#while also hating himself for being guilty of the same crime

[plant-akki]

NakaGeno Week 2024

Day 3 - Chapter 49 / Regret

Moving on doesn't necessarily mean the new people in his life won't move on from him too

He realizes that now.

[couldeatthatgirlforlunch]

A Day in Life

Synopsis: A day in the life of Jason Todd. Also, he's a househusband now. Oh, and a little plot twist.

Pairing: Househusband!Jason Todd X Gn!Reader; Platonic!Batfam

Tw: Canon level angst for Jason; Some sexual innuendos; Writer apparently doesn't know how to finish a story anymore; This is pretty slice-of-life so maybe boring?; English is not my first language.

Word count: 3,8k

Requested? No.

General masterlist | A Day in Life - Series masterlist

Wake up, make out, get up. First steps of your everyday routine. Sometimes making out turns into something more, but not today.

From his past life, as Robin, Jason learned a lot about discipline. As much as he tried to forget everything and everyone from his past before you, some habits die hard, although with time, with you and with therapy, he accepted that not all of his experience was bad or should be thrown away just because of one sociopathic clown who hurt him. Yes, Jason died, came back angry and did a lot of shit. But he was still alive and this could be a second chance.

While you, his darling spouse, get ready for work, Jason gets up, puts on his apron, fills the dog bowl for Daphne — your little brown dachshund that you adopted together four months after getting married —, opens the doors to the garden, so the dog can do whatever, and finally starts making breakfast and lunch. Breakfast so you two can eat together and lunch for you to eat at work. Sometimes you both meet up and eat together at your office or a restaurant. Today, that's not the case.

Simple yogurt with fresh fruits and nuts, coupled with a slice of chocolate cake he baked the day prior, eggs, toast and coffee for breakfast. As for your lunch box, a natural sandwich, salad, fruits and juice. He also fills up your two liter water bottle, so you feel pressured have no excuse but to stay hydrated.

Food. Until he was 12 his relationship with food was complicated, to stay the least. At first, his beloved but troubled mom would be in no condition to cook him three or more nice and fulfilling meals a day for a growing boy, he either had to learn and make do with quick instant food, eggs and old bread, or starve, since money was something he only saw when it was being handled to her drug dealer. His father was even worse. Jason loved his mom. Still suffers for her. He hated his father who was the one making her addiction worse. He’s still happy he died.

Living on the streets, food was a dream. A bad dream. It either came from trash or he had to do things that made him feel humiliated and guilty just to get some. And it was gone in a flash, he was so hungry he devoured it all in a second, and then his belly hurt.

Then he came. Jason loved his new father. Loved his new grandfather. Loved their food. So healthy, abundant and full of taste. So fun to prepare. He learned a lot from Alfred because he loved to spend time with him, play with the ingredients and make everyone and himself happy with the results.

But then he had those memories wiped out of his mind, (un)fortunately they came back, but at that time food was in the back of his mind. Sure, he didn't have to worry about starving, crime paid more than enough for that, but he didn't put much thought into any of it.

Now, with you, he's making new memories with food. He cooked and baked a lot with you and for you throughout all your relationship, and you did the same for him. He loves his kitchen, just like the rest of your house. The pantry and fridge are always full thanks to you. You take good care of him. You make his trust in you be worth it. And he reciprocates it. Healthy and nice food that brings comfort and makes you roll your eyes. Especially after he started frequenting cooking classes as a hobby, again, thanks to you.

After you are gone with a full belly and a pet in the ass (just like him, honestly), he continues his routine. He changes clothes and goes to the gym. Jason never stopped exercising, but the lack of all the activity vigilantism entails and with all the treats you two have, he started getting more soft. You loved it, he hated it. — Okay he didn't hate it, he just wasn't the most happy with it. Roy thought it was kinda funny, until Jason pointed out he also got softer after Lian. You honestly couldn't see why all that softness they were talking about was so bad since they were still very muscular and defined, just less dry and more snuggly. You honestly thought your Jaybird could go even further. — So the addiction of yoga to his routine happened.

After that, he goes straight home, eats, showers, takes care of his appearance to keep looking like a proper hubby that you can shove on your bitter frenemies faces, and makes sure to keep the maintenance of the house, so you can come back tired from work and enjoy a perfect house to rest on.

Hygiene. Another things that was complicated with his biological family. His father wouldn't touch a single plate or broom, and would beat and scream at his mom if she didn't put her high (again, because of him) ass up and did the labor. Most often than not, their house was messy, had a bad smell that his little nose was so used to that it's not like he minded, and had insects around. His clothes were dirty hand-me-downs, some fit him, some didn't, a lot of them had holes. His hair tangled and itchy.

When he went to the streets, it just got worse.

Bruce and Alfred fixed that. He finally learned what stink was because he only knew good and neutral scents. His clothes fit him. Everything around him was clean and well-kept. No holes, no stains. Hair always trimmed, soft and clean. Well maintained.

When he came back, cleanliness was basic. Of course he is gonna keep everything around him clean. Habit and common sense, you know? Clothes his size because why the hell would he use hand-me-downs when he can just buy his own? And they had to be the right size for his new 6’2 and almost 200 lbs body. Hair? Whatever. Always washed but as long as it didn't look ridiculous he didn't have time to put much thought on his appearance. He was genuinely surprised you were attracted to him at first sight.

Being with you, he learned to enjoy the little things in life again. Sometimes he finds himself unmoving in front of a random room of the house, or in front of the mirror, trying to grasp if it's all real, If this is really his life, if that's how he looks. His mind flashes memories of his childhood home and his current home. He ignores the memories of the manor not only because of the betrayal he felt for Bruce, but also because the manor was from the Wayne's. He was a Wayne. He is not anymore. This is him. His new house, with you, is what he wished he had growing up. What he always dreamed of. Love. Company. And comfort. He felt all of that while being a Wayne, until he despised the Wayne's. Not the couple that died decades ago or the centuries old descendants. But his father and his siblings.

On days where he doesn't take care of the house, he practices his hobbies. He now has time to do it all, surprising you, his therapist, Roy, and himself, he did cooking, gardening, pottery, crocheting and of course, reading. You paid for all his classes, praised him on his achievements, added his creations to the decor of the house, accompanied him on any event or place related to his interests, gave him his own library in one of the rooms in the house. He even made some friends between middle-aged women and the only other househusband and stay-a-home dad that frequented those places.

It was very funny and cute seeing rough, huge, leather jacket wearing and scarred Jason Todd telling jokes to 50-year-old white moms/grandmas and sometimes even babysitting their kids, pets and plants. You knew he could be a good dad one day if you decided to have kids. He was also more than happy to have just you, Daphne and good friends. And plants.

Warmth. When he was a kid his parents broke the heater during a fight, he wondered if they didn't have money to fix it, even with his father's activities, or if his father just refused to fix it. Anyhow, it was always cold in Gotham, freezing on winter, his dirty clothes with holes didn't help much. The streets didn't seem much different in that aspect. The manor kept him warm when he wasn't seven feet under the dirt, in a casket. When he came back, Jason always wore the warmest of clothes, even while sweating, he didn't know why. Now he did. Your house is always warm. Your body is always warm. Comfort. Your love gave him comfort. Warmth. A reason to live.

Love. His mom. Bruce and Alfred. You.

After he was done and rested for a little, Jason took Daphne for a walk in the way to the grocery shop. He wanted to try a new receipt you saw on tiktok today for dinner and had to get more flour and something for the filling.

After a few minutes of walking on his perfectly nice looking and safe neighborhood — nothing like crime alley. The type of neighborhood he saw on the television and imagined those other happy kids his age living and envied them. Dreamed of being adopted into one of their families while jumping from orphanage to orphanage. It never happened. He just got more abused. And then the manor was so isolated that you could only see mansions and plants all around. So big and far away that they looked empty of life. — he got there and strapped the dog to a post, next to a smiley golden retriever.

He got in and- fuck it, I'm going home. The empanadas can wait another day.

— Jason? Oh my god. Jason! Is that you?! — The infuriatingly familiar loud voice calls out from the middle of the shop and all heads turn to look. Shit, he can't go now without embarrassing himself in front of the cashier of his favorite and most visited shop. So he just nods, takes a basket and walks as if there was nothing interesting happening. It worked with the others costumers, unfortunately, Dick thought it was way too interesting and forgot his own basket that only contained eggs and cereal, and started following him around, this time, with a less surprised tone.

— Hey, Dick. — Jason idly muttered, that just made his coff coff brother indignant.

— Hey, Dick?! What the hell? Where were you? It's been three years! We thought you were dead! Or kidnapped! We never stopped looking for you! We were worried! We mourned! What happened? — Was it bad that Jason didn't want to give him a real answer? Probably. Especially with how much his therapist, who he saw on the days he didn't go to the gym, told him he should try to mend things with his family. So much so that he started actually contemplating it recently. But if he did it, it was going to be on his own time. Not by bumping into them in the grocery store. Oh, well. Jason was always good at adapting. The best.

And wow, three years had passed? Makes sense. Recovery does take time and he's been really happy for a while. Jason still remembers the day he decided to quit everything. It was the same day he decided you were the one, truthfully he always knew you were marriage material, the perfect one for him, out of his league, straight out of his most amazing dreams, peak goal for him, but he wasn't sure if he deserved to be the one you should be stuck with forever. He desperately wanted to, but he had to commit. Ride or die. He loved you, now more than ever, and didn't want to waste your time. He was still a bit messy at the time, but you made it all better, he was a lot better than he was before you came into the picture. You were the right choice. Jason always took you seriously, he was just insecure. So, while still in around eight months of relationship, he quit everything.

He quit his family. He quit vigilantism. He searched for recovery. And a year and a half later, with a little more than two years of dating, he made the big proposal. You married on your three-year anniversary. Got Daphne four months later. It's been around three or four months ever since.

While Dick’s math might not be exact, it is not necessary in this context, the point came across just fine.

He also knew that the fact that you both decided to not leave Gotham was going to bite him in the ass one day. One way or another.

— What happened? Oh, well. I retired. Got married. And now I'm a dad. — Daphne was like a daughter to him, so it was the same, right?

His nonchalant reply didn't seem to satisfy the other, though. Todd could see it, the urge to strangle him in his eyes. Dick wouldn't strangle his dead missing little brother, would he?

— You… You what? — Dick was in disbelief.

— You guys searched for me? Thanks, I guess? It means a lot. — Jason just sniffed and went on his way, leaving Grayson behind, paralyzed.

