#emotionally stunted detective

[the-river-rix]

I fear a new hyperfixation is in town

[zel-zo]

“You put me on this side so you’re not between me and the exit, didn’t you.”

-Known Associates, Chapter 7, by @halfpennyjones

- - -

Ok I swear I'll stop talking about this fic one day, but today isn’t that day. This scene single handedly made me want to keep watching Detco

[lacrimosathedark]

Bat-Family Nicknames and Insults

So I went off the other day because fans keep having people who aren't Roy Harper call Jason Todd "Jaybird" and now I'm thinking about all the other nickname misconceptions so here's a probably non-comprehensive list of nicknames among the Bat Fam.

(Special thanks to @sohotthateveryonedied for a bunch of my data, she made a whole powerpoint with actual comic panels! Go check that out! Also got some info from @kiragecko who was writing some lists with more specific references.)

This list is an active document and will be edited in the event I find more nicknames or have more to say

Addendum note: I'm more than willing to add something I forgot, but you must have receipts. I'm not just going off of memory. Nothing will be added to this list without proof. If you don't have a source, please don't make a suggestion.

This is aside from assorted common insults and nicknames like jerk, ass, shorty, dude, idiot, etc.. Sidenote, every not-Steph Robin has been called “Little Bird”, “Birdboy” and/or “Wonder Boy” at some point. It’s kinda part of the job lol Secondary side-note, the only ones who REALLY use nicknames for people are Barbara and Jason. And Tim specifically in reference to Damian. Everyone else pretty much uses their names 98% of the time. Final note (sorryyyyyy) generally unless they're funny to me, I'm not including things used only once unless I have gotten vibes that it's a trend. This is an attempt to compile recurring nicknames. So ones noted to be used once are either I can only confirm it happened once but could happen multiple times, or I think it's hilarious.

Alfred Pennyworth

Al/Alf Seems to be a common nickname among the boys.

Alfie Dick, Tim, and Jason have all called him this.

Alfredo Jason called him this at least once and I think that’s funny. Not sure it’s exclusive though.

Mom Dick seems to have referred to him as such once…I’m sorry but that’s so funny.

Alfred also has specific ways of referring to everyone: Bruce: Master Bruce, Mister Wayne, Lad, Bruce, My Son Barbara: Mistress Barbara, Miss Barbara, Miss Gordon, Miss Oracle Dick: Master Dick, Master Richard, Master Grayson, Dear Boy, Young Sir, Young Man, Richard, Dick Cassandra: Miss Cassandra, Young Cassandra, My Dear Jason: Master Jason, Young Sir, Lad, Jason Tim: Master Tim, Master Timothy, Young Master Tim, Lad, Young Sir, Young Man, Timothy, Tim Damian: Master Damian, Young Master Damian, Young Sir, Young Man, Son, Damian

Bruce Wayne

Spooky Oliver Queen calls him this, others might as well but I legitimately have no idea.

Batsy Everyone and their goddamn dog, but Joker uses this notably a lot.

Detective RA'S AL GHUL EXCLUSIVE. I think? But this is how Ra's generally refers to Bruce.

B-Man HARLEY QUINN EXCLUSIVE...I think. She calls him this a lot though.

While Dick and Jason will internally think of Bruce as their father, Dick rarely says so and extremely rarely calls him “Dad”. Jason would only say so mockingly or under pain of a second death. Tim rarely even thinks of Bruce as his father (he didn’t become Robin to be Bruce’s kid, and he doesn’t want to replace his own father—much the same way Dana didn’t replace Janet) and never refers to him as such outside of WE work (where he very much uses that to his advantage). Damian almost exclusively refers to Bruce as “Father” but has called him "Dad". Steph sometimes calls him “Boss”. Everyone usually calls him "Bruce".

He refers to ALL of the boys as “chum” and “lad” at some point. It’s just how he used to talk honestly. He DOES NOT call them “sweetie” or “honey” or anything like that. He DOES, however, speak to small children this way. There are multiple instances of him using "sweetheart" and similar terms when dealing with young children. This differentiation I think is for two reasons. One, Bruce is emotionally stunted and being open with anyone outside of actively comforting is difficult for him, and two, the youngest child he has ever had himself was 9 years old so he's never had a small child he'd be likely more inclined to be extra super soft with.

Barbara Gordon

Babs Most people call her this. Bruce doesn’t seem to though, oddly enough.

Babsy/Babsie Both Dick and Jim Gordon have called her this. Very cute.

Barb/Barbie Nearly exclusive to Jason Todd, actually. I think her dad calls her this once in a while, but specifically Jason calls her this.

Babes A few of her friends call her this, but mostly Luke Fox when they were dating.

Red A few people call her this, but mostly Jason and not real often. Probably cuz we already have a red-head often referred to as “Red” (Pam Isely by Harley) and as to not be confused with the other two Reds in the family (Red Hood and Red Robin).

The High Priestess of Tech More of a reference than a nickname, but I think it’s funny. Dick referred to her as such.

O For Oracle!

Dick Grayson Exclusives because Boyfriend Baby Love Beautiful

Richard Grayson

Dick Everyone calls him this. Almost no one calls him Richard.

Dickie His parents also called him this, along with other people who knew him from Haly’s Circus, but otherwise it’s mostly just Jason.

Dickster I…hate that this is canon lmao. Dick has thought this one in his inner monologue, but Jason has also said it at least once. It’s…Something.

Circus Boy Common insult, Jason uses it a few times.

Tight Ass No comment.

Rob Kinda rare for him and more a Tim thing, but his Titans team call him this sometimes. I specifically remember Wally doing so, and Roy too I think.

Boy Wonderful Not marking this as exclusive because Babs probably used it at one point but, shockingly (or not) this comes from Wally West! Wally has also called his Titans team as a group “Dear Hearts” at least once which is just so fucking cute. Neeeeeerd.

Kid Not exclusive to him, but consistently called this by Slade Wilson/Deathstroke over most anything else.

Marcia TIM DRAKE EXCLUSIVE. A joke between him and Tim, assigning each Bat-boy a Brady Bunch member.

Little Robin MARY GRAYSON EXCLUSIVE. This is where the hero name Robin came from; Dick’s mom used to call him this.

Dickie-Bird JASON TODD EXCLUSIVE. Jason calls Dick this a lot during his weird appearances in Nightwing that I pretend never happened because it was weird and dumb. But it is a canonical nickname. And it’s funny.

Amy Rohrbach Exclusives because Partner Rookie Stud Cowboy Sherlock Mr. Confident

Barbara Gordon Exclusives because Girlfriend (and because she’s funny) Flatterer Boyfriend The Brightest, Sweetest, Most Handsome, Wealthiest Young Bachelor on the Entire East Coast Buckaroo Bucko Candy-Gram Darling Lover Love Hunk Wonder Man Wonder Hound Wonder Former Teen Wonder Twenty Something Wonder Blue Wonder Poor Lovable Naïve Dope Pixie Boots

Cassandra Cain

Cass Pretty much everyone calls her this.

Cassie Some people call her this, specifically the people closest to her; Stephanie, Tim, Barbara, Bruce, and Duke. It’s generally used sparingly, especially considering Tim is close to ANOTHER Cassandra who goes by “Cassie” almost exclusively, so Cass is generally preferred to avoid confusion. But Cassie is tossed around.

Batghoul Possibly Stephanie Brown exclusive, though easy enough that I wouldn’t be surprised if others called her that. She is notoriously spooky.

Bat-Babe KON-EL/CONNER KENT EXCLUSIVE. These two are actually good friends and dated for a short time. They’re very cute. And they met at the time Kon was just…Like That.

Jason Todd

Jay Literally everyone calls him this sometimes. It’s a common nickname.

Jace/Jase Also pretty common, but seems to mostly be among family. Dick and Bruce have at least both called him this.

The Toddster Was called such by Danny Chase, implying they were friends somehow? (Jason didn't have many Titans missions so idk how they were close enough for him to call him that). He calls him that when he discovers Jason’s status in the system is “unknown”, leading him to find out he’s dead.

Rojo Referred to himself as this once while he was still a crime boss, so presumably some of his gang called him this too. Obviously Spanish for red because Red Hood.

Little Bird Possibly exclusive to Barbara Gordon, she called him this in a flashback.

