#don't judge her

[onehumanrocket]

I'm really, really looking forward to wearing really tight shorts. A lot. -Mark Hoppus

[morally-earl-gray]

star wars fans are so funny bc like you can mention a background clone character who shows up in like, two episodes at most, and there will be some fangirl who's memorized his wiki page, has a pinterest fan page dedicated to him, and ships him with riyo chuchi

[vantablackdraws]

Doodled Delilah during class today

[thatonekimgirl]

Jordan Chiles finding out she won the Bronze medal on Floor || Olympics 2024

[sukibenders]

When other Yellowjackets fans, majority who are poc themselves, talk about how weird and frustrating it is that the writers introduced a random yte character and gave them a storyline when there were two (technically three but they killed off Lottie even when there was an opportunity for more) woc, who have been around since s1, that could've fit the mold instead (like Mari) and have actual personalities outside of building up/being the lapdog for another character. Or how often times many of the, limited, poc characters are often either treated poorly and killed off, or pushed to the side (Simone, reduced to the disposable black girlfriend trope and is nearly killed by her partner because she's in the way of a ship; Travis, since s1, had his trauma dismissed or ignored and was overly hated but no one talks about how he was SA'd by the girls he's now stuck with on top of having to eat his brother and not be able to grieve over it). How Taissa's whole storyline is just revolving around Van even with all the potential, especially given she's fighting to be free from her own mind, how Lottie's mental illness is treated so poorly as if it's not the butt of a joke then it's met with heavy criticism (and the only time she is met with sympathy for it, it's through the lens of a yte character embodying her and having an emotional conversation with her father). How you can have all of these reasons (and more) for being annoyed by Melissa's character or the direction of the show, and be met with #those fans downplaying these concerns, or just being overly antagonistic just because they find yte character #243 entertaining so obviously these conversations don't have merit. But this fandom has always had an...."interesting" way in which it discussed the poc characters on the show, so I'm not surprised.

[op-dumpstertruck]

Can we just get to the reunion art please? Hurts my heart so much

~~I love it but also whyyyyy~~

Sure :)

Zoro has an out-of-body experience, Kuina was the one who got out and is now finally home again and the stawhats 100% made quite the ruckus, so little eggplant was quite scared. This will eventually end well, but I never said the reunion would be fluffy :o)

[eraenia-era]

Zani

[cutie-pinay]

No Leanders allowed ❌!

BONUS:

[calisverse]

𝐆𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐄 𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐈𝐍 as 𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐒 𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐓 𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐇 as 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐘𝐄𝐍

House of the Dragon. Season 2, Episode 8.

[tangents-within-tangents]

Hot take:

Crosshair does not have the Imperial disillusionment and redemption arc of The Bad Batch

Emerie does.

Crosshair has an arc for sure yes but it's not that.

I was thinking about this scene:

and how it got right what this scene kinda didn't:

(It was so close but then bad writing decided to undercut the moment with a joke rip)

And I think it's really interesting that these characters who were more or less raised into the Empire/First Order and chose to leave it are all directly asked why.

But take a look at Crosshair's answers in comparison:

Different context for the asking, yes, but still, compare that to clones like Howzer, Cody, Slip and Cade who left or turned against the Empire because they knew what the Empire is doing is wrong and they weren't just going to blindly follow orders:

Crosshair - Loyalty, Purpose, and Survival

Crosshair didn't choose to join the Empire (though the show isn't very clear or consistent about how much control the inhibitor chips have) but he did, for whatever reason, choose to stay. By the end of S1 we know his chip has been removed and as he definitively says "This is who I am." There were likely still other influences on his decision, but listen to how he talks about the Empire in the S1 finale:

Hunter: Crosshair, I've seen what the Empire is doing. Occupying planets and silencing anyone who stands against them. You know it's not right. Crosshair: You still don’t see the bigger picture, but you will. Hunter: Can't you see they're using you?

Crosshair: We’re not like the regs, we never have been. We’re superior. The Empire can’t protect the galaxy without strength, this is what we were made for. Think of all we could do, together!

Crosshair: You all are meant for more than drifting through the galaxy. It’s time to stop running. Join the Empire, and you will have purpose again.

