#this man is one of the biggest war criminals of all time in this fucking sport

[martyrbat]

habeas corpus – detective comics #1086

(ID in alt!)

[xjaylyn]

PART 2 - Bad Boys: Second Chances

Pairing: Armando x Black! OC (Rya)

Warnings: blood, graphic, guns, death, mature, language (use of the n word), and some other stuff I probably forgot about sorry

Summary: Its been two years since Captain Conrad was framed. Another mission brings the team back together and new relationships are formed. It's said everyone deserves second chances and room to grow. So maybe this is that second chance.

a/n: Its a long chapter this one

Walking into the precinct, the two partners were immediately met by their captain waiting for them at their desks. Rita nodded her head towards the conference room, causing them to look into the room. There stood four different department leads, all looking over and discussing whatever was in their files.

"What's going on? Why we got the whole government and they momma here?" Waving his hand toward the room, Marcus looked back at Rita, visible stress apparent on her face.

"That's what I'm figuring out now. All I know is that there are a few murders that we have to look into," Rita said, shaking her head and walking towards the conference room. The two detectives followed close behind.

"Well, ain't that what homicide is for? We investigate and handle narcotics."

Opening the door, the three officers stepped into the room, causing the group of leads to look at them. A tall middle-aged man stepped up and handed them all a file.

"Thank you for joining us. I'm Chief Paul Nicola of Homicide. Take a seat, please."

The three officers looked at each other for a moment before taking their seats at the table. "This is going to be a brief description of a case we have been investigating for the past 60 years," Paul said while walking to the end of the table.

A low whistle came from Mike, a confused look on his face. "60 years? And y'all ain't tell nobody? Why are we just getting involved?"

"We have only been studying, no action or busts have been involved. It's the most complex and biggest case we have ever worked on. Even the military is involved. Actually, every department of the law has been involved."

"What exactly is going on? No one has actually answered this simple question… why you bring us in?" Marcus backed his partner, dropping the file on the table.

Clearing his throat, Paul opened the file and took out an envelope of pictures, lining them up on the table. "For the past 60 years, there has been an increase in under-the-table deals. Criminals and serial killers have been on the rise, and taking of children and trafficking has become common. Technology and information have become more advanced and accessible."

Looking at the pictures, there were numerous photos of different faces, some they recognized from past cases they had worked on, others unknown. Some photos were of missing children, crime scenes, evidence, and locations. It was a mess of all the cases the government had worked on, all together in one file.

"Almost every case we have worked on for the past 60 years is somewhat connected. Mike and Marcus, the drug busts you both have operated for the past 20-plus years have all been connected to an even bigger case. Some wars our military has been in are all connected. The murders, the victims, the invasions, everything has been fucking connected this whole time. You understand what I'm saying?" Paul leaned on the table, looking at all the officers.

Stepping back to catch his breath, Paul scanned the room one final time, tilted his head down, pinched the bridge of his nose, and slightly chuckled. "We finally have someone from the inside working with us. She is willing to give us information as long as we help her with one thing."

"Now hold on," Marcus scoffed. "You telling me everything we all have ever worked on for the past 60 years is all tied together in one big-ass mess?" Marcus leaned back, waving his arms around, then leaned forward on the table. "And you have some random female saying she can help because she has 'information' with a case y'all have been studying for 60 years in exchange for something strange."

"She was captured by the military in the middle of a mission regarding this case. We know that she is involved with whatever is going on. This is the most we have come up with in 60 years, so yes, we are taking this chance, and you two will work with her."

"Oh wow, that's great. Work with an informant. We love that, don't we, Marcus?" Mike looked at his partner with a smirk on his face. Marcus just shook his head and leaned back in his chair.

"We will keep you all updated while we work this case. You can pick her up tomorrow." Paul and the others all nodded their heads and left the room. Closing the door, Rita looked at the two detectives.

"Well, we're going to need all the help we can get. I'll call in AMMO, and uh, Mike, you have business in Virginia to take care of. I'll give you the address," Rita said while pulling out her phone.

"Me? I don't got no business in Virginia," Mike denied, pointing at himself.

Looking up briefly, Rita nodded her head. "Yes, you do. Look, I'm not supposed to tell you, but AMMO and I have been tracking Armando. He's currently in Virginia, keeping a low profile. We need you to pick him up. He might know something, and he was a good help on the last mission. I sent you the address." Putting her phone back in her pocket, she grabbed a file off the table and walked out of the room.

"So a road trip to Virginia, huh?" Marcus looked at his partner, staring at nothing.

So he's alive and well…in Virginia…this whole time. Shaking his head, Mike could only think about how Armando might be doing. Is he back in the streets? Does he have somewhere to stay? Why do I only see him when we need help on a mission? It was like falling into a rabbit hole when it came to his son.

"Aye Mike, come on. You can ask all the questions when we get there."

--------------------------------------------------------

…VIRGINIA…13 HOURS LATER…

"You coming in?"

"Nah, but get me a large chocolate shake with whipped cream and sprinkles and a uhhh patty melt with a large fry."

"Marcus, you not eating in my car. I'm going to the bathroom, and we out," Mike said, getting out of the car.

The two had stopped 30 minutes from their destination at a burger place on the side of the road. Walking in, Mike noticed only two people sitting down in the small place. Heading to the bathroom, he passed by a couple of booths.

After doing his business, he walked out and noticed a man sitting in the booth facing his way. Furrowing his brows, he kept walking, staring at the man, then he saw those eyes look up at him.

They stared at each other for a second before his son rolled his eyes, dropped his food, and leaned back into the booth. "How'd you find me?"

Sliding into the booth, Mike ignored the question. "How are you?" Feeling his chest tighten, he couldn't help but feel every emotion he had held in these past couple of years. He had sent his son on a raggedy boat, bleeding out with nothing.

"I'm alive…keeping low," Armando answered briefly. "How'd you find me?" he questioned one more time, squinting his eyes at the man in front of him.

"That doesn't matter. Have you been working? Got a place to stay? What do you mean by keeping low?" Mike pressed further.

Armando just stared at his father. He noticed a pattern early on. Mike only comes to him when he needs help on a job. Granted, that was a way to lessen his sentence, but he's on the run now. Why try to bring him back in if it will only land him back in jail?

"Why are you here?" Armando questioned, leaning forward.

Silence fell upon the two as Mike looked out the window. "We need your help on a mission."

There it is. Armando chuckled, nodding his head. "Yeah, I figured. The answer's no. I barely have anything here, but I'd rather this than go back in a fucking cell, and what, nine months off a life sentence?" he gritted, causing Mike to look at him.

"Listen, I know how it sounds, but son—"

"Armando," interrupting his father. Armando looked him in the eye with a straight face, irritation starting to form within him.

Mike sighed and dropped his hands on the table. Calmly picking up where he left off, "-Armando…we do this one last mission. If it's successful, you're a free man. I promise you, just trust me, this mission will drop it all and you can go wherever you want…you can live your life however you want."

"And if it fails?"

Mike stared back into his son's eyes. "I'll get you out. Before anyone can get you, you'll be long gone, and I won't bother you again, but you'll still be on the run…limited."

Falling back, Armando knew he could trust his father. The man has been trying to help him in every way he can. And if this mission succeeds, then he can start over. Fuck it. Picking up a fry, "Fine…but we need to stop at my place first."

"Ok, thank you. Pack up your food; you can eat in the car."

--------------------------------------------------------

"Damn, is the man taking a shit? I knew we shouldn't have eaten those burritos. I told him his ass would be on fire," Marcus mumbled, shaking his head. Looking out the car window, he saw his partner with someone walking beside him toward the car. Squinting a little, he noticed the man as his nephew.

"Well, I'll be damned…the kid's alive."

The doors to the car opened, and Mike and Armando got into the car. Armando, noticing his dad's partner in the front seat, rolled his eyes, already knowing the man's antics.

"Well, I'm glad to see you too, nephew," Marcus smiled, then looked up at Mike. "See, I told you he'd be fine. He's just like his damn father, can't fucking die."

Armando listened to the two banter and opened his bag of food, taking out a fry and biting into his burger. All of a sudden, he heard Marcus dramatically gasp.

"Oh-ohhh, MIKE, HE EATING IN YO CAR!" Marcus yelled, pointing back at Armando, looking at Mike driving. Mike glanced at Marcus, "Yeah? So let him eat."

Marcus's mouth dropped, and he dramatically leaned back with his hand on his chest. "MICHAEL, SO HE CAN EAT IN YO CAR, BUT WHEN I TRY, IT'S A PROBLEM."

In the back seat, Armando smirked, watching his father and uncle go back and forth. Taking another bite of his burger, a piece of lettuce and sauce dropped on the seat.

"MIKE, LOOK, HE MAKING A MESS."

"Marcus, shut the hell up. Give him a napkin. He can wipe it when he's done."

"Oh-oh, see, that's cold, Michael. That's some cold shit, Mike…we been boys since wayyy back, and I can't eat in your car?! I feel like we ain't boys no more," Marcus shook his head with a disgusted look on his face. "Some bullshit, I tell you…when you think you know someone," Marcus said, turning to look at the window.

Mike looked in the rear view to glance at Armando.

He's okay.

