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eirikaanemo · 3 years

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Venti’s a Superhero (GN)

1) You’re in law enforcement

The two of you have a pretty typical hero-officer relationship. He catches the supervillains, you cart them off to prison. It’s not a big deal and you don’t think much of it.

Or, rather, you wouldn’t if your co-workers would just leave things be. However, they keep pushing you to be the one to interact with him. Something about him liking to work with you specifically, which is ridiculous.

Sure he does flirt with you and drops the cheesiest pick up lines ever. And sure, he does smile a lot when you’re around. But it’s not like he’s serious about it, right? He jokes around by flirting with villains after all, so how do you know this isn’t a joke too?

It’s honestly kind of hard on you because you’ve found yourself falling for him. Who wouldn’t, honestly? He’s strong, charming, and just a really nice guy. It has nothing to do with the way he laughs at your stupid jokes or protected you fiercly the couple of times you were specifically targeted in an attack.

But when he shows up in front of the police station with a ukelele and sings you a cheesy love song he apparently wrote himself, you have to face the truth. He does, in fact, actually like you. The flirting was playful, not pretended. The cute superhero guy actually likes you back.

It’s kind of overwhelming honestly. So when he asks you on a date right after you’re kind of speechless. His face falls when you apparently take too long to respond and you have to chase after him as he walks away, dejected, to reassure him that yes, you’d love to go on a date with him.

“Why did you decide to wear your superhero costume on our date again?” You ask him, hyper aware of all the stares that the two of you are getting. The press are at the cafe doors, only kept out by threat of legal action from the owner of the establishment. Thank goodness they’re apparently a big fan of Venti and the work he does. Also, Venti is apparently a regular here. Who knew?

He takes a sip of his dandelion tea and glances out at the press nervously. “Well, I guess I’m just worried about doing an identity reveal for our first date. I was thinking maybe third or something.” You blink and a smile spreads across your face. “Oh? So you want there to be a third date before our first date is even over?” You tease him. His face flushes red. “Yeah,” he admits. “I can’t picture myself with anyone else. I’ve fallen for you and I can’t get up.”

2) You’re a journalist

You have always loved superheroes. They’re just so cool! Someone with a secret identity working a double life to serve and save the people around them? How awesome is that! And so when you move to Mondstadt and found out that they have their very own superhero, Barbatos, you are absolutely thrilled!

And, even better, your boss knows about your love of superheroes and assigns you to be the journalist representing the company on superhero related matters- including Barbatos!

So you take to your new task with gusto! This is exactly why you became a journalist! You will get all the best scoops and make your company proud. And if this involves showing up at all his fights and following him on patrol, well, that’s just doing your job, right?

Meanwhile, Venti, or Barbatos, is starting to be seriously concerned about your mental and physical health. Are you obsessed? Is this hyperfixation unhealthy for you? Are you overworking yourself? What if you get hurt from one of his fights? What is he supposed to do in this situation?

In the end, he decides to take a minute to talk to you about it during his regular patrol. He’s relieved to find out that yes, you are okay, and that you’re really just a super big fan. Eventually talking to you becomes a habit.

As time passes, you start putting less and less private details into your articles and stick to more public knowledge and juicy bits you get from battles and about villains. The stuff he tells you on patrol stays with you as the two of you get to know each other better. Soon you’re good friends, and maybe are edging into more.

It was a night almost like any other, except for how it wasn’t. This time he’d picked you up, bridal style, and flew both of you up onto a rooftop. Now the two of you are taking a well deserved rest stargazing together. “And there’s sagittarius,” you point to a constellation in the sky. You were fascinated with stars a couple years ago and had a wealth of information you could share with him.

“Sagittarius, huh?” He murmured. “Right there?” Now he was pointing at it too.

“Not quite,” you reply. You wrap a hand around the hand he’s pointing with and adjust it’s direction. “Right there.”

When you don’t get a response, you turn and look at him, only to find him as red as the apples he loves so much. It seems to get even worse when he notices you looking and he stutters a bit before he is finally able to spit out what he’s been trying to say for weeks.

“I really, really like you.”

3) You’re a fellow superhero

You are a superhero called Torque who has total control over cars. Your weapon arsenal consists of fifteen different toy cars that you can shrink and grow at will and use to knock villains off their feet. Sure they have more tricks to them, but you can’t give all your secrets away, can you?

Your specialty is evacuation, but you’re also good at keeping supervillains on their toes. Getting run over by cars doesn’t tend to be fun. So you can distract them from the other hero they are fighting. Because of this you make excellent back up and are often on call.

He is better in combat situations because of his aerokinesis. His abilities make him great for emergency response because he can get to the fights quickly and take immediate, safe action. The level of control he has makes him incredibly versatile too.

The two of you end up working together very often. He will show up early with you coming in not too long after. You will take over evacuation and protecting the citizens, allowing him to completely focus on the villain. As soon as you’re done evacuating, you join in the frey.

Your teamwork is legendary among the hero community and you’re a very popular duo in the eyes of the citizens. Famous for prioritizing civilian safety and quick takedowns, you’re effective and efficient. So far as most anyone knows, you’re just good friends, despite 80% of your fanbase shipping you.

In reality though, you’re already married. It’s a secret because you don’t want your identities to be compromised and your different relationship levels in and out of costume add another layer of safety to your disguises. If they knew, though, they would love how domestic the two of you are at home.

You slip into your home through the window. A relieved sigh escapes your lips as you close the window behind you, only for you to nearly shriek as someone suddenly wraps their arms around your waist and blows in your ear. Venti laughs from behind you. “Ehe, you’re always so fun to surprise.”

He smiles into your shoulder and holds you unusually close. The smile seems a little strained. “Today was close, are you okay?” He asks you. Oh. He’s talking about how you almost got hit today. Usually you’re fast enough to avoid hits like that, but you got distracted while evacuating and almost didn’t see it coming. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, so be more careful, okay?”

4) You’re a hostage he saves

The two of you know nothing about each other at the time. You’re a regular citizen of Mondstadt who was going about their business as normal until you got kidnapped.

It all went so fast. One moment you were walking down the street, the next you were being held hostage with a knife to your throat. While you’re terrified, he rescues you as quickly as the villain got you.

There’s just something special about being saved by a superhero. As someone who had been crushing on him for a while even before being rescued, it was all a bit too much for you to comprehend.

He happens to have just the biggest crush on you out of costume, not that he ever planned to tell you. But there was something special about being able to save you, being your hero.

If either of you thought your crush couldn’t get worse, you were dead wrong. The media is all over it, spinning dramatic love stories about how he’d apparently been especially careful with you and you’d given him the look.

You start following news about him more frequently and he keeps a special eye on you the times he happens to spot you on patrol. Daydreams about each other are more common now and your mutual pining reaches new levels.

You hear a sharp rap as something hits your window. It continues for a couple time before you get curious enough to check out what’s going on. Apparently someone’s been throwing rocks at your window. Opening the window, you peer down to see who’s there and nearly get hit in the face. Thankfully, Barbatos catches the rock before it hits you.

“Whoops, sorry,” he apologizes. “I didn’t mean to almost hit you. I was just trying to get your attention.” He pulls a bouquet of flowers from behind his back, cecilias. “I got this for you! Hopefully you like it as much as I like you!” The blush dusting his cheeks has nothing on the warmth that covers your face. Are you sure you are not dreaming?

#eirika writes #venti #genshin venti #venti x reader #genshin impact x reader #superhero au

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themillsdaughter · 3 years

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Okay, so I have thoughts on the bensler reunion and feel like if I don’t write it somewhere, it’ll just become one of those subjects one ruminates over for the rest of their lives until they become bitter and old and shake their fist in silent rage.

Twitter is filled with people who haven’t watched it yet, hence me posting about this here after years of being inactive in this fandom. if anyone’s interested, I’d love to chat about this too, but in case it isn’t clear by now, major spoilers and unhappy ranting ahead.

Alright, first off, I feel like I should put a few disclaimers from the get-go: one, i have not watched the Organized Crime episode past the letter part bc who even has the energy, two, despite everything I say here, I do genuinely love the characters, and three, I was never, ever, ever fully on board with Stabler coming back. I thought it was a stupid idea since I first found out about it.

I mean, come on. It’s literally been ten years. Ten freaking years without any contact (do not get me started on that semper fidelis thing) and NOW they wanna bring him back? Now that Olivia is settled as the captain, now that she has moved on with her life and is finally as happy as she can? Are you kidding me? And not only that, I had a feeling the show wouldn’t handle all the emotional bagage as it should. SVU is one of my favorite shows, I’ve quite literally watched it for half of my life (even before I was even fluent in English). I love this show with a ferocity I can’t quite put into words, but it has, without a shadow of a doubt, been losing it’s power for at least a couple of seasons now, if not more.

As I said, I haven’t been participating in the fandom for some years, so I can’t speak as to why it’s been going a bit downhill, though I do have a suspicion that it has something to do with the fact that it’s been going on for, hahah, literally over two decades.

But anyways, that’s beside the point. What I’m trying to say here is that I thought it was stupid to bring Elliot back. The show doesn’t need him. It might need the drama, but absolutely not him.

Either way, since what I think has no actual implication in the serious world of tv dramas, it was happening anyway and the thirteen-year-old bensler shipper in me could not help herself. I had to watch it.

I expected to be angry, I expected Olivia to go against her better judgement at least once because he asked pretty please. I expected them to share at least one kiss.

Only one of those expectations wasn't met (to my delight).

Two minutes into the episode, I was already yelling at the TV because I swore she was going to hug him when she first saw him. Thankfully, that didn’t happen, but the eye contact was already too much.

But nothing, and I mean nothing, could have prepared me for Kathy’s part in this episode. She was hurt. Someone tried to kill her. Uh-uh.

Thinking from a creative point of view, it does make sense. She’s been his wife for god knows how many years now, he’s involved with some pretty big crimes, someone wanted to kill him, she was colateral. Beautiful, classic, awesome.

What does not make sense is how the episode was set up. WHY should we feel this anguish, this great sadness over Kathy? Sure, we’ve known about her for as long as Elliot was on the show, that is, since the very beginning. But, and I’m sorry to repeat this again, IT HAS BEEN TEN YEARS. The viewers attachment to Kathy is a very very thin thread.

And yes, I do understand that the point was to focus on Elliot’s loss, on his pain, his fear of losing his wife, the mother of his children. However, that wasn’t even properly done, either. Were they in love again? He said they were happy, but how so? Where were they at in their love story? Were they a family again, were they facing problems? Were they distant, but still married? The show didn’t answer any of that, so, when she passes (which, to be honest, was predictable), that’s that. She’s dead. Elliot cries, Liv’s in shock. Okay.

Granted, it was the very first episode of his return, I cannot speak over what will be revealed in later episodes of either shows, but I personally feel that we weren’t given enough to feel. It was all based on the expectation that we would remember everything that happened and that we would still have the same attachment to everything.

And now we get to the duo of the hour: Olivia still-in-love-with-the-same-man-who-abandoned-her-a-decade-later Bensler and Elliot agressive-man-but-with-a-tinsy-bit-of-more-control Stabler.

Here I do admit that part of my frustration is my own fault. I wished, prayed, hoped and desperately wanted Liv to get angry. To give him some sort of verbal smack-down for what he did. Yes, it makes perfect sense for her to just shut it out as best she can. It’s Liv we’re talking about, so that’s very in character for her, but it still didn’t give me the satisfaction I feel we deserved to see her tell him to go to hell. (Furthermore, I think it would have been a fantastic way to showcase how much she’s grown without him. Yes, she used to be soft with him, but now she’s assertive, she wants more for herself, she knows she deserved more than what he did).

The tears, the apology, the hug in the hospital.... it was all....fine. It was fine. It was them. It just lacked something more. It lacked some sort of spark.

Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to love their reunion despite myself. I wanted to be wrong and watch a beautifully executed, messy, sweet reunion of the ship which literally made me join fandom life, learn about fanfiction and learn English. I wanted that more than anything, but I didn’t expect it.

What I expected was exactly what I got. I smelled that scene of Elliot begging her to let him in the interrogation room, giving her those Puss In Boots eyes and Olivia just folding from the minute they announced his return. And it made me angry, because the whole message they’ve been sending us through all these seasons, of Liv growing into the main character, into someone who wasn’t El’s partner anymore, into a f***ing Captain was backpaddled real quick.

And yeah, there is something to be said about the effect he will always have on her, no matter how many years. But is that really what she, as a character, deserves? Is that even healthy?

I probably have more thoughts, but this is far, far too long already.

In general, the episode was fine. It wasn’t awful. it was also not great. Do I wanna watch the rest? No. Will I? Probably.

Oh, and just before I go: WHAT THE F*** WAS UP WITH FIN???? HELPING HIM OUT??? TELLING ELLIOT UNSOLICITED INFORMATION ABOUT LIV’S LIFE??? ABOUT HER LOVE LIFE??? Yeah, sure, he was a bensler shipper, whatever, but excuse me??? You’ve actively participated in her life for twenty years and think it’s healthy to try and make her patch up with a man who just, in her own words, DISAPPEARED?

Love the dude, wanted Olivia to yell at him too.

Anyways, if anyone made it this far and feels like talking about it, I am absolutely open to that.

#bensler #svu #olivia benson #elliot stabler #rant #bensler reunion

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doorsclosingslowly · 3 years

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Hell is just a beat away (3/9)

Despite early promise, young Maul has turned out to be a disappointment, willfully delaying his training with secret attempts to make himself friends from scrap metal. He must be properly motivated, and so Darth Sidious sends him to a slave market on an impossible mission. It backfires. Star Wars: Darth Maul (2017) comic AU | 5.2k | warning for slavery, sexual assault of a teenager (non-graphic)

Ten to doomsday, moving fast

Eldra does not sleep. She refuses. If she has to bite her fingers bloody when her eyelids threaten to drop, then so be it. Master Fyaar would have chastened her for it—she always insists that Eldra be at her best regardless of circumstance, and staying awake for what must be more than one or two entire standard days now will help with neither her innate distractibility nor her willful emotions. Her secret inadequacy, unknown to all but Fyaar, who chose Eldra when she was ten and had yet to develop the mind that is, and she has rarely admitted to those fears even in the privacy of her own brain, the mind that is perhaps fundamentally unsuited to the noble path of the Jedi. Sure, she does well enough in her classes, though she drives her teachers to frustration with her incessant fiddling with any trinket at all within her reach and her doodling and her daydreams. Sure, she mostly behaves acceptably among people, though she does not pick up on the right cues to be a diplomat and she vacillates too often between excited talking and secret loneliness, when she, once again, finds her peers more interested in each other than in whatever she has wanted to share. Her one friend in the Order is Bayro who’s two years older, though now she’s not even sure if Bayro would see her as more than a friendly, clingy acquaintance, and—

Will Bayro even miss her? They’ve made plans to watch a holovid after Eldra’s back from Teth and Bayro aces the Advanced Test on Coruscant Sublevels 6665 through 7900. Vague plans, though, and since Eldra didn’t know how long she’d have to guard Mayor Woobudg… Bayro will probably notice in a few months that Eldra hasn’t returned to the Temple, and then watch the holovid with one of her many other friends. She’ll—

Watch your feelings, Eldra, she remembers. It hurts. The memory of Master Fyaar hurts worse than even the imaginary indifference of Bayro does, but it’s necessary. As ever, Master Fyaar’s warning is right, even if it’s only the ghost of Fyaar living on inside Eldra’s grief. Eldra almost lost her calm over a scenario of her own imagination, yet another reminder of her unsuitable mercurial temperament. Yet another reminder of why she needs Fyaar, needs her constant watch, if she wants to remain on the path of the Jedi.

And Master Zalandas Fyaar is dead.

Fyaar’s dead.

Eldra watched her murder, and the murder of everyone she was supposed to protect on this mission. Eldra watched her murder and did not reach for the dark side of the force to avenge her. Eldra watched and held still.

Eldra allowed herself to be abducted.

She does not sleep in her tiny cell, just as she didn’t sleep on the freight ship that carried her to an unknown planet far away from bloodied Teth. She didn’t sleep then as stubbornly as she does now, but even before her wide-open burning eyes the pictures will not stop. The blood. The touch. The grin of her vile captor when he said that she would fetch a tidy sum, despite being a blue twi’lek (“A dime a dozen, they are, and this one’s not even a trained dancer! She hasn’t even… look!” Her captor had pulled her upper lip away then, and she had snapped for his fingers. “She’s still got those awful sharp teeth! Who the hell lets a twi’lek girl walk around with sharp teeth? She could tear a guy’s throat out, with these!”) she would still be worth a quick sale to her captors but only because she is (was) a Jedi padawan, and apparently there are quite a few pieces of shit out there who’d like to hurt a Jedi. Or—she keeps her eyes open, open, open till tears threaten to drop, and yet the thought comes. Or fuck one. Same difference.