Jan That Dick and Tim Brady Bunch joke. Just imagine one of them looking Jason dead in the eye and saying “Sure, Jan.”

Little Wing DICK GRAYSON EXCLUSIVE. Called Robin Jason this in Nightwing Year 1 and it’s very cute.

Jaybird ROY HARPER EXCLUSIVE. The reason I’m making this post because no one seems to remember that Roy and only Roy has ever called Jason this. But any time these two appear together, it’s usually said at least once.

Stephanie Brown

Steph Pretty much everyone calls her this at one point.

Stephie A few people if I recall, but I know Tim’s called her that.

Blondie Pretty sure a few people call her this, but notably Harper Row.

Damian Wayne Exclusives because He Was A Brat Wench Fatgirl Girl Blunder

Timothy Drake

Tim Everyone to the point where it’s just his name.

Timmy A lot of people call him this pretty teasingly. Dick, Jason, and Babs do it consistently, but that’s older siblings for ya. Bernard has done it too.

Timbo Dick and Jason as well as his friend Ives have called Tim this at the very least. Tim notably doesn't seem to like it, though he has used it himself in a derogatory way in his inner monologue.

Timbers I’ve only ever seen Jason call him this, but I could be missing things. Would not be surprised if Dick did too, but it’s very Jason.

Rob Most of Young Justice called him that up until he revealed his name (which took a while because Bruce was being controlling and overprotective, as he does). Short for “Robin”, obviously, which is all they knew him as.

My Robin I’m pretty sure each member of Young Justice has said this about Tim, though Conner does it the most and has the biggest negative reaction to literally anyone but Tim being Robin.

Cindy DICK GRAYSON EXCLUSIVE. It’s that Brady Bunch joke again!

Little Brother DICK GRAYSON EXCLUSIVE. I didn't originally include it because it had the same vibes as like "dude" or "jerk"; something that's easily tossed around, y'know? And it feels like a descriptor, but it is actually used as a title/nickname several times, especially when Dick is messing with Tim.

Pretender JASON TODD EXCLUSIVE. Though it should be noted, he only directly called him this one time. Aside from that, he more refers to Tim as A pretender, not as like a nickname or title. It’s a description. (like “replacement” was but fandom made that a nickname yes I am in fact bitter)

Duckboy HARLEY QUINN EXCLUSIVE. She says this once, but it’s hilarious so I’m keeping it.

Detective RA’S AL GHUL EXCLUSIVE. Ra’s is very particular about titles. The only other person he refers to as “Detective” is Bruce, and Dick one time in his internal monologue, so he is acknowledging Tim’s competence. And then proceeds to get a large portion of his resources obliterated by Tim <3

Stephanie Brown Exclusives because Girlfriend Sweetie Muffin Boy Virgin

Duke Thomas

Narrows Almost Jason exclusively, though I think Harper has called him this once or twice. In reference to the neighborhood he grew up in, as opposed to Jason and Harper's Park Row aka Crime Alley upbringing.

Newbie Jason calls him this frequently, though it's likely the others have too.

Baby Bird ELAINE THOMAS EXCLUSIVE. Yeah, surprisingly Duke is actually called this by his mom.

Damian Wayne

Gremlin Mostly exclusive to Tim, but Jason has called him this too. This also seems to be Tim’s go-to for Damian when not using his name or codename.

Dami Used by Jon Kent and Talia al Ghul, so presumably those closest to him.

Little D I think Barbara Gordon exclusive but I’m not sure.

Cousin Oliver Not said to his face to my knowledge, but the Brady Bunch in-joke between Dick and Tim.

Prince/Your Highness (other royal variations) A common way to mock Damian for his haughty air and stuck-up attitude. More common in the past because Damian was The Worst and never shut up about being the heir to Batman and the Demon's Head. He's grown a lot since then and this kind of joke is used less. He is still pretty snooty though.

D JON KENT EXCLUSIVE. I have yet to see anyone else call him this at least, and this is how Jon almost always refers to him.

Baby Bird TALIA AL GHUL EXCLUSIVE. I’ve seen her call him this once, and I don’t recall ever seeing anyone else call him this. Just wanted it known that Talia is the only one to call Damian this.

Tim Drake Exclusives because Tim is Petty and Damian was a Brat Little Monster Hobbit Homunculus Little snot Spoiled, vicious and homicidal little punk Heir to the Kingdom of the Damned

Note on how Damian refers to others: Damian usually uses full first names or surnames, depending on circumstance and closeness. He occasionally calls Dick “Dick” or “Richard”, but often calls him “Grayson”. He almost always refers to Tim as “Drake”, but occasionally as “Timothy”.

Fanon names that I dislike

Replacement Jason never once calls Tim this, and refers to Tim as A replacement about as much as Dick did about Jason (Yes Dick has at least once when talking to Bruce referred to Jason as his replacement). How common it is in this fandom to call Tim "Replacement" (with a capital R like it's a name or title!!!) drives me absolutely insane. It's not canon and tbh you can do better. Hell, "pretender" is right there! And Jason's a nerd, he would do better.

Baby Bird Like…it’s cute, but given it’s used in fanon almost exclusively for Tim, and POST DAMIAN, it just feels infantalizing. Especially when the only canon uses are mothers towards their kids. I see this a lot with Dick and Jason using it, which is...just no. Like, Dick, I get it, but he's more likely to call Tim "Little Brother". Jason would never allow himself to be seen as this soft to Tim. If he were trying to be gentle with him, he'd probably call him "kid". He's done that before.

Baby Bat(s) I have seen this used literally twice. Once where a goon mockingly called Tim that, and once in an AU where Harley said it to Damian. "Baby Bat" isn't a thing. Sorry.

Big Bird More amusing than anything but a little annoying. No one ever calls Dick that in canon and whenever I read it all I can think of is Sesame Street so unless a giant yellow muppet bird is what you're going for, maybe don't do that lol

Demon Brat/Demon Spawn Not the most egregious thing, especially considering the numerous nicknames Tim comes up with, but the consistency of its usage in fanon is a little frustrating. This is never used in-canon, and if you want to use it in your fanworks, just maybe intersperse it with other more creative nicknames, yeah? It's just unoriginal at this point.

Jaylad I don’t hate this one, but it’s such a huge misconception that it’s canon. Bruce has said “Jay, lad” a couple times because he calls like every boy he meets “lad” and people made up “Jaylad”. Not the worst thing ever, but it's not canon.

Golden Boy I don't actually have a problem with this one, but I may as well clear up that this is canon as a descriptor but not as a nickname for Dick. Like calling Jason "the dead Robin". Like, people have said that about him in-canon, but they haven't called him that. The common derivative "Goldie" is entirely fanon.

Non-canon nicknames I think are funny

Dick-face/Dickhead I’m sorry, I find it hilarious whenever someone (usually Jason) in fanfic calls him this. It’s also to me just a silly exaggeration of the obvious joke that has been made at least once (but probably several times by now) in canon about someone being about to call Nightwing a dick and someone else reminding them not to use names in the field. I think it’s hilarious.

Timberly I can’t tell you why this specific deviation of Tim is funny to me but it is. And I'm surprised I haven't seen Jason call Tim this in canon.

[qcomicsy]

Some Nice!future au headcannons because I want to keep the ideas fresh in my head.

- Bruce is retired, Wich is insane saying this, I know right? How could he? And that's my favorite part he is retired, except he isn't actually.

He generally stays in the comm and no he doesn't care if that bothers Terry. Sometimes Terry just purposely turns his comm off, part to piss Bruce off and part to not get himself pissed off because there's a limit on how much you want your dad minding your business while your doing your job.

So Bruce stays sometimes in the comm and sometimes giving his mostly unwanted inputs on his investigations.

He doesn't get out as Batman as much as he wants to, because yeah that would get him killed but when that ever stopped Bruce Wayne honstly? And also because when he did it he almost gave everysingle one of the Bats a fucking heart attack.

Terry was so fucking confused because some goons and criminals kept telling him 'I though you were taller???' and he would get '????'

- Bruce minds everyone business as well is not just Terry, sometimes he just pop up in the other Bats comms and everyone is deeply annoyed about it, because how the fuck he keeps invading their own security system?

And it's even more infuriating because in the end of the day (most of the time) he is just extremely helpful.

Not even Oracle could keep him off her back.