Tag list (lmk if you want to be added):

@blackgirlmagicforever @believeinthefireflies95 @wizewhispers

[quotidian-oblivion]

I've been thinking about Jason's memorial case in the Batcave recently and came up with a few thoughts.

Obviously, there are a few things wrong with it, mainly the title of a "Good Soldier" being attached to a child. And I've been thinking aboit that mostly.

There's no questions of how intensely focused and obsessed Batman is over the war against crime in Gotham, we see him quoting it multiple times in the comics and even the movies, animated and live-action. And so he thinks everyone in the war is a soldier, including Robins. I hate that and loathe it.

Not because I'm a Batman apologist, I'm not. It's because I like to see and believe in the better parts of Batman. The reason why he doesn't kill in the first place--because it comes from a place of compassion and a place of strong belief set by an 8-year-old boy who grew up too fast. Because he believes anyone can be redeemable because ultimately everyone is human, as proven in the older Batman comics and Batman TAS when he helps Harvey, Harley, Baby Doll, etc.

And the biggest reason of all--because Batman, whether anyone likes it or not, represents a strong symbol in Gotham. A burning torch in murky darkness. A hope--one shrouded by shadows--but a hope nonetheless. It's in the psychology of Gothamites, it needs a Batman because of that symbol which is lethal to criminals and a relief to citizens. I'm heavily referencing The Dark Knight Returns I and II (animated movies) here. Watch it if you haven't yet, you'll see what I mean. This is why he can't kill the Joker. It will be completely tainting that hope and we can see its effects in The Dark Knight Returns II.

In any case, Tim was right about Batman needing a Robin. Because in the end, Batman is just that--a man. And Robin is a child.

Lego Batman is really good for this reason. The concept of found family in that movie is just amazing. I love how Bruce fears having a family again after he lost his old one.

Batman needs a Robin because Batman was originally born out of a vengeance scheme of an 8-year-old newly orphaned boy who lost everyone. Trauma lasts. Batman needs a Robin because Robin is a family. And that little boy who lost his parents needs it. And so does Robin.

I love in Young Jusitce when Batman says "So that he doesn't" in response to Wonder Woman asking him if he pulled Robin into this life "So that he turns out like you?". Because Dick was also a little boy bent on revenge. Bruce gave that to him in the only way he knew how, but a better version because he himself has matured and understands how dark he has gotten. He doesn't want that for Dick, or Jason, or Tim, or Damian, or Cass--or any of his kids. He gave them early on what he didn't have--a family. And he received a family back. And having that family keeps Batman from tipping oved the edge into insanity. Because revenge is a poison, even if it's an 8-year-old boy imagining it.

But that still doesn't change that he sees it as a war. And he sees Robin and himself as soldiers.

So I came to a conclusion.

He doesn't.

Bruce doesn't.

Batman does.

Here's how I'm piecing it out:

"A Good Soldier" carved on the memorial case because only soldiers can fight so openly and outwardly. Even if they're dubbed as vigilantes, they are soldiers. And I think Bruce thinks it this way.

So when he sees a Robin or a Batkid out there, kicking rapists in the face and whatnot, he sees how someone so young can bear so much weight. He sees how a child can hold so much bravery--like the soldiers in the frontlines--doing this because of the morals they believe in. He sees how Robin is a good fighter, a good helper, a brave one, a confident person, a soft hero.

He sees how Robin is all that and he thinks "A good soldier." Because Robin is one. With the thing they're doing, he is one.

But yes, it's wrong. Children cannot and should not be soldiers. But a) this is the worst type of fiction, comic fiction 😂 and b) Batman is fucked up himself and considering he started training to be Batman from a young age too, he himself was a child soldier.

In the world of DC comics, the people there need someone like Batman while the people in the Earth we live in need someone like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Malala Yousufzai, etc.

So yeah, Robin is a good soldier--a great soldier, because he holds the bravery, determination and strength of a soldier. It could mean a literal thing, but it could also mean a metaphorical thing. Bruce could have engraved those words to Jason's memorial case because the only thing he can think of to sum up how Jason was as a Robin was a soldier. Because soldiers are brave, and Jason was the bravest.

And I think comic writers after that took the whole "war against crime" psyche of Batman too literally and too much creating the abusive ass prick in some of the continuities.

But you can't tell me that Bruce--not Batman--Bruce has a case of his own for Jason. Maybe a physical one, maybe an imaginitive one. A case which holds Jason's annotated copy of Pride and Prejudice, his first aced test paper, and his favorite hoodie, all kept tidily in the case with the words "a good son, be well loved, Jay lad" written under it. A case which he holds private because it was his son who he lost. Jason.

A little boy who survived so much until he couldn't. A little boy who he tried to protect until he couldn't. His son. Jason.

[op81s]

🏎️ carlos sainz: favorite teammates?

hmmmmmmmm, good question... now this turned into a whole thing so my apologies 😭

first, i absolutely can't chose just one teammate pairing so i'll choose three... (+ one extra) 😂

lance and fernando: yapper and non-yapper 1.0. now... people who look at them and say they have such a sweet father/son dynamic... what do you mean?? 'cause yes, they have a mentor/mentee dynamic but that is absolutely not the same?? lance literally pinched the old man's butt?? in front of god and the grid?? fernando kissed this man after one race together?? and lance, when talking about fernando and his career, said 'he's a pretty good driver. he's done alright over the years.' with this huge grin on his face like the little shit he is?? and fernando is just incapable of being chill about lance?? whenever lance uploads something to instagram, within 2 minutes you can see the little 'liked by fernandoalo_oficial' marker on the post?? lance when asked who his biggest idol was growing up, whilst standing next to fernando on stage, straight up said 'michael schumacher. i was just a fan of the sport growing up, i loved racing. i watched fernando in my young years… he was the guy winning the races and championships. but i'm not gonna lie, i was cheering for michael at the time but… still really happy to have fernando in the team now and really excited to work together', again with a huge fucking grin on his face and whilst fernando was standing right next to him?? lance and fernando just checking in on each other during races?? and suggesting set up changes for each other?? and notorious war criminal fernando alonso continually enduring being in his hated former teammate estie bestie's company just so they can both spend the time staring adoringly at lance?? nANDO FREAKING SHOWED UP TO THE GRID IN LANCE MERCH?? aston martin literally uploaded a lance and fernando edit set to the lyrics:

'i like the way you kiss me, i can tell you miss me i can tell it hits, hits, hits, hits not tryna be romantic, i’ll hit it from the back just so you don’t get attached (‘tached, 'tached, 'tached)'

...anyway i'm completely unnormal about them and i blame @raapija for introducing me to them.

oscar and lando: yapper and non-yapper 2.0. they're so interesting to me 'cause oscar literally looks at lando like he hung the freaking moon (exhibit a: the 'finish the lyrics' video)?? also lando clearly hates losing to oscar whenever they do games or quizzes but also always gives oscar a way back in the game and then cries when he loses to oscar because of it (exhibit b: the summer games video)?? oscar constantly correcting lando when they first became teammates and he still kinda does but now he does it in a much softer way?? and usually waits for lando to look at him like he needs help with a certain word or phrase?? and lando's utter fascination with oscar's floppy hair?? and they're not very physically affectionate with each other but can't seem to stand further than like .2 centimeters apart?? but i'm pretty sure they don't spend any time together off the grid which... #healthyworklifebalance but whatever 😭😂

valtteri and guanyu: just the chillest dudes on the grid being chill together, drinking tea/coffee and staying out of the drama. (zhou making a helmet for the melbourne gp with valtteri's face on it!!)

honourable mention: prema logan and oscar!! i've been watching old f2 and f3 races and baby logan and oscar are everything to me okay!! all the weird shit prema made them do for Content™ really solidified their friendship okay!!

[kerubimcrepin]

LIVEREAD: WAKFU, THE GREAT WAVE [TOME 1, Chapters 1-3]

I want to preemptively say that I wasn't the biggest fan of The Great Wave, while reading it originally. It had less to do with the contents of the comic, and more with the pacing — it's written in a very... webtoon-unfriendly way. Every week I'd wait, and then not much would happen.

I am hoping it will be less exhausting to read this comic this time, but there just isn't a lot that happens in it. It's quite sad, really.

Now that I am done with the "hey, I am not the biggest fan of the way this was executed, at least in this tome" warning, I want to say that I actually really like the idea of a tragic story. Like fuck yesss. With all the amount of foreshadowing we got, we deserve to see how Yugo's good intentions are going to bring disaster.

I will be honest, the day this dropped I went to discord and everyone was screaming "THEY ADDED PORN TO WAKFU" and then when I was finally able to read the comic after someone finally pirated and sent it to me, I saw the world's shortest scene of intimacy between a married couple.

Normal world.

Anyway: STOP FUCKING WHILE WEARING THE WORLD-ENDING MAGICAL NUKES ON YOU.

Hey chat! This reminds me of a very poggers thing I had said a while before this manga realeased:

You have no fucking idea how bigly I won. And this isn't even the last win of mine in this manga. No, I just keep winning and winning. Please, Tot Ankama, I beg you through whatever psychic link we have: do this thing you did to Yugo to Joris too. He deserves it.

In the future, I will be liveblogging myself reading the entire tomes too; instead of making small posts, as the comic releases chapter by chapter.

One of the reasons why? I love writing this post, while knowing full-well that these are Grougalorasalar's words.

