#all his main grievances are family related

[mollysunder]

For once I actually went through the Arcane AMA and found those quotes about Silco's motivation. It's kind of wild to see it in full context.

First, I didn't even know the "dirty little thing" insecurity was an agreed upon perspective, I just thought it was one writer's opinion but no, Christian Linke (Praeco) let us know that was Silco's thing. Ok. I can see how that can tie in to how Silco and Jinx connected, personal insecurities from a hard life.

But then Amanda Overton (leeloo104) goes into detail.

I already know the creative team said they don't think political struggle is "relatable" (yikes), but I've never seen this extra tidbit before!

What do you mean this all so Vander will respect Silco again?!!??!? First of all I could really go in about how Arcane's team seem incapable of having any character fully articulate an actual in-depth explanation about on their grievances with the status quo and what changes should be applied that isn't somehow about familial validation. *looks at Jinx*

Instead, we need unpack how this motivation is at best, very weird, or flat out doesn't make sense. The quote makes it sound like Zaun was fully Silco's idea to win back Vander's love and respect, but Silco said a free Zaun was their shared dream. And regaining Vander's respect seems like a moot point when Silco killed Vander.

Unless Silco knows Vander isn't dead, and that Singed's been slowly turning Vander into Warwick. But then why does he talk to the Vander statue like Vander is dead? I don't doubt Silco wouldn't visit Warwick even in Warwick's confused state. Either way, the Vander that Silco wanted to receive validation from doesn't exist anymore.

I get that they probably wanted to connect Silco's motivation to Jinx's obsession with Vi, but that can be problematic too! It just ends up where Silco and Jinx are written in a way where their search for emotional validation takes precedence over any attempt for them to communicate a coherent and detailed observation on the surrounding politics of their environment.

It would be one thing if they were minor characters, or this was just related to Jinx because she's the youngest in the cast and her story is about understanding who she is. But it's both of them, Silco's at least in his forties, and they're a part of the main cast. On top of that, I'd say their the two most politically influential Zaunites in the cast, and we know NOTHING about what they stand for, what they think the future should look like. Nothing, just vibes.

[artist-issues]

*peeks in* hiiii, I know I've sent you like 10 asks or something crazy in like twenty minutes but I have one more whoops

what do you think about The Chosen? I know I have very strong grievances against it (y'know, the fact that they are adding things to the Bible is really sus), but also recognize that unbelievers are watching it (especially with their families) and learning about Jesus and Christianity when they would not be otherwise. I still think that the cons outweigh the pros though.

what do you think of it?

Full disclosure. I have only seen maybe the first three or four episodes of the Chosen. I also attended church with and have met and had conversations with Dallas Jenkins. I supported it.

And I hate The Chosen.

If all of reality is a story that God is telling—the timeline is His, we, the characters, are His, the Main Point/Theme is His—and it is—then that means, that when telling His Story, God chose how to tell it.

When a storyteller creates their world and their characters, they know everything about that story and those characters. But they chose not to tell everything. They choose to cut out some details that are irrelevant to how they want their audience to get to know their characters, for the purpose of perfectly communicating their Main Point. Deleting scenes and hand-picking which details get screentime is part of storytelling.

So God saw and ordered the moments where Jesus was probably laughing with His disciples, or playing with children, and God/Jesus chose the tone of voice that He preached in. Those moments, those things, happened.

But He didn’t choose to tell us about all of them.

He, the Original Storyteller, the Perfect storyteller, told the most important story of all time. And He told it perfectly. And He chose to omit some scenes that actually happened and some details about what Jesus and the disciples were like, walking around together.

And those choices were right. They were the best way to tell the story.

But then Dallas Jenkins comes along and says, “No, God, you cut some of the best scenes. People need to see how like us Jesus was. Yeah, I know You told them how much He was like us—but I think they need to see more. You won’t let me see the deleted scenes? That’s okay, I’ll make them up. And then I’ll re-tell Your story—it wasn’t relatable enough the first time when You told it.”

The more someone thinks Dallas Jenkins was trying to reach people by presuming to tell Jesus’ life story better than God Himself has, the worse the implications are. He thinks he can tell the most important story of all time better than God did?

No wonder he makes so many freakin mistakes. No wonder the Jesus-character in Jenkins’ show goes “maybe”—He uses the word “MAYBE?!”—when He, who is supposed to be TRUTH ITSELF, is PREACHING.

That doesn’t make sense, Jenkins. And not only does it not make sense, but you just contradicted the literal Bible, which mentions over and over the authority and exact words Jesus preached with. And you know what else you did? You got the most important living thing in all of existence, the most important man who ever walked this earth, completely wrong. And that’s what you’re “reaching people” with.

It’s awful. So then when the little interviews where he’s partnering up with cults and people of different faiths that believe vastly unbiblical things about the real Jesus to make this show, or when members of the cast are all “sin is awesome,” or when Dallas Jenkins says something outrageously disrespectful to people who are mad at him for mischaracterizing their God on social media…this is my surprised face.

Because I saw what he was doing and it didn’t sit right with me three episodes in. The most important question any human being can genuinely answer in their lifetime is “Who is Jesus?” The most important story you can ever be exposed to is Jesus’ story.

And The Chosen gets both those things so horrifyingly wrong—but the whole time it’s dressed up like this earnest, God-honoring attempt at evangelism and love. When really it’s a cash-grab, a heartstrings-tangler, and a vanity project for Dallas Jenkins.

Thanks for asking.

[sepublic]

I love how Wu and Lloyd, when they were younger, had a female friend who ended up using and betraying them, after hiding key info about their motives. Said former friend blames them for failing her (in a manner practically gaslighting), and is obsessed with revenge for this reason. It's like it runs in the family or something, and that makes Misako an outlier with Garmadon.

This isn't Harumi/Aspheera hate, for the record; I freaking love these characters. Which gets me to my main point about what a wasted potential it was for Crystalized (like many other things...) NOT to explore a dynamic between the two as members of C.O.C.K. because they can both relate to one another about their grudge against a member of the FSM family.

In particular, I can't help but feel like Aspheera could've played a role in Harumi's change of heart, given she was already given a surprising amount of screentime in the first half of Crystalized. Because if we're being realistic, learning the Overlord corrupted the Great Devourer in the first place wouldn't make Harumi A-okay with the ninja all of a sudden; I doubt she ever blamed them for creating it, but she still blamed the ninja for failing her. Identifying the Overlord wouldn't cause Harumi to reassign the blame to him, he'd just be another target on her list to get back at; At most, Harumi might help the ninja defeat the Overlord because only they can, and then go back to planning revenge on them right afterwards.

And that's where Aspheera comes into play, as someone who is a mirror to Harumi, who can unwittingly help her self-reflect. With Crystalized already pointing out how pathetic Aspheera's obsession with revenge is, I think Harumi recognizing the similarities she has with Aspheera would help her realize, Oh dang! Is this what I sound like? Is this who I really am? Like Pythor, she also finds Aspheera annoying, and/or her and Aspheera bond over their shared grudges.

But when C.O.C.K. needs a way into the Monastery, Aspheera reveals she knows a route and when everyone asks her how she knows this, she explains how she made a deal with the ninja, went back on it, but then Lloyd still honored the deal by helping her escape. I think that's a really important moment because it really gives an opportunity for Aspheera to self-reflect after being genuinely surprised by Lloyd's grace... Only to return to old habits by accepting the Crystal King's offer of revenge; At which point, she really did make her choice to remain bitter.

And learning how Aspheera continues to spit in the face of the ninja could make Harumi pause and ponder if this is really the kind of person she wants to be, someone who continues to trap themselves in and choose petty, miserable vengeance. In canon, she explains her motive as wanting peace through any means, even through the Crystal King, so this could be a way to explain that Harumi has actually been weaning off of the revenge angle, even if she's found a new motive to wreak havoc.

But with the Crystal King, you could set up Harumi as desperate and in despair, because he holds a lot of power over her and literally brought Harumi to life when her previous idol Garmadon got her killed. By this point, she IS tired, so a part of her really does hope that the Overlord can put an end to all of the conflict. And between this and Harumi realizing what a mess Aspheera is and how uncannily alike they are, it sets things up more for her to let go of past grievances, while also being pragmatic about a 'better world'. At that point, the revelation of the Overlord being the one who created the Great Devourer makes more sense for her arc, because now Harumi is less oriented on being personal, and instead being more practical about lessening harm.

Speaking of other dynamics that we could've seen...

Pythor and Harumi is incredibly obvious, everyone has already said it before. I really do wish they bonded over how they manipulated Lloyd at a vulnerable moment of his life, and are both people who hold that sort of emotional leverage over him; They know what makes Lloyd tick, they pretended to be a friend only to betray him, he's still a scared child in their eyes and they know how to bring out that scared child. Pythor even takes credit for Garmadon's death! Their synergy when it comes to traumatizing Lloyd is eerie.

But at the same time, the Great Devourer in the room is acknowledged with Pythor's role in the whole mess. And Crystalized could then clarify Harumi's feelings towards Pythor; Harumi could explain that Pythor and the Serpentine WERE on her list of targets and still technically are, but during the Sons of Garmadon era, she was also focused on resurrecting Garmadon. And because the ninja are heroes, that inevitably pits them against Harumi even if she didn't have a grudge, so her vendetta towards them had more opportunity to reveal itself, whereas the Serpentine, who were sitting things out, didn't invoke that rage on-screen.

But now Pythor IS here... And like with Lloyd, Harumi is pretending to be chill and demure, totally peaceful, no grudge at all! But then when she and Lloyd are alone in the jungle, she admits that she does plan to get revenge on Pythor and the Serpentine; She's made a deal with the Overlord that once his victory is secured, Harumi will be allowed to command his troops in taking vengeance upon Pythor and the Serpentine. For now, she lets Pythor think she's focused only on the ninja, so he doesn't suspect anything and doesn't attempt to sabotage the Crystal King to avoid his fate.

Conversely, Pythor admits (in Harumi's absence) that he's predicted all of this; However, he feels assured that the Overlord will choose him over Harumi. Because while Harumi only serves the Overlord because he revived her, because he has power over her, Pythor went out of his way to rescue the Overlord at a vulnerable moment in Rebooted, which led to him becoming the Golden Master.

Thus, Pythor has proven himself as unconditionally loyal, and with him having no qualms nor hesitation about destroying the ninja, he's convinced the Overlord will go back on his deal to spare Pythor anyway; And if Harumi keeps trying to do something about it, the Overlord WILL choose Pythor to keep, while casting out Harumi for defiance.

Meanwhile there's Harumi and Vangelis, who were interacting with one another even before Crystalized, and knew about it. Harumi was right there during the events of Master of the Mountain, so Vangelis has been helping her even before the Crystal King and his council were a thing, and Harumi has been funding his ivory city.

So it'd be nice to bring that up, have Vangelis and Harumi already regard one another as professional acquaintances. Vangelis knew of Harumi's survival before anyone else (sans the Overlord of course), and went with her plans even before he knew about them. Without Harumi, there wouldn't be someone paying for a vengestone operation that would require Munce and Geckle slavery. They've been partners in crime who might superficially express sympathy over whatever issues the other has going on.

Given Harumi killed the Emperor and Empress of Ninjago, how does she feel about Vangelis, another king? Does she consider all royalty to be hypocrites whose perfection is built on dark secrets? How does Vangelis regard Harumi, who killed her royal parents, and now has a daughter who he believes betrayed him? Oh god what if Vangelis adopted Harumi to replace Vania. Of course maybe Harumi has given up on the 'surrogate father' thing after both failures, but man.

Likewise, I could see Vangelis sucking up to the Overlord by constantly bringing up the fact that it was HIS Shintarin vengestone that created the Crystal Army, that's his land that's terrorizing Ninjago now. Meanwhile, Harumi brings up how she funded his kingdom, and can bring it back to glory with Vangelis once more as the leader.

