#something about superpowers and how they work to the best of in universe understanding

[someone-always-cares]

chapter 5, page 79

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[image description: an sac webcomic page. "hold on, stay still for a second". rami says, as he puts his hand close to lewis, the angle making him almost look like he's cupping lewis's face, as lewis stares back at him with very wide shining eyes. he then rips off the duct tape off, lewis jolting and making a weird face, the panel borders shaking from the shock, before lewis makes a different face like a grimace or like a cat would make after smelling something foul right before slapping the shit out of it. "sorry. you alright?" rami asks, holding a swiss army knife down near lewis's bound arm, the knife already out. "i- what- i will be? not important. what the fuck are you doing here??". lewis replies. "saving you, apparently. and your friend- sorry i'll get to you in a minute" "no really, why the fuck are you here? how did you find us? why did you come?" lewis says. this last panel is entirely black, aside from the speech bubbles. "you're the one that sent me the location. Is your friend concussed? They're not responding to me. Or you. And are either of you injured in general?" rami responds. "What? I don't think either of us are. And no, she can't hear you, just wave or something. Uh, not with the knife, like a friendly not about to kill you wave, like-" lewis's rambling is interrupted. "It's pitch black in here? Waving won't help?" end id]

edit: a bit late but forgot to mention: next con i have is on june 1st, at animangapop cardiff! feel free to say hi if you're going!

i've always gone back and forth internally if rami's supervision gave him better night vision or not but i'm going to go with yes, it does. lewis also has better night vision on account of his eyes being cat-like. jade has normal human vision unfortunatly. on the bright side (pun not intended), she can make her fingernails glow.

also, thought on book cover? tried a few ideas and this is what i came up with

[id: concept a book cover. mostly sketched, styalised like a corkboard with various photos, pins, ect. the front side (right) has a piece of torn paper with the title and a couple stickers, one star and the other rami's logo. below is a drawing of rami surrounded by eyes. the spine has a strip of washi tape, blue with star patterns, with the title and a "1" at the bottom. the back (right) has a few photos of various panels from chapter 1 and two, a top corner of a missing poster, a business card for iris's ice cream shop, pins of mindforce's eye, and pride pins of the asexual and transgender flags, and lastly a scrap of notebook paper with eye doodles (like iris's eyes), rami's logo, titled "blah blah blah" and placeholder text of the bee movie script opening. red string is scattered around. end id]

note: the panels featured will be redrawn (for the cover. the actual pages will not be) and the one on the front is just a placeholder. not sure what i'll change it to, but something with both rami and lewis.

so, this is fashioned similar to the back of the flyer i use to advertise my comic at conventions, it allows me to show off multiple things, allows me to put in easter eggs and similar, and it feels right, yknow? it looks like the same board i use for story planning, concept art, to do lists, and trinkets for conventions, ect.

i look up and i see my corkboard covered in all that, so it feels like me. like i'm already pouring everything i have into my comic, why not this? also, red string murder board. thematically appropriate, and similar to the one omen has. expecially fitting since they appear end of chapter two bonus pages, which is where issue 1 of the physical book ends (not including bonus pages)

anyway would love to hear your thoughts!

more rambling under the cut

keep jumping from task to task. eg started planning the cover. jumped from irl task to task and then got back but then needed to figure out 100% how big the book is page-wise, because spine width

so i go do the bonus pages first but despite me collecting all the stuff for that before i keep finding more. because i have been making pages for 7 years and worked on it for longer with just having them as ocs roatating in my mind

and, yknow, i am not an organised person at the best of times. and over the past 10 years, not much has been the best of times. so you can imagine the chaos i've gone looking through. most of it isn't too recent, because turns out i had a lot more time working to draw when i was still in school. and also right after school. also 2020.and most of it is bad due to me improving my skill over time! which is good but still. going to have to carefully pick out what to use

also unrelated but i want to make one of the exclusive kickstarter print rewards foiled because i just love how they look. specifically i want to do one of tsunami and the foil (silver or holo) being the sparkles his water does because it'd look cool!

[superectojazzmage]

X-Men works best, I feel, when writers understand on at least some level that it's really basically a cyberpunk/biopunk horror story that just happens to also be a superhero comic.

X-Men is the story of the world entering a new epoch where any random person on the street might randomly get superpowers - ranging everywhere from green hair to mind control - simply because they happened to win(?) a genetic lottery as part of a cosmic process programmed into humanity in ancient times by ineffable star gods. All around you are people who are ostensibly still people, but are also inhuman entities with alien powers who are gradually developing their own subculture that tells them they are the future dominant species destined to replace mankind. Many of them are just normal folks... but just as many see you the same way ancient homo sapiens saw neanderthals.

X-Men is the story of fear and hatred rising in the hearts of men in the face of that new epoch. Corrupt humans and mutants alike use bigotry and xenophobia to divide the two peoples, pushing them into a war not just for politics, but for evolution and the planet themselves. Mankind begins altering themselves and building machines of death to keep up with the mutants, in the process creating a third race of humanity; transhumans and robots, that in time come to be no different from the mutants, superpowered monsters of society's own making that see the humans as flatscan wastes of genes at best, oppressors to be destroyed at worst.

X-Men is the story of humanity fighting amidst themselves in their senseless darwinistic war while their world tumbles through a swirling universe of terrifying eldritch threats. Out in the stars and spiritual dimensions are alien empires once like us now advanced beyond comprehension, legions of magical wonders and nightmares in equal measure, lovecraftian machine hive minds that eat planets, demons that feast on our sin, cosmic entities that have as much in common with us as we do ants.

And above it all, X-Men is the story of how recognizing each other's humanity, of embracing love instead of hate, may be the only thing that ensures even a hope of survival in the face of the unimaginable, mind-breaking horror of a world entering a new era whether it's inhabitants like it or not... or perhaps, the only thing that decides whether or not we deserve to survive.

The best X-Men writers are the ones who recognize this. Chris Claremont, Johnathan Hickman, Grant Morrison, Kieron Gillen, etc.. The writers who recognize that there's something profoundly and utterly, existentially TERRIFYING about what the series really boils down to (a self-defeating war between mechanical and genetic evolution with normals caught in the middle that may be the extinction of all three races) and reflect that in the aesthetics and tone by emphasizing a cyberpunkish vibe.

Emphasizing that this is a world where people - willingly or not - alter their bodies like mechanics alter cars and any random person you see on the street might be a mutant or Sentinel or something that can kill you with a look, and that random person is probably hiding from something even worse that wants to kill them just for being born.

[luthordamnvers]

I still think I need to watch the entire show again, but I'm gonna try and collect some very scattered thoughts because the ~discourse is appalling, tbh.

Idk who needs to hear this, but every single marvel project has been about the widening of the marvel cinematic universe. And it's fucking insane, that people are reducing this show as "just a way to get Wiccan" when it was so much more, especially for a show that wasn't even supposed to exist. It was a show spearheaded by a showrunner who initially pitched it because she loved Agatha, and Kathryn's portrayal of Agatha. One that happens to be a woman, btw (one that happens to had been at the forefront of both Captain Marvel [Uncredited] and been responsible for the first past of Black Widow [Story by, credits]).

Don't get me wrong, the MCU certainly has misogynistic undertones, the fact that we had to wait to have a woman led movie, or a movie director, as long as we did is a travesty. That without even going into the intersectionality that we are still missing in the wider MCU. And one that's inherent in the comic book world, if we are being honest. But guess what, THIS is the type of show that changes that narrative.

The fact that wandavision is still regarded the best Marvel-Disney+ show. So good that got an spin off focused on "a nanny". Show that delivered on a show being about her, and yet not the entire story, with outstanding narrative, direction and storytelling. And some swats of fandom are diminishing it left and right. The dudebros because it was about a woman, about a middle-aged woman, about a queer middle-aged woman. And others in the fandom because it wasn't as queer as they wanted, or focused on what they wanted.

And let's be honest, I'm amazed the show was as unapologetically and canonically queer as it was. Thanks to the efforts of Jac, Kathryn and the team behind it.

Agatha is based on a character that's been around for 50 years, and has being nothing but a nanny/governess for superpowered kids because she happens to be a witch, until relatively recently. Even when we had had part of her back story for decades, she was never that important, and she isn't even evil. Dare I say, she hasn't been that relevant until her run with the Scarlet Witch, and Kathryn Hanh's interpretation of her.

Agatha All Along, is not only an spin off of Wandavision, but also part 2 of the whole story. OF COURSE, Billy would be a very important part of her story, something that was touched upon in WV, but was also part of her (and I'm using this word very loosely) redemption arc.

She shared a kinship with Billy in WV, because he was magick. She wanted to understand how he worked, because she knew what Wanda did, and she wanted Wanda's powers. The fact that she could identify Billy immediately, even when she hoped it was Nicky, was important, but people were to busy whining about Billy having an episode. One episode that was also relevant to the ending of the show. And the full arc of the saga's mythology.

Is the show perfect? Not at all. Did I enjoy the heck out of it and can appreciate what it actually did? Absolutely yes. Can I appreciate how GOOD it was at storytelling? Hell yes.

