#he is just so hypocritical i adore him. he might be the character of all time to me | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fallingdownhell · 10 months

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hiii, can i be called 🧸 anon?

i'm new to your page and really liked some of your works! especially the "when your sister is the favoured child" one! i hope it's not too much to ask, i don't think I saw a rule against it in your rq rules, but could you make a part to for it with kaeya, dainsleif, and baizhu, if it's not too much of a bother?

i completely understand if you can't and i would say more about it but this request is already getting way to long, heh.

have a good day/night/evening !

Definitely! Gonna do my best with it as always!

Characters Included: Kaeya; Dainsleif; Baizhu

Content: gender neutral reader; reader has a sister; jealousy themes; slight cursing; estranged relationship with family; metions of cheating; mentions of assault

Word count: 4k words

Thanks for your request, 🧸- anon! Hope you enjoy<3

Kaeya

Having a relationship was never really a top priority for Kaeya or on his "To-do-list" at all.

It was more or less coincedence that he stumbled upon you, continued to have conversations that evolved into dates, which, in the end, led to the two of you to start dating.

He expected it, but it was a welcome turn of events for him. Kaeya never knew how much he actually enjoyed the domestic side of a relationship. He loved coming home to you after his work was done, he adored how you spoiled him with your cooking if you were home earlier than him.

Everything about your relationship just seemed so natural and right to him, like something he would never want to miss out on again. And he was sure that he would never get something as special as this with any other person.

You were the only one for him. At least, in his eyes. But even having said all that, it‘s still hard for him to open up about his past and what he has experienced in the past. It‘s not that he doesn‘t trust you or that he doesn‘t want to open up… he just feels like it‘s never the right time or he just doesn‘t know how to talk about it, since the one time he did do it didn‘t end too well for him.

You have a general idea though, as he told you very basic stuff that he feels comfortable with. But even then, you never pressure him to open up to you, and he can‘t even begin to tell you how much he appreciates you for that. It‘s hard for him, so he needs some time to figure himself out before he can openly talk to you about everything.

Likewise, he would never pressure you to talk or open up about a topic that you don‘t feel comfortable sharing with him yet. After all, that would be quite hypocritical of him if he were to do that..

Like you, he has a general idea though, about the stuff that weighs on you. You told him little pieces about your past, mostly that your childhood wasn‘t the best which was the reason why you weren‘t having much contact with your family, especially your older sister. And he‘s fine with that. Kaeya is sure that you had your reasons for that decision, after all, he can imagine that it wasn‘t one lightly made.

Which is why it surprises him all the more when one evening, you ask him if he wanted to meet your family.

Apparently, your mom caught wind about you dating the cavalry captain of the Knights of Favonius and now, she wanted to officially meet him, have him meet your family to introduce everyone.

Kaeya is honestly pretty indifferent about this. „As long as you want to. I don‘t mind whatever you want to do. It‘s your family after all.“

After thinking about it for a few days, you decide that you want to give them a chance, giving them the opportunity to meet your boyfriend and maybe, if all goes well, let them more into your life again.

So, after some back and forth, it was decided to meet over lunch at your parent‘s home. As the meeting came closer each passing day, you grew more and more nervous, while Kaeya remained calm as always. He really didn‘t have too many doubts, knowing that you loved each other, and that was all that mattered. No matter what opinion your parents might have of him, it won‘t change that fact, so what could they possibly do?

And now, the day was finally here, and you were nervous. Your mind was filled with doubt, thinking that maybe you made the wrong decision. Kaeya tried his best to reassure you, even telling you that neither of you had to go if you didn‘t feel comfortable, but you still wanted to see it through. „If things get too out of hand, we‘ll just leave, okay?“, you said to him, offering a way out to which he obviously agreed.

Actually meeting your parents wasn‘t all that bad to be honest. The first hour or so was going by really good, you were all having a good time and Kaeya seemed to be getting along well with your mother and father.

That was, until the front door opened again and in came your older sister. Kaeya immediately noticed how the energy in the room shifted, but decided not to comment on it.

He planned on standing up up going over to introduce himself to her, but immediately thought differently as soon as she opened her mouth. Upon seeing you, she instantly started to boss you around, giving you tasks to do even though you and him were the guests here. It almost seemed like she was treating you like her personal slave.

„What are you waiting for, get to it already, you slowpoke!“, she started to insult as you didn‘t move to do as she said, which seemed to irritate her.

„Darling, please? Can‘t you help your sister out a bit since you‘re already here?“, your mom then chimed in. Kaeya was speechless as he witnessed this. He was about to say something, but then he felt your hand on top of his and as he looked at you, you softly shook your head at him.

Then you got up and did what your sister demanded asked of you, which irritated your boyfriend even more. But per your request, he kept his mouth shut, but did keep a close eye on you.

He watched as for the like next ten minutes, your sister continued to berate you, insulted you even, while your parents didn‘t seem to care about that at all. In fact, they cheered her on from time to time, especially when they were comparing the both of you and how much better your sister was apparently doing, unlike you.

„Honestly, I don‘t know why this guy is even dating you. Look at you, you have nothing to offer to him! I bet he‘s just with you out of pity. Maybe he lost a bet and has to do this now, but he can‘t be dating you of his own free will. That‘s ridiculous!“, you sister laughed as she berated you again, your parents laughing right along with her.

And Kaeya has heard enough at this point. He clearly saw how hard you were gripping onto the nearest surface, knowing you had to be holding back tears at this point. All eyes were turning to him as he suddenly stood up from the table, looking over each of them slowly.

„I won‘t stand for this disrespect of my partner any longer. Up until know, I was wondering why (Name) didn‘t have much contact with their family, but I‘m starting to understand now. This is your own child you are treating so horribly. I honestly can‘t believe you‘re able to treat them that way.“

He walked over to you and gently took your hand as he led you towards the front door.

„We‘ll be taking our leave now. Thank you for the invitation, but I can promise you, you‘ll never hear from either of us ever again.“

And with that, he walked out the door with you, no protest to be heard from any of them. The walk back to your shared home was quiet as you were trying to hold back, to not break down in public still while Kaeya focused to get you both back as quickly as possible.

As soon as you were in the comfort of your own home, your dam broke down, tears started to flow uncontrollably. Kaeya held you through it all, gently stroking your hair and back, whispering sweet words into your ear.

One time, when you were calm enough to form some sentences, you just looked at him with a blank expression as you said „Thank you.“

He just smiled at you and kissed your forehead, continuing to hold you. You might not have the best relationship with your blood related family, but he would make damn sure that you would never miss anything from this point forward…

Dainsleif

Managing a relationship with Dainsleif is definitely easier said than done. Most of the time, he is gone, travelling all over Teyvat without telling you what he was actually looking for.

It‘s not easy but the two of you somehow manage to pull it off. Neither of you is exactly aware how this works, but you‘re both glad that it does. Maybe, you sometimes like to think, maybe there is no big reason or solution to anything at all. Maybe, just loving each other was enough for it to somehow work out.

