#nothing (except caleb) can hurt me

[seaofgoldensand]

i like feeding peoples' delusions, it makes me feel something yk

BUT GETTING JUMPSCARE FOLLOWED BY CALEB AND HIM RIZZING ME UP WAS NOT ON MY 2024 BINGO CARD

[anarcoqueer1994]

Eddie was going to tell them, he promised Steve he would. Its was easy to tell the apocalypse crew, kind of hard to keep things from a group of people you saved the world with. But telling Corroded Coffin about his new boyfriend was different. Not that they would care that he has a boyfriend. They've known he was queer for a while. What he was worried was who he was dating.

They had spent years in high school touting their superiority over the "conformist, arrogant sheep, and their leader King Steve." Except he had been to harsh, he had gotten to know Steve.... love Steve. And he was afraid if he told Corroded Coffin, not only would they rag on him, but they may say something horrible to Steve. But Steve said he didn't care, that he could handle it. He would "kill them with kindness." He just wanted to be open with Eddie with all their friend groups.

So Eddie promised he would tell. There was a little part of him, though, a superficial part of him, that cared a little more about what his friends think than he should. And so, even though he told Steve he would, he has been dragging his feet. Unfortunately, Steve does not know that. Eddie told a little white lie a few weeks ago that he told them, bringing the brightest, prettiest smile to his face. Eddie had planned to tell them soon after.

But he still hasn't, did not realize the mess he was about to make. Tonight they were having Hellfire at the Wheeler house. Dustin, Will, Lucas, Mike, Erica and the rest of Corroded Coffin were there.

Dustin mentions that Steve would be there soon to bring he, Lucas, Erica and Will home. That's when Garreth says "I still don't see why you guys like hanging out with that guy. He always seemed like an asshole to me." Jeff and Caleb nod their heads.

"He kind of is." Mike jokes. "But he's not a bad dude."

"Steve is cool, man." Dustin adds, obvious admiration in his face.

"Yea, Steve has always been really nice to us." Will smiles. "He is like another big brother." The rest of the party, including Erica, nod in agreement.

Erica gets a shit eating grin(not knowing Eddie has not told Corresed Coffin about he and Steve dating) "And he's cute, right Eddie?" The rest of the guys except Lucas and Will groan in response.

Eddie tries to play it off. "Yea, Harrington is hot. Anyone with eyes can see that."

"Well you must think he's extra hot since he's your...' before she can finish Eddie cuts her off. "I think we are at a good place to stop for tonight."

Everyone notices the quick way he cut her off. Everyone looks confused, even if the younger teens are for a different reason. Jeff speaks up. "What's Steve, Eddie?" He pokes.

"Steve is Steve." He shoots back avoiding the question, slight embarrassment creeping to his cheeks. He knows he should say more, tell them about his wonderful, adorable boyfriend. But maybe he ego is too big to admit he fell for the jock.

"What are you talking about?" Dustin speaks up.

"Why are you being weird?" Mike adds.

Suddenly a chorus of voices chime in, all asking questions. "What is Steve?" "Eddie, why are you being like this?" "Is something up with Steve?"

Finally over the loud voices from his old friends and new friends, he defensively says. "Steve is nothing!" His cheeks are red.

Unfortunately, over the chaos, they hadn't heard Steve come down the steps, having heard Eddie's proclamation. He had come a bit early, thinking Correded Coffin knew. He was carrying a plate of cupcakes, wanting to make a good impression during the first time seeing Correded Coffin as Eddie’s boyfriend.

But he was wrong. They didn't know, and Eddie had lied to him. It hurt. It's not like Eddie’s friends are homophobic, so Eddie was...ashamed to be dating him.

"I'm nothing?" Steve's voice causes everyone to look behind them. Steve looks devastated, like Eddie had just took his heart and stomped on it in front of everyone.

"Steve..." Eddie jumps up, trying to will time to rewind, but he can’t. He hadn't meant to say those terrible things.

But Steve is shaking his head, setting the cupcakes down, before bounding back up the steps.

All the "kids" including Mike, practically shoot daggers at Eddie as they leave, following after Steve.

Eddie is left sitting in the basement, with his three confused bandmates, feeling deflated, knowing he just fucked up the best thing in his life.

Part 2? Let me know if you want to be added to a tag list.

Tag list closed, part 2 here :)

[renatogpadilla]

THOUGHTS ON CR3E92 IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

- FIRST EVER CR CROSSOVER EPISODE?!

LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

- Dariax said "This Flute doesn't play itself anymore." Doriax canon offscreen?

- "After all the handjobs, this is what we mean to you?!" Damn... I mean, I'm glad Opal and Cyrus found a way to relieve stress, Gods know they're both stressed, but damn.

- Ending the episode on Opal Twice-Crowned hitting phase 2 of the boss fight was EVIL!

I love it, @quiddie ! I feel like when this gets animated in a decade or so, we'll get this fight and the fight with Otohan Thull overlayed one on top of the other for a Season Finale or something!

- Raven Queen going two for two on Rogues turned Paladin! Which is great, but now I have to replan Morrighan's moveset for that imaginary Critical Role fighting game that only exists in my head (somebody ask me about it please, I NEED to talk about it!) but at least she gets some Smite options out of the Bunny Hop command jump!

- Dariax is a Bard now too! That's honestly so perfect for Matt! And the fact that both Sorcerers and Bards are Charisma Casters makes me feel like the Synergies are gonna be great!

- Oh, Dorian, wonderful blue king... That's a lot of strength that your Dice will never agree to let you use for anything cool. I missed you SO MUCH!

- Speaking of that imaginary CR fighting game, this just solidified Opal as a puppet character. The tag combos with Ted would be WILD! Think Kenshi from MK1!

- Fy'ra Rai... Just... FY'RA RAI! Gods, I've missed Anjali at the table! Her memory with Opal, her tug-of-war with her thoughts about her sister... THE LAVA WHIP! Nothing sexier than Monks! Except a pissed off Wizard or Druid.

- On the other side of the table, I LOVE the moment the girls all collectively remembered they had to break the news to Frida... Oh, that's gonna hurt BAD!

- Anyone else noticed that Ashton is BURNT OUT and laying on the ground after his Titan form wears off, but Fearne just says she's really tired and just KEEPS GOING? Ashton is DONE for now, but Fearne needs to keep moving forward... Fuck, I love these two.

- Orym... Just... Orym. If you take a level in Barbarian after this, I wouldn't blame you.

