#and hold me to standards they aren't holding my siblings to

[heart-bones]

I have been here one full day and I am already ready to go back to my apartment why am I like this 🙃

also please lord tell me what have I eaten that has completely ruined my stomach, I feel like I've been nauseous since I got here 😫

[randomfoggytiger]

React: A Late-Canon Reviler Gives the Revival a Try (Plus One, Forehead Sweat, Ghouli, Kitten, Rm9sbG93ZXJz, Familiar, Nothing Lasts Forever), Part VI

Part I (My Struggle I), Part II (Founder's Mutation), and Part III (Weremonster), Part IV (Home Again), Part V (Babylon), and Part VI (This.)

Had to cut down on my react posts because I didn't have the time, drive, or willpower to keep plowing through at the same rate.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

The usual complaints.

There are overly dramatic "DUUUUN" musical cues, scenes end too quickly, camera shot transition at odd times, and the cast can be too wooden or too emotionless in moments that desperately need something (Mitch Pileggi excepted. He nailed it.) David and Gillian trade off believability in their respective roles; and usually not in the same scene (unfortunately.) Scully is stuck with her 30-years-a-smoker voice; and Mulder magically finds every answer he could ever want from the Dark Web. (I don't think "the Dark Web" means what the writers think it means.)

However. The plots are tighter, the humor more effective, and the pacing (a tad) better constructed.

I wouldn't mind rewatching mid-S11 if it followed different characters in a different show. As it stands, nothing really hit the spot.

PLUS ONE

Mulder and Scully are but aren't but are together in S10 and S11. They also are in This but aren't in Plus One. What the script says they do versus what DD and GA portray them doing often clash.

Yeah, Mulder and Scully are already involved again in this episode. My theory: scoot-in-your-boot is a private in-joke they have. Backed up by: his twinkle and her quick "I'm scooting you out of here."

The siblings were like a Punch and Judy show, get it? (Chucky Poundstone? Punch? Ehhh? Also, Chuck like Chucky the doll. ...And also like the other Revival Chuck doll, Mr. Chuckleteeth.)

Plot problems:

A man who matched the profiles of recent, suicidal "sudden schizophrenia" victims was left, alone, in his cell while he screamed for help. That would not fly by 2015 standards. And if it did, there would be serious consequences or a serious attempt at a to cover up (which the cops didn't attempt to do.)

Chucky Poundstone: Fight Club levels of overacting.

Mulder and Scully were constantly called hot not because the topic naturally bloomed in conversation but because it was relevant to the episode's theme.

Scully let Demon Judy get to her. Scully wouldn't have been bothered to be out of "child-bearing age" because Mulder might want kids with someone else (WHEN HAS MULDER EVER)-- she should've been because she wasted their one shot at parenthood and "threw away" their son. Wrong track, wrong manipulation tactic. Like point 3, this was only brought up to serve the episode's theme, not because it was crafted to fit the characters.

A lot of Mulder and Scully's theories talked past each other or leaped from point to point without fully fleshing out the last one (i.e. Scully derailing their theories to insist that ghosts don't exist.)

Scully almost threw away the pills Judy gave her instead of, I don't know, testing them first.

Scully and Mulder didn't keep the lawyer under surveillance after he saw his double.

Scully didn't believe in the Devil anymore... despite the fact that she used to, and we aren't told when or why she changed her mind. Imperative character development the writers neglected.

Scully thought it was more plausible that a man would cut off his own head through shared psychosis than the possibility of a supernatural element at play.

Scully was butchered either way: she believes in a supernatural element but doesn't want to admit it to Mulder because Judy might be right about her; or, she believes everyone is in a state of delusion yet still gives weight to Judy's pokes about her age.

The "Can you hold me?" scene was pleasantly in-character for Scully, but wobbled and waffled for Mulder. It also bucked up against their "we're already together" vibe, and didn't fit with This (at all.)

"I don't have anyone to have one [a kid] with even if I could [have kids]." Script, don't insult my intelligence; Scully was literally in Mulder's arms when she said this ("What are we gonna do?"/"We'll think of something" kind of saves it. Rather, salvaged it.)

Mulder didn't see Scully's doppelganger even though he was facing the doorway and was on high alert. Scully didn't TELL HIM she saw her doppelganger earlier (which is stupid because she'd either be aware it's-- hello-- an evil entity or she could be considered a risk in the field.)

Mulder ran off WITHOUT SCULLY after seeing his double and after she admitted to seeing her own earlier.

Scully ATE RANDOM PILLS instead of, I don't know, analyzing them first. The plot needed to have Scully have the pills because she wouldn't have saved herself otherwise. And also: why did the placebo pills work??? We're never told anything about them other than they're leftovers from Judy's food, and that the nurses superstitiously take them, too. That's it. No followup.

Scully continued to drive after seeing "herself" in the backseat. She should have pulled over-- even if she believed the doppelganger was only an illusion-- because she'd become a road risk and was following the pattern of the other victims.

The siblings just got mad at each other and wrote each other's names in the hangman slots. Which saved Mulder and Scully while killing each other, conveniently.

The "Mom" and "Dad" hangman papers haven't aged a day, despite being written, supposedly, when Chuck and Judy were kids.

DD salvaged the ending by waiting in the doorway for Scully.

Plus One thrust me into a world where Mulder and Scully are jumping in and out of bed, from Unremarkable House to motel, from etc. to etc., without ever talking about their future-- more accurately, where the writing pretends Scully never pondered the obvious conclusion.

THE LOST ART OF FOREHEAD SWEAT

This episode worked... up to a point.

As a one-off, the comedy hit pretty consistently and Reggie was an enjoyable third wheel. (I admit: I ALMOST laughed out loud when Reggie shot Eddie Van Blundht in the head.) The writing was tight, the dialogue flowed smoothly, there were no out-of-place musical beats or lingering camera shots.

As a part of the overall canon?

Forehead Sweat solidifies, for me, what doesn't work about the "modernization" of the Revival. Dr. They kindly pronounces that Mulder and his way of life is no longer necessary in the current age... and that's the stickler. The current age. Fox Mulder didn't fit into the current-world 90s, either, because the mythology and Consortium and mystery behind the original show was a fabrication inspired by old politics-- the Cold War-- that was then mapped onto a very loose, very forgiving framework. If Carter and Co. had kept to that formula, had steered away from cookie-cuttering the 2015-2018 political climate into their show, then Fox Mulder and Dana Scully wouldn't seem so lost and out of place chasing X-Files in the forest in their 50s while aliens did or didn't plan to colonize the planet and Skinner might or might not be on their side. Because that would raise questions: why hasn't the Trump Administration shut them down-- he'd consider their unit useless. Why are Mulder and Scully now afraid the FBI will be suspicioned or "shut down" if it's always been corrupt, if even now they serve a counter-culture role to the establishment, instead of striking off on their own? More importantly, in an era steeped in finger-pointing and blame-shifting and distrust and disbelief, there's no way the cases that drift to the basement wouldn't be blown up on social media within hours-- especially when the 90s already had NICAP and MUFON and other groups who closely followed their niche interests. The logic of The X-Files quickly falls apart in a world that would afflict stricter and harsher consequences, 2015 and 1993 alike.

That aside, this was the best Revival episode, thus far, in terms of quality. I will give it that. (Note from the future: that will be outdone, I believe, by Ghouli.)

Plot problems:

The comedy bits hit, but Mulder and Scully warp in and out of character to achieve them (particularly: the repeated one where Scully keeps leaving before Mulder finishes rambling. Ironically, it's out of place with Darin's other comedic episode Weremonster as well as 200+ other examples of her character. But if the execution had been tweaked, those scenes would have been satisfying to watch. )

Mulder was LOUD. That's not new; but he was LOUD in the wrong moments, at the wrong times-- raising his voice, yelling, punctuating statements with STATEMENTS rather than his usual smooth pantomime or one-off, quick-witted remark.

The Babyfication of Dialogue continues ("sugarboobs", "I'm Fox Freaking Mulder, you punks!", etc.)

I'll bet Reggie kept hiding from the baddies in Skinner's office, hence why he knew him. This isn't a criticism so much as a theory. Or maybe those two gossiped over the water cooler-- Skinner knows everything and everyone, after all.

The Trump Administration poses no threat compared to the global Consortium and Conspiracy Mulder and Scully faced in the 90s. It was considered a threat to 2016s America, which would explain the "I feel like the world's gone mad" quotes the two leads keep kicking around. But, to them? Who lost and almost died and tried to save as many lives as possible to the Syndicate? And in a mythology that had large, regular gatherings of conspiracists who believed in aliens and distrusted the government (as seen in The Red and the Black) it disrespects the intelligence of its viewers by injecting and magnifying struggles that Mulder and Scully would philosophically take on the chin.

