manicgirlmonday

[dark-konohagakure2]

Request: could you maybe write about Kurapika obsessed with breeding his sister to restore his clan?

tw: incest, brother/sister, dubcon, breeding, manipulation, obsession, rough sex, mating press, isolation, victim blaming

All characters depicted are 18+

Kurapika has never been the same since the entire Kurta Clan was slaughtered by the spiders, except for him and his younger sister, ever since that fateful day he's been obsessed with two things; retrieving the Scarlet Eyes, and protecting his sister, his biggest responsibility, his only family left, his entire world.

His obsession with vengeance dies down slightly once he meets his friends, but it never fully goes away, always being on his mind when he's away from the group, and the obsession will reignite tenfold after the incident in Yorknew which nearly got his precious friends killed, and with that his obsession with his sister will increase too.

Kurapika will keep his sister on an excruciatingly short leash from that point onward, never letting her out of his sight for prolong periods of time, not wanting to risk his dear sister's safety. Unfortunately for her, Kurapika will begin to project his desire to restore his clan onto his sister, deciding to use her as a vessel for that goal.

He isn't a horrible brute that would harm his sister for his lust, even if he's going to have to get a bit rough with her due to her struggling and squirming, Kurapika will speak gently to her, even when he's holding her down, thighs pinned against her heaving chest as he fucks her into her raw.

"Fuck, p-please stop moving... This is for your own good, for the good of our clan... You don't want to be a failure to our clan, do you..?"

Kurapika is fucking her for procreation, not pleasure, so he isn't very considerate of how rough he's being when he slams his hips against her's. He doesn't go out of his way to cause her pain and discomfort, instead seeing any discomfort she voices as an unfortunate but wholly necessary side effect of their clan's restoration.

He hates to have to hurt his sister, but she just won't stop moving and struggling under his assault, all that crying and thrashing is making it hard for him to be gentle with her, so he'll have to pin her down with all his weight as he fucks her. Having to resort to such drastic measures because of her uncooperative behavior hurts him a lot more than it hurts her, and he's sure to let her know that.

The sensation of both fucking his own sister and taking the first step to rebuild his clan is too much for Kurapika to ignore, his usually black eyes glowing a vibrant scarlet from the intense feelings he's experiencing, both physical and emotional, and when Kurapika sees that his sister's own eyes have also turned a bright scarlet, the same as his own, it turns Kurapika on even more.

Kurapika loves his sister, he really and truly does, even if his actions speak otherwise. How could he not love her? She's his only family left and the only remnant of their slaughtered blan besides himself. She's their clan's future, and he'll be sure to let her know just how much he adores her when she's filling her up with cum.

"Shhh, shhh, just take it... I know it hurts for now, but you're a good girl, I know you can take it, that's why your big brother loves you so much..."

Kurapika might be obsessive, but he isn't delusional, he knows that his sister is likely going to fear and resent him after this, but he's also an optimist at heart, and he believes that her opinion will change once she brings a baby or two into the world.

[withonly-sweetheart]

calm tf down with re4 (og) leon. wow haven't updated this in a while huh... inspired by this post that randomly showed up on my dash (i dont even play lads... anyways)

lowkey lost interest near the end if anyone has got ideas on how to make it better please lmk i hate the end.. unoriginal jj fr!!!

as always nsfw mentions ahead <3

<><><><>

you feel out of place in the environment. a red blot in what is supposed to seem like a vivid setting, yet the frills of your gown barely stretch past your knees, and you're struggling to hide your discomfort. you don't belong here and yet your boyfriend...

leon, charming as ever, is perfectly at ease, chatting with someone on the table adjacent to your shared one, as if he goes on meetings with the president's daughter in his free time. a spool of envy threads up your throat at his steady flow of conversation, how the woman he's speaking to seems to melt at his words.

he turns back to you, grinning madly, yet his expression softens at your own. "what's wrong?"

"nothing." you keep your reply short, bitter like the bile rising in your throat. the fabric around you seems to constrict your air, wrapping around you with a vise-like grip.

he watches you sputter. "are you sure?"

"yes." it'll take more than that to convince at first, your training officer; a man that's known you for more than a year, and your boyfriend, a man who knows you inside and out.

he tried his best to get you out of this, he really did. he told them to give it to officer redfield, but when valentine was a no-show, of course it was handed to the cop at the end of the line and his skitterish rookie.

leon doesn't blame you. hell, he was like this when he first started. he recalls his missions going to shit half the time, officers screaming in his face. he learned to adapt to that, that if you want to be the best, you have to make your voice heard. you struggle with that.

even now, you're struggling to tell him what's wrong. he should know his fucking girlfriend better than that, so he watches your face contort, flipping through emotions like you can't decide exactly how you feel, settling on a look of apprehension and disgust.

"what's the matter, don't like the dress?" he muses.

"it's fine," you mumble in response. "let's just get this over with."

you don't understand why he won't just drop it. you've said that you're okay multiple times, can't he just take the hint? some part of you realizes you're not being too subtle about your thoughts.

taming your expression, you force yourself to look away from the ruffles of your skirt, palming the fabric, the friction somewhat calming you as you stare at what is supposed to be a criminal.

a felon, convicted of murder and assaulting a fellow cop, and yet all you see is a father gazing with the utmost adoration at his daughter as she strolls up the stage, towards the back, to her waiting groom.

they unlink arms, and you force yourself to see the man with aged eyes, much like your own father's, dressed in an orange and black jumpsuit. never a tuxedo.

not like what leon's wearing, the same covered arm that you've watched twist hands behind backs and cuff them, same arm that rattles in preparation to fill out reports, only to shove them to you. leon's not a big fan of paperwork, that much is safe to say.

but you keep feeling eyes on you. you aren't the star of the show, that beautiful, perfect girl up there is, with her shining eyes and glowing skin, with lips that slowly encapsulate her husband, wedding rings exchanged in a ceremony that drags on longer than it should.

you don't scorn her for it. this is her big day, and you're glad she's getting the attention she deserves. everyone should be watching her, all eyes on the gorgeous bride.

so why do leon's eyes keep flitting back to you?

"what are you looking at?" you finally find the courage to spit it out right when the guests disperse to find family members, friends, and of course, congratulate the bride.

"you." you blink.

"no shit, but why?"

"you seem... off." leon tilts his head. "you seeing something i'm not?"

"well..." you trail off and don't finish your sentence, leaving him hanging by a thread you hope breaks soon.

soon enough, the father gathers everyone back to the stage, and you uncross your legs, tapping a frantic beat onto the floor. your heart jolts in your chest as the man tosses you a knowing look.

as if on instinct, you scoot your chair closer to leon's, and without batting an eye, his hand protectively curls around your arm. you wish you could break eye contact with the suspect to give him a questioning look, but his stance is unpredictable, and you'd be lying if the warmth from leon's hand doesn't seep through skin and calm your nerves a bit.

"i'd like to say... thank you," he says, thick accent coating his voice as he continues, "for coming to my little girl's wedding. this was such a special day to me, and i hope she enjoyed it just as much as i did."

he turns to welcome her rushing hug, trailed by her new husband and what you assume to be the rest of her family. you hope that all is as it seems, and that there is no threat.

leon doesn't seem to think the same, judging by his creeping hand towards your waist, lying on your thigh and slowly making its ascent upwards. he's searching for a gun.

and you grit your teeth. yet another mistake. "shit."

"what's wrong?" he asks, voice hushed.

"i forgot to bring one," you admit.

"one what?" he says, humming in response.

"a gun," you hiss quietly, trying to keep your voice low as to not attract any unwanted attention.

he turns his face, a smirk curving his lips.

"i'm not looking for one."

series masterlist

[twilightkitkat]

I know we have Laura, but do you ever think of how the other kids at the X-mansion would react to Logan?

Logan was a male role model for them. He might not have been as much as a "father" as Charles but he was family. He'd help teach the children things that the other X-men wouldn't, taking them seriously despite their age. He'd sneak them snacks or "contraband" when the other X-men weren't looking. He'd explain things that the other X-men hid.

