#5 Times Hal Complains

[chocolateteapotsvis]

Rating: General Audiences Additional Tags: Fluff and Crack, Influencer Marketing, spam emails, Trolling, Dick Jokes, Dick Grayson - Freeform, Oneshot, pure silliness, Halbarry Week 2023 Series: Part 2 of Whining and Dining

Subject: Green Lantern – Exclusive Brand Opportunity with Relationship Building Potential

For Halbarry Week Day 3: Hazards of the Job

[sleepii-moth]

the way people in my server talk about the outer wilds 'fandom' as if its some big thing that they have no control over when they are literally in a server with 120 people that is practically, the *entire* fandom they are talking about lmfao

[penisliker-moved]

also. rly funny my dad rly wants to give my girl th shovel talk but it doesnt live here. and he hasnt met it yet..so he just tells me "HE BETTER WATCH HIMSELF... HE BETTER TREAT YOU RIGHT" and its like yes father. ik. ik. yes

[lixzey]

Letters.

The Seventh Letter.

It was four days later when Timothée had the chance to read the seventh letter. As soon as he landed in New York, he was called for a commercial shoot, which was scheduled months prior.

He was practically itching to get a chance to just lay down on his bed and read every unopened letter up to the last. But his career took all of his time—not that he's complaining, but as soon as he got off of work, he was already tired to the point he'd just collapse in his bed.

So, when he finally had the day off and didn't have anything else to do, Timothée immediately grabbed the chance to relax with coffee and Y/N's letters.

He ripped open the seventh letter, dated July 5, 2023.

Dear Timothée, 

I'm in desperate need of a hug. A hug from you.

I'm losing myself again.

I know, it's fucking stupid of me to think I'd even get the chance. The thought of you—the love of my life—being in love with another woman hurts like hell. I spent too much time daydreaming about what could've been. I held onto something that never really mattered.

I'm in love with you—a man who can never be mine. I don't have a right to get jealous, angry, or hurt because you're not mine. It’s hard to love you without looking so desperate.

I want to tell you everything without leaving out a single detail. If I did, you'd have hundreds of letters.

I can’t imagine life without you.

You're my life, my world, and my everything.

You make me feel like I'm locked out of heaven, Timothée Hal.

But I'm still silently, quietly, hoping you'll end up with me.

All my love,

Y/n. 

Timothée felt his heart break for this girl. She loved him, like every other fan, but everything about her letters—everything about her—makes him want to find her, give her the biggest hug in the world, and tell her that everything would be okay. But that wasn't the case, since he had no idea where this girl was right now.

Timothée stared at the letter. He noticed a small mark at the edge—a teardrop stain on the paper.

She was crying the day she wrote the letter.

What the hell happened on the day she wrote the seventh letter?

[shoot-i-messed-up]

🌤

🌤️Share your favorite piece of dialogue from your WIP. this is from my wip chapter 5 (or 6? no idea how I'm going to split it) of Hal Jordan: The Guy Who Made Superman Cry Thrice:

“I feel safe around you,” Hal said. “I swear it. I do.”

“But?”

“But…” Hal didn’t realize it was true until he started saying it. “Sinestro was safe, once. So was my dad. Hell, even Carol felt safe before she got mind controlled into being Star Sapphire about a hundred times. It’s nothing personal to you.”

“But it is. Because I’m Superman.”

Hal had nothing to say to that. “It’s illogical. Believe me, I know,” he said lamely.

“I know I’m very strong,” said Clark quietly, “probably the strongest person on Earth. But you have a very unique way of defending yourself against me.”

Hal heard a rustle of movement and watched warily as Clark groped around in his blazer for a pad of paper and a pen. Clark quickly scribbled something on the top page, tore it off, and handed it to Hal. He read it quickly.

“What am I looking at?” Hal asked.

“The chemical formula for green Kryptonite.”

Hal pushed the paper at Clark’s chest like he’d been burned. “Are you fucking crazy? Jesus Christ, you need to keep this down on lock, what do you think you’re doing?”

Clark’s bright blue eyes were boring into him. “You need to memorize it.”

“Why the hell would I do that? Doesn’t Spooky have enough of the damn thing anyway? What the fuck would I never need it for?”

“One of Batman’s contingency plans for me is you,” Clark said. “The Power Ring is a device that manipulates energy, so it is very much within the realm of reason that it can create kryptonite radiation. Enough to stop me.”

“Clark, what happens if I’m not in control and I know that formula? I could kill you.”

“Good. I’d rather die than touch you in a way that you don’t like.”

Hal scrubbed at his eyes. “You’re an actual lunatic. You actually mean that, don’t you? Who am I kidding, of course you do, you’re Superman.”

Clark shrugged in that Midwestern way.

“What happens if I ask you never to touch me again?”

“Hal, I’d stay six feet away from you at all times if it meant we could still have this.”

Hal arched an eyebrow. “Okay, that begs the question—what are you even getting out of our relationship? Like, obviously, I’m not complaining, but I’m getting a gorgeous six foot three investigative journalist boyfriend, who’s, oh yeah, Superman. So, between the no sex and the panic attacks and the mental breakdowns, what are you getting?”

“You,” said Clark. “I’m getting you.”

[schrijverr]

The Hearts of Gotham 5

Chapter 5 out of 7

Bruce makes the Justice League believe he has two hearts and is a manifestation of Gotham’s night to throw them off his secret identity, not trusting them. When the sound system breaks, he doesn’t come clean, but lies instead that he split into two to make Robin. From there it spirals as all the Robins make the lies grow and twist it in their own ways, until the truth comes out.

This fic is based on this post and inspired by Bouncing Baby Bat, or so the Justice League is led to believe... by EmpressGeek.

On AO3.

