#but i don't think she would be outright parenting him. although there could be an unspoken truth between them that he would allow her to

[roobylavender]

i’m sure you’ve talked about it before but you expand more on your thoughts about talia & jason and how their relationship would be? what are some positives and negatives their interactions would bring? (your talia metas are everything)

thank you! on talia's end i think a lot of it would come down to balance and restraint. because there are a lot of unpredictable factors at play and on top of it her tutelage of jason coincides with her last years under her father's thumb so there's parts of herself that she's beginning to close off out of self preservation and exhaustion. that's why i like the placement of under the hood right after the close of lexcorp era even if it obv wasn't intended because it puts her in a place comparatively to take all of the risks after a year of complete physical and emotional isolation. and even then i feel like there would still be a lot of restraint because of the guilt over her part in jason's various massacres. i could see her reprimanding him but in a very cautious and empathetic way so as not to set him off the way bruce would if he was the one lecturing him. so like.. not quite in the realm of mothering but maybe teetering on the edge of it. and i do think talia would try to maintain some distance out of respect for his history. which may or may not fuck with jason emotionally because as possessive as he is of his own grief i do think he'd long for even the smallest semblance of what he thinks he could get. like guarded as he is he would certainly soften to her over time and abide by her guidance even if he didn't necessarily verbalize the fact. i don't really know that i'd see any negatives between them like at worst it would be awkward and strained because he wouldn't be sure of how to place her in his life and she wouldn't want to overstep

[atla-confessions]

A few headcanons and confessions I guess (sorry it will be a bit long. Also spoiler for the Roku Novel):

* Azulon definitely called Sozin grandpa or grandfather at some point (first time was a mistake, other times were to piss him off)

* The design of Khandro makes me think that one of his parents is from the Water Tribes (or that he is a result of Kuruk hedonistic lifestyle although it would be impossible )

* While the reason for why Roku appear as an old man compared to his past lives is because there was no design for a young version of him yet, I want to believe that because of the volcanic eruption all illustration of him as young man that he must have had were destroyed so they had to make a statue of him as an old man which compels him to appear as one to not confuse his successor

* Aang asked Roku at one point if Flameo Hotman is a real slang in the Fire Nation. Roku wanted to say no at first but then told him yes because he remembered his conversation with Gyatso when they were young and thought that it would be funny to perpetuate Gyatso's small legacy

* Also in the Roku novel, while I am all for Gyatso calling out the Fire Nation for it sexism about not having a woman Fire Lord, I find it quite disrespectful to outright call it morally backwards to Roku's face ( this is not to defend the fire nation)

* In case we get a Kuruk Novel (and I hope so!!), whoever will be the writer will have quite a challenge since we know most of his life and his battles with the added fact that he died in his 30s. It does not leave a lot to write about.

* Maybe Avatar Szeto saw Fire Lord Yosor growing greedy and wanted to quit his role as Grand Advisor in order to put his focus on the other nations (and also because in his eyes the fire nation could sustain itself without him) but was murdered by the Fire Lord in conspiracy with the clans and they kept it hush hush (just a theory!!!)

* I refuse to believe that Sozin died peacefully in his sleep. Nuh uh, I believe in ''No peace for the wicked''. In his last moments, after writing his testament, he was tortured by his own mind about the Friend that he dishonorably left to die in a volcanic eruption and put an end to himself making a bloody mess. Azulon covered everything up and got rid of every witnesses.

* I do not have a problem with Kyoshi's characterisation in the Roku novel and I don't think it is fanon Kyoshi (which I dislike even more). However, I would like to ask to the ones who don't like it how they would have wanted it to be handled (this is an honest question).

* I think the next Roku novel might take place a few years after the first in The Northern Water Tribe and put some emphasis on his problems with waterbending considering the situation with his brother's death. I also hope that it will be better written than the first and that the author is seeing the reviews written here to better himself.

* Koko has asked to do Kyoshi's makeup once. It was awful but Kyoshi wore it proudly to face her enemies despite the laughs she might have received from them.

* Maybe after the Camellia-Peony war, future Fire Lords after Zoryu up until Sozin were taught lessons in dick management to avoid a repeat and not give more power to the clans (in Sozin's case, he took them a little too seriously)

* I want Yangchen's special tea

X

[cambrioleur]

Random observations on this season (updating)

(SPOILERS, OBVIOUSLY)

Episode 1

I don't think we've ever seen Assane do a genuine fourth-wall break before

OK so Claire has a last name now

Assane really expected that he could just show up and Claire would just fall at his feet

I'm surprised Benjamin is just allowed to continue working at his shop

This feels better-edited than Parts 1 & 2

Name a more iconic duo than Belkacem and failing constantly (she really doesn't listen, does she)

Episode 2

Philippe Courbet sighting

NEVER invite Guédira to a funeral lmaooo

Hang on I'm just now realizing that Juliette is at this funeral, too (she's standing in the second row behind Benjamin and Claire and honestly doesn't seem too upset about Assane's "death")

I like how in the flashback Babakar tells Assane that he reminds him of his mother and then it turns out she was a criminal

This seems to be around the time of Raoul's birthday again; he really can't catch a break on that

Episode 3

New shipping war just dropped: Guédira/Belkacem vs Guédira/Fleur

That bit where Claire was outright begging Benjamin to tell her Assane was alive and he couldn't...that was sad

But then it was followed by Benjamin doing the "uhh my FRIEND just died" act with Belkacem which was funny

This gang of thugs is trying a little too hard tbh

Assane's disguise in this episode is fucking terrible lol

The basketball coach disguise, on the other hand, is the only time I've genuinely thought he wasn't recognizable

Episode 4

Ironically that coach persona is probably the best parenting Assane has ever done

Claire? Doing things that are vaguely cool?? That feels illegal. Also, she looked so proud of herself for swiping that book, lol

Betraying Benjamin was certainly...a choice on Assane's part ("everyone disliked that")

This episode is going to devastate the show's Tumblr fandom

Episode 5

Assane trolling the shit out of Guédira will never not be funny

These 1998 flashbacks are pretty dark actually

Honestly the way Claire got that reveal out of Benjamin was very well-played on her part

Guédira out here looking like present-day Ringo Starr with that disguise

Aww look at Assane playing the matchmaker for Guédira and Belkacem, heh heh

This is easily one of the funniest episodes

Except Benjamin is straight up not having a good time -- it looks like he got beaten up in prison

Episode 6

Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not totally sure Benjamin knows that Assane betrayed him. It's possible he just thinks that he fucked up with the bracelet and then missed a cue in the maze

"Pasta with ketchup" jesus fucking christ Claire that sounds horrendous (although I'm guessing the only reason they did that was because of the ketchup-bottle reveal)

Assane really has Claire's number because he's now seduced her twice under two different identities

IDK whether or not Raoul has figured out that the coach is his dad but it's funny that he still seemed to be shipping it either way

It's nice that we get to see Claire's more playful side in this season, like her messing with Assane by acting really flirty with "Alex" after she realizes they're the same person

INCREDIBLE casting for the younger and older versions of Keller tbh; they easily look like they could be the same person

Episode 7

What a nice family reunion...it would be a shame if something happened to it...

The flashbacks are significantly darker than the present timeline this time around

Guédira finally got to arrest Assane, good for him!

The scene at the train station with the letter from Assane to Claire sort of reminds me of the ending to A Tale of Two Cities, which I had to read for AP prep a while back

Oh look, Hubert Pellegrini is back

So they're CLEARLY setting up another season with this ending

The choice of people to show on the montage there was interesting, lol

I could see a Juliette antagonist arc happening tbh

Maybe Assane's mom isn't all she seems either

And what about Benjamin? If he turns against Assane the viewers are going to lose their minds

[lazycats-stuff]

Chapter 4

I think the plot finally kicked off.

Word count: 2.9k

Warnings: Elias is trying to process it, Damian is trying to be a good friend, Titus makes an appearance, Bruce is the detective he is, everyone is trying to be helpful to Elias, Elias is a sad boy.

Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9

The drive back home was quiet and outright uncomfortable. Elias was quiet and he just looked numb. Damian looked at Elias and for a rare moment, he was shocked. Elias looked like he was drained of any energy and his eyes were red from the crying.

Thankfully, he didn't get another panic attack, but Damian knew that there was enough anxiety for about 10 people in him. He was restless beyond belief, judging by the twitching of his fingers and bouncing of his leg.