Maybe Pythor and Vangelis can both compete for the Overlord's favor; Does Pythor dislike Vangelis, as someone human (or close enough to it) who imprisoned multiple inhuman species underground to achieve his perfect civilization? Maybe he sees some kinship between the Serpentine, and the Munce and Geckles. This could be an opportunity to delve into his motivations for serving the Overlord, back in Rebooted and now; Does he see the Overlord as a means for revenge, even if he was the Golden Master that his own kind dreaded? If he still claims to fight on behalf of his kind, Pythor might have thoughts about Vangelis' dynamic with the Munce and Geckles.

And that extends to his relationship with Aspheera, given they're both imprisoned Serpentine operating on vendettas, but under very different circumstances. Aspheera completely missed out on the Serpentine Wars, their entombment, their return, the Great Devourer, and reconciliation with humanity. For Aspheera, this may have all been a natural evolution of the uneasy truce between human and Serpentine that in Mambo V’s case, was very easy to interpret as violated. Even if she didn’t have any particulate spite or wariness towards humans at the time, she didn’t seem to be all too much for them either.

But now Aspheera really hates Wu. So in addition to all that, it's feasible that Aspheera, who at this point is looking for an excuse to be angry, would just feed into Pythor's larger vendetta against humanity, and participate in it. She'd see he hates Wu and encourage him. All the while, Pythor could've known Aspheera as a Serpentine legend, so that makes her his elder by technicality. Maybe he even related to her, as someone who (in the Serpentine’s version of events) got done dirty by a human!

So maybe he isn't mocking her obsession with revenge, maybe he fully agrees; Or Pythor is kind of a hypocrite who dismisses Aspheera as merely being salty over how she failed to seize power, whereas HIS rage is actually righteous and justified because it speaks on behalf of all Serpentine, never mind the fact that he's an outcast to Serpentine society now, as is Aspheera. Maybe he hears the full story from Aspheera and is disappointed she isn’t as much of a perfect victim as she claims to be, but is emboldened by how Aspheera tried to push the Serpentine into taking over Ninjago before he did.

Aspheera may or may not be ticked off by Pythor's hypocrisy and they're both awful idiots and Harumi is dreading that she's actually like them, which makes her second-guess her grudge motives so that when the Overlord's role with the Great Devourer is exposed, she doesn't even have peace as a reason to support him/oppose the ninja anymore.

As for Aspheera and Vangelis... I guess compared to Pythor and Harumi at least having more claim to sympathy, their original motives were already based in wanting more power and glory. I guess they might bond over feeling personally betrayed by one specific person they once cared about, and acting as if that person is at fault, and not their attempted power grabs; Those people being Wu and Vania respectively.

They might share in leveraging the claim that these people should be grateful to them for what they did, whereas Pythor and Harumi can't even pretend to say that to Lloyd. So Aspheera and Vangelis both wallow in self-pity and are baffled over how anyone could ever do this to them, but it's much more openly pathetic and a sham with this duo.

Tbh I don't really have anything to say about Mr. F or the Mechanic; Mr. F is silent and doesn't have a personality, just programmed loyalty to Harumi, so he's only really an extension of her. And alas the writers, despite having an opportunity to bring back the lost Echo Zane/Mr. E plotline, didn't do that by making Mr. F a different a character entirely, and having Echo interact with Jay between Seabound and Crystallized in a separate side story.

As for the Mechanic... I just feel like there's not much to talk with this dude, he's just a power-hungry thug to annoy the ninja between their actual villains. Although Prime Empire did give him a bit more motive and depth, what with his grateful reverence towards Unagami for restoring his sense of feeling. Of course, he chickened out when Unagami actually showed up, so maybe someone can bring it up to call his efficacy into question; How do they know he won't do the same when the Overlord performs a big display of power?

The Mechanic does mention allying with the Overlord for safety, so it may just be that reason, whereas Unagami was just lashing out angrily and without much rhyme or reason. I wonder if he can at least convince himself that the Overlord is what he expected out of Unagami, a savior who will make a new paradise, so maybe him and Harumi have that similarity there.

Man... Both waves of Ninjago that brought back past villains ended up being a letdown, particularly in the villain dynamic part. Day of the Departed at least has the excuse of only running the length of two standard Ninjago episodes; Crystalized ran the length of fifteen!!! That's the longest any story arc of Ninjago has gotten, even longer than Seasons 1 or 2!

But instead we had to waste several episodes on that frustrating cop and prison subplot with Hounddog McBrag, who didn't even do anything and should've been a non-issue. Between him and the mayor who disappears as soon as the Overlord actually starts attacking, and the writers should've instead allocated screentime towards fleshing out C.O.C.K., addressing the ninjas' trauma and/or dynamics with the villains, etc. I do not care at all for the rushed redemption of an annoying wannabe cowboy who doesn’t even show up to help at the end of the series.

[rongrii]

*Post may update over time.

"...You all have been called here with a purpose to end everything, end to an immortality. You remained alive and dead for a while, haven't you?..."

This post is a detailed information shout my FNAF AU - Immortal Remains!

It's completely centered around remnant and ghost concept along with immorality. All actions occur in FNAF 6 pizzeria, where Henry Emily reunited people directly related to the events in the pizzerias in order to finally put an end to everything.

He couldn't just burn everything down right as everyone came, because that wouldn't fix the problems left at Freddy's. So, with all characters back, they go on different missions together, "forgetting" about grievances for the sake of a common goal.

Every character of course have their own goals and secrets they hide from each other. Even the most honest looking people hide many skeletons in their closets..

All main characters have some relation to remnant in some way.

Like William, Elizabeth and Evan being souls(ghosts if you please), and Henry and Michael immortalised by remnant.

More about the plot:

Michael found Elizabeth at sister location and recognised her quickly, so they got out from Circus Baby's pizza together. After they've reached the surface Michael found a way to free Elizabeth by destroying Circus Baby. Remnant spilled and Elizabeth was finally free in a form of a soul. Michael kept in touch with Henry, so after Mike decided to work with Emily.

Henry at this time decided to check the old Afton house for his own purposes. In the house he found Evan, left alone with nightmares. Emily took the poor child with her, and they began to live together in Henry's house. They have become close, and Evan already considers Henry part of his family.

William was locked in a safe room for 30 years and had no contact with his family. As soon as his body was transferred to the horror attraction, he woke up. As Springtrap, he lost part of his memory, but all this time he was thinking about the past, trying to remember it. When it was clear that a living animatronic was wandering around the attraction, they tried to close it, and by coincidence, William was able to get out. Being on the loose, he was found by Henry and brought into the building.

Henry needed to be brought together in such a way that everyone had the opportunity to help with Emily's goals. For this, Henry even burned Springtrap body so that he would be freed and take the form of a soul.

After the reunion, main objective for characters is to clean up after all the events in Freddy's. Free the restless souls, fix anomalies and other things characters will do together - even if they may have conflicts with each other along the way.

And here is lineup of Aftons icons!

(Still working of full character references)

This au is still in progress, and this is one of my first FNAF projects I want to continue for a long time. I will be happy to receive feedback and any suggestions you may have!

Thank you for attention!!

[wander-over-the-words]

Make Like An Atom

Summary: In which Nick’s “brother” is having his partner join a cult, and Nick might just have one or two grievances about that.

Characters: Nick Valentine, [Male] Sole Survivor (Nathan “Nate” West), Grand Zealot Richter; mentions of DiMA, Kasumi Nakano, Brian Virgil, Old Longfellow, High Confessor Tektus, Ellie Perkins, Father/Shaun, Paladin Danse, original Nick Valentine, Kenji Nakano, Eddie Winter, Piper Wright, Nat Wright, Dogmeat, Codsworth, Synth Shaun, John Hancock, Skinny Malone, Jennifer Lands.

Pairing: [Male] Sole Survivor/Nick Valentine.

Warnings: cult-related business, use of derogatory language toward the mentally ill (nothing people don’t call the Children of Atom in canon), radiation poisoning, description of vomiting; mentions of death, murder, execution, firearm usage.

Disclaimer: The Sole Survivor in this is based off how I played him - personality, looks, choices and all.

Notes: First Fallout 4 fic. Takes place during Far Harbor, and after the main story. I’ve always thought it was really sweet how genuinely worried Nick sounds when the Sole Survivor has to join the Children of Atom (he sounds like he’s trying to talk them out of it when it comes to going into the Nucleus), so here’s a fic about Nick being concerned about his bf joining a cult that worships something that could potentially kill him. Cause y’know you probably would be too. And let’s be real: that scene where the SS has to drink the irradiated water must look worrying as hell from Nick’s point of view.

Extra notes: This fic has literally been sitting around for about a year and I’m sick of having it hanging over me, mocking me, so I’m using the excuse of the “obligatory posting Nick Valentine content on Valentine’s Day” to finally get the damn thing posted.

All material belongs to Bethesda.

Fic available on AO3.

…

This is going too far. To hell with it - it’s already gone too far.

Nick honestly - shamefully - hadn’t thought much of it when DiMA wanted Nate to pose as a new recruit for the Children of Atom in order to gain access to their base. His mind had been so clogged with the recent revelations: the possibility of DiMA being family, this supposed information that his own head is failing to store all of his memories, Kasumi’s worries that DiMA is up to mischief, the fact that this case is proving to be a bigger doozy than just leaving the familiarity of the Commonwealth to find one lost girl.

And besides - the Children haven’t seemed like that big a threat until this point, at least in Nick’s experience. There’d been those who had attacked when people had trespassed upon their property (but, hey, who doesn’t do that in the Commonwealth?), but the bunch he and Nate had encountered in the Glowing Sea had been friendly, if just weary. Friendly enough, at least, to give them directions to Virgil’s cave, and to do no more than that.

Turns out, the folks back in Far Harbor had been right when they said everything on this island was bred nastier than that of the Commonwealth. Even extends to the people.

Stumbling upon the Children’s little ‘test of faith’ was not only proof of that, but a pretty fine wake-up call.

It’d been an even bigger wake-up call when the Grand Zealot told Nate what he’d need to do, to see if ‘Atom’ wanted Nate in their beloved group: go and drink irradiated water from the spring nearby and see what ‘Atom’ showed him.

Of course - Nate being Nate - he’d headed off without hesitation, and once they’d gotten to the spring and their geiger counters had started going haywire, Nick had had to speak up. He’d tried to suggest they just lie and say they did it.

Nate had brought up the prospect of them saying the wrong thing and losing the chance to get into the submarine base; joining up and thus doing what the Children asked of him was the only way to get in through non-violent means, like DiMA had wanted (not that non-violent means wouldn’t have been the plan anyway, as Nick’s proud to say he and his guy are on the same page about unnecessary violence).

Nick knows Nate well enough to know that he was going to go through with drinking the damn water, no matter what Nick said, so Nick had told him to at least take a Rad-X before doing this, but Nate had frustratingly turned that down too by ‘reminding’ him that the Children were obviously hoping the rads would do something to him, and the Rad-X might stop that from happening. Assured him he’d be fine, he’s gotten dosed with rads before, they have RadAway handy, everything will be fine.

Then he’d cupped his hands under the trickling water, brought it to his lips and swallowed it down.

Nick can’t begin to describe the panic that’d shot through him when Nate had choked, spraying water from between his teeth as he fought not to spit it out, and collapsed against the rocks, violently coughing, gasping for air; Nick had raced to grab the RadAway from their supplies immediately when he’d heard Nate gasp like he was shocked, and he’d looked up to find Nate staring, staring, up at the rocks above them, at…at something. When Nick had looked, he’d seen nothing - there’d been nobody there, his detection programming wasn’t picking up anything, but Nate had obviously been so sure, for he’d tracked it with his eyes as he’d stumbled away from the rocks, out of the spring, following this…thing he was seeing.

And then he’d taken off, staggering into Fog so thick, he’d almost immediately become a silhouette, and Nick had torn after him, calling for him and asking him what was wrong, what was he seeing.

He hadn’t gotten any answers at the time; Nate was muttering to himself, looking around like the world was unfamiliar to him, and Nick had turned up his auditory receptors to hear him. Occasionally, Nate would stop and say something to somebody - a confused “E-Excuse me,” or “Hello?” - or tell himself this couldn’t be real, and a couple of times, Nick had nearly jumped out of his synthetic skin when Nate had cried out in alarm and stopped suddenly like he was avoiding something, nearly making Nick crash into him.

