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genericpuff · 6 months

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The Extended Mishandling of LO's S3 Midseason Finale Premiere

Alright, so I had mentioned leading up to the release of the newest LO episode that my feelings regarding LO returning were pretty "meh". Not hyped, but not completely back of mind either. Just sort of a weird calm before the storm type feeling that could go either way.

I'm glad I got to have that moment of calmness because good god, this episode was an absolute shitshow. And honestly, I'm not surprised, for several reasons:

Rachel has never been good at maintaining a buffer, even back at the start of the series she only ever had 2-3 episodes ready ahead of her schedule which is NOT an ideal buffer for an originals series.

Rachel has never been good at writing, she's very "draw first write later" and has stated as such in interviews that when she gets 'stuck' on what she's writing, she'll just start drawing and fit the pieces in later.

Four months is NOT enough time to both rest, attend massive conventions, and work on improving a project while also getting buffer episodes ready.

Because of the FP episodes remaining locked over the hiatus, technically Rachel only needed to have ONE episode ready upon return for the newest FP release, not multiple like she'd usually need like in the past during the S2 midseason hiatus or the season finale episodes which would unlock those FP releases like normal - so for all we know, she could have drawn this episode literally last week, especially when the promo material was so last minute. Frankly I think it was REALLY stupid for whoever it was who decided to keep these FP episodes locked (whether it was her or WT, it was more likely WT) but you can read all I have to say about that in my review of the midseason finale episodes.

All that's to say, no, there was never any guarantee Rachel was going to somehow "turn around" the ride we're currently on. I know that many of the critics were hoping for that to happen, but with the circumstances of the hiatus mixed with Rachel's bad habits of putting her best efforts into the procrastination projects that aren't her actual comic (ex. the few original pieces and LO sketches she put out during the hiatus) it just wasn't in the cards. This is where the comic is at and this is where it will remain until it's over.

I want to also point something out about this episode that was... really glaring to me.

As with all of these hiatus returns, LO got priority advertising in the first two banner slots and push notifications AND a popup ad within the app. This is unsurprising, Webtoons is still trying to milk this thing for what it's worth.

I know a lot of people are gonna focus on the art, or the fact that WT is continuing to shill LO, but I wanna point out the part that WT implemented specifically - "NEW SEASON".

This is literally just false. At best I'd like to think some intern just messed up and thought this was a new season, but it's literally not, the episode designation still says "S3". Note that the creators only design the banner art, the actual labels on top are put there by Webtoons.

But at worst, this feels like blatant lying to continue to hide the fact that LO is ending. Mind you, Rachel and Webtoons have still not put out official posts stating that this is the final arc. There is NOTHING from either of them to communicate to the audience that the comic is ending next year. It feels like they're trying to avoid the topic altogether out of fear of losing the fanbase they still have, rather than hyping up the comic's end for those who have stuck around to see how it all wraps up. And honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case, considering they're now trying to funnel the fanbase into Penguin/Inklore with new marketing deals and the whole Rachel Smythe Presents thing. They're trying to make this seem like the beginning of something "new" when it's really just a quiet shifting of management (Penguin House).

But all that aside, let's actually get into the episode. It's one episode after 4 months, which is not standard for LO's hiatuses, typically FP episodes release on schedule (meaning free readers start hiatuses 3 weeks after FP readers do), the only time this has been an exception has been with the 2 week breaks because the whole point of those was to build a buffer (which you can't do if you're going ahead and releasing the FP episodes anyways). For extended hiatuses like these, usually free readers still get their FP episodes, but that wasn't the case here. That means Rachel technically only needed one episode ready for the comic's return, and it shows. It really fucking shows.

FROM HERE ON OUT THERE WILL BE FASTPASS SPOILERS REGARDING EPISODE 254. DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED !!!

As per tradition, we get a title that means nothing at all. It just says what we already know.

Our collective husband Zeus is dying, no thanks to the poison cupcake fed to him by Apollo. For those who don't remember, Apollo had tricked Zeus into eating the cupcake by making him believe it was from Hebe. We are fully aware that it was Apollo who poisoned him. Remember that for later in this review.

Right off the bat we're off to a hilarious start, both with a cryptid appearance from Apollo in the background (lmao) who is, for some reason, ALREADY returning to the scene of the crime he just committed because... who knows at this point. Apollo and Psyche know it was Apollo at this point, I might add, but I have no clue why Apollo is actually returning to the scene of the crime when he has no idea Eros and Psyche know.

Moving on from that, can we talk about this hilarious dialogue?

"We have to call a doctor! Let's call Asclepius!"

"No, we can't trust him! Gosh darn it, why are we only bothering to think of ONE doctor in this universe where we've seen more than one doctor?? Guess Zeus is just gonna die! What a horribly contrived situation this is!"

And that's literally how I can best describe most of this episode. Contrived. There is a LOT of manufactured drama in this that makes ZERO sense even on a surface level.

And what do you mean exactly, Eros? "What a terrible system!" Is this supposed to be a joke? Lampshading? We've seen Persephone go to the gynecologist. There are non-god doctors who tend to gods all the time here.

Eros just doesn't seem to be that pressed over this, he sounds like Ned Flanders and that's NOT a good way to open up a scene like this... let alone an episode people have been waiting four months for.

Anyways, after a few pointless reaction panels (again remember I have to cut a lot of what I show here for Tumblr image limitations but I promise you, I'm keeping as much important stuff as I can in this, there's just THAT MUCH filler at this point), Eros and Psyche confront Apollo and he is... good god.

There is... so much to unpack here.

First of all, remember those theories about how Rachel was clearly trying to write Apollo as this "secret twist villain" the whole time but it doesn't work because Apollo is simultaneously written as both a 'conniving villain' and a massive dumbass at the same time?

Well, I finally have a more appropriate term for him. He's your average red pill redditor - someone who thinks he's smarter than everyone else when really all he does is sit on reddit all day using big words incorrectly in arguments he gets himself into with a bunch of equally-air-headed dumbasses.

"You can't possibly understand the nuances of the Olympian political system," Apollo said proudly, a man who had, ironically and obliviously, run for president in a monarchy. The union of kettle and pot is eternal.

He's the Slappable Jerk but instead of it being a painfully hilarious impression, it's just painful and hilarious for all the wrong reasons.

this is so stupid because it's 1.) Eros pointing out how obvious Apollo's plan was, despite Apollo acting smart two seconds ago with a goddess who, mind you, has been a goddess for ten years, and 2.) patricide isn't even intrinsically linked to politics, there's nothing 'political' about a guy trying to kill his dad except in, idk, a monarchy, which again, Apollo has spent ten years trying to rise to power in as a president which is a completely different form of government.

