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ssilverhand · 2 months

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OC files: Verona Silverhand

alias: V birth name: Verona X (gave up her surname when she left home and no longer remembers it) date of birth: september 13, 2050 affiliations: none the lore: feared merc assassin V doesn't have enemies; she has people she wants dead, and then they die. [tbc] the truth: the child of two neglectful night city junkies, verona was on her own from the moment she was born. leaving home at eleven and forced to become a pickpocket to survive, she was hardened early to the cruelty of corps and capitalism. for over ten years, V lived on the streets, before realizing that the city was going to swallow her if she didn't set her sights a little higher. so against her better judgement, she took a revenge job, robbing a maelstrom new recruit named rowen bane. she was caught, but rather than ratting her out, rowen was impressed and took a liking to her. they began a volatile and opportunistic relationship; he passed her name on to his superiors, and verona was contracted out for covert jobs when they needed her. but eventually maelstrom's leader, brick, contacted the thief and demanded she join the gang under threat of violence. in response, verona threatened to release maelstrom secrets; this was the wrong move, and brick made an attempt on her life. deciding NC was too dangerous for her to stay, verona broke for atlanta. altanta was more of the same, and didn't feel like home the way night city did. so verona returned, thinking two years was enough time for maelstrom to have forgotten about her. even so, she took on the alias "V" as a means of protection. while doing a botched thievery gig, V met ex-valentino jackie welles and became his best friend, part of his family, even. they began doing small-time merc jobs, trying to make a name for themselves, before being contacted by one dexter deshawn, a fixer running from a past of his own. the arasaka heist dex planned was a bust; V not only lost her best friend, but gained a brain-overwriting engram – who also happened to be the rockerboy that blew arasaka tower to the ground, none other than johnny silverhand. though their start was rocky, v and johnny quickly came to an understanding, finding closeness and compassion for each other as their personalities melded. eventually, they admitted they'd both die for each other, and that their unique bond was closer to love than either of them had felt before. V fought tooth and nail to save them both, forming alliances along the way that proved both her talent and tact. she went on to find a solution in arasaka's mikoshi, but while moving through the tower discovered johnny's body, intact and perfectly preserved. she eliminated yorinobu arasaka, made a deal with his sister, hanako, and won freedom for both herself and johnny. V is retired now, passing jobs on to her apprentice and adopted little brother, osiris, and dodging calls to take over the afterlife from rogue. you can find her living with johnny and their klepped dalmatian, sam, in a bungalow above the flooded remains of laguna bend.

all photos by @vos-videmus

#silverv #cyberpunk #cyberpunk 2077 #cyberpunk v #johnny silverhand #cyberbonk #oc files #v for verona #i don't play verona much anymore bc her story came to a really satisfying conclusion for me #but i love her so much she was my first v #also the street kid lifepath isn't my favorite but it fit her so well #that i couldn't not expand on it x100 #so here she is <3 #i need to add more to the lore section but i'll do it later i really wanted to get her canon backstory written out

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bookwyrminspiration · 2 years

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how do you think descent arcs would work for each of the Keeper kids and who do you think they might become as a result?

To get through all of them I'm gonna try and be succinct but if you'd like to explore any of these in more depth I'd be more than happy to! Alright spoiler I wasn't very succinct so I'm putting it under a cut :)

Sophie: Control. She can't stop thinking about how she's following what everyone else set for her and how she's never been her own person. Starts to lash out against it, desperately trying to find herself. Rejects those who've tried to guide her and makes her own path, not realizing it's hurting those around her, trying to find herself. Any sort of relief it gives her she feeds into, making her an unrecognizable person obsessed with independence

Fitz: The rules. He tries to learn and to listen to people but they keep discarding these rules he's built his entire sense of self around. So he starts to push back, to try and see them as good again because then he's good. He doesn't know who he is without them so he holds on to a fault until he's unwilling to compromise, until he's against his friends desperately trying to find a way to make himself the good guy because all he's ever known are these rules and he can't let go

Keefe: he thinks he can work alone and get things done but he can't. He doesn't understand that people understand him and want to help, so he thinks he's entirely alone. So he isolates himself, doing things of his own accord more and more until nothing about him is in sync with everyone else. But he doesn't learn because he still thinks they don't understand, getting to a point where everything he does gets in the way of what his friends are trying to do but he doesn't realize it, thinking he's still the one taking the brunt of everything so no one else has no, not realizing he's what they're enduring. He doesn't let anyone in

Biana: She tries to prove her worth. She comes from a family of legends and is surrounded by people who are super capable, and she wants to show them all that she is too. So she starts to act on her own, to take action to get ahead of the others, to prove how she's on their level. In doing so, she goes too far. She deviates and makes mistakes and tries to justify them, but she's messing things up for everyone else in the process and it drives a rift through them. Now she's alone of her own doing and still trying so hard to prove herself, even as the bitterness she holds starts to grow.

Dex: Grudges. He holds grudges about being left behind and about only his gadgets being useful and while it may start with valid critiques of his relationships, they expand beyond that and he starts turning small things into bigger things into things that never even happened. He created their next action in his hand and gets mad over something that doesn't even happen. He starts to resent everyone else and pull away, isolating himself. Maybe he stops making gadgets, maybe he sabotages them out of petty anger. Maybe he hurts people over things that haven't even happened. He loses sight of how he's valued

Marella: Rumors and what been taken from her. She's in the spotlight because of her mother, because of her power, and she's acutely aware of everything normal that she's been denied. She doesn't have a normal live or normal friendships and can't live normally because of things entirely out of her control. Because of who she is. This society would and does reject her and she's supposed to fight to protect it? No. Fuck them. They don't deserve shit from her. In fact, maybe they deserve retribution for everything they've taken from her, everything they have yet to take.

Linh: Internal frustration and self-doubt. She's spent her life thinking of herself as lesser and incompetent, then fearing her power and what's she capable of. Voices like that can be unlearned but sometimes they come back, and sometimes they create a crack in a damn that can do nothing but explode. She forgets how far she's come and how capable she is, how talented she is. The doubt eats her alive and everything people have said about her is all she can think of, pushing her into despair. I don't think she'd actively go against everyone, but I think she'd go quiet, dormant, pull away and leave everything behind because it hurts her. She shuts down.

Tam: Trust. He doesn't know how to. Everything about him is guarded and he's always ready to fight, always ready to judge. All the little mistakes his friends make over the course of their struggle against the Neverseen start to add up until he can't help but see everyone as incompetent. They're getting nowhere; it's not true, but he just can't recognize their progress. Nothing feels like enough and he's so bitter and it doesn't have anywhere to go so it starts to leak out of him until it cuts him off from everyone he used to have. And that only allows his vitirol and bitterness to multiple until there's no one left and all he can do is try and get it out of his system by forcing it onto everyone else.

