#THE WHOLE POINT IS THEY DON’T HAVE A MENTOR OR AN ADULT-

[batsandbirdbrains]

what if we de-age kryptonian dick grayson and that’s how he mistakes Superman for his dad…

I’m gonna cry omg the thought alone is so so sad

But just imagine it’s a young justice season 1 situation. Klarion was probably involved. The team rushed back a rapidly shrinking Robin to Mount Justice, but now there’s a tiny little boy wearing a really weird outfit with the Superman symbol on his chest, and he’s speaking gibberish and no one can understand him. Klarion did some weird spell and so it’s literally like Robin got plucked from a different point in time, clothes and all.

It takes M’gann a while to figure out how to use her psychic abilities to make it so everyone can understand Robin and vice versa, but Robin is so upset now and he keeps pointing at Conner, and now he’s crying and he looks so frustrated and his big blue eyes look so much like Superman’s, it’s freaking everyone out.

And when they can finally understand him is when Superman himself finally arrives with Batman, and they all expect Robin to go to his mentor

Instead, he flings himself at Superman and he has tears of frustration running down his face.

“Daddy!” he shouts, and Clark picks him up in surprise. “Why is that big boy wearing our house on his shirt? Where are we? Who is he? Where’s Mommy?”

“Robin?” Clark asks, bouncing the child in his arms. He can’t be older than three or four, he’s practically minuscule, he’s so itty bitty.

Dick tilts his head at him then, the tears stopping for the moment. He sucks in a shaky breath and sniffles a couple times, then he narrows his eyes at him.

“I want Mommy!” he demands, pushing his face closer to Clark’s and pouting.

“Robin,” Batman says, and it startles Dick, who presses himself closer to Clark.

Then Dick cups his hands around Clark’s ear and whispers, “What’s a robin?”

“You’re Robin,” Clark tells him gently.

Dick’s nose scrunches up, and then he goes back to pouting.

“No!” he insists. “I’m Kod-El!”

Clark’s heart stops for a second, and the entire room stills. Dick is confused I want why everyone is acting so strangely, and he hugs Clark tight around the neck.

“Daddy, you’re being funny.”

Bruce recovers first, and he grabs Dick’s attention again by asking, “Kod-El, can you tell me your father’s name?”

“Jor-El!”

Dick has a beaming smile on his face, and he looks between Superman and Batman, waiting for them to smile back. When they don’t, Dick frowns and glares at Batman.

“Why are you wearing a funny hat?”

It makes Batman actually laugh, and Bruce turns to Clark to tell him, “Well, it’s still him.”

The spell doesn’t last long, and Dick is back to normal by the next morning, but he has a lot of explaining to do.

He was intensely clingy with Clark the whole time he was de-aged though, and he was not happy about having to sleep in a room that he wasn’t used to, no matter how much the adults tried to explain that it was in fact his bedroom. Wayne Manor was very lively that night.

[fastestloseralive]

gimme kid flash wally who goes through a phase of refusing to talk about the flash at ALL when he hangs out with the teen titans cause (even tho they love him) they all look at him like he’s got three heads when he goes on for thirty seven minutes straight about how flash beat captain cold the other day and they’re like “wally, we get it, he’s cool.” but like they don’t get it. ‘cause they’re also sidekicks, yeah, but they weren’t like, super-duper mega fans of their mentors first, and like they didn’t grow up with flash-themed bedsheets, and they didn’t go through the whole “my aunt (aka the only adult in my life who i trust and don’t have mixed feelings about and i wholly believe cares about me) is gonna marry my biggest hero” thing, and they didn’t get the odds-breaking luck of getting to work with a legend who changed wally’s life in the very specific way he needed it to change.

and they look at him sometimes like he’s weird for still being a fan of someone he works so closely with and knows so well but they don’t GET IT how he’s been kid flash for a few years now but still gets that feeling of excitement so bad it feels like the butterflies in his stomach and lungs and brain and heart are doing cartwheels whenever he steps into the flash museum ‘cause it’s just so COOL he wants to learn EVERYTHING about this stuff and it’s EXCITING and for all he loves being a hero he just really loves specifically getting to be kid flash even more and see and learn everything about his hero that he can because!!!! because it’s the flash!!!!

and he has to like. pretend to be chill with the titans. because he knows they’re so so nice and accepting and don’t really care. but one little comment of “do you ever talk about anything else than the flash?” and the little voice in his head tells him his friends will think he’s weird (like at home just like his parents and the kids at school in blue valley do) at the end of the day because yeah it’s a little weird to be so into something so much. and yeah it stings like a motherfucker when it’s pointed out and makes him want to curl up into a ball and go lay in a ditch somewhere when it’s pointed out how weird it is. but barry doesn’t seem to mind (barry enables it with the flash fact thing actually let’s be honest ) and wally CAN be normal about it especially because it helps to remember barry allen is the most boring and least interesting person on earth.

but also he’s the flash! and wally west will always be a flash fan first and a person second (and yeah taking on that role when he’s older was hard. for a lot of reasons. but no shit he’s the only kid sidekick to take up the mantle and never look back because why WOULD he. but also he’ll never be barry allen and he will never be the flash barry was because. because the flash is immortalized in his brain as perfect because isn’t that just how it works when you spend all your waking hours as a kid daydreaming about your future you never thought would come true but did)

anyway that’s on wally west & adhd & hyperfixations lol

[elihermit]

let’s ruin the friendship

— part one

pairing: Evan “Buck” Buckley x fem!reader

summary: 118 throws a party for their station. You started working there 3 months ago and already feel like a part of the family. Buck caught feelings for you, but still need to confess them. How will the weekend end?

word count: 1,5k

author’s note: i’m actually obsessed with this fic🧘🏻‍♀️ hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it

p.s. i see all your requests, i’m in the process of writing them🫧

Malibu. You're sitting by the ocean and looking at the sky. You take a deep breath and feel your lungs fill with sea air, this real sea smell. The wind blows your hair, the warm sand tickles your toes and your head is free of thoughts.

118 decided to make a party for your station and you rented a house in Malibu on the Pacific Ocean. Three days of rest and fun with friends, what could be better?

And you needed it. You've been working at 118 for three months now and it's really a dream job. But because you're still new to this: it's hard, demanding and emotional at times. So getting out of this for a couple of days sounded very tempting.

The whole 118 team received you very warmly. Bobby is the best captain you could ask for. He literally became your second dad, mentor and wise friend. He taught you to take any difficulty as a valuable lesson that will lead you to a better version of yourself. Hen, Chimney and Eddie have become a resource of light. You never thought that colleagues at work could become family, but they showed you this. They are always happy to see you in their homes, put a smile on your face every shift and support you when something gets too much.

And Buck. You chuckled and admitted that you fell for him. You're not usually the type to get attached to people quickly. Honestly, you don't even know if you ever really loved. And it was Evan who made you feel things you'd never felt before. Butterflies in your stomach, counting the minutes before your shift starts to see him, “accidental” touches, stolen glances and a blush on your cheeks when he compliments you.

You looked up at the sky once more, where the stars were shining. Your dress was covered in sand, but you didn't care, because it was those moments that gave you a sense of carelessness. You were the very first to arrive at the house that you all rented and realized that this was a great opportunity to be alone with yourself. It was just you and the ocean.

“You're early as always.” — of course it was Buck. You chuckled to yourself and weren't even surprised that it was him. It's like he always appears when you think about him.

“Yeah, I didn't really calculate the time right and got here without traffic jams.”

You felt Buck sit down next to you on the sand and you both looked out into the boundless ocean.

“Aren't you afraid to get your pants dirty?”

“I wouldn't have become a firefighter if I was afraid of that. Plus, I'm willing to get my pants dirty if it means sitting in peace and quiet next to you.”

The next day went better than you imagined. You were all swimming, barbecuing, making cocktails, chatting and laughing a lot. Adults, but behaved like children, and this is exactly what everyone needed — to forget about adult responsibilities for a while and give themselves up to impulsive desires.

The day was nearing sunset and you split up. Men were playing volleyball, women were sitting by the pool with glasses of wine.

“If such a weekend becomes a tradition at your station, then I will have to change my place of work.” — Karen said and sipped her wine.

“Oh honey, we don’t have to. We are the wives of firefighters, we will always have the privilege for such parties.” — Athena said, doing a little dance.

Everyone laughed and agreed with this statement. You adored the women around you: strong, beautiful, and knowing how to have fun, even working such hard jobs.

“So (Y/N), any plans on making this official?” — Hen raised her eyebrows, pointing at you.

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh come on girl, we all see how you and Buck literally devour each other with eyes.”

“We’re just friends.”

You close your eyes, pull on your sunglasses and lie down on a beach chair. You do everything so that no one sees how your cheeks started to turn red.

“Yeah, I'm sure that friends dance in each other's arms, go to places for couples in the evenings and make local jokes that no one else understands.” — Maddie came back to the pool and put another cocktail in front of you. “It’s from Buck by the way, he said he made it just how you like it.” — she highlighted the last words and looked at you meaningfully before laughing.

“Okay you all, I don't recall using the services of a matchmaker, so I’m going to swim.” — you said, standing from your beach chair. “Anyone wants to go with me?”

“Hell yeah.”

You hear Buck's voice behind you and turn to him.

“Where did you come from?”

“I was on my way to grab some water, but swimming sounds more tempting.”

You took a towel and you went for a swim together.

“Okay, guys, I'm taking bets on whether they kiss now or not.” — Hen had a feeling that after this swim there will be one more couple on their station.

You and Evan came to the ocean and stopped at the shore. You have a feeling of deja vu, because exactly 24 hours ago you were sitting in the same place. The sun was almost below the horizon, it was getting darker and you liked it, there was always something magical about swimming at night.

“I would very much appreciate it if you stayed by my side, because rescuing you wasn’t on my bucket list today.”

“Then you’ll have to catch me, Buckley.”

You didn't wait a second and ran into the water. The warm water caressed your body, the sounds of the waves stupefied your head, the lowering sun left tempting reflections on your body.

You began to swim slowly and enjoy how the water relaxes your muscles and the taste of salt envelops your lips. In a second you were in strong hands.

“Got ya.” — Buck's warm breath was on your ear and reflexively you wrapped your legs around his torso.

“I don't think you gave me a chance to break away from you.”

“Maybe I didn’t want to.”

“How is it fair then?”

“It’s not, but it’s also unfair how you try to slide away from me every time.”

