#and i don't remember them giving him a specific age? i assumed it was from a guidebook or from the original japanese or something

[stararise]

i joke about how the writers give hershel layton a new tragic backstory every ten years but also. sometimes i think about how weirdly regular it is and how he lost his family at 6 and his best friend at 17 and his girlfriend at 27 and let's not even get into what happened when he was 37. and i think about how the human brain is pattern seeking and how hershel layton sees the world in puzzles and how he has trained himself over decades to solve any puzzle he's given. and i wonder if he's ever put the pieces together, this character who has no idea he exists solely as part of a narrative, this man who has lost family and friends and significant others every decade of his life. and i wonder how he felt, a decade after unwound future, with an 8-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old son and another daughter whose age we don't know, when he turned 47.

#star says #professor layton #pl spoilers #hershel layton #fun fact forbodium happened when he would have been 56 #anyways the curse was broken bc he didn't get popsicled until he was 50. win! #jury's out on age 67 though (or 57 depending on how you count his age) #btw if you're wondering what happened when he was 37. azran legacy + unwound future. i don't think i need to explain #also if anyone knows where it was stated that he was 6 during the flashback let me know. the wiki says as much but it doesn't cite anything #and i don't remember them giving him a specific age? i assumed it was from a guidebook or from the original japanese or something #anyways the information works well with my post so i added it👍

[aihoshiino]

chapter 143 thoughts!

remember when tokyo blade was the longest most drawn out arc of oshi no ko. remember when that was our metric. i want to go back to those blissfully innocent days.

This chapter falls in line with a lot of other chunks of the Movie Arc where as a standalone tidbit of the story there are things about it that I like but taken in the greater context of everything around it, I have decidedly more mixed feelings on it. This is very much "chapter 123… 2!" with all that statement implies. If you liked 123, this will probably be like crack cocaine for you but if you were hoping for a more concrete resolution to what's going on with Aqua and Ruby then you're probably in the same boat as me in terms of coming away feeling frustrated.

Lacking resolution aside, I did really like a lot of what we got in this chapter, both in terms of the twins' relationship and as individual characterisation for them both. Immediately what stood out to me was Aqua's avoidant response to… well, basically everything Ruby says up to a point. It's funny to remember that he was the one who called Ai out on avoiding important conversations and yet here he is doing the very same thing. Like mother like son, huh?

Ruby's first line is also interesting. It definitely makes sense for her to fear a separation from Gorou given that it's basically happened twice now, but her specific fear that if she doesn't affirm his existence it will simply vanish implies a certain lack of security in his presence that I think is very interesting. We haven't really gotten enough time in Ruby's head for me to really dig into what that means for her, but I'm putting a pin in it nonetheless.

Aqua's response here also lines up with my prediction last chapter that we were heading for a rejection. Even if indirectly, he spends most of this chapter trying to turn Ruby away and shut her down without actually addressing her proposition, which I really don't blame him for lmao. Free my boy. Even when he does finally give Ruby an inch, so to speak, and start playacting as Gorou, it doesn't feel at all like a sincere moment of self expression. He's indulging her with a facsimile of their old dynamic, sure, but the actual words he's saying aren't particularly encouraging.

Of course, that's not how Ruby sees things. Or rather… That's not how Sarina sees things. She spends more or less this entire chapter with no stars in her eyes whatsoever. This makes a very interesting contrast with Aqua who, even in the moments that he identifies most strongly with his past self, never loses his stars. In this chapter, "Gorou Amamiya" is never anything more than an act for him but Ruby seems to have entirely returned to being Sarina, at least in this space.

Aqua snarks about her mental age not changing and I think this is truer then you might assume - I do think Ruby goes through a bit of a regression in this chapter and I mean this in an entirely value neutral sense. If you've ever returned to a place or people that defined a certain period of your life, it's very easy to find yourself slipping back into the mindset and behaviours that characterized you at that time. The quickest and easiest example of this is probably a person who lives on their own going back to their childhood home to spend the holidays with their siblings and parents. For better or worse, a return to old dynamics means a return to that old headspace - and that's just for regular people without any reincarnation baggage in the mix.

Ruby's experiences as Sarina have always been extremely foundational to her as a person and at least as of the private audition, she is characterized as seeing herself equally as both girls. So in a situation like this where she's finally getting to see and talk to Gorou again, it makes sense for "Sarina" to have taken the lead here.

As I've talked about before, this difference in how they individually view their reincarnation and how it affects their sense of self is always something that's had the potential to cause friction between the twins and we see it here, I think. The two of them aren't quite on the same page.

That said, this is a sweet conversation. It touches on the unique position the twins are in to give each other closure in a way nobody else really can. That said, it does feel really weird that this talk just… never happened before? I guess you could argue that this is a make or break point for their relationship and it took them being really pushed to have this honest of a talk but even then, I can't think of any real reason it didn't come sooner other than "the author didn't want it to happen yet".

i do have to ask though. where did aqua get those glasses. has he been wearing contacts this entire series and we never knew??

The question of to what degree the twins should be considered the people they were before their reincarnation has been a pretty consistent subject of debate in the fandom, particularly as pertains to Aqua. Wherever you stand on the issue though, I think Aqua is right when he says the Gorou Sarina wants him to be is a person who no longer exists. Too much time has passed and way too much has happened. Even removing reincarnation from the equation, there's not a person on this earth who's the exact same as they were 20 years ago. Living changes you just as much as dying does. Even if some intrinsic, unchanging core still exists, his experiences as Aqua Hoshino have changed him way too much for the "Gorou Amamiya" Ruby wants to see to be anything more than a performance.

more absolutely goated expression work from Mengo, btw: that wonky, rueful smile when Aqua first takes off Gorou's glasses. Sooooo good.

It's also just so so good to finally get some insight into what's going on with Aqua after he's been out of focus for so long. It's also really fantastic to finally see him let his walls down a bit and admit to some of the turmoil rolling around in his head. I think this is part of why we see him slip back into a single white hoshigan here; while the stuff he's saying here is concerning, it's honest. Possibly the most honest Aqua has been for a good long while and him finally letting himself be vulnerable with someone he trusts could be a really good positive step for him.

I say could be because… well, I don't think Ruby quite has a handle on how to help Aqua here. She's not even thinking of helping Aqua after all; she addresses him (in the Japanese text) as 'sensei' over and over to an almost excessive degree. Not only that but her responses to him are a little…

The core of this talk between Aqua and Ruby is the idea that Gorou-as-Aqua has changed in a way that leaves him unable to perform the role he once played in her life, while Ruby argues that nothing has changed. And like… to a degree, both of them are right and wrong. Gorou's core values are something Aqua inherited from him and they continue to drive him. But it simply isn't true that nothing has changed. Like I said up above: twenty entire years of living changes a person even before you factor in the trauma of Ai's death and everything Aqua has done to himself and other people in the name of avenging her. But this is something Ruby is unwilling or unable to see.

More great paneling work from Mengo: When Sarina hesitantly asks if 'Sensei' likes her, there is a very pointed beat panel of Aqua's face with his eyes hidden before he pops the Gorou act back on and goes 'uhhh yeah sure'. Once again, we see 'Gorou Amamiya' as avoidance and insincerity at least in the context of this chapter. It's an act Aqua is half-heartedly putting on but to Ruby-as-Sarina, this is the miracle of their reunion happening again before her eyes. And if they're 'Gorou' and 'Sarina' right now, what happens next shouldn't be a surprise.

And… this is the part of the chapter where I stop having nice things to say. Because believe it or not, I don't mind the kiss and I think in the context of this chapter, it makes a lot of sense and it helps to have had the story finally, explicitly lay down that this is 'Sarina' pursuing 'Gorou', at least from Ruby's POV. I also really liked the framing; that clashing of tones returns again, with the double spread shoujo looking kiss ruined by Aqua's pin-eyed look of alarm and dismay. This is the moment of tension breaking transgression the series has been building up to for over 140 chapters…

And we immediately cut away from addressing it. For at least one more week. I'm going to be really honest… this fucking infuriated me! It feels like an implicit admission that this is going to be needlessly dragged out even longer even though we finally had the perfect opportunity to properly address and solidify what is even going on with Aqua and Ruby right now. It feels like cynical reaction bait. It feels like a roided up version of 123 - throwing AquRuby shippers scraps so they'll keep reading while also avoiding undeniably canonizing an incest ship to not scare off the wider audience. My man has created the Schroedinger's Cat of incest. Is the guy in the box nailing his sister or not? Well gosh, you'd better tune in next week and maybe you'll find out!!!!

In short, the lack of resolution just sucks and the fact that it really seems like we're just leaving things there and moving on to something else makes me want to scream. The Movie Arc has been such an unfocused mess for so many chapters now and this really just takes the cake. Like… remember when this was supposed to be about Ai? Remember when this was supposed to be about finally digging into her past and her private life? If half the stuff in the script is just made up then why am I even supposed to get invested in what's going on in the movie in the first place?

At this point, I just desperately want this arc to be done so we can move on. Say what you will about Tokyo Blade's pacing, but at least that was focused and cohered with itself on a week to week basis. The Movie Arc by contrast feels so far removed from any of the ideas we started with that I have no clue what to expect or anticipate from it going forwards or if I should even bother to try.

#oshi no ko #oshi no posting #chapter reviews #onk spoilers

[knickknacksandallthat]

if you don't mind me asking, what got you into kevin's character?

for me it was actually your fic, but since its so normalized in the fandom to dismiss his trauma and call him a coward and annoying for doing things that other characters are loved for, i didn't really care about him when i first read the books

now hes my favorite

Oh, anon, I love this!! What an honor, I’m so glad to have helped you join the Kev lovefest 😊 (Welcome to the dark side lol!) It makes me so happy that the A Fallen Star series has awakened this in you! 💖

And wow, what a good question. I don't mind at all! I actually had to think about this for a while to try and remember…how the heck did I get here???

So here is my ridiculously uncalled-for POV on Kevin’s character and slow descent into madness below:

(Disclaimer that these are just my thoughts and anyone in the aftg fandom can hc or think whatever they like about Mr. Day 😊)

Like you, anon, I was easily swayed by Neil’s perspective of Kev on first read. It makes sense and is a credit to Nora how we so fully buy into Neil’s opinion of Kevin that many of us just run with it. And to be fair to the fandom, it’s canon – Andrew, Neil, and all the Foxes tell us he’s a coward and annoying and so we assume it must be true.

So, I created many fics that played into this image and focused on andreil. (Because who isn’t enamored with andreil??? Legit, deranged obsession and couple goals lmao). Using that lens, it was easy to make Kevin the punching bag because he is the quintessential “straight man” in comedy (and yes, I do hear the irony in that) – the foil to other characters to make them seem better, braver, funnier, smarter, etc. It’s an age-old trick/trope in fiction that works very well. And it was an easier transition for Nora to make, I think, once she made the decision to remove Kevin from the main narrative of her story.

This character setup works well enough when you’re doing a fic from Neil or Andrew’s POV, providing an easy source of humor to fall back on. So, for me, I think my thinking shifted once I started working on Flavors of Fall and delved into Andrew and Kevin’s storyline there. That fic forced me to think from Kevin’s perspective, and I found at the time I had a shallow understanding of what made Kevin tick. It totally threw me once I really started considering sequels for that fic and the 12 Day Program for Courtship, both of which have Kevin cast as a main character. I had to dive deep into his makeup, seriously considering his motivations, his likes/dislikes, his personality traits, his relationships, and how he would react in any given situation.

Because I was interested in his character development, I started delving into fics like orionauriga’s just pretend , @likearecordbb's Long Walk in the Woods, @thetrojeans daylights, sunsets, and @dayurno's the age of no regret series. They are all brilliant, fascinating character studies of Kevin Day and his relationships that are extremely well done. There’s many more, of course, but I was searching for fics that specifically delved into Kevin’s thought process and choices and stayed there a while.

That’s what led me to feeling like I needed to tell his story with Dead of Night. Of course, it turned into a larger series with my flavoring of Kerejean added because I’ve never been a huge Kevin/Thea relationship fan. (But that's a discussion for another day which you can start here and here for that adventure.)