Logan was likely the first person to treat them like anyone else. He didn't judge them for their mutations, didn't get angry at or scared of Rogue even when she almost killed him. He didn't hide or sugarcoat the truth for them, he said it bluntly. He wasn't mean, but he was honest. He treated them like they could handle it and this meant they respected him, too.

He was the first person to believe in them and their abilities and teach them that they had their own choice. Like he said to Rogue: he wasn't there to be her father, he was there as her friend. He coexisted as a protector, someone who they could rely on as an authority figure when danger struck, but also as a supporter. He didn't argue with Rogue over what was the "right" thing to do regarding her ability or force her to go back to the X-mansion when she wanted to leave. He told her that he trusted her judgment and just wanted to make sure she was doing it because she wanted to.

Logan knows what it's like to be restricted. To be collared and treated like "less than." He hates feeling caged in and pressured, so he went out of his way to make sure that above all the children knew that they had a choice. They had the ultimate say in their own lives.

The other X-men taught the children to be kind, to be understanding, and to be cautious. Logan taught them to be self-confident, to learn new skills, to set boundaries, and to make choices just for themselves. He's the one who looked at these kids and told them they were allowed to be selfish when everyone else told them otherwise.

And then... Logan was gone. And he was dead. Permanently.

The children kept living, but it was never the same. Of course, they missed him. How couldn't they? He was the first person to try to understand them just for the sake of it, without trying to poke and prod. He was safe. He didn't try to influence them one way or another, he just listened. Nobody else filled those shoes when he left.

And then, by the time most of them were almost grown up, he came back. But it's different. He's different.

He's more jaded than he was before. Closed off in ways that even the most reserved children there weren't. He's tired and older and different from their Logan in ways they can't explain.

But he still looks at them in the eye, not above their head or at their feet. And he nods at them in acknowledgment. And he listens. And he's different but he's so painfully Logan despite it all.

It makes them want to cry. A few of them do.

And Logan... to his credit, takes it in stride. He ruffles their hair and pulls a few into sideways hugs. He grunts as Rogue launches herself into his arms but still holds her. He doesn't shy away.

But Logan isn't a part of the X-mansion, anymore. He visits, occasionally, but he's no longer an X-man. And never plans to be.

The only people he consistently interacts with from the X-mansion are Laura and, to some extent, Colossus and his trainees through Wade. And it almost stings more, that way. To know that he was capable of keeping in touch. That he'd do it for his daughter and Wade but not for them.

Do you ever think how the kids would feel about this? About finally having a version of the person they admired most back only for him to not want to stay? About him choosing to stay with Wade at his shitty, run-down apartment instead of coming back to them.

We, as the audience, can understand. He's traumatized and grieving and staying at the X-mansion would only be rubbing salt in the wounds and reopening cuts that finally are beginning to scab over. He's starting to move on from that chapter in his life, from the guilt and regret both before and after the X-men's deaths.

But the kids don't have that perspective. They were too young, back then, to truly gauge the environment and how Logan might have been kind, in his own way, but was never truly happy. Never felt free or at home. Like a bird coming back to the same, familiar cage because there's nowhere else to go.

And even now, they're too young to really separate their feelings from his choice. In a way, they think it's their fault. That they weren't reason enough for him to stay. That he abandoned them because he didn't want them anymore.

...And that couldn't be further from the truth, obviously, but it's complicated. It's a choice between cutting away some ties even if it hurts or getting tangled in them because all he can remember are their corpses. It's the choice between leaving them behind or being stuck in the past, reliving the same pain and guilt over and over.

And here's the thing: Logan was the one who taught the children to be selfish. Finally, finally, he's allowing himself to take his own advice.

[briz-z]

Reverse falls

okay, so the brainrot has gotten to me and i literally cannot stop thinking about reverse falls. so here's my take on it. (or at least the pines) (also, im using their actual names)

Stanley:

everything stays the same up until he's kicked out of his house

see, my thought is that along with becoming a master con-man, he also ends up joining a circus

this is the big change

he begins to look for new ways to make the circus more enticing for people, and in doing so makes a crap ton of money

in fact, he makes so much, he is welcomed back into his family

like he becomes rich

but back to the circus business, he hears about gravity falls and all of it's anomalies

he decides to set up shop there, bringing people from all over to see the weirdos and wackos of gravity falls

in gravity falls, he ends up meeting his brother again

their strained relationship doesn't get much better (and i honestly don't expect it to...)

when he meets dipper and mabel for the first time, it is like light has been let back into his life

he really cares for them, but doesn't show it

he is especially close to mabel (like in the show) (they relate to each other)

i think he would be ever so slightly scared of ford and dipper

i think he would still be a very lonely person, but caring nonetheless

stanford:

i think that reverse ford would be a possessive, narcissistic person

filbrick pines put a lot of pressure on ford to be "perfect"

this seriously messed him up

when he lost his potential scholorship, he felt like his whole life was ruined

he decided that he would be better than everyone else

and he succedded in that

he was crazy smart and got the grant to study analmoies like in the show

when he gets to gravity falls, though, that's when it changes

when he finds bill, instead of being mauniplated, he's the one to manipulate bill

he becomes obessed with power and control

when stan comes into town, ford is pissed

but he sees how stan and his circus act could benefit him

so he basically becomes a mastermind in control

the circus brings about new people to perform experiments and what not on

mabel:

unlike the show, i think the kids would have gone to gravity falls since they were kids

this change happens because stan is let back into the family and ford never got sucked into the portal

anyway, mabel and dipper become performers for stan's circus, at least during the summer

they are known as the "physic twins"

mabel seems like a happy go lucky person, like in the show, but in reality she is not

i think that she would be a deeply sad person (if that makes any sense)

see, unlike her brother, she isn't as "special" and because of this often feels worthless

this lets her bond with stan, like, a lot

but anyway, because of her "job" i don't think she would have a lot of time to make friends or have crushes

even when she does have downtime, she has to worry about her image and how people see her

after all, they are the "physic twins"

unlike dipper, i don't she would involve herself in the supernatural much

she really just wants to be a normal kid, but because of her family, she can't

dipper:

i think that reverse dipper would be ford's apperentice

see, since birth dipper (or, i guess, mason) has been a genius

like crazy smart genius

so, when his parents hear about a certain great uncle who can help nurture this intelligence, they send dipper and mabel to gravity falls asap

here, dipper meets his crazy great uncle ford and immeditally loves it

both on stage and doing research, dipper is crazy enthusiastic

he loves what he does, both research and being one half of the "physic twins"

he ends up making his own deal with bill, following in his great uncles footsteps

he spends his free time with ford, learning and gaining knowledge

on stage, he has an uncanny ability to charm people into doing what he wants

he cares for his sister, but rarely has any time for her (i think that if mabel ever tried to leave, dipper would go crazy)

he has very (one-sided) co-dependant relationships with his family (yes, this includes stan)

Okay, that's all for now 😮‍💨 sorry if there are any spelling errors or anything like that. i might make a part 2 with gideon and paz and bill… idk yet.

[augustjustice]

🪱Wiggly Worm Wednesday 🪱

Thank you so much for tagging me @formosusiniquis and @sidekick-hero 💛🖤It's been ages, but I finally have some down time and some thoughts to share!

Transcribed and expanded upon from an idea I discussed with @inkfowl on discord a while ago, this one is always kind of burning at the back of my brain:

Steddie soulmate AU where Steve and Eddie are not each other's soulmates.

Like, maybe Steve's romantic soulmate is Nancy (because of course Robin will always be his true platonic soulmate), but Nancy, being someone who goes against the grain and doesn't want the system to dictate to her who she is, will be, or will be with, already rejected Steve for Jonathan in the earlier seasons. She didn't want to end up trapped in a loveless soulmate marriage by her parents, and she felt called to Jonathan soulmate bond be damned.