You looked into Evan's eyes and froze. You never tried to run away from him, you just didn't know if your feelings were mutual. And confessing your feelings is like going through fire for you, even though you do it almost every day. And it's still dangerous and scary.

His lips were two centimeters from yours and you fought with every part of your body not to succumb to temptation.

“I was just waiting for you to stop me from running away.”

“Let’s ruin the friendship.”

And he kissed you. A thousand fireworks exploded in your chest and your heart started pounding faster. You ran your hands through his hair, and he pulled you closer to him. You have to say that there was nothing innocent about that kiss. But it wasn't lust either. It was sensual, intimate, mixed with a long desire to be with each other.

You parted your lips and let his tongue enter inside, dancing with your tongue in unison. Buck put his hands on your hips and squeezed them, a soft moan escaped from your lips. Desire and need have awakened in the bottom of your stomach.

“I don’t think we need to give such a performance to our friends.” — even though you didn’t care right now, you knew it would be quite embarrassing after.

“You’re probably right, but I've been waiting for this since the first time I saw you.”

“You’re definitely a keeper.”

“I can’t keep denying every minute I think of you. I need to call you mine.”

“Claim me yours.”

And just like that, he kissed you again. This time gently and with all the love he had. You could both feel the invisible strings that intertwine your hearts and lives.

The feelings that flared up no longer frightened, but forced him to look into the future without doubt. Evan has been burned in a relationship so many times, but now he sees clearly — life without you is a thousand times more destructive.

You've been imagining events for so long that could lead to the beginning of your relationship, and none of them were the way you're experiencing now. You're with Buck in the ocean, your bodies are pressed against each other and you can't break the kiss because you can't get enough.

“Fuck, you’re all I ever dreamed of.” — Buck broke the kiss and said it into your lips.

You were walking back to the house and holding hands. What's the point of hiding that you're a couple now if everyone's been waiting for this?

You and Buck walked past the pool giggling and went into the house to change your clothes and most likely it won't end there.

“Okay, ladies, each of you now owns me 10 dollars.” — sipping from her glass, Hen knew she would win this bet.

Let me know if you want part 2 🫧

[hekateinhell]

anakin’s ptsd going into revenge of the sith

not to sound like a broken record, but one of the things i really love about the ROTS novelization is that it does a fantastic job of fleshing out anakin’s state of mind throughout the whole arc—beginning, middle, and end. to be clear, i do think a lot of things become more obvious in the movie once you’re looking for them, or perhaps when you’re just watching with an adult’s eyes and understanding of how trauma works and compounds—hayden’s acting goes a long way here as well, his micro-expressions and delivery are so on point for anakin.

but it’s even more devastatingly visceral in the novelization because right off the bat there is so much emphasis put on how it’s not like anakin just went through the trauma of seeing his nightmares about his mother come true, and then he is somehow doing reasonably okay until he starts having nightmares about padmé. he is not okay, has not been okay for a long time at this point! his ptsd is already so fucking bad at the start of ROTS, in what is the ‘fun part’ of the movie!

every single night anakin is being haunted by the memory of his mother, tortured and battered, dying in his arms when he was still a teenager. it’s not as if he ever had a chance to even begin to process what happened to her before being thrown into an active war zone for the next three years. he’s a military commander and combat soldier, regularly staring down the horrors of war with his best friend/brother/mentor/partner. he spends months at a time away from his secret wife, sometimes unable to contact her. much more often than not, he doesn’t know if he’s going to die today or if he’s going to lose one or more of the very few people he loves more than anything in the entire world. and he can’t and won’t accept that, which in imo is a very real response after everything he’s been through up to this point. healthy? no. relatable? understandable? yes.

again, i don’t think this is a mega deep read or anything lol like i said, you can see these elements to a fair extent in the movie too, but i also feel it is one of those aspects of anakin that can and does get lost in the sauce when people take the movie purely at face-value: “oh, he did all that because he had a couple bad dreams about padmé?”

no, it’s not a ‘couple bad dreams’ or arrogance or recklessness that pushes anakin to do the things he does, that pushes him to be more powerful, to be ‘the best’. it’s living in a constant state of terror and dread that has been building and building and building for years… the belief that he has no other choice but to be The Best or his loved ones will die, plain and simple. that is the weight, the pressure, the fear, anakin is carrying—this is already where his head is at when ROTS begins:

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith — Matthew Stover

and then of course, it gets so much worse.

[redux-iterum]

The time has come at long last!

I have been dying to talk about Darkstripe and his relationship to Tigerclaw this entire book, and now I finally get to. Long-ass rambling under the cut.

So the thing with Darkstripe, as Fireheart pointed out, is that he’s always miserable. And he’s been that way his whole life. From the womb, he came out unhappy. I don’t think he ever really experienced true joy the entire first six months of his life. Why? I can’t say. I never wrote him with a specific personality disorder in mind, but it wouldn’t shock me if he had one.

The important thing is that this King Haggard-esque joylessness caused him to act out in the vain attempt to feel something other than anger and misery. He bullied the other kits, he got into fights, he threw tantrums, everything, all in the hope that it would bring him any kind of release from the vice grip his negativity had on him. It didn’t. There was no satisfaction in his behavior, except perhaps the small feeling of power he got by eliciting an angry reaction from adults and a fearful one from younger kits. His family loved him, but I don’t think anyone liked him, including them. He isolated himself socially, making himself more miserable and angrier, and he scorned affection from anyone. It wouldn’t do anything for him. Why bother?

So why did he cling so hard to Tigerclaw, then? There’re a couple reasons.

For one, though he isn’t aware of it, he saw Tigerclaw as an ideal self: stoic to the point of coldness, strong and fearsome and distant, and completely loved by everyone in the Clan, and even highly respected outside of it. Tigerclaw was everything Darkpaw wanted to be in the deepest recesses of his fantasies. Darkpaw admired him for that to the point of hero-worship, and that was the main thing that kept him in line when Tigerclaw was around to tell him to stop being a dick.

Secondly, when he did chastise him, it wasn’t with anger. Darkpaw couldn’t see how embarrassed he made Tigerclaw when he acted out because his behavior would shift the instant he was aware his model was around to watch him and judge him. He also didn’t see it because Tigerclaw, as he so adored, was stoic and didn’t give off a vibe of “by the Three, my apprentice is awful” the way another mentor likely would have, even if he was thinking it to himself. As far as Darkpaw knew, he was just as loved by his mentor as any other apprentice and mentor loved each other (which, as we’ve established on this blog, is like family most often). He wasn’t, but he didn’t realize that at all.

Third… well, honestly, because of those two first factors, Darkpaw felt something akin to true joy when he was around Tigerclaw. He felt lighter and stronger and more determined with his mentor. He felt like he wasn’t just hated and disregarded and avoided (not that he wasn’t these things out of his own making, but he lacks an incredible amount of self-awareness). Here was the cat who shone a light in the pitch-dark of his world, who made him feel something positive. He almost mourned when he got his name, because he couldn’t just be with Tigerclaw 24/7 for the rest of his life. This cat was admirable. This cat was amazing. This cat gradually became, in his mind, his true father. Patchpelt didn’t matter. His brother didn’t matter. Tigerclaw was the only cat worth following in the territories. He was everything to Darkstripe.

And then here comes this kittypet, with his stupid naivety and his stupid scrawniness and his stupid, stupid, stupid ability to hypnotize everyone into liking him. And here he is, stealing what’s rightfully Darkstripe’s: Tigerclaw’s love for a son. Here Darkstripe has to sit, seething as Fireheart is looked at by Tigerclaw with fatherly pride and fondness, and here Fireheart is, so smug and sincere and idiotic, looking back at Tigerclaw with immense love.

And then he fucking murders him.

Now, to be clear – Darkstripe knows, objectively, that Fireheart did not physically kill Tigerclaw. That wimp is too weak to do anything but sit there sadly and watch his father go to his grave. He knows that he wasn’t at the lead of the investigation into Tigerclaw’s crimes. But his sheer hate and resentment over everything else about Fireheart is so powerful that he genuinely forgets that, technically, it was his nephew that did this to him. Ravenwing is the source of his pain, and yet it’s all Fireheart’s fault.

It's Fireheart who stole Darkstripe’s father away. It’s Fireheart who everyone loves when he didn’t do anything to earn it. It’s Fireheart who everyone comforted and cared about after he fucking murdered Tigerclaw.

And it’s Fireheart, the one who ruined his life, that has the brass to try and make friends with Darkstripe, tries to extend sympathy and understanding like he could ever grasp just how much pain Darkstripe is in.

And the most ridiculous thing about this whole insanity is that Fireheart gets rewarded for his crimes! He gets to be leader! He gets everyone’s support! He gets to be close to Tigerclaw’s real family and let his apprentice run around in the Houses and be listened to despite how young he is and be loved by everyone and-

Stars above, Darkstripe hates him.

How can he be at fault for that? How can everyone be so angry at him for lashing out, when he’s suffering more than they could possibly understand? It’s not fair! It’s not right! It’s bullshit!

All Darkstripe has at this point – the one thing keeping him sane and his overwhelming fury barely contained – is the belief that Tigerclaw loved him. He’s managed to convince himself that he was Tigerclaw’s son and Tigerclaw was his father, and what they had was perfect until a kittypet came along and ruined it. He was loved. Tigerclaw loved him. He was proud of him. He cared about him.

And as if he was psychically aware of what would hurt the most, Fireheart takes that one shred of hope and comfort and rips it away from him. Tears it into pieces. Stomps on the tattered remains. Forces him to acknowledge that it’s not true. That Tigerclaw was embarrassed of him. That he didn’t love Darkstripe at all. He loved Fireheart.

Objectively, on some level, I’m sure Darkstripe knew this too. But his lack of self-awareness and desperation to cling to his only source of semi-joy convinced him otherwise. To have realty confirmed by the cat he hates the most was just too much for him.

So of course he leaves. He has to. There’s nothing in ThunderClan for him. No friends. No family he could win the love of. No Tigerclaw. He just.

He has to go.

Does he think there’ll be anything out there? No, probably not. But it’s infinitely worse to live in the same space as the architect of his misery and see that piece of shit be rewarded for everything he’s done. And he’s not going back, ever again. Not to those idiots, not to their murdering, stupid, ugly, cowardly little leader. Let them all starve to death. Let them all die of a torturous disease. Let more dogs show up and snap all of their necks. He doesn’t care what happens to them.

