#i am not tagging the other people mentioned here THIS IS FOR ZED

[galaxyworm103]

Me watching the Zed vs Schlatt poll and seeing people try and explain their reasonings why Zed shouldn’t be winning:

me: is nobody gonna tell these people that Zed was also canonically an alcoholic in his solo series, and that character Zed has an ambiguous sexuality because of Willy the Worm?? Who was his husband?? Also are we jus gonna ignore that before S8 he was associated with purple, because it’s a common sexyman color. Zed was often made some kinda horror back in 2021-2022, often relating to the Void itself. The entirety of S8 exists, where if you weren’t watching him, and didn’t see most of what he was doing, you’d probably be vaguely concerned due to the aesthetic and everything.

also. This is for my Ex n Wormman fans: Ex did not win last round. At least let Zed with the Wormman Skin win for them!! It’s what they would WANT!!

[onestepbackwards]

Hi there! Welcome to my blog!

I figure since I’ve gained a quite a few new followers as of late, it’s about time for one of these! Please take the time to read if you can!

I’m Zed! I primarily go by She/They pronouns, though I don’t really care what pronouns you use. I’m 25+ years old! I’m chronically ill, so updates may be slow! Please keep that in mind when requesting something!  This is a side blog I have dedicated to stuff I hyperfixate over! I post a lot of shit posts, but I also enjoy writing stuff on here, occasionally posting art, and reblogging things I like related to my interests. That being said, this is primarily a writing/idea discussion blog. Even though this is a writing blog, feel free to send in any ideas, headcanons, art, or writings you have! I love to discuss ideas for characters, and love to hear other people’s thoughts! Or if you just wanna chat too! I’m also Silver Anon on Jes’ blog smallestapplin, and Dom!Reader Anon on Ro’s blog r0-boat! If you want to write or draw something based off of anything written here, you have my permission, just make sure to tag me if you do! I love seeing different people’s work! My chatting tag is Zed.talks, so block that if you want to filter random chatter! PLEASE NOTE: This blog contains 18+ and occasional dark content! Things will be tagged appropriately, but if I miss something, please let me know! My 18+ tag is Spicy Stuff🔥, so make sure to block that tag if you don’t want to see it. All Dark and 18+ content will also be hidden under a Read More. MINORS PLEASE DNI. THIS IS A 18+ ACCOUNT AND I AM NOT COMFORTABLE WITH YOU FOLLOWING IF YOU ARE A MINOR. YOU WILL BE BLOCKED. Rules: This blog focuses heavily on Canon x Reader content! I will not write Canon x Canon, or OC x OC. Poly characters x Reader is fine. Please avoid using names when requesting something. Such as my own, or your own. This is a character x reader blog. Not a Zed x character blog, or a specific person x character blog. All works will be written in second person to the best of my ability. Please don’t use first person when requesting things or submitting things. All reader inserts will use gender neutral terms unless specified otherwise. This is my blog. If I’m uncomfortable with requests, or an AU or idea going around, I have the right to set boundaries and not engage any further. If you continue to push once boundaries are set, you will be blocked. I also reserve the right to delete an ask if it makes me uncomfortable, thank you for understanding. Do not harass other blogs mentioned in this one either. You will be blocked by myself, and any blogs you harass. Harassing myself or others is not condoned here. What I will absolutely NOT write:

Cheating

Zoophilia

pedophilia

NSFW of minor characters

Pokephilia

Scat and piss

Vore

Cannibalism (Blood drinking is fine.)

Dismemberment

Racist and anti LGBTQA+ content

If you send something in on this list, it will be deleted. If it’s not on the list or you aren’t sure, feel free to ask about it first before sending something in. If I find something uncomfortable, I will not write it, but I will let you know if I’m okay with stuff about it being sent in instead. - Things I’m currently interested in:

Pokemon (Hyperfocusing on BW and PLA, but I write for the other games too)

Devil May Cry

Payday 2

Metroid

Legend of Zelda

JJBA (Specifically Parts 1-4)

Genshin Impact

Honkai Star Rail

Castlevania

Stardew Valley

There are others, but those are the main ones that come to mind. If you aren’t sure about it, make sure to ask!

My character limit per ask is currently 3! Try not to go over that, please! I’m currently on a small break! Sorry in advance!

Thank you for taking time to read this! As of right now, my ask box is CLOSED!

If you wish to send something in, please make sure it is properly tagged if it contains dark content. Thank you.

Like my writing and wanna support me? Buy me a coffee!

