was lucky enough to be born the heir of Endvr’s legacy as a top ranked hero, and with an inherent potential that set him apart from others, from regular citizens. No one, not even his dad, could ever best All Might. But Touya was raised with the expectations that he could. That he would, in fact. Unlike others who only looked at heroes on TV and decided to pursue that career, Touya was already living in the house of the then number two. When other kids collected figurines and played video games, Touya was already cultivating his talent to eventually enroll in a hero school. Becoming one was his raison d’être, and he was supposed to be handed the tools to hone it to perfection. In that sense, he truly belonged to a separate world. 

Yet, he proved to be “defective” before he could capitalize on that potential (which, not coincidentally, is why he gets mad at Shouto for wasting his). 

Once Touya’s purpose was stripped away from him, he tried moving on with his life like everyone else, but that didn’t — couldn’t — work. Being raised with the idea that he only existed to fulfill his father’s ambition, Touya didn’t have the tools to adapt to an existence without that goal. As a result, he couldn’t mesh well with his classmates because he couldn’t relate to them. They had aspirations, goals, wants of their own; he was brought to life to fulfill his father’s. 

Touya could see that he was different from other kids his age, too. For one, his family wasn’t normal. Enji didn’t marry for love and he didn’t choose his wife’s quirk at random. Touya and Shouto weren’t normal kids. Everything about their conception was a transaction, and their entire existences had been shaped by it. 

Additionally, Touya’s awareness of the circumstances of his birth set him even more apart from others. Because of that awareness, he could see everything wrong with his family, and tried to address it. But the more he kept at it, the more his peers drew away from him and gave him the feeling that those around him couldn’t understand him. This is why for example we see him yell at Rei and Fuyumi for not getting why moving on isn’t an option for him — not when the thing he needs moving on from is his own DNA — or why he crawls to Natsuo for validation but gets upset when his brother “tells him to buzz off too.” 

This perceived divide influences his actions as an adult as well. Despite sharing similar backstories with the League, he never confides in them, and even acts distant on accounts on how different he thinks they are. He calls Toga a nutjob, he doesn’t care about Shigaraki’s goals, and he refuses to admit the League was ever anything other than a stepping stone for him. 

With the broadcast, we see Dabi attempt to bridge that distance for the first time. By his own admission, he wants people to understand why he made certain choices. Yet, he’s met with indifference and more scapegoating. The public doesn’t care about his reasons. He wanted them to think more critically about heroes. Instead they call Dabi annoying and they go back to giving support to Endvr and Hawks like the crimes Dabi just exposed them for were water under the bridge. 

As a result, I think that Dabi convinced himself that people won’t ever listen, let alone understand. All they want to do is smile and laugh in the face of other people’s suffering, to paraphrase what he tells Toga not much later. They don’t want to think critically about the system and reform it. They only care about being reassured that everything’s okay. Or that it will be okay after the remaining heroes clean up this mess and restore the old status quo. 

The fact that the public only wants stability — even if it’s just superficial peace that rests on wider, unaddressed societal issues — is well established by canon, by the way. It’s pretty transparent both in the press conference chapter and in the aftermath, when UA becomes a fortress and there are tensions between civilians and heroes that AFO attempts to exploit. And during the broadcast, Dabi made it a point of addressing exactly this type of audience. The people who, as he told Tokoyami, “stopped thinking for themselves.” Those who mindlessly go with the flow, with no personal conviction of their own. In other words, the feckless followers who only want heroes to take charge so that the regular citizens don’t have to examine if their system is even still effective at keeping up with a changed social landscape. 

What does this huge tangent have to do with Shouto and the newest chapter, you’re probably wondering. 

I think that Dabi resents that Shouto, quote, “holed up at UA with those scared little civilians,” because of everything I just went over. 

Why would Shouto depend on others when he, too, was born different from them? Like him, Shouto was brought to life to fulfill his father’s ambition of besting All Might. Like him, he was set apart from everyone else by the purpose placed upon his conception. But unlike him, Shouto was gifted with the perfect mix of circumstances that Dabi didn’t have: the perfect melange of quirks his father wanted; a body that wasn’t at odds with said quirk; years of training under Endvr, who never looked away from him the way he did with Touya. 

