#matt obviously learned it to support her

[burr-ell]

With respect to the previous reblog—I sped up almost all of the Otohan combat to 1.5 and only put it back to normal when Sam started FCG's last turn. And it's not that I can't be invested in climactic combat or even really difficult climactic combat! I watched the fights with Ripley, Thordak, Raishan, Vecna, the Iron Shepherds, Uk'otoa, and Vespin Chloras, some of them multiple times, and I was invested the entire way through.

But here's the thing: I do not currently play DnD, and prior to watching CR I knew very little about the mechanics. I learned with the cast as I was watching C1, and as the show went on I paid more and more attention because I could see how the mechanics of combat interacted with the story. When there's a moment where the crunch of combat powerfully reflects a character's arc? That hits, even as someone with little personal knowledge of the PHB. I am not, however, invested in just watching three hours of combat for its own sake...and Otohan's build feels like combat for its own sake.

Obviously the cast is really invested in the story; it's their characters and they're the ones making the choices and rolling the dice. They've been doing this together for over a decade, and they're really impressed by the raw power of Otohan's build. But as a viewer? This simply is not fun to watch. I mean, there are some great moments for the Hells—all of Orym's nat 20s, Fearne using the power of Rau'shan and deliberately casting Blight through touch, Chetney's last words—but I don't know anything about Otohan. I don't know why she's here. I don't know what her motives are. I don't know why exactly she's so OP—"Legend of the Peaks" is just set dressing to me because none of the characters care about the Apex War and Matt has never forced the issue.

Like, sure, they're an exaltant Ruidusborn, but...okay? Why do they get legendary actions and resistances? Where'd their goofyass lil Lands End backpack even come from? Why are they here? No one can do a swagless villain monologue like Ludinus; no one can evade child support like Liliana. But who cares about Otohan, as a character and not just the scary hero-killer? That role in the story could be occupied by any well-built level 20 melee combatant and the narrative wouldn't miss anything.

Without all of the necessary development to get me invested, this just seems like she's OP just to make her "hardcore" or whatever—and Matt's never made a villain like that, so I know this could have been portrayed better and simply wasn't. As it stands, she's had more presence in the stupid Moon Moms fanon (which seems to have been found dead on Ruidus anyway) than she has in the actual canon of the show. I'm always happy when a villain dies, but in this case, it's just good riddance.

[mysecretlittlelibrary]

You Learn Something New Everyday... I Guess

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Reader

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: none really, just Matt being a little self loathing

Genre: fluff? very very minor angst

Summary: You have a theory about your local vigilante that your friends think is silly (spoiler alert; it's literally not)

A/N: Because I refuse to believe no one has ever seen Daredevil and considered the fact that he is NEVER LOOKIN AT SHIT

***

You spin the straw in your drink while half listening to Foggy and Karen talk to each other about something you lost track of a little while ago. Something about a case last you were paying attention but they tend to spend so much time talking about work even on nights out you can't always keep track of it all.

"So what're your thoughts about the whole thing?" Karen asks as you stare into your glass.

"Y/n!" Foggy nudges you and your eyes snap up.

"Yes! Sorry. What was the question?" You ask.

"Daredevil, what're your thoughts on him?" Foggy nods towards the TV in the bar that's apparently playing a news story about Daredevil's latest escapades.

"He doesn't see." You shrug looking back at your drink.

"Doesn't see what?" Foggy frowns.

"Sorry, that's not quite what I meant to say; I meant he doesn't use his eyes to fight." You say looking up again.

"Wait what?" Karen shakes her head.

"I dunno, the eyes in his mask look opaque but also if you've ever watched him fight he doesn't really... look at things. The whole time his head does this twitchy thing like when dogs hear a sound but can't see it, as if he's trying to hear everything better." You explain.

"Are you- suggesting that Daredevil... is blind?" Karen asks.

"Well it's hard to know for sure if he's completely blind or not but I'd bet that he's probably at least visually impaired."

"You think a vigilante is visually impaired." Foggy scoffs.

"I know it sounds absurd but I mean before the fancy suit and the moniker he was the man in black, he wore like a black cloth that covered his eyes he's obviously not using them." You shrug.

"Maybe he could see through it." He says.

"No- for it to be sheer enough for him to see through it, especially at night it would also probably be sheer enough to see him through, at least in the light, and he's got like an airtight lock on his secret identity. Even before he had the suit." You shake your head. "Maybe that's why." You add with a hum.

"Maybe what's why?"

"If he's visually impaired as I suspect he is, nobody would believe he's Daredevil! I mean he takes on gangs singlehandedly in the shadows of Hell's Kitchen all the time there's no way you'd expect a blind man to be doing all that. It would make the perfect cover story, plus if he gets injured I mean- he's blind nobody would question him saying he bumped into something or fell or even someone threw something and he didn't know. It's kind of genius."

"Look who decided to join us!" Karen smiles excitedly and you turn to see Matt standing between you and Foggy.

"About time loser! Why are all of you so obsessed with work?" You scoff.

"Hi guys." He chuckles.

"Hey man, you'll never guess what theory y/n here has cooked up." Foggy says.

"Hey! Don't talk about me like I'm some tin foil hat looney alright." You point a finger at him.

"Even you admitted how absurd it sounded!" Foggy says.

"Sure but I provided ample evidence to support my claim it's not some baseless conclusion I'm jumping to!" You say.

"It's circumstantial at best." Foggy says.

"Well this isn't a court of law Nelson we're at Josie's and I don't have to be an expert witness to draw conclusions here I think I've more than proved my stance."

"Not beyond a shadow of a doubt!"

"Excuse me we aren't running a criminal trial there's no reason I should have to work to those standards I think- what's the other thing y'all use? A preponderance of the evidence, I think that's more than sufficient-"

"Is one of you going to tell me what this is about or are you going to keep throwing around legal jargon in a bar?" Matt cuts your arguing with Foggy short with a question while Karen gets up to grab him a seat at your table. "Honestly y/n you spend too much time with us, when did you pick up all those phrases anyway?" Matt muses.

"I dunno Foggy likes to throw them at me and I like to be able to fight back." You shrug.

"Y/n thinks Daredevil is blind." Karen tells Matt, returning to her own chair.

"You think Daredevil... like the vigilante is blind?" Matt chuckles.

"See what I mean?" Foggy gestures.

"I don't know that I'd go with totally blind but I think he's visually impaired at least." You nod.

"How do you figure that?" Matt asks.

"Something about his helmet." Foggy says.

"Well that one I can't verify but before he had the devil suit, when he was just the man in black he was basically fighting with a blindfold on. Why would someone with perfect vision handicap themselves that way? Especially taking on criminals severely outnumbered every time it doesn't make sense. Oh and he does this head twitch thing like he's seeing with his ears and not his eyes. Like an animal when locating a sound they turn their ears to it first. It's the perfect cover honestly." You shrug. "Kinda like that kid in Queens."

"What kid?" Foggy asks.

"Another masked hero type, red and blue suit, they call him Spiderman over there." You pull out your phone to find one of the several viral videos of Spiderman you've seen. "To clarify, I don't think he's also blind or anything like Daredevil but I'm pretty sure he's a teenager." You say once the video ends.

"You think that's a child?!" Foggy looks at you incredulously.

"I mean I've seen a few of these clips of him, and between his build and his voice, because he talks in some of these, and his movements- there's almost no way that's an adult, but he can stop a bus with his bare hands so no one is looking at him and assuming a high schooler is doing that. I just happen to know a little too much about anatomy and physiology and he looks like a teenager. Again, another perfect cover, the least likely person."

"So- you watched that guy, do that, and your first thought was 'he can't buy alcohol yet'. Seriously?" Foggy asks.

"Well no actually I didn't think much of it at first but after a few clips, I started to wonder. I mean it's just a guess since his suit covers him from head to toe but I'm pretty confident in it." You shrug.

"You're insane. For this and the Daredevil thing." Karen nods.

"Excuse me for daring to consider all options." You say dramatically and Matt chuckles beside you but doesn't offer much on the subject. From there your conversation pivots topics and you all spend another hour or two talking and drinking before eventually calling it a night and going your separate ways home.

~*~*~

"Y/n." The voice startles you as you walk into your apartment and you let out a scream, clutching your chest as you take in the intruder by your balcony.

"Okay. I know you're a vigilante so you work outside of the law kind of by default here but you better have a damn good reason for breaking into my apartment, as in someone better be on their way to kill me right now or I am going to be so pissed off." You say after a moment because why the hell is Daredevil standing in your apartment?!

"No one is coming to kill you." He shakes his head.

"Then what the hell are you doing here?" You cross your arms.

"I wanna know how you figured it out."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You figured out that I'm- I don't see when I fight. How did you know that?"

"Better question, how did you know that I knew that? Although, I didn't know for sure until you just said that, but how did you know I thought that?" You ask. Daredevil pulls off his helmet and you gasp. "Matt?"

"Don't act coy okay, we both know you knew it was me already." He rolls his eyes.