GHOULI

Another bump up in quality. The sharp back-and-forth camera techniques are better utilized with this episode's destabilizing, reality-questioning moments. Mulder rambling about the pathos and history behind classic monsters is a classic Mulder moment, Scully snorting and slightly smirking as he does so is a classic Scully moment. Is this the origin of the "Bob" nickname on Tumblr? The girl's "Kids would get stoned on it, in the summer. ...Not me!" was hilarious. Scully's speech in the morgue was the most Scully moment I've seen thus far. Scully subtly admitting to hiding evidence from her parents in her mattress (like Jackson.) Skinner always gets updates about Mulder's activities through other government employees' complaints.

Demerits: shots and cutaways still, well, cutaway at odd moments. Instead of holding on a scene and easing the audience into the atmosphere, cutcutcutcut snaps them out of it. But that's par for the course in the Revival; and it's not tooooooo badly done in Ghouli. Hoebag Jackson Van de Kamp. Mulder didn't get a moment to grieve over his son.

Thoughts? It turned from gripping mystery to big, fat disappointment. Skinner was great, Scully's morgue scene was great, um, Clone!Mulder had a nice moment or two. Jackson stank. As a condensed, disparate experience? It's alright. I quite liked it. (But it still wasn't The X-Files to me, etc. etc.)

Plot problems:

Mulder initially thought Scully's experience was sleep paralysis when he quite literally experienced this before in Paper Hearts. And neither were off-put or shaken by the similarities. (The episode tries to patch this up with, "You've been receiving visions through seizures. I'm sure this is another form"; but that's after she pointed to an open x-file and identified that boat as the one in her "dream".)

Mulder quoted a quote similar but different to his own from the original show. Instead of, y'know, quoting his own quote.

Mulder and Scully's kid is just Free Willying it up everywhere. And for what?

If CC wanted to do away with William (and that's an if), his death and his last attempt at justice for himself and his adoptive parents would have been a mature, heartbreaking way to do it. But no, we got My Struggle IV instead.

Mulder is oddly hesitant to believe his son's alive-- he's usually the one who is borderline delusional about believing and having hope. Yes, the series is supposed to show Mulder on the "other side": depressed (maybe? jury's out), burnt-out, and afraid to believe. But it goes back and forth on that message so often that there is no concrete change in his character to hold onto.

SKINNER'S ON THE CSM'S LEASH AGAIN.

We're back on the "men in Conspiracy but actually aliens but ACTUALLY men in Conspiracy" schtick. Pick a lane, mytharc.

Jackson played dead but it backfired because his parents found him not the agents, then he had to escape so the agents know he's on the run anyway, so.... *Cue Tony Stark*: "Not a great plan." Jackson is an idiot.

Mulder puts together all the pieces of the case off-screen without us, the audience, being there to see him working the mystery out logically. A "tell don't show" approach that undercuts the brilliance of his leaps.

Jackson let his two gfs see a monster and stab each other.... Jackson is an idiot.

Jackson made up a monster legend website to prank both his girlfriends-- who don't know the other exists-- at once; and ended up causing them to stab each other in fright. Jackson's an IDIOT.

Jackson is an IDIOT and a bit of a psychopath. And a LOT of an IDIOT. And he only got his visions and powers recently (since My Struggle II or III, it would appear); so he had to be an idiot before unlocking his abilities-- like the Rush highschoolers. So. Great going, writers.

SARAH TURNED HIM IN BECAUSE HE WAS KISSING ANOTHER GIRL. I mean, get him, girl; but then don't come groveling back.

JACKSON DOES THE MULDER FOREHEAD TOUCH WITH ONE OF HIS TWO GIRLFRIENDS.

JACKSON GOES ON THE RUN INSTEAD OF ASKING FOR HELP FROM HIS POSSIBLE BIO MOM DESPITE HAVING VISIONS OF HER BECAUSE HE'S AN IDIOT.

Mulder. Never. Had. A. Moment. With. His. Son. WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY.

Oh. Mulder and Scully accepted their son wanted to move on with his life, away from them. ...Nnnnnnnoooooooooo, Jackson's not safe and is now an orphan and a high school dropout. NOPE.

KITTEN

This is Blood and Sleepless and Wetwired 4.0. ...But it's not bad.

Mulder snooping around Skinner's kitchen... fine, I liked it. Sue me.

The cop... fine, sue me, I liked him.

Skinner's code name is Eagle... because he's bald. I don't care, sue me, that was hilarious.

Skinner had the best speech.

I admit: I really, really do like this episode. It's the only one that fits into canon, oddly. (Mulder and Scully aren't themselves, etc. etc., blah blah, what else is new.)

My overall thoughts: Um. What did it achieve? Kinda progressed their characters forward... but had to regress them, first. Mind control and chemtrails and falling teeth and Mulder and Scully possibly holding Skinner's career back and Mulder distrusting Skinner but trusting him again while Scully did trust Skinner and was proven right in the end.... And a reference to Mulder's juices. It was necessary for Season 11, character-wise-- a "let's repair the damage to Mulder's trust issues" (which had been resolved?? in This but then wasn't, I guess??)

Plot problems:

There goes S9 Kersh's character development: all that he came to believe in. Right down the drain. (Not that I care; but keep it consistent, series.)

Scully questioning what happened to "the old, reliable Skinner we always knew and loved" is RICH considering A. she and Mulder were questioning his loyalty not five episodes ago and B. Skinner constantly got his hands dirty to help them out (which they largely forget in the Revival, for plot reasons, unless forced into a corner.)

Mulder: "As much as I don't trust the guy right now--" EXCUSE ME. I don't care what My Struggle II or III implied, Mulder of all people, Mulder, has seen Skinner squeezed into tighter corners and still ended up trusting him.

Skinner's getting framed, again, on surveillance tape.

SCULLY giving Skinner the benefit of the doubt, NOT MULDER.

There's no way Skinner's surviving that wound without blood transfusions and serious medical attention. Nope.

Skinner... was behind the two agents... in a pit... but managed to not only climb out but outrun them... in the woods... with a side wound... and knock over a full-grown man... and punch him enough so that said man could get caught in his own trap. ...'Kay.

So. The teeth falling out was never explained. Except to suggest, I guess, that the gas slowly rots them out? Except the policeman and his wife also had teeth loss? Or was that as a comedic bit? Or and as a comedic bit? Who knows!

WAIT, I WAS WRONG. CHEMTRAILS. Really. CHEMTRAILS SPREADING POISON OVER THE TOWN. (Blood already did this but BETTER, writers.)

Mulder's "We're with you" is undercut by nearly 30 years of previous history.

Rm9sbG93ZXJz

This episode is, again, not too bad.

The characters, again again, don't feel like Mulder or Scully to me; but I could see Mulder and Scully doing the actions that the characters did. All in all, I can see why those who like the Revival would enjoy watching this.

Also, I still wish Clone!Mulder never had to pay the tip.

Plot problems:

The world with all this tech doesn't coincide nor coexist with The X-Files universe (and, yes, that include the Revival.)

The whole... not speaking thing. I know it was supposed to be artistic or to convey some layered meaning; but, narratively, it was off-putting. Perhaps if they'd both been knocked about in the field, and it was painful to talk? Mutual tonsil surgery? Anything??

Whipz. Get it? Scully whipz and naynays.

The robots having that much influence over lesser forms of tech (i.e. Mulder's cable, not smart, tv.)

Mulder would have absolutely spiraled if he'd experienced half of what this episode put him through. Scully would have spiraled. None of this would not have been easily brushed aside with a tip.

Mulder still calls sex phone operators; and the machines ratted him out to Scully. Either that, or it was a callback just so Mulder could tell the caller to "Shut up." He's grown and changed, guys~~~~~.

It doesn't make sense why the robots are trying to kill Mulder or Scully if they want a tip from them. OR, one could argue, the robots are threatening Scully's life so Mulder will pay the tip. Either way, the two could have been killed multiple times if they hadn't ducked or dodged. Seems counter-intuitive, and mostly just in service for a "surprise, we just want the tip" twist ending.

"We have to be better teachers." REALLY. That's the takeaway. Not the fact that they were almost KILLED due to the incompetence or oversight of whoever created these robots. REALLY.

FAMILIAR

So. Uh. Classic X-File. Held up pretty well. Classic Mulder eating crime scene evidence. The script was old-school tight.

In other words, this was Chimera 2.0. But not too shabby.

Plot problems:

The police immediately rule out the child's cause of death as a murder. And think it might be a coyote. Or a coy wolf. ...Uh huh.

"You're my homie": Babyfication back.

Scully doesn't believe in human combustion. ...Honestly, shakes out with her theory having been disproved in Trevor. (Although, I don't know if there was a spontaneous human combustion case in S9, feel free to correct me.)

Scully telling Mulder he's "wasting his time" for wanting to interview a little girl who was an eyewitness. ...WHAT.

The boy's mother is... not the best actress. Taking me back to the OG show at times.

