#they think he just started killing people for no reason!

[yanmuffins]

what if the dimension of batman vs vampires p&f reader and damian accidentally stumbles upon is vampire!reader dimension? oh, and they arrive after vampire!reader is killed and turned into a vampire

the drama if p&f reader looks the exact same as vampire!reader (honestly, i see them as two different people since p&f reader is the same age as Damian and vampire!reader seems to be dick's age), since bruce looks at them and can't quite remember If vampire!reader looked like this when they were little

they all looking at p&f reader and damian being kids and wondering If vampire!reader were like that at this age, but then realizing that they don't have memories of vampire!reader like that

the despair, the anxiety, the guilt they fell

Why didn't they noticed vampire!reader sooner? why didn't they acknowledged them? why why why why

now vampire!reader it's nowhere to be found, and they could be in danger (they are), hell, for all they know they could be dead! (they kinda are)

and p&f reader and damian slowly backing away as they watch these alternate versions of their family descend into madness

let's just hope that version of the batfam finds vampire!reader fast and don't become desperate enough to end up becoming yanderes for p&f reader too

context &. context.

interesting!!!

i think vampire! reader and p&f! reader are basically just different versions of the same person. p&f! reader is gender neutral so they could be whatever gender you want them to be, while vampire! reader is female. also, you are correct, vampire! reader is older. while p&f! reader is around a year older than damian and came to the manor after him (being around 10 when they came to the manor and 14 in the fic), vampire! reader is around 21-years-old, closer to jason in age, and came to the manor somwhere between dick leaving for the teen titans and bruce adopting jason.

so, yes, p&f! reader is not only younger, but was the last one to arrive at the manor in their reality, and they had a pretty good, healthy childhood before that. not to mention bruce already had damian, so the concept of a biological child wasn't entirely alien to him, and they already had their hands full with him. the familial bonds ate tight-knit, lives are too busy, bruce already has to deal with his exceptional children and since reader is so normal, they're kinda overlooked.

and although there are similarities in the way and reasons both readers are neglected, i think it's worse with vampire! reader. she's around 7 when she comes to the manor, the circumstances around it being extremely shady (it was a scandal), and she's there before anyone except dick, whom she has shallow interactions with. from then on comes jason and the following children, and she just has to watch her father (and older brother) make time for everyone but her.

anyway, appearence-wise, p&f! reader and vampire! essentially look the same, or at least extremely similiar. but here's the thing: vampire reader's bruce does remember what his daughter looked like when she was around p&f! reader's age. and that's what makes him crumble, because vampire! reader looked abstemious and somber from a yong age, which is a far cry from her younger, alternate-dimension version.

that fact hits him the hardest, but dick notices it too. his birdie looked like a mini-adult from the day she came to the manor, and seeing p&f! reader he just wishes he could have actually bothered to be there for her. jason notices it the most because he was the one closest to reader before joker killed him, as she was the only one in the manor around his age. the others, though?

they have no idea. mostly because they weren't there when vampire! reader was a kid, but there are some memories; of her welcoming them home, little acts of affection, trying to get close to them. and they took it for granted. they started noticing her lately, yeah, but as it seems it had been a bit too late.

vampire! au damian would feel kinda jealous of the sibling bond p&f! reader and damian share, it would stir conflict between the two damians which i think could be funny amidst the angst (if you ignore that they're both kinda terrified of this batfam spiraling). all in all, i think bruce thinks of how shit it is to have a child missing so he would make sure to help send both p&f! reader and damian home safely. he's got his own kid to take care of and good lord, that's going too big of a mess for him to even worry about the two intruders in his dimension.

[ivys-garden]

Life Series Session Recap and Alliance Analysis

Pearl opens her episode clarifying she and Impulse did nothing wrong. Finally I don't have to write “get over double life, tumblr” every week.

Yes, another Saturday means another instalment of the Life Series. This session was far more chill and slow paced than last weeks, ironic considering that this week's Wild Card was a perpetual speed increase! Going from a complete time freeze to full hyperspeed. Naturally, this led to about a 7.5 on the madness scale, so let's see what those teams were up to.

The Final Girls - (Scott, Cleo, Pearl, Impulse & Bigb (not anymore ;3 ))

On the topic of Pearl and Impulse, Cleo decides that they will fully enable all of they're future actions. Yes, she might sigh when they talk about all the evil stuff they're going to do, but she's fully on board.

Right about now Scott is probably regretting being team mum for three chaos gremlins as he's already had to instruct them not to give Gem any more reasons to kill them & had to break up the fight that was issued once they all went Matrix mode.

Speaking of Gem & Joel, a new development in the great drama sees Impulse explain himself and apologise to Gem. She doesn't buy it but it's the thought that counts. During this apology Pearl, the attack dog, is ordered by Gem and Impulse to slaughter grian. So while Cleo and Scott go off to make friends, Impulse and Pearl pop over to Rens for some very serious murder discussion, with an eventual “let's murder Grian” party forming consisting of Pearl, Impulse, Ren, Martyn, Bigb, Scar & Jimmy. If even a fraction of these people stick to this next session Grian is pretty firmly doomed.

In other news Scott manages to make allies with the Bamboozelers through several means, including staring at Jimmy's ass. Cleo & Impulse have a little caving adventure and Impy manages to make a working Creeper farm that they may or may not be sharing with Renwood. This leaves Pearl once again building the tower, which is good since she has arguably to much experience in that

While building the tower we get more Drama! Grian and Mumbo managed to get a quick kill on Scott early on the session by digging a big pit under the tower and spleefing him in. Mumbo and Skizz later come back to this trap only to be discovered by Pearl. The Suits try to get her to lure Scott over, but Pearl is far to loyal for that…. But not loyal enough to kick them out, reasoning that it would be really funny if it happened twice. On top of this she negotiated the ability to kill grian without them stepping in, very useful given her current plans & the second spleefing doesn't work anyways, so no harm no foul.

No one would actually agree to luring their team to their Death intentionally… right Bigb?

I'd say I'm surprised, but I'm not. He's worked again every team he's been in except Nosey Neighbours. I guess the “B” must stand for “Betrayal”

Bigb pulls the same thing Pearl did only not under the pretence of a joke, when Grian is around to actually make sure his team gets the kill, actually agreeing to lure Scott and doing it INFRONT OF CLEO. This being the second time this has helped to them, Cleo immediately goes off to find Scott to warn him about the traitor…Scott still falls into the trap anyway but that was a skill issue on his part. Bigb actually tries later to gaslight Scott into thinking that he didn't mean to betray the team, which almost worked until he started saying Cleo was the traitor, which obviously Scott would never buy. Oh he also did this in earshot of Cleo so she set her attack dog (Pearl) on him.

Bigb also later betrays the “Let's Kill Grian Gang” and warns Grian about the plan to murderficate him. I guess someone hasn't gotten over Double Life after all.

The Fast And The Furious - (Joel & Gem)

Actually, the fast and the paranoid might be more accurate as while Joel is just off having a grand old time prattling speed bridging, Gem is terrified that everyone is out to get her and doesn't seem to understand that putting your base on the main path means more people will come visit.

Aside from sending everyone they can to kill Grian and disregarding Impulses genuine apology, the team due doesn't really do much themselves

Gem was officially the last person to lose a life though, with no less than 4 people, including 2 greens, having to help kill her.

Also Joel added racing stripes to the car and… it actually made it a lot less hideous, well done Joel.

The Bamboozelers - (Jimmy, Scar & Lizzie)

Jimmy has regained the title as most confident member of this team…scarily confident in fact, just this session he was able to steal a potential kill from Skizz & kill his teammates, get another good kill on Joel using Lizzie as bait, managing to turn his relationship with Joel around to become allies and reaffirming his alliance with Renwood. Honesty 100 IQ plays from Tim all around.

