#and becomes an evil mastermind or whatever

[son1c]

I just. I love Fibula and Femur because they fit the "you came back different" shtick so well. Not wrong, but different. Femur recognizes that Fibula is very different from the brother she remembers, and she both loves it for him and hates how his past still seems to be weighing him down. She loves that he's finally getting to cast aside the burdens the world placed on him and do what he wants for once, even if it makes him seem very far from the quiet brother she once knew. But she also hates how he's being manipulated by Eggman, how his gratitude for being brought back to life is being twisted against him in a similar way to how his good and helpful nature was twisted against him before he died. She just wants to see him happy, no matter how much he's changed.

(Thank you for giving me brainrot over your blorbos, because I always need more loved ones dealing with one of them getting brought back to life plots.)

LITERALLY LITERALLY!!! she JUST wants him to be HAPPY!!!!!

[emoisthenewemu]

Homie Hopper! Pt 3 FINAL!

College MHA boys x f! reader!

Summary: After making your way through the hottest friend group you know, the boys can't help but wonder--who's your favorite?

Cw: SMUTTT!, threesome, lots of different kinks n stuff, sub! Denki, name calling, p in v, reader has female anatomy, reader essentially gets passed around

Smut Series! Pt 1 Here Pt 2 here

As senior year comes to an end, you reminisce on all the times you had (good and bad). After all the hours of tears and dedication, all the times you swore you would quit and never come back-you are grateful for two things. Finishing college to become the boss babe you truly are AND the plethora of hookups with the hottest sweetest friendgroup you had ever met. You took a break on all of that, after a while it got to be too much. You realized just how much these men were taking up the time in your life so you swore off of sex completely. You got what you wanted, now it was time to give all that time back to you. Focus on yourself and the things that really matter. It's funny how once you stop fucking them it only made them crave you more.

Katsuki 'The Shit Talker' Bakugo & Ejirou 'The Big Boy' Kirishima....ft 'The Eifel Tower'!

-Katsuki Bakugo is the first to break. After a wall of 'you up?' messages he decides to just say fuck it and stop you in the hallway of your apartment building.

"Y'break your phone or something?" He catches you about to take the elevator one day, side eyeing the hell out of you.

"No. It works" You shrug, giggling at how pissed off he looks. You didn't think he would care that much. It's not like you two were ever serious or anything.

"So why the hell don't you answer my texts?"

"Cause I'm not hooking up with anyone right now" You shrug.

He clicks his tongue, very obviously annoyed. "That all I am to you? Just some dick?"

You cannot help but laugh. So pouty, kind of makes you want to fuck him. But no! You are not doing that stuff anymore. "Bakugo you only ever text me at like 2 in the morning! Be for real!"

"Whatever, brat" The elevator dings, your cue to go. He watches you walk through the doors, hands stuffed in his pockets. "Answer your damn phone!"

- The next time you see him is because you called Kirishima-not him. Much to Katsuki's dismay. It pisses him off but no worries, he'll just go and lend a helping hand with bringing up all your groceries. Ejirou has no time to even protest, seeing as his roommate was already putting his shoes on, ready to go. There goes Kiri's plans for the night. Looks like he won't be getting you all to himself.

Although, he never minded sharing.

So as the boys load your stuff up you give a grateful smile, purposely squeezing Katsuki's bicep teasingly because you just know he is pissed that you reached out to his red haired roommate for help rather than him. Sometimes you can't just help but tease him. It's all in good fun, you swear!

They look around and question where the hell your roommates who never seem to be home are, you tell them they are with their boyfriends for the weekend. Leaving poor little you all alone. They share a knowing look, could you have planned this? Was the whole 'im not having sex' act a lie and you are just trying to play coy? If so, you are a genius.

The funniest part is you really are not trying to entice them. You just did not want to have to make multiple trips up and down the stairs. You did not even think Katsuki was home, having spotted Ejirou's car in the parking lot. They think you are an evil mastermind when all reality is you were just trying to do your own thing tonight.

Or maybe they are giving you exactly what you know you want, deep down. You don't protest when they ask if they can stay and 'hang around' for a little while. You are not dumb enough to dismiss the way they check you out as you put away groceries. Like two dogs with treats being dangled in their face, their heads go back and forth to follow your every movement.

You sit in between them on the rather small couch, looking for something to watch as you try to ignore the tension that fills the room. Ejirou's arm rests comfortably behind you, Katsuki places a hand on your thigh. It's starting to feel like you're in some shitty porno.

You look at Kirishima. "Hey pretty girl" He chuckles, very aware of the situation which sits before him. You say the word, and he will be more than ready to make you see stars.

Turning back to Bakugo, you shake your head. "You done pouting?" You tease, running a nail down his clenched jaw. You go down to squeeze his hand which slowly inched up more and more, pressing your thighs together.

Shit. This is exactly why you'd been avoiding them completely. You knew if you got stuck in a room with any of the boys too long you'd go and do something you would regret. But it doesn't have to be so bad, they can keep a secret, you hope so at least.

"You promise you're not gonna tell anyone right?" You question, looking between the two men you want to climb. You swear they've gotten bigger since the last time you hooked up with them. "Cause' I seriously swore I wasn't gonna be doing this"

"Not gonna tell anyone princess" Bakugo reassures squeezing the fat of your thigh which sits dangerously close to the spot he has only fantasized about for these past few months.

"Yeah, I can keep a secret" Kirishima kisses your shoulder softly, tongue gently grazing the skin. Him you believe, you know sweet Eji is to be trusted. He's so patient with you, it's something you definitely missed.

Who could blame you for the downright wicked smile on your face as the two burly men begin to feel you up. Katsuki's hands immediately rubbing you through your shorts as Ejirou's find your tits. The blonde's rough, toothy kisses down your neck prove to be the complete opposite of the redhead's sweet sensual nips and sucks that make your eyes roll back. You let out soft moans, so drowned in attention that you have no idea which way to look first.

Although of course Bakugo is being selfish, grabbing your jaw and pulling you close to bring you in for a filthy kiss. Tongue battling yours as he groans for every little whimper you let out. He brings one of your hands to his throbbing erection. Painfully being contained by his shorts. He practically growls when you give a light squeeze. Then he pulls you away from his lips, turning your head back to big, beefy Kiri who even just the sight of can always make you feel some things. He's just so yummy in every way imaginable.

"Don't be mean baby, give Eji a kiss" Katsuki tuts, forcing you to kiss the other man who gleefully accepts. His kiss is just as passionate, as if he had been waiting months for it. Sucking and tugging at your bottom lip, tongue invading your mouth. "Touch him too" You almost forget about the hand teasing Katsuki through his shorts until the reminder to give his best friend that same love. Your free hand goes to grab his rock-hard length, he moans at the contact.

-Something about the way you switch off between them has the men going, taking turns in kissing you so impatiently. Every time your head goes back you are attacked by either set of lips, crying out at the wetness soaking through your panties. Your lips grow plump, saliva messily splayed about as you cannot decipher one from the other. All you can do is moan as Katsuki guides your head back to him, hissing as he kisses you like his life depends on it. You would whine once he pulls away if not for your face being shoved back to Ejirou who whimpers every time your lips meet. It is clear they are enjoying this dirty three way make out session just as much as you are. Although you'd like to take it a step further.

"Mm" You whine into Eji's mouth.

Receptive as ever, he pulls away. "What's wrong sweet girl?"

"Wanna kiss both of you" You pout, pecking his lips enticingly. "At the same time"

The men share a look. One of trust and understanding, I mean it isn't anything short of the shit they've done before. They get each other, no need to make it weird or uncomfortable. Besides, you're the one who begged them to keep this a secret so it's not like they have to worry about anyone finding out. Kirishima is the first to lean in, followed by Bakugo who only hesitates for a second until he feels both of your hot tongues flush against his. A groan comes from deep in his chest, maybe kissing your homie isn't so bad.

Both hands occupied with the two biggest dicks you've ever seen, life is good, you think. And things are about to get a whole lot better.

- It'll be hard to pretend you weren't arched over for Bakugo, hands on your hips as he pistons his hip into you. The angle, the curve of himself deep inside is enough to make you cry, like actually cry.

Or maybe it's Kirishima's big dick that can hardly fit in your mouth that's making you tear up. Every moan is choked out by his cock, he grabs your hair with one of his hands and moves you up and down, going along with the pace Katsuki has set.

- "Nasty fucking slut, huh?" Bakugo slaps your ass, you squeal around Kirishima.

Drool pools out of either side of your mouth, hefty balls smacking your chin with each thrust. Ejirou's stomach muscles tense up as he looks down at your absolutely ruined face. Shit, he's never seen a girl so fucked out before. You probably can't even talk. "Such a pretty girl" Kirishima gently caresses the hair out of your face, his soft touch the complete opposite of the pounding you receiving and the way he shoves his cock down your throat. "Pretty little mouth"

You pull off for only a second, gasping for air as the large man squeezes your cheeks. "Feel good baby?" Kirishima asks.

You cannot even provide an answer, gasping when Bakugo decides to grab you by both of your wrists and pin them behind your back. Had it not been for Kirishima, who cups your head in his hands so lovingly you would be falling face first into the cushion.

"He asked you somethin'" Katsuki warns and you whine, Kiri places a messy kiss on your lips.

"Mmm mm" You're a blubbering mess but the sweet look in Kiri's eye makes you want to speak. "Feels so good"

"Ohh yeahh sweet thing look how good you are for us" Kirishima coos, kissing you again.

- When it's Kirishima's turn to have you he slips in with ease, groaning loudly at the feeling of your slippery walls welcoming him. "So wet" He all but gasps as he bottoms out. "Bakugo got you all nice n' ready for me, huh?"

Again, you would answer if not for Katuski tugging your face down to suck him off. "Yeahh stretched her out real good for ya" He relaxes back into the couch, head lulling back to just breathe. Take full advantage of the way you guzzle him up, toes curling as he tries not to moan aloud when you begin to swirl your tongue around his tip. "Been waiting for this haven't you?"

He pulls you off of him, lips swollen, you squeeze your eyes shut as Kirishima begins to snap his hips into yours. Your walls being molded by the giant thing in between his legs. "Y-yes" You mutter but it's still not enough for Katsuki.

"You like when we treat you like this don't ya' crybaby? Just a pretty little toy for us to play with" You whine, squeezing your thighs together as his filthy words send waves throughout your body.

"Oh shittt, gonna cum" You warn and Bakugo laughs right in your face.

"Again? Kiri's dick that good?" He's teasing, pressing his face close enough that you can feel his breath but not enough to place a kiss on his lips like you so desperately crave. "Or you just like when I talk to you like a little slut?"

You try and grab one of Kirishima's hands that keep you in place, suddenly it's all getting to be too much for you. Attempting to move your hips up and away from him, he follows you instead, arching your back even further and begging to pound into you at a new angle. "Awww don't run from it. Eji just wants to make you feel good princess. Yer bein' rude" Katsuki tuts.

"No no" You shake your head that is currently being smushed into the armrest of the couch. Your tits pressed into Bakugo's lap as he watches you lose all sense of control in your body with an evil smile. "M'sorry Kiri. Ts' too much. So so big! Fuck!"

Maybe he should have fucked you first, you forgot about the absolute monster he was packing down there. Katsuki hooks his thumb into your mouth, looking up at Ejirou with wide eyes. They should have done this a long time ago. "You think she's done?"

Kirishima shakes his head, wiping his mouth as he realizes be is drooling as his pace does not falter. He can't find it in himself to stop, not with the way your pussy is choking him, not as he listens to your sinful moans. And especially not when his fat tip reached that squishy part deep inside that makes his whole body twitch. "She can take it" Kiri assures, one of his legs slides down to provide more support. Resting more of his weight on it he raises your hips slightly before slamming back into you. "M'nowhere near done with her"

Bakugo laughs, pressing his thumb down flat on your tongue that sticks out. "Hear that crybaby? Gonna be a longg night"

- It's safe to say that it took two days afterwards to be able to walk normally again.

And they keep their mouths shut, only share a knowing look later that week when Kaminari asks if anyone has heard from you.

"Nope" They say in unison, almost a bit too rehearsed. Sero and Kaminari ignore the sly smirks on either of their friend's faces. A plan of their own is in the works.

Hanta 'The One Who Talks You Through It' Sero....ft 'Reverse Cowgirl'!

-Hanta Sero has noticed the way you avoid him around campus these days. You even stopped responding to his lovely text messages that use to make your day. He asks his friends about it and Bakugo mentions something about you 'taking a break from hookups'.

No, this can't be. Not his favorite fuckbuddy! Something has to he done.

- He is patient with it, gives you all of about five days for your vow of celibacy before making a move. He invites you out to eat one night after class. You decline at first but he swears he won't try anything.

-So how the hell did you end up in his bed, Sero's tongue shoved down your throat as his experienced fingers play with your sopping pussy? The world may never know.

"Arghh" He groans into your mouth as he slips two fingers in, immediately setting an unforgiving pace—your juices splattering about. On this thighs, his abdomen. It drives him crazy. "Always so fucking wet for me"

You moan into his mouth, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"What happened to not fucking mamas?" He laughs right in your face, biting your bottom lip as he curls his fingers skillfully. By now, he knows all the right places to touch—a self proclaimed expert in all things involving your sweet little cunt. "You that easy to convince?"