It was a show absolutely centered in women. Good women, bad women, women of color, old women, younger women. The one man was a queer, three-year old in the body of a 16 year old. And mind you, this character has been making queer history, since his very recent creation (2005). This show is unapologetically queer, we had a huge ass Trans flag that said Protect trans kid in huge black letters being very prominent in the shots. It's HUGE, and not even by marvel/disney standards. The show had nothing to do with coming out, or acceptance, or people dealing with phobia. It was about queer people existing and being queer. Hell, you could make a case that they were saying "being a witch" is an allegory of being queer.

Every single member of the coven could be queer. They hinted at it with Jen, at the very least.

Let's talk about the rest of the coven. Who for me were the absolute highlight of the show.

Alice, generational trauma, the protection witch. The most tragic to me. She saw her curse, as a lie. As something her mother made to neglect her. And yet she couldn't keep a job, she resented her mother, and she had to be reminded of her every moment because her mom was a famous Rockstar. She goes to the road, she comes to terms with her mom's love for her, how her mom's version of the ballad was a protection spell, as much as Alice hated it, and she manages to defeat her curse. She protects her coven. Only to immediately die. Her dialogue with Death was devastating:

Alice: That's it? That's all the... That's all the time I get? Death: If I had a nickel... Alice: This can't be the end. It has to be the beginning. I finally broke the curse. I mean, I can really do something with my life now. Death: You're a Protection Witch. Alice: Yeah. Death: You died protecting someone. You ready? Alice: No.

Heart wrenching, unjust, and beautiful.

Lilia, who was plagued by the gift/curse of seeing her and others destiny. Ignoring it for over half her life, staying stagnant, because she was reeling from the fact that she saw the death of her family, her entire coven, she told them and it changed nothing. She was chased out of villages because she could see the tragedies coming. Who refused to be with a coven, love a coven because the heartbreak of losing her first was too much. Who decided that cheap tricks, was better than seeing the tragedies coming, and refused her gifts. She hated the appropriation of her culture, but when the time came, she accepted it, and moved on. She goes to the road, and finds her coven. "I needed you, my coven." And she died, going back to the start, because she'd rather relieve it all again, the good, the bad and the ugly, that keep neglenting herself. "I loved being a witch".

That without going into the absolute masterpiece that was episode 7. Pulling a non-linear story, as solidly as they did, is certainly not easy. And they did it, beautifully.

Jennifer, who was magick-bound for over a century, to the point that she doubted her knowledge and herself. And yet she made a name for herself, she was a successful entrepreneur (she cheated a little, but you know capitalism is the true villain here). A black woman who was outstanding at her craft, healing and being a midwife, to the point that she became an inconvenience to the fragile, egomaniacal, white men in the medical field. Where they sought out a way to stop her indefinitely. And yet she kept going, and survived. Even at the end of the road. She looked at the person who bound her, and said: "I deny your power over me. You hold nothing." And she unbounded herself, and got out. Not because of Billy or even Agatha but in spite of her. Jennifer survived, just like she has been doing for however many centuries, and she flew towards the sunset. Because 'She's the path ahead'. The growth she had, from being selfish the first few episodes, because that's how she survived, to screaming for Lilia when she decided to stay behind. Jennifer clawed her way out of the road, the bound. And she deserved it.

As for Billy... he's so much like her mother. He accidentally created the road, because he's equally, if not more, unaware of his powers as Wanda. Wanda at least thought she got powers from Hydra's experimentation. Billy isn't even supposed to exist. Billy who was "10 years old" but, realistically like 2 weeks old. Who got thrown into the body of this guy, who he doesn't know, and who doesn't even knows himself, because he doesn't remembers, with powers he doesn't quite understands and then he starts piercing moments of his life together, because he feels this massive hole in his being. And finds his answers on Agatha. He truly believes the road is real, that can take him to someone who while not have the answers, might feel the same way as him. Who was his other half, he doesn't remembers it, but he feels it.

His magick, is like Wanda's, Chaos magick, it manifests without his real knowledge or intention, but by his feelings. He created the road, with all the knowledge he thought he had, the road follows the rules Agatha and Nicky created when they made the ballad. Even if he doesn't know it.

Is the show about Billy? Not necessarily. Billy is important to Agatha, because Billy is Agatha's son now. Not by blood, not even by magic, but by choice. As much as she denies it, her "calculated risk", had something to do in the way she saw Billy, and how she wanted to protect him, in a way she couldn't protect Nicky.

And finally, Agatha. Agatha who built a reputation of killing all her covens. Starting with her mother's. Because her mother sentenced her to death, because she was born evil. And she took that and ran with it. She connived, and betrayed, but she survived, something she's extremely proud of. Do I wish we had seen more of her past? 100%. I wanted to know how she got the Darkhold, how she actually met Rio, how they fell in love. Does not really knowing diminish her storyline? Not at all. Because what we got was really nuanced, and it's going down the hill with people focusing only in the romantic relationship aspect. If anything, I think this is being reductive of Agatha, not Billy. The fact that she needs the love interest for people to focus on her, regardless if that love interest is a man or a woman.

But even then, what did people think it would happen? Agatha Harkness had a romantic relationship with Death itself. It was never going to be a romance, it was always a tragedy. Death who took her son away, Death who gave her time with her son, but never specify how much time. Who then followed her around, torturing her with its presence, and we know Agatha is resentful and can hold a grudge.

Death who kindly stopped for her.

Rio knew Agatha would always resent her, even when she gave Nicky more time, because at the end of the day, she would always had to take him away. As much as it was a kindness to let him be born, to take him while he and Agatha were asleep. She had to take him anyways, and Agatha would never forgive her.

Agatha letting the witchfolk think that she exchanged her son for the Darkhold, or made a deal with Mephisto, and saying it was because "the truth was much worse" had nothing to do with *our* perception of worse. But hers. A powerful witch who couldn't save her son, a woman who couldn't keep her son alive. A witch who let her lover take her son away. Using her son to lure more witches. Then using the song, that her son lovingly created for themselves, to lure even more witches to their doom, just for her to be more powerful and keep living (and potentially still looking relatively young). A song that was special to them, corrupted, because she wanted more power and killing witches, something she knew Nicky didn't like. Witchfolk thinking Agatha got the Darkhold trading her son, was better than what she thought of herself.

She saw Nicky in Billy, how he didn't like killing witches (as accidentally as Billy did), how he mourned, how he somehow still believed in Agatha, even with his barbs at her.

She sacrificed herself, not necessarily because of Billy. But because of Nicky, her boy she couldn't save. And yet here is another boy she loved, not the same but very similarly, one she could save.

Billy didn't manipulate her, (and even if he were to, Agatha would probably be proud of him for that) he's been consistent in wanting to understand Agatha. He's curious. Hell, he didn't even need to come back for Agatha, he had gotten out (wherever out was for him) but he came back, because he cared about Agatha. And if some people can't see that, because he happens to be a he... well, no matter what had happened in the show, those people wouldn't see it any other way.

Agatha becoming a ghost, and immediately seeking Billy, because she loves him, and she likes the way he sees her, not good or innocent, but knowledgeable, and with the potential to do good. And she sees Nicky in him, and his potential too.

There is so much more analysis, and I might share more thoughts later, but for now, this is it. I still wanted more, Agatha's story with the Darkhold, the Salem seven, more of the coven, yet not necessarily for the show or the episodes to be longer, but I would love to see if they expand on this, on another spinoff.

[creampuffqueen]

I wanna hear more avatar headcanons! From the novels or just the avatars themselves! I loved reading your kavik and yangchen hcs 🥹🫶🏻

ahhh thank you!! i'm glad you like my random thoughts lol 🫶

here are a few more random thoughts i've been having that i just haven't quite made into posts yet (mostly yangvik because i love them but some other avatars as well):

yangchen is actually a terrible cook 💀 she's basically always had people taking care of her so she never really needed to learn! she can make a good cup of tea and that's about it. she regularly burns rice. she's also just generally bad at remembering to feed herself. kavik, who is a decent cook, is largely the only reason she remembers to eat

as for the other known avatars: kyoshi is by FAR the best cook. she's genuinely good at it. aang is a very close second. roku, kuruk, and wan are all average at it. korra has been banned from every kitchen in republic city

yangchen and kavik both strike me as people who really enjoy physical touch. they both really enjoy cuddling with each other, even before their relationship turns more romantic. acts of service is also a major love language for them

i also feel very strongly that they never used typical labels for their relationship. they usually referred to each other as their 'partner', occasionally 'lover', but most often just continued to use 'companion'. these vague labels frustrate scholars to no end, and today in the atla universe nobody can agree on the nature of their relationship. which is exactly how they wanted it lol, they were extremely private about their relationship

yangchen does have the iconic crooked smile that all the avatars share, but it only comes out when she's well and truly happy about something

her laugh is the same way. she has a very convincing fake laugh, as her real laugh is kind of 'ugly'. it's some kind of snorting, wheezing sound that kind of sounds like she's dying but is also absolutely adorable. yangchen hates it. kavik adores it, and will make an absolute fool of himself trying to hear it

yangchen is a massive, merciless flirt and takes great pleasure in seeing just how red she can make kavik's face turn. but on the rare occasion kavik gets enough confidence to flirt back, she turns into a total mess

pik and pak's favorite place to sleep is right on top of kavik's face

because of how hard she works herself, yangchen often falls asleep in the strangest places. if she's actually tired, she can fall asleep literally anywhere. it's simultaneously a superpower and a massive annoyance

a somewhat sad/bittersweet headcanon i have is that yangchen dies first. i've seen a lot of people saying that she lives to 150 but i can't find a source for that anywhere so i'm choosing to ignore it. yangchen has already watched too many loved ones die, she doesn't need to see kavik die before her as well. they both live very long lives, but kavik outlives her by a few years. after yangchen's death, he returns home to the northern water tribe

at one point, only a few months before his death, he is out for a walk when a little toddler wanders up to him all alone. he chats with him for a few minutes until the boy's parents find them and thank him for watching over their son. 'kuruk, what have we told you about wandering off like that?' the mother asks. the toddler waves goodbye, and kavik walks home feeling oddly contented. he never meets the boy again, and he dies well before kuruk is revealed as the avatar, but he feels a sense of peace from the interaction, knowing deep down that yangchen has made it safely back into the material world

when kavik dies, he wills his bone necklace to kuruk's family. they don't understand why until kuruk's sixteenth birthday. (SERIOUSLY THEIR NECKLACES LOOK ALMOST IDENTICAL ITS WILD)

that's all the thoughts i can scrape up off the top of my head, but i'm just generally thinking about avatar characters All The Time lmao. thank you for asking!!!