Maybe he could be fast enough and get out of there before the older one got a grasp of his senses back and followed him out. Part of him felt hope, the other heard yours and his therapist voices in his head, and the nagging was annoying. Maybe he never stopped being a “grump”, like you always amusedly said.

Oh, no. Here he comes again. Jason suppresses an eye-roll.

— Stop. Can you really explain? — The mix of emotions was almost overwhelming, an urge to cry, punch a wall, punch Jason's face, scream and who knows what more was running through Dick's body.

Jason sighed and finally addressed him completely. Tone lower so no one could hear.

— Okay. I met someone… Someone good. Someone special. A civilian. I was tired of everything. So I decided to retire and made sure none of you could find me. I'm surprised Roy and Lian kept the secret from you, though. Anyway. Now I'm a stay-at-home hubby, have a dog and go to therapy. You happy? — A beat of silence. — Hey, don't make that face… I was going to tell you guys eventually… When I felt like it… It's not like you guys saw me a lot. How much time did it take for you all to miss me? I made an appearance once in a while when someone asked for help and that's it. Alfred knew everything so if you’re gonna be mad at anyone, be at him too, not just me… And Roy. Don't forget Roy.

— A-Are you kidding me? Oh, yes, blame the butler! You couldn't even tell us? Like “hey guys, I'm gonna retire and take some time for myself for a while. Also, come to my wedding!” I wanted to be invited, you know?! Why didn't you invite me? Did you at least invite Alfred? Did- — Jason rolled his eyes and cut his rant.

— Yes, Alfred was there. Front row and everything. — Dick shrieked.

— T-That’s not the point! — His voice raised slightly from exasperation and both of them checked around for anyone's attention, then came back to the conversation.

Jason raised a hand to interrupt him and took a deep breath.

— Look. I wasn't in a nice place at the time, okay? I'm better now… And I was going to talk to you guys sooner rather than later… — Jason let a moment of vulnerability shine, hoping that would melt his brother's heart and fix things. It did. — We will have a second wedding when we renovate our vows in our 5th anniversary. You can be there… Everyone can be there. — Jason cleared his throat to interrupt the other again. — But now I have to get home in time to make dinner for my honeyboo, so why don't we… Stay in contact and… One of those days everyone can have dinner together and catch up, huh?

Dick took one of the deepest breaths of his whole life. Jason pursed his lips.

— Okay… — He stuck a finger in his face roughly. — But don't disappear again. Or else I promise I’m gonna personally make everyone track you down, understood? — Jason snorted. As if Tim and Bruce wouldn't do it already once they knew everything. As if Bruce didn't secretly keep track of him this whole time. Unless… Unless everyone changed and he didn't know his… His family anymore.

Why did it make him feel weird?

— Yes, boss. — Jason saluted him and left.

— Relax… — You elongated the word. — Nothing bad it's gonna happen… — You went behind Jason and tried rubbing his broad shoulders to chase the tenseness away. The sight and feel of his muscles almost made you drool, and you blinked to focus again.

— How do you know? — You pursed your lips and went to his side to try to make him take his eyes off of cleaning the countertop for the 4th time due to anxiety.

— Because they love you. And they care about you. And they miss you. — Jason deadpanned you. — Just give it a chance. If anything goes wrong, we will just kick them out and you never have to talk to them, ever again. We can even move if you want. Or go on a vacation to the same place we had our honeymoon, I can wear that skimpy piece you like… Spoil you rotten… — Your voice lowered seductively and you pressed your body to his side, running your hand up and down his arms with some pressure.

Jason’s mind went blank and he was speechless for a few seconds. Your eyebrows raised with a small, convincing smile that made all his worries go away. He sighed.

— Okay… Okay, you’re right… — He leaned down and sneaked an arm around your waist. You both shared a slow and wet kiss, bordering between sensual and calming. Unfortunately, he had to wait a few hours before having some action. He pulled his face away a few centimeters, looking you in the eyes. — I thought I had ripped that thing. — You blinked.

— You just might have. But I bought another one because I looked too good on it not to wear it again. — You shared a chuckle when the doorbell rang. You both looked at the door, then at each other. — Want me to get it? — You ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm the last of his nerves. Jason swallowed.

— No. Have to get it over with. — He took a deep breath and then let out. Pulling away from your embrace. — Put the juice on the table for me, please? — You hummed and nodded.

Without giving a second thought, he walked in long strides and abruptly opened the door.

It was like that scene in Avengers: End Game when on one side there was just Captain America against the whole Thanos's army, just staring at each other.

— Are you wearing an apron? — Damian snarked with an eyebrow raised. Jason looked down. Yes, he was. Good start.

— Take your shoes off, there’s other shoes for you all there. And here I was having hope that at fifteen you wouldn't be a demon anymore. — Jason said sarcastically and gave them space to enter.

As soon as they got in the neighborhood they were all already skeptical. If you were the only one working, how much do you earn to live in such a nice area and with this nice house? They could even see a pool in the backyard and there were TWO expensive cars in the driveway. Jason said he quit all of the crime lord thing, did he keep the savings? Did he invest?

The little dog came running and barking, taking their attention away from the house and their shoes, Damian immediately crouched to pet her. Jason let a side of his lips go up. At least that hasn't changed.

— Her name is Daphne. — Jason spoke over the cooing of Duke and Cass at the dog. He locked eyes with Bruce who had an unreadable expression on his face. He looked older, Jason didn't know how to feel about that. Then gazed at Dick, who had a shit eating grin, Alfred, whose satisfied smile warmed his heart, and Tim, who was analyzing the space while changing shoes.

— Nice place. So, what does your partner do? — Are they committing fraud? — You appeared from the corner and replied for him.

— I direct the Queen Industries’s Gotham’s office. — You answered softly with a polite smile, stopping besides Jason, who wrapped an arm around you. Everyone's gaze turning on you made you feel shy, but you held on with confidence.

— Oh, wow, so Jason really is a malewife. — Your eyes widened in surprised and you couldn't hold back a laugh. Jason let a small smile graze his lips, coaxing the easiness out of him.

— I offered to pay cleaning and cooking service, but he wanted to do things himself. — You say, a little afraid they would get angry at you for “slavering” their Jason.

— Did you buy those cars outside? — Wow, Tim really was as skeptical as Jason had said.

— Hmhmm. — You nodded simply, as if it was nothing.

Jason's siblings raised their eyebrows and Bruce cleared his throat, and took a step forward, feet clad in fluffy slippers. He offered a hand and presented himself politely to you. You wondered how much of that was his persona and how much was just a father meeting his son's partner.

While giving them a tour of the house, the family — aside from Alfred who already knew it all — observed the details, happy memories in the form of pictures of trips, your marriage, birthdays, anniversaries, Daphne's growing stages, spontaneous moments that just deserved to be eternalized, trinkets, handmade pots, plants, Daphne’s toys, and the decor that was just a mix of you both. No guns in the walls, no corpses buried in the backyard, no blood stains. The only signals that it was their Jason living here and not a clone were the books, pictures and hidden security measures. 

It was… Good. Peaceful. Clearly the change in scenario helped him. It hurt them a little, some more than others, that it took him cutting them off for him to start healing, although, maybe opening up this new side of him for them meant that it wasn't just that. And it wasn't. The fault didn't fall completely on them. Nor on Jason. And one person, you, can't be the solution for all global crisis. Mental health is complex. Trauma is complicated. Past can't be changed, but the future can. 

That night, everyone enjoyed Jason's cooking, Daphne and the new future.

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@wandalfnation

[tothegirlwiththemousyhair]

Kiss me!

<3

Logan Howlett x Reader

2 times Reader and Logan almost kiss, and the first time you actually do!

Themes: Fluff so sweet you'll need to check your blood sugar levels after this, kisses, cursing, pining, Wade meddling (love this annoying dude)

Word count: 2133

Notes: Title is from 'Kiss me' by sixpence none the richer, and this is written as Logan right after Deadpool and Wolverine. Enjoy <33

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You’d met Logan around a week after he moved in with Wade. You’d already met Wade a short while after you first moved into the same floor as him, he accidentally stabbed a hole into your door, and made up for it by getting you bunny slippers. After Logan moved in, you ran into Wade in the hallway and started going on and on about how you absolutely have to meet his grumpy roommate. After about ten minutes of his begging, you finally agreed. So he planned a gathering with all the people he knew, including you.

First interacting with Logan at the ‘gathering’ was definitely more intimidating than Wade had described it. The two of you were sitting on either end of Al’s couch in absolute silence for about 5 minutes until you finally gathered the guts to introduce yourself. To which he replied, “Logan.” You spent the next half an hour trying to pry a conversation out of him when he finally started actually talking to you. Or Logan’s idea of talking. Towards the end of the interaction all you could conclude was ‘He may or may not hate me!’, completely unaware that he actually wanted to meet you too, also as a result of Wade’s incessant whining.

For the next couple of weeks, all your time spent with Wade or visits to his apartment, slowly also became time spent with Logan. You started visiting the two of them more frequently, having lunch with them. Before, you usually didn’t spend this much time with Wade but your hours spent around him multiplied when Logan was in the mix. It was no secret you were attracted to him, and honestly who wouldn’t be? The lowkey flirting between the two of you, the small interactions, fleeting touches, it all made the chemistry between you extremely obvious to everyone except you two. Even blind Al could see it.

About a month into the obvious crush you had on eachother, Wade started to get bored by both of your pining states. It was extremely obvious to everyone around you that the attraction was most definitely mutual, but you were both hesitant to take any action no matter how much you craved it. So Wade meddled. 

He decided to set up lunch at a pizza place two streets away with the two of you then proceed not to show up himself. Pretty basic idea but he thought it’d work. And to be fair, it almost did. The two of you arrived, tried to text Wade who was ‘occupied’, decided to order your lunch, and flirted the entire time. After having paid, the two of you walked to your building when Logan walked you back into your apartment and you invited him in. It was his first time in your apartment and Logan tried not to be too obvious that he was taking in every detail he could. You made coffee while you and Logan spoke. For some reason, the conversation never moved out of the kitchen. You spent about thirty minutes talking in the kitchen, leaning backwards on the counter while Logan stood in front of you, until he suggested the two of you move to the couch. You agreed of course, and while speaking, the space between the two of you began to close, and Logan began to open up about the X-men. How guilty he felt, the part he considered to have played in their deaths, carrying the weight of his own actions with him everyday. “Lo, that wasn’t your fault. Your only crime is accidentally not being home at the wrong time, at least I think so. I don’t think you’re the ‘worst’ wolverine.” The reply came out of you quietly, praying you wouldn’t offend him and make him close back in on himself. 