Damian didn't really know what to say in order to comfort him. Alfred had no idea what to do either, which was a rare thing to say about Alfred Pennyworth. He always knew what to do. Damian also glanced at Alfred, asking him for some help.

Alfred shook his head, letting Damian know that he didn't have a clue about what to do now. Alfred was reminded of Dick when he first came to the manor. But the there is a crucial difference between Dick and Elias.

Dick knew what happened to his parents and although he witnessed it, he had some closure. He found the killer and moved on with his life. If they don't find his mother, he will never get closure.

Elias sniffled quietly in the back and he wrapped his arms around himself. He isn't in the mood to talk to anybody and what he wanted to do more than anything in the world is to be alone. He just wanted to curl up and cry.

They stopped the car and Alfred looked at Elias. The boy slowly stepped out of the car, head hanging low. Bruce parked a few moments later stepping out.

" Come on Elias. Lets get inside. " Bruce said as he gently put his hands on Elias' shoulders and led him to the manor. Elias didn't say anything as he was led inside. His head was just hanging low and even as they passed the other three boys. Bruce led him to the bedrooms upstairs.

Bruce gave Elias his own room. Alfred always cleaned those rooms and made sure that they are ready for using. Alfred cleaned this room two days ago and it's as fresh as anything. Elias didn't say anything to Bruce as he shrugged off his jacket and shoes before moving to the bed.

He laid down under the covers, turning his back to Bruce. He curled into a fetal position, hugging a second pillow. He buried his face in it and allowed himself to cry quietly once more.

" I will check on you in a while. And if you need to talk, you can always call me. " Bruce said, leaving the grieving boy alone. He closed the door and went downstairs to his sons. They were all curious as to what happened, but Damian and Alfred wanted to wait for Bruce to come on down.

" Now the we are all here, Damian will explain everything. " Bruce said, sitting down on a free spot on the couch. Everyone turned to look at Damian who told them everything. He explained how the apartment was trashed and how there was blood.

Then he mentioned a panic attack and the fact that they think she was taken. If you remember the weather that it was during the night before, kidnapping is the most plausible option.

The others listened in the silence, never interrupting.

" Why would somebody kidnap an architect? Especially in that neighborhood. The buildings are secure, there is a lot of security measures. " Jason pondered, looking at the others.

" I know. But there was something about all the chaos. " Damian noted. He didn't want to bring it up with Elias nearby, but now he could voice his suspicion.

" Like what? " Dick asked, sitting cross legged on the couch.

" It was... I didn't look like somebody fought for their life. It looked deliberate. Too... organized. I don't know how to explain it. I have to ask him if his mother has martial arts experience. "

" So, you think that there is something more to the kidnapping? " Tim asked Damian and Damian nodded.

" I don't think it's random. " Damian clarified and it made everyone give out a different reactions. Shock, concern and all in all curiosity. Who would have targeted Natalia?

" Either way, I'm going to investigate. If Damian says there might be something more to it, it's worth looking into. " Bruce declared and Damian nodded.

" And Elias will stay here? " Jason asked, turning to look at both Alfred and Bruce.

" And by how the process usually goes, he will be adopted too. " Alfred answered, making Bruce roll his eyes. The others seemed to agree with Alfred, either nodding or chuckling.

" No matter what, he will stay here until we find his mother. " Bruce declared and Jason just smirked, leaning forward.

" Oh he will so get adopted. " Jason said and Bruce just raised his brow.

" I'm right. Everyone knows that. " Jason defended himself.

" Again, no matter what, he is staying here. He needs stability now. And I think that's something that he needs something right now. " Bruce declared, leaning back on the couch.

" What about school? " Tim asked, making everyone look at him. " I mean, at the moment he is an emotional wreck right now. His wounds are fresh. He doesn't know what's going on. " Tim explained further.

Everyone turned their heads back to Bruce.

" He won't be going tomorrow. He will need rest. I should check with the GCPD if I can get his stuff. " Bruce said, nodding to himself. " Hopefully I will get some of his stuff by the end of the next week. "

After that statement, the living room fell into silence. Nobody knew what to say.

" How is Elias doing though? " Dick asked, looking at Bruce since he is the last person who saw him.

" He is shaken beyond belief. He just withdrew it seems. He needs some time to process it all. " Bruce answered and Dick just nodded.

As everyone was downstairs conversing about him, Elias was bawling his eyes out. There is something about his home being so trashed. Call him old school or old fashioned, but home is somewhere where everyone should be safe.

Their apartment is, well, was his safe place. He never felt unsafe by any means. Even though he could defend himself and knows how to take care of himself out in the city, he felt safe in the apartment.

He could let his guard down, he could completely relax. His mom too. He could see it whenever they were out somewhere in public. She is an observant person by nature and she is always surveying her surroundings, especially when she was with Elias.

Always.

And who would have managed to kidnap her? Elias wanted to smack himself on the head.

He sort of knew that the martial arts that his mom has taught him over the last 8 years of his life were not your normal and traditional martial arts.

He closed his eyes, trying to remember the moves he knows. And every single thing that his mom told him. He opened his eyes, wiping them. They started burning a little and he just sniffled quietly.

Why did he all of a sudden feel like the moves he knows are watered down? Why do they feel like they were made to kill somebody?

And where did she train? From where does she know all of those martial arts? Does Aseel know? Oh God, he should give him a call. But where is his phone though? He sat up, patting his pockets for his phone.

He nearly sighed in relief when he felt it. He hated the fact that it was dead. He put it on the nightstand, sighing quietly. He looked around the room. It looked just like Damian's, only this one is kind of lifeless.

Elias licked his lips, feeling thirsty. He moved to sit at the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes once more. He stood up, opening the door to the hallway. He took a deep breath before moving to the kitchen. The halls were quiet, but he heard some talking in the kitchen. He took a deep breath to compose himself before going into the kitchen.

They stopped, before resuming.

" Hey, I was just about to get you down. " Bruce said, nodding his head to the chair next to Damian. Elias knew that he looked like a wreck with his bloodshot eyes and hair sticking in all of the directions.

" How are you feeling? " Bruce asked, leaning forward from his place at the head of the table. " You are allowed to say no. Nobody expects you to be fine. "

Elias looked down at his hands, fingers picking at the skin around it.

" I don't know... There is so much in my head honestly. I feel scared for her. I feel afraid thinking about if I had stayed there instead of here. " Elias said, forcing a new wave of tears down. Everyone listened intently to him. Bruce nodded in understanding.

" Do you have any family besides her? " Damian chimed in and Elias shook his head.

" I mean, there is uncle Aseel, but he is not biologically my uncle. He is more like a good friend of my mom, well, more like a brother. " Elias explained to Damian.

Damian nodded, giving a quick glance to Bruce. Bruce noted it and made sure to look into it.

" Well, you lot can take a break from the conversation because lunch is served. " Alfred said, putting the food in the middle of the table. Elias didn't have an appetite, but he knew that Alfred was going to kill him if he went about his day hungry.

" Master Elias, I know you probably don't have an appetite right now, but I would appreciate if you could eat a little bit. " Alfred asked and Elias nodded.

Alfred has made lasagna and while it smelled great, Elias didn't have an appetite. Maybe he could have a few bites at most. After being served and saying bon apetit, they all dug in.

Elias find it kind of hard, but he pushed through and he managed to clean his plate. Alfred was pleased at the sight of a clean plate. He gave Elias a pat on the back

" For those who are done, I have also made some cheesecake. " Alfred declared and Elias' head whipped to look at Alfred.

" Are you interested in some dessert master Elias? " Alfred prompted with a smile on his face.

" That's my favorite actually. " Elias confessed softly and Jason glanced at Dick and Tim. Despite everything that has happened today, he looked a little bit cheerier. Maybe dessert is a good way to start healing.

" What luck then master Elias. " Alfred said as he served Elias. Elias chuckled ever so slightly. Alfred either knew or just guessed.

Whatever it was, he was just happy. Even for now.

After lunch, Elias went back to his now room. There were fresh clothes on the bed. Judging by the size of them, it had to be Damian's. It was just grey sweatpants and a black T-shirt. He changed into it and put his phone to charge.

Damian promised to come by later with Titus, a sort of therapy dog for him. Elias feel in love with the big boy the moment he saw him. He wondered how it would feel if he cuddled with the dog.

A heavy blanket?

Elias smile sadly to himself as he took his phone. He went straight to the gallery to look at some photos. His mom loves to travel and they have travelled all over America. From the cities to national parks to just hiking somewhere.