He did die once this session, but that wasn't his fault and was also incredibly funny to watch Martyn bimbo his way through traps made for Bigb and accidentally kill Timmy. Great job everyone.

Speaking of failed traps… oh Scar… he started of strong, absolutely annihilating Etho in slow motion and living up to the villain he shares a name with by tossing him off a cliff, but after that every single attempt to trap someone fails miserably and he's forced into a cheap kill on Grian that results in him calling for vengeance… wouldn't be to worried about that tho considering Skizz and Mumbo's track record.

The Spanners - (Mumbo, Skizz & Grian)

How are these idiots not dead yet.

They get one (1) successful kill this session, spleefin’ Scott. A trap Mumbo tries his luck with several times after this despite knowing the Final Girls already knew about it.

Skizz gets no kills despite Grians efforts. An attempt to build a super TNT minecart launcher is made… on Scars mountain… and Grian spends several.minutes explaining to his worst enemies how the trap works… and then he and Mumbo stand directly under where they know the TNT will land. Yeah obviously Jimmy sneaks in and pulls the lever to kill them.

A second attempt to launch TNT is made, but this launcher is pathetic and ends up being turned into a party game. oh, and then Grian gets hotguyed by Scar. Grian immediately screams vengeance and blows up the reputation board, ranting about how little it meant since he was in good favour… which only proved he never read the damn thing but it's the thought that counts.

In their last hoorah for this session the team goes on a proper hunt The Bamboozelers as they hide in Joel's car. Mumbo sneaks up to pure lava on them… and burns himself to death. He then tries to hypersonic pvp Gem and you can guess how that went. He then joins in trapping Gwm in a big hole and burning her, only for the kill to go to Ren anyway.

These guys are Doomed. Especially because Final Girls & The Family are allied with Scar & The fact that Renwood actively wants to murder them.

Predictions: Grian goes Yellow next session, Mumbo goes out-out and Skizz is somehow still Red.

Renwood - (Ren & Martyn)

We actually covered everything these guys did already, The Grian Murder Crew, Martyn being a trap bimbo, Ren allying with Impulse to make up for beheading him, really the only thing we haven't discussed is Martyns strange choice to make the first 5 minutes of his episode unlistenable

The Tuff Guys - (Etho, Tango & Bdubs

Etho finally admits they're the comic relief. Like any good comic relief, these three stooges spend the entire session failing at everything. Tango fails on the same trap 3 times. Bdubs almost kills himself in said trap. There's more fights and bickerings than you could count on 15 hands and a toe

Oh also Tango also perma-died to Pearl after going invis and being pumped full of arrows.

Honestly it's not a question of if someone dies next session, it's a question of who.

[midnight1nk]

So, this week's episode...

[Spoilers below cut]

save me SMG4 episode save me

(the following is my live reaction:)

moo-stache moo-stache moo-stache

why do I feel like Pedro's going to be here?

"bruh Pedro was just a one-time thing." they literally killed off Mickey, ANYTHING can happen

KAIZO YOU'RE BACK HI

OMG please tell me someone from the Team saw this fan animation and put it in the episode as a nod to the animator, that would be awesome!!!

btw great fan animation, go check it out if you haven't [link]

YAYYYY, c'mon Mario you gotta spend time with your brother :)

also I need to find a playthrough of this game while I work

whoops my hand slipped [*makes 4 say "I should've chosen the USB over you, 3"*] :)

Hey Shroomy :D ....oh *western spaghetti flashbacks*

like seriously, I can't hear that audio the same way again

helicopter helicopter (copter)

oh hey swag *he fades away* NOOOOOO

well, digging did (mostly, sorta) help the last episode

OMG HI HI HI MY SILLIES

Three, why are you here if you think it's stupid? unless... 🫵 🏳️‍🌈⁉️

it's giving "I'm only here to support my boyfriend's interests", like I'm starting to believe that they truly are dating behind the scenes

they're on a date, your honor 💙💜

and there they go bickering again smh /affectionate

I'd like to think that ever since Four drives a forklift, that's just his method of transportation. screw the car, we're taking this baby out for a spin :)

Mario, you need to be ✨forklift certified✨

sorry, just Three's gayass poses give me life

actually yeah why is the line not moving?

the boys :)

also that walk animation tho

HOW LONG IS THIS LINE?!

also c'mon Three, show us your dance moves :D

oooooh that editing i love that

THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING

now that they've mentioned it, why are there so many conventions happening at the same time? hmmmmm *game theory theme starts playing*

SMG3: "Maybe they're lining up to go to your mom's house. That line's usually pretty long." DAYUM THREE

"the line doesn't end" ayo wtf????

shroomy, you've eaten mushrooms before and you had no problem with that

....it really is the end of the world huh

ONE WEEK LATER?!?!?!?

"there is no end" "the end will come" me, sitting in the corner: hmmmmmmmmm

whelp, it's confirmed, I kin Four now

Three's not going coo co crazy, he's just vibin' :)

THIS IS WARRRRRR

this whole fighting scene omg it's SO good!

....WOTFI? ok no :P

AWWW THAT WAS ACTUALLY SWEET DUDE

CAN WE PLEASE GET A HUG? FOR ME SPECIFICALLY?

.... yeah uh Boopkins, you're going to have to explain what the hell you mean by that

not that it's surprising, we've been through a lot. just another Tuesday (or Saturday in this case)

MY HEART CAN'T TAKE ALL THIS FLUFF

HUG HUG HUG

THAT'S MY BOYS

RAVE PARTY [*dances*]

....sonic, is that you? sorry, my mind is still in the sonadow generations phase so I can't unsee them

:O wait, Boopkins, what did you mean by that?

MARTY?!?!? WTF

SMG4: "Don't worry, Mario. There's one way we can fix this." Beat the shit out of him...? YEAH I KNEW IT HAHA

*explodes*

and congrats to samgagmincho for your art featured at the end credits 🎉

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

This was a fun episode, I loved it!! Seeing my boys is always a plus and I appreciate the return of some side characters. With how the world is right now, I really needed this episode. So, thanks Team, for keeping my spirits up.

I just enjoyed watching my silly little guys doing silly little adventures. Traffic is a nightmare so I don't blame Mario in the slightest. Anyway, 3 and 4, how was your date? /silly

Can we just talk about the animation? It was so good!!! You really see the quality they put in, especially in that fighting scene. I didn't expect MARTY of all people to be the cause of all this. I honestly thought it was going to be a gag of something harmless just being in the middle of the road for no reason (like a turtle or smth) and the Crew being like "ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!" but NOPE, Marty was here and apparently A SORCERER?! I really shouldn't be surprised, what am I talking about here. And ofc the OG duo immediately beating the shit out of him is so fucking funny to me. He didn't die (I know that), but he's definitely going to be more relevant in the future.

...puzzlevision 2? ok I'm sorry

SMG4 show and jokes aside, I hope you all are ok. No matter what happens, we'll stick together. Don't give them the satisfaction that they want. You aren't alone, and we'll keep on fighting.

Going to be a Sonic fan here, Sonic 06 is famously known to be... augh. But there is a good moment with Shadow that I think is relevant now:

Mephiles (the villain of the game): "It's futile. The world will betray you. Why fight at all? Why risk your life for those who will persecute you later?" Shadow: "If the world chooses to become my enemy, I will fight like I always have."

Take care, my dear fellows, and I'll see you all in my next post!! Hmmm, there is "no end" [*game theory intro plays*]

[freewilllife]

When I first read this manga, I was a teenager who didn't have a habit of trying to go in depth with characters, but looking at these frames now, I can say that this scene is a big tell of how Soowon sees Yuhon. He is making excuses for his father's unnecessary cruelty, even though Soowon himself, I believe, would never do something like that.