He’d rather die than go back.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

"Rules" for Writing a Good Novel

The art of writing novels can seem mysterious to those who have never attempted such an endeavor. But seasoned authors will tell you there is nothing particularly secretive about the book writing process. Writing fiction is predicated on two main principles: creativity and discipline. Whether you’re a bestselling author or a ​first time writer self-publishing your first book, you’re in for a lot of hard work. Fortunately, if you are dedicated to the process, the results can be massively rewarding.

The 10 Rules of Writing a Good Novel

Read voraciously. Writers are shaped by other writers. The books we read as children influence our tastes and can often have an impact on our writing style as adults. The writers who shape us are almost like unofficial mentors: By reading widely and closely, young writers can learn at the feet of history’s most famed and beloved authors.

Make checklists of details. Think about your setting and motivations for writing, and then make a checklist of details you want to be sure you include in your story. Your checklist can be a single page or it can fill a whole notebook. It’s not guaranteed to save you from bad writing, but it’s a very useful tool nonetheless. The last thing an author wants is to finish a manuscript and realize they’ve left out half of what motivated them to write in the first place.

Develop good habits. Most beginning writers will have to balance their writing with other responsibilities. Setting aside consistent blocks of time for writing is an important step. Your writing time can be early in the morning or late at night or on your lunch hour, but keep it consistent, and insist on prioritizing that time. You can also experiment with having a dedicated writing room where you always work. This can be your dining room table or—if you have the space—a home office. The fact is, a good story idea does you little good if you don’t set aside the time to work on it, so find those pockets of time and space in your own life.

Use your limited time wisely. Before you sit down to write, think of ideas, remind yourself of where you left off in the story, or make a mental plan for what you want to accomplish during that session. Some people strive to write 2,000 words a day. Others disregard word count and are more comfortable alternating between days spent reading, outlining, or researching. No matter what you choose, it’s a good idea to give yourself daily goals. This will prevent you from spending precious writing time staring at a blank page—though there are practical ways to overcome writer’s block.

Build a relationship with an editor. Editors are a hugely important part of your publishing process. If you’re so fortunate as to command interest in your manuscript, you’ll want to do everything you can to ensure a good fit. A good editor will make you a better writer, but a bad editor can compromise your artistic vision. Check potential editors’ references, look at their backlist (prior books they’ve edited), chat with them about expectations, and look for a personal connection. Ask yourself what traits you value in a collaborative partner. A good connection between writer and editor makes a huge difference in the editing process.

Don’t stress your first draft. Generating the first draft is an exercise in getting everything down that you can get down. There’s always time later to reassess and comb through what you’ve generated. Resist the urge to do repeated dives into the thesaurus or to constantly refresh your word count. The first draft of a book needs to arise from spontaneity. Later on, you can obsess over whether you chose the right word or used too many exclamation points. That kind of self-editing will only be needed once you have a great story to tell in the first place.

Seek out surprises in the second draft. The second draft is all about finding surprises and starting to tease out the shape of your story. What unexpected themes or motifs have cropped up in your writing? If you like them, find a way to reinforce them throughout your writing. On the other hand, you may have to kill off a few darlings from your first draft. Fiction writing inherently forces you to ditch a few pet ideas or plot points, but your job as a writer is to serve the book, not your own emotions.

Start with characters. Readers don’t pick up a book looking for a theme. Good fiction comes from a compelling plot and strong character development. This means you’ll need a main character who is complex enough to sustain a real character arc (including a backstory), and supporting figures who can motivate subplots off the main story structure.

Write for art’s sake, and save the commercial analysis for later. Genre is a concept created by publishers and literary critics, but it’s not always a valuable one for the working writer. Not knowing or thinking about what genre your book belongs to can be valuable, because it offers you greater freedom to stray from genre expectations and to play with form and subject. Your job is to make your book the best, most compelling version of itself, plausible within its own imagined realm and set of rules. Let others worry about what genre it is. You can self-consciously try to write a horror novel, but this won’t necessarily make you the next Stephen King. In other words, don’t let genre analysis creep into your writing process. It’s hard enough to be a good writer without obsessing about commercial appeal, so don’t.

Rules are meant to be broken. Every great writer works in a different way. Some writers work straight through from beginning to end. Others work in pieces they arrange later, while others work from sentence to sentence. Don’t be afraid to try out different techniques, voices, and styles. Keep what works for you and discard the rest. Your material and creative process will guide you to your own set of rules. Anything is theoretically fair game. For instance, you could toggle back and forth between first person and third person voice. You could upend grammatical correctness. Of course, this doesn’t mean there’s no use for the rules, it simply means fiction writers need not follow every one of these rules to the exact letter.

Note that these rules for novel writing can apply to other forms of fiction, like a short story or screenplay. They aren’t even limited to fiction books: An engaging nonfiction book can be written under many of the same principles. If you keep these writing tips in mind before you start writing, you can maintain your own style and your own point of view while simultaneously employing the discipline every writer needs to successfully complete a work of fiction.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[sinisterexaggerator]

OK, my main issues with the Bane arc are as follows, while some can be explained away with headcanons or critical thinking skills, lol. Still. They bother me because it left US to do the work and did not properly elaborate on the how or why, or the who these people are even?!

Bane takes his style from a mentor who we don’t see his relationship with him at all yet are supposed to believe he cared about him within his five minutes or less of screentime. Cared enough to take up his hat and his mantle. I get he was left in charge of the gang, but they didn’t show that either, yet his guys come to pick him up once the transport arrives?? Then it’s straight to the Police Station? I have no doubt Bane would look up to someone who gave him a roof over his head when he was homeless and was starving, but I just wish we had seen more. Why he cared so much about his passing.

He ditched his friend right off the bat for a guy he just met. I mean, I guess it makes sense he could do that for his love of credits, and his fear of the cops, but that was the first betrayal, and it was Bane betraying Niro and not the other way around.

Arin was cool enough in her own right but the very first scene we see her she is already holding her stomach like she preggo. She was worried from the outset about telling Bane she’s knocked up, and that’s all she was there for—to serve as a plot device between two men.

The fact she leaves Bane for his best friend turned enemy after they meet one time. Did you even love Bane? And of all the people to marry, why Niro? Is it because of closeness to Bane you chose him? Is it because you didn’t want your child to grow up a bastard and fatherless? Smells like teen pregnancy and a shit situation for a girl caught between a rock and a hard place.

Thug / cop / good guy / bad guy trope with a love interest caught in the middle so cliché and overdone and did not like, tbh.

Why was Bane so delulu about Arin wanting to see him after being in prison for so many years and no one heard anything about her or seen her? Yeah, we can say he didn’t get messages in prison, but really?? No one told him anything??

Niro says she died a few years ago—did she die while “giving birth?” Did passing that huge ass egg kill her?

WHY DID THEY HAVE TO KILL HER OFF SCREEN?

Colby. I cannot get behind the name Colby, I am sorry. I see people’s reasonings for their acceptance of it and just no, not for me.

Why was he already called Cad? Why no backstory as to why he renamed himself Cad Bane? Shouldn’t there have been a lead up to that? It’s literally just a nickname he goes by? How unoriginal. I expected more.

They did not show how he got so good with blasters. Did Lazlo teach him offscreen somewhere? I suppose we’re supposed to guess or use inference here, but not all viewers are that smart HAHA.

Where did he get the accent from all of a sudden? Did he steal that from Lazlo too? Kid Bane didn’t talk that way but all of a sudden young adult Bane does.

The whole “you took everything from me” bit is still kind of a weird thing to say. I know fandom is explaining it in different ways. I just have to assume he means his freedom, his girl, his right to vengeance, his right to choose in terms of Arin stopping him from another duel and that it was stolen out from under him. But that’s not Niro’s fault??

They never explained “why” Arin couldn’t tell Bane. Was it because she was afraid of what he would say? Again we have to assume here. Of course the man would be conflicted, and he’s a known hothead.

Why did they say he got off on a technicality?? Are murderers not given life sentences in Star Wars?? Why not a prison break scene—much more fitting. Lazy writing, imo. But. They only had so much time I guess.

What the fuck was the point of making him a dad?? Are they going to revisit this in the future? Is he going to have—god forbid—a redemption arc?? Is he going to have to face-off against his own kid, and maybe show just how much more of a bastard he is ( hope so )?

This story in and of itself did not convince me of why he is the way that he is. If anything it showed he does care about people, like Arin, and even briefly his “son” before he is turned away. So how does that explain how he is so ruthless, coldblooded, a baby kidnapper, etc? Of course I guess that is up for us to decide, and decide we will. I can only imagine it erodes his psyche overtime, what with regret and all, and that lingering knowledge of fuck I have a kid out there—unless yeah, no big deal. Didn’t actually give a fuck about his girlfriend beyond her being some kind of prize to be won, and he just … writes him off. We can INFER it is for the best; he thinks he would be terrible as a dad; he knows he couldn’t raise the boy for the lifestyle he chose .. but again. Why. Just why. This wasn’t needed.

WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE BOBA VS. BANE ARC. IT WAS RIGHT THERE.

AND IF HE CAN'T EVEN TAKE HIS OWN KID UNDER HIS WING, WHY WOULD HE TAKE UP JANGO'S?? Because he owed him a favor?? So he didn't owe Arin anything then?? HmMMmMM

[whalesforhands]

what’s yours is mine (8/?)

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pairing: geto suguru x reader x gojo satoru

You don’t know a lot of things, and you readily admit that. What you do know, is that the friends you’ve made aren’t something you will ever regret. Until your physical body weakens and becomes nothing, you’re more than happy to give your all until you wither away.

What’s yours can be theirs, too. They’re your friends, after-all. (Omegaverse AU)

“You should stop hanging around people like me.” It’s said with a grunt of conviction, low and throaty and trying to sound too much like he didn’t care. Like it didn’t mean anything if you left him.

(The only reason you can tell is because Satoru does the exact same thing.)

And you only ever have a single reply to statements like that, despite all your confusion about the origins of such things.

“Nope.” You pop the ending sound, kicking your feet up as you finish off the rest of your crumbled snack, dusting your fingers of biscuit dust as you dab your hanky against your lips. “You’re stuck with me now.”

Just like how he’s stuck with you.

“What?” He lets out a dry laugh, disbelieved green eyes narrowed down at you as the scar on his lip stretches out into a lazy grin. “Don’t tell me ya think of me as a friend or somethin’?”

“No.” He’s partially wrong, you’re pretty sure. “Adults and kids can’t be friends.”

