#we supposed to be out here vs them !!! not each other !!!

[unproduciblesmackdown]

ideal scenario is that i like thinking about this like, essential short story adventure where winston and tuk hook up w/a couple [that bachelorette party] members, and as a foursome/quartet because they have these parallel stories of two pairs of friends who are like "sure i'd have sex with you if things aligned for that" and now are living that short story about expanding a dynamic & becoming closer friends for the end of it (of course billions only wrote winston as standing next to tuk next episode, instead of rian as he's often written to be standing with incl in a previous finale, to shove him out of the path of getting material and let taylor have confusing nonresolution w/rian based on this proximity and coincidence instead. but who can't say that that, And winston next not even trying to sit with tmc in the last finale appearance which at this point is probably for the best and instead again hanging out with tuk and then ben, isn't about having been closer for whatever all happened there in obtaining casual sex together)

and they can have perpendicular stories of also just having some nice chats and enjoying other interactions together such that maybe it's just fun for this one night of crossing paths, maybe anyone stays in touch at all, who even knows, if winston or tuk are dating anyone it's probably only going to come up again in how they were last dumped for being too much effort for how unepic they are, so godspeed to offscreen unmentioned dating. but just friendly acquaintanceship, or again this one-time spontaneously crossed paths night's acquaintanceship, is also a lot of fun. and why not imagine that winston "he's not allowed to not feel self-loathing or, by doing basic things like talking or initiating Or oppositng anything, Not operating as though he's too low in a social hierarchy here to be allowed thusly" type of material where his spontaneity, vivacity to bon vivantocity, self-assurance that is apparently arrogance/aggression to every who thinks he ought to be self-effacing instead, etc, is actually just a social success in other less wretched non-work situations, and his personality is taken as a contribution to the proceedings even before anyone takes up his proffered contribution of himself as a potential sexual partner. and lending confidence to tuk as like one person who won't, at any given time, go into hostile mode with him or even like take up the position of issuing this criticism, which is an inherently elevated (over tuk) one when it's a unilateral thing. such that tuk's personality can be a potential contribution as well. and winston and tuk's Friendship Developing Moments can be happening then, too, b/c Maybe they've hung out outside work on their own aleady, but also maybe they've never really been interacting with a larger group outside work, such that that group is less likely to include some people, or entirely people, who will suddenly go sicko mode on either or both of them. and then meanwhile, who knows anything abt this bachelorette party, could be already a cohesive friend group who all see each other all the time, or people who see each other more infrequently meeting up on this trip, or a mix; could be fun and chill or something so scheduled/demanding it's kind of like a work trip, or fluctuate....and of course zero info abt the individuals such that imagining anything abt them is entire OC territory, and i'm bad at that, or at coming up with stories, so not exactly a lot of details here from me but godspeed if two of them unlock another tier of friendship here b/c like parallel to winston and tuk, they're like hmm okay so we're mutually down re: potentially having a foursome here, and spending some time away from the larger group

(or of course the scenario that tuk and winston can also have that moment but just as putting "and/or: a threesome?" as an option, and that tips the scales for someone who might've otherwise felt more indecisive like "hmmmm casual convenient hookup, or spending more time out & about like this / whatever other activity...." but then is like oho Well, if it's a threesome, i'll seize that opportunity, sure....such that then maybe afterwards [winston and tuk hanging out together] happens sooner, if the third member feels more third wheel about things lol, since now they'd be the only two who already know each other. like ooh who knows, round n+1 in the aftermath just one on one (and/or i mean, maybe another thing the third party's still around for, re: further casual sex opportunities that don't just fall into your lap every day), and/or talk, watch tron together, go back out on the town even. where the conclusion of this truly is the essence of "it Is easy to imagine that winston and tuk are real Genuine Friends for the implicit further offscreen time spent together outside work / interactions between them here. and fun" and with that flair of "and give that a juxtaposed parallel in it being the same for a couple bachelorette attendees, why not, good for them"

[brittlebutch]

i can’t stop thinking about this weird little storm chaser AU my brain dreamed up where bill&ted are the POV characters but crucially not the main characters but the problem is that I truly don’t know anything about storms and I worry I’m not smart enough to understand if I do start researching LOL

[rosiegames]

What if I told yall… you can be friends/play with more than one gamer that happens to be a woman?!

[birdy-babe]

Here is a collection of official helluva boss art I think everyone should see

Loo Loo Land

(by Birdget N)

Harvest Moon Festival

(Stolas was originally supposed to be at Millies house too?? hm)

(loot at stolas lmao)

(this one is just really cool)

(All By Al Pullen)

Ozzie's

Quote by artist: "(...)some discrepancies did come up due to working with an older copy of the script and of course, other choices being made because they fit the vision better for different purposes."

(Interesting??? Older copy of the script? I would do anything to know what was originally there)

(Super crazy interesting considering how early these were made and the designs of the characters.. the artist did say they struggled on the designs a bit... still cool!!)

(LOOK AT THEM FUCK)

(All by Al Pullen again)

Mammons Mid-Season Musical

(look how cute he is in his lil cow-print robe)

(THIS ONE IS CRAZYYY who is that in the background?? Blitzo is taking the photo with Fizz it looks like, crazy!)

(this one is just cool)

Full Moon

(lol)

(LOOK AT MOZZIE AND MILLIE LMAO)

(OH NO)

(HOLY SHIT I LOVE THIS HOLY SHIT LOOK AT BLITZO LOSING HIS MIND AFTER THE FIGHT WHY DIDN"T THIS STAY IN THE SHOW)

(all by our monarch, Al Pullen again)

Apology Tour

(LMAOOOO STOLAS)

(HELLO????? NOT DELIVERED?????? "dude just talk to me" HELOOOOOOOO)

(THIS NEXT ONE IS CRAZY)

(WHO IS THAT???? HAVENT WE SEEN HIM BEFORE? WHY IS BLITZO DESPERATELY RUNNING AWAY FROM HIM??? HELLO?)

(THEY ORIGINALLY TALKED ON THE BANISTAR???? CRAZYYYYY)

(verosika ur gorgeous i love u)

(thank you Al Pullen)

Okay thats all! These are all Beat Boards, which as I understand, are like the first little sketch of the main plots/scenes of the episodes based on the original scripts. After these are made is when things begin to get changed around, designed, etc. I love them! They tell a lot about where each episode started vs where they ended. If you wanna see more, you can check out Al Pullen's twitter (squiderdoodle) or the fandom wiki!

[yanmuffins]

asks 2.

context.

here are some more asks i'm replying to in a bulk about phineas and ferb reader!!

my favorite part in dc. vs vampires is when reader comes together with damian and damian to build a silly machine that un-vampifies people in like half a day so they can defeat the vampire king. it is canon.

@amethystjellyfish

perry really is reader's number #1 stan. they're his family, reader's had him since he was a small platypus baby!

he does his best to keep reader safe, which is why he doesn't like the batfam much. he keeps it professional on the rare occasions they go on missions together, but that's it. he hates how dismissive of reader they are in the beginning, and he hates them later on when they star showering them with attention because they found out about their inventions.

not tired, anon! i love seeing people enjoy my concepts and interact with them!! ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧

and i'm sure this has happened. more than once, actually. the power of coincidence is strong with reader. the life-saving laser beam comes from a situation involving reader's latest machine they built and tested with the help of jon.

unfortunately, one of his lasers richochets on the machine during testing, not only causing it to save batfamily's life, caught in a dangerous situation in a completely different location, but also destroys the machine so there's nothing to link it to reader.

ah, well. they'll just have to keep looking.

reader, seeing them run past her: oh! there's perry :)

i love how we have established tim is terrified of this platypus. nevermind the other pets in the manor, it's the platypus with its googly eyes that drives him insane. they don't get it, he got up to drink water at 3 a.m. and the thing was just there, looking at him. menacingly.

jason would though. meanwhile, perry is wishing he could just go back to metropolis. he didn't have to deal with reader's siblings in metropolis. he doesn't get enough hazard pay for this.

hm... good question!

i like to think that, much like with phineas and ferb, luck is on reader's side most of the time, so i don't see reader getting injured by their own inventions.

but, let's suppose they do: it's a nice sunday afternoon, the batfam has decided to gather around the living room and hang out, watch a movie, lots of popcorn and soda. they don't have to think about criminals or fighting, tim and damian are bickering, jason is around, peace reigns the manor.

until they hear an explosion. they run to the garage only to find reader on the floor, unconscious, bleeding, and an assortment of destroyed metal components to a machine they can't decipher. damian doesn't even feel good about reader finally being busted.

later, when reader is back home, awake and out of risk but with a bandage around their head and their leg in a cast, they're in for the biggest (and probably first) scolding of their entire lives. reader tries to play it off. it wasn't that big of a deal, they're fine, aren't they? and they're genuinely optimistic about it. but the entire family is talking over each other at first, until bruce signals for everyone to shut up and leave the room. he has a very serious talk with reader, and makes it very clear they're not to come near a toolbox ever again.

but he understands. it's partly his fault for not being attentive. he won't make that mistake again.

ofc reader is really upset. dick comes next, then stephanie, then cass, then duke, then barbara and they all try to convince reader in a much more amiable tone that hey, it's fine. who needs to do all that whacky stuff to have fun? just hang out with us. they can get another hobby, and this time they can make it a family thing! how's that sound? not fun? don't be like that... they're sure reader will come around.

tim is pretty much the only one who congratulates them for being awesome pulling all those stunts, one per day, it's impressive. but now it's time to step back a bit. who knows? try being careful and bruce will let you work with a welding tool again. one day. maybe.

damian and jason's reactions are more similar to bruce's. in other circumstances, damian is on reader's side and helps them sneak around to continue their shenanigans, but in the case of reader getting hurt he just wants them to not do that. any of that. ever again. and jason has to hold himself back not to snap and ask them what the hell were they thinking?! they could have died! he ends up just telling them to quit it. they're just a kid who shouldn't be messing around with that sort of stuff.

anon, i wouldn't go as far as say he'd use venom against them, but he's bit batfam before. as stated, he does not dig their vibe at all!

anon, that's a great idea! though i think p&f! reader is much too motivated by the creative process and experience that their inventions bring more than just willing them to come to life.

they have the power to create whatever they want, but what's the fun of it? what about hte process? the building? the friends they make along the way? the memories? i think reader would find the ring awesome at first, but the novelty would wear of in less than a week.

anon...

because i dig the idea of reader being friends with dipper and mabel. reader talks about their crazy inventions, and loves hearing about all the cryptids they came across during vacation.

reader invites the twins to the manor, they share their most recent summer memories. reader talks about that one time they built and drove a massive monster truck with their brother damian, but jason only comes into the room in time to hear about dipper and mable talk about the weirdmaggedon. he has several question marks around his head. aren't those kids a a little too old to be making shit up? or maybe... no, there's no way. or is there? no... he would have heard about this... but weirder things have happened. but what if...