"No I didn't! If I knew it was you, or thought it was you, I would've said so the other night when we were talking about the whole thing. You know I've never been one to shy away from sharing what I'm thinking- oh my GOD you're daredevil!?" You shake your head as the information sinks in. You don't know which piece of this you're more interested in, the fact that you were right about Daredevil being blind or the fact that he's coincidentally also part of your friend group.

"Oh come on, you spent twenty minutes arguing that you think Daredevil is visually impaired are you telling me it didn't cross your mind for even a moment that it was me?"

"Okay first of all Matthew, you're not the only blind guy this side of the Hudson you know. Going from Daredevil may be visually impaired to Daredevil is the only blind man I know personally is quite a jump considering it was just a theory. Not to mention fair skinned man average height, average build, describes so many men in Hell's Kitchen not to mention the rest of New York. Hell, Tony Stark fits that description and if he wasn't already such an obnoxiously public superhero on the other side of the city I'd believe someone suspecting him of being Daredevil too."

"So you never once thought it was me?" Matt scoffs.

"I mean it crossed my mind once or twice but it's not like I could know for sure. That helmet covers like 80% of your face and you work almost exclusively at night it's not exactly cut and dry to ID you. I mean you've already had a copycat come around once." You explain.

"Why didn't you ask?"

"What?"

"At the bar, the other night, if you thought it was me why didn't you ask me?" He asks.

"Well if I asked and you told me the truth anyone at the bar could've heard and, I know Daredevil has quite a few enemies. If you lied to protect your identity because we were in public well, we both know I expect honesty from you so why risk that rift? And then of course there's the possibility that I was wrong in which case all of you would look at me like I'd grown three heads- not that the whole 'Daredevil is blind' theory didn't already have them looking at me funny but that's besides the point. There was no good outcome for me asking in public. Plus there wasn't even a reason for me to ask you really, I didn't know enough to say you, Matt, and any distinct similarities with you, Daredevil besides the way you react to sound." You shrug.

"What?"

"It was watching you- as Matthew- react to sound that made me piece together the Daredevil thing." You say.

"And you still didn't think it was me?"

"Again you aren't the only blind man around here, I figured reacting to sound that way was just a common trait for people who have to rely on senses other than sight."

"You got everything all figured out don't ya." He shakes his head.

"Well come on I am kind of known for it." You smile and Matt chuckles in spite of himself.

"You're taking this better than I expected. You're not mad."

"That you're a vigilante in your free time? Of course I'm not mad. I've always encouraged you and Foggy and Karen to have lives outside of your job and while your choice is a little... unorthodox, I think everyone should have a hobby. If this is yours I'm all for it. Although it does feel kind of work adjacent since you're like a lawyer but I'll let it go." You muse.

"Foggy and Karen had... very different reactions to the news."

"Wait- Karen and Foggy know?" 

"Yeah- yeah they know. But, I had to tell them because of extenuating circumstances. You, you just guessed it."

"I mean technically it was more of an inference than a guess, plus I didn't even guess that it was you just that the red devil didn't need his eyes for a fight." You shrug. "I can't believe they knew and had me feeling crazy at the table." You chuckle.

"It wasn't their secret to tell. I had to be the one to let you know, they were just keeping their promises-"

"I know. I'm not even mad about it. It's just funny." You shrug.

"You are being very chill about all of this." Matt says.

"So are you like- not fully blind? Because I was operating with the idea that Daredevil didn't have 20/20 vision or anything but like I definitely wasn't thinking total blindness which- I thought you had. So is that not the case? Like are you not fully blind?"

"I am. Kind of. It's hard to explain." He grimaces.

"Well have a seat and we'll discuss i- actually, is your suit clean or did you just get done vigilanteing because I do not want blood or mud on my couch so you'll have to clean up, I can go find one of your accidentally left here hoodies if you need to change." You offer.

"Tonight's battles were pretty clean I think I'm good." He says with his hands up.

"To be on the safe side sit at one of the kitchen stools."

"Yes ma'am." He nods and walks over to a chair to have a seat.

"So- are you totally blind? Yes or no?"

"Technically yes."

"Technically?"

"The entire world looks like it's engulfed in flames. I can see silhouettes sometimes but they're are angry reds and oranges. They do not paint a picture at all really." He explains.

"Interesting." You hum.

"But, I've learned to see in other ways. Sound is a big one. I can even hear people's hearts beating."

"You can hear hearts beating?!" You blink at him.

"Yes." He nods once.

"Can you hear mine?!"

"Yes." Another nod.

"Woah. What do you use that skill for?"

"Number of enemies in a fight, counting the people in a room before I enter it, seeing if someone's lying to me." Matt lists off.

"Have you ever used it on me?"

"You don't lie to me." He shrugs.

"So that's a yes."

"It's a no. Not intentionally anyway. You've never given me a reason to even suspect you of lying." He says.

"So how else do you see?"

"Smell kind of, touch when I can. Sound is the main one though."

"You're like a bat." You giggle.

"Ha ha." His laugh is dripping with sarcasm that only makes you want to giggle more.

"Wait so- if you can do all this shit I take it you don't really need your cane then, do you?"

"Not- not really no."

"It's part of the cover then- isn't it?"

"Correct." He says.

"Hm, I assume this is also why you don't date, right?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's just that I imagine this Daredevil thing takes quite a bit of time, between that and the job that you never take a break from you basically have negative 2 hours of free time both of which you spend with either me or your coworkers. Plus I'm sure this would be one hell of a secret to try and keep from a significant other because it's not like you can tell them on the first date right? You never know who's working with your opps so you need to vet people so having to hide it until you know it's safe, which would probably totally suck." You rattle off your explanation.

"Okay first of all I date." He scoffs.

"You don't. You hook up with people sure but you do not date.  I was honestly starting to think you were some level of aromantic and I guess you still could be and that's totally fine by the way but not having time because you're a part-time vigilante makes sense." You shrug.

"I'm not aromantic and me 'not dating' isn't because of the Daredevil thing."

"Of course it's not." You say.

"You're being sarcastic aren't you?"

"A little, but hey you don't have to explain your lack of romantic life to me. I was just being nosy."

"What about you? You don't date either." Matt crosses his arms.

"I do date actually and the reason you don't know that is because you never ask but if you don't wanna talk about your not dating that's fine." You say.

"I have my reasons."

"I'm sure you do Matty, you're entitled to them. No need to defend yourself to me."

"It's not related to being Daredevil." He says.

"Do you want to tell me about it or no? If so, great let's talk about it, if not I've had a long day and I'm a little tired babes. You can go back out the window I assume you came through or you can use the door-"

"You." He cuts off your last sentence with a single word.

"Excuse me?" You frown at him.

"You are the reason I don't date."

"What did I do?" You blink incredulously.

"Nothing. I have feelings for you so I don't date other people. I'm Daredevil so I don't tell you that I have feelings for you because it's dangerous, because it was a secret I couldn't tell you, because I don't get the girl."

"You don't get the girl? Do you think you're the antihero in a movie? It doesn't work that way Matt. If you liked me the proper course of action is to say something to me don't make it into some big dramatic story arc that's doomed from the start, everything with you is self sabotage mission. Do you really believe yourself that undeserving of good things, of things you want, of happiness?" This isn't the first time Matt has done something in direct conflict of his happiness so you're not surprised, but since the thing in question regards you, you can't help but feel exasperated.

"I-" Matt trails off with a frown that makes his entire face squeeze. "I don't know what you want me to say."

"Why tell me this now? If you 'don't get the girl' if you can't have a relationship because it's 'too dangerous' or whatever silly reason you have for hiding it in the first place. Why are you telling me now?"

"You asked and I'm tired of hiding it I guess."

"Tired of hiding it. You didn't have to hide it."

"I didn't- do you honestly think that if I told you like six months ago, that I'm Daredevil and that Hell's Kitchen's notorious vigilante has feelings for you, do you think you would've reacted well?"

"I like to think I would, yes, but who cares that's not what happened. You told me tonight so, now what?"

"Now what?" He blinks at you.

"You're Daredevil and you have feelings for me so what happens now? Do we- continue as we've been? Do we see where this goes? What do you want now?"

"See where this goes? You'd want that? With me? To see where it goes?" He asks, he looks so lost that you can't help but sigh.

"Yes that's why I asked. Is it so unbelievable that I could also have feelings for you?" You ask softly.

"Well you didn't exactly say that-"

"I'm saying now. So- ask me on a date, or go home."

"Ask you on a date?"

"That's what I said Matthew. For a fancy defense attorney who graduated from Columbia Law, you are lost in an extremely too easy to follow conversation."

"None of this has been easy to follow okay? I never thought I'd get the chance to-" Matt trails off and shakes his head remembering your instructions. "Would you like to go to dinner with me tomorrow night?"

"Yes I would. Eight o'clock. Don't be late." You say with a smile.

"Eight o'clock. I'll be here. See you tomorrow." Matt nods with an adorable grin on his face.

"Goodnight Matthew." You hum.

"Goodnight." He says putting his helmet back on and climbing out your window.