They’re not allowed to. Something about ethics, about danger, about candy and chocolate and not even your favourite pudding. You don’t remember the whole thing, but you know kids and adults are not allowed to mix together like that.

Not allowed to be like you, Suguru and Satoru.

That’s what your Mama always taught you. That it was for the best, that you should always be careful. So you definitely think you know better as your head is tilted to the side and you point a finger at him; before directing it at yourself with that familiar grin on your face.

“So you’re my teacher and I’m your disciple.”

“The fuck?”

Mhm. Sounds about right. You nod to yourself, a proud hand on your chin as you give a pat on your own back for not only sticking to Mama’s words, but also finally claiming the scariest, biggest kid-adult around as your mentor.

Things are going perfectly as planned.

“I’m gonna get as strong and as scary as you are so that nobody can ever mess with me again.”

That’s right. You’ll grow so strong that everybody would fear you just as much or even more than Satoru— Then they’ll finally like him more. Finally be able to talk to him because they’re more scared of you than they are him. Nobody can ever make fun of Suguru, talk badly about your Mama or better yet— You can be the one that beats up all the ‘piss ugly freaks who beg to have their faces pummelled in’ like Mister Teacher here always says.

(It’s totally fine because your teacher does it too, right?)

“And what makes ya think I’m gonna teach you anything, brat?”

Well, you haven’t really thought that one through. That’s a very good question. As expected of your teacher.

“Cause I’m helpful and cute.”

‘Helpful’. Also known as using the very last of your well-loved, wacky band-aid collection on him. Your absolute favourites that you just couldn’t bring yourself to use that had been offered up to him the times you see him collapsed against the bench and snoring away.

So you took the liberty of pouring water on his cuts and heartbreakingly parting with your precious, precious band-aids.

All is part and parcel of being a hero, anyway.

(And the cute part… Mama always tells you that you are, anyway.)

“I’ll even buy you those big protective gloves so you can stop hurting your hands when I’m older and have a job like my Mama.”

“Pfft— Yea? What are ya even gonna work as to afford those?”

You barely hesitate in your reply, the turn of your head far too quick as the apples of your cheeks show through your excited smile.

“A hero.”

“And if they don’t pay enough?”

Well. You never really thought about that. Does being a hero really not pay as well as you think? Come to think of it… You’ve never seen Sailor Moon get paid. It seems like being a magical girl doesn’t come with a celery.

(Can you really pay for things in vegetables? You’ll ask Mama to help you grow some. Even if you don’t want to eat them…)

“Justice will always be rewarded.”

And this Mister that you talk to too much finally starts laughing, slapping his knee as he starts howling with laughter and snorting through his nose. It was loud, it was free.

Without a care in the world.

“You’re one dumb fuckin’ kid, ain’t cha?”

At least he’s smiling again. Even if you’re pretty sure he was making fun of you as you pout at his head that was positioned too high up upon his shoulders.

(Or maybe his neck was too long?)

“You can’t say that if you’re my teacher!”

“Then ya can’t yell at me if y’er my disciple.”

——

Even if one good thing comes to fruition, you should never be too comfortable with what the future may have in store for you. Small, minuscule little things always add up to big ones, snowballing into a problem that you just didn’t foresee before it comes hurling down towards you.

That’s what the astrology charts said, anyway. You didn’t understand then, but you think you do now that it has really ‘come to fruition’. Surely, it couldn’t be any truer now as your hand is slapped away, the smack echoing throughout the playground as your eyes widen and your skin stings with a feeling too unpleasant.

“I don’t wanna hear it! Don’t talk! Be quiet!”

Usually, Satoru telling you to shut up in 3 different ways would be less hostile, would have less weight to them. Usually, those sky coloured eyes wouldn’t glare at you with so much hatred, wouldn’t have so much pressure that threatened to pummel you to your knees.

(Because this is still your Satoru, isn’t it?)

“B-But Ieiri-chan and I are—“

“How many times are you gonna break our promise?!” His face is dusted with red— Not the sweet cherry shade that you were used to seeing when he got embarrassed or shy. The air felt like it was pricking you, prodding at you uncomfortably as you shrink in on yourself whilst nursing the area that hurt way more than you thought.

That’s why it irritated your eyes so much, right? Did the air always smell so hostile? So uncomfortably angry and horrible and heartbreaking?

“I told ya so many times that you can’t be friends with anyone other than me! That you’re not allowed to betray me! That you promised me!” It came out as an angry squeak, something adults would probably laugh at— Yet it felt like he was hammering nails into your heart as a lump builds up in your throat and the thrumming of your heartbeat against your chest becomes too much.

“Are you even trying anymore?!”

He’s right. You’re fine with your classmates whispering things whenever you walked past, fine with their trailing eyes and quiet gossips about how you’re just kissing up, fine that they’ll never truly like you for you just because you chose to associate with the Gojo family.

But you never once thought that being called a horrible friend would hurt this much. It tore through you, guilt riddling your very being as you whimper and bite down on your lip, trying to steady your breaths as you tried not to cry.

Because do you even deserve to? You’re not the one who was hurt in this situation. You’re not the one who kept true to the promise you made all those years ago.

“I-I really—“ Really didn’t mean it. Truly. It’s not a secret that you want to be on friendly terms with anyone willing to talk to you, not a surprise that you’ve been waving to and greeting the easy-going girl whenever you see her in class.

But it seems everything has a breaking point.

“I’m s-sorry…” Your hands bundle up the hem of your shirt, sweat getting absorbed by the cotton fabric, your head that tilted downwards as tears began to drip from your eyes and phlegm built up in your throat as you hiccuped your words.

“I didn’t mean to h-hurt you, Satoru…”

Because you never meant for him to feel this way. You’ve always taken him into consideration, always wanted him to be happy when he was with you; beside you.

It was your fault for trying too hard to find workarounds, to mistakenly believe that it was still fine to interact with someone who you thought was an outlier to the promise.

(Or was it simply your fault for wanting to make a decision that was far too selfish?)

And he doesn’t even say anything else to you, only the feel of his eyes stabbing into your conscience before you hear him stomp away, his familiar sneakers kicking up sand that left you in the dust as you’re left behind in this setting sun that casted your shadow behind you, growing longer and longer the more the light dimmed.

“Kimi-chan! I wanna go home!”

“G-Gojo-sama, are you not going to play a little longer? There’s still quite a bit of time left before you—“

A beat of silence.

“Understood, Young Master. I will prepare the car to send the both of you back home.”

Maybe you deserve this, you think. Maybe this was the punishment you had to bear as you’re sat in the back of the car all on your lonesome as your now silent friend makes nay a sound in the front seat.

Separated from you. Not even saying goodbye to you as Kimiko-san opens the door for you, her apologetic eyes and a polite bow as you’re left behind in the cloud of dust formed behind the car.

Silently waving it goodbye.

So you think you definitely deserve it as you drag yourself to your front door, past the genkan and kicking off your shoes as you kept your gaze stuck to the floor and your hands frantically wiping the wetness from your eyes when you hear the shuffling in the kitchen and the clatter of the lid against a boiling pot.

Your first ever fight. Or would it be more accurate to say— Your first ever fallout with anybody at all? You don’t know how to process it, what you’re gonna do now that you were left without an answer to your teary apology and small voice.

“What’s wrong?” Her hand is in your hair as she pats you, your chopsticks suddenly feeling too heavy as you blink back into reality, your blurry gaze finally focusing back as you shake your head lightly—

“But you haven’t touched any of your food.” And you realize that you’ve only been blankly staring down at the steaming bowl of rice, had barely touched any of the meatballs that your Mama made.

“Is the soup not good? I forgot to pick up the miso today so I had to make do with salt.” Her chopsticks clack down as she picks up her own bowl, bringing it up to her lips as she takes another taste for good measure.

“No.” Because you aren’t the type to want to worry your Mama, not the type to want her to think too much about you whilst she’s hard at her job.

“It tastes really good, Mama.”

Not the type to want to bother her with problems that were solely your own. Especially when she’s been coming home with dark bags under her eyes and a tired smile on her face when she kisses your forehead in greeting each and every time.

She’s strong, so you want to be strong too.

It’s your own secret for now, because you want to hide this. It’s your choice, something you made for yourself as you hurriedly scoop more rice into these lips that told too many lies and kept a secret from your own Mama that you always claimed to love so much.

“Yua-sensei just gave too much homework today.” You add a smile at the end just for good measure, forcing the bright grin you usually show her as you stuff another meatball into your mouth.

Maybe you really are not as good of a kid as you thought. But you sincerely hope she believes you, hope she can fall for it— Even if it was just this once.

“I’m here if you need any help, okay?”

“Mhm. Thanks, Mama.”

You’ll solve this. You think you can’t… But you’ll still do your best to, anyway.

It’s a problem you caused.

“Are you okay?” The towel in his hair is haphazardly thrown over his head, his voice a prodding question to your conscience as you limply hold the other paper cup telephone in your hand.

“Did something happen while I was at training today?”

Your nightly talks with your Suguru.

“No,” Your voice is barely audible even through the makeshift telephone, throat scratchy as your shoulders slump even further and you think you might want to hide away forever. “But you need to dry your hair before you catch a cold…”

Because for some reason, you feel too ashamed to even face him right now.

“Speak for yourself first, (name).” His head is propped up against his arm as he raises a brow, looking at you and your still slightly damp hair from your bath as you continued to wipe off the tears that just refused to stop falling, that refused to pretend that everything was truly as alright as you wanted to make it seem.

The moon was out, and the sky was clear. So it made that the only other witness to your quiet, wordless sadness as you stare down at your hand, the sting of the hit long gone— For it just wasn’t hard enough to cause enough harm to you.

“You fought with Satoru, right?” It’s suddenly voiced out and almost scares you— Almost makes you start sobbing outright there and then.

How… Do the people around you always read you so well? How do they always tell that something’s wrong with you despite all the effort you put into hiding it? Were you bad at lying despite doing it so much? Were you doomed to simply be called a liar that wasn’t even good at the one thing they were labelled as?

(So much for lying for the ‘greater good’.)

“…cause you keep looking like you’re gonna cry.” That’s a lie. You know he’s telling a lie so that he won’t make you feel any worse, so that you won’t feel so embarrassed. You know he’s telling a lie because you were already crying, your stupid tears that just kept falling no matter how hard you’ve tried to keep yourself in check, no matter how hard you bit down on your lip or how hard you’ve tried to muffle your sniffles.

You’re the most hopeless, worst liar ever.

