#Especially the stuff with deep plot and well thought out plot twists

[call-me-chips]

Me: Is easily scared by psychological horror

Also me: Fucking loves psychological horror

[amaratas]

I Didn't Know This Time Would Be Our Last

TITLE: I Didn't Know This Time Would Be Our Last PAIRING(S): Civil War!Steve Rogers x AFAB!Reader TRIGGER WARNINGS: Porn with plot, smut, unprotected sex, piv sex, angst, oral sex (female receiving), beard burn, abandonment, mention of vomiting (but not explicit). A/N: Reader is a civilian. Steve is (kind of) a jerk, but for a good reason tbh. It dangerous, obviously. Sharon and Steve are not a thing. Reader and Steve have been in a relationship since 2014.

You can't slow your heartbeat, that's the one thing you notice when the very publicized signing of the Sokovia Accords in Vienna ended in an event of terrorism, a bombing, killing the King of Wakanda and countless others. You'd hardly spoken to Steve, especially since Ross demanded he sign the Accords, and he'd refused. Peggy's funeral had passed them by and Steve was, quite rightly, distraught. Your thoughts drift to Natasha, your best friend, who was meant to be in Vienna for the signing. You shakily pulled out your phone as it buzzes, expecting it to be your boyfriend, but sighing in relief as a text message from Natasha comes through. I'm fine. Stay put. You let your phone fall to the floor. They were saying it was the Winter Soldier, and all you were wondering at the moment was where the fuck was your boyfriend.

Your hands covered your eyes as you started to take deep breaths. You stood up from your place on the couch, biting your knuckle as you paced the Brooklyn apartment. Eventually the sound of keys jingling on the other side of your front door became evident to you and you took a step back, holding your breath. And then Steve came through the door, "Y/N, I'm been calling you," He muttered, shutting the door, locking and bolting it behind him.

"What's happening?" You demand, voice unsteady. Steve was eerily quiet. He appeared as though he hadn't shaved in days, and it showed. Likely not since Peggy had passed.

"He didn't do it." Steve stated after a moment. You look at him hesitantly.

"Baby, it's all over the news..." You watched as Steve shook his head, walking to the bedroom and pulling a duffle bag off the top shelf, beginning to stuff clothes from his drawer in it. "What are you doing?"

"I've got to find him." You were taken aback. Not signing the Accords was one thing, though you didn't think Steve would ever lay down the shield willingly, but this? This was treason, wasn't it? Against the law? You took a deep breath. If Steve was doing this, he had good reason to believe it. And you would too. You weren't engaged and there was no ring on your finger to say it for you, but then again "for better or for worse" went without saying.

"Okay. Hand me my bag." You stated, hand outstretched. Steve looked over at you, expression vacant but blue eyes piercing. "...what?"

"No." He said firmly. You scoffed in disbelief.

"I'm coming with you." You declared stubbornly. You try to soldier past him into the closet, though you didn't really expect to be able to move him to the side. "Steve, just hand me my bag. I'm not letting you go alone."

He shook his head. "I'm not alone, Sam's coming with me."

You gave him a pointed look, "You know what I mean." And for a moment, he drops his bag onto the floor and turns to embrace you. You're on the defensive, though, hands placed against his pectorals and pushing him away. "No. No way. I'll stay at some safe house, but I'm not letting you go without me."

Steve looked to be some mix between forlorn and exasperated. "Baby, listen. This is dangerous."

Another scoff of disbelief falls from your lips, "Yeah. I know." And in a simple split second, Steve's demeanor changes, walls fall, and he shifts his weight, twisting to take your bag down from the top shelf of the closet. "Wait, are you serious?" You asked, "Just like that?"

Steve sighed, nodding. "Well, you're one of the only people I know who's as stubborn as I am," He admitted, shoving the bag into your arms. "We gotta pack fast, doll. Sam's picking me up as soon as night falls, we've got a lead in Romania."

Romania. The two of you were in England, so that'd be what? Thirty hours, give or take, by car? A sixth of that if they flew? How were they even going to get there? You blew out a short breath, moving to your dresser and pulling out clothes, shoving it into your bag. You drift to the bathroom and do the same with toiletries. "How are we getting there?" You called over your shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," Steve called back. "You done?" You replied in the affirmative and he made his way into the bathroom taking your full bag from you and dropping it at the foot of the bed. He cupped the side of your face, looking at you as if studying your features, something you didn't really think too hard on at the time.

"Are you okay?" You asked quietly. He nodded, kissing your forehead.

"I will be. I've got my girl with me." He muttered into your hairline. You pulled back, placing your own hand on the crook of his neck, pulling him down to kiss you.

