#bc at least they've never abused me

[coccinellaseptempunctata]

feeling. normal .

[s4pphoiduser]

blind (2022) is driving me insane. im begging my friends to watch it but theyre either busy with exams or almost exclusively fluff/romance-watchers . i need to talk ab this w someone just hit me up or something GOD

[akizambie]

Great, apparently I'm getting kicked out my parents house because I've been jobless past 2-3 weeks. I've been applying to everything I can, signed up to several job agencies, going to a specifc jobs opening evening thing on Tuesday, lit doing all I fucking can, ik several other people struggling to find shit too, it's not me, it's just hard to get something right now, but according to my parents I'm doing absolutely nothing to find out and driving then crazy.

[yamujiburo]

Some of this might sound intentionally hostile in text and I apologize.

I'm saying this as an abuse survivor mind you - don't throw "abusive ships" under the bus so easily - at least, so long as they're not actually glamorizing the abuse. I lived that irl and I personally find someone overcoming it, slowly having enough of that bullshit and getting out over time, and the other person having to wipe their own butt for once after they've made the damn mess, very refreshing. Maybe that's not a ship in the traditional sense. It's no happily ever after bc it shouldn't be, but I find stories like mine shyed away from so often because even the portrayal gets considered a "canon ship". ... that's just how media works now, I guess? I very rarely See a fictional relationship not called a ship in literally any context now so that's the definition I'm running on.

I wish more people were willing to portray the hardships of finding acceptance outside of "whoever you can find will accept you" very much, and finding the better things after. I wish people weren't terrified out of portrayimg situations like mine.

Jessie.. is not a good person in canon. You expect me to believe she moved into to hanamusa seamlessly, without falling on her ass? I never see you talk about Jessie's abusive tendencies in canon. You never talk about the inherent meanness she needed to get over to get there. She's quite aml lot like my ex in canon, actually.

What do you mean you're going to just remove from the character that she is abusive to those around her. Jessie hits people. She takes her own junk out on others all the time. Do you even like the character then, are you actually invested in her growing, or are you just making an OC at this point?

Idk. Do you, boo. But you are posting about a character who, whether you like it or not, is canonically abusive. I just don't buy that dating Ash's mom alone fixed her. That isn't... How that works. It would be excellent if it did. Part of my love of hanamusa is that it signals Jessie's change - but she could have changed for anyone before now.

What makes Delia different? How is she specifically a turning point for Jessie? Because Jessie's flaws go well beyond just bossing people around.

I would love if my abuser had the same outcome as your Jessie. I adore your portayals of hanamusa, where she's still flawed but still strives to do better. That's all I ever wanted from my ex.

What the fuck got her there tho.

Anyways I've been watching a lot of Bojack Horseman lately -

I agree with you! I don't think abusive relationships (or any tough subject matter in general) should be shied away from in media. It can be powerful when executed well and written by folks who are equipped to tell those kinds of stories. I do think it's sad when people treat it as off limits. But the ask I got was definitely more about which ships I have where I actually like the relationship between the characters. I think the semantics of the word "ship" are kind of vague or rather, over time, got so specific to only mean "absolutely love together and want them as endgame" (for most people anyways). So that's usually what I take the word to mean when people ask me about it.

I can 100% appreciate how an abusive relationship is written and handled, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna ship an abuser with their victim (that falls into the glorifying you're talking about). Love Bojack Horseman! Big fan! I think the way they handled Bojack and Sarah Lynn was beautifully and tragically well written. But does that mean I ship Bojack and Sarah Lynn? Absolutely fucking not.

I've talked about Jessie's character plenty on this blog and the way she's handled in earlier seasons specifically. This is kind of a summary: If we look at it on surface level, yes we can say she was abusive. But I think it's important to acknowledge and take into account the medium, time period and culture. Slapstick and cartoon violence was HUGE in anime and animation in the 90s (and prior to that too). Characters were always cartoonishly slapping each other around with giant mallets, folding fans, etc. Looney Tunes style. These slapstick bits were always distinct from real abuse and hurt (for Pokémon, Jessiebelle comes to mind). Mean slapstick wasn't a character trait exclusive to Jessie either. We saw it in Misty, James, Meowth, characters of the day and pretty much any character who got mad. It was a visual shortcut to show anger.

This type of slapstick has since (thankfully) died out and it hasn't really been a part of the Pokémon franchise since the early 2000s. However, Jessie was a notably special case. One of my favorite fun facts about the Pokémon anime is that there was a point in the series where Megumi Hayashibara (Jessie/Musashi's seiyuu) told the writers that moving forward, she no longer wanted Jessie to be violent or to be shown hitting James or Meowth (source: her memoir "The Characters Taught Me Everything"). She thought it directly went against the vision Takeshi Shudo had for Jessie, James and Meowth, when he created them, which was that they are good natured villains. If you watch from DP and on, Jessie never lays a hand on either of them. I think it was a such a good move on Pokémon's part to change her character like that and I'm forever grateful that Hayashibara said something! Whenever I write Jessie now, I always keep that in mind. She's mean, shouty and stupid but would never genuinely hurt those she cares about.

From then, her character becomes much more bearable. She's still bossy, mean and vain (typical cartoon villainess attributes) but I'd hesitate to say abusive. She'll still yell at James and Meowth, they all yell at each other, but in more of a sibling way (imo) rather than a "i'm actively trying to hurt your feelings way". The show makes a point especially in later seasons to show that Jessie, James and Meowth are not beyond being redeemed. From conception the whole POINT of the Team Rocket trio was that they are redeemable but their persistence and obsession keeps getting in the way of them seeing that there's a better life for them out there.

I won't deny that Jessie was unsavory in earlier seasons, but when I write her, I choose to write the version that Takeshi Shudo and Megumi Hayashibara had envisioned from the get go. She's still incredibly flawed and makes plenty missteps but wants to be better as you stated! My favorite part about Jessie is that she's a piece of shit LOL and I enjoy writing the changes she goes through to be better (but then still showing her default so some of her evil tendencies). In this AU, Delia doesn't fix Jessie. Jessie fixes Jessie because she is with someone makes her want to be a better person. She's already in the middle of turning over a new leaf before even meeting Delia, after leaving Team Rocket. Writing Jessie as legitimately abusive I think could work, but that's not my story to tell and if someone who were more equipped to tell that story did, I'd be very interested to take a listen!

I hope this doesn't come off as trying to deny or invalidate your experience. If you see that in Jessie, I hear you! This is just how I've interpreted her character over the years, having watched every episode of Pokémon and reading Japanese interviews from the cast and crew. She's such a compelling character and I love how messy she is

[linatheweirdooo]

Don't hurt me

I wrote this fic on ao3 originally as a vent, but due to the positive reception I'm gonna post it here too :3 here's the link to it on ao3 if you wanna give it a kudos or reply or read any other stuff I wrote bc I don't plan on posting that much on here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56567776/chapters/143770822#workskin

TW; implied S/A (it's hurt/comfort but the subject is mentioned and implied)

~~

It all happened so fast.

The sensation of water trickling down her synthetic skin, the studs of soap covering her body. It was a normal day, V just wanted to take a shower to clean herself off after an especially bloody hunt. Until she slipped.

Her entire frame collapsed onto the soapy ground, and her optics struggled to make out what was happening. Her processor overwhelmed with the sensory information from all fronts, it retorted to its only defense; to connect this situation to something familiar, something that has happened before.

In her disoriented state, instead of seeing the shower in her home, she saw a room in the old manor. And instead of feeling water slide down her hydrophobic shell, she felt hands. Hands that were distinctly human. Hands of the people whom she still can't remember the faces of, violating her. Touching her in places she shouldn't be touched, abusing parts of her body that are too sensitive for it.

This was stupid. She was a robot, she was a servant, why would she care if she was used? Wasn't that what she was made for? She shouldn't be whining.

Poisonous words from the person seemingly executing this echoed in her audio receptors. Even when it happened, V could bearly make out proper sentences.

V just yelled for them to get away, but her pleas proved vain when nothing changed.

Eventually, she succumbed to it, with only whimpers and muffled sobs with the occasional "stop" escaping her mouth.

~~

N was out today, which only left Uzi and V in their home, but the purple worker couldn't help but feel slightly worried by how long her girlfriend had been in the shower, she was usually quick.

But Uzi brushed it off. Maybe she's doing some self care for herself. V was responsible, they've known each other for a while now. Long enough to build a life with her and N.

That was until she heard V's voice, muffled by the walls of the bathroom and too far away from Uzi to make out any actual words. But why would V be yelling? There's nobody else in the house other than her, right?

Uzi panicked, but took a deep breath. She needed to stop assuming the worst all the time. So she calmly (albiet still quickly) walked up to the bathroom she was in and knocked on the door.

"V? You okay?"

No reply. At least, no reply that was directed at Uzi. It was hard to tell what she was saying, which worried her. Uzi does know V has a... complicated past... but even after getting together, she didn't talk about it more than she needed to. What if she was stuck in some kind of flashback?

No. No jumping to the worst case scenario. She'll just ask her again.

"V? Did something happen? Can I come in?"

No reply again. This was now a cause for concern, so Uzi opened the door, only to see her girlfriend on the floor of the shower sobbing and whimpering.

Immediately she ran up to V. But the disassembly drone sat up and made eye contact with Uzi.

Fear. The thought that V was even capable of the feeling had never even crossed Uzi's mind, but the hollow yellow rings that replaced her eyes were all that stared back her girlfriend.

V looked sad, tired, and scared, and while she has shown more emotion in front of her partners than she would to anyone else, this was different. It was raw, it was unfiltered, and it was heartbreaking. Her wet hair covered parts of her face and water was still pouring over her. She looked helpless.

"V?" Was all Uzi got to say before the disassembly drone tensed up and her endoskeleton started to shake. Pants and suppressed sobs were all that escaped the drone in front of Uzi, and when she tried getting closer, V cowered, pushing herself on the floor into the corner of the shower.

