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thevulpinehero1 · 8 months

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GWatch -- Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 Ep 1

Since Armoured Core came out and everyone's in a mecha mood, I figured I would talk about an entirely different mecha series instead. The plan is to watch one episode a day, talk about it, and include one (or more) screenshots to facilitate enhanced rambling. I want to start with the original series since I've watched it before, see if I can get through it all, and then maybe move onto some other Gundams if I have the spirit.

Beware! Spoilers for a 40 year old anime inbound, as well as possible misreporting since I probably am not going to fact check too well. Gundam nerds may feel free to correct me and dispense wisdom where appropriate. Also, I'm just going to go with whatever name spelling is on the subtitles I have at the time. Sorry, not sorry.

The first thing I have to talk about is the theme song, which honestly gives me emotions. Nowadays, we all have this image of Gundam as basically the show that invented the real robot subgenre, but you would absolutely never get that impression from the theme song or OP. Honestly, go find it and listen to it -- it's actually amazing how widely it misses the tone of the series, with lyrics like "Bring to bear the rage of justice!" and "If you are still burning with furious rage, you must fight the towering foe!" It sounds much, much more like a Super Robot theme song for like Daitarn 3 or Raideen or something, than something you would see associated with a classic "war is hell" series like Gundam.

And this was probably completely intentional. I remember hearing that even as far back as its initial run, the series had to fight the sponsors/toymakers in order to carve out its own identity, and part of that was projecting a surface level impression of a more palatable Super Robot style show. (Some things never change, I guess...)

To me, it adds a lot to the charm, because the singer is obviously going in and doing their best, singing an ode to a giant metal hero of justice who doesn't really exist outside of the fertile imagination of an advertising/toy exec who has been thoroughly mislead. I love that. I just want to go and tell them, hey, I appreciate you, you are singing your heart out on this theme song for an entirely different and imaginary series than the one they've actually made, and you're killing it. You are fighting the good fight, and you may be one of the reasons the series even got off the ground in the first place because you were part of this obfuscation.

This is Amuro Ray. His shadow looms large over every Gundam protagonist that will follow him; many of them either use him as a blueprint for their personality, or are meant as a study in contrast to it. He kills a lot of people. He eats a lot of sandwiches. There are long and intricate scenes of Amuro eating sandwiches, and they are among my favourite scenes in the whole series, and, in fact, any Gundam show I've ever watched. I'm not kidding.

I picked this screenshot not just because it shows a stone-cold, unrepentant sandwich-murderer in his natural habitat, but because it also showcases another thing I love about the show: the goofy animation. This was not a show with a huge budget. There is something weird or goofy happening in every episode, almost every scene, and the first episode -- traditionally one of the best funded in most series -- is no exception. Amuro eats like a turtle. Hayato's hand is an amorphous, misshapen blob. I think it honestly adds to the charm; the series is scuffed, and probably knows it's scuffed, but it's doing its best to tell a story in spite of that.

For now, Amuro is not the pilot of legend. He sits around the house doing science in his underwear, his neighbours don't like him enough to tell him about an actual military evacuation that he's supposed to be undertaking, and without the aid of his childhood friend Fraw Bow (who he mostly summarily ignores), he wouldn't bother to evacuate at all and would likely die at home. He's a scrunkly kind of dude. Maybe even a scrunklemeister. Your boy probably smells like a scratch and sniff card if you rubbed off all the panels and tried snorting them all at once.

The show is surprisingly quick at characterising him, too. Within a minute or two, we know all the above, plus that he seems to have a certain amount of tension with his father, who his neighbours blame for bringing the military to their peaceful colony. His father, Tem Ray, loves him at least enough to put a picture of him on his desk, and makes vaguely prophetic statements about how kids as young as Amuro are already joining the war as guerrilla fighters. Foreshadowing hit different in the eighties.

One scene I didn't actually remember, but really should have in retrospect, is the part where Amuro confronts his father ("Do you care more about Mobile Suits than humans?" is the absolute first thing Amuro says to him), and the death of Fraw Bow's mother and grandfather, both of which expose a more sensitive core to the scrunklebeast within. It's very convenient/poetic (delete as appropriate) that Fraw Bow was herself very nearly caught in the explosion that killed the crowd her family was in, and only survived because she separated from them in order to check on Amuro.

I was also kinda surprised to relearn that Amuro doesn't really 'fall in' to the cockpit; he very deliberately gets in, having happened to read the manual earlier, in an effort to either protect the remaining civilians or take revenge for the ones who've just fallen (the context doesn't really make it clear which one, but he rushes to the cockpit soon after Fraw Bow sees her family die and is making her escape).

One thing that's really interesting in the metacontext of the series is that although Amuro ends up being one of the best pilots (he's a legend in mecha anime for a reason), he kinda starts out as one of the worst. Many Gundam protags are either experienced, have some level of training, or have other reasons why they're hot shit right out of the box; Amuro really does not know what he's doing, and is carried entirely by the fact that the Gundam itself is dizzyingly durable for the time period. It also comes with a learning computer (which I bet sounded very advanced in the time the anime was made, but kinda brings certain chatbots to mind in the present day) to ease the piloting burden while he learns how to use the dang thing. Not only that, but he goes up against a lot of mobbers who aren't that much better than he is and can't do much against his much better machine.

(A really interesting experiment is to contrast Kira from SeeD, which follows a lot of the original Gundam's major story beats quite closely for the first part of the series and is almost a spiritual remake in some parts. Kira almost has the opposite end of the equation going on -- a very good pilot from day one, he has the misfortune of having five other named dudes who are close to his level and have machines that are arguably better than his in a vacuum, and he fights them pretty regularly.)

Anyway, through more luck than skill, Amuro manages to get through his first Mobile Suit battle in Side 7, but Bright is already looking to utilise him as labour, and Char is advancing on the colony. That's the first episode, more tomorrow. (I don't intend these to be exhaustive or talk about every little, but I wanted to go a bit more in depth for the first ep, and I don't want to restrict myself from veering off on tangents because those are fun.)

#mobile suit gundam #gundam '79 #anime blogging #idk #felt like a fun thing to do #there's a whole other conversation about Gundam's meta eternal recurrence #and whether it's a play on war never changing #or just laziness for reusing the same plot all the time #probably a bit of both #it's very FromSoft come to think of it #there's your armoured core 6 segue right there #screenshots #Gwatch

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 2 years

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I thought of you when the Qilin bowed to Dumbledore. I went "Ha, Blair's going to hate this."

Oh my goodness anon. You do me great honor. And yes, yes, I hate it. The saddest part is that I thought this movie was actually pretty good. Better than the second film, not quite as good as the first. It had some genuinely beautiful moments, some others not so great. (Lally needs to be mainstay. She's such a delight, they better not bench her like they did to Tina, or kill her off like they did Leta.)

Truly, it was shaping up to be a great movie. But then they did that. And completely fumbled the climax.

I kid you not, when the Qilin bowed to Dumbledore I started laughing so hard that I accidentally woke up my kitty. I had to pause the movie, as I laughed for a full minute, give or take. Something tells me that I'm not supposed to laugh at that moment. That it's supposed to be poignant and powerful. But seriously, seriously. Seriously. This movie expects me to buy that Albus War Crimes Abuse Apologist Child Groomer Dumbledore (Those are his middle names, right?) is pure of heart...? Give me a break, Rowling.

First of all, nobody is. Everyone has flaws, everyone's got demons. Not being pure doesn't mean you aren't a good person. This is just like the idea that only the pure of heart can cast a Patronus. Even if I accept the existence of "pure hearts," that is still balderdash of the highest caliber - fucking Umbridge could cast a Patronus. Even children aren't pure of heart, though I could be a bit more understanding if that was the take the series went with. You can call this a personal belief on my part, and fine, it is...but the movie says so too. Literally in the very scene when they establish the Qilin's powers, Lally clarifies that obviously, no one is actually pure-hearted. This is contradictory to what they go with later. Fine, for the sake of argument, let's say I accept that in this world, some people just have totally pure hearts.

But do not try to tell me that Albus Dumbledore is one of them. Albus Dumbledore, who plotted a fascist takeover with Grindelwald, who was complicit in the imprisonment of his sister and is at least indirectly responsible for her death (all of which the movie itself discusses) who refused to face Grindelwald out of shame, who never warned anyone about young Tom Riddle's behavior, who kidnapped infant Harry and then imprisoned him with abusive relatives, who left Sirius to rot in prison, who lied to Harry for years and groomed him into becoming a martyr at seventeen, who employed and constantly defended an unrepentant child abuser, and guilted Harry when he complained, who showed blatant favoritism for Order families, who hired a fraud to teach at Hogwarts for no other reason than to expose him, who kept the truth about the prophecy from Harry for years, who forced Sirius to live in the house he was abused in...

...Need I go on?

This man is not pure of heart. I recognize that I am pretty biased as a Dumbledore-Anti and one could make a case for him being more of a mixed bag. Fine, I acknowledge that one could make that case, that Dumbledore is a character who is more in the gray. I don't agree, but I get why people might see him as such. But someone who falls into shades of gray is not "pure of heart." That's the entire point. Not that it even matters because, as we seen, the Qilin itself is not infallible, nor do I understand why anyone thinks it would be? It's still a living creature. (Or a dead one, in Grindelwald's case.) It can be influenced just like anyone else. It's a baby for goodness' sake. Animals can be trained. Animals can be replaced with duplicates - would anyone apart from Newt be able to spot a dressed up fawn from a real Qilin? How many wizards on average even known what a Qilin is? Animals can also make mistakes just like humans - and Newt's Qilin clearly did.

But you know what's even worse than that? There's someone else at that ceremony who the Qilin should have bowed to. Someone better. In hindsight, it feels very obvious. The Qilin should have bowed to Jacob. No, but seriously, think about it. How many times did this movie make a point to mention how big Jacob's heart is, what a good person he is? I could have accepted this. Even moments before the Qilin takes her bow, Dumbledore himself is complimenting Jacob. Why doesn't the Qilin sense the purity in Jacob's heart? If she had bowed to him...can you imagine it? A Qilin bowing to a muggle, in front of all those people? Would leave all of Grindelwald's rhetoric totally discredited. Especially since he had just tortured said muggle with an illegal curse no less, but I guess everyone just ignored that? It would do far more damage to his cause.

I feel very strongly about this.

#Fantastic Beasts Spoilers #If anyone cares lmao #Fantastic Beasts 3 #Albus Dumbledore #Qilin #Secrets of Dumbledore #Anti-Dumbledore #Jacob Kowalski #Lally Hicks #FB Spoilers

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petty-crush · 1 year

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“The Garbage Pail Kids Movie” (Rewatch)

-I haven’t seen this film in well over a decade; last time I thought it might just be the worst film in existence (I was curious to see if still true)

-I actually really liked the opening; with the spinning trading cards credits over the trash can heading towards earth in space ala Star Wars 77

-it registers more now how this is very much a 50’s juvenile drama, with the kid just being bullied because that’s spine of the story

-actress Marjory Graue is a total babe in this (as Blythe, the leopard print wearing hench woman)

+it totally makes sense they do close ups of her boobs and thighs in her second scene

-there are hearty chuckles in set design details, such as the toxic waste pipes being labeled as “zoo”, “prime time tv”, “horse farms” “CIA” etc

-then the reality of this film sets in; it is exceedingly boring

-that’s really what knocked me out when I saw it first; I was curious to see a gross out gremlins/ghoulies type film and instead this flavorless mush drags on and on and on and on

-I’d like to be kinder to this film but it’s like eating a food that makes me spit it out; my body rejects it

-my initial screening was at home on tape, it took me three separate viewings to finish it

+in the wonderful New Beverley theatre, with comfy AC and the ability to stop it removed, it passed over like a looming (faintly odorous) ghost shop

-when I bought my ticket, I actually got a garbage pail kids trading card (“Well Done Sheldon”)

-I also had to put a stop to a near fist fight over a guy who cut ahead in line (by accident) of a family of three

-maybe I should have let it ride, witness the first garbage pail scuffle in many a moon

-anywho

-much has been made of films that are “so bad they are good”

-“garbage pail” is not one of those films

-I actually dislike that phrase and think a better one is “so garish that its inventive moxie has to be applauded”

-“Troll 2” is the film that “garbage” wants to be; a genuinely funny, well shot, complete absurd o tron, with preposterous effects, and an engaging child lead.