He just swiped through the photos he had saved in his phone. This was in New York, in front of Broadway theatre. They were going to see Hamilton, no, not that. Maybe the Phantom of the opera? Well, whatever they saw, it was fun. His mom was all smiles in the photo and so was he.

Where did they go wrong? What went wrong?

He thought about the incident with the stalker. Was he just your usual pedophile or was there something more? He closed his eyes, trying to remember what the man looked like. Your average man.

Elias opened his eyes once more. Your average man. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. Would GCPD ever find his mom? With how things are and statistics considering the kidnappings are not really hopeful.

But none the less, he would never give up. He brought his hands to his neck to touch the silver chain. He was thankful that he didn't leave it back in the apartment. What was the motive behind it? It wasn't robbery. They aren't that rich. TV would be the only real thing of value... Maybe a few painting they had...

Either way, it wasn't a robbery.

Revenge? Who would want to harm his mom? His mama? She wouldn't harm a fly and only uses violence as a last result and in self defense. And sure, the most nice people could be the worst people in the world. Serial killers are the best example of that. Damian knocked and entered with Titus, who immediately jumped onto the bed, laying down next to Elias. Damian sat on the edge.

" Hey Damian. "

" Hello. I know that this will be a stupid question, but how are you doing? "

" I mean, I processed it now. I thought about it, I thought about the motive and why she would have been taken. "

" And your conclusions are? " Damian prompted and Elias hesitated for a moment. Would Damian find them stupid?

" Come on. I won't judge. " Damian prompted once more and Elias took a deep breath.

" It's not robbery. The only valuable thing is TV and it's still in the apartment. " Elias paused for a moment. Damian tilted his head, listening to him.

" I thought about revenge then. I thought about who might have taken her because she wouldn't hurt a fly, but I don't know if she had any enemies. " Elias said, wiping a tear that fell down his cheek.

" You know, she taught me how to fight. And how to see if you are being followed. " Elias revealed and Damian was kind of shocked that he was opening up to him.

" Really? You might have to show me. " Damian said and Elias nodded.

" Sure. " Elias confirmed, smiling a little. It would be nice to spar with someone that's not his mom. Did she made it fun? Yes. Was it getting a little bit repetitive? Yes.

" Do you have Aseel's phone number? Father wanted to know because he wanted to see if he could talk to him. " Damian asked and Elias reached for his phone. Titus huffed and Elias scratched his belly. He opened up the contact and showed Damian.

Damian took a photo of the phone number and Elias put his phone down.

" Thank you. " Damian said and Elias nodded. Titus, now laid down over Elias's stomach.

" He is a big baby. " Elias said, nodding to the said dog.

" I know. He is like a therapy dog in this house. Everyone needs support every once in a while. And you can't keep all of the feelings in. You can always come to talk to me. " Damian said and Elias nodded. He will keep that in mind.

After some investigation, Bruce concluded that Aseel vanished. Aseel al Dawood had gone missing, but instead of a messy kidnapping, it was organized.

Aseel did this on purpose. He left his 'nephew' high and dry, completely disoriented and lost in this world. The only two stable things in his life are now gone.

Bruce looked at the clean bank accounts, a fake company and all of the fake names. This all indicated at some sort of criminal activity, but there was nothing he could conclude.

And that what worried him. He wasn't sure if Elias knew anything or not, but that's something he had to look into subtly. He couldn't explain it to Elias if he just came as Bruce Wayne or even Batman. This is something that he needed to find more evidence on.

Maybe Natalia was in a some sort of organization before? Before Elias even?

Either way, he needs to look into it more and get more evidence. He can't accuse the poor boy if he didn't do anything in regards to his mom. Children shouldn't bear the sins of their parents. He hated the narrative that children should be punished because of their parents.

Elias shouldn't carry the sins of his mother.

Bruce looked at files on the screen. He knew he had to dig deep. Wherever it took him. And Elias, whether or not he wanted it. And was something that Bruce is afraid of.

From this point on, Elias is a part of their world now, whether or not he wanted to be.

[weebsinstash]

Something that has been on my mind throughout this whole Yandere! Miguel O’Hara, is the idea of a Spider-Girl Gabriella O’Hara in another reality that lost her dad in that reality, her canon event, that made her become Spider-Girl, and Miguel (Earth-928B) becoming a Yandere parent. He lost his baby girl once, he’s not going to loose her again.

The problem with that in of terms of like me writing is, I prefer when the focus of my stories is the reader insert character and that would kind of be basically sort of making an OC just about, but I've definitely thought about like, yandere Miguel and friends looking after a Reader who may be still growing up or, Miguel is in his 30s or 40s so even a Reader in their 20s can still be a sort of student with him (I'm 26 ok let me live, I'm still considered young right 🥺🥺🥺 I need to be someone's baby girl too 🥺🥺🥺)

I keep gravitating back to "Miguel who lost his wife and child x reader who was spiderwoman 2099 who lost her Miguel and child and both of you did the whole tried to replace my family thing" and also like, imagine Miguel bonding with you because you can relate to his experiences more personally and intimately than anyone else and one day a second Miguel shows up and unlike "the main one" MiguelDos DID have a version of you as a partner and he's trying to convince you to come home with him. Like imagine your Miguel is so incredibly attached and protective of you and he sees you're spending a suspicious amount of time with the new version of him and, yeah he's jealous, but he's worried about potential consequences so he goes to talk to you and before he can, you start first, "Miguel, the other you has to go, he wants me to try and break canon and go home with him and--"

Miguel just being absolutely furious (not with you, never you) because you've been through a horribly traumatic experience and it is so strong and brave that you're still going (he would know, he's doing the same thing too) and now some copycat asshole is trying to sway you? Take you away? Miguel hears you say "he thinks because I don't have a home universe anymore that I exist outside my own canon and that I could come to his home universe and he wants a baby" and Miguel just sees RED

Maybe he even starts checking security footage and he can see that like, yeah Miguel2 has some sort of genuine affection for you but it's obvious he is also loakey manipulating you, trying to get you drunk and in bed, getting you tipsy to try and convince you to come with him, shit could you imagine Miguel 1 bursting into his/your shared office to see Miguel 2 basically trying to peel your clothes off while you're barely coherent if not outright unconscious

He'll beat the bastard bloody is what he'll do. Miguel had definitely developed his own obsession for you but for some random loser to be actively trying to use your pain for his own benefit, to try and BREAK CANON and kill everyone just to be selfish? He knows wanting to, but he's glad you came to him, trusting him enough to look up at him with tears in your eyes, "please, I can't take him being here, he's saying too much, he wants too much from me" because he knows it hurts, he doesn't know what to do if a carbon copy of his wife showed up begging for his love (although the more time he spends with you, the less he finds himself thinking about her and more about you)

Reader 2099 being devastated because since she lives in Miguel's dimension now but isn't FROM there she doesn't really have any documentation so she can't even try and adopt. Miguel realizing that, hey, maybe that other him of his had a point, maybe there IS a purpose for you becoming attached to Nueva York. It's not like moving on after a canon event is inherently changing one. Since he's already lost his daughter, and can't take someone else's, could he... make his own? But what if it breaks canon somehow? But the more he thinks about ìt and the more he gets closer to you the more he wants a fat chubby little baby of his own so fucking bad and he's just about ready to take a leap of faith with you and test this theory out

But yeah like, apparently the Spiderman canon events typically happen as teenagers so I've also thought of,you know, Reader being where they are in the template, a bullied high school kid with social isolation and issues at home. Miguel just minding his own business when a little birdy/spider whispers in his ear that "the new kid he's been looking after needs some help" and he goes to see and you're just sniffling and crying with a black eye because there are bullies at school. Or even worse, your black eye is from some attempt at a relationship, and you brush it off "oh no, they just lost their temper, it's MY fault they got so mad" and Miguel knows you don't have proper parental figures and he essentially adopts you. Miguel being especially weak to a female teen Reader though because, gosh, he wonders what his daughter would be like at your age, would the two of you have been friends, it's almost like helping to raise you helps heal the trauma of losing his little girl.

