#and it’s up to my father to deal with his anger issues before we both cut him off

[beevean]

So some recent... discourse put into my mind the concept of "power fantasy", and how people relate to it in different ways. Of course, I'm talking about Hector :P

Is Hector, in the games, a power fantasy? I think the answer is "yes but actually no but actually yes it's complicated".

Let's be honest, first: Hector is a product of his time. He is, in many aspects, Castlevania's response to the wave of edginess that was en vogue in the mid-2000s - I don't compare CoD to ShTH for no reason lol. Hector was always meant to be an anti-hero contrasting the pure heroes the games always starred before him:

—Why did you choose the theme of "revenge" for this game? Iga: Up to now, the Belmonts have been seen as the good guys. I thought it'd be nice to do something other than a moralistic "good triumps over evil" theme sometime. After all, Castlevania has always had an excellent world for telling a "dark hero" story. Alucard would be one such character… though even he is fighting for a just cause: "I've got to stop my Father!" So he's still kind of a good guy. This time, though, I wanted the motivation itself to be impure. So this theme is what I came up with, and then I thought it would be even more interesting if each side was out for revenge on the other.

Hector has "impure" motivations. His quest is completely selfish: while all the other protagonists want to face Dracula (or others in his place) because it's the right thing to do, Hector is just in to kill the man who ruined his life. In fact, he really couldn't care less about the Curse, and multiple times in the game he asks why can't Trevor just deal with the issues he doesn't want to deal with lol. This is in line with other characters of the same caliber, such as Shadow sneering at a city being invaded by aliens until there is something in for him, or Guts who declares that he's willing to let a whole town fall prey to demons, as long as Casca is safe. However, this is not a detriment to Hector's character like it would be nowadays, as he's also very much mean to be "cool": while obviously every protagonist has his cool factor, even going back to Simon in the first games who defeated Dracula all by himself and then had to heroically struggle with the Curse, Hector is cool in that, well, deliciously over-the-top way that was all the rage back then. He can ride wyverns as he slashes them, he can go toe to toe with Trevor himself to the point that even he is impressed, he can forge a gun and an electric guitar, cutscenes show him punching a stone devil with his bare first, he gloats in Dracula's face that he can nullify his Curse... yeah, he's a gigachad lol. The flaws are only meant to make him cooler and not "boring", as paragon heroes were seen at the time.

I, personally, never cared about this part. I'm not the target audience for this kind of power fantasy. Sure, I like that Hector is over-the-top cool and I will always joke about his most outlandish feats, but I'm not so keen on reducing him to those alone. I couldn't even explain why avenging your dead lover counts as part of a power fantasy lol.

This is why I latched on so much on the first half of his story, the one where Hector deals with Dracula, and why I insist that Hector is much more than his admittedly cliché archetype of "angry man on a revenge quest".

Calling Hector "stoic" is not even knowing the meaning of the word. Calling pretty much any CV protagonist "stoic" is factually wrong, as even the more serious ones like Alucard and Shanoa have other depths to them (Alucard is still grieving for his mother and we see it in a nightmare, Shanoa was deliberately made stoic and she subtly longs to feel again), but Hector doesn't even begin to fit the definition of "One who is seemingly indifferent to or unaffected by joy, grief, pleasure, or pain". The whole point of CoD is that Hector was left so emotionally vulnerable by his grief that both Isaac and Zead used him as a puppet. Anger is the complete antithesis of stoicism. "well anger is still a toxically masculine emotion" - memes aside, Hector shows other emotions too, most notably around Julia, the only person with which we see how actually gentle and polite he is when he doesn't have Dracula's influence scrambling his brain. By the way, you cannot ignore the effects of the Curse on both Hector and Isaac when you analyze them, especially the former:

It can't be plainer than this.

And it doesn't come out of nowhere, because not only Julia herself tries to warn Hector that Devil Forgemasters are susceptible to the Curse, he acts vulnerable around her. He apologizes for his unjust outbursts, sympathizes with her plight, is visibly affected by her grief when Isaac dies... sure, it might be all because he's lowkey crushing on her, if you want to see it that way (and I do have my words over the plot point of Julia looking like Rosaly: I would have preferred if the game had more time to show that Hector grew to see Julia as her own person beyond her appearance), but the point is that this behavior highly contrasts with how angry and aggressive he is to everyone else, which the reveal of the Curse recontextualizes.

Also, just saying, while anger can be toxic, the point of these storylines is usually precisely that revenge is bad. Unchecked anger is bad for you, and you shouldn't let yourself fall down that spiral, lest you lose yourself. Isaac got consumed by his own hatred and died as a tool; Hector realized in time that he should snap out of it and survives, also because he was nice to Julia and so she grew to care about him and saved him when he tried to kill himself <- a reaction that is very unmasculine, might I add, as toxic masculinity dictates that men should make other people pay for their pain. bro. bro this is the complete antithesis of "toxic masculinity". Again, this is really not knowing the meaning of the word.

I don't even need to pull examples from the manga, but just for completion's sake:

iunno about you chief, but someone who bursts into tears just because wifey told him that she's happy he was born isn't exactly the portrayal of toxic masculinity to me.

Which makes me segue into the next point!

Hector and Isaac are victims of abuse, and this is another very important angle to understand them. And I'm not just talking about their childhoods, of which we only get hints, although of course it does matter that the two experienced so much hatred and rejection in their youth that Dracula was the better option for them.

We don't see the details, but Dracula affected both of them deeply. He put them in a competitive dynamic, favoring Hector over Isaac: Isaac grew bitter with resentment, which made him double down on his loyalty to Dracula, while Hector only got the appreciation he craved at the price of his very humanity and morals, which weighed on him. The point of this favoritism is not really the core of their rivalry in game, as that one was caused by Hector's betrayal, but it gives a different dimension to the character. It would have been easy to have the mistreated guy the one who decided to turn his back to Dracula, but no, it was the golden child. Isaac was so entrenched in this dynamic that he never broke free, choosing instead to blame Hector and do everything in his power to prove himself to an uncaring Lord, including (in the manga) killing his own underlings so that he would be free to face Hector by himself. From PtR:

"My own body is proof of Your expectations for him" is such a hard-hitting line. Isaac fears that he didn't even disappoint his Lord, because his Lord didn't have expectations for him in the first place. It's Hector the one he's so proud of.

And Hector hates it. By all means, he should be happy to have a home, to be respected and appreciated and free to use his powers. And he used to be!

"Lord Dracula... You once accepted and needed my powers. There was a time when such a thing gave me joy..."

Hector was grateful for his Lord, but he couldn't live anymore in the safety of the castle, if the price was committing indiscriminate murder for the sake of a senseless revenge, going against his morals and being used as a weapon. Hector had to make a choice: keep living under Lord Dracula's protection, but losing his humanity piece by piece, or breaking free and facing the world that hated him, but as a free man?

Hector chose freedom over conditional safety and love. He was ready to die, as long as he died a free man. He put himself first, he turned his back against people who did not truly appreciate him, and despite the mess he left behind it was the right decision. And that's the power fantasy I adore, and that is what makes him a strong character in my opinion. It's the embodiment of achieving self-confidence, the healthy selfishness, the affirmation of the self when everyone else around you only sees you as an object or a prize, the reassurance that even if you fall, you can always get up and try again and become a person you can be proud of.

And Hector, after breaking free, very much acts like a victim of abuse. I spent countless words over how he displays the belief that he needs to do something to earn the right to be loved by Rosaly, unaccepting of the fact that she simply does because, well, he likes him and sees the good in him, and that's it. I wrote a whole analysis on how this belief stems from a sad naiveté on how the world works, because Hector is naive underneath the aloof exterior, and it's not something to make fun of him for, but a tragic result of living under Dracula for so long. I'll also point again to him having breakdowns because he hates himself and sees himself as inherently unlovable.

I could also spend all the words about the parallels about how Hector loves Dracula and how he loves Rosaly:

In both cases, he latches onto the only person who has showed him a modicum of kindness. He wants to give his life for them. The difference being, of course, that Dracula only appreciates Hector for what he does (and I could also go into a whole tangent on how Hector was personally raised by Dracula to be his knight and he has a piece of his essence inside him which parallels how abusive parents see their children as an extension of themselves), while Rosaly for who he is. With Dracula, Hector understands that all the shallow care in the world doesn't matter if he isn't also respected as a person: he still cares about him, in some fashion, but not the point of clinging.

And if Hector is ready to lay down his life for Rosaly because she finally showed him what real love looks like, is it any wonder that seeing her die would spark such a fury in him that it makes him prey to the Curse and to being once again twisted into a tool?

The power fantasy comes from the part where Hector breaks free of the abuse and manipulation - twice over. But he is also relatable, with all of his flaws, weaknesses, and mistakes he makes. The whole point of Hector's journey in the first half of his story is that he feels the need to atone for his sins, and the consequences of his actions all catch up to him in the worst of ways. Ignoring this to reduce Hector to an edgelord who only spends his life angry and then hooks up with a Rosaly replacement (which incidentally also ignores Julia's personality and agency and I might even call as misogynist as the plot point itself) is a huge disservice to the thought and care put into him to make him stand out from his own archetype.

Power fantasies are not inherently bad. Depending on the fantasy, they can be inspirational. Hector is inspirational to me, if that wasn't clear, I see part of me in his circumstances and I admire his arc: it tells you, "you can break free too, you have the strength to do so, and you will find people who will love you without reason". And I just generally speaking find him a very well written character despite stemming from a rather outdated context, because all the details come together to make him fleshed out and tridimensional.

[voiceshearingyouloud]

I was like dude why am I spilling my guts to my parents even after everything and why am I risking letting something slip that I don’t want to, and how do I stop doing that. And then I realised that I’m trying to fix my parents’ relationship with my brother and I went ah. I need to stop trying to fix other people’s relationships because it is not my job as the child to explain emotional maturity to my parents, nor do I need to hear ‘there are always extenuating circumstances’ from my mother ever again.

[railingsofsorrow]

don't walk out

[spencer reid x reader]

summary: “we can fight and we can be mad but we can't leave.”  pairing: s.reid x gn!reader  w.c: 1K warnings/content: implied abandoned issues; argument; silent treatment (brief); language; angst.  A/N: guess I'm on a roll today. I just love some angst. 

navi

masterpost

cm masterlist

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 

“is that supposed to make me feel better?”  

lights had barely been turned on when you spat out a response, breaking the tense silence. your apartment was tidy, nothing out of order, even the pillows where settled two on each edge of the couch like you always did before leaving for work.  

it was the expected. three days away on a case didn't exactly mean your house would turn upside down, would it? unanimated things didn't move on their own. but one thing that was turning upside down was your mood. not only did the journey home came with lots of turbulence, but Spencer had to make an unpleasant comment that made your blood boil. was it wrong that you just wanted to not look at him right now? you were even considering not sleeping beside him tonight. 

“for fucks sake.” you mumbled under your breath when he had stayed silent. he's ignoring you now. great. throwing your work bag on the couch, you didn't even take your shoes off as you moved back toward the door. you can't handle his passive aggressive act and you certainly won't handle his silence treatment.  

“where are you going?” he called out, shuffling out of the bedroom upon hearing the sound of keys dangling. no. no, you're not leaving, are you? “what—” 

“i'm gonna take a walk, spencer.” 

it didn't take a second for him to rush over and stop your exit by blocking the door. “what are the car keys for then?” desperation clouded his tone and you felt guilt building up in your chest, but it wasn't bigger than your frustration.  

“I'm gonna drive.” 

“at this time of the night? you hate driving at night.” 

“are you my father?” he almost flinched at your sharp tone. okay, he deserved that hostility. he's been nothing but rude to you the entire jet ride back home. it's not that you did anything — even if you had done something, it does not justify the way he was treating you —, the case had been hard. it involved kids. the team wasn't fast enough. he wasn't fast enough. you almost got hurt. it was a lot to absorb in a short amount of time.  

he never wanted this: you walking out while you were mad at each other. no. you had made a deal long ago. you both were laughing after your first stupid argument, something about forgetting to fold the laundry.  

“okay, but we can be like this, right?” you said, nudging him. “we can fight and we can be mad but we can't leave.” 

his eyes soften and he almost turns to mush. he understood then that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you. and yes. you would be mad and you would upset each other but leaving was off the table. he could do that. there was nothing he'd want more. 

but now he'd cross a line. didn't he? how dare he do that? how dare he cause you do want to walk out? 

“i'm sorry.” spencer is still at the doorway when you ask him to move. he won't move. he can't. “i really am. I shouldn't have said that. it was out of line.” 