With her knees to her chin, one cone-shaped arm wrapped around her legs and the other in a protective position, hiding most of her face, V looked...vulnerable.

Noticing her girlfriend's reaction, Uzi moved backward. V must've thought she was someone else. Why else would she be this scared at the sight of her own girlfriend? Did Uzi do something?

V seemed to relax slightly, but she still looked like a helpless, terrified kitten in the rain. It hurt Uzi to see someone so important to her look like that. Only a year or two ago, Uzi would be scared of V, stating what she would think would be her final words if she crossed by any disassembly drone. Never in a million years did she ever entertain the idea of dating not one, but TWO of them. And now one of them is terrified of her.

As Uzi prepared to speak again, she heard V mumble something mixed with a sob. Uzi's audio receptors may not be as advanced as her girlfriend's, but she could make out a few words.

"Don't hurt me" were those words. The rest were lost to the sounds of whimpering and water from the shower hitting the floor, but Uzi's heart sank at the thought of what those words implied.

"V... it's me, Uzi"

It was a softer tone and volume, and it seemed to have worked as V relaxed a little bit and lowered her hand. However, she was still shaking and her eyes were still hollow.

Uzi leaned down to get on V's level, in an attempt to make her more comfortable. "it'll be okay" she comforted. Maybe it won't be, she had no way to tell, but it may help calm V down. She grabbed the towel V had hung on the hanger. "Can I get you out of here?"

V, still shaking and her eyes still hollowed, nodded. She didn't say anything, as if her voice were being held under a lock and key.

Uzi got into the shower and turned the water off as V stared at her, with digital tears hanging from the eyes displayed on her screen.

The worker drone reached out a tender hand to her girlfriend's cheek, which she immediately leaned into and closed her eyes.

Now that she was closer to V, the stress lines under them were more obvious, and as she brought back her hand, Uzi draped the towel over V like a blanket.

"Do you want me to dry you off or do you want to do it yourself?" Uzi asked in a loving tone.

V took a bit to respond, but she then replaced her eyes with text that read "I'll do it, but stay here" before adding on a "please".

Uzi nodded in response, and V blinked away the text as Uzi used one hand to interlace her fingers with V's and the other supporting her other arm, lifting it up and allowing V's limp body to stand at its full 5'11" height.

V took the towel that was hastly draped over her and wrapped it around herself after she had dried off the plastic and silicone that shielded her insides from the elements.

Uzi looked back at V once she was done but before Uzi got the chance to marvel at how beautiful her girlfriend looked, V collapsed onto Uzi before clearing her throat and spoke.

"Can you..." She paused, as if she was incapable of asking Uzi to do anything for her.

"Can you brush my hair?"

Her voice was scratchy from the crying, and her voice was still shaking despite thinking all the tears were gone. Maybe it was from embarrassment. The strong and terrifying Serial designation V asking for help? She might as well be dead at that point.

