#while still being a child who is doing it as an attempt to resolve her own trauma

[vi-gilante-1010]

"Oh, you think having a wealth gap makes a couple inherently toxic? Sounds like YOU'RE the classist!"

That's a sentiment I see Caitvi superfans use a lot. It dulls down the discussion surrounding what makes Caitvi so unhealthy by the time the show's reached its end. But that's not where the criticism inherently comes from, so I kinda wanted to make a post about it to untangle the webs of what I believe makes Caitvi's "happy" ending ring hollow from a narrative standpoint, as well as why so many in the critical tags see it to be upholding an unhealthy power dynamic rooted in classism.

Arc 1: The Buildup

(I'm not gonna harp on the whole Grey thing, because while we could argue all day about the political and ethical implications of Caitlyn weaponizing the Grey, it's ultimately not directly important to talking about the relationship between Caitlyn and Vi.)

Vi helped Caitlyn gas the factories and streets without arguing. While she was uncomfortable doing so, as we can see from the visuals we get off her throughout their hunting for Jinx in arc 1, she can't bring herself to argue. This opens by speaking on a level of discomfort Vi has with voicing issues she has with Caitlyn's behavior, and honest communication of boundaries is a core component of a healthy relationship. But, at this point in time, she believes that the ends justify the means, and believes Caitlyn's goal to kill Jinx is necessary.

Later, when they actually find Jinx, Vi realizes that she was wrong. Jinx is still Powder, just very, very broken, and that she's someone who matters. And not just to her. So she blocks Caitlyn's shot. She blocks her because Isha is far too close for it to be a safe shot. And while Caitlyn is a skilled marksman, there is a child blocking the shot now, a child that invokes memories of Powder. Though Caitlyn doesn't want to hurt Isha, there's much too high of a chance of her getting caught in the crossfire, and Isha is the agent for Jinx's potential redemption, something that Vi is able to see in that moment.

Caitlyn's response to her girlfriend not letting her take the shot is to call her blood tainted and hit her in a healing wound. When she looks back, there's not regret on her face, but resolution. Vi has failed her. So she doesn't say anything, because like Caitlyn knows, actions speak louder than words, and she walks away and leaves her crying. The way her eyebrows furrow and her eyes slightly squint, the position of her standing above Vi and looking down at her, and the gritting of her jaw all convey determination. Resolve. As far as she's concerned, she's entirely justified in what she said and did, or at the most generous, is lying to herself.

This is, quite frankly, not a healthy response to failure in any way, shape, or form. And while being angry is understandable, calling your partner's blood inherently dirty for her family ties and attacking her is absolutely unacceptable. Calling it a "one-time" thing implies that if abuse happens once, then it wasn't real abuse. But that is abusive behavior, and worse than that, it's a response that Vi believes is her fault.

Arc 2: The Damage

Arc 2 shows us how both Caitlyn and Vi have changed over the span of several months, and that both of them are unhappy in their respective positions. However, the positions in question are wildly different, and speak on how they respond to grief, pain, and perceived betrayal.

Whenever we see Caitlyn, we see her attempting to control every aspect of her position to the best of her ability. She's accepted her role to lead Zaun into an enforced martial law, and is given imagery that intentionally invokes the idea of a dictator. Those that protest her, the Jinxers, her enemies that revere her most hated foe, are given shots and an MV that calls as many parallels and references to the real-world BLM movement and the riot gear the police use. All of this calls attention to the audience that Caitlyn has become the worst kind of enforcer. And while Ambessa was whispering into her ear, she still made the conscious choice to order these things.

She listened to Ambessa because Ambessa catered to what an angry and vengeful Caitlyn wanted, which was to be justified in the situation. Caitlyn has gone from a naive fresh-faced enforcer that believed she was doing good, to a would-be dictator that can go above even the Council that takes a young cadet to bed in an effort to fill the void. And while this might not be the direction a lot of people wanted to see from her character, it makes sense. Caitlyn's greatest struggle growing up was being babied due to her status. She felt as though no one would ever take her seriously and was pushed by the need to prove herself and enact a change. It's a tale as old as time, characteristic of a young, wealthy, fresh-faced adult who initially goes in with dreams to make positive change, only for any tragedy to befall them. She leans heavy and hard on the ideals, the status, and the resources she gets from said background and uses them in her attempt to feel in control of her life. It's complex, human, but devastating to anyone who stands in her path to control.

Vi has done the opposite. Due to her extensive trauma from growing up in a dangerous neighborhood and 7 years falsely imprisoned and abused by her jailers, Vi processes her negative feelings through action, and in an effort to stay afloat in Zaun, becomes an underground pit fighter. While we only get an MV of this time, we can see just how much worse her mental health has become, with her pushing herself to her physical limits constantly, living in a dingy apartment, and diving headfirst into an alcoholic lifestyle. When Jinx does show up, despite having saved her at the end of arc 1, she's decidedly unhappy seeing her, because Caitlyn's outburst has made her feel like she was the one in the wrong that day. But she wasn't.

The TLDR here is that when Caitlyn feels betrayed, she lashes out physically and tries to take total control. When she's wronged, she hurts others. But when Vi feels betrayed and hurt, she takes it out on herself, destroying herself from guilt and pushing people away. When she's wronged, she hurts herself. The ways they both lash out are a recipe for what can quickly become a very, very toxic relationship, because regardless of who's right or wrong when the couple argues, or if a tragedy strikes the both of them, it is the same character who'll consistently receive the consequences.

That doesn't make them inherently unable to have a healthy relationship. But in order for it to be healthy and stable, both characters have to be willing to put active work into the relationship and themselves to get there. We've already seen once that they aren't able to do that when push comes to shove, but that was in the immediate aftermath of a great tragedy.

When they meet again at the end of arc 2, they form a shaky re-alliance to try and stop Ambessa. But the underlying context of why this happens isn't fantastic, at least not for Caitlyn. Vi is still angry, but she's also someone who's willing to forgive. She's dealt with loss since childhood- her parents, her brothers, her adoptive father and sister, and then Caitlyn. She's just gotten her father and sister back, and did so because she accepted that their being changed didn't mean they were different people. She's extending that same possibility to Caitlyn.

Caitlyn, on the other hand, has become increasingly more frustrated because she's realized that she was manipulated by Ambessa- IE, she wasn't in control. Even after her pain, and her abandonment of Vi, she was still manipulated. Now Vi was next to her again, and Caitlyn does still want her. She likes Vi's fire, her sexiness, her toughness, and her loyalty. Even when burned, Vi is always open to giving another chance. She did so with Jinx. She will do so with her. And that means Caitlyn can't lose her.

Arc 3: Happy Couple =/= Healthy Couple

When Vi and Caitlyn are together again in Piltover, Vi argues to free Jinx. Caitlyn won't do it, and when Vi won't listen to why she believes that's a bad idea, she lashes out both verbally and physically. Again. She throws the boat in her hand out towards Vi. It's a kneejerk reaction, yes, and it doesn't do any physical damage. But the fact of the matter is that when she was angry, Caitlyn's instinct was to lash out at Vi, because Vi was calling her out for half a year of being complicit in systemic violence. This immediately makes it clear that what Caitlyn did to Vi with her rifle in Act 1 cannot be referred to as a "one-time thing", that she was too full of grief for her mother to think clearly, that she was never violent again. She was. This, too, is violence.

This may not be common knowledge, but abusing the environment around you is a known warning sign of abusers. Slamming doors when angry, breaking things, throwing things, so on and so forth, are all signs of a lack of ability to regulate your emotions, and emerge by taking it out on the environment around you. Caitlyn has now exhibited this behavior as a pattern, and has directed said behavior at the person she loves twice. This is wrong, this is a pattern, and perhaps most importantly, this is not called out as such.

Caitlyn and Vi both feel as though they're drifting. We know that Vi just wants stability from the people she loves, and wants those people to stay what she believes them to be. She's extended forgiveness to Jinx out of faith. She's now done so for Caitlyn, but Caitlyn is pushing her away again. Caitlyn, meanwhile, wants control. She needs to have people in her life that trust her to do what she believes is right, regardless of whether or not she actually is. So she confronts Jinx, the person most important to Vi, the person that's consistently at the crux of their arguments. And she tries to convince herself that they are equals. She committed crimes for power, but so did Jinx, so that gives her some justification. But she's wrong, as she learns, because Jinx doesn't try to justify herself. She owns her wrongs, and doesn't want forgiveness for them. At every step of her and Vi's reconciliation, Jinx was acting for Vi's sake. Caitlyn is not. And now Jinx believes that acting in Vi's sake is to go away.

The sex scene is the culmination of Caitvi's relationship, and is extremely effective at demonstrating exactly how Caitlyn is the one in control and how Vi has been broken. And astoundingly, it seems to do so by complete accident. When Vi is trying to let out her feelings and be vulnerable, expressing how her worst fears for Jinx running and leaving her again have come to pass, Caitlyn flirts.

"Did you really think I needed all the guards at the hexgates? Sorry to say; you've grown a bit predictable."

Caitlyn doesn't try to empathize, or listen, or actually be any kind of emotional support for Vi. Her voice drops lower, she leans in a bit, and she almost brags about being the reason why Vi was able to free Jinx in the first place. 'Wow, look at me, I used my position at the top of the enforcers to move the guards for you. Isn't that sexy? Your freeing Jinx was because I let you.' But for Vi, someone desperate and abandoned and alone, it just reads as- 'I helped you. That means you're not alone.'

Then they fuck in the cell Caitlyn has command over, in the building Vi was forcefully held in for seven years. And worse, it's Vi who's pleasuring Caitlyn throughout. Vi, a former prisoner, pleasures the jailer inside the cell she commands. Supposedly, this is meant to be framed as Vi 'reclaiming her trauma', and I don't doubt that that was the intention, judging by the choice of music and Caitvi's final scene, but that isn't how it appears, even if Caitlyn herself wasn't the one jailing Vi specifically.

Now, there is nuance to be had here. While decidedly not a good partner, Caitlyn does still have genuine love for Vi. She makes a point to interrupt and tell her about Maddie first, and even shows visible regret at having attacked Vi with the gun in the past. These were both things she did to push Vi away and try to force her out of her life, and while they were both choices she made, they're choices that, months later, she's come to regret.

And that's realistic, because abusing someone doesn't mean you don't love them. Abusers are entirely capable of feeling love for their victims, and can sometimes even delude themselves into believing that their abuse is what's best for said victims, so that they'll stay together. That's something that's easy to forget, but it's true. Abusers aren't one dimensional, but that doesn't absolve them of their actions.

After all is said and done, we see Caitlyn examining the ventilation system once more, and finding the route by which Jinx could have lived. She smiles to herself, and then she keeps it to herself. Vi, who was absolutely devastated at the supposed sacrifice of her sister and father again in one fell swoop, who's already lost so many people, who never stops fighting for the people she loves if there's a chance they're out there, is kept in the dark. Caitlyn knows her girlfriend. If Vi catches wind of Jinx even just potentially being alive, she will go after her. Because her sister will always come first. Caitlyn knows that. And she doesn't say anything.

You can argue that this is Caitlyn respecting Jinx's wish to disappear. You can argue that this is Caitlyn giving up on revenge, and, well, it is. But it's more than just that. This is her allowing Jinx to kill herself. This is her allowing Vi's only other connection to fade into obscurity. And this is Caitlyn keeping Vi to herself. When she asks Vi what song she's humming, Vi shrugs it off as unimportant, even though that song is the one Powder sang when they searched for their parents all that time ago. She's singing her sister away to their family, and doesn't give this context to Caitlyn because it'll mean nothing to her. Even now, Vi's accepted that Jinx and Caitlyn would never be able to both be in her life. But she doesn't have to choose if Jinx is dead. If Caitlyn was solely letting it go to let go of revenge, she could have left the map for Vi to see on her own, let her go to find her sister the way she let her free Jinx.

This is the power dynamic. This is where the classism seeps in. Caitlyn has resources and power and control. Caitlyn can control the flow of information. Caitlyn has the power. Vi, meanwhile, has nothing but Caitlyn. She has no connections(her relationship with Ekko is straight up ignored in season 2), no family, no resources of her own. Even when she was on her own, trying to start fresh with literally nothing due to her prison time, she had to resort to underground fighting rings to scrape by. She's in a position of financial need, but Vi is happy anyways, because all that control relinquished to Caitlyn means Vi is stable. She has someone that'll come back to her the same way she comes back to them, and that's what she wanted, for someone to fight as much as she did. Never mind how ugly it gets when the going gets tough. Never mind that part of her torso is still wrapped. She's not alone, and so she's happy. They both are. But they are not healthy, and this conclusion being treated as the light at the end of the tunnel is horrific to anyone who's been in VI's position before.

Conclusion

So, no, your average Caitvi anti saying there's a power dynamic aren't wrong, nor are they making shit up just because they don't like Caitlyn. Not everyone may have the time or energy or words to articulate exactly why, but that doesn't mean it isn't there outright. That said, I can't really blame your average Caitvi enjoyer for being upset at this kind of accusation, and that's mainly because though the show portrays abuse, it takes the stance that if the love is there, it doesn't really matter in the long-term. The divide lies between those who take the show for what it's trying to say, and the people who see the show's biases and call them out.

The choice of music and focus on Caitlyn's perspective across the season as opposed to Vi being shoehorned into montages over and over makes it exceedingly clear that despite all of her crimes and actions, they want Caitlyn to appear sympathetic to the audience, and they want the audience to root for her to get Vi back while not caring about Vi's own stagnation. The show has the two of them happy at the end as part of their grand conclusion intentionally; you're supposed to like that they're together. The show wants you to think that it's a good thing, and a large chunk of the Arcane fandom prefers to take Arcane for what it was trying to be, instead of what it ended up being. And until people can stop harassing each other over what is at the end of the day a sloppily written work of fiction, there'll never really be a constructive conversation about it.

