#would’ve killed him probably if it wouldn’t have messed up my pacifist

[darthpastry]

Top ten photos taken before disaster

[chalkxtabletxtowers]

~Love can make you kill~

•Fandom: Helluva Boss

•Shipping: Striker x Reader

•Warnings: Manipulation (duh), but otherwise none.

The motel was dimly lit as you stepped inside. The last light bulb seemed to have given up months ago and no one seemed to care enough to actually fix it. Many of the rooms you could've gone in, were shut down and tightly blocked with wooden planks. It all looked very worn out, old and neglected, but it was probably also really cheap. This was the kind of place where criminals lived. The perfect place for your boyfriend.

The only thing that shone brightly into the dark, starry night, was a obnoxiously bright neon sign "Hideaway Motel" it said, the E had already given out and stopped glowing. The rest was red and yellow, a color mixture that stung in your sensitive eyes. Under there, it stated "The guy that tried 2 kill u def isn't here"

It seemed like the space wasn't there to add the proper sentences, but it still made sense to you. This all was so obvious and obnoxious, that you genuinely wondered if there were people falling for that stupid sign. You sighted as you stepped inside. There obviously wasn't a receptionist, the owner probably didn't even have enough money to pay for decent workers. How was this considered a hideout? You didn't even try to add a safe into your thoughts.

"There you are. I've been waiting for ya, my Darling"

A familiar voice pulled you out of your thoughts, and you looked up to see the snake demon walking towards you, his boots making loud noises in the creaking wooden floor. "It was so lonely without ya company, especially at the festival! But now youre here, my favorite person in the entire world!"

He hugged you and wrapped his tail around you, and you would've sunken into the hug, like you usually did, but you knew something about the atmosphere wasn't relaxing at all. You just couldn't put your finger on it "I knew ya would come back eventually"

He whispered, his tongue slithering so close to your ear that it made you shiver. "Don't ever threaten to leave me again if you can't pull through with it. And we both know you can't, Darling"

He let go and sat down on the bed, crossing one leg over the other and signaling you to sit down beside him, which you did. He wrapped his arm around you and pulled you closer once more, talking about the festival and everything he had seemingly experienced. "But you're hurt, Striker."

You noticed and pointed to the bruises in his face "Did something happen to you?"

You genuinely sounded worried, because you were. Guilt crept up on you, guilt for not being with Striker when he apparently needed you. Guilt for letting him get hurt by other people. "Yeah, there was this guy called Blitz on the festival, together with his colleagues from work. And one of them tried to fight me, but he was pathetic and I would've killed him, if I would've gotten the chance to. But fuck did his wife fight back."

You somehow knew this wasn't the whole truth, but also knew better than to ask any invasive questions. Striker wouldn't answer them anyway, or ask if you didn't trust him again. And you didn't know how else to prove anymore that you did.

"I told you not to pick a fight with other people that you aren't supposed to kill. It ends up in a mess and I don't want you to get hurt."

Sighting, you stroke over his chest and inhaled his scent. He always smelled like gunpowder, like hay and the droppings of the animals he took care off. This time, he also smelled like blood.

"I know, I know"

He raised his hands in defense "But ya also know how good my fighting skills are. And the wounds will heal. I'm not sitting here for no reason, Darling"

You just nodded, not interested in picking a fight with him. Not tonight. Not now, that you finally reunited after a argument, that had been your fault. But Striker wasn't very resentful when it came to this, which made everything easier.

"Ohh, Darling, there's this thing I've been wanting to ask you..."

His voice sounded soft, so full of love and affection towards you, that was there somewhere, just his own twisted definition of it.

"Really? What is it? You know I'd do anything for you!"

You eagerly said, watching as he stood up and walked around you and the bed in a circle. It always made you nervous when he did this, but it also almost immediately relaxed you.

"Just look at me Darling, other things don't matter right now. You know how I kill people if I get payed enough, right?"

He asked and you nodded, completely drawn in by him, like a moth that saw a lamp for the first time. You were close to burning your wings, but you didn't notice. His manipulation was too good.

"Yes, of course Striker" you replied, wanting to make him happy.

He just nodded in satisfaction "And you know how you were always against you doing that, which made me really sad, right?"

You nodded again. You had felt guilty for it, as you saw his disappointed glance everytime, but your point still stood. You weren't a pacifist for no reason. "Yes, I know Striker"

He smirked, knowing that everything worked as he wanted. He increased his speed, his tail brushing over your shoulders and chest "There is this royalty of Hell who's been cheating on his wife. Isn't that horrible behaviour?"

He didn't care about that, but he knew you would "And he's a bad influence for his daughter too! Darling"

He sat next to you and took your hands, which immediately caused you to look into his eyes, the wrongest thing you could've done. They were hypnotising in every sense of the word. "Do you want to kill him with me?"

He whispered, eagerly awaiting your response.

"I-"

You did think that royalty had the job to be a good example for other demons in hell. And what he had done didn't sound too nice, and it went against your morals. That, added to his fantastic manipulation, caused you to nod "Yes. Yes I want to kill him with you, Striker"

Striker smirked in success. That's what he had wanted. Seeing his dearest Darling kill send shivers down his spine. It would be amazing! And afterwards, you two could celebrate the victory and your first kill. "That's a good darling."

He gave you a kiss and gently pushed you back, looking at you again "Now. Don't you want to give me a little compensation for being gone for so long?"

You could have sworn you kept the whole motel awake for the night, and as you cuddled against Strikers chest in the morning, you knew you had found the demon for a life time.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

Top 10 favorite things about TFS?

Bold of you to assume I can narrow it down to just 10 things, but I’ll try my best. 

Here’s a list of things I LOVE about The Final Season of TWDG, starting from #10 and working my way down to #1.

10. Rosie is best girl and doesn’t die 

Listen, okay? If you give me a game with a doggo companion that I bond with only to have said doggo die for dramatic effect... you automatically lose 2 outta 5 stars on your rating. Case in point: Season 2.

However, tfs knew not to kill Rosie off for dramatic effect, knew it’d be cheap. Plus, Rosie is a sweetheart and I love that she helps Clementine come to terms with her past trauma with dogs and genuinely bonds with her. Rosie is best girl. 

9. Over the shoulder camera/controls 

They’re the best of the series, having come a LONG way since S1. Like, look... Don’t get me wrong. S1 isn’t unplayable or anything, far from it, but they’re not the greatest either. They’re pretty wonky at times, the fixed camera can get annoying when you’re moving around, and sometimes button presses don’t register. It’s definitely something I have to get used to whenever I go back and replay the entire series, and like I said, it’s not the worst controls in the world... but oh man, compared to TFS?

Have you ever played S1 and then jumped straight into TFS just to get a direct comparison of the two? Because I have and it’s jarring how much smoother, accurate, and overall better everything is in TFS.

Just... props, guys. Thank you for the over-the-shoulder, movable camera, thank you for the polished button prompts, and thank you for a run button that has Clementine go into a nice jog rather than a comical run or, eh... does nothing [lookin’ at you ANF... Javi slow].

It’s just so effortless to play. The most trouble I ever have is with doors but that’s a given- Doors make no goddamn sense in this series and I’ve given up trying to learn their secrets. Oh, and speaking of more improvements! 

The shooting mechanic in this game is leaps better than in S1. Y’all remember the Motor-Inn shootout? The one that was such a frustrating pain in the ass?? So much death and anger...

I still die sometimes when shooting the walkers with the bow, especially the ones that are on fire, but it’s nothing compared to the shooting mechanic in S1, so the biggest THANK YOU for that one. It’s actually enjoyable to shoot stuff this time around.

8. Collectibles 

You as Clementine get to pick up various collectibles to decorate her and AJ’s dorm with and it’s great. One of my favorite bits about this game is seeing Clementine wake up in this empty, lifeless room, and see it get brighter and brighter with every collectible you place throughout the game until you reach the final scene with AJ where the room is just FULL of life and personality. Like... it’s officially theirs. It’s such a good feeling! 

And the devs totally didn’t have to add the collectible system in, but I’m so thankful they did. I’m one of those people who gets every single collectible every single time I play. 

7. Ericson’s Boarding School for Troubled Youth

Y’know, I honestly can’t think of a better place for Clementine and AJ to end up than Ericson’s Boarding School for Troubled Youth. It’s awesome, I love it, what a great idea. I also love the sense of wonder when we step outside for the first time and see the inside of Ericson, as well as the others, walking around. Like even Clementine is taken back by it.

Because of course it makes sense for Clementine to end up in a school surrounded by people closer to her age rather than with a group of dumbass adults like in the past three games.

Here it feels like they’re all about on the same level. There’s no older person here belittling Clementine because “she’s just a child and doesn’t get it,” they’re just people, y’know? Hell, if anything, Clementine’s now the most experienced one!

The school’s great! I wouldn’t change a thing about TFS taking place here. The environments are beautiful and I love exploring the world. 

6. Marlon as an antagonistic character/final confrontation 

I have an entire Marlon character discussion/study so I won’t put too much time into this one, but I will say that I love Marlon’s part in tfs. I love him as a surprise antagonistic character, I love how chill he is in the beginning, I love the final confrontation at the end of ep1... I just really like Marlon, y’know?

Ray Chase gives a damn near perfect performance as Marlon, so much so that I wish he survived past ep1 just so that I could hear more of his acting. Marlon himself in an interesting look at a leader character hiding his shame and guilt while trying to maintain control over everyone [including himself] around him, only to be broken down when he’s found out. 

5. James 

I know people tend to be pretty split on James, but I personally really like his role in tfs. I love that they included a character who was apart of the Whisperers, and hell, if anything I’d like to know MORE about James’ past with them. 

I just find him and his whole “walkers are sort of people? kinda?” beliefs. Again, I know some people get annoyed with him because of his beliefs but I think he adds an interesting spin on the whole thing, y’know? Though I do love what a bitch he is if you don’t agree with him hahaha

James is a bitch and I love him, okay? I love his dumb walker mask, I love his dumb boyband hair, I love his whispery voice, and I love his backstory with the Whisperers and Charlie. I love this he’s trying so hard to be this pacifist that he ends up doing the literal thing he said he doesn’t want to do-- hurt people. Y’know... like attempting to kidnap AJ and threatening to break Clementine’s leg in the caves if he’s alive. 

