#(I'm not mad at them I'm just like really really really confused 💔💔💔💔)

[ary11y]

GHHHHGGGGHGGHGHH <GOING INSANE /NEG

[thehusbandoden]

You Flinch During an Argument -Kirishima Eijiro

A/n: this took me way too long, so sorry for the wait 🥺🥺

Holy crap this is long.. hope you enjoy this madness <33

General info:

Genre: angst to fluff/comfort // WC: 2,516

Warnings!: Arguing, one sided argument, mean reader, insecurity, self hate, slight self harm (grabbing at hair), mention of bullies, crying, flinching, and a lot of apologizing. Please let me know if I miss any! <3

Dabi | Hawks | Todoroki Shoto | Bakugo Katsuki | Midoriya Izuku | Shigaraki Tomura | Aizawa Shota | Amajiki Tamaki | Kirishima Eijiro | Shinso Hitoshi

(it took forever to find this specific gif 💔)

"Y/n- I said that I was sorrry!"

"And I said I don't care anymore!"

"Y/n, please! You're being unreasonable!"

"I'm being unreasonable?! I HAVE ASKED YOU FOR ALMOST THREE MONTHS - YOU ARE SUCH A-"

"Y/n, calm down, you don’t want to say something you'll regret."

"You suck. You're a pig headed, selfish, work obsessed, slobby, jerk."

Kirishima was silent as you insulted him, part of him feeling like he deserved it all.

"Okay, y/n, I understand that I screwed up. And I know that I can't make it all better overnight, but please. You can not drive right now."

"And why not? It's not like I'm under any influence."

"Y/n, it's dark and rainy. That, plus your anger- is a sure way to kill both of us. I can not live without you, Pebble."

"Do not call me that." You seethe, glaring up at your redheaded husband.

Heart aching, Kirishima desperately thought of a way to keep you here with him, not knowing how he would cope if he lost you due to some stupid argument about cleaning.

"J-just stay here tonight. You can sleep in our bed, and I'll sleep downstairs. I won't talk to you, and if you still want to go in the morning, I won't stop you. If you're still angry, Ochako can come pick you up."

Considering the idea, you huff as you cross your arms, glaring at Kiri.

"Fine.. but I have a few conditions. On top of not talking to me, you will not touch, nor look at me. Deal?"

"If you hand me your keys, deal."

"Is that really necessary?"

"Or at least put them somewhere visible."

"Fine, deal."

"Deal." Kiri agreed, shaking your outstretched hand.

~

After you walked in Kiri waited a minute or so before following pursuit, closing and locking the front door with a relieved sigh- simply happy that you agreed on staying here for tonight.

After picking up the living room and washing the dishes, Kirishima deemed it okay to go upstairs to swiftly get ready for bed.

As Eijiro thought about your side of the argument his heart started weighing him down with guilt.

He truly didn't mean to be such a jerk. He didn't think about how overworked and exhausted you were.

In his head, he was going above and beyond picking up after himself, doing the dishes every other day, taking out the trash, folding both his clothes and the fitted sheets, and cooking breakfast almost every morning. He didn't think about the other household chores, how much work caring for the house took, nor how long and hard you worked on top of the house.

You worked shorter hours then he did, that's true, but you still worked hard and desperately tried to be patient with him. For over a month you've been gently asking him to help out more or do this and that for you.

When you asked him to do a specific thing he truly did try his best to get it done as soon as possible. Pausing his game to take out the trash, setting reminders to switch the laundry on his days off, scrubbing pots and pans late at night, and watering the plants most every morning before work.

But he didn't understand when you asked him to 'do more', he thought that he was doing a lot more than average, totally forgetting to consider that you work too and he's not the sole provider.

You had gotten really annoyed with how much you did in the house and how little he did in comparison, and confronted him once again after he got home from work.

He was quite confused and defended himself, not really seeing your side of things. It took ten minutes of arguing back and forth to actually understand your side of things, realizing that due to you both providing you both needed to tend to the house.

Guilt consumed him as he attempted to apologize again and again yet you wouldn't let him talk. After twenty minutes of this one sidedness you got angry and stormed out, telling him that you were going to Ochako's house.

Even though Kiri felt extremely guilty, he was mostly relieved that you didn't leave in these conditions, knowing that he wouldn't be able to function if he lost you for good.

Kiri was snapped out of his thoughts due to the tingling feelings of his hands going numb due to the cold water pouring onto them.

Sighing, Kiri turned off the water before sneakily grabbing a spare blanket, his pillow, and a pair of pajama bottoms from your shared bedroom, refusing to look at you as he hurried out of the dark room.

After changing and settling on the couch Kiri simply stared at the ceiling, going over your side of things and realising how much he screwed up and what he could do to change and start to make it up to you.

~~

You jolted awake as a large crashing sound came from downstairs, hurrying out of bed, you readied your quirk in case of a villain.

"Ei..? Is that you?" You call, poking your head out into the kitchen.

"Yeah- sorry for waking you up."

"It's okay.. but what happene-" you froze as you saw Kirishima on the floor, shattered dishware surrounding him.

"Eijiro what the heck!" You exclaim, reaching out your arm to try and help the pro hero.

"I- I was trying to clean.. I'm sorry.."

At the word 'clean' memories of last night flooded your mind, causing you to drop your hand to your side, irritation flooding your senses.

"Oh, so now you're trying to make three months of neglectness and excuses better in one night?"

"N-no! Not at all! I just wanted to start helping out more!"

"It's three months too late for that Eijiro."

"You're being unreasonable-"

"No! What's unreasonable is you and your selfish laziness!"

"I'm trying! We're both new to living together and I didn't understand before!"

"Whatever. Just get up and go. I'll have to clean up and stop by the store before work."

"What- no! I'll clean it up!" Kiri exclaimed, jumping up from the ground, hardening his skin so he wouldn't get cut.

Shards of glass bounced off of Kiri's hardened skin, flying everywhere. Luckily, you were a pro hero, and had the amazing reflexes that came from that line of work. You dived down, avoiding the injury you would've received.

"Y-y/n! Are you okay?!" Kirishima exclaimed, rushing to your side.

Seeing the sudden movement you flinched, body still under alert.

After realizing what happened your heart dropped.

Oh no.

Kirishima was a gentle soul. He cared for you deeply and was always looking for ways to make your life easier and more enjoyable. There is no way he would take this lightly. He would definitely paint a wor-

You were snapped out of your thought process at the sound of a door closing. Panicking, you realized that Kirishima was xgonex.

"Ei!?" You call, hurrying to check for him in the living room, quickly realising that he left. Panicking, you hurry to slip on some slippers before making your way out the door, rushing to Kirishima's truck before he could pull out.

"Ei wait!" You exclaim, putting one hand on the handle of the truck and the other on his window. After looking down at you, he bit his lip before slightly opening the window so he could hear you.

"Go back in the house Pebble.." Kiri whispered, causing your heart to ache in dismay.

"Eijiro- what's wrong? I wasn't scared of you it was a reaction from the-"

"I don't care y/n. You flinched because of me- I- I need some time."

You could feel tears stinging your eyes as you stepped back, biting your lip as you watched Kirishima put the truck in reverse and slowly back out of the driveway, face heavy with hurt.

As soon as the red truck disappeared from sight you broke, running into the house before falling onto the couch, sobbing into a pillow.

The angered words you spat at your sweet, loving Eijiro flashed through your mind as you cried, guilt weighing you down as you remembered Kiri's heart broken face. Your mind started playing against you, shouting at you for your selfish, idiotic words and how you hurt the one person you cared most about.

'He didn't do anything!'

'You stupid little- he was doing his best! He apologized! And yet you treated him so- so horribly due to a few mistakes!'

'He really doesn't derseve you. He deserves someone as patient and loving as he is.'

'He was so heartbroken! You idiot!'

'I bet he's going to find somone better then you. I would't blaim him either.'

Tears rolled down your face as you sat up to stare at a picture of Eijiro on your wedding day. His red eyes were sparkling as he grinned at the camera, feeling nothing but joy and such love for you.

You two met in elementary school. You saved him from some bullies yada yada and instantly became friends. He was in third grade, you were in second. Your grade difference meant that you didn't get to play much, and so you thought of him as one of your temporary friends. The kind that you met at a park, played once, and then forgot about one another the next day.

But he was.. special. There was something about how the older boy's eyes shone when he looked at you, or how strong he seemed even though he was in tears frequently. You quickly found out that he was special. Even compared to your best friend, Sakura Mei.

You admired him for many reasons. For trying to be so strong even though the bullies' mean words brought him to tears, for how kind he wa -giving up his hard earned treat to a little toddler who wanted it at pick-up, sharing his lunch with a kid that was too late to get his own, having shorter turns so the next kid would get it sooner, and helping his teacher whenever and however possible.

You two became best friends and played with each other after school, causing your parents to create a long lasting friendship as well. For years you thought of him as your best friend, but a crush started to form in middle school, causing you to get confused.

Even when Kiri started to get self conscious and have a lot of self doubt, he was always by your side. Scolding you for having any of those thoughts, no matter how small. And so in return you helped him. Helping with training, bringing him food and water, reassuring him when he needed it, and even holding him as he cried. You were the reason he was able to recover so quickly, and afterwards he got into UA highschool, and you followed pursuit the next year.

After eight months of high school he confessed, and that was it. After you graduated he was there to cheer you on the loudest, and seven months later he proposed. The day of your wedding was full of joy, laughter, tears, smiles, and love. A love that made your chest ache in happiness, causing you to smile a little wider, kiss him a little harder, and fall in love a little harder.

Thinking back about it now, your tears came faster as an aching cold spread through your chest, causing the tears to fall faster.

"Eijiro.." you whimper, hugging onto the shark pillow Eijiro insisted on getting for your newly bought home.

It was crazy expensive, but he told you not to worry about it, and that it was "for our future famly".

"Ei.. I'm so sorry!" You cry, grasping your hair in your hands, tugging lightly but knowing not to hurt yourself or Kiri would be upest and worried.

Pawing for your phone, you unlocked the device before calling the contact "Bakubeast".

"What do you need." Bakugo huffed, causing you to whimper softly, catching the hot head's attention.

"Woah woah- do not cry. Crappy hair would kill me."

"I- I- E- Eijiro-" you rasp, having difficulty breathing and getting your point across.

"Hey hey- y/n calm down." Bakugo panicked, his softer tone helpig you calm down.

He was a good friend of both you and Eijiro, so him being kind to you really did help.

"Y/n/n, breathe."

Gasping for air you try to control your breathing, taking one deep breathe after another.

"Atta girl. Keep on breathing for m- for Eijiro."

Calm washed over you as you exhaled, sighing shakily.

"T-thank you." You whisper, causing Bakugo to scoff.

"Yeah yeah- now why are ya crying? Do I need to kicks some a-"

"No. It's me, not him. I'm wondering, is Ei over there? H-he left and I'm worried about him."

"No he hasn't. When did he leave? You do know that I'm like twenty minutes away, right?"

"That's true.. it's only been around ten.."

"I'll call you if he pulls up. But if you don't mind me asking.. what happened?"

"I'm sure Ei will explain.. I really don't wanna talk about it right now.."

"Okay.. well hang in there and call me if you need."

"Yeah.. okay."

"Have a better night, talk to ya later."

"Mhm.. bye.."

~~Kiri's pov~~

Kirishima felt like screaming.

Even though he knew that you weren't scared of him and it was just a reaction from the glass but it still hurt.

After pulling into his best friend's drive way, Eijiro quickly made his way to the door and knocked, wanting the hot head's opinion and seeking comfort.

"What happened to you?" Bakugo scoffed, opening his door as an invitation to come in.

"Can we.. talk?"

"If you make things right between you and your Cry Baby afterwards- then yes."

~~Your pov~~

You sniffled as you clung to Kirishima's pillow, eyes dry and puffy.

It's been an hour since Bakugo texted him that Kirishima was at his place, and you've been waiting for him to return or at least an update.

Your heart ached and you wanted nothing more than to be in Eijiro's arms and forget all about this horrid arugment. What if he didn't want you anymore.. what if-

You jumped out of bed as soon as you heard the door open, sprinting down the stairs to meet your Eijiro.