Like in canon, Steve was deeply heartbroken at the time when it happened, always being a romantic who wanted to find the one true person he was destined to be with forever. But because he did truly care about Nancy, he let her go, didn't want to stand in the way of her true happiness. And by the time Season 4 rolls around, his own feelings have developed into a healthy friendship with Nancy, having truly moved on the way he told Robin he was in the bathroom confession, and at that point he honestly wouldn't want to go back to the way things were before. Even though he's sad it isn't destined to happen the way it does in all the rom-coms and fairytales, he still wants real romantic love (Robin and the kids more than fulfill the share of platonic and familial love he's looking for, in a way his parents never managed to) and hasn't given up on finding it.

So then the S4 shenanigans happen, Steve officially meets Eddie the DM the kids keep raving about, and falls for him pretty fast even while they're still trying to sort out all the carnage with Vecna.

At first, Eddie keeps pushing Steve in Nancy's direction, because from his perspective, they're soul mates, and it's so clear there's feelings still lingering there. Plus, they'd obviously be a badass perfect couple, just look at them. (And if that's the perfect excuse Eddie tells himself to keep from getting too tangled up in his own feelings, well that's a secret for him and no one else.)

But even in the aftermath of the Upside Down shenanigans, Steve and Nancy still don't get back together, and Steve is insistent that they're just friends, managing to convince Eddie that he's being sincere. So, something tentatively starts to build between them. Nothing officially romantic, yet, but they're slowly working their way up to it, flirting and feeling each other out.

And sure, they shouldn't make sense on paper--in the larger scheme of the universe, they don't, allegedly, given the lack of soulmate mark binding them together. But besides just genuine attraction, everything that happened has bonded them together, and they genuinely feel safe together, able to open in ways they can't even with some of their closest friends. They might not have many surface things in common like shared hobbies and interests, but when it comes to the things they both think actually matters, they have a lot in common--like their protectiveness over the kids, a shared inherent silliness, etc. They make each other laugh, they comfort each other on bad nights when the nightmares keep them up. It seems only a matter of time before the tension overwhelms them and they collide together, finally make it official the way Robin is impatiently waiting on them too.

...But then Eddie's own soulmate waltzes into the picture.

Steve finds himself heart-broken all over again, because he's always the second choice. And how the hell is he supposed to compete with Eddie's actual, honest-to-god soulmate? Especially when the guy is just perfect for him--completely into metal, a nonconformist, knows and likes all the songs that Eddie likes. The guy is even hot which pisses Steve the hell off. But he tries to hide it, do what he did for Nancy and push his feelings aside as he encourages Eddie to take his shot with the guy like a good friend would. Because if he really cares about Eddie, then he should just be happy for him, right? He's getting the shot Steve never did.

Robin insists, from the outside looking in, that Eddie seems a lot more conflicted than Steve is willing to see. Confused and hurt at first when Steve pulls away. Going on dates with the guy only after Steve seems so insistent that he give him a chance, telling him he should be excited because It's your honest to god soulmate, dude!

But even as he tries to be supportive, Steve's jealousy keeps bubbling up. Things eventually come to a head in an argument.

"I don't care why you care so much anyway, Harrington! Now's your perfect chance to swoop in--you've got Miss Perfect Nancy Wheeler out there just waiting for you to get your shit together, stop 'experimenting,' and finally go back to her!"

"Newsflash, Eddie! I already told you, I'm not in love with Nancy. And besides, it wouldn't matter even if I was, since I'm her second choice, just like with you, just like--with everybody!"

And then Steve presses an arm over his face to hide his tears, but Eddie catches his wrist and tugs it down.

“Yeah, except, that's where you're wrong, Stevie boy,” he says, cupping Steve’s face in his hands and brushing away his tears with his thumbs, “because you're not. My second choice. Some stupid ass birthmark can’t tell me shit. I don’t want him, I don’t want anyone else, Stevie. Just you."

And then they get an epic, tearful kiss, and Eddie makes some crack about how it's super conformist to end up with your soulmate, anyway, not a very metal thing to do, and Steve lets out a watery laugh in the crook of his neck and then kisses him to shut him up.

Eddie tells Steve all about how he misses his and Steve's silly arguments, and finds it boring that his soulmate and he always seem to agree on things, because where's the fun in that? There's no real spark. None of the push-and-pull he gets when exposing Steve to his interests and the times Steve actually gets into it. Or the delighted confusion when Steve tries to get him into something new and Eddie realizes he actually does like it, or even when he doesn't, seeing Steve enjoy it is enough to make him go from disgust to fond tolerance. And Steve admits he missed it all too, so much, even the metal songs Eddie forced him to listen to that Steve hates he's been playing on a loop while he wallows.

"I want this," Eddie tells him, kissing the tear tracks from Steve's face, "you're here, Stevie, and you're real, and this feels more right than anything else ever has. So, whaddya say, big boy? Will you have me?"

"You're my first pick, Eds," Steve admits, smiling softly, "there's nobody else I'd rather have on my team but you."

Then Eddie complains about Steve marring his love confession with a sports metaphor, and how it's not even true, anyway, because he knows Robin is actually Steve's first draft or whatever. Steve teases him about picking up sports lingo before shutting him up the best way he knows how--with his lips.

And they of course live happily ever after making their own love work, building it together. Even if it doesn't makes sense on paper, even if it's not predestined, they picked it and its theirs. At the end of the day, as far as they're concerned--that's all that really matters.

I'm no pressure tagging @tinytalkingtina @griefabyss69 @wheneverfeasible @thefreakandthehair @ataliagold and anyone else who sees this and would like to join in!

[whateverisbeautiful]

Rick says he was in love with his son’s best friend and didn’t know what to do in TWOL? Once he found his moment, the rest is history. What do you think obstructed his (and Michonne’s) ability to see that those feelings of desire and deep connection were very mutual?

I really liked thinking about this question, thanks for asking it. 😊 I especially liked reflecting on this because I've always felt that one of the things that kept Rick and Michonne from getting together sooner was that they didn't yet know if the strong feelings they'd developed were mutual. They were walking around ASZ so clearly in love themselves but hesitant to know for certain the other was in love too. And I think the main thing that kept both Rick and Michonne from realizing the desire and feelings were mutual has to do with Carl.

Rick and Michonne's bond first formed through Carl. And I think because of that, they both thought that perhaps the other loves them largely as an extension of Carl. Like Rick thought, maybe Michonne sees me first and foremost as Carl's (and Judith's) dad, so she doesn't share the same more romantic love I feel for her. Also, Michonne definitely showed signs of being attracted to him but since Rick truly views Michonne as like a goddess on earth I think he genuinely felt that she is out of his league and therefore wouldn't see him the way he sees her.

Similar to Rick, I think Michonne thought maybe Rick sees me first and foremost as Carl's best friend. Of course, she knew that Rick sees her as his dear friend and trusted partner both within their close family and larger community, but I think she might have thought it didn't go further than that to Rick.

It makes me smile tho, because even just thinking about the way Rick was the morning of 6.10 and how clearly he lit up around Michonne like a schoolboy around his crush, it’s funny and sweet that Michonne didn't know the feelings she had for him were mutual when Rick was not slick at all about how in love he was. 😋

Since Michonne is such an observant person when it comes to everyone else, I just know she would be able to tell Rick was in love if the person he was in love with hadn't been herself. But after losing family at the refugee camp, I think Michonne thought that the romance door of her heart was just closed for good, and so it just took a routine nighttime debrief with some mints and a handhold for her to realize Rick had reopened that door to her heart long ago and even walked right in and made himself at home on the couch. 😊

They knew the love they felt inside wasn't solely as parents to Carl and Judith or partners in crime and, I'd bet that during that period between 6.09 and 6.10 (which I would have loved to see the Richonne buildup during that time), it became harder and harder for Rick and Michonne to deny that the love between them was very much personal and very much mutual. And as you said, anon, after Rick found his moment the rest was history. 😌

[erinwantstowrite]

In the Halloween au (if you can answer this w/o spoiling anything) what was Tim trying to do with that handshake? 🤔

i feel like being more liberal with spoilers for the Halloween AU because it's just a oneshot series, so under the cut is the answer! however if you don't want spoilers, don't click, i'll make sure to tag this with "halloween au spoilers"

he was trying to detect magic from peter!

there's a couple reasons that they weren't alarmed that Peter was there: a demon DOES actually guard the gate to Wayne Manor... Alfred.