- Side-Note: This means Dorian DID get Orym's last message before they went to the moon! He just didn't/couldn't answer! Which means, through the static and everything, Dorian COULD hear Orym! And now he's probably gonna get this message once the battle is over... Jesus, if they get to Zephra and Keyleth went to the Lodge next to the lake that's gonna be a problem...

- Side-Note Side-Note: Anyone else hoping to GOD that Allura called the Nein to help? Cause Beau and Caleb were involved, but now it feels like an "All Hands on Deck" situation, and we could use Kingsley's small army of pirates right about now...

- So much happened this episode between the grieving and the flashbacks and the rolling for handjobs that I didn't have time to process the splinter cell of Xhorhasians that split their soul in twain until I woke up... Opal may have forgotten, but maybe Ted hasn't? Though if they're the same person, maybe they both forgot...

- Aabria, the corrupting of the Memories was FOUL, I LOVE IT!!!

- Somebody needs to tell Essek about the soul-splitters. In fact, let's get to that while we deal with Ashton too!

- IF OPAL DIES, AMY CAN COME OVER AS DENI$E! Like, I don't WANT her to die, but Westruun isn't that far... 👀

- I just realized this is the first ever FULL episode of CR without Sam at the table... Fuck, man, when it hurts it hurts. Glad Marisha brought back the fan.

"Forgot the Consonants?" "No Letters." OUCH, MISS RAY, WHAT THE FUCK?!

- Raven Queen Paladins hasting themselves first thing in the fight. Vax is back, and he's a Bunny Girl now!

- I like that the Crownkeepers are a two-way Overwatch reunion (McCree Cassidy and Symmetra) and a three-way Persona 5 reunion (Yusuke, Ann Futaba and Akechi).

- Everything was so fucked this episode that everything with Liliana got knocked to the background for me, THAT'S how good it was!

- The SECOND Evoroa said Ludinos was on Exandria I knew EXACTLY where he would be! Now we HAVE to get the Nein involved, right? Unless the bastard makes the city float again...

I cannot WAIT for the next episode! And if Sam brings a new character when all the groups are together, it would be SPECTACULAR! I'm guessing he's going to play one of the moon races, because that just sounds cool... Either that or Tary!

[satureja13]

(Poll below)

Jack logged out from his Therapy Game and he couldn't be happier. Tiny Can did a very good job. Though, he'll have to have a word with Tiny Can and the goats about that BL content. But maybe he's supposed to start a romance with Lou to forget about Kiyoshi?

Saiwa is so happy that Jack didn't feel the pain from his rash ingame :3 So it seems that the feelings from ingame do not effect their life here (like Vlad's ingame hunger) and the feelings and sensations from out of the game won't necessarily affect their characters ingame. Poor Vlad is torn. He's happy that Jack's therapy went so much better than his own playtest, but he's afraid to send Ji Ho in the game. What if he really is going to marry Caleb? But he can't be selfish. Ji Ho deserves his therapy. And if it helps Ji Ho, he will survive it too.

Jack: "So Sai, my friend. When will you go to your therapy?" Sai: "Uhm..." Saiwa is hesistant. He's their leader and should have been the first to check the Therapy Game and if it's safe for the others, but he's not ready yet to face his problems. And that's fine. The door to change can only be opened from the inside. (This quote is written on the wall at the front desk of my psychiatrist. Another one says 'Change needs time'.)

Jack: "I'm just kidding. I bet no one can stop Ji Ho from checking out now if he's really Caleb's bride! Right, Ji Ho?" Ji Ho laughs a bit nervous: "A haha, yes. Can't wait." Of course Ji Ho can't wait. Caleb is the dream of each of them (well, except Vlad's). But he also knows this will hurt Vlad.

Vlad has to leave to care for Jeb and Kiyoshi. They quickly charge the Bond and Vlad tries to let Ji Ho know through the Bond that he's ok with whatever happens in the Therapy Game. But he's not even fooling Diablo...

Ji Ho is torn. Is it really ok to hurt Vlad's feelings when it's necessary for his therapy and well being?

Ji Ho asked Jack and Sai what they would do. Jack thought about it too. But he does not have a partner right now so he's up for it should Lou hit on him. Saiwa agrees that Ji Ho should go for it. It's just a game after all and NPC Caleb is not the real Caleb. Nothing is real in the Therapy Game.

Jack: "So, it would be ok for you if Jeb had a boyfriend ingame?" Saiwa hisses and Jack realized that he went to far. Jack: "This isn't as easy a decision as it seems, huh."

It's time to go to bed. They are tired but Jack is still happily chatting about the game and they are glad it went so well for him. And even though they saw some scenes on the screen, they listen. It wasn't possible to watch everything anyway. Jack had been away for a few hours and they took turns to watch over him. And it's interesting to hear how it had been for Jack and how he experienced his Therapy Game.

If Ji Ho's therapy goes well too, Saiwa will try it. One day they will have to return back home to the others and he'd better be prepared to face Kiyoshi and Jeb again. He misses Jeb so much it hurts. But he has no idea how they are supposed to get over this fake realtionship he had with Kiyoshi. Even though they both agreed to it because they had no choice.

'May the ghosts that howled round the house at night Never keep you from your sleep May they all sleep tight down in hell tonight Or wherever they may be

As I walked on with a heavy heart then a stone danced on the tide And the song went on though the lights were gone And the North wind gently sighed

And an evening breeze coming from the East That kissed the riverside So I pray now child that you sleep tonight when you hear this lullaby

May the wind that blows from haunted graves never bring you misery May the angels bright watch you tonight And keep you while you sleep'

Lullaby of London - The Pogues (Such a beautiful song. Shane McGowan, the head of the Pogues, died November last year but he left us all his beautiful music. He was so gifted.)

Outtakes

A screenshot from the Therapy Game and a photo of Jack, 'The Pioneer' ^^'

Because no way we're having a normal meal where we all stay sit at the table and have a normal meal together -.-

From the Beginning  ~  Underwater Love ~  Latest Current Chapter: 🕹️ 'The One' from the beginning ▶️ here 📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 17-22 ~ 23-28

[thatgirlonstage]

Hi idk if you're still taking prompts for short fics but if you do, maybe something like a trust in exercise and intimacy with essek piercing caleb's ears because he wants to be able to buy him fancy earrings that could double as soell components? Only if you're feeling up to it tho

Hey nonny! I regret I was not able to fill this prompt when you originally submitted it but I kept it kicking around in my inbox because I honestly adored the notion, and I finally got the motivation and inspiration to actually write this tonight! I really hope you see this and that you like it, I loved this prompt.