"S-stop!" You choke out, trying to slap his hand away but he won't let you, of course not.

"Awww what's wrong? Am I embarrassing you?" He chuckles again, bringing his thumb up to press flat down on your clit. Your hips involuntarily buckle as a reaction, you start to slowly move them up and down—chasing that feeling.

Face hidden, you nod, but of course he brings your right back where you belong. Looking straight at him, swollen lips stuck in a pout as he toys with that squishy spot deep inside with his fingers. "Hanta! Fuckk!" You whine, shaking your head. Your legs twitch, hips try to run away but he follows you—not letting up.

"My pretty girl....you gonna squirt for me again? All over my fingers?" He leans in to speak into your ear, ignoring the burn in his forearms as he continues the impossibly fast pace. "Answer me"

You gasp as the knot in your stomach begins to unravel slowly. "Yes baby! M'gonna make a mess" You shake your head furiously.

He grins. He won. His other friends think you're off limits right now but here he kneels before you, fingers lost in your cunt as you whine and squeal for him. "And since daddy made you feel sooo good you gonna ride me after?" He coos. Fuck, you didn't even know he had a daddy kink before this, which is surprising given the amount of times the two of you have fucked.

"Yes daddy!" You squeal, finally coming undone.

He moans as you gush over his fingers, immediately going in for a kiss—not even caring that you are far too overstimulated in the moment to kiss back. There's just something about feeling you clamp down on his fingers, squirting all over them that he loves. He thinks it may be his favorite thing in the world. "Ahhh good girl. Let it alll out"

-You have no idea how you even have the willpower to ride him afterwards but you make do. One of his hands rests on your hip, the other gathers your hair into a ponytail.

And you ride, hips moving rhythmically up and down as the hand on your hip guides you. He watches your every movement, mouth agape as he cannot settle on where to look; your sexy back arched so pretty for him, your sweet face that looks back at him every now and then to make sure you're doing a good job, or your perfectly round ass which jiggles every time the two of your hips meet.

Safe to say his eyes are glued to your ass, he brings the hand on your hip to squeeze the flesh. He spanks you, uttering words of encouragement although the slaps are harsh—almost as if they were a punishment. Maybe they are.

"Look at your ridin' this fucking dick. So slutty baby my goddd" He is practically drooling at your figure, thrusting up every time you bottom out. And it makes you squeal every time. He gets so deep when he does that it almost hurts, tip pressing against your cervix in a way that feels bruising. He slaps! your ass again, hard and no mercy as the skin begins to turn red. It makes tears prick at your eyes. "Yeah thats what you fuckin get not answering my texts. Think you're too good for me?"

"N-no! Never" You shake your head, you swear. It's nothing personal, although all the boys seem to be taking it as so. "Was j-just taking a break" You stifle a sob, your legs are so tired. They ache, your ass stings, neck sore with the way it is unnaturally bent due to his harsh grip on your hair. His long curved dick hits deep inside, so deep that on some thrusts you feel as of you might faint. But you push through, every ounce of willpower in you at the ready because for some reason you cannot stand the thought of stopping now.

"Doesn't look like you're takin' a break right now" He chuckles, thumb going to swirl around your rim. “Goin’ dumb on this dick”

“Mmh mhh!” You whine, trying to reach back and stop his hand which pokes at your other hole.

- Soon he has your back pressed flush against his chest, sitting on top of him as his shallowly thrusts into you. You roll your hips back, tongues dancing together as one of his arms is wrapped around your throat keeping you in place.

He’s going to cum soon, you can tell by the way he moans loudly, legs twitching. He shakes his head side to side almost like he is in disbelief. “Oh shitohshitt pussy’s so good” He babbles, stupidly. It makes you smile.

“Cum for me baby” You plead, nails scratching against the stubble on his chin. “Be good for me, yeah? Gonna keep this a secret?”

Perhaps it was a bit messed up to wait until he was totally fucked out to promise he wouldn’t tell anyone. You knew you’d have to make it into a fun, sexy game of sorts if you wanted any chance of him shutting up. He’s a loudmouth, especially with Kaminari—you’re well aware they have no secrets between the two of them.

However, Hanta nods, toes curling as he reaches his peak. “Fuck! I promise mamas” And he kisses you again, passionate and sloppy as he shoots ropes into the condom. “I promise!”

Denki ‘The Munch’ Kaminari…..ft. ‘Facesitting’!

- Denki Kaminari, who is easily your closest friend out of the bunch. The two of you decided to meet up after the last day of classes to smoke and take a walk together. Like old times, when you would argue with your ex and turn your phone on airplane mode so he couldn’t track your location as you shared all of your life’s problems with a guy he most definitely hated. Those were such simpler times. -no amount of sex could ever ruin it.

“Holy fuck I’ve never been so stressed. My hair was starting to fall out” You huff, rubbing the bald spots you swear have formed. “I hope I passed”

“Course ya’ did” He passes the joint that is practically falling apart to you. Rolling was never his strong point. But the two of you deserve it after all that hard work. “I feel good right now” The blonde hums to himself amusedly, eyes low and crinkled due to the smile on his face.

“I’m trying to get like you” You muse, taking a longer puff than usual. “Y’look so peaceful”

“Bet I can make you feel even better” His fingers graze yours lightly as you pass the joint back.

“Oh no Denki! I already told you! I’m not doing that shit!”

“You really gonna make me beg for it?” He pouts, now that he knows you’re into all that submissive shit he uses it to his advantage. Like the little deviant he is, using your own weaknesses against you. Reaching the corner around your apartment he backs you up against the wall.

It is by your own volition of course, you could easily just walk away if you wanted to but if this whole situation has taught you anything it is that you are weak willed.

“Cause you know I will yn” He laughs, although both of you know he is not joking. You giggle, placing a hand on his shoulder, pulling him close but not enough to touch you. His hot breath hovers against yours and you take a hit, squishing either side of his cheeks to get him to open up his mouth a bit. Throwing the shitty joint to the ground, he wastes no time stepping on it, leaning into your touch. Slowly, you let the smoke out into his mouth.

Denki’s cock twitches to life beneath his jeans as he takes the hit directly from you-fighting the urge to whine aloud. Holding it in, he rests against the nape of your neck-softly tracing a line with his tongue. “C’mon baby….wanna be a good boy for you”

Shit. How are you ever supposed to say no to that?

“Wait!” You are snapped completely out of it, cheeks warming up. “I haven’t shaved!”

Denki laughs as if you just said the funniest thing he has ever heard. “I don’t care about that shit!”

- “Ohh Denki” You whimper, biting your bottom lip hard enough to draw a bit of blood. “Fuckk Denki!”

Denki Kaminari smiles into your pussy. Your sweet moans of his name is all he needs to hear. He swears he can cum in his pants just by doing this but he’s not that pathetic-he swears. Although it may be hard to tell with the way his tongue flickers against your swollen clit. Going fast, then slow-pressing flat down, sucking. Shaking his head side to side as you rub against his needy face.

Hooking his arms around your hips, he pulls even more of your weight down on him. He wants to be smothered in you. He fucks you with his tongue, moaning unashamedly into you. The vibrations ripple all throughout your body, tingling and ears ringing.

You reach down to pull at his hair, an attempt to ground yourself. Any chance to steady your trembling legs, head thrown back as you are overtaken with nothing but pure bliss.

He whimpers, pulling away with a glistening face. “Keep saying my name” He begs, voice so weak and pathetic. He kisses up your thighs, sucking and biting as he pleases. “Please don’t stop”

- “W-when’d you get so mean?” Denki mewls from beneath you, your dripping pussy teasing his tip. “It’s not fair!”

You chuckle, hand wrapped loosely around his throat as you place a soft kiss on his forehead. “Just so pretty when you beg Denks” You coo, kissing just above his eyebrow, then at the side of his temple. “My whiny boy”

His adams apple bobs beneath your hand, breathing heavily. “M-m not whiny” His pink, dainty lip is stuck out into a pout. There must be something wrong with him, he is into this way too much. He wants to cry with how fucking hard he is. “Please baby…it hurts”

“What hurts handsome?”

“I need you” His hips jerk up, dick prodding at your entrance. “Need you so bad”

You run your hand down his sweaty chest, resting above his rapid heartbeat. He’s such a mess, he looks so delicious right now. You just wanna eat him alive. You sink down on him, so slow that it feels like his brain is melting.

“Ohhh god!” He whines, throwing his head back. “Thankyou thankyou!”

“You’re welcome sweet boy” You run a hand up his chest, pinching one of his nipples which emits a squeal from your blonde haired friend. “You’re my best friend y’know that? Love you Denks”

“Mhm” He nods, eyes stuck on your slippery pussy milking him for all he’s worth. “Yer my best friend too! Love you so much! Got the best pussy I’ve ever had!” He goes on, words growing incoherent as you bounce down on him even faster-harder.

“Open up” You order and immediately his tongue is sticking out, inviting your soft fingers to press down on his tongue. Going deeper and deeper until he gags. You feel his dick twitch inside you. “You like when I use you like this Denki?”

“Yes mommy!” The word just slips out, truly. His cheeks and chest turn red in embarrassment. “Need you closer please!”

His strong arms wrap around your neck, pulling you down as he lazily tries to meet your pace. Moaning and groaning directly into your ear. “Awww baby let’s keep your mouth full”

Guiding your tit into his mouth his knees buckle below you, immediately latching on to your sensitive nipple. And your hands pet his hair, tugging whenever you feel it’s necessary. His eyes are rolling back, tongue swirling the hardened bud of your nipple as you pull at his soft blonde locks, pussy wrapped around him like a vice. He never wants to leave, wishes you would just fuck him until he can’t even get out of this damn bed anymore. Bringing his hands up he squishes both of your tits together, giving him the freedom to suck on whichever one he pleases. He goes back and forth, one to the other as he just feels so lucky to be smothered in some pretty titties. “S-so good mommy! Fuck! Gonna cum. Let me cum inside please!”

“Aww Denki baby got such good manners. Asking me to cum, huh?” He nods pitifully, still smothered by your chest. “Being a good boy for me?”

He comes off your nipple with a ‘pop!’, large submissive puppy eyes looking up at you. “M-always a good boy for you yn! Always! I’d do whatever you want me to!”

You giggle, pussy squeezing him in the same rhythm as your laughter. “Tell me who’s a good boy” You tease.

Yet, he is anything short of eager to answer. “I am I am!” Thrusting up into you haphazardly, chasing his upcoming release that will certainly wreck his entire body. “Wanna be your whiny pathetic boy forever!”

You slap his cheek lightly, purposefully squeezing around him as you decide to let up on him finally. He has been so good for you after all. “Yeah go ahead and cum for me sweet boy….let it all out”

His orgasm eats him alive, muscles contracting and tightening as he comes undone. Messy blonde tufts of hair stuck to his head, tongue lulled out and drooling. Eyes scrunched shut in pure pleasure. He may have needed this more than you did. And he just has to remind you, his sweet girl best friend one more time.

“I love you yn! I love you!”

- So who wins? In your eyes they are all winners, but the boys don’t see it that way. For some reason they need that validation, crave it as if it’s their favorite meal. They need to know who is the best, even if you have sworn off sex for the time being.

Well that’s what they believe at least, that you are only fucking them at the moment. That they would be your exception because what you guys have is just so special!

Who can blame you when they begin to connect the dots? Acting as if they are all above one another, arguing at every chance they get. All strewn about Bakugo and Kirishima’s couch they bicker—on the subject of you.

“You wish you were her favorite! I’ve been friends with her since way before any of you assholes came around!” Kaminari laughs, scrolling on his phone mindlessly because he knows he is the winner. He’s your good boy! There’s no beating that!

Bakugo’s arms are crossed, a judgmental eyebrow raised as if he cannot believe the words coming from Denki’s mouth. “Yeah whatever, you should all be thanking me. If I never would’ve fucked her in the first place none of you would’ve had a chance!”

“That’s not true” Kirishima argues. “She’d been eyefucking me for months”

“You think everyone eye fucks you!” Hanta laughs, putting his phone down as he finally decides to give in to the conversation. “You swore Ashido was tryna fuck the first time you met her!”

The red haired man laughs in remembrance. “Who knows? Could still happen” The boys laugh, he’s completely delusional if he thinks he has a chance at that. “Never give up hope man. It’s what my mom says”

“Good luck with that” Katsuki grumbles, checking his phone to see if you texted back. You haven’t of course.

“You guys are all idiots. I’m her favorite. Made her squirt who knows how many times” Sero shrugs nonchalantly, sending you a random post in instagram in the hopes of reminding you that he still exists and would very much like to see you again. “Make a chick squirt the first time you hook up and she’ll fall in love with you”

“How’s that workin’ out for you?” Denki muses, sending an invite for cup pong to your number. “She in love yet?”

“We’re talking about the same girl that begged me to cum inside her…just remember that” Bakugo grimaces, a bit jealous as he realizes he has yet to make you squirt yet. All the more reason to pay you a visit soon.

“Whatever. I fucked her in a hot tub. I win” Ejirou shrugs, getting up to go grab his phone charger.