Hunter: They destroyed an entire city! Crosshair: They did what needed to be done. Kamino, regs, the Republic, that time is over. The Empire will control the entire galaxy, and I am going to be a part of it. Hunter: Don't fool yourself. All you'll ever be to them is a number.

He undeniably knows what the Empire is doing, but he does not care. In fact it sure sounds like he actually supports it and finds self-meaning in it. Hunter spends those episodes trying to convince him it's wrong, he doesn't change his mind. In the end they offer him an out and he doesn't take it.

Wrecker: You coming with us? Crosshair: None of this changes anything. Hunter: You offered us a chance, Crosshair. This is yours. Crosshair: I made my decision.

The next we see Crosshair in "The Solitary Clone" (S2:E3) he follows orders and shoots the Desix governor, right after Cody heartbreakingly tries to do what's right and find a peaceful solution.

Cody: Tell me something, Crosshair. This new Empire, are we making the galaxy better? Crosshair: We’re soldiers, we do what needs to be done. Cody: You know what makes us different from battle droids? We make our own decisions, our own choices. And we have to live with them too.

After this (glorious!) conversation, Crosshair stays. Maybe this began to seed some doubts, but he actually smiles a few scenes later when Rampart assigns him another mission. It seems like for him it truly is as he said in S1:E1 (chip not enhanced yet but still influencing him enough for his brothers to notice he's acting strange):

Crosshair: Republic, Empire... what's the difference.

Crosshair: Orders are orders.

This unethical mission that finally pushed Cody over the edge does not change Crosshair's mind about the Empire, at least not enough for him to take action.

But what does?

Mayday: And here we are, the survivors. Combat troopers stuck babysitting cargo shipments. Crosshair: Mission’s a mission. Mayday: Yeah, I used to say the same thing.

Mayday: After all the clones have done, all we’ve sacrificed. We’re good soldiers, we followed orders. And for what?

This mission has nothing to do with how the fascist Empire treats the galaxy, it's about how they treat their soldiers. It's about how Mayday loyally fought and served his whole life and Lieutenant Nolan let him die

Lt Nolan: He served his purpose as a soldier of the Empire. Crosshair: You could have saved him! Lt Nolan: Perhaps you didn’t hear me, he is expendable, as are you.

Crosshair thought he could find purpose within the Empire, and Nolan shows him exactly what that will be.

His turning point is accompanied with this powerful visual of the ice vulture, a symbol (and threat) of death, and also set up within the episode a symbol of survival:

Mayday: Vicious creatures, but you have to admire ‘em. They find a way to survive.

This critical moment (that gives me chills, oof this episode is a masterpiece!) comes right after Nolan calls him expendable and directly threatens him:

Lt Nolan: And if you speak to me again with such disrespect I'll see to it you meet a similar fate, clone.

then Crosshair sees the vulture's shadow and turns to Mayday's dead body (ahh visual storytelling my beloved) then makes his decision:

Crosshair turns against the Empire not because he believes Hunter was right about this:

Hunter: I've seen what the Empire is doing ... You know it's not right.

but because he was right about this:

Hunter: All you'll ever be to them is a number.

Redemption (both in fiction and irl in my humble opinion) comes with making amends and reparations (which is why death 'redemptions' bother me so much but that's a rant for another time). Unlike Emerie, Crosshair never explicitly denounces the Empire or his own actions within it. He never says anything to specifically show if and how his views have changed from what he said on Kamino. He makes amends with his family (sending the warning message, helping Omega escape, making up with Hunter) but that's about it. The most we get in terms of acknowledgement is this:

Crosshair: I thought I knew what I was getting into with the Empire. I thought I was being a good soldier. Hunter: Nobody really understood what was happening back then. Crosshair: I’ve... done things. I’ve made mistakes. Hunter: I have regrets too, Crosshair. All we can do is keep trying to be better, and who knows there just might be hope for us yet.

Which is nice and all but it's more about them making up as brothers so it's way too excusing tbh ("no one knew what was happening back then" ummm? "The Empire will control the entire galaxy, and I am going to be a part of it" remember? And even if at first Crosshair was being controlled by the chip, the fact that he chose to stay after it was removed* means he condones and is therefore still accountable for those actions).

