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souliebird · 17 days

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[[and then I met you || ch. 17]]

Series: Daredevil || Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader || Rating: Explicit

Summary:

A one-night stand years ago gave you a daughter and you are now able to put a name to her father – Matthew Murdock. Everything is about to change again as you navigate trying to integrate your life with that of the handsome and charming blind lawyer’s and Matt realizes he needs to not only protect his new family from Hell's Kitchen, but from the world.

pt: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

Words: 4.3k

ao3 link

banner thanks to the wonderful @theradioactivespidergwen

“No.”

Minnie plants her little feet firmly on the sidewalk and pulls her hands out of your and Matt’s grips so she can make her point by crossing her arms over her chest. A pout starts forming on her face and you have the feeling this is as far as your daughter will be going.

Across the street looms Clinton Church and you can understand why your daughter does not want to go anywhere near it. The building is as imposing as it is grand with its traditional architecture half shadowed in the morning sun. There is light reflecting off the many windows, casting little glares that you are sure Minnie can interpret in multiple ways - including eyes looking down at her.

Try as you might, you can’t imagine what else your little one must be picking up from the building. Is there someone praying inside? Or chanting? What sort of terrifying noises is the building making? How many rats are scurrying around the grounds, hissing and eeking and becoming unseen monsters?

How many real monsters are there?

Right now, the only monster you know of is the one in your chest named Anxiety. It is roaring inside you and causing all sorts of ruckus.

You know Minnie can pick up on your upset, and it is probably influencing her, but no amount of breathing exercises or chamomile tea is going to relax you.

Meeting someone’s parents is always going to be nerve wracking under any circumstance - but meeting the mother of the man who fathered your child? Who already has a unique and slightly estranged relationship with her son?

Frankly, you’d rather give birth again.

To make matters worse for your over analyzing, Matt's mother is a nun.

You have never interacted with a nun before, and your mind has been nonstop screaming that you are going to make an absolute fool of yourself. You are convinced you are going to say something dumb - like Jesus is stupid or some other blasphemous thing.

You don't even know what counts as blasphemy, but you know your mouth will find a way to make you want to sink into the floor and disappear forever.

You are on the same page as Minnie and don't want to take another step toward the Church.

“No?” Matt questions, tilting his head down towards his daughter. He looks a bit baffled, like he can’t understand why she’s taken such a stance. You know he is nervous about the meeting as well, having told you such earlier, but you don’t think he realizes how much his nerves, on top of your own, are affecting Mouse and her fear of the new big building.

“No.” Your daughter repeats, giving a tiny stomp of one foot to emphasize her point.

“No, what, sweetheart?” He kneels down to be on the same level as her, but you have a feeling that isn't going to help much. Minnie has made her decision and trying to sway a determined, upset toddler is a near impossible task.

“I don't wanna,” she tells him, her voice starting to get whiny. She turns away from him to press herself into your leg, her pout growing even bigger.

Matt knits his brows together, confusion clear, “You don't want to go to the park?”

Technically, you are supposed to meet Matt's mother in the Church park that is between the main building and the orphanage but as far as you are concerned, all of the grounds are Church. Apparently, your daughter feels the same.

“No. I don't wanna,” she declares, which quickly turns into the chant of, “I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna!”

You can feel the tantrum coming and intervene, scooping Minnie up and hugging her to you. She instantly clings to you, burying her face against your neck with an additional almost screech of, “I don't wanna!”

You start to gently rock her from side to side and rub at her back to try and soothe her. You kiss her hair and promise, “We don’t have to go, baby. It is okay.”

As soon as the words leave your mouth, you feel like a grade A asshole.

Matt’s face crumbles into heartbreak and you totally deserve to walk into traffic. He had opened up to you about his mother - about how she had left him as a baby only to end up raising him after his father had been killed - but not telling him who she was. He told you how he only recently learned the truth - less than a year ago - and how hard it was for him.

But now he had you and Minnie and maybe, just maybe, you could all learn to be a family together.

Anxiety overdrive kicks in and a potential solution tumbles out of your mouth, “What if we go somewhere else instead? Somewhere we’ve been before?”

Matt lifts his head up at you, so you see yourself in his glasses, and for a second you think he's going to argue - insist you go to the Church playground - but then he tilts it towards where you don't want to go. You don't know what he is listening for, but after a moment, he stands again. He steps closer, a hand going to sit on your waist and trapping Minnie between the two of you. She stays nestled against you, little fist tight on your shirt, but you find yourself breathing a little easier at his touch.

“Would the office be okay? Foggy is out meeting clients and Karen is at the Bulletin today, it will just be us.” He offers quietly. Relief washes through you at the suggestion - you think the office would be a much easier meeting place.

But it is not your decision to make. You gently bounce Mouse to get her attention and ask, “Do you want to go to Daddy’s work?”

She doesn’t respond right away, but you feel her twist your shirt in her hands. You can tell she is thinking over her answer, so you wait, trying to focus on your daughter instead on how firm Matt’s hand is on your waist. It takes about twenty seconds, but Minnie finally nods into your shoulder.

“Okay, We’ll go to Daddy's work.”

To reward her for being so brave, you press a kiss to your daughter’s hair and Matt quickly mimics you. Minnie clings tighter to you at the affection and you think she is going to remain tense and upset until you are far away from the Church.

“Okay. Wait here, I'll go tell Sister Maggie about the change in plans,” Matt tells you and you wonder if it is really okay with him.

You know you and Minnie meeting her is important to Matt, but is the location important as well or is it just convenient? You are too wound up to ask and fearing you won't like the answer, you keep your mouth shut and focus on rocking Mouse.

Matt gives Minnie another kiss as he tightens his grip on you just slightly. It isn’t painful, but you get the impression he does not want to let go. You want to lean into the touch, your overactive mind telling you it might be nice if he never let you go, but before you can process those feelings, he is pulling away and crossing the street.

You step to the side, so you don’t impede foot traffic, and watch as he navigates past the cars and disappears around the side of the large building. Once he is out of sight, you look down to your daughter.

You want to ask her why she doesn’t want to go to the park at the Church, so you can better understand how she sees the world, but you also don’t want to put too much pressure on her. She’s already clearly upset, and you think trying to get her to answer your questions will just make things worse.

So, you focus on making things better for her.

“Would you like your headphones, Minnie?”

That gets her to lift her head up to look at you, squinting like she’s trying to determine if this is some sort of trap. Eventually she gives you one curt nod before hiding her face again.

You are a pro at being able to maneuver to get into your purse while carrying a toddler and soon enough you are handing over neon blue headphones. She needs no help in unfolding them and situating them over her ears, and once they are on, she snuggles herself back into your arms. You have no issues or complaints with the action - you simply begin to rock her again and hope this mood subsides once you are at Matt’s office.

You think about ways to get Minnie to interact with Matt’s mother as you wait for Matt to reappear. You think this might be the perfect time for parallel play - you’ve got a few coloring books stuffed in your purse, along with some small toys. You think it may be best to let her do her own thing while the adults talk, and that she comes over when she’s ready.

You hope that Sister Maggie understands that would be ideal - you know she helps to raise children, so she must understand that some kids are shyer than others. Pushing Minnie to interact when she’s fussy will only result in tears.

Possibly your own.

A few more minutes pass before Matt returns to the sidewalk followed by who you assume to be his mother. She's dressed in a gray and blue smock dress and matching habit, which is far less intimidating than the all black look you were expecting. She has an air of authority about her, holding herself tall as she walks, and you have the feeling she is a no-nonsense person.

You pray to a God you don’t really believe in that this meeting goes better than you fear it will.

You move to meet the pair as they cross the street to you and offer what you hope to be a warm smile. The smile, though not as overtly friendly as yours, is returned and Matt does the honor of introducing you. You adjust your hold on your daughter so you can shake the woman's hand.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Matthew has told me wonderful things about you,” Sister Maggie says before directing her attention to her granddaughter. “And who might this little one be?”

To no surprise to you, Minnie attempts to burrow into you more at the question, smushing her face hard into your neck. You rub her back, trying to let her know everything is okay.

“This is Minnie, she's a little shy right now.”

Sister Maggie gives a knowing nod, “New places can be intimidating.” She drops her voice just slightly, in what you guess is an attempt to be comforting, and addresses Minnie, “Did your father tell you this is where he grew up?”

He did - you and Matt explained the outing to your daughter, but you don’t know how much she understood. You do know no amount of sweet talk will change her mind, even if it is about her new favorite subject - her Daddy.

“I don't wanna go,” Mouse mumbles against you defiantly. You aren't sure if Sister Maggie can hear her, but you know Matt can. He steps forward, once again boxing in Minnie between the two of you and leans down to kiss the back of her head.

“We're not going there, princess. We're going to Daddy's office, remember? You've been there before,” he whispers into her hair. She shifts around in your arms a bit before giving another nod. You can feel her jutting out her bottom lip against your neck and part of you thinks you should call this all off and reschedule - but you aren’t going to do that to Matt.

Sister Maggie is watching your little family’s interaction, and you can’t bear to look in her direction to see what her reaction is, if she has one. Your anxiety has only prepared you for the worst.

“Perhaps we should start heading that way instead of saying where we are not going,” the nun advises after a moment and instinct and rational has you agreeing with her.

“I think that would be best.”

Matt pulls away from you and Minnie and you watch with downcast eyes as Sister Maggie offers her son her arm. He seems hesitant to take it, but he does, and your little group starts moving away from the Church and towards Nelson, Page, and Murdock.

The walk is quiet and you use the time to try and desperately calm your nerves, if only for the sake of your daughter.

You think about Matt and what kind of person he is - he is full of love and care. He got those traits somewhere, and whether you argue Nature or Nurture, Sister Maggie has certainly influenced that. Did she encourage his Goodness? She must have had some sort of positive influence if he is not only wanting her to be in his life, but his daughter’s life, as well.

You know some people believe family comes before anything, even if they treat you horribly, but you also know that if Sister Maggie was not a Good person, Matt would not allow her near Minnie.

