#of course he had to show up again

[warriors-rewritten-chaos]

Major Arc 4 Changes/General Summary

The Arc That Made Me Stop Reading Warriors (Because I Thought The Story Was Over)

Oh how wrong I was...

So Hollyleaf is probably dead, which means the Three are now Two. This is a problem for everyone, but mostly for StarClan, who somehow can’t see in the tunnels to know if she’s still kickin’. So the Council of A-holes (as dubbed by the constantly exasperated and outraged Yellowfang) makes a decision: just make a new Third Cat. Yellowfang tries in vain to stop them: “Look, if the DF is training living cats to fight, why can’t we do that but for the good guys, why do we have to put the fate of everything on some poor kits every single damn time” and the Council just says “How do you keep finding our secret meetings”. Tallstar looks away slightly when they ask and tries to hold his laughter, but no one notices

So Dovekit and Ivykit are born. While Ivykit seems to be perfectly healthy and fine, Dovekit has... problems. Lots of problems. She’s sensitive to literally everything: gets sick at the drop of a hat, can’t stand any sound louder than a whisper, and just being downwind of the Medicine Den makes her feel ill from the smell of herbs and sickness that permeate the air. Ivykit becomes her sister’s devoted protector, but even she can’t protect her sister from Destiny Bullcrap

The two become apprentices, with Jayfeather and Lionblaze keeping an eye on Dovekit because of her extreme sensitivity. Ivypaw realizes he isn't entirely a molly and comes out as bigender. Ivypaw continues to protect her sister but is sidelined entirely once Dovepaw is officially revealed to be the New Third Prophecy Cat and is taken to stop a drought. He is not okay with this. Muddyhollow and Tigerstar take notice of his jealousy and Ivypaw starts her Dark Forest training. Dovepaw and the ShadowClan Warrior Goldenheart begin to have a secret romantic-friendship thing. Unbeknownst to Dovepaw, Goldenheart also trains in the Dark Forest with Ivypaw. After seeing how good Ivypaw is at fighting, Goldenheart dreads the day that Ivypaw finds out that Goldenheart is romantically involved with Dovepaw

A tree falls in the ThunderClan camp. It would've crushed Briarpaw to bits, but Mistlefur sacrifices her life to save the young apprentice. However, she isn't able to completely push Briarpaw out of the way and Briarpaw’s hind legs are crushed by the tree and she becomes paralyzed. While Snowflight mourns the death of his sister, Millie mourns what she believes is her daughter’s ability to have an independent life. Sensing the negative emotional effect it’s having on Briarpaw, who is already upset due to the loss of her legs, Jayfeather tells Millie to shut up and stop the pity party. “Your daughter is paralyzed, not dead! Do you think Longtail became less of a Warrior after he was blinded, or I’m any less of a Medicine Cat because I can’t see? Is Snowflight inferior to the other Hunters because he can’t hear?” No, no, and no again. “Then why is Briarpaw any different? She may not be a Warrior the way you picture it, but she’s going to have a long, fulfilling life doing something that makes her happy just the same.”

Briarpaw is still depressed, but feels a bit better with Jayfeather and Longtail helping her out. Longtail is especially helpful, as his circumstances were similar to Briarpaw’s once upon a time, and as such he can empathize with her and help her come into her own and her life. Briarpaw eventually becomes a Warden and earns the Warrior Name Briarlight alongside her siblings when they receive theirs, but we’ll get to them soon

Millie is still a bit overly doting on Briarpaw, but nowhere near as bad as canon. Blossompaw still thinks her parents love Briarpaw and her older step-siblings and nephews more than her, despite all evidence being that they love her just the same. This is partly due to being an angsty teen, and partly because the Dark Forest has already gotten their claws into her and have started manipulating her to hate the Clans. Bumblepaw develops a crush on Dovepaw, which she isn't sure if she reciprocates or not. He’s a little bit creepy and obsessive about it...

After Lionblaze accidentally kills Russetfur in the battle against ShadowClan, Blackstar names Rowanclaw as the new Deputy. Rowanclaw is only Deputy for a few days before they realize that they cannot put up with Blackstar’s crap and step down for the sake of their mental health. Tawnypelt, having been mentored by Blackstar after her first mentor and father Tigerstar died, is able to deal with him just fine and remains Deputy permanently

Dovepaw and Goldenheart become even closer. In ThunderClan, Cinderheart, Icecloud, and Lionblaze start to have serious talks about their relationship. When Cinderheart starts to be afraid that the three of them can’t be together because of Lionblaze’s destiny and powers, Lionblaze counters with “remember my grandpa?” because everybody knows that Firestar was like the OG Prophecy Cat and he has three whole mates and it’s fine. Cinderheart is still a little insecure about it, while Icecloud is concerned that the Prophecy might end in Lionblaze’s death, so nothing’s fixed, but it’s a little better than it was

Ivypaw gets lost while Dark Forest training and meets two spirits who seem to be hiding from the others. She asks them what they’re doing, and they introduce themselves as Frecklepelt and Snowtuft. They tell Ivypaw that he needs to get out while he still can, and that the Dark Forest’s intentions are not as noble as “helping Warriors train and the Clans become stronger”. But Ivypaw doesn't listen and continues training, although she doesn't tell her Dark Forest mentors about the two almost kind spirit cats or their warning. Ivypaw regrets the decision, however, when his father Birchfall, another unwitting Dark Forest trainee, is killed during training by the WindClan Warrior Antpelt. And Antpelt is praised for doing it. And Ivypaw sees the entire thing happen from start to finish. She kills Antpelt in a fit of vengeance-fueled rage and is praised and fawned over by Muddyhollow and Tigerstar, who are just so proud of Ivypaw and how far he’s come...