- Tim is "technically" now the best detective in the world, except he isn't because Bruce isn't dead and Detective Chimps isn't either, but not many people know that.

- Gordon is happily retired thank you very much, and he can finally rest because Montoya filled for him as commissioner.

- Everything that might happen is her problem now.

- Harley is mostly retired she lives with Pamela in a farm and works as a super-people/part villains therapist from home-office.

- Harley and Pam got married.

- Jason visits Harley constantly, they bonded a lot in these past few years.

- Jason visits Harley much more often then he visits Bruce and Bruce is definitely not jealous about it even though Harley lives in literally nowhere and the Manor is right there–

- Bruce nags Jason, so much about it. He nags everyone about it. He sends a passive agressive "Alfred told me to tell you dinner is ready" message ever couple of weeks (he's lying).

Jason once told him "I really miss it when you were emotionally stunted" and Bruce just looked at him and quipped.

"You're the ones to told me to get therapy."

- Bruce doesn't actually go to therapy he gossips with Harley and they call that therapy.

Because Harley tricks him into sessions mid gossiping.

And it is in fact, better than nothing.

- Terry became Batman as an annoying 17 year old for the exasperation of every adult of the Batfamily.

- Damian and Tim we're the one's who trained him, Bruce unfortunately was hospitalized at the time (he's better now).

- Damian trained Terry in martial arts, combat and streets smart skill and Tim helped training him on how to proceed with the criminal forensics part.

- Duke and Steph kept an eye on Terry in his first months of patrol, Terry kept trying to get away from them to do whatever he wanted but Tim or Damian would always eventually catch up to him.

- That doesn't mean he stopped trying until he made all four of them age ten years of stress.

- They let him do it whatever he wanted eventually, but mostly because they knew he was ready.

- Steph just did on purpose.

- Damian rarely would actually join Terry (or any of them) on patrol because he prefers working in the shadows.

- The day Terry successfully tricked all the four of them into leaving him alone he almost had a heart attack because he immediately bumped into no one less then Nightwing and Redhood.

- Red Robin was the one to call them.

- Terry and Jason got along so quickly it's infuriating.

- Terry is a great Batman, he is skilled and witty which puts almost every criminal off rithm.

They hadn't got this that amount of stress ever since Dick's robin.

- Jason works as a literature professor in Gotham public school.

- Jason was Terry's teacher for a while.

- Terry hated it.

- Terry got to school with patrol bruises once and when Jason managed to get a hand on him he cussed him out for 45 minutes.

That's how he learned that Tim and Damian forgot to teach Terry how to hide them.

Then he cussed them out for 84 minutes holding Terry's shirt the same way you hold a wet cat.

[brucewaynehater101]

I am so siding with ur username

its hard to believe a guy can read emotions through body language yet be so emotionally stunted he doesnt know when his kids need a hug

Idk about the reading emotions, but his character confuses the hell out of me.

He's known to have a ton of random facts in his brain to help him with his cases, and yet he hasn't picked up a single psychology textbook or binged researched it? He doesn't know that Joker doesn't actually qualify as legally insane?

He's a great detective, but he can't deduce when his kids are upset with him?

His persona of Brucie Wayne is extremely charming, if dim-witted, and he knows how to navigate social expectations of behavior. He can struggle with interpersonal relationships, sure, but to drop the ball that hard when it comes to his kids?

I know he has to have weaknesses to be believable (though it's fiction anyways). But is one of his weaknesses that he adopts kids but doesn't know how to show them love and support when they or he fuck up? Is it truly difficult for him to put aside his own hangups to be there for the kids he legally assigned himself responsibility for?

DC just seems to muddle up his character and show varying levels of competency when it comes to him being a parent. Comics him deserves to burn, though

[horrorlesbians]

hey since we're talking true detective I think marty is in love with rust but rust is more ambivalent, what do you think?

i wouldn't use the word 'love' to describe their relationship tbh. it's clear, especially at the end of the season, that both of them care about each other in their own twisted and emotionally stunted way. marty cares about rust in a way that closely resembles romantic love, i doubt he would realize it for what it is but he plays along with an engagement joke when he could have easily said something homophobic (which you assume a womanizing cheating asshole cop like marty would say) or side-step it entirely. i wouldn't say rust is ambivalent towards his relationship with marty, he's more ambivalent towards romantic love as a concept ('man can't love' 'men and women only work to have kids'). after marty breaks the truck taillight rust never replaces it, the same way a divorced man may still wear the wedding ring- a reminder of both what he lost and what he once had, a reminder of how rust blows up every relationship in his life. throughout most of the show you could argue they don't even like each other, marty is utterly annoyed by the entirety of rust but he vouches to his boss early on to keep him with him on the case. asks quietly and full of concern if rust as crash is gonna be okay and risks his cover to go into the biker bar to try to drag rust out because he's worried for him. they act like an old bickering married couple half the time, live together without much thought. i don't even wanna TALK about the wedding implications of the finale in carcosa bc it makes me insane. i doubt either man would use 'love' to describe their relationship, it's somehow too limited for what they are.

[jbuffyangel]

Survive: Arrow 1x23 Review (Sacrifice)

Well, my friends… we made it to the end of Season 1. Arrow’s first season was often uneven as it searched for the magic to bring it all together, but supported by fantastic stunts and fight scenes, and a great hero's journey story.

That said, they deliver on the finale. “Sacrifice” is tense, exhilarating and, above all, tragic. In the eight seasons, the Season 1 finale still has me emotionally traumatized and is definitely my most mourned character loss on the show.

But there is massive hope for Olicity in some very key scenes, while Laurel & Oliver are left in the wreckage of the Glades.

This review is particularly spoiler heavy for Season 2. I cannot tell you how many times I started and restarted Arrow Season 1 reviews. It’s taken me the better part of a decade, so I am absolutely thrilled to say -

Let’s dig in…

Olicity (and Diggle)

Is Olicity the focus of this finale? No, not even close, but that’s okay. In fact, it’s very good. This is Season 1 friends. We are at the beginning of the story. Not the end. Oliver and Felicity are just getting started and Arrow makes it abundantly clear with scenes that echo through the show until the series finale. The absolute last thing we want is Oliver to get the girl in the Season 1 finale. *cough*Lauriver*cough*

Oliver left Laurel’s bed in 1x22 to take Malcolm down for good. He gets his ass handed to him on a platter instead and then Malcolm literally strings him up. Shirtless, sweaty and in chains. THIS IS A FAMILY SHOW. Get your head out of the gutter. HA! Just kidding. I’d never tell you that. Here’s some gifs of Oliver chained up and half naked. Enjoy.

Source: PaigeOTA

Diggle rescues Oliver after he already rescued himself, but it’s the thought that counts. Felicity is on her way to the bunker when Detective Lance picks her up.

Source: @felicitysmoakgifs

Paul Blackthorne is an actor’s actor. He is truly great, but Emily Bett Rickards finally gives Blackthorne someone to bounce off of. It makes the interrogation scene hilarious, but also sincere as Felicity voices the mission statement of the whole show.

Source: @felicitysmoakgifs

Detective Lance is a damn good cop (minus the fact he never pieces together that Oliver is the Hood, but that’s not really his fault. Oliver gaslit his suspicions masterfully).  He reads Felicity Smoak for filth with the evidence he has on her. This is about the time Felicity should be asking for a lawyer, but it’s Oliver to the rescue instead.

Oliver actually calls the cops to report a crime! It’s really shocking quite frankly. He tells Lance that Merlyn is going to blow up the Glades and it needs to evacuated. Even more shocking than Oliver reporting a crime is the fact that Lance listens to him! See boys? Isn’t it better when we use our words?

Oliver feigns ignorance when Lance says he has Felicity in custody.

Alright he lies better than that, but Lance buys it because they have bigger fish to fry quite frankly, so he lets Felicity go.

Source: @livelovecaliforniadreams

Laurel told Oliver he was too selfish to be the Hood. Then she called the Hood a killer. Tommy called him a murderer after he learned Oliver’s true identity. Yes, the Vigilante/Hood has killed, but we’re not watching the story of the Vigilante or the Hood – the killer. We’re watching the story of Oliver Queen – the hero.

