#and also claims to be so important in his activism while doing literally nothing of note

[rgbstatic]

i think in both regards to story, and in terms of meta/real life

doomsday and the destruction of l’manberg killed the server.

whether people were for or against or apart of l’manberg or not, it was a gathering point that brought people together to talk. it was a place people would hang out. it was a place with lots of chests to steal food and supplies from. in new l’manberg so so many people spent their time their even if they were completely unaffiliated or lived somewhere else.

storywise when it was destroyed, the story just lost a central characteristic for conflict, and a very important thing. l’manberg wasn’t just a place. it was ideals it was imagery, it was a goal, it was safety it was so many things, and with it gone with no hopes of returning, no matter how many new places people built they were all empty and never the same.

and with it gone everyone literally had to go their own ways. everyone who gathered there went far far away to make their own homes.

on a meta standpoint, people like talk about how much they miss old dream smp streams and that’s because of the non serious lore streams. where walking down a path and bumping into someone could lead to goofing off or serious talks.

where tommy could build a pathway from manberg to pogtopia for prime and for the upcoming rebellion, and get caught by a vice president who decided it was his day off and he was going to roleplay as a mcdonald’s worker.

it’s how you have tommy and tubbo goofing off on the server not doing lore, only for schlatt to see and they go lore mode and have to make up a pregnancy excuse.

it’s how you got silly serious moments. it’s also just straight up how you had people interact. if everyone lived hundreds of blocks away, it’s harder to just randomly run into each other while building or running to do something, meaning you’re less likely to talk, and less likely for anything to happen.

when l’manberg acted as a central hang out spot, people built their homes in close proximity, they would stick around the area and things naturally happened.

destroying l’manberg was, in my opinion, the worst thing they could have done. doomsday did very very little narratively to the story. the community house gathering did more to the story than doomsday did. and it was awful because tommy rallied people behind him to fight in doomsday not for him, but because if they could do this to l’manberg what would stop them from doing it to every other group.

and everyone fought, and despite an entire server fighting it was pointless.

the only thing doomsday did was force people to hide. and you can make claims for ranboo who went to live with phil and techno- but ranboo’s character arcs could’ve had a very similar outcome by staying with almost anyone else.

no l’manberg ultimately just drove everyone away, and there was never any serious or successful move to make anything on that server take its place, to fill the hole, so there was nothing to actively pull things together. no driving force or motivation, nothing to supply passive roleplay, nothing to bring people together.

everyone lost on doomsday. that loss of l’manberg meant no one could ever win again. just think about it. after doomsday, it was loss after loss.

the final disc confrontation? tommy and tubbo lost. they were rescued, but they lost their fight, and it was a trap anyway.

dream in prison? well he has punz on the outside, doesn’t matter, and he can control ranboo, and he still got to kill tommy AND ghostbur. it was a loss. and he escaped.

every single fight after. quackity lost, wilbur lost, tommy and tubbo lost again, and again. the server for everyone ended in a loss.

there was not ever a win again. usually in stories, after losses, you want something good to happen to make those hardships worth it. just like when good things happen you want bad things to happen to make it worth it, you need a balance.

think of the revolution. the up and down rollercoaster. the freedom into war into loss and death into hope into loss into compromise into win.

the election was a nail biting race where depending on who you voted for, was lose and a win. for tommy and wilbur it was a loss, but they quickly gathered things up, they had hope, and they had energy, and a plan, and techno joined and they were confident. there were ups and downs up until doomsday, afterword no character seemed to get an up. any positive was immediately trivialized. for example tommy’s decided to try and heal and make a hotel which was immediately turned into a problem where people tried to fight him over it and then he died. or he got a pet that made him happen and everyone tried to set it free or kill it. he finally starts to feel safe no relax and dream breaks loose, and he is endlessly stalked the entire time, and he dies alone with his abuser and his abuser’s accomplice.

there is never an up after doomsday, and killing l’manberg that day killed the dream smp.

[alicent-vi-britannia]

The narrative importance of the Ragnarök Connection

Charles zi Britannia believes that humans are liars. His ideology is based on the fact that the suffering of the world comes from deceptions and, for this reason, the Ragnarök Connection consists of destroying the set of masks that people use in front of others to force the people to be themselves. This isn't a hive mind nor the literal destruction of the world. It's about, in Jungian terms, destroying the Persona archetype (the face we decide to show to others, not the one we truly are). This way people wouldn't have to lie, they could understand each other and conflicts would end. Sounds good, in theory. The problem is that the emperor's plan involves eliminating free will and individuality, which reflects Lelouch's parents' rejection of human nature. Charles' view of humanity is quite simplistic, binary and dismissive. That's why Charles appears painted red and blue on a background of the world in the opening.

Lelouch and Suzaku reject this vision and this plan. Lelouch says that people still lie for good reasons (a purpose) and Suzaku agrees, claiming that they may lie to protect others like Euphemia and Shirley who kept Lelouch's secret. Lelouch understands that masks are necessary and are part of people's identity. He proves it in the last interaction he has with his father. Nunnally's smile is a mask, but that doesn't make it fake. It's her way of accepting her unfortunate fate and being grateful that she is still alive and is with her loved ones. Lelouch is aware of this and accepts her mask.

The Ragnarök Connection involves the elimination of the effort that humans must make to learn and empathize with them. Consequently, no new experiences are forged and nothing evolves. And, if nothing changes, life loses total meaning and becomes empty. An empty life is a life without a future or hope or purpose. That's what Lelouch explains to CC and Rolo.

Lelouch tells CC in the seventh episode of the first season: "Until I met you I was dead. An empty corpse existing behind a false guise of life, a life in which I did nothing real. Day to day, I merely went through the emotions of living as if I were a zombie. And I always had the feeling that I was gradually dying. If I’m condemned to go back to that, then I’d rather…"

And then he tells Rolo in the fourth episode of R2: Rolo, what is the future? The future is hope. Without hope, your life is on hold, empty, waiting. And you have no hope beyond your mission, Rolo. If you capture C.C., what sort of future will it open for you? Things will just go on as they are, and nothing will change.

Code Geass often uses Lelouch to emphasize the importance of having a purpose in life, even if all the characters demonstrate it in one way or another. It is one of the main themes. For Lelouch, Zero/the Rebellion was always that future. However, in this episode everything is questioned because Lelouch discovers that one of the reasons for his revenge is false because his mother is alive and, furthermore, his rebellion was part of his parents' plan (and CC to a lesser extent). Given this, he reaffirms his individuality and his will.

God/C's world is the human will, which means that it is a collection of the wills of all the people who have ever existed, including Lelouch's. He activated his Geass, not to use it on God, but to influence it. At that moment his will was so powerful that he not only convinced God to stop his parents, he also increased the power of Geass and unlocked it in his other eyeIt's important to note that he made a wish, instead of using Geass, because that differentiates him from his father. While the Emperor intended to bend the C's world to his will, Lelouch doesn't want to do so. He saw himself reflected in his father. They both suffered in the past and wanted to change the world for the better. The thing is Charles was trying to impose peace and although he had good intentions, it was an evil and selfish act. Lelouch realized he was doing the same thing with Zero, technically.

In this way, Lelouch understands that the end doesn't justify the means since his parents sacrificed everything for their ends and, as a result, lost themselves and their motivations. Humanity's sake or, what is the same, "reunion with those from whom we are separated" was the lie that Marianne and Charles used to convince themselves that they were right and were the scapegoat to justify all the sins they committed and allowed to be committed. Lelouch reveals their hypocrisy by pointing out the unconsciousness of their statements. Although Charles and Marianne took Lelouch and Nunnally away to protect them, they didn't seek justice for the crime committed, instead, they became VV's accomplices by using Charles' Geass on Nunnally and then they did not stop the war between Japan and Britannia because they wanted to get the Thought Elevator on Kaminejima Island for their plan. In the same way "Nunnally" was the scapegoat and the lie for Lelouch in his rebellion, however, Lelouch is honest with himself and recognizes that his true motivation was to protect the people he loved. This sincere display is what persuades Suzaku to work with him once again.

One of the main unknowns of the series is "do the ends justify the means?" Suzaku says, "No, the means determine the ends and that's why I will follow the right path by trying to change the unjust regime from the inside while keeping my integrity intact." Lelouch says, "Yes and I can be this manipulative, control-freak leader over these 'pawns' if it means stopping Britannia/saving Nunally." The series answers that neither is completely correct and that both have their advantages and disadvantages. Lelouch and Suzaku end up realizing it here. Suzaku says, "If you want to achieve that end, you must act." And Lelouch says, "Yes, the means to that end requires me to reject something." That is, both must sacrifice something to achieve their goal.

In short, the narrative objective of this scene is to show us that Lelouch and Suzaku understand what humanity wants and establish themselves as defenders of free will, as well as accepting the virtues and defects of the human condition. It's in the nature of men to lie and be confrontational, but they also dream of a tomorrow. Ultimately, the Ragnarök Connection is the final stage for Lelouch and Suzaku's evolution. Thanks to this plan, they perfect their ideals, manage to unite and are able to save the world. It's an important moment that solidifies all the themes of the series and sets the foundation for Lelouch and Suzaku's final plan: Zero Requiem.

PS: If you think this analysis blew your mind, hope you see it from the perspective of Joseph Campbell's monomyth :P

[farfromstrange]

Cavities | Matt Murdock x Reader

masterlist

Pairing: Matt Murdock x gender neutral!Reader

Summary: based on this request by a lovely anon. You need to have your cavities taken care of. Matt offers to stay by your side.

Warnings: none (not proof read)

A/n: I hope you like it! I’ve never had any cavities and the last big procedure I had was my wisdom teeth removal, so I tried my best to write something that’s comforting enough. It’s pretty short, I think you can count it as a Drabble. I wish you all the best of luck, anon, and that everything works out!

If you take a look at the doctor profession, there are some doctors we are naturally programmed to fear. One of those being the dentist. Don’t get me wrong, you go to your mandatory appointments — albeit hesitant — get your teeth checked like any other adult and then go on your way. You’ve always been a little queasy, but it’s been tolerable so far. Until your doctor walked into the room the other day and revealed that your perfect teeth, that you have claimed to be perfectly healthy, are actually quite a little damaged.

When he came in to tell you that you had eight cavities, you almost instantly lost your mind. It would mean you’d have to get it fixed because cavities and crowns are not something you want to wait with. But it’s one of those procedures that make you want to rather die than sit in that godforsaken chair and let them drill into your mouth.

You have already searched for your passport and found your travel-sized bag in the closet of you and your boyfriend’s shared apartment. If you left the country, it surely wouldn’t kill you, right? You can’t say it hasn’t actively crossed your mind. You hate going to the dentist, especially when higher things need to be done than just the occasional check-up. Your past experiences have not left you with a good memory. And even though your dentist is the kindest doctor you can think of, you can’t bring yourself up to relax. All you can think about is how you don’t want this and you’d rather die than let your mouth be poked open and drilled into. The sounds, the feeling, everything that you connect with the experience already drives you crazy long before you’re set for your appointment.

But unlike all the times before, you’re not alone this time.

“Eight cavities,” you whine as you roll over in bed, the piece of paper that signed your demise on the living room table. “Eight cavities, Matt!” you say louder and he flinches at your voice so close and loud to his sensitive ear.

“And they want to fill four. Four, Matt! At once.”

Matt chuckles. He's already dressed in his work attire while you’re left in your pyjamas. “You’ve said that about a million times, sweetheart,” he says.

“Because it’s not fair! What did I ever do to deserve this?”

“It’s a standard procedure. It happens. Most of us will get cavities at least once in our lives. There is literally nothing to be ashamed or worry about.”

You give a dramatic sigh. “God hates me.”

“He doesn’t.” He kisses your forehead gently from where he bows over you. “I strongly believe God loves you more than anything. You’re gonna be fine. I’ll be there and hold your hand all the way through, okay? I promise you. No one’s gonna hurt you.”

“The drill is gonna hurt me,” you retort.

When you weakly told your boyfriend about the whole Dilemma, he didn’t laugh at you, although it seemed like he wanted to. Instead, he understood and he offered his help. You were more than surprised to find him so willing to hold your hand, but you agreed. You wouldn’t say no to his everlasting support. Though the closer the date comes, the more nervous you’re starting to feel, and suddenly his support seems a little less important because it still feels like they are going to kill you in that stupid dentist’s office.

You haven’t properly slept since you got the news, he knows that, but he also knows he can’t take away your fear entirely, no matter how much he wishes he could.

“They’ll numb the area,” Matt explains. “You won’t feel a thing. The pressure, maybe, but that’s normal. It’s not gonna hurt you. You’ll see, you’re gonna feel so much better after. There is nothing you can’t do, okay? You’re one of the strongest people I know.” This time, he plants his lips on yours in a living kiss that screams in his supportive nature.

You ease into his touch, allowing yourself to relax a little.

“I love you, sweetheart,” he says.

You sigh. “I love you too.”

“Good. Can I leave you alone now or are you gonna start tearing the walls down?”

“I’m okay.”

“Alright. I gotta get work, get a head start so my missing tomorrow won’t be as bad. You know, new client and all that.”

His steps disappear out of the bedroom and into the living room. As soon as he’s even just an inch from you, your mind begins to reel again.

“What if they take my teeth?”

Matt groans. “They will not take your teeth!”

“They might,” you say. “And you can’t tell if they are because you can’t see them. You’d just be like, what are they doing? Sounds weird, but I’ll allow it. And in the end I’ll wake up without my teeth.”

“They won’t take your teeth. What would they want with a whole set of teeth anyway?”

“I don’t know, sell them? Use them as prosthesis for other people without teeth?”

“Okay,” he laughs, “No one’s gonna sell your teeth. They’re important, you still need them. Dentists are not teeth thieves. And even if they were, your boyfriend’s a lawyer. I can sue them.”

“You would do that?” you say.

He pokes his head around the corner of the bedroom. “Of course, I would. You’re the love of my life. Now stop overthinking or I’ll take you with me and tie you to Foggy’s desk.”

You don’t stop overthinking, not until you walk into your dentist’s Office the Next day and the sterile smell as well as the sight of all the instruments before you almost give you a heart attack.

You turn around. “Nope, not gonna happen.” But Matt has already grabbed your shoulders and forced you to stay.

“Sit,” he instructs.

“No.”

“Sweetheart, I know it’s scary, but you’re not alone. This is not a torture chamber and you are not on death row. So sit down!” He pushes you into the chair.

You groan. “Matt, please, let’s just fake my death. I… I don’t want to do this.” Your lip quivers and your voice starts to shake. The stress is tearing away at your bones and you’re this close to getting your passport and feeling.

This close.

Matt catches the frustrated tear that slips your eye with his finger. Your arms are crossed over your chest, and your head is turned away from him and all the torturous Instruments before you.

“It’s gonna be okay, baby. After this, I promise I’m gonna cuddle you for as long as you want,” he says oh-so-sweetly. “And when you’re allowed to have ice cream again, I’ll get all your favorite flavors. We’ll have an ice cream party.”

“Even chocolate?” you ask.

“Even chocolate,” he says.

“But you hate chocolate.”

“I’d do it for you. I’d do anything for you.”

You look at the hand he is offering you, then his soft smile and the white light reflected in his red glasses. And though your limbs are shaking violently, you take his hand and he instantly pulls you close. He holds your hand with an intensity that gives you strength. The look on his face and his hand are enough to ease some of the anxiety.

The nurse compliments you at some point, “What a great boyfriend you have!” she says. You smile and nod, but it doesn’t hit the mark.

You’re still shaking by the the time they pull out the sedative.

“I don’t like this,” you murmur. “Can’t we just go?”

“It’s that or the pain,” says the nurse.

“I don’t like to be numb.”

Matt squeezes your hand. “The pain is only gonna be worse if you don’t take it,” he says. “I’m here, okay?”

You think about it, but eventually nod to give the go-ahead. Your nails dig into his skin and it must hurt, but he doesn’t say anything.

As soon as the sedative has set and you can barely feel your mouth anymore, the rest of the procedure goes smoothly. There is no doubt in your mind that without Matt, you would have gotten a heart attack.

“Bad experience with dentists?” the doctor asks halfway through the procedure when he catches sight of how tightly you’re holding your boyfriend’s hand.

You glare at him. With his pesky little fingers in your mouth, you can’t speak.

Matt jumps to your defense. “Bad is an understatement,” he says.

“Well, we’re almost done.”

You thank whatever God he believes in once the ordeal is finally over and you allow yourself to breathe again. Your tongue is flapping around funnily in your mouth and you can't feel anything, but it’s better than the pain.

“Good job,” Matt cooes into your ear. “I knew you could do it.”

You huff. “Jus’ ‘ake me home.”

“You sound even funnier than when you’re drunk.” His eyes crinkle and he giggles when he senses the murderous look in your eyes.

“‘M gonna shove my foot s’ far up your ass…”

“Sure thing, sweetheart. You’d have to reach that far first.”

You land on the bed exhausted, drained and numb. When Matt tries to leave, you grab his hand, afraid he might leave you miserable like this.

He shushes your pleas. “I’m just getting some comfortable clothes and some water for you. I’ll be right back and then I’ll cuddle you, okay?” he says. “I promised to take care of you. I’m not gonna leave you.”

And he does. He comes back with a pair of sweatpants and a shirt. He gets you dressed, fluffs your pillows and gets an extra blanket. There’s water and some snacks once you can eat again on the nightstand and his arms land around you, finally, after what feels like an eternity.

Until you’ve found a comfortable position it takes a while, but once you do and his heartbeat sounds strong in your ear, you can’t help but sigh and let the exhaustion fall off of you.

“And,” he muses, “was is it really that bad?”

“The worst,” you slur.

He chuckles, rubbing your back with his large hand. “It’s alright. Dentists are scary. But you’re okay now. You did it and you didn’t kill anyone in the process.”

You snort.

“Kidding! You really did good. I’m proud of you. And now it’s over and you don’t have to worry anymore. There is nothing you can’t conquer,” he says, “and you prove it every day, sweetheart.”

Another tear slides down your cheek and onto his shirt. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me for telling the truth. I love you, sweetie.”

“Love you too, Matty.”

“C’mon, get some rest. I’ll be right here with you. And tomorrow, ice cream.”

You snuggle into his warm arms, completely disappearing as you melt like an ice cube.

“Ice cream,” you sigh in approval.

You couldn’t have asked for a better companion, let alone a better boyfriend. There is no one than can match up to Matt Murdock and the dedication he gives to the people he loves — the dedication he gives to you. And with him by your side, getting a few cavities filled feels just a little worse than it actually is.

[espeonkin]

Honest question: Why do you refuse to speak a word or even share anything against Israel during this time as someone who has connections to it? Why does defending your view of otherkin and furry drama come before defending the real lives of innocent people being killed?