MAN, I predicted Grougalorasalar using emotionally manipulative language that's pretty much "you're a fraud, you're amoral, DIE" in nightmarish visions sent to people ages before this manga happened, in my fanfic. And I was so giddy — because I love the idea of 'Salar torturing people like that, and because it means I got something right without having too much data to back it up!

First Joris war criminal arc, then Salar emotional abuse via nightmare visions arc... How is my taste so similar to Tot's??

I think it's very funny for Salar to be moralizing now. My brother in crepinjurgening, you were trying to resurrect your lizard son by shattering his soul forever and bringing him unimaginable suffering so that you can go commit more war crimes together?

Then again, his war crimes had virtually no chance of ending the world. I suppose it's natural for a Black Fire dragon to understand the sort of danger Yugo presents — the fact that they may all end up the same way the Necro world is...

I guess his morals are as weird as Joris's (world ending = bad, war crimes = sometimes good if they do those themselves?). Similarities are only to be expected, since they influenced and changed one-another irrevocably.

this shuoild happen to joris too. pleask.

LITERALLY IT'S SO FUNNY. HE'S SEEN THIS SORTA SHIT HAPPEN AGAIN AND AGAIN AND IS STILL GOING DOWN THAT ROUTE. BRO? 😭

Somehow I really doubt that Grougalorasalar's involvement in this situation is going to improve it in any way.

"I am the black dragon Grougalorasalar and I am going to save the world" ok and flowers can sing, and the world is made of pudding. Get a grip.

[twirling my hair around my fingers, giggling cutely] A shadow you say? This reminds me of Dofus MMO lore :3

I've seen people be upset at there being bigotry towards Eliatropes, but really — this has been coming since season 2. You've seen what a shitshow the idea of another class appearing caused back then.

Maybe it's my "knowing too much about hupperage oppression lore" and "knowing just a little bit about ouginak oppression lore" bias kicking in, but I'm not surprised? Eh?

THEY MULTIPLIED?!

Guys I don't think they're happy.

Originally this made me giggle: "ohh, is Joris going to have to choose between Bonta and his friendship with Yugo, in the future tomes of this manga? I wonder what he will choose, tee-hee."

But ngl, considering the fact that Joris has already demonstrated choosing Yugo over Bonta in season 4, and has been implied to be at odds with the government of Bonta during some ages, and downright opposed in others — I think we know the answer.

Literally not how it would work in real life. Even if Aurora has the right to inherit the throne in some way, her father is completely unrelated to that. He shouldn't even be here — if Aurora has the right to inherit the throne, it means she was made a member of the Sheran-Sharm family, and is no longer a part of her original family, because— [STARTS FOAMING AT THE MOUTH FROM ANGER]

[syruubi]

Man its been weeks and I’m still soured by the conclusion to Fontaine’s main story. I'll just rant here

There were a lot of things I didn’t like about it (Arlecchino's altruism being played straight, Traveler being out of character, the lore exposition ass-pull with the prophecy slates, the weird logic about how destroying a Gnosis could potentially wake up the Heavenly Principles but not fucking destroying an Archon Throne when Celestia forced everyone to fight a GODDAMN WAR TO ESTABLISH THEM-) but the biggest offense to me was how Furina was handled. This was marketed as the grand finale of the arc, the climax with Furina at the center of it all. And she got shafted. Big time. Furina had no agency in the plot whatsoever, nothing she did had any effect on how things turned out, and she didn’t even have the dignity of fully understanding why it all had to happen that way.

(Also I will preface this with yes Furina and Focalors are technically the same person with the same origin, but after the split Furina lost all her memories as Focalors. They are two separate consciousnesses with different experiences, and therefore I will treat their individual choices as their own)

I’ve seen people try to argue that no, she chose to take on this role knowing she would suffer, that she didn't HAVE to go along with it. And she was even working by herself to solve the prophecy without relying on Focalors, she wasn’t a puppet/pawn! But the thing is she was essentially in a hostage situation. If she didn’t do things exactly as dictated by Focalors people would DIE. Like there is a reason why criminal punishments are lighter when it’s found the perpetrator was coerced into it! And her researching how to avoid the prophecy changed nothing about the outcome, she could have sat around eating cake and the story would have word for word turned out exactly the same. All that information served to do was highlight her suffering and draw the audience’s sympathy. That's what I mean about her not having agency, it's not about her ability to act as an individual but how her actions had an effect on the overall plot. None of her choices outside of the role designated by Focalors did anything to change the situation for better or worse.

And to top it all off she didn’t even understand WHY this all had to happen. Why do people dissolve in the Primordial water? How does her pretending to be an Archon play into solving the issue? Why can’t she confide in anyone? What the hell is Focalors even doing? She doesn’t learn the answers to any of these until after everything was over, and not even from Focalors’ own mouth, it was relayed to her by Neuvillette.

Speaking of Neuvillette, I’m not gonna lie I’m sorta annoyed at his existence because it felt like Furina was shafted for him. Everything is very tilted in Neuvillette's favor. He gets his powers back, full control over Pneuma/Ousia, final say in trials, the ability to hand out Visions, and just straight up the ability to manipulate life itself. And okay all these things were his to begin with lore-wise, whatever, but he also becomes the "lore important" character after this at Furina's expense. Furina doesn't have her memories as Focalors, she can't tell us anything about how the world works, about Celestia, about what happened 500 years ago. Even though other Archons didn't give us much either for one reason or another, they at least HAVE that knowledge, and are therefore guaranteed to have involvement in future events with the Abyss and Celestia. Furina at the moment, doesn't. Neuvillette has it now. And all that talk about Focalors judging Celestia? Also Neuvillette's job now. And it feels like it was all stolen from Furina from a story-telling perspective because again, she didn't know of the plan to return his powers. She didn't even get to explicitly agree with her other self that he should have them back. The writers really seemed to go out of their way to place him on a pedestal at Furina's expense, which irks the hell out of me.

There are some opportunity for future interludes to turn the current state around, and they probably will since Furina is still being marketed as an Archon, but as it stands I want Fontaine to be over so we can move on to the next disappointment.

[leincendiaire]

anyways salty thoughts. dont expect me to be nice

this is the one problem not exclusive to the finale, god ed's character arc just. didnt do it for me at all. I excused it before cuz I thought it would pay off as the season went on but nope. he never had a genuine apology moment, just that youtuber apology like gag and the cat collar joke. like they literally show us how the crew was completely scarred by his actions but theyre later just completely fine with him on board???? and stede keeps being his biggest stan when I think he would have been like hey what the fuck!! im sorry I hurt you but I am not responsible for your actions and you hurt my crew whom I hold very dear!! I love ed but Fuck he really went too far those first episodes and he never makes up for it. they only ever focus on His Own self journey, not how he hurt and traumatized practically every other character.

"well, I think narratively izzy's death made sense but—" no!! no it fucking didnt!! im sorry but it was just lazy writing!! they didnt know what to do with him so whoops he gets shot in the dumbest way possible. like, this aint my first rodeo, it aint the first time ive seen a character start off on their character journey to happiness only for writers to give up on it and kill them off. it's a tiring fucking trope tbh and I really wish they hadnt fallen into this trap. like his death scene wasnt good either, if youre gonna do it at least focus on his relationship with the crew, you know, the people he came to accept as family? not the man Who Shot Off His Fucking Leg And Almost Killed Him? I know they had an important relationship but that shit should have been talked about way beforehand, it deserved closure. they should have acknowledged they werent good for each other and made peace with it. izzy deserved a death with people who actually made him happy. ALSO THEY BURY HIM ON FUCKING LAND?????? he spent his life at sea!!!! he is the most devoted out of everyone to being a pirate and you bury him next to your fucking inn???? fucking twats istg

lastly I swear they forgot stede is the main character. they forgot literally everything about how to write him. he gets No Focus in the finale, and every scene he is in is bullshit. I actually wanted to punch my screen every time there was a joke about him being incompetent or whatever. like, hello??? thought we left that shit in s1??? he had Multiple Episodes about learning to be a pirate and adjusting to his new life and gaining more skills but no. he is just silly old loserboy for his cool war criminal boyfriend now. literally no skills or experience whatsoever. ok sure yea thats totally how he acted the rest of the season. also the fuck is it with him staying behind to run the inn with ed?? wasnt the whole conflict last episode their different desires out of life, with ed wanting to start a normal life and stede wanting to be a pirate?? when the Fuck did he change his mind. who are you and have you done with my boy

honestly I feel bad because jenkins is actually a good writer and the whole fandom really expected a lot from a man making his second show, and I think there were a lot of budget cuts and production issues so I can see why it turned out this way. he is probably mad about this too, I bet the cast also, like even the acting in this episode didnt feel passionate, and thats saying a lot since these actors really love this show. im just frustrated. man. time to write fics ig

[whumpbby]

Idk if there's a right way to say this but Jiang Cheng's biggest crime in and out canon is being not that pleasant to be around and i rlly wish people would acknowledge that instead of trying to paint him as The Worst in order to justify their weirdly intense hatred towards him

I'm going to ramble,sorry, that how I put thoughts in order:)

I think that's the perfect way to say it actually. And 100% fact imho. His biggest flaw is that he has no patience with other people's shit and no filter on how little patience he has. He lets people know he's unhappy with them. All his care and dedication is in his actions.