“No, I win! She loooves me! I’m her good boy, remember?” Kaminari snickers. “You guys use her n’ abuse her but I let her have fun and make it all about her. You should try it some time, bet you’ll probably like it”

Sero and Bakugo meet eyes, considering the thought for a moment before making a decision. “No thanks” They say in unison.

The arguing continues, when Kirishima comes back he finds things have grown a bit heated. The name calling has begun, he knows what that means.

“Pussywhipped!”

“Sore loser!”

“Mommy’s Boy!”

“Fuckin’ dumbass!”

“Wait!” Bakugo stops to think, imagining the sight of you all arched and pretty for him with Eji’s fat cock in your mouth. It’s a sight he will never forget. “I know why we’re bein’ cocky assholes, why are you?”

The room fills with silence, wheels turning in all of the men’s heads. Sero imagines you above him, his hand wrapped around your throat as you made him promise not to tell anyone about that time.

And Kaminari remembers the way the two of you cuddled after last time, passing his vape back and forth as you laid on his chest, pinky-swearing that this particular time would stay between the two of you.

“Oh shit!”

- “What the hell are you talking about?” You groan. You had work today, you’re tired. You literally just put your pajamas on and got all comfy in bed. The boys certainly noticed the thin shirt which leaves little to the imagination, you were just trying to be comfortable. But of course they make everything about them.

“Just tell us who your favorite is n’ you can get to bed” Bakugo grumbles.

“Oh my godd” You sigh, pinching the sides of your forehead. “Guys are so weird”

“You owe it to us! You lied and said you weren’t fucking anyone!” Kaminari complains.

“I wasn’t!”

“Except for all of us” Sero says, to which Kirishima nods in agreement.

“Oh whatever! Made you feel special, didn’t I?”

They look at you with what must be hurt on their faces. You want to laugh although you don’t think that would be appropriate at a time like this. In this moment, you feel like a guy. A slutty guy that uses women to his advantage and never calls them again.

No one wants to be that guy. So you sigh, finally ready to mutter an apology. “Okay…sorry guys. Really, I’m sorry I lied to you I just didn’t think it would happen again. Guess I wasn’t thinking about your feelings which is really fucked up of me to do”

They nod, accepting that answer but still craving more. “And?”

“Andddd…..” That was all you had to say, trailing off as you try to come up with anything off the top of your head. “You all have your own traits that I really enjoy. No one is better than the other, kay? Love all my boys equally”

Katsuki scoffs at that cop out of an answer, very obviously unsatisfied.

“So let’s just all kiss and make up, yeah?” You tease, trying to lighten the mood. You poke Katuski’s bicep, aware that he is left displeased with what you have to say.

Kaminari, having no shame whatsoever places a fat kiss on your lips for them all to see. He is your best friend after all. He has the right. “I forgive you yn! And I respect it, your heart’s just so big that there’s enough of it to go around” Well that’s surely a nice way to put it. He follows by dapping you up, adding that extra little spin to the handshake the two of you came up with years ago before walking away.

Sero decides he has no shame either, I mean they’re all aware of the situation before them. No point in playing coy now. “Alright mamas don’t give us an answer” He shrugs, hugging you tight before speaking low enough into your ear that no one else can hear. “I know the truth” He shoots you a wink, placing a peck on your lips before heading back.

Well, you definitely weren’t expecting this to be the end of your night. Looking up at the two large men in front of you, you sigh. They may be big, but they are definitely more sensitive that their much more nonchalant friends. You figure they need that extra bit of love.

“Aw come onnn. Don’t be like that Kiri” You pout as he refuses to meet your gaze. “Y’know you two are special to me”

Katsuki grumbles. “Not special enough”

“C’mere big boy” You beckon Ejirou over and maybe he’s pathetic for listening, but he does as he’s told. “Look at me”

He looks down, brows furrowed in distaste. Like a big pouty puppy you desperately want to kiss. “Don’t wanna hurt your friend’s feelings do you?”

“…..no” He sighs, and you smile, gently cupping his face with your hand.

“Course not. You’re a softie huh?” He nods softly, unable to help the grin on his face as you stand on your tiptoes to press your lips against his. “Ts’ my favorite thing about you. You’re sooo sweet Eji”

He blushes, finally satisfied with the compliment you gave him. They just needed a bit of praise is all—you were neglecting your boys! “Thanks pretty mama” He mumbles against your lip, giving you one more kiss before heading inside.

Katsuki whistles as he watches his last friend walk into the apartment. You’re talented, he’ll give you that. “Master manipulation at its finest. How do you sleep at night?” He chides although the smirk on his face proves he is just as amused as you are by all this.

“With no undies and a big fluffy blanket!” You chuckle and he steps closer, immediately going for the waistband of your shorts to see if you’re lying or not.

He lets out a disappointed ‘tch’ when he realizes you are wearing panties. “Still lyin’ to me”

“I was kidding”

“Mhm” He nods, eyeing you up and down like a piece of candy. “Gonna let me come over tonight or what?”

“Was just trying to sleep actually”

“Come onnn…do it for your favorite, yeah?” He flashes that irresistible smile that makes your knees weak. Curse his impossibly good looks, makes him way too hard to resist.

“I told you I have no favorites!”

He lets out another ‘tch’, stepping forward and wrapping an arm around you to grab a handful of ass. “Thought you were just saying that to make the other guys feel better. C’mon doll I treat you better than the rest of em”

“Mmm I dunno…you’re pretty mean” You wrap your arms around his neck.

“You like that shit” He goes in for a kiss, you lean in only for him to pull back at the last second—proving your point. “Makes yer’ pussy all wet”

You whine, thighs squeezing together as the evidence is there right before his eyes. Finally, he kisses you, not allowing you entrance into his mouth when you ask for it by licking his bottom lip. “Nuh uhh” He shakes his head. “You don’t deserve to have my tongue in your mouth”

You groan, pulling at his shoulder but he doesn’t move a muscle. “What’s wrong slut? Those other kisses weren’t enough for you? Greedy lips need more?”

You sigh impatiently, tugging at the collar of his shirt. Looking down at the ground, you think of anything to keep him happy. “I’ll leave the door unlocked. Come over later, kay?”

You both share equally evil grins. It’s a win-win situation really.

“Yes ma’am”

[procrastinating--again]

I KNOW RIGHT IT WAS SOOOO ADORABLE I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!

And also Janus' gift to Patton being a CARD! Just like Virgil's was! It really makes me think that that's just the "dark sides" way of opening up to the others!

You can definitely tell that Thomas has been interacting a LOT with the fandom in that episode! Most of it was DEFINITELY out of character, but it still felt like a love letter to the fans. I don't really know how much of it I can consider canon, but I loved the references to fanon that I noticed. For example: Virgil being compared to a cat (usually for his hissing and liking to sit on surfaces not meant to be sat on), Janus being a wine aunt and getting drunk, Virgil trying to sink out of the room to go play videogames, and of course Roman's bitch slap.

I also loved how we got to see a bit of the dark sides' interactions with each other. Janus and Remus popping up together while laughing was amazing. The fact that Virgil knows the name of Remus' SHOWER DRAIN is amazing, both Virgil and Janus' immediate reaction to the name was gold. I love their dynamics so much.

hhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHH THE NEW SANDER ASIDES EPISODE MADE ME GO aHHHHHHHHHHHH in both a GOOD way and in a somewhat confused way

by the way this has a lil bit of spoils. although that doesn't really matter much, I just thought I would put that out there.

I really loved this episode, because like INTERACTION!!!! But also some of the dialog seemed out of character, specifically for logan in some parts.

Now, don't get me wrong, I loved the episode, it has put me into feral mode. (However, for the sake of attempting to be a SUPER MEGA COMPHREHENSIBLE COOL GUY, I will not be yelling in the tags this time.) HOWEVER, I feel like the part where Logan told the other sides to be nice to Remus and Janus would be more in character if Patton were to say it. I also think it would make more sense considering DWIT (Dealing with Intrusive Thoughts) Remus was the cause of Logans outburst in said episode, and on a personal opinion bias (i am sleep deprived and do not know if that makes sense or not) I feel like Logan is more neutral to Janus and Remus compared to Virgil and Roman, which is why I think that of all the sides having logan say that the other sides would need to put on a happy face feels a bit out of character? I dunno. ALSO JANUS BEING DRUNK AS HELL WAS SO FUNNY TO SEE.

Even if Virgil saying that he was going to leave to go play video games made me go "hey wait no" it the interactions between him and everyone else made me smile <333. Virgils gift for Logan made me go WHAAAA?? and then made me go WHAAAAAAAA!!! because it was very cool, logan sanders is my mANNNNNNNNNNN the part where janus gave patton a really big box wrapped in paper also made me really happy. Because like, it was a lETTER INSIDE. UIEUGSKDJFUCWE HURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAY

anyways I reallly liked the episode.

[meomoicecr]

Some Thoughts on the Cyclum...

This is a Wilson/Maxwell ship post, aiming to compile some character and relationship analyses I’ve written on Weibo. Well... Most of it is based on in-game lore and quotes, so I’ll probably organize and post it all here gradually!

First, let’s talk about the dynamic shift in their power balance. When I first got into the fandom and was randomly scrolling through posts, I stumbled upon a blogger’s comparison between another ship I’d previously liked and Wilson/Maxwell (okay that's kylux in SW ). They mentioned that while the former pair went from equals to an unequal relationship, whereas Wilson/Maxwell features two inherently unequal individuals whom Wilson single-handedly dragged into equality. This "equality" wasn’t achieved through Wilson rising to Maxwell’s level in Adventure Mode, but rather through the fact that when Maxwell returned to the Constant as a mortal, Wilson—who already had a camp and resources at that point—could have chosen to become the dominant party, yet deliberately didn’t. Instead, he placed Maxwell on equal footing with himself.

Most relationships like this end up with a reversal of roles—the former superior becomes the inferior, and vice versa, cycling endlessly. Even Maxwell himself, upon entering Wilson’s camp, initially assumed a submissive position, almost resigning himself to Wilson’s whims (after all, he’d just been pinned down and beaten up. By the time Wilson finished adding fuel to the fire and turned around, Maxwell was still standing there. Normally, even animals would flee after being hit once, let alone when facing someone you’ve deeply wronged. Logically, Maxwell could’ve expected further beatings—or even being killed—after the fire was stoked. Yet when Wilson turned back, Maxwell just stood there, accepting whatever action Wilson might take against him).

Later, when the two of them sat silently facing each other by the campfire, Maxwell kept shrinking into himself with his head bowed. It was Wilson who broke the ice first—passing him a meat skewer and starting the conversation—otherwise Maxwell would have remained completely still and silent.

Objectively speaking, Maxwell was just a weak destitute old drifter at this point, while all the camp's supplies—food, drink, everything—belonged to Wilson. By all rights, Wilson had every justification to treat Maxwell however he pleased. Yet he chose not to seek revenge or relegate him to an inferior position, instead consciously treating him as an equal. That’s truly remarkable… To put it simply: "After defeating you, I could have chosen to dominate you—but instead, I chose to pull you up to stand beside me as an equal." That’s why Maxwell could afford to be so unrestrained around Wilson. (Compare this to Charlie, who openly resents and blames him—around her, Maxwell is visibly guilty, ashamed, and even submissive to the point of resignation… Though, of course, Charlie is also exceptionally special to him.)

Maxwell has always been the type to gauge people’s moods and adapt accordingly. Around Charlie, his vulnerability and passivity are laid bare. Around the other survivors—who have mostly accepted him but still regard him with some wariness and distrust (and who never saw his throne-side persona)—he instinctively slips back into acting like his Adventure Mode self or the "big bad villain" they expect him to be. This distinction is quite obvious: some of his in-game quotes clearly sound like performative, exaggerated versions of his old "evil mastermind" persona (the kind he’d put on when others are around), while others carry a deeply depressive, self-loathing tone (likely muttered to himself when alone).

That said, he does make an effort to be more polite and measured around the group. He tolerates teasing without snapping back (which, given his ego, is downright pitiful) and grumbles through chores but does them anyway. But with Wilson—who has witnessed both his most vicious, terrifying side and his most pitiful, vulnerable moments, yet chooses to let bygones be bygones, indulges him, and keeps roughhousing with him as usual—well… "Let Wilson do it." Spoiled Maxwell to the max. It's the epitome of a cat becoming utterly comfortable after being thoroughly domesticated. You could say Maxwell's ability to banter with Wilson, tease him, even complain about him—it's all Wilson's doing, a product of his pampering. But precisely because of this, Maxwell can interact with him without any reservations.

(There's another particularly adorable detail—Wilson and Webber are the only two who never actually bring up Maxwell's past misdeeds. That's also worth analyzing, maybe in the next post?!)

Second, although the Cyclum is primarily explored from Maxwell's perspective, Wilson's reactions also reveal a lot about his attitude toward [seeing Maxwell alive again after believing him dead].

First, there’s the way he throws aside his axe and resorts to fists—almost like, "I may still resent you, but I won’t kill you. A beating will suffice." Then there’s the infamous moment (though it’s been analyzed to death, it’s just too good to ignore) where Wilson eats a plain carrot while giving Maxwell the meat skewer.  Here’s this man, rationing himself to basic veggies, yet offering real sustenance to the very person who ruined his life—now a ragged, starving shadow of his former self. It's his way of silently communicating: "I'm willing to take you in for now, and I'll provide for you too." No words needed, yet the message couldn't be clearer.