I actually quite like Caitlyn in that I think her fall from grace and corruption arc is really interesting, and I'm never opposed to toxic yuri in an intentional "bad ending." But Arcane and the creators have made it so clear over and over again that that's not what Caitvi was meant to be, so I can't not criticize it, especially not when there are some Caitvi diehards making a point to harass and attack anyone that says otherwise, making fucked up art mocking the George Floyd protests, bullying Ekko's VA out of the fandom, sending anonymous death threats to critical tag users, etc. Obviously I'm aware it's a vocal minority, but it's still happening.

[my-my-my]

Aizen thinking of reader in muken and thinkong to himself that maybe if the circumstances had been different he would've married her, and like he holds respect for reader because she had a tough past which also includes sa(trauma dumping here) and her gentle yet cold and reserved personality, a diligent soul reaper who at the end of the day was a human,who would make cooing noises while aggressively scratching a cats head something like that, whatever youre comfortable with, if you don't want to then you don't have to, im sorry if i made you uncomfortable with it!!

Thank you for sending, sharing and trusting this request with me! It’s been a while since I’ve attempted to crawl into Aizen’s head, so I hope this is to your liking. I won’t be able to convey every aspect you included into this request, but I hope it has the sentiment you wanted.

Summary: The mind wanders when it has nothing else to do, and being in Muken has left Aizen with plenty of time to reminisce, much to his dismay. With the onslaught of the Quincy Invasion decimating the Gotei 13, Aizen is called to the battlefield, coming to terms that somethings will inevitably, remain the same.

CW: Vague mentions of SA, pining, angst.

Word count: 1233

Muken, in its entirety, was a cold and desolate place. It was void of light; its depths hiding darker secrets that only the higher ups, and those imprisoned, knew of. Yet within the darkest of Muken’s depths, Aizen’s mind was still free – free to explore his inner world, free to explore and train himself, but also free to explore his memories.

Although he often tried to minimize his time with memories. To learn from history was one thing, but for Aizen, some memories were tinted with regret – of things long past, of people long gone. It opened a door of “what if’s” that Aizen, much to his dismay, did not have the pleasure of humouring anymore.

“What if…”

“What if…”

“What if…”

Those things would never change the current situation, his present and longstanding imprisonment. But in some instances, his mind would wander to memories of you. Of times where his plans, experiments and machinations were off in the distant future, and you were his present.

Yet Aizen’s time in Muken grew longer at each passing moment. The solitude haunts him but remains familiar – a taste he knows all too well since he was a child, and yet he knows that you would have endured this.

Thoughts of you, who remained unwavering in times of anger, sadness and despair. You who had endured so much by the time he met you. The outer districts of Rukongai were desolate at best, and inhospitable at worst – and somehow you clawed your way through it all. Away from people who were determined to crush and confine you in the squalor of outer Rukongai. Away from men who craved power over your mind, soul and body.

When he met you as a fellow student at the Academy, he didn’t expect much from you.

But your diligence and resilience made him watch you from a distance. Watching you grow stronger and confident each day as you improved your skills as a shinigami. Soul Society was anything but kind to you, but you faced each day with a quiet determination. A resolve to be better than what you were dealt with.

It was only a matter of time the Gotei 13 recognized your efforts, as you were recruited into Squad 5, under Aizen’s lieutenancy. It was strange, Aizen thought as he reflected on those moments. Like many in the Gotei 13, you weren’t immune to his charms or his looks. He would catch you with the faintest of blushes, the slight aversion of your eyes from his gaze, yet you tried to hold equal footing with him. He would catch you practicing spells, your swordsmanship and even your calligraphy.

At first, he thought it was to impress him, but through the small, growing interactions you two shared, you wanted to know more. You craved to be better, you craved to know more, and you craved to do right by others.

Which was why Aizen pushed you away. You were too kind for Soul Society and for the world he envisioned.

…Yet he couldn’t part with you.

Which was also why he had you transferred and demoted to another division, far away from him. The pain and hurt in your eyes and voice were seared into his mind when he handed your transfer and demotion notice. Yet you didn’t get angry – a question Aizen still wondered to this day.

Why didn’t you fight him? Why didn’t you stand up for yourself?

After Aizen experimented on Shinji and the others and expelled Urahara, he thought about you often. He even drafted a promotion letter for you.. yet seeing you smile to your fellow squad members, seeing you work your way through the ranks of your new squad…

Maybe it was better this way.

What could he have done otherwise? He considered the possibility of marriage, of trying to woo you back into his arms… but Soul Society was too broken for that dream to work. To put you in harms way directly, to have you branded as a traitor for him, after all you had worked for…

Sending you away from him and his plans were the best for you, no matter how much pain it caused the both of you.

Hypotheticals and memories are nice, but that’s all they are.

It was laughable really, for Kyoraku, of all people, to be Captain Commander, to be seeking Aizen, of all people to help with the Quincy Invasion. But laughter seemed foreign to Aizen these days. The look of disdain amongst Kyoraku and the soldiers accompanying him out through Muken made Aizen scoff.

It exhausted him to play the part of saviour for people who didn’t deserve saving. The fact that the Captains didn’t even consider crushing Yhwach’s black creatures with their spiritual pressure? The brilliant minds of the Gotei 13… Aizen thought sarcastically as another creature screamed from his pressure.

The shinigami would look at him in contempt as Aizen sat there begrudgingly. Yet through his ability to compress and decompress his reiatsu, he sensed yours. He couldn’t help but give a wry smile at what he was sensing… you were trying something similar. He turned his head slightly and saw you through the corner of his uncovered eye.

Your reaitsu wasn’t as strong as his, but he was impressed with how you could hold your own, until he felt a flicker of an oncoming onslaught.

Without hesitation, Aizen chanted Hado 90, slow enough for Kyoraku to alert the others, including you to hide. Your eyes widened as you saw Aizen calmly stare back at you. Recognition in his eye when he saw that you were a safe distance away.

Not that you needed to be saved.

And yet, much to Aizen’s dismay, the insolent chair designed by Kurotsuchi remained in place. He narrowed his eye as the captain gloated his invention. You remained quiet as you watched the scene unfold.

Until a loud blast hit Aizen. The remaining Quincy survivors arrived, but before you could even draw your blade, they turned on each other.

You watched Kyoraku with an amused smile talk with Aizen, who looked less than amused at what just happened. Kyoraku tipped his hat and left Aizen alone.

The captains and lieutenants were going to head to the royal palace while you and all the others remained in Soul Society to protect it from whatever may come next. And throughout Kyoraku’s rousing speech, you could only focus on Aizen’s reaitsu as it crept closer to you.

And like a moth to a flame, you walked closer to him. You weren’t sure of what to say, of what to do as you stood in front of him. Centuries had passed, but the fluttering of your heart remained the same.

“I –” but before you could say more, a group of your squad members pushed you away, yelling about the immediate need in a Rukongai district. You looked at Aizen sadly, as he grew smaller and smaller from your field of vision.

Soul Society, in its entirety, was a cold and desolate place for Aizen. He had no love for it, and it had no love for him. The fleeting and feeble lives of the soldiers of the Gotei 13 and Wandenreich stained Soul Society… how many more lives will it take? How many captains will die?

Yet still, as Aizen glanced to the black sky, one thing remained certain, his feelings for you.

This poem used in a waka competition back in the early 1000s, was the inspiration for this:

Aren’t you who you once were? Aren’t I who I was then? How strange that All we trusted in Has changed.

Thank you for sending me this request and trusting me with it. I hope you enjoy it!

[sylver-drawer]

I want to remind everyone that Jennette and Ijekiel’s relationship in the novel never improves. Ijekiel may have ‘moved on’, but it wasn’t really of his own accord—it’s because Athy literally encouraged him to go with Jennette (which I’ve already mentioned whose encouragement stems from her rose-tinted glasses of dehumanizing both Ijekiel and Jennette). Jennette, whose feelings and psyche we’ve delved into multiple times throughout the novel, hates Ijekiel’s falsity the most. She may be afraid of his anger and frustration, but that’s because it would be so foreign to her—but at the same time, it would be relief because at the very least it means it’s Ijekiel finally laying his feelings bare to her. But Ijekiel made it clear to her during his rejection that he has no intention to ever be genuine to her—that he will keep up his mask, monitor his emotions closely while still spitting out cruel words as if he were angry, though he dare not present so. That’s what scares her most, and what she despises terribly.

So the novel ends with Jennette exiled to outside of Obelia, waking up after attempting to off herself with her magic, alone with the man who just conveyed to her that he will never be genuine or truthful with her. In Ijekiel’s side, the woman he loved just told him to go with Jennette—who he has SO much unpacked baggage with already, being that he never saw or acknowledged Jennette as a woman (not romantically, I’m saying he constantly views her as a child despite her being an adult and having multiple enigmas, personal conflict, and growth through the years), still and will always view her as someone who will chase after him and ignore his feelings or opinions (which stems from an image he himself wanted to uphold, Jennette always wanted him to give his true opinions and gave him PLENTY of times to reject her and her requests), and overall just has so much pent up feelings and resentment for Jennette for little things throughout his childhood that’s too much to resolve without a proper heart-to-heart with Jennette—which he already resolved to never doing.

Which ends the novel with both of them at basically their most uncomfortable, stuck with the person they very much never want to be around. It’s hell. It’s gonna be hell. They���re practically strangers—people who’ve been around each other for nearly two decades, but don’t know the first thing about the other. And now it’s extremely awkward because of their fight, and the line Ijekiel drew that because of Jennette’s extremely fragile mental state, will force Ijekiel to have to be the first one to reach out. And he won’t. Because he’s not used to reaching out, especially to Jennette of all people (as Jennette’s always been the one to try and reach out, and he’s always been the one to put up a mask and comply even if he truly wishes not to).

And we know this is true, because Athy and Lucas literally talk about it at the end of the LP sidestories. After Athy comes back from her LP adventure, she decides to take a trip and visit Jennette and Ijekiel—and Lucas states something along the lines of how they don’t even meet eachother’s eyes (Athy takes it as both of them not dating, which I’m completely confused about, and chalk it up to Plutus forcing a pairing somewhat, as when we last saw them they couldn’t even be called friends). When Athy and Jennette exchange letters, there is no mention of Jennette and Ijekiel’s relationship. Athy even remarks that, before Jennette started exchanging letters, her letters with Ijekiel were mostly of Jennette’s condition because (she) was worried about her (not that Ijekiel talks about Jennette on his own, Athy has to inquire about Jennette—which was also what Ijekiel was jealous of right before his rejection of Jennette, that Athy only seemed to love and ask about Jennette in his presence). Nothing has improved since the official end of the novel, and it’s the last we see of them, and I honestly don’t really have much faith that it’ll improve anytime soon. At least, not without Athy’s intervention, but that would require more of Athy’s own growth.

[adalynn]

So I’ve officially decided to decide that Seasons 5 and 6 are no longer canon with The Handmaid’s Tale. If I ever rewatch the show, I will only be doing Seasons 1-4 because all of those episodes are still the finest hours of television ever. However, the second Bruce Miller hired on new writers for Season 5 and stepped down as showrunner for Season 6, all logic went down the toilet.

- They made June into an even bigger idiot than usual.

- They gave Serena a redemption arc that was ABSOLUTELY not deserved.

- They introduced 400+ subplots into Season 5 that were never resolved and made no sense.

- They completely dropped Esther Keyes’s character halfway through Season 5 even though she was at her most important point (her tragic impregnation thanks to Putnam).

- They made Luke more unlikable and useless than ever (even when he actively joined Mayday in Season 6).

- The violence introduced in Season 6 was overkill and went into Terrifier level with the Jezebel’s massacre.

- The bond between June and Serena… why?

- Season 6 made it WAY TOO EASY for Mayday to infiltrate Gilead and cross the border. For four seasons, it was damn near impossible to escape or even to enter Gilead. THIS season, June’s just casually walking across the border over and over again without consequence.

- The dialogue throughout both 5 & 6 was incredibly unrealistic and stupid, while the dialogue for the first four seasons were among the best lines of television.

- 15 million fucking closeups of Elisabeth Moss’s stupid ass face.

- Speaking of Elisabeth, am I alone in believing that her capabilities as an actor completely went away with Season 5? She was so fucking over the top with her performance and she was laughable at times.

- I should have seen the red flags coming with the way they were taking Nick’s character since he was barely in Season 5 at all.

- Speaking of Nick, they absolutely decimated his character arc and made him the big bad villain in the final five episodes of the show for no fucking reason other than shock value.

- The part that sucks is that the first three episodes of the season were genuinely good and the way Nick was written was ACCURATE TO THE WAY HE’D BEEN WRITTEN FOR NEARLY A DECADE!!! ESPECIALLY in Episode 3.

- For the anti-Nick fans who believe that he was always a N*zi and for the patriarchy, let me run through a list that explains the opposite:

• He was lured into joining Sons of Jacob by Commander Pryce because he took advantage of Nick’s vulnerability because of his family problems. LURED. He did join willingly, yes, but without knowledge of how bad it would be. All Pryce told him was that they would “clean up the country.”

• The second that the first Offred committed su*cide, Nick immediately joined the ranks of Eyes to spy on Commanders. COMMANDERS, NOT HANDMAIDS OR MARTHAS. He used that to his advantage to join Mayday as well.

• When June came to the Waterford home, Nick immediately began to treat her like she was a human being and NOT a Handmaid, instantly being kind to her and even to Rita. He didn’t have to be kind but he was.

• When Emily was taken by the Eyes for being revealed as a lesbian, Nick was worried for June’s safety. He’d already warned her to not get too close to Emily because he knew that Emily would be taken for being gay and there was nothing he could do.

• Now, when it comes to Nick and June being forced to have sex in order to conceive a child… no, Nick DID NOT want to do this to June at all. You can see it all over Max’s face that he’s disgusted with what he’s doing. And he later tells June, “I couldn’t say no when Mrs. Waterford asked me. I’m sorry.” Key word: COULDN’T. Since the Waterfords didn’t know he was an Eye, to them, he was still just a Driver. Serena, as a result, was higher in power than Nick was. He HAD to do as she said, he wasn’t allowed to say no. He was below Serena in ranks.

• Let’s not even get into the several times Nick’s attempted to help June escape Gilead because we’ll be here all day.