Now all that I’ve described above gives you the mechanics of the descent – the when, the where, the how. But it crucially misses the why. What is it about Kevin that got me in the end?

Ironically enough, it was his potential.

I think when Nora stripped away any kind of romantic narrative (RIP Kandreil OR Riko/Kevin/Jean) or a chance for a tragic storyline (Kevin dying in the end) it resulted in removing a lot of Kevin’s emotional vulnerability. We don’t get to hear what he’s feeling or thinking unless it’s related to Riko, the Moriyamas, or Exy. This means his storyline is consumed by the stereotypical sports underdog story, with us following his rise to champion (which is still a powerful enough narrative on its own that shines even in the midst of Neil’s crazy plotline. Switching that racquet to his left hand in the championship game? Iconic.) 

However, it leaves us very much with a shell of a person. Kevin’s character outside of Exy is reduced to a handful of facts – there’s a passing comment on his like of history, and the stark evidence of an alcohol addiction as a coping mechanism. We’re told he used to dance. That he learned French because Jean Moreau taught him. That he has no qualms about taking (mild?) drugs (cracker dust). Despite how much we’ve run with it as a fandom, the only allusion I’ve found in the books to him being strict with diet is this section from The King’s Men:

“No one needs to eat this before a game,” Kevin said. “Eat some granola or protein if you’re that hungry.” “Hello, there’s protein in the peanut butter,” Nicky said. “Let go of me before I tell Andrew you’re outlawing chocolate. I said let go. You’re not the boss of me. Ouch! Did you seriously just hit me?” … “Kevin, just let him go,” Neil said. “It’s not worth fighting over.” “When our defense is sluggish, we all suffer,” Kevin said.

From what I can find in the books, Kevin never once denies Andrew eating ice cream. (Which I’m 100% able to admit I might have missed something so feel free to quote me where that scene is because I was totally searching for it). In fact, every time they go to Sweetie’s, it’s implied Kevin orders ice cream with them. In the infamous kissing scene in The King’s Men, we actually have proof that Kevin got ice cream:

Kevin still hadn’t messaged Nicky by the time they reached the ice cream aisle, so Nicky gave in and called him. Neil half-expected Kevin to ignore Nicky’s call, but Kevin wasn’t so sour with them that he’d turn down a free snack…Nicky grabbed spoons from the kitchen and distributed pints to their hungry owners. Neil checked his expression when Nicky came back from dropping Kevin’s off….

Now I do think it’s in line with his character and his upbringing to have issues with food, so I’m all for buying into that specific hc. But we have very little evidence of it in the text.

His personality is reduced mainly to anger, arrogance, or cowardice (all traits that don’t make us sympathize with him). The only facts we have about his Tragic Past™️ are two things: his mother’s death, and his hand injury. Everything else we assume is based on Neil’s knowledge of the mafia, Wymack’s hearsay, Andrew’s deductions, and Kevin’s reactions to Riko and Tetsuji. We have literally no idea what happened to Kevin in the Nest. His trauma and his time spent there is a complete mystery. The closest we get is Riko’s comment to Neil in The Raven King:

“I am going to love hurting you,” Riko said, “like I loved hurting Kevin.”

This, I think, is one of the main reasons many of the fandom “dismisses” Kevin’s trauma in comparison to Neil’s because we can’t see it. We don’t know what happened and we don’t get to experience it, so this lack of explanation or motivation leaves us only with very cold personality traits. We’re unable to root for him as a character because we can’t sympathize. We can empathize because we know Very Bad Things™️ must have happened in the Nest, but we don’t see them happen the same way we do Neil or Andrew. Even Kevin’s hand injury is old and “healed” when we’re first introduced to the character.

The only true canon moment where Kevin appears “human” is in The Raven King with Kevin’s “then run” and “you should be court” conversation with Neil. His admittance that Neil’s life is more important than Exy is instantaneous – he doesn’t even pause to throw his Exy dreams down the drain if it means Neil can survive.  In a weirdly parallel way, we see Kevin’s thought process implicit in his conversation: “at least you’d have a chance.” It is strikingly similar to Neil’s internal conversation of: one of us should make it. (And there’s another whole separate discourse I could get into on how Kevin and Neil are two halves of the same coin, but we’ll save that for another day.) But even the revelation of Wymack as his father has more shock value than true emotional weight – we never see what that conversation looked like or how either party actually reacted. (In some ways, I feel like Dan being pissed at Kevin is given more “screentime” than Kevin’s response to telling his father and how Wymack reacted.)

So with Kevin’s emotions and past firmly locked down, we’re left to brush off Kevin’s reactions (or lack thereof) as part of his indifferent personality. It is what it says on the tin. (And that’s not to say Kevin is a perfect character by any means. He has flaws just like every other character.)

Now some people very accurately depict and buy into those limitations as simply being Kevin’s character/personality – I’ve read some awesome fics where Kevin is Ace/Aro and/or on the spectrum. These are completely valid, extremely well done, and I could totally see why others see and write him this way. Canon practically sets them up for it.

For me, though, it circles back to our skewed view of Kevin given to us by some deeply loved but also deeply flawed characters (cough, Andreil). Those same characters that we’re told time and again not to judge them by their cover but to try and understand how they’re affected by (and make choices because of) their trauma.

While Andrew and Neil end up giving each other this grace through a hard-fought battle of truths and exchanges, they do not extend this same courtesy to Kevin, and neither are we given the chance to do so. We literally can’t because, again, we don’t know what the full extent of Kevin’s trauma is.

Kevin doesn’t talk about his time in the Nest to any character, meaning we know nothing about it. Ergo we don’t know what choices Kevin makes because of it. In The Foxhole Court, Wymack specifically tells us Kevin was Riko’s pet. In fact, there is so much specific language that Kevin himself uses around the concept of ownership, and that Nora uses when referring to him that it jarringly sticks out in the text.  He has no sense of personal space or proper boundaries, viewing people only as assets to be used for the good of the team, which at the very least is a sign of mental abuse. But the fact remains that we just don’t know. We don’t know how far this mental abuse was taken, how often or severely he was injured, if he injured or was forced to injure others – we don’t know.

But it’s obvious whatever happened to him started as a child and built from there. Which means he has years of abuse and power dynamics embedded into him. He has every right to be afraid. In fact, we are demonstrably told and shown often in canon that Kevin is afraid…but fear does not equate to cowardice. In fact, we know that bravery often means being scared and doing something anyway. And in many cases, that’s just what Kevin did (with a crutch named Andrew). But even before he entered his deal with Andrew, it's important to remember that even though he was brainwashed and beaten from a young age to understand that he would die if he betrayed the Moriyama family in some way, he left them.

This is always so significant to me because so many abuse victims stay in their situation thinking/hoping/praying it will get better – either because of an idea that their abuser will change (“they’re just having a hard time at work rn”) or that the victim will fix whatever flaw the abuser finds lacking. Or alternatively, they recognize the situation is bad, but they can’t leave because they feel like they have nowhere to go, no one who will help them, trapped by their lack of skills/contacts/money. In Kevin’s case, both situations rang true. And yet he left. He left, and in only a year and a half’s time he recovered from his injury and led his team to the championship.

But he is only at the start of his recovery. I think he’ll need years of therapy to recover from all that happened in the Nest. I think many of his emotional and social shortcomings are a direct consequence of that timeframe and he did not have the freedom to address them until the threat of the Moriyamas was removed. I do not think they are permanent parts of his personality – I think in time, he will be allowed to grow and recover and contribute much more to his relationships than he’s capable of doing at the end of The King’s Men.

Though the series finished, I think Kevin’s story is just beginning.

That’s why I think he’s fascinating to explore as a character. That’s why I love writing him right now because in many ways, his possibilities are endless. There’s so many opportunities to explore different facets of his story that we never get a chance to in canon. Kevin’s character and narrative is a tantalizing tease which many of us have fell hook, line, and sinker for. (Including yours truly.) We want to rabidly sink our teeth into it and shake it, like a dog with a bone.

So we do. 😉

Phew. Okay, that’s enough. None of what I’ve written above is new I’m sure to those of the fandom who have been here since the beginning or have become diehard Kevin fans. But thank you for letting me ramble in this ask, anon. Writing about Kevin has been a very fun and therapeutic adventure for me. So I’m so glad that there are others out there who are enjoying it too 😊

#thanks for coming to my TED talk about Kevin Day #it could actually be an entire series but you know...character limits #kevin day #tumblr asks #lovely people #thanks again for the ask anon! #aftg #all for the game #neil josten #andrew minyard #david wymack

[partywithponies]

BEGGING U TO ELABORATE ABOUT THE WHIFFERDILLS

OKAY OKAY listen. listen. I'll give you the brief version.

Whifferdills, originally from the Doctor Who comics, where things can get already get really weird and conceptual, are one of the most alien alien species in the Whoniverse, even by comics standards. They're shapeshifters, right? Nothing new or strange in sci-fi. Except usually when a shapshifting character or species is plot relevant and lore-important, the writer will write in some kind of limitation to their powers. Some kind of set of rules. But when it came to Whifferdills, they just... didn't.

Whifferdills can be anything. Literally. They can be inanimate objects. They can be puddles of liquid. They can be microbes. They can be the size of mountains. They don't seem to have one set default form that they revert back to, they're supposed to be always changing. Frobisher staying in one form most of the time is established to be him just being a little freak by his own species's standards, and even then, the form he stays in is. A penguin. Because he just likes penguins. Whifferdills don't age, at least not physically, unless they actively choose to, because they have conscious control over what their own bodies do at all times. They are functionally immortal. They are almost impossible to kill. Try to throw them off a cliff and they'll shapeshift instantly into something that can fly. Try to drown them and they'll shapeshift into something with gills. Throw them into a vacuum and they'll shapeshift into something that doesn't need to breathe at all. They don't inherently need to breathe at all. Shoot them or stab them and they'll just shapeshift the wound closed. In his first story Frobisher shapeshifts into a burger and survives someone literally eating part of him and is entirely unaffected outside of being mildly annoyed.

All this to say, Whifferdills are weird as hell and OP as shit. There is literally no reason to assume they reproduce sexually or organically. Why would they even? How would pregnancy even work, in a being whose body is by design supposed to be ever-changing? And how can you spend half your existence living as insects or cash registers and still have a concept of gender? Again, why would they even?

And to bring up just a few specific moments: in one comic, Frobisher (in penguin form) mistakenly believes he's laid an egg, and The Doctor (with the air of someone who's had to explain this before) tells Frobisher that this is impossible, because he's a male penguin, and Frobisher still seems a little confused by this. And to be clear, Frobisher is supposed to be highly intelligent. Frobisher is a notorious wanted criminal. Frobisher is a professional private detective. The Doctor sees Frobisher more as an equal and a partner than a companion. Frobisher plays chess against the TARDIS for fun. And Frobisher struggles to remember the difference between male and female penguins, the species he has a vaguely autistic special interest in.

And in the Big Finish audio The Maltese Penguin, Frobisher makes an offhand comment about he finds the humanoid form particularly tricky, because they have all these "odd dangly bits" that he can't see the purpose of.

I put it to you that Whifferdills do not even have a concept of biological sex or gender, because it's just so far outside of their perception of life and the universe. The TARDIS just translates Frobisher as "he" and Francine as "she" for the benefit of us the audience and the benefit of people like Peri, who in return could not even begin to fully comprehend the lived reality of a Whifferdill.

#doctor who

[halfagone]

Alright, so this is what I got for a prompt so far. When Dan first traveled to the past, the magic users got -visions-. It wasn’t particularly long or descriptive, and everyone’s visions slightly differed based on how powerful they are, but they all shared one thing in common; a tall imposing figure who was surrounded by green fire, laying waste to any and everything around him. The most frightening part was when the their back turned, revealing blood red eyes and vampiric fangs to match, with a mysterious D shaped insignia encompassing the man’s center. Naturally, a meeting is called immediately and the league freak out, but no matter how how hard they try, they can’t seem to find the man from the vision, until a young teenager with snow white hair and glowing green eyes fighting a meta who can…control boxes?