Gotham was not exaggerating the things they saw when they approached Wayne Manor, because the spell is set to ward off anyone that is not family and those that have ill intentions. If someone that isn't family gets close to the gate, they'll see scary shit to make them run away (i.e. zombies!!). But no one is going to take them seriously if they go back to the town and say "I saw zombies!!" If they persist to try and go over the gate, the spell will turn offensive. it'll knock you out, make you sick, give you amnesia, etc. keeps people away without hurting them too badly

however, to someone that is family (and also has no ill intentions), nothing happens. it's just a regular gate. peter was able to climb over the gate and not see anything because he's related to one of them and also isn't there to hurt them. (this would also happen for people considered family/friends, so it doesn't have to only be a blood relation)

so Peter shows up at the door and Alfred is obviously going to be surprised. In the context of knowing only family can get through the gate, it's not hard to look at Peter and think "His resemblance to Dick can not be a coincidence." Hence, Alfred invites Peter inside (in case he's a vampire). Jason still has some memory issues from before he died, and he hadn't asked about the gate spell in a minute, so he sort of forgot about it lol. Deep down, he knows. He wasn't alarmed because on some level, he knows Wayne Manor is protected.

Tim, however, only needed on look, the context, and years of Dick Grayson being his special interest to go "Oh that is SO his kid." Since he has a friend like Bart and Kon, it's not too out there for him to think "from the future or a clone"

The gate is what Damian is referring to here. He's not happy with another family member popping up, and at this point, he had heard from Tim (who had snuck out of the room) that Peter was there, and that he looks at lot like Dick. So Damian is saying "I don't like this newcomer, and I certainly do not approve that you invited him in." Mostly out of worry that Peter came here with ill intentions, which Steph picked up on. She's saying "Calm down, if he was going to hurt us, he wouldn't have gotten through anyway."

that being said, if Peter had magic, he could have gotten around the spell if he was powerful enough. But Alfred stopped him because he could tell Peter was a little freaked out, and could already tell Peter was genuinely confused what was happening here

in short: peter has no idea he's not leaving that house in the morning

[lauramkaye]

Hot take on a 200-year-old book

At the start of Pride and Prejudice, Darcy liked Caroline Bingley, and Caroline isn't completely irrational to think that she might get him to propose eventually.

Oh, he WON'T, not with her connections in TRADE, but it isn't so very wrong of her to have hopes of him. He doesn't like meeting new people and he's used to her because she's his friend's sister, he's had her to stay at Pemberley at least once and is now staying with her family so he must not have hated it! Plus, she has fashionable manners and appearance, she's generally fairly savvy and clever, and they have a great time being bitchy to each other about people they don't like. She's funny in a mean way and SO IS HE - "She a beauty? I'd as soon call her mother a wit." For Darcy, Caroline makes a fairly amusing person to trade zingers with, roast vulgar people, and probably to use as a shield against other husband hunters that he knows less well. I suspect that Caroline's plan when they come to Netherfield is to just keep being in his orbit, showing off her society hostess and witty one-liner skills, and eventually he'll realize he has to get on with producing an heir and will decide that as far as eligible known quantities go, better Caroline than Anne De Bourgh. (Which, I mean, at least Caroline brings more pleasant in-laws and you could actually have a conversation with her.) It's not a terrible strategy for somone as antisocial as Darcy, honestly, though I think that pre-book Darcy is okay with being FRIENDS with the Bingleys but wouldn't be polluting the shades of Pemberley with them, so to speak - that's a bridge too far for his sense of what is due to his family.

(In fact when you think about it, the way that Elizabeth and Wickham enjoy dishing dirt about Darcy is kind of a mirror of the way Darcy and Caroline start out!)

I think part of why Caroline gets so very desperate and blatant is that Darcy stops playing along with their usual games as he starts to fall for Elizabeth. It's not so funny when it's about his crush, and instead of giving back another quip about how inferior these country bumpkins are, he not only shuts her down but does it in a way that is complimentary to another woman. I think the first time he does this is at Lucas Lodge with the infamous "fine eyes" comment. You can SEE Caroline getting more and more frantic to re-establish their prior rapport and Darcy just doubling down on taking every one of her attempts and turning it into a way to say something nice about Elizabeth, to the point where by the end of the Netherfield trip he is deliberately fucking with Caroline and I think is kind of enjoying it in a "hah hah, you can dish it out but you can't take it" sort of way.

If Caroline was a little smarter and more devious - a bit more like Wickham - she would have eased off and focused her comments not on Elizabeth but on her family, especially Mrs. Bennet and Lydia, who DO behave in a way counter to propriety and good manners and are genuinely embarrassing to their better-mannered sisters. That way, she could have reinforced his feelings against the match. Continuing to push him and doubling down every time he pushed back activated his Lady Catherine-Tuned Stubbornness Circuits (aka "I am the master of Pemberley and you don't get to tell me who I can or cannot marry").

Caroline and Elizabeth are both witty and fun to talk to, but Elizabeth is witty in a playful and sweet way that doesn't offend people (even when she might WANT to, see pretty much every conversation they have at Rosings). And most important, in the long run, Caroline encourages Mr. Darcy to indulge in his worst self (much like Fanny Dashwood does to John Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility) while Elizabeth challenges and inspires him to become his best self, and that's the most important difference between them.

[froggbit]

Why Having Will Byers Standing Up for El From Her Bullies Doesn't Make Sense (From a Character/Narrative Standpoint)

First off, I truly think that if Will had stood up for her, he would have also been targeted and bullied. Look at what happened when the teacher jumped in to help El. That didn't solve anything; it only made the bullies more infuriated to the point that they came up with an elaborate plan to humiliate El at a public place (and with a lot of people that went along with this plan like the DJ).

I'm not saying that standing up to your bullies is ultimately pointless and that you should keep your head down in the hopes of them stopping because they very likely won't.

But we have to take into account Will's character. He has dealt with bullying for most of his life (and for his sexuality which could end in the very real possibility of him being hate-crimed since this was the 80s). On top of that, he has trauma from having to survive in the Upside Down and from being possessed one of its creatures, resulting in him indirectly killing the military soldiers in S2 when he is used as a spy. It's understandable why he wants to keep his head down.

El also seems to be in denial about the situation, considering that she lied to Mike about Angela being her friend, denied Will's claims when he points this out, and then tells Angela (even after the milkshake debacle) to tell Mike that they're actually friends.

Will isn't a fighter like Mike. He helps El in his own way by consoling her even though she pushes him away, knowing that she needs verbal reassurance (a possible parallel to El needing Mike to verbally say that he loves her), and offers to help her put her project back together.

I've seen people saying that he doesn't stand up for her because he has some hidden resentment against El because she's with the person he loves so he's subtly carrying it out by not jumping in. It's clear to me that he does NOT harbor resentment towards her. He lies to the police that what El did was an accident, he paces back and forth while ranting to Mike that Hawkins wouldn't be standing without her, forcefully tells the receptionist at the juvenile center that they're her family ergo let them see her, and even gets noticeably angry at Mike, the person he's in love with, for his distasteful comment at El at the dinner table.

Him being a secret saboteur wouldn't be true to his character. I acknowledge that it would be super interesting to see a darker side to Will, but I don't think this is it. In S2, when he encounters the baby Demogorgon in the bathroom, he has good reason to kill it considering his trauma from the Upside Down. Instead, he reassures the Demogorgon, saying that he won't hurt it. If Will can offer empathy to a literal monster that comes from a source of trauma, there is no way in hell that he would hurt El, even if he did harbor feelings of resentment.

From a narrative standpoint, I'd say El being bullied is necessary to her arc and that Will stepping in would reduce the impact of that arc and her development. Her being bullied is a trigger event to her physical assault on Angela, confronting her with the one of the conflicts she's been internally fighting: she believes that she's a monster even without her abilities. It also serves as a catalyst and a parallel when she remembers the similar bullying she's experienced in the lab. Because Will didn't interfere, it makes El's development from coming out the other side the more powerful.