The fact that Dabi mentions birth is especially crucial here: he’s not simply envious because Shouto is better at everything than him. He’s furious because his father has validated Shouto’s existence, unlike Touya’s, and yet Shouto doesn’t seem to regard that for the blessing it is (for Dabi, that is. To Shouto, the attention was just a curse. Not that Dabi realizes that). 

Shouto’s skills are such that he was never removed from his destiny — from the world of heroes. He’s not a failed creation, and as such he still has purpose. 

Meanwhile, Touya feels not only forgotten about, but even erased from existence itself. Enough so that he thinks he needs to destroy himself and his father in order to “leave a mark in this world”. In order to prove he existed. 

We now know that everything for Touya was an uphill battle. His father gave up on him. AFO gave up on him. The whole of Japan gave up on him. Only Dabi ever believed in himself, and yet, that never seemed to be enough. So when he sees Shouto ambling through life and following all the steps laid out for him, he gets bitter he wasn’t given the same chance and takes that misplaced anger out on his little bro, who has nothing to do with the neglect Dabi went through. 

All the talking down he does in this chapter proves that while Dabi thinks he understands Shouto, in fact, he doesn’t even know him. He might’ve watched his little brother’s achievements from afar, but he doesn’t know Shouto’s intimate struggles with his legacy and with forming his own worldview. 

Mistakenly, Dabi convinces himself that Shouto doesn’t have a belief system of his own. Since Touya was able to recognize the corruption of heroic ideals and of modern society from a very young age, he expects Shouto to do the same. But his little brother never came to reject the current system like him. Despite having experienced similar abuse, despite knowing first-hand how heroes aren’t always morally upstanding, Shouto still believes in heroes. 

Dabi takes this to mean that Shouto is just another feckless follower who defends the current status quo without questioning it. This is why he assumes that Shouto is fully his father’s puppet: going where the number one tells him to, emulating his father down to the way Enji conceives heroes — only as strong fighters who simply defeat villains, defending the establishment with no deeper thought into what they’re doing. 

It goes without saying that this reading is entirely wrong and unfair and pointlessly cruel. 

In truth, Shouto’s never been his father’s pawn. In fact, he’s tried to oppose Endvr’s will any way he could. Every time Shouto happened to go along with one of Enji’s wishes, he always set down boundaries and made it very clear that he wasn’t doing it for Endvr. So for example, even if Shouto went along with the training, it was because Shouto wanted to be a hero like All Might. Even if he used the paths Enji opened for him, like the recommendation for UA, he still fought at his own conditions, only using his ice. Or again, when he accepted that he needed to work on both sides of his quirk, he only interned for his dad to exploit his long experience in the field, not because he wanted to blindly follow in his footsteps or put water under the bridge. 

Fast forward to this chapter again. Dabi accuses Shouto of being here only because he’s Endvr’s puppet, obeying orders like all the sidekicks from the agency. But Shouto chose to be here, and the reason why is important because it perfectly shows his personal growth.

Shouto’s belief system boils down to a very simple concept. Letting people die when you can act and save them is wrong. Saving lives is a hero’s job and moral imperative. It always takes priority over anything else, even the law. 

So Shouto can’t ignore Dabi and keep trying to be a hero anyway. That literally goes against his definition of what a hero even is. He has the capacity to intervene, to act, and stop his brother. So he does. Even if he has to put his life on the line. A hero is always willing to risk himself, his career and even his reputation to do the right thing and make a difference. 

I’ll admit that putting it that way it sounds no different from Deku’s “my body moved on its own” idealization of pure heroic martyrdom. And in a sense, they do have common grounds. That makes sense since both of their conceptualizations stem from their admiration of All Might. All Might is the physical embodiment of that mindset: he’s a rescue hero who elected self-sacrifice as the pinnacle of selflessness and compassion. But in Shouto’s case, it’s a bit more complex and less black and white. 

Shouto didn’t start his heroic career off on the right foot. At first, he had a lot of anger that got out at unexpected times. Once he realized that his hatred for his dad made him a worse person and thus a worse hero, though, he willingly made the choice to change. 

Here he’s clearly referencing his own mindset prior to reconnecting with his mother. Back then, he didn’t concern himself with other people, and didn’t even give them a second glance, thinking he was above them. After his confrontation with Inasa, he realized that this mentality made him act too similarly to his father, and he wasn’t okay with that. I'm stressing that last part because it's important. 

