#he's such an asshole but he's not y'know evil

[non-un-topo]

When you get hit by a random powerful wave of nostalgia for like your first fandom ever

#brb gonna rewatch all of teen titans (after i do work for 7 hours sob) #my brain today is like: yo. you should draw a modern redesign of joey #because besides beast boy (ofc - BEST boy) he's my favourite character and so underrated #disabled icon?? who is also kind of traumatized and caught between good and evil?? the son of a villain?? why does no one remember jericho #like?? does anyone remember him??? hello?? #sometimes teen titans comes back and hits me in the face y'know. happens a lot. #i had to take out my 18 year old beast boy figure for emotional support after writing this asdfgfdfs #do it for her - except it's a plastic beast boy from 2005 with chewed bits #also 18??????? years old??????????? #one time i left him out in the sun and he started to bend like jelly bc he almost melted and that was my first panic attack #i thought he was gonna DIE and i was prepared to go with him #my asshole friend at the time also pulled his hand off (it does not naturally come off) and my nana hot glued it #- second panic attack right there. #i do not have a jericho action figure unfortunately. i don't think they ever made them. BUT i did make a doll of him myself. #the 7 year old beast boy fan to genderqueer adult pipeline is STRONG.

[aplaceforstellasscribbles]

Y'know, the plot of WATW relies heavily- you could say is constructed entirely- on the idea that everyone wants to see themself as a good person. No one is the villain of their own story.

Which can be super interesting when writing an unambiguously "evil" character, seeing how they justify and twist things around to frame their actions as morally correct.

It's also interesting when writing a character that isn't unambiguously "evil" or "good." When this person isn't deceiving themself into thinking their actions are good, when they're doing what they were taught is right, when they feel good about what they're doing- they think they're a good person because of course they are, look at all the good things they're doing, look at how kind and generous and thoughtful they are!

And then, maybe, you show them that their actions weren't as universally good as they thought they were, you show them that they hurt people.

What do they do then? How do they move forward from there?

#walk against the wind #watw #stella's story #some people would double down and insist they were right all along no matter the consequences #and others would take the new information and change based on it #i think that's the difference between someone who is good and someone who only wants to be #i just. i'm so fascinated by this concept #it did start out as me just trying to get into my antagonist's head- how would someone justify doing these things? #and then i wanted to figure out how to redeem him #and somehow i stumbled upon this and now it's incredibly important to me #not just in my story either #i started with a character that could at best be described as a selfish asshole with few redeeming qualities #and now i have a character i can easily describe as a man who's ignorant but doing his best. yes he's hurt people but he's a good man #and that's so important to me. that he's a good man. needs a little guidance. needs a little forgiveness. but he's good #in context it doesn't fit but i'm thinking of this one lyric from a taylor swift song #'no one teaches you what to do when a good man hurts you' #we've been taught that if someone hurts you they must be bad. they must be evil #but good people hurt each other all the time. how do we live with that? how do we reconcile that? #that's part of what watw is about #y'know between the blatant anti-monarchy anti-dictatorship anti-military anti-imperialism stuff #and next to the complex family relationships and rejection of amatonormativity

[frmisnow]

✧˖ ?!— thinking about mean dom! cheol... - (NSFW.)

— ‧₊˚ — ✉️ : " ruin you into something of my own, my own little cockslut always at my service ?? "

warnings/includes. (MDNI!) dom! seungcheol x f! sub! reader, masturbation background, orgasm denial, degrading, humping his shoe ??, reader down BAD

he was an asshole.

a quite big one at that- it just wasn't fair. it wasn't fair how he made you masturbate just for his personal enjoyment but everytime you were even remotely close to cumming, making you stop - until your pussy felt worn out & you had nothing but his cock in mind.

then guiding you to your knees right in front of him, his own boner obvious yet still not doing anything about neither his erection or your throbbing core and whispering evil sweet nothings into the air, running his hands through your hair like you were a puppy right at his mercy.

you instantly wrapped your arms around his feet, you perfectly knew you were playing just into his cards, this is exactly what he wanted- you, throwing all your self respect out the window simultaneously on your knees, wet & unbelievably horny.

but you didn't care, not even in the slightest, you were oh so desperate to come, grinding yourself onto his shoe just a little to get your point across - chasing any little relief there is.

and what did he do in response? grin, shifting his weight, purposefully pressing his shoe against your center.

you couldn't help it, it was like your hips were moving on their own as you lowered your head, pressing it against his leg, whining at the same time, the pure feeling of sexual need and frustration mixed with embarrassment.

"so responsive, aren't we?" his fingers lazily playing with the strands of your hair, tugging gently.

"i just love watching you like this, you're like a bitch in heat" he admitted as your fingers held onto the fabric of his shirt, almost looking for any form of stability.

"please i need you, need your dick, please-" you pulled onto his shirt, looking up to him with the pleading look y'know he likes so much

cheols hand, still entangled in your hair, runs through it once more almost like he himself is unsure of what to do next, then finally, ordering you to lie down onto the coach.

much to your anger, he really did take his sweet time, first admiring the sight of you spread out in front of him like this then slowly undressing like you weren't openly struggling not to come on spot just by seeing his pre cum leaking cock.

"god you look so sexy, it's not even funny" he shook his head almost like he has to contain himself, finger tips leisurerly moving over your skin, tracing from one birthmark to another as you whined.

"i wanna fuck you so hard you forget everything about yourself, that your body mesmorizes everything about me, that you will never be able to get touched by anybody else without thinking of my dick in your cunt.. that's what i wanna do to you, ruin you into something of my own, my own little cockslut always at my service whenever wherever- and those sole thoughts scare even me"

his tiny monologue stopped just like his fingers did for a few seconds, "but also makes me so horny, you don't even know"

#kpop smut #seungcheol smut #choi seungcheol #seungcheol x reader #scoups x reader #scoups #scoups fanfic #scoups smut #svt scenarios #svt x reader #svt smut #svt imagines #svt fanfic #seventeen #seungcheol ff #seungcheol imagines #seungcheol scenarios

[david-talks-sw]

George Lucas & Karen Traviss' visions of Star Wars are NOT the same...

So whenever I come across this image:

I keep in mind that it's from a book written by Karen Traviss, who is a brilliant author (I adored Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines and Sacrifice) but whose stance on Anakin, Yoda & the Jedi and Star Wars morality is this:

As opposed to George Lucas' stance on Anakin, Yoda & the Jedi and Star Wars' morality, which is this:

In a children's story about Light and Dark, good and evil, selflessness vs selfishness, George Lucas marks the Empire as absolutely evil and the Rebels as absolutely good, in the Original Trilogy.