“Do you like her?” His voice is soft and whispered and low so that it wouldn’t startle you, trying to blanket you in his caress despite the distance between your windows. “Ieiri-san, I mean.”

Ah. You should’ve expected him to already know.

But to answer his question… You do. You really do. She wasn’t like the rest of the kids who questioned you on your relationship with the Gojo child, wasn’t like the other kids who judged you simply because you didn’t exactly fit in with the rest of them or because you didn’t really like playing outside during break.

So, you pathetically nod in reply, wiping snot off from your philtrum and trying really hard to find your voice, trying really hard to be honest so that you wouldn’t lie anymore.

So that you didn’t have to pretend like nothing was wrong.

“I like her.” You really, genuinely do. Even if she was hard to read, even if she takes things too lightly or seemed like she didn’t care… She always proved that she did in the end. Maybe it was giving you an extra of the magical eraser you’ve been secretly eyeing in her pencil case, maybe it was letting you lean on her shoulder as you read her shoujo manga beside her.

And maybe it was simply the feeling of having a girl friend that made your heart soar with a feeling unlike the times you hang around your best friends. It was like an unsaid bond, something akin to finding someone with likes too alike yours that it just didn’t make sense to not continue to hang around her.

“Hmm.” His voice is just as tender as ever even if he was simply thinking about your answer, his gaze on you turning unreadable as you wipe away another tear, stifle another sniffle.

Try to act like you really, really weren’t crying.

“And if Satoru and I told you that we didn’t,” You can see how those purple eyes of his glinted with an emotion you didn’t understand, shone with the shimmers of the moonlight that reflected from them as you try your hardest to steel yourself for whatever was coming next.

“Would you still be friends with her?”

Oh. How… Do you reply to this?

“I’m sorry for making you choose. Please don’t cry.” If only he were there beside you, if only he could be there to hold you and tell you that he would tolerate anybody that you liked. If only he could confidently tell you that he wasn’t jealous, wasn’t trying to convince you out of something that you wanted— Only then would he finally be able to fearlessly go over.

Alas, he’ll keep it to himself. He’ll tell himself that it really is all right, tell himself that he can make compromises if it could prevent you from ever crying ever again.

It would be worth it then.

“Then… I won’t try to be friends with her anymore…” Not if you’ll lose the 2 who you think are worth more than whatever you’ll ever be able to count in this life, a bubble of phlegm in your throat clearing when you cough out your reply through your tears.

“I-I don’t like making either of you sad…”

And it locks into silence afterwards, a reply unheard from your poor paper cup that you were just too afraid to soil with your tears as your handkerchief soaks yet another round of your childish dejection.

“Please don’t cry.” It now sounds panicked and not at all alike the

And maybe, just maybe— His words make you think just that little bit more as your own mind swirls in on itself. Maybe you want something for yourself for the first time ever, want to make a decision that was solely you. A decision that would usually be far too dangerous, but for once, it would be your own nonetheless.

That’s how you won’t leave any regrets, right?

“But…” You swallow the lump in your throat again as your reddened, swollen gaze met his. “Would you both please meet her first…?”

Before they decided to hate her forever, that is.

It’s not the best plan, but it was your favourite. That was enough reason to pick it, enough for you to forego any of your other intentions in favour of this.

Because it gave you too much meaning for you to regret anything else.

Though, there was a very big hole in your plan. That being the fact that Satoru… Still won’t talk to you. Even on the way to school when you nervously squeezed Suguru’s hand as you both awaited for the familiar car to arrive, even when you both silently trailed after the… Suddenly sullen boy that refused to speak a singular word towards the both of you.

It’s a boon that you’re all only 8, otherwise your blushing, stubborn friend wouldn’t be showing up at school with his head held high, stubbornly sat next to you as he did his absolute hardest not to look you in the eye all throughout the different periods.

Even if he was— Quite literally, sat next to you. Mangas where best friends avoid each other are a staple you’ve read before— But it seems that the cliches of them being able to avoid each other entirely just didn’t apply in real life.

It doesn’t feel awkward, though. Just… Sad.

“Satoru…?” You visibly deflate when he doesn’t reply, your view of the back of his head being a constant throughout today that didn’t quite settle well with you. So you make do with a frown and dejected stare down at the math worksheet that he would’ve usually been pointing at and trying to make you understand by now.

But it looks like he still didn’t want to talk. Not even when all your trays of food have been cleared and lunch would be just about over in a little while.

“Satoru, seriously?” It’s Geto’s voice that has the snow-haired boy jumping slightly, a twitch of his shoulders and his crystal blue eyes narrowed when he pouts and glares at him with only the slightest, careful turn of his head.

“How long are ya gonna stay mad?”

He could’ve chosen to not come to school, could’ve chosen to go back to his private lessons within his too big home…

But he chose to come here, still. So it means something, right? It definitely does when he finally gets called out by the most sensible out of the 3 of you, finally losing his deity-like patience the moment you’ve given up, his small hands tightly holding yours to comfort you from the all too stubborn, hard-headed friend you both had.

Gojo Satoru was not good at talking. Sure, he can talk anyone’s ear off about Digimon, can go on and on about cakes and how they could be interlinked with the wide world of physics, why his favourite soda brand should be the only one allowed to exist and so many other arbitrary things.

But he was still no good at talking. He can’t speak wholeheartedly like you do, can’t express his emotions so softly like Suguru does— He can’t do it well lest it shows the vulnerability a Gojo does not reveal.

A Gojo does not show weakness. They were raised to never do so, that’s why he’s roughly pushing a neatly wrapped box of cookies that had been crumpled when stuffed into his Digimon backpack, hurriedly snatching up the note very obviously left behind by a certain maidservant for encouragement as he blushes and glares down at his hands.

‘You can do it, Young Master Gojo!’ ٩(^‿^)۶

“K-Kimi-chan said t-this is good apology food so!” The burning tips of his ears grow ever hotter as it’s accidentally shoved off the table and falling onto your lap, curious purple and your own eyes meeting; going down to the box of cookies— And up to the extremely red Satoru that looked like a massively adorable contrast to the waves of ocean blue of his starry eyes.

“S-So just eat it and— And… S-sorry, okay?!”

You should’ve known that your Satoru has always been this way, your hands going up to your cheeks as you perk up and smooth out the crinkled wrapping paper,

“Thank you…”

(“There! I said it!” His blushing face was growing increasingly ashamed as his amethyst-eyed best friend pats his back from behind, your arms wrapped around his neck from the front as you simply can’t help the smile stretched onto your face.

“I’m sorry too, Satoru.”)

(But you still have to break the promise. Just one last time as you pull away from his hug, taking a deep breath and squeezing Suguru’s hand as you prepare to ask for quite possibly— The impossible.)

——

“Ah.” Ieiri Shoko finally sees why you were so nervous when you asked her to come over to play, why the look on your face was so deathly serious and almost constipated looking that she thought you were inviting her over so as to declare a fight to death— Or something like that.

You weren’t exactly the most normal kid around.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” She nods towards him, clearly unimpressed with this situation as all 4 of you sat within Suguru’s room, warm, untouched milk in your cup as you all sat around the low table.

“Gojo.”

Wait. What? Did she just call him by his last name with no honorifics? This— Was the first time they’ve ever looked at each other face to face— To your knowledge, anyway.

Then there could only be one explanation as you watch your cute friend practically chug down another glass of strawberry juice out of pure irritation.

(“At least have some manners when people are talking, Satoru.” Your poor host can only sigh as he watches the boy pout and glare at him, his red cheeks puffed up.)

“You… Guys know each other?”

“Mhm.” Said like it was the obvious thing ever.

“Hmph.” Huffed out in disgruntled acceptance.

“Our parents do.” She twirls a strand of her hair, neatly done up into a cute half-up braid around as she takes another sip of juice. “Our families tried to set up an arranged marriage with us once.”

What?

“I told ya she was trouble.” Your Satoru’s the one leaning his head on your shoulder, hugging you tightly to him as he glares at the intruder that dared to try to steal his precious friend. “Are we done? I wanna go play!”

“Wait— Is that why you hated her so much, Satoru?” Now Suguru’s the one looking almost disgusted, shocked and everything in between as he grimaces at the spoiled kid. “She didn’t even do anything. It was her parents.”

“She’s guilty by default!”

“The arrangement didn’t go through though,” Her cup clanks against the coaster upon the low table as her posture grows increasingly lax and unlike the ‘proper, elegant’ first impression people would see her as.

“Cause he kept rejecting it and I kept skipping out on our play dates.” She even couples it with a wide, dismissive open-mouthed yawn as her head meets your other free shoulder.

(You’re out of shoulders to lend to Suguru.)

“Hell would freeze over before I even considered marrying someone like him, though.” Because if she was considering marriage candidates, she would want someone more docile, gentle. Someone who actually listens to what she has to say. Someone like y—

“Yea, yea!” He’s huffing angrily as he lightly shoves her head off of you. “I don’t wanna marry someone like you either, Shoko! Blehhh!”

And you feel a tug of your arm towards her in retaliation, your body simply going limp as you just allow it to happen. “(name) and I would be a good fit, though. Maybe I’ll ask my mama to set up a marriage with her.”

Oh. You recognise that lilt in her voice, that sneaky grin on her face—

She’s teasing him. And doing very well at it.

“Haah?! Have ya gone insane, ya ugly hag?!” And it’s almost painful— With how hard he tugged you towards him.

“Maybe you’ve failed to consider how unmarry-able you are.”

“Well, (name) thinks I’m cute, you hag!”

“Cute doesn’t mean handsome.”

Left. Right. Left. Right. You’re basically being pulled and thrown about like a ragdoll by two opposing forces as your eyes spin and your head goes even more confused. The only saviour and your saving grace now is—

“Suguruuuu!!!” Your hand reaches out towards him for help— Barely heard above the yelling between your two friends as your confusion whirls even harder. Yet all you feel is Suguru’s familiar hand holding yours— Before he joins the pile of limbs on the floor, tightly hugging your free front and stealing any free hugging space from both of your suitors.

“No. Satoru got to spend all his time beside you and you haven’t played with just me in a while.” And you know him. Know your pretty friend so well that you can almost exactly decipher what he meant.

‘I’m jealous. So this is your punishment.’

At least you all get along now, right?

——

“Another bowl please.” Your Pokemon themed bowl that your Mama found at the department store was absolutely cleared of rice, a stray grain sticking to your cheek as you grin and plead oh so cutely for seconds.