When Ivypaw wakes up, he vomits and cries uncontrollably. Even more so once it is confirmed that Birchfall has apparently died in his sleep. And that in WindClan, Antpelt has as well. But Ivypaw knows what really happened to them both. She can’t be quiet anymore. He tells his sister, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather the whole truth and becomes a spy in the Dark Forest for the Clans. He also enlists the assistance of the two friendly Dark Forest spirits he’d met prior, Frecklepelt and Snowtuft, to try and show the other trainees what is really happening and try to get them out of there. The operation begins!

Meanwhile, Jayfeather and Flametail of ShadowClan go out on the ice together to play a game to lighten the mood. Flametail suddenly falls through the ice and Jayfeather fights desperately to save him, not wanting to lose another friend. However, Rock intervenes, since it is Flametail’s destiny and time to go, much to Jayfeather’s rage. Dawnpelt, having come looking for her brother and seeing the broken ice and flailing limbs and bodies underneath, drags Jayfeather out of the water alone as he begs her to let him go, he has to save Flametail! Dawnpelt tells him that she doesn't see Flametail’s body and they both collapse sobbing on one another as they mourn his tragic passing. Jayfeather wonders aloud if it’s possible to kill fate. Dawnpelt responds that if he ever finds a way to do so, she’d like to help. Jayfeather is not accused of murder because Dawnpelt knows he didn't kill her brother and defends him from the accusations and the two become friends

Jayfeather begins to have visions of the future of the Clans, and it does not look good for them. Meanwhile in the Lunar Feles, Stoneteller’s successor is chosen. Jayfeather receives a vision from Lady Half Moon, showing him the tunnels and that Hollyleaf is still alive down in them. She is accompanied by a ghost of an Ancient named Fallen Leaves. Jayfeather begs to be shown a way to get to her, to see her again and tell her to come back, but is instead shown an eclipse...

As heralded by Jayfeather’s vision, Sol shows up again and tries to manipulate Onestar and WindClan into attacking ThunderClan this time around. It doesn't work, mostly because the Clan cats all remember Sol making ShadowClan implode on itself and attempting to destroy the Clans. Also, Hollyleaf emerges from the tunnels to beat him up and drive him off for good. She is tackled by her entire family who are overjoyed to see her again. Leafpool and Squirrelflight forgive her and apologize for their past actions, and Hollyleaf apologizes for hers

Also, Dovewing, Ivystrike, and the rest of the apprentices earn their Warrior Names

So now there’s Four Prophecy Cats. But it’s best not to get too cozy, because the Dark Forest has been working in the shadows and is preparing one final strike to destroy the Clans for good (minus SkyClan because they don't know about them). While some Dark Forest apprentices have been converted back to the Clans’ side, they cannot stop training or reveal this, because they will be killed for their betrayal (as seen with Beetlewhisker of RiverClan when he tries to leave). As Dovewing starts to grow closer with Bumblestripe, Bumblestripe is revealed to be receiving advice from a Dark Forest cat... But it’s “offstage”, so to speak, so none of the canon characters know this is happening, only the readers do. Wonder how this is gonna turn out...

The final battle begins. Birchfall’s spirit is seen with StarClan, as he was a good cat who was duped into his role and Snowtuft and Frecklepelt snuck him out of the Dark Forest and into StarClan before he could be forced to become a Dark Forest spirit. Speaking of the two of them, they are unable to join the Clans in the final battle out of the risk of retaliation by the other Dark Forest cats. While Dark Forest and StarClan cats cannot be killed in their respective domains, simply reforming if anything happens to them there, they are able to be destroyed for good if they are killed in the mortal realm once more. This happens to many Dark Forest and StarClan cats over the course of the fight

Brightheart’s body chooses the exact worse time to start kitting and she goes into labor during the battle. A group of Dark Forest cats attacks ThunderClan’s Nursery upon hearing her cries. Snowflight, Dustpelt, and Ferncloud make the decision to lay down their lives to protect the monarchs and their kits. They rise as StarClan spirits and keep on fighting

Longtail and Mousefur are also killed in the battle but reanimate. Longtail, Lynxswift, the now adult StarClan version of Swiftpaw (now Swiftfire), Cinderspark, Mistlefur, Speckletail, Smallears, Lionheart, and Goldenflower all square up and the whole family joins the brawl together. Purdy and Mousefur join in too, with Purdy being asked about his heart condition and if he’s okay to fight, and he says that today is as good a day as any to die