@randomlyappearingartist

you are so right. to be honest, i don't even think the batfam would even know of his existence, since he's pretty much a very minor villain acting in metropolis. after perry joins the league, or in the rare occasion of dr. doof teaming up with another minor gotham villian like condiment man, is when they get to know he exists.

and since perry seems to have him under control, they don't even acknowledge the guy.

i love love love this sm!

they assume it's just flash mobs. it's got to be. flash mobs with really weird themes, like an entire musical number dedicated to the squirrels in damian's pants. that was strange. bruce patrolling in the middle of the night and this new crime lord just burst into a song with a band and hired back dancers, because it's apparently a new trend a minor villain in metropolis started.

and what about that one time dick took damian (and reader) to the library and some guy just started singing about how he doesn't have rhythm? and damian just started playing a trumpet? and reader started singing? i mean, it was a bop and he started dancing, but it was weird anyway.

but now i'm thinking of damian and reader singing the "summer" song together (he sings the "it's noticeably warmer" and that's it) though! wholesome.

@lazyandannoyng

not annoying at all! you're good ⸜(˙꒳​˙ )

i have this little idea in my head that reader doesn't take the wayne name when find out bruce is their dad and move to gotham, and bruce is pretty secretive about this new kid of his for purely privacy and safety reasons. so when reader does their networking, it's often not obvious they're a wayne. not sure if this will make it into the fic, but it really resonates with this concept!

it's also funny to think that a lot of people don't even know reader and the waynes are related. even if they do know reader is related to the batfam, nobody really talks about them by name (just "your sibling"), and all of those little details like never asking about where the gloves came from (because why would he) or the misunderstandings where one party means one thing and the other assumes it's another (dick has many siblings! too many!) just end up helping reader not get caught. and i just think that's neat.

[drdtfuitgumies]

the 100th situation!! yippee!

we've officially hit our 100th situation (not counting the pinned post)...!! to celebrate, i drew everyone* for one of my oddly specific, self-indulgent aus with a target audience of one (me); my drdt x digimon au!

version without any digimon

the au is mostly running on vibes (especially as we don't have concrete backstories for everyone, and a lot of interpretation has to be done), but the digimon adventure trilogy is the main inspiration!

disorganized notes: -) i'll be going to more detail in my other acc! linked here -) this takes place in an universe where hope's peak academy and the tragedy never existed. they still have their "talents" but they don't get nationwide recognition or anything. this helps and hurts some backstories -) i'm separating the story to two arcs. the first arc is where mai befriends everyone in the right half of the image and takes them adventuring in the digital world, ending in her untimely and unfortunate death. which was totally not supposed to happen, whoops :( this fractures mai's friend group and only the valiant efforts of a post-character development arei prevents them from completely cutting off contact with each other -) the second arc takes place ~3 years after, where mai's friends' unaddressed drama and hard feelings finally crop up again and two innocent bystanders (teruko and eden) are forced to take front seat and suffer the consequences. everyone left in the left side of the image isn't relevant to the plot and are background cameos at best but i didn't wanna leave them out -) its basically Character Building Playground for me and a way for me to cope about what could've been. but it also means that the most "content" i make up in my head is actually between the first and second arc, because i wanna figure out how awful everyone's coping mechanisms are and the falling outs that ensue...

summary of my unserious thought process behind each partner choice (more detailed in my other acc): -) the characters from hu to teruko specifically have partners who are relevant in the digimon adventure continuity. if you've watched tri in particular, you know exactly why i chose mai and teruko's partners ^_^ -) hu: morphomon. thank you lost evolution kizuna for introducing a butterfly child-level / rookie!! -) ace: patamon. they are both orange. interpreting patamon as a small angry dog was also really funny to me -) david: gabumon. protag assignment. gabumon wears a fur pelt to appear stronger and it's stated to experience a "180° personality shift" -) xander: agumon. protag assignment. they would be BEST friends -) j: tentomon. juxtaposition of cute pink baby form vs very cool and scary looking insects that shoot LIGHTNING. -) arei: piyomon/biyomon. no reason in particular the evolutions i picked just fit really well -) charles: palmon. plant. the idea of charles naming a plant "charles jr" was hilarious to me, and then the idea of palmon wearing matching goggles and a labcoat was very very cute -) whit: gomamon. sea ouppy... commonly characterized as a very laidback and fun-loving partner in digimon media. -) mai: tailmon/gatomon. Kity :) this specific tailmon is also meant to mirror monotv and behaves like it -) teruko: meicoomon. Kity :) sad kity who turns evil and fucked up :( -) eden: solarmon. silly machine digimon. also commonly evolves to the clock digimon -) min: wormmon. bookworm pun. also very vague allusion to ichijouji ken. Min is not plot relevant (for now) and she's actually way better off here than canon!! -) rose: lalamon. no reason in particular i just think they would be friends and lalamon's face is funny. -_- and 0o0 -) nico: loogamon. wolfy :) wolfy who bites -) veronika: porcupamon. spooky monokuma-esque bear -) levi: bemmon. ourple. also the one "unnatural" digimon pick that i thought fit him well. also, also hoping that digimon liberator gives me a shiny new bemmon evolution line that can work with him! -) arturo: jellymon. i had absolutely zero idea what to do with him because hes one of the two characters i cant get a grip on (for writing) so i just sicced Ghost Game's Jellymon on him

[aemondapologistfrfr]

Pray That I Don't Catch You

benji blackwood x bracken!fem!reader

Summary: The crown intervenes and decides that a marriage between Lord Brackens daughter and Lord Blackwood’s son will solve the tensions between the two houses. You both were very open about your dislike for each other until something changed.

Warnings: 18+ swearing, wine, arranged marriage, chasing(like literal chasing), oral(f), fingering, loss of virginity, p in v, breeding kink

Authors Note: idc that this is overdone i haven’t done it yet 🧍🏼‍♀️ me vs avoiding eye contact w my ongoing series so i could write this in one sitting anyways this was supposed to be chill and then turned into this 

Word Count: 5.9k

                                         ᓚᘏᗢ

ততততততততততততততততততততততততততততততততততত

Stone Hedge has been in absolute chaos over the past fortnight preparing for the crown to visit. My mother is having gowns made hastily for us and I’m not bothered by that in the slightest. I’ve been begging for new gowns for ages so this is the perfect time. I spend my days with the seamstresses and help embroider some details. 

My father has been on edge and I’ve done my best to avoid him. I hear his voice trailing throughout the halls from his council chambers. The servants are quick to drop him off wine and quickly run out of his presence. My mother tries to soothe him but even her soft nature won’t crack his hard demeanor. 

“What did I tell you boy?” my fathers voice jolts me from my nap. I slowly peek my head out my chamber doors and see him hauling my brother down the hall. I gasp as I take in his bruised and bloodied face. My fathers eyes narrow on me and pluck me from my chambers and leads me to the council chambers with him. My mother is already waiting inside looking less than pleased. 

“I’ve told you both time and time again that the crown is to visit in a couple days. We’ve been preparing for almost a moon now.” my fathers face gets redder the louder his voice gets. 

“I haven’t done anything.” I scrunch my brows and look around at them. 

“You could have kept your brother inside with you.” my mother gives me a pointed look. 

“Since when am I his keeper?” I groan, pushing myself back into the chair. “What even happened to him?” I look at my brother's face with a grimace. 

“Some Blackwood moving the boundary stones. Am I to just let them on our land?” my brother turns his attention to our father. 

“The crown is coming to deal with this generational feud. You’ll be lucky if they don’t send you to the Wall. Gods, my heir will be taken from me. Over some fucking grass.” my father downs his cup of wine and starts to fill it anew. I look at my mother and my worried expression is mirrored on her face. We have no way out of this chamber until my father dismisses us no matter that we have nothing to offer. 

“It’s never been an issue before..” my brother scoffs.

“The crown hasn’t come here in decades. The Queen wishes this fighting to end. Gods, know how she plans to do that.” my mother shakes her head. 

ততততততততততততততততততততততততততততততততততত

I crane my neck towards the sky as the Queen circles Stone Hedge on her dragon. Her dragon gives out a loud cry before it descends and lands outside our gates. Her traveling company has arrived just a day before and our Keep has been bustling with activity. Her handmaidens cluster around the gate as her feet touch the ground. She waves them all off and my family all bows deeply. 

“Your Grace.” my fathers rough voice travels across to her. 

“Rise.” her voice soft yet firm. “Where might Lord Blackwood be? I had hoped we could all sit down and begin the meeting with haste.” she hums and looks around. 

“Oh-um, My Queen, I had assumed you wanted to rest after your travels.” my father stutters out. 

“Let’s assume nothing else on this visit.” she hums. “I’ll send someone to retrieve him.” she walks past us with her company a step behind her. 

                                         ᓚᘏᗢ

When Lord Blackwood arrived my brother went rigid upon seeing his son in tow. I can tell this is who he got into a fight with by the black eye that has yet to begin to fade. I fill the cups around the council chamber and allow my eyes to roam over all of the unfamiliar faces. I catch the Blackwood boy staring at me and he gives me a sneering smile before turning his attention back to the Queen. 

“Then that matter is settled.” she looks at me and I try to keep my face neutral. I should’ve been paying attention. I turn to my mother and she has a worried expression on her face. “Your daughter and your son's union should be more than enough to stitch the Riverlands back together.” the Queen looks from my father to Lord Blackwood. 

The realization starts to sink in at what her words mean. My mother is still staring at me and I feel Lord Blackwood's son's eyes on me once more. My brother mumbles something next to me but I ignore it and slip out of the council chambers. I sprint down the stairs and make my way to the courtyard. The fresh air hits my face and I keep running through the gates. Once I make it past the tree line I finally stop and rest my hands on my knees to catch my breath. 

“What have I done to be at the end of your cruel joke?” I whisper up at the Gods. 

“Enough with the dramatics.” I turn and see the Blackwood boy leaning against a tree. “They sent me to come retrieve you. I’m sure in hopes that you would think I was rescuing you in some galant way.” he drawls looking me over, bored.

“I won’t go back with you.” I raise my chin at him. 

“You will. I won’t be spending the evening out here.” he starts to walk towards me. I take one glance at his outstretched arm and suck in a breath before turning and sprinting deeper into the forest. Green and brown blur past me as I delve us deeper into the woods. I hear his heavy feet a couple feet behind me and my adrenaline pushes me further. I feel his fingers wrap around my arm and I go to pull away and send us both flying to the ground. “Gods woman.” he grits out through his teeth as we fumble around in the dirt and leaves. 

“Let go of me.” I try to pull my wrists out of his grasp but he slams them down to the earth. 

“If I do, you'll run and we’ll end up in the same place in a couple minutes.” his breath fans across me as our chests push into each other as we try to slow our breathing. 

“I don’t want to marry you.” I shake my head. 

“Nor I you.” he looks me over with annoyance. “But I’m afraid the Queen insists.” 

“I don’t care. I won’t.” his nostrils flare at my words. 

“Stubborn and hardheaded like every other Bracken.” he mumbles and I bring my knee up hard between his legs and the air is knocked out of his lungs. I scramble to my feet and break into a run. “Pray to your Gods I don’t catch you.” he screams into the trees and I hear twigs snapping behind me. 

My lungs feel like they’re on fire and I risk taking a sharp turn and slowing my pace to quiet my noises and breathing. I rest against a tree and lean my head back trying to focus on catching my breath. I look up at the orange and pink sky knowing I need to get out of this forest before moonrise. I look around at my surroundings and slowly push myself off of the tree. I take one step forward and squeak and he presses me against the bark. 

“Get-“ one of his hands press against my mouth. 

“I don’t want to hear another fucking word from you.” he stares at me. “Do you understand?” he raises an eyebrow. I nod my head having no other choice. I keep looking at him as he slowly removes his hand. He grips his other hand around my wrist and begins to pull us back in the direction of Stone Hedge. I try to pull my hand away but he just tightens his fingers in response. I nibble on my lip wanting to say something but unsure of what he’ll do. 

