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jbuffyangel · 8 months

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We'll Always Have Paris: Arrow 1x21 Review (The Undertaking)

Oliver and Felicity hit the casino to save Walter (remember Walter?), which provides the best Freudian slip in the history of Arrow.

We finally get some much-needed flashbacks on Robert Queen & Lauriver to fill in the holes of history and it’s a horror show. I can’t unsee what I have seen, so now we just get to rant about it.

Oh, and the writers completely telegraphed the demise of Lauriver in this episode. It just took me the better part of decade to notice it. It's all about Casablanca. Yes. Really.

Let’s dig in…

Olicity

Finally! Some decent Olicity content. Season 1 is rough y'all.

Source: Paige

Oliver is still Oliver which means he hasn’t apologized yet to Diggle for abandoning him. Felicity is trying her best to get the bromance back on track.

Source: Paige

Unfortunately, this is an immovable object meeting an unstoppable force kind of situation, so until Oliver pulls the stick out of his butt and admits he was wrong – Diggle is sitting this episode out.

Felicity: I know Oliver is religiously against admitting when he’s wrong, but the truth is he needs you.

Diggle: Yeah, and when Oliver is ready to say that he knows where I live.

John is not some disciple who will blindly follow Oliver wherever he goes. Diggle has self-respect and will not accept anything but an equal partnership from Oliver. Fighting for a man’s soul is going to cause some fights. Diggle needs to win more than his fair share if we are going to see any growth in Oliver Queen.

So, it’s left to our Girl Wednesday to hit the streets with The Hood when they get a lead on Walter. I honestly forgot he was kidnapped it’s been so long since they’ve mentioned him.

A dirty accountant on The List paid two million dollars to Dominic Alonzo on the same day Walter was kidnapped. Alonzo runs the biggest underground casino in Starling City, when he’s not busy with his day job of kidnapping and murder. Oliver needs to access Alonzo’s computer to find a location on Walter.

Source: @olicitygifs

And guess who is really great at counting cards? Oliver immediately refuses Felicity’s help. His deep aversion to putting her in any kind of danger will never stop being hot. This is the big break on Walter that Felicity has been waiting for, so she insists, and Oliver relents. I love that she never lets Oliver tell her what she can and can’t do.

The goal is for Felicity to be caught counting cards, so she can get a friendly warning from Alonzo and bug his computer. She is more than a little concerned that the friendly warning will be a bullet. Felicity is not a trained soldier like Diggle and she’s not a ninja/archer like Oliver. She’s signed up to fight crime, but she never shies away from expressing her fear. It’s what makes her so relatable because any person in these circumstances would be afraid.

Oliver immediately downshifts into his soft, gentle and reassuring tone that’s becoming more and more for Felicity Smoak only. The man is a growling serial killer who turns into Fluffy McSoftie Bear around her.

What makes Felicity a hero is she faces her fears head on. She doesn’t let anything stop her and Felicity Smoak is determined to find her boss. Walter gave her a job, health insurance and dental. Never underestimate a loyal employee.

Source: olicitygifs

Annnnnd we've arrived! The Freudian of all Freudian slips. This is a little risqué for the CW back in the day. Felicity’s inadvertent sexual innuendo is hilarious every time, but this one takes the cake. I believe it’s Emily Bett Rickard’s favorite as well.

If you were a Olicity shipper in Season 1 the Laurel fans would use scenes like this to prove Felicity just has a crush, Oliver will never return her feelings, and she’s just comic relief.

But who is introducing the sexual element between Oliver and Felicity? The writers. If this is supposed to remain a platonic friendship - why even go, there? These were the thoughts I would think watching live, wondering if I was crazy for seeing so much more than comedy between these two characters.

Felicity does get caught and initially it’s a friendly warning, until they find an earpiece the size of Saturn and demand to know who her partner is.

Someone put their hands on Felicity, so say goodbye to Fluffy McSoftie Bear and unleash the Kraken!

Source: @andjustforthismoment

Unfortunately, Alonzo doesn’t have good news and tells The Hood, after a good thumping, that Walter is dead. Oliver tells Moira and Thea that one of Diggle’s army buddies works for the FBI and he confirmed Walter is dead. Instead of grief, Moira is enraged and firmly believes Oliver is wrong. Almost like she knows something Oliver doesn’t.

Thankfully, Oliver has grown a brain when it comes to his mother and rather take her word for it or delude himself into thinking she’s just in shock, he follows her Merlyn Global as The Hood. He records her conversation with Merlyn.

Moira: You promised if I cooperated with The Undertaking that Walter wouldn’t be harmed.

Merlyn: He hasn’t been. I’m a man of my word Moira.

Moira: We both know better than that. I know you’ve had him killed.

Of course, Walter is alive and still in the cell Merlyn has kept him in for the last six months. So, Oliver discovers the following:

Malcolm Merlyn, his best friend’s father, kidnapped Walter.

2. Moira knew all along who had Walter and why.

3. Moira is working with Merlyn on something called “The Undertaking.”

It’s a rough day when you learn your mother is colluding with a super villain and is an accessory to kidnapping. Oliver retreats to the darkness to wallow and mourn how completely messed up his family is. Then Felicity steps into the bunker and the room is flooded with light. It’s always the light.

Source: @smoakmonster

And with the light comes the truth. Oliver tells Felicity to track Malcolm Merlyn’s last phone call, which leads to Walter’s location. Oliver, in full superhero mode, attacks from the sky and lands on the roof with a parachute no less. Walter’s cell conditions are not great. Let’s not talk about the bucket of poo next to his bed. Immediately, we, and Oliver, know the man has been through it.

Oliver meets Walter, Moira and Thea at the hospital post Hood rescue.

Walter: Thank you, son.

It’s just a second, but we can see Oliver is really touched by Walter’s affection. We’ve gone from Oliver accusing Walter of sleeping with Moira at the dinner table his first night home to accepting Walter calling him son. That’s called growth my friends.

Yet, there was sadness in Oliver’s smile too. He was able to bring Walter home, something he couldn’t do for Robert Queen, and it was clear how much Oliver was missing his dad in that moment.

Felicity pops up in the doorway, carrying a bouquet of brightly colored flowers, wearing a deep fuchsia jacket and her sunshine hair pulled back into its signature ponytail. She physically is such a stark contrast to Oliver’s melancholy, and it snaps him out of it for a little bit as he introduces Felicity to his family.

Source: Paige

Felicity has become so fully entrenched in Oliver’s life that it actually took me a minute to remember Moira, Thea and Laurel have no idea who she is. She was introduced in Episode 3 and we’re on Episode 21! It’s almost like the writers forgot and realized they had to introduce Felicity to the rest of the cast. It’s wild y’all.

First up is Laurel earlier in the episode at the bar. She’s informing Oliver of her breakup with Tommy when Felicity pops in to advise him of another break – Walter’s kidnappers. It’s been a long-held belief in the Olicity fandom that Laurel’s reception was cool. One could even say snotty. I tried to go into this with an open mind, but yeah, I have to say that impression still holds for me. It’s like Felicity is a bug to be crushed.

Meanwhile, Felicity is so sweet to the woman Oliver Queen is hopelessly in love with (or so she thinks). It’s the way Felicity says gorgeous, almost sadly, like she sees for herself how beautiful Laurel is and its confirmation she won’t measure up. Oliver Queen will never look at her the way he looks at Laurel. So, it has to sting a little when he introduces Felicity as the person setting up his internet. It irked me. It felt dismissive.

Source: Paige

It’s very easy to dismiss Felicity as comic relief, and her Freudian slips are funny, but there are real and true feelings underneath. Felicity is in love with Oliver. It does cause her pain to see him with other women.

Felicity’s insecurity is easy to understand. Oliver is not the only person who has growing to do. Felicity needs to realize she is just as beautiful, smart and lovable as Laurel Lance. What’s more, she has to realize Oliver does look at her in a way that’s different than Laurel, but it’s not less. It’s infinitely more. But we’re nowhere near ready for either character to acknowledge that yet.

When Oliver introduces Felicity to Moira and Thea, he calls her a friend, which is quite the glow up in twenty-five minutes. It’s warm and it’s true. More importantly, it carries much more significance than “Internet Girl.”

The deal was Felicity would join the team to find Walter. Well, they found him. That should conclude Felicity’s involvement in Oliver’s life. But he isn’t dismissing her as a “nobody” like Felicity did with Laurel. He is stating the opposite. Deal or no deal, Felicity is remaining in Oliver’s life.

Maybe that’s why he was more dismissive of Felicity with Laurel. Maybe he didn’t want Laurel to know there is another woman in his life. One he may be having more than friendly feelings towards. Oliver, Laurel and Tommy aren’t the only love triangle on this show.

Source: Paige

Lauriver

Holy hell.

We have all patiently waited for the holes to be filled in on Laurel and Oliver’s past. We’ve waited for some kind of reference to happier times – any kind of evidence these two, at one point, were madly in love and destined to be together until fate (and Oliver’s stupidity) stepped in and ripped them apart. We’re supposed to want Oliver and Laurel to get back together. They are the Plan A couple. This is the Green Arrow and Black Canary. DC Comic’s third tier golden couple. They belong together, right?

Someone may want to inform the Arrow writers of that because what we see in these flashbacks is absolute hot garbage. Of course, the immediate response is, “Of course Jen. You’re an Olicity shipper. You hate everything about Laurel and Oliver.”

Yeah, but how did I get there? EPISODES. LIKE. THIS. I did my absolute very best to ship Oliver and Laurel all through Season One because they are comic book canon. It was a foregone conclusion they would end up together and shipping Oliver with Felicity was setting myself up for five years of disappointment. I know how television writing works, friends. They very seldom deviate from the couple set up as endgame in the pilot. Oliver and Laurel are Plan A. It’s just math.

Well, the math ain’t mathing y’all. Blessedly, we get a break from the Island flashbacks and Arrow is spending some time in Starling City five years ago. Oliver and Laurel are ordering pizza as she’s studying for the bar exam. It’s cute. It’s sweet even. They’re in their little love bubble and we’re seeing them happy and together – the place we’re supposed to be rooting for them to return to in present day.

Laurel mentions their friends are moving in together and Oliver is happy for them because they've been together forever. Laurel immediately informs Oliver they’ve been together longer. Cue Oliver internally screaming. Deer in headlights. The building is on fire. WHERE IS THE EXIT? ABORT! ABORT!

Laurel, ever the lawyer, comes prepared with an argument. Moira busted Laurel in a morning-after-sex-romp and Lance threatened to tase Oliver the last time he stayed at Laurel’s, so she’s just being practical. Economical even. Why don’t they get a place of their own? (If the parents aren’t cool with you sleeping together while living separately what makes you think they’ll be ok with you MOVING IN TOGETHER, Laurel? Whatever. You do you babe.)

Oliver offers up a feeble maybe and then tells her IT’S A LITTLE FAST. Dude, for real? What Laurel is asking for isn’t unreasonable. She’s ready to take the next step and for Oliver to call that fast after probably several years together (college, maybe even high school) doesn’t make any sense if he’s in love with Laurel.

I’m a big believer in He's Just Not That Into You. Men are not overly complicated creatures. If they like a woman, they go after her. If they love a woman, they don’t need to be convinced to move in together or get married. They want to do those things.

They sure as hell don’t run screaming all the way to their father’s yacht for a three-week trip in the NORTH CHINA SEA with their girlfriend’s SISTER. This is exactly what Oliver does after he lukewarmly tells Laurel he’ll move in with her.

Source: Paige

Laurel meets Oliver on the docks to say goodbye. In an extra classy move, he phones Sara on the walk down to Laurel and tells her to circle around the parking lot until her sister leaves. This guy is such a prize. Fall to your feet, women of the world, and swoon. We have found THE ONE.

Laurel is not stupid. Well, she’s not always stupid. She knows something is up and asks her boyfriend if he was running away to the North China Seas to avoid moving in with her. Oliver scoffs. What’s this you say? Pure poppycock, milady. For when I return from my sea voyage we shall be betrothed henceforth!