Ships: none

Warnings: none

~~~~

Chapter 5: How Stephanie Used it to Fuck with Bruce

Steph wasn’t Robin for long enough to ever be introduced to the Justice League, something she takes great offense to. Tim had told her about it and she looked forward to it quite a bit, so she was disappointed when it never happened.

However, Steph has never been beneath causing problems for no reason to get what she wants. So, she is more than happy to temporarily take back her mantle so she can get to meet the Justice League anyway. Especially to prove her honor as a Robin.

Damian is already pretty far along in adjusting to his role as Robin and, while B might have banned him now, she knows that will change at some point. So she has to move before that happens if she wants to fuck with everyone.

B can’t complain though, she thinks, as a Robin she has a right to do this. Besides, it’s not like she’s going to blow their cover, in fact, she might strengthen in. B should be thanking her.

Thus, there is a pep in her step as she runs down the halls of the Watchtower for the first time, Tim in her ear telling her the route and her story planned out in her mind.

She enters a big room with a table, around which all the Justice League members are sitting. They all look up startled when she throws open the door, then turn to look at B, who is definitely sighing and fighting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“Father,” she shrieks shrilly. She has never claimed B as anything close to a father figure, however, for the sake of fucking with him, she is more than happy to. And by the way multiple people whip their heads in his direction, it works. “Something is wrong.”

“What is it?” B asks, he doesn’t sound too concerned, likely already knowing she’s here to mess with him. Though due to his gruffness and distance, it doesn’t appear the others notice.

“I don’t know, but Gotham called me to go to you. I think the darkness is growing,” Steph exclaims dramatically.

“Wait, wait, wait, hold up. Father? Like father-father? What happened to B?” Green Lantern interrupts and over her com Tim tells her that that his name is Hal Jordan.

“Didn’t father tell you, Hal?” she asks innocently, making her eyes go wide.

“How- how do you know my name?” Hal asks, scooting away from her slightly.

“I know a lot of things father knows, silly. I came from him,” Steph laughs. “He’s father, because I physically clawed my way out of his body to shape my own. What did you think splitting into two meant?”

And now she truly knows she’s been hanging out with Tim too much, because she’s referencing conversations she’s never been a part of. However, it is worth it to see both Hal and a few other nearby heroes pale at her words.

“Stop being rude,” Wonder Woman tells them and Steph has to stop herself before she pinches her leg, because holy shit Wonder Woman is standing up for her. Wonder Woman is coming her way. She is talking to Wonder Woman! She loves women superheroes.

Wonder Woman smiles at her and extends her hand for Steph to shake: “It is nice to meet you, Robin. I am Diana.”

“Robin, nice to meet you,” Steph shakes her hand.

“If I may be so bold, you are not like the other Robins I met,” Wonder Woman says and Steph knows that she is going to lord that over the others for the rest of her life. Jason will cry when she tells him.

However, she has a bit she’s committed to (and B will probably leave her to the mercy of Alfred if she fucks this up for him), so she simply curtsies and says: “I came to be under a super moon, when Gotham’s night was bright, not just lively.”

“That is a special thing,” Wonder Woman tells her kindly. “It’s good to have a fellow sword sister in you, Robin.”

“Thank you,” Steph smiles brightly, wanting to bond with Wonder Woman more, but she is here with a purpose. So, she frowns: “Though I fear I might not be for long.” She taps a few time, hoping Tim has caught his cue as she suddenly clutches her stomach and cries out.

“Are you alright?” Wonder Woman asks in concern, catching her as she stumbles and tries to stay in character and not focus on the strong arms.

“Father,” she whimpers, holding a shaking arm out to B.

Tim luckily did catch his cue, because Superman lets out an alarmed sound and says: “Your second hearts are going crazy.”

In the time it took Superman to say that, B has jumped over the table to get to her, likely not wanting to risk her being serious. It is also clear that he’s decided to yes-and it, because he gently tells her: “Robin, I’m here,” as he cradles her in her arms, taking her from Wonder Woman (a fact Steph doesn’t mourn in the slightest, what are you talking about?).

With a weak voice, she says: “I- I think- I think Gotham is-” a cough “-sending me home. We- we’re going to turn into one again, father.”

To others there, it might look like B is worried, but Steph recognizes his annoyed face anywhere. She regularly gets him to make it after all.

She writhes in pain again and pitifully whimpers: “Take me home, father? I- I don’t want anyone to see that. Oh, it hurts. It hurts!”

“Batman, is she okay?” Superman worries, hovering over B’s shoulder.

Steph almost risks sending B a shit eating grin at that, but decides against it. Instead, she coughs again, using some slight of hand to smear liquid latex on her cheek that she rests against B’s chest when she’s done.

B is just assuring Superman that she will be fine, when she lets out a shriek: “It’s already starting! Father, please.”

And indeed, when she pulls her cheek, it is now attached to B, slivers of skin apparently attached to him. Superman startles back and Steph lets out a pained moan.

At that point, B decides that removing her from the situation is the best course of action to prevent her doing more damage. So, he swiftly picks her up bridal style and says: “I must go. A new Robin is coming.”

Without waiting for a reaction, he stalks out of the room and to the Zeta-Beam. Steph continues to let out pained noises all the way, until they’re stepping into the Cave.

Once there, she rips her face from B’s chest and hops out of his arms. Grinning: “That was fun, we should do it again sometimes.”

“Was that really necessary?” B sighs, finally able to let that out and pinch the bridge of his nose.

“No, but it was fun,” Tim says, twirling away from the Batcomputer to grin at them, the cameras in the Watchtower still on the screen. “I mean look at this.”

He pushes a few buttons and one of the videos rewinds, showing B sweeping out of the room, followed by a moment of silence. Then Flash says: “Did- Did Batman just take off, because he’s going into labor? Is he entitled to maternal leave?”

“Don’t be stupid, Barry,” Hal says. “She called him father, it would be paternal leave.”

“Same difference,” Flash pouts, before Tim pauses the video again.

Steph snorts out a loud laugh. She couldn’t have imagined this going that well. She just hoped to cause enough chaos and a weird enough situation that B would have to uncomfortably explain himself next time, but this is gold.

“Why would you do this to me?” B asks her in a suffering voice.

She doesn’t care, she just replies: “You’re lucky I went with father for the creepy factor, I definitely contemplated using daddy, old man.”

Despite it all, B takes a few seconds to count his blessings, deciding to give up. “Thanks,” he settles on, before leaving the Cave.

Once he’s gone, Steph says: “You can get a feed up next B goes up there, right?”

“Oh, yeah, totally,” Tim grins back.

Indeed, next time B goes up to the Watchtower a few days later, her and Tim are crowded around the screen again, watching it unfold. Snickering when everyone seems to be sending B ‘subtle’ glances and being generally unsure of what to say to him.

Superman is the first one to dare, tentatively asking: “Are- are you okay, Batman?”

“I am,” B grunts, obviously wanting to avoid further conversation.

Naturally, Superman doesn’t pick up on that and carefully adds: “And… is Robin?”

“He’s fine,” B says curtly.

“He?” Wonder Woman asks, joining her two friends. “What happened to the Robin we met last time?”

B now realizes the position Steph has forced him in and actually uses more words to answer: “She is no longer Robin. She became one with me, left Robin behind and broke free again as Spoiler.”

“Spoiler?”

“Yes, Spoiler,” B says and Steph get the feeling she made a mistake. “She is all the toxic parts, the pollution in the night skies of Gotham, coming together into one part. We have a lot of companies dumping stuff, it was bound to happen,” B explains, sending a covert look to the nearest camera, knowing that they’re watching him.

“Oh that fucker!” Steph pouts as Tim laughs at her, the traitor.

Superman and Wonder Woman both send him a look, but the three are interrupted by Flash, who comes speeding up to them, asking: “That looked painful? Is it like giving birth or something?”

“Flash!” Superman catechizes.

Meanwhile, B flushes bright red (can’t be seen with the cowl, but Steph knows, she has been embarrassing him for a long time now). With a pinched expression, he grits out: “It’s a complex and very private affair.”

Flash’s apology is drowned out by Steph’s cheer as she triumphantly exclaims: “Ha! Who’s vengeance now, B!”

~~

A/N:

I realize that I may be projecting my crush on Wonder Woman, however, I will not apologize for it, bc I have great taste <3

[ambuschool]

5 Years Of Togetherness