+that film kept my eyes glued the entire time; I wanted to know what would happen next

-the real sinker of “Garbage” is the character of Doger; he is firmly in the “boring ass white boy” mode the entire film

-I want to be precise; I don’t hold actor Mackenzie Astin at fault. He tries ; director Amateau cuts legs off in miscasting and in his directing

-the spine of this film is Doger wanting to impress unrepentant human toad Tangerine; she’s into fashion so he makes the garbage kids sew clothes for her fashion show

-structurally, the film never makes me believe or understand why Doger likes Tangerine, other than, I infer with great effort, boobs (fair)

-I like films that try different things but nothing about the fashion element(as opposed to a wave of pranks) ever seems more than lukewarm

-allegedly this was going to be a straight up horror film at first but FX maestro/director John Carl Buechler parted ways with the production

-irresponsible speculation; was he bitter and did he sabotage the film with very sub-par FX costumes, this forcing more time on the weak sauce Doger?

-incidentally, the same year as this film, Buchler directed the fantastic, punches way above its weight class, “Cellar Dweller” a lil low budget gem

-am I rocketing away from talking about this film at length because of allergic reaction?

+ I suppose I am

-the idea of the garbage kids interrupting a fashion show, the terrorizing of the beautiful “normies” (as it calls them) would make a great naughty comedy.

-this is not that film. That film would be a fierce roundhouse, this is very mild jab

-director Amateau has a comedy background, yet seems happy to just be working, limping to the finish

-the film def tries to mock the shallow love of beauty in the 80’s; it just never makes it entertaining

-some fucking twisted anarchy, zero respect for story would be lovely

-the plot point of “state home for the ugly” lies there like a dead squirrel

-there was some really good black lemonade soda at the concession stand

-is this really the worst film of all time? Naw

-I was bracing for it to be, but I’m just a different person now,

-as a kid, I wasn’t all that familiar with the monotony of deflated (film) expectations

-now as an adult, I’ve seen more of it, and my reactions can be more coherent

-that’s character development

-so there was a laugh (a desperate need for it) when Doger tells Tangerine “I don’t find you pretty anymore”...but doesn’t that undercut the film poking fun at shallowness?

-I get that the implied cruelty of the 3 stooges possibly turning a dog into a hot dog (the garbage kids go to a movie theatre) ties in with (the idea of) what the film wants to be

+ but it also really underlines the (mis)decisions this film made when it used a short with Shemp, not Curly

-I came not to bury this film, but quickly chuck dirt its way. I’ll gladly forget it within a week, and never more again

#garbage pail kids movie #new beverly cinema #film #new bev

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loopy777 · 2 years

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How do you headcanon Zuko and Azula’s relationship post war is? Is she redeemed in the future?

I like to keep this one open, as I would be very sad if whatever I headcanon gets contradicted by official stuff. Azula is the one element of the story that I think could break either way, but I do have some thoughts on how each could go.

If Azula is "redeemed" (and I admit I don't like that word, as it means too many different things to too many different people), I see it as her recognizing the evils she has done, trying to live a better life, and making reparations to those she hurt as much as she is able. What that doesn't mandate is a continuing relationship with Zuko, Mai, or Ty Lee. Nor does it even hint at a friendship with anyone in the gAang. The process would also involve her recognizing the horrible influences in her life that led to her taking an evil path, including both her father and the militant Fire Nation culture. All that comes together in my head for an Azula who chooses to start a new life in the former colonies, almost certainly with a completely new identity. And because I love the elements in both Westerns and Samurai stories, I see her continually trying to live a life without violence, but circumstances keep forcing her to use her fighting and Firebending capability to protect others. I'm not sure if I want to go full 'Lone Wolf & Cub' with the idea (or "Mando & Baby Yoda" for the kids in the audience), but I think it might be a viable alternative to having a traditional family for making her work through her issues with Ursa's mothering.

So that's my headcanon for redeemed!Azula. A quiet woman who rolls into a remote town that doesn't get much news, where people value community and the simple pleasures. She makes friendships but doesn't share much about herself. There's some speculation that she has a Past, but her classy way of speaking and intelligence make people think she's a noble fleeing an arrange marriage. Then one day a gang of bandits come along who threaten the village and their entire harvest, and that quiet woman calmly walks out to end the threat and afterward no one can look at her the same way again. So she decides to move on, perhaps with the local orphan in tow.

Then there's if Azula remains a villain. While I wouldn't mind a tragic, heartbreaking death with her refusing every chance to save herself, I like the idea of her settling into a comfortable criminality. I see her becoming the Professor Moriarty of the former colonies- she takes a position at a university as a cover and proceeds to become the leading 'criminal genius consultant' in the land, advising every major criminal organization and trading favors to facilitate the rise of her allies and create tremendous gains for herself. I like to think that Sokka tries to take her down, in his position on the council of Republic City, but he soon finds that she counters his efforts in the most unexpected way possible: by making herself a better alternative than letting all those criminals run rampant without control or coordination, and she even comes to an Arrangement with him that she passes on information on mutual threats. She also makes sure that her efforts regularly impede the work of Zuko and Aang, but not to such a degree that they'll tear the United Republic apart trying to find and stop her. She knows how to make herself a maximized annoyance but not quite a threat- not that it keeps the gAang from worry about whether she might decide to become a threat, someday.

So that's an unrepentant Azula to me. She's the charming toast of the professorial social scene, regularly publishing papers on sociology that no one quite understands. Late at night, she regularly accepts callers in dark robes who describe a problem to her and come away with a dangerously effective suggestion. Or perhaps they whisper a name to along with an outrageous price, and then six months later a judge dies in a freak accident and Azula's suite has a new famous painting in it that she couldn't possible afford on a professor's salary. Meanwhile, Republic City's crime prime continues to grow, no matter what anyone does to try to contain it.

#azula

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therealvinelle · 3 years

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How do you believe Carlisle feels about Esme? How would their break up go? Would he ever cheat on her? I mean like emotionally?

He loves her.

I don’t doubt that his feelings for Esme are genuine, that he respects and cherishes her and wishes to spend his life with her. Esme, too, worships the man.

My complete lack of faith in this ship comes from the fact that they’re together for the wrong reasons and not compatible.

The Bad Beginning

Carlisle had spent centuries searching for likeminded, he never did. In the end he succumbs and starts creating his own, first Edward and then Esme, and to his joy they both agree to do the diet.

Esme’s transformation was entirely an impulse on his end. He saw this delightful, vivacious young woman he’d known ten years ago lie broken and dying in the morgue, a Jane Doe declared dead, she was all too easy to steal. She was too far gone for him to have time to think it over, and so he went «alright let’s do this. I imagine it seemed rather like God had sent her to that morgue specifically. We learn from Midnight Sun that romance wasn’t on his mind at all (even if it was, that wouldn’t make their marriage more functional) and he expected nothing of her. He bit her because he didn’t want Esme Platt to die.

Esme, of course, wakes up into this new life under surreal, heavenly circumstances. Her child is still dead - but here is the mythic, pedestaled Dr. Cullen, now her savior and more wonderful than ever. To back myself up with the books:

Esme had already been in love with Carlisle—much to his shock—but not through any mystical, magical means. She’d met Carlisle as a girl and, drawn to his gentleness, wit, and otherworldly beauty, formed an attachment that had haunted her for the rest of her human years. Life had not been kind to Esme, and so it was not surprising that this golden memory of a good man had never been supplanted in her heart. After the burning torment of transformation, when she’d awakened to the face of her long-cherished dream, her affections were entirely his. (Midnight Sun, chapter Bloodtype)

Carlisle, on his end, hadn’t had the idea at all until Edward said “Dude, she’s into you, go for it.”

I’d been on hand to caution Carlisle about her unforeseen reaction. He’d expected that she would be shocked by her transformation, traumatized by the pain, horrified by what she’d become, much as I had been. He’d expected to have to explain and apologize, to soothe and to atone. He knew there was a good chance that she would have preferred death, that she would despise him for the choice made without her knowledge or consent. So the fact that she had been immediately prepared to join this life—not really the life, but to join him—was not something he was ready for.

He’d never seen himself as a possible object of romantic love before that moment. It seemed contrary to what he was—a vampire, a monster. The knowledge I gave him changed the way he looked at Esme, the way he looked at himself.

More than that, it was very a powerful thing, choosing to save someone. It was not a decision any sane individual made lightly. (sic)

I’m not entirely void of authorial intent - I get that this was supposed to be romcom where the cute nerdy guy has no idea the girl is interested.

But, what I see is that after centuries of being alone, never finding anybody who shared his values, Carlisle finally has these two people who share his ideals, the only two in the world. He’s had countless friends, but it never worked out because of that damn diet. But, now he has these two people, and one of them is a beautiful, kind, wonderful woman who’s in love with him.

I imagine falling for Esme was easy. It was just so perfect, simply by being Carlisle Cullen he could make her happier than any other man, and given their shared diet, he wanted her by his side always, just as he did Edward. And this was it for him, really, to Carlisle Cullen Esme might as well be the only woman in the world because she’s the only one who'll share his lifestyle. He also felt responsible for her.

I don’t at all doubt their sincerity or affection for one another.

However, they did not fall for each other for each other’s sakes. Esme fell for the ideal since childhood, and Carlisle fell because she was perfect. Stick them in an AU and it won’t happen.

The Slippery Slope

Where they run into trouble is firstly that Esme doesn’t share these ideals, nor value human life for its own sake. Now, I’m not asking her to be a saint - but over the course of these books we had some lapses that I find pretty damning.

She wanted Edward back in Forks, when this would almost certainly mean the death of Bella Swan, simply because to Esme having Edward nearby > a person’s life. This wasn’t the case for Carlisle, he made it extremely clear he wanted Edward to leave.

During the “Kill Bella?” vote, she was in favor of whatever meant Edward would stay.

Carlisle, having failed to get anywhere with talking sense into Edward, sends him home to his mother for an intervention. What happens next is that Esme gives Edward her blessing to eat the delicious girl if he wants to. Now, we can’t know specifically the talk Carlisle and Esme had before this, but I can’t imagine it was this. Also, damn, what a miscommunication.

Esme simply doesn’t have a problem with the deaths of individual humans, and she will put her loved ones above all other things, even if it’s a minor inconvenience. Keeping Bella alive only becomes her priority after Edward makes it clear he wants this.

Now, Carlisle’s standards have been worn down over the centuries, he just wants his family to try not to eat people on purpose, that’s how low the bar is. Tragically for his marriage, Esme is stumbling over said bar.

The further trouble they run into is that I don’t think they’re very compatible people.

Esme means well, but she’s peculiar, to put it extremely nicely. Her ambition in life is to LARP the human life, right down to being a master chef of something her species can’t eat, which could be sweet if she did other things. She doesn’t, the closest she gets is designing homes for her family. There’s being single-minded, and then there’s Esme, who appears to have honed herself into someone who exists only to be the housewife.

This leads to bizarre behavior - for instance in Midnight Sun when Edward has realized he’s in love, he sits around laughing to himself like a lunatic while playing the piano. Something happens with Rosalie, who runs out of the house in humiliation. Esme, responding to all this, gives her infamous “the best and brightest of us all” pep talk.

It’s just such a weird scene, even accounting for the inhumanity of Twilight vampires this is weird.

Mostly, thought, it is Esme’s interests and desires in life that I find so at odds with Carlisle’s. She wants to be an improved human, living the shinier, better, life without actually embracing the inhumanity of vampirism, while Carlisle is doing the human thing because he wants to be a doctor and save lives. Before that, he was travelling the world, living with normal vampires, using his eternity to study and pursue meaning in life. Now, they end up in the same place, with similar goals - wanting to blend in with humans - but the motivation is the polar opposite.

Which in turn means that as the world turns and their lives inevitably change, the way they live will have to change. This will spell trouble.

There’s also me having a strong suspicion these two don’t have much of a physical relationship, if any. Meyer specifically referred to their relationship as spiritual, and that fits the vibe we get from them in the books. Quite notably, Rosalie and Emmett were impossible to be around when they were newlyweds, while Carlisle and Esme weren’t a problem at all.

Not to mention what Esme longed for all those years was very much an ideal of a man, which to me doesn’t immediately point to a very physical attraction.

The Penultimate Peril

Would he cheat on her, you ask. Answer is yes, they’re both cheating emotionally with Edward. No.

He’s with her because he wants to be, and feels responsible for her. More, developing the kinds of feelings necessary for an emotional affair isn’t really on the table for him, since everyone else in the world is either a. one of his kids or the Denali, b. an unrepentant man-eating demon. So, unless Tanya’s feeling frisky, Carlisle doesn’t have anybody to cheat with.

(I’m here defining an emotional affair, which as I understand it is a bit hard to define, as a romantic, but non-physical entanglement. The cheating party has to know their partner wouldn’t be cool with it for it to count in my eyes.)