And then there’s Wilson’s choice of conversation starter to break the awkward silence: the fact that he thought Maxwell was dead.

Honestly, Wilson’s choice of topic is profoundly telling. What exactly was Maxwell to him at this point?

The liar who tricked him into this wilderness. The enemy who killed him repeatedly, only to reappear and mock him. The demon who rendered all his struggles and attempts futile. The man who taunted him with visions of gruesome deaths and throne-bound despair—yet now stood before him, alive again.

And yet, Wilson’s first words carried no accusations. No recriminations for how Maxwell had deceived or tormented him. Instead, he opened with a meat skewer—a silent peace offering—and then chose to say: "I thought you were dead."

This topic is truly ingenious—perhaps even the only one that wouldn't make Maxwell feel awkward or guilty, while still prompting him to voluntarily speak up and explain himself, thereby breaking their stalemate. Especially for someone like Wilson—a logically-minded individual prone to getting lost in his own thoughts—to have come up with this particular subject is nothing short of remarkably considerate, emotionally intelligent, and even awe-inspiring in his mental fortitude to set aside their past grievances so quickly and consider things from the other's perspective… Upon closer reflection, this is exquisitely satisfying—Wilson is truly exceptional, genuinely making earnest efforts to guide Maxwell toward opening up and interacting with him naturally. And if we take another perspective—considering how Maxwell's horrific, ash-scattering death must have deeply impacted Wilson—it's equally delicious… More than anything else, what matters is your death. I have so many questions I want to demand answers for, so many explanations I need from you—but you were dead. From that moment on, this became the first thing I wanted to ask."

At this point I want to discuss how Maxwell's death on the throne affected Wilson. First, Wilson's emotions when finally reaching the throne room must have been incredibly complex… Players can easily empathize with Wilson's perspective - after dying countless times, suffering repeated failures, and struggling desperately to push forward, all driven by the need for some kind of resolution. Whether it was finding a way home or beating up the old man responsible, he needed closure. But when he finally faced Maxwell, all he saw was a ragged, emaciated old man chained and tortured. No way home, no possibility of beating up this pitiful old man - for this version of Maxwell, even death would be a release.

No matter what bizarre method Wilson tried to kill Maxwell, it would fail. Maxwell would say it's useless, he's tried them all - he'd attempted every possible strange method to die, that's how desperately he wanted it. And at this point Wilson finally realizes they're both just pawns being played with, both victims… But for Wilson who had persevered with such conviction, this outcome was truly unacceptable.

I think Maxwell probably didn't know what would happen when Wilson inserted the detector - otherwise he wouldn't have initially smiled upon being freed before looking in horror as his body disintegrated… For Maxwell, death was probably just an instant thing, a form of release. And since he returned to the Constant afterward, he likely didn't dwell much on his own death.

But for Wilson who witnessed Maxwell die before his eyes, it was completely different. Before choosing compassion, he must have wrestled with it internally. But the moment he inserted the detector, Maxwell disintegrated before him, dying in that horrifying manner… Single-player gamers will understand the profoundly lonely, desolate atmosphere of the Don't Starve. Before this, even though Maxwell was the one who'd trapped him in this situation, he was still the only person Wilson could talk to in this world. And now this sole person he could communicate with had died because of his compassion. In his shock, thoughts like "does this mean I killed him?" might have flashed through Wilson's mind - only to be pulled onto the throne himself the next second… It's truly despair-inducing. Even after returning to the Constant, that scene would keep replaying in his mind. So when he eventually encountered Maxwell again - discovering he wasn't dead after all, but instead hiding pathetically in the bushes spying on his camp - while annoyed and exasperated, he must have also felt some relief... Well, nothing to do but beat him up and then give him a meat skewer, I guess. (But much later, when seeing Maxwell near death again, that image of him turning to ash would inevitably resurface, which must have been quite traumatic for Wilson.)

Yet the immediate consequence of Wilson's momentary indulgence was this cat immediately getting bold enough to snatch Wilson's blueprints to look at (I can't even - gonna save this for the next post lol).

Alright, but finally I still want to marvel at how Wilson could pin Maxwell to the ground with one hand while still turning back to tend the fire - Maxwell is just so physically weak, completely incapable of resisting! The Cyclum similarly shows Maxwell's survival skills in his own created world exist only in theory… In practice he just ends up fleeing in disgrace, with his natural sanity restoration still nearly getting him killed by shadow creatures while Wilson had already built a small base by then.

When Wilson and Maxwell play together online, it's kinda like the server's top player (the guy who first cleared Adventure Mode empty-handed) carrying the game's designer who doesn't actually play games… just look at Wilson's situation when he first entered the Constant! Alone with no help or rescue, struggling to survive in the wilderness where everything had to be learned through personal experience, each lesson paid for with multiple deaths. Meanwhile Maxwell immediately meets Wilson upon arrival - gets taken in, receives food, shelter, company, someone to bicker with and teach him how to survive. It's like being a newbie who gets carried by a pro from the start, avoiding so much suffering (.) Can't be helped since Maxwell is the type of creature who'd cut his hand picking up a flint - can't really expect him to actually survive. Viewing their relationship as a human keeping a cat explains everything perfectly.

Finally, I want to say—the equality between Wilson and Maxwell is the best kind. And usually, it's Wilson who drags the high-and-mighty old man down, then turns around and offers him respect and compassion, achieving a mutual ease and lack of restraint between them... Wilson has his overly rational side, his cruel side, his indifferent side, his empathy-deficient side. Yet when facing Maxwell—his defeated rival, the mastermind behind it all—he chose compassion��twice, treating him with his most human side. At the very least, to Maxwell, Wilson is a true gentleman.

[dragon-communion]

Hot take but I think when people are analyzing Elden Ring they completely gloss over the fact that, textually speaking, the Great Runes drove their wielders mad. All of them. So whatever vices they were prone to, or even virtues, those things were blown out of proportion.

Like. Rykard. Leader of Radagon's inquisition force. Obviously not the nicest or most moral man on the block, but I think without his Great Rune he probably would've been content to be an evil politician and help with Ranni's coup and so on. The corruption exacerbated his preexisting nature to the point that he thought becoming the Serpent would be a good idea.

Morgott. While he's probably always been loyal to the Erdtree, his determination to be the last king of Leyndell is weirdly antithetical to his stance that he's a befouled and ungodly thing. Being the Fell Omen to defend the city is one thing, but ruling it and killing all lords-to-be, despite the fact that they're presumably guided by grace and God Herself to the task? That's an interesting bit of heresy, and I'm willing to think that Morgott's pride was exacerbated by his Great Rune to the point that he'd be willing to commit said heresy.

I mention both of them because when people discuss Miquella, they discuss him in a vacuum of like. Two or three other demigods and don't compare the rise and fall of his project to any of the others.

With Miquella, I think he had a plan, and no matter if that plan was genuinely good for anyone else or not his hubris and innate qualities were 100% exacerbated by his Great Rune. He doesn't get rid of it until the DLC, after all, and by that point he's already lobotomized himself. We can't say for sure at what point in the timeline anyone got their Great Runes, but we can say the Great Runes definitely and textually made the demigods worse as people.

Godrick, Radahn, and Morgott all fixated on martial strength, power, and durability. Rykard fixated on consuming the world. Malenia wasn't focused on power as much as she was continuing to fight under any circumstances. Mohg gave of himself so completely that he exists as someone else's blood and his Rune chiefly benefits other people.

Miquella's broken rune protects the player from his direct offensive charm. It's reasonable to assume that it doesn't do whatever it used to do as a whole Rune, but we can still extrapolate that it had a similar corrupting effect on him. Eldritch madness is kind of a running theme of the game.

I'm not going to argue whether Miquella's "good or bad", it's never that simple, but I do think his horrible lobotomy plan was sparked by the influence of trying to contain true godlike power. And that might have something to do with why Ranni discarded hers early on- you can't rely on yourself to be a cool and calculating planner and mastermind when cosmic power is running hot in your veins.

[turtle--soup]

Okay.

I have not seen ROTTMNT yet, but I've picked up some stuff from just floating around the fandom. Something I've learned, which is discussed in this post here, is that Rise Leo is generally considered - and considers himself the 'Face Man' of the team. (GIFs below are swiped from the linked post by @risestarkiss - I couldn't find them in tumblr's gif search function...)

Anyway. This is interesting to me because I am, for my sins, also a fan of The A-Team.

(I promise this is going somewhere! If you want to find out where I'm going with this, I'll put the rest of the post under a cut because it got a little long...)

For those of you unfamiliar with The A-Team, it's a (very silly) 80s TV series about a group of Vietnam War veterans who are on the run from the government after being convicted of a crime they didn't commit. The four of them spend their lives in hiding, making a living by using their combat skills to help people in need.

Here they are:

Left: Colonel John 'Hannibal' Smith, leader of the team, brains of the outfit and most likely to have become an evil mastermind in an alternate timeline.

Right: Sergeant B.A. Baracus. Nicknamed 'Bad Attitude' due to his lack of patience for bullshit, B.A. is the resident tough guy but also an absolute teddy bear of a man, and is always ready to help people, especially children and the elderly.

Left: Captain H.M. 'Howling Mad' Murdock is the team's pilot and can fly just about anything. As his nickname suggests, he's considered a bit eccentric and is a silly kind of guy. (He's also a permanent resident of a psychiatric hospital but let's not get into that right now.)

Right: Lieutenant Templeton Peck. His role in the team is to provide them with whatever they need, whether that be vehicles, weapons, tools or access to places. He usually achieves this using his charm and wit, gaining him the nickname 'Face Man.'

Okay, so bearing these descriptions in mind, look at Leo's dialogue in this GIF:

I'm assuming that Donnie is the brainy guy, Raph is the smashy guy, and Mikey is the 'eats peanut butter with his fingers guy'. And Leo is the Face Man. That's his role.

But these descriptions fit the members of The A-Team too. Hannibal is the brainy guy, B.A. is the smashy guy, Murdock is the guy who absolutely eats peanut butter with his fingers (while maintaining unbroken eye contact throughout). And then there's Face.

How is this in any way relevant?

Well.

It just so happens that someone else is a fan of The A-Team...

Of course the Mirage turtles watched The A-Team! It was a popular show in the mid-80s, and you have to admit - they do have a lot in common, being four guys fighting injustice from the shadows and all... The A-Team even have a friend on the outside who helps them out - Amy Allen.

She's a reporter. Like someone else we know...

But which of the Mirage turtles in the image above is suggesting they should watch The A-Team?

According to this bio card from 1990 that coincides with the 1987 series...

... it might be Leo!

Was this intentional on the part of the Rise writers? I don't know!

Is it relevant? Probably not!

Does this tentative link between these two silly 80s series make me ridiculously happy? Yes!

Was this entire post just leading up to this? Yeah... sorry...

I like to think that the link is intentional. I've heard that Rise makes reference to other iterations of TMNT, as they all do. I would just personally love it if someone on the team wanted to draw parallels between these two series on purpose!

Anyway.

I just noticed that and really needed to get it off my chest! Thank you to everyone who stuck with this longer-than-intended post right to the end! 💙💜❤🧡

[iconsumedmygoldfish]

i do not trust whit young.

spoilers for drdt. like, all of it so far. as of ch2 ep16.

whit as a character just isn't adding up for me. his reactions to things have been wrong up until now, or at least not as prominent as other characters. not necessarily saying he's a mastermind, or evil, or a david-chiem-type character, but i don't think he's who we think he id

whit has been shown to struggle to hold in his laughter in the middle of a class trial about the murder of one of his classmates, which is definitely an inappropriate reaction, but the fact that he's holding back a laugh at an unintentional joke shows that he isn't forcing amusement in the complete wrong situation. charles seems used to it by now to be honest, but uhhh idk

he's also become a fan favourite, being paired alongside charles as a good ship dynamic. understandably, whit has become a lovable character, serving (slaying) as some form of comic relief. but his reactions seriously give me a weird feeling. even if he's masking his emotions, to do it to this level, in this situation, feels wrong to me. it might just be a personal feeling about him, i do think he's funny and i like whit, but cmon man that is THE MOST SUSPICIOUS MAN IVE EVER SEEN

for example:

whit appears nonchalant after the gruelling, emotional class trial that him and his classmates have sat through for hours? hours game time and real time, i believe. whit is so casual here, and it bothers me - he doesn't look tired at all, worn out, he doesn't even seem to CARE.

more of whit's apathy:

this is the most concern i remember whit showing until this point, and it's directed towards charles. and not their classmate who has just been shot and is, like, violently bleeding out.. it's a bit inappropriate? he doesn't express shock about levi's sacrifice, he just seems to be anxious for charles.

this makes me wonder if whit is maybe more detached than other characters? sure he acts as a comedic character, but is he doing this deliberately? it's not making the mood better, no matter how much he tries, he should've figured that out by now. how is he capable of just keeping a mostly straight face (or, well, happy face) throughout two whole class trials? and an execution (one one so far)

then, there's the first instance of something extreme from whit:

im not sure what to interpret this emotion as. i initially took it as whit being utterly shocked, taken aback, maybe he has claustrophobia? looking into it more i still don't know what to think. he might be hateful, or having some sort of flashback or whatever, but whatever it is it looks dangerous.

this is more emotion than he shows towards xander's death, min's execution, arei's death, levi's sacrifice. and it's towards a locked door. that's why he could have claustrophobia, maybe some that's trauma-related. this could be explored further in the upcoming chapters if we're lucky. :)

sorry if im going into too much detail!!! he's just sus to me at the moment!!! and i miss levi and i miss ace and i am a very very very sad person and i want them BACK!!!!!!!! anyway hope this was fun to read i guess idk maybe perhaps

[superscourge]

Resurrected AU Ch. 1: Alliance

(read on AO3 here!) Warnings (for the fic in general, not necessarily this chapter): Graphic depictions of violence, strong language, general mature themes Chapter Summary: Scourge breaks into one of Eggman's bases in search of a secret weapon to defeat Sonic with, but what he ends up finding is much stranger and much scarier than he was expecting. Though…he finds a way to get some use out of it. Notes: it really took me like a thousand years to get this started huh. lol. well i wanted to at least get the first chapter out before the sonic au collision event fully started, so im happy to present the first chapter of resurrected au's fic!! god i hope yall like it LOLLL, this au means a whole lot to me.. it's become my favorite baby i wont lie. i will also admit that im a Little nervous to finally start posting my actual writing for sonic stuff; i'm pretty self-conscious abt it actually lmao. but hopefully yall end up enjoying how i write these guys. please be niceys idk how long it'll take me to dish out the rest of the chapters, but hopefully i can find the time and energy to get them out steadily!! thanks in advance for reading and thank u so much for ur support and enthusiasm <3

--

It’s not every day that you get a juicy piece of info that could very well put the odds in your favor. That’s why Scourge was not gonna waste this opportunity.