You have a Spanish class you struggle with and you're shyly asking Miguel, just offhandedly, "hey as a bilingual speaker do you have any tips 🥺 I'm really struggling and I feel dumb" and suddenly here's 'Tio Miguel' to help you. Any Spiders from your age group think they can make a move on you, they're mistaken and greeted by a towering glowering fatherly figure, and god forbid if he finds an older man being creepy with you, he will all but throw them into traffic

God this man has infested my brain so bad, I'm literally taking a t break from weed for like a week so I can treat myself by going to the ATSV in theaters since I've been so stressed and money finally isn't as tight and. Hhhhh I want to see a pretty movie with hot people and good music on the big screen 😩🥵❤️ by all means keep bugging me with any ideas or questions or feedback about ideas because I'm getting lost in the yandere spiderverse sauce

[genork-the-fandork]

Coffee

Word Count: 640 Prompt: Seventh Beginning A/N: The final drabble. I never had them kiss, did I? Ah, well. I prefer the unspoken bonds when it comes to Digimon. And these two have one of my favorite bonds. Thank you, everyone, for reading my silly little drabbles. It's been a great event! @takariweek

"Digimon drinking coffee is… alarming," Hikari pointed out as she watched Patamon and Tailmon slurp down their drinks. She didn't often consume coffee herself, and she had a feeling most of Takeru's orders were for Patamon. It didn't seem to negatively affect the Digimon in the slightest, but she still worried. A part of her was always worried about them.

"As long as we don't give V-mon any, everything should be fine." Takeru's cheek was smooshed from where it rested on his hand. He looked content, and it made Hikari feel the same to see him that way. It had been quiet since their brothers had parted from their Digimon, and they'd made a semblance of a promise to enjoy every day with Patamon and Tailmon that they could. As always, Takeru had taken one of their many promises seriously.

Hikari rested back against the leather of the booth seat, her neck falling against the curve of it. Casting her eyes to the side, looking at her friend, she smiled. "Something's about to happen, huh?" She had been feeling it in her bones the last few days. Somehow, even before they knew for sure something was happening, that they would be called to save Japan or the world, they two had always sensed it. Maybe it had to do with how crucial Hope and Light had always been to the workings of the Digital World, or maybe they had always had a little bit of Homeostasis within them. Regardless, it had always seemed… rather psychic of them. It was something they couldn't tell their brothers, but at least they could share it with each other.

A thoughtful look passed over Takeru's face, and he met her gaze out of the corner of his eye. "I think so, yeah. Probably specific to the newbies." Not that they were "newbies" anymore. But Takeru had always thought of them as such, or at least referred to them that way. Sometimes it was like they two were their parents, even though Miyako and Ken were older than them and Daisuke was their age. Always looking after them, wise beyond their years. Maybe they'd both been born with some piece of the Digital World inside them.

"Let's hope it won't cause too much trouble," Hikari mused, turning back to look at Tailmon polishing off her drink.

"We always say that. It never works."

They laughed, and their Digimon looked up, their heads tilted in confusion at the sound. Takeru reached across the table to pet Patamon's head, and Hikari touched her own hand to Tailmon's claws. "We'll be okay. Whatever time we have left with them, we'll spend it wisely."

"We always have. Something to be said for the last two usually standing." Takeru grinned, and Hikari's face automatically mirrored the expression. Two halves of a whole, as they always seemed to be. There was something to be said for that. Although they were not usually ones to say it outright.

"Leave some fun for the others, hm? Wouldn't want Daisuke complaining that he didn't get to have his chance in the spotlight." Hikari bumped her shoulder into Takeru's, and the blond returned it.

"I suppose I can. Besides, when it all comes down to it, Daisuke will probably be the one to save us all." True to the parental role he'd taken on ever since meeting their friends, he smiled proudly. "He's come a long way."

"We all have. And it's just the start." Hikari held out her hand, and Takeru took it. Their fingers didn't even need a mental command to intertwine. Their lives may have just been starting, in some sense of the word, but theirs was a bond forged from years of trust. One that would never go away, no matter how much the Digital World tried to hammer it away.

[thelazyhermits]

Before or after the whole dream thing is over or Malleus defeated. What are the possibilities of Yuu meeting grandpa Baul? What would Baul reaction be to his grandson relationship with Yuu?

Yuu will definitely meet Baul at some point in the real world. It all just depends on when we finally get the Briar Valley hometown event we've all been patiently waiting for lol

More than anything, I wanna meet the whole Zigvolt family since they all sound amazing, and honestly, it makes the most sense to focus on them and have Sebek be the SSR, although Silver could technically be the SSR since Sebek's parents helped Lilia raise him, since Lilia and Silver only have each other and Malleus only has his grandmother and it seems pretty unlikely that they'd make Malleus's grandmother be the special character we meet during a hometown event, although it could happen.

Anyway, regardless of who's the SSR, I'm sure Baul will show up since, by that point in time, he's a character we're all familiar with, and players would obviously want to see what he looks like in current time where he's several centuries older.

So during that visit Yuu will meet Baul for the first time in real life since it seems highly unlikely that she'll meet him under any other circumstances.

Regarding Baul's reaction to Yuu & Sebek's relationship, he wouldn't be too thrilled about Sebek being close to a human, and he'd especially disapprove of Yuu if he ever saw her being overly affectionate with Sebek lol

Since I see Baul as the type who can't be really disrespectful toward women, even human women, cause he was raised to be a gentleman, I don't think he'd would be outright mean/cruel to Yuu.

However, I could see him staring her down, trying to intimidate her, as like a test of sorts cause he wants to see what she's made of. Plus, maybe his actions will dissuade her from hanging around his grandson which would be an ideal outcome for him.

Unfortunately for Baul, there's nothing he can do to scare off Yuu. She perfectly handles whatever he throws at her to prove that her feelings for Sebek are genuine and that she'll never give up her relationship with him.

As far as Sebek is concerned, he'd have a lot of complicated feelings on this matter cause he doesn't wanna disappoint his grandfather, but he also doesn't wanna give up his relationship with Yuu, whom he's extremely close to by this point in time.

I really like the idea of, at some poin during the event, Sebek finally telling Baul that he won't stop being friends with Yuu cause she sees him as family and he views her in the same light.

After explaining that Yuu doesn't have a family outside of the friends she has met at NRC, Sebek says that he won't abandon her cause family is something that's very important to him, just as it's important to Baul who always goes above and beyond for his family.

Baul is unsurprisingly rather surprised by this turn of events since Sebek has never disagreed with him before, but what's even more surprising is just how important Yuu clearly is to his grandson.

This would lead to Baul being less antagonistic toward Yuu since he doesn't wanna upset his grandson cause, while he still disapproves of humans, he loves Sebek and wants to respect his decisions.

Of course, it would be an entirely different story if he thought Sebek wanted to marry Yuu since he does not wanna deal with another relative of his trying to marry a human lol

Sebek's mother is a completely different story, though. She's in full support of the relationship and hopes Sebek and Yuu will get together cause, after hearing all about them from Lilia, she thinks they will be an adorable couple.

So there's definitely some clashing between Baul and his daughter about this matter 😂

Basically, it would take a while for Yuu to win Baul over, much to his daughter's and Lilia's exasperation lol

[princesssarisa]

In my last Little Mermaid post, I probably said something controversial by claiming that King Triton isn't an abusive parent.

The last thing I want is to trigger or offend anyone, and there's nothing I personally hate more than when people defend parent or guardian characters whose behavior clearly seems abusive to me. I never meant to defend Triton, per se.

Maybe what I should have said is that the movie doesn't frame him as an abusive parent. It just frames him as an overly strict, misguided parent who redeems himself in the end.

(I'm only talking about the original 1989 film, by the way – nothing else is canon to me.)

I'm not claiming he's a good father or that the filmmakers meant him to be seen as one. He's controlling, he's bad-tempered, he won't listen to Ariel's point of view, he's bigoted against humans, and even when he's not angry he's a little egocentric, since we first meet him hosting a concert where his daughters literally sing his praises.

But...

It seems to me that the writers meant us to see him as basically an ordinary too-strict father, flawed yet sympathetic. He's clearly motivated by fear for Ariel's safety, because he sees humans as dangerous barbarians, and not without cause – whether it's canon or not that humans killed Ariel's mother, they constantly kill marine life in brutal ways. When he reprimands Ariel for going to the surface, his language is that of an average parent scolding a rebellious teen, almost stereotypically so (e.g. "Don't you take that tone of voice with me, young lady! As long as you live under my roof ocean, you'll obey my rules!"). Nothing worse than that; no insults or threats. And after Ariel swims away crying, he regrets having been so hard on her.

Of course the destruction of Ariel's grotto is a different thing. That's a truly cruel, inexcusable act. It's a horrifying scene. But it's also a one-off incident. There's no hint that he's ever gone to such extremes before, or that he ever would have again, or that anything less than Ariel falling in love with a human could have driven him to it. And his expression afterwards does show that again, he instantly regrets what he's done – although arguably his remorse doesn't count for much, because he doesn't apologize.