Stina: She's vengeful and petty. Just being part of the group now doesn't mean that she can forget how everyone hated her, how they were forced to work alongside her. She's not one of them. That grows and grows until she wants nothing to do with them, only seeing how they're forcing themselves to work with her. In that, everything associated with these people she comes to hate as well and she rejects it immediately without evaluating it. She wants to get back at them for how much they hate her, the rest of the world be damned. It's all about revenge and she wants everyone else to hurt like she does because maybe then she'll feel better

Maruca: She's too brash, too new to all of this. She's swayed in her attempts to keep things straight in her head. It doesn't happen easily, but there's just enough doubt because she's late to the party that words can get into her head. She grows confused and doesn't know whose right and wrong, because there doesn't seem to be a right and wrong like she thought she was. And in that vulnerability there's opportunity, and she's swayed to the other side. She becomes convinced she's fighting for good, and that her friends were wrong. There's a chance she can come back from this, but right now she's in its thralls

Wylie: Loss. He is sick and tired of loosing people, of having them be threatened, of them being dragged into this whole mess he never even wanted to be a part of. So he starts bargaining, making deals. It doesn't matter how it works out as long as the people he cares about are safe; those people are horrified by what he's willing to do and give up for them, but he can't stop. It doesn't matter what happens to everyone else, he just can't keep loosing people. it's not worth it. they can't make it worth it. When it comes down to what's right and his family, he picks his family. And that is when he becomes an antagonist to everyone he used to fight alongside

That's just kinda how I think they could become something other and have a descent. I based them mostly off of characteristics they have now that could be taken to the extreme to turn them into the opposites of themselves, as I think those are more genuine to them than creating something out of nowhere.

It's very interesting to think about, so thank you for the prompt!

#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #the kotlcrew #quil's queries #nonsie #fun fact the linh one is kinda the basis of a fic idea I had a while back. it was also inspired by ed.#haven't thought about it beyond what's written here but like. it's there in the back of my head #things like this are so so fun to write #breakdowns and extremes are like. so good. I love writing them #sorry to the kotlcrew for that. but like. how do i explain this it's like cute aggression but for suffering #that makes it sound bad #do you know what I'm talking about or does this make no sense #anyway

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shithead-123 · 1 year

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Kotlc collecting habits Pt.2

Basically what I think various kotlc characters (mostly the kids) would collect. other than prattles pins bc we all know everyone collects those so.

this is inspired by my own habits of picking random shit up and stuffing it in my closet.

Tam: Again like Linh, not much of a collector. I think he's the least collect-y of the group. But of the very few things he does collect, he collects things that are useful, a lot like dex. he's hyper vigilant almost. He was Linh and his own sole caretaker (Linh took care of him too but Tams internalized this wayyy more than Linh did), and anything that can protect him and Linh is something he would collect. small knives, emergency med kits, fire proof clothing even. things like that. he's ready for the apocalypse. But maybe, far down the line, when he's starting to relax, he has a small book collection. I will die on my hill of Tam being a bookworm. he, Tiergan and Wylie can bond on their shared love of Pride 7 Prejudice. Or other equivalent elven books. Linh and Prentice are illiterate and proud (not that they're not smart, prentice is literally a keeper, they just hate reading). He also has a collection of Weird shirts Linh has made him. He doesn't throw them away. He'd rather die than wear them, but he'll look into his closet sometimes and quietly organize the shirts she made him and give a small smile.

Maruca: She seems like a bead girlie to me. Like her bead box, is gigantonourmous. She has made soooooooo many bracelets and necklaces and jewelry and honestly even beaded embroidery for her friends and herself and Wylie (Wylie is not her friend, he family, so it's diff). She still has vasttttt amount of beads left over. Literally once a month she goes on a bead hunt, bonus points if it's with someone else like Biana of Marella or something. On her reoccurring bead hunt, she will say she's only buying beads to make one(1) bracelet, and then proceeds to buy the entire store out. It's so funny. No one wants to go on her bead hunts anymore bc she makes them carry shit while she hunts for more beads. Honestly queen behavior. Literally all her clothing and jewelry and everything has beads on it. side point: she seems like she would be into making lace, and anyone who's ever watched ppl make lace, or make lace themselves, know that it's incredibly tedious. so hats off to her.

Marella: Marella does not think things through, if she likes, she takes. yes. I feel like she would have a collection specifically for like fire related things. Like fire earrings, fire decorated bandanas etc. OMFG wait. COWGIRL MARELLA. PLS SOMEONE DO THIS I WOULD DIE. anyways, after like the initial shame and fear she gets from manifesting as a pyrokinectic, I think she would feel angry. I mean I know. this is canon pretty sure. She's not ashamed anymore, and wants to prove this fact with buying fire related stuff. I also think she might be into collecting ribbon. Like for her hair. She ties little bits of ribbon in it and it makes her feel pretty. She starts doing it regularly bc her mom used to put ribbons in her hair before her accident. Nw she does by herself bc no one will do it for her. :)

(stellarlune spoilers): ik most ppl have read it by now but still

Rayni: She's again, a lot like Linh and Tam. She doesn't have a the capacity to collect things because of her living situation in the never seen. All she has is her cat statue. of course, she had a life before her parents tribunal and subsequent banishing, and from that time period, I feel like she would pull a Linh and collect stickers. Actually that could be bonding, like Her and Linh find each others sticker stashes, and start trading them like Pokemon cards. It's their bonding time. Linh can yell at Rayni and Rayni can yell at Linh art various sticker deals they're making, and at the end, they have cool new stickers and they're happy. Btw Rayni does have a very large cat sticker collection. She currently on the hunt to look for a cat sticker that looks like her cat statue. She'll find it someday. again side note: Rayni never actually uses the stickers. They're in a super secret bin underneath her bed or something.

Jensi: U guys thought I forgot him huh. Plant dad. Plant boy. Exotic plants. Native plants. Invasive plants. He has a nice little garden which is periodically harvests from. He's the gnomes favorite bc he loves plants. If anyone wants a little cottage core scene they go to his house. He has poisonous plants, and like maybe sometime in the war against the never seen sophies like looking for this super rare plant that has insane toxins in it and Jensi's like. Oh yeah I have like six of those in my backyard lol. and I also bred them to be even more potent. want some? Sophie is flabbergasted. She has new respect for the Venus fly-trap he gifted her. Fintans a plant dad? wrong. He's nothing compared to Jensi. Nothing.

Wylie: I'm going full angst with this one and saying he collects hairpins/clips. Like the ones his mother used to make. He obviously doesn't use them. maybe he gives some to Maruca and other friends/family with longer hair. (wait Wylie with long hair. hmmmmm. I like it). But mostly he just hides them away. And when he's trying to remember what his mothers smile looked like, (Bc he doesn't have photographic memory, and he was very young when she died, he's bound to forget) he opens up the hair pin box and cries. he gives one of the remaining pins he has to Tiergan bc he has long hair. And they cry together. Could also be sad times with him and Prentice too. They mourn together while looking at the hair pins.

#kotlc #kotlc wylie #kotlc tam #kotlc rayni #kotlc jensi #kotlc marella #kotlc maruca #kotlc keefe #I think I forgot to tag him last time #also this has a lot of spelling mistake bc I did this in a half hour and I hate editing so #the angst potential that Wylie has is unmatched #hes a sad little boy

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anyathefandom · 11 months

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To Those Fortunate Enough chapter 29:

@burned-lariat

A smirk formed on Wallace's face as soon as Irina walked out of the bathroom.

Wallace internally:

Wallace really be like "Irina you don't understand me and Dex hashed that out years ago. He's just being dramatic right now" like Wallace once again I need you to stop INVALIDATING YOUR SON'S FEELINGS!!!

“Absolutely. I kept him safe, I kept him away from your mother. I did what you wanted-”

“Stop,” Irina raised a hand, “stop right there.”

“What?”

“...I’m going to ask you this once, and I want an honest answer. Do you actually love our son?"

Me: See and now you got Irina wondering if you even love that boy.

