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mrpenguinpants · 1 year

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Look, but don't touch. [ Harbinger Edition ]

— You're the only one who's allowed to touch him. Likewise, he's the only one that's allowed to touch you.

— Childe, Pantalone, Scaramouche, and Dottore

[Masterlist]

This is written before the Sumeru quest. Harbingers are their own warning.

This was a fever dream, incredibly self-indulgent, don't talk to me about this ok. Honestly don't even wanna tag people in this (´。＿。｀)

Tartaglia

Childe is friendly but he always keeps himself at arm's distance from anyone who isn't his family. The kind of guy that acts like he loves everyone but he truly doesn't like anyone. Always polite but never kind. He won't be outwardly hostile if one of the cicin mages decides she wants to try her luck and cuddle up to him, he sort of admires her bravery, but the hardened stare and indifferent response are awkward enough for anyone to bail halfway.

So what a surprise to everyone when it's Childe himself that pulls you into him. It's not a friendly hug either, he quite literally drags you into his embrace as soon as he sees you, locks his arms around your waist, and spins you around. Before he catches himself and gently settles you down and pretends as if he didn't boldly announce to everyone that you're special.

He is a harbinger at the end of the day so any intimate relationships he has need to be hidden lest he puts you in danger. That said, he doesn't do a very good job. He gets agitated and fidgety if he can't hold you, longing gazes in your direction even if someone else is speaking to him about something important. Whether it's shooing specks of dust off your shoulder, a tap on the arm, or the brief brush of your fingers against his whenever he hands something to you. He always finds some way to touch you.

It's always the worst and best time to speak with Childe if you happen to be there. On the upside, Childe is more likely to give his approval to whatever his subordinates ask just so they go away and leave you both alone. On the downside, because physical touch somehow makes Childe drowsy and almost drunk, he's useless.

It wasn't always like this. During your first months as something more than friends, not quite lovers, he kept you at an arm's distance just like everyone else. Only the occasional arm over your shoulder or a hand on the small of your back, just enough to show you that you meant something to him. But over time, those touches began to linger until the dynamic shifted and he began to rely on your touches to keep him sated. On particularly stressful days, he'll pull you aside into his office with a rushed excuse to just hold you in his lap. He's recharging, don't make tease him.

But he's not a selfish lover. If you need comfort or just want to be held, he'll gladly throw his plans out the window just to spend time with you. What's wrong? Did someone upset you? Want me to take care of them? He'll offer anything to make you feel better while you're cuddled up to him and it makes his heart flutter when you say you just want to stay beside him. He has a bad habit of resting his entire weight on top of you if you're both ever lying down. All that muscle is heavy but sometimes it's comfortable until his elbow accidentally digs into your side.

Childe can be polite if someone else wants to touch him but he's baring his teeth at anyone that has the audacity to place their hands on you. If someone bumps into you? He's fine, accidents happen. Someone moves you to the side? Whatever he won't throw a fit over that. He believes in the below-the-shoulder, above-the-waist, hands not included, rule. If anyone touches you, it's the only time when Childe will throw his reputation out the window.

Scaramouche likes to compare him to a dog and he'll gladly growl and bark if that's what it takes for people to get the hint and leave you alone. He'll slide his arms around your waist, tilt your chin up, and without any concern about the scene that this will cause, kisses you deeply. All the while sending the nastiest glare to the person that touched you. Look, don't touch. You're his.

Childe likes to believe that he has self-restraint. He's a soldier first and foremost so he has discipline beaten into his bones. But right now he's close to snapping the pen in his hands and hurling it into that bastard's forehead. He can feel Ekaterina's concerned gaze on him, shifting on her feet nervously, as she struggles to push through her explanation of his assignment quickly. Unfortunately, it's all white noise to Childe as all of his attention is on the cicin mage whose being a bit too friendly for his liking.

"Lord Tartaglia?"

Of course, you don't blink twice at it. He's seen how that loud electro pirate dotes on you and is overly physically affectionate herself. Maybe he should also fight her as well after he's done dealing with this cicin mage.

"Childe?" Ekaterina tries one last time, using a more familiar name to see if that would catch her superior's attention but alas, he was too busy glaring daggers into her college. Ekaterina raises a hand to lightly tap on her superior's shoulder to get his attention but just as her fingertips brush against the fabric of his uniform, Childe's death glare is directed at her. She flinches away from the otherwise easy-going Childe, her mask doing little to hide her startled expression.

"Sorry, sorry, not meant for you," Childe blinks away the hate from his ocean eyes, coming to his senses as he runs a hand through his hair, "What were you saying?"

"There is no need to apologize, Lord Tartaglia, I overstepped," Ekaterina, bless her heart, waves off the sudden aggression but takes a step back. Before she can continue, she overhears you saying goodbye to the mage and your footsteps coming closer. A small surprised noise escapes your chest as Childe pulls you into his arms immediately. If she didn't know Childe, she could almost say his expression was a bit cute with how pouty he was being. Although the look in his eyes says otherwise now that she was just on the receiving end. This seems to be a common occurrence because you just giggle and hug him back just as tightly.

"Please don't harm her. She was just being nice," you mumble into his chest.

"I'll think about it," he says, his eyes never leaving the mage.

Pantalone

On the one hand, the banker always carries this prestige that makes most people stay away in awe. No one wants to get on the wrong side of the man who basically funds the country of Snezhnaya. On the other hand, Pantalone has an ethereal beauty that compels people to come closer and touch. To see if the porcelain skin is real, feel if he's muscular or lean under the heavy fabric, or sneak a peek at what colour the banker's eyes are. It makes you kind of giddy knowing that this man belongs to you. That you know the answer to all these speculations.

You aren't sure when it started happening but at some point, he always ends up sort of mindlessly touching him. Placing a hand on his arm or knee, running your fingers through his hair, or gently rubbing away the stress from his shoulders. There wasn't an ulterior motive, Pantalone was just too handsome that you can't help but touch him just to make sure he's real. He thought you were overexaggerating a bit but he seemed deeply pleased at your confession since it was coming from you personally. That egotistical bastard.

But he always reciprocated your touch. Offering an arm for you to hold onto, brushing the hair out of your face, or rubbing small circles into your hand. Small gestures of affection would occasionally lead to more. The fact that Pantalone of all people let you be this close was something you secretly prided in yourself. You couldn't help but rub his newfound privilege in front of anyone that got too close that this elegant man was yours to hold. Look all you want but you're the only one that gets to touch.

You weren't aware of Pantalone's level of aversion to touch until he almost caused a scene at a gathering. It was meant more for looks and reputation, the occasional business talk, but overall a lax evening. One of the ladies thought it would be a good gesture to place her hand against Pantalone's arm. A bit flirty but innocent enough that the sheer disdain that swirled in Pantalone's eyes made her flinch away surprised. He struck her hand away, the sound carrying through the now-silent ballroom as everyone turned to the sound. You were surprised as well that Pantalone of all people, the image of control and ever-smiling, lips turned down into a repulsed scowl. Your feet quickly moved over to him, quietly excusing the woman for her careless act, and ushering her away before anything escalated. No one spoke of that night.

Ever since then you've always kept your hands firmly glued to your sides lest you feel his anger. If you happened to brush against his finger you would splutter out apologies and scamper away. If you felt his hand hover near you, you always assumed you were in the way and quickly moved aside for him. Overall, you acted as if it was you that was uncomfortable with touch. With each passing day that you fled from his hand, the crease in Pantalone's frown grew deeper.

It comes to a head one night when you get to see how Pantalone's aversion to touch applies to you as well. Occasionally some wealthy noble will host a gala and as one of the Tsaritsa Harbingers, Pantalone will be required to be present for at least one of them. Given his status, most of the attendees flock over to him which leaves poor you to meander about and find something to do with the time. Despite being his lover, you're not privy to what goes on with his work and frankly, the business talk and parties bore you. At least these places have food.

He sees you conversing with a man he knows is from Liyue, hoping to find more investors and trade partners here in Snezhnaya. He's already spoken to the man and rejected his offer so that's most likely why he's speaking to you, the banker's partner to garner sympathy. Although from the looks of things, you don't seem that impressed either. You notice his stare, perhaps his expression betrays him because your eyes grow concerned before giving a polite bow and turning to walk away and to him. If that was all then perhaps tonight wouldn't have ended so badly.

The man grabs your arm painfully enough for you to whimper and that's all Pantalone needs. He doesn't even try to hide his expression behind a smile, his lips set into a straight line. He grabs the man's arm tightly, the leather of his gloves crinkling from the force, and he nearly breaks the man's arm. How dare this inferior social climber put his filthy hands on you. You have to plead with him to let the man go, desperately trying to pry his grip away as the businessman begs the Harbinger on his knees that he didn't know.

Pantalone-

Pantalone is pissed.

You've never seen him this angry before. The lady all those nights ago doesn't even compare close to the anger radiating off him. His fingers flex still as he leads you away into an isolated hallway. You're not even sure if he knows where he's going, completely blindsided by rage. So you quickly step closer and throw your arms around him, stopping him in his tracks as you bury your face into the soft fabric of his suit.

"It's okay. I'm okay," you whisper softly into his back. You're not afraid, he won't get angry, not with you. Never with you. But it still pains you to see him this way. You feel more than you hear his deep sigh before slowly turning around and taking you into his arms. "Thank you. I didn't mean to start anything, you just looked displeased and I got worried. Oh, I'm sorry-"

You quickly move to shuffle out of Pantalone's hold but you can barely get two steps back before his touch grows firm and you're trapped. Despite how strong his hold is, he gently tilts your chin up so you can look into his pretty eyes. He really does have a nice eye colour you think in the back of your mind.

"You've been avoiding me. Care to enlighten me as to why that's the case? Did someone feed your mind with little lies?" Pantalone sounds coy but you can hear the undertone of worry. As if he's done something wrong which you quickly shake your head to.

"W-Well, that incident with the lady from a few weeks ago, the one in the red and black dress, you looked really angry when she touched you so..." you trailed off as your eyes look at anywhere that isn't the man in front of you, nervously twisting the cuff of your sleeve. When you actually hear it back it does sound a bit ridiculous to believe that but you just didn't want to make him uncomfortable. Or make him act a certain way just because you liked physical touch or to uphold appearances.

"And you thought you were comparable to people like that? That I would allow special treatment just because you were mine? That I would reciprocate to anyone but you?"

You fumble a bit at how honest his words are, searching for some way to justify yourself but at the end of the day, you'll knock your head against the wall for how stupid your logic is. So you stand on your tip toes and reach hesitantly up towards his face. Pantalone's face reminds neutral but he slowly leans into his touch, his muscles finally relaxing just by your touch.