A toy that’s padawan-shaped. That’s why they let her keep her own robes. But at least they did.

Watch your feelings, but still, Eldra shakes to her very core. She’s never thought of herself as being anything but a person, slightly inadequate perhaps in all ways that matter to her but a person; a luminous being, a small conduit for the very force to act through in the material galaxy; but now she’s been caught and taught that what she is is actually just a twi’lek girl. Cheap. Interchangeable. Nothing but her species and her gender, nothing but her flesh: a pretty dancer, never mind she hates dancing and if she ever makes it out, if the Jedi find and rescue her, please, please, she will never ever dance not even a single one of those silly novelty dances ever again even if Bayro does it first. She’ll go to whatever lengths needed to never be appraised, judged, looked upon, perceived as anything but a luminous dutiful Jedi ever again.

To these people, she’s not a person. Not a Jedi, unless the fetish counts, not really, not to the slavers and—watch your feelings, but still, the seething disgust returns and she wants nothing more than her lightsaber through her captor’s hearts or their hands torn off by her teeth—perhaps, maybe, please no, not truly anymore either to herself.

⁂

Maul wakes up to insistent beeping. He’s never heard the noise before, except—somewhere behind the headache and the nausea he remembers—except roughly five minutes ago, and five minutes before that, and five minutes before… He’s read about those periodical noises. Snooze button on an alarm clock, they’re called. He’s never used them before. He’s never used—Master teaches that a slothful tool is a tool broken, useless, and he’s never before dared to oversleep, even with his throat swollen and filled with mucus he didn’t, but now—it is a mercy he does not deserve, that Master was not here to witness Maul fail so deeply on this mission and just because something beats a booming drum inside his head and stuffed his stomach full of eels twisting up languidly through his esophagus.

Not real eels, though. He checks his vomit after throwing up. No eels. No animals hatched inside him; it’s just an inconvenient illness. And he feels better already, after spewing out the clear oily water and half-digested bread and no eels whatsoever. He does feel much better. Definitely. Illness during his mission would be inconvenient.

He has ample time to travel to the palace of Xev Xrexus before the padawan is sold there. Time he is grateful for, because Master’s ship will not let him in, so he has no access to his stilts or anything else he prepared apart from his cloak and the vocoder mask he carried in his satchel to the convenience store like a talisman of ingenuity and pretense. He doesn’t have his finest Sith robes that he left safe inside, only to be worn in the moment of Darth Maul’s triumph, and most of his weapons, too, apart from one anonymous knife strapped to his shin, are still tidied away in the ship Master gave him that will now pulverize anyone who dares approach.

Luckily, Maul is both incredibly clever—he figured out the location of the padawan! Despite Master giving him a wrong date and location! Solely by his own superior Sith cunning!—and he is within another sucker’s ship now—he sliced the lock in minutes! Because he is Darth Maul!—and the ship is full of new tools for improvisation.

Such as the large pair of black sunglasses that helps guard him at least slightly against the sun’s sickening poking and poking and poking of his cerebral cortex. Such as the trio of black shirts that, belted with a strange deltoid strip of fabric, bulk up his frame considerably and also make him feel toasty warm. Nar Shaddaa is cold, but Maul isn’t. Yet another victory to add to his tally.

With the gloves and the vocoder mask and the Sith cloak added on top, every square centimeter of Maul’s flesh is covered, and as he struts in front of the berth mirror he decides: he looks both incredibly dignified and scary, not to himself obviously but to those forcenull denizens of the underworld who will yet learn to tremble before the almighty Sith. He looks almost as impressive as Master. He doesn’t have the pale chin lurking under his cowl, obviously the most Sithly of looks, but in a pinch the black leather covering his cheeks and the opaque gridded speaker over his mouth should do almost as well.

Before he leaves, he ransacks the ship. No point in abandoning tools he might yet use. Everything he can carry, he stuffs inside his satchel.

Then, he begins the long pedestrian march to the palace of Xrexus. As usual, while he walks, he seethes in the Sithly anger of how much faster he could go if only he had a decent speeder bike. Soon, he reminds himself. Soon. After the oncoming awesome success of this mission, Master will be impressed enough to bestow the title of Darth and gift him a CK-6 swoop bike tuned up to the limits of terrestrial speed. Soon. Besides, with how slow the nausea is to settle, it’s perhaps a tiny bit useful that he is forced to take this brisk long walk in the Nar Shaddaa morning air. Although his coat and shirts fluttering with the speed of his bike would look very cool… He loses himself in his daydreams, and before long, he spies a duo of falleen in white dress shirts and black pants before the palace that belongs to Xev Xrexor.

The most adventurous part of his mission has just begun.

“Greetings,” Maul growls haughtily with the handsome baritone of his vocoder. “I have chosen to purchase a Jedi slave today. I trust this is the location for these sorts of errands?”

“Are you on the guest list?” the left falleen asks.

Guest list? Yet another complication. But Maul must not fail. “I am Ma Goweelr,” he says, borrowing the name of the man whose ship he ransacked. He found an identification card with his name on it and wisely brought it with him. He pulls it out now.

“You don’t look like Goweelr, friend,” she says.

“Unfortunately, I had… an accident.” Blast. They cannot see his face, so tt’s the height issue again. If Maul had his stilts, he could have made his way through easily, but because Master saw fit to lock the ship—no, it’s not Master’s fault. Because Maul was stupid enough to leave his tools aboard the ship, he now falters. What to do. What to do. What to—

“He’s slow,” the other bouncer whispers to his partner, but loudly enough that Maul heard it without issue. He stares intently at Maul, almost if he was expecting a specific reaction.

The left falleen winks. “All right. A little grease in the palm goes a long way, friend.”

Grease? Necessary for the function of machines. Cooking, apparently, also. Often a type of fat, either animal or plant-based, though hydrocarbons mined on certain planets or synthesized in labs such as Corellia’s X-Tech Max nowadays are a far more affordable and controllable—

“He’s dumb, Brighta. We don’t care whether you’re on the guest list. We want a bribe.”

A… Maul’s certain he read about bribes somewhere, but—

“Cash. Money. Credits.”

Credits! Maul found some on the ship. Since they were light enough, he put them in his satchel. The force is with him! He pulls out the chits he found, rummaging in a perhaps less than dignified way—the falleen exchange a look over his head that he’s too busy to try to read, but it doesn’t seem hostile—and when he hands over five thousand credits their vague non-hostility turns to genuine excitement.

“House Xrexus is honored to host you for this auction, sir,” the male falleen says when he opens the door.

“As am I,” Maul replies with a bow. When he walks past, the female bouncer taps him on the shoulder and then bends down to whisper in his ear.

“The Jedi’s auction’s in two hours, but the preview starts in one and she’ll probably get snapped up then, so. Might wanna hurry.”

“Thank… you?” Maul rumbles and winces at the vocoder turning his slight surprise into a question, but the falleen does not laugh this time.

“Appreciative customers are rare. Come back anytime,” and she winks and pushes him with her—warm, strong, startling—hand the rest of the way through the door and then slams it shut.

Presale. Other customers. Complicating factors Maul would not even have known about if it wasn’t for the bouncer—and for the force, therefore, willing him to succeed—because he didn’t… He did not actually expect any competition. After all, there are no other Sith but the Master and his apprentice. Who, then, would have need of a Jedi padawan? Who has need of Xrexus’ auction at all when they are not sent by their Master? Their… Master. Master might compete with Maul at this sale, both as a test of Maul’s readiness and as a failsafe, should Maul not manage to succeed in his mission. Master is incredibly smart after all, and foresees any number of possible twists and turns of a scenario, as unlikely as they might be. Even such unlikely eventualities as Darth Maul not completing in his mission. Master considers everything. It’s why he’s the Master.

Luckily, Maul was forewarned, and so when he passes a fire exit plan of the palace that’s nailed to a wall in the empty entrance hall he looks for any possible… There. A server room. A small bureau. Two places where Maul might gain access to the databases of Xrexus and convince the filing system that he has already bought the Jedi, before the first competitor has even placed their bid. It’s the only surefire way of preempting a person as thorough and prompt as Master is, and besides… Maul understands machines. He can charm and bend them to his will. His confusion at the bouncers’ hints and the tip the falleen gave him when he would never have expected anything of the sort based on the way the previous part of the encounter had passed—never mind the blasted lack of his carefully constructed stilts—were a sore reminder that in the field of people Maul does not yet excel to the standard of a Sith. Something he must remedy, but perhaps not on a mission as important as this. (Perhaps not among people who are oily and stare too hard.)

Laughter peals in a room straight ahead, but the server room is one floor down a side staircase. It’s sectioned off by a dangly gold chain that Maul needs to barely duck to pass under, and no-one passes through either the main corridor he left or the dusty unlit staircase while Maul hops down, thinking I am Sith alternating with I am shadow on every step.

The hallway leading to the server room is just as deserted. The door is locked, but Maul has sliced the access pads of twelve ships now and has refined his technique to under three minutes of elegant fiddling. This lock takes two seconds.

A datapad is already hanging inside right next to the door, from the cable with which it’s plugged into a socket there. Maul picks it up. Its screen is thrice-cracked and fixed up with clear tape. The touchscreen is incredibly sluggish to react, but as much as he might love the challenge of repairing it he only has less than an hour to spare. If he must, he will, but—gloves. He removes the right one, and the datapad responds.

A login screen.

Thus-far, the security has been abysmal. Worse than what he improvised for the secret hiding space of the first functional droid he built, and so he enters root, root. It works.

Pathetic, Maul thinks. Disappointing. Embarrassing. Horrendous. Useless. Awful. You deserve this. You deserve worse. It almost takes off some of the giddiness at how well Maul has been performing on his mission, thus far. His opponents are veritable morons. It is no great feat, to succeed against people as unprepared for basic survival as these, and it does not take a Sith’s cunning—it’s not worthy of the great Darth Maul who learns under Darth Sidious the greatest creature in the galaxy—to fight them.

In the central database he changes the status of the Jedi padawan to Sold and the buyer to Ma Goweelrand types in 666666666 for the winning bid. It’s a large number, and Jedi means valuable. It should pass muster. Probably. Money: yet another area where Maul requires further instruction. There was another card Maul stole with information on Goweelr’s account with the InterGalactic Banking Clan, and he enters it in the respective field. As to the user listed as making these changes, he picks the fifth-most appearing in the database. If he wanted to arouse no suspicion at all, he would need to research Xrexus’ organization in total, but—he’d really rather not. Even glancing at some of the entries of the database reawakened the eels in his stomach.

He pettily changes the admin password and wipes the screen carefully before he logs out.

Mission almost complete.

Half an hour left until the beginning of the presale, a clock tells him, and that’s most likely when they will check the padawan’s entry and approach Goweelr as her legitimate buyer. Everything is going according to plan, as long as he is not caught down here.

Since Maul is Sith and shadow and incredibly silent and deadly, he isn’t.

He sneaks back up and then strides, with as much power and dignity as he can muster when he wants to skip giddily to celebrate a job well done, into the room where the laughter comes from. It’s—

It’s bright. Loud. Full. But more than any other adjective, it’s huge, a room that is a thousand times bigger than anything Maul has ever set foot in, with a domed ceiling rising so far above that he can’t make out any details there. Can’t see whether there are any cameras, or snipers—can’t see anything but the luster and wealth on display. Plants growing on floating bowls of silver, plants he has never seen anywhere but in holos (Most plants are plants he’s only ever seen in holos. Almost all of them. Master rarely makes him train off-planet, and there is nothing but fire on Mustafar.), plants and waterfalls. Delicate staircases that appear to hover in the air just like the tree-bowls are. It looks like something out of a dream, if Maul’s dreams were able to imagine impossible worlds and not just impossible people who’ll save him.

Below it all, there are throngs of people in various kinds of festive garb, chatting and sipping on dainty glasses. People of most species he’s ever read about. Even…

Even a zabrak. There’s a zabrak over in a corner, not an Iridonian zabrak like the ones Maul finds often in his research but a zabrak who looks startingly close to him, hairless and bright and black-marked, only he’s much taller than Maul—he’s tall! Maul always worried that his species was doomed to remain as small as he is right now but he’s tall! He won’t need stilts forever!—and he’s yellow.

Idly—or trying to appear idle but actually shivering with curiosity—he saunters closer. The zabrak, it’s quickly obvious, is not here as a buyer. He’s chained up, both manacles connected to the neck cuff, though the bonds look so flimsy that Maul could have snapped them. He’s almost naked except for a pair of trousers that barely reaches his thighs and, moreover, is made of a fabric far too flimsy and tight to fight in. His skin is weirdly shiny as well, as if he was sweating but that is unlikely, given Maul’s not too hot under his three shirts and a cloak (in fact, it gets colder the closer Maul comes to the strange zabrak), and the yellow zabrak’s not exercising either but standing completely still, feet slightly apart and arms raised in a poor imitation of a fighting pose. The claws on his hand and feet would be called neatly trimmed if Maul didn’t know intimately that this length means they’re cut so close to the bed that it irritates several internal nerves. The horns are filed too close as well, and they look blunt.

A fighting slave.

No. A pretend fighting slave.

Everything about him might look fearsome to one who does not know what to watch for, but he does not stand or dress or groom himself like a fighter.

It’s—it’s difficult for Maul to sort out his reaction. This is a zabrak, the first person like him he’s ever seen, but he’s also a mockery of the warrior he trains so hard to become. Are all other zabraks like this? Does Maul look like this to other people? Flimsy and fake? It is almost enough to be ashamed of the association, and Maul is glad that with his clothes no-one else here can guess at their shared species.

“Welcome,” the unchained human next to the zabrak shouts, and Maul cranes his neck but apparently it’s addressed to him. “What are you looking for? A nightly companion? A gladiator? A—”

“This is not a gladiator,” Maul growls.

“Ah, well, he’s versatile,” the slaver says. “Do you see his muscles?” He squeezes the other zabrak’s biceps. The zabrak does not react. “He is excellent at bearing pain as well,” and alright, Maul will give him that. From this close, he can see the faint network of scars.

“He’s truly a wild beast when you want him that way,” and if to contradict him—the first time Maul feels anything approaching pride at their kinship—the zabrak refuses to bare his teeth, even when the human slaps him in the face twice and then prods him with something bearing electric sparks. Still, the zabrak will not relent. He’s breathing and moving but somewhere deep in his eyes he looks nothing short of dead.

“I have business elsewhere,” Maul stutters out and the vocoder smooths it into a low growl. The queasy pit in his stomach must be the return of the eels, or else the force aims to reveal to him that he might be being observed by fleets of holodroids, a technological wonder he should research immediately upon completion of his mission, when he will never think of the scar-covered zabrak and his empty eyes ever again. He won’t even remember his face or his color. No, Maul will attempt to engineer holodroids and present them to his Master, who will be proud.

That’s what he thinks about, while he wanders the huge room at random. Holodroids. He doesn’t think about zabraks. In fact, he’s forgotten every fact he ever heard about that species. No zabraks exist but Maul. That’s the way it goes.

He doesn’t think of zabraks at all for several more minutes, and then a tannoy system message calls out for Ma Goweelr and his time of floating is over.

⁂

Thus far, the boy’s little adventure has been a disappointment. There were moments of fear and shame and misery, but mostly, what Sidious receives from him is bright giddy elation at being entrusted with this mission. It should have figured that Maul is not intelligent enough to see through his Master’s true plans, and yet—it was folly on his part, Sidous is prepared to admit that, but he expected more of his little zabrak.

Well. More agony, mostly.

He’ll have to be a little more patient. Someday soon, Maul’s luck will have to run out.

⁂

“This is her, Sir. Opening the cell now,” a woman says in front of the suddenly-bright cell, and Eldra’s hard-won, tattered, wide-eyed serenity dissipates.

It’s Dilar. Dilar, self-loathing traitor of a twi’lek slave. Eldra’s only known her for a day and enjoyed exactly zero seconds of it. The old woman’s hatred and revulsion at what she is forced to do, preparing slaves to be sold on, crowds out the very air. For the slavers, her utter loathing might be imperceptible—Dilar is a grudging, but polite tool—but it’s everywhere in the force, and Eldra cannot breathe. It’s hard enough keeping herself calm—keeping herself Jedi—when she knows that any time now a lecher with a Jedi fetish will come to her cell.

A lecher, or her rescuer.

Watch your feelings: do not give in to despair, Eldra, as Fyaar would say if she could. Maybe a Jedi will come.