Which, by the way, that whole cave scene is a thing. It’s wild and I love it but not for the reasons the devs probably wanted. Like... it’s a little hilarious? I know it’s not supposed to be! But I can’t take James seriously when he’s walkin’ around his hands on his hips all huffy and puffy, okay? It’s just wild. 

Anyway, I love James and wouldn’t get rid of him. Hell, I’m still waiting for my James with the Whisperers mini-series, Skybound. 

4. Ericson Crew

There isn’t a single character from Ericson that I don’t like, or that I’d get rid of, which is rare with these games. Thinking back to the previous games, there’s always at least one person I could do without or that I didn’t like. I adore all of them!

The Ericson crew just feels closer than previous groups. For starters, they’re way more likable than most in our previous groups. Even when there’s tension [and boy is there tension at points] you still get the sense that they don’t hate each other, unlike in our previous groups. They do in fact love each other as a family and will do what they can to protect one another.

Plus, they’re all interesting. They’re troubled youth and I love all of them! 

Aasim keeps a daily journal where he chronicles everything in hopes of learning from past mistakes to prevent future ones, he’s damn good with a bow, and he’s got a neat little soul patch on his chin.  

Ruby is the tiny yet fiery medic of the group who adamantly believes in manners yet used to chase teachers around with pitchforks. 

Brody is caught up in the twin mess with Marlon but she’s also shown to want an escape, a road trip where she and her friends can go see the beach, but she also suffers with anxiety and panic attacks and isn’t afraid to knock Marlon on his ass or swear at Clementine. 

Mitch is a grumpy, tall boy who looks after Willy like a brother, knows how to make bombs out of manure and propane, and used to fight his neighbors because they didn’t like his face. 

Omar is a sassy chef who has to have every ingredient just right otherwise he’s salty for a week and he can take a bullet to the leg like a champ. 

Willy’s a goober who can climb trees like you wouldn’t believe and he made a bomb of his own in Mitch’s honor that completely wrecked the delta’s ship. 

Tenn is a soft, naïve boy who draws and reads but isn’t afraid to stab a walker bitch if he has to. 

Violet was sent to the school after witnessing her grandmother’s dead, she used to date Minerva who is now “dead,” has abandonment issues,  tries to give off the appearance of a grumpy grump but like once she’s comfortable with you she’ll tell you her life story and do romantic shit like dancing and painting you a pin. 

Louis was sent to Ericson because he was a rich brat who broke up his parents marriage because they wouldn’t let him take singing lessons and has felt like garbage ever since, using humor to cope and push people away, and keeps the façade on until someone’s willing to see past it in which he’ll finally bare his soul to you, name a song he wrote after you, and do everything in his power to keep you and everyone else safe over himself. 

I just... Love ‘em all. 

3. Clementine and AJ’s dynamic 

To think that they almost killed AJ off, or kept him a minor character. That would’ve been a shame and an absolute waste because Clementine and AJ’s dynamic is super fucking good in tfs. 

It’s actually a little baffling that AJ’s as good as he is, from his writing to his voice acting, he’s just great. And his relationship with Clementine is definitely one of my favorites to come from this game. It’s not perfect, but I don’t want perfect. 

I love that AJ looks to Clem for guidance and I love the way our choices affect him, even when it’s a case of the bridge scene. Hate the bridge scene knowing that I gotta sacrifice a character I care about for another I love, but I can’t deny that I love how that choice is made. After everything, do you trust AJ or not? 

Plus, their conversations are so well done, their chemistry is through the roof, and I wouldn’t change it. 

Oh, and the barn scene? Gets me every time, even though I already know everything’s fine and gonna work out. Still gets me. 

2. Clementine is Bisexual

I’ve talked about this in the past, but lemme just say that I love the fact that Clementine is canonically bisexual. 

Doesn’t matter if you’re dating Louis, Violet, or no one, Clementine is still bisexual. The game confirms it through it’s text/subtext and Clementine’s actions that we don’t have control over, and the devs confirmed it. She ain’t straight, she ain’t a lesbian, she is bisexual. 

I can’t express how happy that makes me. Just... 💗💜💙

And with her being bisexual comes her two great love interests: Louis and Violet. They’re amazing, and such an improvement over the previous game’s attempt at love interests... ahem, y’know... Kate.

1. Louis as a character/his relationship with Clementine 

I mean... c’mon. Y’all knew what #1 was gonna be. Do I even need to explain? This entire blog is just me gushing about Louis/clouis. 

Look, Louis is my favorite non-playable character across the entire series. Hell, even when you factor in playable characters, he’s STILL my absolute favorite. Like, even outside of his relationship with Clementine, I find him to be such a compelling character by himself. 

Like I mentioned above, he came from a stupid rich family who gave him everything he ever wanted, but when his father wouldn’t let him take singing lessons, he literally worked for over a year to break up his parents marriage because “you get to be happy or you get to be rich, can’t be both.” 

He gets sent to Ericson where the apocalypse happens, he never gets to make up with his parents, and he ends up using jokes and piano as a coping mechanism to deal with everything, falls into a cycle of being unreliable and the butt of the joke, and lives one day at a time without much thought for the future. 

He puts on the happy jokester persona to push people away from knowing the real him and rarely shares much about himself. Hell, when Clementine does hunting and decides to take care of the walker with him, he actually does let down the wall for a minute to share his view on “this moment” before looking away like “Oof, shared too much-- HEY, GO CHECK ON AASIM :D I’LL BE OVER HERE :D FIXING THE TRAP :D and adjusting the wall ahem--” 

It’s so interesting because you’d think that he’d be more open about his past with Marlon or the twins or whatever [like Violet is] but no, he doesn’t tell you shit about his past until EPISODE 3 and you have to work to get that story. 

I just... I just love him. Could talk about and analyze his character for hours. And I love his relationship with Clementine. It’s just so good. The piano scene where they finally admit their feelings for one another?? That shit has my entire heart. Their entire relationship is my favorite. What else is there to say? 

[thewaterisblackwithvenom]

My initial impression of Kieran was that he was an anxious, weak nerved kiss-up. I mean he doesn’t make any attempt to fight back when Arthur captures him, even if he stands there and does nothing. Dude’s got a gun. Makes zero attempt to go for it. My initial thoughts was he was too cowardly to even fight back, when in reality Arthur was running for him with a lasso. His hands are literally full. Who Arthur is doesn’t really matter; he doesn’t have a weapon drawn and is clearly trying to take him alive. Unless he’s a massively terrible shot, he could’ve easily shot Arthur. Clearly he’s more afraid of what Colm will due to him than just dying(which makes sense, especially with how he went out : )))) ), so it really would’ve been in his best interest to die trying to kill Arthur instead of being captured, most likely killed, and most likely tortured beforehand. Far as I can figure, reasons for just surrendering would’ve been

Fear (logical, but with his biggest fear being whatever Colm would do to him, doesn’t seem as likely, even if he was straight up panicking)

Pacifism (not saying he’s a pacifist, but he’s definitely not a fighter by nature, despite his will to live) 

Once he’s captured, he holds out for about a month in sh*t conditions. He breaks once they turn their violent attention to him, but even then he still tried to hold out. The only reason I can think of why he wouldn’t just talk is fear of what Colm would do to him if he made it out alive. If he was scared that the Van Der Lindes would kill him after he talked, he could’ve stayed quiet longer, I guess, though really who could hold out when you’re being threatened with castration lmao.

After the fact, I expect my initial impression to be right. It wasn’t. I mean, I was 100% right about him being a genuinely nice person, not exactly cut out for outlaw life, and not a rat or weaselly person. Things I were wrong about were his general demeanor. 

He’s a naturally positive and friendly person. Despite being constantly picked on and flat out threatened, he’ll even greet Sadie(who is probably most likely to kill him in the beginning, let’s be honest) with a level of confidence I didn’t expect. He doesn’t slink around her with his head down, but is 100% aware that she hates him, and I’ve never heard him try to change that. He’ll greet her, but goes out of his way to let her know that “I’m here and realize that you hate me so I’m giving you space”. Anyone else who calls him “O’Driscoll”, he’ll get upset and correct them. Sadie straight up tells him to die and he doesn’t say boo. I love that he is aware of her pain and doesn’t try to change her feelings about him just so he can sleep better at night. He plays the long game; respecting her boundaries, and not giving her any other reasons to hate him, hoping that someday she’ll maybe at least not despise him for just being connected to her enemies in the past. He could b*tch and moan about how he had nothing to do with Jake’s murder; he wasn’t there, he didn’t pull the trigger, and he didn’t want that to happen. He really is innocent. But he leaves that and her the f*ck alone, the only contact he initiates is just general politeness. She makes real threats, and he has ever reason to believe her, but he still has the balls to not cower around her. If anyone else in the gang makes any kind of “O’Driscoll” comment, he gets genuinely irritated and corrects them, even if it’s hopeless. Not just the women, who(save for Sadie and Mrs. Grimshaw) aren’t a threat. But he’ll get upset and snap back at Arthur and Javier that he’s not an O’Driscoll. I don’t believe for a second that Kieran thinks he could beat either of them in a fight. He’s not a fighter, and he’s also not stupid. He’s survived about half his life being beaten around. The reason he’s survived could be luck, but also him knowing how far he can press his luck with very dangerous people. I used to find it amusing in the beginning when he’d snap back, because like. Lmao, you really wanna get upset with Arthur? Seriously? Dude. Don’t go there.

