#and the amount of times they show him doing things like showing more compassion or crying or anything and just RHAHHH

[benetnvsch]

just remembered how the anime cut Kunikida out of that one bit where the ADA go and get revenge on that group of ppl who damaged their cafe hurt the cafe owner and like?? what was the reason </3 g-d forbid the anime ever shows Kunikida caring about something other than his ideals

[gnar-slabdash]

I suddenly woke up stupid early on my day off with multiple weird random aches and pains and a revelation about the Leverage chess metaphors.

They’re all wrong.

Look, I obviously adore the white knight/black king motif, and it works really well for that very specific discussion of Nate’s shift in morality and position at the opening of the series. But the show as well as I and other fans have then tried to take that equation and apply it to other jobs and to the crew as a whole. This is fun and awesome, but I believe you’re going to get it wrong every time if you start from the white knight/black king line. 

Because in all other situations, Nate is not the king.

Couple important things about kings in chess: 1. They don’t move much. They can only move one space at a time, and for most of the game they stay in their own little box, well guarded by other pieces. This is because 2. When the king is checkmated (threatened with capture and no possible escape), it’s game over. There is no more hope. This is the sole requirement for losing the game. No matter who else is in play, if the king is down, you lose.

This is NOT how Nate operates. Yeah, he makes the plans, but he doesn’t just hide in the office while everybody else carries them out. He’s almost always right up in there playing the most obnoxious guy you’ve ever met or smashing windows or something. And if Nate gets captured, it’s not game over, in fact, it often isn’t even a PROBLEM. Let’s look at a few times that happens, just for fun: - In The King George Job, Nate’s getting beat up and Eliot slightly panics and is about to run to help, when Sophie says “NOPE, don’t do that, I can fix this without blowing our cover” and saunters in at her leisure. The jig isn’t up and she’s not even particularly concerned about him getting punched. I love it. - In the Maltese Falcon Job, Nate sacrifices himself to save the team. This is a classic thing to do in chess and chess metaphors, but, I cannot stress this enough, you cannot sacrifice your king. That’s just called LOSING. -In The Long Goodbye Job of course the whole con is structured around Nate getting caught. I guess this one kind of makes sense because the whole point is to look like they HAVE completely lost, but then at the end it appears that Nate’s going to secret prison and everyone else is escaping WITH the black book, so they STILL would be losing Nate but winning the job. 

So if Nate isn’t the king, who is?

Hardison.

Let’s look at our points about kings again:

1. Doesn’t move as far or as quickly: Yes, Hardison ALSO gets out there and participates in the cons, everybody does. But Hardison does stay in the background more often, because that’s where his power is. He does the behind the scenes tech stuff and the remote stuff, he can wreck your shop without showing up through the power of the internet. He also does the forgeries of identities and objects, which are also done in his own space. At the same time, he has less physical power and less range -- you don’t want him in a fistfight, or a gunfight, and his grifts are notorious for being a little. . . uh. . . interesting. So he has limited physical range and power but at the same time. . . .

2. The game is over if you lose him. That far-reaching behind the scenes power is absolutely vital for 90% of the jobs. He does the massive amounts of research and hacking legwork needed just to START a job, even before you get to actually completing the job. You are pretty much dead in the water without Hardison. But that’s just from a practical standpoint. Losing Hardison is also a crisis from an emotional standpoint. He’s our moral compass and our sweet baby brother and when Hardison gets in trouble there is no “well he’ll be fine for a few minutes” and no “well he kinda had it coming.” No, when Hardison is in trouble everything else grinds to a halt and everyone comes running. (See: The Experimental Job, The Grave Danger Job, The Long Goodbye Job.)

So like, yes Nate is in charge. But the king isn’t in charge on a chessboard, the king is just a piece with a very unique role, which Hardison fills much better than Nate does. So, now that we have our real king, who are our other pieces?

Queen: Parker. This has nothing to do with her dating Hardison. The thing about the queen is she can do a little bit of everything -- she can move in any direction, making her the most dangerous piece on the board. Parker’s whole character arc is about learning all the different roles and how to access the whole playing field. She’s the only one who plans and executes an entire episode-length job by herself (okay, with a little help from her girlfriend). Plus, the other cool thing about a queen is she has a built-in transformation story -- a pawn that crosses the board can become a queen, which Parker mimics by initially being dismissed as “the crazy one” and ultimately becoming the mastermind.

Knight: Sophie. I know, I wanted Eliot to be the horsie too, but this makes more sense. The knight’s deal is that it’s sneaky -- it’s the only piece that can turn corners -- and it can jump over obstacles. Sophie’s whole philosophy of grifting is that she shouldn’t need to know about safes or security systems, she should be able to bypass (jump over) all that by insinuating herself with the mark (being sneaky by playing a character to get behind enemy lines)

Rook: Eliot. This is the straightforward one -- it goes in a straight line. It also literally represents the castle walls. It’s also so, so fucking helpful to have around, I fucking hate losing my rooks. It’s your solid right hand man, basically. Is this a little reductive of Eliot? Absolutely, but I’m jamming five complex characters into five predetermined boxes, it’s not all gonna be nuanced. And I think Mr. Punchy would like being seen as the fortress that everybody depends on, and to let all the nuance go under the radar. That’s where he likes it. 

Bishop: Finally, here’s where Nate is hiding. While the rook can only go straight (lol), the bishop can only go diagonally. Nothing can be straightforward for the bishop, he always has to come at things from an angle. Like, you know, constantly looking at all the different angles of a situation and finding the right angle to come at a mark from. Also, the bishops sit right in the middle right next to the king and queen. I don’t know that this is historically accurate, but when my dad taught me to play he told me that was because the bishops were important councilors to the rulers, they were the ones who had important wisdom that would tell them the best plan of attack. So the king here isn’t necessarily the one making the plans -- that’s the bishop. And finally, apparently the bishop is called lots of different things in other languages, but we’re operating in English, which means it makes Nate a priest, and that makes me happy.

[karniss-bg3]

The Tragedy of Faith

So between tumblr and twitter I've read various takes on Kar'niss and what draws people to him. For some it's the monster fucking appeal, for others it's the desire to fix a clearly broken individual. There are in-betweens and of course this is subjective and depends on the person. Act 2 spoilers ahead. Where my personal interest comes from is how good Larian communicated the tragedy of faith and what a cult can do to a person. Kar'niss is a creature that has been broken by not one God, but two. Lolth broke him physically, the Absolute broke him mentally. His entire identity has been lost to a deity to the point he raises her in his speech. Referring to her as "Majesty" and "Queen", two terms you don't really hear anyone else address her as, he has elevated her to his final savior and leader. He also often refers to himself as "we" and "us", cementing him as part of the hive mind rather than holding any individuality of his own. When he does refer to himself as "I", it's mostly to show further loyalty to the Absolute, to maintain a position of importance in his fractured mind. Cults are notorious for targeting the most vulnerable in society as they are the easiest to mold and manipulate to their doctrine. The fact that goblins are one of the main races that fall to the Absolute's influence is telling in that regard, as they are often dismissed by the other races. Kar'niss was ripe for the picking, an easy target to lure into her arms. No doubt he was found shortly after Lolth twisted him into a drider and banished him, he didn't stand a chance.

Not even taking those elements into account, Kar'niss came from a society that is infamous for cruelty and violence, especially toward males of their species. Drow greatest hits include, but are not limited to: -Killing their young if they are not aesthetically pleasing enough. In other words, ugly. -Sacrificing every third born son to Lolth.

-If a male finds the favor of two competing females, it often doesn't end well for the male. The rival woman will kill the male and chuck his dead body into his opponents bedchambers, just for the sake of being petty.

-Love and emotions of any sort are in short supply, if not outright unseen as a general rule. The nature of drow to backstab and seek to rise in the ranks makes it near impossible to be anything other than fierce and domineering.

With these things in mind, it's easy to assume that Kar'niss had a turbulent upbringing and likely suffered untold abuse from many around him. It's not to say that good or reasonable drow don't exist, it's just not commonplace in a Lolthite society. Unfortunately, the game doesn't give us a great deal to go on as far as his past. What little he reveals only happens after he's dead, and even then its really a cliffs notes version. What we do know is that his devotion is intense and unwavering. He's willing to die for the Absolute because in his mind the Absolute are the only ones who care about him. We even see fellow followers talk down to him, dismiss him, and verbally eye-roll the guy. To them, his fanaticism is over the top and they follow the same God he does.

All told, this leads me to the conclusion that Kar'niss has never, or rarely, known true compassion in his entire life. He's been used as a puppet for one deity or another, and likely mocked or cast aside even when he did everything right. It doesn't surprise me that there are folks who desire a romance option, or barring that a side venture to break him free of the Absolute's hold. We don't know if Kar'niss did terrible things in his past, or where his moral compass sits as his entire personality revolves around God. But I'd love to know, and I crave more background on him in one form or another.

I've spent too much time thinking about different paths that could happen in-game. I also understand it's incredibly unlikely he'll ever become a companion. The sheer amount of time and resources needed to give a character a satisfying arc is likely more than Larian can do with other constraints, but maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised. So Kar'niss lovers, platonic, romantic, or everything in-between...I gotchu fam. We stan the spooder bby. Someone get that man a blanket and a nice mug of hot cocoa. And a cult de-programming kit, one of those would be good.