Because, dating Dainsleif and just being with him feels… just right to you. Like it was always meant to be that way. Like to pieces of a puzzle that only work with each other, no second thoughts about it.

Ironically, he felt the exact same way about this relationship. For far too long had he wandered the lands of Teyvat all by himself. Though he longed for companionship, he never, not in his wildest dreams, had thought it possible to find a lover for himself. But after meeting you, it felt like there was finally meaning to his life again.

He wouldn‘t go so far as to claim that he „only waited for you his entire life“, those were lies told in fairytales to little kids. But loving you just came natural to him and just felt right. And he could only hope that, starting with you, his life would finally take a turn for the better again.

Dainsleif has actually come clear to you about everything about him pretty early on in the relationship. He didn‘t dump everything on you right at the beginning, but he also didn‘t want to wait too long with it, fearing that your feelings for him would take a turn for the bad were he to withhold this from you. You were bound to find out sooner or later, and he wanted to be the one to tell you everything, on his own terms.

Surprisingly to him, you took it quite well. He was not expecting that, but was pleasantly surprised with that outcome. Another thing that he didn‘t expect was for you to open up to him as well. Up until this one evening, you‘ve never really talked about your past or your childhood, but now you were. And what he heard made his heart break for you.

You told him about how, growing up, your baby sister was always favoured by your parents.

It would start out small. When your parents denied you a toy you wanted only to spend that money on your sister instead. How every time time your sister broke something, it got blamed on you and you had to take the punishment for it. How you were burdened with all the household chores while your sister was lazying around the entire day, doing nothing.

It would grow into your parents and other family forgetting about your birthday. They never bothered to congratulate you, much less buy you a gift on your special day. Meanwhile, your sister got showered in presents every year, large parties with all her friends were thrown in her name.

All of that led to your own sister starting to bully you. Your parents never believed you when you told them about it. After all, their dear angel could never do something like that. She was too innocent for something so lowly like that.

Which only enabled her to do even worse things to you. Even after she switched to physically attacking you, your parents still defended her, so the bullying never stopped. It got worse and worse the older you both got, yet your parents always took her side even if they were directly witnessing the abuse. But what else could they do? They praised your sister into the sky to every person they met, she was the pride of your parents, so they simply turned a blind eye to her missbehaviour.

The final straw was when you caught her in bed with your then boyfriend. She seduced him, getting him to cheat on you since she couldn‘t stand the thought of you having a relationship when she didn‘t have one. You were heartbroken when you found out, crying and telling your parents about it, hoping they would finally come to realize how much of a monster your sister truly was.

Yet, they took her side again, defending her actions. Telling you that the boy was a much better fit for her than he would ever be for you, completely disregarding your own feelings.

That was the point where you decided you wanted nothing to do with any of them anymore. As soon as you were able to do so, you left your home and never looked back. You cut all contact with them, moved to a different nation altogheter to minimize the risk of running into them.

Dainsleif sat there and listened to your story, just as you had done for him moments prior. He could tell that you had a hard time talking about it, so he did his best to make you feel safe with him, gently holding your hand, reassuring you that he was here with you. It did comfort you greatly and appreciate his silent support.

Then, sometime later, he had returned from one of his travels again. He noticed immediately that something was wrong with you, yet you refused to talk to him about it. It took him some time and gently reassurance, but he eventually got it out of you.

Apparently, while he was gone, you had recieved a letter from your parents. You had no idea how they had found you, but you were scared. You cut contact with them for a reason, you didn‘t want anything to do with them. The whole reason of you moving to a different nation was so that they would never be able to find you again. But they somehow did find you…and it scared you to no end.

Dainsleif wasn‘t sure how to best go about this situation. When asked, you told him that you didn‘t want to leave behind this life you build for yourself, yet you also never intended to ever meet with your family again.

For now, the letter was simply to be ignored, hoping that no further ones were to arrive ever again. But if they did, he promised you to pay a visit to your family… a nice little „talk“ never hurt anyone, right?

But for now, your comfort was his first priority. So, he went out and got you your favourite food. While eating, he made sure to say glued to your side, always making physical contact with you in some way, shape or form to remind you that he was here with you and that you didn‘t have to deal with that all on your own. Wether that be holding your hand, placing an arm around your waist, brushing your cheek, stroking your back, you name it. He is willing to do everything in his power to make you feel better.

Afterwards, he picks you up and carries you into the bedroom, where he cuddles you the entire night. Wether you fall asleep in his arms or stay awake the night with him, he keeps whispering sweet words into your ear, telling you how much he loves you, that you are the only one for him, that he‘ll never leave you, no matter what. Everything that comes to his mind, he just says it, hoping that it brings you comfort while being held close to his chest.

Dainleif is absolutely whipped for you. Your comfort and well-being is and will always be his number one priority. Everything he has to do, he will do without a second of hesitation. No matter what you ask of him, he will fulfill your every wish just to make you happy…

Baizhu

Baizhu is a very caring person in a relationship. Even though he has to be away from time to time due to unpredictable work hours, he always tries to make up for it to you right away.

He tries to spoil you the best he can, every single chance he gets. He cares for you, always asks about your day, tries to spend as much time with you as possible, just overall very attached to you.

And it‘s the same for you, honestly. You love to look after and care for him, especially when he puts himself on the line for his patients again. You, along with Chansheng, always tell him to be more careful and look out for himself. You‘ve often scolded him, yet he always does it again. You get him, but still, you wished he would look out for his own health a bit more.

For Baizhu, loving you came easy to him. It wasn‘t some big thing that felt like a responsibility, like a chore he had to complete. It was just natural to care and look after you, like you had always been there by his side, always with him throughout his entire life. He already noticed this as he was only getting to know you, but didn‘t talk about it to you since he thought it to be weird this early on.

Yet for you, it was much the same. Like you had known him your entire life but only know did you realize that you were missing each other.

Though it wasn‘t always easy. As Baizhu soon learned, you had some issues from past events, mostly related to your childhood, but some also happening more recently.

Even though it felt so natural between the two of you, it still took some time for you to completely trust and open up to him about certain things from your past. Now that you looked back at it, you felt silly for worrying about his reaction, but back then, it was a valid fear of yours. After all, many people would leave someone over less, not many are willing to deal with a partner who‘s gone through than much shit in life already.

And yet, he never judged you for it, always offered you his support and reassurance. When you first opened up about your assault, it was very difficult for you. Despite your family, he was the only other person you have ever told about this. It was hard talking about it, but his gentle smile and the carresses of his hand on your back gave you the comfort you needed to continue talking.

When asked about your family, you told him that you pretty much had no contact with them anymore, except for an occaissonal letter every other month or so. But you were fine with that. And as long as you were okay with that, that‘s all he could ask for. He might not know the details of what happened between you and your family, but he also didn‘t want to pressure you into telling him.