She gives him the picture. The sodding picture. Honestly, it reeks of desperation. Oliver kisses it and it’s just awkward and gross. Please break up immediately. I can’t watch this anymore.

Oliver races back to the boat, to Sara, and Laurel is left alone on the docks. She gives a helpless little shrug. Deep down, Laurel knows Oliver is running away from her.

In present day, Laurel is at Oliver’s club drinking coffee and informs him of the big break up.

Oliver: It’s probably just cold feet.

Laure: Like it was with you? Oliver, you don’t sleep with your girlfriend’s sister unless you’re looking to blow the relationship up.

That’s the smartest thing she’s said all season.

Oliver: If you still want to be with Tommy, do what we should have done. Talk to each other and be honest.

You mean what YOU should have done Oliver? Laurel was honest. You were the liar and YOU’RE STILL LYING. Oliver is pretending he has no idea why Tommy broke up with her. He knows exactly why.

BECAUSE OF HIM.

Oliver tells Laurel to have honest conversation with Tommy, when he knows Tommy can’t do that BECAUSE HE’S KEEPING OLIVER’S SECRET and that’s one of the primary reasons he broke up with Laurel. It’s all so friggin manipulative. Where is something to throw at him??!!!!

Also, Oliver is acting all smarmy and flirty with his Humphrey Bogart reference. Wait a minute…

It’s interesting that the writers chose Casablanca. I know it’s kind of a cliché line when talking to a girl in a bar, but if we look at the plot Casablanca there are similarities between Oliver and Laurel.

Rick (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) meet in Paris during WWII and fall in love. They aren't big on sharing too many details about themselves however. The rule is no questions. We do find out Ilsa's husband died. However, when she discovers he's alive, Ilsa leaves Rick with no explanation.

When they meet again years later in Casablanca, Ilsa explains why she left Rick standing at the train station. Ilsa husband's, Victor Laszlo, is a true hero. He is noble, idealistic and a leader of the Resistance. He was a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp, but instead of dying like Ilsa thought - he escaped. He was very ill after being in the camp and needed her care. She was afraid if she told Rick, he wouldn't leave Paris and it was too dangerous for him to stay.

Ilsa's abandonment left Rick bitter and disillusioned. He opens a bar in Casablanca and while he allows people to arrange safe passage out of Nazis occupied Europe, he remains staunchly uninvolved (never a great look when it comes to the Nazis). But deep down Rick has a heart of gold. He ultimately saves Victor from the Nazis and ensures his safe flight to the United States. Isla still loves Rick and plans to stay with him in Casablanca, but in the end, Rick puts her on a plane with her husband.

Rick: I'm saying it because it's true. Inside of us, we both know you belong with Victor. You’re part of his work, the thing that keeps him going. If that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.

Ilsa: But what about us?

Rick: We'll always have Paris. We didn't have, we, we lost it until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night.

Ilsa: When I said I would never leave you.

Rick: And you never will. But I've got a job to do, too. Where I'm going, you can't follow. What I've got to do, you can't be any part of. Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that.

Rick: Now, now...Here's looking at you kid.

They just don’t write them like that anymore. It’s a classic for a reason. There was real love between Rick and Ilsa and their love didn’t disappear because of circumstance. In the end, Rick gives Ilsa up for the greater good. His patriotism is reawakened and plans to continue the dangerous fight against the Nazis on his own. He wants Ilsa safe in the United States.

More importantly, he recognizes Victor is a good man truly deserving of her and needs Ilsa to continue his fight against the Nazis. Rick knows, deep down, she loves Victor and will regret staying with him. Their lives have taken them down two different roads and she was needed elsewhere, just like he was.

Their time was in the past. They are holding on to a memory. Rick can look back on that time fondly now, but it’s a time they can never recapture. Even though they love each other very much, ultimately, they couldn’t bridge the time that separated them.

He sends Ilsa off with the better man who can keep her safe and happy, even though it breaks his heart to do so. This selfless act of love proves Rick is a hero just like Victor and equally as deserving of Ilsa.

Laurel is Ilsa. Oliver is Rick. Tommy is Victor (the husband). I’m not arguing we have a Casablanca level love triangle here. Hardly, but Casablanca is the blueprint for how the Oliver, Laurel and Tommy love triangle should be resolved. Key word is SHOULD.

What about how Ilsa feels? Is she just a pawn in a chessboard between Rick, Victor and the Nazis? No. People have been arguing for years whether Ilsa loved Rick or Lazlo. My perspective is she loved them both. Rick is her passion, but Victor is her life. Ultimately, she knows Rick is right and chooses devotion over passion.

At this point we are uncertain where Laurel stands with Oliver and Tommy. The truth is, like Ilsa, Laurel loves them both. However, in the immortal words of Queen Catherine on Reign, “I know you think you love them both. And while that may be true, I argue that you love one more.”

Who does Laurel love more? We’re not going to get the answer until the season finale. That’s how love triangles work, but Casablanca maps out the choice Oliver should make. He needs to take a step back and recognize what he is chasing is a memory. Laurel and Oliver’s love is in the past.

What Laurel has with Tommy, a good man, is real. Maybe it doesn’t have all the heat and drama she has with Oliver, but ultimately that’s not what lasts. Passion fades and you need to the bedrock of devotion to sustain a relationship.

Oliver has shown Laurel anything but devotion. He went running to that boat because he didn’t want to move in with her. It was more than cold feet. You don’t cheat on a woman you are in love with. These are not circumstances Oliver has found himself in by accident or fate. Oliver made choices and those choices have consequences.

I truly don’t believe Oliver knows what love is yet. He thinks Laurel is what he’s supposed to want. Returning home to Laurel and fixing what went wrong was all he thought about on the Lian Yu. That’s a long time to convince himself she’s his true love. She’s the key to fixing everything. If Oliver chose Laurel, Sara would not be dead. Robert would not be dead. He would have NEVER spent five years away from home. There’s no mission. There’s no hood.

I’m not denying they love each other, but they lack trust. They lack devotion. It’s not the kind of love you build a life on. If it was then Oliver would have built a life with Laurel rather than getting on that boat and blowing up their relationship instead.

There are moments in life when it’s clear which path you take. There is a right path and a wrong one, but you don’t choose the right path because it’s too hard. Laurel approaching Oliver in that hallway is one of those moments. Tommy told Laurel she should be with Oliver. She comes to the hospital to ask Oliver to speak with Tommy.

This is the moment. This is the moment Oliver needs to let her go. PUT HER ON THE PLANE , OLIVER!!!!

But he doesn't.

Source: @blackcanarysource

Laurel’s intentions are pretty clear. She wants Tommy. Then Oliver drops this bomb and simply walks away. He has absolutely no intention of being with Laurel, of telling her the real truth, but refuses to let either of them move on. This will absolutely mess with her head and obliterate the path back to Tommy.

Admitting that his time with Laurel has past, that he can never go back and undo what happened between them and erase those five years, is too hard for Oliver. He can’t let go, so he clings to Paris. He clings to a romanticized memory of what he had with Laurel.

But make no mistake, if Laurel chooses Oliver, she will regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But someday.

Robert Queen and Malcolm Merlyn

Speaking of plot holes, we also had to wait a long time to get clarity on why Robert Queen was in cahoots with Malcolm Merlyn and the answers are bonkers.

Robert, Malcolm and Frank have joined forces to convince the city’s worst to do what’s best with some not so friendly blackmail. They all have their reasons for cleaning up Starling City – Malcolm’s wife was murdered in The Glades and Frank’s daughter was raped. Everyone in the room lost something to The Glades.

Merlyn feels their efforts are futile and to save Starling City they have to do something big – level The Glades. Malcolm promises it can look like a natural disaster. Unidac Industries has a prototype, five years away from completion, that can make it look like a natural disaster.

It’s around this time Robert realizes Malcolm Merlyn is batshit crazy. He attempts to talk him out of mass murder, but Malcolm is too far gone. The pain of losing his wife, of listening to her die over and over, has created a madness in him reason cannot penetrate.

So, what did Robert lose to The Glades? His soul according to Malcolm. It’s not until Robert confesses to Moira that we learn what that means.

Robert: I’m not the man you think I am.

Robert was approached by a local councilman before the steel factory opened in The Glades (Oliver’s bunker). He wanted money because bribes are the way things work in The Glades, but Robert refused. They got into an argument and he fell. Robert accidentally killed a man. The List, cleaning up Starling City, and working with Malcolm Merlyn was Robert’s way of atoning for his sins.

It should not be lost on us that the steel factory (now Oliver's bunker) is where Robert Queen lost his soul, but it’s where his son is finding his.

Moira immediately points out Robert is atoning for one murder by committing hundreds or thousands. She tells Robert the real path to atonement is to stop Malcolm Merlyn from committing this atrocity. At least one of Oliver’s parents has not gone completely nuts.

Moira makes Robert promise he will stop Merlyn, so he comes up with a plan. Robert is convinced Malcolm won’t level The Glades unless he can rebuild it. Malcolm has been buying up properties in The Glades for years and Robert’s proposal to Frank is to buy up the rest of the city. He’ll lose the control he requires to rebuild it. This is also about good old-fashioned greed. Merlyn will make millions rebuilding The Glades.

Unfortunately, Frank serves Robert up on a plate and tells Merlyn exactly what he’s planning. They plant a bomb on the Queen’s Gambit, but since there’s typhoon warning it will look like it went down in a storm. What is this guy’s deal with murder masquerading as natural disaster? Now that I know Frank betrayed Robert, I don’t mind as much that Moira betrayed Frank.

Malcolm: One man alone can’t save this city, Robert. We both know that.

This is an ominous warning for the present day as well. Robert couldn’t save the city alone and neither can Oliver. After learning of The Undertaking and facing off with Merlyn in a tense exchange at the hospital, Oliver realizes he needs help and apologizes Diggle for letting him down. He realizes now Diggle was right about Moira all along and it will take all three of them to put a stop to Malcolm Merlyn.

Source: Paige

Stray Thoughts

I’m being philosophical when I talk about heat and passion with Laurel and Oliver. They are supposed to be all the passion, while Tommy is the steadiness. It requires chemistry to see this concept physically manifested and Stephen & Katie simply do not have it. It’s a huge problem and makes their romance that much tougher to believe.

Moira doesn’t want to know who Robert’s mistress is. Guess this explains why Oliver believes you can love someone and cheat on them at the same time.

Not to be completely superficial, but Felicity’s hair and dress are WOW! You all know how I feel about red. On that same superficial note, Felicity's daytime Season 1 wardrobe is rough though. YIKES. We need a budget increase ASAP.

Diggle paints or takes photographs. Also I saw a saxophone in his apartment too. Why didn’t we revisit this at some point?

“Tommy, I love you and I think you still love me.” So, she DOES love Tommy. First time we heard her say that. About damn time.

“Honestly, you belong with Oliver. He’s still in love with you.” Shut up Tommy. You’re your own worst enemy.

Listen to the Watchover podcast reaction to 1x21!!!

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Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me

#arrow #arrow 1x21 #olicity #oliver and felicity #arrow review #arrow reviews #anti lauriver #anti laurel lance #anti laurel and oliver #oliver and diggle #john diggle #felicity smoak #oliver queen #arrow season 1 #season 1 episode review #season 1 episode reviews #watchover #watchover with jen and calli #watchover podcast

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princess-of-the-corner · 3 months

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Glad you liked them, I have more Ojiro thoughts! Again, you can take or leave whatever!

Ojiro’s family!

So, his Grandparents are Genkai Ojiro, and his wife, Sumomo. Genkai’s Quirk is “Stubborn”, basically turning him into the Immovable Object, and Sumomo’s Quirk is called “Bounce”, letting her direct kinetic energy in her own body, or something that she’s in contact with, to “bounce” off things, also lets her jump really high. Both are martial artists, with Genkai having a dojo that’s been in his family for hundreds of years. Like, he can trace it back to before the Quirk era by a good several generations, at this point it might qualify as a heritage site.