He stands up for himself, and is confident enough in himself to be as bold as to say to Arthur’s face, that he’s not a bad person, and that’ll he’ll warm to him eventually. That also caught me off guard, because I was under the general assumption “god this kid is me. anxious af, doesn’t like people, just likes horses”. I projected far too much lmao, because despite him feeling more comfortable with horses, he’s pretty outgoing, in a confident way. If people are just indifferent to him, he has no problem going out of his way to greet people with confidence. When he’s being bullied, he’s ballsy enough to stand up for himself, and when people are genuinely nice to him, he’ll show signs of being flustered/anxious, likely due to the fact he probably has very little experience with kindness. Whatever kindness he experienced outside family was most likely fake and extremely conditional. He never made any comments about having relationships of any kind with anyone. His life has been about survival. He knows how to not press his luck with the wrong people, knows basic social manners(how to be friendly without being overbearing, how to give people space, and even when he helped Molly out of the stagecoach), but I feel like he has the least experience in healthy relationships. Relationships where someone is actually nice to him. That’s also why I’m 1,000% peeved that we didn’t really get to befriend him. Watching him come out of his shell more was so nice. Save for his massive guilt about Jack(which wasn’t even his fault anyway), he was finally starting to feel like he belonged there. Sh*t hurts man.

I think the thing that caught me most off guard was his level of confidence that you really get to see in his fishing side mission.

Arthur says that he’s(Arthur) not that great a fisherman, and Kieran, not missing a beat, comes back with “But I am! *laughs* I’ll teach you something.”, all of which happens seconds after Kieran is done straight up mocking Arthur’s teasing of him. If I hadn’t spent 5,000 years wandering around camp, and getting to see everyone’s personalities that you’d miss if you flew through story mode, that mission would’ve made my head spin. If your impression of Kieran is “soft scared horse boy”, there’s so much that happens in like, a minute that’d throw you off.

Arthur asks Kieran if he’s going fishing

Kieran, likely caught off guard by someone going out of their way to interact with him in a non-hostile way, says yes

Arthur, incapable of just being nice to him follows up with a threatening tone “... or running back to Colm O’Driscoll?”, bc f*ck this guy actually knowing I’m starting to warm up to him, I have to be a Big Tough Outlaw bc I am a Bad Man

Kieran, irritated and a bit nervous now, snaps back that of course he’s not 

Arthur responds by bumping his fist against Kieran’s shoulder/chest, gives an amused chuckle, and responds with “pffft, I’m just joking w/ u lol relax”  (I love this interaction because it really shows, at least to me, that Arthur is genuinely starting to like Kieran. instead of continuing along the lines of “watch yourself”, his tone and body language gestures that “I don’t mean it, I’m just messing with you”. Even if he’s still being an *ss, it’s not like his previous interactions. The playful physical contact, non-menacing laugh, and “I’m just kidding w/ u” comment are all friendly gestures. He wouldn’t do any of those if he actually didn’t like Kieran. Arthur’s not a touchy-feely “I’ll fake like I’m your friend so I can slit your throat later” kind of person)

Kieran’s nervousness instantly melts away and he responds with “wow. ur so funny. hah hah. rlly had me goin there. ur hilaaaaarious.” he’s 100% done and just rolls his eyes at this point.

Arthur just goes “shut up”, and I love the way he says it this time bc he’s more like. Offended/irritated that he’s being sassed instead of actually meaning “shut up or else”. He’s all “>:((( shut up brat” and it’s cute lmao. 

Not two seconds after Arthur tells Kieran to shut up, he absolutely doesn’t and invites him fishing. Like, a genuine “hey wanna go fishing?” and not like, a “desperate for your approval, please give me more opportunities to prove myself to you”.

Arthur says he’s not a great fisherman, and Kieran responds with “Yeah but I am!”, laughs, and says he can teach Arthur something.  I found this part super fascinating, because as someone with severe anxiety, my response would’ve been totally different. I’m confident in a few areas; I know what I’m good at, and what I’d be semi-competent at teaching people, but if someone-- especially someone higher on the social ladder than I am-- said that they weren’t good at something, that I was really good at, I always try and downplay things so as not to make the other person feel like they’re lesser than me. I like to think my art skills are decent, so if that kind of situation came up “I’m not a great artist”, my response would be more like “Heh neither am I, but I know some tricks that have made things a lot easier. I can show them to you!” Kieran straight up told Arthur Morgan that he’s a great fisherman, and could teach Arthur something. Former O’Driscoll, teaching Dutch’s right hand man something. That was a cocky move, even if it’s true. I love that he has the confidence to flat out say that without even backpedaling. Kid knows his worth and isn’t afraid to just blurt it out.

Arthur responds with a friendly “Sure”. Not like an “yeah alright fine”, but more like how he responds to people who considers friends. Come to think of it, other than certain instances where Kieran pushes his luck here, Arthur is friendlier/less hostile and grumpy with Kieran than he is with Sean lmao. Granted, Sean is uhhh, overbearing and obnoxious, but Arthur sees him as a younger sibling, not an ex-O’Driscoll. 

On their way to the beach, Kieran brings up past vs present. “who would’ve thought we’d be going fishing together when it wasn’t that long ago that I was tied up on the back of your horse begging for mercy?” He says it with such a light hearted tone like it wasn’t even a big deal. He could’ve died from dehydration/starvation/the cold, and he’s literally like “isn’t life funny?” Don’t know whether to be impressed that it didn’t leave him with serious trauma and resentment or said that maybe he doesn’t see it as that big a deal because he’s had worse. Either way, the way he says it is interesting to me.

Ofc Arthur has to remind him “how do you know I’m not dragging you away from camp to kill you?” bc again, can’t let this kid know I’m actually starting to like him. He Must Know that I am a Big Bad Threat.  “..because I saved your life”  “ya and every day I don’t kill you I’m saving yours” “you don’t mean that” “yes I do I am Serious so shut it” Kieran knows Arthur well enough that while the threat is still a touch unnerving, he has the guts to point out that he doesn’t mean it. he knows Arthur well at this point, and despite the slight possibility he might actually mean that, he choses to believe it’s just Arthur being... Arthur.

Throughout the trip, Kieran opens up about camp life and his past, and in general Arthur doesn’t have anything that nice to say. Arthur’s genuinely a nice person, but I wouldn’t call him “soft”, so that doesn't’ surprise me. Despite this, he’s not exactly mean to Kieran like he used to be. He’s not remotely sympathetic, but at the same time he wouldn’t be for really anyone else, either. Maybe the women bc women, but. However, towards the end, when Kieran talks about losing his family and being on his own since then, Arthur does comment along the lines of “well, look at it this way, you’ll never be alone again”. I could be misinterpreting it, but I think that’s Arthur’s way of saying “you’re one of us now”. Can’t really say anything nice to him or show sympathy, but “you’ll never be alone again” could’ve been his way of trying to comfort him in an offhand sort of way.

Not what Arthur meant, but I couldn’t help but laugh when Kieran was like “do you think Dutch trusts me now?” me and Arthur both laughed, sad thing is I laughed bc I’m like “yo Dutch don’t even trust Arthur lmaooo, shoot for something actually obtainable Kieran”

This is already five pages longer than I intended it to be lmao, but literally my entire point is that my impression of Kieran had been that he was a soft, nervy person with low self confidence. The way I see it, all the evidence proves that he’s a lot more than a lot of people give him credit for. 

He is a sweetheart by nature; I really don’t think there’s a mean bone in his body. He’ll stick up for himself and get irritated, but I can’t think of a single instance where he did or said anything mean-spirited. He’s helpful for the sake of being helpful, and is grateful for any actual kindness shown to him. He grows to genuinely care about the gang’s overall well being, and goes so far as to flat out state he’d give his life for Jack’s if he could, despite Jack being a brat to him in the beginning. But despite the fact that he’s a kind hearted individual, he will stand up for himself, and if the follower glitch dialog is accurate, he will engage in combat if he has to. A lot of his dialog is pretty snarky too, which I thought was interesting. I thought he’d be a lot more jumpy and nervous during a shootout, but again I was wrong.  To me all evidence points to his anxiety/nervousness all being circumstantial. It really only presents itself when his safety is actively being threatened, and in foreign situations(people going out of their way to be friendly to him; catches him off guard). So yeah, I think you could technically call him an anxious person and it be somewhat accurate, but he’s not anxious like people today are. His anxiety isn’t “across a broad range of circumstances”, as are anxiety disorders. I think it’s more accurate to say that Kieran is a pretty self confident, moderately outgoing person with a bright personality, despite the sh*t he’s been and still going through. And that’s what I love about him.

I started out feeling bad for him, with a touch of amusement, just for the fact that I really did pity him. He just seemed like such an unfortunate person. I felt really bad having to bring him in, because my general impression was that he’s really not meant for the outlaw life and was probably a nice person. Hated having to bring him in, but having read his bio before playing the game, I was at least relived that his position as part of the gang meant that me bringing him in wasn’t going to result in having to be the cause of his demise. Him being tied up for weeks made me feel really bad since I couldn’t do sh*t to help him out any, because Arthur didn’t give a damn. Poor thing didn’t even have shelter when it rained in 40℉ weather, and didn’t even have his coat on. Once he was free to move around, I was a bit surprised at how confident he was in greeting Arthur. Save for Tilly, in my game, Kieran greets Arthur more than anyone else in camp. Always bright and cheery. Seeing as how I spent most of my time in camp on the outskirts doing chores(see also: avoiding Dutch lmao), running into Kieran a lot was unavoidable, especially because Arthur’s morning routine is cooking breakfast by the campfire. Eeeevery morning, there’s Kieran. Literally can tell what hour it is by where Kieran is and what he’s doing, and vice versa. If it’s 2pm, I know exactly where Kieran is. With how much time I spent at camp, it didn’t take any time at all before I was very familiar with him. I never had any negative feelings or suspicion towards him, but other than our shared fondness for horses, I had no real reason to like him(pity isn’t exactly a reason to like someone after all). But I grew fond of him so quickly ever since dragging him down from Colter, especially after he saved Arthur. He was brave enough to stick up for himself, brave enough to risk his life saving Arthur, and brave enough to state that he’s “one of you now”. He does more than his fair share of chores every day, stays out of everyone’s way, and remains bright and friendly despite his sh*t circumstances. Oh and he loves horses. Those are the reasons I grew attached to him, and still am. I thought he was just 1889 me, but now I realize he’s a lot of what I wish I was. I love his confidence, despite the fact that he has no one backing him up. Ever. I have supportive people backing me, and yet if someone says sh*t to my face it’s going to make me seriously question my worth. Kieran Duffy fights back anxiety, plants his feet and defends himself. I’m f*cking proud of that boy.

