#if anyone is wondering she has shown me evidence

[nobleclover]

Cancel Culture sucks...

It's honestly disgusting how far someone will go to frame someone as a bad person or even a predator, not to mention ableist if the falsely accused happens to have a disability of some kind. I'm sorry for yet another vent but cancel culture has gone TOO FAR. Making serious allegations of a crime occurring using falsified evidence is an INSULT to real victims of crimes, and these false accusers should be ashamed of themselves.

[cottagecore-moss-king]

Not so Artificial Intelligence Part 2

When Bruce finally managed to get the time to look at the file Danny had added to the bat computer, it was almost patrol, and the rest of the family was filling in to get ready to head out. Even Jason had shown up, but that was probably just because he was bribed by Alfred with leftovers from dinner. Bruce couldn’t really blame him, Alfred’s food was the best in the world, but he does wish that he would show up more often just to hang out with him and his siblings.

Bruce sat in the bat-chair, graciously labeled with a sticker from a recent prank by Stephanie. She had gone around and labeled everything in the bat cave, but added the bat suffix in front. It had taken forever to find most of them, but he allowed some of them to remain. 

Finding the new folder was easy, it was labeled FROM DANNY, and left in the middle of the screen. Clicking it open and sipping his fresh coffee he glanced at the first document. The folder was full of notes, pictures and videos, but all of the previews were white, green, or black. 

Bruce started to read through the document, and chocked on his coffee at the contents.

Hello Batman and family, I hope this reached you before they do. I didn’t bring this up just incase you knew and were supportive, but how you act and how contaminated you are I will assume you do not. There is a Government Law that declares any being that has come into contact with enough or creates ectoplasm as non-sentient and non-sapient, but at the same time malicious {Abbreviated the AEA}. We are to be turned over to the GIW to be experiment upon and exterminated. This is literal torture, and I have gathered as much evidence as me and my friends could without being caught. I beg you, please be careful if you decide to take these people down. From what is on here, I think that Lazarus Water is a form of corrupted ectoplasm. Also, anyone who has died and come back to life no matter what are counted, and anyone with godly blood within them. Please Please, save us. My parents are the leading “scientists” which is bullshit, and they’ve already tied me down once. I can’t go through that again. Please, Amity and the Infinite Realms need help. If you don’t help us, I’m scared we may be forced to go to war, and I don’t think you can win against the godly dead. 

Please, I’m begging you - Danny Fenton {King Phantom}

“You good B?” Nightwing asked strolling over casually. He didn’t know how to answer, how was he supposed to say ‘Oh yeah, just found out that the government calls us non-sentient\sapient, and we are to be experimented and slaughtered. Also if we don’t stop them our worlds probably going to fall and we’re all going to die a painful death.’ That’s a fun conversation to have.

Clearing his throat he finally spoke up. 

“Red Robin, Oracle, I need you to help me sort through these, Nightwing, get the Justice league ready for an emergency meeting, call the Dark too. Look at this.”

“Are we sure it’s real though? It could be a prank,” muttered Oracle, though even she doubted her words.

“Even so, the threat is there and we should certainly look through this, and that means the League needs to know.”

Batman carefully mourned the loss of a peaceful evening, and his coffee, he was going to need to leave that at the cave, he had an image to keep. 

Nightwing wasn’t smiling anymore, Robin looked concerned, and Red Hood was openly gawking at the screen.

“I’ve called the emergency meeting, you three sort these files out, I’m calling up the JLD now. Guess we should warn Constantine to bring a couple extra bottles huh.” His joke fell flat, but Bruce wonders if he should bring some alcohol and coffee with him, image be dammed. 

“Wait a second, godly blood included? They fuckn’ shittin’ on Diana!”

“That’s what your concerned about Todd? Not that the we both fall under these parameters, along with Father and the rest of the collection? I will go fetch Thomas from his chambers, he will need to suit up to follow us to the watchtower.”

“Good idea Damian, tell him to hurry up. Everyone else, in the Zeta Tube, Alfred, you can stay here if you want.” Bruce gathered his laptop and moved the file over, copying and sending it to Tims laptop as well. 

“Thank you master Bruce, I will wait for the younger masters then I will be up shortly. Run along now.” Alfred excused with a bow, but even his face was shadowed in worry and thinly veiled anger. 

“See you in a bit Alf.” Dick replied, inputting directions to the watchtower in and doing a quick headcount. 

With a flash, the dark gloomy cave was replaced by fluorescent lights and the steel infrastructure of the watchtower. Hopping off the platform another flash of light appeared, and Aquaman stepped out. The group filled out as Aquaman politely greeted them. Making their way to the nearest meeting room, Batman and Red Robin began to set things up as the gathered heroes began to sit. 

“Hey Nightwing, what’s with the meeting, you never call for an emergency meeting, Blüd rarely has big threats.” Flash mentioned as he zoomed into the meeting room, last as always, and began to dig into his waffle plate. Where he got waffles from, Bruce didn’t want to know, they weren’t serving waffles in the cafeteria today, or yesterday from leftovers. 

“This isn’t just Blüdhaven, it’s all of the united States.” He worried, checking over one final time to make sure everyone was here. A collection of the main heroes from the Justice League, they’d need to figure out who counted as ecto-contaminated before throwing people around, and Constantine, Zatanna, and Deadman were gathered to represent Justice League Dark. At least he assumed Deadman was there, as a chair was pulled out and labeled for him. At least they wouldn’t have to race to find him, they could tell him just to stay up in the watchtower if things got bad. Finally, Robin and Signal rushed in, signal tiredly rubbing his eyes and his helmet in Agent A’s hands. 

“As some of you know, a person got stuck in the batcomputer a couple months ago. And was only recently released.” Murmurs and imputed questions rose around, and Nightwing promptly ignored them. 

“They left behind a file for us, and we were looking through it and discovered many hidden crimes from the US government. They have taken and labeled a whole species and group of people as non-sentient and non-sapient, and have been experimenting and committing genocide on them.” Again, a chorus of questions and yelling went up, and Nightwing had to take a moment to pause. A glance at Martian Manhunter reviled a stone cold face, quietly waiting for more information. 

“Oh god… what is this?” 

[theerurishipper]

Anyway, I had a discussion a while back about how Adrien wasn't abused before Emilie's death and I gotta say I disagree, but I'm feeling too lazy to write a whole post about it so here are some bullet points.

Adrien has no friends except for Chloe. I wonder why the boy who is so desperate for emotional connections and friendships would not want to or try to make friends for 13 years except for one girl who is conveniently the daughter of the mayor of Paris unless his parents didn't let him.

Gabriel canonically only gave Adrien a stupid pen for three years (i.e. during the time Emilie was alive) and doesn't that paint a picture of a loving and attentive father. Adrien has also never had a birthday party before.

Adrien's lack of awareness of social cues doesn't make it seem like he is someone who was allowed to socialize like children normally are, and speaks to a lifelong isolation as opposed to it just starting after Emilie died.

Adrien doesn't act like someone who is used to unconditional love and had it stripped away from him. Never does he express confusion over his father's sudden turn from being loving to coldness, not once does he indicate that his father used to act way differently. And yes, Emilie being nice and loving is something that can coexist with her being a bad parent who at best simply allowed Gabriel to isolate Adrien from the world and at worst actively contributed. Adrien only ever mentions that she was nice, not that she ever disagreed with his father on how to raise him.

Please do correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think a child who is used to being assured of his own worth and loved so unconditionally for 13 years would so completely internalize the contradictory idea that he has to earn love by being whatever the other person wants him to be in the span of less than a year without any trouble and with no doubts or confusion at all as to why everything is so different from before. The practiced way he wears his masks around others without once suggesting that it was different before at some point indicates that this has been the norm for him. And not once does he seem to expect anything different from anyone as opposed to just Gabriel. You would expect that someone who is used to being unconditionally loved would just expect that and view his father as an exception to the rule, but that's not the case.

To continue from the previous point, Adrien doesn't react to being shown unconditional love like someone who has experienced the feeling before would. Not once does he bemoan the loss of his supposed better treatment prior to Emilie's death. He acts genuinely surprised and shocked when Gabriel is nice to him, like he's never experienced it before. The way he clings to Ladybug's unconditional support like it's the best thing he's ever had doesn't speak of someone who was raised with unconditional love in abundance. He genuinely does not know how to not put up a front all the time in front of everyone because he believes that is what everyone expects of him, which is something that he probably shouldn't think if he spent 13 years of his life being loved and supported unconditionally and being able to be himself.