Instead, he leaned in closer, “I’m glad you don’t think I’m the worst, bub” his thanks wouldn’t have been heard if you weren’t this close together. “How could I ever?” you whispered out, the gap between you being so small that he could feel the breath from your whisper on his lips.

And then your phone rang. Ofcourse, it was none other than Wade.

The moment was violently torn apart, obviously, especially with the ringtone Wade had set for himself being the ‘bake a cake x break it down’ remix. You scrambled to pick up your phone, only for Wade to ask you if he could borrow slippers from you in a week. After you hung up, the conversation between you and Logan had obviously fizzled out, and you said your goodnights before Logan left.

It was obvious from Logan’s pent up tension when he got home that Wade’s little plan hadn’t worked. So instead of being a normal human being and letting the two of you figure it out, he decided to try something a bit more direct. And a bit more straight out of a creepy rom-com.

You and Wade’s apartments shared a wall, so he could hear into your house at times. He also had a spare key. So, he waited until he could hear you getting into the shower and asked Logan to get him a pair of socks he apparently ‘forgot’ at yours a couple days earlier. Logan was hesitant, but any excuse to see you was great enough for him. He knocked on your door at least three times (even though Wade told him you ‘might not be home’ and to go ahead anyway.) After the fourth knock he could’ve sworn he heard you singing past the door, so he just headed on in. About thirty minutes were spent searching for the nonexistent socks that Wade told him were in your living room. Honestly if it wasn’t for him being near you, he would’ve just given up on the socks but he went on and on until you came out of the shower. In just a towel, you slipped out of the bathroom and your soul almost left your body when you saw a huge man hunched over, checking underneath your couch for something.

“Lo, what the fuck are you doing??” Was all you could think to say to the sight in front of you, and hoped that if he noticed the obvious blush on your cheeks, he’d just amount it to the hot shower you’d just finished. “Y’know what, don’t answer, I’ll get dressed and be back out in a sec.” Logan remained frozen in place while you disappeared into your bedroom and put on a tank top and shorts in record time. You backed out and Logan was standing in the middle of your living room, still in a state of pure embarrassment. “Right- Wade sent me here to get a pair of socks of his, do you know where they are?” You tell him you haven’t seen any socks laying around, but you help him look around either way. About ten minutes into searching, the two of you sit down on the floor of your living room in defeat. You laid down on your backs, the conversation between the two of you being worth the growing back pain. You told Logan how you had met Wade, the bunny slipper apology, everything. Again, the two of you ended up so close to each other, he could fully appreciate the cinnamon-honey scent of your shower products. Then of course, as luck would have it, your table broke.

The faulty leg you had propped up with an old book you never liked finally fell apart, landing the table’s top part onto your foot. You had barely registered where both the pain and the sudden noise came from, jumping from your position on the floor in pain. The moment was yet again vaporised, especially because Logan panicked hearing you hurt and had reacted before you could even properly get up. He insisted you lay on the couch while he got you frozen peas from your freezer. Logan placed the pack on your ankle where the tabletop had landed and sat next to you, checking with you and making sure that nothing hurt more than a bruise should. After about an hour he was content knowing you weren’t seriously injured, and excused himself from your apartment. 

Again, the visible tension when he returned was evidence enough for Wade that something foiled his plan.

After that, Wade finally gave up.

A week after the failed sock attempt, Logan couldn’t sleep. It was 3 in the morning, the weather was nice, there was absolutely no noise around him apart from the occasional street noise. He was in perfect sleeping conditions, but for no clear reason he couldn’t get himself to sleep whatsoever. He had also tried every single possible remedy for insomnia. He drank warm milk, he ate a sandwich, he tried listening to very calm music, etc. While sitting in the dark, considering going for a walk to waste some energy, he heard a couple of small noises from your apartment. He did of course consider seeing if you were awake earlier but out of concern that he might wake you he decided against it, but now that he could hear your light footsteps walking around there was no harm in going to you. He put his slippers and a jacket on, he already had a white tank top on underneath and his pyjama sweats. 

Logan knocked ever so gently on your front door, a part of him genuinely nervous. Nervous over what it is that he’s going to say when you open the door. Does he make up some bullshit excuse, lie, tell you he just couldn’t sleep? Before Logan could decide what to say you opened the door, wearing a concerned look on your face. “Hey, Lo, you ok?” Both the sight of you in your pyjamas and your voice tear him out of his thoughts. “Just wanted to see you.” The sudden bout of honesty surprises you a bit, and you move aside to let him in.

You sit down on your couch, crossing your legs and patting the spot next to you. He hesitates for a moment before taking his place next to you. “Why are you still up, bub?” If it weren’t for the close proximity between you two right now, you wouldn’t have even considered telling him. “Couldn’t sleep, just stayed up thinking.” ‘about you’ are the unspoken words that haunt the air around the two of you, not needing to be brought to life to be known. You and Logan quickly go from topic to topic, the dim warm lighting helping. Eventually you land on the topic of music. “Haven’t listened to much recently.” Was all it took to get you to get up, pull him up too, and put on one of your favourite songs. “C’mon Lo, dance with me a bit.” 

He went along and danced with you to the song you picked, one hand in yours and the other on your waist the entire time. He was watching you in awe, seeing you like this felt like a privilege only the luckiest could be granted. Relaxed, humming and giggling to one of your favourite songs. When the song ended, you and Logan stayed intertwined for a couple moments before sitting down on the couch again, this time far closer to each other. You were still giggling a bit, so close together that Logan could see the glint in your eyes and to him it looked like the warmest light ever. As your giggling came to a stop you realised he was staring at you, the eye contact in that moment being more intimate than anything you’d ever experienced. Logan gently closes the space between the two of you, both your lips immediately finding relief in each other. Your hands cupped his face gently, while his wandered on your waist and the small of your back. You stayed in that state for a while before splitting to breathe. “Do you want to stay here tonight? Not to do anything- I mean just sleeping in my bed, only if you’d like of course-” Logan interrupted you before you could spiral any further, “I’d love to.”

Both of you got up, quietly walking to your room. Logan removed his jacket, placing it on your chair before crawling into bed with you, and pulling the blanket over the two of you. Quickly, you burrowed into his chest, his arms wrapping around you in turn and his head resting atop yours. He pressed a kiss to the top of your head before gently whispering, “Good night, bub.” You press a peck to the crook of his neck, “Good night, Lo.”

It goes without saying that the morning after has more than enough kisses to make up for all those missed chances. 

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thanks for reading!! <3

[ranidspace]

i don’t get the whole rap battle between Kendrick & drake because, obviously kendrick’s the better one here but he apparently knew all this shit about drake being a pedophille and groomer the WHOLE TIME and then only spoke up in order to win a fight, and kendrick had Kodak Black on his last album, who was charged and plead guilty for sexual battery in 2016 for raping a teenage girl and also got in hot water for child neglect. same kinda shit as drake. idk, no matter how good his bars are and how good he pretends he is, kendrick still just seems like a typical man who protects and supports predators when they’re his friends and calls women bitches while he’s at it

yeah. context to those who dont know kodak black was convicted of rape in 2016 (6 years before mr morale dropped) and has a history of violence

i really cant argue against that, but i believe he wasn't added to the album as an endorsement of what he did. Mr. Morale is an album about personal growth, and about Kendrick himself. Kodak said himself that him and kendrick are very similar in a lot of small ways.

while kendrick's never said why kodak was added to the album, many believe it's the contrast of despite the fact they're similar, kodak has a history of violence and has went to jail many times, highlighting how even though kendrick is successful, others like him are still struggling with systemic racism and the cycle of violence and crime pushed by that same system.

The line as well "like it when they pro black, but I’m more Kodak Black" is literally telling the viewers he's not a Savior or a Mr. Morale, he's closer to a Big Stepper who makes awful mistakes

i can't say it was a good idea to include a rapist on an album, that does deserve criticism. but i believe it wasn't him supporting rapists, it more read as "there's growth and change both individuals and the entire system needs to do"

I'd definitely say i didn't explain this part enough because i didnt know too much about kodak black so i'd really appreciate others chiming in.

as for the "people have known about drake being a groomer the whole time" yeah. people have. he's gotten away with it until now. and it's a good thing that a well respected and incredibly famous person is bringing light to it.

kendrick had fuck all to do with drake since poetic justice so he didnt say shit about him. a lot of the industry kinda hated drake the whole time, and have been speaking out against him. kendrick's just the second (shout out megan thee stallion) to make it into a popular catchy song, which is a good thing as well because it gets more people talking about it!!!

Drake was the one who made Push Ups and Taylor Made and constantly went online to told him to make a response track. like the feud would have been over at Like That but it was Drake constantly provoking him to make content. Straight up doing things that kendrick said "hey if you do this i'm going to retaliate" and then drake did it, and kendrick retaliated exactly like he said he was. This whole thing is Drake's fault, he's the one constantly pushing it.

I can't say kendrick isnt also pushing it now, but everything's pointing to he's just making more songs to bring more people to talk about it. There's no ads on the videos. He's not copyright claiming anything. He's making serious songs to highlight issues and catchy songs to spread this info far. it's a genius use of the medium to bring light to the issues drake brings.

which is what kendrick is fucking known for. using music to bring light to the issues the world face

[nobodysdaydreams]

Ramble about a wolf 359 character, if you’d like :D

Oh boy oh boy oh boy.

There's so many. There's so many.

I don't want to spoil anything. But I will rant about my boy Douglas Fernand Eiffel, because I relate to him a TON as someone with ADHD and also, he's hilarious and a fantastic character. He's one of the most characters of all time.

He was born on Christmas and hates Christmas, which is a pity for him because his boss (the one that is directly above him, the good one) LOVES Christmas and forces him to celebrate it. He's in his 30's (at the time of the podcast, born December 25th, 1982) but acts like a teenager. He's had jobs as a provisional technical sergeant for the United States Air Force, a private surveillance consultant, and a delivery guy for Pizza Hut. He was fired from all of them. Now he's in space picking up radio signals from aliens while he sends them daily video diaries complaining about all the work he has to do and making silly jokes and pop culture references. He thinks he's talking to himself the whole time despite all the episodes foreshadowing the theme that someone is always listening.