“You’re going to leave bruises.” my voice barely above a whisper. 

“I don’t care.” he tugs me to start walking faster. 

“At least slow down.” I huff yanking his arm back. He turns to me with dark eyes and I match his stare. 

“Do you wish to walk through the forest in the dark?” he looks down at me. 

“No.” I purse my lips. “I don’t want you to drag me through this forest anymore either. You should act like a gentleman if I’m now your betrothed.” I look up at him expectantly. He shakes his head at me and his grasp tightens around my wrist once more and he starts to pull us through the forest. As we approach the tree line the sun sets and my mother and father breathe out a sigh of relief as we come into view. I barely noticed him slip his fingers between mine to make our journey seem more innocent than it was. 

“Thank the Gods.” my father sighs pulling me into his tight embrace. “I was about ready to go in there myself.” he pulls back and looks me over and starts to pull some leaves out of my hair. He looks over at the Blackwood boy and nods his head. “Thank you, Benjicot.” I look at him just now realizing I never got his name. 

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I look myself over in the mirror and continue to smooth out my skirt. I watch as my handmaidens finish with my hair and step back to admire their work. My mother comes in and places a necklace around me. I smile at her in the mirror before I turn to her. I offer what I hope is a comforting smile and she gives me a reassuring nod. 

“It’s just lunch in the gardens.” the corners of her mouth turn upward. “It can’t be so bad.” she raises my chin. This isn’t the first lunch we’ve had. He has been coming here everyday and it’s clear it’s not on his own terms. Our conversations are short and we mostly fight or sit in silence unless there are others around.

“I suppose you’re right.” I sigh, nodding my head. I brush past her and make my way down the stairs. I allow a smile to spread across my features as I see him waiting for me. He offers me his arm and I accept watching my mother smile at us from the corner of my eye. “So lovely to see you, Benjicot.” I hum resting my head on his shoulder. 

“A bit much.” he chuckles lowly and I pinch his arm rather hard in return. “How is my betrothed today?” he brings his hand up to my cheek in the pretense to caress it but pinches me. 

“Ow.” I push him. 

“Easy.” he chuckles, pulling me back against him. 

“My day has gotten so much brighter now that I’m with you.” my voice sickeningly sweet. People around us stop and smile watching us pretend to be smitten. They never catch the underlying moments like when he pushes my chair in too far and steals the breath from me. Or when we embrace and my hands find the back of his neck I pull so hard on his hair I’m surprised I haven’t taken any out yet. As he takes his seat across from me, servants are upon us filling our cups and plates.

“Are you counting down the days until we wed? It’s just under a fortnight now.” he smirks while sipping his wine. 

“I can’t wait, Benjicot.” his nostrils flare at his full name. 

“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Benji?” his voice has a bite only I can hear. 

“You should’ve never told me you dislike it.” I chuckle, raising my cup to him. 

“I dislike you.” a servant walks up and he adds. “Being away from me. I can’t wait until we’re wed and I never have to spend another moment without you.” he reaches across the table for my hand. I offer it to him and watch the servant swoon looking at us. 

“Oh Benjicot.” I coo and lean in closer to him and his hand constricts around mine. The second the servant walks away I rip my hand out of his and massage my fingers. “Must you always manhandle me like some beast.” I hiss across to him. 

“You are a beast that requires manhandling.” he glares at me and I know the look is mirrored on my face. We eat our meal in silence and once we finish our table is cleared. We stare at each other in silence and he exhales loudly before rising and offering me his hand. 

“This is a surprise.” I look at his hand with a raised brow. “I was only promised lunch.” I hum accepting his hand and standing. 

“We might as well walk through the gardens. We’re already here.” he pulls me against him and tightens his fingers around mine. 

“Was this your own idea, Benjicot?” I can barely stifle my giggle. “Just can’t get enough of your betrothed?” I hum pressing myself against him and he stops us. 

“Enough.” he grabs my chin making me look up at him. “You will thank me for taking you on a walk and you will hold my hand and smile.” I squint my eyes at him. “I will have no more of this attitude.” I bite my lip trying to hide my smirk. His fingers tighten around my chin and I continue to blink up at him as he looks at me expectantly. We stare at each other for what feels like minutes and I sigh rolling my eyes. 

“Thank you for taking me on a walk through the gardens. It’s unexpected and appreciated.” I grab his hand from my chin and interlock our fingers. He searches my eyes one last time before we continue our walk through the gardens. The walk is silent but it feels different from what we’ve been doing. His hand isn’t like a vice and we aren’t overly acting even when we run into others. When he returns me to the main doors of the keep and pulls me into his embrace my fingers don’t pull against his hair instead they slowly thread through it. 

“I will see you in the morning.” his knuckles brush against my cheek and I scrunch my brows at the action as he walks away leaving me on the steps. 

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There is only five days until I’m to marry Benjicot and I curse myself for having butterflies at the thought. I wish we could go back to loathing each other. The constant teasing has slowly progressed into something more. We’ve been spending more time together since our walk in the garden last week and I try to hide how happy it makes me. My skirts swish behind me as I make my way down the steps and I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face when I see him waiting for me. 

“You look radiant today.” my heart skips at his words. I haven’t gotten used to the genuine compliments from him and they steal my breath every time. 

“Thank you.” I mumble against him as he pulls me into his arms. “What do you have planned for us today?” I look up at him as I pull back. He doesn’t respond, only smiles at me as he walks us out of the main doors. We walk through the gates and I look at him curiously. He leads us into the clearing before the tree line and I smile as the tall grass brushes against my fingertips. 

“I’m surprised you haven’t sprinted away yet.” his tone playful. 

“Shall I?” I look at him with a glint in my eye. “Do you want to chase after me again, Benjicot?” my heart starts to beat faster in anticipation. 

“I thought you were starting to like me.” he chuckles, pulling me closer. I slip my hand out of his and dash towards the tree line. He engulfs me a second later and spins me against his chest. “No no no,” he chuckles, wrapping his arms around me tighter. “We’re not doing that again.” I try to wiggle out of his grasp and groan with little luck. One of his hands makes its way to the back of my head and tilts it up to him. 

“You were much faster this time.” I try to suppress my smirk. 

“Or was I just enjoying hunting down my betrothed the first time?” his fingers tighten in my hair and my breath catches. 

“I escaped you last time.” he chuckles. 

“You didn’t play fair last time.” he slowly dips his head down. 

“You’re not playing fair now.” I try to tilt my chin up but his fingers pull harder. 

“You’re the one who ran.” he lips hover over mine. 

“And you’re a tease.” I huff willing him to press his lips against mine. He chuckles and pulls back watching my heaving chest. I push him back with a scrunched brow and make a run for it again. 

“I’ll give you a head start.” he calls after me and I throw him a smile over my shoulder. 

I hop over wayward branches and ignore the twigs that are digging into my skirts. I risk a glance behind me and smile when I don’t see him. I keep moving forward and scream as he pops out in front of me. I jump to the right and sprint past him as he wildly laughs. I hear him behind me and I push myself to run even faster. His fingers catch onto the fabric of my dress and he pulls me back against him. I land against his chest with a thud and his hand rests against my chest above my heart. It slides up around my throat as his fingers press against my pulse. 

“You worked up from running or you like being chased?” he pants against my neck. His fingers caress across the front of my throat as I lean back into him. “Tell me.” he licks up the side of my neck and I writhe in his arms. 

“Benjicot,” I sigh, holding onto his arms. His hand slides up to my chin and turns my head to the side. 

“You’re insufferable when you call me that.” he bites down on my neck and I gasp digging my nails into his skin. “You never answered my question.” he presses a kiss against the red mark. 

“What was it?” my voice broken while his arms wrap around my front holding me against him. 

“Do you like when I chase you?” a shiver runs down my spine and I nod my head. “I knew it.” he chuckles. He kisses my neck once more and begins to remove his hands from my body. “Run.” my adrenaline spikes as he scoots me forward and my feet start to carry me through the forest once more. 

I run in the opposite direction and I hear him tearing through the leaves behind me. My feet pound into the dirt as I break through the tree line and into the open field. Some grass tangles around my ankle and I tumble to the ground in a fit of giggles. Just as I’m about to call out to him he bursts through the grass and trips over my foot sending him to the ground. I laugh harder and crawl over to him to make sure he’s okay. He’s rubbing his head as I kneel at his side and brush his hair back between giggles. 

“Poor Benjicot.” I coo wiping the dirt from his cheek. “Are you okay?” he glares up at me before tackling me backwards. 

“Must you always send me to the dirt when we’re out in the forest?” he searches my eyes as I smile up at him. 

“You chase after me so intensely. I didn’t make you charge through the clearing like a bull.” I purse my lips. 

“Well I don’t want to lose you.” he scrunches his brows and his words come out softer than both of us anticipate. 

“Careful you sound like you care.” my tone taunting. 

“Shut up.” I catch his eyes dart to my lips. 

“Are you going to make me?” I tilt my head watching him. He presses his lips against mine a second later. My fingers tangle in his hair holding him against me and he grabs them with his own and pins them to the ground. I arch my body up into his wanting more than our lips to be touching and he chuckles against my mouth. “More.” I whine against his lips. 

“You’ll have whatever I decide you deserve.” he kisses down my jaw and I mewl beneath him. “You’re absolutely fucking indecent.” he sucks harshly against my neck. I wrap my legs around his waist and pull his weight against me. “Gods,” he pants against my skin. “No more. We’re not wed yet.” he pulls back and stares at my heaving chest. 

“Ever the gentleman.” I roll my eyes. “Then help me up.” I hold my hand out and he pulls me up. As we walk through the field he plucks flowers from the grass and hands them to me silently. I hold them together and by the time we make it back through the front gates I have a small bouquet in my hands. 

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“Are you going to finally admit to me that you’re absolutely smitten?” my mother preens from behind me as she finishes placing the last pin in my hair. 

“Gods mother,” I groan and I see my handmaiden giggling in the mirror next to me. “You’ll regret teasing me when I move back with him to Raventree Hall.” I purse my lip. 

“The couple hour journey?” she raises her brow to me. 

I roll my eyes at her and she presses a kiss to the top of my head. The next two hours go by in a blur as I’m tied into my gown and last minute touches are being applied. I’m paraded down to the great hall and wait behind the closed doors in anticipation. I fiddle with my nails and my heart races as I hear the soft song of the string instruments. The doors groan open and everyone rises and turns to watch me walk up to the dais. 

I spot my mother and see her crying next to my father and brother. I smile at all of the familiar faces and finally allow myself to look forward. My eyes travel up his form until they lock with his. He looks very well groomed and his cheeks have a faint flush to it. He holds his hand out for me as I approach him and he helps guide me up the step to stand in front of him. I don’t even pay attention to what the septon is saying as Benji and I focus on each other. We repeat after the septon when prompted and when he announces us man and wife Benji pulls me against him and seals our lips. The hall explodes in cheers and we’re ushered to the empty floor to share our first dance. 

“You look beautiful, my wife.” he hums, pressing his lips against my forehead. 

“Thank you, Benjicot.” I look up at him with a smile. 

“Must you still call me that?” he groans as we start to sway to the music. 