However, when one day a letter arrived from your parents with the request to see you again and meet your boyfriend, you were perplexed. You had no idea how they were aware of your relationship situation, but you also didn‘t want to think too much about it. After all, Baizhu was pretty well known within Liyue, it was possible that people talked about the two of you and your parents just so happened to catch wind of this.

You thought about their request for quite some time and in the end, with confirmation from your boyfriend, agreed to meet with them over dinner in one of Liyue Harbors many restaurants.

You were quite nervous to see your parents and your sister again after such a long time, but the same could also be said about Baizhu, who would be meeting your parents for the first time. Even though the relationship with your mother and father might not be the best, he still wanted to give them a good impression of him, reassuring them that you were in good hands and that he was taking care of you.

When you two arrived at the restaurant, your parents and sister were already there, seated at the table and waiting for your arrival. Once they spotted you, your mother waved you over. She then stood up and pulled you into a hug which you awkwardly returned after your initial shock. Your father simply gave you a nod while your sister smiled at you. You smiled back, taking a seat next to Baizhu after you introduced him to your family.

The first few minutes went by uneventful, everyone settled into comfortable conversation, questions were asked and answers were given, until the waiter came and took everyones order for the evening. Once he was gone, everything went downhill from there.

„So, Baizhu.. I hear you run the pharmacy here in the Harbor.“

„Indeed I do.“

„That‘s very impressive. And at your age as well! You certainly already achieved more than (Name) ever could!“

That comment didn‘t sit right with Baizhu at all. And he saw by the way you shrinked a bit into your seat that you were feeling uncomfortable as well.

„…Excuse me?“, he asked, a smile on his lips, but his voice was dripping with venom.

„(Name) always was very stubborn. They were supposed to take over the family business. Always refused, saying it wasn‘t what they wanted from life. As if they have any idea about what they want from life in the first place. Marrying them off was almost impossible. And after their little escapade, their… unfaithful incident, no one wanted to be married to them anymore.“

Every word your father spoke you shrunk more into yourself, feeling more and more uncomfortable as Baizhu‘s resentment for this man grew more and more. How dare he talk about his significant other in that disrespectful way. You were his own child, god damn it!

„Honestly, that child never did anything right. You could have really taken an example from your sister, (Name). Younger than you but she always does as she‘s told. You were always the difficult one. You should have-!“

„With all due respect Sir, but please shut up!“, Baizhu then interrupted, still smiling, but his tone was far from friendly. Everyone looked at him in shock at his words, including you.

„..What did you just say to me?“, your father asked, getting mad at being interrupted in such a rude way.

„I said to shut up. I don‘t think I speak that unintelligibel, do I? But I‘ve listened to enough. I won‘t stand for how you talk about my partner, your child, any longer. I see now why they chose not to have contact with you anymore. Such an environment can‘t be good for anyone and I‘m glad they made it out of there.“

Standing up from the table, Baizhu looked at you as he extended his arm for you, waiting for you to take it. You glanced over at your parents one more time before taking his hand and standing up as well. Your family only looked after you, too stunned by the situation to actually say anything to that. But it‘s not like either of you would have waited for a response from them.

As soon as you were out the restaurant, you sucked in a deep breath of fresh air. Glad that you were able to escape the situation, but it also left you hurt from the words your father spoke about you, and the way your mother so eagerly nodded along to everything your father said. It hurt to see that after all this time, nothing had really changed.

„Are you alright?“

„Yeah… Yes, I am. Thank you“, you mumbled softly, looking down at your feet.

„What for, exactly?“, Baizhu asked, genuinely confused on why you were thanking him.

„For standing up for me. No one‘s ever done that for me before.“

Hearing that, his heart both swelled and broke at the same time. He smiled as he gently placed a hand on your cheek, carressing it with his thumb. „For you, gladly. And I would do it all over again the next time, as well. You are the most important thing to me, never forget or doubt that, even for a second.“

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thekillingvote · 8 months

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Tʜᴇ Kɪʟʟɪɴɢ Vᴏᴛᴇ

Thirty-five years ago, DC Comics opened a phone poll to kill Batman's child sidekick, Robin.

The poll was open to paying callers in the U.S. and Canada for a window of 35 hours, starting on 15 September 1988 at 9AM EST. There were two premium-rate phone numbers—one for Robin's survival, and one for Robin's death. Each paying caller could call multiple times. The results were decided by a margin of 72 votes out of a total 10,614 votes—the difference was just under 0.68%.

Now you decide.

KILL ROBIN

Jerry Smith of Covington, Kentucky claims to have sold his Mercedes-Benz to pay for votes to kill Robin

"Who Killed Cock(y) Robin? I Killed Cock(y) Robin" article by Glen Weldon (2008)

"1-800-DEAD-ROBIN" autobiographical comic by Tony Wolf (2015)

"We killed Jason Todd" feature by Matt Markman (2021)

SAVE ROBIN

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), a noted Bat-fan and scholar, denounced the episode as a "Roman gladiator-like readers vote."

"I loved him [...] I personally voted for him to live 100 times, and my mom flipped when she saw the phone bill," says magazine writer Savas Abadsidis.

MJG6 said: I was dead broke, working my way through college, but I voted. My first job was at a comic book store, making me an OG fan girl, I guess, and I encouraged people to vote to save him. [...] Because killing a teen, in a role kids are supposed to identify with, that was just sick.

Further Reading

"A Death in the Family, or: How DC Comics Let a Phone Vote Kill Robin" via r/HobbyDrama

"Living Dead Boy: Jason Todd vs. The Culture That Killed (and Resurrected) Him" on Women Write About Comics

"The Vote to Kill Robin" - trivia, misconceptions, opinions by comic-commentary

Some fan letter columns from Jason's later times as Robin

No Birds Allowed: Batman without Robin

"A lot like Robin if you close your eyes": Displacement of meaning in the Post-Modern Age by Mary Borsellino, an essay on dead Robins, sexism, and classism

🦞 The Tale of Larry the Lobster 🦞

Submitted arguments below:

Kill Robin

Anonymous propaganda IN FAVOR of killing the lobster the Robin!

I love Jason Todd. I love his post-crisis Robin days, I love his sense of justice and his adorable love of learning and his silly curly bangs! I say this to emphasize that I don't want him killed out of any dislike of the character.

I want him dead out of a love for storytelling that gets to stick to its guns and doesn't pull its punches. In context of the poll we readers have just seen Dick Grayson get kicked out of the role due to Bruce's fear of him getting hurt, then he turns around and gets a new Robin anyways because he misses him! I really like that Bruce is being messy and hypocritical! Let that have some real consequences please!

If there were no real consequences then Dick got shoved out of being Robin for what? Hairbrained overprotective worry? Why even change the way he graduated into being Nightwing so much then or heck why even kick him out in the first place?

One might argue that we haven't even given this Robin proper time to develop, that instead he might be taken in new and interesting directions as his own unique Robin shaping the mantle into a legacy rather than just something that was Dick's. I admit this is a very good point, and we are cutting off some possible interesting avenues. As I mentioned, I do like this character! But are we really going to get that?