Soo Won doesn´t make excuses here. Cruelty in war against enemies is so common. In fact, you can even see it by the reactions of the soldiers around him. Nobody is batting an eye. Only a naive girl like Yona can believe that what Yu hon did was so horrible in contrast to all the astrocities that have happened in the past.

In fact, Yona doesn´t know anything about the past at that point and merely assumes based on her own baseless beliefs.

Why would Soo Won be shocked, when Yona said this? He obviously did not think that his father´s cruelty had anything to do with it.

So why does Soo Won have such a strong reaction towards Yona here?

The answer contradicts your assumption: Soo Won must have thought it too...That his father was not made out to be king.

Basically that is the reason, why he tried to cut out Yona and Hak.

Yu hon has never tried to cut out people he cared about, but Soo Won did? Why?

Because he has read the diary, because he knew that his father did not kill King il no matter what, because his father took a wife that lead to strife and murder...

It is because his father cared more for the people in his life, than for his country...and his son tried to abandon the people he cared about from the start.

I guess, you are right that he most likely did not do it consciously, or tried to forget that his father had- in fact-forgotten his duty due to his own feelings.

Yu hon has never tried to attack King Il, even though King Il can be seen as a danger to his country...because Yu hon loved his brother and therefore he failed the country...

Soo Won is clinging to it, because he is traumatised and this is the fact, he does not want to see...because evidently....Yu hon was not like Soo Won describes the situation here...

That is the shadow of Soo Won...the thing he does not want to see...but he reacts to it...by abandonning the two people closest to him...Hak and Yona...

This scene is a direct call back...to Soo Won abandonning his personal feelings...the image of the boxes...

Because Soo Won knew -deep down - that his father has failed the country.

Soo Won tried to be a better king than his father...also your assumption that he is not introspective can be clearly contradicted by factual evidence in the manga.

Soo Won has never pretended that he did not care for Yona or Hak, when we read his thoughts. He knew is own feelings.

He also knew his own guilt, but decided to commit the deed anyway, knowing that he condamned himself, because he knew it was necessary.

In fact, Soo Won started even to think about Hiryuu, whom he hated...His father and Yu hon was still his father, was literally killed because Yu hon did not believe in the power of the gods...or rather that a country could be ruled by the will of the gods.

Soo Won´s own perspective shifted due to his experiences.At the beginning he was very confident that he could win against the gods, later, he had to accept that he was not.

In fact, that Yu hon´s last words ...according to Soo Won are literally this: to seek not the power of the gods, but the power of human beings...

Basically, Soo Won negating the influence of the gods, has everything to do with his father...

Soo Won also did not abandon himself...he can literally adapt in contrast to his predecessor...for Soo Won...Yona and King Hiryuu are two different kind of people...

Soo Won has not abandonned neither himself, nor his role as king...he just accepted that the gods he hated, do in fact influence their lives...But he still wants to interfer and do, what he can do...

This person might be traumatized, but he can learn and adapt to difficult situations, he literally did.

Soowon is a very complex and interesting character, and one of his traits I like a lot is his idealisation of Yuhon because it actually created a really big issue of Soowon.

Of course, Yuhon was his role model when he was a child, but what about 18 y.o. SW? Did he think of his father so much, to the point that he started questioning some of his words or actions? Or does he still see his father in a perfect light? I've got these questions because while SW is a shrewd and level-headed person, he's been shown to be biased for the first time (as far as I remember; it's been a while since I've read AkaYona) when Yona came to him to vouch for peace between Xing and Kouka.

When I first read this manga, I was a teenager who didn't have a habit of trying to go in depth with characters, but looking at these frames now, I can say that this scene is a big tell of how Soowon sees Yuhon. He is making excuses for his father's unnecessary cruelty, even though Soowon himself, I believe, would never do something like that.

Also, chapter 221 shows that Soowon, in fact, never questioned Yuhon's methods. His father's influence on him never lessened, even after all these years (perhaps because he's been surrounded by Yuhon's supporters since, idk, forever).

He is a king. He has to sacrifice his humanity for the sake of his kingdom - that's what he's been taught by his beloved father, whom he never questioned. ("Please, let me see the board objectively" - I almost fucking cried).

So sweet is the realization that he, in fact, can't do that. He is only a human, after all, someone who already sacrificed his childhood and his closest friends for Kouka people's well-being, and I can't imagine his heart being able to take another loss.

Soowon has basically abandoned himself. The persona he and the adults around him have raised in him is "king" (according to Yuhon's ideals). I believe Soowon isn't introspective; he has been running away from his feelings this whole time, and chapter 221 was the first time he's faced them. It's very fascinating to me: he is always ready to face the consequences of his decisions, but never to face his feelings.

P.S.: I'll be very glad to receive any corrections or different opinions, because, as I said before, it's been a while since I read AkaYona, and the moments mentioned in this posts are the ones I remember vividly.

[lost-romantique]

sorry if this sounds like I'm being petty, but I just had this little discord argument with one of my friends and I just want to hear your thoughts because I drew a blank on how to respond

(Friend's messages)

(My response)

(Friend again)

We just agreed to disagree by this point but I just want to ask what you think about all of this and sorry if I'm bothering you, I just really hate that 'Blitz is terrible' comment tbh

If it makes you feel better, I also disagree with your friend.

I don't see in what way Blitzø’s apology to Fizz was manipulative, actually I don't see how Blitz is manipulative at all, when I feel like he takes the blame for everything. Especially regarding the fire.

The only comfort Blitz allowed himself in that apology was, that comment about his mom, and Blitz has a right to make that comment. He also lost something in that fire.

It's true, I don't think Blitz understands the full extent of trauma Fizz went through. I personally think that if Blitz knew, he'd probably shoot himself.

However, Fizz was able to move on from that trauma, grow, and meet the love of his life... but what about Blitz?

Fizz doesn't understand the pain of having to live with the all consuming guilt of starting that fire.

It's the kind of guilt that consumes you mind, body, and soul.

Everyday of his life, Blitz wakes up every morning knowing he killed his mom, mutilated his best friend, and destroyed the livelihood of his entire circus family. And he reminds himself of that EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

It's the reason why he's so fucked in the head.

It's the reason why he pushes people away.

It's the reason why he hates himself so much.

Blitz punishes himself everyday for starting that fire, and I don't think your friend understands that.