"He could've used the door." You mutter to yourself shaking your head. You still can't totally believe you were right about Daredevil being blind but more shocking is that it wasn't even the biggest reveal you got this evening. Life really does come at you fast.

***

[kazz-brekker]

hotd episode 7 thoughts

let me tell you, i have been anticipating the funeral drama in this episode for WEEKS and it absolutely did not let me down.

as always i am happy that we got to see some of the dragons but i would have loved even more. where is syrax! i want to see her all grown up!

i’m glad we got the velaryons mourning laena, but it really did make me wish that we’d gotten to see more of her alive. laenor is clearly grieving his sister, but i honestly don’t think they ever had any significant scenes together.

corlys and rhaenys with their grandchildren was really sweet, i especially loved seeing rhaenys comfort rhaena and baela at the funeral.

helaena targaryen continues to be a weird little girl and i support her!

i love the idea of making aemond care more about helaena than aegon does, it’s a good characterization bit and also incredibly evil (cannot wait to see Certain Events that happen as a direct result of aemond’s actions utterly ruin their relationship).

why was this episode so dark. i could see everything but it was really gray :(

however i did like the part where everyone was standing around awkwardly after the funeral, the interpersonal drama was delicious.

matt smith and emma d’aracy have great chemistry, all the staring they did at the funeral made me SO impatient for them to actually interact, and their conversation on the beach was fantastic. 

loved getting to see them confront all their thoughts and feelings about each other that have built up over ten years. i’ve always found their relationship compelling to watch even though it’s obviously. you know. incestuous. it’s just fun to watch! and i feel less “step away from the underage girl” now that rhaenyra is older.

i know harwin strong is dead and never coming back but i’m still glad that we got to see jace mourning him and rhaenyra talking about their relationship.

a brothel …. a shack on the beach … daemon i am literally begging you to bring rhaenyra somewhere actually nice on your next date.

the scene of aemond claiming vhagar was both funny and awesome, the visual of this tiny little kid riding a huge old dragon and screaming his head off was hilarious but the moonlight dragon ride was very cool.

truly family solidarity as exemplified by the targaryen-velaryon kids is when your cousin that you just met for the first time that day wakes you up in the middle of the night to tell you your uncle stole her dead mom’s dragon so you go beat him up together!

i like the added detail that rhaena was planning to claim vhagar, it adds even more betrayal to aemond taking her instead.

is house of the dragon actually an extended psa about the dangers of giving young children knives? maybe so!

mom rhaenyra looking after her kids and making sure they’re okay is very important to me :)

honestly, i felt pretty bad for aemond in the big confrontation scene, he was kind of a jerk to the other kids but it can’t be fun to get yelled at by your dad when you’ve just lost an eye.

i absolutely LOVED the tension in that scene and the way that it built and built until alicent just went for it and tried to stab rhaenyra. characters going completely feral and unhinged in the BEST and alicent dropping her mask of cordiality and screaming at rhaenyra was so, so good.

viserys your parental favoritism is reeeally showing…

the scene between rhaenyra and laenor was wonderful, i’m so glad the show made it clear that even though they have their differences and have been basically forced into a marriage together they still care about each other and their kids a lot.

loved that larys was like “hey alicent want me to stab a kid’s eye out for you? :)” and alicent was like “no dude i’ll actually TELL you when i want you to kill someone.” she’s learning!

there were 3 dragons when the boat was sailing away, does that mean helaena has already claimed dreamfyre?

when rhaenyra and daemon started talking about getting married i was SO worried that i was going to see them engage in some not chill behavior together and kill laenor so i’m glad that didn’t happen.

i do have to respect this show for avoiding another bury your gays by having laenor fake his death but. uh. is anyone ever going to tell corlys and rhaenys that their son isn’t dead?

the valyrian wedding between daemon and rhaenyra was really cool but tbh i was kind of laughing at them passionately making out with tongue in front of their kids.

i say this every week but i am VERY excited for next week, looks like we’re in for even more family drama.

[the-last-knight-of-avalir]

Maybe I'm saying something obvious but Relvin's behavior towards Imogen is such a good metaphor for homophobic/transphobic etc parents especially in small towns/communities.

His own child scares him because what she is is not 'normal'.

He fears for his reputation. ('How many people saw you walk in here?')

He tried to ignore the 'problem'. ('I thought if I didn't say anything...')

It's obvious that when Imogen lived with her father she got no support in anything regarding her abilities, she couldn't try to improve or control them, or learn more about them, she just tried to suppress them (= her true identity) as hard as she could, and they obviously never talked about any of it openly.

Relvin wants her to be 'normal' which is heartbreaking because she will never be what he considers normal. Because you can't just wish away your child's identity or abilities or choices that don't fit into your view of the world. And I think Matt and Laura portrayed that heartbreak perfectly.

[woodsfae]

Character/arc predictions made after watching s03e17 War Without End Part One. First time watcher, please don't spoil me. :) Putting these down for posterity before I watch War Without End Part Two!

Garibaldi: He's been the reseach guy, and has been learning Narnuan and studying the Book of G'Quan so I think he's going to be vital to tracking down Sheridan unmoored in time, likely while Sheridan is in the past liberating Narn from the Shadows. I don't think Garibaldi going to die. I think they're setting up the narrative to make the viewers think he's going to die on B5, so when he does his final stand, or heroic staying behind the cut the wire or whatever it'll really tug everyone's heartstrings and he'll be "dead" for awhile. But then he'll be back with...

Stephen Franklin: Dr Franklin, while trying quit space cocaine and recover from the stressful life of a space station CMO is going to thrive in the more laidback environment which is Space Doctors Without Borders slash working with the human psi escape network. He, the psi underground, and Garibaldi (somehow...Garibaldi has had a lot of screen time researching PsiCorps) are going to come in clutch against the Shadows. He's also going to bring Sheridan back to life on Zha'dum with his medical knowledge and primitive/no medical tech/supplies. 

Susan Ivanova: will also be involved in the Psi plots. Obviously, she is a telepath. Her mother taught her good enough shielding/repressing that she has been able to slip beneath PsiCorps' notice all this time. But she's going to have to accept that she's a telepath (if she hasn't already...she plays her cards close to the vest) and learn to use it. She will also be an ace against the Shadows. I think she's going to be put into a situation where she is being pressured into letting other telepaths into her mind. Bester is my first guess. Then another PsiCorps telepath. She hates and fears PsiCorps and so that would be high stakes. But it might also be any telepath/s from any species. Maybe she'll be involved with an alien, league, and/or narn telepath/s. They've been teasing her being in danger on Babylon 5 and I don't have any firm predictions about how she moves from Babylon 5 but it might have something to do with Talia.

Talia Winters: I don't know if Talia is actually dead or not. Or if her body lived along with the personality construct PsiCorps trapped her with. Or if her personality will be assumed to be dead but resurface at some point. Or if they're gonna do an endgame of Bury Your Gays. My heart says sadly that I think Talia is either dead, or will end the series dead. But I HOPE something like this (or better!) happens for her. I hope she comes back to Babylon 5 in the nick of time. Her real personality or not. She and Susan escape the Shadows' attack. This will probably be after Garibaldi is assumed dead. Babylon 5 is lost, probably destroyed. Susan and Talia work together, have sparks. If Talia has been the construct, she gets sparks of memory back. But I think she dies, maybe saving Susan. Amd leaving Susan brokenhearted having never been public about their affection. Secret love and secret loss. Worst case scenario she lives, gets her memories back, survives, and then goes back to her ex, Matt Stoner and moves into his mom's basement to support his burgeoning career as a holostreamer.

John Sheridan: He is going to walk across time, learning and fighting the war across the universe. He's going to be perhaps the most famous warrior ever, with his legend echoing from a hundred points across thousands of years of history. He saved the Babylon 4 crew from Babylon 4. He traveled forward in time to save Babylon 5. I think he's going to make more stops before/after the war against the Shadows in the far past. I think he helped drive the Shadows off Narn, when they were there something like 500 years ago. Garibaldi might discover he was mentioned in G'Kar's book of G'Quan or something like that. Then, after all his timewalking, there's going to be a final showdown at Zha'dum in the main Babylon 5 timeline. And he's going to win. And die. And Stephen Franklin, bereft of his modern medical devices is going to keep him alive with 23rd century field medicine and possibly good old fashioned CPR. So Sheridan will die at Zha'dum and also live. And I'm certain Kosh is dead-but-not-gone, and will be either haunting Sheridan in specific, or Sheridan will have a packet of his memories or instincts or something like that. 

Delenn: She's gonna live. She's got to settle down with her all-american, corn-fed, iowan side of beef. She better have a crazy legend, too. I think she's going to have to steal Babylon 4 without Sheridan, because Sheridan is time walking uncontrollably. But she's gonna catch him with Babylon 4 somewhere or when. It's going to be very romantic. And she'd better get a legend of her own on the goddess level. I think that as she has yet to really explore the humanity in herself, she may have to dig deep into humanity's best and worst to think like the kind of human (Sheridan) that can out-tactics the Shadow, sacrificing her Minbari identity even more in order to become who she needs to be to succeed in catching Sheridan out of time and defeating the Shadows in past/present/future.