It’s a war inside her, equal parts of hope and terror, and without her Master’s guidance how will Eldra find the strength to make herself calm again? Calm, serene, like the Jedi she was supposed to be.

A Jedi is better than this.

There is no emotion. There is peace.

There is no hatred, especially. Eldra should not hate Dilar. She shouldn’t hate every single slaver in the entire world, with even deeper depths of seething odium reserved for anyone selling or buying her. She shouldn’t. She does.

She isn’t wearing a force-suppressant collar, but that doesn’t matter. There are things far more binding than chains, than collars, in this world: Eldra promised her Master that she would be strong. She promised. She promised, and she hates these slavers. If she reached for the force now, she wouldn’t be able to call herself Jedi anymore. She would fail her Master and lose herself.

She would use her hatred to kill her tormentors. She would tear their throats out.

She would Fall.

Fear, raging and cold, has been her only companion for uncounted waking days now, that and bitter loathing. Master Fyaar died in front of her. Eldra’s been stripped of everything she thought she was and turned into a commodity, and now the only bright spot in her life is the fact that Martrey Woobudg the slaver, slaver, slaver who brought them to Teth is also fucking dead. Hopefully, it hurt.

The sudden hope is new, fragile and staggering and still too volatile to make reaching for the force safe. Hope: maybe the new arrival isn’t one of them. Eldra’s Master was in constant contact with the Temple, after all, and they must know about the ambush by now. They must have sent someone to save Eldra. (She tries very very hard not to remember that they don’t, sometimes, search for missing padawans, because of deferring to a higher purpose and the will of the force and being instruments of the Galactic Senate and not privileging attachments, including to their padawans, over the greater good et cetera et cetera, which is a code of conduct that Eldra, too, had always believed in. Until she got thrown in this cell, at least.)

Please, let it be a Jedi. Even if she gets thrown out for her hatred. Please, let it be a Jedi.

“Get up, girl,” Dilar says.

Eldra struggles onto her feet. She almost loses her balance, and that would kriffing hurt, because she’s got little chance of breaking her fall. Her hands are cuffed in front of her, encased in thin manacles she could easily break out of if it wasn’t pointless. If she wasn’t watched at all times. If she could use the force without Falling. If there was any way off this planet she doesn’t even know the name of. She could break them, but she can’t. They’re tight, and her shoulders ache from the forced immobility. (Almost, she’d told the slavers that restraining someone like this for days on end was a sure way of causing muscle damage, that they were lowering her value—were hurting her, by treating her like this, but she’d reconsidered. It would probably count as ‘helping slavers’. She hopes instead that they lose all their captives to their own bad practices. Eldra will not help them, if it kills her.)

If her visitor is a slaver, they’ll probably enjoy the sight of her helplessness. If they’re a Jedi, there may be compassion, pity, judgment—they’ll feel how scared she is, and how close to breaking—and that’ll be even more embarrassing to deal with afterwards, but at least there will be an afterwards for her.

For a second, the force floods with pain. Anger. Then, the presence hides itself again. Doesn’t matter. She’s felt it.

A force user.

A… Jedi, then?

Would a Jedi… Eldra herself would be angry, if she saw anyone else treated the way she is now, no matter how hard she tries for serenity. Eldra isn’t a good Jedi though. She’s too scared for that.

She looks up. If the visitor is a Jedi, Eldra doesn’t recognize them. But that means nothing: they’re covered head-to-toe in layers of black fabric. They’re wearing some sort of mask that covers their lower face, too, and oversized mirrored-glass sunglasses, and gloves, and a cowled cloak and what looks like at least two shirts, one over the other. They look like a black ball with legs sticking out. They look like someone decided to dress up as the platonic concept of shady. They look ridiculous.

They’re very short as well. They’re about twice the height of Grandmaster Yoda, and shorter than pretty much everybody else that Eldra knows. Well… they could be Master Piell. Would Master Piell dress up like this, though? Would he come to rescue her? Would he… well, he wouldn’t feel like the visitor in the force. Even Piell is a Master of the High Council. He wouldn’t fall prey to emotions as easily as Eldra did. He would not fail the light.

The only bit of skin that Eldra can make out is the bridge of the nose, between the jaw-mask and those sunglasses. Red.

Whoever it is isn’t human.

It might give hope, but—whoever it is has already paid and they own Eldra now, they tell the slavers, in a deep and slightly mechanic voice.

Paid.

Own.

Not a rescue, then. The Jedi wouldn’t reward a slaver for abducting a padawan.

Eldra will not cry. Not because if does not befit a Jedi, because the Jedi didn’t come for her. Eldra remained faithful—barely—she didn’t give in to her hatred and fear, didn’t Fall… and no-one came to rescue her. She will never see the temple again. She’ll never watch those holovids with Bayro, and Bayro—will she even notice? Will she mourn Eldra? Or will she be relieved that the clingy kid is gone?

She won’t cry. She will not give Dilar or this new buyer the satisfaction.

The shielding of Eldra’s cell opens. Dilar attaches a chain to Eldra’s manacles and her buyer ties the other end to their belt. They barely look at her, at least—in the nightmares she refused to allow herself to grow into images they always looked at her, excited and hungry, but this buyer seems curt and weirdly business-like.

Without another word, they start walking.

Eldra has no choice but to follow. The Jedi didn’t come. She is alone. Whatever awaits her outside, though, it can hardly be worse than this cell.

#darth maul #eldra kaitis #savage opress #savage oppress #hell is just a beat away #dimtraces makes things

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shiroganeryo · 3 years

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if you still doin that character thingy... Kanda, pls? or Krorykins, whichever u wanna do more, cuz i cannot choose 😅

*breathes in* This is it. This is how I finally get to write about two characters in one go because I also can’t choose XD I hope you don’t mind this getting long and thank you for giving me them, you beautiful human being! 🥺

Kanda

My otp for them: With Alma, no doubt (only trust!). Alma’s last moments break my heart, in a good way - they are soulmates meant to be. Their story is very sad and yet extremely touching and beautiful. I have a thing for lovers who meet again in their next lives, as I’m a sucker for the “red string of fate” myth. I get emotional just thinking of their relationship, and I wish, I really wish, that if they have another chance, that they can meet again and finally be happy together without being torn apart by the tragedies of war. My brotp for them: Weirdly enough, I’d say Allen! After Alma arc, Kanda seems to be a lot softer than before, and I’ve been loving the mutualism between him and Allen. They are very alike (as much as they hate to admit it), and that’s why they can understand each other well and know what the other needs without him needing to say anything. They’re both not good at talking about their feelings. Any other ships: With Lenalee! I know most people see their relationship as a brotherly one, but man, they have such good chemistry together. They bicker often, but just imagine what a killer duo they would be 💦 I’m weak for powerful couples. They know each other ever since they’re little, so they have shared a lot of moments together and know each other well, too - the scene in which Lenalee goes to meditate with him because she was scared of Lvellie was adorable; she feels safe around him. Their best friend: I want to say Marie! I think Kanda would rather people who don’t snoop around too much into his personal space, and Marie simply knows where these boundaries are at. He also knows how to deal very well with Kanda’s temper. He understands him but also knows of his flaws, yet he doesn’t question or confronts him, which I’m sure Kanda appreciates. He’s been recently showing that he cares a lot about Johnny as well, but deep down, Kanda does care about many of the people close to him. My favorite nickname for them: It’s gotta be Bakanda, the pun is just great XD It doubles in greatness because, in my language/official release, this got translated as “BabaKanda”, which is also a pun! In Portuguese, “babaca” is the same as “idiot”. So I appreciate this silly pun a lot more thanks to that XD My favorite AU headcanon of them: I think that, sadly, Kanda won’t make it alive to the end of the story. I headcanon that, in case he does die, it’s after repaying his debt with Allen in a roundabout way; he did help Allen, but at the same time, he went to rest in peace together with Alma. And Allen did fight for them to be happy together, so I just... kinda want this to be true. It would pain me to see Kanda go, but this would be his happy ending and he deserves this. My favorite outfit they wear: A hard pick! Kanda is very handsome so basically, anything he puts on will look awesome. However, the one moment that made me go 💓 was when we saw him in civilian clothes (Chapter 208). Jesus Christ!? He was stunning. I really like his current Order uniform + outer coat combo too, looks so comfy and warm. Defining color: When I think of Kanda, I think of a mix of colors. Namely, Cobalt (#1338BE), Carnation (#FFA6C9) and Indigo (#4B0082). I believe it’s because of the Lotus Pain ending using this palette for the effects of the lotus flowers shining in contrast with the dark background colors. Would I date them: As handsome and amazing as he is, I wouldn’t. I know he’d hate my guts because I’m the type of person who wants to overthink and needlessly talk things over more than he should, and Kanda simply abhors the very idea of this 😂 He is a simpleminded guy, and I quite like that on him. First impression: I knew Kanda wouldn’t be the bland “angry asshole character” trope during his and Allen’s first mission together, in Martel. What he told Allen left a mark and made me think there was a lot more depth to him: "I hate the way naive people like you do things... And even more so, I hate people who don't keep their promises!" This one line told me a lot about his personality. Current impression: Pretty much my first impression, but with a lot more context! I really love Kanda and his past was a surprise to me. It made me appreciate him even more than I already did. Hogwarts House: I’d say Slytherin. He would stop at nothing until he found “that person”, and this House is well known for the ambition of its people. He’s also sharp and while not smarts smart, he is perceptive and intelligent in his own way; very skilled as well. Which Pokemon starter they’d be: Oshawott! Samurott looks as intimidating and stoic as Kanda, besides, it’s definitely based on a samurai, so they share this trait as well. Its first stages don’t look like much, but Samurott gets its own sword to fight with!

Krory

My otp for them: With Elliade! Now, this is one complex relationship. I admit I don’t like Elliade much but, at the same time, I understand her. For an Akuma, she really did love Krory; and he still loves her too. I just wish she hadn’t left him in the dark for so long. Her love was selfish and, while I understand how she felt, I feel bad for Krory since he thought he was a monster and that drove him to loneliness. I wish things could have been different, because their love was really pretty despite the downsides, their feelings for each other were very strong. My brotp for them: I want to say Marie! The latest Discussion Room (Vol.27) mentioned how good Krory is at many things, one of them being music. I love to think that he and Marie could have enjoyable long talks about their shared interest, they do look like the type of guys to appreciate music on a higher, more emotional level. Any other ships: I don’t have any, but I’ll make a mention to Miranda! While I don’t ship them personally, I totally see why people do. They’re both soft sweethearts who are always ready to do their best towards the people they care about - and they also share low self-esteem, sadly. The world has been very unfair with them 😢 Their best friend: Definitely Allen and Lavi! They were Krory’s first friends ever, and it’s clear how much he cares about them. My heart literally can’t take how they’re the first thoughts that cross Krory’s mind when he’s scared; it means that he feels accepted by them, they bring him comfort and make him feel safe and confident that everything will be alright. It’s just so sweet. My favorite nickname for them: Krorykins! If there’s one thing the English translation did right (and I can’t say that for like 80% of it), was translating “Kuro-chan” as “Krorykins”. It sounds so silly it’s cute 😅 My favorite AU headcanon of them: Just like I wrote about Miranda on her post, I headcanon he’s one of the people to either drop out of the Order to side with Allen, or actively help him in other ways. I think it’s not a mere coincidence Hoshino-sensei had specifically him, one of the people who cherish Allen the most, accompany Chaozii to go after him. I’m observing with great interest, as they might meet again sometime soon. It broke my heart to see him wanting to see Allen but, at the same time, wishing he had escaped safely. My favorite outfit they wear: There’s only one answer to this question, and it’s his casual clothes! He looks so elegant and fancy, so handsome yet so adorable! I mean, just look at him! Defining color: When I think of Krory, I think of deep red, a crimson shade like Carmine (#960019). I’m very sure it’s because of his Innocence. Would I date them: Maybe? I think I’d like befriending him more than dating him. He’s close to me in age though (unlike most of the characters I’ve written about so far XD) so I’d be down to it. Imagine dating a sweet guy who not only could cook you your favorite dishes but also has a more assertive, wilder side to him. Sounds like the complete package. First impression: Who is this? He looks scary but my intuition tells me there’s more than it meets the eye. Oh, he’s crying. He’s worried...? That’s too sweet, I’m betting he’s not a villain. Current impression: Well, he wasn’t a villain just like I had thought! Krory is an amazing but underrated character, he definitely deserves more love and appreciation. I love his personality, but what I love the most about him is how he had everything to be the “plain edgy, shady character” and then this notion was completely twisted around. I love it when things aren’t just about appearance. Hogwarts House: I see him being in Hufflepuff! The best people I know (namely, my best friend and spouse) are from this House and while they’re sweet and caring people, there’s also a lot to them more than it meets the eye, just like with Krory! Hufflepuffs are dedicated, loyal, and capable. Which Pokemon starter they’d be: Great question because when you think of him, you’d instantly think of a bat Pokémon, right? haha But I’d give him Sobble, I think! Poor shy crybaby that gets to go from water to wine upon evolving into its last stage, which is completely fabulous and badass! Drizzile even has the prominent bang falling on its face, while Inteleon has what could look like how Krory’s bang gets upward when his Innocence is activated 🤔

#dgm #d.gray man #kanda yu #yu kanda #arystar krory #take a shot every time I say the word 'sweet' on Krory's #beware of alcoholic coma #this one got long! They're already long on their own #but I never thought people would be interested in my opinions and I'm so flattered #I'm having a blast; on cloud nine #I just apologize for the text walls all the same though!#ask

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b-rainlet · 4 years

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That bitch Ecco

*insert John Mulaney’s ‘She’s a bitch and I love her so much!’ here*

Why I like Them/Why I don’t

Her introduction is her punching Jerome in the face, how can someone not love her, omg.

I mean, we know nothing about her which maybe makes it harder to relate to her but I just think it makes her more intriguing. Like, what about her parents? Her Father apparently left when she was little, but what about her Mum?? When did she meet Jeremiah? Why the fuck did she pledge her life to him? Please, she’s a badass, why is she hanging around with him???

(Also where the fuck did she learn to fight, did she teach herself? Was she doing some kind of martial arts? Was she trained as a spy or something?? What is her past?????)

And then we have her going from a proxy to being Harley and like....once again, there’s no explanation as to why. I just enjoy thinking scenarios for her, wondering why she turned out the way she did and I am going through her tag daily, looking for some Ecco centric stuff - or even Eccomiah stuff that focuses on her a little (but she’s part of the female characters who get sidelined for Wayleska, just like Selina, which...I ship too! It’s nice! But sometimes I wanna have her tagged in a fic where she actually has a role aside from being mentioned once).

(Also I am a hypocrite and I hate when Selina is being pushed aside or forgotten when other Bruce ships come to play but I have some Selina/Jeremiah wips where I’m like ‘Bruce who????’ ahkdhaskjd, sue me for loving girls).

Also, Ecco is simply adorable and I saw her shake her head to rattle the bullet inside it and was like: Baby

(If Jeremiah won’t treat her right, I definitely will).

Favourite Episode/Favourite Season

She has so little episodes where she features, but she’s a delight in every scene she features in.

Favourite Season would probably be Season 5 because she has a bigger portion of screentime there and she’s Harley instead of Proxy or Mummer and while both of those personas are awesome (and fear-inducing), she’s a lot of fun crazy and unhinged.

Favourite Episode is Ace Chemicals, I’d say. Not that she has a big role in it (that would probably the scene where she fights Selina) but she’s interacting with Jervis there and that scene not only is my header but also made me ship them (and caters to my bisexuality alsjsadnln).

Also I have a fanfic in the works based on that scene because you cannot tell me that Jervis isn’t all heart-eyes over her.

(In my heart, every single villain adores Ecco and hates Jeremiah and they put up with him for her - but they’re all just quietly waiting for her to leave him lmao, they got the chocolate and roses ready, just in case).

Favourite Line

The only Ecco lines I have in my head are ‘Our cover is blownski’ and ‘She got me, Daddy’ and the last one made me fucking nauseous to listen to within the circumstances (I mean, deep fry Jeremiah? Really? No.) so I don’t have a favourite line I think.

But she also doesn’t talk much ashkhks, she either doesn’t talk at all as the mummer or let’s Jeremiah monologue.

(She’s probably more of a ‘Do it’ instead of talking about it girl and I stan her).

Favourite Outfit

ALL OF THEM

They’re all beautiful, props to the costume department

(also sorry you can't see them well, I used gifs from old edits that where still on my phone)

OTP

You would think it’s Eccomiah - and I do love them a lot - but I would give an arm and a leg for some Ecco/Jervis or Ecco/Selina content.