And in the end, he redeems himself with two enormously selfless acts for Ariel. First by sacrificing himself to Ursula to save her, and then by making her human again, even though it means losing her. Then, Ariel's wedding scene culminates with Ariel hugging Triton and telling him she loves him, and Triton blessing her marriage with a magical rainbow.

Again, I'm not saying this means he was a good father all along. But would a father who was meant to have been outright abusive be redeemed that way and get such a warm, positive sendoff?

Now of course it's possible for a parent character who wasn't meant to seem abusive, just overly strict and misguided, to come across as abusive anyway. I could probably think of a decent-sized list of other fictional parents and guardians who obviously fit that description, and I loathe seeing people try to defend them. Just because I don't think Triton quite crosses that line doesn't mean there's no one on earth who thinks he does cross it.

But all of the above is what I meant when I wrote that Triton isn't an abusive parent. What I probably should have written instead is that the movie doesn't frame him as one.

[cursedvibes]

What are your thoughts on Yuuji as a protagonist throughout the story?

In short, he's the one holding this whole gigantic narrative together. As any protagonist should, really. He might not be the strongest or a leader, but without him the story wouldn't work.

He serves different purposes throughout the story. It starts out pretty standard with him being the vehicle through which the reader is introduced to this new magical world. He gets to make big inspirational speeches and changes Megumi's life. High-energy, fun-loving and a bubbly personality. For shonen and any other kids/ya media that's pretty standard hero behaviour. It's the basis that gets unravelled throughout the story, although he always keeps his core values of wanting to protect people. His outlook towards that goal just gets grimmer. Similarly, he always had those suicidal tendencies and disregard for himself, even in the first chapter. He's scared to die when first encountering curses, but he still pushes through and has a sort of all or nothing attitude.

Despite this being mainly his story and most of the things happening ultimately serve to develop his character, he's very passive and almost becomes a supporting character at times. Things happen to him and he reacts, he rarely gets proactive, always waits for others to tell him what to do. I think this makes sense however. For the majority of the story he is very aimless and is searching for a purpose of his life, hoping that someone (like Gojo and Megumi) would push one onto him. He is also very new to the world of jujutsu and doesn't understand much, so of course he looks for guidance.

The recent possession with Megumi changed things. He came up with ways to save Megumi on his own. He goes to others to tell them about his plan. It's very different to him just doing what the higher-ups tell him to (be it missions or swallowing Sukuna's fingers). Or running around and randomly killing curses or helping Megumi to save Tsumiki. Throughout the Culling Game and his personal encounter with Sukuna he's matured a lot and is ready to take on more responsibility, not just for his death but also the life of others.

The supporting character tendencies are actually quite important. Not only does it show how he harmonizes with other people and relates to them, but it also emphasizes his primary goal of helping people and his disregard for himself in the process. Unfortunately, that can lead to some fans overlooking him and his accomplishments or potential.

I'm gonna talk a bit about his connection to Kenjaku here because I've noticed that people, when talking about Kenjaku's end, will often list Gojo, Yuuta or Geto before even thinking of Yuuji (potentially together with Choso). In a way, I can't blame them because Yuuji's connection hasn't been stated outright as often as in case of Gojo (although here it's more his connection to Geto), but Kenjaku is the primary force, the source of all his problems, since chapter 1. They are indirectly responsible for him swallowing Sukuna. They are responsible for him growing up without parents. They give him his first purpose, the ability to become a cage for Sukuna. They are the one who hurt Yuuji the most. It is only fitting that Yuuji is the one to confront them and sever himself from everything they have put on him.

You could say the main character killing/defeating the main villain is clique, however Yuuji rarely gets considered the main character in his own story. This outcome seems so obvious and yet not many seem to think of it. I don't expect him to go up against them alone, that wouldn't be in line with his character and style of fighting, although I do expect (or want) at least one personal conversation between the two of them. I could see Choso and Maki working very well as his supporters. Choso because of his family connection and Maki because for one, we've seen that she works very well together with Yuuji, but also, she's the exact opposite of the world Kenjaku wants. Zero cursed energy. Unfortunately, we didn't really get into it with the Yuki vs Kenjaku fight, but this would be an opportunity touch on that aspect again. Even if Maki lacks the vision of Yuki and she alone can't bring about a world without cursed energy. It would still be meaningful and there is tension about who would manage to win. Anyway, my point is that Yuuji should fight Kenjaku.

We will see how Yuuji will develop in the future and what kind of end he will have. I have to say, I will be very surprised if it's a happy ending. He might not die, but he has already lost so much - as you can see by his scars - that an ending where everyone comes together and holds hands just to pair off into neat heterosexual couples (as is shonen tradition) seems impossible.

[bookwyrminspiration]

What do you think of the theory that Sophie’s dad is actually a human? I think it fits the bill in regards to “shaking up the foundation of the elf world,” as said by Forkle. It would also make sense because of her brown eyes (although that could also just be from the alicorn) and I can’t remember if Forkle said Sophie’s parents weren’t human, but Forkle has been proven to be a sneaky little guy so he could just be lying. I think it would be quite interesting from a narrative perspective.

I've spoken to this theory before! I don't know where the post is, but my general consensus: I do think it makes a fair amount of sense, though there are some holes that make me lean more towards a no.

It would 100% shake the foundation of their world, make them question the "purity" of their species, their separation from humans, whether they truly are as different (read: superior) as they like to claim. Sophie would be the very first human-elf mix (as the story intends, anyway, though I'd argue that realistically she wouldn't be), a living bridge between worlds that shouldn't exist in their society. A black swan of sorts

However, Forkle did say that she was "100% elf" in Exile when he revealed he'd modeled her DNA off alicorn DNA. So if we believe him, then her father's an elf. But! Like you said, he's a sneaky little guy, so it's possible he lied to her about that since he was specifically trying to tell her she was not part alicorn. I feel like he's usually more of a lie of omission kinda person and not an outright lie person though.

Plus, that would make Sophie the subject of even more scrutiny, judgment, and conversation than she already is; I'm not sure the Black Swan would willingly subject her to that. They've generally tried to make her life as easy as possible, and this would Not Do That. However, there are things they do even though they'll make her life difficult because they find them necessary (multiple abilities, enhanced abilities, living with humans) so it could still be possible. But I don't know what she'd gain by being born of elf and humans that she wouldn't get from being an elf raised by humans. The different perspective and ties to humanity exist in her as an elf now, how would the human/elf mix add anything, especially when she's unaware of it?

I do think it would be incredibly interesting story wise to have a human/elf Sophie, but I think it might be too complex given the time we have left, especially since it doesn't add much more to Sophie's purpose and journey for the effort that would take. She's already got her tie to humans--maybe she'd feel better about it knowing her genetic ties, but we don't have the chance to really explore what this could mean because the story is focused on so many other more pressing things.

Essentially: fits some things, not others, and while rich in potential, I don't think the story has time to live up to that potential, so I don't think it'll happen. Would be fine being proven wrong though!

[saltygilmores]

In Defense of Jess Mariano's Summer Birthday

This is my loose theory on his birthday and there will definitely be big gaping holes in this. Please also bare in mind it's been three years since my last full rewatch (of the first 4 seasons anyway) and I'm currently in the middle of crawling through season 2 again. This post is a disaster so please bear with me lol There seems to be pretty a consistent timeline established within the show (new seasons of the show almost aways begin in September/ late summer within their world, which helps a lot when you're trying to date something that happened). Since it's been 3 years and my brain is swiss cheese, please feel free to chime in with your thoughts and deflate my theory as you may. Jess arrives right as Rory is starting school. September. It is immediately established he's already 17 years old at that point (pokey hole: they retconned a lot of things that were established in his first episode, like how long his parents had been together so who knows, maybe he was actually still 16) His age is rarely mentioned outright, although I do remember one of his season 4 episodes where Luke and Liz are discussing his whereabouts; she says he’s 19 now and wants nothing to do with her.