What are those creepy teletubbies. Nightmare fuel.

The community... didn't know... there was a convicted sex offender... in their midst. ...Did no one care to look up, I don't know, A SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY??

WHY is Scully fighting back against his witchcraft thesis when she's witnessed a witch doctor plastic surgeon AND a bewitched doll??? Amongst such things????

Gotta admit: I chuckled when Mulder accidentally got the Chief to confess to an affair (his "I... did not see that coming.") However: that scene was wildly out of place amidst the tragedy of the salt-circle and the possible murder of the innocent-in-this-case pedophile.

The episode just skips from the police officer shooting the pedo straight to the officer's trial. ...What happened to that old curse put on the town, huh? Just... took a break for a couple weeks? Mulder and Scully stuck around, or flew out-and-in while Mr. Chuckleteeth took a power nap?

Officer Wentworth let Scully's suspicions slip to the child's father, at the child's funeral, and is kind of portrayed as the good guy here. He doesn't express remorse for not following protocol (especially to a broken-down father grieving the death of his child), only that he is "sickened" a man (the father he broke protocol for) gunned down another man without due process. ...'Kay.

So, all the responsible parties involved all die because the jealous wife was cursing the cheating woman and eventually her husband. ...But if that's the case, why did the Hellhound go after the CHILDREN first, not the two people it was summoned to punish?? Usually things go awry after a bit of murder and mayhem, not before.

NOTHING LASTS FOREVER

What a stinker of an episode. Just when the cinematography levels out, the plot absolutely rots.

I did like Mulder scaring off the two officers by pretending to be a religious supernatural investigator.

And the church scene was good. It was necessary for this series, for these characters. Glad it was done. (I say Scully whispered she's ready to let go of the past: a.k.a. move back in with him, let go of the files even, let go of her rigid expectations of herself. Hence Mulder's line: "I always wondered how it was going to end.")

Plot problems (well... some of them, lost interest):

I hated... everything about that opening sequence. Doctors eating pancreases, illegal organ harvest, "chemtrails" reference, NINJA WOMAN WHO CAN TOPPLE A GROWN MAN, NAAAAH, GET IT OUTTA HERE. THIS ISN'T BATWOMAN, BOOOOOO.

Mulder's defensive over his glasses. ...They both have needed glasses since the 90s. Is Scully ribbing him over a stronger prescription?? I don't think so.

Mulder only has progressive lenses because the plot needs a contrast to a cult sacrificing people for eternal life (Our Town and Sanguinarium and Roadrunners, anyone?)

The gore's just off the charts, huh?

Crazy, washed-up actress living off of her shut-ins' blood. Possibly their organs. To remain forever young. ...I unironically read a better fanfic of this, ngl.

There are so many, too many, egregiously many plot contrivances. Wow. Here's just one set: Ninja killer is seeking vengeance but just happens to attend church the same day Scully just happens to attend church the same day Mulder happens to follow Scully in the same day the priest happens to put up the verse that just so happens to correspond with the verse on the evidence organ cooler which just so HAPPENS to be tied to a small illegal operation keeping a crazy washed-up actress alive and young while she subsists off of parts from her shut-ins she "rescued" from the street. Stunning.

Mulder never had a dog: confirmed. ...But he did have a dog in his childhood photos, soooooooooo. Guess someone else gave it to him, then. (Or there is no show bible. Or this is an awful, no good, no-hate-if-you-like-it-but-I-don't universe.)

WE'RE STILL ON THE MAGGIE COIN NECKLACE??? What other answer for it is there except it was the date Charlie walked out of her life???? Ugh, forget it. The writers wanted it to be a mystery box. Then Gillian walked away from the series and nothing was resolved, yolo.

Mulder always bears North, Scully says, no matter how hard the wind blows against him. ...Except it didn't-- numerous times in this series, numerous times in this season, in fact. The Revival is, in fact, built on top of him losing his way pre-My Struggle I. So. Strike 1000 for missteps in Writing 101, I suppose.

Big Boss fight with a woman attached to his back. ...Guys, this isn't The X-Files, this is Resident Evil.

Olivia looks ghostly pale on second, then almost normal the second the guy she's attached to is murdered. ...Guys. She's attached to a dead guy. That's gotta be sepsis by the time she's in the hospital, right? Also: if Olivia was in THIS deep in a cult, she would have been devastated, not dazed but delighted, that her sister had killed the guy she was attached to.

CONCLUSION

I'm freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!

If I feel in a ranty mood in future, I'll cover the last three Struggle episodes. But until then, my Revival journey has reached its end.

And what are my final thoughts? The same as they were going in. ;))

Thanks for reading¬

Enjoy!

[laroserie]

— character : yandere!high noble fae lord oc

— content : x human servant gender neutral reader , headcanons ?, just general toxicity / yandere stuff (very soft here)

— authors note : woo more about my high noble fae lord (first 'part' here) because inspiration has came to me - as said before it's heavily inspired from a book series i'm reading because it's a fantastic one ( it's 'Rowan Blood' by Kellen Graves ) it's kinda inspired by Cylvan (fun fact i hated his guts for the two first books and only started to like him now which motivated ... this ! but imma be honest i prefer his sibling ) anyways if you can definitly recommend y'all to go read it and support the author. ( i will need to make a third part because i have so many others ideas !! )

they aren't the heir of their family - their sister is, which is great for them as they already feel suffocated by their position. in addition they have a younger sibling.

they never really care for humans before you - they never felt any specific ways for the humans servants working for his family. they didn't hate them but it's not like they cared if the servants got mistreated, but they always avoided engaging in it. - after meeting you, they still don't care about the others humans servants but they may try to be somewhat 'friendly' to your friends, fellow servants when they attempt to win you over and show you they are 'different'.

once the two of you got somewhat close, mostly by them annoying you will you work and changing your chores from sweeping the floors to listening to them talk about whatever books they read recently, they make you their official personal servant.

which include, waking them up, dressing them, brushing their hair and accompanying them pretty much anywhere. you are excluded from helping them wash and cooking duties.

like said before they are a big reader, they read a lot, pretty much anythings they find. after getting interested in you they started to read more 'humans' books in order to impress you, they took a particular liking to mythology and classical theatre pieces. they could force you to read to them while they lay their head on your laps.

in terms of jealousy they get overly jealous when others faes speak to you, they are really on the defensive and won't shy away from quite literally grabbing you and dragging you away from any others faes. for humans ... they care less - don't get it wrong. they will be jealous if an another human try to flirt with you but seeing you simply talk with another human is fine by their standards. they don't see humans as rivals, - they don't feel threaten by humans, as humans are naturally inferior to faes in their world.

this fact is something that made it really hard for him to accept, they hold themselves to extremely high standards and ... liking a human doesn't fit in it.

oh obviously they do not care either you love them back or not - if you do, it's great, they are really happy about for sure but if you don't ... it's fine, they will make you love them sooner or later.

[cosmiclion]

Some ppl have shown interest in my lil self indulgent YOI AU (tl;dr if u haven't seen my previous posts: the only difference is that Viktor and Yurio are half siblings -on their mother's side, so that each keeps their respective last name- and the parents aren't around anymore by the time Yurio is 6 so he spends half his off time with Viktor and the other half with Nikolai), so I made more art of it bc it brings me joy 👉👈 And then I felt like writing a lil something to go with the piece bc why not, I very rarely write but when I do it's so much fun. Text under the cut.

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“I did great, right, Vitya?” the little blonde boy asked excitedly as the silver haired teenager crouched down before him to pull up the zipper of his parka. A brown standard poodle pranced happily around them.

The older boy smiled fondly. “You were amazing, Yurochka.” He squeezed his cheeks and chuckled at the noise of indignation that came in response. “I’m sorry, mama and papa couldn’t come to see you skate today either. But grandpa took a lot of photos and videos to show them.” He adjusted the hat on the kid’s head before standing up. “Now come on, let’s not keep him waiting.”

Little Yuri’s eyes lit up at the sight of Nikolai near the exit and he dashed towards the man, Makkachin trotting after him and Viktor following close behind. The kid talked their ears off during the short walk to the car and during the whole ride, through mouthfuls of the pirozhki his grandfather had brought, proudly boasting about every new thing he could do on the ice now. Seated next to him on the backseat to keep an eye on his greedy dog, Viktor just listened and nodded along, trying and failing not to let his mind drift off.

At only 17, figure skating genius Viktor Nikiforov was under an enormous amount of pressure that had nothing to do with any competition. Even for someone who spent as much time away as he did, it was hard to miss that things had been going not so great at home. He had left in pursuit of his dreams long before Yuri was born, only to come back sporadically and spend short periods with his family before going away again, but he had to be blind not to notice just how starved for attention his younger brother was and just how absent his mother and her new husband were.

