#i'm just saying the show gives you way fewer reasons to like him

[izzythehutt]

Walt is the least sympathetic of all the BrBa criminals/anti-heroes/rogues gallery because he's the one (major) character who doesn't have a clear and unambiguous "reason" for being the way he is. There is an unflinching refusal to give this character a "Freudian excuse" for his behavior and I just...love that.

It is not only an extremely brave choice from a writing perspective for your protagonist (and really only works because Bryan Cranston can somehow wring sympathy out of this dry husk amoral sponge of a person), but also makes him the most realistic portrayal of what evil really is. Walt feels the least like a television version of how a person becomes bad because there's not one reason it happens, and there's an aspect to his moral descent that's both mundane and mysterious—his motives unfold gradually, they change, and the show never really seeks to outright explain why it happened beyond the obvious inciting event—his cancer diagnosis. Was there something in him always not quite "right" or was there just a unique confluence of circumstances that caused Walt's complete moral transformation? In his own words—he liked it, he was good at it, and it made him feel alive. Maybe it is just as simple as that. Evil is actually a lot less interesting than people give it credit for.

There are so many things about his personality that are just never explained but must have some explanation, surely. For example: Walt's hang-ups about money—his obsession with being the one who provides it for his family and his reactive disdain for charity (even Saul points out there's clearly deep-seated issues there lol.) You could very easily see a different writer backstory dumping a lot of explicit childhood trauma with Walt and his single mother being poor and him getting bullied and this being where his weird inferiority complex about hand-outs come from. Instead this is just a huge part of his personality that has no obvious singular explanation. Why is he like this? Who the hell knows!

Which I personally really like, because regardless of whether that happened to him as a kid (I have to assume something like that was going on with child Walt because he has really specific neurosis) it has no ultimate bearing on the morality of his actions. There is no excuse for what he does, ultimately, and I just love that the show gives you very few reasons to feel sorry for him, at least as far as his backstory goes. Even the merits of his Gretchen and Elliot resentment is called into question (though left vague.)

In a weird, counter-intuitive way this lack of explanation for his behavior makes me feel more sympathy for him (again, Cranston acting magic pulling its weight.) But it's such a subjective thing with him. How you feel about Walt hinges on the performance, the character's actions in the story itself and what the viewer chooses to extrapolate from both. I can't blame people for thinking he's just kind of a low-empathy asshole, though I personally find that explanation reductive and less interesting, I cannot argue with it as a valid read. He is very, very hate-able for so many reasons. There's something refreshing about how unapologetic the writing for him is in that way.

[coddda]

Hiiiiiii. Episode 25/26 lawlight analysis rant thingy here. I don't know how to write an intro for this so let's just get to it LOL

I think one of the reasons that the rain/foot scenes stick out so much (the. Sheer insanity of a Foot Massage Scene in an anime revolving around two guys trying to kill each other aside 💀) is the fact that the anime specifically suffers a bit in terms of adapting a few of the "emotional" moments in death note.

And I don't mean "emotionally impactful" exactly. For example I think the adaptations of scenes like Raye and Naomi's deaths were very impactful and the atmospheres of their final scenes were great, but I mean more from a characterization standpoint (if that makes sense). Being more focused on mind and logic games, Death Note as a whole isn't as invested in individual characters' deeper feelings as it is in its action (which isn't necessarily a criticism per say, it's simply part of the nature of a mystery thriller series). But just because they're fewer and farther between doesn't mean there are none at all. In the manga we do get to see, for example, how much Light actually cared for his family and especially Sayu, and how he actually felt more conflicted and suffered lack of sleep/appetite when he first used the Death Note.

The anime specifically as an adaptation is pretty good at adapting the main mind fuckery and action of Death Note, but its lacking in properly adapting scenes like the ones I mentioned above is a criticism I see somewhat often, and it's pretty fair imo. Compared to all the other adaptations, it certainly seems to fall short on an emotional level: the musical has entire songs going in depth about the characters feelings and relationships, the 2015 jdrama is. Insane and has its emotional moments in spades (because it's a TV drama, which are more focused on portraying emotional conflict and the like), even the 2006 movies has its emotional beats and L Change the WorLd is. Well. Oh Man.

Anime Light to a lot of people is like. Light but he's "already evil" (which I have my own thoughts on but I digress). Light but after using the Death Note for like 2 minutes he's already like "fuck yeah time to kill criminals". Basically the anime doesn't take as much time to delve into his less cynical sides or really delve into his already vague and harder to decipher feelings in general, he is noticeably colder from the get-go here, etc.

But that's part of why I think episode 25 manages to stand out so much tonally (apart from it being, y'know, the episode L literally Dies). I love the episode so much and could probably rant for hours about how much I love the artistic choices made in it but what I'm trying to get at here is that it's one of the very few moments where the show tries to go deeper into specific character's emotions, and one of the very few moments where the show Attempts (emphasis on "attempts" because, well, you'll see in a bit) to get more in-depth into Light's feelings apart from his cynicism/apathy/justice. ness.

L in these two scenes in episode 25 is, well, pretty damn open about how he feels. It's usually interpreted as him knowing that he's going to die, and you can see it. He visibly looks/sounds lost, somber, etc. He never really had much to hide around Light to begin with (since he doesn't really care about hiding himself the same way Light does) but especially not now and it Shows, and I personally thought it was pretty cool to delve into his thoughts/show how he feels this way. The somberness can be felt throughout the entire scene, even people who don't already know the plot of Death Note from the manga could probably tell that he's about to die.

In the manga, once L starts suspecting Misa again and Rem realizes what Light is trying to do, it goes straight to Watari and L's deaths, but the anime instead gives a distinct and unexpected pause in the middle of this where L contemplates his own death. It's fucking great, and the shift from straight action to slower emotional weight makes these scenes stand out a lot, since, like I said, the show usually focuses more on the former. But it's kind of ironic, too.

Not only does the anime open up L's feelings more in these scenes, but it also tries to dig deeper into Light's feelings as well through L. And it's really funny honestly because while, yes, these are the more "emotionally open" scenes of the anime Light still manages to be Incredibly avoidant and contribute almost nothing to the entire ordeal.

L is visibly upset -> "Yeah Ryuzaki, you're not making any sense at all" (Not addressing the obvious conflict from L)

"Tell me, Light. From the moment you were born, has there ever been a point where you've actually told the truth?" -> "[The most stale, over-explained, avoidant answer to a "yes/no" question that you could ever hear + blatant attempts to reframe the question]"

(L's half-smile here kills me) "I had a feeling you'd say something like that" -> [Nothing]

"I'm sorry" -> [Nothing]

"It'll be lonely won't it? You and I will be parting ways soon" -> [Nothing]

^ From this point Light continues to say literally Nothing for the rest of the scene. I'm not even joking, from then on the rest of Light's voicelines are reduced to nothing but vague noises of confusion.

Everytime L calls Light out as a person ("Has there ever been a point where you've actually told the truth?" / "I had a feeling you'd say something like that." / "Won't it be lonely?") he doesn't actually acknowledge anything. Out of those three lines, he only answers verbally to if he's ever told the truth, and even then it's the most blatantly people-pleasing answer ever, as it usually is with Light. And I don't think it's because Light just. Doesn't care about any of what L's saying at all, or that he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about (questioning Light's authenticity as a person, saying it would be lonely when they part), instead he's choosing not to acknowledge any of what this means about himself or him and L at all. He's like a fucking wall.

And like, for the truth question in particular, the show makes sure that you know it's not something that Light just. Doesn't care enough about to answer. The hard cuts to silence are a very rare but extremely effective way that the show conveys an extremely important moment (see: Light regaining his memories, Matsuda noticing Light opening the warehouse door before he escapes (not as much of a "direct" cut to silence but still)), and cuts to multiple angles/framings/zooms of the exact same shot are also used for the same purpose (see: Light hugging Misa when she was crying, Matsuda aiming his gun to shoot Light, Light regaining his memories Again). Just like the scene where Light gets his memories back, the moment L's question finishes the show utilizes both. That question cut Deep. There's is a solid Almost 5 seconds of silence before the sound of the rain gradually starts fading back in, and honestly that should be telling enough as is (but of course Light doesn't actually admit that. Or anything at all really, so). Oh also another fun detail! We do not see Light's face At All (except for the shot where you can see his mouth moving but not his eyes), for the Entire time that he's going on his spiel to L. We Will Be Revisiting This Later, by the way. This is not, in fact, the first time you're going to see this detail from Light.

The only sort of reciprocation that we see from Light during Any of these two scenes is when Light dries L's hair while L dries his feet. Biblical meanings/references aside it's interesting because it's the only time he directly does anything "for" L in these scenes, but even then he doesn't try to pass it off as anything meaningful really the same way L does ("You're still soaked", a purely neutral and factual statement. It doesn't Add Anything compared to L's. Sin atonement loneliness grieving stuff. While Light is showing his own reciprocation to this more personal moment he also tries to keep it impersonal enough that it doesn't actually have to mean anything deep). And when L says "I'm sorry" after he once again gets no response from Light. It's also after this that L gets that pained look on his face, like he knows that at this point he's not actually going to get anything meaningful from Light (again, very significant and rare from L in the show. We've seen him in distress (see: when Ukita died, hell, when Watari dies), but even then he mostly manages to keep his usually neutral expression), we never see him "look sad" like he does here):

I just think it's interesting that this is one of the few scenes in this particular adaptation of Death Note where they try to open up the character's thoughts/feeling (especially considering the fact that they. lowkey blunder in adaptations of original scenes from the manga), and L himself is being rather open (not that he ever really tries to hide what he thinks nearly as much as Light), and yet all Light contributes to it in return is like. Actually nothing. Bro fumbled it. There is no resolution to any of this, to any of what L asks at all, to any of the many opportunities for a meaningful conversation, and the only thing even relatively close to an answer that you can get from Light is what you can infer from how he acts in the episode after L dies, where he's just going through the motions, but hardly acting as if he's actually living at all.