“really?” you snap. he hears the edge in your voice and the crack. it breaks him. he just wants to hold you, he never meant—means to hurt you. “then why did you? why would you even think about something like that?”  

he holds back his breath of relief once you've put the keys back in the bowl. the lump in his throat diminishing slightly. 

“i was upset. angry— at the case. the whole situation, not you.“ he clarified. “sweetheart, i'm sorry. I didn't mean it.” you're searching his face for some indication of lie that you won't find. “i'm sorry.” 

“you're an idiot.” your anger is gone, there's just frustration now. maybe at yourself, because you can't really stay mad at him as he stares at you with those eyes.  

“i am,” he admits, no ounce of hesitation in his tone. he's fairly certain he is, in fact, an idiot. “i'm sorry.” he repeats and he will repeat over and over again until you forgive him. he will beg if he has to. “don't leave, please.” 

and that is not fair. it's not. he can't make you mad and say sorry and all will be forgiven. he can't look at you with those eyes and think things will be magically fixed. 

but then your armor cracks. suddenly, his behaviour makes sense. 

we can fight and we can be mad but we can't leave. 

“i wasn't going to—” you're ashamed at this point. you were so blinded by anger that you'd do something you promised to never do. “you know I wouldn't leave, right?” then his desperation in reaching the door before you makes sense and you're taken back to the moment you promised not to walk out in a fight. that's exactly what you where about to do.  

“i'm sorry.” you say, staring at the keys in your hands. “i didn't think before acting.”  

spencer nods slowly, taking a step closer towarss your frame. “and I didn't think before speaking. I'm the one that should be sorry.” 

you caught a glimpse at his twitchy fingers and takes one of his hands into your own, letting the keys slip to the floor as you yank him to your arms. he only complies by squeezing you against him. and finally, both of you have what you've been craving since this case started: each other's comfort.  

and then, you repeat. “i wasn't going to leave, you know that, right?”  

“yeah.” he burries his face into your neck and his voice is muffled by your skin. “yeah, I know.” 

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 

taglist: @lilyviolets ; @whore-for-spencer-reid ; @yeonalie @ninkieminjaj ; 

[ilyrafe]

𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒔 ✧ 𝒓. 𝒄.

pairing: ex!rafe cameron x ex!f!reader

warnings: angst, pregnancy scare

word count: 1.6k

“i need to talk to you, it’s urgent. can i come over?”

the text catches rafe by surprise as he hasn’t spoken to you in three weeks. since the breakup, to be specific.

despite not being your boyfriend anymore, rafe still cares for you a great deal, and you rarely text him stuff like this, so it must be serious.

“of course.”

he puts his phone down and begins to wonder what must have happened for you to break your own idea of going no contact.

this has been killing him, not being able to talk to you. he misses you more than he anticipated and it sucks. it’s horrible not having you around, and the saddest bit is that he has no one else to blame but himself.

him and his ways.

half an hour later, he hears a knock on the door and before he can stand up from the chair, you come in. you seem anxious. terrified, even.

“hey.”

“hey, what’s so urgent?”

“i’m late.” you say, but rafe frowns, not quite understanding what you mean. “i’m late, rafe.”

“late?”

“my period, rafe. i’m late.”

oh.

oh, no.

“h-how late are you? i thought you took the pill!”

“i did, but i am a week late. so, i wanna know what we’re gonna do about it.”

rafe needs to breathe, it seems that all the air has left the room. he takes a step back and rubs his face with both hands, trying to be rational.

you’re probably pregnant with his child. this is not how he imagined this was going to happen. it turns out, rafe is quite traditional.

“what do you want to do?”

you seem a bit surprised with his question.

“i… i don’t know, rafe. we’re too young.”

“i’m good with whatever you decide. if you want to keep it, i won’t, uh, i won’t be absent. i’ll provide for you both, i’ll do everything i have to. and if you don’t want to keep it, i’ll pay for it.”

this isn’t going how you were expecting, if you’re being honest. you expected a fight, you expected rafe to claim it wasn’t his child, but… he’s being mature about it, which is new.

truthfully, you don’t know what you want. sure, you’d like children, but not now. not when you’re nineteen and don’t have a clue about what you’re doing in life. not when you don’t have a partner, a job, a house. not when the father of your child is rafe cameron, a drug addict with anger issues.

“i’d like to buy some tests first before i decide what i want to do.”

he nods and takes his car keys, leading you out of the office and taking you to his car.

it doesn’t take long for him to drive you to the nearest drugstore. when he parks the car, you don’t move an inch.

“hey, what’s wrong?”

“i can’t believe this is happening to me.” you say, not being able to hold the tears any longer. this is a nightmare. “what am i gonna tell my parents?”

“you’ll tell them the truth. you’re pregnant and you won’t be doing this alone, i’m here.”

you look at rafe quite skeptically and try your best to believe him, but he’s broken your trust so many times before, it’s difficult to see any honesty in his words.

“not telling them anything and getting an abortion is also an option, you know? we don’t have to tell anybody. whatever it is that you decide, i’m cool with it.”

for your own sake, you choose to believe him and wipe away your tears before you exit his car and go to the drugstore.

you try not to look so suspicious, but you’re looking around, to make sure no one you know is there, and thankfully you’re safe. you buy three different tests and quickly come back to rafe’s car.

the drive back home is excruciating. you can already picture your future as a single mother. you fear what your parents will say if you are indeed pregnant, which you probably are. you’re never late. when you were two days late, you thought it was odd, but then the days kept passing by and nothing happened.

then you did the math.

rafe, on the other hand, is actually happy that you might be pregnant with his child. he always knew he wanted to be a father. this is probably not the best time because you’re not a couple, you’re not really adults, and you don’t really have a stable life, but hey, this is what happens when you have unprotected sex. sure, you took the pill, but no contraceptive is one hundred percent effective.

this kid may be rafe’s only chance to have you somehow linked to him forever and that isn’t a bad thing necessarily… right?

once you’re back to tanney hill, you and rafe nearly run to his bedroom and he makes sure to lock the door so no one can catch them. you open them all and read all the instructions to do it right. you enter his bathroom and once you’re done, rafe has expectant eyes.

“so?”

“we have to wait five minutes.”

“oh, let me set a timer.”

he pulls up his phone and sets a five minute timer while you sit on his bed and sigh as you look up, trying to remain calm, but you can’t.

“i think we should talk about our… possibilities.”

“what possibilities?”

“if you are pregnant and want to keep it, you won’t be doing this alone, okay? i promise. i know this isn’t ideal, but… we’ll get through it. money isn’t a problem.”

“rafe, this isn’t the point. i don’t want to have a baby at nineteen with someone who isn’t my husband. like, i respect the ones who do it, but i don’t want this to be my life.”

rafe chuckles. you’re such a goodie-goodie, he wonders how the hell he managed to get you to date him.

“c’mon, you’ll be a great mom.” he says, truthfully. “you’re great with kids and you’re so caring, so understanding.”

you look at him and chuckle.

“that’s not only what it takes to be a mother.”

“but that’s also important.”

you lie down on his bed and take a deep breath. if rafe wasn’t so unstable, you’d consider having his baby, but… he’s not. he’s being good now, but you can’t predict how he’s going to be tomorrow morning and you can’t raise a child in this environment. you know better than that.

“if you’re keeping the baby, i’m getting clean.” he says. “i’ll quit everything.”

“rafe…”

“i’m serious. i don’t want my kid to be afraid of me, to be in danger because of me.”

the last part breaks your heart a little, as it was one of the reasons why you decided to break things off with him.

“that’s… that’s good to know.”

“i know we don’t need to be married to have a kid, but it’d be nice to, i don’t know, try again.”

“you want to get back together because i’m pregnant?” you snort.

“i want to get back together because i miss you and i love you, and since you might be pregnant, i think it’d be better for us to try again, so our baby can have a full family. you know, mom and dad in the same space.”

our baby. hearing rafe say such things make you even more confused and aggravated, only because you know, deep down, rafe isn’t the right guy for you, as much as you love each other. you know you’re too good for him because even barry told you so.

“he’s a lost cause, y/n. don’t be wastin’ your time with him, he’ll get you in trouble and you don’t deserve that.”

“stop saying things like that, rafe. please, this isn’t the time.” you plead, trying not to cry.

god knows how difficult it was to end things with him, because you love him oh so much. as cliché as it sounds, he’s really not like the other guys. he’s sweet, caring, funny and smart, but he also keeps setting himself up for failure and you’ve realized you can’t fix him and that realization alone broke you in tiny little pieces.

it’s like they say, loving someone is also learning to let them go and this is what you’ve been trying to do. it kills you that you told him to never talk to you again, because you miss his voice. you miss his jokes. you miss hearing his voice saying your name or whatever silly nickname he comes up with.

his phone rings, startling you both. once again, you don’t move, so rafe takes you by the hand and enter his bathroom with you. on the counter, you take the tests and see the results.

negative

negative

negative

the relief you feel is indescribable. you can finally breathe.

“what does it say?” he asks, a bit anxious.

“they’re all negative.” you respond, showing him the tests.

“oh,”

“oh, my god.” you sigh, smiling for the first time in a week. you turn to rafe and give him a hug. “thank you, rafe.”

rafe hugs you back, basking in the feeling of having you back in his arms again. for a few seconds, he allows himself to forget you both are broken up and just had a pregnancy scare. for a few seconds, you’re his again and nothing else matters.

“you okay?”

“now i am.” you chuckle, wiping away new tears.

“d’you want me to drive you home?”

“no, no, it’s okay. i’ve bothered you too much today.” you say, jokingly.

whenever you said that, he always said you never bother me, but he figures now it would be inappropriate.

“call me if you need anything, okay?”

“okay. thank you.”

you give him one last smile before you get your things and leave tanney hill, feeling light as a feather, not at all suspecting that rafe feels like absolute shit.

when you pictured your life as a single mother, rafe saw himself with a family. his own family. the people he would do anything and everything for, the people he would love endlessly.

the only hope he had of having you back in his life, the only thing that would make him turn his life around, the only person who would make him want to be a better person.

it never existed.

tell me what you think! i love feedback <3

[brucewaynehater101]

There's this messy robins age reversal idea in my mind, but it centers around Tim mostly:

○ Tim Drake joins the batfamily late, only because him becoming a vigilante is still inspired by Dick, and Robin needs a Batman.

○ Ages: Babs - 9, Dick - 10, Cass - 15, Jason - 16, Stephanie - 18, Tim - 19, Damian - 25, Bruce - Old, Alfred - Ancient

○ Bruce is dead (lost in the timestream), Damian doesn't seem interested in taking care of Dick, Alfred is persevering, and Dick is on the loose and out for blood more than Damian and Stephanie are.

○ Not sure what Jason, Stephanie and Cass are doing :( I'm sorry

○ Nobody wants to take care of the newest ward with anger issues that rivals Damian. And no one stops him from going out one night. Because he snuck out.

○ Tim, on his usual night photography (collecting evidence for the GCPD AND some pics of the local vigilantes worryingly getting worse in their mental states) finds Robin cornered.

○ There's no way that the child is trained enough to be out on the streets with no parental supervision *cough*hypocrite*cough*, especially when they're wearing that.

○ Tim, who's only taken online self-defense lessons, jumps in and assists, "What's your vigilante name?!" "Robin!" "...You're serious?"

○ This is also the time he realizes the Batfam's identities because of Robin's quadruple flip. Yikes.

○ He lets Robin punch all the goons with all the anger of a prepubescent boy, and ties them all up.

○ "What are you doing out here? Where's Batman?"

○ "Batman's dead." And Tim realizes that Damian didn't take up the mantle.

○ After he takes Dick home, he tries and convince Damian to become Batman.

○ "Robin needs Batman!" "Being Batman is nothing but a curse!"

○ When a breakout happens, Nightwing (Damian) goes to take care of it, and Robin sneaks into helping. The both of them gets caught by Two-Face, and Alfred gives Tim Bruce's first costume. Which. Is super heavy so Tim opts to remove some (a whole bunch of) kevlar.

○ He arrives on scene, Damian tries to verbally eviscerate him, Dick is just happy to see Tim.

○ Tim outsmarts Two-Face and assists Damian and Dick in taking him down, mostly using more of his brain to beat Two-Face down smarter instead of harder.

○ The moment everyone is back home, Damian agrees to let Tim be Batman. But he (and Dick) will only go out once they're trained.

.....

○ Ah, I know what Jason's doing now:

● "So, little warrior, do we have a deal?"

● "You better help me find my dad, Ra's."

● Maybe this is where Jason finds Cass, or something. Maybe before he left, he had a fallout with Damian because, "Him?! Batman is Dad's!"

