#i think i have a tag for this thing. uh

[orcelito]

rereading old thoughts & plans about the Mamakechi Lives au i had going a year ago now & being like "wow this is rly good actually, i should continue this" but knowing i have two other WIPs that i posted a first chapter for but have not touched since bc i am focused on my main thing, discacc, so everything else gets overall neglected

... but also. it's genuinely pretty good

lsdjfslkdfj for the hell of it i'll post the intro i wrote to it here . uh . you're welcome?

Akechi Goro lived by five undeniable truths.  One. The world at large was trash.  Selfishness ran rampant amongst the rich and the poor alike. While the rich hoarded their wealth, laughing at all who dared to be born common, the poor fought tooth and nail for any scrap of affluence they could get their pathetic hands on. Like crabs in a bucket - when one rose up, another would tug them down. Two. Success was everything.  In a society that valued productivity above human lives, to be less than perfect was to commit the worst mortal sin. Those who didn't meet society's expectations were fated to live in poverty and suffering. If one wanted to avoid that fate, they could be nothing less than the best. Three. Friends were useless.  Idealistic stories loved to enthuse about the 'power of friendship', but it was all empty. Pointless. Not once had Goro needed something as pathetic as friends. While others cried at being 'lonely', he spent his time being productive. The idea of friendship was simply a distraction - nothing more and nothing less.  Four. No one would help him. In his nearly 18 years of life, Goro had grown to accept that his life was his responsibility and his alone. Teachers tutted behind his back about how unfortunate he was, while peers mocked him for his ratty clothes. No one ever extended a hand to help him… but it was all the same to him. He didn't need their help. Five. His mother was his reason for living, just as he was hers.  Akechi Shiori was the embodiment of everything that society hated. A single mother, a former sex worker, a sufferer of mental illness and a survivor of attempted suicide. The world did its best to hammer her into the ground, but she never truly gave in. She never would, so long as she had her precious Goro… And she always would. He loved her like he loved no one else. Everything he was, everything he strived for, was for her sake alone. He would capture success so he could give her the life she was denied. He would support her so she could wake up one day after another with a smile.  She was everything to him, just like he was to her. 

[egophiliac]

Hi it's just to let you know that the official romanization of Revaan's name is Raverne ! Also they have romanized Baul's name to Baur !

Twst coming back at us again with the least expected romanization! thank you everybody (oh god my inbox) (no it's great, I literally asked for this and the reactions have been INCREDIBLE, thank you all!)

I do like Raverne though, I think it's got a nice fancy sound to it! (I had kinda suspected it was going to be an R instead of an L, so the fact that it's SO close to Laverne except for that is hilarious to me personally.) and Dragoneye Duke is honestly probably the best translation for his title, I wasn't envying the localizers that one. :') Baur instead of Baul I was NOT expecting, but in retrospect I think his name's supposed to be a reference to the Bauru crocodile, so that actually makes way more sense!

someone else also said Meleanor has become Maleanor, which is the REALLY weird one to me, because I was so surprised it was written as Mel instead of Mal in the first place?! oh god no I can't decide which one I like better. 😭 (I wonder if they might change it to Mal...they have made romanization changes before) (like I remember House of Distraction being corrected to House of Destruction in Playful Land) (I did check and she's still Mel for now, but I dunno, they might Mal her up and some point and save me from having to make a decision about which one to use) (HECK I CAN'T DECIDE)

uhhhh thank you for letting me ramble about anime names, let's just say MONOGRAMMED SWEATERS FOR EVERYONE

[ecoamerica]

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

[dandelion-roots]

No matter what you do, you just can't shake him off, can you, Chūya?

[lyrics: Florence + the Machine | id in alt]

EDIT: I made a whole ass janky animatic to this song, enjoy!

[the-holy-ghosted]

congrats 2 henry peglar for being the only bitch confirmed as to be Fucking That Old Man

[huidol]

happy valentines 👍 day

[pettyprocrastination]

whoever this beloved anon was I am so touched by your kindness! You definitely didn’t have to do this but I am so happy you enjoy this idea and I will happily expand upon it for you!

this is just a collection of word vomit bullet points for the time being but I will happily answer any and all questions about this pair!!

warnings: violence, angst, child death (Sarah Miller), foul language, the same warnings that apply to tlou, reader is Sarah's mom and described as having similar features to her. 

So the general Idea is that you and Joel are happily married before the outbreak. 

You had been Sarah's mother, his high school sweetheart he got pregnant when neither of you were old enough to have any reaction to the pregnancy test other than a fucking panic attack in one another’s arms. but you made it work 

you both worked but made time for one another and your sweet girl, going to museums every other weekend and joel insisting on swooping you off for a date every now and then 

nothing special. He knows you’re more of a diner gal than anything too fancy that makes you both feel out of place. 

On his birthday in 2003, you had planned to tell him that you were pregnant again. But the memories of your own fears of motherhood from all those years ago begin to swirl through your head again and you get cold feel. deciding to tell him the morning after

it is his birthday afterall, you want to focus on him. 

but when you’re woken up in the middle of the night because tommy needs to get bailed out, Joel kisses you sweetly one last time before promising he’ll be back and you can’t shake the feeling that something bad is happening. 

its you that shakes sarah awake that night. shouting at her to put on her shoes when she’s still rubbing the sleep from her eyes because you’ve been listening to the radio for the past two hours, calling joel again and again and again praying for him to fucking pick up but to no avail. 