In the Prequels, the situation is more complex (the Jedi are drafted into a war and forced to do things they know they shouldn't be doing, but have to for the greater good; the Sith bring about order to a corrupt government) but the morality stays the same... the selfish, greedy Sith are absolutely evil and the selfless, compassionate Jedi are absolutely good.

That's George's thesis.

And, as a character, Yoda's function is to deliver that thesis. It's no wonder why Lucas treats Yoda's words as absolutely correct:

Yoda is Lucas' mouthpiece in the Prequels, his self-insert.

George Lucas' narrative frames Yoda as objectively right.

So when Karen Traviss questions the Jedi, particularly Yoda's character and wisdom, she's disagreeing with George Lucas' thesis.

Which is fair. Traviss, is a different person than Lucas, she's an ex-journalist with a more "grey" view of the world and a different philosophy re: fiction aimed at children. "Death of the author" and all that. Again, fair enough.

And if you like Travis' interpretation and philosophy more than George's, if her read resonates with you more... also fair enough.

But the EU is not a reliable source on Lucas' vision.

I've talked about this in MUCH more detail here, but if you do care about George Lucas' vision, then maybe don't draw from the Expanded Universe, which includes content written by authors who expressly disagree with him, like Traviss.

Sounds logical, but for some reason people will read the above-posted Dooku quote and treat it as reflective of Lucas' vision, when it's not the case.

George Lucas' Dooku doesn't have an issue with Yoda or the Jedi (at least not openly, as Darth Tyranus, the Sith Lord he wants them all dead). Dooku's issue is with the Senate and the Republic.

George Lucas specifically added that most Jedi share Dooku's concerns. Before he's revealed to be a mass-murdering, Sith who enslaves neutral systems, the Jedi think he makes a good point and are even reluctant to consider him a murder suspect.

But let's not start saying that Lucas' Prequels are meant to be about "the Jedi's failure" and "Dooku being right that the Jedi are corrupt.

Because that's not the case.

If that's how you see them, great. It's certainly how Traviss saw them. To each their own, authorial intent be damned.

But it's not what they were about, to Lucas. Stating the contrary is... I dunno, lying? Rewriting history?

It's as if I got hired to write a Lord of the Rings prequel seen from Gandalf's POV. And y'know what, maybe I don't like Gandalf. So I write him as a scheming asshole going “myahahahah, fuck hobbits! I’m gonna let them keep the One Ring so a bunch Nazgûl will swoop through the Shire and murder them!” and suddenly, everyone starts writing posts about the notion that “Growing up is realizing that Tolkien always intended for Gandalf to be the secret villain of LOTR!” as if that had always been the case and I didn't just reframe him that way retroactively.

Finally, I'd also encourage you to read @rendar-writes' well-made point here about the fact that, while claiming she "doesn't give the answers", Traviss nonetheless shows a clear anti-Jedi bias.

#There’s a difference between interpreting the story the way you want to #and saying that your interpretation’s is what the author originally intended to convey #star wars #george lucas #karen traviss #anakin skywalker #jedi order #dooku #meta #collection of quotes #lucas quotes #expanded universe

[slimeylee]

Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile

mashup of two requests ( i literally cant find the posts i responded to them in 😭 ) !!

7. “ I happen to know a weakness of yours . ”

IM SORRY THAT THIS IS SO SHORT N TOOK A WHILE TO RELEASE I HAD NO IDEAS FOR IT TO BE HON3ST .

lee ! vox ( he / it ) , ler ! alastor ( he / it )

------

" I happen to know a weakness of yours , my dear friend . " Alastor smirked .

How did Vox end up like this ? First he was sneaking up to Alastor's dumbass radio tower fuckin' thing to try and take it down . Steal back his spotlight , y'know .

And now , here it was , being held in the air by multiple pairs of black tendrils as it was forced to look at the smirk on Alastor's stupid face .

" Fucking - put me down , you asshole ! " Vox growled as he twisted his head , yanking and tugging at his limbs .

" Now now , Vox , why the frustration ? Smile , dear ! " Alastor exclaimed , its everlasting grin grew wider on its face . " You know , you're never fully dressed without one ! "

" No , I don't believe I will ! After all , you did try to sneak into my radio tower . Quite a shame on your behalf . " Alastor stated .

Vox groaned , continuing its struggles as it squirmed in the trap it was stuck in .

Vox suddenly yelped , his back arching with surprise as he let out a squeak . One of the tendrils suddenly had poked its side .

" Whahahat the fuhuck - AHAHALASTOHOR ! " Vox cackled out , as the middle two tendrils wiggled into its sides , its arms and legs being held by two other sets of the tentacles .

" Did I find a bad spot already ? " Alastor smirked with evil in his eyes . Vox gasped and squealed with laughter as the tendrils attacked his underarms .

" SHIIHIHIT- AHAHA- QUHIHIT IHIT ! " Vox made multiple attempts to kick in his struggle , trying desperately to get away from the sensations .

" Whatever do you mean ? I'm not doing anything , Vox . " Alastor said , cocking his head to the side like a curious puppy . The tendrils swirled over Vox's belly as it shrieked .

" FUHUHZzUCK OH-O-oOHOFF ! Zzzzt " Vox cackled , his screen and voice glitching out as he threw his head back , trying desperately to get away from the sensations .

" Please , Vox . You and I both know you're enjoying this . " Alastor chuckled .

Vox turned red as his screen glitched more and his laughter grew wheezier and airy . " SHIH-I-IIHITzzzt - JU-U-AHAHAST STO-O-HOzztHOP ALREHEHEzzztAHADY ! "

Its lagging became more persistent as its laughter grew louder . The tentacles pulled away for a second , before they started to squeeze Vox's hips . He fucking lost it .

To say it screamed with laughter was an understatement.

" AHAA-A-AHAA-ALASTOR ! FUHAHA-A-ACK - IHIHI'LL FUHUCK-K-KING KI-I-ILL YOOooUuuu-zzztt ... "

Vox's screen flashed blue with his error message , before his whole screen turned off and went black .

Vox rebooted quickly , yelping as it suddenly dropped to the ground .. His stomach ached from how much he had been laughing . It rubbed its hips to rid itself of the ghost tickles as it glared up at Alastor .

" Wasn't that fun ? " He asked , as the tendrils slowly slid into the floor . " Hopefully this moment we had together taught you not to mess with the Radio Demon , " Alastor said , his voice grew deeper as he spoke . It followed the tendrils down swiftly as it , literally , melted into the floor .

Vox was out of breath , inhaling and exhaling heavily . Well ... that just happend . He tsked , standing up to leave the same way he had entered .