● And you bet your money buckets that this family calls Bruce any variation of "Dad" because Damian calls him "Father" and when he's being affectionate, "Baba". Everyone picks it up.

● It's Dick who refuses to call Bruce anything more than B. Well, the others, too the first few months but, ehhhh... Also, Dick barely knows him other than that this is the guy who adopted him a week (months) ago and now he's gone???? What is his life? Why is it like this? Welp, time to punch some goons instead of facing the grief of losing another parental figure he definitely DID NOT get attached to :(

AND / OR:

■ Jason, who recently died after Bruce because he was desperate to find at least one parent who isn't Damian to love him. Damian was Batman at the time, but was too late to save his little brother.

■ And then, Jason is revived because of universe altering shenanigans, and he sees that Damian let some random stranger take up the Batman mantle. He sees that there's this little child getting all of Damian's attention. He sees this girl who isn't Stephanie taking up the Spoiler Mantle.

■ Jason is still a child. One that Talia could use to manipulate to get rid of all the obstacles in Damian's way to greatness. It's so easy to whisper info into his head and let him come up with the wrong conclusions.

Like I said, this is all pretty messy. It made sense in my brain, but after writing it nothing made sense anymore.

There's a part in my mind where I want Dick to hand the Batman title back to Damian because the older man seemed ready for it, but Tim in his grief is still holding on to it. Damian, who is more mature about it, allows Tim to be Batman for a while more. He's waited his whole life, he can wait a few more years.

Heck, Jason could have a try at it as well if he wants.

Aghhh, I dunno. I just had vibes of: Older civilian Tim sees quadruple somersault = immediately knows almost all of the Batfamily's identities = "i can fix them and i'm allowed to because i'm an adult"

Hello!!! I love the opposite take of Tim becoming Batman for Robin instead of what happens in canon. It's a really cool idea I haven't seen before!

I am so interested in their backstories too. Did Tim's parents still die? Did Jason and Steph still die? How did Cass join the family? What was Damian's childhood like? Also, how does Tim joining late affect YJ?

There's so much to try to figure out here that I'm intrigued ^^

I would be down for figuring it out a bit more!

[night-vipers]

Daddy Issues

Summary: A sudden visit to base by your estranged and abusive father brings back haunting memories from your childhood. Ghost feels like he's staring in a mirror and is there for you.

Warnings: Abusive parent, mentions of death, angst

"You suck at this game Soap" I laugh as he folds his cards for the 5th time in a row. He mutters something in his Scottish twang as he throws his cards on the table, obviously not a very good loser.

"I'm more of a Blackjack kind of guy" he says taking a sip of his drink. We had been winding down as a team, playing some poker after a run of successful missions. I sat beside Ghost who was secretly helping me with my cards, just to see the look on Soap's face when he lost. As we laughed, joked and talked shit the night moved on until one of the perimeter guards barged into the room, out of breath and with a concerned look on his face, his eyes landing straight on me.

"Sergeant, we need you to come to the front gate" he says to me as he straightens himself up.

I put my cards on the table and take the blanket off my legs "Sure, what's going on?" I ask as I begin to get up.

"There's a man demanding to speak to you, he says he is your father" the guard said, concern edging his words. The word 'father' made my blood run cold and it felt like I had been doused in ice cold water. I tried to hide the instant panic I felt as I got up and followed the guard towards the front gate. Ghost saw the way my expression and demeanour changed at the mention of my father and felt a certain unease about the situation, he decided to follow along following his gut instinct that this wasn't going to be good.

The walk down through the base and outside towards the front gate felt like it went in slow-motion. My whole body was tense and I felt like my teeth might crack with how hard I was gritting them together as we got closer to the gate. On approach I could hear yelling and it didn't take long for my fathers beat up and dented truck to come into view. It was the same truck that used to make my heart stop, the same truck that made me hide in my room as soon as I heard it pull into the driveway at home. In this moment I was a little girl again, facing the monster that altered me as a person for the rest of my life.

I was unaware that Ghost had followed behind and stood at the gate keeping a watchful eye on the situation. I motioned for the guards to step back and let me handle it as they retreated back to the gate. I took a deep breath and approached my father carefully, eyes alert like prey looking out for a predator. "Why are you here?" I question him as his eyes finally land on me.

"I came to find my dear old daughter, since you decided to run away from me" he slurred, his tone dangerous and not that of a caring father who missed his daughter.

"You're drunk" I sighed, rubbing neck nervously. I knew what happened when my father drank and it wasn't pretty.

"You think you can stand there and judge me" he snarled as he got closer "think just because you joined the army that you're not still the spoiled, nasty little girl we both know you are" he spat as he pointed his finger at me.

"You know nothing about me, you need to leave" I say, anger rising in my body.

"Don't talk to me like that" he says grabbing my shirt collar and jerking me forward "you're the reason my life turned to shit you ungrateful bitch. You're the reason your mother is dead" he growled in my face, the smell of whiskey smacking me in the face. That comment hit a nerve, a nerve that set my whole body on fire and I decided that it was time to say what I really thought.

"My mum is dead because of you" I yelled angrily as I pushed him back. "She killed herself so she didn't have to deal with the abuse, you didn't deserve her you piece of shit" I yelled as my chest heaved with anger. He smiled menacingly and before I could do anything he smacked me hard in the face, hard enough to send me tumbling into the dirt. My ears were ringing and I was expecting a second blow but it didn't come. Ghost had enough of the scene in front of him and decided it was time to end this.

"Take her inside" I heard Ghost bark before walking past me towards my father. Two of the guards helped me to my feet and took me inside, I was in shock and didn't even look back to see what was happening behind me.

Ghost stomped up to my father and before he could say anything Ghost had him by the neck, up against the side of his truck and a knife to his throat. "You ever touch her again, they'll be finding pieces of you on every continent" Ghost growled, knife pressing into the skin on my fathers neck.

"Who the hell are you?" my father spits angrily as he tries to fight against Ghost but it's useless. Ghost is strong and a wall of muscle whilst my father is weak and the alcoholism has wrecked his body.

"You every come here again or try to talk to her again in any way and I'll make sure you lose the ability to speak" Ghost grunted, his threats not empty. "You have no idea who that woman is in there. She is brave, smart, strong and deserves the world at her feet" Ghost states, pressing the knife harder on my fathers skin until a trickle of blood runs down to his shirt. "Am I understood" he says, his glare deadly.

My father struggles for a moment before nodding "Say it" Ghost says, enunciating each word as he presses harder with the knife.

"I understand" my father spits unwillingly. Ghost stares him down for another moment before releasing him with a shove. My father stumbles and makes his way to the drivers door and climbs in clumsily.

"Don't ever let me see you again" Ghost snarls as my father quickly pulls away from the base. Ghost watches until the truck is a blur before heading back inside to find me and make sure I was okay.

I was sat on the floor of my bathroom, body trembling with a mixture of shock, fear and adrenaline. I sat staring at the floor, lost in the trauma of losing my mother and growing up with an abusive father who hated me. A gentle knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts. "Come in" I mutter quietly. Ghost enters and crouches in front of me, eyes drawn to the bruise forming in the corner of my eye from the hit I received.

He holds his hand out to me and helps me off the floor, leading me to the bed and letting me sit. He goes back into the bathroom and gets a cloth damp with cold water and sits in front of me "Are you okay?" he asks softly, eyes on mine.

I nod quickly and bite down on my lip, knowing that I was an inch away from breaking completely "I'm fine" I whisper quietly, looking away from him. He sighs and lifts my chin with his finger, looking into my eyes again and seeing how glassy they were from all the emotions I was feeling in that moment.

"No you're not" he states simply and lifts the damp cloth to my eye. I flinch away subconsciously "easy it's okay" he says softly as he rests the cold compress against my eye. He moves some hair from my face and brings his hand to cup my cheek again. I lean into his touch a bit more and I can feel myself starting to break. My lip trembles and and I take a shuddered breath. Ghost moves the compress away and pulls me into his lap, snaking his arms around me protectively.

That was all it took to break me completely and I sobbed into his chest, letting out all the pain and fear I was feeling. He stroked my hair and ran his hand up and down my back in a soothing way. "He'll never hurt you again love, I promise" he whispers in my ear. I nod into his chest and sit upright, wiping away the stray tears from my cheeks. Ghost leans in and wipes another tear with his thumb and squeezes my leg reassuringly.

"You don't have to tell me about it tonight but when you can, I want to know the story" he says as he lays down in the bed and opens his arms, beckoning me to lay with him.

"Okay" I mumble and lay with him, my head resting on his chest as he wraps his arms around me again, his arms forming what felt like a protective barrier. In this moment I wasn't scared of my father, for the first time in my life.

[a-aexotic]

✫ 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒐, i can see you.

✫ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 | asshole!tristan, mention of family issues, just usual enemies to lovers things ✫ 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 | lmk if yall wanna join the taglist! also if anyone is interested in a nate archibald series lmk!!!! ✫ 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 (send an ask or comment to be added!) | @colbybrocks @weepingwitchofthewest @shady-writtingtalk @zulpix-blog @wheelerslover @dogmom600 @damnhati @remussbitch @yourmumstoyboy2-blog @1-800-starkindustrie

series masterlist !

Your father's expression hardened as he took in the scene, his disappointment evident in his eyes. "What in the world happened here?" he demanded, his voice a mix of frustration and disbelief.

You exchanged a nervous glance with Tristan, both of you realizing that you were about to face the inevidentable consequences of your actions. Taking a deep breath to steady yourself, you stepped forward, ready to take responsibility for what had happened.

"We... we had a little... accident," you admitted reluctantly, your voice tinged with guilt. "I'm sorry, Dad. And... Kristan."

"That vase was Kristan's favorite, you know that, right?" You'd never seen your father more livid as Kristan's eyes began to fill with tears. You couldn't believe it, crying? Over a vase?

"Is this because of that grudge against Tristan? Come on, Y/N." Your father's voice sounded disappointed as he interrupted you, his tone heavy with reproach. "I thought we were past all that."

Tristan's voice responded, annoyance evident in his voice. "It's a vase, come on. Can't we just get another one?"

You couldn't help but roll your eyes at Tristan's insensitive. "Of course you'd say that. It was your fault anyway."

"My fault? You pushed me into it!" Tristan turned to face you, anger evident in his face as you scoffed.

"After you said I had an alcohol problem!" You shouted back, your voice rising with frustration. "You know nothing about me, Tristan!"

"Oh really, so you're a stuck up bitch from Manhattan who thinks she's the best thing that's ever happened-"

"Enough!" Your father's voice boomed, silencing the both of you. He took a deep breath, clearly trying to rein in his own emotions. "I don't care whose fault it is. What matters is that you both acted irresponsibly, and now we're left to deal with the consequences."

"Consequences?" You blurted out. "I've had to deal with a lot of consequences, dad. I really can't deal with one more."

"Oh, yes. You can. And you will. I know your mom lets you run your own life back in Manhattan but this is my house, and you'll abide by my rules," your father retorted firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

You bit your lip, feeling a mix of frustration and shame wash over you. Your father was right – you had acted recklessly, and now you had to face the consequences of your actions. As much as you wanted to argue, you knew deep down that you had to own up to your mistakes.

"I know that your mom insisted on you having my old car but no, you will not." Your jaw dropped. No car? "You will share Tristan's until we figure this whole thing out. You guys are family now and you better start acting like it."

Tristan's expression was priceless - how looked pissed. But so was yours. "You're not my dad, you can't let him do this. Mom?"

Kristan's eyes met her son's and she shook her head. "He is right," Kristan interjected gently, her voice tinged with disappointment. "We need to address this behavior, and part of that means facing the consequences. Y/N, you'll be living with us for a little bit and that means you have to follow our rules."

"Especially if you wanna go back to New York." Your father added. You couldn't believe this bullshit.

"So what now?" You mumble, not really knowing how to respond.

Your dad shared a look with Kristan before looking back at you. "You and Tristan are going to share a car until you learn how to get along with each other. This is insanity, you two are almost adults and acting like five year olds."

Your jaw dropped. No car? No freedom? Sharing it with Tristan? You suddenly felt light headed. Sharing a car with Tristan was bad enough, but the idea of having to rely on him for transportation was almost unbearable. The thought of being trapped with him and being forced to tolerate his presence day in and day out made your blood boil.

"Dad, you can't be—"

"Enough, Y/N," your father interrupted firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "This decision is final. You and Tristan will share the car until you learn to get along with each other. End of discussion."

You glanced at Tristan, the smug smirk on his face only fueling your frustration. You knew that sharing a car with him would be a nightmare, but you also knew that you had no choice but to comply with your father's decision.