Sarah, bless your little girl’s bleeding heart is the one who insists you check on the adler’s against your better suspicions and when you find the eldest looming over her daughter, blood and sinew dripping from her mouth, you grab your daughter hand and burst into a full sprint until something slams into your back and sends you tumbling onto their front lawn

its how joel finds you, struggling to keep the once sweet old woman, whose now nothing more than dead eyes and gnashing teeth straining to snap at your pulse point as you push against her while sarah shrieks before your husband runs forward and cracks her skull with a wrench. 

there’s hardly a moment of pause, just enough for him to pull you up and into his arms before he’s ushering you both into the car with an urgency. 

when the truck crashes, you get separated from them. Perhaps at Tommy’s side when the flames rise and create a wall, separating you from your husband, or maybe pulled into the mob of chaos when trying to escape from those already infected-

all joel knows is that you promise you’ll find him: just get sarah to safety and you’ll meet him at the river

Poor thing is already so frightened, held in her father’s arms with tears streaming down her face insisting they can’t leave you they just can’t but her father kisses her forehead and reassures her its going to be okay 

“we just need to be brave, okay babygirl? Your mama’s real tough, she’s gonna be alright.” 

he isn’t sure if he’s saying it to his daughter or himself. 

but when he comes to the river you aren’t there. Only a soldier who points a gun at the scared little girl in his arms and then he loses everything

its when the light is gone from his daughter’s eyes that he realizes. His voice cracked and raw from sobbing that he looks around to see his brother with drawn in shoulders and tears in his eyes but his wife is nowhere to be found. 

Tommy says you got lost in the chaos. Everything was so loud, so sudden that he turned around and suddenly you weren’t there. 

Joel wants to go back but its Tommy that stops him, that dulls the red in his vision to a sad faded pink because his brother points at the orange horizon not too far from them, so much of the city is already in flames. 

“We’re gonna find her, but not there.” 

So Joel searches. for the first year spent in the world post-outbreak its all he did. 

He became a smuggler because of it. 

Information came at a price and he needed to be able to fucking pay it, whether it be in blood or ration cards. He was willing to do anything to find you or any thin thread that lead your way. 

But it’s Tommy that asks him to give up. Not in those words of course. 

The youngest Miller knows better than to say something so cruel that would make his brother, the only person he has in this world turn on him. 

But his voice is worried when he asks him one night in Boston when he hasn’t even had the chance to wash the blood from his knuckles 

“You think she would have wanted this for you?” 

the fight that followed his words was brutal. Vicious insults and scarred fists slamming against each brother until they're both too tired and bloody to continue. Each leaning against a wall for support and Tommy’s wavering voice breaking the silence. 

“I don’t know where she is, Joel. But I do know you're gonna get yourself killed if you keep lookin’ for her.” 

All he can do is nod. 

It’s a few days later when he meets Tess. Who has heard plenty of stories about the elder miller’s brutality and wants him to put that muscle to good use for some extra profit. 

It begins his new life. One that empty and cold but one he can live. 

Until of course, Ellie comes along. The sweet and incredibly opinionated girl that makes him become something akin to the man he thought died twenty years ago. 

its when he’s traveling with Ellie, that it happens. When a warm familiarity has settled between the two because so much blood and pain has been shared he can’t help but see her as something close, something bright even though all he can force himself to utter in her reference is “cargo” 

when theyre traveling through the woods as Ellie chatters away, probing his memory about a movie that may or may not have existed thirty years ago because her descriptions of the plot are incredibly odd he hears a voice shout for them to stop and finds himself staring at a man- no, a boy- pointing a gun at them. 

Ellie stills, but Joel can see enough to know that from the lanky figure and dimpled face that he’s young. Maybe twenty, twenty-two at the oldest, but his eyes dart from Joel to Ellie with a pinprick of fear that allows Joel the time to charge forward and slam him to the ground before wrestling the gun from his hands. 

He has enough to time to tuck it under the stranger’s chin before he hears the sound of the safety being turned off and finds himself looking up and seeing a gun just inches from his face. 

Joel’s head whips around when Ellie’s voice calls out his name in fear, he turns to see another stranger holding her a gun point, shoulders drawn back and a shadow cast over their face by the had obstructing their identity. 

“You hurt one of mine, I hurt one of yours. That a fair deal?” 

Its takes him a moment to recognize you. It’s been so long since he’s heard your voice, the sweet tease when you would poke at him each time he woke up late despite the fact that you reminded him to set his alarm the night before, the times you’d chide him with a harsh “Joel Miller!” whispered in public anytime he was able to grab you a bit too passionately to be appropriate in public but the laughter in your voice let him know you were never truly mad at him. You didn’t know how to be. 

But that sweetness is buried under a cold rasp that cuts through the air as you point a rifle at the scared little girl in front of you.

“You think I won’t?” You’re older now, skin covered in scars from a life he didn’t know you got the chance to live and your eyes are cold as they regard your husband. “Put the gun down and get the fuck off of him, I won’t repeat myself.” 

Joel mumbles your name in awe. The woman he loved, the woman he mourned the one he fought so hard to find stands before him like some sort of hallucination and suddenly the world feels like its spinning until you bark orders at him again. 