This is the first time the show has uttered the word "hero" in relation to masked man in the hood (I think? Feel free to fact check me) and it's said by none other than Felicity Smoak – the guest star, the girl Friday, the comedic relief. Or any other term those who failed to believe in this character liked to call Felicity to minimize her importance in the story. But the writers are not minimizing Felicity. They are elevating her.

Felicity admits initially she thought the Hood was a killer, but then she found out it was Oliver Queen. From the moment Felicity met Oliver she saw the light inside him. She sees who Oliver is and who he can become. In Felicity’s eyes there are no grey zones when it comes to Oliver Queen. There are no moral quandaries. Felicity knows both sides. She knows the hood and the man. She sees him as a good man who selflessly sacrifices for the people of Starling City every day.

Quentin: She says you care about the people of this city. That it needs you.

Felicity is telling Lance instead of hunting the Hood he should be working with him. And you know what? It works! Felicity has an impact on Detective Lance. He’s second guessing his approach to the Hood.

It used to be Laurel who was extolling the virtues of the Hood to her father, but now it’s Felicity. This shift is so incredibly subtle, given all the other Laurel activities in the final two episodes, but so incredibly important.

If you look at the history on superheroes (which is modern day Greek mythology) there is always one person who believes in the superhero, calls them a hero before anyone else, and loves the hero unconditionally – particularly when it’s inconceivable for the two to be together. That person is typically the superhero’s great love.

So WHY are the writers giving Felicity Smoak a love interest speech in the Season 1 finale? Particularly when Oliver just hopped out of Laurel Lance’s bed. Riddle me that kids! It’s also the line from which the episode title is pulled from – a significant factor when you look at the history of Arrow. This is the first time a series finale episode title is pulled from a Felicity Smoak line, but it’s not the last!

It’s Felicity who figures out where Merlyn has hidden the earthquake machine. The friggin map in Oliver’s book did actually mean something guys! Points to those who cared. I was not among them, but I rejoice in your win.

The device can be remote activated, so someone needs to find it, but Oliver isn't leaving anything to chance. He wants Diggle in the field to deactivate the device. But this leaves Oliver to fight Merlyn alone.

Diggle: He’ll kill you, Oliver.

Oliver: I know.

Can we talk for a moment about the absolute resolution in Oliver’s voice? There’s no fear. Not even sadness really. This is the way the battle ends – the way it was always going to end. Oliver came home to save his city, but it means sacrificing his life. Oliver is not suicidal, but he’s resigned to his fate.

Except, bit by bit, Oliver has allowed people he loves back into his life. That impenetrable wall, the one that made him almost machine like in the beginning of the season, has softened a bit. Those people are the tethers to his life and make it more difficult for Oliver to just let go now. He loves and is loved returned.

As far as Diggle speeches go, this is one of the greats. Oliver accepts Diggle’s help, but balks when Felicity volunteers to deactivate the device while John fights Merlyn with Oliver.

Oliver looks so proud of Felicity in this moment, particularly when she refuses to leave his side. So much is said between these two in just a single look. I am feeling verklempt.

Oliver cannot focus on fighting Merlyn if Felicity is not safe, so he calls Detective Lance for a second time and asks him to deactivate the device. He volunteers Felicity to talk Quentin through it. Yes, Oliver is willing to sacrifice his girlfriend’s father to save Felicity (HA!), who shall be hereby known as his Not Girlfriend-Girlfriend.

Lance and Felicity are successful. They deactivate the device. Oliver beats Malcolm, but he doesn’t outsmart him. There was a second device, and the team must watch helplessly as a portion of the Glades crumbles around them.

Source: @yet-i-remain-quiet

Oliver hears her voice and his first thought is of Felicity's safety. His second thought is of Laurel’s safety, once Felicity tells him the location of the damage. (Jen evil grins).

Admittedly, I missed all of these moments the first time I watched. I didn’t realize the importance until the Season 2 finale and I began this blog. The way Felicity sees Oliver Queen is the way he will be seen someday, but not in Season 1. He will become a hero, but this failure and loss will be one of many incredibly painful sacrifices in that journey.

There will be one woman, in a hero’s journey of her own, who will be integrally linked with Oliver. The one woman who saw Oliver Queen for who is truly is and believed in him from the beginning. The one woman he trusts and depends on. The one woman whose unconditional love helps Oliver Queen become a hero.

But it’s not the woman promised in the pilot.

The story shift was there all along my friends. We just had to look.

Lauriver and Merlance

The dreaded love triangle of Season 1 resolves itself in the most heart breaking and disastrous way possible. Actions have consequences, my friends. Don’t ever forget it.

A very drunk Tommy decides to pay his “best friend” a visit after witnessing his sex romp with Laurel. Tommy still can’t even bring himself to say sex. He refers to kissing, but come on my son. We all know where they were doing.

Oliver gives a classic sorry not sorry response and tries to pivot the conversation to Tommy’s mass murdering psychopathic father. Why Oliver feels the best time to share his father's evil mastermind plan is when Tommy is three sheets to a very drunkity drunk wind is beyond me. Oliver has the emotional intelligence of a stump in Season 1. I can’t even call him a pine tree yet.

Tommy swings on Oliver after he brings up Tommy’s mother. Yes, Oliver is trying to explain Malcolm’s motivation for destroying the Glades, but it’s just a step too far after banging the love of Tommy’s life.  Oliver side steps it easily, but I wish the writers would’ve given Tommy that punch. Oliver completely deserves it. Not more than three seconds after telling Tommy to fight for Laurel, Oliver shows up at her door for an illicit sex romp. YES, I SAID ILLICIT. COME FIGHT ME.

Oliver: The difference between us Tommy is that I didn’t find out the truth about my father until it was too late. But you’ve always known, deep down, you have always known the man he is.

Tommy: I wish you would’ve died on that island.

This lands harder than any punch Tommy could’ve given Oliver.

After discovering her bed empty, Laurel pays Oliver a visit at the Queen Mansion because understandably she has questions. Like WHAT THE FUCK OLIVER???!!!

One of the first posts I wrote for Something to Live For was “Moments of Truth: Oliver’s S1 & S2 Queen Mansion Love Confessions.” You can still read it. I stand by every word of it. It’s funny that in ten years my perspective on this scene between Oliver and Laurel has not changed at all. I will try not to repeat myself too much, but the bottom line is the scene is not believable. There’s too much dishonesty. That’s the crux of my problem with it.

It’s supposed to be the big love confession between Oliver and Laurel. The entire season has been building toward it. Oliver assures Laurel that he’s not reverting to form by leaving her bed in the middle of the night with no note. Laurel believes Oliver is scared again and he’s running away – just like last time.

Oliver assures Laurel that he’s not afraid and there’s so much he wants to tell her. For the first time, we hear Oliver’s perspective on the island. It didn’t change him. It just stripped away all the things that he wasn’t, which was the person Laurel always saw.

I do not agree with Oliver’s perspective on island AT ALL. This is a beautifully prepared speech and I’m sure it made Laurel feel really good, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense when you parse it out. Lian Yu means purgatory. You suffer in the fire of your sins in purgatory. That pain and suffering is redemptive. It forms you into something new, something better. I do not believe Oliver was always a hero deep down. I believe Lian Yu burned him like molten steel until he was remade new. Ollie Queen died on that boat with his father, and he was formed into someone one else… something else to survive.  

Agree to disagree, Oliver. Except, I am right, and you're wrong BECAUSE TREE STUMP.

Laurel believed Oliver could be more than a selfish, cheating, lazy, entitled, spoiled playboy who lived off his father’s money and did whatever he pleased, regardless of who it hurt. Laurel could see the potential in Oliver, but the writers never truly quantify what that potential is. I do not believe she meant a crime fighting archer who vigilantes by night and is a reclusive bar owner by day.

We don’t know what GOOD Laurel sees in Oliver. She’s basically mute on the topic. All Laurel will say is Oliver changed. So, we’re just supposed to accept that Oliver is a different person and the person he is today is the man Laurel always believed he could be. Ok. It would just be nice if Arrow would SHOW us that rather than tell.

I don’t want to rag on Laurel too much, because she’s really not my primary issue is this speech. She’s just the object of Oliver’s word vomit. And like I said, girlfriend has put in the YEARS, and this is probably the first time he’s articulated what she means to him. So, a win for Laurel I guess. However, hallow it is.

