#that ended up way longer than i thought

[idkwhatsgoingonargh]

I recently met up with my closest friends after a long time. We had some drinks and just talked. Naturally the conversation at some point ended up in guys. I’m aroace and was kind of dreading this as I also get always asked if I’ve found anyone, and always have to once again explain that I’m not interested.

But when I went “I’m not interested in that” my friend said “But it doesn’t have to be like that right? Just have you met anyone cool or interesting”

I swear to god my brain short circuited. Like she knows about queer platonic relationships?! I never explained that part to them… what?

Anyway she clearly learned about my identity from somewhere and I felt so appreciated in that moment and definitely didn’t show it to her like I should’ve, as I just said “yeah, no one like that either” and the convo moved on.

[arguablysomaya]

Nightwing's weird fem-coding

! LONG POST !

Finally got around to jotting down my thoughts on the weird way that Dick Grayson (Nightwing) often occupies female-coded roles without being a particularly feminine guy. This is entirely due to me procrastinating on my finals. Okay!

Dick has often been cited as the hero who plays into the "female gaze", and he takes up some key roles that are typically reserved for women characters.

A large portion of Dick's fem-coding is contingent on his being with his family, and when he's not with them, this fem-coding kinda drops away, such as when he's with his various teams or acting solo.

His most prominent (and imo, complex) femme-coded role is:

-> Eldest Daughter + Widow

Eldest daughter syndrome means " frequently feeling like you’re not doing enough, like you’re struggling to maintain a veneer of control, like the entire household relies on your diligence." It's born out of the unique way that first-born girls are expected to take on adult roles around the household before they've had an opportunity to fully experience childhood (an opportunity their younger siblings will have, in part due to this sacrifice). It creates a strong sense of independence and a desire to be a good role model, but also leads to undue pressure and perfectionism.

Dick acts as a central emotional pillar for those in his family. To the point that when he fakes his death, it breaks something fundamental in the family dynamic:

Not only is it repeatedly made clear that Bruce depends on Dick to act as a lifeline for his own mental struggles, but moreover, his siblings do as well. In a very literal sense, the maintenance of the batfamily rests on Dick's shoulders. Bruce is so rarely available for emotional support that these children turn to the next best thing, which, to be fair, is better than what Dick had growing up. He has to clean up so many breakdowns, it's honestly pretty staggering.

As the OG sidekick, Dick receives quite a bit of hero worship, particularly from younger heroes/sidekicks, who look toward him for guidance. As a naturally upbeat and welcoming person, Dick ends up in the position of bringing light to everyone, not just Bruce. For example, here's Cassandra:

This balancing effect is unique to Dick's skill set. However, this can (and does) backfire very easily. The same pragmatism Bruce engages in hurts extra bad when coming from Dick: like when Dick had to take Robin away from Tim. Not to mention just how intimidating Dick's legacy is, which can create resentment when his successors aren't able to play this role so easily. For example, Jason both before and after his death expressed insecurity that he felt he was constantly being compared to Dick, and falling short.

As the original character that people think of when they think "sidekick", DG Robin (and his successors) had the advantage of not losing prominence even as his contemporaries (Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl, etc.) were de-prioritized in favor of independent teenaged heroes (like Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire). But that means Robin as a concept now has to deal with questions that weren't so prominent in the earlier decades, such as: "How do we justify a grown-ass man using a child (and in fact, children) as emotional crutches?"

It's icky to think about, but there's no denying that early Batman and Robin got side eyes for homosexual subtext. I mean, they literally call each other "partners". So while that "subtext" was, and remains, just audience speculation, given Dick is literally Bruce's adopted son, there is room, I believe, to call into question how healthy it is for Bruce's oldest kid to be taking on a nearly-parental role and be a core pillar of Bruce's emotional regulation.

Hot take here, but I think Dick's relationship with Bruce was/has been pretty emotionally incestuous for a long time.

-> Emotional incest

"Emotional incest[...] is a type of emotional abuse performed by a parent. In cases of emotional incest, parents rely on their children for significant emotional support, which is a reversal of roles. Emotional incest is more than just relying on your kids on occasion—rather, it is an extreme dependence on them." (There's a pretty good argument to be made that Bruce has been emotionally incestuous with all his Robins, especially Dick and DEFINITELY Tim, but y'know. Small steps.)

Emotional incest is a semi-common consequence of eldest daughter syndrome; the natural conclusion of deputizing a child to manage the other children combining with an inability to see the child as a child, still in need of emotional guidance, but more like an adult capable of shouldering the burdens of grown-ups dumping their traumas on them.

To be clear here, while emotional incest may not be incest in the most traditional, taboo sense, it is still abuse. It's putting a burden on a child they shouldn't have to carry, even for children that aren't dealing with such extreme burdens as "grown-ass man running around in a fursuit needs me to keep him from getting himself killed". It's a perversion of a healthy parent-child relationship, where the child is treated more like a partner than a child. In Dick's case, it further exacerbates the parentification he already experiences. This is made more explicit when Bruce "dies" and Dick is cast into a sort of "Widow" role.

Dick reluctantly dons the cowl in an attempt to bring order to his family members. He's also left to parent Damian, alone. He has to make the decision to take Robin from Tim, and try to deal with the fallout from that decision. He has to put a stop to Jason's fratricidal rampage. He's made into the de-facto head of the family.

And the thing about this is: Dick's not even bad at it. In comparison to Bruce's litany of disasters-in-parenting, Dick does a pretty bang-up job of managing his siblings, heading the Justice League, and being Batman. But the crucial point is that he does this at the expense of his own mental health, which is the crux of eldest daughter syndrome. There's no denying that at the time, Dick was most certainly the best choice for New Father Figure, but it was a choice he was pushed into, and a sacrifice he had to make. When this sense of responsibility to the point of self-sacrifice is pushed to its logical conclusion, it has the effect of making Dick a Martyr-type figure.