“You’ve got five seconds Joel, make a fucking choice before I make it for you.” 

He looks down and realizes the boy under him, the one with the bleeding nose and snarling face has your eyes and his dimples. 

“One.” 

The one above him has Sarah’s hair. Soft brown curls that shine under the sun. 

“Two”

Wait. No, they both do.

“Three.” 

Twins. Jesus fucking Christ you had twins. 

“Four.” 

Joel holds the rifle up above his head and the one boy standing snatches it from his grasp, tossing it to the ground and kicking it far from his reach. He slowly stands, allowing your son- dear god your son- to scramble to his feet. 

Your voice softens just for a moment. “You okay, Duke?” 

Blood stains the bottom half of his face from where Joel slammed his fist into the boy’s nose just moments before, but he nods nonetheless. 

Now, they both stand on one side of you and he can see the resemblance clear as day the same way he would whenever Sarah was by your side.

When you order him to hand over his bag, he does so without question before telling Ellie to do the same. 

She watches him with wide eyes, her hands still up in the air but gaping at her companion as if he had grown a second head. 

“Joel!” “Just do it, alright?”

He doesn’t miss the way you watch their interaction with narrowed eyes until she tosses her bag to you and you slowly lower your gun. 

“Now, you want to tell me what the fuck you think you’re doin’ at my home?” 

[ecoamerica]

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

[god-of-this-new-blog]

“Sorry that it all went down like it did”

[beatcroc]

pest control TWO!!!!! heres the first one

adn heres the obligatory bonus bc i can't help myself :')

[butterflysonnets]

yes i'm rooting for m*leven breakup because byler is neat but mostly? i'm rooting for m*leven breakup for the sake of el and mike.

to me, their romance was always a puppy love born out of a combination of social pressures, naïve curiosity, and a lack of true understanding regarding intimacy and romantic love and what it really is. it was real in that they do truly, deeply care about each other and they are close friends, maybe even shared an attraction, but a maturing romance is so much more than that. they've grown up and out of being boyfriend/girlfriend, and that's okay! i think television/film needs to show more often that most of us don't have definite "soulmates" or first childhood loves that we spend our whole lives with. it doesn't mean these relationships meant nothing and didn't impact us, it just means they've run their course and that something else is in the cards, and this is part of life!

i've always felt el was at her best and most confident self when broken up with mike, discovering who she was and what she liked alongside another girl her age instead of just relying on mike for mentorship on how to live in the real world. she deserves more of an opportunity to find herself, her autonomy, and her independence, and to love who she is, and she's made it clear she's felt insecure in the relationship with mike because she isn't being loved and understood the way she wants, needs, and deserves from someone who is her partner.

also, it's okay if mike doesn't love her in "the way he should". he is not obligated to love her romantically and stay in a relationship with her just because she's a girl, because she "needed someone", or because he cares about her a lot. he shouldn't be pressured into a romance if it's not truly coming from his heart. he deserves freedom to find out and honour who he is, too, instead of just staying in his non-functional first relationship — one he got into as a child, essentially — and defining himself that way because it's what's expected when a boy and a girl are close. he loves her in some way, yes, but it's okay if he doesn't feel comfortable or secure being her boyfriend anymore, for whatever reason that is. he's felt insecure too, and that's valid and it matters.

they are their own people and are steadily growing and changing every day. they need time to figure out who those people are, and it's become clear (at least in my opinion) that those people aren't meant to be a couple at this stage.

they deserve freedom. they deserve to grow up and be authentic to themselves and not feel like they need to lie for the sake of a relationship. they deserve to move on from this version of their relationship that isn't making them happy and rekindle the best part of their bond: their strong, beautiful friendship. they don't have to be a couple if it doesn't make them stronger and better and happier people.

i think it would be healthy and wonderful for a show, especially one consumed frequently by young adults, to show a relationship starting, progressing, and ending on good terms in this way. sometimes things don't work out, and that is okay.

[doodleodds]

Me? Uploading a Halloween comic on November 18th, almost four whole-ass weeks late???? Yeah that’s uh. yup. yeah

Thanks for reading! :) <3

[dirtbagdefender]

[fishareglorious]

so... apparently I've been writing Sammelweis' name wrong the entire time. It's Semmelweis, just like the doctor Ignaz Semmelweis.

I do wonder if she's going to have a heavy-handed reference to the real-life Semmelweis. Look him up, his story and role in the founding of antisepsis practices is incredibly interesting if you're into medical history like me.

[zip-toonz]

Tagged by @citrongarde! Hiii!

The game: On Pintrest, search [your name + core] post 6 images and tag 6 people.

I got a ton of alt outfits and miku fanart so I picked the more intersting finds.

Tagging: @lemonmatronics, @craftpunktabby, @cosmicheartz, @rocketonin, @alpacababs, @thingismyson

[sage-is-in-fact-very-tired]

welcome to the "wow, that's some interesting manipulation you got there mr.fable sir; want me to analyze it for you?" + a couple other things about thursdays lore post

this'll be a ride (the 4252 word kind), its roughly kinda organized (the manipulation section goes mostly chronologically-), but i think its gets all our points across pretty well

echo [@echos-of-incoherence], my partner in crime (/lh /pos), helped immensely with this!!! we kept bouncing thoughts of each other and adding to them, so this is the post combining everything we talked about thursday (+ a little friday) post lore.

