#they're definitely setting her up as his love interest because he seems to take her concerns seriously while victore dismisses it at first?

[cerealbishh]

"Hey. Did Emily make it back?"

"Uh, I'm not sure..."

"(...) Um, can this wait? It's just- we're in the middle of a bit of a crisis."

[chilumi-shipper]

A prompt came into mind.. up to you if you're interested.

So, character and reader got married but character cheated because he said he doesn't love the reader anymore. They're technically done, but haven't finished doing the divorce files (because it's expensive and takes a long long time). But.. character got into an accident.. which made him forget everything that happened recently, and only remember the days he loved the reader. Reader's conflicted, the mistress that character has doesn't know what to do either. Character was confused on why he would marry anyone else when he has the reader fo begin with.

I think this fits your styles.

Btw, I LOVE ALL YOUR STORIES! I RE-READ THEM EVERYDAY-

Someone Better

Childe x Fem!Reader

Summary: Childe was a wild spirit, so when he got bored of your relationship, he sought the excitement of another woman. You were heartbroken, ultimately asking for a divorce. But just as your connection was almost severed, he got into an accident, losing every memory of his infidelity and returning to the man that made you fall in love him.

Tags: Cheating, Amnesia, Pining, Angst/No Comfort

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

You were staring at the tremendous amount of divorce paperwork sitting on the desk of your hotel room.

It was very complicated, five years of marriage with joined insurance, property, bank accounts, and now you have to meticulously separate all your joined assets, all while constantly on the verge of a breakdown.

Not to mention you had no family to stay with in Snezhnaya. There's absolutely no one you could talk to about everything, you've left your homeland thinking your future in the cold nation with the love of your life would be nothing less that fantasy.

As you rest your head on the desk and closed your eyes tightly to ease the headache, your ears perk up as loud knocks hit your door.

With a groan, you got up and opened it to reveal your two of Childe's older siblings.

"He's looking for you." The older sister said, Alevtina, her seriousness evident, looking at you somewhat panicked.

"I know, big si-" I paused for a moment, closing my eyes and rubbing my temples. "I'm working on the assets, I'll send it as soon as possible."

"No." The chilly tone of the older brother, Alexei, sent shivers down your spine. "You need to come with us."

...

"Big sister Y/N is here?" You hear Teucer's innocent voice as you enter their home. The younger children laid their eyes on you, seemingly eager to come closer, but perhaps they've been told that now would not be the time.

"Honey... Thank you for coming..." Their mother embraced you warmly, still accepting you with motherly affection. "Oh dear, I'm so sorry..."

"Mama, has he calmed down?" Alexei asked from behind you.

Your mother-in-law parts from you slightly, looking at you tenderly. "She will definitely help."

You put your confusion and questions aside, seeing the somewhat tense air within the house.

"Stop staring." You weren't looking at him, but you felt his eyes watching you set down a tray of soup and medicine on his bedside table.

Childe lets out a chuckle. "Sorry, love, I can't help it..." His eyes never faltered, containing a look of admiration that you've been unfamiliar with for so long.

"After the avalanche, I got a pretty bad head injury. When I woke up, you were the first thing on my mind. And when Mama said you weren't here with me, I freaked out."

You sat down on a chair next to his bed, your eyes observing the bandages wrapped around his head. "What did the doctor say about your injury?"

"I'm gonna get some very bad headaches, and I also got a bit of amnesia, I think." Childe looks as if he's in thought. "Do I seem like I forgot something?"

"Maybe some things..."

"But I love you just the same! So I bet what I forgot wasn't even that important!"

...How cruel.

Having to take care of the man that broke you apart, even worse, a version of him that you loved too much to despise.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

It was painful, staying with him.

Childe would keep you close, call you his different pet names, cuddle up to you, all while you were under the pitiful gaze of his family that knew of his infidelity.

On the other hand, he's been feeling the cold responses his advances have been receiving. But to him, he thinks he can solve it by smothering you in more of his love.

He is pretty observant, he's put it two in two together that he may be missing a memory in which he had done something wrong. He just didn't know how much it had hurt.

Though, not only from you, Childe had also felt that his younger siblings seem distant as well, no longer asking him to play snow games outside, or looking up to him as some sort of hero.

One early morning, when he walks up to the kitchen to see you cooking for the whole family, a smile formed on his face.

He steps closer, wrapping his muscular arms around your waist. "Hmmm... Morning, honey..." He basks in the feeling of you.

You remain quiet, letting him do as he pleases. The ginger frowns, however, feeling unsatisfied by your lack of reaction.

"Babyyyy... Loveee meee backkkk..." He whines, nuzzling his face on your neck.

"Ajax, come on..." You stifled a laugh, moving slightly away as his action tickled you. He hears the slight giggle of your words, smiling against your skin.

You compose yourself, pushing him away from you. "Stop." He lets you push him away, and you feel him freeze slightly at the harshness of your tone.

His blue eyes looked at you worried. "...Hey," He starts. "I'm sorry, darling, did you not like that?"

With a sigh, you looked down. "When the others wake up, tell them I already made breakfast. I have somewhere to be."

You walk pass him, but you did not miss the hurt tone of the faint call of your name.

...

You come back to his family's home after doing some more paperwork for the divorce that your husband doesn't even remember, feeling your head pounding as you ready yourself to face him again.

What you don't expect to see this late at night is Childe sitting on the porch with a lantern next to him, his head hung low as if he's thinking deeply.

"Childe?"

He looks up, but he frowns at you. "Ajax, darling..." He reminds you.

Standing up, he pulls you into his warm embrace. "I love you... I missed you..."

His words take you aback, as you reluctantly wrap your arms around him.

"I've been thinking about this morning, about you. You hate me."

"I know I must've done something... you can tell me." He kneels in front of you, staring at your eyes while his sparkle with the light of the lantern. "And even if I don't remember, I'll make it right..."

As you look down at him, you see the fiery passion of love that burned in his eyes as he knelt down to ask you to marry him so long ago.

It scares you...

You might not be able to control yourself...

"It's just hard to take care of you sometimes." You smile ever so slightly, yet his frown only deepens as tears start to escape your eyes.

He stands, his hand finds its way to your cheek. "Love..." His eyes held such conviction that you've not seen for years. "I'm so sorry..."

You close your eyes to hold in the tears, shaking your head and swaying his hand away. "...You're not."

Despite the tears, you tug at his arm. "Come on, let's head inside."

He's filled with questions, but seeing your sad face makes him set all those aside and focus on you for now.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

"Teucer, hey, little man." Childe calls for his little brother.

The little boy looks at him wide eyed. "I don't want to talk to you." He crossed his little arms, turning around to leave with a displeased look.

"What...? Oh come on..." The harbinger pouted, getting down on his little brother's level. "What did I do wrong...? All our siblings are acting so mean to me..." He whined, frowning as he tries to persuade the little ginger.

"But you were also very very mean!" Teucer refused to look at his older brother, the one he used to look up to the most. "We don't like you anymore!"

Childe's playful facade faded as his expression contorted to a confused one. "Hey, what do you mean...?"

"You're so mean to Y/N, you hurt her! She doesn't deserve tha-"

"Teucer!" Just as his brother erupted to a crying mess, screaming at him with all his little heart, their mother walked into the room, grabbing the little boy.

"Don't talk like that to your elders!"

"But it's true, Mama!"

"That doesn't matter, say sorry to-"

"What does he mean, Mama? Why did I do?" Childe looked at his mother expectantly, his voice starting to shake as he saw the fit of rage Teucer had because of him. "W-What did I do to Y/N?"

HIs mother shook her head, trying to ease her expression with a smile. "Nothing..."

"It's not nothing, Mama!" He raises his voice by accident due to his frustration. "I see it, the way she looks at me, it's different. The way you all look at me, like you have a monster inside your house."

Teucer forced his way out of his mother's hold, running to his older siblings room all teary eyed. Childe felt bad, but he desperately needed answers from his mother.

"Mama, please, I need to know why Y/N doesn't... love me anymore..." It hurts him to say, but based on the way you're acting, he could only make the assumption that your feelings have wavered.

"Oh, Ajax... it's not like that..."

The ginger then felt a sharp pain in his head, making him fall down onto the couch. He groaned as he clutched his head.

"Hey... where are you heading off to so late at night?" He hears your soft voice in a static audio playing in his head.

"Out." He then hears himself replying coldly.

"Ohh, when will you-"

He's out the door before you could even finish your question.

"Ajax, honey!' His mother's voice was a hazy blur as he keeps his eyes closed to envision what he's hearing in his head.

He tries to shake the feeling away, but his mind is flooded by fragmented memories.

"You've been going out a lot more recently." Your concerned voice entered his ears.

"I've been busy."

"Busy where?"

He then hears shatters of glass and yells as you sob while trying to talk to him.

He pictures your face, your crying, begging face, asking for some sort of salvation from his cold and merciless actions.

"T-There's someone else?"

"Someone better."

"H-How could y-you do this?"

"When I look at you now... I feel... nothing."

Childe opened his eyes, not realizing that tears had started to flow to his cheeks. "Mama..."

"Y-Yes, dear?"

"I hurt her..." He was in a state of disbelief. "I-I... Why...?"

His tears fell faster, looking at his mother for answers. "W-Why, Mama? Why was I so stupid? Why did I choose to lose her?"

"I don't know, dear, but that's simply what happened, and you could never make her forget that, even if you forgot."

His breathing started to accelerate, feeling like he wanted to punch himself. As his head started spinning, his vision turns black.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

You took a deep breath as you walked into the house, feeling everyone's eyes on you as you entered.

"Honey..." Your ex mother-in-law embraces you once again, holding you tight. "I'm so sorry... I didn't want to make it difficult for you..."

"N-No, no..." You returned her hug, sniffling as you start to tear up. "I readied myself for this, I'm just here to drop off the final papers..."

"Could you talk to him?" Alevtina suddenly asked, looking at you hesitantly. "I know he's been a jerk... but he won't eat unless he talks to you."

You parted from their mother, feeling the pressure of their request.

"It's okay to curse him, or to scream, or rough him up, I'll even help you." Alexei placed his hand on your shoulder to comfort you.

You nodded, sighing as they guided you to his room. And as you entered with a heavy feeling in your chest, he immediately sat up, alerted by your presence. You stare at each other for a bit before you muttered a word.

"Hi." You greeted him shortly.

"Hey..." His voice was soft, and his eyes followed you attentively.

"I'm sorry to intrude, I'll make this quick." You breathe deeply, trying to relax yourself. "I finished the papers, split the assets, got the lawyers."

"I talked to her, y-your woman..." You looked down, fidgeting with your hands. Childe seemed unfazed by it, though his gaze seem to falter at the mention of 'his woman'.

"She... umm... wasn't really interested anymore after the accident..." You breathe heavily, feeling small under his gaze. "But... your family's here to take care of you..."

Clearing your throat, you continued. "I do have one request, if I could... I would like a safe boat ride back home." You stepped closer, intending to hand him the envelope that contained all the paperwork to finalize your divorce.

"Take it all." You stopped in your tracks as he spoke.

"The house, the mora, the boat. It's all yours..." He lays back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "Would you also do me a favor?"

You looked at him, encouraging him to speak.

"Carve my heart out and take it with you."

"...Can we be serious for a second?" You sighed.