He wouldn’t risk losing his relationship with his daughter.

That is something you have no doubts about.

As you arrive at Matt’s office building, Minnie lifts her head up off your shoulder. She wrinkles up her nose like she’s thinking hard before pointing to the plaque that state’s the firm’s name. You give her a warm smile, proud of her for recognizing it, but that only makes her squirrel away again.

This is the behavior you are used to seeing from your daughter in public - overly shy and not wanting to interact. You aren’t sure if the nerves and uncomfortableness from the church still linger, but you hope that once you are upstairs, she will start warming up a little. You won’t push her to do something she doesn’t want to do, but for Matt’s sake, you would like her to at least try talking to her grandmother.

Matt leads you all into the building and up the stairs. Sister Maggie runs a finger over the banister as you climb the stairs, giving a pleased hum, “Franklin did an amazing job cleaning this place up. Tell me that nose of yours helped in getting rid of all the mold.”

Matt huffs at the comment, “The property manager hired someone to come do that.”

“And did they get it all?”

Matt’s mouth presses into a thin line and you already know the answer.

“No, we spent a weekend getting the rest of it.”

You stop in front of the Nelson, Page, and Murdock office, and as Matt fishes out the key, you look up and down the hallway, mulling over what is implied.

“You cleaned the whole building?”

“Oh no, we couldn’t get permission from the other businesses to do that, but we did what we could to the public space and our offices. People feel comfortable here now.”

The door is opened and as you all file in, Matt suggests hanging out in the conference room. It has a nice window and plenty of space to sprawl out, so you have no objections.

You set Minnie down as Sister Maggie and Matt head into the other room. She instantly clings to your leg, practically hiding behind it. You pet her hair a few times before pulling her away just enough so you can kneel down to talk with her. As soon as you are at her level, she is trying to get into your arms again.

You let her hug onto you as you let her know what is going on, “Hey Mouse, do you remember earlier when I told you we were going to meet Daddy’s Mommy?” She nods but says nothing, so you continue on. “That is her. She wants to talk to me and Daddy and you and get to know us so she can be part of our family, too. But you don’t need to talk if you don’t want to, okay? I have your coloring books and you can color while we talk.”

That gets her to pull back just a hair and peek up at you with big brown eyes, “What are you gonna talk abouts?”

You smile at the question and gently run your hands over her back, “All sorts of things, but we’re going to end up talking about you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you. If you don’t want us to talk about you, you can tell me, okay? We’ll talk about something else.”

“But I don’ gotta talk?”

You nod, and let your bag fall off your shoulder. Minnie’s new zoo themed coloring book and crayons are easy to pull out and you offer them to your daughter. She lets go of you to greedily take her toys and hug them to her chest.

“You don’t need to talk,” you confirm. “Do you want to sit at the table, or do you want to sit on the floor?”

Minnie considers the question, and you take advantage of no longer being hugged onto to stand up. Your little one peeks towards the conference room, then back up to you, and declares, “I wanna sit on Daddy’s lap.”

You feel so much pride over your daughter making such a bold decision.

“Okay, let’s go ask Daddy if you can sit in his lap.” You know Matt would never deny her, but you do want to drill in making sure Minnie asks permission first.

She waits for you to lead the way before following you into the conference room. Matt and Sister Maggie are sitting opposite each other, and Matt has already scooted his chair out and is holding his hands out to help Minnie into his lap.

“Daddy!”

She hurries to him and gets scooped up and crushed into a hug. She hugs back best she can while holding her coloring book.

You take the chair beside Matt and finally allow yourself to look at the nun across from you. She’s watching Matt and Minnie with an almost unreadable expression, but there is something soft behind her eyes - like she’s been keeping it repressed for years.

But then she catches you looking, and the softness is gone, replaced by that All-Knowing Nun look you’ve seen in movies before.

“How old is she?” Sister Maggie asks, and you can’t help but flush at her directness.

“Almost four, her birthday is on the 28th,” you reply, forcing yourself to not completely avert your gaze and hideaway.

She raises her brows before turning her sharp gaze to Matt, accusing him with, “You did not mention her birthday was coming up.”

He has the decency to look a little bit ashamed, “There were a few other things to cover, first.”

The older woman shakes her head, “Priorities, Matthew. I may be new to being a grandmother, but you know well I have raised plenty of children and we have never skimped on birthdays. We may not always have the money to spoil someone, but we do well to make sure they know they are loved.” She looks back to you, “Do you have plans for the day?”

“Oh, um, the zoo. We’re going to go to the zoo,” you tell her.

Beside you, Minnie has slipped down into Matt’s lap, so she is sitting. She has started to flip through her coloring book, examining each picture before making her decision about what to color. At the mention of the zoo, she quietly mimics you, “Going to the zoo.”

Matt breaks into a smile at the words, looking proud as can be that Minnie spoke around his mother. He wraps his arms around her middle and you have the feeling he wants to crush her to his chest again but is resisting.

Sister Maggie seems to know Minnie isn’t speaking to her, but just in general, and keeps the conversation to you, “That sounds like a lovely birthday. Zoo trips are always a delight with the kids.” She tilts her head slightly to the left before continuing on, “Matthew said you do not have a support network.”

“That isn’t what I said!” Matt quickly says, before turning his head towards you, “That isn’t what I said.”

Sister Maggie scoffs, “It is what you meant, and it is not a bad thing. You more than anyone know what it means to have a support network. Now,” she says your name gently and offers you a somewhat kind smile, “You are welcome to come to the Church and use any of the services we offer, and you may come by anytime you need, day or night. We will always have our doors open for you.”

You stare across the table as you process the words she has said. Shame and embarrassment course through you at the idea of Matt talking about you. You know you’ve never really had anyone to turn to, but the thought of others discussing such matters makes you want to crawl into a hole and cry. Yet, on the other hand, the mere offer of being welcomed at the Church has you spiraling in all sorts of good and overwhelming ways.

But of course, instead of being thankful, the words that tumble out of your mouth are, “I’m not religious.”

“That changes nothing,” she says simply and somehow, sits up straighter, “I have been given a second chance to know my son and through this a blessing of a granddaughter. I will not run from these responsibilities again and -”

“Daddy,” Minnie suddenly says, cutting Sister Maggie off while pouring all her crayons out on the table, “Pick a color!”

Matt’s cheeks turn pink at the interruption, and you try to not slide down in your seat. You know you can’t expect your daughter to sit there quietly, even if she’s being a little fussy, especially if Matt is around. She’s a toddler.

Matt clears his throat and asks, “What colors are there, sweetheart?”

“There’s green, and blue, and purple, and red, and orange, and yellow,” she lists off, holding up each crayon as she does.

“Let’s go with red.”

“Okay!” Minnie picks up the chosen crayon and begins to carefully start coloring in a gorilla.

Since she spoke up on her own, you try to engage with your daughter to bring her out of her shell, “Can you tell Daddy what animal you’re coloring?”

You expect her to answer happily - after all she loves explaining things to Matt and she’s been learning all her zoo animals.

So of course, she does not do that. She whips her head around to look at you, and with the sternest little voice you have ever heard, barks out, “I don’t gotta talk!”

Your first instinct is to laugh at the outburst, but you bite down on your lip to control yourself. The urge passes quickly, and you decide you should praise your daughter for setting her boundaries, “That is right, you don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. I’m sorry.”

She narrows her eyes at you for a moment, clearly judging you, before turning back to her artwork.

Only then do you allow yourself a chuckle.

To your surprise, Sister Maggie laughs as well. “Well, she is certainly a Murdock.”

That gets your attention and you and Matt both let out a curious, “Oh?”

“That little glare was all Murdock. I have seen it so many times from Matthew, who got it from his father,” she says and there is almost a fondness in her voice. “I expect the hands on the hips pose is genetic as well.”

Your eyes go wide at that. Matt’s father has never been brought up in depth before - you read the news article about his death in an online archive, and he was almost brushed over when Matt told you about his mother. You assumed, like your own parents, it was a sensitive topic.

“I..didn’t know that,” Matt starts slowly, and you can practically feel the emotion bubbling inside him. Without considering it, you reach across the small gap between your chairs and take his hand, squeezing it. He instantly squeezes back. “I don’t remember him ever doing that.”

“I suspect he tried to not let his frustrations show around you, but it is something I remember clear as day - Jack with his hands on his hips, glaring at the refrigerator because it dared to lose power during a blackout,” Sister Maggie tell him, before she motions to her eyes, “They may not be the same color, but that look is the identical.”

The room goes quiet, save the noise of Minnie scribbling. You keep your hand around Matt’s, trying to communicate you are there for him in his love language. He starts to roll his bottom lip between his teeth, and you wait for him to react before you do.

“You…,” Matt starts after a few more moments, voice almost warbling, “don’t talk about him. You don’t talk about him like that - what he was like.”

“Yes, well, I’ve never had reason to,” Sister Maggie says. She places her hands on the table in front of her, clasping them together, and she looks like she is about to give an interview. “But that has changed, clearly.” She looks from Matt to you, “Matthew said you were looking for family history. I do not have much from Jack’s side, but I can tell you what I do know, and I keep my own meticulous records. I believe reviewing these things, medical and non-medical, together, will…help us heal.”

You look to for his reaction. His mouth is parted, and he looks like he is going through his own emotional rollercoaster. You know how important family is to him and how dear this information must be to him, so you make a decision.

You lace your fingers with his and smile at Sister Maggie and ask, “How did you meet Jack?”

“Ah, yes, now that is a colorful story…”

a/n: maggie is v hard to write

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#soulie writes #fanfiction #daredevil #matt murdock x you #matt murdock x reader

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hailkingphantom · 1 year

Text

Dp x dc

I know that a joke about bruce having adopted millions of kids and how the batkids tease him about it, but what happend if that "joke" have more truth than the batkids are aware of?