• Now, when it comes to Eden. Keep in mind that Nick was FORCED to marry Eden against his will. And it was not a promotion, it was punishment for Nick being concerned for June’s mental health when she sank into the “Offred” role halfway through Season 2. Even still, he did his best to be kind and respectful to Eden even though he did not want to have sex with her because she was a literal CHILD. The only reason he ended up doing so was because June told him to do it or he would die and, even so, he was disgusted afterwards. People said he was an absolute asshole to Eden when he caught her with the Jezebel’s letters. And those people forget that it was because they were letters for MAYDAY. If Eden had actually read them, Nick and everyone who’d written them would have been utterly fucked. That was the only time we’ve ever see Nick outwardly being a prick to a woman but it was out of fear, not because he hated Eden.

• And now Nick being promoted to a Commander rank. It was punishment. Nick helped June and Holly try to escape Gilead (succeeded with Holly, failed with June) and held Fred at gunpoint so he wouldn’t report it. Because of this, Fred punished him by “promoting” him to Commander and sending him to the front lines to die. He failed miserably, of course, because fuck Fred.

• I know Nick arrested June in Season 4 but the reason he sent himself to do it was because he KNEW June wouldn’t listen to anyone else and would get herself killed. By sending himself and murmuring to her, “I’m trying to keep you alive,” he convinced her and she saved herself.

• The Chicago bombing. Nick was horror struck when Putnam ordered him to do that. Because he knew June was there, he absolutely did not want to go through with it. Also, when he was trying to figure out where June was through the two Marthas, he was kind and respectful to them and treated them like people. The Marthas, in return, did not fear him and talked to him casually and without worry.

• The second June escaped, Nick did everything he could and even risked his life to put together that file on Hannah even though he felt like he’d never see June or his daughter again. Keep that in mind.

• Nick HELPED ORCHESTRATE Fred’s murder with the prisoner exchange. Everyone seems to forget that.

• When Tuello came to Gilead with Serena, Nick immediately tried to get any information he could about June and Holly and, later on, when June was nearly killed by the truck, Nick broke and agreed to spy on Gilead for the Americans. Her near-death was his breaking point and he nearly got himself killed afterwards by punching Lawrence.

• When June came to Nick in No Man’s Land to plead with him to save Luke and Moira, he did so WITHOUT HESITATION. He literally shot down two Guardians just to save them and June even though he hated to have to do so (because he was NOT a violent and dishonest man as June said in 6x10).

• Oh AND when June called him and asked him to get the letters from Jezebel’s, he did so. Again, WITHOUT HESITATION. And that ended up being Nick’s downfall in the end.

But no, all of that is thrown out the window all because of one shitty writing decision to make him into a big bad villain in the latter half of Season 6 even though that is not Nick’s character at all. Now, he’s saying shitty lines like, “Guess you decided to join the winners,” and listening to Rose to “end her [June].”

That is not Nick Blaine. Nick Blaine is a man who would have done everything and anything in his heart to protect June and keep her safe, a man who was MAYDAY since damn near the beginning when the first Offred took her life, a man who spied on COMMANDERS and got them arrested often, a man who was nothing but kind and respectful to women in Gilead (even Serena), and a man who did not deserve the utter character assassination given to him in the final five episodes of the show.

Fuck Season 5 and ESPECIALLY Season 6 for what they did to the characters, logic, writing, and Nick Blaine. Fuck Bruce Miller and Elisabeth Moss for thinking it was a good idea. Seasons 5 & 6 are no longer canon in my eyes.

To those who were just as heartbroken as me by direction they took the show, you’re not crazy. You’re valid in having those feelings. The showrunners gaslit us into questioning Nick’s choices throughout the show but we’re smarter than that. We actually WATCHED the show and paid attention. We’re not stupid. If you ever want to rewatch The Handmaid’s Tale, just end it at Season 4. THAT was a good ending.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

[silversodas]

The Fairly Odd Parents: A New Wish Observations

What actually sold me on giving this series a solid chance, was the theme song, why? Because for me it showed what the series is attempting to be, something that’s paying homage to the source material while being it’s own thing and knowing what it wants to be.

The original theme song is categorized as Electric Swing or Light Jazz. This new theme song sounds like straight up Swing and it SLAPS!

The Set Up

So Hazel Wells moves to the city with her parents for her Dads job and at the same time her older brother and best friend Antony has left for college. Leaving Hazel overwhelmed but still trying to put on a brave face for her family. Not long after arriving they are visited by their new next door neighbors

Cosmo and Wanda are masquerading as a retired human couple

Lol one of the gifts in the welcome basket Cosmo gives them is a jar of pennies. In some places it’s a thing to leave pennies as gifts for fairies, I wonder if Cosmo thought it was a custom human gift

The concept of the parents are pretty interesting, especially their jobs.

Angela is a therapist and author, with all of the non self awareness fairy world had going on her insight could definitely be interesting if she somehow finds out. she is also pretty open minded and non judgmental, not being off put by Cosmo and Wanda’s weird behavior and inviting them in

Marcus is a paranormal scientist, which instantly makes Cosmo and Wanda nervous but what makes him interesting is that he didn’t go in the direction I thought he was going. I thought he was going to go full FOP writing fashion and him basically say he was looking for fairies. But no, he is just wanting to learn the unexplained and mostly about ghost. I don’t know the fact that he is presented as a friend to Cosmo and Wanda who could be a potential obstacle because of the interest that are apart of his character is a lot more interesting then if he was presented as a blatantly obvious obstacle and that’s his only purpose as a character. ( not saying it was bad when FOP did it, they did it in a way that was funny just not to compelling)

Hazel figures out they are magic because both Cosmo and Wanda are piss poor at hiding it but Hazel actually completely drops it after being unable to get her parents to see it

Angela and Marcus actually make pretty good foils for Cosmo and Wanda they are both just completely normal people who highlight Cosmo and Wanda’s colorfulness just as they highlight Angela and Marcus’s normalcy. Hazel, Marcus, and Angela seem to be emotionally intelligent people and it makes them enjoyable and honestly is refreshing

This girl has more emotional maturity then I ever dreamed of having at 10, she keeps her brave face until she hears that Antony can’t come visit till the holiday brake, she has an understandable brake down and her parents feel really bad they are having to change so much so fast for her.

She almost runs away until Cosmo and Wanda catch her (which is interesting because when she passed them on her way up stairs they where to busy with their mail to pay attention to her, but when she is about to run away their full attention snapped to her. Their “child is about to do something stupid”senses must have been tingling) she relents and vents to them about her troubles and that she just wanted to see her brother.

Cosmo and Wanda seem to have a Cathartic moment in realizing that Hazel needed help and that they realized that they were ready to be Godparents again. It was this moment I was like “yeah, you guy’s definitely retired because letting go of Timmy hurt you”

It’s when after everything is resolved and Hazel visits their vary magical and whimsical apartment (I bought the episodes on YouTube but they wouldn’t let me take screen shots) that they reveal that they had been on a 10,000 year sabbatical through time and space during their retirement. They don’t bring up Timmy, just say that they used to be Godparents to kids but then retired for 10,000 years (and no it’s not 10,000 years into the future, they were just time traveling). They actually nervously ask Hazel if she would consider being their Godkid which she enthusiastically agrees too. Don’t make pacts with fairies kids

How it’s going so far

Something interesting to note that while they never bring up Timmy, he kinda haunts the background I think they still have some unprocessed grief for Timmy that may get unpacked. I herd this show is supposed to get an overarching story and after seeing a few episodes I can tell that it’s staying consistent that it’s not completely episodic even if it’s a slow build ( as slow as it’s allowed to be anyway)

It looks like their human personas are their default disguises, that has the potential to be interesting in future episodes

I can tell that Hazel is still not 100% close with Cosmo and Wanda right off the bat, she is still getting to know them, like it was actually so enduring to watch her formally thank them for playing with her. Cosmo and Wanda are also trying to ease themselves in for her sake, but it’s clear that even though they are out of practice they are all in for this little girl and are in Godparent mode. Wanda is never not in Mom mode, and Cosmo already knows all of her special interests off the top of his head in the short time he has known her.

I don’t know, I just saw that a lot of people have been “rightfully” cautious about this show or have written it off, and just wanted to share some things that I thought made it interesting and made it worth giving a look

There are some who are a bit hopeful because one of the writers for infinity train is on the writing team so who knows

[sweatreleaseofdeaths]

I never liked some aspects of SNK's ending since it came out back in 2021. Not because I thought it was bad or because I thought it wasn't well made, but because it felt forced. 

The sudden change of Eren's feelings about Mikasa was one thing that pissed me off, but also because Isayama's original ending wasn't even supposed to be the one that we got. It felt like he only wrote that specific ending for the fans and readers (and maybe because he was tired too; have you seen the bags?) and not because that was the ending that he wanted to write. 

Like you can clearly tell by the last arc that he took a drastic turn on where the story would go to make it "happier," for lack of better words.

 

The way I saw it from the beginning, there was no getting out of it. No happy ending whatsoever. And true to it, the ending with got was bittersweet. Everything Eren did was for nothing because the cycle started back again.

I did actually appreciate that, because it showed us something that was an actual reality. Even if it did help for a bit, nothing really changed because it's in humanity's nature to always start the cycle once again.

However, what I wanted to see more was his original idea of everybody dying. Instead of that, Isayama went and tried to pull a Naruto (with Armin and Eren) so that they could talk it out, understand each other, and come to an understanding. (The understanding being: the reasons of his actions, Eren's need to die, and their promises) 

From an interview (if I'm not mistaken), the original ending was apparently inspired by "The Mist," which is basically about the protagonist being the cause of his loved ones downfall in an attempt to protect them. Sounds familiar, right? It feels like it was going in that direction, then Isayama just decided to make them all resolve their differences, for some reason. 

I personally don't hate the ending; like I said, I just think it was a tad forced on his end.

 

On the Mikasa/Eren thing, do NOT get me wrong. Mikasa is and has always been an important character to this story. Her as well as her relationship with Eren IS special. Now just because what they share is special doesn't necessarily mean that it's "love.".

On Mikasa's side, she literally lost her parents and met Eren a second later because he killed for her and came to her defense. She latched into him because of that. She was a traumatised child with a deeply unhealthy view of love, so while she did love Eren, the way she showed it could be interpreted as just obsession toward her rescuer.

But the thing with Mikasa's character is that the more the story goes, the more you see her become her own person without Eren. Either it be choosing between her desire to stay with him or her duties as a soldier, or even when she had to make a choice between killing him or not being willing to because of how much she loves him.

I honestly love Mikasa as a character so much. You can see her growth and see her trying to get past her trauma step by step. So, at the end, even though she never stopped loving Eren, she moved on and started a life for herself, because that's where her development was leading to.

Contrary to her, Eren had little to no self-restraint. He was hot-headed and only believed in what he believed, walking the path that he felt was right. He was obsessed with one thing and one thing only (that's literally everything he talked about), never straying from it no matter what happened.

I feel like he never tried to get past his trauma, only feeding into it the more time passed. From always getting into fights because of different perspectives he had with people (i.e., hitting one of the guys who was badmouthing the scouts with a stick) to ending 80% of humanity. Eren was selfish from the beginning; everything he did was for himself. Even the rumbling was partially for himself because his freedom couldn't be obtained if the people outside the walls were still around. 

Eren was and will always be a deeply selfish person, but there is also more to that. (So much more that I'm not even going to get into that here, because I love Eren too much and wouldn't be doing him any justice by resuming his character in just a few words.)

 

TLDR: Eren did not love her romantically (he did LOVE her; it just wasn't romantic), and even if Isayama wanted to say that they did love each other, what they shared ultimately was toxic. It could've turned into something better if Eren was less self-centred, but then again. My issue with all of this is that Isayama underexplored this aspect of their relationship so much that it just was out of the blue (and might I add ooc without getting shot) when Eren started wailing about not wanting her to end up with someone else.

You can't just make a story, build it, and put effort into it, then make a little throwaway line of "Oh, these two love each other, btw." That's just not how it works. You have to develop it for the readers to understand, and even if some people end up not liking it, it wouldn't matter because at least you made it make sense. 

 

Also! I'm not criticising SNK, nor am I criticising Isayama. I've loved this story for years, so really, at the end of the day, even if some things still felt off to me, I will keep loving it to death. (And you can ship whoever you want who gives a fuck!)

[002yb]

i would love to hear any thoughts about the guys finding out damian’s paternity in the secretary au? how does everyone handle it? ps your writing is a refuge against all the canon typical jason and the fam angst and its so good to have a bit of cute jason centric goodness 🥰

When Bruce returns home from another late night at the office, the last thing he expects is to be confronted by what appears to be an intervention. Not an uncommon occurrence for this family, but definitely not appreciated given Bruce is already running late for patrol.

A patrol that Nightwing and Robin should have already gotten a start on, yet here they are. Dressed, ready, and yet still lingering for him.

Something dire must have happened. His only consolation is that Jason is safe. Bruce made sure of it, as he often does. Seeing Jason home. Leaving, only to double back and linger. Watching through a broken window and sheer curtains at a spill of golden light to catch one more glimpse of his darling boy.

Ah, it's most definitely an intervention.

To dawdle like he does, as often as he does — it's possible it hasn't been without consequence to his responsibilities. For as motivated and reinvigorated as he feels towards his cause now that Jason is returned to him, Bruce can't protect this city if he can't tear himself from Jason's side...

But also? Where better to stake himself than at the heart of this city?

"We were delayed at the office." Bruce defends himself like a child caught out and not the grown man he is, sweeping through the cave and towards his costume. "Given the hour, I chose to see Jason home safely."

No one says anything. Tim doesn't call Bruce out on the truths he stretches — how the only delay that kept them at WE was due to Bruce's insistence on having misplaced his keys and needing help finding them. Being distracted by playful ribbing and witty humor throughout; shared stories of Jason's misadventures in child care — forgotten diaper bags and missing shoes, a hat blown away on a breeze.