Leafpool is saved from being killed by Mapleshade (who goes after her because she thinks they are alike) by a trio of StarClan cats who tell her to run and that they’ll handle their mother. She doesn't see any of those cats, including Mapleshade, again for the rest of the battle

Brokenstar is battled by Ratscar, Swampbloom, and Oakfur, the last three surviving apprentices from his reign in ShadowClan. Yellowfang and the adult StarClan versions of the kits and apprentices Brokenstar killed show up to help take him down for good

Mudclaw, still as stupid and reckless in death as he was in life, goes after both Onestar and Tallstar at the same time and obviously loses the two-on-one battle

Thistleclaw’s spirit is torn to shreds by Snowflower, Bluestar, and Spottedleaf, who all work together to end him

Muddyhollow squares off against Ivystrike. She nearly kills him before being accosted by Darkheart, Brambleflower, and Hollyleaf. She is overwhelmed but manages to escape, vowing her revenge. And getting a fatal blow on Hollyleaf, who dies in the embrace of her mother, aunt, and siblings who all rush to her side when Jayfeather senses her dying

Finally, we have Firestar versus Tigerstar. Good versus evil. They fight fiercely, but since Firestar is mortal, his body tires while Tigerstar’s doesn't. As Tigerstar stands gloating over Firestar, he is stopped from killing him by a harsh blow to the back from... another Dark Forest cat? Wait, is that? Yep, its Scourge, who upon his death ended up in the Afterlife. While he wouldn't normally have cared about the Clans dying (and would really have been quite happy about it), he wasn't going to let Tigerstar be happy ever (and was also pissed that he was still around in any way shape or form). He deals a few more blows to Tiger and leaves, telling Firestar to finish this properly. And Firestar does, but it takes the last of his strength. While he dies, he names Brambleflower his successor (at some point in this arc Brackenfur steps down from the Deputy position because he doesn't want to be Leader and Brambleflower is chosen as the new one). He ascends to StarClan surrounded by his family

The Clans say goodbye to their fallen friends as they go to StarClan and decide to put the Dark Forest trainees on probation instead of just executing or exiling them thanks to Ivystrike’s efforts

And that’s where the story of Firestar ends...

[daisybell-on-a-carousel]

"Jason was the happy robin" this, "jason was the angry robin" that. Let's all be fully honest here Jason was the lonely robin

[batsplat]

after 2015 until 2018 it seemed that things had calmed down a bit between valentino and marc, in the sense that they had started to be polite between them again and valentino no longer seemed to be on a war footing. then after argentina obviously the situation worsened again. in the podcast where valentino spoke in 2021 if I'm not mistaken, when he talks about marc,however, he only refers to the events of sepang and not to what happened in argentina which instead seemed to have been the final “divorce”. so my question is, during 2016 and 2017 did valentino just pretend to put up with marc? because in that podcast you can feel valentino's resentment is still a lot even after many years, so I imagine it must have been even greater in the two years immediately following sepang, even if it didn't seem if you see how he behaved

well. look. it was reflected in how valentino behaved... I think sometimes if you see isolated photos and gifsets, you can maybe be left with a bit of a mistaken impression of what that dynamic actually looked like for those two years. they got to a point post-catalunya where they were civil to each other, and maybe they'd exchange two lines in greeting, at podium celebrations, when somebody in a presser made a joke... and maybe marc at the very least was sincerely hoping they could get back to something like what they had before 2015. in reality, though, it was still very very far away. it wasn't open hostilities... at some point in 2016, valentino realised he simply couldn't go on like this. I talked about it a bit here:

you get this discrepancy in his 2016 output, actually. if you compare what he's saying that autumn for written press interviews vs what he's saying with marc right next to him... he'd clearly decided there was zero point in directly fanning the flames. at the sepang 2016 presser when marc and him are quizzed on what had happened the previous year, he just goes with marc's response and decides against reopening the controversy by adding anything from his side. but he still made it clear he hadn't changed his mind in interviews from the exact same time period! at times, he tolerates marc's tentative advances - at other times, he's almost accidentally sucked in, like he can't quite help himself from laughing at something marc has said. but there was never a period where he forgave marc for what he'd done... for various reasons he just decided he wasn't going to harp on about it too much. he did basically say as much post-argentina 2018:

but yeah, argentina 2018. it's an interesting one, isn't it? the stuff that valentino says there doesn't actually feel... quite in line with anything else he's said about marc. typically, when valentino criticises marc, it really is all about sepang 2015 - it's very focused, very specific, he's talking about being unable to forgive marc on a personal level for something marc had done to valentino... but it's not like he's really coming at marc for anything else... when other riders have gotten into spats with marc, he's stayed out of it - and generally he remains pretty neutral when he talks about everything else concerning marc. so, for example, there's a world where the moment alex rins is saying marc doesn't respect other riders in 2019, valentino immediately jumps at the opportunity to offer his hot take... but he doesn't do that. and yes, he had criticised marc's riding before, in particular in marc's moto2 days, but obviously those criticisms were considerably more restrained and sounded at times quite worried for marc's sake. (he also got close to that in silverstone 2016 when he remarked marc had 'something special' for their battles, but a) he's not wrong, except insofar as it's clearly mutual, and b) he explicitly said he didn't have a problem with that fight and considered it hard but fair). in 2017, when valentino was criticising other riders for being too aggressive... well, he wasn't doing so with marc, and he even conceded the point to marc in subsequent races after marc had obliquely criticised valentino at cota for his rhetoric not matching up to his own riding. when valentino's young riders have gotten into their own spats with marc, he's not waded in either, at most saying stuff about marc's fight with pecco that from his lips sounds almost like something akin to praise. radio silence after bez's run in with marc at the end of last year... argentina 2018 is the exception not the rule