Nick’s just glad he’d been coherent enough to take down the ferals waiting for them at the shrine Nate’s delusions had led them to. The second Nate had stopped talking nonsense and seemed to come back to reality - when Nick could hear him trying to work out the password to the terminal in the shrine - Nick had been pulling his sleeve up to find a vein to pump RadAway into, ushering Nate to sit down outside while he recovered.

Frighteningly, Nate’s face had been grey, he’d been bleeding from his nose and from the scrapes on his forehead and cheeks from where he’d crashed into the rocks back at the spring, and Nick had spotted a few loose strands of hair on the shoulders of Nate’s coat. Before Nick could get a needle into his arm, Nate had swatted his hands away, grunted out a request for him not to look, and had promptly vomited onto the ground beside them, which brought perhaps a small amount of relief that the poisoned water was officially out of Nate’s system (alongside some of that mirelurk jerky Longfellow had given him).

Once he’d successfully started to get RadAway into Nate’s system and collected a purified water from their supplies to wash his mouth out, Nick had wrenched Nate’s road goggles up into his shaggy hair to see the dazed and fatigued look in his bloodshot eyes, and he’d asked Nate how many fingers he was holding up to check how well the RadAway was flushing the so-called vision from Nate’s system. Even treated him to a stimpak for the wounds on his face, once the radiation allowed for proper healing again.

That’d been another little wake-up call: the rads. Maybe he’d thought too little of it before. There’s no way the Nucleus is as bad as the Glowing Sea, but if it’s enough to keep these fanatics happy…Well, they might be out of their depth here.

Or, at least…Nate is.

There’d been some icon…thing in the shrine, and the Grand Zealot is so pleasantly shocked when Nate shows it to him (because, of course, even to these crazies, Nate would turn out to be something special), and then comes the point of no return.

“I am ready to follow His path,” Nate says.

“Then it will be so,” the Grand Zealot replies.

Nick can’t help himself; he speaks up without even really thinking about it.

“I’m not sure this is such a good idea,” he says. “We barely know these people.”

He catches the slight twitch of Nate’s head as he just barely stops himself from turning around and looking at Nick, and the Grand Zealot looks at him with disdain but says nothing to him. He sees the way Richter looks at Nate, as if expecting Nate to say something in his place, probably tell ‘his’ synth to pipe down, but Nate doesn’t acknowledge it, so Richter goes on like Nick isn’t even there.

He gives a nod to the icon in Nate’s hand. “Head inside and present the icon to the High Confessor once his sermon is done. He’ll be interested in seeing that. Once you’ve spoken with him, you should come see me. Have a task I think you’d be useful for.”

Nick doesn’t like the way he says that.

“And here.”

Richter reaches back and holds a hand out to the guard standing behind him, who hands him a mass of dark fabric and a pair of boots, and Richter gives these to Nate.

“Some more…appropriate attire.” His already-serious expression turns into a harsh frown. “But know this: we are all devoted servants to Atom here. Messenger or no, actions against the Family will not be tolerated.”

Glancing at the body still strewn on the ground nearby, Nick thinks back to the ‘test of faith’ and his coolant turns to ice.

The frown lets up; does this man ever smile?

“Welcome, brother.”

Icon tucked under his arm, Nate looks the outfit over, then smiles with a nod and tells Richter he’s just going to change into this, he’ll meet him inside.

Richter gives him a nod, and Nate and Nick are left outside as Richter disappears into the Nucleus.

Nate gives a huff of a chuckle as he turns around, carrying the bundle of fabric, the boots and the icon as he leads the way back in the direction they’d come.

“You’re gonna blow my cover with talk like that, Nick,” he says quietly over his shoulder as Nick follows him.

“Can’t say I’d be sorry to,” Nick says honestly and just as quietly. “I’m tellin’ ya, doll, I’ve got a bad feeling about all this, and my ‘bad feelings’ are rarely wrong. Come on. Maybe we should just focus on getting Kasumi home - make like DiMA and forget about all this.”

“What, and lose the chance to find out what’s in DiMA’s memories, even though it could end up affecting this whole island?” Nate says with a hint of dramatics, then gives a small snort as he adds, more seriously, “Doesn’t sound like the Nick I know…”

He disappears behind one of the junk fences lining the Children of Atom’s land; Nick stays on the other side to give Nate his privacy, trying to look nonchalant as he feels the eyes of the man at the door on him.

“Yeah, well, the Nick you know didn’t have to watch you poison yourself with rads and go running off into dangerous Fog whilst prattling on about some figure you were seeing. This Nick did, so he’s starting to think this whole ‘joining the Children of Atom’ thing might’ve been a step too far.”

“No turning back now,” Nate says, and Nick can hear the shrug.

Nick frowns softly and opens his mouth to reply, only to stop when the collar of Nate’s coat (the one Ellie had given him as part of the detective outfit he’d received along with the offer of being Nick’s new partner, old clothes of Nick’s) falls into view as it hits the ground, and another shot of ice goes through Nick’s coolant.

That coat has been fitted with ballistic weave, so Nate is shedding his armour for the sake of this charade - meaning he’ll have no protection if someone tries to hurt him.

God knows Nate’s been through some dangerous stuff, and he’s done amazing things since clambering out of Vault 111. He’s already played double agent before, in both the Institute and the Brotherhood (triple agent? Quadruple?), and those had had their own fair share of risks too, but this is…this is different. The Institute were overzealous boogeymen, and Nate had had his son’s good word to protect him, and the Brotherhood were high and mighty zealots who just liked to hear Nate say ‘Ad victoriam’, and they’d trusted Danse’s vouching for him, but these people?

Well, they’re just plain off their rockers, and there’s nobody this time around to make sure Nate is left unbothered in this irradiated hell of unpredictable cultists. And he wishes Nate wouldn’t just…dive head-in and play the hero so recklessly.

(He’s being a huge hypocrite, of course, and Ellie would laugh at his claim about having ‘feelings’ at all about cases, but this isn’t about him, it’s Nate who’s in danger here.)

“Sure there is,” Nick replies. “We just don’t go in an’ let these people try and indoctrinate us.”

“They’re already expecting me, Nick,” Nate says; his tie is discarded onto his coat. “I found this…icon thing, remember? And I saw the, ah,” he puts on a deeper voice of faux-awe, “‘Mother of the Foooog’!”

(Nick might’ve laughed, in another situation.)

“Besides,” Nate goes on over the sound of rustling fabric, “what would we tell DiMA if we didn’t even get to go into the Nucleus? What would we tell Kasumi?”

Nick arches a brow. “That the plan was nuts and we didn’t wanna go through with it?”

“Nick…” Nate says through a fond chuckle. There’s a beat where Nick only hears the shuffling of fabric again, then Nate adds, “We’ve already committed ourselves to the cause. You really wanna just leave Kasumi’s worries floating in the wind like that?”

No, of course, he doesn’t, but…

“Well, we…don’t hafta do it this way. Found another way into the Institute, we can find another way into this place, even if we just…grab ourselves a couple Stealth Boys and wing it.”

“Ah! Sooo, what you’re saying is: I drank some poisoned water foooor…nothing?”

Of all the times to show his wit…

“Nate…”

“Why the hesitation, Nick?” Nate says. “Kasumi’s counting on us, DiMA’s expecting results and the Children already think I must be some sort of figure the ‘Mother of the Fog’ is speaking through or…something. Besides -”

There’s a beat where Nate doesn’t say anything, just gives a grunt, and then there’s the clicking of metal.

Then comes a soft thud and Nick looks to see that it’s Nate’s shoe that has hit the ground, landing atop his fallen coat and tie, and he realises Nate is changing into those boots - that clicking had been the sound of his prosthetic foot being shimmied out of its shoe.

“ - this is an opportunity, remember? To find out if DiMA was telling the truth about you guys having history. Aren’t you excited about that, at least?”

“Not sure ‘excited’ is the word for it…” Nick mutters, brow furrowed as he casts his gaze to the ground, catching the sight of Nate’s second shoe joining the first out of the corner of his eye.

It’s been an uncomfortable lump in the back of his mind ever since DiMA apparently recognised him, the prospect that DiMA is right and Nick has just…forgotten him.

When he’d awoken in that junk pile, still of half a mind that he was the real Nick Valentine, he’d just assumed he was blending in with that which was around him: trash. The Institute’s trash that they’d - he didn’t know - gotten bored of. Maybe he wasn’t doing what he was told and so the Institute got tired of trying to tie their strings to his wrists and make him dance, maybe they’d just found a new project and decided this dingy old prototype wasn’t fun to poke and prod at anymore.

The idea that someone wanted him out, helped him escape…no. Never been a thought. With the way the Institute treated synths, the very idea of mercy, let alone help, was laughable. But a second prototype…sure, he’s wondered if he was the only one ever made, but the fact that another prototype had not only been made and been with him that whole time, but had assisted him in getting out, is…well, it’s knocking a screw loose.

Another prototype…A ‘sibling’. A ‘brother’. Is that how it works? Are they family because they were on the same assembly line? Because they were…‘raised’ together?

When he thinks of his time in the Institute, he thinks of the single room he was in, the feeling of knowing somebody’s eyes were always on him, the yanking of parts coming loose in his head as they pulled him apart and put him back together, but he never thinks of a face like his own. Of someone…being there, with him, in the room.

Was it DiMA’s eyes that were always on him, or their creator’s, or both?

It’s all so confusing, he’s dangerously close to being overwhelmed - so the fact that they’re getting nearer and nearer to potential proof is causing him all sorts of levels of trepidation. If DiMA is right about them being brothers, then he’s right about everything else: that he really is just forgetting things because he can’t stuff anymore memories into his head. He hadn’t remembered Kenji at first, after all…and if he can’t fit anymore memories in, then…how long will it be before his hardware starts tossing out other things, important things, more recent things? The good times he’s had as of late, the fact that he’d completed his mission to get revenge on Winter, the people he knows and loves? Their motley crew back at Sanctuary, and the likes of Piper, Nat, Codsworth, Dogmeat, Shaun, Ellie…Nate…?

The idea of that, it…it scares him. Badly.

But that isn’t what’s important right now. What is important is the fact that DiMA’s little plan is putting Nate in the heart of an irradiated cult who carelessly gun down their own and want to shove rads down Nate’s throat until he’s as sickly and insane as the rest of them.

“And I appreciate how eager ya are to help me with that,” Nick goes on, “but…”

“But…?” Nate presses him.

Nick hesitates, then comes out with it: “But no answer would be worth it…if it costs you, doll.”

There comes silence then, even the sounds of outfits being changed has stopped, and Nick waits for Nate’s answer to that. No doubt, some other attempt at getting him to agree to this harebrained scheme, knowing Nate. He does love what a do-gooder his guy is, but even he has his limits.

“...Nick, could you…come back here with me for a moment? I, uh…don’t think I’m putting this on right.”

Nick blinks once, surprised.

Not the response he’d expected from putting his heart on his sleeve; Nate’s priorities are getting a little skewed. Besides, he hadn’t thought those robes looked particularly difficult to put on - looked sort of just like a jumper and some trousers to him - but heck, what does he know about the uniforms of these loons?

“Uh…alright,” he says confusedly, putting a hand to the fence as he turns on the spot.

He steps behind the junk wall, and before he can process the sight of Nate before him in full uniform, the lapels of his coat are grabbed and he’s pulled forward so suddenly he nearly falls, and Nate’s body is crushed against his in a hug.

Caught off-guard, Nick takes a moment to fully recognise what’s happening, his body frozen and his hands hovering in the air, then his autonomy comes back to him and he returns Nate’s hug, slowly. His hands go to Nate’s upper back and he holds him as he feels Nate lean his head against his own, shifting his fedora. The man’s got only two inches of height over him, but somehow, he’s one of the few people who have ever made Nick feel…small.