Its impossible for bruce to adopt all the orphans, homeless and sick children in the world, but if Bruce could afford the whole watchtower withour affecting his company or fortune why he couldn't afford medicines, houses, schools and others suplies to children thar really need it?

Why cant be Danny one of those children?

Bruce met danny in a undercover mission to investigate the mayor of a small town: Amity Park. At first everything seemed normal, until an unknow figure crashed in the billionare's house. A kid, who couldn't be older than fouteen, had been the one who caused the damage after falling. The kid was bruised and tired, but that didn't him from fly to beat an unknow creature thar appear of nowhere and had started to attack the people around.

That child was a hero of this town.

A child had to step up to do their job, his job.

He have a kid to adopt contact

_____________________________

"Fuck!! Fucking bloody hell !!" Said a men, in front him was a glowing circle wich looked to become brighter and brighter every second

"Constantine! What is this!" Superman asked as he come back after knock of the last of the cultists. The room become colder and the heroes looked more and more concerned.

"The fuckers tried to summon the ghost king!! I tried to stop the summoning but its to late!!" The magician yelled. All the heroes there (WW, Superman, Flash, Nightwing) tensed except Batman. The bats sighed and told "Dont do anything, let him come"

"B what the—!" A thunder and flash of light interrupted him.

Black smoke started to cover the room, any light thar it wasnt feom the circle died. Murmurs and giggles surrounded the only occupants of the room, the shadows grow and sparkles appear.

The terrorific scenary was covered by tiny sparkles that looked like stars, and if you know well, you could see that it were in the same order as the real stars.

A orb of light came out of the summoning circle. Then begin to grow and form a figure, a tiny figure.

Snow white hair and glowing green eyes, a black hazmat suit and a some armor covering it. A cape in his back that reflect the universe with a symbol and a thin black crown, decorated with cold ice beutifuler than any gem they had seen.

Pointed ears perked up and a sharp smile appsr as the King look towards the heroes.

"W̷̜̟̞͔̔̓̍̈́̄̎̀̀̈́̉h̸̛̩̺͇̠̥̰͇̣̝̟̐͆̇͆̈́̆ö̷̠̬̗̬̫͕́͊͆͌̍͒̄͛̚ ̸͇̄̔̉d̶̻̠̼͇̽̾́̓͗̓̚ȃ̷̧͕͍̗̬͍͒̑r̵̲̻̗̎͐͆̽͑ẽ̷͖͔̣̩͈̯̜̹̈́̂͑̕d̸̡̀̇̊̋̌̔͐̀̂͠ ̸̼͍̜͈̖̭̟͑t̸̨̛̙̦̬̜̩͇͕͆̈́̓̄̕ơ̶̮̲͚̾̂̀̐͋̀̔̈͂ ̵̳͙̪͇̭͕̗̒s̶̖͒̀u̵̧̠̪͓̫̳͇̲̰̿̍̽̋̈̐̆̿͘͝m̸̛̩̫̟̱m̷̠̣̭̞͕͒̈́͋̕ő̴͖̘̥̰̞̣̟n̸̢̧͙̲͖̩̠̈́̇̂́͑̈̌̃̀̕ ̸̗̓̋͆t̴͉͈̣̅̒͆͜h̵̯̞͗ē̷̝̒̚͝ ̶̝͛̑̌͊́̎̚͝H̸̢͖̞̟̀ỉ̶̧̥̘̪̱͔́͛͊͋͆͗͌ͅg̶̝̞̿͐̇̉̚̚h̵̯͖̉ ̸̖̄̄K̸̬͕͕̩̘̮͎͕̮̔͒͆͋͐̏͐̚i̷̡̛̳̜̖̔́̐́n̵̺̳̫͆̓͠g̸̨̡͙͖̤͈̯̫̠̫̉̄̐̅́͑̊̇́͌ ̷̛͎̹͚̖̈́̓́̉̇̒̕͘o̵̭̙̦̻̺̳̮̜̗̞̊̐̈́̈́̍̈́̑͒̍f̵̧̣̩͎̟͇̕͜͜ ̵̨̛͖̼̼͙̭̍́͗̋̈́̊͜ṫ̶̥̉͒̽̀̾͗͝ḣ̸̲͎͚͚̟͚̙̒͌̈́͌̈́̚͝͝ͅḙ̶̢̜̱̼̟̩̫̪̽͆̓͊̃̽̅̄͒ ̴̧̙͈̳̘̜͂̊̅̊̃̌ͅḬ̴̪̜̲͔̮̱͑͒̆̚͜n̶̘̦̪̠̭͚̳̜̳͚̾̍̄̑̄̕f̷̪͈̯͚͉̖̦̥͌̐̈́̋͜ỉ̵͉̖͎͙͍̦̦̌͐̐͋̀͌̾͒ṋ̶̮͎͈̜̐̈́ͅị̷͎̳̾͆̾̓̿̿̂t̷͔̮͙͎̅̋̃̊͋̈́̊̚͠͝e̸̯̯̲̗̥̟̲̓̃̂́̏ ̷̖͔̣̯̜̲͇̅̏͝͝Ŗ̷͔̝̯̗̗̣̟̼̩̄e̵̢̘̘͈͙̐̆͜ͅā̵̠̙͍̰͔̠͉̻l̴̤̦̜̝̬̻̦̲͐́́̏̓m̷̛̠̱̥̓̀͌̓͆s̸̲̗͈͖̞̫̩̜̅͊̑̑̌̃̈́?̸̛̛̛͉̤̙͈̣̳̫̱̱̪̍͌͌̀́̇̚"

Constantine was going to talk when the bat interrupted him " Danny"

The king turned his eyes to the dark knight and sunddely all the pression dissapear.

"Bruce!" A cheerful, young voice yelled. It took a moment to the rest of the heroes realize that it came from the same king who talked with that inhuman voice before.

The young kid jump happily in the arms of the dark knight and embrace him.

"B, when did you adopted the Ghost king?!!?" Nightwing screamed hysterically.

The Bat looked at his son a confused, " Danny is one of the kids I support, I thought that you already knew it"

"how I supposed to know—! Wait. ONE OF!!!!?? HOW MANY MORE ARE YOU HIDDEN FROM US!!!??"

"Hidden??"

#danny phantom #dp x dc #ghost king au #bruce wayne #dick grayson #Bruce have many kids #He is a Batdad #Danny loves his dad #Nightwing in freaking out #the batkids are freaking out #how many kids have bruce hidden from them #the batkids are paranoid #Bruce is a rich kid and a hero #he never was told to not waste money #and he is not wasting it #the batkids are the only kids of bruce that dont know he have too many kids around the world

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thepringlesofblood · 4 months

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the vibe im getting from FHJY is that this is the season where they really lean into the high school aspect. that probably sounds bonkers since its called Fantasy High, but like. hear me out.

Freshman year, they come at high school from the "John Hughes" "80s teen movie trope" vibe, which is to say different from the real-world experience of high school.

it works great! operating in that frame of reference makes everything flow really well, and hits all the high-school-related-media notes in a very satisfying way while putting its own spin on it and not getting bogged down by the actual slog that is high school in reality.

there's still a lot of more modern inspo, but it stays in the kinda expectation-suspension-tropey area of how 80s movie high school works.

Sophomore year is spring break! I believe in you! They're not at school! They're on an adventure!

They lean into being a teenager and coming-of-age themes a lot (obvs), but the only big reference point to the institution of high school is that it'll be worth 60% of their grade.

A huge point, to be sure, and the exact kind of objectively unfair but somehow not against the rules shit that happens in high school, but not the main driving force of the season.

arthur aguefort also does a bunch of wack shit but it's more fantasy than it is high school although its a lot of both.

they lean into adventuring as a set career path much more, with the school giving money for hirelings and offering a basic incentive for other students to go, so that's a loose connection to the real-world career counseling high schools have, but again, not the main thing.

VERY Important though: we are now very much in the present. The viral shrimp party, livestreaming Kalina, online banking, the epic of Gorgug building a cell tower? this isn't john hughes 80s town anymore, this is now. (at least in Solace).

Junior year

almost everything in the trailer is about academia

we've got the cool doodles-in-the-margins style art and intro

in the interviews and BTS (so far), the cast have talked a lot about what they were like in high school (not the 80s)

and the precedent that The Seven set where the MacGuffin was getting their GED? It's time.

we're getting into what is actually hell about high school - the institution itself. the arbitrary standards that academia in the US holds, and how it leaves behind, punishes, and fails its students in its extremely important role of preparing them for life as an adult.

i could talk about this all day, but personally for me the quote from the trailer that shot me back to my junior year of high school was "You have perfect grades, and it still might not be enough for you to graduate"

riz's arc this season is shaping up to punch me in the academia trauma and personally i can't wait for the catharsis

Brennan has shown time and time again that he Gets and wants to tell stories about the ways in which the US education system affects, hurts, shapes, traumatizes, changes people, and how they survive and recover from it and make their own lives. I for one am so so ready to see that reflected with the bad kids.