If I wanted to be really granular with this, I'd like to think Apollo is making some kind of point about the critics who call out LO's whack as fuck political system (especially in the trial arc) - as if he's saying "well you're just a stupid reader and this is fantasy where you don't understand exactly what political system we're using, so shut the fuck up you stupid twig" - but I don't think it's meant to be that deep. I think it's just Rachel trying to write a smart character and then failing at it because she, herself, is not a smart writer. And I'm really inclined to believe that more than the theory about this being some kind of meta-narrative about the critics because this entire plotline is contrived and stupid down to its core.

I did not cut anything out here, that's the pacing. Leto literally just appears out of nowhere and uh oh spaghettio's, she has Kassandra! Remember Leto? The character we were led to believe was truly "pulling the strings" until she disappeared from the story completely after she realized that Apollo and Persephone weren't a thing, even going so far as to call out her own son for being a fucking dumbass? Well, she's back and once again she's being involved as some kind of "double agent" in this whole thing, even though we literally haven't seen her since halfway through S2.

"Mm yes, you're so stupid, falling into my trap! Even though you had no reason to remember Kassandra anyways because she's literally a mortal woman you just met and you yourself have committed acts of violence against mortals without a shred of care! I'm so smart! My plan is all coming together!"

We've never seen Apollo do anything except cry and poop his pants, the closest he got to being "powerful" was his attempts to murder Daphne (who he seems to have forgotten about in this "master plan" of his) but ultimately he's literally just a piss ant baby and there's no reason to believe that he could somehow outmatch the God of Love who can literally manipulate people's emotions and states of mind with his arrows. But yeah sure go off, you're so powerful and smart.

The worst part is, I can't even buy this as the narrative trying to be like "see how manipulative and conniving he is?" because it's just silly. We've SEEN this man cry with his victim complex, we've seen him say and do the DUMBEST things that don't lend to any amount of "intelligence" he may have, it comes across less as him being "smart the whole time" and more as him trying to sound smart but ultimately sounding incredibly stupid. And I can't even immerse myself into it and buy that maybe that's the point, because it doesn't feel like the point, it just feels like inconsistent writing, he doesn't feel like a 'threat', he's just monologuing.

Bad art and Apollo literally just repeating what Leto already implied so this is a waste of the audience's time.

This is the funniest panel in the whole episode because I can't tell if Apollo is supposed to be in the background (for some reason, despite him literally being in front of Eros and Psyche two seconds ago) or if he's in the foreground and just REALLY small for some reason. This is so off-putting. And of course, it's just Apollo explaining what we're ALREADY SEEING ONSCREEN.

You see, in addition to this episode being contrived, it also talks down to its audience a LOT by explaining exactly what we're seeing onscreen. It's like Rachel saw the criticisms about her not including enough to depict what's actually going on in her head and so she thought the solution was to spoon feed information over pictures that are already doing the job of explaining what's going on. Rachel really doesn't know how to write and even when she tries to implement changes that reflect criticisms that have been made of her writing, she somehow makes things worse because she completely misses the point of what those criticisms are trying to get across.

Anyways, without even trying to resist (for some reason) Eros and Psyche get sentenced to horny jail.

They're now trapped in a basement that Leto somehow has in her home. How do we know that?

HAHAHA FUNNY LAMPSHADING SO FUNNNYYYYYYY

Leto claims that they shouldn't try to escape because the dungeon is "enchanted", but she doesn't even bother to explain what that means. So they literally don't bother trying. They don't try to call her bluff, they don't try to teleport out of there, they literally just go "well shoot", shrug their shoulders, and accept their fate. Just like with the whole "we can't trust the only doctor we bothered to think of" situation, Eros and Psyche are turning out to be some of the stupidest, lowest-effort characters in this comic who literally can't be bothered to try because that would require too much brain power.

Notice how much time we've spent on this and we haven't gotten back to where the cliffhanger of the last episode left off? Well buckle up because there's still more to cover.

So it turns out Hebe was still inside with her dad, in FULL VIEW of what was going on through glass which is somehow COMPLETELY soundproof, and when Apollo steps inside, she just has no idea what happened. She never bothered to even look outside to see what was going on with Eros and Psyche, she's just been sitting on the floor staring at Zeus' dead face for what was likely several minutes, unless Rachel is seriously trying to convince us that conversation and hostage negotiation from earlier only took 2 seconds. The timeline is such a mess at this point that characters basically freeze in place as soon as they're not the focus of the scene.

Apollo rushes inside, acting shocked over the situation, and when Hebe asks where Eros and Psyche are (again, she could have just looked out the window at any time), he's just like "dur idk they just left lol" which Hebe just... buys, I guess.

That's just Persephone but yellow. She's even missing her beauty mark.

See how Apollo put his hand on Zeus' chest/shoulder by the way?

Apparently, despite Mr. Smarter Than Everyone Else trying to pretend it wasn't him, he's able to discern that Zeus is dying from a toxic and rare poison just from touching him. He doesn't even really seem to use his powers, he just touches him and goes "welp he's dead i guess lol don't bother asking me how I know that".

But oh nooo remember that note from before? Well gasp Apollo's gonna use it to frame Hebe! In front of no one else at all!

Hebe of course says she didn't write it, but Apollo continues to try and frame her anyways, even though, again, there's no one else present here, and so it effectively just becomes the most absurd form of gaslighting I've ever seen.

Again, THERE IS NO ONE ELSE HERE IN THE SCENE. He's just trying to claim she did it to absolutely no one at all, in the hopes of... what exactly? That she'll just take the fall for something she knows she didn't do? That she'll somehow be convinced? It's not like Hebe has the same thing going on as Persephone where she has a 'wrathful dark side' he could pin it on, this is just a criminal who just robbed a building pointing at the first person they see and yelling "YOU DID IT!"

All I'm saying is that Apollo would be really bad at Among Us. He'd be the type of player to kill someone, hit the report button, then claim yellow did it which, even if he DID convince the rest of the team, would still get kicked anyways as soon as yellow was proven through the eject to not be the imp and everyone would go "okay cool so yellow wasn't the imp, that means obviously it's purple self-reporting." It's a trick that doesn't even work anymore because of how old it is. Hebe isn't a child here, she's an 18 year old woman who should be fully capable of raising an eyebrow and wondering why Apollo is this quick to accuse her - almost like he's trying to hide the fact that he did it.

But Hebe can't catch onto this, just like Eros and Psyche, she has to act stupid for the sake of the plot.

At first I thought maybe Rachel was trying to do some "whodunit" scenario, but that doesn't work here because we already know who did it. And while there are stories that exist like that that pull it off (ex. Knives Out) the problem with trying to do this the way Rachel did is that the person being framed has to have this thing called motive. The reason why Knives Out and Glass Onion work so well is because the person who was murdered (or conspired against) is someone who is being targeted by multiple people who could all be the murderer. It's quite literally called out in Glass Onion as a form of smart lampshading. "It's like putting a loaded gun on the table, and turning off the lights."