He’d gotten word thanks to his incredible sleuthing skills [read: eavesdropping on strangers] that Eggman had a new base in the area and had apparently acquired a very powerful “secret weapon” of some sort. That was all he needed to know before deciding it was time to raid a base. After all, if he found that secret weapon? Sonic was toast.

It took a minute to actually find the damn place, but soon enough, Scourge was skidding to a stop at the treeline before what looked to be a large, dome-shaped structure with the patented Eggman symbol on it (or something that looked like it; Scourge figured it was close enough). He smirked, flipping his shades down over his eyes and speeding off towards the entrance.

As expected, badniks littered the area around the main entrance to the base. They looked a little funny, Scourge noted; they seemed a little more…high-tech than he was used to seeing. But, whatever–he figured it wouldn’t be an issue once they were busted to scraps.

… He did have a little trouble with these bots. Just a little. But it was no biggie, since he ended up finding a way inside before he could be overwhelmed. All’s well that ends well, he supposed.

The inside of this place was…confusing. So many twists and turns, rooms that led into other rooms, platforms that moved in weird directions…

“Doesn’t this place have a map?” Scourge grumbled to himself as he ran through the absolute maze of hallways.

After what seemed like forever, he finally came to what was clearly the main, central chamber of the base. There was a very complicated-looking keypad attached to it. Luckily, Scourge was very good at lockpicking.

Stepping back a bit, he hopped up and curled into a spindash before launching himself at the keypad. It took a bit of work, but before long, the whole thing was smashed to bits with sparks flying everywhere. Just as he’d hoped, the door opened once the keypad was destroyed. With a triumphant snicker, he unfurled and landed back on the floor before confidently waltzing into the chamber.

Inside looked pretty much as he expected it to–tubes and gadgets everywhere, lots of high-tech machinery that did Gaia-knows-what, lots of papers littered about several desks that clearly showed the work of an evil mastermind…

Yeah. Deffo an Egg-base.

“Now, where’s that weapon…” Scourge questioned aloud as he strolled through the room. He pulled out some drawers and rummaged around here and there, but he didn’t really find anything interesting so far. Surely this thing wasn’t hidden that well, right?

Just as he was starting to get frustrated, he came across a huge capsule of some kind right in the middle of the room. Pretty obvious, actually. He wasn’t that observant, but whatever. He raised his shades to where they were resting back in their place on his head before he rubbed his hands together with a huge, toothy grin. “That looks promising.”

Making his way to the door of the capsule, he tried to peek inside through the little window on the front of it. He couldn’t make anything out… He decided to just open it to get a look at what was inside, so he searched around for a switch of some kind that would do that for him. It didn’t take long, thankfully, and he quickly pressed the button down that would activate the door.

Smoke spewed out from the door as it opened, making Scourge cough a bit. He waved his hand to clear some of it out of his way as he impatiently waited for it to dissipate enough for him to see what he was in for.

This had to be some sort of cool gun. He knew it was. Some kinda laser shooter or something. Or maybe a bazooka. Oh–a cannon, even! He dearly hoped it was a cannon, actually. The smoke was almost fully cleared, so he leaned in excitedly to see what was inside…!

… It was…a guy. There was a guy in there.

“What the–?” Scourge furrowed his brow once he got a good look at the contents of the capsule. It was obviously a person–a jackal, it looked like? Definitely not a cannon. Who the hell was this? He looked rough, like he’d really been put through the wringer. His drip was cool, Scourge supposed, and the big, gnarly scar on the guy’s chest was pretty intimidating…

Mine’s still cooler, he thought to himself.

Suddenly, alarms sounded throughout the base. Scourge cursed under his breath as he looked over his shoulder. He turned back to the man in the capsule, making a quick decision–he’d snag him and take him with him. He probably had some idea of where the weapon was, so once he woke up, he’d just beat the information out of him if he wouldn’t give it up willingly.

Grabbing the jackal out of the capsule and slinging him over his shoulder, Scourge finally sped out back through the way he came. He was able to dodge any bots that tried to come after him thanks to his speed, and soon enough, he was outside and running through the trees of Mobius once again.

He ran until forest turned to jungle, and before long he was slowing to a stop once again in a small clearing where bits of light showed through the canopy up above. He rested the other man’s body down on a bed of moss near a small pond, figuring that’d be…somewhat comfortable, and he then took a seat on a fallen tree a few feet away.

It was only a matter of seconds before he began to tap his foot. What was he supposed to do now? Just sit there waiting for this guy to wake up? That could take hours… He didn’t have that kind of patience.

Deciding to take the initiative, Scourge stood and started walking over to the jackal, intending to just…lightly kick him until he woke up, or something. However, he didn’t get the chance.

A low, threatening growl could be heard rumbling from the stranger’s throat. Scourge stopped in his tracks once he heard it, then took a few paces back. How long had he been–?

One yellow eye opened to a squint, scanning the area before landing on Scourge. For some reason, the look the man was giving him made his skin crawl… Not that he was going to let him know that, though.

Instead, Scourge popped the collar of his jacket to regain his composure and puffed out his chest. “Took ya long enough,” he teased right off the bat. “I was startin’ to think you were dead.”

The jackal’s gaze lingered on him coldly for a few moments. However, he looked elsewhere when he began to speak. “... I should have been.”

That…wasn’t the response Scourge was expecting. The way he sank a bit betrayed his confusion. “... Wait, what?”

The man sat up, sort of startling Scourge into taking another step back. As he did so, he fully opened both of his eyes so that he could properly take in his surroundings. He was clearly ignoring the hedgehog beside him as he turned his head away, which didn’t really sit right with Scourge.

“Hey!” he barked. “I’m talkin’ to you!”

Giving no indication that he was listening, the man proceeded to rise to his feet, standing at his full height. Scourge sort of…shrank a little once he saw how actually tall this guy was. He knew jackals were generally bigger than hedgehogs, but this guy…

No, no, it was fine. No need to be afraid. He was still in charge here–this guy just didn’t know it!

With an annoyed sneer, Scourge dared to stomp a little closer. “Listen here, pal. If it weren’t for me, you woulda still been stuck in that base. I went outta my way to rescue you, got it? That means you owe me one. So, I’m gonna tell you how this is gonna go down, and you’re gonna–hrk!”

A clawed hand suddenly gripping his neck caused Scourge’s words to get caught in his throat… At least, that was part of it.

The jackal had snapped his head around to glare murderously at him as he grabbed him, which gave Scourge a very clear view of his face. He could see his one piercing yellow eye staring back at him…and he quickly noticed that the other eye had some kind of rock lodged into its socket. It was an eerie sight, and it definitely sent an intense chill up Scourge’s spine.

“You,” spat the jackal, voice deep and commanding, “do not control me.”

Unable to respond, Scourge just kind of…dangled there, hands gripping the other’s wrist as he kicked his legs a little. The expression he wore was enough of a response, though, so he was released after a moment of struggle. Once he was able to breathe and stand on his own again, he gasped for air and rubbed at his throat with an indignant look.

“What the hell?” he managed to say between coughs. “Who do you think you are, grabbin’ me like that?”

Turning away, the taller man didn’t bother to look at him as he replied. “I am Infinite,” he answered simply.

There was a pause as Scourge seemed to wait for him to say something else. When he didn’t, he furrowed his brow a little. “... Like, that’s your name, or…?”

The man–Infinite, apparently–seemed to hesitate, as if he was surprised that Scourge didn’t recognize him. One of his ears flicked.

“... I suppose enough time has passed that my name is no longer common knowledge,” he mused, half to himself. “Pity. I would have liked to think I made a bigger impact than that.”

Scourge watched as Infinite turned to fully face him again, making him subconsciously take a couple steps back. Man, this guy was kinda scary… Not that he couldn’t take him! He was just giving him the creeps, was all… Cyan eyes flicked to Infinite’s hands as he flexed his fingers.

“I will simply have to remind the world what true fear feels like,” he growled lowly, “and I suppose that starts with you.”

The rock embedded in Infinite’s eye began to glow as he summoned its power, and, to Scourge’s bewilderment, he began to lift off the ground and hover there. It was kind of scary, actually. The guy was floating. What the hell?

Then it hit him. The weapon Eggman had been hoarding wasn’t a gun or a cannon or anything like that. It was Infinite. He obviously held some sort of power that Eggman wanted to weaponize, and that must have been why he’d been locked up in that base… Things started clicking.

Despite Scourge expecting him to do… anything, really…Infinite proceeded to seize up in pain and let out an agonized yell. He suddenly collapsed to the ground, falling to his knees as he held himself up with one hand and gripped his head with the other. “W… What…?!” 

Infinite’s hand moved from his head to his chest where the large scar marked him. When he felt nothing but the scar, he had a look of both anger and confusion on his face, which told Scourge that what just happened clearly wasn’t the plan.

… Interesting.

Scourge stood a little straighter once he was confident that this guy wasn’t about to explode or something, sticking his thumbs into his jacket pockets. “Aaaalright, Criss Angel. If you’re done with all that , I think it’s time we get down to business.”

While Infinite knelt there still trying to figure out what was going on, Scourge began to pace around him in a circle, smirking as he did so. “Look. Like I said before, I rescued you from that base, so you kinda owe me one. But–and hear me out on this one–I’m willin’ to come to a compromise.”

Infinite snapped out of his pained daze long enough to shoot another glare at Scourge as he came around to his front again. “Compromise?” he hissed.

Scourge nodded. “Yeah. So, listen–I didn’t get to introduce myself earlier.” He held up a thumb and pointed it at his own chest, teeth bared in some kind of nasty grin. “Name’s Scourge. If ya haven’t hearda me by now, then you’ve been livin’ under a rock.”

Infinite somehow doubted that this brat had left enough of a mark on the world that anybody off the street would know his name. Still, he let him continue.

“I wanna take out Sonic. I assume you know him, right? Well, I think you’re just the guy who can help me out with that. He’s gotten lucky so far, but I think with you backin’ me up, I’ll be able to finally give ‘em his just desserts.”

The name Sonic caused a spark of recognition to flash over Infinite’s good eye. His breathing began to steady. “... Sonic,” he repeated. “Yes, I am familiar with Sonic .”

The way Infinite said his name let Scourge know that there was some beef there, at least. This worked in his favor. “Good,” he said with a nod. “So we’re on the same page, then.”

He turned on his heel before stopping his walk, facing Infinite to speak to him directly. “Like I said, I want you to help me take him down. Easy, right? In exchange, though… I’ll help you out with whatever you want, too. I dunno if you knew this, but I’m basically just as strong and just as fast as that blue bastard. I could give anybody a run for their money if I felt like it.”

Narrowing his eye skeptically, Infinite mulled this over. He seemed to be recovering from the shock from before, and he stood back up onto his feet. It was evident from how long he took to respond that his mind was…elsewhere.

“... I see.” His tail swished behind him as he thought about his next words. “You are offering to aid me in whatever task I ask of you?”

“Cross my heart.”

Infinite gave a huff before crossing his arms. “... Fine. If you intend to uphold your end of this bargain, then I will do the same.”

Scourge smiled widely, his sharklike teeth almost glistening in what little sunlight was managing to poke through the canopy above them. This idiot. He had no idea that he had every intention of double-crossing him the first chance he got.

He held out his hand for a shake to seal the deal. “Glad to have ya aboard, Infinite.”

Infinite glanced down at the other’s hand before reaching forward and taking it, giving it a single shake. His grip was tight. “Let us make the most out of this partnership, shall we?”