(Honestly I think the transition from this scene with the taskforce to the subsequent scene with Misa says enough on its own. Light's expressions and tone says everything:)

(Oh sidenote but. This shit again:

"Light, this is our first date in forever. can't you enjoy yourself a little more?" ('Why don't you seem happy? We can finally be together since L is dead') -> No response, Light instead changing the topic to him wanting to move in with Misa without changing his mannerisms at all

Also there's that one detail again. You pretty much don't see Light's expression when he speaks here at all, except for one shot of his eyes, which is quite literally the exact same shot they used when he "saw" L, just altered for the new setting. You have No idea what he looks like when he's responding to Misa, although it's probably fair to assume that it's the same empty stare he has for the whole Two Shots where you can clearly see his whole expression in the entire scene.

Something something Light Yagami bad at feelings I think you get the point though)

I guess Light's Kind of showing what he's feeling now? He'll admit to himself that it's boring without L, but no more than that. Light never actually admits to anything "significant", and L's dead already anyway, so what would that even do?

And then we get, uh. Basically nothing from Light. For the next 5 Years. Except that he joined the NPA, so, uh, yay? Good job, Light you totally nailed it! Thank you for allowing us as an audience to delve deeper into your inner thoughts and feelings as a character so we can find out more about you as a person! Very helpful! Thank you for not sabotaging one of your few dedicated opportunities to look into yourself as a person and reflect on your relationships with others and being 100% honest with yourself! We stay winning guys.

Anyway, this got way too long for a scene that's over a decade old, and I've probably just said everything that everyone else has already said in this fandom before. But unfortunately this has been living in my head for way too long and I must scream. I just think this episode's neat is all :)

tl;dr Part of the reason why the rain/foot scene (tbh episode 25 in General) stands out so much is because the Death Note anime specifically was a bit robbed in terms of its more emotional character moments compared to the other medias, which makes more somber/introspective scenes like the ones in episode 25 stand out a Lot in comparison. But it's also incredibly ironic because it's one of the few moments where the show (or specifically L) tries to look deeper into Light's character, but because he is so avoidant for the entire duration of these two scenes he adds basically nothing at all. It's almost funny. Mostly sad. It's also very gay. Aand post

Okay actually nevermind one more thing I talked about how the jdrama is supposed to be more emotionally in-depth because it is a TV Drama and just for the record, same thing happens there! I could probably do an entire analysis of the Blue Scene in this context like I did with episode 25 but I'd literally be here forever, so uh, just take this iconic line as my main example:

Same Thing. L's statement "I wish we could have met some other way" is personal. It's his own wish, his own regret that he is expressing to Light. While Light's reply obviously has that same regret implied it's also phrased in a specifically impersonal way. It's closed off. "This is the only way we could have met" it closes off the topic and simply renders L's wish as ultimately futile. Light does not say that he Also wishes he could have met L a different way even if it was likely impossible, instead it's a cold statement of cynical fact.

Idk just. Something something L being able and Willing to be more openly sentimental/emotionally open towards Light/about Light vs. Light's inability to be honest with anyone including himself and his own nature preventing any form of meaningful reciprocation. Something something self-sabotage, y'know the drill. God don't even get me Started on how sincere L's tone is when he says "It'll be lonely won't it?"(at least in the eng dub) in the anime I could talk about his tone in that scene for ages. Also yes all of this relates to L Change the WorLd too by the way. Don't ask how it just does okay.

I do think that scenes like these (rain/foot scene, The Blue Scene. Uh. L Change the WorLd The Novel Adaptation) show, at least in those adaptations, that L does genuinely care for Light, and show that he values him as a friend not just in the mindgame-equal sense but also just like, a more sincere sense you know. Idk if that made any sense and that's a whole other topic for another day but you guys just have to believe me on this one alright please please believe me buries head in hands. Okay post over finally thanks for coming to my tedtalk hope you enjoyed my very-unnecessarily long analysis of the week

[fridayincarnate]

Tell me about Hux and Cardinal?

HUX AND CARDINAL

I'm so glad you asked. I suspect that the only reason they're not a bigger ship is that Cardinal is a book character who hasn't shown up onscreen. (Yet.)

The dynamic Brendol creates between Hux and Cardinal echoes the one Snoke later creates between Hux and Kylo, and it goes back WAY further. I'm convinced this is deliberate both on the author's part and in-universe on Snoke's part.

Cardinal is one of the first stormtroopers recruited into the First Order when he and Hux are both children. Hux's father gives Cardinal all the praise he denies Hux, which is a really sore spot for Hux because Cardinal embodies the idealized physical masculinity that Brendol constantly berates Hux for lacking (too weak, too skinny). But Cardinal is trained to obey Hux's orders even though Hux is younger and Cardinal sees him as "spoiled" and "soft." Despite all the praise Brendol showers upon Cardinal, Hux gets the real power. It's a real brains/brawn dichotomy that makes each feel inferior to the other's strengths. But this works out great for Brendol, for a while - better that they're both focused on earning his approval than realizing how well they complement each other.

Sound familiar?

I also think it's very likely Cardinal was Hux's first crush. I have no evidence for this whatsoever. But their closeness and enmity could be the start of a pattern that Hux later repeats with Kylo. Plus, a side effect of Brendol criticizing Hux's physique and praising Cardinal is that Hux would have been... very aware of Cardinal's physique. Prime gay awakening "do I want to be him, or do I just want him?" material.

The fraught power dynamics between them are interesting in a way that's quite different from Kylux, though.

By the time of the Phasma novel, Hux outranks Cardinal significantly. Also consider this unsettling passage that shows the effect of Cardinal's conditioning on his opinion of Hux:

He's clearly reciting propaganda here, but how deeply ingrained is it? Is he just repeating lines back to himself or does he fully believe all of this? Depending on how literally you take this passage, this pairing could get quite twisted and dark.

Yet even here, Cardinal displays an undercurrent of resentment towards Hux. And while Hux sees Cardinal as an obedient subordinate, I don't think he's outgrown his envy and the sense that he didn't measure up to Cardinal. This in no way neutralizes the power Hux holds over him, but the duality of their relationship is fertile ground for exploration. Their history and present are inextricably intertwined. No one knows Hux quite like Cardinal does.

By the way, that's from the infamous robe scene, in which Hux drapes himself across his furniture in a robe and gives off a vaguely slutty vibe. For an audience of one. Cardinal. I'm just saying.

I could go on, lol, but I'll cap it here for now.

Thanks so much for asking! It's such a rarepair (fewer than twenty fics on AO3! what!) and I'm determined to change that lmfao. Literally ask any time and I will keep going, hahaha, and it'd absolutely make my day to see other people talking about these two.

[ohbo-ohno]

But!!!! What if!!!! The Princess’ entire kingdom is a werewolf kingdom. And!!! And maybe the Princess is a vampire from her mother’s side. Then the Princess’ escape options are even fewer because she can’t go out in the sun. Maybe she even gets addicted to Simon’s blood because of how good it is but hates Johnny’s (says it tastes like a dog’s) - 🕸

oh spiderweb.... i love you...

vampire king and queen who keep the werewolf population oppressed in their kingdom, and their daughter the princess promises her werewolf guard she'll make changes when she gets into power - but vampires are immortal, so she's stuck waiting for some outside for to kill her parents so she can make real change

but then here comes ghost (wraith? dragon? demon? idk!) who does kill her parents, but he doesn't put princess in power, for obvious reasons.

but... he is making changes. even if johnny's loyalty is to the princess, she never could make real change and ghost definitely is. and he keeps asking johnny for advice on how to best help werewolves, so he really feels like he's actually helping

and princess fucking hates ghost. yes it's good that he's making things better for the wolves, of course, but also... everything gets worse for her. suddenly the entire kingdom is on a day schedule, so princess always feels like she's missing everything.

and ghost does this horribly annoying thing where he always acts like he's doing her a favor. yes she's missing all sorts of meeting with diplomats, but she needs her sleep and he can't restructure everything in the kingdom for one little vampire, can he? no, no, that wouldn't be fair! she'll just have to talk to ghost when she wakes up to catch up on everything she missed <3 johnny can even be there, to make her more comfortable if she'd like

and it would make it so easy for ghost to bring johnny to his side, because he can show him real tangible evidence of what good he's doing. things are getting better, and the proof is right in front of his face everyday that he sees his people freed from their leashes

also princess needing blood but hating johnny's :( johnny hates being fed off of because it goes against every animal instinct he has, but it also hurts his feelings that he apparently tastes like dog and that his favorite person in the world hates the way he tastes. ghost just sees an opportunity, though, and totally forces princess to drink exclusively from him

i like in the vampire diaries how when vampires don't drink enough blood they just slow down a lot and eventually become statues. let's imagine something like that here - princess trudging around all slow and sleepy and ghost just smirking, says oh? did i forget to give you breakfast, princess? i'm so sorry, why dont we fix that. c'mere, on my lap. and holds her real close, keeps a hand on the back of her neck to hold her in place

pulls her off when she tries to take too much :( grabs her by the hair and tugs her right off, smiles a little when she whines and tries to go for more. swipes his fingers over the blood, holds them in front of her mouth and nearly laughs when she licks desperately at each of his fingers to get every little drop

[purgetrooperfox]

15 Lines Game

Rules: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture their character/personality/vibe. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you’re free to include those as well.

I'm here from someone's open tags heehoo

passing on npts to @hamburgerslippers @totentnz @killerspinal @kiwikipedia @alwayskote @galacticgraffiti @certified-anakinfucker and anyone who wants to do it!!

“It's not like I frequent these events,” he mutters, feeling like a broken record. “I would appreciate the help though, thank you.”

“A great many things might seem unbecoming when their purpose is obscured, Master Tapal.”