[theamityelf]

Hello, I really like your kamukura outbreak au, and so the post about izuru being interested in their differences caught my attention.

What IS their differences, weakness/strength wise? I like to imagine that makoto is surprisingly the best fighter (his luck ruins everyone's plans) (Speaking of does mahiru have a luck talent?) Izuru is an all rounder (he hates that fact for some reason), and nagito is the best cook when he wants to be due to his experiments (also the smartest, despite his hijinks) . Togami is physically the strongest.

This is a great question, and I think your proposed answers are also great. (I was mainly talking about differences in ways of thinking and personality, but this is also great to explore!)

First of all, you bring up a good point about luck, because I like to think luck, as in the metaphysical force that just kind of canonically exists in the Danganronpa universe, is different than luck as exhibited by Izuru Kamukura, just because the idea that Hope's Peak was able to brain surgery Luck into someone for some reason passes the limits of credibility for me. My thought is that Kamukura's "luck" is just a combination of Ultimate Clairvoyant talent and Ultimate Analyst talent, where subconsciously he'll just kind of know what to do in a lot of situations without having to process why he knows it.

The lucksters already have their actual luck and these talents. I feel like Nagito is able to use this to utilize his luck as an even more terrifying supernatural weapon than it already was. He masters the pattern and is able to expertly manage the circumstances he creates for himself to direct his luck where he wants it, and then he becomes more interested in trying to do the same with Makoto's luck.

Nagito's luck is almost like the group's taste of routine. They operate within his luck the way they operate within the weather; it's something that can be charted and predicted and, to an extent, harnessed. Makoto's luck is the group's taste of chaos. They simply never have any idea when or how it's going to kick in. Its effects are stimulating; Nagito is the main one actively trying to understand it. Izuru is lowkey studying it, but he isn't making as big a deal about it as Nagito is. And Makoto, Mahiru, and Byakuya aren't studying it at all.

The other Kamukuras don't have as much of a supernatural influence over luck, and since they all have the same talents, the differences there are mainly in how quickly/easily things come to them.

I'd say Mahiru is the quickest and best at spatial reasoning. Her original self was a photographer, so she has a great sense of spacing and movement and how objects interact with each other. Again, these skills used to be for timing photos, but now they make her great at mechanic work, engineering, lock-picking, etc.

Byakuya is the quickest and best at making good, efficient use of all his resources. The Ultimate Affluent Progeny, and the guy who (in another universe) saw a murder being covered up and thought "Okay, I have an extension cord, some dead classmates' handbooks...", is really good at keeping in mind everything at his disposal and intuitively knowing how to put all of it to good use. If Mahiru is the fastest at picking a lock, Byakuya is the fastest at figuring out what in this room can best be used as a lock pick. He can kill you with things you didn't even see on that table.

Izuru's superpower, kind of like you said, is his general competency. He's reliable. If there's anything you want done well, he's the one most likely to do that. It's partially a matter of his temperament– not as erratic as the others –and partially a matter of his perfectionism. Mahiru can probably fix a machine the fastest, but she might not care all that much about the machine's long-term performance. Nagito can probably figure out most puzzles fastest, but once he does, who's to say whether he'll find it more entertaining to confuse things rather than bring them to the most efficient and satisfying solution. Izuru gets things done, well. If he fixes your car, everything about your car is fixed.

And Makoto's social skills are the best. Well, not his social skills; Nagito is the friendliest and best at carrying a conversation. But Makoto cares deeply about others and making things easier and better for them, so while his actual charisma isn't on Nagito's level, he's endearing and people really like being around him. His willingness to solve any problem they have no matter how long it takes, and his tendency to say really insightful things in a soft, almost toneless voice, are really effective.

And there's some angst there, as far as his close friends from before missing the old Makoto but loving the new Makoto, and everyone he meets now just adoring him. I could see someone like Kyoko or Chihiro thinking that it's somewhat of a betrayal to old Makoto to be excited about all the things this new Makoto can do for them, thanks to the traumatic procedure that was done on him against his will.

Makoto from before was a great friend, but he wasn't someone who could and would stop what he was doing at any given time and rewire the electricity in your room. Makoto from before could help you deal with your problems or think positively about your problems; this Makoto can solve your problems and doesn't really care what happens to him in the process, except insofar as his loved ones would be affected by it. Old Makoto brought out the best in people; this Makoto might inadvertently reward a lot of vices just by being so willing to do and be what others want. (Fortunately, his arc is rediscovering his sense of self and manifesting boundaries.) I'm just saying, if someone wanted to start a cult around him, it wouldn't be hard.

But back to the Kamukuras and their differences, lol.

Their differences in body shape influence their respective fighting styles; the shorter ones are better at slipping through gaps and getting behind people, the taller ones are better at gaining leverage and subduing people.

[hao-and-yoh]

Holding space for others can be so rewarding……….

……….one of the most memorable highlights of my trip to London to see all these incredible beautiful people - besides, of course, seeing my favourite band in the whole world ✨again✨ was the moment three of these amazing people locked on to me and asked me a series of open ended questions about my creative work journey with a genuine sense of curiosity✨

This amazing group of people became a close LP community of friends over the last 9 months since we stumbled upon one another last year. And over those 9 months I have been entrenched in the throes of a harsh reality: working a stressful job, juggling raising two little ones, and dealing with some really difficult family issues.

Over those 9 months, I also completed FD Vol 2, began and completed “Alt” Universe, and started FD Vol 3…. as well as creating a never ending stream of art work and bonus material for my AU. And I’ve been having the best time in my little FD bubble✨

And ofc, FD is a story inspired by LP. So naturally the worlds “cross over” sometimes. And occasionally these people in this photo hear me ramble enthusiastically about FD. And my amazing sk fandom friends will equally hear me ramble enthusiastically about LP.

But then on Sunday afternoon, three of these people held space for me - and allowed me to come alive and just gush happily about my work. And their reaction and response blew me away. ✨✨✨

I described myself in the moment like I was inside the Sims video game, and I could feel the friendship plus ➕➕ symbols floating above my head. Because that feeling of being seen and heard when someone else connects with you on a level that gets to the core of who you are just means so much and matters so much. And I made sure to tell them that and thank them for it.

I try and do this for others in small meaningful ways. I do this a lot at work. It’s a superpower when working with teenagers. If I can find that thing that makes them happy and hold space for them to talk about it, it allows them to open up, and it paves the way for the hard work we have to do together.

I do this online with friends in my shared online spaces by ensuring I don’t admire their work quietly, I admire it LOUDLY. I also do it for strangers too. I recently became an ARC reader for a self published indie author. I have started being open to smaller creators across lots of different platforms and genres and showing support for them when I genuinely find something in their work I connect with.

I might forget some of the moments from the gig itself, but I’ll never forget how amazing it felt to be there. And I’ll never forget how those amazing friends of mine made me feel in that moment.

So, show support. Be Kind. Be Curious. Be Enthusiastic. It’s all worthwhile. It can lead to incredible things. And it can really make all the difference to people like me who, despite the mayhem and the hardship they’re going through every day, try their best to hold space for others.

Because I understand how important it is to do so.

[katerinaptrv]

What if in another universe Babe meets Charlie way earlier, while they were still orphans at the foundation, how what this change things?

I am writing this inspired by all the Pete/Way/Kenta past interactions speculations.

To those who saw Kiseki Dear To Me Ai Di/Chen Yii vibes, but without all the unrequited love misunderstanding part. Babe knows from the beginning Charlie is his mate even if he is too young to understand what that really means.

Babe is eleven and Charlie is six here, I totally made it up so it probably does not reflect how it is in canon.

A Different Start

Babe was living at the foundation for a few years now and he knew it was not the best place to live but at least he had a rough under his head, clothes, food and Tony would reward him with gifts and benefits if he worked hard in improving his abilities. 