Since I know you're a TMBS fan who reads my fic, I'll add that he's also a blend of Milligan and Garrison in the strangest, and yet best of ways. He was in jail and he deserved it, but he regrets everything he did so much and you feel horrible for him. He got in a fight with his ex-girlfriend after he relapsed and lost custody of his daughter. He'll do anything to avoid doing his job, and yet he is also the crew's moral compass despite ironically being a convicted criminal (he is guilty of his crimes and was bailed out of prison on the condition that he work for Goddard and complete this mission). He tries to smoke cigarettes in space. He loves comic books. He needs ADHD meds. He's an alcoholic. He's a fake music professor. He's a Texas cowboy fighting against the control of the man (his direct supervisor, who is a woman). He's the only man that can save the world (him being born on Christmas is savior foreshadowing, very subtle as you can see). He can't take anything seriously, yet sometimes he's the only one who understands the moral ramifications of certain situations. He's obsessed with Star Wars but hates the prequels and is fine with them being erased from his mind (the podcast came out just before the sequels, and they don't get updates from Earth, so Doug doesn't know about them). It's also very ironic he hates the prequels as a lot of Doug's story follows Anakin's (being a bad dad who permanently disables his child but comes through for his kid in the end, being the foreshadowed "guy who saves everyone").

His best friend is his angry boss (direct supervisor) who goes from being constantly annoyed by him to thinking of him as her best. His other best friend is a robot who sees and hears everything he does and helps host his fake radio show. He does a reverse Milligan where he remembers his long-lost daughter and then he forgets her forever. His enemies are a Russian scientist who also has a bad relationship with his family, a whiskey-loving fellow alcoholic, and a creepy businessman who also can't take things seriously and has a "work wife" with the same voice as Doug's robot AI best friend, so even Doug's enemies are all weird reflections of different aspects of himself.

I hope this was enough. Sorry it's not as organized or coherent as Sophie's, but I hope you like it!

[melishade]

More angsty potential? In that AU's argument that was mentioned; perhaps Megs and Elita-1 are throwing fists at each other at the same time, but OP somewhat is caught in the middle of it (just strolls in wrong place wrong time moment, maybe he just wants to ask both where the coffee for his fav mug is? IDK lol he doesnt even consume human food lol). The domestic violent dispute is a blur. The rest of AOP cast with Megs and Elita-1 are in shock that their precious OP in laying on the floor Family Guy death pose which became a huge crime scene or something. Everyone can read the headlines; Everyone's Fav Mentor Breaks His Back For Trying To Help His Two Overdramatic Besties.

Previous Episode of the Beloved Timeline

It's more that Optimus gets alerted to the fighting and tries to break it up, but ultimately gets hit trying to stop it. No one knows who struck Optimus. Was it Megatron? Was it Elita? Their attacks were too fast. Megatron flees as they get Optimus medical attention, and Hanji chews Elita out. Because they've been trying to mitigate the tension between Elita and Megatron but is sick and tired of the both of them just being so frustrating. It was fine when it was just a one off thing, but now it's escalated to the point where Optimus got hurt.

Elita goes to apologize to Optimus once he's recovered and feels guilty, but Optimus just meekly accepts the apology. But that makes Elita feel worse. Did that mean that she struck Optimus? Was he that bitter with her? She was angry with Megatron! Not him! And she warned him that she wouldn't treat Megatron with civility! Please just-!

And Optimus straight up confesses that part of him still hates Megatron. Part of him still resents him for everything Megatron has ever done. But now he's starting to change? Now he's starting to become better? If that was the case, what in the Allspark did that say about Optimus himself? Optimus doesn't give her a lecture. Doesn't scold her for her actions. He just says that he gets it. He gets why she hates Megatron and a small part of him would have just stepped aside if it was just them! He wants to protect his home and he wants the Survey Corps to be safe! He's just sick and tired of the fighting! He hates it! But worst of all, he just hates himself because he failed. He failed all of Cybertron, so many had died, including the planet. He failed the multitude of Earthlings that had no reason being in the fight and got killed over it. He failed Elita that much and caused her to feel this angry.

Optimus just asks to be left alone for a while, and Elita has to cope with the fact that she let her anger get the better of her. Even if Optimus validated her emotions, she pushed things too far too quickly.

After this, Elita and Megatron come to a silent agreement to not aggravate the other, and Megatron also agrees to go to Cybertron to pay for his crimes.

The thing is, Optimus knows who struck him. He knows who landed that blow based on the curve of the strike, but he will refuse to say anything in order to prevent anymore discourse. He's done with the fighting. He just wants to save the island and it's people. But things are especially tense, especially with a few eye witnesses seeing the infighting happening among the titans. It causes the public to be nervous. The wine shenanigans are also still happening around the same time too.

[good-beans]

hiii ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ i've always loved your milgram posts and was hoping to hear you talk about them more. it's a bit of a vague question but i was hoping to hear your thoughts about the characters or songs? or really anything that's been on your mind! apart from that i hope you've been having a good day (or night!)

!!!!! Omg thank you so much?? This made me so happy ;----; I’m sorry if this is more than you bargained for LMAO, I planned on jotting down a few ideas and then I just kept on writing..... I hope you’re having a lovely day/night as well!✨

So, I’m actually not that great with coming up with crime-logistic theories (timelines, cause of death, etc), but I’ve been really interested in the insights we get on characterization from the visuals – specifically looking at the image of the self each prisoner creates. The videos come directly from inside their minds, so these self-portrayals aren’t biased with any manipulation, or how they want Es to view them. I’ve been bouncing these around in my head for a while, so thank you for the reason to actually put them down somewhere! So here are details I’ve gathered on each of them: (And as with everything in Milgram, this is just how I understood the symbolism – if people have other interpretations, I’d love to hear them!)

I've been adding edits as the videos come out, it's through Double now 👍

Haruka: In T1 he definitely views himself as guilty and dangerous. Though it’s dulled with crayon/mixed media, he conjurs a version of himself that’s committing acts of violence even in his suffering. The fact that his younger self takes place as the victim is huge to me. I know it could mean a lot of different things, but my personal interpretation is that Haruka sees his younger self in his little sister. He’s been in her shoes, at a time his mother loved him best. He believes he is the reason she stopped loving him, so he hates this younger version of himself. And this leads him to hate her now that he’s seeing the similarities. I believe the crimes happened extremely recently, so it’s interesting that he portrays himself as a child in much of AKAA. He’s not trying to gain any sympathy with it, he still genuinely feels like a child because of how much he struggles with everything. I don’t know what it means yet, but I’m really interested that despite all the water imagery he creates, he visualizes himself sinking, but never actually drowning/short of breath.

Yuno: Between both her videos, we only ever see her, her, her. This is because her motivations start and end with herself. I know her situation relies heavily on her clients, but in her mind, the one who was in control the whole time was only her. She’s the only one she can trust to take care of her and show her real love. She got into her line of work to benefit herself, and she went through with the abortion to benefit herself. She's taking the ultimate responsibility for everything that happened to her and everything that she did. Though it makes me happy to see it framed as all self love, it’s also clear that she’s unhappy with her decision. And, when everything revolves around versions of herself, there’s only one person she has to hate... 

Fuuta: His self-imagery makes it really clear how his mindset changed between trials. In T1 he genuinely saw himself as the hero, the perfect knight-in-shining-armor. Once doubt started to creep into his mind, though, he suddenly portrays himself as a criminal hiding/running in dark areas. It also emphasizes what he was saying about he and Es being the same: the girl that he accused of being guilty turned to ash after being sprayed with his paint, and he starts turning to ash along with Es’ accusation and paint spray. I know people took that as his suicidal intent, (and while that’s still a thing he does express in Backdraft,) I actually think his burning is just his fear that he’ll die at the end of Milgram. Another little detail, but someone mentioned Fuuta only lowered his mask in BIO while he’s looking at his phone, showing that he was comfortable being his true self online. Meaning, he had to hide some part of him in the rest of his life. The original post said it was his sexuality, but I feel as though it’s just his general paranoia of living around warriors for justice who are constantly evaluating everyone’s behavior. 

Muu: Like I said, the mvs are unaffected by how the prisoners want Es to see them, soI was confused when people accused Muu of lying in T1 – that’s really how she took the situation! In her mind, that pain and mistreatment made up everything in her. Her being a bully didn’t matter then, because it was her being a victim that led to the murder. In T2, it becomes obvious that she does harbor guilt. No innocent person would imagine themselves as a monstrous, destructive creature like that. If she really saw herself as ‘queen bee,’ her self-image would be flawless and lovable. INMF also showed she wasn’t exaggerating when she said the murder was to free her: we see her self-image undergo a full metamorphosis and sprout beautiful wings to fly away after she committed her crime. Though she feels guilty, she still believes it was necessary to free her and is grateful for it. 

Shidou: I’m still working on something more solid for him, but it’s neat that T1 he’s expressing so much guilt, yet his self-image is engaged in very abstract activities (like gardening and eating). In T2 he’s chilled out a bit, but that’s the video that death is literally following everywhere he goes (flowers dying behind him, ghosts surrounding him). It’s also worth noting he has his doctor’s coat on for most of Throw Down, and then the only time he has it in Triage is at the very end when he’s vowing to help the other prisoners. I’ll get back with a more solid conclusion on his soon…

Mahiru: Like Yuno (and semi-Haruka), the fact that she’s the only one to appear in her T1 mv means all her turmoil at that point was focused inward. She saw herself as the center of her story, which isn’t necessarily a selfish thing. It means she didn’t blame her boyfriend for anything that happened, even though we know it was likely both of their behaviors that led to the crime. Still, she’s taking all the focus on herself, showing off all the things she did and failed to do for him. The fact that everything is styled like magazine pages hints that she genuinely sees their relationship as the picture perfect example of love. After all, she was just “being herself” when she got him killed. Even that deep in her heart, she’s convinced love makes everything glossy and perfect. T2 is an exaggeration on both if these concepts -- she still places all the blame/responsibility on herself, but with the doubt creeping into her mind, she now paints herself as a villain who's actively causing harm. She still believes love can make things seem perfect, but you get the sense she's become more aware that love wasn't transforming her, it was blinding her.