As evidence for this being a lifelong thing and not just something that started after Emilie died, consider the fact that Adrien's childhood dream is to be whatever his parents wanted him to be. Idk about y'all but the fact that this child had no dreams and desires of his own except to be his parents' little doll says a lot about how he was raised, and only proves that he's never really seen himself as someone who gets to have his own desires outside of pleasing his parents and having to earn their love even as a child, proving my point that this isn't something that started less than a year ago.

No, but Wishmaker really did shit all over the "Adrien's life only became bad after Emilie's death" argument huh. I sincerely question why anyone thinks that Emilie wasn't abusive after watching that episode.

And idk, the fact that he was constantly mind-controlled by his parents his whole life should be enough to understand that they are abusive pieces of shit.

My impression is that it got worse after Emilie died but was pretty bad before already (I mean, I thought it couldn't get much worse than mind-control, but Gabriel the asshat managed to make it happen). But honestly, the show has such an inconsistent tone with their portrayal of Emilie. They seem to want her to be seen as a good and loving and perfect mother, but then there are so many unfortunate implications regarding her treatment of Adrien that they just... do not acknowledge.

[genericpuff]

Rachel did a live Q&A in the LO Discord server and gave some news about the Animated Series, it’s still happening! (Surprisingly) Any thoughts on that or things you’d like to see from it?

Right, like every other time she's said it's "still happening" with no evidence to actually support it. That's always been the issue and still is.

Sorry, that's not me being snarky at you, I'm more so frustrated and absolutely fucking done with all the empty promises and platitudes.

Best case scenario with what was said during the Q&A was that she said "it's still happening" (worst case was that she didn't address it at all).

Like, how is this:

"I can say that… we are currently doing work on it… and it is going well.. and that it looks really cool and that I wish everyone could see what we’ve done because it looks really really really cool, and it’s happening, but that’s all I can say at this point… I can say, making tv shows takes a really long time, it takes so long" (last night's Q&A)

Any different than this:

Any different than this:

“Um, it’s been really interesting. It’s been educational for me. So, what I—what has been done so far is beautiful. Like, if I could share it, I would. But I can’t. Because it’s very naughty.” - Girl Wonder SDCC (July 2023)

She's been saying this for the last two years since people started getting suspicious it wasn't happening in the first place, and despite all the reassurances that "it's still happening", it doesn't seem to have anything to show for itself. Cast list? Nope. Director? Nope. Writers? Nah. Just a showrunner whose bio still says "TBA" and who, despite having a whole ass 40 minute long interview with Girl Wonder, still didn't have anything to show for what's to come, just more empty promises that it's "still happening" (and a lot of banter about Stephanie's life, rather than her involvement with LO).

In fact, most of what Stephanie talks about in the podcast concerning LO is pitching it, not developing it. And this interview happened just a few months ago. Go listen to it yourself if you don't believe me.

So at this point, I see "it's still happening" as "don't panic" corporate speak for "we're still pitching it and trying to find a network for it so we can actually move onto development." Yes, animation takes a long time, even Hazbin Hotel took about three and a half years to finally release after Prime bought the rights to it in 2020. But LO, again, clearly hasn't even started the animation process yet. And while we're comparing it to Hazbin, note that HH actually had LOADS to show for itself along the way of being developed and did a much, MUCH better job at staying relevant and pulling in new people and hyping it up. Even people who never watched Hazbin before in its indie days on Youtube were hearing about it, it made an active effort to sell itself to new viewers and break out of its bubble on Youtube. Is LO doing that? No, not really. Most of the people who know about it are diehard fans who refuse to read anything that isn't shown directly to them on Webtoons, and diehard haters who are tired of the garbage that gets advertised on Webtoons. Ask anyone who doesn't use Webtoons, and best case, they'll know someone who reads LO, worst case, they won't even know what a webtoon is.

Shit, even the new upcoming Zelda movie has names attached to it, including Avi Arad, Wes Ball, and Derek Connolly. And my god, it's gonna SUCK DICK with that bad of a line-up (the guy who ruined the OG Spiderman trilogy and created Morbius, the guy who directed the Maze Runner films, and one of the leading storywriters behind Rise of Skywalker, fucking YIKES) but hey, at least it has more than one name attached to it.

But okay, if we're gonna play the comparison game, let's be fair and compare LO to some other works in its own lane. Let's Play announced last year that it would be getting an animated adaption, and it already has a studio backing it that is FAR more suited for it than JHC is to LO - OLM, the same studio whose animated for massive franchises like Pokemon, Yo-Kai, and Gudetama. JHC meanwhile has animated... motion capture kid shows like Word Party. Because that's the only kind of animation they actually specialize in when it comes to their in-house services. Sure, they also have Harriet the Spy, but that wasn't animated by them, that was animated by Titmouse Inc (heh sorry).

I'm the Grim Reaper recently had its own animated adaption announced, and who's in charge of it? Oh, only SAM FUCKING RAIMI-

And look, maybe the Let's Play and I'm the Grim Reaper adaptions won't happen either. I just think it's ironic that they both have more to show for themselves in terms of credible names attached to them than what LO has managed to scrape up after five years of promising that it's "still happening" (especially when one of those series is nowhere near as big as LO and the one that WAS as big as LO walked away from Webtoons entirely). For Webtoons' own "worldwide phenomenon", they sure have given LO the shit end of the stick by pairing it with a family-with-kids-under-10 production studio that doesn't specialize in animation and a showrunner who got her start with the Cosmopolitan (weird how LO has so many plugs with Cosmo, huh? Why is JHC producing the show again?)

At the end of the day, nothing's changed. It's still just the ole' "it's still happening" record on a loop, while the comic itself falls further out of favor with people. And it's likely gonna be going behind DailyPass soon, so just think about what that's gonna do to its relevancy after it gets sent away to the equivalent of the Webtoons graveyard.

As I've said countless times before every time this topic comes up, at best, if it is still happening, and I'm wrong about all of this, they are doing the worst job I've ever seen at hyping people up and keeping them informed. It is NOT a good thing that people have to keep asking Rachel if it's still happening.

As for worst case... you wanna know what other projects come to my mind that have fallen into the same state of development hell and decay as LO's TV show? YandereSim and Cryamore. What do you think the popular opinion is about those works and their creators now? Because if you don't know either of those names and are about to google them, let me give you a heads up warning - it's not positive.

If it happens, it happens. It will hopefully be before I get all the therapy I need to undo what LO has done to my brain so that I don't have to make repeat visits LOL But if it's after, hey, maybe the show will be good! Assuming Rachel doesn't, y'know, E.L. James the whole thing. Because frankly, the show will need to cut and rework a LOT of stuff to be any good IMO and I don't think that will be possible if Rachel gets directly involved. But I'm not even hoping for that scenario because there's literally NOTHING to give me that hope, "it's still happening" is nothing more than "don't panic" corporate speak to me at this point. It's cynical, but I just can't waste my energy caring about it anymore.

[lady-phasma]

I have been wondering about Dune 2 scene with Feyd being seduced by Lady Margot. In the book Feyd is already physically attracted to Margot, fom my understanding without her having to use her powers on his mind...so in the movie I was wondering if he was already physically attracted to her, but she used her powers to make sure he wasn't going to hurt her? Your thoughts? Also kinda felt like the Reverend Mother just basically sent Margot into a potential dangerous situation with Feyd full knowing that she could be harmed!! I love your thoughts on this pairing!!

So in the book Feyd is very taken with her immediately and is a cocky asshole and I love him for it. He's also a little besotted. I can't find the quote but, essentially, Feyd asks her for her hand in marriage before the arena fight in front of her husband. She declines and it's actually a slightly humorous scene.

In the film... well, I may have an unpopular opinion but the way I see it, he's probably attracted to anyone as pretty as she is. I'm not saying that he can only be viewed this way, but I do think that is part of why Margot was selected. She is beautiful and the Reverend Mother knows that Feyd could be easily manipulated.

but she used her powers to make sure he wasn't going to hurt her?

I really dig this part of your question! I honestly hadn't thought about it exactly like that, but now that you mention it I think that could definitely be part of it. Fans disagree on how far into this scene Feyd was under the influence of the Voice. Personally, I think he was under her control for 90% of it. Until he put his hand in the box. Perhaps after that it was consensual, but we can't know because it isn't shown in the film.