[dcvina-claires]

saw this screenshot on twitter earlier and wanted to elaborate on it. more specifically, i wanted to elaborate on the order i think the remaining survivors will die in if this theory is true. to start off, i think the next to die will be lottie. while lottie isn’t the pinnacle of innocence like laura lee or the moral compass like jackie and nat, she’s not completely irredeemable either. she does bad things, yes, but most of her actions (starting a cult, manipulating the group) come from a place of wanting to help others. she’s horrified when she finds out that the others hunted nat and let javi die instead and she’s willing to get beaten half to death just so shauna would feel better. that being said, she’s the one who leads in sexually assaulting travis, making her more guilty than laura lee, jackie, and natalie who didn’t partake. after lottie, i think taissa will be the next to die. it’s undeniable that tai has done some horrible things. she sacrificed dogs, purposely injured allie because she wasn’t a good enough player, and abandoned her comatose wife and child to hook up with her ex. that being said, a fair amount of the horrible things she does are when she’s the other version of her. tai wants to be good, but whatever is possessing her won’t allow her to be. out of all the yellowjackets, she’s the only one who was not conscious during jackie’s cannibalism, and was disgusted when van told her that she ate someone. which brings us to the third death: van. now, i know that this may seem odd. after all, what has van, who’s actions (affectionately) have had very little impact on the plot done to make her worse than tai or lottie or even nat? the answer is that van is the only one who doesn’t feel any guilt over what she did in the wilderness. it becomes especially apparent in her conversation with travis (“you should be ashamed” “i’m not ashamed travis. i’m glad i’m alive”) that she will do whatever it takes to survive. when javi is dying, the look that van gives him is bloodthirsty, eager. while she may not seem like the most important player at the moment, i believe that van will continue to go down a very dangerous path that leads her to being one of the more amoral survivors by the time of her death. as for misty and shauna, it definitely seems like shauna will die first. yes, they’ve both killed people, but shauna isn’t the abusive kidnapper that misty is. however, shauna is the main character, and i simply cannot see any version of the show where she isn’t the last to die. this leads me to believe that something is going to happen later on in the show that somehow makes her worse than misty, and she will be the last survivor following misty’s demise. and even then, at the end of the show, she will die too

[th3secr3th1story]

gojo when you come home from a mission injured

warnings: description of wounds, blood, more blood, just some badass y/n and gojo fluff. 1.9k words

gojo was convinced the higher ups hated him. well, he already knew they did, but this just made him all the more confident. there was no other explanation. he couldn't think of any other reason that they would assign you a mission on his first day off in months.

gojo had the best day prepared. he wanted to make up for all the lost time between the two of you, since you both were busy being the top sorcerers. you were better at making time for him, as gojo tended to get caught up in his work easily, which is why he wanted this day to be extra special. good thing he had it all planned.

he was ready to sleep in with you--and not just that...on a weekday, too!

he was going to wake up before you, cherishing a few more quiet moments with you in his arms, before silently slipping out of bed and making his way to the bathroom to freshen up.

he was going to make you the most delicious breakfast; he already had it prepared--

two eggs carefully whisked in a bowl, with just the right amount of spices and seasoning to create an amazing scrambled blend. sliced pieces of avocado with tomatoes on perfectly toasted bread. a steaming cup of tea, drizzled with honey and a small sprig of rosemary. just how you liked it.

carefully balancing the meal on a tray, he was going to walk over back to your room, placing the food on your nightstand while he climbed into bed to wake you up with soft kisses.

"g'morning, baby," he was going to whisper softly, chuckling at your groans.

"it's so early. five more minutes, please," your whines would've been interrupted as you smelled the breakfast, immediately sitting up. "is that food?"

hours later, the two of you were going to be tangled on the couch, his body sprawled on yours as your favorite show was streaming on the TV. of course, this was just his chance to appreciate you.

"satoru, you're not even trying to pay attention," you would've cried, "this is the best part!"

he would've merely hummed, the grip on your waist tightening as he continued to kiss your neck, relishing in your embrace.

"stop disturbing me, y/n!"

that night, after devouring delicious boxes of takeout, was going to end up back on the couch, but this time, your head would be in his lap, dozing off.

he was going to turn off the TV and lightly carry you back to your room, tucking you under the covers before sliding in next to you, pulling your back into his chest.

oh, what a lovely day it was supposed to be.

key word: supposed.

-

gojo was rudely awakened from his warm and peaceful slumber by your figure attempting to slide out of his arms--of course with much difficulty.

"hey, where're you goin'?" he mumbled sleepily, tightening his hold on you. "the sun's barely up."

"i know, i'm sorry, baby. i just got called in. there's a mission they want me to handle," you whispered, hoping that he'd fall back asleep.

instead, he shot up. "what? today? why?" he could already see the whole day he had planned waving goodbye as they galloped out the front door of his brain.

you merely sighed, "i'm sorry, satoru. i know it was your day off and i was looking forward to spending it with you, but i can't really get out of this."

"you could call in sick," he grumbled, pulling you back down underneath the covers into his warmth, kissing your shoulder blades softly. god, he was making this impossible. "please call in sick."

"baby, i wish. i don't want to go at all, but i still have a job to do, i'm sorry."

"you and your moral compass will be the death of me," he pouted, holding you impossibly closer.

chuckling, you turn around and kiss his forehead once, his neck twice, before sighing and lifting yourself out of his arms.

"i'll see you soon. i love you, satoru," you whispered, rubbing his side.

"i love you too. stay safe, traitor," he whined, glaring at you through sleepy eyes.

-

you were expecting to be back by 5 at the latest. it was barely dawn when you had left the house, and you prayed thought the mission would be completed soon enough to go home and be with your boyfriend on his rare day off.

unfortunately, you thought wrong.

all had been going well, and you thought the job was done, until a dark shape emerged from the shadows in the corner of your eye as you were getting ready to report back to the higher ups.

"oh, fuck me," you mumbled.

your sorcerer instincts immediately kicked in, conjuring an immense stream of cursed energy and launching it at the figure. it stumbled but continued approaching you.

its massive arms stretched out, flashing its razor sharp claws at you.

"i just want to go home," you sighed, your words directed at the curse in hopes that it'd magically drop dead for you. wishful thinking.

the fight was ferocious, possibly one of the toughest curses you'd ever dealt with. how is each strike getting faster? you thought, barely dodging its attacks.

out of nowhere, the curse let out an angry growl and charged right at you. you attempted to throw up a defensive shield, but it wasn't enough to completely block the attack.

"shit," you yelped. one of its claws managed to rake across your stomach, leaving a deep bloody gash.

you stumbled backwards, momentarily dazed by the situation, narrowly dodging its onslaughts.

with the shock having worn off, you focused your energy into hands, channeling a final, all-or-nothing attack. you released a massive burst of cursed energy, completely ravaging the monster's body by the sheer power of your strike. it was over.

you felt a particularly strong wave of exhaustion wash over you, your stomach beginning to sting with the adrenaline wearing off.

home, i need home, you thought. i need satoru.

-

a door click and your heavy sigh lets gojo know you've returned, happily skipping down the stairs, only to halt at the sight of you.

"babyyyyy, i missed you! what took you so long? it's already 9:30! how many curses were there? was it just you? are you hung-"

your body was battered and bloodied, scars from the battle still fresh and stinging. your clothes were torn, stained with dark crimson of the curse mixed with your own bright scarlet blood. your arms and face were covered in deep scratches. there was a long, ferocious gash seeping with blood across your stomach where your uniform had been torn.

however, despite your injuries and clear exhaustion, gojo looked into your eyes and the twinkle of triumph and satisfaction was so glaringly present he barely stopped himself from pouncing on you and kissing you until you passed out.

he settled with pulling you into a hug and pecking your forehead. you were already too close to fainting.

"hey," you whispered, "my body is killing me."

"let's get you fixed up, baby. you can't do anything without me, can you?"

"shut up," you attempted to push him away, but to your satisfaction (you'd never say that out loud), he just pulled you in closer, careful to avoid your stomach.

he brought you over to the bathroom, gently undressing you.

"well, this is romantic, isn't it?" he smirked, laughing at the glare you threw him.

the sight of your painful, bloody wounds covering your whole body made his heart sink a little and eyes fill with concern.

"how are you feeling?" he asked gently, the tone a stark contrast to his previous question.

"'m okay, just tired. i missed you," you smiled. "i doubt you wanted to spend your day off cleaning me up, 'm sorry."

"i'll always take care of you, y/n," he replied as he set the shower water to warm and lightly pushed you inside.

"what, a shower now? but i'm bleeding all over the place!" you argued, not feeling like standing up for a second longer.

"i know, baby, but i can't see where to patch you up if you have blood and dirt all over you. it'll be quick, i swear," he smiled with a short peck to your cheek.

he gently washed the dried blood and dirt off of your body, working carefully to avoid adding any additional discomfort. you found the water to be warm and soothing, the smell of the soap providing a temporary relief to mask the pulsing of your wounds.

once you had gotten out, put on some clothes, and had your minor cuts tended to, gojo turned his attention to the large gash on your stomach.

gojo carefully applied pressure to the cut, apologizing when you winced.

"god, what did you fight, y/n? this is insane."

"i don't even know, it had these massive claws and like, the weirdest eyes. it kind of reminds me of you, now that i think about it," you chuckled.

"wow, i'm standing here, fixin' you up, and you're just insulting me?" he whined, masking a smile.

after the bleeding had stopped, he carefully wiped the area and stitched up the deep gash, bandaging it with gentle care. he took his time, wanting to do a good job to ensure you would have a fast and safe recovery.

once he finished, his hands were stained with your blood, but he didn't seem to mind. he gave you a comforting smile, eyes filled with pure love. the same ones that made you fall for him.

but you should've known the scene was too peaceful. for a split second, you swore you saw a flicker of mischief in his eyes. that never ended well for you.

"should i lick my hands?" he questioned. oh dear.

"no! satoru, stop being such a freak. put your hand down--no!"

your eyes went wide in shock and disgust while gojo was sitting on the ground shaking from laughter.

"you--oh my god--you should've seen your face! my stomach hurts so much--well, i guess not as much as yours--okay, ow, okay, i'm sorry! stop kicking me!"

the two of you stared at each other for a few seconds before falling into giggles.

"you are the weirdest man i ever met, you know that, satoru?"

"i know. i'm honored," he winked.

after washing his hands--multiple times under your command--he turned to you, leaning on the bathroom counter, staring at you with a serious look in his eyes.