Scaramouche

How the hell he tolerates you is anyone's guess. How the hell you tolerate him is Celestia's guess. He has the worst attitude, is quick to anger, flaunts his authority wherever he goes, and is overall a terrible person to be around. Yet every time he looks over his shoulder, you're always one step away from kicking at his heels. Which you have accidentally done before and somehow survived so he must like you a smidge. You tell him it's because it's out of spite that you're still here and spite is a powerful feeling. He of all people should know.

Scaramouche despises anyone being within his personal space, which is already a pretty big range, so the idea of someone touching him is repulsive to him. If he somehow was in danger and someone touched him in order to save his life, he would probably throw a fit and shock them. Their only reward is that he doesn't kill them. It's not like he has to worry too much, no one really wants to be in his presence longer than they have to and any admirers are quickly turned off within the first couple of seconds. Which makes it all the more baffling that you still hang around him and test just how far you can poke his limits.

The first time you touched him was by accident. Someone had bumped into you causing you to fall into Scaramouche. Luckily for you, you managed to put your hands out first and brace yourself against the wall but you had successfully caged the Balladeer between your arms. If you weren't currently fearing for your life you might have laughed at the horrified expression on the Harbinger's face. The only reason you survived that day was that Tartaglia chose that exact moment to waltz in and frankly, he was a far bigger headache than you were.

He's not sure how you managed to worm your warm into his cold non-existent heart but at some point, he got used to your presence in his life. A few words to take care of himself, extra paperwork being filled, or shooing away other soldiers so he could have space. All of these acts of kindness were met with half-baked insults and suspicious looks. Every time he asked you why the hell you were acting like he was some helpless doll you always answered the same, you just felt like it and he looked like he kinda needed it. Which was so baffling to him that you managed to walk away with your head intact.

It started off with small things. Like you're both feral cats that are trying to co-exist in the same alleyway. You always announce your presence, give him enough time to leave, and your touch is barely there. You never do anything close to intimate, never hold his hand or hold his face, and he never reciprocates ever. Although it speaks volumes when he doesn't push you away ever. You're always nearby, sitting close, and you both exist contently.

But just like a feral cat, with enough time and love, even they will begin to grow comfortable and domesticated. The look on his subordinate's face was hilarious when little old you waltzed over to the sixth harbinger, plopped down into his personal space, and literally sprawled yourself over his lap to see what he was looking at. Just to one-up the absurdness, Scaramouche didn't seem bothered in the slightest, only calling you an idiot for not being able to read the document that was right in his hands.

Although there are some downsides to being so close to Scaramouche. He's possessive with the power the enforce his pride. You have to constantly scold him that he can't go frying anyone that comes within two feet of you. It's hardly efficient and it's annoying having to scream just to know what time it is.

The you from years ago would have balked at how casual you were speaking with the infamous Balladeer.

"All I'm saying is you sound like a possessive maniac," you huff, your arms crossing over your chest as you frown down at the sitting man. You doubt he's even paying attention to you because if he isn't throwing spite around then he's filtering you out of his mind. Scaramouche barely acknowledges your words, still fiddling around with the Electro Archon's gnosis. It gives off faint sparks of electro every time he rolls it over his fingers but he doesn't give any signs of pain. Maybe because he's an electro-user? Either way, he's obviously not listening to you. You let out a loud sigh before shrugging and turning on your heel to walk back into the camp. Suddenly, his hand shoots out and latches onto your wrist and he's yanking you down. The you from years ago would have fainted seeing you sprawled over your superior's lap. As your vision tilts to the sky you can't help but think that for such a small body, he sure has a lot of strength. He wears a bored expression, his other hand is cradling his head while his elbow is on his knee, before a nasty smirk makes its way over his face.

"Yeah? So what?" Scaramouch says, his hand stopping to firmly hold the gnosis, though now one of his hands is now settled on your hip. You blink. Huh, you...weren't exactly expecting the ever-prideful Balladeer to blatantly admit that.

"Well, the "what" is that it makes it incredibly inconvenient to talk to anyone. Everyone avoids me like the plague because their scared you're doing to kick down their door and attack them," you pout, grumpily adjusting your head to lay on his knee, "Also you need to eat more. You make a horrible headrest."

"That's fine. You won't need anyone else," he says dismissively.

You open your mouth to say something but the look in his eyes makes you falter. He's serious. A mixture of a past memory, the present moment of you both together, and a far-off dream all dance in his eyes. It's a look you've never seen before on Scaramouche's face despite how long you've worked under him and you can't help but be mesmerized by it. It's likely the first and last time you'll ever see him be honest. But it's quickly over as his eyes morph into snarky glee, his lips pulling into a mean grin.

"You look stupid."

Il Dottore

People are downright terrified to even be in the same room as the infamous doctor. There's never a safe moment and anyone could be the next test subject depending on his mood. It doesn't matter who it is, even his own segments, if someone touches him that means they've just volunteered to be his next experiment. It's suffocating when Dottore is out and not locked in his lab because everyone need's to be hyperaware of where the doctor is located in the room. So to say that Dottore tolerates you is a massive understatement.

He actually quite likes to parade you around, almost like you're his newest addition to his collection. Touch isn't a problem for him if he's the one initiating it given how often he's dragging you around like you're some pet. He's not gentle in the slightest, nearly pulling your arm out in his crazed rush to show you his newest creation. You would joke and say that in moments like these, he's the one that acts like the pet. Too excited to show its owner its newest achievements. But you have a sliver of sanity in your mind so you keep your mouth shut.

Every moment with Dottore is a warped sense of time. You've been with the Doctor for a long time, before he became a Harbinger, and you don't know how your relationship progressed to this stage. You're walking on a tightrope of old colleges that are too intertwined with history to be separated or co-dependent individuals that need death to finally leave each other. So when he touches you softly, affectionally, you stumble and fall off your rope. The mad doctor laughing from above, arms still outstretched from where he's pushed you.

Half of it is madness, and half of it is out of genuine love. Although, to Dottore, madness and love are the same things. His acts of affection are spontaneous and equally as fleeting. One second he's rattling off medical terms and theories, pauses in his rant just to give you a deep kiss no matter who's around you to witness the act, and proceeds as if nothing happens. That's not to say you don't enjoy it when he decides to reward you, you just wished it wasn't in front of so many people. You suspect he does it on purpose.

There's no softness or quiet time aside from the very very few and far between moments Dottore decides to indulge you. He's a busy man, his mind only built for progress, and he has better things to do than to play pretend. But for you, the one who forcibly carved space into his heart, he can make arrangements. Only for a short while. Some days he may hold you as if you'll shatter if he squeezes any harder, other days he'll push your hair away from your eyes quietly, and one day he kisses you as if you're something more.

Unlike Dottore, you don't have an intimidating reputation. People can touch you if they want to. It makes you a bit happy when Childe will pat you on the back or ruffle your hair cheekily. He's also one of the few who can get away with it as well since Dottore can't physically harm him for touching you since he's a fellow Harbinger. Besides, people speak with their eyes more. Since that doesn't qualify as anyone touching you, Dottore won't do anything. So they stare.

They stare at how the Harbinger holds you in a special place. You aren't remarkable, you're the same as the rest of them. Yet you're untouchable and invincible from the man who can change their entire lives. Mistakes occur frequently when Dottore is in the room, the slip of a finger because everyone is too focused on staying out of the Doctor's way. You get to stand beside someone like that.

It's been a hard day. A very hard day. You're absolutely exhausted and ready to curl up into a ball as soon as you get to your room. You aren't even sure what exactly happened. One second you were doing your job and the next your head was on the ground with a pulsing pain on your right cheek. It's not unusual for patients to lash out but under those circumstances, they don't have anything to do with you intimately. You know what people think about your relationship with Dottore. What people who only glimpse into the relationship you have with him think. Usually, they stay silent, only judging you with their eyes but always silent. That is until nearly 10 minutes ago.

"You're late."

You barely react when you hear his voice. Of course, it's him. God, what bad timing. He's the last person you want to see right now, especially in this state. You only give him a nod and mumbled out apologies, stumbling over your feet like a newborn lamb when his hand latches onto your wrist to drag you off again. You think you might have his fingerprints as bruises now. Another thing people can mistakenly think about your relationship. You only know you're crying when you hear the splatter of your tears against the tiled floors and Dottore's footsteps come to a halt. His grip on you has gotten tighter.

You're startled out of your wallowing when warm hands cup your face, brushing your tears away. His gloves are off. When did he take them off? Dottore simply looks at you as you silently cry. You're too tired to apologize, too tired to break down in sobs. Your arms hang uselessly at your sides but you close your eyes and lean into his touch.

"Give me their name."

He whispers it softly. You think back at the girl that struck you. You think she's new, she has to be. You know that if you say her name, you won't see her tomorrow. But you're too tired right now. So with no hesitation, you volunteer her to become the next test subject.

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thankskenpenders · 7 months

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Amy's fortune cards

The Sonic fandom has long been the kind of fandom that takes minor details very seriously, for better or worse. On the one hand, this means fans will really dig for the diamonds in the rough, latching onto fun character interactions, animations, bits of background worldbuilding, and more in pieces of Sonic media that many would write off as "the bad ones." But it also feels like every week another needlessly hostile debate over Sonic minutia erupts on Twitter, whether it's over individual lines of dialogue, fanart that makes Tails' shoes blue, or the ideal length and volume for Sonic's quills.

So it was probably inevitable that a fandom-wide debate would erupt upon seeing Amy's new gameplay style in the DLC for Sonic Frontiers, which takes the once-obscure fact that she enjoys reading tarot and shines a spotlight on it like never before.

I mean:

The thing is, while I basically always try to tune out Sonic fandom bickering... for once, I kind of sympathize with the detractors? Don't get me wrong, I like Amy's tarot stuff, and people on all sides of the discussion are being overly nasty about their opinions, as usual. (Sonic Twitter remains my personal hell.) But when I set aside the hyperbole and zoom out, I do think I understand why some fans are put off by the sudden shift in focus for the character, even if I think it's cool.

It's complicated. Let me attempt to present the cases for and against Amy's fortune cards

For years, I was always one of those fans who thought it could be fun if they played with Amy's tarot reading, or even leaned into some kind of magic with her. Part of that is my own biases showing, but there's just something that makes sense there, especially when you look at Sonic, Tails, and Amy as a trio. (I would argue that's the real "Team Sonic" these days, especially in the comics where Knuckles is more likely to be stuck on Angel Island or otherwise doing his own thing.)