Shouto spent a good portion of his early life believing in predetermination. Growing up in an abusive household, he developed the fear that he would one day end up hurting others the way his father hurt Rei. 

this was a big factor in why he struggled to accept his father’s training. He started associating his fire side with his father’s cruelty, and rejected it as a result. He thought that using it meant giving in to Enji’s will and following in his footsteps, but he didn’t want to be cruel like him. 

After making peace with his fire side, though, he abandoned those ideas. Reconnecting with Rei and recovering the memory of her encouragement shifted something in him. He no longer believes in predetermination and instead embraces personal responsibility. In Rei’s words, Shouto’s not bound by his blood. His DNA and family circumstances don't doom him to continue the cycle of abuse. Shouto has agency to change his fate. He has the ability to make his own choices, and he can choose to be a better person than his old man. 

From that point on, then, Shouto does just that. He rejects violence as a way to solve problems, and instead attempts to tackle them his own way. If up until the sport festival he only cared about excelling and coming on top of his competition, now he starts developing his own opinions on heroism and ethics. He decides that he doesn't want to be powerless again, like when he was five and Rei got unwell and then taken away from him. Swearing to become a hero who can actually help others, he vows to not let people within his reach slip away from him if he can do something about it. 

This is why, for example, when he senses Tenya going down a dark path, he follows him till Hosu and offers him the same words that helped him. Choose the man you want to become. Don’t go down the path of revenge. Choose to be the bigger person, and stick to it. Even when you let yourself down and betray your values, pick yourself back up and do better from then on. 

This philosophy is called personal responsibility. That is, the belief that individuals cause their actions and can thus control their destiny instead of passively suffering it. According to it, when individuals fail to meet expected standards, they don’t have to look for an external cause to blame, but direct that blame toward themselves and take accountability. 

To Shouto, making your own choices and taking responsibility for them is comforting. It reassures him that cruelty is not automatically inherited like he originally feared, but always a choice. Thanks to this change in mindset, he was able to come to terms with his legacy and make peace with himself, so it goes without saying that he'd become an advocate for it. It helped him, so it should help others as well. 

Right? 

The problem with personal responsibility

Here, Shouto's clearly trying to push his brother to live by the same philosophy. This speech bubble is an obvious callback to what Dabi said during the war arc, equating his flames to their dad's to make Endvr partially responsible for Dabi's actions. This is Shouto's response. Dad went crazy, our home was shit, but you cannot blame your actions on someone else because at the end of the day it was you who burned those people to death, not father. 

Now, I want to point out that Shouto's not condemning his brother's actions from a perceived higher moral ground. He's not saying "You're irredeemably evil and deserve punishment for your actions that I shall now deliver." I believe that interpretation to be a misreading of Shouto's character. It contradicts Shouto's core belief, the idea that people can change, and can choose to do a complete 180, because Shouto himself did one too. 

However, I also think that Shouto’s words fall completely flat here for two reasons that I will now explain. 

For one, Shouto’s demanding that Dabi owns up to his actions, but at the same time he’s giving Endvr a free pass to keep ignoring his eldest for the greater good. 

Now, don’t get me wrong. In the context of a war, it makes sense for Enji to be deployed against AFO. They need his manpower. The hero ranks were thinned down in the previous war and Endvr remains one of their strongest fighters. Shouto knows this, of course. Back in chapter 56, during the first internship arc, he recognized that his father has the judgment and insight worthy of a top hero, so Shouto recognizes that Endvr’s experience in the field is valuable when it comes to hero work. 

So, it makes tactical sense for Endvr to be there instead of facing his son. But thematically? Not so much. The central conflict in Endvr’s character arc is that he always runs away instead of facing the consequences of his actions, and that he hides behind hero work to skip out on his duty as a parent. 

And the thing is, the narrative draws attention to this as well. Insert meme here: [heartbreaking: the worst person you know just made a great point]

AFO is a piece of shit, and he always greatly delights in twisting the truth, but what he says here is right on the money. Endvr IS dumping the weight of cleaning up his own messes onto his youngest son. The fact that Shouto apparently suggested it doesn't change the fact that Endvr is still doing what he’s always done: punching villains instead of caring about the wellbeing of his family. 