“It’s your name, is it not?” he scoffs, shaking his head. “My husband pouts?” I throw my head back and laugh. He shushes me as he twirls me around the floor and laughs as he pulls me back against him. We let our bodies glide to the rhythm and after a couple minutes more duos join us in our dance. We slowly make our way back to our table and laugh and talk with our families on either side of us. 

“I had something set up for us.” Benji whispers into my ear. 

“What is it?” I tilt my head looking at him. 

“Come.” he offers me his hand and helps me stand with a smile. Our parents smile after us as we slip out the doors. He leads us outside in the yard and he pulls me on the other side of the gates. 

“It’s dark.” I squeeze his hand. 

“We have the full moon. Our eyes will adjust.” he hums leading me into the tall grass. I see a small flickering in the distance and I press closer against him. My eyes begin to adjust and I see a tent and a fire being tended to by a guard. “Thank you.” he nods at the man and he disappears back through the grass to the gates. 

“What are we doing out here?” I look around at the campsite. 

“Enjoying the moon,” he places a kiss against my neck. “And the stars.” he places a kiss to the center of my throat. “Having the privacy and space we need.” he kisses the other side of my neck. “I don’t want this to get ruined.” his hands begin to untie my gown and it pools in the grass leaving me clad in my sheer slip and slippers. His gaze on my body sends shivers through me. He starts to pull me further into the grass and my eyebrows knit together. 

“Where are we going?” my voice soft as I stay close to his side. 

“Not far. We’ll be able to see the fire. You’re safe.” his thumb rubs against my hand. He stops us and when I turn the fire is only a dot in the distance. “Can you see?” he searches my eyes and I nod. He leans down and presses his lips against mine. His fingers dig into my waist as he pulls his lips away from me. He searches my eyes and I see the corner of his mouth twitch as he glances at the fire. I see the glint in his eye and I bite my lip. 

“Come get me, Benji.” I smile before I bolt in the direction of the fire. I hear the grass swaying behind me and I push myself to run faster. My hair whips wildly behind me and I hear his heavy breathing quickly approaching. 

“You know I'm just toying with you right?” I hear his voice come from my left and I jolt, my pace faltering. I turn in a circle looking to see where the grass moves but all I can see is the glow of the fire. “Why’d you stop?” I turn at his voice only to be greeted with grass. My head snaps in the opposite direction and I turn on my heel and race back to the fire. Benji scoops me up from my right and I squeal in his arms jerking wildly. He brings us back to the campsite and into the tent. 

“You had a featherbed brought out here?” I chuckle as he kisses across my neck while laying us back.

“Why are you complaining about not being on the ground?” he starts to pull up my slip and I gasp as his fingers trace against my hips and up my sides. “Lift your arms up for me.” he hums and I slowly put them above my head. He pulls off the slip and dips down to kiss across my chest. He encases one of my nipples and I gasp as his teeth graze against it. 

“Benji,” I whine, holding onto his shoulders. He kisses his way over to my other breast and sucks it into his mouth. I arch into his mouth and he smiles against my heated skin. “Take off your clothes.” I plead pulling against his jerkin. 

“Shh,” he bites against my skin and I gasp. He kisses back up my chest and captures my lips. He grinds against me and whimpers spill from my lips. His fingers slide up my wet small clothes and my legs close around his hand. “Have you been touched before?” his fingers continue to tease me as they’re held between my legs. 

“No.” I whine, shaking my head. He kisses down to my neck and my hands hold him closer. 

“Have you touched yourself?” he starts to open my legs and I let out small sighs as he presses into my heat. He watches me as I nod my head. He raises his eyebrow as he trails his finger up and down. 

“Once.” I breathe out, squeezing my eyes shut. My hips move on their own and I gasp. 

“When?” he smirks against my neck. 

“The last time you chased me.” I flush at the confession. “I didn’t- I was just so hot and so- yes,” I cry out as he dips his fingers below my small clothes. “Benji,” my voice cracks as he swirls around my bud. 

“Yeah, does that feel good?” he looks down at me as I squirm. “Fuck you’re so wet.” he groans lets his fingers slide down and circle my core. 

“I wanna feel you.” I whine pulling at his clothes. He sits back and watches me squirm on the bed as he slowly removes his clothes. I lift my hips as he pulls my small clothes down bearing me completely. “Touch me,” I plead, reaching out for him. 

“So needy.” he chuckles, leaning back down to press his lips against me once more. He leaves a trail of kisses in his wake as he makes his way between my thighs. He places a single kiss between my legs and they shake around his head. He wraps his hands around my hips and pulls me closer and I stare down at him, nibbling on my lip. His lips encase my bud and my head falls back to the pillow. 

“Yes Benji,” a moan tears through me. I shake above him as his tongue circles against me. When his tongue moves faster I tangle my fingers in his hair. He groans as I hold him closer to me. I feel one of his fingers circle my entrance and I whine as he pushes it in. He starts to slowly pull his finger while swirling around my bud and my breath starts to come out in pants. “Benji,” I gasp as he presses a second finger into me. 

My hips rising off the bed and he starts to move his fingers faster. Whimpers cascade from my mouth when he curls his fingers. “Yes,” I cry, rolling my hips against his face. He chuckles as he moves my hips himself across his tongue and my stomach coils. I fall apart grinding against his face and he starts to kiss his way back up my quaking body. His hand tangles in my hair as he pulls me into a heated kiss. I moan into his mouth as his fingers circle my bud. 

“My good little Bracken wife.” he kisses down my neck. I gasp beneath him as he pulls pleasure from me with his fingers. I shutter the quicker his fingers move and reach up to try and kiss him but he’s just out of reach. “Just begging for me. Gonna fill you with my Blackwood seed and watch you grow with my child.” he whispers against my lips as he slips his fingers back in me. My fingers dig into his back as my legs start to shake. I pulse around his fingers, whining his name as he kisses across my neck. 

He slips his fingers out and starts to push his length into me. I look at him with hooded eyes as he slowly pushes in. We both pant once he settles inside and I begin to adjust slowly rocking against him. “Fuck, you’re killing me.” he groans and I clench around him. 

“Benji,” I whine and he snaps his hips, stealing my breath. 

“Relax for a second.” he grits out through his teeth digging his fingers into my waist. He slowly starts to move in a slow rhythm pulling small gasps from me. He grinds against me brushing against my bud and my eyes roll to the back of my head. He continues the movement and I feel my pleasure building quickly. He curses into my neck as I fall apart around him. “Gods you’re so sensitive.” he kisses across my chest. He starts to move his hips faster and he captures one of my nipples into his mouth. 

“Please, yes,” I whine as his teeth tease the hardened bud. My legs lock around his waist and he groans against me before moving back up to bite and suck across my neck. “I’m gunna,” my voice cracks as pleasure slams through me and I cling against him.

“Fuck,” he groans almost collapsing on top of me. He rests his forehead against mine as he slowly starts to push into me. “Doing so good for me.” he pants and I mumble something inaudible. He starts to move his hips faster and my eyes screw shut as I focus on the feeling. “This what you like?” he chuckles, snapping his hips into mine. 

“Yes, Benji,” I moan loudly, pressing my chest into his. I come undone as I feel him spill inside of me. He keeps moving his hips and I gasp feeling the warmth between my legs. 

“Taking everything I give you.” he grunts, slowly rocking his hips into mine. “You like being so full of me?” I nod my head beneath him. He keeps rocking his hips into me until he hardens once more. I tremble below him as he presses himself into me again and again. 

“Benji,” his name is the only thing that comes from my mouth as his fingers swipe against my bud. I pulse around him feeling our pleasure between us. 

“Just begging for me to fill you up again.” he grunts and I feel him twitch inside of me and I come undone with a high pitched cry as he fills me once more. He pulls out and I whine at the sudden loss. “It’s just leaking out of you.” he chuckles, lifting my hips up. His fingers push our pleasure back into me and I grab his wrist. 

“Benji, I can’t,” I shake my head digging my nails into his skin as he pushes his seed back into me. 

“Just making sure it sticks.” he presses his lips to my thigh and removes his hands. “You did so good for me, my perfect wife.” he hums and I try to slow my panting as I look up at him. He lays us back on the bed and I cling against him listening to his heartbeat as I drift off to bed. 

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masterlist 🔌 

not soft and dreamy benji has me in a chokehold atm

taglist ✍️

@clarityisnofun @gabriella-aesthetic @callsignwidow @llynx7 @violetiss3lfish @ka1afbr @akiko-oo @papichulo120627 @lizzylovebooks280501 @thatgirl101blog @1-fuzzy-squirrels @arya-brooke @ashovertheriver @zanygot7straykidsbonk @moonymoo1 @malfoycassimalfoy @april-notthemonth69 @anaviieiraaa @p45510n4f4shi0n @neocockthotology @thereaderwitch @hardkiddonut @faenyra @hiimava11 @daintylittlesunflower @primroseluna @fiction-fanfic-reader @povofjustme @multilover19 @alexxavicry @cedstars @fuckalrighty @mrsmunson-harrington @misspendragonsworld @nz2004

[poisonheiress]

Someone needs to say it: The "Heaven is actually bad" plot line that Hazbin is based around is useless when you spend more then 2 minutes thinking about Vivzie's Hell and her characters.

Besides it being much too early for this idea, the revelation that Heaven or at least the beings running it aren't good people has little to no impact when the people who are being harmed by this are all horrible people. Stay with me here. None of these people are people who were unfairly brought into hell and we are never ever introduced to someone who was either. Why should we care that Heaven is "evil" and blocking redemption when all the sinners in hell we see are the worst of the worst who would have never gotten in even if it was fair.

For the "Heaven is bad" plot line to actually work, you need people who were just one sin away from Heaven, who would've gotten into Heaven if circumstance hadn't forced them down a path that stole it from them. You need characters who aren't comedic villains but land in the middle of morally grey. Those who deserved to be in Heaven but because Heaven refused to consider their circumstances, they were tossed to burn with people much worse than them. Those are the people who should be your main cast cause those are the people who would actually be impacted by Heaven being bad/ Heaven lying.

Angel dust, for all his trauma, was still part of the mafia and likely had killed people before (showing to almost take joy in it). Husk became an overlord and gambled souls, so he had to have had blood on his hands before hell. Alastor is a serial killer, and the list goes on and on. Sure, these characters are (somewhat) interesting, but they don't make for good characters to have when the key plot line is that Heaven is a scam. Even if that fact is true, none of them were ever going to get there in the first place and this is something we also se in every single background sinner shown in Hell too. They were never close to getting there, so why would they or we care that Heaven is bad when all sinners are shown to be horrific people who are at best in the dark grey area of morality.

If you look at it from the "angel's are unfairly killing sinners" route, it still doesn't work. If the angels are killing them, what makes it different then the sinner on sinner violence that hell is full off? Why is them dying by angels this bad thing when they are just as likely if not 10x times more likely to get knifed in the back by other sinners in hell the other 364 days, especially when everyone here apparently is just as horrible as the next person. You cannot condemn the angels for killing demons and then make a joke of out sinners killing each other and never show sinners who doesn't want to kill people. Life either matters or it doesn't and when the main cast doesn't even show a care for life (outside of Charlie's who's entire flaw is her naivety), why should the audience.