"I would like to stay with you. I think that would be a good way to do it without constantly wanting to punch myself." You noticed that his eyes started to flood with tears.

"Ajax... I'm sorry this happened to you..."

"No, Y/N, I'm sorry... I'm sorry for everything." He sat up again, tears falling from his eyes as he looks up at you with genuine eyes. "I don't know why I did that. And I... I regret it so much..." He reached for your hand, and you let him hold onto you for strength.

"Every tear I had in me I already cried when you left me for her." You smiled bitterly, though you remained soft, making him even more guilty as you try to stay strong. "But I appreciate the apology..."

You pull your hand away from him slowly, feeling that he was reluctant to let go.

"I-I still love you..."

You gave him a final smile. "You'll love someone better than me... Childe..." You back away, leaving him alone in his room still yearning for the days where his memory only consisted of loving you.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Hiiii again after quite a while! I think I've been noticing that my recent fics have been angst, I guess I just feel like hurting you guys this season of giving (I give pain :D)

Anywayy, anon, I think at some point I went my own direction and didn't fully stick to your request (I'm sorryyy TvT) but I hope you like it anyway!

[hughiecampbelle]

The Boys Preference: Reacting To Your Tattoos

A/N: I have so many ideas for The Boys cast! Be sure to look out for more posts! I'm updating my request list to include them 😊 I'm sorry I've been a little MIA! I'll be getting back to requests asap! Hope you like it! Feedback is always appreciated 💜

Butcher loves them. This is not the moment to say something, to react, but he definitely takes notice. You got hurt, really hurt, and the only way to save you was for Annie cauterizing your wounds, buying you a little more time. Butcher didn't need to hold you down, you'd already gone limp, losing all color in your face. He begs you to wake up, to stay with them. There was so much blood. So much red. He was covered in it, seeping through his shirt. Your jacket was thrown off, the collar of your shirt torn, ripped, for easier access to your shoulder and they both discovered the tattoos. Your chest, your arm, neck, you were covered. He had a feeling there were far more, wondering why you never showed any of them. You were always so bundled up, he never even questioned it. He warned you this was going to hurt, though he wasn't even sure you could hear him. Still, as Annie's hands grew bright, he cringes, hoping you were too out of it to feel anything, hoping this would all seem like a far away dream. Hoping you won't mind the large scar that will warp your ink.

Hughie is pretty intimidated by them. The Boys are already a scary looking group, but meeting you, he thought you were going to bite off his head. Your body was pretty covered. After getting to know you, he realizes how wrong he was. You're snarky and stubborn, but you're also thoughtful and funny. If it were up to you, you'd never hurt a fly, just Vought. Still, every so often you'll do or say something that reminds him of that first impression, especially when you feel threatened or your friends are threatened. You'll show up with a few new ones, filling in the gaps. When it comes to open wounds you're ready to treat it with a strong drink and duct tape. When it comes to your tattoos, you're meticulous in your aftercare. He's never seen you so serene looking as when you're taking care of them, so gentle. Something about that makes him feel like he shouldn't be witnessing it, but he's grateful that he is. When they're in tricky spots, he's the first to offer to help. He works with nervous hands, afraid he'll do something to ruin it. You just laugh, walking him through it.

Annie knows all about your tattoos. They are, after all, linked to the V in your blood. You didn't start developing them until your late teens, your parents assuming the V they injected was a dud. Images started appearing and with them, your powers. By the time she met you, you were covered. You didn't like showing off to The Boys. You still had a long way to go to gaining their trust. Parading around the fact that you were a Supe wasn't going to help. Still, when it was just you and Annie you were less reluctant to show her. All kinds of images adorned your skin: weapons, insects, animals. You liked the weapons the best. The thing could project itself from your skin as if it were real. In seconds, you had a sword in each hand, as real and sharp as if you'd physically gotten one. The best part? Your skin was indestructible. Every few months, maybe years, a new tattoo would appear, giving you a leg up in the fight against Vought. She thinks you have by far the most interesting powers of any Supe she's met.

M.M. hates them. Because they're linked to the V you got as a baby, he sees them more of a warning than anything else, the way brightly colored animals are poisonous. He hadn't realized the first time you met, what they were from, and you were smart enough not to tell him. It was only when you were fighting for your life did you use your abilities: the circles on the back of your neck, layered, you let out a sonic scream that shattered windows, set off car alarms, and drew blood. The group that had attacked you were coughing it up, it was running down their necks from their ears. M.M. was far enough away not to be affected, but the way he tells it, he was *this* close to having his insides turned to goo. Some were safe enough to run away. The ones who were closer dropped dead with a wet squelch. He trusts you even less for not telling him. When he breaks the news to everyone else, he's shocked to find out that they either knew (like Annie) or they were unfazed, more impressed than anything else, like you'd become this great asset. You apologize profusely, but you know it'll be a long time before he can even look you in the eyes.

Frenchie thinks they're so cool. He went with you once and got one of his own: while you were getting a rather large piece finished, he wants to get a smiley face on his ass cheek. Despite the discomfort, Frenchie's all giggles. He's more than excited to show this off to everyone he decides to moon. You try to tell him how to take care of it, but he waves you off. He's eager to show The Boys. He's lucky it heals properly and by the end of the week, everyone he comes into contact with has seen it. Besides that, his favorite thing is to study the ones you have. They're intricate and beautiful and some of them are pretty silly. You never understood the sentiment that there had to be some grand kind of meaning behind them. If you like it, you get it tattooed. He asks questions about them, most done all over the world or, a couple, in prison. He thinks you look badass, especially when you shed the bulky layers and show off what they normally don't get to see. Your back piece is his favorite. When you're wearing something with a low back, or disregard a shirt completely, he can't help but watch you. You're careful, covering them with clothes or makeup so that whatever illegal thing you're doing can't be traced.

Kimiko asks a lot of questions. Did it hurt? Why that image? What does it mean? How long did it take? You never mind, in fact you like talking about them. You spent enough time getting stabbed, you wanted someone to ask. She especially loves the ones on your hands. They look beautiful as you sign back to her. Some are still a little raised despite how well you took care of them, those are her favorite. She touches them delicately, afraid it might hurt, but you assure her they're all healed. She watches when you're getting changed together, how they move with your skin and muscles. They make her smile knowing you feel so much more at home in your body because of them, something you admitted to her late one night after a few drinks. They help you like yourself, covering up insecurities, making you feel cuter/cooler than you would without them. She's always the first to notice when you get a new one, making a point regardless of the situation to tell you how nice it looks and that she likes it a lot.

Bonus! Homelander thinks they're horrendous. Disgusting. Just another way you've defiled your body. He can't stand to look at them and made sure you understand that. Around him, you keep them covered, either by clothing or makeup. You know better than to draw attention towards them. Regardless of how you acquired them (Compound V or just an aesthetic choice) you know not to bring them up or let anyone else bring them up. A-Train noticed the one of the back of your neck and that put Homelander over the edge. You were both thrown out of the room. You consider yourself more than lucky. He could have killed you, both of you, but he was feeling generous. He had bigger things on his mind. You knew working for Vought would lead to sacrifices, uncomfortable situations, but being interrogated by Homelander about your tattoos was never something you ever considered. He thinks about using his lasers every time he sees them poking out from your sleeve or pants. But he needs you. As long as he needs you, you're safe. The moment you stop being useful, he's going to cut off every individual image until there's nothing left. Until you look normal again.

[emilibro]

Ughhh I'm so sorry to be an ass but I see so much popular art on tumblr and around the internet that really woobifies both Laios and Kabru and their relationship, especially when they're together.... You guys are aware that Laios eats monsters the way people would like. Eat animals, right? He's not crazy or stupid or sadistic or anything. He has a special interest and it's monsters.

Furthermore, his past having himself and his sister be shunned for their interests in the abnormal made him develop a distaste for humanity. Laios has just thought monsters were way cooler since he was a kid, and Falin really looked up for him for his dedication to his interests and personal code of moral ethics. He never loved his sister less for her abilities, he admired her for what made her different. Because he's fucking awesome and they're autistic as hell.... they both went through so damn much. Laios never fit into the military, into his hometown, he barely fit into most groups of adventurers since he met Marcille, chilchuck, and company, and two of the members of that original party didn't care enough to join him. His feeling of worthlessness to his friends in the beginning of the story are enough to make him imagine a whole scenario in between major chapters where he was the one who was eaten.. and he thought nobody except Falin would care enough to save him.

Point being Laios has a much richer character that goes ALONGSIDE his special interest in monsters. Which honestly is more comparable to, like. A fucking biologist. Not a monsterfucker, not a cannibal, none of that shit. Monsterfuckers are cool as a monsterfucker but he's not one.. he's more like a furry man.... And he's not stupid he's just. Autistic. Why are we making autistic characters with a silly side seem stupid? Everyone has dumb moments sure but like.. he's really smart guys... there's a reason he's such a good leader outside of his ability to listen to his party members. Don't fall for the mischaracterization of Laios that his party members originally set for him before major important arcs guys...

And Kabru. Oh my God. Kabru. Kabru is also autistic but for humans, social interactions and culture... he's a nerd for politics and the humanities, and I'll avoid saying much more to avoid spoilers for non-manga readers but you'll see more of that as time passes. But he's not the type to be easily flustered. Laios only gets to him, not even because he's that difficult to read, but because he catches him off guard. He's an interesting critter, bro. And Kabru definitely sees that. It takes time to respect that, but within a period of time he learns to see him as a relatively competent adventurer and places a lot of faith from him. On some level, this guy has learned to understand this very interesting autistic guy who is forward with his feelings that a very autistic Kabru hasn't learned to understand. That's what makes their relationship so cool, man. He's not cold in reality (though people may perceive him that way due to backstory motivations and attitude within the dungeon), but he's a lot more serious than this... c'mon guys.. let's be a little real here please.... at this point I barely like Labru anymore because they've been so like. Babied. Woobified. Whatever the word is man. I'm starting to appreciate their friendship more as a friendship now because I just think the beautiful qualities I saw in their romance have been sort of overlooked or misinterpreted. Nowadays I just think their platonic relationship is beautiful. Sighs.

Farcille is awesome though and these girls are awesome slay

-

Edit: hey guys, I wanna address a couple of things here! For one, this isn't intended to be ship hate. Labru is a perfectly valid ship - rather, I'm just not a fan of how deep the mischaracterization of both characters runs, and how it results in the subsequent babying of their relationship. While it's driven me personally away from the romance a bit, I have no problem with the ship itself. Additionally, Farcille has its own issues with woobification that could use some addressing, I just haven't had to see as much mischaracterization on my feeds. Maybe in a future post I'll address some of my personal peeves with many people's characterization of Farcille, ESPECIALLY Falin.

[hers-underwraps]

They are all literally just a little Desert family

(Because they're both from deserts (Australia and the Artic)

Look guys, they're all one big family and you can't convince me otherwise

Let me explain

First you've got the father-daughter relationship between Natquik and Dashi. They go on so many missions together and Natquik adores Dashi so much. He's even got a photo of her hanging up on the wall in his den!

She's always out there doing supply runs in risky weather, doing Artic research and they even set out on a lil mission with just the two of them to check out seismic activity! It really helps affirm the father-son relationship with Natquik and Barnacles. Look at how happy they are when dropping him off.