Oh my GOD this is embarrassingly long lmao, but I f*cking love Kieran Duffy with all my heart and I feel like so many overlook how strong he actually is. He’s not an ~anxious soft boy~. He’s sweet, and kind, hard working and self reliant, open and honest, confident and snarky, and is just overall such a lovable, wonderful person. He’s not a weak little snitch, nor a skittish people-pleaser. He wants to be liked for who he is, and while he’s always trying to prove himself, he plays the long game and lets that happen naturally. He’s not a boot licker like Micah. I hate that a lot of the gang gave him such constant sh*t, and that despite the fact no one liked him, Micah was treated like “one of the gang”, when he said so much sh*t. Motherf*cker made comments about throwing out the women since they were “dead weight who you can’t even f*ck”, and older “less useful” members like Uncle and Swanson. Meanwhile Kieran works himself to death on a daily basis, but all the Big Men of camp pretty much hold his past over him constantly, despite the fact that he didn’t have a choice, and wasn’t even really part of the gang. It’s just really sh*tty and I hate it lmao.

I’m going to shut up now and pray to GOD this doesn’t make it into the tags or so help me I’ll tag it later lmao. 

[clumsybookworm18]

and my burden to bear is a love (i can’t carry anymore) | pt.3

Jossam + Ghost AU

Summary: Sam thinks she’s crazy and Josh is... Josh.

[Read on AO3], Moodboard, part 1 /��2 / 4

She shouldn’t have been surprised. Not when it came to Josh. And yet she couldn’t believe it. When people die, they tend to stay dead. These sorts of things didn’t happen. People did not see their dead friends. 

But there he was. 

Draped over her bed was Joshua Washington, a person who was officially declared dead (if the headless body was any indication), his black clothes a stark contrast with her ivory duvet.  

She didn’t know- couldn’t even begin to fathom what to say or do other than gawk at him. The pounding in her heart too distracting, along with some other emotion she didn’t want to make out. 

Josh angled his head, a half smile playing on his lips. “Dreadful etiquette, I apologize.”

He looked anything but sorry. 

“You’re here,” Sam heard herself say, far way, the words somehow coming out resigned and shocked- not processing she had spoken at all. She wasn’t entirely sure she was breathing either.  

“Hello to you too, Sammy.” 

She blinked. Then blinked once more. Nope, he was still there. 

What. The. Hell.

Josh raised an eyebrow. “Most people would consider staring rude, ya kn-”

Without thinking, she hurled at him the first thing at her reach. Which turned out to be her diary. 

Josh let out a curse, ducking in vain as it flew through him. Both of them watched as it landed with a muffled thump on the plush carpet. 

He turned to look at her, muttering, “Pacifist my ass.” Though his face was serious, something like amusement glinted in his eyes. “Is this going to be a thing now? You throwing something at me every time I scare you?”

No no no no no. This wasn’t happening. She must’ve fallen asleep and was dreaming right now. She was having some kind of fever dream. Yup. That was totally it. There absolutely wasn’t a dead person sitting on the foot of her bed. Nope. 

Looking to avoid the presence in front of her, Sam threw the covers off her and got up, walking over to where her diary had landed. As she bent to pick it up, out of the corner of her eye she saw Josh smoothly sit up, bracing his hands on his thighs, watching her. Always watching her. Like he used to do. 

A shiver went through her. It was just the cold. Nothing else. 

That's what happens when you leave the comfort of your blanket burrito to step into a freezing room.

Sam closed her eyes and took a single deep breath, trying not to let the eeriness of it rattle her (keyword being trying), before turning to face him. “You’re not real.”

Josh snorted. “Oh, I’m real alright,” he said, and- yep, that was definitely amusement glittering in those eyes. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for one of you fuckers to finally see me?” 

“No,” she refuted, shaking her head. “This is just my subconscious showing me what I want to see. Or don’t, more specifically.” 

He gave her a lazy grin that once would’ve made her heart flutter. “I’m flattered Sammy. Really. But no imaginary doppelganger of mine can have my wit and charm-”

“And can’t be as aggravating as you,” she said dryly. “You know what? I’m actually inclined to believe this is all true. You haven’t been here five minutes and you’re already getting on my nerves.”

Josh put a hand to his chest. “Aw Sammy, you wound me. After all those late night talks we had together.” 

She glared at him. 

Josh stalked towards her, stopping less than a foot away, and she could’ve sworn a whisper of warmth grazed her skin. “What? Did you actually think you were crazy talking to a voice inside your head?” He gave her a knowing smirk. “Oh honey, you’re not delusional, trust me.”

Flashes of them in the mines raced through her mind, clamping down on her heart. Josh muttering to himself. Mike hitting him. Sam asking for the cable car key. Josh giving it to her. Their last conversation (she’d lost count of how many times she’s replayed it in her mind). The last time she saw him, alive and bleeding. 

She didn’t even say goodbye.

Fiercely shoving the memories away, Sam refrained from curling her fingers around the chain that rested around her neck, curling them into fists instead. She didn’t miss how his eyes flickered down to her hands as if he knew, but didn’t comment on it.

Wise move.

“How?” She demanded. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

He shrugged. “Never said I wasn’t.” 

Her blood chilled at his words- ignoring the doubt churning beneath her skin, trying to untangle the certainty of what she’d known all along but kept pushing into the back of her mind, like every irrational thought. She took a few steps back, putting some much needed space between them. For her sake.

“You mean to tell me... that the voice I’ve been hearing all this time was a vestige of you and not my imagination,” she said, not entirely a question.

Josh smirked. “What do you think?”

“So all those terrible wisecracks and irritating quips… that was you?”

“I’m pretty sure you mispronounced the word genius.”

A short, incredulous laugh escaped her. “This is insane. I’m fucking insane.”

“No, you’re not,” Josh said flatly.

“I have to be, otherwise I’m talking to a ghost.” Which, as far as she was concerned, were only supposed to haunt graveyards and old houses, not a tired twenty year old. 

He lifted a hand as if he were going to touch her but stopped when Sam yielded a step. Josh’s mouth tightened, hurt flickering in his eyes. “Sam, listen to me. I’m real. This is happening.”

“You can’t be here,” she insisted. “You can’t.” 

“Yet here I am. Standing right in front of you. Talking to you,” he said, crossing his arms. “You know it. You can feel it. You have for a while. Admit it.”

“You can be a brain tumor, for all I know,” she snapped, making way to get away from him. 

Josh’s moved swiftly, snarling softly and blocking her path. “You weren’t this upset when I was a faceless voice ‘inside your head’ but now I’m a problem?” 

Sam ignored him, stepping around him and walking away. 

Josh didn’t let her get far, immediately materializing in front of her. “Is it that hard for you to even look at me?”

This time she didn’t even bother trying to pass by him, but strode right through him instead which seemed to piss him off the whole more. She wasn’t going to make this easy for him. 

Sam jolted at the feel of something cold sliding over her neck. She whirled to him, a hand rising to the back of her neck. “Stop that!” 

“Then stop being so stubborn,” he said simply, any leftover amusement fading from his face. 

She debated on throwing the diary to his face again, but knowing her luck, the ruckus it would cause wouldn’t be worth it and she’d probably end up waking her mother. And Sam really wasn’t in the mood to explain why she was up at two in the morning arguing like a lunatic with a ghost- hallucination- fuck. Jury’s still out. “What do you want from me?”

Josh crossed his arms. “What I want is for you to stop freaking out and talk to me.”

“How can you expect me to be calm about this,” she hissed, motioning a hand in his direction.  

“Considering the situation we were in the last time we saw each other, Samantha, you could at least look happy to see me.”

Sam stiffened. The last thing she needed was a reminder of what happened down at the mines. “I don’t want you here.” 

“Tough shit.” he snapped, coming closer, making it harder to ignore the warmth seeping off from him. “You think I enjoy watching you wallow around everyday, mourning my sisters? The past?” The Me? went unspoken between them but the look in her eyes told him she heard it altogether. “Fading away, day after day, watching as your grief and despair eat you alive. Literally.” 

Sam didn’t answer him but if he wasn’t already dead, she would’ve killed him with the glare she sent his way. 

“Whether you hate me or love me, you’re stuck with me,” Josh went on, not balking from that hazel gaze. His eyes were clearer now, more focused. “But I’m also stuck with you. So you see, kind of a lose-lose situation.” 

She watched him for a heartbeat longer before asking, “So what? I’m supposed to be ecstatic you’re here to make my life a living hell? Haunt me for the rest of my miserable days?”

His face darkened. “Is that what you think?”

“Wouldn’t surprise me given all your yapping.” 

“You didn’t seem to mind during our nightly tête-à-têtes.” 

“Prick.” 

Josh let out a wry, low laugh, looking her over. “As for whatever reason you’re seeing me…” he trailed off, bringing a hand up to his jaw. “Well, it makes sense, of course, since you have been the only one that’s been talking back to me- that could hear me in the first place.” A corner of his mouth lifted. “We had a…” 

Connection. 

Sam scoffed. 

“Right,” she said, drawing the word out. 

She was definitely sleep deprived. 

Josh watched her walk over to her bed, furiously stuffing some pillows under her arms. He raised an eyebrow. “...What are you doing?”

“Going over to my mom’s room,” she said, not looking at him, “I need to think, and you’re obviously not gonna leave anytime soon...”

He leans against the wall, frowning. “What makes you think I won’t follow you?”

“You won’t,” Sam says, and almost laughs at the sureness of her tone. If tonight has taught her anything, is that she doesn’t know jack-shit. She could already feel a headache forming.

What a mess. 

Once she’s in front of her mom’s door, she lets out a shuddering breath, looking back to make sure there was no other presence but her own. Her heartbeat slows when her eyes find nothing.