But as it stood for a moment , its face flushed a soft red as it had to admit ... he couldn't argue that it didn't enjoy what just happened ... a little bit .

#slimey-fics #lee!vox #ler!alastor #radiostatic #proud of this 1 tbh !! this is my first time writing vox soo

[quillsinkwell]

FNAF SECURITY BREACH RUIN SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

1: I really like Cassie, more than I expected to. One of my issues with FNAF was that the human characters don't really feel like characters in the games, more like prop pieces. But Cassie genuinely feels like a character that I want to see get a happy ending.

2: I went in expecting that if I saw Eclipse, he'd be a bastard, and instead was pleasantly surprised. He's my scrunkly :].

3: I really love the Roxy redemption we got!! She was genuinely kind and gentle with Cassie and I loved it.

4: I kept expecting the V.A.N.N.I mask to turn Cassie evil at some point, tho I did enjoy the return of Helpy.

5: At first I was soul crushed when I saw what had become of Freddy, but I saw online that he was a prototype and not good ol' Freddy, so :]

6: Pour one out for Monty I guess. Dude forgot he wasn't a real alligator.

7: Bonnie enjoyers got fed at what cost

8: Yeah no, I refuse to believe Gregory left Cassie to die.

Why would he guide her to the elevator in the first place if he was just gonna kill her off? He went through hell to make sure Freddy was ok, and he knew that guy for less than a day, he wouldn't leave his best friend to rot.

(maybe this is the inner Gregory fan talking, SO WHAT)

The Mimic wasn't shown to be destroyed, just escaped from, and we don't know how much control it had over the Pizzaplex, especially after Cassie freed it. Maybe it was what sent her crashing down.

Or that freaky rabbit (which I'm pretty sure is Afton) hacked the elevator to keep her down below (will elaborate on)

9: I believe the shot in game featuring Vanessa and Gregory confirms that the Princess Quest ending is the canon ending, and y'know what? I'm ok with that, I like the ending, it's got three stars, and the Encyclopedia said that was Gregory's good ending, so I had a feeling it was gonna go that way.

BUT! In that ending, it isn't made clear if by playing the game we killed Afton, or we simply freed Vanessa.

So, what if that glitchy rabbit is Afton, but his vessel wasn't complete, so he got stuck in the system, and the whole 'Vanny Network' thing he set up to try to replace her.

(we don't know how long it's been since the events of SB, and if the three stars ending is the canon ending, then we also don't know what destroyed the Pizzaplex)

Maybe Afton was in control of the elevator, and used Gregory's voice to trick Cassie (like some people were theorizing before the dlc came out) into believing Gregory betrayed her so he could turn her into his replacement Vanny and get her to make him real again.

Are points 8 & 9 a desperate ploy to not have Gregory be an asshole? Probably

Will that deter me? Absolutely not

Also if there is an answer as to how the Pizzaplex got destroyed in the TFTP books, don't spoil please, I've only read Lally's Game, the main reason I know what the Mimic is that SuperHorrorBro kept mentioning it during his playthrough so I checked the wiki.

Also if there are more endings to the DLC, please be cool about spoilers! I've only seen what SHB posted.

Anyways, those are my thoughts on Ruin.

#quill talks #fnaf #fnaf security breach #fnaf ruin #fnaf ruin dlc #fnaf sb #fnaf cassie #fnaf gregory #roxanne wolf #glamrock freddy #montgomery gator #glamrock bonnie #fnaf vanessa #fnaf the mimic

[destinysbounty]

I understand why Garmadon is usually considered the main villain of Ninjago as a series. Like, I get that on a meta level. It's not an altogether inaccurate assessment of his character. But it's still kinda funny bc this man is only an antagonist for like half of his screentime. Observe:

Pilots - Villain. Kidnaps Nya, deliberately orchestrates Samukai's death, overall acts like a spooky demon man, etc.

Season 1 - I mean he's kind of a general nuisance, sure, but aside from stealing the Golden Weapons he doesn't do anything objectively evil here? Not only does he help them save Lloyd, but he also defeats the Great Devourer. If we're being purely technical from a narrative standpoint, he's an ally in this season.

Season 2 - Back to being a villain again, but gets redeemed/restored at the very end.

Seasons 3-5 - Good guy! A mentor figure for the ninja, in fact! Just an all around good dad and funny guy.

Seasons 8-9 - Villain. Oh my god is he a villain. I don't even have to explain this one. Pilots-era spooky demon vibes except it's dialed up to like 200.

Season 10 - Once again a reluctant ally for the ninja, as he helps them stop the Oni invasion, but he's also a dick about it. Season 1 vibes but this time directly solely at Lloyd.

Season 15 - Morally gray antihero type. not very good at being a good person, and is even worse at being a good father, but he's trying his best.

Dragons Rising - Honestly idk if he's even alive. Fingers crossed, I guess?

Like sure, yeah, I'm not gonna raise a fuss about it when someone says Garmadon is the main villain of the show. Technically speaking, they're not entirely wrong. But it's very silly to me because Garmadon is only a villain sometimes. Sometimes he's a bad guy trying to take over the world, sometimes he's a loving father, and other times he's just a morally gray asshole minding his own business. And y'know what, I respect that about him.

#ninjago #ninjago garmadon #garmadon ninjago #destiny post

[charles-simmons]

So, here's some of my c!disc duo conclusions, since I've been seeing people talk about it. I have a lot of fun reading people's opinions about this, so, please, feel encouraged to add yours too and/or disagree with me

c!Dream:

-What he did to Tommy was abuse and he did do terrible things in general

-No, he is not an evil mastermind or a psychopath. He's just an asshole, like a lot of people in that server. He did not have half of the control people like to think he did. And I don't think he could even be considered a villain, especially because the dsmp is not black and white, there are multiple sides to everything.

-Prison arc was completely inhumane. He was tortured, desperate for human interaction, and suffering a lot. Nothing justifies the treatment he got.

-The pain he went through during prison does not redeem him.

-His character does not revolve around Tommy, even if they're a huge part of each other's story

c!Tommy:

-He's not completely innocent. He did do terrible things. <- even if it's easier to forgive him because of his age and because of the people around him and the context he was in. I personally think his side is understandable, but it's important to at least acknowledge he did do bad things, regardless of the possible motives

-He knew about Dream being tortured in prison, and not only he didn't do anything about it, but supported the idea <- he was abused by Dream and it's not a surprise he'd act like that. But again, it doesn't change the fact he did y'know. Let's not pretend he didn't do things

-He was a child and not to blame. <- Some people might disagree, but even if he was the one to get himself in trouble a lot of times, I genuinely don't see how you could blame a teenager. Sure, he started a lot of the fights, he caused a lot of problems, he did a lot of bad stuff to a lot of people. And of course there would be consequences to his actions, but I genuinely can't see how someone can say he deserved what he went through. That kid needed supervision, I genuinely believe it's not his fault.

