#this show has so much trauma and the only thing that is brought up multiple times us dustin's teeth

[your-stranger-halfblood-things]

So we know how the show has bad writing and they never bring up past trauma in newer seasons? In season four, they never once mentioned that Steve and Robin were in a Russian layer and got tortured, leading to almost death for Steve. And I bet in season five, they will not mention how Hopper went through hell in a Russian camp to be brought back. And they're not gonna mention how Will got exorcized, which was probably more traumatic than Vecna actually being part of him. And they're not going to mention how Mike jumped off a cliff, or Eddie's death, or El's mother's trauma. It's just bad writing because in real life trauma comes up all the time.

But whatever, I just need Will to find out Mike jumped off a cliff, and Mike to find out Will literally died in the Upside Down before Hopper brought him back. That's all I'm asking for- some Byler trauma talking/crying/hugging/kissing/rambling about 'I love yous'

[yoredoesmore]

Ya will get tired of me- Anyway. Do you know the scene from Marie Antoinette movie when she says 'a boy would be the son of France, but you Marie Thérèse shall be mine'. I've been in love with this. So here's the thing. How about reader x hoshina (I'm sorry, I'm just obsessed with him). Man idk how to describe it. How about Mina agrees to a mini tour for kids from kindergarten? (She probably wouldn't agree but we ignore that) Reader and Hoshina gives them a tour, they see how the weapons look from closer, with a safety distance ofc and etc. Then they go to the training room and they come across Hoshina team training? Like the kids are excited, the team like plays with them yk, Iharu and Izumo would bet (more like Iharu) who could do more push ups with kids on theirs back, overall every kid has a person who would give them attention. BUT. There a shy boy who stays behind. Reader sees it and ask him if he wants to see how strong she is, she asks about his name and she takes him and shows her special moves? Hoshina watches from afar how his team is having fun with theirs little fans and then he notices that reader is talking to a boy and he hears her saying 'the kids can have attention from others but you (kids name) shall receive mine' or smth like that? AND HE SEES THAT SHE'S GOOD WITH KIDS AND IT MAKES HIM FEEL WEIRD IN THE CHEST (they are dating) and he imagines how it would be with their kid? A pure fluff is all I want. 🥹💕

Special | Hoshina Soshiro

a/n: cherry you already have a special place in my heart, your requests are amazing! sorry this took so long, i'm sick ╥﹏╥ anyways, please never stop sending requests in <33

pairing: reader & little sosuke ft. Hoshina

summary: the third division hosts a tour for a small group of kindergarteners so that they can get special insight into the work of the defense force but one little kid seems to be in need of a little bit of extra attention and love.

genre: fluff/ angst/hurt & comfort

[wc: 2,7k]

another a/n: focus here is more on reader and the child than hoshina ^^

enjoy!

“A…tour? And not just any tour, a tour for little children..?” As expected, Captain Ashiro sounded more confused than convinced. Both you and Soshiro stood in front of her desk, eyes focused on your written request which she held in her hand. The Captain has been reading over it multiple times now, without giving much of a comment besides a “hm..” or a raise of her brow. A stern expression sat on her face, making it quite difficult to read her current opinion.

“Our job as Defense Force doesn't just stop once a Kaiju is neutralized. Taking care of the aftermath and trauma caused by the attacks is our responsibility as well.” You started.

“Many children have been affected by the destruction brought by the Kaiju– be it injuries, the loss of their home, friends and family or just mental trauma.” Soshiro continued.

“We want to show these children that we are a force they can trust, the people that will protect them from the terror. We want them to know that the second they see us, their life's will be in good hands.” You moved closer to Ashiro, determination glimmering in your eyes.

For a second her gaze shifted past both you and Hoshina, falling onto an empty space in her office. The woman had allowed her mind to lose itself in memories of the past, but only for a fleeting moment.

A long sigh escaped her lips as she folded her hands together and looked up at you with a serious face.

“I will ask the higher ups for permission to follow through with your..tour program, but don't get your hopes too far up. If we allow this to happen it cannot be a random group of children but rather a selected group of young individuals picked by the board itself.”

And that is how you ended up here.

Both you and Hoshina stood in front of the group of kids, each one more energetic than the other, waiting to show them around. It was a wild mixture of kids, yet they all seemed to look forward to what was to come.

Ashiro had told you that these were all children who came from special families, where at least one member was or still is part of a Defense Force. Meaning, that some or even all of them would be future soldiers.

Your husband's hands suddenly found yours as they pulled you closer, giving your fingers a soft squeeze before he clapped his hands together to address the children and caretakers who came with them.

“Welcome everyone, to Tachikawa Base, home of the Third Decision. I am Vice Captain Hoshina Soshiro and we, my coworker and I, will give you special guests a top secret tour around the base.”

Cheers and chants of joy erupted from the crowd, filling the atmosphere with excitement. Watching the children caused a warm feeling to engulf your stomach. To think that Mina actually agreed to do this, you owed her big time.

“Please make sure to walk in rows of two. If you don't have a partner, my coworker and I will take that role.”

Almost immediately the children started to assemble and divide themselves into pairs, until only one child was left.

“Guess we have a lucky one!” You smiled, reaching out your hand to the young boy.

“What's your name, little one?” The boy's eyes refused to meet yours and neither did an answer find you but you did not mind.

Being in such a huge, unfamiliar place must be quite intimidating..

You thought, hands wrapping around his small fingers.

“Let's begin with the tour, shall we?”

The base had been specially prepared for today's visit. Some more intimidating and top secret projects had been moved to different places of the base (that were more off radar) and all cadets had been asked to be on their best behavior today. Despite it being such a small group, both you and Hoshina made sure to take care of even the smallest details. Everywhere the eyes of the children landed, their gazes were sure to meet with something interesting. Weapon display, old badges and special uniforms, you name it.

“And right here is our control room.” Hoshina announced upon opening the door to the large space. Countless monitors hung on the walls, the light of the panels illuminating the dark space so that the visitors could see the technologies they were unfamiliar with.

The children shone like little balls of joy as they explored the operation room, trying to understand what monitor was used for what.

“This is Konomi Okonogi, the Operations Leader of the Third Division. When out in battle and in need of information about the Kaiju or when we need special permission to unlock our suits' full potential, she is the person we turn to.” The children nodded in amaze and immediately shot their hands up into the air to bomb the woman with questions.

But while she was trying to feed the hunger of their minds, one child remained quiet – the boy from before.

“Is there anything you would like to ask our Operations Leader?” You smiled, hands softly nudging the boy's shoulder. But the child simply shook his head, eyes once again landing on his feet. Maybe it was just wishful thinking but for a second it did look like he wanted to say something but refused to.

Unfortunately, your attention was pulled away as it was needed somewhere else in that moment– by a child that had asked a battle specific question.

The tour soon progressed to the next room. With each new space you visited the children grew more fonder of the place. When lunchtime arrived you all sat down in the cafeteria to enjoy a meal together and around afternoon the group went outside to the training ground to watch some cadets train. Every moment felt magical, well, to most of them.

On your way back inside you noticed one of the children walk on its own, a slight gap between him and his peers. Averting your gaze to Hoshina you were hoping to consult him on the situation, as it was starting to bother you greatly, but he was too busy talking to one of the caretakers. Thus you approached the child by yourself once again.

“And? How are we enjoying the tour so far?” You gave the boy another genuine smile.

“It's good..” He said, yet his words did not match the expression on his face.

Despite his lack of interest you continued to try and build up a conversation with him but your efforts went in vain. The kid was as quiet as they could come, unbothered by your attempts of warming up to him and overall not very excited to be here.

Just when you were about to try again, another child suddenly called out for you, like before, requesting your knowledge on a certain topic. The boy stayed behind the group, his eyes flickering with emotions you were unfamiliar with.

“Excuse me?” Your hands slightly tipped the shoulder of one of the caretakers.

“Who's that boy over there? The little one with the black hair.”

“Oh, him? That is our little Sosuke. Not much of a talker but a very sweet child.”

You nodded your head and sighed. “I see. Do you mind me asking why he seems so..down? Did something happen prior to your arrival or..”

The caretaker shook her head, dismissing your assumptions. “Unlike the other children, Sosuke does not seem to be skilled in any type of way. All these children come, as you already know, from renown clans that are recognized for birthing the next generation's soldiers. It is a hard burden to put on the children but all of them know what they will be once they grow up. But Sosuke..his body is too weak and frail to keep up with the other children, that becomes quiet obvious during the smallest activities like playing catch or during gymnastics hour. We tried many times to explain to him that he might be a late bloomer but the boy is strictly convinced that he isn't as special as the others and therefore deserves less attention from us..”

You felt a strong force pull on your heart while listening to the woman. To think that a child, at such a fragile age, would think so little of itself already..it was awful. Your eyes lingered on Sosuke for a while, trying to think of a way to cheer him up– but nothing came to mind. Therefore you were stuck watching the boy hide away in the bubble he had forced himself into throughout the remainder of the tour..

x

The day came to an end way too fast for anyone's liking. Although you traveled through the entire base, the minds of the children still hadn't been satisfied. They begged to visit one more room, see one more weapon– anything to postpone a goodbye. It warmed your heart, hearing them cheer you and the other cadets on, showing gratitude for all the service you provided. How could anyone resist such sweetness?

“How about we show them the training room?” Hoshina suggested and you immediately agreed. The man led the group to the indoor training area, where some of his squad members were going at it. On your way there you made sure to keep a close eye on Sosuke, still unable to give up on the boy.

“Attention everyone!” Hoshina yelled, immediately gaining everyone's attention.

“We got some visitors.”

Kafka and Reno sat in the back of the room, occupying the lifting machines while Shinomiya sat in front of the mirror to do some post workout stretching. The entire group sat focused on their work, until they heard the voice of their Vice Captain.

That's when sweet chaos broke out.