Careful not to wake her mom, Sam climbs into the fluffy bed, the sheets warm and welcoming. As she drifts off, she hears his voice like a whisper in the wind,

 “Night Sammy.”

[fosterfunk]

apologies | foxter

fox comes to apologize for starting a fight 

Fox still felt horrible about the fight he'd had with Foster. He'd never been that mad before. The anger had just taken over for him. He was more of a pacifist than anything else but he'd just snapped. He wasn't thinking logically. Attacking Foster had been the only thing he could focus on. He'd been irrational. The worst part of it was the things he'd said. He'd wanted to hurt his best friend and he'd been incredibly petty when he went about it. He just couldn't believe he'd stooped so low. If Foster never forgave him, Fox wouldn't blame him. He'd sent an edible arrangement as an apology a few days after the fight but now he wanted to drop by and apologize in person. He'd decided to bake him some treats as well, ones he knew his friend liked. He hit the buzzer for the apartment and waited. "It's Fox. Um, I come bearing gifts?"

Foster was feeling a lot better in the days that had passed since he and Fox had had a little altercation. Most of his bruises had faded, too, with only a faint mark left. He missed Fox, though, honestly, and he regretted that he'd even taken the bait with that fight and not just told him to go home to his girlfriend after the first hit. While he didn't mean a word he said, he couldn't help but feel guilty about it. He knew Fox didn't mean it either, but the words still kind of ate at him. He'd been meaning to send him a text, but he just didn't know what to say, and sending him fruit back seemed lame. When he heard his buzzer, he stood up, smiling when he heard it was Fox. "Come on up," he said. He almost added a joke about him not hitting him this time, but decided Fox might not find it all that funny.

Fox relaxed when Foster let him in. He didn't sound irritated at all either which was a major relief in and of itself. He made his way up to the apartment, steeling himself just in case things weren't as friendly as he hoped they would be. Not that he really deserved forgiveness for what he'd done anyway but he could hope. He knocked on the door after a moment and took a deep breath. He held the box of treats up so Foster would see it easily and hopefully he'd be more inclined to forgive him and not still be angry.

Foster went and got two waters from the fridge, waiting as Fox made it up his stairs. He heard the knock and went to get the door, smiling a little when he opened it. "I have to admit, this is a much better surprise than last time you popped in," he teased, offering him a small smile. "Do you wanna come in with your box of gifts, or did you just wanna stand in the hallway?" he asked, half serious, half keeping it light.

Fox felt a lot better when Foster smiled at him. He didn't seem as mad even if his teasing was referencing their fight. "I thought snacks were a better alternative. Plus, you know, everyone likes food," he smiled back. He nodded a bit and walked inside the apartment with him. "Here, this is for you. Did you get the arrangement I sent?" he asked cautiously. Maybe that had been a bit weird but he'd thought it was nice.

Foster laughed a little, letting him in. "I do like food," he grinned. He took the box from him, looking through it a little before setting it on the table. "Thanks, man. I did. It was really good. And it saved me from having to go buy fruit," he said with a smile. He paused for a moment, letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry about all of that. You know I never would've ever done anything to hurt you or Lori, right?" he said, wanting to make sure Fox knew that.

Fox nodded a bit. He felt a little out of place which felt weird. He'd never been anything but welcome in this apartment in the past. "That's good. I'm glad you liked it. I figured it was better than flowers," he said with a quiet chuckle. With his hands free he wasn't sure what to do with himself. "No, hey. Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. You were just helping out a friend. I know you didn't hurt her," he promised. "I'm the one who has to apologize. I had no right to show up here and pick a fight with you like that. Throwing punches, the things I said... that wasn't me. I was so out of line. I don't think any of those things about you. You're a great person, man."

Foster laughed again and nodded. He could tell Fox was really upset, and he really wanted to lessen the tension in the room. He shrugged a bit as Fox finally started to say real things. "I mean, I shouldn't have done it," he shrugged. He nodded a little, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I know. I get it man. If anyone gets the whole anger riling you up thing, I get it. And I know you don't think those things. And I don't think Lori is a slut or anything, and I don't think you're boring."

Fox still felt horrible about all of the things he'd said. Foster was his best friend. He'd kind of been his first friend, really. After everything they had been through, he was so embarrassed that his first instinct had been to attack. He didn't really think he deserved such easy forgiveness but he wasn't going to protest it. "I know you don't. I know you'd never hurt her. I know you're a good person. None of what I said about you is something I really believe. I just launched out whatever I could think of to hurt you. I'm really ashamed of myself for that. I've never done anything like that before. I'm so fucking sorry."

Foster shrugged a bit. He understood that. He knew he didn't mean it. He knew after all that they'd been through that he didn't actually feel that way about him. You wouldn't be friends with someone you actually disliked. "Yeah, I know. I get it. Don't beat yourself up about it. I've done and said worse. I just need you to not punch me again," he said playfully. "You know Evie didn't leave on her own accord, right?"

Fox shrugged back at him. It didn't feel right to be forgiven. He hated that he'd hit someone for the first time and it had been Foster. He hated that he'd fought anyone at all. It wasn't him. He didn't know what had come over him. "I will never punch you again. I promise." He nodded, wincing a little as he remembered his words. "Yeah, I know. I just, I knew you were happy to see her again and I wanted to hurt you. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Of course she would have stayed if she could."

Foster knew Fox meant that. He had let his anger get away from him and get the best of him, and he knew how that felt now, and he wouldn't do anything like that again. "I believe you," he said. "Well, you did a good job," he said lightly. "I know you're sorry. It's okay. I know she didn't leave to get away from me," he said honestly. Even if she had, he wouldn't have known anything about that. Even his parents didn't leave him, he left them. That was a more real, bigger problem, really. Regardless, there was nothing to back up what Fox had said, it just stung. "It's all good. I promise."

Fox felt sick, honestly. He'd fucked up so badly. "I'm sorry," he said again. He wasn't sure what else he could say. "It's not okay, man. It was really messed up. I can't believe I said that to you." It really killed him. "No one wants to get away from you. You're someone people want to be around. I've seen it. In fact, she probably came back because of you," he promised. He pulled Foster into a hug, not sure what else he could say. "You deserve a lot better than how I treated you. I promise I'll do everything I can to make it up to you. Anything you want," he offered as he pulled back.

Foster rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged a little. "It's okay, I get it. You remember all the anger problems I used to have. I punched a lot of people who didn't deserve it and I said even worse stuff. This is just karma, really," he said. "Yeah, I know. I push people away, not the other way around. I doubt she came back because of me, but I'm happy to know her again," he said. He hugged Fox back, rubbing his back a little. "It's one day of shit treatment compared to what like five years of you treating me great? It's okay man. We all have lapses in judgment."

Fox didn't think it was really a fair comparison but he let it drop. He knew he'd likely make it worse if he just kept arguing about it. They needed to move on. "At least there's that, right? I heard she came by to patch you up. Seems like you're making good progress at reconnecting." He pulled back from the hug after a moment and let out a chuckle. "I guess you have a point. I'm usually a pretty good friend if I say so myself."

Foster smiled and nodded. That was a big that. He was so happy to have her in his life again. It wasn't that he'd been hung up on her or holding onto her or even hoping she'd come back, but having her here was nice. "She did. It was nice of her, and Lori. I'm trying my best, and I think it's going nicely," he smiled. He grinned when Fox really smiled. "You're usually a really damn good friend. That was a one time thing. Shit happens. It's okay," he smiled.

Fox truly was proud of him. He'd grown so much throughout college. "You're doing great. Sorry for, you know, taking it back to fighting and all that. Where did I get the idea that I could actually take you down?" he joked. He shrugged a bit, brushing it off, though his smile stayed in place. "Well, I'm trying my best and I think it's going nicely," he parroted. "Did you want to try your homemade snacks and fill me in on all the happenings at the library? I'll fill you in on the sophomore smoking problem," he offered with a laugh. "Or if you have somewhere to be I can jet."

Foster smiled a bit and shrugged before letting out a chuckle. "I don't know what you were thinking," he teased. "It's really okay, though," he reassured. He grinned and nudged him. "Come up with your own words, English Major," he teased. "Well, your smoking story sounds far more interesting than anything that goes on the library, so I'd say you go first," he said with a grin, taking the snacks over to the couch. "Nah, not tonight."

Fox didn't know either. It had been one of the worst decisions he'd ever made. "Yeah, well, me neither," he laughed. There wasn't much else to say about it. "I have to use my own words all the time. You're in a library with other peoples' words," he joked. He shrugged a bit and went to sit down. "I got called to the office the other day because one of the other teachers had noticed the courtyard that cuts between the science building and the English one had a bunch of cigarette butts. And since I cross that path every day at lunch to see Lori, they wanted to know if I'd seen anything, though, I suspect they were also wondering if it were me. I told them I'd look around at lunch and what do you know? Six of my students, all sophomores, all smoking on the lower staircase. Imagine their surprise when I switched my routine and found them," he laughed.

Foster shrugged and laughed. "What's your point?" he teased back. He nodded a bit as he talked, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Smoking on school grounds is such a rookie mistake," he said playfully. "That's a solid way to get caught," he teased. "What'd you do when you caught them then? I picture you grabbing ears and dragging people to the principal's office, but you only have two hands," he said with a small laugh.

Fox grinned. It was so relieving to be on good terms with Foster again. Things had just felt so off the past few days. They were best friends and he had almost ruined everything. "My point is let me steal your words this once," he laughed. "Total rookie mistake. Go off the grounds. I can't do anything if you're smoking on the sidewalk across the street." He shrugged a bit, opening up the treats he'd brought Foster to sneak a piece. "Oh, I thought about that. Especially since one kid said, 'Oh, it's just you Mr. Dawson'. Like I wasn't going to do anything about it. So I confiscated their packs and lighters and told them to clean up all the litter they'd left in the courtyard. I also assigned them each an essay on the dangers of smoking and told them if I caught them again I'd tell the principal."