-Just like Dream, he is a very flawed person. Many of his decisions are reckless, selfish, and even just straight up cruel sometimes. He was not an angel, and there were times he was in the wrong. Doesn't mean he doesn't deserve compassion (again, just like Dream).

-When he said sorry to Dream at the finale, it didn't mean he was forgiving him. Tommy was apologizing for the nuke (aka. for killing them) because he had just seen that maybe there was a chance Dream could get better. He apologized bc he was killing a human, someone that had potential of becoming a better person.  

-You can't "make Tommy the victim". He is a victim.

In general:

-They're complex characters, they're not just black and white (it's easier to simplify them into a angel kid that did nothing wrong and a emotionless psycopath that's obssessed with them, but that takes away their whole complexity and it's just not true)

-Quoting tumblr user milktearosethorn (who I have never interacted with in my life but has a opinion I agree with) "They're two soldier on opposite sides, forced to fight when they were both too young. And if it weren't for that, they could've been friends, in a kinder world. That's why the finale is so good" <- I love this bc it's true and I agree.

#I love this duo. I'm willing to talk about them at any given moment #c!discduo #c!primeboys #disc duo #c!dream #charles simmons speaks #c!tommy #dsmp analysis #why is everything I post so long #I hope I phrased myself correctly in the explanations

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Wibta if I refuse to talk to an alter in a system because I had a weird experience with them?

This is something that happened somewhat recently.

So for background, I (16nb) have been dating my boyfriend (17m) for about two years now, we were introduced by a close friend of mine during covid and got together sometime during the pandemic. Now, my boyfriend is a system, he found out about a year to a year and a half ago (this was during the pandemic, and my sense of time is wonky at the best of times.) Now, this doesn't change anything about him. I still love him just as much and I accept him and have zero problems with this.

The only reason it's relevant is because a couple days ago me, him, and another friend of ours (17f) went to a mini con type of thing, the day was great! Nothing went wrong at all we all had fun. But at the end we were all chatting and someone else was fronting at the time (I'll just call them A) and A isn't... The nicest person to be around? In source they're evil, and I know that source doesn't define an alter and not to judge them based on that, I don't! Just to be clear. But they've always been kinda snappy towards... Everyone, but I didn't think much of it because some people are just like that, y'know.

Another important piece of information is that most of the time me and my boyfriend talk online, we don't go to the same school or work the same job or anything like that so we use discord to talk most of the time, so it's been a few weeks since I've last seen him in person and A had only just formed about a week prior to this (or had just started interacting with others at least.) So, I was talking and I made a little joking comment about someone from A's source that they... I don't think like is the word, more of are slightly obsessed with? I didn't think anything wrong with it (a mix of I've joked about this before while they've been in the front room w/ my bf or even with them in front in call and they never said anything, it was pretty late, and my medicine that keeps me up was starting to wear off which made me tired and my filter drops a lot when I'm tired.) Anyway, I didn't think anything was wrong with it until they grabbed my shoulder super tightly.

I think they might have threatened me but I have not only an extremely low pain tolerance but I just do not remember Anything but the basics of what happened when I get scared or frightened like that (I just do not deal well with being touched without permission and especially grabbed and it sets off my anxiety a Lot.) Luckily nothing else happened, our other friend intervened and A was dragged out of front, my boyfriend was worried for me but I did just shrug it off because we had fun and it was ending so I didn't want to risk the rest of the night being spoiled by me being a little nervous.

I was fine at the end, there wasn't even a bruise or anything.

But, here's where I'm worried I might be the asshole, I get sort of nervous at the idea of talking to A again, and to my knowledge they've been "jailed" in the headspace. But I do get super nervous at the idea of it, and it may just be my anxiety talking but I don't want to seem rude for not talking or interacting with my boyfriend or the rest of his system just because there's someone else that's fronting or co-fronting who I had one bad experience with.

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

[viperrot]

⇁high school sweethearts | leon kennedy | pt. 2

resident evil 4 remake leon s. kennedy x fem!band-student!reader high school au

oboes are fuckin' expensive. much to you and your brother's dismay, the school is making you pay for the damages instead of your newfound enemy. oh, and his dad wants you to tutor his daughters!

pt. 1 pt.3

content contains: mild angst, enemies to lovers, mean leon, cliches, story is told in first person, reader is a bit shy and is an oboe and trumpet player!, leon and reader are in their juniour year, fictional town set around 1980!

not proofread i am sleepy

2252 words

song rec: "the mercy of the wind" by million eyes

still on the slower side, but alas.

"Ms. (L/n)? They're asking for you at the guidance office," Mr. Kay coughs during our water break. I look up at him, confused for a moment, but I realize it was most likely to talk about that awful interaction that happened before this period between Damien, Leon, and me.

"Oh... Oka-"

"Let me go with her, Mr. Kay," Sammy demands, setting her flute down in her case beneath her seat. Before the director can say anything, the ravenette drags me by the sleeve of my shirt out of the door. She's got this pout on her lips, and I know that she's still angry.

"I can't believe that fuckin' asshole just thought it was a good idea to drop your oboe like that!" She fumes. I swear I can steam come out of her ears as she grumbles profanities about the ace soccer player. "Y'know, you'd think that he knows how expensive those things can be since he has two sisters in band, but nnooooo, he just had to go on 'n do that to you, huh? I'll show him...!"

"Sammy, it's fi-" The five-foot-nine beauty stopped in her tracks, turning on her heel to face me and slam her palms onto my shoulder.

"Sugar, it's not fine," she sighs, seeing how shocked I looked. "That oboe is your baby. You can beat up your trumpet as much as you want, but that oboe is what's gettin' you into college," she reminds me. I look down at the toes of my converse, a bit embarrassed by how I was so easily putting off my emotions. I feel Sammy give my cheek a soft caress with her thumb.

"Don't lie to yourself and put Kennedy in a shinin' light. He did something awful to you, and that's a fact. Me 'n your brother are gunna make him pay hell," the girl assures me, and I nod at her words.

"Thank you, Sammy... I'm glad you love me enough to tell me I'm being an idiot," I chuckle dryly. She slaps my shoulder softly.

"That's what best friends are for, (Y/n)!" Sammy gives me a comforting smile, and we begin walking again. The journey is a bit long considering the band room is on the opposite end of the high school, but it was fun because of how Sammy described the most grotesque ways of torturing the new boy in town. Eventually, we made it to the guidance office, and inside was my counselor, my older brother, and the devil incarnate.