#original post #fhjy #fantasy high #fhsy #d20 #dimension 20 #dropout #brennan lee mulligan #look i just have a lot of feelings #and opinions about how people just accept that high school is hell and don't ask why? who benefits?#tbh evan kelmp being like 'this is tracking' is what made me first notice that like #brennan Knows what he's talking about and wants to talk about it #the seven really dove deep into it and I fuckin loved it

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eamour · 7 days

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the bridge of events.

something that most of us eventually do or have done is try to "fix" a certain situation in our physical worlds. we have encountered something very unlikable and therefore want to "un-manifest" it by thinking of a way to do so. however, that's not your job. moreover, that's not your GOAL.

definition.

the "bridge of events" refers to the lined up situations you will have to experience or go through in order to reach the physical fulfillment of your desire. it's an unpredictable process that describes how, when and where you will receive your desire in the outer world, basically the "bridge" that's between your current and your desired reality.

disregard the bridge.

can you decide the way in which your heart's desires are going to come to fruition? most definitely, you can. but you don't have to. see, you don't have to come up with a detailed solution on how an unfavourable situation is going to change to a favourable one. you don't have to mess around with logical possibilities and realistic outcomes. actually, you don't even need to be bothered by it. you do not need to worry at all.

concentrate on the destination.

you only need to be concerned about WHAT you want, nothing and no one else. you need to focus on what's at the end of the line and fixate your mind on it. nail your thoughts on the version of yourself who HAS and IS what you wish to have or be already, and don't care about the obstacles in your reality. don't "reason" your way into obtaining your desire. go to the end and make sure to stay in alignment with that version of yours. dwell on that version. be it, be the end, not the bridge. do not wait or wonder. enjoy your desire. experience it in the mind. within an infinite range of realities, your desired one already EXISTS!

renounce all circumstances.

if you witness something that brings you off track or just generally throws you off your path, what are you going to do?

exactly, you are going to dismiss it. it's entirely up to you if you use a different term to deal with the outer world — such as ignore, renounce, abandon, neglect, reject, refuse — as long as you do not accept it as true.

whatever happens physically is none of your concern, none of your interest and not worth your time, energy and attention. do not let it get in your way. do not let it affect or influence your new, freshly established assumptions. because the undesirable reality that's currently being displayed isn't the reality you want to begin with. the reality you are manifesting ISN'T the one you are experiencing right now! it has nothing to do with you. you are not obligated to accept or associate yourself with it. it holds no truthfulness, no rightness, no correctness and definitely no realness. and remember: it does not serve as a form of validation either!

do not interfere with the physical. do not intervene. do not take action. withhold from any acts that do not take place in the mind. leave the world as it is, as the old reality doesn't reflect your new one anymore.

consequently, feel the way you would feel and then let go of it. you want to distance yourself from the story that's no longer yours. you no longer identify with that version of self anymore.

"the display of the old story and its circumstances isn't an invitation to return back to it."

persist in imagination.

let it come to pass. let it unfold in your reality. simply persist in your newly chosen reality. select your desired reality every day and don't stop. accept it as true, as correct and as real. your imagination is your confirmation. your imaginative acts are your source of validation. so have faith and trust yourself.

the thing is, if you continuously persist in your desired outcome, you are going to walk the bridge one way or another. your desire is going to announce itself and you will acknowledge it — there is no way around it! it WILL show up, and you WILL notice it. you HAVE to. that's the law!

with love, ella.

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vibingvoices · 1 month

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A speech made at the Academy Awards by Jonathan Glazer, along with the subsequent reactions, sheds light on how people tend to distort others' words to portray themselves as victims and, more concerning, their willingness to reside in a dystopian bubble as long as it doesn't affect them directly.

Rather than idolising Hollywood, I've previously posted about the complexities of my evolving parasocial relationships. But to disregard the influence wielded by these elites would be naive. It's frustrating to witness those in power facing backlash when they attempt to bring attention to pertinent issues.

While the Oscars' prominence in Western pop culture is waning, the ceremony and the fervour surrounding the nominees and winners, especially in the major acting categories, still hold significant sway in film culture and the broader world.

So when such a speech is delivered at the Oscars, it's bound to garner attention:

All our choices were made to reflect and confront us in the present — not to say, “Look what they did then,” rather, “Look what we do now.” Our film shows where dehumanization leads, at its worst. It shaped all of our past and present. Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation, which has led to conflict for so many innocent people. Whether the victims of October the — [Applause.] Whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist? [Applause.] Aleksandra Bystroń-Kołodziejczyk, the girl who glows in the film, as she did in life, chose to. I dedicate this to her memory and her resistance. Thank you.

Glazer highlighted in his speech that victims of the ongoing situation and the last 75 years, whether Palestinian and Israeli, all stem from the occupation and are casualties of entrenched ideologies like Zionism. But when he said this on stage and was immediately misquoted online on social media and by reputable news sources, alleging that he simply renounced his Jewish identity.

He also faced considerable backlash from those indicating a persistent conflation of anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. It really parallels previous speeches of resistance at the Oscars. Boos rang loud and clear during Michael Moore's opposition to the Iraq war (which we know was a colossal failure by Geroge Bush and the US Government who perpetuated and pardoned multiple war crimes in the region after lying to their own people about evidence of weapons of mass destruction).

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There was also Sacheen Littlefeather's advocacy for Native American representation and the direct of attention to the Wounded Knee Occupation, a speech that had bodyguards having to restrain people from getting on the stage and attacking her.

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And, of course, Vanessa Redgrave's aim at “a small bunch of Zionist hoodlums whose behaviour is an insult to the stature of Jews all over the world and to their great and heroic record of struggle against fascism and oppression”, which still feels relevant today.

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Turning to Glazer's film, I am baffled at those who vehemently objected to it: Did they actually watch it? Because if they had any negative feelings towards Glazer's speech, especially after watching his film, it suggests, to me, a deficiency in critical thinking.

Glazer's film portrays a chilling atmosphere where genocide becomes normalised, echoing real-world situations like the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The film serves as a stark reminder of humanity's ability to coexist with atrocities, often turning a blind eye for the sake of comfort.

The horrors adjacent to the characters' lives evoke contemporary parallels, particularly in regions like Gaza. With over five months of relentless violence, Israel's defiance of international court orders, and Western governments passively reprimanding while fueling the conflict with arms shipments, the spectre of genocide looms ominously. It risks becoming a mundane backdrop to daily existence. It is a stark portrayal of how affluent lifestyles can be linked to neighbouring atrocities, challenging the notion of denial and complicity.

The film doesn't centre around the Holocaust (Glazer's own words), with its specific historical context. Instead, it delves into a more universal theme: humanity's ability to coexist with atrocities and even derive some form of reconciliation or gain from them. The discomforting reflections are on purpose. It prompts us to acknowledge that the threat of annihilation of any people is always closer than we might imagine.

One of the most poignant moments in the film occurs when a package filled with clothing and lingerie pilfered from the prisoners of the camp arrives at the Höss household. The commandant's wife decides that everyone, including the servants, can select one item. She claims a coat for herself and trys on makeup discovered in one of its pockets.

How can the people who are so staunch against Glazer not draw parallels with Israeli soldiers who have recorded themselves rummaging through the lingerie of Palestinian women and slut shaming them? (Why are Israeli soldiers obsessed with Gaza women's underwear?) Or proudly displaying stolen shoes and jewellery for their partners back home (Israeli soldier loots Palestinian homes for his engagement party). Or celebrating International Women's Day with a photo of women soldiers posing for selfies against the backdrop of destruction (How an AP photographer made this image of Israeli soldiers taking a selfie at the Gaza border).

The film is rife with these parallels that it feels like a documentary. It is a grim reality: the potential emergence of the first live-streamed genocide, captured by its very architects.

Gaza doesn't mirror the systematic mass murder machinery of Auschwitz, nor does it approach the scale of Nazi atrocities. However, the entire purpose behind establishing the postwar framework of international humanitarian law was to equip us with the means to collectively recognise practices before history repeats itself on a large scale. And disturbingly, some of these practices – such as the construction of walls, creation of ghettos, mass killings, openly stated intentions of elimination, widespread starvation, plundering, gleeful dehumanisation, and deliberate humiliation – are recurring. And have been long before October 7th.

How do we disrupt the cycle of trivialisation and normalisation? What actions can we take? There are persistent protests and acts of civil disobedience to "uncommitted" votes, disrupting events, organising aid convoys, fundraising for refugees, and creating radical works of art.

And as genocide fades further into the background of our culture, some people grow too desperate for any of these efforts. I am certainly one of them.

Yet, these efforts seem insufficient, particularly when those in positions of power remain indifferent. It's insufficient when I watch a video of a little girl saying that the violence has made her feel less beautiful before she talks about her father being kidnapped by Israeli soldiers or of the orphans visiting their mother's burial spot in the street. It is insufficient when the death toll rises to exceed the daily death toll of any other major conflict of the 21st century.

Perhaps it's unfair of me to prioritise one tragedy over another, given the multitude of suffering in the world – the ones that are in the news cycle and the ones that are not. Yet, my connection to Palestine and its plight feels as personal as it can be without me actually being Palestinian, fostered from childhood teachings and further enriched through my own research. I have loved ones directly impacted by this conflict: friends in the diaspora grappling with survivor's guilt, friends in the West Bank enduring the daily hardships of occupation. And my friends in Gaza are all either dead, dying or being pushed straight into the arms of death.

The realisation that my efforts to help them are insufficient fills me with frustration. I'm angered by the indifference of those in power and by the hostility encountered by those attempting to bring the truth to the forefront.

#palestine #free palestine #gaza #anti zionisim #academy awards #oscars #jonathan glazer #the zone of interest #geopolitics #politics #i hate doing tags #Youtube

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astroa3h · 3 months

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venus through the houses (positive traits) 🦢

Let's talk the positive side of Venus through the houses. Venus is your cosmic bestie dictating your love life, cash flow, and what makes you tick aesthetically. She's all about the allure, the glam, and the heart-flutters in relationships. Where Venus lands in your chart is like your personal love and beauty filter, shaping how you flirt, treat yo' self, and chase what you value. She's the vibe for your romantic escapades and your secret weapon for charm and attraction.

✨Venus in Your 1st House✨

When Venus graces your 1st house, you radiate charm and attractiveness. You're the person who catches eyes the moment you walk into a room. Even if you don't notice. Your vibe? Irresistibly magnetic. You care deeply about your appearance, not for vanity, but as a form of self-expression, making you a walking piece of art.

✨Venus in Your 2nd House✨

With Venus in your 2nd house, you find joy in the material world. Luxury to you isn't just about splurging—it's about surrounding yourself with things that have real beauty and value. You have this knack for making everything around you lovely and comfortable, creating a personal oasis that reflects what you value most.

✨Venus in Your 3rd House✨

Venus in your 3rd house makes you a master of words. Whether it's a heartfelt note or a witty text, you have a way of connecting that's utterly enchanting. Ideas and conversations aren't just exchanges of thoughts for you; they're opportunities to bond and share the beauty you find in the world.