-> Protector/Mama Bear/Avenger

Dick has shown repeatedly that his hot button is his family. From Tony Zucco to allowing Blockbuster to be killed after the villain targeted Haley's Circus, going after Nightwing's family is a pretty good way to earn yourself an asskicking. Probably the most infamous example of this is when Dick thought the Joker had killed Tim, beating the clown to death to avenge both Tim and Jason.

And while this role isn't particularly feminine, I do think it's interesting that Dick protects his family members from each other with almost the same frequency that he protects them from outside threats. He's pretty notorious for wrangling Damian and Tim, foiling Jason's murder plans, and most importantly, beating the shit out of Bruce whenever he crosses a line, such as when Bruce asks Dick to conceal being alive from their family to join Spyral or when Bruce wanted to abandon the Bruce Wayne persona after the murder of Vesper Fairchild. Or of course, more recently after Bruce's latest MK-ULTRA shenanigans.

This basically puts Dick in the position of being the glue that holds the family together, at basically all times, but especially in times of conflict. This also means he's put in the dangerous position of bodily defending his younger siblings from Bruce's wrath or irresponsibility, a position made even more awkward given the whole emotional incest thing.

That's not to say that Dick's relationship with his family is 100% unhealthy. Dick and his family members (including Bruce!) feel legitimate affection and care for each other. There are times when the dynamics here are indeed healthy. And like most people with eldest daughter syndrome, the unhealthy nature of this dynamic is usually understated. Oldest sibling syndrome is often just an unavoidable consequence of how parenting works. So while I am of the opinion that this dynamic is often unhealthy, hot take: I'm fine with that.

Now, though I've just listed some tropes that he only falls into around family, Dick also falls into some fem-coding all the time, regardless of who he's with, and these have to do mostly with his sexuality.

-> Sexual Assault & Harassment

Yeah, so nobody is surprised that this is a factor. Look up any list of the top ten hottest/sexiest/most attractive male superheroes, I guarantee 9/10 times Nightwing is number 1. However, unlike his father, whose attractiveness is usually played as a part of the male wish-fulfillment fantasy, something people aspire to be, Dick's attractiveness more often makes him an object of desire- very similar to how most attractive female characters are perceived.

And as an object of desire, Dick Grayson is constantly having to deal with being objectified.

Now, Dick Grayson being an attractive character is not the problem. Dick Grayson being sexually assaulted isn't even the problem. the problem is that he keeps being harassed, assaulted, and raped in ways that are flagrantly nonconsensual, and yet it's not treated with the seriousness it deserves. In fact, it took a full decade for Devin Grayson to retract her previous statement and admit that yes, the rooftop scene with Catalina Flores was in fact rape, and it's never been acknowledged in-universe (though, comics have always been atrocious at calling out sexual abuse of all kinds, let alone that which targets men).

Hell, even when he in-universe calls it out, he's dismissed immediately and the story continues like nothing happened.

Like???

Dick's adult sexcapades (which were consensual and enthusiastic) have long contrasted with the numerous times he's been harassed; times in which he comes across as bored, exasperated, and even frustrated with his own attractiveness and the vulnerable position it often leaves him in.

This puts him in the rare (in comics) position of being a male character who consistently and near-exclusively has his sexual agency and boundaries violated by women - a position that authors uniformly refuse to examine despite writing him into it all the fucking time.

Other characters around him frequently make comments passing off this harassment and assault as a natural consequence of Dick's own attractiveness, making "jokes" that essentially amount to "I understand why someone would want to assault him". Which- UH?

There is also, of course, the unavoidable reality that as an acrobat and an aerialist, he receives a very specific type of sexual harassment

the nature of nightwing's fight style necessitates a type of tight-fitting suit that male heroes typically don't go for: an extremely slick suit with bare-minimum armour that again, makes him vulnerable in a way most male heroes aren't, but a style female heroes wear all the time, whether it makes sense for them or not. This of course then allows artists to draw attention to this fact by posing Nightwing in poses usually reserved for femme fatales:

And unlike the Hawkeye Initiative, these poses are (largely) unironic, and not played for jokes. Dick isn't arching his back or looking over his shoulder to poke fun at how female heroes are treated; he does so because the artist (clearly correctly) sincerely believed these poses would play into the unironic gaze of the audience, and also probably thought it was hot. It's the same line of thought artists use when posing femme fatales.

He's even been known to use his sexuality as a bargaining chip, much like more traditional Femme Fatales. In Batman and Harley Quinn (2017), he refers to sleeping with Harley Quinn after being kidnapped by her as one of "the things I do for Gotham", to which she responds "I'm taking that as a 'yes'." And that's uh- not how consent works.

And this particularly sucks because- HELLO? The opportunity to explore the very real and tragically underacknowledged phenomenon of sexual violence against men is literally invaluable, especially with such a prominent character. It's one thing to ignore that men face sexual violence, it's another, entirely more unforgivable thing to continuously and explicitly depict such scenarios and play them off as jokes or not as serious as they clearly are. But what did I expect from an industry that has never had a good track record on sexual violence anyway.

-> Queercoding?

There's also of course the fact that DC has been, as of late, dropping hints that Dick might be bisexual.

That on it's own doesn't mean anything, but when paired with the fact that DC has been angling toward giving Dick a similar playboy persona that Bruce has, just with men included, it's just very interesting.

(BTW: The likelihood DC actually commits to making Dick bi is, uh, not a lot, but if they're gonna stick with this weird closet stuff for a while, let's hope they do so in a way that doesn't make him sound like a cross between Donald Trump and Harry Styles next time? Please?)