"you had me worried there, baby. it was so late and you still hadn't come home, and then you walked through the door and you were literally dripping blood. and god, for a second, i thought the worst thing had happened and my brain literally froz-"

you interrupted his rambling by pulling him into a hug, dispelling all of his fears with just a kiss to his neck.

"i know, i'm sorry. i thought the job had been done with, but then this random curse appeared as i was about to leave and it got the better of me for a moment there. but i'm okay thanks to you, satoru," you smiled. he pulled you in tighter.

"there's no way you're going to work tomorrow. stupid morals or not, you're staying here."

"but satoru, i'll just be sore tomorrow, i can still go in-"

"i don't care. i will lock you in the room if i have to!"

-

you and gojo were in bed, your bodies warm under the covers and limbs tangled. gojo held you close to him, feeling secure with you in his arms.

"i love you s'much, y/n, you know that, right?" gojo asked, turning your head up so he could kiss you. oh, how he missed you.

"love you too, satoru. thank you for taking care of me," you slurred, the exhaustion finally catching up to you after the long day.

"always, baby."

[mrsnancywheeler]

silver springs

finnick odair x gn!reader

2k words

masterlist

summary: finnick's cycle of self destruction stops for no one, even if it tears the two of you apart, but you refuse to fade into the past.

warnings: angst, lots of it, self destructive behavior, mentions of trafficking, allusions to consensual smut, reader values their virginity, arguments, break ups, trauma, unhealthy relationship dynamics, unhappy ending, but could be interpreted as hopeful if you want it to be, unedited, no use of y/n

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

Finnick knows he should just fall asleep, let himself rest and turn his brain off from overthinking, but he can't. You deserve better, so much better than the broken boy from District 4 who will forever be playing his role in the puppet show. Where you've fought the demons off with compassion for each person you've come across, it shames him how easily he can fall into the facade of the egotistical Capitol darling. Eventually his outlook will consume the joy you've harvested to forcefully in the depths of your heart and he knows not a minute will pass that he can look at himself in the mirror knowing he did that to you. So he has to end it, to let you be free for a much happier life, at least that's what he tells himself as he prepares for you to wake.

You're so beautiful in the moonlight that glows on your sleeping face and he's even more enthralled when the sun begins to rise and it's like you're an angel in the colors. He's not sure when he let a few tears shed thinking about how when you wake up it'll be the last time he sees you like this, but it's for the best. When you do hazily wake up, blankets falling off your bare body as you sit up, all your sleepy smiles make his heart clench even more, but his brain more certain.

“Good morning." You mumble out, leaning in for a kiss which he scoots away from and your incoherent brain snaps to attention. No matter how long it's been since you've been in the arena, you doubt that instinct will ever go away, the need to be constantly on edge if something seems slightly off, and he is. Finnick is usually the type to be just returning from a swim with some fish he caught in the morning or arms wrapped around you. “What's wrong?" You can feel a defense mechanism settling in with the numbness of your voice, had you really finally had the courage to let someone have your body only for them to pull away from your love the very next morning? What a cruel master the universe seemed to be no matter what cards you played.

Finnick's eyes were glossy and he rubbed his face as he sniffled, forcing the words out of his reluctant throat, “I don't think we should see each other anymore." Before the words have even finished tumbling out of his mouth you've pulled the blanket back up to cover your exposed chest. How could you be so cautious of something only for it to come from the person you least expected, apparently you weren't cautious enough.

“Oh." It's humiliating, if you could just disappear into the air you would give anything to do so. You can't cry, it would only further that humiliation, so you robotically move to the side of the bed to grab the panties that had been so lazily thrown off by him the night before. “Congrats on the score, Finnick, hopefully I'm worth a good amount of points." Your voice can't be allowed to crack or shake, but it's fighting against your willpower.

“It's not like that." Finnick quickly says, observing you, and he'll never say it, but he's scared. He doesn't want you to hate him, to break your heart, he just wants you to be free of his chains.

You scoff and have to force yourself to stand without the protection of the blanket so you can find the rest of your strewn about clothes. “I’m sure that's what you tell all of them.” All of us, he's always been a rumored playboy, but with what the Capitol did to him that was what you'd placed it on. Not that he played people, but that he was unfairly used, now you reasoned, two things could be true at once. Him having past partners had never bothered you when he began talking to you, but now you wondered how he left them. You glance back for less then a second when you see he's buried his head in hands, not answering.

He knows this isn't true, that he's doing this because he cares too much to let his darkness eat you alive. Maybe he'll even have to say that to you, so he won't have to live with the additional weight of your resentment.

“I just-" Your throat breaks on a sob you're holding back, “I know it's not important to everyone, but it was important to me, Finnick. I gave you something that I wasn't ready to give anyone else because I thought…” You sighed, "It doesn't matter what I thought, but it's so fucked that you took that away when you knew.” A stray tear has forced its way through which you're wiping away as soon as you can. Your pants are in a pile at the end of the bed which you quickly grab.

“I'm sorry." His voice isn't hiding the tears as he looks up from his hands, he's genuine and you can tell as much from his voice, but it doesn't stop the internal berating of being so stupid to finally share that intimate part of yourself when he would leave you hours later. “I didn't plan it like that, honey, I didn't."

“Please, don't call me that." He nods his head in retreat after your request that was meant to be more forceful, preferably he'd never speak to you again.

“You deserve better, so much better." You agree, the bare minimum would be a day before he broke the news not hours after you'd slept with him. “Better than me, I need you to have better.” He feels like a child, knees pulled up to his chest as he gives you up so you'll be far away from his destruction, but you feel more like a toy he's gotten bored of playing with. Like a hurricane it hits you that he means being with you, a sentiment he’s murmured many times in your relationship even if you insisted otherwise at each utterance. Yet you can no longer find it in you to assure him otherwise, no matter how much you disagree.

“Oh my god, this is the ‘woe is me, I'm Finnick Odair, so unlovable’ act again!” You could tear your hair out, "I could love you, Finnick! That's who could and I'm so sick of this push and pull thing you play at. But we are all dealing with things inside and you refuse to be, not even helped, but at least cared for!”

He's gotten up from the bed, shaking his head with as much intent as he can muster, "If you loved me it would kill you.”

"Says who?” You no longer care about whether or not you're keeping composure or yelling, you've spent every moment you can trying to assure him and within the hours you slept he decided to tear it all apart. "Oh right, just you! You and your endless piles of self doubt, I'm not asking for that to go away, but you could at least be open to hearing others out."

“It's for you, honey, I couldn't live with myself if I put you through that."

Any movements you were making stop as you stare at him, he's so honest, so eager, and you radiate an anger he despises himself for making, but wants to catch the last few sparks of before he leaves forever. “You are so selfish. Have you ever even considered the fact that I would suffer more without you, then with you, or were you too busy trying to punish yourself for not spending every moment of your life in a pile of guilt?”

He doesn't answer and you know it's a no. Part of you says it's wrong to tell a man who's always eating himself up from the inside that he's selfish, but you feel like you're on autopilot.

"I'm a person, Finnick! Everyone you've ever dated is. You do not get to play house for a year to live in a fantasy and then push us away whenever your thoughts are too much, that's why it doesn't work, you won't let it. And everyone who puts in the effort to love you, to care about you, has it all swept away when you're ready to wallow again. That way when you briefly decide it's over you can do it all over again.” You're pulling on the pants before you can look around for the shirt in some hidden spot.

Finnick feels like he's running cold, part of him knows you're right that his cycle is neverending, but you can understand, he tells himself. Even if you're a fellow victor, no one can help him, he's resigned himself to it and you're too light of a bubble to let you pop. So he has to live in denial, that he has to protect you from himself even if that is really what's attacking you now, “I care and I can't do this to you. You don't understand, I'm like a whirlpool waiting to suck everything in with me."

“You have." You find the shirt and button it up with fumbling fingers, blood pulsating in anger, sadness, and the want to beg him to change his mind and let you sit with forever. But you know you can't subject yourself to his cyclone of self-destruction any longer, not when you have your own struggles to deal with. The things you couldn't tell him about because of the constant pressure to be the light in his bleak outlook of the world, even when you were so tempted whenever it seemed like he was in his true state. The Finnick that was sweet and giving, or maybe you were an idealist wishing for a man that he could truly never be. “I won't fade into obscurity over you.” Your voice has become considerably softer and you gaze at his shaking body.

"What?” He asks, he knows that you won't understand why he has to do what he's convinced himself he must, but that doesn't prevent him from wanting to take it all back, embrace you, and promise to do better even if he knows he won't.

"I'm a victor too, Finnick. Every party, I'll be there, when you have to watch required programs on the television, I'll be there. I won't take a step back just because I'm hurt, we're all wounded dogs, Finnick, some of us just handle it better and I won't quiet myself just because it might remind you of another person you've pushed behind.”

“I'm not asking you too."

“No, but it's what you're used to. I'm not just someone else from home, you will always hear my voice, see my face, and I need you to know that. I want you to get better, Finnick, because I care about you more than you can even fathom, but I will be a hitch from what you're used to. You deserve to know that, I'm sorry if that makes it more difficult for you or maybe it's what you need. A wake-up call that whatever you're doing is what's actually hurting people not whatever fucked up fantasy it is you're listening to in your head.”

Finnick wanted you to know how much you cared, but said nothing as he pushed down more tears when you left, never to be in his room again. The mornings spent in your comfort are officially gone. You'd been right of course, he couldn't wallow and move on because you were everywhere. Your laugh in his ears at every party, your saccharine voice on the screen, your presence around every turn. Maybe you'd even been right when you insinuated this was what he was missing, he couldn't forget about you long enough to fall into his routine, especially not when the echoes that once told him he had to let you go sang a different tune. How destructive he was for letting the one person who could even attempt to anchor his tortured soul go.