Kazui: So this is an interesting one. I know that the performance aspect in Half is obviously taken as him acting that he loves his wife when he’s fallen in love with someone else. However, the fact that he’s singing the song about how he doesn’t love her, while still on stage/in costume, gives me a different idea. His emotions are so incredibly repressed and fucked up that even in the privacy of his own heart, he feels like he has to act sad about her death when he actually has more complex emotions than that. Not that he’s happy about it per se, but the feelings are too complex for him to show even himself. (We’ve all been there, where even in our private thoughts it’s embarrassing to be excited about something terrible and we pretend we aren’t.) That’s why I think he sounds so different in Cat – he’s able to start processing that he may be relieved, or freed that she’s gone. Or maybe he’s just realizing the murder was indirect, and he’s allowed to mourn her without feeling personally guilty for her death. So I agree the costumes represent hiding his emotions, but I think it symbolizes him lying to himself rather than just lying to his wife. Now with Cat out, he also shows a shift of seeing himself more guilty. Rather than a passive character, his self appears as someone known for manipulation/deception/trickery -- someone in charge of the situation. He's coming to terms with his active role in Hinako's death. There's also a lot of his vices shown explicitly, like his smoking and drinking. He's painting himself in a much worse light as his guilt gets to him. (There's also something to be said about the whole thing appearing under a filter of advertisement/magazine style, but I have yet to form a conclusion I'm happy with on that)

Amane: The major thing I took away from Magic was the idea that Amane really felt isolated in her cult. She saw herself as a normal girl, but no one else is like her. The other children are all animals, and the adults in charge are animalistic or robotic. There’s such a divide between her and everyone else. She’s not living up to their religious standards the way that everyone else seems to be. With the adults, it could be the general feeling that they never listen to or understand her because of her age. In T2, she presents a new idea: she's struggling with how complex and contradictory the self is. The human psyche has so many parts and motivations, all represented by the marching band members. She wants to be good. She's flawed. She wants to help. She's hurting. She knows she's made mistakes. She thinks she deserves punishment. That punishment is killing her. The adults around her make behaving look/sound so easy, but at her age it's so difficult to be a good girl! She wants to show this to Es, since she believes her own misbehavior + following the rules is what led to her murder.

Mikoto: He’s got So much going on with identity and sense of self, but I don’t have a ton on him that hasn’t already been said lol. I’ve joked that the reason Meme got the most views is because it’s the mv that shows the most skin, but on a serious note I think it’s really telling that there are so many bathing/showering/teeth brushing shots. Those are the stereotypical times we’re completely alone with ourselves – cleaning off everything external so that it’s just us in our purest form left when we’re done. An interesting switch I've noticed in Double is that the two major alters never appear beside each other -- there's the reflection in the mirror at one point (and I think they're face to face in the last shot?) but we never see both onscreen at the same time. This is because each one wants to distance themselves from the other: Bokukoto wants to show he's far from a killer, and Orekoto wants to make it clear he's the one who was violent. Neither wants to be mistaken for the other, but it's much easier to do so since they look exactly the same in this video (no color-coded clothes or eyes or lighting.) A minor detail, but the fact that his own mind conjured up quotes around the word "savior" makes it clear that Orekoto is slowly realizing his actions may have gotten Bokukoto into more trouble than they saved him from...

Kotoko: I don’t have too much on her at the moment since a lot of her scenes seem to be memories of her actual life and are already in line with what she’s admitted about herself. Still, I think the running-alongside-wolves scenes reveal a lot. She very clearly works alone, but wolves are known for hunting in a pack. Does she have a pack we haven’t seen yet? Is there a reason she’s no longer with them? Does she just dream of running with one because she craves that belonging so deeply? @tokyogruel pointed out that wolves are known for caring for weaker pack members, and that there have been analyses of the Harrow wolves being Kotoko's family members. This is revealing a more prominent focus on family than she's made known so far. She doesn't see herself as an elevated hero -- she always views herself as part of a team, which can be seen in her 'deal' with Es and all her T2 commentary of their partnership (despite being their prisoner). She's always been working with and for others.

[void-detective]

Tragically Beautiful -Serennedy

Small spoilers from Separate Ways

When I first became a fan of Resident Evil I was drawn into the dynamic between Leon and Luis when I was watching RE4. There was so much that I enjoyed the more I got into Re and how much more I understood when it came to the dynamic that the pairing had through their short interactions in scene packs.

Something about Leon specifically that I learned when getting into RE is that he is exceptionally understanding and can't seem to just hate people. Everyone he's ever associated with has had some form of connection to the Umbrella corporation, the same reason he is so traumatized so you'd think he would hate anyone from the organization. But no with both Ada and Luis he does not really seem to hate them in ways that could be understandable for his character, but that's not his nature. Leon was already very suspicious of Luis from the first time they met but they worked off each other naturally when it came to fighting and chemistry. Upon learning that Luis worked alongside Umbrella and was a contributing factor to Racoon City, Leon does not treat him differently no matter the implications that may leave.

@highball66 from all their Cheron posts it is even further pushed that Leon clicks with people he deeply cares about and understands. He makes connections to people a lot emotionally and bonds to those he can sympathize with. This is all my own interpretation of Leon of course but his connection to Chris is incredibly strong, they are in perfect sync and share a chemistry only achieved from years of working even seeming to be connected deeper then they were originally.

In small tidbits of the game play we see Leon and Luis connecting in a somewhat playful manner, from bantering while they are walking around, encouraging each other in fighting and Luis' all to subtle attempts to oogle Leon throughout the game. In the game Luis is hell bent on attempting to repair the damage he did as a result of working with Umbrella but still holds the organization close to his heart as seen with his lighter and the photo. Luis knows he's hurt lots of people and wants nothing more then to protect, in his mind this is making up for his crimes he committed within Umbrella because he is so guilty over the matter.

Through his time with Ada he expresses only worry and persistence on finding a way to cure and save Leon and Ashely from the Plaga. He wants to help them no matter the situation even as he is helping Ada, he is more concerned about them. He barley knows Ashely and Leon but he is constantly running into danger for them, from giving Leon the medicine, running to check on Leon, save the medicine for Leon and Ashley, handing his laboratory key to Leon, and pushing his dying body to save Leon.

Leon is constantly losing people closest to him and no matter who it is, he is deeply affected. From being on the verge of tears during Luis' death to his pained reaction to killing Krauser. Leon was lazer focused on his mission but he was also very caring toward Luis in situations, he is gentle with people and expresses his care as well as he can. He lets himself be open with someone again since he was with Ada and even possibly since Krauser (if you believe they had something in the military) he starts to be less cold and shows his more playful and joking side. He trusts Luis once he actually admits he is in the wrong and tells Leon what he wants to know, he gives him the past details even at the risk of damaging their relationship and at that expense it deepens their bond. Their connection is much more genuine then any other Leon has had since Chris, the importance to Leon is gaining trust again after everything he's been through.

Luis was focused on making things right and becoming a better person but in the process his continuous act of running away from it, is what ended up killing him. His fantasy proved he believes he could be a hero even if it was somewhat mediocre. His entire life changed as he lost people around him as well as a result of Los Iluminado and Umbrella. He holds onto things that may be painful for him but they are still of importance in his heart (his rings as religious symbols and the umbrella photo+his lighter) Luis values proving himself and removing his past, helping others as a way to "make himself feel better."

Both of them became very close during the mission, constantly getting in harms way for the other and gaining a chemistry similar to Cheron. The main theme overlapping with Serennedy is change. How things can change a person for the worse or the best, they express the importance of healing and accepting your past, and they express the importance of trusting. Leon has been through so much with people he's held closest but he chooses to keep helping people because he knows people can change.

I have a feeling he knew Luis could change too.

Anyone can mend their past with the right steps to becoming better.

"People can change, right Leon?"

.

.

"You were a fine knight, Don Quixote.."

[running-with-the-feels]

Angst !!!

I just want to write a piece where Bi han just yell at Hanzo full on scream at him for how much of his life he took from him

How Hanzo chose to leave his family to become a Shirai Ryu but Bi han has to loose his mother and sister and be groomed into a Lin kuei

How Bi han has to fight tooth and nail to get anywhere in his clan and how Hanzo has a comfortable life a wife and a child in his

How Bi han has one chance to get him and his brother out of all of this and Hanzo has the chance to get his family back but in his stupid vengeance he robbed both of them from getting a better life

How even though Hanzo himself made the deal with quan chi to become a revenant he was the one who got restored to life and treated like a hero while Bi han has to get every part of him that made him good stripped from his soul and treated worse than dirt from the people around him for the crime of having all of his autonomy stripped from him.

I want him to scream to yell to cry and to blame Hanzo because yeah Hanzo is the reason he lost so much of his life, so much of himself he is the reason Quan chi got bi han's soul and he is the reason for everything that happened to Bi han after that even if his crimes was only killing Bi han after being tricked by Quan Chi it's not like Hanzo ever apologized or try to make up for the crimes he committed against Bi han and I want Bi han to say all that to his face to make him feel the guilt for all that he robbed from him and from Kuai Liang.

Deep down I want him to know that he deserve it that his grief isn't an excuse for what he put Bi han and Kuai Liang through and I feel like except for you their aren't many who feel like he should carry the weight of his sins forever if he have to because the crimes he committed were too grave to be forgotten or left behind. Maybe someday the weight on his shoulders would lift up enough that he can walk without them weighing him down but until then I need him to walk everyday knowing he caused the exact hell he felt from his loss to the two people most undeserving of it

I don't know that I'd say Hanzo should have to suffer and feel guilty forever, but I do think that based on the characterization NRS gave us, he definitely should have a lot more guilt and remorse about it.

He should have been made to grovel, he should have broken down into tears, he should have been so consumed with guilt that he told Kuai Liang he wouldn't fight back if the cryomancer sought revenge.

He. Should. Have. Apologized.

And I don't think he ever would have stopped apologizing. I think the moment that Bi-Han came back, Hanzo should have made the same apology to him and, if his character had been kept consistent, told Bi-han that he wouldn't fight back either bc Kuai Liang's forgiveness doesn't mean Bi-Han will also forgive him

And Bi-Han is honestly the best person to point this out to him, but I think he'd hold back for Kuai Liang's sake until they got locked together for whatever reason. I'm gonna say they go on a mission together due to Kuai Liang being unavailable and get trapped somewhere.

But before all that, Bi-Han is just seething and seething. He can't look at Hanzo without being overcome by rage and wanting to throw up. He hates Hanzo more than anything bc while Hanzo didn't cause all his suffering, he's responsible for a lot of it, and what's even more unforgivable, he caused more suffering for Kuai Liang.

I think there's also a part of Bi-han that blames Hanzo for not saving them from the Lin Kuei. He knows that's unfair, but if the Shirai Ryu really broke away from the Lin Kuei to be better than their icy counterparts, and knew what the Lin Kuei did to children with powers (Smoke was kidnapped-ish as a child too so it's not just a cryomancer thing. Plus we don't know what Hydro's deal was) then the Shirai Ryu should have been trying to save them. Hanzo is the only living member of the old Shirai Ryu, so he's the only one left that Bi-Han can blame.

I bet Bi-Han tried to take Kuai Liang and run to the Shirai Ryu in the early days too, but failed. Either bc they got caught or were turned away.