I'd also say that Will supporting El in other ways other than standing up to the main source of her bullying makes sense with his own arc. Since the Duffers have said he will be vital in S5, that tells me that he's needs to learn to stand up to fight, especially when they're faced against the Big Bad. He has to learn to stop hiding (even though that's what he does best) and learn to stand up not just for other people, but for himself, and once he accomplishes this, he'll come out confident and wiser.

[theangelcatalogue]

❝ Is she divine? Is the wine? La Seine, la Seine, la Seine. ❞ ― YANDERE CUPID X DARLING HEADCANONS

→ MY OCS

→ ROMANTIC

→ FEMALE DARLING

→ TW: MURDER/MURDER MENTIONS, PROTECTIVE BEHAVIOR, POSSESSIVE BEHAVIOR, OBSESSIVE BEHAVIOR, CLINGY BEHAVIOR, WORSHIPING BEHAVIOR, TOXIC BEHAVIOR, DELUSIONAL BEHAVIOR, KIDNAPPING/KIDNAP MENTION, DELUSIONAL BEHAVIOR, LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT, JEALOUS BEHAVIOR, STALKING, BLOOD, MURDER, VIOLENCE/VIOLENCE MENTIONS, SENSITIVE TOPICS, BAD GRAMMAR, BAD ENGLISH AND MADE BY A MINOR! IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE, FEEL FREE TO LEAVE! PLEASE TELL IF I FORGOT SOMETHING AND ENJOY ＼(⌒▽⌒)!

───── ❝ NORMAL/CUPIDS EXIST AU ❞ ─────

❝ La Seine, la Seine, la Seine. ❞

★ → Have you ever wondered how love works? How people fall in love? There is only one good reason on why we fall in love.

★ → Cupids.

★ → They were created right after humans, they were created by a Goddess of love called Davina, that created cupids to help humans find their path in love, so they wouldn't suffer like her.

★ → It was rare the situations when cupids fell for human, nothing wrong happened thought...

★ → Until now.

★ → A cupid called Delilah, while doing her work, preparing to shot her arrow, ended up getting distracted with something... someone.

★ → You.

★ → You were the prettiest woman she ever saw in her life, in of the years in her life, she never saw a prettier human being, she felt a weird feeling while observing you, she was fascinated by you, she did what any person would do.

★ → She started to follow for a while, she would question herself of why she is doing this. It is because she always watched humans and made humans fall in love, and she always heard stories about cupids that fell for humans, so she just snapped and decided to obsess over a random human and call it love?

★ → Of course not! It's because you two are soulmates, destined by the arrow and bow to be together!

★ → She memorizes everything about you, your routine, your friend's name, family member's name, favorite color, food, music, artists, she knows everything about you! She knows you better than you know yourself, and she wants to keep it that way! She wants to be the only person that knows everything about you!

★ → When she doesn't have any matchmaking to do, she stalks you, she hides very well, you don't even notice her, although you feel like somebody is watching you sometimes...

★ → But she never wants you to feel unsafe around her! She just loves you so much, that she needs to follow you, just to know what you are doing, just to feel close to you, just to see and hear you... and feel that amazing feeling again.

★ → She is convinced that if you knew her, you would feel this feeling too, you would also be in love with her, and maybe even date her, marry her! Oh! She already imagines your weeding dress! You would look divine!

★ → Of course she is aware of things couldn't work out, modern times, humans don't believe in cupids like before, you probably would freak out, but it's okay! Love conquers all!

★ → Gets so jealous when you talk to others, she wanted to be the one talking with you! But instead, she has to observe you from afar! It's so unfair, every time she feels jealous, she starts to imagine you talking to her instead of other people, what makes her feel really giddy and in love like a high school girl with a crush.

★ → She is the reason some people you know disappeared, they just go puff out of nowhere, she has her way...

★ → Okay, okay! She killed them, but she promises you that it's for your good, she just wants to save you, you will thank her later! She knows that!

★ → And she kept doing this, until she got another matchmaking to do! Who are the lovebirds of this time?

★ → You... and... another person.

★ → No, no, no, no! This isn't supposed to happen! It's you and her! Not another person! She started to panic, she can't let this happen! There's only one thing that she needs to do.

★ → Kill the other person, and finally take you. Kidnap you.

★ → She remembers it so clearly, her rival bleeding, with an arrow in their neck, their face forever struck in an expression of shock and horror, the blood on her hands while she tries to clean up the mess, it felt so right, especially because it was for you, for her love, for her goddess, may Davina forgive her.

★ → She kidnaps you, and hides you well, somewhere where not even Davina and the other cupids would find you, it's okay dear, she will explain everything, don't be scared! She won't hurt you! She promises!

★ → She is clingy, never leaving your side, she is always there, taking care of you, complimenting you, she is a worshiper, she will treat you like a deity, she would do anything for you, except letting you leave, oh, she refuses to do this!

★ → Please, let her lay all her love on you.

" You are so perfect, what would I do without you? "

★- I DON'T KNOW, DON'T KNOW, SO DON'T ASK ME WHY

★ YUPPIE A OC HEADCANON

★ So in this case it would be canon since it's my original character?

★ idk idk idk

★ I'm planning in doing an RTC Halloween special, but idk if i'm actually going to-

★ THANKS FOR READING THIS!! TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!! DON'T FORGET TO DRINK WATER! (don't be like me, I don't drink water since I got back from school)

[imthepunchlord]

I had a thought of potentially what could've been for LoK's crew (krew? I don't like this sequel enough to know what this fandom calls them), and what I wish they did for season 1. And for this post, I am exclusively working off what I saw that first episode set up and imply.

So, Korra herself, I didn't like as a lead, but I did genuinely really like her in that very first episode. Which she was set up as a nice contrast to Aang.

Where Aang started with one element mastered, she knows three.

Where Aang had to spend seasons amongst the other nations to learn their culture and how to embody that elemental nature, Korra by set up, should have a solid idea of the culture of the other nations, and at least have 3 of the elemental natures down.

And where AtLA ends with Aang about to step into the messy politics of post war, Korra, by set up, should have a decent idea on how to go about politics, and be a decent politician and diplomat.

If the White Lotus has the agenda of preparing the next Avatar to be the Avatar that the world needs, more than just bending should be taught to Korra. And learning politics and about other cultures is an easy stand out to me on what should be taught to her.

But, if there's one thing the White Lotus didn't teach her, was social learning and experience.

Korra knows of the world, but hasn't seen hardly any of it

And she has interacted with people, but those were really the White Lotus members, the Gaang, her family, and any major figures that can come and see the young aspiring Avatar. She just has very limited social skills, especially with people her own age.

And Korra is just so full of wanderlust and lonely, and she's ready to embrace her role as Avatar, to be the peacekeeper of all nations and protector all people, but she doesn't genuinely really know the people. She doesn't know the world.

And when she has that chance to leave, she takes it.

And, hey, she has a good excuse to learn airbending, as Tenzin won't stay at the White Lotus to teach her, so she'll go to him!

And man, thematically, her needing to learn air while struggling with social skills is just so

while air is an element of freedom, festivity, and ideas, it's also an element that represents communication and social skills. And that's what she lacks. She's set up to have everything else, the empathy and expansiveness of water, the passion and power of fire, the precision and dedication of earth; now she just needs to learn air, and with it, connection and fun.

And so she goes to Republic City and she thinks she has this in the bag, she's a decent politician, she knows the other nation's cultures, she's the freaking Avatar.

Only she gets to learn that Republic City is a whole new beast of culture, and there's social etiquette she wasn't taught. Like, apparently, you can't go destroying a shop while fighting some thugs, you get in trouble for that. And it's bonkers to her that she's in trouble for this? Because this is what she was taught? To fight and defend those in need?

But it kinda works out as Tenzin gets her out, and it's agreed upon that she'll stay and get to learn airbending from him, and she'll get to stay at Republic City! She'll get a chance at new experiences, a chance to meet actual people, to genuinely learn of this world and--

she's immediately pulled into attending a gala hosted in celebration of her visit, meeting the rich of Republic City who are oh so eager to meet her. And this is where she meets Asami, who echoes her father's interest in having a close friendship with the Avatar, knowing it's going to boost their status and give them a powerful ally.