"of course..." Uzi smiled before going onto her tip toes and closing the gap between the two drones in a short, soft, loving kiss.

~~~~~

Uzi walked out to let V change, and after a few minutes she saw her girlfriend in a baggy purple sweater collapse into a hug, burying her head into Uzi's shoulder.

"..'m sorry for scaring you" was all V said, partially muffled by Uzi's shirt.

But Uzi just hugged her back and smiled into V while running her fingers through her girlfriend's still partially wet hair. "Its okay, it's not your fault"

V must've believed her. Or didn't feel like arguing. Because she just hummed in reply before pulling away from Uzi and sitting on the edge of their bed infront of the worker.

As Uzi played with V's hair, she wondered what must've happened. Who did V think she was? Why was she scared? Was she stuck in some kind of memory? What was happening in it?

She didn't want to ask too much. V was already secretive about her past even after getting together. But if it was hurting someone she cares about so much, she should at least ask her if she's okay now.

So she asked.

"What happened in there?" And immedietly felt bad. What if she was forcing V to re-live this memory? Was she overstepping a boundary?

"Uh.." V stopped in her tracks, almost trying to remember what just happened before Uzi cut off her train of thought.

"N-not that you have to tell me! It's just-" Uzi sighed. "I just want to know if you're okay"

A moment of silence passed, but to Uzi it felt as though it was a thousand years, and to V, half a second.

V took a deep breath before adjusting her position so that her knees were to her chest and she rested her face on them. "No... you deserve to know. Just-" another beat passed. "- just... i-it's just hard to talk about... uh.."

It was hard to keep talking, trying to figure out which words to carefully string together to form a cohesive sentence. She shouldn't be nervous, but she hasn't really talked about this to anyone. Her mind just kept flashing back to moments she has tried so hard to forget every time she wants to attempt to tell the most important person in her life what happened.

"V? You okay? You don't have to talk, you know"

Shit. She zoned out.

V collected herself and rehearsed what she'd say in her head. Why was she overthinking? She can trust Uzi.

"I..." Her eyes trailed down, and Uzi moved to the left of V to get a better look at her.

"Th-this was like, a long time ago and-"

She stared at her hands, and watched as she fiddled with them to relieve a bit of her anxiety. Or was it fear? Nervousness? Even she can't pinpoint the feeling. But, she does know she needed to talk about it.

"When I was a- uhm... w-when I worked for the Elliot manor... there were some...bad people" she took a slightly shaky breath. Uzi could probably see that V wasn't okay. Maybe that's why she rested her hand on top of V's after she said that. And despite the topic at hand, and emotions racing through her head, V made eye contact with her girlfriend and smiled. Not the sadistic smile she sported in hunts, or the beaming one she wore when Uzi said that magic three-letter word after asking her out. It was soft. It was okay. She's safe with Uzi.

So she took another shaky breath, and continued. "They hurt me. And... the ways they did that, varied..."

Uzi's digital eyes displayed slanted lines, reminiscent of human eyebrows when someone was sad.

"A-and one of those ways... included parts of me that I still wonder why I have. Maybe it was to feed their sick fantasies" it was hard to talk about, but the lump in her artificial throat was smaller as she found herself getting more comfortable.

V opened her mouth so speak, but choked on a sob that she had been trying to suppress. Damn it. She can't be crying now. She supposed to be scary. What was she even doing right now? She was stupid to think she can be vulnerable. She's supposed to be big and scary.

While V spiraled in her thoughts, hypocritically degrading herself for things she did three seconds ago, she snapped out of it by a sudden weight, and arms wrapping around her.

It was Uzi hugging her.

Suddenly, she couldn't control it anymore, and V let out more sobs as she finally broke down. Uzi held her through all of it, she even moved in front of V to face her. And as V sobbed and cried into the crook of Uzi's neck, she wrapped her own arms around the worker, despretly shaking and clawing onto her to make sure Uzi will never leave her side.

Between V's slightly muffled sobs and sniffles, Uzi lifted her head slightly to plant a kiss on V's cheek and whispered comforting words into her audio receptors.

"I'm here now" "Its okay now" "im sorry", they all helped but sounded the same to V. Until Uzi said a particular phrase.

"You didn't deserve that"

What a joke. She absolutely did. Maybe she hadn't done anything bad when it happened but the things that were done to her was probably something whatever higher being looking down on her did to punish her ahead of time. Maybe they thought it would stop her from doing the horrible things she did later in her life as a disassembly drone. In reality V didn't deserve Uzi. Or even N. She doesn't deserve loving partners who care about her. She doesn't deserve the affection she received from them or any forgiveness that they gave her.

But V couldn't even muster the energy to say that. Uzi would probably tell her it was absurd to think that way. Maybe it was. It was hard for someone programmed to serve people to imagine those people may be bad.

At some point in her thoughts, V's sobs got reduced to just occasional hitches in her breath, and her digital tears were replaced with tired lines under golden eyes. And they were very visible to Uzi, who pulled away from the hug and was now holding V's larger hands that were slightly illuminated by the yellow triangles on them.

"Hey, it's getting late. Do you want to go to bed now?"

V blinked a few times and looked at Uzi, then to her own hands. Hands that were made to kill people like Uzi. But right now, hands that were being held by her. And she watched as Uzi's thumbs brushed along her palms.

"Yea. Maybe" V finally sighed, and leaned onto Uzi, who pushed her own weight towards her and hugged her harder.

An "I love you" escaped the purple drone as she rubbed soothing circles on her girlfriend's back. It almost made V start crying again.

She was fine. Everything's fine now. She'll never be hurt that way again. She's loved now.

She's loved now

V's voice shaky from the newly built up tears, she reciprocated the statement

"I love you, too, Uz"

It was quiet, muffled, half mumbled, but it was enough for Uzi to hear her and squeeze her girlfriend tighter.

They shuffled a bit while cuddling, and ended up in a position where Uzi was spooning V. There's a first time for everything, she guessed. But it wasn't that bad, being cradled by the one she loved the most.

Minus V's purring and occasional sniffle, it was relatively quiet. But, it was comfortable. Uzi subconsciously ran her fingers through V's hair as V listened attentively to the rhythm of Uzi's core and wrapped her tail around Uzi's leg. Getting used to how clingy and physically affectionate V was took a bit of time, especially since before dating, Uzi's only ever seen her murdering people, playing with their corpses like dolls only to animalisticly take a bite of her prey.

But it was nice. Paired with V's purring, Uzi really enjoyed cuddling with her, too.

It was a while before V broke the silence.

"You know... I never thought I'd ever tell anyone that experience, much less to a worker"

Uzi looked down at V in her arms, which caused V's complimentary eyes to look back at her.

"Not that it's a bad thing. I'm really glad I could finally talk to someone about it. I never thought I'd see myself this close to someone like you. You opened my eyes to a diffrent way of looking at things, and I'm forever grateful we met. I'm sorry I was such a dick at first."

Uzi's face softened at the remark before she leaned down to kiss V's hair

"Don't say that. You were scared. And you've changed" Uzi paused to cup V's face in her hands and lean in for another kiss, V holding the back of Uzi's head.

"I'm glad you trust me enough to talk to"

V didn't talk, but her smile and blush spoke a thousand words. Uzi just held V to her chest and continued playing with her hair.

It continued like that for a while, until V's "eyelids" grew heavy, and she eventually succumbed to her exhaustion.

~~

Uzi didn't know how long it's been, and frankly she didn't care. That was until she heard footsteps walking into her room before she saw the unmistakable yellow headband of a disassembly drone.

"Hey Zi d-" N cut himself off as he saw V asleep and walked over to Uzi.

"Did something happen?" He asked Uzi in a hushed tone, careful not to wake the drone laying in his girlfriend's arms.

"...Yea. I don't know if she would let me say what happened, but..." the worker looked at the murder machine curled up in her arms, asleep, and smiled. "...she's fine now" Uzi replied, petting V's hair.

N's face shifted to a sympathetic smile as he sat on the edge of the bed and eyed V.

"I hope she is" was all he said before going behind Uzi and snuggled up with her, hugging her from behind before he too fell asleep.

Which left Uzi alone with her thoughts.

V was right, though. A few years ago Uzi's life was hell. It was hard to even avoid hurting herself. But she's so glad she didn't. Now instead of walking to her home after a shitty day at school to be ignored by her father, she walks home after another day of university to a home with her girlfriend and boyfriend, ready to tell them about her day and hear about theirs. Now she looks forward to life, as long as she has her two favourite people in it.

Eventually, Uzi also fell asleep, being hugged by N and V, and hugging the latter back.

[roobylavender]

hmm this may interest you, do you have thoughts on this subject matter character-wise or in a meta sense?:

https://www.tumblr.com/thecruellestmonth/740875315694501888/batman-turning-points-3-batman-under-the-red

personally i'm not a fan of bruce's disavowal of fatherhood much for the same reasons that i'm not a fan of his installing the good soldier plaque. these to me are both writing choices driven more by writers' desire to explore theoretical concepts than they are driven by a character study of bruce himself. the concept of robin as an occupation inherently equivalent to child abuse is interesting. the concept of wondering what right a father has to children he has adopted towards that end is interesting. that being said, exploring the former concept didn't necessarily demand eliminating robin altogether. exploring the latter concept didn't necessarily demand bruce completely disavowing himself of any accountability. and ultimately both writing choices ignore that a core aspect of bruce's relationships with the robins was wanting to be a good parent, or at the least a good guardian. certainly something more than a mere ally or friend. he took responsibility for these children because he wanted to help guide them towards a certain path in life where they would no longer be ruled by their trauma the way he was and is by his. allowing them to become robin to that end was obv more than questionable, but all too many writers forget and even go so far as to ignore that bruce knew that. he was well aware of his status as an enabler and he eventually hated himself for it deeply. he felt perpetually guilty and reluctant to ask dick for any support once the latter became an adult bc he didn't want to sanction and (in his mind) effectively require dick to do something that would endanger his life on his own orders. he could realistically never stop dick from pursuing vigilantism, but he could at least refuse to ask dick for that commitment any longer so that dick had complete freedom to make his own choices as to the matter. regardless, bruce had to live with the guilt of having enabled the existence of robin to begin with, and he intended to live with that guilt. it was his closest friend and his primary means of survival

if anything, that to me is precisely why his disavowal of fatherhood doesn't make sense. bruce is a poor communicator and he has a tendency to take upon all burdens at the expense of his loved ones feeling like he no longer values them or their support, but that doesn't negate the fact that he's quite hyperaware of his flaws. he's a far more relentless critic of himself than he is of others, and that stems as much from self-righteousness as it does guilt. he's supposed to be better. he's supposed to set an example. he's supposed to do the right thing. he's supposed to save the whole city even if he's only one person. and so on and so forth. bruce is possessive of highly unrealistic expectations for himself bc he's a ridiculously emotional person trying to tell himself to act like a robot. he repeatedly sets himself up for failure and then when he inevitably fails he kicks himself down like a dog. he is essentially a walking man-child simply because he cares too much and that often leads him to make stupid, emotionally driven choices: like taking random children into his home and teaching them how to channel their emotions through fighting crime, because if it worked for him it might work for them too, esp when they've got the added benefit of his supervision and well-intended (albeit awkward) companionship