'Lost things have a way of turning up where they're needed.' Jason had said, content because that forgotten diaper bag helped a struggling mother that was down on her luck and the shoe Damian kicked off on a walk made a homeless man smile at memories of softer times and the hat became a nest for some birds—

'If we're lucky they make their way back to us.' Jason told him, with a firm pat to Bruce's breast pocket where his keys jingled together. And Bruce stood there, awestruck as he raised his hand. Fingers brushing over Jason's hand before Jason pulled away, smile wide and impish. And Bruce smiled back, head dipping to play at sheepish while really his chest was simply overfull with gratefulness.

Lucky, indeed.

Not so lucky is that his fortune only extended up until the point with this intervention. Even Alfred is here to badger him, it seems. It’s laughable, given the three of them would or have done the same as him. Hypocrites, Bruce thinks petulantly.

"Start your routes." Bruce calls to them, a hail mary to hopefully spare himself from whatever is coming. When no one budges, Bruce frowns. Sighs, "Unless there's something pressing?"

The question has everyone shifting their gaze away from him with uncertainty. Even their body language is closed off, though maybe their mirrored crossed arms are an attempt to self-soothe? Bruce's brows furrow. He turns his focus to Dick who meets his eye and Bruce's frown deepens at the wariness he finds there.

"What is it?" He prompts even as he turns to dress. A quick process for how often he's done it. Whatever intervention they have staged, whatever trouble has come their way — it will have to be resolved while they're on the move. It really is late.

And yet they continue to wait. It tests Bruce's patience, though when he starts to bristle, Alfred clears his throat and prompts him, "It would do you well to take a seat, Master Bruce."

Ah. Bruce shoots a fleeting glance at the Batmobile, gauging if he can make a break for it before his sons tackle him and force his compliance. As that was one of the points of a prior intervention, Bruce decides to sit. If only to prove a point.

When he's handed loose pages, Bruce looks to Tim for a summary. Their usual routine, only this time his partner is not forthcoming. Tim looks pointedly down at the pages before looking back to Bruce, a somberness to his expression that has Bruce giving the report his full attention.

The report being... a paternity test? For Damian.

Bruce scans it, pausing when he comes across the results. Doubling back and rereading it properly because oh.

In no uncertain terms: it's Bruce.

A fine tremble in his hand gives away his nerves. The report shakes in his hold, worsened when Bruce slouches forward to read the results again, again, again. He hides the lower half of his face with his hand, brow furrowed as he tries and fails to wrap his head around such extraordinary circumstances.

Everything falls away from him. There's static in his ears, beneath his skin. Being a father is of no consequence to him — he has three wonderful sons already, he would be so lucky to have another, it's just...

"I have a son..." His voice sounds far away to his own ears. Soft-eyed, breathless, he marvels, "with Jason."

He thinks of Jason's romanticized views of being lost — of going to where you're needed and can't shake that Jason was lost to him to find Damian. To bring him home.

Maybe Bruce's luck hasn't run out quiet yet, after all.

Silence trails Bruce's proclamation, followed in short order by Alfred turning away from him — the bridge of his nose pinched between his fingers. Tim follows suit, head tipped back and hands scrubbing down his face, muffling exasperated gibberish. And Dick, who Bruce watches most pointedly, balks.

"That's not what the test says," Dick bristles, "Absolutely not!"

===========

What's tough is that Bruce can't up and claim to Jason that Bruce is Damian's father, either. That would hardly go over well. Jason is so protective of Damian that Bruce would be put in the ground for overstepping with his unconsented for paternity test — the authorities wouldn't even have a chance at him.

But also? Bruce can't go on like he knows nothing. He wants to be involved in Damian's life. He wants to be a father with Jason.

So. Baby steps. Which Dick and Tim are so petulant about because it involves them covering for Batman's patrol one night. Meaning they can't hang out at the manor with Jason and Damian when they come by for dinner. This is about a kid and their father though, so Dick and Tim begrudgingly lay low (and are grumpy about it all the while).

But yes, Damian being icy with Bruce because he associates Bruce with being the one to always take Jason away. And Jason has explained it's work, but Damian is peeved regardless.

To everyone's surprise, Bruce focusing more on Damian than Jason?? With Bruce kneeling to be more at eye level with this boy. And telling Damian that he can come with Jason to work whenever he wants; it's okay.

Which Jason is !!! about because what? Boundaries, boss. Not that he doesn't appreciate it.

Bruce insists though because "he does keep Jason occupied more than he should" but low-key...it's an opportunity to spend more time with his son if Damian visits, so...

Just Bruce trying to be a good dad even if he can't openly be a dad ;U;

Something something Damian bonding with Dick more though and Bruce gets it, but like (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

Extra odds and ends:

Going to the park together! And Bruce brings Ace and Damian adores him so much. The dog, not necessarily Bruce.

Just this sweet family walking together. With Damian holding the leash (that Bruce also holds on to) and ahhhhhh it's sweet

But also... the park is Dick and Damian's thing. So Bruce notices Damian looking around and questions it. And when Jason admits that he's looking for Dick, Bruce is so petulant and grumpy and jealous and ಠ_ಠ

Jason taking Bruce up on bringing Damian into the office one day. Because the assassin sitter got tied up on a job. Only there's an emergency with Tim so Jason has to attend to that and it's just Bruce and Damian.

And they probably sit across from one another at Bruce's desk and Bruce is all severe while Damian stares at him and clicks his tongue and insists on being difficult ahahahaha

Tim coming back with Jason later and both Bruce and Damian click their tongues at Tim for taking up Jason's attention and it's their first moment really connecting on something ahhhhhahaha

But yeah, the Talia reveal might come later and in a completely anticlimactic way. Where Bruce probably asks after Damian's mother and Jason casually name drops Talia. And Bruce is convinced it's a coincidence, but then Jason throws out the Al Ghul name and Bruce is ko'd, utterly o(-( because okay, he needs a minute.

==============

A big thank you for the sweet message, too! Sometimes I worry the way I write Jason is unlikable since my take on him is a little more soft/silly, so this was very assuring. ;/////;

[stonesense]

wait harker what is your beef with halsin? /gen

so on my first attempt at starting the game, i played a tiefling druid, which was quite an experience as i had no idea the first conflict i was about to walk into was between tieflings and druids. i found talking to kagha very upsetting for my character; it was obvious this was a place my character would normally feel at home, were it not for the bigotry that had taken root. the first thing kagha said to my character, after she was finished hurling fantasy slurs at and threatening a tiefling child who was crying apologies and begging to go back to her parents, was to dismiss my character as a druid on account of their race: “the treefather’s words spoken with a devil’s forked tongue”. if you read what’s on the table next to kagha, there’s a diatribe against tieflings, saying their allegiance is to the hells and implying they should all be sent back there. i also played a failed save where kagha was responsible for the little tiefling girl’s death and her only immediate reaction was to cover it up, and also where i foolishly attacked her and she commanded a full attack against the tieflings where i came back into the hollow to see dozens slaughtered and the rest desperately trying to defend themselves. so i was fully aware that kagha posed an existential threat to this entire group of innocent refugees with whom i shared common ground

(i swear all this context is necessary)

after all this, obviously i was glad to discover there was a quest to investigate kagha. i felt my character’s faith in their druid beliefs was pretty shaken, and they would be hugely pleased to displace kagha, search out the rightful leader of the grove, and see justice done and balance restored. i put some quite considerable effort into investigating kagha, stealing from her chest (and boy is stealth not my strong suit) and trekking all the way down the map to the bog to discover the truth. i was pleased to learn she was some kind of evil druid. she was an anomaly. all i needed was to get rid of her, and everything would be fine again. but i made a crucial mistake: i decided to rescue halsin first, thinking everything would be much easier if i had the true, good leader of the grove at my side before i started making accusations. after all, my character still wanted to believe in the druids, and had not felt like she would be trusted in the grove herself. it was a natural choice.

and halsin... just demoted kagha to novice?

like. that’s it. he didn’t even make her leave the grove that had been willing to support her in all this. kagha was willing to kill a tiefling child. she was willing to kill all the tieflings. if you show up before you go to rescue halsin, she’s willing to attack her own people. you can even tell halsin she was involved with these evil shadow druids, and he has almost nothing to say about it. and right after that, he had the nerve to say to my druid character that in another time they would have been a welcome addition to the grove, as if it wasn’t very clear how unwelcome people like them were, as if they would be willing to be the one exception. kagha wasn’t the only one who’d gone along with it or spat the word devil. then halsin wants to join me and leave the grove to deal with his own guilt, while bringing in some stranger to resolve the grove’s problems and restore its “purity”, as if any druids seem trustworthy neutral parties right now, and as if kagha and her influence wouldn’t still be right there, just as unchecked in his absence. and he got mad at me for the extremely minor questioning of that which the game let me do!

i absolutely do not expect anyone to share these opinions as they originate from an extremely specific experience of the game lmao. in fact, different players being able to have very different opinions based on how you experienced the game is one of my favourite parts of bg3 so far. but personally i don’t seem to be able to shake this opinion despite now playing as a different character—this current one having found out that he personally taught kagha??—and i... don’t think i’m being that irrational. i don’t like him and if i get an opportunity to drop him from my camp i will take it

[softguarnere]

Hi, Dove!

I really love all your one-shots and headcanons! I haven’t read your OC work, but when I get the time, I’m super excited to start it.

Can I request a one-shot with Roe treating a soldier who he finds out is actually a girl disguised as a man, and her making him swear not to tell anyone? (Can be platonic or romantic). Possibly some little bits of conversation in French if it’s not too difficult? I won’t judge if you use Google translate😂French is hard.

No pressure, of course

Have a great day!

Where There is Injury

Eugene Roe x reader

A/N: (This is written for the fictional depiction from the show - no disrespect to the real veterans!) Hello friend! Thanks so much for sending in another request 🤗 I'm so glad you've enjoyed my other writing, so I hope you'll like this as well! I haven't spoken French in years, so this is most likely riddled with mistakes, but I tried haha. You have a great day as well! 💕 Warnings, PLEASE READ: this fic contains misgendering until the reader's secret is revealed, please do not read if that may be triggering for you! Also contains mentions of war, injury, and blood

“Medic!”

For what feels like the thousandth time, the word is screamed out into the woods, echoing off the charred stubs of trees as they attempt to reach the man who holds that job. One word, two syllables, yet so much responsibility tied to the title. So much pain on both the part of the person screaming and the person being screamed for.

It should be second nature by this point, with how often since arriving in Bastogne people have been wounded, been calling for help. There’s hardly ever a time when Eugene isn’t on the move, sprinting between foxholes and doing his best to dodge German artillery fire as he heads for whoever needs him – and all with little to no supplies.

Yet somehow, he finds that he has to urge and instruct himself on each next step. Vous vous levez, Eugene. Tu cours maintenant, Eugene. Tu aides les gens, Eugene.

And there he goes, boots crunching the snow underfoot as he runs toward the voice that calls for him. Pieces of the prayer that his mémère taught him as a child run through the back of his mind as he goes.

Seigneur, faites de moi un instrument de votre paix.

It’s Skinny Sisk. A piece of shrapnel has pierced his leg. Frank Perconte is trying to keep him still while he calls for a medic. Relief briefly flashes across his face when he sees Eugene appear.

“Save the morphine, Doc!” Sisk insists through gritted teeth. “I can make it.”

“You sure?”

Sisk hesitates. Then he nods, resolving himself to his fate as Eugene and Perconte raise him from the foxhole, adjusting their grip on him as they rush him towards the Jeep that’s arriving.

Là où il y a de la haine, que je mette l'amour.

Sisk screams in pain as Eugene and Perconte stumble forward. His wounded leg hits the ground first, even though they scramble to pick him up as quickly as they can.

“Aw, Jesus, Skinny, you got blood all over my trousers!” Perconte scolds.

“Gee, I’m real sorry, Frank!” Sisk hisses.

Là où il y a l'offense, que je mette le pardon.

They load Sisk onto the Jeep. Eugene starts to climb in after him. He hasn’t seen the town yet, but he needs whatever supplies they may be willing to spare, and he should make sure that Sisk gets there safely.

“Sorry,” the driver says, pressing a hand to Eugene’s chest to stop him from climbing in the vehicle.

Là où il y a la discorde, que je mette l'union.

He doesn’t argue. The company is desperate for supplies, but he’ll have to find some other way to get what they need. Instead he nods to the driver, stuffs his hands into his pockets to warm them, and starts back to his foxhole.

Là où il y a l'erreur, que je mette –

Gene stops in his tracks. In the snow at his feet there are spatters of blood staining the fresh white crystals that fell the night before. With the shellings that have happened this morning, it wouldn’t be so unusual, except that as far as he knows, no one out this way has been hit this morning. Even more curious is that when he stops walking, silencing the crunching of snow under his boots, he can hear fast breathing and the occasional groan coming from nearby.

His medic brain springs into action at once. Following the blood in the snow, Gene arrives at a foxhole that holds one person. The man sitting inside the earth is so preoccupied with trying to mop up the blood coming from his arm with a threadbare blanket that he doesn’t even notice Gene’s arrival until he drops down into the foxhole with him.

It’s (Y/L/N), one of the few Toccoa men that are left. His (Y/E/C) eyes go wide when Gene lands next to him, and he scrambles backwards, trying to get away, despite the fact that there’s nowhere for him to go.

“(Y/L/N), what happened?” Gene asks. He extends a hand. “Let me see.”

“No!” (Y/L/N) exclaims, trying in vain once again to push himself out of Gene’s reach. The word is harsh and said in a tone that Gene has never heard (Y/L/N) use before, but he ascribes all of that to the pain. (Y/L/N) must catch it too, though, because he clears his throat and says more calmly, “No, Doc, it’s nothing.”

Blood is seeping into the blanket he’s pressing to his arm. His eyes are wide and frantic. Gene supposes that he would most likely have a similar reaction if he found himself injured in this place. As much as he can empathize with (Y/L/N)’s reaction, he also needs to stand firm and help his fellow paratrooper.