For a long time now, Nikolai had been putting in the work of being there emotionally for Yuri since his parents barely had time for him and his brother said hi to him only through video calls more often than not, so the least the latter could do to make up for it was to spend as much time with him as possible during the off season. At least Yuri didn’t seem to resent him, if anything he seemed to admire him more and more, and the teenager had gotten used to having the kid following him around like a duckling when they were together. At only 17, figure skating genius Viktor Nikiforov felt like a surrogate parent.

Suddenly, a finger poked the whorl on Viktor’s hair. “You’re distracted!” Yuri protested.

Viktor hadn’t even noticed that Yuri had taken his seatbelt off and stood up on the seat. “Sorry, sorry. Now please sit back down, that’s dangerous.”

Yuri obeyed but narrowed his eyes as Viktor re-adjusted the seatbelt. “You get distracted a lot. And you often forget things. Are you getting old?”

Viktor gave him a half offended, half amused look. Nikolai snorted a laugh from the driver’s seat. “If Viktor is old where does that leave me? Ha! But do listen to your brother, having to keep my eyes on the road is enough responsibility.”

“Sorry~!” Yuri sang almost innocently. He dug into the paper bag he was holding and took out another bun before resuming his incessant chatter. He talked so fast that Viktor wondered whether he actually needed to breathe. “If you’re getting old does that mean you’ll retire soon? Can you coach me? Will I be just as good as you? Will I be better than you? Will I win a gold medal? Don’t answer, I bet I’ll win a gold medal soon! Just wait and see, I’ll win my own gold medal one day!”

Yuri’s enthusiasm was almost contagious. Viktor ruffled his hair, earning himself another noise of indignation. “Of course you will.”

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

Some notes:

-I mentioned before that I couldn't find any official data on whether Nikolai is Yurio's maternal or paternal grandfather, but for this AU I'll assume the latter, so he and Viktor aren't related. -I almost deleted the whorl poking part, it's such a special thing between only Yuuri and Viktor that I felt like I was defiling something sacred lol. But then I thought that it'd be cute if Viktor's hair just had that effect on people. -At first I worried I had made Yurio too ooc but... he's 5 yrs old here, tbh most kids are the same at that age, just give him some time to develop his characteristic personality. Also I think it'd be both hilarious and tragic if he was a sweet adorable bby who loved his big bro before turning into an edgy teenager who hates everything ☠️

[thelemoncoffee]

IMMA BOUT TO FUCK Y'ALL UP WITH THE SWEETEST SHIT

So catch this, something my ma always told me is that your lover should never just be your lover, they should also be your best friend too. a strong friendship with your lover makes a strong bond, and being someone's love doesn't mean you aren't friends anymore.

imagine Shuichi's uncle told him this growing up. imagine one day post relationship start, Shuichi calls Kokichi his best friend, and when Kokichi asks about it he recites this advice to him.

imagine Kokichi's never thought about it that way, never really saw romance and friendship going hand in hand like that before. but now that Shuichi's brought that concept to light it, changes everything. it just hits Kokichi that Shuichi doesn't just love him- he sees him as that one fun freak he can be a dumbass with, the friend he can wail his woes at, the guy who is going in his pocket.

and he's so very soft about it too. up until now he never felt a connection like that with anyone he's dated. he always took love as this super special thing that you have to act a specific way to achieve, something he struggles to do. but then Shuichi comes in and shatters that made up wall by calling hm his best friend, and suddenly love feels different- less restricting- more fun.

That one interaction perminantly changed the way Kokichi went about being Shuichi's boyfriend. he started to relax around him in ways he was afraid to do and open up a bit more. it wasn't a quick change, but being called best friend definatly triggered a part of his brain that usually only DICE and his siblings could trigger, and it allowed for him to take some barriers down that he was holding up to "not fuck up this relationship"

idk, i just think Kokichi's the kind of person who struggles to find proper connection with his lovers because he puts love up to this impossible standard he was socially conditioned to believe, and i think Shuichi breaking that veiw would rewire his brain and make him feel a bit more free in the relationship

[matt0044]

Why does Indie Animation lend itself to such intense discourse?

If I had to speculate from my own observations (feel free to call me out on an overgeneralizations), it would be that the harsh turn against any given indie project would be akin to a mother scolding a child with, "I expected this from your sibling but you?!"

See also the "We were rooting for you" gif often tossed around.

Indie Animation be it from a small studio or crowdfunded is seen as bypassing the hoops and hurdles of getting your foot in the door of the highly corporatized entertainment industry. With the likes of Disney or Nick or any given streaming service, creator driven projects are subject to the whims of the company who holds the IP.

And those whims are often to said IP's detriment. It'll more often than not be willfully neglected at best or treated as just something to fill a time slot or shove onto a streaming platform as "content." Enough may be allowed to flourish but their either uncerimoniously cut short at best or being dragged out as a franchise at worst.

To keep from going on about the whole Legend of Korra vs. Spongebob thing (I was there people, there was an LoK fandom believe it or not), indie animation has often been seen as small scale but also within the creator's general control since they control how long it goes or how it's written.

Many cartoons like Gravity Falls, Owl House and Amphibia have talked about trying to get their vision across while contending with a lot of Standards and Practices. Their story which had a "kids and adults alike" target audience would have the top brass insist on something more just for the former category.

While they find work arounds, often to stick their tongue out at the FCC, this can be a hard reminder of who has the final say despite it being what you want. Indie animation is seen as an answer to "What if Alex Hirsch didn't have to comprimise elements of Gravity Falls for the FCC?" or "What if Dana Terrence could just blaze her own trail with The Owl House with little to no notes?"

Especially when it comes to animation with queer characters. Animation made to be "fit for kids" have it tough enough even today but adult animation has to "play it for laughs" since comedies have been the defacto standard for that type of cartoon.

However... a show being creator driven or creative team driven comes as a double edged sword for the fandoms they form. Not all stories that play out across multiple episodes of varying lengths are going in the direction YOU might want to.

Creators might tire of a certain direction or formula and mix things up with things that come to mind almost on the spot. Even with a solid plan, the status quo will get a shake up that can and will alienate those who fell in love from episode one.

Indie Pilots spark the imagination something fierce. There's theories as to what any little detail could mean going forward and speculation on what a character's arc could be. These go wild because Fandom is all about the hypothetical, the unknown, the what could've/should've/would've been. Whole phenomenon would be dead in the water otherwise.

Thing is that not all theories will be proven right if any at all. The creators aren't mind readers and even if it isn't a legality like in corporate, they don't read fanfics if only because they don't want their vision to be totally compromised. Any good creator knows not to just give fans what they want. However... trampling over all these fanfics and theories makes it feel like any given fan had their "child" dragged into the streets to be shot.

A harsh phrasing but that's how a lot of fans act when continuing episode bump up against initial impression of this character or that storyline. It was their creation but new lore, new backstory or what have you is liable to override them. It's been an occupational hazard of being a member of fandom for ages yet it's become the center of a lot of discourse now more than ever. Say thank you to social media for creating such a combative environment everybody.

It's this... feeling of ownership that has existed in fandoms of other shows owned by corporations but amplied by the smaller scale of it, how creators seem more... approachable. And THIS is how the YouTube "critic" scene comes in to capitalize.

So... yeah.

[ghostlylicious]

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the fic i want to promote hsgghs:

anyways thats it ty :3

[yuridovewing]

Honestly it's kinda weird to me how people refuse to hold specifically Ivypool and Blossomfall to a higher standard for how they treat their sisters. I've seen recent pushback claiming it's only misogyny (or in the case of Ivypool because she isn't a 'perfect victim') and like sure, in some cases the hate is because someone is being misogynistic or mad they aren't perfect victims after their stint in the Dark Forest. But not everyone who dislikes those two is doing it in bad faith, and it kinda feels like an oversimplification to say that.