You could argue that Tails is all about logic, relying on science and technology and deductive reasoning to solve problems. But Amy is all about emotion. She wears her heart on her sleeve, is extremely empathetic, and is very prone to magical thinking - both figuratively and sometimes literally. Her origin story has always been that her tarot cards told her it was her destiny to meet Sonic on Little Planet. She's claimed to be able to "sense" peoples' presences - particularly Sonic's. She's the type to believe that The Power of Love is a literal magical force. So, on some level, it makes sense to mirror Tails's science by having Sonic's other best friend believe in magic. And then Sonic is somewhere in the middle, primarily following his own gut instincts but taking advice from both of them as needed. This isn't totally accurate to how their dynamics actually function in canon stories, but I think it's a mode that could work for them.

Going off of that, it's fun to lean all the way into Amy being a magical girl, or even a witch, using her fortune telling as a foundation. Take, for example, this version of Amy from Diana Skelly's old Sonic cast redesigns from before she freelanced for Archie and IDW. This is one of MANY such redesigns for Amy.

Fast forward to the 2020s, and Amy's tarot cards are, in fact, finally getting brought up again in canon. Which is fun! I like seeing that. I like all of the individual stories involving Amy's fortune cards. This is a fun character trait for Amy, a fun nod to old lore, AND a fun storytelling device, all in one. It's really cool that the Sonic universe has its own thematically appropriate arcana, and that the cards are getting made as physical merch. And sure enough, the official card backs and borders were designed by none other than Diana Skelly, in yet another cool example of an ascendant fan leaving their mark on the series.

BUT... when you step back and look at the big picture, I get why some fans find this shift in focus jarring. At the moment, it's starting to feel like every new story about Amy involves her fortune cards to some degree.

The most recent mainline comic arc to feature Amy as the lead character, 2021's Trial by Fire arc, prominently features a sequence where she reads fortunes while camping with the girls. The Origins version of Sonic CD now bookends the game with scenes of Amy and her tarot cards. Sonic randomly mentioned it in a scene in Frontiers. And now, just this week, we got the (very cute, gorgeously illustrated) Amy's 30th Anniversary comic with a story revolving around Amy's tarot cards, followed the very next day by the Frontiers DLC in which she gets a brand new tarot-based moveset. Even her base melee attack now has her throwing tarot cards instead of swinging her hammer. Again, I like all of these individual things, but after years of it almost never coming up at all, it's VERY noticeable that Amy's tarot cards are suddenly everywhere.

To be fair, I'm looking at this from the perspective of a superfan who's actively following ALL Sonic media. Casual fans - especially kids - aren't necessarily going to be reading the comics every month, buying the thousandth rerelease of the Genesis games, or playing the ultra-hard new alternate ending DLC for a game that came out last year. Each of these stories is going to be someone's introduction to the idea that Amy can read tarot, and that's probably part of the idea behind this unified push.

But to play devil's advocate, for my fellow superfans, I understand why it feels like a very minor footnote of Amy's character is suddenly becoming the entire focus of her personality. While Amy has always been said to enjoy fortune telling, that wasn't really a character trait in and of itself, but rather an example of her being a typical girl who hopes she'll be able to find true love one day. It's less that Amy can literally predict the future and more like her using a cootie catcher or going "he loves me, he loves me not" while picking the petals off of a flower. So I get not vibing with this stuff, or feeling like it's being pushed very hard out of nowhere.

What I don't agree with are comparisons like "it's like if they made Knuckles' moveset revolve around him liking grapes." Like, I get it. Ian Flynn loves shoehorning in his little winking references for us nerds, and mentions of Amy's tarot cards were previously on the same level as other random bullet points from old Japanese manuals. But a multifaceted hobby like fortune telling that opens up so many narrative and aesthetic possibilities is obviously very different from having a favorite food. It's ALWAYS been a part of her story, not just a random fact, and there's no reason why the fortune telling can't be elevated to something more.

And, hell, even if it wasn't an established character trait, there's nothing inherently wrong with injecting new ideas into a character. One of the best Amy stories in recent years, the Free Comic Book Day special "Amy's New Hobby" written by Gale Galligan, came up with the idea that Amy's secretly been drawing little comics about her and her friends. Is this based on Lore? No. But it's cute, and helps tell the story of a younger Amy who's still coming out of her shell as both a hero and a friend.

Certain fans are also looking at Amy's Frontiers moveset and using it as evidence that once again the Vile American Contributors like Ian are CORRUPTING Sonic Team's perfect vision of Sonic with their misinterpretations. And like. Come on. Ian does not control the gameplay. He's a freelance writer. The tarot stuff is clearly something that Sonic Team likes if they made it the basis of Amy's new moveset - and, you know, if they keep approving comics and animations about Amy's fortune telling. None of this gets made without their blessing, and lord knows how much they can micromanage shit and shoot down ideas over the most minor of details.

Like, yeah, Amy's fortune telling was probably conceived less as a sign that she Knows Magic and more as a pretty mundane hobby for a lovesick young Japanese girl to have. But you're gonna sit there and tell me that using Amy's tarot cards for more than that could only be the result of a cultural misunderstanding? That nobody in Japan uses tarot card theming and aesthetics (or the general idea of magical cards) for the cool factor? Stardust Crusaders? Persona? The Astrologian class in FFXIV? Cardcaptor Sakura?? Hello??? Do you think Capcom put Gambit in Marvel vs. Capcom ironically because they thought using magic to throw cards at people was stupid? There's tons of precedent for this! It's nothing like Knuckles throwing grapes at people, be for real.

Giving Amy a very magical girl-esque moveset also just makes a lot of sense. For decades her hammer attacks have literally made sparkly heart shapes appear around her. Leaning into both that and her tarot cards in her new moveset makes a lot of sense to me.

But, admittedly... I do think it's very odd that her hammer is treated as a secondary element here, rather than having her primarily use her hammer and adding the cards for extra flair. If hitting the attack button made her swing her hammer instead of throwing cards, I'm not sure we'd even be having this discussion right now.

But the tarot-cycle and Amy riding her hammer like a witch's broom are fucking SICK and I will not concede on this point

The thing is, this whole fortune card discourse is but a small piece of a bigger problem. Amy's been a character who needed some work for ages, but there's basically nothing you can do with her without pissing SOMEONE off.

Years of stories where Amy's crush was her primary motivator and Sonic went "Ew, cooties!" have lead many casual fans to believe that being Sonic's obsessive fangirl is Amy's entire personality. At best people might call her Sonic's Minnie Mouse. This isn't just a matter of Amy having haters within the fandom - venture outside of that bubble and you'll realize that this is how MOST video game playing people seem to see her to this day. I don't feel like this is a fair assessment of the character, but this idea didn't come from nowhere. No matter how much good deeply entrenched Sonic fans may see in their old dynamic where Amy perpetually chases Sonic, this is a very real problem that Sonic Team has to contend with for their leading girl. Of course all those games where the way-past-cool protagonist thought Amy was annoyingly clingy and tried to get away from her made people think less of her.

If new stories were to go back to emphasizing Amy's crush on Sonic a little more, they'd probably be taken as confirmation that Amy's just the girl with a crush on Sonic and that this is her entire personality. Conversely, when the crush is played down, you piss off the hardcore SonAmy fans who don't seem to understand that they're Charlie Brown and Sega is Lucy holding the football. You can't win.

And so here we are. In the absence of what was once her defining trait, now reduced to an occasional blush or wink in Sonic's direction, new stories are trying to mine Amy's past for additional material to work with. Having been a thing fans wanted to see for years, right now we're getting a lot of tarot, but we're also getting reminders of her compassionate nature and her desire to go out of her way to help the little guy. This is an ongoing process. I continue to hope that her bubbly, exuberant demeanor can shine more in future stories. Now, I also hope that the tarot stuff gets balanced out a little better with other traits of hers. But I don't want it to go away. I think it's fun.

This course correcting is far from exclusive to Amy. Knuckles is getting stories that remind us that he's a competent fighter, an experienced treasure hunter, and even a self-taught archaeologist after years of him being perceived as either the dumb one or just the guy who stands in front of the Master Emerald all day. And Tails has been getting some stories reminding folks that he's a capable hero in his own right and not just Sonic's timid kid sidekick.

But no supporting character will ever compete with the sheer number of new ideas Sega has tried with Sonic himself. Like Amy, his Frontiers moveset has also given him half a dozen new superpowers that he never had before, from the Cyloop to air-slicing projectile attacks to his own take on Shadow Clone Jutsu and beyond. He's also been a hoverboarder, a swordsman, a time traveler, an Olympic athlete, a racecar driver, cursed with a Flame of Judgment, imbued with alien power, a fucking Werehog with stretchy powers, and on and on and on.

If Sonic can do all that, Amy can try out using a tarot-cycle.

Anyway TL;DR the REAL problem with Amy's current characterization... is where the FUCK is Amy's bestie, Honey the Cat???????

#tkp post

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cassandraclare · 3 months

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*sighs a bit* Okay. Guys. I have been asked this question a lot, and answered it a lot. I don't know how to give a better answer — Dru & Ty&Kit share significance as main characters — so I guess I'll talk a little about comparison and structures.

First, all series have different structures. I don't think it's super useful or predictive to try to map an upcoming, unknown book series onto an existing series. In TLH the main character was Cordelia, everyone else was secondary to her, and people's roles and the significance of them altered from book to book. It was a big ensemble cast and they mostly stayed put in London especially in book 1.

TWP focuses on a smaller group of people. It also has a very different structure. In book one, Dru is not with Kit and Ty. They are in different places, both of which have their own stories that are significant to the plot. There is no way to see Place One without following Dru. There is no way to see Place Two without following Kit and Ty.

I know that TWP is a long way off. I know there are people who are very angry with me that there's such a gap, but there isn't anything currently I can do about that, or about the fact that I don't yet have the schedule for my upcoming books. That rests in the hands of several different publishers who must coordinate the release times and production schedules for four different series. I am not withholding any information about when these books come out. I simply don't know it yet.

I understand that TWP being a long way off makes for anxiety, and that those who are worried Kit and Ty will somehow be secondary are looking for tiny clues in microscopic details — micro-reading the of placement of the word "and" in my newsletter and such — that are meaningless, but I get that it all comes from anxiety. (FTR, those worried Dru will be secondary are equally anxious.)

I think there is only so much I can say. Because there's a big gap between TLH and TWP everything I do say or every image or hint about it is freighted with a weight of assumption it can't really support. Anxiety is always going to trump reassurance. And truly, at the end of the day, if you only care about Kit and Ty and find the idea of a Dru story tiresome, you will feel like they got shafted because when you absolutely hate a plotline, you will always feel like it's taking up way too much space. That's just how our minds work.