"Concerned citizen?" Alexis furrowed her brow before the answer dawned on her, "Victor got you removed."

"He did."

"Well…welcome to the club."

"What do you mean?"

"The locks to The Invader were changed overnight. We can't get in."

"And you think it's Victor's doing?"

"Who else would it be? It's not every day you see a bunch of big men in business suits taking over your office."

Me: Once again I appreciate that Victor is very active. Like mans is not wasting any time with making his move. I love a competent villain.🤌

"But why? Is Wallace that big of a threat?"

"What makes you think he isn't?"

"Well, when the family met Irina and found out what happened, he was this calm, simpering presence, not some dangerous, conniving brute."

Me: AND THAT'S MY MAN!!!

"What made him 'simpering?''

"Irina lashed out at him over what happened to Dex and he just…took it. He didn't fight with her, he didn't get angry, he just took the blame and wilted under her rage."

"That doesn't sound like Wallace. The Wallace I know is a hot-headed, stubborn brute."

Irina: “No, I sacrificed a lot for him. I sent him away because if I didn’t, he’d be dead. I had to give up my motherhood for his well-being, and I had to swallow the fact that I broke my own heart to save him, and I hate that I hurt him in the process. I suffered in a way no mother ever should, but I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat if it meant he got to live to see another day. What did you sacrifice?”

Me: Baby that's just the power of Irina Cassadine 🤷

Wallace: “You.”

Me: I feel his pain but I'm going to need Wallace to stand up because I know it broke his heart when she left but Dex is his son so resenting your only child who you have with the love of your life isn't the way to go sir.😬

You sent us away,” he replied, “You had me take Dex and flee the Netherlands. I had no way to contact you, I had no way of making sure you were okay-”

“That wasn’t important!”

“How was that not important?”

“Because it wasn’t about me, it was about Dexter. What mattered was his safety and his well-being: who cares about me?”

“I cared!” Wallace shouted, his voice echoing, “I cared, Irina! I love you!”

“I love you too.”

Me: I'm really getting the "I love you" dialogue in these conditions.😭

“No, you love Dex. Everything was about Dex, it was always about Dex.”

Me: Wallace that's what happens when you become a parent!!!

"That’s what happens when you become a parent, Wallace. It stops being about you, and it starts being about your child. I’m sorry you never got the chance to experience that kind of selfless love.”

Me:

“None of this is Dexter’s fault-”

“He kept you away from me!” Wallace boomed, “All of this is his fault, all of it! None of this would’ve happened if you had just let Helena get rid of him!"

Me:

“Wallace, come on,” Irina got the man to his feet, “it’s alright. I know you were angry. I’m sorry I poked at you like that.”

“No, no,” he shook his head, wiping his face with his hands, “Don’t apologize. You had every right to. He was right: I wasn't the father he needed me to be. I let him get hurt over and over again because of some petty resentment I never had the right to feel. He deserves better. I have to fix this.”

“Where are you going?” Irina watched as he grabbed his jacket from over the adjacent chair.

“I’m going to show up for him,” he answered, grabbing his jacket from an arm of the sofa, “I’m going back to the hospital, and I’m going to sit there and wait until Dex wakes up. Once he’s up, I’m going to spend every second making up for everything I’ve ever done to him.”

Me at the start of this conversation:

Me by the end:

#to those fortunate enough #general hospital

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cyberpawn-arc · 1 year

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meta: vale + pov on each of NC's different fixers

Vale Meta Discussion!!

Rogue Amendiares

First thing's first, Rogue is one of the biggest badasses in Night City to Vale. Vale admires her resolve and her work ethic and the way she is runnin' the mercenary system of Night City with that same confident smirk on her face as she's had for decades. She's unstoppable and she's truthful, she's not gonna sit there and have you run in circles for cheap work. They're lucky to have her in their life and they want to prove to her that they've got the merc skills to pay the bills.

Dakota Smith

Vale doesn't work with Dakota a lot due to the fact they aren't the biggest fan of the Badlands. It's too quiet for them, and they prefer how the business of the city kees raking eddies in on a more consistent basis for them. Even though they don't work together a lot, Vale has a lot of respect and trust for Dakota, as she has never gone behind their back.

Dexter DeShawn

When V was a beginner merc, they saw Dex as the entry ticket to the major leagues. They were intimidated by the fact he was the gatekeeper of glory, his picks of the endless mercenary litter were legends in the making and they felt like everything was coming up roses for them and Jackie when Dex chose them for the Arasaka Heist. Ask V now? Dex was a coward. Always was. Never had the balls to do his own work.

Dino Dinovic

V also thinks Dino is cool as fuck. Dino oozes that rockerboy charisma, the ooze that reeks of lots of drugs and blood and probably a fair amount of spit too. Even though Vale has never heard Dino play the bass in any band, Vale knows that they can trust him to handle a drink at a party or sneak them into some major bash thrown by Kerry or another rock legend.

Wakako Okada

While Vale appreciates Wakako's honesty and bluntness, they've occasionally found themselves getting in trouble with her. She's got a certain way she wants shit done, and she doesn't want a messy, sloppy job that ends with Vale ruining every plan of stealth. What Vale makes up for in strength and charisma, they lack in stealth and subtlety. Even though they know they can complete any job she has for them, Vale is scared of her critiques.

Regina Jones

Vale sees the ideal of healing those who are suffering from cyberpsychosis as a very noble and worthwhile mission to live on. They trust Regina as she’s willing to give them as much information as she knows before they risk their life to help an individual going through cyberpsychosis. With their empathy and Regina who hands them their tasks, they trust her and they love this mutual goal they’re working towards to try and heal the city and the people living inside of it.

Sebastian "Padre" Ibarra

Given Padre’s past, Vale has always been the merc showing up asking if they would ever listen to a poor mercenary’s confessions about their job and the work they’ve done. He’s honest about salvation and sin and the teachings in an old book that Vale has never even thought about cracking open. Padre was actually the first Fixer Vale ever worked with! They were a punky teen who wanted to get into the mercenary work, and Padre was willing to have them deliver votive candles and food to those in Heywood he assists.

Muamar "El Capitán" Reyes

As Vale is a Merc With a Heart, it feels as though Cap is a Fixer who really does genuinely care about Santo Domingo and its safety. They help Cap deal with nuisances trying to overthrow the local community balance and put families in danger. At the same time, Vale has made jokes about how Cap was a corpo rat! They think that shit is funny! They didn’t believe that the first time they were told that!!

Mr. Hands

Vale isn’t as keen on Mr. Hands as they are some of the other Fixers. He’s more open on how he sees this all as business, as a money opportunity he needs to capitalize. He sees their kindness as an obstacle for his goals and they see his cold, calculating nature as an obstacle for the betterment of the city. They just wish they could level with him and have him share even a hint of his past to them. They want to understand him.

#prvtocol #Thank you for this!!!#This was so fun to do!!!

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winterfireice · 1 year

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Chapter 3 of Just Coffee Hearts is out now!!

not tagging people today because I'm tired

“I just don't understand how you two ended up at an abandoned water park in the first place,” Amy tells Dex. We’re all working this Saturday, and it’s a slow day so we're pretty much just hanging out, and talking, not worrying about much,

“We got lost,” Keefe shrugs casually, Keefe isn't working today but is here nonetheless and sharing some random story from last summer when he and Dex went camping. I’m still not sure how they got to the water park and they won’t tell me so I've pretty much given up on finding out.