The children climbed onto everything their little hands and feet could touch, including the cadets. Kafka soon turned into a tree for the children to climb on and so did Reno. Shinomiya found herself being trampled by four of the children, meanwhile Iharu and Izumo found a way to incorporate the kids into their workout by having them sit on their backs while performing push ups. Hoshina immediately bursted in a fit of laughter, amused by the current situation.

You yourself could not hide a smile. But amidst all the laughter and giggling your gaze subconsciously searched for Sosuke. Like before in the monitor room and the training ground, he stood in the back, watching the scene unfold– but this time something was different.

He watched his peers and the cadets with admiration in his eyes, with a tiny spark of amazement that shone like the stars in the firmament. The urge to join the fun grew with every second that passed, you could see it...yet he was still holding himself back for some reason.

“Sosuke was your name, am I right?” You tried to approach him one more time.

The boy, surprised that you knew his name, only managed to nod his head, but that was one of the best reactions you have seen from him all day.

“Wanna see something cool? I got a secret move none of the other cadets can do.” As you spoke those words, you kneeled down to the child's level, now being eye to eye with him.

“But..isn't such a special move meant to be seen by the other children rather than me..”

“No, I want you to see it.” Sosuke gasped lightly as you spoke those words, confused by the overwhelming attention you have been showing him up until now. While the boy was contemplating your intentions, you took off your shoes and placed them aside. Then, he finally nodded.

Almost immediately the boy found himself being yanked up into the air. You had wrapped your legs around his waist to pull him closer and somehow balanced him on your feet– with whom you threw him up into the air, of course not too high, and caught him with your hands. It all happened so fast that little Sosuke had almost no time to react but once he calmed down he was glowing with excitement.

“Again!”

And you threw him up again.

“Again!”

And another time.

“Again!”

You continued to throw the boy into the air just to catch him like a circus ball with your hands. Seeing his eyes glow and gleam with joy was more rewarding than any badge.

As you were both lost in the moment, you failed to notice Hoshina who was now moving closer to the both of you. His feet halted midway as he saw you open your mouth.

“Oh little Sosuke, you may not think that you are desired but you are no less dear to me.”

The boy's eyes froze upon hearing your words. His body softly slipped off your feet and landed onto the ground next to you.

“But..I'm not special..I'm not like the other kids in the group. I appreciate your kindness ma'am but I don't think that you should waste your time on me.."

Sosuke felt a cold wind hush over his skin as he recalled past memories of him trying to catch up with the other children. He suddenly felt lonely and left out, forgotten by the world…until a warm breeze suddenly engulfed him. Your arms wrapped themselves around his body, pulling the child into a long, warm hug.

“The kids can play with the other cadets and get their special attention." You poked his nose. “But you little Sosuke, shall have mine.”

Both Sosuke and Hoshina stood speechless by your words, their hearts feeling emotions they could not comprehend in that moment.

Soshiro suddenly grabbed his chest, the warmth in his heart being too overwhelming to ignore it. Could you hear his heartbeat? It was beating in irregular motions, loud and clear for all to hear. Hoshina knew that you were a good soul but never would he have thought that you were this amazing with children. But that was only to be expected, was it not?

They did not go unnoticed by Hoshina, your attempts of trying to win Sosuke over. He knew that you probably saw yourself in the small, insecure boy and therefore felt a dire need to consult him and let him know that he was already special enough, simply for being born into this world.

“Alright children, it's time to pack up now! One of the caretakers suddenly called.

“Oh my, time is already up? Alright Sosuke, let's-” Upon looking down at the boy, you were met with a view you did not expect to see today. Sosuke sat in your arms, thick tears running down his cheeks and staining his clothes.

“Don't wanna!” The boy yelled out, loud enough to alarm everyone. He was clinging onto you tightly, refusing to let go. As you looked up for help you finally took notice of Hoshina.

“Soshiro..are you seeing this?” You chuckled softly, the feeling of accomplishment washing over your skin.

“I don't wanna leave!” Sosuke continued to protest as Hoshina tried to get the boy off you.

It took your husband ten whole minutes to convince Sosuke to go with the caretakers, but that was only possible after making multiple promises.

“Yes, I will visit your kindergarten every month, I promise.”

“And..and you have to show me your special move again!” The boy cried out, both his hands wrapped around your leg.

“Yes, I will.” You spoke in a gentle voice, your fingers tapping against his shoulder to notify him that your time was up.

“Goodbye Mrs. Hoshina!” Sosuke yelled as his head disappeared behind the bus door.

“Goodbye Sosuke..”

It wasn't until the bus drove off that you felt an overwhelming surge of sadness pull on your heart. Luckily Hoshina stood right next to you to embrace you in a warm hug.

“There there.” He cooed, smiling at your fragile self. You stayed like that for a while, feeling comfort in Hoshina's presence.

The children of this world are faced with hardship and terror from an early age– especially those who come from renown clans like yours and Hoshinas. You remember it all too well, the pressure applied to you by your parents to achieve greatness and make it big in the world of Kaiju fighters. Knowing that you managed to get through to Sosuke and reassure him that he was special despite not being as strong as the others, it made your heart feel just a little lighter.

[desmorotu]

more redacted headcanons!!!

some might be angsty? most of them?

꒱࿐♡ ˚.*ೃ

- i saw a hc where milo isn’t necessarily short, but the other guys are just unbelievably tall. in my head milo is 5’11, ash is 6’5, and david is 6’9. tank is the only one who looks deceiving bc they’re like 5’10 in my head but their wolf is as big as david’s. ppl from the outside make the joke that shaw security is secretly a tall person club

- guy was a music major before he switched to writing. i mentioned it in his playlist post but i get those vibes HARD. he also writes honey poetry because he knows they secretly like it

- i like the idea that darlin and angel came from a rough family upbringing because 1. it’s relatable to a lot of ppl and 2. it would explain why tank shoves themselves into harms way and why angel is so outgoing now. it shows different responses to trauma imo.

- babe sometimes has crippling panic attacks on the thought of angel being a latent empowered and leaving them alone as the unempowered person of the group, but in my mind babe is the latent one and they’re a fire elemental.

- sweetheart feels guilty sometimes for being empowered while the other mates aren’t. they know it has absolutely nothing to do with them and that they can’t do anything about it, but sometimes they feel a pang in their heart at the fact that the other two won’t feel their core swell and warm up when looking at their mates.

- starlight has night terrors about the time they fell down—both times. they also think about when avior fell and they can’t help but intrusively picture what he looked like when he finally landed. it makes them physically ill. avior has to be extra careful when talking back about their experiences sometimes.

- lovely is still goes to therapy every week to work through the trauma of adam, dying, and now they’ve added the summit on top of that. they’re withering away into a husk of themselves. they’re so exhausted with dealing with all of this pressure, but they’d do anything for vincent (and i think that’s going to be their downfall).

- gavin has been brought to tears on multiple occasions at the thought that freelancer loves him for him and not just because he’s an incubus. he’s had to muffle his sobs because he genuinely does not know how he deserved someone so loving. he hasn’t brought it up to them yet.

- i think that freelancer is on the ace spectrum (greysexual maybe?) and that gavin was the only person they’ve ever really had sex with, or wanted to have sex with. they trusted him enough to “show them the ropes” and he built their confidence to where it is now. gavin helped build their relationship with sex and while they’re still on the spectrum, they’re more positive about it and they enjoy that kind of intimacy with him.

꒱࿐♡ ˚.*ೃ

that’s all that i can squeeze out of my brain rn >:( i haven’t been on tumblr that much and UGH it’s just bc my real life is more interesting than my redacted life (which is a very good thing, but still it makes me sad) and i have no motivation to post 💔 but here are some hcs that have been on my mind lately :3 i hope they make sense

k byeee 💟

[kandyzee]

No hate to this creator in particular but I'm gonna explain why I think they're wrong cause I've seen this kinda thinking get pretty popular recently (especially on tiktok.)

Mickey can't "treat her however he pleases," and you know that straight away cause if he could, I doubt he would have had any kind of relationship with her past their first interaction. Mickeys life very nearly depends on how Terry treats him. He truly thinks he will be killed if Terry finds out he's gay. Given that Svetlana was used to "fuck him straight" she has a lot of control on if it seems to work or not. If Svetlana had said anything, mickey very realistically could have been killed. Implying that he has sole control over Lana also implies that Terry was never a real threat, that mickey isnt scared of what he could do to him or Ian, that mickey whiling brought her into his home and so many smaller things that likely are not the case.

Mickey and svet are both dependent on Terry (the REAL abusive man) for survival. Obviously, Svetlana I a different way. Her situation is harder to talk about cause we really don't know much about how her and mickey came to be in the situation they are in. I imagine it was her boss (pimp? Idk what the right word would be) Who found out she was pregnant and told Terry. Svetlana probably didn't know who the father was. If she was the one to reach out, there were probably better people she could assume the dad is. Terry taking her wasn't a plan she had, but instead, an opportunity for escape she reluctantly needed to take. If she wants to survive, she needs to get Terry to like her and let her stay. She isn't bothered with getting mickeys approval at this point. She isn't stupid. She understands that mickeys voice wouldn't be listened to either way.

I think viewing mickey as the one who's abusing her ignores how Svetlana was greatly mistreated by Terry. We don't see that because Terry isn't as important of a character. It's referenced multiple times that Terry sleeps with Svetlana. It would be stupid to assume that was completely consensual. Sex has always been the key to her survival. This is why I think this factor of the whole family dynamic is so important. She's using the only thing she's knows to win Terry over, to gain his trust and keep her place at home. We see her doing this again when Terry is locked up, and she still talks to him. Sure, mickey is the one actually living with her, but it's Terry she's dependent on.

AND SHE KNOWS THAT.

Something else that this viewpoint does is make svetlana seem helpless. Her situation is horrific, but she is smart and is very capable of taking care of herself. She knows mickey isn't the one in charge. She knows mickey has no choice. She knows how to make the best out of a bad situation.