Blitz has major survivors guilt, and I bet he'd rather be the only casualty from that fire if he could turn back time.

~~~

Also...

*cough*

When Blitz and Fizz were hugging, Blitz was uncomfortable and didn't know how to handle it, so that's why he deflected and made that joke about "making out" it's part of his defense mechanism.

Blitz deflects by making jokes, that's all he knows how to do. It's actually a rather common coping mechanism.

It's one of the reasons why GF was a turning point for Blitz because he never once deflected or made jokes or made light of the situation.

He only plays into the joke and replies to it, but not fully because he calls Moxxie, Millie's husband, giving ownership of Moxxie to Millie. He also says "little" making it pretty clear that he doesn't want to downplay his own feelings towards Stolas.

[local-lamppost]

Initial thoughts cause it's 4am

Spoilers

First off, wow... it's really good. I've been saying that if season 2 is as good as season 1 Arcane would be my new favorite show and we are on track. Anyway, just gonna list stuff until I can process/rewatch a billion times

Mel lived! I was so certain that they would just kill her off, make that Ambessa's motive (give Jayce a reason to keep fighting the Undercity) but it's much more interesting keeping her involved in the narrative. Love her trying to bother understand and undermine her mother. Those Black Rose guys best not have hurt a hair on her perfect head.

Speaking of. What in the Utena are these Black Rose magic people? I love the look of their magic. I wonder how they can corrupt people. Is it a spell? Do they slip them something?

Love how the divide of Jayce and Viktor was done. Jayce betrayed Viktor's wishes of destroying the Hexcore. Last season, Viktor wanted to forget about using the core to save himself after Sky and begged Jayce to destroy it when the core wouldn't allow Viktor himself to do it. In Jayce's mind though, the core is the solution to Viktor's problems. He didn't know it killed Sky or that it can influence Viktor, but all Viktor can comprehend is that Jayce didn't trust him. Didn't keep his promise. And this is fresh off of Jayce's season 1 antics against the Undercity, so Viktor's faith in his partner was already shaken. Viktor's also comfortable in his mortality/death, even though he wants to prolong it like every other human, but Jayce can't fathom loosing Viktor-the man who saved his life and made his dreams reality.

(Side note: Am I a JayVik shipper? I never considered myself one, but after writing this...)

JINX HAS A KID! I love this choice. Give Jinx a kid so she is able to learn what Silco and Vi had to go through with her, that no matter how big or dangerous a scheme to take this child into account. The confrontation in ep 3 really showed what Jinx will have to consider now that this kid's decided to adopt her as an older sister or something. Especially nice detail of how Vi-who has always had to consider the kids in her life-immediately stops fighting and starts looking for ways to keep the kid safe.

I was wondering how Jinx would loose a finger and Caitlyn shooting it off to save Vi is just- The fact that the only way these two can show they care about Vi when it comes to each other is by hurting the other.

Sevika's new arm is fantastic. It's a peace offering from Jinx, but also a way for Jinx to feel better (it was something she could fix). The mechanics of it are really fun. It reminds me of Kite's weapon from HxH with how it didn't always work/give her what she wanted in the fight. I especially love the victory rockets and built in theme song.

Ambessa is so interesting. Between her character song to the introduction of just what she is fighting against, I am very intrigued. She reminds me of Cersei Lannister, except she loves her kids as more than just extensions of herself (as of what we've seen, but I think that'll stick). Her using Salo to establish herself-which also keeps Mel safe by distancing her-but also dropping him in order to prop up Cait at her first opportunity is such a clever move. She truly is the fox and the wolf, but she is above all a mama bear.

Not much to say about Heimerdinger or Ekko yet, but I am definitely curious to see what they do about the wild runes with Jayce. The three of them have a fun dynamic, what with Heimerdinger still being peeved about magic/being ousted, Ekko hating topside and having a new reason to do so with them poisoning his tree, and Jayce being recently seperated and divorced from both his partners.

Vi is an enforcer. I didn't know how they were gonna handle this, but they did it so well. Of course she wants to fix things for the people her sister hurt. She feels responsible. She can say she doesn't blame herself, but how true is that? Why else would she be wearing a badge if not for her guilt? She is desperate to do something right and being an enforcer seemed to be a way to make Cait happy, get her gauntlets (what she believes is necessary to make any kind of change), and be first in line in the hunt for Jinx. She says that her sister is dead, that Jinx is a desecration to Powder's memory, that they are not sisters but isn't it supposed to be 'nothing is going to change that'? How much of all this is just something Vi is telling herself to keep going? Cait is her motive right now, but after ep 3 I definitely see why she starts spiraling.

(2 Side note: Her new best friend/drinking buddy is such a real one. They have a bender in the gutter together and now he's following her into and out of the enforcers. I wonder if he knew Vander? In any case, he is a delight.)

Cait and Vi kissed... CAIT AND VI KISSED! Then NOTHING HAPPENED AFTER! NOTHING! No immediate break up, nope.

So Cait. I love Cait and I am hyped for her arc this season. I am ready to fight tooth and nail for her. I am a Caitlyn defender. So what she's being manipulated into leading a military state due to her grief/unresolved anger/guilt/Ambessa being better at this than her, she looks amazing in her cape. It balances.

Seriously though, the writing for Cait especially is so solid. She is desperate to hold herself and her family together, to protect her city. She still wants to protect the innocent, to heal the Undercity, but her anger at a select few of those she wants to help is clouding the greater image for her. Vi seems to be acting as her better half, the side that cares for the innocent-the protector. Ambessa is the agressor, encouraging Cait to take drastic military action against the Undercity as a whole. Vi's disillusionment with Cait is due to the fact that Cait desire to heal, not harm, is what caused her to fall for Cait to begin with. To see more than some privileged topside enforcer, but a woman who genuinely cared and was willing to abandon her peaceful naivety to learn for the greater good of strangers.

I'll also point out that they separate when Cait starts blaming Vi for them loosing Jinx. Before, everyone but Cait put responsibility on Vi, she was supposed to be the one to help lighten the load and absolve some of the guilt. Now Cait is becoming another one of those who slam the blame on Vi. She changed. Why does everyone around VI change?

Can't wait for the next batch of episodes.

[smiley-mcdoggington]

Sorry can't stop thinking abt Stan being Fidds' semi-lobotomized housewife because. Having the power to erase guilt and shame and regret is Not Good but also. Getting into the habit of memory-wiping someone else? Especially a partner????

The first few times it was just about the portal incident, Stan simply couldn't function with those memories - even though all the memories left were foggy as if they were from lifetimes ago, and he still couldn't say a word. They were innocent, justifiable, even Ford relented that it was better than Stan being terrified of him and his house for reasons Ford knew but would not divulge. Stan had started spacing out for hours at a time, but Fidds thought that might be from the portal.

Fidds assumed they would be taking the portal apart after then, but Ford hesitated. He had seen what it did to Stanley but he still hesitated. So Fidds stormed out, determined to never work with him again. That day he went home and he told Stan that his brother couldn't be reasoned with. Stan said he wanted to go talk to Ford himself - the wipes were starting to hold better, by then, he was almost who he was (with a few more gray hairs). But the conversation went bad, terribly, Ford had been awake for 3 days by then and sitting on the couch next to his brother just calmed him down so much he fell asleep on Stan's shoulder.

Fidds got a call from Ford later that Bill had done something with his sleeping body, and Stan had locked himself in a closet and Ford could see the blood on the handle but Stan wouldn't open the door.

Fiddleford erased that interaction from Stan's memory, too - said he got the bump on his head and the scratches on his arms from a bar fight. Stan didn't believe him, but he learned that questions only brought him migraines. It didn't take as many memory wipes to stick, that time, because by then Ford wasn't seen at all. Fiddleford bought a book on Hanukkah and celebrated it with Stanley in their new shared apartment. Stanley called his Ma and she said he sounded sick but Stanley laughed it off.

Then Stanley woke up from a nightmare - he'd spent a good deal of time on the streets before he had reconciled with Stanford in their early 20s, and every peek Fidds got into that life made his stomach twist. All those memories ever did was burden Stan, and it was just so easy for Fiddleford to hold Stanley's cheek with one hand and the memory gun with the other, erasing the pieces that hurt Stan - selling himself at seventeen, almost freezing in the back of his car, those six months in that prison, the attempts by both criminals and police to kill him. Without them, Stanley was never paranoid, or burdened. He was happier. Fidds had made him happier.