On top of that, Vivzie's whole overpopulation aspect and the Heaven plot line would connect better if she actually had people like those I mentioned above, people who stole to survive but got tossed out cause stealing is technically wrong, people who killed another to protect someone else but were still sent to hell because even though they saved that person's life that person wasn't supposed to be saved, people who passively engaged in sins but never really did anything harmful under them. This would add into how Hell is so overpopulated and highlight why its so important that Heaven is evil/ why Charlie's plan isn't just a naive pathetic fever dream.

In the end, Vivzie should have never made Heaven the central plot of this show nor tried to assign this blatant good vs evil to that conflict. Neither her characters nor her writing choices are able to respond to this conflict in a way that will end or even tell the story in a satisfactory manner.

[spectralreplica]

But do you think the plan will work?

Oumota: tarot reading edition! I had this idea during Oumota Week and just got around to finishing it now 😔. At first I thought about giving Sun to Kaito and Moon to Kokichi (a la Reversed Sun by grayimperia), but I think it works better to have them both in each card, to highlight the parallels. (If you want more explanation of my design thoughts, I'll put it under a cut at the end.)

General tarot meanings:

The Sun: happiness, confidence, success, optimism, innocence/childhood, inspiring others, internal motivation, truth

The Moon: illusion, imagination, uncertainty, secrets, confusion, intuition/the subconscious, fears influencing you, insecurity

The Star: hope, regaining inspiration, renewal, healing, moving on, new purpose, calm after the storm (Reversed Star: despair, lack of faith, pessimism, boredom, anxiety, being overwhelmed by past problems)

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I feel like while Kaito is naturally more Sun coded and Kokichi more Moon coded, they have some qualities of both cards. And Star vs Reversed Star is so temping to bring in for DR.

I was thinking of it as a past, present, future kind of reading, but also maybe situation, action, outcome. Starting out with high self confidence and some childish black and white thinking. (Maybe a little over confident and childish to the point of egotism and inflexibility, shades of reversed sun...). Covering for insecurities by projecting a fake persona to everyone around, doubling down on the lies and self-deception a la chapter 5. Finally, either coming through everything stronger, with renewed hope, or else crashing and burning, overwhelmed by unacknowledged issues that have built up.

.

As for the specific imagery...

Sun: I stuck pretty close to the traditional imagery here. The flag/banner has their respective prints on it, and I put Kaito on Mars while Kokichi remains on Earth. It's also sundown or sunset for Kokichi; is he moving towards the Moon or away? The horse is obv. very chess piece inspired. Kokichi gets his King Horse a la the mask on his bed, and I gave Kaito a pegasus because flying.

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Moon: Moving a little bit away from traditional imagery as more of the canon situation seeps in, but still pretty close. The moon floats "outside" the cage, wearing their respective false faces. (We know from the ending that the skyline on those glass panels isn't real...) They both have an Exisal in the background in place of one of the towers, but Kaito has a bamboo grove a la Princess Kaguya; Kaguya came from the moon and she will go back, no matter how much people on Earth love her. Kokichi has one of the racks that sits beside shrines where you're supposed to tie bad/unlucky omikuji (paper fortunes) so that the bad luck doesn't follow you; living in purposeful denial of bad things, but they lurk there on the horizon.

They both still have at least one dog/wolf, but I gave Kokichi a fox because of their association with being tricksters. Also, wolves and foxes, as predators, are framed as villains in stories, but at the same time it's also not uncommon to see them as heroes (stereotype of predator/hunter vs stereotype of bravery/nobility and cleverness). Also, contrast of fox and hound, like the clash of Kokichi presenting himself as childish + annoying vs a genuine threat. Kaito has the dog, monkey, and pheasant that accompanied Momotaro, continuing his fairytale theme.

Everyone seems to argue over what the crawfish means in the original, but I went with the interpretation of moving from water to land, evolution, things coming to the surface. So, Kaito has a koi. I think most people know about the "koi climbs a waterfall and becomes a dragon" thing because of Magikarp, but here it is again just in case! Kaito's got an aquatic creature struggling against its nature in hopes of someday actually transforming into something grander. Kokichi has a poison dart frog. Already amphibious, so it can go between water and land freely, but visibly harmful to anyone who tries to get close.

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Star: The least traditional imagery and the most V3 canon imagery. There's still a tree, but it's a pine tree. ...I dunno, no explanation for that, it just looked nice 🤷‍♀️The two jugs are replaced with the poison and antidote bottles. Originally, they're supposed to represent the conscious and subconscious and pour in two different places, but here they're mixing together directly. V3 resolves the "truth vs lies" theme by arguing you have to accept ambiguity. Also, Kaito and Kokichi's whole plan rests on them managing to work together to obscure exactly who is in the Exisal in the end.

There's a figure in the foreground in Kaito's jacket, but they're just a silhouette (a la the culprit); it's not either of them, it's both, and they're reaching beyond the bounds of the game. The star in the sky is ringed by the trial podiums, since all of their hope for the future rests in derailing the next trial. Can they win? Well, Shuichi and Kiibo are at the top, the two people they (or at least Kokichi...) know can be problems, but Tsumugi is specifically blocked from view, always overlooked...

[candyskiez]

I don't know how to explain why but the Teru vs Mob fight literally would not have been so gutwrenching if they hadn't drawn it like. That. Like. They're so clearly kids. And it's not gorey it's just. Impossible to forget that the violence is horrible and extremely painful for Mob and that this is serious and this isn't a fun game, neither of them are having fun, this isn't a cool anime battle they look like children. Teru is just a kid who's a bully and who's scared that this literal other child isn't acting how he's Supposed to and he doesn't know if he's a threat. And mobs just a kid whos so scared and doesn't want anything bad to happen. You cannot forget at any moment of the fight that nobody is having fun.

It's just hard to watch. It's just two kids having a horrible day because both of their trauma is getting hit in the face and it's awful and seeing ???% isn't cool or a relief its just. Oh, he's freaking out. Oh, he's in. So much pain. Him defeating Teru wasn't exciting or good it just Happened and obviously you're glad Mob survived but it's just so fucking brutal.

And then Teru really romanticizes it, because. It's good. It was a good thing. It was a very good thing. It saved him. This is good. Kageyama is good. This wasn't horrible or traumatic or the worst day of his life. He needs Mob to be Perfect so he can hide from how horrible everything that happened was. He cannot face what he did as something horrible, it's just the events in a story. It was just a Big Anime Fight he lost. It's fine. He learned from it so it was a good thing. He could've died but that's fine. His entire school came apart before his eyes but that's fine. He could've killed someone but that's fine. His entire world view was flipped on its head and he was alone but. That's. Fine. He needs it to be Good. So he pretends it didn't happen usually. He doesn't apologize because that's not how stories go. Even though he had nightmares about what he did. And he massively romanticizes Mob's powers because he NEEDS to. It's the only way he can make that fight not "we could've killed each other". He absolutely cannot see Mob as anything other than Incredible and Wonderful or his entire world view and self image fall apart. Again. He like duck taped them back together.

But in confession arc he looks at what's happening and how everyone is so horribly affected and terrified and he finally admits to himself: I am terrified. This is terrifying. This is a painful, horrible situation. I don't feel good. He's not the main character. All of this is awful and I hate it and everyone hates it and he probably does too.

I could've died. He could've died. That was horrible. That day was horrible.

And by admitting to himself, that day was horrible he can actually HELP mob. Because he can admit that Mob was crying, not because he's a wonderful saint who wanted to save him but because that was a horrible experience! All of that was horrible! They both just had probably the worst day of their lives up until that point! (Except for the Ritsu incident) And he was crying. And he sees that Mob was alone too. Mob was MISERABLE. His powers terrified him. Mob wasn't gifted, none of them are, it's not a story, it's real life and Mob was a person with flaws. And he can admit this all really happened, and it was bad. I need to take this seriously. This is maybe the first time in his life he's ever let himself understand the gravity of a situation. But he saves everyone. He protects everyone.

And he couldn't stop Mob. But he could be there. He could scream at him I AM HERE, I CARE, WE CARE, YOU CAN COME BACK FROM THIS until maybe something worked. Maybe it wouldn't. Maybe he was going to die. Because this is a horrible situation.

But he can tell Mob not to underestimate him. That he wasn't being weak. He just didn't want to hurt him. He just cares about him. And he's sorry, he's so fucking sorry for everything he did, and he will NOT do it again, no matter what. And he wants to be better. And he gets it now. They're both just people. They're equals.

By the way all of this started because I saw an screenshot with a joke edited in and remembered how fucking horrifying it was to watch Mob get strangled. Anyway. Goodbye now. I think about these two every second

[shadowed-dancer]

Villains and Their Fates - A Tragedy Would Have Been Fine By Me

I've seen a lot of people who try to write off frustration with the league's fates by saying "you just wanted them to survive" or "you're just upset your favourite character died". And while that may be true for a few people, I know that it's at least not true for myself (which must mean there are others who feel the same way). So today I'm here to share my thoughts. Despite liking the villains and wanting them to be redeemed, I was also willing to accept a well written ending if they died. I just wanted to ramble a bit about the three main villains (mostly Toga) and how I felt a tragic ending could have been improved.

The only villain I felt should have lived is Dabi, but that's more because of the awkwardness his unconfirmed death caused for Shoto (read this beautifully written analysis for more). If Dabi had to die, he should have died on the battle field OR in the hospital surrounded by family where he gets a few last words in. Leaving his fate unconfirmed leads to the ruined Shoto arc, but is also just weird for a character who has existed for so long. You're telling me that even Overhaul gets a confirmed ending but DABI doesn't?

I've also talked a bit about how Endeavor's survival ruins the subplot, and in 426 he continues by making Touya's final appearance about him (rather than the two brothers) but that's something I've talked about too much. If Endeavor has to be alive and hogging screen time, the least Hori could do is imply Touya will survive rather than die, so at least Enji isn't literally stealing time from his other family members to have some interaction with Touya.

If Touya has to end up in that machine, an ideal ending would have been the doctor saying "it will be a gruelling and near-impossible uphill climb to recovery" and then Shoto can smile and say "he's done it before". Boom. Simple as that. Leave it open, but at least on a positive note so we can assume that the family will have plenty of time to reconcile, as opposed to an unknown (but limited) amount of time that Enji vows to use to talk to him (yeah I know it's supposed to be a sweet gesture but even Touya calls bullshit on it). Let Shoto and Touya eat their soba, damn it!

For Shigaraki, my grievances extend to the writing of the entire final battle between him and Deku. As such, I don't have much to say aside from that because it really is just a product of poor writing. Neither were really allowed to talk before the big moment (hell, the vestiges were narrating Deku's emotions half the time like "he must be upset, this quirk meant so much to him". Why not let him tell us???) and the back-and-forth of Shigaraki being destroyed and then not only to be destroyed again was too much. It felt sloppy and hard to follow, and once you figured it out it just felt dumb. It's as if each chapter needed some massive reveal, but the story had done it so much at this point that it just felt tired and like it was happening "because Hori said so", and that should never be what drives a story.

Speaking of "because Hori said so"...

Oh Toga. Out of all the villains, I actually liked her confrontation the most. (Lies. If Dabi vs Shoto was the end of Dabi's fight, THAT would have been the best. But the Endeavor fight ruins it). Despite having limited screen time, Toga and Uraraka had a surprisingly well-built dynamic. Their few interactions were actually meaningful and created a strong foundation for a fight, and at the very least they had more of a personal connection than Deku and Shigaraki ever did. I think that Toga giving her blood to someone she loves (as opposed to drinking/taking their blood like she had said the whole series) is a beautifully tragic end to her character, but still something that could have fit.