"Baby!" You exclaim, jumping into Eijiro's arms. Wrapping your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck, you attacked his shoulders, neck, cheeks, forehead, nose, and lips with kisses.

"I am so sorry! I- I said so many mean things to you and- and-"

"Woah woah Baby- calm down." Eijiro cooed, catching your lips in a kiss to distract you from your worries. "I know.. and I forgive you, so.. could you forgive me?"

"Yes! Yes- I am so sorry for-"

Catching your lips in another kiss, Kiri sat on the couch, holding you in his lap as he kissed you, stealing both his and your complete attention.

Reblogs help spread and support my work therefore they help me immensely but any support is appreciated<33

Series' masterlist | Kiri's masterlist | Main masterlist | Navigation

Tips <3

Do not copy, repost, nor plagiarize my work. Ask before you translate or use my work in any way -minus reblogging.

Sorry again for how late this was.. I hope it wasn't too long :(

[tsandoll]

so i have the feeling taesan would be a very loving and caring boyfriend, lots of cuddles, hand holding and kisses but only when you two are alone. i don't think he would be into pda usually and you don't really have a problem with that. but i feel like sometimes he can be a bit too lowkey and straight up forgets to tell people that you're his girlfriend, he just let's them assume.

so i imagine the same thing happens with the rest of bnd. like he is totally sure that he told them about you at some point, but the problem is he totally didn't. so you are hanging out with him, when suddenly the others show up because well they live together and you are thrilled to meet his friends that he had told you so much about, but in return you just get confused expressions and the question of who you are. for a second you contemplate if you should get mad but you know how your boyfriend is and that he wouldn't keep you a secret from his friends on purpose, so when taesan introduces you just by your name and not as his girlfriend you decide to play along and act as if you're just a friend while you are hanging out with the guys.

but as soon as taesan and you are alone it's like something switches. 'so when were you gonna tell your friends that we're together?' you ask him and his eyes go wide, but before he can apologize you laugh a bit to show that you're not really mad, but what you are is determined. you push him down on the bed and straddle him, leaning close to whisper in his ear:"i'm gonna make you regret it."

your mission for the night: let everyone in the entire house hear taesan so that there will be no doubt about who you are. but as taesan is usually not too loud you know you have to give him a very special treatment tonight.

oh, i wanna hear his moans so badly, i just know they sound heavenly and so hot, especially when giving him head, imagine him lying on the bed hair sticking to his forehead looking at you with a fucked-out expression after you've already made him cum and whine when you just keep going, overstimulating him because you love hearing and seeing him like this, so desperate for your touch and not caring anymore about who could hear him because he is too focused on you and the pleasure you are giving him.

and i want to see him face the others in the morning, shyly avoiding their eyes and cheeks burning red because he knows they heard him.

💙

(im so sorry it's taken so long to get to your asks :(( i just always want to give a good response to these so badly so i put it off more and more until i feel like i can do it justice.. sorry nonnie 💔)

there's a certain point he reaches where he can no longer control himself. it wouldn't matter who could hear him,, all that would matter is you an show you're making him feel in that moment. he'd already be so sensitive, so needy for release when you put your mouth on him. your mouth would be so warm and you'd lower onto his length, taking him in the back of your throat so easily. he'd immediately moan out loud, his hips suddenly jutting upward. he'd grip onto whatever he can around him because he has to find some way to ground himself. your head would bob up and down his length, holding his hips in place so he can't squirm away from you. he would be so ruined already, all of his whines would come close to sounding like cries. honestly if you didn't give him a bit of mercy right now he might actually cry. he's getting louder and louder and it's making you smile.. he looks dizzy when you look up at him, like he can't keep himself together. gosh he's gonna be so embarrassed later on when he's not focused on holding his orgasm back. his whole body would be hot, the gentle shudder of his body is only warming him up more. when you pull off of his length to just stroke it for a moment you would be able to see how red his tip is. he needs to cum so so badly so you finally let him. he would let out the most beautiful string of moans when he finally cums, tugging at his hair and thrusting into your mouth gently. he thought the torture was finally over but you'd keep stroking him through it.. stroking him even faster once he's run out of cum for the time being. this is when he'd really lose it, moaning and begging for you to stop, but you don't <3 not until you feel like everyone's heard him well enough!!

[alexxncl]

‼️NIGHTBRINGER LESSON 60 SPOILERS‼️

masterlist | all lessons | season 3 | lesson 59 | lesson 60.2

the end of 5 years...so much time and some money spent on this game and i'm scared about how it's gonna end. ik for a fact we won't get proper closure and there's gonna be a fuck ton of loose ends that we never get answers to, but i've come to accept it bc there's nothing else we can do

onto lesson 60!

one part in and i'm already confused. why are we throwing curveballs in the last lesson of the game 😭 tf is a super moon and what does it have to do with mc

unless this has to do with sol and mc going back in time i'm not seeing the point. and even then is there really a point ??? we haven't touched on time travel AT ALL in season 3, not in any meaningful ways, and if this is how they're tying it in...that's an interesting choice

...this feels extremely low stakes

like yes this is a big deal and yes it could be disastrous, but the fact that we know it'll be resolved in less than one lesson just makes it feel forced and rushed

mc's power staging ? power gauging ? power grading ? whatever the term is, has always been inconsistent to the point that now they're basically god. like why should a human singlehandedly be able to stop the moon from colliding into the devildom

granted, they'll probably have help from the brothers through their pacts and diavolo & barbatos bc duh, but like...couldn't the brothers just use their powers on their own? idk it feels like a shoe horn

and i'm not surprised that it has to do with time travel. they had to talk it about eventually

with the way this is going i'm probably gonna be complaining a lot so fair warning 😭 i wish i could be more happy and enthusiastic but FUCK

thirteen crumbs. i'll take what i can get. i'm gonna miss her 💔💔💔💔💔

the fact that they had to use a scroll bar bc you could choose between all 7 of them 😭

obviously chose my fave. my man. the loml

and obviously the spell didn't work on the first attempt

WHAT

so he's on his deathbed damn near and we're supposed to just be fine with it and go to class like nothing is wrong ???

also the devs are evil for making us choose our favorite and having them get hurt to protect us 💀 why would they play in my face like that

my love :((((((( it's bittersweet to see her this much in this lesson when we barely see thirteen at all in the main story or the event stories. feels like a "here, damn" from the devs

oh so now we can say "i love you" out in the open 😑 yes i'm bitter.

this is vile 😭 not the brothers didn't even know. they got slapped in the face just like we did

.............

every bit of praise i had for the game is void. why would they do this. WHY would they do this. it's like we're back at the beginning of the game all over again

ik it's not "set in stone" or "guaranteed", but it's basically guaranteed. i know it doesn't set back his growth entirely but it feels like it. especially since we barely saw human simeon when he wasn't masking as an angel in og season 4, and he was depressed and sick for the entirety of nb season 3

like i can't even put into words how mad i am. i can't even put into words why i'm so mad. i'm just. sigh

THIS is how they end the game ??? i'm sick. actually. like i have no words

the lucifer fanservice is unsurprising but i didn't expect it to be THIS serious. like what. WHAT.

well. that's the game ig. lesson 60 was...something

[divinelolita]

i wanna laugh and i wanna laugh rn😪

its been so long(literally a few days) since i sent smthhh

ill boost u bae dw

AHEM

mk so the whole band(um seperate fic duh) with a bf who be freakishly nice n shit(i feel like ivd sent this bf dont expose me if i did) like if a band member accidentally hit him in the face he would say sorry and say some dumb shit like "im so sorry i shouldn't have been in the way of your elbow. " like what💀💀

or if someone was trying to confess or smth he'd be like "i really don't want to hurt you but no." maybe even as a band memeber is right next to them

and arguments with this mf is probably hell like if it was a band members fault he would accidentally make them think it wasn't and it was his(sometimes its on purpose but they figure it out later) OFC these r examples use what u want🧍🏾

BAHSBDKDBDO I CANFT STOP LAUGHING ON THE FIRST ONE

THE BAND X EXTREMELY NICE READER

teehee i have an essay to write but ummmmm that doesn't matter rn 😇 uhh also if it's bad sorry idk what's going on with me

BILL:

・He's so confused how you can be nice all the time

・He really does try to be nice but he just snaps sometimes omg 💀

・He wonders when your breaking point is

・Like if he turns around carrying something and wacks your fucking face he's so confused why you're not YELLING at him

"Yeah and then- *WHACK* -OH SHIT M/N I'M SO SORRY ARE YOU OKAY?! -"

"No, no Bill I'm fine! It didn't hurt that much."

"..what."

・He just stares at you with his jaw dropped low, slowly nodding to himself

・Or like if he knocks something over and you apologize for it

(I've done that so many times...)

・Reassures you it's not your problem 🤞

TOM:

・nahh you got him FUCKED UP bae.

・He doesn't understand how you can be so nice, I feel like he's a brutally honest mf 💀

・If your in public and somebody is being rude to you and you're just kinda standing there, still staying calm???

・He's just looking at your features trying to find ONE small piece of anger or frustration

・I feel like y'all are couple opposites.

・Like he'd obviously have a soft spot for you 🤗 but he doesn't see the reason to be nice to others when he knows it's not his fault

・Arguments with him oh my god...

・If you keep apologizing and saying it's your fault he eventually sits next to you to comfort you, assuring you everything's okay.

"It's not your fault, M/N. I promise.."

・You'd somehow warm him up a bit, he barley notices himself becoming more kind and carefree.

GEORG:

・was his color green or blue omg i can't remember

・He's...so confused.

・Like if he accidentally smacks you with his elbow and you aren't crying or cursing

"M/N? M/N ARE YOU-"

"I'm okay! It just stung for a second haha..!"

"..."

"..."

・He gets you but he doesn't.

・He just can't see himself being so giddy and happy and nice.

・Anger turns into confusion in arguments, why are you so mad at yourself?

・Loves you so fucking much though, always reminding you that you are amazing and didn't do anything wrong.

GUSTAV

・AHHHH HE GETS YOU!!!!!

・He understands you so much oh my god, he just loves you even more now.

・He'd also try to keep you from blaming yourself.

・Like if he knocks something over and you apologize.

"Oh shit I'm sorry I should have moved it-"

"No honey you're fine, I should've looked where I was going.."

・MWA MWA HE LOVES YOU

・Very slightly confused on how you never snap, how you always keep calm

・He wishes he could be like you bae 💔💔

・In arguments he just tries to calm himself and you down, actually sitting down and talking about how you both feel

OH SHITTT I NEED TO DO THAT ESSAY

[wacktroid]

I've been wanting to make this post for a while, so here's some of my ridley/birdley headcanon🤑

A bit of background, I actually made this version of ridley out of spite for other m originally LMAO like 4 years ago it just always made me so mad how much the ridley clone didn't look like little birdie at all😭 so for my young ridley hc I made him have as many birdie traits as possible😭 but now for the actual lore ig..

“Little birdie” is its own species, and does not naturally mature into the ridley we know (there is NO WAY that transformation is natural😭) so Birdley was originally a little birdie that was experimented on, turning him into what he is today + giving him his intelligence/sentience which was unprecedented. Who experimented on him? I'd rather leave that unanswered as “who did it” doesn't really change anything, and leaving that mystery is cool ig.. (my way of saying i have no clue) Anyway he was codenamed geoform 187 ig and this means no family or an actual parental figure for birdley😢 awhhh.

Birdley leaves wherever the flip he was experimented on and is on his own. The transition from birdie to birdley would obviously be pretty rough so as a result he doesn't remember much of what happened/he blocks it out, resulting in him really not having a clue what his origins are. He eventually crosses paths with the space pirates and joins them. He is able to make a name for himself and rise the ranks so that's awesome I guess. DONT ask how he gets the name ridley bc idk…ridley having such a human name despite his distaste for humans always confuses me but whatever…

Because birdley is the only one of his kind the pirates have seen and is like super awesome, he's able to get away with snarky remarks and disobeying the high command of the pirates due to the pirates’ fear of losing such a valuable asset to their army. This feeds into birdleys narcissism and also allows for birdley being able to convince the pirates to let Adir, my kriken oc I posted about earlier, into their ranks despite his inexperience. Like I said in the Adir post, he looks up to birdley and they form a brotherly bond but it's not the best bond I'd say… not just bc birdley is birdley but adir likes the idea of birdley more than birdley as a person. I didn't get into this into the adir post and i'm only gonna bring this up rlly quickly here but because adir was raised in the kriken empire with the idea that conquering and war is the only way to bring glory to his people, he naively joins the pirates for the sole reason he thinks it would be cool so💔 he learns the hard way being a pirate is not rlly cool

This post is getting long but I think this is a good start😭 I still have way more i wanna yap abt but whatever..