“You seem to be in a good mood today.” She chuckles as her thumb swiped at your face, her hand warm against your skin as you giggle.

“Mhm. I’m really happy today.”

“Oh? And why is that?” Her movements are slow and careful, pressing a button that made the rice cooker pop open carefully as she scoops up another paddle of rice.

“Cause I keep thinking about the movie I’m gonna watch this weekend.” The one that Satoru had been talking your ears off of as he speaks through his snacks, making Suguru click his tongue and Shoko grimace in disgust as you simply listen intently with a sparkle in your eye.

The one that you had so nervously asked for permission so that you could follow them to the theatre for as you stood before your contemplative Mama, skittishly looking up at her with a timid smile and the tooth that had finally fully grown in— An ‘adult’ tooth as everyone calls it.

“You’re growing up too fast, you know?” Her hand gently ruffles your hair as you giggle slightly, picking up your no-longer training chopsticks. You’re even using the ‘adult’ utensils too. “Soon you won’t even need me to take care of you anymore.”

“Nope!” You swallow the mouthful of rice and egg as you chew too hurriedly. “I’ll make sure to need you forever and ever, Mama.”

“Is that so?” A playful pinch to your cheek.

“Mhm.”

“And what if I grow old and wrinkly and can’t move anymore, hmm?” Her hands thread through your hair, lightly smoothing it out first before the feel of your hairbrush glides through.

(You’ve been a bit into doing your hair a lot recently. Shoko must have rubbed off on you.)

“Then I’ll buy you super cool robot legs so you won’t feel sad that you can’t walk!”

You’re already 10, after all.

(2 years until you present.)

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[amber-laughs]

this might not be fair but can i say i’m not really a fan of the “victors found family” trope bc they don’t really seem to all like each other.

in fics, and it’s no hate bc everybody should play around with canon however they want i’m just venting because i've only been in the fandom like a week and a half, people seem to really enjoy the idea that the victors who’ve been sex trafficked are really close and look out for each other, usually Cashmere, Gloss and Finnick. but those three specifically are trying to kill each other pretty quick in the Quell and Finnick specifically tells Katniss not to trust them and i personally think that makes a lot more sense if we realistically look at their situation. groomers and predators will always try to isolate their victims and Snow especially uses this tactic with his Victors.

he takes out their families and makes them live in isolated neighborhoods. It wouldn’t shock me if there was a lot of drama, grudges and bad blood within the victors/mentors circle because that’s how Snow operates. It’s pretty implied that Johanna was supposed to be trafficked but wouldn’t comply and that’s how her family died, that also perfectly coincides with she and Finnick maintaining a close relationship. If the sex trafficking ring is purposefully being pit against each other, say Gloss is getting extra work and Snow lies and says it’s bc Finnick has to be home to take care of Annie or Enobaria is getting easier jobs than Cashmere and Snow lies and says it’s bc Enobaria specifically asked to switch some with Cash now he’s purposefully and very easily (bc they’re legit teenagers at first) creating bad blood and distrust between them just like Katniss says he does with people living in districts (ie Gale blaming Madge for not having her name in extra times bc she doesn’t need tesserae) it would be almost impossible for a healthy friendship to develop and evolve while still in the middle of it.

“Gale knows his anger at Madge is misdirected. On other days, deep in the woods, I’ve listened to him rant about how the tesserae are just another tool to cause misery in our district. A way to plant hatred between the starving workers of the Seam and those who can generally count on supper and thereby ensure we will never trust one another. “It’s to the Capitol’s advantage to have us divided among ourselves,” he might say if there were no ears to hear but mine.” Hunger Games - Chapter 1

I sent an obnoxiously long ask to someone's inbox about the Capitol specifically grooming Careers to be government prostitutes (shout out to them for putting up with it and having a great answer) and I think that its something that once again points to purposefully causing descent within the Victor's circle. if you're twelve years old and you live in one of the nicer districts (One, Two and Four) and you're hearing horror stories about Ten, Eleven, Twelve it would make a lot of sense if an adult authority figure came up to you and said you're not like them, you're better. thats why we let you guys train and teach you to survive in the games because we want you to win. you're gonna win, you have nothing to fear you should sign up. thats really easy to then flip to hey so that fancy academy you trained in, those fancy clothes you wore in the parade, the makeup we put on you for the interview, the sponsor gifts you got in the arena, that was us. we did that for you. now you have to do something for us. and because they've spent their whole lives being groomed to fight to the death in an arena all in the name of money, power, glory why should this be any different? You're the Victor, the Capitol loves you, they wanna meet you, they wanna be with you and like everything Snow should benefit so he's gonna get the money and these kids think it's an honor to be loved by the Capitol but then once they realize what's actually happening and try to back out its hey so you're actually gonna do this or i'm gonna kill your whole family and so

"Don't trust One and Two" Finnick says Catching Fire - Chapter 19

it's probably not that they oh so enjoy being sex trafficked, or so love life under the Capitol but more probably that they just don't trust the rebels. and the rebels don't trust them. they've been forced give their bodies away for over a decade to keep their families alive while (in their eyes) Haymitch is an alcoholic who can't keep it together. he's not their lovable drunk uncle who holds their hand after a rough night. why should they have any faith in him to put together a winning plan?

“Oh, no. I was the example. The person to hold up to the young Finnicks and Johannas and Cashmeres. Of what could happen to a victor who caused problems,” says Haymitch Mockingjay - Chapter 12

Snow knows Haymitch is trouble so he makes sure all the victors know he already lost. his family is dead, his lover is dead and now he wastes his days drinking himself to death. he's a loser and not to be allied with. they're all still playing the game and the capitol is the career pack. everybody wants to keep themselves and their families alive and Snow has the most resources, the better plan and the odds are in his favor.

[ninja-confession-go]

I genuinely don’t think the ninja deserved what Wu did to them at the beginning of season 11 the fire chapter. On paper, the idea that the ninja have gotten lazy isn’t necessarily a bad idea, but I think the execution is muddled and just sends some really bad messaging.

(I should clarify, I don’t necessarily hate Wu, I actually do like him in the majority of the show, but I do have issues with him in this specific season. Also this will be super long so prepare yourself)

Like, it starts off with the ninja playing video games and going in the hot tub which are like, normal things for teenagers/young adults to do? ESPECIALLY considering that they make a huge point of the fact that there is such little crime happening that the actual prisoners are getting therapy and healthy coping mechanisms. And this has been going on for months. So they have no actual obligations or responsibilities to do anything, and they’re taking a well deserved break, I think that’s more than reasonable.

And yes, you could argue that they’re making a mess, but Wu doesn’t actually criticize them about that. Instead, he calls them lazy and soft for not training, which is arguably still mildly understandable considering they are the protectors of the city.

My problem isn’t Wu disciplining them, it’s the WAY he does it.

After lining them up and insulting them, he locks them alone in a room with a death chicken who he knows has killed before, KNOWING FULL WELL THAT THE NINJA HAVE NOT TRAINED IN MONTHS. And then he’s still upset with them after they trap it back in the box while they’re visibly battered. Yes I know it was meant to be a joke, but it’s still a shitty thing to do for essentially no reason. There was still a real possibility they could’ve died.

So his problem is that they’ve lost their sharpness, fair enough. I feel like it would be reasonable to maybe implement a more regular training routine to build back up their skill, and I also think them playing video games and going in the hot tub from time to time is also fine. There should be a healthy balance, right?

This guy decides that, no, he won’t just implement a schedule like a normal mentor/teacher would. He’s going to actually fucking terrorize them for doing ANYTHING remotely recreational. Cole getting a midnight snack, he falls through a trap door. Zane playing video games, he gets catapulted into the fucking roof. And this is my favorite (/neg): Nya sleeping?? At night?? Wu balances her bed on an insanely high and unstable peak to where she could easily fall to her death. I feel I shouldn’t have to say that this is NOT HOW YOU MENTOR. Not only is it framing anything recreational as horrendous and deserving of almost dying, but also the fact that this is treated like a joke. I get that he wants them to always be ready, but they can’t be ready if they’re traumatized and almost die for doing nothing wrong.

And all this, combined with him beating them up (which I’m not even getting into right now), leads the Ninja to seek out a quest to sharpen their skills. Makes sense, and it’s what he wanted from them, right? So Lloyd asks Wu about where to seek out quests, and he gets mad at him?? Mf, you’ve literally spent this whole time terrorizing these guys and then you get mad when they ask for help to do the thing you wanted them to do?? You’re their MENTOR, THAT’S YOUR LITERAL JOB!!

also he says “adventure does not come to the idle, it comes to those who seek it” which is like, not that true? Literally almost every adventure the Ninja went on wasn’t because they sought it out, the circumstances just kinda pushed them in that direction. So forgive me if I don’t really trust your judgment here Wu🙄.

This quest the ninja seek out also leads to the city getting terrorized again, after literal months of peace. So if Wu had acted like a normal person and just tried to get them to train more instead of terrorizing them, Aspheera might’ve never been released and the city would’ve also been fine until maybe prime empire.

overall, I really didn’t like him in this season, he’s completely willing to almost cause his student’s deaths for the sake of “sharpening them” after they didn’t really do anything wrong, then getting annoyed when they seek out his guidance again. It has the energy of a controlling parent who is never satisfied with anything you do, and any slight deviation from perfection is played out as more serious than it actually is.

sorry this was so long lmao I have so many thoughts and issues with this season and Wu in general. They could never make me form a consistent opinion on you, Wu.

.

[mehmetminded]

Turns out I’m not done with Eithan. This has probably been said better by smarter, more sober people, BUT!!!

Eithan is the ultimate burnt-out-former-gifted-kid.

All his life Ozmanthus was the best. He was the smartest, strongest, coolest, most badass dude to ever do it, and he could never be anything less. When he was a kid this was great! All the adults said he was super smart and that was super cool! Sure he left his friends behind, but he’d make other friends at some point! Just as soon as he gets this whole “cultivation” thing figured out…

Can’t be too long…

Any day now…

Fuck…

Now he’s a monarch who focused on being the most efficient cultivator alive and he has a reputation as a cold, friendless, genius that no one really likes and that everyone is super afraid of. Not exactly prime friend material.

“Oh well” says Ozmanthus, “This place fucking sucks and you’re all a bunch of bitches. Later!”

[one ascension later]

“Hey look! A bunch of heavenly people who don’t think I’m a friendless weirdo! I should go talk to them!”

