#death (esp. death of a younger sibling)

[ollieofthebeholder]

And If Thou Wilt, Forget: a TMA fanfic

Read from the beginning on Tumblr || AO3 || My Website

Chapter 41: Come back to me in dreams, that I may give

[CLICK]

[ENGINE RUMBLING, TIRES ON ROADWAY]

GERRY

Where did she even get the name Jan Kelly from, anyway?

TIM

Jan after Jan Kilbride, the guy from the Daedalus project who got…messed up by the Vast. Kelly was her mother’s maiden name.

GERRY

…Did she tell you that, or did the Eye?

TIM

Since I didn’t even know about this place until you told me, definitely the latter. Mind the pedestrian.

GERRY

No, I thought I’d just run him over. Picking bits of meat out of the undercarriage is so much fun.

[TIM SNORTS]

[SEVERAL MOMENTS OF SILENCE]

GERRY

She wouldn’t send us there if it was dangerous. Or at least she would have given us some kind of clue as to how to…dismantle her traps or whatever.

TIM

I just hope the bill’s still current. She told me once she always paid her bills as far in advance as she could, just in case she was delayed somewhere, but it’s been almost two years.

GERRY

Surely she wouldn’t have put something so important in a situation so precarious.

TIM

I guess we’ll find out.

It’s down there.

[TIRES CRUNCHING OVER ASPHALT]

[SLIGHT CREAK AS CAR STOPS]

[ENGINE SHUTS OFF]

GERRY

Come on. I remember which unit is hers, so it shouldn’t take us too long to find.

TIM

Sure.

[SEATBELTS UNBUCKLING]

[CAR DOORS OPEN, FOOTSTEPS ON ASPHALT, CAR DOORS SHUT]

[FOOTSTEPS ON PAVEMENT, SLOW TO A STOP]

[FRUSTRATED GROAN]

GERRY

Great. Of course there’s a keypad for entry. God alone knows what combination of numbers she would have used.

TIM

260147.

[BRIEF PAUSE]

[DISTINCT SOUNDS OF THOSE SIX NUMBERS BEING PUNCHED INTO A KEYPAD]

[CHEERFUL DOUBLE BEEP]

[CLUNK OF A LOCK DISENGAGING]

GERRY

…Okay, God and you know.

Did she pick it herself for a reason, or was it random?

TIM

She picked it herself. For the same reason I would have used 140385, and can we please not ask those kinds of questions for a bit? That kind of Knowing isn’t my usual area of expertise, but I’m getting the information anyway and it’s starting to give me a headache.

GERRY

Sorry.

[DOOR OPENS]

GERRY

Come on. It’s this way.

[FOOTSTEPS ECHOING SLIGHTLY ON A CONCRETE FLOOR, BUT OTHERWISE ABOUT THIRTY SECONDS OF SILENCE]

TIM

Any guesses as to what it is she left us?

GERRY

No. You?

…Not asking the nosy bastard, just asking you.

[TIM LAUGHS A LITTLE]

TIM

Not a clue, which is a refreshing change.

Probably something we’d never expect in a million years.

GERRY

Hmm.

Do we think you don’t have a clue because she somehow hid it from the Ceaseless Watcher, or just because it’s letting you build anticipation?

TIM

…

The second one. It’s probably trying to get me curious.

Or maybe it’s just because that’s not the sort of thing I usually can just…do. Most of the information I pull out of nowhere legit is stuff I already knew but had no reason to use, and…I dunno, there’s probably a common theme for the stuff it usually gives me, but I can’t come up with it right now.

Anyway, unless she’s keeping her sister’s skull in there or something, I don’t think I’d just get that information.

[SQUEAK OF SOLES AGAINST THE FLOOR AS GERRY WHIRLS AROUND]

GERRY

Her what?

TIM

I told you, if I’d picked a code I’d have used 140385. That was Danny’s birthday. Gertrude lost her younger sister to one of the Fourteen. It’s why she went to work at the Institute in the first place, and why she offered me the job. We’re cut from the same cloth.

GERRY

Jesus fucking Christ on a pogo stick.

[RUSTLE OF FABRIC AS HE PULLS TIM INTO A FIERCE HUG]

[SEVERAL MOMENTS OF SILENCE]

[TIM PULLS BACK]

TIM

…Thanks for that, Ger.

GERRY

Any time.

Come on. We should almost be there.

[MORE FOOTSTEPS, EVENTUALLY SLOWING TO A HALT]

TIM

This one?

GERRY

Yep.

No cameras, so that’s good. Although I suppose if someone’s trying to spy on us, they wouldn’t need cameras.

TIM

We’re good. No one’s watching.

[JINGLE OF KEYS]

GERRY

…Sure of that, are you?

TIM

Yep.

[LOUD JANGLING CLUNK AS TIM SELECTS A KEY AND LETS THE OTHERS DROP]

GERRY

Wait, no, hang on. How can you be so sure?

TIM

[Audibly grinning] Finally figured it out earlier today. You know how I have that problem where it’ll randomly just feel like my finger’s swelling up and the ring gets uncomfortably tight?

GERRY

Yeah?

TIM

It’s not random.

I was talking with Martin earlier and he was ranting about a bunch of stuff he’s probably had bottled up for a while, and one of the things he was complaining about was feeling like he was being watched. Mostly as a joke, I put the picture on Sasha’s desk face down, and as soon as I did, the ring suddenly got so loose it actually popped right off. While I was waiting for you, I thought about it, and I realized that all the times it got tight was when we were doing something that someone might have wanted to know, or when Gertrude or Elias—or Jon, unintentionally anyway—was trying to directly Know what I was thinking. It gets tight whenever someone is trying to magically spy on me. Right now it feels fine, so we’re safe.

Let’s see what’s in here.

[RATTLE OF KEY BEING INSERTED INTO LOCK]

[FAINT CLICK OF LOCK]

[MUFFLED JINGLE OF KEYS AND LOCK BEING DROPPED INTO A POCKET]

[RATTLE, CREAK, AND GROAN OF A METAL STORAGE DOOR BEING FORCED UPWARDS]

GERRY

Holy war zone.

TIM

Frith and Inlé. I didn’t expect this much stuff.

GERRY

You know Gertrude. If something’s worth doing, it’s worth…digging through two dozen decaying unmarked cardboard boxes.

Still. She couldn’t have at least left us a map?

TIM

…I think maybe she did.

GERRY

…Oh.

TIM

Probably should worry me that it’s only got my name on it, but…

[TWO FOOTSTEPS]

There’s a recorder here. That’s what was keeping the tape upright. Want to listen to it here or take it home first?

GERRY

…

I don’t think I’ll last the two hours it’ll take to get home. Besides, we want to find…whatever it is she left to stop the Unknowing, right? Maybe she spelled it out on the recording. Let’s listen now.

[RATTLE OF THE DOOR CLOSING]

TIM

Our choices seem to be sitting on the floor or…standing.

GERRY

Yeah, no, I’m lazy. Sit.

[FABRIC RUSTLES, SLIGHT SOUND OF CARDBOARD BOXES SHIFTING MARGINALLY AS THEY SETTLE ON THE FLOOR AND GET COMFORTABLE]

[TAPE CLICK]

[A QUIET SPACE]

GERTRUDE

Tim. And Gerard, I suppose, you two don’t tend to keep secrets from one another. Which serves you well.

The time is seventeen minutes past two in the afternoon, fourteenth of March, 2015. As I record this, you are on your way to Çukurova, Turkey, by way of Istanbul. I have just finished speaking with you about returning to London due to the imminence of the Dark’s ritual, the Extinguished Sun.

If you are listening to this recording, it means I’m dead.

[TIM INHALES SHARPLY]

More specifically, it means that I am dead and that my…current theory was incorrect. There is no real point in repeating it now, I suppose. I’ve taken precautions not to be overheard, but there is still the risk. If I am correct, I will tell you about it when you return to London, as it will greatly inform our path going forward, but if I am wrong, there’s no reason for you to worry about it, and telling you will only send you down the wrong and, may I say, dangerous path.

So. To business. You are hearing this because I was able to disrupt the Dark’s ritual, but it likely cost me my life. This means that Elias will be appointing a new Archivist.

The position will not lie fallow for long. It cannot. The Archives need an Archivist, and so does the Ceaseless Watcher. I assume—or rather, I hope—it will be Sasha James, from Research; her background in Artifact Storage will give her a better chance of understanding. However, it may not be, and Elias may have made a different choice for some reason. Should Elias offer you the position, Tim—do not accept it. It will place you both in grave danger. Even graver than the danger you are already in.