But it doesn't work here because Hebe does not have motive. If you're going to attempt to frame a murder on someone, it has to be someone who would have reasonable motive to commit that murder, even if they didn't actually commit it.

And who among Zeus' children has motive?

What about the war-mongering bloodthirsty god of war who has been regularly sentenced to time in the Mortal Realm to fight in wars in which he's been regularly injured?

What about the chaos-seeking wrathful goddess who would do it to get revenge on the parental figure who cast her aside, or even just for the fun of saying she did it?

Why try and pin it on Hebe, the doting daughter of Zeus who's only had a collective of maybe 20 panels in the entire comic?

But then I realized... it's not Knives Out, it's the fucking Lion King.

Which is just as contrived - if not more - than the assumption this was gonna be some attempt to frame Hebe. It's not. He's literally just trying to keep her from assuming it was him. He could have just as easily played dumb without calling attention to the note but he intentionally went out of his way to try and be Scar from The Lion King , while completely missing the point of why that scene worked in the original movie.

Scar wasn't trying to 'frame' Simba for Mufasa's murder. He was trying to hide the murder, while also attempting to get the only heir to the throne out of the picture, so he passed the guilt of the death onto Simba - a child who, unlike Hebe, wouldn't have the ability to rationalize or realize his uncle his a scumbag - who then ran away from home because he was too terrified to face his family for what happened, assuming that it was all his fault when it wasn't.

That's not how this is panning out here. Hebe is the now 18 year old daughter of Zeus, and not one of his only children. She doesn't even fit into the whole "sons overthrowing their fathers" prophecy like Aries would. Apollo is literally just being a big idiot here by saying "well I'm gonna give you a headstart to run away, because if you stay, I might hurt you" (which btw, should be MORE of a smoking gun that Apollo did it??)

And again, it's all so contrived so that the plot can move forward. "Well I'm going to frame you for this murder, but y'know, you should just leave, I'm not gonna try and press it further lmao"

Again, Apollo is a fucking idiot here, because he just attempted to frame someone who has NO MOTIVE to harm Zeus, to absolutely NO ONE at all who would side with him, only to let her go which would leave her to question why Apollo would try to accuse and harm her in the first place before considering other options. And through ALL this he claims he's the smart one, which I can't even be bothered to "love to hate" because it's written so poorly.

And really it all comes down to how everyone else behaves in relation to Apollo that makes it so stupid and unbelievable. Apollo, you're not smart just because all the characters around you are intentionally being written to be as stupid and non-confrontation as possible. If you can only write a smart villain by making everyone else stupid, you haven't written a smart villain, you've written a dumbass whose victory only happens due to contrived plot convenience. It's not even done well like in Glass Onion, it's just bad writing, full stop.

And who does he call to report this emergency? The satyr police? His son the doctor?

No.

The media. Literally just "hello, the media?? I need your best journalist here stat!"

I need you to understand, even if he were calling a tabloid magazine like The Weekly Nark, you don't just... call a journalist to report a murder. These are not the actions of someone who's trying to absolve himself of guilt, these are the actions of a complete dumbass trying to get news coverage of his trophy kill who would be better off just playing dumb instead of trying to play smart. Even Walter White wasn't this fucking stupid despite all the times he fell on his own sword, Apollo is literally just instigating suspicion towards himself for no reason at all. He's self-reporting so hard and worst of all, you can't even take any of this seriously because of how corny it is. There's no dramatic tension, no stakes, it's just a bunch of characters performing in a really bad stage play and reducing every conflict to "well I guess Zeus is just dead now because no one's bothering to make an effort to stop Apollo or ask questions lmao"

It's truly the epitome of "this plot wouldn't exist if characters would just talk to each other."

But finally, FINALLY we mention the thing this episode is named after, the transition point to Persephone.

Just like with the midseason finale episode, there's a lot to cover here, so I'm gonna get more into it in a part two post.

That said, you can see already this is the messiest, most contrived bullshit to ever wind up in LO. It's trying so hard to be smart and it just comes across as a bunch of toddlers in the world's worst stage play rendition of Clue. None of what was done here was in any way dramatic or tense, it's just a bunch of characters infodumping shit we already know, trying to set up new plot threads that don't make any sense, and allowing one another to get away with what they're doing because they don't bother to even try.

It's completely manufactured, contrived nonsense. It's not "smart", it's not "so dumb it's brilliant", it's just dumb.

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#lore olympus critical #lo critical #anti lore olympus #this is the comic that bought two eisners #uh i mean *won* two eisners #... no wait i had it right the first time lmao

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arthenaa · 1 year

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Ominis Gaunt x GN! Reader ; fluff

He's addicted to your scent. <3 (Reader is not MC in this one)

Ominis knows you're near through your scent. It's your most distinct feature for him. Sebastian almost thinks it's comical with how fast Ominis knows you're there the moment your scent wafts in the room. You think it's cute how Ominis lights up like a little crup who gets to see his owner after a day of work.

It can also be a safe haven for the young Gaunt. It never fails to make him calm and at times, it helps him destress from the noise of the world. You had been standing for about 30 minutes in the halls of the Defense against the Dark Arts Tower. Arms wrapped around you, holding tightly against his chest and face buried on the crook of your neck is your boyfriend of 8 months, Ominis Gaunt.

"Ominis." You softly call him, hand caressing the arm around your waist. He lets out a soft hum, pulling you closer if that was even physically possible. "Ominis, love. We have to move."

It wasn't that you were positioned out in the open. Ominis had pulled you in a secluded corner where teachers and students rarely passed. It was because the Undercroft would be a much more fitting place to fully give your undivided attention to the needy boy behind you.

Sebastian had been called behind by Professor Hecat on certain concerns regarding his behavior in class (He had accidentally jinxed Leander Prewett during a duel in class and let's say he's been doing extra work for Professor Hecat as part of his punishment). You two had initially tried to wait for him. However, Ominis, who was unusually clingy during class (always sticking close to you wherever you went), had pulled you to a secluded corner, thus your present situation.

"Sebastian's still with Hecat." Ominis muffled against your neck. He presses a chaste kiss against your pulse, which sends a shiver down your back. "Let me enjoy this."

"You can enjoy this in the safety of the Undercroft." You giggle as he presses more kisses, ascending to the side of your face. He stops, burying his nose in your hair.

"You smell nice."

"Creep." You tease to which he scoffs jokingly.

"I'm your boyfriend." He mumbles as he places his head back on your neck. You lean back against him with a smile.

"Doesn't excuse you being a perv."

"Rude."

"This is nice. I always love being near you. It helps me zone out whenever Sebastian rambles on and on about his little crush on the new fifth year." Ominis lifts his head to place his chin on your shoulder. You let out a soft laugh.