——

"And you are absolutely sure we do not need a healer to supervise? I can still call Caduceus."

Essek paused, putting down the needle. "Would you prefer it if Caduceus was here?"

Caleb gave two quick shakes of the head. "No," he said, though still with a note of reluctance. "No, I— I do not want anyone else watching."

Essek reached into his bag and pulled out a familiar vial. He set it on the table next to Caleb, easily in arm's reach. "There's a healing potion right here if you need it. And at any moment you want this to stop, it stops."

Caleb's breaths were still coming too fast. Essek crouched down in front of him and took his hands. "Caleb," he called, forcing Caleb's attention to him. "That includes right now. You don't have to do this."

"No, no, I want to," he said, though it still came out sounding more like he was trying to convince himself, not Essek. He took a deep breath and sat up straighter. "I do not always want to be afraid of it."

Essek looked at him for a long moment, and then nodded. He stood back up and circled to Caleb's side.

"It will only hurt for a moment, love," he said quietly. "I promise."

The needle going into his skin hurt for more than a moment. It hurt for a stretch of years, for every time that Trent had embedded crystal in his skin, for every moment of fear he'd had of being touched and pierced after that. Except then Essek was withdrawing the needle and it had been barely a single second, and there was a brief pressure as he slid the post of the ruby stud into Caleb's ear, and then there was nothing except a slight stinging ache left behind, and Essek holding his hand.

"Still with me?"

Caleb gave him a nod and a smile, a little shaky, but there. Essek stayed there, squeezing his hand, until Caleb shooed him around to his other side.

"Go on, finish it, do the other one," he pressed.

It was easier the second time, a burst of heat and a tiny star of pain in his ear, all simmered down to barely anything before he had a chance to be afraid. Essek twisted his hands and conjured a mirror for Caleb to look at. The rubies glinted in his ears, deep and red and precious. He turned his head from side to side, uncertain how to feel.

"You look beautiful," Essek said quietly.

"Functional," Caleb countered. The rubies were not chosen idly. His component pouch was far too crowded, and it made him nervous for the more valuable items in there. The earrings had been Essek's suggestion. An elegant compromise, a gift, and—for Caleb—an exercise in trust he was pleasantly surprised to find himself capable of once more. Veth, he thought, would be proud of him.

"There is no reason function cannot also be made with beauty in mind," Essek said. "Are you alright?"

Caleb took a deep breath and let himself exhale all of it. "Yes," he said, a little surprised that he meant it. "I am entirely alright." He dismissed the mirror back into the nothing from which Essek had summoned it and reached out. Essek took his hands, let himself be drawn down until Caleb could press a featherlight kiss to his lips. "Thank you," he said against Essek's cheek. "Thank you."

Essek turned his head, pressed his lips with fervent meaning to Caleb's cheek, heedless of the day-old stubble. "Anytime, love."

[mdhwrites]

whats your opinion on caleb and evelyn (at least from what very little we know of them-)

imo the whole caleb clawthorne thing is like. one of the most pointless things in the show ever

I have called them and their connection to Belos "TOH's final trick". TOH has a single trick up its sleeve that is great for fanfic writers and TERRIBLE for a narrative. They introduce really compelling relationships and ideas and then they never do anything with them. It happens with Amity and Luz, Amity and Willow, the Hexide Squad and the Coven System, Hunter and Belos, etc. etc. All of these concepts present tantalizing issues that one could really delve in deep to and find a lot of meaning... But TOH isn't interested. It is more interested in a blog about how deep Amity's character is implied to be rather than doing anything with that depth, hence why so many people hooked onto how awful the confrontation with her parents would eventually be and then the show itself just... Has her in like three minutes of that episode and her confrontation doesn't feel like the main point of it even if it's the climax. And then it's effectively over and any issue between Lumity is never brought up again.

Caleb and Evelyn are the same but with a bit of FNAF storytelling thrown in. The pictures are vague after all so people can interpret them in different ways for what they mean. The cast has been coy as to the actual events. It's a multiple choice backstory for your villain that ranges from irredeemable monster to sympathetic villain. That way the show can claim to have a complex villain that doesn't technically invalidate the fact that they have no interest in writing a complex villain, nor do they want to need to.

But it was also one straw too many. Lumity getting together paid off in some way that old narrative baggage of Amity's, even if less powerfully than it could have. Hunter being possessed and fighting off Belos doesn't have the weight it should and I have problems with how selfish the reasoning is rather than ideological but it is a payoff to that relationship. However, a genuinely real amount of time is spent in S3, and S2, building up that Belos is something more than a genocidal, egotistical asshole. Caleb and Evelyn are a LOT of this. So what's the payoff?

There is none. Beating him isn't an ideological victory. They don't come up like Lief did for beating Andrias to pay that off. In fact, they come up less in the final fight than they do during the fight in King's Tide where the heroes LOSE. So they spent some of the very limited time they had to wrap up their story on a subplot about Belos' backstory that doesn't actually inform us of anything, doesn't affect anything and has no payoff except the most obvious one.

It's literally Willow's story except for your PRIMARY ANTAGONIST'S BACKSTORY.

The fact that the majority of the meat of it is done in a really just AWFULLY animated set piece who's literal writing is boilerplate at best does not help it at all. The best parts of this mechanically are the portraits in Hollow Mind and they're vague and that's IT. Otherwise, it's clunky for the most part. I'll give the moment when monster Belos sees Caleb as he tries to take on a new form is neat but it tells us nothing and feels out of character in the end that he'd give enough of a shit to be haunted by his brother, especially after he's killed his brother so many times. Honestly, the Golden Guards looking like Caleb even NOW just makes me think the Collector is right: He likes hurting his brother. Why else would he not finally stop after the hundredth betrayal? Unless he gets off on the moment of their betrayal I guess.

It's just not good and a casual fan is going to like it even less because they won't really absorb and think the portraits so to them, it's just one really awkward sequence in the first special, an eerie sequence that doesn't add to anything in the second and then is sir not appearing in the third. That's not engaging.

Since little of it is engaging, it fails to function as a trick. After all, any magician will tell you that everything is about misdirection in their craft. Without it, a trick becomes nothing but smoke and mirrors instead of magic.

======+++++======

Btw, mentioned FNAF so may as well say here: Saw it and really liked it. I keep considering making a blog about it and then just... not.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[fandomscraziness22]

kiss prompt: where it hurts for caleb/adam

hi friend! i did it!

where it hurts (5) for caleb/adam

It’s been a bad day, and Adam really wants to cancel on Caleb tonight. They’re supposed to go grab pizza and hang out at the arcade, because they got a new game Caleb wants to try. But Adam’s done nothing all day except have a draining breakdown over his homework and lay in bed.