"Ah, there you are," my conselor, Ms. Penelope smiles. She nods at Samantha, and I figure she's okay with my friend being here. I sit down awkwardly between Leon and Damien, shrinking in my spot to take up as little space possible. My best friend sits next to Damien, furthest away from the ex-Greenvale resident. The silence is deafening, and I feel as if I could cut the tension with a knife.

"So..." Ms. Penelope clears her throat, resting her dainty hands atop her desk. "I think we all know why you three are in here," she motions towards the boys and me. Damien grunts, and Leon is dead silent. I decide to speak up.

"How will my oboe be repaired?" I question. I see Ms. Penelope's expression turn a bit somber. Through gritted teeth, she responds.

"Well, I had asked some other people before I called you in, and they said it would be best not to penalize Mr. Kenne-"

"What.," Damien and Sammy eyes narrowed as they spoke in unison. I hear Leon stifle a giggle, and my brother immediately stands up, about to pounce.

"Don't fucking laugh, you piece of shit!" He roars, fist tight at his sides. "That thing was hard-earned, dipshit!"

"Mr. (L/n), sit down, now!" Ms. Penelope gasps.

"Please," Leon scoffs. "Nothing from your family is hard-earned. As far as I know, you bribed your coach to be team captain. It's too bad that money's all wasted, Dami-poo~ I'm here now," the blonde smiles devilishly, and I see my brother is getting ready to rip his throat out.

"You little-!"

"Boys! Settle down, please! You are not making this situation any better," Ms. Penelope orders. Like a kicked puppy, Damien retreats back into his seat, crossing his arms beneath his chest like a child being scolded by his mother.

"Ugh, Ms. Penelope, this doesn't make any sense. That was an advanced-level instrument. If (Y/n) can't get it repaired or replaced soon, she won't have anything to play for our concert season," Samantha said, trying to reason. "Surely he can pitch in a little money. This is his fault, after all."

"I'm sorry... I have no control over this. If I had it my way, I'd have him pay in full, but it was a request from our principal. The best I could do was have a fundraising event approved for your band," the brunette woman explain, her frown worsening.

"Great. Can I leave now? My study hall is about to end, and I've got an English class to catch," Leon yawned out, the sleeve of his Greenvale High letterman straightening as he stretched. Ms. Penelope pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly irritated dealing with ignorant high schoolers.

"Yes, yes. Go 'head, Mr. Kennedy," she eagerly dismisses him. Immediately, he saunters out the door of her office, seemingly very happy with himself. The door shuts with a click, and it's just us four left. Tears begin to swell in the corner of my eyes.

"Erm... So, w-what's the fundraiser going to b-be?" I stutter out, not wanting to show weakness. The counselor hands me a slip of paper.

"I recommended a bake sale. It's simple, and I know our little town never says no to a sweet treat, especially with how nice the weather's been recently," she smiles gently at me, and I feel my heart squeeze. Samantha takes the pink sheet out of my hands and grins from ear to ear.

"Thanks, Ms. Penelope. I'll be telling our director about this. Is that all you needed from us?" Sammy asks, standing up from her spot. The brunette shakes her head as a no and has us leave her alone. Damien sighs when the door closes behind us, and I can tell he wants to blow up. I take his hand in mine, softly squeezing it.

"You okay, Dami?" I frown. He looks at me, clearly distraught.

"I guess..." he huffs. "I just wish he were dead," his eyes narrow, and I know he's thinking about Leon.

"Tch, you 'n me both," Sammy clicks her tongue.

"You gunna be okay, sis? I can get Ma to pick you up if you need," Damien asks me, worried. I think for a moment, and I nod as a yes. It's a Friday anyways, and there won't be any games until two weeks. Sammy leaves Damien and me on our own, deciding to get back to the band room to retrieve my belongings. My dear big brother takes me to the front off and requested the desk-lady to call our mom. After a bit, he left me with a chaste kiss on my forehead and told me to wait for Mom and Samantha.

I sat alone in the office, patiently waiting for my mom with my broken oboe in my lap.

"Hey, (Y/n)? Can you come down here for a second?" I hear Mom call from the bottom of the stairs. I slug myself out of the bed, not wanting to leave my room. My slippers drag against the floor as I slump down the stairs, wanting to get this over with and just sleep for the rest of the day. We don't have dinner until an hour or two, so I'm curious as to why Mom would call me down so early. When I make it down the stairs, I see Mom sitting in the living room with a familiar man, happily talking to him.

"She's had a bit of a rough day, so give her a moment," I hear her tell him. I walk in, still in my school clothing. My fingers fiddle with the fabric of my shirt as I sit down next to my mother, looking at the man confused.

It's Leon's dad...

"Honey, this is Mr. Kennedy. He wants to ask you a favour," Mom sets a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it softly. I swallow dryly, a tight feeling in my chest as I stare at the blonde man across me. His hair is slicked back, dressed in black dress pants, and a maroon button-up. His eyes are a gentle chocolate brown, a stark difference compared to his son's harsh and icy hues. Mr. Kennedy nods at me, smiling gently.

"Nice to meet you, (Y/n)," he grins at me. "I got a suggestion from my little ones' band directors about private lessons for trumpet. I was wondering if you were perhaps interested? I'm willing to pay you 20$ an hour if so," he asks me, crossing his legs. My eyes widen at his price.

"O-oh, uhm...!?" I bite my bottom lip, unsure of what to say. I shoot a look at my mom to my left, silently begging for guidance. She gives me only a reassuring smile, and I look back at Mr. Kennedy.

"Well?"

"Uhm... sure," I cough. "Is it alright if they're after school every Monday, Tuesday, and some Friday nights? I would like her to have some experience with our marching band as well, if you're both okay with it," I ask him. He thinks for a moment before nodding.

In the end, we agree with the schedule. Every Monday and Tuesday, his daughters will come over to practice with me. For Fridays, they'll only accompany during home football games to get some experience playing more advanced pep-tunes, but only if they want to. I tried to tell him that 20$ an hour was a bit much, but he insisted, claiming that his daughters can be rowdy. Eventually, he leaves, and I'm left alone with my mom in the kitchen to drink some tea. Slumping in my seat, I sigh annoyedly.

"Do you think he knows about my...?"

"Maybe," Mom murmurs as she washes dishes, sometimes looking at the stove to check on the boiling pasta. "But I'm assuming not," she hums, and I frown. I didn't have the heart to tell him his son is a heartless person, and it made me feel a bit worse than it should have. I leave the kitchen without another word, stumbling back into my room to cry a bit more...

It's sunny today.