To me, the problem comes with how she died. Let me replay the scene for you: Toga stabs Uraraka in the stomach and Uraraka bleeds too much because she keeps moving around. Toga then realizes she doesn't want Uraraka to die. To save her life, Toga has to do a blood transfusion with herself as a donor and she dies because she has to give ALL her blood.

Now... sure. Ok. Fine. Yeah. Maybe by real-world logic this makes sense. I guess. Whatever. But within the world of MHA, this setup is laughable.

Here's a list of things characters survived (or at least, they survived LONG ENOUGH to get to a hospital rather than dying on the battlefield): Deku shattering his bones with 1 million percent, whatever happened to Best Jeanist when AFO attacked him, Nighteye getting a massive spike through the torso, All Might with "his entrails strewn across the ground", Bakugo becoming Swiss cheese, Grand Torino being punched so hard a crater forms beneath him, Touya being a literal flaming skeleton, Bakugo's heart exploding, Edgeshot becoming a worm. Mirko getting a limb ripped off and then running full speed at Shigaraki. That's just off the top of my head, I know there's probably more.

But you want to tell me that Uraraka getting stabbed and then moving was a fatal wound that required ALL TOGA'S BLOOD? ALL OF IT? The reason Toga's death bothers me is that the setup cheapens the actual moment of sacrifice. It feels preventable, so when she tells us that Uraraka is going to die without her blood, all I could do is roll my eyes because I'm not allowed to use critical thinking skills, I have to just accept what Hori says and take it at face value.

If the author wants you to live as Edgeworm despite saying you were gonna die, you can. But if the author needs a stab wound to be fatal and require ALL of someone's blood? Well tough luck bud, that's just how it goes. Mirko can run and move all she wants after having a limb ripped off, but moving a bit after one stab wound is fatal. Why? Because I say so.

If Uraraka's wound was actually serious then this ending would have been a beautiful tragedy. But as it stands now, the ridiculousness of her wound makes it all feel preventable.

Oh, there's also the fact that Toga switching blood types when she transforms was never established, but I've rambled enough.

That's it. Thanks for reading!

[marlynnofmany]

Stranger in Need

Inspired by this post from @banrionceallach, which wonders about healthcare and the human vs alien approaches to certain things in the spacefuture. Here's one answer to one facet of that question.

~~~

The space station was a noisy one, or maybe it was just the food court. Hard to have eating areas for a dozen species without a certain level of background sound. I was ready to move on, though. I waved to a few crewmates who were still hanging around the tables, then picked a route toward the entertainment stores. While the large concourses might have been faster, and the floating walkways cooler (they went through holes in the wall!), the small hallway with nature murals looked peaceful.

I admired the paintings of otherworldly hills, all orange and purple, with a glittery starscape on the ceiling. The hubbub faded behind me while the hallway curved ahead. Unfortunately, that sound was replaced by a new one: someone coughing violently.

I edged to the side so I could peek around the corner while keeping my distance in case there was contagion about. That was a lot of throat clearing between the coughs.

When the sitting area came into view, with its potted alien plants and multiple benches, I stopped worrying about my own safety. A fellow human was leaning against one of the benches, coughing with everything he had. His clothes were nice, like he was on his way to a job interview, and they were covered in sweat, like he’d been running to get there on time. A bag of belongings had spilled at his feet. The broken shards of plastic with a metal bit at the center had once been an inhaler.

There were also two tall aliens standing nearby, the long-necked type that I hardly ever saw, with short beaky faces and skin textured like a turkey neck. They were facing each other and ignoring the human who was struggling to breathe.

I ignored them right back and hurried over to the guy. “Hey, do you need help?”

He grimaced, but nodded. An attempt at explaining turned into more coughs. He pointed at the inhaler and pantomimed a heavy footstep.

I thought back to the size of certain people at the food court. They could easily have stepped hard enough to crack the casing and not noticed. “I don’t suppose you have a spare in here?” I asked, gesturing toward the bag.

When he shook his head, it was my turn to grimace. I wondered if he was fresh from Earth, where human-specific medicine was available at every corner medcenter. The inhaler could be hard to replace out here. At least we weren’t out on the edge of nowhere; the medcenters here should be familiar with human biology.

I told him, “We need to get you to a medcenter.” Then I paused. “Do you know where it is?”

He did not. Dang. I looked over at the two turkey-neck aliens who were having a staring contest or something. “Hey, do you guys know the way to the medical center?”

The closest one turned his head to face me without moving the rest of his body. “Do you mind? We’re in the middle of something here.”

“This person could die!” I snapped.

With a shrug in his voice, he said, “It’s your child, not ours.”

“He’s not my child!” I exclaimed. “He might even be older than me.”

“Then why do you care?”

I stared at the pair of them for a long second: their vaguely irritated expressions and the way they hadn’t moved an inch to help. I made an exasperated noise and gave them up as a lost cause. The guy was still coughing, trying to force air in and out of airways that were swelling shut.

“Lemme see if I can find a map on the public feed,” I said, pulling out my phone. “Oh hey, don’t bother; I’ll get it.” He’d bent to scoop up the fallen belongings, and almost passed out headfirst. With the phone in one hand, I ushered him onto a bench then nudged the pile together with a foot while I searched madly on my phone. “Argh, why don’t they have it up front? This is terribly designed. Are you gonna be able to walk?”

He nodded, but he was starting to list to the side with a glazed expression. I considered trying to carry him, and didn’t like my odds. Had there been other humans nearby in the food court? Somebody likely to help?

I shoved my phone back into my pocket and turned to sprint down the hall. I’d only made it a few steps before a welcome sight rounded the corner: not humans, but two of my biggest crewmates.

“What’s happening?” Blip asked, a vision of muscles and flowing silks that blended with her natural frills.

Beside her, Blop turned a fish-faced frown on the ailing human. “That doesn’t sound good.” His silks were even frillier than his sister’s, and the pair of them filled the hallway. Just what I needed.

“He can’t breathe,” I told them. “The tool for his medicine broke. Do you know where the medcenter is?”

“I’ll carry him,” they both said, Blip slightly faster.

“I’ve got the bag,” Blop added, diving to gather it up with a dismissive flap of his frills at the two turkey-necks. “Of course they’re no help.”

“Why would we?” asked the farther one, sounding honestly curious.

Blip announced, “Lift and be lifted,” then did exactly that. The adult human looked small in her arms.

Blop bounced to his feet with the bag zipped shut. “I’ll clear the way!”

The pair dashed off down the hallway with me running after. The turkey-necks didn’t move, though one of them muttered something about herd creatures.

As I ran, I thought, I’ve never seen more than one of those long-necked guys at a time before. Guess they’re a solitary species. They’re missing out.

We burst out of the hallway into a crowd that parted like a spaceship fleet in the path of a wild asteroid. Blop yelled for directions, and people of many species pointed the way.

I followed along, glad not to be the weird one for once.

~~~

These are the ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book.

Shared early on Patreon! There’s even a free tier to get them on the same day as the rest of the world.

The sequel novel is in progress (and will include characters from these stories. I hadn’t thought all of them up when I wrote the first book, but they’re too much fun to leave out of the second).

[dreamsinmoonlight]

Dude, you could do a fic where the reader goes looking for Yandere Alastor at the end of the battle with Adam (where is he mad? Insane?... You know in the last ep)... The reader was worried about Alastor, but found him At the worst moment, maybe Alastor will collapse and go crazy... Maybe because he saw that the reader is also hurt? Or there is a revelation for him where he discovers that he is in love with the reader...

It's up to you, I just want to see a fanfic about it!!

(Here we go, I was thinking a lot about this one because honestly I love me a good old fashion insanity moment because of invocation of the "berserk button is hurting that person" trope. Mmmmm~

Modifying it a little just because I lean into the going insane because someone you care about is hurt (also I have another ask involving finding Alastor after the battle). So instead of being when he gets to the radio tower...

How about we rewind and let it be, oh, during the battle? Hehehe~

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel

Characters: yandere!Alastor, reader, Adam

Pairing: Alastor x reader

Genre:

Summary: The fight is raging but all you can think about is one very dangerous deer....)

Reckless Abandon

Hazbin Hotel was not falling without a fight, not if the residents and their friends had anything to say about it.

There were exterminators everywhere, angels everywhere and anywhere you looked. It felt, to you, as if the sky itself was falling, was being torn asunder, and though you knew that there was a shield, a barrier you believed in more than you believed in anything else, still something in the depths of your gut couldn't help but worry.

Someone screamed your name and you narrowly avoided a sword coming at you from the side, the mad flickering face of the angel who had tried to kill you so close you could almost make out each pixel in the mask they wore. By instinct you struck out and punched them, though some part of your brain understood it would likely do little; still they didn't seem to expect it from you and it connected, throwing them for a loop and to the ground for a moment.

"Good job toots!" Angel called out with one of those friendly grins of his that you could never help but return; he leveled his tommy guns and continued to shoot away, trying to bring down as many of the flying monsters as he could.

"Thanks Angel!" you called back and looked around; Charlie, Vaggie, Husk, Cherri Bomb, Sir Pentious, even Nifty was running around stabbing admittedly already downed angels. But everyone was doing their best, fighting and honestly there seemed almost to be a chance, a small possibility, they could survive this. You could survive this.

You never meant to die and come to Hell, but no one ever did. Still in the years you'd been there you'd only ever felt actually happy at the hotel; Charlie was such a good kind person and Vaggie's devotion to her was heartwarming. It was never boring, never uneventful, and never anything less than a trip from the very day you came to their door, looking for a place to stay to get away from the far worse denizens than yourself. And somewhere deep down you'd admit, only to yourself, that what made you feel the happiest was the presence of one demon in particular.

You glanced up as you thought about him and almost immediately wished you hadn't. That shield that you believed so in, you saw with your own eyes it crack, you saw it break, and you saw the figure of the scariest of them all: Adam. He'd broken it down, he'd broken...

"Alastor's shield," you whispered, as the others saw it too, as it dawned on them what happened.

He was supposed to be able to keep it up, give them enough time to thin the herd more. No one expected Adam to be so powerful to be able to break something created by the Radio Demon, the Radio Demon. Alastor stood up to Lucifer, to the Vs, to other Overlords, he was the monster in the dark, the grinning Cheshire Deer Cat of Terror, and Adam had punched one of his barriers into nothingness as easily as he could have been punching a marshmallow.

That feeling of worry returned and it tasted of blood. You licked your lips and looked around. The others were worried too but all recovered, getting back to work, not letting this stop them. You tried to do the same, to remember the plan: if the shield went down then Alastor would take out Adam, keep him out of the fight largely so you all could handle the exterminator angels better. He was the most powerful of you, the most dangerous, the most vicious, he could handle this, he could do this, he...

He....

You looked towards the roof of the hotel, towards where you knew that cannibal Overlord was, where Adam had touched down and was now fighting him.

He was....he was too important. To you at least. You ripped a sword from a dead angel nearby and used it to cut through any other that got between you and the entryway to the hotel. You knew you were being stupid and reckless and silly because this was Alastor you were thinking about after all. But still, still, that bloody taste of worry had you and you couldn't get it to go away no matter how much you swallowed.