Foster rolled his eyes playfully and nudged him. "Fine, but only because you made such an unnecessary elaborate reason for why you need to," he teased. "I mean, you could call the cops, but who does that?" he teased. He took one of the things out and tried a bite, nodding a little in appreciation as Fox went on. He choked back a laugh at the kid's response, swallowing before actually laughing. "They think you're a pushover!" he laughed. "Very good adulting," he praised, nodding a long. "I definitely would've moved my smoking off campus after that," he said lightly.

Fox grinned at his success. He supposed Foster had a point about calling the cops but it seemed so unnecessary. Maybe if it became a regular thing he saw he would intervene. "It's not entirely my fault they think that," he insisted. "I just never have a reason to punish students! No one is really acting out in my class," he laughed. "It seemed like a better learning moment than sending them to get suspended," he shrugged. "I hope they do. I don't want them getting caught and saying I let them off without giving them to the prinicpal."

Foster laughed at Fox, shaking his head as he took another bite. "Maybe you just have different ideas about what's punishable as compared to other teachers. Not a bad thing, though," he said honestly, patting him on the back. "Maybe they'll actually learn something and quit smoking now and not end up like me," he teased. He laughed again, shaking his head. "Yeah, that wouldn't be so good for you, huh?"

Fox knew that was certainly the case. "Yeah. I mean, I don't feel like a first offense smoking is worth a suspension. I mean, the kids continuously vaping in the bathroom even after their warning? Absolutely. But first offenses for something not so serious? Warning," he shrugged. Maybe he was on his own there. He was pretty sure Lori would have given them detention. "Maybe. Who knows? Either that or they'll join the kids vaping," he chuckled. He shook his head and sat back. "Nah, not at all."

Foster didn't feel like he really understood how all of those things worked. "Yeah, I get that. But also, don't they do detention before suspension? I don't know, I don't think I ever knew how the levels with that sort of thing worked," he said with a laugh. "I think you did good, though," he said honestly. "Oh yeah, like that's any better," he laughed. "I'm sure you'll be okay. At the very least, no one wants to get you in trouble, I'm sure."

Fox nodded a bit. "Yeah, typically. Some offenses are worse than others, though. Being caught skipping always ends in automatic in school suspension," he shrugged. "At my school, anyway." He thought he had too. He hoped so, at least. He let out a chuckle. "Honestly, I feel like it's worse. They don't see it as smoking," he rolled his eyes. "True. Alright, enough about me. Your turn. Fill me in on your workplace gossip."

Foster thought that made sense. He was pretty sure fights got you in big trouble, too. He thought it was kinda weird, school. It was like being part of a whole different governmental system. He was so glad he was done with it. "That sort of makes sense, but also then they stay home anyway, right? Kinda weird," he laughed. He nodded in agreement. At least he knew smoking was bad for him. "I've told you before, man, nothing exciting happens at my job."

Fox shrugged slightly. "Yeah, I won't pretend to agree with the punishment system," he admitted. "I feel like it's broken. Plus, most teachers throw the kids in detention without really explaining why what they did was wrong and trying to have a teaching moment with them." It was odd to him. Wasn't that part of their job? "Come on, man," he laughed. "There has to be something exciting. If not at your job how about in your personal life?"

Foster laughed a little. At least he knew it was wonky. "Some people aren't really meant to be teachers," he admitted, reflecting on his own experience in school. You could tell when someone didn't want to be a teacher. He even had a teacher in elementary school that he was certain hated children. "I got a pencil with my name on it. I think it's neat. But yeah, I mean, Evie and I are reconnecting nicely, so that's something."

Fox definitely agreed with that. "I can name at least five at my school alone." Why become a teacher if you hated it? The pay wasn't spectacular, it was a lot of work... it just didn't make sense. He laughed. "A pencil with your name on it. I never thought I'd see you excited about a pencil," he teased. "That is something. I'm glad it's easy to connect with her again. Are you guys going to get together?"

Foster was sure that everyone could name teachers they knew, whether as a teacher themselves or when they were a student, who obviously hated their job. "I didn't say I was excited about the pencil! It's just kinda cool," he said with a small laugh. "I am, too. I was worried it'd be like talking to a stranger. Which, in a way it is, but in a good way. I was just worried it'd be rough because, like, if she had changed a lot, what if we didn't get along anymore? I'm glad that isn't the case. I don't know, though. It'd be kinda nice, but I don't wanna push anything."

Fox laughed. "You kind of did. I asked for exciting things and you told me about a pencil," he teased. He was interested to see what would happen between his friend and the ex. "I understand that fear. It would have probably been incredibly disappointing too," he offered. "I'm glad it's going so well. Lori has been really excited to have her back in town so I guess she hasn't changed much," he smiled. "I get it. It's probably easier to just let things happen."

Foster matched his laugh and shrugged. “Look, man, my life is pretty boring. I don’t know what to tell you about that,” he teased. He let out a sigh and nodded. “Yeah, I don’t know how that would’ve gone, but I know I would’ve been upset. I would’ve known it was irrational, but that wouldn’t have kept me from being upset,” he admitted. He nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’m glad, too. Being her friend is as nice as I remember it being,” he said honestly. “She’s the same in a lot of ways, but different in just as many. In a good way. Aren’t we all like that, really, though?” he said with a laugh. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Fox shook his head with a grin. "Well, I guess that happens sometimes. Who would have thought that I'd lead a more exciting life than you?" he joked. He could understand that. He'd never experienced anything like it before but he tried to imagine himself in Foster's shoes but with Lori. He'd probably be a disaster. "Sometimes feelings are just irrational. There's nothing to be done about that," he shrugged. "That's good. It's always nice to have a new friend. Or an old friend back, I guess, is the right word," he realized. He was happy for Foster, truly. He deserved this new facet of life. "We are. Or we all hope we are in a good way," he laughed.

Foster made a face at that, but laughed a bit. “I mean, I probably wouldn’t have. But you do have a job that involves a lot of teenagers and a girlfriend, and I’m single and work in a library,” he laughed. He nodded a little. He knew that. It was okay for feelings to be irrotational sometimes. “Yeah. Thankfully, she’s still herself in a way that we can get along,” he said. “An old friend back, but a mix of a new and old friendship, I think,” he said thoughtfully. He laughed a bit. “We definitely all are. Maybe not always in a good way. But it’s a good way with her.”

Fox laughed at how he described it. "I mean, neither of those things sound all that interesting on paper," he teased. "It's finally my time to shine. I am the interesting friend. Who would have thought?" he joked. He was so curious about this girl that meant so much to his two closest friends. "Well, that's good. It's gotta feel crazy to suddenly have that again," he shrugged a bit. "But it sounds nice. And it sounds really good for you. I think it'll be a really good thing." He felt himself smirk a little bit but he said nothing.

Foster shrugged a bit. “What is interesting on paper?” he asked, emphasizing the word ‘is’. He rolled his eyes playfully. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t get too excited. I could be the interesting one again at any minute, I’m sure,” he teased. He let out a sigh and nodded a bit. “Yeah, it really is. So much has happened since then. But it is nice. And I do think it’ll be good. Hey, wait, what’s that face?” he asked, frowning and tipping his head to the side a bit.

Fox shot him a look. "What's interesting on paper? Honestly, Foster, you work in a library. I teach English. There's so much that's interesting on paper. You're hopeless," he teased. "Nah, I think I'll be the interesting one. I like having this power," he decided playfully. He nodded a bit as Foster went on, thinking it over. It made sense. "What? What face?" he asked innocently. "This is just my face!" he insisted.

Foster waved a hand and shook his head. “That’s not what I meant,” he said, rolling his eyes playfully. He laughed at that. “Alright, but it comes with a responsibility, I’ll have you know,” he teased. He raised an eyebrow at him, tilting his head a bit. “You aren’t subtle,” he said. “I’ll let this one slide, though,” he said, nudging him. “Speaking of work, I have to go in early tomorrow, so I should probably get ready for bed soon,” he said regretfully. “Do you have a plan for Lori?” he asked curiously.

Fox grinned at him, triumphant. "If you say so," he shrugged. He doubted there was much responsibility. In fact, he was pretty sure Foster would snag the title back within a few days. "Sure, sure," he laughed. He wasn't surprised that his friend saw right through him. What was he supposed to do? Not think that the two would reconnect? It was the perfect trope. "Oh, right. You're kicking me out. I get it," he laughed as he stood up. "I'm still working on it. I'm not going to propose right away."

Foster stood up when he did, heading slowly to the door. “Sorry, man. I gotta hit the hay soon like a big fucking loser,” he said with a laugh. “Yeah, I don’t blame you. You don’t want it to look weird, like, timing wise,” he said, shrugging a shoulder. “Just let me know when you wanna talk about it more,” he said, flashing him a smile. He stood there for a moment by the door with him, then pulled him into a hug. “I’m sorry I hit you back the other day,” he said honestly.

Fox scoffed playfully at him. "A real big fucking loser," he agreed with a laugh. "Yeah, it'd be terrible timing if I just came out with it now. I can't imagine it'd go over well at all," he admitted. No, he needed to make it perfect. Every single detail had to line up. "I'll definitely let you know. You're the only one who knows so you're stuck helping me," he said with an easy smile. He hugged his friend back, glad that they'd worked it all out. "I'm sorry I hit you first," he told him.

Foster laughed a bit. “At least we can agree,” he teased. He didn’t think it would either. It’d look kinda off. Maybe like he was trying to place ownership on her? He wasn’t sure. He laughed a bit. “Oh no. Anything but that, please,” he pretended to beg. He was happy to be involved in this little secret. It was a really fun secret. He pulled back, smiling at him. “It’s okay. Shit happens,” he said, smiling at him. “You look better,” he said playfully. “Now get outta here,” he teased.

Fox would figure it all out. The timing would be perfect even if he had to wait for it. "If you didn't want to help, you shouldn't have helped the first time! Now I'm reliant on you! Can't do it without you," he insisted playfully. It was a good bonding experience for them, especially after everything that happened between them. "Yeah. I guess so." He scoffed a little, rolling his eyes. "I look better than you," he joked. "I'm going, I'm going! See you around," he said with a wave before he left.