"How do yk she understands all that??" Cause of the way she talks to mickey. If she was truly dependent on Mick, if he really was the one abusing her, why does she threaten him? Why does she talk back? She never does that with Terry. She will shout and insult mickey, but she doesn't speak around Terry.

OKAY NEXT THING I WANNA TALK ABOUT.

No one is saying mutual abuse. The person they are replying to wasn't even saying that. Two victims of the same person taking their trauma out on each other because they have no other outlets isn't mutual abuse. The clear power imbalance that op is talking about isn't between mickey and svet it's between the two and Terry. Neither can risk being angry at Terry, so even though they probably both know the other isn't really to blame, they are angry at each other instead.

Even during the show, u see how their relationship changes after mickey comes out. So much stress is taken off their shoulders, and they get along much better. Mickey gets more involved with parenting, and svetlana is a lot more soft and affectionate. Ians involvement is important to this change, but I don't feel it's necessary to get into that.

Anyway end of rant might talk more about this again later who knows

[punkeropercyjackson]

I've never liked 'positively masculine' 'slutty bisexual' Percy because Percy's always been so transfem-coded and that interpretation strips her of it pretty much entierly

She defies traditional manhood as an overarching trait of hers as proof she's the best greek hero ever and it's a direct plot point in the book where she enters puberty,by proving herself as completely unlike cis men to an archaic group of lesbians that're a group set to protect young girls against older men and Percy falls under a victim of them like them since literally every older man in her life except Beckendorf abused her and Percy's potrayed as and written as not a normal cis man throught not only in The Titan's Curse but in the entire saga as a whole.Her gender presentation is neutral and her boldness,emotional strength,snark,respect for women with her mama most of all and nurturing protector tendencies aren't masculine and only thought of as such due to sexism and she insults men for being overly masculine,particularly older men thanks to her trauma,and is enchanted by and loves women for being feminine and is also enchanted by girlhood as a whole and was jealous of Thalia for her specific girlhood in TTC because she wanted to be seen as and treated the same as her and they're depicted as two sides of the same coin who clash but learn to understand eachother and become basically siblings/sisters and Thalia is punk,a historically inherently transgender subculture,and Percy is too but she dosen't have the aesthetic and it only adds to her (gender) envy and the kicker is Thalia is a dead ringer for irl punk/alt transbians

Percy's lack of masculinity is also commented on/confirmed by two canonical queer characters-Piper,a sapphic butch who described Percy as 'unimpressive' in terms of mascness and brought us accidental meta commentary with her remark that everybody at Camp Half-Blood percieved Percy as a lot manlier than she actually is,and Nico,a gay boy Percy met in the egg metaphor Pjo book that developed a crush on her out of idealizing her as an ideallic she isn't nor wants to be and the crush in question is textually the one thing stopping them from having the familial best friendship they desperately crave with eachother as it ruins their dynamic and he eventually stopped and looked at her for who she actually is and realized she's 'cute but not his type' and only then were they Nico and Percy,the og dead sea siblings,again and she even compared her treatment of him to acting like a mother/acting like how her own acts with her and similar to Thalia,Nico is basically every disabled goth/alt trans teenage boy ever and every single female character who's had a crush on Percy is wlw-coded(Annabeth's gncness and resistence against traditional femininity and chemistry with Piper,Clarisse and Reyna/Rachel's pretty much the 'activist art school lesbian' stereotype but that's a good thing because it's a lesbian inside joke and not a derogatory one/Calypso and Reyna's romance storylines are near textually comphet)

Percy looks exactly like her dad,Poseidon,the god of the sea,a element that holds such endless femininity to it that much like Percy herself,as the sea herself personified,is mistaken for masculinity,which is such a common eldest daughter thing and she's tall and has a big strong build and she's insecure over her looks and thinks she's not attractive enough,especially compared to others,and Circe,a trickster goddess,showed her a masculinized version of herself as her supposed ideal apperance and this is never brought up beforehand and in the very next book,the transfem Pjo book™️,Aphrodite,an actual beauty and love goddess,tells Percy she needs to stop trying to be something she's not to achive her true beauty and 'The sea does not like to be restrained' is about multiple things-Percy's oceanic heritage,Percy's anarchism,Percy's autism she dosen't know how to mask,Percy's transfeminism.Her autism/audhd reflects heavily to the common overlap between autistic women and transgender women and so does her being punk as i stated before,completed with her own unnatural colored hair streak she didn't even need to dye in and growing up almost all her friends were girls except for a gay boy and effeminate boy that got picked on for being wimpy she stood up for and she's got a special interest in the color blue,a 'boy' color usually but her love of it comes from her mom and she's scared of becoming exactly like her dad but she's more of a mix of both her parents and she loves burgers and is a horse girl and inclined to kiddy things over 'mature interests' and her default outfit is baggy pants and dysphoria hoodies and converse and she's so much like me as a black woman that i can't help but see her as that too(though i'm tmasc and she's tfem)

It's not that i'm against bi Percy or playing around with her gender presentation,it's just that Percy feels like Percy and not a completely different person when she's transfem and i love the idea of her as a bi femme instead.As somebody with a lot of tgirl friends and a trans girlfriend who used to be my best friend,the characterization and story writings surrounding fanonized bi Percy play into multiple fascests of irl transmisogynistic rethoric and it happens so often it's extremely suspicious wether it's even accidental,especially with the self-proclaimed 'queer elders' of the Pjo fandom being the biggest posters of it and the unjustified entitlement they feel to Percy crushing on their male faves who're literally her abusers.Percy deserves so much better than to be reduced down to that when she's such a good and one of a kind character and transfem Pjo fans deserve someone like her as representation too,not to be disregarded when she's so perfect for them and they've earned her after all the awful caricatures of them they've been forced to put up with.Girl(🏳️‍⚧️)Percy Jackson is just canon Percy Jackson,i've known that since i was TLT age

[andreal831]

Elijah and Stefan could live without Klaus and Damon

One of my tik toks about the end of The Originals has brought forward a lot of people saying Elijah "couldn't live without Klaus" or something to that effect. I've seen people use this same argument for Stefan. And I hate this thought process.

First, it is usually said to completely discredit their sacrifice. For instance, when I talk about how it made no sense for both Elijah and Klaus to die at the end of TO and completely orphan Hope. I will always argue that Elijah should have been the one to sacrifice his life and Klaus to live for his daughter. Would this ending have broken my heart, yes, but it would have aligned better with the character arcs and overall story.

When the fandom talks about Klaus' sacrifice, it's to say how amazing he was, how he finally got redemption, and how much he loved his daughter. When Elijah's sacrifice is talked about, it's to bring up Hayley's death and talk about his codependency with Klaus. The same thing happens with Stefan, they mention Elena and his codependency on Damon. Completely neglecting the fact that these characters did in fact sacrifice their lives for their family.

Second, it's canonically inaccurate. Elijah and Stefan both showed multiple times that they can live without their brothers. That, in fact, they are better off without their brothers. We don't know their full lives, but in most flashbacks we see, they are either separated or recently reunited. Stefan makes friends with Lexie who completely turns his vampirism around. She is his best friend and knows him better than anyone and she warns Damon to stay away because Damon has the tendency to push Stefan off his sobriety when he gets bored or angry. Damon actually does more harm to Stefan. When Damon 'dies,' Stefan creates a life for himself away from the supernatural. Sure the fans didn't like it, but he still moves on. Unlike Damon who wants to entomb himself because Elena is gone.

Elijah and Klaus do spend the large majority of their eternity together, but they also have spent large chunks of it apart. Specifically most of the 1900s. Elijah leaves in 1919 to lead Mikael away and only reunites briefly in 1933 to warn Klaus. They are only together for a matter of days before Klaus threatens to dagger Elijah. They go their separate ways again. We don't see how Elijah is coping in this time, but he does manage to live nearly 100 years without Klaus and seems to come out on the other side fine. Similar to Stefan, Elijah thrives without Klaus when he erases his memories. It's the happiest we see him throughout the entire show.

Finally, we see throughout both shows that Stefan and Elijah are a little bit unstable emotionally. They both view their lives as less than because of their trauma. Both Stefan and Elijah choosing to sacrifice themselves had less to do with codependency and more to do with self worth. They were both characters who felt an immense amount of guilt for all of the harm they had caused and viewed themselves as monsters. They did not think they deserved to live and be happy, unlike Damon and Klaus. So when we frame their deaths around their brothers, it detracts from their struggles and their deeper characters. I know the show liked to push the narrative that their lives revolved around Damon and Klaus because of ratings/Julie Plecs' weird obsessions, but it completely erases the characters to do so.

Elijah and Stefan could live without their brothers. They did and seemed to be happier. Obviously losing a sibling would be devastating and they would mourn, but it would give them a chance to find true purpose in their lives. Both families had a mass amount of codependency but it's usually only focused on Elijah and Stefan as a way to make their characters revolve around the other brother. It's sloppy and honestly tired writing. If the writers cared more about the story than ratings, we would have seen character growth and seen Stefan and Elijah learn to branch out on their own and break the toxic cycle.

These narratives that the brothers can't live without the other is simply pushed so the fandom can feel good about their sacrifices instead of actually looking at it for what is was: a sacrifice.