They're just like "Bye Dad!"

The way Dashi and Natquik always talk to each other out of genuine interest/concern as well! For example when Natquik's calling about the fox situation and Dashi says "What the Captain meant to say is how are you enjoying your vacation" or when Natquik calls them to check that dashi got home safely and had some hot coco. They are just the cutest!

Second, you've got the Koshi and Barnacles big brother-little sister relationship. These two are such a wholesome duo because I feel like these two are just on the same frequency. Also the fact that Koshi is always stealing Barnacles's mannerism (e.g. pose/catchphrase) very much reminds me of younger sibling behaviour.

The way Koshi is able to talk to Barnacles like they are equals and call him out on stuff makes their dynamic a lot more fluid.

Barnacles is definitely able to take off his "children serious" filter and can be a little bit more like himself around her. For example, in the raven's episode where he says "A conspiracy, you mean they're plotting against us?!?!" and Koshi says "Nah, you know that's what you call a group of raven's."

Also when they do their little bluff with the raven's it's so funny because two aren't naturally the best actors (ngl Barnacles's acting is abysmal have you seen the bald ibis episode).

These two have definitely got something wrong with them but they are also so obsessed with learning and understanding other behaviour and I think they have an unspoken bond over that which I think is really neat.

Third, we've also got this rarepair Tracker and Koshi duo! They lowkey give me “omg it’s my favourite cousin” vibes because they instantly click really well. These two get an entire episode together (the billabong mystery) and they are such a good combo. Between their shared excess knowledge and wits they work well together.

Koshi invited Tracker to go and study Australian birds (also I love that she knew that he loved birds) and they both end up causing a bit of chaos. Koshi also helps Tracker by showing him the ropes of Australia is great to see.

The "Home Run" moment for me in terms of their dynamic was when Koshi gave Tracker her mystery sister's notebook to write their adventure in. This book means a lot to Koshi, she takes it everywhere and she usually uses it to write about her adventures with Dashi. So for her to give it over to Tracker meant that they’d formed a pretty strong bond.

Tracker taking the time and care to write their adventure in her notepad shows that he really likes Koshi as well. These two are the duo I never knew I needed.

Fourth, speaking of Tracker admittedly, he and Dashi haven't had a great deal of interactions, most of them being computer calls. Their relationship is definitely one that's formed around mutual friends. If I were going to put a label on it I'd say they're giving off that "third cousin that I see once every few years but also happens to know everything about me" vibe.

Their most notable interaction was their first call in the deep freeze special. Tracker definitely takes a liking to Dashi (as to what type of liking that is based on his tone...) but generally, they seem to have positive interactions in the calls they do share.

Tracker said it was “really nice to meet you” and honestly it would be really nice if these two get an episode together in the next season of Above and Beyond.

Fifth, obviously we've got the Dashi and Barnacles power duo here. Their bond is probably the foundation of this little desert family. Ironically I also don’t want to put a label on it because theirs so many ways to go about interpreting it (I could go into a deeper dive for them but that’s for another post…).

These two have genuinely been in the trenches together. They were quite literally parenting the original squad in the original series and they now share major leadership roles in above and beyond. They’re got each others backs, they’re keeping everyone (including each other) alive and managed.

They express so much genuine concern for each other and are usually there as when the other is in strife. Barnacles is literally having a full on mini meltdown when Dashi first flying to Natquik, clearly they mean something to each other. Whether it’s a “trauma bond so strong we founded a family” or “Bestied so hard our families combined” situation these two are like this 🤞.

There are also other examples I could talk about like Koshi and the cubs hanging out and getting along nicely or characters that aren't probably going to get a chance to interact like Koshi and Natiquik since Natquik never leaves the Artic and I highly doubt Koshi has a reason to go there but my point still stands. These two "families" of characters have had several interactions and entire episodes dedicated to them to the point where it could almost be interpreted as a deliberate choice. Nearly all above-and-beyond episodes with Professor Natquik feature Dashi. Tracker and Koshi got an entire episode dedicated to them despite having limited interactions before. There are also several episodes that feature a 2 artic + 1 aus trio or 1 aus + 1 artic in them.

The nail on this coffin for me personally for the desert families was definitely the "Artic Blizzard" episode with "Billabong Mystery" further solidifying it.

For example, take this scene where Dashi's first priority is making sure that the cubs are ok once the wolves are scared away instead of running to see if Barnacles is ok. She understands that the cubs are vulnerable and highly protected members of the "Artic family" hence genuinely worries about them despite them not being her own "Blood" family, which is what most of them are more naturally inclined to do.

She's worried about their safety throughout the whole thing and has to entirely place her trust entirely in Natquik and Tracker as most other options are not viable due to the nature of the Artic.

(Also off topic, Dashi driving into the wolves honking at them and shouting on the speaker to get away from the polar bears was so in the character of her I genuinely giggled)

Thinking about this from a practical perspective, some octonauts/agents would be far better suited to handle missions in the Arctic, yet Dashi is chosen by the writers reoccurring in these adventures which I think is a great way to allude and represent the struggles of family. The trusting in them to show a new culture, to get you to safety, the fear surrounding unfamiliarity and anxieties surrounding acceptance when you are completely out of your depths is illustrated through the forming the "desert family"

This idea is then continued in the Billabong mystery episode where it's Tracker having to trust Koshi in an alien environment. Furthermore, the episode is told through a flashback, which gives Tracker the power of having the dominant narrative voice. His recalling of the events, despite being filled with mishaps and miscommunication leading to problems is generally positive. This episode can give insights into the importance of forming strong and positive connections with others when learning to adjust to the many complications and quirks that come with families. By being able to create a sense of belonging for others within the preexisting family structure in an organic way (e.g. by using commonalities and demonstrating both the highs and lows), the idea of the "desert family" being an intentional choice.

Also, I love how the stronger bonds with the "desert family" structure are upheld throughout the group interactions. They had all three of them lined up and proud of the cubs during the badge ceremony. They could've left them out and made it a personal thing with just the cubs and barnacles but they instead chose to celebrate family achievements with the whole (which we love to see). Furthermore, looking at the snowball fight, for example, they all instinctively split up into teams (Dashi+Natquik) vs (Tracker+Barnacles) vs (The Cubs) which I think is just stinking adorable and has also been repeatedly shown as a strong duo with "familiarly connotations" in previously episodes.

So that's why I think these guys are a "Desert family" and I think that this should be appreciated more.

I have a method to the madness. No this is not some delirious delusion, but I think an intentional choice in order to educate others on complex topics in accessible ways and further develop the characters.

Now, all thats left to do is hope for an episode of all of them together!

Peace out!

<3

[amywritesthings]

Love your fic love, it's the best one I've ever read. Could you do something from Levi pov when he started realising he liked Reader and he felt about that?

first of all, thank you for such lovely words! i'm so happy you like it. second of all, i can certainly write you a levi pov where he had his 'oh shit do i like her?' moment xo

all at once. / levi ackerman x f!reader

word count: 900 warnings: language, levi pov set in the silver underground universe

( read on ao3 here )

Furlan had a funny saying about the people he fell head over heels for.

It happens slowly, he once told Levi.

The two of them were sitting around their newly-bought two-bedroom apartment, comically vacant and egregiously filthy.

With his long legs outstretched and crossed at the ankle, Furlan chose to sink his palms into the dust to tattoo his fingerprints. 

To say he was there.

(I was here. I am here.)

Levi chose a more civilized position — sitting backwards on one of the only two chairs they had in this place, his sleeved forearms folded over each other on its curved back. He peered down at his friend with the utmost curiosity, head hung under a curtain of black fringe.

“The hell’s this question coming from?” Levi grunted as he shifted his shoe on the floor.

Fucking disgusting; he wasn’t going to sleep tonight if the entire apartment ended up being this damn dirty. 

“What do you mean?” Furlan asked. "Which topic?"

“The topic of this,” Levi clarified, “and why you’re so interested in who I may be looking at on the streets."

"What, we can't gossip?"

The way Levi's brow quirked said otherwise. Furlan sighed.

"We're roommates now."

"So?"

"So?"

"I don’t think I asked who you're interested in, Church.”

“No, you didn’t,” Furlan hummed happily with a dopey smile on his face. “But now that we have this place with two whole bedrooms to ourselves, we have the luxury of inviting people over. Think about it: two young and handsome bachelors, ready to take on the—”

“Wait, invite people over?” Levi interrupted, brow rising. “This isn’t a community house. It's headquarters.”

“No, I know."

"Do you?"

"Yeah! But like I said, think about it: now that we’re taking names and carving our own legacies down here, I’m sure plenty of people will think we’re great. Maybe we'll even get some kinda group of admirers for our efforts.”

“Doubtful.”

“Aw, c’mon, Levi,” Furlan pouted. “Don’t you like anyone? There’s that one guy with the tattoos over on second street.”

“No.”

“Or the dark-haired girl who always seems to give you a discount on soups.”

“Not happening.”

“Why not?”

“Because.”

Furlan blinked.

The black-haired boy felt his temper — and embarrassment — rising.

“Because I wouldn’t know what the fuck it feels like to like someone like… that.”

Levi grit the truth between his teeth, hating the honesty that came with this ridiculous conversation. 

The Underground City doesn't quite offer anything real. Down here love was transactional. There wasn't room for emotional error.

He saw what it did to his mother.

He saw how it molded whatever the fuck he’d call Kenny.

Bottom line was that feelings weren’t good.

And then there was Furlan, looking at him like he’d grown a second head.

“Well, when you realize there's something about someone, it's slow,” the ash-blonde boy suggested, nodding with encouragement. “From my understanding, liking a guy, girl, person, whatever — it happens slowly, then all at once.”

“How’s it slow?”

Furlan smiled, knocking his feet side to side against the wooden floorboards.

“Probably because the people you actually like are kinda in the background until they aren’t anymore.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Levi echoed. "You're supposed to be attracted to them first."

"That definitely helps, but that's like... lust or whatever," Furlan challenged. "I'm talking about liking someone. Wanting to hold hands or be with them so you can listen to them talk all the time and never get bored of what they're saying."

Levi scoffed, turning his chin sharply to the right as he considered.

Slow, then all at once.

Except it was never slow.

It would’ve been really fucking helpful if it had been.

You’d been ready to rip his throat open all those years ago.

No one had ever gotten the jump on him the way you had. No one would ever come close.

Maybe watching your fights after Kenny dropped him for reasons unsaid had been the slowest part about this. Watching your sweat-streaked face as you caught your breath in the midst of folding someone double your size like it was nothing. Listening to your voice in the alleyway when you spoke to that witch of a woman. Conjuring up an excuse to talk to you, to see if you even remembered—

It’d been all at once from the very beginning.

Someone as fleeting as a ghost had haunted his once dreamless sleep.

Hell, you still did.

“Sounds like you got someone in mind.”

His gray eyes darted back to Furlan, instantly on the defensive.

The other boy sported a goofy smirk. Levi scowled.

He could tell him.

He could ask if the way his throat closed up whenever he so much as considered uttering her name was a sign that he was head over heels.

That sometimes it wasn’t slow, but as fast as a blow to the damn head.

That sometimes liking a stranger felt more powerful than anything he'd ever known.