[hoovii]

If You Only Knew, You'd Hate Me: Chapter Two

Pairing: Bucky Buchanan x OMC (Zebediah Kaskitt)

Summary: Bucky and Zebediah had a fleeting interaction years ago and Zeb has been hung up on the boy ever since. Even with his arrogant and dismissive exterior, Zeb still tries to make a connection.

Warnings: swearing, mentions of abuse, shitty parenting, racism, the Zebs were super cute in this chapter

Taglist: @btrmuffins @diagnosed-crazy @lykenbcrn

Let me know if you want to be tagged

Part One

_

He woke up with Zebina over him. He couldn't really focus on anything. There was an argument going on. Bina was taking him somewhere, probably the nurse, if she would see him. He was right. She argued with the nurse a little bit before setting him down on the bench in the back and shutting the curtain. She looked at him. She was talking to him.

"Focus. Hey, Zeb. Look at me. Focus."

"My head hurts. Just let me sleep it off."

"No. No, Diah. You have to stay awake you could have a concussion. I need you to answer some questions for me. Do you know where you are?"

"I'm in the nurses office."

"What were you doing before this?"

"I had cheer practice."

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"One."

She asked him several more questions before shining a flashlight at him and making him walk across the room.

"Well, you're not showing many symptoms besides a headache and some sensitivity to loud noises. But I'd say that's fair with the fall you took. Make sure to tell me if you're experiencing symptoms anytime within the next few days, okay? Have some water."

She gave him the water and sat next to him. He leaned his head on her shoulder.

"There goes cheer." He sighed.

"Hey, not necessarily." She rubbed her hand on his back.

"I just wanted to impress Bucky."

Zeb looked down at their laps at the strand of Zebina's hair he was playing with. There was a knock on the wall and Addison peaked her head in.

"Hey, Zebediah, right?"

He nodded.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded again.

"Well, I thought you did excellent before the accident. And," she pulled put a pair of pom poms from behind her back. "You made the squad."

Zeb jumped up into her arms.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

He took the pom poms and looked back at Zebina, who in turn gave him a grin. He turned back to Addison when she spoke up again.

"For now, I want you to just step the moves. And when you're feeling better you can join back in. Give me your phone number so I can message you about cheer stuff. We have cheer initiation tonight. We're making t-shirts. I understand if you can't come."

"Good job man."

Zed popped his head in. She smiled and turned to him, waving before they left. Zebediah waited before he heard the door click before he turned back to Zebina whisper shouting his excitement.

_

He decided to go to initiation. Not like it was actually a decision to make. He was going that was it. He couldn't not go. His head felt better. It didn't ache anymore. The doctor wouldn't see him. He had other patients that were more important. Zebina said that his wrist was probably sprained though. She wrapped his had and he was basically good to go.

Zeb tried his best to decorate his shirt with one hand. He was lucky it was his left hand that was hurt, otherwise, he would be having a lot of problems. A cute little shrimp with pom poms decorated the front with Seabrook at the bottom, and he needed to write his name on the back. If he looked across from him, which he did, frequently, he could see Bucky's immaculately designed t-shirt complete with sequins and gems. The shirt was on the ground but Bucky was missing.

"Does anybody have any extra green?"

"I do."

Zeb went to stand, green dye in hand. He was struggling to find an angle to place his legs so he could stand without putting pressure on his injured hand. Finally standing up, Zeb still managed to trip over his feet, and into someone, effectively dying their shirt green and knocking them both over. Several gasps were let out and Zeb looked up to see the missing Bucky. He gave an awkward grin before Bucky shoved him off. Zeb quickly stood up. Bucky shifted his disbelieving gaze from his shirt and Zebediah multiple times.

"I can't believe you, zombie."

He spoke more with shock than disdain. The Aceys, ever-present, rushed in to help him.

"Who do you think you are?"

"I've got it, Lacey. Hey, monster, why don't you watch where you're going next time, okay? Because I don't need another little attention seeker around here."

Bucky walked closer as he spoke. Zebediah was frozen, he couldn't even speak to defend himself. Addison stepped in between them, giving a stern look to Bucky.

"You two need to go into the other room and sort out your differences. You're not coming back in until you can get along."

Zeb nodded agreeably and made to exit, but Bucky was not having it.

"What? I didn't do anything wrong. Punish him not me."

"I am not having you ruin our fun time. I'll come get you when you can act like civilized people."

She ushered the two out into the hallway and shut the door on them, but not before giving Zeb a look. What was that look? It was weird.

"Hey, I'm sorry."