"Peacekeeping has many faces. The diplomats and negotiators do work that I can hardly even imagine." [redacted context] "You're right, all the same. There's a certain naivete and unconscious bias in a lot of Knights. Lack of perspective about what it takes to survive."

“The artist who gave my father his markings was the one to give me mine," he continues, a touch wistful. "Going back home was strange. Seeing the ways it had changed and the ways it was still stuck was… hard.”

"You would be wise not to show your condescension so openly, Skywalker. If I can feel it, so can most beings on this planet. Need I remind you that ties with the Force run deep here?"

“Just Bastra is fine,” Vargdan sighs. The look he fixes on Kenobi is equal parts irritation and resignation. “You said it was urgent, so I didn't pit stop on Coruscant."

“Not the way you do, but my Master did.” His smile is sad, but free from the weight of grief. “He took them very literally, and if you know what they’re like, I imagine you can see how that would toy with one’s mind.”

“The Order is all I have. This is the only reason I ever got off Dathomir.”

“It's not safe to be out here alone,” he says without turning, forcing her to jog a few steps before matching his pace, “especially for unsubtle thieves.”

“Don't say that. Not now. You had your reasons, you had Sifo-Dyas, and I got that. Eventually. It doesn't matter anymore.”

“I know.” A silence, then an admission, “She's not as angry as I was, I don't think.”

"I mean, it's not like I know how to conduct an army. Bones is miles more qualified than I am, so I'll gladly defer to his judgment."

"This was kept from you for a reason. Some stories are best left buried."

"Obi-Wan was killed in action on Utapau," he repeats. "I know nothing more of it."

“I nearly did, after Sifo-Dyas died.” [redacted context] “I was on my own out there, after, no contact with the Temple to replace him. In all that– with that gang, the things I had to watch. The things I had to do. I was right at the edge.”

(nocte and des under there ⬇️)

“It’s not just the job.” Still, Nocte pulls off his gloves and dumps them in a bin. His expression settles into something hard to read. "You're one of us now, whether you're ready to act like it or not."

"I've put myself on the line enough at least one lifetime, but here we are."

"I don't pity you, MacTavish. I didn't come here to fight with you either."

"What was it you said? No room for morality in war?"

"Well," he grunts, "call it a lapse in judgment if it helps you sleep at night. Not like I'd take offense."

“It doesn’t matter, Soap. It’s just not my bloody name.”

"It's exhausting. The upper crust is exhausting. Aren't you exhausted?"

"Price is going to kill me and it'll be your fault. Me and Lee, both," he complains, though it rings hollow when he doesn't stop her.

"It'll grow back, probably faster than the higher ups would like."

"I don't care whose fault it is. Get your asses back here and fix it."

"Are you threatening to blackmail me, Captain? Because that's a two-way street after–"

He whistles, low and appreciative. "That is one big bastard."

"Quit trying to pick me apart, Lieutenant, I'm fine."

"We shouldn't," he forces himself to say. "We can't."

"How do you ever get anything done with your head that far up your ass?"

"You will mind your goddamn manners or you'll see a different 'doc. Do you understand?"

“You came in with a referral, made my life a little easier, so I'll give you a discount. I respect you, Viktor, you're good at what you do. Not to mention your days in the ring – I was such a fan.” His expression twitches toward something that might even be genuine. “How about this, I'll dig up this chrome for you and you'll owe me a favor.”

"I doubt Royce would've let me walk away from that. Heard he's got a new right hand."

"Hard to believe that's true," he said, laughing a little. "Reckon this is more memory than imagination."

“The crew called me Eyes, which was a gonk ass nickname. Stuck, though."

“I’ve known Hands for a long time, grew up in Pacifica. Don’t get me wrong, I heard about you on the street, but didn’t really pay it any mind until he started asking after you.”

"I think you answered your own question. It's a clinic, ain't it? I'm getting doctored."

"Fucking disgraceful is what it is. You build something, pour your blood sweat and tears into it, just for some upstart leadhead to run it into the ground."

“So I’ll talk to him, clear this up,” he says, even though it’s an uncomfortable prospect. “He probably respects me enough to halfway listen.”

"No. No one ever made me do anything. I lost a lot, but I won't lose that."

[lovejosephquinn]

I don’t know if you’re taking requests but if so, something where reader tells Joe “I love you” for the first time and it’s all mushy and sweet and just overall fluffy? Thank you! 🫶🏻

Always taking requests. One mushy little blurb coming right up ❤

Thank you for requesting angel x

Meeting Joseph was by chance, getting to know him and dating him for the past 6 weeks was purely magical but the day he'd ask you to be his girlfriend was a scene out of a romantic movie, he'd purely put the theatrics on, the way this man just purely screamed romance gave you every reason not to say no; you'd got your rose petal in a hotel room moment tonight.

To celebrate he took you out for a fancy pants meal, you wore an over the top dress especially for the occasion, relishing in the fact that you felt attractive and rich for the first time in your life; purely down to the man on your arm, in a nutshell; you felt lucky.

Clinking your glasses of champagne together and ordering your meals you chatted away, flirted your sweet nothings at each other and Joe's eyes burnt into yours the whole time, his gaze intense which gave a special feeling to the evening that you were the only thing he was interested in looking at.

As you urged a rather girly giggle at something he just said (something you weren't aware could be created from you until you met Joe, he brought this out of you), his smile lovingly grew not just from his mouth, it travelled to his eyes too, making them twinkle under the dimmed lighting of the restaurant, his dimples showed and his face looked purely enamoured.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" You smirked, taking a sip of your drink to hide the way he made your cheeks flush.

"You're just so beautiful Y/N. I can't help it." Joe reached his hand to meet yours in the middle of the table, taking his fingers and intertwining them together.

Your cheeks were now crimson, unable to hide it you worked it off as best you could. "Oh stop it-"

"I can't help but look at you the way I do, when I love someone I-"

His lips pressed together, shutting himself up suddenly. You were unsure if those words just actually slipped out of his mouth or maybe you were that busy being lost in his gooey chocolate eyes that you'd imagined it.

"D-did I just hear that? W-when you love someone?" You stuttered out your reply.

"You heard correct." Joe whispered lowly, his cheeks now matching the colour of yours.

"Tell me again in fewer words this time, handsome." His thumb stroked over your knuckles, his smile rising back to it's perfect stature, leaning down he pressed a kiss onto where it had just brushed, earning himself a breath of confidence.

"I love you, Y/N."

"I- How?" You felt like you could of sobbed with happiness but you needed an explanation as to why, you'd never felt worthy of him in the first place, though you'd never done anything bad to prove otherwise.

"How? You've shown me the best almost 2 months of my life, you're beautiful, you're funny, you're accepting of who I am, you're everything I could of ever wished for; like if I had to create the perfect woman in a machine, she'd be you. I asked you to be mine tonight because it was right, because I'm falling in love with you and because you're one of the best things to happen to me. I'd do anything for you. I wouldn't say it unless I meant it. I. Love. You."

Your palms were sweating, your mouth was dry and the tears that fell from your eyes were right on queue. He had a way with words and they all screamed honesty and it was all reciprocated. You'd fallen in love with this man truly the moment you laid eyes on him.

"Ditto, you're amazing. I love you too Joey."

"You mean it?" Joe bit down on his lip and the way you nodded as fast you did could of been seen as purposely giving yourself whiplash.

"Tell me again." He asked quietly. Joe's eyes filled, twinkling the tears as he blinked and they streamed down your face the same as yours.

"I love you. I love you. I love you." You repeated.

"Alright alright, I get it." He winked, clearly showing his sarcasm amongst his ability to be super corny, pouting his lips towards yours and puckering a kiss your way. The bark of laughter that left your mouth after, the both of you wiping your tears away with your napkins.

"Forever?" He whispered.

"And ever." You purred.

[amethystina]

Really random question: do you thing Gaon and Yohan are the type to celebrate Christmas? Like, exchanging gifts and all that, or do they just have a big meal so the holiday don't go unnoticed

Interesting question!

I don't think Yo Han is very interested in Christmas before he meets Ga On. Like, maybe he made a small effort for Elijah during the years she grew up (i.e. clumsily gave her a gift or two) but, for the most part, I don't think he has very nice memories of Christmas. Given how religious his father was, I'm assuming Christmas in the Kang household was a little more, uh, strict than most people are accustomed to.

Though, considering Kang Ji Sang's track record, we can probably also assume that Yo Han wasn't actually allowed to celebrate Christmas with the rest of the family. Any gifts he got were ones Isaac sneaked down into the basement.

So, overall, I don't think Yo Han has the best association with Christmas and couldn't care less (read: is too traumatised and pretends he doesn't care but, actually, it's just a defence mechanism to prevent him from showing weakness).

As for Ga On, I think he has a more normal relationship with Christmas. And, from what I understand, Christmas in South Korea is a little more relaxed and has fewer traditions than many countries in the West do. Though I assume there's a bit of trauma involved here, too, given that Ga On's parents died when he was still so young. But I think that Soo Hyun and Professor Min stepped in and did their best to make sure he didn't feel too lonely during Christmas.

And, I mean, now that Ga On has a wonderful new family to call his own? Of course he'd want to give it a try, simply because it gives him a reason to spend time with the people he loves. So he'd definitely suggest a nice dinner at the very least, which Yo Han would maybe be a bit sceptical about at first, until he remembers that gift-giving is also a major part of Christmas.

Time to pull out all the stops and spoil the sugar baby rotten, in other words.

And Ga On realises his mistake almost instantly but, even then, he doesn't backtrack. Possibly because he goes to ask Ms. Ji if there are any Kang Christmas traditions he should incorporate into their celebration and is horrified by the answer he gets.

Locking Yo Han in the basement does not qualify as a Christmas tradition.