I think his ability to try and fight the Voice is evident when he has this moment of frustration and rage: "Do not mock me woman!" Additionally, when he wakes from his hypnosis briefly outside her room.

I love an opportunity to make a new gif, thank you for that.

There are really two parts to your question: would Feyd have "hurt" Lady Margot at all and, if so, did the Reverend Mother put her in harm's way?

My headcanon isn't that he wouldn’t harm her in any way outside of a sexual situation. (That may have been exactly what you meant.) I also don’t feel that he would have assaulted her. But this is something we have to consider: was Margot consenting? Think of this as her job. Yes, she went to Giedi Prime with the plan to become pregnant but plenty of people perform sex acts as part of their job and there is a lot of debate as to whether or not that is consensual. Additionally, I fall on the side of the argument that Feyd, himself, was not fully consenting. We can't know the type of sex they engaged in, but I don't believe he was able to make that decision entirely for himself in that moment.

Had Margot not used the Voice on him, I fully believe he would not have been submissive, but he would have been consenting. Of course, in fanfiction writing we can write that scene however we want. However, based solely on what is presented on screen there is no evidence that either of them truly consented.

Was the Reverend Mother complicit in this? Completely. All of the Bene Gesserit would be. Would Feyd have, potentially, been less compliant without the Voice? I believe so. He is "sexually vulnerable," according to their assessment but they never explain what that means. There is an additional clue that I have yet to make my mind up about: "he longs to be hurt." I'm not sure where I stand on the interpretation of this, but my initial reaction is that the Bene Gesserit (Margot included) never intended him to consent outright. If I apply that interpretation to the final outcome then, perhaps, neither the Reverend Mother nor Margot ever felt Margot was in any danger at all.

That may not be as concrete an answer as you wanted, but I think that there are many ways to interpret "hurt" and it seems to me the mostly likely hurt for any parties involved in this scenario isn't physical but emotional. Neither of them is emotionally stable based on this interaction so they both have the capacity to inflict damage on the other.

[doubledyke]

Eddy's feelings towards his friends are complicated. Although theres no doubt he loves them, could you describes them in details? With your own words?

yeah so im not sure that 12 year old eddy knows what love is. "love" is weird and complicated, and i'm not gonna pretend like i'm an expert on complex emotions. but it doesn't seem like "i love you" is a phrase that's thrown around very often in his household. his mom is probably the best example of someone (non-ed) who might actively show some form of love for him, and honestly that's mainly bc i headcanon her (somewhat groundlessly) as being generally very sweet and well-meaning. at the very least i believe that she cares about eddy - enough to clean his room for him, hire a babysitter out of an abundance of caution, and to care about having a good school photo of him, etc.

dads in general are notoriously averse to expressing emotions, and i get the vibe from eddy's behavior that his dad is no different. in fact he's probably even worse than your-run-of-the-mill aloof patriarch. his toxic masculinity prevents him from accepting or offering much in the way of affection. im sure he loves eddy in his own weird way, but that "love" is definitely conditional.

now, eddy's interaction with bro when they meet up at the end of bps is pretty notable because its the most affectionate eddy's ever been with anyone in the entire series up to that point. he hugs him, nuzzles up to him and calls him his hero, etc. it's really weird to watch. if you asked bro if he "loves" eddy he'd probably say "sure" and evidently he's protective of eddy against outside forces.... then turns around and commits horrific abuse against him himself. it's no wonder eddy essentially has stockholm syndrome lmao. the cycle of abuse is confusing and distressing for anyone, but especially for a kid.

anyway, all that to say that eddy's feelings for bro come as close to "love" as they can for a kid who really gets shit on from just about every direction. and though i don't see bro as someone who'd say "i love you" either, his behavior in the eye of the storm probably makes eddy think he at least cares about him. he grew up with bro, presumably knows his patterns and probably thinks that being related to someone automatically equals loving them. "blood is thicker than water" as they say.

eddy's shown to be very distrusting of others, including the other eds, which to me explains why he has the vibe of keeping even them at arm's length sometimes. and why he's uncomfortable being vulnerable around them. he's no doubt more comfortable around them than he is any of the other kids, but he never completely drops the Big Act™ around them. until he gets the shit kicked out of him in front of everyone and has no choice but to do so.

when people are nice to eddy, he thinks he's being primed for a walloping (cycle of abuse), or at the very least a prank. it's hard for him to believe that people could like him and want to be around him without bro's influence.

eddy obviously cares about ed and edd but his idea of what that looks like is extremely warped and to the average person doesn't remotely resemble love. given the context of what we know about eddy's fucked up existence though, ed and eddy are clearly very important people to him and he shows it as best as he can with the tools he's been given by the people responsible for raising him.

some of my favorite moments are when he very reluctantly gives in to edd's or ed's wishes. little ed blue and thick as an ed come to mind, but there are other examples. he's also pretty generous with the fanciful fame and fortune he believes to be in his future. he usually includes his friends in these fantasies, telling them to hire secretaries (one of my favorite eddy lines) and whatnot. there's also the time he tried really hard to break ed out of his basement when he was grounded, and of course he let edd sleep in his bed, spoon fed him warm milk and even read him a bed time story.

and other times he's a shitty friend. i don't need to list all the less than loving things he's done to his pals cuz that'd take all day.

he'll get there though. maybe? personally i don't ever see him being someone who's overly mushy, it's just too weird. but if you catch him at the right moment he's probably very sweet and maybe even vulnerable on occasion. but mostly i see him showing his affection for people in non-verbal ways. which is pretty much what he does in the show, so there ya go.

[mamasplat]

Why do I care so much about deciphering character ages in Pokemon?

Simply put, angst. Or in long terms-

The art of storytelling is not so cut and dry, anyone with basic media literacy knows this. There is so much subtext and unspoken information that rings loudly in the implications of a story, something as simple as the age of an MC will dictate how heavily their experiences will affect them. Using the Gen6 games as examples (XY and Omega Ruby specifically)

By figuring out where to place Calem Serena and Zinnia in age, the story they live through gains added context. They all share the same bracket of 18-19 meaning they are in they’re late late teens and budding into the incoming subconscious weight of young adulthood, the subconscious urge to be stronger and reckless to prove yourself as capable in the real world; while still being young and having so much to learn. They have further motive to get involved in the heavy actions they take and will fall and break down even harder when they fail. Such is the right of growing up.

And for more adult characters, the same still holds true.

Doing the same thing I did with the kalos protags age by calculating off of a canon characters official age (emma) and then taking into account mannerisms dialogue and design; Admin Tabitha from team magma is officially 27, stated by himself. So going off of the work place hierarchy, Leader Maxie with his experience and status should be in his late 40s to maybe early 50s, making him the prime age for an early onset midlife crisis, linking that to his past relationships with Archie and the reasoning for making his team, his clear strong sense of justice even if misplaced, you have a man who can quickly spiral into a rather pitiful sight if pushed too hard in the wrong direction. First he bares his teeth, then he whines. Like a scared dog trying to protect itself and the image he has made for himself.

Meanwhile Courtney who is evidently more experienced than Tabitha is confirmed to have been with the team longer than him, as his paperwork is still seated on her desk, seems to be in her early 20s, I originally assumed she was in her mid 20s but then she released in pokemon masters and I was able to study her behavior more closely, she has this uncanny glimpse of childlike wonder at times that makes me believe she’s maybe younger than Tabitha, that added to the fact Tabitha seems to look out for her with her social struggles, almost taking on a brotherly role it seems.

Her being in her early twenties adds more weight to her codependency on Maxie as well as her reckless devotion, she’s younger and somewhat impressionable, she’s not against violent action to protect her passions.

And because I was able to gather Courtney had more experience while being younger I can come to the conclusion that it’s very possible Courtney was a science prodigy of some sort, as she is known in her field. And seeing she’s been with team magma longer and has evident close bonds with Maxie, it’s even more possible they worked together when she was younger.

Originally that led me to the thought she might have worked in relation to the Devon corporation, but with the art of visual storytelling in Sea Mauville, it’s not insane to assume Archie and Maxie may have worked together with the Mauville Corporation and that’s what makes them so jaded in modern day, a bad work environment being a stepping stone to their fall from grace. By Sea Mauville’s writings alone I don’t see them being against overworking a young teen prodigy. It’s possible maybe leader Maxie knew Courtney from his time there and brought her onto his team when the company went under. (This also means I need to retcon tf out of my in character Courtney blog.)