As for physically cheating on her, nope. God no, not ever. Unless something really convoluted like the plot of Blue Moon unfolded, but that’s really more a case of Esme pimping out her husband to her daughter-in-law, so everyone’s to blame here.

The end

I think the breakup can happen in any number of ways, but I think either way it will be sudden.

These two aren’t going to go “you know, I think we’ve grown apart” because Esme would never acknowledge that nevermind walk up to Carlisle and say it, and if Carlisle realized things aren’t working he’d still want to stick it out for her sake.

I think it’ll be sudden, it’ll happen as the immovable object that is them is hit by an unstoppable force. One will go someplace the other can’t follow. Maybe when the Cullen coven splits down the middle, and they’re on each their own side of the chasm, or maybe some other cause entirely.

It’ll devastate them both, but given the people these two are, I think it’s inevitable.

#carlisle cullen #esme cullen #carlisle/esme #twilight #twilight meta #twilight renaissance #hope you all think the header theme was as funny as i did #a series of unfortunate events aka-#Anonymous #ask

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dorthyanndrarry · 3 years

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The Liars Department -52-

tags: drarry, bickering, hijinks, auror Harry, ministry employee Draco, Harry is oblivious, Draco is an unrepentant flirt, Drinking, Dancing , Asbestos is a little shit, and there’s disillusionment, and oh my god they are both so so dumb

suggested rating: T+

Part 1 (contains links to all parts) <– Part 51 || Part 53 ->

Harry fell out a row of shrubbery and stumbled onto a paved walkway in the middle of the park. When he spun around to yell at Asbestos, she wasn’t there and probably hadn’t even apparated with him, just dropping him in a bush near the scene.

Harry looked around, picking a leaf out of his mouth and ignoring confused looks from the people on the path. It didn’t take him long to spot the problem. Through the trees, Harry could see a wall of bright bubblegum pink.

He jogged down the path, dodging around people and bursting through the trees into a large square. Or at least, Harry assumed there was a square and presumably a fountain as well underneath the mass of pink bubbles. The hill of small delicate soapy bubbles was at least ten feet high and slowly growing, pressing up as it spread out from the centre. There were plenty of people gathered around to watch, cellphones held up to record the event. A handful of small kids played with the bubbles, scooping them up in their hands and throwing them into the air. Gobs of bubbles sat delicately upon beds of flowers and the tops of trees. There were a couple Junior Aurors around the edge of the square, trying to keep people at a distance.

Draco was with them, talking avidly with Kalya and Junior.

“-I really don’t think-”

“-we received a report of magic-”

“even if magic made it, it’s completely harmless-”

Harry caught Draco by the sleeve, “Hey.”

Draco jumped and scowled, “Auror Potter. I think your watch must be broken, or your head.”

Harry rolled his eyes, “Hi, Harry. It’s nice to see you earlier than I thought I would.”

“Isn’t that what I just said?” Draco said with an edge of sarcasm.

Harry huffed a laugh, “I came because I was talking to Hermione and we-”

“No. I told you I didn’t want to hear it,” Draco snapped.

“Listen-”

“For fuck’s sake, Potter,” Draco said, looking utterly livid. He pulled his arm free and stormed off, right into the wall of bubbles and quickly disappearing in a haze of pink.

“Wait-” Harry went to follow but was stopped by Kalya.

“Harry Potter, sir!” Kalya said in an urgent whisper, “You’re still wearing your robes! You could get in a lot of trouble.”

Harry looked down at his Auror robes in annoyance. He plucked his fountain pen from the pocket and undid the clasps, letting it fall into a puddle of crimson cloth on the ground.

“Oh,” Junior said, looking at Harry’s black suit with a rising flush in his cheeks.

“Nevermind, then,” Kalya said.

Harry pulled the jacket of the suit open just wide enough to slide the pen into the inside pocket, “Anything else?”

“No,” Kalya said.

Junior frantically shook his head, his face continuing to redden.

Harry followed Draco into the haze of bubbles.

Once inside, he cast a bubble-head charm over himself to keep his glasses clear and unsoaped.

He swept one hand through the bubbles with every step forward, the sound of water growing louder as he approached the fountain at the centre.

“Draco?” Harry called.

He heard the sigh and turned towards it and walked right into Draco.

“I was trying to get away from you,” Draco said bitterly, waving a hand irritably in front of his face to try and clear the bubbles.

“I noticed,” Harry said, “You didn’t let me finish, you prick.”

“And I told you, I don’t want any more of your wishful thinking,” Draco said.

“And if you’d let me finish, I’d have told you it was real and to listen to me for a bloody second,” Harry said, “This isn’t maybe, Draco, this is going to happen.”

“What… what’s going to happen?” Draco asked suspiciously.

“The Liar’s Department is going to stay,” Harry said.

Draco’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

“And Hermione will be in charge of it,” Harry said.

“...Better than most,” Draco said, “At least she’ll be fair. I think? Wouldn’t she?”

“Of course,” Harry said.

“Don’t ‘of course’ me. She was rather cold to me the last time we talked,” Draco said. A blob of pink bubbles drifted down onto his nose, and he tried to blow it off which only half worked, leaving a little spot of pink.

“Yeah, well, she’d just found out you were working for her; it was a bit of shock,” Harry said.

“Does this mean Sir Syrup is no longer involved?” Draco asked.

“Oh, right. He was arrested for embezzlement,” Harry said.

“I- Pardon?”

“And money laundering.”

Draco blinked, his head tilting to one side like a confused puppy.

“And destruction of Ministry property,” Harry said, “There was another one, but I can’t remember what it was.”

“You- you’re full of shite, you have to be,” Draco said

“Nope,” Harry reached up, shaking off his hand and wiping the bubbles off the end of Draco’s nose, “I was there when the Auror’s took him into custody. Ron helped; he’s going to get a promotion.”

“I shall send him a fruit basket,” Draco said, sounding dazed.

Harry laughed. “Perfect, he’ll hate it. Do you want me to cast a bubble-head charm for you?” he asked.

“At this point, it’s a bit of lost cause,” Draco said, even as he stepped closer to take advantage of the space in the bubbles made by Harry’s own charm.

“And I’m going to transfer,” Harry said, feeling unexpectedly nervous.

“You don’t-” Draco hesitated, “Surely you don’t mean-”

“To the Liar’s Department,” Harry said.

Draco’s lips parted with a shaky indrawn breath, “Why?”

“Because I want to,” Harry said.

Draco squeezed his eyes shut for just a moment, “You had better not say it’s because of me.”

“I’d have thought you’d like that,” Harry said.

“No.”

“Why?” Harry asked.

“If this doesn’t work-” Draco pointed between the two of them, “-and it’s very likely not to. I don’t want you to- to blame me for this.”

“I won’t,” Harry said.

Draco frowned.

“I promise. And it’s not just because of you. I’m also kind of bored of Auror work and all the paperwork and protocol.” Harry said. He bit his bottom lip for a second then went on, “I told Shunter I don’t want to be Head Auror. I think it should be her, but I feel like no one actually cares about what I want. So, even if it’s only for a year or two, I like the idea of- of-”

“Telling them to fuck themselves?” Draco suggested.

“Yeah. But politely. In case I want to go back to being an Auror,” Harry said.

The corner of Draco’s mouth turned up, “Well, that’s no fun.”

“I’d much rather do it the fun way but-”

“But being an adult is ever so boring,” Draco said.

Harry grinned. “You know, even if this-” he pointed between the two of them, “-doesn’t work, and I think it will, I’d still like us to be friends.”

“Unlikely,” Draco said.

“You’re such a pessimist,” Harry said.

Draco blew a breath out, spraying bubbles over Harry’s bubble-head charm

Harry rolled his eyes as the bubbles slowly slid down so he could see Draco again, “You said that you preferred to live in the present rather than some future that may or may not be, yeah? So, this is the present, isn’t it? The Liar’s Department is going to stay, and I’m going to stay, and we get along, so we’re already friends, aren’t we?”

Draco smiled ruefully, a tiny pink bubble clinging to his eyelashes, “I never should have dared you to prove it, making your future a reality.”

“I didn’t really have anything to do with the Liar’s Department. That was all you and Hermione and Ron,” Harry said.

“As if,” Draco scoffed, “Without you sticking your nose in where it didn’t belong, the department wouldn’t have lasted a day.”

“That almost sounded like a compliment,” Harry said with a grin.

Draco raised an eyebrow.

“But, I do have to ask, well...” Harry took a deep breath, “Do you want me to?”

“To what?”

“To transfer into the Department? Like if you’d rather not work together...” Harry said.

“As this last week has shown, I can’t really work on my own without some knuckle-brained auror refusing to listen to me,” Draco said.

“Yeah, but that’s not the same thing as wanting to work together. Hermione could always hire someone else to deal with the shitty wizards,” Harry said.

Draco rolled his eyes in annoyance, “Fine. Yes. I want you to stay. Why must you make things so difficult?”

“Things tend to be a bit difficult when it comes to us,” Harry said.

Draco waved his arm through the bubbles, temporarily making a slightly larger space around them, “In general, I find your tendency to try and be the hero extremely obnoxious.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Harry said sarcastically.

“However,” Draco said with a glare, “I’ve never been at the centre of such heroics-”

“And Hermione, I did it for her too,” Harry said.

“Would you shut up, I’m trying to have a moment here,” Draco said.

“Go on, then.”

“As I was saying,” Draco said, nervously combing his hand through his hair.

Harry bit down on a laugh.

“Since you went to all this trouble for me, the least I can do is reward you,” Draco said.

Harry waggled his eyebrows cheekily.

“Not like that, you prick,” Draco said irritably. “Mother was right; I have ruined you.”

Harry laughed.

Draco sighed in exasperation and stepped right up against Harry, popping his charm, so a curtain of foam came down to rest on their heads. He cupped Harry’s face in his hands, bubbles smearing across his cheeks and pulled him into a kiss.

Harry pushed his glasses on top of his head, gripping Draco’s wrists and leaning in to deepen the kiss. Draco slipped one hand down to cup the back of Harry’s neck as they parted, pressing their foreheads together.

“thank you,” Draco whispered, so faint Harry almost didn’t hear it, and he was certain Draco would never admit to ever having said it.

Harry grinned, happy to stay close, even as the bubbles began to envelop them. “...So, what are the aurors going to do about all this mess?”

“Nothing? It’s bubbles. Muggles do this too, you know,” Draco said.

“Even though there’s magic in it?” Harry said.

Draco pulled back slightly so he could glare down his nose at Harry, “What magic?”

“It’s turned your hair pink.”

“What?!” Draco’s hand went up to his hair, currently a pretty shade of bubblegum pink all the way to the roots.

“And your suit,” Harry said, “I think it only affects white things.” He looked down at himself, glad he was wearing mostly black and a maroon dress shirt, none of which had changed colours.

Draco looked down at himself, frantically trying to wipe the bubbles off his jacket, which was already thoroughly pinked, “And you’ve just been standing here watching it happen?!”

“I mean, you were already half pink when I found you. I figured you’d rather be fully pink rather than blotchy pink.”

“I’d rather not be pink at all!” Draco said.

“It suits you,” Harry said.

“Everything suits me,” Draco grumbled, “And you haven’t even got your glasses on.”

“I saw before someone messed up my charm,” Harry said.

“It was in the way,” Draco said.

Harry grinned, “Yeah, it was,” and kissed him again.

💜 Next update will be tuesday pst 💜 this is the end of the story proper, but I have tons of ideas for the epilogue so it will be quite long :] after all we have to have more pink draco at the very least 💜 see you next week!

Tags below v (I don’t have a permanent tags list. All tags are of the wonderful people who left messages on the previous 2 parts.)

💜 @pain-changes-everything i love unleashing Harry’s inner little shit lol 😁 thank you so so so much!!!!!!