[mass casualties]

“Okay, friends weren’t that important to me! Guess I’ll go back to the ol’ standby of self-imposed isolation and cultivation!”

Oz kept this up until he solved Heaven and became the Grim Reaper. Shockingly, this did not make him any friends and oh look: we’re right back where we were on Cradle with a reputation as a cold, friendless genius that no one really likes and that everyone is super afraid of.

That lasts a couple thousand years before he has a bit of a breakdown and does the judge equivalent of moving into his parents basement.

He goes and tries to fix some “small” problems and finally clean up that pesky hunger madra problem this shithole has. He fucks it up completely, burns down the house, and has to move in with his weird relatives in another state, where he finally makes some friends in the form of a baby gym bro and a knife girl.

I cannot emphasize enough how literally just having friends changed this man’s life. He went from brooding, cynical, anti-hero to goofy, comedic relief/mentor figure in like 3 years.

All it took was numerous life or death struggles, the death of a significant portion of his family, an entire hero’s journey, and a clash for the fate of the multiverse!

The moral of the story is, find someone to match your vibe or you might oops your way into being Death? I guess? Idk I lost track of this one a while ago…

[chameleonsd1sh]

not saying who bc i don’t wanna shit on ppl’s ships esp if they would not technically be problematic irl, but fuckkkkk they’re not lovers it’s a father-son relationship and i hate it here so bad ohhhhhhh my god you can barely find any content without this FUCKING SHIP

i can ONLY accept it being like a one-sided weird admiration crush that he’s not really actually serious about, mixed with seeing him as a father figure. and you NEED to acknowledge that it feels weird for him too, like “yeah he’s lowk a father figure to me but also. would. that’s actually partially what makes him hot. does that make me weird. do i have daddy issues. perhaps.”

like. yes there’s a couple jokes about it in canon (often alluding to the fact that their relationship looks sus from an outside perspective… almost like the fandom perceived it the same WRONG way others in-universe did… but okokokok whatever im normal), and YES witnessing that fight scene e definitely had “mark me down as scared AND horny” energy and i GET it but we need to acknowledge h literally knew him as like. a fucking small child. when he was a whole adult. so if you absolutely must do this, if you absolutely MUST put them together for real as more than just a one-sided crush, you gotta get weird and strange about it. on both ends. guy with regret over never having a family, never having a child, becomes a mentor to a guy who never had a dad and is weird about it. you can’t make this normal you have to get odd and psychological with it.

but yeah “oh it seems deeper than if he’s just his mentor” “i dunno they don’t just seem like friends” fucking duh??? that’s the whole point i fear?? he’s like a father to him?? they’re not just “friends” there’s a power dynamic here of mentor-mentee and more than that there’s a deep emotional bond of guilt and obligation and somebody finally believing in you and then loss and grief and then relief? sure there’s a level of friendship because they’re not related and they’re not lovers, so yes they could be “friends” but there’s more complex relationships than just friends, family, coworkers, and lovers, and they’re a complex relationship for sure.

like they do become more equals later, as earlier yes he’d talk back to h but in the second film because the situation has changed and e sees h as compromised, the power dynamic changes a bit (for a period of time) and e treats him more like someone HE’S responsible for (reversed places), an experience which may put them on more even footing from then on, although i lowk still feel like h sees him like a son since h knows that he’s right abt the betrayal and is not losing it even while e sees his protecting h despite his anger as mature… second film relationship is up for debate (friends or father-son, still not lovers) and i do think there is a shift, but at least when h returned in 2nd it DEF felt like still father-son. and in the first one? that is not “friends” that is 200% mentor-mentee with attachment you only get from, as i said, guy with (familial) regrets + guy with (dead) daddy issues. you get it

like. the thing is it’s not gonna be exactly a father and son relationship because he didn’t fucking raise him and he’s already a young adult so there’s the mutual discomfort of being adults (in very different stages of life obviously) who see each other like this, which does not exist in a relationship where one actually raised the other, but the nature of it is absolutely still more mentor-mentee with the emotional depth of father-son than anything else. he saw him as a young child, he feels responsible for him, he gets angry at him for wasting potential, he teaches him manners and to value himself and all of this and even if they wouldn’t acknowledge it, his feelings are almost certainly fatherly and e definitely felt like he lost another father, not just a mentor, when h died

[mvshortcut]

Things I Liked in the TMBS Show More than the Books: A Non-Exhaustive List

Okay I’m making this post because I see a lot of criticism about the TV series and praise for the books, which is absolutely fair and valid, there are things that bother me about the show and they definitely were affected by time/network constraints etc, plus the books are very very close to my heart. But I very rarely see praise for the show or things people liked better about the show, so here is my non-exhaustive list!

Number Two and Rhonda’s relationship. I know some people were upset that they didn’t seem as tight-knit as they do in the books, but giving them an arc about learning to work in harmony and appreciate their differences takes them from flatter supporting characters to a really interesting part of the main story. And honestly? They’re just so fun to watch. The actors are amazing, their bickering was perfection, you can tell they really love each other despite their difficulties. I wouldn’t change a thing

I legally can’t make this list without including Jeepers

The visual aesthetics! I’m not very educated in film but I know it was very Wes Anderson inspired. I loved the brightness of the sets and the costuming (hello? The costuming? Whoever dressed Rhonda in particular I want to say thank you) and the ambiguous time period.

Ms Perumal’s more active role. While I was sad that the Washingtons weren’t trying to find Sticky, I loved that she took on that journey and succeeded. In a way it showed she’s just as strange (affectionate) as the rest of them and she fits right in. Also just watching her go to the ends of the earth to find Reynie just tears my heart out.

This one is kinda hard to explain but I love the way the adults talk (the vocab they use and their specific brand of humor). Scratches my brain in a neat way

I was particularly impressed by how they adapted Dr. Curtain and Constance to fit the screen. I don’t know if having a toddler play Constance’s role would’ve worked necessarily; I loved that they compensated for that by having her be more prickly (not because of her age, just personality) and by bumping up the psychic reveal. I also love that Curtain’s brand of evil felt more relevant and scary today than just this mean, shout-y man. Keeps the fear element while toning down the violence for TV

While I feel like they compromised a bit on the easy calmness of Mr. Benedict’s character, I love that he was struggling more with his relationship to Curtain and he still is a wonderful mentor while having his own very real flaws and anxieties

I like that Sticky was the one to almost fall for Curtain’s brainwashing instead of Reynie. It made sense for it to be Reynie in the books, but it added a whole new layer to Sticky’s character and to his need to be appreciated and seen.

The Happiness technique in the second season. Again, the duskwort worked for Book Curtain, but this fits Show Curtain’s persona much more. And it felt much scarier? Someone else pointed this out but Show Curtain kinda won at the end of the first series. I mean, the Whisperer was destroyed, but like. Everyone thought he solved the Emergency and looked to him as a leader and a source of comfort. It made him an almost impossible villain to go up against. (Also the part about people freezing was so so good! If we had seen Mr B or SQ freeze for real I think the series would have been perfect.)

Dr. Garrison. Just her in general. Yes.

Kate and Martina’s slow-blossoming friendship. It still feels true to Martina’s character while giving Kate a sense of guilt/betrayal to grapple with.

I’m not sure if I like SQ becoming Curtain’s son *more* than their dynamic in the books, necessarily, but it added an interesting new layer and I’m glad they explored it.

The whole scene where Kate falls off the cliff and Milligan catches her and their talk afterwards. I think it adds some interesting weight to the father/daughter reveal and it might possibly be my favorite scene in the series. Whoever came up with the part about the bucket was a genius

Sigh. the Curtain dance scene. You knew it was coming

Feel free to add on! Or I might add more later who knows

[thethirdtriplet]

Title: Mentor Tim

So we all know how similar Tim is to Bruce, I feel like as Tim gets older he promises himself not to become like him, in regards to his closed off-ness and anti-social behavior, gets therapy (boy was that something else), matures as a person and learns to take care of himself properly (not everyone has an Alfred lying around y’know).

So older Tim, who does not want to be Batman (who does at this point?), and considers Red Tornado (Aka; the only adult who really cared) his idol, makes an intellectual decision.

To mentor 10+ young vigilantes, that are basically neglected or ignored by their mentors, that he met once on a mission, apparently they’re the new Young Justice members (why do all the unwanted ones end up there, seriously, has everyone learned nothing??).

It’s not that he planned to mentor the young superheroes, but he couldn’t really ignore them when they took to him like little ducklings to water all because he was nice to them.

The were very undertrained and uncoordinated, and in desperate need of guidance, and Tim who has caused or been apart of some of the craziest shit known to man has a lot of knowledge to spare:

Tim: Leo, for the love of god. Put. That. Down. Number one rule of dealing with magical artifacts or magic in general is don’t touch it and run, don’t walk away if it starts to glow.

—————————

Tim: Keith, seriously dude, if you need any new equipment, swords, knives, anything at all, just tell me. Y’know what I can set it up with one phone call, hold on.

—————————

Tim: Peter, if that jerk at school talks to you like that again I give you my permission to beat his ass, I don’t care what your school or “mentor” have to say, they clearly know nothing about teenagers.

—————————

Tim: Of course you can skip training next week for your recital Sofia, and actually, I cancelled training for everyone when they told me they all wanted to go to support you, thanks for inviting me by the way, I can’t wait.

—————————

Tim: Oh, you’ve had an argument with your parent, Nick? Hold on just a sec.

Tim: Yeah, I just freed my schedule so we could have the whole day to ourselves, I remember those movies you told me you wanted to marathon, let’s go watch them in the big screen room, bundle ourselves in the softest blankets and eat a sh- heck ton of ice cream, while we talk about it, if you feel like it, of course.

—————————

Tim: I noticed how much extensive energy you have even after a full training session, Mateo, so I thought you and I could stay and spar, even after everyone’s done. I’ve brought new training equipment for you to try and researched a few new techniques that correlate with your abilities.

—————————

Tim: Don’t worry about not being able to speak, Amara, I know plenty of sign, in many languages, in fact.

—————————

Tim: *on a phone call*

Tim: What do you mean you’re in a burning building?

Tim: What do you mean you set it on fire?!

Tim: Send me your location, Amber, I’ll be there in ten, no- five.

—————————

And that’s how the hero community noticed how the newly proclaimed Young Justice mentor Red Robin nowadays often had one, if not all, of his ducklings kids students standing proudly next to him.

Bonus:

Tim: Red, I am so sorry for all the years you had to put up with my bullshit.

Tim: I’m basically the only adult- no, person, who cares about them!