"Oi, thumper, wake up," Damien raps at my bedroom door, opening it enough to poke his head in. I'm already up, sitting in my window nook while I look through some music I played in middle school to get ready for tutoring. I look up from the sheets, staring blankly at my brother.

"Ready?" I ask him. He looks surprised that I'm awake, but he nods.

"Mom's letting me take Pa's car today," my older brother smirks, dangling the silver keys in the air. I chuckle, knowing how much he loves Dad's little Impala. I get up from my spot in my plush nook, following Damien downstairs and out the door after we bid our parents goodbye. The two of us race to the car childishly, giggling all along as we throw ourselves into the noir Chevrolet. We settle into the cool leather seats, and I immediately pop on our cassette tape that’s stored in the center console. Immediately, Toto’s “Hold the Line” begins, and we begin to pull out of the driveway. As Damien hums along to the song, I look out of the window to my left.

Today, we’re going out to get a hand-me-down oboe from a local shop that is generous enough to give me one since I’m there so often. A little temporary deal until my personal one can be repaired or replaced. As we pull out of the drive way, I catch sight of the devil across the street.

He’s sitting on the porch, and I’m confused as to how I didn’t notice him before. In Leon’s lap is what looks like a guitar, and he’s got this ugly scowl on his face as he glares at us from his home.

“What an ugly bastard,” Damien white-knuckles the wheel, glaring at him through the rearview. I glance over to my brother, seeing his brows furrow as he stares down the blonde boy across the street.

A large part of me wanted to defend Leon’s beauty. I know I should hate him, but he’s just so… charming. From the rearview, I notice how his hair is a little damp, and I assume he had showered this morning. His shirt is simply white, and I can’t see the rest of his outfit from the way he sat behind his porch. My fingers clutch the at fabric of my sleeves, holding myself back from saying something about Leon’s looks. We drive past the Kennedy household, and I can’t help but stare through the window.

Leon’s gaze pierces through the glass, and I feel myself shrink into my seat, my heart drumming against my ribcage as we lock eyes. His lips are formed in a straight line as his icy glare follows the Impala I rode in, and I can’t bring myself to look away.

Is it wrong to want to talk to him, despite what he did to me?

uhh its still slow but yk i think thats what will make it good or not i honestly just type out my scrambled thoughts and hope it works!

pt.3 here!

some lovelies⇁ @vampiramaeve @kurawooooooo @umooooo74 @estre11afugaz

#resident evil #leon kennedy x reader #fanfic #leon kennedy #leon s kennedy #resident evil 4 remake #resident evil/biohazard #biohazard #angst #mild angst #slowburn #leon s kennedy x reader #high school au #>>high school sweethearts: lsk

[onesidedradiostatic]

helluva boss s2e1&2 reaction

season 2. let's go

episode 1

oh my god backstory time

ah, arranged marriage

that makes sense

I see so they both worked at the circus together

the love at first sight here is crazy bro's not even doing anything

oh my god

BUY HIM???? oh this is so fucked up

this is cute

he's doing a really good job at that stealing from the rich thing though good job blitzo

this is pretty cute, if only their situations weren't so fucked up

OKAY I'M NOT SCREENSHOTTING THIS BUT THE SCENE IN THE BEDROOM WITH BLITZO AND STOLAS WHERE BLITZO IS TRYING TO STEAL THE GRIMOIRE IS KILLING ME

"sorry I fucked your husband" WHY WOULD YOU TELL HER THAT

well damn...

idk if this is controversial but can stella be allowed to like... have any singular moment where it's not just her being an asshole? like honestly I just want a bit more dimension to her than just abusive bitch wife, she can still absolutely be a classist abusive asshole and an antagonist and not likable, I just wanna see more to her y'know, another side to her? idk if I can explain myself well here, but even when being abusive to her husband, I feel like she should have moments where she acts another way when it comes to other people? other situations? idk. I am AAALL for evil women, but I feel like all we've seen of stella is just angry shouting and nothing else, I just wanna see something more than that. but like I guess I get we're only seeing her from stolas' perspective right now so it kinda makes sense...? idk I just wanna see something a bit more from her.

I mean I'm not done yet so maybe I'll get to see it soon?

episode 2

so from what I can see I'm guessing this is the episode loona and octavia meet

or well bond? they already know of each other I guess

not blitzo's confidence being crushed cause of people not laughing at him years back 😭😭 but hey I feel you man

maaan.

NOT THE FUCKING ACID WATER ON THE POSTERS EARLIER????

sweet

"why does he hate her more than he loves me" aw man

that's cute

awwww

think I'll post this and maybe group 3-5 and 6-7? but yeah really good stuff here, I liked that we got to see a bit of the fucked up origins of their backstories, starting with blitzo being bought just to please stolas and blitzo taking advantage of stolas' liking of him for his benefit, like that's how they STARTED and how they continued to be 😭😭

anyways, stay tuned 🤞

#osrs.helluva

[vividstardustrevolution]

Fun fact: Futa is *not* the canon system character in MILGRAM!

...Neither is Yuno...

[Text Transcription: "Let's just do it, please smile?"]

...Haruka's not either...

[Text Transcription: "My loneliness was desired"]

...nope, not Shidou either...

Amane isn't canonically a system either, but I definitely understand the people who think she might be or headcanon her as such, especially after "The Purge March".

[Text Transcription 1: "It's the beginning of a most wonderful day"]

[Text Transcription 2: "With pure, unsullied body and soul,"]

No, Kazui's not the canon system either.

[Text Transcription: "All these memories and you Only if I could erase them"]

Where, then...?

Ah, I found him!

Hi Mikoto!

[Text Transcription 1: "It's like what's wrong isn't wrong"]

[Text Transcription 2: "I'm already the fake one"]

...but y'know, it is kinda funny that at least 7/10 of the MILGRAM prisoners have two versions of themselves on screen interacting with each other (I don't remember Muu, Mahiru, or Kotoko having scenes like that, but let me know if I'm wrong, and Kotoko still has Deep Cover coming, too), and yet only one of them is a canon system. Yes, you can explain Haruka and Amane's as self-abuse and dissociation, Futa's, Shidou's, and Kazui's as dissociation, and Yuno as compartmentalizing herself and how she acts around different people, but still.

It's interesting how it's only seemingly portrayed negatively with Mikoto, too, although to be fair, Haruka and Amane both hurt the other versions of themselves in their interactions (Haruka looks down on and pushes and chokes the younger version of himself, and Amane looks down on herself and sends herself into the water), but...still, that feels different from Mikoto's case. Maybe it's because in the cases of 010203050708, we know that the other them they're interacting with is still them, but in Mikoto's case, we don't know that. Haruka, Yuno, Futa, Shidou, Kazui, and Amane's "other selves" aren't treated as evil (or, if they are, it's not to the same extent that we see Mikoto's alter (or alters, if you're one of the people who believes in one of the Trikoto theories out there) treated as evil and inhuman).