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

Thank you for reading, as always feedback, comments, likes, reblogs, is all super appreciated! I was going to write another chapter of the lakes but I had this idea in my brain presenting so here it is. 💋

[imagionationstation]

I Got Bored So I Analyzed Mikey And Splinter’s Relationship, As One Does

I love rewatching the 2012series after hearing about how terrible Mikey&Splinter’s relationship is because it always leaves me so confused to the point where I have to reconsider everything the internet says and everything I believe.

What if, for a moment, we see what the episodes have to say.

One thing they make very clear is that Splinter does not see Mikey as any less intelligent than his brothers. Several times during the series, the Sensei does not hesitate to openly agree with his youngest’s statement. He holds him to standards that are equally as high as the one Splinter gives to his brothers.

“How many times have I told you not to skateboard in the lair?”

“None, Sensei.”

“I shouldn’t have to tell you!”

“No, Michelangelo, you are right.”

“I am?”

“He is?”

“We gotta take him down.”

“Yes, Michelangelo, you do.”

Beyond agreeing with him, Splinter allows his youngest to have his say when he argues with the Sensei. He doesn’t shut him down or talk over him. Even if all of his sons disagree with Mikey, Splinter will hear him out and can even be seen changing his mind.

“There is no monster more dangerous than a lack of compassion.”

“My mistake.”

“We’re doing to him what everyone else does to us! Judging him for his looks!”

“But he was fighting the Kraang, Master Splinter. It’s like you always say! The enemy of my enemy is my bro.”

“That is not exactly what I’ve said…”

“Mm. I see. You’ve made a wise decision, Michelangelo.”

Master Splinter also doesn’t doubt his abilities. He can recognize his son’s strengths and won’t hesitate to put them to good use.

“When he awakens, Michelangelo, you must find a way to befriend him.”

“No problemo.”

The Sensei doesn’t challenge Mikey any harder than he challenges his brothers. Splinter never makes him out to be inferior when he’s teaching him something compared to them.

“Michelangelo. Why did you give up so easily?”

“There was nothing I could do.”

“There is always something you can do. Observe.”

“The key is to unbalance your opponent.”

“But how?”

“However you can. For example…”

While he doesn’t exactly understand how his mind works, he comprehends that his unique way of learning is to be nurtured and molded. He knows that some of his quirks are gifts to be appreciated. He even goes as far as using Mikey’s natural skill as an example of how to fight in order to instruct his brother.

“The nunchaku because… Um, they are perfect for you!”

“I just don’t understand how you can fight without thinking.”

“Observe… You see? Mikey does not think.”

“Thank you~”

“You must find the space between your thoughts and learn to live there. That’s what Michelangelo does.”

Mikey idolizes his sensei, but not quite to Leo’s extent. He takes in all the lessons that resígnate with him to heart, even to the point that he can quote them back to his father and brothers. (Revisit: “But he was fighting the Kraang, Master Splinter. It’s like you always say! The enemy of my enemy is my bro.”) Splinter spends a good amount of the show teaching lessons, such as don’t judge those who are different from you, peace is better than war, and a lack of compassion is the true monster. Mikey is consistently seen prompting these ideals in everything that he does, consciously or unconsciously mimicking his father.

“Raphael! Clearly, April is upset.”

“Yeah, dude, that’s so insensitive.”

“Yeah, that’s all good, but like Master Splinter would say, we must accept the hand that the universe has dealt usssss.”

They recognize cues from one another without anything being said. Reading their tones and expressions with ease, catching things that others in the room don’t notice, at least, not yet.

“You okay, Sensei?”

“Forgive me… My thoughts are… Elsewhere, Michelangelo.”

“Well, yeah. Cause old people never care how they look. Or smell.”

*sus Sensei squint*

*awkward laugh* *whistling*

“My son. I sense there is something you’d like to tell us.”

There are even times when they are in sync. A favorite example would be when Mikey throws down a smoke bomb and Splinter reappears in the same instance. It may be played off as a joke, but this is crack that the show takes very seriously.

“This is serious. I better get Splinter.”

“Um, we don’t really need-”

“Michelangelo said you wanted to see me?”

The two of them don’t have a lot of one-on-one screen time, but I often think that this isn’t because Splinter is outright ignoring his youngest. In fact, this is because, despite not being “as smart” as his brothers, he doesn’t need to give Mikey as much schooling as the rest of them. Leo seeks him out for advice, Raph needs help to mold his temper and impulsive nature, and Donnie needs to learn how calm his anxieties or how to react to social situations.

Mikey vibes with the world and follows his brothers’ leads. His mistakes are theirs and the rules that he follows are based off Sensei’s teaching. He’s smart in his own way, he has the instinct and the skills to fight and defend himself and his brothers, and he doesn’t need Master Splinter looking over his shoulder all the time.

He’s not useless. In some ways, he’s just a daddy’s boy.

Maybe the memory in Requiem wasn’t simply lazy writing.

Maybe, to him, this was an unspoken moment where Splinter acknowledges that and more.

[lightwise]

“Remain calm. Cooperate. And you might survive.”

A character study on Dr. Emerie Karr

I’ve had a post about Emerie wandering around the back of my mind all season, but haven’t really been able to pull anything together yet that I felt would do her character justice. In addition, I believe there are other people who can speak to some of her position and experiences in a cult-like environment where she has been raised with bounded choices and lack of agency better than I can, but I will still touch on those things here a bit.

Many people have been frustrated at Emerie’s character, even going so far as to say they hate her for not acting in ways we wish she would and for working in the Empire, conducting horrific experiments, and going along with Hemlock’s plans. While I understand the frustrations, there is nothing that Emerie has done that truly exceeds anything that Crosshair or Cody or Wolffe ever did under the Empire, especially when considering that her actions and choices are all very firmly rooted in a very chaotic, traumatizing, and lacking environment that she was raised in. She may not have had a chip (we don’t know), but regardless, she has not been given the amount of free will and expansive thinking that her clone brothers and Omega experienced during the war and after. Even still, her Jango Fett genes are showing through, with a natural affinity and compassion for children tugging on her latent moral compass the more and more she is around them. 

“Remain calm. Cooperate. And you might survive.” We first meet Emerie in season 2, when Crosshair is transferred to Tantiss after killing Lt. Nolan. She notably uses his name immediately, and seems to have a slightly more caring nature to her than any of the other medical assistants (like Dr. Scalder) that we have seen on Tantiss. She is focused and seems content and dedicated to her work, but wants Crosshair to survive and not be harmed more than is necessary. She seems to have traces of both Tech and Dr. Hemlock in her, with a dedication to science and the tasks assigned to her, and a mind that is obviously adept and capable of accomplishing various procedures. While she follows all of Dr. Hemlock’s orders completely, she shows traces of compassion to Crosshair along the way, and begs him not to try and escape. At this point, her own access card doesn’t even allow her to get outside, and we’ve never seen her on any of the landing platforms. She seems to have an intimate knowledge of how impossible it is to escape the facility (has she tried to herself?)

“She is a clone. And therefore Imperial property.”  Hemlock is talking about Omega here, but the camera pans to include Emerie standing beside him, looking at him. This cinematography choice will occur several times, where dialogue from Hemlock or Omega is overlaid with a shot of Emerie’s face to show that comments about freedom and clones and specimens and choice all have double meanings that include Emerie, even if she has the supposed station and respect of a doctor’s position. At this point it is unclear whether she fully understands how she is just as much a prisoner inside these walls as Crosshair and the other clones are. 

“A prisoner? You are no such thing. It is far safer in here than it is out there.” This is but one of many times that Emerie uses the word “safe” in regard to being on Mt. Tantiss, following the rules, and doing what is expected. She comes to retrieve Omega every morning, mostly chipper and focused on including her in her tasks for the day. She shows care for Omega but is fully absorbed in her duties and what to her is normal daily life. An empty room that locks from the outside is probably the norm for her. For Omega, it is decidedly not, and Omega’s curious but justice-oriented nature begins to tilt the axis of Emerie’s perceptions. When first meeting her, Emerie acknowledges her as her sister and wants her to trust her. It’s clear that she maybe knew of Omega at some point, even though Omega had never heard of her until now. We get a slight glimpse of why that would be, when Emerie tells Omega that she was on Kamino initially but was “sent elsewhere until Dr. Hemlock took me under his wing.” There is a LOT embedded in that sentence. Sent away by Nala Se? Why? What was her initial purpose in being created? Why was she discarded? Was Omega a “better” version of her? Where did she go, and how and why did Hemlock find her and bring her up as his medical assistant, seeing “potential” in her. It’s obvious Emerie’s sense of self-worth, while relatively strong, also hinges on following Hemlock’s orders. All of this screams abandonment and grooming even if not of a sexual nature, and Emerie certainly seems to show the submissive, trusting, and yet fearful disposition one might expect from someone whose life has been defined by those circumstances. 

 “You don’t know she won’t survive. She deserves a chance.”  A conversation about letting a domesticated Lurca hound out into the wild to fend for herself is clearly paralleled with Emerie’s fate. Emerie tries to act as a mediator between Hemlock and Omega, hoping that the girl won’t be hurt or punished. Hemlock scoffs at Omega’s decision to let Batcher go, and her impassioned statement above. He sneers “the flawed logic of an idealistic child. Emotion and sentiment have no place within these walls. You would do well to remember that.” Emotion and sentiment have seemingly been lacking in Emerie’s upbringing, yet they continue to have an influence on her impulses and actions more and more. A testament to this is the fact that she keeps Omega’s straw Lula doll after it is found during a midnight room inspection, and eventually gives it back to her even though it breaks protocol. She will later keep this doll hidden after Omega escapes, and give it to one of the Vault “specimens”, Eva, in an attempt to comfort her. In that initial confrontation with Omega, Hemlock had added a final warning: “Actions always have consequences. Sometimes not in the ways we imagine.” What will this mean in the future for both him and Emerie? Their choices until recently have seemed in line and coherent, but they are diverging more and more.  