What do you think?

Oh! So this is like- they got visions of Dan specifically, correct? Oh, now that's a way to go! Everyone is super freaked out about this threat, wondering how soon or far into the future this may come. (Visions are rarely so kind as to give you a time stamp of events, after all, and most dystopian futures start to blend together at some point in terms of destruction.) They scour all the information they have, by mortal and supernatural means alike, and they can't find anything that points to this sort of figure. That is, much like you said, until someone points out some kid with similar white hair- but with bright green eyes- fighting some guy that controls boxes. That's already pretty strange, but then the kid sucks the (possible) meta into a soup thermos of all things? It's been a strange day.

Obviously they talk with the kid, and try to figure out everything that's going on. The kid is really nice, goes by the name of Phantom, and apparently he's some kind of ghost? The Justice League will need to get some JL Dark members in to collaborate how true that is. Everything is going fine- pleasant even!- until someone makes a point about how late it is in the day and Phantom exclaims about how "oh no! I'm gonna miss curfew! My parents are gonna kill me!"

And then the kid says his goodbyes and runs off before anyone can ask him how that's possible. Ghosts can have parents? It makes sense that they would have it in life, but in death as well? Hm...

But then they think about it some more. You know... This Phantom kid... He does look an awful lot like that guy from the vision (maybe Martian Manhunter used his telepathic abilities to share the image/vision to the rest of the Justice League, up to you to decide). But some things don't exactly match, possibly because of the age difference, possibly because they aren't the same person (remember that Dan is technically a mixture of Vlad and Danny's ghosts, and that's why he looks the way he does).

Maybe, just maybe... this figure is Phantom's father?!

They don't want to assume right away, jumping on the bandwagon without evidence can lead to disastrous results after all, but then they meet up with Phantom a couple more times and they, carefully, prod for more information about his family and home life, and they learn that Phantom's parents... are not good people. Phantom is quick to defend them, but it's not very reassuring when Phantom makes remarks like, "Oh they never actually hit me or anything. They have terrible aim, and I'm great at dodging!"

They do not realize that Danny is referring to his parents' guns. As far as they know, Danny's 'parents' have powers like him, if they are ghosts as well (Zatanna has already explained that ghosts can have parents in the afterlife, and they usually take after them in skills and abilities, if not in power as well).

This does not help the misunderstanding. If anything, it makes it worse.

Now they've gotten it into their heads that Danny is trying to be a hero, against the rest of his family's wishes, and they are very displeased with this but still care too much to send him out on his own (ghostly instincts, perhaps?). They're trying to convince Phantom to find another way out, that this isn't healthy, and that surely you can get support from other people if you need ectoplasm.

And Danny- he doesn't realize the misunderstanding they've concocted between themselves. While he's still very insistent that his parents don't mean to hurt him, he's starting to have doubts. Are they right? Are his parents really that bad?

He's starting to have less and less faith that it isn't true as time goes on and he's now more aware to their less than stellar behavior.

It's not a fun realization.

Meanwhile, Bruce is trying very hard not to adopt this child on sight, because dammit it's a kid it's a dead kid with awful parents and if that's not adoption bait then Bruce didn't know what was anymore-

#halfagone replies #dpxdc #dpxdc au #this one's fun lol

[tired-reader-writer]

Arslan Senki Chapter 125

So I meant to do this last night but apparently I had accidentally hit the daily tumblr post limit, and was stuck unable to post or reblog anything up until now! I AM FREE, MUAHAHAHAHA.

I will be cannibalizing the discussion @innerchorus and I had in our DMs since all of that was what I meant to put in the post all along, though I'm running a bit low on energy so I won't be weaving screencaps into the post.

One of the first things that stuck out to me was how humble the residence of Arslan's birth parents was, when I read spoilers and it said “knight”, I had assumed something... a little larger than that. Nothing grand, not a mansion or anything, they weren't prominent knights, but... not this. I wonder what the social standing of “knights” in general are? Zaravant also described himself as a knight, iirc. Though it's likely that knight in this case was used to refer to a warrior in general than a specific caste/rank? Maybe cavalry officers of any rank were deemed knights?

I apologize for jumping backwards but oh, oh man I want to hug Arslan so bad. His face! The way Arakawa took the time and panel space to really show how he tried to hold his reaction back. He's trying to be composed and he succeeds. Even something of this caliber (even if he did suspect it all along) didn't make him lash out. He has incredible self-control, or maybe he's just too used to setting his own feelings and reaction aside. I don't think he's repressing it here though, rather he's facing it head-on.

(I wonder how Andragoras even managed to find Arslan, and that swiftly, too.)

Turns out the marzban thing was a translation error, which is good because I was raising my eyebrow skeptically at that panel when I first read it.

Man something about the memory and deaths of a family who were basically exploited just vanish away, paved over and buried. There's just something so relevant to my interests and the themes of Wolfpack about this all. The clan is all about remembering and protecting those the world would've deliberately chosen to forget, after all.

Also, Arslan's father wasn't prepared to raise his own child? Boo. Wolfpack!Shapur was twice the single father by age 22, LOL. (I jest, it would've been harder for him than it would've Shapur, considering the financial situation and the fact that he doesn't have people he can leave the baby to when out at battle or something. It's natural for him to be worried. I'm sure he saw this as the best path possible, and hey, his son will be a prince! Surely a better life than he could ever lead as the son of an insignificant knight.

Arslan considering the notion of Andragoras possibly planning to sire another male heir... I don't have any intelligent commentary to give on the matter but I found it interesting. Perhaps another king in Andragoras' shoes might've done it. Gotarzes certainly did.

Tahamenay sure did go through a lot, and the dehumanizing lenses everybody saw her through meant that she was villified and demonized for just trying to survive (or just existing, period! the things that happened to the shitty men in her life was NOT her fault) She's not my fave, no, but I do feel for her. Like, her homeland got annexed! As someone from a country that got occupied by both Britain AND Japan and suffered under them, that really resonates with me. And while Pars fights for its freedom (and it should, I'm not arguing otherwise), Badakhshan???? Still under occupation for more than sixteen years, if I'm correct. There's just something heartbreaking about it.

Arslan confirming that his wet nurse and her husband being purposefully murdered to tidy up loose ends! And he's rightfully angry at the answer— we don't see his face in full, his eyes are shadowed when he asks the question, he clenches his hands when he hears the answer, and grits his teeth too. I may be reading too much into this but the agony on Tahamenay's face being replaced by cold distance when she said “They were. To avoid any complications later.”, the almost clinical way she delivered it, it's such a stark contrast from her emotion mere moments before. Maybe, just maybe, the delivery of the truth on top of the truth itself was what set Arslan off (though of course, he still does not act on it). Maybe there's something to be said about the disregard of “insignificant” lives.

I think Tahamenay has shut her feelings down, and her daughter is the only thing she'll let herself feel anything over. The sheer trauma and the constant bombardment of such vitriol from all angles meant that completely shutting down all emotion was... probably the only way to cope. Conceal it, don't feel it.

The thing is, though, even if he were to “Arslan: exit stage left” out of this conflict, where would he go? I'm sure he'd have little problem finding happiness in a humble life, he's never been one to care about stuff like birthrights and status, but where would he go???? The people he loved before his life as a prince are gone. Wet nurse and husband, dead. Everyone else? The kids he played with? Probably don't even remember him anymore due to the distance (I assume they didn't know he was the prince). Would he even be able to recognize them anymore? And would Team Arslan follow him into exile? There is technically an out, yes, but it's not a meaningful one. Just like how Hilmes is trapped in his own identity, Arslan also is, though Hilmes chose to build his own cage and Arslan was unknowingly put into it. And there's something to be said about how both their claims/identities were laundered. Hilmes is not the son and heir of Osroes. Arslan does not possess royal blood.

@innerchorus pointed out that Tahamenay was offering Arslan what she would have chosen herself (and this lines up with novel canon where she retreats to her homeland and distances herself from court), and it makes sense, this was a game she never asked to play. Still, it's just really sad that Arslan can never truly go back to who he was before all this.

I also loved the way his dialogue was paired with the internal monologue in black panels, even if I can't quite put my finger on why. That part was brilliantly done. (Maybe the way the “camera” comes closer and closer to his face as he proceeds?)

And the way that Tahamenay was prepared to receive angry words and even physical violence as a matter of course, it either speaks to her own guilt about the situation, OR the way she was treated so shittily by all the men and people in her life. Or maybe it is both. A brilliant moment of characterization, where she is shaped by her experiences and is in turn, blinded by them. Arslan is not that kind of person. He bows to her, and then leaves.

I have nothing to say about Kishward's worried face, but Arslan declaring his will is such a powerful moment. I'm reminded of a very early Narsus moment that's very relevant, I went and dug this out from my reread tag:

Here's what I had to say about it back then:

“What Narsus basically means here is: State a concrete vision, a cause, a goal, and people will naturally gather round to support it— to garner allies, you must basically broadcast what it is that you wish to achieve.”

And Arslan here is doing just that. Fantastic.

I know I said no screencaps in this post but I couldn't help it! It's such a powerful moment.

Arslan has really grown into his role and he's embodying the counsel Narsus gave him all those chapters ago!

And Hilmes, I see, is having a not-so-spectacular time.

The way Osroes spoke of Hilmes makes my skin crawl. He doesn't even deign to refer to the boy as “he”, and “send the thing to meet its true father” is just. YIKES. It's not the child's fault he was born into shitty circumstances, Osroes! How could he have raised Hilmes all those years (eleven!) with no outward sign of contempt, and just. Never develop any sort of attachment to him? No hesitation? Maybe it's the fever that's making it worse but I don't believe it was all delirium which just makes it worse. I hate Osroes.

Andragoras really did it as revenge, which seals the deal that he is, in fact, speaking the truth. It's just like him, and loathe as Hilmes is to admit it, he does realize that. This boy too deserves hugs. SOMEBODY COME HUG YOUR PRINCE.

And even still, even as his world is crumbling around him with no preamble, he still has enough headspace to process and start piecing the pieces together. Hilmes has POTENTIAL, he's a good commander and this right here shows his intelligence and relative ability to keep it straight in stressful conditions (relative, because of his whole consumed by revenge thing). If only he wasn't led astray perhaps, he could've made a good Shah. He unfortunately harbors some very typical biases about social class or whatever, but perhaps it could've been given a chance to change. But as things are now, his chance of being a Shah at all is...

Another Arslan-Hilmes parallel: they're both refusing to back down even as their lack of claim is revealed, and though the refusal stems from very different emotional roots there's a commonality in that they keep at it because if they stop now then what did all those people fight for? Though, Arslan's motive is selfless (he's doing it because it's his duty to the people who gave so much for him) while Hilmes' is selfish (it's tied to his sense of self-worth).

And Hilmes putting things together (so close, so close!) signifying his refusal to give up, that's what spurs Andragoras into action.

Man, what a fucking chapter, amirite?

Now with all that out of the way—

ITTY BITTY BABY BABY BABYYYYY HE'S BARELY LARGER THAN A COIN POUCH (and if we remove the swaddling cloth he might actually be smaller oh godddd) like I would've made infant Areyan tiny anyways but ohhhh god I'm about to cry. He's so huggable. I WILL SOB.

#arslan senki #the heroic legend of arslan #heroic legend of arslan #arslan senki spoilers #lil tufts of hair! so adorable #those cheeeeeks #arslan #tahamenay #andragoras #hilmes

[rayneboo515]

"Hello," someone called out.

My eyes opened slowly, I flinched slightly at how bright this *place* was. I sat up after my eyes finally adjusted and took a couple glances around.

*White*

That's all there was just pure unfettered white encasing everything.

"Hello!" the voice said again, making me jump.

I turned around slowly and looked up to see a tall figure standing above me.

I carefully stood up and made eye contact with the entity.

"It's quite rude to ignore me, young one."

"Sorry, I uh- I just- I'm just very confused." I managed to respond. My face felt hot with embarrassment at my stuttering.