Bucky furrowed his eyebrows at him. He sat down against the wall, watching Bucky pace back and forth. It made him anxious. He tapped his toe. Bucky eventually tired sat down a couple feet from him. The two sat in silence for a long time. Zeb's eyes jumped over when Bucky moved to leave the hall.

_

Bucky knew Addison's house well. He made his way to the laundry room and carefully took the pink polo off, assessing the damage. His shirt was still damp. He figured he might be able to clean it up enough to avoid notice from his parents. He scrubbed the shirt the best he could before placing it in the wash. He hadn't brought his jacket leaving him to sit in the chilly room shirtless, hoping someone wouldn't walk in and see him. If his parents saw the stain he would be in deep shit. The shirt came out clean and Bucky quickly dried it to a wearable state. He moved back to his spot in the hall.

Bucky recognized the zombie. It was the guy who always compliments him. It was always such a bittersweet moment in his day. The guy was a zombie, the very thing he'd been brought up to hate. Of course, he loved the praise. The praise made him feel accepted. It made him feel worthy. Maybe this was why he decided to talk to him. Maybe it was because he knew he had been an asshole. Either way, he opened his mouth.

"Shirt came clean. So, no harm no foul."

Zebediah gawked. This was the first time Bucky had said anything remotely kind to him. To Bucky's surprise, he smiled at him. Even after Bucky's outburst this boy still was able to smile at him. How? It made Bucky feel even worse about the way he acted.

"I'm sorry." He said before he even knew what was coming out of his mouth.

"It's okay. It's really my fault. I deserved it."

"No, you didn't."

This was how zombies were made to feel. This was how he made them feel. Bucky was rude to him every day and he still managed to be kind to him.

"I'm Zebediah."

Bucky looked over at the earnestness in Zebediah's face. He seemed so genuinely kind, something Bucky hadn't been in a long while.

Bucky hadn't been genuinely anything in a long while. But here was this guy that, ever since zombies were allowed at the school, had been in his corner, even when Bucky had spat on him. It wasn't like everyone else either. It wasn't the blind obsession of a cheer rockstar. He didn't ask for autographs, and he didn't put the pressure of losing on Bucky. It was genuine concern. 'I hope you have a good day.' 'I didn't see you eat lunch. Remember to stay healthy.' He treated Bucky like a person. He treated him better than any human, aside from Addison, ever had.

How was Bucky supposed to just admit he was in the wrong? He couldn't. He couldn't do that. It was a blow to his pride. And if his parents found out he didn't know what would happen. He had never so blatantly disrespected them before. Even now he was at the risk of someone seeing them and reporting to his parents.

The door opened and Addison beckoned them both in. They didn't talk for the rest of the evening. Bucky still had a reputation to uphold.

_

Zeb got a text from Addison about the cheerleaders running a carwash on Saturday. He was elated. He was ecstatic.

"Bina, I'll get to see him shirtless. I think I'm gonna drool. Oh God, that would be so embarrassing."

Zeb hung over his bed upside down on the phone with Zebina.

"Oh my God Bina. I don't have a swimsuit. You're coming with me to get one for tomorrow. I'll see you in five."

He hung up before she could protest and quickly got presentable for shopping. Be didn't have a swimsuit because 'why would he need one? He was a zombie'. He called to his dad. His pa was still working, but Dad didn't work. He had gotten into an accident he said 'about killed him again'. Dad gave him some money for the swimsuit.

"Have fun. Don't rile up the humans please."

"I won't." Zeb was already halfway out the door.

"Aren't you forgetting something."

He turned around and hugged his dad, wrapping his arms as far around him as they'd reach. He mumbled a 'love you' before racing out the door.

Zebina was already waiting for him on her porch. They walked toward the gate, no guards waited for them. It wasn't too long ago when they weren't allowed on the other side unless they had jobs that took them there. Zeb's pa was a garbage man and collected trash from the other side of the wall.

When he was little Zeb would ask his pa to tell stories of Seabrook. Everything sounded so perfect over there. So different from here, where the ceiling leaked every time it rained and that rainwater had to be collected so they could use it. Here, where every house looked like a lawn sale. He had Pa describe what it was like and he imagined a life where he, Dad, and Pa lived. Maybe he could have a little sister, and he could play with the neighbors. And they could eat yummy food, and he could have a doggy, and Dad and Pa wouldn't have to fight about money anymore.

When Zeb was old enough to understand that the curfew was bullshit, he started sneaking past the guards. He didn't do it to be rebellious. It wasn't even some sort of stick it to the institution situation. Zeb just liked to look at the houses. He did what he made his pa do when he was younger. Every time he went he'd make a new life in a different house.