There's also a bit of self-destructive guilt:

Crosshair: Omega, don't risk anything for me. I belong in here.

Crosshair: Omega needs you both. So I’m doing this alone, it’s what I deserve. Hunter: Don’t even think about plan 99, Crosshair. Omega needs all of us.

(which thank you Hunter for pushing back on the death redemption bs and oh look is that a wrap up for the purpose thing?)

But there's no action taken on his part to make up for what he's done or to stand against the Empire (aside from the bare minimum of help with Tantiss, only after it became personally relevant, which like yeah he had trauma to deal with but still).

While I do think the implications/follow-up of Crosshair's turn should have been handled better in S3 (like rip Howzer! he deserved an apology, but that's a rant for another time), I don't necessarily** think this arc is a bad writing choice. It's just saying different things than we expect:

Maybe Crosshair's story is not about standing up against an unjust system, like we see with many other characters (who deserved more screen time but that's a rant for another timeeee). Maybe his story is about how even those who are loyal to the Empire, who actually believe in it, still suffer under and within it's rule. Not to garner sympathy, but to show that there is no winning.

Crosshair has another 'so what changed' convo in S3:E14 with Rampart, in which they draw parallels to each other:

Rampart: You used to believe good soldiers followed orders. Crosshair: Depends on who's giving them. The Empire betrayed us both. Rampart: And you think you can fight them? That's not you. You're like me, loyal to no one but yourself. Crosshair: I've changed.

(note how he says who's giving the orders, not what the orders are)

"Loyal to no one but yourself" describes Rampart much more than Crosshair, since we often saw Crosshair pride himself as a loyal soldier of the Empire whereas we saw Rampart abuse power to be self-serving within the Empire (like when he killed Wilco to save face). But they were both betrayed either way. Vice Admiral Rampart, snively Imperial opportunist through-and-through, shouts "I was following orders!" as he is arrested for the Empire's purposes. (Edit: and where Crosshair rejected the Empire and found new purpose fighting for his family, Rampart was still self-serving in the finale. He still tries to gain power for himself and he gets his comeuppance).

Even Hemlock, the final boss immoral Imperial scientist, who has to be benefiting the most from this system, echoes the expendability idea:

Hemlock: What I am working on is beyond your understanding. Something so vital to the Empire it makes me indispensable.

Then there's CX-2, also set up as a parallel/foil to Crosshair (fight me), who in the end is discarded as no more than a weapon, a tool that served it's purpose, showing us what would have become of Crosshair if he had stayed.

There is no winning in the Empire. Loyalty is not rewarded, it "doesn't go both ways." Everyone has to fight for their value. Even high ranking individuals** who for a time benefit from the injustice, in the end are just pawns to be used up and cast aside at a whim for the Emperor's gain. Even people who are motivated by self-interest alone cannot survive within this system, the only viable option in this galaxy is to fight the Empire and dismantle that system. (unless you conveniently find a magically safe island to hide away on but that's a rAnT fOr AnOtHeR tImE)

Which brings us back to...

Emerie - Cooperation, Compassion, and Choice

(Okay this post has already gotten away from me but I still want to talk about her to show the contrasts.)

Emerie may not have been given a lot of screen time to really flesh out her development, but there is a lot that is pretty clearly implied with her:

Crosshair: They’ll never turn her [Omega] over. Hemlock: They don’t have a choice. She is a clone, and therefore Imperial property. *Camera cuts to an angle more centered on Emerie’s face*

Crosshair: Give me your access card! Emerie: It won’t get you outside!

Emerie: I tried to warn him what would happen if he did not cooperate with the Doctor.

Emerie: Prisoner? Omega, you are no such thing. It will take time to adjust, but you will acclimate. It is far safer in here than out there.

Emerie: You should go back to your room. Crosshair: You mean her cell?

Emerie: Why children? Hemlock: Children are easier to attain and more agreeable to the subjugations. They are unaware of why they are here and what they possess.