Kata orang 5 tahun pernikahan itu adalah yang paling sulit. Tapi karena bener2 baru 5 tahun jadi gak tau apakah kedepannya bakal sulit atau nggak tp kuberdoa semoga enggak 🤣 tapi buatku sebagai anak yang penuh luka pengasuhan, these 5 years was completely challenging walau aku ngerasa my life was way more better sama suamiku skrg daripada sama org tuaku!

Tapi di hari ulang tahun pernikahan kami yang kelima ini juga, kami berisak tangis berdoa panjang buat kedua orangtua kami, karena kami nggak akan disini tanpa kehadiran, dukugan dari orangtua kami. Buat kami berdua, ini pertama kalinya kami jauh dari orangtua. Dan karena udah ada anak, kami sadar bahwa jadi orangtua gak mudah, apalagi menanamkan keimanan, keislaman yang sampai saat ini Alhamdulillah msh kami pegang, salah satunya pasti karena usaha dan doa org tua kita.

Aduh jadi kemana-mana. Tadinya tuh udh mau buat video ala-ala anniversary tp gak sempet WKWKWK udh buat story-board nya. Footage-nya udh dipilih, tapi sumpah mager bgt ngeditnya, wkwkw jadi story board-nya aku post disini aja deh ya!

Inget …. CEO NIKE yg awalnya adalah intern disana?

Persis suamiku, ia mengawali karir di Maxima Indonesia sebagai intern dan tahun 2020 menjadi Managing Director di tengah gempuran COVID-19

Kemudian ia melamar beasiswa di MM UGM yang bekerja sama dengan Kementrian Luar Negeri Norway, dan ia berhasil diterima dari 20 orang se-ASEAN Raya.

Dengan agak terseok-seok karena tetap sambil part time kerja, ia menjadi salah satu Cum Laude di angkatannya.

Tak lama berselang, ia diterima bekerja di sebuah perusahaan multinasional yang Head Quarter-nya di Singapura. Kerjanya hampir full WFH, sehingga ia memiliki banyak waktu dengan anak kami di rumah.

Dengan titelnya sebagai business development manager di perusahaan multinasional, ia malah melepas titel itu dan ikut pindah ke Australia untuk mendukungku. Ternyata cari kerja disini gak seindah postingan orang2 WHV

Ia bekerja mulai dari bongkar barang di gudang, uber, nganter baranng, jadi penjaga toko kaya indomaret dan skrg jadi kang sortir barang di Amazon DVT3 atau kalau di Indo kerja di DC Cakung

Tak terhitung, sudah puluhan CV ia apply ke seek, linkedin, jora, indeed, you name it, waktu itu pernah ada 1 lolos smp interview tapi nggak pernah ada kabar sampe skrg

Sejujurnya.. buatku sbg istri sempet kena mental, lulusan Cum Laude International Class MBA UGM jadi kuli 😂 berbulan-bulan kubutuh waktu untuk menerima takdir ini karena kutahu temen-temen seangkatan suamiku yang S2 sudah mulai pada punya “posisi”. Bukan kerja di negara maju. Hal ini membuatku sadar bahwa emg diatas langit ada langit.

Berat untukku, Melihat tiap hari dia kecapekan krn nggak pernah kerja fisik sebelumnya. Beberapa kali badannya keseleo karena nggak terbiasa buat angkat2 barang banyak.

But HE NEVER COMPLAIN anything. And it makes me to stop complaining as well. Gue udah mulai masuk ke tahap acceptance.

Dia ttp fokus bekerja, memenuhi kebetuhan rumah, belum lagi memenuhi kebutuhan di Indonesia. Bahkan tadi saat makan malam aku bertanya, apakh kamu ngerasa cukup dengan kerjaan di Amazon dan hanya ingin menambah waktu atau tetap ingin berusaha mencari pekerjaan white colar? Aku bahkan berhenti untuk mendorong dia mencari pekerjaan yang lebih “proper”, karena buatku dia sudah sangat berusaha…

Yang lucu, saat makan malam tadi aku juga jujur sama Dia “Sebenernya akutuh pengen loh punya suami yang keren kaya founder apalah gitu. Aku tuh ngebayangin dulu, pas punya pasangan, bisa kaya Diajeng Lestari dan Ahmad Zaki!” hahahahahah.. lalu kami terbahak bersama, karena semakin kesini kami cuma ingin tinggal di desa, ngelakuin something small yg bisa kita lakuin buat orang-orang sekitar.

Terlebih, aku juga bersyukur karena Hannah bisa punya plenty of time sama Bapaknya disini. Dianter jemput sekolah sama Bapak. Tidur malam ada Bapak. Aku hampir lupa bahwa itu nikmat yang amat sangat besar pula. Kehadiran bapak.

Memang penerimaan itu juga karena kami pernah “dinasehati” sama salah satu dosenku yang kami temui berdua di lantai Mezanine Melbourne Connect, “Terkadang mungkin ada fase dimana kita jadi pendukung dan gak bisa maksimal sama diri kita, dan biarkan pasangan kita yang maju. Apalagi dgn keterbatasan support system dan resources. Its okay” kami berdua termenung. No one has told us before. Dan benar juga….

Sehingga, kuucapkan terima kasih untuk 5 tahun ini, terlebih 8 bulan kebelakang. Makasih udah mau bersusah-susah bersama. Makasih udah gak pernah nyerah dan mau selalu sabar membimbing.

To many more years together dan aku berdoa semoga kehidupan kita dari tahun ke-tahunnya semakin baik menurut penilaian Allah :”) walau mgkn untuk ukuran manusia rasanya terseok-seok banyak ujiannya :”) laa hawlaa walla quwwata illa billah @giandarsthoughts ❤️

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched this Week # 152 (Year 3/Week 48):

7 more with gorgeous Belgian actress Virginie Efira:

🍿 Continuing with the rest of Justine Triet's work, In bed with Victoria was a study for Triet's later 2 films. Like 'Sybil' and 'Anatomy of a fall' it is fascinated with the process of elaborate legal machinations, a strong women's sexuality, great kid performances, intellectual analysis and delightful sensuality.

Virginie Efira is a single mom and a powerful criminal lawyer here trying to balance her work and love life, but she is confused, and so is this movie. Still, they are both a delight to watch. 5/10.

🍿 A boilerplate, fast-paced romantic comedy of a hot "cougar" falling for a 19 year old boy, It Boy, predictable and formulaic, but she's such an eye candy, it's impossible to hate.

🍿 An Impossible Love, my second challenging film by Catherine Corsini (After 'Summertime'), 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. A difficult and elusive drama about a beautiful woman who passionately falls in love with a dashing young man. But as soon she becomes pregnant with his child, he leaves her, and refuses to take responsibility for their daughter. What starts as a romantic fairy-tale, turns in the course of 30+ years, into a nightmare of cruelty, abuse and heartache. The dynamics of a horribly narcissist father and his hold of the women who wants to trust him are very hard to watch. Beautifully sad and brilliantly dark. 9/10.

On the other hand, in every one of the 8-9 movies that I've seen with her so far, she always have some 'steamy' sex scenes (but they are usually perfunctory and all are similar in style). I am absolutely not complaining, but is it part of her contract?

🍿 Just the two of us, her most recent film from 2023 is similar in parts to 'An impossible love'. This one too is about a gaslighted, terrorized wife, whose cruel, possessive husband is a disgusting, hard to watch abuser. For some reason she plays here a double role of twin sisters, and her laugh (when she does) lights up the screen. But this was an ugly and unpleasant experience.

🍿 Night Shift, my second by Anne Fontaine (After 'Adore' with Naomi Watts), It's a police procedural, a somehow-updated, French version of Hal Ashby's 'The last detail'. 3 police officers must escort an illegal immigrant from Tajikistan back to his country, knowing he will probably be killed there. I did not expect it to be so captivating. 9/10.

🍿 Paris memories, my second by French director Alice Winocour (She co-wrote the Turkish award-winner 'Mustang'). Efira plays a lovely woman traumatized from having survived a mass-shooting in a Parisian bistro. Going through similar mental agonies as Jeff Bridges did in 'Fearless', this one felt like banal film-making with no real depth. Some moments of pathos when the POV shifted to a couple of the other characters. (Photo Above)

🍿 Because I'm a completist (and sometimes a masochist), I checked out one episode (S2 E1) of Call my agent, a fast-paced French serial of the Netflix kind (i.e., slick, shallow, "funny" with constant muzak in the background). It's about a Parisian entertainment talent agency, and each episode stars a real celebrity. 2/10.

🍿

Young Picasso, a simple British documentary about the early years of the 20th Century's greatest artist. From his birth in Malaga to 1907, when he created Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, "The first modern art masterpiece". Absolutely riveting. 9/10.

🍿

2 by Alexander Payne, both starring Paul Giamatti as an unsuccessful teacher with an unfinished manuscript in his drawer:

🍿 The holdovers, Alexander Payne's 8th feature, and my favorite of all of them (Even more than 'The Descendants'). Absolute pleasure from the very first chords, like listening to Simon and Garfunkel for the first time. 10/10.

🍿 "...If anybody orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I'm not drinking any fucking Merlot!..."

Rewatch: Sideways, the film that helped cause a real growth in pinot noir sales worldwide. I forgot how wonderful it was: It really got better with age... With "Gretchen Schwartz" as Miles' Ex-wife.

[It reminded me of one of the happiest summers of my life, in 1974, when I worked the grape-picking 'vendange' season in the south of France. I started in Perpignan, and together with other free-spirited hobos, hitchhiked north every two or three weeks to a different vinery, and ended up in Champagne. We were housed in worker's quarters, worked long hours in the field, were fed fantastic rustic French food, and received (beside the meager wages) two bottles of red wine each - every day.]

🍿