“Nah,” Levi lied, surging from his seat to stand at full height. “Only thing I’m interested in is cleaning this piece of shit up. I’m not sleeping on cobwebs tonight, so get up, grab a broom, and help.”

James.

Maybe one day he’d face it; liking someone.

Really, genuinely, devastatingly wanting someone.

But he couldn’t afford it.

(Maybe one day.)

[nervoussagittarius]

20191009 I Like Her

matt sturniolo x reader

summary: y/n shows matt a song that explains the way he's been feeling

warnings: none just fluff

"matt, have you ever listened to mac demarco? " you ask as you lay on his bed. there's been a comfortable silence between the two of you as you search for new music and matt sits at his desk playing around with his computer settings.

somehow you had come across one of your old playlists that focused primarily on the album "2" by mac demarco.

while he was one of your favorite artists growing up, you never got the chance to listen to his newer music. matt looked at you for a second and held up a finger signaling that he'd answer you shortly, after he finished changing his desktop files around.

matt was trying to play it cool. he had been having these weird feelings towards you for the past couple days. he didn't know how they developed or what they meant. what he did know is that he didn't want to come off strong or seem overly interested in you even though his mind was screaming at him to say how he's been feeling.

truth be told, he didn't really know how he felt. he had only known you for a couple of months and you started coming around the house more because you were close with nick. though, as time went on you formed a bond with matt that was comfortable and safe. matt was always able to tell when he started liking a girl, but it was harder to find the words to explain how he felt about you.

matt felt the need to keep any relationship between you two strictly platonic. you were nick's friend first, and while he didn't think nick would care he didn't want to lose the trust that he had built with his brother. he vowed to himself that nothing romantic could happen between you two, but as days went on that thought flew further to the back of his head.

"mac demarco," matt asks, he looked at you again. "is he the one who sings salad days'"

"yeah and he has a lot of other good music, but i just found his newest album and there's one hundred and ninety nine songs on it"

you pressed shuffle on the album. it was intriguing that a majority of the songs just had numbers for titles,and no vocals to them, just melodys.

"this song is '20200821 cowboy shit' its different" you said as you both laughed listening to the lyrics.

"it's definitely something" matt replied still not taking his eyes off of you. he admired the way your eyes sparkled as you flicked through the songs. he noticed how your lips turned up in a twinge of a smile when you heard a lyric you liked. he loved moments with you like this. he could sit here with you forever.

"y/n" matt said as the next song started playing. he was nervous to ask the next question. he wanted to know if you could put a name to the emotions he was feeling. you had always been better with this kind of stuff. you knew how to communicate how you felt, and you were always an open book with him. "do you think it's possible for us to like each other as more than friends? i don't really know how to explain it but i've been having these thoughts recently and i cant tell if they're just plationic"

you stared at him in shock of what he was saying. you've had feelings for matt for a few weeks now, but you didn't want to make things weird by saying something.

the words to '20191009 i like her' played in the background as you two just looked at each other. you kept replaying matts question in your head to think of the best way to answer, while matt was focused intently on the lyrics to the song to try to distract himself from the tension that had begun to rise in his room.

i'd give the world to her

as long as my heart's still beating

as long as she's next to me

as long as this love still fleeting

because i like her

matt thought you looked beautiful even though it felt like he could see the wheels turning in your head as you tried to answer his question.

listening to the lyrics, he felt this thought clear, and he knew in this moment that he couldn't say his feeling were just friendly anymore. sensing this, you made your way over to him. he looked at you warily, almost expecting you to yell at him and tell him that that he was crazy.

there was another beat of silence. "i like you y/n, a lot. i would do anything for you. will you please give me a chance?"

without second thought, you cupped his face in your hands and kissed the boy that you had quickly come to like.

could it be make believe?

am i just walking through a dream?

haven't felt this way in

such a long time, i do believe

that i like her

an: i've never written anything like this before so please tell me if you liked it or if you think i should change something. i'm always open to receiving feedback. i really appreciate you guys being here and if i could give each of you a forehead kiss i would

[whateverisbeautiful]

Hi! So, something I’ve been thinking about since Richonne went canon is their PDA. From the RV onward, they (particularly Rick) have had no issues showing any level of affection in front of their family and friends and for some reason, I never expected that. All the years hoping for them to become canon and yet I didn’t imagine the gift giving and hand holding into battle and I have no idea why though! Maybe an idea that they are leaders and would keep that close to the vest?! I was even trying to see how Rick and Lori behaved with one another but their relationship was so different (high school sweethearts married for a decade plus, just returned “from the dead”, The Drama, etc).

I also wonder if they didn’t immediately get caught in 4k, would things be different. I mean, in front of/for the sake of Carl, sure. But after the way Rick was acting in TOWL, I’m not so sure 😂

Aw yeah. 🥰 They really are so soft with each other no matter the setting. I remember after 6.10 I was also super curious how outward they would be with their affection because Rick and Michonne seem like more private people but they also are both genuinely affectionate people. Like even how they'd hug and comfort others showed they're naturally comfortable with physical affection. That's why I always find it notable how little they touched each other before becoming a couple because it felt deliberate like they knew if they touched each other it would and did feel like something more. But I love that once they got together they ended up being super public about their love and affection. Their love is just too strong to downplay no matter who's around.

My favorite Richonne PDA moment in TWD is definitely the one from the season 8 premiere when they have that passionate kiss all while those long lines of cars filled with Alexandrians wait for them. That's also the only time I can think of where Carl was shown to see them like that.

I can see why the PDA might have not been expected beforehand because Rick's previous romantic pursuits simply did not bring out the same man that Michonne does. Plus there was so much secrecy surrounding his dynamic with Lori and Jessie, but with Michonne they really hold nothing back from each other which allows them to more freely and authentically love each other out loud.

Thinking back to Rick and Michonne's first kisses on that couch, I remember thinking it feels like I've never seen Rick kiss anyone before this because the way he was with her felt different. Like it was a higher level of passion and also trust that he's finally with a woman who loves him for him. Rick was always a lover boy but with Michonne he comes alive in this elevated way and she definitely awoke his truest romantic self. And I also love what Rick brings out of Michonne. She's often felt the need to always have it together and take on things for the good of the group, but with Rick she's able to let go and be fully immersed in enjoying their romantic moments.

That's really interesting to think about how things would go if they weren't caught in 4k the morning after they got together. I've been curious about how that morning would have played out without Jesus' interruption too. Rick definitely would still be ready to make things official between them and the kids I think. Like he'd still want to have a conversation with Carl that same day to express that what he and Michonne have is the real deal and here to stay. And I think Michonne (in maybe a less outwardly eager way than Slick Rick lol) would be on the same page that they're together from here on out now.

I honestly think their PDA probably stays the same too, even if their friends hadn't found out on the stairwell. Like you said, TOWL showed that Rick and Michonne are pretty much an any-time/any-place couple when it comes to loving on each other and so I think it still would have felt like such a natural next step to them to be publicly affectionate shortly after getting together. And it really is one of the things that most warms my heart about Richonne - they're both the toughest people in the apocalypse and the absolute tenderest with each other. 😊

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

for the cullens, who would you say is the most to least set in their ways?

That's hard, anon, because... well, they're the Cullens.

But alright, let's make this controversial list.

Rosalie

Edward and Rosalie compete for the top spots here but I think Rosalie has to win because we don't see her change significantly in canon. Because of Bella and his falling in love with her, Edward changes both his outlook on life and significant personal beliefs (vampires having souls).

Now, it's hard going to get there, and he doesn't really change as a person, but he does confront himself and does grow in the series.

Rosalie, however, firmly believes that being human is the only option no matter what, even when faced with Bella who shows someone who firmly wants to become a vampire, doesn't want children (at first), and is quite happy upon becoming a vampire.

Rosalie has her set beliefs and she really really really doesn't want to change even when presented alternatives. She also doesn't want to admit that hey, what may be the right thing for Rosalie may not be the right thing for Bella and things that matter to Rosalie may not matter to Bella.

Rosalie is incredibly stubborn and not just set in her ways but determined to be set in them.

Edward

Runner up is Edward.

Edward has certain views of himself, the world, Bella, his father, just about everyone that he will not change no matter the evidence he is presented with. He also is incredibly stubborn and when he decides on a course of action, fuck you, that's what he's going to do.

The entire series takes place because Edward is absolutely unwilling, in all circumstances no matter how dire, to ever turn Bella into a vampire.

Add onto that things like Edward being bound and determined to kill himself via the Volturi the moment Bella dies (remember he plans this early in Twilight when he realizes he's in love. He knows he's not going to turn her, so he's going to wait out her human life then kill himself afterwards and he has the whole thing planned out. It was just a matter of when).

Edward also wants to be a gentleman from the 1910's, when he grew up, and says as much often. Bella wants to do modern dating? Well, Bella, Edward wants to be a gentleman (except when it gets in the way of the things he wants, then he's going to ignore that).

Edward's incredibly set in his ways.

Alice

Alice is interesting.

In some ways, she's the very definition of flexibility. Alice is a leaf on the wind, following her visions for the best future, and as a result never quite understandable. She doesn't fight her visions, isn't set on a particular course of action, and will pivot as needed to do what's best for her and her family.

Except that's the thing, that's a philosophy and way of being Alice.

This is the way Alice has been for her entire life that she can remember, following her third eye and doing what's best, manipulating those around her in a benign manner to get the best outcome even if there are risks.

In many ways, Alice really should be number one, except that it's not that stubbornness of Rosalie and Edward and you are able to negotiate with her (so long as her inner eye agrees that's for the best).

Esme

Esme's third but it's a trailing fourth.

Esme doesn't have the willful stubbornness of Edward and Rosalie, the lack of any desire to change whatsoever under any circumstances or ever change her mind about things, but she does seem very unflappable and very untouched by anything that happens around her.

Esme always unfailingly sees the best in people--even people who are an enemy army of vampires going into Bella's bedroom to steal her clothes. There are times she seems completely out to lunch with what's happening and fails to confront Edward on his alarming behavior (she confronts him but it goes sideways quickly).

It's hard to imagine Esme changing her ways significantly because she's so... Esme.

Jasper

This is a very very very trailing fifth for Jasper, he's nowhere near Rosalie and Edward's level and really not set in his ways at all. Jasper overturns his life, goes on a whacky diet after eating people for a hundred fifty years, starts going to high school.

Jasper is far from set in his ways.

But he does have trouble adjusting and getting himself out of the "I am a territorial warlord" headspace.

Jasper's always looking for threats and how to eliminate them, he doesn't think twice about killing Bella in Twilight to keep the secret even when the family's debating over whether this is something they should do. In Eclipse he's right back in his element of planning the fight with the newborn army.

He struggles the most with his thirst (though this is likely due to losing the genetic lottery and not so much personality) and as a result struggles with the Cullen lifestyle.

He tries to interact with Bella as a human and when he does it leads to disaster and then he retracts and keeps huge distance until he feels he can safely be around her.

Jasper's not set in his ways but it does seem it's hard to remove himself from the past.

Emmett

Emmett's a very easy going guy who's lighthearted and gets along with just about everyone. He's great at easing tension, doesn't take things too seriously, and is able to talk down both Rosalie and Edward throughout the series.

Now, that's a kind of unflappable personality that's not really prone to change, which puts him here on our list, but that's not what I'd really call set in his ways.