I hear the door open and look up, my legs nearly falling out from underneath me seeing Biana walk through the door, her mouth breaks into a smile when she sees me and I can feel my cheeks get warm,

“How are you already blushing?” my cousin whispers,

“Shut up please,” I respond quickly before Biana can get to the counter and can hear all my so-called friends laughing quietly,

“Hi, um what can I get you today, I should mention were having a sale on our blueberry muffins,” I say to her finding words much easier than the last time we spoke,

“A latte please and a blueberry muffin I guess,” she laughs “Oh, and a chocolate chip muffin too, please, thank you,” she seems nervous and it makes her even cuter,

“Coming right up,”

Biana’s phone rings and she steps outside to answer it while Amy says “Ok Sophie you make her coffee and Dex you get her muffin,”

“And what will you be doing?” Keefe asks,

Amy looks around for a second, “I will get her the other muffin,” she says confidently,

I turn to start making Biana’s latte deciding to add a little foam art of a heart on top,

“Oh that's cute,” Keefe says looking over my shoulder “You should write your number on the side,”

“Oh, you totally should!” Amy says almost squealing,

“I'm not going to do that,”

“Why not?” Dex asks, “You clearly seem to like her, I mean you practically melt when you see her so why don't you make a move?”

“Ok that's a pretty good point hand me that sharpie,” I say

…

“Hey sorry about that one of my brothers called me and I didn’t want to miss it,” Biana says coming back in,

“No worries I get it, my older sister is at college so I try not to miss any of her calls either,” I say to her while handing her the latte and bag of muffins,

“My brother is in college too,” she says and looks down seeing her coffee, “Oh this is super cute, I love it! I hope it wasn't too much trouble.”

“Thanks, and don't worry it's just a coffee heart, I've known how to do them for a while it’s a plus of having parents that own a coffee shop,” I say light heartily,

“Your parents own this place?” Biana asks,

“Yeah they opened it a little after they graduated from college and used to live in the apartment upstairs”

“Very cool,” Biana smiles and pauses for a moment looking down at my name tag, “Sophie, that's a nice name,”

“Thanks, I've had it all my life”. Dear god, why did I decide to say that, Biana chuckles and looks back down at her coffee “Is this your phone number?”

“Yes, it is,” I say hoping she doesn't feel like I overstepped,

“I will make sure to call you, Sophie,” Biana says and I smile, we stand there for a moment before she turns to leave. The moment I see the door close I sink to the floor not knowing what to do next,

“I'm not going to lie that went much better than I thought it would, I so thought you would make a fool out of yourself but you were surprisingly put together,” Biana says sitting down next to me,

“Really because I feel like a disaster,” I say into my hands,

“You are a disaster but that was already known knowledge so don't worry about it,” Keefe picks up a cookie and brushes off some crumbs onto the floor before taking a bite,

“You know you have to pay for that right?” I ask him, he responds by reaching into his pocket and pulling out a few dollars, and putting them on the counter before finishing his snack,

“Anyway Amy’s right-” Dex starts to say but I interrupt “Hey”

“Not the part where she was insulting you I mean the part about it going well,”

I hear two sets of footsteps behind me and am about to stand up before I recognize the shoes,

“Um, quick question, why is one of my daughters sitting on the floor like she just completely flunked a school project and why is one of my other daughters looking like she's enjoying it?” my mom says,

“Sophie talked to a girl then promptly shutdown and Amy is either revaling in her sister’s embarrassment or genuinely excited for Sophie because the girl said she would call Sophie,” Keefe tells my parents,

“Oh that makes sense, wait you don't work today why are you here?” Grady asks

“I'm always here, plus it's still too cold to start surfing,” Keefe states,

“Oh, that reminds me one of your surfboards is still upstairs with some wax, in case your looking for it,” my mom tells him,

“Thanks, I’ve been wondering where it was, I can bring it back over to my place in a few days if that's okay,”

“Of course, your stuff can stay up there for as long as needed,”

Keefe’s face breaks into a smile and I stand up wiping dust off my jeans,

“Alright well you kids should get going, your shifts are over and you guys should have lives outside of this building,” my dad tells us,

…

“Hey do either of you have notes from Ms. Talle’s class?” Dex asks,

“I think I have some over on Sophie’s desk but I'm not sure if they're very clear,” Keefe responds rifling through a few pieces of paper, the three of us are on my bed doing homework and studying while Amy goes to Jensi’s,

“How are these not clear they’re better than ninety percent of mine, this is one of the benefits of having two best friends that are at the top of our grade,” Dex says after finding the right one of Keefe’s notebook,

“That is why you hang out with us, for our notes,” I laugh and look to my phone,

“She probably hasn't texted yet because she’s busy,” Keefe says,

“Or she doesn't want to appear to forward so is waiting a few hours, don't stress about it,” Dex adds on,

“I'm not thinking about Biana,” I say a bit too defensively,

“That was the fifth time you've checked your phone in half an hour what else could you possibly be waiting for?” my cousin continues,

“The end of the world,” I state, when a beep interrupts my thoughts I grab my phone in record time that probably just proves my friend's point,

“Hi it's Biana from the Calla’s I guess I just wanted to say hi, so hi”

“She texted me!” my voice is definitely higher than it normally is,

“We told you she would, are you going to text her back?” Keefe asks,

“I don't know, I mean she waited a few hours before texting me should I do the same thing? Or did she wait because her phone died or something and is now waiting for me to respond like I was waiting for her, but what if I respond too quickly and she finds it weird,”

“Please stop spiraling it's stressing me out, and respond to her whenever you want because either you are the only person in this world who can worry like you do or this girl is worrying just like you and when you two go on a date you can laugh at yourselves,” Dex says still looking down at his textbooks, he has listened to about five years worth of my anxiety and knows when I really need comfort this not being one of those times apparently,

“I say text her you’re available now so use your free time,” Keefe says, he is basically sitting the opposite way as Dex, sitting on his knees with his hands excitingly tapping on them, his homework completely abandoned,

“But what if-” I start,

“Stop what if-ing, text the girl you can’t stop thinking about,” Dex interrupts while moving our books to the side realizing we're not going to be getting any more work done.

“Fine,” there’s annoyance in my voice even though I’m happy someone is convincing me to do it,

“Here it is, already unlocked and all ready to go,” Keefe hands me my phone,

“What should I say?” I ask them,

“I don't know, I have had very few crushes in my life,” Dex says,

“Oh I have no clue what to say to girls, and for guys, I'm not the one who usually starts conversations,” Keefe adds looking between us,

“So between the three of us, we have little to no experience when it comes to flirting?” I say,

“Exactly,” Dex tells me,

“Hey, didn’t you ask out Marella though?” Keefe asks,

“Not exactly, we were partnered in a science class and somehow a study session turned into a date,”

“Wow we're great at this,” My cousin says sarcastically,

“Definitely, we’re the best choice for dating advice, so just tell her that you have been thinking about her or something, it's probably not as complicated as were acting,” Keefe tells me,

“Yeah your probably right,” I say,

…

“Hey, when are you coming back with the mac and cheese?” Keefe shouts from upstairs, i’m cooking a quick dinner while my parents are out on a date and Dex and Keefe decided to stay the night while Amy is at Jensi’s.

