#(one prisoner will join them with their backstory too haha <3)

[linagram]

[𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚜𝚊𝚔𝚒 𝚊𝚒𝚖𝚒'𝚜 𝚝𝟷 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚊] 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛

writing her vd was kinda hard tbh.. i'm still trying to figure out what i want her character to be like, at first she was supposed to be, like, a cute and cheerful girl who is also kinda creepy, but here she's more.. quiet, i guess? i like her vd a lot though! i actually got chills while writing the last sentence and one thing she says to eiji

also, after this vd i will post akio and aimi's interrogation! so again, you can send them questions if you want!

(divider link)

Aimi: ♪~

(door opens)

Miki: S-sorry for being late!.. We, um.. had some problems to deal with..

Aimi: Ah, it's okay, don't worry about it! I haven't even noticed that you're late actually.

Aimi: May I ask what happened though?

Miki: Um, I'm not sure that I'm allowed-

Eiji: Akio passed out right after we extracted his song.

Miki: Eiji-san, you're gonna scare her!

Aimi: Oh, really? Is he okay?

Miki: Y-yeah, it just turned out that he was, um.. m-more "fragile" than we thought.

Eiji: He's just weak, that's all.

Eiji: I don't think it happened because of the machine, he most likely just had some health problems before he even came here.

Eiji: Or he just knew that we will vote him guilty and got too scared, haha.

Aimi: I see..

Miki: But don't worry, I'm sure you're gonna be fine after we extract your song!

Miki: At least I hope so..

Eiji: Anyway, enough about that guy.

Eiji: So, Prisoner 002, Hanasaki Aimi. 16 years old, first year of high school, just like Prisoner 001.

Eiji: By the way, what do you think about him? Prisoner 009 is also still in high school, if I'm not wrong.

Aimi: Hm.. Akio-kun is a good guy! I can tell that he's.. well, not the most friendly person, but I'm sure that he just needs some time to get used to this place and other prisoners!

Aimi: And Kuroki-san is so nice to me! He treats me well and he always listens to me no matter what I say..

Aimi: Overall, I like this place a lot! I'm having so much fun with everyone!

Miki: You're surprisingly relaxed for a situation like this..

Aimi: Well, this is just some kind of game, isn't it? Oh, maybe this is a theme park or something like that? I've never been in a prison-themed park though..

Eiji: *sighs* When will you all accept that this is a real thing and you can actually die if we vote you guilty?

Miki: D-DIE?? Eiji-san, they won't actually get executed, right? RIGHT??

Aimi: Die, huh..

Aimi: Well, it's not like I mind.

Miki: .. What?

Aimi: If it means that I won't be executed alone and other prisoners will be with me too..

Aimi: I would be happy to die with my best friends by my side.

Eiji: ...

Miki: ...

Aimi: Ah, sorry for scaring you like this! Please, ask me anything you want. I will answer as honestly as I can.

Eiji: .. Right. So, about your crime.

Eiji: I'm looking at you right now and I'm trying to figure out what you did.

Eiji: .. You sure have a lot of injuries.

Aimi: Haha, yes, I do.

Aimi: I'm just a little bit clumsy, that's all.

Eiji: We just started and you're already lying.

Aimi: Huh?

Eiji: You got these injuries because of someone else and not because of your own clumsiness, didn't you?

Aimi: ...

Aimi: Haha.. Speaking from experience, Guard-san?

Eiji: !

Eiji: You-

Aimi: Sorry, sorry. It's just that you also look like you had to go through a lot.

Eiji: How.. HOW DARE YOU?!

Miki: Eiji-san, stop! She's already hurt, don't make it worse for her!

Eiji: .. Fine.

Eiji: (to Aimi) Give me your hairclip. The candy-shaped one.

Aimi: W-why do you need it?

Eiji: If I can't punish you physically, I'll just do it this way.

Eiji: And something is telling me this hairclip is important to you.

Aimi: .. W-well, if Guard-san says so..

Aimi: I would be okay with getting beaten though.

Miki: Eiji-san, please, leave her alone!

Eiji: SHE CAN'T JUST GO "OH, I WONDER WHY YOU HAVE TO WEAR ALL THESE BANDAGES"!

Miki: .. P-please, just give him the hairclip, Aimi-chan. You don't deserve to get hurt even more.

Aimi: !..

Aimi: "Aimi-chan"..

Aimi: I've never been called that before..

Aimi: Okay! Here, have my hairclip, Guard-san!

Eiji: ...

Eiji: You gave it to the wrong guard.

Miki: Why did you-

Aimi: Because you wouldn't look good with it, Guard 001-san!

Eiji: You did it just because she was nicer to you, didn't you?

Aimi: So, about my crime.

Eiji: Hey, don't ignore me!

Aimi: I.. can't tell you much about it. Sorry.

Miki: Why? Are you scared?

Aimi: Not really. I'm not scared at all actually.

Aimi: It's just that I'm not even sure if you can call it a crime.

Eiji: You're in Milgram and that means it is definitely a crime.

Eiji: And not just any crime, but murder.

Aimi: Murder..

Aimi: You're right. I did commit murder.

Eiji: I wonder who you killed though.

Eiji: .. Did you kill someone to get revenge on them?

Aimi: .. Haha, who knows.

Eiji: Was it one of your classmates?

Aimi: NO!

Miki: Aimi-chan??

Eiji: Finally, I was worried this interrogation will be boring.

Aimi: I was friends with all of my classmates! They loved me! We always had so much fun together!

Aimi: I.. I loved them.. I really did.. And they loved me..