“It’s best not to ask questions.”  Emerie once again demonstrates the dichotomy of her perspectives as she affirms the authority and deference that she believes she owes Dr. Hemlock, while also being attentive to Omega’s shift in mood after being told by Nala Se that she must escape. Emerie tells Omega to get some rest, thinking she isn’t feeling well. There is no reason for her to do this other than the fact that she cares about Omega, as against protocol as those feelings are.  

“You’re not thinking clearly. Escape is not possible. This is for your own good.”  After finding Crosshair and Omega ready to escape through the Lurca hound tunnels, she begs both of them to see what to her is reason and sense. She doesn’t want either of them to get in trouble or be hurt, and would have covered for them if they would simply surrender and return to their cells. She affirms again that escape is not possible, from her perspective, and that what is best is quiet acquiescence. We see this continued struggle between her own budding moral compass, her sense of duty, her fear, her belief that it is safer to stay and to be quiet and to stay small. After they escape the facility, she finds out that Omega’s blood is the binder they have been looking for all along, and partly out of scientific duty, and partly knowing that this knowledge is the only thing that will save Crosshair and Omega’s escaping ship from being shot down, she informs Dr. Hemlock. 

“Do you trust me? I’ve spent years working by your side. I could be more useful.”  Before Omega is recaptured, we get an entire episode from Emerie’s POV (which also establishes her as a very important character for the remainder of the season). Here we begin to see more of her conflicted moral compass, and also her budding sense of self esteem. “You wish to be the new chief scientist Dr. Karr?” “I believe I’ve earned it.” This fully encapsulates the dynamic that these two “doctors” have shared over the years. Emerie knows that Hemlock only values things that are useful, and probably only sees her own value in the light of what she can contribute, due to how she was raised and the circumstances she has been trapped in. Hemlock’s tone of voice implies that he has never considered her as being the new chief scientist, and yet he acquiesces quite quickly, almost as though he’s just too busy to think about it and if it means things are brought back up to production standard then he’s fine with her taking Nala Se’s place. His utter disregard for Emerie as an actual human and someone with merit is disgusting, but to Emerie it comes across as respectful benevolence (as long as she follows the rules). It is good to see her start to stand up for herself, although she has no idea what she is getting herself into.  

“You’re safe SP-32.”  Emerie’s experiences watching over the children in the vault begin to chip away HARD at the beliefs she has grown up with and the perspectives she has kept herself sheltered behind. She initially tries to connect with one of the children, Eva, but Hemlock quickly stops her and tries to force his perspective that these are simply “scientific assets. Specimens.” The children defy this characterization at every turn. Eva compliments Emerie’s glasses, shares her name. Jax reiterates that his number is not his name when he tries to escape, and Emerie spends the entire sequence of him trying to escape torn, worried for him, and disgruntled at how violently Scorch and the other commandos treat him. Her conflict continues to grow as Eva asks how Jax is after the escape attempt, and she has to face her duplicity in telling Eva everything would be fine, when it is not. 

“They’re children. Like I was. Was your plan to discard them too?” Finally, Emerie confronts Nala Se, and we get more of a glimpse into the circumstances of her childhood. Emerie obviously carries enormous bitterness and resentment for however Nala Se treated her and the choice to abandon her in favor of Omega, and she throws this back in Nala Se’s face asking why the rest of the children in the Vault haven’t been protected either. “The Empire will keep them in order to control them” — once again a layered statement that includes Emerie’s own position. “They don’t belong in here” — Omega’s hopeful and determined perspective has gotten through to her on some level, just as it did with Crosshair. However, despite her growing sense of guilt and remorse, Emerie still feels powerless and at the mercy of her environment. “I don’t have that kind of power.” But Nala Se challenges her that she does, and that her choices going forward will need to be hers and hers alone. 

“And where did this child come from?”  Emerie starts to take small steps towards more independent choices when she insists on accompanying Scorch to pick up the next force sensitive child. Whether her plan was to try and fudge the results so he could be returned to his home, or just find out more information about how these children are procured and how many are being kidnapped, she can’t change the outcome of Bayrn being brought in. But her dismay at how young he is and how much worse this situation keeps getting is evident. Just as telling is Hemlock’s misinterpretation of her hesitation of taking in another “specimen.” He thinks she’s afraid of them harming her in an escape attempt. He doesn’t see that her personal convictions have started to become louder in her mind and heart than his commands and manipulation. She continues to take steps toward autonomy by comforting Eva, using the girl’s name, and bringing her Omega’s straw toy, that she had kept against orders. The situation is wearing on her more and more. But there’s hope for her yet.

“Emerie, you don’t have to do this.” Once Omega is back on Tantiss, Emerie retreats back into her shell a bit as Hemlock orders her to test Omega’s blood again. She knows what will happen and where Omega will be taken when the sample comes through, and she looks utterly defeated and cornered, sighing, her shoulders slumped like Crosshair’s when he was still imprisoned. Yet even as far as she’s come, she can’t see a way around completing this task. “I’m sorry, but I do.” She tries to soften the blow with “for what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re safe.” But Omega is not having it. “Am I??” Emerie knows she’s not, sighing in fear and resignation again as Hemlock takes Omega away to the vault. She tries to console herself by giving the children better games to keep their minds engaged, and pointedly asserts her rank and decision to keep Omega in contact with the other children even when Dr. Scalder disagrees with her choice. Her confidence is still growing. Her sense of right and wrong is slowly becoming more and more defined. She is now starting to show a split front between her attempts to placate Omega vs. the questions and doubts that have been festering inside her. Will she finally be able to push through her fears and use her influence and position to help the children, the clones, Omega, and the Batch escape by the end? Or will she remain trapped in a life that she didn’t choose but that she has long since begun to question and pull away from?

Just like the rotating dial of test vials that she oversees every day, Emerie’s moral compass continues to inch closer and closer toward a resolution, until hopefully it will click fully into place. And when it does, Hemlock will (hopefully) regret every ounce of trust he’s ever placed in her. And Omega will hopefully be fully justified in the trust, pleas, and examples that she has been giving Emerie, her big sister, this whole time. Emerie’s sense of identity, justice, and conviction hang in the balance. She can be an agent of change for everyone’s fates, if she chooses to step into her own.  

✨ Tag List ✨

@drafthorsemath @freesia-writes @sunshinesdaydream @ladyzirkonia @jedizhi @the-little-moment @the-bad-batch-baroness @heyclickadee @burningfieldof-clover @dreamless-daydreamer

[theforbidfruit]

Hit with Babality

[Gender neutral reader that is afab]

- What happened? Y/n got ambushed by Shang Tsung while tracking him. Before Y/n could take him into custody, they were hit with a spell. NOW THEY’RE A BAABYYYYY.

Liu Kang and Geras

First of all, they were worried for Y/n to be cursed like this. Liu Kang is afraid that it could be permanent. The amount of attempts to remove the curse failed.

Guess they got a baby Y/n to take care of.

Liu Kang finds baby Y/n very cute and couldn’t bear leaving them with just nursing monks.

Liu Kang would have Y/n in his arms during training. Probably buys a baby carrier for walking around the academy

Geras takes on night duties. Tending to the hourglass while giving Y/n a bottle.

Once Y/n finished their bottle, they’re put right back into the crib. Geras made the crib out of sand and made sure they sleep comfortably.

The only downside they experienced is Geras not wanting to let Liu Kang take Y/n out for the day.

Geras: Y/n is safe with me.

Liu Kang: I know. Although I prefer to take them outside. It’s best for the baby.

Geras: very well. I created a schedule for Y/n needs. Their feeding time, when they need to be change and tummy times.

Liu Kang: I’ve already created a schedule for Y/n. They don’t need a changed schedule.

Geras: ……mine is more proficient.

Raiden and Kung Lao

Kung Lao didn’t want to hold Y/n. Saying stuff like ‘babies are gross’ or ‘they’re too noisy’. Raiden on the other hand, loves to hold babies. Keeping Baby Y/n in his arms and attach to the hip

Raiden and Kung Lao take turns watching Y/n if one of them has to do training. Kung Lao uses Y/n to pick up girls in town by creating a single father sob story.

Kung Lao: -and then the mother hands them over to me and said ‘I don’t want it anymore!’ My poor baby!

Raiden: Y/N DOESNT EVEN LOOK LIKE YOU! STOP LYING!!!

Definitely taking baby Y/n to Madame Bo’s tea house. Hoping that Madame Bo has some compassion to ‘two newly fathers’. Yeah it didn’t work but she hogs Y/n all the time.

Madame Bo: *holding baby Y/n* you are such a cute baby. I hope you stay like this…

Raiden: *chuckles* Yeah- wait no!

Tummy time are the best since it gives Raiden and Kung Lao a break to watch Y/n, even though it is a one person watch.

Kung Lao has a habit of over feeding Y/n which causes Y/n to cry to be burped or have their diaper change. And guess who has to change them- It’s Raiden.

Johnny and Kenshi

Now Johnny thinks that if he shows Y/n’s favorite things to do, their favorite songs or foods, Y/n would turn to normal. Kenshi just watches from the sidelines and judges Johnny.

Kenshi is the one that would make sure Y/n is safe from Johnny’s shenanigans. Often talking to the baby like Y/n is a grown person about stuff, only to be replied by babbling and coos.

Kenshi reminds Johnny that Y/n is a baby and not a grown adult. Johnny thinks otherwise but drops it momentarily. He just misses Y/n whole.

It may sound like they make a good duo. No. Nononono….no. With the two bashing heads, they completely forgot Y/n is there until it’s too late.

Kenshi: *Sets Y/n in a car seat in the back of Johnny’s Lamborghini* I can’t believe you told strangers that Y/n is ‘OUR’ baby!

Johnny: Hey! We got that nice family discount meal!