(Also Ecco/Bruce could be adorable and fucking hilarious at the same time, I love them).

Ecco is very much shippable with everyone and I’d read anything about her (pls I’m desperate).

(Also she deserves to be treated like a queen by someone to make up for the awful way Miah treats her in canon, so am I gleefully imagining scenarios of her leaving him and finding someone who treats her right while he’s cursing everything and feels miserable? Maybe).

Brotp

All the girls! Like Ecco and Ivy and Bridgit having meetups where Ivy and Bridgit keep telling her to dump her trash boyfriend askhjafbska

(But tbh, I can see every duo I’ve listed as an OTP as a Brotp too and vice versa. I mean...., you should like your spouse as a friend too askdkjdbkb).

Idk why, but I can’t really warm up to Ivy/Ecco (which is basically Harley/Ivy), but maybe that’s precisely because it would be like Harley/Ivy and I’m not really a fan of those two.

(I also have to admit that I enjoy Ecco a lot more than Margot Robbie’s version of Harley Quinn).

Headcanon

Umm...idk? I kinda thought about her being russian? But I think that’s quite a popular thought, I saw some people mention it before!

My headcanons usually change to adapt the current au I am thinking about but a hc I keep in most of them is that Ecco was pretty straight to the point before she became Harley and that she isn’t one for social cues. She’s blunt.

(Which for me mostly means that Jeremiah pre-spray tried to flirt with her and she just. Didn’t respond to any of it. Not because she isn’t interested but because she doesn’t think much about Miah offering her things like sleeping in the guest bedroom. Makes sense, he works late and she’s within reach in case he needs anything, while he overthinks everything and basically offered her to move in with him lmao).

Unpopular Opionion

Idk if that’s unpopular but she’s a really good Harley Quinn version (I think all their villain versions are very good? Like, they also have the best joker version(s), Gotham knows how to entertain me).

A wish

Please, whoever’s in charge, drop what the writers would’ve done with her if Gotham wouldn’t have been cancelled, I am curious.

Was she meant to die and be replaced at one point to show how Miah is actually looking for the ‘finished’ Harley version, like it’s alluded to in the finale? If she’s not his forever companion, would she have betrayed him at some point? Or if she is supposed to be Harley, would she have teamed up with Ivy at some point?

Would we have gotten more scenes of her interacting with other villains? Would we have seen a bit more of her past or maybe a flashback scene of the shooting?

(I don’t think so, they probably would’ve kept her an insignificant side character but an enby can dream).

Also, if I’m already wishing, someone release the cut scenes involving her.

An oh-god-please-don’t-ever-happen

Finale? Which Finale? Gotham ends with Bruce leaving and nothing happens after that :)

5 words to best describe them

I’ll give you four ;)

Endearing

Cuckoo

Consecrated (to sth.)

Overlooked

My nickname for them

WIFEY

#Ecco

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reidingandwriting · 4 years

Text

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Word Count: ~1700 words

Ship: Pepper x Tony Stark, Peter Parker x Reader (platonic until the end), IronFam, Stark!Reader

Warnings:Nothing but fluff!

Summary: The one where you, Peter Parker, Morgan Stark team up to help give your parents the best Valentine’s Day possible- with the help of a few other members of the family.

You and Peter had a plan. For good this time, promise. Your plans typically ended with one of you, often both, in trouble. It’s not that you went out looking for trouble, but trouble was always looking for you. You and Peter had to bring brownies for a bake sale once, and you decided that you would bake them together. Peter had planned on buying some, but he said yes to your plan. How hard could it be to bake brownies? Turns out, it was very hard for you two to bake brownies. After your second failed batch literally caught on fire, and after being yelled at by your dad, you and Peter cleaned up the kitchen and bought the brownies from a local bakery.

And when your little sister Morgan got older, she turned the duo into a trio of trouble. You and Peter were very careful when it came to the youngest Stark, but with those puppy eyes, Morgan could get what she wanted from you both. And that’s why Pepper and Tony came home to a backyard full of giant spiderwebs, formed in-between trees like trampolines. Tony swore he grew dozens of gray hairs in seconds at the scene of his youngest daughter jumping on web trampolines.

However, it was the week of Valentine’s Day, and you and Peter were planning what you could do for your parents. When you came up with the perfect plan, you recruited Morgan, Rhodey, and Happy to help you with the execution.

“Alright, team.” You grinned as you looked around the room. “Time for phase one.”

Phase one consisted of you, Peter, and Happy going into your mom and dad’s calendars and taking care of business on Monday. Peter checked on some blueprints, making sure everything was accurate. You found your parents’ notes for phone calls to be made Friday, and you made the phone calls to handle business matters while Happy rearranged your parents’ calendars to finish two hours early on Friday- plenty of time to get them ready. Phase two started Tuesday.

------

“Mr. Stark!” Peter whined as he walked into the living room. Tony looked up from the television, arching a brow at the teenager.

“What’s up, kid?” Peter stood in front of Tony, groaning.

“I need your help! I have a date on Friday, and we’re supposed to go to this really nice restaurant, so I have to look like I belong there. I have a few nice things, but I want to wear a suit, and I don’t know how to make it look good. I really want to make a good impression.” Tony chuckled as he stood up, resting a hand on Peter’s shoulder.

“Come on, I’ll help you pick out something.” Tony walked with Peter to his room, and Peter tapped his fingers against your door once they passed, signaling you. You peeked your head out of the door once you heard Peter’s bedroom door open and shut and you went to the elevator, going up to your dad’s room, meeting Rhodey inside. As Tony went through Peter’s closet, talking to him about how to pull the outfit together, Peter texted you what your dad was saying, and you picked out a suit for your dad to wear. You gave the suit to Rhodey, who took it to his room, before you texted Peter. “Phase two complete. Time to get the secret weapon for phase three.”

------

“Mommy!” Morgan barreled into her mom’s room on Wednesday, jumping onto the bed. “Mommy, guess what?”

“Hmm, was there a snow fairy outside today?” Pepper teased and Morgan shook her head, giggling.

“That would be awesome. But we’re having a mom and daughter party at school on Friday, at... seven! Can we pretty, pretty, pretty please go? We can wear matching dresses.” Morgan climbed off the bed, walking to Pepper’s closet. “This red one is pretty. And I have a red one, too!”

“FRIDAY, how is my calendar for Friday night?” Your mom asked and FRIDAY responded.

“Your Friday is free after five P.M.” Pepper looked at Morgan and smiled wide.

“Looks like we’re going to your party.” Morgan cheered and ran to Pepper, hugging her mom tight.

“So, I heard you and Morgan have a party Friday.” You spoke softly, rubbing your sleeping sister’s back. You were sitting besides your mom in the living room for your weekly girls’ night. Morgan had decided to watch a movie, but she had fallen asleep halfway through. You took the time to talk to your mom, enjoying a rare moment alone. Your dad was with Happy on a business trip and wouldn’t get back until Friday night, just in time for your plan to work.

“We do.” Your mom smiled, her arm wrapped around your shoulders. “Do you have any plans for Friday?”

“MJ and I were thinking about going to that new bookstore that opened up near her house. Maybe go get some dinner, spy on Peter on his date.” Your mother grinned, playfully swatting your shoulder.

“Do not spy on him! Poor kid is nervous enough without you and MJ there.” You feigned innocence, looking at your mom.

“We wouldn’t scare him.” Your mom rolled her eyes at your grin.

“Y/N...” You raised one of your hands in defense.

“Okay, okay, I promise, no spying on Peter. We’ll get our intel in other ways.” You lowered your voice and kept a straight face, until you and your mother broke into laughter.

------

Phase four began Thursday. You, Peter, and Rhodey spent the entire day getting everything ready for tomorrow. You bought some decor for the dinner, got gifts for your family and Peter (and for Happy and Rhodey to thank them for their help), and got everything you needed to cook dinner for your parents- with Rhodey’s supervision and DUM-E standing by with a fire extinguisher.

Before you knew it, it was Friday evening. Peter and Rhodey were finishing setting up the dining room. You just finished curling Morgan’s hair and you were now putting makeup on your mom.

“Y/N, you don’t have to put my makeup on, darling.”

“I know, Mom.” You smiled, focusing as you applied her makeup. “You deserve to be pampered, too.” You finished her makeup right as Peter texted you.

‘They’re pulling up! Is Pep ready?’

‘Yep! Coming down now’

“Okay, Mom. Let’s go downstairs, we need to get pictures of you and Morgan.” You helped your mom stand up, and Morgan took her hand. You lead the way down to the living area, you and Morgan grinning.

“Hi, Pepper! You look beautiful.” Peter spoke up, Pepper not knowing Peter was here.

“Hi, Pete- Peter, what are you doing here? I thought you had a date.” Pepper’s brows furrowed, and Peter hummed.

“There may have been a change of plans.” It was Rhodey’s turn to speak. Your mom started to speak as you heard your dad walk in with Happy.

“Happy, why am I still wearing this suit? I wanted to change on the plane, but-”

“Happy Valentine’s Day!” Everyone cheered except for your parents, who both had surprised looks on their faces.

“Rhodey, Peter, what are you doing here?” Tony looked around. “What’s with.. all of this?” Pepper and Tony took in the decorations in the living room.

“We wanted to do something for you for Valentine’s Day. You haven’t had a proper date in the longest time, so we put this together for you.” You smiled.

“What about Morgan’s party at school?” Pepper asked.

“Just an excuse to get you in a dress.” You hummed.

“What about Peter’s date?” Tony asked.

“I’ve got my dates here.” Peter picked up Morgan when she walked over and smiled at you.

“What did Happy and Rhodey have to do with this?” Pepper questioned, looking at the two men.

“I made sure your dinner was edible. Peter helped me cook, it’s staying warm in the oven now. Happy kept Tony out of the house, and we all made sure your schedule was cleared for tonight.” Rhodey admitted. “I’m pretty proud of the kids, they planned all of this themselves.” Tony’s eyes met yours, eyes full of pride.

“You three did all of this for us?” You walked to your dad, giving him a hug.

“Of course, Dad. You and Mom do so much for us, we thought it was about time we do something for you in return.” Tony hugged you tighter, pulling back when Peter walked over with Morgan.

“Do you like it, Mr. Stark?” It was Peter’s turn to get hugged, which he happily returned.

“It’s perfect, kid. Thank you, all of you.” Tony pressed a kiss to Morgan’s cheek before pulling away.

“Now, I think you’ve got a lovely dinner ahead of you. Peter, Morgan, and I are going out for dinner, we’ll be back before curfew.” You walked over to Peter, taking his hand.

“And I’ll be nearby for when the trio’s acts of kindness end and they go back to causing chaos.” You all laughed at Happy’s (probably true) statement and said your goodbyes, your parents now alone in the tower.

“We really have the best kids.” Pepper smiled as she felt Tony’s arms wrap around her waist.

“We do, don’t we?” Pepper leaned into Tony’s touch, eyes closing as Tony pressed a kiss to her head.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Pep.” Tony’s voice was soft, hand gently circling her hip.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Tony.” Pepper turned around, pressing a gentle kiss to her husband’s lips. “Now, since we know Rhodey cooked, let’s eat dinner.” Tony laughed and followed Pepper to the kitchen.

When you, Peter, and Morgan got home, you smiled to see your parents asleep on the couch. You walked over to the couch, draped a blanket over your parents, and went to your room with Peter and Morgan. The three of you started watching a movie, you and Morgan both falling asleep shortly after it started. You slept in the middle of the bed, with Morgan tucked into your right side and Peter on your left. Peter smiled when he saw you were asleep and pressed a kiss to your forehead.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Y/N.”

Taglist: @daughter-of-stark @agent-barnes40 💖 Taglist is open, let me know if you’d like to be added! I absolutely loved writing this, finally giving Pepper and Tony the ending they deserved. I hope you enjoyed this one-shot and feedback is always appreciated!

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infinitelytheheartexpands · 3 years

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Les Huguenots (Grand Théâtre de Genève, 2020): Reactions, Part I

Given that my current Act of Hubris Involving Video Editing is putting English subtitles on this production, I guess now is a good of a time as ever to finally officially liveblog it.

@monotonous-minutia you have seen this and @sweatershowgirl and @tatyana-dreaming you have not but all three of you are interested in this Act of Hubris, so...here you go! (there are spoilers in this liveblog)

Night of the Living Dead

well now they’re just Dead (except for a couple of principals. also spoiler alert these people keep coming back occasionally. don’t ask me. I was not one of the codirectors so idk)

“this production is sponsored by Adidas”

that one dude in the back obviously did not get the color memo

that or the costume department ran out of white/off-white shirts

JOHN!!!!!!! *heart eyes forever*

FANTASTIC chair setup

Nevers and Raoul are such a BROTP

spotlight’s on you buddy

also this viola d’amore solo is SO PRETTY

how is it that John Osborn is able to turn anything his voice touches into gold

also, UNBELIEVABLY PRECIOUS CHILD

It is a lovely morning in Touraine and you are a Bass Emerging From The Bog (not actually but...yeah) About To Crash A Party

“no, I already told you I needed twenty stuffed-crust pizzas from Medici’s for the Renaissance Faire!”

(I’m only half-kidding, as this is apparently supposed to be Catherine de Medici. yes, this production is weird. yes, it somehow works in the end. also it’s the most musically complete one on film)

you’re going to regret giving Marcel the megaphone

see? Marcel is just Ultimate Chaotic Energy

anyway this aria BOPS and Michele Pertusi is (as always) amazing

the valet (at right): “I do not get paid enough to deal with this shit”

RWS is so pretty *heart eyes*

@rayatii work your meme magic on this I know you can

also I guess this is supposed to be a farewell kiss or something?

also also I love how all the chorus people just start clapping

also also also I am the newspaper dude that is Such A Mood

Raoul please stop jumping to conclusions so quickly (although I will acknowledge that the kiss doesn’t really stem from canon)

tfw your fiancée breaks up with you the day before your wedding

Alexandre Duhamel is me jamming out to this chorus

*dies of Adorable Mezzo*

also: I don’t care that (according to behind-the-scenes video) Urbain is technically played as a woman in this production; I will proudly continue to say that this Urbain is wonderfully genderfluid because that was the Vibe I got

SASS HIM

ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS

tfw you’re asked to go blindfolded to a Secret Rendezvous

he’s so freaking adorable I can’t

their energy

when you’re the new royal protégé but have no idea

magic movie makeover

off into the Great Unknown (better known as Act II)

we love the Old Hollywood Vibe

CAN I HAVE THIS OUTFIT IMMEDIATELY PLEASE AND THANK YOU

we stan both onstage instrumentalists and dancing sopranos

there’s just something about her and her voice that makes her one of my top 3 people I’ve ever seen or heard in this role

(her name is Ana Durlovski; the 2 others are singers you’ve likely heard of-- Lisette Oropesa and Joan Sutherland, with Erin Morley and Marlis Petersen not far behind)

I aspire to have her confidence and flair

everyone is Bopping feat. Costume Porn

also: sometimes the ideal Friend Group/Professional Network is a bunch of strong, confident, talented women, a strong, confident, talented, genderfluid director’s assistant, and one (1) Kindly Elderly Gay flutist (not pictured)

Léa Desandre and Anyone brings out wonderful energy

Urbain: “ma’am you are great at what you do but we are on a schedule and that schedule does not include you coloratura-ing”

we have no choice but to stan a QUEEN

Urbain: “really? the PUMPKIN PANTS?”

VALENTINE!!!!!!!!! *heart eyes forever for my favorite character in this opera*

stop being so perfect please I am begging you

Marguérite just checking in to make sure Valentine is okay is like *heart eyes forever for my SISTP. also I kinda ship them*

picture-perfect

WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT BEING SO PERFECT

“now we are going to call your douchebag of a father whom I have to act like I don’t despise so I can persuade him by hook or by crook to let you marry your dream guy”

aka Girls Supporting Girls

this aria should be done every time and LÉA YOU ARE KILLING ME HERE

ooh... (the ladies are INVESTED)

I would like to thank the directors for making this happen

poor Valentine :(

Protect The Clueless Baby

Blinded By Spotlight, Round 2

iconic duo

twice the cadenza, twice the awesome

Raoul: I gotta admit that I’m a bit horny

Marguérite: okay maybe I am a little too BUT I am a good best friend so I’m not gonna do anything with you

Directors: *decide to end this duet with them making out*

Me: >:(

(John Osborn and Ana Durlovski though? LOVE THEM together)

Marguérite: oh shit I am officially regretting the last thirty seconds

also, tfw you walk in on your boss/crush/girl you just kissed making out with someone else you’ve barely met #awkward

CHILD

Urbain: well, you’re a person who...exists

“are you gonna get that?”