and you know... at the end of the day, that was an emotional reaction. valentino might be wearing the habitual smile on his face during the media debrief and sound reasonably calm and composed, but he was furious. which, it's always worth remembering, isn't an entirely unreasonable reaction to that specific situation. yes, valentino doesn't have a clean track record either, but you're going to struggle to find such a... weaponised carelessness, a blatant disinterest in his fellow riders while shoving them aside, in the way marc was exhibiting that day - and indeed that whole weekend. looking back, of course argentina 2018 ended up being an isolated blot on marc's track record that he's not come close to repeating since (yes, he's made high profile errors that took out other riders, but it's different)... but we didn't know that at the time. also, I doubt valentino much appreciated being treated just like an obstacle in marc's path! the fact that valentino wasn't the only marc victim that weekend kind of has an interesting effect, because you have to doubt whether it would have helped if valentino felt like he was being targeted specifically by marc, but on the other hand... well, it's almost disrespectful, isn't it... being singled out is in a way still better than being brushed aside like any other rider

still, valentino's pushing it with his criticisms, he's out of line, and he clearly did lash out in the heat of the moment - which was of course largely a product of the resentment he'd been holding onto those past two years. calling marc's behaviour that day dangerous? sure, you'd find a lot of agreement for that. saying that marc was ruining the sport? that he was intentionally causing other riders to crash? ... well, hold on one moment. I reckon the simplest explanation is the best one here: valentino was angry and said stuff he wouldn't otherwise say, which we know because he's not done so before or since. of course, he was never going to retract what he said about marc that day - he wasn't ever going to apologise for it. not with their history, not when there was still just enough about those argentina comments that he meant... so he wasn't going to feel too much regret about the bits he wouldn't have said under any other circumstance. the problem post-2015 for valentino is that constantly signalling his fury to the world wasn't doing him much good... but pretending like everything was just fine clearly also took a bit of a toll. argentina 2018 wiped the slate clean - even though they gradually crept back towards basic civility after that. and valentino really didn't continue with that line of critique... since then he's basically completely reverted back to a sepang 2015-centric approach. maybe a few hints at it... in 2021, he said something along the lines of how he doesn't feel good when he's on-track with marc, but that's pretty generic while also crucially being personal - he's not saying marc is a problem for the series, he's saying it's them specifically that have an issue with each other

which doesn't mean he didn't believe what he said in argentina 2018 in the moment... when they reconvened in cota and had marc and valentino do separate media debriefs from the main presser, valentino said he stood by his comments - but also didn't actually repeat them or elaborate on them or anything. he's back to terse short responses to the press' questions, saying he wants to focus on the race ahead: kind of the go-to approach when it comes to marc post-sepang (with notable exceptions). he's walked his strongest comments back as much as he was probably ever going to - by simple virtue of the fact that he's left it at that. and you know, he's a complicated guy... 2016-17 was both pretending and it also wasn't. he didn't act like everything was forgotten, but he certainly was willing to let people believe that this relationship might end up being mended - which quite frankly was probably never going to happen. mostly, he was just sort of sick of the whole thing, struggling to enjoy himself in what had become such a charged, hostile environment for all the riders involved. at the same time, look - fundamentally, the interpersonal chemistry with marc was always fine. they click as people! they click as riders! marc makes valentino laugh! sometimes, that line between 'pretending' and 'letting yourself pretend' and 'actually not pretending at all' can be quite thin. when valentino talks in that time period about how much he enjoyed a battle with marc, of course he isn't lying - because he really does enjoy those fights! that's what racing is all about for him, and that's something him and marc still share! as long as marc isn't barging him aside and causing him to crash, that is. maybe it'd be easier if it were all a pretence, but it wasn't... sometimes, when you say you thought a race was hard and fair, you really do mean it and you really did have a lot of fun. sometimes, the struggle isn't actually acting nice for the cameras, it's trying to bite down the temptation to laugh alongside your sworn enemy

see also assen 2016... like, isn't this kinda wild? you've just had catalunya the race before, you've just had the mere semblance of a tentative start to a possible reconciliation - then they return to the place that was really the beginning of the end for them. they go on a few track familiarisation laps, including to check out the resurfaced final chicane (aka the scene of the crime). they race each other on said track familiarisation laps. then marc brings it up in the presser, giggling about the whole thing, and apparently valentino also finds it pretty funny - before he visibly swallows up his grin. later that weekend, marc pointedly decides to try out valentino's final chicane move himself during the warm up session. this is all obviously deranged, but it's a type of deranged where they are fundamentally on the same wavelength. it's the kind of ridiculous behaviour they're both incredibly fond of... you see it in how valentino shrugs off the towing at catalunya 2019, and thinks it speaks to marc's smarts and wiliness - unsurprising, really, because they're so similar in that regard, and valentino has never shaken his admiration for marc as a competitor