Even without that though, Bi-Han has every right to be furios and just lose it on Hanzo for everything that he did.

And not just to Bi-Han and Kuai Liang either.

Hanzo served Quan Chi for years, he was loyal enough to be leant out to Shao Khan as an executioner. He killed a lot of people for both of them. He has made his pain everyone's problem for years and years, and at first, you can kind of understand it. He needs revenge and Quan Chi is his only shot, maybe he isn't able to disobey until their deal is done (we don't know the full extent of Quan Chi's meddling in Hanzo's resurrection. I'm not saying he did make Hanzo obey against his will, it's more narratively interesting to me if he didn't, but it is possible)

But afterwards? The Netherrealm war? That was all fully Hanzo's choice

How many families did he destroy then? How many wives and children did he murder? How many communities did he wipe from existence?

Look, I love Hanzo, and I do understand why he made the decisions he did. I think he deserves redemption for that and, based on the characterization for him we get, he would have worked for it. He would have apologized and moved heaven and earth to set things right. The fact that he didn't is fully just NRS and their shitty writing.

But Bi-Han just finally losing it and screaming at him until he's blue in the face would be so cathartic and I really wanna see that, so if you ever write it, please, I beg drop the link

Bi-Han deserved better, he and Kuai Liang both deserved an apology at the very least

[goodqueenaly]

Do you think Tywin was being honest when he said to Tyrion that he was going to send him to the Wall? Or do you think he intended to sentence him to death?

I do, specifically because of what Kevan told Tyrion while the latter was imprisoned:

“Perhaps the time has come for you to confess.” Even through the thick stone walls of the Red Keep, Tyrion could hear the steady wash of rain. “Say that again, Uncle? I could swear you urged me to confess.” “If you were to admit your guilt before the throne and repent of your crime, your father would withhold the sword. You would be permitted to take the black.” Tyrion laughed in his face. “Those were the same terms Cersei offered Eddard Stark. We all know how that ended.” “Your father had no part in that.” That much was true, at least. “Castle Black teems with murderers, thieves and rapists,” Tyrion said, “but I don’t recall meeting many regicides while I was there. You expect me to believe that if I admit to being a kinslayer and kingslayer, my father will simply nod, forgive me, and pack me off to the Wall with some warm woolen smallclothes.” He hooted rudely. “Naught was said of forgiveness,” Ser Kevan said sternly. “A confession would put this matter to rest. It is for that reason your father sends me with this offer.”

And then:

“Tyrion, if you are guilty of this enormity, the Wall is a kinder fate than you deserve. And if you are blameless ... [sic] there is fighting in the north, I know, but even so it will be a safer place for you than King’s Landing, whatever the outcome of this trial. The mob is convinced of your guilt. Were you so foolish as to venture out into the streets, they would tear you limb from limb.” “I can see how much that prospect upsets you.” “You are my brother’s son.” “You might remind him of that.” “Do you think he would allow you to take the black if you were not his own blood, and Joanna’s?["]

I don't think there was any reason for Tywin to specifically send Kevan, the family member he perhaps (at least at that point) most trusted and treated as his loyal lieutenant, with the offer of taking the black if Tywin was always planning to tell Tyrion "Ha ha, just kidding, I'm going to execute you anyway". Tyrion might have been the very lowest and least of the Lannisters in Tywin's eyes, and Tywin might have deeply personally hated him (for what I think Tywin saw as Tyrion's cruelty in being born a "monster" who also killed his wife), but Tywin I think still recognized that Tyrion was a Lannister, which made him worth more than any other, non-Lannister person; the same grim acceptance of that fact that had caused Tywin to raise Tyrion as his son and a Lannister of the Rock now, I believe, also motivated Tywin to allow Tyrion the mercy of spending his remaining years on the Wall. Indeed, Kevan reiterated the lack of love coming from Tywin in this decision: he specifically dispelled the notion that a judicial pardon from Tywin would have been equivalent to personal forgiveness, and couched the decision in purely familial-dynasty terms - Tywin was allowing such an offer because Tyrion was "his [i.e. Tywin's] own blood, and Joanna's", and Kevan wanted to see Tyrion accept the offer because Tyrion was "my brother's son". Tyrion confessing and heading to the Night's Watch would, I think, have been seen by Tywin as the best case scenario in the circumstances: Tyrion would have publicly accepted the guilt which his farcical trial had been specifically designed to produce, he would have been permanently exiled such that his presence could no longer remind Tywin (or anyone else) of what Tywin saw as an aberration of Lannister perfection, and either he would have himself of use (that is, to the Lannister cause) at the Wall or would have died a quick and meaningless death there (and paradoxically, Tywin may even have been satisfied that Tyrion's acceptance of a black cloak would end any pretensions the latter had to the inheritance Tywin always believed belonged to Jaime).

Likewise, look at how Tywin reacted when Tyrion demanded a trial by combat:

“No, I’ve found them. I demand trial by battle!” His sweet sister could not have been more pleased. “He has that right, my lords,” she reminded the judges. “Let the gods judge. Ser Gregor Clegane will stand for Joffrey. He returned to the city the night before last, to put his sword at my service.” Lord Tywin’s face was so dark that for half a heartbeat Tyrion wondered if he’d drunk some poisoned wine as well. He slammed his fist down on the table, too angry to speak.”

Tywin, the man always who prided himself on cool, reserved, absolute rule, was so publicly and visibly furious at Tyrion's demand for a trial by combat that he could not even manage to answer him. That incredibly emotional reaction I think underlines how much Tywin wanted the exact opposite to happen - that is, for Tyrion to accept what Tywin might have seen as a merciful Lannister-to-Lannister offer without condition or rebuttal, acknowledging both his own guilt (so Tywin saw it) and Tywin's power over House Lannister, the realm, and Tyrion himself.

[fttlouie]

Crime and Punishment in Young Royals

I don't know if there is already existing meta on this but I don't know how I could have missed good ol' Dostoyevsky reference in a show that regularly talks about "privilege and punishment'. It feels so obvious now that I have noticed that August is our Raskolnikov and Sara being Sonya.

There are several parallels and its been a while since I've visited the book so I will lay out things that I remember. I also have some speculation about season 3 on here but take it with a grain of salt.

Raskolnikov fantasises several times about killing the pawn broker. aka. committing the crime, but does not do so until he finds out the situation that his sister Dunya is in due to his family's poverty. Similarly, August does not post the video aka. commit the crime, but only does so after his family's financial position comes to light, also after his mother's situation and her poverty is known.

Speculation: One fascinating thing here is Raskolnikov despises his sister's (Dunya) position while August hates his mother's position. In Crime and Punishment (C&P), eventually Dunya leaves her fiancée. I am not sure if the same will happen to his mother by her divorcing her now husband. The parallel is strong but the story is not an exact replica so it might not happen.

2. After he commits the crime, Raskolnikov conceals the stolen item aka. result and weapon of crime. Similarly with August, he hides the phone aka. the result - video, and weapon - the phone.

3. Raskolnikov then becomes delirious with the guilt and weighing exhaustion of crime until he faces the consequence. We know from Season 2 that August feels guilty and illness can be the nervous attack that occurs in S 1 Ep 1 infront of Sara.

Speculation: It is known in the story that Raskolnikov becomes progressively worse in his delirium until he confesses. He also becomes apathetic to his crime and the morality of his actions during his journey, all which we can see with August. However, August like Raskolnikov might be given reduced statement (Raskolnikov is sent to prison for 8 years for murders, since August's crime is of lesser magnitude, he probably wont serve in prison or his sentence will be very significantly reduced) and is considered to be ultimately redeemable once he faces consequence of his actions. He will also be happier and freer, aka. he might leave his addiction with pills behind by the end of show.

4. Raskolnikov angers the workmen and his caretakers by asking casual questions about the crime he committed, even suggesting that they accompany him to the police station to discuss it. We know that August reaches this stage several times subtly as he asks about what would happen if he confesses and is present in the room when rest of the boys are discussing who filmed the video.

5. As Raskolnikov contemplates whether or not to confess, he sees Marmeladov, Sonya's (aka Sara) dad, who has been struck mortally by a carriage. He rushes to help and succeeds in conveying the stricken man back to his family's apartment. However, Marmeladov ends up dying in his daughter's arms. Raskolnikov later hands Sonya money for his funeral.

This is a speculation now but I am wondering if we will get any interaction between Mikke and August in Season 3. If there is, it would probably be in the context of August helping Sara. In C&P, Raskolnikov also acts as the catalyst to reconciliation between Sonya and Marmeladov, excited to see if the writers follow through to show that August will bring Mikke and Sara into an understanding. Hopefully Mikke won't die like C&P, although he might be sent away (maybe he will be punished for his alcohol trade or drugs idk).

6. In C&P, Sonya is pure and righteous although she falls in love with a criminal. Sonya also urges Raskolnikov multiple times to confess his crime to free himself of the mental burdens. Raskolnikov goes back and forth few times but ends up confessing because of her. We can see that in YR, Sara is actually primary reason August takes a step towards his redemption, although he goes back and forth with it.

Speculation: Sara and August will reconcile. In C&P, Sonya helps Raskolnikov when he is serving his sentence in Syberia. Sonya loves Raskolnikov despite knowing his darkest side, this is true for Sara who loves August's true self. Only hurdle is Simon, who is a wild card in their love story as his character is not present in C&P. Despite that, very high chance that atleast there will be an hopeful ending of being together in the future for Sara and August.

7. Another fascinating parallel between C&P and YR that solidified to me that the story follow closely to one another is the fact that before Raskolnikov goes to confess his crime, there is already someone else, Porfiry, who confesses to his crime saying it is them. This Porfiry is clearly Alexander. However, after Porfiry's confession, Raskolnikov aka August, becomes more fearful that he will never have a peace of mind which drives him to confess his crimes in great detail.

Speculation: Alexander has done his job as the decoy already in season 2. It is unlikely that he will play a role that parallels C&P. Any more action that this character takes will be entirely new which exists outside the C&P parallel, because according to C&P, this is the end of his role in the story.

I can't remember anything else for now. Here are some interesting details about C&P, do what you will with this information:

Dunya's fiancée commits suicide after she breaks off their engagement. Here, Dunya is August's mom, therefore the fiancée could either be August's real dad who already committed suicide or his step-dad who is yet to meet the same fate. I think it is the former but idk.

Raskolnikov's motive for committing the crime was the class disparity in then Russia. He was, in a sense, jealous that some people can get money and status in the society while he has to be in financial hardship. Very close to August's motive although he belongs in the same social class.