This also can explain Courtney’s role playing more into a team disciplinary, her time in Sea Mauville so young could’ve taught her to be more aggressive in order to earn her respect and get better outcome from rookie labor, as it’s heavily shown grunts seem to fear Courtney in some respects.

And ALL of this is merely the writing on the wall I can read when I take into account the age of our cast

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

Ok, a) can we talk about how wonderful it is to have a lead who tells his love everything he's learned right away (after the banging, of course)

and b) CUDDLES!!!

Aw, dammit, spoke too soon. Abbot! I don't like this!

Damn, this is a gorgeous shot.

This show does intimacy so incredibly well. This whole scene was just *chef's kiss*.

Ooh, is Slow Motion going to go full snake man by the end of this?

I LOVE YAI SO MUCH

Fun fact, all of my Yai screenshots are named some version of "Yai Best" because he is, in fact, the absolute best.

You know, it just hit me how brutal this really was for the grandmother - because if Phaya's parents are gone, that means she's already experienced losing a child. And then Phaya almost dying as a child, and then almost dying again here, and then disappearing...this poor woman!

Also, I adore the look she gives him when he says he was worried she wouldn't approve of him dating a guy. The words were sweet, but this first look is definitely a "you dumbass child".

Lmao, Yai! He definitely has a "congrats on the sex" cake stashed away for Tharn.

Lol, something that will always cross all cultural boundaries - how people react to free food.

Anyone else thinking that Chart was actually recruited by Akk, after he flunked the special unit training, to go undercover?

Didn't they say at some point that the spider gang was made up of ex-cops? It would be the perfect setup to get someone infiltrated.

Poor Akk. He's been doing this for so long, and having to be so careful, and now all these young guys are coming in like "why did you not tell meeeeee". Dudes.

A+ Grandma bonding.

I also like that we're getting little moments with Tharn & Nee.

Ok, this may seem like a really little thing, but after eons of shows where characters like this are shown as oblivious to danger, I love that she immediately picks up that something is wrong with the new cops.

*snort* that is some terrible evidence planting dude.

(I know it doesn't matter, because of the corrupt cops who will push the case through as a suicide, it just makes me laugh)

Ok, I know this is a serious moment, but goddamn Yai is so hot like this.

Ooh, it's all going down in Nongkai next time!

Time to break out the wings Phaya!

[iamdarkness]

About Lif's material and form.

Ever since I saw Lif for the fist time I could do nothing else but wonder what he was made of. Lately I have seen people wondering about it too and I took this chance to give my opinion. This of course does not in any way undermines anyone else's idea or headcanon. I just want, as I said before, to contribute with my idea and reasons as to why I think it is so. I take as proof other works of fiction as there are no concrete evidence of real activity. At least none that does not look like fake 1800's seance pictures.

First of all I want to say that to me the most obvious material used in Lif and Thrasir's making is Ectoplasm. Why do I think it is obvious? Well it is what ghosts, apparitions and the like are supposedly made up off in other works of fiction.

But what is Ectoplasm in Paranormal Studies? The psychical researcher Gustav Geley defined ectoplasm as being "very variable in appearance, being sometimes vaporous, sometimes a plastic paste, sometimes a bundle of fine threads, or a membrane with swellings or fringes, or a fine fabric-like tissue". Arthur Conan Doyle described ectoplasm as "a viscous, gelatinous substance which appeared to differ from every known form of matter in that it could solidify and be used for material purposes" -Wikipedia

As an example of an entity that has most of these properties in one I present to you :

The spirit of H H Holmes. The famous serial Killer who was haunting the apartment building of the courthouse he was killed on, on the show Supernatural. He demonstrated to be able to be solid enough to kidnap the girls he wanted and he left traces of slime ectoplasm as well as becoming vaporous.

If we take this information that ectoplasm can be solid, gelatinous, viscous, vapor and even crack and break, then we have an explanation of Hel, Thasir and Lif's bodies and why they look different but look to be the same material.

First let us take Hel, and why she appears to be solid enough to crack. Hel has always been this way and has existed for time untold. She is powerful as well and her feelings seemed to be always under control.

Let us take Gozer from Ghostbusters . Ancient and powerful, Gozer can be vaporous and is able to posses humans and is as solid as any living creature. When Gozer is defeated they break as if made of stone. Gozer's resemblance to Hel comes from how old they are and the command they have of their bodies and emotions. They also have always been this way and so they do not have an issue with their physical makeup.

Then we have Thrasir. Thasir is younger than Lif but her life as Veronica has not been as free as Alfonse. Veronica has been possessed so not being herself is nothing new to her. Veronica also seems to be used to suppress her feelings and thoughts. I mean she does look depressed and accepting of whatever fate befalls her when she is Letizia's prisoner. So I feel that her lack of emotional reactions or suppression of them plays a part in this. It feels more like acceptance of her new form and new self in my opinion. For this reason I take that even though she is younger than Alfonse she has more command of her essence than Lif. Still she has not been this way all of her existence so she is solid enough not to "bleed" but not enough to be hard as stone or crystal. As shown on her art. I think their mental state plays a lot on their command on their essence.

And here is where the difference with Lif is. Alfonse of course being a prince has been taught to not show what he really feels. He has restrains as well as parental issues on top of all. The difference with Veronica is that he has at least more freedom and is more of a revel than her. His line in the castle where he tells you that he may not behave as a prince should comes to mind along with the fact that he should not have been part of the Order but still enlisted any way. We see him get angry and sad and react very badly to different situations during the battles. Now imagine what they went through and think of this old saying. " Life is like boiling water. It either hardens you ( like a boiled egg) or it turns you into mush ( like carrots)." Thrasir hardened in that she looks like she is more adapted to being the way she is. She became used to it in a way. Lif though did not and it shows.

Take Slimmer as an example of this.

In the cartoon (Yes I went to watch it when I was little. I'm a geek ok?) Peter asks why Slimmer is the way he is and the explanation was that he was anxious because he wanted to help them but also because he was helping them hunt his own kind. He had the tendency of eating a lot because he wanted to be accepted. He gets be solid enough to eat but turned to slime and vapor as well depending of the need. There was always a pressure on him of not being accepted by Peter and it played a lot on his actions. Guy had existential issues Ok? SO who else has existential issues?

Lif in a way is like this. The artbook mentions his armor is empty but it can not be so even if he was but vapor, because vapor is something to begin with. Also because you can see the change of his ectoplasm from solid to somewhat liquid and vapor. He has also bones and ABS on his ectoplasm body.

And what glorious abs he has. He can Slime me any day he wants

Yeah...just like that.

But I digress. The point is that he gets angry and he looses a little solidity because

The vapor coming out of his mask when he is angry.

And the bleeding of his liquid ectoplasm when he is injured as well when he is protecting Thasir in their Day of Devotion alt is proof that he is a more emotional person than Thrasir and therefore his ectoplasm changes with his mental state. Alfonse seemed to have had self esteem issues to begin with and the physical change seemed only to aggravate them so I believe that he is of course not accepting his situation, not only that his people has died but what he himself looks like and what he has become. I think this was also a part of why he says he can't use the name Alfonse anymore. He does not feel himself anymore so his command of his new body is not always the same.

In conclusion:

He will get flustered when he has a making up cession and someone (preferably me) will get slimmed and maybe not in the good way if you know what I mean ;)

Where was I ? Oh yeah they are made of ectoplasm in my opinion. Now I just need to know why he glows like Hel but Thrasir does not. I feel it is also because of emotions and mental states but who really knows. I like to think that he glows brighter when he "blushes".

[mad-hunts]

no, but have i talked about this on here before? because i don't think i have yet. though i was just thinking about all of the different people that barton has been interested in romantically, and one of them that definitely stands out to me is auriel. because even he doesn't really know what it is, but in the main story for barton, she's been missing for quite some time. i'm talking like ever since his final year of undergrad. so, it's been more than a decade since barton has seen her and yet, he still checks whether anyone with her physical description has suddenly shown up again in gotham.

and he has actually made an effort to compile whatever evidence he could pertaining to auriel's disappearance, which... although there hasn't been anything new as to where his character is in the timeline of events right now? barton may be the only person in gotham who is actively looking for her anymore. plus, before auriel went missing, she had actually lent one of her coats to him and i swear to god... this man has never taken care of an article of clothing better than he's taken care of her coat. so, this kind of makes me wonder how barton's usual behavior could be so contrary compared to him doing something like this.

i mean, judging by how he behaves around most people (which is basically TERRIBLY, to put it simply jsjsj), i think that he must've felt like they had a deeper connection between each other somehow. though auriel herself is certainly not a villain. so i'm saying this in terms of barton perhaps trusting her enough to tell her things that he wouldn't normally tell a soul, like how he was (and still somewhat is) afraid of his bio father as a kid. but yeah — seeing as i know what had happened to her character, this hits especially hard for me 😭 because she may not be dead but auriel certainly hasn't been in a good spot for a longgg time

[fated-normal-767]

You ever heard of that myth where the guy royally pisses off demeter and she basically makes him so starved he eats himself? That’s Eris to me .