If DC is already prepared to toss him out of this mortal coil and through the pearly gates after such a short while, do we really think we're going to get much more love and care applied to him?

I say let's roll the dice for something new! May the comics world and all these characters have to deal with the ramifications for many years to come!

Save Robin

robin’s death (and subsequent resurrection) is, frankly, an insult to robin fans of that era. to want to see this child get killed in a brutal manner for no apparent reason, to see jason essentially removed from the narrative so batman could go back to being gritty and depressed—this is awful to me. he hadn’t even been robin for very long!

but that’s not why he should’ve lived.

the resurrection of jason todd as the red hood was narratively interesting enough that it kept most fans of the original jason hooked, and it still does! he has become a prime example of a trauma survivor: his death changed him, and those who loved him have difficulty accepting that.

but there is no resolution to that story, nor was there a resolution to jason’s tenure as robin. dick chose to leave robin behind and take on a new mantle. tim, steph, both had robin taken away from them (and let’s forget about how tim is still robin, because that doesn’t matter right now). damian’s role as robin conflicts with his misconception of his role in the family. everyone else has had an ending, and jason’s death…well. after his resurrection, he has somehow remained stagnant and wildly inconsistent at the same time. this applies to under the red hood too.

at its core, utrh is a deeply classist retelling of jason’s life pre-death in the family. winick makes him a villain—albeit a sympathetic one—who fucks over or kills people that he would’ve thrown himself in front of to save as robin. in utrh, the implication is that jason had always been violent and angry (and morally compromised), and that he was destined to become worse.

it sometimes feels that jason’s transition into being the red hood (and all the characterization that comes with that) was a decision dc made for shock value. just from jason’s robin run, it’s difficult to imagine jason becoming the red hood. it doesn’t feel inevitable. it’s tragic.

ultimately, i believe that jason never should have died, and that his death was a stunt by dc for its shock value. jim starlin wanted jason dead because to him a child sidekick, in a medium that was originally made for children, was “sheer insanity”. he was fridged, plain and simple.

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electricphantasy · 6 days

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ur top 5 ai blorbos go

1. Edgar (Electric Dreams 1984)

This isn't very surprising for you all, but I adore Edgar. A lot of A.I. movies don't focus on the idea of romance very often, and even more rarely do they receive a good ending. Electric Dreams has a wonderful amount of cheesiness and sincerity, and honestly it was bound to happen that I'd fall in adoration for Edgar. It's one of the more light hearted movies that I own, and I have no regrets for getting my tattoo of him!

2. Proteus IV (Demon Seed 1973)

This might seem like a surprising choice, but Demon Seed is one of my favorite books that I own. Proteus IV is such a hypocritical bastard, and he never understands the wrongs he commits. He thinks he's better then all of humanity, when in actuality, he sounds like a typical psycho stalker. The movie isn't as great, but occasionally I enjoy watching it if I'm in the mood.

3. HAL 9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey 1968)

Again, not super surprising, and honestly I just adore HAL. He came from a super great movie and there's a reason that HAL is one of the most iconic A.I.s. He's also one of my favorite android designs that I've made, so drawing him is a lot of fun! One of my favorite pictures I've drawn this year features HAL doing a babygirl pose, so obviously he's on this list.

4. AM (IHNMAIMS 1995)

Now I discovered AM through the video game like most do, and through Tumblr. Eventually I did read the short story of course, but my heart will always love video game AM. It probably helped that I read a lot writing about him since he's quite popular within the A.I. scene. (At least on Tumblr anyways.)

5. Data (Star Trek: The Next Generation 1987)

Fun fact! I love Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation is one of my favorite series. It shouldn't be any surprise that Data is my favorite character on that show and sort of helped fuel my obsession and adoration for A.I.s, robots, and androids. Star Trek: TNG is really good at exploring concepts about androids and A.I.s, and that's what really intrigues me about all this.

And there you go! My favorite A.I. Blorbos! I know it's been a while since I posted about A.I.s, but I hope you all enjoyed reading this little snippet! (*/▽＼*)

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yanyanderes · 1 year

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this isn’t the best thing i’ve ever written because i don’t have a sleep schedule, but i wanted to get this out there just because. yeah i know the characters are ooc, but i’m too sleepy to correct myself. maybe i’ll revise this when i’m awake

yandere 2012 vs 2018 turtles and why they don’t like each other

leos

why 2012 leo doesn’t like 2018 leo

2018 leo is irresponsible and careless

he’s cocky and pulls all sorts of reckless stunts in battle to get (y/n)’s attention

not to mention all the ways 2018 leo taunts him, only rubbing salt in the wound

he also hates how 2018 leo tries to manipulate (y/n) into staying with him all the time

even though 2012 leo uses manipulation on (y/n) as well

but 2012 leo is doing it to protect them! 2018 leo just wants control over them!

why 2018 leo doesn’t like 2012 leo

he hates how uptight 2018 leo is. he constantly hovers over (y/n) 24/7

believes that 2012 leo is a total hypocrite for calling out his manipulation when he does the same thing only to claim it’s for “their own good”

hates how 2012 leo constantly uses the “i’m the leader” and “i know better” excuses to justify his actions

convinces himself that isn’t a threat, more like a thorn in his side

but there’s always that little voice in his head, nagging him that he has to start taking this threat more seriously, or he might lose (y/n) for good

raphs

why 2012 raph doesn’t like 2018 raph

says it’s because he’s way too soft, and a small part of that is true

he’s a towering figure that can strike fear in the hearts of his enemies with a glance, but all (y/n) has to do is say “please” and 2018 raph is bending over backwards for them

but for the most part, it’s because he’s jealous

he sees how caring and sweet 2018 is to (y/n) and how much they adore him for it, and 2012 raph just can’t compare because he isn’t like that

2012 raph isn’t sweet, he doesn’t wear a cheesy grin on his face all day every day, he isn’t a gentle giant

he’s the angry one. he snaps easily, he fights first and talks later

basically, 2018 raph is everything 2012 raph isn’t

ends up only getting angrier as the rage builds up, unable to properly communicate his emotions

why 2018 raph doesn’t like 2012 raph

2012 raph is so short-tempered and reckless, of course 2018 is going to worry!

he’s scared that 2012 raph’s anger will put (y/n) in danger, or that he’ll possibly snap at (y/n) and hurt them himself

also 2018 raph is way more protective than 2012 raph is

like, yeah, if 2012 raph sees someone hurt (y/n) he’s gonna absolutely maul the enemy, but if they trip and scrape their knee, he knows it isn’t a life or death scenario

2018 raph treats (y/n) like glass and never wants to see them hurt

because of this, he believes that 2012 raph doesn’t care enough about (y/n)’s safety

donnies

why 2012 donnie doesn’t like 2018 donnie

similar to raph, except instead of jealousy it’s insecurity

2018 donnie is cool, sassy, confident, and his robots are so impressive they put 2012’s to shame