Anyway, all of this is basically to say I am forever fascinated by the gender dynamics of Dick Grayson, likely due to the fact that I'm projecting all my eldest daughter traumas onto him, and that someone who's background is in Gender Studies needs to get on this shit if they haven't already. I just love this character sm.

[freakadr0id]

Oh my GOD, I just realized why Donnie acts so weird in Man vs. Sewer. I always thought his behavior was odd in that episode, particularly in his nonchalance towards finding and saving Raph - but I had the most random thought occur to me during work that TOTALLY explains it. I'm sure some people have probably pointed this stuff out already, but I wanted to put this out there anyway.

The episode 'Man-vs-Sewer' is a personal favorite of mine. I love the episodes where the boys are just goofing off, and this episode is that plus some. We see get to see the boys having fun for a bit at the start of the episode, but it also adds a bit more depth to some of the turtles. We see a really surprising side to Raph's character with his fear of being alone, and Leo gets to shine a bit as a leader and hint at his true potential.

However, I was always a bit puzzled by the way Donnie and Mikey were written in this episode. As a rule, Rise is pretty good about keeping its characters, well, in character, so their behavior struck me as kind of strange, particularly Donnie's.

If there is one thing Rise NAILS about Donnie's character is showing that despite struggling with emotions and empathy, he is still NOT AN ASSHOLE. Donnie genuinely and deeply loves his family - he just has a hard time expressing it externally.

'Man-vs-Sewer' kind of stood out to me as an exception to that, however. At this point, Donnie's care for his brothers is an undisputed fact, so why does he seem so unconcerned about finding Raph after being separated? Even for Donnie, this seems like an ooc level of indifference towards the well-being of his brother (at least that's how I saw it).

Except, it isn't. In fact, this episode only reinforces that Donnie does care for his family, it's just a *bit* harder to see here.

One thing many neurodivergent people struggle with is a sudden change in plans. When they expect to do something that day it can be very difficult for some neurodivergent people to deal with it emotionally and can lead to immense frustration or even shutdowns. Since Donnie is confirmed to be, at the very least, autistic coded, this would absolutely apply to him as well.

The turtles planned to have a nice, relaxing day floating along New York's sewers and enjoying a small break from all the stress of finding the Dark Armor. No fighting, no mystic metal, no foot clan. Just a calm day of fun without a care in the world - only for it to be ruined by a bad pass and a lost brother.

I know if my plans were ruined like that, I would be in an absolutely FOUL mood. It can be hard to transition into a different mindset when the expectations for the day change like that, and it can make anyone frustrated, but Donnie doesn't appear to be that way. In fact, he's acting extremely casual.

Even though everything he was going to do today was upended and his brother is now missing in the New York sewers, why does Donnie seem so unconcerned about the whole situation?

Answer: It's a coping mechanism.

It would be very easy for him to be a bit more annoyed and frustrated at the whole situation (I definitely would be), but he isn't. Instead, he avoids getting overwhelmed and emotional by continuing through the day as if nothing has really changed.

The whole time they are finding Raph, Donnie behaves as if they are still on a peaceful, carefree mini-vacation. He makes snide jokes and jabs toward Leo, enjoys the drinks he brought in his shell, and constantly reminds the others that it is his "day off." If he can act as though he's still relaxing, it becomes easier to adjust to unexpected alterations in his day. This isn't Donnie being willfully inconsiderate towards Raph being lost and alone, this is just him trying to manage with the sudden changes the best he can in that moment.

If Donnie really was an uncaring asshole (as some may be inclined to believe given his apparent lack of empathy), he simply would have resumed their original plans, or been more vocally resistant to going after Raph. Instead, he joins his brothers in their search, and although he may not provide the best input for finding Raph because of his coping method (his brain is in "day off" mode which is why he keeps missing clues about Raph), he is still making an effort.

In a way, the episode which I thought portrayed a slightly out-of-character version of Donnie actually provides yet another example of how Donnie really loves his brothers, despite how it may seem on the surface.

~-~-~

(Actually, depending on the way you interpret his character, the same can be said for Mikey in this episode as well. Mikey is always a bit of a goofball in the show but in this episode, it is dialed up to 11. He also doesn't seem to much care or effort into finding Raph and acts like a child who managed to snag one of their parents' energy drinks. If we consider that maybe he is also struggling to adapt to the changes of the day, this could be him adopting a similar coping method to Donnie, it is just amplified because of his hyperactive behavior and personality.)

[kasumikoujou]

[wispforever]

[galacticlamps]

ok I have A Lot of thoughts about the staircase confession (well really about Edwin's whole character arc, but all roads lead to rome) but for now I just wanna say that, yes, I was bracing myself for something to go terribly wrong when I first watched it, and yes, part of me was initially worried its placement might be an uncharacteristically foolish choice made in the name of Drama or Pacing or Making a Compelling Episode of Television but at the expense of narrative sense--

But I wanna say that having taken all that into account, and watched it play out, and sat with it - and honestly become rather transfixed by it - I really think it's a beautifully crafted moment and truly the only way that arc could've arrived at such a satisfying conclusion.

And if I had to pinpoint why I not only buy it but also have come to really treasure it, I'd have to put it down to the fact that it genuinely is a confession, and nothing else.

That moment is an announcement of what Edwin has come to understand about himself, but because it takes the form of a character admitting romantic feelings for such a close friend, I think it can be very easy, when writing that kind of thing, to imbue it with other elements like a plea or a request or even the start of a new relationship that, intentionally or not, would change the shape of the moment and can quickly overshadow what a huge deal the telling is all on its own. But that's not the case here. Since it is only a confession, unaccompanied by anything else, and since we see afterward how it was enough, evidently, to fix the strangeness that had grown between him & Charles, we're forced to understand that it was never Edwin's feelings that were actually making things difficult for him - it was not being able to tell Charles about them. 'Terrified' as he's been of this, Edwin learns that his feelings don't need to either disappear completely or be totally reciprocated in order for him to be able to return to the peace, stability, and security of the relationship with which he defines his existence - and the scale of that relief a) tells us a hell of a lot about Edwin as a character and b) totally justifies the way his declaration just bursts out of him at what would otherwise be such a poorly chosen moment, in my opinion.