Your online space is ultimately yours to choose what you do with, but this silence is deafening. Pouring blood sweat and tears fighting against some dumb kin jokes made by a few young teens, yet refusing to make a peep over real life genocide and ethnic cleansing being done by a place you frequently visit, is concerning, to say the very least. Please think about this and do better.

hi, i want to preface this response with the fact that while i am going to try to be as eloquent as possible in this response, this is a stressful topic, and i'm probably going to misspeak or forget to include certain things i mean to say because this was an additionally stressful message to receive. i don't want to come off as though i'm refusing to speak at all, though, which is why i'm responding now, instead of after I've had a bit more time to process everything you've said to me.

first, i'd like to address you saying that i "have connections" to israel and "frequently visit" it. i have absolutely no connection to israel. i have no family that lives there, and i have only been there once, four years ago. the only "connection" i have is that i'm jewish, which i don't consider to be a legitimate reason to say i have a connection to israel or especially its government. is that what you're insinuating here? because i'm jewish i'm connected to the state of israel? when i was there, i was personally very uncomfortable with how militarized everything was and frankly wanted nothing more than to leave, but it was a vacation with my family and rabbi, so i couldn't very well leave and go home on my own. and again. this was four years ago and before i was better informed on what the state of israel has done and is continuing to do.

on that note, the reason why i haven't been speaking on the current events related to israel is because it's a very stressful topic for me and i've been going through a rough mental health patch as is already. i can't begin to describe how horrible it feels to hear the constant claims that these are being taken in the name of the religion that i was born into and holds such deep personal value to me even still. i never asked for this. my jewish friends never asked for this. do you know how it feels to have your parents so thoroughly indoctrinated by propaganda that they call you a traitor to your religion for not believing every word that comes from the israeli government? to try so hard to help them unlearn the propaganda only to be met with such thorough resistance? so. please forgive me if i'm trying to make my little corner of the internet just a bit less stressful for me to exist in.

as for the "why is it more important to you to defend your views of otherkin" part, it's because it's less emotionally taxing for me than a literal real world genocide. it's something personal to me, and i'd like to be able to talk about it when possible, but I would like to emphasize that there have been periods where even this has been too much for me to handle and i've had to back off from the topic at points.

i don't like being told to "do better" here. because the fact of the matter is that i know my limits and talking about a literal genocide for weeks on end is frankly not within them. continually exposing myself to travesty when i know it's not within my limits isn't activism, it's emotional self harm. i also would like to know where you heard that i "frequently visit" and "have connections to" israel. or is that something you just came up with because i'm jewish?

i hope i addressed things eloquently enough. sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear, or if i forgot anything in efforts to make a faster response. i hope this answer is sincere to you.

[brineffxiv]

We catch up to Matsya in time to save him from a kidnapping attempt by a group of tempered Imperial soldiers.

Matsya passes on some information about the beings that have been sighted around the tower; apparently, they resemble the deities of the people of Thavnair. When we inquire about the deities in question Matsya invites us back to his village to learn about them.

In the village, Matsya shows us a scroll depicting three of their most revered deities: three sisters representing wisdom, wealth, and crafts. There are also other deities, but I suspect the sisters are the important ones since the game showed us an image of them. Matsya also tells us that dragons have an important place in Thavnairian faith, and that the Satrap - the ruler of Radz-at-Han, the capital city - has an ancient pact with a dragon deity who is rumored to fly to his aid in times of need. This will be important later.

We arrive at the Great Work to find the alchemists all laying on the ground. They appear to be unharmed, yet asleep. What.

Thankfully, Varshahn here arrives with a basket full of scales to wake them all. And indeed they pop to their feet immediately upon being informed of fresh scales. So it was a comedy bit and not a dramatic one. Phew.

They are making a talisman to protect against the tower! That's amazing.

I notice that Varshahn takes particular note of Estinien, which makes sense when it's revealed that the scales are dragon scales. Given willingly, apparently, by the aforementioned dragon ally of the Satrap.

Oh dear. Estinien has also caught the eye of the alchemists. They want to steal his blood.

Poor Estinien.

While Nidhana claims that the people of Thavnair have long worked to create effective countermeasures for primals and their aetheric corruption, I suspect that Thavnair has little first-hand experience with primals. Just judging by how fast their research progressed once that tower was dropped on their island. Nothing like an active threat to provide incentive to innovate.

They need me to assist in testing their talisman, by being an escort into the tower's field of influence. That sounds... worrying. If I, myself, am not doing the testing, it implies that someone vulnerable to tempering will be putting themselves at risk. I admire the brave soul willing to put their work to the test in such a manner.

I pass all the tests just fine, as I knew I would. Hydaelyn makes a damn good blessing.

Nidhana asks me to escort her outside while she gathers some vital components. No sooner do we exit the Great Work than we are again set upon by a group of tempered Imperials attempting to kidnap her.

The outing provides me with the opportunity to ask Nidhana about the island's history and the Satrap, which she gladly tells me.

It is an interesting system of government, and it is clear the people have a great respect and love for their leader.

I am mildly suspicious that I have yet to see this man, or even hear his name. The last time a leader figure was hidden from me, he turned out to be Vauthry. But, all signs indicate this isn't a repeat of that situation. The Satrap seems to be active in caring for and looking after his people.

Nidhana and I make an uneventful trip back to the Great Work.

What is it with Ascians and sitting on top of buildings??

Oh wait, it's the literal "looking down on people" thing. That's it.

Uh-oh. Danger!

Are you talking about that Allagan scientist? Owen?

You are! But how did you know about him? His boss wouldn't let him... make...

*narrows eyes*

I have... two dots. And I don't know how to connect them. You are implying you were someone in authority in the Allagan Empire. At minimum, you must have been connected with either Owen or his boss, Amon. And it's not easy to forget that Amon was second-last boss of Syrcus, especially when I end up running that damn raid every other day for Alliance Roulette.

Which is... kinda trippy? I did not expect Syrcus Tower to be relevant in Endwalker, and yet... Everything always comes back to the Allagans.

So he's not going to interfere... But he is watching. Oh hells.

[olympusthief]

ooc: a god verse for luke, and I think i have touched on it before, but I kind of want to flesh it out. most of it either revolves around hermes disappearing a la pan (seeing as these two are distantly related in terms of things iykyk), or hermes dying which would be difficult because in general gods don’t “die” ya know.

but like the remaining pantheon is in like a nervous breakdown because hermes is important all of them are, but like hermes is one of the few gods that in my opinion actively helps modern day society and so they gotta replace the messenger ASAP.

now hermes has a shit ton of kids, they could go to any of them. but it is common knowledge to literally all god and god adjacent people that Luke is the most obvious replacement. And if you think that greek gods are freaking out, the roman counterparts are like we did not think this through cause guess what (to my knowledge) they don’t really have a strong contender who is a son of mercury to put forward.

so on both sides they are like alright we gotta find luke. the thing is Luke was not only personally blessed by his father, and claimed by his father in person, he is one tricky bitch to find, especially since he makes good with those around him they wont rat him out. so when luke doesn’t want to be found he isn’t going to be found, that is just how he is. that is perk of his particular gifts of his dad, being a man of roads and trade Luke knows how to fucking disappear and go right off the grid.

Luke is hard to find. And it is at a point where their is more or less a bounty on finding him just so the gods can ask him to take place of his dad but guess what things are going nuts cause communication is like so hard because with Hermes overseeing it what he did is falling onto the non-main pantheon gods and they already have alot to handle without the burden of Hermes’ responsibilities onto them.

Luke is found and flat out rejects the idea, and it more or less looks like catch me if you can as luke cons his way around the world so the gods do not catch him. Luke has and always will have a very complicated relationship with the gods and particular Apollo and his father.

He finally gets caught again and asked again. He does not want this, he very much learned his lesson when he tried to get power last time. Nothing about this sounds good to him. But he agrees on two conditions. (1) Apollo remove the curse from his mother and heal her of the curse’s affects on her life, and help her come to terms with what happened. and (2) Each of the main pantheon at least must follow in the footsteps of his father and fade and/or die and allow a successor to take their place.

Now the gods are like no. so luke is like “peace out” and it is quite literally a stand still for a while with the gods slowly seeking luke out like one by one trying to appeal to him but he wont budge. but its obvious why they are uncomfortable with the idea. particularly the second one.

however luke is just as hard about his first condition must be met. and apollo is a hold out when their is finally an agreement to the second. and luke says he will never agree if his mother dies still under the grasps of the curse that should have been lifted when Apollo got his new oracle. then he brings up old history about how this goes beyond payback from the fucking cows that hermes already apologized for and even created apollo’s famed instrument as part of said apology.

so it eventually happens. and it is a huge fucking deal particularly because luke is infamous, but also famous. there are many who are hesitant about this, but his ceremony to becoming a god is like a huge fucking deal and many of those who knew hermes comments how much luke looks like his father which irks him to no end.

so luke goes through this ceremony terrified because he knows what it feels like, in a sense. he is scared. and he is pretty much alone because he doesn’t really have friends anymore and he definitely wont once he sits upon the pantheon. he is scared and has no one to reveal this too and it is a weakness in him, that will plague him in his godhood, which just fits for the god of trade and commerce and travelers to be scared about how lonely he is because that is what started the mess all the way at the beginning in the first place.

things start to right themselves in the way of the world when luke officially takes on Hermes’ mantle using the god’s former name as a title only and still referring to himself as luke. It becomes something a bit silly as he is “The Hermes” now which he will figure out a way to change but he doesn’t know a better title in all honesty because it kind of just fits. As a roman he is just The Mercury. Those who know him call him Luke otherwise it is via the title. whether the other eventual replacements continue with this naming convention is up to them but it is what luke decided for himself

[vibesaresimplyatrocious]

At some point in the comics Matt's identity becomes the world's worst kept open secret. I'm pretty sure he sues the press for this.

Would he still be able to get away with this in Jumble Sale Chic's universe considering the territory thing?

Was claiming territories that large ever outlawed or is it just taboo?

So, yes and no.

He would probably be able to get away with it in the sense that he’d probably be able to dodge a legal finding that he’s Daredevil. Like, Matt in the comics and Matt in JSC are both breaking laws as daredevil. If I remember correctly comics Matt sued the press for libel, and they weren’t able to prove he was daredevil, so they had to print a retraction. which means the evidence people had on him had to have been super fucking weak, because he beat them on a preponderance of the evidence standard and a criminal finding would be on the much higher beyond a reasonable doubt standard, so a criminal case would have next to no luck. So everyone knowing he's daredevil isn't the same as having a legal finding that he's daredevil--namely, it lessens the risk of him getting prosecuted or disbarred.

Matt in JSC has an extra hurdle to jump in the sense that he also can be identified by the scent thing, which he’s obscuring using blockers right now, and like. If he gets dragged in, they’re gonna be able to withhold blockers. He’d be clocked as the guy who smells like daredevil. I think he’d probably just rely on his fake twin brother and point the finger at Mike Murdock, identical in everything. So, Matt would probably get away with it like he did in the comics.

The problem is that claiming massive territories like Matt did is incredibly illegal in the JSC universe. So I can see them coming after Matt in JSC even harder than they did in the comics--maybe he doesn't get away with it. Like, comic Matt is committing a lot of violent crimes. But JSC Matt is committing a lot of violent crimes and is a serious threat to public safety.

And it’s basically for like, the exact reasons why hand-spun silk happened. The problem at the start of hand-spun silk isn’t that Matt didn’t have a partner; the problem is that Matt didn’t have a partner and he had a massive fucking territory filled with enemies to be possessive over. Like, the hierarchy of concerns during rut goes: 1) mate 2) territory 3) literally nothing else. If Matt had a partner, that’d be sort of where his entire attention span would stop, the way it happened with Peter. He’d just get really intense and obsessive about one specific person and his territory would only rank as important enough to break through that focus if like, fucking Fisk showed up and started being an active threat to his terf and his partner. But if there isn’t a person, then all of his attention goes to being intense and obsessive about his territory.

And taking care of a partner consists of very different things than taking care of all of Hell’s Kitchen. Like, he just wanted to be schmoopy and clingy with Peter. He will want to brutally murder Fisk and leave his body as a warning to everyone else. Claiming this big of a territory is not just the sort of thing that’s taboo to do—it’s a big ol’ sign saying “i may lose it and kill people one day”

If someone with as big of a territory as Matt doesn’t have a partner occupying their attention, there’s a huge risk of the person in question either killing or raping someone while in rut. There’s like, other considerations involved in the creation of that law—the idea of territory is pretty primitive, people have like, mortgages and leases now, also it sort of invites a turf war that’s extremely frowned upon in civilized society, so there’s a lot of incentives for society to socially and legally confine claiming territory to “property you actually own and nothing else”—but the number one consideration behind it is “hey, what if this fucking asshole loses their partner and goes off their nut and starts killing people once they rut.”

Which Matt was fully aware of at the start of hand-spun silk. He knows that he may go insane and actually kill someone. He knows these laws exist, why they exist, and what they’re trying to stop. He knew that from the start, but was borderline suicidal when he made this particular life decision and wasn’t exactly planning to make it to his next birthday party, so he thought it’d be a non-issue. This was the first time rut actually came around and he didn’t have a partner to keep him calm. So he decided his options were to 1) find someone to help him out as his partner or 2) leave Hell’s Kitchen entirely so he wouldn’t hurt anyone.

If he was just leaving like, his office unguarded, it wouldn’t be such a big deal—that’s a very small space and isn’t under big threat, it’ll be fine for a week. He won’t be super distressed over it. But Hell’s Kitchen is literally always under attack to some degree. There’s always danger going on and Matt’s going to know that in rut. He’s got a very high risk of stroke or heart attack or other stress-related complication. Option 2 is either going to kill him or leave him on his ass for a very long time after.

Comparatively, Option 1 would probably be better in every possible respect. There’s huge health benefits to spending a heat or rut with a member of the opposite sex—which like, the man could use after how many concussions he’s had. Hell’s Kitchen would be fully safe from him, and he wouldn’t have to leave it. He’d also have a negligible recovery period after a rut with a partner, so he could get back to work and Daredevil pretty much immediately after.

Except Option 1 required Matt to effectively ask someone else to have a lot of intimate, unprotected sex with him to bail him out of his own bad decision. He wasn’t willing to do that. People offered to bail him out, but, for a lot of reasons, Peter was probably the only person on the planet he’d actually be okay accepting from.

Effectively, claiming hell's kitchen was a bad enough life decision that the best possible choice matt could make as a result was to just. Take on very serious risk of death and just hope that he beats the odds and doesn't have a stroke. It's such a bad decision that it’s an extremely illegal one and--hey, it may be illegal enough that the law comes down harder on matt than it would in the comics. whether he actually gets in prison for it is gonna come down to how good he is at gaslighting the world into thinking he's not him. he'll probably ask peter for a consult.

[monstersdownthepath]

The Final King, Mogaru

CR 28

Chaotic Neutral Colossal Magical Beast

Bestiary 4, pg. 170~171

Lets get this joke out of the way really quick aaaand

So, here we are! After referencing him in so many other posts during Cataclysmic Kaiju Month (which isn’t even over yet!), how many of you were waiting for the article on Godzilla Mogaru himself? Claimed by scholars to be the King of All Kaiju, Mogaru is said to be older than all of them combined, so ancient no known historical record predates him, birthed in Golarion’s earliest days and just as much the part of the planet as any mountain or lake and as necessary for the ecosystem’s function as a seasonal flood or wildfire. Like a seasonal flood or wildfire, though, Mogaru’s infrequent awakenings have recently begun to affect the expansion of mankind throughout the planet because they have rather rudely decided to do things like raise civilizations that happen to be in his favorite ancient stomping grounds. The NERVE of some species’! Honestly!

There is also Mogaru’s other, more important function: Keeping the population of other Kaiju low. While other Kaiju awaken every few decades or centuries due to some inborn schedule or rise in response to specific stimuli, the stimuli Mogaru responds to is other Kaiju waking up, his Sense Kaiju perfectly pointing him towards any and all active Kaiju regardless of distance... but it’s ultimately up to him whether he leaves his primordial lake or not to engage them. It’s not known why the attacks of some Kaiju rouse Mogaru while others go ignored, but it tends to rely on geographical location more than anything else. Like his inspiration, Mogaru cannot fly (thankfully), but he CAN swim, and quickly (100ft/round), but this mean’s he’s limited to intercepting attacks that occur on or near shorelines.

Woe to any Kaiju he deigns to face down, though. As numerous dead and buried beasts can attest to, Mogaru’s purpose is population control, and if you happen to be over whatever arcane limiters he has set in his mind, the typical “battle to the point of exhaustion and then part ways” collision of force do not apply. Neither does it apply to any puny adventurers who try to catch his attention.

Lets get the first and most obvious one out of the way first: The Breath Weapon. Like his inspiration, Mogaru’s most famous and most devastating technique is the hellfire he can produce from his mouth, heralded by the red spines along his back and head glowing ominously. His breath isn’t radioactive (thankfully), but it’s “fiery red force” that takes the shape of a 1200ft line. Anything in that line takes 20d6 Fire and 20d6 Force damage (and no Kaiju actually resists Force) and, fun fact, cover does literally nothing. The blast of energy is so intense that not only staggers anything struck for 1d4 rounds, but also completely bypasses the cover mechanic, affecting small creatures cowering behind debris (provided the debris withstands the initial blast anyway) just as well as it does the whatever massive beast is at the other end.

But Mogaru isn’t anchored in place while unleashing his greatest weapon, like some of his competition. No, his mastery of his energy weapon is so complete that he can actually move while firing, swinging his head as he does so and turning the 1200ft line into a 600ft-long cone, an area of devastation so enormous that, unless a party has split up to completely surround him, will likely affect everyone and everything present in the battle, wiping hundreds of structures and countless innocent civilians straight out of existence (since anything brought to 0 HP is automatically disintegrated). It’s such an enormous AoE that I literally cannot even draw it accurately in Paint because, in Pathfinder, cones tend to be as wide at the endpoint as they are long, so the visualization becomes absolutely ridiculous. Even when compared to Agyra’s four-mile hurricane, the sheer enormity of Mogaru’s cone weapon is difficult to express through text alone, and trying via a grid drawing--even when the squares represent 10ft instead of 5--is proving to be far too fiddly to be easily readable. Just looking over the quick doodle I did for the sake of it tells me it hits thousands of individual 5ft squares; someone better at math with more patience than me can probably get an accurate number, but my own mental math puts it somewhere at or near 3,000. Pathfinder’s systems literally are not meant to work on the scale Mogaru does, to say nothing of Kaiju in general, which is why, mercifully, Paizo changed them to be environmental hazards in 2e.

Maybe someone with a program more advanced than Paint will have an easier time, but we all have our weaknesses. All of us except Mogaru, of course, but we’ll get into that in a moment.