valentino can clamp down on his animosity towards a rival during his direct interactions with them... lord knows if you watch a few of the casey and valentino face-to-face interactions over the years, you really wouldn't match that up with the sheer vitriol of some of the stuff they were concurrently saying about each other in the press. that rivalry was never really personal (on valentino's end), it was never fraught in the same way (for valentino anyway) - still, it shows he's theoretically capable of separating this stuff out when he needs to... and he just about managed with marc for two years. if he had just been waiting for an excuse, surely you would have heard at least a hint of that when him and marc swapped paint in 2017. you never quite knew how he was going to answer the inevitable questions about marc's riding, but no direct criticism was forthcoming at any stage. the post-argentina 2018 rhetoric wasn't in any way premeditated from valentino's side, and personally I don't think he was just waiting for an excuse either. it was the result of a constant internal conflict between knowing that engaging in any more active beef with marc wouldn't do anyone any good, and the fact that he still hadn't forgiven marc... and then a race came along that simply pissed him off enough to push him over the edge

from 2016 onwards, valentino both very much wanted and very much did not want further conflict with marc, and neither of those impulses ever quite go away. usually, he's disciplined enough to avoid stoking the flames any further... potshots to the press outside of the paddock are essentially a free and harmless outlet in that regard, and even there you can tell he was trying to scale it back in the years where he was being forced to directly interact with marc. he was pretending and not pretending and sometimes pretending like he wasn't pretending and sometimes pretending like he was pretending. maybe it would have always just taken one major on-track confrontation for things to fall apart between them again... but you do kinda have to acknowledge the whole thing was really unfortunate. I've long thought that something like sepang 2015 was pretty inevitable as long as valentino managed to put himself in title contention once marc had joined the premier class, but I don't actually feel the same way about argentina 2018. an awful marriage of circumstance and coincidence and bad choices caused the relationship to fall apart again this badly. valentino might have had some more or less sincere misgivings about marc's riding, but at the end of the day he wasn't going to ever express them unless it got personal - because all of these people are incredibly self-centred and valentino wouldn't have felt like it was worth it. he lost his temper, he said some stuff he might partly but not fully believe, he's not inclined to bring it up again. that's that

[toasteaa]

toast!!!!! Idk if you saw this Neuvi outfit mod yet but it seemed very much what you might like :3

https://x.com/dailyhyvgrandpa/status/1829436458228138485?s=46&t=HqOx7uNx6Lp0NeJzstmOFw

I have been sent this video at least ten times and each time I see it I go stupid for a little while. A long while.

And as I'm typing this, I'm realizing that the text on the video said that this is his wedding suit and I have to go sit down again because the thought that just barreled itself into my brain is LOUD.

I forgot what I was going to say omfg. Something about being partial to his canon outfit (his spats, cummerbund, and jabot are gone :( he's naked...) but I do enjoy the translucence and subtle glow of his shawl and the romaritime flower boutonniere! He really is so very lovely...

[stardustedknuckles]

Memory loss associated with Adhd has got to be the stupidest and cruelest symptom because without fail it's like. Me wavering on whether I should take my meds every single time, followed by sitting on my dumb ass three hours later going "wow, I'm actually feeling emotions and connected to people I've loved and lost and I feel capable of facing the complicated grief and emotions associated with a lot of those memories. I wonder why that - oh. Right. I'm a whole idiot."

[thetimelordbatgirl]

No One: People in the Gravity Falls fandom on twitter at any chance for some fucking reason: *trying to revive hating a literal 12 year old child, aka Mabel*

[firebirdsdaughter]

Something that occurred to me this time…

… Is that Eliot deliberately brings Hardison w/ him to confront Moreau the first time. He tells Nate that he and Hardison will do it (don't worry, I also Love Hardison taking the moment to be like 'hey, are you okay?' bc those two usually express themselves through bickering so much that it clearly telegraphs just how off Eliot is being that Hardison is dropping the usual banter to be serious).

Which for one thing, says something about Eliot's confidence in Hardison in general, but also, like… Yes, Parker's probably not the choice for that introduction, it's not her style, but Nate or Sophie could also have played the part. He could have tried to go alone. But he pulls Hardison.

Obviously he's not trying to put Hardison in danger, he makes it quite clear in all other scenarios that he does not tolerate Hardison in danger (visual cues in The Gone Fishin' Job my beloveds), the others are well aware of the fact that he's Done Some Shit and are equally unaware of his connection to Moreau. And to be honest, I can't pinpoint an exact reason why I think he might have done it, chosen Hardison to be the one who finds out first. Maybe he suspected Moreau would underestimate Hardison, making him safer (relatively, if course), then someone like Nate or Sophie. Maybe he thought it would be best to have Hardison's tech skills as back up. Maybe he thought Hardison would roll w/ the punches the best. Maybe he just wanted Hardison there for morale.