The way he cares about Wei Wuxian and then Jin Ling - even his scolding is an expression of care, always concerned about the way their behaviour can bring harm to them or to their sects. The way he sacrificed his life for Wei Wuxian without a moment's doubt and neve mentioned it. The way he was fighting a war and rebuilding the sect at the same time. The way his sect became absolutely notfuckwithable. The way he kept throwing himself in the way of danger for his loved ones in the Temple.

This is not some villain who only cares about himself - the way he's being painted by the antis.

There was this post somewhere saying that the biggest flaw in a fictional character is being boring - they can be a war criminal, as long as they're not boring.

I think for some people who are looking for pure escapism and feel-good simplicity (and nothing wrong with that, everyone does that) the "boring" gets replaced with "ugly". The depiction of trauma survivors that didn't "go through all that and ended up kinder". That didn't get over the tragedy in their lives to an appropriate standard. That are functional, but not happy. That bring back the bad stuff that happened because it still influences their lives and behaviours and reactions.

They want all the tragic trauma of the past, but without long-lasting consequences that aren't leading directly to cock-healing or fawning.

Like, if you think about it, no one went through the war in that book and came out "better". Absolutely no one. Lan Zhan drowned himself in guilt and directed all his anger towards Jiang Cheng. Wei Wuxian didn't stop running for even a moment and he became an intensely careless, emotionally dishonest person. Lan Xichen settled into not really doing much, coasting on his sects' position and JGY's help. Nie Mingjue became a bona-fide warlord who basically said "fuck these people, hunt them for sport for all I care". Meng Yao learned that you can stab your problems away. Everyone around them became incredibly trigger-happy for a long while.

And yet JC is the only one singled out as the Evil Walking The Land, because his trauma response isn't pretty and stoic and is specifically, understandably, targeting the Innocent Cinnamon Roll Protagonist and isn't fixed by the end of the book. He could have saved the world, but as long as he's not polite while he's at it then fuck him.

This is, like, primary school level morality were facing here xD

I cannot tell you how surprised I was when entering the world of The Untamed - prepared by Tumblr to see jC as this demon of a man and instead found this guy who, by all accounts, is in the right 99% of the time. Then I read the book and was staggered by the final reveal. And the absolute bullshit I was fed by people that wanted to sour me on the character before I could make my own mind.

Not even gonna get into how these people treat Wen Ning - whose whole existence is a horrific chain of horrific events ending in his absolutely awful existence of an actual slave... But he's such a cute puppy, eh?

Tldr: people who keep making excuses for hating JC do it to somehow justify the fact they can only accept Trauma Light in their fiction.

[juneisafantasyaddict]

The writers of the SaB show seem to be pulling the exact same shit that lb did in the books. because there’s no way they think ignoring everything the grisha have been forced to endure, pretending that the darkling is the beginning and end of their issues and ravka’s, making sure alina never understands what she’s actually fighting for, etc is going to do anything except make me root for the darkling even more.

The entire second season gives me flashbacks to that insane trilogy because somehow they managed to be even worse than the books. they have alina telling the darkling that he doesn’t understand sacrifice?? really??? a man who has spent centuries of his life fighting for the betterment of his people doesn’t understand sacrifice?? the person who literally made protecting grisha his life goal doesn’t understand sacrifice??? does alina realize that the only reason she wasn’t killed the moment she was discovered was because of him?? because of the work he has done??

They had time for baghra to tell stories about her crazy family and how she killed her sister, but there was no time for her to say “this is what life was like before my son decided he was going to make it better for our kind?” if anything, they just pissed me off more because how the fuck is it possible that they are pretending the biggest issue they have is the darkling?? not the monarchy that has exploited grisha and ravka, not the fjerdans who hunt and kill grisha, not shu han who experiments on them??

Sigh, I can’t even write out my thoughts coherently because I’m so irritated by pretty much everything that happened this season. I’m irritated that instead of telling a complex story, we got this dumbed down garbage that tells us nothing, accomplishes nothing beyond “guy in black is bad.” the narrative condemns him for using merzost because he was so desperate to save his people, he tried forbidden magic, but 20 seconds later the hero is using that same forbidden power to bring her boyfriend back to life??? With zero repercussions?? I want to scream!!

If the narrative is so sure they are right, if they are so sure the darkling is wrong about everything, then why are they so afraid to expose the hero to the suffering of her people?? Let her see what they have to deal with, let her truly understand then. She has been a grisha for less than a year, and somehow she knows what’s best for them?? She doesn’t even know them. The show writers literally spent this season making her chase Mal around. Look what happened when they were going after the seawhip, two people died because she didn’t want to kill it, but they moment it went after Mal, suddenly killing it was ok. Her side of the war got attacked and instead of checking to make sure everyone was ok, including her friend’s brother who was literally about to lose his arm, she was screaming about Mal. You want to tell me about sacrifice?? She only cared about one person, and he was perfectly fine at the end. What does she know about sacrifice?? Why oh why is this fucking story just so determined to make her make all the worst possible decisions??

Incase you haven’t noticed, I haven’t talked about the crows at all, because I hate their presence in this story. They are a distraction!!! The grisha are fighting for their right to exist, Ravka is in the middle of a civil war, I do not have the time to follow the shenanigans of a group of criminals from a different country. I still don’t understand their purpose in this story, except comic relief?? 🤦🏽‍♀️

I love Alina, I really do, but jfc you cannot girl boss your way out of real solutions. They have her basically serving the monarchy and the whole time I kept thinking, if I were grisha, I wouldn’t follow her. She’s the leader of the second army but she’s wearing a first army uniform, she’s more interested in protecting the Lanstov throne than she is in protecting her people. She’s so blinded by everyone saying “the darkling is bad, the fold needs to go” she’s not stopping to say “what happens when the fold is gone?” “What happens after the war?” Because surely, she isn’t naive enough to think the people who started killing grisha as soon as they thought the darkling was gone are going to live peacefully with them now?? It took 2 seconds after the darkling died for Fjerda to send an assassin on jurda parem into ravka. Now that there’s no fold to stop them, what will stop Fjerda or Shu Han from sending an army?? Ignoring everything else the crows did, Kaz was right when he said “when they stop looking at her with gratitude, they’ll start to wonder if she hasn’t overstayed her welcome.” Which is basically what Aleksander kept saying btw, they are not going to love you for long, they are going to hate you eventually because they are afraid of what they don’t understand.

I don’t even know what the point of this was, but yeah, I guess it was a rant about how Fucking ridiculous season 2 of shadow and bone was.

[marley-manson]

due South for the fandom ask meme, if you haven't been asked already <3

Thank you 💖

my favorite female character

I honestly can't decide between Victoria and Frannie. I loooove Victoria, I think she's a fantastic villain, very sympathetic imo, and extremely effective at highlighting Fraser's tragic flaws. And I love that she got away in the end.

I also adore Frannie and while she's less of a perfectly written character, she's in more episodes and she's so endearing and loveable. If we had to have a Fraser het ship teased in season 2 I wish it had been Fraser/Frannie rather than Fraser/Thatcher, both because I like Frannie more and would've loved to see more of her before season 3, and because I think it would've been more interesting thematically. In the episode Heaven and Earth she functionally represents Earth and Fraser's capacity to be more human and less "divine" or untouchable, and I love that.

my favorite male character

Ray Vecchio! I love him, I love the way he talks and complains and feels like everything is unfair to him and always steps up and puts his own comfort second anyway; I love his relationship with his family, from the good heartwarming stuff, to the bitchy sibling stuff, to the darker abusive father who still literally haunts him stuff; I love his fashion sense; I love his sheer loyalty to Fraser; I love that in the Pilot he sought Fraser out specifically to apologize for accidentally being insensitive about his father and invite him to dinner; I love his ridiculous love for his car and that he sacrificed it twice for Fraser... nothing I don't love tbh.

my favorite book/season/etc

Season 1, hands down. Extremely solid television right there.

my favorite episode (if its a tv show)

SO hard to choose between The Deal and Victoria's Secret, but I think Ray's episode gets the edge so let's go with The Deal.

my favorite cast member

I don't really know anything about the cast so idk.

my favorite ship

Fraser/RayV. Ship of my heart. I can read basically any ship featuring Ray, including het even, but Ray loves Fraser best therefore Ray/Fraser is the best ship.

a character I’d die defending

Ray. Thankfully the Ray Wars are over so I don't have to, but I'm ngl I can understand why the fandom was so batshit back then. I see someone casually say they can't ship F/V because they see him as too straight and Kill Bill sirens go off in my head and I have to take a deep breath lol. I would not have survived the 90s.

Also Victoria though. Fraser dug his own grave when he didn't let her go the first time, acab, obviously spending 10 years in prison would make her both a better criminal and angry that's what you fucking get for loving the system so much Fraser, and I'm on her side during the whole finale lol.

a character I just can’t sympathize with

One of Due South's biggest strengths is making just about every character sympathetic in some way. Ray's dad was a good answer to this though, got no sympathy there.

Ooh, also: Bob Fraser. The show did want me to sympathize with him at times lol, but I don't. He sucks, he's emblematic of every flaw Fraser has, he's a terrible father and a pretty shitty person, and the fact that the show wanted me to like him and often brushes all that aside makes me dislike him more than I otherwise might. He's still often entertaining and funny, but I do not have any sympathy for him. Hope Caroline divorces him in the afterlife.

a character I grew to love

Idk, most of my character opinions have been static since I first watched the show in high school...