He knew he was lucky to have known his superpower and that other kids were not much so, he could hear the cries of others in the rooms. It used to bother him a lot when he first moved but he learned to block them by now, he did not really interact with any of them since most kids are kept apart. Only the kids that do not know their abilities are put together sometimes to see if they trigger each other's power.

That would all change that day, his acceptance of this situation, his indifference for the others,  he just didn’t not know it yet, an core event that would lead to a chain reaction that would completely change the direction his life was heading towards. In another universe this event only happens in later in his life, but in this one, one of Tony’s employees is to slow in leading on of the crying children back to their room and Babe path crosses with one of them, but this was just not any kid, and while he usually look forward and ignore it when that happened this time was different.

The smell makes him stop, in a house full of Alpha retching smell everywhere or sometimes omegas sickening sweet ones, this one was just so good and drowned all the others. Once the sense was on, the others came back in and he heard the piercing cry of the child screaming like there was no tomorrow. It hurt his ears. He turned to look at it and realized the smell came from him. He was a small child who could not have been more than 5 or 6 years old.

The child full of tears turned to look at him and then his alpha was right awake and roared clearly in his head: Yours, protect. Babe did not know what that was about, his alpha did not talk much with him until this day but he was told to always listen to his instincts.

- I’m Babe. What 's your name?

- Charlie.

- Why are you crying?

- I don’t want to go back to my room, I don't want to be locked in there again.

He could see that Tony’s guards were lost in what to do in this situation, Babe was known to be Tony’s favorite and that did allow him to have some perks that other children did not.

The commotion got Tony’s attention and he approached the children, suddenly having an idea he asked Tony.

- Dad, you told me I could ask for something for my hard work on training, I want him.

He could see Tony was intrigued in his sudden interest in another child, one so much younger than him at that.

- I don’t know Babe, Charlie is an orphan at the foundation and a very misbehaved one.

He knew exactly what Tony meant by that, he meant that Charlie had not displayed any powers yet and was most likely being punished for it like the other children in this situation and right there he knew exactly what to say to convince Tony.

- Maybe I can help him be better behaved.

Tony was indeed very intrigued to his favorite most powerful adopted special Alpha sudden interest on this child, Babe did have heightened senses, maybe he sensed something in the other Tony did not, so he decides to play along and see what happens. 

So, that day Charlie was moved to live in Babe’s room with him and that changed everything.

[p-receh]

I agree with everything non said but i think they missed a few points.

Its not that no creator can make anything perfect (while yes that is true since we're all human)

But its more of what the medium and genre the creator is trying to portray/show

You can't tell a horror/gorey themed and focused show to be more child friendly, that breaks the whole purpose.

Similar to how you can't tell a child friendly show to have heavy topics/themes that are 18+

People think that children should be exposed to those things to learn and while yea i agree to some extant, those same people seem to not realize the impact it could have to those childrens mental development.

But that topic is not the vocal point of this.

What i am trying to address is creators focused genre (you made a great point in the notes of monsta PSU universe being catered to specific audiences)

It is obvious, so so obvious that bbb is supposed to be a comedic feel good show, and that fact is actually part of its charm. Its why people remember so fondly about the old bbb series

And monsta has a story to tell, they gave a story that focused more on chatacters relationships and humor (og bbb series).

People wanted a more plot driven nerative and when it was given (galaxy series).

People are now upset because they want a character focused nerative and when that was also given an attempt (Fang's and Hang kasa's backstories)

People are now complaining its not enough and it should've been in the show not in comics

People are now complaining your show is boring, doesn't have depth, too child friendly, too many ads, and it should be this or that

People want more

And more

And more

Season 2 is already set in stone. We already know the story its going to tell. Yet theres still complaints it should go in a different directio- oh no wait you have to stay FAITHFUL to the comics. Do it exactly like in the comics but add this and that

These are people.

Stop treating them like workers and act as if people know best or they are now the boss.

Critics are fine, no show is perfect. But the moment it shift from "hey this is great, sadly it seems to be too A and B. Maybe you can...." and changes to "stop doing this and start doing this and this and that"

Thats a problem.

This is in no way directed to you or the anon, take your time with your AU, i do have a question. Do any of the power spheres still exist in your AU?

Another anon! Yes you

ARE

RIGHT!

'But you don't understand! Why they not incorporated some of the scene from this issue!

'Why they make it too childish? Isn't this a bit weird for the future series?

'Why they put too many ads? One is enough right?

'Why they still kept Papa Zola? Where's the action?!

'Is Monsta now discrediting the Kokotaim gang with this issue? Why only Fang got his background character development?!

'Why—

Why this and that did not matter when it's already been published publicly. Have you noticed how many times Monsta correcting their mistakes in the past for make this series a better show to please everyone? Rebranding their logo, reorganize how each chapters work and sensible? Boldly to make a deeper story and in depth situations from a simple show with just a basic troupe : 'a child that has superpowered friendly assistant for an adventure' ? We got lots of show with that btw, Doraemon and Pokémon being one of biggest example.

Uuuuuuurh I got carried away.

Some complaints are valid not gonna lie, but at the same time, it makes no sense when people wanting this and that, and this, and that.

In the end they want what they see and demand to do the same. And worse made a petition to authors for begging something what the fans want, not what the creators think.

It's... It's really unhealthy...

Like I said, Monsta did great job to expand from one series into other for catering different target audience. But they still linked into one grand show for a family show.

And as I said before, Monsta tried to use a marketing strategy that's different from the usual one for different demographic target area.

Risky for sure but hey, you cannot apply everything from every country culture to yours anyway.

Aside from that.

Oh oooooooooooooooooooh you're the anon that asking me about the power sphere! Innalillahi I forgot to answer you! I'm very sorry, anon! T^T

Where's the power spheres in this AU you ask?

Hmmm...

"it doesn't make sense...! You promised to keep power sphere save! People trust us! We trust you!"

"HHA HA HA! What I did, young man, is only to gather and reinvent of what my people stupidly use in that sizable sphere."

"What...?"

"Oh you don't know? Such a shame, your kind are using it worse than ours, don't you think?"

"Hey don't you dare—!"

"Do you?! With all the proof I gave to you, you are still defend it?!

I had hopes from you, _____..."

😉

[amadwinter]

✨✨✨✨🫱Care to share🫲✨✨✨✨

The message was sent to you because someone loved your writing and stories. ❤️

▪️What are your writing suggestions for newcomers, or what would you have liked to know when you first started?

▪️How do you write different personalities and perspectives? Could you explain how you came up with the manner you written your favorite or any character?

▪️What do you do when you have writer's block?

▪️How do you come up with new ideas and develop them?

▪️Any messages for your readers or fellow writers?

You are welcome to answer if you have the time and desire, or you can simply respond to the questions that come to mind.

💐Thank you for your work as a writer and as a member of this fandom!💐

🧡🧡🧡 Gosh thank you anon! It really made me smile to receive this.

That's a long list of questions, but I'll try my best to answer them all.

What are your writing suggestions for newcomers, or what would you have liked to know when you first started?

It doesn't need to be perfect. In fact, aiming for perfection is an exhausting endeavor. Whether it's characterization, canonical details, length, description... Just do your best. And push yourself a little beyond what you think your limits are on occasion. Your first attempt may not end up how you want it, but you'll get better the more you write.

How do you write different personalities and perspectives? Could you explain how you came up with the manner you written your favorite or any character?

I really like finding out what makes a character tick. Why do they think like they think, how do they see the world, how do they see themselves. I find the broad parts that I can personally identify with, and draw upon my own emotions and experiences to put myself in the mindset of that character.

Like Anakin Skywalker is a temperamental fascist with superpowers who used to be a slave. I can't really identify with any of those things. But fear? Anger? Loneliness? Grief? Yeah, I can get those. I can also understand the panic when it feels like your emotions are crushing you and you can't get out from under their weight and all you want to do is scream out to the universe but you don't think anyone will hear you.

It's funny, because I think I'm better at writing Anakin's POV, yet I relate far more to Obi-Wan temperamentally than I do Anakin. Something something it's easier to put yourself in someone else's shoes than look into a mirror.

What do you do when you have writer's block?

Scream? Okay but no really what I do is I open up my document and just try to plug away at it. Sometimes I'm successful, sometimes I'm not. But I know that if I never even try, I will never be successful. Sometimes, I'll move onto a different project for a time and see if I have success there. But if I stay away from a project for too long, it gathers dust and I feel terrible about it (RIP my current WIPs).

It really helps that at any given time, I'm balancing a few different fics at once. And sometimes it hurts.

How do you come up with new ideas and develop them?

Ideas come randomly and frequently, from watching TV or movies, reading, things seen online, or just life. But I write them all down, even if nothing ever comes of them. Writing them down is important, because they may not be anything now, but they can grow into something over time.

I toss and turn these ideas over in my brain, and when I think I've got a good one, I open up a blank document and start jotting down all the relevant thoughts in my brain and working them into an outline. It might take some time for it all to come together, or I might get sudden, intense inspiration and it all comes out at once. It really depends on the idea.

Any messages for your readers or fellow writers?

I love the Obikin fandom. I've never been into a fandom as deeply before, and I don't know if I will ever be into another like this after. We're not without our issues, but looking upon other fandoms (or even other ships within Star Wars), we've got it pretty good, all things considered.