[thestobingirlie]

Hiii I would like to ask you a questioni because I really likes tour point of view on stranger things. Objectively, do you think there's any chance stancy is endgame?

these two asks are pretty much exactly the same, so i figure i’ll just answer them both in one lol!

so, from an objective standpoint i do think there’s a chance for stancy endgame. the duffers have proven before that they are capable and willing to break up a couple and push together another within one season (two if we’re including the season of flirtatious behaviour prior). if anything i’d say stancy’s chances are slightly stronger than jancy’s was post-s1. if only because s4 very explicitly laid out all the issues with jancy, while pushing stancy as a couple. whereas with s1, there’s nothing that really outright tells us that stancy would be having the issues they did in s2 (s2 had to demonstrate those issues, then break stancy up, while s5 wouldn’t be as confined to that for jancy).

i also think bringing back the love triangle just to completely disregard it the following season would be very weak writing. and that’s not to say that the duffers are the best writers in the world, but generally they seem to know what they’re doing. there’s a reason stancy was a couple at the end of s1 — it wasn’t solely a way to drag out drama but a real attempt at thinking about what nancy would’ve done as a result of steve surviving the season.

jancy was very clearly the original endgame. however, the duffers have shown that they’re willing to adapt from their vision for the sake of better storytelling. steve was supposed to die in s1. but they enjoyed what joe keery brought to the show as steve too much! all this to say, they’re not completely rigid in their writing. jancy being the og endgame, doesn’t mean they will be now.

from a slightly more emotional and personal standpoint, i do think stancy is the better endgame option. steve represents hope for nancy. freedom from her trauma, all the stresses that have been weighing on her for the last four seasons. while, right now, jonathan is knee deep in it all. he hasn’t even begun to pull himself out of it! let alone contemplate how to properly help nancy. he thinks ignoring her and pushing away his problems is the best way to deal with it, but we can see that it isn’t (if s2 stancy taught us anything lol). could jonathan grow out of that in the space of, what, five episodes? i don’t know.

steve’s development up to this point has taken multiple seasons. but he’s grown as a person. he’s learnt. his relationships have helped him become a more well-rounded person. the kind of person willing to prioritise nancy. to help her heal.

none of this means that stancy will definitely be endgame! because ultimately none of us know what the duffers are truly going to do. the fact that they’re willing to deviate from their original plans, if anything, proves that we can’t necessarily put all our eggs in one basket lol. but i do think they have a chance.

[wilcze-kudly]

No please I am so ready to have the Bolin-Suyin and Mako-Lin foil discussion, please you have no idea how ready I am for this. I am now craving this. I have literally been thinking about this for four years since I first watched the show

Ok. So. This is an idea I've touched on but I don't know how to fully put it into words?

Like to start off. Both pairs of siblings grew up in pretty tough environments.

But where Lin and Suyin's upbringing directly pitted them against each other in order to gain their mother's attention, Mako and Bolin's brought them closer, since they had to rely on each other.

However, their personal coping mechnisms parallel each other much more.

The similarities between Mako and Lin are pretty obvious. Emotionally constipated workacholic who puts their duty over anything. Also. Boatload of failed relationships.

Both also have a strong theme of protecting others about them.

Mako, of course, acted as Bolin's guardian through most of their childhoods. He lowkey parents the rest of the Krew. His job led him to act as a bodyguard to Wu.

Lin Beifong has been carrying Republic City on her back for DECADES. She acts as a protector to the city on multiple occasions. One of her most notable scenes in B1 is when she sacrifices herself so Tenzin and his family can escape.

Huge theme of self sacrifice here as well. Both Lin and Mako seem to be ready to jump on any opportunity to die heroically.

I think both these characters deal with their trauma by providing servitude and protection. Its the only way they can feel worth anything.

Lin originally did it to, most likely, please her mother (a misguided attempt in my opinion) but now its the only thing in her life that hasn't left her. While Mako... well, he's been a guardian for so long, it's most likely all he knows.

Servitude and protection feels like all they can offer the ones they love. All they're good for.

As for Bolin and Su. Well, I personally find the parallels even more fascinating.

Here we have the younger sibling who grew up alone, feeling unloved. In the shadow of their older sibling.

The child that now, when they have the opportunity, tries to build relationships as much as they can. Reaching out blindly, desperately for that connection they craved so ravenously in their younger years. Often, in their neediness, they latch onto someone who would use them or manipulate them to their own gain.

The themes Bolin and Suyin share are: performances, family and the lack of belonging.

The performance aspect is pretty self explanatory. Bolin is an actor and Suyin leads a dance troupe. But it runs deeper than that. Both characters try to project only the best parts of themselves into the world. The most plausible reason for this is them wanting to be seen as likeable and attract more friends.

Suyin presents her perfect family and her beautiful city first and foremost. She sweeps imperfections under the rug. After Baatar Jr and Kuvira, she hastily does her best to stitch her torn family back into its untarnished perfection.

Bolin's 'performance' feels less intentional. He just wants people to like him and more or less knows what makes said people like him.

Varrick: Look how these people love you, kid! They're eating that cornball spiel right out of your hand.

Bolin: The trick is, whenever I get confused, I just say "Republic City" or "fans", and then everyone cheers.

I've touched on the theme of family just now with Su, but to elaborate on it, both Bolin and Suyin value family very highly. Pribably because neither of them had much of one growing up. Sure Suyin had Lin and Toph, but neither of those two seem like the super 'family affection' types.

The second Bolin learnt he was going to Ba Sing Se, he immediately set his heart on finding his father's family. He also seems to have a tendency to insert himself into other people's families. Trying to make up for all that he lost.

While Suyin simply gave up on fixing her messed up family and built a new one from scratch. Five lovely kids. Adopt another, call your advisor family. She's gathering 'family' left and right to compensate for what she didn't have growing up.

The lack of belonging thing is something I only recently noticed, but it's interesting. Suyin had a turbulent young adulthood. She lived on a pirate ship, in a circus and a sandbender commune. Similarly, Bolin seems to switch his job and calling every single season/comic. Athlete, movie star, soldier, cop, secretary... the boy can't find stability to save his life.

Bolin also expresses a lot of distress due to this fact. He sees that the rest of the crew have found their callings, while he remains stagnant or lost.

It makes me wonder if Bolin will have to, like Suyin, carve out his place in the world in order to feel like he has a place.

Anyway.. that's all i have for now. I may add more thoughts onto this but it is late. Thanks for the ask love! You're a peach!

[nathantheauthor]

With Toby already done, and Ann on her way... I present at least one change from each of the members of the main branch of Ripper Inc, I'll see the original characters from when I get to their entries.

Clockwork.

She has two major changes from the source material that I'll discuss here, one of them is he design change, I'm sure a lot of people might be mixed on. I've completely ditched her iconic Green jacket, replacing it with a dyed green and torn straight jacket. The very one she wore when held captive by the asylum.

The other change is her being a proper superhuman, between physical enhanced and across the board, I've also given her low level chronokinetic abilities, the watch eye is no longer just for show. Natalie is able to see up to five minutes into the future, as well as rewind and fast forward up to 10 seconds, sometimes a minute if she pushes herself. The clock moves through time with her! It shows the time she traveled to last.

Eyeless Jack.

Probably the biggest change I've done to him is his physical journey, I very much early on decided that my approach for his physicality was going to be starting out like the fandom depiction, but the longer he is what he is... The longer his body contains Chernabog... The more monstrous and malformed his body becomes, resembling more of a creature than a man.

Jane Richardson.

The two major things I've kind of done for her are that she has not and will not kill Jane Arkensaw as she feels somewhat responsible for her existence.

The other is streamlining her career, because of her from government agent... Her original Creator just kinda shoved and made her do countless things. So, yeah, she's got a lot of hobbies still, but I've significantly cut down her actual work.

Nina Hopkins.

Two SIGNIFICANT changes. Due to the new back story and character concept I refuse to call her Nina The Killer, instead throughout her hometown she was dubbed The Ashton Slasher. The town's first serial killer in over a decade.

Secondly, she's a recovering multiple, with what was the Nina alter being a form of protection from the trauma regarding Jeffrey Forester and the death of her family. Nina is not evil, she's a personality without a grasp of consequences, a goofier side that's lashing out without understanding. Her original legal name was Bethany Gent.

Zero.

I'm fully leaning into the idea of her being a Tulpa, a creature given Life by our own will and imagination.. and she's fully taken over Alice's body, stranding the girls somewhere deep within her subconscious much like Alice had to done to her. She's a cautionary tale, a lesson in not playing with forces beyond our control.

Homicidal Liu.

His quest to stop his brother is no longer a revenge story, I'm very much depicting it as more an elder brother feeling responsible for not being there to prevent it, so Liu Woods has taken it upon himself to bring his brother to judgment, to end the reign of Jeffrey Woods. An older brother needs to look after his younger brother, and this is the only path left he can find. The monster is his responsibility, a Woods must end the cycle brought on by another Woods.

Korbyn JumpingEagle.

I honestly haven't changed too much of her core character, it's more her story that's completely changed, as in this version of events Slender was too late to send an operative to get her, with Jack Revver sending Toby to come and bring her to his offices. She was officially secured and placed under the protection of Ripper Inc, with Ripper Inc employing her full time to train her as The Seer.

Scarecrow.

I've been giving a lot of work in general, and one of the major things I've been working on is furthering the concept for her brought on by The Seer webcomic, and that's tackling her guilt and the situation she's trapped in. Everything prior to Ripper Inc for her is a tragedy, a horror story where the monster is sympathetic.

Sally Williams.

It goes without saying I've completely changed the structure of her story, and one of the things I can say early is that... Uncle Johnny got what he deserved, and we can thank The Rake for it. Sally's death happened a LOT earlier on, and way before the detestable and fetishized stuff the author wrote could EVER occur. We don't fuck with that in this household.

Lazari.

Zalgoids ARE demons. She's a half demon. And there's going to be no weird sudden agent now, I'm going to actually see the progression of her life.

Jeffrey Hodek.

Well, to be put it out there... He's such a different character, in fact the present day depiction of him starts out as literally a washed serial killer living in a rundown apartment with his two dogs, watching stuff from the 80s and 90s as he doesn't care for many modern shows. He's a man in his 50s who just wanted to be left alone.

Rouge.

I haven't done too much with her yet, cuz conceptually she's fine, but I haven't even heard a unique thing that's not among other proxies... She's got her senses heightened all across the board, and she's got something akin to a spider-sense, but for tracking. She can detect potential prey and is incapable of losing a target.

[xkaidaxxxx]

Hiii, i was wo dering if you could write a platonic father Aizawa in which his daughter is kidnapped by the LOV and he has to save her.

Thankss, i love your writing

Kidnapped daughter

Mentions: kidnapping, abuse, rape, trauma, pain.