“(Y/L/N), you gotta let me see,” Gene insists. He manages to remove the blanket from where it’s pressed against (Y/L/N)’s arm. Through the dark blood that stains the fabric of his sleeve, Gene can barely make out a horizontal gash along the other man’s arm. “I know it’s cold, but we need to take off your jacket so I can see your arm. Spina might – “

“No!” (Y/L/N)’s voice is low and harsh this time as he interrupts. “I don’t need Spina. I don’t need anything. It’s not that bad.”

“(Y/L/N), you’ve got blood everywhere! I can’t tell how bad it is unless you let me help you!”

“And then I’ll get sent to some aid station, and then they’ll send me home, or to jail, or worse.”

 Most of the men are willing to admit that they don’t like being sent to the aid station. (Y/L/N)’s reluctance to be sent there isn’t unusual. What is unusual are the other possibilities listed: jail or worse. Why would a wounded soldier be sent to jail? And what could be worse?

Eugene’s confusion must show on his face, because (Y/L/N) blinks, mouth falling shut, as if surprised by his own words. Whatever is happening here, it’s clearly much more than just a wounded arm.

“What do you mean by that?” Eugene ventures.

(Y/L/N) winces then, drawing a shaky breath, grip tightening on his arm. When he looks back up at Eugene, something has changed. His gaze softens, as does his voice, and his eyes are a little watery, though Eugene politely pretends not to notice the last part.

“I don’t want to come off the line,” (Y/L/N) says.

“That depends on how serious that is,” Eugene asserts, nodding to the wounded arm. “You gotta let me help you.”

They’re losing what might be precious time, yet (Y/L/N) still hesitates. Finally, he draws a deep breath and nods.

“Alright. Take off your jacket so that I can see how bad it is.”

Slowly, (Y/L/N) removes his jacket, wincing as he moves his injured arm. Jumping into action, Eugene helps him shrug out of it, not willing to lose more time or more blood because of a disagreement. They’ve just managed to remove the coat when Eugene feels (Y/L/N)’s gaze on him, heavy and challenging. What? he starts to ask when finally, he sees the reason for (Y/L/N) not wanting to remove his coat.

Or should he say, her coat.

“Oh.” He sits back on his heels, his brain rushing to connect all the information that’s just come at him in these past few minutes. (Y/L/N)’s insistence that Roe leave her alone, her assertion that something bad could happen to her, the bandages around her chest . . .

Il n'y a pas de temps pour ça, he reminds himself, once again instructing himself on what to do next. Réparer ce bras. Posez vos questions plus tard.

Luckily for the both of them, the wounds on (Y/L/N)’s arm aren’t that serious – a few gashes from shrapnel, but nothing that needs stitching up. For her sake, Eugene tries to keep the mood light when he finishes bandaging her up. “I’ll make sure you get a Purple Heart for it.”

Shrugging back into her coat, (Y/L/N) offers him a tight-lipped smile. Several times she draws a breath as if to speak, only to stop herself, allowing the foxhole to remain in its vacuum of silence.

“I won’t tell anyone, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Eugene finally assures her. This must have been what she was worried about, because relief washes over her face, although its quickly replaced with a suspicious brow raise.

“Why not?”

“Well, why would I?” Really, why would he? It’s none of his business. Not really. Besides, if (Y/L/N) has made it all the way from Toccoa to Bastogne with this secret, then she’s pretty good at keeping it. It’s been years, after all, and Eugene never would have suspected. And, he reasons, to give up her life to disguise herself as a man and become a paratrooper – well, that’s definitely taken some guts, whatever her reasons. Reasons that he doesn’t know, but that he’s starting to wonder about.

Ce ne sont pas mes affaires, Eugene reminds himself. Still, though . . .

“Well, thank you,” (Y/L/N) says with a curt nod. Then she lets out a deep sigh, burying her head in her hands. When she emerges again, she has an air of resolve about her. “Would you . . . As long as you’re not going to tell anyone, that is, could you – could you help me keep this secret safe?” She won’t quite meet his gaze when she confesses, “It can get a little lonely.”

Whatever Eugene was expecting her to say, it wasn’t that. But he can understand what she’s talking about, the loneliness of this place. Especially as a medic. “Of course.”

A small smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. Still a little bloody, she extends a hand to him. “(Y/N),” she says. “Nice to properly meet you.”

He shakes her hand in kind; she’s got a very confident handshake. “You as well.”

It really is, he must admit. Strange, how in just a few chance moments, some of the cold loneliness of Bastogne has begun to melt away.

[interactivefictionramblings]

[Spoilers for S3 of HSR, and HS1’s ending.]

Some fresh rambles for you all. Very ramble-y.

I feel like narratively it actually makes a lot of sense if trusting Abel is the right call? Like, he isn’t a human, but throughout the story we’ve been shown how trusting others is a mistake - Greg, Dmitry & Anna with the interrogation, Boris with his manipulations for the Book, and Nick being a double-agent while in the squad. NTM Cain’s betrayal, although his is unwilling.

(And even still, VoG!Lane has hope for others - even granting Agape the benefit of the doubt. VoG is the path the Spear calls to and obeys.)

We’ve also been shown the cruelty of others in a lot of ways, both with mortals and immortals.

(Whispering in Lane’s nightmare on the boat, Baal tries to convince her humans shouldn’t be trusted. That they are evil and aren’t worth it.)

To believe in the good in others, however, this all has to be something that doesn’t stop you from trusting and giving others chances. So if Lane’s going to maintain the resolve to fight for and save everyone from Baal, she has to first believe in the goodness of others. And here, at the penultimate hour, we meet Abel. Does our MC give him a chance? Can she believe in him? This suspicious angel who apologizes abruptly?

Yes, he’s not human, but immortals have many similarities to mortals, even if neither see this. And what about the faceless crowd around the world, who could represent them in this trial of Lane’s belief? Whether it’s an immortal or not, what it comes down to, what matters, is Lane.

I think most everyone who played HS1 (to the end) probably hates Sepha. Sepha had a true inability to comprehend his own cruelty; being genuinely compassionate even while giving out horrifying punishments, not understanding the horror of his mercy. When someone, once a kid Sepha sentenced to an eternity in the pocket-world of one who gleefully tortured that child endlessly, comes for revenge, Sepha attempts to ‘steer him to the right path,’ so to speak. He wants his prisoner to follow the good in him - otherwise Sepha will be forced to kill him. God doesn’t want this, the idea saddens him. As if to return to that prison is mercy, unlike death.

(Stop this, and I will forgive you. […] then you will die. […] after all, you are my child, too!)

But my point is, no matter how many atrocities came with this revenge path, Sepha believes.

(If you choose to do the secret path in HS1, he leaves himself open to being trapped due to it; waiting for the MC to help MB follow the light.)

So it makes sense that his Chosen One should have the same belief. The same faith in others.

But it’s one thing to give a tentative chance to someone, and another to truly believe in them.

(I think he’s being sincere. It might be useful to build a connection with him.)

Right now, Lane isn’t capable of this belief. She can only trust others conditionally, and doesn’t see why acting selflessly has value; although in certain moments, she may act similarly - like saving the soldier who tried to kill her, before. With Compassion and/or Friendship, she will. When unlocking Friendship, she gets stabbed on the train in S2E9, taking a knife for a friend. However, she doesn’t understand why, and this reminds me of her pre-Compassion actions. As if this part of her wants to surface, yet may die.

Basically, it makes sense to me that trusting in Abel is part of regaining the last of her ‘soul.’ If she doesn’t have this, she will prioritize herself. Not the world, not when fate’s being decided.

Because ever since she was a child and learned to reject herself for self-protection, her priority has been her own survival, above anyone else—I suspect this is when she lost her Selflessness.

(no one had ever told me that at the moment when fate is being decided, you don't have time to choose the best option. Perhaps such moments are called decisive precisely because a person acts based on their true self. Having no time for assessment, they obey their instincts and make a decision based on their moral compass.)

So, for her to maintain the resolve to stop Baal and save everyone, she needs something she’s missing. She needs to tune her moral compass to have trust in others—to act selflessly for all.

An essential part of sacrificing yourself for the world is believing that the world is worthy of it.

[cassiebones]

I wonder how often Agatha said "I can be good" to her mother

Did Agatha start showing her powers early on? Were there sparks already flying between toddler Agatha's fingers. Did she excitedly show her mother what she could do? Was Evanora shocked that such a young child could have such power? Did she take it as an omen that her child wasn't "right"? Did she worry that Agatha's powers would grow into something untamable? Did she start mistreating her then or before then? Evanora was also a witch, but what did that mean? Especially for somebody convinced that her child was pure evil.

Did she immediately punish her daughter, calling her bad an evil, locking her away for using her powers? Did she drill into Agatha's head that she was an evil child? Did baby Agatha cry and scream and pound on the door, promising that she would be good?

Did she grow older, watching her mother take part in this coven of witches? Did she watch the younger children? Did she make sure they were fed and safe as their mothers gathered for coven meetings? Did she grow an affection for them? Did she show them some tricks that she learned sneaking a peek in her mother's books? Did she get caught by a coven member? Was that member horrified by her? Or impressed? Did she bring it to Evanora, asking when this gifted young witch was going to be inducted into their coven? Did Evanora then tell her coven mate that Agatha was not to be in any coven, that she was evil, that her powers should not be developed because she would use them for only bad things?

Did Agatha get locked up again, bound by her mother so that she couldn't use her power to escape? Did she cry and scream again, begging for release? Or was she used to this now? Was this just her life? Did she resolve to not stop using magic, but to stop showing others her magic?

Was she quiet, respectful, and obedient to her mother, trying desperately to be good? Did her mother care?

I bet Evanora took every chance she could get to tell Agatha how evil she was, how bad she was, how she would only ever cause destruction. And resentment built from that. She still loved her mother, but she also wanted to prove herself. That she could be good.

That's what she told her mother every time she was called evil.

"I can be good!"

I bet Evanora snarled at her. "I doubt it." And it made Agatha feel so small.

I wonder if Agatha got so tired of being hated by her mother so much, for no good reason. Her powers grew and she kept them a secret, but she didn't want a mother from whom she had to hide her magic. She wanted one who celebrated her power, encouraged her gifts, praised her and told her how much she loved her.

Forced Love spells are, without a single doubt in my mind, dark magic. You cannot and should not force somebody to love you. But Agatha is desperate for even an ounce of love. Especially since she's stopped being allowed to care for the children, who are all now fearful of her, thinking her evil.

So she tries to find some love spells, spells that can give her the loving mother/daughter relationship she has always craved, the relationship the other coven members have with their daughters.

But she's caught looking for them, poring over a book of dark magic. She's reported quietly to Evanora, who suddenly starts to be affectionate toward her daughter, inviting her to the coven for an initiation, trying to entice her daughter with kind words and gentle support, but secretly planning her demise.

Agatha of course thinks that her spell worked and trusts that he mother is changed, that she loves her now as a mother should, so she accepts the invitation.

And she is ambushed. She is tied to a stake while her mother's coven stands around her, as her mother spells out her doom, telling her that she is evil and must now die.

Agatha cries and begs and pleads, telling her that she can be good, please, Mother!

But Evanora doesn't listen. She and the rest of her coven attempt to kill her daughter...and fail spectacularly.

Instead, a new, dormant power is revealed: Agatha can absorb the powers of those that try to harm her, like a sponge.

She doesn't mean to do it. She doesn't truly want her mother to die. She doesn't know what has even happened until she's on her hands and knees in front of the stake, purple magic that isn't her own, buzzing through her body.

It feels exhilarating, but that feeling doesn't last when she sees the empty husk of her mother a few feet ahead. Then the other coven witches, all mothers in their own right, all with small children whom they love, who love them.

Agatha killed them all. But she didn't mean to! She didn't want anybody to die! She just wanted to be loved by her mother.

She begins to sob at her mother's corpse. Her entire body heaving with it, her hands grasping the dirt around her.

"Wow," a voice says from above her. Agatha jumps and stares up at the figure of a cloaked woman, with black hair spilling from a bright green cloak. "You have caused quite some damage, huh?"

Agatha's eyes widen and she shakes her head, pushing herself away from this woman, crying and denying.

"N-no! I di-didn't mean to! I can be good! I swear!"

The hood of the cloak falls, revealing a pale face with dark eyes full of empathy, a frown on her face. She puts her hands up in surrender.

"Okay," she says, her voice smooth and soft, "I know. I know this wasn't..." she looks around at all the bodies, "your fault. Still, it is pretty impressive." She gives Agatha a genuine grin. "You must be a pretty powerful witch."

Agatha's face immediately burns at the praise. Nobody has ever praised her like this before. It's kind of...nice.

She clears her throat and wipes away the tears from her cheeks. "Not if you ask my mother," she says, bitterly. "To her, I am pure evil."

"Not much of a mother then, huh?" Rio huffs, slightly kicking the shell that is Evanora Harkness. "But what do I know? I've never really had one of those. I mean, unless you count..." She motions around them, to the trees, the Earth, the sky, then shrugs.

Agatha is confused, but doesn't ask questions. She just stares, in silence, at this mysterious woman who seems to have sprung up out of nowhere. She thought she knew all the women in the village - especially the pleasant-looking ones. She had kept that fact from her mother, of course. But she wasn't blind.

And this woman....oh, she was the most pleasant-looking of them all. Beautiful, even. Agatha's face felt as though it had been set on fire at the thought and she coughed.

"Oh, how rude of me," the green-cloaked woman says, "I've failed to introduce myself." In a second, she is kneeling in front of Agatha, suddenly in front of her when she'd been several feet away. "Rio Vidal." She reaches for Agatha's hand, which had been scratched in her fall. "Oof, that's a nasty one," she says. "Allow me."

To Agatha's shock, she licks the back of her hand. Agatha squeaks, pulling her hand away.

"Are you mad?" she huffs, wiping her bloody hand on the skirt of her dress. "You're going to give me the Plague..." Her eyes widen when she looks back at her hand, finding no scratches, just saliva and a bit of blood and dirt. When she looks up at Rio, her eyes are narrowed.

"Who are you?" she asks.