Adding to that, Elijah has probably gotten pulled into it by then and, while she feigns disinterest and keeps telling Ga On he's sooo embarrassing, she's secretly into it. So Ga On decides that if letting Yo Han (and Elijah) buy him expensive gifts is the way to introduce them to a more normal concept of Christmas and slowly heal some of Yo Han's trauma, then so be it.

But he definitely also makes sure to give Yo Han and Elijah a limit to how many gifts they can give him and how much they can cost.

Naturally, they both pretend the maximum cost is for each individual present, not the total (as was Ga On's intention), and then proceed to buy him a shitload of expensive stuff while claiming innocence.

Ga On vows to leave them fewer loopholes next year.

But, all in all, it's a success. And would probably turn into a tradition, of sorts, yes. One that gives them a reason to eat a nice dinner, play some board games, and shower Ga On with gifts.

And, above all else, spend time together as a family.

Bonus: Ga On quickly learns never to ask Yo Han what he wants for Christmas because the answer is always the same and he really should know better than to give Yo Han such a perfect opening to be an outrageous, shameless flirt.

But, at the same time, Ga On can't deny that it also gives him a bit of a thrill when Yo Han, without missing a beat, always just says:

"You."

(and, naturally, that's exactly what Yo Han gets, too)

[silurisanguine]

15 lines of Dialogue game

As ive been away for the weekend, not sure if anyone tagged me with this but saw it open tag so here we go. Tagging @vorchagirl @despicablediet and anyone who'd like to do it! 15 Lines of Dialogue Rules: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the OC. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you're free to include those as well! Since i've written the most with Seren Jones, I shall pick her for this!

1 -"Maybe I am, but there isn’t anything left in this universe worth staying for. Whatever is in the next universe has to be better than this one Barrett, it has to. I can't bare to stay here any more, not without him, not when I could have done it so differently."

2 - "Cora… she was there, saw her dad die…She hated me, blamed me for not saving him. After the funeral, Lillian took her and that was the last I ever saw that wonderful twelve year old. I realised then I had no reason to stay in my universe as everything i loved had been taken from me. I hoped maybe another would give me a second chance. To fix things..to try again…

…That’s why I do this.”

3 - "I came here the first time with no preconception of what I’d find. I was in awe at the location, just as you are now. But what I learned here has guided my hand in relation to how I see the Artifacts, how I see Unity and the Starborn. Anyone who wants to complete the Artifact collection, needs to know the full story for themselves.”

4- "Now you see how dangerous this place is, and this is just the start. The Starborn Guardians here have lost all empathy, all compassion, their humanity in pursuit of their cause. They have nothing left in their existence except to stop anyone else reaching the Temple. …I sometimes wonder what is the point of their existence before I wipe them out of it for good.”

5 -”You washed them clean. I can say one good thing about Lillian in that she gave you the chance to do that. You’re not the same man, Sam.”

6 -”They makes me smile every time I come back here. But I’m not entirely alone, the fish there get a view unlike any other.” She pointed to the couple of little fish swimming in their tanks, sitting right at the edge of the massive view screen. “If you don’t mind taking care of them for me, they’ve been a good little crew, never complained once.”

7 - "I've never met you before. Until today I'd never met a single pirate here." That was the truth, if a little stretched Seren thought.

8 -"All this, this universe is a nightmare. I've been to so many variations and… You… everyone here is so different, so wrong. It’s like Unity decided to show me the worst outcome possible just to make me appreciate who I’d - what I’d lost.”

9 -"Neat trick, have to remember that next time I'm in a hell-hole universe."

10 -"Sorry, Sam, just picturing you over Vlad’s head brought on images of you in ballet tights and…yeah, sorry, I have too much imagination.”

11 - "Yes, justice, Delgado. See that’s behind most things I do now. In this case justice for those your fucking coloured coded Spacers have harmed- have murdered. It’s interesting really how far I got here without anyone realising who I really am... I wondered why no one noticed the SIN of my ship. Even Jess surprisingly. It was a gamble using it of course…But no one ever clocked that I was flying the Razorleaf."

12- “Until I knew for sure you felt the same way I did, I wasn’t sure how to really act around you. But now I know, expect more of this, Sam Coe.”

13 - “You know I would! I mean she called me darlin, you know that makes me melt.”

14 - "…He always said he was bad with words, yet he could say things that were like love poetry to me, that would dazzle me. He was so open with his feelings when he trusted you. Funny, absurd sometimes and he cared deeply and loved passionately. He was an amazing father and I-"

15 - "I've no idea. Being Starborn didn't exactly come with a manual."

[sapphic-agent]

Take your time to answer this but...on the intership arc...I have some things to say. I will listed it

1) ok so all eyes are on Sports Festival (more than Olympics suuuure) and Izu got, if I'm not wrong, #4 that should be amazing in itself considering he was from no big name family.

2) yet...all heroes saw Izu being "unhinged" and has a quirk that has a severe draw back(I want to inject here: it doesnt make sense for ofa to do this. "There an explanation" sure it has, but the explanation feels off...why not give a timelimit? "Izu you can only use 5% of your quirk for x time for a year as his body is getting used" this could open room to show how creative Izu can be) and no one wants to mentor him...and I ask here: so the point was to showcase your abilities on TV and hope the agencies like you? Winning is secundary)

3) If the whole thing is true...why bk got a mentor? Ah yes Beast Jeanist wanted to help him...why? Why he got a mentor who wants to help him and Izu...is saddle with Nighteye?

4) it makes me think...why make a show if the goal is to impress agencies? Sure could have a way to impress in other hands. I mean yeah the trope "time to combat" and blabla but it feel is unfair to a lot of kids...and if is by design than why ua is consider a good or the best school ever?

5) finally, what anyone learns in those interships? I ask bc Izu only learns to feel worse. Ochako learns one fight moviment (Never forget the panel where she was like "you won't fight quirkless" to Izu) and #girlboss and nothing. Really nothing. Does the intership advance their carrers...when they graduated people will hire them quickly based on their resume?

Its just the intership arc and Sport Festival arc should feel they are united but really arent. Izu didn't got one bc of his performace...he had to ask for one chance ....with creepy.

(AM is the biggest hero and cant ...help Izu intern in a nice place? "Ah but Izu wouldn't want that?" AM is the master and should be doing all on his best to make sure Izu suceed. But he trust on UA, unclear why, and does nothing )

To conclude: what is UA as academy if they do such Sport Festival and only.the fewer are reward by this? Excluding bk bc hori loves him.

You're right that Izuku got 4th place! He tied with Shiozaki, Mina, and Kirishima. It's unfair that they got plenty of internship offers and he only got one. It's weird because it's not like your intern reflects poorly on your agency. They're only there to learn and observe. It's also odd that a flaw in how Izuku uses his quirk is scrutinized, but Bakugou's behavior isn't. After seeing the absolute temper tantrum he threw at the Sports Festival, you would think he wouldn't have gotten so many offers. Izuku can learn how to control his quirk, but Bakugou's rotten attitude is another story.

I agree that winning should be secondary! The Sports Festival contributes to the toxic hero society of MHA. Though the reason that he can only use certain amounts of OFA is because his body can't handle all of it and he couldn't understand how to regulate it. Remember, it holds the strength of all 8 holders, All Might could only use it at 100% with all the muscles he had in his prime. And before that, he immediately understood how to get his body to regulate how much of OFA he was using. He probably wouldn't have been able to use 100% until he was at least 25-30. That's actually why I like that instead of pure strength, Izuku gets the other holders' quirks. It matches him better, I think, especially Blackwhip, Smokescreen, and Float. But them being turned off because he's "unhinged" makes no sense, Endeavor is (or was at the time) the #2 hero.

Well, Izuku got Gran Torino for his internship who was probably the best mentor he could have gotten. I actually like that Bakugou got Best Jeanist because he was the only one who genuinely wanted to correct Bakugou's behavior (even though it should have been more focused on his behavior than his style, but it's more than Aizawa ever did). He seemed to be the only one who actually saw an issue with the way Bakugou acted too.

I'll be honest, I think the only reason that UA is a good school is because of the prestige of their alumni. Namely, All Might and Endeavor. It's easy to be considered the best when the alumni are literally the best in the country. I'm confident most of the top 10 were also UA graduates (it doesn't say for most pros). I'm also pretty sure they get the most funding, they built entire dormitories in like 3 weeks.

I wouldn't say the internships were for nothing. They were only there for like a week(?), but Izuku did learn how to regulate OFA and learned the basis for his movement. That's quite an accomplishment. Uraraka didn't learn a lot, true, but she did learn the gist of the basics. Once you learn that, it's easy to build off of it. Would be nice if we saw her sharpening that skill, but whatever.

[justice4sasuke]

Before I get into this I wanted to say someone said on one of my posts about Naruto and One Piece that they didn't feel their was a point in comparing them and I wanted to say my intention isn't really to compare Naruto and One Piece. My point is that Naruto is a standard shounen with some good ideas and points but is overall not very good and has lots of writing issues. One Piece is a standard shounen that is very well written with fewer issues. And because all of my problems with people on here seem to stem from people wanting to read Naruto differently than intended to make it look better I want to use One Piece as an example of what something that is just good writing on its own merits looks like.

Anyway, Iruka says chapter one that he thinks Naruto's struggles have given him empathy and I think that is funny because to me Naruto has never been a character with any emotional intelligence or kindness to be seen in him. The only time he has interest in other's emotions or feelings is when he can relate them to his own experience and this is 1. never addressed as a problem Naruto has and 2. is a consistent theme throughout the manga. Not only that but he never seems to be able to do anything helpful when he finds people like that (which could be an interesting commentary on Naruto's inability with personal interactions but once again the manga doesn't make note of it). Think how he treats Inari, think encouraging Hinata to fight Neji even though it endangered her because it personally triggered him, think how he ends up fighting Gaara and saying he will fight Sasuke after saying he relates to them (not that I think he's wrong for fighting Gaara since...he's attacking the village just, Choices Kishimoto for doing that more than once).