Lennier: He is the archetype of chivalry, specifically platonic ideals of a knight serving a lady. He's Lancelot from the older stories where he and Guinevere don't fuck. I think he will follow that archetype quietly, firmly, joyfully, to the end. I think he is going to die with the pure heart and diamond convictions he has demonstrated throughout the show. But that's as his eventual fate, which I hope doesn't end with season three. They may explore him creating his own legend and walking away from Delenn for a bit, but if they do, I think he will return to being her loyal aide until death do them part. Platonically. 

The show has made a point of saying that Narns aren't telepaths and having G'Kar imply that his telepathy was only temporarily induced by the drugs, but I'm not sure that's going to end up to be true. They've (imho) treated the Narns shamefully, and thematically the Narns OUGHT to be the ultimate aces in the hole. The alliance and rangers which have kept the Narns out of the loop, because of prejudice and pity, ought to realize that they cannot succeed without the Narns and they were wrong to assume the Narns didn't have necessary skills and information to allow them to succeed against the Shadows. And G'Kar ought to be recognized as a great leader of his people, a legendary ambassador working against impossible odds, and a hero. But idk if they're going to give the G'Kar and the Narns the props they deserve. I hope so, though. 

Londo Mollari: Aftering choosing the grasping, short-sighting path to power and influence every single time, and deeply regretting his youthful forays into the unCentauri vices of empathy and equity, Londo steers Centaur into falling into the Shadows' hands as Emperor. He blames everyone else around him till the bitter end. He might do something redemptive, like voluntarily clear the way for Vir the Reformer or something. But I expect him to choose miserably poorly for the rest of his life.

Vir Cotto: Emperor Vir the Reformer! He's definitely going to be legendary! And known for his reforms! I expect he'll spend his time till then being browbeaten by Londo by day, and helping Narns fake their deaths and escape the murder regime by night. No idea if his murderer wife is going to turn up again. I imagine...so...? But I can't imagine it ending well for either of them. 

Zack Allen: If he survives, he better be conscious for the rest of his life about his tendencies to fall in line with fascist elements and work to instead choose liberation. He seriously failed every moral checkpoint and then only chose the B5 alliance because it was getting pretty uncomfortable being one of the regime's bootlickers and enforcers. I've got my eye on him. 

Bester: My best guy is going to survive, do some very morally black shit, be my special, ominous little fellow, and trot off at the end to go found a psi-only colony/future superpower in an undisclosed location.

Sheridan's Dead Wife: Isn't actually dead now, but might be actually dead by the end of the show. 

My prediction for Sinclair is a separate post - see here.

[gwenandy]

MIYU FACTS FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO KNOW ABOUT HER !!!!!!!! 🩷

- She is 19 years old!

- American Model

- Adopted to a big family right when she dropped from the Wammy House. She’s now apart of the Smith Family!

- Her siblings are: Jeremiah (Oldest Brother), Chum (Youngest brother), Isaiah (Same age as her), Aaliyah (Young sister)

- She is actually happy in this family :3

- She uses her modeling money to support her family

- Miyu keeps her family to herself, so Matt and Mello don’t know about them for their own safety

- She wears leopard prints/bimbocore outfits

- Miyu goes out partying in certain nights

- It’s mostly Matt who has to go and get her

- Forced Matt to add soundproof walls in the apartment because she’s tired of the neighbors complaining about the loud music she’s blasting

- She learned Japanese from her auntie

- Miyu is slightly less smart then how she was before since she barely focuses on her studies and such

- Once she’s comfortable, she will not respect your space bubble until you give her a sign to stop

- She’s loud

- Miyu rants about her women crushes to M2 every time she gets the chance to

- She’s extremely supportive in anything depending what it is

- She despises SLIGHTLY of mello because of how aggressive and ruthless he is at times

- And not to mention she’s sometimes afraid of him. Reason why she mostly warms up to Matt more— since he’s mostly chill

- There was a time where Matt and Mello were arguing— she always has to break them up. But this time they just yelled at her and that made her silent for about 2 days (yeah it was bad bad)

- She values communication and understanding no matter relationship (any romantic, friendship, etc. she’s in)

- She has a contagious laugh

- She looks and treats M2 as older brothers of her own(Matt being the older brother, and mello being the brother… in law…??). So no romantic feelings will ever develop

- Obviously she’s inlove with Misa

- She shares platonic kisses (on the cheek only). She gives kisses to her siblings, mother and m2.

[farieshades]

Why couldn't Peter and Sue go back to narnia?

(Depending on the answer i might ruin our childhoods)

At the end of Prince Caspian, Peter announces that he and Susan won't be returning to Narnia because Aslan told them they are 'too old' and wouldn't be returning.

However we also see (in the film) Older Telmeranians going into the 'normal' world through the portal the Pevensie children walk through, so age doesn't actually appear to be a factor. We know there isn't a age limit because Peter and Susan aren't twins, and are, in the books 13 and 12 respectively at the time they are "too old", similarily when Dawn Treader happens Edmund and Lucy are "too old" at 12 and 10  respectively, whereas Eustace and Jill's adventures stop at age 16. 

Then, at the end of TLtWatW, they are definitely older than 16, as in THaHB Queen Susan is 26, King Edmund 24, and Queen Lucy 22 in Narnia while they are still living there which is happening when Peter, roughly 27-8, is fighting Giants in the North. So it isn't "Age" as time in years, but in knowledge learned as referenced at the end of the PC movie. 

Peter and Susan learned all that they needed to learn from Narnia and Aslan. This is supported in text by Caspian's uncle saying fairytails are for babies and Caspian should be thinking about battle and adventure instead. Susan and Peter are becoming more 'adult' in thinking, looking for the rational and the logical rather than the mystical and magical. 

Another factor to this is when Lucy alone sees Aslan across the valley area and Susan is rather condesending in her response of "Where did you Think you saw him?" There's disbelief, they're misunderstanding, and obviously if Susan didn't see it herself, it wasn't there and Lucy was just mistaken, seeing things that aren't actually there.

Edmund, notably in the film, backs his younger sister on if she saw Aslan, he believes her, and says so "When we first discovered Narnia a year ago—or a thousand years ago, whichever it is—it was Lucy who discovered it first and none of us would believe her. I was the worst of the lot, I know. Yet she was right after all. Wouldn’t it be fair to believe her this time?" 

There is a disconnect between the siblings' belief which is of course a potential allegory to the whole Jesus = Aslan type scenario but we'll ignore that as that's not really central to the question asked, nor is Narnia an allegory at all according to C.S.L.. 

Their (mostly Susans, but Peter's too) concerns through Prince Caspian show 'adultish' concerns, clothes not fitting in, believing eyes rather than hearts, thinking for explanations to the magical, they are becoming focused on the 'real world'. [This of course gives me a reminder to Doctor who, the older he becomes (Matt Smith in particular) the more carefree the audience can see him, but the more he's seen the darkness in the world and inside himself]. 

Now -- an interesting change happens with VotDT, in which neither Susan or Peter are there, but they are referenced. Peter is being tutored by Digory Kirke, the owner of the 'original' wardrobe portal while Susan goes to America. Susan is the 'pretty one' of the family which is further stressed again in TLB when Susan is "no longer a friend of Narnia[... more] interested in nothing now-a-days except nylons and lipstick and invitations", and this was an age she had been pretending to be since she was young and would pretend to be as she gets older. 

Susan speaks of Narnia as a place of make-believe that she and her siblings conjured during playtime as children. Susan's story remains unfinished as the story that would bring her to Aslan's country would be 'too grown up' than the rest of the books in the series and C.S.Lewis decided not to do so. He does, however, note  to Pauline Bannister in 1960 that there is a chance for her to reach her siblings in Aslan's country but that journey would be long and "as a woman of twenty-one who has just lost her entire family in a terrible crash, she will have much to work through; in the process, she might change to become truly the gentle person she has the potential for being" as is written in the footnotes in Companion to Narnia. 

Peter, on the other hand, as we know ruled Narnia for 15 years in the Tetrarchy with his siblings until at age 27-8 returned to age 13 abruptly, and after Caspian, he didn't return until TLB when he was 22 for a final time. A good 8 or so years since his last trip. 

In TLB Peter plays a small role, mostly in retrieving magic rings for Eustace and Jill to return to Narnia, which is one of the last scenes with him before the train crash. Now, afterwards, it is noted that the siblings are reunited in Aslan's country, meaning, theoretically, Peter did return after the events of Prince Caspian, however we also learn that this is the 'true' Narnia and the one from the Wardrobe that they knew before was "only a shadow or copy" of what Narnia is. 

In your ask you mention “Depending on the answer I might ruin our childhoods” in which I am assuming relates to, then, child soldiers. 

Really, these literal children are given weapons and expected to fight a battle with no training or fighting experience at all, and as Film!Susan says, "Mum sent us away so we wouldn't get caught up in a war". And yet, here they are, fighting a war. 