Emmett gladly adopts new technology, doesn't seem hung up on anything about his human life whatsoever, and while I don't imagine his personality changing much it really doesn't have to.

I think Emmett's a very adaptable person (as shown by his taking a vampire wife who saved him from a bear in the first place).

The only thing that's a bit strange is his bear vendetta but you do you, Emmett.

Carlisle

In some ways, Carlisle deserves the top spot on this list, as he's the most stubborn man alive. He'll happily die before giving up this diet, even if his eyes turn funny colors, he'll train himself to be a doctor, he remains a devout Christian even when a demon, and he does what he wants.

However, he's also kind of the definition of change.

This 16th century Anglican priest became a demon, then decided to make being a demon suit him, traveled the world to find people like him, then becomes a doctor and attends university because he can, and adapts to each new work environment and his ever expanding family of vampires and nonsense thrown his way.

Carlisle is anything but set in his ways for all that he's very very stubborn about his ideals.

Renesmee

We don't see much of her but Renesmee has no real ways to be set into. She lives in a bizarre glass bubble (in which a war almost happens three months after she's born), she herself is constantly changing physically every second, and it's hard to imagine her ever getting herself into a rut because like it or not things are going to happen as she gets older.

This puts her at the least set in her ways.

[tobiasdrake]

Can you elaborate on the broly cheelai leemo dynamic? I could see what they were going for but thought it seemed a little underdeveloped

It's definitely underdeveloped but for what we get in the film, it works for me.

On their own, what makes Cheelai and Lemo interesting is that we rarely get to see rank-and-file Planet Trade forces. We've gotten to know Saiyans and their mutant elites, but ordinary Frieza Force troops are rarely in focus.

So far as the writing goes, Lemo is basically a purse for Cheelai; He goes where she goes. She's the one that drives the plot of DBS: Broly. An irreverent car thief who stole a cop car and then got ID'd by the police. She didn't really join the Frieza Force; She's using Frieza as a shield.

This woman gives zero fucks.

She's right, too. As Jaco: The Galactic Patrolman clearly established, there's a limit to how much Galactic Patrol can interfere with Frieza's operations. Capitalism is far more powerful than law enforcement.

In any case, this makes Cheelai an interesting figure in the whole conflict. She's not so much with Frieza as she is a wild card in the mix. She's scrappy; She goes where she will, does what she wants, and problem-solves her way out of the trouble she lands herself in through whatever means are available, even if they're unconventional. That's a good setup for a protagonist.

And make no mistake: Cheelai, Lemo, and Broly are the protagonists of this film. In much the same way that Infinity War is more Thanos's film than anyone else's, this is their movie, without a doubt.

For his part, Lemo's an old-timer with the organization. One thing I really like that this movie does is acknowledge that an organization like the Planet Trade requires the existence of staff beyond the direct military. We even see it with the Saiyans, as this same film introduces us to the Saiyan mechanic Beets.

Like Goku's chef of a mom Gine, Beets exists to demonstrate the existence of Saiyan infrastructure. Saiyans may be the most powerful race in the universe but even a warrior race needs bread-making Saiyans and mechanic Saiyans and stuff.

The same is true of Lemo. By his own admission, he's been with the Frieza Force for a long time but he is not a soldier. And, y'know, neither is Cheelai; She's a car thief in hiding.

Leemo's main job is to be Cheelai's sounding board, and to Me Too Me Too every choice she makes with Broly. This serves the purpose of keeping Broly and Cheelai's dynamic from seeming romantic. They're certainly shippable, of course, but the film never crosses that line of making them a canon ship.

This is good because actively trying to thrust Broly into a romantic relationship with the first non-parent person he ever met would seem unbelievably predatory and kill the sweet vibe of their dynamic. Cheelai is not here to be a Love Interest, so the film uses Leemo as a chaperone to keep their scenes from coming across like she is.

They're out here scouting the universe for recruits to join the Frieza Force but having difficulty finding people who can meet the standard requirements for enlisting in the main army. Until they go to pick up Paragus's distress signal and stumble upon the jackpot of their lives.

Once we get the Dragon Ball Minus portion of the film out of the way, so much of the first act is just setting up and developing the chemistry between Broly and Cheelai.

This is the first conversation Broly has ever had with someone who wasn't his abusive father in his entire life.

When they introduce Broly to Frieza and we get an explanation of his tendencies, the animation on Broly is so good.

Paragus explains that he cut off Broly's tail because Broly would lose his mind whenever he became the Oozaru, and lets slip that Broly still sometimes loses his mind and becomes wild and unstable. When Frieza naturally takes issue with such a person being on his ship, Paragus quickly clarifies that he has Broly under control.

As he removes the controller to Broly's shock collar from his pouch, we get to see Broly's eyes go wide with fear, and then he starts grasping at the collar and pulling at it in panic. Pure Pavlovian terror just at the sight of the remote.

With the scene calling attention then to Cheelai and Lemo, horrified by what they're both seeing and hearing.

"It is not a strong current," Paragus assures Frieza while Broly is having a full-blown panic attack behind him.

Lemo and Cheelai collect a very generous payment for finding Broly. We have no idea how galactic currency works but they both react like "OH MY GOD SO MUCH CASH" so we can assume this is a lot of, uh, cosmic cigar cases or whatever.

Admittedly, the "Lady asked you to leave her alone" cliche where the likable male protagonist beats up an asshole harassing the likable female protagonist at the bar is pretty old and tired at this point. But I will note two things I like about this scene:

1 - That Broly isn't the one who escalates. He's not the one who started this fight. Lemo tries to intervene first, attempting de-escalation by offering to buy the thug a drink. It's only after the thug gets violent and decks Lemo that Broly then steps in.

2 - And also, the main point of development that Cheelai, Lemo, and Broly have isn't "Broly stepped up to defend Cheelai". This is just a mechanism for bridging the gap between the important stuff. That is, Cheelai seeing how controlling Paragus is....

And Cheelai getting to see for herself what the "mild current" of Broly's collar looks like in action.

God, if the visuals of Broly writhing around in pure agony don't make you feel for the guy, the sound of him screaming bloody murder for like fifteen seconds straight sure will.

Paragus declares that he had to do it because Broly would have killed that guy if he hadn't. Cheelai retorts by calling Paragus's parenting into question which. Like. Yeah.

We tend to just kinda take Paragus's word for it that Broly's a raging uncontrollable beast purely by nature and it has nothing to do with his failings as a dad. "That's just how the boy is, nothing to be done about it, gotta torture my kid," says the father who tortures his kid while also weaponizing him for personal gain. Why are we trusting him?

The thing this movie did for Broly that makes it so fascinating is that it asks those kinds of questions. It dares to ask, "What if the abusive father's interpretation of his child is actually full of shit?" It reinvents Broly as a character by condemning Paragus, but doesn't have to condemn Paragus any more than the original Z film already did. All it really does is take away the meta-narrative's vindication of his abuse.

The domineering Paragus barks at Cheelai to stay the hell away from his boy. He doesn't even notice Cop Carjacker Cheelai solving this problem herself.

Fun fact: In this moment, Cheelai kills Paragus.

It's a bit of a walk from here to Paragus's death, when Frieza hysterically murders him in order to motivate Broly to become a Super Saiyan.

But this only occurs because the fight between Broly, Goku, and Vegeta has continued to escalate beyond the point when Paragus would have stopped it. His fate is sealed when he reaches for the remote to stop Broly's fight and finds it missing.

The highlight of their relationship-building is, of course, Broly telling the story of Ba's ear after Leemo introduces him to water for the first time. The heartbreaking tale of the first and only friend he had before these two.

Broly wears Ba's severed ear so that he'll always remember what it felt like when he had a friend. Oh my god. Are you shitting me with this. That is the most heartbreaking thing. How dare you make me want to wrap Broly the Legendary Super Saiyan up in blankets and give him hugs and chocolates.

Broly doesn't even like fighting; His dad forces him to train. Which sure makes it really fucking interesting when Paragus turns around and goes, "I have to use a shock collar because my violent and uncontrollable child is violent and uncontrollable!"

Then, as the fight goes on, we keep checking back in with Cheelai and Leemo to get Cheelai's assessment of what's happening. Cheelai sets the tone for how we should be feeling about Broly's fight with Goku and Vegeta.

I love how, when she says Paragus raised Broly to be "the kind of warrior that he wants him to be," the shot isn't of Broly looking fierce or menacing, or beating down Goku or Vegeta. It's the shock collar. This is the visual expression of what Paragus wanted Broly to be.

And that, in turn, is the tone of Broly's fight with Goku and Vegeta. This isn't awesome, it's tragic. They don't even know. They legit have no idea who this guy is. Frieza showed up with a super cool warrior and went "FIGHT THIS STRONG GUY" and so they're doing that.

They have no idea who he is.

And they're probably going to kill him in this fight.

All of this context is what makes the finale of this movie work so hard. Because this is Cheelai, Leemo, and Broly's movie. Cheelai by this point has been firmly established as an irreverent thief who does whatever she feels like. She has no loyalties to anyone but herself and whoever she cares about, she makes dangerous choices, she's young and impulsive, and she's emotionally invested in the wellbeing of this abused boy who deserves better.

Consequently, the triumphant climax of this film isn't when Gogeta defeats Broly, but when Cheelai fucking robs Frieza to save Broly.

This is the emotional climax of the film, offset against the tragic action climax where Gogeta is utterly destroying our boy in a predictable but heartbreaking fashion. The magic of this movie is that by the end of it, it has you rooting against Goku and Vegeta, and utterly distraught when they pull ahead and find the answer in the third act.

This character relationship is underdeveloped. It could have used a lot more fleshing out, and honestly I would never say no to more of these characters.

But for what we got, I love it. Cheelai and Broly are the best characters that DBS ever came up with, and Leemo's cool too.

[tobernaut]

Did you like the first chapter? I'm pretty intrigued so far, though I have to say Ratau's personality was quite surprising considering how he is in the game. I have a feeling that maybe he will be the one to betray the Lamb considering that change. I can't wait for the next chapter!

Spoilers for COTL comic chapter one below! I will be tagging "cotl comic spoilers" from now on. Please block this tag if you don't want to be spoiled!

Spoilers include plot/character talk and a singular image.

Did I like the first chapter???? Did I LIKE THE FIRST CHAPTER??? I've been going through it with a fine toothed comb and loving EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!

Ahem.

So, I love this characterization of Ratau.

In the game we already saw hints that he maybe had a little bit of trouble letting go of the red crown. The fact he wears one made of paper is weird enough, but the fact he has the same paper crowns filling his house and on his shrine hints at this imo. I know game cannon ≠ comic cannon, but I had the idea Ratau may hold a little jealousy even before the comic because of this, so I was really excited to see the idea play out.

But if you look at it from his point of view, it kind of makes sense.

At least in the comic so far, it seems that Ratau is incredibly devoted to TOWW. He's offended that The Lamb is taking Narinder's mission so lightly, that they are seemingly attempting to ignore his orders in order to go on their own revenge quest.

This makes sense, because as a past vessel, Ratau is bound to know well the honor that that sort of job brings. Seemingly, he would be eager to take The Lamb's place, but knows he can not. He's managing someone doing his dream job, and they're just there for the paycheck. It's got to be infuriating!