"No need to worry, I am going to give you a *small* gift." They seemed to place unnecessary emphasis on small. "I am going to reincarnate you into another wor-"

"Well that's cliche." I interrupted subconsciously. "Sorry, continue."

They seemed to smile at me and then resumed what they were saying.

"I'm going to reincarnate you into a very specific world, one I believe that you will enjoy very much, much more than your original one," they resumed with a warm tone. "It's the world of Bungo Stray Dogs, now would you like anything before I send you off?"

I thought silently for a moment.

"Two things." I held up a couple fingers to them. "To stay my age and to be able to copy and use anyones ability."

The entity stayed quiet for moment, as if lost in deep thought.

"I shall accept your request," they said finally. "Your ability shall be designated, 'what's yours is mine'."

"Thank you." I gave it a low bow.

"Don't worry about it, now off you go," they responded warmly, placing a hand on my head.

My mind went blank and my eyes, dark. I don't think I could hear anything either.

Before I could register anything else, I felt something soft underneath me.

My eyes opened and I seemed to be exactly where that *god* said I would be. I decided to dub that entity a God.

Waves of nostalgia crashed over me as I recognized my surroundings.

I was in Yokohama, a place I had only known from the anime and manga. The wind carried a faint scent of the sea, mingling with the city's clamor.

As I slowly got up, I knew that my adventure in the world of Bungo Stray Dogs was about to begin.

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"I'd like a coffee, please." I smiled, hiding my familiarity with the owner's face.

Without missing a beat, the owner grinned and agreed, "Coming right up!

I nodded and turned around, taking a good look at the cafe. Everything seemed to be the exact same as I remember.

This is the cafe directly under the Armed Detective Agency.

I thought about it quite a bit, where would I fit in more? The A.D.A or Port Mafia?

Most would assume I chose the Armed Detective Agency.

Not quite.

Unfortunately, I'm not exactly *qualified* for the agency's entrance exam.

"Here you are ma'am." I turned around to the cafe owner placing a warm cup of coffee in front of me.

He gave me a warm smile.

"Thank you," I replied, giving him a smile in return.

Right as I was about to pull my cup up to take a sip I heard the door open.

I glanced at the door and saw two *very* familiar faces.

Ranpo and Dazai.

My eyes widened. It truly sunk in that I was truly here in Bungo Stray Dogs.

The people who were completely untangable, are now in the same cafe as me.

"You really are an idiot, Dazai," Ranpo laughed, walking confidently infront of the taller man.

Dazai grinned and agreed following Ranpo to their table.

As they walked past me I avoided eye contact, feeling their eyes burning into my back.

Once they sat down I regained my confidence and got up, my eyes locked on them.

With long, confident strides, I walked over to them; stopping right in front of their table.

My heart was pounding so hard I swore they could hear it.

Ranpo tilted his head, eyeing me with a curious yet smug look. Dazai, giving a quick glance at Ranpo, smiled with a relaxed expression.

"Your Ranpo and Dazai, I believe." I queried whilst attempting to hide the fact that my legs were shaking.

"Who's asking?" Dazai tilted his head slightly, keeping an uncannily relaxed aura.

"I apologize, I should've introduced myself properly." I bowed my head slightly. "I just moved here, my name is Casillas Rayne, but you can just call me Rayne."

"Who cares," Ranpo rolled his eyes, "do you need something, cause you're holding us up."

"Ranpo you need to be more respectful, at least keep quiet if nothing else," Dazai shushed him, glancing at me with an apologetic expression. "Don't mind him, he's not very good at human interactions."

I laughed. "No, no it's fine. I don't mind it at all, I can appreciate his bluntness."

"Yeah, Dazai," Ranpo pouted," you're so rude. "

"Now," Dazai interrupted, turning his attention onto me. "I'd like to know how you know who we are."

I was quiet for a second, not very long but enough for them to notice.

"I heard about you two from someone." I replied, immediately noticing their suspicion.

"No you didn't," Ranpo said instantly afterwards, "huh, that's weird, I can't seem to figure out how you know us."

Dazai eyed me suspiciously for a split second, barely long enough to even notice it.

"Yeah that was kind of a lie," I replied, "but I mean someone did technically tell me about you."

"In any case, I just wanted to greet you; y'know before I become your enemy." I laughed.

Dazai seemed to narrow his eyes.

"Alright well," I smile, "it’s about time for me to leave. Hope you have a nice day."

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"Hey, woah," I said, pulling away from the guards. "Hands off, ya creeps."

They reached toward me with their teeth gritted.

"Stop," I heard a familiar voice call out. "Leave her be."

With one last smug, satisfied glance (which received a couple irritated looks), I turned my gave towards the man who was sitting at a large desk on the other end of the room. He wore a clean, black, expensive looking suit with a red tie casually hanging untied around his neck.

I tilted my head at him, questioningly.

"You tried to casually walk into the Port Mafia's base," He said, his voice was cold and laced with venom. "I'm assuming you knew that though, since you weren't very afraid of the guards." He nodded his head towards the irritated guards on either side of the large doors.

I laughed, "They were strangely weak, what's up with that?" I gave him a quizzical look.

His face seemed to gain a semblance of a smirk.

"Interesting, I suppose I might need to replace them," he replied, his voice no longer sounding cold. "Unfortunately though, they were considered to be the best out of my staff."

"Yikes, I guess anyone can get into the Port Mafia as long they have some semblance of strength." I couldn't help but laugh. "But you don't mean in general, you mean the best out of the foot soldiers."

His eyebrows raised slightly, barely enough for me to notice. "Let's get to the point, shall we?" He replied, eyeing me up and down. "Why exactly are you here, you were seen talking to Detective agency members so you can understand our caution."

"Yeah, 'spose that's fair." I laughed, "I'm here to join your ranks, sir." I placed exaggeration on sir.

"Why should I hire you," he sat up in his chair, looking (somehow) more professional. "This is still a business, you'd at least need a resume." He seemed to be testing me, watching how I react.

"I have a powerful ability and I have information on the Armed detective agency." I eyed him, hoping that would be a good enough response.

"What's your ability then," he questioned, giving a glance to the right.

I followed his gaze, noticing a small, blonde haired girl who was coloring with crayons. "It's called 'what's yours is mine'," I replied, returning my gaze to the older man. "I can copy people's abilities."

He stayed quiet for a moment, thinking.

After a moment he spoke: "And this," he paused, "intel. Where did you get it from."

"I got it myself," I responded, confidently. "However a magician never shares their tricks."

"What is your name?" He stood up, eyeing me seriously, cautiously even.

"Rayne, Casillas Rayne," I replied, lowering my head slightly in respect.

"Rayne, I am Mori Ougi, and now your boss." Mori said, still standing. "Bow, and I shall give you a gift."

I lowered myself, sitting on one knee with my down.

After a moment I felt a large trench coat start to cover my shoulders.

"Stand, girl."

I stood.

"You are now part of the Port Mafia." He said. I could've sworn that the slightest bit of emotion crossed his eyes when they crossed over the coat.

"Thank you, boss." I replied. With a shallow bow I turned to leave.

"Rayne."

I turned around.

"Say an oath to the Port Mafia."

"An oath?" I asked, then it hit me. *Dazai*.

"Yes a promise to stay in the Mafia." He replied, heading back over to his desk.

I nodded, understanding exactly why he asked this of me. I kneeled with a fist over my heart. "I will never leave the Port Mafia and be completely loyal to Mori Ougi." I glanced up at him, silently waiting for his response.

"You may leave."

I nodded, stood, and left.

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"Rayne, right?" The ginger asked, eyeing my coat.

I smiled. "Yep, Nakahara Chuuya, right?"

"You already know my name," Chuuya laughed, "did Mori tell you?"

"Nope."

He tilted his head slightly, giving me a curious look.

"Don't ask," I laugh, "I won't tell."

He shook his head, "Geez you remind me of someone."

"Oh?"

"Yeah an annoying someone."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I smiled, enjoying his reaction.

"I didn't compliment you," he grumbled, "whatever, I got a job from Mori and we're supposed to do it together."

"Oohh~" I replied, "what are we doing?"

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Thank you for reading this far ❤️

If you enjoyed this then please give this a lil heart

#bungou stray dogs #chuuya nakahara #chuu #dazai osamu #bsd dazai #bsd chuuya #bsd #dazai #Osamu

[codenamesazanka]

Hi! sorry to trouble you but do you know where in the manga/anime its mentioned that Dabi's appearance is what led the villain's bar to be discovered? I tried looking it up a few months ago with no luck. If this is too much to ask do ignore this I don't want to bother you 😭😭 I love all the writing you do on the LoV 🫶

Thanks for the ask! It's no trouble at all!

It's never stated explicitly, but we can infer from this page from Chapter 83, right after the Forest Training Camp Raid:

I'll transcribe the image because it's literally just Detective Tsukauchi giving All Might the whole thing via a phone call:

All Might: Sorry. What's up... Tsukauchi? Tsukauchi: I'm getting statements from your two colleagues right now, but... we're got a shocking developing in the case! We may have pinpointed... The League of Villains' hideout. About two weeks ago, one of my men was out canvassing for information. One witness saw a man with a "patchwork face" enter a building. A building that didn't have any tenants. We searched the database for convicted criminals around 20 years of age, but none fit the profile. When we contacted the building owner, we learned that there's a bar inside. A hidden one, though, like a shelter. It didn't seem connected to the investigation at the time, so we moved on, but now... That description matches one of the villains who kidnapped your student! Given the situation, we're going to raid the place as soon as we've got enough evidence! This is all top secret, but I figured you should know!

So what happened was this:

About two weeks before the Forest Training Camp Raid, a rando saw someone with a 'patchwork face'. We can safely assume this is Dabi, given the stitches all over his eyes and jaw; no one else in the League matches that description as fittingly.

The civilian saw Dabi enter a supposedly empty building. Later, when the police come poking around, this civilian gives a description of Dabi, as well as pointing out the building. The police - specifically Sansa, the cat heteromorph policeman - records all this down.

The police checks out the building, and finds that it even has a hidden bar. However, because Dabi hasn't made his public debut a Villain, nor as part of the League of Villains yet, the police deem this information irrelevant to their investigation of Shigaraki Tomura (who, as far as the police know at this moment in time, is still working with only Kurogiri, and could be plotting from the sewers of Siberia). The police set it aside.

Two weeks later, the League of Villains attack the Forest Training Camp Raid. Dabi (or rather, the clone Twice made of him) attacks Eraserhead and Vlad King. They both get a good look at him.

In the aftermath, the police interview Eraserhead and Vlad King. In the image above, you can see them in the interrogation room with Tsukauchi and Sansa.

Eraserhead and Vlad King described the villain they encounter - Dabi. Sansa recognizes that description; remembers his notes - the location, the building. And suddenly, everything links up: Dabi, part of the League of Villains, is seen going into a supposedly empty building, one that has a hidden bar, which means it could very well be the League of Villains' hideout.

(And we the readers know it is, because a bar is where we most often see Shigaraki Tomura and Kurogiri regroup after failed missions, meet up with other villains to conduct business, generally hang out.)

#with the new information about how Tsukauchi was originally intended to be AFO's spy #funniest thing is that maybe Tsukauchi was throwing Dabi under the bus here #Dabi #Todoroki Touya #Tsukauchi Naomasa #Tamakawa Sansa #nalslastworkingbraincell #answered #anon #asked #anonymous #ask

[silversiren1101]

so i understand if you don't want to answer all (or any) of these, especially since I'm pretty sure at least some of it will be covered in the fic you're working on, but I really wanted to know....

What were Mino's foundling's like? And later on, since Mino sees as her kids, I assume she also sees them as Jess's older siblings? Does she ever tell Jess about them, and if so, how much does she tell her? If Jess finds out about them, how does she feel about these older siblings she'll never meet?

Wah! Thank you for sending in an ask! And giving me a chance to talk about Mino's foundlings. I'm still workshopping their names but there is one that is concrete, and you'll understand.