⚠️Trigger warning!⚠️

reblogs are appreciated.<3

“ I wonder how long it will take for the heroes to show up and save Eraser Head’s daughter. Mhm maybe soon. I’m sure Eraser Head himself will show up, he wouldn’t want to lose his only daughter. I should’ve brought your brother along. They would probably be here already.” Shigaraki said. You were tied from your hands, legs and mouth. You weren’t a hero in training like Shinso, You took the regular courses at U.A ,however your father taught you and  brought you along with his class during hero training on the weekends or your free periods. It was very amazing how great you are. Everyone was confused on why you didn’t choose to be a hero. Simple. Your love for music is strong. 

You had multiple quirks so you burned the knots being able to stand. You removed the one on your mouth. Dabi surrounded you with his blue flames. He managed to burn a part of your cheek. You knew it would leave a scar behind. “ Don’t bother to escape. You’re surrounded.” Toga said. She was right you were surrounded. There were villains everywhere you turned to scan. 

“ We can’t just let time pass by! My daughter could be getting abused! She can be killed!” Aizawa telled. The other heroes stayed silent. “ Eraser Head we can’t make any moves until the league of villains send out a message.” All-Might, said. Your brother was about to enter the office but stopped hearing the conversation. “We can’t have anything else going wrong.” Endeavour said. Every hero in the room was frustrated with the situation. “ My daughter..I can’t lose her. My kids are the most important thing in this world. I would sacrifice anything for them. Even my own life.” Aizawa said. Shinso’s tears slipped while walking back to the dorms. He knocked on the Class 1-A front door. 

“ What do you want?” you asked Shigaraki. You knew all about them. How many people they’ve killed, you knew they were gathering people for their “cause”. “ That's nothing for you to worry about,pretty.” Toga said giggling. You were confused on why she was giggling. Suddenly you felt pain and everything went black. They decided to seal you within a large metal box. They made sure you were cold not too much to where your body temperature could kill you but near there. 

“ My sister, she’s kidnapped. The League of Villains have her.” Shinso revealed to Class 1-A. “You’re fucking kidding. Not this again.” Bakugou said, grabbing a few things. “Kacchan what are you doing?” Deku asked. “ What do you think? We’re going to save her. This is Mr.Aizawa’s daughter. We can’t just not help.” Bakugou replied. Denki and Kirishima always back him up. “No you guys are crazy. Think about what happened the last two times. Mr.Aizawa got his arm hurt and then you got captured.” Ida said. Shinso was taking those events into consideration. “ She’s my sister…I can’t lose her,” he said. Everyone sat there in silence. 

After 3 days of tracking you and another 2 days of investigation you were being treated like crap. They’d let you in and out of the confinement. They were playing with your body, mentally and physically. Your mind wasn’t comprehending anything. Due to your weak and overstimulated body you couldn’t use any of your quirks nor create one. “At this point she might be dead…” Shinso said, picking at his food and on the verge of tears once again. “ You can’t say that about your sister.” Deku said, smacking his head out of character. “Midoriya… that’s a high possibility. They’re not some dumb thugs…They’re the real deal. Bakugou couldn’t even do anything.” Shoto spoke and then continued to eat his cold soba. 

Once lunchtime was over, Aizawa pulled Shinso aside and gave him a tight hug. Shinso held onto his dad, releasing all his emotions. “ Your sister is strong. You know she can handle things regardless of how bad it is.” Aizawa spoke. He also let a few tears slip. “ You and her are everything I have.” Shinso spoke. “ I love you both very much. We’re going on the move today in the evening. You have to promise to stay here and be strong. I’ll let you know as soon as she’s safe.” Aizawa said, holding his arms. Shinso was looking down. “Shinso look at me.” he ordered and his son did just that. “ You have to promise to stay here at U.A and be strong, okay.” he said. “I..I promise dad. Bring her back safely.” Shinso said, wiping his tears away. “ Yes, now wash your face and head to class. If you need me you know where to find me son.” he said. They parted ways and went about their day. 

While you were in confinement you were hearing things being thrown around, hearing crashes and screaming. You were trying to call for him but your throat was in pain. It hurt. “We have to relocate her.” You hear Dabi say. “ I agree with you.” Toga replied. You kicked the confinement you were in. Deep down you knew your kicks were too weak for someone to hear. “ I don’t think so.” You hear Best Jeanist say. From there you knew you were in rescue. Aizawa was on adrenaline. He was a beast. His mind and body were one with skill, focus and chaos. As villains showed up to help. He went wild. “Give me back my daughter!!!” he yelled. Best Jeanist has never seen such a side of his fellow hero friend. Within that time Aizawa managed to take down many. Heavily leaving some wounded. “ EraserHead that's enough! Your daughter is safe. She’s asking for you!”” Endeavour yelled. That's when he snapped back to his senses and went out to check you.While the fight was going on your brother sat in his dorm room playing with the charm bracelet you gifted to him during kindergarten for siblings day. Your dad saw you wrapped in a blanket the ambulance had. He noticed the bruises by your ankles and arms. The burn on your cheek. The blood stains on your head. They quickly loaded you onto the ambulance. He got on and sat down holding your hand. “ Dada. You’re here.” you managed to say even though it came out as a whisper. “ Yes, I'm here. Don’r force yourself to speak or move. You can let go now little one don't be afraid.” he said. You let go and fell asleep.

You were taken to the best hospital. “ Sir, for your daughter to have a thorough body examination we need you to sign some forms.”  a doctor spoke. Your dad signed the forms after reading them. During the examinations you were out. “ G-God..” a nurse said, tearing up. “ W-What? Let me come in. Is everything alright?” Aizawa asked. He was forced to stay outside and the door was closed. Locked in the process as well. “She’s only 16…How could they..” the nurse said. You were tested for any type of vaginal issues. The wounds on your body were being cured. You were taking too many rooms to take exams. CT scan, ECG scan, MRI scan,PET scan, Etc. You were sedated to keep you asleep. Well rested. 

Once everything was done the doctors gave the results to your dad. “Mr.Aizawa, There’s something that will be very difficult to take in not only for you daughter but for you as well. We found evidence of rape…there might be a possibility of pregnancy. The decision of keeping the child is her own. By law it's her right and decision no parents or guardians are allowed to choose for her. Aside from that she has a broken wrist, the burn on her week will leave behind a scar, the bruises will heal eventually.” the doctor said with a frown. A young lady, A daughter, having to go through such a thing is cruel. Your dad nodded and was trying hard to process everything. 

After 4 days you woke up. “Hey, how are you feeling?” a nurse spoke to you as she wrote down your vitals. “ Good.” you replied. Your dad and brother walked in just in time to see you up. “ Hey baby sister.” Shinso said. “I’m only 4 months younger.” you replied. They both gave you a nice hug. 

Another nurse walked into the room. “ We need you guys to step out. I need to have a private conversation with Ms.Aizawa.” “ That’s my dad and brother don’t worry,” you replied. “This is a serious conversation. It’s going to be hard to hear and process,” she said, holding onto a folder. Aizawa knew about what she was going to inform you about. “ I don’t want to be alone. I need my family with me,” you said sitting up carefully. “ Okay, sweetie. We did a thorough examination of your body. We found signs of rape.” she said and you cut her off. “ Yes..I was. I-I’m guessing there's a possibility of pregnancy.” you said starting to cry. “ Yes sweetie…we will know within a month or so..till then think about what you want to do if there will be a child within you. Your broken wrist and burn will be healed by then..excuse me.” she said and walked out closing the door behind her. “ Dad and I are here to support you. We love you y/n.” Shinso spoke. “ I love you guys too,” you replied. Your mind was spinning. “ You don’t have to rush to a decision y/n. Take time.” Your dad said fixing your hair. “ Do you know who the bastard is?” Shinso asked, gripping his scarf. You remembered everything. How could you not? You suffered it. “ Y-Yes..he has blue eyes and black hair…parts of his body were burned..the staples..I..couldn’t push away. It hu-rt.” you replied crying. Dabi’s face was so clear in your mind. You remembered the pain, the way he laughed at you, and enjoyed seeing you struggle.

The Aizawa family knew this was a tough battle to overcome together.

" Better together okay. We will get through this to the end. Love you, my kids." Aizawa said. " We love you too dad." you and your brother said in unison.

[codenamesazanka]

I'm trying to stay optimistic but the recent chapter was such a letdown after all of this speculation, and I'm really not ready for afo gave tenko decay to become canon :(

So, same as you, I've always hated the 'AFO gave Tenko Decay' theory, but I think it’s important to examine why. 

What I hate is less of the actual act - it is incredibly possible, after all, that AFO just gave this kid descendant of a hated enemy such a deadly quirk for his own twisted ends; and more in fear of what the confirmation of it might signifies - cheap 'easy-way-out' writing that would pretend to solve the problem of Shimura Tenko/Shigaraki Tomura while not actually doing so:

If Tenko was given Decay, then it means the Shimura massacre and then The Walk could've been avoided! 🎉 Because Tenko's hurt and anger at being repeatedly rejected by his father and family would not have manifested in such a lethal way, and so... what? Could've been ignored for a little longer? Wouldn't have sent him to the streets, where people should've helped him but didn't, and now Shigaraki's making them paying for that? (Somewhat related, I’ve seen people suggest that Decay makes Tenko itch because his body isn’t compatible with it, a la Aoyama - the itch is caused by the quirk. However, the day AFO brought Tenko home and Tenko was locked outside, Tenko already had scars around his eyes, and his mom was worried about “his allergies getting worse”. This suggests Tenko was already itchy and scratching at himself before he ever met AFO (and received the quirk that day). And given how the itch represents Tenko/Shigaraki’s frustration and anxiety, that Tenko says he’s only itchy in the house, demonstrates the Shimura household problem was a thing that hurt him long before AFO ever showed up that day.)