all of bruce's circumstances and internalizations and traumas point to him taking what i would term excessive ownership of his crimes. he's a self-made pity puddle because he thinks everything is his fault. dick barely having a life outside of vigilantism is his fault. dick nearly falling to his death is his fault. jason failing to properly process his parental trauma is his fault. jason getting blown up by the joker is his fault. i simply cannot imagine a world where bruce isolates himself from caring or from taking the blame because doing the latter has been his modus operandi for so long. it makes more sense for bruce to disavow fatherhood in the specific context of not wanting to take the place that john and mary or willis and catherine will always occupy; it makes less sense for bruce to disavow fatherhood in the specific context of raising and loving dick and jason as if they were his own. it's very much a you don't have to call me dad but when i call you "chum" i mean "son" situation. he's never one to burden others intentionally (although we obv know this rarely plays out the way he wants it to), rather he intentionally burdens himself. that's precisely what knightfall as an arc is stellar at depicting, regardless of the fact that it coincides with the existence of the good soldier plaque. bruce in the aftermath of jason's death has to blame himself excessively because it's the only way he knows how to cope. i've never understood depictions of his grief with an emphasis on jason's share of the blame bc not only is it classist towards jason, it's also inconsistent with bruce's own character and tendency to believe that every bad thing that happens is his fault. it's why i'm not really a fan of gotham knights #43-45. a death in the family makes it clear that bruce blames himself for not allowing jason to have the space and time to process his trauma properly before throwing him into the suit. allowing him to have hope never even comes into the picture

and i'm not sure if anyone has ever considered this, but the disavowal of fatherhood really confuses me when you remember tim exists. why is bruce's disavowal with regards to jason even necessary when the crux of tim's entry into the mythos is precisely the fact that he isn't someone over whom bruce can similarly exercise responsibility and ownership.. it's far more interesting to explore the tightrope bruce walks with that partnership because he's easily in a place to deny responsibility and yet obv he ultimately can't because despite whatever reluctance he expressed initially, he eventually gave in. the tone of the grant/brefoygle run also helps with depicting that dilemma. we're not primarily privy to the bruce of old anymore, who while quiet and awkward nonetheless expressed a capacity for caretaking. there are remnants of that of course (esp after tim's mother dies). but the bruce of the 90s is more imperious and domineering because he's been hardened by trauma. he delivers grand speeches about vigilantism and justice. he sends tim across the pond because he needs proper training. the fact that they're neighbors and get burgers together sometimes doesn't detract from the physical divide present there because tim is ultimately someone else's son and possessive of a life entirely divorced of what he does in the mask. he can walk away without preamble in a way that dick (at least until adulthood) and jason never could. plenty of writers recognized that and personally i believe it's what made the 90s robin run interesting to read, but i also believe writers retroactively projected the necessity of an emotionally distant bruce to that narrative onto the bruce of old. it was progressively rewritten to be a constant rather than a development in the wake of a highly transgressive event. and unfortunately that's tainted every interaction and/or recollection that he has with/of jason afterward

[posallys]

ok 1 ur desktop theme is GORG and 2 i need (if u wanna) ur thoughts about the show (or show sally in gen bc ur the only one i trust with her)

thank you!! i was actually thinking about updating it but maybe i wont 🤭🤭 and i have a lot of thoughts about the show except none only very few of them are good and i will be crucified by the 13-year-olds

im going to tell you anyway.

i will start with something i like....percy being angry. like yes give me the anger of a 12 year old who feels utterly alone in the world and doesn't understand (or does and it makes him more angry)

the fight scenes are dog shit. the only kind of cool one was in the arch but it was only cool because of percy doing the bait and switch and falling through the arch...the fights are bland boring sucky whatever other synonym you wanna use

uhhhhh sally jackson is not and would never be sitting in the rain pining of the god she told to leave....and especially not to teen pop...if she WERE going to act like a 16 year old and do the pining thing it would be to fucking like...billy joel and ricky martin and donny hathaway and stuff llike that okay...

i will preface this by saying that yes i understand that talking back to an abuser the way sally does in ep 1 doesn't make the abuse less abusive....however i DO not like the fact that that scene explicitly goes against sally characterization in the books....i am not digging my book out atm but the part where percy is like "my mother has never raised her voice or said an unkind word to anyone"....me thinks the writers all read the books 10 years ago and are going off of memory alone + or their brains are so clouded by the obsessive Big Screen Need to make women a badass girlboss slay queen i fucking hate it here

LET ANNABETH BE SILLY AND FUNNY AND CUTE AND CRY AND NOT BE AN ADULT THANK YOU....hated that they made annabeth the one to realize that it was medusa and not grover...give me back grover having to wrangle percy and annabeth into backpack leashes just to keep them on task/stop them from wandering off...book trio i miss you

i absolutely ADORE leah, walker, and aryan though the three of them are so so perfect, A+ casting no notes couldn't have done it better myself. if it weren't for the three of them i would have zero hope for the show i cannot lie...they're carrying. without them it's just..bad.

the pacing???? bad.

why did we waste half of the 4th ep on the train with echidna...stupid dumb pointless i hate it here

i do like the whole not all monsters are monsters and the gods aren't inherently good just because they're gods thing they've got going on though...very inch resting...silently hoping that they do a complete 180 and have percy side with luke and redo the series from there because that would be iconic as fuck <3 a girl can dream because at least then i could take the show at face value and not take 80 health damage every time they mess up a key part of the books...im at -29834 heath rn.

where was the time at chb before the quest??? the oh so important vital scene where luke teaches percy to sword fight???? like BRO that's soooooooooooo important to ME how could you get rid of that

not having annabeth show percy around camp

additionally, not having annabeth feed him the nectar and ambrosia, WHICH BY THE WAY they haven't even mentioned in the show yet...plot armor gone rip

not the fredrick chase sympathy while simultaniously blaming the woman...........rick when i get my hands on you...

annabeth having to EARN thalia's love??? absolutely not probably one of their biggest fuck ups fr.

the scene where sally is talking about Poseidon to percy...i do not like it sam i am. bad. not wistful enough not longing enough not sad enough not gut wrenching enough...also not completely here for sally telling percy that his dad was a god because....sallys whole thing was NOT telling him in order to keep him safe...i know they changed it in the show so sally knew he was going to camp immediately but that does not mean i have to like it

the scene with sally and percy in the pool. i hated everything about that. sally would never talk to percy like that never talk to him about money never make it seem embarassing NOT TO MENTION that percy simply wasn't scared of the water. that's stupid as fuck. theres a part in the book where percy literally says being by the water calms both him and his mom like...come the fuck on just admit you can't fucking read or at least didn't read the book.

sally annabeth get behind me so they cant hurt you anymore

i did loveeeee percy praying to sally though...absoutely insane and true of them. also the "I AM SALLY JACKSON'S SON" yesss baby you tell them about your mommy!!!!!!

them making athena moa level bad in tlt is quite interesting. setting up annabeth siding with percy pretty well.

also the whole impertinence thing over medusa's head was weird to me. when annabeth first said that i had immediately thought that annabeth's impertinence was telling percy to pray to poseidon IN ATHENA'S TEMPLE bc that made much more sense to me...but whatever

the annabeth/medusa parallel is intriguing at the very least

the underwater scene with the neraid was cool even though i hated the parallel to the pool scene w/ sally.

the dumbass pinecone fate line. 0/10 did you read the book? did you pay attention to how empathetic and reflective percy was when he found out about thalia?

honestly....i think disney was just the wrong place to go with this show because it's like what...pg? it should be pg 13 and should have more... sustenance.

this medusa was so cool though. which we could've seen a fight.

i need to know how many women are in the writer's room though...because It Does Not Look Good. funny how the characters that they're fucking up are all women....crazy. weird. totally coincidental.

are we just not going to talk about the vitality and pressure of getting the bolt back on time? where is the inherent inevitable danger, the suspense, the fear of not accomplishing a seemingly impossible talk looming over everything

this is 10000% not all of my thoughts but im not going to rewatch in order to collect them all so this is what you get xoxox

[thespineoftherighteous]

to address the Thea stuff. the reasons ppl don't like her kinda matched to what I said at the end about ppl being more willing to forgive the white characters for things:

1. the age gap. it's only 4 years, and any relationship only begins after kevin is 18. and he was the one who had a crush on her when he was younger, not the other way around. People tend to spread lies about this, things that weren't said in the ec such as saying they're relationship started when he was 14 and she was 18, which I mentioned in my original anon.

2. the 'agression'. I don't think she's aggressive. she was angry yeah, which she had every right to be after kevin ghosted her. he was obviously going through a lot, but of course given he didn't communicate this, she didn't know. she can only work off what she knows. again I just see this as the fandom being very uncharitable to her. kevin chokes neil when he's angry so I really don't think she's the aggressive one in this relationship. and if she is, she's not alone.

3. devotion to the ravens. again, so is kevin. People forgive him for this because he's obviously been brainwashed by them. but so has she. again, just seems like people forgiving other characters for things they wouldn't forgive her for.

4. randomness of relationship with kevin. I don't think it's random? I'm not a fan of their relationship, but people love to ship kevin/Jean primarily cause they were ravens together. kevin and Thea were ravens together, it makes sense they'd grow close. they're both also very dedicated to exy, a common reason people ship neil/kevin. so idk? to everyone's taste ofc, but it still isn't a valid reason for her to get the hate she gets.

idk necessarily about people liking her more if she was a fox. probably? she's very similar to kevin, and people like him. and I can imagine people not liking him if he stayed a Raven and we saw him through a fox perspective. so you're probably right.

on her only having a scene or two and not being very likeable in them. I guess again, it asks the question of why she's not likeable in these scenes? I think people don't want to view things from her perspective, and there can be a lot of reasons for that ofc.

Jean has more scenes than her, but he's not 'likeable' in many of them. He's rude, just like Thea was. He holds Neil down when he's getting tortured. He arguably should be more disliked, but he's not. I think people are more willing to offer him understanding because they're more willing to see things from his perspective. He acts this way because he's a traumatised cult member, and that's exactly why Thea acts the way she does.

It's hard to describe the hate people have for her if you haven't seen it much, but more often than not it goes far beyond 'this character just doesn't show up much so idrc'. People tend to hate her with a passion similar to the hate they view Riko with. Again, people call her abusive and a pedophile semi-reguarly. It goes beyond her just being a little unlikeable.