"Rio Vid--"

"What are you?" Agatha clarifies. "I've never met anybody who can...do that. Not without a chant and some moonlight. Are you..." she lowers her voice, "a dark witch?"

Rio lets out a bit of a cackles as she straightens, lifting herself above Agatha, then offering her a hand to stand as well.

"Not exactly," she says. "But I don't typically feel the need to explain myself to strangers." She tilts her head, pointedly, and Agatha flushes, again.

"Harkness," she says. "Agatha Harkness."

"Harkness?" Rio's eyes flash with familiarity. "I've known many in the Harkness line. But I've never known an Agatha." She bows to Agatha, taking one of her hands in both of hers. "My lady," she says. Agatha is blushing again, cursing at herself to cut that out already.

"My mother didn't really like to talk about me," she said, ashamed.

Rio's eyes widen at that, then she looks around them at the deceased coven witches. "You sure about that?" she asked. "This seems like a pre-planned, discussed-at-length, kind of event. I think she spoke of you plenty."

Tears prick at the corners of Agatha's eyes. "Not because she was proud of me," she said. "But because she thought that I was evil."

Without preamble, Rio reaches forward, placing her hand on Agatha's chest, right between her breasts. Agatha flushes again and stutters a bit. "You really have no respect for boundaries, do you?" she huffs, but she doesn't push Rio away.

Rio laughs and pulls back a second later. "Apologies," she says. "I was just checking on something."

"My heart rate?" Agatha huffs.

"Now that you mention it," Rio teases, and Agatha hides a smile behind the curtain of her hair, looking down. Rio softens at the display of shyness. "You're not evil," she says. "You've just been poorly treated by one who is meant to love you, unconditionally. If anybody is evil, it is--was your mother." Then she groans. "Your mother who is screaming in my ear right now, so give me just a moment. I'll return."

Agatha furrows her brow as she watches Rio walk around the circle of bodies, touching each one with a glowing green hand, then placing her hand into the pocket of her cloak. When she's finished with the last body, she gives Agatha another bow and then disappears into nothingness, leaving Agatha flabberghasted.

While she waits, she looks at her healed hand, which still tingles at the memory of Rio's tongue swiping across it. The bodies are still there, but they feel...quieter, somehow. Her chest aches when she looks at her mother. But there's no guilt or sadness there, only rage.

When Rio reappears two feet in front of her, she has a frown etched on her face.

"How you lived with that woman without strangling her, I will never understand. You are much stronger than me."

Agatha warms at the compliment, enjoying the way it makes her flush this time.

"Anyway," Rio continues, "I have good news and bad news."

"What's the bad news?"

"Your mother refuses to cross over to the other side. She'd prefer to stay a ghost here rather than go on her merry way to Hell, where she belongs!" She glares to her right, as if there's an entity standing right beside her where Agatha sees only open air.

"Um," Agatha says, feeling as though she just received the confirmation that Rio is a madwoman. "And what's the good news?"

"You can't hear her," Rio says, with a grin, "and she is powerless to do anything about that." She turns back to the open air. "Scream all you want, bitch; she can't hear you." She turns back to Agatha. "Congratulations. Now, you just have one more task."

"What's that?" Agatha asks, frowning. "Hiding the bodies?"

"Oh," Rio says, looking around. "Yeah, you should probably do that. Here, I'll help." She twists her fingers in the air and suddenly all the bodies around them start to sink into the Earth, leaving behind flowers and patches of green gas. "Rest in peace," Rio says, somberly, before turning her bright smile back to Agatha. "No, I was talking about the children."

"The children?" Agatha asks. "You mean...the coven children?"

"Yep," Rio says.

"What about them?"

"They're going to become a problem. You have to kill them."

Agatha's eyes widen at that. "What? No! I can't!"

"It's tradition!" Rio huffs. "After you slay a witch, you have to kill her offspring, so that her line dies with her and you don't create little revenge gremlins out for your blood."

"I killed my own mother," Agatha pointed out. "Does that mean I'd kill myself, as well?"

Rio shrugs. "You could," she says. "Then we could probably spend more time together."

"How so?"

"Have you not figured it out yet, sweetheart?" Rio asks, grinning madly again. "What my job is?"

Agatha's eyes widen at that. "You're Death." It's not a question. Rio still answers it with a wide, beautiful grin. "So you were just...around?"

"I heard whispers of an attack," Rio says, walking around Agatha in a slow circle while Agatha turns to look at her. "Figured I'd get a jump on collecting the body. Doesn't hurt that you're not hard on the eyes."

Agatha blushes at that and clears her throat.

"Guess you got more than you bargained for, huh?"

"Eight bodies and a beautiful, powerful witch?" Rio asks, stopping where she'd originally stood. "Feels more like I've been blessed. But what would I know? I've never been blessed."

"Neither have I," Agatha says, growing a bit bolder at the praise. "But I guess there's a first time for everything."

Rio grins, stepping into her space, their noses practically brushing as energy sparks between them, green and purple, complimentary.

"Seriously, though," Rio whispers in the space between their breaths, "you have to kill them. The children. It's the only way."

Agatha steps back. "I can't," she says. "They're...they're so young. Innocent. I will not fault them for the actions of their mothers."

"It's your choice," Rio says, shrugging, "but it's also your funeral." She grins. "I'm fine with it either way."

"You are mad," Agatha says, with a snort.

"Join me, then," Rio whispers between their lips. "It's fun."

Agatha feels herself leaning forward, as if drawn in by some kind of magnetism, her lips attaching themselves to Rio's, which are cold and hot at the same time, dizzying.

When she opens her eyes, however, Rio is gone.

And she is alone again.

[francesminos-tt]

Did you see the leaks? What you think about the season in general? Did you like Gwayne? AND TESSERION? for me, the leaks were disappointing. rhaenyra begging for the war to end going to alicent and alicent wanting to hand over her children!? It's like the war makes no sense, is completely pointless and s3 seems disheartening and boring

To answer your first question, Gwayne is probably my favorite character in this season. He is exactly what I imagined him to be, a bit more playful perhaps, but overall, I like his character. He's like the voice of reason in the Green's side tbh. Freddie Fox's acting added to the characterization as well. I will touch more on Gwayne while talking about the Green's plot later. As for Tesserion, I didn't get a good look at it actually. I hope it is not too small. (Size of the dragons and people's obsession over it is another disappointing point in the show)

For the season itself, well, I am so glad you asked. I can write an essay about how the show killed almost all characters' arc with bad plot, unnecessary dialogue and forced conflict. Let me explain.

In my opinion, the biggest problem of S2 is that the show failed to recognize the dire situation of war. In fact, it seems to me that the show writers do not think there is a war at all. They seem to think the conflict between the Blacks and the Greens is just a family dispute, and it can be resolved by calling back to Rhaenyra and Alicent's bond. Do you realize how ridiculous this sounds? Why is Rhaenyra begging for the war to end going to Alicent and Alicent wanting to hand over her children? Because they see this so-called war not as a matter of life and death, but as a dispute between themselves that can be solved by begging the other. The show focuses too much on the emotional bond with Rhaenyra and Alicent that it killed both women's character development. They act like innocent maidens as they were in S1E1, while in fact, decades have passed and now they are both mothers and both has suffered child death. It is as if the death of Luke and Jaehaerys did not change them at all, which is absurd to me. I want to drop a bomb on someone who hurt my cat, so why does Rhaenyra still think the so called war can end peacefully when the other side killed her child?? Rhaenyra insisting to behead Aegon in the leaks seems strange to me as well. Rationally, I know Aegon is the enemy king and he should be symbol of the Green's usurpation, but in the previous episodes of this season, no one really sees him as king. Everyone, both allies and enemies, is talking about Aemond, Vaghar, Aemond, Vaghar, without even mentioning Aegon the Usurper. So I don't think publicly beheading Aegon can have the desired effect of ending the usurpation.

Another problem is that the show wants to put Rhaenyra and Alicent both in a very oppressed position so bad that they sacrificed a lot of character development and logic to achieve this. The show wants to paint both Rhaenyra and Alicent as victims of discrimination against women, which is fine by me, but being the victim is the not the solution. I, as an audience, want to see them fight the system. I think it is one of main takeaways from the Dance of the Dragons era. Disappointingly, all I see is them complaining and whiny about how the men don't listen to their commands, but I want to see them plotting, scheming, threatening, being diplomats, and most importantly, making a change. The show clearly wants to draw some parallels with Cersei, but at least Cersei does not sit in a room throwing a tantrum or go out to take a bath in the woods. Rhaenyra doing the red sowing seems like an attempt to make a change, but the way she did it (recruiting people from enemy territory is just beyond me) and the fact she doesn't seem to have a comprehensive plan of what to do next is just lame.

The show tries to force their out-of-place ideas and values upon the audience, namely feminism and the importance of people(smallfolk). Firstly, the show puts a lot of focus on female characters and in order to make these women shine, and it castrates all the men. I am not joking. Can you point out a single male character who doesn't go against the women? Not a single one. Gwayne is a possible candidate, but I think why he acts so logical and somewhat kind is to make Alicent even more devastated when he dies in the next season. Daemon, Jace, Corlys, Aegon, Aemond, Cole. They are all obstacles of Rhaenyra and Alicent, instead of their supporters. Putting men against women is not feminism. Secondly, I admit that smallfolks play an important role in killing the dragons in the F&B book, but the show makes it too far. This show is a medieval fantasy, not the French Revolution. Preconditions need to be met in order for the smallfolks to fight against the aristocracy. Productivity, social changes, urbanization, and movements like the Enlightenment are all contributors for the commoners to rise against their kings and queens. Ignoring all these factors and putting modern standards on smallfolks in the asoiaf world is just arrogant and disrespectful.

In terms of plot pace and development, S2 is also a failure. If you look at S1E1 and S1E10, things have become so different that you will probably feel sorry for the characters. But if you look at S2 premier and finale, they are practically the same. Even though supposedly a lot of people died and a lot of battles fought, the main characters still seem to be in the same place. They have no development whatsoever. They still immerse in their personal issues and fail to recognize the grand situation.

The final point I want to make, and this is completely personal, is that I hate them making Joffrey a clingy mommy's boy. He acts like an idiot who only knows how to say mommy. The scene with Rhaena, it pains me to watch it. They are not even having a intellectual conversation! They sizes down Tyraxes and just leaves Joffrey in the Vale like he's unwanted luggage.

Okay, thanks for giving me an opportunity to rant about the utter failure of S2. I have so much more to say(like how killed Jace and Daemon's character, how they made Aemond an anime villain, etc) but I think I will stop here. Let's just say I am not looking forward to S3. AT ALL.

[feladi-fority]

haven't posted in a while, but I completed Undertale Yellow a while ago and none of my friends have and I need to scream into the void about it SOMEWHERE! Spoilers abound

So, Flowey. He's really well written in this. In Undertale proper we don't get to see much of him and what we do see is really 1 note. He scares you, tries to manipulate people, and tries to hurt people for his own amusement. In Undertale Yellow though we get to see how immature and impatient he is. Whenever Clover does something Flowey doesn't approve of he lashes out even when doing so directly impedes his ability to manipulate Clover, such as killing Marlet at the end of the neutral route. Flowey is a terrible manipulator, putting in absolutely zero effort to understand Clover, instead blaming them for his own plan not working. He talks about how much he hates Clover and relishes in their death but Flowey has done nothing to understand Clover, instead just viewing them as a problem to brute-force a solution to. All of this is, of course, consistent with who Flowey was in Undertale but it's so much more textured with how much screen-time Flowey gets.

Additionally, I find the implications of what I can only describe as Flowey's Blackspace. During the meta-Flowey fight his attacks are monstrous versions of himself, many of which are killed as part of his attacks. He pulls out his own pedals, cries to attack, and kills images of himself. Then there's the section where you walk through piles of Flowey corpses which call for help. The dialogue the later corpses give is ambiguous, but lines like "this must be it" in the context of the rest takes on a dark implication. Flowey seems to hate himself and view himself as a monster who deserves to be cut-down (he has that in common with his dad lol). Maybe then Flowey's plan to destroy the world via collecting the souls is ultimately self destructive, a way to go down with the world, and rid himself of the possibility of coming back, a true completion through obliteration.

Now I need to talk about Marlet. She's fucking great. She has this deep sense of maturity to her character which was really cool to see. It isn't all that clear in the pacifist route as there we mainly see her inability to get things done and her self-hate, but on the more violent routes we see her constantly trying to empathize and resolve conflict with Clover by understanding them. I think it's incredibly note-worthy that Marlet is the only character who recognizes Clover as a child who shouldn't be capable of committing such violence, and the implications of that fact. Marlet doesn't let her emotions stop her from understanding people and doing the right thing, and I really like how that was executed.

I loved the themes of this game. I expected the game to tackle similar themes to Undertale, either just recreate theme entirely or at least tackle something similar to Undertale's very meta exploration about what it means to care about things. Instead this game goes for an old classic, the cycle of violence, and I think it executes it very well!

Throughout the game characters interact with this theme in different ways. Clover (on the vengeance route specifically), and Ceroba parallel each-other in this way. Ceroba objectifies humans due to her position as a monster separated from humanity and growing up with an adversarial relationship to them. Chujin finds it extremely easy to hate humanity for a slight against him and enacts violence on humanity due to perceiving them as inherently evil due to historical mistreatment by humans and personal experience. This violence horrifies him in the end, but still in his attempt to get vengeance he perpetuates the cycle, projecting his hate towards humanity onto Ceroba who goes onto hurt more people because of it. Clover on the vengeance route is in a similar position, objectifying monsters due to being a human separate from them and learning of slights against humanity by them. Clover finds out monsters killed 5 humans (either all children, or some of them children) and is able to easily objectify them for it due to their position. Clover enacts disproportionate violence in reaction to the violence monsters committed against humanity in reaction to the violence humanity enacted against monsters by sealing them underground. Asgore remarks at the end of the vengeance route that Clover's actions will result in many more deaths on both side's parts, and he's right, Clover provided more reason for another Chujin to come about and enact more violence on humanity which in turn would provoke a response. Violence creates violence creates violence.