I don't know, but it's a moment that didn't really occur to me the first time, but I think is actually quite meaningful in a more emotional way.

[kaylazer]

back on my bullshit (meeting men im in love with). Ben Schwartz is so kind and tall :-) I didn’t totally freeze like when I met the Jonas brothers but the selfies we took are blurry so 😔

(at least I have these bc I told sam to record the whole thing heheheh)

[biblicalhorror]

Okayyyyy yeah also let's talk about Tammy. I didn't know how I felt about her for awhile because she did very much feel like the Disposable Black Girlfriend, but I'm seeing people saying she's an "abuser" or God forbid "just as bad as Kevin" and that's just. Not at all true.

Yes, Tammy is controlling. She doesn't seem to really like Patty for who she is, and kind of seems to want to change her into someone else instead. HOWEVER, I think we need to look at the whole character to understand WHY she's like that. I don't think she's controlling Patty for personal gain or for the sake of manipulating her. I think she's lonely and desperate for companionship, which leads to her ignoring/pushing past the obvious incompatibility in her relationship with Patty.

Here's what we know about Tammy:

1. She seems to be the only black person in the Worcester social circle. She also mentions frequently how she's surrounded entirely by white men at work.

2. She is also the only openly lgbt person in the area, other than Patty, who is still not exactly out and proud.

3. She describes her entire job as "making excuses for" and "cleaning up after" the men at her job, particularly her partner (whose name I am unfortunately forgetting, does anyone remember?), who even had her plant evidence for him on at least one occasion.

4. Despite being very competent and good at her job, the white men around her keep failing upwards (she mentions a few times that people beneath her keep getting promoted) while she remains stagnant in her career. There doesn't seem to be any explanation for this other than the fact that she is a black lesbian in an extremely white, conservative community.

Basically, Tammy seems like someone who has been taught (like many black women) that she will have to work much harder than everyone else to get ahead in any capacity. She is also likely very, very lonely. She doesn't seem to have any friends outside of work, which isn't surprising given the above. It seems like she doesn't exactly have a ton of prospects, dating-wise, other than Patty. In my opinion, it's really no wonder that she clung to Patty so desperately and immediately and tried to forcibly mold her into someone who could be compatible. She's tough, smart, organized, direct, manipulative, no-nonsense and controlling because, well, she had to be. And she ends up trying to "rein in" Patty because, in her mind, what's the other option? She ends up alone, surrounded by men who force her to cover for their antics and don't care if she lives or dies.

I'm not saying her behavior is healthy. But it comes from an entirely different place than Kevin's abuse, or Chuck's, or even Neil's. And it's also not uncommon. In real life, I know many queer women (specifically small-town lesbians) who end up in relationship dynamics just like that over and over again because they start dating someone who doesn't quite fit, and they compensate for it by trying to force a connection instead of accepting loneliness and isolation. I have a lot of sympathy for Tammy. And I wish the show had taken more care to establish the abuse she faced from her coworkers off-camera.

[aeolianblues]

was kinda thinking about this when I saw Renee Rapp live recently-- I didn't know her visual vibe, I'd heard a few songs here and there but I hadn't really *seen* her, and her attire at Osheaga was really casual, a jersey (baseball/basketball?) and slacks. And that was so amazing! I couldn't help thinking, the work Billie Eilish has done for how women in pop music are allowed to dress is incredible. Seeing her up there all comfortable you just know that Billie walked in her oversized tops so that Renee in her slacks could run; Billie walked through all the critcisms about how she dressed slobbily and having to assert that she didn't owe anyone a display of skin, so that Renee could be comfortable and unquestioned running up and down the catwalk in front of 10,000 people. How iconic.

And I don't think we even realised at the time how much something as simple as letting Billie dress the way she as a (then-) 17-year-old teenager dressed, could end up meaning for a future generation of women in music.

Obviously there is still way to go, there were weirdos complaining about how 'plain' Dua Lipa's Glastonbury outfit was this year (in 2024!!), l have to ask, are you at Paris Fashion Week?? She is the musical HEADLINER of an entire day of music at one of the biggest music festivals in the world, and you can't grant her the space to exist as an artist, you have to moan about her dress not being excitingly revealing enough. There's work to do, it's still dismal out there. But the space Billie Eilish has created for a most ordinarily-dressed woman popstar is still heartening.

[strangersteddierthings]

Eventually Eddie tells Steve about what happened, what his friends said

Steve shows up at Gareth’s with the nail bat

Hmm... politely disagree, nonny. Steve showing up with a nail bat is insulting, especially since he and Eddie are at a point where they talk about the things that upset them. Eddie would be furious if Steve threatened his friends with physical violence.

It's Robin who shows up with the nail bat.

[softquietsteadylove]

Me again! I am once again humbly requesting more of the family law au. Anything you wanna do with the story, I know anything you write will be amazing

Thena looked up as a small body plunked down onto the bench next to her. She looked back at the courtroom door, but the child had appeared from elsewhere. "Hello."

The child sniffled.

She looked around them, but court was in recess, currently. "Where is your guardian?"

The kid shrugged.