So he doesn’t realize the time until his phone buzzes with a text from Caleb, telling him he’s at the house to pick him up. 

Shit, Adam thinks. He didn’t even have the wherewithal to send his boyfriend a message about his mental state, which means Caleb has no idea what he’s about to walk into.

He makes his fingers move across the screen, tapping out a simple bad day cant go out before burrowing deeper into his covers.

Adam knows Caleb will come in anyways, because he cares too much, though Adam wishes he wouldn’t. He just wants to wallow in his misery.

Footsteps thud up the stairs (damn it, he even missed the door opening, he really is out of it today) and Caleb knocks softly on the door.

“Adam?” 

And fuck, even his voice is strained, Adam’s mood infecting Caleb like a virus. Why the hell can’t Adam get himself together? His brain is actively trying to destroy his life, and he is unable to even pull a shred of human decency to not let it affect the people around him.

Caleb sighs, but not in an exasperated way like Adam expects. It’s simply a deep inhale and exhale, as if he’s centering himself. A breathing exercise, no doubt. Dr. Bright taught him well.

“Can I join you?”

Adam nods, a sudden desire for comfort shooting up out of nowhere. He wonders half-heartedly if Caleb can notice something like that. Probably; his power is very strong, according to their other Atypical friends. It makes it hard to hide anything from his boyfriend, which is both a blessing and a curse.

Caleb slides into the bed in front of Adam, curling onto his side to meet Adam’s gaze. Adam can see that Caleb’s moving slower than normal, no doubt weighed down by the depression in the air. But that doesn’t stop him from placing a warm hand on Adam’s shoulder, rubbing it softly.

Adam almost shudders under the kindness in the touch.

“Brain making things hard?” Caleb whispers.

Adam can’t bring himself to speak, so he nods again.

Caleb mirrors his nod, and then leans forward to place a kiss to his forehead. “Silly brain,” he says. “You are supposed to help Adam win valedictorian, not keep him trapped.”

Tears spring to Adam’s eyes, and he may not be an empath, but the love Caleb is showering over him settles into his veins. It’s not enough to dispel everything completely, and they spend the rest of the night huddled together in bed, and somehow, it’s enough for now.

send me a ship and a kiss!

[queeniecook]

June 5

The night air is filled with a sweltering heat in Sulani, which is normal during it’s Summer months.

Lily is sitting down with AJ to have dinner. His father, Apollo, is poking around in the kitchen. The dishwasher is leaking and Apollo swears he can fix it. Lily says nothing because it’s not her place.

“Woof woof like?” AJ asks her, he knows she’s different just like a Daddy, Aunt Vera and Uncle Caleb are. 

Lily smiles fondly at AJ’s nickname for her. “Yes.”

They finish there food in mostly silence, except for an occasional grunt that’s heard from the kitchen. Lily scoops up AJ before the grunts become curse words. She heads for the stairs when she smells death mixed with expensive perfume. She knows who it is, she feels it.

“Isn’t Sulani a little hot for a werewolf?” Lilith asks, perching herself on the back of the bench her cousin sits on. She had laid and waited to see if Lily would come outside, no doubt picking up her scent. It had been so long since she had seen her cousin this close. 

“It’s not so bad.” Lily replies, stretching out her back. It had been hurting more lately. There’s awkward silence as both females try to think of something to say without just jumping into the heavy topic between them.

After Lilith slowly moves down to sit beside Lily, she turns to her. “I was thinking about the stable boy we both had a crush on during my flight over here. What was his name?” She asks excitedly, briefly feeling like a teenage girl again – gabbing with her cousin about their crushes.

“Lorenzo.” Lily says with an actual smile. She feels a brief feeling of happiness at the memory of herself and her cousin spending hours, daydreaming about the stable boy while Caleb made faces and took off for a ride on his horse. “He turned out to be married.”

Lilith made a face and nodded. “All the attractive ones were back then.”

“Your parents wouldn’t have approved anyway.” Lily reminds her. Her Aunt and Uncle had very specific ideas for who their children would marry. 

“I didn’t want to marry him anyway, I just wanted to go for a ride.” Lilith said with a smirk, she wasn’t talking about a ride on a horse either.

Lily actually laughs at this. Things were almost like they used to be. Almost. Her laugh suddenly stops and she frowns.

Lilith shifts in her seat and stares at her cousin, who isn’t looking at her now. “I know things are a mess.”

Lily nods very slightly. “Caleb explained how he ended up as a vampire and how you asked to be turned so he wouldn’t be alone.” She pauses “I understand that it wasn’t Caleb’s choice and why you became one. But, at the same time. You two could have ended your existence and chose not to be what you are.”

Lilith stares at her. She’d be lying if she hadn’t thought about it over the years, she knows Caleb certainly has. “Fair enough.”

Lily sighs, still not looking at her cousin. A part of her wants to yell at Lilith. The thought of both of them killing, feasting on blood, makes her sick to her stomach and not just because she’s a werewolf.

“Caleb does well on the plasma fruit diet. Me? I’m trying. I slip up.” Lilith says, figuring Lily would want to know given what Caleb told her about his conversation with their cousin. 

Lily stands and Lilith follows suit. “I offered my help in protecting Caleb’s baby and I meant it.”

“He truly appreciates that and so do I.” Lilith comments, not sure what else to say. This reunion could have gone worse but she was hoping it would have gone better. 

“Look, I will never be okay with what you two are capable of. But, I know I’m getting older. I’d rather not end my story holding grudges and regrets.” Lily ends their conversation with that, but not before getting Lilith’s phone number.

[alejandroseyepatch]

could you perhaps do a fic with little! MK and CG! Caleb? (Hear me out)

I like the idea of the cast members all being friends with each other, cuz I’m a sucker for large friend groups. And they’re also littles and caregivers. So Caleb is babysitting for Julia and MK keeps climbing all over him, like latching on to the back of his shirt like she did in episode one of season two.

I think they’d be playing hide and seek with MK hiding. Caleb knows MK is there from the beginning because she’s all giggly. But Caleb humors her by pretending to look

(sorry if this is long. I just had this idea in my head for a while)

Regressor! MK w/ Caregiver/Babysitter! Caleb

Caleb loved taking care of and helping out with all of the littles, no matter who it was. Today he was babysitting MK for Julia, since she was busy today.