Flowey, under this framing, becomes an embodiment of the cycle. The game cleverly uses the power of resetting as the mechanical manifestation of this cycle. Flowey continues to reset events over and over and over letting Clover get killed over and over and over, just as the cycle of violence repeats, so to does the game itself. The game resets, new runs provide new content, certain events are enshrined in this game's concept of fate. The fate here is just that things cannot change with more violent inputs, Flowey can never get what he wants because he's incapable of doing what Marlet could do. Flowey can't change fate because he's what's locking it in place, he's the logic of violence that forces the world to over and over again punish characters and kill them, but Marlet through her empathy and compassion at least tries to break the cycle, she tries to get Clover to stop hurting people and break this repeated cycle of violence, and she does the same for Ceroba and Chujin to less success. How fitting then that Flowey kills Marlet in the neutral route.

Pacifist Clover is the parallel to Marlet. They face the cycle of violence and chose to understand and help others despite it. The vision for breaking the cycle that Undertale Yellow provides is empathy and compassion, choosing to not give into anger at horrible things done to you as to not perpetuate that being done to more people in the future. It's a really well-executed theme, I love this game.

[burned-lariat]

The Lost Child of Brante: I don't think I've been as impressed with a story since the ending of the BLQ/Maxie/Bailey story. The climax was excellent, turning a garbage retcon into something worth watching. I'm glad they actually put something into Gio rather than him existing to be nice and play violin. Of course, everyone will forgive everyone so I'm not keen on BLQ's rage being permanent...especially not where Lulu is concerned. Speaking of...

DeLulu: This is a Spencer family hate account. Always. The fact that she is still as pushy and nosy and annoying as she was pre-coma and pre-3rd recast is quite something. I'm glad everyone and their mom was like "Don't do this," and she did it, and the move was "We told you not to do it, and like a dumb bitch, you didn't listen." These consequences for her are short-term of course, while she gets to stomp around and act like a disgruntled high schooler because her crush got mad at her, and that'll be long-term. And yes, Gio should beat her up. Then BLQ. Then-

The Millow/Drillow Shitshow: Wiley and Amelia can and should go into foster care. Neither parent is fit to have custody of them, be it their mob-aligned daddy or their philandering mommy/aunt. I get Michael is "hot" now but we all seem to forget that this is MICHAEL we are talking about. Trust me, once everything is resolved and Willow obviously loses, you all will go right back to hating him, just as God intended. I'm glad there are low blows on either end because it pumps up the soapy drama of it all, but further lobotomizing Willow with old-man dick was...a choice that was certainly made. I mean I've always hated her, so my opinion hasn't really changed all that much. The only other resolution here is someone popping Drew in the head execution-style. That would be nice.

Agent Jaws Jokes: EM needs to fuck off. What a garbage story, another garbage story where we're led to believe Josslyn Jacks is the almighty It Girl. She has zero instincts, zero subtlety, and zero fucking braincells. A man who had a new storyline and new love interest that people would invest into got fired because he was no longer benefitting her. So then what? This story flops and she gets to eat another story like her TV mom? You got Emma Scorpio-Drake on screen, with BB acting her ass off, and you decide that Dalton picks Joss despite Emma being his top student and someone he is physically attracted to. In a logical world, Emma still gets picked. In this world, Joss can't ever lose. This girl is an albatross and needs to GO. NOW. PS - Vaughn's actor is married, so so much for attempting to shove a showmance down our throats, huh? Too bad.

Trai Something...Anything: Do I like Trina and Kai? Sure. They're fine. I'd like them more if the writers invested into the pair as people, like they are with Gio/Emma (who I also like btw). But even then, TA is on contract. Her last leading story was the Curtis paternity reveal, and I don't recall her ever having a prominent enough spot in it compared to Portia's bullshit. TPTB knows they can stick her anywhere as support and act like it's fine, but would rather not spend time giving her a story she's owed. I'm not even talking about grieving Spencer or going to find him, I'm talking about ANYTHING. Investing in her art interest is a great place to start, which could put her in a caper/mystery or tangling w/ a stalker a la Ava/Ryan. Or hell, even being the villain and keeping secrets and lying about whatever, which gives her center stage. Just...give Trina something to DO! Playing support does not count!

Sidwell Crosby: So Jenz is both a shady dickhead and an upstanding member of society? It can't be both. If he's meant to be the villain, having him engage in illegal resource practices by word-of-mouth means nothing. This version of Sidwell is so scrubbed clean from when he came on, and it's a bit jarring. Like sure, bullying Natalia and loving his gay son is great and all, but what else is he here for? How long are we going to drag him out until he's cornered and does a 180 to twirl his cartoon mustache? Figure him out and get a move on.

Krashtina: if anyone has fallen from grace, it's the once-hopeful mafia heiress. Seeing Alexis be twisted into knots to protecr this psychopath makes me so sad. Kristina deserves prison time for trying to kill Ava, and almost killing Elizabeth and Ric (my beloved, my king). Not even the headstrong, impulsive, grounded Krisrina that LA embodied would pull shit like this. I'm grateful every day that I have my own version...

Dead Dad Walking: Thank God we're done with faux Sasha/Jason. I don't know who thought that was a good idea for a placeholder until Michael was recasted. If you want to recycle soap stories, maybe try completely different characters for it? Just an idea. I never fucked with Jason so my opinion of his is the same, but I want justice for Sasha. Not just for the potential further trauma porn, but for this stupid idea that she needs to be "independent" by not earning money and being the chef for a rich family. I just...why???

Misc: LnL2 don't inspire anything in me. Give both RH & JJ something better to do. Move on from this referendum - put up or shut up (even though Ezra Boyle is lowkey fun). Pair Jordan and Isaiah back up PLEASE. Truck Nuts can fuck off; pairing him with Molly and expecting the dynamic to be her scolding him and cleaning up his tantrums makes me miss Dex/Molly that much more.

[writerscafehub]

𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀: 𝐋𝐢𝐳

@avengers-resident-idiot

From one to five stars, how would you rate your writing? (No downplaying yourself!)

About a 3 I think, I hav𖤓 liz 𖤓en’t written anything in a while because I’ve been busy with work and school. I struggle with actually finishing anything, I swear my drafts is a graveyard of WIPs. Once I get done with my finals I plan to actually try and sit down and actually write a fic or at the very least headcanons

2. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

I feel like my writing is very self indulgent, I fantasize for literal days or weeks about what I personally would want to happen and imagine myself as the reader in the fic and just run with it. I have tried a few times to write an idea that a friend gives me and I just struggle cause I get stuck in my own head wondering if I’m writing it how they personally would want it.

3. Are there any writers that inspire you?

Literally everybody in the server, the fact that y'all are so imaginative and are so motivated to write fics on a consistent basis never fails to amaze me, I am on my knees begging for a crumb of the kind of motivation y’all got. 

4. What’s the fic you’re most proud of? 

Honestly probably the very first fic I ever wrote, which was a Zayn Malik fanfiction (I was a HUGE One Direction fan…honestly I still am). It was terrible, and so ridiculously cringey but to middle school me, I was the next Shakespeare  and was just proud that I actually wrote something and put it on the internet for the world to see and I regret nothing. 

5. Which character(s) do you find easiest to write and which do you find most difficult to write? 

The easiest is probably Peter Parker cause he’s such a sassy little shit and I love him. The hardest is probably Dr. Spencer Reid, I’ve tried before and I just can’t get his mannerisms right. 

6. Who or what do you find yourself writing about most?

I feel like my most of my wips are friends to lovers with misunderstandings galore 

7. Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about!

I’ve been planning this fic out in my head for the past month, idk for sure what I’m gonna call it, but it’s gonna be an Evan “Buck” Buckley x reader fic, I’m considering adding Eddie Diaz into the mix cause honestly it’s what we deserve. Basically the reader is going to open up a bakery across from the fire station and our lovely firefighters can’t resist the smell of warm bread and coffee in the morning so they go and meet Reader (considering giving her a nickname) who is dancing to 80’s music and may or may not be covered in flour, and from there hijinks, first dates, and love confessions ensue. 

8. First fandom you ever wrote for?

One Direction and I regret nothing

9. Any guilty pleasure trope(s)?

Ooo  misunderstandings that can be easily resolved if they JUST TALK, found family tropes almost always make me cry, fake dating never fails to make me laugh because the characters never think it through and I love that for them with that being said idiots to lovers is another big one, especially if they share exactly one brain cell. 

10. A trope you’ll never, ever write for.

Probably anything dark, nothing wrong with dark fics, I just don’t think I’d ever be able to write a dark fic well enough where it was actually understandable or good for that matter.

11. Wildest fic you’ve ever written?

Another One Direction fanfiction, but this time Liam Payne, it's since been deleted but basically gang leader!Liam and the reader were highschool sweethearts and broke up cause Liam betrayed her, if i remember right he gets her brother arrested? Years later she comes back to town and is part of an all girls gang and Liam's gang (One Direction) start fighting over territory, there were drunken confessions, a secret child, and attempted kidnappings and literally every other chapter one of them almost died. Middle school me was very proud of it.

12. Favorite pairing to write for? (platonic or romantic!)

Steve Rogers x innocent!reader, knight!Bucky x princess!Reader, Evan “Buck” Buckley x reader

13. Do you listen to anything while you write?

Yes, I have so many playlists, everytime I get an idea for a fic I run to Spotify and immediately create a new one and add songs that fit the vibe I’m going for, doesn’t matter what genre or language so long as I think it fits it gets added to the playlist.

14. One-shots or multi-chaptered works?

Definitely both, I am not picky whatsoever. 

15. Have you ever daydreamed about side adventures/spin-offs from your fic? Tell us about them!

Omg yes, I honestly think this is part of the reason it’s so hard for me to finish writing anything. The second I get a new idea for a fic I start imagining all sorts of different scenarios I could put them in like trips to the zoo, grocery shopping or like the same scenes from the fic, but from another character's point of view. Even if it’s not going to be part of the fic I imagine what the proposal would be like, what their vows would be, or how they'd react to their first child being born. My mind goes a hundred miles a minute when I get a new idea, but the second I sit down to write it out poof all the ideas are gone.

16. Is there anything you’ve wanted to write, but you’ve been too scared to try?

Honestly smut. There are so many talented writers out there who do a great job at writing smut, but whenever I try it just comes out to stiff and doesn’t sound write, so I always end up deleting it 

17. What’s the nicest comment you’ve ever received?

I was once told I was very good at descriptions, they said they could picture the night sky in their mind and it was like they were there. 

18. Have you ever gone outside of your comfort zone for a fic? How did it turn out?

Eh not really, I usually stick to fluff, humor and slight angst, I want to try step out of my comfort zone by writing smut, but it’ll be a while before I post anything 

19. Tooth-rotting fluff or merciless angst?

Oh my gosh how could I possibly choose, most of the time it just depends what kind of mood I’m in but lately it’s been tooth-rotting fluffy with a tiny bit of angst mixed in

20. Do you have any OCs? Tell us about them!

At this point in time I do not have any oc’s, but I’m considering creating one for my Evan “Buck” Buckley fic. 

21. If you could enter the universe of any one of your fics, which would it be and why?

Probably my WIP Knight!Bucky Barnes x Princess!Reader because who wouldn’t want to be protected by an extremely handsome Bucky who acts like you're a nuisance, but would do anything to protect you no questions asked if ever necessary?? And also I just love the idea of running down a castle hallway at night wearing a floor length ball gown.

22. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing or writing process?

Just that my process involves creating the perfect playlist for that specific fic and tons of daydreaming, and while it may take me a long time to finally finish writing, I’m always excited to share it and get feedback!

23. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of. 

This is from my knight!Bucky Barnes x Princess!reader wip                            

“Do you think I am inadequate because I am a female, my Lord? Is that what you’re saying? You think that I am unfit to rule because I'm a little emotional right now?  Well you’re right, I am a little emotional right now. From the moment I was born, it was known that I, and I alone, would be next in line to assume the throne. My entire life was spent preparing for the moment that my reign would begin and I intend to use all the knowledge my father, may God rest his soul, taught me.  Just two weeks ago I watched as they lowered my father’s cold, dead body into the ground and not a week later a crown was placed atop my head…. a crown I thought my father would be giving me.  I am emotional because right now at this very moment there are rebels out there, only God knows where, hatching plans to storm this castle! This castle has stood here for 300 hundred years and I intend for it to stand for many more. I refuse to let the rebels take my country and everything that my family has worked for.  Now, we have much more pressing matters to deal with than your fragile egos, don’t you think my Lords?”

24. Ramble about any fic-related thing you want!

Have fun with writing! Don’t worry about whether or not the idea you want to write has been written before because it most definitely has been, but it’s never been written by you! 

I’m excited to finally be done with my classes and I hope to to write more and post my fics throughout the summer! 

[a-really-cool-blog-name]

Did somebody ask for adventure forward head canons that may or may not interfere with the actual canon because I haven't played the games in a while?

No? Screw you, you're getting them anyway.

Warning ⚠️ I am cringe, but I am free so I feel like that makes up for it.

VERY LONG LIKE INCREDIBLY LONG YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED DO NOT CLICK THAT SEE MORE BUTTON UNLESS YOU WANT TO READ ADVENTURE FORWARD HEAD CANNONS YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Also I say head cannons but like halfway through I derail into my AU of what crown of shadows and vein reveal would be like so I still think it's really interesting but I'm very biased.

("I hate celesteal!" I say, before making a bunch of head cannons around him.) I really like celesteal as a character I hate him as a person but I really love him as a character

Do not expect this to be arranged well it will not be. This is not chronological this is not even like grouping a character altogether this is really messy, I'm just getting all my ideas out.

The two different canceled sequels are both different timelines (that I may or may not make crossover in my head) and I have different ideas for how each of them would go so I will refer to them as crown of shadows (COS) and Vain revival (VR) to specify when it is only for one of the versions.

Anshine and Stratosfear are happily married.

I don't know if this is cannon or not but Sheldon definitely made Miobot. And also accidentally made him sentient, oops, sure hope that doesn't come back causing both of you to get forcefully ascended to a higher existence.