[rafecameronzwhore]

It's could be like Nick and y/n are in an business marriage but he's in love with Noah. Everyone thinks Y/N is the bad guy but she actually isn't. She's actually madly in love with Nick. Ending could be happy or sad, it's upto you 😊 Basically full of angst and heartbreak 💔 But I'd love for them to have some romantic moments as well ❤️‍🩹

I'd be glad if you could come up with something with the idea 💡

I'm finally getting asks 🥺🥹

Warnings: sad, happy at the end, making out, divorce papers

Tell me of I left something out

Misunderstanding

You and Nick were forced to get married due to your parents and his parents being business partners and claiming 'it would set a good imagie'

Little did they know that instead of a good image it set a bad one

Not for nick

But for you

You knew what people said behind your back

You knew it all to well

The reason being for this is that

Nick was in love with someone else

Everyone knew Nick didn't love you

He loved his step sister Noah

It was so obvious that even you knew that

But the problem was...

It hurt to much

You loved nick

You've loved him for as long as you could remember

But it just didn't work

The comments people made on your guys' marriage hurt

Even nick knew what they said but he never said anything

"Shes keeping him from his true love"

"Who is she to keep nick and Noah apart"

"Shes just the 3rd person in the relationship"

Those were just some of the things you heard

If you were to make a list about all the things you've heard

The world would just simply run out of paper

You felt tired

Overall tired of it

Nick was never going to love you back

No matter what

So one day you just took matters into your own hands

**********************************

You were sitting on the couch sipping on some tea as you watched TV

All of a sudden papers were thrown on the table in front of you

"What the fuck is this" Nick looked furious

"Divorce papers, I already signed my part" you replied sipping on your tea

"Why?" Nick asked with his hand on his forehead

Now it was your turn to be mad

"REALLY NICK?!" you yelled setting your tea down

"are you really that oblivious?! I know you've seen it to but you just don't say anything!"

"What do you mean?" Nick looked confused

"Have you not heard the comments about us?! The way people talk about me and treat me! All because I'm married to you!" You said as you stood up to leave

"Whats even the point of this marriage if you don't love me." You said as you started to walk away

Suddenly you felt a hand grab you and pull you back

Nick pinned you against the wall and kissed you

Almost instantly you melted into the kiss

You wrapped your hands in nicks hair as you two continued to make out

"Who said I don't love you" he said in between kisses

"You don't exactly show it"

He deepened the kiss

"I showed it when I begged my parents to force us to get married"

Your eyes widened

"You what, I always though you hated me" saying that last part as you looked down

"My love, why would I hate you"

He used his pointer finger to pull your chin so your looking at him

"Well we never really do talk and your always out and about and people said that you loved Noah and that it was so obvi-" you were cut off by him kissing you

"Sweetheart, I love you and only you, not Noah or anyone. I was just scared because the marriage was forced and u thought it was cruel of me to captive you in a marriage"

"I am so sorry if you actually thought I didn't love you"

You pulled him back into a kiss

"Its ok"

And with that the two of you ended the night

By watching a movie curled up with each other

And there was no divorce

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Hola sweets

I am so happyyyyy

I'm finally getting asks

Please don't be afraid to send asks/requests

I will answer them but warning I'm a slow typer lol

[nixie-deangel]

Hi. I've never done this before, but I've been eagerly reading everything since weekend started.

So if it's okey for me to ask I would love to request 💔💔🔥🔥🔥🥹🥹 ( hope it's not to much. I'm totally hooked on all of them but writing down every single emoji felt a bit crazy 😅)

🥰🥰🥰🥰 Please know I am bestowing the gentlest kiss to your temple and giving you the biggest hug! It is absolutely okay! (and I won't be mad if you wanna send in more or others asks for my stories!) 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛

💔 icemav break up / icedad

this is directly continuing from this ask!

“No! Of course not! But come on, Ice, you have to see-” “I don’t have to see shit,” Tom explodes, cutting Mav off before he can start trying to justify his, and Carole’s as well most likely, actions. “You hurt him. Do you get that? Does she get that? Bradley is here. He is living and breathing and you both are hurting him.” Scoffing, Mav rolled his eyes as Tom continued on. “Do you have any idea what your actions almost did? You both almost drove him away! I’ve had to stop Bradley from running off to do it all on his own three, three goddamn times! And I’m the only one who’s shown him even an ounce of support, Pete, and he still keeps trying to run off and do it all on his own because he thinks he can’t trust me!”

🔥 virgin jake - hangster

“You confused me,” Bradley blurts out. “You confused me and enticed me and I didn’t know what I was feeling. What I was meant to be feeling the first time I laid eyes upon you.” Snapping his mouth shut, he turns his gaze away from Jake to stare down at the floor. Scoffing, Jake huffs at his half thought out explanation. But before he could open his mouth to call him on it, Bradley continued on. “I was raised knowing I would have a courtesan. I knew what that all entailed,” he powered on. “But then…but then I saw you. I saw who would be mine and I lost my damn mind. I know I did. I broke tradition because I could not bear the thought of anyone but me guarding you until you were officially mine.” Jake flinched back, eyes going wide in surprise as he stared at Bradley. “What? What do you mean broke tradition"?”

🥺 chap2 of helper - a/b/o hangster

“Sweetheart, come here,” the voice calls, soft and soothing and like a balm to the raw nerve Jake’s worked himself up into being. “That’s right baby, I got you, okay? Just listen to me, okay, Jake?” He thinks he nods or maybe he mumbles out a yes or noise of agreement. He’s not sure, not really but what he does know is that suddenly he’s not pressed against the cold unyielding side of his tub or bathroom floor. Suddenly he’s pressed against warmth.  Wrapped up in it really. In warmth and love and feeling like he’s once again tethered to something. But that can’t be right, Jake thinks, because he’s not supposed to be wrapped up in warmth and love.  Because he doesn’t deserve that after what he did to Bradley.

Make Nixie Write This Weekend!

[kn1feprty]

Season 8, Episode 16

I have so much to say. SO MUCH. (please no spoilers for upcoming seasons)

First of all, I'm confused, happy, angry, and saddened. I'm going to try and organize my thoughts the best that I can so that it makes sense.

I'm so incredibly pleased with Eugene. He sabotaged the bullets and he is the reason why Alexandria + the Hilltop group were able to defeat the Saviors. When he first joined the Saviors, I was hoping he had a plan in mind to take them out from the inside and I was extremely disappointed and mad at him for not doing so and "becoming Negan". This was such a great turn. I'm also very glad that Rosita gave him that punch cuz GOD I wanted to do that so bad for the longest time.

I'm conflicted about the decision to save Negan. On one hand, I think he should get what was coming to him this whole time. He killed Glenn, Abraham, tortured Daryl and so so much more. He deserves death, just like Maggie wants. But then I can also see Rick's thinking (kind of). He's honoring Carl's wishes by finding peace and letting Negan live. But his explanation with Michonne at the end didn't make much sense to me. For the most part, I think Negan should be killed.

Before that, it showed Maggie speaking to Jesus about Negan, Rick and Michonne. She told him he had to go and that Rick would know(?). Is she turning on Rick? Is she going to do something to him and Michonne? Also why did Jesus agree? That's TOTALLY NOT like him at all?? He's literally always telling everyone that people can be spared, so why is he agreeing to take Negan out???

Dwight. Ohhhhh goddd Dwight ☹️ he makes me so incredibly sad and I almost teared up when Daryl took him out to the woods. Thank you Daryl for sparing him😭🙏I'm sad that there probably won't be anymore of him in the show :( I feel robbed! He's one of my favorites and I'm probably gonna make a post explaining why lol. Also, what happened to his wife in the end? Did she die after writing back or is she still out there? I hope she's alive and they reunite. They're so in love 💔 fuck u Negan.

This episode was really beautiful. Especially with the scenery, camera work, and the scene of Rick and Carl. Again, I ALMOST teared up at the end with Rick reading his letter to Carl. I'm so annoyed at the fact that he's gone, but also I feel like this win wouldn't have happened without that. I miss u Carl 😣

The tension and excitement in this episode was crazy. I love this show SO MUCH. What an incredible season finale.

[randomluck-ofthe-universe]

Yes, I’m looking at his face and I’m really confused, or better said “disoriented” (insert sarcastic laugh)

I still can’t believe how seeing these new photos didn’t make me feel anything, or worse- i didn’t want to look at them for too long like I used before.

He has the huge privilege to be born with this face - beautiful, innocent, forever young-ish, etc. And exactly like you said - no one knows what’s behind this face, what his life is.

Everything you imagine him to be is dictated by his appearance and you all assume exactly that - that he is an innocent, sincere, smart and selfless boy, not capable of anything bad and malicious. And it never occurs to you that what you constantly repeat - that no one knows what he really is, what he wants and how he lives - is absolutely true, but with the opposite sign. That it is possible that he is completely different from the boy that his appearance fools you into being.

Please don’t be mad at me, I’m actually devastated that I don’t love him (like a fan) the way I used to 💔

But like is said - no one can kill your love faster and more completely than the object of your love itself 💔

Why would I be mad at you? you came here telling me your thoughts, how you feel about Tim right now, how this hurts you, and you did it honestly without being rude or offensive, and for all this I respect you and I'm glad you are here. believe me, I understand how you're experiencing this moment even though I don't share the way you see him now.

so I'll be honest with you about what I think of Tim just like you have been with me.

I've never said or thought that he's innocent and perfect because none of us is so and Timothée Chalamet is no exception. he's not an untouchable god, he's a human being with his flaws, a person who makes mistakes like the rest of us, who sometimes does shit and can make decisions because of which he'll pay the consequences. who of us hasn't done it more than once in their lives?

but I also think his life is not so easy and going all downhill as it might seem, almost like a kind of perfect life made only of things, moments and positive situations.

I think we can't keep pretending that his life was the same as it was seven years ago and that we want at all costs that he's the exact same 20-year-old boy. this is something unreal and absurd, the same way none of us remains totally the same but it's life itself, every experience you have and some situations you live that pass above you forging and making small changes.

and yes, I repeat once again that I know nothing of his personal life, I don't know why I see him making choices or making decisions about which I don't understand and I can be perplexed, they may even hurt me, but that's precisely the reason why I'm not able to judge him or erase him or stop loving him.. it's his life, not mine, and if I don't know his reasons, rightly because it's none of my business, how can I make him guilty of what I feel?

but if there's one thing I'll never believe, it's that Tim is a fake person, a hypocrite who all these years has been pretending to be someone he never was.

if ever he had a fault it was always to be too transparent, too open to show what he feels at that exact moment, totally unable to pretend and mask his mood.

too vulnerability.

and over the years you learn to protect yourself, you've to do it. you've to do it for yourself and above all to protect some aspects of your personal life, the "real private life" and not the one that "for work" you've to show.

And you can see what's behind his face, it's one of the things he's still not able to keep "private" because you look at him and immediately see if he's happy, if he's relaxed, if he's angry or he's uncomfortable, if he feels bad.

you may not know anything about his life, but his face tells you about him and how he's in that moment.. the way how he feels about the person that is with him, how he's experiencing that situation.

I think dealing with many professional experiences and personal situations, growing up and becoming a man have definitely made changes to him but they haven't changed who he really is inside.

I'm truly sorry that you feel so devastated.. if you want, you can also contact me privately and feel sure that our conversation will remain absolutely private.