Now, I do think that you can argue in good faith that part of why Mikoto's DID gets demonized so hard in MeMe is because Mikoto is slowly coming to the realization that he's a system and has some internalized ableism to deal with regarding that (because internalized ableism isn't uncommon regardless of the disorder involved; it's not true for every system that there's internalized ableism, but it makes sense for Mikoto "I'm just a normal guy; what do you mean I'm a murderer?" Kayano). However, I don't think that completely explains the demonization that Mikoto deals with. We see it with his interactions with Kotoko. That interrogation answer where Shidou says, "Since Mikoto became 'like that,' the smoking group stopped really interacting," shows that Shidou seems to be uncomfortable with Mikoto now that his DID has been outed. The fact that Haruka is the only person who willingly interacted with Mikoto since trial two started (the only other person Mikoto has interacted with is Kotoko, and he was the one who approached her because similar to him, everyone is avoiding the fuck out of Kotoko) shows that most people are avoiding Mikoto. (Granted, Mikoto was kind of an ass to Futa and Amane, and Mahiru was busy not fucking dying, but what about the rest of the group?) In fact, the fact that the characters are treating Mikoto (who, while kind of a jerk, has not physically attacked anyone as far as we know and only fought Kotoko in self-defense) the same way they're treating Kotoko (who literally attacked three people, damaged Futa's eye with her baton, nearly killed Mahiru, attacked Mikoto, and is generally an asshole (/affectionate) and has been an asshole to all but two people in the cast) is telling me that the majority of the cast sees him the same way they see her - threatening and dangerous - and it's likely that he's seen as dangerous mostly because of his DID. Even Haruka, who literally threatened to kill himself, has been checked on by two people - Futa and Muu.

...Does that seem fucked up to anyone else - that the characters seen as "dangerous," and especially Mikoto, who is being treated as a danger mostly because of his DID, are isolated and not being interacted with or checked on by most of the cast (because we all know damn well that Kotoko has not interacted with anyone since trial two started other than to chastize Kazui and tell Mikoto his existence is a crime)?

...I dunno where I'm going with this. I'm just...kinda just dumping my thoughts out and seeing where it goes.

#milgram #choking #haruka sakurai #mikoto kayano #kotoko yuzuriha #fuuta kajiyama #amane momose #shidou kirisaki #kazui mukuhara #yuno kashiki #milgram analysis #Honestly it's more me rambling than anything else. #Anyway I will stop now and go attempt to catch up on schoolwork like a responsible law student. #I do want to hear people's thoughts though. #MILGRAM ableism #CW choking #threatened suicide #CW suicide threat #(Not my suicide threat Haruka's suicide threat)

[serialadoptersbracket]

Round 3, Match 7: Kim Dokja vs. Izumi Curtis

Submitted kids:

Kim Dokja: Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung are the commonly accepted ones but you can also make a case for Lee Jihye and Biyoo

Izumi Curtis: Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric

Propaganda under the cut!

Kim Dokja:

1. “In the first scenario (where you have to murder something alive) his first priority is to make sure Gilyoung makes it out alive (by giving him the grasshopper before letting others know about it), and when the future version of Yoosung (41st round) is going to cause havoc his first plan is to basically the past (his present) version of her so they would have her on her side (he takes her in as his incarnation- if that isn’t an adoption idk what is); Biyoo is literally the soul of 41st Yoosung that he WENT THROUGH AN UNDERWORLD TRIAL to get her back and she is legally his child. Lee Jihye is more like the older sister-teenager of the group be she’s still adopted by association and Han Donghoon is a kid who was hypnotized and exploited by the ‘prophets’ and Kim Dokja saved him and became someone he trusts in- which is basically adopting. Mia is YJH’s little sister but with the family dynamic all of KimCom has she’s basically adopted too. This man is someone who believes the worst in himself but gives all these kids someone they need and in return they are the family he’s never had.”

2. “He saved Lee Gilyoung on the subway when he was orphaned at the time the apocalypse started even when he didn't need to and kept him by his side and fed him at his own expense and believed in him and taught him to be strong when no one else had really done that for Lee Gilyoung before.

MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD (pretty vague):

Shin Yoosung was a character in the world of the apocalypse that occured (long story, won't explain here lol) and she was supposed to be destined to become a monster that would destroy Seoul and the two people other than Kim Dokja who knew this wanted to kill her when they found her to prevent her from becoming that but Kim Dokja refused to kill her and physically stood to protect her and then he later became her sponsor (uhhh it's a whole thing in-universe but basically pledged to back her and help her ig) and the stigma (a special power thing that can be gained through a sponsor) he gave her was based in him protecting everyone in their group and his love for all of them.

Both Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung are extremely attached to Kim Dokja and have on at least one canon occasion slept clinging to either side of him.

LESS MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD (though not terrible ig and still mostly vague at least):

Biyoo is. well she's Shin Yoosung actually but also not. So basically y'know that monster future Shin Yoosung was destined to become? so that monster version of her from a different timeline was sent backwards and sideways in time (idk how else to describe it jskdfs) and nearly did destroy Seoul as prophesied but Kim Dokja tried to save her—and he nearly did but then a shitty dokkaebi (they're like admin streamer people. idk would take a while to explain) did a shitty thing and forced her to be 'evil' and then she had to be killed ;-; but Kim Dokja promised to get revenge for her and after that he went and beat up the asshole dokkaebi who did that so badly that he gained a legendary Story. And then he traveled to the Underworld at risk of his own life to retrieve her soul and put that into a dokkaebi egg that he personally hatched. And she lost her memories for the most part but could still sense a bit what he'd done for her :') and so yeah she became Biyoo and is somehow both adopted and originally parented(?? idk saying biologically is. doesn't feel quite right lol) by him.”

3. “Bro is THE DAD of the group”

4. “Adopted his kids so hard that they’d do like anything for him they love him so much”

No propaganda has been submitted for Izumi Curtis

#kim dokja #izumi curtis #orv #fma #kdj #fullmetal alchemist #omniscient reader's viewpoint #full metal alchemist #serial adopters bracket #round 3 #tumblr polls #tumblr tournament

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

Actually hang on, that AU would have so much potential.

Adora seeing Imp as her chaotic little sibling who helps out with pranks etc but might also snitch on her and Catra. Also, more internal conflict because he and Hordak are, at least on some level, family to her.