I'm here because of what I love, and I'm glad to have met others who share similar sentiments. I'm also really glad that I can pay it forward by running an event (with my bestest best co-mod).

I published 30 Obikin fics last year. I can't wait to find out how much I'll write this year :)

[moniecraft]

Navigating the Online World: Your Digital Skills Guide

Welcome aboard the digital journey! In this blog post, we're breaking down why having digital skills is like having a superpower in today's online universe. Let's keep it simple and explore how mastering these skills can open doors to exciting opportunities.

Digital Basics: Your Online Compass

Think of digital skills as your compass for the internet. Just like you wouldn't go on a road trip without directions, navigating the online world without digital literacy can feel a bit lost. So, start with the basics – understanding how to use the internet, navigating websites, and being comfortable with digital tools.

Digital Skills for Everyday Win

1. Work Wonders:

Digital skills are like secret tools that can boost your career. From managing spreadsheets to creating eye-catching presentations, being tech-savvy is a game-changer at work.

2. Side Hustle Magic:

Ever thought about starting your own thing? With digital skills, you can! Whether it's selling handmade crafts online or offering freelance services, your skills can turn hobbies into a side hustle.

3. Connect Anywhere:

The world is your oyster when you can connect with anyone, anywhere. Digital skills make it easy to communicate, collaborate, and share ideas, whether you're working with a team or chatting with friends around the globe.

Showcasing You Online

1. Online You 101:

Want to stand out online? Digital skills help you create a digital version of yourself that shines. From setting up a simple website to making your social media pop, you can showcase your talents for the world to see.

2. Share Your Story:

Love making videos or writing? With digital skills, you can share your passion on platforms like YouTube or Instagram. It's like having your own stage to tell your story.

Learn as You Go

The cool thing about the online world? There's always something new to discover! Use the internet's superpower of endless knowledge to learn new things. Online courses, YouTube tutorials, and blogs are your best friends for learning on the go.

Conclusion: Your Digital Adventure Awaits

So, there you have it – your guide to navigating the online world with digital skills. It's like having a trusty map for your digital journey. Embrace the basics, use your skills for work and play, showcase the awesome you online, and keep learning. The online world is full of possibilities – happy exploring! 🌐✨

[billconrad]

Superheroes

    Superheroes top the list of character categories. These unique beings have over-the-top bravery, appearance, strength, charisma, intelligence, health, and speed. What about magical characters? They are quite powerful, but it is not even a contest. Harry Potter must cast a spell to be bulletproof, while Superman only has to wake up in the morning.

    Why don’t we put superheroes into every story? Like all character types, superheroes have their marketing niche. Remember all the 1980s detective shows? How about all the vampire movies in the 2000s? Zombies ruled the 2010s. They have all lost their luster as society gets tired of one genre and writers to adapt to the times.

    Why don’t I jump onto the bandwagon and write a superhero book? I could call it Power-Bill. (Hey, that was an excellent pun. You should be laughing.) While I enjoy some superhero movies, buying into the concept is challenging. To explain, let’s examine Superman. He is strong, fast, tough, and can fly but powerless against Kryptonite.

    The problem comes when I cannot relate Superman to something in my life. The creator of Superman made the character possible by altering physics. I certainly cannot fly, and no other human can. Have the rules only been changed for this one individual? Many superheroes must defy physics since there are so many comic books and movies. That way, Superman can have super friends and super enemies. Does the reader have to understand how physics gets altered? No, they are supposed to accept the modified physics laws unquestioningly.

    Yet, in every moment of my life, there was no choice but to obey scientific laws. I would love to fly to work, but I cannot, nor can anybody else. What other science rules changed? Can he get a cold, or would the viruses bounce off his blood cells as the bullets bounce off his chest? To write about something, I must know.

    Wait a minute. I wrote books with aliens. These creatures came right out of my imagination. Invented fact: My alien characters exist, and they came from another world on spacecraft that traveled faster than the speed of light. Truth: No alien has been conclusively proven to exist, and the laws of physics make traveling faster than the speed of light next to impossible.

    How did I make sense of the altered universe I invented? Simple, I asked my readers to take a small leap of faith. My aliens are ‘people’ who live on another world. They have slightly different features that obey all biological laws, and their technology is more advanced than ours. Going faster than the speed of light to get to Earth? That was another minor leap of faith and included a plausible scientific explanation.

    How about Batman? He is a rich person without super-abilities and uses this wealth to fight crime with fantastic devices. Everything he does (mostly) follows the rules of physics. Umm. That concept still seems unrealistic. Why not pay a private security guard to fight crime? A million dollars buys a lot of rent-a-cops.

    What about a halfway point? The Guardians of the Galaxy movie characters do not have superpowers beyond their exaggerated natural abilities. To summarize, they were somewhat ordinary people on an adventure that nearly followed the rules of science. I still find this story difficult to relate to because they had a talking raccoon. That is too far a leap to write about. Can I fake a backstory? Readers easily spot awful concepts, and I have enough trouble with regular human characters.

    Do I respect superhero writers? Writing is difficult, no matter what genre, and I appreciate writers with such wild imaginations. But unlike Superman, I cannot leap into the unknown.

    You’re the best -Bill

    February 01, 2025

    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:

   Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.

    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.

    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.

    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.

    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.

[midnight---express]

The 15-16 Year old's being at war was not part of the plan, mainly as it was 16-17 Year old's, not much better but quite frankly there was no plan for that to even happen, MHA's main story line for 1A is a fluke 1 in 100 chance of happening, no one expected the war to go down, let alone frontline fighters be fucking Teenagers, it just happened that these Teenagers were being attacked by the primary cause of the war and knew to a degree what to do, they needed trained individuals and Classes A and B were punching well above their weight class.

The thing about the 20% of people being quirkless, that number is filled by primarily older people, if I had to hazard a guess most people under the age of 50 have a quirk, heroics is just the one we see the most because that's what people wanted to do with their powers.

The other thing is we are looking at the universe from the outside in and trying to apply our logical understanding of how our world works to it, it's one with Superheroes as the main characters, and in a society based around Superheroes, off course it's messy and utterly dysfunctional because lumping everything in with Superheroes is such a dumb idea but pretty understandable for a society that one day got superpowers across the board, they were going to explore the stars but then got powers and snapped from.

"Okay we're almost good to put colonies on the moon"

"Samuels shooting sunscreen out of his hands"

'FUCK!"

And who knows MHA probably has proper superpowered EMT's or something, but we only ever get a proper in-depth look at Japan, who's to say that there isn't a country that operates with a college system rather than highschool.

Also very quick note, Endeavour is more of less the Batman stand in, he wasn't their for profit his starting goal was to become a hero to sort of avenge his father and stop the overwhelming amount of villains on the rise, it's just heroes are not under any circumstances given the option to decompress and I don't know talk to someone, and he spiraled Hard.

Heroics is by design an utterly stupid profession, but it was created and people have been hardwired in MHA to think it's the best way forward, and no one stopped to think that maybe putting all of our eggs in a big H shaped basket was the not the way to do, fucking anything.

Oke so actually – I've never seen anyone roasting the dysfunctional society that's mha society.

Or I was just not searching good.

But like – it doesn't actually matter rn – cuz I'm gonna be the one to roast it rn. Be fucking ready.

So like – the fact that 15-16yo even was allowed to the battlefield is already the biggest red flag choice I've ever seen.

Like – who was making laws and choices? I just wanna talk.

So look – at the ages of 15 and 16 – what was doing? Probably trying to figure out if that girl was just nice or really had crush on you.

Kids from mha? Already – fighting with villains that's wanted across whole japan, fighting for their lives, making choices that even seasoned adults fear to take, already fighting societal pressure, public expectations and jist for what?

Just to get a clap on your shoulder and – "congrats I guess"?

Why? Oh well – maybe cuz if every other bitch can become a hero and flesh hero licence – becoming a hero just loses it's importance?

Maybe people rightfully start to stop celebrating another heroes graduation? Cuz mha's society made it so painfully simple to become a hero?

Like be honest – would you celebrate the graduation of a hero #9000? Of course no – no one would expect for his family and it'd be not for the fact that their child can save lives – it'd be more abt finally shovelling money.

And – that's what mha world wanted? For the name 'hero' to become smth so often used – that it just wastes its meaning? Its true weight?

And damn god – don't even get me started how people with quirks have just one path choice – you're either a hero or a villain. That's all – you're not allowed to choose other career paths than this.

It wouldn't be much of a problem if not one world building shit that Horikoshi sometimes forgets himself – that people with quirks take up to 80% of world population.

That's not smth to simply throw at the start and forget abt – that's literally where all my societal issues talking is steaming from.

Like no – it's not a quirky fact – it's literally what makes me thinks that this excessive numbers of graduating heroes is a fucking sign of a barely functioning society – if it's even functioning 🙄.

Like look – the lack of path choices for people with quirks means that other important for society careers are just ignored or – occupied by the left 20% of population that's quirkless.

Like – good that they at least have jobs but like – how is it so that government didn't already integrated people with quirks into other works and careers?

Like – people with quirks take 80% of popularity - how do you expect for entire societies to work with only 20% of popularity covering – medicine, engineering, law enforcement, firefighting, knowledge, military, politics and etc?