There was a motivation for a decent number of fans to spread these lies about her character, and I'm curious what that motivation was I suppose? cause I certainly don't do that for characters I just find unlikeable. Or characters that didn't have many scenes. Even if most fans aren't actively racist, they've bought into and fueled lies that were likely spread with racist motivation.

i honestly don't really disagree with you on anything (like the age gap wasn't something I personally ever paid attention to, I was saying that's what other people have a problem with. and honestly I do think that's fair for them, it just never stuck out to me) except for the fourth point bc I will maintain that their relationship is random. not random in a 'these two people are incompatible' way but in a 'the first time we hear Kevin even has a girlfriend is like 2/3 into the last book of the series and the chemistry (to me at least) seemed incredibly lacking but we're supposed to assume they're in love'

but I think you just might be overestimating how much people think about her. again: she's a very very minor character and I don't think people will necessarily go out of their way to see things through her perspective because of that. honestly I feel like what you said about Jean explains it p well: he does worse things than Thea but, even though he's also minor, we see way more of him than Thea we see him vulnerable and at his worst and there's more there that shapes him as a complex person. I genuinely think that if she had even as much screen time as Jean it'd be a different conversation.

but however, out of all the minor characters in the series she is one of the ones that gets the least mercy from the fans and that definitely feels racist to me. i don't think people need to explain and dissect why they dislike a character (especially characters as complicated as Nora's) but the fact that it's so easy for fans to just jump on a hate train for the only canon WOC is deeply unsettling.

I think the complexity of Nora's characters actually make aftg fans really weird and intense when it comes to defending/attacking characters. I remembered being rlly taken aback by the Aaron and Nicky and like Allison hate that I saw when I first started engaging with other fans because so much of it just seemed not true and wayyyy overexaggerated??? idk if it's the fans themselves or the content that makes them so intense but.

[inthememetime]

An idea came to me in a dream. Now it's in my head, and you have to read it. /j

Look, nobody becomes as Dramatic and Extra as Vlad Drama King Masters overnight. I am suggesting a school AU. Ghosts are still there, because of comedy.

Vlad, of course, is the theater arts teacher. People (kids) have started to sneak their phones out when he goes on dramatic tirades. If you play along with him, you get bonus points. He is, sadly, one of 3 teachers that will do anything about bullies.

Safest class if you're a nerd, because he has, at least 5 times, grabbed Dash & Dale by the bak of theor lettermans like a mama cat picks up her babies and put them outside. He has also made Kwan & Dash cry. Dash will not admit that.

Harriet, the journalism and ESL teacher, has...something going on with him. Love/hate? Hate/hate? Love that looks like hate? No one knows. She's 5'2" and every bully in the school is terrified of her.

She's made every bully- then the coaches, then the rest of thr football team cry. Every time somebody bullies someone in one of her classes, she tears everyone involved with them a new one. Coach Tetslaff has gone as far as to tell football players they're not allowed to even talk to her.

Vlad is the only one seemingly immune. They like to pick (very loud) fights with one another. There are bets from students, teachers, and staff alike on when they'll kill one another, get together, or one will finally drive the other out of the school.

They've been common-law married for 10 years and think the bets are hilarious. No one knows.

Engineering and Physics teacher Jack Fenton is hopelessly oblivious. All a bully has to say is 'we were just playing', and Jack assumes it's true...even if the person being bullied disagrees. He's easy to distract, just ask about ghost stories and boom! Lesson's over. Also sometimes a literal boom. Students have to wear fireproof lab coats and face shields.

His wife, Dr. Maddie Fenton, teaches chemistry. Half the school thinks she's sleeping with Vlad because the two loudly flirt. They're not- they just started play flirting when they were 10 because it sounded funny when adults did it and never stopped.

Danny and Vlad both fight ghosts to protect students. Neither knows the others' identity, but neither can afford to be found out, so they make excises for each other's absences. They frequently conflict, to hilarious results.

Valerie figured it out within 2 weeks. She has abused this system to get a free A in Vlad's class- didn't turn in homework? Oh no, a ghost! While he's gone, better copy someone else's.

She hates Phantom, likes Danny, and 3 weeks after she meets Phantom, has figured it out. She's Going Through It and nobody knows why.

Clockwork is a teacher as well. What does he teach? Nobody knows. Danny's the only one who can seem to remember his classes. Whatever it is (ghost history, etiquette, and politics), he's got an A. Everyone thinks Phantom is a much older ghost than Plasmius bc Danny's always taking him aside to teach him how to work with other ghosts.

There's at least one sub who thinks ghosts aren't real.

[bfwonho]

AITA but i dont wanna use reddit

ok you know what here is the situation. my (only recently) 20 yr old friend (i met them four years ago when we both worked at mcd) lived with their strict, emotionally abusive, overprotective parents until recently. their parents would confiscate tech for yrs at a time, wouldn't let them get vaccinated (i had to help them do that), guilt and shame them, etc. also obviously homophobic and my friend is transfem nb and queer. theyre also the eldest sibling of quite a few and had to handle the pressure of that responsibility and their parents never wanted them to do normal things like getting a car and moving out. i was always there encouraging them even when we stopped working together bc i was like fuck this naive gullible homeschooled kid has no one and they remind me of my younger sibling and im gonna be there for them as much as i can. the only reason they even got a car eventually is cus i kept telling them to so they cld move out

cut back to barely a year ago, they're still so naive and gullible they've lent like 1k+ to ppl who won't pay them back, but they still have like 10-20k in savings and now their own car. they also get into digital art with my help and get into furry porn or whatever. im like ok i guess ur an adult now do what u want. and then theyre like "ive got an online partner from CANADA!!! (we r australian) don't freak out i know it's bad but he's 30." i'm like oh god. they've been together 3 months ish and my friend RLY wants to visit their fuckass boyfriend and i'm like please be careful, please wait at least a year, i know u wont wanna listen to how i rly feel about this but at least just take these precautions. i'm also like when you do meet irl he should come here ur barely 19 and he's 30 like it only makes sense. and theyre like "thank u i promise i will do that"

and then maybe 10 or 11 months into their relationship i find out my friend is in canada with their bf, and has been for like a month, and i only know this bc they're asking if i can pick them up from sydney airport. im like errr that's pretty far away but take the train and i'll pick you up from the station and they're like ok sure! and i ask a bit more about it and find out they believe their parents have been hacking into their laptop because why else would they be suspicious that this canadian guy is their boyfriend, i'm like actually no offense but it's really fucking obvious i don't think they did that... and they're like "yeah anyway my parents are no longer picking me up which is why i need a lift, i admitted i have a boyfriend and they're calling him a pedo (and i almost agree but i just smile and nod) and so i'm not going back and taking their bs anymore, i'm gonna sleep in my car if i have to" so i offer for them to stay at my place for a few weeks.

they go get their stuff from their place, i buy them a pizza cus they havent had dinner, i help them get their stuff inside, set up a temporary bed. they tell me they plan to be out within a few days, i tell them they can stay longer if they need to, but currently their only job is doordash and they should focus on getting a real job so they can find a place and i'm more than happy to help them find somewhere. theyre the type of person to say sorry for everything and not let themselves ever feel comfortable, so i make sure they know they can use the kitchen and bathroom and everything while they're here and to not feel like a huge burden, im gonna be charging them a tiny bit of rent anyway so yeah.

now tell me why it's been over a month, they've applied to only a few places, i specifically put in a good word with them at my job and told them to call back and ask about the application and they just haven't, they've just been doordashing and filling my entire fridge and cupboard with their food, i tell them to use the laundromat cus we don't have enough space for their washing too and they end up asking if they can use our washing machine anyway (i reluctantly say yes), they destroy all my kitchen sponges on washing this one shitty pan i have cus they have to cook an entire grand meal from scratch for breakfast lunch and dinner, they wash up but i'm the only person who cleans the floors and the bathroom so now i'm feeling cramped and stressed out...

i ask my mum about what to do, she says give them 2 weeks to move out, my mum is a guarantor on my lease so in the group chat i explain the situation and say they have 2 weeks, they NEVER RESPOND and start not coming home until late at night... i'm considering moving into another place with a friend atp so i'm like yo maybe you can get on this lease and THEN they respond and start showing up again... and today i called and updated mum on the situation and her partner got on the phone, me and my sibling only got this place cus he apparently called in a favour cus we were rly struggling to find any fucking housing, and so he says "tell him i mean THEMMM if theyre not out tomorrow i will forcibly remove them" and so my sibling makes sure to tell them this face to face so they cant avoid actually responding. i also find out today that this whole time they've been flat broke (to the point they had to borrow my money just to get petrol despite doordashing like 40 hours a week) because they HAVE BEEN HELPING. PAY. THEIR GROWN ASS. SHITTY FUCKING USELESS. PARTNERS. RENT. THIS GROWN ASS MAN NOT ONLY HAD THEM PAY TO GO SEE HIM AND SUCK HIM OFF AND COOK FOR HIM. NOT ONLY WAS LETTING THEM GO BACK TO AUSTRALIA AND JUST BE HOMELESS. BUT HE IS ACTIVELY TAKING THEIR FUCKING MONEY. despite all of this i am deep down INCREDIBLY GLAD that my mum's partner put his foot down to get them out of my house and i feel guilty about it despite risking eviction cus im breaking my lease agreement by having them here loooll

tldr my 20 yr old friend has been living in my house illegally for over a month bc they refuse to go back to their shitty parents, they are however broke and don't have a stable job and their 30 yr old boyfriend is leeching off of them, and now i'm essentially kicking them out of my place within 2 days because my own housing security is at risk

[likesunsetorange]

When he finally knocks how she wears certain sets with the intention of getting him to notice just for her to get embarrassed when he starts playing along and doesn’t try to hide his looking 🤭

THESE PAJAMAS!!!!!!!!!!!! why are these in particular such a pivotal thing in this au like???

but anyways fuck it drabble rahhh 🦅🦅🦅🦅 is this my drabble emoji bat signal lmao??? anyways whatever here we go!! ended up being a lil diff but i think it kinda fits the realm of what you said hehe bc i def agree he’d eventually just stop trying to hide his staring all together he’s just so brazen w it lol

ALSO HBD EREN 🥳🥳🥳

(also if u ever notice it takes me comically long to reply to your ask even tho im answering others more than likely this is probably why haha)

Eren is enjoying this shift in their dynamic more than he likes to admit—more than he's proud to admit. Going from yelling at one another, hardly even getting along, to whatever he can say they do now, a mostly amicable and peaceful dynamic within their shared space, it's nice. But aside from that, he can't say he doesn't enjoy watching Mikasa, the Mikasa who was once a constant 66 inches of never ending rage and bitchy remarks, be absolutely flustered at the smallest things.

At first, he couldn't quite pinpoint that Mikasa of all people, could possess feelings of shyness. She could bitch him around with no issue—she'd spent months doing exactly that, teetering along the lines of verbal abuse. But now that they've made amends, establishing a friendship of the sorts, and things between them have shifted to say the least, Eren can't say that he doesn't enjoy watching Mikasa fret.