Sonya is accused of stealing the money that Raskolnikov gives her for funeral for the death of Marmeladov in C&P. Similarly, August's kindness to Sara could be misunderstood by other people in a major way, either this has already happened subtly in Season 2 or it has yet to come in a big way in Season 3, especially to do with money and reputation.

Some story details may vary as I wrote this from memory, please double check the source to confirm and let me know if there is existing meta on this.

[marshmallowprotection]

This is so random but would Saeyoung be okay w a trial lawyer/Adjuctator MC? I'm playing his route while I'm reading about laws and human rights.

I don't see why not. Like, I understand the hesitation to believe that he would give someone in the law field a chance. He's committed a lot of crimes over the years, and he has to live with the things that his agency made him do.

I think it's worth pointing out that one of the main reason why he shirks off his work is because he wants to find a way to not hurt innocent people if he can help it, and the only reason why he gets his work done in the end is because he doesn't have any other choice.

That guilt likely eats away at him, but he made the painful choice as a child to live this life of pain for Saeran's freedom. Of course, we all are well-aware of how that choice played out... Being with him means you need to understand that things are not black and white in this world. It's important for anybody who works in law to understand that you need to look at things from a broader perspective than to throw the book at someone all the time. Are you okay with that? He has nothing against you, because you have a kind heart and you do believe in justice... but will your sense of justice abhor his sense of justice?

I think that's the larger question to ask yourself.

You need to look at what he's done to survive and why he doesn't feel guilty about some of those things. Saeyoung likely stole things from stores all the time as a little kid, clothes, food, medication, you name it. Do you have a problem with that? Do you have a problem with the act of theft even if it's the only way for someone to survive? Are you okay with the fact that Saeyoung's done things to survive that may ask you to look at what the definition of a crime is?

You're going to have your morals tested and I would truly hope you wouldn't think less of him because people will do what they have to do to survive. It's a litmus test in my opinion. Can you be okay with what he's done to survive? Does it bother you? Do the small thing bother you? Because, if the same things bother you, we're going to have a problem when it comes to the larger misdeeds he's committed for the agency... and it remains to be seen canonically everything he had to do... and from what I know, I know it wasn't pretty.

I also know that he... was a victim of harassment and maybe worse given what we know about the agency making him dress up for the missions they send him on. He loves dressing up, but... the agency forces him to fit roles to get close to sleezebags. We don't know if he personally kills those guys, or if someone takes care of the job while he plays the bait, but... that's another thing he has to live with and I know an MC would support and comfort him through him admitting what happened to him if something did happen.

He just... likely won't get justice for those events because everything is so tangled in the agency's destruction. I hate that for him, but the fact is, we're limited by what we know because Saeyoung doesn't like to talk about it, but I would be interested to see how an MC engages with the aspects of what Saeyoung suffered from a legal perspective. What kind of justice would you think possible for him? I think one of the only things you could do would be to fight his father, since most of the things he's suffered can't be proven or may not have enough evidence to try someone if that person isn't already dead.

Are you okay with the fact that he might have killed someone? Can you stomach that with your sense of justice? Because, he doesn't regret what he's done as I imagine most of the people he's targeted himself have been the worst of the worst. He certainly didn't hesitate regarding Rika in V’s Route.

He was about to get rid of her and himself. He is somebody who will not hesitate to take justice into his own hands, and if that bothers you, that's going to be something that you two are going to have to talk about. Because there are times when he will do things that skirt the line of morality, and he will not feel bad about getting rid of someone who's a horrible person. Are you okay with that? Yes? No? Maybe?

At the end of the day, there would be no problem with him being romantically entangled with you on his end once you are able to reason with that stubborn man, but there might be all the reason in the world for you to feel torn about him if you're somebody with a high sense of morality. Saeyoung may not regret some of the things he's done, but I know he might regret a few... but at he end of the day, it was him or them, and he chose himself first just in case he might live to see Saeran again someday.

Are you okay with all of that? 

It's not a bad thing if that bothers you, and he wouldn't hold it against you. Most people understand where he's coming from and what he's gone through, but I think it's interesting to point out some people may feel torn with a high sense of morality for justice. Of course, not every person who is a lawyer or in the law field thinks with this black and white morality, but many of them do. There's some that don't think it's okay to do this or that, and some who understand that life is hard, and you gotta do what you gotta do.

He would be ultimately respectful if you're somebody who wants more than anything to make the world a better place because the world deserves to be a better place created by those with very kind hearts. 

I can imagine he might tease you if none of this bothers you and you still know about some of the questionable things he's done. You can get a lot of amusement out of that aspect, a game of cat and mouse, but I don't see too many people think about the heavier thoughts that might go into this whenever I see an MC like this. 

[https-furina]

spoilers for neuvillette’s story quest (completed) utc so be mindful if you’re only like halfway through that i’m gonna talk abt the ending !!

HELLO I AM SCREAMING okay so from the moment where sedene is like “a melusine is being threatened and monsieur neuvillette wants to investigate the case himself!!!” i was like OKAY FATHER I SEE YOU PROTECTING UR CHILDREN 🤭🤭

and then kiara ?!!! is so fucking cute i love her so much but the whole time i was like )): ofc the melusines are discriminated against but its so sad - then she called paimon big sis and i was instantly like ((: happi

charlotte cameo !! hi to the fontainian yanfei /j i got so excited i was like OMG CHARLOTTE !! but then she’s talking abt wanting to interview neuvillette but the palais always said no and i’m like we’re friends with him we could just ask him for u 🤨

the whole time talking to charlotte i was like GUYS we’re supposed to be protecting kiara what if something happens while we’re gone 😭 but then there was CLORINDE AND I SCREAMED

talking abt how she regularly gets her clothes custom made by eloffe and i’m like ma’am you need new ones asap that button is gonna pop any time now- 🌚

the entire experience at the fountain had me crying. from seeing carole with neuvillette to seeing carole be a victim of hate crime (something that indescribably familiar and made me both so angry to see (on her behalf) and also upset…) to vautrin’s mild anger when he realised carole had sacrificed herself just for peace ): he saw his deceased little sister in her and so he made the decision to execute everyone who had wronged carole… fucking in tears the whole time

not to mention neuvillette losing carole (which he must have felt guilt for because he’s the one who brought her to the court in the first place) but then he had to do vautrin’s trial for murdering people as an act of revenge and he followed the law and had to say he was guilty even though he was the only person left who was closest to him ?!

and then we get navia ?!?! content i was like damn hoyo is whipping out the GIRLS FOR THIS STORY HUH !!! i screamed when she said spina di rosula were helping !! i was like damn you two are the cutest now after she screamed her feelings at you and you stood at a grave together 🤭

also no one is talking about how he feels emotions from every single aspect of water; the rivers, the rain, everything. this man must be so incredibly overwhelmed by the constant surge of a complete stranger’s emotions..

ALSO EVERYONE DEFENDING THE MELUSINES AND STAYING CLOSE TO THEM AND PROTECTING THEM AND NEUVILLETTE WAS SEEING IT ALL DESPITE HIS FEARS AND I SOBBED

smuggling case 🤨 yeah we read smth on that monsieur ! *hurried tippytaps back to the palais while wiping my tears* and then navia found smth ?! MA’AM HOW QUICK DO THE SPINA DI ROSULA WORK- fucking underground mob asses /j

and then 🌚 we’re going to the fortress?! and i gasped and got so excited like omg we’re going to my husband’s office 🥰🥰 and the way he greeted us and paimon was like “we’re back!” I LAUGHED SO LOUD

wriothesley hinting at using physical force on the dude threatening melusines and i literally looked at my screen like

but then neuvillette was like “wriothesley.” and i was like LMAOOO WE HAD THE SAME REACTION NEUVI 😭😭 sorry for my husband we forget hes a FUCKING CRIMINAL TOO.

had the biggest BURST OF JOY SEEING SIGEWINNE THATS MY BABY MY SWEET ANGEL MY EVERYTHING AAAAA 💙

when we were talking to the members of the mutual aid network and they mentioned their first president from over four hundred years ago and i sat here with the saddest expression like “vautrin?? 🥹” bc the badges were designed after the medal of peace badges ):

GOING BACK TO WRIO’S OFFICE

sir had the audacity to stand there looking sooooo fucking hot in the centre of the room like hello i’m !!!?!!!?? i’ll have dinner on the table wrio i swear

i literally zoned this part out staring at wrio and giggling over him folding his arms across his chest 🥰

neuvillette learning from wrio that vautrin didn’t hate him and i just… sobbing loudly. the whole story i was just sobbing over neuvillette feeling as though he is an outsider even in today’s society but the society had reformed from that of four hundred years ago and it had reformed around him. like he is the centre of fontaine now, he’s their chief justice, the iudex- god i cried again

also wrio offering tea i swear to god husband i’m 😭😭 i would have had tea with you i promise but there was no option )):

taking that walk with neuvillette and LUMINE ACTUALLY SPOKE I SAT UP SO QUICK LIKE OH KY GOD NO ONLY IS IT THE MOST MEANINGFUL THING SAID BUT SHE ACTUALLY SAID IT TO HIM

the cutscene !!!! officially one of my favourites in the entire game 🥹 (alongside the wriothesley one in the archon quest with clorinde, neuvillette’s archon quest one and kokomi’s arrival in the archon quest) when it started raining and the kid came out to say hydro dragon hydro dragon don’t cry !! ):

and lumine and paimon smiling at him and he smiles too and the rain clears up (that shot of the sun coming out over the opera was GORGEOUS i’m so impressed with how much genshin’s graphics have improved since launch!!) and the PUDDLES ON THE GROUND !!!!

charlotte finally getting that interview she wants so badly scheduled and she’s so excited and thanks him !!! and then just all three women stood there together ?? i took photos of them ofc omg navia and clorinde together- but if you talk to them and charlotte is basically fangirling and clorinde is just like “just write all your questions now, he’ll decline all the ones he can’t answer so it’s worth a shot anyways” 🥹

KIARA SLEEPING !!! crying he’s such a parent to them i cannot

and then FINALLY the reply note to his absence note on his desk from furina!!! my wife had her cameo <3 in the sweetest of ways, asking if he’d finally woke up and decided to go outside and he should follow her footsteps more and do it more often - and that it doesn’t matter if something bad happens because you’ll meet plenty of characters along the way

and if you talk to him behind his desk he’s like “what am i supposed to do with her” 🥹🥹🥹

for the record i will be vocal stimming furina’s “oh me, oh my” in that reply note for the rest of eternity <3

i’m so forreal that this is my favourite story quest ever, perhaps because i could relate to it but it also shows that in my opinion not a single fontaine character hates the other as of right now. lyney specifically has no bad blood with anyone; he seems to clear it up with wriothesley and sigewinne in the archon quest but having clorinde, navia and charlotte together talking just like a group of friends and they all came together on their own accord to help neuvillette and even furina’s cameo in her reply note shows that she has some assortment of care for his wellbeing and how he shuts himself away. it was incredibly heartwarming to have each fontaine character have a cameo in some form and other than arlecchino telling the fontaine siblings to keep an eye on neuvillette, they all had positive interactions and intentions.

i’m sorry but fontaine is my favourite and it will always be my favourite, nothing can top the amount of love i have for neuvillette’s story quest. that was the best thing that’s ever happened in this game <3

[ettawritesnstudies]

Hyperspecific Poll Time

Click under the "read more" to learn about the character you picked! And feel free to send me an ask if you'd like to learn more about any of them! I'm turning this into a writeblr tag game too so if you want to join in on this, I'm tagging @abalonetea and @ashen-crest and @theroseempress

Option 1: Luca Laine

"It was far too lovely a day for a riot, but not even the warm morning sun or the light breeze flapping the trader's multicolored tents could keep Luca from taking advantage of the fact that there was, in fact, a riot."