People aren’t likely to be packed shoulder to shoulder in neat little 5ft squares, so Mogaru’s body count will not likely be extremely high after only a single breath weapon... which is why he can do it once every 4 rounds, just for good measure. No impediment vulnerable to Fire or Force stands in the Final King’s way for very long, and anything that does resist the initial blast will likely either be torn apart by his follow-up Full-Attack, or his follow-up Firebolts. On the round following the use of his Breath Weapon, Mogaru’s spines remain charged with energy that he can fire off as a powerful ranged touch attack. He can choose to fire one, three, or six bolts of heavy fire at any target(s) within 1200ft, the singular Firebolt dealing 20d6 Fire/Force damage, the triple bolts 8d6 damage each, and the six bolts only 5d6 damage each... But there’s no limit to whether or not he can target the same creature or object with multiple bolts or not, so if he (the DM) is feeling especially spicy and thinks the +31 to hit touch AC is enough to guarantee each bolt lands, he can trade his single gargantuan shot to aim the six smaller bolts at the same victim, dealing 30d6 Fire damage instead of 20d6 (or all three of the medium bolts for 24d6). His Firebolts give him incredible coverage against even flying Kaiju, to say nothing of archers or casters buzzing around his head like mosquitos.

If you thought we were done with the consequences of his Breath Weapon, though, you’re going to be sorely disappointed, because the Final King has a final prank up his sleeve that lets him use it even when it’s on cooldown. While players are unlikely to experience this variant due to the restrictions of the Massive rule, Mogaru’s Reflexive Breath lets him use his fiery force beam as an Attack of Opportunity, blasting a victim with 40d6 damage and potentially staggering them. He can only use Reflexive Breath once per round, and it thankfully only damages the creature that provoked the AoO, but using it charges up his Firebolts (provided I’m reading it right; there seems to be nothing indicating otherwise) and doesn’t impact the rate his normal Breath Weapon recharges. With his Reflexive Breath discouraging enemies from disengaging (and serving as the coup de grace against Kaiju he wants dead, should they try and flee with their Recovery ability), Mogaru’s Full-Attack traps them between a rock and a hard place.

He’s got a CCB attack, as one may expect looking at him, his two claws dealing a generous 4d8+20 damage, while his significantly more damaging bite hits for 8d6+20 damage and Grabs whatever it strikes. While all Kaiju are immune to it, Mogaru does have Fast Swallow to gulp down smaller annoyances into his molten gut where they take 10d6 bludgeoning and 10d6 Fire damage each round until they escape or succumb. For enemy colossi, Mogaru can also bring his twin tails to bear, each dealing 6d6+10 damage on impact, and ALL of his natural attacks critically strike on a 19-20! For anyone managing to get out of his 60ft reach (and 60ft space), he can still close in and bite down via Greater Vital Strike for 24d6+20 damage to keep those numbers high.

One final trick proving that he’s the King Of All Kaiju is his secret weapon against any beast or mage that tries striking him from beyond his range with magic or energy weapons: Absorb Energy. He is immune to Fire and has 30 points of Resistance against every other form of elemental energy (except Force), including negative energy, and Absorb Energy turns that Resistance into a unique form of self-healing; he heals from any damage that gets blocked by his Resistance or Immunity. If your attack deals 31 Acid damage, then you’ve actually netted him 30 HP, as the first 30 points of damage are absorbed and used to heal his wounds instead. If your strike dealt 800 Fire damage, well, that just brings him back to full.

Perhaps to keep the ability from being too insane, Mogaru can only focus on feeding on a single type of energy at a time. The first energy damage he’s exposed to each round is the only one he’ll actually draw HP from, so having some tiny critter at the top of the initiative order flinging Acid Splashes or Jolts at his feet to trigger Absorb Energy and then unleashing a Cone of Cold or Greater Shout is perfectly viable. Not so much for other Kaiju, who tend to rely on a single type of damage, though, who tend not to catch on to his gimmick until they’ve already given him a fourth of his health back.

While Mogaru’s appearance in a city besieged by another Kaiju can be a blessing, it will more often than not end with the city being destroyed anyway as the titans clash. The one hope for salvation the puny townspeople have is the Final King’s fascination with song. For a reason lost to the ages, Mogaru is Susceptible to Song, any being capable of managing the DC 35 Perform (Sing) able to plant a Suggestion in the mind of the titan. If he succeeds his own save against the song (the DC of which is set by the performer’s Perform roll), the effect only lasts 1d4 rounds... but if he fails, the Suggestion sticks for as long as the spell typically would (1 hour/level, with the caster level being the performer’s ranks in the skill). Unlike any other mental effect, Mogaru cannot use Recovery to shrug off the song’s effects on him, so the order he’s been given is guaranteed to be obeyed.

While this weakness tends to be used to spare a civilization from the Final King’s wrath, the fact that anyone with the ability to beat the DC can give him an order (though no more than once per singer per day) can absolutely be used for things far more nefarious. Not every day you see a potential plot hook for a Bard destroying a city, is it?

You can read more about him here.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 324: Is There a Force Field Around Him??

Previously on BnHA: Flashback!Rat Principal was all “please tell Midoriya that I spent a concerningly small amount of money upgrading U.A. into a wacky physics-defying funtime grid so as to make the final battle much more confusing for everyone.” Present Day!Mic (or Present!Mic, if you will) and Jeanist were all “if only somebody could deescalate this dangerously unhinged mob, we’ve tried nothing and we’re all out of ideas.” Ochako was all “LISTEN UP PEOPLE.” The mob was all, “god??” Ochako was all, “NO, IT’S ME, OCHAKO. I’M REALLY HIGH UP ON THIS BUILDING AND THE VISIBILITY IS LOW DUE TO THE RAIN, SO I CAN SEE HOW YOU MIGHT MAKE THAT MISTAKE. ANYWAYS, DEKU WAS OUT THERE RISKING HIS LIFE FOR YOU CLOWNS EVEN THOUGH HE’S JUST A KID, SO I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IF YOU COULD ALL REMEMBER HOW TO BE DECENT HUMAN BEINGS, THANKS.” Let’s see if her Big Scolding Energy has any impact.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all “so I have this speech planned out, and it’s really good, but it also only really needs about 6 to 8 pages, but I’m gonna see if I can stretch it out to 17 pages so I can kill time before we get to the next volume cliffhanger two weeks from now.” Anyway but it really is a good speech though. There are feels, and tears, and more talk about how Deku is so in need of a shower that just looking at him requires a tetanus booster, and more feels, and more tears, and bonus ship drama, and an iconic callback to the very first chapter which reframes the entire series in a new context in a totally epic and moving way, and it’s all very good. Except that Horikoshi is determined to never let anyone actually give this kid a hug. Who hurt you, dude.

omg we are opening on a callback to chapter 212, a.k.a. the chapter with by far the cutest flashback that doesn’t involve any baby Todorokis

baby Ochako is lethally cute. she could literally murder someone with her cuteness. I just want to scoop her up and play airplane with her until she accidentally activates her quirk while we’re spinning around and we both helicopter up into the air never to be seen again

“a child’s insistence” huh well that’s all well and good, but I sure hope this doesn’t mean we’re going to drag out the whole “sternly lecture the obnoxious citizens” plot for another whole chapter. no offense but I think we’re good

so page 2 is just continuing the whole happy/worried faces monologue, which of course is very important to Ochako’s character as it provides the context for why “who protects the heroes” ended up becoming her thing. and this is making me think we actually are in for a whole second chapter of this sob. when will my boy finally get to rest

OH MY GOD SUDDENLY THESE PEOPLE HAVE EYES IMAGINE THAT

HORIKOSHI: [reaches for a box of tissues while tearfully penning an homage to his beloved Spider-Man 2, specifically the train scene where the crowd sees Peter without his mask and they suddenly realize just how young he is]

HORIKOSHI’S HOMAGE SCENE: “COME TO THINK OF IT, I GUESS IT WAS KIND OF MEAN FOR US TO PICK ON THIS TEN YEAR OLD KID WHO WEIGHS 75 POUNDS AND LOOKS LIKE HE LOST A FIGHT WITH SATAN’S MOLDY OLD BASEMENT”

lol at this one guy who can feel the mood of the crowd shifting and is all “WAIT, NO, I WANTED TO KEEP BEING AN ASSHOLE DAMMIT”

as many pointed out last week, this man is wearing an All Might shirt. that’s some fantastic irony there

-- SDKFJWIGKS

“LITTLE GIRL, I HOPE YOU’RE NOT SUGGESTING THAT WE SHOULD ALL BE WALKING AROUND DRESSED LIKE A SOVIET-ERA BUS STOP.” heh. last week I said I was ashamed of BnHA being my favorite manga. that was a lie, actually

(ETA: in the original Japanese Ochako’s next two lines are basically “the only ones covered in mud will be us heroes!” followed by “please give us some time to get rid of the mud”, with that second line basically being the single funniest thing I’ve ever read rdslkjl. Ochako thank you so much for supporting my running gags. “YEAH WE KNOW HE’S DIRTY. WE ARE GONNA TRY AND CLEAN HIM UP, BUT IT MAY TAKE A WHILE, I’M JUST SAYING. I MEAN LOOK AT HIM. HE LOOKS LIKE AN ASBESTOS COSPLAY.”)

doesn’t the megaphone kind of look ever so slightly like an axe that she’s wielding maniacally here

easy there Lizzie Borden

also that’s a really bold claim to make there. and not one she necessarily should have to make, either. but as we all know, there’s nothing that shounen manga likes more than having its heroes bravely hoist heavy burdens of responsibility like good self-sacrificing citizens

p.s. lowkey loving how Kacchan is positioned here standing slightly behind Deku. not presuming to stand in front of him all overprotectively (because he would hate if anyone ever did that to him), and kind of being unobtrusive and letting others take center stage -- but still being close enough to Deku that he can catch him if he stumbles or passes out again

(ETA: or maybe not lmao.

DEKU: [falls to his knees]

KACCHAN: [glancing up from his phone a few minutes later] “someone just sent me the stupidest meme about milk crates -- oh. uh. you good...?”

really, son. “the burdens you can’t carry, we’ll carry them for you. ...later, I mean. right now it’s late, and we’re all cold and wet.”)

also lowkey loving this OchaTsu moment here

I was going back and binging Ochako chapters this past week for reasons, and I gotta say it really stuck out to me just how often these two are paired with each other. they do everything together. it’s a really sweet friendship that often goes unappreciated but it’s very cute

meanwhile, not to be outdone by the OchaTsu, Iida is staring at Ochako with open admiration talking about how she’s fighting too. it’s been so long since we’ve had any IidaRaka you guys. I was starving and I didn’t even know it

oh my lord IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING

THE LIGHT IS BACK. he finally looks like him again. what a cathartic fucking moment omg

ffklkdw

“I KNOW YOU ARE ALL SCARED, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS, WE DEFINITELY CANNOT GUARANTEE YOUR SAFETY AND WE ARE ALL SCARED TOO!” good pep talk there kiddo

BUT, jokes aside, truth be told this is the exact right approach to take imo, and something that’s long overdue. I’ve said this before, but this new generation of heroes is shaping up to be much more transparent than the All Might generation. they’re basically abandoning the almighty, untouchable Superman “heroes as gods” concept in favor of the more nuanced “heroes as people” concept instead. and that’s a good thing. seeing their heroes as humans, with human limitations and weaknesses and flaws, will hopefully not only lead to more scrutiny and accountability, but also more awareness of how hard some of them are working and how much they’re sacrificing. that’s something All Might never quite grasped back at the start of the series -- that the weak, vulnerable, injured him could be just as inspiring as the mighty, invincible him -- perhaps even more so. there’s a power in seeing otherwise ordinary people show extraordinary bravery and compassion. it inspires others to try and do the same

SSDLHK AIZAWA SIGHTING AAHHHHHH

so he was still back at the hospital this whole time?? smdh at this disrespect. that feeling when your sexy self-insert character’s powers of rationality are too strong, and so you have to nerf him so that he doesn’t ruin your Deku Angst arc twice over by (1) immediately talking some sense into Deku and making him come home Right This Instant Young Man, and (2) not allowing him to leave U.A. in the first fucking place. excuse me, you want to do WHAT now, Midoriya?? that’s it, go to your room

also living for Katsuki and Hawks’s soft expressions. Shouto’s too, although his is tinier and harder to see. and Jeanist’s 12-foot-long neck. imagine Jeanist’s head with Mic’s hair. maybe Jeanist had a mohawk back in the day and that’s why U.A.’s doors are so big now

speaking of soft faces, Enji’s is also excellent

what could this random close-up possibly imply?? hell if I know. but Horikoshi truly fears no discourse and that’s what I love about him

OMGGGG

“smh my child is so dumb.” poor Ochadad. your child is cute af count your blessings

SDOFFHSMH

I’m telling you guys. lethally, catastrophically cute

this speech is still ongoing lol. Horikoshi you’re doing so good but I think we get the point now my dude. you gotta learn how to transition out of these things

UNEXPECTED TOGA WHAT

“there we go” Horikoshi says, crossing off the last line on his list of Ochako ships. “that’s all of ‘em”

poor Ochako is just repeating the same “LET HIM REST, PLEASE, WITH EVERYONE’S COOPERATION, IF YOU DON’T MIND, WE APPRECIATE IT” talking points over and over again hoping someone will throw her a bone and acknowledge her already. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP HER

literally they’re all just staring up at her silently omg. work with me people!!

now she’s saying it for the 56th time but more dramatically all of a sudden

they got so dramatic that for a minute I thought she had suddenly leaped off the building or something

look, not to rush you or anything Horikoshi, but I’m starting to get the feeling that this is yet another one of those “the volume is ending soon so I need to either hurry things up or slow things down in order to make sure we end it on my perfect cliffhanger ending” chapters where you go to ridiculous lengths to drag things out much to the exasperation of your week-to-week readers

(ETA: ftr, volume 31 ended on chapter 306, and I’m predicting that vol. 32 will end with chapter 316 (a.k.a. “you’re next!” [explodes]). I’m guessing vol. 33 will follow suit and likely end on chapter 326, so keep your eyes peeled for a big cliffhanger in two weeks’ time. Deku’s dad?? All Might in peril?? U.A. traitor at long fucking last?? we shall see.)

is Deku straight up falling in love with Ochako right on the spot lol what is happening

I know I just said that I enjoy when Horikoshi gives zero fucks about discourse, but shipping discourse is a whole different beast lol. I hope he’s prepared

(ETA: and for the record, I have no interest in shipping discourse either, as always. and I think this scene can be interpreted as platonic, tbh, with the context being that Ochako was literally introduced as someone who was willing to help him so casually without a second thought, and now here she is saving him again.

I don’t think it really fully hit Deku until this moment how much he needed saving. like I said in another meta somewhere, selflessness is basically just selfishness on behalf of others. and Deku is selfless to a fault, but that’s okay, and it doesn’t mean he needs to change -- he just needs friends who are willing to be be selfish on his behalf in turn. and I think the full emotion of what it means to have friends like that just hit him at last. everything his friends have done for him, how much he needed it and didn’t even realize, and how grateful he is. anyways what a terrible day for rain.)

-- son of a --

is he apologizing?? or pleading?? please tell me that’s not the case, because what the actual fuck. Deku you beautiful precious radiant selfless child, this is the exact opposite of how this should be. all these motherfuckers should be on their knees apologizing to you

DEKU WHY

I DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS FREAKING BOMBARDMENT OF EMOTIONS GODDAMIT. OUT HERE ARMED WITH YOUR FREAKING TREBUCHET OF FEELS TO LAUNCH AT ME UNPROVOKED. WHAT’S WITH THAT

FREAKING CHRIST. THIS BOY IS CRYING HIS EYES OUT AND HORIKOSHI IS JUST ZOOMING IN WITH THE CAMERA, LIKE CAN WE JUST CUT HIM A BREAK ALREADY. ENOUGH OF THIS. HE’S SO YOUNG AND HE TRIES SO HARD AND I JUST NEED HIM TO FEEL SAFE, HORIKOSHI PLEASE CAN YOU JUST GIVE ME THAT ALREADY WHAT IS THE FREAKING HOLD UP!!

GIGANTIC FOX LADY!!!

GIGANTIC FOX LADY PLEASE BE MY HUGGER BY PROXY!! SERIOUSLY GIRL IF YOU JUST HOLD YOUR UMBRELLA OVER HIM OR SOMETHING AND DON’T GO THE EXTRA MILE I’M ABOUT TO LODGE AN OFFICIAL COMPLAINT. THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS NOW

!!!!

A KOUTA IS GOOD TOO!!! oh my god if Kouta hugs him I will seriously 100% straight up cry. go on and test me

FOR THE LOVE OF --

is this man expressly forbidden from drawing hugs in his contract or something. DO YOU DO IT JUST TO SPITE ME?? this is tyranny, sir

AND I KNOW, THIS PAGE ACTUALLY CHALLENGED THE VERY PREMISE OF THE SERIES ITSELF, AND HERE I AM COMPLAINING ABOUT HUGS, OR THE LACK THEREOF. “this is the story of how we all became the greatest heroes.” and just like that, he waves a polite middle finger at all of the Strongest Greatest Chosen One shounen protags of old, in favor of something much less conventional, much more interesting, and much more suited to Deku’s character. because if that one sentence doesn’t just sum up Deku to a T. he gladly relinquishes his Greatest Hero status in favor of acknowledging the hero in everyone. what a class act. that’s my protagonist

I love this kid so fucking much I swear. only just PLEASE. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. GIVE HIM HIS HUG

[grain-my-beloved]

Yknow what? I'd actually go so far as to say that, as much as ive seen it complained about, it's actually pretty hard to "UwU" or "Woobify" Grian within the context of yhs.

I mean. It's possible if you go really extreme with it, but it's hard.

Grian at his core is actually a primarily decent person most of the timeand is a primarily innocent party in most things. One who goes through a Lot.

If you really think about it Grian's moral compass isn't too far off normal basic human morality. He's often anxious and hesitant when faced with any involvement in criminal activity, he's frequently dismayed and offput by suggestions of violence (the less deserved the more dismay is expressed as well), he's disappointed and frustrated at seeing the people around him do fucked up things, he's almost always polite with a good head on his shoulders when faced with a kind or reasonable person. Even well into ts, long after first coming back to Japan, Grian is still incredibly uneasy and fidgety with the suggestion that he take part in violence, I mean, remember that time he, Taurtis, and Sam were tasked with killing Geode and Grian not only initially tried to refuse outright but then checked in shakily with the other two multiple times just to confirm if they were really going to kill someone. Grian's typically the character most likely in the entire series to be incredibly put off by and very hesitant about doing bad things (especially to people he's not one million percent certain deserve it).