Bitches be expecting those poor 20% be helping them when they stub their toes and dare to act as if they're above them just cuz of some flashy genetics🙄.

Now ya see? Ya see??? That's what I'm talking abt. Not does mha world purely relies on those 20% covering essential jobs while MOST of the popularity acts as if reassuring words can heal a person when he's bleeding.

And they also think that 15-16 yo can handle stress better than if they let them finish school and THEN ONLY – proceed to choose if they wanna smack bad guys or not.

Like – why it's hero SCHOOL? Why school? Why think that kids fresh off from peaceful lives can immediately – be able to throw punches without hesitation, be able to make right decisions under stress and be mature while they're what? Still dumbasses who only after they turn 18-19 would learn abt responsibility and accountability?

Bitches be serious 🙄.

Like – in my opinion? They should've:

★ Let the hero school to be college than school. This way – by the time they would take entrance exams – they'd be physically and mentally more mature and better handle stress than if they'd be 15-16.

★ Let students have fucking career OPTIONS – like, let them choose what branche they wanna go in like – medical, law enforcement, firefighter, engineering, weapon development, political and etc. Let the hero college have career options ya can choose from.

★ Make the hero branche the most popular yet the hardest to really enroll in. This way – fucking scums like Endeavor wouldn't happen so much cuz studying is hard and there's a lot of practice where college would see – if you're here cuz you really wanna be a hero – or you're here just for profit.

★ Make it so that college gives huge stipends – especially for – medics, heroes, law enforcements, firefighters, teachers(I actually think that everyone should've get stipends in equal amounts but like – we know equality doesn't exist). Also make it so that there is – sponsorships, high status if you'd be able to enter one of the stated paths, make the studying hard – but the status and fame and stipends absolutely worth it.

And god – this way – there wouldn't be the clutter of heroes in mha world or in similar ones – and it'd actually make the heroes respected as individuals who managed to make it through the tir path that is hero one.

But like yeah – I'm done – for now.

Goodbye I guess.

[ohnoitstbskyen]

Would I be able to ask what is your opinion and thoughts of representations of Plurality (DID, OSDD, Etc.) in media?

I feel like people like us are both severely underrepresented and severely misrepresented in a negative light and are often used as a narrative device to do "oh wow this person is secretly evil half the time because ooooh scary second personality!".

I just highly respect all of your analyses and wanted to see if you've collected any thoughts on this!

Also as an after note (even if you don't reply to this) I wanted to thank you for all of your work on Youtube and various platforms, it's very nice to have someone who examines different media in a positive way with an open mind! It makes me (a transfem disabled person) very happy and makes me feel like there's a safe space even for someone like me in the league community.

I don't know enough about plurality as a set of psychological diagnoses or experiences to feel comfortable framing any kind of authoritative opinion on it. I defer to the opinions of people who either have lived experience or have done more substantial research.

But if you're asking, and you want me to express my best understanding, I'll give it a shot.

My opinions on it aren't especially deep or insightful, I think. As you say, in character design it has this really unfortunate Jekyll and Hyde baggage which is difficult to dismantle and which you always struggle against when trying to tell stories about it. Most people's point of reference for DID would probably be something like the Gollum/Sméagol system, or horror movies like that M. Night Shyamalan film Split. It is habitually treated as essentially a kind of demonic possession, and conflated with what I would consider very Christian ideas of sin and virtue.

Even on the positive end, I believe it tends to get exoticized, where a character might have several distinct personalities each of whom has distinct sets of superpowers or abilities, which... I mean I guess it's nice to frame it as a form of empowerment and something positive rather than horrifying? But it still kinda reinforces this idea that DID is some sort of magic, or a fantastical condition, like being bitten by a radioactive spider or transformed by alien space rays. I feel like it still sort of dehumanizes the condition, turns it into something other than just another way to go through the human experience.

And I don't know how you untangle those things - Jekyll and Hyde and its derivative narratives are compelling because the experience of not being in control of your own worst impulses is a near universal human experience. The experience of wearing multiple masks and faces in multiple different situations and grappling with existential questions of selfhood between them is a universal human experience.

So that's probably a kind of story that we're going to keep telling, it is a human need to express human experiences. But telling those stories shouldn't tar the experiences or nature of plural people by association, it shouldn't be necessary to exoticize or demonize these things to frame a compelling narrative about them.

What exactly the positive middle-ground between these things looks like, I don't know - again, I really don't feel like I have a strong enough foundation of knowledge to speak with authority, but a good place to start is probably with plural people creating stories about their experiences, and the rest of us taking our cues from that.

(Idly, if anyone has a book or comic recommendation for a story that does plurality well, do let me know in the replies.)

[thegirlwiththeblush]

My One Constant

Kate Bishop x Female Reader

 Word Count: 2.4k

Shared prompt with @vorsdany​

Summary: Told from Kate’s perspective and taking place in the family Christmas scene in Hawkeye episode 6, Clint forces her to confront feelings. 

a/n: I’m sorry for how terrible and cheesy and self-indulgent this is, I quite literally have a toothache and I’m not sure if it’s from writing this or all the energy drinks and candy I’m consuming.

Paulo Coelho once said, “Life is the train, not the station.” I think my life is prime evidence for this.

I’ve stopped by many varying but equally shocking ‘stations’ over time. Witnessing a herd of cybernetically enhanced beings invading earth and taking my father’s life. Discovering my mother was working under a crime lord to pay off family debts. Training under the world’s greatest archer, who I had previously believed had saved the world, only to learn I’d heard the twisted version of the story.

Needless to say, my life has been far from predictable, and wildly inconstant.

Now, I’m not saying this to sound like a huge downer. These events only serve to make me more grateful for the one thing that hasn’t ever changed: my best friend.  

I’ve known my best friend since childhood; she knows absolutely everything about me, even the most shameful qualities, and has stayed close in spite of it. Living in a universe like this one, with superpowered and supernatural beings, I’m always half expecting her to get unjustly murdered or possessed or something of the sort. But somehow, I’ve been lucky enough to keep hold of her all this time. She’s been with me through good and bad, thick and thin, and I’d give my own life to keep her safe.

So I’m sure you can understand why I’ve begun to develop feelings for her.

Having worked with Clint so much lately, he’s heard everything there is to know about my best friend. He may as well have met her already with how much I go on about her, and he’s definitely figured out about my crush. I know he gets kind of bored with my rambling, but occasionally, I swear I could see a hint of an amused smile pinching at his mouth. The only input he ever has for me is the obvious point that I should discuss my feelings with her, but of course, I always shyly but loudly disregard him. I don’t want to risk losing our friendship, the one constant, but Clint doesn’t seem to understand this. How could he? His life is all taken up by his wife, and kids, and superheroes and villains, and trauma, and all that fun stuff.

He’s invited me to his family home for Christmas, which means a lot, considering I have no real family to spend the holiday with now. He tells me I should invite her; her family are difficult to get along with, and she’s mentioned on multiple occasions that she’d rather spend the day away from them. I’m still torn. What if she feels awkward and unwelcome, and associates me with those feelings? What if she figures out that I’m attracted to her and leaves abruptly? There are so many worst-case scenarios, and the chances of avoiding them seem so slim.

But my growing addiction to her presence forces me to ask her anyway.

I pass on the invitation during our weekly catch-up in town, while we’re seated in a cozy café. The radiant smile she responds with warms my insides, despite the wintry chill passing through my coat. She puts her mug of hot chocolate to stand and embrace me tightly, and the somewhat unnecessary affection fills my stomach with butterflies. I bite back a nervous laugh as she sits back down and heartily agrees to come.

“I’ve heard so much about this Barton guy,” she adds, “it only seems fitting that I finally meet him!”

“I don’t talk about him that much,” I protest in vain.

“Kate, you’re practically in love with him,” she retorts with a giggle.  

I have to laugh along with her nervously before my expression reveals too much. If only she knew how much Clint knew of her.

On Christmas morning, I spend far too long deciding what to wear. I berate myself inwardly for acting like a middle school girl with a crush, before picking out a fairly plain but tidy red and black open sweater, over a black shirt tucked into jeans. Sometimes ‘simple’ goes a lot further than overdressing.  

Listen to me, talking like I understand fashion.

After a certain getaway incident with Clint, I don’t trust myself near the steering wheel of any car, so I entrust my friend with the role of chauffeur. She pulls up in her car, and goes the whole nine yards, climbing out to open the back door for Lucky.

“Oh, how kind of you,” I say in a posh voice, earning a laugh from her. She fakes taking a top hat from her head and bows deeply, pursing her lips comically. She’s incredibly adorable, I can’t stand it.

After securing Lucky in the backseat, we clamber into the front and turn the stereo on to play the trashiest Christmas songs we can find. Sitting next to her, screaming along to the music, I feel so safe. I know she doesn’t see this as any more than the homely platonic feeling, and I’d never expect anything more from her. Still, I have this unnerving suspicion that I’ll never find anyone who makes me feel so at ease, and who draws me in so irresistibly.  

We pull into Clint’s driveway, and spot him standing outside, waiting for us with a small pile of presents in his arms. He gives a small wave as we park, and I return the gesture with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm. I hear her laughing softly next to me at my excitement, and smile to myself. At least she doesn’t find my pep as irritating as Clint seems to.  