And also,,,,, so many thoughts about how…. Blasphemous his very existence is? Like how many times has he wondered if he even COUNTS as alive with the way he lives? The way his very birth was considered enough reason to damn him to basically a lifetime of sin . And not to be weird about religions I wasn’t even raised in but ,,,,,, hhhhhh something something Eucharist and the inherent holiness of the most foul thing a person could do etc etc etc ,,,,,,, (yes that is something I directly stole from TMA and will continue to steal idc what anyone tells me)

But also,,,, letalis & phantasm ?

oh exactly he’s so fundamentally fucked up and I love him . because of his skill his blood is actually a dark blue, and I originally chose it because Interesting Colour but. the way the term “blue blood” means royalty or an aristocratic bloodline. Just . this thing is so unnatural and if a god exists I doubt they made xem. but. their blood which is the main thing that draws the line between them and everyone else is the exact same as the idea that describes royalty. yeah I’m normal about this.

“Not to be weird about religions I wasn’t even raised in but” < should literally be at the start of all of my poasts because I am doing that every single day. I think the cruelest thing about eris is that he does not just do this on his own, he doesn’t just kill to live; he drags phantasm and letalis into addictions too. That’s like a form of religion to me. Look at this act condemned by everyone and trust me enough to live with yourself after it’s done. If I am cursed to do this to live, you can do it and live with the curse of the knowledge and then we will be the same. He doesn’t even always eat entire corpses even though it’d be more efficient for him to do so. He wants to leave evidence. It’s not survival, it’s a performance, and a threat.

Right . Phantasm and letalis.

Both letalis and phantasm ‘worked’ with xem at some point, and ended up with handprint-esque burn scars on their shoulders/shoulder blades to prove this, though letalis’ was covered by the explosion scar from the building collapse, and phantasm’s scar was on shimmer as it occurred before they had separate bodies, but shimmer (moderately horrifying concept) scraped it off with steel wool so there was still a scar but it no longer represented anything to do with eris and healed like a normal scar rather than a chemical burn. They had the scar for a while before they did this. Phantasm gets another scar when they get their own body. Though both of them lose the scars at some point, phantasm is willing to let eris do it again, where letalis is much more reluctant, and refuses.

Eris also learnt to design extremely efficient painkillers from chemical compounds found in their own blood, as they developed immunity to other painkillers and also became unable to get them from shops when they were found out to be killing people. They shared these with letalis and phantasm as they did technically work more effectively than market painkillers, but were very very addictive. Letalis has to start taking them after she gets caught in the explosion (“has to”, they already had a small addiction, but the pain from the injuries and muscle trauma meant she developed a reliance). This was at the same time as she was trying to distance herself from eris, but due to the reliance on something only he had, was nearly unable to leave without risking her health. Phantasm is also shown to have an addiction to these, though they’re suffered no particular injury to cause this, and it refuses to stop taking them. It also overdoses a few times as it isn’t used to how much their living body can handle and live. Eris doesn’t seem bothered by this, but does describe both letalis and phantasm as his best friends.

[missvelvetsstuff]

Where you goin, Star?  

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Reader meets Bucky when the truck hauling her show horses breaks down as she is trying to leave for an event and he works for the mechanic. Passionate, secret love affair ensues. After a confrontation with her father, Bucky decides she deserves better than a poor biker like him and leaves town with his friends Steve and Sam.

Three years later, reader is trapped in an abusive relationship and about to give up hope of things ever improving, when Bucky comes back.

Chapter 10

Warnings: swearing, angst

The next morning Star spent 2 hours with the physical therapist, who gave her stretches and exercises she could use to build her strength back up.

Then she spent an hour with a nutritionist to help learn how to gain the weight she had lost, healthily.

Then a psychiatrist who specialised in addiction and PTSD.

Each one left her with a stack of papers and scheduled appointments for the coming week.

By the end of the day she was released from the hospital and taken in Tony's car to Stark Tower. Pepper showed her to a beautiful suite with a small kitchenette, fully stocked with healthy snacks and treats.

"You can make your own meals but we have a chef who can whip something up any time you need." Pepper smiled at her.

Star teared up. It had been so long since anyone even tried to be nice to her that she felt overwhelmed. Everything felt like too much. "Thank you Pepper. I think right now I could use some sleep."

Pepper gave her a gentle hug "Of course. There's a Stark phone on the desk with instructions included. It has the numbers you will need here. Me and Tony, the chef, the detectives. That sort of thing."

She showed Star the dresser and closet, filled with clothes.

"I guessed on your sizes but these will get you started and we can go shopping when you're up to it. Try to get some sleep and I'll see you tomorrow" and left Star alone with him.

Bucky sat on the couch in the living area "Do you want me to leave too? I don't wanna-"

"No, please stay" she blurted out then covered her mouth. "I'm sorry, I just don't want to be alone."

Bucky shook his head "You don't have to apologize to me, I'll be here as much or as little as you need.

I know that we need to have a talk but no pressure. I'll be here when you're ready. Do you want me to put my number in your phone? In case you need me?" He looked at her hopefully.

She handed him her phone. "I think I'm going to take a bath, wash that hospital smell off." And grabbed some pajamas.

The bath was wonderful, deep tub with jets and never seemed to run out of hot water. When she left the bathroom she saw Bucky dozing on the sofa so she gently laid a blanket over him and went to bed.

Star crashed hard but woke up in a cold sweat and ached all over, her head pounding. She shook her head, which made it ache more, and reminded herself that this was just part of the withdrawals and they will pass with time.

When Star was up to it a few days later the detectives and a couple of attorneys that Tony recommended came in to discuss her accusations against John, a divorce, her inheritance from her grandmother and her fathers fortunes. Everything was all intertwined.

The divorce papers were drawn up quickly and were very simple. The majority of John's possessions were in fact hers and she was giving him nothing since she had evidence of infidelity and abuse. She braced herself for the drama because she knew John wouldn't just walk away. The last 3 years with her father's money and connections had emboldened him. She was honestly surprised that he hadn't shown up already.

Star wasn't doing well emotionally. Going over the horrible things that John and Brock did to her was difficult and reliving it all was giving her nightmares.

Bucky held her hand through all of it, she really didn't have anyone else but the more she remembered the more questions she had for him. She wasn't up to dealing with that yet. While she felt safe in Stark tower she worried about her horses so Tony sent a security detail to keep them safe.

On the third day, after lunch, she received a text from Tony's bodyguard, Happy Hogan. John was downstairs in reception demanding to see her and Happy was asking what she wanted him to do. She called her attorneys to see if they could come in and when they both confirmed, had Happy tell John to come back in 2 hours, so she had time to eat, shower and wait for them to show up.

After her shower, Star looked through the closet to find something comfortable but not too casual. She found a short sleeved green wrap style dress and sandals, impressed at how perfectly the dress fit. She made herself a mental note to thank Pepper and compliment her eye for size and style.

Bucky had told her he had business with Tony, Steve and Sam today so wouldn't be around until the evening. She had gotten used to having him around all the time so felt a little exposed seeing John for the first time but she knew that Happy and Rhodey would keep her safe. She did send Bucky a text to let him know John was coming over.

When Happy knocked on her door she had been sitting on the couch, daydreaming about getting back to her horses and the life she wanted. None of her dreams gave her any insight on how or where Bucky would fit in all of it.

The knocking startled her out of her thoughts so she stood up, smoothed her dress down and took his arm as he escorted her down to the conference room where she saw Rhodey waiting. He gave her a quick hug and whispered reassurances in her ear.

Star took a deep breath and entered the room to see John sitting and Clint standing behind him. She wondered briefly where Brock and Jack had gone but was relieved they weren't there and figured John had fired them for letting her survive and get away from them.

John stood and smiled at her "Sweetheart I've been so worried about you" he reached towards her which made her flinch and Rhodey stepped up between her and John.

That pissed him off "Whats this about? I cant even get near my wife? What the fuck is this game, Y/N?"