Season 2=17 Season 3=18 Season 4=19 With that in mind I afforded him the longest possible timeline to have a birthday and decided it would have been right before he arrived in Stars Hollow, in August or September. If he had had a November or December birthday he would have turned 18 quickly early in season 2 and by season 3 he would be 19 already. Rory's birthday is in October. In 6x8 she had just celebrated her 21st. He acknolwedges that it had just passed, so this episode would have taken place in November? My theory was he would have already had to be 21 (the drinking age in the US) to get into the bar where he drank with Logan and Rory so at the very least that would have eliminated most of November or a December birthday. However people like to poke holes in this theory stating that either the bar wasn't carding anyone (since it was a college bar) or he had a fake ID. Jess says to Luke in 3x6 that he's still a minor, but going by my loose observation of either the Gilmore Girls or a real world timeline, over a year had already passed at that point since he arrived in Stars Hollow as a 17 year old. He was already 17 in early September when he arrived in s2 and in this s3 episode (the one where Rory and Lorelai egg his car because they suck and are awful) it appeared to be deeper into fall rather than summer (the episode aired on November 5 2002). It's only 3 episodes ahead of Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving takes place in late November, just for your information if you're not American). So I've decided to poke my own hole in the "I'm underage" comment and chalk it up to Jess being a sassy asshole. A sasshole. Besides this episode being the one where Luke finds out he has a car AND he makes the comment about being a minor, it is also the episode where it's revealed he's been working at Walmart (driving a forklift). I don't know about the laws in 2002, but as of 2023, in the state of Connecticut you have to be 18 to drive a forklift. Maybe this was a shady Walmart that happily violated child labor laws, but seeing as Jess' Walmart manager was one of the only people who ever believed in his potential, I don't think he would exploit him like that. Anyway, those are my thoughts. Feel free to deflate them to death and I will update the post if need be. I do want to add one more thing: Based on her mugshot (lol) we know Rory was born in early October 1984 but graduated high school in 2003. I was born in February 1984 and graduated in 2002. Clearly Rory missed the kindergarten cutoff due to her October birthdate and had to start school a year later than most of her fellow 1984 babies. I support the theory that the same thing could have happened to Jess in order to put him in the same grade as Rory. But school cutoff dates vary so wildly that could really put his birthday anywhere from September-December. Even though this would contradict my own theories, it’s an idea that makes sense for the November/December birthday theory so I can support it.

[mynamesaplant]

It Changes, like Water (CH. 2)

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

Summary: Akari has just met Gaeric for the first time and is still a little rattled by the experience. Ingo tries to reassure her by telling her a story.

Content Warning: Blood, bodily injury, and wild animal attack

Notes: I've made this in honor of Monsoon-of-Art and their PLA mer au (and just a touch from a different au where Gaeric acts as Irida's guardian). Many of the scenes in this fic are directly inspired by their work, there mer stuff more specifically. I've been a big fan of them since I started playing PLA and I've only grown to love all their characterizations of some of my favorite characters in all of Pokemon. Welcome to the real story! I love Ingo and Akari, but I want Irida and Gaeric to get some love, too! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! Don't like to read on Tumblr? Read it here on AO3.

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

Irida was very small when her parents had died. As the clan leader’s only heir, she was far too young to become leader. It had been decided that, until she was old enough, the elders would watch out for the better interests of the clan and train Irida for her eventual duties. However, they couldn’t constantly watch the girl.

With the annual food shortage and the unusual number of pups born this year that needed near constant supervision, there were very few adults available who could act as Irida’s guardian. The answer came in the form of an orphaned teenager by the name of Gaeric. He was not the perfect choice, far from it, but he was the only good short-term solution.

Gaeric’s guardianship was begrudging. The teenager was moody at best and outright hostile at his worst. To be fair, he could only see raising Irida as a chore that was being foisted upon him. Personally, he felt a burning rage in his heart for the people who had ruined his life – although no one was quite forthcoming about who or what that was. He knew his father had been sent on a gathering mission and never to return when he was about Irida’s age. His suspicion was that Diamond Clan had something to do with his disappearance.

Gaeric lost his mother fairly recently, she had been attacked by some Diamond Clan member. The food situation this year was so dire that some of the clan had been desperate enough to seek out their long-time enemy to help feed their starving pups. His mother had been one of the casualties from such misguided thinking – but the thought that they attacked someone who was seeking aid with little provocation? … It made Gaeric’s blood boil.

The teen was sure that the elders were not outright saying that it was Diamond Clan to anyone but him because they could not afford to get into any sort of skirmish with the other clan, not if they wanted to ensure their own survival. With the food shortage that sent scouts further and further from home, the overabundance of pups that the adults were scrambling to keep alive, and instability without an actual leader, Pearl Clan could not afford to retaliate for this injustice. To say it enraged him was an understatement, but what could he do? Much of his hostility came in the form of neglect, or – more precisely – indifference toward Irida.

“Gaeric?”

The large, speckled mound of teenager barely budged when the small voice called out to him. He jolted when she flopped on his tail, her claws digging in unexpectedly as he jerked upright.

“I knew it! You are awake! I’m hungry.”

Irida pouted as a snarl issued from him, plucking her off his tail indelicately and dropping her to the cold, rocky ground. Her sleeping pattern was changing to match his, he couldn’t help but sleep through the day to avoid the piteous, or in some cases impatient, gazes of the clan members around the settlement. So, he would sleep the day away and start his own hunts around dusk. It was his only real contribution to the clan. They didn’t have to worry about allocating food to him. He always took care of himself.

“You’re supposed to go to the elders for your rations. Quit bugging me about it.”

“I did.”

She pouted, watching as he tried to drag a seal skin blanket over his head to block out the light coming from outside the ice cavern… and her.

“I’m still hungry!”

“Yeah? And what do you expect me to do about it?”

He twisted so he lay on his other side, trying hard not to roll his eyes while Irida jutted out her lower lip. They were all hungry. Between seasonal migrations, the worse than average food shortage, and the priority food going to young pups, most additional food collection was on the individual.

Although not exactly a pup, being just a little too old to be a real pup at around seven, Irida did get food priorities, but Gaeric could remember being hungry all the time at her age too. That was around the time when he had his first growth spurt and started bulking up, starting to grow into his larger body size.

The girl was quiet for a moment, staring up at him with big eyes and he looked back at her, completely unimpressed.

“Well, I… Could I...”

When she realized she probably wasn’t going to get an unconditional yes from him, Irida floundered for words until Gaeric rolled his eyes and flopped face down on the ice. He was intent on ignoring her because she usually ended up giving up after a few minutes, but this time she was quite insistent.

“Gaeriiiiiiiiiic! I’m hungry.”

She was at his shoulder, shoving him and practically shouting in his ear. With very little effort, he pushed himself up and nudged her away.

“Go away, I’m trying to sleep.”

Irida tried again unsuccessfully for another few minutes before giving up to go pout somewhere else, or perhaps to someone else. If Palina was around, which she usually wasn’t during the middle of the day, Irida would go see her Calaba, but both had their hands full with gathering and pups. As always, he was stuck with the bratty little kid. When the sun began to sink lower in the sky, she returned with more bellyaching about how hungry she was.

He was still ignoring her, also trying to ignore his own stomach growling at him as she trailed after him. Gaeric slung some supplies over his shoulder before heading out for what he could only assume would be another less than prosperous hunt: a spear and a spare, a net, and knife. Irida, being much smaller, she was much quicker than him and was able to get in front of him before he slid through the hole in the ice to the frozen waters below.

“Irida, move.”

Gaeric offered her an impatient, toothy smile that did not seem to deter her in the least, grabbing on to his arm as he tried clambering through the hole.

“Get me something to eat.”

He tried to shake her off, but she had dug her claws in. Losing patience, Gaeric sloshed into the water with Irida still on his arm. If she was going to be stupid and stubborn, she might as well see what he had to go through each night just to get himself something to eat. She shrieked something on the lines of this isn’t what I meant, but he kept swimming with her clutching onto his arm.

“Nope, now you’re helping. You’re supposed to be the clan leader in a few years, so might as well get a jump start on things like hunting.”

Gaeric pried her off his arm and she was trying to swim quickly to keep up to him, but for every one stroke of his tail, it took her three or four to cover the same distance. He did not bother to slow down for her.

“Look around! What do you see, Irida?”

The larger mer stopped abruptly, spinning in the darkening water with his arms stretched wide. Nothing. There was an open expanse of ocean, a few ice flows over their heads, but otherwise, nothing. Empty. Quiet. Vaguely sinister.

“N-Nothing?”

“That’s right! Nothing! Because there’s practically no food right now. You want food? You have to find it yourself. That’s what I did when I was your age.”

“But I can’t see… An-And I don’t know how to hunt.”