Neither Blossomfall or Ivypool face any consequences from their sisters for how they treated them- even in extreme cases like Ivypool throwing the SkyClan rescue party under the bus explicitly because Dovewing and Tigerheart volunteered together, we aren't supposed to be angry at her- Twigbranch going 'Well I guess since crossclan relationships are the worst thing you can ever do it's okay the mentor I was supposed to be able to trust prevented a formal search for my birth Clan when she knew how important it was to me because she's still beefing with her sister :)' says as much. And almost every time they argue, Dovewing usually is the one making the most effort to amend things. Blossomfall's grudge against Briarlight is never resolved- I could be forgetting but I don't think she ever even apologizes. So is it any wonder people would want Briarlight and Dovewing to cut their sisters off- or at the very least until Ivypool and Blossomfall stopped their toxic behavior? IDK man, again I'm not denying there are bad faith criticisms on the basis that they're female characters but I wish people would accept that Ivypool and Blossomfall aren't good sisters at all and rarely do anything to actually better themselves (or their relationships with their siblings) because the Erins simply don't think it's a problem to begin with.

totally agree with you on people using “it’s just misogyny” as an oversimplified defense for criticism. like, yeah, in some cases, its people being too harsh on the female characters compared to their male counterparts. i won’t deny there’s misogyny in play with some people who hate ivypool and blossomfall, i think it’s good to keep that in mind when trying to criticize the series that like… would we hold a male character accountable for what we’re criticizing the female character for? like if mousewhisker or whoever was in blossomfall’s shoes, would more people like him?

but there’s that, and then there’s just “well you just hate ivypool because you hate female characters”.

i think what really bothers me about that defense in these cases is that the fandom has a big history of putting down the female characters around ivypool or blossomfall in order to prop them up. like, the hate ivypool gets here and there is just not comparable to the sheer vitriol dovewing got. blossomfall having haters here and there is sorta weak compared to the ableism lobbed at briarlight. (and if im feeling kinda brave…. millie as well… like. she’s abusive to briarlight, and narratively she’s far worse than blossomfall ever is, but let’s not pretend people weren’t super weird about her “stealing” graystripe and the blossomfall stuff was just another excuse to rant about how millie is a useless deadweight character who deserves to be maimed for ruining the childhood ship, as opposed to actually being mad at her toxicity. like i never saw a single person until recently criticize how she treated briarlight, just that she’s a big ol’ bitch for snapping at blossomfall)

to say the only reason why anyone would be uncomfortable with these characters is misogyny or abuse apologism is just to be really surface level, because to prop these characters up, people are often shitty to the other female abuse victim characters. and i’m not saying people who love them are ableist misogynistic abuse apologists, because that’s just silly at the end of the day (i know plenty of people who love these characters because of how nuanced they can be in the right hands) hell, i don’t even necessarily think these characters are “abusive”, just toxic and poorly handled by the narrative. i just wish more people would acknowledge how these characters are treated vs. how the “other side” gets treated.

[jariten]

I was wondering, would you mind talking about why Slam Dunk is one of your favorite manga? I've seen it on a lot of people's favorite manga lists and I'd like to know your favorite aspects of it. I started reading it because of you (I'm at Shouhoku's first match against Shoyo - I say "first" in case they play against each other again) and personally I find it really charming so far, Sakuragi is a really endearing protagonist and I can see how later mangaka were clearly inspired by him and Rukawa to make their own characters (cough Naruto haha). I like the Akagi siblings too, and Miyagi is really funny. I'm rooting for Shouhoku High!

Where to even begin ever since I first read it in what... 2017? It completely upended and forever changed the standards of which I hold comics to forever and gave me a genuine internal crisis of knowing I'm neverrrr going to have a reading experience like this again where I laugh out loud, get so overwhelmed by excitement my body starts moving on its own and I have to suppress my screams, sequential art and panels that makes me rethink how I want comics to capture the flow of action, truly visually diverse cast of characters, the character development is great, the way the characters bounce off each other is great, the balance of off court matches and games I think is perfect, I love the length of the series and how it leaves me perfectly satisfied, and I can read it again and again and it will feel just as exciting each time.

I did end up having reading experiences that captured the same excitement as Slam Dunk like Rookies did a great job sucking me into the sport and grow to care about it together with the cast, not to mention that I think Morita is an excellent sequential artist and master of the visual aspect of manga which is obv the great influence Makoto Kobayashi has had (on Inoue as well) like Judo Bu Monogatari had the humor the action the character dynamics and again just the most amazing way of capturing the speed and dynamic action of Judo and visually interesting and diverse cast.... most action manga just aren't visually exciting to me anymore bc of these series. Its like playing a really good video game or watching a really good movie that kinda ruins other games or movies to you from that point on bc they were just so good and made you realize what you want good things to be like. Of course theres plenty of genres where these comparisons arent applicable but the sentiment of wanting a reading experience that absorbs me in this way is always there

I also saw the Tokimeki part of your ask but I will have more to say when I do my planned reread (I'm thinking of starting right before or after new years depending on what else i got going on) but it was also very much a game changer for me in appreciating adolescent drama and even the ~emotionally distanced~ male love interest. I've searched for anything that will capture me in the same way but no luck so far... again the reread might have me making some new connections previously unseen to me

[wen-kexing-apologist]

La Pluie Stray Thoughts

In the spirit of @bengiyo I will be stealing this format, mostly because I currently do not have time to do full analyses about hands and body language and trope subversions, but I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS SHOW RIGHT NOW.

Lomfon

So first of all shout out to my new best friend, Lomfon for having a level head and ensuring that Tien did not go running up the mountain and creating two people in need of rescuing. As an EMT, one of the first things you learn in training is that you need to make sure the scene is safe before you can treat a person in danger. If you dive in to the water to rescue someone drowning and you don't know how to swim, you now have two people drowning.

So cheers to Lomfon for being calm enough in this emergency to rein Tien back in. AND ALSO HELLO? CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE WAY LOMFON WAS GONNA RIDE OR DIE WITH TIEN IN THIS EPISODE??? Did Lomfon say "if you go up the mountain there will be more problems?" NO. NO HE DID NOT. He say "If you and I go up the mountain" he was not about to let Tien go anywhere alone.

And goodness me, I am so here for the juicy new reveal about Lomfon being able to hear both Patts and Tai. Great way to prove definitively that the soulmate connection is bullshit. (Either that or #throuple but it's not going that way, not with the way that Lom and Tien are heading).

__

Tien

Thank GOD we finally had a crack in the dam. This boy has been a ball of extremely well controlled energy for far far too long, and we have known it was bullshit from the beginning. I love this sibling dynamic so much. Tien loves Tai so much, he knows how fucked up Tai was about their parents divorcing and while we still don't really know if it messed with Tien or how badly the divorce messed with Tien, I love the confirmation and the way Lomfon got to see that there is far more depth to Tien than originally thought. I hope we get to see more of it, like most of the tumblr clowns, I think we might start shifting focus towards Lomfon and Tien's budding relationship as Lomfon, Patts, and Tai try to figure out their rain connection.

And I am *so* looking forward to seeing the comparisons between Tien and Lomfon's relationship to Patts and Tai's both in terms of knowing Lomfon is connected to Tien's brother, the limbo feeling Lomfon is starting to get stuck in, and the fact that the romance between Lomfon and Tien follows a much more natural progression/standard romance. They aren't in each other's heads, they would never know if they were meant for each other, and if something happens between them, Tien and Lomfon never have to see each other (or hear from each other again).

Also, I love the hug. Which hug? Both hugs. The way that Tien finally has support. Lomfon pulling him into him from behind and showing, telling, shouting at Tien that he is right there. And Tien relenting, turning and purposefully wrapping Lomfon in a hug. Like????? Also, the sibling relationship is written so well, Tai: "your lunch is over there because I don't care", Tien breaking down because he is so worried about Tai, then beating himself up because he didn't immediately think about the connection to the mountain, Tien hugging Tai so tightly and telling him to never do shit like that again, and then punching him in the leg. Superb.

__

Kung and Bow

They were holding hands in the tall grass when Patts came running back in asking about where Saengtai was, so I have unilaterally decided that means they fucked nasty. That's all.

__

Patts and Tai

Listen...listen....

LISTEN

I LOVE THEM. I love that they are being adults about this, that Tai wasn't jealous or angry, but just forced to confront his thoughts about what being a soulmate means. AND I LOVE THAT HE AND PATTS CONCLUDE TOGETHER THAT THEY LOVE EACH OTHER REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT THE SOULMATE THING IS REAL.

AND FURTHER, I LOVE THAT WE HAVE LOMFON BEING ABLE TO HEAR BOTH PATTS AND TAI LITERALLY IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAI AND PATTS HAVE DECIDED THAT WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE SOULMATES DIDN'T MATTER. I like the possibility that Lomfon may try to drop that as evidence, like an ace in his back pocket, and Patts and Tai being like "that's fine,". No angst or agonizing from Patts and Tai anyway. Tai already hit his breaking point and he and Patts talked about it like adults. I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it.

I will probably go back and look at everything again, and analyze body language, and read too deeply in to every word of their conversation on the mountain, but for now my only thoughts are. I loved this episode, I loved this conversation, I loved the source of Tai's mountain journey, I loved Tien's break down, I loved Patts' patience, I loved their kisses, and where they are at the end of the day.

WE NEED TO BE GETTING LOUDER AND GAYER ABOUT LA PLUIE IMMEDIATELY

Edit: i have processed this episode and turned on my analysis brain so you can read my La Pluie Ep 8 meta here

[marshallpupfan]

Marshall Merchandise Update!

Update #37... or whatever number I'm up to now. Either way, I've got a few new items to show off today! Some new, some old, and some I didn't expect to find!

First off, this Jumbo Gummy Easter candy, from "Galerie"! I just happened to stumble upon it while helping my mother with her grocery shopping. I was in kind of a rush, so I didn't have time to check if they made any of the other pups. I have to imagine they have some of at least Chase and/or Skye. It cost $5 (a little pricey, imo).