The first time he notices it, he thinks it's just because of her pride. After months of being aggressive towards him, of course she's a bit hesitant at being amicable. She moves around him hesitantly, almost like a cat, coming around randomly, sometimes more than others, but it's always with a level of hesitancy behind it. It's then he hears her stutter for the first time, her words lacking their usual confidence, as she shyly stalks around him while he makes dinner until she musters up the courage to ask to help him.

Eventually, as time goes on, Eren finds that he enjoys her company. For one, Mikasa is funny (to his great surprise) and someone he finds easy to talk to, the two of them having a lot more in common than he would have ever expected. They can spend hours talking about nonsense, ranging from the shows they watch to their favorite foods, the two of them having very passionate opinions on food. h

There's also the reason that it's Mikasa, and well, she's an objectively attractive girl, something he's known since the first day he met her. And even though he tries hard to keep those thoughts locked tightly away, he can't deny that sometimes they resurface, and he finds himself staring a little harder than he'd like to admit.

He would be foolish to deny her other worldly attractiveness, and sometimes he hates that he feels a little smug, a little bit too satisfied, the way he enjoys that he’s the only one who’s constantly around her. While he’s had enough insults thrown at it him to last a lifetime, and reached levels of anger he’d like to never reach again, he also gets glimpses of her at every hour of the day, which as much as he hates to admit, makes up for it somehow.

Pretty, pretty Mikasa, with her perfectly picked outfits, not a hair out of place, and at night who parades around in her silken pajamas, something Eren’s found himself growing fond of. Every night waiting for her to trail into the living room or kitchen, so he can get his one quick glimpse, the moment he allows himself to let his thoughts run rampant before he tucks them back away.

Through his observations, when he’s not just ogling her, he also notices the way, at times, she randomly shuts down, her face scrunching up, Mikasa sometimes running off to her room suddenly at the mention of certain things, if she suddenly feels embarrassed, or if Eren accidentally lets his touch linger for too long for reasons at the time Eren couldn't quite pinpoint.

Sometimes, he thinks she may have noticed his staring, in the way that she’ll get shy if she catches him looking too long, her face flushing red at the sudden contact. But Eren is almost certain though, that she pays attention, taking note of what exactly he's staring at.

Because one day, when Mikasa somehow convinced him to share shots of soju with her, leaving Eren more loose and lax than he ever liked to be, it was then that she takes his wavering glances into consideration.

There's an almost empty glass bottle of peach soju between them sitting on her coffee table, the two of them sitting on the floor in front of it in her living room. The TV is playing some random romcom Mikasa somehow convinced him to watch, but if Eren's being honest, he hasn't been paying attention since the second shot she made him take, too busy allowing his mind to venture elsewhere—Mikasa. He finds himself trying not to stare, but he's sure his eyes keep drifting back towards her, fitted in her black silken pajamas, hair pulled back with a pink velvet headband—she's cute, he thinks—his hand resting on his head shifting in her direction, almost like a gravitational pull.

"Eren," Mikasa says, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You okay?" She asks, stiffling a laugh. "You've been staring for a minute now."

"Oh," he says, trying not to show any signs of embarassment. "I was just thinking, I guess."

"Are you a lightweight?" She asks teasingly, taking note of how his eyelids look heavy and his face a bit flushed. "I think you're way too big to be a lightweight, Eren."

"'m not a lightweight, just tired," he says trying to make excuses.

She quirks her brow, clearly not believing his lie. "Well, either way, you're staring into space. Are you staring at the wall or something?"

And maybe it was because of his lack of a filter due to the alcohol; he simply shrugs, casually replying: "Oh, I was looking at your pajamas—you never wear black ones like that—thought they looked nice," too busy in his own head to notice the redness that flashes across Mikasa's face before she whipped her head in the other direction, resuming her attention to the movie.

It's after this that Eren notices the usual colorful and pastel pajamas are traded out for an array of darker ones. At first, it's subtle, almost to where he doesn't notice, but then it becomes more apparent, to the point where he's almost certain she's seeking out his glances, lingering around just a little longer, wearing the ones that are just a little tighter, just a little shorter.

And Eren certainly doesn’t mind, but he isn’t sure if it’s because the attraction he has for her is a mutual thing, or if Mikasa just enjoys his attention, but knowing her, he’s almost positive it’s probably the latter, Mikasa always one to enjoy riling him up, and apparently now, in other ways, sincethey’re amicable.

But if it’s attention that she wants, then Eren doesn’t mind giving it to her—especially since it doesn’t seem all that surprising given her bratty nature—so he does exactly that.

Eren goes about his normal day, Mikasa for once, opting to stay home, locking herself in her room, with claims of a headache, not wanting to be bothered. He takes out Caro, runs a few errands, and even goes for a run, knowing eventually she’ll stumble into him at some point, as she always does.

The day transitions into evening, still no signs of Mikasa, which surprises him given she normally comes out to at least make dinner, but even after 8:00, once Eren’s finished making dinner and even cleaning up, there’s still no sign of her.

He takes this as a sign to go check on her, even bothering to bring her a bowl of ziti, her—their—favorite, assuming she hasn’t eaten since he has yet to see her step out of her room all day.

Eren knocks on her door, waiting for a response. He can hear the shuffling of her feet behind the door, and he’s certain he even hears Caro bark at some point, realizing that’s where she disappeared to a while ago. Finally after a few minutes, the door swings open, the sight of Mikasa taught in a black satin robe, her hair messily tied into a bun on the top of her head, and her face, usually glowy, looks tired and almost a little as if she’s visibly in pain.

“Hey…” Eren starts, taking her in. Her satin robe leaves little to the imagination, Eren’s eyes trail down longer than he normally would’ve in such close proximity to her, but Mikasa’s clearly too distraught to notice. His mind ventures to the place of what exactly she has beneath it, before he remembers why he came to her room in the first place, snapping himself out of his thoughts. “Haven’t seen you all day, brought you dinner—figured you hadn’t eaten,” he continues, nodding towards the plate in his hand.

Mikasa opens the door wider, gesturing for him to come inside, “Sorry, I haven’t been feeling all that great,” she replies quietly. Eren takes note of her dark room, save for one tiny light in the opposite corner, Caro sits at the foot of her bed, her head perching up at the sight of Eren. Mikasa resumes her place on her bed, Eren placing her plate on her desk before leaning against the wall. “Thanks for the food, I haven’t even gotten the chance to leave my room today; my migraine’s barely started to let up just now,” she says motioning towards the bed. “Caro’s kept me company for the last few hours though,” she adds, a small smile on her face.

“I thought you just had a headache?” His brows furrow, a bit of guilt starting to fill within him, knowing he would’ve asked if she needed anything earlier had he know it was that bad.

“Headache, migraine—most people just think they’re the same anyways,” she shrugs. “I don’t get them often and they’re not that bad, just have to sleep it off usually.”

“Are you feeling better now at least?”

“I am, but I should probably eat, I haven’t eaten all day, so thank you,” she replies before getting up to grab the plate he made her, her face lights up when she notices he made ziti. “You made baked ziti,” she exclaims, before taking a bite, humming in delight.

“Mhmm,” he hums in agreeance, eyeing her. Pretty, pretty Mikasa, with her sweet expressions, her out of this world beauty, and her silly little pajamas that always drive him insane. He watches as she eats her meal, too busy enjoying to notice his staring at first until she catches his gaze.

“Is something wrong?” She asks. “You’re staring.”

Eren gives her one over before he shrugs, standing up to get up to leave. “Nothing’s wrong, just looking. But feel better, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Oh, okay. Well goodnight, thanks again for the food and stuff,” she replies meekly.

He walks towards the door opening it, turning back one more time before he leaves. “Oh and I like the robe, it’s cute. You should wear it more—especially like all the other black ones.”

Eren doesn’t have to turn to face her to know that her face is red, clearly knowing her little ruse is up.

[practically-an-x-man]

What was Nikoletta like before she was the Nikoletta we know and love?

Oooh thank you!!

So I actually answered this pretty well here, at least in regards to her powers and all, but that's still the abridged version. For the full changelog, let's see... (fair warning, LONG ramble ahead)

What Stayed the Same:

Her name being Nikoletta Bordeaux

Her living in New Orleans

Her gaining her powers from STAR Labs

Her time in STAR Labs overlapping Abner's

Her powers isolating her, traumatizing her, and leaving her uncomfortable with both other people and herself

Her being known as the Queen of Belle Reve, holding a self-built position of power over the other prisoners

Her uneasy alliance with Waller, where she tolerates Nik operating outside the rules in exchange for getting rid of prisoners Waller doesn't want around

Her finding a connection with Abner, and that connection being built over the Corto Maltese mission

Her saving Abner from Starro (this was literally the first thing I decided, his death pissed me the fuck off, I hate when characters get nerfed right after finding happiness/closure)

What Changed:

Her name... sort of: While real name has always been Nikoletta Bordeaux, originally her hero name as Nyx Bastion was a lot more prominent as the name she goes by in Belle Reve and while out on missions (now, it's in her OC bio but I've never actually used it). In the end, I kinda tossed away "Nyx", and it turned into her nickname being Nik instead. I'm probably going to go remove Nyx Bastion from her OC bio too, now that I think about it, since I've literally never used it and don't really plan to at this point.

Her backstory: Originally, her family was French in origin - actual from-France French, not Louisiana French. She also was not a Woman of Color, mainly because at that point I was still a new writer and worried about accidentally offending someone by writing outside my own demographic. I honestly didn't decide much more of her backstory than that, which led to her feeling very flat and not having much dimension outside her persona in Belle Reve. I'm much, much prouder of her final backstory, and I think it gives her a lot of necessary background for how she was able to make her Queen of Belle Reve persona so successful

Her powers: Originally, her powers weren't shadow-based as much as they were nightmare-based. Any skin-to-skin contact or direct eye contact with someone would send them into a waking nightmare that eventually led them to a brain aneurysm. Some people were mysteriously immune to her abilities, with no apparent pattern at first, until it's discovered that all the survivors had experienced significant mental trauma in their lives and were able to encode Nikoletta's nightmare-illusions without growing overwhelmed. This included war vets, domestic abuse victims, and metahumans with significantly traumatic backstories.

How her powers interact with others: In the current version of her story, Nikoletta is hesitant to reach out to people because she knows her touch will leave a mark. The mark is technically harmless, but inevitable. Originally, her powers made it so the options were either near-certain death or complete immunity, so it was either to gamble or to shut herself down for safety. Once she learns the nature of the immunity and how it stems from surviving past traumas (which honestly makes most of the Squad immune to her bc damn they've been through some shit), she's able to make more of an educated guess and risk reaching out more, but I think think the inevitability of Nikoletta's final shadow-touch is what really drives her. I mean, if it's a gamble, eventually she'd get so touch-starved that she takes that risk, but if it's inevitable then there's no gaps to wriggle through.

Her appearance: And not just talking about the fact that first-draft Nikoletta was white. Originally, her nightmare-powers also caused an illusion over her appearance, where she appeared physically nightmarish or demonic to anyone who wasn't immune to her abilities. This isolated her even further, since direct eye contact was outright dangerous and even indirect glances were frightening.