“no, are you?”

aka, the Nevers and Urbain Beef continues

someone’s on the phone please be quiet

also, something that happened a bit later but I couldn’t get into a screencap: Nevers has a very firm handshake while Saint-Bris has one like a limp fish

“yes we are all swearing eternal peace yes we are all friends no this will not implode within the next five minutes :)”

this moment is just SO CUTE

Raoul/Nevers BROTP (spoiler: that does not last long)

“here she comes...MISS AMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERICA”

RAOUL NO DON’T PUBLICLY HUMILIATE HER

the SLAP

this ensemble SLAPS

meanwhile, Marcel is just vibing and living his best life

Urbain: okay NO I NEED TO DO DAMAGE CONTROL HERE BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS FUCKED UP AND IF SOMEONE’S GONNA FIX IT IT’S ME

Marcel: but I wanna make Chaotic Energyyyyyyyyyyyy

“well that went well” said no one ever

#opera #opera tag #Act of Hubris Involving Video Editing #Les Huguenots #opera liveblog #Meyerbeer #Giacomo Meyerbeer #*Albert Finney voice* LET'S!!! GO TO!!! THE MOOOOOOOVIIIIIIIIIIIIIES!!!

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fandom-necromancer · 4 years

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1182. Please, don’t hurt me!

This was promted by the awesome @detroitbecomestickman! Hope it’s funny, I tried XD Enjoy!

Fandom: Detroit become human | Ship: Reed900

Cats loved Nines and Nines loved cats. Gavin seemed to like cats too, given that his phone had hundreds of pictures of them saved although there was little to no space left for important data. As they moved in together, Nines had asked him whether he owned one, but Gavin had just shaken his head with regret and the android hadn’t asked further. He would have loved to have a pet, but if he had to choose between Gavin and a cat, the human won.

Most of his calculations ended that way. Being promoted to Lieutenant and move to another precinct or stay Gavin’s partner? Spending his time with maintenance or steal a few more minutes with his human? Allow his love to get harmed or catch the bullet for him? Easy decisions from Nines’ perspective and maybe even no decision at all. No, he would stay with Gavin forever. Solving mysteries, finding clues and chasing suspects through Detroit was something he loved nearly as much as his human, he thought, currently doing the latter. They ran through dark alleys, their feet disturbing puddles from the last rain, while the sound of cars from the next street followed them.

‘Damn, he’s fast!’, Gavin panted by his side, keeping up with the android. Nines wasn’t running at top speed, but given the nature of their suspect, it might be better to corner him together. He was extremely fast and agile, and Nines didn’t know if he could handle him himself. The criminal had managed to escape his cell completely on his own, running for his life as the duo began chasing him outside the building and down the stairs. ‘We could always call backup’, Nines offered, but only earned a sneer from the human: ‘Like hell we are. We wanted to beat Hank and Connor in this month’s arrests, don’t you remember?’ ‘Then I hope you still have some stamina left. Our suspect has climbed the fire escape of the next building.’ ‘Oh, you gotta be kidding me!’, Gavin practically whined. But as he followed the fugitive, Nines’ observation proved itself to be true. ‘Should I throw you?’ ‘Ugh. Anything to get that bastard.’ Nines nodded, swooping his human from his feet and throwing him at the fire escape before jumping himself. Gavin managed to climb up the remaining steps, the manoeuvre a common tactic by now. But instead of climbing to the roof, their suspect jumped from the platform to a near wall and down to street level on the other side again. ‘Damn parkour. Why couldn’t he just stop at “Freeze, DPD!”?’, Gavin complained, before following the fugitive. He was less elegant, but it got the job done. Nines followed him, but Gavin now had the lead and was close enough to take the chance. He leapt forwards and managed to pin their suspect to the ground.

‘Mreeoow!’ ‘You have the phcking right to remain silent!’ ‘Mreow!’

‘I don’t think he can understand the Miranda Rights, Gavin’, Nines commented, while his human got up to his feet the thrashing cat in his arms. ‘AH! Phck! Please, don’t hurt me! Phcking bastard kitty. We are just trying to get you back to your – ah, ah, achoo!’ Nines watched Gavin near losing his grip on the cat sneezing. ‘Back to your goddamn owner!’ He sniffed and his eyes were red. ‘You are allergic to cats!’, Nines finally noticed. ‘Yeah, tell me something I didn’t know!’, Gavin barked. ‘Just get that ca- achoo! Phck, take him!’ Nines hurried over and took the cat, trying to calm him down. Meanwhile Gavin took out a handkerchief and blew his nose. ‘We should get back to Mrs. Gomez’, Nines said, and Gavin nodded, following the android and the cat in some distance.

‘Why is the human body so damn weak?’, Gavin complained, after they had given the cat back to their neighbour who had been about to take him to the vet for a check-up. One that was completely unnecessary in Gavin’s opinion. If a cat could unlock a transport box and sprint through half Detroit, near outrunning the top Detective of the DPD and the most advanced android ever created, he was fine. Now they were finally driving to work, bracing themselves to explain Fowler they were late because they had to chase a runaway housecat. ‘Cats are so cute, and I have to be horribly allergic to them!’ ‘Actually your body is quite strong’, Nines pointed out. ‘Just misfiring due to underutilisation of your immune system.’ ‘Yeah great. Makes me feel better immediately!’, Gavin spat. ‘I wanna cuddle a cat without dying, please.’ ‘You wouldn’t die. But it wouldn’t be pleasant.’ ‘Wow, toaster, you really aren’t helping.’ ‘The most common allergy against cats results from the protein Fel D1 in their saliva. A cat without that could be suitable to have as a pet if that is your type of allergy. There are eight different types of-‘ ‘Okay, Wikipedia, stop. You mean I don’t have to avoid cats all the time?’ Nines cocks his head. ‘There are breeds that you could be unaffected by.’ ‘You see? This is actually helping!’, Gavin smiled. ‘Let’s research that immediately after Fowler dissected us!’ ‘I don’t think he has any arguments to underline his statement. It is our duty as police officers to help the citizens of Detroit. We both returned one back to safety and helped Mrs. Gomez to be reunited with a missing family member.’ ‘It was a cat.’ ‘I don’t see your point’, Nines disagreed. ‘This could even be a successful detainment for our competition with the Andersons.’ ‘Okay, I’m all in. But you do the talking, you got the robot-brain.’

Nines sighed, as they walked through the bullpen. ‘Why do you only admit I’m the intelligent one when it’s saving your ass?’ ‘Come on babe. You can’t press the checkbox to prove you are not a robot…’ ‘I can! But I would lie to get access to-‘ ‘Let’s just agree we are both idiots, okay?’, Gavin interrupted, a loving smile on his lips. ‘Fine. I can live with that.’

#detroit become human #dbh #Reed900 #RK900 #Gavin Reed #How long has it been since I wrote from Nines' POV? Too long #allergies are the worst idea a body can get #well and autoimmune bullshit.#Androids again having an unfair advantage at life #Nines is devoted if I had to chose between cat and a human I would stay with the cat #Funny story my brother is allergic to horses so I am banished to the cellar with my sport clothes XD #Fuck allergies

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mysterylover123 · 5 years

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My Top 20 BKDK Moments (So Far)

by mysterylover123

Warning, anime onlys: I’ll be mentioning Manga stuff, though only 2 of them are all that spoiler-y

#20. YOU MADE THAT BORROWED POWER YOUR OWN

3.19 “RUSH!” Provisional License Exam Arc

What Happens: Bakugo asks Midoriya if he’s made ‘that borrowed power’ his own, complimenting him indirectly by saying that of course he passed. Deku gets super excited at being complimented by him.

Why I like it: For all the shit they throw at one another early on, BK & DK do really look up to/respect each other. They won’t admit it easily, but scenes like this (and a later scene in Chapter 194, where Deku compliments Kacchan and he too reacts extremely) showcase that respect. I love it. Also, Kacchan knows Deku’s AM’s inheritor already.

#19. HAVE YOU GOTTEN ANY BETTER? (Manga)

Chapter 168 “The Strange Tale of Aoyama” Interlude arcs

What happens. Post Internship arc, Bakugo asks Deku if he’s gotten any better since they last talked. Deku says no, and Bakugo reminds him that he said he’d surpass him. This prompts Deku to work harder.

Why I like it: Ideal RivalShipping is about two characters pushing each other to be their best selves. Bakugo is great at getting Deku to try harder, just as Deku prompts his best self.

#18. YOUR QUIRK IS AMAZING, KACCHAN

Backstory flashback, multiple times. Mostly Battle Trial Arc

What happens: Baby Deku and Kacchan walk through the woods together, talking about quirks, before DK is found to be quirkless. This is one of many scenes of Baby Deku and Kacchan being casual friends.

Why I like it: I love the cute scenes of them as kids, where they seem to be actual friends and hang out together, bonding over All-Might and quirks and heroes. I hope we get to see them hang out like that again as adults some day.

#17. SECRET OFA TALKS (MANGA SPOILERS!)

Chapter 217: End of joint Training Arc

What Happens: Kacchan joins in the AM and Deku talks (for the 2nd time) to discuss what’s happening with OFA. He also works with Deku on trying to master his new ability.

Why I like it: Bakugo is instantly able to help Deku zero in on the information he needs up joining the secret OFA talks, in a way that AM wasn’t able to. He makes a great partner for Deku here, getting right to the point and refusing to waste time.

#16. “I COULD MOVE LIKE KACCHAN”

Hero-Killer Arc, 2.14-2.19

What Happens: Deku is trying to master OFA. He thinks about how he wants to move, and uses Kacchan’s moves as his model. He’s able to discover Full Cowling like this, which lets him fight Stain and do well in the race - and everyone notices (Iida, Uraraka, Todoroki, Bakugo) that he’s moving like Kacchan.

Why I like it: Deku has lots of moments where he thinks “What would Kacchan do” or tries to model himself on the guy. He admires the crap out of him - but not in the blind way he tries to imitate AM, or Ochaco tries to imitate Deku, or Iida Ingenium. Because Deku doesn’t hero-worship Baku, but sees his flaws, he’s able to imitate him without losing himself.

#15. “HE’S AMAZING”

Battle Trial Arc, 1.07-1.08

What happens: Midoriya and Uraraka are pitted against Kacchan and Iida in mock battle. Midoriya goes on and on and on about how awesome Kacchan is and how much he wants to beat him - first in a speech to Uraraka, later telling Bakugo to his face.

Why I like it: Deku really looks up to Kacchan, and even at their most adversarial, he still talks about him in positive terms and speaks of him as a cool guy he wants to surpass. Deku doing this is also good for Bakugo, since he’s able to acknowledge his flaws and strengths without kissing his ass like his sidekicks in middle school; Deku beating him upsets his pride and sets off his Character Development.

#14. TWIN STARS OF CLASS 1-A

3.17 Class 1-A, License Exam Arc

What Happens: Aizawa meta’s about his class with Ms Joke, explaining that Deku and Kacchan are the center of every Class A incident, and despite not getting along, their presence elevates everyone else up.

Why I like it: The staff of UA seem to ship BKDK. They teamed them up to fight AM and encourage them to get along. Aizawa sees clearly how each one inspires everyone else. This speech groups them together as a duo who act in tandem. Twin Stars.

#13. “THE MOST AMAZING HERO ALWAYS WINS IN THE END.”

2.24 “Katsuki Bakugo origin” Flashback

What happens. Baby Kacchan fights off a bunch of older kids, even though he’s in tears. Baby Deku watches him from afar and looks deeply impressed.

Why I like it: Deku seems to have admired Kacchan since he was really, really young. I’m not sure when this scene takes place, but Deku’s big smile and wide, shining eyes when watching Bakugo seem like a mark of affection and love to me.

#12. ABOUT MY/YOUR SHOOT STYLE

3.23 Deku vs Kacchan Part 2

What happens: Post Fight, under house arrest alone, Deku and Kacchan have a very civil conversation, where depending on the translation either Deku brings up Shoot style and asks for advice, or Kacchan offers it on his own. Ends with Deku smiling.

Why I like it: Post-DVK2, they immediately establish that they’re now capable of talking to each other in civil terms. Kacchan gives Deku civil advice, and despite saying ‘it pissed me off’, the whole exchange is beautifully positive.

#11. GET OUT OF MY WAY, DEKU

1.12 All Might USJ Arc

What happens: Deku jumps in to save Al Might and is nearly killed by Kurogiri. At the last second Kacchan saves him by taking down Kurogiri. Also Later Kacchan is nearly killed and Deku screams in horror.

Why I like it: Bakugo doesn’t have a ton of scenes where he saves Deku, but the few times he does save someone/show concern for them, it’s usually him. This is Baku’s first save, and though he phrases it in rude terms, he still does it. Actions> words.

#10. WELL, NOW I’M EVEN MORE EAGER (MANGA)

Chapter 202, joint Training Arc

What Happens: Deku and AM go off to talk OFA. Kacchan refuses to be left out and joins them voluntarily. Noticing Deku is upset he encourages him in his own way, which AM observes. Once Deku smiles, Kacchan goes back to being his abrasive self.

Why I Like it: Baku is newly nicer (in his Tsundere way) after DVK2. He’s actually able to be kind to Deku and encouraging. This is similar to the advice the OFA users give Deku later, which helps him actually use the power. OFA Co-conspirators FTW.

#9. NOW IT’S YOUR TURN

3.11-3.12 US of Smash

What Happens: Post All Might’s fight, Kacchan notices Deku’s tears and AM’s words, and puts the pieces together. He asks AM about Deku and when he’s shot down he remains quiet and brooding.

Why I like it: Bakugo changes forever in this section of the story. He realizes the truth about Deku. He blames himself for ending AM. He asks about Deku and shows awareness that something’s up with him. It’s all very self-aware and sweet.

(#8-2, examples of super-mega-ultra concern for each other)

#8. YOU’RE PROBABLY THE MOST FRUSTRATED OF ALL

3.04-3.10 Training Camp and Hideout Raid Arcs

What Happens: While fighting Muscular, Deku learns that Kacchan is in danger. He goes psycho Madman Deku mode for the whole Training Camp Arc, refusing to pause or rest until he’s saved Kacchan. He falls apart when Kacchan is taken, then immediately goes off to save him again even though he could die.

Why I like it. Deku likes saving people in general, but when someone threatens Kacchan, he goes crazy in a way he doesn’t for anyone else. He spends this whole arc hopped up on “Must save Kacchan” juice and keeps pushing and going no matter what. He cares about the guy, no two ways about it.

#7. DON’T COME, DEKU

3.07 “What a Twist!”

What happens: Bakugo is captured by villains. He’s being dragged through the portal and Deku comes barreling towards him with two broken arms, fully prepared to jump through the portal and die just to save him. Bakugo tells him not to and Deku listens.

Why I like it: Though this arc is filled with Deku being crazy protective of Baku, Baku gets his own fair share in right here. He tells Deku not to basically die protecting him, and Deku listens. Baku basically saves his life here, at the expense of his own.

#6. “ARE YOU ALL RIGHT? ARE YOU HURT?”

Backstory flashback repeated a lot.

What happens: Baby Kacchan slips and falls into a creek. Baby Deku goes down to help him up and asks if he’s ok. This offends Baby Kacchan’s pride.

Why I like it: Bakugo probably never had anyone treat him like a fallible human being until Deku came along. Everyone told him he was amazing and could never be hurt - but Deku doesn’t. That bruises his ego at first, but in reality it’s exactly what he needs: Someone who cares about him and will protect him, while still admiring him. (Plus this scene is cute).

#5. HOW CAN HE SMILE… (MANGA SPOILERS. MASSIVE ONES)

Chapter 210, Joint Training Arc

What Happens: In an effort to piss Deku off and get him to talk, Monoma using Shinso’s power taunts him about Bakugo, saying that Bakugo shouldn’t be able to smile since he destroyed All Might. Deku’s new quirk goes PsychoBerserker out of control in response.

Why I like it: Deku’s power-ups are often connected with Baku in some way. Like many superpowers, OFA seems to be fueled by emotions. So targeting Bakugo brings out Deku’s greatest powers. In this case, though, it’s not a villain trying to hurt him. It’s someone insulting him. And that means Deku will defend Kacchan’s honor and feelings as well as his safety.

#4. I GOT MY QUIRK FROM SOMEONE ELSE

1.08 “Bakugo’s Start Line”

What Happens: Post Battle Trial Arc, Bakugo is in emotional freeful. Deku notices and chases after him, telling him for no goddamn good reason that he has an inherited power. Kacchan doesn’t believe him and instead pours his heart out to him, crying and promising to beat him.