✨Venus in Your 4th House✨

In your 4th house, Venus creates a sanctuary of love. Your home? The warmest, most inviting place on earth. You have this incredible ability to make everyone who enters feel cherished. Harmony in your personal space is not just a wish; it's a must, and you pour your heart into making it a reality.

✨Venus in Your 5th House✨

With Venus playing in your 5th house, life is your canvas. Romance, creativity, fun—you approach all of it with a heart full of joy. Your love stories are the ones people dream about, filled with grand gestures and heartfelt creations that showcase your unique way of expressing affection. Not to mention, you're a huge flirt, in the best way.

✨Venus in Your 6th House✨

In your 6th house, Venus finds beauty in the routine. A perfectly brewed morning coffee, a workspace that’s both functional and beautiful, the satisfaction of a well-done task—these are your love languages. Acts of service are your go-to, showing love through the meticulous care you put into the everyday.

✨Venus in Your 7th House✨

Venus in your 7th house is all about partnership. You shine brightest in a duo, thriving in relationships that are built on harmony, fairness, and mutual respect. For you, love is about creating balance and understanding, making every partnership an opportunity to grow closer and stronger. You may have been a twin in a past life.

✨Venus in Your 8th House✨

When Venus delves into your 8th house, love goes deep. You're drawn to relationships that transform you, craving emotional intimacy that breaks barriers. Your approach to shared resources and values is equally profound, finding beauty in the trust and closeness that comes from true partnership.

✨Venus in Your 9th House✨

With Venus in your 9th house, love is an adventure. You're drawn to different cultures and philosophies, finding beauty in diversity. Your open-hearted curiosity leads you to form connections that broaden your horizons, teaching you that love, in its many forms, is a journey of continuous learning.

✨Venus in Your 10th House✨

In your 10th house, Venus elevates your public image. Your career or social standing benefits from your innate charm and aesthetic sense. You understand the power of appearance and relationships in achieving success, using your grace and diplomacy to navigate the professional world.

✨Venus in Your 11th House✨

Venus in your 11th house dreams of a better world. Your friendships and community involvement are guided by shared ideals and hopes. You believe in the beauty of collective dreams and the power of working together to create a more beautiful, harmonious world.

✨Venus in Your 12th House✨

In your 12th house, Venus speaks softly of hidden love. You find beauty in solitude, in the acts of kindness that go unnoticed, and in a compassion that knows no bounds. Your understanding of love is deep and spiritual, connecting you to the universal in profound, often private ways.

xox astro ash 💖

Get your own astrology reading @ astroash.net

TikTok - astroa3h

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austinsastrology8991 · 10 months

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> Saturn ASPECTS < and why you ain't getting the respect you deserve Saturn puts you in shitty cycles/ patterns to make you; by breaking you > and when you inevitably return to these struggles, you'll realise you've mastered his circuits

yes i had break, im back now. so get over it.

Saturn aspecting Sun - loosen up. but everytime you do, something else fucks up. so now your the most rigid person. its hard to have a good time with yall, because you take things so seriously, but damn do you exceed when shit needs to be taken seriously - because your so careful in your movements 🚶‍♂️. they tend to have a habit of stating the obvious then smirking about it, which is so confusing because like we all knew that, but why you acting like you did something? this type of shit is why people struggle to chill around you, but ill ask for your advice about real shit because your obsessed with being an authority and like thats the only way to approach you guys without getting iced by you Saturn aspecting Moon - Stop crying. oh wait i meant to say; start crying. jesus you got some fucked up villainous back story but your stone walling everyone because it hurts too much to even open up to anyone. because i mean whats the point? if everyone is just going to tell you "its going to be okay" when you never feel okay. feels bad man, and you know better than most how bad feels.. man.. so i guess saturn wants you to accept how cruel the world is, and how that affects everyone, so you are more prepared for bad circumstances then most. hardly a positive spin, ik.. but its to prepare you for your future. and you have no idea why you must go through so much pain - but there is a reason, and it will become clear later, so better utilize that energy to your benefit; because its just another one of saturns bitch cycles

Saturn aspecting Mercury - when you speak, people try there best to one up you, but your a master at it by now > passive aggressive, or authoritative - who gives a fuck if you belittle the other person, because i mean if your right, then you right. so better off writing it into reality, rather than watch everyone clown around with the wrong answers. but speaking ths way to others, really does make it hard to talk to you, even if you right, your just a fkn asshole. so honestyl. stop trying to figure out the right answer, and think about whats the right thing to say. stop pretending to be an authoritative speaker if no one even wanna listen to you, and start owning what you say more. Saturn aspecting Venus - joecly flores on repeat. okay i get it. you dont believe in love, because you see it how it is. well. its not actually how it is. youve ruined all your chances of anyone ever gonna love you because you think being all cold and mysterious is attractive (and it can be) but i mean who tf wanna love someone like that. its like riding a bike uphill. i mean i dont wanna do that. like these people are always attractive, but their attitude is so hard to ignore, its like trynna make a spider smile. thats why people reject you more than anythng else. and Ik that your just trying to find the real ones, but guess what, everyone that ever talked to you/ flirted with you, liked you.... oh thats too shallow or optimistic? my bad Saturn aspecting Mars - I never do anythng right ;(((((( well you actually do a lot right, but your always doing too much. your so obssessed with perfection and being a high achever that you've forgotten everything you've achieved becayse your so focused on the next one. if you just reflected on how much you work; in comparison to most, youd realize you are big achiever, and you dont understand reality as well as you think. well okay you do undersatnd reality extremely well (because you try so damn hard lol) but you've lost your sense of self because you still dont think your worth it till you achieve the next thing- hence the cycle of working yo ass off - but hey you'll achieve a lot, you just need to perfect your perfectionistic tendencies -then youll finally be perfect! (get it) Saturn aspecting Jupiter - i think this aspect is one of the coldest. because these people try so hard, but get no where for the majority of their life. till they change perspectives and realize if they try harded else where, they'd get launched into success. i mean the amount of people who are successful - and i mean hugely successful > have this aspect - and everytime it was due to massive luck. however only they could grasp the 'lucky' opportunity, and that initself makes their achievements so much cooler than others. remember its jupiter, so all your 'hardships' inevitably become your greatest 'luck'. the white guy from 'sean of the dead' has this, and look at how much he impacted movies in general... jus saying mad props to that guy and to yall

Saturn aspecting Uranus - okay these guys are outcasted from society hard, due to some bullshit, but when they get recasted back into civilization they become someone who can change society at large- but its gonna take so much work... their perspective has been molded differently to most because they've been alone for so long. they have strange ideas that somehow work into tangible assets. perfect example : eminem - i mean hes basically best case scenario with this aspect, but hey why not try for best case scenario? but then again he made that hamster song... so i mean not always best case scenario... THats the price of neglect you could say lmao. Saturn aspecting Neptune - your imagination is your greatest challenge but also the key to your ultimate glory. like Michael Jordan had this aspect and well he was hella delusional. until he wasnt.... but its hard to say how much this benefited him... because both stages of his life - pre glory - and; glory - he was heavily isolated from everyone, and (likely) suffered in seclusion, by placing so much importance on his dreams. saturn wants you to master the 'spiritual world' i.e. imagination and dreams, and this causes anxiety that their dreams will just be dreams. which is what makes them put so much effort into it becoming real... then they realize the price of it all when its too late. so just make sure your aware of what your manifesting because if anyone can make it, its you. (achieving ur dreams) Saturn aspecting Pluto - how powerless do you feel. you do realize people can see how thirsty you are for respect/power, because they can sense your insecurity from past exepriences, and thats why your easy to play with. but do not worry. you will attain true power with enough effort. not just a bullshit image of power. because you've been pushed into the most vile trials to have ever have existed, and its only so that when you become someone powerful, you utilize your power properly, and do not step on others, because you know damn well how much it hurts to be stepped on. so your power is > saturn. your trials are so intense, and you're basically broken, but things that are broken know how to cut others (like broken glass). and well saturn wants you to master this > pluto > the darkness. and it makes reaching the top so much more palpable, because you'd feel like you earnt it. but you can make others insecure about what youve overcame so you better be humble, or saturn will fuck you. no honour among thieves, and we know you experienced that, but the kings play different, and you gotta adapt or saturn will flatten you.

#astrology #astrology blog #astro community #astrology observations #astrology notes #astrology placements #astrology aspects #saturn aspects #astro observations

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hisui-dreamer · 5 months

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tell me you love me

Pairing: Jade Leech x f!reader

Synopsis: how could you even know if the person he fell in love with was real or not?

Tags: villainess au, angsty, hurt with comfort, still fluffy, semi identity crisis, jade leech is a supportive partner

Word count: 1k+

Notes: this is a side story for the Jade's Villainess fic! takes place around a month(?) after that ending hehe

i guess november depression got to me a bit hehe

Masterlist

The moon delicately draped its silver glow over the balcony, a celestial shawl woven with threads of ethereal light. You stood within its radiant caress, the cool night air wrapping around you like a silken cloak, the chill permeating your senses a gentle, haunting melody.

It was another evening of familial gatherings, wearing plastered smiles and establishing business connections. It's surprising to think the person you were merely a year ago, was one who would have recoiled at the very notion of delving into the world of business. But now, you stood as one of the most accomplished businesswomen in the country, engaged to a rising merchant family with seemingly seemed boundless.

As you gazed into the night, a lingering question echoed in the recesses of your mind, praying to be answered. When had you changed so much? It was more than just seeing the villainess in your reflection, it was the way you spoke like her, thought like her. When did you become someone unrecognizable to even yourself? Was the current version still authentically you, or had the charade of playing the villainess gone on for so long that your true identity had become a distant memory?

The engagement had brought a semblance of stability to your tumultuous life. Yet, amidst the success, a newfound apprehension clung to the edges of your heart. Undoubtedly, your love for Jade was true, embracing his flaws and strengths alike, but could the same be said for him? Did Jade love the real you, whoever that may be now, or had he been captivated by the persona you meticulously crafted to survive?