By the time you reached the roof things had reached a major head. Tentacles, shadows, a split second in which maybe, just maybe this would go better than the dread inside you predicted. But that colossal angelic asshole known as the First Man just had to be a dick and you stepped out in time to see him attack Alastor, breaking his staff and the confusion that filled you was matched by the unfiltered sound of the Radio Demon's voice. "What just happened?....Fuck."

"Alastor!" you called out and moved to try to get over to him.

What could you do? You were just a sinner, another of the souls trapped in Hell, prey to the angels, prey to the Overlords, prey to everyone. You weren't anything special, anything important, just another person who failed to be good in their mortal life and ended up down here instead. This was the greatest demon you knew and the most dangerous angel you knew of, and you, you were nothing.

But seeing Adam slash at Alastor, the Radio Demon go flying, be hurt, you narrowed your eyes and gripping tight the angel blade you'd stolen, you snarled with an intensity you weren't used to, an aggression you didn't know from within you. He stepped closer to Alastor, smirking, gloating, and not paying any mind as you came at him from the side, moving swift and deadly.

The blade dug in deep and the blood came a golden hue that should have beautiful if not coming from him. The grunt that came from Adam was less pain and more annoyance and he looked down at you like he might an ant. "What the hell bitch, you really want to fucking die first? Cuz I can totally do that for you."

For someone so big he moved quick. And his hand gripped around your throat tight, cutting off air and circulation very quick. Sinners shouldn't need to breathe, that was stupid, but you knew this sensation, you knew the feeling of choking and as he lifted you off your feet you struggled, let go of the sword to claw at his hands, to try to free yourself. His mask showed no more mercy than his troops did, the cruelty and sadism of beings who didn't even deign to show their faces when they came down to kill you; you reached out, wanting to at least see if you remove it, maybe scratch out his dumb eyes before he kills you. Give Alastor the time to get something done, to recover. At least you'd stopped this monster from hurting him.

Blood rushing through your ears as consciousness started to wane, you could have almost sworn you heard a chuckle, dark and familiar even without it's filter. Good. He was okay....

Adam was seconds from snapping your neck when a shadow tentacle lurched out and pierced his arm, forcing him to drop you. Already out like a light you fell limply but were caught by Alastor's own shadow that carefully held you in it's arms before returning to his side. The Radio Demon chuckled still, through the blood, through the pain, through the madness threatening to come forth as his form started to twist and deform, taking on his more demonic state.

"Have to disagree with you there," he hissed and smiled, feeling the changes, feeling the crawling of the Winter under his skin, the creature hungry, always hungry, and the chain that held him in place; the shadow moved to cover both of you as he continued, "Radio's not dead, but it is ending this broadcast."

Adam laughed through his own pain as the two of you were teleported away to safety and Alastor groaned as you reappeared elsewhere, hand over the gaping wound on his chest, trying to hold back the madness, the insanity, the Winter. His eyes slipped towards you in the process.

You should have not been up there, you were supposed to be out on the battlefield with all the others, with the fodder and the ones that mattered. You were a fool and an useless pawn, barely entertainment; you were not a monster, you were barely a sinner. You showed up at the hotel looking for sanctuary; you got along with them all and he found your presence....

Not unlikeable. Because you seemed to like him, knowing what he was, knowing who he was. You never treated him as anything less than a terror among demons but it didn't escape his attention how you perked up when he turned his usual gentlemanly facade towards him, as if he could ever be anything but to one of the fairer gender. But you never seemed like the type to try to face Adam knowing it could only be your death and the image of you moving at the much larger angel, sword in your hands, and your expression, it was burned in his chest.

You were not supposed to be there and you were not supposed to anything but something to throw at the angels to distract them, in hopes that Charlie would survive another fight. But the way you called out his name and the way your smile would shine when you looked at him, when he'd pet your head, when he'd tease and torment the other hotel residents, when he made all sorts of silly comments and puns. You, this stupid little sinner who didn't even really belong because what redemption was there for someone who wasn't even really a bad guy? What was your sin?

Alastor realized he didn't even know that one. It never mattered. You never mattered. But now you did.

The realization made his skin crawl more and he started towards the hotel again, arriving back after the battle, to his tower destroyed, to the rubble and debris and his own mind screaming.

He was a monster and he nearly died. He, the great Radio Demon, almost destroyed. For saving his friends. His friends. And then there was you and his mind raced more. No this could not be, no this would not be. The Winter and hunger under his skin crawled more and approaching his equipment he dug sharp claws into the metal, leaving gashes in his wake.

No.

No.

Not him.

But yes. And there you were, still asleep, still hurt; he turned to look at you and saw the bruises on your neck and thought of you clawing at Adam, ready to go down fighting. There because of....

Him.

An emotion he didn't recognize crawled up alongside the hunger and he tilted his head before reaching out with those sharp cruel claws to draw them, all too gently, along your cheek. His smile twitched, his eyes narrowed.

" 'Altruistist Alastor, died for his friends'," he mocked himself, "I'll find a way around this damned deal, just you wait. But tell me little one, what is this emotion I feel creeping up inside me? If you created it I expect you to explain it."

You didn't answer. Of course not. He took you from the shadow and cradled you carefully in his own arms.

Whatever it meant, whatever it was, it made his madness feel both better and worse. The hunger was dispelling a bit but now all he could think about was you.

How strange.

[lilybecca1]

An analysis about "Their feelings becoming one"

So far, this panel still has been a mystery, we still don't know what it's really supposed to mean. Their feelings become one? What feelings? Their love for each other?

Well, as good as that may sound, I don't think that's the case here particularly. In some way, yes, it does symbolize their love for each other, and that doesn't necessarily mean romantic. It's the true, unconditional love for the person that means the whole world to you, who is more important to you than anyone else. At this moment, you can see that realization settle in their eyes as they look at each other. As they realize that the person right in front of them is the one who they'd do anything for.

But let's talk about what "their feelings becoming one" means.

The whole manga basically revolves around their story and how they've grown to accept the sides of the other that they themselves have lacked in the beginning. It began with them, Bakugo's Win to Save, and Midoriya's Save to Win. The story has always revolved around this concept, what it means to be a true hero. Like All Might said, in order to reach their full potential, they have to accept and embrace the other side of the coin too, not just their own ideals on what they believe being a hero is.

“After being a hero for so many years you learn a few things. Striving to be the best, like you, young Bakugou, and caring deeply about people, about rescuing those in trouble, like you, young Midoriya; both of those feelings are necessary in a hero, otherwise they’ll never truly be able to represent justice. That’s why you admire his strength so much, young Midoriya…and I know that’s why you’ve always feared his heart and spirit, young Bakugou. Now that you’ve laid your feelings out on the table, maybe you can understand each other. If you have mutual respect and focus on making one another stronger, I’ve no doubt you’ll become the ultimate heroes, winning and saving people at the same time.” 

That's the real story here, that was the main purpose of the whole manga. It's about their journey on accepting the other's point of view and becoming a true hero. A hero that doesn't only win or save, but both.

In the beginning, Bakugo believed that being a hero is winning at any cost, meanwhile for Izuku, it was about saving at any cost, no matter the outcome. This side of Deku always triggered something inside Bakugo because he never understood why someone would have such a strong desire to help others and save them, even at the cost of his own wellbeing. He thought of it as a weakness, it was something that pissed him off to no end. That was until Deku vs Kacchan 2, when he finally started to see the bigger picture. After having this realization about Deku, and after All Might told him that in order to be the ultimate hero he'd have to accept Izuku's point of view, Bakugo started to focus on saving too, not just winning.

Izuku on the other hand, started off the opposite. He wanted to save and help others more than anything, and to him, it didn't matter coming out as a winner in the end, because to him, saving meant winning. It didn't matter to him what happens to his own body because he always put others over himself. But he always looked up to Kacchan and admired him for his determination to win no matter what, and to him, Kacchan is the image of victory, Kacchan is the embodiment, the symbol of winning. In Izuku's mind, Kacchan always had what he didn't.

His whole view of what winning is supposed to be comes from Kacchan, not All Might. Deku started to view Kacchan as his image of victory at the moment when he saw him stand up to his bullies. And the image of saving is what comes from All Might, as we know from that debut video that Izuku loved.

For Kacchan, his image of winning comes from All Might, but the image of saving has always come from Izuku. Right from that first moment when Deku reached his hand out to him. At first he thought it was pity, but deep down he always knew that it was more than that.

He knew that Izuku's desire to save was stronger than anyone else's, and that's what made him concerned. Because Deku's desire to save was so strong that Katsuki knew he'd go to any lengths to do it. Even if it meant hurting himself in the process.

------

“I’d never admit something like this to your face, but the truth is…when I get riled up and my desire to win surpasses my desire to save someone…without meaning to, I start talking like you. You’re so mean sometimes, and I hate it, but my idea of victory is so tied to the image of you in my head, that in those moments I can’t help but imitate you."

Bakugo wasn't the only one who rejected this side of the other at first. Deku hated it, he used to suppress this desire to win inside of him because he saw that as a weakness too. He knew that saving came first, but upon being riled up, he'd throw that out the window, and he didn't want that. He thought of it as a side of himself that he should reject.

But over time, he has also grown to accept that side of himself, and he started to realize that winning is just as important as saving. His idea of victory is so tied to the image of Kacchan in his head, that he can't help but imitate him whenever he desires to win. Kacchan is the one who gave the Win to Save to Izuku, because the idea of what winning is supposed to look like comes from Kacchan too. Without Kacchan, it wouldn't exist. And without Izuku, Bakugo's Save to Win wouldn't exist either. For Katsuki, the Symbol of Saving is Izuku, and that's why he starts mumbling and analyzing in the last battle. That's why he jumps in knowing that he'll die, because he knew Izuku would do the same.

It has always been them. The story has always been about them, because they complete eachother. They are the two sides of the same coin. Without the other, they wouldnt exist.

Because remember, Izuku's body only moved on its own once he realized it was Kacchan.

And Katsuki's body only moved on its own once he realized that Izuku was in danger.

They are the person that awakens the hero inside of the other. Without the other, they wouldn't be true heroes. They were always meant to be true heroes together, because they push each other to be their best self, and they couldn't reach their full potential without the other.

So I say it again: the story is about the two of them and how they become the ultimate heroes together. The story wouldn't exist without the relationship that they have. THEY give each other the meaning of what it means to be a hero. All Might was always just an ideal, something that planted the dream of being a hero inside their head. But not in their heart. They never needed him, because All Might was their hero, but they were the ones in each others life.

They are two halves, and by embracing the other, they embrace being a true hero as well.

And do they ever become true heroes?

They do, and let me explain it.

This panel right here is very important in more ways than one. I think this panel is meant to symbolize the peak of the entire story, it's meant to symbolize them achieving what they have been working for in the entire manga.

This is the beginning of them being true heroes. Quoting All Might, "both of those feelings are necessary in a hero, otherwise they’ll never truly be able to represent justice". And right at this moment, their feelings become one. This is the moment where they finally embrace both sides of the coin. "Their feelings become one"="Their desire to Save to Win and Win to Save become the desire to Win AND to Save"

It's not Save to Win OR Win to Save anymore. Neither desire is stronger than the other anymore.

Look at Bakugo's panel. Right at that moment when his and Izuku's eyes meet, he realizes that winning isn't as important as it was anymore. He realizes that he desires to save Izuku just as strong as he desires to win. He realizes that winning doesn't mean anything if Izuku isn't there by his side.