💜 @potter-harreh thank you!!!💜💜💜

💜 @havingaverydrarryday thank 😆😆

💜 @lilyinthebreeze i like a sweetheart harry 💜thank you!!!!!! 💜

💜 @snarkyship thank you soooo much!!!! I was worried I put too many bits in but i was having too much fun to stop lol 💜 💜

💜 @clara8pie poor harry, the boy has anxiety just being an Auror, being more would crack him like an egg 💜 for Hermione’s sake I hope she’s too busy to have to deal with draco and harry’s shenanigans 💜thank you!!!! 💜

💜 @shadowybook i’d say hermione and ron have earned some dramatics, as a treat 😆 💜 Thank you!!!💜

💜 @myrvaenboys thank you!!!! \^o^/ 💜

💜 @justafangirlslikes 💜thank you!!!💜

💜 @dewitty1 (p≧w≦q) thank you so much!!!! 💜

💜 @languedor71 thank you!!! fluff and humour are definitely my strong points and a lot of fun to write😁 and yeah! happy Asbestos! 💜

💜 @chosenpotter thank you!!💜💜💜

💜 @celestialdraco reveals are so much fun!!! I love them in a story too!💜 thank you!💜

💜 @champagnemonarch thank you!😍 💜

💜 @cportera 😆lol 💜 thank you!!!!! 💜

💜 @devilrising Yayayay! thank you so much!!!!!!! 💜

💜 @witch19 too true! 💜 thank you!!! 💜

💜 @addicted-to-w0rds 💜thank you!! o((>ω< ))o💜

💜 @vowee thank youuuuu!! 💜 💜 💜

💜 @dracodragon19872 thank you soooo much!!(❁´◡`❁) I hope things get less stressful for you soon💕

💜 @idareyoutotakealook 💜 @sspectacularlyignorant 💜 @irasantu 💜 @funkygourmetrva-blog 💜 @mortalsfool 💜 thank you!!!

#dorthyannwrites #the liars department #drarry #drarry fanfiction #fanfiction #harry potter #draco malfoy #cw long post #long post #1.9k

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novantinuum · 2 years

Note

What about no. 20 for the meta asks?

Aaa, thanks for sending one in!

Fun Meta Ask for Writers

____

(20) T- Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

Ohhhh boy, I really, really wish I could ramble on about the symbolism and nods to future plot points I've already written in the prologue of my in-progress BotW long fic, but admittedly there's some things I'd love to keep close to my chest for that one until I'm ready to share the story in full.

So for this one, I'm going to jump on over to the most recent story I've posted some of... Clutching Destiny chapter 2. For anyone who isn't familiar, this story is from Link's father's POV (my version of him, at least) and is about him learning of his son's call to divine destiny... learning that young Link was the one to pull the Master Sword out of its resting place.

Chapter 1 is like... the omen of this reality.

Chapter 2 is where the discovery happens, and Link's father Arwel ends up in an audience with the king to discuss Link's future.

I've seen a lot of people in the fandom choose to characterize King Rhoam as an unrepentant, emotionally abusive man- and to be fair, that's an entirely valid direction to explore based on what little canon gave us of his character- but for my story, I specifically decided I wanted to be a bit more lenient with my depiction of him, showcasing him as a troubled but ultimately well-meaning ruler, whose duty towards his kingdom tragically clashes with his duty of care to his own child. Of course, well-meaning doesn't mean "never makes ill-fated mistakes." And this aspect of my characterization for him heavily intersects with the decisions he makes within this meeting, because...

All throughout said meeting, he's facing the impossible reality of having to balance the well-being of children and the very survival or Hyrule. Link, and his own daughter... for their society to survive the coming Calamity, they must both be ready to face it, whenever it comes. Not only that, he is also having to consider the societal ramifications of the chosen hero being so young... which is what inspires the idea of advancing Link to the role of squire five years ahead of what is traditional. It's not ideal, but... if he presents the boy as a knight-in-training, distracting the populace from the truth of his age... he succeeds in projecting an aura of strength to his kingdom.

As a father, however... he is more than willing to compromise with Arwel about the specific details of Link's training. He's just a kid, after all. If his father wants the boy to train closer to home and even offers to supervise said training himself, who is he to refuse?

While it wasn't covered in this story, given it's not from Rhoam's POV, I like to imagine that he was also more lenient about his daughter's training in this time, as well... still allowing her plenty of time between devotions to play and explore new subjects as she wishes. It was only when Link rose to the rank of royal guard at 17- proving his complete mastery of the sword- that he began placing higher and higher expectations on her, unfairly taking out his stress for the coming Calamity he feared they weren't ready to face on her.

#in which i drop some hot meta about kingaling rhoam #jen rambles #ask meme #the ballad of aryll #king rhoam #loz #botw

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greenhappyseed · 3 years

Text

BnHA Ch 316 - Things I noticed and comparisons

If the last chapter was AFO Rising, this one formally introduces us to Great Explosion Murder Devil AFO. Of course, it’s not new that AFO loves explosions. His attack on Nana involved an explosion and he used a big BOOM twice during Kamino; once at the beginning and once mid-fight to separate All Might from Best Jeanist, Kamui Woods, Mt Lady, and Endeavor (panels below). You know, the pros who were “easing [All Might’s] burden” and are now there for Deku.

We open the chapter with Endeavor saying he “got word from All Might,” which is weird phrasing because All Might clearly called, so I suppose the Top 3 hero brain trust sent him to voicemail. Also, Deku must be very confused about how All Might knew about Nagant and Overhaul. (And Deku doesn’t know All Might was attacked!!) But really, take a close look at this panel because I have NO idea what sequence of events lead to this image. I think Endeavor was trying to fly while carrying Hawks, and then when Hawks saw Nagant he yeeted himself towards her, falling with style until he realized those nubby wings couldn’t support them both. Plus, tiny Hawks looks like a scarecrow. Bones should have fun animating this someday.

Serious question time: Is Nagant a hero, as Hawks says? (Deku says she has the soul of a hero but doesn’t say she IS a hero.) “Hero” was once her job title, sure. But she wasn’t a “saving” hero — she murdered innocent people to protect the image of “heroes.” Then she became disillusioned with murdering and murdered the HPSC president so she wouldn’t have to murder anymore. Later, at some point while in Tartarus, she listened to AFO’s Caged Wisdom video series and believed he could solve society’s problems. Upon jailbreak she agreed to assault and kidnap a teenager so AFO could presumably torture him. (Whatever AFO wants with the kid, she had to know it wasn’t good.)

While Izuku faux 100%ed her into redemption, has she ever been a real “hero”? I think the answer is no, and what we are seeing is Hawks projecting because he wants to reassure himself that HE is a hero. He is an optimist. He is a good person, and he was just used by some bad people….right? Like how he was ordered to kill Twice, right????

It sure seems like the heroes are trying HARD to rally behind Nagant even when, objectively, she’s never been much of a hero. I can’t tell if we are supposed to cheer Deku and Hawks for giving a “villain traitor hero” a chance to do some good or if we’re supposed to see this as an example of heroes rallying around their own no matter how corrupt. I guess the real test is, would Deku and Hawks say the same things about a heroic soul to someone from the League of Villains?

Let’s get Overhaul over with. The official translation is far better than the leak summaries. It’s clear Deku isn’t going to take Overhaul’s bullshit AND won’t allow Overhaul to get anywhere near Eri. Instead, he says IF Overhaul will direct his “energy” towards saying sorry to Eri, he’ll fulfill Nagant’s “deal.” In other words, on our villain spectrum, if Muscular was unrepentant and deserved to be one-shotted, Overhaul shows he’s CAPABLE of remorse —but he doesn’t direct that towards all of his victims. He’s selectively repentant, so he doesn’t get full redemption, only the most base level of politeness required by society (that is, fulfilling a contract). In fact, note the repeated “contract” and “deal” language used for AFO/Nagant and the “subcontract” between Nagant/Overhaul. Contracts are a highly literal, unemotional type of basic trust transaction necessary for society to operate. It’s not about redemption or ideals or heroism; it’s “I give you x and you give me y” and we are both reliable.

Dadmight and Hercules are BACK baby! (Does All Might even tell anyone he was assaulted? Is HE okay?) Is he allowed to interact with anyone in this story anymore??) Top panel below is from 316; after that is one from 313 and below that is 3 pics of the Jeanistmobile with 1 of Hercules on the bottom right. Speaking of which, where the hell is Jeanist? Did Hawks stuff him inside a bag again?

Sorry Dadmight, but Deku’s not okay (TALK TO HIM, ghkhkjrjw). He’s badly injured and AFO is after his soul, which has caused badasses like Nagant to crack wide open. (Deku says Nagant has the soul of a hero in the last chapter, but here she says her soul is worn out. Chasing AFO takes a heavy toll.) Even so, look how Deku is doing his best, sitting tenderly by Nagant’s side and keeping his arm outstretched to her. This kid, indeed.

Apparently we just timeskip to everyone healed and ready to storm the mansion (sigh). Not that I need more hospital scenes, but it feels so rushed. Deku going with the Top 3 heroes and the Lurkers into a mansion to fight AFO should be an epic “I am here” moment. But there’s no moment for Deku to reflect — given the dire circumstances he’s just charging ahead and not listening to Endeavor’s warnings. Oh, and his gauntlet is still broken from the Nagant fight so there should be consequences? Maybe? At least (1) we found Jeanist so he can join the mansion raid; and (2) it seems Hawks (and All Might? Unclear!) are in a separate location, keeping in touch via radio comms.

Oooooo, AFO turning All Might’s “your turn” line towards Deku in Chapter 94 and now again in 316 before making mansion go boom. Except in 94, we all thought he meant the heroes vs villains battle passed to the next generation. Nope! AFO said in 296 that its HIS turn now, and his turn will never end, so “your” turn means you’re his latest plaything to torment.

Finally, I love how AFO squeezed in an insult to All Might, calling him an oaf. I mean, he IS an oaf, but that’s part of his charm. Oh, and I don’t believe for a second that AFO has actually lost interest in tormenting anyone, especially All Might. We KNOW how AFO holds on to petty grudges (he says so himself!).

I’m assuming the pros or a new quirk takes care of the boom, so tune in next week for more of Deku’s monster villain hunt! (If we didn’t get reunited with the hospital bed this week, I can’t imagine we will next week.) AFO now has an army or something, so in addition to Stain we could have more Nagant-style fights with brand new, completely disposable baddies! (I’m hoping not, and that AFO’s army is like Thanos’s random alien army in Avengers: Endgame, but we will see!)

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larenoz · 3 years

Text

What's Happening with Wyatt - What If?, Redemption or Both?

The second episode of season 3 seemed to really kick off a storyline for Wyatt that had been hinted at since mid-Season 2 - some sort of "redemption" arc for Wyatt Long. The reaction against this has been pretty strong from some fans. For understandable reasons. I think the show really needs to be careful with how it handles the storyline. I think they can make it work, here's some thoughts.

Basically, I think for this to work they need to have a What If arc that segues into a Redemption arc.

What If?

What do I mean by a What If? story. Basically, what would Wyatt be like today if Rosa and the other girls hadn't been murdered by Noah? The show has pretty much built up his sisters death as the catalyst for Wyatt becoming the incredibily shitty person he is today - racist, white supremist killer.

Rosa says, "He used to be a really nice kid, Kyle." (2.02 - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space)

By Rosa injecting Wyatt with the butyricol, and conveniently erasing exactly the right amount of Wyatt's memory to have him effectively be the person he was just before Rosa and Kate were murdered the scene is set for Wyatt (and us the audience), to see the Wyatt that Rosa remembers, and how he might react differently to Kate's death with people around him to give different context. Will Wyatt become a different person to the one we know?

And if he does, what does this mean in the long term? This is where the redemption aspect comes in.

Redemption

A few things first:

1. Good people don't need a redemption arc.

2. Redemption is not forgiveness.

3. Redemption is a process.

The big difficulty that any redemption arc faces is how to start the process. In the case of Wyatt, he's been completely unrepentant about is attitudes and behaviours. He's shot and killed Liz, terrorized Arturo, and threatened Rosa. And that's just what we know for sure, we can pretty safely assume that he's done a lot more over the years.

So, they appear to have gone the What If? route. By erasing Wyatt's memories, they've essentially got a blank slate to work with. (I'm not sure if they will examine the "do you hold someone responsible for their prior behaviour if they don't remember it" issue, we'll see.)

Wyatt will get the opportunity to see what he became and make a decision whether or not he wants to choose a different path this time. I'm assuming that he will get his memory back again and this is where the true redemption process will begin (if the writers decide to go down that path - we have so many new characters coming in, it's possible some of them will take over the baddie role).

I think Rosa is going to play a big part of his story either way, as she too is essentially at the same place in her life, having been dead for ten years. She hasn't personnally seen what Wyatt and his friends have done. She seems more willing that Kyle, for example, to treat Wyatt differently.

So, here we are. Will we get a solid story or will it all go horribly wrong? Only time will tell.

Cross posted to RoswellNM on Dreamwidth if you want to come discuss:

https://roswellnm.dreamwidth.org/4394.html

Another post of the Wyatt storyline - https://space-malex.tumblr.com/post/658871852762054656/i-know-nobody-likes-the-wyatt-and-rosa-thing-and

#roswell new mexico #wyatt long #rosa ortecho #roswellnm #roswell nm #roswell spoilers

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bigskydreaming · 3 years

Note

Ive been reading some debates on whether or not Dick has LoA training because of the Vengeance Academy stuff and was wondering what you thought about that. Do you think this counts?