“I’ll be alright, Nick,” Nate says, close to Nick’s ear, warmly but seriously. “I promise. I’m not gonna let them talk me into doing anything that I can’t happily be a part of. We’re just gonna go in there, grab DiMA’s memories and go, and we’ll figure the rest out later.” There’s a beat. “Besides, you…do know this is just an act, right? That I don’t really believe in all this ‘Atom’ junk?”

“Course I know,” Nick says, then sighs through his nose. “It’s just that this meeting with the Children of Atom turned out…a little different than what I expected. The folks we came across in the Glowing Sea didn’t even point a gun at us, but these people…”

He gives another small sigh, then breaks the hug so he can look Nate in the face, transferring his hands to Nate’s waist instead as he remains in Nate’s personal bubble.

Looking him in the face has become slightly more rewarding, since Nate has had the courtesy of moving his road goggles up into his chestnut brown hair, giving Nick the opportunity to have his own yellow eyes lock with Nate’s hazel-blue ones.

“Just…watch what you say in there, will ya? Don’t want you endin’ up like that other guy.”

He glances in the direction of the man who had been killed, and Nate puts a hand to Nick’s cheek and turns his head to bring Nick’s attention back to him.

“I always watch what I say. And if I don’t, well - I got you around to keep me in line, right?” he asks, and when he gets a small smile, he leans forward to kiss it.

Nick gladly returns his kiss, turning it from a simple peck to a deeper smooch, enough that both of them close their eyes and hold it for a few calming seconds before Nate breaks it to smile at him.

Nick still looks concerned, thinking back to the image of Nate, dazed and pale, bleeding from his nose, starting to lose his hair, sitting next to his own puke. Nate’s been hit with rads on their travels before, but Nick had never seen him look so…ill.

“Don’t suppose you…packed your hazmat suit?”

He knows how ridiculous he sounds - if Nate packed his suit, Nick would know it, his bag ain’t that spacious - and such as it is, Nate laughs at the prospect.

“No, I didn’t,” he adjusts Nick’s lapels, straightening them from where he’d grabbed at them, “and we don’t really have the time to head back to Sanctuary to pick it up. I’d…probably be offending them, anyhow.” He gives a hiss of a laugh. “They’d probably accuse me of,” he puts on a deeper, dramatic voice, “blocking Atom’s holy touch! Such blasphemy!”

Nick can’t help the short chuckle that leaves him as he hangs his head.

“Alright…” he says wearily. “I can see when I’m beat.” He lifts his head back up to look Nate in the eye seriously. “But you tell me if you start gettin’ sick, alright? Don’t try and play the tough guy act and muscle through it, not even if one of those Children are around to hear you complaining…I’m not losin’ you to rad poisoning.”

“I could end up as a Ghoul instead.” Nate shrugs a shoulder, looking up like he’s genuinely thinking about this. “Hancock’s always saying I’d make a great Ghoul.”

“Yeah, well, he would.” He gives Nate’s waist a shake. “But I’m bein’ serious here.”

“I know, Nick. I’ve been watching my rad count ever since I realised my Pip-Boy has a geiger counter.” Nate looks at him and smirks. “Since when did you go all Mother Hen?”

“Since my guy decided drinking poisoned water for the sake of a bunch of cultists was a good idea.”

“Leeet’s be honest here, Nick: is it really…the weirdest thing I’ve ever done?”

“I’ll get back to you on that verdict,” Nick says dryly, “depending on what happens next.”

Nate laughs, leaning in to Nick’s embrace, and thusly, Nick brings him in and holds him close.

Best thing to happen to him in perhaps ever, this man; saved him from Skinny Malone, from wrestling with the original Nick Valentine’s past for the rest of his days, had so happily helped him find all those holotapes, stood aside and let him kill Eddie Winter on his own and then stood by him where Jennifer Lands had died and let Nick say his piece. Brought him on this whirlwind of an adventure that culminated in exterminating the boogeyman that had had the Commonwealth running scared for so long - and through it all, went ahead and made Nick fall for him.

How many of Nick’s clients could say they’d done that?

Just the one - this one right here, in Nick’s arms (though he hasn’t been just a client for a long while now).

So if anything happens to Nate while they’re carrying out this plan of DiMA’s, Nick will be taking his grievances straight back to ‘bro’.

Nate pulls back from their hug, and Nick rests his metal hand on Nate’s cheek, thumb brushing tenderly over the sideburn lining his jaw, before Nate takes a step back, removing himself from Nick entirely. He pulls his road goggles back down over his eyes, then ushers Nick over with a quick curl of his fingers.

“Here,” he says, “gimme your hand.”

“Hm?”

Nick watches as Nate stoops to pick up a boot, and only then does Nick realise their hug had interrupted Nate completing his new look: his right foot’s found its way into the new boot the Children have provided, while the left is naked, since Nate doesn’t bother putting a sock on his prosthetic.

“Oh,” Nick says, understanding, and offers a hand for Nate to hold so he can balance himself as he goes to one foot, shimmying the boot over his fake foot.

Once he’s finally managed to get it on, he’s all set. Nate steps back and holds out his hands to put himself on display.

“So,” he says, “how do I look?”

Nick looks him up and down, taking in the sight of Nate in the baggy, dark robes, and he replies exasperatedly, “Like a fanatic.”

“Hm - that’s great,” Nate replies, ducking to collect the coat, tie and shoes of his discarded outfit (he’s wearing the robes over his shirt and trousers, evidently), “then I’ll fit right in.”

Nick can’t help the small scoff of a chuckle that leaves him as Nate stuffs his clothes into his bag. Before he can pick the bag up, Nick ducks down and retrieves a bottle of Rad-X from one of its front pockets, waving it at him.

“I’ll slip ya these when you start lookin’ pale,” Nick says. He pops open the bottle, shakes out a pill onto his palm, then holds it out. “Best to take one now, before we head in there.”

Nate hesitates, then stands up to look at Nick properly.

“Are you sure you wanna come in there with me?” he asks. “DiMA said these people accept synths, but…the looks they were giving you when we showed up…”

“Tryin’ to get rid of me, huh?” Nick asks teasingly. “Didn’t think I was being that much of a wet blanket. But you can forget it - you’re not going in there without me, no matter how these people feel. Remember: DiMA said there was some Pre-War security keepin’ the Children of Atom from getting their paws on those memories of his. Could be anything in there, and I’d feel a whole lot better about all this if I was there to watch your back.”

“Are you sure?” Nate winces and adds hesitantly, “I mean…you do look a lot like DiMA. If anyone in there has a problem with him…they could have a problem with you too.”

Nick shrugs. “Half the Commonwealth has a problem with me. Hasn’t stopped me yet.”

Nate gives him a small smile. “Alright. It’s your call. But you may have to hold me back if anybody in there says anything about you.”

“Hey, now,” Nick cracks a smile (he doesn’t approve of Nate’s wish to pummel anybody who gives him lip, but it is sweet), “DiMA wants us doin’ this without violence, remember?”

“Sure, but,” Nate stoops to collect a can of purified water from his bag, “I feel like DiMA would understand if I told him I punched a guy in your honour.”

Nate stands up and plucks the pill from Nick’s palm, sits it on his tongue, then gulps down some water. He gives a hard swallow as the pill goes down, then nods once and drinks the rest of the water from the can. He drops the can to the ground, squashes it with his prosthetic foot, then returns the metal to his bag, most likely to convert it into raw materials for building projects later; funny, what one can make with junk.

Nate picks up his bag and rolls his shoulders, clapping his hands once in preparation.

“Alright,” Nate says, “let’s do this.”

He passes by Nick to walk around the fence, and Nick sighs wearily as he watches him go.

“Yeah,” he mumbles. “Let’s.”

He follows Nate, gaining the attention of the guard by the door, who watches them closely as they approach. For a moment, Nick thinks he might be suspicious, but then the man just tells Nate that the High Confessor is in the middle of his sermon still, and that Nate should listen in.

Nate gives an obedient nod and raises a triumphant, excited fist as he slaps on a grin and exclaims, “Glory to Atom!”

As Nate disappears into the Nucleus, Nick casts the guard a deadpanned look and half-heartedly raises his own fist.

“What he said,” Nick adds dryly, and follows Nate inside.

[violant-apologia]

11 & 20 for the ask game ?

i'm going to answer for the apologist AND for avery! i need to flesh her out a bit more anyway

11: If someone was impersonating them, what would friends / family ask or do to tell the difference? Briar: Assuming they've got all the obvious tells down (slightly smoking feet whenever he gets antsy, etc.) they'd probably get him alone and listen to his cadence. In public and around people he doesn't really trust, he effects a very "proper" accent and voice, while when he's with those he's close to, he drops it. It's not a massive change – slowly his natural voice has gotten more an more posh – but it's still noticeable if you know him well.

Avery: Avery's VERY open with her annoyances, at least in private, and never lets go of a grudge. Her friends would probably prod an potential impostor with something tangentially related to a grudge she holds – if they don't burst into grouching and grumbling about past grievances, they're not Avery.

20: Who do they like as a person but hate their work? Vice versa, whose work do they like but don't like the person? Briar: Briar maintains a respectful friendship with April, despite being completely against her politics (and also blowing stuff up generally). For the other way around, he respects F.F. Gebrandt's work in the [insert any field Gabrandt has worked in] field, but finds her desparately tedious in person.

Avery: The Manager! I am finally Managerposting on main. She finds him charming and a nice break from the sort of person she interacts with a lot. She isn't quite comfortable enough with the Neath yet to really respect dream-meddling, though. On the other hand, she is not a massive fan of the Topsy King (or Tristam Bagley) in person, but respects his thief-king hustle. ask game here!

[heavencasteel420]

I find it really frustrating when people interpret Jonathan (particularly Season 1 Jonathan) as being an edgelord who dislikes people for no reason. As a joke, it's stale and, as a remotely serious take, it's devoid of empathy or even basic comprehension of what happens in the show. Let's think for a second about how the citizens of Hawkins (the town where Jonathan has lived his entire life, and therefore his main reference point) behave towards him, his family, and others he's shown to have positive feelings towards (such as Nancy and Will's friends):

Kids bully his younger brother for homophobic reasons;

His younger brother's friends are bullied, both verbally and physically, often for racist and ableist reasons;

The police gossip about how his mom is crazy and speculate about her sex life;

Lonnie, his abusive deadbeat father, commands more respect in the town than his hardworking, loving mother;

Nancy is the only person at school to show any concern about Will, a missing little kid;

Steve makes a snide remark about him hanging up missing posters (although he has the decency to object to Tommy's crueler remarks);

Tommy makes a sick joke--twice--about Jonathan killing Will;

Even Barb, a "nice" girl who generally disapproves of Steve's crew, doesn't go up to him with Nancy or say "hey, in addition to my concerns that you are sexually in over your head with Steve, he and her friends were really fucking mean about a literal missing child"; this doesn't mean she was cool with it, of course, but it does suggest that this type of talk isn't noteworthy to her;

Steve and his friends--however legitimate their grievances--chose to confront him about the photos in the most schoolyard-bully way possible, which may have not been so bad in that context, but (in light of their behavior at other times) does imply that they also just kind of enjoy bullying;

Multiple people just stare and don't try to help at all when he and his mom are completely imploding in front of the morgue (although I understand it's an awkward situation for a bystander);

Steve and his friends slut-shame and humiliate Nancy in the most public way possible (at least pre-internet);

Steve says that he "always figured [Jonathan] for a queer," which at best means that Steve is willing to use homophobic slurs in a fight (even if he never actually thought that and is just talking shit, and even if he's not a particularly passionate homophobe) and at worst means that this is something that is generally said of Jonathan and that he's subject to homophobic bullying (whatever his actual sexuality);

Steve compares him to his "screw-up" father, knowing this is a sore spot;

Steve calls his mom--Joyce, a hardworking single mother with an objectively hard life--a screw-up;

Steve says "it's no surprise what happened to your brother"; this is an incredibly cruel thing for him to say, and also seems like the kind of callous thing he's heard from his parents or other adults ("it's a shame about that little boy, but something like that was bound to happen in that family");

Hopper and Karen Wheeler are the only non-related adults who show any concern for Jonathan.