Happy looked at him coldly "I already advised you of the conditions for this meeting. If you try to touch Ms Pierce again, you'll be escorted out of the building."

John tried to look loving but didn't have it in him "Ms Pierce? I don't understand. My wife has been missing for days and I just want to take her home."

"Why? So you can finish the job?" She spat at him then Star sat, with Happy on one side, Rhodey standing behind her and her attorneys on her other side.

John forehead wrinkled "Finish what job? I'm just glad you are safe and-"

"No thanks to you. Don't play innocent John. We all know what you've done. I was willing to let you walk away with your secrets but you had to try to hurt me even more."

Her lawyer, Jeri Hogarth stood up "Alright folks, lets get started here.

Mr Walker, I'm Jeri Hogarth and this is my associate Desmond Tobey. We've been hired by Ms Pierce to handle your divorce and her inheritance.

Did you receive the divorce settlement that was sent to your office?"

John nodded but before he could speak she continued.

"Good. Have you retained someone to represent you in the divorce?"

John shook his head "No one will be getting divorced here. I'm taking my wife home with me."

Y/N shook her head and chuckled.

John smirked at her evilly. "Now sweetheart, you know what happens if you divorce me. You'll lose everything. So let's go home and work this out."

Star scoffed "Work this out? You tried to kill me you bastard, there's nothing to work out."

John chuckled condescendingly "Honey, you know I would never hurt you. Your drug habit has gotten out of control and now you've brought all these other people into our personal problems, your delusions. You know how I feel about that."

Jeri interrupted "Mr Walker, unless you intend to sign the divorce settlement as is then you should hire an attorney to represent you."

John shook his head "Don't need one."

Jeri sighed "Very well then the notes from this meeting will indicate that you have declined representation at this time." She looked at her associate "Desmond"

Desmond Tobey stood "My client has indicated that the settlement as written is the only offer that she will make. If it has to go before a judge she will produce evidence of Mr Walker's infidelity and physical abuse. Meaning the media will soon have access to said evidence which will affect his current job." He looked John in the eyes "Do you understand that, Mr Walker? She is willing to air out all of your dirty laundry for the world to see. Based on what I have seen so far it would be enough to destroy your political ambitions and make finding any employment difficult."

"But her father wanted-"

Desmond cut him off "Mr Pierce is deceased and the allegations would affect the stipulations of your inheritance."

John looked at Y/N "Are you sure you wanna do that honey? Tell the whole world you're a drug addict?"

Y/N glared at him "I wouldn't have even taken any pain pills if Brock hadn't beat me until I miscarried, while you watched. I wouldn't have kept taking them if you hadn't worked so hard to make my life miserable. I've been clean for almost a week and have no desire to take them again. I wouldn't have overdosed if you hadn't had Brock drug me."

John shook his head "No honey, that's not what happened. Brock caught you when you fainted after taking too many pills and drinking alcohol on your lunch with Pepper." He looked to her attorneys "The drugs made her confused but I'm so glad you're getting clean, baby."

Jeri sighed "We have a syringe with traces of morphine and two sets of fingerprints one belonging to Brock Rumlow and the other Jack Rollins. Ms Pierce was drugged"

"I told Brock to take her to the house and meet our doctor. Brock must have done something after her left with her. I had a meeting with an important donor that I couldnt miss." He made himself tear up "He worked for her father and was her bodyguard for years. I thought I could trust him." He looked at Y/N "Baby I'm so sorry that I-"

Jeri cut him off "The NYPD picked Rumlow and Rollins up at a motel near the airport this morning. They had tickets to Rio. No extradition treaty with Brazil." She looked through some paperwork "Rumlow isn't talking but Rollins on the other hand. We'll just call him the Canary because he won't stop singing."

John laughed nervously, his face visibly paling "He's just making shit up to save his own ass."

Jeri nodded "I can see how one might think that, he has admitted to some heinous crimes but he has all kinds of proof. Claims he knew Rumlow couldn't be trusted and he wanted to cover his ass. Pictures, paperwork, recordings, it's pretty extensive."

Desmond spoke up again "Are you still sure you don't want to sign the settlement?"

John gulped loudly "I'm sure. I think you're bluffing. If you really had all that evidence then you would just arrest me."

Y/N sighed "I just wanted this over. I don't want to spend months dealing with divorce court and a criminal trial but if that's what it takes to be rid of you and keep what is rightfully mine, I'm in." She looked at Jeri "I think that's enough for today. I need to rest."

John stood and hit the table angrily "Absolutely not! Y/N you are my wife and are coming home with me. Today. Right fucking now! I don't know who you people think you are but you have no right to keep me from my wife." He reached for her but was slammed against the table, hands held behind his back before he knew what hit him.

Happy had to hold back a laugh as John started squirming and yelling for Rhodey to let him go. Clint stood back with his hands up, giving Y/N an apologetic look before quickly leaving.

Jeri looked at him squawking like a chicken and shook her head "Looks like we're done for today. Mr Walker, there are two NYPD detectives waiting outside of this room who will be taking you in to be booked. I would recommend you find an attorney asap. Tomorrow I'll be speaking to a judge about returning the Pierce inheritance and properties to Ms Pierce so if you do make bail you'll need to find a place to live quickly. If you have any questions, feel free to call me. After you get out, of course, I don't take collect calls, unless it's a client."

Y/N stayed where she was while John was handcuffed and read his rights. Someone had called the press so John's perpwalk would make it to the evening news.

Happy looked to her once John was on the elevator "You ok ma'am?" She looked at him and nodded "Lets get you back home then." He helped her up and they took the elevator up to the top floor.

When they entered her suite, Bucky was waiting at the table with take out for dinner. He looked at Happy questioningly, Happy nodded that she was ok, just shaken up and left her with Bucky.

Bucky smiled gently at her "Hey Star. I heard you had some company."

She grimaced "I knew I would have to see him again eventually but it still caught me off guard." Bucky helped her sit on the couch and sat across from her waiting for her to continue.

"John refused to sign the papers, insisted he did nothing wrong. Even when they told him that Rumlow and Rollins were arrested and Rollins is singing. He still seems to think my father will somehow protect him."

She sniffed "something smells good. Did you make dinner" and smirked at him.

Bucky feigned shock "Now Star, you know damn well I can't boil water on my own."

She giggled "I thought you might have learned something in 3 years. Poor Peggy having to feed all of you all this time."

Bucky shook his head "I'm afraid the only thing I learned was that I can't live without you."

She rolled her eyes "Yes, I'm sure you were terribly lonely. Even Dot wasn't enough to assuage your loneliness."

Bucky looked confused "Dot? Why would she be with me?"

Star shrugged "Beats me, she was with you when you came to my father's wake. Brock said you took her with you when you left town"

Bucky shook his head "We know how trustworthy Brock is. We stopped at the clubhouse the morning of the funeral, she was there and claimed she wanted to pay her respects and be there for me. First time I saw her since we left. I barely even noticed she was there."

Star rolled her eyes "I'm sure. It wasn't Dot that kept you away so long? Your letter said a year at most but you were gone 3 years."

She looked at him with tears in her eyes "I kept thinking you would come back and tell me it was a mistake. That you would save me. I thought you'd stop the wedding but you never did and I gave up."

Bucky reached out to hold her hand and was encouraged when she didn't pull away.  Tears forming in his eyes as he answered. "I meant to come back sooner, I just I just. Everything got all fucked up." He looked at the floor.

Star sat quietly as he composed himself. He finally looked back up at her. "I planned to be back sooner. I figured I'd get the Harley mechanic certificate and then take some business classes here.

When Wanda told Peggy about your engagement it hit me hard. I was almost convinced that you were better off with John. He had your fathers support and was on his way up. Steve and Sam talked me down after a week long bender, reminded me that it was your father telling me I wasn't good enough. Told me Brock probably hadn't had the chance to give my letter to you. I threw myself back into the classes and was really doing well.

Then you got married and it was all over the news, up and coming candidate and heiress marry, wedding of the year, fairytale romance and all the other bullshit the media put out.

I saw your wedding picture on the front of one of the tabloids. You looked so beautiful but your eyes still looked so sad. I felt like a failure. I left you to your father's devices and it was my fault you weren't happy. I told myself you had the letter but still chose John."

He stood and started pacing, running hus hand through his hair.