(Momentary pause) On the topic of Elias. I know I don’t need to tell you not to trust him; you are already wise enough not to. And you’ve been good about avoiding him up to this point. That will be…far less simple in my absence, at least for you, Tim, so please listen very carefully to what I am about to tell you, and please, believe what I am saying.

The person you know as Elias Bouchard was originally known as Jonah Magnus—

[RECORDER CLATTERS TO THE FLOOR]

TIM

What?!

GERRY

No, no, I must have—we had to have misheard that, play that again, that can’t—

[TAPE REWINDS]

[TAPE CLICK]

GERTRUDE

—and please, believe what I am saying.

The person you know as Elias Bouchard was originally known as Jonah Magnus, the founder of this Institute. I have also known him as James Wright, and before that as Richard Mendelsson. He has found a way to extend his life by…placing it in other bodies, and taking on their identities. A slightly less obvious method than that employed by Maxwell Rayner, I suppose, but no less insidious.

[TAPE CLICK]

[SEVERAL SECONDS OF SILENCE]

TIM

Fuck me sideways and call me a snake.

GERRY

(With a pathetic attempt at humor) I know it’s serious when you aren’t swearing in Lapine.

TIM

I just…I…fuck.

Elias Bouchard has been Jonah Magnus this whole time? No wonder…

GERRY

No wonder what?

TIM

No wonder I can’t figure him out. He’s had—what, two hundred years of being…

GERRY

An asshole?

TIM

The Grand Mystic Pooh-Bah of assholes. And also a servitor of the Ceaseless Watcher.

He’s…he’s old, Gerry. Not just old, but ancient. And I don’t mean that in the sense of “he’s past his prime”, I mean that in—

GERRY

I know. You mean “ancient” like “ancient power.” Like the kind that gets written about on temple walls and whispered about behind closed doors.

TIM

Yeah.

And I think I’m strong enough to keep that out of my head?

GERRY

You are. He believed you when you said you didn’t have the keys to the Archivist’s office, right?

TIM

I mean, I assume so, but—

GERRY

No. No, you’re right, he has to believe it. You said he was disappointed, yeah? Probably because he made plans assuming you did, that you’d lie and say you didn’t but keep them and could…do exactly what you just did and break into Jon’s office when he wasn’t aware. Make him more paranoid. But you convinced him you didn’t and that threw off his plans.

TIM

…Which is why he suddenly remembered he had the key to the trap door and gave it to me to give to Jon. Either in hopes I would “forget” to give it to him, or that I’d make a copy before I did.

GERRY

God. He’s such a bastard.

What’s he up to, anyway?

TIM

Maybe we should keep listening and find out.

GERRY

…Yeah. Yeah, go ahead.

[FABRIC RUSTLES AS HE PULLS TIM CLOSER]

[TAPE CLICK]

GERTRUDE

You’ve worked out, I’m sure, that he has certain…abilities of clairvoyance. On the off chance you haven’t worked out exactly what those abilities are, he has the ability to perceive out of any eye, real or symbolic, which is why I never keep photographs in the Archives. I’m not certain if Gerard’s tattoos are the exception or if he’s not aware of them or if it’s simply that the two of you have the skills to ward him away without knowing that you are doing so, but whatever the case, he doesn’t seem to be…entirely aware of your presence, Gerard.

Use that to your advantage.

I know that you are both well capable of protecting yourselves, both mentally and physically. Your bond to one another is a source of strength. Your knowledge is another. Keeping the Archives in a state of chaos is a third, and I trust you enough to help maintain that; I believe Elias’s plan would benefit from their organization. But I also know that you are both quite skilled in the mental shields I have instructed you in, and that you have developed on your own. Keep using them. It is not only the Ceaseless Watcher that may seek to slip past your defenses, so be on your guard.

It is also up to you to protect the new Archivist, whomever she—or he, I suppose—may be.

The Unknowing is approaching fast. You know this. I am still not certain of the timeline for it, but if you are listening to this tape it is still coming. Perhaps you have been able to ascertain that information by now, perhaps not, but either way, the new Archivist will not be prepared for what is to come. Even if it is Sasha, she may be prepared to accept the paranormal and the dangerous aspects thereof, but she doesn’t know the details like you do. The Archivist will need that information to succeed.

That being said.

I assume that if there is a new Archivist, there are also new assistants. Sasha may not appoint others, as I have mentioned to her that I don’t need any more help than you, Tim, but she may, and a different Archivist will also likely want a full staff. Which means you are likely dealing with a minimum of two new assistants—Martin Blackwood will, presumably, be one, but I cannot even begin to hazard a guess as to the second, and I don’t intend to try. It doesn’t matter. Be extremely cautious of them, and of how much information to divulge to them. I trust your judgment, but please be sure to weigh in your decision where they came from and why they are in the Archives. And if the new Archivist asks you to keep them ignorant, you will need to defer to their decision. At least to begin with.

(Deep breath) I will be recording a tape for the Archivist to come after me sometime before…before you return, or before the Extinguished Sun is due to…occur. I plan to give them enough information to get started with, but not the full details. I will also instruct them to play that tape for you, Tim, making no mention of this one. Be warned that if they do not—or have not done so, should you for some reason be listening to this after the new Archivist has taken the position—they may not have the best interests of the world at heart. They may also simply be skeptical, or perhaps simply willfully ignorant, pretending to ignore the truth as a defense mechanism or a pathetic attempt at safety. Whatever the case may be, if the current Archivist has not or does not take you into their confidence…trust no one but each other.

…

I don’t enjoy this level of paranoia. I certainly don’t enjoy that I am handing it on to you. But if it keeps the two of you safe, and if you can save the world in the bargain, I’ll accept it.

I am…fond of you both. I can admit that here and now. I’m fairly certain that this room is warded enough that anyone who may use that against me won’t be able to hear, and if they do, hopefully there won’t be time for them to use it against me. I…I hope you’re able to listen to this, and I’ve not put you in danger just by admitting that. (Heh) I suppose I must be getting sentimental in my old age. I’ll have to tell you about a few. If for some reason you’re listening to this even though I am still alive, likely because I’ve forgotten to actually destroy it, remind me to tell you about Emma. And Michael. I suppose I should tell you about Michael.

I hope you’ll both forgive me when I do.

(Sharp inhale) Right. I believe I’ve rambled long enough. You have work to do.

Hold onto the key to the storage unit until you are certain you can trust the new Archivist. Either wait for them to get up to speed on everything that they need to know or, if the Unknowing is too close to allow them that kind of time, bring them here. Hopefully they will not get quite so…obsessed that they gain powers too quickly, which means your abilities will be the more prominent, but nevertheless, between you and the Archivist you ought to be able to locate my contingency plan. Unless you and Gerard have found a better option. I rather hope you have, as this one may be…drastic, but regardless, this ought to be a good place to discuss. Everything here is safe. At least from Elias.

I don’t have much to leave behind, but what I do have is yours, Tim. Use it well and in good health.

One final request, and I hope you have returned in enough time to fulfill it for me. I registered a plan some time ago that when I die, I wish to have my remains cremated. I updated my will after returning    to London from Chicago to state that I wanted them sent to you, but if that does not go through, they may be sent to the Institute, in which case you will need to find some way of intercepting them or obtaining them from Rosie.

There is a disused burial ground in Dover with the stones overgrown, one that no one bothers to visit anymore. Somewhere in that ground is a stone for Grace Robinson. I…I ask that you scatter my ashes on her grave, and tell her…

Tell her what you wish you could say to Daniel.

Whatever else comes…good luck.

[TAPE CLICK]

[SEVERAL LONG MOMENTS OF SILENCE]

GERRY

Oh, Tim.

[TIM GIVES A SLIGHTLY BROKEN LAUGH]

TIM

You know what the worst part of it is?

GERRY

That none of that surprised you? Well, except the part about Elias Bouchard being Jonah fucking Magnus. I don’t know that I’ll ever be over that.

TIM

Honestly, no. That’s the second worst part.

The worst part is…I was just about to the point where I trusted him. Jon, I mean. Not Elias. There was never any conceivable universe where I trusted Elias. But Jon? I was ready to believe he was on the up and up.

GERRY

Bang goes that theory.

Do you think he killed Gertrude?

TIM

I don’t know. I don’t know that that matters anymore, honestly. If it was Jon or a random intruder or someone taking revenge for whatever she did to stop the Extinguished Sun or, hell, maybe that was how she stopped the Extinguished Sun, get into an old fashioned pistol duel with someone.