Okay, Ian lol. The most annoying man in the world, but still somehow loveable. It did take me at least one rewatch to start to like him.

my anti otp

Sorry to the fandom lol but it is Fraser/Ray K. I got into the show specifically for them, because I wanted to read all the good fic everyone recced everywhere, and I did everything I could to try to like them including watching season 3 concurrently with season 2 so missing Ray V wouldn't colour my opinions, but it just didn't happen. They are not for me, they don't have the kind of chemistry I enjoy, I don't like the show after season 2 much in general, and my irrational love for Ray V makes me mad on his behalf to see Fraser getting together with his replacement lol.

I'm not usually that emotion driven when it comes to my fandom interests but due south is always kind of an exception there. I am at least self aware enough to find my irrational resentment funny rather than taking it seriously though. Like, I have 0 beef with F/K shippers, I respect your interests and I can definitely see why it was a fandom juggernaut back in its day. I'll just never read it.

ask meme

[krysmcscience]

MOGUS ART DUMP TIME

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Brown, Red, and Green raised a kid together? Probably, because there's no fuckin' way that kid would end up normal by any stretch of the word, and it would be absolutely hilarious to watch the assured family drama unfold.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if the kid they raised came from an entirely different canon universe altogether? Probably not, but that's what's about to happen in this fukken post, because in an alternate timeline, the kid these three adopted turned out to be Shio. (Yes, that Shio - the one whose canonical appearance typically requires a Body Horror warning. If you want additional context about who tf Shio is, there’s a simple summary of them in this post (some of the deets for other characters is, kinda outdated or wildly inaccurate now, ahaha, C A M), or you can read the WIP for the novel they’re from here. Although, there’s some good or bad news if you take the latter route, depending: Shio doesn’t show up until the end of chapter three, and you already have hella spoilers going in, LOL.)

That being said, get ready for some family photos of our favorite trio of gay space pirates, who have managed to accidentally adopt an impostor baby from a whole other universe, which is a totally normal and average thing to happen to anyone ever, no big deal. Pay no attention to the fact that their brand new impostor baby used to be a literal war criminal, one who attempted to rage-quit life so hard over being dumped that the creation deity of their universe took one long look at them and decided, 'Ya know what would be funny? Resetting this piece of shit back to Babby Status without any memories whatsoever of who they used to be, and then tossing them out into space for a trio of some of the biggest chaosmongers in this other reality’s existence to stumble across and adopt because they think they've just found some weird cute animal, rather than a fully sapient being that is going to molt into what looks like a human baby in a little less than two years. That would be So Fucking Funny and it needs to happen Right Now.'

'Look at how tiny and cute and huggable this lil guy is, surely they will stay this way forever~' Oh, Brown, you poor sweet naive little man. Shio's only three here, they've got plenty of time to grow. >:3c

Plenty of time to grow and decide that they're more of a 'he' than a 'they' this time around, even.

Sweet/sad fact about Brown - he refuses to allow a child of his to go without love and support because of the way he lacked those things growing up (and in general). Hilarious fact about Brown to follow that up with, though - that does not mean he will be responsible and NOT put his all into teaching his child to become a notorious space pirate just like him (with - of course - the Full Backing of Green and Red). So, Shio might not become a war criminal, per se, but, uh. He is Definitely still gonna wind up becoming a criminal. <:]

Yes, Red's shirt says 'Puppy Cannon', and it is indeed a reference to 'Party Cannon', why do you ask? Shio's shirt, meanwhile, says 'Squish Bab', whereas Brown's says 'I woke up like this (48 hours ago)', and Green's gauges have 'BlaXk HUle' on them. (Crinkle assures me it's pronounced the same as 'black hole', and while my brain understands this logically, my eyeballs still have doubts.)

'Well, Shio has gotten bigger and taller than me despite him only being 13, but surely he won't get any bigger than this, right???' Keep dreaming, Brown, this isn't even Shio's final form size.

Has Shio already accompanied his parents on several heists and raids on MIRA property while in some manner of disguise by now? Not according to any of Devon's paperwork. Which Shio helps with on a consistent basis to give his parents some alone time. And who wouldn't trust the beloved Admiral's part-time assistant~? He's such a calm, quiet, and responsible young man~ ;) Pay no mind to the fact that, against Red's wishes and to Green's not-so-secret delight, Shio and Brown have recently and very intentionally caused a full-blown society-wide panic back in Shio's old universe, thanks in part to them learning about his past life and making a series of videos on social media entitled 'Shio Survived So Get Ready For ~Kill All Humanity PART TWO~ LOL'.

In case it's not fully legible, Brown's shirt reads 'I went to another universe and all I stole was my *awesome kid* (and 50 thousand dollars) ... (and a car)'. Meanwhile, Green's 'Slutstomper' gauges are in reference to an absolutely raunchy electropop band from Shio's ex-universe. Red's shirt will be revealed in the next photo, and I can assure you, he does not understand what it means the way Green and Brown do, and it was all Green's idea because he just has, you know. So much class.

'I can't believe my son can lift and carry all three of his parents like it's nothing now. I'm so mad, yet I couldn't be prouder.' People who knew Shio before they got reset tried to warn you that they were an Absolute Unit, Brown, but you didn't listen. This is what happens when you don't listen. 23 years later, you wind up with an adoptive son who can easily pick up not just you, but both of your boyfriends along with you.

Has Shio gone back for another visit to their old universe with Brown by now to fake going on a Kill All Humans crusade for the sake of causing more mass panic? ...Maybe. Did they trick Devon into letting them borrow one of his ships for this endeavor? ...Possibly. Did Red end up so furious that he made both of them do three months of community service to make up for it afterward, and banned them from letting Green go along to help them properly socialize? Well, yes - absolutely yes, in fact - but to be fair, they both knew Green would have spent most of his time there being a slutty menace and flirting with everyone, anyway, and neither of them wanted to have to deal with that. They were already being punished as it was (by having to help a bunch of needy people with a smile), so, no need to make it worse for themselves.

Brown's 'Stabby Babby' shirt definitely features an angry baby holding a knife on it, but Shio's arms are in the way because he's Just That Massive. Also, I apologize for Green and Brown (but mostly myself) for allowing that Pupknot shirt to exist on poor innocent Red. In Shio's defense, he has crafted a very solid mental block around what the joke is and thus Also does not understand what it means. And in my own defense, after coming up with two other puppyfied metal band names, how could I resist the horrible joke that would come out of doing the same to Slipknot? (Okay, that's less of a defense and more of an outright admission of guilt.) As for Green's decals and patches, if anyone wants to see the full-size versions of them for whatever reason, let me know, because I put an absurd amount of work into them, and I want a reason beyond my own fragile artist ego to compile them all into a single cohesive image. Also, in regards to the 'VB' on Green's gauges and one of his patches, it stands for 'Video Bois', which is sort of an AU-canon term for their polycule (video cables = RGB = Red, Green, Brown).

Oh, wait, what's that eldritch creature way off in the background, you ask?

...

Don't worry about it. :)

[chiptrillino]

Chewing that part time pirate zuko... And also the fact that I'm obsessed with yuyan archer Mai. So here's the deal: after the war mai got to do whatever the fuck she wanted because she's one of the fire lord's best friends, who's going to stop her? So she goes to finally learn from the yuyan archers, doesn't take long bc 1. Zuko is surrounded by prodigies and 2. Have you SEEN mai's aim? She has the yuyan technique down in a week

The fire nation advisors are extremely worried about the fire lord at sea, and zuko sees mai, recently fully realized yuyan archer, and goes "she'll be my body guard so you people shut the fuck up". Sometimes mai takes her brother on the trips just because she can

(side note, i think the ship is metal solely so toph can be comfortably on board and still be able to navigate her way around)

Also, i forgot in my last ask, i was going to say that yue absolutely knows who zuko is, not just as fire lord, but as sokka's friend bc like... She's always trying to see where she can help the gaang, she saw when zuko joined and everything since, so when she sees zuko chasing pirates it's not just "oh I'm so bored look at that human trouble" but rather "oh I'm so bored oh wait i can help sokka's friend"

I'm undecided in whether aang is splitting hairs so to say about yue casually coming to the human world, or if he's out there acting as a yue lawyer trying to convince other great spirits to not give her grief but also not follow along on her idea bc... That would get messy very fast

Also. I love azula, i love that she's a menace, zuko leaves her in charge when he leaves and the fire nation advisors and ministers and the like are terrified of that. Azula loves it. She may also have implied she'll have zuko killed at sea (for the laughs and to see if anyone is not scared enough of that possibility. It's useful to know who wouldn't miss zuko to check if they're also actively treasonous). The gaang hears of this and they're extremely uncomfortable by the idea bc they're not sure if azula is being serious each time

honestly, just the threat of "azula is in charge" and she is chuckling in the bg. is like the biggest threat zuko could make. And all ambassadors, diplomat and council man are suddenly at their bestest behavior in a sense of " no fire lord please don't leave us we will do what ever you want"

its pointless though. zuko needs his brake and well. yeha he has mai and tom tom and just who ever wants to come along comes with. beating up criminals is a healthy and productive coping mechanism with stress i think.

it's fun seeing you so exited with this au anon, hahah I agree with every addition you bless me with, hahah

I guess aang is splitting hair depending on with who he argues. if it is with humans, he just has a dead tired look in his eyes and just exhausted sighs out, "do i look like i control the moon?" like truly humans are so stupid? You think the avatar can tell a greater spirit anything?

on the other hand, when dealing with La, other greater spirits or Yue himself. he is like... trying to reason with them, which is just... very difficult and nerve wrecking because it's not like spirits do listen. they stay above him, and just want harmony and balance. but yue is for her convenience disturbing the balance. its like a partner therapy. and aang mediating between them. La thought the new yue would be different. and yue wasn't aware what she all signed up with. new compromises were created. aang: good thing i was able to convince yue and la to wait for your sacrifice sokka! sokka: .... my sacri-WHAT?!?!?