But unlike being given a weapon of mass destruction that can cause chaos with a few words, they also recieve gifts that will help, like the Horn that calls for aid, and the magical healing cordial, and okay yeah Rhindon and a shield and a bow and a dagger... not the best gifts for preteens but fair enough, considering at the time, this was actually happening. 

Children frequently fought in both the allied and axis forces, and there was even the entire establishment of 'Hitlerjugend' which trained youths and indoctrinated them which, at the onset of WW2, the Hitlerjugend had roughly 8.8 million members, although the number decreases to just over 1 million as the war begins as people get conscripted into the national army thus these kids were being taught by 16-17 year olds while they were maybe 8-15? 

The Axis also had the SS Youth division, with children 16-17. Not as bad as Lucy being 8, but then, the Soviet union had the Red Army, the UK had 'Dad's Army' (the last line of defence  as a home guard) and the US had the wonderful Calvin Graham (pls look him up his life is bloody insane) who enlisted at 12 years old "successfully" lying about his age and being definitely 18, you know. 

So during this time, child soldiers weren't 'new' but they certaintly attempted for 16+.

Of course, for Narnia films, the characters are aged up a bit, Peter is roughly 14-15 in the first movie I think, or depicted as such, and the others follow suit. 

It’s also not the only time we see Child Soldiers in fantasy; Harry Potter, Ender’s Game, Percy Jackson+, Warrior Cats, Animorphs, Septimus Heap, Game of Thrones, and that's just the books I can see on my shelf.  And theoretically The Avengers references it with Natasha’s backstory of taking young girls and making them soldiers.  

However, in that realm, “Peter and Susan are too old” would potentially mean they are too old to be child soldiers that Narnia requires which is an interesting take. Certainly not the one I hold, but an interesting thought bubble.

[bentasabean]

Omg I’ve been thinking endlessly all day about which houses the foxes and co would be in if they went to hogwarts and these are my thoughts:

- Andrew would’ve be a Hufflepuff and nobody can tell me otherwise because Andrew is such a loyal and caring soul in his own way towards the people he loves. And also I think it would be pretty cool for there to be a Hufflepuff who isn’t the normal kind, sweet stereotypical person.

- Neil I was thinking is a bit of a Slytherin because he is very cunning and ambitious and clever although not smart, sorry not sorry, there is no way he could ever be a Ravenclaw. However I’m also torn between saying he’s a Gryffindor because he is very brave although stupid. And Neil is also a good leader because why else would Womack have made him assistant captain?

- There is of coarse no doubt that Matt and Dan would be in the same house because they’re classic couple goals and so I think they would both be in Gryffindor because Dan is obviously a leader and not just towards the foxes but also in her past with her auntie and supporting her family. And Matt although he is loyal and could be called a Hufflepuff I feel like he’s loyal to everyone in an all loving way that doesn’t fit with a Hufflepuff and also Matt is very brave if we look at his past with drugs and the way he got through it all and came out stronger than ever. Matt is also very determined like when he wouldn’t give up pining for Dan before they got together.

- Allison would be a Slytherin all the way because she is such a boss ass bitch and she’s too cool to not be in Slytherin. Allison is a very sly woman who I would consider to be very clever although she may first appear as ‘dumb’ because she’s your average pretty blonde.

- There’s no doubt in my mind that Aaron would be a Ravenclaw along with Katelyn because their both just such smarty pants’ and we all know that in the extra content they graduate and go to medical school and you gotta be hella smart to go there sooooo

- Jeremy would be a Hufflepuff because he’s such a golden retriever he fits into Hufflepuff so well he is a brilliantly hard working man who is so kind and protective to the people he loves. That is what makes him such a great captain as well as his patience which he just radiates along with his good sportsman ship which we are clearly shown when the Foxes go up again the Trojans and they change their roster to be the same number as the Foxes even though they’re likely to lose due to it.

- Jean Moreau my little baby is such a savage Slytherin like he is such a fighter who made it till the end. He’s a very respectable man and I honestly love him with all my heart and also the only aesthetic that he fits well with is the Slytherin aesthetic and you can’t even lie.

- Nicky would probs be a Hufflepuff because he raised the twins and put so much work and effort into being a good trustworthy guardian for them and if that doesn’t scream Hufflepuff then I don’t know what does, and of coarse he had to be with Erik who just gives off Ravenclaw vibes because I bet under all those muscles that he had there is a very smart brain there, he is the brains AND the brawn.

- I’m stuck on whether Kevin is a Slytherin or maybe a Ravenclaw because he’s definitely not brave enough to be a Gryffindor (sorry Kevin baby) and he doesn’t seem like the most loyal of people. And I wouldn’t say Kevin is a genius but he seems quite smart. And he could be a Slytherin because he clever in playing it safe and logical with most of his decisions especially of coarse his exy decisions.

- The only other person I’m stuck on is Renee because she has characteristics of all or most of the houses: she is brave and courageous which we see when learning about her back story in a gang and protecting herself, she a very loyal and dedicated friend to all of the foxes, she’s basically a genius in cleverness and wit with the way that she handles situations and she is also such a educated soul who I would honestly trust with my life. So I honestly do not know for Renee.

The end that is my ramblings, your welcome 🙏

[bridgertonbabe]

not bridgerton related hahaha but how are you faring on the ned/ariel/try guys drama as more info come out?? 🙁

It's the fact that yesterday morning I was like "oh boy, I'm gonna settle down and do a whole bunch of writing today! 😊" and then after finding out about the speculation from a tiktok I immediately spiralled and couldn't focus on anything else but the news as it unfolded (much like N*d couldn't focus on not cheating on his wife 🙃).

I've been watching the Try Guys since they were at Buzzfeed but in the last year or so I haven't really watched any of their content, only occasionally listening to the You Can Sit With Us podcast or any video that featured the Try Wives because (with all due respect to the guys minus Ned) I grew more fond of the girlies + Matt and their dynamic.

I know obviously as content creators/influencers you only know the versions of these people from what they put out there but I always felt Ariel was very down to earth and relatable and she truly is just a very wholesome lady. She was open about her insecurities with her body image after becoming a mother not to mention how she lowkey always felt insecure about being a few years older than Ned in their relationship - so after the news broke I was just absolutely devastated for her.

Whatever worries she harboured about her marriage or what her husband felt towards her must have increased by the tenfold after finding out that he was having an affair. And it's bad enough that he was cheating on her but to cheat on her with his employee?! In the business she helped set up?! She designed their office, she became a featured player in their videos, she participated in documenting their family life and sons, she supported him endlessly throughout - and this is how he repays her?! He centred his whole persona around being Ariel's husband, being a husband to a woman he absolutely adored, feeding the audience a version of #couplegoals that the hope-filled optimists in us can be inspired by - only to throw away his reputation, his business, and the love of an incredible woman for some sex that he was too sloppy to even bother hiding properly?! It's just infuriating that he could do that to someone as lovely as Ariel, to humiliate her like that so publicly and to tarnish everything their marriage represented and stood for.

I rarely invest myself in other peoples relationships and obviously I was naive in this case but I really thought N*d and Ariel were aspirational. 😭 It annoys me that people are all like "lol dumb bitch you really thought what you see is what you get?" because for the most part I'm a pessimistic realist when it comes to love but when it came to their relationship I couldn't help but find them adorable. I was never that keen on N*d as a person (I lowkey always felt he was the weak link in the group but felt bad for thinking that lmao I should have stuck to my gut) but the one thing that I thought he had going for him, the one thing that made him endearing was just how much he loved his wife and children. Even though I thought he was a bit of a try-hard and kinda douchey with his frat-boy persona when he was with the guys, I thought he was earnest and grounded with Ariel and their family, like that was the real him. So it makes me apoplectic with rage that he betrayed Ariel the way that he has and shown himself up to be the person I always thought I negatively viewed him to be.

Ariel deserves so, so, so much better than him and while I sadly think she'll stay with him for the sake of their children, I would love if she recognised how unworthy he is of her and walked away from him; but obviously it's not as simple as that. At the very least she's got the Try Team and the fans firmly on her side so she knows how loved and supported she is during this time.

(But anyway, that's my lesson learned of never putting faith in self-proclaimed wife-guys 🤡)

[masschase]

The whole multiverse thing basically

@whoredmode:

Thought I'd type a bit about this idea for anyone who's interested bc it does give jumping off points for multi-boss art etc.

First I believe I have to give an overview of one of the main non-romance plots of my fanfic for context:

There is a Zin coup; specifically a group of Zinyak supporters want him back, so their plan is to assassinate Casey before she becomes President, in the hope that the alternate option(s) for President aren't able to take him on. Luckily, Zinjai overhears this and alerts the Emperor to the threat so they can send a team back in time to stop her being killed in the past and erased from existence in the future.