Emerie: They're children. Like I was... Was your plan to discard them too? Nala Se: The Empire will keep them in order to control them.

We don't know a lot about Emerie's background, but it's clear that she had a lot less choice than Crosshair and less opportunity or ability to leave. Unlike Crosshair, we never directly hear Emerie's views of the Empire (and she was most likely 'taken under Hemlock's wing' before the Empire even came to power), but lets look at how she talks about the Tantiss:

"Remain calm. Cooperate and you might survive."

"Don't make this worse, Crosshair! There is no escape!"

"All of us serve a purpose here."

"The Doctor will inform me, if it's necessary."

"It's best not to ask questions."

"Escape is not possible, Omega. This is for your own good."

She honestly does the best she can within the system she is also trapped in. She tries to help Crosshair, Omega, and the vault kids in the only way she knows how (warns Crosshair about the hounds and security, tries to protect Omega from Hemlock, tells Scorch his "actions were extreme" with Jax, insists on overseeing Bayrn's retrieval, double checks his m-count (to give him an out), and tries to find out where he came from). When she gives Omega, and later Eva, the doll, I think it shows just how little she really is able to do here (and it's kinda heartbreaking imo).

The framing of this shot especially (after Jax's escape attempt) visually shows how Emerie herself is trapped/imprisoned:

Despite the fact that very little of this is Emerie's fault, she has very little power and she is doing all she can, the narrative does not excuse her role in the Empire:

Nala Se: What will you do, Emerie? Emerie: There is nothing I can do. I don't have that kind of power. Nala Se: Don't you?

Emerie: I- I was doing my job. Echo: Yeah, I’ve heard that before. You’re a clone. How can you be part of this?

These fighting-the-Bystander-Effect conversations parallel these exchanges:

Hunter: We made a choice, and so did you. Crosshair: Soldiers follow orders. Hunter: Blind allegiance makes you a pawn.

Crosshair: We’re soldiers, we do what needs to be done. Cody: You know what makes us different from battle droids? We make our own decisions, our own choices. And we have to live with them too.

which did not change Crosshair's mind. And honestly, all respect to Echo's disappointed mom glare™ but I think it's clear Emerie had already made her decision, she just needed help to actually be able to do anything about it. When she stopped Echo, with her voice wavering on the verge of tears (ahhh v good voice acting), she clearly had no intention of turning him in. She's on her own in the Empire's most secure facility with very little resources, if she had tried anything on her own she most likely would have failed and been killed

Omega: Emerie, you don't have to do this. Emerie: (sigh) I’m sorry, but I do.

but as soon as she is enabled by an ally, she immediately turns around to help: giving information and getting Echo through security, helping the kids escape, and giving Omega the tablet that allows them to free the other clone prisoners.

Where Crosshair's turn is accompanied by the symbolic imagery of the ice vulture, Emerie's is the removal of her (literally rose-tinted!) glasses:

Symbolizing how she has shed her previous views/indoctrination that altered her perception of the Empire and blinded her to it's wrongs. It's disillusionment.

Emerie's story shows us that even those who are raised and indoctrinated into this system can, should, and will escape (with needed help). Even those who did not choose to be apart of the Empire and are not making the decisions still have the responsibility and ability to act on what they know is right.

Emerie, whose name means 'Home strength' 'Brave' and 'Powerful', and "reflects the importance of leadership and authority in the workplace".***

While Emerie is only in one more scene after her turn, so the wrap up is a bit rushed, she still very simply does what Crosshair does not:

Emerie: Because I was wrong about this place. And I'm trying to do the right thing.

Echo: I’m sure Senator Chuchi would find what you have to say very helpful for our cause. Emerie: I have a lot to make up for. I’d like to help out however I can.

She admits wrong, takes accountability, commits to making amends, and leaves with Echo to go take on the Empire (which hopefully we will get to actually see more of some day).

So, in short, she's showing us how redemption is done right!

---

Notes:

*Whether this writing choice was good/logical/in-character or not is another discussion entirely, but I'm going off of what we were given, what the show is presenting in the canon text and (reasonably inferred/intentional) subtext. Crosshair is pretty multifaceted and I could only touch on so much here. There's a lot of ways to interpret his character/choices, but I tried to avoid the realm of speculation or fanon explanations (even if they sometimes make more sense lol).