Gaeric knew that and he saw her shrinking back, clearly frightened by his outburst. He leaned back, lowering his arms, and really looked at the small girl. He was supposed to be taking care of her. This wasn’t taking care of her. His hunger was making him lash out, his anger was being replaced with indifference which he had to shake from his mind. Irida was still young, she didn’t quite understand yet, and yelling at her wasn’t going to make understand any better, nor make her any more compassionate in the future towards others as he was being to her right now. In the absence of any sort of formal training from a parent or the elders, he was her mentor, and he was being a pretty awful mentor. He sighed and moved through the water, gently nudging her in a position by his torso so she was protected from any stray predators lurking unseen in the water.

“Come on then, I’m going to show you how to hunt.”

He thought back to when he first started hunting with his parents, how they did the same thing to keep him safe, but also teaching him at the same time.

“If you ever encounter a predator, you have to protect the vital spot.”

Gaeric explained, moving much slower through the water and keeping his voice low. Irida needed to be mindful of her head and her torso. Being unconscious in the water for mers that needed oxygen was more than bad, it was a death sentence. Her torso contained her heart and lungs, not that the other organs were important, if either the circulatory or pulmonary systems failed by sever injury, it was basically lights out. Blood had to keep moving in their territory underneath sheets of thick ice, fat and fur could only keep you warm for so long.

“Eyes up. Ears open. Claws at the ready. You might be fast, but that doesn’t mean a predator can’t chase you down… Next time you come out here with me and with a little more light, I’ll show you how to use a spear in the water.”

Gaeric knew that this information was rather blatant and frightening, but that was the reality they lived in. Irida was the size of a seal and he a great white, but she would have been seen as easy prey. She needed to be prepared. His parents had told that for him at an early age, so he figured Irida should know that too.

“Always be on your guard.”

<<Last Chapter || First || Next Chapter >>

[loemius]

i hope it’s alright to ask you this, but i have no idea who to ask. my english teacher is making us do a project, where we have to pick a hellenic god to ‘replace’ zeus + dress up as them. i am very very new to hellenism, so i am not very knowledgeable. is there a way to do this in a respectful manner? i don’t think i can opt out of this since it is a school project for a core class. i apologize if this is a very random ask

khaire anon! thank you for this ask! i'd love to try to help, although i will state outright that i am by no means an expert on hellenism and this is my opinion to the best of my knowledge at the moment. i don't really think there's a way to do this respectfully. the idea of replacing Zeus as king is so heretical to Hellenist beliefs. Zeus is the rightful king by conquest. if you're not familiar with the story, here are the bare bones, according to Hesiod's Theogony: Kronus, the titan, takes over as the ruler of the cosmos after castrating his father, Ouranos. he marries his sister, Rhea, and they have some kids: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Haides, Poseidon, and finally, Zeus. Kronus was prophesied by his parents, Gaia and Ouranos, that one of his children would overthrow him just as he did to Ouranos, so he swallows them all one by one. rhea, pregnant with Zeus, is very upset about this, so she goes to her parents who tell her to give birth in secret, give the baby to Gaia to raise, and then give Kronus a stone to swallow. she does this, Kronus swallows the stone, and Zeus is raised apart from his family in Krete. other sources vary on this, as they always do with Hellenism because it is such a vast religion. anyway, Zeus grows up and forces his father to vomit back out his siblings and the stone he swallowed. Zeus sets up the stone at Delphi (this stone is called omphalos) and then frees the cyclopes and starts a war with the Titans. this goes on for about 10 years until Zeus gets some advice from Gaia to free the hecatoncheires (hundred-handers in English) and they help him in the war. by hurling thunderbolts alongside the hecatoncheires, Zeus ends the war with the titans and establishes himself as the rightful king of the cosmos. his rule is then challenged, but sources on this vary. Apollodorus says that there was a war between the gods and the giants next, but Hesiod says Zeus was challenged by the monster Typhon. really, the story you find to be true is up to you and your worship, but it's a commonality that Zeus's rule is challenged after being established and he still comes out on top. there is a possibility that your teacher is taking issue with Zeus's long history of conquest of women, which is understandable but i find to lack cultural context. it's not that Zeus is some womanizer or rapist -- he reflects the dominant attitude about men and marriage at the time, which was that men could go out and have a few different partners and kids but the women had to stay at home and watch over the household and be very faithful. this is part of why Hera's mythology is the way it is; she is his other half in this regard. nevertheless, to insinuate that one of the other gods should replace Zeus is so blasphemous to Hellenistic belief. certainly not everyone is super tight with Zeus; i’m not, i’m much closer to Apollon, but i respect and honor and praise Zeus as the king of the gods, as does... literally just about everyone. it’s an established thing that he is the king, he earned that right by conquest, and there’s a ton of good things that the Greeks had to say about Zeus. he’s the king of xenia (hospitality) and presides over civil justice and democracy along with his daughter Athena. Zeus and his son Apollon are both identified with the agathos daimon (good spirit) who invokes good luck, health, and protection onto the household. Zeus is often seen as a father figure or a protector. trying to insinuate that he should not be the king completely ignores the actual worship of Zeus and what he’s known for, as well as the cultural context surrounding him and his escapades. now i’m petty so if i were you i’d just write a paper on why Zeus is the rightful king and show up as him anyway, but that’s just me. nevertheless, i wish you well on your academic adventures and hope my answer helped. may the Theoi bless you!

[omg-hellgirl]

can you talk more about the power struggle between Mick and Brian? Especially when that dynamic shifted? And what do you think Keith's role in this was (do you agree with Marianne abt whoever allied with Keith had the power in the band?)

*UPDATE 03/16/2024: Read until the end for updates on my reading.*

Well, it's important to highlight that as some like to point out, it may all be just "gossip", so you choose what to believe. I'm merely reposting what I DID read. I'm not taking the book I use as a reference as a bible and I'm not saying that EVERYTHING happened exactly that way, so if anyone has a complaint, it's NOT my fault (I didn't write the damn book) and I don't care.

I plan to buy Keith Richards' autobiography to read and then consolidate some of my opinions and discover things that differ from stories told out there. Until then, most of what I know and think comes from others.

According to Christopher P Andersen's book, Mick: The Wild Life and Mad Genius of Jagger, Mick and Brian (who at the time was known as Elmo Lewis) met at a Jazz club in Ealing. He and Keith were impressed by Brian's ability to play guitar and went to talk to him as soon as the show ended.

According to the book, within weeks what would come to be known as The Rolling Stones was formed and that the choice of the name was a deliberate choice by Brian and that initially the other members of the band didn't like the name.

By then, this is set in early 1962 and in addition to Brian, Mick and Keith, two musicians called Dick Taylor and Ian Stewart were also in the band. Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts would come later, respectively.

Despite gathering a respectable amount of audience, Mick was not committed to the band and was still studying at the London School of Economics. He moved into a two-bedroom apartment at 102 Edith Grove with Keith and Brian (the stories about that apartment, honestly, I was shocked).

It is said that they did not have money to run the electric heater and that all three of them slept together in a double bed to keep warm. For certain types of behavior (not necessarily at bedtime), Mick was called King's road queen by Keith and Brian.

Somehow the narrative begins to explain how Mick began to feel jealous of Brian for stealing Keith from him. While Mick was studying and had classes all day, Keith and Brian were alone in the apartment, rehearsing. When it got cold, Keith and Brian would lie down together to stay warm.

Mick also received an allowance from his parents and had money to eat at restaurants, which he did alone, while Brian and Keith had to "crash neighborhood parties in search of food or break into neighbors’ apartments so they could rifle through dresser drawers looking for‘spare change."

Basically, Brian and Keith were very close and Mick supposedly wanted to break them up (it is also said that Mick realized that Brian was determined to replace him with the singer P. P. Pond). Mick’s attitudes were: Seduced Pat Andrews, the mother of Brian’s son Julian, and Brian himself.

Now, here it gets confusing because it is said that instead of messing with Brian emotionally, it was Mick who was messed with. Although it is not detailed how. It was Anita Pallenberg who spoke about this. She is mentioned as "it was from Brian that Pallenberg learned the details of his relationship with Mick."

“Brian did break up a lot of things by actually going to bed with Mick,” Pallenberg said. “And I think Mick always resented him for having fallen for it. In later years, there have always been rumors about Mick being gay, but then it was as if Brian violated Mick’s privacy by revealing his weak side.”

There is nothing more said about this. It is also said that "While Mick commanded the spotlight, Brian worked tirelessly behind the scenes to land the Stones a record deal. He enlisted the help of his friend Glyn Johns, a recording engineer at IBC Studio, in cutting a five-song demo. When seven record companies rejected it outright, no one was more devastated than the mercurial Mr. Jones."