No, my issue is with Oliver. Not just in what he’s saying but in what he’s NOT saying. Oliver never tells Laurel that he’s the Hood. HE’S STILL LYING TO HER. Oliver is on his “nobody can know my secret” trip, so some of this we’ll just have to attribute it to being Season 1. But this is the big speech about who he truly is, so it would make sense for Oliver to tell Laurel WHO HE TRULY IS. He even says there’s so much he wants to tell her, but then doesn’t tell her anything.

Let’s remove the safety concern. This leaves two options. The first is Oliver intends to save the city, hang up the hood, and live a peaceful life with Laurel. The second is Oliver does not anticipate surviving this fight with Merlyn, so doesn’t feel it is necessary to tell Laurel the truth because he’ll be dead.

I’m a glass half full girl. Also, they are shining a big old spotlight on Oliver and Laurel as they kiss, so I think the first option is most likely. It’s also the reason Oliver raced over to hop into bed with Laurel the previous night. Oliver NEVER plans to tell Laurel he’s the Hood the same way he never planned to tell Tommy (or Moira, Thea, etc.).

The problem is, Oliver wants a new life with Laurel, one built on trust because trust is their big issue (because all the lying and cheating). But in order to have trust, there must be honesty. Oliver cannot hope to have a functional relationship with Laurel if he’s keeping a secret this big. Laurel deserves to know all sides of Oliver Queen - the man and the hood. Anything short of that proves Oliver hasn’t changed at all. Not when it comes to Laurel Lance.

The second option is very dark and twisty. He’s giving it one last go, telling Laurel how he feels, before he marches off to battle and dies. Is this something Oliver Queen would do? Absolutely. I’m just not convinced this is where his head space is at in this particular finale. Oliver is celebrating with Laurel like he already saved the city. But he hasn’t done anything yet, so the pacing of this scene feels very off. We’re in the middle of the episode, but it feels like the end.   

Things brings me to my biggest problem with this speech – Oliver never says “I love you” to Laurel.  This is the big love confession speech, but there is no “I love you.” Oliver says a lot of stuff, but he never says what’s really important and what Laurel truly deserves to hear.

You only put the couple together this early in an episode to break them up at the end. Cleary, Lauriver is going to be sacrificed on the altar of Starling City, but we don’t know how or why. We get our answer at the end of the episode.

NOW we get to rag on Laurel. Both Oliver and Lance tell her to stay out of the Glades, but does she listen? NO. Laurel and the rest of the staff at CNRI need to save paper. Yes, you read that correctly. PAPER. Apparently, all the clients would lose everything if they didn’t save the files. It was 2013, not 1954!!! Throw a litter of kittens or something in the building to make it make sense!

Of course, the building collapses and of course Laurel is trapped under a cement block. Ugh, just leave her there. I’m so over it. DIE WITH THE PAPER LAUREL! BE ONE WITH YOUR FILES!!

But it is not Oliver, dressed as the hood, ready to reveal his secret and save Laurel like we expect. It’s Tommy. Beautiful, precious, wonderful, cinnamon roll Tommy Merlyn who immediately tells Laurel the one thing Oliver Queen has not.

You can pinpoint the moment where Laurel realizes she made the biggest mistake of her life.

Tommy was always honest with Laurel. He loves her unconditionally. Tommy put Laurel first and made her laugh. They built a peaceful and happy life together. Tommy Merlyn was already the man Laurel wanted Oliver to become. He’s the man who truly deserves her. It wasn’t Oliver’s love confession we were waiting to hear. It was Tommy’s. It was always Tommy.

Laurel knows Tommy was the right man, the better man, for her but now it’s too late. She can never tell Tommy loves him. Laurel can never choose him. She can never make it right. All we can hear are her anguished screams as the building collapses around Tommy.

I’ve had my disagreements with Katie Cassidy over the years, but holy crap was her acting amazing in this scene. She sold Laurel’s despair and devastation. This is easily one of my favorite Laurel Lance scenes. Perhaps only surpassed by 3x01, but it’s an awfully close second.

Quentin: You have to promise me one thing Laurel. You’re not gonna die along with me. You have to go on with your life. After your sister died, I pushed people away. I became like a ghost, and I didn’t think I had the right to live if my baby couldn’t.  Promise me you’re not going to make the same mistakes as I did.

Can someone just give Paul Blackthorne an award. I don’t care which one. Just give him awards. This scene, while a heart-breaking goodbye between a father and daughter, also perfectly sets up Laurel’s Season 2 arc. If Oliver Queen has taught us one thing it’s that you can physically survive, but emotionally may be a completely different story.

Laurel is begging for someone to help Tommy and when we see Oliver’s motorcycle it gives us a glimmer of hope that maybe he arrived just in time. Oliver removes the fallen concrete boulders away, but there is a rebar through Tommy’s chest and then we know it’s too late. Tommy’s final moments will be with Oliver.

There are more physically traumatic deaths on Arrow, but no other death impacted me more emotionally. He was not a perfect man, but there was a real light in Tommy Merlyn. He exuded humor and charm, but underneath all of that, was a truly kind and earnest man who wanted to be a better person, not only for the woman he loved, but for himself. And Tommy became a better man. In a series about hooded vigilantes, it’s easy to lose sight of what makes someone a good person. You don’t need to save a city. You just need to show up every day for the people you love. That’s all the heroism most of us really need.

Oliver knows one of the main reasons Tommy broke up with Laurel was because he felt he’d never measure up to Oliver. He could never swoop in and save Laurel like the Hood could. Tommy felt he wasn’t enough - Laurel wanted a hero. This is Oliver’s way of telling Tommy he is one. In the end, Tommy was everything Laurel needed him to be and more. Oliver is realizing this just like Laurel. Sometimes the clarity of death exposes the lunacy of our life choices.

If I didn’t love Oliver Queen so much, I would hate him for inserting himself between Laurel and Tommy. But I don’t need to hate Oliver Queen for his decisions. He’ll hate himself enough. I must forgive Oliver because he is incapable of forgiving himself.

Tommy never wanted to be like his father, which is why joining his company was so disheartening. We thought we’d lose Tommy to the darkness, but he proves once again he is the antithesis of Malcolm Merlyn by asking for Oliver’s forgiveness. 

Oliver has been chasing forgiveness all season and what is so beautiful about this moment is how freely he absolves Tommy. Oliver refuses to accept Tommy has anything to even apologize for (which is correct). Sometimes when we are not forgiven it can harden us against those who require our forgiveness, but that hasn’t happened with Oliver Queen. There is a heart that loves deeply underneath that fortified wall of pain and we are watching it break.

Source: @olivergifs

Tommy asks Oliver if he killed Merlyn and Oliver says no. It’s a lie, but a merciful one. Tommy leaves this world for the next with a thank you as his final words to his best friend and Oliver shatters. He was ready to die to fulfill his mission, but he was not prepared to lose Tommy. Oliver begs God to switch places, but Tommy does not open his eyes. There is no reprieve from this grief. Tommy died and Oliver survived. It is a sacrifice much too difficult to bear. 

I was absolutely gutted after this episode. It’s still hard to watch these final scenes to this day. I truly do not see how Laurel and Oliver overcome Tommy’s death. If Lauriver is the Titanic (and it is) and Sara was the iceberg, then Tommy is the split down the middle that sends the ship plummeting to the ocean bed. Quite frankly, I don’t understand how they ever overcame Sara, which is another problem with the big love confession in the mansion. Neither of them is being honest about their reasons for resurrecting this corpse of a relationship.

This is why Tommy is a death knell to Laurel & Oliver’s relationship. There is a confluence of events which led Tommy to that building and the primary factor (other than Laurel and her papers) was betrayal. Sure, all the technicality boxes are checked. Laurel and Tommy broke up, but boy did Oliver & Laurel have a hell of a time at the wake. (re: Rachel and Ross). Oliver betrayed Tommy just like he betrayed Laurel with Sara. And now Laurel is culpable in the same betrayal that made her wish for Oliver’s infinite suffering. This guilt is inescapable, and it will drive them apart.

Tommy is the nail in the coffin. Lauriver is dead and it needs to stay dead.

***Did I know this after watching the finale the first time? Nope. But I’m here to save you a lot of heartache, stress, and worry. You’re welcome. Enjoy Season 2!