Now the multiverse thing is not actually a part of my written canon, or at least not yet, it's just a potential scenario I thought might allow Bosses from different universes to meet. So it has a lot that I've not yet ironed out/nailed down as it's really just for fun 🙂

My fic doesn't focus on the idea of alternate universes (a lot of shit about alternate memories though!) but there are allusions to the idea (what would have happened if Casey and Pierce listened to Kinzie re the tank and the Deckers kept the learning computer, what if Casey's parents did some of the things they intended to do and moved to Paris, invested in good stocks and called her Persephone instead of Cassandra, etc etc).

So I've not yet decided what piques Casey's interest in the multiverse but it is consistent with her character that she gets excited at potential proof of supposedly fictional concepts (aliens, robots, zombies etc.) so I can see her exploring that, and it seems like something the Zin, as the most technologically advanced civilisation, might have knowledge of.

Timeline-wise it happens after they have taken over their new planet, so Summer-Autumn 2022. She realises in universes where Zinjai didn't overhear about the coup, she would have had no chance to save herself and she would have gotten erased.

She gets some advice from Zinjai and gives Matt a week off other work (he is well known for inventing brilliant stupid things when given time off) which in addition to the Zin's existing work on the multiverse, allows him to build something that tracks the leader of the Saints in different universes. It's not super specific on when she lands so far.

Zoo's universe is the first she jumps to, ending up in 2014 when he was fighting the Syndicate. She starts to theorise that their universes are one of the closest ones due to similarities in their personalities. I don't know quite where me and @zoo-the-saint are taking this but Casey does realise she could warn alternate Bosses about ANYTHING if they'll believe her, including the destruction of their own Earth (which is something she spent about a year working on how to avert via time travel, only for every solution to create a paradox with regards to how she gets time travel to avert it's destruction... you see where I'm going with this) if that's something that will or might occur in their universe.

Obviously, this works with any rewrite/AU concepts because there could be infinite possibilities. And since I presume the multiverse hopper works like my canon for the time travel units (anything you're carrying/anyone you're holding onto comes with you) there would be scope for ALL of them to meet in some capacity, or team up to face a threat.

Phew, thanks to anyone who actually read all this 🤣

[twoidiotwriters1]

Copycat: Origins —(Marvel Fem!Oc)

A/N: Our graduation party’s today! Wish for us not to be hungover tomorrow jsdjsd -Danny

Words: 1,737

Phase Three Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

Listen to: ‘Lookalike’ -by Conan Gray

xxi: Love At First Sight

Five minutes after arriving, she spotted Matthew walking toward her. Cat fixed her hair and then remembered he was blind, she fixed her sunglasses instead.

"Hey—"

The man walked right past her. Maybe she'd been wrong? It was pretty dark the night they'd met—

"You're gonna stand there all day?"

He'd stopped a few feet ahead, Cat gave a start and started walking.

"Sorry!"

He wasn't like any guy she'd met before, Matt was much older than the men she'd met over the last five years and younger than the ones that had raised her. Cat wanted his attention, she wanted him to like her. He was something new.

"I thought you'd show up wearing a formal suit," she teased.

"I thought we had a deal," He replied. "You looked up stuff about me."

"Just out of curiosity, I'm not going to add anything to your file," She responded, "you're a pretty good lawyer— You put Wilson Fisk behind bars after Daredevil kicked the living shit out of him—"

"I don't wanna talk about it, kid."

"Fine, but don't call me kid," She wrinkled her nose. "It's weird. How old are you?"

Matthew smiled. "Too old for you."

She scoffed. "No one's too old for me. Especially someone that's good-looking."

"Stop."

"I'll stop if you tell me your age."

"I meant stop walking, we're here." Matt walked to the door of the building on his right. "I'm thirty-three."

She followed him in and continued their talk. "Did you know humans reach their peak of attractiveness during their thirties?"

"Then I'll have to wait a long time for yours," He joked.

"You forget a key part, handsome," Cat added humorously, "I don't age like a human. I'll be looking twenty-something for quite a while," her smile vanished. "Hang on, you can't see me anyway!"

"I see you," He guided her to a flight of stairs. "Not in the same way you do, but I can sorta see your face."

"It's pretty, isn't it?"

He let out a short laugh. After a while Matthew reached a door and opened it, inside she found an old-fashioned boxing ring.

"Oh, wow! Is this place yours?"

"An old friend lends it to me. I thought this was the right place to train you."

"I was hoping you'd take me to your place."

"Cat..." He spoke in a tone of warning.

"Alright, I'll stop... for now."

"I'm in love."

Harley stopped cooking and turned to face her.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I met someone," She smiled. "He's hot."

The word rolled off her tongue easier than expected, she remembered with fondness a time in which she couldn't understand why calling another person "hot" made sense.

Harley frowned. "You don't go to your Pietro's apartment every week, do you?"

"Noup."

"Where do you go?"

She melted on her chair smiling guiltily. "I hang out with Daredevil."

Harley dropped the spatula and fully turned to her quickly, supporting both hands on the breakfast bar. "No way!"

"I met him a month ago," Cat beamed. "He's so amazing!"

"Isn't he like... bad?"

"I'm not exactly a harmless kitten."

"How old is he?"

"Thirty," She bit her lip."But he looks younger, I swear—"

"Oh, Stray..." Harley ran a hand over his face. "You gotta be kidding me."

"He's so cute..."

"What has Nat told you about older men flirting with young girls?"

"That they're pigs I shouldn't trust," She replied. "But he doesn't flirt with me! He's teaching me how to fight! And I'm not a little girl!"

"You fight well enough!"

"He's got special skills I wanna learn," She said vaguely.

"So he's just teaching you..." Harley raised a brow. "He's not into you?"

"No, and I hate that."

"Because you want him?"

"Obviously."

"You're horny, not in love," Harley rolled his eyes. "Learn the difference. You worried me there for a second!"

"No! I mean— Yes!" She huffed. "I like his personality and all that stupid nonsense. Yeah, he's crazy hot and sometimes I just want to slam him against a wall and get on my knees—"

"T.M.I!"

"—But I also daydream about talking all night and whatnot! I seriously like him, Junior. It'd been ages since I felt this way... if I ever did."

"What about Rose?"

"Who?" She tilted her head. "Oh! Rose! Well... She's not in love with me. I doubt I'll ever see her again, to be honest."

"Can I give you my opinion?"

"Go on."

"I think you're just upset about not having him wrapped around your finger like the rest of us. You shouldn't try anything with this guy."

"But—"

"You just met him," He insisted. "I'm sure he looks real jazzy right now: A vigilante that listens to no one. I'm sure that if you dig a little deeper, though, you'll see the guy's flawed like everybody else and you'll get over him."

She fixed her gaze on the table, drawing patterns on the surface. "Yeah, maybe I should dig deeper... it's no good to crush on regular people. I shouldn't make that mistake again."

"Besides, men like him tend to be selfish in bed, you knew that?"

"Says who?"

"Someone," He shrugged. "Women. Who cares? Just focus on the lessons, don't let your fantasies distract you, alright? You told me that. Have some self-control."

She fixed her posture and spoke in a condescending voice. "No man is going to distract me."

Cat shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her eyes were covered and she was trying not to fall over the edge of the rooftop. Matthew was supervising the situation, tonight was Copycat's first time out with Daredevil.

A noise caught her attention, fabric brushing against metal. She drew out her spear and stop a pair of chains from wrapping around her. Cat twirled her weapon and pulled as harshly as she could, Matt pulled as well, and she threw the spear in his direction.

She heard him dodge it, the spear got stuck on the concrete floor and she ran towards it. She couldn't see a thing but heard Matt's steps getting closer. The hero stopped and kicked him in the chest.

Cat heard him grab his baton, and the mutant seized it and attacked him, Matt stopped each hit. He threw a left hook at her but she moved just in time, then she caught his wrist and pulled, she threw the man over her shoulder and without letting go of his arm she twisted the limb until he was down on the floor and she was sitting on his lower back.

Matt hit the ground two times with his open palm and Cat let go of him, she took off the blindfold.

"That was amazing!"

"Get off, Cat."

She rolled over to the hard floor, waiting patiently for Daredevil's final verdict. Matthew turned and supported his weight on both elbows, he took off his mask. Even though she'd decided not to adore him, she couldn't help but feel a little delighted at the sight.

He sat up and brushed the dirt off his hands.

"You're ready."

"Really?"

He handed her the spear. "You're a fast learner."

"Two months," She said proudly, shrinking her spear and hanging it on her belt. "Took me a while, but I got the hang of it."

"Yeah."

"You'll let me patrol with you?" She pressed. "You said you'd let me as long as I didn't kill, and I won't."

Matthew tilted his head towards her, for some reason, he looked sad.

"I know."

"What?" She nudged his knee. "What's wrong?"

He cleared his throat. "Sorry, I got lost in thought. I'm fine."

"Were you thinking about them?"

"What?"

"Your friends," Matt had mentioned they'd vanished with the snap. "I do that sometimes. I wonder if telling my friends who I was sooner would've changed things... but it doesn't make sense."

The man barely nodded. "It's complicated."

"It took me a while," She moved closer to him. "But I realized that what Thanos did was not my fault. Forces like ours have their limits... I don't think my... my boyfriend would've wanted me to spend the rest of my life sad and miserable, he would've wanted me to heal, so I'm trying."