The stillness of the night shattered with the familiar cadence of footsteps, announcing the arrival of your fiancé by your side.

"You've been outside for quite a while, my love. I'm concerned you might catch a cold in the chill of the night," he says, genuine worry etched across his face.

A rueful smile plays on your lips at his concern, trying to ignore the inkling that this concern wasn't meant for you.

"It's alright, Jade. I'm accustomed to the cold," you reply, weaving a white lie in hopes of alleviating his concerns enough to avoid a confrontation.

"Even so," he starts, removing his jacket to drape it over your shoulders. The lingering warmth sends a slight shiver down your spine. "I can't help but worry about your well-being, my dear." He studies your complexion, his brows are furrowed, and concern is etched in every line of his face.

"Is something troubling you, my love?"

You blink.

Of course, he noticed, of course, you couldn't hide your feelings from him. The man before you could read people like they were books, a master of perception and intelligence. Of course, he was the man who had your entire heart.

"It's nothi-"

"It's not nothing if it affects you so,"

Damn him for having such a way with his words.

You hesitate, averting your gaze to the side, unsure of how to voice the turmoil within.

"Jade... why do you love me?"

"I-I'm sorry?"

"What made you fall in love with me?"

The confusion in his gaze melts into a silent determination as he considers your question, his eyes searching yours for a moment before a tender smile graced his lips. Taking a step closer, his hand delicately cups your cheek, the warmth of his touch a comforting contrast to the cool night.

"I admit, was intrigued by your boldness in our first meeting, but it's more to it that captured my heart."

He brushes a strand of hair from your face, his fingers lingering on your skin. "I fell in love with you, who always gives her best in every endeavour, no matter how challenging."

His lips brush against your forehead, a soft affirmation of his affection. "I fell for you, who worked tirelessly to become the person you are, always eager to learn more about the world."

A tender kiss graces your cheek as he continues, "I fell for you—who, despite appearing confident, is secretly nervous and jittery before every business deal, yet strives relentlessly to achieve the best possible outcome."

His words hang in the night air, and with each declaration, a gentle touch accompanied the sentiment, as if sealing the truth with an intimate promise. "And, above all, I fell for the person who chose me. You, my love, who could endure my twisted personality and embrace all that I am."

His lips meet yours in a lingering kiss. Each brush is soft and tentative, conveying an unspoken promise of support and understanding.

As he withdraws, gently resting his forehead against yours, you find yourself succumbing to tears within the comfort of his embrace. Overwhelmed, yet profoundly grateful, you cherish the presence of this steadfast companion by your side.

"Oh dear," he grins, a crooked smile adorning his face as he wipes your tears away. "Perhaps you don't appreciate my feelings?"

You punch him lightly in the chest for his teasing, a chuckle escaping your lips, "You're awful."

"Hmm," he hums, enfolding you in a tight embrace, his hands gently tracing soothing circles on your back. "Indeed, what an awful fiancé I am, to make my beloved so distressed. I do hope she finds it in her heart to forgive me, she holds my whole heart, no, my entire being, you see,"

With your tears still lingering, you murmur softly, "Of course I forgive you,"

The future remains uncertain, and you are still grappling with questions about who you've become. But in the moment, nestled in the warmth of his arms, one thing shines with clarity amidst the ambiguity.

You love Jade, and he reciprocates that love wholeheartedly. In tall your uncertainty, this unwavering emotion is an anchor that gives you strength, a truth that nothing could ever alter.

Masterlist

if you liked this post, don't forget to reblog!

#twstnexus #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland jade #twisted wonderland jade leech #jade leech #jade leech x reader

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txttletale · 1 year

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Not a worm reader, but I am curious in which ways it understands trauma better than most media?

the core premise of worm is that it's set in a world where superpowers come from trauma--and they're also pretty explicitly deployed as a metaphor for that trauma. and this means that all the cape genre stuff also gets deployed around trauma--when every character builds up a persona and aesthetic and presentation around their power, they're also building themselves up around their trauma. trauma is a very life-defining thing that you have to build or rebuild yourself up around--it feels like this enormous, all-powerful force that affects everything you do. and turning trauma into literal superpowers takes that totalizing emotional experience and expresses it in a really visceral and powerful way.

every major character in worm, protagonist or antagonist, is explicitly a trauma survivor. and they're really written like that. some of them are nasty and violent, some of them are hypervigilant, some of them have control issues--but the fact that it's a whole cast of survivors allows for a really nuanced and genuine light to be shed on how trauma can affect people without either coming across as demonizing or something made under the pressure of being Good Representation. every character has coping methods, most of them bad, most of them represented again in some outsized character-defining way by their power--which is the way it feels to have coping mechanisms, it feels like you have to go around playing your Copingsona all the time, it feels like you start to feel the line blur between coping mechanisms and your 'real self' (worm plays into this a lot, it's deeply thematically concerned with identity)

and worm is often deconstructing capeshit, that's another of its primary concerns, but it also uses this to talk about trauma too. one of the central points of worm that gets hammered home again and again is that like, superheroism/supervillainy is a coping mechanism. it's not healthy to put on a costume and go outside and shoot lasers at other human beings. it's retraumatizing for everyone involved and leads mostly to downward spirals and escalation and disasters. and superheroism/villainy-as-an-unhealthy-coping mechanism is a very very compelling and interesting exploration of that in a way that most capeshit deconstruction just isn't. because again, right, it reflects these huge magnified feelings of self-blame or self-villainization or black-and-white thinking that trauma survivors often fall into. like the superhero neurotically trying to do 'good' when they cannot negotiate for themselves what 'good' is or the villain who feels rejected and ostracized by society while their attempts to reach out only ever make things worse--those are very compelling character types for exploring the theme of trauma.

so. yeah. worm, for all its flaws, is a masterclass in character work and in actually using a genre and its deconstruction for something. it tears down the superhero genre and rebuilds it as a vehicle to talk about how trauma affects people and the ways they try to cope with it and it does it really well.

#ask #worm

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rottenpumpkin13 · 1 month

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Queen’s Blood And How Its Lore Reflects/Possibly Affects The Plot

Warning: This contains spoilers for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

“My name is Lidrehl Balmon…and I am the creator of the game Queen’s Blood. Which means that…this nightmare is of my own making. I didn’t know. How could I? You hear her too? Time’s running out. She’s made me her prisoner. Her accursed card my shackle. The end is nigh. Or perhaps…this is only the beginning. The Shadowblood Queen is…”

• After Cloud experiences this strange vision, the NPC who he was playing against accounts how skilled players have been experiencing visions lately. To quote: “Visions in which one is visited by the ghost of the game’s creator, who speaks of portentous events. To add another wrinkle…some of the world’s very best have recently met with unnaturally violent deaths. People are calling this the Curse of Lidrehl.”

• Another strange recount from an NPC:

“After he started selling cards, he spoke of hearing a strange voice. He then withdrew from the public eye and became a recluse. No one saw him until after his death. There’s no shortage of people who’ve had their lives turned upside down by the cards. Just goes to show what a deep and captivating game it is.”

• According to Lidrehl Balmon himself, the lore behind Queen’s Blood is as follows:

“Once, there lived a queen of peerless beauty and compassion. She loved her people, and they in turn loved her. But one day, a change came over the queen. In the blink of an eye, her love turned to hate—her compassion to cruelty. Fair and beauteous though she remained, her heart became black as pitch. Conquest was now her cause, her subjects mere fodder to feed her boundless ambition. And so her kingdom grew as her people perished.

Until, that is, a ray of hope appeared—a sorceress who would be their salvation. The Emerald Witch they called her. And with her arcane powers, she led the people in rebellion, captured the queen, and put her to death. Yet from the tyrant’s body spilled blood as dark as shadow. And from this wicked ichor, the myriad fiends of the world were born.

And that... is the story of the Shadowblood Queen. Some call it a parable. A myth. A fairy tale. And I wish it were! But she is as real as you and I! And she is coming. Her resurrection is nigh. You know what must be done. She cannot be allowed to return. She must not reclaim her throne! I pray you will succeed…where I so miserably failed. You are our last hope…Cloud.”

• It’s easy to dismiss this as a story to give the card game depth, but according to Lidrehl, who’s been essentially cursed because of QB, this story is very real to the game’s world and he feels major guilt over what he’s created, blaming himself for bringing about this curse to the world.

• We later find out that this curse is very real and it turns out that Regina the QB champion has actually been possessed by the Shadowblood Queen card, but we’ll get to that later.

• When you look at the lore you can interpret it in two ways to fit both the alleged “affecting the real world” —their world, what’s happening in the game’s world—and VII’s plot.

We’ll look at the first interpretation: That the Story of the battle between the Shadowblood Queen and the Emerald Witch is referencing Jenova vs. The Cetra.

“Once, there lived a queen of peerless beauty and compassion. She loved her people, and in turn they loved her. But one day, a change came over the queen. In the blink of an eye, her love turned to hate—her compassion to cruelty. Fair and beauteous though she remained, her heart became black as pitch. Conquest was now her cause, her subjects mere fodder to feed her boundless ambition. And so her kingdom grew as her subjects perished.”

We can discern that the Shadowblood Queen was the unnamed Cetra girl who Jenova took as a host. Not to say that this character was a high-ranking person, but definitely someone who was loved and led a normal life until Jenova took over her body and began her “conquest” so to speak.

“Until that is, a ray of hope appeared—a sorceress who would be their salvation. The Emerald Witch they called her. And with her arcane powers, she led the people into rebellion, captured the queen, and put her to death.”

The Emerald Witch here would be The Cetra as a whole who sealed Jenova in the crater. There’s also a possibility that The Shadowblood Queen/The Emerald Witch could be The Planet/Jenova, but since The Cetra were the ones to defeat Jenova and The Panet’s weapons weren’t used then, we’re gonna go with The Cetra.