Now let me show an example of the main character for one understanding someone else's feelings and for two, shock and awe, helping them. Generally Luffy isn't a character anyone would describe using the word "intelligence" for on first blush, but reading the manga you will see in a lot of situations Luffy is actually incredibly emotionally intelligent. And honestly I think it's kind of funny that Kishimoto bothers making Iruka specifically says Naruto has empathy when he doesn't show it at least in a helpful way meanwhile no one says anything about Luffy being kind yet...here we are...just being shown things instead of told.

Anyway, here's the example. This one is from early in the manga and I chose one that involves a whale instead of a person just to really drive the point home.

The crew meets (and gets eaten by...look it's a whole thing okay) a whale (Laboon) and the lighthouse watcher/former doctor/whale caretaker (once again...it's a whole thing), Crocus, tells them the story of how this whale was waiting for his friends, a different pirate crew, to sail around the world and return to him, but it's been 50 years and Crocus believes the crew has abandoned the whale and Laboon, disbelieving this, rams his head against the Red Line (it's a land mass that circles the entire world...listen I can't be explaining the intricacies of OP's world building just for this post), seriously injuring himself in his attempts to break through and find his friends. Luffy, for lack of anything else to do I guess (if he could just intuit the problem and do something about it without listening to a whole ass tale he would, trust), listens though as usual the energy he's giving is "no thoughts, head empty".

But the next thing you know! Luffy has broken of the ship's mast (for some reason...) and is running up the whale to stab the mast into Laboon's latest slamming-his-head-into-a-wall-of-earth wound (in case you can't tell I'm not showing all the panels thus all the explaining).

Laboon is in pain and attacks, but Luffy fights back.

Luffy stops the fight by declaring it a draw!

Well, it looks like their match isn't settled so they will have to fight some other time. Luffy declares that they are rivals and after they sail around the world (like Laboon's previous crew of pirate friends) they will come back and Luffy and Laboon can have a rematch.

Luffy even paints their...uh, his version of their Jolly Roger on Laboon's head where his scars are and says he can't ram his head against the Red Line because that will erase the contract. This gives something else for Laboon to look forward to rather than him needlessly waiting for his friends to return. And it works! Every time we see Laboon in little asides or cover stories after this he is happily waiting for the Straw Hats at the lighthouse with Crocus. (And in case anyone was wondering his pirate friends and the Straw Hats can't just bring him with them because he's a giant fucking whale and they are circling the entire globe through dangerous waters, also the sky, also the bottom of the ocean, also fighting the government, also getting flung across the globe, and various islands.)

And what really REALLY touches me about this exchange is that Luffy knows he can't replace Laboon's previous pirate crew of friends. He can't just say "I'll be your friend" to fix this. So instead he positions himself as Laboon's rival, not replacing the friends Laboon is still waiting for or belittling his bond with them (and trust me...it's a bond 😢). And in case you're wondering does this somehow connect to Luffy's sad past and that's why he's doing this??? No. His sad backstory isn't anything like this. He's just doing it because it's the kind thing to do and if you're trying to do something and Luffy likes you he will do everything he can to help you.

[scribblestatic]

More chubby boy (tw for some fat shaming)

Izuku and Katsuki end up in the hospital to check them over. After all, Katsuki was deprived of oxygen for a sizable amount of time, and Izuku had a pretty nasty bruise forming on his back, along with smoke inhalation.

Of course, on TV, the heroes who talk to the media praise Katsuki for his strong quirk, stating that was the reason why his rescue was so difficult. They said they knew he'd be a great hero some day. But they had little to nothing to say about Izuku, aside from the off-handed comment that civilians shouldn't interfere with rescue attempts, using his near-death as an example.

Izuku, seeing this from his phone in his recovery room, feels dejected...but he can't help but think of how heavily Katsuki breathed, finally able to survive. Katsuki ends up leaving the hospital faster than he does because he sustained fewer injuries. His inability to move for a bit ends up making him gain weight, so when he leaves the hospital, he's heavier than he was when he went in.

So, honestly, this should be his wake-up call...

But despite everything, he can't bring himself to give up. Even though All Might himself told him to give up on becoming a hero, he still wants to try!

So, he takes his weight setback in stride and starts exercising more, eating better food, and looking for new ways to strengthen himself.

Maybe he can't confront big enemies very much, but at the very least, Izuku thinks, he could become someone reliable and able to save others. Being a policeman seems like a possible position...but they are very constrained with their time and energy. Moreover, they do have weight and health restrictions that they don't for heroics. He's not sure he'd be able to qualify in that regard either.

It's as though the whole world is rejecting him...but he'll still do his part.

He decides to start with little things.

Elderly and disabled people finding trouble crossing the roads. Lost pets and where they could be. Helping foreigners visiting the area with directions--finally, his English practice is useful! Cleaning up dirty areas, especially after recent villain attacks.

He's recognized by some people who watched his rescue attempt from before. Quite a few pull him to the side and scold him for putting himself at risk when he's quirkless. Izuku finds himself bowing and apologizing to strangers he's never met.

A few others, however, praise him.

"They were just standing around while that guy was suffocating that kid. It was risky, but you were the only one there actually acting. I think that's what heroes should do."

"He was your classmate? Well, no wonder you jumped out to save him! I don't know if I could do the same, but...the fact you did is really awesome!"

"I think you're a bit stupid. But you're brave, too."

"I'm surprised no one else thought of using that villain's quirk against him."

Those people are few and far in-between, but their words motivate him and keep the spark in his heart alive.

Between these things, Izuku decides to take on a big project. One that he probably won't get any help with, but something that would really make the Musutafu a better city: cleaning up Takoba Municipal Beach Park.

He starts by researching specifics on recyclable and non-recyclable trash to lessen the chances of making mistakes. Then, he picks a pile and starts to move the smaller things, bit by bit. It's exceptionally slow-going, but it's just the beginning.

He calls a local special trash pick-up agency and, with his allowance, pays for them to pick up the first batch. The folks who show up are amendable, kind, though they silently think his efforts are futile.

But then he calls them again a few days later, with more trash taken out and rearranged in small, easy piles for them to move. And again maybe two days after that. Because of his constant calls, his allowance depletes quickly, and he can't buy the All Might figurines and merchandise he wants. It hurts to not be able to do that...but cleaning up the beach takes precedence over such small things.

One day, he calls them again in the early evening after a long day of work. He smells like the sea, iron, and trash, and he's got cuts and bruises from working on the beach. Thankfully, he's had his tetanus shot already, and he's wearing more appropriate moving gear than when he first started.

They arrive and look at the haul, noticing there's larger things there now. Instead of just the small stuff, he's actually managed to pick up a few small refrigerators. He looks more tired than usual, too, sighing and blinking slowly a few times as they discuss the small clean up.

He reaches for his wallet, but the leader holds up his hand.

"Honestly, kid, this is something the city should be paying for, not you. I'll talk to my boss about it. In the meantime, we'll pick it up for free today."

"O-Oh? Thank you!" he cheers, thanking the man softly.

After all the bullying, turned especially cruel as his waist grew in size, though he can't stop his habit of murmuring, his general voice became much quieter and more meek. Combined with his soft appearance and short stature, he gives off the impression of a small, chubby creature. Perhaps a hamster or other burrowing prey animal.

So, with the help of the clean-up company, Izuku made contact with the city. Initially, they were resistant to the idea of paying for the cleaning, and even told Izuku to stop doing it. But he continued to do so regardless, digging into his funds to continue cleaning the beach. But even the clean-up company's owner became irritated by the city's refusal to act, paying Izuku back for all the money he paid to have them pick up the trash.

With the owner's help and connections, eventually, the city reimbursed the company for their payment to Izuku, and from then on, it was on the city to pay for the company to clean up the beach. Moreover, the owner began "donating money to Izuku" since, as a new 15-year-old, he couldn't get a part-time job until March 15th, and he was a summer kid. His donations just happened to coincide with the amount of hours he recorded spending time cleaning up.

Because the city was paying the company to clean up, more workers got involved, which somewhat reduced Izuku's ability to train. However, he decided it wasn't worth complaining about--after all, the goal was mostly to do good for others. He wouldn't be so selfish.

So, to make up for that lost time, he begins cleaning up other spaces. Instead of calling anyone to clean up the trash in those areas, he invests his new money in a bicycle with an attached cart. He piles on as much trash as possible and rides through non-residential backroads to avoid spreading bad smells. Then, he drops it off at the nearest trash disposal location and rides off before he can be noticed.

The weightlifting plus cardio do wonders for his health and stamina, though his waistline never gets as small as it once was. Perhaps because of his constant exercise, Izuku continues to feel quite hungry and eats to meet his caloric needs. Even so, the muscles, protected by his fat, thicken, and though his weight doesn't change much, he becomes just slightly leaner. Thick arms, thicker neck, thick legs, a soft stomach, and pudgy hips, combining into an increasingly attractive young man.

He wears common janitorial clothes to stay safe while cleaning, so he gives off the impression of a janitor. When people happen to see him cleaning up, they often have very little good to say about him, commenting arbitrarily on his weight and how they wouldn't want to end up like him in life. Parents use him as an example of what not to become, and passersby mock him for what they assume about him.

All of these things still hurt. He can't deny that they do. He finds himself crying more often than before, though the bullying at school toned down after rescuing Kacchan as best as he could. Kacchan in particular became very quiet after their first confrontation, where he told him he never needed to be saved by a useless, quirkless idiot like him. He'd also made some derogatory comments about his weight in that.

But it was different when it was just Kacchan and the other school kids. Now it's random people on the streets, making their opinions about him known as though he couldn't hear them. Or, perhaps they said it loud enough for him to hear on purpose.