Whether or not they are or ever could be reciprocated, Edwin's feelings are definitively proven not to be the problem here - only his potential choice to bottle it up - his repression - is. And where that repression had once been mainly involuntary, a product of what he'd been through, now that he's got this new awareness of himself, if he still fails to admit what he's found either to himself or to the one person he's so unambiguously close with, then that repression will be by his own choice and actions.

And he won't do that. Among other things, he's coming into this scene having just (unknowingly) absolved the soul of his own school bully and accidental killer by pointing out a fact that is every bit as central to his self-discovery as anything about his sexuality or his attraction to Charles is: the idea that "If you punish yourself, everywhere becomes Hell"

So narratively speaking, of course it makes sense that Edwin literally cannot get out of Hell until he stops punishing himself - and right now, the thing that's torturing him is something he has control over. It's not who he is or what he feels, but what he chooses to do with those feelings that's hurting him, and he's even already made the conscious choice to tell Charles about them, he was just interrupted. But now that they're back together and he's literally in the middle of an attempt to escape Hell, there is absolutely no way he can so much as stop for breath without telling Charles the truth. Even the stopping for breath is so loaded - because they're ghosts, they don't need to breathe, but also they're in Hell, so the one thing they can feel is pain, however nonsensical. And Edwin certainly is in pain. But whether he knows what he's about to do or not when he says he 'just needs a tick,' a breather is absolutely not what's gonna give him enough relief to keep climbing - it's fixing that other hurt, though, that will.

Like everything else in that scene, there's a lot of layers to him promising Charles "You don't have to feel the same way, I just needed you to know" - but I don't think that means it isn't also true on a surface level. It's the act of telling Charles that matters so much more than whatever follows it, and while that might have gone unnoticed if anything else major had happened in the same conversation, now we're forced to acknowledge its staggering and singular importance for what it is. The moment is well-earned and properly built up to, but until we see it happen in all its wonderful simplicity, and we see the aftermath (or lack thereof, even), we couldn't properly anticipate how much of a weight off Edwin's shoulders merely getting to share the truth with Charles was going to be, why he couldn't wait for a better, safer opportunity before giving in to that desire, or how badly he needed to say it and nothing else - and I really, really love the weight that act of just being honest, seen, and known is given in their story/relationship.

[pachimation]

an 8 page comic about childe visiting scaramouche after the sumeru archon quest

[bleue-flora]

You know, I feel like we don’t talk enough about how sensitive and painful scar tissue is. Maybe because most people haven’t had stitches and huge, deep cuts. But let me just share as someone who’s had quite a few surgeries and injuries, scars are really tender. Like I cut the side of my pinky pretty deeply and I couldn’t wear rings on my ring finger for like a year because the ring rubbing against it hurt so much. And after I got my eyebrow stitched up, I couldn’t pencil my brow for about a year and whenever my sunglasses bumped against it, it hurt so badly. The surgery scar I have on the base of my thumb from when I was 4 years old still hurts if I’m stretching or using my thumb too much. The bigger the scar the worse it is too, which makes sense. I have two scars about half a foot long on the inside of both of my knees and they took forever to not be super painful to touch, even now they can be a little sensitive. All that to say, even when a character’s injuries are healed they would still have a lot of pain and tenderness going on from any sort of touch, even months after, especially in the places with the most nerves. Just something to think about…

[tinybro]

jasico server was chatting about the cupid scene and jason getting nico's memories blasted straight into his brain and how jason being shot with one of cupid's arrows while with nico and this was just never brought up in canon again and now i'm thinking like...what if that's just how cupid's arrows work? not by magically manifesting love for someone out of nothing, but by giving someone the perspective that'd make them fall in love naturally? jason gets a front row seat to nico's memories and instantly understands him intimately and can trust him completely without any doubt or suspicion

so what if jason, after slowly realizing he's totally in love with nico, just thought back to the arrow incident and it made him second-guess everything? because maybe he's only feeling this way because cupid hit him with an arrow with only nico was around and it's no different than any other god messing with his love life

[galaxynajma]

I wanna see someone write a double date with Ryurin and Kaisagi

That would be so funny so much chaos

I know realistically speaking how awful that would go but it’s so funny to think about

They’re just all sitting together at some restaurant in awkward silence just side eyeing each other at first because they can’t for the life of them being nice to each other in public

Half way through it just looks like Rin and Kaiser are having a resting bitch face competition

then finally Shidou breaks the silence with a stupid joke

And all hell breaks loose

Shidou is getting under Rin’s skin and Kaiser is getting under Isagi’s skin all the while Rin and Isagi are getting under each other’s skin

And then it just turned into a boyfriend competition with Kaiser and Shidou just throwing around " oh my sweet Yoichi does this better " or " RinRin does that better "

Kaiser puts his arm around Isagi and puts his hand on Isagi’s shoulder

And Shidou kisses Rin on the cheek obnoxiously

The staff members of the restaurant watching this all go down taking bets on who’s gonna go serve them

Across their table is Ness and some other members of BM and PXG spying on them making sure they don’t all kill each other by the end of this

But don’t worry! They don’t actually all kill each other at the end of this ( what a miracle) they just finish eating go off to say their goodbyes and leave

[doctorwhoarchive]

as someone who absolutely adored Sam/Melissa in Scream 5 while most everyone else was hating on her and her acting, I’ve been thinking about this for a while and can honestly write a whole dissertation on this SO

Melissa was never a bad actress in 5. I’d argue it all comes down to how Sam was written and that she was intentionally a little more stoic. And then, as soon as Melissa had more input on the character and fought to give Sam more complexity in 6, suddenly everyone loved her and was praising her for “getting acing lessons”. Someone doesn’t just improve their acting that much in the few months timespan between when 5 came out and 6 was filmed, she was always that good!