"We've got hours, right?" You muttered against his lips. He nodded, grunting as his hands found your hips and hoisted you up with ease, his lips finding yours again. "I love you." You murmured.

"I love you," He replied swiftly, lips connecting once more as he held you steady with a hand cupping your lower back, pulling the bathroom door open and walking through it to the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. He gently tossed you on the bed, crawling over you, his hands intertwining with yours.

Bodies moved in tandem like a well-oiled machine, his five o'clock shadow rough against your petal soft cheek, against your chest as he fixed his mouth to the supple skin of your breast. His kisses trailed south, across your navel, on your exposed hip, and his fingers swiftly pulled your cloth shorts and unmentionables down, past your thighs, your knees, throwing them to some corner of the room to be found later.

His mouth connected with your core, tongue circling your clit. The burn between your thighs as he devoured you sent a jolt of electricity up your spine and your hands covered your mouth as you moaned out. He plied the use of his hands, thick digits slowly sinking into your cunt and one of your hands hit the bed, gripping the sheets tightly and pulling the sheet up as he brought you closer to the edge.

"Steve," You moaned. Your mouth fell open and you writhed beneath his touch, "I need you," You whined, and for a moment, he stopped, and you watched as he lifted his head to lock eyes with you, chin glistening with your juices after he'd consumed your cunt like a man starved. He stood, sending his shoes flying as he took them off, then unbuckling his belt, tossing it aside and kicking off his slacks and boxers. He parted your legs, crawling back over you and positioning himself with your soaking slit, sinking in without warning, causing a loud moan to escape your lips.

A particularly hard thrust had a sharp intake of breath leaving your body, his thrusts meaningful and particular. He was not slow, with each piston of his hips jolting her body, eliciting some noise. "Let me hear you," He begged in your ear, breath hot, voice low. You were all to happy to oblige, especially as you felt the coil in your core quickly winding up and burning red hot with desire. Your moans were loud and wanton and you could tell Steve was relishing in the way you completely gave him your body, your words, your mind.

His hands were everywhere. Within his bruising grasp, Steve desperately grabbed at the supple flesh of your ass, groping and pulling with each fluid movement. Sweat from his brow dripped down onto you, and as he hit a particular spot within you, you shuddered, suddenly going rigid and crying out as your walls clenched around his length, and you came. "That's it, baby," He crooned, his breath hot in your ear. You tapped him fervently on his shoulder, moving to take a different position.

He reentered you from behind as you flipped onto you stomach, Steve pulling your hips up and towards him. He brought his hands to cup your breasts, one hand trailing down to grip your hip for better leverage as he fucked into you. He pulled you up straight as he fucked you from behind so your back was flush with his chest, lips attached to you neck, marking you, leaving bites and hickeys as the rough movements of his hips became more fluid and more frenzied.

He was nearing his peak. You could always tell. He was faster, he made more noise, his breathing would change. Currently, he was breathing hard into your ear, leaning against you for support as he chased his high and quickly coaxed a second orgasm from you. It was almost overwhelming, this feeling of him inside of you, you looked over your shoulder at him as he began to grunt, began to pant faster and almost whine.

You were close too, and seeing the blissed out, desperate look on his face-- seeing his head tilted back and feeling how he slammed into you, you cried out, cumming around his cock once again. He was muttering like a madman, sweet nothings as his thrusts slowed, his hips jerked, "So good for me, so good..." Steve buried his face in your neck and let out a low groan, emptying his load inside you. You never felt so close to him as you usually did in these moments, fucked out together, feeling rope after rope of white hot spend battering your insides, feeling the little movements of his hips as he rode out his high.

The two of you fell to the mattress, Steve's heavy weight on top of you, weighing you down as you warmed his cock, the pair of you catching your breaths. After a moment of silence, he placed a kiss behind your ear, and the onslaught of kisses that he placed from your neck to your shoulder. After a few more minutes, him moving to cradle your figure from behind. You groaned in protest as Steve removed himself from you.

You felt his spend spill from your entrance, thinly coating your thighs and you flipped onto your back, gazing at him with nothing but love as he walked to the bathroom to likely get a washcloth for the aftercare, his usual routine. "Marry me." You muttered to him. You saw him freeze, turning back to look at you. "I know you heard me," You teased him. "We're running away, right? We're gonna save Bucky, and it'll be awhile before..." You sighed, sitting up. "I'm all in. That's what I mean. I'm all in. With you." You were startled as he walked over to pick you up off the bed, kissing you, and you grinned widely, giggling and peppering his face with kisses. "Is that a yes?"

Steve nodded, laughing softly, "That's a yes, Y/N/N." He carried you to the bathroom, turning on the faucet to the showerhead and kissed you softly, directing you into the tiled vessel.