And while one could argue that we can't really praise his moral compass for being hesitant about involving himself in crime/wrongdoing when he often ends up participating anyways. Actions speak louder than words and all. However I disagree. The fact that Grian vocally does not wish to be involved in this kind of thing and has proven to behave on the more reasonable and polite side when acting independently in relation to likewise level headed people....is Very important. In fact, in actual legal cases, oftentimes a factor in trying individuals is the question of whether they would commit the crime in question indepently or under normal circumstances. This is the basis for necessity, duress, and insanity pleas, amoung other's. People who would not act the way they did in a certain scenario under normal circumstances are often liable to be judged favourably in their actions. In fact, speaking of duress pleas, Grian's got a pretty solid one for a lot of his actions. The times Sam or Yuki held a knife to his throat or the times police threatened to kill him if he doesn't comply with orders or any alike incidents. In cases where duress isn't applicable to Grian's behaviour there are oftentimes incidents in which an outright case for violence in self defense can be made. In fact, most of Grian's circumstances leave him very viable to be judged sympathetically on a legal standpoint. The fact that he was a minor, the fact that he had no apparent history of violence or crime, the fact that he was in a severely abusive relationship with a criminal and entering said relationship marked the start of any sort of criminal behaviour from Grian, any criminal behaviour from Grian always being in a group setting never lead by himself, the fact that he always clearly and openly protests when pulled into these group settings, the duress and self defense pleas that are applicable to pretty much all incidents in which he does engage. Which are also all factors that can and should be accounted for on. a moral basis as well, obviously. And like, Grian has a reputation for being arrogant, cynical, and rude or whatever, but he's really not. He very rightfully calls out other people's horrible bullshit and makes snappy remarks towards his abuser but that's the opposite of a problem and Grian's proven himself more than capable of reasonable civility towards reasonable people. Grian just isn't the selfish arrogant disrespectful criminal that he's sometimes implied to be and in fact he's largely innocent- or absolvable, if you'd rather- in most of the things levied against him. Grian's not a literal saint giving to the needy and taking care of orphans in his spare time but he's a decent guy overall???

And hey, speaking of that super abusive relationship Grian landed in. Let's not forget the impact of that situation. Sam was undoubtedly abusive towards Grian. He threatened Grian's life various times, he basically told Grian he was nothing compared to Taurtis, he shoved plastic down Grian's throat and laughed when he choked, he got Grian locked up in solitary confinement through complete lies just because he thought it'd be entertaining I guess, he forced Grian to kiss an abnormally large amount of people against his will (some of these instances sam recorded despite being asked not to), he himself tried to make out with Grian without consent while Grian was sleeping in his own private room, he forcefully dressed Grian up in feminine cosplay meant to be ~attractive~ complete with fake breasts, he lied to Grian about the gender identity of someone Grian dated as a joke (his words) and lightly mocked Grian afterwards, he locked Grian in a basement for three days straight and it's unclear whether or not he was planning to let him out anytime soon, he dragged Grian into a closet with school staff despite Grian's very vocal distress and discomfort then scolded Grian for considering reported it when this staff member made uncomfortable comments on the outfit Sam had forced Grian into, Sam offered to give Grian to another guy who made a similar uncomfortable comment later on as part of some trade, he consistently dragged Grian against his will into criminal activity whether by threatening him, tricking him into participating, or just altogether falsely implicatng him, amoung Many other things. And every step of the way Sam did his best to completely gaslight Grian. He used every gaslighting technique in the book. Telling blatant lies (for example, "i would never stab taurtis", "you are taurtis", "grian's crazy and he stabbed taurtis"), he denies doing shit to Grian that Grian knows damn well he did ("i would never stab taurtis"). He hard projected his bs onto Grian (from blaming grian for 'making' sam do awful shit sam did to claiming grian actually fullstop did the awful shit sam did). He was just constantly trying to turn people against Grian (convincing yuki and taurtis to back him up in calling grian a bad manipulative friend and insisting he needed to apologize for 'making' sam horrifically abuse him. arriving in the police station and instantly without hesitation telling them grian was crazy and dangerous and pinning his own crimes on grian. having taurtis back him up and help scold grian for getting mad about being locked in the basement for days). Telling Grian he's crazy (taurtis incident again, solitary confinement incident, the time sam kissed grian without his consent while he slept and grian got mad). Telling everyone else that Grian's a manipulative liar (taurtis incident again, solitary confinement incident again). Yknow. Gaslighting. Sam was just so unbelievably abusive. In like. Every possible way. Which adds a LOT of trauma to Grian. That on top of his parents abandoning him as a little kid too because we couldn't leave it at severe abuse.

Grian's not a bad person. And he's certainly a very sympathetic person. Which is why it would be hard to woobify yhs Grian. It would be hard to make a very sympathetic very sad character egregiously sympathetic and sad. His whole arc is getting abandoned by his parents, going to visit his friends, and getting violently abused and forced into a multitude of disturbing activities against his will for an extended period of time.

One could argue that sure Grian isn't a bad person and sure Grian's got a pretty sad life, but certainly a lot of people are guilty of making Grian more helpless and scared and generally 'pathetic' than he is in canon.

To which I reply...not really?

Grian already doesn't have half the fight response people ascribe to him throughout the series. That was a whole other post but honestly Grian's response to traumatic situations is very frequently to cave to them and he's got a much stronger submissive streak than people often admit. I mean, Grian was asked to dress up as his best friend who just got stabbed "to make things less awkward and make me feel better" and he did it within ten seconds of being asked without the others even needing to threaten him at all. Grian does express quite a bit of despair, fear, and submissive tendency in canon when faced with dangerous or traumatic situations. And while it's possible to go a bit too far with that if you consistently leave out the token fight entirely, I see people swing way too far un the opposite direction way too often. There's a reason Grian never actually killed Sam in canon. There's a reason Grian never made a serious attempt to get him arrested for his crimes. There's a reason Grian never just left. When Sam found Grian after he ran out of the gym during the Taurtis incident? Grian didn't lunge for Sam. There was no serious altercation between the two. Grian scrambled back and tearfully babbled platitudes while shoving plastic down his own throat on command. And even beyond that, a lot of the interpretations accused of making Grian too helpless/scared/'pathetic' are works that involve Grian processing trauma years after the fact. Which. Even if Grian was the most aggressive on edge fighter in the history of trauma responses during the traumatic events? People don't process their trauma after the fact the same way they instinctively respond in the moment. Even if Grian never shed a tear throughout any of the traumatic ordeals he experienced, it would be far from unrealistic behaviour for him to still process after the fact by panicking and sobbing his eyes out regularly. Which, again, Grian wasn't even all that fight oriented while it was happening so panic and tears isn't even super far removed from his actual in the moment responses let alone processing after-responses. It's just. It's really hard to "UwU" Grian tbh. He's a decent person, he went through hell (his own words actually), and he was never even really very effectively aggressive when he did. And while it's possible to dip too far into that territory, far more often I see things swung egregiously far in the other direction.

[leejeongz]

fluffy a-z JAY (enhypen)

requested: yes, by anon

a/n: as if i didn’t have a phat crush on him before </3 jay tunnel vision shall continue until the end of time. thanks for requesting!

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

he’s very “selective” about his pda, an arm around your waist or your shoulder is enough for him and when he wants to be cute, a bop on your nose. when in private, he’s pretty much the same. he respects your personal space and doesn’t want to overstep any boundaries. when he’s “asleep” next to you though his arms MAY fall around you and start to hug you superrrr loosely :)). it’s not that he doesn’t like physical affection, he’s all for it, but he’s not sure if you are if you're not the one intitiating it. (taken from my enhypen as boyfriends post)

most of his affection is shown through endearing smiles and words of affirmation. he’s constantly staring at you with loving eyes, thinking of how he never wants the moment to end. he doesn’t say things when he doesn’t mean them, everything that comes out of his mouth is honest and sincere, when he tells you that he loves you, or that he’s proud of you, or that he’s happy to be yours, he really means it.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

jay would literally start a conversation with anyone, he just happened to start a conversation with you one day, and you both realised pretty quickly that this wasn’t just going to be a one off chat. you were laughing and joking the whole time, and it became a regular thing whenever you saw each other since your schedules often lead you both to the same place at the same time.

i think he would be such a supportive best friend :(. one who knows you better than you know yourself, one who takes the time to learn every little thing about you, one who is literally like a brother to you. jay likes to teach you things, he likes to help you when you ask or when he can see you struggling. he is someone that you can rely on and someone that will listen and help you without judging you.

you become part of his friendship group since you get along with them all so well. he likes it that way as he can spend more time with you rather than having to disappoint one to be with another.

C = Comfort (How do they comfort their partner?)

he’s so concerned whenever he sees you upset or anxious :( he just wants to let you know that it’s okay to feel that way and that he’s here to protect you, but he doesn’t want you to feel suffocated by him when you’re clearly not feeling too good.

if he saw you crying, he’d be firstly asking what’s making you upset, asking “why, why, why?” in a cute tone with a little pout on his face. he’d have you in his arms too, holding your head closer to him so that you can cry onto his sounder or onto his shirt. his main aim is just to let you know that he’s there and that he’s all yours in that moment. after you’ve told him what was making you feel so upset, he’d either try to make a joke of the situation if it’s not that serious, or he’d help you come up with a realistic solution to your problem. he’d probably let out a lot of sympathy noises too, little “hmms” and “awws” because he wants you to know that he’s listening and hopefully you feel comforted by that.

if your ever feeling anxious, jay just wants you to know that he understands. he’s willing to help you in any way he possibly can (within reason) and helps you to push yourself whenever you’re feeling confident enough to do so without taking things too far. he always tells you how proud he is of you and how you’re doing so great. he wouldn’t laugh at you or try to make you feel silly for your anxieties and worries, however bizarre and foreign they may be to him, he actively tries to understand and sometimes researches more, not forgetting to tell you that you’re not alone.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How about kids? Marriage? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

i mean, we all know he’s good at cooking! he likes to show off his culinary skills for you whenever he can and would rather have a home cooked meal over a takeaway too. he also likes the house to be clean and tidy, but whoever makes the mess should clean it of course, and he’s not afraid to complain when you leave a room with it looking like a pigsty.

settling down is a very very big thing for jay. he won’t think about it lightly. the relationship has to be special, he knows when the right time to settle down is and which person is the right person, he won’t rush into it with just anyone.

i don’t think he’d care for marriage to be honest. as long as he knows that you love him and that you know that he loves you, that’s all the matters, you don’t need a certificate or a ceremony for that. in the future, jay probably wants to have kids, just 1, maybe 2, but it’s not so important that he’d break off the relationship if you didn’t want to have kids.

E = Equal (Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?)

he really wants it to be equal. he doesn’t want to feel like either of you have more power than/over the other. you don’t have to act in accordance with anything that he says and his doesn’t have to act in accordance with what you say, you may be in a relationship but you’re still two separate people and should be seen as that. so, for that reason, he doesn’t want a dominant/submissive (passive (?)) relationship with you in everyday life, he just wants you both to feel like you are your own people.

F = Feelings (How did the confession go down?)

he would get SO nervous whenever he thought about confessing to you, his hands would get all sweaty and clammy and he’d go completely silent. but, saying that, he is also rather excited to confess, because that’s one step closer to being yours <3. if it didn’t come out by accident, i.e him just spewing out “because i like you” after you asked him why he teased you, i think he’d do it in a rather meaningful way. just the two of you, alone, (so that you can kiss him if you want to hehe), maybe even buy you a small little gift and hands it to you while telling you how much you mean to him.

G = Giggle (What makes him laugh?)

when you compliment him. oh gosh this boy goes all blush and giggly when you compliment him, especially when you’re in the dating phase.

when you give someone a deserved shouting at. watching you stand up for yourself makes him overwhelmed with pride, but he can’t help but laugh at the person you’re giving the grief to, just because of how tiny and small you’re making them look.

when you wear his clothes for the first time. of course, you look cute, but the mismatch of items really makes him laugh, he just has to let it out while engulfing you in a hug.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

aww jay is definitely a back hugger. coming up behind you, wrapping his arms around you and waddling around aimlessly with your back pressed against his chest. sometimes he says nothing at all, he just appreciates you and your complaints of how he’s distracted you. other times, he just asks about your day, general small talk really, before walking to bed with you to cuddle and chat some more.

less frequently, he’ll give in and hug you normally, resting his chin on your shoulder and smiling, wondering why he doesn’t do it more often. as he pulls away, he places a gentle kiss on your forehead and tells you that he loves you, or that he’s missed you while he’s been working.

I = Instant (Do they believe in love at first sight?)

claims that he doesn’t because he thinks it’s shallow to base your feelings off of just someone’s appearance. he’s a little confused as to how you can fall in love with someone just by seeing their face, not even talking to them ?

actually, he does believe in it, he just needed to experience it to know. the aura and vibes that you give off attracts him to you in that moment. he feels a connection without even having to talk to you, he just knows that there is something there.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

he kind of loves it when he sees that people are interested in you. like yeah you’re hot, but you’re also all his, and he’s gonna show them hehe. he’d be all over your like a rash, kissing you delicately so that you don’t get suspicious or feel uncomfortable, or resting his hand on your lower back to let everyone know that they can’t have you.

if he sees you talking to a guy, he’s not gonna get pressed about it. he’s not going to ask you millions of questions about what you were talking about and who he is or whatnot, he actually loves seeing you smile from across the room and he doesn’t care who it is that is making you smile so yeah.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

shoulder ❗️ kisses ❗️ when he’s spooning you while you’re sleeping. when he senses someone is interested in you in public he’ll just stand behind you and kiss your shoulder. god he’s so cute without even realising BYE. (taken from my enhypen as boyfriends post). he also likes to kiss your hand, prince charming, eat your heart out.

he likes to initiate kisses, all of them. he smiles as he leans in, his tongue pushing against the back of his teeth making his smile more radiant. he starts with a few tiny little pecks, reaching for your head whether you’re sitting or standing. the kiss naturally deepens and his body language mimics yours. when you kiss, you truly become one. kisses like this are heated, but don’t happen all that often.

L = Love Confession (How fast do they say the L-word?)

saying the L word is a very big deal to him, he really has to be in love, and he has to have been in love for a while before he can say it.

honestly, before he actually said it, he’d been thinking about it for days. every time he looked at you, he wanted to say it. you were talking to him, but he wasn’t concentrating on what you were saying, even if he really did look like it. you finished your sentence and almost immediately after you did so, jay said it, those three words. he was so content that he’d said it too, a small smile appearing on his face which grew bigger the more he thought about it.

M = Memory (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

the time you bought matching rings for you and him! he remembers you dropping off the small gift bag at his door a few days after you’d been shopping with your friends. he opened it up to find a black ring with a moon shape carved of it, and a picture of your hand wearing the matching ring. he’d be lying if he said that he didn’t cry, scurrying back to his room to put it on straight away. he’d constantly be fidgeting with it, spinning it around his finger and thinking about you as he does so. when you two were together, he’d bring up the rings a lot, he would never be able to get over how cute they were, but he’d always be a little bummed out that you were too shy to give it to him in person.

N = No (What's their pet peeve?)

dirtiness. leaving a mess anywhere. just clean it up if you can, stop relying on him to always pick things up when you leave them lying around. he can sometimes tolerate it, but it builds up to the point where he has to complain about it because it’s getting too much.

O = Orange (What colour reminds them of their significant other?)

green. sage green particularly.

everything with you is so natural and fresh. you were such a new character when you came into his life, you were and still are like no one that he’s ever met before. he felt he could trust you and be himself around you instantly. you bring him comfort even though you’re someone that he’s never seen before.

P = Petnams (What pet names do they call their other half?)

baby, babygirl/babyboy, honey, sweetheart, prince/princess all that good stuff.

his favourite name to call you, though, is darling. especially when you two are alone, he thinks “darling” is so much more classy, intimate and loving, which perfectly describes your relationship.

he also calls you beautiful a lot (because that’s what u are hehe). that’s more so for when he’s asking you a question, though, especially when he’s buying something for you. “do you want this, beautiful?” ahh he’s so cute :(

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

he doesn’t have to remember, he just knows. knowing things about you is like knowing things about himself, he’s always ready and prepared for you to quiz him on anything because there’s no way that he can be wrong about it. even the stuff that you mention just briefly, he knows it. he’s also a very good judge of character, i think, so some things you don’t even have to tell him, he just knows.

oh and he LOVES to tell other people too. you’re his favourite topic of conversation, he could talk about you for hours and never run out of positive things to say.

R = Rainy day (What do they like to do on a rainy day?)

he doesn’t really care about the rain, he would just get on with his day as usual if he could. but not everyone wants to go out when it’s pouring down and he appreciates that so,,, did someone say karaoke??? he’s gonna be belting out high notes and rapping like his life depends on it. even if you’re not the usual type to join in, something about his energy makes you wanna get up and dance.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

you're his pride and joy, he’s going to do everything in his power to protect you. he believes that you can protect yourself, of course he does, and he doesn’t want to hurt you more than the thing he’s protecting you from, but he’s ready to intervene when he senses that things aren’t going as they should be.

if he can tell that you’re getting uncomfortable by someone’s presence, he’ll confront them and ask them to give you some space. he can get a little loud and aggressive with it when necessary too because no one should be made to feel like that.

it’s quite clear that jay isn’t the controlling type of boyfriend and so you don’t have to be worried about him being possessive. although he’d appreciate it if you told him where you’re going, just for his own peace of mind that should something happen to you, he at least knows where to find you.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

okay so i see jay as the type of guy who cares more for memories than materialistic things, so that would definitely be reflected in the gifts he gives too. would probably book a vacation for the pair of you, or a spa day for you or something along those lines for your birthday or big anniversaries. also for your birthday, he likes to write you handwritten letters every year, detailing how grateful he is to have you by his side and how proud he is of the person you are today. saying all that though, for 100 days together, he did buy you a giant teddy which he noticed you kept propped up on your desk chair. he even named it for you too :((.

dates with jay are really chill and relaxed during the day. they mostly consist of shopping or watching a movie at home and are very much “at your own pace”. he likes that you can both just be yourselves, especially when you are only in that dating phase, as he feels he can get to know you better. he loves to please you too!! he’d rather do something that you enjoy, even if he doesn’t particularly enjoy the activity himself, because he gets to see you smile <33. more intense dates usually come in the form of dinner dates, where you dress up and have a sit down meal somewhere. he puts in a heck of a lot of effort into these, he’ll be planning and arranging things for days before because he really wants to impress you (which of course, he does). he brushes up on his knowledge of the food that is on the menu and on the correct etiquette for the date because that’s really important to him.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

he loves to game. he has games on his phone, on his pc, on the tv, just about everything he owns, he can game on. so sometimes you get ignored if he’s gaming :(. he’d LOVE LOVE LOVE if you joined in, or if you asked questions or what not, but when he’s in the zone, he’s there for a good while and you just cannot seem to get him out of it. (call jungwon to turn his game off if necessary ❗️he’s experienced and willing)

V = Vulnerability (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

he doesn’t want to tell you things too soon. he doesn’t want you to use them against him and hurt him just as he’s starting to fall for you. but he understands that the only way that things can develop is by telling you more and more about himself. i think you’d have to start it off, telling him some of the things that have shaped you into the person you are today, before he starts listing off the hardships that he’s had to endure in order to get to where he is now.

by the time you’re in a relationship, he trusts you completely. you know things about each other that no one else, not even the people closest to you, know.