Malcolm Merlyn

I haven’t written much about Merlyn and the Dark Archer primarily because we haven’t heard much from him outside of his conversations with Moira and flashbacks with Robert Queen. His motivations, albeit depraved and evil, are simple. His wife died in the Glades; therefore, the Glades must die.

Malcolm: You mother built her clinic in the Glades because she wanted to save this city. It can’t be saved.  Because the people there don’t want it to be saved.

Tommy: So, you kill them all?

Malcolm: YES! They deserve to die, all of them, the way she died!!

“Sacrifice” showcases John Barrowman’s acting ability because he’s allowed to unleash the crazy, particularly when he explains his master plan to Tommy. Daddy is one friggin scarry fruit loop!

We also get some great super villain monologuing and much-needed philosophical debates between Malcolm and Oliver.

Oliver: Do you really think you’re honoring Tommy’s mother by destroying the Glades?

Malcolm: As surely as you believe you’re honoring your father by wearing this hood. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss your father.

Oliver: You’ll see him soon.

Malcolm: You can’t beat me, Oliver. Yes, you’re younger and you’re faster, yet you always seem to come up short against me. Wanna know why? Because you don’t know in your heart what you’re fighting for. What you’re willing to sacrifice, and I do.

This dialogue is so great! Classic good versus evil. The best villains are ones with emotional ties to the hero. The best villains are often the dark reflection of the hero.  The terrifying part of Malcolm’s monologue is he’s right.

There is a thin, but discernible line between Oliver and Malcolm Merlyn. Oliver is choosing to murder guilty people to honor his father. Merlyn is murdering innocent people to honor his wife. It’s a big difference, but Oliver lacks the firm moral high ground needed in this conversation, which is why he silently twists helplessly in the chains.

Oliver’s own actions have handcuffed him in a way. He is a killer just like Malcolm. Yes, he killed bad people, but not always because he had to. Oliver killed to exact justice (revenge?) too. A justice based on his convictions and beliefs alone. But what does Oliver believe?

We can justify just about anything in this world if we want to, which is why it’s so important to have a moral code. Without one, you’re just making it up as you go along and it’s very easy to be pulled off track. Oliver’s code in Season 1 was the list of names. He thought saving the city was as simple as crossing names off a list. Oliver believes he was honoring Robert by making those who hurt the city pay for their unanswered crimes.

Felicity answers Malcolm’s question about sacrifice when she tells Quentin Lance who she believes the Vigilante is. She’s right. Oliver is willing to sacrifice a lot to save strangers. People he’s never met but feels a responsibility for because of the sins of his father. It’s not an insane idea. Some carry the weight of our parents’ failings and recognize themselves in Oliver Queen.

Both men are clearly willing to sacrifice their own lives. But Malcolm will sacrifice anything and anyone for his mission – including his own son. For Oliver that price was too high and one he never anticipated paying.  

Tommy is not the only death in the series finale. Yao Fei dies in the flashbacks and its brutal. As we peel back the layers of Oliver Queen, we see how truly traumatizing those years away were. It’s freaking miracle Oliver can even function, let alone fight for his city. The symmetry of fighting Malcolm, the man who sent Oliver to Lian Yu, with Yao Fei’s’ bow, the man who saved him from Lian Yu, is exceptionally beautiful.

The rooftop battle between Malcolm and Oliver is the level of awesome I require in a series finale fight scene. In the end, Oliver kills Malcolm but fails to save the city. Primarily because Merlyn outsmarted him and used two earthquake machines. But Malcolm also beat Oliver because he was right. Oliver does not know what he is truly fighting for. A list of names is not enough to save the city and honor Robert Queen.

Oliver: Thank you for teaching me what I’m fighting for, but my father taught me how.

It looks like Malcolm will kill Oliver in the final moments of their fight, but Oliver flashes back to that moment on the boat with his father (like he did a thousand times on the island and over the course of the series) and recalls what his father instructed him to do: SURVIVE.

Oliver Queen has an indomitable will to survive. It’s the promise he made to his father. It’s what kept him alive the five years he was on the island. It’s why he ultimately beats Malcolm Merlyn. Pure determination.

But survival isn’t enough. None of us are here to survive life. It’s not a moral code. It’s why Oliver falls woefully short. Robert Queen taught Oliver how to survive, but it will take someone else to teach him how to live.  Until he learns that lesson, he will never be the hero Starling City needs.

Stray Thoughts

The earthquake machine being at the location of where Malcolm’s wife was murdered does have a nice poetry to it. Crazy poetry. But poetry.

Oliver killing Fyers with Yao Fei’s bow which is the justice I needed. He also chooses to save Shado’s life over securing a ride home and we hear the Hood’s voice for the very first time. The evolution is happening!!!

Malcolm stops an arrow with his bare hand. It was friggin cool. It was even cooler when Oliver used an explosive arrow the next time Malcolm tried to pull the same trick.

“I take back every joke I made about you putting a tracker in your boot.” I love when this show tackles potential plot holes and the solutions make sense.

Fyers is shooting down a commercial airliner to mess with China’s economy like what happened to the USA on September 11th. I'm not a fan of killing, but anyone trying to repeat 9/11 needs to die.

Shado is really the hero in the flashbacks. Homegirl reprogrammed a missile and blows up the camp!

“What are laws, rules, if they don’t protect people?” Detective Lance is grappling with his own moral code and gets suspended. Quentin teaming up with the Hood? I am 100% down for this storyline.

Oliver: What about those people in the Glades?

Moira: I’m not their mother.

I’m as fierce a Mama Bear as any other mother, but this is not a good look Moira. I love that Oliver finally tells her how Robert died and that they have an honest conversation about Moira’s choices.

Moira going to the press to expose Malcolm Merlyn was AWESOME, but couldn’t she have thought of that like, I don’t know, twenty-three episodes ago?

Laurel is wearing green in the mansion scene. No, not even symbolic color coding will make me love these two. And that means a lot coming from me because symbolism is my freaking jam. This also includes the sunlight shining on Lauriver. It's a red herring. Pay it no attention.

Moira DEARDEN Queen. Wave hi to another comic book reference.

Thea goes to the Glades too to save Roy which makes her the second stupidest character in this episode. DOESN’T ANYONE HAVE A PHONE? JUST CALL HIM THEA.

Don’t pull the knife out, John. That’s literally the last thing you do.

“You fucking dumb ass.” My note while watching Laurel collect all the paper.

They should have killed Laurel and Tommy should have become the next Dark Archer. It would've been a waaaaay better story. They saved the wrong character. The Season 6 appearance by Colin Donnell supports this theory.

Just so you know where I was at emotionally in May 2013. On Wednesday I watched Tommy die on Arrow and then Thursday, on The Vampire Diaries, I watched Elena choose Damon while Stefan was trapped in a safe at the bottom of a lake drowning repeatedly.  It is easily my worst series finale week EVER. Including Grey’s Anatomy Season 5 and 6 finales (hello trauma) and Pam dying on Dallas (I was six and thought she really died).

Listen to the Watchover podcast reaction to 1x23!!!

If you’d like to support the blog, please buy me a cup of tea!

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me!

[eldritch-spouse]

I heard down the grapevine that Santi reads crime novels, and I am also aware of his hot-pocket-rotating-in-a-microwave brain, sooo... Santi with a Sherlock Holmes type of S/O?

And by that I just mean super intelligent (way too intelligent and they're a smarmy asshole about it), can deduct almost anything from just a look (it's freaky to most people), works as a private detective... But is also socially constipated, has no real friends, and learnt what they do know about sex solely from books and the Internet (and definitely need Santi as a 'tutor', wink wink).

[Hmm, I'm not sure how this would work in the long-run, so excuse the briefness.]

So- Essentially, you're Sherlock and Watson. But Watson's very horny and took a couple wrenches to the head. An interesting dynamic, yes.

Naturally, you can tell what Santi wants from you as soon as he sets his eyes on your figure. Not that he's ever made an effort to hide his intentions, your intellect just gives you a heads up. And although you might be flustered or feel out of depth around him, a greatly uncomfortable experience for someone as used to being "in the know" as you, it won't be hard for you to maybe gouge what the demon's like and try to skirt around his attempts to bed you. Just one little thing that you can focus on and use to divert the conversation, carefully posed questions, the works- Although, Santi's used to conversation with his meals, and he can sense discomfort, your discomfort, so long as you keep humoring his presence, he won't push for sex much. You won't escape without a promise of seeking him out again, a phone number at least.