Yes and no? I mean, lol, it depends on your purposes for exploring this train of thought.

Thing is, I personally think it would be a mistake to view “League of Assassin training” as some complete singular thing that you either have or you don’t have, like a specific training regimen or course work for lack of a better analogy, that you either make it to the end of and have in its entirety, or else it doesn’t matter.

And I also think that part of the reason for viewing it this way is fandom’s tendency to try and rank the Batkids, according to a lot of various arbitrary variables like skillsets they do or don’t have.....which, if you’ve followed me long enough, you know is something I heavily disagree with, the trying to rank them in skills or competency in general.....as I tend to be more interested in ways this found family that I do ultimately gravitate towards for their ability or potential to be actual FAMILY, can like.....work together and come together rather than so constantly be pitted against each other. Like yeah, I’ll rant to Kingdom Come about times they’ve been pitted against each other in terms of my feelings on those specific instances or how the dynamics played out in them, but that’s in terms of scenes or stories that already exist....for the most part my thing is not really looking to INCREASE the divide between the characters, but rather the opposite.

So like......my point here is I’ve mentioned the League of Assassin training Dick likely has from his time at Vengeance Academy myself, but not in the interest of like......adding to his ‘rankings’ within the Batfam or being like anything the others can do he can do better, as frankly, I don’t think the time Dick spent at VA puts the training he got there as directly comparable to the time Damian or Jason or Cass spent with the League or League trained tutors....but that’s not really my aim in exploring that line of thought. Rather, I look at what League training Dick might have as being more a possible source of insight into experiences his siblings have.

After all, the thing about the League of Assassins is they’re very good at what they do, but what they do isn’t inherently all that different from any of the other hand-to-hand combatants throughout the DC Earth. I mean, depending on what continuity you go with, in most of them Bruce himself trained with the League or various League affiliated teachers before he came back to Gotham to be Batman, and he just sorta took what worked for him and put aside all the more lethal applications of their training and knowledge. But his own training methods when teaching Dick and the other Robins and Batgirls no doubt included more than a little overlap with League skills and training, because not all of their knowledge and expertise is STRICTLY lethal....as Bruce himself has shown, and later on Jason and Cass and Damian....most of what they can do can just as easily be repurposed for non-lethal combat. So in a lot of ways, depending on your interpretation of things and what angle you’re going with, all the Batkids can be said to have some degree of League training.....the same training Bruce himself had.

So when I talk about Dick having League training from his time at VA, Ilike I said, I’m talking more about insight, things he could glean from having firsthand knowledge not just to various League techniques or skills, but also League training methodologies and mindsets. Dick was only there a few weeks, at most maybe a couple months, and the thing is....you can pack a LOT into fairly short term experiences. That’s what boot camps are, essentially, and that’s how I viewed VA....a short term but extremely rigorous and intensive boot camp for prospective League recruits, as Shrike used it to put potential League candidates through their paces with little regard for their health or longterm prospects if they couldn’t make the cut. I called them prospective League recruits but its important that the kids weren’t recruited into VA itself first....they were literally kidnapped off the streets like Dick himself, and forced to prove themselves daily in their training and the missions Shrike set up to advance that. And all of that can be extremely motivating and act as a pressure cooker that packs a ton of training and skill acquisition into very short periods of time......BUT.....that’s not ever going to measure up to all of that being equally in place and acting as a pressure cooker when training Jason, Cass, Damian, etc over even LONGER periods of time, y’know?

BUT. Equally true is all of that is never going to measure up directly to the still extremely intensive and longterm training Dick himself received OUTSIDE of VA....just one on one with Bruce, training with the other Titans, hell, this is a guy who was an acrobat on the world stage before his parents died. Every day of his life he’s been training intensely. VA isn’t just a footnote compared to the lengthier League training some of Dick’s siblings underwent, its a footnote in the overall tapestry of Dick’s own training. And I have extreme reservations about the way League training is referred to as something various Batfam members have in addition to or on top of their other training as reasons for why they’re an even better fighter, etc....same as when Talon training comes up for Dick in AUs....when like......Bruce, Dick and the Batfam overall have never NOT ultimately defeated the League and the Court of Owls every time they come up against them.....so why does assassin training so often get regarded as this ‘leg up’ over the Batfam’s primarily non-lethal approach to combat, as though its a superior skillset? If its inherently superior, why do the assassins keep losing to the Batfam, I’m just saying. So on that front, the idea that “was trained by assassins” is innately translatable to higher elevations in the eternal quest to rank the Batkids, like.....just does not work for me and that specifically tends to be where people lose me here, not whether or not Dick has this training at all in the first place.

Another way to look at things here is like....let’s take one specific skillset: Dick’s use of escrima sticks in his fighting. Now, this DIRECTLY hails back to his time at Vengeance Academy. It was a literal plot point, that VA is where Dick first trained with escrima sticks and discovered an affinity for them. Once he was back with Bruce though, he didn’t do much further with this while Robin, but upon becoming Nightwing, he picked them up again and RENEWED his training with escrima sticks, becoming extremely proficient with them and making them his signature weapon.

Now, is Dick’s status as one of the best fighters with this particular weapon because of his several weeks boot camp when he was ten? Again - it just depends on what you mean by that specifically. If you’re asking did he gain the proficiency he’s known for with that weapon AS a ten year old during that short span of weeks - hell no. His proficiency comes from the intensive, regular training he does with them here and now, as an adult, over a course of years, still constantly growing and improving day by day. BUT at the same time, you can ask the same question and examine it through the lens of “would he have ever discovered and explored and FURTHERED his affinity with this particular weapon if not for his time training at VA”.....the answer could still very well be no. Thus his training there matters, its just its not the only thing that matters, and the context and qualifiers that go not just with this question but the reasons for asking that question and the purposes you intend for the answer.....all of that matters too.

So to circle back.......do I consider Dick’s time at Vengeance Academy to be him having League of Assassin training?

Yes, but I must specify that my reasoning for that, and for exploring that line of thought, have absolutely nothing to do with my view of Dick’s overall status as a fighter, and everything to do with my view of him as a brother.

I think Vengeance Academy was tough and brutal, and did a lot to increase and hone Dick’s skills in various areas over an extremely short period of time. I think that it absolutely left an impression that shaped his training and fighting in later years whether in terms of preferred weapon choices or even choices he makes in the heat of the moment, like Last Laugh (which I think absolutely built upon Dick’s feelings about having once stood over a similarly unrepentant and mocking Two-Face years earlier, gun in hand, poised to make a choice.....as well as Dick’s awareness of how many times Two-Face, like the Joker, has busted out of jail and hurt and killed more people since that time).

But I also think that Dick would still be one of the foremost fighters in the DCU even without his time at VA, and that his short time there is not anywhere close to being the reason he’s at the heights of skill and aptitude that he’s reached over the course of years and years of rigorous, intensive training.

So while my answer remains yes, he has League training and it matters and counts, my reasons for bringing that up will never be because I think it adds to his status or reputation as a fighter, or is necessary for him to be as highly regarded there as he is.....but more for what his time at VA, his firsthand experiences with their approaches to training, the methodologies and ideologies they train kids with, what all of that gives Dick in terms of insight to members of the League, and to those people League members have trained, like his siblings.

One thing I’ve long wanted to see fandom explore more in the context of Jason’s views on killing is the fact that so much of that was shaped while he was in the pressure cooker of being freshly resurrected, traumatized, still an impressionable teenager, with feelings of obligation towards the League for the Pit’s rejuvenation of his mental faculties, taking him in and training him, and like......feeling isolated and abandoned by everyone else who’d previously known and loved him, thinking that he had no one who really cared about him, and that not only was he dependent on the League for his survival at that time, but like, he owed them and he was that much more open to being persuaded of their way of looking at things.

And thing is, in terms of like, scale and shit, Dick’s experiences in Robin: Year One and his own mindset at the time and how vulnerable he was mentally and emotionally, they’re not the equivalent of what Jason was going through but like I’m always saying, when you stop looking at trauma in terms of arbitrary rankings and stop pitting what the various Batkids have been through against each other’s experiences and just like......look for potential common ground, this opens up SO MUCH potential bonding, insight and understanding between the brothers and positions Dick to be so much more capable of intuiting even a sense of what Jason went through at the time and why he was clinging so desperately to things he may or may not have actually believed in (at least so strongly) if circumstances had been different, etc....but you get what I mean, I think. There’s so much that can be done with this angle, that’s opened up entirely just by virtue of Dick having SOME shared experiences here.

Because while like I said, in terms of actual training, Bruce has a lot of the same skillsets and knowledge the League does, and his own history with them, its the MINDSET that’s so key here. The one thing that sets Bruce and his experiences when he was a young man with the League and League affiliates apart from Jason, Damian, Cass, etc.....is that Bruce went looking for training, and never was without resources or options. The League-trained Batkids though were either approached (or ‘approached’) by the League at key low points of extreme vulnerability in their formative years, when they HAD no other options (or felt they didn’t) or else were just outright raised by them like Damian or Cass, with no knowledge of anything else until they left or escaped. And that puts everything through an entirely different filter, because its that specific element of vulnerability, of having no one else to turn to or anything else to cling to or put your faith in, that renders you particularly vulnerable to being influenced or exploited by those who seem to hold all the cards there.....and its a shared insight that Dick can have into various of his siblings BECAUSE of his League of Assassins training, as short as that might have been, because of the specifics of why it was so intense and influential despite how short a time it was.

So. In conclusion:

Does Dick have League training because of his time at VA? My answer is yes, but not if the follow up is anything in the vein of “and how does this factor into which of his siblings he can or can’t beat while sparring.” In that case my answer is yes but YAWN. If however the follow up is along the lines of “and can this open up tons of doors for potential conversations, bonding, trauma-unpacking or camaraderie with siblings due to their own histories with the League and its training methods and teachings and mindsets” then my answer is YES GOOD NOW LET’S HAVE SOME MORE OF THAT PLZ.

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chaseatinydream · 3 years

Text

sly san who sacrifices (v) || c.s (atz)

➳ pairing: reader x choi san (ateez)

➳ word count: 3849

➳ genre: badboy au; fluff; angst

➳ synopsis: to the school, he may be a bad boy, the worst of the worst, but to you, he’s choi san, father of three cats, your best friend and ultimately, the boy you’re in love with.

>>>

Phone in hand, you run for the club as fast as you can.

Your feet slap against the wet pavement, little ripples in the puddles of rain left in your wake as you rush towards your destination, eyes glued to the glowing screen of your phone, fixed firmly on that tiny blinking red dot. Your legs are burning from the expected strain of them, but you don’t let up till you’re at the main entrance of the building that San is at.

Neon strobe lights hurt your eyes and you can already hear the raucous timbre of the disco music being blasted inside, the sound reverberating out onto the street outside. You spot the to be party goers mingling behind the red rope, chattering excitedly and dressed to the nines in killer outfits that shine brighter than your future and probably cost more than your college education.

This is definitely not your scene.

Swallowing, you glance down at yourself… you hadn’t really been thinking straight when you’d left the house, you’re dressed in a simple pair of shorts and a tee, nothing too scrappy but definitely not anything suitable for a night out at a club. A groan leaves you and you stare at the daunting sight before you once again, chewing nervously at your bottom lip as you contemplate turning back… and maybe just confronting San another day…

But then you snap back to your senses and give yourself a little slap, because what if this is your last chance? What if after tonight, San tells you he doesn’t want to speak or see you anymore? As unrealistic as it sounds, as irrational as your fears are, if there’s even the slightest chance it could happen, you’re not taking it – Choi San is worth more than your pride.

So you gather your courage, square your shoulders, and march to the main entrance at very front of the line.

Instantly, the mindless chattering all around you falls silent, so silent you could hear a pin drop on the wet asphalt. Panic and just sheer awkwardness crawls over your introverted skin, you weren’t made for places like this! But you force your unease down and meet the bouncer in the eye, he’s a hulking mass of steely muscle with a glint in his eye that almost scares the shit out of you literally (and probably would have if you hadn’t remembered that you had a mission to accomplish here).

He looks you up and down with a dismissive eye, barely needing to incline his head, he’s so tall. Then he leans down the slightest bit to look you directly in the eye with a near frightening stare, muscles in his neck rippling. “The end of the queue is over there, little girl.”

You swallow involuntarily, a bead of sweat running down the back or your neck and sliding down your clothes, the weight of everyone’s gazes on your back is highly uncomfortable but you ignore it in favour of keeping your gaze even and your voice steady. “I’m here to find a friend.”