And when Izuku sees Kacchan, he realizes that he has to win in order to be able to save him. He has to win this fight, because if he didn't, his world wouldn't have Kacchan in it anymore. He realizes that he has to keep fighting on, for Kacchan. That he has to win so Kacchan can live on in a world where he is safe.

At that moment when their eyes meet, both of their hearts feel that Saving to Win and Winning to Save are equally important.

By embracing the connection that they have, by embracing their other half, the person that completes them, they have finally given eachother the heart of a true hero.

[casino-lights]

King Alistair vs Warden Alistair discourse always seems to resurface, like all of the other character-centric discourse, with each resurgence of the dragon age fandom. fandom veterans are probably tired of this by now, but since a lot of new people are playing origins and the old arguments about players making Bad Choices in this rpg are getting rehashed, here's my two cents on this topic in particular. 

I was watching my girlfriend play through some of the early levels in origins when I suddenly had a lot of thoughts about Alistair and she encouraged me to share them. throughout his introduction and his subsequent role in Ostagar and the Wilds, we see Alistair being quick-witted and snappy with his humor, but also very focused and dutiful. we see him being (mostly) respectful and polite, but also fairly confident and surprisingly authoritative considering his behavior later in the game. Alistair is comfortable here in Ostagar, and he's comfortable as a Warden not only under Duncan's command, but also over these new recruits. he doesn't shy away from his role as a mentor, the one who's supposed to show everyone the ropes and keep them on task and on schedule. he kindly yet firmly puts Jory back on track when he stumbles, he takes charge when he finds out the Tower of Ishal has been overrun, and he displays thorough knowledge of both the plan and the original expectations of what would be found in the tower. he's also knowledgeable about Blights and some Warden history, and he takes it upon himself to inform Duncan of Morrigan and Flemeth instead of just letting the player talk like he does later on.

speaking of that scene, Duncan is a bit firm but not angry or mean when he says he tells Alistair not to focus on the fact that Morrigan and Flemeth are likely apostates. he tells Alistair in no uncertain terms that this is not his concern and he needs to return his attention to the task at hand. this is not dissimilar from the way the player can later tell Alistair that people are taking advantage of him and he needs to make sure he's standing up for himself, but I'll get into this more a bit later.

what I'm trying to get at is that when we meet Alistair, he's a little closer to his hardened self than to the chronically unserious and incompetent manchild that Morrigan, DA2 and Inquisition, and some parts of this fandom treat him as. post-Ostagar, even Alistair himself seems to see himself as some class clown who can't do anything right, and characters like Wynne enable this by treating him like an ACTUAL child. while Alistair is almost certainly young, he has already proven shortly after meeting him that he's not even remotely stupid and he can obviously take care of himself. Duncan refers to the player, Jory, and Daveth as Alistair's "charges," showing that Duncan clearly trusts Alistair with a lot of responsibility and the safety and guidance of three strangers. he is far from stupid, he's far from childish, and he's obviously a layered character.

this has been said countless times before but a big problem in every fandom is the slow reduction of characters to one or two notable traits, and Alistair is no exception. I have a theory as to why. we know Duncan's death affected him deeply, but I don't think that alone explains his sudden switch from respecting the player while continuing to guide them and share responsibility as the senior Warden to almost blindly letting them lead him around and acting like if he led for five minutes they'd all die horrible deaths because he's just that incompetent. I think that during the time the player was unconscious in Flemeth's house, Alistair experienced an offscreen breakdown where he retreated behind desperate attempts at humor and making himself seem dumber and sillier to appear less competent in the hopes that someone else would be in charge so he didn't have to. if you think back to what age he was when he last experienced such a sudden, tumultuous, confusing loss of stability, routine, community, and a father figure - Eamon sending him to the Chantry as a child - you might even consider this to be a form of partial age regression. when we see him outside Flemeth's hut, he pleads with the player to not abandon him because he doesn't know what they should do or where they should go. he hasn't had this lack of direction ever since he was sent to the Chantry because after that, they dictated his life until Duncan recruited him and then the Wardens dictated his life. he's terrified and tired and grieving, and he begs us to make the decisions and help him figure out what to do. 

Morrigan gives him some shit for being quiet and sad, and he snaps at her, but otherwise we don't see a lot of that confidence and willingness to stand up for himself after this. I don't often play a character who is openly mean to any of their companions, so I don't really take any of the more dismissive dialogue options toward Alistair, but he's obviously hiding behind his humor and trying to make himself seem insignificant. in one line he even jokes that he'd hide behind his shield instead of his humor but the player would see him behind it. I think he really does just wish he could hide and grieve on his own and wait for someone else to give him a purpose again, and I think that if we actually saw the process of this breakdown from his more comfortable, confident, capable self into the Alistair we get post-Ostagar and pre-Goldanna, fewer people might be coddling Alistair and enabling this unhealthy coping mechanism. I wish the dialogue options to harden him were a bit kinder, but as we saw, Duncan was willing to tell it to Alistair straight up, and maybe that's the directness he needed from the player too. maybe Alistair needed to be told in no uncertain terms, by someone he respects and trusts, that most people he interacts with have some kind of ulterior motive and he needs to be more aware of this and stand up for himself and his beliefs. once he understands this, we can see him shift from reluctantly taking on the role of king because you and Eamon think it would be best to taking on the role of king because he understands it would be best.

bioware basically canonized this firmer, more responsible version of Alistair in their comics and even during some parts of Inquisition. we know King Alistair is their canon, but even though he shows some uncertainty about his ability to be King, we don't see any unwillingness. yet bioware also made the unfathomable decision to simultaneously show Alistair being a confident, capable king and then immediately fuck that growth up by having him look like a bumbling idiot who still doodles on royal documents at the fair age of thirty-something and still doesn't know how dictating a letter works after ten years of ruling Ferelden. they somehow invalidated both of his paths in origins at the same time, and perhaps most frustratingly, they just won't let go of the "swooping is bad" style of writing for him. let him grow. let him be as competent and brave and determined as he is in your comics. his progress has been so inconsistent it's painful.

if it wasn't already obvious, I think the best path for Alistair as a character is to harden him and make him king. he just doesn't get to prove himself as a Warden as much as he does when he's king. he's mostly alone, he doesn't seem to have a great rapport with other Wardens outside of his renown as one of the heroes of the Blight, and he just acts tangibly sadder. this could be because of the fake Calling, sure, but if he was still joking around with us during an actual Blight, I don't see why this event would have him this drained of personality and life, especially because he knows that this is not the real Calling. his line when he's left in the Fade - "tell Morrigan... tell her I just stood there looking foolish" - is another testament to the fact that he has not grown at all from his self-deprecating humor and he still hasn't come to see himself as capable and worthy of respect. we don't get to see enough of him as king, but from what little we get he seems to be wielding his power and authority well, and he's an incredibly well-respected and well-loved king. especially with Anora or a Cousland queen at his side, he's brave, commanding, and - just like he was back in Ostagar - he seems COMFORTABLE. he knows what he's doing, he sees his worth and accepts it, and he's more than willing to be firm and tell Fiona in no uncertain terms that Ferelden will not tolerate the events in Redcliffe. he's taking command and he's leading and protecting his charges, even though they're a lot more than just three Warden recruits this time. 

on a personal note, as someone who has dealt with mental health challenges, tough love from someone I respect and trust actually really helped me and I wouldn't be where I am without the occasional "you need to snap out of it." I'm not saying it's best for all scenarios, but I have experienced this firsthand. Alistair hiding from his responsibilities because they're overwhelming and he's terrified does resonate with me, but so does him actually healing a bit more and becoming more confident when someone shows him that they know he's better than this and he just needs to act like it. 

lastly, I think it's important to clarify that I don't believe anyone is playing any rpg the Wrong Way, regardless of what bioware made canon in their comics and other external media. I also think it's stupid to try and say ANY choice or route is inherently right or wrong, and every player is entitled to their opinion and preference. choices made in role playing games are usually done for the sake of playing a role, immersing oneself, and/or exploring the game's full library of content. as I said, I personally find hardened King Alistair with Queen Cousland to be the most satisfying version of his character arc, but I don't mean any of this to shame anyone if they choose or believe otherwise. no hate is intended, so don't purposefully misunderstand or misinterpret my words. no offense is intended if you just prefer one of Alistair's storylines or character arcs over the other. full offense is intended if you're the kind of person who bullies, shades, or otherwise belittles people who don't agree with your super special headcanons because you need to be the most correct player in the fandom.

thanks to everyone who isn't one of those people for reading all this <3

[grison-in-space]

Stupidest of stupid questions: So humans are trichromatic, right? We basically have RGB eyes. How inefficient would it be to have CMYK eyes? Is it even possible?

You could absolutely do CMY eyes, but the K (being black) is a little more difficult because black isn't a wavelength of light so much as the absence of light. I suppose you could call the K your rods, which are best used in low light and convey things like "shadows" and "movement" particularly effectively. As a human, the most sensitive part of your retina, the part you're using when you directly look at things, is called the fovea. It is PACKED with cones, which are good for color and also tight spatial resolution; rods are found outside along the periphery of both the retinal and visual field. So we're just going to set the K aside now and think about those cones.

Honestly, tetrachromat eyes are technically pretty easy to achieve: all you need is four versions of cone-rhodopsin genes getting translated into different kinds of cone-rhodopsin cells in your retina. Old World primates evolved our trichromat eyes from dichromat mammalian ancestors exactly this way: with a gene duplication in one core cone-rhodopsin gene that allowed one of the copies to accumulate mutations until a sufficiently divergent copy fixed in the population.

So to have CMY eyes, you'd need three cone-rhodopsins with different wavelength sensitivities: one that is most sensitive to cerulean, one most sensitive to maroon, and one most sensitive to yellow. You might or might not have better color resolution than a regular old RGB human, though: color resolution is partly a function of the sensory information hitting your retinas, but it's also partly a function of how much brain space you dedicate to processing that information.

I mentioned my blind cat Arthur the other day--here's a photo:

Arthur is what we call cortically blind. As a kitten, he had an intact pupillary reflex and could probably see light vs dark, but he also had severe nystagmus, so his pupils jittered uncontrollably all the time and he probably didn't get a whole lot of useful visual input. Without the visual experience of seeing things and learning how to organize and process visual information, his brain as he developed went "you know what? fuck this" and stopped dedicating any processing power to whatever visual input he was getting.

Basically, he lost visual acuity because the information he was able to pipe to his brain was fragmented and poor-quality enough that his brain stopped bothering to process it. If I pulled his current eyeballs out and magically hooked up new totally functional ones, he wouldn't be able to do anything with them: his brain has given up sorting out the information.

So the question of whether theoretical CMY humans could distinguish colors better than RGB humans is driven by two things: one, whether having two highly-overlapping cones helps you distinguish between slightly variant light types better than very different cones, and two, whether we're extending the total visual range by moving the cones at the external ends of the range (B and R) farther apart. Overlapping but unique sensory information can be really helpful for localizing and distinguishing similar-but-not-identical inputs--that's one of the reasons owls are good at localizing quiet noises, actually, their ears are wildly asymmetrical and they can computer where a noise is made based on how loudly it can be heard with each ear, especially if the owl is on the move as it listens. Like the Doppler effect, but faster with a lot more processing power on it.

I have no idea which would be more effective, but it's a fun thing to think about!