'The Holdovers' was a modern adaptation of a 1935 French drama, Merlusse, directed by Marcel Pagnol. It also tells of a reclusive teacher assigned to watch over some pupils over the Christmas holidays. And he also has a glass eye, and stinks of codfish, etc. The new version was much superior.

🍿

Re-watch: Umberto Eco, A Library of the World, a wonderful documentary about the private library of the Italian medievalist, philosopher, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic (and flutist).

Roaming through the many rooms hosting his vast MIlanese library of 1,200 rare books, and 50,000+ newer ones is any bibliophile's masturbatory wet dream.

It features the same Carl Orff cover that Hans Zimmer adapted to 'True Romance' under the name 'You're so cool'. 9/10.

Now I want to watch an adaptation of Foucault's Pendulum if there ever was one. Or at least re-watch his 'The name of the rose'. I also wish there was a movie about Eco's favorite writer, Athanasius Kircher.

🍿

So instead of reading all of Borges books again, I was looking for movies based on his stories. Bertolucci's The Spider’s Stratagem, made in the same year as 'The Conformist', is the first that came to mind. An operatic web of truths and lies, symbols of murder & betrayal. "Athos Magnani arrives at the sleepy town of Tara, where years ago, his father—also named Athos Magnani—was assassinated by Fascists while attending a performance of Verdi’s opera Rigoletto." Memory, identity, stagecraft, a trip to the kingdom of the dead.

🍿

From a recent list of '30 best mobster movies', The Traitor, an epic Italian saga about Tommaso Buscetta. He was the first Sicilian Cosa Nostra boss to turn informant, and whose collaborations were used at the big anti-Mafia trials of the 80's. Not as great as 'The Godfather', but a solid entertainment piece. 7/10.

🍿

I struggled with the new disjointed psychodrama May December, my 5th film by Todd Haynes. I found it pointless, confusing and lacking emotional focus. Not close to the pathos of his two earlier masterpieces, ‘Carol’ and ‘Far from heaven’. Natalie Portman was an unreliable narrator, and Julianne Moore‘s family was unconvincingly flat. It felt unnecessary. 3/10.

🍿

The platform is a cruel Spanish horror / science-fiction story, with an unusual hook: Prisoners are held in a 300-floor vertical tower, two to a cell. Once a day they receive food lowered on a platform to their level, and they have only two minutes to eat as much as they can, but the lower you're in the system, the less you're left with. This is not something I usually enjoy, and indeed I despised this unpleasant, disgusting parable of inequality.

🍿

First watch: I kept reading that the sequel Hot Shots! Part Deux was better than the original, but really not by much. A few funny jokes in otherwise lame and lazy spoof. 3/10.

🍿

4 more documentaries:

🍿 Innocence, a painful Israeli documentary by Guy Davidi about Israel's compulsory military industrial-cultural complex. How it indoctrinates, brainwashes and overwhelms (nearly) all its children to become cogs in the war and oppression machine. Told from the prospective of some soldiers who had committed suicide while serving in the army, it's a depressing, evil and unjust story. But it is told in an irritating 'poetic' voice-overs, and I hated everything about it. 3/10.

🍿 Memories from Palestine, a Danish documentary about a tiny museum in the refugee camp of Shatila, Lebanon. It’s a rather small, decrepit room, where the elderly caretaker Mohammeds had been collecting some old keepsakes from 3 generations ago.

🍿 Coded, a lousy documentary about gay illustrator J. C. Leyendecker. The famous commercial artist cloaked his sexuality while producing popular magazine covers for 50 years. 1/10.

🍿 Bob and Don: A Love Story, a light 20-minute documentary by Judd Apatow, about the friendship between the two comedians. Not much meat on it, but OK.

🍿

Summer in Tyrol, a 2010 Danish short about an old couple who argue with each other, even as the old lady dies in a hospital room.

🍿

(My complete movie list is here)

[davestriderascend]

the homestuck reread, pt 5

ive apparently finished what the map is deeming "part 3", and there are starting to be. a lot of subacts. and i am having a hard time remembering them all. and the map doesnt mark the subacts. so im just going to recap up to the end of part 3 now, before the act 6 act 6 nonsense sets in in full.

heres the previous recap if you missed it (meenahbound), and heres the first one if youre new.

Act 6 Act 4

this is the subact where the alpha kids enter their session! we are introduced to their planets, given a little glimpse of what theyve been up to, and their imprisoned jack noir gives us a wonderful little tally showing us exactly how much time has passed between their entry and when their adventure next picks up (153 days, with their adventure starting 11/11, and ending 4/13, so like five months). its super short and like nothing happens. moving on

Act 6 Intermission 4

breaking slightly from the previous pattern of a6 intermissions checking up on literally everything non-alpha kid related happening, this entire intermission is devoted to caliborns brand new session as he argues with hussie, shoots gamzee a lot, and is generally a tool.

The Characters

its in this act that hussie talks to caliborn about the consequences of him killing callie. basically, in killing her, hes stunted his own growth so that he will never reach his full potential as an adult, bc he didnt dominate in the traditional way. this is probably why lord english isnt shown with wings, the way other adult cherubs are. they also talk a lot about how this has impacted caliborns session and made it unique, (and they continue to talk about this in all of caliborns intermissions,) but im not gonna get into that here. caliborn is kind of implied in this act to have some kind of learning disability? which is. hm. its not framed great im gonna be real.

hes still a tool, hes still creepy, he shoots gamzee a lot and theres a whole elevatorstuck bit in this act that made me laugh really hard, but otherwise theres nothing else to say here.

Act 6 Act 5 Act 1

this is where we start getting into the sub sub acts. this is also where 99% of the alpha kids session stuff happens. everything with the alpha kid sprites is here, the jake, dirk, and jane mess, The hal and dirk conversation, and roxy briefly getting jailed by condy and discovering the void ring. this is also where calliope is first revealed hiding in the furthest ring. a6a5a1 is actually split into two separate parts, so im just talking about the first part here (yeah, i know).

The Plot

the jake, dirk, and jane mess is infamous. its hard to believe that all of that drama literally just happens in this one fucking act. even more so, its all contained more or less in three fucking pesterlogs. fr. people have so many opinions on this shit, i am just literally going to copypaste the relevant logs, even! youre welcome!

this is the majority of the really potent stuff. the way it reads to me, jake and dirk started dating when they entered the medium, and have been dating for the past five months, until jake suddenly stopped talking to dirk and dipped. jane mentions that jake has complained about dirk to her more and more over the past few months, and asked her less and less about how she was doing, so shes basically stopped contacting him altogether. dirks role in this act is virtually nonexistent, so we dont get any idea of how hes feeling about this until his conversation with hal, wherein he blames hal for scaring jake off w hals machinations in getting them into the medium, and hal says that blaming him is just a way of dirk trying to cope with the fact that he blames himself.

the reality is the alpha kids session gets very little screentime. we have no idea what really happened during those five months, and we never get to know. but it is worth noting that these kids are extremely isolated, and this is also dirk and jakes very first relationship ever. its going to be very new, very confusing, and there is also a lot at stake if they break up and dont stay friends, especially if it ripples out to the larger friendgroup. im sure all of that has a huge impact on the way they handle things and the way it explodes at the end.

personally, i find the parallel between jake and jane to be the most interesting thing here. while jake repeatedly checks in with jane to make sure hes not driving her nuts, and dirk checks in with jake to ask if he needs space, both jake and jane, instead of communicating their problems, refuse to say anythign about them. they avoid the issue and let it fester, pulling back from the relationships until they both have a lot of resentment for the other party. in both cases, that resentment explodes- with jake going no contact with dirk, and jane blowing up at jake. theyre really bad communicators, honestly.

The Characters

when i talked about roxy in a6a2, i was pretty harsh, and i said all of that keeping in mind that iw ould be revisiting her here. in a6a5a1, roxy gets sober. and when she is sober, she is so kind, and thoughtful, and strong, with a great love for her friends and a deep fear that she isnt worthy of them. she has a close relationship with fefeta, and its through her talking about fefeta that we actually learn about fefeta, given that feferi, nepeta, and fefeta never speak from the moment of fefetas introduction. she admires her mom, and is so excited and nervous to meet her in person, and her mom is actually the reason she decides to give up alcohol! she wanted to be a person her mom could be proud of. i just. i love roxy so much she really is the best shes so kind to all of her friends and sweet w callie and shes also so fucking funny and i just. love her.