Especially since he's seemingly older and wiser than the lamb (Though I don't think his or TOWW's use of the word "child" is literal. I think it's more in the same way The Mystic Seller calls The Lamb an infant god.) I can definitely see his frustration. I think that The Lamb is going to kind of "sober up" after Leshy's defeat and finally gain sight of the mission.

Speaking of The Lamb, I really like how they were characterized! A lot of us, including myself, were pretty sceptical of turning a silent protagonist into a fully fledged character, but in my opinion all is looking really very well so far!

I especially the love the sort of cognitive dissonance they have in the beginning. It sets them up to be this wimpy pushover. I know a lot of people may find it hard to believe that someone in those circumstances would be so calm, but as someone who's had a number of near death experiences I thought it was pretty realistic! A sort of humorous disassociation sprinkled with a confusing mix of denial and acceptance. (Though, please note it's been a few years since the last time I've nearly died. My data is a bit outdated.)

Regardless, I like how they are now. It makes a lot of sense, after all, to be a bit peeved at the circumstances. Their dialogue is super witty, though really sad if you think about it, and I have a feeling that when they stop focusing on revenge they're going to crash and feel a lot of things they've suppressed since their death.

But all in all I'm super excited to see where this little lamb goes!

Finally, can we get some Nana appreciation?? Sure she had a small role, but for a first non-game character, she made a really good first impression!

She seems fleshed out with her own little past, backstory, and personality. The traumatized sceptic in me is a bit worried she'll end up as a love interest, but I doubt it. If it does happen, I doubt it'll be in a typical way. This is a game where you're encouraged to marry with multiple people, after all. I don't think that's the case, though. I think I'm just used to old 80's comics where the first female introduced was the main love interest and nothing more 99.999% of the time.

Whatever is done with her, I'm eager for it. So far the writing seems really really good and she made a great first impression as a follower. She makes me EXCITED to see future follower interactions. If they're all written like her, then it's going to be a super enjoyable part of the comic. We love Nana here.

Finally I have some other random thoughts and things I noticed but can't really format in a way that works, so here's a bullet point list.

Apparently wool is very valuable. Now it's not said weather this is because of the lambs becoming less and less or if it was always valuable. Either way, it's and interesting little fact. I wonder if it'll be important later or if it's just trivia. I like to think things like that aren't added for no reason.

I like that they used the real term, 'Endling,' to describe the last of a soon to be extinct species. This knowledge, though, and the discussion with the cultist, implies this has happened many times before with other species. I wonder if they were always driven to extinction through genocide, or if natural factors ever play a role.

The Lamb was sold out for 30 gold coins. This is apparently a lot. It costs almost that much (converting coins to Dollars. Not perfect, I know.) to buy the ingredients for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich where I live in the US. Either there's not much inflation, or The Lamb was sold out for some PB and J.

I believe the thirty gold coins is a reference to the 30 silver coins Judas was given in exchange for selling out Jesus in Christian lore. If so, I like that detail! Very neat.

It's implied that the bishops are making life hell for EVERYONE while they drive off the lambs. This is interesting, and also a reflection of real life. Bonus points.

Does The Lamb really count as a non believer if they clearly believe in the bishops existence?? I mean they see them right there with no surprise.

Kallamar is shiny. Knew it. He also has tentacles.

It could just be the perspective, but Leshy seems taller than the other bishops.

BAAL AND AYM!

Let's all appreciate how well TOWW's chains and restraints were drawn. All those different perspectives must have been hell but it looks so good.

Chubby cheeks Narinder :)

Sharp teeth lamb! Possibly due to the crown??

So no head??

You. Me.

So no head?? x2

The lamb has guilt and second thoughts about the killing they must do to achieve their goals. Nice.

Cultist roles have hierarchy to them. Neat.

The Lamb's eyes water upon seeing light for the first time in who knows how long...sob.

Again, beautiful art.

There's lots of focus on The Lamb's fangs. Are they important or just stylistic, I wonder??

The crown seemingly has a mind of its own or is watching.

It's implied The Lamb has some sort of death powers already

So no head?? x3

CLAUNECK. MY BE FUCKING LOVED.

Needless to say I have so many THOUGHTS and can't wait for the next chapter. Happy reading, you guys!

[quitealotofsodapop]

I absolutely adore Tang River Water au!

I really like the idea that Tang accidentally drank water from this river and became pregnant just out of carelessness. It's too hilarious. An even funnier thing was that now their child is the rebirth of jade emperor. They can never have a break. Poor guys.

But for some reason it became very interesting to me what type of Tang will be during pregnancy? Will it be easy or will he be terribly emotional? Or something else, I would really look at it. I also think that he would really not like that when he tried to eat his husband's food, and then he started to feel sick just from the smell. He would definitely look at his stomach with anger and disappointment "you. traitor". And he would absolutely ask Pigsy to hold his belly in the later months of pregnancy.

I also really wonder how they would behave with their daughter. I know they love her, but I'm sure they're absolutely scared and DON't know what to do. I just want to know what they're planning to do. Will they overprotect her because she is the rebirth of the most powerful being in all of heaven? Or will they hide it? Maybe they will ask for help from heaven?

referencing.

Hehehe! I'm glad you like it!

Tang was just so thirsty after being in the desert (I believe is meant to be the Gobi) that he just leaps into the first water source he can find. Pigsy yells after him but Tang's already gulped down the yucky muddy stream water before Pigsy reminds him that there's a water purifier in the TEA. By then, the remnants of the Mother-Child River had already begun the process.

After his body adapts to the major magically-induced change, Tang ends up using his condition to get out of work/to get pampered on. Emotionally he's ok, just a little more worried than usual. And Pigsy is such an adoring spouse that Tang's symptoms rarely go unattended. Lots of cuddles and tummy rubs in the later months.

Ankles swell: "Oh Piggy~ My feet hurt." Morning Sickness: "I need tea and kisses!" Cravings: (Tang: "I require oranges, bao buns, ramune soda, takoyaki sauce-" Pigsy: "How about I leave you inside the Speedy Panda with 500 yuan and I close my eyes while you go shop?" Tang: "I love you so much piggy.") Smells: "MK you stink. Take a shower or I will literally barf." Painful Kicking: "Cuddle time." >:3

And if the *cicada* part of the Golden Cicada is acting up; he gets into carving/whittling - cicadas etch tree bark to lay their eggs. Pigsy now has many tables in the restaurant defaced with Tang's "masterpieces".

And I absolutely hit Tang with what (he believes) is the worst symptom on Earth; Food aversion. Specifically towards NOODLE SOUP. His husband's own cooking! He's distraught! Something about the combination of broth and noodles makes his stomach turn! Broth and noodles separate? Ok. Together? Instant morning sickness. He suspects its something to do with the texture of the noodles when their soggy.

Wukong: "Maybe your brain thinks its worms." Tang: *turns green and retches*

Pigsy goes out of his way to prepare dishes for Tang that don't set off his nausea, even if it means altering his traditional methods.

Pigsy: "Ok, I've been experimenting with a new dish for a while and I want your opinion." Tang, delighted: "Ooo hoho! You know I'll always be your taste tester, Piggy." Pigsy: *presents the elements of his noodle recipe* Tang: "Huh?" Pigsy: "You seemed really sad to not eat noodle soup, so I made a dry version so that you can still enjoy the flavours. The broth is on the side so you can drink it. The guy from the somen restaurant gave me some pointers." Tang, getting emotional: "You... you changed your recipe for me!?" Pigsy, grabbing Tang's hands: "Our family recipe, Tangy. That includes you and our little critic." Tang: *bursts out sobbing and shovels the dry noodle fixings into his mouth*

The baby - "Bao/宝/treasure or bundle" (also bao buns were one of Pigsy's cooking Tang could eat) - ultimately looks similar to a baby orc from Dungeon Meshi. A mostly chubby human baby with pig features. She has a puff of Tang's dark hair that becomes little black stripes on her back like a wild piglet.

What the baby takes after Pigsy in appearance, she takes from Tang in greediness. Before she's even off milk she'll try taking bites of other people's food. She's bold and confident, hilarious to anyone seeing a tiny piglet chasing Celestial soldiers like she's her own army.

And of course theres the issue of Bao being the reincarnation of one of the oldest and most powerful deities in taoism...

Pigsy and Tang are def the overprotective types, not so much for Bao being a powerful baby, but because every immortal seems to forget that she's still an uber-fragile preemie. Her health wasn't great when she was born (worsened by the circumstances around the birth). The freenoodles parents atleast have experience raising the little chaos monkey that was MK - the only difference being that Bao can't climb so good. Though she does seem to have control over the weather for some reason.

The Celestial Realm has to catch on quickly that she isn't the Jade Emperor anymore - she gets kidnapped atleast once by Heaven's officials needing the Emperor to approve paperwork. Bao screamed and grunted, rampaging around the imperial Palace the whole time.

The Queen Mother is saddened but adoring - her husband truly has passed on, but this little angel is a wonderful new beginning for him. She hopes to reunite in a later life.

Demons in general are pretty hopeful of Bao''s existance. Now that the Jade Emperor has been reborn on one of their kind - perhaps demonkind will be elevated once more? They'll have to wait until she's out of diapers before they start placing bets.

Princess Iron Fan's immediate reaction (after dealing with the shock of losing her estranged father) is to burst out; "HAH!" at the irony. Her father disapproved of her marriage to the Demon Bull King for his race - only to be reborn as a pig demon! The coincidence is hilarious! The Demon Bull fam does visit the baby girl to send their blessings, and offer advice based on how chaotic little Red was as a calf. Bao adores her giant uncle Bull since he's fluffy and big and smells like her baba when he cooks. She also gets super attached to Red Son for similar reasons - though Tang suspects it's because she smells grilled meat on him.

MK adores Bao, and will kill everything in the three Realms if anything happened to her. Bao in turn loves her big bro - even if she bites him and steals his food.

[llamagoddessofficial]

In the zoo harpy au, do they act differently around kids? I know for zoo trips they normally have kids visit for educational purposes and in the siren zoo au we know red loves kids so I was wondering if that would cross over to this one! I can see them being stuck with some gear to protect the kids if a kid is brave enough for a closer look

Sans: While most of the aviary viewing area is behind glass, there are a few sections that are behind two separated layers of thick wire. The hope is that people get a closer look at the harpies, or feel a bit more like they're next to the monsters, since they can actually hear them

Kids usually aren't too bothered about coming to see Sans, and Sans isn't typically bothered about going to see kids. It's a bit like when you go to the zoo, and the lions are all just asleep. Everyone's like 'oh, cool, a harpy,' and then they don't really care anymore because he doesn't do anything interesting. The kids who stick around are typically the older ones who either don't really care or LOVE owls... or just like sitting in his viewing area. Sometimes Mc gives talks while in his aviary with him, showing his wings and claws to an enraptured audience while he just purrs at her touch.

The aviary is considering opening up educational 'sleepovers' where kids stay the night, and wake up to see when he's more scary and active. It might give some children nightmares, but at least it would be cool.

Red: As ever, Red is very popular with kids. No matter their age, they're always impressed by how cool he looks... staff thought that his foul temper would translate to interacting with children, but the opposite couldn't be more true. He seems to really love it. When groups of them arrive it's clearly very mentally enriching for him, he wants to interact and see their faces light up.