Aimi: It.. It wasn't one of my classmates..

Eiji: .. Weird.

Aimi: What's weird?

Eiji: You see, sure, I can just say you killed someone because you were bullied and you wanted to get revenge on that person.

Eiji: Reminds me of that last prisoner.. But I doubt that he really was bullied, he was just mad that people loved someone more than him.

Eiji: But you just.. don't seem like that type of person.

Aimi: What do you mean by that?

Eiji: I can imagine you snapping and finally showing your bullies how angry you are at them, but something just doesn't add up.

Eiji: Did you notice it too, Guard 002?

Miki: No, I didn't.

Eiji: ...

Eiji: *sighs* Fine.

Eiji: In short, you're too weak to actually kill someone yourself.

Eiji: I can't think of anyone who could be your victim except your bullies, but again, you say that your classmates loved you.

Eiji: So that means you either killed someone from a different class or a different school..

Eiji: .. or someone helped you realize how bad your situation really is.

Eiji: Hey, Aimi..

Eiji: Did you also have an accomplice, just like Prisoner 001?

(bell rings, machinery sounds)

Eiji: I'm waiting for your answer.

Aimi: ...

Eiji: Aimi!

Miki: Eiji-san, she needs a minute-

Eiji: Prisoner 002, Aimi, sing your sins!

Aimi: I was told that it would be nice if they all just died.

═════════•°• ⚠ •°•═════════

[bonefall]

Better Bones Profile: Houndleap

"The horrifying eldritch fallen angel likes ME best because I'm hot"

[ID: The Better Bones AU version of Houndleap from Warrior Cats. He is a black-and-white tom with ginger flecks in his black parts, and a fluffy white tail tuft. His ears are burned away, and he has orange, swirly keloid scars. He also has a heart-shaped paw pad.]

Here by popular request! Holy MOLY you all jumped on the offhanded manwhore comment lmao.

Houndleap's a great example of cats who are in the Dark Forest for breaking non-violent commandments. The only thing he's killing is the gene pool, with his 6 known mates and the 16 kittens between them all. No, he wasn't in love with them all either, he just liked to play the game.

He is as close to the ideal Clan cat as one can get, and he knows it, and flaunts it. Tri-colored with beautiful ginger flecks, he fell victim to a terrible moor fire and came out with severe burns. His surviving was already a great mark of strength, but then he became even luckier when his shiny scars raised, and slightly spread from the initial injury.

Clan cats didn't have a word for keloids, they only knew it was gorgeous. As if StarClan had given him a scar that dances and shimmers.

Houndleap "abused" this gift, seeing as many cats as possible and cheating on his 'official' mate back home. In the modern era, he might have just been a very popular Honor Sire, but this was before the Queen's Rights and the Aftergathering. He was eventually caught, and after his death, he was banished to the Dark Forest for violating the Law of Loyalty on more than 5 counts.

Yes. More than 5 counts. StarClan was able to see that he had even more than 5 halfclan mates (and they're not even counting the wife he cheated on) but only 5 got pregnant.

Alignment: Dark Forest, ex-WindClan

Time Period: Skyfall Era

Relations: Too fucking many

Houndleap's addition to the Dark Forest is Lover's Beck, a twisted, romantic version of a spot in the Gorge where he used to meet with his secret lovers. It's his worst memory because he planned poorly and two of them showed up at the same time and that's how he got caught.

More trivia below!

Canon said he's solid-colored and I said no. Pretty boy.

There are several minor features in his design that will be seen in modern family lines. I won't point them out but there's 3 total (so far.)

I decided to use him as an example of nearly ideal beauty standards in BB, since I famously overhauled them from canon. He is brightly colored with complicated patterns, slightly chunky, and has a HUGE scar on the face.

Personality is slut. He just wants to flirt, man. Theme song is Mambo #5 he's just like that.

He works with Tigerstar in OotS mostly because it's not like there's anything better to do. Plus some of the trainees are hot, "hellooooo Ratscar"

When Antpelt dies, Houndleap is one of the cats who needs the most convincing to come back into the alliance. It's one thing when it's funny haha Attack And Dethrone God or whatever, but PERMAdeath??

Thankfully, Hawkfrost is a fantastic diplomat.

Generally, Houndleap is motivated by whatever's fun. He was one of the first to fall in line under Ashfur and will do basically anything if he's bored.

"We're teaching people how to kill? sure lmao. Oh we're attacking the living? Ok cool. Guard the prisoners? Not like I had plans anyway. Anyway wanna get evil dinner later, handsome <3 ?"

Likes drama, tea, stories, games, anything that brings him a little excitement really.

He can usually be counted on to join whatever silly project the group's up to this time, like catching Shrewpaw's Pheasant.

I cannot stress enough how much of a normal Crummy Dude he is. He's just some standard jerkwad guy. The Dark Forest in Better Bones contains several people like him, who might be sleazeballs or jackasses, but we would generally agree don't deserve Hell.

When canon comes up with a Houndleap backstory, I'll consider what to do with it. But for now we only know that Hound came from WindClan, which I've included.