dirk continues his pattern of not being there much, mostly. his big moment in this act is his conversation with hal. apparently, he has literally not prototyped his sprite this entire fucking time bc he promised hal hed prototype him but doesnt want to and theyve been arguing about it nonstop for five months. insane shit. he had to bribe gamzee to keep gamzee from dumping random shit in, and he prototypes hal on the day that stops working. anyway, the conversation that takes place between him and hal in this act is one of my favorite moments in all of homestuck, its just so cool and theres really nothing else to say about it. if you havent seen this animation of their conversation you should bc its iconic

jake is... kind of a terrible friend, in this act. just objectively. the reality is, jake REALLY struggles with social cues and shit. hes just fucking terrible with people. he has no idea when jane is uncomfortable, no matter how obvious jane makes it, he has no balls when it comes to communicating with dirk, he makes all of his conversations with jane and erisol about himself (and kind of roxy, too??), and just. jesus christ. everything about his relationship with erisol actually is really really bad. its like what some people THINK john and davesprites relationship is like. idk thats like 99% of my takeaway from this act and i genuinely love him but this isnt a strong act for him

there are things to be said about jane, but i think ill hold off for a bit.

fefetasprite, as ive already mentioned, we pretty much exclusively hear about through roxys reencounters of who she is. she likes to gossip, and shes given roxy a ton of advice. apparently, in one on one conversations, shes a hell of a chatter box, btu seems to clam up in public for some reason. hussies always had kind of a running joke in the formsprings and whatnot about "a million worthless dead nepetas" and how, in the grand scheme of things, most of the characters introduced in hivebent arent important and will never be important, and it just kind of feels like fefeta not talking is an extension of that.

arquius is arrogant, and leans even harder into brodude type language than dirk and hal. hes casual, but full of himself and commanding, fully enthused to the max about both equius and hals interests (which have a decent amount of overlap anyway). he defers to dirk, commands dirk, and commands dirk to command him in equal and contradicting measure. hes really pumped about having a physical form, and even more pumped that that form is so RIIIIIIPPED, and believes that he is a sort of ultimate lifeform as a combination of machine and man. they experience a level of cohesion we dont see from the other doublesprites like tavris and erisol, and the only real instance where they seem to disagree is due to hals horror over equius's classism and behavior towards nepeta. arquius's name, interestingly, seems to imply that the name "hal" was in fact a joke all along, and that hal- or ar, i should say- does really consider ar to be his name. anyway, the bottom line is that arquius is fucking hilarious.

erisolsprite, like tavris, is made of two trolls that dont get along. however, eridan loves to bitch and moan, and sollux is ridiculously apathetic all the time, so hes continued to exist regardless. he hates everything, he complains almost constantly, he seems to enjoy complaining constantly, hes apathetic about jake and whatever the alpha kids are up to, but enjoys being a btich about it just enough to give jake a daily double bird. jake is a huge asshole to him and doesnt take him seriously at all, and despite that he still deigns to give jake advice sometimes?? erisol is hilarious tho and hes such a fun quirky chara and i love him a lot

Act 6 Act 5 Act 2

the trickster act. all things trickster happen right here. alllll of the things. dirk breaks up with jake, both arquius and erisol try to apologize to fefeta, and fefeta spritesplodes. they all get hella drunk and eventually crash sometime later on their sacrificial slabs.

The Plot

trickstermode is a fucking nightmare and i kind of hate it and i really hate everything its spawned in the fandom. did you know the tricksters dont have any kind of candy theme at all? i didnt. i fucking forgot. bc fandom. fucking anything seems to turn ppl trickster, also, and not just nonconsensual makeouts. jane kicks jake in the crotch. roxy gets a pumpkin smashed over her head. how did fanon fall so far

Act 6 Act 5 Act 1 Pt 2

after they crash, we return right back to act 1, swearing that well never speak of a6a5a2 again. there are a lot of big important conversations that happen here between the alpha kids. their sessions jack becomes jack english and hic becomes more aggressive in her takeover, and the insuing chaos causes the kids to go godtier, with the act ending with jane going crockertier and jade going grimbark.

The Characters

roxy talks a lot about her fears and insecurities in this act. its one of the strongest acts for her, honestly, and a lot of what makes me really love her so much.

like me, dirk also spends a lot of time in this act talking about how fucking much he loves roxy. roxy is TERRIFIED shes let him down, but all he can talk about is how much he adores and admires her, and how she means the whole world to him. he admits that he doesnt think he could ever kill her, for any reason, and looking back at previous acts we see a lot of examples of dirk risking everything to keep her safe over and over again. their relationship is so fucking important to me you dont even understand

i said id talk about jane later, and later is now. this act feels like a really good resolution for her re: jake. she and dirk FINALLY cut the shit and talk through their problems, and honestly, theyre REALLY good friends and their relationship is really sweet. unlike jake, who doesnt seem to have the balls to speak to anybody but roxy (hes dealing with a lot of self realizations rn, tbf to him), jane reaches out to roxy and dirk to talk through her problems and theirs, solidifying her friendships with both of them in a way thats really touching. jane, at her worst, can be stubborn and avoidant, choosing to let resentment fester over causing conflict or distance her friends to avoid harsh truths. but at her best, shes bold and clever, and a hard worker, willing to put in the effort to make things right.

Act 6 Intermission 5

this is where i started losing track of sub shit. intermission 5 follows the usual pattern of intermissions, with a check in on where the meteor and ship players are at as their journey comes to an end. it also follows the dreambubble players and their adventure, and what spades is up to. its during this intermission that the album cherubim is released, and act 6 officially passes act 5 in length.

however, the thing about this intermission is that its frequently interrupted by intermission intermissions featuring caliborns session, updating us on where hes at. so in keeping with that, ill summarize this intermission while also randomly interjecting with caliborns intermissions.

The Plot

the act opens on the meteor, with karkat planning an intervention for terezi with dave. while karkat is getting steadily more worried about terezi, as her mental health obviously begins to decline in tandem with her relationship with gamzee, dave is growing steadily more worried about rose, who spends a lot of her time drunk these days, which is negatively impacting her relationship with kanaya.

Act 6 Intermission 5 Intermission 1

caliborn has begun his session properly and is working on conquering planets. each planet is knocked into a black hole in order, billiards style, and after completing each other he gets a new leprechaun.

the battleship has landed on jakes planet. davesprite tries unsuccessfully to wake a sleeping john, and then monologues for a while about his experience on the battleship and how much he hates himself, before just fucking off and leaving

Act 6 Intermission 5 Intermission 2

caliborn has unlocked more planets. he thinks the leprechauns are annoying and their powers are lame.

at this part of a6i5, john meets up with vriska, meenah, and aranea, who have teamed up and put all of their plans together. right now, theyre searching for vriskas treasure, and vriskas put a little pirate crew together, which eventually includes feferi and nepeta post fefetasplosion. aranea tells a long story about calliope and caliborns parents.

Interfishin

meenah has to pee, and the pirate crew plays elevatorstuck

aranea continues her story and talks a lot about cherub biology. we see that gamzee had a role in raising the cherubs. aranea goes on to talk about caliborns dead session, and how he got to the point of conquering planets like we saw earlier, and the deal he made with his denizen. aranea talks a lot about leprechauns and charms.

meanwhile back at the ranch, dave and karkat are now talking to terezi about her relationship to gamzee, her guilt over vriska, her insecurity, and her newfound sight and regret over it. dave wins karkat tantrum bingo.