"Fine," you muttered through gritted teeth, your tone laced with resentment. "I'll share the damn car."

Clutching your sweater tightly around you, you stepped out of the house, with Tristan following close behind. The sun was barely out yet and you two had to get to school together, in the same car. Last night, before you went to bed, you decided that you were not going to give Tristan what he wanted from you; a reaction.

The chill of the morning air nipped at your skin as you made your way toward the car. You could feel Tristan's presence looming behind you, his footsteps echoing softly on the pavement.

As you reached the car, you readied yourself for the inevitable tension that would accompany the drive to school. Taking a deep breath, you climbed into the passenger seat and avoided making eye contact with Tristan.

Tristan got into the car with a loud sigh, immediately shutting the door and turning on the car before he turned on the heater. As he began to drive, he turned on the radio and began blasting Country music. You couldn't help but send him a glare, he didn't peg you as a country fan.

You could feel the car vibrating loudly as you drove - this was not a good way to start the morning. "Tristan." You turned your head to face him but it looked like he was too engulfed in the music to notice. "Tristan!"

He rolled his eyes and turned to you. "What?"

You shot him an annoyed glare before turning down the music, causing Tristan to let out a loud groan. "I don't wanna listen to this right now."

"Well, too bad."

"Tristan, we're sharing the car. Don't I get a say in this?" You shot back, Tristan shaking his head.

"No, it was my car first before you decided to push me into a table and knock down my mom's vase. So, no." Tristan began moving his hand to turn up the volume and you couldn't help but smack it away, causing Tristan to groan once again.

"Country music before 8 am should be a damn crime. It is too early for this shit." You reached for the radio dial yourself, switching it to a different station with a pop song playing softly.

"No, Y/N." He switched the radio back to country, causing you to scoff. You waited a few seconds before quickly turning it back to Pop, causing Tristan to glare at you.

"Focus on driving, pal." You teased as Tristan changed the station, again.

"Stop changing the damn station!" Tristan snapped, his patience wearing thin. "You don't get to call the shots here. If you have a problem with the music, you can deal with it because guess what - it's my car."

"Tristan-"

But before you could finish your sentence, Tristan reached over and turned off the radio entirely, his expression annoyed.

"Hey, why'd you do that?" you protested, irritation evident in your voice.

Tristan ignored you, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. "I'm not listening to your shitty music. We'll drive in silence if we have to."

You stared at him, unable to believe his audacity. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

As you finally arrived at Chilton, you practically jumped out of the car, eager to escape Tristan. You slammed the door shut behind you, not bothering to look back as you stormed off towards the school entrance. Today was definitely not going to be an easy day.

Yesterday, all you had done the entire day was sit in the Dean's office as they tried and figured out your schedule, today was your first real day. You weren't nervous though, you knew half of the people at Chilton already worshipped the ground you walked on because they know you're from Manhattan.

You walked into your first period, trying to exude the same confidence you had back in New York. The students turned to look at you as you entered the room, whispers trailing in your wake. Your eyes immediately landed on a brunette girl, her hair pinned back in a half up half down style and immediately recognized her. Paris Geller, the girl you used to call your best friend. Her jaw slightly slacked as she registered you were back, her eyes widened slightly.

The teacher, Mr. Remmy, greeted you with a warm smile. "Ah, you must be Y/N Cromwell, the new transfer student. Welcome to Chilton."

You returned her smile politely, nodding in acknowledgment despite the nervousness settling in your chest. "Thank you, I'm looking forward to being here."

You immediately walked toward an empty seat and settled in, feeling Paris's gaze lingering on you. The tension in the air was palpable, and you couldn't help but wonder what Paris was thinking. The two of you used to be inseparable, but things had changed since you left for Manhattan.

"As for our upcoming group project," Mr. Remmy announced, drawing your attention back to the front of the class, "you'll need to partner up with one of your classmates, preferably someone nearby." Glancing around, you spotted a girl with black hair and bright blue eyes seated right next to you. She was seated right beside you, and you offered her a smile, which she returned.

"I'll give you a few minutes to discuss."

You guys both shared a glance before you turned your body to face her. "Hey." You began, a smile playing on your lips.

"Hi. So, uh... are we partners?"

"Only if you want to be. I mean, I don't really know anyone else." You let out a nervous chuckle as she smiled back at you warmly.

"Yeah, me too. This is my first week," she explained, her voice tinged with a hint of nervousness.

"Really? Mine too," you replied, feeling a sense of relief that you weren't the only new student. "I'm Y/N, by the way."

"I'm Rory," she introduced herself, her smile widening. "Nice to meet you, Y/N."

After a few minutes passed, Mr. Remmy called for everyone's attention once more. He continued his lecture and you felt slightly more at ease now, knowing that you weren't the only new student. Maybe, today wouldn't be so bad.

The door of the classroom opened abruptly as Tristan walked in, a late slip in his hand. Oh, you've gotta be kidding me.

"Ah, Mr. Dugray, nice of you to join us."

"My apologies, sir, my car wasn't starting this morning." He gave him the slip as he shared a glance with you, a smirk playing on his lips.

He was lying because you were in the car with him this morning, you couldn't believe him. You couldn't help but roll your eyes at Tristan's blatant lie, feeling a surge of irritation rise within you.

You clenched your jaw as Tristan made his way to the back of the classroom, shooting you a smirk on his way. You couldn't believe he had the audacity to lie like that, especially after the morning you'd just endured with him.

By the time the bell rang, signaling the end of the class, you were more than ready to leave. Packing up your belongings hastily, you made your way out of the classroom, eager to put some distance between yourself and Tristan.

You felt someone tap on your shoulder and you looked up to meet Rory's eyes. You gave her a tight smile as she began to talk. "So uh, do you know where any of your classes are?"

You returned Rory's smile, relieved to have a familiar face to talk to. "Not really, I've been sitting in the Dean's office most of yesterday. Why?"

"Well, we have most of the same classes together. I could show you around," Rory offered as she picked up her backpack.

"Really? Thank you, Rory. You're a godsend." You grabbed your backpack as you two began walking to class together.

"So, our project... should we meet somewhere?" Rory began as you two walked.

"Yeah, sure. Where would you wanna go?"

"You can come by my house or yours and we can study there. Or we can go by Luke's, your choice." Rory explained as you continued down the hallway.

"Luke's?"

"Oh, I forgot you're not from here." Rory chuckled, realizing her mistake. "Luke's is this diner in Stars Hollow, it's by my house. They have great coffee and it's usually pretty quiet during the afternoons."

You nodded, intrigued. "That sounds perfect, actually. Let's go to Luke's then."

"Great choice," Rory replied with a smile. "We can grab a booth, get some coffee, and tackle this project together. It'll be fun."

"Who was that girl you were talking to earlier?" Tristan's voice cut through the silence, pulling you out of your thoughts as he drove in silence.

"That's Rory," you replied, turning to face Tristan. "She's in a few of my classes."

"She's pretty cute." Tristan's mouth curved up into a smirk as you rolled your eyes.

"Yeah, she's nice," you replied, trying to keep your tone neutral despite the irritation bubbling beneath the surface.

Tristan's smirk widened at your reaction, clearly enjoying getting a rise out of you. "So, are you two like, friends now or something?" he teased, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "That's cute."

"Yeah, we are. What's the issue, Tristan?"

"There isn't an issue, Y/N. It's just you don't seem like you'd be friends with a girl like that, you know, the genuine kind." Tristan remarked as he smirked, his eyes fixed on the road.

You fumed at his insinuation, feeling a surge of anger rise within you. "And what exactly do you mean by that?" you shot back, your voice tinged with irritation.

Tristan shrugged casually, but you could see the mischief dancing in his eyes. "Hey, I'm just saying what I observe. You're more of the 'big city, high society' type. Rory seems more... down-to-earth."

"Oh, right." You let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah because you seem like you're the expert when it comes to me."

Tristan's smirk widened at your retort, clearly enjoying the exchange. "Just calling it like I see it," he replied, his tone unapologetic.

You arrived at home and immediately felt a sense of relief wash over you as you stepped out of the car, glad to be away from Tristan's prying eyes and stupid comments. You made your way inside, quickly running up the stairs and going into your room, slamming the door.

As Tristan walked into the door, Kristan shot him a glare. He just shrugged but before he could walk away, she spoke. "Take it easy on her, Tristan."

"What do you mean?" Tristan feigned innocence as his mother shot him a pointed look.

"You know exactly what I mean," Kristan replied, her tone firm. "She's adjusting to a new school, a new home, and she doesn't need your antagonizing. I know you like to push her buttons, but she doesn't need extra stress from you."

Tristan rolled his eyes, but there was a flicker of guilt in his expression. "Mom, I'm just messing around. She can handle it."

Kristan sighed, shaking her head. "Tristan, she's going through a lot-"

"And what about me, mom?" His voice snapped as his expression turned to hurt. He glared back at her before rolling his eyes, beginning to walk up the stairs. "Right, like you're the expert on feelings."

series masterlist !

[raincitygirl76]

I wonder how much of the Sargust fallout in 2.06 was due to August being an only child…

He clearly did not anticipate Sara reacting as badly as she did to finding out that her boyfriend had used her tipoff to blackmail her little brother. He probably figured she wouldn’t be happy. But her level of betrayal seemed to catch August off guard. But then, August doesn’t know what it’s like to be truly pissed off at your sibling, but they’re still your sibling.

I had a fight with my sister on the weekend, and we just made up via text. We’re both gone 40 and she’s married with 2 kids (who have their own sibling rivalry issues). But she’s still my little sister, and fighting with her is still not fun.

Sara in 1.06 was not happy with Simon, and I suspect that made it easier for her to cut that deal with August. Judging by 1.06, August could have assumed that Sara doesn’t like Simon very much, and won’t particularly care what August does to him. But again, August has no siblings.

Sara cut a deal with August in 1.06 when she felt betrayed by her brother and panic-stricken at the thought of her mother forcing her to return to the old school where she had been viciously bullied. But eventually Sara’s anger at her little brother cooled. And he remained her little brother.

A few months pass. Simon and Sara aren’t as close as they used to be, with Sara boarding at Hillerska this term. And Sara is preoccupied with both her secret romance and the pending sale of Rousseau. But Simon still tells her when he finds out it was August who leaked the video. And Sara tells August what Simon told her, expecting him to do the right thing. Is she naive for thinking that? Yes. But she’s also only 18 and in love.

Then August uses her information, not to confess his crime to the police “spontaneously” before Simon can turn him in. But instead to blackmail Simon with something or other (Sara doesn’t know the specifics) so Simon can’t turn him in. Sara must be doubting at this point whether she ever meant anything to August, or if he was just using her to keep her quiet about what she knew.

As it happens she’s wrong about that, but it’s not unreasonable for her to doubt August’s motives for pursuing her, given what she’s just found out about how he used the information she gave him. Note on the shooting range she says “Because I was in love with him.” Past tense. Not “Because I’m in love with him,” present tense.

Furthermore, when she tells the truth, partly because she fears Wilhelm will blow August’s head off, Simon is devastated. He trusted Sara, and she betrayed that trust. She betrayed it more than once, has had this information since December and got involved with August anyway. I don’t think it really hits Sara until this point just how badly she’s fucked up, or just how devastated Simon is.

He’s her little brother, he’s in pain, she wants to hurt the person who hurt him. But the person who hurt him is her. She did this to him. Sara is not a forgiving person, look at how she decisively cut Micke out of her life. She must be fearing that she’s ruined her relationship with her only sibling for the rest of her life, that he will never forgive her.

I personally think Simon will forgive Sara eventually. But Sara knows what it’s like to be betrayed by an immediate family member, and knows she will never forgive Micke. It’s not difficult to imagine Sara extrapolating from her own experience, and believing Simon will permanently cut her out of his life the way she has permanently cut their father out of her life.

So she’s hurt her only sibling very badly, and for what? For a guy who turned out to be a duplicitous asshole and used her tipoff to hurt her brother. Again.

And August thinks she’ll simmer down. Yeah, she walked away from him on the shooting range, but he approaches her the following morning confidently. He has an ace in the hole to get his girlfriend to stop flipping out: he’s bought Rousseau for her. August (again, an only child) assumes the gift of Rousseau will be sufficient recompense for deep-sixing Sara’s relationship with her brother.

It isn’t sufficient recompense, and August is taken aback when Sara refuses the magnificent gift. But August doesn’t understand the push-pull of sibling dynamics. That Sara is experiencing family loyalty at a very inconvenient time (from August’s point of view).