After he met Bucky, the daydreams were usually about him. He'd make up a new personality for this mysterious boy and the life they'd live together. Everything was made perfect when he was able to go to Seabrook High. The more he learned about Bucky the more complete his fantasies were.

He didn't know why. He didn't know what about that scared kid in the alley had piqued his interest so much. He especially didn't know how he stayed so fond, especially after seeing the way he acted in front of people. He supposed it was because he knew it was a front. Zebediah wanted to see past the facade. He wanted to get to know Alley Boy.

They were making progress. Bucky had shared kind words with him. He had apologized and even took the blame off of Zeb. It was a start. And Zeb would have the opportunity to talk to him again tomorrow. He'd been chipping away slowly for the past two years, and it seemed that the pace was picking up.

The two arrived at a relatively nice shop. Seabrook Seashop, it exclusively sold swimsuits and things to use at the beach. Everything was so colorful. A little bell rang when they walked in. A sharply dressed employee behind the counter turned to them. His smile immediately dropped and he glared at them. He made his way around the counter, briskly walking toward them. This wasn't a good sign.

"You are not allowed here. I'm going to kindly ask you two to leave. I will call the Z-Patrol." 

The man spoke loud enough for the entire store to hear. Everyone was staring at them. Zeb could feel the eyes on them, the sneers making it perfectly clear that they were not wanted.

"Sorry, sir. We're leaving right now."

Zebediah was frozen. Zebina guided him out of the shop. It pissed him off to no end that stuff like this was still happening. It wasn't supposed to be. It was against the law. But the police weren't going to do anything. If anything, they'd support the people who did this. They were not here for zombies. They weren't here to help them.

They wandered around for a while. Usually, they could ignore the glares, ignore the people who crossed to the other sidewalk, but after the run-in at the seastore, everything seemed so glaringly obvious.

They finally found a beaten down thrift store, embarrassingly close to the wall. How they hadn't seen it before, Zeb had no idea. It was empty besides bored teen at the counter, half falling asleep behind a stack of books that had yet to be put away.

It was easy to get lost in here. Shelves upon shelves of oddities lined not only the walls but filled the room. The clothes were in another room off to the side. There was another room beyond that that they didn't go into. That adventure would be for another day.

There were not a lot of trunks to choose from once you got rid of the mysterious stains, speedos, holes in unsavory places, and just downright ugly patterns. Then, when narrowed it down it left three pairs: rubber duckies, dinosaurs, and ice cream. The lack of people in the store allowed the two to let their guard down. Zeb managed a little fashion show.

"What about these ones?"

Zebina held up a pair of yellow swim trunks with a hole in the crotch.

"You'll certainly get his attention." She held the trunks up to his waist.

"Ew, Bina. You are so gross."

Zeb took the trunks and threw them at her. They landed on her face.

"Just pick a pair of trunks."

He ended up going with the pink and blue dinos. They found themselves back at Zeb's house. Zeb's dad had brought up a snacks and the two laid on his bed listening to a vinyl. Zebina was rambling about some smart person thing. His mind started to drift again.

Zeb wouldn't mind opening up a shop. Something in between the Seashop and the thrift. He could buy a bunch of novelties: clothes and knickknacks. He could stand behind the counter. Everyone would be welcome: humans, zombies, werewolves, aliens even. If aliens exist. It could be by the beach so he could look out the window and see it. A little bell would chime every time someone came in. Maybe he'd have a cat. Like how book stores and cafes have them.

"Zebediah Kaskitt." Zebina was waving a hand over his face. "Do you ever listen to a word I say?"

"Not usually." He grinned.

A pillow smacked his face and he was shoved off the bed.

"Oh, it is on."

He took the pillow in his hands raining fire on her.

"Abuse! Abuse!"

She managed to weasel her way out from under him, finding his autographed Bucky poster. She held it up to her face.

"You wouldn't hurt me now would you?" She smacked her lips. "Oh, Zeb. Oh, Zeb, I love you so much. I'm a jerk to everyone but I'd change for you."

"You know what?"

The two dissolved into a fit of giggles.

"I can't breathe."

The rest of the night consisted of greasy food and random chatter. The encounter at the Seashop was gone from their brains.

_

"Hey, Addy."

Bucky walked up to Addison, who was busy setting things up for the car wash. They were both early. Bucky was clad in clothes too hot for the day. A thin, turtleneck, Seabrook jacket, and a pair of sweats.

"Can I work money today?"

Addison turned to him. Her attention immediately went to his split lip and eye.