[TW/CW - Lore spoilers; discussions of manipulation, death, and murder]

so. im. going to go in order of “we talked about this the least” to “we has so many thoughts this was most of the conversation”

[so, shockingly, we start with quixis.]

Where Icarus sees quixis’ power slowly increase and get stronger; fable sees the worst of it first. He sees them at their strongest this far - with the bunker, redstone, trail, and wings - and he hasn't seen anything else of them. They were completely blocked from sight in As It Is, and they weren't in any of the books around; so fable has no point of reference *until* unlocked, that's his first proper time seeing them in *action.* He knows of their strength; that they're *strong,* but he doesn't truly see it until this; until the first time he's out purgatory in years. “Again and again he is shown examples of this power throughout his time in the grove, and he continues to lead Icarus back to his voice of reason every time.” [Quote direct from Echo] So then the cathedral happens - Icarus injures both ven (shoulder) and fable (hand); but by proxy, now fable has access to Quixis’ power. It's literally at his fingertips, and he uses that well and to his advantage. (To note - he definitely uses manipulation with this, and that will be touched on soon.) As soon as they fly back from the cathedral to Icarus’ house, fable rushes them *away* from the bunker, away from a place of *safety;* and instead leads them to the alter. The place he used once, to create, and a place he knows he can *control.* He uses the power at his fingertips to his advantage and he *looks* - no matter if it hurts Icarus, hurts his *kid* (which we will *also* get into) - he looks and he *sees.* he sees so close the power he's been searching for, the power he *needs* - the whole worldport at his fingertips, and he'll use it. “And his truer intentions are revealed, because Icarus won't be needed anymore after this.” [Direct quote from Echo] Once he takes it out, takes the power from them (inevitably killing them in the process), Icarus won't be needed. He will no longer need them as a access point if he *has* it, has that power. Centross interrupts this, he interrupts and he fights and he tries. And now Fable is mortal, and Icarus is even more vital to him. Considering that, he probably won't be able to fully attempt the ritual again, due to the while being mortal thing. So, to quote Echo directly again, “he has to start working them again, even harder this time.” also, the power stream. Fable was, for all intents and proposes, attempting to see how useful Icarus could be to him. See if they had any powers of their own - if they did, what were they - how they could be used for his gain. But their only show of power ended up being quixis. Which wasn't even *them,* it was quixis. “I feel like that kind of sealed the deal for him – hence his whole thing about using Icarus to access and use that power for himself” [Direct quote from Echo]

You also have the potential fallout of this; specifically the multiversal kind for this part of the conversion. The previous messing with multiverse things, was with a pre-existing rift between worlds; it still managed to destroy/collapse a whole world. (Presumably, due to Portal's connection with Mer, where the rift was opened too.) And the people involved in this do know, somewhat, of the multiverse, but none of them quite travel through it. All that was done was the widening of a rift, and a transfer of consciousness. In this case, well. Its significantly different. What fable was attempting to do, I believe, would've pretty much been pulling Icarus’ entire connect to the Worldport *out of them*, which is a powerful thing, and using it as said powerful thing. You also need to add in the fact that Icarus *knows* of the worldport, has been in it, is the most connected to it beside quixis. Where krit (or any of the other sherbs) absolutely was/is/are not. Considering fable getting to the point where he nearly pulled it *out*, and considering it left a mark - big splotch of wacky (*not* wack, just a little wacky) dull rainbow on Icarus’ chest - it will probably have a much larger effect on the worldport as a whole - and quixis - than the rift did. Which, considering how decayed the worldport already is, will *not* be a good thing. Some might actually say a bad thing. A *very* bad thing.

[That concludes the quixis part; now onto the Haley and Centross death parallels. And general thoughts about that.]

Both Centross and Haley died, technically, due to an action taken by Icarus. But the deaths themself - in the way it happened, Icarus’ actions, and the fallout of them - could not be more opposite of eachother. Haley was killed directly by Icarus themself; intentionally and without any remorse for their actions. They didn't want her back right away - they didn't want her back until they were uncorrupted and back to, mostly, themself - in their own words, “I need her dead.” Then, in their attempts to get her back, *bring* her back, they're told that she can't be. Alerion tells them, to their face, that the dead cannot be brought back to life. And yet, in the end, she is. Quixis changes it so that Haley comes through the portal; changes it so she walks through that purgatory portal and is *alive* alive again. Despite everything, she's brought back. Where Centross death; it's caused by fable. Fable is who kills him, in the end. But it's Icarus’ actions that lead them there - following fable to the alter, and agreeing to do what he wanted (no blame, I understand why they did as they did, however it how they were led to centross’ death, so it's included.) But on Icarus’ side, Centross’ death was not intentional - fable wanted to kill him, Icarus clearly had objections - Icarus did not *want* him dead in any way. They want him back now - they *need* him back now. They don't want their best friend dead and gone and not coming back. And Fable. And Fable feels into that need; tells them that centross can be brought back. That he will be brought back; soon. He will be. Despite everything we know contradicting this. He'll do it. (Because he needs Icarus on his side; and promising to bringing back the person he killed? their best friend? one of the best ways to do that.) Additionally; if centross” death is mirroring haleys like it seems to be, then I sincerely doubt he will be brought back as *centross* centross.