**History and political theory are not my area of expertise at all, so I have NO idea how well this aligns with real-world fascism stuff and therefore what implications this storytelling choice could have. I think the message of like 'if you think you could survive or gain power by doing what the Empire/fascist system wants you are wrong' could be good (like how everyone is actually harmed by the patriarchy type of a thing), but I hesitate bc maybe there are those who would benefit, since it's a hierarchal system, right? If anyone more knowledgeable than me has incite to share, by all means

Either way, I do think it works in-story and in-universe though. It's just in the execution. The main problem (even from a strictly theme/character arc stand point) is the lacking follow-up/consequences for Crosshair in S3. Like you gave your character accountability by removing the chip and I think that's great setup for an arc but you gotta follow through with that and actually hold him accountable!

***I'm always curious when clones have 'normal' names, like why did they chose the name Emerie of all things? So I looked it up. Idk how reliable sources are for name meanings so take it with a grain of salt but it's still fun. Fits pretty well, and clones names have definitely had significant meanings in the past (like how Rex and Jesse both mean 'king') so I'm pretty sure it was intentional.

Anyway, thanks for coming to my tedtalk

[fernslivers]

Nervous

~~

Yes, it's your wedding day, but Mizu knows this is just a formality, a civil service. So why does everyone seem to keep thinking she's nervous? She's not. She's never been nervous a day in her life.

~~

A/N: I heard ilblue's cover of lovestory x golden brown. (If you haven't heard it, please, it's fucking transcendental). I ascended, my soul left my body. Straight up put it on repeat, opened my word doc and blacked out. When I woke up, I'd written 1k words of the most sappy, sentimental fluff I think has ever escaped my brain.

I just think Mizu deserves to have a sweet wedding to someone that adores her, while her found family tries their best to be supportive in their own ways. :,)