So why stop? Fidds had already made a group for others dedicated to caring for those burdened by the disturbing creatures of gravity falls. Stan was so much happier when he wasnt worried people would short-change him or turn on him - cutting away the last strings tying him down was almost Fidds' duty. Something Fiddleford said scared him? Wiped clean, Stanley didn't have to know about the society of the blind eye. He didn't like what his Ma told him the last time he called? He doesn't remember what she said to him. He misses his brother? He doesn't have to remember Ford. Sure, Stanley had been a lot more submissive lately - almost vacant - but surely that was just because he knew what Fidds did was always for his best interest and he trusted him so implicitly.

Then Fidds came home from his meeting and saw Ford in his livingroom. Ford slammed him into a wall, demanding to know what he was doing to Stan. Fidds said he wasn't doing anything but helping him. Ford said he'd been here for two hours and Stan. Hadn't. Moved. Fidds said he was just having one of his spacing-spells and he would be fine - he was right there. Ford said Stan had soiled himself an hour ago and didn't notice. Fidds said he did that sometimes - probably from the trauma of the portal. Ford started throwing punches, so Fidds made him forget he had a brother.

[erendur]

About the swords : ok, there might be swords on just one side, although the matter of weapons pre-Aman is yet another thing Jirt seems to have changed his mind a lot about. In Morgoth's Ring he goes from "they had only hunting weapons" to, "they had no weapons because the armouries of the gods had been shut since the chaining of Melkor" to a note that literally goes " No ! they must have had weapons to survive the great journey !".

Also, again I think the wording leaves that open to interpretation. The Teleri are armed "for the most part with bows". "Swords are drawn".

Teleri have bows though, and while, again in Morgoth's Ring, Pengoloth says that the Noldor are "the Sword-Elves", the Teleri are "the Arrow-Elves". They are meant to be skilled with them.

I also think that it is important for the way the sequence works that the Teleri are at first able to push back the Noldor, and that, again "many are slain on both sides".

Like @theoppositeofprofound. says, what we see here is the Noldor going from being the victims to being the victimisers. They go from being stolen from to stealing, they go from being the victims of a murder (Finwë) to murdering themselves, and they go from being paranoid about others attacking them to being the aggressors. The swords that they had forged were originally meant to defend themselves ; they were worried and paranoid about other Noldor attacking them ; Fingon (and others) join the fight in Alqualondë because they think that the Teleri are attacking the Noldor on order of the Valar. They just didn't set out to murder people.

And it is a "progress" : first the Noldor want to convince the Teleri to go with them to Middle-Earth. Next, they want to borrow the ships.

Next, and that's where the escalation starts, they want to steal the ships.

The Teleri resist. They push the Noldor away from the boats. "Swords are drawn".

But if at that point, if the Teleri had been unarmed and unable to resist, and push back the we-know-for-sure-armed Noldor, there would have been no fighting. The Noldor would have taken the ships by force, and left. That is what they eventually do, when they prevail in the fight.

The reason the violence escalates again is precisely because the Teleri are able to resist at first. Again, the Noldor just don't go "hey friends, come with us to Middle-Earth fight a common ennemy" to massacring everyone in sight.

The escalation of violence is progressive, because it makes more sense, and because that is how the end result is a high number of casualties on the Telerin side. This is the first ever instance of Elf-on-Elf violence ; no matter how much ready for war and sword-forging the Noldor were prior to Alqualondë, they just didn't set out as villains to kill other Elves

As far as the Noldor as a whole are concerned, Alaqualondë is also the last instance of Elf-on-Elf violence. The 2nd and 3rd kinslaying are a Fëanorian affair only, and they are pushed by the Oath. The Nargothrond Elves make questionable decisions in B&L, but we never actually see them attacking other Elves.

Eventually, the reason why there are so many killed on the Teleri side - and I agree that the final number of victims would be higher on the Teleri side, is precisely because there are able to resist at first. Again the escalation of violence is progressive.

I'd just like to add to finish with that while I agree that Alaqualondë is anything but minor - it's "the fall of the Noldor", the reason for their Doom and the reason why the Teleri refuse to take part in the War of Wrath, it's murder in paradise and yes, "a cultural wound", I just don't get the instinct to make it as unbalanced as possible, or the idea that in order to be significant it has to have a huge number of casualties. The very act of killing other Elves, people that are considered friends, of attacking them and stealing from them would be enough of a trauma.

Yes, the Noldor are stronger, better armed, more ready to kill ; yes, the eventual number of Teleri victims is probably much higher than the eventual number of Noldorin victims. But the Teleri are also not unarmed, and at least at first able to stand their own. It does not make Alqualondë less of a tragedy or the Noldor look better, or less responsible. It does explain the high number of eventual casualties though.

Sorry, but I've got to contest the concept that either of the first two Kinslayings were Totally Fine And Chill or that there were totally few civilian deaths or that the people getting killed gave as good as they got (which even if they did! the responsibility for starting a murder party remains with the aggressor!) Alqualondë is especially egregious because do you know what only one side of that fight had? Swords. Since, you know, murder only got invented last week but Fëanor was canonically brainstorming about it for years beforehand. The Noldor and specifically the Sons of Fëanor were the only people with arms made for slaughtering other people and a whit of experience using them. And while yes, you can do some damage with a fishing spear or a a harpoon, there's a reason why fishing spears are not regularly brought onto battlefields. I cannot see Alqualondë as anything but a slaughter; if it has fewer casualties than later Kinslayings it is only because of the shortness of its duration and the confusion that defined it.

[ladykailitha]

Serial Killer!Steve and P.I.!Eddie

Thanks to @dreamercec and @bookworm0690 for the inspiration and helping me work out the kinks in this juicy plot bunny!

Steve was a serial killer of serial killers (a la Dexter) who got his start when he accidentally killed Jason Carver rescuing a girl he was about to murder for the sin of being gay (Robin). And even though he didn’t mean to do it, killing a murderer gave him a rush.

But after he killed Jason he skipped town.

Jason had started killing after Chrissy broke up with him for Eddie because he was being controlling and killed her. Then he started killing other girls whom he decided were sinners and/or sluts.

The unfortunate side effect of Steve blowing town was that he wasn’t in town for the fall out. Eddie Munson was accused of not only the murder of Jason Carver, but all the other girls. It’s not until Robin tells the police that the one who saved her didn’t have tattoos and Eddie finally gives up his alibi for the majority of the murders (a gay club in Indy) that the police even look for other suspects.

Steve never even blips on their radar.

Eddie decides that the cops are useless and becomes a PI to find out who the real killer was.

Steve in the mean time due to a hefty sum from his trust fund becoming available, decides to travel the country at first and the world later, hunting down serial killers and taking them out. He never does a murder the same way twice. He never visits the actual town it’s happening in. And he never leaves immediately after.

Then he accidentally got to close to one. He didn’t realize that the reason this guy was getting away with murder was because he had a partner in the local law enforcement and now suddenly a lot more eyes are on this murder than usual. So he has to kill the cop and make it look like a murder/suicide to get away.

As in the cop murdered his partner, started a manhunt to throw the scent off himself and then committed suicide when the guilt got too much to bear.

So he retires to a nice country with very little extradition treaties and settles back to enjoy life with the rest of his money.

Only now he’s bored.

So he started writing about his murders. Changed the names, places, and how he killed them, but the bones of his murders are there in those pages. And at the end the character always goes to confession and admits his crimes to the priest.

Eddie loves the books. They’re really well written and remind him of the times he would write mysteries for his D&D campaigns. He remembers Steve Harrington from the fact they had freshmen in common, but didn’t really know him.

Then the third book comes out. “Murder in the Heartlands” does he start to connect the dots. The books sounds too close to his own case and starts digging into it. Makes Hopper pissed when he steals police files.