I've been doing this long enough that I know no book can survive a hostile reading. I know that Book Three of a trilogy is the one people hate until they don't. (When Clockwork Princess came out people hated it so much I considered quitting writing!) I know that it's wonderful to love a character but can also be a problem for people when I put out books that aren't about that particular character or dynamic. I know that for a lot of people, Sword Catcher and Ragpicker King are just tiresome things that have no business on my schedule because they're not Shadowhunter books. And I get it. But I also have to block it out, because I've been writing a long time, and I've gotten to a point where I know that I have to write the thing I want to be writing, because if I don't, if I sit down and try to force myself to write something I'm not feeling like writing at that time, I'll be making myself physically and mentally sick. And that's no good for anyone, really.

I suppose the positive thing is that, while this would not have been true five years ago, I am at the place where I want very much to be writing Wicked Powers. I missed these characters and am glad to be back with them. I consider this a story in which there are three main characters. And that is all I can say right now because it's all that I know.

(And this was much more of a general response to a lot of things than a specific response to this question, but I did feel like it was stuff that I needed to say. Creators are at the end of the day, just people. Sometimes we are powerless to reassure. Sometimes we are tired. Sometimes we are wrong. Sometimes we try things and they don't work. Sometimes we can't explain to you what our story is going to make you feel, because only reading it is going to tell you that. This may be one of those times.)

#the wicked powers

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zegrvshvghes · 11 months

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enemies to lovers with vince dunn? 👀

I crave you in the most innocent form-VD29

💙 a good enemies to lovers + vince and you are in university for the plot!

I've never been the kind of person to hold a grudge. I'm usually pretty easygoing and quick to forgive, but there's one person in my life who I just can't seem to get along with: Vince Dunn.

When Vince and I first met, I actually thought he was kind of cute. He had messy brown hair and these piercing blue eyes that seemed to look right through me. But as soon as he opened his mouth, I knew it was never going to work between us.

It started off small, with little jabs and sarcastic comments. But over time, our interactions grew more and more hostile. We were constantly bickering and arguing, and I could feel the tension between us every time we were in the same room.

Part of the problem is that Vince is just so arrogant. He thinks he's better than everyone else and doesn't hesitate to let you know it. He's always bragging about his achievements and talking down to those he thinks are below him. And for some reason, he seems to have a particular dislike for me.

I'm not sure what I ever did to him. Maybe it was something I said or did without even realizing it. But whatever the reason, Vince has made it clear that he can't stand me. He'll roll his eyes every time I speak and make snarky comments under his breath. And when we're forced to work together on a project or assignment, he'll intentionally sabotage my efforts just to make me look bad.

I've tried talking to him about it, but he just brushes me off like I'm not even worth his time. I've even considered going to a teacher or counselor for help, but I don't want to seem like a tattletale. Plus, I'm embarrassed that I can't seem to get along with someone who is supposedly my peer.

I sometimes wonder if Vince's hostility towards me is actually a cover-up for something else. Maybe he's struggling with issues at home or has some personal insecurities he's trying to hide. But then I see him acting perfectly normal and friendly with other people, and I realize that it's just me he can't stand.

It's not like I hate Vince, per se. I just can't stand the way he treats me. It's frustrating to constantly be on the receiving end of his animosity and to have no idea why he dislikes me so much. I try my best to ignore him and just focus on my own work, but it's hard when he's always there, lurking in the background and waiting for a chance to make some snide remark.

I sometimes wonder what it would be like if Vince and I could actually get along. Maybe we could even be friends. But I know that's never going to happen. There's just too much animosity between us, and I don't know how to bridge the gap.

As much as I hate to admit it, Vince's negative attitude towards me has started to dampen my own spirits. I find myself feeling irritated and angry more often, and sometimes I even snap at other people who don't deserve it. I don't like feeling this way, but I don't know how to shake it off.

I never thought I'd see the day where I could tolerate being around Vince Dunn, let alone willingly attend a party with him. But as fate would have it, that day came sooner than I expected.

It started when we were paired up for a group project in our English class. At first, I was dreading it. I couldn't bear the thought of being stuck with Vince for an extended period of time. But as we got to work on the project, I started to notice something different about him.

He wasn't as hostile towards me as he used to be. In fact, he was actually being sort of civil. He even cracked a few jokes that made me laugh. It was like he was a different person entirely.

I still didn't entirely trust him, but something had shifted in our dynamic. We were no longer constantly bickering and arguing. It was almost...pleasant.

We finished the project with minimal sniping, and I couldn't help but feel like maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for us to get along.

Fast forward to the party. I wasn't even considering going, but a mutual friend of ours convinced me to come along. When I arrived, I was surprised to see Vince there as well. He was hanging out with a group of guys, laughing and joking around.

I couldn't help but feel nervous as I saw Vince at the party. I knew he had been avoiding me lately, but I hoped that maybe tonight we could finally talk things out.

I saw him standing there with his arms crossed, glaring at me and the guy I was with. I could feel the tension in the air and my heart sank.

I knew I had to talk to him, to explain that the guy I was with was just a friend. But as soon as I tried to approach him, he turned his back on me, refusing to even acknowledge my presence.

It hurt to see him like this. He was acting like I had committed some kind of crime.

I tried to enjoy the party, but every time I looked over at Vince, I could see the anger in his eyes. I could tell he was angry, but I didn't know how to make it better.

I wanted to speak to him and possibly become friends maybe? but he was too angry and stubborn to listen. And I didn't know what else to do.

Stepping out onto the porch to get some fresh air. I sit down quietly, drunk and busy with my thoughts. I hear the door slide open again.

The face that’s been playing non stop in my brain appears. As Vince and I found ourselves on the porch, alone. We were both slightly tipsy, and all of a sudden I found myself feeling a strange attraction towards him. It was like I was seeing him in a whole new light.

He must have felt it too, because before I knew it, we were making out on the porch. It was messy and clumsy, but it felt...right.

I woke up the next morning feeling both relieved and terrified. I had just kissed the guy Im supposed to hate and I wasn't sure where it was going to take us.

Surprisingly, the next day in class it was like all the hostility between us had been replaced by something else. Something warmer and deeper.

#hockey #nhl #kraken #vince dunn #x reader #vince dunn x reader

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royboyfanpage · 27 days

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That issue where Roy threw soda in Garth’s face still gets me heated. He legitimately needed to get drop kicked

Hhhhhh this is gonna piss people off I fear. I'm gonna do it anyway.

...In his defence-

Now, I'm not saying I think he was in the right, and I'm absolutely not saying Garth doesn't have the right to get mad at that. And actually, I think if Roy had been dropkicked in that issue, it probably would've helped resolve the wider issue earlier, so I am also yay for dropkicking him. I think the issue comes with Roy's inability to pick up cues. He's a very loud person, sometimes abrasive, and he does act without thinking sometimes. He's also pretty bad at moderation. He has a tendency to take things to their natural extreme, which can cause conflict in his relationships. On top of that, he's not always the best at interpreting people's feelings when they don't match their actions.

Combine those all together? The five are all bantering, kinda making fun of each other. He'd see this as a good environment for joking around, there's not gonna be any real hostility, everyone there knows that they're just messing around. Roy makes some fish jokes, Garth doesn't really tell him to stop. Sure, he corrects Lian when she calls Garth 'gillhead', but maybe Garth just doesn't want a kid calling him that. It's fine, Garth's smiling, everyone's still having a good time, the jokes continue. The opportunity comes up to prank Garth. He takes it without thinking, because they're all joking anyway. Garth storms off, but then comes back like a minute later, and he's smiling again. The situation's resolved itself. Everything's good.

I've already talked about it a bit in this post, I would definitely word it better if I rewrote it now since it was quite rushed at the time, but I think it sums it up pretty well. And the fact that immediately after Roy throws it on Garth he splashes Lian furthers the idea that Roy didn't see that he was doing anything wrong in my mind. He was just having fun and messing around with his friends. But Garth wasn't explicit enough in his discomfort, at least not for Roy. I'm not saying that's Garth's fault whatsoever, he doesn't owe an explicit explanation for everything he does. But Roy's issues with subtext isn't a trait that makes him a bad person. Is it a character flaw? Yeah. Possibly also a trait of neurodivergency (He's listed as having ADHD in his wiki but the context I've seen for it is Wally somewhat joking about it so I'm not sure how canon you'd say that is.)

And then in #15, they actually have a talk about it-

And, again, I think Roy's being sincere when he says this. He didn't think about how his actions were being perceived, he just went off what he thought was funny in the moment, there was never any malice involved. Does that mean he did nothing wrong? No! But I think intent is important. Roy didn't mean any malice when he threw his drink at Garth. Garth did mean malice when he called Roy a junkie. It's just something to think about.

And then they actually end up communicating and making amends at the end of #16, which i think is so important.

I really love Garth and Roy's dynamic, and I think that the issues with miscommunication are really compelling to read. Roy's very good at communication, he's great at listening and explaining himself, but that primarily relies on the explicit rather than the implicit.

So yeah, I do agree, Roy should've gotten dropkicked for the drink thing, because that would've been a clear communication that resolved the issue quicker.

#ask #roy harper #Garth

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bramblewhisker · 6 months

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Warrior cat relationships were better in arc 1

I just hc that they never changed. I think it opens the door for so many more interesting relationship dynamics if we don't force two cats having kits together having to mean that they are monogamously tied to each other, or even anything more than friends, necessarily.

The broader warrior cat society has undergone some interesting changes since the first arc. The clans' inevitable move from several independent at-best-non-hostile groups to an interconnected and interdependent society of "nations" is natural and interesting. It's been what's driven a decent chunk of the narrative for multiple arcs now. That's all cool.

But the way interpersonal relationships worked in arc 1 is significantly more interesting (and fun for shipping) than the heteronormative, monogamy-driven shift that happened starting with arc 2. I don't even think "mate" was uttered a single time prior to arc 2.

The key element, raised several times throughout arc 1's plot, is the idea that a queen is under no obligation to say who the father of their kits is. You get the sense that it's a social faux pas to ask or even wonder publicly (though I'm sure it was the source of untold amounts of gossip every time). This could be because the father is from a different clan (something that's ~illegal~ but everyone realizes is necessary for some good old genetic diversity), but it could also just be because the kit-making was a purely transactional thing.

Take Brindleface, whose kits were retroactively assigned to Whitestorm. Were they "mates"? The text doesn't really support that. More likely the two of them decided that they would make some good, capable ThunderClan kits together, had the necessary interactions to make that happen, and then went about their separate lives again.