[Most of this next paragraph is paraphrasing Echo] Fable's plan, the whole idea and premise behind it, hinges fully on Centross and his death. It's not likely he can be brought back in similar ways to Haley - especially seeing as he is, presumably, with epros somewhere (somewhere on the void) as opposed to in purgatory. Icarus, however, does not know this. Icarus additionally doesn't know that Centross was going to die anyway - Fable can say that he only died because he interfered, but we as chat know this to be incorrect. Centross was going to die soon regardless of what happened. (Rae knows, at the least, that something is happening with centross. That he was hurting when he flew off. He doesn't know the full story, but he knows *something* is up.) But with the whole “centross can be brought back, he wouldn’t've died if he hadn't interfered, etc,” Fable is very clearly using Icarus’ lack of knowledge of this against them; making them believe these things.

[That concludes that section; now begins “why fable absolutely would've just killed Icarus and left them dead had centross not interfered”]

Fable would’ve killed Icarus, and it would’ve been for longer than the moment he said it would be. He said that it would’ve been after he did what he felt needed to have been done; all the stuff with killing gods and replacing primordials. Which, all things considered, absolutely would've taken longer than a moment, longer than ‘skipping a breath.” Had centross no interfered, he would've killed them, left them dead until he was done with all he needed to do, and then brought them back. But considering all we've seen - even then, I doubt he would've actually brought them back. They would hold no use to him anymore, so what would've been the point? To quote myself here, “He was just going to kill them and he wasn't going to bring them back once he was done. They weren't going to be useful to him, no longer a pawn in his game. Just a husk of something he no longer needs, because it's [power] all at his fingertips. he only stopped because centross stopped him.”

He also says all of this stuff about “his heart dying with them,” that if they die, his heart will too. Yet, he also screams in Centross’ face about all he can create. All he can make with his own two hands. All he can sculpt and mold. If he wished so badly, if he really truly did, he could’ve just made another child. He wouldn’t've kept his word to Icarus, because once he took the portal, took that power, there was no use for them anymore. To use a chess analogy, it'd be like changing the pawn to a queen once you reach the other side; you change one use for another, and you don't get the old use back, especially considering the new use is more powerful. (In this case, Icarus for power; you'd take the power, but not bring them back because there isn't anything left for them to do; they fulfilled their purpose.) He would've killed them, he absolutely would've killed them and left them dead because they were no longer of use, but Centross intervened and suddenly his plans - both of doing that, and killing gods + replacing primordials - were tilted very askew. “He had to regroup. he has to now rebuild that trust with Icarus in order to try the ‘portal removal’ again, and he probably can't even do it because of the reaver.” [Quote direct from Echo]

[That concludes that, I have so many thoughts about it, and now begins “that's some interesting manipulation you did mr.fable sir, you want an analysis on it? cause I got one right here for your viewing pleasure.”]

The manipulation doesn't take very long to start. It starts almost immediately after they get back to Icarus’ house, in fact. He says “Quixis could kill me,” says how this is an injury only a god could give to another god - at least, supposedly. Quixis’ godly status is. debated - and he says this straight to Icarus’ face. Now, Icarus has this inherent need, or idea, to help and be useful to everyone around. To not hurt them. They want to be useful, and fix the stuff they end up breaking. (Because thy always end up breaking something, don't they?) This definitely got more noticeable post-corruption, but I have a feeling that this was there even before that. Now, fable, being both their father, and having been in purgatory for so long, *knows this,* and he uses it to his advantage. He tells them he's hurt, knowing all of that - because im sure he knows that by now, but that he has a way to fix it, and that Icarus can help. And they believe him, because why in the world would he lie about that. So when he leads them to the alter, leads them there under the guise that it'll help, they believe him. They believe that this'll help, and they always want to help - to fix whenever they hurt their family. This whole idea continues into the cave; that they're both marked for *death,* but that Icarus has been for so so much longer, and then he brings up quixis. Something they've wanted to fix for years and years and he says he can *take them out.* That he can fix and solve everything that's been happening around them; remove all the other from them - something I'm sure he's well aware they want at this point. He tells them how this will go, that it will hurt - their immediate response, not even seconds later, being that they can handle it - and he keeps that up. Because he knows, well now, that they will listen to him. That they believe what he says, and that they want to help, be good, be useful. That they want *him* to see them as good and useful; and in the end, they believe it; believe *him.*