August’s father is dead, he’s clearly not close to his mother, and he hates his stepfather’s guts. And he has no siblings, nobody else who understands what it was like to grow up at Arnas with Carl Johan and Louise Horn as their parents.

He was pretty close to his second cousin Erik before Erik wrapped his Ferrrari around a tree. But it seems like that friendship didn’t really get close until a traumatized, recently bereaved 16 year old August showed up at Hillerska as a first year and Erik (then a third year) took August under his wing.

August and Erik knew each other all their lives, but they were only close for about 2 years. And given they first got close at 16 (August) and 18 (Erik), that’s not actually analogous to a sibling relationship. Erik was already old enough to drink and vote, and August only a few years off. That’s not spending your childhood together.

And we’ve seen how superficial August’s friendships with his two best friends at Hillerska are. In S1, August and Vincent trash talk Nils behind his back for being nouveau riche. In S2, given an opportunity, Vincent sells August out, and Nils helps Vincent do so. August does not have any siblings, nor any sibling-like relationships where mutual loyalty is crucial.

So August sees Sara sell Simon out in 1.06 and takes that at face value. He doesn’t realize that Sara is angry with Simon at that point, but will get over it. Because August doesn’t understand the messiness of sibling relationships. Or their importance.

I know adults who have cut siblings out of their lives because that sibling had hurt them so grievously they said enough. But I don’t know anyone who has cut a sibling out of their life without giving it serious thought beforehand. Even if they’re better off without that sibling in their life, it’s still a huge decision. Sometimes it’s a bigger decision than cutting a parent out of their life.

Matters are complicated somewhat by divorce, remarriage, half-siblings, step-siblings, etc. obviously. But generally speaking, if you spent a significant chunk of your childhood living in the same house as someone, the decision to cut them out of your life is a very serious one.

My best friend has two older half siblings she is not close to and has never been close to. But one is 20 years her senior and the other 18 years her senior. She is the only child of her father’s second marriage, and she acts like an only child. The combination of her father’s divorce from his first wife and the massive age gap means she has very few shared experiences with her half-siblings. Now, part of that is on her dad. But part of it is simply that both her half siblings are old enough they could be her parents themselves.

So yeah, August was raised as an only child. Even if it turns out Carl Johan fathered another child out of wedlock at some point, that hypothetical half-sibling didn’t grow up with Carl Johan. There might be curiosity, it might even lead to a bond eventually, but there won’t be the shared childhood experiences.

Whereas Sara and Simon are full siblings close in age. Furthermore, they grew up together, in a traumatic family situation with a father who was an addict (and possibly abusive to boot) and a mother who meant well but was struggling to cope. Even if Simon and Sara never reconnect, they will still always have those shared experiences of growing up as Micke and Linda Eriksson’s children.

So I really don’t think August saw Sara’s total disillusionment with him in 2.06 coming. Because August isn’t anyone’s brother and doesn’t really get it.

[acourtofthought]

Ok I just recently binge read the ACOTAR series and one thing I said to my best friend who peered pressured me to read it is that i love the brother sister banter and relationship that Lucien and Feyre have and they all were like what?!?! But then all of them stopped and was like omg they do have that banter and demeanor with one another. Plus Lucien and Feyre have similar family issues. They both are the younger sibling to same sex older siblings, their relationship to their older siblings is harsh and non-existent, and their connection to their father/parents is strained and fill with anger or resentment. I think this might be why I struggled with some of the later books with how Feyre was going along with the IC negative thoughts on Lucien. Because to me he is her found/adoptive brother in everything but blood. And truthfully I feel like Lucien being Elains mate was destined/fated because he will always have a family, a home, love within the Archeron family. Also I love the fact that out of all the sister mates only Lucien is the one to spend time with their dad and got to know the man after he decided to grow a backbone and be proactive in helping his daughters. Something I expect Lucien’s own mother will end up doing in a future book against Beron.

I agree that Feyre let certain factors cloud her judgement on Lucien though I do think Sarah has started mending those cracks. Lucien feels like the most organic friendship Feyre has had so far in that her friendship with him began developing before her relationship with Tamlin whereas Feyre's interactions with Rhys sort of took center stage and then she was introduced to Mor, Cassian, Az, Amren, etc. That's not to say that the IC aren't her friends, clearly they're the biggest relationships in her life at this point, I just think there's a big difference in the dynamic in how the relationships came about. Whereas Lucien and Feyre became friends after he was initially ready to throw her out the door (curse be damned) because she murdered his friend, the IC was sort of programmed into liking Feyre from the start because she clearly meant something to Rhys? Again, that doesn't lessen the friendship! My little brother has become extremely good friends with his girlfriends friends, they too would have been "programmed" to welcome him, but there is a special connection we share with the friends we make without influence. But Feyre let her own trauma interfere with what Lucien was going through, where she put her own issues first without considering that he was also struggling, that he also wasn't in a position to cater to only her needs because he was dealing with a lot too. She carried that anger over in ACOMAF and ACOWAR and we witness the change in her thoughts of him as the series progresses, which does kind of prove that it is her own anger that clouded her judgement at times, Lucien didn't really change - she did. Lucien was the same in ACOMAF as he was in ACOWAR as he was in ACOFAS as he is in ACOSF yet Feyre went to "we're friends" to "there was something wrong with the males in the Spring Court" to "he's my enemy and I'm going to use him as a pawn" to "he's not really my enemy" to "he's a good male" to "I'm going to keep inviting him to family holiday's and get upset when he spends them with others." I think like any relationship in Sarah's writing, she's playing the long game. I can see the Feyre and Lucien relationship already moving back in a positive direction but I don't think we'll see them have their heart to heart / hug it out moment until the Elucien book. But I agree, I think Sarah was always trying to find a way to keep Lucien in Feyre's life, first by thinking she'd mate him to Nesta then by mating him to Elain. And Lucien meeting their father really does seal the deal especially because Elain was the closest to him and she's now always going to have someone who can share in good memories of him.

[italiansteebie]

Anger issues Steve? It’s never towards the kids or in front of the kids but any negative emotion is usually only translated to anger because it’s the only way he knows how to cope with what he’s feeling?

Maybe newly established steddie? Like eddie gets to see Steve’s anger up close, like maybe he hits the wall or break something? Something that’s not rlly considered healthy way to deal with anger and eddie freaks out bcuz woah red flag??? But they make up cuz I’m a sucker for it

Feel free to ignore this if it’s too much!! Love ur work, definitely my favorite to read ❤️

omg thank u so much, im absolutely loving this prompt and the influx of asks im getting its great!

---

anger is not steve's friend.

it makes him violent in a way that reminds him of his father and he is anything but that.

but there are things that make him tick, and he just...

explodes.

he knows it's not healthy, and he knows he needs to work on it, and he is! but these things take time and unfortunately for him, that's taking longer than it is for eddie to experience steve when hes angry.

realistically, eddie knows that steve has some... violent tendencies when it comes to anger. hell, he chewed on a bat from hell and ripped it in half, and that was from fear.

there was an inkling in eddie's mind that these violent tendencies weren't just reserved for times of life or death.

so when steve got off of what sounded like a particularly bad phone call with his father, eddie was only partially expecting the action that came next.

"fuck!"

and the next thing they knew, the phone and it's receiver was in pieces on the tile floor of the kitchen. "oh... steve..." steve's head whipped around to face eddie's from where he was in the doorway.

steve looked at him for a moment longer before picking up the majority of the receiver and chucking at the wall, both of them watching in curious fascination as the plastic and wires shattered like glass.

"steve?"

"what?!"

"woah, dude." eddie said, hands up in a non threatening way. he tried his best to hide the fear, he knows steve would never hurt him, but seeing this reaction in real time did throw him for a loop for a second.

and steve caught the hesitant apprehension on his boyfriends face. "oh, no. oh. eddie. im- im so sorry," his voice became thick with tears. he told himself he wouldn't let his anger get the best of him, but here he was with a broken house phone and his boyfriend looking at him in a way he hoped would never be directed to him.

"steve, it's okay..." eddie said placatingly, taking a few steps towards him. "no. it's not. im not him, i- i swear." steve said, backing away as eddie came closer, "eds. i don't ever want to hurt you." the tears were streaming with no signs of stopping now, and eddie sighed.

"i know, steve. it was just a little... different to see you like that."

"i tried! i try to hold it in and the he calls and fucks it all up! im working on it! i am, i swear. please eddie. i- i would never hurt you."

eddie could see the panic attack from a mile away. "steve, sweetheart. take a deep breath for me, please."

steve was breathing heavy and quick. "no. no. no." he was muttering under his breath, "i'm so sorry," he whispered, looking up at eddie with tears in his eyes.

and eddie's heart broke.

"stevie... baby. it's okay. it's okay, we'll work on it together, okay?"

"but im- im scary," it came out hoarse and terrified.

"stevie, you're more scared than scary. i promise. we can work on it together. we'll figure out a better way, so you don't feel like you have to hold everything in. that's not good for you baby."

steve let out a shuddering sigh, breathing finally slowing down, "okay. im still sorry though." he breathed.

"and i forgive you."

and so yeah, maybe steve has some issues with anger... but they're going to work it out.

together.

[dave-me0wstaine]

annie..... dave hate sex?!?!? like not to be angst but i think we all know how mentally unstable he was in the mid 90s and i feel like he'd be taking everything out on u and u guys js have the worst fights something him cursing u out and being like "fuck off, you stupid bitch" or smt and u grab him by the hair and u guys are quite literally wrestling eachother on the floor and then the tension hits.........

no because angry sex with dave is so fucking HOT!!! in my mind, dave really and truly tries his best to not get violent or angry with you, because the last thing he wants to do is mimic his father's own drunken behaviors. but one day you piss him off so bad, he's so angry he can't control his mouth. in retrospect, it's probably not anything to really get upset about, but with all the stress he's under with the tour, conflicts within the band, and his own personal issues, he just snaps.

like i imagine you give him attitude as soon as he gets through the door, maybe you're bitching about how late he is or a forgotten date. it's become an issue recently; he's staying longer and longer at the studio or rehearsal and it's making you feel discarded.

but before you can really lay into him, he just kinda shoves you to the side and snaps, "could you just shut the fuck up? for once in your life? i don't wanna deal with your shit right now."

oh my god and this is when all hell breaks lose. blinded by rage, you shove him, maybe hit his back a little as he's trying to walk away from you. but to your shock, dave doesn't simply walk away as he usually does whenever you get a little handsy. instead, he turns on his heel and grabs a fistful of your hair, yanking your head upwards so that you'll look up at him.

"you really are a stubborn bitch, aren't you? are you deaf? stupid? i told you to leave me alone." he says between clenched teeth. it's barely above a whisper, and if you weren't so furious, you'd be scared, terrified even. instead, this only drives you to struggle harder against him, hitting his chest and trying to wriggle out of his grasp.

dave, getting quickly fed up with your admittedly feeble attempts to get out of his grasp, wrestles you to the ground. "do not- quit fucking struggling- do not hit me," he says, struggling against your flying limbs.

as dave wrestles you to the ground, the both of you realize the position you've accidentally found yourselves in. you're flat on your back, while dave, who's in between your legs, is pressing nearly all of his weight on you, his torso bent over and his face extremely close to yours. he's basically gotten you into a mating press, and the sexual tension that had been lingering in the air makes itself known as you feel him grow hard against your heat.

dave's anger quickly melts into lust, and with a crooked smirk on his face, he leans close to your face, saying, "i think i should teach you a little lesson about being so mean, huh sweetheart?"

[palesweetscherryblossom]

So I have a question for you as a Mha critical and probably a person that knows the Manga better than me. Because I woke up at 3am and I had a thought dinging around my head like the DVD logo.

Could there be a redemption for Dabi if he got to kill/defeat Endeavor?

That question started a train of thoughts that I would like to share and be judged upon by the critical community, either deeming me a feverish lunatic or a genius.

As far as I know myself, most of the anger or hate Dabi carries in him is directed towards false heroes or, better said, one false hero. Endeavor. He has an especially big hate for his father for not deeming his worthy, disgarding him later, and getting Shoto. We see that he wanted to apologize to his family when he woke up in the orphanage, this whole thing works based on that a bit. That he hates Endavor the most but hates his family less.

Basically, the idea would be that he got to fight his abuser and ended up winning. (Ideally killing him because I feel like that man would deserve it to be killed by the one he regarded useless. Very funny) and like after the fight, he, of course, is exhausted. It has also let go of some anger and hate. Storing anger and also not letting yourself feel feelings is bad and makes you unstable and easier to misinterpret feelings. So a huge portion of anger would be out leaving room for satisfaction and perhaps some mania like happiness.