Anyway, I’m here. ❤️

[porkcutletbowl44]

Hello!!! Just wanted to talk about how perfect this new chapter is. It made me giggle and kick my feet at the start and then cry a whole river in the end (in a positive way ofc). Starting the chapter with Keegan and his mother wasn't something I was expecting but his mother is so sweet😭💞. I think it fits perfectly for him to have a loving mother that's also really straightfoward. Shyanne's personality made me smile so much, but I also think she'd get along with mama really well if they met (praying that soon enough that'll happen). The way Keegan interacts with her made me curious too, and it made my heart ache to see him being overwhelmed by his work and feeling like a bad son for various reasons. I'm really curious about his past now too, mostly about family dinamics. I was also not expecting to see Colleen's daughter now, and the whole situation involving her and her mother is just so sad. First of all the fact that Simon didn't have a glue about Colleen's criminal record made me so mad like, he's literaly in the military, how researching for your fiancée's past beside from her family matters wasn't a thing he prioritized??? And it makes everything worse because she was arrested for child endargement and abuse, AND HE HAS A DAUGHTER. It's unbelieveble that he was so desperate to find a reason to have a divorce that he didn't even check if the woman he was going to marry wasn't a complete menace for his family's well-being. And we have poor Madi. She made me cry so, so much. It's heartbreaking for me to see that the things her mother did to her traumatized both her and her father, but I'm glad at least now she'll have a better life with that bitch away from her. I was cringing so much when Simon started to pry into mama's things too, specifically when he was basically demanding for her to say how she discovered that she was having problems with her sex drive😭. It just makes me so frustrated because it's such an awkward topic and they're not married anymore, and he makes things even worse by asking if she discovered it with Keegan💀. Mama has so much self-control because I'd be yelling at him already or laughing in embarrassment. And then we have Fawn. Honestly the last chapters were very traumatizing for her, it makes me feel so bad for her💔. It's heartbreaking to see how she doesn't even want to spend the weekends with her father anymore because of the whole baggage of trauma that happened involving him and Colleen and even more to know that she doesn't want to open up about why she's acting like this with her parents. As I was expecting, the lack of communication between them ended up staining their relationship even more, and I can't stop thinking how confused Fawn must be now. It makes me even more furious with Simon because if he had checked Colleen's background none of this would've happened. But I do think it's very soothing to see that Keegan can make her open up about her feelings, shows how much she trusts and likes him. Also, mama's definitively being more responsible than Simon now, specifically when she decided that there should be a break from visitations. I was already crying and that made me cry even more, yes (maybe listening to "Quando Bate Aquela Saudade - Rubel" ((btw the song is great, but idk if you'd enjoy it💔)) didn't help much, this song makes me too emotional), but it was a reasonable thing for her to do considering how the little girl's mental health must be after everything she went through. At this point I can't decide if I want to slap Simon or give him advices on how to not be an idiot (maybe both would be good). This chapter was a lovely rollercoaster of emotions and had wonderful plot shots. Also I was wondering how Fawn looks like, if she has a specific appareance or if it's up to the reader to decide that. Anyways, I hope you have a good week💞💞💞

Hiiiii! 💛

I must say that I fully believe Keegan was raised by a single mom, having a good relationship hence why he's so respectful to women (minus Colleen 💀) ((and even more so to mama))

And oh boy does Simon have a lot of reflecting to do, and now that Colleen is gone for good, it'll get pretty interestingggg 🤭

Simon is getting into the deeper parts of his feelings now with mama, the worrying and constant need of reassurance she's okay but EUGHHH was I cringing and biting my laptop lmao it was so hard to write with how awkward it was!!!

Poor Fawn is been through it! Thankfully she's gonna get lots of Keegan time!!! 💗💗💗

As for her appearance, she has Simon's hair color, his eyes, but I left her skin tone a blank canvas, depending on readers tone they decide if it's tan/olive/pale or anything and she's got a little bit more height than normal 5 year olds (Simon makes some big, chunky babies lol)

And I will definitely check out that song! I haven't heard of it so I will take a listen at some point!! 💛

[multifandomsofficial]

What about chosen character headcanon where the reader gets angry with them

Authors notes: MHAHAHAHAHA MY ANGER ISSUES WILL BECOME PUBLIC NOW

Notes: yes ofc I'll do this headcannon. It's such a good request!!!!!!

Paring: you decide

Characters/fandom: disciples, the chosen

Warnings: arguing, fluff, crying, being mad, angry feelings in general

...

Judas: would definitely have started an arguement in the first place about something he knows nothing about. That's what made you so mad at him. He had NO IDEA what he was even talking about. Judas would give up and just leave.

Thomas: doesn't know why you're mad at him and is at first offended until he realized he forgot your birthday, which was the day before. He feels super bad, and apologized to you right away.

Matthew: is super offended. Like times 10000. Since you're mad at him, he avoids you as much as possible which is hard for him because y'all are really good friends.

Big James: um, let's just say this isn't the first time and it won't be the last. He said something and you each flipped out and got into an arguement. BJ stops talking and you walk off, not noticing that he's looking after you with hurt in his eyes.

Simon Peter: you both die on every hill. You both cannot let anything go. Ever. You could honestly get mad at pretty much anything Simon does.

Little James: this man is so hurt and confused and would 100% go to Jesus, probably crying while asking him for help.

Nathaniel: 'oh, you're mad at me?'🤨🤨🤨 100% annoying after and gets you even more mad at him.

Simon Z: *gasping* can you hear his heart shatter? Mhmm yes you can. Can you see how offended and hurt he his? Mhmm way to noticeable. Will he be the one apologizing? 100%.

Andrew: *gasping* 'Love, why are you mad at me?' 😢😢💔

Thaddeus: just gives you space but is still kinda offended and hurt that you're mad at him, when it was Simon Peter's fault.

Philip: it was just one of those 'I'm mad at everything for no reason' type of days. Would honestly just be the sweetest person on earth, and won't get offended if you bit his head off. Help you with anything and everything and make sure that your day gets better.

John: 'Why are you mad at me? It wasn't my fault!' 100% get an arguement started and somehow would me you cry (still figure out why tbh), which makes you even more mad to the point where you kinda ignore him. He gets more mad at you, too. He thinks back on what happened and realizes it was his fault and now feels really bad. Tries to make you less mad with the help of Big James.

...

[softpine]

ough the stevie/matt story has me sooo 🥺🥺🥺 it’s such a shitty situation and I know exactly how she feels, wishing she could blame it on someone else or pinpoint the moment he decided she wasn’t worth it (in her mind anyway, I don’t think he sees her or the situation like that). and being so mad and hurt and confused, but the person who hurt you is the only one you want to comfort you….!!! excellently portrayed queen brandi as always, I am deep in my feelings (in a good way)💔

thank you so much for reading, i'm glad it resonated with you 🥺 i've written so many amicable breakups, it felt good to explore a breakup that isn't so clear cut in its reasoning. neither of them are getting too mean (i thought about it, but that's just not who they are) but they're saying all the things they were too scared to say before, because they have nothing more to lose. stevie spent so long denying her feelings out of fear, but now that the worst thing she could've imagined has already happened, she's able to freely say "i love you" and admits to herself that she needs matt. for his part, matt thought he was protecting stevie by not telling her exactly what turned him off to the relationship, but he realizes that stevie doesn't want to stay friends no matter what he says & he's already hurt her, so he just lays it all out there.

the person who hurt you being the only person you want to comfort you is suuuuch a mind fuck 😭 like, my best friend and i NEVER fight, except when we moved in together and had this huge screaming argument. we were both crying and i stormed outside and the first thing i did was try to call her (my best friend) to tell her about it. i actually did call her and i was like "i need to rant about this fight i just had with this crazy ass bitch" and we forgave each other instantly lmao but i'll never forget that hopeless, sinking feeling i had when i picked up my phone and started typing in the name of the person who made me feel so upset in the first place. that was the exact moment where i realized what my life would be like if she wasn't in it, and i wanted no part of that.

so i really feel for stevie, knowing that this is the last time she'll ever go to matt for comfort :(

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

I'm not crying, partly because funny and or wild things kept happening, but my nose is running a bit lol xd it is from allergies though xD

Yk what we're gonna deal with my emotions in a second xD right now I'm just gonna try and focus on the episode lol

Lol the curbs being too high xD

"I know why my sorority sisters hate me" LOL but also go off Ava on the part after that xD

She's too like modern and rebellious or whatever

Yeeahh :'((

SLFKGKDS JESUS CAN APPRECIATE EXTRA HOLES-

Awww and she's friends with them 😭😭😭😭💔❤️❤️ yeah :'))

I get that honestly

Awww honey 😭😭

:'O Ava!!

There's some other reason though lol

Ahh the money xD

YES :D GO OFF BARBARA :D :))!!

LOL Ava xD whatever it works

Do we get to see Jacob again 🥺

I mean it'll hurt me but yk

Awww honey 😭😭😭😭❤️💔

Yeah he looks r o u g h o.o xd xDD

I can't place what it is lol but good job because he looks it xD

Yk it must look wild to see me devolve into denial and madness throughout this liveblog for those who have already seen it

. . . Sorry guys xd hope you appreciate my pain

I'm gonna have to watch so many (as many as there are lol) reactions to this 😭 to get that bit of comfort I might be giving some of y'all lol

SLFKGJDKDJKS honestly fits I'm not even gonna lie to you

Him being vengeful xD

OPE that might be a bit of why he looks like a mess o.o xD

His students watching him fall apart in real time like 👁️👄👁️ ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ

XD

Aww honey xdd

Oogh okay yeah so heee's not moving out you are xd

:O is he gonna live with Gregory

Y'all oh my gosh that would be wild-

The story opportunities would be there for adjusting to each other o.o 👀

It would be cool :O :D though honestly I'm not sure I could take that xD. Too much sadness and embarrassment around each other lol.

It already is with an f

PVITJAUCNALAJEHSINHD NEVERMIND I GET IT

Gregory's face helped with that xd

Mr. Johnson 💀

XDD

Mr. Johnson now is not the time xD

Aww Gregory I don't think it'll help much but him trying 😭😭😭😭💔❤️❤️

Aww yeah it'll work :')) was sacred Jacob would refuse xd

LOL take somebody's eye out xD

Aww inviting Janine :)

What did Zach usually do that xd

SLFKGHDKDS

OH RIGHT LOL (that's what the keysmash is about lol)

This lady xD

Girl must be so confused xD

Aww honey xdd

XDD Janine lol

Poor sub xd I mean hopefully they do lol

Aww or missing Janine :')

Awww being home alone :'((

If I get Melissa Jacob bonding over this I would not complain 👀

About the bonding I mean I would still about the breakup lol

Anyway xD

Aww Janine yeah :D

May e not quite like that but xD

Nah okay lol

I mean it might be and she's just saying it's not xd lol

Ayy Barbara :DD!!

I don't think it did but xdd

Nope xd :'//

I'm sorry Barbara that sucks :((

I bet Ava helped out though :D

Or will :)

LOL xD the all the same bit

Nahh Ava interfered didn't she xD

SKFJDKS yep

AWWWW stop that's so sweet :'OO :'DD

Oh my gosh 😭😭❤️❤️❤️

YEAHH GO BARBARA :'DDD

Ooh this is a bop :o :D!

AWWWW YEAHH SLAYYY :'DDD

Melissa looking so proud :'))

Jacob is also going through it so hey hopefully it helps him a bit too xdd

I'm glad to see him and Janine sitting next to each other

AYY BARBARA SING ITTT

GO OFF GIRL :DD

AYY XD MR. JOHNSON LOL

WHAT???!?!!?

AYO MR. JOHNSON WHAT???!

CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT XDDD???!!?!

Wild lol was NOT expecting that it took me out 💀

Aww the kids dancing :D

Awww Jacob and Janine dancing :DD :))

SLFKGHDKD STUCK TO ONE SONG XDDD

Lol her whole discography xD

"This is a public school!" SLFKGHDKS XDD YEAH LOL that's what I was thinking a bit too a minute ago xD

Lol they all look so done xD

Not the whistle notes lesson 💀

Okay just to get her to sing a song again lol?

ASLFKGHSKALS NOPE LOL

Iconic love that Ava xDD

Okay she's fine and doing to with grace lol love that for her xD

Well that was a slay ending xDD

Anyway I did not deserve that though :)) about the episode overall :)) honestly I'm still in denial xdd

Anyway! Great episode lol loves it, also hate it with a burning passion xD. Some really funny moments though :D. More on the review side of things in a second (or maybe tomorrow because my hands and brain are very tired lol).

Love y'all!!