And then he figures it out around the fifth book that all of them are murders and not just his. And this author knows way to much about certain things. So he joins forums and things and while there are some fringe people thinking Steve’s a serial killer, a lot of people wisely point out that Law & Order had been pumping tragic news stories for decades and that Steve is likely doing the same.

So he gets the address from Robin and Dustin who both write Steve all the time and starts trying to see if he can trick him into confessing. But the more they write, the more that Eddie realizes he’s hoping for a different confession.

Then murders start happening in Steve’s new town and he’s freaking out. So Eddie decides to come out to the town and help Steve figure out who this person is that’s doing this.

Well, they figure it out, and Steve is all for tossing his weighted body into the ocean forgetting that this thing every happened. Eddie is for NOT doing that. Like turn him into the cops at least, or blackmail the guy. But no more murder. The kids are about to hit college and need his support now more than ever and picking up and moving elsewhere will hurt them. Especially if they don’t know why.

But they are overheard by the killer and he kidnaps Steve to kill him before he blows out of town.

Eddie comes to Steve’s rescue and has to kill the guy to protect them both. Eddie is standing over the corpse of a very bad man and turns to Steve.

“Oh, I think I get why you do this now.”

Steve snorts and confesses his feelings for Eddie. And they kiss about it .

They call the police, Eddie gets heralded as a hero and Steve goes back to writing.

Finally the day comes and Steve has written his last book.

"Well, that's the last of the cases,” Steve says as he mails it off to his publisher, ”I guess it's time to retire from writing, too."

"I really liked that last ending, sweetheart. You did a good job. Let me take care you now. I'll write all about about a PI chasing a serial killer writing about his kills."

Only now Eddie’s book is popular as hell, and he’s getting questions about whether or not there is any truth the story. And each time he dismisses it as fiction. It’s fantasy. Not real. But the true crime podcasts and mystery shows like “Unsolved Mysteries” think that there has to be something to them. Like maybe cases Eddie solved as a PI. But there is no evidence. Nothing to connect Eddie or Steve to the other crimes and while Steve’s last book was semi-autobiographical, there is nothing that suggest the rest were.

Steve and Eddie both refuse to do interviews and only furthers speculation on either side of the debate.

So because Eddie and Steve are also petty assholes, they write a mystery/fantasy/horror series together called “Stranger Things”.

It has five books.

[persistentplums]

No matter what you think about Brock and Rusty one thing is true they raised those boys together. And anyone will tell you kids pick up qualities of their guardians/parents which influences how they go about things.

The influence of Brock on Hank is simple, it’s the one the show starts off with and we see easily throughout the show. I wish they could’ve done more with Dean and Brock, unfortunately they don’t overlap enough to do something with but when they have overlapped the small moments, you stretch it you can see the impact Brock has on Dean.

“He believes in this stuff, not like Hank.”

“I have watched you pull a man eye from his head, made him dance like marionette with his own optic nerves.” “At least I didn’t break his heart.”

Heart is Brock entire thing. He is punished for his act of heart going against OSI and getting Billy and Pete together, him racing back in PROM, his attachment to the Ventures, and funny enough his lack of any real love life is because Brock does things true to his heart even when he’s not supposed to (“you’re a tool for the government.”)

That’s super easy to see in Hank, he follows his guns, jumps in, doesn’t second guess if he’s wrong. For Dean it comes out in belief of there being Good Guys. Something Brock shares. For a man who has no real issue with murder the idea of “Good guys” is a thing he sticks with very seriously. Dean copies this to a Dorky level coming off naive but it’s literally the same packaged differently.

Hank knows though everyone is just some guy, a bad guy or a good guy you are just some guy. A lot like his dad in that respect, when you understand this is all a game you can’t really bother with genuinely thinking of sides just how you interact within it. (Hank not really put off about dating Sirena even if her dad is his dad arch. That’s more of an obstacle that they are put into arch and protag categories so he can’t date her normally bc it’s not an actual *thing* for him)

Dean however is under the firm belief there are sides, they can work together sometimes bc he’s seen it, but like Brock, he believes in sides and gets riled up by it.

Speaking of riled up, Dean has Brock temper. I didn’t think much about it to be honest, it shows itself twice physically (Rusty Camp, radiant of the baboon) but when I hop around episodes now I see it in newer episodes. Dean temper is similar to Brock when he is really pushed off the need to protect or save another quality that is picked up by Brock.

Brock aggression is something Dean who is used to seeing it come out when he, hank and doc need protecting, saving, or an affective tactic. Another thing is Brock was and probably still is both boys example of classic masculinity in contrast to their dad (I’ll get back to this on another post.) I think Dean unintentionally mimics it, and I kinda believe we would’ve seen more of it if Dean was put into more situations where he was worried for someone else since the Rusty camp one was for Triana and the movie was for Hank. (Both against Dermontt which shouldn’t count but I am which I will get to in a different post about jealousy in VB)

Brock is the stereotypical “man” he protects the home, he kills to protect, his basics are that man spiel I don’t need to say we know it. Brock masculinity is never questioned really, it oozes out of him and is loudly punctuated. When it comes to sex it’s the same thing, to a problem. I think Dean inherited that, im not saying the one time Dean did a shitty sex related thing makes him like Brock but I actually think it’s more of a Brock move than Rusty weirdly enough. Probably because Brock has hooked up with people wives/gf but that’s not the reason why I say it.

Dean reason with hooking up with Sirena wasn’t really solid, because I don’t think there was a solid reason he did it just because it was happening. That’s why I think it’s more of a Brock move. Rusty we’ve seen talked himself out of being with women who even like him, yes he hooked up with a fan bc she was a fan. She wasn’t someone who can end up seeing his flaws, end up maybe loving back because love is frightening for Rusty because he wants it. If there was a room and a woman who was slightly interested in Rusty, Rusty would magically get out of the room then COMPLAIN he is out the room. We see it repeatedly he will make up reasons really get in his head to jump ship only to stick to people who don’t love him. Or like him.

Hank is the same line but opposite, he is open to love! Yes like Brock his attention to who is quick and focused but Hank is committed because he wants to be loved. Hank is scared of not being loved, he worries although less obviously or loudly about it, and leans hard into it. Action man called him on it, that he resembles Rusty in being downright too attached.

I’ll be honest here it’s so unlikely to actually see it but once you see the Rusty in Hank you’ll end up seeing the Brock in Dean. I remember a YouTube comment saying “Dean is all the negatives [of other people] it’s why I don’t like him.”

I don’t hate Dean, I don’t love Dean but I get Dean so while I don’t 100% agree with that comment I do get it. Dean picks up sometimes the worst traits because he’s so easy to imprint on. He’s funny like that, weirdly easy to leave an impression on but unaware how he repeats things of people he doesn’t want to. Brock being promiscuous, Rusty nostalgic past, the idea of what is important to a man etc Dean mimics it unknowingly. I don’t think that was the root of hooking up with Sirena, (bc the reason is bs yall) I’m just thinking of domino effect of parenting.

There’s a lot of Rusty in Dean literally everything Dean has is Rusty. But where they don’t match up are the core, Dean now understands his dad and they are the same brand of Venture boy but I really think Brock influence on both boys is there for good and bad it just harder to find in Dean. But I think it comes out when Dean stops letting his mind run too much, when he trusts himself, when he’s standing up for something, when he lets his body drive.

But I’m just spitballing! I just don’t believe Dean is all Doc, just like Hank isn’t all Brock. We just didn’t get a lot of time with the boys switched around

[woagopossum]

rotating this wild life pearl episode so hard in my brain I can't sleep. Disclaimer I've only seen pearls perspective, Lizzie's perspective which has nothing to do with this, and a little of Gem's so this is based on that information pretty much as well as looking at other people's posts.

It's her falling back into old double life patterns of deciding if people are going to see her one way she won't change their minds she'll just play into it.

It's Scott being so worried about what she'll do to other people when he leaves her alone but the reality is the opposite; she's extremely friendly to others after being left alone, and frustrated with him, that she decides to let Skizz and Mumbo try and kill him again.