“Yet from the tyrant’s body spilled blood as dark as shadow. And from this wicked ichor, the myriad fiends of the world were born.”

This is likely talking about The Jenova Project that gave birth to the “fiends of the world” meaning Sephiroth (and Angeal and Genesis) which is how Jenova later comes back to nuke the planet again.

The second interpretation is that the Shadowblood Queen and The Emerald Witch are parallels to Sephiroth and Cloud.

“Once, there lived a queen of peerless beauty and compassion. She loved her people, and in turn they loved her. But one day, a change came over the queen. In a blink of an eye, her love turned to hate—her compassion to cruelty.”

This is talking about Sephiroth, who went from hero to villain, good to evil, compassion to cruelty, after the events of Nibelheim.

“Fair and beauteous though she remained, her heart became black as pitch. Conquest was now her cause, her subjects mere fodder to feed her boundless ambition. And so her kingdom grew as her subjects perished.”

This alludes to Sephiroth’s goals, to become a god, the reunion of worlds and the multiverse mindfuck he’s cooking now in the trilogy.

The Emerald Witch in this case is Cloud/ Cloud + the rest of the gang.

“Yet from the tyrant’s body spilled blood as dark as shadow. And from this wicked ichor, the myriad fiends of the world were born.”

Since the trilogy is leading to the events of Advent Children, this could be talking about the remnants and geostigma, basically other ways Jenova manifests as a pain in the ass.

• And NOW let’s talk about the part where Cloud defeats the actual Shadowblood Queen because I think that’s all but a confirmation that Queen’s Blood mirrors real life.

Lidrehl: “Through the card, she feeds on the wielder’s life force, claiming their strength, that she may one day be reborn. Countless players have succumbed to this vile curse. And now one more death is all she requires to return. Cloud…find the sorceress. She who rallied the people, she who deposed the queen—The Emerald Witch. Her card sleeps in Nibelheim, with a monster of chaos.”

• When Cloud meets a weakened Regina [the Queen’s Blood champion] again, it’s revealed that the cards really do possess the players, and that Regina is possessed by none other than the Shadowblood Queen herself who’s been sealed in the card. Regina alleges that the card’s been speaking to her and urging her to give herself to it [the card].

• While she explains this to Cloud, The Shadowblood Queen takes over Regina’s body, and her dialogue reeks of Jenova:

“I remember well this land, for it was once mine. Until that witch rallied the unwashed and put me to the sword. Well, little puppet. What do you say? A match against your queen. For you, human, have a blood debt to pay in full.”

• After Cloud defeats her in a QB match, the Emerald Witch card in Cloud’s possession flies at and stabs The Shadowblood Queen. And then The Queen almost manages to defeat Cloud and uses some more Jenova/Sephiroth-coded dialogue— “Be still, little puppet. You belong to me now!” (seriously, what is it with people trying to possess Cloud??)

• But then Vincent shows up to help and they manage to seal the queen back in the card, setting Regina free.

• I can’t help but notice how similar Regina being possessed by the card is to Cloud being controlled by Sephiroth—I mean even the queen called him a puppet. This could be another tiny hint at how the Queen’s Blood story and the story happening in the game’s plot are either connected—albeit in a smaller, subplot scale—or Lidrehl Balmon was right on the mark when he alluded to the game reflecting real life.

This isn’t a theory so much as it’s another really cool detail about Rebirth that I hope more people talk about. The use of Queen’s Blood as a parallel to Sephiroth/Cloud (and/Or Jenova/ The Cetra) is interesting since we see Cloud defeat the real Shadowblood Queen, which means Sephiroth is going to have his ass handed to him in part three lmao.

#final fantasy vii #final fantasy 7 #ff7 #ffvii #ffvii rebirth #final fantasy vii rebirth #rebirth spoilers #cloud strife #sephiroth #discussion

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sparklingself · 2 years

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐓

mental diet - consciously controlling your thoughts to be aligned with your desired state

why is it important to keep a mental diet?

now, thoughts on their own have no power. it’s the feeling that counts. thoughts often come with feeling and that’s why keeping your thoughts in check is important.

what kind of thoughts have power and which don’t?

the only thoughts that have power are the ones which bring FEELING with them. therefore intrusive thoughts have no power because they don’t actually align with you and aren’t a representation of who you are (by intrusive thoughts i mean thoughts that suddenly pop up which are unwanted, eg hurting yourself or somebody else). thoughts that are actually pondered upon, that reflect your beliefs* are the ones that matter. these thoughts can for example be “i look so ugly.” - that is what you believe (FEEL!) about yourself and that thought is going to be expressed into the outer-world. of course those kind of thoughts hold no power when they aren’t entertained regularly. once unwanted thoughts become entertained and you start pondering on them, they turn dangerous.

*belief as in FEELING. beliefs are merely feelings.

why do some thoughts have power?

because consciousness is the only reality. your imagination is REAL. what you hold to be true will be expressed in the outer-world.

Men call imagination a plaything, the "dream faculty." But actually it is the very gateway of reality. - Neville Goddard

how to keep a mental diet:

ask yourself: “are my thoughts aligned with my aim?”

The two who must agree are your inner conversation and the state desired. That is, what you desire to see and hear without, you must see and hear within. - Neville Goddard

know that every unlovely thought, anxiety, fear, envy, is created by you. every situation that ignites those unlovely thoughts are created by you, as you are the creator of your reality. when you experience fear or any other emotion you do not wish to feel, tell yourself that it doesn’t matter, as it is your creation and you can uncreate it. never blame yourself for thinking or feeling things you don’t wish to feel, only resolve. when you hear something you don’t like, imagine that you heard something lovely instead. feel it inside you that it is real, because it indeed is.

i think it is also important to not ignore those thoughts that aren’t aligned, because they may pop up again. instead of bottling unwanted thoughts and emotions, remind yourself that you created them. remind yourself that they have no power and remind yourself that you are safe in your mind to feel what you want. you don’t need anyone’s permission to feel bliss.

what i recommend you do is you meditate on your desired feeling every day. this can only be for a minute, but doing this consistently certainly helps you maintain the thoughts and feelings you want to experience.

The transformation of self requires that we meditate on a given phrase, a phrase which implies that our ideal is realized, and inwardly affirm it over and over and over again until we are inwardly affected by its implication, until we are possessed by it. Hold fast to your noble inner convictions or "conversations.” - Neville Goddard

a mental diet is also analogous with a food diet. everyone needs food just as everyone needs to think thoughts.

The question is, if our thoughts can be seen as food, are you eating the finest food and drinking the highest quality of wines? Or are you settling for food that taste okay, however not necessarily special. Or even worse are you eating foods that can be poisonous? Are your thoughts made with the finest finest ingredients? You can think of the meal as the State and the ingredients are the thoughts that come from the State. - Edward Art

#loa #loassumption #law of assumption #neville goddard #mental diet #self concept #living in the end #affirm and persist #law of attraction #manifestation #manifesting #law of abundance #law of manifestation #manifest #edward art #spirituality #void state #meditation

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queenofcoquette · 9 months

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emotional regulation

introduction:

i think a big problem we all go through is not knowing how to properly regulate how we’re feeling. in the world we see this when customers raise their voices and yell at people doing their job, relationships that have meaningless screaming matches that lead to nothing good. overall, just people losing their temper and making their bad feelings someone elses problem.

this has definitely been a huge problem of mine. being rude to my family because i was just so sad i had no patience and was snarky. manically posting on this account as a way of getting ‘help.’ i still have a lot of work to do, but i’ve made it a big focus of mine to always be calm.

reflection

reminder. it’s okay to be upset about something- but it’s not okay to direct that towards someone who has nothing to do with it. for example, it’s okay to be stressed out from life, but it’s not okay to direct that into anger towards some random person.

reflect. when you have a quiet moment take time to think about how your thoughts/actions affect you and the people around you. don’t beat yourself up over it, just be aware and then work to improve this.

self awareness. the first step is self awareness. you kinda just need a point where you think “this is a problem” this self awareness runs deeper- when you get upset you need to be aware of your thoughts, how you want to react.

habits to introduce:

healthy venting. keeping a vent journal literally changed my life without a doubt. when i get super emotional and irrational i write down all these thoughts instead of saying them and hurting people. if i’m angry then i write about it, if i’m sad or insecure, it goes right in my journal. it’s a release and it feels good to put your thoughts out in a way that doesn’t hurt anyone.

healthy habits. practice mindful breathing, meditation, positive affirmations, journalling- something that helps you! stay consistent with your routines and continue to practice mindfulness. be self aware.

practicing patience. this goes hand in hand with self awareness. when you’re feeling your emotions building up take deep breaths and try to rationalize. it’ll take work at first, but in time it’ll become your natural response.

in conversations/real life:

deep breaths! it’s easy to be impatient but when you’re feeling that way just keep breathing and remind yourself to stay calm. it takes some work but this is effective.

avoid interrupting. when you’re talking to someone i know it’s easy to want to interrupt and prove them wrong, but even though it’s painful you need to give people time to speak, even if they’re being rude.

think before you say, phrase yourself carefully. in heated arguments it’s easy to express yourself incorrectly, so it’s important to think over your words and be cautious

what if it doesn’t work?

if you try all that and it doesn’t seem to work then it probably means something else. it could mean that you have a mental illness which can’t be solved with journalling or things like that. it’s important to seek the care that you need. these tips can’t solve mental illness, but paired with proper treatment it can make a big difference. if you’ve been staying consistent to the things i listed above for a while and they’re not working then i think it’d be best to talk to a doctor.

conclusion

all in all, emotional regulation can be difficult- but it’s so important in our lives. ideally it should be taught to little kids, but if its not then we all need to work on it. always self-reflect on yourself and your behavior. understand the affects that your actions have on you and yourself. we got this :)

#that girl #that girl 2023 #self improvement #queenofcoquette

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wildpeachfarm · 1 month

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Tbh the thing that worries me in this whole situation (amongst others) is that it sort of reinforces the impression I’ve been having that nowadays, when someone makes someone else uncomfortable/scared/betrayed/triggers a trauma of some kind… they always assume the one who ‘hurt’ them MEANT it. There’s never this thought of… oh, this triggered me, I should tell them so they know to be careful about this in the future, and in the meantime, I myself should work on figuring out why I felt this way, and if this is something that can change in me so I don’t get hurt this way again.