And Asami quickly gets to learn how naive and lonely Korra is. Korra is quick to accept anyone as a friend, as this party isn't about politics, it's a celebration of her, and it's her chance to make friends! And get a feel of the people here!

And Asami is quick to think she's got this in the bag, that she can manipulate Korra to meet her agenda and will have a powerful ally, only to quickly realize Korra will be a handful as she straight up punched Tahno in the face.

In Korra's defense, she was never taught how to deal with bullying as the White Lotus never thought she'd have to deal with bullying.

And as Tenzin proclaims Korra just can't go punching people in the face when they try to pick fights with her, Asami is learning then and there that Korra has no social etiquette. And if she wants to keep Korra as an ally, she's going to have to teach her how to go about society.

But the day after the party, Korra is grounded, and being the spitfire that she is, runs away to go explore Republic City. And through shenanigans I haven't thought of yet, she comes across Bolin and Mako, both of whom are floored and excited to meet the Avatar (though Mako won't admit it because he's trying to be "cool"), and Bolin is quick to realize not only does Korra not really know how to have fun, but it's her first time in Republic City, and it's his duty to be her guide and show her a good time, starting off their friendship.

And throughout season one of LoK, you have Korra learning social skills through Asami and the brothers. She learns the complexity and elegance of it through Asami, and the fun and open mindedness of social interactions through the brothers. And it bleeds into her learning airbending, learning to be more flexible, and not force her way forward.

And instead of the love triangles for their interactions, you got a petty silly rivalry between Asami and the brothers, as they're on an opposite spectrum of wealth and morals, and they have this idea that the other is leading Korra down a "dark" path with Asami seeing the brothers as "beneath" Korra while they see Asami as a snob who wants to "use" Korra (and she did initially and now Korra is her precious friend). So they're competing for Korra in the background, being passive aggressive, and Korra is just oblivious, thinking they're all good friends (and she's more focused on Amon who's clearly her Ozai to take out and she is so ready, she's been training for years!).

And throughout the season, Asami and the brothers learn to work together, to back Korra, to compromise and learn about each other, and they just become a genuine friend group, all who care about their very powerful though socially limited friend.

And when Asami's father shows his true colors and his villainy, and she looses all wealth and reputation, the Krew is there for her. She is welcomed into their home, finds their support and love. The brothers feel their small sad circle of family expanded to so much more and feel whole. And Korra's just, so happy to have friends. She feels happier. She's more whole. She grows wiser with them, learning things the White Lotus never taught, expanding her knowledge of the world and it's people.

They all had a rocky start, but now they're just thriving and whole.

[helpami-flaffy]

EPIC THE MUSICAL OPINIONS, VERY OPINIONS, VERY MINE.

IF YOU DON'T WANT SOME NEGATIVITY DON'T READ. THIS IS NOT PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE I SWEAR.

MOSTLY COMPILED AT NIGHT, SOME REVISION.

PLEASE DO NOT COME AT ME.

.....................

After this saga I'm left kind of perplexed about epic.

What is epic trying to say here? What's the musical's stance on ruthlessness?

Because it isn't very clear to me anymore.

Is it bad? Is it good and just? Is it a necessary evil? Is it worth becoming something monstrous just to achieve your goals?

The thing I'm trying to say is:

Is epic a tragedy or a triumph?

Until the vengeance saga I thought it was the former, but now I'm not so sure.

Throughout the story Odysseus takes desicions that either side with what I'll call the 'open arm mentality' or the 'ruthless' mentality.

He gets punished for both a number of times.

He kills Astianax so he doesn't have to fear his future vengeance.

He spares Polyphemus and that leads to 558 men dying.

He appeals to Circe's humanity and that leads her to freeing his men and helping him get to the underworld.

He sacrificed 6 men to Scylla and that leads to 'mutiny' and 'thunder bringer' where the rest of his crew dies and he ends up in calypso's island where she imprisoned him for 7 years.

First act of ruthlessness= good outcome

First act of open arms= bad outcome

Second act of open arms= good outcome

Second act of ruthlessness= bad outcome

(I forgot to add the sirens, that encounter is kinda strange tho.  Ody kills all of them but I wouldn't call that ruthlessness. Ruthlessness is doing whatever needs doing to get what you want. He needed to know how to get home, and killing the sirens after doesn't matter in that context. I guess it's good for future sailors? I'll count this as an altruistic positive I guess)

This breakdown isn't perfect, lots of other things happen and some things Ody does can't really be neatly categorized by this simple metric imo, but I'll continue anyway as it feels to me the story breaks down his actions in a sort of similar dichotomy.

All in all the 'good to bad' ratio seems pretty balanced, right? It's not always ruthlessness that wins the day, and 'open arms' solutions don't always work out.

So why does it feel like we're supposed to root for ruthless Odysseus? Why does it feel like the story wants us to believe that being the monster is a good if 'somewhat sad' outcome?

Why am I saying this? Well, it's 600 strikes.

Actually just- all the vengeance saga.

Why is what Ody does here supposed to be cool and awesome? Because, like, that is absolutely the angle here.

Complete with a, honestly absurd, anime power up and fighting-god-one-on-one moment.

Why does the story break down it's logic,  breaks suspension of disbelief (at least for me), to get Odysseus into a position were he can torture Poseidon into letting him go?

Wich?? Btw should not work??

Why is this how he wins?

Why are the ghosts of his friends and family no longer spectres of regrets for but terrifying promises of death?

What does this say? Was Odysseus wrong about their sacrifice? Was regret ever only a noose around his neck? I'm looking too deeply into this one lol.

In 'get in the water' we even get the obligatory appeal to Poseidon's mercy just to hammer down once again that 'open arms' doesn't work, even tho it's Athena's appeal to her father's mercy that set Odysseus free in the first place.

The saga ends with Poseidon asking Odysseus how he'll sleep at night after all of this and Ody, in admittedly the coldest line ever written on paper, says:

"Next to my wife"

...

This is cool.

Extremely cool even.

But that's kind of the problem I have with it.

The song ends in a badass way. This is meant to be the final zing to seal Odysseus' cool ass victory.

And in all of this, not once, does the story seem to recognize that...well...

Poseidon won.

Hell not even Poseidon recognized it!

I'm not even saying "OoOh if it was realistic Poseidon would have have won!" (Tho yeah, ask me about that, lol)

In the great ideological battle that's at the center of Epic: the musical, Poseidon was the ultimate victor.

Ruthless is what wins at the end, it's what gets Odysseus home. Odysseus might be a monster but he's a victorious one.

I feel people and the musical both don't really acknowledge that.

That even if Poseidon lost the battle he ultimately won the war.

Were is the irony? Where's the bitterness and sorrow? We're Poseidon's bloodied, mocking smirk revelling in his victory?

Is Epic a tragedy or a power fantasy?

[csolarstorm]

Thoughts on Agatha All Along - Finale!

Well, I've managed to piece together a post from the notes I took after that awesome two part finale. I enjoyed it a lot, so this is gonna be a long one! So follow me, my friend, as I give my thoughts on Episode 8 and 9 of Agatha All Along.

Now this is one of the most interesting character redemptions I've seen in young adult/family media, because it isn't really a redemption! 

Agatha's redemption goes just as far as her motherly bond with Billy, but other than that, the show is less about redemption and more about retribution.  We thought when Episode 5 said "Punish Agatha", that would be an outlier, a temporary obstacle to the coven coming together.  Nope.  There's too much red - I mean, purple - in Agatha's ledger.  Agatha is who she is, and the show never rewards her for her treachery.  In fact, her cynical, callous worldview costs her everything…even her death.  Agatha is literally reduced to a ghost because she rejects the literal embodiment of the life cycle.  (And she can't face Nicky.)

She's literally "mommy Voldemort"!  That is one of the weirdest things I've ever written!

The only thing Agatha doesn't lose at the end of the series is her bond with Billy - and that's even a close one.  He almost banishes her! That's a fun inversion of the beginning where he deliberately seeks her out. But in mentoring Billy, Agatha has a sort of second chance at parenthood after losing her son. So she is given that grace.