The important thing is that Jon knows about all this, and he’s chosen not to believe it, or else he’s chosen not to trust me. And that means I can’t trust him.

It means we’re on our own.

GERRY

Again.

TIM

Or still.

…

So I guess the big question is…now what?

[CLICK]

[mariariley]

omg thank you bb!

so i was thinking, what if the reader (aka us) brings simon to a family cook out? let’s say your mom has been dying to meet him anyways—& not only that, you notice that spaced out look on his whenever the team starts talking about their family members when it’s time to go back home.

and you’re kinda nervous because your family can be a chaotic mess, esp at cookouts. and while you both are there at the cookout, you can’t help but to notice how he barely leaves your side, almost stuck to you like some sort of adhesive!

likeeeeee! imagine your younger cousins running up to him, asking if he could help them fix their nerf guns because they keep jamming the bullets.

or how your aunties keep giving him flirty looks…and your grandma may or may not have made a comment about letting ‘him put a baby in you.’ and on the drive back to your place, you start apologizing for how embarrassing and chaotic they were and he can’t help but to smile to himself because he enjoyed every part of it <33

I told the person they can fill my inbox with as many ideas as they want :)

masterlist || have a request/ask? Here are the rules <3

MY FAMILY IS LIKE THIS ISTG 😭

Aunties would admire his muscles and height, his tattoos as well and “oh my gaaaawd he’s in the militaryyy” aka special forces but they see no difference.

Grandmas too but in the “You’d be a great lookin’ father” way. They would squeeze his muscles nonchalantly I swear. They would definitely start the “bearing children” subject a little too many times.

At some point Simon would have to tell them he doesn’t want kids mostly considering his job to which they’d wave their hands and laugh.

Uncles and grandpas would admire him as a patriot and ask him bunch of military and weapon related questions considering most of them served in the army as well. Tbh he would enjoy talking to them about it.

Cousins (and younger siblings if you have any) would sit down and listen to him talk about his missions. He would add some unrealistic stuff that didn’t really happen just so he would make it more entertaining for them. He would show them a scar and tell them how he fought a lion or something lmao. They’d be like:

“WOOOOAH! You fought a tiger AND a lion at the same time!?”

“With bare hands.”

“WITH BARE HANDS!? WOOOOOAH!”

I love the nerf gun part you mentioned. He would definitely end up playing with them for some time. He would teach them how to hold the guns and aim properly lmao. The game would end with him being “shot and defeated” by the kids. Simon laying on the floor pretending he’s dead while the kids are dying from laughter at his goofy death sounds mimicking.

Simon would eat like never before, he would praise your mom’s cooking.

When you’d apologize on your way back home he’d definitely tell you he enjoyed it and that he would come again.

Divider owners already tagged in my previous posts, I don’t want to spam them 🖤

[august-anon]

dick tends to be more of a playful ler, though he can be absolutely merciless in the process. he's full of teases and affection and is clear about just how much fun he's having while tickling someone (and maybe even teasing his lee about how much fun theyre having too). he jumps around, targeting absolute death spots one moment and melt spots the next. complete tickle monster, there's no escape from him

jason is more ruthless. he'll tease for sure, but he's not as playful or silly about it as dick. he is 100% trying to get into his lee's head and under their skin. the moment he knows what gets to them (whether its their worst tickle spot, a specific tickling method, a type of teasing, etc.) he's going to do that until they cant take it anymore. he CAN be more playful or sweet, but he's more the obnoxious, brazen, merciless type.

tim is less experienced being on that side of the tickling, being more on the younger side in the sibling lineup, but he is so methodical. he teases some (esp when trying to get under someone's skin), but not overly much. he's more focused on experimenting to find just what tickles the worst in each tickle spot, filing away the data in that big brain of his. he's more of a conversational teaser

[kaithesillygoose]

KARASUNO THIRD YEAR ANGST HEADCANONS

TW: abuse, neglect, suicide attempt, self harm, depression, illness, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, alcoholism, drug abuse, death of loved ones, panic attacks

DAICHI: - his father is frankly an alcoholic and likely on types of drug more often than not. - he’s made it his job to keep the man away from his younger siblings, though that means that he takes far more punishments so they don’t have to - his father is lowkey abusive towards him, especially since he found out Daichi was queer (bisexual transmale) - mental health isn’t the best but he ignores that - has considered self harm multiple times and scares himself with how dark the thoughts get some nights - emotionally unavailable often, not at all connected with his feelings and emotions - was taught from a really young age that showing emotions (esp negative ones) showed weakness - his mother died when he was a kid, and his stepmother is either oblivious or ignores how his father treats him - he resents her for this although she’s never actually done anything directly to him - probably has undiagnosed AuDHD - doesn’t have many medical resources available for things like his asthma and his joint issues - doesn’t entirely understand Asahi’s anxiety as he was raised in a way that didn’t allow him to show any form of fear so he just pushes his own away - this has caused many arguments between the two because he just can’t understand Asahi’s point of view - ^^^ absolutely hates this - insomniac - doesn’t sleep well/at all for days on end and it really affects his mental health and mood, it’s more obvious to others than he realises - refuses to ask others for help or open up to them, even when he desperately needs it. suga had to force daichi to open up about sometimes the smallest things - skips meals often - doesn’t think he ‘needs’ them - ^^ his weight is one of his biggest insecurities - he had an eating disorder throughout part of junior hight - yui and hayato monitored what he ate for weeks after they found out

KOUSHI: - has two present parents but isn’t that close with them - his father cares more for his work than his family. his mother tries her hardest to be fair to them both but she fails often in koushi’s eyes - loves his younger brother but hates how he partially resents him for always being his parents favourite - his brother has a lot of medical issues so his mother always doted over him and left koushi in the care of his elderly grandmother - when his grandmother passed his parents hardly acknowledged it and he found that infuriating - used to overwork himself to be the top of his class in school to get his parents to notice him more (they never did) - continues to overwork himself throughout high school for any form of validation - always exerted himself in social situations and built a large social life for himself to avoid being at home and to not feel ignored - daichi and asahi were the first friends he made where he actually felt seen - his father is lowkey homophobic but only shows it behind closed doors in off-handed comments - ^^ his father cares about his reputation more than his family - his main worries and impacts on his mental health started during first year when he realised how bad Asahi and Daichi’s were - he was so scared over them hurting themselves or worse - genuinely didn’t know what to do and ended up having his first panic attack over it and several more

ASAHI: - his father passed in an accident before he was born, his mother passed away from an illness a few years later - was raised by his much older (by 11 years) sister - his sister doesn’t have any mental/mental health issues/disabilities. if their parents were still alive she would have been a glass child - often wanders what it would be like if he actually did have parents - absolutely hates mothers’/fathers’ day, and days at school where people bring in their parents. (always does something with his sister on mothers’ day without fail) - feels really guilty over how his sister had to raise him instead of living her years as a young adult - his sister works abroad most of the year, so he spends most of his time alone - was very lonely as a child - struggled to make friends his whole life, and was pretty severely bullied most of his life too - this bullying only stopped in highschool after Daichi and Suga ‘adopted’ him - ^^ this quickly turned into rumours rather than bullying - the rumours really get under his skin and affect how he sees himself (doesn’t like how he looks anymore, already low self worth plummeted) - used to self harm throughout the end of his junior high years and the beginning of high school. quitting was much harder than he had expected. - attempted in his first year at some point, everything just got too much for him and he needed it to stop. he overdosed on sleeping pills. It didn’t work, he woke up disoriented and sore hours later. He didn’t plan on telling anyone until Daichi and Suga forced him to open up. - the time he took off from volleyball he also took off from school in general. it was a longer depressive episode. - the comments he got after returning, even if they were just jokes, really got to him - to the point where he questioned coming back the next day or ever - he hates how daichi can’t understand his anxiety even though he knows it’s not daichi’s fault. he hates even more how there are some days he resents him for it

[gendrie]

you’re mostly inactive nowadays but I’d like to ask you if you think “arya looks like ned but acts like cat and sansa looks like cat but acts like ned” is correct. personally the only similarities i can see between sansa and ned are their toxic situationship w a baratheon and their somewhat similar personality (at least when ned was younger) but that’s really it. the similarities between arya and cat aren’t really a thing to me? they’re “obsessed” w revenge and are realist 😭?? but i feel like that’s wrong and maybe im blinded by my biases bc i love arya a lot. and there’s the fact that sansa is in the vale and arya was in the riverlands for 2 books and 1 was spent trying to reach cat, that’s gotta count but ugh. what do you think?