~~

TW: I guess Ta*gen is technically there for a hot second. But I've decided I'm rehabbing him into the problematic brother he's always meant to have been. Trust me. I sent him to therapy.

~~~~

“Bet you're real nervous,” Taigen says, polishing his fingernails on the shoulder of his horrible flashy suit.

“Nope,” Mizu deadpans. The morning breeze stirs her wayward curl, the only part of her moving as she kneels in the early sunlight. Behind them, through the open French doors, her suit is waiting, laid across the dressing table of the back room she's been given to get ready in.

“I would be, if I were you. I'd be fuckin’ terrified she’d wise up at the last minute and book it.”

“Classy. Nice well-wishes.” Mizu curls her lip without opening her eyes. “Who let you back here?”

Taigen chuckles, leaning on the railing of the little patio where she's trying to meditate and center herself. A beer swings precariously in his hand. The good luck beer he brought Mizu–’to bro out before you get tied down ’–sits untouched on the little patio table. “My wife owns the venue. Nobody has to let me in.”

Mizu growls lightly, irritated, regretting letting Akemi talk them out of eloping. She might be on speaking terms with the man these days, but he's never lost his unique ability to needle her faster than anyone else she knows.

He's right, though, says that traitorous little voice at the back of her head. She could already be gone, and you don't even know. It’s so stupid, but it won't go away. What if she walks out there, and someone hands her a letter from you, explaining that you've suddenly realized–

A hand thumps her hard on the shoulder, surprising her. She looks up as Taigen pads past. His voice is studiedly casual, he carefully doesn't once look at her.

“Relax. She's just enough of an idiot to be crazy about you.”

Mizu says nothing, only listens for the click of the door shutting behind him. She shuts her eyes and tries anew to focus on the meditation, but her mind won't cooperate. All she can see is the way you had rolled over and smiled at her this morning, calling her my soon-to-be wife, and cupped her face like it was your entire world.

—

“You must be so nervous, huh?” Akemi says cheerily, tucking the last flower into Mizu's hair. Mizu sits still, just barely tolerating the touch. She was more than prepared to go out in her usual high bun, but Akemi had dug her heels in. It's your wedding day, you need some kind of pizazz, she had insisted.

They had argued for a full week before they had compromised; the normal bun … with flowers. Neither of them is actually satisfied; both have accepted sulking in silence about it.

“No.” Mizu says shortly. She shoots Akemi a sharp drop it look in the mirror.

“Really?” The woman asks, plucking at this hair and that petal until Mizu wants to scream. She just wants to be alone. To center herself. To stop wondering what you look like right now, if you're in your dress yet. If you're thinking of her. She stares at the flowers in her hair. Will you like them? Do they look stupid?

“Why should I be.”

Akemi frowns, wondering if she should tell her that you’re pretty close to an anxiety attack. That when she left your room to come back here, you'd been bent over a bucket for the last hour, and she'd had to redo your makeup twice.

Best not to, she decides. She knows Mizu, and the last thing the wedding needs is Mizu bringing the whole production to a screeching halt by rushing through the whole venue to hover anxiously over you, refusing to let anyone else near.

“Well, you look great,” she says instead, sincerely, and is rewarded by the smoothing out of Mizu's brow that is the closest the woman usually gets to a smile–for anyone that isn't you.

—

Eiji insists, despite the flowers, and the fancy suit, that something is missing from Mizu’s wedding attire.

Mizu’s face creases in confusion for a moment, before she sees the little box in the old, scarred hand.

“You didn't have to–”

The other hand is held up flat, silencing her.

“My daughter,” Eiji says very seriously. “...is getting married. Do not tell me what I had to do.”

He opens the box, gesturing her forward. Mizu swallows back the rush of tears when she sees the little pin in his hand; a perfect copy of her prized blade. It’s rare that Eiji works with anything small–he complains at the fiddly nature of it, how difficult it is to feel out the details on such a tiny canvas with his callused fingertips.

She bends for him as he reaches up, and he smiles, pats her cheek, carefully doesn't mention the wetness he can feel there. The words I'm so proud of you float between them, unsaid but understood.

“Remember, there is no need to be nervous,” Eiji reminds her sagely as he affixes the little sword pin to her lapel.

“I'm not nervous,” she retorts, her brow furrowing slightly, frustration creeping into her voice.

“Mm,” Eiji says, shaking his head. When he had brought you your own paired pin this morning, you had all but fallen across his shoulders with sobs, stammering how grateful you were to him for everything, how much you loved Mizu, how you hoped you would make him proud as a daughter-in-law.

“I must go. I want a good view,” he quips dryly, and pats Mizu once more on the shoulder before he leaves the dressing room.

—

Ringo sidles up closer while they're standing at the front of the ballroom, looking down the aisle. He’s been preening in his tailored new suit the whole opening of the ceremony, puffed up with joyous pride. He'd openly wept with happiness when Mizu had informed him--not asked--that he was the best man, and has since run a constant, gentle interference between you two, and Akemi's taste for extravagance in planning. Mizu knows the understated blue shades of the decor are partly thanks to him.