W = Why (Why do they love their partner?)

you make him feel wanted, like he has a purpose, a role to play. when he feels like giving up, you’re there to help him back onto his feet. you give him a reason to do everything he wants to do and more. you appreciate him in ways that no one else has ever done, made him feel things that no one has ever made him feel, you’re someone he’s never had in his life before, and he loves you for it.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

boyfriend jay gives you the best massages, out of the blue. when he sees you sat at his gaming chair, his hands immediately come to massage your shoulders. when you lie with your feet on his lap while sitting on the couch, he starts massaging them gently while you watch tv. just as you got done working out, he’s be there with a nice ice cold bath already run and some spa music playing in the background while he rubs your thighs and calves. he knows he’s good at them and puts his skill to good use whenever he can :D.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, but other people love in a relationship?)

engaging in constant pda. just yuck, he wants his own space and he doesn’t understand how you can’t want yours either. he wants to eat and drink without you latched onto his arm, and he wants to be able to stand in line without needing to hug you or vice versa. it’s not that he doesn’t want to show off your relationship, he just doesn’t think that PDA necessary all the time.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

sleeping with his eyes open lmao. kinda creepy but you know he can’t help it, he doesn’t even know that he’s doing it so 🤷🏻‍♀️.

to conclude, jay, this is an official proposal pls be our bestie/boyf

[amorremanet]

why did you call Jackson a "white guy" on twitter? Colton Haynes has Native American descents, therefore Jackson is canonically a POC. If you apply the "Tyler Posey is half Mexican so Scott is Mexican too even though Scott McCall was written as a white guy in the script and his race is never even mentioned in the actual show" logic to Scott, then you have to apply it to Jackson, Theo, Erica, Derek and other characters too. Otherwise you are just a hypocrite

1. Colton Haynes may have 1/32 or 1/64 Cherokee ancestry, but he is not a member of Cherokee Nation. Moreover, he himself never claims that ancestry; the source is something that someone (it could be pretty much anyone) put on his fucking IMDB page. Listen to ACTUAL NATIVE PEOPLE about this: because actual Native people have written about why Colton Haynes isn't Native, and their voices are the important ones here.

2. That post I linked by @/capricornsicle addresses Tyler Hoechlin as well: he claimed Native heritage once, on twitter, in 2012 (not even a specific tribe, just "Native American"), but said he was still researching & it's never come up again. More importantly, he does not claim membership in any First Nation. Therefore, he isn't Native and neither is Derek Hale.

3. Scott and Melissa being Mexican *IS* brought up in the show, actually. I believe the refs to it start during season 3a.

4. I said literally nothing about Theo Raeken during the past few days of talking on Twitter about the harassment campaigns against me and others back in the Teen Wolf fandom of old—the ones that, among other results, pushed me back into active suicidal ideation and pushed a 19-year-old Black girl to not only leave the fandom but to also leave tumblr entirely because she couldn't get away from the 30-something white woman who resented being asked to NOT SAY THE N-WORD—nor did I say anything about Cody Christian's heritage.

4a. Nor would I have said anything about either of them because Cody Christian isn't white. He is a member of the Penobscot Nation.

5. If your argument for bringing up Erica is that her last name is Reyes, then either: a. you're showing your own ignorance, because Latinx people can be white. "Latinx" is a complex ethnocultural designation that includes both white people (e.g., Cameron Diaz) and BIPOC (e.g., Gina Torres, Zoë Saldana, Benjamin Bratt, Jaime Camil, Guillermo Diaz, Kandy Muse/Kevin Candelario, queer icon Javier/Harvey Guillen);

or b. showing your own hypocrisy, because if your argument is that Erica is supposed to be a BIPOC character, then you should still be pissed off that a white actress was cast to play her. (Literally, the only thing I can find on Gage Golightly's heritage is "white." Not even "1/4 Polish, 1/3 Scottish, 1/3 Irish, 3/17s German" or something. Just "white.")

6. Trying to prove that the Teen Wolf fandom was never a hot mess of racism and harassment……by sending me anonymous harassment that is also massively racist. Bold move.

7. Congrats on getting anon privileges revoked for everybody. I'm not dealing with the garbage I went through back then again. (For that matter: are you bringing twitter shit over here because I have you blocked over there or something? Because that happened with some dude who brought twitter shit to my AO3 comments a while back so he could block-evade, and if that's the case………please get a life?)

8. I'm not in the Teen Wolf fandom anymore. I haven't been for YEARS. I only spoke up about long-buried Teen Wolf fandom wank to help explain a common site of confusion between people who experienced or witnessed the bullshit of the Teen Wolf fandom, and people who talk about "antis" and "pro-shippers" in the sense of "people who harass, stalk, suicide-bait, etc. other fans on the Internet over which fictional characters they want to kiss, make erroneous allegations of pedophilia over people shipping two unrelated adults who the anti doesn't personally approve of, etc." and "people who don't do that."

I spoke up because I've seen that confusion A LOT, in multiple contexts. I've actually tried to speak up about it multiple times before; this past weekend is just the only time when one of the big names in contemporary fandom ""discourse"" [wank] actually listened. In all of my threads about what happened back then, I tried to be very clear that the people behind the harassment were not indicative of how the entire Sterek fandom behaved, that many people in the Sterek fandom didn't realize what was going on because the narrative got spun and the victims of the harassment got vilified so hard, and that I was not attacking Sterek or people who ship it, only discussing how I and others were targeted for YEARS of harassment by people who did ship it, all because we: a. said that bigotry was wrong and undermined the idea of making fandom inclusive for everyone; and b. shipped things other than Sterek.

None of this should be controversial. If you want me to actually say something controversial: I think Lady Camden is fine? On the current season of Drag Race? But she's not some Robbed Goddess who's being unfairly overlooked by the judges just because she hasn't won every challenge or because she got rough critiques during the girl group challenge. She's just a talented queen who is doing fine in the challenges, but outside of the soap opera challenge, in my opinion, hasn't had as many standout moments as a lot of the Drag Race fandom seems to think. She's just fine, y'know?

There, I have been controversial for you.

Now kindly shoo and leave me alone.

[sepublic]

Anyhow, I REALLY appreciate how throughout the whole episode, Rascal was so unconditionally supportive of Hunter, while also imploring him to do the right thing? How Rascal deliberately got Hunter caught by Eda, King, and Amity so he could talk to people who are actually good for him, encourage Hunter to open up... Even perching on Amity’s shoulder in encouragement when she offers a hand;

But by the end of the day, while Rascal wants Hunter to do something else, they ultimately are Ride or Die for him, and will support him until the bitter end? Because when Hunter goes for the key and King fights back, it’s Rascal who helps defend Hunter and aid him in this time of need, and that’s just incredibly important to the kid.

I think with Amity, there’s still that apprehension that her friendship with Hunter is also conditional, like with Belos... That if Hunter does the wrong thing to disappoint her, she’ll also leave him behind- Which is NOT Amity’s fault of course! She simply isn’t the one who can help Hunter this way, she’s got other people to look after already...

But Rascal, Rascal can provide that support no matter what. They’re the person Hunter needs, someone he can count on and trust, someone there for him even at his lowest moments. And this is obviously something that Hunter is realizing and appreciating now, as he sits back and reflects on what happened- Because he really DID need that win so calm himself down, to place him in that state of mind where he wasn’t actively panicking over his existence.

Rascal wants Hunter to do the right thing and will encourage him, try to push him, be disappointed and surprised when Hunter acts contrary- But by the end of the day they’re doing this for him, they’re there for him! And Hunter, now that he’s not terrified... You can tell that he IS taking what Amity said to heart after all, and applying this to his palisman! Realizing he’s found someone who does appreciate him and always will, who won’t leave him for being a ‘disappointment man or ‘failing’, someone who CAN prioritize Hunter over other interests.

Obviously Amity’a advice didn’t quite affect Hunter as she intended... But it DID help and have an impact, and help the kid embrace Rascal! Which of course plays into how he’s found a palisman who can help him wield magic outside of Belos’ control... A friend who is always there for him, pushes Hunter to be better for his own sake, and not some outside goal! Someone who will help defend him, just as King and Ghost leapt to Amity’s protection!

Rascal IS someone Hunter can count on, and it’s only fitting that they perch upon Amity’s shoulder when she makes that powerful speech- Because the two of them do go together to help Hunter. And Rascal will keep him actively safe, not just make Hunter feel better, but assist him with his tangible issues and problems, and any consequences- And that’s something Hunter DOES need, actual help with his situation, hence why he implores Amity to literally help by handing over the key.

So this same episode which tests Hunter’s relationship with others, when he’s pushed aside all other people and insisted that everybody else leave... It’s Rascal who stays, even when Hunter tells them to ‘find a better witch to be with’. And after realizing how Rascal truly does intend to stick around for Hunter’s sake, their love IS unconditional and to the very end, as someone who will pick him up when he’s down...

Well, it’s no wonder Hunter learns how to talk to Rascal properly, and understand them- And he really begins to embrace his palisman and reciprocate, wielding them like a natural and opening up. Again, Hunter really needed that win to pick himself up, and having someone there with him the entire time, regardless of failure or even personal danger, hence why Rascal isn’t afraid of Belos... Hunter HAS found someone aside from Belos, he isn’t alone and there IS someone else he can turn to!

Somebody he has... And Rascal WILL be disappointed in Hunter and go against his will at times, but as someone who’s actually unconditionally invested in him, so they’re not a pushover for Hunter- But someone who can tell it to him as is, and actually do things for his own good, unlike what Belos claims, by acting against Hunter’s self-destructive behavior and basically calling him out.

Rascal is someone Hunter wants and NEEDS, too- Someone who can show him the unpleasant truth, even if it’s not fun. But by the end of the day, Rascal is always going to side with Hunter and never leave his side for ‘failing’ them, as much as they encourage Hunter to be his best, for Hunter’s sake- They’re like his voice of conscience for him! They stick around even when Hunter has failed, even at their own risk and when there are better, safer witches to be around- Because they love him not for being ‘useful’, but for who Hunter just IS.

As Amity said, Hunter just has to let himself meet that person who will make him feel worthwhile. And after seeing how Rascal helped him anyway, he finally has welcomed his palisman... So it’s symbolic that Amity encourages Hunter to find that type of person, while that exact person is right atop her shoulder, offering themselves, and already HAS been- So now it’s up to Hunter to fully realize and accept Rascal into his heart, and that’s what he does at the end of the episode.

Amity’s words weren’t for nothing and DID teach Hunter, actually...! The friend just wasn’t her, but somebody Hunter already had- But any progress is better than none, which is why I genuinely don’t think Hunter ‘stagnated’ or ‘backpedaled’ on his development, not that I’d quite blame him for doing so. Amity wasn’t the only one who realized she didn’t have to prove something to someone!

Honestly? I think this episode ultimately WAS a step up for Hunter, and a positive improvement! It’s just not as obvious, but it’s really there... And it’s why I find Eclipse Lake to end on a genuinely hopeful note, for both Amity AND Hunter, respectively! So I’m not really that disappointed in Hunter, as someone who braced themselves for the worst- Not only did Hunter not regress, he actively learned and has begun to heal even more!

Because I know I’ve compared this episode to Agony of a Witch, but in all honesty... Lilith DID make a genuine mistake and revert to old habits, but Hunter? He’s acting in self-defense, and it’s clear with how he no longer tries to feud with Amity as soon as he has no reason to. Not perfect, but Amity and Hunter both got what they needed, from a tangible and character standpoint- So all in all, I see this as an absolute win, and I’m PROUD of them both! I can’t wait to see what they do next!

[diademsandtiaras]

Headcanon: If the Marauders never existed

my personal opinion on what would happen if each marauder didn’t exist, which changes a lot but these are my current thoughts

James

Sirius would be in Slytherin

James was the one who encouraged Sirius to be in Gryffindor and gave him that push on the train, I think that with his family, if he had never met James on the train he wouldn’t have been sorted into Gryffindor - he wasn’t brave yet

Lily and Snape’s friendship would’ve still fallen apart eventually, since Snape would’ve still been in Slytherin and joined the Death Eaters, but it would’ve happened later on, maybe in Seventh Year or after graduation during the war

Remus and Peter became friends but never really clicked like the four marauders did

Remus and Lily are still platonic soulmates

Regulus would’ve been in Ravenclaw

with the pressure off of him, as Sirius is the heir and wouldn’t have disappointed his family, he would’ve most likely been sorted differently

be still pranks people and has practically the same personality, but he has to be more careful

regulus and remus meet in a study group and become friends

regulus, and eventually through him, remus would’ve influenced sirius enough so that he isn’t a blood purist

it takes him a lot longer to shake off his family’s blood purist ideals

but in order to keep the pressure off of regulus and to keep him safe, since his parents don’t like regulus as much anymore, he doesn’t run away

when his parents die he becomes the head of the house of black

remus becomes head boy, as much as he hates it

sirius is convinced to be the order spy

sirius is the one to find out about and hunt for horcruxes

he finds them all with the help of remus and regulus because dumbledore is useless

(sirius and remus eventually get together but it takes longer)

peter stays neutral during the war, he has no one to convince him to join the order, but isn’t important enough to be recruited as a death eater

snape doesn’t become the order spy, since when he tells voldemort the prophecy it has nothing to do with lily

Neville would be the boy who lived, obviously

the second war doesn’t happen, since all of the horcruxes have been destroyed

lily survives the war and is dating mary macdonald (i don’t take any criticism on this, lily is bi)

this may seem like a better universe in the end but it’s not because james doesn’t exist

Sirius

remus, james, and peter are still friends, but aren’t as close

remus and james are best friends, as are remus and lily

lily doesn’t hate james as much - at the beginning james always wanted to impress sirius and vice versa, without sirius james would’ve been more tolerable in lily’s eyes

but without prongsfoot friendship james isn’t nearly as much of a mother hen

james is really close with marlene, because he needs a quidditch friend

regulus’s storyline remains the same

james and peter become animagi for remus, but it takes longer

lily becomes one too later on

james and lily start dating fifth year, because it took him less time to win her over

snape and james are still rivals, but sectumsempra is never invented

snape and lily fall out in sixth year over him finding out remus is a werewolf, and lily sticking by remus’s side

the prank never happens

snape still becomes a death eater and the order spy

peter still joins the order

although he doesn’t feel as left out without james and sirius’s friendship, he still feels overshadowed

peter still becomes the spy

james and lily never believed remus was the traitor, so without sirius he convinces no one

remus is too obvious to be secret keeper and is away on a mission for werewolves

peter is the secret keeper

james and lily are still killed and peter is found out and taken to azkaban

remus raises harry

dumbledore still needs to keep an eye on (control) harry though so remus becomes the DADA teacher

the curse isn’t a thing in this for the sake of me favoring remus

since he hires remus he doesn’t hire snape

harry basically grows up in hogsmeade

the plot of the first book remains more or less the same but quirrell is the potions master

so is lockhart, because he claims to be good at everything

remus is petrified in the second book

the plot of the fourth book is more or less the same, but crouch jr poses as potions master

remus went to school with crouch, so when he sees him on the map he realizes somethings wrong

but because of that he’s exposed before the third task and voldemort doesn’t rise again

the order doesn’t reform

so no remadora

...the end

OR

even though lily and james never believed the spy was remus, everyone else did

peter framed remus instead

because peter might not be book smart but he’s still smart, and knows how to play his cards right and manipulate people

remus went to azkaban

being a werewolf, he has practically no rights

let alone in a war

he’s given the dementor’s kiss immediately without a trial

the rest of the plot is more or less the same in the end but harry has no parent figures at all

i don’t like this ending as much

Remus

first of all, james and sirius never mature as much

while remus was the one who headed most of the pranks, and made them better

he also kept them in check because they’re both privileged as fuck

so they’re more arrogant

their pranks aren’t nearly as good either

the marauders don’t form, the dynamic of just james and sirius and peter is off, peter wouldn’t have felt included enough for their friendship to form

the first reality check that james gets is from lily

sirius takes longer to run away, he doesn’t get as much shit from his family since he’s not friends with a half blood

and it takes him longer to shake off the blood purist ideals that his family has drilled into him

james helps though, and lily too since james is too priveliged to fully explain how bad the black family values are

sirius + lily friendship eventually, takes longer since sirius is more of a dick without remus but they bond over rocky relationships with their siblings

the prank doesn’t happen for obvious reasons, but sirius and snape do still actively try to ruin each other’s lives

it takes longer for james and lily to get together, but they do eventually

peter joins the order and becomes the spy, he’s always been overlooked and underestimated next to james and sirius

becoming an amimagi for remus was the first thing that made him feel truly brave, truly connected to the other marauders, he doesn’t have that in this

sirius remains the secret keeper though - the marauders never formed and he never trusted peter as much as he did in canon

also he doesn’t have to worry about remus being the traitor

eventually peter is caught

but bellatrix tortures sirius the same way she would’ve done to the longbottoms

he’s tortured to the brink of insanity

neville is the boy who lived

jily and harry live, but sirius never recovers

peter goes to azkaban

Peter

the marauders take a lot longer to form

peter was the glue, they’re all vital to the group but peter made them all complete

james sirius and remus are still very good friends

sirius figures out remus’s secret at the end of second year (peter was the one who figured it out first a lot earlier) because they’re not as close yet

and james is unobservant as fuck

mom friend james (even more so because remus can’t take care of himself to save his life, literally)

they become animagi in fifth year, but it takes them longer

again, peter actually came up with many good ideas and helped a lot

the map is made in sixth year

the prank occurs, and the group shatters

it takes a long time to get back to normal

wolfstar and jily both start dating seventh year

remus is the secret keeper

sirius is tortured a bit as everyone thinks that he’s the secret keeper, but is saved in time

neville is the boy who lived

they all live (except peter)

[thatoneitaliangirl]

Oh my gosh could you write a childe x reader thing 🥺🥺 I wanna just have some sweet angst with a happy outcome somehow 😔

I may have gone a bit overboard- At this point, I feel I'm literally incapable of writing anything under 1,000 words. So sorry this took so long, I had to take a break from writing to work out some things with school. A bunch of nonsense and stuff lol. You didn't specify gender, so I wrote the reader as female, only cause that's what I'm used to working with. I apologize if that's not what you wanted. I can always whip up something for ya with your preferred pronouns! But I'm not sure if I'll make it this long . . . I honestly don't know how I even did this, like this is a feat I feel. Anyways, I hope Childe isn't too OOC in this. I'm not the best when it comes to writing angst, so I hope you like it! And just as a little explanation beforehand, I read up that Childe joined the Fatui when he was about 14, became a Harbinger at 18, and is considered a young adult. So in this fic, it's assumed that he and you are at least 20 years old just so the timeline adds up and stuff. Also, despite how long this is, Childe isn't in it as much as you probably wanted- I have a tendency to write more about the reader than the characters. It's something I'm trying to break, but I was just so proud of this. I hope you like it! Anyways, happy reading!!! ^^

Childe x Reader Angst

Plot- Reader and Childe have been together for years when Reader finds out that Childe killed her sister when she was young.

Word count- 8,864 (I'm so sorry)

Warnings- Mentions of death, sadness, bad writing, possible suicide at the end(But just mentioned as a fear), swearing, and cringe 'funny' moments cause why not.

The wind blows through your hair as you sit atop a ledge overlooking Liyue Harbor. Today is your younger sister's birthday, and for the past six years, it's been nothing but a reminder of your failure. You were supposed to take care of her. After your parents passed away, you were all she had left, and she, you. But you were just a kid yourself, hardly capable of raising a child.