that trend is just an attempt at diminishing arya's connection to her father and the north to exaggerate sansa's bc her fans are insecure.......honestly lol. there is natural overlap between all the characters. ive joked about the similarities between like sansa and hot pie and i made a compelling case! i could make the same kind of argument for *spins wheel* arya and stannis!

middle child

holds a grudge

close (romantic) relationship with flea bottom boys

difficult relationship with older sibling

values honesty, hates liars

facial tic (lip biting and teeth grinding)

lost faith in the seven after the death of a parent(s)

seeks alternate religious(/magical) institutions to work their will

"there is no creature on earth half so terrifying as a truly just man/10 year old girl"

but this means nothing. arya and stannis will never cross paths. so if we can draw numerous parallels between just about any two random unconnected characters (and we can) its a good indicator that the "parallels" themselves probably arent that significant.

i love arya and catelyn and im a huge fan of overlap between them, but im not actually convinced that all of it or even most was intentional on grrms part? i think he is pretty explicit when he wants to get that point across. ex: "you remind me of her" wrt arya and lyanna. i do think arya will meet lady stoneheart so some of the commonalities (the riverlands, the bwb, the concept of mercy rebirth and death) are meaningful, but a lot of it does get overstated in a way that does a disservice to the characters. it lacks nuance. that is also how we end up with the "arya and catelyn are violent freaks unlike good kind ned and sansa" crap.

as far as ned and sansa is concerned they have things in common too but a lot of it isnt even played straight like running their mouths to cersei? ned does it to try and spare the lives of her children. sansa just wanted to become queen. ned was fostered in the vale by jon arryn to be honorable and truthful. sansa is there under littlefinger’s tutelage and he’s influencing her to be a manipulative liar. ned lost the game bc of his mercy for the children. sansa is securing her own interests in the game at the cost of a child’s life. these are similar situations that serve to highlight a difference imo. meanwhile the parallels sansa shares wit lysa and petyr will be ignored bc it doesnt suit the agenda.

arya and ned also have a lot in common esp during agot. the scenes with arya vs. joffrey and ned vs. jaime are like copy and pasted. arya and ned are honest about what happens but it doesnt matter. ned's experiences with the murder of rhaenys and aegon plays out with arya and mycah. they're both younger siblings who were outshined by the elder ect. but i dont think arya is exactly like ned or catelyn or lyanna. arya is arya. sansa is sansa. they both have numerous connections to other characters that serve a variety of narrative functions.

[falafels]

wait hold on i'm the anon that sent the yellowjackets ask (the first one. not the aaron one. am also confused). BUT TRAVIS JEAN. TRAVIS !! Could also see mari-- given the other worlds and realities thing. but mostly just travis. honestly honestly though neil is giving lottie i see it now i see it so clearly. not mentally ill enough really but like you said it would be a different story. Maybe have the medication/mental spiral backstory for andrew while he fills a natalie role. also thank you bottle blonde sophie thatcher as fem!andrew foreverrrr

also side note i am latina and yk has gotten super super violently racist so like idk that *I* personally would recommend it anymore after the finale. Just wanted to add that because I felt uncomfortable not saying something about it if i was going to start and/or have fun with a yellowjackets discussion<3 esp since you said you didn't keep watching!

TRAVIS JEAN IS SUCH A CONCEPT OMG the dead younger sibling. the constant trauma literally lost on day one and never came back. holding the little goat so softly. witnessing the cruelty and being fully assimilated but never doing it himself GOD

I can kind of see Neil Lottie although I feel like he’d do it and a handful of Foxes would follow for the bit. It actually lines up pretty well with Neil’s specific brand of ‘well it makes sense to me i dont know why you’re all staring at me like that. god forbid i bonk a man on the head and his brains go splat everywhere’

and about yellowjackets getting racist yeah i don’t know what the fuck they’re doing. i stopped watching in early s2 and followed the rest through youtube clips and episode summaries so i wouldn’t go crazy but s3 they seem to have actually just gone fully hardcore racist with it. tai’s family just straight up ignored in favour of her white girlfriend from 20 years ago. lottie just being written off in a deeply unsatisfactory way to further a storyline about shauna’s family. actually also that lottie is indigenous and her whole thing is “connecting with nature” and communing with the wilderness yikes. with mari’s death in particular i cannot believe anybody in the writers room didn’t see that and go holdup maybe let’s not do that. yeah definitely something to be conscious of going in if anybody is planning to watch it. personally i will not be due to jesus fucking christ

[pippin-pippout]

The dynamic extends to:

Luffy: I can do such a cool attack! *blows his body into a balloon*

Sabo: wow it’s cool!

Sabo internally: this is not cool…

Ace, not at all jealous: is that cool? Then deflect this! *kicks luffy*

Ace and Sabo proceed to bully Luffy, kicking him back and forth, till accidentally kicking him into a river where he can’t swim and then gets eaten whole by a crocodile.

Ace and Sabo: work in tandem to kill said crocodile and pull Luffy out.

This is such an older younger sibling dynamic. Ace and Sabo are like twins who share everything and then have to “deal” with this stupid younger brother.

Sabo: let it go

Luffy: I almost got eaten!

Ace: fine. You can have a lot of crocodile meat for dinner.

Luffy: ok 😊

That being said, esp from Ace’s last words, I feel like Luffy coming into his life is the only reason he survived Sabo’s “death”.

[sapongpiepong-blog]

i just cant bring myself to ship so mun and hana together like,,, theyre siblings your honor !!

sometimes we just gotta accept and embrace the found family trope yknow. uncanny counter does not need a romance trope (esp btwn the counters !!) its like one of the best shows that manages to showcase it and having so mun and hana have a thing for each other wont really do :((

and i just know they dont really have a thing for each other TT hana sees so mun as her younger brother and so mun sees hana as an older sister.

'but he had a crush on her when he first saw her' exactly !! he just met her but after literally facing life and death situations i just know he considered her more as a family more than anything :")

'but she's the one to save him from the coma in s2' bcs she's the only one who's attuned to that type of power !! im sure if motak or mrs. chu can do it, they'll do it.

the romance is just going to ruin everything believe me pls. im begging the writers, just,,, dont do it

[gumbootillustrations]

day 18 - headcanon

i had too many so no drawing today. instead, i offer a list.

bogan laurance. or, more specifically, bogan meteli. like cmonnn u Cannot tell me that meteli (esp old meteli) is just a standin for small-town new zealand/australia. anyway, they all have aussie/nz accents. laurs is the most obvious bc i think its funny. @shadowqnights @abxolotl this one goes out for you guys <3

on that note, ru'aun's environment is basically new zealand's. especially the sacred forest - it has major nz bush vibes. like.

cmon u Cannot tell me that these were taken in the sacred forest of ru'aun.

anyway. travis gets kept up at night by kiwi screaming at each other (seriously. take a listen.)

also, tu'la is inspired by the roman empire. ill probs elaborate on this in the future.

necromancer cadenza! i've spoken abt this before here if u want to see a bit more :3

irene's cathedral/dimension/whatever is less cathedral and more eldritch labyrinth. specifically, i envision it to be a lot like the theatre of domination from honkai impact 3rd.

garroth gardens in his free time! it's how he grows all the flowers for his flower crowns.

meif'wa are werecats; they can 'tuck in' their ears and tails like werewolves can (but it's generally super uncomfortable, no matter the species), and have a sort of hybrid cat-human form that they can also shift into.

melissa is the first ultima - i sort of got into it in this post, but essentially after mel comes back to find falconclaw destroyed and her siblings, aaron and lilly, dead (to the best of her knowledge - aaron is still alive, however), she strikes a deal with a goat-eyed being to bring them back, but because the fine print was specifically worded to fuck her over, her soul ends up getting fused with the wolf that she sacrifices for the ritual and she gets ultima'd.

also, lilly is now aaron and mel's younger sister. she's a ghost.

juror relics! i hate hate Hate how the jurors never get fleshed out in canon, so i gave them a bit more backstory in ashes, ashes. their powers originally came from smaller, less powerful relics that xavier carved off of his own, but after they get lost, they become figureheads for a long time until about 20-25 years prior to the start of ashes, ashes. there's a bit more on this in my day 20 post, pinky promise.

the generals of the shadow lord's army are called "death knells", and although they lead their own units/squadrons/whatever, their primary purpose is to oppose the divine warriors; including the shadow lord (who opposes irene), there are only ever seven death knells at one time. an example of a death knell is gene, who is intended to oppose kul'zak.