[yyh-revival]

Ok so about hxh I don't dislike the show it's a good show. But the reason I prefer yyh is the set up makes more sense. It makes sense for a place like the demon world to have a fucked up tournament like the black tournament. The stuff that Koenma's dad pulled to fuck over demons given the system and that kind of character. You know what doesn't make sense? Giving known assasins and psychopaths more access and power. In HxH becoming a hunter means you get access to all sorts of locations pt.1

That regular civilians dont have access to and a liscence to kill without getting into trouble and all sorts of other shit. And they give that power to Hisoka who never tries to hide the fact he just likes killing people and randomly killed one of the examiners last time. And Illumi a assasin who freely admits that he wanted the liscence for a job. He says this to the people in charge of the exam. And he still gets his liscence what the fuck. Not to mention his family the secret pt2

oldeck family who the public doesnt know their faces have a house so famous that tour guide point it out while going through the city. Like it might have unbelievable security but why would you risk people knowing? Not that it’s a bad show or I dont enjoy it. I’m not that far into the series. But things like that kinda take out of it. It kinda takes me out of it. Especially when this world isnt like this world of chaos its actually kinda like our world. Or supposed to be Pt.3

Yes, I have to confess the setting didn’t sit right with me, either. I typically enjoy fantasy (in fact it’s my #1 favorite genre, and my preferred to write in, whether that’s high fantasy like LOTR or something like Fullmetal Alchemist, or even modern fantasies like stories about vampires, etc. All of my childhood favorites have fallen into this category… aaaand still do haha)

But the setting always did feel strange to me. I never understood who or what was in control of this Hunter licence, and why they were giving them out to children, or what the point of them even was.

More under the cut. Long analysis of character, slightly more productive than what I wrote yesterday, and some more dissing of HxH (I’m sorry) and its poor management of plot, setting, and character.  Also, from now on, tagging all discussions and comparisons of HxH and YYH as HHD (for hunter hunter discussion) to keep it out of the hxh tag. 

Once again, this is all just my opinion, my personal feelings, and are not meant to grade the merit of the show or insult anyone who enjoyed it!

See, I typically also like “secret clubs.” But I like them being fleshed out. In Mass Effect, we know what a Specter is. They have almost unlimited power, but 1) they answer to a council which can strip them of this power, and 2) they have a clear goal – serving the council and the interest of the council races.

For YYH, we have the same thing. Yusuke has more power than the average human, having the authority to kill and having access to knowledge most humans do not have. But he 1) answers to Koenma, 2) has a clear goal of protecting the innocent from evil demons and other psychic phenomena. 

And that stuff is outlined the MOMENT our protagonists enter the secret club, in clear words, and it doesn’t take, you know, forever… But HxH, I have no idea what the whole Hunter organization even is? I looked it up and turns out I saw the whole 1st season, 31 episodes… and I have no idea what this hunter thing is.

So yes, I totally agree. For comparison, in YYH, we go through a rather good introduction to Spirit World all before episode 5, an intro to what Spirit Detectives are without learning all the details, but enough to understand, by what, episode 8ish? We learn how Spirit World can bend rules with Kurama and Hiei within the first few episodes, too. We learn Spirit World is a bureaucracy, that it has rulers and managers (Enma and Koenma), that it is occupied by mostly two species (ogres and Spirit World citizens, who are like spirits, neither alive nor dead), that they have prisons, that they take interest in human lives and society, that they have the power to revive the dead but that there are clear rules and procedures. We learn Spirit World citizens can inhabit human bodies made specifically for them. We learn Spirit World can unlock human’s innate spiritual awareness. We learn the Spirit Detective job is sorta a new and untested thing (sending a kid to fight 3 demons… Koenma seriously didn’t think the job through yet). We learn Spirit World houses powerful treasures like the 3 artifacts. We learn they have a freakin’ treasure room to start with. We learn you can break into Spirit World and its vaults. We learn that living creatures, even demons, can enter it. We learn spirits and living creatures can interact with each other as if both were on the same plane, tangible and all, while in Spirit World. We learn Spirit World watches and records events of interest in the Human World, sometimes flat out spying on humans like when they watch Keiko being chased or when the little girl (the investigator) stalks Keiko along with Yusuke and Botan. We learn ghosts aren’t allowed to stay forever in the human world. We learn that the spirit and the body have separate energies that converge together. We learn Spirit World uses actual technology, not just magic, like VHS types and pocket watches. We learn Spirit World citizens can live incredibly long lives and look like babies while being a couple hundred years old or more.

^^ See all that? That’s what I know about Spirit World from watching the first EIGHT episodes. Episode 9 Yusuke enters Genkai’s tournament… How insanely concise is that? Episode 8, and we know so much about just one aspect of this world.

Whereas HxH? episode 31… and I still have zero clue what hunters are, what their purpose is, what they can do, who they work for if anyone, what the qualifications for them are (just being able to fight?) We know nothing. 31 episodes!! 

For another comparison, by episode 31, Yusuke is in the Dark Tournament, fighting Chuu. By this point, we had all four main characters go through the first cycle of their character arcs, we were introduced to most of the supporting cast, we had relationships established, we got backstory on some characters, we learned how spirit energy and psychics work more, we saw Yusuke begin his second cycle, we saw the introduction of a major villain… we had a lot. Whereas with HxH, all I remember is the damn big boat in the storm thing.

Speaking of character arcs… I wrote this in a response to something else, but I think it also makes my point here. I am incredibly fascinated with character arcs and character in general, even more than plot or setting or anything else. To me, character is all. So here’s my breakdown of some character growth within the first 8 episodes.