"I'll be sure to tell him that." You smile. "You're like a little crup, you know?"

"Are you calling me a dog?" Ominis lifts his head in amusement, turning his head to the direction of your voice. You look up at him, giggling.

"Cause you act like one. Sebastian tells me you've got a great sense of smell when it comes to me. I think that's a talent."

Ominis flushes at the information. He's become too aware of your presence that he unconsciously developed a sensitive nose to your smell. He's in love! What was he supposed to do?

"Aw, are you embarrassed?" You tease, pinching his cheeks. He only pouts, moving his arms from your waist to wrap around your arms.

"Well, deal with it cause I'm going to be stuck to you like a niffler with a coin." He mumbles, smiling against your hair. You turn towards him, his arms loosening in the process. Your arms pull him into a hug as you look at him with a smile.

"Wouldn't that be a dream?" You grin before pecking his lips. He lets out a small laugh before hugging you close. Too immersed with each other, both of you fail to notice two Slytherins standing a few pillars away with varying looks on their faces. One with disgust and one with sadness.

"I don't know how you do it, Sallow." Imelda continues to cringe as she watches the couple in front of her. "I'd want to fall off my broom daily if they do that in front of me."

Sebastian elbows her on the side, causing her to groan and writhe in pain. She gives him a glare, to which he responds with a sigh. "When will it be my turn to be happy?"

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A/N: i love ominis

#ominis x reader #ominis gaunt x reader #hogwarts legacy x reader #hogwarts legacy #ominis gaunt

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space-blue · 3 months

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BG3 Fic Feb Comic Edition, Day 20 :

Tav gets a proposal from their partner. In which Gale offers to pay the bill on a fancy new outfit to wear around camp, so long as Tav lets him pick the cut. He's fallen for his love's chubby body and thinks he deserves better than the rags they made it to Baldur's Gate with.

With a small rambling H/C below the cut on Gale's relationship with fat, and a chubby/fat LI.

In which I posit that Gale's abs are fake, and a relationship with a fat or chubby Tav can change his view on his own body.

I saw the debate going around early on, and it has stuck with me. Are Gale's abs real? Do they make sense on a man who has been on a self-imposed year of isolation in his tower? A gourmand who loves to cook?

I've seen art that shows him working out, and I've seen lots of art in which the abs are replaced with chubbiness he's either fine with or self conscious about. But see, I'd like to think that Gale, the good dancer of Blackstaff academy, Chosen of Mystra, prodigy fretted over since boyhood, would have a particular relationship with "appearances".

Let's imagine that his looks are exactly as they are at the start of the story. He has a six pack, depression, and a magical black hole stuffed in his chest that pushes a strange hunger on him. He eats magical artefacts to upkeep it, and delicious dishes to soothe the sadness and anxiety.

Except now he's on the road, making do as best he can, prepping meals out of what we can scrounge. So for a while the intense physical effort of the adventure, paired with bare bones meals, would maintain his physic. But eventually, nature would take its course, and arriving in the environs of Baldur's Gate, sweets are available again, as well as real, restaurant grade food. His waist thickens, his cheeks fill out, he's less gaunt. He's got the glow of a man in love, too.

But even deeply in love, Gale struggles to fathom that Tav could love him as he is. Well, no, of course Tav loves him, but Gale is only offering so much, and isn't that bad? Tav, who he now loves more than his own Goddess... Tav deserves more. Deserves better than puny, human Gale. I think God Gale would come with chiseled silver abs because it's the vision he has of perfection. An ambitious body should be flawless, right? And Mystra, his Goddess, is a skinny depiction of "perfection" herself, isn't she?

So in his mind, fat is still a flaw. Assuming we manage to show him the light and guide him away from godhood, that he is truly who we love, as we love him, I think that Gale, master of illusion, would still want to present the best way possible for Tav. Having regained his old abilities, he'd be tempted to trim himself again.

I think his abs, in that context, are a lazy wizard's artifice. Anyone at Blackstaff can do it, and does. Being chubby, to them, is an aesthetic choice. And if it's not in fashion, then why indulge it? But also why work out, when time can be best spent hunting and reading books, writing essays, and sourcing collections of rare artefacts? Or eating 5 stars meals at the best restaurants in Waterdeep? There's only so many hours in the day, and so much to do. Plus, we've seen his home, and he pointed out the magical piano that plays itself (wink wink), not the dumbbells and workout bench.

No, Gale would be tempted to go back to his easy snatched waist, and probably would if his LI was slim. He's got a tendency for self-consciousness. I like to imagine that he kept the six pack through his great depression era because he just couldn't stand the idea of slipping in appearance this much, and having to get a new wardrobe. We already know the beard is unusual, and that he keeps it because he likes it, to Tara's dismay.

I think a fat or chubby Tav would help Gale relax. He falls for this person, and they so happen to be fat. All right, so what? He leans more towards intercourse in the Weave anyway, so bodies aren't so high a concern. But after Gale declares his feelings (which are returned) and the intimacy with Tav becomes more physical (small caresses, sleeping and cuddling together, hugging...) I think he'd start seeing the light.

He'd press himself into Tav and be completely overcome with the pleasure of having all this softness be for him. That Tav being chubby means more of Tav to have.

Slowly realising that Tav's fat isn't making them any less gracious or fetching in their clothes, and that a lot of the things Gale was worried about in himself were image concerns brought by the gazes of others. Expectations put on him. What a wizard of his standing should look like, that being a gourmand should not get in the way of being Mystra's arm-candy Chosen.

If Tav's chubby belly is such a delight however, then why should his be an issue? I think Gale would remain nervous and try to open the conversation, rather than not mention it or deciding to make the change on his own. Because ultimately, even being more relaxed around the idea that he's gaining weight again, he'd be nervous that this might not suit Tav's tastes.

That's the problem with being a wizard this powerful. You can influence your self and your image so much. Heck, there are spells that can resculpt your very face, so why would someone like Gale, who has carte blanche on himself, dare disappoint his love?

Tav would have to work to reassure him, but imo would have less struggle is they are a man, or masc, because Gale couldn't use the "beauty standards for thee" logic loop. A handsome man who makes tight shirts look inviting? Fat softened pecs becoming the greatest pillow he's ever rested his chest on? Seeing a form of desirable beauty in his lover that he's slowly growing to mirror? He'd wax poetic about it, get in his feels.

Tav could whisper a soft, 'Please, be yourself.' and Gale would never concern himself with six packs again, nor be afraid to develop his well-settled-professor's body.