After taking a quick shower in the bathroom, which included a slow and steamy round two, you flopped ungracefully back onto your bed, sleepy fingers fussing with the fitted sheet, having annoyingly come undone as he'd ravished you earlier. He settled in next to you, playing with your hair. The clock read 19:15. Finally giving up your battle with the bedspread, you ended up turning over, and snuggling into Steve's side. "Sam'll be here at midnight, right?" You watched him nod. "Don't let me sleep too long." You murmured, closing your eyes and yawning.

"I won't."

He lied.

Perhaps the only reason you woke up, two and a half hours later, was because you felt Steve hug and roll. The mattress dipped under the stress of his weight, and you, at first, thought he was heading to the restroom. But then you heard him picking up one of his bags, and you sat up quickly, almost glaring at him. "You were never going to bring me with you." You stated.

He shook his head. "No."

"Please, stay." You said softly, desperately. Steve was quiet, hand on the doorknob. "Please, just-" You didn't know how else to phrase it. "Please stay."

"Even though you know I don’t want to?" His voice was low, and serious. A tone he'd never taken with you before, left you breathless- and not in a good way.

"Yes." You breathing was faster now, he opened the bedroom door, walking out to the living room. You leapt out of bed like a bat out of hell, sliding right in front of him with your hands up. "Baby, think about it. Just think. I-If you sign the Accords, Tony can help you, right? The Avengers can help, and it won't break the team apart. You can convince Ross, I know you can, just don't do this. You said that we would... why would you say yes to me if you were just going to..." You were at a loss for words.

He was still quiet, before breaking the choking silence, "Stay put." Just like what Nat said. Your stomach twisted. "I'll be back before you know it, everything will be... fine. We'll have a church wedding, a house, a damn white picket fence if you want. I have to go, baby."

You dropped your bag onto the floor, shaking your head, "You don't believe that. Because if you did, you'd be looking at me. Because you've been lying to me the entire time you've been here, right? About why you've been here? I'm not stupid, Steven! You won't even fucking look at me! This is treason! You'd be a fucking war criminal, baby!" You exclaimed, wiping the tears as they welled up in your waterline.

He pushed past you, unlocking and unbolting the front door, hand hesitating on the knob as he spoke, "I didn't say you were, Y/N. I promise, I will be back."

Your jaw set, teeth grinding against teeth and you shook your head, "You're not fucking stupid either, Steve. If you go without me, I'm not going to be here when you get back!"

More silence.

And then...

"I know."

The knob twisted, and as Steve walked out of the apartment, the sound of the door slamming shut was synchronic with the sound of your breaking heart. Your hand covered your mouth, and you sank to the floor, a scream of... what? Sorrow? Heartbreak? Anger? Regardless, it was muffled by the skin covering your lips. Because even as he left you, you couldn't bring yourself to draw attention to his leaving. You still wanted to protect him.

For a moment it felt as though you were struggling to breathe, and as your stomach twisted further, your nerves on fire and slowly becoming sick, you bolted up from your place collapsed on the floor, scrambling to the bathroom and heaving into the toilet. Tears flooded your cheeks as you sobbed, as you heaved, as you choked on your own bile.

Damn him. Fucking damn him.

Everything was blurring together; time especially. How long had you been on the floor before running here to get sick? You coughed and hacked, trying to grab your mouthwash cup just to get some water down your throat, tryin g to dampen this parasympathetic response possessing your body and causing such turmoil, though none of it undue. You glanced at the clock, finally, as the water slipped down your esophagus and your stomach began to bear some semblance of settling.

God, was it already midnight?

As you slowly came back to yourself, you brushed your teeth. You jumped in the shower. You made your way unsteadily back into the bedroom, you picked your phone from your nightstand. Text message alert. From Steve.

I love you. I love you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm tossing this phone so they can't track it. Don't do anything stupid until I get back. I hope you'll still be there. Please understand, I had to. It's Bucky. I had to.

Against your better judgement, you dialed his number. When the call went straight to voicemail, that's when it really hit you. You swallowed thickly, walking to your balcony door and stepping outside, and throwing it as hard and as far as you could muster. You watched under the light of streetlamps as it landed in the street. No tracking his number, no reading your texts, especially as the phone shattered against the pavement four stories below. A car and its tires obliterated the remnants, and you let out a shaky breath.

He was gone. Steve was really gone.

And you were alone.