I think about Firestar and Sandstorm. They're the subject of the first use of the word "mates" in the series iirc. But are they? Sandstorm definitely had a crush on him, and they spend a lot of time together, but mates? I think they work a lot better as really good friends and confidants who decided to have a litter of kits together. Sure, she still shares his nest sometimes, but we all know that Graystripe is in there as much if not more. Firestar's got a wife and a boyfriend and no cat has a problem with it. It's great.

As another example, think about Lionblaze and Cinderheart. They spend a huge chunk of Omen of the Stars boring everyone to tears with their relationship angst. I say it's better if the two of them decided, hey, Cinderheart's brains and Lionblaze's brawn would combine to make some pretty great kits. So they decide to periodically have some kits, but everyone knows Lionblaze is dating Berrynose, come on.

It doesn't always have to be transactional. Dustpelt is the ultimate "I love my wife so much" guy, and he and Ferncloud have kits as a natural consequence of their romantic relationship. But arc 1 gave us such a better vehicle for storytelling by letting us decouple romantic/sexual relationships for the act of making more kits for the clan. I choose to believe that never changed.

#bramble ramble #warrior cats #warrior cat shipping #warrior cat ships #GrayFire #FireGray #LionBerry #if you force the cats to be monogamous what do the elders even have to gossip about

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alatismeni-theitsa · 1 month

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According to the comments by Greeks this well-traveled Latino man managed to describe the climate in Greece very accurately. I've posted and will post from time to time videos from foreigners describing their experience in Greece because part of people knowing the country is this experience. Generally, I'm happy that people with darker skintones have a generally pleasant experience when coming to live in Greece from abroad, and I hope we can only become better. (It would be great if we, as a nation, could treat native Black people the same but I digress cause class also plays a role here)

I also focused on this video to note once more how important it is to recognize that each country has its own history and social cues. The "mavros" (black) falls in this category. (OP recognizes this, liking the comments from a Greek below). While people can use "mavros" in a racist way, sometimes it's just an identifier like "tall", "skinny" etc. "Mavros" also doesn't mean "Black person" always. It's used to describe someone tan, since the verb for "tan" here is "I blacken" (μαυρίζω), and it can refer to tan people, or people darker than the average local. I don't condone the negative or racist use of "mavros" (obviously), however it's important to remember that intent matters more than language especially if the native speaker of another country is ignorant of how this word is used in your country.

Also if you are a new person in a village people will look at you weirdly no matter your skin tone just because it's jarring/interesting to see someone new there, but also if you look different from most people you will get some curious looks (most often than not, in a well-intended way and not hostile)

Finally , it's important for one to know the local flavour of xenophobia, not to defend it (god guard us) but to navigate it better in the unfortunate case one encounters it. It will only harm you to assume the dynamics between ethnicities in another country work like they do in your country. For example, Greeks have beef with certain ethnicities since the Ottoman empire, but can have more recent beef with other people from different countries. Immigrants from different ethnicities who flock together abroad because of similar cultures can be political "mortal enemies" in their "fatherland" because of heavy history. That's just a generalisation but to be fair I warned you we were gonna briefly explore the xenophobic mind, which has nothing but generalisations.

As usual, guys add your experiences and opinions below. The character of this post is informative and I think we should all try to keep it this way.

#modern greece #tourism

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mymarifae · 1 year

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every time prsk fans label an as the token “mean lesbian” of the game i wither up and die. look me in the eyes and name one character an is “mean” to that isn’t akito*. go on. i’m waiting.

...

yeah. there isn’t one, is there? an is one of the friendliest characters in the game. she’s so sweet!! she has literally talked about how she wants to be super dependable multiple times. she wants to love and support her friends! there is not a mean bone in her body you people just saw that she teases akito sometimes (SOMETIMES. she actually usually doesn’t tease him at all. toya teases him more than she does like please go read the area conversations and stories for once in your lives) and decided that makes her the mean lesbian of project sekai and i could get into how blatantly lesbiphobic that shit is but let’s just save that for another day. 😁

(* : to get into the issue of people calling an a mean lesbian because she pokes fun at akito even further. she’s never MEAN to him?? it’s literally all in good fun. they have a completely normal and healthy friendship dynamic where they playfight and bicker over stupid shit but it’s never serious fighting. the “vbs is mlm/wlw hostility” jokes were funny for about 0.0000003 seconds. now it’s just annoying like you have taken the bare bones dynamic established in the main story and you are running with it like it’s the pinnacle of vbs. the main stories are important for establishing the characters but guys you cannot - and i repeat you CANNOT - use them as a base for your characterization you will get EVERYTHING wrong. little to no significant development occurs in any of them. if you want to do these characters justice you need to read the 500 event stories and you need to read the card stories and you need to read the area conversations YOU NEED TO READ!!!! if you read even one vbs event story you’d see that their whole thing is dissolving the “BAD DOGS vs vivid squad” mindset they initially had and becoming best friends and having so much fun together. an loves akito to pieces and he loves her too. there is NO hostility between them they have been friends since middle school - since before akito met toya. they know each other better than anyone. akito is literally supporting an the most through this period where all her repressed fears and negative emotions are bubbling over he’s always the first to notice when something’s wrong he’s always there for her. he’s a bit clumsy in offering comfort and advice because he’s just not used to this kind of thing, but he’s trying. they’re best friends. i hateyou)

#curse of project sekai having some of the loveliest depictions of close friends i've seen in media and its fans not knowing how to READ

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midnightrings · 4 months

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Still trying to collect my thoughts after watching the final episode, but here’s some stuff I’ve been thinking about while watching it.

(spoilers, obviously)

I really, really loved Hawk and Tim’s dynamic in the 50s scenes (and 80s scenes too, of course, but we’ll get to that). I feel like this was also a point in their lives where there was at least a slight chance that they could’ve made it work – until Hawk screwed it up again. They’ve both clearly grown (especially Tim), their relationship appears quite well-balanced and there wasn’t that much baggage between them yet.

Looks like they kept a good amount from the book. Hawk did report Tim, preventing him from getting his dream job as well as barring him from government work altogether. Similar to what I suspected, Lucy was pregnant and Hawk realized that he needed Tim out of his life. It was overall awful but not as bad as I expected – though maybe only because I already knew it would happen.

It’s heartbreaking how Tim has realized time and time again that he needs to let Hawk go – including writing that letter to him, which I guess Hawk never found out about. Tim even told him that there were no expectations on his part, yet Hawk desperately wanted him in his life, only to push him away in the most horrible way shortly after it.

At least Tim did know the truth and, surprisingly, Hawk let him know himself (through Mary). I really thought Tim would find out about it sometime before ’86. It makes a lot of sense though, considering the scene of Tim in the hospital, watching baby Jackson. Tim clearly realized himself that he doesn’t have a place in Hawk’s life. This explains why Tim was constantly urging Hawk to be there for his family, but also why he wasn’t as hostile towards Hawk as he should have been. I mean, there was definitely some resentment on Tim’s part after ’57, but it wasn’t as big as I expected it to be after Hawk’s betrayal – which is why I always assumed Tim didn’t know the truth. But while Tim might have felt betrayed by Hawk’s actions, he probably did understand his reasoning in the end. Which makes it even sadder, because Hawk could have easily talked to him – perhaps Tim would’ve left by himself, realizing that working together would not end well for either of them.

Now, the 80s … I really love how we finally saw more affection between Hawk and Tim. I got teary eyed (while simultaneously having the biggest smile on my face) when Hawk lay down next to him in the hospital bed – this was so sweet and I was hoping for a moment like this. As I said before, I don’t mind that Hawk never told Tim that he loved him – even though I’ve been hoping it would happen at some point. But I feel like there wasn’t a point where a love declaration like this would have fit in, and Hawk kissing Tim publicly was a way better confession of his feelings than any “I love you” could have been. Tim was clearly at peace with himself, and I also believe that he knew that Hawk loved him – which is the only thing that matters in the end.

I guess that Tim’s “wrenching decision” really was a red herring of sorts. Love that they had him fight until the end, and also that we never really saw his death. We all knew that he would die, and letting the audience know through the AIDS quilt and Hawk telling his daughter that he loved Tim was perfect.

Also, Jerome? My sweet baby … that scene between him and Marcus in the gym made me bawl my eyes out. “You’re innocent” – “I’m innocent” … kill me now please.

Also, I’m so glad that I was right about Lucy leaving Hawk. She deserves to find happiness.

Hawk’s storyline was definitely something I was looking forward to the most (and I could probably write entire essays about his character). But I like that they still have him trying to protect his family, ready to leave if Lucy wanted him to. It just makes more sense for his character than to have him suddenly blindly choose Tim. At the same time, he did everything he could for Tim. I never expected Hawk to come out, but I love how he clearly found comfort within his love for Tim – getting him into that gala, confronting that guy (forgot his name, I think it was Dave?), kissing Tim publicly and confessing his love for Tim to his daughter. It was all a bit too late, but also not really – Hawk making the decision to fly to San Francisco and to then stay with Tim definitely helped him grow for the better. He lost everything in the end, but maybe he can finally find peace as well. Perhaps it even needed Tim’s death for Hawk to come to terms with his love for Tim. It’s sad but their story was always meant to end this way.

I’ll probably make a million posts about this show – I have so many thoughts and can’t wait to rewatch it all.

#fellow travelers #i need some time to process this episode but damn that show is amazing #can't wait to overanalyze every second of it!#meta

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goodluckdetective · 1 year

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I’m not trying to dunk on anyone’s interpretation or head canon, but I’m always really thrown when people write Cass and Jason as close. Because in my mind, their relationship is the hostile sibling dynamic of the Bats.

Like yeah, Damian and Tim fight but it’s mostly due to misunderstandings and petty shit. Jason and Cass disagree on like, moral ideology. People talk about Bruce being a stickler for the no killing rule, and he is, but Cass is just as dedicated to it. Is she going to be chill with Jason’s “sometimes murder is okay” policy? Fuck no! If anything, she’s going to be harsher about it because she expects him to do better when he’s wearing a bat on his chest (which he does on occasion ). And she’s going to be in his face about it because that’s who she is! She will beat up every monster in Gotham for an answer, she does not give up. So what that he died? She did too, TWICE.

And Jason? You seriously think he’s going to be cool with Cass’ “no murder ever” rule? He’s going to see it as self righteous at best! Cass’ “You can change?” quote? Jason thinks that’s naive. Sure, some folks can change but some don’t want to. What about then? What about her bio father? (Which is a low blow but Jason thinks he can talk given his own bio dad). If Cass wants to keep from killing, fine, but if she expects him to let the worst people keep hurting others than good luck. She died in a fight she knew the stakes of: he died at 15 by his mom betraying him. It is not the same.