“Akemi says you aren't nervous,” he whispers.

“Shh.”

“Not at all?”

“No,” Mizu hisses from the corner of her mouth. “Shut up.” She tugs at the lapels of her suit again for the fifth time, hands shaking slightly.

Ringo sees the shaking and smiles, a warm fondness shining from every corner of his face. He steps back into place.

He knows.

—

The music is starting. It’s the one you chose together; the song you’d danced in the kitchen to, so far back that you hadn't even confessed yet, both of you pretending this was just a fun way to teach her to waltz, both of your chests burning up with yearning.

You'd played it for her as a suggestion for the wedding, snuggling up next to her on the couch, telling her how nervous she used to make you. You were so gorgeous, you'd said, smiling up from the crook of her arm. It felt so right to be in your arms. That's when I knew.

She didn't know how to tell you I always knew.

Now, it's playing through the entire room, rich and full and swelling with the weight of the emotions you've shared through it for so long. Suddenly her entire body seems to be fluttering strangely. Her palms are sweating. This is it, she thinks. The start of forever.

Part of her still scoffs in response to that; you loved her before this ceremony, you’ve lived together, slept together, she trusts that you're committed. This shouldn't even be necessary. It's outdated. It’s expensive.

You step around the corner, and the doubts about importance fall away as her mind goes blank. You raise your eyes along the aisle until they find hers waiting at the other end. Your smile is trembling through shining eyes; every ounce of love shows across the distance. Her knees feel like they're going to give out, and her gut clutches on a pang of love so strong that it aches.

You look beautiful.

–

She's reaching for you when you’re still feet away, hands outstretched unconsciously, uncaring of who can see her moment of vulnerability. She just wants her skin on yours, right now.

“Okay?” She asks you softly, wrapping your hands in hers, holding them like she always does; like they're something precious, to be cradled with utmost care. The delicacy of your touch still makes her heart race after all this time together.

“Nervous,” You murmur, smiling shakily. “Excited.”

She squeezes your hands, lips curving up as her eyes soften. Her voice is a quiet undertone, for your ears only.

“Me, too.”

[snderist]

oh how the time flies - prev | next

[scoriarose]

The princess is sleeping in her tower tonight

Good night sweet princess!

[free-luigi-mangione]

my heart breaks for him and his family, not only they're going through something incredibly traumatizing but they're witnessing part of the internet refer to him as a murderer, writing horrible things about him and these trash articles. i really hope they're all taking care of themselves mentally, luigi especially because he must be going through hell. i really hope he has a lot of distractions in there, otherwise he's really going to lose his mind.

imagine seeing your baby boy/brother always be a sweet little gentleman and an overall awesome human being who was always top of his class, took part in various activities and enjoyed people's company and the people also loved him to seeing him being called a killer/murderer, facing insane charges, being kept in inhumane conditions (all prisons are inhumane in usa), seeing him shackled in court on live tv and facing the death penalty and seemingly all anybody cares about (according to the media) is his pretty face and his shackled ankles and loafers without socks and fake sex tapes, it's like going straight from heaven to the deepest pits of hell where no light could ever touch

i'd be so mad that the media isn't talking about the at least half a dozen NYPD officers facing multiple charges for falsifying evidence and false prosecution against other people or that his defense lawyers have filed motions talking about how his rights were violated when he was arrested or how there's a very very real chance that the police planted false evidences on him at the time of his arrest (look at what the NYPD officers are charged with, it's a normal thing for them) or that thousands of people are wholeheartedly supporting him and donating regularly to his fund and think he's not guilty by all accounts and want him to be free

Luigi seems to be coping by writing sweet letters expressing support and sympathy to people who're sharing their woes in their letters to him 🥹

[fictionadventurer]

Maybe the problem with Christian fiction is that it's non-denominational. People are just "Christian", with no effort put into showing what practicing that religion looks like for them specifically. No indication that there are other Christians who could have different beliefs. No wrestling with differing ideas and the struggle of how one should live out their Christian faith. And that makes it unrealistic and unrelatable.

[princessofghosts-posts]

Nico wasn't homeless

It's no secret that Percy is an unreliable narrator: the guy downplay almost everything he does in his own PoVs because of a self-esteem issue and inferiority complex ; while other characters see him for what he really is: a force of nature. The contrast of Percy's view of himself vs someone else's view of Percy is something talked enough in the fandom.

But an unreliable narrator is also someone that doesn't have the full picture of what's happening,and often gets to conclusions about something that's completely wrong.

Like in BotL. At the start Percy thought that Nico wanted to sacrifice his soul for Bianca's,but Nico never thought of it. He was angry at Percy and at the time hated him,but never wanted to trade his soul for his sisters's.