[Most of this next paragraph is paraphrasing Echo - anything quoted is directly from Echo] Fable has a goal, pretty clearly based around power; overcoming enderian, overcoming and killing gods, replacing primordials. For all intents and purposes, overcoming anything that will get in his way of power. “There is something fable wants, and he needs *some sort of* help to get it – he needs Icarus to trust him.” So, he twists his strategy to play at and to Icarus’ flaw; guilt. Icarus is guilty about so so much; everything that happened during corruption, hurting the people they care about and love, “and repeating (rhyming) history time and time again.” it's pretty clear as day they feel the guilt about this; they shy away when it gets brought up, or they go quiet, or or or. And so, Fable leans - pretty heavily - into that flaw. He gives them the validation they want in varying amounts so they crave more of it; he treats Rae like a son - a proper son - because he knows all Icarus wants is a happy family. Unlike Rae, they don't remember the other things - don't remember the *bad* and the worse, only the good, or mostly good. “The inherent need to be seen and loved and viewed as someone who can be good enough to love (and good overall) is their Achilles heel.” Fable continues this, he adds to this, with his words on multiple occasions. Post cutscene - post Centross death, post fight, post it all going *wrong* - Icarus is straying - Icarus was almost killed by their own father, they *watched* Fable kill their best friend - and Fable, well, he can't have that, now can he? “So he leans harder on that heel. He says they can bring back their best friend (death is a source of guilt for them because Haley.) They could take care of quixis (who has caused them several problems several times, which they continue to feel guilty about as well) and fix it. That's the heart of it all, fixing everything.” Icarus feels constantly like they keep messing up; keep fucking everything up. But with this, if they could fix everything wrong with their world (quixis), and by proxy everything that they've done wrong to the world, then that guilt wouldn’t have to be there anymore. They fixed it, what left is there to be guilty about? “Fable furthers this by asking for their help, again and again. Showing them that they *can* fix something, giving them some small confidence in their ability to help whenever it falters. He feeds this image of a loving, fulfilled life and pulls at the feelings of them and their loved ones to alter the image to how he sees it.” The cave broke that baseline idea, and now he as to work - harder, even more - to build it back up; although, clearly not all of it has crumbled away. We don't really have an idea for how his plans have changed now that hes mortal and not a god. However, we can take a guess. His manipulation is going to start to become a lot more forthcoming; he's seen the power held within Icarus, and he's not going to let that slip away through his fingers – not like he has everything else.

He plays into their guilt about everything - all of it. all all *all* of it. He plays into their need to be good and to be loved and to fix everything. He wants - *needs* - them there and the way to do that is to validate them and their feelings; give them the attention and give them the love. (“I love you, Icarus. I would never sacrifice you. Not for anything.”) He tells them this can all be fixed if they just let him help. And because they want that - need that; their best friend is dead for fucks sake - they believe him. Believe all those sickly sweet lies, because they need it. They need him back, they can't have another person die because of *them.* and so they play right into his hands. The denial of everything that just happened creeps back in, and they believe him because he says he can fix it; make it all better. He leaves out - intentionally so - the parts where he tried, and was fully willing, to kill them. He leaves out the part is which *he* killed centross. “He pushes away their distress and anger and fear about all of it by saying he can make it better. Because of how emotionally fragile they are, it’s easier to believe that to be true. It’s easier to believe that their dad is just that.” [Direct quote from Echo] Denial clings to the smaller ideas, the ones that fable pushes away - nearly killing them, killing *him* - and it forces away anything that contradicts them; all with the help of fable - with his guidance. He leaves out nearly killing them, leaves out killing centross, and instead plays to their needs. They need their friend back, and he'll find a way - or, he'll tell them he knows a way, or that he will - to bring Centross back; they want everything better and he'll make it that way; they want everything fixed, and he'll fix it. He plays into what they need and want and leaves out everything they don't want to acknowledge.

Fable manages to get it into Icarus’ head that they have to be the one to fix this - or that they *will* be the one to fix this. They ask “How do I fix him? How?” “I have to fix everything” and “I can fix everything.” He gets it into their head that *theyll* fix it, or at least help in the process. He plays into their need and eagerness to help, to be *helpful.* That's his entire idea and plan; to use Icarus’ flaws and needs against *them* and for his own gain.

Icarus brings up the curve ball of Alerion telling them that people can't be brought back from the dead, and fable *almost immediately* defects with a line about how quixis brought Haley back, didn't they? Which was not only not answering the question Icarus asked, but also like, quixis’ power is so very different from anything else we know of; things quixis can do - bring people back, switch places, change stuff in the way they do, etc - is not something most other people - or gods - could/can do. Yet, he knows how much power quixis must hold - if Icarus has this much, how much must the god of that realm? - how he could bring everyone back with it. But he *doesn't have that power,* it's still well within Icarus. It's also an entirely foreign concept to him, quixis’ power - alerion's as well, considering - he doesn't really know how their work; yet he acts like he does. He acts like facing them will prove alright and that he'll figure it out in the end.

He goes back to the death thing after Icarus picks up the reaver. He goes on a shpeal about wanting to beat death and how he *will* beat death and how they'll bring Centross back. He keeps insisting that; that they'll bring Centross back. He needs them to know that. Needs to to know everything will be okay and that everything can be *fixed.* he just keeps going and going about that. In there eyes, Icarus’ biggest mistake was killing haley. Her death had a massive massive impact on them, and fable absolutely knows this. “He's nailing the point to the fucking ground because he knows how much death terrifies them because of their dances with it in the past. He is fo *fucking* insistent because that's his whole driving force in getting them to believe – to trust – him.” [Quote direct from Echo] And then, the second Icarus brings up his wound and his wings, Fable gets quiet. And then, he brings up the fact he's dying. He's *dying* and he demands it to be *slow* and that this was the reaver's fault; the reaver took something from him. And now Icarus, who has the reaver - has their last piece of centross held in their hands - gives said reaver to him. They come to, separately but with Fable's herding, the idea that he needs the reaver back to fix this. The reaver could reverse it, or at the very least do *something* to help, so they sink and give it to him. They're playing into his hands, because he absolutely knew they would do that. “He's likely been watching them for a really long time while in purgatory, meaning he knows the ins and outs of who they are as a person, at least to *some* degree. He’s watched how they think and how their brain translates information and how emotions play into so many of their actions. He's memorized the facets of their reactions and responses to create a script designed to contort and abuse those very elements of Icarus for his own gain.” [Direct quote from Echo]

Fable also convinces them that no one - us as the chat included - understand how grave this entire situation is, and how they're doing exactly what they need to do to make this right. He uses them being emotional and devastated by centross to get them to believe and trust him. He tells them that no one will understand that Centross *will* come back; that hes not really gone. That the people Icarus would tell would only be focused on the fact he's dead in the first place - fable glosses over the fact that he even did *die;* because he'll come back, so it's all fine. “We don't have to acknowledge the fact that fable still fucking killed him because in the end, he won't be dead.” [Direct quote from Echo] - and he gets Icarus on the side and idea of *not telling anyone* regardless of if centross is coming back or not.