Even so... Despite that, he's still entirely too stubborn. He cries himself to sleep some nights, but he wakes up early the next day, helps at the beach, goes to school, leaves to his other cleaning areas, and does the same things over again. He doesn't want to give up, even if it hurts. He even starts watching work out and defense videos, not feeling confident enough to go to an actual class.

So, by the time the beach has been fully cleaned, Izuku's muscles, stamina, and durability are, frankly quite surprising. See, even the limits of strength for quirkless people grew over time as humans continued to adapt to their environment. If a quirkless person put their mind and effort into it, they could gain semi-super abilities that had nothing to do with a quirk.

Of course, with the discrimination they faced, few would ever put in such an effort. There were only whispers of someone like Knuckleduster as a quirkless vigilante who could overpower villains with quirks. Other than that, a quirkless person stronger than an average person with a quirk was few and far inbetween. Hell, most people with quirks, even many heroes, wouldn't push themselves so far so as to improve their physical prowess to such drastic degrees.

Izuku, however, becomes one such person.

Lifting and carrying several refrigerators becomes a matter of little consequence to him. Though he couldn't run exceptionally fast, he could run for much longer than a person generally could. He could also run quite fast while holding heavy objects just as steadily as a person running normally without holding anything.

The dreams of strongmen athletes from the past were fully realized and exceeded in Izuku's current abilities. He builds himself from the ground up, with his own efforts and ideas.

And several weeks before the U.A. Entrance Exam, he is able to help put the last of the trash into the back of a truck and look over the newly cleaned beach. The employees insist on taking a group photo to commemorate their efforts, so Izuku suggests that he could take the picture. But they all insist on him being in the middle, since he was the one to start their efforts.

Izuku briefly goes home that day, holding a printed photo of him and the cleaning crew. they all pose happily as he stands in the middle, nervous and smiling with a wobbly little smile. Seeing the clean beach behind them all...

'This must be what heroes feel like,' Izuku thinks, proudly putting the photo on his desk at home.

[esther-dot]

I double-checked and heard '100' as well. I'm the same as you, honestly it sounds positive to me but people are going to spin headlines. The fact he's opened up about struggling alone probably indicates he's feeling better about it - I guess speaking personally, when I was able to verbalise that I was having trouble at all with my writing, that was already the point where I was beginning to untangle it.

I'm more interested in GRRM's process from a writer's POV as opposed to waiting morosely for the endproduct, so that's the angle I like thinking about. His work is extremely ambitious, because he's got multiple working elements at once: not just multiple perspective characters, but he's trying to pull off a deconstructive commentary (I mean this in the literary criticism sense, not the sense used in fandom spaces which is 'thing bad? what do about it?') in addition to marrying the weighted moral/thematic complexity of a classic novel paired with the fantasy genre. LOTR is much more firmly in mythic territory than that imo.

I say this as someone who's not necessarily an ASOIAF superfan, but I find his work interesting just because holy fuck, George, of course it's taken you twelve years.

(about this post)

Yeah, I think looking at this from a writer’s perspective gives one a lot more sympathy for how long it’s taking him to write. I've criticized him a fair bit myself, so I don’t feel overly protective of him, but most fans seem to ignore the vast difference between typical genre fiction and what he’s doing. I’ve said before, it’s literature, with all the layers and complexity that implies. Hence it taking a decade + to bring his story together just so (in addition to all the other reasons) and ghost writers not being a workable solution for him.

I've written some original stuff and with that, and with my fics, I have a similar style with the whole, knowing certain things, even having later bits of dialogue written, but not using an outline and just, writing until I reach those moments naturally. In the interview, Cornwell said he's a true gardener, doesn't even know how his own stories will end, but Martin has created a headache for himself by having established endgames, major beats, and what he's called set pieces that he's determined to naturally find. It's a difficult way to write. I think it does allow him some great characterization, but I honestly feel sick to my stomach when I think about what he has to be going through with that method and this series.

I'm sure no one is more anxious for him to finish the book than he is. Fanfic writers feel a weight over their unfinished fics, meta writers groan over metas sitting in their drafts, but none of us had the showrunners of the most popular TV show waiting for us to wrap it up, contracts with publishers, a mouthy worldwide fandom, our legacy hanging in the balance. Martin even talked about wanting to write the best book he could, knowing he's already kept people waiting so long, which means he's putting additional pressure on himself. I personally wish he took on fewer projects (distractions! demands!), but he has the right to a payday even if it is coming from HBO after the travesty of s8. He mentioned in that interview how there were times he thought his career was over, and I'm sure he never imagined he'd be so successful or become this wealthy. He should enjoy it!

I know there was a discord for Jonsas at one point, and I hope someone does that again when TWOW is gonna come out so people have a safe place to talk. I actually might wait for some Jonsas to post about their thoughts before I read it. I like spoilers, and I've stuck around this long to support the Jonsa fandom ( +spite for all the people who harassed us), so I don't think I'd be able to dip when TWOW comes out.

[fratricideknight]

(not posting the usernames on the off chance you two get harassed. tell me if you want me to delete)

i'm not gonna delve into the tendency of fandom to ignore platonic relationships and aspec headcanons - but that part is unequivocally true. nor am i gonna talk in depth about acephobia and arophobia because that's too giant a topic for a little spn blog like me - but that is also unequivocally a thing. i'm just gonna talk about wincest.

i have a weird relationship with wincest. i swing from liking it, to being ambivalent about it, to straight up despising it, and back again. overall, i’d say that it is a ship which exists. i lean more towards liking it, because i just love sam and dean together so much, but i’m afraid i simply find it inferior to platonic samdean - which should be a widely used term, btw. please start using samdean platonically, too; all samdean enjoyers should form a coalition! that said, the honest majority of fics i read these days to get my samdean fix are wincest, since there are far fewer genfics than slash fics, and not many of these genfics are unhinged to my liking. i either pretend it’s platonic or, if that’s not really possible, just enjoy it as it is. so, i’m supremely grateful to wincest content creators <3 you are the loves of my life i am giving you all a big warm hug right now

i can see why people would ship wincest, on multiple levels. sam and dean are just an amazing pairing, in whatever form that takes; j2 are very hot guys; the show really doesn’t hold back on the incest subtext, and i don’t blame people for wanting to explore it in fanon. again, it’s just a ship that exists to me, and whose content creators i appreciate. probably my biggest gripe with it is the way an unfortunate amount of ‘wincest moments’ and analysis hinge on amanonormativity. i can generally just ignore the copious amounts of romantic moments and banging when reading one of the aforementioned wincest fics, but when i read something like, “Obviously there’s something more going on; no one can love their brother that much without wanting to kiss and fuck him!” i just… have to take a breather. i hate it so much. please, please do some research into amanonormativity. i do not blame you at all for shipping wincest, but if your reasoning is “they’re closer than most siblings” then i do blame you, i’m afraid. yes, they are extremely, undeniably weird, and closer than most siblings. does this mean they are/want to be romantically or sexually involved? no. i’m going to quote @brotherwives in saying, “I’d say that it actually cheapens the intensity of their bond,” because they’re just so right. i’m sure people have their reasons for shipping it, though, and i respect that; please keep the unhinged content coming, i love you. and i get that a lot of wincest shippers appreciate gencest, as well...

i just. hearing that some ppl - including wincest shippers - are weird about gencest is mind-blowing to me. i invite more people to enjoy the insanity of gencest, bc in my opinion it's just so damn great. brothers being insane about each other not in a "normal" brotherly way but also not in an incestuous sense?? they straddle the line between two things by just being unapologetically insane about each other?? a serve. THE serve. not to mention weirdcest - platonic kink, whatever form it takes - is so much fun!! like they know they're not "normal" but they aren't into each other, either?? and there's no textbook guide on how the hell they're supposed to act under these circumstances?? like "incest is wrong" is pretty much universally accepted, but what about platonically biting your brother's neck to stake a claim on him bc you can't stand the thought of anyone else ever taking him away from you, whether that be a romantic partner or a friend or the devil himself. you can still have that incest guilt without it actually being incest, you can still delve into the horrific familial enmeshment. imho it's literally the best possible thing.

i'm not aspec, btw, and i'm not trying to hail myself as the ally of all time by mentioning that lmaoo. i'm just saying. it's completely possible to enjoy platonic relationships and enjoy aspec headcanons (*cough* aro dean!!! *cough*) whether you're aspec or not. platonic relationships aren't appreciated enough, when, in my opinion, they're actually more interesting... romance is generally clear-cut, but that area where the lines of "friends" blur?? trying to navigate the fact that you care more about your friend or sibling or whoever than your romantic partner, and it will probably always be that way?? venturing into queerplatonic relationship territory without knowing what the hell that is or how to explain it, just knowing that you will gladly throw every convention off a steep cliff to live with your platonic life partner(s)?? yes.

in case this wasn't clear: i do NOT hate wincesties in any way, you guys are like my siblings. yeah, maybe we squabble and disagree on stuff, but at the end of the day we are different iterations of the same genes and i love you all <3 (please no one make any dumb incest jokes about that analogy) like i said, we should form a coalition and take back the spn fandom

[creativia10]

The Flowers Tradition

When the Collector comes to visit his friends on the Boiling Isles, Luz is in the human world. He learns it's the anniversary of her dad's death. Wanting to understand more, The collector joins her in honoring her late dad.

Warnings: death meantions (as Luz is grieving her dad)

Let me know if I'm missing any

Wordcount: 1848

Notes: I wanted to have the Collector try and understand human grief again. I thought showing him Luz's tradition of honoring her dad with her mom would be a good way to do so.

Space can be boring sometimes. The Collector had thought he made the right decision to spend some time back among the stars. To grow up after everything they did at the Boiling Isles. Admittedly though, he was coming up with reasons to visit more often than he thought they would. Then again, it was hard to keep track of Earth time when he was away from it. Really, they were lucky he didn’t come back years later.