The real reason I’m writing this though is because there’s a certain subtle aspect of Melissa’s acting that I’ve never seen anyone talk about before, but it might just be my favorite thing about her portrayal of Sam. MELISSA’S BODY LANGUAGE ACTING IS INCREDIBLE AND IT’S TIME WE SPEAK ABOUT IT!!

Maybe it’s just the mental illness in me that sees the same things I do in her, but a lot of little things she does/the way she carries herself stick out to me and I love it so much. The way she crosses her arms like she’s closed off whenever something particularly bad or uncomfortable is happening (she does this in shrine scene when Tara catches her talking to Billy, at the police station after Gale is attacked, and in 5 when she begins to tell Tara about finding the diary), the way her leg bounces when she’s nervous/anxious (like when she’s talking to Danny after the ladder scene), the way she fiddles with her hands (like in the scene right after she’s attacked in the hospital in 5), it all really catches my attention and it’s so subtle but perfect.

Melissa’s crushing it as Sam, and was way before everyone finally started appreciating her performance in 6. When I see her do those things I’m like!! I do those exact things too! It may not be a big deal to anybody else and they may not even notice it, but I notice it and absolutely love it and feel seen by it. It just feels like Melissa really put the time, effort, and thought into Sam and her mannerisms to make her a more well-rounded character, and I just think we all need to talk about it more.

[thecatundertheladder]

FSM during march of the oni, how they feelin'?

Eeeeeee I'm so glad you asked because the thoughts I have had about this.

First of all some (potentially unnecessary) background info.

1. So Mystake is one of The Oni Warlords. This is canon. What isn’t canon is which one. While I haven’t fully decided on which one she’s going to be I’m leaning towards Venge because of a whole backstory and character arc that I haven’t written yet. But it’s not overly important right now.

2. Mystake and the Fsm have a parent-child relationship in this au. Mystake is also one of the people he learnt to fight properly from.

3. In this au the Oni Warlords are gods. But unlike Fsm, who simply can't die, they can be killed. However their deaths aren't permanent, and they always find a way to return, whether its by healing their own bodies, or by simply constructing new ones. Though depending on who kills them it might take longer to come back.

4. Because Mystake is a Warlord herself, it the other two they took around a thousand [the time may change] or so years for them to come back after she killed them. As a result, there was enough time between the Warlords leaving to chase the Fsm across The Sixteen Realms, and all three returning to the First Realm, that The Omega had time to rise to power. However, they were no where near as as powerful or beloved as the three Warlords were, so it didn't take long for them to be overthrown again, and The Warlords restored to power. The Warlords, along with the Fsm, ended the war between the Dragon and the Oni.

But The Omega had already gained a following of Oni who either did not want the war to end, or were outraged at The Omega being overthrown. So they bided their time, waiting for the perfect moment to get revenge on The warlords beloved half-breed. This revenge, of course, involved invading Ninjago. The reason there is such a large gap in-between the ending of the war [while I haven't got an exact timeline yet, I'm thinking it ended a few thousand years before Garmadon was born] is because they were waiting for a) the Fsm to be out of Ninjago and/or distracted (the Overlord's return fits this category nicely) and b) for a natural pathway to open between the First Realm and Ninjago (like the one in the Wailing Alps.)

5. Garmadon never died, and Mystake never died either (not that is would have been permanent if she had).

6. Wu and Garmadon lost their powers when Garmadon got banished to the underworld (this is also what caused the rapid aging). Since the Overlord's second defeat, they've slowly been coming back. But during March of the Oni they are on the same power level as a regular elemental master, otherwise the probably could've have taken out The Omega's army themselves.

So as of March of the Oni, the ninja are all fully aware of both Fsm being alive, and Mystake being an Oni Warlord. However, when the Oni attack, both of them are taking a vacation in another realm, so Ninjago City is still covered in darkness.

At this point Wu and Garmadon have switched to their true forms but with their powers being weakened, it only helps a bit. They are also trying desperately to contact either their father or Mystake through either prayer or magic. However, they don't succeed until they've already been barricaded in the monastery.

When the Fsm hears his children screaming in his head for help, he is understandably worried, it's not often that their kids are in true peril after all. When they finally manage to get the story out of their kids, they are furious in a way they haven't been in thousands of years. They quickly explain the situation to Mystake, who is (almost) as livid as Fsm, before teleporting them them to the monastery.

(They cause a lot of commotion once they get to the monastery. The civilians who had sheltered had not expected two massive beings to randomly appear in there midst. Especially since one looks similar to the beings they just escaped, and the other resembles the children of God. So it's up to the ninja to calm them down. Unfortunately telling them that the First Spinjitzu Master himself has arrived has the opposite effect, but at least they're less scared now.)

Upon arrival Fsm is momentarily thrown off by the civilians in the monastery, but they have spent their entire life being noticed and stared at, so the awe and fear that the civilians express doesn't bother him.

Fsm quickly transforms their clothes into proper armour (think crystalized style) and launches themself over the monastery walls and into the battle (Mystake doesn't follow him, she knows better than to get in the way of her child when he is on a warpath). Fsm proceeds to absolutely thrash The Omega and their army; burning them, freezing them, and throwing them off of the mountain. He makes the Oni regret ever conceiving this idea. The Fsm pays special attention to The Omega, and rips out their heart with their bare claws, because how dare The Omega think that they can just take his home, his family from him. They will pay for this in the life and blood, and no being in the sixteen realms can help them now. He will wipe them from the face of Ninjago.