… Infinite was not stupid. He instantly knew that Scourge was going to betray him. That overconfident fool was so transparent it almost made him sick.

But…he could also tell that he had some bite to his bark, even if it was just a little. He was seasoned enough as a soldier that he could see that. That meant he could get some use out of him before he pulled his own betrayal.

He no longer had the Phantom Ruby in his chest, and he was alive, and he had no idea why. If this green idiot could help him figure that out…then he’d play along for as long as he had to.

Either way, he was going to get answers. And once that was done? He was going to rip out Sonic’s miserable little throat.

☆

[viradahlen]

✨️Wesker is totally not a brilliant mastermind with a plan. (and absolutely a pathetic and very dangerous and very unhinged creature designed by Umbrella)✨️

1. Pre RE1 goals :

* Pre meeting Birkin : "My name is Albert Wesker. I originally aspired as a researcher to become an executive in the pharmaceutical company Umbrella, which also covertly dealt in the development of Bio Organic Weapons. However, encountering William Birkin at the executive training school in Raccoon City spurred my resolve to alter my course." (Source)

* Pre 1983 : "Spencer placed all his hopes on us. He tasked us with the burden of making him a god. And foolishly, compulsively, we scrambled to follow his orders" (Note that only Alex was trusted enough by Spencer to know this. Albert spent his whole life wondering Why The Fuck It Is what It Is But Still Obeying) (source) (+ Alex is speaking here)

* 1983 : "I needed to get myself a position that had more access to information that would reveal Spencer's true objective" (Wesker's report II)

* 1996 : "Well if I am not the captain of STARS, still doing whatever Umbrella tells me to do at the respectable age of 36, living a Fake Real Life getting acquainted with non Umbrella people for the 1st time in my life and basically getting paychecks for keeping the STARS under control for whatever purpose Umbrella may have for them"

2. RE 0 goal : The Leech Incident happens. "If the old conspiracy against Dr. Marcus is revealed, Mr. Spencer's career will be over. Not to mention ours, too. (...) I will simply say goodbye to Umbrella. The biological weapon utilizing the t-Virus has almost been completed. Our only remaining task is to acquire combat data." (Resident Evil 0)

3. RE1 goal : "Receiving orders from Umbrella, fully aware of what was occurring, Wesker began planning for the investigation mission dubbed "X-Day". These orders were to make his way into the laboratory, destroy the complex to contain the outbreak, and escape with biological samples. To silence any witnesses, it was imperative S.T.A.R.S. be destroyed during the mission." (Source)

>> ATP he goes so far as to risk dying for real. His only hope to survive the Mansion Incident and get under Umbrella's radar is Birkin's prototype. However, it happens that even this part of his plan was planned from the start by Spencer lmao. He was, once again, Out Gambitted.

" This virus was administered to screen out the more gifted of the Wesker children. Some took the virus on the recommendation of a friend; others were given the virus as part of their medical treatment; still other had it forcibly administered to them. Albert Wesker was not different. His partner, William Birkin, gave him the experimental virus, and he administered it to himself." (Source)

September 1998 : he already works with the Organization and gives Ada orders on their behalf. Well, if our boy isn't still a useful tool for another shady company ("I had to SELL my SouL tO anOthEr oRganIzaTion")

4. CVX goal : does basically whatever the Organization demands.

5. RE : UC : "Wesker was the one who sent Ada Wong to retrieve the G-virus and was involved in the incidents at Rockfort Island. He appears intent on gathering as much data as possible on viral weaponry". (Source > he is still doing this on the behalf of this mysterious unnamed Organization)

"My dear Spencer, how the mighty have fallen. Your Umbrella has folded and now you are a fugitive in the same world you once sought to control. *looks over all the companies research and notes over the course of nearly fifty years* We shall meet again, before the conclusion of this drama. Then...you will learn of the history...I will write for this world. *smirks* (cut to black)"

>> OK, so ATP it seems like he wants to reshape the World with viruses already. But er... well man you could have remained with Umbrella but ok whatever. Prior to his death, this never ever transpired, interestingly. He was much more like his son, Jake. An amoral guy who wanted to be free (and, consequently, rich).

6. RE4 / RE4RE :

"Pity. But after all, just another expendable grunt. Thanks to you, however, Umbrella's one step closer to its reestablishment. And once it is, there will be significant changes in our world."

Oook so after destroying Umbrella he now wants it back. For himself *sighs*

"I do not pay you to ask questions. All you need to know is a new dawn is breaking. A hundred will give their lives so that just one may live. I am expediting that change."

"There's no room for half measures. The weak exist to serve the strong."

OK ok so he totally shares Spencer's vision unbeknownst to him ATP...

LOST IN NIGHTMARES / RE 5:

- finds Daddy

- Daddy tells him he is a good boy who dutifully followed the script

- kills daddy

- immediately continues to walk in Spencer's footsteps despite just learning that he has done this all his life and, well... Umbrella lives on !

[dykesynthezoid]

Yeah I def don’t think Burt is some secret evil mastermind but I do think he probably worked for Lumon for a long time before becoming severed and he likely still remains loyal to them, but even beyond that he’s also very entrenched in who working for them has made him into. There’s something very retro and kind of Mad Men about it in terms of the connection between how he treats Fields (and likely always has) and the secrecy and manipulation and abusive tactics he would’ve inevitably had to make a part of himself while working for Lumon before being severed.

And similarly Fields is also deeply entrenched in their dynamic. It seems like he oscillates between enabling, seeking Burt’s approval, and using religion as a way to re-establish power in the relationship. Again, very old school feeling to all of that.

Exactly how much Lumon told Burt about what happened with innie Irving isn’t clear. They probably suggested Burt get in touch with him, but how explicit they were about any subterfuge and how much Burt actually knows about what they want might be complicated. Regardless Burt definitely seems genuinely interested in Irving regardless of having an ulterior motive. I look forward to whatever toxic yaoi is coming down that pipeline

[the-owl-tree]

reading the star excerpt (link here)

i quite like the prologue. i like curlfeather taunting splashtail, i like his insecurity being exacerbated. i think it actually hammers in how young and out of his depth he is

which....sucks the rest of the books portray him as this manipulative mastermind. he's much more fun of a villain when you can see him scrambling for power (and losing it)

which makes the whole riverclan as poor victims kind of suck. icewing rightfully calls out her clanmates for being cowards for uh- *checks notes* using mothwing as target practice?? sorry we're going over the top evil i see. anyways, my point is....yeah, riverclan IS complicit in this, they DO have a choice to say no. splashtail doesn't even have enforcers like brokenstar and tigerstar did, it's literally just one guy - heck the warriors themselves are the enforcers.

fear becomes a limp excuse at this point. you guys gotta unionize or something.

i think the book is really struggling to make splashtail's NO MISS OHKO X9999 ULTRAKILL ATTACK an actual credible attack. look i get it they think he has nine lives, but the three of them could take on a teen i believe it.

i think because this arc won't acknowledge that riverclan is complicit in letting this fester, that they wanted this kind of leadership, it makes him fall flat. how much scarier would it be, more gray it would be, difficult, and so and so on if the clan rallied behind their leader because of the prior events? i get it, they're playing into the fear angle, but there NEEDS to be some more willing participants or this doesn't work.

the closest we get is this exchange but like. guys. the gathering exchange was stupid as hell.

also, you'd think every brit was the worst dog owner in the world LMAO these boys are screaming and straining on their leash while the owners chatting away. every dog in brit is some cat mauling beast i guess.

i was so ready for repetitive "why should we do X??" let's fight about it for the next few pages that it was a fucking relief that cloverfoot was just "yep bring them in!". fucking uh flashbacks from bramblestar's leadership lmao

the phrasing on this made me snick. "behaved so badly" makes it sound like she was kind of unruly, not plotted to overthrow her leader lmao

i dont wanna nitpick, i am actually enjoying that the plot is moving and that things are happening but like....minor waste of a shadowclan pov. you'd think with how often they like to make references to past events, sunbeam being a shadowclan cat could absolutely come in handy in this situation (considering they once had nightheart explain shadowclan history to a shadowclan cat) but when she wonders if riverclan can ever repair itself, it really doesn't come up. idk, i guess i think she could've had a more optimistic perspective but ultimately it really isn't the biggest of deals.

uh oh guys something ELSE happened?? wanna know what happens??? well go buy IVYPOOL'S HEART ONLY FOR 25.99 AVAILABLE NOW AT RETAIL OUTLETS CLOSEST TO YOU. BUY NOW BUY NOW BUY NOW BUY NOW. DON'T YOU WANNA KNOW WHERE ICEWING IS GOING???? OOOH BUY OUR BOOKS!

Oooh the Gathering trap is actually good, ignoring how a lot of them get thrown the idiot ball a little bit to make it work. I figured it out quickly (even though this arc loves having shit happen offscreen), it's nice to see some trickery for once! only real drawback is the books once again going "what did splashstar do to riverclan??" as if he's mind controlling them. I'm gonna actually hold out on hope that this is a set up to Frostpaw realizing her Clanmates haven't been mind controlled or whatever, they're doing this because they want to, because splashstar's ideals appeal to them after everything.

it probably won't happen but i wanna hold out hope.

tentatively interested! preparing for status quo disappointment!

[kyotosummer]

WHY I CAN’T STAND STOLAS & CURRENT HB WRITING: HELLUVA ANALYSIS

I need you to first understand that if you are sexually attracted to Stolas - this isn’t about you. You have what you want. Let me fucking vent. Okay? Okay.

Here’s the thing, I have a bio dad that reminds me too much of Stolas: a bunch of siblings, family expectations, etc. The difference is that he got to marry his Blitz0, but lost all ambition to make an effort once he settled into his expected life, and lost her due to his lack of ambition. When he finally reunited with me, his daughter, after nearly a decade of vanishing, “oh, he’s just going through a rough time. He’ll come around,” “He loves you, he’s just falling on hard times right now,” etc., he ONLY had eyes for his Blitz0, every interaction with his daughter either felt like an obligation, a way to mentally check out, or a show off of “See, Ex-wife and Sister, I can interact with my kid!” It was never about the daughter he was actually with. When none of that worked, he turn into a sad, wet sac. So I was stuck with one parent who let things out in anger because she had ambitions and worked her ass off just to be lower-middle class on only her own power, and one who made everyone feel sorry for him because life didn’t turn out how how he expected. Because who cares about the kids, am I right? If they’re teenagers, they’re fully developed and the parents don’t need to bother with TEACHING them anything. They either need to be able to add to the family income or find things out on their own.

When Helluva Boss began, I thought this was going to be a show about broken people fixing themselves. As we began to learn about Blitz0’s past, I felt like Stolas’s journey was going to be about learning to connect with his kid, and maybe Blitz0 will help him and they can get closer together through that. With Blitz0, his journey seemed to be about learning to understand that he is a loving person and has done a lot of things to improve lives. Ghostfuckers really got me excited because I thought we were finally going in this direction.

To me, Stolas has not yet earned the right to live with Blitz0. Stolas hasn’t earned the right to feel sorry for himself yet. To me, Stolas will not earn that right until he sits the fuck down with Octavia and talks about their relationship on-screen with a vow to do ____ to spend more time with her and give her JUST EVEN A FEW HOURS OF UNDIVIDED, NON STELLA OR BLITZ0 RELATED ATTENTION FOR EVEN A FEW HOURS A WEEK, just SOME FUCKING EFFORT to fix the relationship. TEACH HER HOW TO USE THE FUCKING GRIMOIR, YOU ASS!

I don’t give a fuck about Stella. I would have APPRECIATED it if the show gave Stella a slightly more complex personality, considering that she was betrothed to a boy who didn’t want her for her entire life - meaning that through her teen years, where her hormones are all over the place and she’d have spent a lot of time trying to make herself pretty enough to satisfy her vanity, Stolas still wouldn’t have given her the time of day. But sure, let’s just make her an evil, manipulative bitch for the sake of simplifying the story. She’s hardly in the show, and giving that much complexity to side characters can make a production difficult to wrap up, so I really don’t care.

But this - I can’t stand this. To me, the episode that was “Mastermind” should not have existed. Blitz0 should not have been there at all. The Grimoire situation has long been handled, and he was now doing things legally. The show itself already established this - so WHY are we suddenly turning this into a punishment for Blitz0? Stolas could have easily faced the same punishment for just cheating on Stella with an Imp, or he could have gotten punished for giving up the book, even temporarily, but that punishment should NOT have been a trade for Blitz0’s life. This should have been about Stolas’s divorce, not whatever fucking circus performance THAT was.

I don’t like characters that evolve to become sad. I can’t stand it. If that does happen, then they should learn how to gather their strength and fight the sadness. Because it’s a FUCKING TV SHOW, NOT REAL FUCKING LIFE. USE FUCKING METAPHORS. I also don’t want this sadness to bleed into Blitz0, either. He’s actually made progress, don’t change the writing to have him go backwards in development.