[roe-sesandthorns]

unfiltered thoughts on deadpool & wolverine

first, lemme just say I enjoyed the movie. it was a first movie-in-cinema experience after a looong while and I saw it in 3D. granted was a bit unwell so mayyybe that influenced my experience idk.

spoilers under the cut

is it an enjoyable movie? YES. absolutely. i liked the comedy, liked the characters, liked the plot (generic but we'll get to it)

there was obviously a lot of love and care in the movie, for ALL the characters - not just the main ones but also the variants of older marvel movies (or non-movies) like Electra, Blade, and Gambit.

the fight scenes were as always amaaaazing

the dynamic between wolvie and dp was beautifully done

basic premise of the movie works wonderfully. especially given the previous movies as well as the in-universe explanation.

they handled the multiverse thing a bit better than the other ones. there is a legit reason for deadpool to go through the multiverses looking for wolvie to fill in the gap Logan left in his.

speaking of, i was confused how deadpool was in the 616 timeline (which, still fucking bitter they decided to use that for the MCU shitshow) for the meeting with Happy and then 6 years later in the 100005-whatever-the-fuck of his universe if both of those happened after the second deadpool

OR the meeting w Happy was before deadpool 2 and then he goes back and creates the alt timeline which leads to 10005 or whatever. the second option makes more sense so that's what i'm going with.

still confused about how deadpool changing the timeline affected the Logan universe or if they merged cause Logan's death cause the destablisation but wouldn't deadpool's timeline be a new one with some other anchor being - possibly deadpool

anyway, they very strongly claimed that deadpool wasnt the anchor being - which, so many misdirects in the movie that deadpool leans into as almost a mouthpiece for the audience and then they pull the bait-and-switch

sidenote: the misdirects were well done, it didn't cheapen the "twist" or surprises. deadpool's (and our logic) was the obvious track before they flipped it. so no gripe there. it was a good use of calling out the thing then adding a twist or surprise.

anyway the anchor being and the timeline TVA stuff was (as usual) a bit annoying and hard to follow at times logically BUT this is also a superhero movie and it DOES obey its own in-universe laws so the problem I have with Marvel's TVA shit is a personal opinion and not a reflection of the movie itself.

also the movie (through deadpool) IS aware of how godawful the multiverse shit in Marvel has been - and honestly, I agree w DP - fucking stop w the multiverse shit Marvel. it's not fun anymore cause you dropped the ball a long time back. (Multiverse of Madness, anyone?)

I had mixed feelings about wolverine's backstory on the initial watch

they hyped it up as him doing this unthinkable thing and him being irredeemable and then they are like oh no, he just didn't answer when they called. and it was like.... okay, and? I kept waiting for there to be more or the story to be different. the real revelation was that he had started killing people. and killing indiscriminately using the xmen uniform. this was given in the middle of a crucial high tension point

i see the appeal in doing it this way - logan was hiding his REAL sin deep within himself. he wouldn't offer it up to someone especially not someone he had just met hours ago. and in hostile territory. that's not him.

secondly, the impact of the revelation I feel was supposed to be more earthshattering than it ended up being. it was meant to be a huge shock. but after seeing him claw through people (and deadpool) repeatedly taking kill shots and after so much DEADPOOL level of Rated R violence, it landed a bit too softly for the moment to make an impact.

it was later as I thought about it that I was like, oh shit yeah like that was a big ass deal and his whole relationship w charles and the guilt he feels etc... that emotional weight didn't land in the middle of the moment. especially cause it was immediately followed by him quipping at Cassandra and trapping her

so was it true? must've been cause she was in his head.

does he feel the guilt the same way? that's what he says.

does that show in the aftermath of the moment? kinda, when he decides to spare her for charles.

but idk, it just didn't hit the way they might've wanted it to hit. Maybe allusions to him being a murderer or something before? set it up? his mistake was catastrophically world ending or at least world impacting. the loss of the x-men was not set up previously or alluded to soooo it rings a bit hollow.

maybe dropping a few hints before the reveal would have helped.

ALSO, sidenote but how tf did humans end up killing ALL of the x-men?? that seems v unlikely given that they are the fucking X-MEN. idk maybe i missed something.

Moving on...

as a deadpool AND wolverine movie, it delivered. there were some really amazing moments - the danceoff obviously, the cameos, the misdirects, the action sequences were amazing

am I a bit tired of seeing the "lose vanessa - save the day and vanessa - get back w vanessa" cycle for the third time? yeah. I mean I get he loves her and all but it's a bit too cyclical to hold impact. like cool, again? really?

again, not a plothole, a personal preference.

would have loved exploring more of wade's dalliances like shiklah or even Death. would;ve been cool.