It's only after he starts reflecting about your conversation that Santi wises up. You knew things about him you shouldn't. Little details, yes, nothing concerning, but details nonetheless. You're highly intelligent, and he knows he's going to have to be on his toes- But he's also thrilled. He knew you caught his attention for some reason, but unlike you, Santi doesn't question his gut too much when it tells him to follow a person. It's just like his favorite books, oh you came straight out of those pages, he's sure.

Although emotionally constipated (or stunted) yourself, as an observer, you can likely spot the telltale signs of infatuation. And you'll see them in Santi very early on. Dilated pupils -As tricky as a lust demon's eyes are, this is still reliable- Softer, less facetious grins, longing stares, gentler tones, a crystal clear desperation to keep you hooked on him- Personal nicknames, gifts, the works! He does call you Sherlock, which is something you're likely sick of by now. But he also calls you Minx, his darling Athena. That's... New.

Seeing his infatuation progress, being aware of it, likely takes a sour turn when you start to grasp how unhinged the demon is slowly getting. The signs of obsession are something you've probably already had contact with in your professional life, but seeing such directed at yourself is a whole new story, isn't it?

You know right away what your Achilles' heel is. Sex.

You can't let Santi get you aroused.

If he arouses you, he wins, your rationale is significantly impaired, he takes control because you have no experience. In that state, he can do anything to you. Anything. Mark you, keep you at arm's length always, make you crave him- If not romantically then at least bodily.

Every single day that passes, you can tell the demon grows more and more restless. Beneath the charm he exudes, beneath his helpful attitude during your work, his jokes and smiles- He burns alive. He burns for a taste of you. He's a ticking time bomb and you can see it in the way his fingers twitch.

You have to make some choices now. Think them over very well.

[aztarion]

9, 12, 15 for miss deleon and please don’t faint in the pre-op! GOOD LUCK!💖

THANK YOU GABBIE <333 I FAINTED BUT ANYWAY LOL

9. Do you have a specific lyric or quote which you associate with your OC?

omg ok no doodle for you because I had to do a lot of searching through tags for this Q…

Lyrics & Full Songs:

“the only time I’ll open up is when I’m firing” & “take the noose off, wrap it tight around my hand” from mondays & family tree by ethel cain

“painless Chinese burns, ties me down with daisy chains, diamonds on her tongue, and pleasure cuts and teasing” m’aidez by sneaker pimps

The entirety of Volcano by Eartheater and Dusk by Chelsea Wolfe to be honest… both very Deva songs and bangers

and…

Quotes (ft tumblr post that resonates):

12. Is your OC self-destructive? In what ways?

VERY! Her hyper-independence and tendency to self-isolate and the relationships both these vices have stagnated and killed is a big one. She is quite stunted emotionally and her way of processing things is usually acting out and doing/saying something mean and stupid. That part in book two where the detective overhears the love interest talking to A? Deva despite not even wanting there to be anything deeper to her and Mason’s flirting, gets pissed and outright chooses to kiss Bobby back at her apartment… like what.  

15. Does your OC have a faceclaim? If so, who?

ARGHH I’ve talked about this to you before and still cannot decide… Initially I just had a vague idea in my head of what I wanted her to look like and didn’t care much how I drew her, other than her being biracial which is important to meeee (and me remembering her birthmark lol) but I’ve been trying to cobble together an inspiration board going forward to help keep her look consistent and I’m really liking a mixture of some features of Devon Aoki and Paula Kawanishi. Neither are exact faceclaims (she has bushier heavier brows though, a squarer jaw than Devon’s but a shorter and rounder face than Paula’s, etc.) but they’re sort of my go-to base refs for drawing her face from now on I think :D they’re both so damn striking too. def need to redraw a portrait bust at some point

[radiokathryn-if]

What types of MC's do the RO's like the most and what do they dislike the most?

hmmmm to answer this I'm going to go with what the ROs look for in a partner rather than what the MC would be like... if that makes sense──I don't want to make any 'canon' ideals for MCs! (did I answer this right??? I'm second guessing everything today)

Current Nate is tricky because he's not looking for a romance he's looking for one night stands or a fuck buddy. He likes it when people are bold enough to look him in the eye and tell him they want him (he's an egotist!) He's interested in a challenge but not if he has to actively work for it. He won't get with someone who can't keep their mouth shut (about their circumstances, not particularly during the sexy times...) so Nate tends to stray away from overly talkative people or those who can't keep a secret.

Eva is open to all kinds of personalities. She likes trying to get shier people to open up for her──she has no problems taking control of conversations or... situations. She likes playing the game with playful or flirty people, keeping her on her toes interests her. She likes seeing how far someone bold can go before she's the one who can let go and get a little looser/more passive. (she's the ultimate switch I'm telling you now) However, the core through line is she will not be with someone terribly selfish and arrogance gets old fast... mostly because it reminds her of Nate. (don't be like Nate, essentially.)

Mica doesn't particularly enjoy straight-laced or just judgemental people. They are very easy going and very spontaneous so a partner that wouldn't even entertain their plans or judge them for trying something completely random is very off putting. They do prefer more talkative people rather than stoic or quiet/shy people but it's not necessarily a turn off.

Let's be real, Detective Han is... emotionally stunted at best. They don't have time (in their head anyway) for romance so they've never given it a first thought let alone a second one. They find themselves more intrigued by someone who can match them──who won't back down from their morals or beliefs, someone who can challenge them to think and help them understand. Other than that they have no idea what their preferences are! (they don't like the feeling of being clung to... but in a isolationist 'you have to do everything with me and only me' kind of way not a physical way.)

José's hard no is someone who won't/can't get along with their family. Their second (less hard) no is someone who can't respect their autonomy and line of work/way of thinking. They don't have a particular preference over their partners personality or hobbies but they do know they want respect and loyalty. (Though, they must admit it's kind of fun to bounce off of a personality type different to theirs.)

Honestly, Ji Han doesn't know if he has a preference or not──he's usually the one who changes things up to fit the bill for the other player, you know? He can say he doesn't gel well with people who are elitists or those who look down on others just because they can (he's been with a few of them... didn't end that well) and he doesn't even consider people who are morally strung up... on their high horse for example. He bounces well off of shier people because he likes to get reactions from them──though he likes getting reactions from anyone he dates so really if they can't take his teasing well then they're not for him.

Fauve is a bit different. She hasn't gone for people genuinely in a very long time so she's a little rusty in the real feelings department. She likes people who let her be her──independent. He really appreciates it when someone can communicate well, because she needs to be on top of things surrounding emotions and she can't just take over a relationship with someone who won't work with her. (does that make sense? in essence she needs a partner that will let her 'take control' but not of everything. she still needs their involvement, she's not a dictator.) However, she does like it when she gets romantically surprised──randomly but her flowers or suggest going on a date out of the blue. Be involved with her personally not just aesthetically, ya'no?

With Jackson, his hard no is if they are child free/if they don't get alone with Cilly. He will not ever drop his daughter for a potential romance──he comes with 'baggage' he knows, so he won't even entertain people who can't handle it. I think Jackson actually prefers a more quieter partner, not shy per say but maybe calmer? He needs time in a relationship to build up a connection of trust and understanding. That and he's not the most talkative person in the world so holding conversations isn't his strong suit. (That's not to say he wouldn't go for someone louder or talkative, as long as they respected him to be a listener rather than a converser.)

??? is fairly new to this... romance stuff but not nearly as fresh as the detective. Their first, and only, relationship didn't last very long and they didn't really know them all to well (it was a mess and ??? was very hurt by it... itwasadare) they look for someone to trust─or rather someone who has shown ??? they can trust them─which is why they tend to gravitate towards openly kind and warm genuine people. Their ex was really snarky and mean in bad faith so they tend to avoid that like the plague.

[vampyr707]

WAYHAVEN OC REDESIGN HOURS

In celebration of me remembering twc exists, i redrew one of my old detectives! Daisy!