YYH never really feels like it drags, maybe only in those moments I mentioned before. But it had an incredibly strong opening. Excluding Hiei, within the first 7-8 episodes, we have two characters (kurama and Yusuke) go through full character arcs that affect them all the way down the line of the show. The other two join after episode 25, though we also get to see glimpses of character background and some development even earlier (Kuwabara’s sensitive side is shown with the kitty, his devotion to friends, his honor code – all before episode 8 as well, but that’s not really an arc. He doesn’t have one till about the Yukina Rescue arc concludes. Though his is a bit weak, mostly because Kuwabara was… pretty alright to start with? It’s hard to develop when there isn’t many places you can go. And out of all the 4 boys, Kuwabara had the least amount of baggage.)

For Yusuke, we have the theme of “caring/not caring.” Yusuke stars off believing no one loves him and that he’s better off not being in anyone’s life. The wake proves him wrong enough that he makes an effort to come back. Then when he thinks he’s missed his chance by throwing the egg, and sees his friends and family happily talking about him returning, he mourns because he knows he’s not coming back. 180 from “meh, ima stay a ghost it’s better I’m not in their lives.” So, he goes through a complete cycle just in that moment, from I don’t care, to I do care and I’m happy, to I do care and I am sad. Not just a simple arc, from point A to point B, but A to B to C. It’s a very well constructed growth of a character. Full arch, full growth, and that’s why it tugs at the heartstrings. Because the moment he started to care… he thought lost his chance.

That arc he goes through all before episode 5 cycles throughout the show, and makes us care because such a strong arc, such an emotional one, too, grabs the viewer’s heart by the balls and refuses to let go. 

It cycles in the Suzaku fight – he experiences horrible pain to save people, but in order to really motive himself, he must see Keiko in danger. He’s getting there, to the point of caring about humanity, but not quite. Then in the Dark Tournament, the lives of multiple people hang on his victory. But they’re still mostly people he cares about, though now that has extended beyond Keiko into Shizuru, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei, Yukina, etc., all of those people. He’s getting there, increasing the circle of people he cares for.

It keeps going up, challenging Yusuke to care more. The hospital had Keiko and shizuru in it. But also the new psychics. Then Sensui threatening all of humanity. Then the 3 kings arc threatening all of the realms. Yusuke progressively gives more of a shit about more people with time and new challenges and as he earns more friends.

And all of that is outlined in he first Fucking 4 episodes!! We know what hsi arc is, we know where he is going, we know what sort of character he is, and we get to see him become truly fleshed out in just 4 episodes.

That’s just Yusuke, too. Kurama also has a complete arc within the span of like two or three episodes, and those themes cycle throughout the show. (guilt, suicide and redemption – think Ura Urishima fight, when Kurama projects his want to sacrifice himself for Shiori to make up for his deception, where he tells the guy that suicide has no honor or redemption in it, even though the guy didn’t care for that, his lie was about getting out of having to hurt people without causing harm to his grandmother, not about redeeming himself – family, lies, the better of two evils – to lie to shiori and stay with her so she has a son, or stop lying to her and punish self for stealing her “real son” away)

It’s consistent, mostly concise, cyclical, and oh so fucking satisfying to my literature loving senses….

And then hxh… where apparently nothing of substance happens in the first Twenty Freakin Episodes. I legit cannot tell you about any character growth in that time. Or plot? They take a test. For who knows how long. Uh… kurapika starts to like leorio when before he didn’t? So he gets friendlier?? Maybe?? Killua begins a friendship with gon instead of getting himself that therapist… they play a ball game together. That gets them to like each other so much Gon goes chasing after Killua when he goes missing at the end of the season. Uh…. they are faced with the horror of fighting people they had to cooperate with before I guess. *shrugs* 

If you put a gun against my head, the only character growth or arc I could maybe try to name for the first 30 episodes is that Kurapika started to like Leorio and starts to address him with a bit more respect, cause they worked together, so uh… nope, nope, that’s not an arc in the slightest. Kurapika can simply be a person who doesn’t like others until he gets to know them… So yes, I’d get a bullet in the head.

And the fact that you need to skip the whole beginning of the show to even enjoy it, as @perpetuallyfrowning suggested … I can’t do that. I cannot enjoy any change in Gon if I don’t know where he was before. But I hate where he was before, and we’re stuck with that for so long… Even if you didn’t like Yusuke’s personality at first, you only have to deal with it for a bit because he changes so much so quickly.

So there it is, my rather lazy analysis of the beginning of YYH and HxH, looking at setting and character.

- Mod Lola

[anythingspossible-foraposs-blog1]

For any or all of them: Are you proud of where your child currently is?

Ahem, wow, now I gotta write all of them. 

Disclaimer: Some were taking this question more literally than others. I wrote it as sort of an interview question. If the parents are still together then they’re kind of in dialogue with one another.

*** marks deceased if ya’ll didn’t know the backstory

Kim (Dr. James Possible & Dr. Anne Possible)

James: Well of course we’re proud of our Kimmy Cub.

Anne: Why wouldn’t we be? She’s matured into a lovely young woman. Even though her need to help people worried us at first with all that jet setting off on school nights, Kimmy’s just always had such a large heart. Makes me think she’d join the family practice as a heart surgeon along with my brain surgeon expertise, a neurosurgeon can dream.

James: We’re proud of all of our children, even when they make mistakes. 

Anne: Like blowing up the oven right before Christmas dinner because--

Jim/Tim (from outside the frame): We said we were sorry!