Minovae found them right at the end of the civil war, during restoration efforts when doing search and rescue (and 'cleaning' *cough cough killing undead and monsters and bandits) in the district of Westcrown she both grew up in and had a part in its total destruction: Rego Plea, though it was already starting to be referred to as Rego Cader. She heard screaming and sounds of trouble, and arrived into a ruined part of the subterranean aqueducts there just in time to save the three tiefling brothers she'd take in as her adopted wards from a otyugh. Starving, sick, and terrified, they'd lost their parents and just been trying to survive, and even though she'd saved them from a horrible monster, the sight of her Hellknight armor actually led to the oldest (only 12 at the time!) to try and stab her with a broken dagger he'd been using to protect his younger siblings.

She only gently disarmed him, tried to wipe his cheeks clean, and asked who he was and why they were here and alone. It took some gentle but firm prying for her to get their story, and the minute she did she knew she couldn't turn them over to any orphanage--not with her own childhood experience. Who would take in three obviously devil-blooded kids, with their bright red skin and pointed horns and black-yellow eyes? She declared she would see them cared for by invoking the title of Foundling, and that with nearly every city overflowing with orphans and resources low, the Order of the Scourge wouldn't contest her claim as they could actually afford to take them in.

The three of them are:

Finley (Age 12): Oldest of the three. Fiercely protective and independent. First instinct is to turn down help and do everything himself. Also loves to help when he is specifically asked for it - Mino recognizes the same need she has in him to be deemed useful and needed for protection's sake. He's also secretly generous and giving, as he's been caught sharing food with the resident stray cats and taking care of them.

Aver (Age 9): The middle brother is the most quiet and withdrawn, and also the most likely to flinch. One of his horns being broken and signs of a long broken cheekbone told Mino all she needed to know, especially as both his brothers tend to swarm protectively over him. He comes out of his shell when engaged through art or books (the signifers teach them all to read but he really latches onto it), especially when the subject matter is knights and heroic figures.

Morgeth (Age 8): Youngest. Tries hardest to be strong, since that's the last thing he remembers of their parents "Stay strong for your brothers" (he used to be a crybaby). Rejects things he says "are for babies" even when really wanting them. Mino usually has to trick him in some way for him to accept gifts or treats.

The three of them come with her to Citadel Demain (a bit far from Westcrown but it's nicer than Citadel Rivad, the Scourge's new home, and actively under reconstruction) where they begin a new life of structure: regular meals, regular chores, regular education. Foundlings are overwhelmingly raised by Signifers in the Orders, and it's no exception for these three, though Mino spends a lot of time with them, dotes on them, and starts saving up money for when they age out. She absolutely begins to consider them hers. There's a lot of chafing at first, but who can blame three tiefling orphans not even in their teens yet for it? Being surrounded by Hellknights is terrifying at first, especially the masked signifers who aren't as soft as their savior (though not cruel to them in the slightest, just a bit chilly). The three learn to read and write, begin to learn history, and Aver even begins some basic magical training as a sorcerer's spark reveals itself in him.

[Spoilered for the next bit - since it concerns child death.]

The next four-ish years are among the happiest of her life by then, as she works in Egorian and gets to see her 'sons' whenever she returns to Citadel Demain - watching them grow healthy and strong and happy and cared for.

Their loss is... it's the worst moment of her entire life. Finley turned 16 and didn't want to enlist. She knew he wouldn't and it was never expected of him, but he did not take the prospect of being separated from his younger brothers well. Mino tried to reason with him, produced all the money she'd saved up to get him a home and settle him someplace close by, where she would bring Aver and Morgeth to visit whenever she could. The younger two also didn't like Finley having to leave now that he'd aged-out, and try as she might, she could not get them to accept it would only be for a few more years until they also became 16 and could live together.

They boys waited until she left Demain to leave with Finley - sending her a letter that thanked her for everything and that they loved her, but they couldn't be separated.

It took her weeks to find them. The fact it was related to a spread of missing persons cases she'd been working on for months broke her. A lesser Thrune had been trying to gain power by taking those that "wouldn't be missed" off the streets and from slums, ritually sacrificing them to some devil they'd formed a pact with. Finley was still alive when she arrived, but it was only a matter of time. There was no saving him. She ended his suffering as gently as she could and even to this day can barely remember the whirlwind of rage and slaughter that happened afterward at the complex. The cultist death count from her grief was over twenty before she was subdued by the Order of the Glyph and dragged a bleeding chained mess to Abrogail Is feet for interrogation and torture (since she learned some things about the Thrune's contract with Hell).

Decades later, nearly a century even, Minovae is still like to have to fight off a tear when something reminds her of her lost sons, even though they were only a part of her life for barely four years. Finding Finnean was a strange experience, his name similar enough to Finley's that even with her memories gone, she found a few tears rolling down her cheeks when the errant pathfinder had introduced himself to her, not knowing why.

In post-game canon, she holds their memories close to her heart, and even closer after she has her biological daughter, Jesyll. She waits a few years to tell her about them, and points to the Foundlings about Citadel Darvhage, explaining she'd had three of her own (the Order of the Vice continues the practice of course). She tells Jess gradually more as she gets older, at first only explaining that they died in a tragic accident, then telling her truth once Jesyll fully comes to understand the threat of House Thrune and what her parents have been working towards for years now: their total destruction and usurpation.

Jess' relation with them is complicated, of course. When she's younger, she's sad she had brothers she'll never meet. She's sad that mom fights back tears whens he talks about them, and how happy she seems when she talks about the brighter memories with them. Coming to learn the truth, and at that point Thrune has already blatantly tried to kill her and her family at least twice... well let's just say she inherits her mother's strong sense of justice. It's not difficult for her to infer just how many other cases there have been like this in this damned country, and her outrage only feeds into her revolutionist spirit.

I like to think as an adult she also has a habit of charity and caring for orphans displaced by tragedy, seeing it as carrying on a family tradition.

#oc: minovae arangeir #oc: jesyll arangeir-derenge #thanks for the ask! her foundlings are such a short window in her life but arguably one of the most formative #tw: child death #mino's foundlings

[copperbadge]

Sam, you’ve talked a bit about the anger that comes with going undiagnosed for so long, and with having parents that dismissed your struggles. I’m about your age and I recently told my mom that I am relatively sure I have ADHD and that I was looking into getting a diagnosis, and I was at least 60% expecting her to disagree. And instead she said. “Oh yeah, I always thought that.”

Like. ????? WHAT. WHY DID SHE NOT EVER SAY ANYTHING???? Also, she was a teacher for years, and she knows how much I struggled in school so I am just. I’m honestly not sure if this is better or worse than her trying to say I couldn’t possibly have it. Like, at least she acknowledges that I struggled I guess? :/ Anyways, how’s it going with you?

I mean, I'm a big fan of repression.

That's only partially a joke. I'm not a big fan of repression but I do believe in trying to correct negative/damaging thoughts when they can't lead anywhere productive. I'm not a "think positive" person per se, but...

Yes, I am angry I didn't get a diagnosis earlier, particularly since it's not like my family was ignorant about the issue. But meditating on that just makes me more upset, and discussing this with my mother is not going to be cathartic for me or productive for either one of us. Even if I just wanted to take out my anger on her, which is a childish but understandable impulse, it's not like she did it maliciously. She was doing the best she could alone with three kids to raise and she desperately needed at least one of them to be "normal", for reasons that have much more to do with her upbringing and mental health than anything to do with me or my siblings. 

And that's all a fucked up situation, but there's nothing to be done about the past. So when I feel annoyance or anger, I stop and think, okay, but there's no point in lingering. Get it out if you have to, but then let's move on to how you can repair that damage. Then I talk about it on here so other people will feel okay about it, and I try to practice compassion, to remember that my parents tried to give their kids a good life with the tools they had and with their own disabilities to deal with.

It sounds like you're in a different place than I am, so I don't know how helpful this is. Not that you really asked for help, it's sweet that you just asked me how I'm doing, but I like to be helpful anyway :) I think the anger you're feeling is normal; the "oh yeah I assumed you had a disability and DID NOTHING" situation is actually quite common, you're not the first person I've spoken to who's had that experience. But part of managing the anger is making a conscious decision about what to do when you feel it.

Pema Chodron, a Buddhist nun, wrote a book called Start Where You Are that I read about five years ago and which I've found useful in managing emotions about things I can't change. I think it gets overhyped as a self-help book, but that's not really how it functions; it's more about explicating a specific line of Buddhist reasoning and using Buddhist practice to accept the difficulty of the world without buying into helplessness over it. Part of that is learning to sit in the pain of unhappiness -- to acknowledge an emotion, experience it, and move into either using it for a productive purpose or letting it go. It's a practice that doesn't come easily, but it does seem to help, at least for me.

Funnily enough, I started writing the Shivadh novels before I had a diagnosis but I knew from the first novel that Jerry was neurodiverse. Writing him with ADHD, even as a supporting character, has been very helpful for me because like me he can't really talk to his parents about it, with a father who has passed and a mother who is in denial. But he's still a fundamentally likable person who gets to demonstrably mature over the course of the books, to achieve things he couldn’t before and be praised for it. It's very satisfying to write about someone who got a late diagnosis and that made his life measurably better. Because it has, for both of us! I would rather have this diagnosis at forty than never have had it at all.

So yeah I'm sad, and angry, and struggling, but crucially I'm not taking it out on myself or others, and I know that this is a temporary situation. These are feelings that will fade in time because they arise from grief for could-have-been, and it's worth the sadness and the anger to have the diagnosis and to finally have help. I can't help the failures and bad relationships and mistakes I made because I had a disability I didn't know about, but I didn't know about it -- and now that I do I can improve my life going forward. What I'm feeling now is passing; what caused those feelings is permanent, and from now on I'll understand myself better (and, at least in theory, have access to bomb-ass medication to help raise my quality of life).

#sam has adhd

[mike-haters-dni]

GIMMIE THE FUTURE MIKE HCS I BEG

oh boy here we go time to dig through my adopted oc's lore

The first thing you notice about post-coming-of-age Mike is that he holds his face a lot more softly. The teenage angst has burned away and revealed the tender, affectionate (and sometimes vaguely sad) core it was protecting. Make no mistake, the judgy bitch will still come out if the situation calls for it, but he no longer approaches every social interaction assuming the other person is going to hate him. Turns out he can actually be pretty charismatic when he doesn't feel the need to be a dick in preemptive self-defense.

The low self-esteem never completely goes away but it does diminish to the point where he can occasionally believe people actually like him and maybe he deserves to be happy. He even gets to the place where he can accept most compliments, except if you specifically imply he is either kind or attractive, which he will reflexively scoff at. The two things he can never truly believe about himself 😔. El finds this endlessly frustrating ofc.

During high school, Mike is the first one to get a car (birthday present from his rich parents) so it becomes his job to carpool everyone to school, as well as drive El anywhere she wants to go at any time. idk anything about cars but its black and pretty nice (Karen is absolutely treating her kids after they almost died in a monster war) and Mike lowkey mostly agrees to favors because he likes driving it around so much.

Actually no one else but Lucas gets a car bc why go through the hassle when you can just barge into Wheeler residence at any time and guilt Mike into driving you. He does have a driving toll however, and that is maintaining full control of the stereo, which he uses to blast hair metal.

(El fucking hates hair metal but she's too nice to admit that to Mike, who eventually figures that out on his own after seeing her visibly tense up whenever he plays it. She never fully admits to hating it but she also doesn't really deny it when he says that she obviously does. This also applies to 90's Mike getting into grunge)

The only reason El graduates high school is because Mike absolutely insists that she can and acts as her personal (unrelenting) tutor for the last half of 12th grade (love her but she's really not good at school), despite her best efforts to persuade him to just let her give up because "Did you know that you can legally drop out of school at 18?" ("Yes, but having a GED is really important if you want any opportunities in life." "…See I don't even know what that is." ":/") Luckily, Mike is a talented and very passionate Explainer of Things and took all the classes she's in last year (he's in AP classes now obv) so it all works out, though after she passes her last final she makes him swear to never ask her another math problem again.