If Tenko was given Decay, then it means Shigaraki/Tenko is not innately a destructive and twisted child! Such a sweet kid would not have such a evil quirk! And he has no good reason to want to destroy stuff! 🎉 Because we're going to believe in the idea that ''Bad' Quirks Makes You A Bad Person’. And throw kids who do have unpleasant traits for whatever reason under the bus. And act as if Shigaraki wants to destroy because he's beholden to a gene inside of him, instead of having perfectly valid reasons to be angry and want to lash out.

If Tenko was given Decay, it means we don't have to worry about the 'what ifs' of having a deadly quirk like this even if the massacre never happen! 🎉 Because what if Decay was a naturally-occuring quirk? How would Heroes that aren't Eraserhead have dealt with an accident from such a quirk? Would Tenko have been forced to enroll in Quirk Counseling, which we know from Toga is such a great program? Would Tenko have grown up discriminated against, much like Shinsou, or worse? And these things are absolutely factors that would make someone feel ostracized in society and lash out, even without the backing of a crime lord?

If Tenko was given Decay, we have thee easiest way to deal with Shigaraki Tomura: the story can blame AFO for being the instigator of all tragedy and suffering - without Heroes needing to own up to the fact the society they've have been propping up for a century might play some role in creating Villains through countless, unintentional ways. The focus - the supposed real tragedy - becomes the fact that AFO gave Tenko a scary quirk, and Deku can focus his energies on that… instead of where, imo, the actual tragedies lie - an unhappy and dysfunctional home of generational trauma that was never dealt with, a city full of people who ignored an injured five-year-old because they put off all communal responsibility on Heroes*, and how this can all happen in a 'Hero-saturated society' without Tenko being helped in any of the multiple steps it took to get him to where he ended up under the bridge, being hugged by AFO.

* bonus: none of the people on the street knew what quirk Tenko had, so… what are we to make of this fact? Tenko could've easily been injured in a car accident, walked away, and still be ignored if AFO isn't revealed to made everyone ignore Tenko as well? But that would've been okay, Shigaraki would've been less pissed off, because it wasn't part of a villainous mastermind plot? 

Meanwhile, Shigaraki would be only a sad little pawn, an empty victim crammed with a deadly quirk and engineered trauma and fake wrath, and once Deku saves him by telling him his entire life was a lie, that he actually has no reason to feel so betrayed and angry (can't even direct that at AFO anymore, because the man’s gone), Shigaraki can (selfishly!) forget his friends and his experiences and take pleasure in knowing he wasn't supposed to be a Villain. He was supposed to be a Good Person, without an Evil Quirk, and now he can assimilate back into his rightful, conforming proper place in society!

However–I don’t think that sounds like Shigaraki at all. It could happen! God forbid it, but that is how Horikoshi can end up writing the character and the conclusion. I don’t know how likely that is. 

What I do know, though, is that Shigaraki is someone who already knows AFO is a manipulative asshole:

In Chapter 237, while reflecting on his newly regained memories, Shigaraki considers, “If only, back then, someone, anyone, had reached out to help… then maybe the itch would’ve gone away for good.” That he specifically says this last part after remembering specifically how AFO had found him, Shigaraki knew AFO didn’t actually help him, else the itch would’ve faded. 

In Chapter 277, Shigaraki is not particularly surprised that the AFO quirk comes with AFO’s ‘too-strong’ will. (Then tells AFO is shut up.) 

In Chapter 298, after AFO gives a whole spiel about how Shigaraki asked for this power, Shigaraki declares that he’s not going to be AFO’s “stinkin’ pawn”. (And started looking for a way to undermine AFO’s control)

In Chapter 379, Shigaraki outright states that he knew AFO was manipulating him, especially trying to make use of the Shimura and All Might connection. (And defeats the AFO vestige from inside out, taking his body back.) 

Unfortunately, Shigaraki is also someone who knows all this, but will still continue to rely on AFO’s double-edged gifts - keeping The Hands with him all this time; partnering with the Doctor; utilizing Gigantomachia into his Deika plan despite not having gained Gigantomachia’s respect yet; undergoing the surgery to receive the AFO quirk.

And finally, Shigaraki is someone who has already regained all his memories, back in MVA. He remembers being five-years-old and still not having manifested his quirk. He remembers AFO telling him that his quirk is a rare variant mutation, just so happened to be one that no one has ever seen before. In the latest chapter, the vision of Tenko holding hands with a man in a suit - that is Shigaraki’s memory. Shigaraki remembers this moment, of being Tenko and walking home, escorted by a stranger in a suit. And it appears, right after Deku declares that he’s going to keep striking at Shigaraki until he reaches the pain Shigaraki has buried and covered up with a lid.

What I’m getting at is this: I think - I hope! - there is a possibility that, if AFO did indeed give Tenko Decay, Shigaraki already knows AFO gave him the quirk - figured it out when he got his memories back, most likely - but is beyond caring. He knows Decay was given to him, that AFO had that hand in causing the massacre; but still Shigaraki uses it, still decides to embody the quirk as his.

Because however Shigaraki got Decay, it really doesn’t change anything about how the world works. It doesn’t change how his dad was locking him out of the house before he ever got any quirk, simply because he couldn’t/didn't want to follow a rule; and it doesn’t change how he was ignored by everyone that day on the street, and no one knew at all what quirk he had or what he did. Manifesting Decay only punted him down into a miserable social position that already existed - not for him at that moment in time, but for someone else; only gave him the ability to witness something that had always been there all the more clearly.

Now, this is very much a cope. But I can cope with the 'AFO gave Tenko Decay’, if it actually ends up giving Deku a harder time saving Shigaraki, if it forces Deku to become unable to blame AFO, because that was never the real injustice Shigaraki has been lashing out against. That’s really the main thing.

Thanks for the ask, anon! Sorry it’s long and rambling. 

[wakeupthemembersofbylernation]

Just say you hate Eleven don’t beat around the bush with listing all the reasons Will deserves a prize. “deserves the boy he loves” right and where does Mikes feelings coming into that exactly? So far I’ve learned there two sets of fans the ones who fancy finn and want to see him kiss boys as some weird fantasy and the others who adore Will and feel he deserves what he wants without thinking of the other party.

Only in the ST fandom can someone take a reasonable sentence like, “After four seasons of trauma, Will deserves a happy ending” and utterly twist it to mean, “I hate El and want her to be alone and miserable grrr.” It’s also wild how you can glean “Will deserves a prize” from my words when that’s not at all what I said. I don’t see Mike as a “prize” for Will. That’d be ridiculous. I see them as equals- because that’s what they are: lifelong best friends who’ve been through so much, consistently put each other first, and have made multiple beautiful promises to each other.

“But you said, ‘Will has suffered so much and deserves a happy ending with the boy he loves.’ How is that not proving my point?” Yes, I did say that, and I would say it again in a heartbeat. Will has suffered so much. Here’s a refresher on just some of his trauma. Given the context of everything, given the significance of Will’s sexuality to both his coming-of-age journey and the 80s, it would be genuinely cruel to not give him a happy ending. And it’s not Byler shippers on the Internet, but the show itself, that has consistently tied this happy ending to Mike. It’s been reinforced in every season, and the writers and filmmakers doubled-down on it in Season 4 through the van scene and through aggressively inserting Will into every Milkvan scene so that he’s always on your mind. S3 brought up their hypothetical question of the future through the rain fight, and it also had Will very specifically saying, “I’m not gonna fall in love.” This was not placed in the show so he could be proven right in S5 when Mike iNeViTaBlY rejects him. Be serious.

As I said in my post, this has nothing to do with thinking unreciprocated storylines don’t serve a purpose in media. Obviously they do! Stranger Things has given us a few: Dustin and Max, Steve and Robin, and Steve and Nancy (after they broke up). It is also given us another which I will talk about in a second, although this one comes with a twist. Dustin was crushing on the attractive new girl in school, as was Lucas. Max chose Lucas and fell for him. Dustin was sad about it, sure. The Snowball dance emphasized his general sadness as well as his unluckiness with girls at the time. Narratively, dancing with Nancy was the healing moment he needed to move on. It propelled his character to his Season 3 glow up, where he surprises his friends with news that he is dating Suzie. Dustin liked Max, but he wasn’t in love with Max, built upon a lifelong friendship. The situation is just structurally different.

Steve and Robin? Well, you know the story. Steve developed feelings for Robin (after Dustin pushed him in that direction, I might add) over the course of S3. But Robin was like, “Psyche! I’m a lesbian. Let’s be best friends,” and platonic Stobin was born. Notice there was no grief on Steve’s part. Steve was shocked, sure, but he wasn’t heartbroken. He bounced back in a heartbeat and fully accepted her sexuality. And then the season ends with their friendship shenanigans at the video store. Again, this was a crush. And it had a very interesting plot twist at the end of it. And it served a very specific purpose in Steve’s journey.

In terms of Steve and Nancy, there was more heartbreak involved, since they were actually dating. And in S4, it’s clear that Steve has never fully gotten over Nancy, or at least he thinks he hasn’t gotten over her. But narratively, this just serves a fundamentally different purpose than the situation between Mike and Will. Steve believes he needs romantic love to be happy, so his arc is accepting that he doesn’t. Also, as a presumed straight character (even though I love the bi Steve HCs), he doesn’t have the same kind of existential crisis that Will, a sad gay boy in the 80s, does.

The fourth unreciprocated storyline is an interesting one cause it’s not actually unreciprocated at all. It just seems that way. And of course, I’m talking about Robin and Vickie. Robin has feelings for Vickie, but when she sees Vickie with her boyfriend Dan, she assumes all hope is lost. But alas, all hope is not lost! Vickie is queer too and has feelings for Robin as well. You just have to take off your heteronormative glasses to recognize it. Sound similar to something else?

I bring this up because while Byler shares surface-level similarities to these other unrequited storylines, it visually parallels the situation with Robin and Vickie. So don’t be surprised when Mike, like Vickie, turns out not to be straight. And character wise, it’s deeper than all the other examples by miles. Dustin got over Max, Steve got over Robin, Steve is just looking for any girlfriend tbh, and S4 showed Robin getting over Vickie before the plot twist. Will and Mike are lifelong best friends, and a slow-burn rejection arc would not only make no sense, in-universe it would structurally derail Byler’s powerful connection and interrupt key plots already in motion during the apocalypse.