She could simply ignore the child. She wasn't a bailiff or authority, she was only in court to close a case of her own, it was signatures in front of the judge. But she recognised the deep hunch in her shoulders and the way her feet kicked idly hanging off the edge of the bench. "I know you have one. Kids aren't allowed to just walk into courtrooms alone."

The kid looked around; she couldn't have been older than twelve. "My parents are talking to a lawyer, but I left."

How did a kid walk out and no one noticed? Thena frowned, "who was watching you?"

"My dad's new wife."

Ah, an unwanted stepmother; Thena angled herself toward the young girl. "Hm, the lawyer speaking with your parents, is he...big?"

She looked up at Thena, her face betraying the vulnerability her body language was trying to hide. "Really big."

Thena couldn't help but smile. There was no more way effective way to describe Gil. "Trust me, he looks scary, but he's actually quite nice."

The girl looked back down at her lap again. "I dunno."

If her parents were speaking with Gil, it was some sort of family issue. Divorce - and to some extent, custody - was her specialty, but Gil handled plenty to do with family settlements and custody issues. He didn't always get to see families on their best day.

Thena rethought her approach. She undid her suit jacket and put her arm up on the back of the bench. "My youngest sister is around your age. She also hates talking."

The girl giggled, just a little. "I don't hate talking."

"Well," Thena paused and shrugged strategically. "Tell me why you're here today."

The kid sighed, seeming even more like Sprite. "My dad's new wife wants us to stay at their new house for his weekends with us. But it's really far away, and they only have one bedroom for me and my sister to share."

As much as she was listening to the child, her mind couldn't help but think that - professionally speaking - it didn't sound suitable for at least one preteen, if not two. "Are you parents discussing this now?--where you and your sister should go, that is?"

She nodded, sniffling again. "They got a little nicer with each other after the divorce. But now all they're doing is yelling again."

Thena bobbed her head slowly to show her understanding. The poor child had been through this already and was now reliving the struggle of an ugly custody hearing. "And do you remember what they were saying?"

The girl made a face, scrunching her small features. "I had to go with my dad's new wife when they started yelling. My sister is still in there, though. They were talking about 'confidence' or something."

So, the sister was older. Even more of a reason that the girls sharing a room would be unfavourable. "Competence--it means they want to know who's the better parent."

She looked up at Thena again, even sadder than before. "I like both my parents. I just don't wanna live an hour away every weekend!"

"Okay, okay, all right, sh," Thena attempted to comfort the girl (which had never been her specialty). She patted her back as the poor thing loudly hiccuped and sniffled up her excess snot. "Can I tell you something?"

Children enjoyed knowing secrets.

The girl nodded.

Thena sighed. It went against all her personal rules against disclosing her personal life, family situation, getting close with people in a professional setting. But she sucked it up, as Sprite would say. "I've had to prove my competence before, when I signed up to take care of my sisters."

"You take care of your sisters?" she asked, although she didn't seem so incredibly astounded.

"One is 16, although it feels like she's turning 20," Thena laughed faintly, and at least the girl smiled. It was the kind of thing a parent would say, much to her dread. But she continued. "I told you the other is around your age, she just turned 13 in the spring."

"How old are you?"

She ignored that question. "I had to prove I could take care of them, like a parent would, although I didn't really know how. But do you know what helped?"

She shook her head.

"Hearing from them," Thena said more gently. It seemed a revelation to the girl that someone might listen to her. "They said they wanted to stay with me. That I would take good care of them, and I swore I would. And I've tried my best, even if I'm not perfect. I get things wrong sometimes, like getting them to school late or forgetting about projects they have."

"What do you do?"

"I try again," she shrugged, and if anything the girl seemed to appreciate her honesty. "Because someone who's going to look after you only wants what's best for you. What's important is if you're safe, and taken care of and comfortable. If you're happy, and doing well in school, or with your friends. The person who's going to take care of you will care about that even if it means you're far away."

Something seemed to dawn on the girl. Although Thena didn't want to sway her opinion any, it would seem her assumption that the husband was not doing his due diligence was correct. Or perhaps the wife was pushing too hard for her new role in his children's lives. Either way, if the girls were best off with their mother, it was more than clear to the client, now.

"Thanks," she smiled at Thena, her shoulders un-hunching faintly. "I'll tell my sister that."

Perhaps the older one could communicate that to the parents. It sounded like the parents were a few precarious steps away from hiring individual lawyers for each of their sides as opposed to using one. But Thena regarded the girl, labelling her 'her client' in her mind. And it was her job to keep her client's best interest at heart.

"There you are!"

Thena looked up, catching Gil jogging over to them. She stood out of habit, holding her coat over her arm. "Mister Gilgamesh."

"Hey," he smiled at her before looking down at the girl. "What's the deal, we turned around and you were gone."

The mother and father immediately began berating the daughter for running off. Thena caught Gil's eye aside from the family. She leaned closer, "my client has some concerns about the pending custody battle."

"Oh," Gil blinked, looking from the girl and back to her. He smiled, showing off the charming and warm temperament that made him so popular, especially with families. "She does, does she?"

They drifted further from the family having their own discussion. Thena eyed Gil, who looked both exhausted and also a whole pot of coffee deep. "How is it?"