Mc does not go into his enclosure when there are kids around. For one, she doesn't want to have to explain to children why he's puffing up his feathers, cooing, and dilating his eyelights as he follows her around. She's gotta wait until they're a bit older for that. Secondly, Red changes when there are kids nearby- not only does he get pushy and extra touchy with her, he gets a look. It's a look that says 'aren't they cute? aren't kids sweet? don't you want one?' and it doesn't go away for a pretty decent chunk of time.

He indulges in his instincts by making and re-making his nest. Though he does wish it didn't feel so empty.

Skull: He loves kids. He just wishes kids loved him.

He's scary, there's no doubt about that. His kind of harpy are typically solitary, but they have a habit of adopting lost chicks if they don't have any of their own, since mountains are such a hostile environment and many parents don't make it. His parental instincts are stronger than ever, especially since he has no chick- he's usually normal with children but when groups of schoolkids come through, he sees a distinct adult/child imbalance and thinks that they're abandoned. Then he gets desperate to 'save' them.

He can be very intense... coming right up to the wire and holding onto it with sharp claws, pressing his face against it, staring unblinkingly at any child he's set his heart on 'rescuing'. Even if they're one of the rare few that aren't frightened by him, they have to leave the aviary eventually- and he gets extremely distressed when kids he wants leave. He's confused and hurt that they go, he thinks they're in danger, and he can't follow.

Mc being in the aviary with him definitely helps, and she's sure to stay close and do talks. But she can't always be there. She ends up giving him a little plushie to look after, after a particularly bad day when a child screamed at the sight of him... he knows it isn't a real chick, but it soothes his aching Soul to have something small to take care of.

[snshineandgnpwdr]

bluff

- Mitch x ofc!Dallie

- 650ish words

-Set sometime before s1. Some use of curse words. Dallie is a tall plus size woman, you decide what that looks like for you. Picks up where what are the odds? left off but you don't have to read that to read this.

Mitch is aware of Babe watching him, can feel the old man's eyes boring into his back and he subtly shifts his weight to block his view of Dallie and her folder full of bad news.

Because Mitch is also pretty fucking sure what happens in Vegas is damn well supposed to stay in Vegas. Not stroll into his bar three years later talking shit and waving around a goddamn marriage license.

"What is it exactly you think we need to talk about, sugar?" He asks, closing the folder and giving it a push back across the bar to her.

She stares at him like he's lost his ever loving mind and maybe he has. He knows he should agree to whatever she wants and be shut of it, but he's feeling ornery about her just strolling in his bar acting like there wasn't a point in time, even if it was only a few days, where she was really interested in this washed up cowboy.

"This dissolution of this sham of a union for starters?" She questions, tucking the folder back in her designer bag that he'd bet costs more than the bar rakes in on a good night.

"It should only take a couple days. I'd compensate you for your time and pay for your flights to Nevada and back home as well. Now that I've finally located you, I'd just like to put this behind me, ya know? No offense to you, of course," she smiles up at him. "I just don't think either of us expected to have to deal with this?"

But the thing is, maybe he's not completely surprised by the news. Maybe there's a possibility he'd found a cheap gold band rolling around in the bottom of his duffle when he'd gotten back to Oklahoma but he had his pops to deal with and even though she'd definitely made one hell of an impression, he'd never even gotten her last name so it wasn't like he knew how to find her and he kinda just pushed the whole thing to the back of his mind.

And yeah, okay, maybe he had snuck out of the hotel room while she was still sleeping so it's definitely his fault they're in this predicament, he'll admit that much but if he'd stayed any longer he was pretty sure he never would've made it back to Oklahoma. He would've just followed her right on to Reno like some lost fucking puppy and fully integrated himself into her life. And despite the fact that she seemed to really enjoy his company, he didn't exactly get the impression she was looking to shackle herself to a fresh out of prison, no prospects, down on his luck cowboy.

But now that she's here? And he's made a tiny little bit of something of himself? Well, hell, he doesn't have to make it easy on her to just wipe her hands of him does he?

"I appreciate that, honey, I really do," he drawls, propping his arms on the bar top and leaning in close. "But I could pay my own way. If I was going, that is."

"If?" she splutters, her eyes going wide in shock before she narrows them at him in irritation. "What do you mean, if you were going??"

"I got the bar to run for one, and I got my pops to take care of for another," Mitch smirks, pointing his thumb over his shoulder in Babe's general direction. "I can't just up and run off to Vegas for a couple days."

"I know you think you're being real cute here," Dallie sighs dramatically. "But the jokes on you, cowboy. I don't have anywhere to be and nothing more pressing to do than get this taken care of so I hope like hell you've got a guest room where ever you call home because I'm not going anywhere until this is done and over with."

[eye-may]

I noticed that in some of your text posts you use a different (three) Words for the cats than the ones they were assigned, so I have to ask—if you could change the Words of any cats of your choosing, what would you change them to an why?

interesting question! my divergence from the Three Words (tm) is definitely mostly due to my affinity for descriptors. I am simply a slut for adjectives. also I've frequented past casting calls on many a wiki page and I love how different companies expand upon the frameworks of the characters in different ways. these cats contain multitudes!

I'll just be extra ig and use this opportunity to run down the list, slapping on my annotations as I go.

Admetus / Plato - Friendly, Easygoing, Protective

I called Plato friendly and easygoing in many words on this post I made about him, although I guess I didn't touch on "protective." His being tall and strong, along with being (imo) an instinct-driven cat could be summed up niftily as protectiveness...so I do think that word works for him, although...

to me, a big part of Plato that he needs to overcome is the fact that his nonchalance, his apathy, make him too persuadable. if he doesn't feel impassioned about any particular thing, then he's more vulnerable to being manipulated...right?

I might replace "protective" with "tractable" or some such.

Alonzo - Vain, Uncertain, Bravado

I love these three words for Alonzo! I love the dichotomy inherent in the last two words especially; in my universe, Alonzo is rigid and goal-driven, always walking around with his shoulders back and his chest puffed out, a true militant. that's bravado for you. but, at the same time, he's young and had it rough before coming to the Junkyard. he's slow to trust and, deep down...is often anxious and even scared.

there's a GIF somewhere of one version of Alonzo appearing to look to Mistoffelees in the face of adversity (a Macavity scare I think), and then seems to mimic him, as if trying to appear as brave. I think, even if he doesn't want to admit it, he often has to look to others for courage.

Vain also, yes! He's very preoccupied with his image, both superficial and otherwise! Like Victoria, Cassandra, and Tugger he's very well-kept and on top of maintaining appearances. He also (again, like Tugger, but in a very different way) has impassioned pretenses about his "reputation."

Asparagus - Frail, Wise, Historied -or- Wistful, Imaginative, Frail

Assuming we're talking about the elder Asparagus, rather than the younger...sounds right to me! I personally would pluck out "wise" from the first version and replace it with "wistful" for the second. Not that he isn't "wise," but the versions of him that I've seen seem to indicate that he struggles with dementia in his advanced age, and I tend to think he's more prone to romantic recollections about his career than he is to dolling out grandfatherly aphorisms. (he may do just that, however, in his more lucid moments).

Bill Bailey - Chaotic, Imprudent, Funny

In my mind, Billy Bailey and Tumblebrutus are interchangeable, so I'm just going to annotate these three words as if they're an alternative set for Tumble lol.

I think I would swap out "Funny," for a word that references his eagerness to appear tough. Charitably it could be a word like "aspirational." less charitably it could be like "pugnacious" or "posturing."

Bombalurina Generous, Voluptuous, Frank

Take out voluptuous! That's not a personality trait lmao. I might replace it with something that actually references her nubile aura, like "sensual," or "alluring."

Bustopher Jones - Foppish, Gluttonous, Dapper

He sure is those three things! I could maybe see a world where we replace "dapper," because it's parasynonymous with "foppish." Perhaps with "patronly" or "parsimonious."

Carbucketty - Acrobatic, Energetic, Accident-prone

These three words seem to emphasize his physical prowess, his hyperness. which he definitely has! But maybe we can swap out "acrobatic" for something that expands a little more on his personality, like "good-natured," "goofy," "playful," or even "worshipful" to allude to how he looks up to the older cats.

Cassandra - Haughty, Disdainful, Aloof

Disdainful is a little harsh, but I don't disagree that she certainly harbors disdain lol. these three words don't indicate much of a flip side to her, however; I might replace "haughty" or "disdainful" with something a little more neutral, like "observant," "elegant," or "mysterious."

There's an alternative version where "lonely" replaces "aloof" ... but I think the latter suits her better. she may be a bit solitary, but being alone doesn't mean you're lonely.

Coricopat - Telepathic, Unruffled, Instinctive

I actually do stray pretty significantly with Coricopat...in my mind, I have his words almost reversed with Tantomile's. Between the two twins, it's Tantomile who's seemingly unflappable, and Coricopat who's more tentative, less surefooted. I'd take out "unruffled" and replace it with one of Tantomile's words, "sensitive."

Demeter - Skittish, Cautious, Paranoid -or- Nervous, Sensual, Secretive

I think the first set is a bit ludicrous because all of those words are parasynonymous lol. The second alternative set is definitely better. I don't know if I ever think of her as "secretive," per se, so much as "reticent," which has a comparable meaning but with a less conniving connotation. I might settle on the three words, "skittish," "sensual," and "reticent."

Although, as I think about it, I might take out "sensual" as well. I don't think that aspect of her as endemic to her core enough to make it one of her three archetypal descriptors. I might replace that word with something that indicates her overall eccentricity, like "offbeat."

Electra - Adolescent, Inquisitive, Daring

Two out of three of her words are identical to Pouncival's lmao. I think using "adolescent" for the younger cats is a bit of a copout; I see that word more as a superficial characteristic as opposed to a personality trait.

Replace "adolescent" with something like "intense," or "hyper."

Etcetera - n/a

She doesn't have her own set of words! (at least not on the wiki lmao) If I were to choose, I would say maybe "upbeat, excitable, eager"

George - n/a

George is so funny to me. in the grand scheme of CATS he just seems to be a wild card character with no established or accepted archetype. he's like...just a guy. sometime he's even another guy. sometimes, he's an alternate for Pouncival. in one instance, he's an alternate for Admetus (but NOT Plato...lmao)

sauurrr, for MY CATS universe, I have done with George what one is seemingly meant to do with George, and that is just invent a character from the ground up with only a rough visual of his appearance and his name just so happens to be George.

To me...George is in fact the one who played Rumpus Cat in the film. I personally peg him as a cat who's a peer to Munkustrap age-wise, maybe a little older, but who esteems himself something of a comedian and seems to act much younger than his actual age. He's a favorite amid kittens, because they see him as one of the "cool" adults, like that teacher in middle school who was particularly fun and easygoing.

I shall christen him with three adjectives of my own choosing!

"persuadable," "nonchalant," "comical"

Grizabella - Proud, Hurt, Indomitable

No notes!

Jellylorum -Practical, Busy, Cheery -or - Dour

well "dour" sure is a contrast to cheery! I think she's capable of being stern, but I wouldn't choose "dour" as an archetypal descriptor of hers. I think I'd replace the word "busy" with something that suggests her sternness/adherence without the dreary connotation of dour, and that also references how her hands always seem to be occupied by some task. maybe something like "regimented," or "painstaking," or "assiduous."