not that I am mad about a decent mostly healthy relationship and a stable love interest in a Marvel movie (v tony stark-pepper potts coded)

speaking of stability, or lack thereof, I felt like this movie in particular did not delve as deeply into deadpool's unique mental headspace. i was hoping sometime they would bring in the more debilitating aspects of his mental health (the boxes, the hallucinations, the suicidal/self-harm tendencies) but I get that it might be a bit too grimdark for Fox/Disney

would've been nice to have a bit more of that aspect of his character

although who's to know maybe MCU wade's support system helps him be a bit more well adjusted

also why the emphasis on Peter? is it for a joke cuase he's just some guy? is it a cheeky peter parker jab? is it both? it's mildly funny so i don't mind. just meh about - again, personal preference.

ok something that's more objective:

i think there were too many 4th wall breaks. it was fun, the references were amazing. some of them were really good. loved the opening one, the one where he smashes the camera, and some other moments.

but after a while it felt stale or too much. the jokes did hit. it's not like they were unfunny like the rest of marvel's humour

some of the deep cuts were D E E P but it's not even about the content. deep cut references are a staple for the character.

but just the frequency of the meta jokes and the 4th wall breaks was a bit excessive?

but then again, deadpool isn't deapool if he isn't a bit annoying or excessive. my guy's the arachetype for a comedic motormouth

the woke-jokes were funny but not as edgy as he could go. I felt like the jokes were a bit too tongue-in-cheek to make them almost cringe? but whatever. they played it safe and i'm not mad about it.

as a movie, it felt a bit too attention grabby in the wrong way. there was a "aren't i so clever" or smarmy marvel overtone of "look at us being self-referrential and allowing you to laugh at us becuase you've been joking about our products being shit but when we allow ryan reynolds to do it we beocme edgy and cool and don't u wanna buy more now? look we got so much to sell you? did i tell you RDJ is coming back? which, holy fucking shit fuck that shit it sucks "

maybe it's just my anti-marvel agenda idek

still, sometimes just having fox's logo in the back rather than pointing it out is enough ig

for someone who was and is so tired of Marvel, it was a refreshing movie

i enjoyed it, it was a decent movie, a good deadpool movie not as good as the previous two and a GREAT deadpool and wolverine movie. does that make sense?

i never really cared for wolverine much in the past decade but this movie made him cool again, which was awesome

the teamup and dynamic was great

marvel needs to learn to give people who love the characters (not just their own but OTHER characters esp the oft forgotten ones) and want to do them justice more creative control and let them tell the (hopefully self contained) stories rather than focusing on playing join the dots behind the scenes OR try to catch attention through shock value

it doesn't work. it's like jumpscares in horror. you pay attention for a second cuase you're startled but the real impactful horror is the one done through themes and story - not a loud bang.

altho i have a feeling that the lesson marvel is gonna take is about shoving more and more (esp obscure) cameos in a work than actually doing justive to characters and stories

oh, also. it goes to show that the two best received (so far) movies post Endgame have been the multiverse ones with nostalgic characters

MCU's """sacred timeline""" is fucked because of them. people want to feel what they felt like watching the older more self-contained stories like the x-men or the tobey spidey movies

it's not jsut nostalgia, it's about story and characters and HEART.

phase 4 is proof that marvel doesn't have a heart.

parting thoughts: the only interaction i want from deadpool and the main MCU is with spiderman. preferably andrew garfield but i'll take holland in a pinch.

I have hope that as long as ryan has the reigns his deadpool projects + appearances will always have heart.

And I have NOT touched on how GAY (non-derogatory) the movie is and I think I need another long rant for it cause goddamn the movie is queer af and I love it. the euphemistic van scene alone GODDAMN.

it's like ryan and team were NOT here to play - deadpool is queer, get with it or perish. love that energy.

Edit: the set pieces holy shit. it was a gorgeous movie that was shot amazingly and the practical effects and CG were ON POINT. LOTS of attention to detail.

[dollsome-does-tumblr]

some more thoughts on the x-files: perihelion novel by claudia gray, which i zoomed through ravenously! tl;dr -- if you are searching for msr healing after the terrible s11 finale, you should read this and bask in its profoundly healing glow. you're welcome!

spoilers--

so, i had nooooo idea this existed until reddit told me the day before yesterday, and then my hoopla app actually had it, so i could get it INSTANTLY! it was like a dream come true!! the stars aligned for me! i honestly might read it again now.

i really love how this takes all the awfulness of the truly awful s11 finale and says, "okay, let's dive in and grapple with what this emotional reality would really be like. let's frickin' process." scully's pregnant in her 50s! their son is dead and apparently wasn't their son at all, instead the product of medical rape! you can so tell that this is written with the wisdom and insight of a woman writer's perspective, in a way that most of this show struggled profoundly with even in the 2010s (and it was so extra glaring and painful in the 2010s). it really dives into the repeated loss of bodily autonomy that scully experienced throughout the show, and how she grapples with that as she moves into this surreal experience of being pregnant again. it's just such an achingly astute portrayal of scully and how she tries to bury things and be sensible and keep moving forward and how at a certain point that's not tenable anymore. it felt like getting to be with her again in the best way. she also gets a female friend (ilu, dr. karen jones)!!!! which i adore!!!