Why would Jonathan like the people of Hawkins as a whole? From his vantage point, they're largely callous, bigoted, and cruel. Many of the main characters experience them as such. What kind of masochistic suck-up would he have to be to like Steve as he is for most of Season 1? Maybe he's an edgelord, but he's got his reasons.

I mean, I don't know. I disliked a lot of people in middle school, and some of it was being a moody teen, but also a lot of people in my middle school were homophobic conservative religious fanatics who were regularly horrible to me, my friends, and others. I was still a moody teen in high school--moodier, even!--but I was generally fine with my classmates because they were a lot nicer and less prejudiced. My mom is a warm and sunny person, but she'll talk shit about her hometown because a lot of people were racist or sexually predatory. Sometimes people thinks badly of those around them because those around them act badly.

[sourstiless]

i think the fandom moved on way too fast of the hospital floor bts photo jlh posted back in november, the tape indicated that maddie, chim, bobby, athena and a non-main actor will be in the scene. i'm assuming that 5th person is a doctor telling them about buck's condition since maddie's his sister and bobby's his emergency contact (with chim and athena there to comfort their partners), there's literally so much more evidence that points to buck being the one who's gonna get hurt so idk why everyone's jumping ship to coma eddie just cuz ryan hasn't been filmed on set recently (which there could be many reasons for), cuz why would they put oliver in that preppy outfit when buck has never dressed like that, bring buck's mom back and be on the set of what looks like the buckley's hershey house if it's eddie's dream?

i really do think most of the evidence points towards buck possibly getting hurt. we don’t know if ryan is or isn’t filming. i doubt he’d be missing for multiple episodes in a row unless he booked another gig and needed the time off to film it or something. it’s also possible his storyline may be very important and they’re trying to keep it under wraps to avoid spoilers and leaks, which is common for tv shows and movies.

this is just the bts that moreso supports hurt buck than eddie getting hurt thst i can think of off the top of my head, mind u this is still all speculation:

maddie at the hospital — maddie and eddie don’t really know each other that well. why would she be at the hospital for him when they haven’t had any real bonding time. when eddie was at the call center maddie was still recovering from her ppd and off work for half of it. maddie also hasn’t been seen at a hospital set for someone else, that i can recall, except for buck back in 2x18.

the preppy clothes — buck doesn’t typically dress in stuff like that, in fact, i don’t think we’ve ever seen buck dress like that, so unless he’s trying to dress to impress his parents (which he’s never tried to do before, see 9-1-1 what’s your grievance), it would make the most sense for it to be some kind of coma dream sequence. and in that case, like u said it really doesn’t make sense for the buckley parents to make an appearance in a coma dream sequence for eddie with the details we know from the episode. buck has never dressed like that before so why would eddie dream of that, and the only conversation eddie had with the buckleys was off screen in buck begins. it makes more sense if it was some kind of “what if daniel died” situation than that. im not saying it’s impossible, but it would be a little weird.

albert coming back — now, we don’t know the official reason albert is coming back. it could be completely unrelated to this speculation, but IF it is related to this speculation, it would not make sense for albert to reappear for eddie’s sake. they are not close. they have only had a couple of real interactions. albert, however, lived with buck for a while. he is basically buck’s brother in law being that maddie and chim are together. they are part of the same family so it makes sense that he’d come back to be there for maddie, chim and buck during that time. not to mention, and i’ve brought it up before, they could kind of parallel the way buck was the first one to run to alberts car during his accident, and how buck kept talking to him while they tried to get him out. albert snd buck’s friendship is so underrated tbh but it’s little things like that that show how important they are to each other.

oliver’s bts pic — possibly a bit of a stretch, but a little while ago, oliver posted bts of the hospital set where he was behind the cameras while they were filming what looked like 3 people in a waiting area. we don’t know who those 3 people are bc it was hard to tell, i believe one of them was hen and possibly chim, but the third person is still up in the air. it doesn’t really look like eddie but it doesn’t look like anyone else either. the important take away is that buck was not in the shot. neither was bobby and i don’t think maddie was either. possibly bc they are both emergency contact and sibling, and if buck is hurt the doctor could be updating them or they might be the only on in the room, who knows again this is all speculation. but if the 3 people waiting are hen, chim, and eddie, it’s strange that buck is not also with them, unless he’s injured.

misc bts — today was the first day i think since filming 610, that we’ve seen bts of oliver in lafd clothing. the other bts we have of him is in regular “civilian” clothing, but correct me if i’m wrong on that, which is also odd unless they plan on doing a lot of out of firehouse filming.

that being said, again it’s all speculation and i could completely be missing the mark rn, but i do believe there is more evidence from bts to support buck being out of commission for a while than eddie. it also wouldn’t be the first time main characters are missing from episodes either. kenny choi missed 2 in s1, in hen, chimney and athena begins, buck is either absent or only shows up in archival footage, jlh missed episodes due to going on maternity leave, etc. so, it’s definitely not uncommon for main cast to not be present in a couple episodes.

i am, however, a coma buck truther until the day i die, you will never see me jumping ship or otherwise closing on the theory bc i am far too delusional. also i gave myself the title ceo of coma buck so i cant back out even if i wanted to.

[kaoarika]

I have been rereading Orange for the sake of completion, now that I was able to get vol 6 and 7, the "Mirai" sequel series (?).

It's been a while since I originally read the manga and watched the anime (wow, latter half of the 2010s? 2015? 2016?), and I still think it's a cute series with an interesting premise based on time and space and parallel worlds and the like, just to save a dear friend of the main cast, who is in a depression spiral due to the death of his mother.

As always, it's not a flawless series and I agree that stuff like the science behind time travel shouldn't have been 100% explained (because it sometimes crumbs over itself), but it's one of those things that make you think, I guess. In fact, re-reading the series I had this feeling of "man, I wish I could re-read the manga again for the first time all over again so I can be mindblown by the "time travelling" thing element of the letters.

I never really understood why the series was discontinued from Betsuma (Shueisha) and moved onto Monthly Action (Futabasha), but I'm 100% I wouldn't be laughing it off as Takano did on the afterwords segment of volume one, I think? I do remember that the series had a couple of hiatus during its brief tenure on Betsuma, so there's probably more behind the scenes stuff we do not know than throwing a "I had a romantic relationship with one of the editors at Futabasha, so..." line. I also like the covers of the Shueisha edition, but I'm not really excited to find out how expensive they might get on the 2nd hand market due to the popularity of the series, lol. I just think they are neat (and iirc, they had a similar graphic design work like those for Ikuemi Ryo's Principal series, also first released around the same time?).

I like all the characters, but somehow I wished it did more for Hagita, Takako, and Azusa. Sure, things here and there show how these characters are (and Takano is obvious how much love she had for Hagita and the whole Hagita and Azusa dynamics on her twitter account(s)), but they tend to get overshadowed by Naho, Kakeru... and sometimes even Suwa (and their love triangle, ngl), who are more "main" characters than the whole group of friends. I mean, both vol 6 and 7 are more on the POVs of both Suwa (original future setting) and Kakeru (new/parallel future setting?), so make that as you will.

I love Suwa... and I always felt a little iffy when reading stuff like "they did Suwa SO wrong" when I was always on the mind state that "it's not like the original Suwa hasn't been erased and he has his own happy marriage and happy family ending"... although there's still the baggage under what kind of circumstance he got THAT happy ending... as I have been finding out with vol 6 and the "Mirai" one shot. Oh, boy...

So... I do have a small grievance about "Mirai" as a whole, however. I understand that, narratively, using the classic "switch reveal" with the older group of friends using the exact same outfits as their original/pre-parallel world is kind of the point to reveal "oh, so these are 'our' charas and not the original future-setting ones"... but, I mean... this series already explores the whole setting idea of "we changed the future!" and somewhat I'm expecting the author to commit to the bit even in this new future setting?

Again, I haven't read vol 7 (which is Kakeru's POV after the original manga's ending), and I would understand that this is also a byproduct of a "dream" that Suwa and Naho had at the end of "Mirai" (this silly idea that sometimes dreams are like "alternate universes, parallel worlds" of our own), but... I dunno... make them use different outfits? maybe different hairstyles? to make a point this is a different future from the original one?

The one that kinda hurts related to this is that I also completely understand that Suwa and Naho had a child in the original timeline setting... so I find it a little... unfair? that Haru (Naho's and Kakeru's son) still somewhat looks similar to Naho's and Suwa's child? when you could have played a little on making "similar things, but still different" from their respective futures, like making Haru a little older or maybe younger than the other child (which we don't even have a name unless it was revealed on other materials)?

You can play with it to make both futures maybe similar in details (career choices might be understandable, although, the original Suwa gave up his dreams of becoming a professional football player after Kakeru's death) but different (smaller details about Suwa's married life and Kakeru's married life) at the same time, you know?

I dunno. I haven't thought that much about the series after a few years and this is what I write about it? Lol.

[andswarwrites]

Day 21

I've shared a lot this month.  In fact, the case could be made that I overshared.  I'm not shy, and I disagree with stigma attached to mental disorders, because mental health corresponds to physical health: your brain is part of your body, and in order to remain healthy it needs to be cared for.  If someone develops a physical ailment, they often receive support and sympathy from others.  Why would mental ailments need to be concealed at all costs from everyone around you for fear of judgment and prejudice?  And yet that is how things really are.  The only reason I feel comfortable sharing is because my circles of friends and family enjoy truth.

Candor is often frowned upon because it can be blunt and unfeeling.  So with honesty should come tact.  Tact involves choosing the right word and phrase to express yourself so that your viewpoint comes across without bludgeoning another person with it.  And it is also being noncommittal or falling silent when you see that discussion will be fruitless.  Discussing a concept or viewpoint doesn't need to end with your having convinced someone: simply sharing how you feel and think, and listening intently and respectfully to another person who sees things differently from you is my definition of a good conversation.

I used to love debate.  I loved arguing my point.  And I do have very strong opinions on a multitude of topics.  It's just that now, in conversation, if I differ with someone, I don't want to win an argument anymore.  I don't want to prove my point.  I'm looking for an exchange.  You share your point of view with me, I share my point of view, and together we get an idea of how the other person sees the world.  Part of how I got to this point is my writing.  When I write a story, every time I write a character, I like to approach the story from their perspective.

To make characters come to life, they each need to have their own distinct personality and outlook.  They can't all be copies of the author.  Though I do confess that all my main characters have a few characteristics or experiences I can relate to: that way they ring true.  You know what I love in a story?  When the main character is not infallible, when they mess up too, and they need to set it right.  When I was little, I was horrified when my beloved main characters had feet of clay.  Nowadays I'm delighted.

It just goes to show how much we change as life goes on.  For one thing we never stop learning.  Some lessons may be difficult or demanding, others are downright simple and straightforward.  The question is can we adapt with the lessons life throws at us?  Some of them are very painful indeed.  And it doesn't seem fair that some of us experience far more pain than others.  I think it's important to keep that in mind when someone is rude or aggressive with us.  What are they going through that we don't know about?

I'm always honest, but I do omit some information at times.  I don't feel the need to constantly air my grievances or confess every thought and action.  Considering how much I've shared, it might seem like I hold nothing back, but that's not true.  I do.  The one (human) person I confide in nearly 99.9% of the time is S-.  Sometimes it takes me a few days to tell him what's on my mind, but even if I'm worried about his response, I do end up telling him.  And he never overreacts.  I've never regretted confiding in S-.

I had a completely sleepless night last night.  I keep having to re-read what I've previously written to continue my train of thought.  I've just got to make it through the morning and then I will enter my bedroom, flop into bed, and hopefully get some sleep.  Not too much, because I need to sleep tonight too.  I dealt with a bad bout of insomnia in my twenties: I'd spend a completely sleepless night trying to be as quiet as I could so I wouldn't wake S-, and then get as many tasks done in the morning and early afternoon, sleep from mid-afternoon to early evening, spend some time with my husband, and rinse, repeat.