Okay, technically the show does kind of give Agatha the anti-hero treatment, or else she wouldn't end up Billy's mentor.  Clearly Agatha has something to teach Tommy about the nature of power and ruthlessness of the world.  Billy's chaos magic is unfathomably powerful - like his mom, he was bound to accidentally hurt people at some point.  And Agatha was absolutely right about this: "get used to this feeling if you're going to be a witch".  That's unfortunately what being powerful is like.  Think of all the collateral damage the Avengers have caused.  Heck, Wanda at Lagos.  Billy really does take after his mother.

It's the same way in the real world. Any decision a politician makes, money a billionaire invests, has ripple effects the victimize somebody, a shadowy cost to match the reward.

It's one thing to trample others on accident when you swing around your power, but hurting others on purpose actually does actually hurt you, and I think this show expertly portrays that.  It doesn't fall into this trap of making Agatha some amoral badass that people idolize for giving them permission to be assholes.  The power of virtue is not a metaphor, not just a moral gimmick meant to promote societal adhesion.  The callousness of treachery actually affects your ability to form meaningful relationships, which is part of living a satisfying life. Under that facade of bravado and villainy, Agatha is suffering deep inside.  Of course, your mileage may vary, only the good die young, yadda yadda.  There's plenty of happy monsters and sociopaths in the world.

This show has some really interesting parallels with Loki.  You can even argue that Agatha ended up with a parallel but also opposite fate to Loki: a ghost to the world, cut off from life and death.  Only unlike Loki, she can still interact with others.

Agatha All Along DEFINITELY follows Wandavision's footsteps when it comes to flipping audience expectations.  Only this time it's not as simple as Ralph Bohner or those "devils in the details".  Agatha All Along is deliciously character driven, so all the devils in these details are character-related.

The Coven and Sisterhood

Let's start with the biggest "twist": around the middle of the show, the story was about sisterhood: four wayward witches and one familiar setting aside their differences and learning to work together as coven. 

That all goes to hell with Agatha kills Alice and Billy yeets everyone into the mud.  (In retrospect, that's definitely part of why I was disappointed with Episode 5. I could feel the change in direction in the awkward writing.) Sure, Lillia embraces the coven before her death, but Jen definitely does not find kinship with Agatha in the end.  In fact, Agatha screwed her over a hundred years before the show began, and Jen's final challenge is getting away from Agatha's toxic influence. 

And then the whole coven plot definitely goes to hell when it turns out that not only was the road not even real, but the legend of the road itself was just Agatha's lie to lure witches into her coven to murder them over and over again!  Granted we knew that Agatha wanted to kill the coven from the beginning, but this is a whole other layer of deception.

I know this pisses some people off, because obviously it feels like Alice and Lillia died for nothing now - or at least died for a cause they never signed up for.  This was all about resurrecting Tommy, not working together for sisterhood!

Even though the coven didn't last, I think it still matters that it was part of the show, and it was explored. The theme of sisterhood is there. And like Vision said, something is not beautiful because it lasts. 

But I know a lot of people wanted to see this conventional story where everyone survives, and Sharon learns analog witchcraft and her skills come in handy in the last trial when she saves everyone from a sticky situation, and the newfound coven of sisterhood teams up to defy Death and save Agatha and Billy.

That's why we have fanfiction.  *sigh*

Defied Expectations

Speaking of fan disappointment, there's no moment where all is revealed about Agatha's relationship with Rio, at least not all that the fans wanted to see.  Instead, we get an admittedly cute and emotionally compelling flashback to Agatha raising Nicky that shows us exactly how she started the legend of the Witch's Road, and how the ballad started as their song as mother and son.  I'm not disappointed that they went this route instead of a more Rio-centered flashback - I think it brings the story full circle.   

I could tell people were going to be disappointed when Agatha didn't end up in a fulfilling relationship with Rio/Death.  Their relationship had such rich chemistry and it was so intriguing - but to me, the writing was on the wall that it would not be a particularly positive relationship.  I don't imagine Marvel would show a relationship between a serial killer and the embodiment of death and make that a happy, healthy relationship.  My condolences to shippers who wanted this to be a positive representation of lesbian relationships.

And on that note: I'm not sure why Agatha tells Rio that the truth about Nicky's death is too terrible.  Was she absorbing life to keep Nicky alive, and once he refused he finally died? Is that why she says to baby Nicky "You like that? I think we're going to work together just fine."  If this is what they were going for, then yeah that truth is terrible enough for me. Obviously Agatha isn't going to tell the coven she needed to kill other witches to keep Nicky alive.  There's no use trying to rationalize serial murder, even if it's to support your son.

I like how Agatha's name for Nicky follows the "Namor" rule. Since they changed Namor's origin, instead of his name being "Roman" backwards, they made him "N'Amor - the one without love!" So sure, sure, Nicholas Scratch isn't named after Nick Scratch, an old name for the devil, perish the thought! Agatha names him Nicholas Scratch because she made him from scratch. Aww, that honestly was adorable, name retcons aside.

We don't flash back to Agatha's first coven.  The Salem Seven and Evanora originally seem like they're going to be a bigger part in the story, but they're a footnote by the finale.  And although I'm glad they chose the story of Nicky and the origin of the Witch's Road, it would have been nice to commit to actually explaining some of Agatha's actual origin. 

Did Jen's trauma bind her magic?  Nope, Agatha did it.  I mean it doesn't exactly rob us of Jen's trauma narrative - it was still there, implicitly, it's just funny that everything in the series really is Agatha All Along, except for that one big time it was Billy All Along.

Oh, and I guess that one time it was Lillia All Along.  But that's different, that's Patti LuPone.  You have to get Patti Lupone in on the fun.

There are always some editing mistakes in TV shows, but it seems like Marvel needed to go back and tweak some (alleged) discrepancies in the story that don't match the final version of the series, or at stop and clarify things more often.  (For instance, how was Rio "torturing Agatha" throughout the years?  Was she responsible for all the disasters around Agatha, hoping to break her into finally accepting her death?) 

This lack of clarity is a problem with the series overall, to the point that Jac Schaeffer had to keep explaining things that the narrative didn't make clear.  But I have to say, the fact that we were so on the edge of our seats wanting to know means that the story was doing its job.

All Roads Lead To...

So in the end, I think that just like Wandavision, the show went in a direction that a lot of fans weren't expecting - but unlike Wandavision, in some ways I think that's to its benefit.  The coven may not have lasted, but damn that is a richly emotional character study of Agatha Harkness, and I am excited to see "The Ghost and Billy Kaplan" return in Vision Quest, or maybe Young Avengers. 

There were some (alleged) plot holes from Marvel's trademark editing process, and they should have been clearer about some things - but holy triple goddess was this an amazing series nonetheless.  Pound for pound, I think it's the best series Marvel has to offer right now.

Follow me my friend, to glory at the end.

[dark-konohagakure2]

Alucard nonconing Integra’s little sister because he simply doesn’t respect her as he does with his master, mainly cause shes shy and timid unlike her big sister?? 🥺🙏

tw: noncon, bullying, age difference, size difference, threats, abuse, gunplay, sadism, fear play, fuck or die, object insertion (gun)

All characters depicted are 18+

Alucard has nothing but respect for his master, obeying her every command and carrying out her orders to the letter, but this courtesy does not extend toward's Integra's family, or more specifically; her younger sister. Alucard doesn't hate the girl, as evidenced by the fact that her brains aren't painting the walls yet, but he sure as hell doesn't respect her in the slightest either, and that's putting it lightly.

He's practically just a bully around her, popping out from around corners or out from walls when she least expects it, intentionally scaring her, he finds it hilarious how easily frightened she is, laughing his ass off whenever she flinches or jumps at his sudden appearance, but his teasing doesn't stay harmless for very long.

Alucard's antics will quickly escalate from schoolyard bullying to outright harassment and abuse. He'll fire his gun mere inches away from her head, just barely missing her, and he'll also get much more handsy with her, groping her tits and hips and slapping her ass whenever she walks by.