To tell you the truth, I don't know if I want to eat this. I might try to preserve it... if possible, anyway. It wouldn't be the first editable piece of merchandise that's sitting among my collection. Probably won't be the last, either. It's a good thing my folks never bought me a Marshall cake for my birthday, otherwise I'd probably try to save that, too. 😂

Next up... this plush! I actually found it while browsing around a Goodwill for something. Before I left, I figured I'd take a quick peek at the toy section, since they tend to have a few PAW Patrol dolls from time to time. I only seen a few of Chase at first, but then out of the corner of my eye, I seen this thing, somewhat buried under a bunch of other dolls. It was only $2, so... sold! :)

Funnily enough, it's actually quite similar to another plush doll I bought a few years back, only smaller. Now that I think about it, these aren't the only dolls I own that have a bigger and little version. I wonder why they do that sometimes? Hm...

Moving on, here's yet another plush doll I found! It's by TY, unless I'm mistaken. This one was found at a flea market, although it was a tad more expensive ($5). However, what's funny is that...

...it, too has a bigger version! And a smaller one, as well (I feel like these are the most common). It's like we've got the eldest brother, the middle child, and the younger sibling. An interesting set!

I was tempted to move the bigger plush for a better side-by-side comparison, but with so many dolls around it, I figured it was best I just keep things where they're at. Otherwise, moving it might give us something akin to a Marshall wipeout, and I don't want to pick them all up from the floor right now. lol

Last, and a rather unexpected find, I must say... a Marshall "Born Brave" ceramic coffee cup! To be honest, I had no idea this even existed until I seen it on Mercari about a week ago. Despite my best efforts, I can't find any indication of where this came from, who sells it, if it belongs in a set, if they made some of the other pups... nothing!

I believe it's official, since most knock-off or home-made products don't include stuff like this on the bottom. It says it was made in 2023, so that tells me it's not too old. Have any of you seen these in stores?

In any case, it's pretty cool coffee cup! I believe it can hold 11oz, which is pretty standard for these things. The picture, itself isn't the highest of quality, but that's no biggie. I actually wouldn't mind using it, since I still drink a lot of tea (and cappuccinos... too many cappuccinos...), but I hate the thought of it getting damaged, so it's going up on my shelf for now. Maybe if I can find another one someday, then I'll use it.

...again, IF I can find another. 😅

That's all for now! I apologize for the inconsistent quality and brightness of some of the pics. I forgot to turn the flash on for the first pic, no flash made everything pink around the gummy, and the flash made the dolls look too dark so I had to adjust the brightness in Photoshop. My TracFone camera just doesn't cut it sometimes... maybe I should invest in something better someday.

[angrelysimpping]

Can you share some of your headcanons for Whitney / Whitneys background? Like who do you think they are? Smart, dumb, parents, siblings? What do you think they genuinely see mc as? Are they loyal if mc is a lo e interest? Do they sleep around? Are they an asshole or is the personality a front?? Hit me with some of your Whitney hc lore!

Whitneyyyyyyy, my beloved. Both hated and loved and aaaaaaaa

Smart. Smart Whitney. They don't try in school anymore. They don't really care, they don't see the point.

Family life is shit. Does everything in their power not to be home. Doesn't even really consider that place "home." Either has no siblings at all or more than Alex. Tries not to interact with them as much as they can.

They see PC as an escape, in a way. They have some control over PC, even at low dom. At low love, they don't care if PC is their love interest or not. Why should they have to stay loyal in any sense of the term? At high love, they hold the same belief. They just don't act on it. Why would they? PC is obviously the best around, why would they lower their standards? That's what they say, at least.

They are an asshole. It's not a completely made-up personality. But, it is exaggerated in the public eye. It's the best defense in a town like this. When they aren't having to put up a front, they're still something of an ass. That's just how they are.

Drinks the cheapest fucking beer, it's disgusting. The only time they splurge is when they're trying to show off. Actually prefers mixed drinks.

Smokes more because they like having something to do with their hands and mouth. Doesn't actually have a cig preference.

Fucking broke. Even if their family has money, Whitney's got shit all.

Old plushie stuffed into the back of their closet that they sometimes drag out when they're in a particularly dark mood.

A slut for neck kisses.

[foodforthought00]

Relatablity and Popularity of OF characters.

six main characters without concluding cheum and April. The story thus far has mostly established that all characters are only children of their respective household. But top, mew, Nick and boston are not as relatable as sand and ray.

Before passing judgement just hear me out.....

The former characters are intriguing and understandable, fun to analyse and discover new aspects or layers but their issues don't resonate as much. Rich kids with parents, present but emotionally...distant or immature (top's and ton's respectively) but still present in a far more healthier manner than ray's. Mew and Nick are of a normal, loving household. Their insecurities are due to the society not their a result of bad parenting.

Ray garners sympathy for his emotionally abusive past. But his relatablity lies in his lacking sense of self worth. Now, from all of what I've come across, I'm assuming a huge fanbase of this show comes from Asians. And Asians along with a few other ethnicities rooted in traditional, family based culture have a stunning record of parents instilling a damning amount of self doubt in their children. Their theory that resolves into a cycle of degradation pushes excellence which often backfires and stunts the children's ability to achieve excellence is never ending. For such children, self worth is rooted in their capacity to being useful to others or their rate of success based on societal standards. Its never I'm here, happy and healthy and winning life doing what I love but rather what will my neighbour's brother's aunt's third daughter's in law will think.... Point is self worth, pardon the rambling, that is lacking is common for huge population of this ethnicity which makes ray relatable and more popular. ( actor's ability and looks and fan base also factors in but also this i believe)

Similarly, Sand's hyper independence and emotional parentification is relatable to a lot of elder children in house holds of similar cultures. Kids who cannot ever put themselves or their dreams first because parents need help, siblings need discipline. So their age appropriate activities are allowed to linger in the background or pushed further into future.

The other characters have a more laid back way of life as compared to these two. Allowed to focus on themselves. And use a lens that they prefer in contrast to sand and ray who have a habit of looking at themselves from someone else's point of view. So sand and ray aren't more fleshed out in comparison to other characters they just seem to have a bigger fanbase and more hitting the spot on being relatable.

Done. This is purely my perspective. Feel free to agree or disagree or both......

[roadtogracelandx45]

New York State of Mind |1| Suits x Sons crossover

I am so nervous about posting this after some reviews that I got about Ryder. But here we go;

crossposted on ao3 and wattpad.

Introduction 

Tacoma Washington 

For the first time in over 4 years Ryder Teller was able to travel for work without having a Sons' sitter go with her and she was thrilled, everywhere she went after she graduated law school and was in Tacoma, she had a Son with her. She went to Chino to see her brother or to see her sister-in-law and the kids, a Son went with her. She went into the office, a Son went with her.

A lot of the time it was Kozik or Happy but they were both unable to leave the state due to their parole status and Ryder was thankful for that, she needed to be a different Ryder, one that didn't bend to the will of her old man and as much as Jax wanted to override her going out there he couldn't, she had made a valid point, he was able to do what he wanted and could come and go as he pleased, but she couldn't? She had been faithful to him since they got together.

That double standard should never be around, but she lived in a very black-and-white man's world and what they said went and it was exhausting. She was exhausted and she just didn't know that until Jessica Pearce asked for her to come out and work with them.

"You know Jax is furious right?" Kozik commented from where he was sitting on the chair in front of Ryder's vanity, "That you are going, and you aren't listening to him." Ryder paused as she was folding up the shirt to put in her suitcase.

"I don't think that I should have to listen to him Koz, "She started, "I am not putting my career on hold again to appease him. If he and Clay want me to help the club out I have to make friends at other law firms in other states. What would happen if you guys went on the run and got in trouble? I have my law license in California, Washington, and New York. I can't do it anymore." She shoved her hands through her hair and fought back tears.

Kozik knew that she was right and that she had more hurt than joy since she became Jax's old lady. He remembered holding her as she cried her eyes out when she found that she had miscarried a baby when she first moved to Tacoma after Jax cheated on her again with Tara. This wasn't the Ryder that he knew when she was younger, this was a broken Ryder. A completely broken Ryder.

"Shouldn’t I be able to be happy to Koz? He is making himself happy.  I don't know if I can keep doing this every single time. " She pointed a trembling finger to the blackberry sitting on top of the folding clothes. It had gone off several times while they were talking and they both assumed that it was Jax trying to get into contact with her

 and talk her out of going to New York again. He had done everything short of showing up at the house and handcuffing himself to her. And being on probation he was unable to go with her to New York for the three months she had been loaned out to them. And it was driving him crazy.

"You are right." He started as he held up his hands not wanting to set her off. 