Then some good heroes could swoop in and catch him. Not kill him because they are good heroes and want to save people and not kill them. And there would be a little0 fight, but ultimately, Dabi would be caught. I am not sure whether he would put up much of a fight anyway because the main reason he became the way he was is gone.

And them they could like put a quirk stopping bracelet on him and all and put him in a prison/mental health institute. Because he still has killed people and needs to stand up for that but then again Endeavor as a shit bag. And there he would get therapy and also his family would visit. And that is important.

First would be Natsuo because I feel like he would have the least hate towards his brother for killing their father, and he also had the closest bond to him prior to him being obducted and stuffed into the orphanage. So they would meet, and due to their shared hate, Natsuo might even give him credits for killing the man they both hate. Something like "Good job, Toya, I am glad that man is gone. He has ruined our family," and so on along with a heartfelt apology. The next would probably be Fuyumi because she is one hell of a pacifist and people pleaser (from what I remember), and she would want to play happy family again. And so she goes to him and apologizes and all that. She wouldn't give him praise for killing Endeavor.

I feel like only Natsuo and maybe maybe Shoto (very short and very much a "huh, guess you did it" type of praise would be given. [I don't know whether Rei would come before or after Fuyumi because she probably feels obligated to mourn for her husband and do fumeral shit, no matter how shitty he was. So she probably wouldn't be the first to show up even if she misses her eldest]

So now his healing journey comes because he managed to bring down the biggest hate in him and let that anger out. Of course, it could also happen that once the Pandora box is open, he directs his anger at everything and his hate because he never learned how to deal with emotions in a healthy way. And if you let your anger control too often and too much, you get issues and can no longer deal with the anger correctly. Something something about our brain being stupid and choosing the "easy" but wrong way.

And maybe a few years he would be let go and a given house arrest. There, we would be able to learn again to properly interact with his world again. Family stuff.

Now comes the fun part to me, we know that there is some sort of celebrity culture with the heroes. And if I know one thing from tabloid, then that the people crave drama. They want the dirty laundery of the gerona, they want the sex-scandals and the abuse allegations and the drug rumors. So I feel like he would get a side gig as a journalist for those tabloids under a different name. Exposing false heroes and writing articles about their abuse with photo evidence and video evidence. And he would be smart about it because he has the big brain energy. (This is mostly my personal thinking. This can be as wrong to canon as it is)

I think the Toga redemption is the easiest because she already has a great bond with a hero, aka Uravity. And Ochaco wants to save her as well. So she probably would go to a mental hospital as well [idk about jail because she was underage and all when she committed most crimes, but I feel like she would get just a few years]. There, Ochaco would visit her and talk about the hero stuff she does and Jada Jada they become really good friends, and Ochaco helps to bail her out so that she can live a more normal life. And like if she needs blood, they can just go to a blood bank and get some. So yeah, it's a pretty easy redemption if she manages to survive.

Next is Tomura. My thoughts are that he is basically non-redemption material until the fact that AFO admits to controlling everything in his life and that he never had his own choice. That he had always been a pawn/NPC/replaceable.

For his redemption to work, he first needs to survive, which means the hero Deku should be Izuku, like aka saving everyone no matter what. Which I would love for him to do since he would turn into the ultimate hero for that, and he derves that title.

This also only works if Tomura plays the main part in defeating his abuser aka Quirk Satan. Izuku can help him defeat AFO, but he needs to deal the final blow himself in an act of rebellion and freedom. His very first own choice.

After that battle, he first needs to go to the hospital but then jail along with a therapist. I feel like he would need a whole circle or therapist to hold hands and dance around him like a fire tower for him to get rid of all the years under Quirk Satan.

But it could be easier by 2 things, in my opinion. His connection it the League. He may not have been the best leader and a shitty one at worst, but I feel like he would still be somewhat happy to see them again. Because they are basically the only people that had been around him beside Quirk Satan. So the first would obviously be Spinner. And they would play some L.O.V. together and all. I don't know who will be next, but I feel like if he and Dabi would meet again under these circumstances, that man could give him some advice. I feel like Dabi knows a bit since he burnt down Toga's home to help her. But they could parallel one another yet again.

The second, in my opinion most important part, is a change in mind/ideology/goals. We know he is nihilistic, so I thought he could go through the same journey as me. Because nihilism almost killed both of us, he now needs to adapt a new life philosophy: Absurdism (it worked for me, and I feel like it could work for him as well) Basically: life has no meaning but so what? That only means you can life as free as you want and do everything you want. Your actions won't matter in the long run of the universe? So what, you are free to do whatever you want and to live happy because in the long run of the universe it doesn't matter.

So the first choice, aka Killing Quirk Satan, would lead up to other choices that are his first choices he makes that will be his alone to take. Maybe his Master never allowed him to play competitive games, so now he plays them as much as he wants. Or his Master never allowed him to cry, so now he finally does (it was weird anyway to know Tomura doesn't cry at all even if his name means mourning).

Of course, he is going to be in jail for quite a while since he doesn't have any family to bail him out of anywhere to go to get house arrest. But maybe Izuku visits him as well as he is Izuku's villain after all.

My personal utopia would be them sitting at a table and eating good food again while each talk about the non villany stuff they achieved. Dabi about how he exposed false heroes and Spinner wanting to join the newspaper, which is now serious. [Maybe either could work in politics as well but mostly Spinner to help remove the corrupt system and bring diversity and remove stigmata] and Toga could rant about her newest college crush and how she finally finished her education. Compress could talk about a magic show he has planned, and Tomura could talk about all the free choices he made aka, stuff AFO never allowed him to do and how good he is at taking care of himself. [Because AFO definitely neglected him to make him weaker to his manipulation and all]

So, Mha criticals, am I cooking, or has the fever cooked every viable thought in my brain?

It’s honestly a slippery slope when it comes to this discussion. In my personal opinion, I don’t think that Dabi would be capable of redemption because he still caused harm to people that didn’t have anything to do with his main goal.

He killed many innocent civilians, went after UA, caused intense harm to children, dragged Toga back into the war and roped Shoto into stuff that didn’t concern him. Same with Toga, Twice, Shigaraki and etc. They’ve had sad lives but they still did massive damage and harm to people around them. Which is why I can’t help but give a side eye whenever the fandom says they’re in the right.

Personally, I think that keeping the villains not redeemed teaches a lesson that not everyone gets a happy ending and that in order for society to change, we need to face the harsh realities of the villains’ stories.

But I’m all for Enji dying, that would’ve been amazing.

Idk, fellow critics, what do you think

[princess-of-the-corner]

, https://www.tumblr.com/princess-of-the-corner/754856715983421440/chloe-is-the-mlb-version-of-rwbys-weiss-except?source=share

While I get the comparison it also doesn't really work.

Weiss is, like all the major characters, a subversion of the archetype she's introduced to the audience with.

IE, Weiss is the "Ice queen", cold, aloof, haughty, from a powerful family in a place that doesn't encourage emotions, with a very pale color pallet and such. Plus a bit of tsundere for a spice, who wishes to live up to the incredibly high expectations of her name an social rank.

That's the archetype. I'm sure you can pick that which is familiar trope wise out.

Weiss the actual character on the other is very different.

For one she does not give two flying shits about her cold and emotionally abusive father, she expressly went to college on another continent to get out of his influence & wants to undo the ruination his corruption brought to her idea of the Schnee family's honor. Something explicitly endorsed by her older sister.

Secondly her tsundere and cold aspects are very much a mixture of trauma responses and cultural conditioning. Both f which ease right the hell off once she's in a safe environment with people she trusts. She can still be a bit regal sounding but she's actually one of the overall gentler characters, whose irritation manifest more in a "Done with this" vibe than anger.

Thirdly she didn't really require a redemption arc, not exactly.

I have a whole essay the subject of redemption arcs elsewhere but broadly speaking one needs todo like, a notable amount wrong and go through a fairly heavy degree of change for something to be an arc.

Weiss was one of the heroes right from the start, she was just temperamental and prideful but again once in a none toxic environment was able to scale that back relatively easily. Her other notable issue was defaulting to derogatory language in regards to Faunus she expressly associated with crimes.

However, this was not something she did in regards to Faunus in general. & its also made clear from the framing that the only time during the episodes dealing with this. That we were meant to be sympathetic to her was when she tethered her anger at the White Fang (Who represent criminal Faunus in her brain cos she grew up very isolated from regular people) which can spill over into other 'rule/law breaking' Faunus is specifically rooted in how much her father fury and anger impacted her as a child.

IE, she was working around those negative feelings by pushing them onto a socially acceptable scapegoat so her father could just be like, a scummy businessman and not someone who scared or hurt her. This is especially obvious seeing as Weiss references his anger from when she was a small child, despite the fact the very next episode establishes that the White Fang had only been committing crimes/evolutionary actions for five years. Meaning the anger she saw as a child was just him being pissed off about human rights protests and taking it out on those around him.

But regardless, while rather, clumsily handled at the time, in large part cos of a show string budget and like 9 minute episodes during the first volume. She was able to resolve her main conflict with Blake and broadly chill out on the subject before the first volume wrapped up and barring some untoward language in one conversation had never done anything that'd require like, an arc, is my point,

Beyond that, om other area they are very distinct characters in is that Chloe was taught or learned from example to imitate her parents, cheating, cruel words and all.

Weiss very expressly modelled herself after her grander, even weaving bright reds into the interior of her white clothes as that color was tied to Nicholas (Yes Saint Nick) Who was comparatively extremely noble type. So she was a stickler for rules and intensely workaholic about it.

Basically, barring being rich and having shitty parents whose abuse or neglect led to them being a varying degrees of sharp with people there's not much to compare I feel.

Also the parental dynamics are very different, but that's a whole other post.

I do think Weiss's personal experience and wisdom gained across the series would make her an ideal person to easily handle Chloe at her more prickly though.

Fascinating.

[xueyuverse]

Summary chapters 35-41 of Qiang Jin Jiu

Ah yes, Lanzhou killed Ji Lei.

"Or let's not... Being a homosexual cannot be considered a major problem, but it's not a minor problem either. It would be difficult to explain to both sides if we say it wrong. Second Young Master will get a beating."

These two having to watch Ce’an and Lanzhou 24/7 was one of the best things that happened in this novel. I think I can call them voyeurs now lol

Ce’an wants to know what Lanzhou’s internal martial art is for whatever reason. Lanzhou is weaker than him, so I don't know why he's so desperate. He is very suspicious akakak

There is someone Ji Gang asked Lanzhou to meet. Who? I have no idea 😃

Like a ghost, the man hid in the shadows and tried to escape.

And there's this other person too argh

“Although he didn't carry a sword with him, he is probably from the Imperial Bodyguards.”

Someone from the Imperial Bodyguards using foreign product that is exceptional in stealth. I can only think of someone like Ji Gang, but I don't think it's him.

“Ji Lei made a full confession about his intention to rebel in the Nanlin Hunting Ground.”

This bastard only confessed because he was literally on his last breath. Lanzhou terrified him akkakak

"It's truly abominable of the Hua Clan to conspire with the eunuchs and Imperial Bodyguards to plan a rebellion!"

And yet the Empress Dowager continues to emerge from this situation unscathed. I wanted to know why she, who did so much shit, doesn't receive a single unit of punishment.

Ding Tao said: "But wasn't Shen Wei the culprit? What does this have to do with Shen Zechuan?!"

It's simply for convenience. Shen Wei died, so they have no one to take out their anger on, all that's left is Lanzhou who bears the surname of someone he's never seen in his life because he was expelled from his clan. Lanzhou lost two people he loved because of Shen Wei, he knows very well what happened to the soldiers in the Chashi sinkhole because he was there, but everyone sees Lanzhou just as an extension of his father to be kicked and humiliated, as if his surname did not allow him to be a complete and individual human being.

Xiao Chiye needed an opportunity to shake some sense into the Imperial Army. And Tantai Hu today was that.

What I said before about these soldiers being very annoying to deal with.

“Tantai Hu came from Zhongbo. You know it. But you still switched him to yesterday's list so he could vent his anger and resentment.”

This right here made me suspicious of Chen Yang. Since he esteems Ce’an so much, then why do this? Is it just because of Lanzhou?

Xiao Chiye grabbed his hands and pinned them to the headboard. Smelling his perfume in the darkness, he said, "You sleep in my bed. You know very well what I think every night. You said I'm impressive. Shen Lanzhou, the impressive thing is you."

"I want to do this." Xiao Chiye lowered his head to face him. “I want to fuck you.”