[silversiren1101]

I love the current state of the Hellknight Orders because they are all just one bad Council of Lictors meeting from tearing each other’s throats out. Yeah they’re all technically Hellknights but some of the Orders have such adversarial goals that it’s only a matter of time before they just start eating each other like feral beasts.

The Pyre is dedicated to exterminating harmful cults and working against the aims of demon lords and religions that are a threat of ‘orderly society’ but their Lictor is a staunch atheist that believes ALL religions need to be eliminated because fervent belief in individual gods breeds chaotic tribalism, even that of lawful gods!

The Godclaw is the Crusader arm of the Hellknights but is all about the Godclaw pantheon and advancing lawfulness under the united front of those gods but UH OH the current Lictor thinks there’s a sixth god that should be added and it’s fucking ZON-KUTHON?! He hasn’t told anyone yet and just has this secret shrine to Zonny boy in his Citadel and privately worships him in his “six pronged claw” and it’s a huge secret but MAN wait when that shit drops?!

The Pyre and Godclaw are going to take everyone else out in their war, but that’s not even getting into the beef the other Orders will find with each other?! 

The Scourge is actively investigating House Thrune and is firm about its independence from Thrune and Egorian’s dottari... and then you get The Rack which are basically Thrune lapdogs that happily round up all the old history books with “wrong” history and dissenters and purge them on behalf of the Infernal Majestrix. Abrogail II literally has a hit out on the Scourge with the Red Mantis Assassins (holy shit) which Jakalyn publicly announced and so THE SCOURGE KNOWS?! Like they KNOW House Thrune has a hit on their knights in Egorian!

When is THIS shit going to go down?! It’s pretty much the Rack’s fault why Hellknights have such a bad reputation as being Thrune lackeys because they love to lick those dottari and Thrune boots! Meanwhile the Scourge is being hunted down in Egorian’s streets by former Gray Maidens (lmao!) for daring to investigate the crimes of Egorian’s elite and House Thrune!

What will the Nail do? They’re the largest of the orders and there’s so much disagreement in their own ranks on what they believe is savagery and what really needs their attention! Maybe we should stop brutally colonizing the Shoanti? There’s like, actual banditry out there and actual monsters to slay? Maybe their Lictor can have his wasting curse mysteriously fully progress and their lawful good centaur Master of Blades can become Lictor instead, yeah?

Meanwhile the Chain just got the biggest PR boost from Cheliax rolling out their “I can’t believe it’s not slavery!” in the Firebrands book but are they even going to agree that this new infernal-backed indentured servitude is lawful? They care more about real criminals than runaways (and more often than not imprisoned abusive ‘Masters’ for breaking their side of the ‘contract’ too). I guess it’ll come down to how profitable it is, huh Lictor Adom? His pockets need to be frisked. He needs a full audit.

Anyway I think they should fight. I think it’d be really fun to see what comes out of it. I think it’d be awesome if the Rack just stop existing because they are undoubtedly the worst.

[shyanddreamy]

You can't save everyone

Happy Lowman x Reader | Part 5 | Finale

Outside Stockton, there were some bikes waiting. Chibs and Happy were by your side, and next to you were the Mayans Oakland Pres and VP. Marcus Alvarez was there too. Although he no more wore his kutt, he wanted to be there with the rest of you. Two years were a great amount of time to rebuild what had been destroyed, so Mayans and Sons were partners once again. The biggest difference was that this time, there were lot of new prospects to refill the charters.

When you saw Creeper get out of prison, you grinned. His smile grew wide too. He hugged Marcus first and his brothers second. And then, he looked at you. You jumped into his arms at the same time he embraced you tightly.

“I can’t believe you’re finally out”, you greeted him.

“Fuck, me neither.”

After the end of the war, Santo Padre’s charter was blamed for all the crimes Creeper had confessed, so his sentence was changed, and he got only two years. It was all bullshit, of course, but whatever deal Kody made with the person in charge of the operation against the MC, she made sure it would benefit Creeper. Six months later, his request to be transferred to Stockton was approved. There were more Mayans and Sons in that prison, so he was safer, and he was also nearer his future new charter. And nearer you, too.

Once he released himself from your hug, Creeper approached Chibs and Happy to greet them with a handshake and a pat on the back. During this time, they had been working together to reunite both MCs. And they had done a good job.

“C’mon, we have some ladies back home waiting to give you a warm welcome”, Chibs told him.

“Listen to him, carnal”, Marcus added. “SAMCRO has always had great women around them.”

“I’m sure we could find one for you too, old man”, Happy responded.

“Not if I want my wife to open the door for me when I get home. But as long as you have booze in there, I’m in for a welcome party.”

After the war, when SAMCRO voted on the direction they wanted to take, the decision was controversial. Over time, they realised that the porn industry moved a lot of money, but they kept doing smaller business outlaw, as well as threatening or blackmailing their competition. You can take the man out of the criminal life, but you can’t take the criminal life out of the man. Anyway, things were good now.

The fact that Creeper’s welcome party was held at Charming was something meaningful. SAMCRO wanted to demonstrate their goodwill by letting a bunch of Mayans enter their territory, celebrate the return of a brother, and together pay their respects to the fallen.

When you saw Neron coming back from the dorms as he was in pain, you couldn’t help but laugh. He walked towards you and took a sit next to you on the sofa.

“They're treating you more than well.”

“Fuck. Those hoes are going to kill me”, he said. “I really wanted to bang some chick, but now I won’t be able to have a hard-on for days.”

“What were you expecting? You are like a legend here”, you remained him. “The Mayan who convinced his brothers to sit down and talk with SOA. The one who got peace from prison.”

“Just because you kept me alive first.”

“Oh, c’mon, shut up”, you said, shaking your head while smiling. “We’ve talk about that too many times. Don’t start again.”

The first time you talked with Creeper after the war, he was completely broken. Knowing FBI had killed his whole charter was devastating for him. He thought he had lost everything, but he didn’t give up. And when you suggested that he should talk to his brothers to open the door to dialogue, you gave him a new purpose to live for. It was only a matter of time before he was able to heal his wounds. When Oakland’s charter offered him a place at their table, Neron was more convinced that the brotherhood for which he had given his life was not completely over.

“But it’s the truth, Y/N”, he insisted. “I owe you my life.”

“So, just keep living”, you told him. “Don’t let the past drag you down.”

“I won’t. I swear.”

“Good.”

You looked at him with a sweet smile, recognising in him the genuine smile you had loved since the first time you saw it. Despite everything, the deaths, the blood, and the betrayals, that smile was still there. He was there. And that filled you with joy. It was amusing to think that all this had started just because he was in the bathroom you desperately needed to use. Fate was peculiar.

“Have you heard anything more from Kody?”, you asked him since the memory of how you met reminded you of the time Kody called you asking for the bathroom chick.

“Fuck no”, he growled. “And I don’t wanna hear her name again. She’s dead to me.”

You didn’t know what had really happened between them or why she had so much influence in the FBI, and probably you would never know for sure, but you had some conjectures in mind. However, it no longer mattered.

Even if you had wanted to, you wouldn’t have been able to add anything before Tig shouted for you to approach the group who were about to do a round of shots.  

“It’s going to be a fucking long day”, Creeper muttered as he stood up. “Are you in? I’d like to see who’s the first to throw up over the table.”

“Hell yes.”

*

As hours went by, you felt your body getting more and more tired. You didn’t want to go home yet, so you opted to sit down on a stool next to the counter bar. When one of the prospects asked if you wanted something, you said a bottle of water.

“Welcome parties are always hard”, Marcus commented, sitting on the stool next to you with a glass full of some liquor. “I’m glad to finally meet Happy’s Old Lady.”

“It’s my pleasure, Padrino”, you answered. “I've heard great things about you.”

“Half will be lies”, he assured you, smiling slightly. “Good things I’ve done are only because I’m too old. Experience always makes you clever.”

“Those pricks could learn something from you then. I’m pretty sure that some of them just think with their dicks.”, you added. And your words made Marcus laughed. “But I like to see them like that. After all that happened, it’s good to see them having a good time together.”

“Yeah, it is”, he nodded. “When you don’t know war, peace is overrated. I hope they have learnt enough not to repeat the same mistakes”.

“Sounds good, but there’s always going to be mistakes. Doing bad things is their way of living. Is what they do.”

“Did you get to know Clay?”, Marcus asked you suddenly.

“Yeah, for a while. But mostly at the end”, you answered. “With half lung less he wasn’t so intimidating.”