i can see the hokey side of the whole 'scully now has powers that control electricity!' plot twist, but i have to say, as someone who feels sooooo ragey over everything scully went through, there's something so cathartic on a metaphorical level of scully's repressed feelings literally exploding the world around her. yeah! ⚡

you can tell this is written by someone who's a deep fan of the show and is intimately familiar with it (fanfic writing skills, what what! i distantly remember this author's fic from the days of yore!!) and especially with everything mulder and scully have gone through emotionally, which is so rewarding to read. i think the canon of the show itself kinda forgot some stuff, or didn't find it worth diving into, so it's so great to get that more fandom-oriented perspective that's really aware of the significance of the events of canon and how they would pile up on each other and create such a lasting impact. also, thank u for making mulder and scully kiss some more. long game! <3

both mulder's and scully's voices are absolutely perfect, both in conversation and narration, and their chemistry shines off the page. it really feels like being with them again. i don't have quite as much to say about mulder, since this is first & foremost scully's time to shine to me, but i think it captures his humor and disillusionment and general perspective so well, and the way he grapples with his sense of purpose. and there are just some really delightful mulder zingers in here, which are essential to my well-being.

domestic mulder and scully who are sort of a couple again but sort of keeping their distance is just such a delicious state to get to hang out in, and seeing them start to work through their trauma and get closer is so sublime!!! i just felt so fond of them, and i love how this captures both their fun, affectionate banter and their more serious, painful issues. this story really digs into their full relationship history in such a deep and thoughtful way. it's all there! they finally have sex in a motel shower! nature is healing!!! i can't believe i can buy this at a bookstore and hold it in my hands!!

i also love how this keeps in the style of the show with the extremely earnest philosophical voiceover-style monologuing from mulder and scully. it's truly just an essential part of the show's style and i love that it's here too.

(and scully writing diary entries and then tearing them up into tiny pieces and putting them in the incinerator!!! girl!!!! <3)

even if i'm obviously here for the shippy stuff first & foremost, i enjoyed the plot stuff. i like how this has a misogynistic serial killer plot, and it winds up that the guy doing it is just sort of small and horrible and easily defeated -- that felt so validating after having recently watched just, like, so many episodes about gross men killing women. the new mytharc is also fun enough that i would absolutely enjoy a multi-book series of mulder and scully dealing with it!

absolutely love the suggestions that mulder IS william's dad and that william is not dead. (and skinner's not dead either!) take that, s11 finale!!!!!! your evils are not insurmountable!

i wasn't familiar with the word "perihelion" so when it's revealed what its relevance is, i was sooooo in my feelings. now that's what i call emotional payoff!

oh my gosh they've got a baby girl on the way. 🥹🥹🥹 and now i really want to meet herrrrrrrrr. pls let this become the series it's so clearly setting up. 🙏

p.s. absolutely loved that we got a "SCULLAAAAY!" or two. it had to happen. <3

this book rules!

[unnursvanablog]

While the premise of When the Phone Rings sounded decent enough I was mostly tuning in for the cast as I do enjoy both Chae Soo Bin and Yoo Yeon Seok and the thought of a political thriller about a kidnapping sounded decent enough. I was however expecting a much more straight forward, action-thriller like 24 (the American tv show) but instead a got much more of an intense melodrama with a plot twists that I did not see coming. And it hooked me right in.

It also helps that Chae Soo Bin and Yoo Yeon Seok do have very good chemistry and the character dynamic is interesting enough between them that I am quite excited already about them eventually making out, but I can also tell that I am going to enjoy the buildup and the intensity of that all very much. At least judging by these two episodes.

The first episode did take a while to get going as we are sort of introducing the characters at their repesctive works and they don't start interacting with each other until quite late in the episode which was frustrating but it did work well for the story, so I get why it was set up like that. This isn't a loving marriage and no one even knows that they are married so it makes sense. But I do think the chemistry of the two leads is strong enough that the story does sort of gets into place when they are on screen together and we really see that odd, cold but intesne couple interaction which is just so intriguing.

Even if the sort of arranged marriage couple plot does feel very melodramatic and soapy and is very often used when you are dealing with these wealthy and very influential families in kdramas. It's nothing new, but I do tend to enjoy it in a drama form and it does feel refreshing because it's not in a romcom sense where the family wants to arrange a marriage but then the ceo son falls in love with a commoner which has started to get tiresome even if some dramas do manage to spin it in a fun way. This is very melodramatic and I enjoy it.