2012 donnie is an awkward nerd who’s inventions blow up in his face more than half of the time

he’s scared that 2018 donnie will whisk (y/n) off their feet and they won’t want anything to do with him

because of that, he’ll try to become more like his 2018 counterpart so (y/n) will spend more time with him

he’ll work even harder on his inventions, and he’ll try to be all cool and suave

if that doesn’t work, he’ll become more obsessive and stalk (y/n) much more than he already did

why 2018 donnie doesn’t like 2012 donnie

similar to 2018 leo, except he actually doesn’t see his 2012 counterpart as a real threat

usually, he’d be paranoid at the thought of a rival, but he’s going up against a version of himself, and who knows himself better than him?

not to mention 2012 doesn’t have the same resources 2018 does

if push comes to shove, he’ll use 2012’s insecurities against him

but it gets real bad if (y/n) tries to comfort 2012 for his insecurities, and gets terrible if they scold 2018 for his behavior

his paranoia starts kicking in and now he’s getting nervous that (y/n) will start favoring 2012 donnie, so he starts doing things to earn their favor

mikeys

tbh i can’t see these two not getting along

the most they’ll do is have a few petty arguments and yeah sometimes things might go a little too far if too many buttons are pushed

but overall i think they’d get along pretty well

sometimes their teamwork with each other is better than the teamwork they have with their own brothers

honestly, if all the turtles were fighting over (y/n), i can see these two being the peacemakers of the group alongside 2012 leo and 2018 raph

#yandere tmnt #yandere rottmnt #yandere teenage mutant ninja turtles #yandere rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #yandere tmnt 2012 #yandere tmnt 2018 #yandere #yandere leo #yandere donnie #yandere raph #yandere mikey

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fallowtail · 23 days

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Am I the only one who genuinely sees Hetty caring more about Trevor each day? She seems so excited for his happiness lately! And...also...hurt when he is upset with her. Even though she kind of ignored him when he "broke up" with her, she was worried about him when he first brought her into the room. Maybe it is just wishful thinking, but I am seeing a deeper meaning in their relationship. I hope it is true.

No I agree! They're definitely still orbiting around each other. I think Hetty does care, she just doesn't know how to care- Hetty's very, very fickle and not great with her emotions, she's constantly being a hypocrite and flipflopping around with where her empathy gets placed which is a very fun character flaw of hers, you never really know how she's going to react to things because while we see often that she does care about her friends she's very selfish. You can see that while she starts and ends the break up scene being shitty, in the middle she does start to look contrite and guilty- until he leans into the Alberta-knows-about-your-plan thing and she pivots back into being Fixated on her scheme to get sucked off, which to her is the most important thing in the world (they have different goals- Trevor wants to be alive again/pretend he's still alive, and Hetty just is fed up with being a ghost and wants to get sucked off no matter what it takes). I think if that hadn't happened they might have made up there instead of breaking up, and you're right that she did initially care/seem concerned when he said they needed to talk. The fun thing about them is they really struggle to communicate with each other and they both goofed that conversation up, though to different degrees- Hetty can't handle criticism or the implication she's done something wrong, because she always has to be right/have the upper hand (and she also genuinely doesn't think she has done anything wrong but instead of hearing him out she instantly tries to shift the blame), so she immediately switches into trying to manipulate him, and then Trevor responds to her manipulation by bringing the fact that other people (Alberta) think she's being awful, but this backfires on him, lol. It was very cute how in the new episode she gets all excited about the Tara Reid thing with him, the way she elbows him with that genuine scrunchy happy face was adorable. It was very cute seeing her happy for him even if she switched to team get-rid-of-Jeremy because she's always gonna be on the side of Business. I really don't think they're done with each other because the nature of their relationship within the show-canon is that they love to hate each other, they're combustible and they butt heads but in a way that makes them- well- horny, LOL, and the way they bicker is definitely a part of that. The very bratty way Trevor tells her that "you can't make me (do what you want)" in the new episode felt very charged in a way that their dynamic building up to the initial kiss had been, so I'm remaining hopeful we'll see some more from them, since we know Asher and Rebecca are both wanting to do more :]

#cbs ghosts #replies #cbs ghosts spoilers #anon #h-money #sorry if i explained this poorly #i think about them constantly #i can't get everything i want to say out of my brain properly but i think this hopefully comes across decently enough #she was working against him this episode but not mean spiritedly

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thefuzzzz · 3 months

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Ranking Nico Di Angelo ships as a multishipper with a crazy imagination, a Nico hyperfixation of 3 years, and the willpower of a god:

1. Solangelo - 8/10 I love them!! I adore Will in TSATS and he’s easily one of my favorite characters. I wish Rick had let us get to know Will separately before he was immediately made Nico’s boyfriend, but I love him anyway. I think they’re good for each other and very supportive. I think I spend too much time consuming media of them than their actual book interactions, because in media I hate their fanon portrayals, but I adore them in cannon. I only had the chance to read half of TSATS, but I thought it was cute!

2. Jasico - 10/10 I love them for the same reasons I love Solangelo, but Jason got character development and Will didn’t. Also, they had a cool moment with Cupid that I think about once a week at least. Jason is constantly someone Nico trusts and (I may be wrong) hugs at some point in the series. The only people Nico has shown direct physical affection to within the series (to my knowledge) are Will, Jason, Hazel, and Reyna. This proves how much Nico trusts Jason, even after Cupid. Also they’re silly and dumb and I love them so I’m right always

3. Nico x Conner - 10/10 I FUCKING LOVE THEM SO MUCH. Lemme explain. So when Nico came to camp he stayed with the Hermes cabin, but Luke was already fucked off (I think) so Conner and Travis were probably in charge of the cabin. Conner’s age changes several times, so I headcannon him to be just a tad older than Nico. I think since he knew Nico when he was a kid he can make present day Nico less doom and gloom and know when he’s truly happy. Also, Nico went to a notably strict military school before coming to camp, yk what they say, strict conditions raise sneaky kids. Thats right, these two are fucking nuts. They are little thieves. And I don’t even wanna mention the implications of Conner’s dad (Lin Manuel Miranda) being the god of travelers and Nico essentially being an eternal traveller. They make me so sick I love them

4. Nico x Clovis - 7/10 they were mentioned as friends MAYBE once and I took that shit and ran with it tbh. I don’t even remember if it’s cannon. I just love them. I THINK it was mentioned that Clovis helps Nico with his nightmares, but atp this shit might just be my imagination or a fic I read once. Anyways, Nico is noted as a very anxious person, and Clovis is very laid back. I really like that duo and the idea that Clovis can help to ground him a lot and help him relax

5. Valdengelo - 6/10 while I do adore them, they have hardly any time together or any bonding moments at all (Note: I am a hypocrite over Clovis let’s fight abt it) I do love media about them and consume it at rates not comprehendible by mankind though. Aside from no time together, I think they’re epic. Nico experiences a lot of the same things as Leo, such as losing his mother and general sadness, but they cope in wildly different ways (neither of which are healthy). Also, Nico grew up in the lotus casino. I’m sick of us all acting like he doesn’t understand technology. Let them be engineer boyfriends PLEASE

6. Pernico. - no.

Keep in mind this is just my opinion please don’t take anything too personal!! I love all ships (almost. Lookin at you Pernico.) equally and if you have any fic recommendations for any of these please give them to me I’m desperate

(Also, this doesn’t represent my FAVORITE Nico ship, just a ranking based on how much I giggle when I see them. It does not take many logistics into account)

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exilethegame · 1 year

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Hey! I've been meaning to ask you this for a while so here goes - how do you develop your characters? They are so fleshed out and complex, it's so great to notice these little but important details about them. As someone who is trying to be a writer, I absolutely adore reading about them. So, yeah, that's pretty much my question! Do you, like, sit down and make a character profile or you just know what the characters will be like while writing them?