Jemima - Innocent, Compassionate, Young -or- Dreamy, Yearning, Curious

I'm not a fan of either set on their own! I have the same issue with "young," that I have with "adolescent"...young is a superficial characteristic, not a personality trait! "youthful" would be a more appropriate word, but it's like...of course she's youthful, she's a kitten! same thing with "innocent." we were all innocent at probably less than six months of age lmao.

For her I'd go with "compassionate," "curious," and "quirky" or suchlike. or maybe replace "compassionate," with "empathetic" or even "empathic."

Jennyanydots - Motherly, Controlling, Contented -or- Fastidious, Complacent, Bossy

I would maybe replace "controlling" with something like "militant," and then replace "contented" in the first set with "fastidious" from the alternative set. I think those who see Jennyanydots as "contented" are mostly her humans, who are used to seeing her somnolent daytime persona.

Macavity - Hypnotic, Jealous, Dangerous

No notes!

Mistoffelees - Competitive, Neat, Electric

I like all three of these words for him! I do think I'd tack on "impish" and/or "cryptic" or some such, mayyybbeeee as a replacement for competitive if we really have to stick with just three words in fear of dire consequences from the omnipotent CATS deities.

Mungojerrie -Mischievous, Rambunctious, Ne'er-do-well -or- Cheeky, Street-wise, Cocksure

I think the second set is a little better than the first. I like both sets, but "mischievous" and "rambunctious" are pretty similar, and ne'er-do-well is a bit harshly connotated, even if that's how a handful of cats do see him.

I think I'd replace "cheeky" in the second set with "mischievous" from the first. not to say that he isn't cheeky, but I think you're slightly more likely to hear some clever smarm from Rumpleteazer.

Munkustrap - Imposing, Energetic, Courageous -or- Integrity, Discipline, Dignity

shall I say it? shall I go ahead and submit to my impulse to be an insufferable grammarian on tumblr dot com? I just think it's funny that the alternative set are all nouns instead of adjectives XD

I woouuulldddd conflate the two lists (and use the right part of speech *dodges brick*)

"Disciplined, Courageous, Dignified"

Old Deuteronomy - Wise, Commanding, Spiritual -or- Wise, Loving, Commanding

You just tack on "loving" to the first set and we're golden. again tho if we have to abide by the rule of three...go with "Wise, Loving, Spiritual"

Pouncival - Adolescent, Inquisitive, Alert

I like the latter two words! replace "adolescent" with "admiring," or "impressionable"

Rum Tum Tugger - Vain, Perverse (cocky), Inconsequent -or- Perverse, Preening, Independent

The weird thing about Tugger's set is that "inconsequent" is noootttt...a word I'd ever think of to describe a person. I did a quick Google search to see if I had been simply mistaken about the meaning of the word, but all I got was corroboration that "inconsequent" is a form of the word "inconsequential," which means of little significance. I almost feel like the original author meant to find a word that suggested Tugger's lack of concern over consequences.

My final take: "Preening," "Imprudent" (a decent-ish alternative to what I think? was meant by "inconsequent"), "Charismatic."

Rumpleteazer - Mischievous, Rambunctious, Ne'er-do-well -or- Naughty, Impressionable, Effervescent

I dislike both sets!

My take: "Rambunctious," "Cheeky," "Animated"

Skimbleshanks - Caring, Bright, Self-regarding -or- (punctual, proud, energetic?)

My take: "Punctual," "Caring," "Energetic"

Tantomile - Telepathic, Suspicious, Sensitive

As I elucidated earlier, I conceptualize the twins differently, I suppose, than their initial canonical characterizations. My Tantomile is quieter and more confident than Coricopat, and seems to take the inherent oddities of mysticism more in stride than her brother does. she's also caring, of course, but less sentimental and expressive.

(this might be weird to say but my understanding of the twins stems heavily from one (1) very brief moment in the 1998 film, when the camera cuts to a close-up of their reactions to Mistoffelees. Coricopat looks mystified, outwardly impressed, in awe. Whereas Tantomile...she looks more subdued. still impressed, but unsurprised, like she was already well aware of the magnitude of Mistoffelees's capabilities. she even looks almost...proud?)

okay and I'm sure nobody on set or in the history of cats ever actually put much thought into those three-odd seconds, but given the chance, I will extrapolate. I will wring a fleeting moment dry. in so saying, to me the differences in their expressions in that moment speak volumes about how their personalities diverge. Tantomile is a little more mature, a little more attuned, and more reserved. she's more of a watchful and guiding figure, whereas Coricopat is more companionable.

so all that said! my take: "Telepathic," "Pragmatic," "Mindful"

Tumblebrutus - Tough, Buoyant, Touchy

I now realize that I should have just cut and pasted Bill Bailey's set here to address it as an alternative to this one lmao. so let's just pretend that's what we're doing.

my take: "Imprudent," "Pugnacious," (to combine "touchy" and "chaotic"), "Buoyant"

Victoria - Young, Inhibited, Inquisitive -or- Innocent, Romantic, Un-selfconscious

I take "inhibited" to be somewhat of an antonym for "un-self-conscious" (? what a...portmanteau...of sorts) and I do personally see Victoria as someone who errs on the side of timid, or hesitant. I get that "un-self-conscious" may be alluding to the fact that she uhhhhh was feeling some type of way very viewably, but to me it seems like she's letting herself being guided by her instincts, as a vehicle to overcome her inhibitions.

my take: "Inhibited," "Romantic," "Inquisitive"

[spotlightlowlife]

Helluva Boss has responsibility issues - Ozzie, Bee and Mammon edition

These characters have a job which is to govern over and make business out of a designated part of the psyche, one of the seven deadly sins, but it goes further than a job, they're world leaders and their role is their purpose.

What do they do day in day out?

They have fun.

If they're there to be liked that is.

Bee is a great rep for gluttony

Her design is nice, she looks fun, youthful and vibrant and I appreciate that she's not large or lazy. Many people agree, she represents the positive aspects of gluttony in having fun and indulging yourself with the company of others, eat drink and be merry, something she gains from.

Unfortunately it seems that in order to be liked, she had to be diluted.

Bee, prince of gluttony, got humbled by losing a drinking contest to Blitzø who is half her size and a tiny fraction of her true size. Bee then disassociated herself from overindulgence by seeing that Blitzø was going overboard early and wanting that issues dealt with at a distance not by her.

She claims he's ruining the vibe but does this cut off her supply? Ruin her stock? Does it snap people out of their enjoyment? Who knows, she got pushed as 'nice' so her observation so far is probably from a caring place, not a business stance.

Ozzie is a good representative for lust

Sex positivity is good. Like eople should be able to indulge enjoy, as should multiple people, they should all be having a good time. Shaming a lovey lovey couple for lowering the tone at his lust themed club was something he had the right to, even though love and lust can easily go hand in hand and he clearly caters to anyone interested in kink, it was reasonable (and well written humor) to want them to take that outside.

Where they cutting off his lust supply?

Where they potentially off putting for others?

Who knows, but Ozzie's push of anti-love whilst clearly being in love, served as an excuse to loveably humble him.

He could had he been business minded and had both separately, but it seems that business = bad, which leads on to...

Mammon is an excellent representative of greed

Business and greed got merged into one, there are definitely 'positive' aspects to business and therefore greed. Such as professional distance, going where the money is, trying out different leadership strategies moving with the times and welcoming the new.

This character was able to reveal little of his personal views, but enough to know that he disproved of certain things but would still put in the work in their direction, such as beauty pageants and sxxdolls, however he was able to adapt them to suit himself and everyone, a clown pageant and a multipurpose dolls. It was all about supply and demand for profit.

He set up the pageant for anyone to enter, nobody in mind, he was rather transparent in what the plan was too. Knowing what we know of how profit driven he is, his discouragement of female entering could easily have been more than an excuse to add the Viv credit joke based on sales forecast, yet it was a remark he went on to take back. Through the pageant he wasn't opposed to Fizz losing and fresh meat taking over. He was however opposed to Fizz not putting in the work.

It's debatable that he lacks self awareness because we have already established that this character sets person feelings aside and just wants business to run, furthermore, for all we know Fizz may be bringing hesitation for the first time this year. It makes sense why he's willing to let Fizz voice hatred for him aslong as he keeps up being milked until dry.

A lot like many employers in hospitality (a reminder that Fizz was also fed up in this area) and entertainment.

Mammon stepped into the ever triggering parent role and numberours of them, referring to the future pageant winner as 'stepkid', Fizz as a 'son' and 'grand baby', firmly asserting himself as a leader who commands respect which isn't entirely bad, all whilst behaving like a strict stage parent from the very beauty pageants he criticizes, and why? Because it's effective maybe? Like it or not we saw his shows go on to be a massive success.

In the real world we have things widely and rightfully condemned like low grade junk food and cheap clothes, only at the same time as some fat cat getting richer pushing poor quality, these goods are being made accessible to those with little who can't afford better. A greedy business person person who wants more customers likely doesn't care that they are doing great harm or help.

Looloo land was a good example of corporate greed big business that people benefit from, like it or not. This place was easily accessible and the workforce were anyone.

Mammon protected his rip off inspired work with a contract so tight that the leader of hell can't do anything about it.

A complex contract is something we would see again with fellow villain and successful gangster businessman Crimson.

Blitzø on the other hand is not failing because he's their opposite which is 'good', he is failing because he is a very proud, arrogant individual who wants his idea to just work, there's little wiggle room. It was Moxxie who would learn in the episode where he was allowed to lead his own mission that a 'my way or the highway' attitude can bring more issues than solution.

Back to Moxxie. When his very greedy and sinister dad was ready to use him for a business deal that would involve an arranged marriage, he tried superficially winning Moxxie over by rigging the house with dildos, assuming he must enjoy stuff like that.

This guy objectified and forced the hand of his own adult child with zero interest and regard.

Yet did we have to see Mammon being made to rebuke these behaviours and let us know there's limitations to his greed? No, he didn't need to tone down.

Only 'greed' is held to accountability

The higher ups have to be humbled in order to be liked, the only ways seems to be to have a place themselves alongside and have sexual relationship with those at the very bottom of society

and not be responsible for the negative aspects of what they govern over are.

All the fun and non of the responsibility

As covered, Bee and Ozzie who we had to learn are believers in knowing your limits and consent, are nothing to with any trouble associate with them that follow,

ws. so whilst Crimson provided excellent groundwork for Mammon with his greed and making a loved imp sad, there have been two missed opportunities to passively pad out Ozzie and Bee.

Verosika the sucubus SA Moxxie with her gang, they shapeshifted into cute humans to come to earth and host a sucubus hosted beach party, to corrupt a bunch of youths. Verosika would also be revealed to be an addict, along with Barbiewire. Verosika would travel to earth with beeljuice which caused a massive scene.

Barbie shape shifted into a human, travelled with Ozzie's crystals (something Stolas as high up as he is had to request) and seduced a teenager into helping her push drugs.

But it's not Ozzie nor Bee's issues, they don't associate with the negative aspects of what they rule over.

Two side characters are pushing frowned upon over indulgence and degeneracy amungst kids on earth.

In a story where the parent story tells us that there's a hell overpopulation problem.

An issue that is dealt with via genocide and the mess left behind in the form of devine weapon parts, can slay the higher ups!

But that's not Ozzie nor Bee's issues?