Anne: And Kimmy doesn’t have to save the world to have us be proud of her

James: We’re just proud she’s following that path she really wants. I mean, would it be nice to have another Dr. Possible in the family? Yes. But titles don’t matter. Our Kimmy cub is enough to make any parent proud just being herself 

Amelia (Admiral James Smollet & Evelyn Smollet)

James: Captain’s always been her harshest critic, despite excelling in just about everything she’s put her mind to. I’ll always be proud of her, even when she thinks she’s embarassed me. No one could’ve predicted the tragedy that happened that day. It wasn’t her fault and it’s nothing for her to be ashamed of. Perhaps I’m even more proud of her for pulling herself away from her work here and working on healing elsewhere--

Evelyn: Well, it wouldn’t kill her to give us a ring now and again would it? How long can she hide out at Margaret’s, I mean, if she’s not working--

James: She started that coaching job with the University, Evie. 

Evelyn: Well, yes, but still, everyone’s always asking about her and I tire of constantly having to explain when she should be here herself. It’s just not right for her to lock herself away.

James: Well, the question was are we proud of her, Evie. Are you proud of her?

Evelyn: Well of course I am, she’s my daughter. Who else can tell everyone that you have a Naval Captain who fought pirates and lived? I mean, at first I was disappointed that she went into such a masculine field of work, felt I was losing a daughter and gaining a son.... but everyone else seemed to think it was noble and well, I turned around.

Stan (Charlie “Crush” Schell & Stephanie “Shred” Schell***)

Crush: Squirt? Little dude? He’s the craziest little thing, you know? Like one day you’re pickin’ this kid up off the sand and telling him not to eat it and the next day he’s off out in thee great big blue like following his dreams and exploring the world. Man, I’m just glad I didn’t screw him up, ya know? There were rough times after Steph passed. Late nights. More homework for me when he’d surpassed all the smarts I thought I had in my brain. He was teaching me stuff ya know? He’s the smartest kid. He’d run home from school, throw his little backpack across the room and pull out a book he got from the library on turtles just so he could show me what kind of turtle he saw that day on a trip to the aquarium. Little dude’s got it. He just does. He just keeps riding that current and shooting all the curls life’s been givin’ him and sometimes he wipes out. But yanno, he just accepts it, learns the move not to do and goes right back charging out into the waves. Kid’s got his mom’s passion and fearlessness. I see a lot of her in the little guy, shows me steered him right but she was the current all along. Crazy. He’s living his life and he knows it, ya know? And when he knows, I know that he knows and I know that him knowing is just, ya know? He’s Stan the man. Stanley, my real family. He’s everything I could’ve ever hoped to get. 

~~~

Steph: You know, the name Stanley was my choice. It was my father’s name before he passed. It’s why Charlie doesn’t use it too often, I think it hurts him more to say it than to say Squirt. My father didn’t exactly like Charlie for me, he wanted me to go out beyond Australia. See the world. Charlie was Australia. It was in his blood. We were two locals who fell in love with the ocean at the right time together. And thank whatever ocean god we did, because it gave us Stanley Rufus Schell. But I named him Stanley because like my father, I hoped he’d grow to see more for people. See more for himself. I saw just enough. Charlie was enough. My life on earth was enough to get them going, but my life could have been more than enough. So I’m proud that Stanley’s gone where he’s going, though I think he’s settled into an ‘enough’ spot in Swynlake for now. But he’s going to do great things, see great things, learn so much and follow his passion. And that’s all I can ever ask. I can’t take all the credit for him. Charlie did an amazing job despite everything. I’m proud of the both of them and I know that the three years I got with that now very tall baby of mine, was just enough

Tito (Julio de Tito & Gloria de Tito)

Julio: Man, I bet Ignacio’s the shit now, he ain’t messin’ up like I did. You know, I always wanted to own my own car business or whatever. Go straight, get outta here one day. But there ain’t that type of capital out there, not by legal means for somebody like me. My record ain’t gonna get me shit out there after this. But that kid knew how to do just about anything. Proud of him the day he was born, minute he zapped my finger and I just thought it was static. Learned fast, drove fast for an eleven year old. Sure, Rico was smart as hell, he’s gonna be a fuckin’ doctor or somethin’, but Ignacio? That kid’s gonna get himself some place, wherever he is.

~~~~~

Gloria: My son? You mean Rico?--Oh Ignacio. Well, I haven’t seen Ignacio in a long time. Looking back at things though, I do regret what I said that day. I regret a lot of things, but he made it clear he didn’t want to be found after the first year. He talks to his sisters once or twice a year, updates them. I hear he’s doing well, it’s all I can really take without bustin’ out into tears, ya know? But I’m proud he’s stuck it out on his own for this long. Whatever he’s doing for himself.

Hermes (Henry Petros Sr. & Gia Rossi)