After high school he tries to go to college for writing but ends up mysteriously losing the ability to focus on anything or be creative, which causes him to not do any assignments so he starts avoiding going to class out of shame. He rationalizes this as him being tired of school and not needing to go to school for a creative endeavor anyway haha (true), and he ends up dropping out. (Unfortunately, this is just the start of the college/post-college plot line, which is the gang all getting hit full force with the ptsd induced by the Everything upon entering adulthood but uh we don't have to get into that here hehe)

After (attempting) college, Mike and El (who get married at 18 ofc) move to Chicago and Mike gets a boring job as an editor or something just as an attempt to get a career going, but soon quits that as well bc if you're keeping up with the lore you'll remember that El is getting paid restitution by the government so neither of them actually have to work and he really doesn't like working a boring job just to attempt getting a career going. He then spends the next few years working ("working" sometimes) on personal projects, the main one being a sci-fi novel and, eventually, dming at a local game shop, where he becomes a bit of a local geek celebrity for his excellent dming skills and being a generally cool guy. His original campaigns and one-shots are particularly popular, and people keep suggesting that he start distributing them or maybe even sending something to TSR? Hmmm... not something Mike ever thought about doing but he does have the easiest time and most fun coming up with dnd stuff...no way that could be a real career path could it...hmm.....

Seriously tho Mike is like a master dm. You can ask him any obscure question about anything in the game and he can answer instantly with perfect accuracy. And like any passionate gamer he has many Opinions about the editions and a whole set of house rules he runs his games by.

I wasn't originally going to have him and El have kids but then I imagined Mike telling interactive bedtime stories to his 5-year-old daughter and idk man I think that has to exist. Its not until they're like early 30's tho. Also her name is Ava.

#phew i did it #this is a pretty long post but i still feel like ive barely scratched the surface idk #hes a vivid entity in my mind what can i say #ty for asking btw :) i very appreciate the excuse to Post #mileven

[faorism]

thinking about @bisexual-enby-jellyfish talking about the lack of time travel fic in the fandom, and got me thinking that since canon is satisfying, instead of fix its, we gotta have break its.

BITTERSWEET CANON COMPLIANT PONDERINGS AHEAD

canon lev:red era and pardison is out on a mission for alecs non-leverage side hustle, and they are going to a specific town which they remember distantly eliot talking about it, from years back, how that was a moment of decision for him early in his military career. it was there—eliot admitted when he was feeling especially vulnerable, with a smile that was supposed to be funny but really wasnt—it was there that put him on the path that lost his soul. that comment has a lot more weight now, after eliot saying he has lonely he has been for years (which still haunts parker), and how apparently he told sophie he cannot be redeemed (which is now haunting hardison), and because of all the hitting eliots body is starting to betray him (which scares them both). maybe before they left, they had a tense argument. eliot wanted to go with them, but pardison was like?? you legit told us this is #trauma for you, no. and eliots shrug of a response to what it would put him through sat ill with them.

the memories of eliots unhappiness gives pardison the willies but they try to move on, but something feels... off? anyway MAGIC the resonances of eliot's soul-ache draw the two in to a long abandoned military coup base and they get sent back to around 20/21ish eliot (with alec around 35, the age difference between them but reverse in of s1).

they dont meet right the second they land, but its close: eliot finds pardison in the active base, and he rescues them because he thinks hardison and parker are his retrieval targets. (parker... was under the impression eliot wasn't able to get in time to save the real target in his timeline?? hardison just grumbles uhh.... multiple universes are a headfck irl.)

eliot is on an extended mission, one of his first serious solo ones, one that is clearly testing him out for recruitment for special ops. so hardison and parker can't be whisked away and has to stick around eliot For Reasons with an assumed identity. pardison realizes that eliot's mission can be better resolved (aka little/no bloodshed) with a con, and they convince eliot to go along. they aren't there long per se, but there is a lot of thrills and suspense and tension and idk plot stuff, i hate plot stuff so imagine that's happening in the background.

throughout it all, hardison and parker treat eliot like they normally would... which is utterly familiar and intimate, which throws young eliot. and by throws i mean seduces accidentally. eliot gets all heart-eyed, which hardison and parker don't notice right away because they miss their home time, but also eliot just always kinda acts like that. eliot is falling so hard but he tries to be respectful because obviously pardison is together, but a man can dream...

hardison and parker have Talks about how important it is to not change the past, as much as their presence undoubtedly has changed something. but as much as hardison is genre aware, it's harder for him. the rawness of eliot's confession—that he doesn't think he can ever be redeemed—sits heavily on hardison. and he also is like... why are we here, why were brought back? maybe we are supposed to heal a hurt, right a wrong, maybe... parker just wants to go home.

but she is the one who breaks. eliot is shot at and hurt while protecting them, and the screams from parker and hardison are just... gut wrenching. and as hardison is patching eliot's shoulder up and parker is wiping down eliot's dirt and sweat-drenched face, eliot is like... something aint right with you two. hardison tries to deflect with a joke, but eliot is like, no. you... know me. you care about me. please—he interrupts, when hardison is about to deny harder—the truth. and hardison and parker look at each other. she nods so hardison tells him. some of it, but enough. he tells eliot that they know him from the future. they work together, but it's more than that. parker and hardison arent sure how they came back, but they know some of the why. maybe. they are gonna help eliot, and maybe they get back to their time. maybe not. but they aren't gonna abandon eliot here if they can help it.

eliot gets quiet and is like... do you... are we... and hardison furrows his brows. eliot decides to be brave, braver than he may have ever felt before (and thats saying something) and he asks, are we together? and parker is like, yeah he just told you, we are a team, have been for years, we're family and eliot is like no not... hardison and parker are like what?? and eliot just shakes his head and is like, when you say family, you mean...?

hardison pauses from his stitching to say, you two have a permanent kill switch for my computers in case i go evil mad scientist. and parker says only you and alec can look over my harnesses before i jump. i don't double check your work anymore. hardison says you... and what can he say that would make sense to this eliot? what would have the weight? you let us take care of you.

eliot's eyes go wide, hardison's observation landing just right, and here is where parker meets her limit. dont enlist, she says

and eliot, stunned, tries to make a joke to cut the tension choking him: he looks over his gear and is like, little late for that, darlin'.

and parker is like, don't join black ops. go to aimee back as soon as you can.

parker breaks because... parker sees this eliot, this softer version of himself and parker loves eliot, her eliot, but also this one. she didnt know what eliot had lost but now she knows. she knows and she has the power to do something. she can't hoard eliot away when things can. be. better. for. him. she knows what make us us, but...... us is a lonely eliot. us is an eliot that feels damned. us is an eliot who deserves so much more, everything, anything. they can promise him robot bodies, but there's something else they can give him. a life beyond what he... what he had to make with them. a life with whatever eliot calls a soul.

hardison gasps parker but doesn't disagree with her, and if eliot had doubts they were from the future or had some special knowledge about him, this was proof enough.

and what'll happen if i dont?

parker hugs herself tight: you can have a good life, el. the one you want.

what do you know what i want? and god, he sounds so much like their eliot but also so much his twenty/twenty-one years.

it's what you've told us, hardison says.

and what about what we got? parker and hardison don't say anything. i don't think its enough? i ever say that? exactly that?

parker and hardison want to say yes, but they can't. they also cant quite say no. both hurt. the lack of clarity burns.

as parker and hardison try to find the words to convince him, eliot just sighs. in your time, did i even tell you i love y'all two?

and parker... okay, look there's a lot going on and she is very very sad and she is always very very shocked. so she responds, you don't love us.

eliot gets that... that fucking martyr smile of his: the way you treat me? respect me? and... you two are gorgeous. funny. smart. there's no way i aint in love.

and parker is like. you can't know that.

eliot is like, i can because im halfway there myself. more than halfway, if im honest.

and parker and hardison are... floored. no, you can't love us, hardison repeats. he is sure of this. he has to be.

eliot: future me or now?

hardison: either. both. eliot, you can't love us. eliot can't. that... that doesn't make sense. no. god, what have they been doing for fifteen years if... no. god no. if eliot loved them, he would have said something. they would be together. no. this eliot is so green and young and unbroken and... this eliot doesn't know their eliot. he's wrong. he... has to be.

eliot frowns. so i trust you with everything i am but i aint in love, you aren't enough, and... and you want me to take a different path. away from y'all

hardison: it sounds awful when you say it like that.

eliot: it doesn't sound like a good situation, from where im sitting

parker: we just want you happy, eliot. even if it means we cant have you.

eliot sobers. nods. i won't promise you i will. but... i will consider it.

and that's what parker and hardison want but they are just… spooked. but so is eliot. he withdraws and says he has it from here. hardison and parker try to insist they need to help, but eliot gives them a stare down until they take the out.

after that... things are heavy. but the con is rolling along fine, and above all else, they are professionals. as the con is wrapping up, parker is planning out the last details about the gloat and she's like, we won't be there but you should... and they are like oh. yes. that.... that's gonna happen. that will be when they leave.

the con goes well until inevitably they hit a snag, so when they are gonna break up for separate parts of the con, the departure is on a much more sudden time frame than they expected. they three look at each other because they know they won't see each other again, not like this. maybe not ever again.

as parker and hardison try to find the words to leave eliot behind, eliot just sighs. i told you i would consider leaving the army but you gotta answer me and don't lie.

parker: anything

eliot: is there a time you are alive now because i was there? not... not any hitter. specifically me.

oh. tear well up in parker's eyes. not fair.

because parker thinks about a sunken cavern of ice. that one shouldn't even count, any other hitter would probably have just told her to leave the body from the beginning. parker does not care. eliot saved her in more ways than just convincing her to climb out of the cave in the end.

and hardison thinks of that second day, technically the first twenty-four hours.... thinks of eliot pulling hardison up before the warehouse blows up. maybe the choreography of the day would have meant hardison didn't fall, or maybe he did live but was injured, or maybe a million things. eliot steadied hardison, was his friend, his confidante, the one who held him first when hardison came up from the ground.

so the answer yes then?

parker: it's not that simple

eliot: why can't it be?

parker makes an unhappy sound. the time is running out. they need to get to position. now. but...

hardison holds eliot by the neck, as eliot once did him, and says. you once told me all i had to do was to show you the way and you would save the world for us. we want to show you the way to save your soul, whatever it takes, whatever happens to us, because... that's what love can look like, too. we just want what's best for you, whatever that looks like. just think about it. okay?

eliot looks like he wants to resist, but hardison squeezes desperately, trembling.

okay. i'll think about it.

hardison draws eliot close, into a hug. thank you.

eliot clutches him back. goddammit, he whispers, no explanation.

parker is there when hardison pulls back an inch. eliot hugs her too, and says into her ear, make sure he doesnt get into too much trouble without me, alright?

parker does not say anything at first. says, goodbye, eliot, with their cheeks squeezed together, that's how hard she's hugging him.

bye, park.

and so.

they part.

they finish the con, and parker and hardison are so incredibly anxious about what the repercussions are gonna be (they are willing to take them, for eliot) and also are already like, mourning eliots place in their lives because they love him

they finish out the con and they feel the tug and they get back to the present. its done. they did it.

parker and hardison are shaking and things seem similar enough, that means eliot had to have chosen them.... no, no, they can't get their hopes up.