She’s even more fucked up and angsty this time around and is still (unfortunately) head over heels for A. THEYRE BOTH SO EMOTIONALLY STUNTED THEY ARE DESTROYING EACH OTHER *laughs manically*

Bonus, Daisy following trends! Ft Felix and Adam

[denimbex1986]

'...“Sherlock”

A classic, but if the British mystery vibes are what you’re seeking, “Sherlock” does the trick. Benedict Cumberbatch is Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman is Dr. James Watson in this modern twist on the Arthur Conan Doyle book series, which tackles a new mystery in each of its 13 feature-length episodes. Andrew Scott makes a devilishly good Moriarty, and Cumberbatch is brilliant in his portrayal of an emotionally stunted detective...'

[mio-nika]

The second thing that I like about ace attorney and Bobby. Is that he's the most competent detective/policeman in the series. Some of the detectives are dumb (but charming), some of them not interested in their work. And it's like. Fine. You are doing most of the work yourself. Why bother.

He's closer to doggo. Saving grandmas, finding clues, serving people in any way.

But do you know that this fact means in a long run? If you want to be a good police officer you need to be...

Massive spoilers of Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies under the cut

...emotionally stunted psychopath serial killer super-spy.

Have I told you already that he's my wife?

[cak31ssuperi04]

Also for ask game Arumu n Toukai

Toukai: favorite thing about them- Struggling single dad trying to make it in this world. I appreciate that he's skeptical of Nanase because uh. Yeahhh that tracks.

least favorite thing about them- Cop

favorite line- "Step away!!!! Don't get within a 5-meter radius of Misane!!! No, don't even get in her line of sight!!!!!", man I get it but that's so extra sjfahkjsf.

brOTP- I like his relationship with Misane, that he has a lot of apparent influence on her in her values and mannerisms, and that you can see how he has a good deal of faith in her skill. He's not perfect but he's trying. It's also kind of interesting to imagine him coming around to Nanase after he becomes an apprentice, or how his interactions with Arumu might have went during questioning.

OTP- Uh, his probably-dead wife who's only sort of vaguely implied by Misane's existence? I've got nothing.

nOTP- Nanase tbh.

random headcanon- Had started taking up woodworking in his free time following his clumsy attempt to build a treehouse for Misane, since while doing so it became clear how much work had been weighing on him and that maybe he needed something to take his mind off it once in a while. Although it's mostly small stuff like sculptures or trinkets, maybe a couple of birdhouses.

unpopular opinion- Actually now that I think about it, isn't it a little weird that he's letting his daughter travel with this guy he's suspicious of? Is he trying to let her be her own person and make her own decisions(in no small part because of her own insistence, but still 😔)? Although I suppose he is close enough around that they're able to get him on the scene for questioning when shit hits the fan? And it's been around a year since chXXX, maybe he trusts Nanase more now? Okay this isn't an unpopular opinion I just wanted to ramble.

song i associate with them- Subtitle, he's stoic and kind of emotionally stunted but does care for Misane. Also the mv depicting a father/daughter relationship hi.

favorite picture of them-

Arumu:

favorite thing about them- HER ENERGY She has SUCH good vibes. I like the way she speaks and how eager she is to help out without regard to danger or rules(at least in the fact that she's a civilian helping out with detective work, which the game does address when she offers).

least favorite thing about them- Wish we got a proper send-off scene with her and the main duo since she's one of the only consistent presences throughout the game.

favorite line- "Well, they say living people are scarier!", girl you okay over there?

brOTP- Misane! Love the contrast in their personalities, they have a fun dynamic and I do like to imagine them staying in touch after the game or getting back in touch sometime later. It's also funny trying to imagine what her interactions with Yuuto as his subordinate would be like since they're such opposites.

OTP- N/a

nOTP- N/a

random headcanon- Her and Hiyu are sort of long lost sisters, they were separated by the foster system when Arumu was a baby so she has no memory of Hiyu, and Hiyu herself is aware of but hesitant to approach her. Nanase is probably aware of this too but keeps his mouth shut because she didn't want him meddling.

unpopular opinion- N/A

song i associate with them- Immaculate Deception without the religious themes, so it's mostly just the mentions of photography though. Also sort of in the sense that despite her upbeat personality she's Seen Shit in her line of work and has just learned to take it, and the misfortunes that befall people, in stride?

favorite picture of them- Being a side character is so hard they have no images but I like her expression in this sprite

[ajsbookreviews]

If We Were Villains Book Review

If We Were Villains

Author: M. L. Rio

Description: Oliver Marks has just served ten years for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day of his release, he is greeted by the detective who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, and he wants to know what really happened a decade before.

As a young actor at an elite conservatory, Oliver noticed that his talented classmates seem to play the same characters onstage and off – villain, hero, temptress – though he was always a supporting role. But when the teachers change the casting, a good-natured rivalry turns ugly, and the plays spill dangerously over into real life.

When tragedy strikes, one of the seven friends is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless...

Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆

Review: If We Were Villains is a novel written for those who appreciate the art of plays, the magic behind Shakespears words and how thought-consuming they can be to the right people. It’s astonishingly profound, yet hollow if the reader lacks interest in the subject. 

Its seven protagonists felt alive within he pages, their actions and mannerisms well defined and present in a way that felt real. With emotionally raw scenes interlaced between stunted silences and exultant reenactments. In addition to its lyrical magnificence, the element of drama is certain to be a strong factor to bringing the characters alive. 

It wasn’t as villainous as my expectations leading up to it, rather more poetic in its villainy. However, there were visceral moments that cut deep, awaking rage and similar emotions in me like no other book has ever managed. 

Apart from this, I’m in the belief that my opinions on certain characters and relationships may differ from the popular opinion. It’s not prevalent to my rating nor my review, thus maybe not worth dwelling on. 

Theres not much else to say, for everything else lay within the lines and sentences of If We Were Villains. 

[desertmile]

Negative Trait Game

Was tagged by @ashtomic but I don't feel like tagging anyone XP Chase

As a detective he is always analytical, compulsive and over-thinking. aggressive | arrogant | authoritarian | bitter | brutal | callous | cannibal (once) | careless | cold/cold-hearted | compulsive | controlling | corrects others constantly | cowardly | critical | cruel | demanding | disillusioned | domineering | envious | emotionally stunted | greedy | grim | guarded | hard | harsh | hypocritical | impatient | impolite | intimidating | irritable | kidnapper | lazy | liar | lustful | materialistic | mean | merciless | messianic | mistrusting | narrow-minded | obsessive | opinionated | over-bearing | over-critical | over-emotional | over-thinking | patronizing | proud | remote | repressed | rigid | rules with an iron fist | ruthless | sarcastic | self-righteous | self-indulgent | taciturn | torturer | touchy | traitorous | unsympathetic | unpredictable | uptight | vain | vengeful Roman

Complicated on the outside but big squish on the inside. aggressive | arrogant | authoritarian | bitter | brutal | callous | cannibal (once) | careless | cold/cold-hearted | compulsive | controlling | corrects others constantly | cowardly | critical | cruel | demanding | disillusioned | domineering | envious | emotionally stunted | greedy | grim | guarded | hard | harsh | hypocritical | impatient | impolite | intimidating | irritable | kidnapper | lazy | liar | lustful | materialistic | mean | merciless | messianic | mistrusting | narrow-minded | obsessive | opinionated | over-bearing | over-critical | over-emotional | over-thinking | patronizing | proud | remote | repressed | rigid | rules with an iron fist | ruthless | sarcastic | self-righteous | self-indulgent | taciturn | torturer | touchy | traitorous | unsympathetic | unpredictable | uptight | vain | vengeful

Luke

Tired, grouchy dad. ( He ain't got time for yo shit. ) aggressive | arrogant | authoritarian | bitter | brutal | callous | cannibal (once) | careless | cold/cold-hearted | compulsive | controlling | corrects others constantly | cowardly | critical | cruel | demanding | disillusioned | domineering | envious | emotionally stunted | greedy | grim | guarded | hard | harsh | hypocritical | impatient | impolite | intimidating | irritable | kidnapper | lazy | liar | lustful | materialistic | mean | merciless | messianic | mistrusting | narrow-minded | obsessive | opinionated | over-bearing | over-critical | over-emotional | over-thinking | patronizing | proud | remote | repressed | rigid | rules with an iron fist | ruthless | sarcastic | self-righteous | self-indulgent | taciturn | torturer | touchy | traitorous | unsympathetic | unpredictable | uptight | vain | vengeful

lol most of these words have the same meaning :p