Ever since Caleb began watching her, MK had done nothing except climbing all over the tall male. She thought it was the funniest thing ever.

“MK, you gotta be careful. I don’t want you getting hurt.” Caleb said, grabbing her off of his back and holding her. MK only giggled in response, squirming around so she could try and climb on him again. Caleb sighed a little.

“How about we play a game?” Caleb suggested. “Hide ‘n seek!” MK exclaimed. “We can do that!” Caleb said as he put the girl down.

“I’ll count to thirty while you go and hide, okay?” MK nodded excitedly, so Caleb closed his eyes and began counting.

While he counted, MK started giggling as she jumped on his back and latched onto him. It wasn’t a good hiding spot, but to MK it was perfect. There’s no way she’d be found.

“28..29..30! Ready or not, here I come!” Caleb called out. He knew MK was clinging onto him, but he thought he might as well pretend to look for her for a bit.

The whole time Caleb kept on ‘looking’, MK was just a giggly mess. She knew she picked the best hiding spot ever.

After a while, Caleb stopped in his tracks, humming a little.

“I wonder where all that giggling is coming from..” He said to himself, causing MK to laugh even more. Caleb quickly turned around when he heard the girl’s laughter get louder.

“Huh. I swear I heard laughing just behind..” MK’s laughter got even louder, especially when he turned around again.

“This is so weird. I keep hearing laughter but I don’t know where it’s coming from.” Caleb spoke while MK just kept on laughing.

“Hmm..” Caleb hummed, reaching his hand on his back and feeling around. MK squealed with surprise and laughter as the taller male grabbed her off of his back.

“There you are!” Caleb cheered as he held her. MK giggled and clapped her hands, before trying to climb back on his back again.

“You just can’t go a second without climbing on me, can you?” MK shook her head, still attempting to get back on Caleb’s back.

Caleb chuckled a bit and set her down. MK immediately climbed right back on his back.

“I guess I’ll just be giving you piggy back rides the entire day, huh?” MK giggled some more and nodded. “Alright, well now what do you want to do?” Caleb asked.

“Cartoons!” MK cheered. “Cartoons it is.” Caleb responded, taking MK to the living room so that she could watch her show.

[dent-de-leon]

hey I need to share my widomauk brainrot with someone

if you go back to episode 111 and watch Caleb’s face when Jester talks about bringing Molly back he looks so stunned but so hopeful like he could really get someone back and not even just someone but Molly of all people

anyway I’m fine

YES, I LOVE THAT LITTLE CONVERSATION!! It's such a heartwarming moment. There's so much to this one little exchange. The way Caleb hesitates at first, tries to cushion his expectations and not let himself get swept up in some foolish hope that'll only break his heart, "I have a foolish question, perhaps...Well, it's not possible. But if he still lies at rest where we left him, is it possible?" Hardly daring to let himself believe it, but wanting to so badly.

Also YES Caleb's soft voice here and the moments where he just breaks off and Liam's expressions!! The way he has to stop and just take a breath for a moment when Jester says, "I can bring him back"--it kills me.

And then, when Jester confirms his suspicions, gives him that one thread of hope he needs to hold onto, he wants nothing more than to chase after it right now. "Who wants to go visit Mollymauk?" And the rest of the Nein, as much as they love Molly--many of them are so very hesitant, understandably so. Resurrection can be messy, painful, dredge up too many aching memories.

What if it isn't Molly? What if he doesn't want to come back? And if it's really him, can they face him? How do they look him in the eye after everything, knowing they couldn't save him? They're scared. Hurt. Yasha just looks so pained at the thought of revisiting the grave. And then there's Caleb, who's just caught up in the moment, ready to run right back to Molly and finally bring him home.

Jester pulling him aside, gently trying to tell him why the others are holding back, but still offering him comfort. "I think--I think one of the reasons why some of us are a little hesitant to go visit Molly is, you know, because it is a little painful to do that. Just so you know...But it's important." And the soft, very hopeful way Caleb says, "I think so." Because this really does matter to him, and Jester understands that. They're both the most excited at the thought of reviving Molly, both just want to be with him again. Regardless of how much the past might hurt.

And because I love how Caleb is the one most driven to resurrect Molly when they first visit the grave--I also think the context of that original conversation is so heart-wrenching. Because, the thing is, Jester initially offered to bring his parents back. "I mean, between Caduceus and I...we could bring them back."

We also get just about one of the biggest lies Caleb's ever told: "I have not looked into it." But of course he has, of course every waking moment since his memories came back in the sanitarium--in his grief and guilt and regret, he's been agonizing over this. Obsessed with going back in time and fixing the past. "I want to bend reality to my will."

He's wanted nothing else more than this, for as long as he's been Caleb Widogast, ever since the boy who was once Bren lost everything. And he wants it so badly, that for a time, he's willing to use just about anyone to further his goals, to get one step closer to unravelling the secrets of the most powerful arcane feats. In the beginning, that was always the plan. To just stay with the rest of the Nein until they were no longer useful, and then move on when it was time.

Mollymauk himself is no exception. And in fact, the very night before he died, Caleb was frustrated at himself for even traveling with someone like him. For spending time around a ridiculous Circus Man who couldn't possibly be of any use to him. “Look at this one. He’s like a walking rainbow, what is this? Why are you with him? It makes no sense. He’s a circus performer, he’s not going to help you—”

How ironic, how poetic, that Caleb scoffed at the thought of staying with Mollymauk when he had "nothing" to offer. How tragic, that it's the loss of this happily foolish, recklessly protective Circus Man that makes Caleb realize he wants so badly to stay. That he can't bear to lose anyone anymore.

And the grief and pain he feels over Molly's death is still so raw and gutting, it haunts him for the entire campaign, another regret he can't let go of. Burying Molly with a letter, telling him to come and find them. Convincing himself this isn't forever. Going after Lucien because he only ever wanted to bring Mollymauk back.

So it's not just Jester offering to resurrect Molly for Caleb. It's that Jester offered to bring back his parents, that one thing he's always wanted more than anything, and yet Caleb asks for her to resurrect Mollymauk instead. He justifies it to them, to himself, unwilling to entertain the false hope, even when his dream could be so close: "There is a very good chance that the...Scourgers collected their remains, but maybe. Scourgers collected their remains, but maybe." "Jester, you only just asked about bringing back my mother and father. While not possible because we have no--well, it's not possible."

And maybe he's right, and his parents were already beyond their reach. But even still, Caleb is willing to push aside his greatest desire, the thing he's tirelessly worked toward for years, just on the faint hope that he might get to see Molly again. It's so heartbreaking and sweet, so touching that Caleb still lets himself hold onto that hope, that fairytale dream. "This could be a conversation, or it can be a reunion." That's love.