Anyway, I think these two should openly be 30 seconds from a fist fight at all times when Jason’s on the outs. They make Tim and Damian on their worst days look like best buds. Dick isn’t touching this situation with a 10 foot pole. Bruce is caught in the middle and considers getting lost in time for a weekend.

#iz rambles #cassandra cain #Jason Todd #Cass will make Jason’s life hell and he will return the favor #batman #dc comics #Batman comics #I love them both but if I locked them in a room together the room would not survive

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lavenoon · 1 year

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Dynamic Swap AU - Rival Neighbors and Work Besties

~5200 words, enjoy

Main Dynamic Swap

The work besties: so Robin in this case does not immediately go on the defense, but rather feels a sort of kinship. They too rose the ranks quickly, earning their title as star agent, while being met with scorn from other agents - and perhaps there’s (initially) just that crumb of “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” kind of motivation. So they approach Dusk and act friendly enough, because even if he turns out better than them, that’s not enough to strip them of their rank and this Robin gets to use those brain cells.

They propose a team-up, and Dusk is a little wary because the other agents really weren’t that welcoming, and this is a little too good to be true, so he doesn’t mention Dawn until it later seems awkward to bring it up. But while they aren’t really friends, as friendly as they act, in the beginning, they soon warm up to each other when they actually witness each other’s goofiness.

Robin is absolutely on board for the cheesiness of “go to sleep” bs with hostiles and doesn't try to hide it, and Dusk may tease them for their novelty gadgets but always asks for theirs first before he tries his boring ones. Robin gets him his own then, and he workshops (begrudgingly - he throws in more than enough bird jokes, too) Robin Hood themed lines with them. They enable each other and somehow it works out, and they’re absolutely terrible to look at for everyone else because they apparently can’t take anything seriously but still get shit done. They thrive.

For the neighbors, the set up stays the same - Y/N is the landlord, but because they already have a friend in Dusk they aren’t all that lonely and thus don’t try to befriend Sun as much, and Sun is maybe a little jealous of Moon but does not have a proper outlet for that. They don’t get off on the wrong foot - it’s a gradual “oh, we’re doing this, huh?” as they *also* enable each other but make each other worse.

Y/N, slightly teasing, slightly seriously mentioning the noise and Sun still opting for DIY as excuse - and Y/N joking like “didnt take you for the crafty type.” The birdhouse shows up in the garden without any asking for permission, as a passive aggressive “I'll show you who’s not the crafty type” and Y/N just adds a (store bought) feeder to actually attract birds, and when Sun says he could have built one they just shrug and say both house and feeder do their job, which to Sun comes across as “your work isn't worth the effort” while Y/N meant “it works, and I wasn't gonna ask you for more (since we don't get along)”.

Lots of passive aggressive jabs at Y/N for not being a good landlord and kind of fumbling, which does set them off a good bunch and make them shoot back with their own petty comments of how he chose to move in, and if he wants a better landlord he’s welcome to look for one. With the rent as low as it is, that’s never happening - though both sometimes leave these conversations wondering just where they went wrong, and if this is just how things are now, and why can’t they just bite their (metaphorical) tongue or ask to start over? They see each other interact with other civilians sometimes and be perfectly friendly, and it stings because then all the animosity feels personal, and they don't know how to stop.

Meanwhile Sun complains to Moon about their landlord, who decides that he better stays out of sight because oof this is already a shitshow, no need to add to that.

Robin also sometimes complains about their neighbor, mostly with exaggerated sighs and “there's just no pleasing that guy.” Only sometimes do they seem actually sad, but he tends to distract them with a race or an idea for a little prank to play (which Robin does not do, they do mention they don't wanna make things worse, and actually would like to fix things, it’s just that their neighbor doesn't seem to care or want to - but the hypotheticals make them laugh)

Stabbing: uh. chill, as far as a stabbing can go. There’s no tension between Dusk and Robin, they're not put off by his very insistent fretting, and he’s not as tsundere about his concern as in canon. Actually it’s Moon who proposes the idea of a gift basket when Sun is worrying over how he should handle their landlord getting appendicitis - he’s researched, and it sounds really painful, and even dangerous if left unchecked and they just said they'd stay at the hospital for a while and what if there's complications -

Moon is just having the “non judgemental but very aware gaze face on all levels except physical. Says hey, he’s gonna get Robin a gift basket, and if Sun is so busy being a mother hen (“I’m not! That’s a totally normal amount of concern to have!”) he can grab one for the landlord, too. Maybe a more generic one, something a bit more low-key. Sun still adds a little personalized card and writes how “the house is in good hands” and he means well but Y/N is cranky and was stabbed and kinda assumes the worst, and comes back to work to grumble about how their tenant got all cocky while they were incapacitated.

Sick Day: Moon is definitely still fretting up a storm, and pestering River about at least telling him that Robin is fine. River is so so tired fr. Sun meanwhile hears Y/N cough n all, and glares daggers at the canned soups he got but has been (ironically) too chicken to deliver.

He catches them once taking out the trash - rushing outside himself (but not letting it show), and just kind of tells them to drop the bags, he’ll do it - they should be inside and resting, sick as they are, they aren't doing themself any favors like this. They kinda snap back how suddenly he cares, but they’re not an invalid and can take care of their trash themself.

They argue for a bit, as they usually do, before Y/N’s phone pings and they just. immediately soften and laugh at whatever message they got. Sun near flinches - that’s what he could have had, if they didn't hate him. If he hadn't messed things up. He softens too, but mostly because he just deflates. Mumbles how really, he’ll take care of that, and it’s the least he could do.

The wording kind of catches Y/N off guard, and they eye him warily for a bit before they sigh and admit that fine, maybe they will go inside and take a nap. They mumble a low “thanks” as they pass him, and later wake up to a few cans of soup in front of their door, though neither of them mentions it again. Dusk gets to hear about Robins flu, and this is the timeline where he finally gets to make an unholy amount of bird flu jokes

Overtime: Ehehe. Hah. Oh poor Sunny. Remember how Hatchling Robin wasn't even sure their neighbor likes them? (:

So Sun is definitely wearing a hole in their carpet from his pacing, and he’s very close to considering making up a fake issue to have a reason to text Y/N and make them come back home, because he is too stupid to find a more reasonable approach. Moon sighs, and tells him to “sleep” on it, and then goes to work and finds Robin buried in paperwork. Asks them what they think they’re doing, and they just whine about how they've been slacking off and gotten distracted, and they need to finish these asap.

Dusk kinda settles on their desk, half sitting half leaning, and asks them wouldn't their friends be concerned if they saw them like that?

Robin deadpans “Dude, you answered your own question by the way you barged in here” and Dusk kinda just.

stops.

Continues quieter, more serious - he’s the only one? there's really no one else? Robin just shrugs, staring at the report, and he gets really really cold. Asks if they don't even think their neighbor/ tenant would miss them - surely he can't be that bad? And they just laugh, but there's no mirth in it.

“Yeah, hah, no. He hates me, pretty sure he’s celebrating having the place to himself right now.”

Dusk still thinks of Sun, and how he’s worried despite the animosity, and tries for a bit of forced lightheartedness at the totally unrelated but similar situation.

“Eh, maybe he’s just a dumbass. I mean, he definitely is. But maybe he’s even *more* of one about being worried. Pretty sure if you leave without warning anyone would be concerned.”

“God, I wish. Would be nice.”

That still kinda stings, somehow - so he has to be a little shit to distract them from the what-ifs.

“Ignoring him, though. I don't want you to overwork yourself. Go home and rest, for me?”

And he crouches in front of their desk, hands curled around the edge, only his optics visible as he blinks in his best attempt of puppy eyes. Robin is sleep deprived and also bestie biased and absolutely loses it, “you’re lucky I like you” and he grins like the cat with the cream.

Sun is very happy he didn't have to resort to anything ill advised, and mentions he’d appreciate a heads up should it happen again, which Y/N kind of bristles about but reluctantly agrees to

Reveal scenario would be something like. idk. Y/N and Sun accidentally meet at a little market, and Sun sees them buy maybe a bandana or something, or a little trinket. Something celestial themed, and he makes a comment about it, and they just roll their eyes. Mention it's got nothing to do with him, they actually have friends, so if he’d please just move on -

And they do leave it at that, the two. But after Robin gifts Dusk said trinket and he comes back home with it on, Sun has a very very dreadful realization. Sun is freaking out because he’s been antagonizing another star agent who of course has a busy schedule and doesn't have all that much time for landlord duties, they actually have to sleep too! Knows from Moon however that apparently they don't really hate them, and would like to fix things, but just didn't know how.

Moon on the other hand… Moon kept himself a deliberate secret, and is very very worried that their friendship won't survive that reveal, plus the concern about the agency and them living together. Robin was so open with him, and still he didn't realize - and he kinda blames himself for that. They try to figure out how to tell Y/N, but of course they stall for too long.

Y/N, usually not the chattiest with other neighbors, maybe has to pick up a package or hand one out that was wrongly delivered to their address, and get talking with another neighbor. That neighbor does say that their tenants are quite nice, even though that moon animatronic is rather elusive! Record scratch, freeze frame - right, the, uh, moon animatronic. That one. When - when did they meet him?

“Oh, not really met him, really, but I saw him pull up the trash cans once or twice in the morning when I forgot to put them out. Say, why does he wear a nightcap?”

Y/N just fumbles for something not entirely impolite before scrambling for an excuse about food in the oven and having to leave. They rush back home, where Sun for plot reasons happens to be on the porch. They look at each other, startled for a moment before Sun is the one to soften and Y/N just hardens. Before Sun can say anything they start opening their door already, head low, and just mumble “You really thought I’m that stupid, huh? Congrats, you were right. Or maybe you just hate me that much.”

Sun by now is familiar with dread, but has to ask - what are they talking about?

Door open, and they just look at him, expression just so so tired and hurt, and just say “Moon.” before stepping inside and slamming the door shut. The lock clicks, and Sun’s knocks and panicked string of “no”s goes unanswered.

To Y/N, this is all their worst fears combined. Sun never even liked or respected them enough to tell them that there’s a whole other person living there, obviously that whole everything is doomed. There’s also the friendship with Dusk that is now just terrifying in its implications - does he know? Why did he never tell them that he moved in at their place, did he think it’s funny that they don't know? What about Sun - is he an agent too? Does he know they’re Robin?

They hide out at home for a day, securing a longer mission that will “give them time to think'' as they'll be out for a few days.