"It's funny," He replied, though he wasn't laughing, "my friends always said I didn't need Daredevil, but when they disappeared, the suit was all I had left."

"You've been helping people without it too," She pointed out, "assisting foreigners, stopping landlords from committing fraud... I think your friends would be happy to see you're doing well."

He wasn't convinced, but a playful smile hid his former expression expertly.

"How come I'm just hearing about your boyfriend now?"

"Are you jealous, Matthew?"

"Thought I was your one and only," He frowned, though the corners of his mouth couldn't hide his grin completely.

Cat shook her head, smiling like an idiot. "He was a dream. Kind, intelligent... We had our future planned out. I never wished for any of those things, but he made me believe they would make me happy. People say I'm charming, but that's because they never met him. He was the real deal."

"Now I am a little jealous," Matthew joked, "you're describing an angel."

"Devils tend to get angry when confronted with their counterparts, don't worry. He was too good sometimes, though. I dragged him into a life full of sacrifices— maybe things happen for a reason, and if that's true, that would mean he died because of me."

"No," The man was quick to reply. "You're good at killing people, but I've met others with the same skill, and you know what that says about them?" He held her hand, squeezing it a little. "They're willing to do anything to protect the people they love. If that boy died, I wasn't because of your lack of effort."

She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Cat enjoyed the proximity, but she was well aware that this was the only thing she'd get from Matt. She was too frightened to try anything else.

Copycat could flirt and tease all she wanted, but it was all a game. She'd never been serious with anyone after Peter, and she wasn't interested in trying again. The first time had been too perfect. It would never feel the same way as when she was fifteen.

"Can we stay like this for a little while?" She whispered. "We don't have to talk. I just... I don't wanna go yet."

"People out there need us," Matt replied. "They have no one else."

"And we do?"

"We have ourselves."

"That's not enough. How about ourselves," She intertwined their fingers, "and each other?"

He tensed. "Cat..."

"I mean it in a platonic, boring, and bland way. Friends, Matthew. You remember how to be one?"

He let out a breathy laugh. "Vaguely."

"Let's be it, then."

Matthew lowered his gaze toward her and pondered her request for a few seconds. Eventually, he placed his chin on the top of her head.

"Alright."

Next Chapter—>

Taglist.

@ieatpanicattacksforlunch​​​​ @jesuswasnotawhiteman​​​​ @siriuslysirius1107​​​​​ @greengarsstuff​​​​ @itsyagirl01 @23victoria​​​​ @espressopatronum454​​​​ @jkthinkstoomuch

[readythefanons]

Happy October! Today I will be sharing fics on the theme “origin story.” 

The first fic is, “All things considered (could be worse)” which is in the Netflix Daredevil fandom. It Foggy/Matt. It clocks in at 47.9K spread across 53 chapters :)

Foggy is a lawyer with his own practice. Matt's an ex-law student and vigilante.

 “Hello, I’m Foggy. What’s your name?” Foggy asks. It is, admittedly, not necessarily the best opening line, but it’s certainly not the worse.

The second fic I’m sharing today is “with care and attention” which is my first-ever fic I posted for FE3H (fire emblem three houses), and it’s Byleth/Yuri, and it’s smut. :)

Byleth was not an amazing kisser—she didn’t take his breath away or do obscene things with her tongue—but she was competent, and she kissed Yuri exactly the way he wanted to be kissed. She filed away his likes and dislikes for this in the same way she’d learned everyone’s hobbies and favorite blends of tea.

Rambling about each below

I’m going to do the smut one because my rambling there will be shorter

“with care and attention”  is the first-ever fic I posted for FE3H, and it’s smut. I’ve joked before that my debut into any fandom is always smut, but honestly that’s less of a joke and more of an accurate observation.

I have little memory of the contents of this fic, just that I was kind of nervous to be posting it, and at the time of writing this thing about it, it has... 8 comments (4 of which are my responses). It’s been up for a little more than 2 years. So I often sort of forget it exists, but that makes it extra amazing when someone finds it and says they liked it :) And it marks my entrypoint into posting for my current fandom! And the comments on it are SO nice, they’re like “I like the sexy consent! I like the way the intimacy is portrayed.” It makes me feel like I did something spiffy :)

==

“All things considered (could be worse)” is, no lie, my most viewed, most kudos’ed, most bookmarked, subscribed, and commented-on fic on AO3 to date and probably ever. I feel very comfortably saying I probably “peaked” already* (*if you measure success by those metrics, and I don’t) so I have full freedom to dick around forevermore, amen. 

I really, really don’t understand when fic writers are all “oh no someone found my old fic and commented that they like I’m embarrassed” because I LOVE that! Obviously, I’m participating in this event :) When I get a comment on an old fic, it’s like getting a letter from a friend I haven’t seen in a long time. “Oh, hello! You’re still out there, doing your thing! Good for you! I love you!”

I don’t know why this fic is as widely-read as it is? I’d like to think it’s because I’m an amazing writer but there are a lot of amazing writers in the world.

I hope it’s because it’s a very cozy piece. It’s like “oh what if this part of the premise were harder, but everything else was somehow easier? what if Matt and Foggy met, and they still became friends, what if Karen Page showed up and they became a team, what if Marci and Claire were there and everyone was kind in their own way? What if people asked for help and received it?”

So I think maybe, it is still as well-liked as it is because it’s nice to think about that. And the format (mostly slice-of-life episodes kinda??) supports that. 

The meta-story of working on and ultimately finishing that fic is that kind of story too, because I started it, and then I didn’t have time, but kind comments kept coming in, and that gave me the motivation to finish the story--for me, for the characters, and especially for the people who read it and liked it. The fic is complete because of the random generosity of internet strangers :)

If you made it this far, I am tagging you: share an old piece of fanwork you made, or share a fanwork you love. If you want a theme, go with “origin story,” either yours, the author’s/artist’s, or the characters’ <3

[cornfields-td-nonsense]

🎯 for all of them, tho it's more like "in what kind of challenges would they excel at" (ex. grossness based, agility, strength, etc)

Well

Ming, Lloyd, Rod, Carmen, Lara and Eve are all pretty athletic and agile. Lara's specifically a very fast runner, outsped only by Carmen, whose speed and strength seem almost... supernatural. Eh, I'm sure it's nothing. Sal isn't very agile but is extremely strong. Maybe too strong, and she isn't great at controlling her strength, which bites her in the ass later. Greta's not super durable in long-term exercise but she has insanely good reflexes (one might even say cat-like). Reggie's incredibly resistant to damage, as a result of her body running on extreme 'cartoon logic'. Running off cliffs and not falling until she looks down, etc.

Skelly, Isla, Esther and Harper have very strong stomachs. Harper in particular can eat some pretty gross stuff if sufficiently motivated. She had to cook for herself from a young age and basically learned by trial and error what to do and what not to do. So she's consumed some not-great stuff in her time.

Charlie, Lara and Esther all have intense Random Knowledge Recall - they know a lot about niche topics and have a bunch of completely miscellaneous skills that come in handy in challenges. Esther's main skill is her resourcefulness, being able to take full advantage of what she has and where she has it.

And in terms of more voting- and character-based skills rather than challenge skills, Lloyd, Alisha and Lara are all incredibly perceptive, as I've said before.

Lloyd is talented at picking up social cues and figuring out dynamics and relationships between people. If two contestants are in a secret alliance or if someone's taken a disliking to someone else, chances are Lloyd already knows. (Obviously this skill isn't flawless or he might have picked up on the fact that Rod likes him.)

Alisha's talent is playing the long game, keeping her cards close to her chest. She rarely ever acts on impulse and tends to sit back and gather information until the right time. This might sound like she has a cold and calculated persona - far from it, she's a very emotional being with a great deal of love in her heart for her friends and those she cares about.

And Lara's skill is... simply her persistence. She gets knocked down, and she gets up again. As an undiagnosed-until-recently autistic girl of colour who has a history of parental neglect and targeting from bullies, Lara's learned to take a hit and keep trekking on. And it's with the right support network, just finding those few people who do love and believe in her, when she's finally able to go further and push harder than ever before.

You may have noticed the absence of the Pathetic White Boy Quartet (William, Matt, Hans, Art). That is because none of them have any skills of note.

Well, that's not true. All of them have the same main skill, and it's 'being a bitch'.

[raccoonshinobi]

Friday, November 24

Stop being anxious about your lives.​—Matt. 6:25.