The protagonist of Storge! He's a desperate kid who picks up people's trash and tries to salvage it into useful stuff for his family, but when he dares to steal a magical charm from the avian, Acheran, he's too much of a paragon to get away with it. His honestly earns him a job from the reserved shopkeeper and they end up becoming solid friends who look out for each other when their city devolves into a civil war.

Option 2: Grace Laine

"I could have killed you by now if I wanted to. "Uh yeah, but you didn't."

Luca's younger sister! As a powerful energy sink, this kid can absorb magical energy and use it to bolster her own stamina and healing. This also means she can't use magic to fight, and so her father taught her martial arts at a very young age. As a result, this 14 year old menace is fully convinced she's indestructible and sasses assassins and terrorists with absolutely 0 negative consequences whatsoever /sarcastic

Option 3: Enne Laine

Luca and Grace's older sister! Despite being blind, she's the only sibling with common sense or self-preservation. With a lockbox memory and a lifetime of strategic thinking, she's extremely good at getting her way. While her sister is busy provoking the assassins and terrorists and keeping them distracted, she's arguing her way to freedom and sabotaging them on the way out.

Option 4: Hannah Teagan

When her younger sister, Cecelia, goes missing and all signs point to abduction by fae, Hannah promptly storms into the woods behind their house to bring her sister home. She gets more than she bargains for in the Seelie and Unseelie courts, and its up to her to find a way out of their maze and back to the world she knows.

Option 5: Cecelia Teagan

(this one's a spoiler :3)

Option 6: Min Larua (aka Miragel aka Maxk aka Visige aka Mentira)

A changeling who wants to become the Liege of Thieves. They use their various alter egos to set up a "crime ring" all reporting back to their leader Larua to make it seem like they have a stronghold on the criminal underworld in their city. They eventually recruit a real team, none of which have no idea that their rival, ally, and boss are all the same person.

Option 7: Both Tess Teagan and Weswin

(The first one's a spoiler as well.) Weswin is cursed to have a constantly shifting appearance that he can't control, meaning its impossible for him to maintain an identity or make friends. He eventually forgot his name after years of coming up with different constantly changing personas, and so he eventually settled on calling himself after the "west wind" which he follows in his wanderings.

Option 8: Sora Shiraishi

When you suppress your abilities out of fear for years, it can be terrifying when they start to forcefully manifest themselves and you don't know how to recognize them. Especially when you think you're hallucinating strange sounds and objects moving around, even though it's just the friendly spirit that your family's soul is bonded to, trying to get your attention. She only learned much later that she was experiencing a normal connection to the spirit world, and not losing her mind.

Option 9: Madelyn

Originally a very powerful mage, Madelyn lost her magic when her friend Alric betrayed and attacked her with a Relic. As she learns how to use magic from point 0 all over again, she logs her progress in her journal, and eventually learns how to cast spells from the ink and written words, binding her soul to it and becoming a Relic in her own right. It's a good thing her diary is extremely difficult to destroy as a result, but she refuses to risk losing her magic again. It wouldn't physically harm her, but she still might die of embarrassment if anyone ever read it.

Option 10: Seth

The child of high ranking dignitaries in Maaren, Seth was trained for the noble political life from the moment he learned how to talk. He resented this at first, not really knowing what he wanted to do with his life, but not wanting to be associated with his family's legacy. But after his family's power collapses and he escapes Maaren as a refugee, he realizes he's still really good at politics and rallying people behind a common cause, and uses his training as a force for good in the world.

[casualtydept]

ground zeroes. you cant see whats happening in That tape but i thought skull face was ordering the assault not committing it himself. not that its any less horrific but should skull face be called a rapist when its unclear what actually happened?

putting this under a read more cause i know it's a sensitive topic

i'd argue it isn't unclear at all - that's exactly what happened. he has a soldier rape paz, tries to force chico on her but he refuses and talks instead (unrelated but people love to miss this part for some reason??)

idk how it would be termed legally, i've seen the term "rape by proxy" used but finding actual academic or legal sources i can access on it is difficult.

rape law varies a lot and relies on a lot of very specific wording so it probably largely depends on your legal system whether it'd be classed as rape or as a form of sexual assault. frankly i think the guy violates so many human rights on an average day the legal system would have a field day with him regardless.

so while i can't tell you if you "should" legally, it is certainly fair for people to call him that if they think it's appropriate; he is guilty of using rape as a tool and method of torture regardless of the degree to which he participated personally or the nature of his motivations, i'm not gonna argue with that.

i do think it's perhaps more useful to look at fictional characters through the lens of them being tools to examine a topic (guantanamo bay is fucked) or reveal something about their creator (kojima et al. cannot write sexual assault for shit) rather than trying to find the right legal label for their crimes but it's interesting all the same.

i don't begrudge people hating the character for it or for calling him what he is but it would be cool if anyone was actually interested in having a meaningful discussion about it instead of trying to suggest that enjoying a morally bankrupt character should be in some way off limits or that the people who do are equally as evil or in some way untrustworthy.

i also don't think it was necessarily wrong to include rape in ground zeroes, it's more to do with the presentation and the writing of it, but it feels like most people are stuck on the idea that depicting it at all was the problem. which, fair enough if it's too sensitive a matter, i know i have a stronger stomach for it than most. ground zeroes is my special little problem child.

anyway thanks for the fun question to start my morning lmao, there's a reason i wasn't willing to weigh in over on twitter because i have too much to say that can't be contained by its character limits

[mysterycharacterflowers]

Round 5; A bouquet with love-lies-bleeding, forget-me-nots and sunflowers Vs Plastic/Fake strawberry flowers

First, let's talk about the bouquet with love-lies-bleeding, forget-me-nots and sunflowers

Meaning and why these flowers were chosen: Sunflowers for justice and truth, love-lies-bleeding because he lost the only person who cared about him two months before he could truly work alongside him as a partner, and forget-me-nots because he's a living reminder of that person in every way while also very distinctly himself. Description: He's your uncle. Don't have an uncle? You do now. He smiles and flirts a little and jokes about the silliest things even if there's a new corpse on the floor, and he keeps his hand close to his chest, and you'll never catch the motive behind the joke until it's time for him to reveal the truth and prove his every accusation. He's capable and experienced and a living reminder of the man who haunts the narrative, and he won't save you, because if he could, there would be no need for a reminder of a living man. He'll show you how to save yourself.

Check his post here

Now, let's talk about the Plastic/Fake Strawberry Flowers

Why this flower was chosen: Because he is very germaphobic and also phobic of the things that are in flowers and thus hates nature because it’s dirty (his friends even said that he would be would be a plastic flower if he were one) and strawberry because that’s the smell of the shampoo his wife used and that he can still smell on the pillow she slept on that he keeps (in a plastic case) and hugs when he’s sad Description: He’s a detective. His wife was murdered and for three years after that he didn’t leave the house because his phobias that he had before got exponentially worse. He slowly did start coming out of his house and getting better trying to figure out why his wife was murdered while solving other crimes. He has 312 phobias with the top being in order: Germs, needles, dentists, milk, death, snakes, lightning, mushrooms, heights, crowds, elevators. He has impeccable memory, doesn’t like people and will 100% put his phobias and needs over manners. He can clean his house in his sleep, literally. At the end of the day he is a very nice friend but annoys the crap outa his friends and often doesn’t realise that they even care for him as much as they do/ doesn’t realise they consider him a friend. He always says “here’s the thing” before saying he can’t do something very particular. He also says “Unless I’m wrong, which you know, I’m not”. He always has his assistant carry wipes around and wipes his hands every time he shakes someone’s hand. He is very tight (as in with money) which is very relatable for me and probably other people and its hilarious when he hasn’t paid his assistant because he doesn’t have money (while still buying copious amounts of cleaning supplies) and because he’s so non confrontational he doesn’t want to ask for a raise even tho it’s a totally legit ask (which is also hilarious in and of itself) he ends up just avoiding the subject in any way possible. He once was forced to decorate for Christmas (which he doesn’t do since his wife died) and he used not a fake tree but a paper cut out of a tree. He doesn’t at all know what would insult someone and rarely knows how to make someone feel better (often failing miserably but occasionally actually helping and being super wholesome). He hates/is scared of nakedness (and doesn’t even “look” when he wees) and there was a whole thing where he had to investigate a nudist and was just finding every possible way to find him guilty and it was hilarious (he was in the end more accepting of it but still freaked out) He also wears the same clothes every day and buys shirts checked by a specific checker in a factory that he actually sent a fan letter to (and helped prove her son not guilty). Anyway he is very relatable for just introverted people or awkward people in general because he expresses the way we feel and does things we wish we could do or want to do and says thing we just think in the most hilarious ways, and if that doesn’t make any sense then he just acts and says things that we all kinda do on the inside. Apart from just mostly normal people, he is relatable for the people who share his mental conditions like my dad who is a germaphobe and even tho people still don’t understand germaphobia really, he knows that he gets it and he relates to him a lot. And he has a lot of other things like anxiety, and little things like not being able to deal with change and other stuff that just make him super relatable to neurodevergent people like me. When people first look at people with mental problems they say they are weak that so little sets them off but in reality, they are dealing with so so much that you can’t see and you don’t need to deal with and they- and he is (are) so incredibly strong. I love him so much and I would say more but I don’t want to reveal who he is.

Check his post here