Gale's taste remains a tad refined, and I think his concern with appearances would not go away completely. It's just that, settled in Waterdeep, he'd drag Tav to his favourite tailor, and commissions well fited clothes for him. I can see Gale being quite on top of fashion, and anxious for everyone to see Tav under his best light, especially early on as they meet the family, his circle of friends, the faculty... Stressful days, during which being able to sink into Tav's soft embrace would be the best of cures.

#bg3ficfeb #gale #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #tav #trans tav #trans masc #gale x tav #gale bg3 #tav bg3 #fat positvity #tiefling tav #gale headcanons #bg3 headcanons #baldur's gate 3

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papyrus-in-practice · 6 months

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Hey, y’all! I wanted to give an update on Papyrus in Practice and other related stuff.

“It’s been about a year, where’s the next page!?”

Wow, when I saw it’s actually been a year, I kind of blanched a bit. I didn’t mean for the hiatus to last that long. Next page is actually done. In fact, a couple of pages are either done or close to done. I’m trying to build up a big buffer so that, hopefully, there will be a smaller gap between updates in the future. My plan is to have eight pages completed, line art for four pages done, have the script for the next scene done, and have a couple of pages worth of sketches ready. As I’m typing this, six of the eight next pages are done with the remaining ones in various stages of completion and two of the four next pages have finished line art. I’ve been working and reworking and re-reworking the script for the final scene for the past twenty months and honestly frustrated in how to wrap up the chapter in a satisfying way that won’t make me stuck on chapter 4 for another two years because the climax and conclusion is so long. So, that’s where I’m at now.

“I wrote something in the ask blog and didn’t get a response.”

I read every comment and every ask sent to me and, most likely, have at least attempted to write a script to answer it. But, I gotta weigh my options. Do I answer it at risk of delaying Papyrus in Practice for another month or focus on the comic? Depending on how elaborate the answer is, it might take a while to make a response. There are also things I just don’t know how to answer to and, believe me, I’ve tried coming up with a good answer, but I’m also still learning about life myself and I’ve found that, sometimes, my answer to a question has changed a lot over time. Sometimes, I’m afraid of saying something that’s ultimately harmful. It’s a tricky balance. At the end of the day, I've never guaranteed a response to any ask and never will guarantee a response. There are still some asks that I'd like to get around to, maybe if chapter 4 finishes or I get burnt out while making it and need a change of pace.

“Are you actually a therapist?”

Yup. I just graduated this past May with a masters in art therapy counseling. My title right now is a qualified mental health professional or QMHP. I’m waiting to take the National Counselor’s Exam to obtain my LPC but government paperwork is a looooong process(seriously, some of my colleagues have been waiting in the queue for over a year to get their LCPC). In the meantime, I can still practice as a therapist as long as I check in with a supervisor and have been practicing and slowly building my caseload for the past couple of months.

“Can you be my therapist/give therapy to this person?”

The short answer is no. The long answer is that there are a lot of ethical concerns when it comes to providing mental healthcare and breaching ethical guidelines could impede therapy progress, bring potential harm to the client, myself, or I could get in big legal trouble. I can also only practice if the client is located in my home state and goes through the company I work for since I need supervision to practice. However, I’d be happy to provide resources like websites that help you find a therapist, even for a reduced price, or self-help sites that can help you learn skills and develop tools to use that can boost your mental well-being. I cannot, however, provide mental health services.

“Will (insert character’s name) meet with Papyrus?”

Maybe. I’ve got ideas for characters in mind, but it’s more a question of how much longer I want to be doing this for. I’ll be honest with y’all, I’m getting burnt out. I want to do different projects or even revisit older projects, but I tell myself I can’t do that until I finish Papyrus in Practice or, at the very least, finish chapter 4. I didn’t think this chapter would go on for as long as it has, but it also makes sense. We’ve already hit page 25 which is almost as long as the entirety of chapter 3 and I don’t even know if we’re halfway done with the chapter yet. The way it’s looking, chapter 4 may easily hit at least 50 pages.

“So, when will you be posting again?”

Soon! Hopefully, before the end of the year. When I start updating again, I’ll be posting one page every other week which gives at least a few months of content for y’all.

That being said, I’ll see you soon!

-Meemie

#papyrus in practice #update

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teeth-cable · 11 months

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You want to know how stupid the Helluva fandom is?

People still think Loona is a teenager. Like even if you missed Vivziepop's age confirmation they: sell sexy merch, nobody thinks Tex is a teen, Loona can drink alcohol in a show made by Americans, is at I.M.P. during the day and she has been adopted for at minimum 5 years.

Like did people legit forget about the sexy merch?

Though I will agree that they do write her weirdly because it seems that just by her behavior she's at max been stuck with Blitzo for 2 years.

Like she never calls him dad and is acting like she's in the phase "UGH YOUR NOT MY REAL DAD," and somehow she didn't make any friends for 5 years after she was put in a safe environment? Like Hell does apparently have an education system due to the cut Charlie comic so what's going on?

Also does that mean Loona never attempted to go outside by herself without Blitzo. I get he is overprotective but he had a job that he couldn't bring Loona too judging by the photos in his phone and mentioning he used to go after hellborns. We know she got a human disguise without Blitzo knowing somehow so....

Like what has Loona been doing besides working at I.M.P. for the past 5 years?

Like a way to fix this is something called adult adoption. Blitzo could find a homeless Loona and take her in which would fix a lot of plot holes.

And like when they write her in a way that makes sense they always find a way to undercut it. She shows up to hang out with Vortex which tells us the audience they are still on good terms despite Loona having a crush. They are mature about it and its her social awkwardness fucking her over with other people. Then Bee shows up who is being genuine and kind to her Loona acts like a bitch for no reason. I think we are supposed to think she's jealous but like its not clear. And even if it is she knew Vortex had a girlfriend ahead of time and even if she didn't know Bee was gonna be there one would assume Tex would bring his gf to a party. Even if you didn't know she was Bee. Like Loona is allowed to be slightly jealous but she isn't allowed to treat Bee like that.

Like Vortex is Loona's only friend and she isn't at least going to try to be nice to someone important to him.

Like Vortex never even told Loona to cool it or defend Bee so I'm confused about what's going on with him. Like realistically if I brought someone to come hang out with my friends and they acted like Loona we would be having a serious conversation or I'd drop them because like your giving this person a chance and they disrespect your loved ones immediately. If the show had good writing Vortex would pull Loona aside immediately.

Like Loona literally is acting like a child in this.

Then Loona acts like one again because she cares more about having fun than checking if her father is ok. Like Bee had to threaten her to check on Blitzo. I know Vortex probably doesn't know her situation but if I was him I'd think Loona and Blitzo hate each other or something.

Then Loona has the gall to act like she cares about Blitzo at the end suddenly? Its even more ruined by Seeing Stars. Like I feel there's two versions of Loona and the writers can't pick which one is the actual one. Like sometimes Loona actually acts her age and seems like a character with a hard shell but a softie but other times she doesn't act like an adult and is just bitchy for no reason. And it sucks because i love the former characterization but it gets dragged down kicking and screaming due to the latter.