Now, I don’t want to be unfair to Shouto’s character and apply selective reading. It’s not ooc for Shouto to be okay with Enji dealing with AFO, per se. Connecting to what I said earlier, Shouto believes that a hero’s moral imperative is that of saving lives. By his own admission, Enji is a shitty father but a passable hero. One with good battle sense, at the very least. When he’s fighting, he knows what he’s doing. It’s not a stretch to think Shouto wants Enji to stop AFO because he knows the threat AFO presents to civilians, and doesn’t want more innocents to die in the crossfire. In this light, Shouto would be okay with letting him do his usual Number One shtick for the same reason he was okay with letting his dad stay a hero without ever exposing him for the abuse: Enji is a good hero, and what he does helps people.

However, my problem is not with Shouto as a character, but with the overall narrative of the Todofam, and how it often fails to deliver on its own set up. 

Before this arc, there was a great deal of focus on how Shouto got his father to agree that they would save Touya together. But in 351 we find out what that actually means: how is Enji defeating AFO in any way related to rescuing Touya? It’s not. Splitting up to fight on two different sides of a battle is the opposite of what doing something “together” means. 

Now, I would understand the point of choosing to do things this way if splitting up had been Endvr’s choice, or otherwise the result of the heroes’ planning. Putting it like that works with the narrative. It shows that the old guard of heroes still isn’t ready for systemic change, because they’re not ready to critically re-examine their own flaws. It works because unlike them, the kids already have a set up as the harbingers of that change, the ones who will succeed even if no one believes that rescuing villains is even possible. 

But if Endvr wanted to face Touya and only didn’t because Shouto insisted he shouldn’t, then Endvr’s cowardice gets reframed as mindfulness of Shouto’s wants. What is effectively continued neglect of his eldest suddenly gets framed as heroism instead, because Enji’s doing something morally good — he’s saving Japan from AFO. 

Besides, showing Endvr’s reluctance to agree with this plan despite the fact that he does go along with it, only cheapens the narrative of personal responsibility further. Why is Dabi being ethically condemned as selfish for choosing to murder, but suddenly letting Endvr skip out on his parental duty is not his choice but Shouto’s and thus completely out of Endvr’s control? 

See what I mean? It’s pretty ineffective writing all around. Endvr is getting sympathy, but Dabi isn’t, when in fact, both should be held accountable for their actions. 

But I mentioned two reasons why I think Shouto’s words to Dabi fall flat. The second is because of this other line: 

The heroes seem to be working under the assumption that villains can be “stopped” so long as they are talked into changing their methods. Toga would be a “normal” girl with a crush if she just stopped hurting the people she loves. Shigaraki would be the poor, misunderstood victim that Nana left behind, if he stopped it with all the atrocities. Dabi would return to being Touya-nii, if he stopped being a “baka aniki” and dragging people in his range of destruction. 

But of course, it’s not that simple. Putting it like that ignores that the issue the villains are fighting against is systemic. It cannot be solved by simply changing the actions of individuals. 

The official release translated Shouto’s line as “you’re not taking any more innocent lives.” However, for the sake of this argument, I want to focus on the nuance of that adjective. In his original phrasing, Shouto calls them “kankeinee hitotachi,” which actually means “people who have nothing to do with [something].” Coupled with what he says next, “aim all your rage at us,” the meaning becomes clear. He’s urging his brother to stop involving people who had no role in their family drama in his revenge plot. Dabi’s issues are with their father and him, so he should just focus on taking it out on them alone. In this sense, everyone else is innocent. Unrelated to the problem. 

Now, that is simultaneously true and false. On the one hand, Dabi’s victims weren’t personally responsible for the abuse Dabi went through (with maybe the exception of the Flower man in AFO’s lab, assuming he’s dead). On the other hand, though, people outside of the Todoroki family aren’t completely blameless, and acting as though they are is the exact wrong thing to say if Shouto wants to actually connect with his brother. 

See, the thing is, the public that watched Dabi’s broadcast put their faith onto Endvr despite being an abuser but called his victim annoying for wanting justice. As I went over above, they don’t care about the people that the system screws over in order to maintain the peace for the masses. In fact, they want to restore that system and go back to feeling reassured that the heroes have everything under control. 