So, he wasn’t sure what to expect when they came back to the Boiling Isles since leaving. There were certainly a lot fewer reparations finished than he expected. Really, how did itty bitties handle doing things so slowly? It sounds so boring to spend so much time cleaning up.

He floated around above the Isles for a bit, trying to find a good place to land and see their friends. His castle was still on top of the Titan’s skull where they left it, which made sense. But nobody was around it though.

Finally, he saw some friends in front of the Owl house. King was in the front playing. Eda was standing behind him chatting with someone. They looked like that puppet the collector had who seemed to have come to life. Who the Collector later learned was possessed by Belos at that time. Raine, he thinks their name was?

The Collector floated down towards the trio.

“King!” He exclaimed as he landed in front of them. King paused and turned to face him.

“Collector!” King exclaimed back. He then ran forward to give the Collector a hug. The Collector returned the hug, blinking as their eyes got a bit misty. Gosh, he missed his friend.

The Collector pulled back and then waved behind them.

“Hi, Eda!”

Eda smiled at him with her fang sticking out.

“Welcome back, Collector. You were missed.”

Raine, who had their arm wrapped around Eda, nodded at him.

Just then, some of the other kids Luz was friends with started to walk up to the Owl House. They paused when they saw him.

“Collector? Gosh, it’s been a while.”

The Collector smiled and waved at them with both hands.

“Hiya! It’s good to see everyone again. Space is lonely. And you all are more interesting.”

More of them smiled at his enthusiasm.

The Collector looked around though when he noticed someone was missing.

“Where’s Luz?”

The others exchanged looks with each other at that.

“She’s in the human world,” King said.

The Collector wilted a bit at that.

“Oh,” They said, “Does she spend more time there now?”

“Yes…” King said, seeming hesitant.

“But there’s a specific reason today.”

“Oh?” The Collector tilted his head. “Why’s that?”

The others paused again.

“Today is an anniversary of sorts. She usually spends the day with her mom.”

“Oh. Well, I really want to see her. Do you think it’s okay for me to join at least for a moment to say hi?”

King hesitated.

“You should probably at least ask her if that’s okay.”

The Collector frowned. “O-okay,” It would still be a chance to see her after all.

“She’s going to be at a specific place in the human realm this time. Probably one you haven’t been to yet,” King continued.

Then Amity stepped forward.

“I’ll take you there. She’s shown me where it is before.”

-

Amity lead him to a type of place the Collector hadn’t been to before. It was a fenced-in area of grass that had carved gray stones interspersed throughout. They almost resembled tablets. Besides many of the stones were flowers. The Collector squinted his eyes as he looked around. Why would Luz be at this place? It didn’t look like there was anything to do.

“What is this place?” The Collector asked as they looked up to Amity. Amity pressed her lips together as she looked ahead. Her expression was a bit hard to read.

“This is a cemetery,” She said.

That sounded familiar. She looked around and then started to walk along the path. The Collector followed. After going up the hill a bit she stopped. Amity pointed ahead and to a bit to the left. It looked like the backs of Luz and her mom standing in front of one of the carved stones.

“You can go ahead. I want to give them some space. If Luz doesn’t want to visit right now, please respect that, alright?”

“…okay.” The Collector was still confused about what was going on, but he didn’t want to upset Luz.

He carefully walked forward, with more caution than he usually moved with. As he got close, they noticed Luz and her mom talking quietly with each other.

“…uh, Luz?”

Luz jumped. Then she and her mom both turned around with wide eyes.

“Collector!?” Luz exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

The Collector rocked in place slightly.

“I uh, I was visiting the Boiling Isles and noticed you weren’t there, but I wanted to see you and at least say hi. Your friends told me where you were, but not to disturb you if you wanted space,” He said. Then he pointed to the way he came. Luz looked over to see Amity still where she had stopped earlier. Amity waved. After Luz nodded to her, Amity turned around and started to walk back down the hill.

“Can I ask what you’re doing?” The Collector asked, “Everyone’s being weird about it and I don’t understand.”

Luz sighed and waved him forward. He came to her, and she kneeled to be at his level.

“This is the anniversary of my dad passing away,” Luz said. She pointed to the stone in front of them. The Collector looked and saw that it said the name Manny Noceda, and listed the years of his life. “Every year my mom and I come to visit his grave.” Luz looked up as her mom held her hand and squeezed it a little.

“We set flowers here to honor him. And then my mom and I spend the day together.”

The Collector looked back over at the gravestone. He didn’t really know what human lifespans looked like, but Luz did seem young to not have a father anymore.

It was strange to picture that his friend’s father was apparently laid to rest here. Years meant it had been some time for them, for the dad to be gone like this. Death was still a concept difficult for the Collector to grasp. It had clearly affected his friend directly though. He only got a glimpse of that feeling when Luz had died. It was horrible. And he hadn’t even known her that long yet.

He didn’t really have parents in the same way mortals did, as a being born from the stars. But he knew it was a significant relationship to them.

“Can I ask what happened to him?” The Collector asked.

Luz sucked in a sharp breath and then looked down to the side at the flowers still in her hands.

“He got sick.”

The Collector nodded. He wasn’t sure he fully understood still. But he wanted to. Even if this was not a fun mortal experience he would want. It was still affecting her after all.

“…can I join you in honoring him?” He asked.

Luz blinked seeming surprised. Then she nodded.

“Yeah, sure.”

Luz’s mom knelt in front of the grave and brushed her hand against the stone.

He looked at the flowers Luz was holding. Then they twirled their hand to create three flowers for him to hold as well. Except these were purple flowers from the Boiling Isles.

“So how do we honor him with these?” They asked.

“I’ll show you,” Luz said. She bent over and laid her own flowers in front of the grave. Her mother did the same next to Luz’s.

“Hey Dad,” Luz said. She began to update him on things going on in her life. With the Boiling Isles, going back to human school, and having a girlfriend. She also said that she missed him, and thinks about him all the time.

Wasn’t he gone? Why was she talking to the stone like it was him?

“Why are you talking like he can hear you? I hope I don’t seem rude, I’m just confused,” The Collector said.

Luz gave them a sad smile.

“I’d like to think he can, where he may be. A lot of people talk to their loved ones who have passed. Sometimes it’s a way to help us deal with the grief. It’s easier to think some part of them is still here, just not in the living world anymore. I have now met someone who wasn’t quite dead, in the in-between, so it seems possible to me.”

“Hm…can I say something to him too?” The Collector asked.

Luz nodded.

“If you want.”

The Collector placed his flowers by Luz’s, and looked at the stone, trying to picture he was looking at someone. Maybe an older, man version of Luz.

“Hi, Luz’s Dad…I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but I felt like I should say something. Um, you don’t know me, but Luz has become a very special friend to me. She helped me understand some things I hadn’t before. Which lead me to be able to help her and many other people. You should be very proud of her. Thank you for helping to bring Luz into this world. That alone means you’re important to me too, even if I never met you.”

The Collector nodded to themselves, satisfied with the sentiment. He turned back to Luz who was looking back at him with a stunned expression and misty eyes. The Collector smiled at her hesitantly and stepped up to her.

“Can I give you a hug?” He asked.

Luz gave him a trembling smile and nodded. The Collector went up to her and wrapped their arms around her. She hugged him back and sniffed a bit. When she pulled away, she wiped her eyes and stood back up.

“Come on,” She held a hand out. “I usually give Mama a moment alone with him.”

The Collector took her hand and followed her to a bench that was near the path.

“Thank you for trying to understand what I’m going through,” Luz said. “I know how this is a bit of a foreign topic to you.”

The Collector shrugged.

“It’s important to you. Besides, I wanted to understand better anyways.”

He stood up.

“I won’t encroach on your time with your mom for the rest of the day. I just wanted to be a part of this.”

Luz looked conflicted, like she was going to argue about him leaving, but then nodded. “Okay, I’ll see you later.”

The Collector nodded.

“Yeah,”

He floated away a bit slowly in contemplation. This was a lot to process. He wished his friends didn’t have to go through such awful things as grief. Hopefully, he and their friends could be there for her. And make spending time with each other good even amidst such awful feelings.

[awlwren-writes]

OC ask game: 16, 18, 28 for Daphne (if you want)

For those who don't know, Daphne is Nyx's mom's sister and Clarus's wife in our Uncle Clarus AU!

I appreciate the chance to flesh her out some more!

16. do they have any pets? what do they call their pets?

She didn't before now, but now I'm gonna say she was sent with a pair of black and white coeurlaki (what I call the tiny tame coeurls seen in the Galahd concept art) that she named Nox and Luna as a kind of tease to her nephew and niece. Nox is called "Knocks" by everyone in Insomnia, though, as that's her favorite trick, and Luna is "Lookie Loo" and the like, because she's so curious. It started a brief trend in Insomnia for the cats, but most realized quickly that it takes too much energy to train them when they're kittens to not shock people or electronics. Daphne mainly gets away with it because she's used to training them and the Amicitia house is both large and old enough they can run around without hurting much.

Gladio does not remember that Luna and Nox are the coeurlakis' real name, and so never makes the connection with Lunafreya and Noctis, though Noctis does because he asked Daphne once about their names, and it makes him more determined to befriend them and give them treats.

18. their opinion on lying, stealing, and killing?

Putting a cut, because of course I always get long on this question...

She's generally against all three, but willing to make exceptions when it comes to protecting the people she loves.

She's come to accept that a little bit of social lying is normal in Insomnia, and is willing to pass along some white lies to help Clarus's operations or to cover for him or the kids if they have to duck out for something, but generally frank honesty is her go-to, especially one on one. She accepts that not everyone feels the same way, but she keeps track of lies she catches and slowly freezes out the habitual liars unless she has figured out a reason for the lies. (Lying about being abused, for instance, is unfortunate but understandable, and she often gives signals that she knows you're lying, but she doesn't hold them against people the same way. At least not after the first one, when she realized with Clarus's help what the cost was. Wisdom sometimes doesn't come easily. Abuse happens in Galahd as well, of course, but she knew fewer people there and generally knew them better, and that made spotting it and dealing with it different.)