[imraespace]

GANG IM BACK AFTER GRIEVING OVER MY GRADES AND I HAVE DECIDED TO LOCK TF IN THIS TIME (.. hopefulyl.)

A CPT IS LIKE A FINAL PROJECT OF LIKE EVERYTHING YOU LEARNED BASICALLY AND ITS USUALLT WORTH 15% OF UR GRADE BUT DEPENDS ON THE COURSE AND USUALLT EXAM IS ALSO 15% its displayed on like the course syllabus but for some reason our science cpt is only worth 10%??? so idk how that chem cpt is worth 5% like if it was 5% per unit cuz theres chem bio physics for our science course then 5 x 3 is 15 but the math isnt mathing if the cpt is only worth 10% on the syllabus???????? SO THATS WHY IM CONFUSED AND ALSO WHY TF IS THERE A CHEM CPT AND IT TEACHES US A WHOLE NEW CONCEPT?? LIKE HUH WHAT

i also have a history cpt due on monday and another cpt due wednesday so that is fun AND I HAVENT STARTED BOTH HELPME I NEED TO ACC GET ONTO THAT ILL JUST WAKE UP EALRY TOMORROW….. 6 am grind trust…..

i just memorized the map for europe 1914 but i keep confusing denmark and sweden but its ok bc my test is monday …. i will be tweaking out bc apparently he makes the alternative test version harder and im taking that cuz my kidney appointment was on friday and the original test date was kn friday so im like lowk scared … STOP THIS. 💔

OH AND MY SAE PLSUH CAME IN TODAYYAYAYA i got a free clip and bracelet so now im gonna amke my rin and sae plushies recreate that one scene muehhehehe im #Evil rn STOP or ill make them hug depending. MY MOM APPARENTLY LOVES SAE BTw??? LIKE SHE SAW HIM AS A PLUSH AND SHE WAS LIKE i want that get me my card and paid 85 dollars for it HELPME STOP im also waiting on the yukimiya volume………. and im thinking like oh maybe i shouldve just waited to buy all the bllk manga cuz theres yk these bundles of like mangas 1-6!! and i save like 10 dollars or so from it bc of tax and im like Ugh i couldve saved money but in reality that 10 dollars saved wouldve webt jnto buying tiny bllk figures and it makes like no difference HELp SO IT DOESNT REALLT MATTER I GUESS ……. 💔💔

umumum nothing has happened other than OH WAIT I BOUGHT TWO ONESIES HELPME ONE ISNA FOX AND ANOTHER IS A DOG AND I WANNA WEAR IT FOR HALLOWEEN LIKE FOR SCHOOL AND IM THINKING LIKE OH DO I REALLY WANT TO BC WHAT IF PPL CALL ME A FURRY BUT ITS LITERALLT SO COMFY STOP.. like…. let me live its so comfy…… and very warm so idk if i acc will wear it cuz sometimes my school blasts the heaters after 12 pm BUT I MIGHT 😈

umumum okaya thats actuallt all that hapepned HELPME

OKAY DAILY QUESTION IS UM who in bllk would be really good at eating salmon sashimi bc i want salmon sashimi rn.

- 🐙

HAIIII YOU WERE MISSED DEARLY by me

IM GLAD YOU LOCKED IN I gotta lock in soon exams are almost here..

OH THAT SOUNDS.. confusing🤨 I MEAN IT MAKES SENSE but also sounds confusing that kinda reminds me of SBAS here but instead you do an SBA when you reach senior level bc your SBA overall grade adds to your FINAL FINALL exam mark the one you do to leave the school ykyk

I WISH YOU LUCK DAMG I'll be procrastinating like crazy

WHAT IN THE FAC A WHOLE MAP?? I feel bad for yall geography and history students.. whatever you're doing idk ever since i started business my knowledge narrowed (im joking)

OMG SAE PLUSH MSHDJAJS

HELO.EE MAKE THEM HUG🤬🤬

AW THATS SI CUTE my momma saw chigiri and asked who's girlchild is that!!?😊😊

idk anything abt money there.. but ik it has more value than mine so I'll be mad SHOULDVE SSVED UP THAT 10 DOLLARS ANS BUY MORE FIGURINES🗣🗣🗣

I started sneezing after reading this I'm allergic to you....😕😕😕

AW THATS SI CUTE BUT HELP FURRY I WISH I COULD DRESS UP FOR HALLOWEEN BUT MY SCHOOL HAS A STUPID ASS UNIFORM AND WE CANT ENTER THE SCHOOL IF WE DONT HAVE THE ACHOOL LOGO ON😒😒😒😒

erm what has happened to me this week🤔🤔 um.. OH we don't laugh.. but long long ago!! I used to play league of legends BUT WITH MY BROTHERS AND MOMMA but I stopped bc someone on dc asked if i stink bc he saw it on my profile but whatever.. I kinda.. wanna play it again.. bc I saw character I like.. PLUS THE NETFLIX SERIES FOR THE GAME ARCANE which I love #VIFORLIFE LEMME AT HER is literally coming out in November ITS SO SOON anyways

ISNT HE LIKE HOT?? it's all the same person but different skins THERES MORE HOT PPL THERE IN HIDING BRO THE PLAYERS JJST SCARE YOU AWAY☹️☹️😕😕😕😞😞

not the heaters.. the heater in our school is the darn sun! only a certain group of students gets AC and only like the library.. my group has fans then classes battle for bc apparently THEYRE TOO BROKE RO BUY ONE😒😒

UMUM ILL SAY REO HELP

[abracazabka]

I went out of my way (not really) to watch this movie TOGETHER WITH OP so I could read this monster. 

I'm sure like 5 people have watched this shitty lil movie. But it doesn't matter. I shall read this essay of my friend's insane I mean enlightened prose. 

Alright starting now:

In case one Showdown wasnt enough. Oh god there are two of them

These amazing shots of cinematography: NO MORE MERCY. KILL YOURSELF.

Omg i didnt notice he smoked the stolen pack i thought that was his own pack. Thats funny ngl

EVERYONE DOES LOOK AT LEAST 24 YEARS OLD

Yeah fr the vibe is so rancid there's no narrative at all about preventing violence, just which violence is intolerable (it clearly takes quite a bit to be intolerable) but I guess that makes sense…cop character…

NO FR THEY BRIEFLY MENTIONED, NOT IN THESE WORDS, THAT CAPITALISM LEADS TO VIOLENCE. THEN NEVER AGAIN. BROOOO

doomed by the narrative not for any compelling reason but because everyone is psycho crazy violent 

Nobody else will talk about this - you sure are right about that 💗

It is kinda funny the shitty nature of everyone doing crap for money, like some of the teen fighters and Kate, are a large part of the film and considered bad - and Ken's last name is Marx, implying a critique of capitalism. YET Ken fights in the ring while everyone makes bets and the teen fighters aren't mentioned again. Ffs

And no yeah fr Ken was not just dumb about trying to get Julie but also unapologetic about it when his Oh Lets Just Be Friendssss thing didnt hit

Our holy cannoli, Daniel/Ralph

WAIT CRYING I DIDNT REALIZE THAT. SORRY EDDIE 💔

Julie/Ken/Mike truther over here thats me thats right

Making me mad again with that unelaborated scene with Billy. But mostly confused. Literally why show that when it has no further purpose

Literally there were two or three montages you couldve characterized Billy more in that time 😐

Sorry what? What? Dude I did not register Lee knew Billy at all. Where the hell was that mentioned in the movie. I didnt get the revenge thing at all

Yeah I saw the picture but. Man lets be honest all these random white guys look the same. Didnt register that shit at all. Guess that makes more sense now 

Omg Kate is kind of like the Silver to his Kreese youre rignt…I wish she wasnt so erotically weird about high school boys. Haha nooo dont engage in predatory behavior youre so sexy…

I do like that point. They really do seem like partners, like no one has more power than the other. And yet theres no boss controlling them. They genuinely have their system as co-leaders of this thing. Thats actually a refreshing dynamic for a male and female villain haha

I mean yeah its mostly professional but there is that weird moment where Lee moves her hair off her shoulder. I didn't like that haha…

She has a bit of a mean streak but the movie doesnt know FRRRR but to be fair id be kind of an ass too having to deal with Tom

Reading through the bits about Julie and Kate accidentally merging in your mind makes me so disappointed again. It wouldve been so good!!! Alas a plot such as that is ahead of Showdown's time…

The first photo in the Tom section makes it looks like he's in a poly relationship with his friends which. Mightve saved him. Poly dynamics really would have saved all of them actually. 

GINA GINA GINA. Youre such a cutie pie. And a bitch. I want you.

Literally Tom barely pays attention to her but then is like DONT TALK TO ANOTHER GUY OR ILL KILL HIM like Tom Jesus christ maybe SHOW SOME AFFECTION THEN

To be honest maybe Julie looks so similar to Kate for the exact reason i said before. Shes a stand in. And Tom abuses her because he cant abuse Kate who makes him feel so powerless and small. 

Like whether I'm right or not I still fucking hate Tom. Lee's treatment of Tom also explains Tom's treatment of Julie but again, fuckin whatever. Tom can suck my dick and choke

Literally if Kate was a man and Tom a girl and the movie ended without punishment for Kate for being in a relationship with a minor, everyone would grab their pitchforks, hello???

Yeah the end with Tom is so dissatisfying. At least Johnny dissociates 

I HATE THIS MOVIE TOO. Compels me though.

HELD TOGETHER BY SHOESTRING AND DUCT TAPE LMFAO. YEAH. YEAH.

Oh I'll tell you about it…again.

The basic premise of The Karate Kid (1984) — down on his luck new kid learns how to defend himself and ultimately triumphs over his bullies with the help of a wise, old mentor — is far from unique. But since its release, a wave of movies in the 80s and even as far as into the 90s, clearly inspired by Daniel and Mr. Miyagi, came in with fists raised, ready to dominate late night television and home media.

There's No Retreat, No Surrender (1985), The Power Within (1995) (whose villain is played by none other than William Zabka), and my personal favorite of this niche genre: Showdown (1993), directed by Robert Radler

Also known as American Karate Tiger, for a reason that I could only assume has to do with the fact No Retreat, No Surrender is also known as Karate Tiger (no relation to these films however, besides in genre and story)

Anyway, make no mistake: this is not a good movie. I say it's my favorite, not because of its quality, but because there's just So Much About It that wouldn't leave my mind. This is besides the fact it's transparently derivative of The Karate Kid (hell, the main character in the movie references it in a scene! I was so mad!) — the way it's different (and worse) delights me to no end that the others hadn't achieved somehow.

tldr; a LONG assortment of words with some analysis because I need to tell people about this movie ahfkakfaf. NOT a coherent essay (or an essay at all really)

Part 1: Boring stuff like BACKGROUND or THEMES

First thing to know: there's another movie with the same name that was released in 1933 too, but that one's directed by Leo Fong. In case one Showdown wasn't enough.

Now, Showdown never calls it karate, and I'm not going to pretend and say I could easily tell from one type of martial arts to another by glance, so I'm going to refrain from calling this movie strictly any certain type. Anyway, Its fighting content is more reminiscent of another film that came out in the same year and that'd be familiar to Karate Kid fans and lovers of William Zabka's filmography: Shootfighter (1993).

Like Shootfighter, an underground, illegal fighting ring plays a significant role in Showdown, albeit being less fatal and a local scene. A group of teens and young (?) adults, led by their bloodthirsty criminal sensei, in a dojo make up some of its participants, which naturally incentivizes the high schoolers in the dojo to be aggressive in school — bullying, intimidation, cultish significance in aggression and domination blah blah blah blah we all know the type. Regardless, the high school the new kid moves to certainly doesn't need any help throwing him into the deep end of trouble. By the first five minutes of introduction, his new schoolmates are seen stealing, driving motorcycles on school campus, and contributing to these amazing shots of cinematography:

I'm sure they've all got their reasons and such for their misbehavior, or not because they're nothing more than dressing for the background when they aren't the Cobra Kai lookalikes. One thing I can assume is true for all students is a distinct sense of parental neglect, considering the only parents we see is five minutes of the main character's mom, who's job hunting is never quite resolved by the end of the movie and whom I could only guess decided to fit in to the new place by also abandoning her son to travel to the next state or two for a job.