Baek Sa Eon has a darkness within him or sort of anger that seems to be bubbling under the very sort of cold and composed surfice (especially with his family secrets and all) and I do think he is very calculated with everything which I find very intriguing but the very quiet and meek Hong Hee Joo which seems to have operated all her life as if to not be a bother to anyone which then, once she is almost kidnapped, decides to trick her husband into thinking someone is trying to blackmail him and threatning him with her. When you hear her speaking on the phone in the bathroom… oh that was a good hook. That made me audiably gasp and sit straighter in my seat. Hong Hee Joo is the start of the show.

But she is also kinda clumsy at it… so I do worry for her. And she is accidentally getting herself involved in some scary organization… because that phone was used by a man that tried to kidnap her for real, but that is all part of the plot. It's going to get messy and I just hope it will be entertaining to watch.

I do think that while she is convinced that she is doing this out of frustration and wanting him to divorce her (because she can't do it due to marriage contract ala evil rich family stuff) I also think she is doing it because she wants to rail him up. She wants to see some reaction from him. Deep inside I think she wants to test if he actually gives a shit about her, but she isn't ready to admit that to him. Because she did try at the beginning of their marriage to make it sort of work but he pushed her away.

because the first time they have actually had a conversation is through those phone calls. It's such an interesting dynamic. And through that messed up way of communicating they are going to realize that they actually love each other. Because the man is already jealous, possessive in his cold-hearted and rude way and doesn't actually want to loose her. Oh this is going to be a makjang madness, high drama level stuff mess, but please let it be in a good way.

It a fun sport of soapy melodrama with some messy people and it looks like it might be quite entertaining. I really enjoyed myself with these two episodes.

I do not care about the secondary romance that they have started to hint at… at all. That felt like a jolt in the pacing in episode two.

[be-anti-fragile]

Finished CP with the Devil ending the first time, long essay full of Spoilers about how heartbroken it makes me feel

I'm 3 years late, probably, as I bought and played the game only now to be sure it's more polished.

I went in blind, as I had avoided spoilers about the story and game, and the game drew me in immediately.

Especially Takemura really grew on me. In the beginning I didn't take him seriously and didn't pay so much attention, found his parade leaping plan ridiculous and he reminded me of an annoying fatherly coworker. Someone you ask a question and he immediately assumes you can't count to 3 and explains it to you beginning from how life evolved.

Don't even know when or how it happened, but after the mission where you sabotage the wagon, I thought I'd romance Takemura and this, when I believed it was still possible, was the most fun I had in the whole game. I was doing side quests to buy expensive clothes for our next meeting, and then his messages popped up where you can ask him to have dinner and he ghosts, and I was really looking forward how this all would develop.

Well, plot twist, it didn't. At least not how I wished it would.

As we all know, the game is really immersive, so when I had Hellman and he got all cocky about the negative diagnosis, when Takemura entered the room, I felt actual relief. Thank God you're here.

It was a no brainer to go back and save Takemura. And the fact he leaves V hanging and disappears upset me for a whole week. I kept doing sidequests and calling him from time to time to see if anything had changed, but no. So I decided to check out the endings so I could read stuff about the game without fearing spoilers.

Since I had zero interest in interacting with Panam or Judy, I didn't do their quests and went straight for Hanako.

You can't believe how happy I was when I learned that Takemura would pick V up and MAN HE LOOKED CRISP in that white suit. Then when he rolls his eyes on Hellman and defends V. The moment where V tells him to ghost and do gigs and feed cats and he declines but thanks V. The moment before where he learns Saburo did not even tell him the whole truth but it's not enough to make him change.

It was like watching a movie for the umpteenth time and you KNOW what happens and you KNOW it will end bad and it's a movie and will never change but still there's a tiny part in you that hopes this time it ends differently.

The whole episode on that space station just made me sad but then happy again when I heard Takemura's voice after all this testing nightmare. I hated how he didn't want to disclose what he was up to like a real business professional but I signed the contract and his remark to see him in Kagawa made me believe it would happen. Like a real fool. I really believed if V signs up for this thing, they will find a body for her in time so she can go back and visit Takemura in Kagawa.

It hits you differently when all you want in the game is to be with Takemura and THIS IS your romance with him. Only afterwards it slowly dawned on me that he has just said that last sentence to comfort V and maybe because he wants to believe this himself but deep down he also knows it will never happen.