Married couples can learn from the example set by the apostle Peter and his wife. About six months to a year after his first encounter with Jesus, the apostle Peter had to make an important decision. Peter made his living in the fishing business. So when Jesus invited Peter to follow him full-time, Peter had to take into account his family situation. (Luke 5:1-11) Peter chose to accompany Jesus in his preaching activity. And evidently, his wife supported his decision. The Bible indicates that after Jesus’ resurrection, she traveled with Peter for at least some of the time. (1 Cor. 9:5) Undoubtedly, her example as a Christian wife gave Peter freeness of speech to record inspired counsel for Christian husbands and wives. (1 Pet. 3:1-7) Obviously, both Peter and his wife trusted Jehovah’s promise that He would provide for them if they put the Kingdom first in their life.​—Matt. 6:31-34. w21.11 18 ¶14

[cuddlyreader]

Another TVD ask if you don't mind?! 1. Three less popular TVD ships that you love (one of mine is Jenna/Alaric---don't mock me :)) 2. Your three favorite seasons in order 3. What do you see as a couple of the greatest strengths AND clearest flaws of each of these characters: Elena, Bonnie, Caroline, Damon and Stefan? 4. Name three unpopular opinions you have about the show! Enjoy, and happy holidays!

I would never mock you. I think that all relationships serve as learning vehicles and stepping stones, and they should change and grow as we do. Alaric and Jenna helped each other heal, which is a good thing. I feel this way about most of the relationships in TVD. They all serve a purpose. This is an extra long post so I am attempting to put a "keep reading." I hope it works, but if it doesn't, I apologize. :)

Happy holidays!!

Three less popular TVD ships that I love (FYI: I'm not sure which couples are popular or unpopular, but these are my faves after Delena.): Bonnie and Enzo, Alaric and Jo (I love Jodi Lyn O'Keefe!), and Klaus and Caroline. What I love and prefer are honesty and trust, which is why Delena is my favorite. These couples all know the worst truths about each other and still build something. Yes. I know Klaroline didn't happen, but they had a spark. I maintain that it would have been epic.

My three favorite seasons in order: 1.) Season 3...I love Delena falling in love, and I love the originals, especially Klaus and Elijah. I was sad when they left Mystic Falls. 2.) Season 6...Delena are in peak love, and it's gorgeous. Damon is so soft and pure that I can barely handle it. I think Alaric and Jo are adorable. I love the development of Damon and Bonnie's friendship. 3.) Season 5...Delena is obviously fabulous, but I also like that we get backstory for Damon, who is my absolute favorite character. I love Damon and Jeremy and Damon and Enzo. I liked Paul Wesley as Silas. He's just hilarious.

Greatest strengths and flaws:

Elena - Strengths: 1. Elena is strong, and I mean emotionally. She experiences horrific loss time after time and dies twice, and this girl gets up every morning and goes to school, takes care of her brother (and Jenna and Alaric), and continues to make it through. 2. She is also compassionate, as everyone knows. This is the reason she can care about Anna and Rebekah losing their mother even when they are doing bad things to her or her friends. It's also the reason that she can fall in love with the love of her life. She doesn't even have the capacity to hate Katherine as she is dying. For the record, I do. 3. I'm going to add a third because I want to. Elena supports her friends and family always. She encourages Jenna with Alaric. She tries to ease Jenna's fear and guilt at the ritual. She basically takes care of Alaric after Jenna dies under the pretense that he is looking after her and Jeremy. She encourages Caroline with Matt and then Stefan and doesn't judge the Klaroline hookup. She tries to stop Caroline from turning off her humanity and then works to help her turn it back on. She supports Bonnie with Jeremy and is mad on Bonnie's behalf when he screws up the first time around. She consistently tries to be present for Bonnie when tragedy strikes and respectfully stays distant when Bonnie needs it even though it breaks her heart. She's there for Stefan more than I agree with, so I'm not listing things here other than her always supporting the brothers being brothers. She knows that Damon cares about people long before anyone else figures it out. She supports him through losing Katherine, Rose dying, losing Stefan to Klaus, etc. That's barely touching how she is with Damon, but this is long already. Flaws: 1. I've said this before. Elena can be selfish. She willingly would sacrifice herself and demand that her choice be respected, but she doesn't respect the choices of those who love her. She is basically saying that her choice is the only valid one. 2. Elena's denial of the truth is the flaw that I hate the most. She gets solid proof that Stefan is a liar when she finds that picture of Katherine. Then, somehow she continues to believe that he is a pillar of morals. She sees his serial killer wall and still doesn't see the truth of Stefan. It literally takes him attacking her for her to get it. I won't even start on how hard she fought being in love with Damon. That girl lives in denial.

Bonnie - Strengths: 1. Bonnie is also strong. She grieves hard and takes her needed healing time, but she keeps going just like Elena. 2. Bonnie is an amazing friend. I want her to be my friend. She sees the truth and accepts that some things have nothing to do with her. For instance, when Damon tells her that Delena kissed and sends Bonnie and Elena off on a road trip, she puts any misgivings she has about Damon aside and asks Elena how she feels. Flaws: 1. Bonnie is initially super judgmental without having pertinent details. 2. Also, her refusal to accept the supernatural pouring into their lives rivals Elena's denial, especially given that she herself is supernatural.

Caroline - Strengths: 1. Caroline is a bright and happy person. She maintains this almost always. I think it takes a certain strength to see the world that way all the time. 2. She is also fiercely loyal, at least to some of her friends. She takes it upon herself to help Tyler when he enacts his curse, and she is always there for Stefan. Flaws: 1. Caroline is super judgmental to a fault, and it only applies when she sees fit. Nothing makes me angrier than Stefan and Caroline feeling bad about the hybrids killing Klaus because somehow he's worth compassion but not feeling like Damon deserves the same compassion. I can't even wrap my head around that. 2. While Caroline is loyal to Tyler and Stefan, she is not the greatest friend to Elena. Yes. They have their moments, and I love them. But if my friend told my ex that I slept with his brother after I said I wanted to tell him myself, I wouldn't be friends with her anymore. She literally put Stefan over one of her oldest friendships.

Stefan - Strengths: This one is difficult for me because I dislike Stefan for the majority of the series except in isolated moments. 1. I like that when it comes down to life or death, he chooses Damon. 2. When his humanity is off, he makes an excellent villain. I like him like that until he makes things personal, i.e. almost driving Elena off Wickery Bridge or going to kill her in season eight to get at Damon. Flaws: 1. Stefan is a liar. This is the reason I can't stand him. He lies and lies throughout the whole series. He lies until he gets caught every time. Period. I do not consider him to be moral or pure of heart or any of that bullsh*t that the characters call him. 2. Secondly, he considers himself to be better. How he manages this knowing that he went on ripper binges and killed whole villages is beyond me. I'm going to stop here because I could rant for days about Stefan.

Damon - Strengths: I saved my Damon for last, and it's going to be long. I'm not sorry. 1. Regardless of how many times he and everyone else call him selfish, he is anything but selfish. He is only selfish with Elena's life, and thank goodness someone is. He's a hero. In season one, he is trying to rescue Katherine and ends up trying to save the town from the tomb vampires. He also, while hating his brother, saves him from the tomb vampires. In season two, he saves numerous people (Caroline a few times, Matt, Tyler, etc.), takes care of a dying Rose (gives her a beautiful dream), puts his own life in danger to save others (and gets wolf-bitten in the process), especially Elena (fighting the originals is futile and deadly), and only wants to ensure that Elena lives. In season three, he literally takes care of Elena. He is just there for her every single day while also still taking care of everyone else (because they all go to him with problems that arise). In season four, he is still there for Elena even after she chose Stefan. He won't really be with Elena because of the sire bond. He wants her to take the cure. I'm going to stop here because he just keeps getting more heroic after this, i.e. blows himself up to save Mystic Falls and all their dead friends on the other side. 2. Damon is honest. From the beginning, we and the characters know his worst. He says he only wants to save Katherine. He says he's a vampire that kills. He tries to get Elena and Stefan to see the truth of Stefan. He's honest when he doesn't want Elena to be cured for those moments that it's true, and then he's honest about wanting it for her. I just know someone will point out that he lied about knowing Jeremy was wearing the ring, and I will point out that by the end of the episode, he was honest about it because he prefers to be real always. I could wax poetic for hours about Damon, so I am forcing myself to quit. Flaws: Damon has little control over his heightened emotions. When his emotions build to a breaking point, he lashes out without thought. This results in Jeremy's broken neck, feeding Elena his blood before Klaus' ritual, breaking Kol's neck at the Mikaelson's party, etc. 2. Damon doesn't believe in his own worth. He is quick to accept that he is the worse brother, that he doesn't deserve love, that he isn't worth saving, that everything that goes wrong is his fault, etc. I won't get into the reason for this, but it makes me sad.

Three unpopular opinions I have about the show, (Again, I'm not sure what is popular or not.) so really these are just opinions.

TVD is well-written. I absolutely love the stellar soundtrack throughout and how it ties into the story, and the humor is excellent. As someone who has seen many things Kevin Williamson has had a hand in, I love when they pay homage, and they do often in TVD. Delena is quite possibly one of the best ships I have ever witnessed develop.

Bonnie deserved better the whole time. They did her and Kat Graham a disservice.

The show was severely lacking in diversity.

[the-plothole-court]

nicky: andrew. dan and i have come to the conclusion that your INABILITY to learn the team handshake is what’s stopping us from having an effective practice.

dan: no i actually think it’s because of him tripping us and threatening to stab us.

nicky: it’s not.