“I don’t care what your reason is, in case you didn’t hear me the first time, the back of the queue is there.” The bouncer enunciates more slowly for you this time, as if you’re the one who’s drunk. “I can’t let you in unless the queue is gone, kid. There are plenty of people who want to get into this club who’ve been out here waiting since dusk.”

Your fingers twist in the hem of your shirt from nerves as you desperately try to think of a way out, unsure of what else you could do to make the man let you in. Glancing back at the queue, you’re horrified to see that it stretches around three blocks and disappears down a street, further than your eye can see. Waiting isn’t a viable option, but you don’t really have another choice unless it’s…

You force a polite smile on your face to mask the sheer panic you feel and meet the bouncer in the eye; he does not look the least bit amused. “I’m looking for Choi San.” You manage to say without bumbling like a complete fool, but using San’s name does seem to have its intended effect.

The bouncer’s eyes widen imperceptibly in surprise, just enough for you to notice up close. Then his eyebrows pinch together and his mouth pulls downwards in an unamused scowl. “It’s impossible for a person like you to know Choi San. Don’t lie to me, kid.”

You dig the bracelet out of your pocket and shove it in his face, from the way his lips part with a little intake of breath you know he must have seen it before and part of you is… happy... that he recognises it, for some strange reason. “I’m here to return his bracelet to him and then I’ll get out of your hair. Now, are you going to let me in or not?”

You’re not used to being so confident and out there, but there’s a rush of adrenaline flowing through your veins right now from the anticipation. The bouncer’s eyes narrow and for a long moment, you hold his sharp gaze evenly, unwilling to back down till he lets you in.

He backs down first with a sigh, moving towards to the rope that holds the door closed, unhooking it and ushering you inside. Behind you, you can hear angry protests of the people standing in the line, but you ignore them in favour of stepping into the club, eager to get to where San is.

The bouncer grabs your wrist with a warning glare and you whirl around to stare at him in confusion. “If something happens to you in there, missy, it’s not on me. Don’t get into any trouble and get out as fast as you can.”

You grin at him. “Thanks.”

Then you duck inside before he can say anything else.

Immediately, all five of your senses are assaulted by loud noises and bright lights coming from every direction. Bright purple neon juxtaposed against cool black leaves your eyes reeling from the colour contrast, the smell of smoke, sweat and even more alcohol so heavy and thick in the air you can taste it on your tongue. Biting on your lower lip in an attempt to remain calm in the midst of a mass of sweaty, gyrating human bodies, you stand on tip toes and try to search the dark, flickering room for San.

It proves to be a near inhuman feat. Groaning, you pull out your phone and search the map once again, sure enough, your little blue dot has overlapped with San’s red one to form a blinking purple circle, indicating that he is indeed here at this club… but where is he?

“Hey, little missy. This doesn’t look like your scene.” A voice comes from behind you and you jerk in surprise, whirling around to see someone standing there against the wall, exuding such an air of casual confidence that you can’t help but be blown away by it. His hair is blond and tousled into waves, held away from his forehead by a black bandanna to show off beautiful, dark eyes that remind you of sweet, sweet danger. Every instinct goes on high alert instantly and you actually find yourself taking a step back to take him in, he’s dressed in an all black ensemble that’s simple and stylish at the same time.

He meets your eyes with a smirk that you, for some reason, don’t find sleazy and cocks his head to the side playfully, teasingly. “What are you doing here dressed like that, darling?”

You’re on guard around him, tense, and he can see it, he enjoys it. He hasn’t moved an inch but you feel like you’re the one who’s been backed into a corner like a trapped animal, dangerous tension sparking between the two of you as you meet each other’s eyes.

“I’m here for a friend.” You spit out, suddenly desperate to get away from this man that practically oozes danger and appeal all at once. There’s a look in his eye that makes unease bubble in the pit of your stomach and when he takes a step forward, you actually flinch, every muscle in your body getting ready to run.

“Oh? Where is he then?” The man continues stepping closer and closer, and you practically freeze on the spot when he comes within an arm’s length of you. You can feel his hot breath against your cheeks, smell the slight scent of cologne and smoke clinging to his warm skin, feel the heat radiating off him. You don’t even realise you’re moving backwards till you’re backed into the wall, so completely taken by the sheer intensity of his gaze.

He leans in close but never quite touches you, only letting his words brush your bare skin as one hand comes up beside your head, he’s too close for your liking, too seductive than what you can deal with. “Why don’t we leave this place, darling, just you and me– ”

You’re about to cut him off mid-sentence politely, saying that you really need to look for your friend, but he never gets a chance to finish his sentence.

“Get the hell away from her, Wooyoung!”

Your eyes fly open in surprise at the sound of that voice and in the next second, the man is ripped away from you violently and thrown against the wall to your side. Your hands fly over your mouth to prevent the shout of horror from escaping you, but the blond doesn’t seem the least bit fazed at the sight of your best friend pinning him to the wall by the neck.

“What the hell were you doing to her?” San snarls venomously, digging his forearm into the blond’s throat. The blond simply looks down at him with a cocky grin, completely unrepentant as he shrugs. “What does it matter to you?”

San’s face twists in fury at those words frighteningly quick, you feel every drop of blood drain from your face when he raises a fist–

“San!” You cry out, running to his side and yanking on his arm as hard as you can. You’ve never seen San like this, so dark and filled with rage that it almost scares you. “He wasn’t doing anything to me! Stop it!”

San hesitates, fingers clenching and unclenching as he considers your words, the impulsive white hot rage burning behind his eyes simmering ever so slightly. Then he rips his hand from the blond and storms out of the club, leaving the blond rubbing the bruises on his throat with an exaggerated sigh.

“I’m sorry!” You bow once quickly and turn around to chase after San before he can disappear before your eyes again.

The blond sighs at the mess around him and gestures for all the onlookers to get back to their business, making his way over to the bar counter and seating himself on one of the seats there. “Some ice please, Mr Bartender.” He fingers the bruise at his adam’s apple with curiosity, an amused smile tugging on his lips. “I haven’t seen San-ie this worked up since we got expelled from our old school. It’s rather fun to watch him, isn’t he?”

“You shouldn’t have provoked him like that, Wooyoung-ah.” A smooth baritone tells him dryly as he slides a mojito over to him with a disapproving frown. Wooyoung merely grins as he scoops out two ice cubes and holds them to his throat, feeling the cold numbing the ache there, but the adrenaline he feels rushing through his body right now makes it so worth it. “You knew who she was to San, don’t lie to me. It’s like you’re trying to get yourself killed.”

“If I hadn’t done that, that coward would have tried to escape the club. I saw him moving towards the back doors when she came, so I just put on a little show for him to watch. It worked.” Wooyoung shrugs, raising the glass to his lips and taking a mouthful of his drink. Then he yelps and spits it into the potted plant next to him as fast as he can, mouth puckering uncontrollably. “That was the sourest thing I’ve tasted my entire life! What the hell, Yeosang? We’ve been friends for four years and this is how you treat me?”

Yeosang snorts as he wipes his glasses down with a clean cloth, shaking his head. “It’s precisely because we’ve been friends for four years that I’m doing this. You need to stop living so on the edge, it’s going to get you dead in a ditch one day.”

Wooyoung simply shrugs. “I’ll be fine.” Then he winces and presses the ice cubes a little more firmly against his skin, muttering under his breath. “If that little shit doesn’t get back together with her by tomorrow morning, I’m going to wring his neck for him, the fool.”

Yeosang looks over at his friend from behind the counter and rolls his eyes, but there’s a good-natured smile on his lips.

“San!”

Outside, you chase after San into a dark alleyway behind the club, before he can take another step you grab his wrist firmly with both hands and yank him backwards. He nearly stumbles at the force of your insistence, unbalanced from drink and alcohol, but finally turns around to face you, head hanged and not quite meeting your eye, clearly uncomfortable.

“What were you doing here?” San mumbles, words slightly slurred and barely loud enough for you to hear. “Weren’t you supposed to be studying at home with…” He falters for a moment and you frown in confusion, how has he forgotten the name of his own friend?

“Seonghwa and I were studying, but you were acting weird this morning so I went over to your house to ask you what was going on! Claude told me you weren’t at home so I came over to find you myself, only for you to almost get into a fight with someone else–”

San snorts, slumping against the wall with his eyes closed as he rubs his temples. “Wooyoung will be fine. That little bastard knew what he was doing the whole time, edging me on… it was a smart move, I’ll concede…”

You pause for a second. Wooyoung, Wooyoung, Wooyoung… the name sounds familiar… then it hits you. Your eyes widen and you stare at San in shock. “Isn’t Wooyoung that best friend of yours? Are you drunk? You nearly killed him! He didn’t even do anything to me!”

San’s face darken at your words, rising to his feet and lurching forward to stand dangerously close to you. But unlike with Wooyoung, you don’t feel the least bit of fear – San would never allow himself to hurt you, drunk or otherwise. “What the hell were you doing in a place like this, you idiot? What would you have done if Wooyoung wasn’t just playing around and if I weren’t there? Don’t you know you could get hurt?”

“But you were there.” You fire back, insistent. “That’s why I went there. I want to be where you are, is that so wrong?”

San groans, dragging a hand down his face. “The kind of places I go to are the places you shouldn’t be going to! Stay away from me, alright?”

But you’ve had enough of his nonsense and yank the bracelet from your pocket, shoving it in his face. His own eyes widen at the sight and he tries to snatch it from you, but you jerk it out of his reach and shove it back in your own pocket fiercely. “Is that why you took it off, San? I thought we had a promise! Best friends forever, remember?”

You’re furious, but every trace of anger evaporates in the next second, you’re completely stunned when you see a tear escape San, one at first, than two, then more and more, until San’s head is hung and you can’t see his eyes anymore, tears streaking down his cheeks and dripping to the ground. Horror overtakes you and you step forward, gripping his arm tightly. “San! San, what happened–”

Before you can say anything else, San yanks you into his chest and buries his face into your shoulder, trying to stifle his sobs. You’re still upset with him, but for now you just wrap your arms around him, the charms on your own wrist jingling. It’s not like San to be this emotional, you think worriedly… he must have had a lot more to drink than what you had thought. Then he speaks.

“I can’t belong to you anymore.” He mumbles into the crook of your neck brokenly, warm trails running down your shoulder. You utterly confused at his strange words, but then he continues and then you finally get it. “Seonghwa’s so much better for you, such a better person, he’s nice, he’s sweet, he’s kind… I want the best for you, I really do, but why can’t I stop selfishly loving you and just give you to him instead?”

Oh.

You don’t know what to feel for a second, every thought has fled your mind and you don’t know what to say, left wordless. San likes you. Choi San actually likes you. And he thinks you like Seonghwa.

This fool.

Your lips work to form words that you’re not even sure of, but before you can, you feel San slump against you, his weight resting on your shoulder and it’s all you can do to keep him upright, you can feel his snores against your skin. You don’t know whether to laugh or cry, instead you settle on doing both, a happy, weak chuckle escaping you as a single tear rolls down your cheek.

“Tell me that again when you’re sober, pabo.” You press a kiss to his temple and turn towards the mouth of the alleyway, pulling San along with you, his warm body pressed against yours. You hear San mumble drunkenly “morning?” under his breath, half asleep and completely knocked out, but you take another step forward, heart overflowing with emotions in this dark night.

Just until next morning.

You can wait that long.

The next morning, San’s eyes blink open, only to be pummeled in the face by a massive headache.

“Ow...” He groans, hunching over on the bed as he presses his fingertips against his forehead, it’s throbbing, alright. Just exactly how much did he drink last night? He clearly had one too many... had Claude driven him back?

Squeezing his eyes shut, he tries to remember the events of the night before... he recalls drinking at the bar with Wooyoung and Yeosang, his shock at seeing you enter the club, searching for someone who could only be him... He remembers trying to run away, seeing Wooyoung brazenly flirting with you and making you feel uncomfortable, red filling his vision and then...

What?

What had happened?

You.

Where were you?

Panic crashes into him and he jumps out of bed as fast as he physically can, bare feet touching the wooden floorboards of your room... your room... San’s brain stops working altogether as he gapes at his surroundings... a vase of spring daffodils he had given you a few days ago at the desk... framed photographs of him, you and Seonghwa on the walls... your biology textbooks on the shelves...

A jingling noise catches his attention and he raises a hand to stare at his wrist in complete and utter shock. It’s his charm bracelet, the one with a bell, around his wrist.

How did that get there? He clearly remembers leaving that with Claude before he left the house... unwilling to look at it again...

He looks down, and he’s shirtless. He looks around. It’s your room. He looks down at himself again.

He’s still shirtless.