He angled himself closer to her and away from the family. "It's getting ugly, and I don't know what I can do to stop it. They're ready to hire their own custody lawyers."

Thena also peeked over at them cautiously. The girl was accepting her berating, although when the father's wife appeared over his shoulder she looked away, taking on a more defensive stance again. She really did remind her of Sprite. "Let the girls talk."

"What?"

She shifted on her feet. It was Gil's case, and she had no real right to get involved, even if it did cross into her expertise. She whispered, "let the girls speak. If nothing else, it should sway the parents enough for them to come to a decision."

Gil made a face, crossing his arms. It pulled his suit jacket to the point of strain; ridiculously thick arms, he had. "Or it could be the drop that makes the dam burst."

Thena shook her head though. "It won't. Those girls know the best place for themselves, and I believe the parents do too. Let the girls state what they want. The parents will respond to their needs and settle."

He gave her a peculiar look, and she couldn't fault him for it. She usually didn't offer personal perspectives on cases. She worked solely and completely on evidence, maybe sometimes on how a judge might regard something. But she didn't give personal opinions. "How do you know?"

Thena looked at the family again. The father patted both his daughters on the shoulder as the bailiff ushered them back to where they had been discussing things during the recess. She looked at Gil. "I just do."

Gil didn't look at the family again. He focused entirely on her, unfolding his arms, slipping his hands into his pockets and raising an eyebrow slightly. But he nodded, "okay."

"That's it?"

He shrugged, furthering the rumpling of his suit, entirely by his own doing. "I trust you. If you say the family will settle, I believe you. I'll ask for the kids to talk."

She smiled, genuinely relieved at the idea of the young girl's feelings being heard. Maybe there was something to how Gil made all of his cases personal. "I think it will be best for everyone."

"So, uh," Gil finally did just barely glance over his shoulder as they started walking back as well. "What'd you say to her?"

Thena pursed her lips. "Not much of anything, truly. The girl is quite competent for her age. All she needs is to be heard."

Gil chuckled.

"What?"

"Nothing," he laughed now, furthering her scrutiny. He shrugged, "you're great with kids, which I guess I should have expected."

"I would not say that."

"You just demonstrated it."

"You didn't see it happen."

"You literally have kids."

"I am not a mother," she argued, and it was true, even as a defense of herself. "She's around Sprite's age, and I recall when Sprite first got into her phase of wanting to shout at the world but not wanting anyone to look at her, either."

"See?" Gil gesticulated with his hand before rolling his shoulders to correct his suit jacket (it did not). "You're a natural."

That was not what the courts thought when she was going through her own proceedings a matter of years ago. But she smiled, giving his poor suit jacket a tug here and there to get it to sit right on him again. Why was he so ridiculously well built for a family lawyer? "Your clients await."

He gave her a more grateful smile as she brushed her hand over his lapel. "Thanks--hey, I'll make sure your client gets her fair say."

She waved him off as he went back to his meeting, and then the proceeding hearing. Technically she didn't have any reason to linger--it wasn't her case. But she sat herself down on the bench outside of the main courtroom doors again, pulling out her phone.

Can I go see that new gangster movie with sersi and her friends?

She would never understand Sprite's obsession with foreign, violent gangster action comedies. But she sighed. She had been poised to say no, that she would pick them up from their free roaming at the mall (which she only allowed them when she had court dates anyway). But she resigned herself to her decision.

That's fine, I'm still at court anyway. But don't stuff yourself on movie snacks, you still have to eat at home

With that, she slipped her phone away again, staring ahead at the elevators opposite her bench of solitude. It was silly to wait. She could ask Gil about it later if she was so concerned. It was inappropriate. It wasn't her case.

Then she would think of how Sprite had tearily asked if she and Sersi would be put in some stranger's house. She would think of that little girl who had sat right down next to her, and she thought of Gil, nervously pacing outside before even she had arrived for her earlier hearing time. He had been poring over this case all week.

Maybe she should do something for him if the case went well--and if it didn't go well, in all honesty.

Thanks thee btw can gil come and cook again it was soooo good

Thena swiped the notification away, decidedly ignoring the leading question. It was nothing but entrapment; as sweet as it was that her sisters had grown a fondness for Gilgamesh, she didn't need them reading too much into her relationship with her colleague.

No matter how amazing his lasagne was, and how often she had thought about it in the past week.

[pumpkinrootbeer]

Things I think about all the time regarding Peter B is how a lot of his movement feels almost like laziness but it's actually just an absurd amount of skill and experience. he's been doing this longer than anyone else there, so he knows how that villain speech is going to play out, doesn't look when he fires a web because he knows exactly where it's going to land, and he's absolutely able to predict where Miles is going to go and catch up to him when no one else can. because peter b has been at this longer than everyone else there and it's literally second nature to him. give me more middle aged experienced superheros please.

[thenwethrowitonthefire]

Shout-out to everyone who survived a "fun" easter with the family

[nonuggetshere]

I need to draw something with PK and Hornet there's not enough of these two together in my art

[dorkicon]

bitching abt my job again

tags contain frank mentions of transphobia and homophobia