Even after the two of them leave the cave, he continues to pile it on. Fable tells them it will be joyous soon, that everything will be fixed soon and that everything will be *okay* soon; and he's still just playing into their wants and needs. He knows that what they want - knows that *exactly what they want - and so he just keeps at it. He keeps insisting and insisting that it will be, and so they believe him. They just want everything to be *okay* and why wouldn't their dad want to make it that for them?

Once they get back to the house, it's all mostly alright, but there's one final thing that sticks out to me. When Icarus mentions that they could get fable new clothes he snaps at them. He gets loud and he sound almost *angry.* and then he immensely backtracks and repeats himself much less sharp; much softer. Snapping like that would push them away, and he realizes that, so he backtracks on it. “He can't use fear like they did with Athena – it has to be built on trust and care in order to get anywhere. Fear would push Icarus, so he changes his response straight away.” [Direct quote from Echo] Icarus doesn't notice this - or if they do they don't pay attention to or care about it - since their far more focused on helping their dad heal and feel better. (And a quick honorary mention to him falling asleep in Icarus’ bed and them not saying anything about it. Centross used to do that, you know, after rough conversions, sit with them there until they fell asleep.)

He doesn’t need Icarus afraid, he needs them compliant. He needs them trusting of his every word, and he fucked it up; so he has to get that back. And he *will,* because he knows *exactly* how. He knows exactly what strings to tug and what emotions to pull to get them exactly where he wants them; exactly where he *needs* them. And he'll pull and tug those until he does.

[teruthecreator]

(tw for racism, pedophilia, transphobia, child impregnation mention)

yeah idk why y'all read this

i was originally going to just post this and have some tags with my reasonings, but i realized that opens me up to too much bullshit from people who may think i'm being unnecessarily mean or whatever. so i'm going to explain exactly why the screenshots above are something i hold issue with.

firstly, and i just want to get this out of the way, this post is not intended to be a hit piece against the creator. i've seen how she reacts to any mild-mannered or slightly joking criticism, so i know this post is probably going to not land well. but it isn't my intention to make her mad or anything--she's writing a piece of content for the internet, which means she is just as open to criticism as any other poster. and what i intend to go into in this post is criticism. i'm allowed to do this, as that is the nature of the internet. people are allowed to critique whatever they please, and if you don't want critique then you shouldn't post. simple as!

i am also making no attempts to posit myself as better than the creator. i'm not doing this for clout or moral superiority or any of that dumb shit. i simply want to discuss something that's been bothering me for a bit, while simultaneously warning people who haven't read this yet (who may be sensitive to the issues above) to steer clear. if things like casual racism or transphobia aren't properly tagged, then readers who are affected by such things run a risk reading this! same goes with people who are triggered by lewd content involving minors. i wanna make sure people are getting a more critical scope of this work than what has been hoisted up by others.

okay, now that i've gotten that out of the way, i'm going to get into my points.

firstly, the subtle and not-so-subtle racism throughout this fic, especially in relation to serizawa. i'm white, so there is only so much i can speak on without trampling over the words of other fans of color, but some of this feels so blatant it's odd it hasn't been noted earlier. it's important to note before i go into it that serizawa is specifically written as half-black half-japanese for this fic, in case the screenshots don't make it abundantly clear. but there are just too many moments of casual racism in this fic. i'm not talking about the plot point of serizawa being bullied as a kid for being mixed; i'm not mixed, so i can't speak on the accuracy there but it is well-known that black people face a lot of racism in japan. i'm talking about how it seems everyone else has these racist moments that aren't acknowledged by serizawa or the narration as being bad.

reigen hypothesizing over serizawa's exact ethnic background is just strange. yes he's a fairly observant guy (he has to be, with his job), but there is no canonical evidence to suggest he would immediately jump to theorizing whether serizawa is american or not. and the way it's posed in that first quote--"he has darker skin and the kind of hair texture that would likely indicate African ancestry"--is not great. that's an extremely inappropriate way to bring up someone's race. i don't think most people would stare at someone and be like "hmmm well your nose shape and hair texture would suggest you're of this race". it's racial essentialization that is only slightly covered up by the excuse of "oh he tweets in english". there are some other smaller moments of questionable wording, like calling serizawa's afro "sloppy" when it isnt (which btw there's another issue with the creator only referring to an afro as a "fro". it's a hairstyle; you're allowed to use the actual name of it). even if reigen cuts his hair in canon, he never states it's because serizawa's afro looks sloppy. (also there's something to be said about the casual racism baked into making your employee cut his natural hairstyle for a job, as that is a very real issue many black people face when wearing their natural hair or even protective styles in the workplace.)