In my thirties I would occasionally wake up in the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning, and since it was dark and quiet, it seemed like the ideal time to write.  But getting the juices flowing so to speak when you should be sleeping is not a good idea, because you write for hours and before you know it's morning and you never got back to bed.  It's better to read.  Reading works your brain in a different way from writing, and you naturally get sleepy.

I've also cleaned in the middle of the night.  Tiptoed around so as not to wake anyone, but tidied up, washed the dishes, cleaned the counter and stovetop.  And I've prayed.  When I simply had too much on my mind, I poured it all out, sometimes with long pauses while my thoughts overwhelmed me, then formulating those thoughts into words, sometimes so difficult to express that tears have sprung to my eyes.  I've also read Psalms. 

So what else can my overtired brain come up with today?  It's hard to write when you are tired or sick.  I've written scenes of a novel with a cold or the flu.  That's when a character steals the show with a cold or the flu.  I can’t write anything else but misery in those situations.  After a sleepless night my tongue's filter is nonexistent.  I just write whatever pops into my head, consequences be damned.  I seriously need to go sleep, but I still have another hour of teaching and chores to get through.  Oh, the life of a mother

[vvienne]

fucked up abt the way jiang cheng even before golden core reveal rlly does have various legit reasons to be pissed at wei wuxian but I feel like the only ones that would actually matter to him are

a) yanli’s death

b) jin ling being orphaned

c) that wei wuxian left when he promised to stay, that he was fallible even after being the perfect older brother jiang cheng could never match, that wei wuxian’s own boldness and intelligence wasn’t, in the end, enough to save himself from dying, that wei wuxian left him and then had the nerve to let himself die, and that it’s jiang cheng, instead, who’s somehow still alive, and alone, even though the three of them were never supposed to be separated —

[celticcrossanon]

BRF Reading - 25th of May 2021

This is speculation only

Cards drawn 25th of May 2021

Question: How does Prince Harry feel about the Apple TV docuseries broadcast?

Interpretation: He is pleased with it. It has given his family the message he wanted.

Card One: The Four of Wands. This is a card of celebration, a card of home, of celebrating with family and friends. Some efforts made have been rewarded, and it is time to celebrate.

The card shows Jason about to embark on his journey in the Argo, surrounded by the people he has chosen to accompany him on this voyage. This is how Harry sees himself. He is about to embark on a journey of being a big Hollywood celebrity/executive producer, surrounded by people he trusts (such as Meghan and Oprah) who will accompany him on this voyage. Jason set off to bring back the golden fleece and like him, Harry expects lots of money and fame (his golden fleece) to be the result of his voyage through the waters of Hollywood.

Harry is very pleased with the Apple TV docuseries. He sees this as a vindication of his decision to leave the BRF. He is celebrating his success - look, I am on TV! I was paid money for this! I am rich, famous and a household name on my own terms and by my own effort! None of my other family are executive producers in Hollywood, I am the only one! - and revelling in the glamour and public recognition that come with that success. The docuseries is a cause for celebration. His efforts for recognition in Hollywood have been rewarded.

The Four of Wands can be a card of home, of feeling safe and familiar, and this relates to Harry's docuseries. The story he tells is one that has become familiar to him over the past year - how traumatised he was, how no one in his family helped him, how Meghan was the one who saved him. He feels safe saying these things as he knows the BRF follows a 'never explain, never complain' policy and that means that they will not refute his accusations in public. Harry knows he can say anything he wants and not have to face any public contradiction from the BRF. He likes hitting his family when they can't hit back. It makes him feel safe and powerful.

Card Two: The Chariot. This is a card of driving straight ahead, over or around obstacles, to achieve your goal. The card shows Ares, the god of war, driving in his chariot. This can represent aggression, the desire to win at all costs, and/or the iron will necessary to hold on and keep going to accomplish your goals. You can skilfully drive you chariot around the obstacles between you and your goals, or you can drive right over the top of the obstacles. Either way, the Chariot card shows you have your eyes set on a goal and you are doing everything you can to move straight towards it.

The Chariot is also the card of Cancer, ruled by the Moon, a zodiac sign that is considered passive and not active. Normally, aggression or desire is expressed in a straight forward manner, but with the tie to Cancer the aggression shown by this card can be expressed in a passive-aggressive manner.

As a card of Cancer, the Chariot can stand for Prince William or Camilla, both sun sign Cancers. Here I think it stands for Prince William. Harry is taking out his anger on the BRF, and part of that anger is the fact that he is not the first born and he is not going to be King, like Prince William is. Harry is not yet attacking Prince William openly, but he will be making lots of passive-aggressive jabs at his brother, designed to show how much better he is than his brother.

The Chariot card shows how Harry is behaving. He is going straight for his goal and he does not care who he runs over on his way there. The Apple docuseries was driven by his anger and showed his aggression towards his family. Ares is the god of war, and war is associated with anger, so here we see Harry acting out his anger and rage. He will say anything and everything to achieve his goal, and he does not care who he hurts/runs over along the way. He will be both actively aggressive and passively aggressive against the BRF until he gets what he wants. This behaviour is not going to change, if anything it will get worse as he becomes more aggressive the more he is told 'No' by the BRF.

The Chariot is the card of Cancer, Cancer is ruled by the Moon, and the goddess of the Moon was called Diana. In astrology, one of the things the moon represents is the mother. Harry is going to war with the BRF on behalf of his mother, Princess Diana. As well as attacking the BRF for his own reasons, he truly believes that he is championing his mother by fighting the people who he thinks were the cause of all her pain and suffering.

Card Three: The King of Cups. This is the card of a water sign person, especially a Scorpio, and here it stands for Prince Charles, a sun sign Scorpio. This person is the focus of Harry's rage at this point in time. Harry's anger and aggression are both caused by past actions of Prince Charles and directed towards Prince Charles.

Card Four: The Knight of Wands. This can be a fire sign person, particularly a Sagittarius, or it can be a person who is charismatic and adventurous, but also wilful, impetuous, and prone to acting before they think. In this spread the card represents a person with the characteristics of the Knight of Wands, and that person is Harry.

As per the Knight of Wands card, Harry was and is following an idea with passion and enthusiasm. That idea was the Apple TV docuseries. He is pleased that is has been completed and been shown to the world. Unfortunately, the docuseries was an example of the main flaw of the Knight of Wands - jumping into action without thinking things through first. Harry has taken the opportunity to present himself and all his grievances on TV without considering the consequences of his actions. He thinks he is a knight, charging in to save people by showing his therapy session on TV. He has no idea how all his admissions of drinking, drug use, needling therapy etc will be seen by other people or how they can be used against him in the future.

The card shows the Knight of Wands mounted on a winged horse, rushing towards the figure on the left of the card, which is the King of Cups, who represents Prince Charles. Harry is charging ahead in his grievances and accusations against his father with no thought to how this will appear to members of the public, or of the damage he is doing to the BRF. All he can see is the opportunity to tell his story to the world and how he can present himself as a 'knight in shining armour', not realising that his actions in attacking his father negates that image.

Card Five: The Seven of Pentacles. This is a card about cultivating your affairs and seeing them flourish. It is a card about starting to see rewards from your hard work. In this deck it is also a card of dodgy acts and swapping allegiances, and it is this last energy that comes through the strongest in this reading.

The card shows Queen Pasiphae offering the craftsman Daedalus money to build her a wooden cow to mate with a white bull, an act of betrayal to her husband, King Minos, who is Daedalus's employer. The mating will result in the Minotaur, a monster that has to be kept within a maze so it doesn't escape and destroy the city and its inhabitants.

Daedalus here represents Harry, who has been moved from his allegiance to the BRF, his former employers. Now he betrays them by recounting events from his past where he is cast as the brave knight/hero and the BRF is cast as the villain. What he reveals about himself in these stories will become a minotaur for Harry, a monster that will devour him both now and in the future. We can already see this happening as people point out the inconsistencies in harry's stories compared to what he has said in the past, inconsistencies that result in Harry being seen as a liar (and so the stories are a minotaur that devours his reputation).

Card Six: The King of Wands. This is the card of a fire sign person, especially a Leo, and here it represents Meghan. Coming after the Seven of Pentacles, this confirms that Harry's allegiance is now given to Meghan instead of to the BRF.

Underlying Energy One: The Page of Cups. Pages can be children, or the beginnings of things, or a message. Here the energy is coming through as a message. Cups is the water suit, the suit of emotions, so it is a message conveyed through emotions and I feel that it is addressed to water sign people, particularly Prince Charles (a sun sign Scorpio) and Prince William (a sun sign Cancer).

Harry filmed the Apple TV docuseries after the funeral of his grandfather, Prince Philip, and he did it to send a message to his father and his brother. The card shows Narcissus gazing at his reflection in a cup of water, and this is what the message was about - it was all about Harry and how he sees himself and other people. It is about his memories and how he recalls certain events. Memory, like water, is fluid and it is easy for some people to remember the way they wanted things to be, rather than the way things actually are.

Harry's memories are distorted by how he wants to appear and by how he is experiencing things now. Instead of the cup in the image giving back a clear reflection of the landscape around it, it is filled with the face of Narcissus, and this is what is happening to Harry's memories - they are filled with him, his current situation, the current image he wants to project, instead of being a clear reflection of past events. He used those distorted memories to send a message via the Apple docuseries to the two water sign men in his family.

Underlying Energy Two: The Emperor. This is the card of the ruler of the world, the ultimate patriarch, and of a powerful paternal figure. Here the card is referring to Prince Charles. Harry's docuseries was aimed at Prince Charles. He wanted to vent all his emotions about how his father has treated him, emotions that reflect what he believes at this point in time but which may not reflect what Harry thought in the past, or what actually happened in the past.

The figure on the card of the Emperor is Zeus, the head of the Gods, seated on this throne with his thunderbolts and eagle messenger, holding the world in his hand to show his power over it. Harry sees his father as this all powerful figure, able to do whatever he wants, to unleash thunderbolts to destroy his enemies, send messages all over the world, or whatever he desires. Harry's emotional message of the Page of Cups card is directed at this powerful figure, which may or may not reflect the reality of Prince's Charles's situation.

This card may also represent how Harry wants to be seen by Prince Charles. He wants his father to see him as a powerful figure who can hurl thunderbolts aka 'truth bombs' when he [Harry] doesn't get his own way/ doesn't get to do what he wants when he wants to do it.

Underlying Energy Three: The Seven of Cups. This is a card about having many choices in an emotional matter and having to choose one or two options from those available. The card shows the goddess Aphrodite pointing to a cup, a choice, while Psyche kneels on the ground in front of her, begging her for a favourable decision. The suit again is cups, the suit of water and of emotions.

The figure of Aphrodite on the card represents the BRF, and for this reading it represents Prince Charles, as per the last card. The figure of Psyche represents Harry. Harry is using emotions to pressure his father into making a choice, i.e. he is using emotional blackmail against his father.

Harry wants his father to choose from the options available to him based on emotions, not logic, or rational thought, or practicality, or any other reason. His father, Prince Charles, buried his own father, Prince Philip, just over five weeks ago, and is still in the raw early stages of grief. At this vulnerable time, Harry is using emotional blackmail to get his father to make decisions the way Harry wants them made, rather than for the good of the family, the good of the BRF, or what is best for Great Britain.

As per Narcissus on the Page of Cups card, looking at himself in the water, Harry wants all decisions to be made with his, Harry's, best interests in mind. Nothing else matters to him. Harry fills Harry's world, and he wants all the decisions made by his father to be made on that basis - that the most important thing in the world, and the only one to be considered, is Harry.

Underlying Energy Four: The King of Pentacles. This is the card of an earth sign person, particularly a Taurus, and here it stands for HM the Queen. As HM the Queen, this card is giving me the energy of a threat. Harry is saying to his father 'If you don't give me what I want I will say things that will hurt the Queen'. The blackmail is not just against Prince Charles but against HM the Queen as well, a widow who buried her much loved husband just over five weeks ago.