"I know I am god damn right Herman. I get that I was born into this lifestyle and it's a man's world. But I should never ever be subjected to live like this." She reached across the bed, yanking the phone off of her belongings, and pressed the green answer button, "WHAT do you want!" she snarled, causing the biker to lean back in his chair in surprise. In all the years that he had known the younger Winston sibling, she had never reacted like that before.

To anyone. 

Not even Tara Knowles who justifiably earned every single ounce of hatred that Ryder held towards her.  There was so much hate, so much bitterness. No amount of sweet-talking or promises on the Mother Charter's vice president's part was going to do anything to make her forgive him. 

And honestly, he didn't deserve it. It had finally happened. She had enough and was tired of being broken 

"Look, I am probably gonna catch hell for this but, Jax is coming up tonight after church to talk to you about staying." He started once she was off of the phone, the angry tears coming down her cheeks, "If I were you, I would get on an earlier flight."

Ryder abandoned all packing and picked up her phone and pressed a few buttons and put her phone to her ear. "Hey, Donna, It's Ryder Teller, is there a way you can get me on an earlier flight out? My brother told me not to come down today to see him and the sooner I get out of Washington the better." She was silent for several long minutes before speaking again, "Yes, I can be ready in 30 minutes to go." Donna Paulson, Harvey Specter's assistant, had already been told to get a private plane and driver set up for Ryder Teller. Jessica Pearson and her other partners wanted Ryder Teller to be a part of their firm.

"Thank you, Donna." She hung up the phone and looked at the blonde biker, "Thank you Koz, I know you aren't supposed to tell me stuff like this." He waved it away, "Finish packing what you absolutely need, and then go shopping for the rest when you get there." She wiped her cheek off again and started putting the rest of the clothes that she brought out of her closet into the suitcase.

"What are you going to tell Jax when he shows up?" She asked as Kozik carried her suitcase and carry on to the awaiting black car a while later. "Don't worry about it, Ry. I will handle it." He returned, "Just do stuff for yourself this time around, make yourself happy, that's

 all I can ask for."

"I can do that.' She returned, "Don't know what it looks like but I will find out." His mouth quirked into a smirk, he wanted to tell her to do what Jax did to her and sleep with someone else but he knew that Ryder wouldn't do it. But maybe she would surprise him. She always seemed to.

[icharchivist]

Yeah, you're right and you raise a good point

Belial and Beelzebub and everyone aren't human

Ferdinand is just a guy

And he isn't trying to just to nebulously"destroy the world" either, from what we know, his machinations involve a lot of tangible and understandable suffering for named characters

Which also makes a lot of difference

Not to mention Belial is just really sexy and Ferdinand is not. Those tits can do no wrong in my eyes

Right??? right???

i actually had a lot of thoughts about all of this so excuse me about it:

like it's kinda paradoxical in a sense, when an enemy isn't human and the goal is as nebulous as just "destroying the world/overthrow god" and stuff, it feels more mythical, and in some level, it doesn't work with human logic.

of course i love reading Belial and Lucifer as brothers, for instance, but on paper they're two creatures who were created at the same time by the same creator, who also never lived a normal family life, were born as adults with their own set of thoughts and were always used as tools. It removes a lot of the elements that comes into play when talking about realistic depiction of siblings, for instance, and it becomes difficult to hold them at the same standards, especially since they never called themselves siblings even once.

it just doesn't work with human logic, like i said, greek gods logic. it's mystical in a lot of sense. Of course it also doesn't lessen the suffering caused, especially the ones the primal beasts went through because of Avatar, but it's unrealistic in a sense. it's the human centipede horror compendium that only exists in fiction.

but Ferdinand... is human. he's just a guy. While there seems to be a plan to "mock God" on the long term, while they do seem to be working a machination to face God himself and stuff..... ultimately his actions are much more personal in general. And real.

When Sandalphon threw Islands in the Crimson Horizon in his destroying the world rage, it was material, it was intense crazy destruction, but it was a fantasy one. So fantasy that they could retcon later that he didn't kill anyone out of threwing the islands in there because they managed to evacuate before that. The damage is material at best.

But when Ferdinand uses his pawns for his plan, he hurts people extremely intimately.

Child abuse due to issues at school because you have learning difficulties, and the idea of a professor pushing this to happen? is not a fantasy.

what happened to Shannon is perhaps a bit more fantastical, but it's not unrealistic either.

That's why i compare it to a Cult Leader/Serial Killer. Ferdinand grooms kids, and then use them later, but he has no problem killing people in horrifying ways, especially if it allows him to strengthen his hold on actual, vulnerable people, who end up doing his bidding

you look at Ragazzo's first appearance in Feather's FE, and you know this guy has commited murders in Navis' name. In Ferdinand's name. while everything else we learn about Ragazzo, especially via his relationship with Fiorito, and his reluctance to actually kill Feather, is that he's not the type of person who would do this type of things normally.

When Sariel is the same: an executor who can't resist the orders given to him, he's in a situation where there are greater powers influencing him in carrying this bidding. The murders is all he's ever known, there's nothing else for him to question, he was MADE for this. Him realizing he doesn't like the chains is another level. But Sariel's situation isn't humanly realistic in a sense. It's not like it was taught to him. He was born this way. His desire for free will comes in this specific context that is different from a human one.

But Ragazzo was made this way. A normal kid turned killer, turned into a weapon, because of the very human need for affection.

And i think there's also really this shift in genre also, of the mystical, the Mythology VS the horror, especially the psychological horror.

the wmtsb gang is a creation myth gang. Belial and Lucifer are just another Cain and Abel, a brother killing his own kin for the love of a God who favoritize his sibling, only to be hated by God once discovered. Or Seth and Osiris, with Seth dismembering the brother he was jealous of and throwing his limbs in the river. It's horrible, it's horrifying, it's the acts of Godlike individuals who take their beefs to a whole other level.

When Ferdinand tells Tikoh "you're a fantastic doctor. I know it, because that one time i came to see you, you healed me fully, while i would have died otherwise. i'm alive all thanks to you.", knowing that he was testing her that day, and that he went to Shannon's home right afterward, always makes me think of this horror story that ends with "Aren't You Glad You Didn't Turn On The Light?" this visceral horror of "you let the monster in". The horror movie feel of the serial killer who's stalking you, following you, setting you up, sadistic not because he enjoys the pain itself, but because he enjoys the torment.

of course it's not fully clear cut: the horror creeps its way on the mythology all the time, the horror can also become mystical in its own way.

But there's a clear different balance in the way one can interreact with characters who indulge in those behaviors, and it's the ultimate difference between a character like Belial and a character like Ferdinand. they basically exist in different genres, and as such, on different scales.

And yeah also the tits plays a huge role in all of that, i'm not denying this one. I still can't believe Ferdinand ended up in the DILF top of the latest DILF off competition whY--

[vxnillite]

(i cant come up with titles to save my life; anyway this is just another drabble)

I was feeling angsty some time last week, and ended up thinking about what would happen to Noah immediately after Kevin died. I drew something, then wrote this in connection to it.

Also this little phase may or may not be some sort of venting method for me? It was weirdly comforting to draw and write for this concept. Anyway-

Noah angst ft. Z-Dog (but not in a romantic way), Carter cameo (OC by my friend, Supa!), and Spence being best girl (OC by another friend, Coda!)

No graphic themes or descriptions btw

Spence pushed the last of the boxes out of the door. They felt a lot heavier than they should be. She looked back at her best friend's room, which was now heartbreakingly empty.

The posters and pictures on the walls were gone.

The bedsheets were perfectly made.

Shoes and clothes no longer created tripping hazards on the floor.

The room looked just like any other standard sleeping quarter now, and it hurt Spence to think about it.

"C'mon, Spence," Z-dog said behind her. The taller soldier reached for the door switch and pressed it. Kevin's door hissed to a close. Z-Dog's hand lingered on the switch for a second, then trembled as it let go. "We have to go."

"Where are you taking Kevin's things?"

The women turned around to find Carter flipping box lids open, peeking into Kevin's things. "Didn't he say he didn't have family back on Earth?"

Z-Dog swatted his hand away, then answered, "We're giving it all to Noah."

Carter looked rather offended. "Wait—why are you taking it to them? If it wasn't for them, Kevin would be alive right now!"

Now it was Spence's turn to be offended. On Noah's behalf, she was hurt. A lot. She'd experienced Noah's stubbornness firsthand, heard all of Kevin's stories that revolved around his sibling's recklessness and proclivity to abandon self-preservation, but Spence saw for herself that they loved each other, that Noah loved Kevin more than anything. She never once thought to keep Kevin's stuff from them.

"None of us know what really happened out there, Carter," she said, "And Noah was Kevin's only family le—"

"We are his family, too, aren't we," Carter badgered, "They didn't even go to Kevin's funeral, for christ's sake! Didn't even come back with his body—his bloody dog tag, at least—and you're giving them all his stuff? They don't fucking dese—"

Z-Dog was too fast for Spence or Carter. In the blink of an eye, she slapped him across the face with the back of her hand. He stumbled back from the strength of the slap and the shock of receiving it.