Foster grinned a bit and shook his head. “I think I’ll manage,” he teased. He rolled his eyes. He had really meant he looked better than he did before! What a tool. “Yeah, okay,” he said, narrowing his eyes and shaking his head. “See ya, Fox,” he said, smiling as he left before closing his door and going back to put his treats away.

[evolutiontale-au]

The Pacifist of Loss

A boy stood in front of the Lab, gazing upon his reflection in the almost mirror-like metal doors. The light silver shirt and smooth grey pants he wore were frowned upon- the simple, baggy clothes a symbol of his low status in Human society- and his gaze soon shifted to the pale green accessories he'd acquired.

A frying pan in an ugly color; one of the only two possessions he could truly call his own. It was what he used to cook with, and something he would not part with easily, as it was the last thing truly linking him to the Surface.

The other object, currently draped over one shoulder in a dramatic fashion that made the boy nod in approval, was what he and Papyrus had dubbed the CAPRON. They'd made it together- rather, Papyrus and Sans had made it while Undyne pretended to be oblivious to his presence- after he'd demonstrated his appreciation for kitchen activities. The apron had a pocket on the outside while it was being worn properly, but as it had been slung over his shoulder to make it into a cape, the pocket was currently inaccessible.

It looked better than any clothes he'd had before...

Blinking himself out of his thoughts, the boy knocked on the door of the Lab, focusing on his objectives. He had to talk with Undyne's crush; try convince her to let him pass through unhindered. The robot living in the area had already agreed to leave him be due to his incredibly peaceful ways, but only under the condition that he could convince Alphys to do the same... this could be tricky.

"One moment!"

Footsteps sounded from inside the Lab, and the boy caught a final glance of his reflection before the doors slid open.

"I've been expecting you. Come in."

Gazing up at the scaled Monster nearly two feet taller than him, he nodded, and entered without a moment further of hesitation. This was the greatest obstacle that stood between him and the King. If he could reach Asgore; if he could convince Toriel's husband to realize that Humans could be just as Kind as they could be Cruel; then maybe he and future Fallen Humans could live down here peacefully.

He had quite a lot of ACTing to do, after what the last Fallen Human had done.

Where you fail, we will succeed. Where you fall, we will rise. Join us, Kindness. Monsters are a species that have no HoPe for recovery. It would be a MERCY to Lay them down to Rest.

The boy jolted upright, his hands coming up to pat at the body he wasn't quite sure was untouched. Those voices... those other kids... had they truly been there, or was he only dreaming?

He'd been told their stories by Toriel, the beautiful Monster that he was happy to call his Mother. Patience, the first Fallen Human, had started this whole mess... and Perseverance, the last Fallen Human before him, had only worsened it. It was bad enough that the Monsters in the Ruins mostly moved out for fear of meeting a Human as bad as they were, leaving only the Froggits, Whimsuns, Loox, and Vegetoids he'd met along the path, but to hear from the kids themselves what they'd done...? Did he hear their sides of the story, or had it only been a dream?

"Everyone's had a hard time of it, huh?"

The boy stood up from the couch he'd been laying on- Alphys had let him stay over for the night- and slid on his boots. Checking his frying pan over for any scratches, he nodded to himself and clipped it onto his belt. The CAPRON was donned, flowing majestically over his shoulders with the pocket still inaccessible. He was ready to go forward.

After tapping out a quick thank-you note on one of the screens floating around nearby, the boy grasped the edge of his CAPRON and turned with a dramatic swoosh, making it out the doors to Hotland before giggling and tapping his wrist. A holographic projection came from the silver cuff he wore on his left wrist, displaying the map he'd downloaded of the area while the lizard scientist wasn't looking. (He didn't want to get her in trouble for helping him.)

"Alphie said that the lifts are working, but that they only went to the third floor left side, because the right side elevator was under maintenance. That means I'll have to go out past the... residential section, and around an abandoned building, if this map is right."

Lining out the path he'd take on the map, the boy then tapped his wrist to dismiss the hologram, and set off for the Capital.

The boy stared at the Monster above him, perched on a windowsill of the run-down building. She had pale magenta skin, and five eyes, and six arms, and her hair reminded him of a princess from an old movie series he'd done a report on for Media Studies.

"Ahuhu, are you only going to stare at me?"

He blinked, his mouth closing with a soft snap, and he shook his head. Fiddling with his CAPRON, he said the first thing that came to mind, intent on correcting his rude behavior.

"S-sorry, you're really pretty."

His face flushed up immediately, and he hid behind his frying pan, fiercely pretending that he couldn't hear the high-pitched laughter at his behavior. Alas, he couldn't ignore it for long, as the girl was suddenly close enough to gently lower the pan.

Her eyes were a solid color, he noticed, and her face looked very soft. But there was another look about her, a sort of gleam in her eyes and a certain tilt to her lips that he'd seen among the kids he'd known back on the Surface... before he ran away.

"No need to apologize for a genuine compliment," the lady spoke, and he blinked, paying attention again. "I'm Miss Muffet, but my friends call me Emmy. I'm known for my ability to find things, and you, dear Human, are what I've been looking for since I've heard about your Fall."

The boy became aware of a pressure at his back- he hadn't been anywhere near the wall, what was this?- and the energy of magic began to spark and flow around him.

He'd been caught in her web from the second he could see her.

"Please wait, Miss Emmy. We don't need to FIGHT. I want to see the King, and talk to him about the past Fallen Humans, and I won't be able to do that if we FIGHT and I lose. I only have one chance."

That talking flower had told him he had one chance to get to the King before it was too late, and not to make any detours... He probably shouldn't have slept as long as he did.

Fortunately, the spider monster seemed to be interested in what he was saying.

"Why? You could've stayed in the Ruins and waited for him to visit Toriel, and then spoken to him without risk of being killed out here. He visits often, I'm sure you know. Why leave safety and risk your life like this?"

It was true- Asgore had visited only a few days before he Fell- and he could've waited for him to visit again. That would've certainly helped him, and the next Fallen Humans... but...

"It wouldn't have helped the Monsters that Perseverance caused grief to. A lot of people died, and their families and friends don't have closure yet. As long as Humans and Monsters have this tension between them, they'll be hurting and afraid, wondering things like 'What if the next human kills more of us, or the last one to venture out after him?' I don't want them to be afraid of me, Miss. I don't want to be hurting them simply because I exist nearby."

The web of purple strands around the boy stilled in its movement, neither tightening its grasp nor unraveling to release him. Muffet considered the strands, her fingers weaving through them without being caught as he had been. It seemed that she was thinking hard about something.

That look in her eyes...

"What is your name, Kindness?"

Oh. She wanted a name to go with his face. That's right- he'd forgotten to introduce himself. Oh geez, had he forgotten to introduce himself to everyone outside the Ruins? Way to go, volt-head!

"Alexander Tomaz Ward, miss."

Her gaze sharpened- intrigue, perhaps?

"Ward?"

...he shifted in the web she'd woven, uncomfortably aware of his baggy clothes sliding against his skin. Fine quality, as every Human got, but a visible sign of his status.

"I'm an orphan, Miss. My parents were poor, and died in the Outskirts shortly after giving me up to the Institution to have a chance at a better life. The people responsible were caught, and executed in front of me because I had the Right to Blood, but I wasn't satisfied in the end... Their deaths didn't really make me feel better."

The boy sniffed, and Muffet held out a handkerchief for him to use, as his arms were somewhat tied up at the moment.

"They said I didn't like it because I was Green, and that other kids my age had been pacified by the punishments their wrongdoers had received. I was too weak, so they sent me to an orphanage in the same area where my parents had died, in hopes that it would toughen me up. I ran away, and Fell into the Underground, and now I find out that another Human had caused the same grief to the people here? They're not satisfied either, are they?"

There was a long silence, long enough that Alexander began to think that he would get no response. That was okay. The odds that this girl understood him were low, especially since she didn't know the ways of the Surface...

"They're not."

What?

"They're not satisfied with the death of their parents' killer, because the killer didn't do anything to make up for it. The killer received a quick and merciful death, despite the screams many had heard coming from the Monsters she befriended and killed soon after. All the traits she'd acquired from those deaths, the traits that were so much better suited in their parents' grasp, gone to waste. All the happiness she'd ended before they'd even gone to school... No, they're not satisfied with death, but they can't allow such a thing to happen again to others."

...she did understand. Though her solution was different than his, she still understood.

"I'm sorry, Alexander."

The boy tested his bonds, and sniffed again. He knew why she had to do this, knew that he thought a lot differently than most other Humans. His ideas were always snubbed and considered foolish, and maybe they were right... but maybe he thought more like Monsters than Humans, anyways.

"It's okay. But, Miss Emmy, can you make me a promise?"

His gaze shifted from eye to eye to eye, as he looked the spider monster in the face. There was no way of knowing whether she would do what he asked, but he didn't have a way out of this situation anyways...

"I know that there's a reward for capturing me. You're not entirely interested in the reward, I can see that now, but you'll receive it anyways. Please, use it to help others like us. Those who lost everything, who have nobody to turn to, who need each other. I give you my soul freely, Miss Emmy, as long as you help them live without the fear we have."

The web tightened, and it became more and more difficult to breathe. Still, as his vision began to fade, and his heartbeat pounded in his ears, he tried to hear the lady's response...

Darkness overtook Alexander's world, and he smiled, before falling limp.

I promise.