“Almost done,” I respond leaning out through the doorway, I pull out my phone drafting up another text for Biana, finally just sending a simple response of

Hey Biana really happy you texted me,

Before putting away my phone trying not to stress about it while balancing three bowls of Mac and Cheese. Walking up the stairs I feel a vibration from my back pocket and smile to myself, maybe she really is just excited about this as I am.

#kotlc #sophie foster #winterfireice writes sometimes #biana vacker #sophiana #kotlc fanfic #just coffee hearts #keefe sencen #dex dizznee #edaline ruewen #grady ruewen #amy foster

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feline17ff · 2 years

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Chapter 9 of Sparrow Hood's Diary: My mom's book

Summary: We're taking a break from the General Villainy plotline and learning more about the book "Secrets of Sherwood Forest" by Maid Marian.

AO3 link

---

Notes:

I made up mirrortop to mean EAH's equivalent of laptop lol.

If you aren't familiar, Secrets of Sherwood Forest is a book Queen Charming gives Darling in A Semi-Charming Kind of Life, with suspiciously callused hands not fit for a queen if I may be bold enough to add.

We don't know anything about the book so you'll have to live with my theories about it :P

And I haven't read A Semi-Charming Kind of Life, and I don't plan to, because of this convo I had in the notes with Tumblr user @titansfilm (spoilers for the book maybe)

That book sounds too uncomfortable for me and I do not want to read it.

---

I was still a bit shocked by the swan princess' destiny so I couldn't focus on my GV assignment.

So I decided to look up the book mom gave me.

I checked the mirrornet for a review or summary but it's like it doesn't exist?

Then my busted old mirrortop got stuck. It wouldn't shut down, wouldn't move. Man, I wish I could use some of Robin Hood's bounty for a new laptop. Maybe I could sell the treasure I get from Badwolf for it.

I took my mirrortop and book to my bro Humphrey in the AV Club - he's a pro with tech stuff. We met up in Wonderland one summer, he’s a fellow writer, gamer, and all around cool dude.

Blondie came in later and her mom's a tech wiz so she and Humphrey worked on my mirrortop together.

Some other students came in too - I wish I could remember who exactly because something weird happened later.

They fixed my mirrortop, and I listened to some of Humphrey's poetry in return. Methinks he's got a not-so-secret crush on one of the fairest princesses at EAH. She better not break his heart, otherwise I'll come after her; I don't care if she’s a princess.

Dexter's also in the AV Club, and since he also volunteers at the library, I thought maybe he could help me find out something about the book.

When I picked up my book, a piece of paper fell out and, get this, it had some Riddlish on it? I'm sure it wasn't there before so it must've been one of the students who came into the AV Club when I wasn’t paying attention.

I pocketed the paper before I showed the book to Dex. He said it looked familiar but he couldn't find anything about it when he checked the library database. That’s weird. He then noticed the author and said we could just ask my mom. Well, duh. For a smart guy he sure misses a lot of obvious stuff.

---

Notes:

If you didn't catch it, Sparrow has a busted laptop because his dad won't buy him a new one coz that's rich people stuff, so Sparrow has to be resourceful and work with what he's got or earn/steal cash on his own to buy stuff he wants.

Goldie Lockes knows computers in The Class of Classics so now she and her daughter are tech wizes :P

---

Unofficial tag list coz you guys showed interest (yes, I forgot to tag you guys 2 days ago 😅)

Let me know if anyone wants to get off or on the list :)

@countdeworde @eahravinqueen @the-lavender-creator @stone-cold-style @broadwaytheanimatedseries @inamindfarfaraway

#ever after high #feline writes sparrows diary #sparrow hood #feline17ff #eah fanfic #my writing #secrets of sherwood forest

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paragonrobits · 3 months

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Supergirl AU taking general approaches similar to CW Supergirl except that Atrocitus is present in Kara's storyline during her establishing era as a superhero and acts as something of a toxic influence in her life, playing on the Red Lantern Supergirl arc by convincing her to act on her rage and desires for vengeance and retribution to the exclusion of all else, ultimately acting as a anti-role model contrary to Martian Manhunter (acting much as he did in the live action TV series); both of them have suffered terribly, much like Kara herself, but Atrocitus is consumed by his own bitterness and need to make SOMEONE pay, and he gives Kara valuable lessons and tutelage where J'onn is unable to help in the same way (though he acts as a much more stable and inspirational foil, having suffered as much as Atrocitus but has refused to make others suffer for his own gratification), but at the same time represents an extreme warning about what may befall her if she follows his ideas without thinking about it; a miserable, lonely berserker who empowers others to be defined by their loss and despair, and she increasingly has started to care about him enough that she wants to save him

this sets off a gulf between them; Atrocitus doesn't want to be saved, because he doesn't think he HAS to be saved. Dex-Starr (at this point a recurring character that grudgingly has come to care about Kara, in the same way as a rescue cat that has been badly abused has come to care about its owner) acts as a restraining element, trying to persuade him to at least hear her out. but Atrocitus won't. he CANT

he's suffered too much, immersed himself in the impotent rage and despair of all the universe, and he can't let go now. he CAN'T stop. the red light of rage beats for his own broken heart. He's seen too much, done too much to stop now. There is little love left in him, and it died with his family. Nonetheless, he feels doubt, and he can't quite feel as motivated to fight her as he once considered, setting off his own character arc as their dynamic switches up, with Kara becoming the inspirational figure to Atrocitus as he is forced to acknowledge that he doesn't have to abandon his anger or pretend the bad things in the universe don't happen, to also find love and happiness for himself.

#supergirl #atrocitus #ideas #fic ideas #queued #listen some variant of this has been bouncing around in my head since 2016 so its about time it was heard!!

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dangan-meme-palace · 4 years

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PokeV3 AU – Boys!

Rantaro

Flying Type

His theme is loosely based on travel.

He got delibird because he canonly likes to bring back souvenirs. Mantyke was his first pokemon and hes been using it to travel around on the water. The rest he got just by traveling to different parts of the world.

Rantaro is a traveler for sure, but when he finally settles down I imagine he would become a pokemon breeder and he studies for that while traveling.

His family is different than canon so heres some info on them too:

His dad is like a green haired Saxton Hale. Used to adventure a lot but then settled and became a business man, and a surprisingly good one at that. He owns the poke center chain and a certain mansion where he let's people visit and battle the staff for fun. Absolutely loves the fact that his son is adventurous like he was and will pay for whatever he needs. Not worried about Rantaro because he turned out all right, so why wouldn't his son? Adventure runs in his veins haha! He's just a happy go lucky guy that really loves his kids and supports them.

His mom is VERY worried about Rantaro in stark contrast to her husband, and gets mad that her husband is so carefree about their own child. She waits impatiently for the day Rantaro finally settles down so she doesn't have to worry anymore. Very doting and cute!

His sisters arent lost, they're the poke center nurses!

Ryoma

Fighting Type

His theme is competition and teamwork!

Ryoma used to be one of the youngest people in the elite four until his pokemon got stolen by the antagonist team. He barely made it out alive, but lost his pokemon and hasn't been the same since.

Would only adventure if someone gave him hope that he could find them again. The adventure ends when he finds them all because he'll want to go back home and settle down now that he's finally got them back.

He wouldn't necessarily get back into the elite four after finding them because he's just not as enthusiastic as he used to be about fighting, but he would probably become someone that gives advice to young trainers around his town.