As I help Lucky out of the car, he looks my friend up and down respectfully. “So, this is her?” he says with a slight smile. “About time I met you.”

They formally introduce themselves while I watch fondly, like a proud parent. They know so much about each other already, all because of me.  

After greetings have been fully exchanged, he gestures toward the house, surrounded by abandoned bicycles and outdoor chairs. “Let’s go in and get warm.”

As we follow him to the front door, crunching through the gathering snow, I voice the doubts I’ve kept down until now. “Hey, are you sure this is okay?”

“I’m telling you,” he says over his shoulder, “they’re very excited to meet you.” He swivels his head between the two of us. “Both of you. They love to meet new people.”

I feel a reassuring hand on my shoulder and turn to see her smiling at me confidently. She knows when she’s welcome, and she wants to make sure I do, too.

Just before we reach the door, a small boy comes bounding down the stairs, crying, “Daddy!” He throws himself at Clint, who stacks the presents in one hand as he holds the boy close. “Hey, buddy, merry Christmas!” he replies, and looks up to see two more adolescents waiting for him at the top of the stairs with excited declarations that he’d made it and kept his promise. He hands off the presents for them to carry in, hurriedly introducing us as we all scramble inside.

I pause to take off my shoes, and she does the same, both of us leaving our woolly socks on.

“I hope they like us,” I murmur nervously.  

She smiles fondly up at me. “Well, if they don’t like you, they’re crazy,” she states softly.  

I raise an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”  

She chuckles, almost in disbelief. “Who wouldn’t like you, Kate?”

Before I can question this, she puts a hand on my back and gently pushes me toward the door, Lucky eagerly racing ahead of me the moment I get his leash off. The kids emit cries of adoration as he makes himself at home amongst them. “The dog is so cute!” The youngest one, Nathaniel, looks up at me, grinning. “What’s his name?”

“That’s Lucky,” I respond warmly, inadvertently grabbing the attention of an older woman who had been embracing Clint.  

Clint turns round, suddenly recalling our presence. “Oh, right, yeah,” he chuckles softly. “Brought home a couple strays.” He introduces each of us in turn with a sly smirk at his own joke.

Closing the door behind the two of us, I give my sweetest and most confident smile to Clint and his wife, Laura. “Hi,” I say shyly, before I feel a hand sneaking into mine. She, too, beams back at them, squeezing my hand gently to remind me she’s there.

“Welcome, Kate,” Laura said kindly, coming over to pull me into a hug. “So good to have you!”  

After embracing my friend, she pulls away to look us both up and down. “Are you two... together? Or...”

“Oh, no!” I hastily intervene, my nerves kicking up a notch. Instinctively, I pull my hand away and rub my neck with it instead. “Just... best friends.”  

Laura’s expression is dubious and concerned, but she nods and says, “Well, lovely to meet you both!”  

I sneak a glance at the girl next to me; her mouth has turned down slightly at the corners and her eyes are devoid of emotion. Have I made her uncomfortable? Has the thought of being my girlfriend made her sick? How do I fix this?  

I follow the rest of the family to the living room, trying to ignore my racing thoughts.  

But as we tuck in to Christmas lunch and watch as the kids open presents, I can’t disregard the tension growing between the two of us. Sure, she puts on a very good show of being cheery and joining in the rambunctious whoops of delight; but having known her for the majority of my lifetime, I know something isn’t right with her.  

But I have no choice but to play it off for now. That is, until Clint calls the two of us out, requesting our help.  

We follow him out to the woodshed, where he turns to face us, his expression as somber as ever and his hands stuffed into his pockets.  

“You are lucky my family are not as good at reading the room as I am,” he begins, “because that was painful.”  

The two of us glance back and forth, between Clint and each other, feigning ignorance.  

“What do you mean?” she says, bewildered.  

Clint rolls his eyes, the cheesiness of the entire situation getting on his nerves. He turns to me, exasperated. “Well, you seemed awfully happy that Laura thought you were a couple.”  

I open and close my mouth several times, making flabbergasted noises in an attempt to play it off. I hadn’t looked happy, had I? Had I really been smiling? Come to think of it, I recall the temperature of my cheeks rising slightly...

“What do you mean?” I protest, shutting my train of thought down. “I just found it funny, that’s all-”

“Right,” Clint interrupts, before turning to face my friend, nothing more to say to me. My petty excuse had probably done all the talking necessary. “And you,” he continues. I feel the girl next to me stiffen. Damn it. What have I done, bringing her here, having Clint and his family make these statements right in front of her? She’d probably rather be at home with her overbearing family than here next to me.  

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you,” is all Clint has to say to her. He nods at us both, and finished with, “I’m leaving you two to sort things out, you’re not coming back inside until this whole woeful sappy mess is dealt with.”

He stalks back to the house without another word, leaving us shivering and alone.

We stand in silence for what feels like hours. Where the heck am I supposed to begin?! I’m standing in front of the sweetest, most beautiful girl I’ve ever known, who is probably thinking about how much she hates me, with all these accusations piling up-

“I understand if you hate me.”

My eyes widen and I raise my head. She kicks a rock at her feet, her arms folded around herself. Avoiding my gaze, she adds, “I get it, really; you deserve better.”  

Taking a moment to kickstart my vocal cords, I murmur, “What?”  

She finally looks at me, her eyes watering; whether it’s from the cold or emotion, I’m not entirely sure.

“I really like you, Kate,” she continues. “I didn’t know how or if I should tell you. I mean, we never really talked about boys, but I assumed you still liked them. And besides, it’s not like you’d get feelings for your best friend, especially not when you hang around super cool people like Clint every day.” She shuffles her feet shyly as she looks away again.

I blink rapidly in shock. Before I know what I’m doing, I unwrap my arms from myself, place my hands on her cheeks, and kiss her softly. It’s only half a moment, but she’s even more perfect than I’d always hoped. Instinctively, she moves her head toward mine as I pull away, her doe-eyes full of astonishment.

“In all of this...” I wave my hands around for emphasis, “madness, you’ve been my one constant. If it’s gonna be anyone, it’s... it’s you.” I take her hands; now it’s my turn to nervously avoid her eyes. “You don’t have to be, cool, or superpowered, for me to care about you that way. And honestly...”  

Taking a deep breath and summoning up the necessary courage from God knows where, I blurt out, “I’d love to be your constant, too.”  

Wait, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever said. That doesn’t even complete the sentiment-

Before I can amend it, she’s grabbing my waist and pulling me close, and the shock of it topples us both into the snow, giggling and kissing softly. She whispers softly in my ear, “You already are, you silly goose.”

This is equally stupid, so I feel a little justified. She does make the stupid seem so adorable, though.

I hold her close for a moment longer, sharing body heat with her, before saying, “We should probably go back inside, huh.”

“Poor Clint will be relieved at the lack of tension,” she laughs.  

Helping each other up, we walk back to the house hand in hand, leaving a temporary mark in the snow of something far more permanent.

[cienie-isengardu]

Hi! I love your blog and particularly your Anakin/Vader meta stuff! I have a (imo) fun question for you: what would a team up between Batman and Vader look like? How would they regard each other? I’m imagining them forced to help each other rescue their kids or something, lol. I was inspired by your posts from the comics and then the meta about Vader and his relationship with stormtroopers vs officers.

Cheers!

Thank you! ♥️

Oh that is an intriguing but also tough question to which I feel the answer will depend a lot on the setting. Going with the rescue kid scenario, Batman thrown into the Star Wars universe or Vader into Gotham build totally different circumstances.

Both characters have their specific modus operandi that may easily clash and both are difficult to work with to begin with, but I feel that Vader thrown into Gotham would be easier to cooperate with as he has zero interest in taking over the city. The major problem will be to pursue Vader to not kill everyone that threatened Luke’s life but beyond that the city and its citizens have not much to offer. Earth technology is pretty outdated compared to star wars reality and even if some weapon was a marvelous exception, Vader has little regard for technological terror, as was seen with the Death Star. He may be interested in magic and superpowers as I believe this could be the closest thing to his understanding of the Force but without the Emperor around and with no one to butt into his family relationship, the trip to Gotham could be actually quite refreshing experiences. Vader on his own, without Empire to worry about, Palpatine’s spies lurking in the shadows, rebellion to eliminate or political rivals to kill? Yeah, sounds like a dreamy holiday and a good opportunity to connect with his son. 

(Anyone remember “Savage Heart” comics in which Vader spent some time in the wilderness and along the way became leader of an animal predator pack? I kinda feel like being in Gotham could be similar in regard to evoking “family” emotions in him, just him and the little group he is bound to protect.)

If Luke’s life was in danger, there was no Palpatine to use his fatherly feelings against him - and even if there were stormtroopers/members of 501st Legion accompanying him, leaving them behind to deal with the matter at hand alone fits perfectly Vader’s operating methods. In that scenario, with Vader being on totally unknown (neutral) land and free to openly do things he normally couldn’t due to his Sith apprentice status and obligations to Empire, I think Vader could be more likely to humor Batman (and Luke) about their cooperation. Of course, the inevitable clash between them would come down to the no killing rule of Batman because Vader is the pragmatic type that has no hesitation about eliminating enemies for good. Dead enemies can’t hurt you and leaving madmans like Joker alive is asking for trouble and this is one thing I don’t think Batman and Vader will agree anytime soon (though a part of Anakin may be impressed by Bruce’s indomitable resolution and iron will to not break this rule even when Batman lost so much already, especially when he lost a son - Jason - because of Joker. At the same time, Red Hood is definitely on board about killing the villains so I guess Batman is going to be pretty busy with keeping Vader AND his wayward son from reducing Gotham underground into ash. And in general, Luke and Jason and their difficult relationship with fathers wouldn’t be an interesting part of Bruce and Anakin’s teamwork?)