"Fell."

That was a lie. Somebody told his parents about his little interaction with Zebediah. His dad had a fit. It was the worst he has ever gotten. In the end, the shirt was ruined anyway. He could never get that much blood out of it.

"You need to tell somebody. You could stay with us." There was a silence between the two. "Can I hug you?"

Bucky nodded. She carefully snaked her arms around him, resting her hands on his shoulders. She was careful not to put pressure anywhere. Addison had tried to tell her parents about what was happening. Dale confronted his brother, gave him a soft scolding. He couldn't make a big fuss; they didn't need that kind of attention. Well, the soft scolding his father got earned Bucky several bruises.

People were starting to show up. Bucky struggled to open the tin with the money. He couldn't do anything today. He could barely get his damn clothes on. How was he supposed to do anything productive? A grayscale hand took the box from him.

"Let me."

It was Zebediah. Bucky flinched. It wasn't his fault. He just knew his parents would find out. They would have to be together for the next several hours. How he was going to explain this to his parents, he didn't know. And that scared him.

The two sat in silence for most of the morning, only speaking to customers when they came through. Bucky would find himself staring. Zed would make an effort to organize the money perfectly. He was using both hands but every now and then he would twist it a certain way and it would jerk back slightly. You couldn't really tell unless you were looking. He would mark something down sometimes. His eyebrows would furrow and his hair would fall into his face. He was almost handsome, the more Bucky looked at him the more he saw that. Which was ridiculous. He'd snap out of it, embarrassed and angry at himself for even considering the thought.

Every now and then he'd catch Zebediah looking at him. He wouldn't look away though; he'd smile at him. He really did have the softest hazel eyes. Bucky really needed to stop thinking like that. That was dangerous thinking. He was a zombie; besides that, he was a guy.

A familiar car drove up to their table.

"Isn't this your fifth time through here Zed?"

Zebediah chuckled and waved him through. They watched Zed drive over to Addison. The two shared a conversation that Bucky couldn't hear, but the joy on their faces was evident.

"Isn't it nice?" Zeb sighed.

Bucky cocked an eyebrow at him.

"They're so in love and unashamed of it."

He turned around to look at them. They laughed and Addison splashed water on Zed and they were just so unabashedly in love.

"Yeah, it kind of is."

The rest of the day went smoothly. Zed came through a couple more times. Zeb and Bucky made unassuming small talk. Bucky tried his best not to look at him when they talked. The Aceys and anyone bitchy enough to tell his parents were all enjoying themselves too much to pay them too much mind.

By the time the day was over their tins were filled to the brim. Bucky ached at the thought of having to help clean up. Except he didn't have to. Every time he would go to do something Zebediah would swoop in the way. 'I got this.' He would say, snatch whatever Bucky had, and shoo him in the general direction of a chair. He hadn't even done anything and they were already done cleaning up. Bucky was in awe as he got into his vehicle. Zebediah had just done everything for him, given him a smile, and left. That genuine kindness that Zebediah gave out. He needed that. He would find a way to get more of that kindness.

_

Part Three

[ghostswillunderstand]

Love in the time of Plaguelings or, The Outpost Season 2 and its romance plots

A bit late the party and it isn't even a particularly popular party at that, but I just had to get some of my thoughts out into the internet-ether.

First and foremost, I recall seeing someone(probably on Tumblr) remarking that the show was "depressingly straight" or some such and it is hard not to agree.

Now I don't think everything needs to be as queer as queer can be(it certainly doesn’t hurt though) and it is not like one can't do straight-romance well(watch High Seas on Netflix to see one recent and great example), but with The Outpost the lack of queerness is compounded by the terrible straightness we are given.

Here is something I never thought I would say: For the majority of the first season I kind of liked the little love triangle we had between Talon, Garret, and Gwynn. It felt refreshing to me because all three were aware of it but none of them allowed it to ruin the growing friendship between them. Garret is in love with Gwynn but has the hots for Talon, Talon has the hots for Garret but is friends with Gwynn and is content to be friends w/ sexual tension with Garret. Gwynn is with Garret, is friends with Talon, and is aware of the aforementioned sexual tension between her love and her friend. It just isn't that big of a deal for the most part, at least until the end of the season where they ruin this pleasant dynamic.

I wrote the above to kind of highlight that the show can do a decent(not great but far from terrible) romance, so the junk we get in Season 2 isn't just my lust for a Gwynn+Talon pairing coloring my view of things.