Genkai has passed the Dojo to his oldest and only son, which was more coincidence, the son was the only one who wanted to take it over. Ojiro’s Uncle, Yosuke, also has the Quirk “Stubborn”, and runs the dojo with his wife, Keiko (why yes, I AM pulling names from Yu Yu Hakusho, why do you ask?), who has a Quirk called “Momentum”. It lets her increase or decrease the momentum of any object she’s in contact with, including herself, and she has enhanced durability, so she’s basically the “Unstoppable Force”. Yes, this IS an Unstoppable Force, Immovable Object joke. What happens when the two meet? Well, in MHA-verse, they get married and have eight kids. The kids are currently undefined, but most would also have a variation on Stubborn, though there’s room to play around if you want to add anything.

then there’s Masumi, the middle kid, who got Bounce, and none of the rest of the family’s “down-to-earth”, practical attitude. She’s Ojiro’s mom, but often left him to be babysat by his grandparents so she could “keep living her life”. One day, she just never came back to get him, and the family hasn’t heard from her since. Flighty, a bit ditzy, but a cunning gambler who has spent the past decade or so living the high life around the world. A recent string of “bad luck” has put her in an awkward financial situation, which is her primary motivator for reconnecting with her family, especially her son, whom she saw compete in the UA Sports Festival on TV. Not entirely sure what her plan IS, but she’s been calling up Shizuka, her sister, to being the process (without the yelling that would result from calling her parents or Yosuke).

Shizuka is Ojiro’s aunt, the youngest of Genkai and Sumomo’s kids, and works as a financial consultant. Her Quirk is a variation on Stubborn, rather than planting herself in a solid stance, she has to be holding onto something, and then she can’t be moved (for example, if she jammed a staff into the ground, and held on to that, her Quirk would work, both she and the staff become immovable). She has a partner of some kind (undefined at the moment), who she is planning to propose to. Shizuka spends at least a few days a month travelling, usually only about a week, but currently doesn’t feel like she’s in a “stable” place for kids or marriage. Growing up, Shizuka was the closest to Masumi, and has missed her sister, but has VERY mixed feelings about her, and unless she’s genuinely going to try to fix her relationship with Ojiro …

While Shizuka has an apartment across town with her partner, Genkai, Sumomo, Yosuke and Keiko all live next to each other. Yosuke and Keiko live in the family house, which is connected to the original Dojo - while it’s still used as such, the family purchases and rents spaces for their classes at local community centres, so they are more accessible - while Genkai and Sumomo have the house next door. They bought it and moved after Yosuke and Keiko got married, wanting to give the couple space, and Yosuke was inheriting. Yosuke and Keiko at first protested that there was plenty of room, but since they had their kids, concede that while everyone CAN fit in that house, the grandparents having their own space is probably wise.

When it became clear that Masumi wasn’t going to come back, the family had a big sit down to discuss what to do. While Yosuke and Keiko were more than willing to take Ojiro in, they already had several kids, and Keiko at the time was pregnant again, and they worried that they wouldn’t be able to give Ojiro the attention he might need - the whole family was concerned he might have issues from being abandoned, and wanted to make sure they could pay attention to him. Shizuka, meanwhile, besides being younger, had just gotten her finance job, and was travelling A LOT, and knew if she got primary custody, she’d be leaving him with the others regardless, or taking him on lots of random trips, and felt that probably wasn’t great for him either. So, Genkai and Sumomo took primary custody, and Ojiro officially moved in with them. Considering they’re literally RIGHT NEXT DOOR to the dojo, and his uncle and aunt, the four of them ended up parenting him all together, along with Yosuke and Keiko’s kids, but it did give Ojiro a sense of stability, having a room and space he didn’t have to share with other kids, and his grandparents being the ones to look after him. While Ojiro loves his whole family, he’s probably closest with his grandad, who worked with him to help him learn to do martial arts with his tail, and was one of his biggest supporters in applying to UA.

None of them know who Ojiro’s dad is, and his grandparents in particular are incensed by this. They are very family oriented, and Masumi simply seeming to NOT CARE about Ojiro’s dad, was deeply offensive to them. Unless the guy was trash, he deserves to know his kid, to be in Ojiro’s life, and Ojiro deserves to know where that part of him comes from, to connect if he wants to. Genkai is especially pissed off, because Ojiro is the only one in their family with his Tail Quirk, and Genkai was in a similar situation growing up, being the only one in his family with Stubborn. Having someone with any kind of knowledge to help figuring that out would have been extremely helpful - not that Genkai let that stop him from helping Ojiro figure it out - and he hasn’t really forgiven Masumi for never seeming to care.

Other random shorter bits:

You’d think Ojiro might have faced some bullying or stigma from being “abandoned”, or an “out of wedlock” baby, but honestly, Masumi was so out of the picture, and Yosuke and Keiko had so many kids, most people assumed he’s one of theirs. Unless you are close to the family, most people don’t know he’s Masumi’s kid.

Scorpio moved to the town Ojiro grew up in shortly after graduating hero school, he wasn’t born there, and didn’t really become a prominent figure for a few years. He really only started getting popular when Ojiro was about seven.

Ojiro DOES, in fact, have a poster of Scorpio in his room. He’s seen a few of his villain takedowns, and admires him as a hero with a similar Quirk, who is doing fairly well with it. The fact that Scorpio is a hero, when his only advantage is basically “Tail” (even with the stinger) was what helped inspire Ojiro, and make him think HE could be a hero.

(When Scorpio finally gets told everything, and meets Ojiro properly, this story is going to reduce him to tears.)

That’s all I got right now, so tell me what you think, and feel free to dump or alter anything you like!

I love all of this and I’m slamming it right into CC as soon as I get a chance to and also when you said the thing about referencing other manga my brain swung right over to Ranma 1/2 for some reason because hey family dojo passed down through generations

#submission #find later

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4dorks-1windmage-1shadow · 6 months

Note

Would you be willing to do the most recent headcanon list you reblogged for each of the colors?

I already did Red but I'll do the other four here

Sexuality Headcanon:

Green - Bisexual & Polyamorous (this will be a trend)

Blue - Pansexual & Polyamorous

Vio - Bisexual & Demi-romantic/Polyamorous

Shadow - Pansexual & Polyamorous

Gender Headcanon:

Green - Cis male

Blue - Cis male

Vio - Genderfluid, sometimes trans (again, modern AUs)

Shadow - Genderfluid/nonbinary what is a gender he doesn't care to know

A ship I have with said character:

Green/Vaati i LOVE hero/villain dynamics, they are golden retriever/grumpy drama king to me, their relationship is "me + the bad bitch i pulled by being effortlessly kind/charming/funny/humble/gay" instagram captions.

Blue/Everyone. The secret to Blue is that he actually cares SO MUCH, but if anyone calls him out on it he will die on the spot. This is tragic and inevitable (he is bad at hiding it)

Vidow is my ultimate OTP, they are so fascinating to me i want to put them in a blender set it to high and then watch it go nuts. They are toxic and co dependent and would kill for each other and also kill each other too. 100/10 ship I'm a Vidow apologist and i will die on this hill

Is it cheating to say i ship all of them together? They can be one big polycule as a treat

A BROTP I have with said character:

Green and Shadow. Unstoppable force (Shadow) meets immovable object (Green). They have oldest sibling/youngest sibling energy

Blue and Green is also good, they have a bromance unlike anything the world has ever seen. They are always pushing each other to be better and also doing the dumbest stunts for the vine

Vio and Vaati would be infodump pals. They started talking about magic theory at 10 in the morning over breakfast and are still talking about it at 1 am the next day

A NOTP I have with said character:

Literally the only character i can think of is Tingle.

A random headcanon:

Green - my most consistent hc across all AUs/canon is that he has head to toe freckles.

Blue - given a modern AU, Blue joins theater as a way to deal with his anger issues. Not only does it work, but he ends up with a passion for the performing arts as a result

Vio - he has crippling anxiety and is a chronic over thinker. He needs Xanax and a nap.

Shadow - given a modern AU, Shadow is the lead guitar/singer/screamer in a rock band (Sleeping With Sirens, Pierce the Veil, AS IT IS aesthetic/sound), and he can also play almost any instrument that he picks up. He has a huge collection of instruments.

General Opinion over said character:

Green - the funniest thing I've ever seen is people saying that Green wouldn't cheat in a fight RE: my "who would win in a fight" polls and like you're all valid and all OBJECTIVELY wrong, he cheats in the fight against Vio at Death Mountain. He may have morals but he is not lawful good

Blue - I miss him. Where are the blue centric fanfics. Come back from the war please. Someone put this idiot in situations

Vio - perfect amzing beautiful showstopping spectacular always original awful awful man his veins are filled with anxiety instead of blood and i want him dissected by the fandom immediately

Shadow - scrunkly. Shaped. I want to hug him and never let go

#four swords #violet link #shadow link #blue link #green link #ask game #the-lesbian-with-no-gaydar

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roselightfairy · 9 months

Text

End of Year Fic Recs!

Recommend up to 5 series or multi-chapter fics from 2023 that everyone should read (multi-year WIPs count, if the last update was in 2023).

Recommend up to 5 single chapter fics/one-shots (long or short) from 2023 that everyone should read.

Recommend up to 5 fics NOT from 2023 that everyone should read (oldies but goodies).

Recommend up to 5 of your own fics (completed or WIP) from 2023 that everyone should read.

(Thank you, @tathrin, for the tag!)

I think the fandoms here will be kind of all over the place, because I've been in three different places this year (though one of them for the majority of it, sorry about it!). I'm also really having to go through my history - being in rapid consumption mode makes one forget things here and there! Also this turned INCREDIBLY long, so putting it under a cut.

5 series or multi-chapter fics from 2023:

all that it touches to wonder by cynassa (LOTR, Legolas/Gimli) - I've been seeing this fic around for some time and finally got into the right LOTR headspace for it yesterday and it is absolutely WONDERFUL. Politics, pining, cultural exploration, letters, gifts, public spectacle . . . mmm. The kind of fic that's so good it makes me mad.

Mine to Bear by pen_ultimate (Dungeons & Daddies, Henry/Darryl (and others) - a fic that takes the cringe of early-season Darryl and leans SO HARD INTO IT that it is sometimes painful to read but so so so worth it. A no-Forgotten-Realms AU in which Darryl's desire to understand Grant's sexuality leads him to (painfully, reluctantly) explore his own. Unstoppable force (Darryl's repressed urges) meets immovable object (his own stubborn refusal to deal with them). Also this Henry portrayal (and interpretation of his relationship with Mercedes) is amazing.

Catharsis (series) by Diotima_Philosopher (Star Wars, Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan) - This series hits a very specific urge I used to look for in Legolas/Gimli fic but never quite found, and I suppose it makes sense that I'd find it here - in a relationship that is textually (or non-textually) transgressive, a story that takes it to the absolute limit of that transgression. Sometimes you want to rationalize away the taboo elements of your pairings; sometimes you want to create a situation to avoid them entirely; other times you want to push them to the limit: the notion that the relationship in question is seen as not only odd but deviant, absolutely revoltingly taboo in its society. And then just - dive into that and explore the complexity of it, the impossible situation the characters in question face, the twisting line between right and wrong. This story does that deliciously.

if you're on a mission, you've got my permission by allowaykirk (Cody/Obi-Wan, but mostly Obi-Wan/EVERYONE) - This story had me in STITCHES. The thing that struck me in watching the movies, but also mostly the Clone Wars, was how much intense chemistry Obi-Wan has with . . . everyone? But mostly with a bunch of the antagonists? This fic takes that to its logical conclusion and says, well, what if Obi-Wan is regularly sent on missions to seduce information out of various people? For the war effort, you know. The Ventress chapter in particular had me HOWLING. (And them, too.)

By a Sleep to Say We End by @katajainen (LOTR, Legolas/Gimli) - this one became multi-chap this year, and somehow even more devastating in the second one! It's frankly unfair that katajainen has the ability to hurt me like this, but also I want her to never stop doing it. Zombie apocalypse, technically, but this one deals with much more intimate interpersonal challenges in the lead-up to it. Warning for suicidal themes, but if you are okay with reading that, this hurts so so good.