zianna is a witch, although, for most of her life, her abilities were passed off as her having prophetic magicks; these 'magicks' are why she was married off to garte, as the ro'meave line wanted to introduce these magicks into the family. unfortunately, the heir, garroth, didn't inherit his mother's abilities, but her two other children, zane/zuwellyn and vylad, did.

nicole is a half elf from her mum's side; her mum is matilda's sister, making her and levin first cousins. this is based on matilda lowkey looking really similar to nicole. idk i just think its fun.

garte sells out o'khasis to tu'la for more power during s2, thus transferring the jury of nine into the control of the king. it's a whole mess, and in the process, he essentially scapegoats zianna by faking his death.

however, this does make zianna lord of o'khasis. we love a girlboss.

the relics have different effects on their wielders; for example, esmund's relic makes its wielders a lot more physically dense, meaning that they'll sink into softer surfaces like sand and mud. xavier's relic turns its wielders hair red.

consequently, zane has red roots. he dyes his hair black (its natural colour) to hide them.

katelyn has the moniker of "the dragon of o'khasis". the phoenix drop gang mostly assumes that it's because she's ruthless on the battlefield... until she decides that the best course of action is to breathe fire at an opponent uncle iroh-style.

katelyn is also Stupidly superstitious. like. she fully believes in the sweater curse and will Refuse to walk under a ladder even if theres no other available path.

mys!nicole gets forever potioned. this has Consequences for the home gang during the events of s5-s6.

speaking of mys!nicole, her and dante are queerplatonic coparents to dmitri. they had him when they were in uni after a brief fling. he's the street's baby.

anyway i think thats abt it. lmk if u have any questions :3

(ps two days until day 20)

[eshithepetty]

SORRY FOR HOW I DISAPPEARED AGAIN. BUT I RETURN AND I BRING.. THOUGHTS....

Reply from this post

I was going to just reply to it, but, actually - no. this deserves to be its own post. Because YES!!! Yes, exactly!!!! This isn't something that I often see discussed in this fandom, if ever, but I think about it so much. I think @peepee-envy is exactly right. So much of this show is much more metaphorical than you think. All the fantastical stuff really just exists to... amplify the mundane. It doesn't really stand on its own two feet on its own. That's why we never really see the power system explored that in depth, that's why the terrorism organisation stuff is very secular in the story and doesn't affect the world more beyond its focused arcs, that's why buckwild stuff like the divine tree exists and is kind of just treated as normal, that's why the aliens just... show up, one day, and do nothing else. Those are all just footnotes. Just glass mozaics the story puts over the actual messages and character arcs to make them more colorful and fun. We already know that part of the story's presentation is changed by Mob's point of view - Tsubomi, the body improvement club and 100% carried away being the most obvious examples - so why couldn't that extend to more of this universe?

Of course, I'm not out here claiming that every fantastical and improbable thing in this story is just a projection of Mob's imagination or whatever, that would be kinda dumb and not that fun. But what is fun to me is thinking about what it could all mean!! What lies beneath the surface, what we can interpret and extract from these events! Like, as the reply above notes - the big clean up arc isn't so much about Ritsu literally going and beating the shit out of people... because, yeah, that does happen... but if we were to take it through a realistic lens, Ritsu would probably be in juvie rn lmao. No, what really matters here is the drama. Put as short as I can, it all goes like this:

There are 2 siblings. One of whom is noticeably different in how he percieves and interacts with the world, something that starts to alienate him (how do you take this to its fantastical extreme? Make him literally see the world differently (seeing spirits) and having different abilities (ESP) of course!)

Because of this alienation, there begins a rift in how this boy views himself and the traits that make him different (thus: a literal separation between mob and ???%...)

Only, these identity issues are obviously not healthy - the way he's started to reject himself is not healthy - and it, inevitably... ends with him lashing out, in a way that noone expected. And his younger brother, who had seen his brother as his role model up to that point... understandably got hurt and influenced the most. (And this being the story that it is.... that means the hurt and confusion gets made physical. Blood on the asphalt. A shadowy demon, 'something else', beneath your brother's skin)

Thus begin 3 long, suffocating years of neither of them being able to deal with it. One has decided to abandon his every desire and personality trait in the hopes that being invisible will make sure he drives noone else away ever again. And the other takes a similar page out of his older sibling's book, and hopes that by doing just what society tells him to do, being good, being quiet and nice and always accomodating to his brother, will mean he can avoid that trauma repeating. (Only, in this case - the feelings are so much more amplified, by the fact that this is not just hurt - this is death. Shigeo very much almost Murdered his little brother that day. And the both he and Ritsu are achingly aware of this.)

(But noone can bear these burdens forever.)

So eventually... the younger snaps. He's tired of upholding this image of perfection, of intelligence, of helpfulness - he feels like none of what he's done, what he's been, in the past 3 years is true, because it's all been born from fear. So when a crack appears in front of him - a chance to not do that anymore, to be someone else... he takes it. He finally lets himself be flawed. And he finally breaks down. (And in this world where he fears death and aspires literal powers with which to defend himself - this rebellion is exhagarated. He lies and cheats and hurts in the most blatant way possible. He's violent. Because in this world where he fears dying - what's a little more blood on the asphalt? He just needs to know it won't be him next. He accepts all this guilt and sinks into it because he's finally allowed to. Because for once, these feelings and destruction is something he controls. Noone else.)

(He's finally like his brother. He feels, he's finally able to understand him. He wanted psychic powers, because the time his brother fully showed his psychic powers is the time he was truly whole, and he aches to feel whole himself, too. To unmask and become something truer to himself, something that will bring him closer to his nii-san.)

And as for the other... well. There goes the whole rest of the story of Mob Psycho. Shigeo learning to open up. To find friends. To understand himself. To accept his differences. To reach out. To change people. And to finally, be able to mess up, and walk away after it - because it might feel like the worst possible thing in the world. It might feel like he's the worst person in the world, this horrible beast who's just so angry, and who can't stop hurting people, and who suddenly blames everyone around him and is destroying everything he touches as a result... but that's only because he's never allowed himself to take himself into account before. He's never seen himself before, never let himself protect himself before.... and to a person who's lived their whole life in darkness, only candlelight to guide them - the sun would feel like an apocalypse. It's only so overwhelming, because it is so to Shigeo. It's all just a representation of how he feels.

And I just think that's all so fun. It's fascinating... I love thinking about this stuff. And it's also why, I realize as I'm writing this, I've always felt that terms like 'parody' and 'deconstruction' do not 100% apply to all of mob psycho, to what it is as a series.... because, yes, there's definitely elements of both (particularly in the more actiony parts of the series). But at it's heart... it almost leans more into the logic of something like magical realism, where fantastical elements do exist - but they don't explain themselves, and they don't impact the universe they inhabit in a way that people would deem as realistic - they just are. They're there to be a set dressing, they're there to be an allegory, they're there to make it more interesting - but the story was never about them. It was about what lied beneath that fantasy. It's about the humanity of it all.

And it also just makes the story So funny. Like, yeah, guess there's a mind controlling broccoli now in the middle of the town,, why not!! One of my best friends is a green booger, and my father-uncle-brother figure is a scam psychic, and my little brother almost strangled someone to death for me, and one of my classmates want me to be a cult leader.. Also my confession to a girl Literally left 11 dead 69 injured but thats fine !! Etc. etc. I just really like that, jdhdjdhj

This is a story about how even the most special looking people are actually just as normal as anyone else; that the most ridiculous things are just a part of life, that we can find connection in the strangest of circumstances, that life and growing up is awkward and cringe and confusing and!!! It's all just normal. This is life. And I love this beatiful and weird series, with all my heart <3

[rred-gaze]

Sorry if this is kind of a bother but frankly I'm genuinely quite curious what your thoughts are on Yesod, or like, personal hcs and such! ( Mostly curious since some of your other posts with Verg were very silly! And frankly it's just nice to hear ppl rant abt their fav characters n such )

oh!!! dw i like asks, esp about characters i like :] i made a LONGGG list of hcs for him when he was my #1 blorbo that i added to over the years, i’ll put that and some general thoughts under the cut

headcanons:

-transmasc he/they. super gay also

-can say fuck. chooses not to.