Though, because Scott noticed the trap, we won't know if Pearl would have actually gone through with it. She does lie about knowing about it, though, so she probably would have. Though it's interesting how she frames it in her aside; saying 'I have no reason to go against Scott this season' without mentioning her other teammates. Would she have let Scott die but not Impulse or Cleo? She says she's just doing it for fun but like, betrayal is not something she just does for fun, loyal is generally her default when it comes to her day one teams.

Though, I would say she has a reason to go against Scott specifically. I mean, he completely prioritizes Gem's(not in his team) feelings over Pearl's(on his team???) when it comes to any disagreement between the two. This is the third session in a row he's brought up Pearl provoking other players despite Gem being the only one she's earned a bad reputation with, and also not really doing much of anything to provoke Gem's rage in the first place. Though I don't think it really matters. He's still siding with Pearl's enemy (should be their enemy because they're a team but no) over her, which if it was actually a lot of people I would kinda understand but it's just. One. Person. To me he just seems to really fear Gem. He fears Gem more than he loves Pearl at least it seems to me.

Though going back to the start, her saying really she should give Gem a reason to hate her. She doesn't end up going through with that this time around but considering how hesitant she was to apologize I feel like it'll be sticking around.

At least Cleo and Impulse are backing her up, for now, and Gem's attempt at manipulation hasn't really led anything much her way yet.

[winchester27]

This NOT the end of the hot Priest, and I’m gonna tell you why. This is my own personal theory so take it with a grain of salt because I had this thought at like 5:50 in the morning at work.

OK SO LISTEN

We all know the theory of season 8 following Buddies biggest traumatic events right? Hotshots is gonna have a call to Buck getting struck by lightning, we had a call back to the well, we aren’t gonna get another tsunami because that shit is rare enough to hit LA let alone twice in the span of less than 10 years.

So the running theories are Bucks gonna get shot, which is another marker in the Buddie trauma train. This theory comes from the ending shot in 8x06 with Eddie looking through his peephole.

The other running theory is that Buck is gonna get into a car accident, this comes from a BTS pic Oliver posted, which is a marker for Eddie more so than Buddie because Shannon was hit by a car and killed.

NOW THE HOT PRIEST

My theory is that Buck is more likely to get into a car accident than shot because I personally cant come up with a plausible reason why he would get shot. Some people have said since 911 likes to mimic IRL events, there could be an Alec Baldwin situation and Brad could accidentally shoot Buck with a prop gun. It’s speculated Brad specifically because of comments the actor has left on his IG posts saying like not to trust Brad and stuff. Look on TikTok and I’m sure you’ll find it lmao

BUT BACK TO HOT PRIEST

Bucks gets into the accident, and Eddie has to be first responder because either he’s on shift, which I think would be more likely, or he happens to be with Buck. Eddie starts to relive the Shannon ordeal and all of his emotions are coming back. We saw hot priest (I think his name was Brian? I have shit memory forgive me hot priest) talking with Eddie and lowkey flirt I ain’t gonna lie. Ryan and I think Tim have both said Eddie turns back to the church now that could’ve been just for the confessional scene or more. I think Eddie’s gonna turn to the church and pray for Buck and hot priest is going to pray and talk with him.

Eddie’s gonna tell HP what happened with Shannon and how he doesn’t want Christopher to lose another parent, he doesn’t wanna lose someone else he loves, etc and HP just reads Eddie like a fruit rollup and just lays all his shit out on the table

THATS MY THEORY so please be respectful, you’re all welcome to leave comments, add on to the theory, or dispel it. If anything I’ve said happens to be false let me know so I can correct it!

[howdoyousleep3]

Hey, mama. I'm not American but I live in a country with very strict laws about LGBT and porn and stuff. And you know what, literally NOTHING changed with these laws. Noone can take your queerness from you, noone can forbid you be who you are (woman, man, non binary, whatever). But I've never thought you'd be THAT angry over something that didn't even happen yet. Don't you understand ppl vote against this anger ("fuck men", "make everyone uncomfy", "double the suffering and gelive it to trump")? I have no respect for anyone who's trying to take yours from you. But you're doing exactly what they want to do. The only difference is they are against queer and you're against straight. You can send me to hell or not reply in any way. But in a four year time you'll see, that your life didn't cange much. Trust me. People always find the way to do what they want to do. Breathe out girl. Everything's gonna be okay. Even if it doesn't seem like it now.

Yes, I will take this opportunity to “send you to hell”, thank you lol

This is all a backwards line of thinking. This isn’t just another candidate that’s running for President and another candidate that we’ll move on from in four years; this is a man that’s been elected President that will alter and change the trajectory of our country and our government structures itself. Democracy will no longer exist the way that it has for 250 years, if at all.

He has already made announcements of forcing the government to only acknowledge two genders, of punishing teachers with civil crimes if they try and teach anything but, of altering education in schools to only teach about man and wife, man and woman.

What do you mean, “breathe out”?

This is the man that overturned Roe v. Wade, that stripped women of the rights to their bodies. He appointed extreme and conservative Supreme Court Justices that will make similar decisions for this country until the day they die. This is the man that wants to force all women to have unwanted pregnancies at any age, for any reason, even if it might kill them and even if they are the product of rape. He wants to make it illegal for pregnant women to cross state lines, wants the government to track women’s periods, wants to get rid of birth control as a whole.

“Breathe out”?

He wants to make interracial marriage illegal, wants to make gay marriage illegal, wants to get rid of the Department of Education and radicalize education to where everyone prays in school and learns a very white-washed education (moreso than now) that focuses on how amazing America is. He wants to jeopardize school funding more than it is and wave it over districts heads as a threat. Public school and children will suffer more than it ever has.

That’s just scratching the surface.

It shouldn’t matter that it hasn’t happened yet; we’ve barely recovered from the effects of his last presidency. The hate he encouraged and spewed is something I’m not sure we’ll ever recover from at all. It hasn’t happened yet, but he’s outlined exactly how it’s going to happen and exactly what we should expect.

And you think I should take a deep breath?

I’m happy that your life is exactly the same as it was before your laws were put into place. But this is WAY more than a focus on LGBTQIA+ communities. This is our entire livelihood. This is our entire government, country, communities, futures at stake. And this is extremely personal, even as a white woman in a straight presenting relationship. I can’t imagine the fear that any woman or person of color or any trans person or anyone in a gay marriage is feeling.

I’m angry for myself, my two young daughters. I’m angry for the women in my life who have to put their future plans on hold or who have to decide right now if they want to get pregnant or start a family now and are mourning for the loss of it. I’m angry for my best friend who is a woman of color who now has to wait and see if her marriage will end up being legal, whose safety I worry for every single day. I’m angry for all of my trans friends who have to yet again question why this country hates them so much and doesn’t cherish and love them for existing as they are.

I’m angry. I feel rage in my body and spirit that I have not once felt before and that’s with me being one of the lucky ones to receive generations of trauma and anger I have to work through. I’ve never felt anger like this, this stagnant, still, villain era anger. And I’ll be damned if I don’t use it for good because I think it’s ridiculous of you to say that I should be quiet and let the other side, the side that instills fear in others and wishes to take away their very basic human rights, be louder than I am.

Fuck that to the highest degree.

I’m about to use my privilege to scream my love and my support for those in need from the highest of mountaintops. And if that comes in the form of screaming my hatred for men, the patriarchy, Republicans, and conservatives directly back to them then I sure as shit will be doing that; they are the ones with hate in their heart who are wishing to take away the rights of others. I didn’t vote for that. If my hatred comes in other forms like becoming a part of local community groups with like minds, supporting local and black-owned businesses, supporting my local library, educating my daughters to be empathetic and supportive, standing up for women in public if need be, then I will also sure as shit be doing that.

The world deserves my anger.