In addition to this, the members of the school staff are either struggling to do their best or instead doing the bare minimum. The most effort disciplining and guidance we see is a pack of cigarettes taken away by the vice principal... before he's smoking it himself behind a building. Honestly, I don't blame him.

Including those involved with the illegal fighting ring, the only barely respectable adult figure around is the janitor, who is — you've guessed it — the "Mr. Miyagi" character of the movie. But considering we've first been introduced to him as a former cop who quit after having accidentally killed a teen (apparently? Everybody looks at least 24 years old) during the job, it's hard pickings around here.

Why am I introducing this all firstly? Well, it's not a deep movie at all, and yet the first thing Showdown introduces to the audience is this oddly grim mood that makes up a major theme of the film: the inevitability of violence. Even when the main character learns how to defend himself, it is with the sense of precaution to be prepared to fight, not for finding a way to end them. The aura of aggression never truly leaves the scenes to let the main character be in peace for long, and he eventually falls into the illegal fighting ring himself out of his own volition — only, it's the Mega Ultra Battle in the end so it's badass and not treated as bleak at all. Hell, the main tagline of the movie is literally "There is no other way."

It's interesting that the main character learns to defend himself because of the efforts from the former cop turned janitor. And while he busts the operation in the end, the janitor ultimately returns to the force, as well as takes up a job to teach the (now arrested) sensei's former students as his own. Sure, they wouldn't be strung into illegal fighting rings anymore, but I question how much the inevitability of violence is enforced because of the expectation of its existence in the first place. Even in the finale, when the main character and his mentor get their happy ending and defeat their respective rivals, it's not with a new future promising radical change for nonviolence and reconstruction, but a grim determination that they could rise to the challenge of the eventual call to aggression.

There is some effort to try and answer the question: "Why do people commit violence?" For example, the main character learns that many teens involved in the fighting ring are trying to pay for college. He himself empathizes, with his mother expressing frustration about being unable to find a good job. Nevertheless, both the main character and his mentor ultimately condemn the practice as exploitment and bust the fighting ring. While this frees the participants from any more physical harm, the question of how the teens fighting for money could support themselves (the reason that got them into illegal fighting in the first place) is never asked again.

This is not even to mention the actual physical — and even psychological — consequences of illegal tournament fighting that are barely portrayed, if at all. Most attitudes surrounding involvement by the teens are blasé, if content with the gigs they got. It's not hard to imagine that they've been manipulated by an intimidating sensei into what is essentially a cult of violence, but Showdown does not dwell on that. This is not the only thing it does not dwell on.

I'm not necessarily saying a former cop janitor and a high schooler in his midtwenties could singlehandedly rid their society of the deeper, insidious causes that breed the cycle of violence in communities. And frankly, this is a lot to ask for a movie that was never made to answer such questions, and it knows itself. I can recognize that. However, Showdown's fatalistic attitude towards violence feels particularly dooming in an otherwise stupid movie.

As a conclusion to this point, here are the opening words to Showdown as the first thing the audience learns about the film, with a sense of finality in its belief:

Part 2: You would think I'd introduce the characters first

Like the premise, the characters of Showdown share many of the same archetypes as the ones in The Karate Kid. The 1984 film however has a more nuanced and colorful cast, and I will be the asshole comparing the two films and their respective characters shamelessly. Admittedly, this section is the most like a summary, so I won't go through every single person but those I find interesting enough to talk about. I do promise to share whatever cool trivia I learned of the actors however, because nobody else sure will.

Firstly, let's take a look at the main character. Unlike Daniel LaRusso, who looks 12 but was played by a 22 year old at the time, Ken Marx looked as old as he did portrayed by someone who definitely was too old to be in high school.

'"I get it. When this is all over, I'm gonna know how to do all kinds of karate blocks, right? It's like, uh, wax on wax off, paint the fence, sand the floor..."

Ken Marx/Marks is a fine protagonist. New kid from Kansas, he's nice enough (especially compared to his new schoolmates) and has a strong sense of justice, but Ken seems to lack the same young, vulnerable angst as his predecessor Daniel about loneliness in someplace completely new. He, like any other supposed ordinary kid in high school, is embarrassed by the slight coddling of his single mother (who moved with him so she could find a job eventually), yet is understanding and wants to help her with money. Unlike Daniel, I could say with absolute certainty that Ken was trying to steal the girlfriend of the very guy who'd make it his mission to beat Ken up at every opportunity the minute he set foot in school. Arguably deserved some of the shit he got. Dick move, Marx (or Marks? Different sources say one or the other, but there's something funny imagining this All American guy with a name that's a little reminiscent of something... revolutionary).

One of the most notable differences between Daniel and Ken is in their state of origin: New Jersey versus Kansas. Not to profile, but I absolutely think it makes for more than just a minor change in their characters. Ken certainly doesn't have that "East Coast swagger" (as Ralph Macchio himself amazingly puts it) as Daniel does. His Midwest origins reflect through his easy kindness and endearing naïvete, but I've gotta admit that it doesn't do much to help him stand out as a protagonist. Still, even if I'm not especially invested in him, Ken's easygoing personality and humble origins are only boring and forgettable at worst, and I can admire his dedication to learn how to defend himself. That being said, Ken certainly could not be confused for Daniel and his Jersey Fire. The best example of this is Daniel versus Ken's reaction when their request to learn self-defense is first denied; while Daniel is openly upset and petulant, Ken is quiet but aquiesces with understanding. Ken is a nice kid sure, a little more mature and respectful than his predecessor, but that also makes him quite average. To further steal analogies from Macchio himself, it's like the difference between a cannoli and an apple pie.

Ken is played by Kenn Scott, an experienced martial artist. It's incredibly funny watching him throughout the movie be swamped in big jackets and whatnot to hide the guy's ripped abs, pecs, and biceps until it pays off at the end when he takes off his shirt in the big fight. Funnily enough, Scott is also in Shootfighter as Eddie, aka that guy who didn't want to go back in the ring and got killed for it.

RIP Eddie. We hardly knew ye.

Honorable mention goes to Ken's mom, whose name is only seen briefly on her shirt tag from work: Shirley. I can still hear her sighing about a job in her giant coat and 1989 Ford Probe to this day.

Ken doesn't feel as lonely as a character as Daniel does in The Karate Kid. While he is like Daniel in that they both quickly latch onto an older man who displays them a little bit of kindness, Ken finds himself another friend at school to keeps his company from feeling too lonely.

"Well listen, I just remembered I left my cat in the microwave."

Mike (played by John Asher) is meant to be funny and awkward, the wimpy but harmless guide to introduce Ken (and the audience) to his new setting. Mike even has a lackluster Clique Tour Moment à la Mean Girls of a couple distinct students or student groups to demonstrate his knowledge of the school populace to the new kid. He wears clashing patterns, says something funny for a moment or does something silly in the background, throws a few flimsy kicks and punches during a training montage, breaks the fourth wall, and walks away with the hero and his love interest in the most throuple-coded way ever.

Unfortunately, this is the most boy best friend Mike gets with Ken in the movie.

Mike has subtle growth throughout Showdown admittedly — from a cowardly goofball who shrinks away at the barest glare from the bullies and lets the new kid eat dirt on his own, to Ken's best friend that joins him in training a little, stays by his side til the end when he needs the most support, and even helps subsue one of the bad guys.

Of course, the real duo in Showdown — their rendition of the Daniel and Mr. Miyagi relationship — is between Ken and the janitor at school, who saves kids getting beaten up to make up for the fact he accidentally murdered one seven years ago.

"No, this is called toilet cleaning. It teaches humility. Then, I want you to startover here on those urinals."

Billy Grant is riddled with guilt for killing someone on the job, so much that he voluntarily quit the force afterwards — except, Billy expresses thoughts about coming back after being told by Ken of the illegal fighting ring, and eventually does return, so here's hoping Billy learned something in the seven years he "fell off the Earth" (according to his old partner at least, which I find highly doubtful. Guy's only left the force seven years ago, stayed in the area, and found a job as a janitor, but apparently disappeared?? Come on). Nevertheless, he's a Good Guy™ who saves Ken's ass at least three times — just as many times as Mr. Miyagi does Daniel's. This version of Wax On, Wax Off is just making Ken clean toilets, wash off graffiti, throw away trash, etc. — janitorial stuff — to help build his endurance. Let's be honest here though, this is infinitely more like child labor than whatever Mr. Miyagi had ever done.

One moment in the movie I find odd, because they never touch on it again after introducing it, is when Billy saves Ken from two of his bullies. In the end, he puts one of them in a headlock, which lasts for several seconds. It's strongly implied Billy would have continued holding it, if it weren't for Ken's cry for him to stop. The bully drops to the ground as he coughs for breath, and Billy literally runs off in horror.

Ken: Stop! Billy, don't.

It makes it seem like Billy could have some reason to lose control, like unresolved anger issues, his trauma, or perhaps a dark and hidden inclination to cruelty (if the movie wanted to go there). However, Ken never brings this up to Billy, and this lapse in judgement never occurs again in the movie. There isn't even a moment for him to reflect in solitude of what he almost did to those teenage boys to imply there is something more to his internal conflicts. And this loss of control is also absent in Billy's big fight against the criminal sensei.

I'm not even sure it makes sense at all with the trauma Billy actually has that influences his actions? He accidentally killed a kid by tossing him aside onto the floor, which had led to his head making contact with some stairs and killed him upon impact. This was a poorly decided action, but a quick one made in the heat of the moment nonetheless. How on Earth does this translate paychologically to losing control while holding someone in a chokehold? If the implication is that his trauma causes Billy to lose control when caught in a fight, not only does it not make sense, but it also never shows up again in the movie and thus makes the moment where he almost chokes a teenager too hard irrelevant. It sticks out, especially when Billy for the rest of the movie is otherwise unmistakenly altruistic and heroic.

Unfortunately, Billy just doesn't get to have the same room for depth as Mr. Miyagi does. Billy is kind, brave, strong, and wise, but there just aren't enough scenes in Showdown that reveal much of his human, vulnerable qualities to complement the heroic ones.

Billy may be the first major character introduced in the movie, alongside his guilt and regret, but Showdown doesn't dwell on how it's weighed Billy for long; his anger and efforts to bust the illegal fighting ring are all but stated outright to be fueled by a desire to make up for accidentally causing someone else's death years ago and wants to make sure no more young people are senselessly hurt, but the film does not let Billy open up about it. At Ken's question asking if that's the reason, Billy is silent before stoically taking a moral stance on the issue. He spins the topic back to Ken's training, and that's the end of Billy being allowed to be more than an archetype, instead a flawed human being who's been personally affected because of his mistakes:

Ken: Billy, I knew you always weren't a janitor. And I want you to tell the truth. Billy: Ken, I used to be a cop. Then I killed a kid. It was a mistake. Ken Did you have to quit? Billy: No, I couldn't handle it anymore. But I'm thinking about getting back into it. Ken: You want to bust the guys that are running the fights? Billy: ...They're hurting kids to make money, and that's not right. These people are dangerous. If you refuse to fight for them, it could be real trouble for you. Ken: Well, we'll just keep training, right? Billy: Yeah, go warm up.

Following this scene, Billy calls his old partner in the force to help him investigate a way to bust the illegal fighting ring. He's ultimately driven to action by his guilt, but do we as the audience get to see Billy afterwards emotionally open up about his choices, both in the past and the ones in the present made to rectify his mistakes? Nope.

It never feels like Billy's character could be anything else but Ken's mentor, or the big ultimate hero. For all we know, he's been dealing with the guilt of his wrongdoings all on his own for seven years, and he jumps into action the moment he thinks he could do some real, good change. But Billy's internal shift gets streamlined in order to prioritize training montages or cool cop shit. He is kind, brave, strong, and wise, but he does not get to be three-dimensional.

Of course, I have to acknowledge that no one in Showdown is. This isn't a movie that's meant to be beholden of dimensions. As I continue to compare it to The Karate Kid or lament about flatness or whatever, it's imperative to remember that Showdown is a stupid movie.

That being said, I nevertheless cannot help but feel especially disappointed by the flatness of Billy's character — not only because he is one of the most major characters of the movie, if not the most important, but also because Billy the most prominent person of color in the movie, and a Black character at that. Billy's role does not soley revolve around the White male protagonist, and he does have his own drives and motivation, but Showdown falls short in depicting Billy as a nuanced Black character with depth and vulnerability.