Five single-chapter fics from 2023:

offer it a soul by @willowcrowned (Star Wars, Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan) - This fic ruined me. It was one of those stories that's so upsetting yet so good you're thinking about it for days after and making an absolute mess of yourself in the comments section. There is this emptiness that just echoes throughout a story that is so full - of worldbuilding, of repressed emotion, of feeling. I was a raw nerve all the way through. It's not a happy story, but it is an incredible one.

Soon Enough - by LuvEwan (Star Wars, Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan) - This fic was one of those incredible little moments that makes perfect sense within the canon but that you don't necessarily think about happening! What about people who were related to Jedi, who lost family members they never had the chance to know? And how do you deal with being a Jedi, with someone for whom this lifestyle is well known and expected, and yet you also have people you love within the system whom you also will eventually lose? This was such a quiet little moment, breathless with discomfort and pain, and I loved it.

Look Back, My Love, Look Back At Me! by @tathrin (LOTR, Legolas/Gimli) - I'm such a sucker for myth retellings with these two, and this is an Orpheus/Eurydice imagining - with a twist! I gasped at the end. Tathrin is killing it with these two this year and I'm going to have so much to catch up on when I'm back in main LOTR headspace again.

this is what it feels like, now by @thetimesinbetween (Star Wars, Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan) - Just. The most intimate, emotional, incredibly steamy smut. With feelings! And like - one of those things that acknowledges the nature of the teacher-student relationship without pretending it isn't there, but also lets that be part of the appeal rather than a detraction. I. Um. Read it.

Snowbind the Stars by katajainen (LOTR, Legolas/Gimli, Legolas & Gimli) - Love, love, love a queer-ambiguous portrayal of these two, and katajainen's prose is such a dream, as always. The loneliness of homecoming when something you never knew you needed is missing . . . but the promise of finding it again, eventually.

Five fics NOT from 2023:

Okay, this one was hard, because again - I've had a whole fandom's worth of fic to catch up on this year! It was hard to narrow it down to just five, but I'm going with some that really stuck with me:

Desert Bloom by canis_m (Star Wars, Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan) - This fic is everything I could possibly want from a Force Ghost-roommates premise, an absolute gem of a fic that is perfect in every way. Vignettes from Obi-Wan's time in the desert and his training with Qui-Gon to release his own consciousness, in which he has to reveal some of his own feelings that have lived with him all the while. I find it incredibly in-character and plausible and such a gentle, slow unfolding and healing.

Crystallize by torch (Star Wars, Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan, a very little ship implication at the end) - This is such an atmospheric fic, quiet and slow as the remote snowy world on which it takes place. It is also a fic that fully solidified my understanding of Obi-Wan's relationship with the concept of relationships, a very married-to-duty sort of thing which precludes romance as a matter of course. This fic is just a slow meander through various aspects of Jedi life and expectations, the nature of love, and the ways that a master and padawan can learn from and with one another in the most personal ways. And yes, there's a slight turn to shippiness at the end, but only in the mind of one character and not in a way that detracts from the revelations unfolding throughout the story.

A Duel With Fate by psocoptera (Star Wars, Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan) - Speaking of fics that RUIN me. This was my first understanding of what a time loop fic can look like and how it can be absolutely devastating. This story left me feeling off for days, and I mean that as a compliment. Proceed with caution, but also - guh. Do proceed, if you can. I can't even rec it well because of how good it is.

How to Grow Vegetables and Alienate People by Meggory (Star Wars, Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan) - Add me to the list of zillions of people who loved this story, but it caught me in just the right place. I've been feeling the void a lot in the last several months, downtrodden by work and expectations of life, and this fic STARTS with the premise of one character being forced to take a three-month leave of absence from work? And then getting into gardening and connecting to the world and falling in love? The most glorious escapist modern AU I've read in - maybe ever? I made @thevillainsmustache read it, too, even though it's not her ship, and now we both sigh over it regularly at home.

Into a Dozen Pieces by Temve (Star Wars (Master and Apprentice), Qui-Gon/OC, Qui-Gon/Rael) - So many canon authors love to do this thing where they imply a love interest in a character's past. Generally I don't love it, and for all my adoration for Master and Apprentice, I didn't love it there, either - but Temve took those brief mentions and spun them into an absolutely enchanting story of young gentle Qui-Gon falling head over heels for the first time and having his heart broken by the Jedi Code - but healed, at least a little, by the others within the Jedi who are there for him. Highly, highly recommend.

HA PSYCH I'm doing an unauthorized sixth! A Thing of Flesh and Shadow by MlleMusketeer (Star Wars, Qui-Gon-centric with some background relationships) - This fic is only barely not 2023, so I dunno if it counts as an "oldie," but I think everyone should read it! It's an amazing Qui-Gon AU, in which Dooku resurrects him during the Clone Wars and tries to manipulate and abuse him into becoming his new apprentice, all while Qui-Gon slowly realizes what's going on and struggles to escape. It's got gorgeous philosophy, incredibly well-written emotional and physical hurt, and I just love every second I spend in this Qui-Gon's head. I'm praying there will be more, eventually, but even if there isn't, the fic is a wonderful standalone.

And now . . . 5 of my own fics from 2023:

Only Through Surrender (Star Wars, Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan): Qui-Gon lives, and the whole timeline changes.

Lessons in Intimacy (Star Wars, Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan/OC): Exploration of Obi-Wan coming into his sexuality, and what romance and sexuality might look like in a Jedi context.

Driven to Do (Star Wars, Anakin & Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan/OC): More sexually liberated Obi-Wan and scandalized (legally married) Anakin.

Anchor (Star Wars/Clone Wars, Ahsoka/Rex): The follow up to the absolutely devastating Clone Wars finale.

The Unassisted Physical Training and Self-Defense Circle (Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan): The one in which Qui-Gon's participation in an illicit padawan fight club leaves him with a lasting physical reminder.

This was so much fun! (It also took me more than an hour to do, but I enjoyed every minute of it.) Tagging @katajainen, @deheerkonijn, @unnamedelement, and anyone else who wants to do this!

#my fic recs #my fic #star wars #lotr #legolas x gimli #qui-gon x obi-wan #dungeons and daddies #henry x darryl

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gaycrittercentral · 1 year

Note

So have you thought about the max and Sam vices meeting yet?

Welp, I don’t think it’d be a good thing, that’s for sure! (hi I'm home now and I've been having a lot of fun thinking about this teehee)

I know one thing, if sinful Sam and blissed Max met it’d be really funny and also awful lmao. Like y’all know how bliss Max is, he’d be all maddeningly cheerful and pleasant and sinful Sam would fucking hate that and probably throw him into a wall within seconds of meeting him (*extremely calm, happy-sounding “whee!”*) honestly they make me hope that this is a situation where their normal, non-separated partners are there to prevent a fight and help them out in general, because if not, somebody’s definitely gonna get hurt. Actually it’s more interesting if Hugh Bliss yeeted all the vices out of Max and the virtues out of Sam at the same time just to make things hard for them (and it would also leave the world Blissified for waaaay longer because none of them are going to cooperate easily).

Now let’s see, who makes for interesting interactions…

Temperance and Gluttony would have a pretty short-lived little encounter lmao. Temperance gets about five seconds to approach and be like “Now, Max, you know having that much sugar and carbohydrates at once isn’t good for you—here, I found this healthy snack in aisle 2 that’s much more filling!” And Gluttony’s like “ohhhh you do look like a good snack! Thanks for the offer!” And instantly eats him lmao. Hopefully somebody holding the gastrokinesis talisman gets swallowed later and rescues him hfkdhsjh

Speaking of Temperance, he might be the only one to actually try to put himself and Max back together. Blissed Max and sin Sam both feel kind of free without the missing aspects of their personalities, even though they’d miss them if they had all their wits intact, and all the other virtues and vices are too caught up in doing the extreme of their own thing to worry about coming back together. But extremes are not Temperance’s thing, and it’s freaking him out to be split apart like this, so he’d be all for reuniting everyone. He’d probably try to recruit some of the others to help out, maybe by asking Patience for advice or getting bliss Max on board because he’s just willing to go with the flow no matter what. I’m sure some of the others would also help, like Kindness (to a degree, at least—he doesn’t want to get reunited with the others because he insists he’s got more good works to do) or Charity (who’s very useful if you want him to deliver items or people to various places, you just tell him it’s a gift for someone lmao) and maybe even some of Max’s vices, although most of them seem to just want to do their own thing. I feel like Lust and Greed could be persuaded into going along with the plan if they were promised kisses or riches.

I would feel extremely bad for Sloth if he had to interact with Diligence. That guy sucks. It might be sort of an unstoppable force versus immovable object situation though lmao, he’s like “get up right now we have work to do!! You cannot just lie around all day!!!!” “Sure, whatever. Just gimme five more minutes…” As for why Diligence even wants Sloth to get up and help him, it’s less that he values Sloth’s help and more that he can’t stand seeing people rest for any amount of time eugh. Extreme wet blanket (maybe he springs from the horrible ‘constant productivity’ mentality that capitalism has foisted upon us all, although luckily Sam doesn’t usually seem to struggle with that).

And LMAO I’d love to see Wrath and Patience interact, especially since I established Patience as being inexplicably indestructible. Definitely another unstoppable/immovable situation. Wrath might not care about him initially because he’s sitting still and not very interesting, but the second Patience decides to spout some infuriatingly calm, know-it-all wisdom, he’s made himself a target. Maybe Wrath spends like 20 minutes shooting at him and screaming with no reaction from Patience before he resorts to physical violence instead and just goes to town biting and beating the hell out of him. If he’s really unlucky and gets close enough, Patience might decide to subdue him with a hug, and then he’s just screaming his head off and gnawing on Patience’s arms until he can finally squirm back out. Not sure whether he would just keep trying to kill him because of the challenge or get frustrated and leave to assault somebody a little less bulletproof, but it’d be funny anyhow!

Another interesting one with Wrath would be Kindness, who would probably assume he was having a bad time and try to help him calm down at first, only to of course be shot at immediately. I don’t think the rest of the virtues are bulletproof—that’s just a weird Patience thing—so of course he has to back off, but he might instead try to bring Wrath things to shoot at other than civilians. You know, white collar criminals, unsavory politicians, neonazis, that kind of thing. It’s the same kind of help Kindness always provides; that is to say, it’s technically helpful and kind, at least to someone, but probably morally questionable at the same time. Except for the neonazis. He is objectively correct for that one.