And for the first time, The omega truly realises that just because the First Spinjitzu Master put an end to the war, it does not mean that they are a pacifist. It does not mean that they cannot rage with all the fury and savageness of a full-blooded Oni. They are balance incarnate, this does not make them good, and it's The Omegas fault for assuming that they were.

And so the Oni are banished and destroyed by the god of the land they sought to conquer. When the fighting stops, Garmadon creaks open the monastery gates to look outside. Fsm is covered in the Oni's blood, looking (and feeling) like one wrong move from someone is going to send them into a fit of madness. But they relax a bit at the sight of their eldest child safe. After making sure Garmadon is all right, the Fsm stalks back to monastery to find the rest of his family. And also to change out of their armour and clean up because there is blood in the seams and on his face and it's gross.

Once he enters the monastery he herds Garmadon, Wu, Lloyd, and even Mystake into the monastery, and they are wise enough not to argue with him. The First Spinjitzu Master is understandably agitated, and Mystake, Garmadon, and Wu know him, and their general Oni instincts well enough, to understand that they will barely be let out of his sight for the next few days (Lloyd, at this point, hasn't really experienced the full might of an Oni's possessiveness, but he will just have to get use to it).

Eventually the rest of the ninja sort out the civilians, and set them up in a nearby village while Ninjago City is still covered in darkness (the monastery has enough room for all of them, but the ninja aren't willing to find out what the First Spinjitzu Master will do to any "intruders"). At some point, Mystake sends for the other two warlords, who clear Ninjago City of the dark fog.

So yeah, Fsm is absolutely enraged that The Omega is attacking their home, and ends up reverting to the base instincts of 'defend your territory', 'defend your pack', and 'destroy anyone who harms them'. After he calms down he ends up a bit embarrassed about how he handled it, but before he can dwell on it too much he collapses from exhaustion.

But what a way to re-introduce themself to the wider population of Ninjago.

And in case you’re wondering where Morro is in all this, he's busy vibing with Nyad, who has all her memories because this au is incredibly self-indulgent.

[hellsite-detective]

looking for a post of fnaf unreality which used the words: "english will" to describe springtrap.

ah, a Five Nights at Freddy's post. didn't think i'd be lookin' for one of these, but i gotta say, i ain't complainin'. this anon was lookin' for a post that described William Afton as "English Willy." now, i didn't have the pleasure of workin' on the Afton Case back in the 80s, but i like to think this is my little way of contributin' to that investigation.

headin' over to the tumblr search bar, i typed in "fnaf unreality english will" and found a masterpost with several screenshots. pretty convenient, and i could've just linked that. but there were so many posts there, i didn't wanna risk gettin' the case wrong. so i kept diggin'.

i headed over to the blog mentioned in the screenshots and decided i was gonna grab every single one of those posts and link them below. was this overkill? maybe. but in this line of work, you could never be too careful. i went through the original poster's blog, grabbin' all the posts that i could find, and brought them back to my office for cataloguing.

hopefully this is what you were lookin' for! now, the masterpost mentioned it was "part 2" but i couldn't find any evidence of a part 1 on the blog. either way, i hope you enjoy these! have a great day!

[potentialheartofdarkness]

Steve wasn’t allowed to ever enjoy the first snowfall. He tried, tried to bundle himself up in sweaters and a hat and run out before his father was awake. He just never made it that far. His father would catch him, and spout bullshit about how he needed to stay inside because Harrington children didn’t waste time playing when they could be working.

Harrington children didn’t do a lot of things, Steve found out. 

Tommy and Carol dragged him out into the snow during their first year of high school, throwing snowballs and taunting each other. Steve just stood off to the side, unsure of what was happening and acutely aware that it could get back to his father, like everything else seems to. They didn’t notice him when he went inside, they never did.

He stared at it, watching it fall, and remembered what his father had told him. Remembered every lesson his father drilled into his head.

Harrington children don’t waste time playing, Harrington children don’t waste time partying, Harrington children don’t waste time speaking, Harrington children always marry the opposite sex. Harrington children don’t talk back, they do what they’re told. Harrington children are business men. 

Steve hoped one day these rules would turn out to be false, especially as he stared at one of his classmates tackling his friend in the snow. Buzzed hair and dark clothes, chains on his pants. The jeans perfectly sculpted to his body. The boy met Steve’s eyes and winked at him, cheeks frosted pink from the snow and laughter etched into his face. Steve turned away, the hope growing inside of him with the blush on his cheeks. 

After that, snow reminded him too much of the Upside Down. The aching cold that pierced through into his bones, and the snowflakes resembling more of the particles floating around then snow itself. He still loved it, the pain in his heart mending with each flake melting in the ground.

Enter the first snowfall of ‘86. 

Steve was awoken early in the morning by a pounding on his door. He’s halfway down the stairs by the time it starts up again, heavy fists slamming into the door. Too strong to be the kids, too strong to be Robin and she has a key anyway. Had to be....

“Good morning, Eddie.” Steve grumbled, opening the door, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “The fuck are you doing here so early.” 

“Its snowing.” Eddie said as if that explained everything and he pushed his way inside.

“Okay?” Steve shut the door, turning to raise his eyebrows at Eddie who threw his hands up in exasperation. 

“It’s snowing!” He repeated, more emphasis this time and Steve just stared at him blankly. “Don’t tell me you hate the snow.” 

“No, I actually really love the snow.” Steve mumbled, heading back upstairs with the full intention of going back to bed. Eddie followed him up, still talking. 

“So then why are you looking at me like I told you Vecna is back? Look I have a plan okay, we’re gonna go out and have fun and be children for the first time in forever and we are going to play in the snow.” He finished, reaching the landing with Steve and watching as Steve paused with his hand on the door handle to his room. “So, get ready. Cause, I’m not above standing out here and screaming at the top of my lungs until you come with me.” 