Tim: I don’t know how they’ve been alive for so long!

Red Tornado: You are forgiven, Tim, although I must admit, it is quite satisfying that you know of my pain.

Tim, with haunted eyes: You have no idea.

Part 2??

[shortnotsweet]

Henry Danger Anon again and I AGREE I have a lot of thoughts about the more serious repercussions Ray's behavior had on Henry and the others as a whole. My biggest white whale is Henry's sense of self and identity and how he probably doesn't have a lot of it having grown up the way he did like. His parents were pretty dismissive of him but expected him to be the responsible one in a lot of situations. Paired with Ray's attitude and how Henry in his shoes as Kid Danger was expected to help everyone and always be okay/never have time for himself...Part of me imagines that he used it as a distraction to not have to think about finding himself, but it stunted him as an adult. Like he didn't have anything going for him in his mind so, he figured helping others would do something to help fuel his ego and self satisfaction. Growing up away from Swellview after he moves to Dystopia feels like it might've been a really big rush for someone who had to grow up so fast. I have an image in my mind of henry in a high rise apartment in dystopia leaning off of the balcony, watching the world go on below him. In the city nightlife light he smokes a cigarette and watches a woman get robbed in the street below him but he just watches, not being able to find enough in himself to do anything about it when its all he does day and night. i think it would consume him in a really weird way. Like a portrait of that man everyone fully expected him to become is always hung over behind him and he knows its what everyone sees, but he can't see it no matter how much he tries so how is he supposed to become it? or if he sees it in the mirror its distorted and questionable, and is it something he'd want to become? Sorry that got long fhgh I have so much opinions on Henry Danger

Ah don’t apologize!! I love, love, love this, you’re so big-brained, I agree 100%. You pointing out that Henry’s “stunted as an adult” because his own identity is so tied up in service is right on target, and something explored in a lot of Batfamily fics to great effect; I don’t think Henry Danger is quite as expansive or poignant as the DCU lol, but it takes a lot of cues from the Batman-Robin dynamic—probably Dick and Jason, most directly. The intersection of ego and intrusion with civic duty makes for overworked, moralistic children become jaded and stunted adults. If all you are is the labor you provide in relation to your maker, the only way to commit meaningful labor is to break away and remake yourself. There’s a suspense and gleeful disappointment in the fact that troubled children who grow into troubled adults rarely make themselves into something that their maker (their father, their agent, their god) would approve of, if not for the sake of ego alone. I think in his weakest moments Ray believes he’s a benevolent god wearing human skin, and at his best he knows he is disconnected from those around him but doesn’t have the awareness to properly mourn. There’s not enough grief in him. Most of that goes to Henry.

I think there’s something really sick and sweet and sad about making someone in your image, because the question of legacy is no longer about linear impact but the pain of impression—something I’ve mentioned in a few of my little comics, or fic comments, is how Ray’s relationship to Henry is canonically ambiguous. I feel it’s because he’s so many (and too many) things to him: pseudo-father figure, best friend, coworker and employer, mentor and rival, celebrity and ideological guide. He can’t be all of those things to him at once, not well, because there’s no good way to be someone’s best friend AND employer, a stranger and the kernel of consciousness. What is he is to Henry is too much, and that proximity can’t result in anything other than disillusionment. Of course his life was uprooted, of course life can’t exist in technicolor, of course we grow up and realize that those we revered aren’t gods, but people made of flesh that ages and rots like everyone else’s. Henry can’t go to college!! Henry can’t connect with his peers in a conventional way, Henry’s own friends become embedded in this life and ultimately fail to escape it!! It all ends and begins with Ray and the peculiarities of Swellview that have enabled this strange dynamic to begin with. It is too much to expect someone to make peace with it.

I described this sort of feeling, I think in one of my prior depictions of this disillusionment, as “sliding into apathy”, wherein Henry doesn’t lose his morals or his sense of right and wrong. The bitterness is that he still has that sense—that urge to do good, to find purpose, to fit into the cosmic logic of the universe—but he knows better now. He’s older. He’s tired. He’s not what he thought he’d be, and even so, the world remains as it is. Most of the little comic/texposts are shakily compliant with one another, with the main commonality being a running thread of dissatisfaction and a sort of weariness. In some of them, Ray is portrayed as a conceptual threat, or something that is explicitly endangering Henry to the point of psychological and emotional distress. There’s a dual failure: Ray claims he wanted Henry to grow into a replacement for the mantle, whereas Henry wants to grow into a version of himself. In the end, Henry doesn’t have a self separate from the echoes of those expectations, and all along Ray envisioned a stagnant future where neither of them would be required to grow at all. Ray can’t stop change—nature, which is change, which means Ray is not a god and subject to the same eventual loneliness as all other flesh people because he cannot dictate Henry stop growing or which direction he grows into—but Henry needs it more than anything. There are no heroes anymore, just yourself. That’s the most terrifying comfort either can find.

[madame-mortician]

Analysing the Family Dynamic of Saw

A very obvious theme in the Saw franchise is the found-family aspects for the main antagonists. It’s not subtle at all with Amanda and John’s relationship but I wanted to delve more into it.

John Kramer is a man with no family. His only true loved-one is Jill Tuck, who he divorced after becoming emotionally detached from everybody. He was going to have a son with Jill but tragically she suffered a miscarriage which started John’s downward spiral into the monster he becomes. He created a puppet character for his unborn son, which he named Billy. The interesting thing here is that he later reused his unborn son’s doll for his Jigsaw games, updating the design from a cute little doll into a terrifying looking dummy. John uses Billy as a mascot of sorts, speaking through him to his victims. I think it’s interesting to note that he’s using the representation of his unborn child as his mascot. I also think it’s worth noting that he updated the design from a cute children’s puppet to the more adult, bigger dummy version, almost like a grown-up version. A major part of Saw is the theme of “legacy” and the kind of legacy John will leave after he dies. It ends up being a big one but at the start he had no kin. He shut Jill out of his life and never had children, so all he had was his work. Yet even then he uses the representation of his unborn son to speak through.

Then there’s Mark Hoffman. We don’t know much about his home life but we see he has a great emotional attachment to his sister, and she’s the only one in his life. It’s clear he has no romantic partners and if his parents are still alive he isn’t close with them. Like John, his whole life spirals after he loses a loved one, with his bitter hatred towards people like Seth Baxter fuelling him into the murderer he becomes later. When John finds out he pinned a Jigsaw trap on him he decides to test him with a rigged trap. The trap isn’t rigged so that Hoffman will die, but so that he will survive. He “proves” his ideology for Hoffman who is then coerced into helping Jigsaw. One could argue John only enlisted Hoffman’s help to both punish him, and because his inside u of the police department would be helpful and whilst I agree, I also believe John took the opportunity to make himself somebodies mentor. You gotta remember by this point he’d pushed everybody else away, he must’ve been extremely lonely and considering he was so excited to be having a child it’s clear he wanted nothing more than to take somebody under his wing and teach them things only he could. It was likely not a conscious decision, I doubt John recruit Hoffman with the intention of becoming a father figure towards him, but subconsciously he desired that. It’s why he treats him like a student, but doesn’t give a crap about anybody else he recruits (Obi for example.) At first Hoffman seems reluctant to accept the help. He joins John mostly because he’s forced to. Eventually he becomes a devoted disciple but it took him a while to get comfortable. I also think a major turning point was Amanda.

Now obviously after Amanda survives her test, John comes to her and recruits her and we all know she has major abandonment issues, specifically with John. She states multiple times that she sees John as a father figure, who she becomes obsessed with because her own father was a horrible abusive person. Whilst Amanda becomes unhealthy devoted to John, he becomes more forgiving of her. He definitely sees Amanda as a daughter, likely more than he sees Hoffman as a son, and he gives Amanda multiple second chances because he doesn’t want her to fail. John is a huge hypocrite throughout the entire series and his relationship with Amanda is no different. He punishes people for things when Amanda has done way worse, and he knows but chooses not to call her out unless he wants to teach her a quick lesson.

Here Hoffman’s relationship with John becomes a game of trying to one-up Amanda. It’s obvious to Hoffman that Amanda is John’s favourite and he sees her as a daughter. Even though it’s not likely Hoffman desires to be seen as a son, he still becomes jealous and starts a rivalry with Amanda, which is mostly one-sided. Amanda isn’t shown to be jealous of Hoffman, but it’s also clear she doesn’t particularly like him. Hoffman however, despises her, and gets her killed. I don’t just think he disliked Amanda because she was close with John though, I also think a major part of his relationship with her is that Amanda reminds him of his deceased sister. He doesn’t want to feel that heartbreak again, so he shuts Amanda out deciding he doesn’t like her and then getting rid of her when he can’t stand seeing her around. His entire motivation has been for his sister and now he sees a woman who reminds him of her, working for Jigsaw just like he is and it disgusts him.

Jill Tuck‘s relationships are interesting. She isn’t a part of the whole Jigsaw thing, so she hardly interacts with John or his apprentices however she does reunite with Amanda after her “rehabilitation.” Amanda was one of her patients who she gave up on, and seeing her “fine” shocks her even though she subconsciously knows Amanda is not just cured like that. It’s clear she cares about her and seeing her after being tested BY HER HUSBAND would’ve been upsetting for her. Her relationship with Hoffman is worse, because she meets up with him multiple times, mostly just to get him to fulfil John’s will. Her scenes kind of read to me like a tired mother and her son that she’s distant from. Unlike Hoffman and John, her relationship isn’t really motherly. It’s almost a step-mother dynamic. Like she lives with you and your father loves her but you just kinda tolerate her. They’re only working together because she’s telling him to do whatever John told her. He only does it because she’s John’s ex-wife. Of course then she tries to kill him, and he is utterly betrayed before he goes on a long hunt to kill Jill. Again, I don’t really see Hoffman and Jill’s relationship as a surrogate mother situation but he kills her and it almost feels like matricide.

Admittedly Lawrence Gordon doesn’t really for into the found family aspects of Saw. He definitely becomes a loyal and devoted follower of John’s and kills Hoffman as vengeance for him killing Jill, but his relationship with John doesn’t feel like a father-son dynamic at all. At a stretch it kinda feels like a distant cousin who comes to help with fixing a car but you wouldn’t spend Christmas with you know? Weird allegory but it’s the vibes. He has no relationship with Amanda, none with Hoffman, his only relationship with John is seemingly more like a job than a family and he barely knows Jill.

Logan Nelson.