[artlessictoan]

How I’d do Naruto Next Gen

okok I’ve been wanting to do something more in depth and organised than my usual ranting about how everything is terrible now, so here we go! (though lbr this is just my usual ranting but 10x longer)

for the sake of brevity ha and my own piece of mind I’m not gonna go into how unnecessarily hetro the ending was and how everyone should’ve been gay and hey not every couple absolutely had to get married and/or have kids and also nart should’ve gotten the opportunity to realise that becoming hokage wasn’t necessary to achieve his real goal of becoming someone loved and accepted by others and he deserved so much better tbh and why isn’t sak just running the whole show and why isn’t there more sand sibs, bc let’s face it none of that was ever gonna happen, so these ideas are mostly built with the premise that all the canon couples stay canon and all the kids are still around and the product of those ships and the big plot things that happened (like nart becoming hokage and the like) stay roughly the same

forewarning bc else someone’s bound to say something; if you enjoy the next gen stuff? not a problem! that’s great, people enjoying stuff is a good thing! I wish I could enjoy more stuff, bc enjoying things is far more fun than not enjoying things! everyone has a different taste though and for me – and a lot of other people – the way that the next gen has turned out has been a disappointment, this post is for those people, so we can talk about why we think it’s failed and what we would’ve like to see instead, if you don’t feel that way about it.. well just scroll on past this post and keep enjoying the things you enjoy! have an absolute blast, you’ve earned it!

under the cut bc I am apparently incapable of keeping my rambling concise, there’s 2000 words of only vaguely coherent thoughts and tangents, so maybe get yourself a cuppa and a snack before trudging through it (some of this I’ve said in other posts before but w/e)

---

first off lets change some of the kids’ personalities, there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with any of them, but like….. 90% are carbon copies of one of their parents (and mostly their dads but I won’t get into that issue rn) which is ridiculous, bc personality traits aren’t genetic?? like my mum is super chill and sensible and my dad is short-tempered, but I’m an anxious mess and my bro is an anti-social control freak.. we didn’t get any of that from either of our parents

while it’s certainly true that you might be influenced by them (me and mum share a lot of interests and tastes), it’s not a hard and fast rule and I don’t find it realistic that EVERY kid takes after their parents, though I probably wouldn’t have such a problem with it if they were more a mix of both parents than just their dads, so here’s some potential alterations:

Boruto. good fucking lord, no, we did not need a clone of Naruto heading another series, if we wanted to see a rambunctious scamp who gets into trouble but loves his friends a whole lot and has a knack for giving inspirational speeches, then there’s already a whole 700 chap manga for that! one with a far more likable and interesting rambunctious scamp tbqh. so how about we make a few alterations, maybe instead of taking after Nart, Bolt takes a bit more after Hinata? a little quiet and a bit of a pushover, but someone who’ll quickly stick up for a friend and has an ease of communication that’s a bit more Nart? not shy so much as laidback and composed, maybe he isn’t all that interested in being a ninja too, like he’s quite skilled but is a pacifist and would much rather get a civilian job as idk a baker or gardener or something

Shikadai. only a few minor changes here bc I really do like the kid as he is, I’d just like to see him using Tema’s abilities too (and maybe also being just a bit more snarky and unyielding like his mum)

Inojin. I’m kinda torn on this one, bc I do like that he’s a lot like Sai (at least in the anime, he seems to have a pretty different personality from what little we’ve seen of him in the manga???), but I think it’d be pretty interesting if he was just not like either of his parents, maybe if he was very quiet and subdued, but also the mastermind behind all the kid’s pranks, has a mischievous streak that often shocks people, but his friends always love hanging out with him bc of it. also why doesn’t he have Ino’s powers? let’s give him Ino’s powers too

Sand Kids 2.0. ok so at this point we haven’t seen nearly enough of them to say much either way but I have negative faith in kishi and ike so I’ll just say that I want them all to be Gaara’s adopted kids (since it’s still unclear if it’s just Shinki or all of ‘em atm) and I want them to be exactly like this shameless plug for me and @spellfire01‘s versions of them which are the best fucking versions and I will protect my children with my life

now some changes to the original cast (this is where I’m gonna get proper bitter, prepare yourselves):

OH NARUTO MY POOR CHILD WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOU I’ve already talked about this but let me just reiterate in as eloquent a way as I can; Naruto would never become a neglectful father. N e v e r. not after the childhood he went through, no matter how much work he had to do as kage, don’t dare fucking try and tell me that Naruto – "It's almost unbearable, isn't it… the pain of being all alone. I know that feeling; I've been there, in that dark and lonely place, but now there are others, other people who mean a lot to me. I care more about them than I do myself, and I won't let anyone hurt them… They rescued me from my loneliness" – Uzumaki would EVER neglect his kids. just fucking don’t. in this version Nart is a doting and involved dad (perhaps a little too much, to the point that his kids find him kinda exhausting and have to ask him to leave them alone sometimes) who sends his clones to work at the office while he hangs out with his family.. I honestly don’t know why he doesn’t already do that

let all the girls out of their houses to do some ninja work for the love of god

poor put-upon Shino-sensei is alright.. but we’ve already had that with Iruka, I’d honestly much rather see the Cool Sensei who keeps all the kids in line without even doing much of anything and has a knack for inspiring them and always has a line of students trailing after him asking to hear more of his awesome ninja stories and everyone always trying to show off when he’s around, bc Shino is literally The Best

have Sauce and Saku be divorcees. seriously, are even the people who ship them happy with how their relationship has turned out? they barely see each other and apparently it’s been that way since chap 699, so why not just have them split up? it really wouldn’t change much, just say that, at some point after Sarada was born, they realised that they were both gay incompatible personality-wise and they were both so busy with their individual work that there wasn’t much of a relationship to lose. not only would this be good for both their characters (there’s no reason they couldn’t still be good friends) and just more sensible all-round, but it would also be a nice way to show that not every childhood romance/first love works out and that’s perfectly fine and normal and they can still live happy, full lives afterwards!

speaking of Sauce, let him spend at least a little bit of time interacting with his friends and family in Konoha, even if he’s still mostly travelling around on important missions he should at least be taking every opportunity to visit his daughter when he’s in the area, seriously, c’mon

Temari got done so dirty in that one episode.. here’re some much better words than I could ever muster but generally I’d want her to be less the ‘scary, overbearing, harsh’ mother and more the ‘strict but cool and sneaky’ mother, like she’d honestly be the type to use reverse psychology and gentle manipulation, she’d make her boy do some seemingly meaningless task that somehow makes him have an epiphany and come back to her when he’s done like “I know what I did wrong now and I’m sorry” than just shout at him and refuse to make dinner (also I just really like to hc that she’s a terrible cook so it’s Shikamaru who does all the cooking anyway)

it’d be really great to see Hina either being the new clan head or at least otherwise involved in Hyuuga clan politics, so we could actually see how she’s working to destroy that whole slavery thing they’ve got going, rather than that plotline just being dropped somewhere around the end of the chunin exam arc and never picked up again (I mean I assume that it’s all supposed to be fixed by now, but that’s not the kinda thing that should happen entirely off-screen) and so we can see her life revolving around something other than Nart and her kids, she’s remarkably capable and had so much potential but she’s been denied every opportunity to really exist as her own character by the writers

Kiba…… what the hell is going on with Kiba? where is he? what is he doing? how’s he feeling these days? is he supposed to be married to that nameless cat lady we saw for a single panel? these are things we shall never know I guess. tbh what I’d really LOVE to see would be Kiba-sensei, just imagine him and Shino both being teachers who work in completely opposite ways, Shino is the quiet, inspiring, lowkey scary one and Kiba is the gigantic fucking dork one who cheers his students on way too loud and makes the classes super fun and joins in the kids games, him and Shino have a class rivalry and Kiba is constantly roping students into joining his attempts to prank Shino (they’ve never once succeeded but oNE DAY)

Ino should be the next head of Konoha’s intelligence division, I will fight kishi on this one

why the actual fuck is oroch still happily living it up in his penthouse lab?? kill the fucker. or at the very least imprison the fucker. just say that Mitsuki was an old project of his that somehow kept developing in his absence, or was a product of research carried out by some lackeys’ years after he’s gone, anything that means I don’t have to accept that everyone has apparently forgiven him for everything and knows that he’s still experimenting on kids but just don’t care

and on that last note: Justice for Yamato 2k17

right now let’s get onto the actual plot/story for this very self-pandering au

make Sarada the main char. while I can see why they would choose to go with Boruto, honestly Salad’s more interesting a character and! A Girl!! Main Character!!!! I NEED IT!!!!!! focus on her goal to be hokage and her struggles with her parents and follow up on that ‘restoring the Uchiha’ plot thread that just.. dropped right off the map somewhere between 699 and 700, her reconciling what her clan was with what she wants to make it

get rid of that weird demon-sensing eye thing that’s going on. and the demon thing in general. and also that jarring post-apocalypse future thing they’re building up. I didn’t slog through over a decade of kishi’s bullshit just so my kids didn’t get to live long, happy lives. make the plot just slice-of-life fluff, nothing more dangerous than a bully, just some kids trying to be awesome ninja in a world that doesn’t really need ninja anymore bc peace and all that

waaay more of Chocho, Himawari and Inojin (at least enough so they all get equal billing)

show how the ninja world has grown and developed since the end of the original series (not just technologically), what do ninja do now that there aren’t any wars and international relationships are at an all-time high? have missions completely gone from being combat and intel based to more about construction and assistance? are ninja numbers actually dropping, favouring civilian jobs in these more peaceful times? how well are people – ninja or not – adjusting to these changes? is learning ninja techniques still encouraged but in a way that’s more about culture and traditions than actual use in combat (in the same way that swordplay today is mostly practiced for performance, fun and sport, rather than out of any real-life practicality)? there are so many interesting things to explore that you don’t even need to be adding in new threats to keep the series entertaining

I’ve said this before, but I think it’d be really cool and cute if after the end of the war and with some drastic changes to the ninja world’s politics, this next gen is less about becoming ninja, than realising that they’ll never be ninja (at least not in the way that their parents were) and how they react to that. maybe they’re frustrated because they hear so many cool stories about the grand battles of the previous generation and they want to be able to do those things too damnit! so the kids are just going around trying to be super-awesome ninja in a world that doesn’t really need ninja anymore, picking fights and trying to make their boring d-rank missions seem more important and dangerous than they really are, maybe at some point they learn a bit more about how hard and traumatising that life was for their parents and why the world had to change, until they eventually decide that if the role of a ninja has to change, then together they’re gonna discover what that new role will be, what will being a ninja really mean in this new, peaceful world?

and, a final ending note: fuck ike’s sickening treatment of Sarada with regards to her sexualised presentation and the disgusting reveal that someone taught Boruto (a young child!) the sexy jutsu. Let The Kids Be Kids 2k17