We, the audience, have been shown so much about Blitz0’s life that none of the other characters have seen or understand, and I hate that too. If they don’t know, if they’re not about to find out too, then I don’t want to know. I don’t want to hear about sad things and then watch a bunch of misunderstandings happen (FOR FUCKING MONTHS, BECAUSE EACH EP IS ONCE A FUCKING MONTH) because these characters just don’t know. I don’t like that it’s taking so long to resolve, because I can tell Blitz0 whump is coming, and the longer that drags out, the more I think it’s going to be so gratuitous that it won’t even be fun to watch. And shit, watch M&M have to be the ones to deal with it anyway.

And if we don’t get Blitz0 whump - if I had to sit through all of those sad images and start rooting for him, only to have him not have all of this get revealed to everyone in a cool fight scene gone wrong, instead it’s constantly just variations of people getting frustrated with him and it comes out in the quiet aftermath of the frustration , I’m going to lose my shit.

So yeah, TL;DR - I don’t like Stolas because his need to be the sad bird is actively hurting both Octavia and Blitz0’s development in my eyes.

[aihoshiino]

chapter 162 thoughts!

Chapters Since The 143 Kiss Happened And Went Entirely Unacknowledged And Unaddressed Count: 19

Aqua Hoshigan Status: uh oh, gamers

damn they dragged his ass right to hell, huh

I was perhaps overly optimistic in expecting an immediate resolution to last chapter's setup. It's becoming increasingly clear that this handful of chapters covering the Aqua-Hikaru confrontation are intended to be read in one go but because I am pedantic I will continue to review them one by one <3 This chapter very much has all the same issues as the previous chapter without quite as many of the things I liked pulling it up, but Mengo's art is back to going absolutely crazy and I got to see 2.5 new panels of Hoshino Ai so who can say whether it was a good or bad chapter.

Like last time, we're starting with Hikaru again and… basically everything I said I didn't like about this handling of him is still the case but with this almost definitely being his final appearance with no more opportunities to explain anything about him, it really sucks that the note we seem to be ending on is just "damn, bitch be crazy". Given that Tsukuyomi mentioned his previously 'noble soul' last chapter, I was really hoping we might get some sort of flashback or Hikaru POV giving some proper context to his actions but all we got this chapter was him being like "ughh i miss ai. GOD i love killing people" which is, uh, underwhelming as a final note for an antagonist like Hikaru to go out on, to say the least

The thing is, I didn't need or expect Hikaru to be totes 100% an innocent bean or anything like that (ch109 looms large), but if he was going to be the final boss like this, I wanted his antagonism to come from somewhere, to have any kind of connecting thread with the story's themes or to at least tell us interesting things about him both in coming to understand where his behavior came from and why he went down this path. But we don't know anything about Hikaru, really - we know facts about his life but as person and a character in a story, our image of him is shockingly unclear. As far as the story seems to be concerned, he came into existence as an 11yo boy being abused by Airi, blipped out of reality when Ai broke up with him and then idk digivolved back into society into a guy from a yandere otome game when Ai died. Like, how in god's name did Hikaru go from the boy we see being broken up with as a teenager to… whatever the fuck this is? How did he start killing? Why? What is it about killing that makes him feel Ai's supposed presence? And most importantly - why does he pursue killing Ruby as his means of achieving this when the narrative is doing everything it can to convince us she's Ai 2.0 and therefore a living person in whom Hikaru should be able to feel Ai's presence the most strongly since her death? Hello? Can anyone hear me????

We don't get textual answers to any of that - hell, we don't even really have any textual confirmation that he is actually serial killer, despite it being something I guess we're supposed to assume at this point?? Like, whatever happened to Aqua seemingly crediting Yura's death to Nino's involvement? What happened to Aqua saying that Hikaru being the mastermind made no sense? Like, I guess he was right, but jesus

Even things I can take the time to try and infer (which, see last review's discussions on Inferring Things) just make me feel like I'm doing the work the story should have done in terms of trying to get his character to cohere. As it stands, Hikaru isn't in opposition to Aqua because he has harmful beliefs or behaviours born from his participation in society that stem from or are in conversation with the story's wider themes, but because he has one very specific unhinged belief totally disconnected from reality focused on one specific person and manifesting in such a way that caused him to just be Ontologically Evil And Broken.

And it's not like this would even be hard to do! Hikaru is literally, explicitly an affluent and powerful person in the entertainment industry despite being someone who was broken by abuse perpetuated by those very systems of power. Why not lean into that? Why not examine the ways in which Hikaru and Ai converged in their experiences of abuse - Ai able to truly sever the chain and begin healing while Hikaru ends up making Airi's mistakes and enacting abuse and control on people with less power than him to try and regain agency and dignity?

Ryosuke (even post retcon) and ch154 Hikaru work so well because their specific beliefs about Ai reflect real world misogyny and parasocialism that are rife in the entertainment industry (and even outside of it) so they're able to contribute to the story's wider themes pretty well. But as of this chapter, Hikaru's stated beliefs about killing and apparent overall worldview are so fucking detached from reality and so lacking any foundation or grounding in textual events or theming that it doesn't even feel like an exaggeration of real world issues to a logical conclusion like Ryosuke does. He just feels like a cartoon character.

Not only is this shallow in general and really a huge wet fart of an ending for a character who has been built up for 4 actual years and 150 chapters of manga, it's also just bizarrely inconsistent. There's no proper connecting thread in the text between the seemingly emotionally disarmed and remorseful Hikaru of 154-5 and fucking joker slenderman ass here. The story spent so long making Hikaru deeply and viscerally sympathetic through exploring his history of abuse and exploitation mirroring Ai's that I'm not sure of what the point of that was in terms of authorial intent if we were always gonna end at this point of "you are Ontologically Evil and must die". Movie Arc backstory Hikaru flows quite naturally into 153-5 Hikaru but these specific beliefs and fixations on killing almost feel like they popped up from nowhere to force this confrontation to happen.

Ultimately, despite being given ample opportunity to do so, it just kind of feels like Akasaka just kind of lost interest in trying to develop Hikaru into a fully fleshed out and coherent character. We get flashes and teases of what could have come together into a fascinating and compelling antagonist but he ultimately fails to evolve past a vague sketch of a character, full of unconnected ideas and loose threads. In the end, Hikaru is only ever a cipher for the story to enact tragedy through with no real interest in his own feelings and interiority in relation to it - not even his own.

To scooch back a bit into the chapter, I will say that him being dragged down specifically by Gorou is interesting, especially since he seems to have returned to his scary ass Tokyo Blade rage ghost form. This seems to represent Gorou and his rage being sort of 'exorcised' from Aqua now his revenge is complete (as I theorized might happen last week) - his memories and existence obviously live on in Aqua (F… FOR NOW…..) but as a character in a narrative, this feels like a fine enough place to leave him.

Anyway, speaking of Aqua! How ya doing, champ?

that bad, huh

The back half of this chapter revolves around giving Aqua some emotional resolution of his own and even though I've been kicking and biting to get some Aqua introspection for so long now, this one left me feeling pretty cold. After all this time of floating around the 'why' of his reincarnation, the answer we're finally given is….. just that Aqua was reborn to be Ruby's guard dog lol.

The idea that the twins were specifically reborn to be together has been imo pretty obvious for a good long while and I think it's a perfectly fine idea on paper, but this framing of it just kind of falls flat to me. I don't like that it positions Aqua's rebirth not as a second chance for him to love and be loved in a way he wasn't able to as Gorou, a gift from Tsukuyomi to two people who showed her a selfless, thoughtless kindness but as just yet more of the story using other characters and their stories to try and prop up Ruby or imbue her with more importance in a way that I think feels forced and does the characters who are used in this manner a huge disservice. I'm sure we could conclude that this is just Aqua's feelings on the matter and I really, really hope that Tsukuyomi fishes him out and gives him a slap while yelling YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LIVE FOR YOURSELF AND BE HAPPY IDIOT or something next chapter, but the extremely warm framing this is all given makes me think this is something the narrative both agrees with and approves of and as an Aqua enjoyer I just kind of hate that for him.

I also have to say that like… it doesn't not make sense for the story's finale and this aspect of the reincarnation plot to center Ruby specifically. She is one half of the titular Oshi no Kos and at least hypothetically the co-protagonist of the story. But suddenly making her the answer and central turning axis of basically the biggest ongoing mystery in the story like this feels kind of jarring when Akasaka spent a solid half of this entire manga not really doing her justice. This attempt to tug on our heartstrings via flashbacks to the twins' childhood also doesn't really do anything for me because as cute as it is, it's just disconnected flashbacks to brand new events in their childhood we never saw or heard about before. And it's weird because it's not like we don't have in-story examples of Aqua being over protective of Ruby, so why not flashback to those?

Idk. It's hard for me to articulate why this left me feeling kind of cold, but it feels like a symptom of this being part of an ending that Akasaka set in stone too early on and hasn't compromised for he way the character dynamics and story that made it onto paper have shifted and changed in ways that don't one hundred percent line up with the ending he wanted. If the twins' relationship was going to be this important to the ending and be so central to Aqua's existence as a character, I wish we'd spent more time on it. One of the major critiques of OnK that people had from like chapter 12 onwards that I still agree with is that Aqua and Ruby's relationship doesn't feel like a close knit connection between two people who grew up together for 1X+ years, and that continuing issue makes it kind of hard for me to feel the warm and fuzzy sibling feels right now. Which sucks because I LOVE the Hoshino family trio and I love Aqua and Ruby's family dynamic when we actually get to see it - their chapter of interlude and some of the scenes in their home in early OnK are some of my fave parts of the story for that exact reason. But this just kind of whiffed for me.

It also isn't lost on me that Ai is basically absent from these flashbacks despite them primarily taking part in the part of the twins' childhood they spent with her. I get that the idea was to focus specifically on Aqua and Ruby's dynamic there but it still feels kind of…

I've already written a short essay on this topic as it pertained to the initial reveal of Tsukuyomi's role in AQRB's reincarnation and the TL;DR of that post is that early in the series, Ai is centered as a character of as much significance to the reincarnation plot as Gorou/Aqua and Sarina/Ruby are, with the togetherness of the Hoshino family as a trio and Ai specifically as Aqua and Ruby's mother being emphasized as having a great deal of meaning and importance. But this chapter doubles down on essentially erasing her as a figure of weight and consequence in the twin's reincarnation in a way that is both inconsistent and just kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Like… I'm sorry, but given how much of Ai's character revolves around her being the victim of exploitation, of objectification, sexual and otherwise, of being forced to warp herself to response to the filthy desires thrust on her by the people around her, it's really just gross and a huge misstep for her to be reduced to a convenient walking uterus. It is yet another example of Ai being reduced to just a stepping stone in Ruby's narrative and part of a pattern in this regard I've come to really dislike. Framed like this, Ai's own act of bravery and love in giving not just herself but Sarina and Gorou the family all three of them were denied all their lives is now nothing more than a vessel for Sarina's wish fulfillment. As you can imagine, I kind of hate this too!!

Depending on if volume 16 follows 14 and 15's trend of being 11 chapters long instead of 10, vol16 will end on either 162 or 163 - based on how 162 ends, my guess is that this is our volume ender so I'm curious to see what form 163 will take - straightforward continuation of this scene or focus switch to other characters to maintain suspense? I guess we'll see in THREE FUCKING WEEKS……. Akasaka i swear to god……………………….

sidebar but tsukuyomi just out here floating is kind of wild. what happened to 'it's a normal child's body' ya little twerp?

[wingedshadowfan]

⚠️arcane s2 act ii spoilers⚠️

the caitlyn and maddie bed scene needs to be studied because i don't think any animated scene has ever made me so uncomfortable on so many levels (regardless of whether i think of maddie as some manipulative evil mastermind, or a naive good-natured rookie)

not only was caitlyn clearly not feeling it bcuz she was stressed, her thoughts preoccupied by a million other commander things to the point where i don't even understand why she'd even agree to this relationship, since maddie was clearly the one to ask (and caitlyn probably thought it couldn't hurt, that it would be a thing of convenience or a distraction - which, still not strong enough reasons), but also maddie didn't seem to be able to provide any nuanced analysis or comfort to caitlyn with her words or her touch (caitlyn smiled at her once i guess, but didn't look her in the eyes, which is a big thing for caitlyn, and it almost seemed like she was talking to herself a bit).

why did maddie even ask to be together? she's been supportive of caitlyn since the start, but caitlyn must've been like a celebrity to her. i imagined they could become best friends, maddie even having the potential of being caitlyn's right hand. she could fill a spot vi never occupied and it would've been nice to see that friendship blossom (writers could still use it for drama and jealousy though!). and did she really not know anything about cait's previous relationship w/ vi? did caitlyn truly not tell her anything about that? because if maddie knew and still did it despite knowing she'd be a rebound, that's truly so sad and pathetic and reminds me of someone on tiktok i heard say that maddie has no self respect and (quote) "has she called you her name yet? i bet she has and i bet you just brushed it right off"

at one point i fully thought it was just rage bait for the fans bcuz i couldn't see any other reason for why those two characters would be together like i jokingly told a friend "all the writers did was piss me off" but now that ep6 ended with a reunion of sorts, i really dread vi seeing maddie again and i'm scared maddie will innocently drop something abt her relationship with caitlyn and it will eradicate whatever little trust might be left betw her and vi

[cg11555]

CURRENT FHJY THEORIES

My current conspiracy board for the season

These are my plausible theories and then I'll talk about my batshit insane theories

I think that the rat grinders HAVE lost their memories regarding Lucy's death. I'm inclined to believe that Ratbitch Dogface and MAYBE Ivy remember. I'd bet that they took the honey to lie to Aguefort and the other staff about their involvement with her death.