Why I like it: Buncha reasons. 1) Deku ditches all his lovely friends, including Ochaco, to go comfort Kacchan. Even in the same way Ochaco just ditched Kaminari. 2) Deku tells Kacchan about OFA. He won’t tell anyone else, he just decided comforting Kacchan was more important than his entire reason for being here. 3) Kacchan cries in front of Deku and tells him how he feels insecure. He doesn’t do that in front of anyone else. 4) Warm lighting, deep eye contact, and the beginning of a beautiful rivalry.

#3. DEKU AND KACCHAN VS ALL MIGHT

2.24 “Katsuki Bakugo Origin”

What happens: Deku and Kacchan work together to fight AM, after a nasty fight. Deku calls Kacchan out for not being himself. Kacchan sacrifices his body to make sure Deku can escape. Deku socks AM in the face to protect Kacchan. They win.

Why I like it: For a moment that started out so dark (sock to the face), this one gets sweet fast. On Deku’s side: He reprimands Kacchan for not acting like himself, compliments his can-do- attitude, and works together with him, overcoming his fear; he finds the strength to punch AM in the face to save Kacchan, with a callback to ep 2. Kacchan’s strength helps Deku win. On Kacchan’s side: He works with Deku to win, giving him his gauntlet, and sacrifices his safety so Deku can get out, even sounding kinda concerned for him when he gets in danger. They showcase what a great team they could/will make when they work together.

#2. MY LEGS MOVED BEFORE I COULD THINK

Chapter 1/Episode 2: Izuku Midoriya Origin/What it Takes to be a Hero

What happens: Deku, in a fit of depression, sees the monster AM saved him from suffocating some kid. He’s freaking out till he sees that it’s Kacchan. He runs into deadly danger to save Kacchan, inspiring AM to save them both.

Why I like it: Because this moment changed Deku’s entire life and Kacchan’s as well. Deku’s legs ‘move’ before he can think. And it’s explicitly because it’s Kacchan in danger; he doesn’t move until he sees Kacchan’s terrified eyes. Kacchan also shows concern for Deku, telling him to get away (he didn’t say that to the pros trying to save him) so he doesn’t die. This is another scene that follows up on an awful fight between the two, and changes both lives forever. Saving Kacchan gets Deku OFA. Being saved by Deku opens Kacchan to his humility for the first time and stops him from hassling Deku. Plus, just a super-snippy moment to me.

BONUS: Anime only, OPS & EDS

OP 1: The Day

Deku and Kacchan are surrounded by the romantic cherry blossom trees.

OP 3: Sora Ni Utaeba

Deku and Kacchan brooding on each other.

ED 3: Datte Atashi No Hiro

Admitted by the writer to be about Deku’s feelings for Kacchan. Fantasy Deku with his hand over his heart watching Kacchan. BKDK teaming up in Fantasy AU to beat All Might as they look each other deeply in the eyes.

2.24 OG

Anime-only Kabe-Don scene.

OP 4: Odd Future

Deku’s head bows when Kacchan is stolen.

ED 4: Update

“Cause I love, cause I love, cause I love being with you.” While they watch the stars together.

OP 5: Make My Story

2 halves, one whole.

THE BEST:

#1. Deku vs Kacchan Part 2

Chapter 116-121/Episodes 3.22-3.23

“It’s about your quirk…If your way of looking at him was right, does that mean my admiration was wrong?”

“No matter how many times I pushed you away, you always keep coming back!”

“We never talked about our real feelings…”

“Why was I the reason for All Might’s end?”

“The only one who can receive Kacchan’s feelings is me.”

“To me, you were an amazing, inspiring person, who was much closer to me than All Might. That’s why I kept chasing after you” (is it me or does this sound exactly like Hinata’s love confession to Naruto in the Invasion of Pein arc?)

“This is gross, so I can’t tell you, but…you’re my image of victory.”

“If the two of you recognize each other, and honestly raise each other up, you can become the best heroes, who both win and rescue.”

What Happens: Deku and Kacchan tell each other how they really feel. Through a fight because Shonen.

Why I like it: AM himself says it. They’re perfectly matched. They need each other to become the greatest heroes. Kacchan knows he can only talk to Deku about how he’s feeling; nobody else can receive his feelings. Deku loves and admires Kacchan as his friend, not his Great Hero like AM. It’s just perfect.

#my hero academia #katsudeku #bkdk #midoriya izuku #katsuki bakugou #top 10 moments #izuku x katsuki #kacchan x deku

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faketextsfromlastmight · 5 years

Text

Best of tags #09

A compilation

@awesome-milkshake-blog on Iida, Bakugou and Kirishima: (Link)

#i hope their dynamics are more relaxed like this#in their second or third year

Plot twist: All For One slips in his jail’s cell shower and dies. The rest of the series is just a sitcom.

@jay-catsby on Aizawa complaining about politics at breakfast: (Link)

#hfjdjshdhs hes that guy in the dining hall who you overhear getting too real at 8am

He’s the guy who brings up child labour laws when you receive a pair of Nike shoes on Chritsmas morning. Just kidding, he’s not that socially obtuse. But a lot of characters mentions he’s very critical of society and we see in the “Vigilantes” spin-off that he had an... interesting relationship with law enforcement. My guess is that he used to be overly political but that he mellowed out over the years.

@awesome-milkshake-blog on Bakugou wanting Todoroki’s attention: (Link)

#thats it#thats the sports festival

Yeah, Todoroki’s and Bakugou’s relationship (or, at the present, the lack thereof) is definitely a development I’m excited for in the upcoming chapters of the manga.

So far Bakugou pretends to be indifferent towards his classmates’ opinions of him (although it’s painfully clear he’s actually obsessed with the way people perceive him and reacts violently whenever things don’t go his way). There are exceptions, however. He definitely changes behavior around Kirishima (to whom he listens more) and Deku (whom he can’t help antagonizing), but Todoroki is maybe the third classmate towards whom he shows interest. I think Todoroki represents a social class in which Bakugou wants to fit in, so naturally he can’t help showing some partiality. Todoroki is also one of the few classmates Bakugou feels could beat him one-on-hand, so there’s that. Basically Todoroki was born in the superhero scene and will undoubtedly be a superhero (he got into U.A. through recommendation, unlike Bakugou who had to pass an exam), he’s a natural professional. As much as he hates to admit it, Bakugou wishes he were in Todoroki’s place.

However so far Todoroki acts very indifferent towards Bakugou’s antics. My guess is that he dismisses him as a petulant man-child and finds him too unpleasant to try to build a friendship. But that could change.

Horikoshi has already laid the ground for deeper interaction when he put Bakugou and Todoroki in the kindergarten arc. We know that Bakugou knows Todoroki was horrifically abused by his superhero father (although Todoroki doesn’t know Bakugou knows that). He looks uncharacteristically disturbed when he overhears that. Bakugou idealized the superhero scene and learning of Todoroki’s terrible childhood is his first glance at the dark side of superheroics. We do know that Bakugou respects Todoroki’s outlook somewhat because he begrudgingly obeyed Todoroki when he told him how to handle little kids. Bakugou was willing to use violence to discipline them because that’s the way he was raised, but Todoroki reminded him that there was a better way of doing that.

My guess is that this is groundwork for how Todoroki and Bakugou are going to grow closer. Horikoshi didn’t picture Mitsuki hitting Bakugou for nothing, it’s a way to explain Bakugou’s irrationally violent nature. Although Bakugou’s childhood was better than Todoroki’s, his parents failed him and he needs to realize that to become a better person. I guess a deeper Bakugou/Todoroki conversation on child abuse is upcoming. Their emotional journeys complement each other. My hope is that Bakugou, following his conversation with Todoroki, will call out his mother on her casual violence (and his father on the way he enables it). The reason Bakugou acts so horribly is that the violence he experienced at home is framed as something normal. Bakugou is unable to recognize the harm he does to others because he can’t even realize the harm he suffered himself. Once Bakugou comes to terms with the damage his parents did to him, he will be able to acknowledge the damage he did to other people (such as Deku when they were in middle school). His interactions with Todoroki will be key in this development.

@greenvalleybroccoli on Bakudeku: (Link)

#all might would never ship bakudeku though

I don’t know, he seems pretty invested into the Bakugou/Midoriya rivalry in general. He clearly seems potential in their teamwork. Personally I think Boku No Hero Academia will end on Bakugou and Midoriya becoming a superhero duo in the same agency. The status of All Might as the symbol of peace is constantly decried in-universe as problematic because it’s too much to handle for one person. Furthermore it tends to evaluate raw strength as what it takes to be a hero rather than good behavior. So in order to truly change things for the better, I think All Might will not just choose Midoriya as a successor, but also Bakugou. The new “symbol of peace” will be a duo rather than a single hero, and their true superpower will be teamwork. Bakugou is used as a foil to Midoriya because it’s a yin/yang relationship. Duality is often a form of unity.

@demiboydorito on Kirishima eating a diamond: (Link)

oh god i sure hope op meant fantasy au bc the image of a 15 yr old child just c h o m p i n g a DIAMOND is killin me

You forget Kirishima has a hardening quirk. The joke is that his body is so resistant he can actually munch and digest diamonds. Maybe he’s part Goron?

@xxwolfydoodlezuwuxx on Todoroki hanging out with Shinsou: (Link)

#todo no-#being emo with shinsou is not gonna help u man.

Shinsou’s not emo, he’s old-school goth. His design is based on the character of Cesare from “The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari” (a movie about brainwashing/hypnotism).

@principle-of-parsimony on Monoma copying Shigaraki’s quirk: (Link)

He'd only decay if he copied the power from like, a High-Five, since all five fingers need to be touching the object in question in order to make it decay. Now Shigaraki though, if Monoma copies his quirk and isn't careful when copying it, Shigaraki himself may start to disintegrate.

What if they touch each other at the same time? Do the quirks cancel each other out? Or do they both decay?

@paradis-smash on Bakugou’s future hero name: (Link)

#if his hero name is Kacchan i fucking quit!#I'm kidding#but please don't let it be Kacchan

I’m sorry to alarm you but I’m actually pretty sure that’s where the series is headed. Bakugou accidentally gave Midoriya his hero name (Deku), so there would be poetic justice in Bakugou embracing the name Midoriya uses for him (Kacchan). Bakugou’s arc seems to mostly revolve around him slowly realizing how his terrible behavior affects others and why it actually prevents him from progressing as a hero. His remedial internship at the kindergarten is actually all about that. Basically Bakugou is set back in his hero work by a massive P.R. problem. He’s not as approachable as Midoriya who just radiates positivity (like All Might). Actually most oh his hatred of Midoriya could stem from the internal realization that Deku’s personality is more suited to hero work than him. His aura of goodness makes Bakugou feel insecure in his own abilities. So he needs to get over that and try to learn from Midoriya, not only to imitate his social intelligence but also to realize his own qualities.

Bakugou probably hates that nickname but I don’t think he realizes it’s actually IRONIC. The “-chan” suffix is usually used by young women and children for people they find cute, but Midoriya actually finds Bakugou pretty macho and awe-inspiring. Calling “Kacchan” is his way of saying “you’re a badass, but you’re also my friend, and that makes me feel SAFE”. If Bakugou wants people to trust him more, choosing that cutesy nickname as his hero name would actually be a good P.R. move. It would subvert the expectations people have when his more irritable persona manifests.

@tis-i-the-frenchiest-fri on the eternal Endeavor debate: (Link)

Twice is probs arguing with himself in the background

It is a truth universally acknowledged that any panel of BNHA is automatically improved by a silhouette of Twive arguing with himself in the background.

@sassyakimichi on Endeavor’s dating preferences: (Link)

the last one I literally screamed "oH sHIT" so much for library discretion x-x

So now we can add “library discretion” to the list of things Endeavor’s ruined.

@missmarj on Shouto’s poem: (Link)

E. Coli and broccoli does not rhyme shouto but dammit that was beautiful

The poem as written is supposed to be bad so let’s all just pretend my mistake is actually Shouto’s!

#mha #my hero academia #bnha #boku no hero academia #best of tags #bnha shouto #bnha bakugou #bnha midoriya #bnha all might #bnah all for one #bnha kirishima #bnha endeavor #bnha twice #bnha shigaraki #bnha shinsou #the cabinet of dr. caligari #the cabinet of doctor caligari #bnha eraserhead

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bluephoenixdruidicprincess · 5 years

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did you ever like dean/lisa together ? i think lisa is a great character but i never feel like she was dean's true love. i was mad when he erased lisa and ben's memory

I think Lisa as a character was awesome and I wish she had made some sort of comeback. There really should be consequences on Dean's end for making that decision. It goes along with that theme I've been talking about in my anti Dean Winchester tags wherein he makes decisions for other people without their consent because it's easier for him to live with himself, not that its necessarily easy or the best for the ones he's making decisions for. He thought it would be best for Lisa and Ben to forget all about him because it makes it easier for him to live with the guilt about all the crap he brought into their lives. I mean, I'm sure there's a part of him that was thinking, "this is best for Lisa and Ben" but if he truly loved them and truly respected them, he would allow them to make that call for themselves. Not to mention, stripping those memories away, at least before they knew about the supernatural world but post season 6, they know nothing and that's really dangerous particular since the supernatural society knows about Lisa and Ben's affiliation with Dean.

But I think it might've been cool to see Lisa make a comeback. Maybe pop up around season 9 after Cas's fall; maybe when he became human, everything he used magic on such as the memory spell used on Ben and Lisa weakened and Lisa began remembering things (at least I think it was a spell Cas used, it might've been his memory stripping ability). Hell, maybe she and Ben are a kickass Mother-Son hunter duo right now. But it would've been nice to see tfw encounter Lisa again if for nothing else that to see Lisa teach Dean a lesson about taking decisions away from other people even if you have good intentions behind it. I mean, Dean stans are always talking about how Dean is supposed to be this beacon of light for humanity and freewill...so how is it that he spends more time than any of the other characters taking away others' choices? And Lisa could be the driving force to tell Dean, "Hey, this shit is messed up. You need to grow up and let us make our own choices and not try to romanticize us into your ideal fantasy." This is something Cas and Sam can't do because plain and simple, they're still caught up in their own emotional trauma with Dean. But Lisa isn't in that situation, she can tell it like it is.

I was never a big fan of the Dean/Lisa relationship, I was always way more interested in her as an individual character. Plus, she's also way too good for Dean. She was kind and patient and empathetic but also fiercely independent with her life very much put-together, I honestly have no idea what Dean brought to the relationship. In fact having her as a recurring character in season 6 was one of the better parts of the season if you ask me, so what if they only really used her to play the "damsel in distress" trope, I could still like the character for what she was and I wish we had more of her and got to see more of her play an active role in learning about Dean's world. Now, did Dean love her? To a certain extent and in his own way, yes. Destiel stans in particular often try to invalidate the relationship by saying Lisa and Ben just represented a fantasy and the only person Dean could ever truly love is Cas. But I disagree. For one thing, it takes away from Lisa and Ben's autonomy within the story and that they didn't matter other than to show Dean the "apple pie" life wouldn't work and Lisa and Ben deserve better than that kind of narrative. So my own process on all of this, yes, I think Dean did love Lisa and Ben as part of this fantasy he's always had but that doesn't mean he didn't love them beyond the fantasy. And to those who ship Destiel, Dean can still love Lisa and also love Cas. It is possible to have more than "one true love". We fall in love in different stages of our lives. Sometimes the ones we view as a "one true love" don't work out because of the situations our lives were at during that time but that doesn't make that love any less epic. TVD is complete trash, I know, but one line always stuck with me and I loved it because it's so true. Stefan has decided that he's going to move on from Elena, he's going to admit that his relationship with her is over and as he laments to Lexi that he doesn't know how he could possibly let an epic love like Elena go, "What if she's 'the one'?" And Lexi responds with, "You can have multiple 'ones'. Dean can have multiple people he loves. He could love Lisa and still love Cas. Lisa could've been his epic love that didn't work out because of the situation. Will Cas fall into that same bucket? Who knows. I'm highly skeptical on a Destiel endgame and it's definitely not something I want but hey, I'm not going to trash on someone else's ship and tell them there's no hope. Now with all that said, I'm still not a fan of the Dean/Lisa ship. Even though I said Dean probably loved her but being able to infer the writer's intent vs what the actual content is are two very different things. I can infer Dean and Lisa's feelings for each other but that doesn't mean I found their relationship in any way believable. Dean decides to meet up with Lisa after one night he spent with her and he expects her to still hold some kind of flame for him? Dude, it's been years. And he just shows up to her house just expecting her to take him in which is a testament to how genuinely good of a person Lisa is but again, what is it that Dean actually brings to the table?