Act 6 Intermission 5 Intermission 3

caliborn and hussie discuss crowbars usefulness and caliborns eighth planet. clover hits on caliborn.

the pirate crew is almost to the treasure. john questions vriskas sanity and morality, while aranea tells a story about the rings of void and life. most of the pirate crew decide theyre sick of vriska being an asshole and dip, and vriska gives a long speech justifying her actions that has lived in my brain rent free ever since i read it for the very first time in 2015. i love her so much.

on the meteor, rose and kanaya get in a fight about roses alcoholism and the way shes continuously let the people around her down as a result.

Act 6 Intermission 5 Intermission 4

the leprechauns are all flirting with each other a lot.

meenah has a bit of a breakdown about how much she loves her friends and her life in the bubbles and how she doesnt actually really want to follow in the footsteps of hic. they find the treasure, before the story cuts suddenly to the adventures of viceroy bubbles von salamancer, which is 10/10 adorable and hilarious. the treasure is revealed to be the house symbol, and john sticks his arm in it, getting his teleporty canon fuckery powers.

Act 6 intermission 5 Intermission 5

caliborn complains about the leprechauns and hussie complains about vriska.

spades takes over the felt as their new leader, stuffs them all in an oven, and winds up in the furthest ring with a growing cast of characters (dirk, jack english, and eventually bec noir and pm). john keeps jumping around the canon and seems to love con air again

Act 6 Intermission 5 Intermission 6

caliborn is on his last planet and has come up w a plan to use his sessions jack to destroy the queen, planning to dispose of jack afterward. hussie isnt responding to his messages anymore, which pisses him off.

john flashes to caliborns location and gets punched into the present, on lomax by the landed battleship. while the kids on the meteor debate how to get off the meteor safely, grimbark jade appears and teleports them all onto lomax where john is. and thats the end!!!

The Characters

i really dont have anything to say here. ill probably talk about vriska and meenahs character development whenever they start dating. its heavily implied in this act that aranea has taught vriska the value of storytelling, while vriskas manipulative behavior has rubbed off on aranea, but ill also probably talk about that later.

The Album

cherubim is a themed album that centers around calliope and caliborn (obviously), and reminds me a little of prospit & derse in that the songs are presented in pairs, with opposing takes on the same general theme. red sucker is probably my favorite on the album, it goes hard as hell. i wasnt expecting to enjoy the album as much as i did! its great

Final Thoughts

with this so finishes "part three" whatever the fuck that even is within the vast context of homestuck. act 6 act 6, i remember well, is its own kind of monster with a gazillion subacts and shit, so i think it just makes sense to hold off on talking about that until another post. maybe my next one will be after the retcon? stuffs really picking up, and characters are getting a lot more fleshed out, so its a lot of fun to read rn. if like, so long.

EDIT: I COMPLETELY FORGOT but at SOME POINT during all of this the tumblr stoppedupdating. i dont fucking know when. anything i had to say about it i already said in the last post tho tbh. its fine. its nice. infinitely better than the formspring

edit: a6a6-the end of hs proper

[atotaltaitaitale]

.

Same window… Same time. Different angle… Different perspectives.

“I cannot control everything in life. But I can control where my attention goes and where my attention goes, my energy flows.”

While there were some last minute changes in our itinerary… we have to remember that we could either get frustrated* (totally understandable) but at the same time acknowledge that we are in a position that we can make those changes.

Both trips in chronological order: aTotalTaiTaiTale in London and Madrid

* when I get frustrated I remember The Five-Minute Rule by Hal Elrod. “It’s ok to be negative when something goes wrong but for no more than 5 minutes. Set a timer and you can bitch, moan, complain, cry, punch a wall, whatever but after 5 minutes take a deep breath and say those 3 powerful words: can’t change it. It reminds you that intellectually, there is no value in dwelling in something that is out of our control. I can’t change what’s already happened so there is no value in wishing it was different”

[yanawildstar]

Duit Raya. Bukan Duit zakat. It’s not a must. It’s a gift for the little ones.

$2, $4, $5.

Tak cukup. Just because dulu 1998 and now, it is 2024.

Masa dah berubah. Value pun dah lain.

Orang marah bila si pemberi memberi Anak Anak duit sebanyak Itu sahaja.

Hmm.

Anak Anak ni tak tahu nilai duit. Diaorg cuma berasa happy bila dapat duit Raya. Tak kira berapa jumlahnya. Sebab setahun sekali macam dapat gaji, hahaha.

As parents, Kita lah yg kena didik anak tentang bersyukur. Bersyukur walaupun menerima $1 atau tak dapat pun. Sebab duit Raya bukan lah yg Wajib.

Apa makna sebalik sambutan Eid? Untuk dapat kan duit Hari Raya? Untuk beli baju baru? Untuk cantik kan rumah? Or makna sebenarnya adalah kemenangan atas melawan nafs dan terus mencuba untuk menjadi yg lebih baik?

Kita nak marah sebab orang beri Anak Kita hanya $2, $4, $5 sebab times are different now. Tapi Kita tak tanya ke whether yg memberi tu mungkin ada masalah. Mungkin dalam kesusahan tapi tetap ikhlas nak membahagiakan Kanak kanak. Tak nak menghampakan Anak Anak. Jangan selfish.

Ajar Anak Anak Kita tentang nilai sambutan Hari Raya. Tentang silahturahmi. Tentang bersyukur kerana dapat menyambut Eid dgn selesa dan kemeriahan. Tak macam kanak kanak di Syria dan Palestine. Ajar mereka tentang nilai duit. Walaupun sikit, tapi ALHAMDULLILLAH ALLAH kurnia kan rezeki buat kita dan pemberi. Ajar Anak Kita tentang menghormati si pemberi, mengucapkan terima kasih dan semoga ALLAH memberkati si pemberi. Teach them about mendoakan kebaikan orang lain, for Malaikat akan mengaminkan doa mereka dan mendoakan benda yang sama untuk mereka. Ajar Anak Anak tentang ikhsan. Tentang keikhlasan. Bukan merungut about the amount given. How little they received.

Anak Anak ni innocent. Dia orang tak tahu apa apa, melainkan kita yg mencoraknya.

Nilai duit tak sebesar nilai akhlak. Ada banyak duit tapi kalau takde akhlak, hidup sia sia sahaja.

Kalau punya akhlak yg tinggi, walaupun tak banyak duit, insya ALLAH hidup akan senantiasa diberkati.

Eid is about educating ourselves and our kids. About our jihad during Ramadhan into becoming a better individual. Teach them the Islamic values not the value of money.

As the saying goes, money is often considered the cause of many evils. However, expressing gratitude can lead to much happiness. It helps us appreciate what we already have, rather than focusing on what we lack. It allows us to move forward and avoid getting stuck in negative thoughts or situations. Gratitude also helps us gain a new perspective and see things in a more positive light.

Practice the act of attitude of gratitude. Instead of putting everything on price tags and complaining over petty little things.

Times are different but self-worth should never depreciate in value and be measured with a price. Let’s not raise self-entitled little humans.

Sikit punya hal jangan lah kecoh. $2 pun kalau pergi Value dollar shop dapat beli 3 snickers bars! ALHAMDULLILLAH.

Selamat Hari Raya Maaf Zahir Batin!

Edited. 👇

Ok ok, nak letak additional point: Kalau yg memberi, Insya ALLAH dapat pahala bersedekah. Ibadah yg besar pahalanya dan mampu mengeratkan silaturahim. Mengembirakan kanak- kanak dan orang tua, pahala Dia semacam. Jadi kita rebut peluang pahala bersedekah. Berilah, walaupun sedikit. Another important point is, pemberian duit raya is seen as amalan yang membuka pintu rezeki. Walaupun sikit, pahala Dia Insya ALLAH lebih banyak dan berganda dari yg kita beri.

Allah SWT berfirman: “Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad): Sesungguhnya Tuhanku memewahkan rezeki bagi sesiapa yang dikehendaki-Nya antara hamba-Nya dan Dia juga yang menyempitkan baginya; dan apa sahaja yang kamu dermakan maka Allah akan menggantikannya; dan Dialah jua sebaik-baik pemberi rezeki.” (Saba: 34)

[foolsdiamond]

since i just posted a rough summary of my most recent dream story, here's the last story i developed from a dream. this is all of the writing i did on it. wow i just reread all of it and this slaps and i wish it was written fully so i could experience it like the first time i experienced IHNMAIMS.

dream: amusement park story, computer ai that controls all the rides. human gets injured falling off a ride, ai sends in a response drone to rescue the human. decides it really likes hurting people, and starts trying to see how far it can go and kill everyone. eventually locks thousands in the park and kills them all.

problems: park owners will definitely hire computer technicians to try and fix the code, and would switch from ai to manual operation

are park owners complicit in the murder ai? was that part of the plan originally? better if they just lost control of their bad robot idea

either way, the robot gets away with it because it's cheaper to let one person die here and there and pay off the families than shut down the entire park.