As for the rest of them, obviously there’s no canon versions of Max’s other vices, but I’m sure y’all have seen pikaflute's and lizardtheartist’s excellent interpretations of them! I’m not about to recreate all the same concepts when there’s already such good versions of them out there, so here’s hoping it’s alright with them if I borrow from their ideas just a tad and theorize about what a crossover of all these colorful little guys would look like. (And obviously, @pikaflute and @lizardtheartist, if that’s not cool with y’all just say the word and it’s gone sjfkdlshjklsh. I'm mostly gonna talk abt my guys anyway bc I don't want to step on y'all's toes)

First off, I’m concerned for Envy. I love pikaflute’s idea of him clinging to Sam’s back, but what if this is a world where Hugh Bliss simultaneously ripped out Max’s vices and Sam’s virtues, leaving no whole version of either of them? Then Envy would either have to stick to sin Sam, which I do not recommend at all because his anger management is at an all time low, or he’d have to find a virtue to hang on to. If he gets his pick, I’d recommend Kindness because obviously he’s the most pleasant of them, but Patience also wouldn’t be a bad pick (until Wrath shows up and tries to Thunderdome his ass, of course). I would LOVE to see either of those interactions, tbh. Kindness would be going crazy trying to help him out however he could but not knowing how ;-; oop but I just revisited their concept and saw that Sam showing him kindness is what helps him out so actually that might be a really good match! Idk I’m just a big sucker for the mushy things and Envy’s concept makes me want to squish him like a plushie hfkdhsjhd. Brb I’m gonna go squish my face in my Max plushie instead

Greed and Charity would also be really funny because I feel like they could go in two totally different directions. Like for one thing, Charity could be trying and failing to get Greed to give up his hoard, which would very much sound like a little old grandmother fussing at a fucking dragon. Or on the other hand, since Charity really just wants to give people things and doesn’t seem to mind what they do with them, maybe he just keeps bringing Greed more stuff to throw on the pile lmaoooo. Like as you’re walking around more and more things keep going missing from around the neighborhood and the office is just FULL of all the shit Charity keeps dragging in because “wow he really likes my gifts! That’s awful nice :)” I’m partial to that version if I’m being honest lol

I’m gonna be so real though my favorites are Kindness and Lust and I’m having such a good time thinking of what their interactions with each other’s groups would look like hdjdhjdhd. Kindness is delighted to have multiple of his favorite little guy running around and tries to do something nice for all of them, although the stuff he does may not be nice for bystanders, like catching various criminals just so Wrath can have somebody to shoot at lmao. Maybe he makes Gluttony a nice meal, the effort of which is instantly put to waste when Gluttony swallows it whole and then tries to eat Kindness too. He might bring Greed a nice gift for his hoard or give Sloth a pillow and blanket hehee. But he also has a seventh of his usual brain cells so he keeps getting distracted and running off to help the next Max midway through all of them.

I’d also love to see Kindness interact with lizardtheartist’s version of Pride bc like he’s planning to conquer the world, right? Kindness would be insanely easy to manipulate into helping him with that. He’s just like “oh sure! Anything for my little buddy ^^” and zips off to do whatever fucked up thing Pride asked because sure, he wants to do good deeds and help people but mostly he wants to be kind to every version of his best friend, and that means every single Max vice has total power over him fjdkslgjkslfh. The only thing that would stop him from diligently (lol wrong one) carrying out Pride’s every order is getting distracted by other good deeds to do, especially for the other vices or bliss Max.

Obviously Lust is gonna be thrilled to have more than one Sam around even if some of them aren’t down to do the horizontal tango with him. He’s just like “oh my GOD a million Sams! This is my greatest fantasy!!” A couple of them just turn down his affections immediately, like Diligence bc he’s a dumb workaholic stick in the mud. Or Patience because “there’ll be time later, little buddy.” Humility hides from him because he doesn’t feel worthy of any version of Max. But luckily Lust isn’t completely out of luck—Charity, for example, is happy to give just about anything away, definitely including kisses. Temperance is the embodiment of that DK meme that’s like “you may hit it…ONCE” fjkzjshdjszg. And Kindness is happy to do whatever Lust asks because he LOVES being able to do something nice for someone who actually wants what he’s giving them, but also he’s not great in bed bc he only knows how to give and doesn’t want anything for himself ghhdgsjsg.

And lastly, of course it’d be hysterical to see Lust and Chastity interact. I feel like chastity itself is the act of repressing oneself, but not truly ridding oneself of sexual desire, so you know Chastity still wants some. He absolutely starts sweating buckets the second Lust shows up lmaooo, like he wants Max so bad it makes him not only look stupid, but also feel stupid and ashamed. He is trying so hard to deny it but it’s really fuckin difficult when Lust won’t stop flirting with him. And I feel like Lust can smell that on him the way animals (and probably Max) smell fear, so he’s just poking and prodding and flirting and inching closer until Chastity is genuinely tomato-colored instead of pastel pink. And then I feel like they get found making out in a closet or some shit later and Chastity gets so embarrassed he just squeaks and pops out of existence hdjhdkdhdhsvsn

(also here’s a thing I just thought of now: “Hey chaste me, wanna rub my unicorn?” *Chastity makes a sound outside of the range of human hearing and passes out on the spot*)

And that’s all I got for now! Also to @ar-bi-trary and @gizmo-dgery and @planetlessmoon and pikaflute themself SCREECH thank y'all so much for your sweet tags and thanks again to skeletor for the prompts!!! I have been internally screeching and externally rolling around and kicking my feet in glee at the sight of each and every one of them, god it's so fun to share ideas about these idiotic gay animals heheheheheeee. Also I happen to have another day off tomorrow so maybe I’ll finally get around to drawing these guys then :D ok that's it byeeeee

#also pikaflute if you see this YES ABSOLUTELY YOU MAY HUG ALL OF THEM #not that some of them would like. want to be hugged. but I am their creator and arbiter and I say so #too bad for them lmao #sam and max #sam and max freelance police #freelance husbands #my art #asks #seven heavenly virtues au

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theelderhazelnut · 7 months

Text

If Ombra was in Far Cry 5, it would be a “an unstoppable force meets an immovable object” kind of situation.

#hazelnut’s thoughts #ombra the ironhead #far cry 5

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andromeda3116 · 7 months

Note

im fascinated by the Jet/Mai pairing you talked about in the tags of the rare pair poll! im gonna go check out the ao3 tag and find your fics when i get home from work! :)

listen. jet/mai is the pairing that you hear about and go "what the hell is that pairing why would you ev-- hmmm" about. it's the pairing you didn't imagine until suddenly you have a burning need to see it. they would destroy so many places on their brutal, sharp-edged, violent way to understanding one another.

i've said before, although i can't find the post, that mai needs to be shaken out of her stagnation and jet needs a stone to crash his storm against. he would blame mai for her country's sins, but mai won't flinch because she didn't do any of it herself. but mai does need to realize that, while yes she did not kill anyone, complacency in the face of evil is its own form of violence that still has the power to destroy lives she has never seen - and jet needs to learn that while the face of evil on high may be reflected across all who accept it, it does not mean that they are evil and people can wake up from it. (mai needs to wake up.)

they would hate one another at first. they would blame one another for any crime at hand. they would hold weapons to each other's throats. but in a confined situation, where they can't escape one another, they'd be forced to see not a mirror in each other's faces but raging fire versus implacable stone. they'd crash against each other and be the unstoppable force versus an immovable object, until the object slows the force and the force cracks the object.

and of course they could walk away except the other is powerfully magnetic, opposite poles drawn together even though a wall stands between them and the question becomes - which is stronger? the wall or the magnets? (neither would be able to get the other out of their head.)

it's not a "married with 2.5 kids and a white picket fence" kind of ship, it's a tumultuous push and shove and cut and reluctantly heal and reluctantly release the hatred kind of ship. it's a fascinating dynamic to explore, the most hot-headed character versus the coldest one, and to draw out how they would affect each other if they had to meet and not immediately leave.

anyway, come join us in the canoe, we'd be happy to upgrade it to a skiff!

#avatar: the last airbender #atla #jet/mai #hms pointy metal objects ahoy!#taking crack ships seriously and exploring them is so much more fun than dismissing or mocking them

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naffeclipse · 2 years

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Ok, ok, gonna send these before I forget!

So, those tags in the last in the response to the most recent Bounty Hunter Eclipse ask have me really curious! You say that Eclipse does indeed give y/n information he has never given anyone before, maybe hoping that this will somewhat balance a little what he did to them (and probably expecting y/n to take revenge on him if they wanted to), maybe even as a way to give them some security in the knowledge that if Eclipse wanted to hurt them with the information he already has about their days with Afton, they could absolutely hurt him right back with this new info about him. An 'insurance' of a sort?

But that has me thinking about those key differences between Eclipse and the vigilante and how what truly hurts them are very different things! Both share of course the common factor of not wanting to lose the detectives, the most important people in their lives, (although Eclipse also does not want to lose y/n, but at this point he knows that's out of his control).

But to y/n, what hurts is having their very bloody past ruin the good they are trying to build in the present, and fearing that the monster they feel they were would come to haunt them, that the guilt of their past would never leave them be and that they would never be allowed happiness because of it (fearing they would deserve it as well after all the awful stuff they did). Meanwhile, for Eclipse it's about that feeling of having ever been vulnerable. He puts so much effort in being the one that knows everything about everything, the one that always gets his way, the one to be feared, the unstoppable force AND the immovable object. The idea of people knowing that he once had so little control on what would happen to him, and that those days were the darkest for him, where someone could conceivably dig up something up that could hurt him is what he hates the most. Appearing weak. Especially in front of those whom he wants to hold him in high regards.

Having said that, I do wonder what it was like for him before Sun and Moon arrived. What is so bad that he refused to tell even his brothers, who also knew abuse at the hands of the daycare staff? What is so bad that he considers telling the vigilante about it an equal trade off for such a terrible slip up on his part?

Was it a much worse situation when he was working alone because the work load was just terrible and he was the only one at which people would direct the mistreatment? Or maybe it was more of a mental low, when he just had fallen into a routine that seemed to have no light in it until he got to meet Sun and Moon? Or maybe it was about how his own starting point? Thinking about the chapter where we see their first night in the streets, Eclipse reflects on how Sun and Moon's code was still developing back then. So maybe once he was more like his brothers, when he had just been built, but the fact that his own code developed exclusively in that daycare made the resentment become very deeply rooted in him?

(...I just made myself sad at the thought that possibly it is Eclipse's good treatment of Sun and Moon so early in their lives that made a good impression on them and left them with the very firm idea that, even in the harshest of situations and environments, kindness was an option. So seeing the one that taught this to them descend into such a dark place must have been doubly painful ;-;)

Eclipse's beginning days before Sun and Moon joined him at the daycare were dreary and dark. He hasn't allowed control or respect and lacked anyone to turn to for support or comfort. He was alone, abused by the hands of the daycare owners, and driven relentlessly into work.

He doesn't speak of that time to Sun and Moon because he can't have them know how much he suffered, that he was nothing before they came along. It would upset them too much.

Giving every bloody detail to the vigilante kills him in a way—his pride and his anger and desire for control want to rip it back from them but they know now. It's terrifying. He hates that he feels weak again, but when the vigilante looks at him, seeing someone who isn't a bloody bounty hunter and someone who doesn't squeeze too tight every time they meet, but someone who endured, too. Someone who had to survive and even excelled at surviving in the only horrible way they knew how.

He doesn't feel alone. He is still fearful and wants to shield his vulnerabilities, but he starts to feel hope for the first time that maybe he's not stuck as he is. Maybe he can change again, this time in a better direction, this time to keep everything he loves safe and sound and close.

The vigilante starts to understand. They hold his truth and handle it with tender care, and allow the first inclining of forgiveness to dwell within them.

He has a long way to go, but addressing the root of his problems is a good first step.

(YESSS! Eclipse nourished Sun and Moon a ton, not that they didn't have their own choices and personalities, but Eclipse truly showed them great brotherly care and protection, and that allowed Sun and Moon to believe in goodness and kindness and love.)

#oh i loved answering this one ahhh!!!#chaotikanvas #sleuth jesters #bounty hunter!eclipse

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thekrows-nest · 1 year

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Krowspiracy anon. Bruh. Why do you hurt me like this?

I don’t know! I’m a morbid gremlin and have to share the horrors? The imp of the perverse?

Really I just see some areas where equally strong values can come into conflict directly, and wonder just what would happen if the unstoppable force met the immovable object. Without any fudging what would crumple first?

It isn’t wanting it to happen! I’m fond of these characters and want them to be happy. It’s not even trying to rules lawyer or ‘win’ a scenario.

It’s more just intense hypothetical curiosity about exactly where the limits are and how each situation could play out if pushed to its logical extreme. Especially if somebody does something unexpected or something unusual happens. I’m mainly wondering if there could ever be different outcomes to the familiar ones that have been set out. (I knew immediate restraint and the cage would be the most likely result. But thought over some different responses Krow could have.)

[delete below this if it gives away too much]

Mary comes from a large family. Large family.

Oh. Oh no. I had a theory but this is actually a bit worse than that.

The Krack theory just became much less likely - not impossible, but unlikely. I’d say what it was but bringing it up even to dismiss it could possibly spoiler part of someone else’s story.