“He did good things, but also bad ones. Now is remembered for the bad ones. Jax did bad things too, but he’s remembered just for the great ones. What I mean is that we all do both. Always. That’s why our successes must be bigger than our mistakes”, he explained to you before suddenly changing the subject. “Happy and you want kids?”

“Nope. We’re good. Kids ain’t our thing.”

“I have a two-years-old boy waiting for me at home. And two teenagers too. Having your own family helps you to think more with the heart and less with the head.”, he told you. “You did it too. Thinking with your heart. You convincing SAMCRO to protect Creeper so he could find out who the rat was helped us a lot after the war. SAMCRO upholding the code between MCs and the brotherhood really meant something to the rest of the Mayans who were tired of so much betrayal and lies.”

“Some of these men wouldn’t say that it was a good thing I thought with the heart. They’d say I did what I did because I’m a woman. That we’re always the weakest and fucking sensitive.”

“So, fuck them”, Marcus answered. “Thinking only with the head is what has caused so much bloodshed.”

“Now I understand why they call you Padrino”, you said with a grin on your face. “And now I really believe all the great things I heard about you.”

Although you would have loved to carry on the conversation for the rest of the night, noticing your phone vibrating in your jeans managed to throw you off. When you took it out of your pocket, you saw a missing call.

“I’m sorry. I have to take it.”

“It’s okay, querida”, he answered, putting his hand on your shoulder in an affectionate manner. “Just take care of your man. And help him to think with his heart too. Happy’s going to need it.”

“I’ll do try.”

With the phone in your hand, you left the clubhouse and walked away from drunks outside. Only when you were far enough, you called her back. She didn’t even bother to say hello.

“Everything’s good? Is Neron out?”, she asked you. It was easy to notice the worry in her voice.

“Yeah. Everything’s perfect”, you confirmed her. “He’s inside the club with his brothers celebrating his return.”

“Great. Great”, he mumbled. And despite the silence, you knew what she was going to say now. Since she stopped visiting him after what happened in Santo Padre, every time you spoke it was the same two questions. “Did he ask for me? Did he say anything about me?”

“Neron has his head in too many things right now.”

It was always the same answer from you too. But this time, it was different. Now he was out, he was a free man without visiting hours or restrictions. And she knew it.

“I was thinking I could go there. He might want to see me and talk. I have so many things I want to tell him if he gives me the opportunity. If you talk to him first, he might…”

“I’m sorry, Kody”, you interrupted her. “I’m really sorry, but it seems that Neron hasn’t forgiven you yet for whatever happened between you two.”

You really felt bad for her, but it would have been even worse confessing that Creeper had told you she was dead to him. Perhaps you should have warned her earlier so that she would not get her hopes up, but you also thought that Creeper might change his mind once he was released from prison.

“Perhaps, if you let some time pass, he…”

“No. It’s fine. I should have known better”, she raised her voice, but this time it seemed angrier. “I’ve already lost more than two years of my life with him. It’s fucking unhealthy and I need to stop. It’s better this way.”

“I’m really sorry, Kody”, you told her again because it was the only thing you could say right now.

“I don’t think we should talk anymore either”, she added. And after talking to her by phone at least once a month for two years, it will be weird at first, but it was the right choice.

“You could save my number”, you suggested. “In case one day you have some information that could be useful to us. We don’t want a repeat of what happened in Santo Padre.”

You had never talk about your private lives. Kody knew you were an outlaw, and you knew she was close to the FBI. Your only topic of conversation had been Neron, but it would be good to have an acquaintance who could warn you in case police became interested in the MCs again.

“It won’t happen again as longer as you don’t leave dead bodies on the streets”, she answered back. “But I’ll do. I’ll save it.”

Kody hung up seconds later and you put your phone back in your pocket with mixed feelings. She seemed to really care about Creeper, so it was a fucked up that he hated her so much. But at the same time, if he felt that way, it was because she had done something really bad to him, so it was better for him to be far away from Kody.

“Everything’s all right over there, doll?”, Tig brought you out of your thoughts.

“Perfect”, you assured him with a smile on your face. “Are you having fun, baby?”

“Fuck yes. I love welcome parties”, he said as he passed an arm around your shoulders. “Weren’t you trying to go home already, were you?”

“Of course not”, you answered. “Indeed, I’d want another beer.”

“You have read my mind, love.”

*

By the end of the night, everyone was either passed out or lying on a sofa or a chair. Some were even on the floor. Nothing you hadn’t seen before actually. You were with Happy on a single sofa, sitting on his lap while you kissed. The kisses could be sweet, but the way Happy stroked your thigh caused a warn feeling inside you.

“The night was amazing”, you told him, aware that no one else would be able to hear you right now. “But you know what a perfect ending would be? You fucking me until we pass out too”.

“Right here?”

“You wish”, you answered. As he smirked, you bit your lower lip.

“Maybe there’s an empty dorm. If not, I’ll kick out whoever is there.”

“Sounds good”, you nodded, but a gasp caught your attention. Creeper had two croweaters on either side kissing his neck and caressing his body. The fact that he was the only one who drank just water could be the reason why he was one of the few who were still awake. “Seems he’s having fun till the end.”

“He’s definitely doing so.”

“Would you want to be him?”, you asked him, looking at Happy again. “Having all the croweaters you want doing whatever you ask, just to make you feel good.”

You felt the hand on your thigh grip you more tightly as the other moved up to the back of your neck.

“I wouldn’t change you for anything”, he promised you with his deep, dark gaze on yours. “You are the only one I want. The only one I’ll ever want.”

Your smile widened at his words even though you already knew that would be his answer. He kissed you more passionately than before, and you lost yourself on the kiss until his fingers grabbed the necklace hidden under your shirt.

“When are we gonna tell them?”, he asked you.

“Don’t know. I’m waiting for the right moment.”

You took your fingers to his necklace too. You had both been hiding the fine silver chain with a ring on it under your shirts for weeks. You didn’t expect Happy to be into the whole wedding thing. You didn’t expect it from you either. But when one night Happy put a ring on your finger while you were simply on the sofa watching tv, you almost started crying. Apparently, he had been carrying the ring in his pocket for months, trying to figure out the best way to give it to you. And until this day, you had been waiting for the right time to announce it to the boys.

“Don’t wanna wait more”, he said. And before you could even process his words, Happy kept talking. “Hey! We’re getting married.”

Between the gazes that were suddenly on you, you focused on Creeper and Chibs.

“Just you, fucking bastards, could choose a moment like this to tell us something like that”, Chibs complained. He was sitting on a stool, leaning on the counter bar with both arms, his sunglasses on, and a cigarette between his fingers. “I’d hug you, but I’d better do it some other time when I don’t smell like a fucking minibar.”

“We all know it’s because you can’t even stand up now, old man”, you said, grinning.

“Fuck you, sweetheart.”

“I’d hug you too, but I smell like something you really don’t want to smell”, Creeper added. “But congratulations, guys. I knew this was gonna happen sooner or later. I’m so happy for you both.”

“Hey!”, Happy raised his voice again, but this time while kicking Tig’s back, who was lying on the floor next to your feet with a women slept over him. “We’re getting married, dickhead.”

“Yeah, whatever you say, brother”, Tig mumbled. He needed some seconds to understand what Happy had told him. And when he did, his eyes opened widely. “Wait, what?”

Tig careless pushed the women who was with him and sat down on the floor before resting his head on your legs.

“Congratulations, man. I guess I no longer have any chance of banging you, Y/N.”

“You’ve never had a chance, Tig”, you answered.

“Don’t know. When you first came to Charming, I thought you might be looking for a daddy, but you preferred that weirdo”, he continued, deadly serious. “But I’m so happy for you both. You’re both as insane as each other. And I fucking love you, guys.”

“And we love you too, Tiggy”, you said while caressing his tousled black curls, which was enough to make him close his eyes again.

“What’s his fucking problem?” Creeper asked, moving his eyes between Chibs and Happy and you, not understanding why none of you were startled by what Tig had said.

“I’d like to say that is cause he’s drunk, but it’s not”, you told him.

“He’s just a sick bastard”, Happy added.

“The sickest bastard I've ever known”, Chibs pointed out.

The death, the dangers, the risks... nothing mattered at that moment. It was a fucked-up life and a fucked-up family, but it was the life and the family you had chosen. And you didn’t regret a single thing. Even if you have your whole life ahead of you or only a few years left to live. Even if you could go back in time to the moment when a prospect offered you to go to a party at Sons of Anarchy Tacoma’s clubhouse, you would do it all over again until you get back to this very moment.

“What the fuck is doing fucking Marcus Alvarez in my room?”

It was quite amusing the way Happy looked at you when he opened the door of his club’s dormitory to find El Padrino on his bed.

“Shit. I forgot. He wanted to leave early to Santo Padre to see his family, so I told him he could sleep in your dorm to not be disturbed.”

“Well, it’s your loss”, he answered. “Now I’m not gonna fuck you.”

“You are not?” you asked him with a raised eyebrow. “Then I’ll ask Tig. He seemed eager to do so.”

“Fuck you.”

Happy took you in his arms and carried you to the bathroom. He kicked out a Mayan who was sleeping over the toilet after throwing up and slammed the door. Suddenly, he put you against the sink, facing the mirror, and dropped your shorts.