I’m stressing this because Shouto and Dabi need different things to come to terms with their trauma. While Shouto might be satisfied with letting his dad keep his job because to him change is demonstrated through personal penance, Dabi wants more accountability from the system itself, because they all backed up his dad. Even after learning the truth about the domestic violence, they all chose to bury their heads into the sand and called Dabi a liar. Because Endvr is good at his job, they all collectively decided to give him a second chance without consequences. In fact, the country doesn’t even know that Enji vowed to atone to his family. He never told them. During the press conference, he just asked them to believe in him as a hero, and they all did. For all the public knows, Enji could still be an abuser. How are they not enablers? 

The issue is systemic. Individuals might choose personal responsibility but that won’t make a dent if the system itself is corrupted. 

Does this mean Dabi should have killed people? Does it mean he’s justified? Of course not. His trauma doesn’t give him a free pass for killing. Shouto’s right that he shouldn’t have murdered randos just to get back at their father, but he’s wrong in thinking that only villains should own up to their violence. Heroes should as well. The whole system could use some more acceptance of their own flaws. 

Lately, I get the sense that heroes are determined to “stop” the villains before they can save them. While this sounds perfectly logical on paper, I find the resulting  approach to be ineffective. I agree that the villains need stopping; this rampage is both destructive and self-destructive. It benefits no one. But the heroes entered this second war with a mindset of soldiers when their goal (or at least, the OG trio goal) is more akin to that of social workers. Deku wants to save Shigaraki from AFO’s abuse. Shouto wants to get past Dabi’s hatred and bring Touya home for noodles. Ochako wants Toga to smile instead of crying. Their goals involve compassion, but their methods employ suppression. They’re simply not listening yet. And that’s the problem. 

Utilitarian heroism might’ve solved problems in the past, but it’s outdated for the evolved problems the story’s depicting now. To make an easy example, punching Shigaraki and telling him how bad a victim he is won’t resolve the possession, because AFO’s control on Shigi is based on his resentment. The more Shigaraki feels misunderstood by society and suppressed for the greater good, the more his hatred will fester and make AFO’s control stronger. Similarly, all League members were shunned repeatedly, and clam up when faced with even more self-righteous blame.

The heroes need to work on compassion, not violence, if they want to break this impasse. 

This chapter was an overall failure of communication and reinforced some of the unjust scapegoating on the villains. And you know what’s frustrating about it? That all this miscommunication would vanish if everyone just stopped bringing up each other’s actions as moral ammo to fire at their opponents and instead attempted to relate to each other more. 

For example, I explained above that Dabi sees Shouto as an empty shell without personal convictions. He sees Shouto rely on others and thinks that makes him weak. He sees Shouto struggle to find his path as a hero and calls him a puppet for it, a doll on Endvr’s strings. But accepting that support is what allowed Shouto to get better and past the Earlyroki stage. While it’s true that for a time he lacked personal convictions, struggling with his identity was a big part of his inner growth and it got him where he is now. 

During that time, Shouto let himself examine who he was without his father. Dabi never did. Lagging behind everyone for a while but ending up with more solid beliefs that are yours as a result is not a weakness. Ironically, the one who’s blindly imitating their father for lack of a sense of self outside of him is Dabi, not Shouto. He needs to get there like his little brother. 

Hopefully, once they are done punching and yelling at each other, they’ll come to the same conclusion, too. In the meantime… eh. This chapter was just painful to watch, at least for me

[father-time-and-baby-new-year]

haze

fantasizing about frat chapter president! eren....

pairing: Frat Boy!Eren x Fem!Reader, side Porco x Fem!Reader

tw: eren is MEAN as fuck, dubcon touching, cheating, degradation, power play, misogyny, abuse, ooc, i love porco but I'm slandering him here...so sorry. dark content.

eren slides a hand up your thigh from the mini-dress you're wearing, and you're just a little confused bc you're pretty sure he has a girlfriend, and you're pretty sure he knows you have a boyfriend.

but he clearly doesn't care. he's telling you to not make a scene, and you're indignant. well as indignant as you can be. you're soft around the edges, meek to a fault and you find it hard to raise your voice.

he's mocking you.