He used to be super famous when he was in the elite four, and everyone knew him for his competitive spirit and his good sportsmanship. Lots of people still remember him and wonder what happened to make him quit so suddenly.

While he's still missing his pokemon he would hate it when people would be like "omg weren't you in the elite four?!?!" but when he gets them back he just kinda cracks half a smile and chuckles, not really answering but also not saying no.

Korekiyo

Ghost Type

His theme is ancient culture to absolutely no one's surprise.

Frosslass was given to him by his sister. He found golett, yamask, and duskull in different archeological digs that he visited. Banette and misdreavus just took a liking to him, so they joined up with him. He's surprisingly really good with ghosts types? They just like him for some reason...

Korekiyo is an anthropologist like in canon.

His sister is alive but she's really frail after her health took a dramatic turn and has to stay home instead of exploring like she used to. She was super into ice type pokemon, but cant go catch them because her body can't handle the weather anymore.

Kork wants to show his sister the world she cant go out and see anymore and so he travels and brings back souvenirs and pictures for her. She's a little sad she can't go with him, but tries to keep her spirits up despite not being able to fulfill her dream and supports her little brother's dream instead. She's still getting used to the thought of not being able to adventure like she used to.

She was a kinda famous ice type trainer that was about to make it big before her health started failing.

Her health problem is hereditary and her mother died from it when Korekiyo was born because her body couldnt handle the illness and giving birth to Korekiyo at the same time. She won't die as long as she's careful, which includes not going into cold areas and not engaging in strenuous activity. Only the girls in the family get it, and no one really knows what it is.

They dont know where their dad went, but he left after their mother died because he couldn't stand the grief.

Gonta

Bug Type

Fun bug fact: he somehow managed to accidentally catch all the bug types people that freak people out (spider, centipede, wasp/bee hybrid, bugs with pinschers, the parasite one, etc). People have run away from battles with him before and he feels bad about it but cant figure out why they ran.

Gonta doesn't really battle so much as he goes looking for new bug type pokemon. Really enthusiastic about bug types and helps his professor by giving him all the field notes he writes.

Oddly doesn't seem to have any parents? The professor has basically adopted him at this point and they don't talk about it.

Kaito

Dragon Type

His theme is any pokemon he thinks is cool.

Kaito wants to be the champion and if he calls someone his sidekick it means he wants to have them be in his elite four.

He has a penchant for doing things he thinks other people would find cool. Probably has a fucking cape and sunglasses. Wants what Leon has so fucking badly but ends up looking like an egomaniac and a try hard on accident. Totally lies about his adventures to try and look cooler to people, but little does he know that no one ever believes him.

Hasn't actually traveled much despite what he may tell you, but you could get him to tag along as long as there are no ghost types involved. He's scared of them.

Hates cold weather.

Kokichi

Ghost Type

His theme was childish looking pokemon, but then they evolved so it's mischievous pokemon with cool and spooky lore

If the dex entry mentions anything about children, odds are he's caught it already. He's a magnet to those types of ghost pokemon for some reason.

The way he caught his drifloon was cuz it thought he was a little kid and tried to steal him lmao

Kokichi "haunts" (read: terrorizes the townsfolk of) whatever place he's at until he gets bored, then he goes to a new place and starts again. He's another one that oddly doesn't seem to have parents.

He gets excited by adventure and challenges, but I dont think he would leave his country unless he had people he really cares about ask him to go with them, and he'd only go because he doesn't want them to leave him. He'd eventually come around to the idea of traveling and really enjoy it, you just have to give him some time to adjust.

Kokichi in this AU gets really attached to places/things/people that leave an impression on him and doesn't wanna let them go kinda like how ghosts possess places and things and dont want to leave until they get exorcised or find closure. Luckily for Kokichi he "definitely doesn't" let himself get attached to things anymore. I wonder why...?

His tragic backstory is that he's always had an affinity to ghost types and that freaked everyone out so they basically cast him out when he was younger and he's lowkey traumatized by it. Was kinda raised by ghost types in an abandoned, haunted mansion after that because they liked him a lot. Raised in that place but eventually forced to leave because it was so decrepit that it finally collapsed.

Once he meets someone he likes who actually likes him too, he sticks to them like glue and doesn't let go. So much for not getting attached.

Scared of bug types.

Likes Falinks and Pawniard even though they're not ghost types.

Kiibo

Electric/Steel Types

Kiibo is human in this AU. He's a technology enthusiast and a huge fan of Miu's work.

Knows a lot about pokemon like Shuichi and would absolutely geek out with him, but his interest is mostly directed towards steel and electric pokemon rather than all of them, unlike Shuichi's interest in ALL pokemon.

Heir to his father's tech company and that's how he met Miu; she works for his dad. They're really good friends and have been for years.

Magearna has been passed down through his family.

Shuichi

Psychic Type

Shuichi is a pokemon fanatic and is probably in a pokemon fan club.

Studies all day about everything from type matchups to berries but gets overwhelmed and forgets everything he's learned until he really gets into the battle.

Not bad at battling when he's not overwhelmed.

He's good to have around because he's basically a walking wiki page.

He has a knack for finding pokemon and his life goal is probably to try and discover new species or types of pokemon.

His uncle is a detective and he still lives with him like in canon. He's tracks down lost pokemon more than anything though because those are the only cases he really enjoys working on. I imagine he would be like a lost pet/pokemon detective when he's older because that's his specialty.

Solved a big case involving the antagonist team when he was younger and wears a hat to hide his face so they don't recognize him and try to get revenge. Really, really hopes that it will eventually blow over.

He would be nervous about traveling very far, but looking on the bright side of things he gets a change in pace, some new experiences, a chance to avoid the antagonist team, and new friends. He would accept for those reasons, but he would only go with someone he trusts.

#PokeV3 AU #i changed the lore while writing this so im sorry if its not cohesive. i iust keep coming up with better ideas

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bookwyrminspiration · 2 years

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Fitz needs many, many hugs. I feel like he gets the short side of the stick in the fandom, everyone's always talking about him in relation to Sophie instead of him being his own character with his own flaws and opinions. It hoenstly annoys me, it's not like he even has glaring anger issues! He only yelled at Sophie (and people in general) when he was going through the most traumatic parts of his life! His dad straight up died! (Or at least. Didn't know he could be healed, but to him his dad died) and He's expected to not only /not/ go into his own way of dealing with emotions, but to cater to others? People are expecting a 16 year old boy to be the pinnacle of emotional maturity? To hear about how his father died and go "Ah yes, what a shame, are you alright Sophie? I know that Lord Alden was close with you" as if it wasn't his fucken dad omfg

I could just be remembering it wrong and I personally don't like Sophie all that much (I just find her very selfish and overpowered, especially since she's launched into the highlife of society. I would've preferred to have Sophie cut out or at least reduced and have Fitz and Dex be the main characters as they are /brilliant/ mirrors of each other and could solve lots of the issues. That way we would also get a feel for how the world was, immersing ourselves in the fantasy when someone weird comes along, but that "weird" is our normal. I also don't like how she kissed Dex to say "See? Nothing" like omfg-)

Both Fitz and Keefe's characters have gotten almost irreparable confuddled with Sophie, and while she is a critical person in their lives who has permanently affected them, she is not all they are! I'm certainly guilty of this, as a lot of times I'll draw on relationships characters have and Sophie is an important one for them, but there's so much to each of them! Actually I think all three of them are permanently tied to each other, as I've brought them all up now...