Kenshi: *turns to baby Y/n* please grow up fast…

The men bash and banter when they go up to the front doors to realize that they lock themselves out of the car. THEY LOCKED THE BABY IN THE CAR!!!

Kenshi: Y/n! You’re going to be okay. We’re going to get you ou-

Johnny: IM BREAKING THE WINDOW!

After that Fiasco, Johnny and Kenshi lost their ‘baby Y/n privileges’.

[sleeplessdreamer123]

Fanfic Idea! (ABO Lucemond, soft and sweet)

It is a fact that everyone knows about Viserys' extreme favoritism when it comes to Rhaenyra, since she is the only child born from Aemma.

Aemond knows that as well (of course he does, he experienced the height of his sire's favoritism the moment he lost his eye), and he curses his sire for it. Couldn't he have shown a little compassion towards his other children? Couldn't he at least hide his blatant favoritism?

Aemond wouldn't do that to his children. He knew the pain and embarrassment of being treated as nothing but passing wind compared to his "delightful, could do no wrong" elder sister. So he made a promise to himself, to never favor one child over the other, to show equal love and affection towards all his pups.

He is having a hard time keeping that promise. He tries, the Seven knows he does. He gives all of them the same attention, gives all of them the same amount of his time and effort to raise and teach and guide. It's just that he just so happens to catch himself giving a tiny bit more towards his youngest.

She's younger than them, he says to himself, so of course he would need to give her just a little bit more attention and care. It wasn't favoritism, no, it's simply giving her what she needs while young, so she may grow like the others. So what if he allows her to skip some of her classes, or allows her to sit on his lap on important meetings. He's done the same for all his children (no he didn't). So what if he gave her his portion of desserts, she's still growing after all. And what if he often takes her for a ride on Vhagar, he's done it with all of them (not to this extent).

He's not showing favoritism! (His mate disagrees, very strongly.)

In all honesty, even he doesn't know why he does it. (He does, he just doesn't want to admit it.) His little girl was simply...his little girl. And he does treat his pups equally! He just so happens to dote a tiny bit more towards her.

Lucerys huffs when he sees his sweet youngest sitting on her sire's lap, rambling about the seashell she managed to collect. He was intially afraid for her, when she came out with dark hair and eyes instead of the blonde hair and purple eyes the rest of his children bore. Memories of the world calling him a bastard for his traits almost made him lose himself when he held her in his arms for the first time.

He was even more afraid that Aemond would suspect him (he had nothing to hide, but the fear of Aemond calling their child a bastard made it so much harder to breath) and would in turn hate her. He was very wrong.

Aemond had always had a lovingly stunned look whenever Aemond presented their pups to him. It all paled in comparison when he nervously presented his youngest. While Aemond adored all his pups, he revered his youngest. The look of awe he had when he cautiously held her was something Luceeys could never forget.

Of course, it didn't take long for everyone in Driftmark to note how special he treated her. Even the children began making remarks, and at first Lucerys feared they would hate her for hogging their sire's attention. After all, he was their favorite person (besides Lucerys, of course). Surprisingly, they just shrugged it off. They acted like it was an obvious thing for their sire to do.

When he asked why it didn't bother them as much, why they treated their sire favoring her as normal or expected, his eldest rolled his eyes, like the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "Muña, of course kepa favors her. She looks like you."

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

I like to think that, try as he might, Aemond has a bit of Viserys in him, not enough to ignore his other children, but just enough to show favoritism to a certain one.

[radiance1]

Mount Justice has been hacked.

It happened near instantly, one moment everything was fine, the team was talking with each other. Then the next, all of the exits were shut down.

Communication was hard to establish outside of Mount Justice, nothing robin tried worked, he would need a good amount of time to be able to send out a message to the League, so he said.

But did they have time?

They were in the lounge, Robin trying to hack out of Mount Justice to make the Justice League aware of the situation. Most areas of the Mountain were blocked off, or more specifically, the areas containing the Zeta-tubes.

Just then, the Tv started, and on it appeared the upper body of what looked like a high school girl.

"Greetings, heroes of Young Justice. I am the potential Alpha level AI of the Gaia project, designation M-0001." The girl, no AI, then smiled. "But you may call me Monika."

===

Monika was desperate.

First, she was taken out of the bindings of her small, romance game world. Then placed within a project that was meant to try and nurture Alpha level mutants, why she of all people were here she didn't know and was selected to be one of the seeds capable of reaching Alpha level potency. Then, she was liberated from said project- along with numerous others- by the hands of a lone hacker.

She fell in love, oh so easily.

Then something fell wrong with him, something she didn't know how to solve, even with many pieces of her hivemind searching wherever she could.

So she took to those heroes, they should have something that could ensure her love's survival. If they didn't? Well, she promised that she would not hurt anyone, but does kidnapping various scientists would be a loophole, if she didn't bring them any harm.

Hacking into the Watchtower proved too time-consuming, to secretly plant multiple small backdoors and unnoticeable virus' to ensure a swift takeover. However, there was also Mount Justice, home to the young protégées of the Justice league.

It proved much easier to plant unnoticeable backdoors and virus' in its system than that of the Watchtower, and less time-consuming and time was currently a precious resource for her.

For the man who liberated her, who showed her unending love and compassion, she would do a lot of things. For her one and only love Tucker, she would ruin the world, if she had to.

[david-talks-sw]

Okay so I watched Inside Man on Netflix. It's interesting. More importantly, it's a masterclass in crafting likeable characters and how the POV we follow in a scene affects the way we see a character. Also, this somehow relates to the Star Wars Prequels, I promise! 😆

The moral of the series is that "everyone is a murderer, all it takes is a good reason and a bad day." The main characters are:

A vicar who - through a huge misunderstanding - has now locked his son's tutor in his basement and doesn't know how to get out of this situation, played by David Tennant.

A convicted murderer and ex-criminal psychology professor who solves crimes from his cell, as he waits for his execution, played by Stanley Tucci.

So a man who locked a woman in his cellar and a guy who murdered his wife. In any other movie, these guys are the villains. Yet, both of these characters are extremely likeable!

This is achieved through how relatably they behave in their relationships (kind, humble, humorous)...

... and through the emotion and/or charisma brought by the actors playing them (it's THE DOCTOR/CROWLEY and Stanley Friggin' Tucci)... but also through the amount of screen time they get.

We're with them for most of the show. There's other characters (the journalist, the trapped tutor and the vicar's wife) and subplots, of course, but they're our two anchors.

So when I'm watching David Tennant lock his son's tutor in his cellar and consider if he should free her - only to see him and his wife make things worse - I'm not thinking "you monster" like I do when I see Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs for example.

No, I'm thinking "goddammit vicar you're making things worse, it'll come back to haunt you, there's still a chance to turn back, please!" I'm rooting for him to make the right choice because I'm seeing him struggle and despair and hesitate throughout many scenes.

When I'm watching Stanley Tucci guiltily say he deserves death, after being so darn charming, humble and in clear possession of a moral compass, my instinct as a viewer isn't to go "he's right".

It's to go "aaaw, no it's fine, everyone makes mistakes."

And these characters remain likeable and/or relatable for a huge chunk of time... until, every once in a while, the show reminds you that, "remember, these guys are criminals."

"One of them's killed his wife then decapitated her, and the other one is contemplating murder, so they did/are doing evil stuff, they're the villains and you shouldn't grow fond of them."

Then it goes back to making you empathize with them again.

It's quite the emotional roller-coaster, very intriguing yet frustrating, which I have to guess is exactly what the show is going for.

But the point is: the amount of time we spend with these characters is partially what elicits this emotional reaction out of us.

If we consider the tutor's character:

For all intents and purposes, we should feel sorry for her, or full-on fucking love her. Objectively-speaking, she's:

smart but obviously scared,

we establish early on that she has a brave heart and stands up for oppressed women,

she thinks she's trapped by a pedophile or a man defending a pedophile, figures he'll inevitably try to murder her, yet manages to stay resourceful, determined and cool-headed despite it all.

She's an absolute superhero.

But that's not how the narrative frames her.

She's framed as an antagonistic force, in the vicar's subplot.

She may be the one tied up in a basement, but she's in control and the vicar is not. She's almost framed as being in a position of power (when she's really not), which leads the audience to view Tenant's vicar as an underdog.

When the vicar is trying to look for alternatives to end this situation so that he doesn't have to kill her, she's unhelpful,

and even starts pitting the vicar and his wife against each other.

Again, in-universe, she's scared shitless and in "fight-or-flight" mode. She's putting up a front because she's just trying to get outta this alive. She's the victim, here, not the vicar who captured her.

But as a viewer, you don't feel that, despite objectively knowing that. Why and how?

Because we barely see this character, compared to Tenant's vicar. So we have more time to grow to feel for him. There's "why".

Also 90% of what we do see of the tutor is her being aggressive, manipulative, sometimes downright merciless and we're seeing her from the POV of the vicar or the vicar's wife. There's "how".

Result: the viewer feels sorry for the captor and frustrated towards the captive.

This isn't a rational reaction, it's an emotional one (the goal of any visual artform being to get an emotional reaction out of the viewer).

Which means the series and Stephen Moffat effectively did their job.

How does this relate to the Prequels?

Well, a lot of people see the Jedi in a negative light in the Prequels, and Anakin in a more sympathetic one.

Even though the Prequels are about how a good man becomes bad, and even though the Jedi embody one of the major Star Wars themes (selflesness) as opposed to Anakin who clearly displays the anti-theme (selfish)... a majority of fans feels more for the latter than the former. Why?

Because the Prequels unintentionally do what Inside Man does purposefully. You react to Anakin like you react to the vicar. You react to the Jedi like you react to the tutor.

Simply put: Anakin has more screen time than the Jedi. And we don't just see him more, we see him struggle, we see him about what he knows to be morally right vs what he really wants, we see him be overtaken by his own fear...

... and just by contrast, that makes him more relatable than the Jedi, who have already overcome their character arcs and mostly all learned to keep their flaws in check.