But this is giving me thoughts about the situation. While I can’t read people well irl, the facts in text sometimes form a pattern if you have a key piece of information and know it could be relevant.

TW abuse

Mary may have been born into one of those very large fundamentalist families, like on 19 Kids And Counting, or something like the Quiverfull movement. Those environments are highly patriarchal and religious, highly restrictive in terms of behaviour and access to information/education.

Homeschooling can even be a thing (limiting information further, removing external oversight of what is happening at home, no legal protection like teachers as mandatory reporters, cutting off outside contacts, and allowing even less comparison on how other families live).

Regardless the sheer number of kids and the constant scrambling to meet their needs makes it very easy for all forms of abuse and neglect to occur and there are barriers to recognising it or reporting.

Hopefully that wasn’t the case. But unless Mary was the youngest child (and with that many kids, the odds of that go down) it’s very possible that she experienced an overlooked form of abuse called parentification.

(The chance of being parentified also goes up as - assuming she is cis - Mary was presumably raised as a girl. And traditionally AFAB children in that culture are moulded to grow into homemakers, wives and mothers.)

In these huge families the older children are expected to step in and actively help raise the younger children, and the responsibility is a lot more intense than normal babysitting. It’s extensive caregiving. Kids basically become mini parents while not really being equipped for it. Sometimes if a family is large enough groups of younger children are assigned to each older child in ‘pods’, formalising those roles and even fostering favouritism/rivalries.

There can also be a lot of time pressure, conflict or bustle, and lack of space or privacy.

It’s very understandable if Mary escaped into books and now she thirsts for information, likes quiet predictable environments and values her personal time.

And it’s understandable to look back, feel that she failed someone, and wish she did things differently. She was a kid in a difficult situation.

If I’m going with this interpretation I actually wonder if kind Mary waited for her younger siblings to marry and leave home/be old enough to be independent, so she knew they were good before she left for the city.

Or perhaps meeting Camila was the catalyst - whether it was to be with her, the new perspective she provided, or maybe having her financial and personal support made the next steps manageable.

It’s also very possible that simply being able to access more information helped Mary understand herself and choose how she wanted to live.

(Queerness isn’t or at least wasn’t generally covered in the curriculum. Assuming Mary went to school. And under purity culture - especially with a religious school or homeschooling - she may not have been allowed any sex education at all.)

Final thought - she may also feel she failed another queer person (by rejection or outing) or someone in a situation worse than hers (by inaction, or thinking mistreatment was normal or a ‘cross to bear’). Or some combination of the above.

Or under the guilt and pressure given for choosing her own path, she could feel like she ‘failed’ a parent or someone chosen to be her husband.

There are a few possibilities.

(I meant to answer this much earlier but life got away with me lolsob.)

Anyway, Krowspiracy anon I always delight in getting your asks, it's fun to read them and see what lil ideas and theories you have. It flatters and humbles me that you like these goofy characters so much to think up of these things!

Now for what you say about Mary...

I won't pinpoint exactly, but a lot of these are either very close or precisely what Mary has gone through.

Poor bbygirl has... gotten a lot of bad hands dealt with in life. She is in a much better place now, with Camilla and all, but she's still working through... a number of things.

And like I said, she still carries with her guilt and regret and even takes on a form of grief.

#winndy talks #the krow's nest #the krow's nest verse #about mary #mary asked and answered #krowspiracy theories

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cracking-the-code · 2 years

Text

ꜱᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ ɪɴᴛᴏ ʜᴏɢᴡᴀʀᴛꜱ ʜᴏᴜꜱᴇꜱ

I've been writing this for months, little by little. I always forgot I had it in my drafts.

Mejor tarde que nunca, right?. Anyway, here it is😬. The next parts are coming soon. Hope you like this♡.

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

⑉ Ｅｌｅｖｅｎ，ʀᴀᴠᴇɴᴄʟᴀᴡ.

OK, I always knew she was a Ravenclaw. It was a feeling I can't really explain. It took me a while to collect proof of it, but I did it. So...

Ravenclaw is the Houses of Knowledge and Creativity, but it is also well known that Ravenclaw's are very eccentric too. They have an elegant aura around them and seem to have perfect posture -even when they don't- which makes them look too stiff and mean sometimes.

I knew she was a Ravenclaw when she was eating fries in S1 and she turned off the fan. I mean... That's what a Ravenclaw looks like (that's why some people don't like us at first sight😬 they think we're annoying... and we are, but they don't know that yet) Anyway, look at that. Iconic.

After the kids found her in the wood and she started staying in Mike's basement, she was very evasive even while helping them find Will.

She lied to them about the gate not only because it was dangerous for them, but also because she didn't want to come back to the lab or even remember her time there. She tried to avoid it as much as she could.

She ignored all the flashbacks she was having and just continued with her life. That kind of insistence on ignoring your own feelings, of pretending everything is ok when it's clearly not, can only be seen in Ravenclaws -and some Slytherins, but they're way more effective-

She wanted to move on, she wanted to live a normal life. That's why on S2 she was so mad at Hopper for having her locked up in that cab. She was finally away from that lab, she made friends and even found a boyfriend, and now she had to be hidden... She only wanted to feel a little bit normal, and Hopper didn't even let her go truck or treat all dressed up.

She sneaked out and what does she see when she goes to school? Mike with another girl. She must have felt like she was being replaced.

She got angry, and with all the feelings she had been building up till that moment, she didn't think straight and redirected her feelings toward Max, making her fall from the skateboard.

Jealousy can also be a common feeling in a Ravenclaw. It's hard for some of them -especially the more quiet ones- to find people they feel comfortable with, so when they find them, they can get a bit territorial. They want their friends just for themselves, they don't wanna lose them.

When she came home, Hopper had already found out about her little trip to school. They had a huge fight and she kinda lost it. Too many feelings, everything that was happening with Mike, Hopper constantly failing her, making promises he never kept. He had his reasons, yes, but that doesn't mean her feelings weren't valid.

If you read my post of Arcane Character, you will remember how sometimes sudden and strong feelings can make a Ravenclaw lose control. That is what is happening here.

Hopper pushed and pushed and pushed, and the frustration can make a Ravenclaw go crazy. He tried to take away the TV, which was really the only thing she had to pass the time, and cope with her situation, because Hopper seemed to be always out. She confronted him, and there we had an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. Hopper was not going to give in and Eleven was not going to shy away.

Even after ruining the TV, Hopper kept going on and on, pushing and pushing, and it happened what was only logical. She lost control and acted on pure emotions.

Ravenclaws are naturally analytical and logical, they process emotions differently than the rest of the houses. Some of them need time alone to analyze and understand the things they're feeling. If not, they can get overwhelmed by their own emotions, and explode. Force anyone to act on their limits and they'll collapse -or destroy everything-

The next morning, while cleaning the cab, she found the trap door where Hopper kept that special lab-information box and after finding out her mother was alive, she took that much-needed time alone on a trip to see her and later found out about 008. She reconnected with her emotions and a part of herself she didn't know about, to later come back all calm down and save Hawkins -she just needed some time, I told you.-

S3 was just about finding and building herself out and bonding with Max.

With Max she learned about self worth and to not take any shit from Mike, valuable lessons if you ask me. Every Ravenclaw needs a Gryffindor friend and vice-versa. I don't make the rules.

On S4, from the beginning, we see her masking her discomfort -especially with mike‐. She was trying so hard to ignore everything that was going on around her.

She had an idea, an image of what she wanted. How she wanted to be perceived and socialized as. She told that story to Mike, and made him believe it.

/ This scene it's so sad. /

She was trying so hard and staying positive wasn't working out. You can only lie to yourself to a certain point.

It was all crumbling down already when Angela pushed her again, too far this time, and she snapped. It was enough. She was sad before, but not anymore. Now she was just angry and didn't get the time to think through it. She acted on an impulse and hurt someone. -Again, Ravenclaws and a big feeling-

What she did wasn't right, of course, but it was understandable. She got to a breaking point.

The next day, Mike approached the issue.

— "Why didn't you tell me what's going on here? I mean, you know I'm not exactly Mr. Popularity back at home. I mean, you've seen it. I've been bullied my entire life. I mean, I... I know what it's like."

— "No. You don't."

— "Okay. What don't I understand?"

— "I am different. I do not belong."

It's not about popularity, it's about emotional connection which doesn't come easy for some of them. Ravenclaws usually are very secretive people, intentionally or not, and might struggle to open up with people they don't completely trust.

When she made it to the lab again, to get back her powers, it wasn't an easy journey. She has buried so deep what was frightening her, she doesn't even recognize it anymore.

– "Only by facing all of ourselves, the good and the bad, can we become whole."

— "What if I don't wanna become whole?"

Again, ignoring things she has trouble processing. Ignoring things until they explode is one of our worst attributes honestly. Also, we always think we can solve everything by ourselves without telling anyone, Ravenclaws pride, I guess.

We tend to overanalize our feelings instead of actually feeling them, because we can control them that way -at least that's what we think... It never works anyway, so um... Yeah🤠-

Anyway... she's a Ravenclaw, I'm sure of that.

⑉ ＭｉｋｅＷｈｅｅｌｅｒ，ʀᴀᴠᴇɴᴄʟᴀᴡ.

Mike, Mike, Mike...

Well... If you're a Gryffindor!Mike fan, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but he is not.

I think that the big reason why so many people sorted him on Gryffindor is because he jumped off that cliff to save Dustin on S1 and it is a big thing, but it only shows how much he loves his friends and that's not enough to sort him on Gryffindor.

I sort him on Ravenclaw for the diplomacy he has shown since S1. I know leadership is commonly believed to be a Gryffindor trait, but let's not forget about the strategists out there in the world. They're almost always Ravenclaws.

Talking about Nancy... I wasn't talking about Nancy, but I need to mention this. Mike saw Steve climbing Nancy's window, and he let that slide, but oh... that look on his face. The disappointment... I love it.

Later on S2 we can see a very grumpy Mike, which is understandable. He made a special bond with Eleven and then he lost her. He is experiencing some kind of grief and, naturally, he is getting "Rebellious".

– "If you didn't wanna lose more toys, you shouldn't have stolen from Nancy."

— "I didn't steal. I borrowed."

– "Oh, and you didn't curse out Mr. Kowalski last week either, right? Or plagiarize that essay? Or graffiti the bathroom stall?"

Small but constant transgressions, getting arrogant and sometimes even aggressive, is a very common behavior for Ravenclaws, especially when they're passing through difficult times -or adolescence-

That specific copping mechanism is often seen in Ravenclaws and Slytherins. Not all of them are like that, but it's enough to be a pattern I can recognize.

He didn't want Max to join the group. Probably because it made him feel like everyone was getting over Eleven, and he was still waiting for her. It made him feel not only like Eleven was being replaced, but also how his pain was being invalidated. He felt like he couldn't talk about it with anyone.

He ended up confronting her on EP3, right before Eleven made her fall from the skateboard.

– "Why do you hate me so much?"

— "I don't hate you. How can I hate you? I don't even know you."

– "No, but you don't want me in your party."

— "Correct."

– "Why not?"

— "Becouse you're annoying. Also, we don't need another party member. I'm our paladin, Will's our cleric, Dustin's our bard, Lucas is our ranger, and El is our mage."

And then they proceed to keep a normal and even friendly conversation, because his behavior wasn't personal. The problem wasn't her, the problem was how everyone was behaving around her.

After Will got possessed, he told Mike about his connection with the Mind Flayer. Mike tried to cheer him up or at least helped him to see it positively. -similar to what Dustin did with Mike on S1-

— "Maybe that's good."

– "Good?"

— "Just think about it, Will. You're like a spy now. A superspy. Spying on the shadow monster. If you know what he's seeing and feeling... maybe that's how we can stop him. Maybe all of this is happening for a reason."

/ We might have trouble processing our own emotions, but we are the best advisers. When we are not involved in the drama, we can handle the situation as diligently and conciliatory as possible. /

– "What if he figures out we're spying on him? What if he spies back?"

— "He won't."

– "How do you know?"