......they had to have found a way without him. they had to, because that's what eliot would have wanted from them in exchange for his soul.

but just as they get their bearings, there's a sound just a little away. they stiffen; parker gets ready to fight. but it's...

oh.

eliot holds them close and he's like, god, it's been weeks i've been checking every day

you can't be here, hardison says

you promised you would consider it, parker says, distressed

and eliot... doesnt respond with confusion, i... knew it had to be around now if it really was you but i was never sure it was real before

parker, face tucked squarely into eliot's neck: you remember us?

i didn't or... i didn't include you in my mission report. there was no proof yall existed and then the next deployment, the very next one, they... they got me. held me for months. i was convinced yall were a fantasy to give me hope. over the years, i thought maybe, maybe it was... but no, it couldnt be. but since y'all vanished, it's been coming back. eliot's fingers dig into them where he's holding them. its been coming back, ive been remembering, and ive been here, waiting

hardison, tears flowing: we told you to go home. we warned you. you could have been okay.

eliot pulls back to meet hardison's eyes: when you left, i imagined my life if i went back. it... wouldve been nice. married to aimee, likely, but that would've never lasted. not forever. too the same, all passion and no patience. mightve gone to work for my dad. itd be comfortable. a decent life.

parker: it would have been good. safe. you would have been happy.

eliot shakes his head: i chose the army first, before you showed up. it was always gonna be what i did. i was stubborn, then, and i didnt understand the scope but i was following it to its ends.

hardison: so it was all for nothing.

eliot: no, fuck. no. you showed me a way to keep my soul, but whatever happened to it, a way i couldnt take, but i at least knew, somewhere deep inside... eliot stops, tries to untangle them.

hardison: what did you know?

eliot: i'm here that's what matters

parker: please

eliot: even then, i knew at least... my soul might be lost but i would always know where my heart was

parker: oh. you love us

of course, darlin'. eliot swallows.

you never told us

you never told me

hardison: we didnt want you to leave

eliot: i never wanted to give you a reason to push me away

parker: we're so stupid.

hardison puts his forehead to eliots. like really really stupid. you said you liked us because we are smart, but we're so dumb, man

theres so much to resolve. so much doubt, so many feelings to untangle, too many misunderstandings to air... but for now, when eliot laughs and says at least youre still pretty, and hardison huffs offended before trying to tickle eliot saying oh did you say petty? i heard petty did you hear petty parker? and parker is like, oh i think i did and they overpower eliot with tickles and ninja attacks that lead to cuddles and kisses.

and the soul-pain will always linger for eliot, that won't ever go away. not quite. but in the warmth of their silliness on a spot that once hurt so bad, there... their laughter brings something that has been there longer than eliot knew to look: a heartsong of devotion, of care, of love... and that? that wont ever go away

#eliot spencer #parker leverage #alec hardison #leverage #faorism fic #faorism work #leverage ot3 #thiefsome #whoops wrote a very rushed fic draft #posting because i wont ever clean this up so here it is #leverage redemption spoilers #leverage redemption #the crown achievement job

[pyropsychiccollector]

Natsu Harem: Fairy GET! 11/14

Now we're getting to the oneechan's. (人◕ω◕) I saved these for last because they should be obvious.... But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We'll deal with them one at at time, like all the rest~

The first spotlight goes to Ultear Milkovich~ \(人◕ω◕)/

When did they meet?

Officially, Natsu met Ultear on that S-Class Quest to dispel the curse of Galuna Island. (人◕ω◕) At the time, Natsu didn't know it was her. She pulled off her disguise so well that for the longest time, the Dragon Slayer actually believed she was an old man named Zalty~.... Isn't that just cute? (人◕ω◕)

After battling Natsu for a bit, toying around with him.... Ultear wound up with a little trophy with the swelled cheek there, as can be seen. (人◕ω◕) It was delayed, and Ultear-chan was rather miffed about it... But the Dragon Slayer apparently got one good hit in. (人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕)

Ultear would go on to watch Natsu's progress in the Tower of Heaven incident, as well as report about Oracion Seis making their move to Hades.

Natsu and Ultear would more formally meet on Tenrou Island. ... Where Natsu would assume she was a guy crossdressing as a girl. And get her name mixed up with "Ultimate Milk Sandwich." (人◕ω◕) Now why would he ever think that~...?

Their more proper meeting goes about as well as the first. Natsu tries engaging her in battle, but Ultear is more focused on tracking down and capturing Zeref for Grimoire Heart's goal of the Grand Magic World. ... Or, well. more specifically her desire to go back to a time when she didn't hate her mother. To save her mother from death. (人◕ω◕)

It's honestly very interesting that Ultear and Natsu's fates are intertwined so inextricably. While she did get handed to the Dark Guilds on a silver platter at a young age, her mom would go on to seal away and eventually kill one of Zeref's demons. And Ultear wanted Zeref for her goals. Zeref, who is in fact Zeref Dragneel. It doesn't go as planned, of course. Zeref becomes cross at Grimoire Heart summoning Acnologia to the island; and he'd go on to kill Hades with the Curse of Ankhseram. Moreover, Gray helped Ultear get her head on straight... Although frankly, most of the "work" was done when they ended up in the ocean, where Ultear heard stray memories of her mother; and she rightfully deduced it was the remnants of her mother that melted and became one with the sea.

Regardless, Ultear came to see the error of her ways. She would go on to help restore the Tenrou Tree to help give Fairy Tail back their magic, and then she'd slip away with Meredy... who found out the truth about her childhood home's destruction. Ultear tries taking responsibility for that by killing herself... But Meredy forgives her, wanting Ultear to live.

Ultear and Meredy wouldn't get to see Fairy Tail again until seven years later...

When did they get closer?

As mentioned in the Meredy post... Crime Sorciere approaches the Fairy Tail mages preparing for the Grand Magic Games, hoping to get their help in tracking down a presence similar to Zeref to deal with it. Ultear juices them up with Second Origin... And, well... (人◕ω◕);;;

... Natsu still thinks she's Zalty crossdressing. (人◕ω◕);;; A pity this gag fades away after... But I suppose we can take that to mean Ultear proves to Natsu, leaving no room for doubt, that she is a bonafide woman... (人◕ω◕);;;;;;; What? Don't you remember the hot, raunchy episode where they screwed like monkeys? No...? Aw, well. (人◕ω◕)

Jokes aside... Ultear is more aware of Natsu's true feelings towards Jellal. Especially with how Erza suffers, clinging to the past like she does. Natsu's frustrated, but keeps quiet to keep Erza... "happy". Ultear nudges Meredy into noticing Natsu's depression, figuring Ultear's Maguilty Sense is the best tool for anyone empathizing with Natsu. Ultear herself keeps a polite distance, prioritizing her sister's happiness over her own; Meredy needs friends, considering she's forced into travelling around with Crime Sorciere as a "criminal" since they busted Jellal out of jail so they can all atone.

... It's really too bad for the Time Witch that Natsu never got the memo to leave things be. (人◕ω◕) He picks up on the fact that Meredy was "directed" to him, and more or less deduces Ultear was responsible. They have a private conversation while Meredy plays around with Juvia for a bit - a talk that ends up with Ultear confiding in Natsu that she feels guilty about possessing Jellal as children, and causing so much pain and hardship for all the slaves... Erza included in that.

Natsu doesn't let Ultear drown in her guilt. Jellal was never just a puppet with no free will... He doesn't get a free pass for everything he did, constructing that Tower on the backs of all his "friends" and fellow slaves. Even Natsu could see that Jellal was in control of himself. The most that Ultear's spell did was nudge him into his darker emotions... Which were there already. Jellal was a child, and he was a slave like all of them. A harsh environment like that can stir some very dark, vengeful emotions. All her spell did was "add more fuel to the fire". Jellal was a lost soul trapped in his own darkness, and Natsu tried getting the guy to wake up during the Tower of Heaven conflict... But seeing him now, Jellal's so down on himself. He's not making a real effort to atone like Ultear and Meredy; he's going though the motions, and they're dragging him around just because they need the extra firepower.

Ultear doesn't dispute Natsu's observations. Crime Sorciere always felt like her brainchild, not Jellal's. She tried making him the leader to let him feel like he was making progress in his atonement... And to deal with her own lingering sense of guilt that she didn't "deserve" to lead the group after all she did... But honestly, it's like Natsu said. This isn't helping Jellal. Getting defeated and freed from Ultear's spell just... shut him down. Ultear doesn't know how to get through to him, and Natsu says there's nothing wrong with that. The fact they tried, gave Jellal these opportunities, Ultear and Meredy aren't obligated to do all the work in "bringing him back". Jellal has to make the effort himself and seize onto this second chance at life with both hands, and until he does Natsu won't get over his resentment toward the man. He won't pity Jellal like Erza does; Gajeel and Laxus made harsh mistakes too, and they've been atoning all this time. Jellal has to accept responsibility for his actions, and just move forward on his own two feet. No one should have to push him along.

After Natsu unloads all of his pent-up frustrations on her, Ultear can appreciate his position. He is being tough on Jellal... But it's what they deserve, after falling so low. Natsu's kinder to her and Meredy because he can see they're truly contrite and making an effort. Jellal's just... given up. This gives Ultear plenty to think about, how to proceed with Jellal from now on. She accepts that she should take on the mantle of Crime Sorciere's leader, and be a little tougher on Jellal, herself. if she doesn't... they probably won't go much of anywhere. And Ultear would rather not drown in guilt again... That's no way to live.

This talk gives her much more insightfulness into Natsu. He's not a complete fight-happy idiot. There's stuff Natsu takes very seriously, and his friends are at the top of that list. He spares Erza's feelings out of compassion... But he privately feels very strongly about the person hurting Erza by keeping her rooted in the past. Natsu's very fascinating to Ultear, and like Meredy she'll keep an eye on him from here on out~...

As the Grand Magic Games go on, Ultear lightens up somewhat. Messing with Jellal while he's on Fairy Tail Team B, on the verge of exposing himself all because he wants to impress Erza. (人◕ω◕) Ultear will have none of that.

While we're talking about differences from the canon, though... (人◕ω◕) Leading up to the Games, Warrod negotiated with the King, the Council, and Makarov to give his "little sprouts" a second chance, now that he's had seven years to reform Oracion Seis, Rusty Rose, and Azuma. (人◕ω◕) It doesn't go quite as planned... The King's initially against letting criminals participate in the Games. But when Raven Tail breaks the rules, well... It opens up an opportunity for Warrod to give his proposal a shot. If his "guild" of Hydra Roots manages to make a comeback and win the games, they can be pardoned and allowed to go free. ... If they lose - more specifically, if Fairy Tail performs better than them... Then they will join Fairy Tail. ... And still be pardoned. (人◕ω◕) The Council isn't exactly happy about Warrod's shenanigans... But if they doubt one of the Four Gods of Ishgar, that would reflect bad on them in the eyes of the public. ... So they grudgingly allow it.

I bring this up because Fairy Tail still wins the games. Obviously. (人◕ω◕) And Warrod being the playful guy he is... He ropes Crime Sorciere into his "guild". Both during the games and the dragon invasion. Lahar is against this, since Crime Sorciere has been running loose all this time... But Mest grudgingly helps Warrod "convince" Lahar to allow it. Wiping his memories a bit. The memories pertaining to Crime Sorciere. (人◕ω◕);;; ... Just a bit.

I was debating to go this route for a while. So prior posts might not exactly reflect this change in canon... Not precisely. However, I don't see the need to save Crime Sorciere's pardoning until the end of the series. It's mere circumstance that they're left as "criminals" on the run, and there's just no point to keeping up the charade. If Fairy Tail and their allies work together frequently with Crime Sorciere without complaint, the powers-that-be can just deal. (人◕ω◕)

Ultear and Natsu have that talk during the dragon invasion, keeping Ultear from casting Last Ages. I won't expand on this point too much since I already talked about it in Meredy's post, but Natsu's pretty much nipped all of Ultear's "problems" in the bud. Simon's alive, Natsu's convinced her that Jellal's actions are his own, and now he's given her the strength to carry on during a dangerous event of fighting dragons~... It shouldn't come as a surprise when it's all over, and the King pardons the members of Hydra Roots and they go on to join Fairy Tail... Well. Ultear is more than happy to grow closer to Natsu. (人◕ω◕) There's nothing holding her back anymore.

... And really, since I already had Meredy making frequent trips to Magnolia over the next few years anyway, might as well go all the way. Oracion Seis (minus Brain), Rusty Rose, Azuma, Ultear, and Meredy all join Fairy Tail. I should have specified in Tenrou arc, but Azuma survived. I have this habit of keeping awesome characters alive for atonement. (人◕ω◕) Nooo regrets~....

When did friendship turn to something more?

I'll skim over Tartaros and Alvarez arcs. It should be pretty obvious Ultear and the other former Balam Alliance members helped bring down Tartaros... and the survivors of Tartaros went on to fight Zeref's armies in Alvarez, independently. Gotta love these buildups over time with reformed villains coming together to fight against stronger foes. (人◕ω◕) ... Or maybe that's just me.