They return to a desperate little plea to talk in their work pigeonhole, confirming that both know about their work identity, and also the gossip about Dusk and Dawn being out of commission after being blown up.

That’s not what Robin wants, at all. They still are terrified the boys both hate them, or just toyed with them, but they push that aside as they rush home because even if they don't actually care for Robin, Robin cares for them and doesn't want them hurt

They kind of trip onto the porch just in time to see Moon pick up a couple packages left on the porch, both kinda startled and Y/N just has that deja vu to like a couple days before with Sun.

Kinda crumble right there, crying in relief but not really looking, too caught up in the adrenaline before Moon hesitantly asks if they want to come in. Y/N stares for a moment - but then just nods. It’s awkward, and they kind of want to help him carry stuff but don't know how to offer, and Moon wants to offer a tissue but his one arm is kind of occupied.

They talk just a bit - get the roughest bits out first. Moon reassures them that he didn't know until the trinket Sun recognized, and Y/N confirms they aren't actually mad, they were just scared that both of them hate them. Moon then gets to tell them that Sun felt about Y/N the same way Robin felt about their tenant - sad, mostly, and unsure how to fix things, but definitely willing. Tells them a little joke about how much of a drama king Sun was about it all, and that actually, please, would they talk to the guy? The whining really gets annoying after a while.

And Y/N laughs a little teary eyed, but hesitantly agrees - it’s a lot more awkward for the neighbors then, and they don't even talk about the reveal at first because they have to address the misunderstandings from the beginning first, and both admit they kinda got carried away and never meant for things to end up like this.

They kinda shake on a do over with the newly reattached arm before Y/N pulls him in for a hug - they squeeze and tell him “next time you wanna try again, please know you can just ask. Don’t get blown up again.” Sun startles, then laughs before he melts into the hug, and assures them that he’d rather not have a repeat of any of this except this hug.

Switch back to Moon, where the two get to talk out the lingering, smaller worries, and then also get a hug because fairs fair, and they discuss how the agency fucked up and cant tell either of them to move out now, and kind of settle for “we know each other, and we have each other, and if the agency has an issue with that, they'll be down three agents” and then. shenanigans

Reverse Dynamic Swap AU

work besties: Oh my god. Oh my god. These two istg. So Robin has the same motivation as with Dusk for approaching Dawn, who may also be wary of the unfamiliar goodwill, but is a suave bastard all in all. There’s no ankle grabbing because Robin isn’t a cocky little shit, and quickly appreciates Dawn’s flair for the dramatic that complements their own. He thinks their gadgets are charming and do their job well, and he thrives on the validation after going without it during his training period.

He’s really easy to win over and Robin does so easily, and then these two hit friendship really quickly and then just as quickly the “flirts with you but just kidding haha unless?” stage. They pet name it up and mean all of it, but never confirm anything bc. Yeah workplace relationships are really not on the table (laughs in author) so they just. don’t mention it and wave off the other’s flirting as just for the bit.

They pine a lot but also are so handsy during missions like the besties really have it so much easier in reverse au, just that this time Dawn gets the easy relationship with Robin. They just have a sort of shockwave reaction on other agents where everyone looks at them and cringes so hard they just have to keep a distance (/hj), but they definitely thrive too

petty ass neighbors: Moon is prickly. He’s lonely, he only hears from Sun how much fun his other partner is, he’s jealous, he’s an introverted nocturnal shut-in, and maybe he snaps at the nice landlord trying to talk to him when he gets the impression they overstep when they ask about the noise level. Y/N is not desperate for a friend and just. Immediately takes the hint and backs off.

It doesn’t really get much worse, but. Similarly to rival Dawn’s ankle-grabbing, Moon already set the precedent and will regret it for a long time. Y/N mostly avoids him, and when they have to deal with him, they’re short and or passive aggressive and petty, and he mirrors that because he is lonely, yes, but he tells himself he’s not that desperate, and here too both kind of leave these interactions and wonder where they went wrong. Do they just not click? Or is this salvageable? But if the latter, how would they go about this when the other party seems so absolutely against it?

Their most positive “interaction” is when Moon doesn't technically admit to DIY as excuse, but just puts up a bird feeder in the backyard that Y/N keeps refilling because they kind of like the chirping and also feel like it’s at least proof that Moon isn’t really an asshole he just apparently can't stand them

Moon wallows in self pity and also wonders if maybe he’s just bad at people and not made to have friends - and Sun can hardly comfort him, because he’s got it so easy with his crush friend. Instead Sun opts for talking smack about Y/N, trying to turn it around and make them the one unfit for people, and Moon half-heartedly takes it as comfort

Robin sometimes sighs about their prickly tenant who just seems to have decided he hates them from day one, and Dawn (forever causing problems even when things go well) just smoothly swoops in and declares “Why even worry about him, darling, when you have me?” with Robin joking along the lines of “So true, why don't you move in with me?” “Alas, the rules…” “Alas indeed.”

They’re all still idiots.

Stabbing: Similarly to main dynamic swap, there’s no tension in caring for Dawn and Robin, and his concern cranks up to 11 as a result. Robin nearly has to reassure him, and promises him to be back soon.

Moon frets, but doesn’t know how to even go about showing that concern, so Sun suggests the gift baskets - he’s getting one for Robin already (with the balloons and the flowers and Robin jokes about how the hospital staff asked if their partner sent it and they just semi-affirmatively laughed it off without explaining what kind of partner), and Moon just… Picks a small one and no card or anything, because he’s awkward, and Y/N just reads it as “ah, doing what’s polite/ adhering to social norms and that's it, he doesn't really care” (which Dawn insists his own gift basket more than made up for that, no?)

Sick Day: River is dying, because Dawn is back with his concern and trying to charm his way into getting information she refuses to give out. Someone help her please.

Moon hears Y/N, but doesn’t really dare to do anything - probably also has the canned soup, because those don't go bad and he’s a bit too unsure whether or not he’ll have the metaphorical guts to give them the food to go for something that would expire quickly. But when he hears them cough louder than before, and he checks the balcony, he finds them wrapped in a blanket sitting on theirs, watching the backyard (the feeder, to be exact, but he doesn't realize yet).

“You should be inside, it’s getting cold.”

“That’s what the blanket is for.”

“Still -”

“What do you care, anyway?”

He doesn’t really have an answer for that. Their phone pings, and they deflate under their blanket as they smile at the screen with a small sigh. Get up, and mumble something about fine, they'll go inside, balcony’s all his. There’s no birds anyway. That’s when he looks and sees the feeder is out of food, because Y/N was too sick to refill.

He makes up his mind - and while Y/N is busy being confused by their doorbell ringing to the very subtle anonymous canned soup delivery, he’s sneaking into the garden to refill the birdseed, and when Y/N goes to bed that evening they hear a few birds chirp, and wake up to even more. Neither really mentions it, though the gesture is not forgotten

Overtime: Moon’s starting to stack his anxieties now, after Y/N’s hospital visit and their flu and now their mysterious disappearance his regret at how he handled that initial noise complaint really starts to grate at him. He withdraws further and doesn't even consider contacting Y/N lest he pushes them away further, and Sun tries to reassure him that surely their absence has nothing to do with him.

Dawn meanwhile doesn't pull any metaphorical punches and point blank tells Robin that he doesn't like how reckless they are with their health and they whine how they know, but fortunately being pretty is not a free pass to not do their paperwork, as he would know best.

“Flattery will not get you out of this, darling. I don’t enjoy seeing you like this.”

“Guess with eyebags like these I stopped being pretty a while ago anyway.”

He tilts up their head, making them look at him instead of their paperwork.

“You always are, dear. But I’m sure I’m not the only one concerned with your lack of self care, and I think you should sleep in an actual bed to recover.”

Robin glances away, half frowning - and he probes again, what's on their mind? Well, first they wanted to say he is the only one, but… they don’t actually know, because their tenant actually did something nice for them the other time and they're really not sure what to make of him.

Dawn is bristling just a bit - that’s his little thief, and that tenant really has too bad of a track record to steal them away. But then he thinks of Moon, and sighs.

“Maybe he’s just not used to people, and doesn’t know how to handle things. Maybe you should go home and reassure him you haven't suddenly died, just in case. I’ll see you after you've had a full night of sleep, and if you don’t look better then I’ll be forced to take drastic measures.”

“Like?”

“Hmm, maybe I’ll have to kiss it better.”

“Well, don’t threaten me with a good time -”

“You’re delirious, darling. Go sleep, and we’ll talk.”

Moon, when he next sees Y/N at home, just relaxes on the spot and sighs a little “You’re okay.” and Y/N kind of. ducks their head and mumbles a little sorry, and how they'll let him know next time if they stay out for a couple days.

Reveal wise they get the sped up version too - Moon doesn't see Y/N get the matching trinkets, because it’s Robin who pickpockets them on the job. Maybe a little suncatcher, for the joke - or even a windchime, for the challenge. Point is, they get one for Dawn and one for themself, and when they get home they’re ready to put it up in the backyard (in a suncatcher’s case, far away enough from the feeder to not scare away the birds). Moon catches them, and recognizes the trinket, and before he can stop himself he blurts out

“You’re Robin?”

Y/N of course freezes, and turns to him with a stonewall of an expression, too caught up in the whiplash their mood just went through from happy to absolutely terrified. Moon reacts similarly - he takes a few steps back, tense and wide eyed, and starts apologizing. Suddenly a lot clicks into place, but now he might not have ruined any chance he could have still had with Y/N, but also ruined Sun’s friendship with them because of his blunder.

Y/N meanwhile glances from him to something behind him, slightly in their periphery - the match to the trinket they’re still holding, dangling in the boys’ window. A lot clicks into place for them, too.

“Moon.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to -”

“Moon. It’s okay. Let’s talk inside, before the neighbors hear.”

The walk back into Y/N’s half of the house feels somewhat like a walk to the gallows, for both of them. Moon wakes up Sun and frantically conveys as much as possible in a few seconds, which. does not go over well.

Sun is freaking out, Moon is freaking out, and while Y/N is busy shutting the door, he collapses, hands on his head as he tries to keep the sun rays in that do their best to jut out as both fight for control, driven by the urge to fix things or run or somehow be less alone, maybe all of it.

Now Y/N is freaking out too - they kneel in front of him, just hovering, watching his eyes flicker. They may not know the boys history, may not know about Eclipse, but they realize that whatever this is, it isn’t good.

“Moon, Moon, I swear you’re okay, it’s not your fault, I’m not mad.”

When that doesn’t help, they get out the big guns.

“Can you look around the room and find five things I’ve stolen on the job?”