— "We won't let him."

Ravenclaws leadership. What can I say?

During S3, he had trouble processing and vocalizing his emotions. He also had trouble with Hopper👀 and his rules -so Ravenclaw- which everything ended up with Eleven dumping him.

After finding out the Mind Flayer was back, he got so stressed. They didn't have a plan and Hopper, Joyce and Dustin were MIA. They were alone.

— "... Even if El could find him again, and that's a pretty big if, then what?"

– "We burn the shit out of him and make sure he doesn't escape this time." [Have you guess Lucas house already?]

— "Okay, then what?"

– "Then we win." [Hmm?]

— "No, see, that's the problem. We don't. We don't win. We got the Mind Flayer out of Will before and he just came right back. We don't just have to stop Billy, we have to stop the Mind Flayer."

He's a practical guy. Half solutions are no longer working and he is just realizing that.

He is also worried about his relationship with El, and El's friendships with Max.

— "They're conspiring against me" ... "It's not my main concern. It's just a sub-concern."

He is getting paranoid /another common sub-trait of Ravenclaw😬/

On S4, the day after Angela's incident, he finally talked to Eleven.

— " ... I care for you... so much."

– "Care. But you don't... you don't love me anymore?"

— "What... who said that I didn't?"

– "You never say it."

— "I say it."

– "You can't even write it, Mike."

/ Uhh, he's getting cornered. He's getting cornered. /

— "What is this? You know what I think of you. You're the most incredible person in the world. And you can't let these mouth breathers ruin you. Ruin us. I mean, they're nobodies. They're nobodies. And you're a superhero."

Same speech he had with Will on S2. His internal Ravenclaw leader always comes out to motivate the team and get them to focus on the important things. Although it's also stopping him from verbalizing his true feelings now.

The fear of speaking his heart out and being seen as mean, ridiculous, or just getting rejected is a big Ravenclaw indicator and because of that, it's very common for them to express their feelings in acts of service -even with gifts sometimes- rather than with actual words. Being straightforward is not one of our traits, as you can see, but it can happen if we feel conformable and in control.

After Eleven got arrested, he finally decided to speak to Will.

— "Hey, also, about the last few days--"

– "You don't have to say anything. I... I was being a total jerk to El. I deserved it."

— "No. No, no, no. You didn't deserve anything. Listen, the truth is, the last year has been weird, you know? And I mean, you know, Max and Lucas and Dustin, they're... they're great. They're great. It's just... It's Hawkins. It's not the same without you. And I feel like maybe I was worrying too much about El, and I don't know, maybe I feel I lost you or something. Does that make sense? I have no idea what's gonna happen next. But, whatever it is, I... I think we should work together. I think it'll be easier if we're... we're a team. Friends. Best friends."

– "Cool."

— "Cool."

It's impressive how easy it is for Mike to speak about his feelings with Will. He seems at ease and so sure about what he feels, he talks with so much clarity. -suspicious, isn't it?-

This also goes along with what he said to Will later.

— "I should've explained myself. Maybe Eleven would've taken me with her and things would be different, but..."

– "No."

— "I didn't... I didn't know what to say."

Suspicious too👀 anyway... Next point.

On their way to Nina, he and Will had a very sad conversation.

– "We're gonna make it, Mike. She's gonna be okay."

— "Yeah, I know. I... I know she is. But... but what if after all this is over, she... she doesn't need me anymore?"

It is sad, but that's how we connect with people. Acts of service, as I mentioned before, moral support, that kind of things are what we can offer.

We are problem solvers, mediators, analysts, counselors, that's who we are for our friends. We are not as in touch with our emotions as other houses are.

Ravenclaws value themselves on the things they can do, their talents and abilities. If we haven't found our worth as a person, we might fear that if our friends don't need us, they won't be friends with us anymore, because... Why would they? -make happy a Ravenclaw, try words of affirmation👍-

Anyway, he even look like a Ravenclaw. I-

⑉ ＤｕｓｔｉｎＨｅｎｄｅｒｓｏｎ，ʀᴀᴠᴇɴᴄʟᴀᴡ.

You can't go wrong with this one. I mean, he's such a Ravenclaw.

First of all, we know that these kids have been bullied since forever -Believe it or not, Ravenclaws are the most common victims of bullies-

In S1 we saw Troy and James bully them, which seems to be something regular. He didn't feel bad at this point, he just let it go. If it gets him, we can't see it.

He even distract Mike when Troy trips him. -fuck you, Troy-

He's impartial, which is one of the big qualities of the house. Ravenclaws listen to both sides of the party and are able to bring them into a middle ground.

After Mike and Lucas fought and Eleven disappeared, he was the one that brought clarity. He stated that it wasn't really anyone to blame because all three of them acted way out of line.

— "All three of you were being a bunch of little assholes! I was the only reasonable one." You tell him, Dustin!

He's aware of everything. He sees what the rest ignore.

— "Sometimes, your total obliviousness just blows my mind. He's your best friend, right? It's fine. I get it. I didn't get here until the fourth grade. He had the advantage of living next door. But none of that matters. What matters is that he is your best friend. And then this girl shows up and starts living in your basement, and all you ever want to do is pay attention to her."

– "That's not true"

— "Yes, it is. And you know it. And he knows it. But no one ever says anything until you both start punching and yelling at each other like goblins with intelligence scores of zero. Now everything is weird."

He's the Hermione of the group, basically... but Ravenclaw.

On S2, he found Dart, and he didn't want to take him to Hopper because he knew he would've killed it. Also, with the introduction of Max in the group, he probably felt like everyone was on their own, and Lucas was closer to Max than he was. So... He connected with Dart.

— "We have a bond."

– "A bond? Just become he likes nougat?"

— "No, because he trusts me!"

– "He trusts you?"

— "Yes, I promised I would take care of him."

Trust for a Ravenclaw hits differently. Ravenclaws are often pointed out as disloyal or fake, so when someone really trusts them they cling to them as hard as they can.

Ravenclaws really appreciate being trusted, they can be really good and caring friends when there is trust going both ways.

He ended up proving how strong their mutual trust was when Dart didn't attack him by the end of the season.

★ Quick mention to the way he talked to his mother when Dart ate his cat :( so soft spoken. Ravenclaws are the masters of keeping their composure when everyone else is out of control -most of the time at least- ★

Poor Dustin, he had to handle what happened with Dart all alone. Until he found Steve and basically kidnapped him and forced him to help him.

★ Another quick mention to his interaction with Mr. Wheeler, because that was ICONIC. He has no filter. ★

By the end of the season, he apologized to Lucas for the whole Dart situation.

— "Hey. I'm... I'm sorry about Dart and all. I guess I just thought that he was my friend. I was wrong. I broke the rule of law, so if you want your girlfriend to take over my spot in the party, I understand."

He was so sad about Dart, he thought that they wouldn't want him in the group just because he made one mistake.

That kind of drama can only come from two places; Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. One mistake and they immediately think you hate them.

He's the brain of the team, like I said before, he's the Hermione of the team. He cracks codes and connect points and we see him shine on S3 and S4.

— "Now that you're out of high school, which means you're technically an adult, don't you think it's time you move on from primitive constructs such as popularity." ... "Instead of dating somebody you think's gonna make you cooler, why not date somebody you actually enjoy being around?"

Listen to your Ravenclaw friends, we know stuff.

It's believed that Slytherins are the ones that don't respect authorities and rules, but little is said about Ravenclaws and their ability to question everything -it can be really annoying sometimes tho-

Why follow stupid social rules?

Also, they are ready to break the rules if it's considered needed, which can be problematic sometimes because some can go too far, but you know... It all for the science.

By the end of the season, after just coming out of a Russian base, he claimed his right to guide Murray through the ventilation system.

– "Hey, heads up. You can navigate, just from someplace safe."

— "It's not that simple."

– "The signal won't reach."

— "Not with this. You need something with a high enough frequency band to relay with the Russians radio tower. But for that to work, you need someone who has both seen their comms room and has access to a super-powered handcrafted radio tower, one preferably already situated at the highest point in Hawkins. Oh, wait. That's me. -cocky bastard- If you want us to navigate, you got us. But we need a head start... And a car."

He loves to talk about his invention. Max said that Mike loves to talk, but that applies to Dustin too. He enjoyed the part of the team he filled. He is the expert. He might not be a fighter, but he is the best advisor they could get.

On S4, after Chrissy died. He stood on Eddie's side and did everything he could to help him out.

– "... I guarantee you Eddie is suspected number one now."

— "That's crazy. Eddie didn't do this. No way." ... "No way."

– "We can't rule it out."

— "Yes, we can."

– "Dustin!"

— "You don't know him like I do, Max. Okay? When we got to high school, Lucas made all his sport friends. Mike and me? I mean, no one was nice to us. No one except Eddie."

Eddie won his loyalty, they bonded, just like he did with Dart on S2. He trusts him and he would do anything for him now. I mean, he gathered the team to find Eddie and figured out what was actually happening.

Which leads us to the next point.

He is always sorting things out -as diligently as he can-. He found the gate on Lover's Lake and later he found the rest of the gates. He also found a way for Steve and friends to communicate with them from the Upside Down and he found out how Vecna was opening the gates and his connection with the rest of creatures from the Upside Down. -He solved the plot-

He always wants to be there, for science more than anything, like on S2 when he discovered Dart. He was ready to jump to the boat on Lover's Lake.

Steve and Eddie thought he was annoying and a bit full of himself during the entire season and, as a Ravenclaw, I can relate to that. I'm sorry, but it's not our fault to always be right 💅

By the end of the season, after Eddie's death -and mine-, he sees Eddie's uncle.

— "I wish everyone had gotten to know him. Really know him. Because they would've loved him, Mr. Munson. They would've loved him. Even in the end... he never stopped being Eddie. Despite everything. I never even saw him get mad. He could've run. He could've saved himself. But he fought. He fought and died to protect this town. This town that... hated him. He isn't just innocent... Mr. Munson, he's... he's a hero."

He gave that man a story, a last memory of his nephew. In the end, he cleared his name through the eyes of his uncle. Dustin didn't try to hug him or contain him in any way, he just accompanied him. They cried together.

That's a Ravenclaw giving emotional support. We probably won't hug you, but we'll listen to you and we'll cry together.

If you need a hug, you'll need to go to a Hufflepuff. I'm sorry😬

⑉ ＬｕｃａｓＳｉｎｃｌａｉｒ，ɢʀʏꜰꜰɪɴᴅᴏʀ.

Lucas caused me a little trouble on S1, because he was so hard on Eleven. While everyone was supportive and understanding with her, he was untrusting and mean. Curiously, that was exactly what convinced me that he was a Gryffindor -no offense to my fellow Gryffindor readers, I love you♡-

He was a boy on a mission. He only wanted to find Will, he didn't care about anything else. When they finally found Will's fake body he just cried, he realized that it was over. He came to a death end, there was nothing he could do now.

— "It's Will. It's really Will".

He didn't confront Eleven -as Mike did-. Even having the perfect proof that confirmed his suspicions about her presumed falsehood, he didn't confront her... because she wasn't important at that moment. He even tried to stop Mike from running away.

— "Mike, come on. Don't do this, man."

This broke my heart :(

He was also hard on Mike too. Earlier, when they fought over Eleven who was screwing their compasses, he just let everything out and it was ruthless.

He kept mentioning that Eleven was a traitor and a liar, that she was probably the monster. He also pushed Mike👀

He refused to go with Mike and Dustin to look out for Eleven, because he didn't trust her. He just wanted to find Will, and in his eyes, they were only losing time looking for a Traitor.

He only accepted El in the group, and apologized to, when he saw for himself the danger they were in -and when he saw Eleven flipped that van😬-

On S2, while Mike kept pushing Max out of the group, Lucas was the only one that pulled Max a little bit out of the dark.

He was constantly informing her about everything as far as he could go without compromising her, till he finally told her everything. They understood each other very well, no surprise they got together by the end of the season. -They matched energies-

By the end of the season, when they were preparing everything to interrogate Will, Dustin approached him to apologize for what happened with Dart. Then he proceeded to tell him that Max could take over his spot on the party.