It’s all only: They hurt me, so obviously they wanted to hurt me, so obviously they are evil and I should shame them and cut them from my life.

Idk, maybe it’s because I’m in my 30s and already acting like a boomer, but it genuinely worries me for our collective future if this is the kids perceive things and how they go through life. No self-reflection, and no desire to communicate to try to fix problems (and take into account that everyone perceives events differently), and a thirst for revenge on anyone who’s ever wronged them…

Just makes me sad.

Yes, there is this very strange way of thinking that has been reinforced by people on tiktok who got a hold of therapy vocabulary (and I have seen people absolutely ruin relationships over it) and its that "everyone around you is at fault for how you yourself perceive situations".

I have no idea WHY that is being told to people or why a lot of young people (primarily on tiktok) have adopted that thought process but its just not realistic to how things work in the real world.

If someone makes you uncomfortable, you can verbalize it to them and they can apologize sure, but if you interpreted it as malicious it does not automatically mean it MUST HAVE been malicious. People need to understand that their perception of a situation can sometimes be wildly out of line with what actually happened objectively. Can you still be affected by it? of course. But you need to acknowledge that and not pin the blame of your perception onto people that in reality, didn't do what you're claiming they did (especially when its something serious like sexual assault)

#i ran this by my psych major roommate to make sure this sounded correct lol #ask #anon #anti drummyache tag

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eddathegreat · 3 months

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Worm and Ward and Familiarity

I saw a really great analysis of Worm working with tropes while Ward works against them by @greatwyrmgold, and it reminded me of a more general contrast that I noted:

Worm is coming from a very familiar place and being pulled out of that. The Undersiders have fairly relatable experiences (on average). Poverty, bullying, neglect and abuse by guardians. I'd argue that, as extreme as Alec's experience is, it would resonate with many who have dealt with indoctrination in their youth (like me). Brockton Bay is a city on economic decline, struggling to stay afloat, and afflicted with violent crime. There's superpowers thrown in, sure, but it's fundamentally very familiar human shittiness and problems that drive a lot of the story.

The powers are definitely weird and creative, but it's still unmistakably a superhero story. Bugs, darkness, flight and strength and durability, contact biokinesis. Superheroes and supervillains in costumes fighting each other, hijinks and blood loss.

Except that there's Endbringers, and Echidna, and Cauldron, and Scion. The culmination of the story is peeling back the mask of a familiar superhero setting to reveal a cosmic horror story.

Ward is set in the aftermath of that.

There's a massive megacity that still doesn't have a name. It's basically a country, but it's led by a mayor. Infrastructure is just barely there, lots of people are still living in tents, the internet is just barely running and not everywhere. People with superpowers are no longer just superheroes and supervillains, they're... what, exactly? So many threats that were once contained are now running free, the ratio of normal territory to gonzo hellscapes has been turned on its head. The skyline is torn apart by portals to other worlds, and it's fucking with the weather. There's a political movement against people with superpowers, and there are people affected by superpowers with their own identity, and both of those groups are very conspicuous in how hard it is to treat them as an analogy for any other groups. People are estranged from their own environment, and it's a brave, terrible new world in the shadow of a slain god.

The superpowers are less straightforward. Being unable to be pointed at, impregnation tentacles that fuck with the effectiveness of other powers, lots of cluster triggers and grab-bags, etc. The powers are more obviously reflective of the cosmic horror story people have had to wake up to, unfamiliar, weird, and deeply upsetting.

The characters are also pretty dang weird. Rain is a lot like Alec, and I think he might actually be the most normal of the bunch. Body dysphoria+, sharing a body with a sibling, attachment issues, living as a clone or as a sort-of clone. Not totally unrelatable, to be sure, there are parallels with real life experiences, but these are more their own thing, not so recognizable.

This makes Victoria kind of the perfect protagonist, matching the themes: she's estranged from who she was and her old connections; her home city is gone; she's gone through something absolutely mind-bendingly terrible that is among the worst that people can experience IRL and then some; her power has changed; she was raised into the weirdness of superheroics and is pioneering how it looks in this new world; she's knowledgeable about the weirdness surrounding powers, giving her a good eye for understanding the new world.

I think a decent fraction of Ward's relative unpopularity sadly comes from this: estrangement from the once familiar. The characters can't be related to as easily, the powers aren't so iconic, and the setting feels undefined. I don't think Ward is inherently worse for it, it's just a bit of a tougher sell.

#wildbow #worm #worm web serial #wormblr #ward #ward web serial #wardblr #victoria dallon #victoria #glory girl #antares #web serial #media analysis

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pseudonymphomania · 3 months

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"Shout Your Heart Out", the narrative compulsion of unrequited yearning, and the things that stick with me

How to do DiaLuci correctly: in the NB "Creating Records" WW, Diavolo takes many pictures of Lucifer as keepsakes, to Lucifer's resignation, until Lucifer takes the phone from him. Diavolo is a very extra person. He does things to their furthest extent and is a very goofy character despite his propensity for sound judgement in other matters. Lucifer taking the phone from him reestablishes Lucifer's agency. After a heart-to-heart, the skit culminates in Lucifer taking a selfie with Diavolo of his own volition, not because he is forced to, but because he cares for Diavolo as a friend. Lucifer gives Diavolo his phone back and taps him on the chest over his heart. The scene is a balanced reflection of the care these two have for each other in their different ways. The denouement [the final part of a narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved] is delicious, heartwarming, interpretable, logically sound.

How to do DiaLuci incorrectly: in "Shout Your Heart Out", Diavolo practices for weeks yelling about all the things he likes about Lucifer. His words leave little to be interpreted. He gets MC involved for no narratively compelling reason and despite having that quality time together, there is nothing much that sells even a friendship with MC aside from circumstantial presence. When it comes time for the event, Diavolo tells the world how much Lucifer means to him and how attractive he is (this is a romantic trope). Then the brothers stand there awkwardly commenting on this, including the object of the prince's affections, Lucifer, who says, paraphrased, "I don't care". Then, finally, after Diavolo confesses his love for Lucifer, he pulls MC on the stage and confesses to them and kisses them. (Denouement: ???)

I already made comments on someone else's post about my feelings regarding the card and despite an entire day passing and a real life to live and bills to pay, I couldn't get this out of my head.

I think I know why.

As much as I play this game to get the DiaLuci crumbs, this card left me feeling really hollow and sad. Canonically, Diavolo and Lucifer are best friends. This is exemplified by their first meeting (OG "Glory Days" Lucifer UR), their continued meetings as representatives from their respective realms (NB: Seven Apples" Diavolo UR), Diavolo's support to aid fallen Lucifer who asked him for help (Story Canon both games), their mutual regard as Devildom leaders (Role of Prince and Whip respectively in respective chapters), their affection for each other in general (little things like Lucifer offering to take half of the consequences in the past Christmas event because he couldnt let Diavolo take it on himself). This is explicit and textual. In this card, having Lucifer not give even a little bit of a shit is anti-character development.

The implicit is where the fans live; an interpretation of a written text is subject to the whims and tastes and biases of the perceiver. It is my pleasure to interpret them as a romantic relationship, a beautiful friendship, among everything they are and could be for each other. But.

But... to explicitly, in no uncertain terms, have Diavolo stop just shy of saying I Love You to Lucifer ("Shout Your Heart Out") and have the reaction to that be status quo indifference, then have Diavolo get washed by the narrative to remember the MC exists is some astronomically bad storytelling. Lucifer is a major poster-boy. Metaphysically, it's not possible to have him reciprocate because its an otome and he's a big money-maker (This is where the fans ignore the meta of the game and run with the interpretation of the text because it doesnt matter if something is canon or not in the grand scheme of things; DiaMC fans exist, LuciMC fans exist, Dialuci-polycule-sandwich fans exist, DiaLuci fans exist, ANTI-all-of-the-above exists).

Now, this card makes it explicitly textual that Diavolo is in a constant state of yearning (sad). This card makes MC the rebound (in a dating sim??). This card doesnt even have Lucifer react to the DiaMC kiss when Lucifer is supposed to be into MC. He's just there (Asmo got more screen time!). This is tragic for everyone involved. In a game about "romance", this card is an absolute travesty, and because of that I spent all day thinking about it like it was something of consequence in my busy life.

By comparing the two scenarios above, there is a very strong lesson here about the strength of a beautifully crafted narrative, so I am amiss as to why this card exists if not to commit to the ideas as written. (This is rhetorical; I know why)

Note: this is not an either-or situation. The DiaLuci and DiaMC plots CAN be done at the same time in one card, but it takes skill and a commitment to the kind of storytelling that is very hard to do with corporate and stakeholder meddling, deadlines, interprofessional and jurisdictional impudence, misunderstandings of market demographics and consumer behaviors, funneled into what is essentially a 4-koma Devilgram.

Am I still a hardcore DiaLuci shipper? Yes. Obviously. My personal denouement [headcanon] is that the love is requited. But poison can still smell delicious to a mouse before it kills it. *sighhhhh... saves the screenshot of Diavolo admiring Lucifer's attractiveness reluctantly* I just care about the value of a good story a little bit more because both DiaLuci and DiaMC were done so dirty here. 😭

Conclusion: the real winners are the cherry pickers who are able to make do with what little exists for them. The portentous winds say that I will become one.

Thank you for reading this and I hope you all have a wonderful day! 🥰

Edit: My opinion has been slightly changed because of a comment on my Reddit post by user Clarasiir. I appreciate that and I'm happy to have experienced a real life Hegelian Dialectic.

Edit 2: A kind reprise. The aftermath of the Devilgram.

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