#anti dean winchester #lisa braeden

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uriel-ignatius121 · 5 years

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More Shadantis?? Shiro/Adam/Lance/Curtis is my new OT4

[i am loving this ot4 but i am having a hard time figuring out what i want for their personalities? Like we barely know Adam and Curtis - but it is safe to say that they are awesome dudes because, in VLD canon, Shiro loves them - even with the drama of Kerberos and Adam... but this is my happy-ish AU and i write the rules, and canon is my bitch now - all the ages are different because an institution like the Garrison should enroll people as young as 18 for programs like being a pilot or space explorer etc. Programs for highschool level can exist but just teach you general classes - but leanings towards sciences?? idk.]

Shiro and Adam met first, enrolling into the Garrison around the same time and got into similar pilot programs - though Shiro was more interested with going further than just being Fighter Pilot.

They were roommates and slowly got closer and closer - and then they started dating. Shiro was pretty much an overachiever and thank god Adam was around to nag Shiro to take a rest or eat between studying. Adam was content with his current position and place in life, but he worries about Shiro a lot since he was going to Space a lot and he was visiting the Medical Wing more times than usual.

Lance enters the picture when he enters the Cargo Pilot program at 18 years old with ambitions to move on to be a Fighter Pilot. Shiro is an instructor for basic flying between Space Missions while Adam trains the fighter pilots.

Lance has a huuuge crush on Shiro and practically worships the ground he walks on. When in need to extra help with his classes, especially in improving his simulation scores, Lance was too shy to ask Shiro for any help but he keeps visiting the Instructor’s Lounge or pass by Shiro and Adam’s room.

Adam notices though because he isn’t as oblivious as Shiro and he calls out to Lance one day to offer to tutor him.

Adam is impressed with Lance’s tenacity and charmed by his loud and bright attitude. Adam can see that Lance was very much capable of achieving whatever he puts his mind to, he just needed the occasional confidence boost and praise, which Adam can gladly give in buckets just to see those blue eyes sparkle.

Shiro soon notices Adam spending more time tutoring the younger Cadet and how happier Adam is after his sessions with Lance. Shiro started paying attention to the aspiring Fighter Pilot. He was happy to see the cadet’s scores improving since being taken under Adam’s wing. Shiro also started to see the happy-go-lucky cadet be the friendly, social butterfly he was and how that no matter what assortment of team members he got assigned with, he was able to adapt and adjust accordingly to be as useful and effective as possible.

Adam started out as bestfriends and then best friends who dated but they havent really explored much beyond that in terms of exclusivity. They very much love and care for each other and will like to keep being in love and happy through any means necessary. Shiro was much aware that Adam might be feeling a bit lonely, their schedules never meeting right and Shiro’s missions taking months away from planet... the possibility of seeing other people was never off the table.

They soon have a talk about it, Adam’s feelings for Lance and what Adam believes the depth of Lance’s feelings for Shiro.

After another tutoring session, Adam asks Lance to stay a bit longer. Lance is curious what this was about and he stays, right after sending Hunk, his roommate, a quick text that he might be late for their study date.

Adam suddenly invites Shiro into the room and Lance starts to feel like a cornered rabbit, but he is quickly reassured by the 2 Instructors what this was all about - inviting Lance into their relationship. First, Lance was totally shocked that his ‘unattainable’ crush and his tutor he was low-key flirting with were dating and second, they want to date him as well...

Lance request that he needs to think this over, he is still confused and unsure... but he promises to give his answer soon.

Lance goes to talk to his sister Veronica who worked at the Garrison as an Analyst. She smacks Lance on the backside of the head for not knowing Shiro and Adam were dating despite being a Shiro fanboy. The 2 siblings have a heart-to-heart, Lance finally admitting to someone who was not Hunk that he was bisexual and very much interested in dating guys - specifically these 2 guys who very much want to date him as well.

Veronica tells Lance that she loves him no matter what and she supports what decision he makes and when he does open up to the rest of the family. She also reassures him that if Adam and Shiro do anything to hurt him, she’ll make sure that their next flying exercises will be hell.

After the weekend, Lance comes with his answer and the comfy duo become a trio... much to Keith’s annoyance that the loud kid from his early flight classes is dating his sponsor and a guy he considers as family.

Fast forward through Shiro’s diagnosis (i dont think his illness would kill him instantly? maybe like cause muscle and nerve damage that would lead to paralysis if left untreated which would cause complications like respiratory distress and other organs and body systems failing), the sudden increase of Shiro’s missions despite his condition, the planning of the Kerberos Mission, Adam and Shiro’s big FIGHT (which Lance was very much concern of Shiro’s well being but Adam isn’t venting his frustrations to the younger man so he is unaware of the fight), the Kerberos mission and the crew’s disappearance, Lance trying to stay strong for Adam and himself, Keith’s expulsion from the Garrison and Lance jump into the Fighter Pilot program which Adam doesn’t instruct anymore because of the stress and depression from Shiro’s ‘death’, Shiro’s sudden ‘return’ and the finding of the Blue Lion.

Adam was at first distraught at hearing Lance’s last call, about founding Shiro but that there is something bigger going on and that he will only come back once everything was okay and he has Shiro by his side.

Adam trusts that Lance and Shiro will care for each other, he is happy that they have each other - Adam doesnt have high enough clearance to be informed of what happened that night, but he meets Lance’s sister who fills him in.

Fast forward some more through the story - Shiro is the captain of the Atlas, Adam is the Commander of the MFE pilots, and Lance is the Red Paladin, the SiC of Voltron.

The MFE pilots are working closely with Voltron while the Atlas stays as back up and support. Shiro is very much inexperienced in leading a group of this scale, a whole battlehip - but he needs to think about the lives that need saving all across the Universe as well as those he cares deeply about. He tries to keep his voice steady and clear and his aura of that as a strong leader... but there are times he feels alone, he is far away and way too busy to be with his friends and lovers. Shiro befriends Curtis, one of the Senior Officers chosen by Commander Holt to be part of the Atlas Crew. (Curtis is younger than Shiro & Adam but older than Lance)

Curtis has more experience in working with crews and ships of this manner, not of the scale of Atlas, but the protocols and basics are there. Shiro usually confides with all of the crew of his limitations in knowledge regarding being the captain of Atlas’ kind, but mostly to Curtis who was always happy to help. Curtis becomes more attuned to Shiro, as he wishes to be as helpful to the Captain as possible, he makes sure that the bridge functions as smoothly as possible - even asking Veronica’s help, which will cost him. He makes sure Shiro is aware of his scheduled meetings with the higher ups and his dates with his boyfriends, checking with the Red Paladin and the MFE pilots’ CO (he also starts to get to know Adam and Lance here as well). Curtis slowly realizes that he was developing feelings for Shiro... his captain who already has 2 boyfriends that love him fiercely that one them even traveled to Space for him.

One day Curtis walks into the bridge, accidentally interrupting some discussion Shiro was having with Adam and Lance. He quickly excuses himself but Shiro calls him back.

Curtis keeps his head lowered, looking at everyone’s feet instead of their eyes. He feels outnumbered and out of place, worried that they know of his feelings for the Captain and that they want to tear him a new one for even daring to even imagine being with him. He is startled by the hand on his shoulder, a friendly pat coming from the Red Paladin of Voltron, he receives a warm smile from him and a friendly greeting and reassurance that he has nothing to worry about.

Curtis looks at Shiro who seems bashful, but looking at him with curious eyes. Adam was the one to break the silence, explaining to Curtis what the current situation was - that Shiro has feelings for Curtis and thinks he might fit well in their little family, that Lance and Adam agree. Shiro and Curtis talk about it further, with Adam and Lance as an audience.

Similar to Lance, Curtis wants some time before he can give them an answer, and with that they all separate to return to their jobs, though Shiro and Curtis are awkward about it at first - they ease back into their roles with work as their main focus.

After a night thinking it over, Curtis calls for all three of them when he says yes, he wants to date them.

And the steadfast trio becomes a family of four

#shadantis #voltron #vld spoilers #voltron s8 au #voltron s8

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natsthinkitythinkthinkthonk · 6 years

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Top Five Kana Hanazawa Roles

Does anyone know whether she’s still dating Kensho Ono? I’m kind of curious now. I hope everything worked out for the both of them. If they get married, they will be an iconic seiyuu duo for sure.

I won’t be including anime that I haven’t watched in its entirety, so that means I will be excluding Nadeko Sengoku from the Monogatari series (that means no Renai Circulation), Naho Takamiya from Orange, Akane Tsunemori from Psycho-Pass (I’ll watch that eventually), and Mayuri Shiina from Steins;Gate. And by “entirety”, I mean I have watched at least one season.

I even had to narrow down my honourable mentions. Kana Hanazawa has that many good roles. A lot of the ones I took out were either because I didn’t like the anime themselves (ex. Danganronpa’s Chiaki Nanami) or I didn’t like the characters themselves (ex. Zetsuen no Tempest’s Aika Fuwa). Actually, I didn’t like Zetsuen no Tempest at all in both characters and stories. Bones can only do so much to animate their way out of a garbage can.

Honourable Mentions (That I Have Watched)

Seryuu Ubiquitous - Akame Ga Kill

Nobody likes this character, and that’s okay. I have a soft spot for some crazy anime characters when they’re done right, so I didn’t mind her at all. Twisted as she is, I don’t think you’re supposed to like this character, but I’ve got to admit, she was a badass. Sure, she killed a lot of people, but that dog was kind of cute when it wasn’t committing a massacre. Also, she had some awesome fight scenes and a great death scene paired with it. That’s barely even a spoiler. We all knew where this anime was going. It rivals AOT with its death count. Here are “All Deaths Under 15 Minutes”.

Kougyoku Ren - Magi

At the end of it all, she’s just a teenage girl who had a crush on a guy that didn’t like her back and was notorious for being a f***boi. That’s okay though. Here’s another badass with awesome powers that can kill a lot of people. She’s responsible for one of the most iconic moments in the series despite being a supporting character, and she has a lot of cute moments. She’s one of those girls who can make flower crowns and beat you in a fight. She’s also a princess. Here’s a video (it’s basically a compilation of her relationship with Alibaba in the anime) and here’s another with a fight scene.

Shiemi Moriyama - Ao no Exorcist

(This moment alone makes me want to watch the anime again even though it wasn’t very good)

Shiemi may not be the best character, but she’s way better than poop eyebrows (I have a feeling no one knows who I’m talking about, but she’s her classmate who’s an absolute bitch). Here are some ship moments, and here’s some brutal friendzoning.

Anri Sonohara - Durarara!!

(She’s the girl on the right. I couldn’t just not use this gif.)

Durarara is a weirdly enjoyable random hodgepodge of random ideas put together. Her, Mikado, and Kida get stuck in a whole lot of weird stuff, but I definitely didn’t expect some of those turns.

Natsume Tsuchimikado - Tokyo Ravens

Okay, maybe this anime was a pile of crap from a critical perspective, but I still enjoyed it besides some of the cringy moments. I was expecting Natsume to be more of a badass, but at least she can summon a dragon, right? She also did some stuff near the end... I guess.

Top Five

5. Rize Kamishiro - Tokyo Ghoul

Name a worse first date. Kaneki ended up nearly getting killed by her, but that doesn’t matter. A bunch of other shady stuff happens, and it doesn’t make sense until you read the manga. Isn’t that nice? Anyway, it’s just nice to see the insane range in this role, and even though Tokyo Ghoul (anime) is kind of dumb, at least we know there’s a good cast backing it up.

4. Kanade Tachibana - Angel Beats!!

I haven’t watched this in ages since it was one of the first anime I watched, but this role is kind of feels-worthy, so yeah, it’s going to be on the list. Sure, she has no emotion most of the time, but she’s oddly mysterious and has some things going for her. I mean, she’s one of the only characters to get proper development out of that large cast. And that last scene with her and Otonashi is known to be quite the moment.

3. Kosaki Onodera - Nisekoi

Because casting is so important, somehow this role made it all the way up here. While I didn’t like Kouki Uchiyama being cast as Raku (I don’t like Raku as a character either), I thought Kana as Onodera was a good choice, and she did it well. I didn’t like Nisekoi. A lot of its humour was derived from Raku getting the crap beat out of him, and the romance part is just utter torture. If you’re keeping track who the “best girl” is (between Chitoge and Kosaki) I would choose Kosaki any day of the week. I would prefer not to get beat to a pulp. But at the end of the day, I still can’t believe Raku made the wrong decision.

2. Roka Shibasaki - D-Frag

Wow. Two harems back to back. You know, this one didn’t even say it was a harem, and to be fair, that’s because the majority of the series is surrounded by the game club and the comedy writing of the show. I actually liked the cast of this show, and it did make me laugh. I didn’t like the romance part of it too much because I felt like they shouldn’t have included it if they weren’t going to go beyond where they did. But Roka is still a funny character. Who knew that a loli would be the underground boss that can intimidate delinquents?

1. Shiro - Deadman Wonderland

Deadman Wonderland is not as bad as people make it out to be. Sure, there is a rough beginning that makes practically no sense, but I’m sure they explain it further in the manga somewhere. Shiro is a weirdly insane girl who just wants to be with Ganta. She may or may not have committed mass and/or serial murders, but when has that ever stopped her? Kana Hanazawa was great in this role, and I wouldn’t want to watch the dub just because I feel like the original duo (Romi Park and Kana Hanazawa) are great the way they are.

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changingourdestiny · 3 years

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About Blaze

Thanks to @pretty-meekish for making this template!

Guardians name: Blaisel Kiria

Age: 6

Race: Awoken

Call signs/alias: Dredgen Fate

Pronouns: She/Her

Class: Hunter

Preferred subclass(es): Gunslinger

Ghost’s name: Firefly

Their Vanguard: Cayde-6

Fireteam name: Paralight

Fireteam teammates: Rae, Adam, Marcia, Tif, Crow

Favorite legendary weapon: No Turning Back (she owns a version repaired via kintsukuroi by Crow. She calls it ‘Keep Moving Forward’.)

Favorite exotic weapon: Malfeasance

Favorite exotic armor: Shinobu's Vow

Favorite ornament armor set: Celestial Set

Favorite weapon ornament: Feeling Lucky (Hawkmoon)

What stats do they focus on: Mobility and Strength

Are they offense, defense, or support: Offense

Do they prefer being close, mid, or long range: Mid and close range

Do they lean more “Element of Surprise” or “Upfront and Aggressive”: A mix of both...but mostly the latter

Strikes, Gambit, or Crucible: Gambit

Who was their mentor(if they had one. If it is a character you created, tell us about them!): Cayde-6 (and Marcia but she’ll never admit it)

Who are they mentoring(if they are. If it is a character you created, tell us about them!): The Crow

What ship do they have: Amnestia-S2

What is their Sparrow: A red and gold Last Love

Favorite Ghost shell: Vestian Shell

Favorite shader: Tangled Rust

Favorite color: Red and orange

Favorite food: Anything spicy

Favorite piece of Pre-Collapse tech(if they’ve seen any): Any music player

Favorite Pre-Collapse music(if they’ve heard any): Rock

Favorite place in The Last City(if it’s a place you created, give a little description!): Any secret nook and cranny she can find

Favorite NPC(s): Crow

Favorite patrol location: Europa

5 things your Guardian likes(can be anything): - Ramen - Adventure - Doing her own thing - Pulling off pranks and schemes - Her bow

Least favorite food: Bland food

Least favorite shader: Dull colours

Least favorite patrol location: The Moon

Least favorite Pre-Collapse tech(if they’ve seen any): Alarm clocks

Least favorite NPC(s): Mara

Least favorite weapon ornament: Tangled Paladin (Black Talon)

Least favorite ornament armor set: Legatus Set

Least favorite legendary weapon: Death Adder

Least favorite exotic weapon: Sturm

Least favorite exotic armor: The Bombardiers

5 things your Guardian dislikes(this can be anything): - Being told what to do - Taken - Hot weather - Being stuck in the Tower - People who are unfair

Your Guardian has to rest. What is their living space like: A mess that she calls an apartment. Daggers here, cloaks there, ramen boxes everywhere.

Does your Guardian have any casual wear?(Y'all remember Polyvore? The website URSTYLE works very similar if that helps!):

What hobbies and/or skills does you Guardian have: Archery, pranking

What would your Guardian’s lore book be called: Flames & Ashes

Where was your Guardian reborn?(If you created the location, give us a little description!): About a hundred miles outside the city

What were they wearing when they were reborn: Custom made Reef armour

What was their reaction to being reborn: Confused, wary

What was their reaction to their first rez: Surprised

After being reborn, did they meet friendlies first or hostiles: Friendlies. She was brought straight to the Tower by Firefly

Who was the first other Guardian they met?(Same thing! If you made them, give a little description!): A Titan who made the mistake of pissing her off, causing her to (literally) explode into flames.