Season 2 tries to give each of the two female leads new romantic partners and they are both disasters. I actually don't mind Tobin as a character unto himself but pairing him with Gwynn does real harm to her character. The show seems to think that because he stops drinking(for purely selfish reasons) that he is no longer the boorish dick that he was before, the guy who basically walked up to a Queen he was trying to convince to marry him and said "Wanna fuck?" and then, when shot down, immediately asked her handmaiden the same. And when you have Gwynn falling for this it immediately makes her look incredibly foolish. It seems clear they are aiming for a Han and Leia type of dynamic but we never had to watch Han being a gross piece of shit for multiple episodes and then get told to ignore all that because...? Seriously, Tobin's whole "I'll stop drinking and become a better man!" thing is just so poorly conceived.

If they had played this all out nice and slow with their relationship portrayed as the political maneuver it is and nothing more, letting a romance grow out of that at a deliberate pace, I could probably see it working. But as it is, the Tobin of the second half of the season is basically a different character than his initial portrayal, the only way to accept who he is in the second half is to ignore who he was in the first. It is madness. And then to add insult to injury, we now have to contend with a probable Tobin+Gwynn+Garret triangle which is about as much "Thanks, I hate it!" as you can get.

Zed, on the other hand, is just terrible outright. Terrible and boring. He and Talon don't even really get along which makes their pairing just head-scratching. I'm not sure calling it a romance is even fair all things considered, their entire dynamic is so plot-heavy(she is no longer the last of her people, he can teach her stuff, we got to find the key, blahblahblah) that it feels like there is absolutely nothing between them as people, the only thing the have going is the fact that they don't see eye to eye on anything. So when they first get to it I was completely taken by surprise and not in a good way. Nothing between them had been leading to this and yet here we suddenly were, fucking on the side of a road.

The show seems to have latched onto the 'opposites attract' concept but did it in the worst way imaginable, employed on the show it is less 'opposites attract' and more 'people who don't like each other, like each other' and it feels as awkward as that statement sounds.

Outside of the character dynamics, the big thing is chemistry. Jessica Green and Imogen Waterhouse have it in a way that their characters don't with the men they are saddled with. Whenever Talon and Gwynn are put together on screen there is a spark in the air, whether there is a light playfulness or heavy tension the scenes between them carry a weight that isn't there for anyone else(well at least in a romantic sense, Elinor and Gertie have a great antagonist thing going on and Garret and his father really sell their conflicted bond quite well).

The show has Gwynn and Tobin having dinner together, she brings him lunch, she ogles him from afar, and none of it registers as well as any single scene between the two ladies. Scenes that have no romance in mind in the text itself.

It eventually reaches a point where you start to notice that the show seems like it wants the two ladies to always be apart, that despite being the two most important characters they have relatively few scenes together. Talon is just kind of off doing her thing for long stretches, dealing with the whole Blackbloods and all that but she does it all fairly dispassionately, it is only when Gwynn is involved(and generally in danger) that she gets all heroic and passionate. Talon riding off to save Gwynn, her Pirates of the Caribbean-esque fanfare blaring, is like the pinnacle of romantic heroism, but she is confusedly not going to save her love but rather her 'friend'.

Just a friend doing everything the love interest should be doing.

But of course Tobin, who Talon had just slapped for being a useless drunkard, tags along and we get some completely hollow "My how you have changed, Tobin." even though he hasn't really. And having been injured in Gwynn's rescue, Tobin receives the 'wounded warrior gets bedside romantic moment' with Gwynn even though he didn't do much besides get shot with a bunch of arrows.

So we are left with two awesome ladies who are given romantic partners/relationships that seem to be anchored only by the fact that the guys are handsome(and they are). But that certainly isn't enough, especially on a show where everyone is attractive. The show couldn't even cast the nerd/clown role without getting a handsome fuck in there. And speaking of Janzo, his relationship with Naya is something I'm still not sure of honestly. It was simple and sweet, which goes a long way, but not exactly riveting to watch. And then you get to the big moment and I think it was brilliant...maybe?

And I would be foolish to not mention that the show thankfully kept the sexy train going even when casting actresses over the age of 50. I am eternally grateful that Glynis Barber at 63 has been on my screen as of late, she can get it any day of the week.

Oh my, Auntie Gertrusha.

Now my little rant has come to an end and I don't really have a way to wrap it up. It feels weird to write so many words about this for a show like The Outpost. It is a fun little show of modest means and modest aims, that maybe doesn't deserve to bear the weight of such scrutiny. Scrutiny of things that it appears to have no real interest in.