San screams.

“What happened?” You burst into the room, holding a spatula menacingly and wearing a worried expression on your face. San only screams louder, yanks the blanket up to his chest and wags a shaking finger at you, looking positively horrified. “I... We... Room... Bed-”

“No, we didn’t sleep together, idiot, I took the sofa.” You roll your eyes and step over with three quick steps to gently press a kiss to his cheek. San immediately halts all movement altogether, becoming as still as a statue with comically wide eyes and a mouth hanging wide open. He doesn’t even move when you step out of the room, and a little part of you feels satisfied that you’ve finally managed to get him back for all those times he’s teased you before.

When you finally return with a tray of warm soup, a glass of warm water and some Advil, San is still standing there, blankly staring into space with one hand pressed to his cheek. You tell him to sit and he does, staring at you in shock the whole time.

“Here.” You pass him the cup and the pills and he swallows them with a gulp of water, shaking his head to regain his bearings. When he looks at you once more, you smile warmly at him with a little, knowing glint in your eye that honestly frightens him a bit.

“How did I get here?” San manages to croak out, his throat raw from the alcohol the night before. You grin a little cockily at him and his heart stutters in his chest, you seat yourself opposite him and take his hand in yours.

San’s eyes widen slightly, you’re behaving uncharacteristically forward with him today. It takes him by surprise but you don’t seem the least bit fazed, instead leaning even closer to meet his eyes with the biggest, brightest grin on your face.

Everything is going into overdrive, he thinks, slightly dazed.

“Someone confessed to me last night.” You whisper confidentially into his ear, eyes so bright and smile so positively radiant that he can’t help but feel happy for you, even though he absolutely despises what this means: Seonghwa must have confessed to you yesterday while the two of you were studying... and he... and he...

You continue rambling with a grin and San allows himself to wallow in his own grief for a moment while you’re distracted. “I’m so happy, you know! Because I’ve liked him secretly for such a long time, but I thought he didn’t like me back... Hey, San! Are you happy for me?”

San snaps back into reality, forcing a smile on his face that he hopes passes for genuine as he nods slowly, eyes downcast. “Yeah...” He can’t meet your gaze right now.

Then, all of a sudden, you smile at him, intertwining your fingers with him and raising your interlocked hands for him to see, your bracelets touching. Your eyes find him, determined and burning with intensity, and his breath leaves him for a moment at the latent fire in your gaze.

“San, would you be mine?”

San chokes.

#ateez #ateez fanfic #ateez san #ateez fanfiction #san fanfic #choi san #w; san #w; fanfiction

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tohruhondaismydaughter · 3 years

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Just watched episode 1 & omg was it good.

I still hate the unessary flying Akito scene but it only lasted like 5 seconds so it wasn't too bad.

The witch is finally here. I worried about her lack of insanity until she started going on about Akira because then the animators & her english VA delivered. Like bitch if you wanna be with your husband so bad then you could have just killed yourself already. Also there's no way someone who remains completely unrepentant about emotinally abusing thier own child thier entire life due to nothing but sexism & an obsession for a specific dick is gonna get into heaven, you delusional hag. I will say though, that a bunch of little crying kids you barley know coming up to you & touching your belly when you didn't even know you were pregnant must have been pretty disturbing. Also get the fuck away from Rin (who looked stunning btw).

You can really understand how at least some of the older Sohma males see Akito & how they can't help but pity & baby her. She has clearly never had a healthy relationship in her entire life, like no wonder she became so messed up.

Kyo coming in clutch with the scarf pick up + wash but still thinks he can't do anything to make Tohru happy & that he's nothing but a horrible, selfish person. Like honey no you are so capable of love that it litrually oozes out in everything you say & do when it comes to the few people you completely trust.

Aww the Hanajima's continue being the best family.

Get yourself friends like Arisa & Saki, that is all.

Kureno I do feel for you, I just wish you'd kidnap Akito & lock her in a room with a really good therapist (while she's tied down obviously), get one for yourself & then travel the world/start a college course instead of pining over a teenager you barley know.

Shigure: 'oh I'm surprised it shocked her so much, she better bounce back soon though otherwise Saki won't be pleased with me'

Me: Hana electrocute he's ass

Yuki, you weren't here for long but I applude your efforts in trying to poison Shigure even if it did leave our fravriote cat boy choking lol.

Bringing Chad Cline back, to this time voice Akito's father was truly inspired.

It felt rather short for some reason.

I really wanna see what the new OP & ED will be like & what this & the next episode are called but I guess we'll just have to wait until April.

#fruits basket #season 3 #episode 1 #dub #my thoughts #thoughts

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yeojaa · 4 years

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❪ VOGUE : ❫ april 2020 - click to view high-res!

When Jeon Jungkook first popped up on my radar - as the face of Dior, no less - I didn’t pay much attention to him. Here, it seemed, was another guy with an unprecedented social media following and a very photogenic face. You know the type.

It comes as a surprise, then - a relief, really - to meet Jeon on a bustling Friday night in the heart of New York’s Koreatown. It’s his idea to have dinner together and I’m not one to turn down barbecue in any of its forms so here we are, tucked into the back corner of a popular all-you-can-eat establishment known for its soju-soaked watermelons. Jeon, unsurprisingly, looks nearly identical to the photos he posts on Instagram, each one amassing upwards of millions of likes in less than twenty-four hours. He’s got a leather jacket on - a staple for his profession, which I’d soon learn wasn’t just pretty boy but actual rockstar - and a bucket hat pulled over his hair. It’s probably meant to be inconspicuous but I note at least six tables that turn around too many times to be coincidence.

“Is there anything you don’t eat?” Is one of the first things out of his mouth once we’ve got the pleasantries out of the way. When I tell him, no, I eat everything and anything, he looks like I’ve just told him his latest single went triple platinum.

We spend the evening getting grease all over our hands and drinking probably too much beer. Jeon insists it’s a requirement when enjoying barbecue - “You can’t eat meat without having a drink!” - and I’m not about to say no, though I don’t think I really could. He’s got a charm that’s both elusive and incredibly apparent but unlike most people in his age bracket, it seems completely effortless. It’s not hard to see why he’s so successful.

Jeon tells me about his life and growing up in Portland, a place he says “drinks its own Kool-Aid.” I’m not really sure what that means and ask him to explain, which he does with a laugh that draws the stare of our waitress. “Portland’s a weird city. As in, that’s what it’s known for. Its ‘weirdness’, as if that’s a good thing. I guess I get the appeal.” He doesn’t mince words when he speaks, throwing caution to the wind as easily as he drains his third glass of Asahi Black. “It’s this weird mix of fucked-up addicts who think they’re living in a La Dispute song and “precious” Portland transplants who have no idea how to handle it.”

I ask him whether or not he’d ever go back and he nearly chokes on the piece of lettuce he’s dipped in ssamjang. He laughs long and hard - I’m reminded of the hyenas in Broadway’s The Lion King - and shakes his head. “I’m not saying LA’s any better but it knows what it is and what it isn’t. There’s also a way better food scene there.” The smile he offers is shameless. “Better looking girls, too.”

Although we haven’t known each other very long, I have a feeling he’s leaning heavily into whatever preconceived notion he thinks I have of him. When I voice my belief, he laughs again, pulling his bucket hat off and tossing his dark hair away from his eyes like an old Hollywood ingenue. It turns out I’m right.

When I ask him about what has surprised him most about living in LA, he lists things off like he thinks about them regularly, throwing his tattooed fingers up with each count. “How people will believe anything they read in the media, how many people actively seek out paps, how I really don’t understand how people don’t get trashed at after parties, and how hard it is for anyone to get my name right.” It’s not surprising how unrepentant he is but it’s still hilarious.

I ask whether he’s ever considered changing his name or taking a stage name (“What, like Drake?”) and he shoots the idea down immediately. “My parents gave me this name, just like they gave me everything else. I’m not about to strip it away so some people can feel better about themselves.” As someone with a Korean mother and an Italian-American father, I get what he means. We’ll ignore the fact that I go by my English name.

The longer we spend in the restaurant - far longer than the requisite two hours most other diners seem afforded - the clearer the picture of Jeon gets.

He loves his family and talks endlessly about his mother, insisting that her kimchi puts this restaurant to shame. He offers up a few of his biggest influences, citing Canadian duo Majid Jordan, singer-songwriter John Mayer, and trap and bass DJ RL Grime. He eats with abandon, devouring slabs of pork belly faster than I can blink, though he never hesitates to refill my glass, either. He tells me how he’s wanted this since he was a kid but that it’s definitely not just sheer, dumb luck that’s gotten him where he is. He doesn’t explicitly name the apparent sacrifices he’s made but there’s something in his eyes that reads like an obituary. I don’t press him on it.

Later on, while I’m editing this piece, Kim Namjoon - his agent and close friend - tells me that Jeon is “the kind of guy who’s effortless. He’ll try anything and be good at almost everything. He was made for this.”

A lot of young celebrities want to be creators but Jeon actually embodies being one. He gives respect where it’s due, detailing all the long hours he spends writing and in the studio. “It’s not easy - it takes a ton of work - but that’s what you sign up for. ‘If you want the career-changing big fish, you gotta be willing to put on the big boy panties and sail out to the deep water.’” I don’t recognize the quote right away. Turns out it’s from one of the Fast and Furious movies.

By the time we part ways - he insists on footing the bill, pulling out bills from a Prada bi-fold which he acknowledges with a simple “don’t tell” - I realize nearly five hours have passed. I get it now.

It seems that Jeon’s a paradox, equal parts refusal to play by the established Hollywood rules but also someone who wants everything that comes with meeting the expectations. Someone who wants to have his cake and eat it too. If anyone can do it, it’s likely him.

cr. i dare u @ twitter

#edit.zip #ghost.doc

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betweengenesisfrogs · 4 years

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The Triumph of the Marginalia

Marginalia, n.:

1 : notes or embellishments in the margins (as in a book)

2 : nonessential items

-Troll OED

Is it just me, or is Nepeta and Equius’s arc the most slept-upon piece of brilliance in all of Homestuck?

A brilliance, might I add, that culminates in possibly the most triumphant, fulfilling emotional moment in the entire work:

https://www.homestuck.com/story/7928

*stands back and beholds its majesty while from the background comes the sound of James Roach brutally murdering ska*

No, but actually, I mean this 100% unironically, and by the end of this post, I think you’ll agree with me.

By now, I think we all understand the Act 6 double metaphor: the series of temporal loops and universes that Lord English commands is paralleled with, and in fact totally identical to, the narrative of Homestuck. Our characters’ lives exist within this context. They struggle to escape it, and are defined both by it and by the rejection of it.

Enter Nepeta.

The metaphorical meaning of Nepeta in Homestuck is irrelevance, and that’s why she’s the most relevant character in any discussion.

Nepeta was one of the characters killed off during the Murderstuck arc. Hussie argued that she was perfect for this role. In fact, I believe he said something like “Nepeta is sweet, but if you look up the dictionary definition of ‘expendable character,’ you’ll see a picture of Nepeta playing with a ball of yarn and looking very cute.” She’s an endearing combination of shipper girl and apex predator, but not one of your Vriskas or Terezis in being a driver of the plot. Hussie, it seems, created her just to round out the troll cast. He described one of his purposes in Murderstuck as being to axe some of the less necessary trolls to reduce the scope of his character list.

Except that didn’t really happen, did it?

Like a cat with nine lives, Nepeta just keeps coming back.

Equius is another addition to the troll cast who gets pushed away from the main action. He was a character-writing challenge: how do you make someone who’s gross, uncomfortable, and racist kind of likable anyway? I’d argue Hussie succeeded, in large part because of Equius’s relationship with Nepeta. By the time you finish with Hivebent, you’ll probably have a little fondness for their moraillegiance. And if that doesn’t do it, the conversation that serves as their swansong in Equius: Seek the Highblood will tear your heartstrings to shreds.

Because Equius dies, tragically clownmurdered. There was, at the time, some stink over this from Equius fans. Would he have really let himself be killed so easily? Hussie countered: yes, and it was the most in-character thing he could have done. He died doing what he loved: being asphyxiated erotically and horrifically by a superior. Truly, there could be no more fitting end to his character than that.

And yet.

No sooner did Hussie complete his self-appointed story cleanup challenge than he immediately began to undo his own work. It’s almost as if, in declaring his intention to own those who preferred more characters to narrative economy, he immediately had to own himself??

By the time we get even a little way into Act 6, we’re deep in the dreambubble landscape, meeting dead characters left and right. And who should show up there but Equius and Nepeta? Equius attempting to get it on with a bunch of Aradias, who dump him. And Nepeta, living out her romantic dreams as a representative of a timeline where she got together with Karkat. They both appear as symbols of this deadness, this irrelevance. Except that that brings them back into the story, into the spotlight – the opposite of where they’re supposed to be!