"I thought you deserved better than a man who ran away like I did. I knew that I would never deserve you again, could never be good enough. I dove into a bottle of Jack Daniels and refused to leave. For months I barely left the house except to the liquor store. Finally one day I saw some tv interview with John and lost it. Tore the house up, put my boot through the tv.

Peggy came home that night and that was it, Steve tossed me into the shower until I sobered up and read me the riot act. Told me that a violent, drunken asshole definitely didn't deserve you and I better get it together or I would lose the few friends I had. So I cleaned up, joined AA and haven't had more than a couple of drinks since." He paused for a breath "Ok full disclosure, I got a little drunk after I tried to talk to you at your stable. I went to your parents house to confront you and Brock but John's car was there and Nick showed up to stop me. He bought me a couple of drinks after that."

"I'm so sorry, Star. I failed you so many times that I'll understand if you can't forgive me." He sat back down and took her hands "I didn't know what to do. When I met you I was sure I'd never be able to settle down. I figured any real relationships I tried were doomed to repeat my parents history. Dad in jail and mom forever alone because she couldn't bear another heartbreak.

You just blew me away with your free spirit and how you loved me so easily regardless of the fact that I was a dirt poor biker who couldn't afford his own apartment. The world felt brighter when I was with you. I thought we had a real chance.

Then we came home to your dad and I felt like he was reality showing me how impossible we were. I tried to stay hopeful that I could make myself good enough for you but obviously didn't do a great job.

I know now that I will never be good enough in some people's eyes including my own but I'm gonna try. I realized that the only opinion I care about is yours. If you think I'm good enough then I will keep trying to be. I don't want to live without you again, even if we're only friends. I haven't touched anyone else since you and I meant it when I said you're it for me. I love you, Star and I'll spend the rest of my life showing you how much. If you let me."

@pattiemac1

Before Star could respond they were startled by loud banging on the door.

Chapter 11

[teatin]

fic stats meme

Thanks for tagging me, @visualheresy!

rules: give us the links to your fics with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the fewest words.

(All fics are Leon/Ada.)

Fic with most hits: in the quiet daylight, 3,975 hits

When Ada finally looks at him, she can’t stop the plea that falls from her lips. “Stay.” "That's usually my line," he says. "You're not being fair, Ada." “I know you,” she replies. “I know what you want.” “Oh yeah?” he edges even closer to her, a challenging look in his eyes. “And what is that?” She meets his gaze unflinchingly. “The same thing I do.” (Or: A seemingly typical one-night stand in Europe turns into something much more permanent. Leon, Ada, and the art of building a life backwards.)

Second most kudos: these treacherous desires, 227 kudos

He turns his gaze back on her, his expression loaded yet inscrutable. “You do it so well,” he shakes his head. “Acting like you really care.” The words hit her, sudden and stinging. “You don’t think I do?” He looks at her, the way one might look at an indecipherable puzzle. She supposes that in a way, that’s what she is to him. “Honestly, I don’t really know what to think anymore.” (Or: Leon and Ada, falling apart and growing back together.)

Third most comments: all the roads we didn't walk, 15 comment threads

They meet for the first time in a dying city headed for destruction. What happens next? Infinite possibilities, each with its own triumphs and tragedies. Just how many ways can a single story be told? Let's find out. Or: Leon and Ada; beginnings and endings, and the in-between. Six alternate retellings of their story. (Alternatively: Five endings that never happened, and one that just might.)

Fourth most bookmarks: to our phantoms yet to come, 65 bookmarks

She looks at him meaningfully, and when she speaks again there’s a candor in her voice that he desperately wants to believe but isn’t sure he’s ready to. “Would it be so hard to believe that I simply wanted to see you?” He laughs, and it sounds so foreign that he’s momentarily taken aback. “Considering I’ve heard nothing from you for the last six years? Kinda, yeah.” “Still holding a grudge over that, aren’t you?” Ada says, and the levity of it all is enough to set him on edge again. “Evidently you didn’t need my help figuring out the truth.” Leon shoots her a look. “Doesn’t mean it wouldn’t have been nice to hear it from you.” (Or: In the aftermath of Spain, Leon and Ada struggle to rebuild their trust in each other.)

Fifth most words: so stay a little while, 8,470 words

Ada sighs dramatically. “Can’t a girl drop in on an old friend without being interrogated within an inch of her life?” “Oh, is that what we are now?” Leon raises an eyebrow. “Old friends?” Ada cocks her head at his response, and for a single terrifying moment, Leon wonders if he’d shown his hand too early. Nearly two decades in, and somehow being around her still feels like playing a losing game, like walking down a meandering path toward certain, inevitable defeat. “What we are has always been up to you." (Or: A familiar face crashes Leon's post-Alcatraz staycation, bringing buried emotions and half-healed wounds to the surface.)

Fic with the fewest words: certain perfect blissful moments, 1,000 words

The question catches him mid-nap on a breezy Tuesday.“Do you ever regret it?” “Regret what?” he asks. She averts her gaze, instead trailing her fingers across his skin in a pattern he does not recognize. “This. Leaving your entire life behind.” He chuckles. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve got it right here with me.” (Or: In a near-distant future, Leon and Ada contemplate the choices that have led them where they are.)

Tagging (no pressure) @hiraeth-doux and @neezuko and anyone who wants to do this!

[ihatetaxes99]

your monoma headcanon leads to an interesting conversation about the perceived infallibility of quirks. How do we know that Recovery Girls quirk speads up healing correctly all of the time? Recovery Girl is pretty old, does age affect quirks? What would happen if Recovery Girl healed Monoma whilst he still had another persons quirk copied? Could that affect the way her quirk works on him?

The lie detector quirk that tons of people write detective tsukauchi as having is really interesting to me, he has a quirk that literally makes his word more important than anyone elses. No he said she said cause its actually what tsukauchi said! Do you think he was ever regarded with suspicion from his coworkers because they knew if he did lie about whether someone was telling the truth they wouldn’t really have a leg to stand on? Or more likely there could be a law around submitting evidence that was gained through the use of a quirk. This kinda got away from me my bad lol

I've never thought much about Recovery Girl before - she's always been a character who was just sort of there to me - but that's an interesting thought. Maybe that would be why UA was so complacent in leaving most injuries to her; Perhaps she was simply more effective in her youth and the agonising bureaucratic process has yet to catch up with her reduced efficiency. I think the manga is fairly consistent in her Quirk mostly being effective for most less serious incidents, but it's intriguing to consider the limitations her Quirk may have.

Tsukauchi's Quirk always interests me because as far as I can recall, he has never officially had his shown off. What we do know is that his sister has a lie detector Quirk (albeit one that is fairly easy to circumvent), and much of the fandom seems to latch on to giving him something similar. As someone who does enjoy the bureaucratic aspects of the world and theorising upon them, I do like to wonder how such a Quirk would impact evidence gathering. Basically relying on the word of one man to get to the truth. My personal theory on it - if Tsukauchi has that Quirk at all - is that he's probably not permitted to use it. Throughout the series, we see a couple of characters affiliated with the police force - Tsukauchi himself, Sansa Tamakawa, Eizo Tanuma and that one inspector during the Overhaul story arc - and none of them are ever seen using their Quirks at all. The only exception is Monika Kaniyashiki, who does use her Quirk and probably has slightly different rules given that she's an undercover Fed. From this, as well as the fact that they still rely on nightsticks and firearms, I tend to assume that the police probably don't have permission to use their Quirks as part of the job, and Tsukauchi strikes me as the type who would stick to the rules and do things as by-the-book as possible.

[paranormalfrogtivity]

Okay I was watching a let's play of the end of the 2.0 Trailblaze mission and some things occurred to me, so I wanted to write them down before I forgot. Anyway, 2.0 trailblaze spoilers below the cut

~▪︎▪︎▪︎~

OKAY SO. First thing I'm wondering is... Could Black Swan be behind Firefly's death? As a memokeeper, she might have some influence over the Meme: Something Unto Death, and when she takes us to meet Aventurine, he congratulates her on pitting Acheron and Sam against each other. People have already made connections between Sam and Firefly, and I've seen theories anywhere from Sam = Firefly to Firefly being Sam's surrogate "empress"

(For this, remember that Sam is described as being a remnant of Glamoth's Iron Cavalry. From examing the Glamoth planar ornament set, it appears that the Iron Cavalry were mecha that were psychically connected to their Empress, who could puppet them. Everything they did was in service to and in order to protect their Empress. But we know that this Empress fell, so the mecha became untethered.)