i'm especially bothered by toichiro's very casual racist remarks. toichiro in this fic is a general bother of mine (most of which can be boiled down to "he would not fucking say that"), but the way she chooses to characterize him in relation to serizawa feels gross. calling a black man a slave should be a very obvious red flag, but also saying serizawa (again, as a black man) has a "brutal masculine appeal" is also extremely stereotypical and racist. and really there is just no need for it; toichiro's actions in canon prove how shitty of a guy he is without the need for him to be racist (along with other things i'll get to in a bit). as my girlfriend put it: he doesn't need to be a member of the fucking kkk to show he's a bad guy.

there's also, again, the very casual racist remark of calling serizawa a "dog". i don't care if that isn't the intent; when you are writing a character of color you need to be aware of your wording, even in insults (unless she intended to make tsuchiya racist, which i don't think she did).

secondly, the eugenics/child pregnancy bit. it is surreal to even have to write this, but i seriously do not understand the purpose of either of these bits in the story. they are so minor yet so jarring you can't help but wonder why they're there. once again, i do not think you need to have toichiro doing esper eugenics just to prove he is an evil guy. he has nuance, and by making him casually reference child pregnancy (like that isn't an INSANE thing to say) reduces that nuance to nothing. that's the only reason i could see why that bit was included: to make toichiro look worse. but, even still, the author is running the risk of potentially triggering victims of csa or people who don't want to see that by not properly tagging the mention of it (or, at the very least, warning readers in the intro notes). the only other explanation for it would maybe be shock factor??? but that's a pretty shitty thing to use for shock factor, if i'm honest. also the fact that the esper eugenics was referenced again in a more recent chapter just has me very disturbed and confused. there isn't a canonical explanation for why we see less espers who are women than espers who are men, but that doesn't mean we need to jump to fucking Eugenics. it's weird!

thirdly (and this is probably one of my biggest problems and the main reason i wanted to make this post), the weirdly lewd/sexual language shou uses constantly, along with referring to reigen as a pedo or a creep at several points. frankly, i think it's pretty fucking gross for someone in their near-40's to be writing a 12-year-old talking so casually about sex like that's normal. which, i'm sorry, but it's not. yes, teens know about sex and like to joke about lewd shit. but a 12-year-old is not about to make references to a grown man's virginity. 12-year-olds draw dicks on their desk bc they think it's funny. 12-year-olds say the word "buttfuck" because it has the words "butt" and "fuck" in it, and those are the two funniest words on earth to a kid that age. i literally do not understand the purpose of having shou be so lewd all the time. for one, it doesn't make sense for his character. shou is shown time and time again to be extremely mature for his age, but that maturity extends to shit like assembling a counter-terrorism unit and extending a hand to his father to allow him to try again. and even then he's still just as naive as any other kid his age! the omake where he's telling his guys to go to the "far right corner" based on ritsu’s advice proves that he still has plenty of blindspots that are indicative of his age. leaning into this raunchy, lewd version of shou is just weird. and, again, i think it is made a bit weirder given the author's age!!! not ageshaming or whatever--i'm 23 and i write fanfic, clearly i cannot judge there--but it is just extremely inappropriate in my opinion. also having shou be more versed in sextalk than serizawa is odd too and speaks to a larger issue of serizawa's infantilzation throughout this fic, but that's something i can get into in another post if people want an explanation.

also, the way she constantly calls reigen a creep and even has him being accused of being a pedophile during the twitter cancellation is extremely inappropriate when, again, there is NO CANONICAL BASIS FOR THIS! everyone just calls him a fraud and a scammer during separation arc; there is never a reference to reigen being seen as a pedophile in that arc. and, yes, while there are versions of mob psycho where reigen is very clearly written as a creep (looking very specifically at the netflix adaptation), that doesn't mean it's good. honestly, the creep mentions all just feel like really poor jokes that do not land in the slightest.

finally, the transphobia (aka WHY IS SHIMAZAKI A CHASER). i literally do not know what else to say other than: why? why is this a thing? why is he a chaser? what is the purpose of this? is it a joke? i feel like it's supposed to be, but seeing as the author is cis i don't think that's a joke she should really be making. it not only comes out of left field, but it's just kind of a weird thing to ascribe to a character for no reason. not to mention, it's uncomfortable! trans women deal with enough creepy antics from cis men in real life--why must they be accosted by this guy too? it's just weird and uncomfortable.

i wanna round out this post by saying, once again, that i'm not trying to attack anyone with this post. but i do hope people come away from this with a new perspective on this work, and maybe think twice before recommending it uncritically to someone. to the author specifically, i hope you can read my post without rage or indignance blinding you. i might be a little blunt or rude in parts, but it's only because i'm passionate and i don't mince my words when it comes to things i'm passionate about. to the readers, understand i am not judging you for reading this fic without noticing these things. your own life experiences will give you certain blindspots and there's nothing wrong with that. i have plenty of blindspots of my own! it's what makes us human.

there is more i could say, but this post is long enough. i ask that if you come to me in my inbox or in dms about this that you treat me with respect, as i will do that for you. writing something like this took a lot out of me, as i'm usually not so open about my opinion on shit like this.

have a good day :-)

[b4kuch1n]

ough brain is doing SO bad but sometimes. there are colors