But I quite like The Outpost, I like this type of meat-and-potatoes fantasy that we don't really get anymore, and isn’t thinking too much about a show the ultimate sign of love?. With swords aplenty, evil to be thwarted, honest-to-god comic characters(I can't adequately explain just how much I loved Munt in Season 2), I feel The Outpost is worth that admiration but in the center of all this fun swords-and-demons-and-whatnot we do have these feckless romances just dragging my enjoyment down.

It just sucks that after all these years, seeing the television landscape grow as it has, we still only have Xena and Gabrielle. I don't expect them to be toppled off their mighty thrones but it saddens me that no one ever even tries, that one of the reasons they sit on said thrones is because there is no one to even challenge them.

But, hey, Munt on a donkey. It isn't all bad.

[wraithwolf]

so let’s talk about Shieda fucking Kayn——

first off, I actually want to give props to Riot because as much as I change shit around I'm genuinely glad we're continuing to receive lore that intertwines with other pieces rather than having a bunch of standalones that generally fail (and subsequently receive harsher criticism) solely because they have nothing to lean on. as expected some (most) people are unhappy with it but if nothing else I'm glad Kayn has lore beyond his little intro paragraph because y'all know they very well could've just gave us that and left it. (I'm not here to complain about the comm tho that's a separate post) basically, I'm Pleased and there's a lot to think about.

Initially, the decision to make Kayn a Noxian threw me for a Big Ass Loop™ because I was convinced the Order was exclusively for Ionians (more specifically, Ionians proved worthy by Zed) and while Kayn was still chosen by Zed there’s an underlying irony in this choice. We’re deep into the Ionian/Noxian war by the time Kayn is forced into it, and while Zed isn’t exactly the most Merciful or #Relatable person, imagine the intrigue a person such as himself had in seeing a poor, Noxian child with the drive and the anger of that of a seasoned warrior not only still holding on (considering Zed and co. didn’t arrive to the scene for two days after Kayn was dispatched) throughout all of the carnage that surely followed, but finding the strength to take up his weapon once again. For what it’s worth, Kayn was determined to fight for his life or literally die trying no matter who challenged him. We know Kayn didn’t know who was standing over him, but he was willing to fight anyway. I imagine Zed to have found it admirable, but at the same time beneficial: being able to change this boy and harness his rage, then unleash it against the same people that otherwise would’ve let him die at the Epool. The same people that sought to slay his own. I’m 50/50 about this because I speculated Zed had a reason for taking Kayn under his wing, but I didn’t expect the Noxian angle at all.

The thing is, there’s a lot more irony to this beyond Zed taking in a Noxian to use against other Noxians, as we can obviously see. Kayn resembles Zed in many ways— a familiar, stubborn arrogance alongside the same hungry determination that inevitably consumes him to be more than what he is, going as far as to seek an advantage through outside means - just like Zed in seeking out the Box to surpass Shen, Kayn seeks out Rhaast; only it’s safe to say Kayn is far more ambitious in his reasons for doing so, as in Kayn wants control of the fucking Order itself where Zed... wasn’t so bold, at the time.

It’s interesting to think about how an endgame for Kayn (and also Zed, since at least in Zed’s case we have to consider his current (????) involvement with Shen in an attempt to stop Jhin all over again and then add Kayn to the mix) would play out as it is almost entirely dependent on Zed and Kayn’s will alone. Should Kayn succumb to Rhaast, (which now seems a little more plausible with Kayn’s cockiness running amok through everything he does) I imagine the dynamic would change entirely as it goes beyond controlling Kayn as best as Zed can (I use control loosely because while I imagine Zed to run the Order as he sees fit, to make it a total dictatorship still seems like a little bit of a stretch to me if only because we don’t know how Zed reacted to Kayn returning with the Darkin scythe in hand and word that he Literally Killed Nakuri in order to bring it back) to having to deal with him without risking the rest of the Order and all of Ionia itself. They’ve already got Jhin running around, for gods sake, they don’t need a fucking Darkin along with him.

Ultimately, a lot like with champs such as Zed and Jhin, a real endgame is left up to the writer of said character and the overall interpretation itself. The way I see it, Zed isn’t going to be pleased with Kayn’s decisions to not only kill another member of the Order but also to voluntarily give part of himself to Rhaast in order to ‘control’ him; but again we return to Zed’s somewhat Ulterior Motive as to why he brought Kayn in in the first place. It’s not hard to tell that Kayn is confident, though overbearingly so--and from the looks of it, Zed isn’t The Happiest about Kayn’s behavior nor his choices but there are fragments of Kayn that Zed can recall in himself that might just allow certain things... to an extent. I’m in no way saying Zed just “o ok u just killed one of my students and defied my orders and also want The Order from me, Cool” because I’m laughing imagining the lecture/punishment Kayn actually receives after he returns with Rhaast and Kayn just scowling and grumbling the entire time but! I can see him allowing few aspects of Kayn solely because if he can convince Kayn that his strength comes from him, not Rhaast, Kayn can overcome Rhaast, and Zed can continue to shape him.