You bite your lip and look over at all the families walking about, having fun. It brings a smile to your face knowing at least some people can be happy on this day. She wouldn't have wanted doom and gloom to be her only remembrance. The sun in the sky is warm, beaming down on your skin. You've fought many battles for the Adventurers Guild during your time living in town, and are proud to say you've survived. Even escaped a few sparring matches with Childe relatively unscathed.

You win every time, but it's no surprise given he lets you win. That's one of the many things you love about him. He tries to put you first in most situations as much as he can with his job. And it's the little things like letting you win a fake fight that makes you feel like you're floating.

Your relationship is practically plastered on every notice board in town with how affectionate you are to each other. Not a soul in Liyue can look at you and not know you are the Harbinger's lover. But you're okay with that.

Taking in a calm breath, you hop down and glide your way to the docks below.

"Good morning, _____! Nice weather, isn't it?" You smile at the young girl as she approaches you. You've known her for a while now, and have come to consider yourself friends. She seems a bit nervous though.

"It certainly is. Are you okay, Chen?" Her smile drops and she grips onto her arms.

"Can I ask a favor of you? It's rude of me, but I'm desperate!"

"It's fine, what's the matter?" The young girl sighs.

"My brother borrowed a loan from Northland Bank last month and the payments were due two days ago. He told me he was going to pay it back . . . He hasn't been home since. I just thought that . . ."

"You want me to ask Tar?" Her eyes snap up to yours.

"Will you? Please? I'm just so worried about him! I told him not to take that loan, but he never listens to me." You put your hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"It's okay. It's no problem at all! I was just headed there anyway. I'll see about your brother for you." Young Chen sighs in relief and reaches in her pocket.

"Here, I want you to take this as payment." You shake your head and push her hand away.

"No, I could never!"

"I insist! My mother gave this to me when I was a kid," She opens your hand and places a small coin in before closing your hand around it.

"She told me travelers would give these coins to people who did favors for them and that they grant wishes! Though I'm sure that's just a children's story; I was never able to get it to work." You give the coin a look, hesitant, before slipping it into your pocket.

"Alright, I'll accept. Thank you!" You wave goodbye to Chen and head towards the bank. Childe spends most of his days there, what he does, you have no idea. It's a mystery. The most you get out of him is 'business' which, yeah, obviously you do business. But it's understandable. The Fatui are a questionable lot, and not many people in Liyue trust them.

The Qixing keep a close eye on them as well, though you're sure even they hardly know what goes down under the 'bank' façade. Sometimes Childe comes home with cuts and bruises, claiming they're from training with his comrades, and while you don't buy that one bit, you play along. No need to add to his stress. If he thought you needed to know, he would tell you. No doubt about it.

Walking up the many flights of stairs, you nod to Vlad who lets you in.

Lucky for you, the first face your eyes land on is the exact one you came looking for.

"Tar!" He immediately looks over in your direction, smiles, and dismisses the Fatui agent he was talking to.

"Well, if it isn't the most beautiful woman in all Teyvat. Come to steal my heart?" He pulls you into a hug and kisses your cheek.

"No need, I already have it," You pull away, giving him a smile.

"I actually came here to see you."

"I'd hope so! Who else would you want to see?" Rolling your eyes, you grab him by his hand and lead him to his office.

"I have a favor to ask of you," The joking atmosphere surrounding you turns heavy as you hold his hands in yours.

"As you know, today is . . . Very important to me. I was wondering if you could get off early tonight? If not, it's okay though. I don't want to trouble you or anything." Childe chuckles and pats your head.

"I know what today is. I already requested an early leave this morning, but they haven't gotten back to me yet. If we're that backed up, I'm not sure I'll be able to," Your face falls a bit, but you smile. He made the effort to try and get off early without you even asking.

He places his hand onto your face and rubs his thumb over your cheek.

"But I promise to make it up to you. If I don't get back too late, we can go up to Mt. Tianheng and watch the lights at night. I know you like to do that when you're upset." The kind smile on his face is only magnified by the gentle look in his eyes. He's always been soft with you, even before you got together.

It was always an odd sight for people to see the two of you interact before you were a couple. He always regards people with the same jokester attitude, especially those he has to keep an eye on. But when he's with you, he may joke around, but is always much more concerned for your wellbeing.

"Thank you, Tar. I really appreciate it." He smirks and laughs.

"You appreciate it, huh? How much?" You roll your eyes again and give him a kiss on the lips. Childe smiles into it and tries to make it deeper, but you pull away with his lips chasing after you.

"Easy there, tiger. Save it for later, huh?"

"So, there's a later?" You lightly smack his chest and pull away from him as he laughs.

"Get back to work, Tar." You turn to leave but stop in the doorway.

"Oh, before I forget, I ran into Chen earlier," The look in Childe's eyes shifts slightly, but you barely notice.

"She mentioned that her brother stopped by here about two days ago, and was wondering if you knew where he went after? He hasn't been home since and she's very worried."

He ponders for a moment before his eyes light up in realization.

"Now that you mention it, he did say he was headed towards Lingju Pass. Don't know what for though." He shrugs.

"Okay, thank you! I'll be sure to pass it on." You exchange words of love before you leave.

After speaking with Chen, you decided to head towards the countryside. Your conversation with her went about as well as you expected. She seemed distressed and unsure of the information you gave her, but any criticisms were held as she thanked you and left. You hope that she'll be okay and that her brother comes back. Archons know, you understand what it's like to lose a sibling.

You take in a deep breath.

The air in Liyue is unlike any other. Once you leave the city and all the warm bodies, it's nothing but gentle breezes and the smell of earth. And the occasional Hilichurl, but you can easily take out a few to preserve the peace.

Walking along a random path in the sand, you reflect.

When you and your sister were young, you would often take walks like these while your parents were arguing. Despite only being a few years older than her, you actively chose to take on a more nurturing role. But after your parents died, you realized just how hard it was to provide for the two of you.

You knew how to use a bow to hunt, but not well, and even though you had your mother's catalyst, you didn't have a vision. Sometimes just showing it off and pretending you had a vision was enough to scare off petty thieves and weak Hilichurls, but it was only a matter of time before that wouldn't be enough.

Unfortunately, that time came all too soon.

The two of you had found an abandoned campsite and you decided to rest for the night. Your sister and you were headed to Mondstadt in search of a distant relative who you believed could help you. But during the night, your sister got thirsty and you were all out of water in your canteen. So you heading out to find a lake close by to fetch some, only to return to see a dark figure escaping into the night and your sister, laying in the tent, unmoving.

You were only a few hours walk to the city.

Sometimes you wonder if you had kept going that night, maybe whoever it was would have never even crossed your path. Your cries for help were heard by knights close by and they gathered your sister. Everyone in the city was welcoming and understanding, and the church gave her a wonderful service.

But nothing could mend the hole in your heart. Thankfully, the family member was able to take you in and trained you to become a knight. But that's not what you wanted. You wanted to find the person who killed your sister. And after completing your training, you left for Liyue and gained your Cryo vision along the way.

You summon your catalyst and flip through the pages. It's strange how magic works and how everything interacts with your vision. Before you, this weapon served your pyro vision-wielding mother. After you gained your vision, all the spells changed to fit the cold rather than the heat. You sigh and close the book. Sifting through it is just going to make you more sentimental. The sky above begins to turn shades of orange and pink as the sun goes down, so you decide to head home.

"I know you did something!" A loud voice yells, not too far from you.

"Chen?" You whisper to yourself and make your way around to see her at the edge of town, yelling at a Fatui agent.

"Calm down, miss Chen. We don't know what you are referring to." She balls her hands into fists, her face twisted in anger.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about! Lingju Pass? He hasn't set foot there since our father died. How dare you make up such lies!" You decide to make your way over to try and calm her down. She's obviously upset, and you know that Fatui agents aren't well versed in the ways of 'feelings.' In fact, most of the ones you've met have all been quite stoic and unconcerned.

"Are you calling the Fatui liars, miss Chen?" You stop, Childe stepping out in front of the other agent.

What is Childe doing out here?

"You Fatui lie about everything! Everyone in Liyue despises your presence here, and this just proves to me how low you people actually are. What did you do to my brother?!" She reaches up to hit Childe, and you run up to her and grab her by her arms. You know she can't hurt him, but if she tries she could get into some serious trouble.

"Chen, listen to me, you have to calm down." She looks up at you with tears streaming down her face but shakes off your grip.

"No! I refuse! He knows something about my brother, I know he does!" She looks at you with pleading eyes.

"Please, _____, tell him. Tell him to tell me where my brother is!" Chen sobs. Tears start to form in your eyes.

"Chen, I'm sorry, but Tartaglia doesn't know," You look up at Childe and are taken aback by the look in his eyes. His eyes are dead, angry, violent as he stares at Chen. He waves his hand, and two Fatui agents come from behind and drag Chen away.

"Let go of me!" She struggles as they hold her arms and pull her through the dirt path. Chen glairs at Childe, digging her feet into the ground to slow them down.

"You're a monster, Harbinger! A monster!" You continue to stare after her as she's dragged away. What just happened? You've known Chen and her brother since you moved here. What could have happened to make this poor girl act like this? You jump when Childe places his hand on your shoulder.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." He wipes the tears from your cheeks and smiles his normal, dashing smile. Nothing like the look he was giving Chen just a moment ago.

"Sometimes those awful rumors spreading about the Fatui make people act irrationally." You look him in the eyes as he holds your face. His eyes are soft and caring now, just how he always looks at you.

"Do you know what happened to her brother?" You ask softly. His eyes darken a bit, but his smile never faults.

"_____, my love, are you questioning me now too? Come on, you know none of that stuff is true, right? I work at a bank, not much else to it." He answers, his voice joking, but there's this undertone you can't quite place and have never heard before. You force a smile and hug him close.

"Your right, I'm sorry for asking. I'm just so concerned for Chen and her brother. Do you know where they're taking her?" He hugs you back, tight, and kisses your forehead.

"I think you should just leave it be for now. Go home and get some rest. I should be getting off work soon, and we can do what I promised. How's that sound?"

"Good." You lean up and give him a kiss. His voice drops low as he whispers in your ear.

"I love you, _____. Don't ever forget that."

And he leaves before you can reply. A chill goes down your spine as you watch him leave, and it's not from your vision. You've never seen Childe like that before, even when he interacts with the Traveler. It made you freeze in place, made your blood run cold, and had your heart beating faster with fear all at the same time. That was Harbinger Childe, not your Tartaglia. You rub your hands along your upper arms to calm yourself. You never want to experience that again.

Taking a deep breath, you reach into your pocket to grab your handkerchief, but pull out the coin Chen had given you instead. All it does is remind you that once again you failed to protect someone you cared about. Poor Chen is scared and afraid, and you're positive that Childe's reaction did not help her any.

But as you hold up the coin, you notice a faint glow emanating from around the outer edge which turns the intricate patterns into Liyuian Characters.

'Let the truth be revealed.'

What does this mean? You remember Chen telling you the story of the coin, but it was just that. You've never heard of any coins gifted by travelers before, and it definitely wasn't a common folk tale.

You shove it back into your pocket and rush home.

The sun is almost fully down, and the stars begin to light your way as you walk hastily down the path. Once your house is in sight, you pick up the pace and run inside.

The glow from the coin is brighter now, illuminating your darkening house. How does one even make a wish on a coin?

"I want to see the truth, but I don't know how," The glow of the coin shifts and changes colors in your hands, giving off an almost mystical wave of magic you've never felt before. Whoever made this coin had to have been powerful. You take a deep breath and look at the coin with determination.

"Show me the truth!" The glow envelopes you and when you open your eyes, you're shocked at what lays before you. The dark figure that haunts your dreams at night looms over your dead sister, red-stained blade in hand and a mask over his face.

You step closer, the classic mask of the fatui on the hooded mans' face making his eyes glow white in the darkness. His stature is much smaller than yours, and his outline seems to be that of a boy. At the time it would have been easy for you to confuse him with a man, being he would have been taller than you. But now that you're an adult, you can clearly see his youth. He smirks and laughs down at your little sister's body while whipping the knife on his sleeve.

"You should never have crossed the Fatui." Your heart drops as the young boy removes his mask revealing ocean blue eyes. The eyes of your lover that you adore on the face of the person that you've despised for years. A woman appears next to him, the same woman you've seen him speak to on many occasions but have never spoken to yourself.

"Good work, Tartaglia. You've proven yourself useful to the Tsaritsa after all. But your job here is not done," Childe looks up at the taller woman, his face determined.

"The other daughter has left to fetch water. Unfortunately, there are too many knights around on patrol to take her. Dispose of the body, and return at once." Childe bows to the woman and she smiles wickedly.

"Yes, Signora. Anything for the Tsaritsa." She leaves, and Childe begins to wrap up the young girl's body in a blanket. He stops suddenly, lifting his head up as young _____ approaches from over the hill. Childe smirks, fixing his mask and hood back on properly.

"Until next time, _____." He says and begins to run.

You gasp as the light invades your sight again and you're returned to the present. Your heart is beating a mile a minute and your breathing begins to pick up. The realization is overwhelming, and the shock is preventing you from crying.

Tartaglia was the one this whole time? It can't be, it just can't! You love him, and he loves you, he says so all the time. Has he lied to you this whole time? Has he just been keeping you close to screw with you before breaking your heart and killing you? That coin has to be lying. There's no way your Tar would ever do something like that, especially to you! He tells you everything. There are no secrets between the two of you.

Right?

The clock on the wall says that it's seven-o-clock, usually when Childe gets off of work. You don't want to be here; you can't be here. How can you face him after seeing that, even if it was a lie? You quickly run up to your shared bedroom and grab your adventuring bag, filling it with few essentials.

Where will you even go? There's nowhere in Liyue where Childe can't find you. Even across Teyvat, the Fatui have eyes and ears. You just need some time to reflect, get your barrings, and confront him. If you'll confront him. This has to be some kind of joke, or lie placed by some unknown power to question your love for him. There's no way he could have-

"What are you doing, _____?" You gasp, started by Childe suddenly behind you, blocking the exit to your room.

"Tar, you scared me!" You say shakily, holding your bag close to your chest. He smiles his usual caring smile at you, but all you can see is the smirk he held while staring down at your little sister.

"Sorry, my love. I got off of work early like I said I would. Is that why you have your bag?" His ocean blue eyes dart down to your bag and back up to you again. You subconsciously grip the bag tighter, Childe noticing.

"N-No. I accepted a commission last minute." The lie slips out like acid on your tongue.

You've never lied to him before, and it feels wrong. But you have to get out of here. Every alarm bell in your body is screaming at you to run as fast as you can away from the man you love.

His brow furrows a bit with concern and he takes a step closer to you, but you take one back.

"This isn't about what happened today, is it?" He sighs and shakes his head.

"I'm sorry if I scared you, it's just I don't like it when people falsely accuse me of things. I kinda slipped into Harbinger mode for a sec there." He laughs, again trying to come closer to you, you step back.

"Are they false though?" The question falls from your lips before you realize it, and Childe's eyes widen in surprise.

"_____, you can't be serious? You know I would never lie to you-"

"How do I know that, Childe?" You've never called him Childe, and it shows from the shock on his face when you do.

"What are you going on about? I could never-"

"Get away from me!" You yell at the Harbinger, tears finally falling from your eyes. There's no way you could be near him like this, knowing that he could have . . .

"Why? I love you, I won't hurt you." You try to steady your breathing as he slowly inches closer, treating you as of your a wild animal he wants to tame.

"You don't love me." You shake your head, gripping your backpack with white knuckles.

"What?" The question comes out as a whisper from the man's mouth in disbelief, hoping he didn't hear you properly.

"You don't love me!" You say one again, louder, confirming what he has hoped wasn't true.

"_____," Childe tries to come closer, but you shove past him and run to the front door. Before you can grab the handle, Childe grabs you by the shoulders and spins you around.

"Please, _____," His eyes are glassy with unshed tears as he gazes into your own.

"Tell me what I did to make you think this way?" You sob, hands pushing on his chest to break free but failing. You can barely breathe as the sobs rack through your body.

"You-" Trying to get the words out only makes you cry harder as the realization hits you. All the rumors are true. The Fatui are evil, conniving, and uncaring. They kill, pillage, experiment, torture, and don't care about who they have to step on to get their way. And your boyfriend, the love of your life, the man you wanted to marry and start a family of your own with, is one of them.

"You killed my little sister!" Your hands ball into fists and punch his chest as hard as you can, but in your state, you have barely any power.

"My baby sister is dead because of you! How could you?" You managed to get out through your tears, finally breaking down in the arms of the man you've despised for years.

Childe stares at you, unbelieving. He pulls you into a tight hug, crying on your shoulder, continuously apologizing. Never in your life have you seen Childe cry. Even when talking about how much he misses his family or his country, the farthest he gets is a sentimental smile and longing. Never have you thought you'd see him cry either. It's almost enough to make you forget that he's practically admitted to the murder.

He killed your only sister. How do you know he's sincere with his tears as he holds you close and begs you not to go? You've seen him lie before, never to you, but if he kept this secret for so long, what else has he been hiding? But none of that matters right now. The man you've been searching for years for, who you wanted to kill with your own bare hands, is the same person holding you so tenderly now.

How could you forget the countless nights you've woken up from nightmares of that boy coming to kill you and finish what he stared, only for Tartaglia to wake you up and hold you close, promising that he'd protect you? Every year when you mourn your sister and confide in him about how you were going to find that monster no matter what it took, did he fear you'd ever find out and kill him?

Is that why he kept you close for so long, to make sure you'd be too weak for him with love to ever even try? How can you love someone who killed your sister? It's easy to just assume you'd hate him, but for some odd reason, a little voice in the back of your mind is telling you to trust him and love him like you always had.

Another voice is telling you to end his life with no mercy and finally bring your sister to the peace she deserves.

Gathering up your strength, you manage to push him off of you.

"_____, no," He's in a state you've never seen before, face wet with tears, nose running, eyes puffy. But, he doesn't try to pull you back in.

You swiftly grab your bag and leave the house and Childe behind.

-------------

"_____," Your cousin John calls your name, pinching the bridge of his nose. He watches as you continuously use your vision to destroy training dummies.

"You continue this and the knights aren't going to have anything left to train with." You stop temporarily to glare at him.

"I'm training."

"So it seems." He watches as you continue your 'training.'

"You know, this doesn't seem healthy. I'm no doctor or anything, but, maybe you should, like, not?" You sigh irritated and cross your arms.

"Not what, John?" He gestures to the broken wood pieces scattered around the courtyard. You roll your eyes.

"I'm doing no worse than the average rookie knight!" John nods, leaning up against the wall.

"Yeah, yeah, except no. Why? Thank you for asking, cause your not a rookie and you're upset, at what? I don't know because you refuse to tell me. All I know is that my cousin is back after being gone for three years and the-," John looks around before stepping closer and lowering his voice.

"The Fatui in town have been eying us up everywhere we go. What the hell happened while you were in Liyue?" You bite your lip and message your wrists. The tips of your fingers have begun to turn purple from the cold, but you hardly seem affected. John pats you on the back and leads you inside the knight's headquarters.