And it's the kind of fondness and longing that reminds me of how Molly sees Caleb in the Lucien book, that moment where his thoughts drift back to the forehead kiss. "Caleb. Softness and light." I just hope he knows his Magician felt that way about him too.

[edoro]

Caleb and his wife (and if you're up for it, Belord). ☕️

under a cut bc it got long!

Caleb and his wife: i am sooo fascinated with them. i want to know everything. Caleb is really just the character of all time, he's this ghost haunting the narrative whose death led directly to the entire story we see, but we know virtually nothing about him.

i'm very fond of my characterization of Caleb as a person who, as a survival mechanism, developed the ability to just Choose Not To See things that were threatening or painful, which came to include "every single one of the five billion red flags that Philip was waving all the time." i enjoy more complex takes on him that explore what his personal role in the absolute nightmare dumpster fire his and Philip's relationship clearly became might have been, and dislike the tendency to treat him as a precious cinnamon roll golden retriever boy (outside of like, obvious jokes/shitposts.)

i'm less firm on my mental characterization for his wife... she's fun to think about but exists as far more of like, an accessory to a plot device (Caleb being the plot device, LOVE his fridged anime mom energy) to me.

i like imagining her as someone who was really interested in the human realm, kind of similarly to the way Gus is, except she actually got to go there sometimes! it's really fun to think about the culture shock she experienced meeting Caleb and gradually finding out how fucking bonkers the culture he comes from is - like imagine your first introduction to Christianity being a seventeenth century literal Puritan.

the two of them are some really fertile ground for like, trauma recovery hurt/comfort - Caleb finding out how harmful and abnormal his upbringing was, getting to experience someone being like "wow none of that should have happened."

i also really enjoy imagining scenarios where like, the two of them end up spending time around or even living with Philip for a while, and he becomes a huge source of friction in their marriage, because Caleb's always overlooking his shitty behavior and making excuses for him, but witchwife doesn't have the same attachment.

(also interesting to consider that Caleb seems to have been willing to finally stand up to Philip and say enough when it came to protecting his wife, so, there IS a line Pip could cross...)

Belord: i love it so much. makes a terrifying amount of sense? like it's such a crackship but at the same time... there's genuinely a lot of intense emotional potential there. i can so easily see it actually happening, they would go together so well and have SUCH a bad breakup.

it's just so... it's such a relationship where both of them are using each other as stand-ins, basically. Philip of course just projects like hell onto Ford, sees him as basically another version of himself, and is so desperate for another human to be around that he'll completely forgive and excuse things totally antithetical to his own worldview.

and Ford does have a fundamentally opposed worldview! Ford loves the strange, paranormal, supernatural, occult, etc - he finds it fascinating and worthy of study, he finds it marvelous. he doesn't see it as something threatening which needs to be stamped out, he sees it as beautiful and relates to it.

Ford sees himself as a person rejected by and outside of typical society, and spitefully embraces that; at his worst he considers himself better than the people who reject him, at his best he's got a supreme sense of self-confidence and understanding of who he is and what his place in the world is.

Philip meanwhile is someone who i think has also been rejected and feels outside of typical society, and also looks down on those who have rejected him, but also tries incredibly hard to fit in and earn their respect. like, Ford knows nobody respects his study of the supernatural, but it means the world to him; Philip's whole thing here revolves around trying to gain status for himself and be the best and gain the regard of his community, a community i sincerely doubt was ever kind to him.

and Ford of course... is someone who is very vulnerable to flattery and having his ego stroked and also very lonely, and i think he would be really prone to ignoring Philip's red flags. they both project onto each other about their respective brother experiences, they both want to see each other as Just What They've Been Looking For, and for a time at least they both are able to be that for each other... but of course it can't last.

[kookies2000]

Clones

You know, I've been thinking back on the Ducktales series finally. As some know, I'm not a fan of Webby being a clone for reasons that it feels meaningless. Then it had me thinking, Hunter from The Owl House is a clone yet I feel something for him. And I thought I would write my thoughts on it.

Webby

First thing's first, Webby. Look, I know they had to squeeze in a Weddy and Huey story in one season and that's hard. No time and a lot of story to tell. And the show did a decent and great job at it. But my one big issue is Webby being a clone of Scrooge. My issue isn't with Webby being a clone but a clone of Scrooge. To me, that doesn't mean much. So Webby turns out to be a clone of Scrooge…… and? Why should we care? Many say it's because she's now Scrooge's daughter but wasn't she already treated like Scrooge's daughter? Scrooge loved her, cared about her the same way any good father loves his daughter. We got episodes about their relationship developing. It was already established that Scrooge loves Webby. So what was she being a clone of Scrooge supposed to add? It didn't develop their already developed relationship except making them biologically related. Was it relevant to the plot? Yeah, F.O.W.L got the papyrus. But couldn't Bradford use Huey? He already had Huey in his grasp. Huey was fully convinced that Bradford wanted to help and was willing to do what he said. So why did he need Webby? I feel like Webby being a clone of someone else would've been more effective. Like her mother? Maybe Beakly had Webby under wraps because she lost her daughter to F.O.W.L and F.O.W.L was creating soldiers through cloning. So she rescued Webby. Then Webby would have this moment of thinking if she can live up to her mother's legacy. Maybe her mother could've been a S.U.S.H agent or she was just a really good daughter to Beakley. And Webby now feels more pressure on being the perfect replica of her mother for Beakley. Or it didn't need to be complicated like that. Maybe something simple like just being a clone of a F.O.W.L agent. She would have an identity crisis of not knowing who she's a clone of and that she was gonna be used for evil. Maybe she is evil and she thinks back to any past mistakes she made. But in the end she can be who she wants to be. She creates her own story and is her own person. But no, she's fully content with being a copy of her idol. She's happy she's blood related to the Mcduck Clan even though she was already part of the family. It just added nothing in my eyes to her character.