Did your Guardian get reborn with, or find, any indication of their past life? If so what do they have/found: Blaze has a fire agate ring she got from Uldren before she left the ring. She remembers receiving the ring but not who gave it to her. She regained a majority of her memories later on

How did your Guardian get their name(if they didn’t rez with past life momentos): Her name was engraved on the inside of the ring: Blaisel Kiria, my phoenix.

Going back to your Guardian’s lore book, what would be some some quotes or passages from their book: “Over the years, I realised that the past and future don’t matter. The past happened, the future’s still to be written. So just enjoy the present while its here!”

Does your Guardian have a significant other: The Crow

Did your Guardian go explore first before going to The Last City? If so, where to: Nope. She and Firefly went straight to the city

What was their reaction to first seeing The Last City: Impressed...until she began to get testy due to the amount of authority there

Is your Guardian a part of a clan: No

If your Guardian would have a quote as a flavor text for a weapon and/or piece of armor, what would they be: “My flames are a promise. I will never let them go out.”

If your Guardian has had any interactions with any civilians (The Last City/The Farm), Eliksni, Cabal, Vex, Hive, Taken, Scorn, Rouge Lightbearers, or Iron Lords/War Lords(if your Guardian is an Old Light) tell us about it!: Her first strange interaction was with Marcia in the Cosmodrome while prepping to enter the Black Garden. Back then, Marcia ran a group of rogue Lightbearers called the Umbrialyx and a few of them had been causing trouble for other Guardians. Marcia was the first rogue lightbearer Blaze had ever met.

Does your Guardian have any unconventional allies or connections(By Vanguard standards): Blaze and Fireteam Paralight are allies with the House of Light

How does your Guardian feel about themselves or others using Stasis: While she herself has mixed feelings on it, Blaze trusts Rae to teach others to wield it.

Did they run The Last Wish raid? How did they react to seeing a live Ahamkara a.k.a Riven: Blaze wanted Riven dead after realising it was her controlling Uldren. It didn’t help that Riven kept using Uldren’s voice while speaking to her

Did they run The Deep Stone Crypt raid? How did they react to the Crypt and seeing Exo Eliskni: Concern. Blaze was worried that if the Eliksni were able to get their hands on this tech, what’s to stop the Cabal or other species from using it?

Is your Guardian from D1? How did they react to seeing Taniks alive once again: She just looked at Atraks-1 and said, “Put. Him. Back. Now.”

Where did they go and what did they do during The Red War: Blaze went MIA a few weeks before Ghaul’s invasion. She had received visions of Uldren’s death, unaware of the events that would happen beforehand, and left to attempt to prevent it. She spent the years in the Tangled Shore as Jett, a mercenary for hire which served as Blaze’s alter ego.

Here are some characters that are either polarizing or have created a strong enough mass emotion within the community. What opinion does your Guardian hold on each of them(These are only a handful of characters!)>>>

Osiris, First Warlock Vanguard, originally exiled: Blaze doesn’t know Osiris as well as Rae. She respects him (well, as much respect as Blaze can give) but tended to join Sagira in roasting him.

Eris Morn, Bane of the Swarm: Blaze has made it her personal mission to make Eris laugh. No luck so far, but she isn’t giving up. Eris finds her annoying but tolerates her.

Cayde-6, Sixth Hunter Vanguard: Never leave these two alone. They will cause chaos. It’s inevitable.

Ikora Rey, Second Warlock Vanguard: Probably the only Guardian Blaze fears, aside from Rae. She considers Ikora a badass as long as her shotgun isn’t pointed in her direction

Commander Zavala, Second Titan Vanguard: Blaze does respect and listen to Zavala, but she won’t be torn apart if she needs to go behind his back to get stuff again

Saint-14, legendary Titan, First Titan Vanguard: Blaze thinks Saint is awesome. She loves helping feed the birds and hearing about his past adventures.

Lord Saladin, Iron Banner handler, One of the last remaining Iron Lords: Blaze has been punted off the Iron Temple more than any Guardian. Enough said.

Lord Shaxx, Crucible handler, Hero of Twilight Gap, living megaphone: While Blaze favours Gambit, she likes to take part in the Crucible every now and again. She likes to challenge Shaxx to arm wrestles (which she never wins) and making bets.

The Crow, New Light, Ex-Enforcer to The Spider: Blaze is deeply in love with Crow. After receiving the vision of Uldren becoming a Guardian, she knew that he wouldn’t be the same person. Yet she found herself falling in love with Crow for himself, not Uldren. The two make an unstoppable force on the battlefield and a chaotic, sassy duo off it.

The Spider, The Shore’s Only Law, founder of “House” Spider: Blaze never trusted Spider. When she was living on the Tangled Shore as Jett, she only viewed him as a client. After finding out about him rigging Glint’s shell, she wanted to burn him to ashes on the spot but was calmed by Rae. She took great joy in seeing Spider’s reaction to Rae freeing Crow from his grasp.

Uldren Sov, Prince of the Reef, Master of Crows: In her past life, Blaze was assigned as one of Uldren’s crows. Uldren helped Blaze learn to control her strange fire powers and the two became close before eventually falling in love. Despite her becoming a Guardian, he was relieved upon hearing that Blaze remembered him. When Blaze received the vision of his death, she was willing to abandon the Tower and travel the system trying to find him. But after learning of what he did to Cayde, she knew there was no saving him. After the Voice of Riven’s defeat, Uldren requested he die at Blaze’s hand, which she hesitantly agreed to.

Mara Sov, Queen of the Reef, Queen of the Awoken, Ex-Kell of Wolves: In her past life, Blaze had full respect for Mara. After becoming a Guardian, she maintained that respect to a point until Uldren’s death. After seeing Mara’s indifferent reaction to her brother’s demise, Blaze lost most of her respect for her but maintained some of it due to her friendship with Petra.

Variks, the Loyal, founder of House Judgement: Before his disappearance during the Prison of Elders incident, Blaze got along with Variks (when he wasn’t asking to ‘examine’ her ship). She trusts Variks and sees him as a wise ally.

Mithrax, the Forsaken, Kell of Light, founder of House Light: Blaze trusts Mithrax, stating anyone Rae deems as an ally is an ally of hers.

The Exo Stranger/Elizabeth “Elsie” Bray, Granddaughter of Clovis I and Sister to Ana Bray: Blaze is mostly indifferent to Elsie but trusts her as much as Rae does.

Eramis, of House Salvation, Kell of Darkness: Blaze was more than happy to help take down Eramis, seeing how much damage she was causing.

Empress Caiatl of the Cabal Imperial Empire: After hearing about Zavala’s meeting with her, these were Blaze’s words, “If she told me to bow, I woulda just approach her with Adam, Rae, and a list of every major enemy we’ve laid the smackdown on and say ‘wanna try that again?’”

Taniks the Scarred, the Perfected, the Abomination, the Shadow Thief: “I think I know how Eliksni feel about Guardians now...”

The Darkness is fast approaching. How is your Guardian handling it: Blaze tries to keep her happy and confident façade up for others but is secretly afraid of losing someone again.

And finally, does your Guardian have any advice for any New Lights: Have fun with it! But also watch your teammates’ backs. Guardians work best in packs!

#Changing our Destiny #blaze kiria #destiny 2

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cromulentbookreview · 4 years

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Binge! Part 2: The Re-Binging

I’m often put off by long book series - considering how often I complain about being suckered into the first book of a series, this isn’t surprising. However, sometimes I’m willing to put in the time to binge a whole series.

Like, for example, the Barker & Llewelyn series by Will Thomas.

So I binge-read the first 10 books of this series (well, 10.5, there’s a novella called An Awkward Way to Die ) in one long, dizzying binge last year. And, lucky for me, there’s a new book out: Lethal Pursuit! Pretty much exactly one year from the release of Blood is Blood!

But! If you haven’t read the first 10.5 books, here’s a review:

BOOK 1 - Some Danger Involved: Your average detective enquiry agent-duo origin story featuring brilliant detective and his new snarky Welsh sidekick!

BOOK 2 - To Kingdom Come: Barker & Llewelyn go undercover and build bombs for the Irish!

BOOK 3 - The Limehouse Text: Barker & Llewelyn face big trouble in London’s 19th Century Chinatown!

BOOK 4 - The Hellfire Conspiracy: Barker & Llewelyn fight human traffickers, secret societies and such!

BOOK 5 - The Black Hand: Barker & Llewelyn fight the Italian mafia!

BOOK 6 - Fatal Enquiry: Barker & Llewelyn fight Barker’s almost comically evil arch-nemesis!

BOOK 7 - Anatomy of Evil: Barker & Llewelyn fight Jack the Ripper!

BOOK 8 - Hell Bay: Barker & Llewelyn Present: Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None!

BOOK 8.5 - An Awkward Way to Die: Barker & Llewelyn solve a case in, like, 20 minutes!

BOOK 9 - Old Scores: Barker & Llewelyn Present: Japonism in Late-19th Century England!

BOOK 10 - Blood is Blood: Barker is put temporarily out of commission by an explosion! Llewelyn must solve the case himself! Who should show up to help but Barker’s long lost brother??

BOOK 11 - Lethal Pursuit: Barker and Llewelyn are hired by the Prime Minister himself to transport an ancient manuscript to Calais. Sounds easy enough! Except Barker seems more interested in investigating the death of the man who brought the manuscript to England in the first place…

So! Lethal Pursuit! It begins with Hillary Drummond, recently arrived to England from Germany (somewhat newly united! Kind of!) he’s on the run from some blue uniformed youths after the satchel he’s carrying, which contains this book’s MacGuffin an ancient, and very valuable manuscript. Drummond almost, almost makes it to the Home Office when, gasp! He’s run through with a sword. Then he walks into traffic and is run over by a cab.

Or, as it’s known in London traffic: Tuesday.

Meanwhile! It’s January! 1892! Llewelyn is a happily married man, as he loves to mention roughly every two pages. Along with being a happily married man (did he mention that he’s married now? Because he is) he’s also now a partner in Barker’s Detective Private Enquiry Agency. Barker has been moving a bit slower since his leg injury during the events of Blood is Blood, but, instead of treating Llewelyn like a full partner, Barker continues to treat him like an assistant. Which rankles Llewelyn a bit but hey, at least he’s married to the love of his life Rebecca. Only they still live in Barker’s house - he’s renovated the first floor for them and everything. Anyway, Barker and Llwelyn receive a summons from Prime Minister himself! The British government has the MacGuffin, and they want nothing more than to have the manuscript sent off to the Vatican archives and forgotten. But Barker is more interested in the mystery of who killed Hillary Drummond and why. Rather than immediately deliver the manuscript to Calais like the Prime Minister asked them to do, Barker hangs onto it. See, this manuscript is, apparently, a new gospel. Which is important because...reasons?

OK, so after 11 books, I’ve noticed that the Barker & Llwelyn series involve a lot more religion than I know anything about. I mean, when it comes to the religious category on Jeopardy, my answer is always “Jesus.” I’ve never read the Bible the whole way through - I read Acts of the Apostles in high school for an assignment, for which I had to actually go out and buy a Bible because the one we had was a family heirloom that couldn’t be opened without falling to pieces. In my lifetime I’ve attended a grand total of two church services - one when I was baptized at the ripe old age of 7 (I guess from ages 0-7 I was naught but a sinful hellbeast) and once in Germany I attended an Easter mass in a thousand year old cathedral because it was literally the only thing open on Easter Sunday in the whole town. Upper Franconia is suuuuper Catholic, you guys. Anyway, I took communion at that mass just to see what the body of Christ tastes like (burnt toast, I was disappointed). Does that mean I’m Catholic now? Hurray for gold-plated everything and indulgences? I mean, I’m not even 100% sure what I was baptized as back when I was a 7-yr-old unbaptized hellbeast…Lutheran, maybe? I think? I do enjoy posting lists of complaints on peoples’ doors. I mean, I could check, but that would require getting up and I both don’t want to and really don’t care all that much. Anyway, long story short: religion is not my strong suit. I don’t know the difference between a Baptist and an Episcopalian and a Methodist. Perhaps I should but honestly…eh. My point is, when Will Thomas writes about a manuscript that might be a new gospel written before Luke or Matthew or whoever...I just sort of smile and nod and go "yeah sure OK" and have zero idea what that might actually mean or its religious significance. I just hear “1000 year old manuscript” and think “that sounds awesome, gimme.”

Back to the book: this manuscript is so valuable, the people after it are willing to kill for it. Which puts Barker & Llewelyn in an awkward position. Even more awkward is the fact that Rebecca’s family, who seemed so cool in the last book, have now decided to shun her for marrying Thomas, a gentile. As usual, Barker & Llewelyn are caught between a rock and a hard place. Can they deliver the manuscript safely to the Vatican? Can Thomas repair the relationship between himself and his in-laws? Will Rebecca ever learn how to make a decent Pain au chocolat? Will we ever, ever meet Thomas’s massive Welsh family? Will Rebecca ever demand to get to know her small army of brothers- and sisters-in-law? Will Barker ever propose to Philippa? Will I ever learn the difference between various sects of Christianity? Find out tomorrow in Barker & Llewelyn: Lethal Pursuit! Same bat time, same bat channel!

I love this series. I am well and truly hooked. Barker & Llewelyn are a more down-to-earth Holmes and Watson. There is just the right amount of action, historical detail, and mystery to satisfy any Sherlockian desperate for some 19th century English mystery. I don’t know of any other book series, save Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries series, where I’ve stuck around past the 8th or 9th book. So many books! Not enough time for serieses! I mean, sometimes I entertain the thought of binging all 900,000 Discworld books, but there are so many other things I’d like to read, too…I wish I were a faster reader. Better yet, I wish I could be like the Doctor and just flip through a book and absorb all its contents at once. That’d be awesome.

Still. I adore Barker & Llewelyn - I will absolutely be there for any book they’re in, even if the series goes the full Anne Perry and goes on and on for like, 20+ books. I’m here for it. And I am on pins and needles for the next book. I really, really, really want Thomas to reconcile with his family in Wales. I want Barker to actually acknowledge that Philippa Ashleigh is his girlfriend. I JUST WANT MORE, DAMN IT!

OK, for lack of anything else to say, let’s fancast this thing.

OK, so Barker would obviously be played by Graham McTavish, aka Dougal from Outlander.

Admit it, he’d be absolutely perfect, right? Come on. I mean, just look at that face.

Thomas Llewelyn would be played by Taron Egerton because he’s Welsh and absolutely pretty and tough enough to be Llewelyn

Yesssss.

Mac would be played by Paul Ready because Paul Ready is beautiful and I love him and would cast him in anything. Plus, I could see him as the finicky perfectionist Mac. Plus, I still ship Mac/Thomas, and I think he’d play well against Taron Edgerton. By which I mean they’re both gorgeous and I’d enjoy watching them.

Jeremy Jenkins would be played by Adam Nagaitis because he’s awesome and he’d be perfect as the squirrley / drunk half the time Jenkins.

Ho would be played by Benedict Wong because he would be perfect, though I’m not sure if my fantasy BBC/ITV/Netflix series budget would have enough money to get Benedict Wong. He’s got Marvel money now.

Rebecca Llwelyn nee Cowan nee Mocatta would be played by Jessica Brown Findlay because, eh, why not. I’m still traumatized/pissed off about Sybil’s death on Downton Abbey.

Tchéky Karyo as expert chef Etienne Dummolard because I can seriously picture him going into a long French tirade and throwing shit whenever Barker disrespects his cooking.

Michelle Gomez as Philippa Ashleigh, Barker’s Girlfriend, because I would love to see her and Graham McTavish as Barker snipe at each other.

Gemma Chan as Bok Fu Ying aka Miss Winter, Barker’s ward, because she is the perfect combination of elegance and badass.

Gaten Matarazzo as Soho Vic because I’m absolutely sure he could pull off a British accent and annoy the shit out of Thomas,

And this dog as Harm. Look at this dog!

Awww!

RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone fond of a fun 19th century mystery-solving duo.

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: People who dislike mysteries, detective private enquiry agent duos.

OVERALL SERIES RATING: 4.5/5

TOTALLY UNBIASED VICTORIAN MYSTERY / MURDERINO FANGIRL RATING: 5/5

LETHAL PURSUIT RATING: 4/5

RELEASE DATE: November 12, 2019

ANTICIPATION LEVEL FOR NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES: Olympus Mons

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