He's played by another actor who shares the same first name as him, Billy Blanks, whom I'm actually not that familiar with even though he is arguably the biggest name involved with Showdown. He's been in a bunch of other martial arts films, so that's cool.

Shoutout to his former partner Officer Spinelli, who gets a special shower scene in the beginning of the movie. Amazing.

Here's the crazy thing about Billy's accidental murder that haunts him: that kid was none other than the younger brother of the main villain, the "Kreese" character, who soon is driven to revenge upon laying his eyes on Billy again after seven years.

"I woooon..."

Lee is batshit insane. First of all, he's the ringleader, or at least the main attraction, of the local illegal fighting ring that occurs somehow secretly in his dojo with huge crowds of people. Second of all, he has his own version of the Cobra Kai mantra to drill into his child soldiers: "Success is control, control is success." Third of all, he hires his goons to, not only try and kill Billy, but also to make sure it's done on school campus so everyone could see the body, because this guy evades authorities so easily already. What the fuck is wrong with this man. The only trait Lee has that doesn't make him into even more of an aspiring supervillain is the protective love he has for his brother Max, and even that soon enough becomes revenge fodder for Lee when he witnesses his brother die in the prologue.

Max (left) and Lee (right), ready to take world together by storm...

Lee is played by Patrick Kilpatrick, who I can tell is having the time of his goddamn life playing such a Ham and Cheese PLATTER of a character. His performance plays jump rope with the line that splits between 'menacing' and 'ridiculous', and I love that for him. Kilpatrick was also on an episode of The Equalizer (though not an episode with William Zabka haha)! Patrick Kilpatrick wasn't the only choice to play Lee, however. Another was Bolo Yeung, but he would later turn out to have a role in another 1993 martial arts movie: Shootfighter (a William Zabka project again).

And he shares the same name as the villain of Shootfighter, Mr. Lee haha (played by Martin Kove, aka Kreese in The Karate Kid)

The greatest thing about Lee is that he has a right hand woman running the operation alongside him — almost like the "Silver" to his "Kreese".

"Relax! I don't bite — not unless you want me to..."

Kate is undeniably the brains of the of the two. While Lee uses his physical prowess, skill, and intimidation to dominate others into following, Kate smoothtalks and negotiates it all out to work in their favor with intellect, charm, and often times sex appeal. Kate is the most stylish of the cast, and probably the one with the most money, as she's seen reguarly with styled hair, classy jewelry, sleek dresses, and is in possession of a Mercedes Benz (as well as a Chysler Lebaron convertible, but who am I to judge).

Kate and Lee's relationship is professional, for the most part. He lashes out at her once, but she easily snaps at him back, and it's never clear if one is working for the other. Regardless, Kate and Lee have got their respective strengths they use to their advantage, so they each play a different role in their collective business. There are hints to some affection between the two business partners, but it's not a major focus at all.

Kate is also creepy as fuck. I'll cover more of her in the next part.

She's played by Linda Dona, whose role was initially invented when Bolo Yeung was set to be Lee. Since Yeung could not speak English, Kate was to be his translator. Of course, this was no longer needed once Kilpatrick took on the role of Lee, but Dona stuck anyway when the writers rewrote her role.

In these type of movies, it's uncommon to see more than one significant female character as part of the story, and so Kate stands out, especially compared to the love interest of Ken.

"You know, I thought you were on the track team or something. But you're not, you're working out with the janitor."

Julie doesn't have a lot to work with, besides being an object of affection for Ken and part of the source of the conflict between him and her boyfriend (the "Johnny" character, obviously). She's blonde and innocently pretty like Ali (unlike Kate's mature seductiveness), but Julie lacks the same assertiveness as the Karate Kid character. While Ali plays a pivotal role in helping Daniel and Mr. Miyagi understand the rules of the All Valley Tournament, Julie is reduced to the typical helplessness her type of character is often confined to, being pushed to the side as a spectator of the big fight in the end.

Julie does what she can in the plot — she tries to speak up against her boyfriend's actions several times, and she even stops (or at least delays) one of his attacks on Ken— but Julie, like Ali, is pacified by the narrative to do much of anything else besides express disapproval and side with the heroes. Julie also has a bit of a mean streak, but I don't think the movie knows that lmao.

Now, I am not the greatest with differentiating people, especially those with the same general look. So upon first watch, I had accidentally thought Julie and Kate were the same character, especially since Kate's introduction offered no close ups to differentiate her as someone new. AND IF THAT HAD BEEN TRUE, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CRAAAAAZY; sweet and innocent high school girl secretly a greedy, manipulative, femme fatale in charge of an illegal fighting ring? IT BLEW MY MIND.

I WAS SEEING JULIE IN A WHOLE, DIFFERENT LIGHT. Her introduction for one thing made sense to me why it was so strange! Ken first lays eyes on her when he jumped onto the ground at the sound of firecrackers he thought were gunshots, which made the crowd of students around Ken to laugh at him. Julie is among the students shamelessly laughing at this kid, and it isn't until when they lock eyes does she stop laughing and walks away.

The scene cements to the audience that Ken's new peers are cruel, delinquent, and indifferent to his confusion — but Julie is part of that crowd! It's incredibly strange to frame Julie as the love interest by the language of cinematography, someone the audience is meant to invest in to pair off with the main character, when her behavior is indistinguishable from the callous mob, besides being pretty. She doesn't apologize for this in the scenes talking to Ken for the first time either.

Another moment that made me look back was how Julie was smart enough to calm her boyfriend down the first time he confronted Ken for trying to talk to her by alluring his attention away.

Julie: Leave him alone... Please...[...]He didn't know about you...! He's new here...

While Julie had good intentions, this demonstrates a level of manipulation towards people that she'd readily use if it meant getting what she wanted. As Kate is later introduced, this shared quality between them made me further convinced in my confusion that they were the same character — only, I thought Kate being manipulative was Julie's true colors being as sinister as they actually were.

Now, a teen girl laughing at some guy for jumping to conclusions (pun intended) and thinking gunshots in the middle of the hallway and using her attractiveness to turn her boyfriend's attention away from someone he intended to hurt are aren't glaring signs of evil or criminal behavior. But that is EXACTLY why I confused Kate for Julie and thought these actions in retrospect were subtle clues to her being more than just the bland love interest that the protagonist wins in the end.

In addition to this, Mike's first words to Ken about Julie would have been almost perfect foreshadowing:

Mike: I see, you have a death wish. Ken: ...Excuse me? Mike: The blonde, Julie... She's beautiful. She's elegant...! I mean– just forget about it. She's trouble.

Mike afterwards explains to Ken that Julie's boyfriend is dangerous and that's why she would be trouble, but if it would have been almost genius writing if she turned out to be a secret villain. The audience wouldn't think twice about that comment, especially since Mike himself only believes Julie would cause trouble for Ken because of her boyfriend specifically. There'd be no reason to think deeper about his warning!

Julie's grimacing apology the following day to Ken for her boyfriend's behavior transformed into being SLIMY, IT WAS AMAZING. I was so excited to watch him fall for someone who wasn't at all like what he thought she was — and then I figured out Julie and Kate were two, separate female characters. Damn.

You may recognize Julie's actress, Christine Taylor, because she was involved with another film William Zabka was in: To the Ends of Time. He just keeps being relevant somehow.

But speaking of William Zabka, what about his character's equivalent in this movie? I talked about the protagonists, the love interest, the villains — but who's the guy in the story that's actually the most prominent threat to Ken? Who's the third player next to Ken and Julie in their teenage love drama? Who's the student trained the hardest by Lee and treated as the best of the best, his strongest fighter, who falls at the end and almost dies at the hands of his sensei for it?

Part 3: We need to talk about Tom

warning for discussions of abusive relationships, as well as physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, unhealthy power dynamics, and grooming

I'm dedicating a whole section to talk about the "Johnny" equivalent, because I've got so much to say about Tom, the others around him, and parts of the film around his character.

"It's payback time, needledick."

So, Tom. I had briefly shown his character earlier when covering Billy, as well as Julie — kind of hard to talk around him when he's causing so many of the issues for others, little shit. Like Johnny, Tom is tall, blond, aggressive, and does not take kindly to the new guy being too friendly to his girlfriend (ex girlfriend in Johnny's case, but still). Like Johnny, Tom is the most formidable fighter training under his sensei, and his sensei also punishes Tom ruthlessly after losing in the ending fight, before being saved by the protagonist's mentor. Unlike Johnny, Tom looks well into his adulthood — but hey, so does everybody else in this goddamn high school.

He's played by Ken McLeod, who is a real life martial artist with a black belt in karate. Honestly, he's probably doing the best job acting in this film — that, or he's just so entertaining that his performance stands out by that alone. In general, the antagonists are just much more fun to watch than the protagonists. In McLeod's case, he gets the honor of spitting in people's faces with a mean smile or scowl, huffing and puffing when anything pisses his character off, and having his momenta to act with vulnerability to show some versatility in his performance.

White the picture may imply differently, Tom has his own group of loyal friends, Showdown's version of the Cobras.

If Rob on the left is familiar, that's because he's played by Michael Cavalieri, who would soon later play Ned Randall in The Next Karate Kid (1994). I don't know how much of it was in the script, but Cavalieri adds these small, humorous quirks to his character if you pay attention, and it's great. He's the most prominent of Tom's friend, who joins in on much of the bullying, but shows an surprising honorable side near the end. Rob is seemingly Tom's closest friend, as he is almost always by his side and encourages him the most of the group. However, even Rob has his limits, as Tom's worsening behavior almost drives him away. Nevertheless, Rob can't help himself but still support his buddy in his final fight when he fights against Ken. When Lee starts to beat on Tom for losing, the other characters have to hold Rob back from jumping in to defend him (which, is so weird??? Like, HELLO THAT GROWN ASS MAN IS TRYING TO KILL THAT GUY???? WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE GONNA HOLD BACK SOMEONE TRYING TO HELP HIM?????)

Gina (played by Seidy Lopez) is the second/third most prominent female character in the movie, so that means she has to have at least one scene alluring a male character to get him to do what she wants, joy. Gina seems to be the calmest and most levelheaded one of the group — she reminds others that the best place to pick a fight is anywhere but the classroom — but even she coldly revels in terrorizing like the rest of those training under Lee. Gina may be the least troubled by his hyperaggressive leadership in fact, as she is the least visibly disturbed when Lee attacks Tom, and she is the only (former) student not to join in on the others when they start cheering for Billy after he defeats Lee at the end (she does however cheer when Billy accepts Rob's offer to teach them, so maybe Gina just ain't picky with who teaches them how to fight). We never see Gina do any fighting, unfortunately. It's clear she's not a girlfriend who hangs around the boys, as Gina not only attends the class but is seen practicing with a punching bag. Feminism win! This violent dojo is for all genders! So where's Gina's moment to give someone a shiner?

The Bill Skarsgård lookalike's name is unfortunately never said in the movie, but I'm preeeeetty sure it's Bob (credited as being played by Jeremy Duddleston)? It's the only male name in the credits I cannot easily attribute to another character, so I'll just call him Bob. It's hard listing another characteristic of his besides Loves To Fight, since he never utters a single line. While Rob may be Tom's closest friend, Bob is seemingly less significant to Tom, as there's a moment when Tom tosses his book/folder behind himself dismissively, before Bob catches it to carry it for him. But besides that uhhhh. Not a lot with this guy.

It should come to no surprise that Tom is an asshole and a bully. His introduction makes sure the audience knows that when he threatens a class monitor for daring to remind Tom that bells are a thing, before treating his girlfriend Julie with the big ol' triple three of Terrible Boyfriend Qualities: Neglectful, Controlling, and Uncooperative. And this is all before he even sees Ken! But don't worry, his behavior is just as terrible once they do meet.

I may have given Ken shit for his actions, however that does not justify the full extent of Tom's vigilance in making sure he gets violently targetted at every corner. While it gets hard to take the high school drama seriously because of how grown everybody looks, thus making their actions more comical than intended, there are times when Ken gets overpowered or made to feel smaller by Tom that could genuinely get you feeling bad for him — call me a softie, but even when Tom has his funny moments, he sure can make the audience feel as miserable as Ken does.