Also, let me add right now that while I don’t think Zed would risk much for him, (I’ve never supported 100% Evil Zed but I’m not a “Zed Did Nothing Wrong” stan either) I also don’t agree with the idea that Zed wants Kayn to lose himself to Rhaast, that Zed would send Kayn to deal with Jhin, or that Zed would even involve him in it. The risk, in all of these scenarios is vastly higher than the reward. Again, a Literal Darkin running around slaughtering everyone would mean further disaster for Ionia, and inevitably word would get around who brought Kayn (and Rhaast by relation) into the nation, and while Zed isn’t exactly a secret to all, I doubt he’d want to bring himself and his actions front and center. Kayn is still extremely young (eighteen-nineteen??) and while he’s in no way weak or stupid (s/o to Mint for mentioning this entire point to me i love u big hug) Jhin has years of experience on him. It wouldn’t be difficult for Jhin to take advantage of Kayn and either kill him on the spot or put him through worse knowing it was a stronger way to get to Zed especially if we can assume Kayn would completely underestimate him. For what it’s worth... my interpretation, specifically, has yet to know of Jhin at all. Whether or not he later on learns and what happens thereafter is to be decided. (*aggressively chinhands*)

Furthermore, in regards to the “wow he is so cliche” “wow he is so edgy” arguments that plague his Entire Fucking Existence and tag right now... yes. It was obvious he was going to be a little edgy and a little bit of a cliche. That doesn’t (and it shouldn’t) take away from the potential he has to further flesh out the lore as a whole. You gotta realize now more than ever that Kayn is young, one of the youngest champions (?) to have a fairly deep involvement with some larger scale issues going on within the overall story. I can name a few other champs that follow a similar path and are edgy in their own respects, but I’m not going to. The lore has disproved many things, one of them being that Kayn isn’t Just Edgy for the sake of being edgy. It’s very likely that as he grows and matures, a lot of his current mannerisms will fade/vanish entirely depending on what happens to him in the future. In a nutshell, being edgy doesn’t make him a joke, and he’s clearly not an unconditional, rampant Zed fanboi uguu kouhai xDdD like a lot of people were using at the forefront of their argument as to why they dislike him. 💁

TO CONCLUDE ... I like Kayn, I like his lore, and I’m really liking the possibilities for building him and taking him in a direction entirely my own. (and that’s just for main verse, let alone the possible skin aus, modern verse, what have you) Of course, it wouldn’t be a Blog by Hina™ without some divergence, but I’ll be figuring that out as I go. I already have some specific ideas pertaining to my interpretation exclusively, but they need to be tested/written down before I can really apply them. I am Happy, and I’m looking forward to keeping this going.

some additional stuff I noted/had confirmed to cover later but still want to mention:

nakuri calls kayn brother! the order is (at least somewhat) familial! miss me with that ‘nobody cares abt each other in the order’ shit

is it safe to say kayn’s abilities covered in the lore/in game (the wall walking and the ability to literally enter bodies for a short time especially) are things zed is also capable of? he couldn’t have learned them from anyone but zed, right?

A Big Old Confirmation that when kayn enters another body, he can see (and subsequently feel) just as the person would be for that moment. i’d like to think that eventually, kayn can fine tune this ability and utilize it for longer durations, however i imagine there will always be a risk from it and the victim will most likely always suffer afterwards. more on that Eventually™

another Big Confirm that rhaast’s control leaves both physical and mental effects on the body (however it happens a lot faster than i originally anticipated) and the longer the usage, the more this shows in the form of carapace. i’ll also be covering this at Some Point but even in kayn’s shadow assassin form, we see that the carapace is Gone (?) but in its place are dark dark marks, implying that even once rhaast is purged, remnants of him are still there most likely because of how long he was allowed to manifest. i’m still debating if this actually would hinder kayn’s eyesight / usage of his arm for a while should he overcome rhaast.

rhaast can be heard by more than just his wielder, which is something i wasn’t thinking was possible. however, this could be a conditional thing to where either rhaast can choose who hears him or the only ones that do hear him are those susceptible to his control. either? or? the world is yet to know.