ALSO

"While Peter Jones listened politely, each repeatedly interrupted the other, making it painfully evident that Mick and Brian were locked in a fierce battle for the title of team leader."

This Peter Jones was a journalist linked to a record company, and that was the impression he had of them. The 1964 interview I captioned shows Brian interrupting Mick as he speaks, it's interesting. They definitely competed.

According to the book, Brian tried to get rid of Mick again when he formed (on behalf of the group, which showed that Brian was at the forefront of things as a leader) a partnership with Andrew Oldham.

Brian Jones handled negotiations for the Stones, and Brian’s first suggestion was that Mick, his archrival in the group, be booted out. Oldham’s business partner, Eric Easton, agreed. “This Jagger fellow,” Easton said, “just can’t sing.” Oldham’s response was swift and unequivocal. “You are both,” he told Brian and Easton, “completely insane.”

The beginning of the end between Keith and Brian and the beginning of the power shift that would be followed by Brian's heavy drug use and lack of commitment to rehearsals and shows was when Brian moved out of the apartment he shared with Keith and Mick to live with his girlfriend Linda Lawrence.

Oldham, acknowledged by Keith to be both “a fantastic hustler” and “an incredible bullshitter,” rushed in to fill the power vacuum created by Brian’s abrupt exit.

Explaining it in detail would make it even longer but basically Brian started using a lot of drugs and missing rehearsals and even concert dates; It got to the point where it was a miracle that he showed up and they no longer counted on Brian's presence at rehearsals.

Not to mention that some shows were sold as “Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones". The one who the fans thought was the leader must have had a direct impact on the dynamics within the group.

Say what you want about Marianne but I think she has a place to speak. I believe she meant that Keith, as the third founder (Bill and Charlie came later and probably didn't have as much say in the decisions at the beginning), the third wheel, had decisive power. If Mick and Brian were at odds, whoever Keith supported had the advantage. So yes, I see logic in the reasoning.

Also, Brian and Keith's relationship naturally began to deteriorate along with Brian and Anita's relationship and Keith's infatuation with the woman. At one point, it also brought him closer to Mick.

I hope this has clarified something for you, XOXO

*If there is something different in Life, Keith's autobiography, which I haven't read yet, I am inclined to believe his direct words more.

UPDATE 03/16/2024: I started reading Keith's autobiography, and there are some disagreements with the information in Christopher P. Andersen's book. I advise, after reading this, to read this.

[moonlit-orchid]

So Eliphas has been decided by us to be Astral's father, but I think it might actually be someone else.

The reason I think he isn't Astral's father is because he endangered him. Eliphas comes across as being more of a possesive parent, and I think he would imprision his child to keep them away from chaos rather than throwing them into the chaos.

So who is his father?

I think it might actually Don Thousand.

Buckle up, because this is gonna get long.

I read someone's post somewhere saying that Astral was created in the imagine of Don (although I can't remember much of it) and I think this could be true, but I'm taking it a step further. I'm saying Don is Astral's biological father.

I know Astral is supposed to have been 'artificially created', but we don't have much proof of that. It's just Eliphas's word. He was wrong about chaos, why should be assume he was telling the truth about this? As for Astral's birth scene, I'll get to that later.

So, why can we assume Astral is Don's son, or at least created in his image?

Well, Astral has more in common with Don than with Eliphas. Eliphas seems to have a hotter temperment, considering how quickly he raged at Yuma, while both Astral and Don keep relatively cool. Also, Don and Astral have similar styles of operating. Both of these characters don't duel themselves, but they still remain in the action, in the background with their respective partners doing the physical dueling. Also, neither want to duel until they are sure they can win, with Astral outright saying so early on (although he later overcomes this). Don also doesn't duel until he has the power to completely rewrite the duel, making him sure of winning (until the unexpected occured and Eliphas died to finish it). Compare this to Eliphas who never actually went out to duel, and only dueled a literal child.

Also, there's the fact that Eliphas sent Astral, someone who is undeniably closer to childhood than adult hood, to fight Don Thousand. Like I said, he wouldn't want to endanger his own spawn, but on the other hand, it would be the perfect sort of irony to send Don's own son against him. As his enemy.

This is where Astral's birth scene fits in. How do we know that this was Astral's actual birth? Astral himself calls it his birth, but what if that's because it's the first thing that he recalls? If Eliphas had erased his memories and then let him out of the crystal, like he had planned too, maybe he would assumed that was his birth too. What I think was that that was Eliphas 'purifying' him, of sorts. Reforming him, changing him, so he can be his soldier. And erasing his family memories to make sure Astral will destroy Don instead of trying to save him.

My idea of the backstory is that Don was ruling with Eliphas, however Eliphas hated chaos/felt it was a threat. Either to prove him wrong, or Eliphas trying to prove himself right, Don ended up absorbing too much chaos, becoming into the unfeeling monster we know. Then, Eliphas decided the best person to take on Don would be his own child, probably because Astral would have inherited whatever made Don a threat, and so he took Astral and took control of him to make him into the perfect soldier, even causing bodily harm to him to ensure he never rebelled.

It's probably also why Astral doesn't even have a name unique to himself. If he ever thought of himself as an individual, he might have wondered about his family, and worked out who he was.

Also Ena is definetly his mom. I mean, she was crying when Yuma saved Astral and said so (granted it was in the dub and in the sub she just says 'thank you' but we all know why)

[lonelier-version-of-you]

So, I have to say: tonight I have had, at best, very mixed feelings about Casualty.

I don't want to feel that way, because if one puts the Faith scenes aside, there was some good stuff in it. But how could I put the Faith scenes aside when she took up like half the screentime? I can't.

First of all: it was great to see Jacob again after he wasn't around last week. But yet again, he seemed to disappear after halfway through the ep! I'm just so tired of the show seemingly not caring about Jacob. It's exhausting, I'm fed up of it. There are still so many interesting things to be done with his character, and he needs a proper storyline about handling his trauma. At the very least, I want to know he's seeing a therapist. He deserves it.

I still despise Faith. I tried my best to distract myself from her scenes, but that got complicated when she had scenes with Max or Stevie, two of my favourite characters. So that was all very frustrating. Seeing Max be far nicer to her than she deserves, and seeing her be so awful to Stevie, made it worse. Especially with Stevie - I don't care if Faith thinks Stevie's self-centred or that she has unhealthy coping mechanisms. Maybe she is, maybe she does, but there are people I would consider it far more worthwhile to see her have a conversation about it with than Faith. Faith is also one of the most self-centred characters the show has ever had, so that was all incredibly hypocritical of her.

Also: this worries me that Henrik will indeed turn up for an appearance at some point, because he's the only character I can think of who would do something as incompetent as letting Faith stay. Sigh. She's awful to just about everyone around her and has been for basically as long as she's been at Holby, someone please just make her leave!

The lack of followup on Max's storyline is also very frustrating to me. I'm way more interested in him and Jodie, and in whatever his backstory is, than I have ever been in Faith. And I'm assuming it can't be long at all now until he leaves, so why is the storyline still not going anywhere?

I'm not sure, to say the least, how to feel about where Stevie's storyline went this week. It reminded me of the terribly handled Madge storyline on Holby. I also hate Harry almost as much as I hate Faith, so this wasn't a good week for me to say the least. Maybe Casualty would have been able to do a better "parents struggling to cope with caring for their disabled son" storyline, one that shows all sides of the issue and how the disabled person feels about it, if it hadn't had Harry of all characters at the centre.

Also, while I think this story has mostly been quite well done, I hope Stevie gets some happy stories once this one is over. I'm worried she's going to end up in a Henrik-like scenario otherwise and just keep getting sad storylines.

Okay, I'm now going to talk about some good sides of this week.

The Dylan and Rash stuff was fantastic! Seeing Dylan in that sort of encouraging role is just so nice, and I love Rash, so this was great. I'm also glad this got to be Dylan's storyline this week, instead of getting him involved with Faith again.

Jacob, Teddy, Rash, Dylan, and Ngozi might be the best team anyone could possibly have to treat them if they were a patient. I love them all so much, so the show putting them all together like that was great for me.

It was nice to see Ngozi get more to do in general, although I would've liked for her to have a bigger part to play this week than she did.

Let's hope that Jacob and Ngozi get more significant storylines soon, Stevie's story goes back to being good, and Faith fades into the background or outright leaves.