If Firefly were acting as Sam's surrogate Empress, he would have acted to protect her. This might be why she got locked in that room, to keep her away from the Something Unto Death, but she found a way out that ultimately led her right to her death anyway. With his "empress" dead once again, Sam may have gone on a rampage of vengeance, resulting in all the scorched Dreamjolt Troupe members we find.

~•••~

We know Black Swan has the ability to remove obstacles in the dreamscape and to create entry points between areas there. Maybe that passageway to the lobby didn't exist when Sam presumably locked Firefly in that room. Maybe Black Swan created that hallway, knowing Firefly was likely to use it to escape, and then lured/compelled the SUD into killing her. Black Swan may have known this would send Sam into a fury, and planned it to distract Acheron. Black Swan has warned us that even she could be lying.

EXTRA EDIT: Sampo says during the Black Swan/Sparkle companion mission that only the Garden of Recollection has the ability to kill someone in their dreams. Extra evidence for Black Swan being responsible for Firefly's death? She claims right after that not even a memokeeper can breach the protections in Penacony's dreamscape that prevent visitors' deaths, but again, she could be lying.

My second theory is also related to our conversation with Aventurine at the end of the mission. He claims that Acheron is in Penacony under false pretenses and that she is responsible for the death of Duke Inferno off-screen. He also claims that she swiped Ifrit's invite to the Charmony Festival.

But there's a problem here with his explanation. Remember when the Astral Express crew tried to check in at the beginning of the Penacony plot? We ran into a MASSIVE roadblock because the Trailblazer's name wasn't on the list for the invitation. We wouldn't have even been allowed in if Aventurine hadn't vouched for us with Sunday. If we, even with the recognized members of the Nameless, weren't able to bypass that checkpoint, how the fuck did Acheron check in alone using the Annihilation Gang's invite? Her name most certainly would not have been on the hotel's approved list, and she hasn't been shown to have connections to any high-ranking individuals in the Family. I doubt they would have allowed her to check in with just a music box like Aventurine claims.

Did she sneak into Penacony then? I don't think so, as we see her check in at the front desk in a teaser at the end of the Game Awards candidacy video. (Scrub to 1:20 for the teaser clip) The fact that she's in the hotel (and the VIP corridor at that) later in the game suggests that she was able to successfully check in, so she must have been on the list or at least had an invitation.

Black Swan claims to verify what Aventurine tells us about the Annihilation Gang and Duke Inferno, but as she tells us 0.2 seconds later, anyone in Penacony could be lying, even her. So is Ifrit dead? His tarot card burning up in Black Swan's Myriad Celestia trailer (scrub to 2:10 if you don't want to watch the whole thing) seems to support that statement, but I'm not convinced that Acheron was responsible. In that same trailer, Black Swan says something along the lines of "The menacing infernal fire absorbed by the vast, profound sea." And we know that the Memory Zone has been referred to a couple times as a sea or an ocean. So would that imply that whoever or whatever did kill Ifrit is actually associated with Penacony or the Memory Zone? But who? And where did his invite go if Acheron didn't take it? If Black Swan and/or Aventurine are lying about Acheron being the killer of Ifrit, could they also be lying/mistaken about the rest of the Annihilation Gang disbanding?

[deivorous]

Hollow Society

Something's been tickling at my brain recently. The below is by no means a comprehensive review, and I don't particularly have any coherent thoughts, so anyone, please feel free to add your own.

Hueco Mundo isn't culture-less like the vast expanse of fandom portrays.

There are, in fact, at least three key pieces of evidence that support this.

Forms of government precede Aizen's involvement in Hueco Mundo.

There are multiple instances where hollows have been shown to exist in community structures, and at least one that involves an actual neighborhood.

Hueco Mundo contains ruins.

Government in Hueco Mundo

The first point is one that I believe we're all cognizant of. Specifically, Barragan was regarded as a 'King'. Whether he is actually perceived as one by the population of Hueco Mundo is debatable. However, he's exceptionally old, and has likely held his position for many many millennial. He also is describing the rather small gathering of hollows (they are all presumed to be adjuchas) as an 'army'. I wonder for what purpose he formed an army to begin with, and have determined that the most likely reason as consistent with his character is to create a sense of authority for himself.

Just a few quick observations to point out to you:

He's in possession of a OLD metal bell - it is in poor repair, but I warrant it is an item of great value because despite it's disrepair it's still afforded a prize location above the God-King's throne.

He's one of only a handful of hollows depicted wearing clothing (prior to Aizen). It's a tattered fur-collared cloak. The other item if clothing belonging to his servant woman and is just a plain tunic.

On the clothing note, the crown may or may not be part of his mask but an individual item as seen in the fact that its different after he becomes an arrancar.

She is in possession of a carafe. It could be water or something else - again the implication is that this is an item of luxury.

The scene we meet him in is 'Las Noches', and Tousen mocks him for the sorry state of it.

My main point with this is less the existence of Barragan's kangaroo court, and more the evidence of relics indicating a period before the existence of his reign (the bell, the crown. the carafe).

Secondly, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong (as I haven't actually read the novels myself) but I believe the espada pre-date Aizen as well. Many of the arrancar who have the titles of Privaron are naturally occurring arrancar, which afford them power beyond Barragan and his army of adjuchas. Their attempt to create an element of stability in Hueco Mundo (though ultimately a failure) is telling.

Hollow Communities

Barrangan's army, while small, indicates something other than his feeble attempt at control which is: Hollows naturally do come together in social settings. We see this as well with Grimmjow and his pack (and he's certainly not the only hollow in a pack). And a third time, glossed completely over, in Nnoitra's flashback - which is the most interesting of the three.

Neliel specifically refers to the location as a 'colony'.

The image depicts what looks like dwellings of some sort carved into the rock formations behind them. Hundreds of non-nomadic hollows were all living together in a community in some relative form of harmony, and their postal code (so to speak) is recognized by Nel, Nnoitra, and Aizen who charged them with exploring the colony and recruiting any Vasto Lordes present.

Nnoitra points out that there isn't one present, which indicates that all of these hollows came together despite their cannibalistic requirements, without the oversight of a stronger power forcing them to conform to a set of pro-social behaviors.

very interesting.

Finally,

The Negal Ruins

I've already touched on the bell.

Now I'd like to touch on the elephant in the room, which actually inspired this post to begin with. I don't know if anyone else has explicitly written on the topic - but this has to be one of the most fascinating things Kubo never touched.

Hueco Mundo is included in the Soul Societies genesis story - it was created, allegedly, by the Shiba family to house the hollows and prevent consumption of normal human souls. The sand is supposedly made of all the dusted bones of what must be billions of hollows when the Soul King, in a fit of rage and disgust, destroyed them all upon their banishment. While this did not prevent the creation of new hollows, it does contribute to the god-like lore of the Soul King. THe key take away is that Hueco Mundo is an artificial land - and hollows are not native to it, but rather were herded into it as a way to separate them from the humans and spirits (and forced them towards their cannibalistic diet, rather than preying on plus souls).

Despite this, the story never discusses the Negal Ruins.

My two quick-fire evidence points that this is a brand new, distinctly different location is 1) the architecture is drawn completely differently to that of any version of Las Noches and 2) it has a roof.

Barragan's Las Noches did not have a roof.

A roof implies a certain level of sophisticated engineering that it seems Barragans Hollows were not capable of. It implies a certain amount of education and cooperation.

Presumably the name of the ruins were related to Team Ichigo by Grimmjow or Nelliel (Orihime is the one who officially says the name) however Kisuke is the one that directed everyones (independant??) transit to the ruins. One can assume there would have been a reason for this (Kisuke seems to be doing some sort of research), Kubo never returns to this particular plot-hook.

What's specifically interesting to me, however, is how a ruin like this came to exist in the first place. While Kisuke has knowledge or Shinigami records of the location I doubt it's from Shinigami construction given HMs genesis story and the Shinigami's hands off approach to HM for the most part.

A hollow community of some sort must have constructed it at some point, and since then the place has fallen into disrepair. Whatever community, government, or sect may have built and maintained it is long gone - an entire era lost with nothing more than the bones of it's buildings left behind.

I don't have a neat, tidy point to finish with, so I leave you with this:

Even after Aizen's meddling, arrancar still reside within Las Noches. The community remained even without shinigami enforcement (I doubt Hallibel or Grimmjow were forcing them to stay). Hueco Mundo has an entire history no one knows about. It's population has a society.

In the wake of the Winter War and Thousand Year Blood War, it's a population that was completely decimated.