“It’s so easy to get under your skin, babe”, you told him, biting your lower lip. He looked at you deadly serious while unbuckling his belt. “And it may have been a set up. Perhaps I wanted you to fuck me in the bath from the beginning. So, I win again.”

Happy pulled your hair apart to be able to kiss and bite your neck. His hands clutched tightly to your hips, and as his trousers were down his knees, you could feel his hard-on against you.

“You’re so fucking mean”, Happy muttered against your skin before pushing your back a little further down, so he could have better access. “And I fucking love you for that.”

“I love you too. So fucking much.”

“Now, try not to shout too much. Or do it if you want”, he said. “I don’t give a shit.”

THE END

←Part 4

[rodolfoparras]

Back on my oc shit ✊😞 god if you can hear me

I can definitely see Price getting pissed off because he just came back from hanging out with some friends, but he's drunk as fuck and is trying to type in a code but keeps pressing the wrong shit because hes got big fingers and the buttons are a bit small and is just

🧍‍♂️🎥 "one of you boys needs to get the fuck out here and let me in" at the cameras until someone comes out and escorts him inside (it will not be Ghost, because he thinks it's funny as fuck)

It's probably Gaz and/or Everett that does tbh, helps the old man inside and gets him all washed up and in his jammies (probably fucks him good for good measure) and then tucks his ass into someone's bed, he's out like a light fs

Everett is a huge cuddle bug when you get close enough to him. So lots of the time, if you're looking for him, you should be looking for whoever's in their room because good chance he's with them in bed

Also they do absolutely fight of parking spots, you're right, sometimes they park in each other's spots just to be petty. Finished Ghost's favorite cereal? Fuck you and your parking spot

Soap's got furr enemies because in the 2009 MW, in Captain Soap's journal, he talks about hating dogs and having a fear of them. So Ghost's pup Riley and Everett's pup are his biggest opps sometimes.

Both dogs are very well trained, so he'll slowly grow civil with them, they help him overcome that fear the longer they're all together, but he still doesn't like them much

Prefers Everett's little fluff balls, a mainecoon and a Norwegian forest cat (they're not little at all but they love Soap because he spoils them)

Once they're all retired, I don't think Everett would use a mask much at home, definitely when he goes out but at home he's pretty okay going without it, Roach and Ghost too. But sometimes Everett will probably wear his bunny balaclava for funsies

If he carries anything in the ears, it's probably lighters or chapstick

Weed smoker 100% after retirement, he gets really bad pains in his face sometimes from the piece of shrapnel and smokes to relieve it, probably smokes with Roach and Soap. The others may or may not join, probably depends on if they're still in the military or not

The boys do call him bunny and bun bun and other cute bunny pet names because they think it's cute 😞 man's a war criminal and missing his eye but he's his boys' bunny

Nsft headcanons 🤭...

(poly141 petplay when?!) ((Everett would probably dress up in white lingerie with bunny ears and a rabbits tail plug because Soap joked about it once and wanted to surprise his boys))

Lots of high and/or drunk sex, they've got so much left over energy now they focus it on each other. Get Everett high, and he's rubbing his pussy on whoever's closest to him

Sex between Everett and Soap is very sweet most of the time in my head, they're both scared of losing the ability to communicate with one another (Soap becoming hoh and Everett going partially blind) and so they're very sweet with each other, lots of cuddle sex, they take good care of one another

They all love to ruin their captain and lieutenant 🫡

4v2 fr, Gaz, Soap, Roach, and Everett all jumping Ghost and Price and melting their brains

Idk if you've ever seen those women who fuck men back?? Like the woman is standing and holding the man's legs against him and then riding him like that?? Idk if that's the best way to describe it, BUT Everett does that to whoever's cis in the polycule, especially if it's Ghost or Price, loves to dominate those two

I could probably go on for way too long about these guys...... Someone's gotta put me down, bruh

-🐧

Hello I’m kicking my legs and twirling my hair bc fucking price to sleep is a dream yes he’s an old man yes he’ll happily let you fuck him while he sleeps yes he gets lazily half way into riding and wants you to take over for him yes he’ll claim he doesn’t like being pampered bc he’s a “grown man for Christ sake “ but if you happen to forget to make tea for him at night like you usually do or you won’t offer him to put his cold feet onto you he’ll be huffing and puffing

May I also have a cuddle ses with Everett it’s been a rough day my friends 🧎🏻‍♂️

Wait I absolutely love them having petty fights like arguing over silly things like how someone (soap) ended up turning half of the white t shirts into baby pink and he’s like what pink looks great on ghost and Everett 😭

Oh no I forgot soap was a wee bit scared 😭 but also soap having some moments where he’s like “you’re cool…sometimes” to the dogs 😭

Soap having little tea parties with the kitties and talking shit about dogs and the cats are just blinking at him and he’s like exactly!

Everett wearing his bunny mask jst bc he secretly loves when the rest of the guys coo at him

I see price tryinf weed once and being all grumpy about the headache he got and how he’s too old for all this nonsense hallucinations he’s seeing 😭

Oh hello Everett and price dryhumping idk I just see price as someone who absolutely loves doing it especially with a couple of drinks in him

Soap and Everette finding their own ways to communicate just in case something happens 🧎🏻‍♂️

Oh I’ve definitely seen that maybe even imagined pricr doing it to me but that’s another discussion 😞

[skaruresonic]

🤍, 🖤, 💖, 💔, 💕?

🤍: Which character is not as morally bad as everyone else seems to think?

Lmao how many people can I piss off if I jokingly say "Eggman"?

Huh, this is a tough one. Can't really think of any.

I guess I'll fall back on an oldie but goodie and say the ARK, as a whole, was morally ambiguous. While they weren't performing unethical surgery on Shadow, you also don't develop WMDs in secret without some kind of agenda.

I also think GUN's shadiness fluctuates depending on the game. They seem to have shaped up after the events of ShTH and started acting towards a more collective good in honor of Gerald's memory, but their actions in SA2 suggest an inept government. And, well, you know the old saying about stupidity becoming indistinguishable from malice after a certain point.

I tend to wonder what the Commander's plan was during the events of SA2. Although the game portrays GUN as a bunch of flat-feet until it's revealed that they raided the colony, I can't help but wonder if he in some part manufactured Sonic's framing in order to head public scrutiny off at the pass, much like how they portrayed the raid as an accident reponse. I can't imagine the Commander would have liked it to be known that Eggman stole Project Shadow while it lay under his jurisdiction.

---

🖤: Which character is not as morally good as everyone else seems to think?

...Eggman. Just because he speculated on his grandfather's motives once or twice doesn't mean he's rethinking his life choices. The war criminal life didn't choose him, he chose the war criminal life lol.

---

💖: What is your biggest unpopular opinion about the series?

THE ENTIRE WORLD CAN FIGHT ME ON THIS BUT YOU ARE TRIPPING IF YOU SAY SA2'S TREASURE HUNTING STAGES ARE WORSE THAN SA1'S. BITCH WHERE. HOW. WHOMST.

AT LEAST THEY'RE NOT COPY-PASTED DIRECTLY FROM SONIC'S LEVELS WITHOUT REGARD FOR KNUCKLES' MOVESET. ROUGE AND KNUCKLES MOVE JUST AS QUICKLY AS SONIC AND SHADOW. "IT TAKES TOO LONG" YEAH BECAUSE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO LEARN THE LAYOUT AND GIT GUD. JESSE WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT. THIS IS SUCH A NONSENSICAL CRITICISM FOR A GAME THAT HAS KART RACING. I DON'T GET IT. IT SAYS "TREASURE HUNTING" ON THE TIN. YOU'RE EXPECTED TO LOOK FOR EMERALDS. THAT'S LIKE GOING FISHING AND COMPLAINING ABOUT GETTING WET.

PLUS THE RADAR IN SA1 BUGS ME SO MUCH MORE BECAUSE IT NEVER SHUTS UP. I LIKE THAT SA2'S RADAR DOESN'T DING EVERY TIME I GET CLOSE TO AN UNINTENDED EMERALD SHARD BECAUSE I CAN JUST PICK UP, NO MUSS NO FUSS NO COCONUTS. THIS IS LITERALLY NOT A PROBLEM. OMFG IF I HAVE TO HEAR "SA2's tReAsUrE hUnTiNg SuCkS" ONE MORE TIME

that being said I will agree that Death Chamber and Egg Quarters suck a bag of dicks, particularly Egg Quarters Hard Mode which leaves you at the mercy of the Kikis' wonky AI. motherfuckers always blow themselves up and ruin my A-rank

---

💔: If you had to remove one major character from the series, who would you choose?

You all are really gonna hate me, but Blaze. You could remove her from '06's plot and nothing would change. Hell, the fact that she resides in a different dimension inherently means you could remove every single aspect of her circumstances and nothing of the series at large would change.

Idk man, I just don't think she adds much, honestly. Her personality is kind of Mary-Suish while also being underwhelming, as well as largely informed: her fear of heights, for instance, doesn't impact Rush's gameplay at all. She enjoys special exceptions other girl characters don't, and it's a pain in the ass to even include her in a future game because you have to explain why she isn't back in her own dimension.

---

💕: What is an unpopular ship that you like?

Is Shadria unpopular enough to count? Guess it's only unpopular with antis.

Oh, well. I'll say Sonegg :P