I did read fan theory that Loona was originally a teenager but they changed it so they could use her as furbait and sell sexy merch.

And you know what a lot of plot holes and issues would be solved if she was around Octavia's age.

Like she can't go to the human world because she's a kid

Explains Blitzos protectiveness

Makes her bitchy attitude less egregious

Also explains why she's not in a lot of eps because she's at school

Would get rid of her inconsistent writing

But it would have to be before the pilot when this concept happened because they literally had her drinking and possibly get syphilis (im aware it can be inherited but since the show is a raunchy comedy...).

I actually don't blame the fandom for thinking she's a teenager. The lewd side of fandom is just a small part of it. As someone who is critical of HB, I easily forget too, Loona is supposed to be 22 and not a teenager because of how much the show treats and write her as one.

Almost all of her actions can be explain by trauma but I am very hesitant to say this because the times Viv has used trauma is to excuse characters’ terrible actions and she never hinted at Loona's trauma in Season 1.

But still, it can explain why she only stays with Blizto, never straying, it t’s because she doesn't feel comfortable being in public by herself. She had to stay in a crowded pound with Hellhounds who were jerks and mean to her through her life until she was 17. Loona doesn't like hanging around people because she's scared they will hurt her plus Blitzo can protect her. Blitzo is a person she can retreat to for safety so it’s important she has him around if something bad happens. People who have PTSD and trauma from abusive households tend to stay away from crowded areas because it's unpredictable and triggering for them also people with trauma tend to be closed off and distant towards others. The only reason why Loona went to the party is because Tex was there, another person she can rely on. If he wasn't there, Loona would have stayed home. It also would explain why Loona treated Bee like a bad person. Trauma can cloud your perception of others and second-guess them. Or maybe Loona got scared that Bee would take Tex away from her for the whole party, making her lonely in an environment and with people she doesn't know and she didn't feel safe with. Trauma make people act out and think irrationally to protect ourselves from experiencing the same form of trauma again or dealing more of it.

I wish Viv did relate Loona's actions in this EP to her trauma instead of making her jealous of Bee because she still has a crush on Tex. It downgrades her character into a petty teenager and doesn't make sense because Loona knew Tox for a few hours before he told her he had a girlfriend so she already knew and time has passed, why would she still have crush? Also if Viv did hint at Loona's trauma in this EP, it could be use as foreshadowing for Loona's pound scene in Season 2 and wouldn't make her trauma come out of nowhere.

It's very obvious, the writers have different versions of Loona and they can't pick a single one to stay with. I rather take this EP version of Loona who acted like a petty teenager and randomly felt affection for Blitzo than Seeing Stars’s Loona where she was an abuser to him.

#꧁rambles꧂#helluva boss critical #helluva boss criticism #helluva critical #��Asks

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cherry-dr0p · 8 days

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♡ Ms. Lucine Cierva ♡

{ Survivor of the Metal Virus }

[ A Sonic OC introduction - mainly IDW comic based ]

Hey fellas! I remember promising that I'd introduce Lucine and talk a bit about her!! 👀

Lucine is genuinely one of my favourite OCs so I'm very excited to do so!

(Literally did this one yesterday tee hee)

Lucine is a deer mobian! She's an (unofficial) scientist who mainly focuses on the Chemistry field in terms of science fields, creating and partaking in many funky experiments working with chemicals and substances! However, that's not all she does. She also creates her own things too! Weapons, gadgets, technology, you name it. She loves to create things to aid her in her experiments, and even goals! One of her best inventions was her "Chem-bag" as she calls it (Other than her robot but we'll get to that one in a bit).

Now, who exactly is she? Well. Lucine is an aspiring villain who has had that dream since she was a young teen. She aspires to be like the villains she hears about in the media and sees around. Power, is what she wants. As all villains do, of course. However, she does have an idol she desires to work alongside. I'll get to that in a little bit too.

♡ With her skills in agility and combat (specifically with the weapons she creates on her own), she is one of the only mobians who haven't been infected from the metal virus. She managed to survive somehow, by keeping in secluded spaces and when outside, keeping far away from any means of the 'Zom-bots' by staying on top of rooftops.

♡ Lucine had a best friend called Buttercup who she was originally friends with since she was a little fawn mobian. Buttercup stuck by her through thick and thin until their teen years in which an event occurred, and long story short, he broke Lucine's trust. Buttercup has forever been a huge supporter of Dr. Eggman, and his dream has been to work in his team. Unlike Lucine, Buttercup doesnt know much about science. If anything at all. However, his main focus is building technology, weaponry and gadgets like Lucine does. He is far more skilled in this area than Lucine is, as he has done it his whole life whilst Lucine's main focus was and still is science.

♡ Lucine has a 'Chem-bag' in which she invented/created herself! It works in a way of plastic balls being kept in a seperate bag she carries (the little one attached to her skirt, thats basically her storing place). The (empty) plastic balls are placed inside the bag. The interface contains buttons of elements from the periodic table. From there, she enters in a combination to create certain reactions to help her in battle. However, they are kept in the plastic ball, and the reactions occur once the ball is thrown. Some of the reactions include hardening foam, blinding lights, smoke, etc. (These may not physically make sense or anything but shh).

Here was the previous design!! (Im thinking of keeping the star interface instead of the heart to be honest XP just would be a nice reference to the fact that she idolises Starline so much)

♡ As mentioned, Lucine has been a Starline admirer/fan since she was a young adult. Lucine has always had an interest for science, but Starline gave her a goal; to meet him and use her science skills to assist him in his deeds. Starline gave her a goal in life. But eventually, she grew a tiny bit obsessed with the platypus. Posters, designs of gadgets inspired by him, you name it. She even attempted to create an antidote for the metal virus so that she'd be noticed (Still deciding on whether to make her canonically succeed or not X3)! Unfortunately however, she would not get the chance to work alongside her idol, as he died before she got a chance for him to acknowledge her existence. This left Lucine devastated, with a struggle to figure out what her purpose now was. She spent so long with the goal of meeting and impressing Starline, that she hardly focused on any other goal.

♡ Her catchphrase has always been "Presentation is key", which alludes to her always making sure something is presented in a certain way. Her outfits are stylish, and her lab is under her cottage she lives in - hidden out of plain sight. But this even nails down to how she acts. Her "cute" appearance as a deer (mobian) leads no one to suspect she could do harm, which she could use to her advantage in some cases to get what she wants if the person is naive enough. So, the presentation goes from the way things look down to the way she acts.

♡ This helps her manipulate some mobians easy enough. She acts innocent, and it seems like she has no ill intentions towards you - even going as far as making it seems like she's trying to help you - but she does this to get exactly what she wants in a way that isnt obvious.