At the same time, there are a lot of things Vader could be impressed about Batman. The skills of a “powerless” human who dedicated all his life to self-improvement and who is capable of going head to head with metahumans. The iron will and stubbornness that keep Batman pushing beyond his limits to finish the “mission”. The smartness and genius mind. The dedication to fight crime even - especially if - it is against the best interest of corrupted politicians. Because this is what Jedi should be; this is what Anakin hoped Jedi would be when he dreamed about being one of them. Batman is the type of superhero who goes against criminals and those in power alike and is not afraid of breaking the comfortable status quo. And Vader likes hard-working, thinking outside the box, dedicated and capable people. Batman on another hand, without any Empire or Rebellion around wouldn’t know what Sith is and what a true evil he is capable of, so unless Luke fills gaps in his knowledge or Vader went on full dark side rampage, there is a chance he would give Vader a small benefit of doubt. As in, the dangerous man is here truly to save his estranged son and be off once the boy is safe and sound without causing unnecessary chaos and death. Though seeing Vader in fight may be an additional reason to send him back as fast as possible to whatever reality he came from.  

Of course, working with Batman or Vader is not an easy task as both are pretty stubborn, brilliant yet very difficult men but also both are capable of working “with the enemy” if the situation calls for truce. I personally think that if not openly challenged, they could actually find a common ground relatively easy.  Because whatever people think about Vader, he can be pretty cool-headed and cunning without brutality - he just prefers to deal with things in less complicated fashion (and who can blame him with a master like Palpatine who loves scheming and psychologically messing up people?) And really, despite the rigid moral rules Batman follows, he is pretty respected even among villains and the secret agency/agents. Over the years he built a specific “understanding” with some of them, like Ra's al Ghul, classic Amanda Waller, the head of Suicide Squad (or Predators) so I think this isn’t far stretching idea that given a time and opportunity, Batman and Vader would fall into similar category of mutual respect, as Vader is closer to the type of villains capable of truly respecting certain people than to obsessive madmen like Joker. 

Which is why I think Vader and Luke showing in Gotham is the easier scenario. However Batman (and any of his kids) thrown into the Star Wars universe creates additional complications whose level will increase the closer to Coruscant they showed up. For one, here Vader is tied to his duties to the Empire and thus under Darth Sidious’s watchful control. Which I believe wouldn’t allow Vader to openly team up with Batman because a) Bruce would quickly figure out Empire is the corrupt government that should be taken down or at least fight against and b) saving Luke is Vader’s personal goal that isn’t exactly safe for him, because again, Palpatine has his own plans in regard to young Skywalker and Vader is treading on thin ice between loyalty to Empire and sabotaging his master. 

So to team up with Batman to save Luke, Vader would need to use all the cunning skills and his trusted agents he possesses to not draw Palpatine’s unnecessary attention to himself. Of course, the farest from Coruscant, the easier to do so, but if Batman landed on Coruscant and started there causing problems for Imperials (and well, he would, wouldn’t he?) then catching Bruce and actually making a deal with him without Sidious’ knowledge would be pretty challenging. Batman could easily be seen as a rebel agent albeit I think his no killing rule is enough distinct trademark to catch Vader’s attention - attacking imperial soldiers and/or successfully stopping imperial operations without killing any trooper in the process is not the typical rebels’ modus operandi (and I’m not saying it as criticism toward Rebels, just stating a fact). Which gives Vader an interesting angle to seek said “enemy” and figure out how to use it for his own purpose (saving Luke). Anakin could be dispatched by Palpatine to deal with an annoying problem or Batman’s tactic could simply have caught Vader’s attention and I guess in the case of those two running into each other, an interesting battle of skills and wits would follow as in sw universe Batman has better understanding of Empire’s inhuman crimes thus a solid reason to not trust Dark Lord of the Sith on his trail. So as much as siding with Rebels feels the natural outcome, Batman’s no killing rule always included even the worst villains so he is not one to assassinate / make a coup on imperial high ranking officers. And well, wouldn’t it be funny if Batman became a target for both Empire and Rebels, as he is not there to kill anyone or let anyone to die on his watch and get into both sides’ operations on daily basis and no one have a fucking clue who this man is and what is his problem?

(Also, how far Batman goes with the no killing rule when dealing with the Empire? In Gotham there are possibilities to keep the worst villains under sort of control and sure Arkham Asylum isn’t the 100% safe place for that as serial killers / seriously mentally ill people managed to escape from there but it provides an alternative to sentencing someone to death. Meanwhile in the Star Wars universe defeating Imperial officers does not remove them from the rank and it is not like Batman can abduct them and put them in prison as the Empire's hold on the galaxy is tight. Would he stop a rebel attack to save Vader if he was meant to die in said attack? I kind of think Vader in Gotham would feel much better than Batman on Coruscant or any planet under imperial occupation.)  

At the same time, if Vader knew Bruce’s kid(s) was kept in imperial custody or alternatively, he was the one holding Batman’s family to force him to save Luke from imperials/bounty hunters/whoever else - and Batman as the unpredictable, unaffiliated agent is a good choice to bring enough chaos to keep Vader out of Palpatine’s radar -  the deal could go in both ways. On one hand, Vader changed his deal with Lando in TESB and was willing to kill Boba Fett in Enemy of the Empire (though once there wasn’t reason to fight over he did not bother to kill Fett anymore), on another the tie-in material provides many examples that he can respect his agreements and the let you alive after job done right is in fact a real option. Frankly, Vader has a very straightforward attitude when it comes to making a deals, as he openly states he may kill you if he won’t be satisfied with the outcome, as was seen with Dengar in Payback from Tales of the Bounty Hunter:

Dengar raised his hands in surrender, leaned back to the wall of his cell. The constriction released. "If you're going to kill me, get it over with! I've got nothing to lose!" Dengar shouted. "But I won't make it fun for you!"

"I'm not the Emperor," Vader said ominously. "I don't kill for amusement, only when it serves my purposes."

Dengar smiled. "Well, then we have something in common."

"It appears that we have more than one thing in common" Vader said, "we both want Han Solo?

"Unfortunately," he continued, "I have an Imperial Death warrant against you. I cannot revoke that warrant, but I am willing to consider a reprieve."

"Under what conditions?" Dengar asked.

"I will let you live, to hunt for Han Solo. Once you find him, you bring him and his friends back to me, alive. After that, if I am well pleased, I may spare you. But if I am not pleased by your performance, I will give you time to run. Then my hunt begins."

Darth Vader threw Dengar a blaster, just as Dengar had given one to Kritkeen. Vader's meaning was clear. If Dengar failed in this hunt, Darth Vader would become the hunter. The monster who had destroyed the Jedi Knights would be on Dengar's tail. Dengar licked his lips, thinking that if Vader hunted him, Dengar would at least show a good accounting of himself. (Tales of the Bounty Hunters)

or that death may happen, eventually anyway as Vader said to Nas Ghent (it’s not the Emperor’s attention you’ve earned — it’s mine. I’m not here to kill you, though I might… eventually.)

Working for Vader was a hazardous job. Some offered their service to the Dark Lord of the Sith ‘freely’, in return getting protection for others, like Jix Wrenga or Wyl Tarson did. Some were spared even though they ultimately betrayed Vader like clone veteran Hock Malsuum or captain Luca did and were still left alive. So even if Batman and Vader at some point decided to outsmart each other - and I think the betrayal would be a matter of time as both characters are pretty stubborn about their beliefs and bringing order to the galaxy is definitely not the same as equal justice for everyone - they still could part on relatively good terms. Especially if Batman bothered to save Vader or his men at some point, as Vader takes deeds like that into account. 

So, in general, I imagine teamwork between Batman and Vader as an interesting if not an intensive experience, mainly for the clash about no killing rule and in general extreme different morality of those two, but also both care a great deal about their families so in the right circumstances begrudgingly they may join forces to solve their common problem. The fact that both are the serious, no-nonsense type of characters probably will help a lot but like I said, the shape of their interaction will depend on the universe in which they met. Gotham for Vader is like a nice vacation because there is no Palpatine to worry about for a while and he may be in enough good humor to not kill people on the right and left (to Batman and Luke’s approval). Meanwhile, the Star Wars universe seems like a politically ruthless game for survival that may put Vader and Batman on collision in a more direct way than the first scenario and thus backstabbing and using others as a tool to do dangerous bidding is more likely to follow. Not necessary enough for Vader to try kill Batman on purpose (because again, once there is no more reason to fight, Vader is not always interested in his “enemy's" death) but for sure to treat the other man as potential danger to his own well-being. The Star Wars universe - and its residents - is just a much darker place than Gotham City, or so I think.