— "She's not my girlfriend."

– "I saw you two holding hands in the bus, Lucas."

— "She was just scared."

This gave me a Gryffindor vibe.

/ I have come to notice that a lot of Gryffindors don't give much importance to... a lot of things, but especially anything related to flirting.

They can be very friendly and out-going, so it is very common that people think they're flirting, even when they're not. They're very touchy, and they can also invade your space... But hey, don't be scared. They're just trying to seduce you... or befriend you. They're kinda confusing sometimes. /

On S3, we saw their true dynamics. They fought a lot, but they loved each other. That's a Gryffindor-Gryffindor relationship right there.

Gryffindors don't shy away from a fight, because that's how they solve problems. Fights are good for a healthy relationship with a Gryffindor. -That's why most of the time Gryffindors married another Gryffindor. They understand each other and their Gryffindor needs🤷-

/ He was such a messy boyfriend by the way. /

He helped Mike with his relationship issues anyway.

— "I don't even understand. Why lie?"

– "Hopper. He threatened me."

— "Did he say he'd kill you?"

– "What? No."

— "So then, what's the big deal?"

... pretty self explanatory. If you don't see a Gryffindor here, I don't know how to convince you.

And he continues...

— "I'm not gonna lie, it's gonna be bad. But... you can fix this. It's just one little mistake. I've made hundreds, thousands. Max has dumped me five times. But what have I done? Huh? Have I despaired? No. I've marched back into battle, and I've won her back every single freaking time."

I told you, they fight and come back. Bickering, as many of them like to call it.

When this problem with Billy and the Mind Flayer arose, he and Will stopped Mike from spiralling.

– "Something's not right. I can't get Hopper off my back all summer, now all of a sudden, he's hiking with Will's mom to Illinois? And Dustin's MIA, too? I mean, this can't be a coincidence."

— "What does it matter? The bottom line is, they're not here. It's up to us."

– "Up to us to do what exactly?"

— "Find Billy and stop him."

He didn't have a plan, he just knew what needed to be done. Very Gryffindor of him if you ask me.

They don't need the technical details, their only plan is "we'll see when we get there." They are better at improvisation than thinking ahead, unlike ravenclaw, with whom they make an excellent team by the way.

By the end of the season, he found and used the fireworks to attach the Mind Flayer.

He and Max bullied Dustin about his duet with Suzie. I mean, Gryffindor couple goals, I guess. I don't know, I'm not a Gryffindor.

On S4, he tried to become popular by joining the basketball team, which ended up harming a bit his relationship with the rest of his friends.

— " So you wanna be stuck with the nerds and freaks for three more years?"

– "We are nerds and freaks."

— "Yeah, but maybe we don't have to be. Look, I'm tired of being bullied. I'm tired of girls laughing at us. I'm tired of feeling like a loser. We came to high school wanting things to be different. Right? So now we have that chance. I skip tonight, that's all out the window. So I'm asking you guys, as a friend, just talk to Eddie. Get him to move Hellfire. Come to my game. Please."

He is making sacrifices, but not only for him, for his friends too. He wants them to be there, with him. Being popular together.

After the game, it was when he realized that he and his friends didn't want the same. They were happy as it is, and he was the only one who wanted something different. He was happy because he made it, but he made it alone, and that's not quite a victory -specially for a Gryffindor-

After getting back with the team, he found out about Max's situation. She was very on edge and Lucas was the only one who actually tried to talk with her about it.

— "I know something happened there with your mother. Was it Vecna?"

– "I told you, I'm fine. Okay. I mean, as fine as someone who's hurtling towards a gruesome death can be."

— "Max, you know you can talk to me. Right?"

– "Yeah, I know that."

— "Okay, then why do you keep pushing me away? Okay, look, I don't need a letter. I don't want a letter. Just talk to me. To your friends. We're right here. I'm right here. Okay? I'm here."

That's a Gryffindor right there.

He's straightforward with what he feels and what concerns him. Gryffindors are honest, they don't beat around the bush, they go straight to the point with no hesitation -they might also have trouble knowing when to shut up because of this, but that's a story for another post-

Later, when they were heading to skull rock, he opened his heart to Max again about everything.

— "I'm fine. Just... thinking about Patrick. You know?"

– "Yeah."

— "I mean, it's... it's like, why him? But then, I remember this one day, he... he came to practice with a black eye. He said he fell, but clearly he was lying. It's like everyone Vecta targets has something in their life. Something that's--"

– "Hurting them. Haunting them."

— "Yeah. I... I didn't really know Patrick, so it was easy to just look the other way, I guess. But I did know you. And I'm sorry I wasn't there."

– "It's not your fault."

— "No."

– "I dissappear."

— "No, no, you didn't. I just didn't look hard enough. Okay? But I see you now. I see you."

He is acknowledging his fault in the situation. His absence. He is regretful and he's straightforward about it, he doesn't try to excuse himself. -that's a good Gryffindor🤧-

I don't know what else to say, I just know he is a Gryffindor.

⑉ ＷｉｌｌＢｙｅｒｓ，ʀᴀᴠᴇɴᴄʟᴀᴡ.

You don't know how much I suffered trying to figure out his house. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were my two options -I firmly believe that Noah is a Gryffindor- but I got convinced by Ravenclaw in the end. LET ME EXPLAIN WHY.

As I said before with Dustin, Ravenclaws tends to be bullied or -in the best cases- ignored. Especially if they're kinda introverted or just shy.

With that being said, I want you to remember how worried Joyce was when she told Hopper that Will was missing. I know any parent would be worried in that scenario, but think about the very specific worries she had.

— "He's not like you, Hopper. He's not like me. He's not like... most." - "He has a couple of friends, but, you know, the kids, they're mean. They make fun of him. They call him names. They laugh at him."

Remember what I said about Dustin's reaction to being bullied? Well, if you're a Ravenclaw and you grow up in a healthy environment where your peculiarities haven't been pointed out as something bad, you will probably have that kind of reaction towards that kind of situation.

Now, that's not Will's case because even though Joyce has done a very good job as a single mother, Lonnie is still a half present figure in Will's life and he grew up not fulfilling his expectations and for that he never got the attention he needed from him -AND even getting bullied by him because of the way he was and this goes beyond Lonnie's homophobia; Lonnie's attitude towards Will was because of how he was as a whole. It's for the things he likes and his introversion, let's not forget that Jonathan got the same treatment from him- So... That's not really the formula for strong and confident Ravenclaws, you know?

— "He's a sensitive kid."

He is a wounded child, and what do Ravenclaws do when they're hurting? They hide in their own internal world where they can be themselves without the fear of being judged or rejected.

He's quite private and knows how to hide his emotions. The best example of it was by the end of S1 when he puked that slug and then returned to the table like nothing had happened.

On S2, he only talked about the things he was experiencing with Mike on Halloween and later with Joyce when he got possessed by the Mind Flayer, but he was even reluctant to do it. He never said a word to Jonathan, even though they seemed to have a really strong bond.

[ I just wanna quickly mention how sad he looked when Mike said that Max was ruining the best night of the year. I bet Will was having a great time, finally spending a normal day without a chaperone and there goes Mike and drops that. Goddammit, Michael. Can't you shut up? 😒 ]

He notices how everyone treats him differently after everything that has happened. Which is understandable, they're worried about him, but it must be very frustrating for him.

He keeps that frustration to himself for over a year and when he couldn't anymore and burst it off on Jonathan.

— "Stop treating me like that."

– "What? Like what?"

— "Like everyone else does. Like there's something wrong with me."

– "What are you talking about?"

— "Mom, Dustin, Lucas. Everyone. They all treat me like I'm gonna break. Like I'm a baby. Like I can't handle things on my own. It doesn't help. It just makes me feel like more of a freak."

Of course, he can handle things on his own. I mean he survived a week on the Upside Down. He knows he can handle himself, and as a Ravenclaw, it must be so frustrating to be treated like that -never underestimate the pride of a Ravenclaw- it also must be one of the reasons to never say anything about what happened to anyone. I mean they already treat him like he's gonna break.

#JusticeForWill he had enough, please stop😔

On S3, he suffered again what I can only call "Social Inadequacy". With his friends having girlfriend problems and the rest MIA, he felt excluded, of course. Wouldn't you?

When he finally had enough, he stormed off -very Ravenclaw of him- and Mike followed him. In the middle of the fight, he pulled out a very personal card. He made him feel like he was stupid for wanting to spend time with them playing DnD. Both Mike and Lucas made him feel ashamed.

For Ravenclaw, it's very common to be the odd one. For that reason, it's very common that they struggle making friends.

That's why what Mike said hit him so hard, he was humiliated. Mike broke his heart, he made him feel odd. Inadequate. Like he couldn't follow them anymore, because the problem was within. It wasn't something he was doing, it was him.

That realization made him break down. The castle he built as a refugee, couldn't protect him anymore. It felt like a joke. His feelings overwhelmed him and he acted on pure emotion, just like Eleven did when she fought with Hopper.

On S4, he was constantly trying to help El. Although he didn't have much success, it was only because they were on a different mindset.

Eleven was trying to convince herself that nothing bad was happening. She was still trying to fit in with the rest of her classmates while Will wasn't. He has been seen as a 'freak' his entire life. It's not weird for him at this point.

He was trying to comfort her, while she was still fighting against it.

When Mike visited them and he found out she had been lying to him too, he confronted her. He tried to help her, make her understand, but it was clearly not working.

— "How'd you forget about the socks? I mean, since you come here all the time."

– "I... I don't know. I just forgot."

— "Right... Why do you keep lying?"

– "What?"

— "Why do you keep lying to Mike?"

– "I'm not lying."

— "You're not? You're friends with Angela and Stacy and you come to parties here?"

– "I have been to a party here."

— "From Mom's work. That's not what you implied. I just... I don't think Mike's gonna like that you're lying to him. And he doesn't deserve that. When he finds out, he's gonna be mad."

Later, while he and Mike were looking for El after Angela and his gang of bullies humiliated her in front of everyone, he confronted Mike about his friendship.

— "... Well, what about us?"

– "What?"

— "You're mad that I didn't talk to you? You made it super clear that you're not interested in anything I have to say."

– "That's just not true."

— "You've called maybe a couple times. It's been a year, Mike. Meanwhile, El has a book of letters from you."

– "That's because she's my girlfriend, Will."

— "And us?"

– "We're friends. We're friends."

— "Well, we used to be best friends."

To lose a friend is always painful, but getting distant and not knowing why is infinitely the worse. A Gryffindor would easily confront the issue, a Hufflepuff would get serious about it and reevaluate their friendship, a Slytherin would cut strings with no hesitation, but a Ravenclaw... They will reevaluate their life, pass through all the stages of grief and then, only after accepting it, they will talk about it.

Will tried to contact Mike before. He sent letters for a while, but after the lack of response from Mike's part, he stopped.

He, as a Ravenclaw, values his friends deeply because he doesn't have many. He treasures them, especially Mike, since he was his first friend. They have known each other since kindergarten and now, after not seeing each other for a year, Mike barely spoke a word to him. [Fuck you, Mike:(]

When he was talking with Mike, after their encounter with the government, he tried to help him with his feelings.

— "Sometimes I think it's just scary to open up like that. To say what you really feel. Especially to people you care about the most. Because, what if... what if they don't like the truth?"

We struggle to talk about our feelings and even speak our minds sometimes for the fear of what the rest can think of us. It's not a personal thing, it's not something in us, it's not guilt, it's all about the reactions we could get for saying what we think or feel.

We don't want to upset anyone, especially if they're loved ones, because of that some of us tend to be people pleasers.

So... yeah, also... he is Will, The Wise. I mean... Anyway, I rest my case.

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

𓆈ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ❁

#hogwarts au #ravenclaw #gryffindor #stranger things #eleven #mike wheeler #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #will byers #analysis #hogwarts #hogwarts houses #hogwarts house traits

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