Ultear and Meredy joining Fairy Tail... Gravitating to Natsu... Of course there's opposition to these endeavors. (人◕ω◕);;; Ultear's such a troublemaker. All these... "games", flirting with Natsu and "leading him along". ... Certain parties feel like she is, anyway. It's all but impossible to hate Meredy because of how bubbly and cheerful she is. ... But Ultear. Ooh, boy, Ultear. Cana, Kagura, even Juvia is a bit... territorial around the Time Witch. And Sayla butts heads with her, when she comes around... And bossy Brandish... (人◕ω◕);;; Ultear has a fair amount of competition.

Yet Ultear is... grateful to Natsu. She really is. (人◕ω◕) It's no surprise that she and Meredy join Team Natsu on jobs... The team is rather large by now. Natsu, Erza, Gray, Lucy, Simon, Wendy, Juvia, Kagura, and now these two. (人◕ω◕) Jellal turns down the opportunity, and really it's for the best. There's already enough... tension. All orbiting around Natsu for some bizarre reason. (人◕ω◕) Doesn't help the Strauss Siblings struck during the guild's disbandment and were with him for a year. (人◕ω◕);;;

But Ultear delights in Natsu's pranking nature, as much as his serious side. (人◕ω◕) They're just playing around with friends, like Gray and Lucy. ... And Erza. What's wrong with that? (人◕ω◕);;;;;;; I confess, however, that Ultear gravitating to Natsu is what snapped Erza out of her funk, regarding Dingleberry. Erza realizes that somewhere along the way... Natsu became very popular. And seeing the woman that sprang Jellal from prison, seeing Natsu get along with that woman so well.... It makes Erza very jealous. She was one of the first to eye Natsu, and it hurts to see she's wasted all this time, and now she can't have the Dragon Slayer to herself. (人◕ω◕);;; Erza and Ultear get along about as well as cats and dogs. ... Please don't throw Mira into that mix. (人◕ω◕);;;;;;;;

I suppose to get back to the question: Natsu and Ultear become an item shortly after Alvarez arc. That's when most of the relationships become established anyway... But Natsu and Ultear...? Hmm. They both have serious sides to them. Both have goofy sides. And it just felt nice to resonate with one another. In part, Ultear wanted to see the look on Gray's face when she got together with Natsu.... But the Dragon Slayer wasn't a means to an end. She cares deeply for him, and it's very much reciprocated. (人◕ω◕)

Ultear's certainly one of the first few to make babies with Natsu, though... After all, Ultear thinks ahead. And there isn't anyone else she'd rather be the father to her children. (人◕ω◕) They wind up with a daughter as the firstborn... But after that...? I'll leave to your imaginations~... (人◕ω◕)

#Fairy Tail #Ultear Milkovich #Natsu x Ultear #Natear #Natsu harem

[grapenehifics]

Fic Rec Friday

Here's today's lesson in 'people can't actually read your mind, dumbass' (it's me, I'm the dumbass in this scenario). I was talking to @palfriendpatine66 and just, like, assumed that I'd already written a big long treatise about how much I love Center Stage? But, then, turns out, I guess I haven't. So, here one is now!

The flashbacks, and the way they're integrated into the plot. Maybe I'm just so impressed by this because it is so hard for me, personally, to do. But there's two stories going on here, and one of them isn't even told completely linearly, and they both feed off of each other and one gives you context for the other but instead of it just being 'plot info dump background information hope you remember this because it will be important later' (which is how I tend to do it), it's pieced out at the time that you need it and it leaves me hungry for MORE. I was just as, if not more, invested in the 'backstory' as I was in the present-day stuff.

Obi-Wan and Anakin feel like them. I mean, you know I love a good sports-as-Jedi metaphor, and the dancing works really well too. It's physical and mental at the same time, so you get those elements that you get from a good sparring scene: sexual tension, Anakin wanting to impress Obi-Wan (who is maybe less physically flashy but more experienced), determination to get it right, having to balance technical prowess with emotion...

It's a fun little peek into a world that I don't have a lot of experience in; one of my favorite things in the world is an AU where the person is clearly writing from personal experience and I get to learn stuff about dance competitions or coffee shops or someone's job or whatever

THE PINING

You know what the pining deserves a second bullet point because it's that good, there's just such LONGING and old hurts that they have to work through but the love is always there, they just have to let themselves be brave and take a chance

This is maybe just a more specific version of bullet point 2 but Obi-Wan is not only a performer but a teacher, too, and still in that transition period between the two so he's grappling with his feelings about aging and shifting to a different stage (ha) of his career, and as someone who is very much into the current Star Wars trend (on TV, anyway) of exploring middle age and what happens after these really monumental life events this speaks to me personally. Like, these are actual adults who are learning to grow into themselves and they're still who they are but they've let life change them, too.

Again I'm still stuck on the flashbacks but you get to watch Anakin's progression from needy, broke, angry teen to quitting the studio and leaving Obi-Wan behind for supposedly greener pastures all the way to coming home to him again and it feels exactly right and very Anakin

All in sub 14k words which just boggles my mind because I don't know if you've noticed but brevity is not my jam and I am deeply impressed anytime someone manages to pack so much emotion into a (to me) short wordcount

This quote: "He loved Anakin now and he had loved Anakin then. He had never known a time where he didn’t love Anakin, it had just grown and changed along with them" which sums up canon Obikin to me in, like, ten seconds

Also, it has a happy and romantic ending, so even when things get tough, never fear it'll work out

#fic rec friday #obikin

[ilovedig]

Hi! Was curious what made you more certain recently that McHarrison was for sure a thing?

So it started with this picture

Ringo took it, and in the caption he literally says "caught ya!"

Geo's collar seems to have been recently pulled forward, and the bottom of Paul's shirt looks recently pulled out.

It also looks like Paul quickly stood up when he heard someone coming but was previously in the same position as George.

It might mean nothing but god does it look damning.

And then I started looking at other things I had written off more carefully. All the photos and gifs and videos. Them writing "In Spite of All The Danger" together, and the fact that Paul was still hitchhiking with Geo alone even once John was in the picture.

Not to mention the amount of songs Paul wrote with titles taken from lines in George's songs. The two most painfully obvious ones being "Too Many People" from "Isn't It A Pity," and "Let Me Roll It" from "I'd Have You Anytime." Now why Paul thought a song written with, about and for Bob Dylan had anything to do with him, I'm not sure. But, it's the exact words from the song.

Then I saw this poem. It's called "Rocking On!" and I'm assuming most people think it's about John, but it's very clearly not.

I want to smell your underarm odour want to drink your ice cream soda Reminisce about our childhood What we did in deepest wildwood Let's remember fifties cars And hanging out in late-night bars Want to give your back a rub Then jump into a toamy tub Laugh at all your High School jokes One two many Scotch and Cokes Want to stroke your furry kitten Don't be shy you won't be bitten When we've seen the babies doze off Let me see you take your clothes off When this world is dead and gone We will still be Rocking On!

First off it's very clearly about a male, and a male in the Beatles. But it's more about childhood than it is songwriting, and it's about things children do, like go exploring in the woods. John and Paul just didn't know each other at that age.

Not to mention, the car thing was Geo's THING. He was a HUGE car person and was constantly at races. Geo's interest in cars is one of the things that defined him as he got older. So to specifically comment on that makes it seem obvious it's about George.

And then you read the words and they're GRAPHIC. Rivaling "Savoy Truffle," frankly.

So it wasn't just a crush, it was clearly a THING. They were clearly together, in some way shape or form.

So yeah that was kinda my thought process. Hope it makes you think.

#Mcharrison #george harrison #paul mccartney #rocking on! #i'd have you anytime #too many people #isn't it a pity #let me roll it #ringo starr #in spite of all the danger

[ilikelookingatthings]

Hello! anyone else watching the live action onepiece? I've got questions

So for context me and my siblings grew up watching the 4kids dub version of one piece and then a bit of the funimation dub of the cloud island arc.

What I have questions on is Zolo/Zoro's backstory.

From what I remember Zoro was a student in a dojo..he kept getting beat by a girl and was annoyed either about getting beat or by getting beat by a girl specifically who did beat up all the other guys as well...I remember them not being allowed to train with metal swords...just the kendo stick I believe after they were scolded by the dad of the girl/the dojo master when Zoro/Zolo proclaimed if he had a real sword he could beat her....He went out training...lifting giant rocks and I'm assuming a waterfall but I remember the rocks...maybe him lifting buckets of water?

The childhood friend was confident but then overheard her father saying the remarks about how as a girl she would lose out in strength naturally to the guys as they all aged up...and Zolo/Zora lost again and they had that promise and they had that talk about he rbeing his goal and not giving up.

I remember then that she ends up cornered by the other boys she beat in the class who ganged up on her with real swords...or they brought in some other ruffians to do thie rdirty work, or it was rival group...I'm pretty sure it was the guys in her class who she beat like Zolo but they were more bitter than him.

and I remember it being kindof vague but them implying that she was injured badly so wouldn't be able to use the sword again but I THINK she lived or they were vague about it more than Jet in Avatar the Last Airbender.

Now I AM aware that 4kids tended to change things up and censor some aspects...mostly blood but also other details. so I COULD understand if 4kids deliberately made it a bit vague so they could keep her Alive and just have her injured unable to continue her promise with Zolo/Zoro(which helped some of our confusion when Zoro/Zolo met the Swordlady who looked like her later).

So I can completely understand if in the real unedited version she ended up dying from those jealous dudes sabotaging her due to pride by ganging up on her.

But in the new live action one piece we see it mainly focused just on Zoro being upset..we don't see the other kids upset at being beaten...blah blah blah...complains about how he'd get stronger than her by virtue of being a guy...blah blah bah..they makeup and make the vow... but then after the promise we just see her dad? the dojo instructer? go up to Zoro and tell him that his friend has been in a accident where we then cut strait to her funeral with a picture...no body but pretty clear that she is dead...but we don't know what killed her in this one...

but everyone keeps saying on the internet that she fell down some stairs?

so....did she? did I remember her backstory wrong? or do you think we'll discover the details about that later where its still accurate to our version but zoro/zolo doesn't know yet by that point in time?

Since we are going from a limited perspective with the flashbacks rather than a full seeing completely from the outside perspective we got in the anime.

is his backstory just done? she just got into a normal tradgic accident like Terabithia? was her backstory at all about being ganged up on by some jealous guys she had beaten? or am I remembering wrong? did she die in the original or not? We know she seems firmly dead in the liveaction one now...but I don't want to look deeper incase I get spoiled about other stuff.

Also while your at it interenet fandom...was that Navy leader with the dog hat guy always his grandpa? was that revealed that early? I hear 4kids cut alot of content to speed run to the marketable chopper so its possible we just never saw it...or was it just a addition to this live actions one...like how Toby seemed to be included more often.

I also lowkey wish we saw Usops vegtable fruit pirate squad of kids...someone to hang with the poor rich sick heir since literally everyone she was close to died, betrayed her and tried to kill her over years and Usop was leaving...feels a bit lonely even if they had her say she was going to try to become a doctor so she'd be preoccupied outside of the shipyard...Merry died(I could have sworn he lived but was injured in the original but I could be wrong and he strait up died like in the live actions). I remember cliffs and a pirate ship and more of the cat crew in the anime and getting to see more of usops marksmen skills... but the locked house drama was really interesting.

I miss sanji's eyebrow but they did him REALLY well...especially how they handled the backstory andhow they couldn't show a body hidden under the cloak being basically wasted away to the nth degree like they did in the anime but we got a better focus on his leg.

Also.....did the boss shark show up to the restaurant in the original anime like he did in live action? I feel like he hadn't since I remember being shocked at his reveal/what he looked like back at Nami's island before the ubber knife/the name stabbed her hand to be convincing scene....but I could be wrong...

also...wasn't the restaurant cut in half in the original?

its fascinating to try to remember details when a character come up familiar somehow.

#one piece #luff #zolo #zoro #childhood friend #backstory #usopp #nami #live action one piece #navy #pirates #memories #4kids #funimation #dub