"Look, I know we were never very close, and when you lived with us, we barely spoke, but I'm here now. We're not kids anymore, _____." The two of you sit down in the library. The three years you lived with your uncle and cousin were your worst. They treated you nice, but you were grieving and took it out on them and many training dummies. It seems you've done the same again.

"I'm sorry, it's just . . ." What happened with Childe months ago is still fresh on your mind. You haven't seen him since you left that night, and you aren't sure if you want to. You're conflicted. You thought coming back to Mondstadt would help you clear your mind and help you decide what to do, but you can't, and it's frustrating.

Despite how hard you've tried . . . You still love Tartaglia with all of your heart. But you can't forget what he did. You could never forgive him either. You've held hatred for this man for six years now, and every waking moment has been used to devise a plan to find him and kill him. But you can't kill him; not when you still hold these feelings.

If this was his goal, then he succeeded. You know he knows you're in Mondstadt. As John said, the Fatui have had their eyes on you since you showed up. You wouldn't be surprised if they all have you listed as a threat. After all, being one of their high-ranking officer's vengeful lover with intent and reason to kill would put anyone on a list.

But, with that said, he hasn't tried to contact you. No letters, no passing of words, hell, no carrier pigeons. He's extra enough to do that. And this has caused you to feel even more upset. Cause you still love the man, and there's some hope still there that he meant what he said and he does love you and the fact he hasn't done anything is killing you.

"_____, you good?" You snap out of your daze and nod.

"Yeah, I was just thinking."

"You seem to be doing a lot of that lately. Please, what's going on with you?" You decide it's best to tell your cousin the truth.

You explain to him the situation. How you fell in love, what life was like for you the three years you were gone, the coin, and finding out the killer's identity. John looks at you in shock.

"Wow, that's a lot. And this is why you came back?"

"Yeah, I know. I should have come back sooner to at least visit, but," John cuts you off and waves his hands.

"No, you're fine. I mean, it would have been nice to see you, but that's irrelevant right now. You found out your boyfriend, a Fatui Harbinger, was the one that killed your sister, and you're here? Doing what? Destroying Favonius property?" You agree hesitantly.

"I mean, when you put it like that, it sounds odd."

"No, _____, odd is an understatement. Why are you here? You should be getting answers, slapping people, storming Snezhnaya! Actually, don't do that last one, that could get us in a lot of trouble."

"True," You agree.

"Honestly, I don't know what to do. Do I confront him? I mean, if he did kill her, which I'm about 90% sure at this point that he did, do I get revenge? I've wanted to for years, but I know that I could never kill him." John takes your hand in his and speaks with sincerity.

"You love him, I get that, but you can't let that get in the way of things."

"No, I mean, I literally couldn't kill him. He's a beast in battle, and could probably end me without even blinking. I've seen him take on multiple ruin guards in seconds, like, he's on a whole nother level." You sigh and put your head in your hands.

"But even despite that, I do still love him. At this point, I feel the best thing to do is to just move on. Go my own way and let him go his."

"And what about your sister, huh? Just gonna forget about her?" You look at him questioningly.

"Look, you need to at least get closure. Obviously, he doesn't want you dead, because you would have been so by now. I can't even tell you how many times the Fatui could have nabbed you, gagged you, and sacked you since you've been back."

"Gee, thanks John, that really makes me feel better about the situation." He rolls his eyes.

"Talk to the man, _____. There will always be a home here waiting for you to come back to." Maybe your cousin is right? If Childe did want you dead, you know damn well he has the power to have made it happen. But how would you even react when you see him? The only way to find out is to get it over with.

With newfound enthusiasm, you jump up from your position and slam your hands on the table.

"Alright, I'm gonna go! I'm gonna talk with Tartaglia and I'm gonna punch him at least once!"

"That's the spirit!" A series of loud shooshes sound around the library and you slowly sit back down.

"Sorry!"

You and your cousin John devise a plan over the next few days. You're still unsure about this whole thing, but with encouragement from John, you gain the confidence you need to push through.

In the end, you decide the best thing to do is to sneak out of Mondstadt without any Fatui seeing you. It's still dangerous to speak with him, and the two of you decide the safest thing is to get him unprepared and off guard. If he's not expecting you, he has no time to plan. Not that he needs a plan to kill you, he could just do it. But still-

As the sun seeps down past the hills and flatlands of Mondstadt, John and you make your way out of headquarters and down to the main part of town.

"You know what sounds so amazing right now? A tall mug of cider from Angel's Share!" John exclaims and grabs your arm. The two of you practically run towards the tavern, gaining looks from the other citizens.

"Cool it, John," You whisper yell to him as you head inside.

"You wanna actually look suspicious?" He laughs, sitting down at a table in the back.

"Sorry if I'm not good at being convincing. Dad always said acting would be my downfall."

"When would you ever have to act to be a knight?" He shrugs his shoulders.

"Right now?" Okay, he has a point. Merely minutes after you sit down, two Fatui agents walk in after, taking a table far enough away, but close enough to keep you in their sights.

"Don't worry, _____," Your cousin says, noticing your worried expression.

We'll get you out of here."

John waves his hand and gains the attention of Master Diluc as he's walking around the tavern.

"We'd like two Valberry Whiskey's please!" Your cousin asks loudly and winks. Diluc rolls his eyes and heads towards the back of the tavern, getting the 'drinks.'

It was a miracle and a half that John was able to convince Master Diluc to help you. But John said he owed him a favor. For what, you have no idea. Not even a second later, a young bard runs over to your table and slams his hands down.

"What did you just order?"

"Uh," You look to your cousin for guidance. The drink was simply a code, not an actual order.

"Valberry Whiskey?" The young bard looks at you in amazement. He's clearly drunk, but the sheer excitement in his eyes seems to sober him up enough to eagerly rush to the bar counter.

"A new drink! And Diluc didn't tell me?!" His shouts of joy gain the attention of the entire bar.

"A new drink?!"

"One not on the menu?"

"Master Diluc!"

Your cousin and you share a look as the crowd goes wild, rushing towards the front bar and to the back looking for Diluc to inquire about this new drink. The few Fatui agents that had followed you in stand up from their seat to get a better view of you and John. John grabs your arm and pulls you into the crowd, the Fatui agents desperately searching for your whereabouts.

"This way, _____." He pulls you farther and farther away from the Fatui till you feel another hand grab you and pull you out of the back entrance to the tavern.

"Hey, watch your hands, buddy!"

"Would you rather still be in there then, _____?" You smile nervously up at Diluc, who's handing you a bag and cloak.

"Things didn't exactly go as planned, huh?" The redhead smirks and crosses his arms.

"I knew that bard would be in here tonight. Drunk off his ass, he wouldn't be able to resist the call of a new drink item." You laugh, pulling the hood over your head.

"Thank you, Diluc." He gives you a rare smile and nods. You begin to walk off but stop, looking back at the tavern owner.

"Hey Diluc, what was the favor for?" Diluc sighs and pinches between his eyes.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

__________________

The journey back to Liyue is a tiring one. It seems a lot closer than it actually is on the map, but heading to the main harbor is always a task. Thankfully, you're able to make your rations last the whole trip, and as you enter the harbor in the wee hours of the night, you smile at the familiar buildings. You may have only been gone for a few months, but this was your home for the last three years.

Your home with Tartaglia . . . You pull your hood farther down your head and try to remain in the shadows. Despite the time of night, the area is still bustling with people. Merchants making deals, ships delivering goods, the whole nine yards.

You flatten yourself against a wall as a few Fatui agents walk past. The place is absolutely crawling with Fatui, even more so than usual. Could it have something to do with you? You doubt it. Harbinger or not, Tartaglia could get in serious trouble for using Fatui resources in such a way.

You carefully slide through cracks and crevises, branches and bushes, trying to stay out of any Fatui sights. Eventually, you find yourself on the outskirts of the city, not far from your shared home. It surprisingly takes a lot from you to not run straight for it. You miss your house. You miss your bed. You miss Tartaglia.

But now is not the time to get sentimental!

You still need to confront him about what he did. And depending on his answer, one of you may not make it through the night. You keep yourself stealthy as you enter the house from the back. He's not home, which is good. But the place is in disarray. Furniture turned upside down, plates smashed against walls, everything caked in dust. It's hard to believe he's been living here if he even has been.

If that's the case, you may have to go looking for him. You look around the house at the disaster. He may have been trying to look for something; maybe a clue to what you had planned or something to use against you.

With that in mind, you run up the stairs to the master bedroom and open the closet. You fear the worst but are surprised to find your sister's belongings still in place.

Surely he would have found them in here.

The bedroom isn't as bad as the bottom floor, though still a mess. The bed is unmade, with a small pile of your clothes on your side of the bed, and his clothes on the floor. All of your things, besides the clothes, are still neatly in their places. Pictures of you and him together that were once on the walls are now on his nightstand, face up and smudged with fingerprints.

"What the hell happened here?" The sound of the front door opening startles you. Could that be Childe? There's no way he's living like this!

Footsteps move across the floor, into the kitchen, into the living room, and slowly up the stairs. Whoever it is, your about to face them.

The door opens slowly, almost torturously so. Soon, the sunken and sullen face of your lover is in your view, and even faster, your on the floor with a knife made of hydro to your throat. Your hood continues to obscure your identity as Childe pins you down.

"Bold of you to break into the home of a Fatui Harbinger! What did you expect?" With the pressure from the knife digging deeper and deeper into your skin, you freeze the hand wrapped around his holding the knife, and kick your leg out. Childe falls over, dropping his weapon which shatters on impact. Before you can get your bearings, he's lunging at you again. He grabs you from behind and holds you in a chokehold.

"Your fast, but you'll never be fast enough!" You gasp for air, holding onto his arm as it's wrapped around your neck. He's trying to kill you, you know he is. All the times you've sparred with him, you knew he was holding back, but he's definitely not this time. Even so, his hold on you is weak. Weak for him, at least.

You rear your elbow into his stomach as hard as you can knocking him back and you summon your catalyst. As he said, he's faster than you, but before he can get back, you place a wall of ice between him and yourself. It's not enough to hold him back for long, but enough to catch your breath. He laughs as he can hear you choking, attempting to regain your oxygen.

"You think this little wall will stop me?" He attacks the wall with his fist, making a section crumble. Your breathing is fast, but you can't seem to gain enough breath to speak. As he crumbles your wall piece by piece, you pull back your hood and lean on the bedroom wall behind you. Finally, he lands the finishing blow and the ice dissipates in a gust of cryo magic. The crazed look of bloodlust vanishes from his face the instant he sees you, hand on your throat, and your breath heavy.

"___-," He can hardly finish his whisper as he lets out a shaky breath. With the tense atmosphere suddenly calm, you're able to regain your breath and look up at the man. His skin a pale and his eyes are dull. He has large dark circles under his eyes and he looks a bit thinner than normal.

"_____," He manages to get out, still shocked you're actually here.

"Are you okay?" You shake your head.

"You haven't seen me in months and that's the first thing you say to me?" He rubs the back of his neck and looks down, ashamed.

"I didn't know it was you. I'm sorry if I hurt you." You can hardly believe what you're seeing. He seems broken, utterly defeated. If he hadn't fought you just now, you'd assume he'd fall over with the breeze.

Looking at him now, it's hard to believe he's the same man that killed your sister.

"We need to talk." He nods, refusing to meet your eyes.

"You need to tell me the truth, Tar," He takes in a shuddering breath at your words.

"All these years, I've been beside you. I've stood up for you, I've loved you. I told you all my darkest secrets and nightmares. Not once did I ever lie to you."

Tears come to his eyes just as they do yours. He bites his lip to prevent the tears from falling. You step closer to him, dropping your cloak, and put your hands up to his face. He flinches away from you but relaxes when your palms cup his cheeks and he finally looks you in the eyes.

"Over the past few months, I've thought long and hard about what I wanted to say to you. And no matter what scenario I came up with, I could never tell if I was doing the right thing. But, even though I carry some semblance of anger, I know that what I feel for you is real. And with that, I still hold hope that you feel the same and it wasn't all just a lie."

He grabs your hands, the tears now falling one by one down his pale cheeks.

"I swear to all the Archons that I love you! I never lied about that!" You hesitate for a moment, blinking away your own tears.

"And though I don't want to, I believe you," You rub your thumbs across his face, clearing some of the tears.

"But I need you to tell me everything." Tartaglia closes his eyes. He never dreamed in a million years he'd have to tell you this story. He'd hoped that you'd live in blissful ignorance for the rest of your life with him. But the gods had another plan for him and you, and he prays that at least one of them will let him keep you. Even if that's a selfish request.

"I joined the Fatui when I was young. I was constantly trying to prove myself to Signora and the Tsaritsa that I was willing to do anything they asked me. I still am," He looks at you with regretful and sorrowful eyes as he recalls the past.

"Your parents had fled Snezhnaya when you were born, because of a debt they racked up with the Fatui. When they were found in Fontaine, it was revealed that they were working for a group of rebels intent on infiltrating Snezhnaya. It was my job to take you and your sister to use as leverage on your parents. But, your sister fought back," You release his face and look away, finding it harder to keep eye contact with him.

"I wasn't as skilled as I am now, and I panicked. But La Signora said I did a good job. I didn't know that your parents had already been killed by the rebels, and neither did the Fatui. Not until after we had left you. At that point, there was no reason to continue after you. But you were never forgotten about. And when you came to Liyue, I was instructed to keep an eye on you," Childe lifts his arms up and places his hands on your shoulders.

"But I never expected to fall in love with you." You look into his ocean blue eyes and are overcome by the warmth they hold for you.

"The day I met you, I could feel it, and I tried so hard to forget about it, but you were just so . . . Amazing, and beautiful, and kind. I never expected that from you. You never once judged me or ridiculed me, even though you knew who I was. I thanked the Archons every day that you came into my life, and I prayed that you'd never find out what I'd done."

A sob breaks through as he wipes the tears running down his face. All the years you harbored hatred for this man, you never once thought about what he could have been going through. It's true that this doesn't excuse his actions, but to know that he truly regrets what he did brings you some kind of closure. In the end, revenge would have never made you feel better. Your sister wouldn't have wanted that.

You love Tartaglia with all your heart, and in this world, it's better to forgive than to let it eat away at you any longer.

"Tartaglia," His name comes out as a whisper with your breath, but he hears you loud and clear. The fear of rejection in his eyes tells you everything you need to know as you carefully speak to him.

"I forgive you." He cries, pulling you to his chest and you hug him back. Unfortunately for him, you weren't finished.

"But, I need some time to think about this. I love you; I never stopped loving you, and I always will," You pull back and smile at him before gently kissing his chapped lips.

"I'm going back to Mondstadt, but I'll be back. You just need to give me some time." He smiles as best he can and nods enthusiastically.

"I'd give you all the time in the world if I could." He moves to kiss you again, but you put a finger up to his lips to stop him.

"Save it for later, Tar." He laughs, looking back up at you with bright eyes.

"So, there's a later?"

(A little something extra. It doesn't quite fit to be an ending, but more like an epilogue just tying things together I guess lol.)

___________________

You sigh as you sling your bag over your shoulder. It's been a good few months back in Mondstadt after your reconciliation with Childe, and you've decided it's time to go home. You've kept in regular contact with him since you've been here, writing letters to each other like new lovers. You found the whole thing quite cute, despite the circumstances. He's been regarding you with caution, taking things one step at a time, and never pushing you past any limits you set. You're grateful for that.

"You sure you wanna go back? You can always stay a bit longer, just to give yourself a bit more time to think it over." John says, arms crossed and head down. You two have grown closer over your time spent here. It's a shame to think you were so caught up in your misery to be blind to the best friend you could have had. And it's tough to say goodbye, now that you've grown attached.

"I'm sure. You don't have to miss me too much, ya know? I'll be back to visit, and I'll write every week!" John huffs.

"You better, or I'm coming over there and kicking that Fatui's ass for keeping you away! I don't care how many ruin guards he can take on!" You laugh and pull him into a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you." He hugs you back, holding you tight.

"Yeah, I know." You roll your eyes and wave goodbye to the family you didn't realize you had.

Once back in Liyue, you get settled into your home with Childe. Thankfully, he cleaned up the mess he made while you were gone. He had said he was so distraught at the thought of you leaving him, he trashed the place in anger. Not anger from you, but anger at himself. He was afraid you'd think he was a monster, that he was heartless, and that you'd never want to see him again.

He was relieved when he heard you were in Mondstadt. There, he could keep an eye on you. One of the things he was afraid of was you doing something to yourself due to the pain of it all . . . If you did that, he wouldn't know how to cope. And when he received word that you had disappeared from Mond, well, he thought that fear had come true. But in the end, things worked out. You could never forget what he did, nor do you want to. It's something you have to live with, just like he does, and it's up to you to put it aside.

You know there are many things he's done that he's not proud of. Many things of which he promises to tell you when he's ready. And you'll be there to listen as he spills his heart out to you.

You take in a breath of air as you enter the harbor, smelling the salty water of the ocean and the wonderful herbs being brought in from traveling merchants. You'll never get over these smells.

"_____!" You look over your shoulder, surprised as Chen runs over to you. You haven't seen her since the incident outside of town.

"Chen! Are you okay?" She smiles and hugs you.

"I'm doing great! My brother and I have been selling a lot more of our goods since he's been back, and business has been booming!"

"Your brother?" You tilt your head.

"Yes!" She nods enthusiastically.

"He did go to Lingju Pass as Childe had said. It turns out, he had a buyer out there but didn't want to tell me in case the deal went south. I overreacted. . ." She puts her head down in shame.

"All the rumors about the Fatui got to my head, and I assumed the worst. But Childe went out and found my brother for me. Can you please tell him I said thank you? Also that I'm sorry. I really owe him one."

You pat her on the head, relieved.

"Of course, Chen." She reaches into her pocket and pulls something out.

"For payment-"

"No!" You shove her hand away.

"Gotta go! I'm late to see Tar!" You sprint off, leaving a confused Chen in your wake.

[bigskydreaming]

If you were editor of Nightwing's book ever since at least the start of Rebirth to today and you were given free reign, what would your story mandates?

Oh no, this is dangerous. LOL. Hmm, I have no idea what to shoot for here, so I'll try to keep it to ten. That's reasonable right? Ten is good. Yeah. Is fine.

Okay, so, in no particular order:

1) Let Dick be competent 101. None of this him having to play hype man for every other character to pop up in HIS title bullshit. Nope. That's not what they're there for. He's the lead man, LET HIM BE THE LEADING MAN. Like sure, everyone has their areas of expertise, he doesn't need or have to be the best at everything, blah blah blah.....but its about the nuance. All of that is kinda lip service because the thing is, you don't go into MOST comic books and NEED to be reminded of that because the lead characters of those books are all constantly getting saved or shown up or chastised by every guest star in their books, you know? This is a very weird, very niche phenomenon very specific to Dick's character, and I'm super over it. I'm here to read about the guy who has literally been doing this longer than most superheroes twice his age. The guy who's been doing this since before he hit double digits. The born acrobat. The destined ultimate warrior or whatever of Gotham's Ornithological Society Of Murder and Pretentiousness. Gimme that guy. And that guy doesn't need to be 'humbled' every other page, because the thing is, he's not some egomaniac to begin with so the everpresent need to humble him doesn't actually come off as humbling! It just comes off as pandering and not even to actual fans of the actual character, so its like.....wyd DC.