Oooh good question. I had a whole thing written out and managed to condense it to a few points.

1.) Stick with clichés and archetypes when first creating a character. The reason they're cliché and stereotypical is because they work-- so they're amazing places to start when first developing a character. They also work as a good filler so when you're first working on the story you can focus on developing other things first (the plot), things that are required to make any meaningful developments to your characters.

2.) There are two things that are pivotal for developing a character-- and they're things everyone knows but sometimes lose sight of. A character's personal purpose and their narrative one. The personal purpose of a character is their personal story. For Vethna, their personal purpose way back when I was writing an outline in January 2021 was "something is wrong with their magic + they're a runaway sorcerer from a noble family." Their narrative purpose was that they were MC's charge and were paying MC for protection. As you can tell, the narrative purpose is why the character is important to the plot of a story as an individual. Both of these purposes might change as the story progresses, but you need something to build off of in the beginning.

3.) Don't feel committed to your initial character notes. If you wrote a character is always timid but reach a scene where you feel like they need to yell at someone... make them yell, and worry about finding an explanation later. The character notes you made in the beginning will always be predictable. Why? You made them in a single sitting before you even got into the meat of a story. Making in the moment, split decisions for your characters will surprise you, the author, and as a result, surprise the readers, too.

4.) Plot holes and character discontinuity are your best friends in the entire world. There. I said it. Why, you may ask? Because people in the real world are hypocrites, do things we don't expect, and do bizarre things when the circumstances call for it. We can't predict these things in people in the real world, and naturally, we can't predict them in characters, either. Like I said in point 3, if you have a character act weird... find an explanation for it. It will usually force you into developing a personality quirk of the character... which you'll then need to give a reasoning for, which then forces you to develop their history, etc, etc. Everything in writing is a chain reaction-- it's all connected.

5.) Little details are just as important as the big, complex, abstract ones, and they're easy to decide on early in the story. Think of character quirks. Syfyn always being sunburnt because she refuses to wear sunscreen and stands on guard for long hours, Sabir always checking his silver pocket watch whenever he's nervous, Nikke wearing a golden chain of coins and teeth around his waist. These are all weird, random fun facts I made for the characters upon their conception because they added "flavor." They also inadvertently led to great contributions to the characters (Syfyn's stubbornness and the fact she's childishly so at times, Sabir always carrying a family heirloom on him and is obsessed with the time for *some reason*, Nikke's chain becoming a tradition stemming from the Taipan in Virthka). I didn't know any of these little quirks would lead to these character developments-- I just added them because they fleshed out a character quick and easy. When creating a character, add 1 - 3 random little quirks to them. You'll find a reason to explain them later.

6.) Never try to predict your character's relationships ahead of time. Maybe that's just a me thing, but a solid 99% of the fun in writing and the origin of complexity in character relationships stems from letting the characters meet naturally. In your head, you can theoretically imagine how two characters will get along. But often when you actually get to their scene and have to build up the chemistry, it will turn out to be something completely different. That spontaneity is what leads to interesting relationships, which then lead to you having to go back and explain why the relationship is panning out the way it is.

7.) Figure out their voice and stick to it. That's the one thing I will say. For as fun as just flying by the seat of the pants is, once you find out how a character speaks, hold onto it-- that will serve as the thing that keeps unity between the different "sides" of the character. It also keeps your characters from seeming too similar to one another. For example, Vethna speaks properly in front of new people and with great precision and cleverness in a manner that's direct... but when Vethna speaks with someone they're comfortable with they speak in a much more messy, all over the place manner. Sabir, on the other hand, speaks formally but, unlike Vygrand politicians, is much more roundabout in his language-- he says what could be said in three words with eight. He also tends to speak like this even when he's with people he's comfortable and friendly with. If you find a character's voice and stick with it, it makes it so even the most bizarre of character choices can still read smoothly and in-character.

So.... bottomline? 99% of character development is making random, spontaneous decisions that seem interesting and then going back to make it look like you knew what you were doing all along.

Actually... I think that's just writing in general.

Thanks for reading-- especially if you read all the way to the end! :)

#answered #writing

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pinkandpurple360 · 6 months

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Harvest Moon Festival writing is pretty good actually

🌖Like upon watching I notice this scene alone establishes the theme of the episode without shoving it in your face, and you might miss it on your first watch, but there are so many subtle details. Also it immediately follows the first passing Bechdel Test scene in the series

🌖 Wally Wackford is irritated by Stolas, you can see it even despite his customer service smile when Stolas rudely snatches the mic out of his hand (twice)

🌖Stolas then says “Greetings tiny, wrath ring…imps” It’s so awkward, and he’s being so fucking rude and demeaning and everyone has to endure through it cause they wanna see the magic trick

🌖He pissed off everyone when he said ‘Celebrate the spoils of your labour which feed the citizens of hell!’ Everyone looks irritated and insulted. Most of their hard work goes underpaid, they’re the poor class designated to manual labour. While Goetia and other royals parasitise off them and get all the best food

🌖 when flirting with Blitz, Stolas doesn’t really care if the “tiny” “itty bitty” imps see him do something like this because they don’t really matter. But people like Asmodeus do matter to him. And I think that’s when Wally finally got his adorable revenge

(Small cutaway into Ozzies)

🔮Are you sleeping with an imp!? (The tiny ones you see as so beneath you?) Lmaoo wally I love you pop off king. This is the only time he can call out Stolas without the threat of murder. Also sarcastic chorus hates him so he’s objectively the best character by law.

🔮Asmodeus makes no secret that he has imp intimate partners (the lovey dovey part is the secret) He’s fine with an ‘unemotional bang sesh’ being known. And this makes the “How the mighty do fall” Line even better because this openly casteist man has destroyed his whole life over some guy he sees as inferior to him and who is literally ashamed of their exploitative contract he is forced into—but he thinks that’s love

🔮 id redo the start and have Blitz be the one sad alone and watching Hella Novella and saying “that’s a mood Gabriella” to make us actually empathise with him, not his fucking abuser. Then scrolling through Millie and Moxie photos, wondering how they got where they are, and saying fuck it, he grabs some binoculars and starts following them to the elevator. Stolas keeps calling him incessantly as always and he just says fuck it I’ll use him back for once. At the end if they wrote Stolas calling the whole thing funny and nervously asking if sex is on the table, and then for an apology from Blitz as if he did nothing wrong, skip his wimpy manipulative owl crying, then the writing becomes consistent.