“What do I wear?” Steve asked him, voice not even above a whisper. He didn’t know what one was supposed to wear when playing in the snow, or how to act like a child.

“Whatever you want, as long as its warm.” Eddie’s voice was soft, almost like he knew what Steve was thinking, and Steve nodded before heading into his room. 

He was most grateful for Eddie, in his life. They’d formed a quick bond after everything, after Steve ignored his own injuries until he was sure Eddie was safe, then passed out in the hospital hallway. After he spent a week at Eddies side, then months helping him recover. Because of that, Eddie seemed to be more in tune to Steve and how he was feeling. He was always picking up on things Steve didn’t mention, could sense when he didn’t understand something and backtrack to explain. Only thing he didn’t pick up on were Steve’s, most likely one sided, feelings. 

Steve took a few calming breaths once he’d dressed in warmer clothes he wouldn’t mind getting damp, and threw open the door.

Eddie grinned when he emerged from his room, like Steve had brought the sun with him where he went. He let out a low whistle and Steve rolled his eyes. 

“Lookin good, Stevie.” He swallowed and looked away. “If you’re ready to get your ass kicked by me, the snowball god, then lets get a move on.” 

“Oh you’re on.” Steve replied and Eddie cackled, full on evil laugh kind of cackle, as he dashed off down the stairs. Steve was right behind him. Soon they made it to the trailer park, where all the kids had set up near Max’s, walls of snow already built up to hide behind, and Steve had never felt his heart so full. Gone were the days where his fathers lectures would dictate what he would do. Here he was, a Harrington child, wasting time and playing in the snow. His team consisted of Dustin, self proclaimed snowball extraordinaire, Max, the stealthy, and El who was banned from using her powers. 

Eddie’s team was tough to beat. He had Will the Wise, Lucas, who’s aim had improved due to basketball practice, Erica, the sundae Queen and Mike. Erica who had in fact named herself that, had actually begged to be on Steve’s team, which he tried and failed to hold dear to his heart. They sent her over to Eddie’s team though to give them a fair advantage. Hearing that they would lose without her, Erica conceded and the battle was underway. The first time he got hit, was because he was too distracted watching Eddie, the snowflakes perfectly collected in his hair and the brightest smile on his face. He launched a snowball at Dustin, made its mark, and cheered, picking up Erica and spinning her around before tackling Mike into the snow. It reminded Steve of something, but he’d left himself open and Will struck him straight in the face with only a mischievous grin as a form of apology. Steve made a snowball, and launched it.

In the end, there was no clear winner. Both sides made equal shots, laughter heavy in the air, and for the first time in a very long time Steve felt light. Once the bitter coldness of the air and snow started to soak through their clothes, they parted ways. The kids going into Max’s trailer for hot chocolate and to wait for their parents to arrive, and Steve trailing behind Eddie into his trailer. He’d always liked the trailer, it felt more of a home to him than his own house. The mugs lining the walls, the clothes thrown over the chair and partly the couch. The papers spread across the countertops and stacked high near the cupboards. Wayne giving him a soft smile every time he stepped through the door, and a pat on the shoulder when passing him food. 

Steve had spent a lot of time here, enough to feel more comfortable here than in his own room. 

“Want some cocoa?” 

“Sure,” Steve smiled softly at Eddie and made his way to the couch. Feeling all the adrenaline leave his body as he relaxed. His first time playing in the snow, all because of Eddie. 

“So, Stevie.” Eddie began, handing him his cup of cocoa and flopping down next to him on the couch. He somehow managed to not spill a single drop of his drink and end up far too close to Steve as it was. He seemed to notice this and instead of doing anything to remedy it, he hooked his knees over Steve’s and stretched out his legs, leaving Steve to rest his hands on Eddie’s knees. Eddie leaned sideways into the couch before continuing his sentence, eyes fixed on Steve’s face. “How was your first time playing in the snow?”

“You knew about that?” Steve felt his cheeks flare red as Eddie used his legs to pull Steve towards him a little bit, not at all realizing what he was doing to Steve’s heart. 

“Course I knew, couldn’t worm it out of Dustin or Robbie though, Nancy was easier to crack.” He teased and Steve rolled his eyes. “Nah, I used to uh...” He looked away, into his drink and avoided looking at Steve as he tossed him a curious look. “I saw you a few times, at school.” He cleared his throat and the memory hit Steve like a ton of bricks. 

“That was you?!” He exclaimed and Eddie winced, like he was worried Steve was mad at him or something. “Man, if I’d known it was you then I would have-” He cut himself off and cleared his throat. “You looked different back then.”

“Yeah, Wayne’s razor became my greatest enemy after that year. Can you believe I thought I looked good with my hair all buzzed like that? If I ever want to buzz my hair again please take me out back and shoot me.” Eddie sighed dramatically before taking a sip of his drink. 

“You did look good. Obviously your hair suits you now too, feels more you this way, but it suited you then too.” Steve half-mumbled, unable to keep the words to himself and he watched as Eddie tried, and failed, to not choke on his scalding drink. 

“Did you have to wait until I was taking a sip you fucking asshole.” He cursed and Steve grinned into his own cup. “Wait.” 

“Anyway,” He interrupted Eddie before he could start anything and shifted a little under the weight of his legs. His heart hadn't slowed down its rapid pace, and given the way that Eddie was looking at him it wouldn't any time soon. “Thanks, for y’know. The snow day. It was fun, a lot of fun actually, surprised on how quickly time went by actually.” He finished his drink and Eddie swung his legs off of Steve, placing the cups on the table and standing. He offered Steve a hand, he took it. 