Hunter

As for Hunter, wow where do I start? So we already knew he was a clone with the hints the show left us. But of who was the question. When we learned he was the clone of Belos brother it was a huge impact. Why? Well, one reason I believe why is because we never officially meet Caleb. We only saw pictures in Belos memory. And all we know is that Belos killed his brother for falling in love with a witch. And I feel like that mystery adds to our love for this twist. It also means something different to some characters. To Belos, this clone is a reminder of the brother who betrayed him. His determination and pride of trying to create the perfect brother. And it hurts him whenever his brother betrays him. To Hunter, this means that Belos is a murder. The same man that raised him and he loves killed many Golden Guards before him. He is a copy of someone Belos made disappear. And to Luz, her view on Hunter didn't really change. She still sees him as a good guy and a friend. *cough* brother *cough* To Darius, at first he saw Hunter as just a brat who replaced his mentor, someone he loved dearly. This copy of his mentor is taking the name of The Golden Guard for granted. Later, when Hunter proves he can think for himself, Darius sees him as someone his mentor would be proud of. And he cares for Hunter like his own son. Not only is there a mystery to Hunter being a clone but it means something different to different characters. And there's tension if the others find out. Hunter is scared that if Willow and Gus find out, they'll see him differently. There's just a lot of layers to Hunter being a clone. One thing that I think The Owl House had was pacing. They didn't reveal that Hunter is a clone at the very end and he accepted it right away. They revealed it in the middle of season two and they're letting it sink in for the audience. They're letting us see Hunter's process of accepting this new reality of his. He's scared, nervous, and curious. He's studying on Grim walkers and talks to Luz about his thoughts of being a clone. We see how he feels and what he thinks. The pacing is definitely done very well in The Owl House. I should also add the parallels of Hunter and Caleb. Hunter has Luz as his new sibling figur, and Gus too. He has what Caleb didn't, loving siblings. And then the fact that Belos killed his brother for falling in love with a witch. So….. who's gonna tell Belos about Willow?

Conclusion

Basically, Hunter being a clone has a lot more meaning to it than Webby being a clone. The pacing was better, the impact, the emotions, the pain and comfort. It was all there and done beautifully. This isn't to say that ducktales failed. I still love that show like crazy, flaws and everything. It's just that I feel like they fell flat with Webby. Like they could've done more with her story.

[northstarfan]

The Quarry: First Playthrough Results

Putting this under the cut for potential spoilers!

Ending: Above The Law

Emma: Lives. I didn’t care for her personality much initially (and the janky facial animations were terribly off-putting) and didn’t intend to work very hard at keeping her alive, but her Action Girl moments on the island were legit cool, I liked her a little better every time she told Jacob to go fuck himself, and I truly enjoyed her chemistry with Abigail, so I wound up liking her despite myself. 

Laura: Lives. She’s fine. I wound up feeling like she was a character whose canon personality just didn’t mesh very well with having a lot of player choices baked in - she came off as erratic as a result and I had a hard time getting invested.

Max: Lives. Some cute dialog, but extremely underdeveloped. 

Dylan: Died, but only because the Rewind feature is fucking borked. As in, the game crashed every time I tried to bring him back. I’m soooo miffed about that, because I really, really liked this adorkable closet nerd, he was the fucking MVP of the crew, and he literally died in the last half hour of the game after being put through the wringer all night. Boo!

Nick: Lives. I worked hard at keeping this unlucky fucker breathing because I like the actor and well, look. Werewolves are one of my favorite bits of supernatural lore, OK? The minute I twigged where the story was going, I knew I was going to keep him alive if it cost me most of the group. Not at all sorry about it; his descent into feral madness was hot, and then there were flesh geysers. I do think he’s one of the characters who really suffered for the lack of epilogue, though. With most of the other counselors, I can spackle together a character arc from the gameplay, but Nick didn’t really fit a personality archetype going in, and then he became a McGuffin a little too early to put together much for him. 

Kaitlyn: Lives. Ever fall in love with a girl on a firing range? Yeah. Competence porn does it for me.😁 I just wish she’d gotten a chance to be half as badass during gameplay events as she was in cutscenes, you know? But totally shipping her with Dylan and Ryan (and them with each other). So many good lines delivered so well between those three.

Jacob: Died, and good riddance. There was going to have to be a lot of strong writing to get me on board with Jacob after he stranded everyone, and it just wasn’t there. Being occasionally cute as a lovestruck goober wasn’t enough to balance out the self-pity and selfishness. I accidentally wound up feeding him to Nick in the Hackett basement and decided not to waste a Rewind attempt on him.

The Hacketts: All dead except Travis. And, frankly, they had it coming. Chris included.

Abigail: Lived. Hers was the one Rewind attempt that worked. (I’d still have rather kept Dylan, but ah, well. It was lame for a character to die because the player forget regular bullets don’t hurt werewolves in this story.) I liked her alright, but it really felt like the writers literally forgot to do anything with her. She got bitten by Caleb in my playthrough, and I was waiting for her transformation to kick in as Nick got more possessive, thinking maybe there would be some weird twist with their romance being a wolfy one or something...and nope, literally nothing. The most interesting thing she did in my game was die (and even that didn’t stick). 

Silas: Died. I felt bad for the poor pup, but I wasn’t risking Ryan for him.

Ryan: Lived. I was a little slow to warm up to him, but was totally on Ryan’s cheerleading team by the time Laura showed up. Which was a good thing, because my dude kinda went into asshole mode once they were on their way to the Hackett house. I understood why, but too much of it was backstory. I just didn’t see enough to his bond with Chris to feel all that sympathetic to his motivations after all the on-screen horror the counselors had faced up to the that point. But still very glad he made it.

[skyeinfinity0]

I’m currently working on a Rise fanfic called Two Birds forget but this chapter is murdering me so have a bunch of fic ideas i want to write ik the future feat. RotTMNT and The Owl House

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Fair warning this is going to be mostly Donnie angst bc that’s what i like to write.

Two Birds Sequel/What if thing-I can say nothing without spoiling the ending of the fic.

Inspired by:Nothing

My thoughts: Whenever I get writers block i just work on this a bit more bc it’s easy. It’s just a fairly lengthy one shot.

Titanium Tin Man- Donnie gets an invite to a big fancy science convention where a famous multibillionaire is going to supply funds and endorsements to help kickstart one ‘aspiring inventor’. No surprise Donnie wins, and he gets very very famous. This power obviously goes to his head because he’s Donnie.

Inspired by: Cabinet Man by Lemon Demon

My thoughts: I am very very very excited to write this and have considered dropping Two Birds multiple times so i can get started. However, I already dropped the first fic I ever wrote, so i wanna try and stick with this one. I’m really mostly excited for the second arc of the story, which is also inspired by a Lemon Demon song, but just saying what the song is a massive spoiler so.

Drift Away- Donnie gets kidnapped by Big Mama, but he is confident in the fact that his brothers will find him. However, Big Mama has powerful connections in low places, and her web of lies extends farther than anyone could guess.