Stealing is divided into two types: stealing from within the group and from enemies. Stealing from within the group is either an act of hatred/retribution against someone else or part of community sharing, where things just circulate as needed, especially within a cohort. You just go gather the tupperware that accumulated at your friend's house from the parties when you run low, that sort of thing. Sometimes you leave a riddle teasing them, and that can start decades long jokes and trying to figure out who it was. Stealing from enemies is just part of survival, and usually a demonstration of cleverness. Alternative warfare. In-cohort stealing/sharing gets applied in Insomnia as sharing information, equipment, and jewelry, etc with Aulea and Regis and Cor (if possible). Revenge/Enemy stealing gets applied to getting funding for the Crownsguard and worthy causes from other groups who also want the funding.

Killing beasts and food animals is normal, if sometimes difficult. Killing humans is something she's been able to avoid. She considers defense as generally a good excuse, if it has to happen, and she thinks she would kill for her kids or her family, but she's glad she doesn't really have to think about that much in Insomnia. It's safe, after all. She knows Clarus has killed, and that even though he'd do it again it bothers him, which sort of solidifies her opinion.

28. how do they show that they care about someone? how do they express that they don't like someone?

Daphne is a defender. She defends her loved ones from teasing, from ignorance, from loneliness or feelings of inadequacy. She's always right there, beside or in front of you, when she sees you struggling. She's had to learn to blunt that or do it indirectly in Insomnia, but she's adaptable. For her marriage, this usually takes the form of fighting on the fronts Clarus can't, because he's only one person.

She's also definitely the feeding friend. Food solves a multitude of problems. She doesn't always make the food herself, but she makes sure you get what you need.

For acute offenses, she'll tell you directly what she didn't like and why. If she just doesn't like you and can afford to, she freezes you out. You get no information about her or her family. She ignores your jokes and offered points of connection. She is more willing to defend others against you, even if she doesn't know them, she assumes you probably deserve it. If she can't do this because of politics, she just sabotages whatever of yours she can get away with, sometimes quite pettily. She does try to account for the splash damage, though.

Okay! Not sure how much of that made sense, but it feels right so I'm sticking with it. Daphne is very brave and sure of herself, and even though those traits don't always work out well for her in Insomnia, she learns quickly. She does her best to support her friends and family by fighting for them where she can with what weapons she has. She is also a little bit of a math nerd and is good at accounting and following number trails and uses that to her advantage, especially to balance her tendency toward bluntness.

I think Iris tried to go the proper lady, indirect action route partially because she saw that her mother struggled when she was blunt and had more success being sneaky, and partially to reflect well on her father, who leans into protocol as a general rule, especially after her mother died. She does grow to be more like her mother as she gets older, though, for good or for ill.

Gladio followed Daphne's footsteps of blunt communication with important people in his life (ie Noctis) and just...working around people who don't seem to want to cooperate (also Noctis) but as a younger kid didn't get that bluntness needs kindness as well to temper it, and working around people is for enemies rather than allies, and by the time he learned that had damaged his relationship with Noctis somewhat. As they get older, the boys start to work it out, though. Gladio got his love of reading from his dad, but he enjoyed sitting with his mom while she poured over ledgers, muttering to herself, and reading beside her, and she learned a bit of literature analysis to help him tear the stories apart for what he liked and didn't like, because it was where she could meet him on reading.

Thanks for letting me ramble. I really do enjoy Uncle Clarus, and look forward to writing more of it with you!

[rulanarinrush]

d/r/dt rewatch ch2 part 1! Please do not interact with this if you find it

episode 1:

phrasing is interesting. "it's my job" huh eden

"im sure everyone will wake eventually" SHOWS OVER GUYS

"sometimes, i really envy how easy it is for you to be kind"

"tried to kill?" wdym eden one of them actually committed murder lol(nothing against min)

"but maybe I'm worrying about nothing since you seem to be the same as you ever are. I guess someone super brave like you is doing just fine."

i should just screen record the beginning part of ch2 this convo is crazy

is it wrong, should i be more emotional, is basically what he's seeing in fewer words

"part of the reason I'm cooking is to distract myself. working calms my nerves"

"I've never been good at grieving, I'm just gonna copy them"

"grieve how you normally do"

"then im not doing jack shit lol"

this convo gives me hives it's so good and creepy

"I cook all the time"

"for everyone else?"

"no cuz im alone. and that's good"

eden is confirmed to have parents, and she loves them -> it would be upsetting to be disowned

Levi: my father, my mother, my brothers... bad influences on each other

disowned is a euphemism that does a lotttt of heavy lifting lol

Levi: i wanna be a good person eden: already are! me: ::sweatdrops::

ay ay ace don't call eden a dumbass she's not even my favorite and i still feel primal rage at those words /j

teruko has a bunny charm now huh

Oh I'm guessing David either couldn't sleep after the trial, or he's a heavy sleeper. Either one isn't good lol

"im a people too!" ? Maybe that's an intentional mistake

i didn't realize arturo was the first to insult the paper cutouts lmao and the ugly voiceline got me. arturo mr ultimate arts and crafts guy

2st?? what's going on with this episode lol

J, Arei, Ace, David, Eden, and Veronika all have bad reactions to their (given) secrets

Veronika's "how interesting" line made me giggle lol. i need therapy

AUGH FUCK MY EARS I SOMETIMES WATCH SHOWS WITHOUT THE AUDIO WHEN IM AROUND OTHER PEOPLE I DIDNT KNOW THAT WOULD HAPPEN

Whit: we shouldn't be sharing our secrets david &arturo: acksually

arei: you look different from what i remember! (So does that mean that she used to look very feminine in the past?)

"isn't that a common name? nu uh!"

Stupid bitch! these voicelines are so funny

"hid your beauty behind that rough, boyish look" is what triggers her huh inchresting

J-> does not find the spotlight particularly nice, and is generally disdainful of her mother for constantly showering her off as a prized hen. "vain and artificial" are her adjectives huh

While what he did was pretty fucked up, they do get over J pretty fast lol

arei: there's *definitely* worse secrets, got nothing to hide tho lol levi: tru bestie! no sharing arei: bitch

teruko: i have no one and nothing to live for. and since i ain't want to leave neither r u

metaphors huh veronika

oof in chat 4 charles...

episode 2

4 rooms, elevator only way to get between floors

there's a sewing machine in the dress up room

"you haven't been in japan in years"

giant scar on back(that i forgot... oopsies!

"misfortune is inevitable, I've long since stopped questioning it"(so i forget my own pain)

prescriptions question means he did not ask t/eruko or hu beforehand. but that medication they need is provided only for them

whit-- cannot sleep with light. tv light is covered

wait i just realized the haircut made her hair shorter but it's somehow even grayer lol

"I used to be the most judgemental of him" huh... i don't remember this

"Don't say that I'm a good person, bc it'll only make me feel bad that im not"

Teruko's first instinct is to try to help, though she tries to suppress it.

She took all the drinks and food but where's she storing it?

Ace takes the resistance band(to spite Levi? maybe he needs it for smth i missed)

Levi: help me teruko uwu teruko: ditch the guy he's gonna die anyway. besides, all ppl abandon me and i suppose it will be the same 4 u ace: wtf... you know you guys didn't mute the discord call right?

nico: does not realize they are blunt until teruko points it out

the fish are specifically minnows, and stressed out

social norms and "common" thinking/phrasing nico finds difficult

IMPORTANT *automated misting system turns on overnight, making the turf sticky -> implies footprints will show, carried out of room

turf absorbs water

this room closes at 10 pm and reopens at 8 am, when things are *definitely dry*

swing is slippery, ground is soft

*GROUND IS MADE OF SAME STUFF AS TURF. MENTIONED AS SPONGY*

mono designs are associated with fear

no one except ter/uko remembers a past killing game. no sufficient evidence to prove

a. if she's been in a killing game before b. if she remembers watching one c. if she remembers the hope's peak one in 2010

ceiling fans like in the gym, which rotate CLOCKWISE. why are they circulating warm air around the room instead of cold? hu knows...

episode 3:

caulk the bathroom

the w in woogle is so sloppily edited it makes me laugh (positive)

*important killing game building was not originally designed for a killing game. "meant to be occupied by humans" the design of the building is still totally garbage cuz there's no fire exits lol

"you don't have friends anymore LOL"

favorite color of monot/v: blue or yellow (whit and j? or whit and eden)

mon/otv: runs the tv show, but does not know which of the human classmates orchestrated this

cannot answer "how to end the killing game?"

teruko never asked "why" tho...

im guessing the blood phobia got worse after seeing Xander's corpse

in a lot of medical debt. has no identifying info, went to big schools that didn't track individual students. steal a uniform tho is interesting, since this takes place in a U.S. similar to the one in 2010... does this mean one of the social changes is that most public schools require a uniform in 2080? i would think it wouldn't occur so often for it to be a problem for her

gives teruk/o his given motive bc he knows that he might become incapacitated

charles: "whit is not someone i can rely on to sacrifice someone for the greater good"

charles: we went thru reverse character development bestie teruko: nah charles: fuck xander tho teruko: no more xander

OUGHHH THE CACTUS SCENE THE ONE THAT MADE ME NOT GIVE UP ON THIS SERIES OKKKK his cactus accent is really good.

dreams of bringing a knife to reassert power and to control her trauma rather than it just never happening

is fully aware that someone made xander do it

the drawings on the floor lol

"you're the last person i want to be friends with, because when your heart shatters, I don't want to break too"

"im not optimistic because I'm dumb or naive, i know this world is cruel. but I'll prove you wrong and that being kind isn't a weakness. not caring about others is the worst way to live."

i really want to know why the fans r clockwise tho. whats up with that