Spence moved to stop her, but the fury in Z-Dog's step was so palpable, it rooted Spence in her spot. There was nothing scarier than a mad woman, and this one had muscles tough as steel. In the back of her mind, Spence thought it better—safer—than to get in her way.

"Keep your trap shut for once, Carter," Z-Dog snarled, pinning every word, "It ain't your call to make."

He was holding onto his reddened cheek. Apparently, Z-Dog had dragged her knuckles across the skin because Carter was bleeding a bit. Still, he held his ground. "It can be our call and you know that. Kevin made his will not fucking knowing his own bloody brat of a sibling would be the one to end him."

"You fucking bi—"

"Alright, enough!"

Before Z-Dog could jump in with the punch, the smaller soldier found it in herself to stop her just in time. Spence caught her by the forearm with a firm grip. She tugged to make Z-Dog look at her, and shook her head. It wasn't worth fighting over. Everyone was tired, conflicted, and emotional.

In fact, none of the mercs could talk about Kevin like a dead man just yet. None had the heart or desire to start sharing stories full of fun and nostalgia about the man who had been so much more than just a fellow soldier to many of them. Spence herself would sometimes wonder if Kevin would just suddenly walk into the open hangar as if nothing happened. He could be missing an arm as he limped in, but he'd have that signature cocky smile on his face and act like he'd just been bit by a mosquito.

Ah, that thought again.The corner of Spence's eyes stung. The feeling was all too familiar by now, but still not welcome—would never be welcome.

"You know I'm right, Spence," Carter insisted. He wiped the dripping blood off his cheek with his thumb.

Meanwhile, Z-Dog's fist was shaking with rage, but Spence kept her back. She looked at Carter defiantly. "I dunno what you're talkin' about," she asserted, "We're givin' Kevin's stuff to Noah, as he said in his will. You telling me you're willin' to disrespect a dead man's final wish, Corporal?"

He obviously didn't expect her to answer like that. But Spence made it clear that there was backbone in her words. She wasn't just saying it to chastise him. Realizing this, Carter backed off, and he lumbered down the opposite end of the hallway, towards the mess hall.

Well, that's odd, Spence thought. Knowing him, he could've put up more of a fight. Then again, Carter was just as tired and hurt as everyone else. 

Z-Dog kept glaring at his back until it disappeared behind a wall. Only then did she relax, and Spence let go of her arm. The taller soldier sighed as she flicked the tape back on the boxes that Carter had opened.

"Sorry," she sighed, "I don't know why his words got on my nerves like that. I felt like I was actually gonna punch his lights out."

"As if that mad dog would go down from a single punch," Spence quipped.

"Then why did you stop me?"

"You don't want another disciplinary note on your tab, do you?"

Z-Dog chuckled lightly. "Guess I owe you one, then." She got behind the cart that held most of the boxes. "Alright, let's go."

Spence lifted the smallest box. It held Kevin's trinkets he brought from Earth and collected during missions and field trips. She knew, by heart, what each one meant to Kevin.

She walked along the corridor side-by-side with Z-Dog. Both of them ignored the stares that followed them, pinned themselves on the soldiers' backs. Thankfully, they made it to the SciOps residence without a hitch. As they approached Noah's door, a familiar face emerged from it.

Dr. Grace Augustine looked dejected as she walked out of Noah's room, an untouched tray of food in her hand. She looked up as the soldiers got close. "What are you two doing here," Grace asked, then she looked down at the cart of boxes, "What's all this?"

"It's Kevin's stuff, doc," Spence answered, "Would Noah mind if we just dropped these in?"

Grace looked back at the closed door behind her. She sighed. "I don't know, to be honest. They haven't been talking." The scientist spared the soldiers an apologetic half-smile. "But you can't leave those boxes out in the hall. And do you mind?" She held up the tray of food. "They really need me back at the labs, but Noah hasn't eaten since last night. I've been trying but…" Another sigh. "They're really unresponsive today."

"How long have they been like this," Spence asked.

"Well, how long has it been since we came back from that trip?"

Spence was stunned. So it had been a full week? In the back of her mind, she wished she'd come by sooner. But Spence had been busy dealing with grief herself, having to get 'comfortable' with the scene of finding Noah in the forest undergrowth, their avatar injured into temporary paralysis and that wide-eyed, paranoid look in their eyes, replaying in her head over and over and over. Worst of all, Spence recalled Noah being alone. No Kevin anywhere. But, Noah had told her in such a chilling voice that they had to leave, and so they did.

With Noah being the only witness, Spence and everyone else had been left wondering.

The sound of Z-Dog's voice pulled Spence back to reality. "We'll give it a shot, doc," she said, nodding at the scientist.

Grace gave a quick thanks as she handed the tray to Z-Dog, then the soldiers watched her rush back to the labs. In the silence, they exchanged looks full of anxiousness and uncertainty, then flung those same gazes at the closed door before them.

Spence decided to take the first step. She approached the door and knocked thrice. "Hey, Noah? It's me, Spence," she called out, "Z-Dog's with me. We're here to drop off Kevin's stuff. Can we come in?"

They waited. No answer.

Z-Dog shrugged. We've got no choice, the look on her face said. Unfortunately, Spence agreed. She knocked again. "Noah, we're coming in, okay?"

The door hissed open as Spence hit the switch. As she stepped in, something heavy in the air instantly weighed on her entire person, like a wet blanket had just been thrown at her without warning. The room wasn't a mess, surprisingly, but the atmosphere was depressing. The lights were all off, curtains were closed, clothes piled haphazardly on the bed. But where was—

Sniffles. They came from the far corner of the room. Spence and Z-Dog whipped their heads at the sound, and found a mop of black and purple hair just sitting in the corner. Noah's hair was not in its usual twin braid style. Instead, it engulfed their small frame like a waterfall, obscuring their entire body except for the legs and the arms that hugged them. That waterfall trembled in time with muffled sobbing. 

Spence's heart fell to her stomach. She put the box in her hands on the desk and ran to Noah. The soldier sank to her knees next to them.

"Oh, Noah…"

Spence gingerly parted the hair that covered Noah's face. They were sobbing into their knees, face still hidden from view. Pain stabbed at Spence's chest as another sniffle escaped from Noah. At that point, her instincts took over and she pulled Noah in, squeezing them as tight as she practicably could. Her own eyes welled up with the tears she'd been holding in since that morning. Noah's body was shaking like a leaf in howling winds as they bawled like a child—loud and uncontrollable—and Spence was reminded of how young Noah actually was.

22, and they had only been reunited with Kevin for a year after being separated for four years. Spence recalled all the stories Kevin had told her about Noah. He gushed on so proudly for ages and told her he couldn't wait until Noah arrived on Pandora, too. She recalled waiting on the runway with Kevin, seeing Noah descend the Valkyrie ramp, knowing immediately it was them because of how Kevin would describe them in great detail, and watching how they jumped right into their brother's wide, waiting arms, laughing like a child on Christmas morning. The scene was straight out of a movie, heartwarming and tear jerking, even for Spence.

Only the movie was, unbeknownst to everyone, actually a swift tragedy.

Spence nestled her chin over their head and let herself feel every crying tremor that shook Noah's body. She caressed Noah's hair and tried to soothe them as best as she could. Though, no words formed in her mouth that she felt like would actually help in the situation. So she held them. Dearly.

Meanwhile, Z-Dog had taken the boxes off the cart and lined them up neatly by one of the walls. Then she opened the one that had most of Kevin's clothes in it. There wasn't much to pack given that they didn't bother putting in the RDA-commissioned clothes, just the ones that Kevin actually brought for himself. Z-Dog grabbed a familiar piece from the top of the folded pile. She walked over to the huddled pair, crouched down on Noah's other side, and draped the jacket over them. It looked like a blanket compared to their frame.

"Kevin's favorite," Z-Dog said softly, a tone Spence didn't know she was capable of. She put a firm hand on Noah's back. "I know he'd want you to have it."

The two soldiers stayed as they are. Spence hugged Noah tight and Z-Dog rubbed circles on their back. But while they just accepted that Noah would keep crying—maybe tire themselves out eventually—-they didn't quite expect to feel movement other than the shivers. From the corner of her eye, Spence saw Noah's hands slowly creep up towards the zipper of Kevin's jacket. They held onto it weakly and pulled it closer.

"Noah?"

More sniffles came. Then Spence felt her chin sliding off Noah's head as they slowly looked up. Through their matted, spindly hair, Spence found herself looking into eyes that looked exactly like Kevin's, only these ones were bloodshot, lifeless without that usual spark behind them. 

Then an unfamiliar voice came about, as dry and cracked as drought-ridden soil, as weak as a whisper in a storm.

"I'm sorry."