Gia: Proud? Proud my son, after how hard I worked to put him through the best education California could offer, turned into a postal worker/drag queen entertainer who hasn’t picked up a phone to call his poor mother who’s bored herself to death rotting in a correctional facility for the last decade? No can’t say I am. I can only say I’m glad his good for nothing manwhore of a father that I divorced hasn’t been a prevailing influence on his life

~~~~~~

Henry: Well, I always knew my son was a little different and what I saw in him, I saw in myself. Our little Henry inspired me to not be so afraid of what people thought and still does. He hasn’t talked to me since I moved to San Fransisco with Joseph after the fall out with his mother being sent to prison. Which if you ask me, isn’t actually a prison with her Martha Steward knock-off cell. In any case, I am proud of him for who he is. No matter what he’s done in life or what name he takes on, I just couldn’t take care of a kid while I was still finding myself.

Megara (Lukas Creon & Maria Creon)

Maria: Well, you know she was engaged to that nice professor fellow and then one day that’s over and she’s leaving town. We haven’t heard from her in well, how long was it--?

Lukas: 3 years, give or take

Maria: --Right three long years at the least, we don’t know where she is right now, haven’t a damn clue. So we couldn’t tell you anything about pride ‘cause she won’t pick up the phone and call us. 

Arista (Ya’ll knoow JEFF and Athena and pft they’re probs proud despite her dropping out to follow her passion more w/e)

Bobby (Robert “Bert” Zimmeruski Sr. & Roberta “Bobbi” Zimmeruski)

Bert: Which kid are we talking about? Robby or Bobby? I get them mixed up all the time

Bobbi: Yeah, hard to tell. Maybe we shouldn’t have named them the same name...

Bert: Nah, it’s still funny

Bobbi: Yeah, yeah it is. Haha, anyways uh Robby is the one in... Spain? Lesbian? 

Bert: Whoa, wait, he lives in Lesbian, Spain?

Bobbi: No wait, is that Bobby? 

Bert (still laughing at Lesbian because they’re totally stoned)

Bobbi: One second, I have it on my phone notes.... Lisbon, Portugal. Eh, same difference...

Bert: Yeah but is that the right kid?

Bobbi: Who knows, who cares. At least they both send money. We’re proud of them both with whatever they’re doing. Two mellow fellows we raised, earning money and helping out their parents

Bert: You right, you right. You gonna light that or should I?

Rosie (N/A my dudes, orphaned in Bulgaria)

[muchymozzarella]

Muchy’s Top Best Overwatch fics

I said I’d do it, so I’m doing it: Recs for the best Overwatch fics I’ve ever read, in no particular order of importance. 

[[In the Bones of Our Beast]]

Salazar101

Summary:

Junkrat slips into the Omnium and finds treasure, he doesn't know what it is but other people seem to know, and they want it. Bad. Bad enough to hire famed enforcer Roadhog to drag him in, kicking and screaming.

Relationship/s: Junkrat/Roadhog

What I enjoyed about the fic: 

Amazingly written outback adventures with good relationship development with trash mouse and street pig, with an actual treasure that makes sense, as opposed to the mysterious but undefined treasure in canon and other fics. 

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[[Koraha]]

debascas

Summary:

The feeling started when they reached the edge of civilization.

Junkrat wasn't familiar with the twisting sensation in his stomach, the constriction of his chest, and the tingling of his fingers when he held onto the belt of the man driving the motor bike. He knew it wasn't fear, or anxiety, as he often did experience. It wasn't the thrill and delight he feels when he blows something or someone up.

This kind of feeling was... Nice. Warm. Nauseating. All at the same time. It grew more sure as the bike accelerated and he held on tighter, the barren landscape blurring passed them, the dust and wind blowing through his singed hair, the roar of the engine ringing in his ears. He tried to brush it off. He tried to forget about it.

Business, it's only business, he reminded himself. Nothing more. Never will be.

Oh, how he tried.

Relationship/s: Junkrat/Roadhog

What I enjoyed about the fic:

Another well-written Outback adventure story, just fantastically written, engaging, with good character development between our favorite trash folk. 

[STILL INCOMPLETE]

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[[Bad Sun]]

albion

Summary:

When Blackwatch agent Jesse McCree is sent to kill a mysterious assassin known only as DRAGONSTRIKE, there are a few things he expects to occur.

Falling in love isn't one of them.

Relationships: Mccree and Reyes, Jesse Mccree/Hanzo Shimada

What I enjoyed about the fic: 

The comparison of Reyes to the chessboard black Queen, as opposed to King, with Jack as King and Mccree as Knight. The exciting encounters between Hanzo and Mccree are also appealing, but the chess scene stands out, as well as the relationship between Reyes and Mccree in Blackwatch days. 

[STILL INCOMPLETE]

- 

[[Watching You Run Into the High Noon Sun]]

AsheRhyder

Summary:

Gabriel Reyes taught McCree everything he knows - not to shoot and kill, but how to survive by more than luck and aim.

McCree learns something else as Overwatch falls, fades, and then rises again: in this life, everyone leaves him behind.

He won't watch it happen again. Relationships: Mccree and Reyes, Jesse Mccree/Hanzo Shimada

What I enjoyed about the fic:

You will see a ton of AsheRhyder fic in here, just a heads up. They’re my favorite Overwatch fic writer of all time, and I will trust literally anything they come out with. And it began with this fic.

What I loved most about it was ridiculously, canonically competent Mccree. So many fics fail to think past the Cowboy and fail to maximize the potential of what it meant to be a Blackwatch, former gang member prime Black Ops agent, but this fic hit the mark with a Mccree that isn’t defined by his cowboy hat and boots, but not removed from the persona either. 

Also the relationship between Hanzo and Jesse here is very subdued compared to other fics, but beautifully done. For Mccree lovers who enjoy character studies, and anybody who loves good fic, this is the fic for you. Definitely in my top 5 best. 

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[[Blue Roses and Salted Caramel]]