"is m-my boyfriend the only thing you know how to say?" he emphasizes your stutter. you nervously look around, locking your eyes with a boy with slicked-back dark blond hair and swimming-athlete broad shoulders. when you try to get up, eren's strong hand presses on your thigh to prevent you from escaping.

he follows your trembling gaze and a smirk creeps into his mouth, "that's him right? your boyfriend?" he spits the word out like it's coated in venom.

you don't confirm or deny but that's all eren needs.

"Galliard!" eren calls out. your eyes widen in surprise, and porco is surprised too. but nonetheless, he walks over, hesitation evident with every step.

he doesn't say anything about the way eren is touching you, about his hand groping your thighs like a lifeline.

you know porco. he's very prideful and stubborn and had a tendency to rush into things headfirst but he's also kind and gentle and immensely protective over you.

so, if he was all of these things, why did he stand before eren like a dog with its tail tucked between his legs? there was not even a hint of the usual bravado you've been accustomed to seeing when he was with reiner.

eren pulls you right next to him, his arm wrapped around your waist. there's practically no space in between you two. he's close enough to smell your shampoo.

"your girlfriend is pretty." he says flatly. no not flatly, there's a sneer accompanying his tone.

porco gulps.

you don't what's happening, but eren grabs your dress-clad tit with no hesitation, groping and squeezing your nipple. he must have noticed you weren't wearing a bra.

"isn't she pretty galliard."

your boyfriend is perplexed, unsure of what the fuck is happening: "ye-yeah she is." it's a lame comment and eren sighs like he's bored.

his sharp fingernails dig into the plush of your thigh, "how badly do you wanna join this frat, galliard?"

porco is trying to process what he's just been asked but the answer escapes before he could force it back, "m-more than anything." he repeats himself as if to assure himself, "more than anything."

eren smiles, too wide and full of teeth to be genuine. "that's good...that's good" he hums.

he runs a hand through his pretty dark hair, "well I'll cut to the chase. you wanna join my chapter and I wanna fuck your girlfriend."

you gasp, instantly looking to porco but he can't meet your eyes. why were you being treated like you had no agency? your noises of disagreements and whiny complaints are snuffed by eren's large hand covering your mouth.

"shut up. the men are talking."

he then redirects the conversation back to porco, "you really haven't trained her much, have you?"

what the fuck?! yeah sure you may have been the shyest kid in class but even you had your limits. you've always thought frats were stupid and couldn't understand your boyfriend's obsession with getting into one, especially this one, the supposedly most prestigious and exclusive one.

you bite down on eren's hand. he moves his hand away with an unnatural quickness, cursing under his breath.

"stupid bitch" if looks could kill, his green eyes would have shot you dead thousand times by now, "you're a wild fucking animal." than he gives your body a once-over, staring obnoxiously, "do you fuck like one too?"

porco also looked surprised and nervous. whether for himself or for you, you don't know.

"your girlfriend bit me." he states calmly to porco, "what are we gonna do about that?"

you can't move, you're still trapped by eren's hands and the way porco is standing is over you, he's locking you in.

"she'll apologize, she will."

"no I won't!" you shriek.

eren sighs, taking a long hit of his dab pen, zeroing in the smoke before blowing the cloud on porco's face. the blond merely winces.

"you heard the lady" the dark-haired boy shurgs, "so I have an idea."

you could feel your heartbeat pounding.

"Hit her."

time seemed to slow down. "w-what?" porco's face lost all of its color. "a slap or something. you can backhand her if you want to."

backhand her if you want to. the words echoed in your ears like a frenzy of sounds, you were only hearing it, can't even understand it.

eren pushes you onto his lap, and iron-clad grip on your waist. he transfers your weight like you're no more than a feather. you know he's an athlete, that he's strong, but this strong?

"i-i'm not going to do that."

the dark-haired boy chuckles, "how many generations of your family have been accepted into this frat huh? you have legacy and couldn't even get in your freshman year. jesus christ, you're literally only standing before me because you have legacy."

he's continuing his verbal assault, "and with this fuckin chick, stop your dramatics. it's so cute that you're acting like a good boyfriend when you had your tongue down pieck's throat literally last night."