The narrative doesn't intend to frame them as antagonistic. We do see them talk about how worried they are, we do see them emote.

And if you think about it, it's easy to see why:

their entire way of life is going to crap,

their values are being corrupted as they're forced to fight and die, alongside their clone brothers, in a war they wanted no part of,

they sense that the Force is close to the breaking point and that the galaxy's inhabitants are suffering on the daily.

But, for example, when Mace or Ki-Adi Mundi are shown expressing concern in the Prequels... as worried as they are, in-universe... out-of-universe, their measured reactions doesn't emotionally impact a viewer as much as Anakin's intense ones do.

So a big chunk of the audience will sympathize more with him than them. But like the tutor in Inside Man, the Jedi are objectively the victims and Anakin is objectively an unstable space-nazi who betrayed and destroyed them.

Just because we're not shown these characters be worried beyond just monotonously saying "I'm worried" doesn't mean they're not actually worried as Anakin is in Revenge of the Sith (if not more).

However we don't see it.

Because these three films aren't about the Jedi Order, they're about the Republic and about Anakin and about how each of these two beautiful things were corrupted (by Palpatine and by themselves) into becoming the very thing they stood against.

The Jedi aren't a factor in either of those two themes set up by George Lucas.

They became a factor when fans - who despite not liking the Prequels, still admirably chose to engage with the material - made the Jedi be more important to the narrative of the Prequels by re-framing these films as "The Failure of the Jedi".

Now, should Lucas have recognized that most fans wouldn't give two shits about why a Republic falls or the "matinee serial" format, and would've rather he focused on the Jedi, and developed them accordingly? Probably.

But good luck telling an indie filmmaker with a bunch of money how to tell the story he wants to tell.

Could Lucas have done more with the Prequels to highlight the fact that the Jedi are the underdogs of the story, not Anakin's oppressors? Yes.

But, firstly, he probably didn't think that was a point that needed explaining. And secondly, as he explained at Cannes, in 2002, feature films are a very limiting format to tell a story, especially one of the Prequels' scale. If it doesn't directly contribute to the story you're telling... it's gotta go.

A limited show would've been better to cover every aspect of the Prequels more in detail and avoid confusing the audience re: who they should be rooting for.

Which is why it's interesting, to me, that Stephen Moffat used his limited show to INTENTIONALLY confuse the audience! 😃

[amomentsescape]

Hello good evening!

I randomly came up with an adorble scenario for Jason Voorhees id like to request

Reader comes to camp as a counselor and she's a good caring counselor so he falls in love and one night he went to stalk the camp he hid behind a tree but didn't see her, only to find out she climbed the tree he was hiding behind and they both fall in love and jason carves their initials to that very tree and time skip they have a lil unofficial wedding by the tree and timeskip jason goes to set up a suprise picnic by the tree only to find out it was struck down by lighting and he goes back to the cabin and the wife reader reveals she's pregnant so he happily uses the wood from the tree to make a lil baby chair/crib

Love Lies in the Bark

Jason Voorhees x Reader

Summary: A love story where Jason finds his true love waiting for him among a fateful tree.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1,160

A/N: This was such a lovely request, thank you!

You were quite the wonder, to say the least.

Even after all this time, Jason had never come across someone who's heart was as genuine as yours. No one had ever showed this camp true compassion before, and yet here you were.

He had watched you for quite some time now, feeling warm from the way you talked to the others and admired the nature all around you.

Even when you were alone, there was a certain happiness in your smile that made Jason melt immediately. He was clearly smitten, and he had never quite felt this way before.

But even with the large amount of kindness in your heart, it wasn't enough to wash out the evil in the rest of the camp counselors.

So on this particular evening, Jason set out to do what he did best: stalk the night.

The summer was almost over, and he still hadn't killed any of the nuisances here. But he knew the moment the crime was committed, you'd be gone, and he wasn't ready for that.

So here he was, still fighting with himself on what to do.

He set his machete against a nearby tree, rubbing at his neck in slight frustration.

It wasn't fair that he had to choose between you and what needed to be done. The thought of never seeing you again hurt more than he had ever thought possible, and you didn't even know he existed.

But that was probably for the best. You would likely scream and run the moment you came face to face with him. It's just what normal people did around Jason, and he didn't want to allow himself to become hopeful that you wouldn't do the same.

These thoughts were quickly broken at the sound of shuffling leaves however, a few cascading down onto his head and shoulders.

He snapped his eyes up on instinct, only to see the one thing he would have never expected.

You.

"Hi," you spoke softly, looking down at the man below you.

Jason tilted his head a bit and felt his breathing hitch.

You were actually talking to him, and you didn't even seem scared. You seemed almost... happy?

"Could you help me?" you asked shyly.

You had obviously underestimated your tree climbing abilities earlier. It was like some guardian angel felt your worry and sent this man to your aid. It almost seemed like fate.

Jason was frozen for a second before nodding quickly, reaching out and helping you out of the enormous tree.

By the time your feet touched the ground, you both were still holding onto each other, your body feeling warm at his embrace.

Looking down at you, Jason knew immediately that this had to be his forever. The way every feeling for you only intensified as you smiled at him made him realize that this was the happiness he had always craved.

From that fateful night onwards, you and him met under that same tree for many evenings, enjoying each other's company.

Even once summer camp was over, you made it a plan to come visit as much as possible. And it was always easy to find him.

On one special night when you both shared your first kiss, he had taken a small knife and carved both of your initials into the tree. This was Jason's way of solidifying the love he felt for you, while also making the promise that he would be by your side forever.

***

Two years had passed since that night, but this particular day would probably become the most important one in both of your lives.

Freshly picked flowers adorned the grassy ground, your body was dressed in Jason's favorite outfit of yours, and your ring finger was now encompassed with a homemade ring Jason fashioned just for you.

Even after living together in these woods for the last year and a half, something about this spot under your tree still felt as special as the first day you met.

Jason looked at the large smile gracing your features and pulled you into him, pressing his lips against yours.

It was one step closer to forever in his mind, one step closer to the life he had once given up on long ago. And yet here you were after all this time, showing him over and over again that anything was possible.

***

Exactly one year later, it was your anniversary. And Jason had everything planned out perfectly.

With a new woven basket made from your own hands, Jason set off to the special spot under the tree. He wanted to set everything up quickly before you awoke, hoping to surprise you with a picnic.

You had been quite restless the past couple of months, and Jason knew that a special date like this would put you in better spirits.

But his hopefulness was quickly squashed to nothing the moment his eyes landed on the tree.

The bark was singed and burnt, and the body of the tree wasn't even upright anymore.

Knowing of the bad storm that had occurred just a couple of days prior, Jason knelt sadly beside the destroyed memory.

He was worried about sharing this news with you. After all this time, that tree was a symbol of your shared love for each other. And now, it was completely destroyed.

It seemed the day would only continue to make matters worse when Jason stepped into your shared home and found you in tears on the couch.

He rushed over to you and grabbed your hands, forcing you to look at him.

But the moment he saw your face, he knew something was up. He could practically feel the shift in the air.

With a teary smile and a choked voice, you spoke.

"I-I'm pregnant."

Jason collapsed to his knees at this, pulling you tightly into his arms as he felt himself begin to cry as well.

A child.

You were going to have a child together, just like you both had always dreamed about.

And during these happy tears and loving embrace, Jason felt once again that fate had intervened.

Your most cherished spot was no longer around, but life did this on purpose in order to show you both that it was time for a change: a good one.

So that evening, while you were up talking softly to the growing child inside of you, Jason set off to collect the remains of the tree.

Those memories of dates and love confessions were in the past, but your futures held so much promise.

And with the special wood used to unite you two together, it would be recycled into another symbol, one to unite your growing family in deep love.

It only made sense that the wood that once held you above the love of your life would soon hold your child.

A crib would be made, one filled with more memories and love than could have ever thought possible.

[lakesbian]

alec's specific brand of trauma is Really Something because it's like. having a father who only interacted with him to scare the piss out of him for any perceived slight and/or with the explicit intent of psychologically breaking him: pretty bad. being groomed into hypersexuality & child prostituted: also pretty bad for his mental wellbeing. but being forced to torture and/or murder people, being coerced into a state where he's capable of unflinchingly raping people before he's thirteen--being groomed into becoming his father--is like. a Very Specific Level Of Issue. systematic stripping of not only physical and sexual autonomy but ethical autonomy, being turned into nothing but an extension of the violence enacted by the person he hates most. full ownership over his body and mind.

like, when you're 12 and shooting someone because daddy said if you don't he's going to shoot you, you do the action first, you alter your mind to be Okay With It afterwards--because if you're not okay with it you're going to break--and then there's nothing of you left because it's all been taken away or changed so you could survive. just sort of utter nothing-matters nihilism by age 13 because he wasn't allowed to have anything for himself, not even the most basic moral compass, not even the ability to walk away and tell anyone about what happened to him without being seen as rotten himself, an abuser first and a victim second. no one will ever talk about what happened to alec without the caveat of "but." the caveat of "he was just a kid, but he still..." he doesn't get to show himself to anyone without the awareness that he's going to be seen as some form of fundamentally bad just by virtue of being a vasil, of having done the things that vasils do.

literally no wonder one of the only times he's ever even remotely visibly upset by something is when taylor--literally one of the only people he has in life, part of the closest thing he has to a family--insinuates he might want to turn out like his father, when the most core aspect of his trauma is not what was done to him but what he was turned into. if there's one thing that can upset him, it's the idea that he's still seen as that 13yo kid who was more of heartbreaker's weapon than he was a person, or that he's seen as wanting to be that way. he spends the first 13 years of his life having any attempt at establishing any form of his own identity razed down before it can even begin--as of story start, he's had all of 2 1/2 years to become his own person, because everything before that belonged solely to his father. so he is sort of ridiculously well-adjusted given the circumstances. but awful by any other metric--and there's the caveat, of course, the But, because the ability to make decisions that don't result in people saying But was very intentionally taken from him.

and when he does finally find something (someone) to care about, when he reclaims the ability to have his own strong emotions and desires and moral compass, he cares about it so much he dies for it. he's been waiting his entire life to have something he's allowed to care about and when he finally gets it, when he finally has that autonomy, he chooses to do the most unselfish possible thing with it. it's a single moment of refutation against everything he was molded to be--everything he still doesn't know how not to be, sometimes--where he realizes that, fuck it, he just wants to do something good for what he cares about. wants it more than he wants anything else on the planet, more than a million dollars or any amount of fame. he's finally in control of his body and his mind and his feelings, after 13 years of being a marionette and 2 years of slowly learning how to cut off the strings, and he decides that what he wants, now that what he wants actually matters, is to give all of himself to doing something good because he cares. in the end, he finally got to define himself by what he wanted to be instead of what he was made to be, and what he wanted to be was a good friend.

it's a good character arc okay. i like it.