The other cadets not interacting with C and A because A is Hordak's protegee and C is SW's. Both of them are scary, so C and A really only have each other, which makes their separation in s1 only hurt more and make Catra all the more obsessed with getting Adora back bc she literally doesn't have anyone else (until Scorpia) (she could bond with Imp?)

Catra struggling to bond with Scorpia and accepting her friendship because she never had any friends outside Adora so, oops, social skills whomst? But eventually learning how to be a decent friend and growing as a person, as well as letting the sting of Adora's departure fade a little. She gets to grow as a person AWAY from Adora so that once she does join the Alliance, she is a bit more functional.

Catra worrying about Scorpia during s5.

Catra, spying at Angela interacting with Glimmer: oh ew what is this? Affection? What a cheap attempt at manipulation. -> Wait a minute, this looks... nice, actually. -> If she's the evil one, why is she such a good mom? -> Why isn't SW being this good to me? -> FUCK OFF SHADOW WEAVER YOU'RE A HORRIBLE MOM I'M OUTTA HERE.

Adora getting dragged back to the Horde in s3 and Hordak potentially acting like a disappointed father whose teenage daughter came home late from a party.

"Did you get everything out of your system? Y'know, Horde Prime would've killed me if I did what you did. You should be grateful."

[some character development later] "Hey, wait a minute... You shouldn't kill/brainwash people for doing that. HORDE PRIME IS AN ASSHOLE."

The comedy of Adora looking at Entrapta and Hordak interacting like "??????????????? HORDAK??? HAVING POSITIVE EMOTIONS??? DO I HAVE TO CALL ENTRAPTA MOM FROM NOW ON?????????"

Entrapta: I fucked your dad shitlips

Catra feeling genuinely horrible for Angela getting trapped between dimensions bc of the portal not only because she learned that Angela was good all along, but because she glimpsed what it's like to have a good mother figure and she took that away from Glimmer.

Maybe even Catra knocking some sense into Bow because he's mad that Glimmer did the stuff she did in s4. "Dude, cut her some slack. I know what it's like to be in position of authority (force captain) and it's stressful as hell. We were winning back then so you guys were losing badly and she was/is grieving. You do stupid shit when you're stressed and desperate (I would know, I made the portal happen.) So just... I'm still not 100% sure how to be a good friend so take what I say with a grain of salt but... Y'know, go easy on her."

^ character growth, shows willingness to forgive and thus bridge the gap between her and Adora. Results of being friends with Scorpia, feeling like shit when Scorpia left her, and the self reflection done throughout s4 following the "oh God I fucked up" at the end of s3.

No Melog. I'm sorry I just don't see the point. Instead, I'd really want to see Swiftwind be featured more heavily. Possibly Catra initially thinking he's weird bc she's never seen a horse before and later going "hey, you're close with Adora. Can we, uh, compare notes? I spent the last 3 seasons being her enemy and I'd like to go back to being her friend now. Help?"

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. this AU would have worked so much better than the trainwreck that we got. (also the idea of entrapta technically becoming adora's mom crossed my mind too, it would have been HILARIOUS)

#fans are better at coming up with a good plot at these people who are supposedly experienced writers #spop critical #spop #spop salt #spop criticism #spop discourse #she ra #anti spop

[zero-buds]

I really wanna talk about Nathan Ford and Jim Sterling's relationship. Because it is, if nothing else, a clear line in the sand on the same side of the coin. Oh sure, one despises crime, but not because they inherently believe it's evil. And sure, one crossed a line, but it wasn't as if it was unexpected -it was just a shame it took a tragedy for them to cross it. And, just to be clear, Jim Sterling isn't on anyone's side and neither is Nathan Ford. No good, no bad, just self-satisfaction and there's enough time between them to know that they couldn't give a flying fuck either way about it.

Both are self serving assholes, both have personalities that are - for lack of a better term, stoic and dry as Death Valley, and both have a penchant for stepping over other people to get what they want.

The Only Reason Nate is even slightly more likeable is because at least the guy isn't a coldhearted bastard in the literal sense. At least he's Honest, and has some kind of empathy for other people.

Sterling barely does. All he knows is Black and White. There shouldn't be an in between. No grey area at all in Sterling's view. But the world doesn't operate that way, and Sterling knows that, which is why he detests the Leverage crew so much.

Him and Nate used to be on the same side (i mean they recovered art for rich people but they were just grunts following the law y'know). Used to chase the very same criminals that Nate now works alongside with. And that has to hurt a little.

Sterling feels betrayal, and maybe a bit of sadness. He lost the only friend he actually liked :( and that's in no way fair in his opinion. He's bitter about it when he meets Nate again in the first season. Especially when Nate dismisses their history.

Their friendship had to mean something to the now criminal mastermind. Surely, their years of friendship had meaning to it. (He attended birthday parties, a wedding ceremony, babysat for the Fords. I mean what else does he have to do to show that friendship?)

But if that's how it was going to be, fine, Sterling will begrudgingly play the bad guy even though he's pretty sure he's not. So he plays up the manipulative, cold-hearted antagonist who thwarts Nate at almost every turn. It's better than never getting to hear from Nate ever again. It's better than being told they were never friends (even if it stings).

When Nate gets shot in season 2, Sterling panicked. It wasn't supposed to go down that way but no. Nate chose to protect the crew, and he takes advantage of Sterling's beliefs that they're still friends to help them escape. It says alot about their relationship if Nate believes that Sterling would care. Would take the deal and let his crew escape. Sterling must have hated that Nate was right.

But the cycle continues. They meet, they banter, and they use each other. Again, and again and again. They're not exactly tethered to each other, nor do they seek each other out, but Sterling knows that if he pushes right, Nate will push left, keeping the balances in check.

#nate ford #im just rambling #leverage #leverage meta #jim sterling #i had thoughts about this #but theyre getting away from me #something something keep your friends close but your enemies closer #or whatever #unstoppable bastard meets immovable bastard

[cursed-40k-thoughts]

What do you think about Solomon Demeter? Y'know, the Emperor's Children Marine who called the Diasporex a moral evil. He's a pretty good reminder that Imperium = bad for the fandom.

I think he's a valuable character, because he demonstrates that a marine rejecting chaos doesn't mean he's still not a brainwashed asshole. I don't think "rejecting" is even the right word, actually. He avoided it. I think the problem with Solomon, really, is that he's juxtaposed against characters like Lucius, who are so outrageously cunty that they make him seem "reasonable". Because of that, there's a recurring "based Solomon/gigachad Solomon" sentiment, rather than an examination of how the inset beliefs and personality drives shared by a group can pull members in wildly different directions, despite their moral leanings remaining similar.