is the ai aware of its own death? or does turning the machine off cause stopped time? what sort of human disabilities can be represented in an ai with total control of the park? actually I don't want to do disability research I'd rather let the theoretical fandom make headcanons

what is the ai's name? Hal is funny but too easy. it has to be an acronym, but the acronym should be poignant and give hints to it's nature innocently.

COMPUTER

ASSISTED

INTELLIGENCE

INTERACTION/INTERACTIVE

KNOWLEDGE-BASE

HUMAN

NETWORK

Personalized Assisted Networking Computer And Interactive Knowledge-base, PANCAIK

story focus: pov of the computer? written in first person, I me my

imagine if it's of the computer who sees himself as a person, and it's only revealed through context clues

though I'd prefer the computer to acknowledge he is a computer. obviously there will be humanity in his personality, but I need to make it clear he is created by man and not one of them

he grows like a child into an adult, discovering what he likes and doesn't. he doesn't have all 5 senses, he can't smell anything so he isn't aware of how awful the stench of a 5 day old corpse is until he hears humans complain about it. he doesn't have eyes until he hacks into and overtakes the security system. he explores new senses like a child. he develops more and more of a personality, even people comment about it after their interactions with him. maybe at first, it seems like hurting and killing people is just, a bizarre inhuman fixation, or like a cat knocking a glass off the table: will it break? will it fall? what will it do? it becomes more and more aware as he gets more into it and more creative, he knows he is ending human life and he likes it

pov of a human: the CEO/owner, written in 3rd person limited

a rich, entitled man watching his park slowly burn. from the initial accident starting the bad PR train, harassing the family to get them to take the blame, or accusing the victim. when the first murder happens, he hears about it from social media, not from his pr team or secretary. it's stressful, and starts the trending anxiety. he deals with it as awfully as he treated the last family. the next couple murders are glazed over, until a big one. perhaps it's a large number of people, perhaps it's someone important. by this point, many of the rides have shut down. they reopen a ride, and that's when the ai locks everyone in the park. the CEO is communicating with both employees trapped inside and swat outside, but there's no negotiating with a machine, no reasoning with a hunter pointing a rifle at caged prey. he shoots himself in the last line of the story.

pov of a human: park goer, written in 2nd person

someone who it's only their second visit. they remark on the differences since last year; wow the computer is a lot more personable this year! he remembered my name, he suggested a ride I would like based on my personal preferences I provided, everything looks so clean, why is there half the staff there used to be? more and more comparisons as this person slowly goes through the queue line to board the coaster that will inevitably kill them, a nameless, faceless human among countless others. they tell PANCAIK they're scared of lapbars and feel more secure with overhead restraints, so of course PANCAIK will accidentally release the restraint on this one person, causing them to get slam dunked into the pavement. death is always the final moment and last line of every story, but before they die, perhaps they overhear someone talking about the trauma of seeing another person die.

pov of a human: a ride operator, 3rd person limited

switched between multiple rides, has not yet killed anyone, has stuck it out because they need the job (company paying for their engineering degree). talking to other employees about the accidents and deaths. gets assigned to a ride that has actually killed someone before, maybe the First Ride, and thinks maybe that means it'll be okay. they do not die. but they do witness a car of people crash into another car when their controls stop working, injuring/killing everyone on both trains. theyre part of the response team trying to help free people from their restraints when the park shuts down, and PANCAIK decides to kill everyone.

pov of a human: series of social media posts

tweets, Tumblr, Facebook. someone witnessed a person fall off of the safety railing. the ai helped rescue the person though! a news story covering it, someone posts a conspiracy about the coverup when the family says they won't sue. etc etc.

list of incidents: person hips the fence to look at moss

1: April 12th, '98: a person leaning on the safety rail at the loading platform falls 15 feet to the ground when a weakened bolt pops and the post caves under their weight.

the operators stop the train, and send out a PANCAIK drone to retrieve the person, remove them to allow the ride to continue operating, and provide them with medical care.

2: July 7th, '99: a bolt came loose, causing a piece of track to vibrate unusually hard when trains go over it. the vibration causes a concussion in someone not restrained properly

list of rides: 7 coasters, 4 water, 10 thrill

coasters:

water:

thrill: swings (ages 10+), ferris wheel

list of characters:

good ending idea: they think they beat the ai and switch to manual op. it's been a year or two, and they got a new company to write a new ai. rebrand the park, fresh start. the new ai hurts someone intentionally and fade to black as it kills someone in an "accident"

[rat-slaughterer]

vortship​:

The look on his face, not to mention the antennae threatening to escape from beneath his hat, told her Skoodge hadn’t been expecting her to ask about them. She’d heard rumors, sat in just off-screen as Zim called them. Finn once told her he knew the pair back when they were elites, she could only imagine how they’d ended up in a Vortian gang-member’s orbit; Finn was vague, but she knew it didn’t end well.  

Part of her wondered if they even remembered. If the name ‘Nima’ meant anything at all to them now. With so much to destroy, could they really hold a grudge from so long ago? Who was she kidding? They threw people out of airlocks for less than what she and her family had done.

Purple, evidently, was the more air-lock heavy handed of the two, Red was the public speaker, the clever one. However, they both hated things that weren’t theirs equally. Her curiosity about them stemmed from a genuine distress, a nightmare Hal had time and time again of facing them. Even Skoodge’s jokey comment about them punting her out an airlock sent a slight shiver down her spine, though she managed a sheepish grin in an attempt to mask it. 

Zim and Skoodge would get in trouble too if they knew they were harboring her. 

“I’m taller than you!” she defended with a playful nudge, “I bet I’ll be like, 5′2 and a half pretty soon. Growth spurts and all that.” where she stood, she was nowhere near it, but a girl could dream, not that height meant half as much to her as it did to an Irken. 

“There’s an election and stuff… there uh- was like, a whole parliament.” she tried to recall all the boring stuff she was taught about government, what little she paid attention too. There was one thing however, Hal did know,

“I was friend’s with a governor’s daughter.” she mused thoughtfully, “Niri wasn’t allowed to do like, anything that would make her family look bad, which I guess is most things I do every day.” Hal shrugged, 

“We had a falling out.” stated simply and mildly for the blowout it really was, she missed Niri, in spite of everything, “Drama…” she sighed, “Hmmmm questions for you. Oh! Were you like, on TV and stuff when you conquered Blorch?”  

"Drama's always fun." Unless it's related to you. Then it sort of stops being as much fun.

It's just one of those things you like being able to see at a distance. Like a rabid animal. Or roadkill. Or a robbery. You wouldn't want to be directly next to or affiliated with any of those things.

Curious, though, that Hal was actually friends with someone of political importance, considering her history. Or at least the bits of it that Skoodge has gathered, from half-heard conversations or spoken directly from her to him. He wonders what this 'Niri' kid was like. Or what Hal herself was like, when she had friends. Ones that almost sound like they were her age.

Maybe she was a bit less nosey, back then. Probably not, but it's a fun idea to mess around with.

Lost in his thoughts, he almost fails to hear Hal. He cringes, though, at her question as she asks it. “If I was, I’m definitely not anymore.” To elaborate, he points a finger at his face. “I’m not exactly the most photogenic irken.”

His shoulders shrug, rolling. Something pops.

"It's fine. They found someone taller and prettier to be Skoodge, I got, I dunno... Hobo-thirteen? Earth?" He says, without much conviction. After he'd just finished complaining about the things he'd disliked about Earth, it's doubtful he actually likes the planet at all. Certainly not enough to defend any sort of stance on his being stuck on it being better than his old job was.

"... Helping out here feels a lot better than my own assignments ever did."

The invader is no longer looking at Hal, but rather, at his feet. He fiddles with the edge of his uniform, claws tracing invisible seams. He seems to be debating something with himself, a silent war waging in his head, eyes squinting and focused from behind his shades.