“C’mon, we didn’t build a snowman yet and there's plenty of daylight left.” If he could have, Steve would have fallen even deeper in love. They traipsed outside into the still falling snowflakes, and piled up a bunch of snow, Eddie showing him how to make the perfect snowman. Steve took his chance and dumped a bunch of snow on Eddie’s head, and took off running as Eddie shouted at him. He chased him around the front of the trailer before he got his revenge and it was Steve’s turn to chase him. He felt free, like he’d never had the time to fully experience freedom until now. He could have ascended into the heavens, and not known the difference. Every single weight off his shoulders had been lifted, even just for the moment. He tackled Eddie into the snow and they fell, giggling into a heap by the snowman they’d half built. 

Steve’s breath caught in his throat.

Eddie was beautiful. He always was, but it struck Steve now. With the snow and the pink cheeks and the crinkled corners of his eyes, wide and filled with joyful innocence. Every freckle, every line, every scar on his face. His eyelashes were wet, probably from the snow or from laughing, and there was something buried deep in the brown irises that sparkled with mischief. Steve was a weak man, his heart crumbled like a freshly made cake with too much flour. Eddie was like an eclipse, if Steve was the sun. The moon passing by him so closely he could just reach out and touch it, make contact for the first time in forever, however fleeting. People like him didn’t come around too often and fuck if Steve was going to miss it to continue living blissfully unaware with his sunglasses on. Intentionally holding the world at bay, just for a brief glimpse of something he might not have much longer.

“I’m going to kiss you.” He half whispered, the words only for Eddie to hear. A secret almost, between the two of them. Like if he whispered it quiet enough the wind wouldn’t steal it away and send it somewhere it shouldn’t belong.

“Okay.” Eddie whispered back, hands coming up to caress Steve’s cheeks lightly, the spark of joy back in his eyes before he met him in the middle and their lips met. It wasn’t perfect, it was cold, Steve’s knee was wet from the snow he was kneeling in. But it was perfect to him. Eddie had given him back something he never thought he would miss, and Steve loved him for it. 

“For the record,” Eddie began after they broke apart. “I’m in love with you.” 

“For the record.” Steve replied, brushing a stray curl out of Eddie’s face. “I’m in love with you too.” 

“God I wish it had snowed sooner.” Eddie rolled his eyes and Steve chuckled, pulling away and standing up. He offered Eddie a hand up and tugged him a little, causing him to stumble. Steve glanced around quickly, making sure there were no prying eyes (Max) before he kissed Eddie once more. 

“C’mon, I’m starting to get cold.” Steve headed towards the trailer door and Eddie jumped on his back, pressing a tiny kiss to his temple. 

“I know a way we can warm up.” He whispered lowly in Steve’s ear and if Steve picked up the pace a little to make Eddie howl with laughter, well that was his secret too. 

Maybe some good could come out of breaking his fathers rules, he thought later that night wrapped around Eddie and drifting off to sleep. He definitely knew what other ones he planned on breaking, but that was for the future. When they’d moved into a small apartment in Chicago in a few years, and the first snowfall was beginning outside as they were curled up by the fire and Steve voiced it aloud. It couldn’t be official, of course, not yet...but it was official to them, and maybe that’s all they needed. 

[trashymouthgremlin]

okay i dont have the idea sorted out in my head yet, but i’ve seen a couple of steddie fics where Eddie is a waiter/staff at some swanky party that Steve is attending with his family, and it planted something in my head.

Eddie waiting at this party and being so grossed out by some of the obnoxious conversations he hears from these rich people. So he realises they are all so self-absorbed and not paying attention. They don’t notice things around them like he does. So he starts robbing them. Just little things here and there. At first he worries that they’ll notice right away, but they don’t. So he gets more bold with it.

This happens at a few of these events, and Eddie thinks he’s getting away with it, but there is one thing Eddie doesn’t notice.

Steve has been watching Eddie from the beginning. Initially he was shocked, and thought about telling someone, maybe security. He opened his mouth, but his father immediately shushed him, and his mouth snapped shut.

Steve watched this waiter go around, serving food with a big smile as he pinched things out of pockets and slid it into his own.

Eventually it becomes kind of funny to Steve. Most of the ones that are getting robbed are real assholes. The ones that aren’t are just so ludicrously rich that they could easily replace whatever is stolen. It actually looks a little fun...

Steve plays his own game, trying to guess who this waiter is going to rob each night. He starts getting really good at it. He begins admiring the charming smile and curly hair.

One night, Steve’s dad says something awful super loudly, boasting over something crappy, and all these rich people laugh about it. Steve locks eyes with his mum, who gives him a wry smile and sighs. He’s glad he at least has her there to make him feel like he isn’t losing his mind.

His eyes scan the room to locate Eddie. He finds him staring at his father, eyes narrowed.

Eddie doesn’t want to rob the host of the event. It might get him removed from the staff at these events. But if he could just rob someone close to him... He looks for an easy mark. He sees Steve. Some pretty boy (and he is pretty) that is the son of this jackass? Perfect.

Steve smirks at Eddie, which just makes Eddie more mad. He puts on his biggest smile, and walks over with his tray. Steve takes some food gratefully, his eyes never leaving Eddie’s. Eddie moves to leave, dipping a hand in Steve’s pocket, when Steve grabs his wrist.

Eddie freezes, panic setting in, when Steve murmurs “wrong pocket.”

He pulls an envelope out of his other pocket and hands it to Eddie. Eddie takes it, trying to process what is happening, but Steve just winks at him.

Eddie rushes to the bathroom, opening it up. It has Steve’s name and phone number inside, as well as some gold ring? Under the phone number is a little note. “My dad’s class ring.”

[ty-bayonet-betteridge]

3l!grian is frequently depicted as a tragic figure and sometimes i wonder if we even watched the same series