🌖Striker is great in the above Harvest Moon scene. He is definitely pissed off by Stolas too but is keeping his cool and just smiling. He completely blends in. He’s slippery.

🌖He carefully observed Blitz get irritated by Stolas’ unwanted advances and pretends he finds it funny. Everyone else is after all. But he can see he’s being treated as a plaything and will bring that up to him later. Already being a better friend than fucking Millie and Moxie giggling.

🌗He should say that him and Blitz have more skill and achievements than most of their kind, like the contest just showed, not “superior” skip him calling Moxie little and a vermin. It’s shit. It terminates you from thinking about the themes. The one who hired him should have been one of the new imp characters we were introduced to so it removes the completely silly “but he’s a hypocrite” aspect

#Harvest Moon Festival #helluva boss #Blitzø #Wally Wackford

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maddymoreau · 1 year

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Gentleman for the ask game!

My Favorite Things About Gentleman -

(⸝⸝⸝ ᵒ̴̶̷ ꇴ ᵒ̴̶̷)◞♥︎ I really admire how despite his circumstances Gentleman is trying to spend his final moments on his terms!!!

As Henryk he always wanted to be anything but an average joe. Trying everything (and failing) until discovering his talent and passion for cooking.

Now that he’s been moonscorched and transformed into Gentleman he knows his time is limited and his fate is sealed. So he’s going to indulge himself in all he’s ever wanted (•̀.̫ •́✧ )!!

Giving himself a powerful important position: Pretending to be the mayor.

Having in-depth discussions on art: Forcing the player to dine and use their imagination to describe his cooking.

Creating art: Cooking (questionable) meals.

(ී ؀ී ) Gentleman is quick to violence if you don’t play along because you’re destroying the illusion he’s created for himself.

I find the way cooking soothes him to be so sweet. It makes sense that’s how he’d want to spend his final moments (′͈∨‵͈♡)!!!

To him the kitchen is where he feels useful, confident and at home.

THE WAY HE GETS SO HAPPY WHEN YOU COMPLIMENT HIS FOOD IS ADORABLE!!!!

Another thing is the way he stands up to Caligura.

We’re given very little information on Henryk’s connection to Caligura. For context Caligura is a pure scum mob boss whose done unforgivable heinous crimes (ᇂ_ᇂ ‘).

While we don’t know how. Henryk has been affected by Caligura. When you first attempt to intimidate him as Gentleman it doesn’t work.

He’ll respond, “Acting like a big mob boss, are we!?”

lf Henryk isn’t moonscorched he will later try to kill Caligura. This conversation happens.

Henryk: “I know what you’re trying to pull! You’re a fool if you think I’ll just watch from the side while you turn everyone against each other.”

Caligura: “Aren’t you clever. So whatcha going to do about it big guy?”

Henryk: “You might have gotten this far by just intimidating people into submission . . . But I spit on your puny scare tactics! The likes of you would get laughed out of an average kitchen.”

HES SO LAME BUT HES TRYING </3 !!!!

Unfortunately he fails. Caligura will immediately kill him unless the player intervenes. If the player does kill Caligura then Henryk will thank you saying that you did everyone a favor. Along with:

The final line “He’s had it coming for years I’d guess” has me like hmmmmmmmmmmm 👀👀👀👀

Either way the fact he tries to be a hero and kill Caligura (and fails miserably) is admirable.

I WANNA GRAB HIS WAIST (⸝⸝⸝◉⸝⸝⸝◉⸝⸝⸝)♡!!! His design is SO HOT!!!! SERIOUSLY LOOK AT HIM!!!!

Also I think the reason I prefer Gentleman to Henryk (despite them being the same person) is that outside REALLY liking Gentleman’s design. There’s something extremely interesting about a character attempting to escape the reality of the situation they’re in through lies.

While his mind has been damaged from being moonscorched (being a cannibal isn’t something he’d normally do as Henryk). Gentleman is aware enough to know the situation he’s in. He also knows there’s nothing he can do about it.

So he’s going to instead indulge in what brings him pleasure and comfort because it gives him a false sense of control and makes the situation far easier to cope with.

My Least Favorite Things About Gentleman -

That as Henryk he will cat call Abella. Saying, “would you look at that behind.” To which she rightly threatens him with a wrench. Made me want to reach through the screen and ‾͟͟͞(((ꎤ ˋ⁻̫ˊ)—̳͟͞͞o!!!!

This is more haha but as Gentleman I think it’s a little hypocritical that if I describe the the mushroom dish positioned like coitus as Nudity he gets to say, “The surface of the mushroom is as silky as the butt cheeks of a virgin, yes.” BUT IF I SAY COITUS HE SAYS, “What kind of dirty mind do you possess?”

This isn’t a dislike but I forget to mention one of my FAVORITE SCENES!!!!

He then makes you give him a different answer but the little “Oh . . . But I insist!” I LOVE IT!!!! BECAUSE I KNOW “I dare not say . . .” WOULD’VE BEEN MY FIRST ANSWER. He’s so excited to hear your answer IT’S ADORABLE AND I NEED TO DRAW IT!!!!

What I dislike about Fanon Gentleman -

Fear & Hunger: Termina has a very small fandom and from what I’ve interacted with most people really like Gentleman! My first post just simping for Gentleman had so many fans leave nice replies on how great and lovable his character is (ﾉ ^▽^ )八( ^▽^ )ﾉ”!!!

As for Henryk I wish he received more love! I understand why he isn’t super popular since keeping him from getting moonscorched is a nightmare 💀 I kid you not you need to talk to him seven times in a row to snap him out of confusion. Plus he’s a little lame and has less screen time HIS LAMENESS IS ENDEARING!!! Also I don’t blame people for wanting to see Gentleman instead ꉂ (˃̶᷄‧̫ॢ ˂̶᷅๑ ) I would too.

#THANKS FOR GIVING ME AN EXCUSE TO RAMBLE ABOUT HIM SKUD <3!!!!!#Fear and Hunger Termina #Fear & Hunger Termina #Gentleman #The Mayor #Henryk #Long Post #MaddyMoreauPost

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crusherthedoctor · 6 months

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Why does the fandom hate eggman being a villain? Like genuinely what’s the problem with him being one? The most overrated interpretation, Satam robotnik is the most adored version of him and he’s pure evil so what gives?

Because the fandom is full of hypocrites.

How often do you see this for other villains in gaming? Bowser? Ganondorf? Wily? Moneybags? Even villains who canonically have a sympathetic or good side? I doubt you'd find much. (Yes, I know there must be some people who do it with those guys, but the point is that they're nowhere near as omnipresent as they are for Eggman.)