2) Let other people take responsibility for their own crap with Dick rather than always just expecting a mea culpa from him. I'm so unbelievably tired of the words I'm sorry from Dick. I love personal accountability, so I never thought I'd have to say this about a character, but enoooooough. They have made it completely in character for this dude to apologize to everyone ELSE for being brainwashed, getting amnesia, being KILLED, like.....the amount of things he's groveled for forgiveness for when he didn't actually do a damn thing wrong or worse yet, was the ACTUAL victim of is like....pretty damn staggering. And meanwhile, there's nary a peep of apology from the people who regularly insult or belittle him, get physically violent with him, take advantage of him or take him for granted, etc, etc, etc. Its entirely too one-sided and imbalanced, and the pendulum needs to swing the other direction, like YESTERDAY, and in a fairly big way, IMO.

3) None of this Baby's First Social Justice Awakening 101 crap. I'm sorry, but no. Especially not when you go out of your way to acknowledge that Dick is Romani, only to then turn around and act like he's only JUST had his eyes opened to an awareness of like, classism and poverty and the real struggles people face day to day? Sorry not sorry, but especially for other white writers out there, do not use people of color as self-inserts for dipping a toe into Learning To See Past Privilege. And especially when talking about a character who has a history of being actively abused and hurt by the system and institutions of power, or hell, even leaving out that particular origin story, who has still been out on the streets helping people since he was a literal child. You can not tell me that this is his first face to face experience with social issues, or the first time he's had the inclination to try and address those head on. (And its also particularly egregious that the people second-guessing Dick in his own title and giving him reality checks or acting like they have more of an awareness of all this than he does like, happen to all be white? OPTICS. LEARN ABOUT THEM. COMMON SENSE. GET SOME.)

Know what would actually be a better way to approach this? Flashbacks. Show us Dick running into situations that make him think back to a case when he was still Robin, when he and Batman had started fighting over their approaches to things, actually SHOW us those conflicts and how their viewpoints had started diverging, and how much of that was due to Dick not having the same experiences as Bruce, or the same standing in society, no matter what house he lived in. THEN you can jump BACK to the present, with the reminder/awareness that this is something that isn't NEWS to Dick, but that he in the past felt he was forced to make his peace with as something he wasn't in a position to do that much about....only NOW, he's in a very DIFFERENT position, and suddenly it just hits him how he's still acting like he did when he was limited in resources or in having to be part of a chain in command or having to factor other responsibilities into things....now he ACTUALLY has the power and the resources to make meaningful change in the ways he ALWAYS wanted to, but maybe just needed time to figure out HOW.

Like you know what would have made Shawn Tsang's story arc so much better? If Dick didn't just remember her as the Pigeon's one time teenage sidekick he'd briefly fought as a kid, but like.....if he remembered her as someone he and Bruce had FOUGHT about. Because he didn't agree with sending someone to juvie for defacing public property as a form of political protest, when it was someone's LIFE who was going to be irrevocably damaged by that while the damage to the city could be fixed with a check, and what made Dick any more deserving of Bruce's leniency and faith in his potential or underlying goodness than Shawn?

But he was still a kid himself back then, and when Bruce responded with his usual conviction, talking about the importance about rule of law and etc etc, Dick just didn't have the words to get through to him then, to get him to understand that this wasn't just Dick not getting it because he was too young, it was BRUCE not getting it, that Dick was literally just saying well he wasn't too young to have been in juvie himself, and of the two of them, he's the one who has experience there so why was Bruce's opinion on whether this was the punishment that fit the crime the one that got to hold more weight here? When Dick's the one who knows what that punishment actually LOOKS like beyond the abstract, for whom it was a reality that still haunts him in ways that even defacing a few statues of some rich old fucks doesn't deserve?

Or hell, go back FURTHER than when he was Robin. Idk where any of those posts are, but I've always wanted to see something where Dick maybe runs into someone he remembers from his time in juvie, maybe a guard who is like, the source of the reasons Dick mistrusts figures of authority and is so hung up on independence and not being under anyone's thumb, or maybe someone who was in there with him, another kid who looked out for him when he didn't have to, etc. Gimme Dick tackling head-on his firsthand awareness that there's no rehabilitation to be found in a jail for kids, when most of those kids don't even need rehabilitation in the first place and only did what they did in order to survive or escape from worse situations or like, were there purely because of racist cops, etc. Let him go after THAT system, driven by personal experiences and memories that maybe only hit him in full after recovering his memories from the Ric Grayson arc, like they're things that he put in a box in his mind a long, long time ago because he didn't have the spoons or reserves to deal with them when he was a kid still so traumatized in so many ways, like, something had to give and so he put all those memories away for another day and just....never got back to them because life kept hitting him with new and fresh trauma every week.

But now something has him thinking back to those early days in Gotham, and reminding him that not everyone had a Bruce Wayne willing and able to give them an out from that place or acrobatic skills to escape it on their own, and like. You want to do something about the cycles of violence in Gotham and Bludhaven? Why not start with the places that literally MANUFACTURE cruelty on an institutional level, that teach kids that no matter what they did to get put there, even if that was nothing at all, they're all going to be treated the same way and given no reason NOT to do whatever it took to be top dog in a dog eat dog world by the time they got out.

There's SO many better approaches to social awareness in the Batbooks than what we're seeing, and like. Sheesh. The bar is way too low.

4) On a related note, if I'm editor of the Nightwing book, the FIRST thing I'm doing is making it a priority to find a writer of color for that book, ideally someone of Rom descent. Its waaaaay past time to let a Romani writer take the reins on Dick, Wanda, Pietro or Doom, aka some of the only prominent Romani characters out there? You can't tell me that there aren't talented writers who identify as Roma who would be more than willing to add their perspective to Dick's archive of narratives, and if an editor's gotta go looking for them? Go fucking look. DC and its fans have milked a lot of mileage out of the idea of Dick being Romani with very little in the way of nuanced storytelling to show for it in the past twenty years, and if DC wants to trot out little reminders that Dick is Romani every couple years, like in the form of a freaking line that has no follow up or expansion to any degree and is offset by an internal monologue that otherwise reads as incredibly privileged, the least they can do is TRY to expand on that with the narrative perspective of someone they claim to be representing via that character.

And no, this isn't gatekeeping, this is prioritizing. Its not about preventing other writers from writing this character, like just for the hell of it, its about being proactive about finding a writer who can write specific aspects of this character that have long gone unaddressed or poorly represented. And like. Okay. Its not easy breaking into the comics industry for anyone, but its particularly not easy for marginalized writers. Most every major comic book company just recites 'make your own stuff first and then show us that' but when you're a writer specifically, finding a compatible artist to partner with on creator-owned indie stuff first, when those artists are in the same position as you are and apologetically and understandably tend to have to take paying work over yours if you can't pay except on the back end, like....there are a lot of hurdles to getting your start in comic books, and while there are more and more marginalized writers in comics these days, DC and Marvel kinda fucked up, because you know what?

After being told 'make your own first, then we'll talk,' writers DID do just that....but then found out that well, due to the ease of online distribution and access these days, for any writers who CAN find an artist to partner with, its a hell of a lot easier to get their content out there these days WITHOUT a major publisher behind them.....and for a lot of marginalized writers in particular, its worth it to keep full creative control in exchange for smaller circulation. Especially when they don't have to deal with editors 'softening' their work to make it more palatable for audiences that quite frankly aren't necessarily their primary target. So yeah, marginalized voices are becoming more and more present in comics, but Marvel and DC for the most part are keeping the same voices centered they always have, and what these voices have to say is becoming less and less relevant and outdated. Because much like this arc from Taylor, even when they DO dip their toes into story matter that's of interest to wider audiences, they're doing so to a degree that still puts them years behind the conversations everyone else is having.

5) The same holds true of disability representation. I stopped reading Taylor's run for a lot of reasons but his way of responding to people unhappy with his depiction of Babs was a key one. If I'm editor on a book, and someone tweets at one of my writers that their depiction of a disabled character was hurtful because it feels like they're doubling back on everything Babs has ever said about not being defined by or ashamed of her disability and now its being treated like a dirty little secret, and that writer's response is essentially to just laugh at them and say there's nothing wrong or ableist about their writing of a disabled person, TO a concerned disabled person? That writer's ass is getting fired. Full stop.

Either you give a shit about this stuff or you don't. Don't pay your readers lip service about how important social issues are to you and how much you care about using superhero narratives to inspire people on these matters if you're gonna turn around and show your ass the second you don't feel comfortable and prioritized by the conversation, like it wouldn't exist without your oh so valuable contributions. ESPECIALLY if you don't identify as sharing the same identity of the marginalized character you're writing. You are a guest in someone else's lived experiences at that point, and you think you've got the right to belittle and talk down to the people who LIVE THERE? Fuck off, my dude.

6) Re-center Dick as someone who the superhero community RESPECTS. I love seeing Dick depicted as someone who has an awareness of his own limitations and an appreciation for what others bring to the table, and so I'm not opposed to him calling on others when he needs to.....but I also would like to see more of the opposite. But not in the way we usually see it these days, where he's asked to come help with a crisis and then usually second-guessed the whole way, and then sent back home without so much as a thank you when its done. Yawn. Sorry. I've read that story by now.

You know what story arc I freaking LOVED as a kid, back in the 90s? In Green Lantern, when Kyle Rayner first became the sole GL, one of his very early arcs, before he ever joined the JLA or anything....was him realizing how little he knew about being a superhero. He was like, my predecessors all had a full fledged CORPS to teach them everything they needed to know, but I had a few lines of exposition from a funny little blue guy in a red pillowcase and then I was off to the races. That's not good enough. There's so much I don't know about being a hero, I don't even KNOW what I still need to know.

So he went on kinda a superhero training roadtrip. He went to Metropolis to ask Superman for advice, he went to Batman to learn from Batman and Robin (Tim at the time). He went to Wonder Woman, Sentinel (Alan Scott, the first Green Lantern), etc, etc. And in the end, Kyle very much became his own kind of hero who wasn't just a pastiche of all those other heroes and the advice they gave him, but like....this put him on the road to that.

And I'd love to see something like that happen in Dick's solo title. We've seen him train in a team setting, we've seen him train the other Robins.....I'd love to see like, young superheroes from OTHER books, not ones created by the title, but like names people actually recognize from other franchises, like, guest star in Nightwing's book to learn from HIM, specifically. I wanna see something where Wally looks at the latest speedster and is like, you know what, if you really wanna be the best hero you can possibly be, then Nightwing's who you gotta go to, because there's no one I trust to make a better hero out of someone than him. I want the newest kid on the JLA block to worry that people aren't taking him seriously because of his age or experience, and he's always hearing them talk about Nightwing and how young he was when he started and so if anyone knows something about how to gain the respect of your older superhero peers, that's the guy to talk to.

Gimme Dick's couch being crashed on at various times by a half dozen new or upcoming young superheroes who all heard or figured out that if they really want to up their superhero game, Nightwing's the guy to see.

7) Bring back Bea. There's no long paragraph expansion on this, its really simply. Bring back Bea. She was one of the freshest breaths of air in Dick's supporting cast in ages, most of the current run is based off her character direction in the first place, she's literally the best suited TO help Dick in this venture, and the reasons they gave for writing her out of Dick's life were all bullshit and they just wanted to focus on his previous relationships, which would be fine if they didn't fall into the same two endless cycles of bring back up, go nowhere with, awkwardly avoid each other for years, rinse and repeat. Like. Bring back Bea, please and thank you, the end.

8) Focus on new villains. Heartless is meh, but the idea of new villains is still better IMO than rehashing Blockbuster, Zucco, etc. Like, nostaglia ain't it. If I want to read Blockbuster fucking up Dick's life, I can do that. They're called back issues. The thing is, love it or hate it, the Blockbuster arc WAS iconic. It left its mark. And anything that doesn't leave just as much of a mark, if they're going to bring him up again, is just gonna be a waste of time, you know? It'll just dilute his overall presence when like, what he was - worked fine as is. We don't need Round Two.

The trick to good villains, IMO, is they have to speak to a fight that needs fighting.

What I mean by that is....the best villains are those who resonate on a more instinctive level because they embody something that already exists in a reader's mind as a conflict that needs fighting. Like, if superheroes exist, if the embodiment of larger than life presences and forces devoted to protecting the world from various things are real....then their villains need to embody the kinds of fights or conflicts that NEED larger than life figures to combat them, at least on a one to one level.

Look at Superman and Lex Luthor. Superman at his core embodies the strength of community. He's the ultimate hero of the people, his essence is that he was the last survivor of a doomed race who was raised by two honest, hard working people to see the beauty in just being ONE of them, in using what he had on behalf of all of them and not just himself. In contrast, Lex Luthor is basically the embodiment of capitalist greed, of excess, of the entitlement of being able to have anything with a snap of your fingers and thus assuming that gives you divine mandate to make the kinds of choices that he sees as only his right to make.

He hates Superman, ultimately, because Superman is the WRONG savior of the people. He wants their only savior to be HIM, half the time he honestly believes he's saving the world FROM Superman, but just as often he's perfectly content to be the villain and not shy about it....because Lex Luthor's ultimate motivation is he wants everyone to know when he's dead and gone that LEX LUTHOR WAS HERE. He genuinely doesn't care WHAT his impact or legacy is at the end of the day, just that it exists and it overshadows most everything else...because all that really matters to him is the irrefutable proof that HE mattered. And thus at their cores, Superman and Lex are perfectly opposed. Ideally situated to eternally be in conflict, their own forever war, because their core natures are incompatible. They CAN'T compromise, without compromising themselves and essentially ending up as someone totally other than who and what they are already.

And you can go down the list. The Joker is the chaos to Batman's order, while Mr. Freeze is the stagnancy of that order taken too far, he's what you get when you freeze everything in your grief and refuse to let anything go on, anything new grow, because that would mean having to admit once and for all that what you're mourning is really gone. Two-Face is the ultimate embodiment of Man vs Self, a once good man at war with his own worse nature, and reminding everyone who looks at him how easily they could fall to the same fate.

And so on and so on. What Dick needs, is more of the same. Like, as much as I'm not a huge fan of Talon stories, I maintain that the Court of Owls were a great foil for him - just they tend to be poorly used in canon as well. But I also think how poorly they come off in canon has a lot to do with canon not really touching on WHY they're such a perfect foil for Dick....and that's Dick's history with being outside the system, mistreated and even exploited by the system. Because the Court, their core concept, is they ARE the system. They are entrenched, enfranchised, institutional power, passed down through generations, dynastic control that is a perfect counterpart to the dynastic power of the Wayne family, embodied in its youngest generation in the form of Bruce's FOUND family, the children he adopted regardless of whether or not his peers found them deserving of that honor. The Court, and their entire....thing...about the Gray Son, is the entitled fury of those denied something they deem theirs simply because they WANT it, and who will burn the whole world down rather than admit defeat or let someone else have it instead.

And that resonates. It could resonate a lot MORE if DC would actually lean into those concepts and allow Dick to explore how the Court are nothing he's not used to, they're literally made up of the same people who have looked down on him ever since he came to Gotham, but now they're actually a face and a name put to all those attitudes, something he can literally FIGHT BACK AGAINST. The Court are literally human-sized embodiments of everything and everyone who's tried to confine Dick since his parents' deaths, tried to define him without his permission, tried to make him other or lesser than who and what he is.....and who thus now exist in a form that Dick can literally BATTLE. So that he doesn't HAVE to just take this stuff lying down.

Thanks to the Court, he doesn't HAVE to just passively accept it, that this is just how life is, that some people are going to view him this way and think this about him and there's nothing he can do about it. He CAN do something about it, in superhero stories. He can kick its ASS, in the form of the Court of Owls and everything its members think about him and intend for him. He can refuse to bow down to them, to accept their mark on him. He can say lol, no, and then blow their shit sky high, ideally with a little help from his family. He can BEAT them, in this incarnated form, and in doing so, even though he can't beat everything they stand for and represent, that victory still matters, still means something symbolic to readers it resonates with.

And that's what we need more of. Villains created specifically to embody concepts that are diametrically opposed to Dick and what he represents. The system, yes, but also villains who embody the kind of tyranny and control he fights back against in his constant battles for autonomy and self control. Villains who embody the 'new hopes' of a second generation just like Dick himself is the focal point of the hopes embodied by the second generation of heroes. I'm actually not the hugest fan of multiversal constant Dick Grayson, but I might like it more if he had an opposite number there, someone he was specifically contrasted with. Idk.

But you get it.

9) Dick having a social life. Gimme the Titans and his siblings showing up JUST to show up. We have room enough for at least a couple pages every other issue where we just get to see these characters having some breathing room, taking a beat to stop and be something other than just a superhero, to be human as well. There's more to life than 24/7 fighting, even for them, and that's largely been lost in modern superhero comics, which kinda sucks, because that was what made most of the more iconic and lasting dynamics between various characters like, STAND the test of time. The larger than life battles between good and evil might be what many of us come to superhero comics FOR, but the relatable back-and-forths and ups and downs of their private lives spent with friends and family tends to be what keeps most of us coming BACK. And lately its all just mission, mission, mission, and I'm like blah, blah, blah and its like, meh, meh, meh. Y'know? Give the guy some down time, and let his friends come spend it with him.

10) Boone. This is purely self-indulgent, but if you know anything about me, you know my obsession with Robin: Year One, Dick's brief time at Vengeance Academy, and the hate/hate relationship he has with his brief frenemy from that period, Boone aka Shrike. This character has SOOOOO much potential to be Dick's true archnemesis and rival, and like. *Sobs* I can't get into it all again. Its too much. I can't do it.

Okay, I absolutely can. And will, probably. But like. Later.

BONUS ROUND:

Other thing I would absolutely insist upon if I were Nightwing editor....

GET THAT FUCKING MEME SHIRT ABOUT BRUCE SLAPPING DICK THE FUCK OUTTA HERE.

Like. Seriously. WHAT THE HELL. Why would you double down on THAT? Why is Babs STILL wearing it? (Last I checked, like I think I saw it in a scan from last issue? I'm pretty sure its still there? If not, forget this entire rant, and I am very embarrassed. Okay not that embarrassed. I don't really care if I'm wrong here but like, in case I'm not)...

WHY. Who thought that was funny? No, seriously, on behalf of any other abuse survivors who like me are SERIOUSLY not amused, who the FUCK thinks its FUNNY to have one of Dick's best friends sporting a shirt that no matter what it represents IN universe, to readers OUT of universe, is always going to call to mind the fact that this meme only freaking EXISTS because of all the times DC has obliviously and without acknowledgment written Bruce abusing his children, including the BFF that Babs is literally wearing that right in front of.

Like omg do you hate her, DC? What other possible reason could you have for thinking that would be a cute, funny thing for her to wear around the guy getting SLAPPED, by his DAD, in your shirt's iconography.

Okay I'm done.

LOL.

Sorry, that last one was brewing for awhile. Deep breaths. Woo.