Another one is Percy's thinking process when it cames to where Nico was. He thought he lived on the streets,alone and without much food,during all of the time he was trying to find him after he escaped from Camp. But that's impossible. Minos very presence is a contradiction to it. (And his sword too,since he can't just find a stygian sword like nothing,someone had to give it to him.)

Minos,at the time was still one of the judges of the Underworld,he couldn't possible leave his position because he wanted to hunts down Daedalus ; and Nico didn't know what his powers could do yet,so he couldn't have summoned him. And even if he did,I don't think the Judges of the Underworld can ever be summoned,their position is eternal (untill Hades and Zeus say so) and they need to stay there. Especially with Hades's constantly complaining about how much dead people and souls there are.

Also,you need to remember that Nico spent most of the time in the Labyrinth,he was there even before Percy was. His apparences are a result of staying too much in the Labyrinth,added with his deteriorating emotional and mental stabiling because of what happened to Bianca. So he technically never lived on the streets. And the Labyrinth has entrances and paths that leads to the Underworld. If,after running away from camp,he used the entrance that Percy and Annabeth found later on,then he could have accidentally found his way to the Underworld. We can also take in consideration his shadow-travel ability,but even then,he still would end up in the Underworld: Bianca's soul would have unconsciously attracted him,since she was being judged at the time.

All of this to say that Nico and Minos met in the Underworld and that Nico was never on the streets.

Minos saw in him the opportunity to hunts down Daedalus while making sure that he could get away with it,since no one could go against an order from the son of their boss (that's also why I harp so much on his role as prince,it's basically canon if we read between the line. And no,I'm not delulu). Nico at the time was also emotionally devasted,so he took the gamble and went on with the plan. And after he found out what Minos was really doing behind his back,Nico made sure to ruin everything he still had,while also taking his role away to piss him off.

But since Percy didn't had the full picture,he never knew,and I'm not blaming him for this,since it's not the characters's fault. The fandom never thought about it too,since we prefer the "poor little boy all alone in a world he doesn't understand,without a family to take care of him." narration.

Us as readers never knew what fully happened to Nico during the time between TTC and BotL,so I can't say if he stayed all the time in the Labyrinth,after accepting Minos proposal,or also stayed in the Underworld. We also never got to know if he and Hades meet even before the last book,where got their family dynamic (fuck you for that Hades,you fucked up big time with him) but they probably did,and we also have hits of that when the OG big 3 kids trio needs to take back Hades's sword before Kronos's army get it.

Before TLO we had the Sword of Hades quest,where we can see Nico and Persephone arguing about some family's argument they had,and how because of that she turned him into a flower. And even tho Persephone doesn't like him,this imply that she and Nico are familiar on a way that's more of an "you are the bastard son my husband had with a mortal,I don't like you." (like Hera with Thalia) superficial thing,and that Nico actually lives or stay most of the time in the palace post BotL.

Which the fandom completely ignore or turn into headcanons,when we have enough hits in the canon narrative about it. No,Nico never lived on the streets,he was either in the Underworld or in the Labyrinth,after all researching Daedalus takes more than a couple of days. And after that,he lived in the Underworld enough to have Persephone address their conflicts as "family arguments" even tho they weren't close at the time. TLO literally has Demeter criticizing Hades for Nico's diet because "He needs more cereal to stay healthy,do something about it". So she also is familiar with him,even tho she should despite him because he was the result of Hades cheating on her daughter,and we all know how Demeter is about Persephone. But that's not the case,they don't like him that much but they also don't want him death.

Hades had all the cards on the table to have,with time,a good family bond with both Nico and Persephone,but fucked up by being a dick to his son (I will never forgive him for the whole "your sister was better" incident). He realized the mistake later,sure,and he try to minimize the damage already done by changing his approach to him,but it was already done: Nico will probably spend most of this life wondering about if he will ever be better than Bianca (which doesn't make sense because Bianca never accomplished anything and died for a stupid and well-know mistake she decided to do). Like Hazel because of Nico's slip up (I call this generational trauma) when he almost called her with Bianca's name,before correcting himself.

But yes,all of this to make y'all realize that only because Percy's thoughts of it,he is still an unreliable narrator that doesn't know everything,especially when it cames to Nico that 50% of the time just...disappears to do who knows what and then comes back with all the answers in the world in the other 50%. And that Nico wasn't living on the streets and actually had a place to stay.

And no,I'm not being delusional. Too many people (especially on Tik Tok and Reddit) try to gaslight others into making them believe that Nico was actually homeless,but he wasn't and we have proofs of it in the books. If I see someone else trying to push "Homeless Nico" agenda again I'll write them a 20 pages long essay on how it's impossible.