Her reputation: Okay, her reputation itself didn't actually change much, I just couldn't think of a better way to work this. She still was the Queen of Belle Reve, but since her abilities were a lot more genuinely deadly, the fear she generated was completely real, and very hard to raise dissent against. Nikoletta's final shadow-powers aren't technically dangerous in any legitimate way, and it's all her skill at manipulating social situations that gives her the mystique and power to control Belle Reve. She built a lot more of it herself, when originally a lot more was handed to her thanks to her powers.

Her time in STAR Labs: Originally, she and Abner were in much closer proximity while in STAR Labs, and would talk through the vents to console each other through the experimentation. They had a close connection, though they never met face-to-face. They also escaped at the same time, rather than Nikoletta slipping away years before and not even realizing Abner's time lined up with hers until years later.

Her time in Corto Maltese: Not a whole lot changes her overall, though she doesn't go into La Gatita Amable like she does in the final story. Aside from that, she and Abner would have a heart-to-heart in the jungle where they talk about STAR Labs, and Nikoletta would pull down her sleeve to reveal a perfectly-circular burn scar, left by one of Abner's dots in the escape from STAR Labs. This leads to the two of them realizing they'd met years before, and "Nyx" (since she doesn't reveal her real name in Belle Reve, in the original version) is in fact Nikoletta, Abner's only real friend who talked to him through the vents. I do still like this backstory in theory, but I thought it made things a lot deeper and more impactful for her and Abner not to have any prior history.

Baron and Barbie: Yeah, she didn't have cats in the original version. They were a spur-of-the-moment add after I started writing for her, you had mentioned something about her getting a cat and I just thought it fit so well that I had to include it.

Thanks for the ask!! Out of all my OCs, I think Nikoletta's changed the most, and I actually remember all the changes she went through (unlike most of the others)

[golbrocklovely]

i think its hilarious people are calling m cb’s girlfriend when that horny mfer is still liking half naked insta models pics as of a day or two ago. if he had a gf he wouldn’t (i hope) disrespected her like that. whereas i think sg and k are probably together or at least in the early stages bc they definitely seem cutesy together whereas all pics of cb and m (including nye) have ‘we’re just having fun’ vibes. also the way m is dressing and still posting on insta, she’s definitely not giving off ‘i have a bf’ vibes.

people just stiring drama (not u, ofc. ur the only snc blog i keep up with bc you have reasonable answers to this stuff) in the tag calling both girls the ‘girlfriends’ lol

plus as a personal observation as someone who’s only known who snc are since october, cb doesnt strike me as someone who will settle down before 30 (if he ever wants to). hes 27 now right? maybe in the coming years he might start wanting something solid but he strikes me as someone who isnt looking for that rn. idk im 29 this year and im sort of in the same boat. like only the last 6 months have i been thinking ok its probably time to find someone…

i mean, i would assume he'd not do that either, but i think it also depends on what m feels like. she might not care. also there are a lot of girls colby is just friends with, and he'll like their scantily clad pics so idk about it being an issue.

and as for what she wears, again, i don't think that matters. colby doesn't seem like the type to want his girl to fully cover up or whatever. and also, just bc you're in a relationship doesn't mean you have to dress conservatively. you still have the same body underneath, whether or not you show it off. and if she feels confident, who gives a fuck what colby thinks lol

but as i've stated before, idk how serious m and colby could be. they've only known each other since sam's bday. so they've only been together for a month and some change so… eh. if they want to be together forever, so be it. that's awesome. if not, it is what it is.

as for sam and k/la girl, yeah idk about them either. they've seemingly been together since septemberish. so, it could be serious and lead to something more committed. or it could just be a silly fling that lasts for a bit of time and then ends. but i hope they enjoy whatever time they do spend together.

colby has had almost exclusively flings since 2016 after he broke up with his only girlfriend (or he claims to be his only girlfriend). he has a lot that he needs to work on internally before he starts committing to anyone. he himself has said that basically. so i don't see him settling down anytime soon, but who knows. and same thing with sam. he just got out of a long relationship, so my first thought would not be to jump into another one. but he also has said he's a monogamous person and likes being in relationships. so… it's a bit up in the air for both of them. but i don't see them settling down any time soon.

and as for me, there's always been just a lot going on in my life so i've never really taken time to focus on my love life. or the couple times i have, it's been unrequited and heartache. however, i'm very happy i didn't date when i was younger bc i genuinely hated myself for a long time. and i just know i would have tolerated a lot more bc i didn't care about me and just didn't want to be alone. like i was borderline abused by dudes i wasn't even seeing back then. now, i love myself (for the most part lol) and have no issues being alone. and i also know what i want. and if a man, or woman, ever tried anything with me, i'll just leave lmao

i would like to get married in the future, but it definitely isn't gonna be this year or most likely the next sksk

[eldritch-spouse]

HOLY SHIT

Loved the new fic with pegging Nebul😵‍💫🥴

Tho I did kinda feel bad for him 💀

Could you perhaps write a follow up to what happens the next day? Like how Nebul acts when he is sobered up and then having to face the entire group chat making fun of him😔😪

Maybe even later, him and Admin having a talk about what happened to him that caused him to use pearls?

(Also would Nebul be more wary or something like that around Admin considering,even tho it was a punishment, how wrong* and rape-y it was?💀)

*I know, bc they are monsters, that don't have morals and "wrong/right" but still, hope you get me🫠)

Anyway, have a good day/night, and I absolutely ADORE your fics, ur definitely one of my favourite acc on Tumblr 💜💜💜💜💜

[Thank ye anon! 🤍 I don't write follow ups much, if at all, but I can give this a general go. A couple of things here though:

1) There's no point in Nebul being wary of Admin. He knows very well what he signed up for when he took the deal to work under Krulu, just like any other of the workers there. If Admin walked into the room and demanded they bend over, they'd have to. And they know that's a possibility. They've consented to essentially living under Krulu's (and by extension your's) will, subtly. Will Nebul be colder afterwards? Probably. Does he justity her actions? No, not really. Does he understand they're part of what he signed up for? Yes;

2) While monsters inside The Clergy's Eye are all degenerates with a skewed sense of morality, if they have any at all, most monsters outside are part of civilized society and do have the same morals you'd find in a human. That's not to say feral monsters or evil ones don't exist, they sure do. Point is, everyone outside of TCE would call what went down between you and him rape. Clear as day.]

Part 2 of this fic.

TW: Mentions of past noncon, bullying(?), mentions of drug abuse.

He expected as much.

Some part of Nebul knew the "forced into submission" part was never the real punishment.

Waking up with a horribly sore ass and hundreds of notifications as his coworkers saw him get viciously exploited was. The sounds of him begging, crying, screaming in sensation forever immortalized in video form.

Well played, Admin, well played.

He didn't think you'd actually manage to shake him. Which is idiotic of him to assume, given you have an infinitely more knowledgeable entity on your side. Perhaps he really did have to get "put in his place", as much as it disgusts him to say so. One can never get too comfortable when working under these circumstances, and Nebul supposes the intoxicating power of the building's atmosphere got in his head, allowed him to procrastinate, dismiss, decide for his superiors.

Needless to say, they're very thorough with their punishments. Not that Nebul expected less, he's not the only one subjected to such.

Nothing quite could have prepared him for the moments where he entered the break floor, greeted by the entire team cackling and quipping as shameful echoes of his cries rang across the entire floor. The wraith didn't expect any less bullying than what he got. Alas, it's something he'll have to wait out and process, which is simple enough. It takes a lot more to break his spirit than equally degenerate monsters joking and jabbing at his expense.

At least Patches was smart enough to give him a soft "A day in my shoes, huh?" kind of look. Everyone else made it a point to get on the undead's nerves. Not that they succeeded much.

The robot would randomly blast soundbites of his own wailing as he passed by the shopkeeper, sometimes clips of him mid-orgasm. It was apparently hilarious enough to send Vinnel tripping as he hacked and cackled. Grimbly would taunt him with the possibility of uploading this video to a porn site, though Belo was there to caution him that such violates the agreements of his "work contract". He'd still hear Vinnel mocking him from his stage, loud and clear imitations of his noises, and he swears Morell's boisterous laughter was deep enough to be heard on the highest floor of The Clergy. Gallon was slightly softer about his mocking, at least to Nebul's face. And Sybastian, bless that half-wild mimic, didn't really have much to say apart from odd snickering.

Still, the wraith is anything but content with this, especially when he has to consistently shoo away the most persistent of his coworkers.

" You know, you sounded really hot in that video. " Santi slurs, half-drapped across his counter. He's not here to buy anything, just to pester. As usual. " Hotter than usual. "

" Mhm. " Nebul keeps cool, jotting down stocks.

" I jerked off so hard to it. " Of course he did. The wraith wishes, now more than ever, that he could roll his nonexistent eyes. " Why don't you give me a shot? I bet I can make you feel just a good, better maybe. "

" Have you considered bothering literally anyone else? " The demon is a weird case, he's not being nefarious in his approach, merely spotting an opportunity to eat. Still, he should know better by now.

" Come on, don't be like that, love. " The incubus laments, biting his lower lip. " There's no need to be ashamed, it feels good to get stuffe- "

The elevator dings, his salvation. Or so Nebul thought, until you stepped out. Fuck.

" Santi, give him a break, will you? "

The demon spins around, eyes brightening as he all but glues himself to you. " Oh, OH! Is this round two? I want in, please? Can I at least watch? "

You snort, lightly pushing him away. " Once was enough. "

Santi makes a displeased sort of sigh, wandering further into the perverted isles to soothe himself while you approach the shopkeeper with the same friendly look you'd give him any other day, as if nothing transpired yesterday.

" Let's have a talk, Nebul. " You begin softly, hands behind your back.

He knows that wasn't a request.

" Of course, my lady. "

The garden is calm, but then again, it's quite early. The clouds are heavy, a smog seems to settle in the air, moist and sickly.

He sits with you on a bench, a comfortable distance apart. Naturally, you note the awkward tilt of his hips.

" That did hurt, hm? " There's a proud glint to your eyes. And Nebul would feel offended, if he didn't know he would feel exactly the same way were he in your place.

" Naturally. You were harsh. "

Taking a sip of your coffee, a pause unfolds, calculated. " When am I not? Was there ever a time where I was soft? "

Fair enough, he supposes.

" I've threatened to drill into Fank-e's visor. I've dissolved parts of Gallon with corrosive substances. I've cut off and consumed chunks of Morell. There is nothing I won't do to make sure the rules of this establishment are respected. " You shrug. " Not that I particularly seek to do this, I prefer to reward you. "

" True. " Nebul gives you a look, silently asking why he was called here, to which you nod.

" Sybastian. "

He's confused for a moment, then the bench next to yours seems to jump, two yellow eyes sprouting from a leg. You don't even deign to stare at the monster, which is amusing to the undead.

" I know that's you. Bugger off for a bit. "

Sure enough, said bench quickly deforms into the tall mimic, and he skitters away on all fours, defeated.

" Small talk is not our modus operandi. " You start, gathering the wraith's attention. " Why do you use pearls? "