You're so right though, Fitz needs so many more hugs, and your critique of the anger issues he's attributed to have is accurate. The term "anger issues" come with a whole host of assumptions and stigma, and I just don't think they fit him. I believe it's more accurate to say that he can struggle with his anger, not that he has anger issues. And yeah! His worst moments have always come during some of the most stressful times of his life where it would be absolutely unrealistic to expect him to be rational and in control. That doesn't mean that he's excused or justified or that his behavior is acceptable, but it doesn't make his behavior into some huge character flaw to vilify him for.

Fitz's dad effectively dying is a very understandable reason to lose your shit! One thing that always slightly baffles me is how Sophie herself specifically says that (saying she understands and that he can be mad at her, etc) and has that attitude throughout the whole event from the beginning, yet people portray it as a negative count on his character. Sophie saw Alden as a father figure, but she didn't have the same relationship or reliance or conceptualization of him as Fitz and Biana. She's allowed to feel however she needs to about it, but at the end of the day it really wasn't about her.

Also that's an interesting perspective! I haven't considered Dex and Fitz as the main characters before, as it would be a very different story. Not that that is a bad thing, it's a matter of personal preference. They do have an interesting dynamic and parallels, and their arc learning to set aside their prejudices and come together to work towards whatever goal they'd have in this changed story would be wonderful! I do wonder how it would work, as I think there's a strong argument that the reason both of them changed and came together/got over the rivalry they have is because Sophie is in the story as a bridge, so I'm curious how their interactions would be navigated without her.

I agree though that'd I'm super curious to see what the world was like before Sophie came crashing into it. I swear I made a post about that exact thing I just don't know when, but I want to know what it was like when everyone was going to classes and without Sophie's human lens and with Fitz disappearing and Keefe pulling pranks, you know?

I've also talked about the Dex kiss thing here so I won't say more here, but that's a fair way to feel about the situation!

anyway what I'm getting from all this is that we should love Fitz Vacker some more and that is a message I can absolutely get behind <33

#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #quil's queries #nonsie #fitz and sophie: *get into an argument in legacy*#some people: ah yes this is proof that fitz isn't a good person for her despite this being a consequence of /both/ their actions #and also a valid argument from both sides #i simply love everyone in the series okay #long post

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care-devil · 5 years

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Do you believe there’s a parallel when Matt said to Maggie that he doesn't think it's possible that someone can change for the better, particularly because of a woman, and then later on Matt changes his outlook and attitude for the better partially because of Karen opening up to him and pleading for him to not kill?

See, that one’s definitely complex. When I first watched this season, I definitely thought it was a parallel. But I think it’s even more complicated than that.

Now, I feel like we have to break this down before commenting on it. Buckle up, it’s gonna take a while haha

So, I think you’re referring to 3x03, and more precisely to these bits:

39'32

Matt: "Do you believe people can change?"

Maggie: "I'm still holding out hope."

Matt: "I don't think we can. Not really. I think we come into this world who we are. And maybe we get a little nicer. Or a little angrier. But we can't change our fundamental nature."

Maggie: “Well, you’d actually have to try to know.”

Matt: “I was talking about Wilson Fisk.”

[...]

41'07

Maggie: "And according to you, people can't change."

Matt: "'Cause he's claiming to have changed over a woman."

Maggie: "I see. Well, if there's anything that can redeem a lost soul, love would have to top the list."

Matt: "Oh, come on. Even a monster like Fisk?"

Maggie: "You're talking to a nun, kiddo. Love and redemption are pretty much our sales pitch."

Matt: "Yeah. Well, I'm not buying."

Here, Matt just came back from his little trip to Fisk’s hotel. And what is really, really interesting, is that right before this scene, we got to see Karen arguing with Ellison about whether or not she should be the one to write something about Fisk getting out of jail.

“What I give a shit about, is Fisk getting out of prison. We have to do something, I have to do something about this. So don’t tell me to back off, because I won’t.” (Karen, 38′36).

Why is that interesting? Because in the very same episode, in the very scene you mentioned, Matt says he finds it odd that he should regain his hearing just in time to hear that Fisk got out of prison. So that’s a definitely a parallel. And I would go as far as to say that the whole episode is paralleling Matt and Karen.

1) Karen and Matt: toward the same goal

Here, Karen is hellbent on writing about Fisk because a) she thinks it’s the right thing to do and b) I think she wants to do this for Matt. She might think he’s still alive, she doesn’t know it for sure, and there must be this little voice in her that tells her he’s not coming back, and that the least she can do is carrying out his legacy and corner Fisk. They’re connected. And it’s not a coincidence if the writers decided to have these two scenes follow each other.

Another parallel is, of course, when Matt’s incognito and passes by Karen in front of Fisk’s hotel:

“You’ll never keep Karen safe.”

She can feel his presence, just like he literally felt hers. I know we’ve already talked about this scene, but I think it’s so important. Fisk is Matt’s conscience, he crystallizes Matt’s inner demons, his deepest fears. One of them is losing Karen, or worse: not being able to save her. Get her killed, somehow. He is the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. He’s got the devil in him. He who’s doubting his purpose, his faith. He’s afraid of tainting her soul, and lose her to another real-life demon, namely Fisk.

This might seem off-topic, but I think it’s important to pay attention to the context (the context being the whole episode), especially because the episode’s title is “No Good Deed.” Now, this might be the English major in me, but “no good deed” can be read a standalone phrase OR as a phrase which needs other words to form a sentence. It’s like something’s missing. Which makes sense, because it’s reminiscent of the well-known phrase “No good deed goes unpunished.” And this echoes such concepts as karma, or redemption. If you think people can’t change... then you don’t believe in redemption. And knowing that Matt’s going though a faith crisis, this is a logical interpretation.

2) Redemption

Redemption is one of the key themes of season 3. Matt’s fighting his demons, but so is Karen, who’s haunted by her past. So is Maggie, so is Father Lantom, so is Dex... Everyone has a past. “The past is never dead. It’s not even past,” William Faulkner said. Well, here, it shows. For all these characters, past = sins, and the only thing that differentiates them is how they choose to deal with that. They ALL embrace their sins and accept the fact that they are sinners who can’t be redeemed (which is part of the Catholic doctrine, all humans are born sinners). But when some think doing more harm won’t change anything (Dex), others try to do some good (Karen, Maggie, Father Lantom) and Matt is trapped between these two options, as he plans to cross the line and kill Fisk but still has morally good intentions. All but the villains are looking for redemption, which is, I think, a way to tell the bad guys from the good guys (even though the lines are very blurry in Daredevil, which is why it’s such a great show).

But what is redemption, exactly? Well, first know I’m treading carefully here because I’m not a believer and I’ve never been to Sunday school or anything, all I know is from what I’ve read online and in books. But basically, all humans are born sinners because of Adam’s sin, and have to be reborn to have access to God’s kingdom:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

Knowing this season was heavily inspired by the Born Again arc by Frank Miller, I think that redemption is definitely one of the season’s key motifs. And for most of the season, Matt doesn’t believe he’s worthy of being saved, and neither does Karen, who says “there’s no atoning for what [she] did” (3x11).

So, in 3x03, Matt basically states he thinks nothing can redeem Fisk and, by extension, nothing can redeem him. He makes clear to Maggie he’s talking about Fisk, because she thought he was talking about him... And I think he is, even though he denies it. Take a look at the way the scene was shot:

The focus is clearly on Matt, and even when she’s speaking, Maggie remains blurry in the background. This creates a sense of intimacy, the viewer’s in Matt’s mind. The focus is on Matt’s words, Matt’s face, Matt’s inner stuggle. It wouldn’t be the first time Matt and Fisk are paralleled.