AsheRhyder

Summary:

Hanzo hated Valentine's Day and everything that went with it. This got exceptionally awkward for a man whose courier service saw business triple in the lead up to February 14th.

A series of 'special deliveries' between Mr. Jack Morrison and Mr. Gabriel Reyes drew his attention. Initially, it was because he wasn’t sure if it was the world's most polite form of hate mail or the world's most awkward flirting...

But then there was something about Mr. Reyes' son, Jesse, that kept him coming back...

Relationship/s: Jack Morrison/Gabriel Reyes, Jesse Mccree/Hanzo Shimada

What I enjoyed about the fic:

Look, it’s Asherhyder again, haha. Though I should note that while I’d decided Asherhyder was my favorite writer in OW, I had no idea this was written by them until after I finished it (because I do not pay attention and didn’t notice the author name lmao)

I just could NOT STOP SMILING AND GIGGLING throughout this entire fic. It’s so fluff it’ll rot your teeth off, it made my pores clear, my crops flourish, I cried tears of healing as I read this fic. 

-

[[Cast a Long, Dark Shadow]]

AsheRhyder

Summary:

Jack will never forgive himself for not noticing it the first time a prisoner dies while in the new Overwatch's custody. He knows the signs better than anyone alive: Gabriel taught him how to see the invisible fingerprints Blackwatch left behind.

But someone is cutting off his access to the old Blackwatch records, and to manage that, there needs to be an active commander in the field...

Relationship/s: Jack Morrison/Gabriel Reyes

What I enjoyed about the fic:

Asherhyder again? Listen... you gotta read everything this person has written. Do it. Right now. 

This one may actually be my favorite of the lot, at least firmly in the Top 3. Short, but fantastic and poignant in less than 3000 words. Another amazing character study. Read it right now immediately, it won’t take you long. 

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[[His Master]]

Balenae

Summary:

Master Genji teaches his student Zenyatta at Shambali Temple in Nepal.

And yet…

And yet.

Relationship/s: Genji Shimada/Tekhartha Zenyatta

What I enjoyed about the fic:

Just LOOK AT THAT SUMMARY AND TELL ME YOU’RE NOT INTRIGUED. A role reversal fic--or is it? One of the more heartrending fics on this list, and absolutely beautiful. In that space between sad and happy-poignant. You won’t regret reading it.

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Update: additional fic as of 5/1/2017

[[The Desert Glacier]]

Seedcity

Summary:

Hanzo Shimada is a one-year veteran of Overwatch. Having been assigned to lead and defend the reinstitution of an abandoned Watchpoint: Grand Mesa, he leads his team against Talon, deals with the pressure of leadership, and longs for the company of his precious cowboy. Also: ghosts.

Relationship/s: Hanzo Shimada/Jesse Mccree

What I enjoyed about the fic: 

Don’t be fooled by the “Also: ghosts” like it’s a side note, this is one of the best supernatural mystery works I’ve read, and it’s a fanfiction. The supernatural element may not be front and center, but it’s one of the most engaging parts of an engaging and well-written storyline, and the fic reads just like those published mystery novels you love with a twist uniquely Overwatch.

[Still incomplete, but near completion]

-

Update: additional fic as of 5/18/2017

long is the road that leads me home

gnarled

Summary:

You can meet the strangest people on the road. Sometimes, the best.

Relationship/s: Hanzo Shimada/Jesse Mccree

What I enjoyed about the fic:

I can’t believe I forgot about his one when it was one of the ones I promised myself would be on a best fic list before I ever even made one. So here it is!

I love fics that are written with the descriptiveness of published novels, and this one does imagery right. It’s not too long -- 17,000+ words, it’s all around fantastically and professionally written, with the fun and intrigue and delicious romance you’d expect from a fanfiction. 

It gives you the juicy bits slowly but in a way that keeps you satisfied. You get a taste of Mccree and Reyes’ backstory (with our favorite Papa Reyes back at it again), of Hanzo’s as well. 

It’s just fantastically well-written. I can’t describe it more than that, you have to read it to get the full experience. 

-

Update: additional fics as of 6/17/2017

[[Temper]]

Bullfinch

Summary:

Jack joins the SEP and finds trouble almost immediately. At least his commanding officer is on his side—supposedly.

Relationship/s: Jack Morrison/Gabriel Reyes

What I enjoyed about the fic:

The fic is about transman Jack Morrison, and what I loved about it is how it tackled the aspects of the Soldier Enhancement program that a lot of writers gloss over, like how it would physically and chemically affect various soldiers, etc. It also posed and answered the question of how fictional supersoldier modification could affect real life (or at least futuristic real life) FTM transition. everything’s well thought out, the characters are interesting and fun, especially Jack’s friends and roommates, and the tension--sexual or otherwise--between Jack and Gabe is intense, gets you more excited to see the conclusion overall. 

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[[When We Were Young]]

JudgeCoffee

Summary:

When Jack Morrison was 18, he joined the military. Fifteen weeks later, he joined the Soldier Enhancement Program, and that was when he met Gabriel Reyes. That was when everything changed.

Relationship/s: Jack Morrison/Gabriel Reyes

What I enjoyed about the fic:

So it’s rare for a fic’s OCs to really set it apart, but that’s what happened here. The story was well done, with some amazing side characters and “co-stars” in the program with Jack and Gabe that really gave this fic heart. It also shows Gabe to be a cold, terrifying black-ops style killer, which I love for the sake of canon--a guy who’s a hero, but also the kind of man who you wouldn’t be surprised headed Blackwatch. 

Also it opens on a BDSM scene. So that’s fun. 

-

Update: additional fic as of 8/12/2017

[[Life is Strange]]

firesonic152

Summary:

Time travel. It was the most harebrained idea Winston had ever come up with, but even he had to admit it was probably their only option. This is a terrible plan, he mused.