And it is from here that we have a long sex scene between two people who hate each other. Enemies that are so enemies that it doesn't fit in your head and you need to have and shove hate up your ass.

Great Mentor Qi said, "The Imperial Bodyguards' deployment order is about to be issued soon, right? Where do you want to go?"

Shen Zechuan replied: "The Imperial Carriage Office. Near the Emperor."

And of course Ce’an is suspicious of his choice arrrgghhh someone make Ce’an stop for the love of God.

Xiao Chiye, originally Viceroy of the Imperial Army, also assumed the position of Commander of the Eight Great Training Divisions, thus legitimizing his authority over Qudu's patrols.

And so Li Jianheng withdraws the position that Emperor Xiande asked for because he is another fearful easily terrorized by the Xiao clan arrrgghhh 😭

The Ji clan dominates the Imperial Bodyguards, who are currently without a master, and Lanzhou has the protection of Ji Gang. I think Ce’an suspects (as always) that Lanzhou wants to be the master of the Imperial Bodyguards, which really makes sense.

[thurio-edau]

okay, the history of my life with a narcissistic (i dont even know if i wrote that right) abusive elder sister and a fucked up family story. because i have to sort things out. there will be... a lot of things about me that i've never talked about before. you really don't have to read this. i just need to scream into the void.

warning. possible REALLY disturbing things ahead.

alright. here goes nothing.

i was a little child, three years younger than her. ever since i gained conciousness, due to living with her and staying in the same room, i had to be around my elder sister. and i was a naive child. i used to be a polyanna even... yeah. me. a polyanna. first of all,

anger issues are genetic in our family. mostly in my father's side but they exist in my mama's side too. my father has externalized anger issues, while my ma internalized. my sister always resembled our father in everything while i picked up after our mom. which, was also the case in our genetical anger problems.

externalized anger was always the same. yelled, screamed, fought, hit, then pretend like nothing happened after the crisis. and the internalized would silently take whatever happened and never fight back, but instead of having that nothing-happened feeling the internalized would keep it. keep it in and activate their anger themselves, but also towards themselves. never out. this caused bottled up rage and self-inflicted damage, physical or mental. and it'd stay, the external passed but the internal never did. it remained and turned into sadness, suffering, agony and pain.

the dynamic, external and internal dynamic, always remained the same way. like my father and my mom, it was the same in my sister and i. and for some fucking dumb reason i don't even know both me and mom are soft, forgiving people that always feel bad to act slightly rude. we're just like that. we are too soft. we are too forgiving. just like how she forgave father and still loved him. i would cover my ears in my bed at night while my father yelled at her, his voice increasing always terrified me. i was scared. but my mom still forgave him and loved him. and i was the same with my sister.

i was a fucking child just wanting to be loved. for complicated and long reasons, i hardly saw my father growing up. i'll try to explain. my father, for years, was blamed for terrorism and he spent years prisoned. a few years he was in, but a few years he ran away just to work and provide for his family. he's not a bad person. he tried to care. he tried to, but he didn't know how to do certain things. and when he ran away, he had to work on smaller jobs to not get caught. when he was caught however, we had a long period of time where we fought severe income problems. without a father and an uneducated housewife mom, everything was hard for us. my father was prisoned, and i hardly saw him for long years. there were monthly meetings however, but just those. there were also phone calls but as i said, i was a child. so there wasn't much to be said.

and my mama used antideprassants. without anyone to support her financially any emotionally, and having her husband far away, while dealing with her own traumatic childhood, away from her home, as a mother raising two kids, life was hard for her. she tried, she tried so damn hard, to raise us. she seemed strong for us, she laughed with us, she read us stories to sleep and always tried to make us happy and feel like nothing was happening. and she succeeded. i wasn't even aware of everything for long years.

but for a lot of things we had to depend on other people. grandmother, aunts, uncles... and my mom grew up in an environment where she was seen as an extra. some help. not as a human being. for that she saw getting help as being a burden. while her thoughts didn't go through my sister's thick skull, i was a much more sensible child. too sensible in fact. so i grew up in the same mindset as my mom. never depend on others. be your own person because you're a weakling if you need help. you're just a burden if you need other people and can't stand on your own. i had the same mindset. i was a fucking child.

and our personalities were done by the time. before my father was prisoned, since my sister was the first child, she was given a lot of care. she was a gifted child; reading newspapers at three years old, writing good, maths and science, learning a lot of things, gripping stuff easily, smart... and the care given to her boosted her ego a lot. she wanted attention. when i was born, the attention went to her still. because c'mon, they had a gifted child. i was a silent, calm child. probably nothing like her. so the attention still went to her. it made her feel as if the world was only around her. when my father was prisoned, it only kept going on. my mother gave us equal love and care, but my elder sister already had her ego damn high.

she always saw herself as something perfect, above all else. which included me too. she trashed me, always yelled at me, hurt me, yet she acted the perfect daughter. because i couldn't talk. because i, despite being pushed aside by her (and by her manipulation for years, our cousins because we grew up together with them and she was the same age as them) (except for nola, she's three years younger than me) and being bullied, hurt, i still yearned for her love. i remember it so damn vividly. i would draw hearts and make cutouts for her, i would try to do stuff she loved, just to have some worth and care in her eyes. just for her to love me. i still saw her as my sister because that's what she was. i lived together with her, i was around her, and i was touch starved as a child. no father around to care -and he always cared for her 'gift' more than he cared for me- and having our cousins by her side, i was always pushed away. i wanted love too, care too, attention too, and i tried so fucking hard for years just for her to love me too.

but it never worked. seeing how i was still around her it only made her worse. she did worse. i have had derealization issues since childhood. i had existensal crisises, real life issues, derealization and depersonalization issues as a child. i always mixed real life with my imagination, with my daydreams and night dreams. maybe i imagined some of the abuse. i still don't know if it was real or a dream, but it felt damn real and i remember it vividly. the damage was already done. and it was irreversible. and i still tried to get her to love me and to care for me. i remember us going to our aunt's vacation site for summers and she befriended everyone in the site and played with them and got them to bully me. and what did i do? i still tried. i still tried to get some love from her and the people there. random people i didn't know, but they were her friends, so they should be my friends too right? it hurt so damn much but i still tried. i still tried to have some love and care, some attention, in hopes that i'd also be included. but the same happened everywhere. alone with her, with our cousins, with her friends, it always happened. but i still tried. i was desperate to get the attention i couldn't get from our father and her. from our cousins, the only people around us. because i realized our mom was only putting up a facade in front of us. i faced real life when i was eight years old. and once you realize your mom's happiness is just a facade you realize how everything is fake. i even doubted her sometimes.

reminder on just how fucked up the situation was: i was eight years old.

yet i was a polyanna. i tried to be a polyanna. i tried to smile and laugh because my mom was doing the same. my mom was crying by herself and smiling for us, my mom was using medication while dying inside, my mom was dealing with her childhood. and i picked up after her. if she smiled, laughed, to make others feel happy and love her, i should do the same right? no matter how unloved i felt, if i did the same, i would have what i wanted right? now that i look back i realize how fucking desperate i was. i tried my whole life for some care and i never got it. and i still laughed and tried again. i mean, if i'm not gonna have what i wanted, at least not make others feel bad. at least make them happy right? so i still laughed. i had the perfect fake smile by the time i was nine.

i was at elementary school. i tried again. and this time? it worked. with that smile, with that laugh, i was able to have 'friends'. i felt important, the polyanna had people around 'her' by acting like a sunshine. i was in the school bus. i spent first grade in the same school bus as my sister because we went to the same school, she was fourth grade then. and i was silent in the bus. because she was there. and the people the same age as her actually bullied me that whole year when i was like seven. but once she was gone, when i was in second grade and she (also those with her) were in middle school, i could shine in the school bus. i talked, laughed, smiled when she was away. and there i had people around me too. people loved the polyanna. i succeeded. it may have took me years but i won what i wanted. i had people around me at school. i loved school in elementary. because it was the only place i had people that cared. or at least felt like it, but i had friends and i wasn't alone.

how happy, right? well. even though i had what i tried for so long, some attention and love, i still felt... an emptiness. while i didn't have that emptiness at school with my 'friends', i had it again as soon as i left. it always returned when i was alone again. it always returned when i was home again. so i tried again. to fill that void, again, with my elder sister. try to have her love again because i couldn't tire my mom. she was already tired. i didn't want to exhaust her. i tried to get love from my sister, from my cousins, i tried.

and i got attention from our aunts. i loved them so much, our aunts and uncles loves me so much. i even think they adored me more than my sister. the only people that cared for me more than they cared gor her gift was them. and i loved them so much. but seeing that the attention wasn't always on her (and they also loved her a lot, just that they gave us equal attention or a teensy bit more to me) my sister got mad. she had a high ego while she crushed mine since i gained conciousness. so she hurt me about it behind the curtains. she'd pressure me like 'they spoiled you so much' 'you're so selfish' 'you never care about others' 'you're too spoiled' which eventually became such a key stone in my mind. and the burden mindset was placed. i started to feel like a burden around everyone. because i was spoiled. i was selfish for wanting their love. i was selfish for being touch starved. and by time that emptiness took over. i started to never think about myself then. i always put other people ahead of myself, yeah, but that got extreme then. i forgot i was a being. because i wasn't anymore. i was just a burden, a pain, something selfish that doesn't deserve anything it's getting. something so selfish that it didn't know what the real world was, something so selfish it only lived inside it's own mind, mixed the reality with it's daydreams where it was cared about. so by time that became my whole personality.

when i was ten years old that was all i knew. i just knew that i was simply nothing, thinking anything i save for myself is being selfish. thinking i was a burden. the satisfaction i acquired by having people i loved in school gave it's place to emptiness. because i wanted to be loved, that for sure was selfishness and only made me a burden to the people i wanted attention from, right? of course. what a logical thing to believe. how smart of you, little polyanna. but i believed it. i was a naive kid. there, i was now a full blown people pleaser. the 'friends' i had were only people for me to be around to make them happy. it was a one way road. and with that i still panicked, am i being a burden?

so when i was at 5th or 6th grade, my father got back. he was searched for a while (but not very much searched. cops invaded our house just a few times) but he was escaping. i had my father back, but he was a stranger. he wasnt here while i was growing up, what was i supposed to do? he was like a big friend that we saw once a month. now he was constantly with us... and he realized the elder daughter he left wasnt the same. thats when it all went downhill.

then i got into middle school... the school part is different, this is just the family. wild stuff happened at school so my mentality already went shit.

it was good for a while. our income increased (not greatly, but an increase was an increase) and we now had a father! it was good, right? no. since we only saw him once a month, he was always smiley around us. loving. caring. but those values leave when you always see the person. because now youre with them every day. and that was exactly what happened. he was strict, he demanded there be dinner ready at 19.30 when he was coming home from work. he would get mad if all of us werent in the kitchen, helping our mom set the dinner. he would yell. it didnt usually get physical, but... that didnt mean never.

his anger issues became more apparent day by day. and my elder sister is like a carbon female copy of him, with added emotional things and lots of ego. so what happens if you put an angry father in the same house as the 'gifted' but burning out daughter, who is really self-centered? chaos.

every day almost, it was yelling. yelling and yelling and yelling. i learnt to mask my emotions, i learnt to be the wall. i learnt to shut my door and put my earphones on. i learnt to close my eyes, to ignore, then to smile and act like i loved them the same. but every time, i hated them both more. my insomnia started at 6th grade. after we went to sleep, the yelling would continue. because he couldnt take his anger out of a 12 year old, right? then his yelling went to my mom. even after they shut up and went to sleep like nothing happened, i would cry in my bed, covering my ears because his voice still rang in my ears. any kind of yelling started to trigger me. i feared my own father at 9 years old, how do i not fear anyone else?

some days my sister and i would go out together to the market. i tried to be around her because i still yearned for her love. she just used me as a rambling dump. because, i cant deny it, a lot of pressure was put on her because of her gift. she had a lot of people expecting much from her, she was sent to special schools while i was in public schools, she had people looking at her. so she would turn the pressure on her to me. to this day she still tells me that since all the pressure went to her, i was set free. she said 'they put us in the same scale. if our father makes me do something, he counts is as you did too. they think you're the same as me.' what she doesn't realize is they're also thinking of me as a smaller version of her. the pressure put on her is being reflected to me. anyways, during one of those days. i never forget. as i said, i always loved and forgave everyone. which included both my father and sister. i remember her say, 'i just want him to stay because he's getting money.' her only care for our father was that he was working. she was 12 years old.