The King of Pentacles shows what Harry wants from the BRF. The card show a man of high status - a King - holding a large gold coin, with a pile of other coins at his feet. Money and status. That is what Harry wants from his father and from the BRF. Pentacles is a suit of earth, of stability, so Harry wants stable money and status. He wants a stable stream of income from the BRF and to make his own money as a celebrity. He wants the stable status of being a HRH in the BRF and the status of being a celebrity. As he (and Meghan) said when they left the BRF, they want the best of both worlds and none of the hard work. This is why Harry is using emotional blackmail on the BRF, to get them to agree that he and Meghan can be both high ranking members of the BRF who are paid from the BRF purse and also celebrities who can use their titles and status to get as much money and fame as possible.

Conclusion: Harry is very happy with the Apple TV docuseries. He used it to present himself to the world as a saviour, a knight in shining armour, and he is glad that this image of himself is out there in public. He also used the docuseries to attack his father, and he is happy with how that went. The message he sent with it was one of emotional blackmail - I will keep hurting you with my revelations until you give me what I want.

Harry sees himself as a powerful person, riding roughshod over anyone in his way, hitting his family when he knows they will not fight back, and dropping 'truth bombs' on TV until his father gives in to his emotional blackmail and gives him what he wants - a stable income stream and all the status of being a HRH of the BRF, plus the ability to merch and monetise this status to his heart's content. His allegiance has changed, and he now is on Meghan's side against the BRF.

[pokemonswshbutionlyplayedsword]

What personality trait would the gym leaders say they hate the most about another gym leader?

This is gonna be a long one, have a seat.

Milo

Nessa- Her tendency to stick to what she knows. She’s not willing to try new things.

Kabu- His tendency to lean towards places like Motostoke with no nature.

Bea- The fact that she refuses to slow down and appreciate nature, despite always being out training in it.

Allister- His shyness. It’s hard to connect to him if they never speak.

Opal- She’s arrogant about nature and the forest in a way that bothers Milo.

Gordie- Milo’s problem with Gordie is how outgoing he is. When they’re together, Gordie tends to be the loud leader, and Milo would rather just relax. It’s fine to be outgoing, but Gordie unknowingly leaves people behind sometimes.

Melony- Melony tends to treat people younger than her like children. She means well but Milo is a gym leader and a business owner.

Piers- Piers is incredibly dull to Milo. They have nothing in common and it feels like Piers doesn’t even try sometimes.

Raihan- Raihan can often accidentally forget about the people near him. He’s a good friend, but sometimes he gets too sucked into social media.

Leon- Leon’s a people pleaser. Milo can never trust his opinions because he always says what he thinks Milo wants to hear.

Nessa

Milo- He’s a little bit of a doormat. Nessa wishes he’d be more assertive.

Kabu- Kabu thinks he’s wiser than a lot of people for some reason.

Bea- Bea is too serious about herself.

Allister- Nessa doesn’t really have a problem with him.

Opal- Opal is creepy to Nessa. Old people make Nessa nervous in general though.

Melony- She can worry too much.

Gordie- He doesn’t like to socialize much. Hanging out with him isn’t much fun for her.

Piers- Piers can be a jerk sometimes. He’s just sour in general.

Raihan- He’s too competitive.

Leon- Leon can be easily distracted. Having a conversation with him is difficult, and Nessa hates not being heard.

Kabu

Milo- Milo is too insistent on growing plants and nature. Motostoke has a park, thanks.

Nessa- She doesn’t have a lot of respect for people. Especially older people (not that that applies to Kabu specifically.)

Bea- Kabu gets along with Bea pretty well, though her sense of humor is pretty dry.

Allister- Kabu doesn’t really know Allister well enough to have a greivance.

Opal- Only person on the league who is older than him, so she acts like she’s better than him sometimes.

Gordie- Kabu is Melony’s friend, so he doesn’t agree with Gordie’s choice to be a rock type trainer.

Melony- She’s bossy to him, but they’re best friends, so he expected that.

Piers- Kabu secretly (so secretly he’s never told anyone) thinks Piers made the wrong choice in not having Marnie live with Melony when she was young.

Raihan- Too engrossed in social media.

Leon- He’s a smart guy, but he doesn’t show it, and that annoys Kabu.

Bea

Milo- It bothers Bea that Milo is so passive.

Nessa- Nessa constantly tries to push Bea to do more feminine things.

Kabu- Kabu’s really judgy.

Allister- Bea knows Allister better than most, so she knows that he’s stubborn and a picky eater.

Opal- Opal constantly writes off Bea’s strength since she thinks brains are more important in battling.

Gordie- Gordie fakes being confident and Bea thinks he should just be genuine.

Melony- Melony doesn’t seem to think Bea is capable of taking care of herself.

Piers- Bea doesn’t think Piers cares enough.

Raihan- Raihan tries too hard. Bea’s all about giving it 110%, but Raihan’s driven by the wrong goal.

Leon- Bea thinks that Leon let the fame go to his head a little bit.

Allister

Milo- Milo wants to get to know him too much.

Nessa- Nessa can be pushy, but not to him.

Kabu- Kabu seems to think he’s wiser than he actually is.

Bea- Bea is too strict. With Allister and herself.

Opal- Opal thinks that being a fairy type trainer makes her better than everyone else.

Gordie- Gordie isn’t honest with himself and his fans. None of them know that Gordie isn’t the same person behind closed doors.

Melony- Melony wants to mother him and he doesn’t like it.

Piers- Allister thinks that Piers doesn’t care about his position. He does it for the wrong reason.

Raihan- He’s too loud and eccentric. It’s a lot for Allister to deal with.

Leon- Leon puts his position as Champion above being a person.

Opal

Milo- Milo is too content being at the bottom of the circuit.

Nessa- Nessa is arrogant and bossy.

Kabu- Kabu wants to be the best, but he doesn’t put the work in for it.

Bea- She doesn’t balance her training enough, and worries too much about the brawn.

Allister- Allister isolates himself and she doesn’t think it’s healthy.

Gordie- He’s not honest with himself and doubts everything too much.

Melony- She can be overbearing.

Piers- He doesn’t take care of himself, and then complains about it.

Raihan- His fame is more important than being a gym leader, despite how hard he works.

Leon- Leon is a people pleaser.

Gordie

Milo- He doesn’t stand up for himself enough.

Nessa- She’s constantly pushing others to do things they don’t want to do.

Kabu- Clings too closely to Kanto. He left for a reason, didn’t he?

Bea- She doesn’t have a sense of humor and doesn’t seem to want one.

Allister- Allister can be brutally honest, but Gordie doesn’t blame him, he’s just a kid.

Opal- Opal thinks she knows everything.

Melony- This one’s obvious.

Piers- Pier is his best friend, but Piers is bitter and low energy, so staying with him is too slow a lifestyle for Gordie.

Raihan- He’s more obsessed with his fanbase than Gordie is, and that’s saying a lot.

Leon- Leon distances himself from the others, so it’s hard not to feel like Leon thinks he’s better than them.

Melony

Milo- He doesn’t stand up for himself.

Nessa- She refuses help from people for no reason.

Kabu- Complains to her a lot and has a hard time listening when she complains back.

Bea- Doesn’t take care of herself.

Allister- Needs to let people take care of him because he’s so young.

Opal- Very judgmental.

Gordie- This one is also obvious.

Piers- She hates herself for this, but she doesn’t think Piers should have had Marnie stay in Spikemuth with him when they were younger. And sometimes she thinks he hasn’t done the best job with her.

Raihan- He cares more about his fame than being a person.

Leon- His position takes priority over the brother that needs him.

Piers

Milo- He’s too insistent on Piers bringing plants into Spikemuth.

Nessa- She’s bossy and doesn’t take no for an answer.

Kabu- Kabu sides with Melony a lot, but he’s more vocal about their negative opinions of him.

Bea- She doesn’t take him seriously.

Allister- Piers doesn’t really have an issue with Allister.

Opal- He can’t stand that she always wants to read and understand him.

Gordie- Gordie often leaves him behind because he’s too impatient.

Melony- Melony doesn’t realize he knows what she thinks about him keeping Marnie with him.

Raihan- Raihan constantly pushes Piers out of his comfort zone in the bad way and overwhelms him.

Leon- Leon is hard to communicate with because he divides his attention between as many people as possible.

Raihan

Milo- Milo insists on people being calm and living life slow. Raihan doesn’t want that.

Nessa- Nessa wants to turn everything into a competition with him.

Kabu- Kabu judges him pretty openly.

Bea- She shows off around him a little. He knows she’s not vain, so she must be trying to tell him something.

Allister- Raihan doesn’t have a grievance with him. He’s just a kid.

Opal- She insists on knowing everything about Raihan and doesn’t listen when he tells her he’s uncomfortable with it.

Gordie- Gordie sides with Piers whenever Piers and Raihan get in a fight.

Melony- Melony cares a little too much that Raihan was raised by a single father.

Piers- Piers is just bitter. Everything Raihan does seems to bother him sometimes.

Leon- Leon always seems to be one step ahead. It infuriates him that Leon doesn’t have to train as seriously as he does.

Leon

Milo- Milo can be pretty closed minded when it comes to things related to plants and nature.

Nessa- Nessa is impatient and tends to get mad at him too quickly.

Kabu- Kabu is one of the league’s main gossipers.

Bea- She has attempted to “correct” Leon’s training regimen. Multiple times.

Allister- Allister doesn’t involve himself in the league enough.

Opal- Opal has a lot to say about Leon’s childhood, which he doesn’t want to talk about much.

Gordie- Gordie tends to ignore others without realizing.

Melony- Melony is overbearing.

Piers- He doesn’t care enough about the league.

Raihan- Raihan refuses to drop the competition between them and takes it way too seriously.

Reminder: They’re all really good friends. They’re like family, even. But everyone has flaws.

[aspoonfuloffiction]

Thank you! I just watched the first episode and when I came back to the tag here on tumblr I was suuuuuuper confused by some saying "Kate and Anthony are barely in it" and "you can't tell they are the main love story". I was wondering if I saw a different episode 😆 I thought the episode was really fun, kathony was def a highlight and loved the bridgerton family dynamics. Yes the featherington family out stayed their welcome but I thought that through most of season 1 so nothing really changed for me 🤷

Yeah I don’t get it either but at the end of the day it is to each their own. I don’t begrudge them their grievances

For me Anthony never doesn’t feel like the lead protagonist. His screen time felt as Daphne’s ep 1 screen time. He’s driving the plot and there’s immediately more insight into his character. I mean like I said I have already clocked in 1 Anthony Bridgerton related tearing up.

And I would argue in a 1:1 episode 1 comparison Kate was in this episode more than Simon was in episode 1 of last season. I’ll have to fact check obviously I could be wrong but between Kate’s scenes with all her numerous scene partners she’s very much in it. And her presence is very much felt throughout the episode.

[sylver-drawer]

A friend in a discord server I’m in told me I should talk about it on Tumblr, so I said why not.

Many people in the WMMAP (Who Made Me A Princess) fandom really belittle Jennette’s character for a variety of reasons, which I will gladly write about in a separate post. However, one reason people claim to dislike about her character caught my eye.

“Jennette’s idea of familial love being the strongest is stupid, and she’s stupid for believing she will ever get accepted as Claude’s daughter.”

For context, Jennette’s character. In the story, Jennette’s origins involve Anastacious and Penelope doing an experiment where Anastacious cursed his own unborn child with black magic. However, no one knew that Jennette was not Claude’s daughter, so Roger Alpheus raised Jennette as if she was Claude’s. That includes constantly telling her that she is Claude’s daughter from hen she was a young age and throughout her life. This is only one of the reasons wh Jennette is so adamant on familial love being the strongest form of love, due to her upbringing within the Alpheus Estate.

Now, here’s the ironic thing about this statement. The comment about ‘familial love being the strongest bond’, as well as the belittlement of Jennette’s naivety for this idea.

Jennette... isn’t wrong.

Now let me explain. It is true that her idea of the praise of familial love is strongly created by her sheltered upbringing and her naivety, but when you take a look at the whole story of WMMAP, she isn’t wrong at all. After all, we’ve seen proof of it throughout the whole Manwha.