It does reach him, but only because he feels they should know that the expert is currently screaming inside of his head, too. Not in so many words, however, as he’s still too close to a panic attack.

“Sun knows. Can tell me. Cheating.”

Sun, huh? Should have known.

“No shit, sherlock. Tell him he gotta tell you what job it’s from, and you gotta tell me, so focus on that anyway.”

And the boys do, and manage - and feel a little calmer after. Still all wound up, and Moon’s wringing his hands and Sun is quietly and mentally pacing, but Y/N manages half a smile.

“Better now?”

Just a nod in return.

“Okay. Okay, so I’m assuming you’re an agent too, and somehow I just. Missed that entirely. Because I’m an idiot.”

“Not an idiot.”

“Little bit of an idiot.”

“Not an idiot.”

Y/N makes note of the fact that even in a semiverbal state Moon insists on them not insulting themself, and earlier, keeping things fair and transparent. Their grin grows slightly exasperated, if amused.

“I’m saying this lightheartedly, and I’m not having a panic attack about it. Which I would like to address - just how badly did you think I’d react?”

Moon only ducks his head, staring at his hands.

“Moon?”

“Hate me.”

And Y/N’s heart kind of drops. They get it, they do - after all they thought the same from him, except he did things that proved that assumption wrong, and they… They didn’t really do anything.

“I don’t hate you. I thought - I used to think you hate me. I don’t, not anymore - and I’m sorry I didn’t do anything to make you realize I don’t hate you either.”

He’s looking at them then, and they smile, eyebrows turned up, half pleading.

“You feeling okay enough for some touch?”

They’re thinking of prying his hands away from each other, and maybe rubbing some soothing circles on the back of them. But when he nods, almost sharply, more mechanically than usual, he just half leans forward, arms opening in that silent request, and well, they can't really say no to that. Don't want to, either. So the soothing circles they rub on his back, full stop. He’s trembling at the start, but it subsides quickly, and then he mumbles “Still sorry.”

“And I’m still a little bit of an idiot, and we’ll just have to agree to disagree.”

His reaction is just the closest to a growl they hear from him, and they decide that the agree to disagree is on thin ice, and they better change the topic.

“Sun’s there, too?”

Another sharp nod against them, and then Moon shifts in their hold - and also switches. He needs some time to just process, too, without the pressure of being the one in control.

Sun starts withdrawing from the hug, but Y/N pulls him back in.

“You’re really not angry?”

He sounds so much smaller than they’ve ever heard him, so they squeeze him as they chuckle.

“If you give me a couple minutes to process all of this, I’ll think it’s hilarious. Why would I be mad you’re living here? Think we joked about how great that’d be multiple times before. We’ll figure it out.”

Sun is responsible for intel, looking for inconsistencies and hints to piece information together. Something nags at him.

“HQ never interfered.”

“So as long as we don't tell them anything that might force them to act, they probably won't.”

They’re on the same page - and they will figure it out. Sun embraces the hug then, pulling them closer, and just drinks in the reassurance. Moon does end up calling out of work that night, and they spent the time talking things out, but things are looking up for all of them now

#post let luce #dcamv #accidentally undercover #au alt timeline #au dynamic swap #ik i used dynamic swap au in post but i just realized that maybe au dynamic swap is better #but im also too lazy to change it in post #ill look for the alt timeline overview tomorrow to add these in #im a lil tired ngl #managed a comic (private gift) around work while chewing on a new isolated eclipse design that i hope to get to tomorrow #and then had to clean up this beast from discord formatting where i. care much less #but yes it's done and i now just wanna chill

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deathlessathanasia · 5 days

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I am personally super intrigued by the relationship between hera and athena in the iliad, especially how they have a positive "step mother/daughter" relationship: hera usually hates the children of zeus but likes athena and i found their interactions to be kind of sweet! i was wondering if you have any thoughts about that as well?

I find their overall dynamic very interesting, especially because usually Hera is incredibly angered by Athena's birth. Perhaps she gets along with her better than with say, Artemis and Apollo because Athena has no mother to whom she is loyal or whose interests she has to protect.

Imo, they can be the best and most formidable of allies when their interests align as in the Iliad, but they also wouldn't hesitate to turn against each other in other circumstances. I'm thinking of Athena tricking Hera into breastfeeding Herakles (which is a myth I find super gross and exploitative regardless of which god is responsible for it), the two of them competing against each other for the golden apple (apparently there is one representation of the Judgement of Paris on a 1st century BCE oinochoe where Hera is about to slap Athena across the face for some reason lol), or even Hera and Aphrodite mocking Athena for her looks (Fabulae 165). As Jennifer Larson says in „Understanding Greek Religion”, „In the Iliad, Hera and Athena are united in their hostility toward the Trojans, yet at the local level, conflicts between individual Greek cities can be expressed in terms of opposition between the two goddesses as civic deities. The idea occurs in a passage from Euripides' Heracleidae, when the suppliant Iolaos says to his Athenian host Demophon: Gods no lesser Than those of the Argives are our allies, my lord. For Hera, the wife of Zeus, is their champion, But Athena is ours. And I deem this too to be good practice, that we have better gods. For Pallas will not suffer herself to be defeated”.

So as is the case with many dynamics between the gods (and with virtually all of Hera's relationships), I believe things are complicated and far from straightforward between Hera and Athena, sometimes positive and sometimes conflictual and I like to keep that ambiguity there. Even in the Iliad where they are such close allies, the various references to Herakles and their respective involvements in his life indicate that things were not always that way. In all probability their relationship in the Iliad would have been quite different if they found themselves on opposing sides of the war; just consider how furious Hera is with her own son when he decides to support the side she hates.

#ask #hera #athena

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acorpsecalledcorva · 3 months

Text

While I do definitely wholly agree that no perspective or technique is universally useful and helpful for everyone, I definitely think there is value in being open to the perspectives and techniques that we've dismissed in a limited and specific way when we struggle.

For instance, I use parts language and view the system, including myself as a part as all being part of a collective singular me. It's why I tend not to use we/us a lot. I, and the other mes take ownership of all actions taken by petty much everyone in the system because this creates a sense of cohesion and continuality that allow us to function. It reduces daily amnesia because we're not constantly trying to distance ourselves from each other and generally reduces friction around decisions trusting that they're made with the system in mind rather than personally for each part. HOWEVER, I've always hated myself. I have incredibly negative opinions about who I am and punish myself a lot for just being me or not being a better version of me. Any mistakes I make are treated with severe prejudice and I don't accept nice things because I feel like I don't deserve them.

I would never treat anyone else like that though, I wouldn't think these things about a friend. And so for these issues it IS useful to view my parts as completely separate people, to think of them as friends or colleagues or family, because I can show them the compassion I cannot show myself. If an alter fucks up or does something harmful I can remember that they come from a history of pain and isolation, I can understand their actions and forgive them, think about what they might need from me to heal and help them move on because I truly believe that everyone is deserving of rehabilitation.

Sometimes though, I have to reverse engineer this situation. Often an issue with persecutors is that they feel rejected, their actions and behaviours were once a helpful coping mechanism but when our lives changed and we moved on it became less and less appropriate to do those things. They get stuck doing the only thing they know how to do and become increasingly frustrated that it's no longer working or being appreciated by the system. They're hostile to everyone else because they've been treated with hostility and aren't open to reconciliation because by that time it's like "oh what? Now you want to talk? Fuck you". To write them off is to confirm what they think about themselves. That they're bad and evil and so what's the point in getting better because they don't deserve compassion or acceptance from the system. Sound familiar?

So what do I do? Well, from my distanced perspective I then have to approach it with curiosity. Why might I behave this way? What scenario might lead me to do these things? What environment might convince me that this is a necessary thing to do? Can I find empathy with this position or similarities? Could that be a point of connection through which to make a connection? To show that I truly understand what they're going through and genuinely want to help?

Or even, am I subconsciously a willing participant in this dynamic? I hate myself, right? Do I think I deserve these things to do be done to me? At one point in time is this behaviour what I thought showing love was? Is this what it meant to be cared for to me back then? Does this situation feel safer to me in a way because pain and suffering is the devil I know?

In Existential Kink, Carolyn Elliott believes that we create painful scenarios for ourselves because our brains desire a more complete human experience, the good with the bad, and the more we conciously reject and resent the bad the more we desire it and create badness for ourselves. It is only by accepting this desire and gratifying ourselves by enjoying it and being grateful for the terrible things that happen that we can move on and seek out the good. Which is...definitely one of the takes of all time. I definitely take issues with the implications of victim blaming that are prevalent throughout her book, but there is insight to be drawn for sure. And in fact, the number one recommended approach to a persecutor is gratitude. To thank them for doing what they do, to show them that they're appreciated for their role and what they're trying to do, because from that position it may very well be more possible to provide constructive criticism. You have to mean it though, because by living in your head they can usually tell your true feelings.

And I completely understand why that might feel impossible to do when you feel like what they do is unforgivable, but there's a very important lesson that everyone needs to learn if they want to grow. And that's that sometimes it is up to us to take responsibility for a situation, even when we really shouldn't have to, even when it so completely isn't our fault or fair in the slightest. If what a persecutor needs to feel to change their behaviour is gratitude and acceptance, to feel that they really are a vital part of the system just like everyone else, and by providing this for them we can make things better for ourselves and the rest of the system, to create a net positive effect on all regards, then... shouldn't we? Not because of some moral duty to do the right thing or be the better person, but simply because things would be better?

Like, if there's a $1000 dollars on a table that's free for you to take, if you don't take it then no one will get it, it's only there for you to take or not with no judgement or consequences either way even if you feel like there will be, would you really not take it? And if not, then why? Do you think it's a trick? Do you think that you don't deserve it? You see how these all loop around and connect to each other?

This post is long and confusing because these situations are complicated and don't have any simple answers. All I'm trying to highlight and urge everyone to do is to never stop being curious. Always ask yourself questions, always approach something from a different angle. Especially when you come across obstacles that feel impossible. If anything that I've said feels completely wrong to you, rather than dismissing it as not being applicable to you ask yourself why you feel like it doesn't? If your persecutor is actually irredeemable and evil but mine are not, what makes you different than me? Is it easier for you to think that because then you don't have to put in the work? Does it make you feel special to have a kind of persecutor someone else doesn't? If what I'm saying right now offends you, is there a possibility, however small you think it may be, that deep down it might be true?

No, I don't think you can say for certain that every persecutor is a misguided protector, but what if the one you've decided definitely isn't actually is? What if you're wrong about them? What if you can fix it and make things better? Shouldn't you try? Why not?

#syscourse #system community #sysblr #actually did #did system #actually traumatised #persecutor

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