"w-what" your voice is no more than a whisper, tears welling in your eyes.

you can't even hold yourself back as you stare at your boyfriends, no, ex-boyfriends' eyes and utter, "you are fucking pathetic."

you're not exactly surprised when you see his hand raised, and you brace yourself from the impact, closing your eyes shut.

the impact never comes. you open your eyes to see eren holding his wrist. he lets out a low whistle, "seesh were you really about to hit your girl?"

this is the first time you've seen porco sputter. eren takes another hit of his pen, "get the fuck out of here."

porco has the audacity to look back at you before he turns on his heel and leaves like a cowardly dog.

"let me go."

eren's lips are pressed to your neck, "no...i don't think i will."

kofi

taglist: @imjustsomebodyelse @forwardpair @cinnamon-n-roses @candy-hime

[villainsandvictimsalliance]

What things do you think people get wrong about Spinner's character in fics/fandom in general? Anything you've seen or felt was done right? Anything about him you'd like to see appreciated more?

Thanks! Love your posts about the LoV. ♥️

🥺🥺 I'm glad you like them, really.

AND OMG YES, SPINNER APPRECIATION POST. THAT WAS THE EXCUSE I WAS LOOKING FOR TO RANT ABOUT HIS CHARACTERIZATION. LET ME USE THE LIST FORMAT.

My opinion on Spinner's characterization:

I have several friends that used to hate Spinner or ignore him because they were fans of the anime but hadn't read the manga. They soon changed their opinion after my explanations about the matter.

I think the worst take I've seen so far is exactly that. He's not irrelevant or useless to the plot. It pains me when people portray him as such.

Also many people write Spinner like very passive? Like if he was easy to please and he would only follow others? That doesn't make sense at all. He found his way to the League just like the others. He stopped Magne from hurting Izuku on the Summer Camp attack, he confronted Tomura on the beginning of My Villain Academia and pressed him for answers, he participated in creating the name of the Paranormal Front and on recent arcs, he clearly told AFO to his face he never thought about following him, but Tomura.

So no, Spinner is not passive or a background character.

Horikoshi even emphasizes on this by allowing him to narrate part of the MVA arc. I can argue that Horikoshi wanted the audience to sympathize with Spinner, because he's the closest to being between the heroes and the villains, a real anti-hero. The author wanted us to see Spinner point of view and that shouldn't be dismissed.

I also think people downplay his relationship with Toga. We've seen him worrying about Toga since the MVA arc and later into the War arc. He is closer to being an older brother to Toga than Dabi is, we must accept that.

Spinner is very sentimental, but not a coward. Knowing his quirk is not enough to fight a bunch of people isn't fearing a fight. In fact, I really love how the League understand their limits and never push them too far. There's no shame in any of it.

Spinner is not a traitor. He's a really loyal man and his also not a blind fanatic. Once again, when compared to Dabi, Dabi keeps being a little obsessed with Stain and while Spinner still stands him, Spinner grew past Stain's legacy, he become something more.

Spinner is also a leader. On the late chapters, we have seen Spinner having followers. Please let's never forget he's main reason to be on the League is to fight racist people. He wants to change the system in order to give power to the minorities. Whether the League is a good place to do that or not, it doesn't change Spinner's goals.

He was worried about hurting children and civilians. Just like most members of the League, he wants to live, so he sees no point in ending the world. He wants to make a better society, not killing everyone.

On the other hand, I love when people portray him as someone who's well versed in politics and social movements. Yes, it's canon that he knows his things.

I love when people portray him as a very good friend and a general good person. Within the League, Spinner was the one who connected the most with Tomura, who was supposed to be the demon lord. Instead, Spinner saw past it, he saw the kid being worth following and protecting. That's why he didn't like what happened on the War arc. He knows it's wrong.

I love that the fandom agree about Spinner loving music. Yes, he was probably bullied when a kid, so I pretty enjoy when people create scenarios when he defends little kids or other people with animalistic quirks from bullies and racist people.

I think we can appreciate more his background and his presence within the League.

For example, Toga is partially rejected because her quirk reminds a wild animal, something brutal and barbarian. She could talk with Spinner about this, decided she can trust him and tell him about her crushes and stories.

Spinner had also work before, so he could complain with Twice about bosses and noisy clients and such.