In the second bit, Matt says that one of the reasons why he thinks Fisk can’t change is because the origin of that change sounds ridiculous to him:

"'Cause he's claiming to have changed over a woman." - Matt

Notice the smirk. Matt doesn’t buy it. It’s already hard enough to believe that such a monster would be capable of love, so changing because of the woman he loves?

3) The power of love

Love is not powerful enough to change who you are. Love will make you happier, or angrier, but it won’t change you fundamental nature.

See how it works when you include love in that quote?

In my opinion, Matt thinks that way because he considers his own experience. His love life has been a disaster.

Karen couldn’t change who he was. He told her, in The Defenders, that he didn’t want to change (after lying to her about it):

Karen: "God. I don’t understand. After everything you’ve worked for? You were finally rebuilding your life."

Matt: "Karen this is my life. I have to go.” (1x07)

With El*ktra, he didn’t have to change who he was, and this is partly why it felt so good to be around her. But if you look at their relationship through the prism of change... She couldn’t change him either. She couldn’t get him to kill Sweeney, for instance. She even tells him she’s glad she couldn’t in 2x08: “There’s a light inside you. I tried to snuff it out in college. I’m so lucky I failed.” So, you see, it goes both ways. And Matt couldn’t get El*ktra to change, despite all his efforts. The one thing that never changed in her is her love for him. But they almost fought until the bitter end. The only thing they could agree on was that they loved each other (and even though I don’t ship them, I can’t deny there’s something truly beautiful and tragic in their relationship, and their last moments together killed me). However... love wasn’t enough to make her change, and it wasn’t enough to make him change. Which why he can’t believe Fisk changed for Vanessa. Which is why he believes love is not THAT powerful.

4) People can’t change... but they can be forgiven.

So maybe Matt is right. Maybe people can’t change their fundamental nature. But one of the teachings of season 3 is that our mistakes don’t have to define us: “Yeah. You’re right. His mistakes don’t need to define him. Neither do yours.” (Matt to Karen, 3x12).

That’s a huge change in Matt’s philosophy. I can’t even begin to imagine all the effort it took him to say that. Because he’s made a lot of mistakes. And for him to say that... It must mean that, somehow, he believes this could apply to him as well.

To conclude, I would say that people can’t change, but they can be redeemed. If not by God, then by people. And that is called forgiveness.

Here’s the other bit you referred to, from 3x13:

Karen: “That was nice, what you said.”

Matt: “Yeah, it wasn’t just him, you know. It was you, too. You helped me see the truth about myself.”

Karen: “Ouch.That had to hurt.“

Matt: “Well, maybe one of these days, I’ll forgive you, too.”

Karen: “Before my funeral, I hope.”

Matt: “I’m glad you told me, Karen. About Wesley and your brother.”

Karen: “Yeah. Well, uh I couldn’t live with that lie forever.”

Matt: “We’re all just trying to do more good than harm. And I’d say you’re ahead on that score.”

Matt saying that she helped him see the truth about himself echoes this blessed scene from the eulogy:

“For me, personally, he spent many years trying to get me to face my own fears. To understand how they enslaved me, how they divided me from the people that I love. He counseled me to transcend my fears, to be brave enough to forgive... and see the possibilities of being a man without fear.” (Matt, 3x13)

Catholicism is about sins... but it’s also about forgiveness. It’s about darkness, but it’s also about light. So I think that, indeed, seeing that Karen, whom he always put on a pedestal, is also guilty, has even done the thing he swore he’d never do... Must have changed his mind. More than that, I think it has changed him. She shook his beliefs. And, after all, it’s her own love for justice, truth, and people in general, that redeem her. Karen has never been bad at core. She’s made mistakes. Terrible, painful mistakes. Mistakes that cost people their lives. But still, mistakes. Sins have become mistakes, in a way. And mistakes can be forgiven.

In a nutshell, I think that, indeed, this is a parallel. Karen has an impact on Matt, just like Matt has an impact on her. I truly think they make each other better persons. Which is why I love them so much: they are so alike, and yet, have such a hard time understanding each other.

Thank you soooo much for this question, anon. I hope I answered it! :)

#meta #Karedevil #replies

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attentive-dragon · 2 years

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The character that refused to die

Continuing to just dump here about writing stuff, since there really isn't another good long-form blogging option I'm fond of.

I've been wrestling for a very long time with the ideas of younger me that just don't seem as good in the eyes of older me. The original form of this story had a major character get fridged so as to act as motivation for another character. Teenage me, back when Dexeron was the main character, thought he needed to have this wife who he leaves the quest to settle down with, but then she gets killed, which makes him rededicate his life to the larger mission. This event also has implications down the road when Dex finds out just who was responsible for this horrible event...

But fridging is such a tired trope, and it's lazy, and it's often sexist, and I hate it. And in writing Dex's early scenes, I ended up instead writing not from his point of view, but from this unexplored wife character's point of view, and suddenly Tara took on this life all her own, and she's a freaking awesome character who I love and do not want to kill off just so my one dude can have a reason to go on a quest. Even if fridging wasn't an awful, sexist, horrible trope, Tara very quickly stood up and said: "excuse me, I do not exist just for your plot convenience. If you're as good a writer as you think you are, find another way to get the story where you want it to go, because I am not going anywhere."

And I've been wrestling with that, because the attack on Dex's home village that was supposed to kill Tara is an important event. That attack also kills Darsena (don't worry, Darsé dies like twenty times in every book, she's used to it by now, it never sticks) and her spending some time in the underworld (and Kiron's and Rogen's trip there to find her) is a very important event in her own character development. That attack has to happen. Beyond that, I've been wrestling with how to resolve Dex's motivations, because at Book 1's close, he's done with adventuring. He, more than anyone else, just wants to settle down, help run Tara's pig farm, and never pick up a weapon again.

So I'm a little ashamed that it took me this long to realize the solution: the attack, and all of the damage it causes (and the lives it claims among family and friends) happens, but it doesn't kill Tara. It inspires her. Tara, who originally had no desire to run off and save the world, sees what this attack represents. She sees what's at stake, and what Kiron and the others have been trying to do, what they've been trying to fight. And she's the one who gathers up their things, marches up to Orb's Rest to find Kiron, and drags Dex along with her. It's not Dex going "I've lost the only thing important to me, how tragic, the quest is now my only purpose, I am so tragic and deep." It's Tara standing up and saying: "how can this kind of thing happen? My husband and I are going to help make sure no one ever has to go through this kind of thing again."

There's this weird sensation that I really can't explain that I get when my characters do this. My original ideas had tons of throwaway characters, just extras, but in the writing I made a point to write scenes from their points of view, sometimes just as an exercise, and sometimes that stuff made it into the actual book. Tara was one of them. And every time I've done that, these characters have taken on a life of their own and demanded to be heard, and refused to stick to the minor (and sometimes disposable) role I'd assigned them. And every time I give in and let them speak, let them act, it just feels to right. There's something warm and... just correct about it that I feel. And now I have so many things that I'm going to get to do with this one-time disposable character, and I can't wait to see what she does next.

#writing #original writing #fantasy #writingcommunity #carthian dreams

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