(Dont mind this old sketch, this is from a RP I did with this character ages ago u-u ... I used to RP lots, believe it or not. But anyways.)

This is Carrie (C.A.D officially)! Lucine's most prized creation! She called the 'Caretaker Assistance Device', in which she uses to assist her in whatever Lucine needs! Sometimes its organizing the lab, sometimes its helping with experiments, or sometimes its planning. Things like that! Carrie however, cannot fight. Lucine had programmed her to help, not battle. Despite this, Carrie has her own sentience kind of. She can speak on her own willingly and do things to her own accord. She is programmed in a certain way to help Lucine, but other than that, she pretty much kind of has her own will.

(I really gotta redraw Carrie T^T)

Im just gonna throw her old ref sheet here hehe... (just so you guys can get an idea of her colour palette, too. Her colour palette hasn't changed)

Believe it or not, she used to have smaller ears! Until I realised she doesnt look like a deer all that much and changed them.

Another invention of hers is also backpack wings; mechanical wings attached to a backpack! They help her fly,,, somewhat?? Its moreso for gliding around.

Truth be told she is also 3'6. Short motherfu- /j

To finish this off, heres some old drawings of her :p

Hope you all enjoyed reading through this :3 Lucine is one of my favourite OCs, and I very much enjoyed talking about her! I know I've thrown a bunch of info at yall hehe, sorgey TuT

Most likely will be drawing and talking about her in the future!!

#Sonic OC #STH #sonic the hedgehog oc #Sonic the Hedgehog #idw sonic #Fanart #sonic the hedghog fanart #STH fanart #STH AU #Original Character #Ms. Lucine Cierva #Blegh #OC #I love her sm #Lil science deer girlie :3 #Fun fact: my friend came up with the surname Cierva #Also dont mind my inability to draw mobians. Literally cannot for the life of me #If you have any questions about her- feel free to ask!!!

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daily-trapinch · 3 months

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I just rediscovered this blog, which has been completely inactive since 2017. If you're still following me, I'm so incredibly grateful that you've stuck with it through the long silence. Truthfully, I'd forgotten about my dear Sandi in the rush of life, you know how these things go. But I have so many fond memories from running this blog, at the peak of the daily pokemon hype! I truly hope all the folks from back in the day are doing well.

After losing both the email and password to for this blog, I managed to crack the code to get back in. I don't really know what I'm going to do with it now, but rest assured, I won't be deleting anything.

The last post on this blog was about getting to know me, so I figure it's about time for a life update. Pardon me for getting sentimental for a moment.

Since this blog went on hiatus, I have entered and graduated from my university with a Bachelor's in Marine Biology, with honors, and a minor in Chemistry. I traveled abroad and swam through coral reefs, rescued stranded sea life, and cleaned up beaches. Out of everything, I'm proudest of the time I spent building oyster reefs and restoring our shoreline habitats. I've met so many amazing people, and we've made a real difference in this world. Through working with oysters, I discovered a deep love of the little things, the tiny humble creatures living in crevices, within mud, and on rocks of the seafloor. There are miniature worlds of infinite wonder there, if you take the time to look.

I met the love of my life, nearly got engaged after five truly divine years, and was promptly dumped before I could propose. I still have the ring. At the same time, I moved across the country to an unfamiliar city, where I thought I would be with my love, but instead was completely on my own. Things have been hard. Things have been very, very hard. There are good days and bad days, but I am picking myself up, pulling myself out of the dark. I am building myself a home here, and it is so worth living in. There is so much beauty in this world. There is so much love in the hearts of the people around us.

Art has settled into a pleasant supporter in the background of my life. I don't draw nearly as much as I used to, and my sense of creativity has changed a lot over the years. But I always know that the art will be there for me whenever I decide to pick up pencil and paper again. This blog from years ago taught me the joy of silly little doodles, and I'm so so so grateful for that!

I go by Frankie, these days. They/them or xe/xem pronouns. Currently, I'm in graduate school, preparing to get my PhD in Marine Science. I study little marine worms - how they move, how they affect their environment, and how important they are to the whole ocean. Ask me about my polychaete pictures, I think they're really cute! Honestly, I wish I could go back and tell my 2017-self just how much we've accomplished. Back then, I never thought I'd make it this far. I could never have imagined the breadth of experiences life had waiting for me.

There's still so much more out there to experience. If you followed me in 2017 and you're reading this now - I hope life has treated you well. I hope you've had so many good days since the last time you saw my dear Sandi. And I hope you have so many more good days for years to come!

Some of you may notice that when I went on hiatus, I left some loose ends unresolved. Unanswered messages and asks, comic ideas, that kind of thing. I promise that I didn't do it on purpose at the time! I was a lot younger, didn't understand exactly how to handle my blog getting this big. But I hope you will respect my decision to leave these things alone and not reopen a bunch of threads from seven years ago. Thank you <3

#pokemon #trapinch #daily pokemon #daily trapinch #positivity

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alegacyofmonsters · 9 months

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Legacies 1x04 Rewatch:

Just seeing all the comic book decor in MG's room makes me so sad that we never got to see him and Landon geek out together

The amount of (lame) TVD cameos in S1 was wild considering they did not keep that energy up

If I had a nickel for every time the Salvatore School made a fake exchange program with Mystic Falls High over a murder, I'd have two nickels which isn't a lot but it's weird that it's happened twice

"Who are you and what did you do with Hope Mikaelson?" Just you wait ...

The blatant use of TVD scenes for the exterior shots of MFHS and they couldn't even match the green filter of Legacies

Lizdon best friendism!!!

"Try not to deliberately alienate the entire student body." "I tried to be her friend when I was five and when I was nine and when I was thirteen." "I'm sorry we couldn't see why you were hurting back then." SCREAMING.

"Would you like to be the Robin to my Batwoman?" "Batwoman doesn't have a Robin." "Metaphor." FOR LESBIANISM.

"I'm working on offensive spells." Maybe we should've known she was blood thirsty from the start

Rosie and Finsie both have a breakfast scene BUT NOT JANDON OR POSIE. WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?

No because how did Josie have Raf so wrapped around her finger and still manage to come up with a fake sob story about Lizzie winning him

Baby Handon, my beloveds

Hope 🤝 Lizzie 🤝 Accusing MG of failing at compulsion

Lizzie being so grossed out by MG's unrelenting advances and him STILL not getting the message. Oh I hate what this rewatch is doing to my best boy.

"Dana is dead." Oh no ... what are we gonna do ...

"I expect you to be with Hope when I do" hits so much harder knowing about 4x06

"You are a horrible liar." "I suck at lying." Okay Lizzie I see you

We were robbed of Cheerleader!Hope, even in an AU

I still need someone to edit "They're a gift from Cheryl" into a Hope Mikaelson x Cheryl Blossom edit

"Relax, Eeyore." Hope, your Lizzie is popping out.