He also enjoys a good cosplay, so why don't make him enjoy talking about clothes and costumes with Mr. Compress?

He could also relate to having specific skin conditions, just like Tomura. They share video games, that's right, but there's so much more than this. Tomura is pretty smart and I bet he'd enjoy talking about philosophy and academic stuff with Spinner. They'd obsess over Wikipedia articles at 3am.

Also Dabi could learn a lot about Spinner. Dabi needs to grow as a person, and Spinner can provide him with both a rival and a friend. They have similar taste, they both are really loyal and full of anger, but they deal different with it.

And if there's something I like how is portrayed in the fandom, it's Spinner friendship with Magne. I love those two.

I think many people with more basic beauty standards reject Spinner a lot. I personally think that's why the producers of the anime has decided he's not important for the plot and cut him from most part of the arcs. This is so wrong.

I mean, I want more people talking about how amazing is Spinner skin and his hair.

I want people talking about how adorable cute are the blue dots on his clothes, about how he's a strong guy ready to punch people without being an asshole, without being a bad friends or a bad person to kids and civilians.

AND HE'S OVER THERE FIGHTING POWERFUL QUIRKS WITH HIS SWORD. HE HASN'T BEEN BADLY INJURED YET. HE'S OVER THERE BEING THE BEST SUPPORTIVE MAN ON THE LEAGUE.

Also he's pure comedy and highly relatable. He's humor is pretty close to our online humor and I think that's amazing.

WE NEED MORE SPINNER META. ALL THE SPINNER META. GIVE ME SPINNER CONTENT.

So yeah, anon. I think Spinner is criminally underrated but I also think there's a loving side of the fandom that takes good care of him.

To all the Spinner fans reading this: keep the good work and tag me in it so I can see it and hype about it. 😌

[yr-obedt-cicero]

Do you think JCH might have had a slight crush on Laurens? It kinda seems like he was so fascinated by him that he developed some great feelings for him - at least the one he fabricated in his mind.

It reminds me of when I became so obsessed with researching Hamilton that I fell a little in love.

Oh honey, there's way more that he said about Mister old John Laurens. (All of which I will reblog soon enough)

In my personal opinion, I don't think it was a crush. It seems more of like he just really admired Laurens. Because everything he mentions seems to be Laurens' prowess in things like military, legacy, bravery, etc. Not really anything of bigger affections. I can see why some would consider it "gushing" as Church seems to have possessed that skill of overly flowery expression from his father. Which would make sense, I think in Chernow's biography of Hamilton, he mentioned that Ham would have six year old Church help write his letters and had made sure the penmanship was exactly the same so Adam's cabinet would not notice. So it wouldn't be a surprise if that impacted Church's style of writing from then on (Or maybe he just wanted to be like his dad, I'm pretty sure all the sons did expect for maybe William).

I also think it would be a little weird if it was a crush? Church obviously had to know that something happened between Hamilton and Laurens that wasn't just friendship. I will remind you; this guy had all of the remaining correspondence from his father, he saw almost everything. And it obviously concerned him enough to trash half of the letters between his father and Laurens and censor them. So... It would be a little odd to crush on somebody who was with your own dad (Even by 18th century standards! Where it was normal to marry your own cousin!)

That being said; I think Church just adored Laurens, or at least the Laurens he idolized in his head after reading about him. Clearly, Laurens must have meant a lot to him, as they never even met but Church applauded him more than any other figure I've seen him talk about, aside from maybe Hamilton (But at least he knew his dad for eleven years of his life, he never met Laurens at all and couldn't). If just simply reading about Laurens gave him that much of an impact, Laurens must have truly meant a lot to him. I'm actually pretty sure he's the only kid of Hamilton's to ever mention Laurens (I think, I'm not certain on that).

I heard some others suggest that Church admired Laurens so much because Hamilton probably told him stories of him. I mean, there's not much to support this claim but it would make sense. Church wanted to write a biography of his dad so maybe stories he held closer than the others. Especially since Philip and Angelica were born around the time Laurens had died, so Church was probably old enough around the time for Hamilton to tell him those stories while also spending enough years to heal that recalling such things wouldn't be too hard of a reminder.

Then again, that's complete speculation. I just think JCH admired Laurens, and probably wished he had the chance to meet him.