That's not even the worst of it, Alucard knows how scared and uncomfortable his guns make her, and he uses that to his full advantage, rubbing his Jackal across her body, brushing the cold metal against her most sensitive areas before forcing the barrel past her quivering lips and demanding that she gets it nice and wet for her own sake.

"Oh stop crying, little bitch. My master isn't scared of guns, so why should you be? Now if you don't start sucking already I'll blow your empty little head off."

If he is feeling especially sadistic, which will be more often than not, Alucard will when even force his gun into her pussy, with nothing but her saliva to lube up the cold steel. He'll keep his finger right on the trigger, but never actually pulling it. The chamber is completely empty and the safety is on of course, can't have his chew toy dying too quickly now, but she doesn't know that.

Everyone in the Hellsing Organization will turn a blind eye to what Alucard is doing to her. Walter is content to let his old friend do whatever he wants, and Seras is too loyal to her master to say anything against him. Even Integra, her own elder sister, won't do anything about it, the very most she'll do is tell Alucard not to kill her or break any bones.

The absolute worse thing Alucard will do is forcing himself onto her, making her take his entire huge cock into her small virgin pussy. Alucard is much bigger and more well endowed than the average man, even by vampire standards, so it's going to hurt like hell when he forces every single torturous inch into her untouched pussy, it's enough to make her bleed, which just spurs the vampire on all the more.

He's big and rough, treating her like a sex toy and having no regard for any pain he might be causing her during the brutal fucking. Alucard is so much bigger than her that he'll have to lift her up to even get her shorter form onto his cock, her feet off the ground as he fucks into her, hissing venomous insults into her ear as he rearranges her cunt.

"Hah! Pathetic! Even Police Girl can take more than this without passing out! You really sicken me brat, you're not worthy of sharing the same blood as my master..."

Being a creative sadist, Alucard will almost never run out or ways to play with his toy, having literal centuries of experience to pull from. In fact, if she proves to be entertaining enough for the ever bored Alucard, he might even consider making her his eternal plaything.

[comet-soda-lite]

Final actual thoughts on the Agatha All Along finale:

Good:

- Everything with Nicky. That flashback was really well done and the climatic building song at the end was just fantastic

- I had heard the "Billy is making the road" theory and am well aware it would make perfect sense with his character, but I never actually seriously believed it for some reason until the twist was happening and I was like "wait" lmao. So yeah, that was good and it fit a lot of things into place about Agatha's behaviour I should've honestly put together way sooner

- "Am I killing this boy so my brother can live!?" "Oh Billy, sometimes boys just die" bitch, I'm sobbing

Bad (personal opinion alert!!!!)

- Why is Agatha Billy's ghost sidekick now? Did they just wanna get rid of the threat she posed but keep Kathryn Hahn around?

- The emotional core of the show is the coven and their ties to each other, Rio included. This leads into a couple points:

1) I feel Rio could've been a bit softer to Alice. Even if she started off the interaction as cold, she could've had some warmness for her for even just a moment. More "like greeting an old friend" death than "cold unforgiving cruelty" death. Though Alice's death was supposed to represent the latter, so it works I guess (I am just in denial)

2) Agatha not caring about the rest of the coven members other than Billy right up to the end kind of breaks the illusion that the coven ever formed any real familial bond at all, which shits on the weight of Alice's and Lillia's deaths (and Lillia's whole arc), since they were about sacrificing themselves for the others. The road being a fabrication by Billy just made this feeling worse

- Rio and Agatha should've had some resolution, like??? The tension, as it's introduced to us, is that they both still love each other and are even good for each other. Rio had to fulfill her purpose even though she didn't want to, knowing she'd hurt Agatha. And Agatha hates her for it, despite knowing Rio had no say in the matter and even did her a great kindness letting Nicky stay for as long as he did. They have no reason to hate each other logically, only emotionally. Agatha was seemingly set up from the start to have to work through that grief, by the end of which the two could reconcile, and at that point Agatha could go to death willingly or whatever. But the show ended up not exploring this at all, portraying Rio as a kind of toxic ex out of nowhere in ep. 8, and Agatha's eventual kiss with Rio and subsequent death was fueled by an ultimatum rather than a fully free and intentional choice. And then Agatha dies and Rio doesn't even get to talk to her properly now that the tension is (maybe???) resolved (or maybe not considering it seems like ghost Agatha is still avoiding Rio). This was not a great character arc. And I can't help but feel a proper resolution wasn't reached—not because it was the best writing decision—but because she has to stick around as a ghost for a future show/movie and needs something to do

- Not enough Jen.

Neutral (aka Misc. Thoughts)

- I guess this kinda confirms Billy is both Billy and William? Like, I think it's sorta maybe implied Rio can't reap William's soul while Billy is in there, so he's sorta preventing both of them from dying? Or not? Idk?

-[If not, recall that Billy is technically only three years old in MCU canon, which is very weird]

- Episode 7 still the best episode, fight me

[slothpower-central]

Here's my super early before everything Canto 8 bingo card

You all asked for it so I shall hand it over, keep in mind this is subject to change massively based on things like the intermissions, I want to be the first person to make a Bingo card for way in the future, call it a....long term investment Here is my super early Canto 8 Bingo card!!

Okay so I kinda wanna explain the board choices for funsies!

Hong Lu is a rock-.....obviously the big theory is on here!

Mothershu crumbs-So my friends and I refer to like character moments and hints as crumbs and mothershu is what we refer to as Ryoshu being a mother or like alluding to that(like with smth like Spider Bud)

Sinclair snaps-We get another moment similar to his shut the fuck up moment in Canto 7

Freak Lu- uhm this one is more of a silly one since with the number of times that man is tied up or smth and is chill with it (What do you mean it was a unique and fun experience?!?!) my friends and I think he's into it, so we included it for fun

No romance plotline-sigh. Wishful thinking on the part of a Hong Lu yume shipper(me) one of the original novels main plotlines is a whole romance love triangle thing goin on with Baoyu. My friend an I were going back and forth on if/how they could adapt that madness so to subvert expectations,we said no romance

We go to the Land of Illusion-Look if Baoyu goes there in the original, who's to say we won't go in Limbus

Outis Family crumbs- Outis saying anything about her family or home or Penelope or any of that

Uhm the Lin Daiyu space is self-explanatory aside from the descriptors, it's more in reference to my friend's bingo card she made for Canto 7, and it had "Dulcinea is a baddie" on there so I had to carry on the joke

That Grey Bastard appears-uhm.... that's in reference to Demian. My friend group is not a fan of him (I'm literally close friends with the real reincarnation of Emil Sinclair, of course we have conflicting feelings on Demian)

Levels copy the style of chapter names- So the names of levels last canto matched up with the way chapters in Don Quixote are titled and it was the same way in Canto 5 so Amia and I thought it might carry over to Canto 8 ^^

Heathcliff crumbs-We kinda threw his one in here but y'know more Heathcliff family moments or more Heathcath

Baoyu name reveal-Okay before you say, "But Sloth, they did reveal it to the sinners!" uhm no, look at who was in that convo. It was Wei, Xichun and Hong Lu, the other sinners do not know, or they just really decided to not comment on that

Chapter with the most npcs-This one is a prediction because guys. The original novel has like 400 characters in it.

Story Dungeon in Canto-So I always like to ask whether we'll get one since in Canto 6,we didn't get a dungeon,so we put it on there

Hong Lu is a "Charon situation"- I proposed some kind of crazy idea that Hong Lu was like overwriting Baoyu's personality/old self or smth and Amia responds with "Charon situation" since in Leviathan Lapis gets herself overwritten by one of her mirror worlds, that being Charon. So maybe something of a similar nature happened to Hong Lu (Yes this is different enough from rock theory to me)

Hong Lu doesn't distort- Ha you thought! Amia and I are like *convinced* the Hell's Chicken line is a red herring meant to throw us off. Like Quixote distortion was a big theory for a while and she didn't distort (Can bloodfiends distort? Idk) I know we're in the minority but like unless something changes my mind, I'm gonna keep being in the minority