The mind terrorism that Fig put Ruben through caused him to vomit up a 'Bloody Viscous Substance' And I will not be surprised if Fig has made Ruben remember whatever happened to Lucy

Gertie verified that the honey made from the Devil's nectar is bloody red.

She is making the honey for some local food trucks that we know Are KLKC's

Another thing we know for a fact is that the body of Lucy Frostblade showed marks from multiple assailants including magical, non- magical, and specifically a type of bludgeoning damage that carbonized her blood into red diamonds

This leads us to believe that Lucy's murderers were her own party members. In addition to this, they also found the rage crystals in the dirt and the bodies of Lucy and Yolanda Badgood.

This clearing's destroyed trees shows indications of giant involvement as well

What we currently know leads me to believe that the Rat Grinders attempted a replication of Kristen's spring break miracle

Lucy attempted to resurrect an 'Evil' sibling of her goddess, Ruvina, The unnamed god now known as Ankarna.

This mirrors the Cassandra / Galicaea relationship as well

This attempt clearly backfired in some way I'd bet either resulting in Lucy or the others becoming something similar to the Rage Mages we saw in the battle at the Synod

I think that the Rat grinders are all at various levels of involvement in the upcoming plot involving Ankarna with KLCK being the mastermind AND I KNOW that there's some bullshit going on with the rogue teacher that FOUND KLCK ( Will be unsurprised if this unknown teacher is dead)

We currently do not know how this episode's revelations regarding the name will affect these plans in the upcoming episodes. If this is playing into the preexisting plans or completely destroying them

The way Brennan talked in the most recent AP about how he thought that them finding the name was an inevitability but a scene he thought would happen in the third act of the season makes me think that this will NOT affect the Rat Grinders plans in a majorly significant way. They still have to do something ( some kind of ritual or other ) that the Bad Kids will have stop in the final eps

After learning all about the Historical side of the shifts that Ankarna's domain saw I believe that there is a lot of evidence for a conspiracy against Cassandra and Ankarna involving Sol and Galicaea. But this is still up in the air

Now for my pepe silvia conspiracies . . . Feel free to bully me in the comments for these

ONE- The Time Quangle that Arthur Aguefort dropped on us in the second episode

We know that The Seven have already experienced a large chunk of this year during the GED quest that Aguefort was present for

And lesser men will say that the TIME QUANGLE is BLeeM's way of justifying the continuity errors between these two seasons

I am not one of them

The animated opening sees the Bad Kids falling past clocks and into a diamond prison created by Aguefort which explodes into the BK's falling in a scene eerily similar to them falling into Riz's briefcase of holding. They then face villains from both of the two previous seasons ( Goldenhoard, Kalina, a Corn-cutie, Chungledown Bim, James Whitclaw ( the mindflayer that kicked Fabian's ass during spring break) , Coach Daybreak, and Penelope w/ Dayne) in the Gym they fought Kalvaxus ( VP Goldenhoard ) before we get title cards for each of the Bad Kids

I posit that we will see the Bad Kids tumble through time as a result of not only Agueforts chronomancy adventure with Ayda but also the fuckery involving the time loop at the synod. Visiting their past villains in addition to current threats

TWO- Vice Principal Jace Stardiamond

Facts we know about Aguefort's resident sorcery prof and interim VP . . . Ragh Barkrock SAW him give Adaine's mom and Kalina the Nightmare King's crown from Aguefort's office after prompocalypse, Jace Stardiamond holds a useless position at Aguefort as sorcerers do not need any teaching for an innate ability, despite his uselessness he was chosen to become the VP, he was the person Yolanda Badgood was going to approach about the sinister shit surrounding Lucy Frostblade's 'disappearance' and the paperwork for a new deity she never saw. Yolanda is now dead, even though he is VP; after the death of Interim emergency backup principal Arcturus Grix He is still VP and Student body president Mazey Phaedra is now acting principal. Making room for KLCK to become principal next year if she wins that election.

Reviewing these fact I put forth the following idea, VP Jace Stardiamond is in cahoots with KLCK AND he is the unknown rogue teacher. WHY? how would someone with no knowledge of trickery or thievery manage to take the Nighmare King's Crown from Aguefort's office? How would a man that essentially does nothing as a teacher keep job security? What if the reason that KLCK was found by the rogue teacher was because he is in on the scheme? SPIE'S TONGUE CURSE?? SOMETHING THAT TWO ROGUES IN CAHOOTS WOULD USE DON'T YOU THINK? WHY WOULD HE MAKE RIZ A MEMBER OF THE FACULTY??

[mariacallous]

Star Wars fans knew this moment was coming. With the Ghorman Massacre imminent, lore had it that Mon Mothma—the politician from Chandrila fighting for peace and democracy, while secretly serving as an informant for the Rebellion—would give an explosive speech before the Senate that would officially end her double life and turbocharge resistance to the Empire. In the ninth episode of Andor’s second and final season, we reach that point. An elaborate plan comes together to allow Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) to speak from the dais, against the wishes of her colleagues and the Empire’s leadership—and more surprisingly, we hear her unshakable remarks in full.

“I believe we are in crisis. The distance between what is said and what is known to be true has become an abyss. For all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous,” she says. “The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil. When truth leaves us—when we let it slip away, when it is ripped from our hands—we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest.”

Andor has been profoundly resonant this season, perhaps never more than with that rousing, devastating polemic. It’s delivered with exacting delicacy by O’Reilly, who’s been waiting 20 years to deliver this very speech.

Caroline Blakiston originated the role of Mon Mothma in 1983’s Return of the Jedi. O’Reilly, fresh out of drama school at the time, was eventually cast as a younger version of the senator in 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. O’Reilly’s scenes were largely cut from that prequel, and she left the Star Wars films for a decade, until Rogue One—the movie cowritten by Tony Gilroy, the mastermind behind Andor, and whose events lead right into A New Hope. Her role then expanded in Andor.

This speech gives us our richest insight yet into Mon Mothma. “It’s the fulcrum, the crux of who she is,” O’Reilly tells Vanity Fair. “The opportunity to get to do that as an actor was everything.”

Vanity Fair: I know Tony likes to outline storylines for actors as much as he can. When did you know you would be getting to make that speech?

Genevieve O’Reilly: I knew from the very beginning—from the very early stages, even when we were talking about [the show] being five seasons—that the escape from the Senate, that threshold that she had to cross, was always part of her story. Tony said to me that the weight of her emotional work and her value as a character would really be in episodes seven, eight, and nine. I knew that we were heading for that. I was desperate.

What was it like when you got that script?

I’ll tell you something unique about how it landed. Tony is quite engaged as a showrunner. When scripts would land, he would ring; he was often in New York and we were in London. But when that script landed, episode nine in particular, he was in London and he came into my trailer. Dan [Gilroy], his brother, wrote that script. But the speech wasn’t the speech we have now. The speech was moments of the speech. So they create this within the architecture of Andor: There are these big moments, but there are multiple things going on. The Diego [Luna] storyline, the dissident groups, there’s all happening around her speech.

In the initial script, you only heard the odd line of her speech. It was peppered with bits. But Tony came in and he said, “What do you think of the script?” I said, “I love where you’re going. I love the dexterity of it and I can’t wait to get into it.” And then I leant forward and took a breath, and he said, “You want me to write the whole speech, don’t you?” And I said, “Yeah, I do. I want you to write the whole speech.” It was a real mark of him understanding me as an actor: how I like to work, and what I was reaching for, and also what I really wanted for the character.

Within two days he had written that speech then. It was everything to work on it. And I went to the director that we were working with, Janus Metz, and I said, “Listen, Tony’s written the whole speech.” And he said, “Okay, well, you have to do the whole speech.” It was a really interesting way to end up on that day on that very lonely dais in the middle of a cavernous soundstage in front of a green screen, giving that speech to our very beautiful crew.

So there was no speech written out, beyond short excerpts, until you spoke to Tony?

There were only a few lines in the script. The idea was she was giving a speech, but you didn’t hear the whole speech.

You came into Star Wars as a very small player in a very big world. But here, you’re an anchor. It sounds like Tony ultimately handed you the baton.

This character has always been an expositional force: This is your mission—go off and do it. She is this pillar of leadership, but there was never exploration around that. He knew that, and he has learnt, in working with me over the years, that I’m really interested in the nuance and the mess and the knotty parts. I think he instinctively understood that I wanted to give this speech. They could do with it what they wanted afterwards, but it was important for me to have that moment to give that speech in the whole—to really understand and discover and wrestle with it.

That speech itself is actually a piece of music, almost, in the way it’s been written. It starts with her history. It moves through what was important to her, and then it gets to the crux. And then it hits a punch. I want to know what it is to have to stand up in front of all those people and carve that speech. It was quite a moment for me that day, because you’re also isolated in just climbing up those stairs and standing on that dais. The very act of having to carve a whole speech, rather than grab moments, gives you the synergy of character.

It’s especially rare—maybe unprecedented—for that moment of synergy to come after playing a character for 20 years.

Yeah, it’s been a long wait. But I’m really grateful that I’ve been given the opportunity to explore her and wrestle her and fight for her in a way that I’ve just never had before. And how wonderful that it’s happened now at this age, with my life experience and my experience as an actor, to be able to infuse that in a way that I just wouldn’t have been able to do 20 years ago.

The speech has undeniable, powerful real-world resonance. Is there a line or an aspect of it that has stuck with you?

I remember shaking when I was giving it, and this was two years ago. It was as potent then as it is now, perhaps even more—the idea of truth being lost, the idea of there being a chasm between what is said and what is true. That has stayed with me. I wonder what you remember most?

I think it’s when she’s reflecting on her own life and, in so many words, communicating the decision to come forward—the personal side. It’s a very human moment amid such a brave political act.

Yes, and that’s what the speech gives—the idea that she doesn’t quite know. She knows it has to be a speech, she knows she has to hit things, but she doesn’t quite know how she’s getting there. I feel that. For me, it didn’t feel like standing and giving a speech. It felt like standing and opening your rib cage and exposing yourself. This is a woman who has lived with masks in this cage of secrets. These masks, she wears perpetually, because if she doesn’t wear them, she’s useless to the Rebellion. But this is a moment that she can rip open her sternum and be vulnerable to her truth, and really risk speaking truth to power.

Indeed, this is her point of no return. How do you think she gets there over these three episodes? There are several moments in the lead-up where she’s like, “I don’t think I can do this”—understandable expressions of reluctance.

We don’t understand a heroic moment when we’re in it. There is an inevitability to her giving that speech, because if she doesn’t, then what’s it all for? That’s what Andor is exploring. It’s exploring not just the archetype of heroism; it’s the messiness it takes to get there. It’s the lack of the conscious understanding that the moment might even be heroic. She knows it’s dangerous. She knows it’s not just crossing a threshold—it’s crossing a Rubicon. There is no point of return. She is setting fire to her life. It is in her self-doubt that I recognize her.

How does Luthen fit into that, in your mind? This whole season he’s been an almost adversarial figure to Mon Mothma, in trying to get her to see the state of things as he does. This goes back to the beginning of the season, when he has her old friend Tay Kolma killed after realizing he’s too much of a liability.

The tectonic plates under her have shifted to a point where she has no steady footing. She needed Luthen. That moment of idealism in regard to Tay Kolma, the idea that she thought she could work her way out of it—Luthen is a brutal realist at that point, and she carries the guilt and the pain of that. But his singular drive and his blinkered vision is what gets the Rebellion there. All her ties are broken, and with Luthen in that, she’s afraid of him. She’s so afraid of him at the beginning. Without that fear, maybe she couldn’t have burned it all down, but everything’s a step.

Have you been reflecting back to when you first stepped into this character’s shoes, so long ago?

That was back in 2005. I was a young actor out of drama school. I was living and working in Sydney, and they were shooting these big films in Sydney, and they were populating the small roles with those of us who were around. Caroline Blakiston had played her in Return of the Jedi. They were looking for someone who would look like her or be her, and I swear I got the job because I was the palest person in Sydney. [Laughs] I was just really pale.

Stepping onto those sets and getting to work with Natalie Portman and Jimmy Smits, and George Lucas being there—I was just a wide-eyed young actor, soaking it all in. Of course, I was cut from those films; I mean, that was Anakin’s story, and it was always right that they did that. But it was such a positive experience for me. I just took that with me. I learned so much by being there, just by watching, just breathing it all in. And although those scenes were never in what they call the canon or whatever, they live in me. There are those experiences that you take as an actor that shine a light at some point. I just could never ever have imagined that it would’ve been so valuable however many years later. It’s just been such a surprise to me.

What struck you about these episodes when you watched them?

We spent five years making these two seasons, and everyone who was a creator and an artist in season one came back for season two. We knew that it was going to be our last shot. So this might sound strange, but the collective ambition of everyone on, particularly, season two was palpable.

What I was struck by when I watched it was that I thought it caught that. It doesn’t always catch it. That collective ambition—I could see it there, and I felt deeply proud to be a part of that. I could see that magic that everyone was reaching for.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.