Inspired by: Drift Away covered by Caleb Hyles

My Thoughts: This is kind of a remake of my first, dropped fic Purple Rain has Fallen Down except it only hits like three of the same story beats. I am also very excited abt this bc Big Mamas new ally is so cool to me man i can’t wait to write him.

Burn it All Down- Donnie invents nanotech, which he turns into an alter ego called Pyras he uses as an outlet to let out all his anger and emo stuff into. Basically he sneaks out in his nanotech suit and sets stuff on fire while disguised. However, things start to get complicated when his brothers start to take interest in bringing Pyras to justice. And then Baron Draxum gets involved and it all goes to shit.

Inspired by: Play with Fire by Sam Tinnesz

My thoughts: I was OBSESSED with this concept for a while, but i’ve kind of fallen out of love with it. It’s still cool, just not amazing. Also i struggled so hard to explain the plot there oml.

Echoes (Name Highly Subject to Change)- Donnie hears the voices of the Krang in his head after the events of the movie. After determining they are not controlling him in any way, Donnie builds a complicated, morally ambiguous contraption that can be used to turn thoughts into reality using nanotech in the hopes he can use it to confront the Kraang. Idk it’s kind of hard to explain.

Inspired by: Turn the Lights Off by Tally Hall and Maya the Psychic by Gerard Way

My thoughts: This started as two different concepts: the one inspired by Turn the Lights Off where Donnie makes what is basically a non-virtual reality machine and the one inspired by Maya the Psychic where Donnie hears the Kraangs voices, but i was having trouble fleshing them out so i just kinda… smushed them together. Idk what else to say.

Emotionally Unavailable- After an accident while experimenting with a mystic crystal, Donnie’s emotions are separated from his body and manifest as ‘ghosts’ nobody else can see. Basically Inside Out but the emotions have no control and just yell at the person.

Inspired by: Oh Klahoma by Jack Stauber

My thoughts: This is a newer concept but i think it’s pretty cool idk

I also want to write a stereotypical ‘Donnie gets hurt by the shredder and hides it oooo’ fic but that’s less of a project and more of a thing i’m gonna do when i’m bored.

The Owl House x Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Who tf knows i just need some fluff. None of it would make sense (why does hunter have belos possession scars but Luz is still s1 Luz?) But i just crave it.

-Hunter and Donnie would be besties bc I need them to

-Luz and Mikey are soul siblings and you cannot convince me otherwise

-Amity and Raph seem like they would be friends? idk how to explain it they just have the vibes

-And Leo would gain a cool aunt who would absolutely enable his shenanigans because that’s just what Eda does

Anyway if you read all that thanks and if you’d like to adopt a fic hmu and depending on how attached i am to the idea i’m willing to give it up if someone wants it

[promiseiwillwrite]

Reflective

I saw a woman named Claire yesterday between awake and asleep. She was very definitely a Catholic Nun of some kind, standing in front of a stained glass window. Her hair was out, and it was curly and brown. Her shoulders were covered in a black cloth, but she had a Red sash or something in the front. A little googling revealed that she was likely a Sister of the Precious Blood, which I think is some kind of monastic order, they seem nice. It also sounds about as Metal as Hell. I also saw a young boy with curly hair. It was just a glimpse. Caleb. I don't know who they are, I've never seen them before. I am not sure what roles they have in my psyche.

I have been gently trying to discover parts of myself, in an effort to work with them directly, and meet their needs.

I started re-reading the IFS book I bought, and it reminded me about homeostasis. I had noticed this pattern where I would get momentum and really shake the shit out of my paradigms, and I would feel better for a bit. Then things would just settle down. Some life would happen, some negative experiences would occur, and I sort of felt like things went back to where they were before... rinse and repeat.

I think there is more to this cycle than I thought. I think I HAVE been making progress with my disconnections. But no progress is linear. It's all fucking Jeremy Berimy. Except each iteration is a little further along. I AM learning useful things. My ability to apply emotional management skills has increased

The 4-5 year old me in the patent leather shoes is reluctant to leave the context she built, though I did bring her to the beach and the Ski lodge. I told her it was malleable, and she should be careful what she creates in that space. She ran off, and I have no idea where she went. But nothing can hurt her here. She is exploring.

My Firefighter/primary distraction entity that was once Kalok and Derrik is interchangeably male or female, and sitting around in a grey sweater, looking delicious. I get the impression that there is enough of the former two in this entity that they are consummately on my side, and they are just waiting for me to do what needs done regarding their job. Like All I have to do is apply a little force, and they could re-integrate. But knowing where to apply that force is and has always been the thing with them. They will never not be a challenge.

I think I am going to start a map, in hopes that I can keep track of what is coming up.

[stardustedknuckles]

Beau’s exasperated comment to Caleb that “You don’t have to thank me for my time like I’m your social worker or something” strikes me as funny on a couple of levels. Number one, Beau has a social worker. It’s Dairon, and at this point in the story they haven’t yet done anything that Beau feels the need to thank them for. In fact, the idea of Beau thanking a social worker is hilarious in itself - except by the time Dairon completes their work doing just that, Beau has wholeheartedly adopted them as a mentor in every sense of the word and thanks them as someone she loves and trusts. Being a social worker had nothing to do with her respect for them - if anything, it was a mark against them for a long while. 

Anyway the other part is just that it’s super fucking rich to hear that line coming from Beauregard “usefulness complex” Lionett. Like she all but thanks the m9 for putting up with her in general, and her prevailing opinion right up until the wake of Kamordah and even beyond is that she’s expendable and only kept around as long as she can be useful. To the point that she’s willing to give herself up because it’s just a matter of time before they push her out anyway. 

Every interaction between the empire siblings is just watching two mirrors desperately hold on to the shitty things they believe about themselves while trying to claw the exact same shit out of the other. “You can’t believe this about yourself. It’s only true for me, not you.” The way they fumble through their attempts to guide the other along a path that eludes them personally is genuinely funny, but it’s also a little bit heartbreaking to watch. They’re both making the effort, but they also both believe deep down that they’re never going to make sense of it for themselves. The best they can hope for is to bully the other in a direction they’re pretty certain is closed off for them. 

Beau is learning very quickly how to treat people - just do the opposite of what everyone’s done to her and don’t take it personally when it inevitably happens again. Do the good you can before they outgrow you. Teach them everything you know until there’s nothing left to give and choke down the hurt when they take it and run. That’s what you’re for, right? Help them get strong enough to not need you anymore, because they certainly couldn’t want you.

...Right?