Tom: It's not about money Kenny. It's about respect.

Tom treats people badly when he doesn't respect them, and this includes a lot of people. In fact, he's consistently shown to be the least respectful towards his girlfriend.

It's undeniable that Tom is a godawful boyfriend to Julie. As you already know, he is infamously possessive and jealous; in addition to saying in her face that he owns her — word-for-word and in public — Mike makes it a point to warn Ken about Julie because of Tom specifically. The warning is justified too, because we know Tom spends the rest of the movie utterly despising Ken for "encroaching" on his "territory" (literally just talking to Julie). In addition to all this, Tom ignores plans he has with Julie because of his own minor reasons, and even forgets to talk to her for weeks, and yet has the gall to insist Julie must compromise and listen to his desires when she has an iota of a backbone.

Tom's behavior runs deeper than being an asshole, though. Because of him, I can confidently categorize their unhealthy relationship as being abusive, without exaggeration. The extreme control he expects to exert over Julie, her actions, and whom she interacts with taints every interaction they have together. Julie does what she can to assert herself, but it's difficult for those times to feel cathartic when Tom looks like he wants to beat or bully her into submission afterwards. Tom contantly uses his natural height against her, looming over Julie like he could intimidate her into listening, and even grabs her if he feels like it. If his treatment towards Ken is tough, it's nothing compared to how Tom abuses Julie.

Tom: I don't want you to ever talk to [Ken] again. In fact, if I catch you hanging around him, I'm gonna beat the– Julie: You can't control my life! Tom: Yes I can. You are my girl, and you'll do exactly what I say.

Besides feeling entitled to Julie as a possession than as an equal, Tom's mistreatment hits its peak when, after he approaches her like she didn't dump him the last time they spoke, Tom's rage overpowers him when Julie says Ken could beat him in a fight — Tom grabs Julie by her hair, calls her a slut, commands her to stay away from Ken, and slaps Julie. In the middle of campus. Ken soon comes to defend her, so it's not clear how far Tom would have gone to hurt Julie. However, several characters (including Julie) note Tom's worsening mental state since the their first interaction on-screen, which had been worsening before the events of the movie, and it's not impossible to imagine him sinking even worse towards Julie — in addition to the emotional abuse Tom was already subjecting her to.

While Julie ultimately finds the courage within herself to ends things with Tom, it wasn't without any conflicts, internal and otherwise — not only was Tom in denial, but Julie had her own reasons to stay with him. When Ken asks her why, she gives an explanation, and had given more:

Julie: It's just that I've been dating Tom for a long time, and... I just think he's a little confused right now... He kind of got involved with some– Ken: Look, pardon me, I'm not sympathetic where Tom is concerned, okay? Julie: No, I don't expect you to be! It's... Sometimes, I think about calling it off. But it's like I feel trapped... kind of like I have to stay with him for now. Ken: But you don't have to if you don't want to...! Julie: No, I do.

Julie's attitude insisting she has to stay because of a sense of duty towards her abuser is a common experience among many abuse victims, and so are her thoughts of feeling trapped. However, Julie recognizes that Tom's awful behavior is new. That does not excuse the abuse, but it does offer important context to his and Julie's relationship. According to her, they've been together long enough that she knows Tom's normal isn't as violent and controlling as it is now. Julie is hoping Tom reverts back, that she will see him get his sense back, and that she has a good idea who's been influencing Tom.

Julie: God. I swear, every day you sound more and more like that jerk, Lee. Tom: Listen, Lee's my sensei, don't talk about him that way.

We never see any of these kid's parents, and so they're next to nonexistent, thus Tom's most present role model and parental figure in Showdown is his sensei, Lee.

The respect Tom has for his sensei is only matched by his fear. The movie builds suspense for his reveal by having Tom be insistent in being on time for class, lest he angers Lee, a character the audience at that point could only assume is a little bit of a bad influence. They'd soon be affirmed by that when watching Lee's blaringly evil (re)introduction, giving a lesson that's half drill sargeant, half cult indoctrination. It's unclear for how long Tom has been around him, but it's been enough that it's started to affect his behavior and life in harmful ways. Tom however doesn't see it like that. While Julie makes excuses about him to Ken, Tom doesn't even consider that what Lee does is anything wrong. In fact, he takes pride in having "learned a few tricks" from him, and always defends the man whenever someone (Julie) so much as criticizes him. And of course Tom would, since Lee openly considers him to be his best fighter in the dojo, ruthlessly training him to be the undefeated champion in his illegal fighting ring. Tom is 17, 18 at most, and his involvement in crime is reinforced by the hand Lee has on his life.

Lee may care about Tom deeper than just as teacher-student, even calling him "my boy" during the final fight, but it is a relationship built on ruthlessness, domination, and abuse that easily turns violent the moment Lee is dissatisfied with Tom. He thinks of Tom as the best among his students, but Lee never hesitates to tear him down mentally, nor to physically beat him as punishment, going so far as to threaten Tom's life:

Lee: What have I told you about weakness? It's disgraceful. And when you disgrace yourself, you disgrace me. You do not have control, you have brought shame upon yourself and my dojo. Humiliation. The pain I give your outside should be nothing compared to the pain you feel inside. We are winners at my dojo. We do not let others control us, ever. If you fail again, you will be lucky if I decide to let you live.

Lee wants Tom to believe that his life is literally at the hands of his sensei, that he deserves any beating (psychological or physical) that Lee delivers because Tom's failure is justification enough, according to himself. He believes so strongly of this dominance over Tom's life that Lee does try to kill him after losing to Ken, in front of a giant crowd of people. He's a madman with full conviction that he could make a teenager his killing machine and murder him afterwards if that kid does not live up to his standards — his boy or not.

Even in the rare moments of tenderness, they're never soft. Lee always performs them in the shadow of violence; if he calls Tom "my boy", it's when Lee commands him to kill Ken. When he cradles Tom's jaw, it's so Lee can strike square in his face. The paternal role Lee has in Tom's life is poisoned with cruelty, and it's corrupted Tom into manifesting the same abuse onto others.

Tom becomes more and more like Lee, an aggressor losing his humanity in his descent towards fighting and crime, because of his sensei's own abusive influence. Lee makes Tom feel powerful, but like a tool to be used and sharpened — and inversely, Lee makes Tom feel powerless even more. And he isn't the only one that makes Tom feel powerless.

Lee and Kate are a team, so they're both invested in the careers of the former's students for the illegal fighting ring. Kate's whole business depends on them, making sure there's an abundant money flow as long as there are good fighters. She, like Lee, has a special interest in Tom — his best fighter.

Kate's mistreatment towards Tom is rather distinct from her partner's. For one, Kate never resorts to threatening his life. She does physically disclipine Tom, but it's with harsh slaps across the face, like a stern mother to her son. What she does threaten in his future in the fighting ring. Considering Tom is completely dedicated to his involvement, certainly encouraged if not groomed by Lee for it like a fighting dog, it's an easy method of controlling Tom. While Kate doesn't entertain the thought of killing him like Lee does, it doesn't make her behavior okay, because it still sends Tom the same message: Kate is the one in control of him, he isn't.

What stands out most about Kate's abuse towards Tom though is that she better manipulates him by other, insidious ways. Kate's age is never specified, but it's clear she's older, more confident, and capable of inflicting certain harm in ways teenagers can't. Kate has no qualms using her sexuality to get what she wants, and that includes preying on teenage boys. With Tom, she doesn't just disclipine him like a mother, but Kate coerces him into a sexual relationship as well. This, in addition to times when she treats him like more of a mother back-to-back, contribute to something truly appalling to watch.

To best explain the scene, here's a video of Kate's introduction, where she pulls Tom aside in the middle of instruction to take him to a dark room alone with her:

Just seconds after Kate hits Tom, she pulls him into a deep kiss, practically forceful. Note how limp Tom's arms and hands are as he's made to kiss her. Later scenes in Showdown depict Tom as more "consensual" in their relationship, but this is notably different in their first moment together on-dcreen. This is not to say that it would have been a healthier relationship if Tom enthusiastically kissed Kate back, but his passiveness as she assaults him only highlights the uneven power dynamics at play — in their first scene introducing their relationship at that.

(Remember when I thought Kate and Julie were the same person? Yeah, Kate stands in the back the whole time, only getting a little closer to the camera but not enough that it would distinguish her as someone new. In addition to them shrouded in darkness and the intimacy on-screen after, that's why I thought Julie was secretly evil and was abusive to Tom back. I became so quickly convinced that they were Evil4Evil, that it took me until several scenes later to realize that they were two different people and that something worse was going on.)

What concerns me as well is how easily Kate was able to pull Tom away from sparring, without much of a second glance from Lee or his students. How much did the other students question whenever she pulled him aside alone? Were they allowed to question? Or even worse, how much were they led to believe it was okay? Is Kate coercing more several teenagers, or is this a way to have more power over Tom to ensure he'd stay her and Lee's cash cow?

Powerlessness defines Tom's most prominent relationships with the two adults with abusive control of his life. With that in mind, it explains why Tom has gotten worse, lashing out and losing control of himself. It doesn't excuse his wrongdoings, but there is a direct, blatant connection to Tom's worsening mental health and the authority figures around him either encouraging his violent attitude or are the main causes of distress in Tom's life.

In addition to that, Tom's bullying and abusive behavior is an unfortunate expression of what he's internalized from Lee and Kate; he only treats a person well if he respects them. Due to Lee's influence, that simply means if they have power. Otherwise, Tom feels he can intimidate, belittle, and hurt them all he wants. In Julie's case, Tom mirrors the same mistreatment that plagues him and causes him to treat her badly, because Tom views Julie something he owns. Tom ultimately believes that he is allowed to abuse those that are less powerful, because those that are more powerful than Tom are allowed to abuse him.

The most alarming thing about Tom's sexual abuse is that... Showdown seems to be unaware of its gravity? Female-on-male sexual abuse and uneven power dynamics aren't often treated with the same severity as the opposite, if it is portrayed. Like I said, the later scenes with Tom and Kate show him receptive to her attraction. But even if Tom played along, Kate would have always had an uneven power dynamic over him. In the end, Kate never receives punishment for her abuse — she's presumably arrested for her involvement running the illegal fighting ring, but Kate's strongly implied sexual relationship is a total nonissue by the time the credits roll.

This is the same with Lee's own physical and psychological abusive behavior. He gets arrested for running the illegal fighting ring, and I suppose Tom could press charges afterwards, but he's oddly okay by the end of the movie, without any meltdown over losing or being almost killed by his sensei. It's not cathartic at all to see Tom calmly congratulate Ken and Billy in the end, as well as say a nice goodbye to Julie. Seriously? He's still got issues — we're just supposed to believe that Tom reverted back to being a normal kid just like that, without any psychological damage to work though?

And in the end, I suppose we are meant to believe that. Showdown is a stupid movie. Of course they weren't going to dwell on all that with sensitivity and nuance. But what if I wanted Tom to get therapy? I don't think he should date Julie anymore, when she shouldn't have been saddled with the responsibility and burden of having to stay with him. Tom should absolutely have some support system though, alongside professional help to guide Tom in processing how to live his life past Lee and Kate's abuse. I dedicated a whole section on him, dear god!! Why did Showdown do this. I hate this movie.

Conclusion: This movie is a hundred minutes long and none of it was worth it, and yet I keep coming back

Showdown is not a good movie. It's highly entertaining, completely laugh-worthy, and full of little pieces that I keep rotating in my mind to complete the puzzle, but it's held together by shoestring and duct tape. I don't recommend this movie to anybody, not Karate Kid fans, and certainly not cinephiles, except for those who want to have a quick laugh, preferably with friends to mock together — or inversely, want to be driven to madness like me. There are a lot of things I didn't mention about the movie, none of it interesting; Brion James plays the vice principal, they repeat the same song over and over again in the movie, there's a sick ass chase and fight in a theater set (because Lee hired hitmen to kill Billy at the school, remember), and so much more.

The Blu-ray Special Edition disk is like under $30, basically half off during the holidays, and contains a "Making Of..." documentary, alongside supplementary videos of the fight featurette and interviewed of various people from the cast and crew (including the director Robert Radler and Billy Blanks)! I need it.

Don't watch the movie. But if you do, tell me about it