Why does he use pearls? It's something Nebul himself has pondered on. There's no clear answer, if he had one, he might have already dropped the habit. He's not sure what to tell you, though it's pleasantly surprising that you'd care. He supposes that, technically, you have to care, the health of your workers is important. But the wraith understands you also spare fondness for him, such is felt through your bond.

" You can talk to us, it'll die here. "

" I'm aware. "

" Take your time. "

And he does. Figuring there's no point dodging the topic. It's not as if he's ashamed of his actions.

" For as long as I've been aware of myself, I've felt a craving I could never satiate. " Nebul stares off. " This isn't uncommon for undead, as we all spawn from the unresolved turmoils of our living husks. Yet, at the time, I believed I was merely hungry. So I ate until I got sick, trying to cure this mystery ailment. "

You make a small noise of acknowledgement.

" The moment I discovered pearls is one I can't recall. But they... They filled me, Admin. They're giving me a taste of something I lost. Somehow. "

He feels vulnerable, Nebul doesn't like how much it's starting to hurt to talk about this.

" Something you lost when you were alive. " Your stare is pensive and intrusive, a taste of his own medicine, he supposes.

" I was never alive. Whoever that human was, that's not me. " The shopkeeper clarifies, finding himself a touch too reactive, defensive.

" Yes. My point still stands however, you're carrying someone else's burden and you're coping with it through psychostimulants. "

Brutal honesty, something he can appreciate in you. His mood still drops further. It's funny, Nebul feels worse now than he did when he woke up earlier today and realized what happened.

" That's not unheard of. Patches- "

" Patches carries his own sins on his back. " You interject. " He's had glimpses onto his past and he chooses not to remember more than he must. " Fingers cross on your lap, eyes glazing. He knows that look, Krulu's speaking to you. " You know nothing. You need closure. "

Nebul freezes. This type of powerlessness, of vulnerability, is much worse than getting turned into a submissive mess. He's realizing he'd rather bend over for you again than continue this conversation.

" Admin, I... "

" You need healing. You're not someone who hides from your problems, you will fix them, this is an order. " Your hand meets his clawed one, the grip firm. Through it, Nebul senses concern, a desire to help and comfort.

It cracks at him, hard. Harder than it should. He shakes minutely.

" I feel so empty. It doesn't go away, it never goes away. It's always so cold. I have no idea what he did, to make me this way, but it's unbearable. " The monster has to pause, catching himself before he could choke. It's so very foreign to let himself be open. " In all honesty, I don't think I want to know why I'm so empty. "

You sigh, stroking over his knuckles and nodding to yourself. " It's a process. I think it would benefit you in the long run. You need to let us know when you're ready to explore that. "

Nebul makes an ambivalent head gesture, deeply uncomfortable.

When you rise, he stays placid.

" Come on, let's watch Pebble's flying lesson with Belo. Last time he nearly broke the fountain, you know? "

That does make him chuckle quietly.

[horizon-verizon]

Do we have confirmation that Rhaenys and Corlys are still getting along for 20 years?I've seen their fans think that the age difference is less now because of the cast and it's one of the things I complain about on the show.

Rhaenys, Corlys and Daemon literally don't age in...30-35 years?Harwin and Criston also look the same, should I perceive that they are closer to Rhaenyra's age or Daemon's? What the hell is Otto's age? Was it still the hand of Jahaerys before Viserys?Did Aemma and Viserys still get married as early teenagers? Because none of them seem to be in their early 20's during the GC.

Alicent and Rhaenyra change to show that they are "adults", I can't even pretend to understand the disaster that is the age difference of the actors who play their children, if they are like 5 years apart, why do those from Alicent look like adults? Rhaenyra certainly looks like Jace and Luke's mother, Alicent could play sister to her children. And even though I love the actors and they did a fantastic job, I don't understand why Laenor and Laena needed three actors to play them and by god I can't begin to guess what the age difference is between them and Rhaenyra

Fans complaining about the age difference could understand, there's certainly an eww factor that can occur when one sees that on screen (I have a friend who was never able to see the time traveler's wife because of the scenes in which he is an adult and she is a child) It's about playing with the chase, but the way that perception is represented in HotD is certainly strange and superfluous,I can't take seriously people who clutch their pearls when not even the producers seem to know what age we're seeing on screen and whether or not it's problematic.

Anon responds to this post.

I didn't feel too bad abt Dameon's aging, bc his hair was shaping his face and telling the stages of his mind as the years went by. Plus the charisma was a good deflector. For me.

Aemma's/younger Rhaenys' casting were issues bc just as young Alicent's age was a clear element to what story the show!writers were writing, it's very important that Aemma/Rhaenys are shown to have been preteens/teens when they married. Espe when bk!alicent was not either of these two's ages ehn they married!

Why? HotD uses Aemma's storyline for Alicent in that Aemma was giving birth too young (form at least 13) and arranged to be married to 16-yr old Viserys at 11. She is the one who's put through terribel reproductive abuse from a terribly young age. Her mother, Daella, married young and died in childbirth the very first time she fell pregnant with Aemma. This provides even more context for how Rhaaenyra has been a victim in this story, bc the fear HotD presents in Rhaenyra of childbirth becomes presents itself, comparatively, as more diluted. Aemma at the 1st episode beside Viserys looks more appropriate in age, so while she is being used for reproductive labor, she also presents as less...mistreated without that knowledge of being too young. Which a lot of tg fans have "forgotten" in their assessments that Alicent "deserves" to have her sosns be heirs bc she was too young in marrying Viserys & was abused by him (something to "make up" for suffering"mindset)...okay, Aemma was also young, spent most of her life pregnant and losing one child after another until she finally dies with Baelon. In this line of thinking, does Aemma not "deserve" to hae her child on the throne, as she "tried" her damndest to "give" Viserys an heir?! And HotD helps this with the whole Alicent taking bk!Rhaenyra's dress moment, posing as if Alicent had anything really to complain about concerning Rhaenyra's actions. Rhaenys chooses 37 yr old Corlys at 16...which means they've been "talking" for before then, we don't know how long but it spells not-good.

In a perfect world, we'd have three separate actors for all of these characters...or at least most. I'd choose: Rhaenyra, Daemon, Viserys, Rhaenys, Laena.

For two actors: Laenor, Aemma, Corlys. (I don't include the black kids [dragon twins, V boys], they were great).

But as it is, I wasn't too weirded out by Daemon, Corlys, Laena, Laenor's castings in terms of age bc of D's hair and the suspension of disbelief that I kinda always employ. because this is also a trend in the industry where you have actors who do not look like their orig counterparts' ages. There were obviously exceptions.

Is it weird that I never had an issue with Aemond? I thought he looked fine enough as a son to Alicent. Aegon, too? I thought Olivia was in her early to mid 30s. 🤷🏽‍♂️ I really was shocked to learn otherwise.

[sukehiroselei]

YAMICHAR in the final arc

At the end of the day, this blog is still dedicated to Yami and Charlotte. So of course everything that's happening in the story, I'm gonna relate it somehow to my OTP of OTPs. Some possibilities that I think could happen during the final arc, in order of best-case to worst-case scenarios:

1. Yami and Charlotte are totally fine, indestructible, and kick paladin ass together.

The best I can hope for as a shipper is that they somehow avoid the raging death flags and manage to win, together, then finally have that adult conversation over tea about what it is they've got going on.

They fight together like they did during the Elf arc, except this time it's much better since Charlotte will be in full-control of her body. We get proper development of their relationship during battle, either Yami surpassing his limits because her life is in danger, or Charlotte overcoming her insecurities about not being strong enough to stand by him, because goddamn it, they're knocking paladins left and right, showing these knights how it's done (or both, honestly?).

I want Charlotte to unlock the full extent of her powers, realizing that loving someone isn't a sign of weakness, but is a source of strength. Watching Yami fight his hardest because he loves his squad finally gets her to see what it is that makes him so strong, and it's because of his heart. That in spite of the pain he's faced in his life, Yami chooses to love the people who matter to him—it just so happens that his love language is kicking the asses of those who hurt the people he cares about.

Best-best case scenario??? A kiss. But that's just never gonna happen now ahaha.

2. Yami turns into a monster

There's something about that devil heart... Tabata wouldn't have put it there if it isn't important, right? And Yami being a punching bag key character of the series, there has to be a breaking point.

This man's entire life has been a tragedy. He had an abusive father, a sister who was coerced into killing his family and then choosing to shoulder the blame on her behalf, washing ashore on a strange country then being treated with racism, looked down on by members of society in spite of his achievements; now slowly losing the people he loves....

No wonder this man has so many vices. I'd be super stressed too, if this was my life. It's honestly a wonder how Yami's worst habit is just smoking??

So yeah, this seems most likely to me rn. I feel like this development would absolutely destroy Asta. That this world is so broken that even the seemingly infallible Captain Yami has fallen victim to it. Also, the role reversal in the Elf arc would be interesting; Charlotte trying to get Yami to snap out of it along with the Black Bulls? What a scrumptious idea.

3. They both die

Now listen, this isn't my favourite outcome, but it's still not as bad as the next one. If both of them die, I'd of course be devastated, but at least neither one has to live the rest of their life alone & wondering what could have been.

To me, it would be better to face death with hands adjoined than to be left pining for a ghost, especially if it was Charlotte who survives and not Yami. That would just be beyond cruel, I think. But this is of course, my personal opinion.

4. One of them dies

I love a good angsty fic, but I would absolutely be crushed if only one of them dies. Sorry if people think that this is childish. I think if BC had established itself as a manga with high stakes from the get-go, then I would kind of understand, but one of the things I liked about the series is the minimal-amount of deaths so far?? Idk.... I'm just fiercely protective of my fav characters (and I honestly love a lot of them). So yeah, either Yami or Char dying would leave a bad taste in my mouth.

I would also like to add that Charlotte dying to spur Yami's devil heart transformation would absolutely be a worst-case scenario for me. We've built her character up for so long and then at the end she becomes fodder for one of the male protags??? I'd be livid lol

Bonus Super Duper Crack Theory That Has A 0.00001% Chance Of Happening:

When Charlotte and Yami had dinner to discuss her curse, she said that 'The curse had altered the shape of her soul'. And her being cursed has hindered her from fully mastering her magic.

Additionally, it was explained that all curses are born from Megicula. In her fight, she had combined the knowledge of magic runes from the Heart Kingdom to modify her curse, allowing her to wield both blue and red roses.

We also know that Lucius's power involves the transformation of souls. He explains that 'The soul is the source of human life, spirit, and magic.' He can manipulate someone's soul and implant directives that they cannot disobey. BUT we did see that Sister Lily's resolve falters as she fights against Asta, so Lucius's magic isn't as infallible as he believes it to be. Therefore, his magic can be negated by anti-magic OR by strong emotion.

So what the hell am I rambling on about? Well, what if Charlotte becomes a devil along with Yami? Would Lucius's magic work on her, as her soul has already been affected by another devil (Megicula)? Being cursed changed the quality of her magic, yet in the Spade arc, Charlotte was able to work around a spell that altered her damn SOUL. I think it would be pretty sick for Charlotte to fully embrace the darkness of the devil's curse on her metaphorical heart. Plus, you know, Devil!Yami and Devil!Charlotte kicking "angel" ass is sexy to think about.