Strictly analyzing and taking a look at Jennette’s interactions with other characters as a first example. Jennette, from as young as she was being a child, could identify herself the difference between different types of ‘love’ just by watching Ijekiel and Roger interact. This already separates her and the Alpheus’, because the Alpheus’ despite being vaguely related to her through blood, never actually considered her as family. Yes, including Ijekiel. And, Jennette realizes that disconnect.

After all, why else does she open up to the shadiest man she had met? Take a closer look at Jennette’s interactions. She can never truly open up to anyone. Not to Roger about her feelings. Not to Ijekiel about her feelings (which, I will also talk about in another post). But the one person she was able to open up to at all? It was her father. The man who is the most blood related to her. This also explains why her reaction and grievances over Rosalia’s death was so emotional. Despite most likely rarely meeting Rosalia in person, Jennette herself felt like she could open up to Rosalia, as Rosalia was the only one she felt she could open up to in a home where no one gave her that strong bond that is, ‘familial love’.

Every single person she has been able to open up to, was someone directly related to her as well as acknowledged themself as a part of her family.

I’m sure many people reading this, however, dislike listening about Jennette so I’ll use another example. Roger and Ijekiel.

Roger is an ambitious man. Despite being a Duke, the highest in the royal heirarchy other than the royals themselves, he wants more. Not for just himself, but for Ijekiel and Ijekiel’s future. That’s what his whole plan is about. Climbing the social circles, kissing Claude and Athy’s ass and manipulating a child—it’s for Ijekiel. Jen, the most oblivious and naive character in the story, had taken notice of their bond with eachother since she was a mere child.

That’s because Roger and Ijekiel are family.

They have their ups and downs with one another and disagree with one another, but ultimately, Ijekiel still calls Roger ‘Father’ and Ijekiel is still Roger’s ‘Son’. If Ijekiel truly does not agree with nor want to do something, Roger takes it into consideration because Ijekiel is his son. Because they are family. And that is the bond, the familial bond, that Jennette is referring to.

If that’s not enough evidence, then fine.

Athanasia and Claude.

Many argue that Jennette’s naive and idealistic hope is invalid. But the proof has been with our main character and her father this whole time.

Think about it. Before his amnesia. Before bonding with Athy. Claude had drawn interest in Athy because Athy was his and Diana’s daughter. Because he remembered Athy was his and Diana’s daughter. That’s the whole reason why Athy and Claude have a bond, because of their familial connection.

And you can’t even argue that’s not the reason their current relationship is how it is now, because the manwha always reminds us. Who does Claude always think about when he sees Athy? His lover, Diana. Their familial connection. That familial love. The whole reason why Athy remains with Claude to this day, because of their familial love. The familial love that everyone bashes Jennette about.

Haven’t we already known? The whole reason why Lovely Princess’ Athy suffered was because Claude never considered her as family. Because he forgot about their familial connection. Their bond. Even recently, Claude threatened Athy to the point of being seconds away from killing her because he forgot about their familial bond.

EVEN THE CONFLICT. Even the conflict derives from the concept of ‘familial love’. Anastacious and Claude, who loved eachother so much during their childhood. Their whole conflict, the reason why they even turned on eachother was because Anastacious was manipulated to doubt him and Claude’s bond. That’s what began their whole conflict.

And Aeternitas? He first became evil because Lucas questioned his origins and magic. Lucas questioned if he was truly the king’s son, questioning his and his father’s familial connection.

It’s been there this whole time. Jennette’s ideal of familial love being the strongest bond is the literal theme of WMMAP, and no one realizes that. Jennette was the original heroine as well. Why should it be so strange that her motivation is the theme of what is still the world of Lovely Princess, now Who Made Me A Princess?

WMMAP’s theme is ‘familial love is the strongest bond’. The proof of it has been in front of us the whole time, but we’re too blinded by our hate for the character to even listen.

[pla-teau]

WANDAVISION SERIES FINALE THOUGHTS

WHOEVER’S CUTTING ONIONS NEEDS TO S T O P.

hayward | i was one of the many few who really wished death on the man cause he’s just the worst. this man emptied his clip at two children. i’m glad jimmy was able to pull a fast one on this dick and that darcy hit him with the ice cream truck and very happy to see the man being taken away in cuffs.

vision vs. vision | while i would’ve enjoyed seeing them fight it out until one completely lost, it wouldn’t be vision without some philosophic conversation. it’s true vision fashion. he doesn’t fight unless it’s a last resort. he’s logical and can assess other means in which to deter a foe. truly enjoyed the scene and now i’m just curious as to where tf white vision yeeted off to after regaining the memories from hex!vision? some have speculated possibly wakanda since that is the place where he died. twice. i would love to see him possibly interact with shuri since she would’ve appeared in the memory montage that hex!vision provided him with alongside other events from infinity war.

agatha (aka not mephisto) | overall, i loved agatha as a character and i’m glad she wasn’t killed off by the end of the series. i know she was more villainous in the show but i’m glad they somewhat neutralized her even if it was by cruel punishment brought upon by wanda to keep her trapped in westview as a nosy neighbor. it keeps the door open for us to see more interactions between her and wanda. i’m also glad that she was the foe wanda had to go against. i know many (like myself) speculated mephisto would appear and be revealed but i’m happy i was wrong about that. this is the first entry into phase four and to spill out a big bad right away? probably not the best move. i know ant-man 3 is planning on introducing kang the conqueror so i wouldn’t be shocked if mephisto is used as a red herring to distract us from the actual big bad of the phase, kang the conqueror (while still keeping mephisto around obviously for future battles and possibly use him as a big bad down the road).

family is forever | i was sobbing when seeing the hex start shrinking down in the distance outside the boys’ window. i love that wanda and vision made the move to put them to bed as a way of saying goodbye so they wouldn’t have to see them disappear. i hope to see these same boys come back cause i think no matter what your theory was on them, viewers fell in love with them. if planning for young avengers, i cannot wait to see them be a part of it. given that these boys weren’t real and not actually wanda’s children, i think they’ll go the route that they’ll find each other even if not as a blood related family but reincarnations that know that wanda was their mother in one instance and see her as a mother figure (alongside their actual mothers, of course). i just love them and i really wish they stuck around but i know this won’t be the last time we see them!

wanda’s outfit | i love it and i think pays homage to her comic book costume while still fitting the aesthetic of wanda and the mcu. love the attention to detail and the pattern on her headpiece. someone on here also pointed out in a post how it resembles magneto’s suit and it makes me love it more because of that. in conclusion, this is the scarlet witch and she’s hot.

wanda and vision’s farewell | if i was sobbing at billy and tommy’s fate, i was wailing by the time these two started saying goodbye. we learn that the main reason vision was able to be created the way he was by wanda was because of the mind stone. while she is the scarlet witch, she was exposed to and enhanced by the mind stone that ended up becoming vision. like she said, it’s a part of her. he lives on in her and overall, this scene just cemented that these two are meant to be together. they are going to be that power couple in the mcu moving forward, together or apart. we know these two are meant for each other and have so much love for each other and will find their way back always. while they may change, the one thing you can bet your ass on is that they fucking love each other.

ralph bohner | the twist that no one saw coming - peter is ralph. it’s clear that he was being controlled by agatha because the moment monica took off the necklace, he woke up from her spell. a lot of people are swirling around to say that he’s probably woo’s missing person. we don’t know that and it’s something that’s left unconfirmed. while i would’ve enjoyed the reveal to be peter actually being peter from the x-men universe, i’m also happy he isn’t. yes there was a lot of fanfare and hope for this series to introduce the multiverse but in retrospect, it would’ve been too much to throw at us at the beginning of phase four. throwing in the multiverse right away would’ve taken away from the series being about wanda (separate point i’ll get to at the end). do hope to see evan peters in a future mcu project, though!

wanda’s story moving forward | i hope wanda becomes a sort of anti-hero for the future. this does set up her appearance in doctor strange 2 and i can’t wait to see what she does. while agatha said she’s destined to destroy the world and her power exceeds the sorcerer supreme’s, i hope the writers don’t make wanda into this villain that loses her logic because of extreme power. wanda has proven agatha wrong already by acknowledging the error in her ways. when she realized she was hurting the people of westview, she let them go and stopped hurting them. she learned that yes, she is hurting them without knowing so what she has to do is let them go. wanda has learned throughout her years with the avengers the consequences her powers can have on people. we know she’s never been trained by a witch and yes, that makes her dangerous with her chaos magic. the second post credit scene shows us that she’s determined to teach herself even if it’s through the darkhold. in seeing what she’s done and the power she holds, i think wanda will be this gray moral character. she holds a great deal of power, the most powerful being on the planet at the moment, and that can cloud her judgement at times. despite being an avenger, this show has really shown us that wanda is alone. while she was with the avengers, what have they really done? they kept her in check and helped her utilize her powers for good but then when civil war happened, she was detained and treated like a weapon of mass destruction. the avengers are clearly nonexistent and those that are around, haven’t bothered with her. i also hope that this new phase of marvel kinda tears down the original avengers and their actions because while intentions were good, not everything or everyone was perfect and there’s consequences. and i hope those consequences are shown through the main characters of this phase like wanda.

the complaints | while i loved this show so so much, i did have some issues. while i enjoyed that this show fleshed out more of wanda’s past, i’m sad that they didn’t confirm or at least try to make wanda jewish since they completely erased her romani roots from the comics. this goes back to my whole thing with representation which i’ve mentioned before in response to an article. while i love elizabeth olsen’s portrayal and care she has for wanda, a romani actress still should’ve been cast from the beginning. the least they could’ve done was at least make her jewish even if ever so subtly because that is the other half of wanda’s identity, even if it’s been retconned often. if they are never going to confirm her as magneto’s daughter in the mcu, at least honor that aspect of her identity if you’ve erased one major one already. representation matters and i wish they tried to do right by the character since they clearly paid close attention to other aspects of her comic book history and took a deep dive into her mental health. come at me for these thoughts but i’ll stand by them. another is just directed at the press for the show (i’m looking at you paul bettany). while fans went ham on the theories and marvel will do anything to misdirect you, i think there should’ve been a clear up from marvel about bettany’s claims of a big cameo coming in the series when it was about himself. i get you don’t want to spoil the show and the big surprises it may hold for the audience but still. i think there should’ve been someone behind the scenes or bettany’s publicist could’ve kinda told him to stop hinting at a super duper big cameo. yes, fans got carried away but i think when you’re doing press for marvel, it should be somewhat common knowledge that fans are going to analyze and try to figure out wtf is gonna happen. it’s fun theorizing, don’t get me wrong but when it’s gone the way it has for this show, i think it leaves a lot of people unsatisfied. i’ll admit i was being a clown thinking i’d see patrick stewart as professor x again since he’s an actor paul’s never worked with before and would be a huge fan service for the audience like in the mandalorian season finale. tldr; crazy fan theories comes with the territory. my final grievance actually has to do with the set up for monica’s engineer. i was also hoping we’d someone big or someone that could be big in the future, possibly it was a skrull at the end but the tone and way monica talked about it, i think it was underwhelming to see a character that we came not to care too much about.

final thoughts | overall, i loved this show and it was refreshing to see marvel embrace the magical side of their universe as it continues to expand. the cast was amazing. everyone in the cast and crew deserve awards because this really gave us a show about wanda. i think a lot of people lost that (including myself) with all the theorizing; goes back to my complaint about press for the show. it gave us a show that dealt with trauma and grief in a way we haven’t seen before in marvel’s cinematic universe. i’ll admit i didn’t care much for wanda as i did with the others but this show made me care for her a lot more and made me a bigger fan of her and vision’s story. it grounded itself in dealing with wanda’s grief and trauma in a new way while also exploring her character more. so i’m happy that we didn’t get a super big cameo or that the multiverse wasn’t confirmed because then the tone and attention would’ve shifted away from this story being about her. i hope marvel can give us shows like this that make us care about a character’s emotions and feelings rather than just how cool and badass they look in a suit. it was clear that the cast and crew made this with such love and care that had good storytelling and kept us on edge every week. i hope that marvel can show us these types of stories and ranges from characters in future movies as well.