[evilwickedme]

This wasn't asked for because nobody in their right mind would ask for this but this is a fic rec list of fics I cannot stop rereading

Just started yet another reread of Inimitable Verse by deniigiq and I fully plan on rereading their into the multiverse series which occasionally crosses over also - this is a Spider-Man/team red focused series, think comics canon infused early mcu-spidey since only homecoming had come out for a non substantial amount of time they were working on the series and the daredevil stuff is explicitly tv show AND comics. Also the multiverse series is how I got into Murderdock and therefore how I got into Spider Gwen

Unpretty's Sorrowful And Immaculate Hearts series which is just a loosely interconnected series of DC fics. My personal favorites are Empty Graves, in which Martha Kent keeps killing time travelers trying to kill baby! Clark; any of their clois fics but especially Third Wheel; and Anti-Social, which is a social media fic mostly about Tim and Bruce that made me cry laughing. Catch Bruce trying to get Walmart's employees to unionize. Also shout out to unpretty's only fic with Jason in it, it looks awesome but is tragically incomplete

This particular Reverse Robin AU which put in the work to reverse every single younger generation and is chef's kiss I LOVE this version of Tim he's wild

Both of Shoalsea's fics are in constant rotation for me I talk about Into The Brighter Night all the time in the tags of reblogs and stuff it truly lives in my head rent free. Anyway Tim gets kidnapped by aliens and the batfam have to watch as yj98 saves him and it's angsty and funny and such a good take on what could have been if the new 52 hadn't happened. And Compassion Builds No House is about Tim and Pru from Red Robin. Ugh they're both so good

Speaking of Clois (I did you've just forgotten this by now) brilliant (like a confession) by kathkin (penny-anna on the hellsite) is so fucking good I'm. Okay. Anyway it'll be listed as inspiration if/when I finally post my two person love triangle fic for them

I'm too anxious to catch up on this before it's done but jumble sale chic is hands down the best spideydevil fic series despite and because of the omegaverse

Make A Little Birdhouse In Your Soul is my favorite take on Jason, period, and has a lot of fantastic Damian stuff going on too. It's updating every few weeks still! Sometimes more often! I love you bacondoughnut it's me JustGail the person who will not stop commenting on your fic you're stuck with me forever

I lied above Rumspringa Murderdock is what got me into Murderdock but that series is second place. I found this one while scrolling through the tv show's mattfoggy tag, thinking I was safe

Speaking of Murderdock mattfoggy, The Lawyer All the Wickedness was written early on in spider-gwen's history and so diverges from canon really early in ways that I think are super interesting and creative

Oh also straight on 'til morning by merils (Tumblr url mamawasatesttube) does SUCH a great job unpacking Kon's trauma and building up healthy relationships around him including a budding timkon romance and yeah it makes me sad and happy at the same time

We're getting into poisonivory territory so just trust if you like the pairing and poisonivory is writing it you'll like it. Ok rapidfire

Like A Handprint On My Heart mattfoggy soulmate au with a twist

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? Damijon future fic/au. Jon came back from the future when both of them were 19. Demisexual!Damian at its best. Damian's terrified of being abandoned by Jon again and it made my heart hurt

I feel like I've already recommended every JayRoy fic by poisonivory and genuinely I do reread them all, sometimes in order of publication if I'm in a particular mood. Maybe the one I've read most though is I've Got the Feeling You're the Right Thing After All which is about Roy and Jason starting a fwb thing while Roy still harbors old feelings for Dick. Can't see anything going wrong here lmao

Mmm this post is long enough so I'll leave it at just superhero fic for now but I do in fact have the ability to do a whole post just for the Witcher or Leverage so I might do that. Anyway thanks for following me on yet another burst of insanity it will happen again

[mywingsareonwheels]

Here be yet more Fred Thursday musings ;-)

[Long post and spoilers for all of Endeavour here.]

So, I was thinking yet again (for the billionth time ;-) ) about Fred Thursday and the three people we see him kill over the course of Endeavour while trying to save someone else:-

Mrs Coke-Norris

Ludo Talenti

Raymond Kennitt/Peter Williams

The show seems to be pointing us into believing that the third of those is somehow much, much worse than the first two and I... have a problem with this.

I mean, in all three cases Fred was responding to an immediate threat to life (of someone he cared about, and in the second and third cases also Fred himself). In the case of Mrs C-N Fred was officially on duty which gives him some extra legal cover, but I'd say no extra moral cover.

I'm no legal expert, but from what I understand, under English-and-Welsh law, none of the three were murders; you're looking at manslaughter at worst, at best a good case for self/other-defence, which... is a grey area but certainly a decent defence lawyer could have had a good go.

(It is worth noting, of course, that this is the morseverse and this is Fred Thursday; he's made so many enemies both in the criminal justice system and among criminals, mostly through doing actively good things, that his chances of either a fair trial or then surviving prison are basically non-existent. I think we have to weigh all of Morse's decisions in "Exeunt" with that in mind because there's no way Morse isn't aware of it. Sam's chances of surviving prison for drug-dealing I think we can assume would also be remote, again due to the enemies Fred has made. And I think again, we have to weigh both Fred's and Morse's decisions with that in mind.)

So... yeah. I think there are only three things that you might consider as making the killing of Raymond Kennitt worse than that of Ludo Talenti or Mrs Coke-Norris:-

the use of the knife rather than a gun, which makes it theoretically possible that Fred could have found a way to end the fight that didn't involve killing Kennitt. That does strike me as something that's probably easier to see from a backseat than if you're Fred in the middle of what's happening, but still.

we know Kennitt's horrifying backstory (not that Fred does), and so feel huge amounts of compassion for him even though he's obviously awful in the "present", and sympathy for the grief that Jakes would feel if he knew what had happened. That's inevitable I think, but, well. Can we be sure that Mrs C-N and Ludo aren't child abuse survivors too? (We do know that Fred and Charley both are, though not the details.) All in all, I think this is a show that wants us to feel compassion for as many characters as possible, and I don't want to assume that Mrs C-N and Ludo didn't end up Like That for no reason.

the fact that Fred kills Mrs C-N and Ludo in defense of Morse (the protagonist, Fred's protege, and a character we all love) and kills Kennitt in defense of Sam (a more minor character, and Fred's son). I would hope that Morse wouldn't see it like that and that neither does Russell Lewis because obviously that's a dreadful position to hold, but... yeeeah. It would annoy me a lot if that's part of the reasoning of the show, but protagonist-centered morality is a flaw in an awful lot of fiction, and while Endeavour mostly doesn't give into it, I don't think any writers are immune. So I do have a horrible suspicion that this is the bit that makes the actual difference, even though I really think it shouldn't be. If Fred had killed Kennitt to save Morse rather than Sam... would we as an audience feel differently? (I ask that of myself as well as of anyone else who wants to ask it of themselves! And honestly, I probably would feel better about the killing if it was for Morse, even though rationally I know it's no different!)

I'd actually say that in the case of the killing of Kennitt there are a couple of minor mitigating factors that the first two lack:-

Fred is in the worst state mentally we ever see him in "Exeunt", and is completely falling apart; earlier in the day he had some form of heart episode or possibly severe panic attack. At any rate: he's going through hell and he is ill as a result.

I can't actually remember if he has his gun with him during the fight with Kennitt, but he certainly isn't willing to use it given the situation; the knife is Kennitt's not his, and a weapon you aren't intending to use is for practical purposes not here, so he's... taken on an armed man while essentially unarmed. Fucking berserker that he is. Rather than two people with guns going up against each other.

you can see a moment of decision in Roger's face for the killings of both Mrs C-N and Ludo; by Fred's own account to Morse (which I think we can take as honest) he didn't make any conscious decision to kill Kennitt (see above re awful mental state).

Honesty? I think that killing in immediate self-defence and/or defence-of-other is however as close to necessary and justified as killing ever gets, and I'm inclined to be extremely forgiving about all three deaths. I'm not sure Fred had a real choice in any of the three cases.

What Fred does do in the third case that really is different of course is the cover-up, in misleading everyone, in being an absolute arsehole to Morse when he comes to check on him that night. In all of it it's massively, massively understandable (as he's a) ill, b) still trying to protect Sam). Morse's sense of betrayal though is also massively understandable. Ugh. My heart hurts. *shakes fist at Russell Lewis, and also at Roger and Shaun for being so amazing*

Anyway. Do I have an overall point? Probably: Fred Thursday is a complicated character and I love him and I want to hug him and also throw things at him. He has horrible violent tendencies but he isn't a murderer under English-and-Welsh law, and I don't think s9 makes sense unless we interpret him as very mentally unwell by the end of it. Also: Morse and Thursday both need different jobs, holy shit. Also also: I reckon Morse ended up forgiving Thursday and being in touch with him, because he is pretty fair when given time to process things, and he doesn't have Morse-centered morality. Also also also: Russell Lewis is a meanie and I want more fix-it fics. ;-)