-he’d probably tug at his clothes when he’s nervous (gloves, turtleneck, tie)

-malkuth is his friend! (and taller than him i decide the heights now)

-ROLAND IS HIS FRIEND

-he seems to like moons (moon the the bottom of the department in lob corp, in his ruina symbol, you can see a moon from his platform)

-(based on the moon thing) likes astronomy :)

EDIT: i have learned that in actual kabbalah yesod is known to be the sephirah of lunar consciousness so i think that connection to his character is really cool

-takes good care of his hair it would be silky and sofd <3

-if he ever had long hair he’d put it in a ponytail (turned out to be true: see beta designs in the artbook)

-lob corp yesod would have to wear long gloves if he was ever forced to wear short sleeved shirts

-gets cold easier than others (i know he was a Cube so he wasn’t actually wearing them but a turtleneck under a suit?? if he doesn’t get cold easily he’d be melting :( if it were sleeveless it’d be a bit better but still)

-the sephirot robot forms only have one eye. yesods was on the left. his bangs in ruina are on the right. most of his hair minus the bangs look pretty much the same length so this implies he grew his bangs out on purpose. what if he couldn’t get used to having two again. also he has no depth perception

-got that high intelligence low wisdom. can recite 60 digits of pi but doesn’t know what a handshake is

-what if he has fangs. like a v. like a vip. like a vi

-he likes shiny things...like an crow....give him a coin......

-wakes up at the asscrack of dawn

-you seen his floor? that man likes vaporwave. and also lights in general, i think

-likes tea (also turned out to be true? he’s drinkin some in that one credits cg)

-probably has a small plant in his office, likes gardening a little

-leaves you on read

-clicks his pen when he’s focused, doesn’t notice until someone tells him to stop

-doesn’t really like soda but thinks sprite is okay

-he smells like lavender i think

-doesn’t like when people make a big deal out of his birthday but he appreciates gifts and the like nonetheless

-gets bad caffeine jitters

-he’s a flirty drunk and gets extremely embarrassed about that when he sobers up

-uncomfortable in large groups, he gets overwhelmed if he’s around a lot of people for too long

-hovers around the people he’s closest to if he’s forced to be around a lot of people

-focuses the best if he’s by himself

-malkuth and yesod are siblings because i like them. this also makes elijah and gabriel’s deaths more sad

-yesod can do hair, he learned how to braid because elijah liked having their hair braided when they were younger

-i rotate them being twins and yesod being a natural brunette in my head sometimes

-if he were a snake he’d be a mangrove pit viper or lavender albino king snake i think

-he likes looking out the big tech sciences window to relax

-has a lot of scars across his body from scratching, i personally think he should’ve had his hand scars in ruina

-good with computers but complete shit at video games. he’d know the Lore to games he likes but absolutely cannot play them.

-likes the sound of computer fans and keyboards

-he’s totally autistic

self indulgent

-he seems like he’d get really flustered if you showed him any sort of affection, ESPECIALLY in public. hug him and he short circuits and dies

-if you ever managed to befriend him he seems kinda calming to be around when he’s not pissy. kinda guy you’d sit out in the balcony with in the middle of the night when you can’t sleep in a comfortable silence. might show you constellations if you wanted

-covers his face when he blushes

-would get super red when he’s embarrassed, tries to avoid people and hides away in his office

-touch starved but can’t ask for affection to save his life

-i think he’d show affection with little things yk. puts a blanket on you when you pass out on your desk. he’d probably try to cover it up with professionalism though. like “i noticed you haven’t eaten, think about how that’ll affect your work performance” instead of “eat something i’m worried about you”

-might also just sit near or lean on you

-if he likes you enough he’d be softer and more forgiving

-i personally tend to assign my character fixations flowers for some reason,,,he gets hyssops :) hydrangeas and lavender also make me think about he

jumbled thoughts:

part of the reason i like him so much is because i tend to have a thing for cold/stoic characters who are soft on the inside. yesod is only cold and sharp-tongued because he needs to be in order to succeed in lob corps environment. he doesn’t want to get attached to people. he cares so much that he couldn’t allow himself to feel anything at all, esp in an environment where he’s trying so fucking hard to reduce deaths by setting rules and keeping order but people die every day regardless. not only that, but his job was to destroy information that could potentially save those same people. he gets MAD if you let his employees die because he cares about them.

i also used to try and spread my rolsod agenda all the time, i think their relationship is fun

oh yeah and he’s totally OCD-coded. one thing i’ve always liked about projmoon media is how great their representation of mental illness is. both because it feels very accurate and real and a lot of horror media will just drop in a mentally ill person and go “ooo scary mentally ill person being scary bc they’re mentally ill oooo” but the horror aspect in lob corp is focused more on the horrible things that caused him to act that way. he became obsessed with rules and safety because elijah broke the rules and tested the cogito on herself, leading to her slow and painful death.

just a couple things i find cute about him:

-i know the viper nickname is supposed to be threatening but i think snakes are cute and so is he

-robot form <3

-that hair tuft

-HIS SMILE!!!!!

-his voice is hot okay byey

i don’t talk about yesod as much anymore because i can only have so many men at the forefront of my mind but make no mistake i still adore him

[horizon-verizon]

The way Rhaegar gets hate because he “cheated” from the same people who “ship” Nettles and Daemon, another adulterous relationship. Rhaegar is a monster for cheating on his gentle, soft, devoted (and ARRANGED) wife, but suddenly y’all support Daemon cheating on his wife, a woman who lost 4 children and is mentally destroyed.

Also, according to them, Daemon groomed Rhaenyra... So you agree, Rhaenyra is his victim ? But they still want him to mock and humiliate her.

Although there are valid & rightful criticisms of Rhaegar going for someone else while married even if Elia somehow cosigned it or "forgave" him (because women vs men have different consequences for cheating AND/OR their spouses cheating)...

yes this discrepancy is too much.

So you like a Targ man cheating on one woman (who happens to also be Targ) but not a Targ man cheating on a nonTarg woman...can we really say you like women, then? Because though Elia was never a princess or royal, she's still the scion of a "Great House" and a noble, so we can't use the old Alicent-Rhaenyra trick of "different privileges" (even thought that didn't work in that context either to exonerate Alicent of wrongdoing). We couldn't say that Alicent was Rhaenyra's victim nor that Rhaenyra herself did not go through patriarchal oppression, nor argue that "who suffered more" makes a victim the more moral actor than the other. Yes, book!Rhaenyra brought about her own end by going after Nettles while using misogynoir. that doesn't remove the misogyny & the fact that she was placed in the position she was in because women, in general, are not given the grace or authority to rule in the same way as more incompetent or evil men. So why?

Because they hate Targs--but really as a way of hating Dany. So they hate women first, then anything that affirms or enables them to have more power than men, or power perceived as "more". Esp women who take it upon themselves to accrue power without relying "enough" on previous patriarchal criteria for female rule (most of what Dany gets & needs from her father is the blood claim and what not to do as a ruler and she was already younger than the dead Viserys). And Rhaegar is the sibling that she yearns for the most, to compare herslef to, to wonder what life would have been like but also his ties to the prophecy she comes in contact with, etc.

She thinks for herself constantly and is attempting to destroy one of the longest-lasting oppressive systems in the ASoIaF world, which intimidates their conservative or liberal sensibilities

she has the mightiest symbols and materials for power in this universe: dragons (perceived or acknowledged in-world) which many feel should be have been given to a male character like Jon...hence why the numerous Dany-as-Jon's-consort, Dany-is-racist-for-not-accepting-Quentyn (even though he goes for a pale girl himself, back home), Dany even losing her dragons to Euron and his dragon horn is seen as a positive plot point or her marrying him and him using her dragons...as if her dragons trust or care abt anyone other then their mother, who literally breastfed them (but then again, many fans probably hate their mothers just for existing)

there are heavy clues that she is the Azor Ahai--a principal actor to literally saves the world from ice monsters when in a more conventional fantasy world this person would be male

Elia--no woman--deserved what she got from Tywin Lannister & the Mountain (bc her rape and death are their fault. Her own brother says that often and his belief leads to his death for heaven's sake!). But Rhaenyra did not deserve to get cheated on by Daemon as she had done nothing to him PLUS there would have been heavy political consequences for her that Daemon did not get when he cheated on Rhae Royce several times. They also chose each other despite almost everyone's condemnations of it--it was not an arranged marriage.

Even if we argued she did, Daemon cheating on Rhaenyra--as a hypothetical--would have happened BEFORE Rhaenyra did anything to Nettles.

Finally, yes if we say Daemon groomed Rhaenyra, then why do we hate the victim?