Like many bits of commentary, Hussie continues to incorporate the metaphor Nepeta=Irrelevance into Homestuck. Karkat’s remark on their journey that he would love to meet “FIFTY FUCKING NEPETAS” and embark on “NEPETAQUEST” alludes to formspring remarks to the effect that, no, Homestuck was not going to have much time for the minor characters. Except it clearly did.

Why couldn’t the narrative let the meowrails go? Was it that despite the economy of Murderstuck, something was still incomplete? After all, one of Equius’s charms was that he appeared to be growing into a less repressed, kinder person. In Seek the Highblood, we see him letting his guard down enough to roleplay with Nepeta for a change. Their love for each other: wasn’t that ultimately what could redeem Equius in our eyes? So his dying and thus failing to protect her–isn’t that something that should be addressed?

You could imagine many a Nepeta and Equius fan saying this to Hussie back in 2011.

But Hussie was already saying it to himself.

The duo come roaring back into the story in the Trickster mode arc, mid Act 6, thanks to Gamzee’s ridiculous resurrections. True, Nepeta is still reduced as part of Fefeta, the character formed from killed-off girls who never speaks onscreen. But doesn’t using that fact as a running gag kind of draw our attention to it? Doesn’t the fact that Fefeta talks to Roxy constantly offscreen inform us that once we get outside the frame of the narrative, Nepeta has a rich inner life and countless stories to tell?

And it’s here that Equius gets something he never got in his original “arc:” the chance to apologize to Nepeta. You’d be forgiven for missing it since there’s so much else going on at the time, but he does, while fused with AR. Here’s what you’d miss, though: he’s grown as a person in the afterlife. He’s come to regret that moment of weakness, where his fetish kept him from protecting his moirail. Impossible as it seems, he’s continuing his character arc.

The scene ends with Fefeta exploding (she’s also, after all, dealing with Eridan), but it leaves us with a tantalizing question:

Will Nepeta forgive Equius? Is there even a plausible time and space in that story when she could respond to his words?

Do you see what’s happening here? Instead of being erased, Nepeta and Equius are starting to slip the bounds of the story that killed them. They leap in and out of the frame, half-mythical figures. Marginalized, they write their own stories in the margins. They exist in complete defiance of the original logic of Homestuck.

Lord English is an alt-Author figure, a dark, brutal reflection of narrative control and narrative necessity. His world, in which horrible choices are necessary, in which the alpha timeline is a ticking clock leading inexorably to his manifestation, is one that beats down people not deemed important enough by his narrative. Which makes it identical to the one we’re reading. Throw all the unnecessary characters in the trash. Kill them off, if it suits my purposes. The world doesn’t need Nepeta.

Which is precisely why it does. Because isn’t defying Lord English the entire point? Isn’t it what Homestuck reveals as truly heroic?

What might Nepeta be capable of?

Let’s talk about two other victims of English’s forces of marginalization. Davesprite might be the most quintessential example. He teaches us what the alpha timeline is and how it works, by going back to fix a doomed timeline and submitting to being doomed himself. Except he merges with a bird and avoids that fate. Okay, but he clearly gets killed off fighting Jack in Jade: Enter. Except he comes back and hangs out with Jadesprite. Okay, but he dies in the planetsplode in the Retcon. Nope, he comes back from that, too. Huh. He keeps slipping the fate decreed for him by – who else? Lord English.

But it’s a struggle, clearly. He’s caught up in various cycles of guilt and shame. Over being “not the real Dave.” Over his feeling that he has to be a hero in the sense Bro demanded he be. Hussie describes Davesprite as fitting the “way of the unbroken sword:” his experiences have led him to believe in being strong and capable at the expense of all else, in contrast with the other Dave, whose belief in Bros’ toxic ideas is beginning to slip – the “way of the broken sword.” And where did Bro get his toxic ideas from? At least in part, the whispering voice of the soul of Lord English.

Now we turn to Dirk. Like Dave, Dirk has a marginalized, “less important” splinter self but it’s more of a pressing concern. AR shows Dirk’s darker side: exhibiting manipulative tendencies that human Dirk is trying to move away from. He’s also a copy removed from humanity, who feels an understandable amount of disillusionment about being removed from physical existence and his own identity. But as much as Dirk may splinter, like his dumb anime sword, he never breaks. What this means in the symbolic language of Homestuck is that Dirk lives fully, instinctually, in the way of the sword. He believe in a world of hard choices, masculine heroism, and necessity. Ultimately, this, too, is part of what makes Bro so harmful to Dave. In AR and Davesprite, we have a strange parallel: two splinter selves, both of whom are enmeshed in the logic of LE.

Except AR, unlike Davesprite…kind of is LE.

What is Lord English composed of? Well, there’s Caliborn, the most unrepentant shithead of all time. There’s Gamzee, embodiment of horrifying clownery. And then there’s AR, a version of Dirk even more removed from the person he wants to be.

And…Equius?

Allow me a moment to get really indulgent and take a big puff on my Homestuck scholar’s pipe.

The metaphorical meaning of Equius in Homestuck is: sort of growing out of being a creepy racist.

Or maybe let’s say: the opportunity to do that. We said that Equius was on the verge of being redeemed (even had been, in the eyes of many readers). What does it mean to stick him in with Lord English’s souls? It means two things:

1) Equius is a product of his society, which was shaped by Doc Scratch, aka by Lord English, both of whom are kind of him, but Scratch picks up on his traits especially. This is a recognition of that fact: the part of him that sucks is, itself, Lord English in a dizzying loop.

2) Equius’s story is a tragedy. It is the story of a kid who started to escape his society’s tendencies, but was sucked back in by the evil force behind them.

Although…maybe that’s not the whole story.

Because both Equius and AR aren’t really that bad. AR’s pretty understandable, and by no means beyond the possibility of goodness. And the combination of the two? Honestly, pretty harmless. They counter each other’s worst tendencies by devolving into a weird goofball. In fact, AR even says he wants to do something heroic: to sacrifice himself for something really important. He does, kind of, mustering a last-ditch robohorse assault on Caliborn. But at the same time, this is the substance of his tragedy. A hero whose defeat of a great evil forces him to become the substance of that evil. Which could not be a more fitting summary of how these characters function in their story.

But maybe that’s still not the whole story.

Enter Davepeta.

At first glance, the creation of Davepeta seems like Hussie’s most batshit troll move yet. I feel pretty confident in saying that even those who predicted either of these characters returning didn’t see that one coming. However, a few pages of Davepeta’s presence reveals a fundamental truth:

Davepeta is fucking amazing.

In them, Davesprite’s depressive moods are buoyed up by Nepeta’s upbeat optimism. Nepeta’s reclusive shyness is balanced by Dave’s tendency toward brash banter. Both of them gain confidence from being the new person they are. They quickly let go of ideas inherited from the world that kept them from self-knowledge and happiness. Dave, his toxic masculinity; Nepeta, her fear.

A great point I’ve seen made is how much Jasprose and Davepeta resemble fantasy selves for Rose and Dave: indulgent, technicolor manifestations of people they could be if they let go of inhibitions and limitations. But I think Davepeta is the most unambiguously positive of the two.

The metaphorical meaning of Davepeta in Homestuck?

Growth.

Not giving a fuck about what the world thinks. The world, aka Lord English. Because Lord English could never have predicted that his machinations would also spawn a confident, powerful fusion of two beings he had discarded as totally irrelevant.

They’re also a multicolored non-binary furry, so that’s even more points in the pissing off shitheads column.

They are someone Lord English never conceived of, never could have conceived of, but which lay as potential within his domain all along.

And if Lord English is a reflection of the author, of what Hussie feels one has to destroy or sacrifice, than Davepeta is an indulgence existing in defiance of all that.

And this makes Davepeta the most powerful person of all.

They are the light at the end of the tunnel. They are the person you could be, if you could get past your mental shackles and just grow. It may not be possible to ever get there as a mortal human, may only be for a godlike sprite, but striving to be like them matters, is purpose and fulfilment enough.

And they love ARquius.

Nepeta believed in Equius, believed he could grow, and was growing. So as much as ARquius traps himself in a Lord English loop of his own making – grown, perhaps, out of Dirk’s belief that there should be a loop, that importance is admirable—Davepeta pulls from him, in his last scene, his finest qualities. His love.

Equius asks forgiveness again, and this time, Nepeta’s able to give it. Davepeta easily accepts ARquius’s apology, an apology which never could have existed within the confines of a normal narrative. A reconciliation that both of them fought for by defying their narrative, by existing outside it. By being not the trolls who lived and died, but their broader, conceptual selves, who exist beyond lifetimes. Beyond the comic page. And they consummate that reconciliation with that most cherished and loving of gestures:

A hug.

And even as this is Equius and Nepeta’s reconciliation, it’s also Dirk and Dave’s. Which, I should mention, is also taking place, simultaneously and circumstantially simultaneously, just below. It’s a more difficult one, certainly, especially as filtered through the splinters of Davesprite and AR. Here forgiveness is not quite the right word. But – knowledge, and recognition, and a kind of peace. It’s Davesprite’s chance to reunite with the part of his brother he loved, while also being a person who’s grown beyond him. And it’s AR’s chance to be loved.

Oh, sure, the art is ridiculous, the pose absurd. But that’s what makes it sublime.

I mean, what did you think that Sbahj comic was really about?

A boy distancing himself from his feelings through irony, never acknowledging that the story he’s telling is about two bros who desperately want to hug each other, but don’t know how.

Here’s the hug.

I want to dip into Epilogues territory for a moment, but it’s territory which is fairly well implied by Davepeta’s statements and role in Collide. The Meat Epilogue, I think, only illuminates what was already there.

Lord English is uniquely vulnerable to Davepeta.

And why shouldn’t he be? They, like so much else in Homestuck, are a consequence of his actions spiraling far beyond his control. But it’s more than that. Davepeta is finally able to lay the unbroken sword to rest by following the “prophecy” about Dave defeating Lord English. On the one hand, that’s kind of what happened. But it’s also completely different from what English intended, antithetical to his desires and goals. Which makes the victory all the sweeter. But at the end of the day, Davepeta doesn’t fight for the reasons Davesprite did. They’re free of that, now. Instead, they fight from a place of genuine compassion. Because Davesprite, like Dave, knows the true meaning of being a hero: caring about one’s friends.

But the most important thing about Davepeta is that they know Lord English, on a level that perhaps neither he nor they recognize. Both AR and Equius are in there, and both are capable of redemption. It’s only Gamzee and Caliborn who are truly beyond it.

How does Davepeta defeat Lord English?

With a hug.

They wrap their claws around him, and carry him into the sun like a piece of garbage. It’s an aggressive hold, but it’s also effectively an embrace.

And I have to wonder: in those final moments, did they sense a connection there? Did Equius and Dirk stir somewhere within Lord English? Did they give him a moment’s pause? Resist him? Make it just the tiniest bit easier for Davepeta to do their work?

If so, then that, too, is heroism.

At the very least, it’s circumstantially simultaneous with the hug we see in Act 6, and so it carries the same message:

Redemption.

Not for the shitheads, but for those who wanted to be better.

And if this isn’t enough, there’s a third reconciliation here, too: between author and reader, or to put it in other terms, author and character.

If Lord English is a shadow of the author, what part of the author can be redeemed? Maybe not the destructive, antagonistic urges. But the part that plans and designs and philosophizes as Dirk does. That part of Hussie wanted Davepeta to be there, to strike that final blow, and made it happen.

Because, when you get right down to it, as much as Hussie pretends to be antagonistic toward his readers and the characters they enjoy, it’s the fans, the shippers, the furries, those whose hearts go out to a cute, shy cat girl that he most celebrates.

Hussie fucking loves Nepeta.

Nepeta and Equius are, sneakily, the best characters in Homestuck, because they understand its fundamental message: that to succeed in Homestuck is to defy Homestuck. They defy everything it throws at them, and somehow, improbably, come out on top.

All of this is there on that page, a whole edifice of storytelling culminating in that singular, grand, supremely indulgent expression, a feast of looping leitmotif and color and imagery and meme and sound. It’s all there, if you know where to look.

Nepeta and Equius love each other, and that’s pretty fucking great.

See? I told you.

<> Ari

#nepeta #equius #davepeta #homestuck analysis #arquius #meowrails #davesprite #hal #trying to get out ahead of hussie's commentary for a change #happy 4/13 :33 #<3 #stay tuned #feast of homestuck 2020

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