An ill-fated trip to the past leaves Gabriel pining for a man that no longer exists.

Relationship/s: Jack Morrison/Gabriel Reyes

What I enjoyed about the fic:

The feels, man. The feels. This one kind of plowed me with the deep emotion and desperation on top of time travel shenanigans between Soldier and Reaper. It gets sad but hopeful at the same time, it casts Soldier’s regret so heartrendingly. It’s not one of the most well-written fics on the list, but it’s certainly one of the most moving. I love the whole aspect of love reaching through time and space without it getting too cheesy. Definitely worth the read and subsequent feels bomb. 

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Update: additional fic as of 1/27/2018

[[Afterdrop]]

ClaroQueQuiza

Summary:

Overwatch can be forgiven for keeping Hanzo at arm's length despite the endorsement of his intended murder victim. Six months of provisional membership, spent in the field, is a reasonable compromise.

But not everyone is on board with giving Hanzo a chance.

McCree, least of all.

Relationship/s: Jesse McCree/Hanzo Shimada

What I enjoyed about the fic:

I’ve been seeing this fic’s name tossed around a lot, but I only just now got to read it. It’s got published-quality writing and is mostly devoid of the usual tropes we see in Overwatch fanfics, and the detail in this fic is so rich that you can clearly imagine the world it lays out before you, in ways that I’ve never seen in any other fanfic I’ve read. It’s interesting, it’s funny, and it’s a WIP, so you get to slow burn your way through 195,556 words and still be impatient for the next update. It’s a worldbuilding, Hanzo-centric masterpiece, where Hanzo is both a compelling and tragic character while also being a useless gay thirsting over every hot dude in his vicinity (except McCree, ironically :)))

WORTH. READING. EVERY. WORD. 

[STILL INCOMPLETE]

-

Update: additional fic as of 2/28/2018

[[Food For Thought]]

chibimono

Summary:

After months and months of work fighting Talon and juggling UN bureaucracy, Jack just wants to have a nice, normal dinner with Gabriel. And maybe, just maybe, he'll be able to do something about these feelings he's got for his best friend while he's at it.

Relationship/s: Jack Morrison/Gabriel Reyes

What I enjoyed about the fic:

Definitely in my top 5, this fic has a very simple premise, but is carried on the wings of its insanely thoughtful detail and fantastic writing. Chibimono might be one of the best writers in the Overwatch fandom, which is unsurprising considering they’re friends with the other best writer, Ashe Rhyder. 

A lot of what might be passed over as unimportant to other authors is written with some knowledge by the writer here. A lot of detail is put into the writing without it being over-saturated or redundant. It’s kind of my reference fic for when the pre-fall of Overwatch timeline doesn’t tie together in my head, because they have perfect characterization for Jack and Gabe, as well as for the workings of Overwatch as a whole, in the shortest amount of time. 

I read this before, but it hurt me so much I forgot to put it into my list, waiting for the update that would soothe my aching heart. 

It’s part of a series, which is just as worth checking out! 

 [[FIC COMPLETE, SERIES INCOMPLETE]]

-

Update: additional fic as of 11/8/2018

[[Nacreous Nectarine]]

Swagreus (shiplizard)

Summary:

The questionable mission practices and questionable hiring practices of Overwatch, as seen by one unfortunate bystander who got in the middle of a mission.

Featuring the undercover talents of one Cmdr. Gabriel Reyes, former theater nerd, current terrifying one-man assault team.

[Based on the art of Kelly Turnbull/Coelasquid]

Relationship/s: General Fic, OCs

What I enjoyed about the fic:

It’s just.... really good. I don’t like Reader fics and I don’t often read OC fics when the OC is the main character, BUT the writing is top-notch, the buildup excellent, and it’s a joy to read with an utterly lovable Muslim protagonist OC who is just Very Tired while Gabe, McCree, Mercy and Jack do their Overwatch thing in his vicinity.

A must-read! I wish this had a series.

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[[Raging Stallion]]

Phylix

It started with Drunk Hanzo pressing the nuclear option and getting his brother involved in his love life. All Hanzo wanted was a man that fulfilled his every need, instead what he got was a brother who tried way too hard and a neighbor that may just fulfill every last dirty fantasy Hanzo ever dreamed of.

It shouldn't matter that Genji's the one with the blossoming career in the adult entertainment industry. It shouldn't matter that Jaxson McCoy, the world's greatest porn star's real name is Jesse McCree and he is living right next door and he is even better looking in real life than on film. And it especially shouldn't matter then that a simple case of mistaken identity could lead him to a man even more interesting and more sensual than anything he had ever seen on screen.

How could any of this be Hanzo's fault?

Relationship/s: Jesse McCree/Hanzo Shimada, Jesse McCree/Gabriel Reyes (past, minor mention)

What I enjoyed about the fic:

This fic had me dead. Seriously. It’s hilarious, well-written, full of the kind of shenaniganary you’d expect from a porn AU. It’s remarkably well-done, frustrating in the best way possible, and blows any romantic sex comedy Hollywood has ever done right out of the water. It’s smart, witty, and delightful, and for anyone over 18+, quite possibly the best explicit fic with plot you’ll have read in a while. 

Some “the one that got away” mixed with “dumbasses being dumbasses”, “mistaken identity” and other such fun tropes. 

[STILL INCOMPLETE]

Side note: in case y’all think their name sounds familiar, yes, that is the same Asherhyder who created the Roommates webcomic on deviantart. A quality writer/artist who does quality work all around. Blessed is the Overwatch fandom for having them. 

Side note 2: there’s a fic series I forgot the name of, but I’m gonna add it to the list later. I’ll also be adding fics that I find striking as I go along. I tend to favor McHanzo, Reaper76, Genyatta and Roadrat, so if you think there’s a fic that should be on this list that isn’t, this is basically just a reflection of my fic reading preferences.