This was an ignorant ask to send. I don’t hate straight people; that’s just outright fucking stupid. I don’t think you’re educated enough on the subject to be sending me an ask that is effectively telling me to calm down, WHICH IS SO FUNNY because that’s what women are always told when they’re hysterical, because this is much much more than just the rights of LGBTQIA+ people and another President being elected.

Sure, I hope you’re right and that everything is the same in four years. But you’re wrong.

Sure, I’ll breathe out. But then I’m going to take a deep breath in and scream my support at the top of my lungs even if it comes in the form of hating men, conservatives, Republicans, and Trump.

Please don’t pretend as if you know me. This is the internet, this is fandom, this is somewhat of a persona.

Yes, I am angry. I can’t understand how people are not.

[isagrimorie]

It’s so interesting how Agatha Harkness loves being a witch, and everything about being a witch: Magick, the craft of Magick. The skill of figuring out how a spell works.

But not the other parts of it: Community.

And, Agatha’s definition what a Witch is, is so damned fascinating. As the hosts of Crazy Stupid Podcast mentioned, Agatha has a scarcity mindset.

For Agatha being a Witch meant being hardened, a survivor at any cost, because it was all Agatha knew of being a Witch. Witches are persecuted, so they do everything to survive.

(Meanwhile, Sorcerers are revered in the MCU.)

Agatha told Wanda there’s always men who want to tear down ladies like them… and it’s true but what she didn’t tell Wanda, is that Agatha would sell everyone else down the river to, to survive.

She’s the Apex predator of Witches.

(And 100% the reason why there’s not a lot of Witches around in both the United States and Europe since it’s apparent that she also went to Europe in her long life.)

And that makes Agatha so fascinating.

Agatha really is like my number one favorite girl, Katherine Pierce. (Who, I realize is older than Agatha too, since Agatha is only pushing 300, meanwhile, Katherine is 500 when we meet her in TVD.)

“Never trust a survivor,” my father used to warn me, with Vartan Mamigonian in mind, “until you find out what he did to stay alive.” - Kurt Vonnegut, Bluebeard

This is pretty much the SOP with both Agatha and Katherine.

Unlike Katherine Pierce, Agatha Harkness has a better chance of finding some kind of grace and peace because the writers actually think she’s interesting, complex and a character worth investing time in. Unlike the TVD writers who just used Katherine as a convenient chess piece to move around.

The thing about Agatha though, is apparently, if you managed to chain her to a group of witches and have her life tied to their wellbeing, Agatha does start to bond with a Coven.

Her paranoia and need to consume magick are the things that keep her from bonding with them. But she’s at her best when she’s guiding people and being a mentor, and a leader.

Unfortunately, Agatha also has a tendency to get people killed or harm them even though she doesn’t have any intention doing so.

‘Witch Killer’ is a nickname Agatha can’t escape from… because it’s true.

[lilac-hecox]

honestly just more damangela would be amazing, but if you do hurt/comfort type fics could you do one about anxiety around going public about their relationship maybe? i need a really well written one like that for my soul

also i think it’s so cool you’re doing this. voting is important!

Damien/Angela - Hard Launch

--

“So, is it awful?” Angela asks, peeking at Damien through her fingers.

The nerves are swarming inside her, making Angela feel like she’s shaking even though her body is perfectly still. This is sort of how she felt when she first started performing. Her first few times on stage were fun, exhilarating, but she shook with nerves the entire time.

Before Damien answers, his hand finds hers. He covers the hand she has spread out on the table with his own. Damien’s hand is warm, a comforting weight. Angela lets out a nervous little sigh.

“It’s social media. It’s a mixed bag, as usual.”

Angela groans softly and hides her face. Damien’s thumb rubs over the back of her hand.

“Hey, I mean I see lots of support, but also people saying they knew it, and people assuming we’re pulling a prank.”

“I’m gonna kill Shayne and Courtney,” Angela mutters. “They’ve ruined the art of a hard launch.”

Damien laughs.

“So, no one is mad?”

“Not really. Not at us, at least. More so they’re fighting with each other. Which is common in fandoms.”

Angela finally lets her hand drop from her face and she watches as Damien locks his phone, setting it down on the top of the cafeteria table they are sitting at. It’s a break between shoots and the cast and crew roams the building. They don’t really need to be careful here because Smosh has known about them, has been aware. Angela is pretty sure Nate wanted to cry when she and Damien let him know they were in a relationship. Ian had kept a tally board on his office’s whiteboard attached to the wall until Anthony told him it was probably a bad idea to even jokingly track their employees who have started dating or got married.

“No regrets?” Damien asks, his voice is smooth and calm, but when Angela looks at him, she can see where his features flicker with the hint of nerves. His eyes watch her face, searching for a cue, something he admittedly already struggles with.

Angela takes Damien’s free hand -the one he had been using to hold the phone- in her own. Her palm set in his and her fingers curling around his wrist.

“None. I’m nervous, but I don’t regret it. I don’t like the idea of hiding us.”

“Think of it more like we were keeping us safe, guarding something precious, like a jewel or something, you know?”

Angela smiles fondly at Damien. “More nerd shit.”

“Hey, you’ve been my girlfriend for a year now. You know I like my nerd shit.”

“Yeah,” she says, “and I like that about you. I like a lot about you.”

Damien brings her hand to his mouth and presses a kiss to the back of it.

Angela lets out a laugh, even as her cheeks flush just a little.

She’s happy. He makes her happy. Damien is sweet, kind, hilarious. They are both so busy that neither of them ends up feeling neglected because in ways they are both workaholics. Smosh brings them together, anchoring them back to each other, and the fact of how busy they are, when they’re together, it’s even more special, the time feeling all the more meaningful.

“Even if stuff gets bad for whatever reason,” Damien says, “I’m here for you. I always will be.”

Angela gets up, walks around the table and crouches close to Damien. She leans in quickly, pressing a kiss to his cheek, then his mouth. Damien hums happily, smoothing a hand over the back of her hair affectionately.

“I know that” Angela says, “And I’m right here for you too.”

[dairy-farmer]

Tim decides to do a little… experiment.

Tim slowly reveals clues to Dick how young Tim was when he lost his virginity, and it wasn’t his choice.

For Jason he finds old files that detail in brutal detail Tim doing honeypots as early as a week into his career as Robin.

Tim never leaves Damian and Bruce alone together, and gets more and more distressed when people start mentioning Damian starting Robin training. Tim very emotionally says Dami isn’t ready, isn’t old enough. Damian thought it was jealousy at first but gets concerned when Tim tries to get him apprenticed to Nightwing or Red Hood instead. Tim’s hugs feel like he’s shielding him, and Tim gets hysterical when he doesn’t know where Damian is.

Oracle has never liked how Batman would speak to Tim as Robin, and is horrified to discover he’s worse on the missions she isn’t on com’s.

Kon is very solemn when he says his Robin made him promise to never come rescue him unless Tim asks. No matter what he hears.

(Sort of picture this as a dark Tim, dark Young Justice AU, where Tim hates Bruce and is possessive over his brothers. Tim thinks Bruce will ruin Damian, never forgave Bruce for punching Dick and not killing Joker for Jason/Bruce cutting Jason’s throat)

brutim

dark bruce always has such heart pumping plots but interwoven with tim whump is so good. an au where tim despises bruce, where that bright eyed idealism he'd had in the beginning, the admiration and hero worship that had been in him- it's gone. it died the first time bruce's hands strayed between his legs and he told tim that being robin meant he had responsibilities. tim finding out bruce is a bad father with how easily and second nature slapping dick when he mouthes off seems to be. bruce is violent with his children, he's violent with tim too but tim's the only one he...touches.

because tim is smaller, he's prettier. from behind he looks just like a girl which is way bruce always makes him bury his face into a pillow while he pins him down by the back of his neck.

the first time bruce had done it he'd been drunk. it'd been an accident, he'd acted on impulse and with his inhibitions lowered it meant he'd seen tim who'd been trying to get him to his bed so he didn't pass out on the floor again. he'd seen tim who was small with soft hair and smelled like the baby powder he put in his suit and...

it'd been easy, bruce hadn't even needed to use much force, just the size of him was enough to keep tim's squirming body still and without any training tim hadn't stood a chance.

afterwards it just seemed natural to keep doing, to make tim put his body to use as robin. after all he was already ruined, already spoiled so there was no reason to worry for his "innocence" anymore.

so bruce kept doing it. he started getting possessive, demanding of tim. and tim grew to hate bruce and if he weren't so vital to the ecosystem of gotham he would've...

and then damian comes along and tim is desperate because bruce is taking an interest in him and he can't, he doesn't want the life he lived to be the one in store for damian.