[chubbletea]

I SAW YOUR TAGS IN THSC CONFESSION POST. I WANT GALEFORCE FAMILY LOREE

HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI. HI. I'M NORMAL AND I'M GONNA ANSWER THIS NORMALLY. OKAY

SO. OKAY. SHIT. FUCK. I'M NORMAL

before I get started, charles' name used to be william galeforce, so keep that in mind (it's not rlly a deadname Ig? but yeah.)

hubert is charles' uncle- charles' parents were melissa galeforce and giovanni galeforce (giovanni and galeforce are brothers)

hubert's been in the military for a long time. melissa was a toppat when giovanni met her, and hubert didn't approve of their relationship bc she was a toppat, but giovanni didn't listen and married her anyways, joining the toppats. hubert and giovanni's relationship got a little tense.

melissa and giovanni eventually had william/charles despite not knowing how to care for children (smh smh), esp bc their lives of crime got in the way

since melissa and giovanni were constantly absent, william was mostly raised by hubert. william was in the airship division with his parents, which is technically what introduced him to aircraft, but he became invested in becoming a pilot someday when hubert got him a toy helicopter for his 3rd bday (W hubert).

since he was very isolated from the toppats (the toppats who weren't his parents wanted to take better care of him but they rlly couldn't; his parents thought he was fine SMH SMH), hubert took him out to do all the fun stuff (yk. stuff you'd do when you were a kid. another hubert W)

william was uh. lied to a lot in the clan, whether they were white lies or genuinely harmful. he had interest in the military bc of hubert and wanted to join someday, having no idea that the toppats were criminals and not good ppl- he genuinely thought they meant well, despite having never been rlly told what they did

eventually william's parents had two more kids. (WHY.) they were twin brothers, named victor and vincent galeforce. melissa and giovanni didn't rlly care for them either, but william LOVED them. they were his whole world.

he basically raised his brothers from the start (and is very good with children as a result), and they loved him too. they were always there for each other when no one else was. victor and vincent were the sun in his life he loved them SO much

william's parents got arrested (common melissa/giovanni L) and this upset all three siblings despite them not being good parents. william took his job as an older brother more seriously from then on out. not long after, he found out what the toppat clan was doing (uh oh), got angry, and left with his brothers in a fit of rage

he took some of the stolen valuables the toppats had with him so he could return them and perhaps get them arrested. the first person they ran to was hubert, and he let them stay for as long as they needed to. this is when william got his name changed (for safety reasons; he was fucking terrified).

they dealt with a lot of conflict relating to the toppats (obv) so. shit went down. there was a big fight.

rhm (which, I forgot to mention, was basically william's/charles' best friend, perhaps in a teenage romance) was super pissed abt this. in the big fight with the toppats, rhm killed victor and vincent while everyone was away, despite him being encouraged not to. (rip the galeforce twins they were only 12 <//3 aug 18 2000 - sept 12 2012)

now you can obv guess charles was fucking DEVASTATED. esp bc he was taunted by rhm for not being able to protect them

charles was already working on becoming a pilot at this point, and victor and vincent were rlly invested in the military bc of hubert. charles was already thinking abt joining the military when they died, but their deaths were the final push to convince him. so he basically joined in honor of them.

edit: bonus I imagine charles is good friends with the bukowski twins (fav bg chars moment) and they view him as an older brother + he views them like younger siblings (I'M NORMAL ABT. FOUND FAMILY. I SWEAR). they make him think of what victor n vincent would've been like had they survived :]

so YEAH charles hates the toppats a whole fucking lot.

[justsomeoneunordinary]

Hi, i saw your long post and other's reblogs on how weird Hashirama treats Tobirama and i cant help but notice something that kinda does not spark joy : the only times they SEEM like normal and close brothers aka the scenes where they both pouted like kids or when Hsrm was like ":D" and Tbrm "-_-" while hiraishin back to village are....all after they died. They did that as actual corpses of middle aged men. I think when analyse them we forget that they are veterans that has lived full lives, not youngsters, and there's plenty of changes two brothers could have in their 50 something years. And that's bittersweet because i cant help but feel like they were really not close, especially when they were younger. The only good thing is that it looks like their bond had had some development and gotten somewhat better, they understand each other more, and even so it looks like they, esp Tbrm. just got better by way of getting used to the weirdness and not really active changes. :(

Yeah, the thing about the founders era is, is that we can't do more but speculate and try to interpret the little bit we got as best as possible. Because we just don't know enough - the entire story is based around Hashirama and Madara's backstory and how the village came to be, and only from Hashirama's view at that. We don't know what happened between the confrontation at the river and Tobirama slaying Izuna.

We don't know when or how Butsuma and Tajima died, we don't know how it was for Hashirama to take on the role as clan head and Tobirama as his second in command or how they felt after their father died, we don't know what Hashirama thought of the war or even if he thought of trying to advocate for peace with the Uchiha before that fatal hit. I know in fanfics it's often described that Hashirama sent several missiles asking for a ceasefire or asks in the middle of the battlefield Madara to consider peace, but unless I have missed something, for all we know it could've been Tobirama wounding Izuna fatally that reminded Hashirama of their dreams and had him go "hey, it doesn't have to be like that". Of course, the fact that the Uchiha defected to the Senju, of all clans, speaks of a certain trust or respectively belief in Hashirama's words, which means he might've tried to ask for peace several times before, but we don't actually know for sure.

We don't know what the politics and paperwork behind the foundation of konoha looked like and what drew the other clans to join in, we don't know how Hashirama reacted after Madara defected, we don't know how he dealt with Madara's wannabe death after wannabe killing him - he definitely doesn't seem depressed at the Kage summit, which must've happened after Madara's not-death considering they got the bijuu sealed.

And we don't know how Hashirama and Tobirama's siblingship was. We barely see them interacting as kids, and in those scenes, we see Tobirama catching Hashirama when Butsuma slaps him (I know in the anime Tobirama goes in between to stop Butsuma but that's anime and therefore not canon to me. I assume they did that because showing cool fights go brrr on TV is one thing, but showing literal child abuse is another), we see Hashirama choosing his own brother and telling Madara that he will protect his last brother at all cost - but from the little bit we see of them as kids Hashirama and Madara definitely seemed closer than Hashirama and Tobirama. And the only times we see them interacting as adults it's almost always when they talk about Madara and the Uchiha in general - and they strongly disagree on that topic. So for all we know, from the little bit we have canonically seen, they didn't have a close relationship.

Which, again, is okay. Siblings don't always have a close relationship, and sometimes - oftentimes even - you form a closer relationship with someone outside of family. Hashirama and Madara had a stronger brotherhood than Hashirama and Tobirama, and that's okay.

But as I said, it doesn't fucking spark joy. Like, come on, this is such bullshit. They're each other's last living brother! They lived through terrible, traumatic events and they're all they have and Kishimoto wants to tell me they're not close to each other? After losing two younger brothers way too early to war? Really? Yes, they're two war-hardened veterans but consider: they're also human. Sorry, I just think considering their history they should be closer to each other than ever before. I want them to have undying loyalty to each other and I want them to have an unhealthy codependent relationship, I want Hashirama to have reacted just as maddening as Madara if it had been Tobirama who had died even if canon suggests otherwise because that's what fills me with satisfaction. A cold relationship does not, therefore I close my eyes and do not see it.

Also, this is where interpretation comes in: as you mentioned, there are a few times we see them act brotherly, and hey, would you look at that: those are the few times they don't talk about Madara and the Uchiha. So it's fair to assume that the Uchiha was just a subject they strongly disagreed about and had fights over as well, which is perfectly normal for siblings to have, but outside of this touchy subject? They might as well have been close. They could've had who knows how many great, loving brotherly moments! It's not like we know what they thought of each other, considering Hashirama only talked about his backstory with Madara, and Tobirama's thoughts were mostly only there to prop Naruto. So unless Kishimoto comes out of the woodwork to tell us that nah, they merely respected each other but weren't really close (in which case I will literally kill him with my bare hands), it's perfectly fair to assume that Hashirama and Tobirama could've been close and it was just the topic of the Uchiha they fought over. There's not enough canon to disprove that theory anyway.

That's at least what I do because godamnit, I cannot stress enough how dumb I find it that considering their history they're supposed to have a cold relationship. Bullshit, if I close my eyes, they were loving brothers who showed their love in different ways, and that's on that. 😌

(I am, however, salty we never even got a hug. Come on, at least a hug!!! Come on Kishimoto, give me a hug between these two bröthers why is that too much to ask for it's literally all I ask for. (A hug would also definitely disprove that they weren't close at all.))