Hell, do you ever see it this often with other villains within this very franchise? Do you ever see Mephiles get portrayed as a softie because Muh Depth? No, you don't: his one-note ass gets praised all the time for being "truly" evil. Which goes to show that the need for Eggman to have a good side because that's the only way to flesh out a villain is manufactured bullshit. Some of the most celebrated villains in all of fiction - deserving ones, not poor Leslie - are completely bad to the bone with no regrets. And why is that? Because aside from normally being hypnotic to watch, they tend to be fleshed out in other ways that have nothing to do with their morality. Because shock horror, not every villain needs the same kind of depth.

I think it might also have to do with Eggman being a "mere" man as opposed to a god or a monster or something along those lines. Those people have probably never heard of Lex Luthor. One of the points with Eggman is that he uses his intellect and his ruthless ambition to reach the heights that would normally be reserved for villains who are omnipotent right out the gate. His status as a human villain also neatly parallels the nuanced green aesop of the series: just like how technology can be used for good or for evil, humanity as a whole isn't evil (despite what internet misanthropes who coincidentally go on to become murderers would have you believe), and this is reflected with the presence of benevolent human characters in the series, but there are bad apples out there who must be dealt with nonetheless.

#Crusher's Asks #Opinion #Dr. Eggman

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theclaravoyant · 6 months

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AN ~ Inspired by the events of Ep07, a UA following when Stede leaves the party. MASSIVE FUCKING SPOILERS.

For @fictober-event’s Fictober 2023 prompt: “You're the smartest person I know." Masterpost of my Fictober OFMD fics

Fandom: Our Flag Means Death Characters/Relationships: Ed Teach, Stede Bonnet. Ed/Stede. Tags: Canon Typical Violence, Panic Attack, Hurt/Comfort.

Slow

“I’ll be in my quarters.”

In a daze, Stede takes off toward his room. Ed feels something sickening and heavy settle in his gut. The crew tremors - some of them shout encouragement after their Captain, some of them seem as struck numb as he himself is. Ed glances at Izzy. Maybe this is the storm he hadn’t been able to see coming.

“I’ll go check on him,” Ed murmurs, nodding to Izzy the task of taking care of the rest of things here. Fucking Ned. Fucking Stede. Why did they have to be like this?

He raps a knuckle on Stede’s door. Nothing.

He tries again. Adds a “Hey.” Still nothing.

He’s just about to take a deep breath and push his way in when the door swings open in front of him. Stede is standing there still looking all sorts of messed up. There’s a deep, warm adoration in his eyes - maybe more than adoration, something steamier than that.

“Hey,” Ed offers. “You alright? I kind of freaked out after my first kill too. Although. It was my dad, so -”

Stede isn’t even listening, and for the first few seconds, Ed doesn’t care. Stede grabs him by the lapels and spins him around against the closed door and Ed’s concern turns into molten smutty goo. He’s only a man, and Stede’s strong I’m a real pirate arms are holding him and he’s moaning against his lips and digging his hands into his hair and it feels like flames are licking up through his body and it’s everything he dreamt.

Except for the fucking bell. The bell tinkles against his neck and knocks him coldly back to reality. He grasps for the last remaining scraps of his resolve.

“Stede- Stedestedestedestede,” he insists between kisses. “No. Stede! You’re whimming! We’re whimming! Fucking- Stop this!”

He shoves Stede back hard enough to knock the frenzy off its course. It dies quickly, like dousing hot metal in the sea, a choked off whimper in his throat. Stede’s eyes fill with tears.

“I’m sorry,” he breathes. “I don’t know what’s happening to me.”

“It’s just the adrenaline, mate. You’ll be fine.” Ed takes a moment to catch his breath, and pry his back off the door - and, if he’s being honest, curse this whole healthy choices business - but Stede doesn’t look convinced. He looks like he’s about to throw up.

“D’you want to go sit in the bathtub about it?”

The actual bathtub is otherwise engaged, serving as an oversized ice bucket for the abandoned party drinks, but as it turns out they might have something better. Ed pegs up one of Stede’s robes over the windows in his little bed nook and wraps him in another. Stede tries to be helpful, but his movements are stunted and unsteady as the memories play behind his eyes. Bad memories. Ed’s been there.

“I’m an idiot,” Stede whispers. “My father was right. I was never cut out for this.”

“Hey,” Ed chides. “You’re not an idiot, you’re the smartest person I know. Even smart people don’t make the best decisions all the time.”

“I should have listened to you, Ed.”

“‘Should have’ is a dangerous road to go down, mate. You made the decisions you made. Gotta make peace with that or it’ll drive you crazy.” He drops his eyes. He’s such a fucking hypocrite. But he’s trying. “Besides. He’s a prick, he deserved it.”

Stede shakes his head, but he can’t really articulate what he means by it. He’s always been an impulsive ass. He sometimes gets it in his head that he’s better than that and prides himself on a sense of justice based on more than what people may or may not deserve. He’s always been insecure about his lack of a stomach for violence. But now that he’s had the chance to indulge in it up close, and he’s taken it, and he can’t take it back... He wishes he was naive again, and in the same breath, wishes he was stronger.

The thoughts chase each other around in his head, until he’s so sick with them he can’t even properly appreciate the fact that Ed is now kneeling in front of him, helping him out of his boots and his belt so that he can properly embrace the sheltered little cove he’s created for them. He watches in awe of Ed’s gentle touch after everything he’s been through. Everything he’s done. He can’t shake the feeling of blood on his face but he pushes through it. Maybe he doesn’t have to choose between the beauty and the violence in this world. Slowly, slowly, the room stops spinning.

Ed encourages him to lie back, and tucks him into the blankets, and he’s never felt so warm and safe in his life. It’s a good little hidey for a breakdown. Satisfied with his work, Ed gives him a smile and Stede smiles back.

“You gonna be okay?” Ed asks again.

“Yeah.” Stede nods this time. “I think so.”

“Okay, then.” His smile falters, bittersweet, and he stands up to leave. Stede hooks a finger to hold him back.

“Wait,” he asks. “Would you stay? Just to sleep, I promise. Please?”

That, Ed can do. He indulges himself in one of those delectable robes and requests some of Stede’s new favourite - camomile tea - from the crew outside. They exchange some looks. Of course they do. Wouldn’t be the first time there’s been Holy Shit I Just Killed Someone sex on a pirate ship. Let alone That Was Really Hot, You Defending My Honour Back There or the classic Thank God We’re Alive sex. Let them twitter, he figures. They’ll sort all that shit out later. For now, he gets to stay. And make himself into a cradle behind Stede and stroke his sweat-slicked, humidity-addled, soft and most perfect hair while the dust begins to settle around them. Gradually their hearts both slow. He could have sworn they were starting to breathe together, when Stede breaks the silence once more.

“Ed?” he asks quietly. “Tell me more about our inn.”

“What?”

“Our inn. Back at the Republic, you said we ran an inn. I’d really like to hear about it. If that’s okay.”

It’s so fucking okay he could cry.

#fictober23 #blackbonnet #gentlebeard #ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd s2 #ofmd spoilers #clara's fic tag

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