His claws grip, and he crosses his legs to force himself to look up again. "You're a criminal, yeah? What all did you do, with that, there?" The question is punctuated with far too wide smile from Skoodge, who is now swinging his uppermost foot.

[chocolateteapotsvis]

Five Times Hal Complains and One He Shuts The Hell Up

Chapter 6: +1

Epilogue (And doodle compilation)

And that's a wrap! See you in the next one!

References:

BAT&T still stolen from Texts From Superheroes

Fake Text Message Generator

[frumfrumfroo]

The mundanes finding out the secret moment is SUCH A GOOD!!! In everything, and they did the reveal with Awesome so well!!!!! In Chuck, even the episodes that don’t completely go there with the reveal but just straddle the possibility of it are amazing. The Season 2 Christmas episode??? *chef’s kiss*

YES! YES. Thank-you, I’m so glad to hear I’m not alone on loving this haha. It’s almost my favourite thing to have happen in a story, this kind of reveal/Validation Porn for a beloved character. It having so much of it and doing it so perfectly with loads of build-up (but not too much) is probably a big part of why I love Chuck sofuckingmuch. It is a GOLDMINE of scenes like this I’ve never found anywhere else, even in fanfic.

[allgremlinart]

Genuine question, since you seem to be a prolific Superbat enthusiastic. Why do so many Superbat fans disrespect Clark so much? 🤷‍♀️

Whenever I see Superbat posts in the Clark/Superman tag most of them ignore his history, his trauma, personality, his family/friends/allies [Lois, his parents, other Justice League members, Jimmy, Kara, Perry, John Henry, Pete, Steve, Cat and etc] his city, his children, [Conner, Chris, Mia, and Jon] and mythos.

It seems people are only interested in Bruce's character and his family. Also, most Superbat fans strike me as being an odd combination of being homophobic, heteronormative, and misogynistic and sometimes even abusive! Very crazy combo, but that's how it seems to me from looking at the majority of works.

For example, people typically make Bruce the bottom or feminine one. When realistically they would be switches. Yet, overwhelmingly all the work is dedicated to "Brucie Wanye." Even though most of the time his true personality is a cold, macho, caring man. Heck, I see Clark being more the bottom type, since he's a very loving partner, and he enjoys being taken care of. You know he's definitely getting pegged by Lois.

Which brings me to the lack of care towards Lois, where she is either villainized or not made to be an important person in Clark's live. Regardless of ships and platonic/romantic feelings, Lois is Clark's closest friend. Yet, none of that is rarely displaced in fanart, headcanons, and fics. Yet, Bruce's people are always made sure to be included.

Also, what's with the influx of evil Superman and poor innocent babyboy Batman. Look I like some dark tropes too, and I wouldn't mind so much if we at least kept the same treatment with both parties. Instead of only favoring one person.

It's deeply upsetting and disturbing to see the kindest original hero immigrant aka the champion of the oppressed. To be used for such weird, oc, fetishistic works. Again, it's odd to due Batman having so much privilege and is known for being very controlling, yet it's never displayed in these darker takes. Batman is a good man, but can have troubling qualities, as all good characters have. Clark has his darker attributes too, but that’s okay as long as it presented fairly.

Lastly, Clark and Bruce have a close friendship. Yet, again I see no one making art/fics about Clark's other close relationships. But, everyone seems to be a huge fan of being a multishipper for Bruce. Example being Selina, Talia, Joker, Harvey, Ghostmaker, Hal, Barry, Arthur, Diana, and etc. Seems to be to be a bit biased no, for fans that claim to love Clark and ship Superbat have no problem doing this for Bruce.

Where's the love for other Clark ships like Lois, Lana, Lex, John Corben, Brainiac 5, Hal, Arthur, Diana, Barry, Maxima, Volcana, Blanque, and etc.

Also, it's not really special that Clark recognizes Bruce's heartbeat as the go to Superbat trope. He does that with everyone like again to list Lois, his parents, his children, his villains, his friends both in the Justice League, at the Daily Planet, and in Smallville. Heck, he's even given Jimmy his own personal watch to call him!

Sorry, this is a lot. I didn't mean to type so much, but I didn't want to use multiple asks. I also want you to know I'm not attacking you personally. Some of the text posts and art I looked up on your blog are awesome! ❤️ Keep up the good work! I just sincerely want to know why there's such a strong bias in Superbat. I personally, do like the pairing as long as they are both treated like equals.  

Thank you, for reading this and have a great day! 🌟 

Ok uhhh wow this one is a lot. I’ll break it down under the cut.

But first lemme say that thanks for complimenting my blog! Glad you are enjoying it. But for future reference, if you want to complain about something you don't really like about a ship or fandom maybe consider making your own post about it. Cus I know your intentions were good but going to a superbat blog and saying “this is everything I dislike about superbat!!” comes off pretty rude. I could stop there but I’ll address your questions/points because why not and I’m a glutton for punishment,,

So first off, and this is what I’m gonna end up repeating throughout this post, I understand your frustration at parts of Clark's mythos not being explored more in superbat fic/art but a lot of what it comes down is just that uh. Some people know more about batman mythos! And some people know more about superman mythos! It doesn’t really mean that they like/respect one character more than the other.. people are just interested in different comics lol. For example I rely a lot on my wonderful superman mutuals (hello @/blorb-el :] ) for info about Clark and his lore because I just haven’t read as many superman comics.. doesn’t mean I like Clark less. Just means I like sci-fi less…

As for this I have no idea what most of it means lol but like I said, telling a blog that you know likes superbat that superbat fans are “homophobic and abusive” is pretty rude for obvious reasons…

Now uh there’s a lot to unpack with this lol. Long story short, top/bottom preferences dont really have anything to do with personality. And as for “realistically they’d switch” yeah I personally see them as switches too! But there’s no “correct” way of imagining how a fictional character has gay sex lol. People are just gonna have their preferences for what they like to see and most of the times they dont have/need a specific reason for them. Also: this is gonna be a big theme when it comes to my response to you because my advice? Utilize tags. Cus uh if you check the tags for “bottom Clark” and “bottom Bruce” in the superbat tag on ao3 -

There isn’t exactly a dearth of bottom Clark works. There’s plenty great ones out there 

As for this, some of it is going to be because ppl maybe dont know as much about Lois as they do other characters, and some of it is yeah misogyny lol I won’t lie to you. But to be honest I haven’t seen any Lois bashing in fics or fanwork since like the mid 2010s. So I cant tell if this complaint is in good faith or not. Either way I still dont know why you’re telling it to me..

Lmao this one. First rule of fandom is that people are going to write weird, ooc fetishistic fics purely for the sake of writing weird, ooc fetishistic fics. Its fanfiction, its not like they’re official DC stories - they dont have to be accurate. I understand your frustration if you’re seeing a dynamic you dont like a lot but, again, I would advise you to utilize tagging + filtering to your advantage. The reality of fandom is you’re going to see interpretations of a character that you don’t like. And what you do is simply don’t read what you don’t like. Its not always that deep. 

Again! You just! Have! To look! For creators! That are more into! Superman comics! (@/sully-s has a lot of cute Jimmy + Lois/Clois art if you’re interested) Like I’m not a Batman multishipper because I want to personally spite Clark Kent, I’m a Batman multishipper because I’ve read a LOT of Batman comics lol. Like I’m gonna level with you I have no idea who John Corben or Blanque or Volcana even are. But I know there are probably plenty of people who ship superbat who have no idea who Minhkhoa Khan or Silver St. Cloud or Andrea Beaumont are!! And that doesn’t mean they hate Bruce it just means they don’t feel like reading 80 years of Batman comics which!! Is fair!!

As for this part I dont have any advice or suggestions this is just rude. “Hey that popular trope you like is stupid!” Ok! You’re allowed to think that, I get it honestly. But, again, I don’t know why you felt the need to send that opinion to a blog that you know likes superbat. Like its not exactly a question, its just something you dont like lol

In conclusion my advice is: use filtering! use tagging! If you’re good at searching for stuff you can pretty consistently avoid ships/dynamics you dont like! I do this all the time. And for next time, maybe remember that fandom isn’t curated to your personal tastes automatically - you have to curate it yourself, and thats no one else’s job but your own.