You forget that these aren’t real people. They are characters. In real life, sure, sometimes you don’t get what you want. Sometimes gay kids fall in love with their lifelong straight best friends, get gently rejected, and then life goes on eventually. In real life, saying, “But I have suffered, so you must love me back,” would be insane. And Will agrees. The homewrecker allegations need to stop. In the context of the show, Will doesn’t think that Mike loves him back. He doesn’t think love can be for boys like him. It rips him apart and tears him inside for sure, but all throughout S4 he’s the one trying to repair his bestie’s relationship while being madly in love with him. Will thinks he will be forever alone, and your argument is that he should be proven right?

Of course, I adore Will. He’s my favorite character, and I’m a proud member of the Willuminati. The shoe fits, and I will wear it. But I saw this Tweet today that I had to screenshot, and it applies directly to the subtext of your ask:

No one should find it strange or delusional or creepy that people ship Will with the boy he’s into. Calling it a “weird fantasy” in any context is inherently homophobic and weird behavior. You simply would not say that about any other ship in the show. Admit that you find queerness icky. Don’t hide behind faux concern for El.

Lastly, I must directly respond to your question,“Where do Mike’s feelings come into that exactly? Why do Bylers feel Will deserves what he wants without thinking of the other party?”

What are you even saying? Accusing Bylers of not thinking about Mike is the strangest accusation considering there are 50 essays per day posted on this app diving into the psychology of Mike. Mike’s feelings are powerful. Mike’s feelings are important. I could just as easily have written a post that said, “After everything Mike has been through, he deserves a happy ending with the boy he loves” because Mike clearly loves Will. It is overflowing out of him. If you analyze and “think of the other party” as you put it, it becomes crystal-clear where Mike’s feelings come into play and what his happy ending is. Hint: it’s not with the girl he can’t even write ILY to.

I could have written about Mike, but my post was about Will, who is canonically gay, deeply traumatized, and whose sexuality is not in doubt. Will deserves a happy ending. “But El is also traumatized, and she deserves a happy ending as well.” Agreed, but her happy ending and the overall trajectory of her character arc simply do not center Mike. El’s arc is rooted in her independence, and I could do a deep-dive analysis comparing and contrasting Will and El and explaining why romantic love is central to Will’s endgame but not to El’s. But I’m sure there are fifty of those already on this platform. I want Mike, Will, and El to all have happy endings.

Anyway, Byler endgame.

[carica-ficus]

“Nona the Ninth”

20/07/2024

Reading progress: 477/477 (100%) Read through since last update: 203

The final stretch! Since I've had a free day yesterday, so I decided to binge the rest of the book and it was so worth it.

Alas, the final notes:

YEESSSS!!! RAGE!! TIME FOR VIOLENCE!!!!!

Hhhh Nona's meltdown is so freeing. There was SO much tension that has built up these last few days and she took it like a champ.

Ngl, I read that part as the frustration that comes out when you're finally done masking for so long. And I mean, Nona literally mentions it in the text too. That she's wearing a mask that looks like her face. Love to see it. It's comforting in a strange way. Mostly because I get it.

Fuck. Yeah, we learn about Earth's demise. We learn about the ways humans try to escape it. We learn about the consequences. But hearing John say that they needed to get the second wave of ships ready before the next round of climate starvation really hit. Humanity really is fucked. And not just in this book.

Not the fucking cows again.

Dying of curiosity. I mean... Is she wrong? (We'll see.)

Oh, fuck. It's not Ianthe's body.

This changes everything.

It changed nothing. Except that it might have made some things worse.

Of course it's Harrow's body. I did think that to myself somewhere in the middle of the book. Like - wouldn't it be SO funny if Harrow, who was always forced to calculate everything and be 3 steps ahead of everyone else, is replaced by Nona who depends on others to survive and has no idea what the fuck's happening? And there we all have it.

ALSO.

The storyline of Harrow working so much and trying to recover after all that grief and anger and sadness becoming a person that is going through recovery, who is loved and loves others, who is struggling so much to find herself, but doesn't know how to function on her own... It's such a powerful take on mental health and everything that comes along with trauma and recovery. This is such a good book.

Is it Gideon AGAIN???

That would be so fucking funny HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Okay. She's not. But it's so much worse! Hahahahaha 🙃🙃🙃

HSJDNDNJSKSKSKSKS PALAMEDES AND CAMILLA MY BELOVED ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

No pain meds. - Every pain medication you have, please.

AAAAAAA they're so ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Oh, yeah. There it goes again. Is Nona hard of hearing? I didn't really think about this element that much, but it does appear several times. She can understand others and multiple languages only if she sees them speak.

Ok. That John chapter was something.

And I know he's a shitty guy. I do. But I get it.

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA not the Sixths doing math ALOUD in the Convoy to entertain themselves

Paul?

Sure, ok. Why not.

This kinda reminds me of that scene where Lapis (from Steven Universe) calls herself Bob during the baseball episode. Can't believe I remember that since I haven't watched the show in ages.

SUSS?????

THEN PERISH???

Okay, so much happened at the end that I just didn't want to put the book away in order to comment, so here's some thoughts at the end.

JOHN YOU DICKHEAD AAAAAAAAAAAAA

On the other hand, I am in LOVE with the way his character is written - from a perfect being to a selfish, deceitful and greedy man. I loved the way he captured Alecto. I love how he brought her into the tomb like a child, and she was in awe of everything he showed her. It's so raw. It's so sickening and repulsive and violating.

AND I LOVE that Alecto is basically the soul of the Earth. And I love that she is just a girl. That she just wants to live and love and be loved.

And that ending. AAAAA So cool. So so so so so cool. Love it.

I'm so happy I finally finished Nona. It is such a gorgeous book and I loved every bit of it. With each book I just fall more in love with the world and the characters, and I'm in awe of Muir's capability to make me appreciate every single character, no matter their background, morality or goals. Man, this story will stay with me for a long time, if not forever.

[fuckyeahalisonblaire]

X-Treme, A-Force, and X-terminators: What would you say were the pro's and con's of each?

Okay, so I haven't read any of these titles recently, so keep that in mind with my answers. Out of all of them, I have definitely read X-Treme the most.

X-TREME

Pros: It did a decent job of showing the many abilities of Dazzler. It wasn't just light blasts, but other variations of her powers. She's more than just a pretty light show, and the writer did well in conveying that. I also felt like it established new relationships with the cast quite strongly. You could see her bond with everyone quite nicely. Her characterization was pretty well done as well. A lot of writers miss the mark with Alison, but here you saw a few sides of her, plus her leadership role was well done.

Cons: There was one issue where everyone was bonding over hardships, and Alison basically said she didn't have any. Now, this series seemed like she was trying to run away from her life for a little bit, but I feel like no one touches on the hardships she has faced in her life, unless you bring up the Mystique stuff (which did happen after this series, mind you). She did fight on Mojoworld, she did lose her dad, she was abandoned by her mother as a child, she did survive M-Day and she does have multiple instances of surviving death. Those are just a few examples! I suppose another thing is a crit I have about most Dazzler series, and it didn't touch much on her canon relationships. I so wish we could see even a mention of her friendships.

A-FORCE (I'm just going to do V2 here)

Pros: I loved it actually showing her dealing with the way Mystique messed up her life. I felt that Kelly did a much better job of showcasing how Alison was healing, and not just reacting to a trauma. I loved her pushing past her darkness, and finally being able to slowly be herself again. I also loved that someone else finally touched on her resurrection ability. At this point, the only time it had been mentioned or touched upon really was New Excalibur (where it originated). You can make a case for X-Terminators, I suppose, but here she actually talked about it, and still had no answers. I loved her getting to make new relationships with other women, while touching on the fact that she had a kinship in She-Hulk. Also, Dazzler Thor? Beautiful!

Cons: Too short! I didn't really like the story that brought in Elsa, or the whole Civil War 2 thing. I mostly hate that it ended so soon that we couldn't see what happened with Alison's M-Pox. For me, it was mostly the things that were undone because of how short the series was.

And lastly...

X-TERMINATORS

I am going to merge the cons and pros here. I will admit, I did not enjoy this series. I'm glad that Alison had some kickass moments near the end, I guess, but a lot of the characterization for this was all over the place for every character. I really dislike Marvel's love for developing relationships off panel, and this mini was a huge example of that happening. This is also just a personal preference, but I don't really like how Leah always references memes and chronically online dialogue. I'd say I was more annoyed with Tabitha than anything Dazzler did, but that has been a slow sliding slope for years now, and Tabitha is a completely different character than she used to be. However, that is a rant for a different blog. Just a lot of plot holes, and just...yeah. There's other reasons I really dislike that book, but I'll just leave it at that and try to end on a high note. Alison putting her butterfly make up on in those few panels was pretty fun, and I liked her disco outfits incorporating shorts.

Here's hoping when her new mini comes out, it's full of amazing moments!

[boots-with-the-fur-club]

A crossover of No Fun in Fungus and A New Shade of Red by @daboyau for competition propaganda under read more!

@tmntaucompetition

Raph rushes from one room to the next. Being suddenly transported to some kind of competition filled with other turtles and or people somehow connected to said turtles is chaotic enough, but fate decided to ramp it up even more.

It brought those mushrooms with them as well.

He split up from his brothers since there were way too many people to help and they were probably the only ones who knew how to handle what’s going on.

Raph knows he has to check every nook and cranny. For some reason everyone brought here just keeps losing each other.

The lost and found luckily seemed mushroom free but everywhere else was free game.

Despite some people being fairly similar to him and his brothers, their worst fears could still vary widely.

He passes by another room.

There’s sounds of crashing and someone hitting different things multiple times.

He’s only able to open up the door a little when a sharp object flies through the air. It’s only dodged just in time before it sticks itself into the wall behind him.