"I don't even like any of you" but we all know who she's best friends with in the Human AU

Jed truly was terrible in the beginning. Like who is that? I don't know him. Bully!Jed isn't real unless you believe in him.

"I'm a feminist." You're a liar is what you are actually.

I really do miss S3 actual feminist MG. Bring him back to me already.

The casual Dana E.D. jokes were ... certainly a choice for a 2019 show ...

The Kaleb x Landon dynamic deserved more

"Years of practice with Lizzie" and we never once get to see it. Like??

"You're dead if you don't submit." I'm sorry but like has a werewolf student ever actually been murdered for not joining the pack? I feel like we would've heard about that.

"It's Sasha." Was Sasha even at the flag football game? How do they know her?

BASES IT OFF OF GREEK LORE. OH THE GREEK GODS SET UP WAS THERE. IT WAS THERE.

"My money's on your boyfriend." "He's not my boyfriend." She just wanted to hear you say it, sweetie.

"Whatever spun this is gonna come back and eat us." We couldn't be that lucky. Imagine how much better the series would have been.

I still ship Connor x Josie. I don't care.

Landon rushing in to save Josie. Oh Jandon serves whether you want to admit it or not.

The S1 Core 6 did not get enough scenes together

THE MOMENT IT ALL CHANGED FOR LIZZIE. OH GOD OH GOD. HOLD ON TIGHT.

THINGS ARE SHIFTING.

"I'm a twin. I don't do anything solo." You just spent the entire episode without Lizzie because being a hero is too much pressure??? You spent the whole last episode apart from her too???? It's only the fourth episode?????

It's almost laughable how much Josie lies. Like every other word out of her mouth is straight up false and she knows it.

Still think Jed x Rafael should have had a thing.

I miss this Handon angst. THIS. THIS IS THE GOOD STUFF. Not the circular conflict they got stuck in later.

"Being a hero is not more important than being safe." This is your suicidal daughter, my dude. She does not care about being safe.

"She thinks she's too good to give you the time of day." Actually it's

"Don't disrespect her like that. We got enough monsters out here as it is. We cannot become one of them." MG YOU DIDN'T DIE THE HERO. YOU LIVED LONG ENOUGH TO BECOME THE VILLAIN. GOD DAMN IT.

Wait a minute. Josie was stuck in a spider web, almost dying, and Landon saved the day instead of Penelope Park making an appearance? Penelope would have never.

"If you threaten my kids, Sheriff, I'll be the one coming for you." No, maybe I get it. Maybe I do still get the attraction.

#legacies #legacies cw #legacies 1x04 #legacies rewatch #hope mikaelson #lizzie saltzman #josie saltzman #landon kirby #rafael waithe #milton greasley #kaleb hawkins

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bitimdrake · 1 year

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Do you think there could be a compelling and well-written way for Jason to ever start healing from his trauma? I get the tragedy and all is why so many people like his character and all but it’s been over 18 years since he came back and I’ve grown apathetic to the whole “I died boohoohoo” thing. Idk the way DC is written makes it hard to me to feel the same way I did when he first came back as Red Hood because death is so meaningless in that universe, now more than ever. I feel the same way about Bruce and his whole mess of trauma and want to see them do something new, yknow? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Absolutely!!

I think I end up hammering on the tragedy and angst aspect a lot because it's the part I feel gets most lost--certainly in fluffy batfam fics, but also in DC canon just abruptly declaring him totally part of the family now don't worry about it after Flashpoint. I think the legitimate trauma Jason has, the significant differences in principle with the other bats, and the harm he's done them in turn, have gotten worn down and minimized, and it's a bummer!

But I would like to see him heal from his trauma and like. have a real arc.

That's my biggest problem with Jason in canon thus far*. It's not that he is a hero now and aligned with his family. It's that we never got to see how that really happened. He was a villain one second, and then the universe got rebooted, and suddenly we were supposed to just infer this off-screen development.

(*Thus far being up to where I have read, which is through the New 52. Cannot comment beyond that yet.)

In my dream where I get to rewrite the history of DC, we would have spent like five years watching Jason gradually progress from the remorseless antivillain he became by the end of preboot into someone healthier, with more actual morals, a principled antihero. And working out his various relationships with his family along the way.

Unfortunately, because DC skipped to the end of that theoretical arc without ever actually doing the arc, we're sorta...stuck.

The status quo is where it is. DC can't pretend Jason has been an antagonist this whole time and give him the arc now. Red Hood has been a significant part of the batfamily for years. They can't just insert the 'Jason heals' arc because theoretically he's already done that. But also, so long as we never actually see that arc, it's never truly going to feel resolved.

This is the crux of the Jason Todd problem.

Anyway, I feel you on the death thing as well. When Jason died (I'd argue even when he came back), death was a lot more meaningful and significant. His death really meant something, and his return was a huge shake up.

But since then...everyone's died. And now there's this awkward disconnect between (a) in story, all these people having gone through the traumatic event of dying and returning which should probably be significant for them all, and (b) out of universe, Jason's death being considerably more significant than anyone else's and a core part of the character.

Jason's death can't really be a meaningless joke (though he absolutely can recover from the trauma), because we all know it wasn't; it was a huge deal. But we also can't have all the characters act like his death was significant while a bunch of other death's aren't, because then they just seem insane and myopic. But we can't have everyone act like every death is significant, because then we wouldn't be able to do anything else except reflect on the massive amount of death and trauma around here, plus it would be so hollow to most readers who know a lot of these comic books deaths were just cheap shock value that got immediately reversed. And around and around and around--

It's a fucking mess. I have plenty ideas of how I could fix it in a rewrite (whether fanfic or magic time travel where I Fix DC Comics). But I don't have a lot of ideas of how to fix it now, over a decade after the problem started.

Although, to return to your very first question: even if we can't fix everything, yes, I do think a good writer could give a compelling story of Jason healing from his tragedy, without a doubt. I do think that angle can still be explored and developed, because it has not be closed off.

...the biggest problem there would just be that comics are cyclical, and you know some other writer would come in two years later and revert him back to brooding about his death all the time, because that's the version of the character they're used to.

#*#ask #anon #*dc #dc #jason todd #dc meta #meh. really more stream of consciousness babbling but. it exists.#anyway i think the most telling comparison here is between jason and damian's death #both were theoretically significant and send bruce spiraling and were big events #but when jason died he was dead. there was no question of that.#because the characters were still in a universe where why *would* there be a question? of course he's dead. he died.#but ~25 years later damian dies and basically the first thing bruce does is try to figure out how to bring him back #because they now live in a universe where that happens all the time and is reasonable

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