Celesteal admire humans a lot mostly because he can't figure out where they keep coming from (he does not know how reproduction works) and he can't figure out how to make one.

VR! The shard saver is his closest attempt to a human looking mostly correct but having the little quirk of her having pink blood and also thinking it is normal for a person to not remember the first 15 years of their life (She does not know she is not human at first) The shard savior is also the only one of his creations that he considers to be his child.

It took Celesteal a couple hundred years to figure out how to make a sentient being at that point he was kind of already cuckoo bananas.

Yawgate was one of his earlier creations and often accompanied him to where he needed to go because Yawgate does the portaling.

The pure points did not learn how to speak English properly they were just imbued with that knowledge shortly after they were made. Unfortunately they are all British because of this. (Celesteal thinks that accent is the most quote on quote "cool" and therefore he speaks in it)

Celesteal refers to everyone using they/them most of the time because he does not know how genders work at all.

The first Star Savior is a 39-year-old closeted gay man named Stefan. (I accidentally stole that name from a fanfiction like 2 years ago, oops)

Mason is a 40-year-old and is also a closeted gay man. The main reason he became the mayor is because his father was the mayor and his father is now dead. The hat wears is his father's. He is also really tired of the may or may not jokes, yes he has heard it before it lost its funny factor since he was a child and heard it from people saying that to his father. Stefan doesn't think it's lost it's funny factor and still makes those jokes.

Mason and Stefan are childhood best friends and may or may not (Haha get it) have feelings for each other. Unfortunately, that issue won't be resolved for another 300 years. (Talk about a slow burn)

The second Star savior is a 28-year-old man named Nicholas (I also stole that name from the same fanfiction I read 2 years ago accidentally, oops) who has served in the military. His only remaining family members are his aunt, who he has a rough relationship with and his cousin who he has a fine relationship with, but he hasn't talked to since before he joined the military.

Anshine is really bad at naming things like "if he had a Dalmatian he would name it spot" type of bad at naming things.

Stratosfear for a brief period of time forgot his own strength because he didn't really have to do stuff like opening jars when he had to play the role of the star steeler and he's kind of been trapped for 300 years so not a lot of time to get used to how strong you are with objects and stuff.

Stratosfear is immune to poison and venom because he himself can make poisonous stuff if he really wanted to. He can also make red metal into any shape he wants, he just thinks scorpions are cool and so has a bunch of metal shapes in the shape of the scorpion tail, that is one of the very few things he got to choose for himself in that time loop.

Evon has somehow managed to in all her years of being a cashier, which is two, meet every single pre-point and not realize it. Evon goes by Eve. Whett is Eve's boss. Whett and Randall are friends.

Eve lives with her roommate Rose who has very obvious feelings for her and Eve is oblivious. (Would really be a shame if something were to happen to Eve which caused Rose to never be able to properly tell her her feelings, ha. On a completely unrelated note Rose is actually one of Nick's ancestors so maybe that's a good thing because he literally wouldn't exist if they were together oops. This just in, woman (me) who can't handle tragedy made another tragedy.)

Umbra may or may not be in a cult?? It's really unclear to an outsider if it's a cult or just a really dedicated group of people to studying the Moon. She does have powers from this because I think that's cool.

If Cynosura had a nickel for every time he has been brutally transformed he would have two nickels which isn't a lot but it's weird that it's happened twice.

He got cursed by a weird gem thing that was in his backyard when he was like twelve. Given the fact that he's already cursed he can't be cursed again so he goes out looking for those items to stop anyone else from being cursed. (Yes, he has ice powers I thought it would be cool for his pre point to also have them, shut up.)

Cynosura and Umbra used to be friends before Cynosura's cursing and then became penpals because they couldn't see each other in person they recently have started talking in person again. I feel it is important to mention that Umbra literally couldn't care less that he was cursed, she's more mad he didn't talk to her in person for that whole time. (They're like in their thirties I don't know the exact ages)

(Wow sure hope Umbra doesn't see something she's not supposed to see and go to run off to tell him and drag him down with her to be higher being of existence forcefully accidentally because she couldn't keep it to herself) (also Celesteal gets Cynosura pointified Midway through talking about how they probably shouldn't know this and how one of them might get hurt because he quote unquote "thought it would be really funny" Umbra tried to punch him in the face, to little success.)

Despair is an orphan and is also distinctly not human. (He's not exactly sure how to say what he is in English so he just goes with what everybody else calls him, a demon.) he also chose that name when he was an edgy teenager, his friends call him Dee because it's kind of hard to take the name Despair seriously. Despair still finds the name cool even though he is going to be twenty soon.

Cynosura offered him a place to stay shortly after he lost his parents at like 10ish. He takes up this offer randomly and then randomly leaves. They consider each other to kind of be like Uncle and nephew.

Eve, Despair, and Laoin are all friends.

Laoin is part dragon because I think that's cool.

Funny random thing I thought of, Laoin is friends with Trussy (I don't like that name that much I kind of want to change it but I don't know to what) who is friends with Sheldon And Laoin is also friends with Despair who is friends with Cynosura so when Cynosura needed house repairs once Despair mentioned that to Laoin who mentioned it to Trussy who then paired up with Sheldon to help fix Cynosura house while not knowing him directly at all.

Ixol gets pointified last and only gets pointified because his entire friend group mysteriously disappeared and he managed to -in his grief- figure out almost everything he had a board with red string across it and everything he was like one pin away from figuring out the identity of Stratosfear, I am serious. He figured out that the points probably where his friends because it's a little suspicious that each time one of his friends disappears there's a new guy with their exact personality who doesn't remember their past, this happened to him like four times. Cyalm when he realized what Despair had figured out was shocked and really impressed because he proceeded to do that and then never do anything like that ever again.

Yawgate is not supposed to let the pure points into other pure points dimensions but he does it anyway behind Celesteal's back because he feels really bad that they wouldn't be able to see each other any other way. (Celestial doesn't really care that much, he knows Yawgates doing it he just feels like it's not worth his time to stop it. Yawgate doesn't know that Celesteal knows about that) Only reason he didn't visit Stratosfear for that whole time is because Celestial specifically blocked off that pocket dimension.

Morword is surprisingly optimistic for seeing an infinite number of alternative timelines that the future could go into many of which includes people she cares about dying. But she chooses to specifically not think about that.

Pasless is one of the only people who knows about the infinite amount of timelines cause unlike the rest of them there is only one him and he is just split apart infinitely, he does a surprisingly good job at keeping the different parts of him separate and not letting anyone else know that he is constantly doing that. He talks to Morword about it occasionally though. Morword doesn't let him know how much it bothers her that those infinite number of timelines that she sees do actually happen in a different timeline.

That whole speech Morword and Pasless gave about how "you control the future but can someone else control the past and if so would we know" was incredibly pre-planned, they practice that for like a month straight once Morword saw that someone was going to see them.

(Yes, I am a sucker for them considering themselves siblings, how did you know?)

Stratosfear has PTSD.

The Red x did not have a name he consistently went by until someone else decided to name him (I want the first star savior to name him but I am not sure if that directly goes against the canon) and then once he realized he could change his name he went ballistic with changing his name. Like, come on he did it thrice.

Blueband is one of the few humans the Red x personally likes blueband is very loyal to the Red x and as a reward for his good behavior he gets to be pointified and keep his memories (he's the red guy who tried and failed to guard the elemental points) he's a little upset that he can't wear his hat anymore due to the horns. When blue bands pointified form I forgot his name and I don't care enough to look it up see stratosfear he exclusively refers to him as the star stealer, this annoys Stratosfear greatly.

VR! The shard savior is a 20 year old (or at least she thinks she is) named Charlotte (hooray I didn't steal that name form that fanfiction I read 2 years ago) who, as previously established, thinks it is completely normal to not remember the first 15 years of your life and is Celesteal's favorite creation. (She does not know this)

VR! Verfection (Yes, he is a pointified version of the second Star saver, he has lost all of his memories.) is best friends with the Voxier. (Their friendship is the poster child for extrovert adopts introvert) Verfection is one of the very few people that Voxier actually cares about and makes them actually want to exist and not return to the nothingness he (supposedly) came from.

VR! Verfection and Charlie freaking hate each other.

COS! Arrolin and Ixol freaking die. And on a completely unrelated note Compale loses one of his legs. (They're not supposed to be able to lose those but voixer managed to anyway) You see the joke is that it's not unrelated Ixol dies so Compale won't, haha. (This just in woman (me) who, once again, can't handle tragedies has made another tragedy.)

Still COS! Ixol also had the ability to see ghosts and was able to see Arrolin's ghost she was happy about this, Ixol was not. Ixol could always see ghosts, he just thinks he's really lost at this time, he already knew he was probably insane this was just the tipping point for him to actually realize it. Once Ixol is dead he also becomes a ghost and realizes he probably should have told the others before he kicked the bucket.

Also COS! geez I have a lot of head cannons for COS! Said crown of shadows is a corrupting force that corrupts the user and when in a room with only one person will attempt to attach itself to said person's head. Voixer would have without the crown of shadows never tried to actually kill the points just try to figure out a method to go back to the void it's only the crown of shadows that gave him the idea of killing the characters in the story to also kill himself to end the story. Not that the rest of the points will ever know this except for Nicholas.

You know what I'm just going to tell you when it's not COS! Anymore okay?: Oopsie Daisy, Nick, you killed the guy who the crown was on and you were the only person in the room, guess what the crown is going to try to do. That's right! Force itself on your head. So Nick any actively crumbling building thing starts getting pointified, uh-oh. Luckily for him he's in an actively crumbling building (a sentence that has probably been said exactly once) and the rubble knocks the crown of his head, (Yay!) it also cuts off his arm (Not yay!) because he is not fully point yet and he does not get the neat ability to regrow his limbs until after one of his limb is already gone.

He wakes up surprisingly okay for just being under a crumbling building, he's also a point now and actively missing an arm and there's also this evil crown trying to get on his head so in his panic he tries it to stuff it in his bag, this somehow works in stopping it.

A little meme based off of that:

He's going to go by verfection now because he feels a little weird in breaking tradition of choosing a new name when you become a point. He also got the ability to see ghosts, get haunted by your dead friends, idiot. Surprisingly this is good for Verfection's mental health because that means he can't completely isolate himself. Voixer doesn't directly haunt him because he feels a little still messed up in the head and also feels guilt, a lot of guilt, and shame, quite a bit of shame.

Verfection just went back to living at his house because he didn't tell anyone where he lived. Verfection is not doing well because even though he got the crown off soon enough that he didn't go completely mad he still isn't doing great mentally and feels a lot of guilt because he got the memories of Voixer and now feels like he killed someone who didn't deserve it. He's mostly just trying to keep the crown safe to stop anyone else from getting it put on their heads. Surprisingly putting it in a bag still is working. Just for safe measures he locked it in a specific room that no one is meant to go into as well as putting it in a safe in said room. He still has not told his friends he's alive because he feels a lot of guilt and a lot of emotions right now.

Also Signol just loses her memory again, don't worry she'll get it all back when they managed to figure out how symbol breaking works in the crown of shadows timeline which I haven't figured out how they're going to figure that out but I know they will figure it out.

FINALLY WE'RE DONE WITH CROWN OF SHADOWS FOR NOW

VR! Verfection was actually a scrapped idea that Celesteal had he scrapped it because he thought it was too similar to the first star savior's fate. However those scrapped ideas came out whenever the world started literally breaking.

None of them know how points work (except celesteal for obvious reasons) exactly they mostly got it figured out but sometimes they'll just figure out something completely new about how they work for instance,

Okay after this point I'm just going to specify when the vein reveal section is done: There would be a boss fight between Stratosfear and Anshine in which they would fuse and then not figure out how to defuse until after they were uncorrupted. After Celesteal was brought back he revealed but that's just a thing they can do and I've always been able to do he just never mentioned it before.

Despite the fact that Yawgate is on the side of "we need to bring celesteal back or else the world will literally end", it is important to know he is one of celesteal's top five biggest haters. Probably being biggest hater number two or three. He was often threatened with being erased from existence by him and over time him threatening to do that to people that you love and actually doing it at least once causes you to dislike a person over time.

In the final fight of "we shouldn't bring back an evil dictator who literally locked up a guy for 300 years cause he thought it'd be funny I guess" vs "okay but we literally need to bring him back or else the world will literally end we hate him too" Verfection accidentally cuts Charlie's arm off which simultaneously makes Verfection's symbol break due to the intensity of it all and causes Charlie to realize that she is indeed not human because her arm is bleeding pink and is shattering into shards that are actively rebuilding themselves in front of her. All of the same time celesteal is actively getting remade from the shards collected.

Celesteal did not intend to come back after being killed he did not think that the world would just shatter into pieces, he thought it would be more like a crown of shadows if anything. When he does come back he's like "Oh. Oh. I messed up didn't I? I made a miscalculation somewhere... :D Hiiiii Charlie! <3 My favorite creation! How are you doing? Oh, you've grown so much! What are they feeding you around here?" And everyone's just kind of standing there like "what".

ALRIGHT I THINK THAT'S THE END OF IT

I definitely forgot some of my head cannons (I have a lot) but this post is getting so like incredibly long I think I'm good with ending it here.

Ending notes:

"Why do half of the pre points know each other? It's not very realis-"

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh 🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫 I don't care. And they all live in pretty close vicinity just because that's easier for me. And by pretty close I mean no one is more than like a city away.

"Where are the elemental points? You barely mentioned them."

Shut up they're still there I just forgot their names and I don't have a lot of ideas for them all I know is blue bands pointified form I forgot his name was supposed to be guarding them, he failed at guarding them. They all want the crown of shadows because it is immensely powerful even though it's a corrupting Force I don't know what happens next I haven't thought about them nearly as much as the others.

I also have several au's including the previously established vein reveal and crown of shadows au's I explained above and several others including "pathetic loser villain OC makes Nicholas have a bad time" (ASK ME ABOUT HIM PLEASE) and "what if Verfection was a pure point" and other various ideas.