The door is slammed closed so Raph can collect himself before trying again.

He creates a clone in front of himself and has it open the door this time.

More things are thrown, but luckily none of them are sharp.

Raph can finally see who’s being doing it.

The person immediately reminds him of his dad back when he was still human and in his peak.

However, this person clearly has been through a lot.

His clothes are torn, wet, covered in sludge and-

Is that blood!?

The person breathes heavily like he’d just been running for a long time, far and fast most likely.

There’s a fearful look in his eyes.

It’s not one of someone who’s only scared now, but for a long time.

“Kendra! Leave me alone! You already knew what the games were! Don’t drag me down with you!” He screams.

Raph stills.

That’s Donnie’s voice, and he mentioned Kendra.

This must be a human Donnie.

It shouldn’t be surprising considering the swan and computer screen Donnie he saw before but it is.

Maybe because of just how ragged he looks.

Ralph gets rid of the clone and kneels down to be near his level since he’s sitting in a defensive way.

“Donnie?” He asks apprehensively, still not completely sure his guess is right yet.

Donnie’s eyes change from an angry narrow to a surprised widen.

“Raph’s voice….?”

“Uh, I am Raph, I just don’t know if I’m your Raph….?

Donnie cautiously leans in a bit to get a good look at him.

Raph nervously glances off to the side.

“No. You’re clearly another hallucination. The capital really emphasized emotional reactions this year…..”

“I know I’m not human, but I am real. We’re still brothers and I’m not leaving ya in this kinda state alone. You’re a Donnie, I bet you’re dying to wash that stuff off you.”

Donnie clearly still has reservations but looks down at himself and grimaces.

“Dying is a very poor choice of words.”

“You know Raph isn’t good with them. I’m not at least.” He holds his hand out.

Donnie gently takes it, knowing very well that he won’t be able to stand much on his own.

The moment their skin touches Donnie is rushed with emotions.

The effects of the spores had been washed away since Donnie could tell exactly who’s hand is in his even if it is more turtle like.

One is shock because this Raph was not kidding about not being human.

Another is a feeling of safety he hasn’t had in so long thanks to the constant death battle he’s been in.

“You….you are a Raph.”

Raph smiles softly.

“I am.”

Donnie’s face doesn’t shift in the slightest as he begins crying.

Over the course of the games it would just happen. Allowing his emotions to show too much would sap precious energy he needed so he just didn’t.

He watches as Raph panics over his tears.

It hurts so much to see a version of his brother who looks so much lighter of mental burdens than his own.

There’s still some sort of trauma in his eyes, but something in them still has innocence of bloodshed.

Donnie wonders if his eyes show how many lives he’s taken.

Raph slides his large arms under Donnie’s, lifting him up as he stands.

He’s held like a toddler and wracked with sobs as if he was one.

“Let it all out, it’s okay….Raph’s got ya.” He soothes, squeezing him as if it could get rid of every bad thing he saw.

Donnie fights passing out. The adrenaline that had been keeping him going is waning badly.

“I….I’m sorry. I tried to do what you said….I just couldn’t….I had to….I wanted to….”

Raph presses his forehead against Donnie’s, catching onto the fact that he’s not in the capacity to remember what’s going on.

“You did a good job. Raph’s real proud of you. Everything is gonna be okay. I’m gonna take care of all of it. You can rest now.”

Donnie’s eyes quickly shut.

His big brother knows best.

He can finally, finally sleep.

A soft rumbling and his warm arms lull him into unconsciousness.

[justforbooks]

Paul Auster

Author of The New York Trilogy who conjured up a world of wonder and happenstance, miracle and catastrophe

The American writer Paul Auster, who has died aged 77 from complications of lung cancer, once described the novel as “the only place in the world where two strangers can meet on terms of absolute intimacy”. His own 18 works of fiction, along with a shelf of poems, translations, memoirs, essays and screenplays written over 50 years, often evoke eerie states of solitude and isolation. Yet they won him not just admirers but distant friends who felt that his peculiar domain of chance and mystery, wonder and happenstance, spoke to them alone. Frequently bizarre or uncanny, the world of Auster’s work aimed to present “things as they really happen, not as they’re supposed to happen”.

To the readers who loved it, his writing felt not like avant-garde experimentalism but truth-telling with a mesmerising force. He liked to quote the philosopher Pascal, who said that “it is not possible to have a reasonable belief against miracles”. Auster restored the realm of miracles – and its flip-side of fateful catastrophe – to American literature. Meanwhile, the “postmodern” sorcerer who conjured alternate or multiple selves in chiselled prose led (aptly enough) a double life as sociable pillar of the New York literary scene, a warm raconteur whose agile wit belied the brooding raptor-like image of his photoshoots. For four decades he lived in Brooklyn with his second wife, the writer Siri Hustvedt.

The fortune that drives his stories played a part in his own career. City of Glass (1985), the philosophical mystery that launched his New York Trilogy and his ascent to fame, appeared from a small imprint after 17 rejections. Though the novel helped build his misleading reputation as a cool cult author, a moody Parisian existentialist marooned in noir New York, it had a pseudonymous forerunner that shows another Auster face.

Squeeze Play, published under the pen-name “Paul Benjamin” in 1982, is a baseball-based crime caper. Its disconsolate gumshoe, Max Klein, muses that “I had come to the limit of myself, and there was nothing left.” If that plight sounds typically Auster-ish, then even more so was the baseball setting. Auster adored the sport and played it well: “I had quick reflexes and a strong arm – but my throws were often wild.” In a much-repeated tale, he failed aged eight to get an autograph from his idol Willie Mays, of the New York Giants, because he had not brought a pencil. Auster “cried all the way home”.

Auster’s work is more deeply embedded in the mid-century national culture that fuelled the novels of his elders, such as Philip Roth and John Updike, than some advocates appreciated. His fables of identity-loss and alienation have emotional roots in the mean, lonely city streets he knew when young. He once insisted, to fans and scoffers who labelled him an esoteric “French” or European coterie author, that “all of my books have been about America”.

He was born in Newark, New Jersey (also Roth’s hometown). His parents, Queenie (nee Bogat) and Samuel Auster, children of Jewish immigrants from eastern Europe, set him on a classic American path of upward mobility through education while remaining, to their son, opaque. The Invention of Solitude (1982) was Auster’s haunting attempt to imagine the life of his impenetrable father. Ghostly fathers would pervade his work. As would sudden calamity. When, aged 14, he witnessed a fellow summer-camper struck dead by lightning, the event became a paradigm for the savage contingency of life, “the bewildering instability of things”. His later novel 4321 (2017), which revisits this formative trauma, cites the composer John Cage: “The world is teeming: anything can happen.” In Auster’s work, it does.

At Columbia University in New York, he studied literature, and took part in the student protests of 1968, before moving to Paris to scrape a living as a translator of French poetry (a surrealist anthology was his first published work). He lived – literally in a garret – with the writer Lydia Davis, and returned in 1974 with nine dollars to his name. Back in New York, they married, but were divorced in 1978, a year after the birth of their son, Daniel. Poetry collections followed, but Auster’s thwarted efforts to secure a decent livelihood meant that he gave his ruefully funny 1997 memoir Hand to Mouth the subtitle “a chronicle of early failure”.

In 1982, he married the novelist and essayist Hustvedt (who recalled their courtship as “a really fast bit of business”). She became his first reader and trusted guide; they had a daughter, Sophie. Husband and wife would work during the day on different floors of their Park Slope brownstone, and watch classic movies together in the evening. Auster wrote first in longhand, then edited on his cherished Olympia typewriter.

The New York Trilogy (Ghosts and The Locked Room followed a year after City of Glass) made his stock soar, and attracted both celebrity and opportunity.

Auster wrote gnomic screenplays for arthouse films (Smoke, Blue in the Face, both 1995), even directed one (The Inner Life of Martin Frost, 2007). But it was the enigmatic, hallucinatory aura of his fiction – in 1990s novels such as The Music of Chance, Leviathan and Mr Vertigo – that defined his sensibility. Sometimes this trademark style could veer into whimsy or self-parody (as in Timbuktu, 1999, with its canine hero) although stronger novels – such as The Brooklyn Follies (2005) – always pay heed to the pulse, and voice, of contemporary America. Keenly engaged in current affairs, Auster held office in the writers’ body PEN, deplored the rise of Donald Trump, and spoke of his country’s core schism between ruthless individualism and “people who believe we’re responsible for one another”.

Auster the exacting aesthete was also a yarn-hungry storyteller. If he edited a centenary edition of Samuel Beckett – a literary touchstone, along with Hawthorne, Proust, Kafka and Joyce – he also compiled a selection of unlikely true tales submitted by National Public Radio listeners. They revealed the strange “unknowable forces” at work in everyday life. In his epic novel 4321, the formal spellbinder and social chronicler meet. It sends a boy born in New Jersey in 1947 down four separate paths in life: an Auster encyclopedia, ingenious but heartfelt too. Bulk and heart also characterised his mammoth 2021 biography of the Newark-born literary prodigy Stephen Crane, Burning Boy.

The ferocity of fate that scars his work gouged wounds into Auster’s life as well. Daniel succumbed to addiction, accidentally killed his infant daughter with drugs, and died of an overdose in 2022. Auster’s cancer diagnosis came in 2023. Prolific and versatile as ever, in that year he still published both an impassioned essay on America’s firearms fixation (Bloodbath Nation) and his farewell novel, Baumgartner. Its narrative hi-jinks dance smartly over a bass chord of grief.

Auster populated a literary planet all his own, where the strange music, and magic, of chance and contingency coexist with love, dream and wonder. In Burning Boy, he wonders why Crane’s output now goes largely unread, although “the prose still crackles, the eye still cuts, the work still stings”. After 34 books, so does his own.

Auster is survived by his wife and daughter, and a grandson, and by his sister, Janet.

🔔 Paul Benjamin Auster, writer, born 3 February 1947; died 30 April 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?