i learnt to not use money. i always felt the heaviness of it. my father often talked about it, how it was hard to get by. debt, debt, debt, debt... i saw what i wanted as extras. i ignored my wants. i even ignored my needs. i refused each time my mom asked to get me anything new. i have clothes, i dont need new ones. its old, its ripped, i dont care. i have it. i dont need a new one. my shoes ripped open. its still working, i dont need anything. i started to deny everything offered to me. i didn't need to eat because that meant they would eat less. after a while, numbness arrived. also reminding that i had a school life that was going fucked up too. i was constantly bullied by people i called my friends back then. but i said nothing. i was already a burden, anything i do was a burden.

i didnt tell them i was bullied. i didnt tell them i lost all my friends. i didnt tell them i was feeling like nothing, i didnt tell them i needed help. i remember, a TV series was made. it was about a psychiatrist's patients. one day, when i was beside my mom, she was watching and the patient gave a big amount of money to pay for the visit. my mom said, '[deadname], dont have anything happen to you. look at how expensive that is.'

to her it was just a comment. she didnt even think. but it made me push away my mental needs.

i was just something that made our family lose money. i was worth nothing. that was all i was thinking. i was a burden, a pain, i was only hurting them by existing. i was ten fucking years old. i started wanting to die.

then the quarantine arrived... god. i was now stuck in the same house as both my father and sister. i wanted to escape them so i started sleeping in the fucking balcony until winter. it was my safe haven, far away from everyone. my father pressured my studies and online classes. he had strict rules. he, once again, was making me hate him. and during these days, things with my sister got weird. or was it before quarantine? i dont know.

so my sister now didnt have as much attention as she used to. and she hated our father. but those days, i had become numb. i was like empty, a puppet my logic played. i smiled when needed, i fought when required; but never let my emotions let alone control, think about being in the charge of me. during these days, my cousins started to love me and hate my sister, during these days, i became close with nola. my sister lost the attention. she became extremely clingy. she said she changed in person, but the abuser never remembers what the abused does. i had trauma amnesia, yeah, but i had it in my mind.

i pushed her away this time. i got away from her. i was really rude to her, but in reality i was just protecting myself. and once again, yelling. she yelled whenever she didnt get what she wanted. and then acted like nothing happened right after. because she was just like our father, external anger issues. and i hated yelling now. i sometimes cried even when a voice raised slightly. i started reading people. a small change in tone made me think they hated me. i was terrified of everyone. paranoid. i acted tough, strong, i tried to be tough and strong. but inside i was bottling up everything. i ignored everything about myself and gave my all for others.

she got clingier. at this point i started to feel anger. the numbness somehow broke and i started to feel again, this time to just be angry all the time. but my anger was internalized, i couldnt reflect it outside. i just wasnt able to. besides, anything i did would add gasoline to the fire that was our 'family'. so i started to relieve the anger by self harm. the difference is that, back then the cuts i made weren't permanent marks. now they are.

my sister tried to connect with me. but since it all turned into yelling, even after we successfully talked, it just broke me. i was now far more rude. i pushed her away at every chance. i lost my forgiving side against her.

fast forwarding the two years. in this space, my father got arrested once and for all then was set free. after that he got a really good job that was his dreams, to work on robots. but he had to move to another city for that. everything calmed down then. i now could keep my eating disorder the way i wanted because i didnt have a father forcing dinner on us every day. he was lost with his strictness. he only got home at weekends... which also caused chaos. dont think this means i hate my family. i love my mom forever. i love my father, mostly. and, i might never admit it, but i care about my sister too. i hate her but... yeah. i want her to go away, but i dont want anything bad happen to her either. because im still too fucking soft. i ignore all her abuse. now she hates me again. she bullies me whenever she can... but also tries again to have my attention. its complicated. she's really emotional, she cries a lot. i hugged her when she cried the other day. i wanted to break my own arms for it. i dont want to be around her. but i have to.

stopped eating. because who cares? my sister knows. she knows i have one. she just doesnt give a fuck. she doesnt care that im killing myself with this.

the other day i directly told to her, 'you destroyed my life.' she immediately denied. but its my life. that you dont know of. you dont know what you caused me, you dont know what i went through. you destroyed my life. but i still cant help but care about you. you took everything from me. but i still have our connection, and its sacred for me.

as much as i want to cut it off.

yeah. i cried multiple times while writing this. i rememberred a lot of stuff i forgot. i dont think anyone will read my whole family story -at least whole that i can remember now- anyway cause its way too long.

and im sorry if you read all this. im a fucking mess. this is just the family part, there is the school part too but i dont know if i'll write that. sometimes i doubt myself, 'maybe im overreacting what i went through. maybe im not depressed and just want attention.' but after this... i, really really dont know what to say. im so done. im so tired. im so fucking tired. i wanted to kill myself since i was ten years old. i almost killed myself a few times. im so tired. its not that i want to die, i realized. its that i dont want to live this. i just want to rest, please. i just need to be alone. far away from this 'family' that will throw me away. im so fucking tired. im so fucking done. im so exhausted of cutting myself and then having to bandage it. having to hide my arm. im so fucking tired of wanting to throw my whole stomach out each time i eat. im so fucking sick of closing my eyes and not being able to sleep.

im so done with my mood swings. im so done with looking at the mirror and seeing someone i dont want to be. im so done with looking at my non-working antideprassants and wanting to overdose on them. im so done with standing on the roof, wanting to jump down. im so done with everything. im so done.

someone save me from this hell this loophole i dont want to be in this pain please i dont want to have to feel this every single fucking day i want to be normal for once i want to feel loved accepted cared about cherished everything i wasnt given as a child

save me

please

its hard to breathe

[trialbystory]

Vytal Festival Day 3: OCs

This will be the first of (hopefully) two things I post for the Vytal festival event being hosted by @remnants-of-rwby-events, but it's gonna be a bit different from my standard fare. When it came out RWBY was a big deal for me, to the point that despite being deep in a mindset of 'I'm not writing fanfic anymore, it's all original stuff all the time from now on,' I couldn't get the idea for a fanfic out of my head. Now I never actually wrote that story, but I did build the OC team that it would've followed. I posted them on reddit at the time and had some basic ideas of a story involving them, but never progressed beyond that. But I'm going to share a slightly polished version of them here with you. If you want to use any or all of them in your own projects, you're more than welcome, though I would appreciate being mentioned as their original creator and being told you're doing it so that I can check them out. Just please bear in mind that when I came up with this merry band the only thing we had to go on was the first season of the show; Volume 2 was five months away, Grimm Eclipse was still just a fan-made tech demo, and basically all the other spinoffs were in the concept phase or just barely past it.

Now without further ado, I present Team VCTR (Victor)

The team is led by Violetta Arlotti. Vi had anger issues when she was younger, and her father started giving her combat training as an outlet, going against her mother's wishes. After being gifted her grandmother's old huntress weapon, she took well to the lessons and wound up enrolling in Beacon. During initiation she was partnered with Connor Gray and impressed the headmaster with her cool head under pressure, which is what earned her the leader slot. At first she was hesitant to accept, seeing the worst in herself and the best in her teammates she thought she was the least suitable to lead. But with time and communication her fears were abated, and now she has the utmost confidence in all of VCTR, herself included. She doesn't always make the right call, and sometimes her anger still gets the better of her, but at the end of the day her team trusts her to pull them through, and so far she's been successful.

Appearance: Dark purple hair (worn in a ponytail), green eyes, and a few inches shy of being the tallest member of the team. Her combat outfit consists of a sleeveless top, leggings, and a leather bracer on her left arm. She carries a pair of quivers filled with arrows, one filled with standard broadhead arrows on her back, and another with dust-treated arrows on her right hip.

Weapon: Crystal Rain shifts between two forms as needed. The first is a Glaive and the second is a Longbow. The most prominent feature is a green crystal that in glaive form is located at the base of the blade and in bow form it acts as an arrow rest. It can also collapse down for storage, folding to roughly half the length to be carried more easily. Semblence: Shockwave: Vi can use her aura to generate a blast of force that follows in the wake of her own or her weapon's movements, allowing her to functionally add a second strike to her attacks while the ability is active. While it technically can be used with any of her movement, its utility outside of combat is limited and it's difficult to manipulate the force of the shockwave down to something that is more finesse than destructive.

---

The next member is Conner Grey, who is the only one to have been aware of any of his teammates before joining VCTR; while attending signal he developed a crush on his classmate, Tanis Phaena. And while his outgoing personality and prominent sense of humor caught many eyes among the both the male and female populations at Beacon, his romantic endeavors were often short-lived due to him still holding a torch for his Faunas teammate. Connor takes it upon himself to keep spirits high among his teammates through a combination of trash talk, banter, and pranks. Despite this, the others know that they can rely on him when it comes down to the wire. And while he's the weakest, slowest (without his semblence) member of the team, only Tanis can match him when it comes to sheer tenacity.

Appearance: Hazel eyes and short, messy black hair. Rarely seen without his signature grey zip-up hoodie, paired with simple blue jeans for the regular day to day, or by a pair of cargo pants as extra storage for dust and if he's expecting a fight.

Weapon: Comitas & Gravitas, a pair of telescoping batons designed and built by Connor originally as a test of how simple of a weapon he could design and still get his teachers' approval. The simple bludgeoning weapons have concealed dust chambers allowing them to be charged with elemental effects when the situation calls for it.

Semblance: Air Cushion: Connor can create and manipulate thin layer of air around his body. On the extreme end of the scale this can provide an extra layer of impact absorption or affect the trajectory of incoming projectiles to mitigate their damage (though the margins for pulling that maneuver off are razer-thin). Generally though, it's used for maneuverability; by creating the cushion between himself and the ground and controlling the air currents within it, he can effectively create controllable, near-frictionless platforms under his feet that not only allow him greater movement speed, but the ability to change his own position and facing without losing momentum.

---

Member number 3 is Tanis Phaena. Born and raised in Vale, she was less subject to bullying than other faunas her age due to her intimidating appearance, but that didn't mean she had it easy. She was mostly ignored by her peers until she enrolled in Signal, where Tanis developed a false cheerfulness to shrug off efforts of the more courageous bad apples she ran into there. At her Beacon initiation her combat prowess earned the respect of her new partner Robert Morgan and thanks to his quietly intimidating presence combined with the open support of her other teammates her situation improved and eventually that false front was replaced with actual happiness. As a result she is fiercely loyal to her friends and endeavors to always stand up for them the same way they did for her. Appearance: Short, copper-red hair and amber eyes with slitted pupils. Green scales run from her hips and shoulders down the length of her limbs, with short but noticeable claws on her fingertips. The shortest member of VCTR, Tanis is built for speed and agility.

Weapon: The Gorgon Twins, a pair of katars she built at signal based on the recommendation of a teacher. The blades can split down the middle and retract to the side, allowing one or both to function in a more defensive manner as a kind of buckler and also revealing the hidden chakram launcher that provides Tanis a ranged combat option.

Semblance: Point Focus contracts Tanis' full attention down to a single opponent, slowing her percption of time so that she can attack with pinpoint precision giving her increased reaction speed. This is an extremely potent ability, but it severely limits her awareness of the wider field of combat. Increasing the range of her awareness while in her semblance is one of her biggest training goals.

---

Last but not least is Robert Morgan. Even at a young age, Rob was a prodigy. He was entered into youth fighting tournaments and quickly earned distinction and popularity as a duelist, becoming a household name in Atlas. His parents enjoyed their son's fame, and the money he earned allowed the family to move from Mantle to the floating city, but Robert himself resented the constant attention, and wished for a more private life. So rather than make his debut on the international tournament scene he traveled to Vale and enrolled in Beacon, where he mostly kept to himself. He respects his teammates' abilities and values their friendship (though he rarely admits it out loud), and while being part of VCTR has helped him come out of his shell, he still ultimately prefers the company of his own thoughts.

Appearance: Shoulder-lenghth shaggy black hair, brown eyes, and a strong, barrel-chested frame. Typically seen in a long red coat with metallic buttons and wide cuffs, which he wears left open with the sleeeves pushed up above his elbows.

Weapon: Satisfaction, a Cutlass that can mechashift into a flintlock pistol. Despite its appearance, the latter form does include a repeating dust-cartridge magazine, but the flintlock mechanism does need to be manually cocked back for each shot. The weapon also contains an additional dust mechanism that's used to generate smoke for Rob to use with his semblance.

Semblance: Mistwraith allows Rob to control (but not create) smoke, fog, and other visible gases and vapor. Provided he has enough to work with, he can do everything from obscuring sightlines to creating illusions from the mists, including duplicates of himself, his teammates, or his opponents. Mistwraith also allows Rob to keep the mist sustained and concentrated, even in situations where it would otherwise naturally dissipate.