[idyllic-affections]

Ooooooo so we’re going to have other Diluc and Kaeya but edgy as our brothers? i think an OC would be interesting (Look if we’re making those two as brothers, im 99% sure they had a battle or a confrontation of sorts in the rain thing like Diluc and Kaeya had. Like maybe they had conflicting ideals which cause all of them to seperate?) Ok but in all seriousness, if you do ever make them as a OC, what would the reader be obsessed of? Pantalone is fair exchange and Baizhu is immortality. Maybe the reader can be a thrill seeking junkie? Just imagine seeing those two being sophiscated and calm then theres their younger sibling who is a menace of society who bothers their brothers daily.

- 🐱 Anon

i think i'll take this idea and use it for an oc! most people who have given me their thoughts about this idea seem fascinated with the thought of it being used for an oc. with that said....

YOUUUUU. YOU GET ME 🐱 ANON. god. can you imagine? baizhu and pantalone, both equally elegant and mysterious in their own ways, with baizhu being more in touch with people whereas pantalone is more aloof, detached from the general population of snezhnaya... and their fucking adrenaline-seeking, societal menace, knight of favonius youngest sibling. lord. you get me sooo well, 🐱 anon.

and, hear me out--the reason they're like this?

it reminds them of their own mortality. death is not something they are afraid of--they find it quite reassuring, in fact. life is fleeting and they intend to enjoy it to the fullest, unlike their older brothers, who are so fixated on their obsessions that life is slipping away from them.

they aren't built for immortality, really. this oc would be so inexplicably human at their core that they would not be able to handle living forever.

they're probably friends with childe and hu tao with that attitude LMFAO..... for different reasons though!

and of course, i don't think they'd say much of anything about their past to the knights of favonius. so. you know. them finding out about that....

diluc would be such a hater GOD he would hate them like how he hates kaeya STOPPPPP but kaeya and eula and jean--gods, they would understand sooo deeply, esp eula. she gets it.

[fortuna-majoris]

Alternatively

Dick: Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam

The banter between the three leading couples Rahul's flirting ('Agar aap hamare sath hongi tho hamaari shobha baddh jayegi' (If you are with me, my splendor will increase)). The Daddy issues, the separation and spreading your wings, The raising your younger sibling (in law), The adopted into a rich family and being trained to take over the family business, the trying to mend a broken family. The sarcasm and banter between Rahul and Anjali both before and after marriage. All of it is just Dick Grayson coded

Jason(esp jaybin): Kal ho na ho

A light hearted beginning with a tragic end. The matchmaking, the sunshine personality of Aman, the sacrifice, the way Aman fixed Naina's (in this context Dick) family's issues. The way Aman helps everyone to move on from Naina's father's death (similar to the way that Jason made Bruce laugh on his parents' death anniversary in the exact same spot). The way that both stories are so tragic because, 'It always had to end this way' and also because 'It didn't have to be this way', the way that both Aman and Jason irreversibly changed everyone around them and then died. This is THE movie that describes Jason and his time as Robin.

Tim: 3 idiots

A jaded yet hopeful genius with no official schooling who breaks contact with all of their friends and isolate themselves and worm their way into their Mentor's(who previously hated them) heart and then disappear from the face of Earth. They are also a placeholder for someone else. Am I describing Tim Drake or Rancho? You will never know because they are the same characters written in different fonts. Rancho's friendship with Farhan and Raju reminds me of Tim's relationship with Kon, Bart and Cassie.

Damian: Taare Zameen Par

I specifically relate this movie with Damian because of its message and Ishaan'a journey. Ishaan is always berated for not being a normal kid (Damian grew up as an Assassin) but then after he is seperated from his family (Damian is sent to love with his father), a teacher helps them realise their potential and passion, art (The teacher here can be both Bruce or Dick but according to me it is Dick. Damian discovers his passion for art and his love for animals) thereby humanizing him in the most meaningful way (helping Damian be child once again). It ends with the family realising Ishaan's issues (Damian and Talia do have a good relationship here, but because of Ra, Talia wasn't able to express her love for him).

Duke: Kuch Kuch Hota Hain

It is a perfect way to describe one of the most recent batboys because of its tragic premise but the happy and overall humourous vibe of the movie really resonates with Duke's backstory and his current vibe. I really think him and Aman would totally vibe because they both are considered the 'normal' characters of the story (nevermind that Duke started a gang and Aman was the only green flag in the whole movie).

Batboys as Desi Films

𝐃𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)

Raj and Simran meet during a trip across Europe and end up getting stranded in the middle of nowhere after they miss their train. Despite their initial clashing, they fall in love. However, Simran’s traditional father has arranged her marriage elsewhere. Raj must win over Simran’s family to marry her, leading to a series of heartfelt moments, comedic misunderstandings, and ultimately, a dramatic climax where love conquers all as the couple fights for their happiness against societal norms.

Dick is so raj coded with his quips and charisma. Their chaotic banter and chemistry is off the charts. Any Indian who hasn’t watched this gets their desi card revoked immediately, I don’t make the rules. This movies fits Dick’s dramatic flair perfectly.

𝐉𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐝

Goliyon ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013)

The modern adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” set in rural Gujarat, India. It follows the love story of Ram, from the Rajadi clan and Leela, from the Sanera clan, who belong to rival gangster clans engaged in a long-standing feud. Despite the enmity between their families, Ram and Leela fall deeply in love, leading to a tragic and tumultuous journey filled with passion, violence, and sacrifice.

It fits Jason’s love for guns and classics. An absolute visual treat with cinematography and all the songs are absolute bangers.

𝐓𝐢𝐦 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐤𝐞

Jab We Met (2007)

Aditya, a heartbroken business tycoon, someone who was dwelling in the lowest ebb of his life and was almost on the brink of giving it all up, aimlessly boards a train to escape his depressing life. On his journey he meets Geet, a talkative and vivacious young woman. Geet is on her way to meet her boyfriend, but her plans go awry, and she ends up stranded. Aditya, feeling sorry for her, decides to help her get to her destination safely. Along the way, they encounter various adventures and challenges that bring them closer together. Despite their contrasting personalities, they develop a deep connection. However, when they part ways, Aditya realizes his love for Geet and sets out to find her. In the end, they reunite, realizing they are meant to be together.

Grumpy x sunshine. The OG green flag. Epitome of ‘if he wanted to,he would’. Makes my chatterbox heart happy because of how much I relate to the FL. Favourite comfort movie of all time. ML kinda looks like Cillian Murphy’s scarecrow. “I like you a lot but that is my problem, you don’t need to worry about it.” Their fights and his little sassy comebacks and rants were so cute and fun to watch.

𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐞

Jodhaa Akbar (2003)

The Mughal emperor Akbar, seeking to forge political alliances, marries Jodhaa, a Rajput princess. Initially a marriage of convenience, their relationship evolves as they learn to respect and love each other. Jodhaa struggles to adapt to Mughal customs, especially with their cultural and religious differences but her courage and integrity win Akbar's admiration. Despite conspiracies and opposition, including from Akbar's own court, their love prevails. The film explores the transformation of a young ruler, initially groomed for ruthlessness by his mentor Bairam Khan, into a wise and compassionate emperor who values mercy, diplomacy, religious harmony and cultural acceptance. Akbar's realization of the importance of religious tolerance, showcased through his abolition of discriminatory policies and his respect for all faiths.

The arranged marriage tag and the ‘raised as a weapon but softens and shows more compassion out of respect and love for his empress’ tag fits demonhead!Damian so much. The way he said mashallah after he pulled off her veil in the middle of a sword fight >>>>. I love how it captures the essence of India’s rich heritage and diversity. “Why seek paradise ? It is before me now.”

𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐞

Khoobsurat (2014)

Milli, a free-spirited and eccentric young woman becomes the physiotherapist for a royal family. She brings her lively yet clumsy personality into the conservative royal household, shaking up their structured lives. It clashes with the formal atmosphere of the palace, especially with the stern matriarch, Nirmala Devi. Despite initial resistance, Milli's unconventional methods bring joy and laughter into the lives of the family members, including the brooding prince, Vikram. As Milli navigates the challenges of fitting into the royal household, she also finds herself falling in love with Vikram, leading to a series of comedic and heartwarming moments.

Very cliched (well it is a Disney film) and the second hand embarrassment is unreal but sometimes after a long day all you need is a feel-good cheesy rom-com. Oh to sit next to Fawad Khan in a red convertible while gazing lovingly at him. I like how she emphasises on improving the patient’s mental health to help him heal. Incase you haven’t noticed already, cold brooding™️ x silly goose is my favourite character dynamic.

𝐀/𝐍 - I’ll be honest with y’all, this was to satiate my desire of writing x desi! reader cuz I don’t have enough motivation or time to do it T^T