I am sitting here all teary eyed and don't understand myself how much this has messed with my feelings. I didn't expect that it would hit me that hard. I also cried during Soma though which deals with similar topics and left me feeling like someone had punched me in the gut as well, BUT, Soma had the decency to add the happy ending after the gloomy one (which maybe is different because there definitely are 2 simultaneously, unlike in CP, but if CP had added a small scene where V steps out of a vehicle, sun on her face, looks around some Japanese town and sees Takemura waiting for her nearby, that would have been comforting. Siding with Takemura does not necessarily mean it is because of Takemura, maybe V just believed this would save her and she could go back to her friends afterwards, but they could have easily added another choice/check for which people did like Takemura best and give them such a scene instead of messages by people I did not care that much for like Misty and Panam and Judy)

It's not really clear to me how Takemura can be such an important person for V in this ending, as intended by the devs, accompanying V through all of it, even the boss fight, and the last human (besides the guard) you see, yet it seems to dismiss this connection at the same time, like when you can call someone important to you and he's not an option, does not send V a message after V is gone, etc. - but it FOR SURE underlines the message that his loyalty is with Arasaka and this will never change and I feel like an idiot for falling for it. I can't even be disappointed about because I knew from the beginning and Johnny had pointed it out often enough.

Love games dealing with difficult topics, just didn't expect to feel that heartbroken about how it all plays out when you decide to side with Goro.

Didn't really know what to do with my feelings than leave them here where maybe someone understands.

Thinking about playing Baldur's Gate 3 but I'm worried there will be something similar disappointing.

[subwayfloorlicker1978]

tadc works better in the medium that it unintentionally conveyed itself as

okay. you’re probably reading this title thinking “but subwayfloorlicker1978… what IS the medium in question????” okay the medium in question is being a lore filled mysterious series with twists and turns and having an emphasis on twists and turns just as much as its characters.

now. this baffles me a little bit bc even though one could get that exact idea of tadc just by watching the first episode (and the fandom ITSELF literally got that impression. i mean its even evident in the fanmade aus.) gooseworx made a twitter post a few months ago that apparently tadc is made up of. and i quote. 95% character depth/stuff/etc and like 5% of lore. which is… hm.

which also baffled me! because my GOD was there a lot of lore foreshadowing and spooky (if you want to call it that.) stuff throughout episode 1. like WAY too much of it, especially if your main goal of tadc is to have it be a series centered heavily on the characters. not saying you can’t have background plot things going on, but like… 95%? seriously? i’m definitely praying she hadn’t entirely thought out that ratio before pressing the post button.

and that’s why tadc unintentionally comes across as a series with super deep lore, literally to the point where i’ve seen certain people unironically call it a horror series (which is wrong btw. even if you’re taking the c&a scenes + caine’s suspicious moments into account). it quite literally spends like 1/3 of its main scenes in episode 1 putting SO much emphasis on the c&a lore and the abstraction and everything else.

and the thing is. i dont entirely blame gooseworx for this. obviously it would be very important to flesh out the environment/world that the characters are in during the first episode (LITERALLY your first impression), which obviously includes locations like the lore office area pomni was in or the cellar where caine banishes all of the crazy people to go to. (oh and also even the topic of abstraction itself via kaufmo) but like..... there’s a reason why tadc has a game theory episode.

i’ve said this before and ill say it again. tadc and the entire “digital circus” thing and the implementation of vr headsets + lore into the story is ONLY an excuse for gooseworx to tell a compelling story about compelling characters in a cartoony wacky environment. its basically a guaranteed way for the viewers to actually see these goofy characters in a humanoid manner. however… you can’t just implement characters with these vr headset backstories and existential themes without it sounding entirely ominous. AND you can’t just drop a huge bombshell regarding the lore of the show and WHY the vr stuff happened and then go on twitter and say that its 95% about the characters.

and with the direction of the cellar and office scenes.. im not sure if it’s even possible for someone to make a clean cut resolution to the lore tidbits while still fulfilling the “5%” lore thing and not having it come off as giving off the wrong expectations. the direction of these scenes is SO intense like. some of these camera shots clearly put emphasis on small little details and the tone of these scenes pale so much in comparison to previous scenes that it catches you so off guard.

which is what makes them very well written! however they pack so much content and foreshadowing into themselves that its such a far fetched thing to say that only 5% of lore will make up tadc. that combined with the prospect of past lives. and also with the clear foreshadowing of jax being a morally corrupt person. what about the extremely heavy motifs of exit doors? there’s no way THATS going to just be gone after episode 1. goose, what do you MEAN there’s going to be corpse imagery? all of this ties into each other. lore and tone tie into each other too. come on.

but these aspects can definitely be used to craft a great story. WITH character arcs and character deep dives throughout episodes. gravity falls literally nailed this. and theoretically tadc could too. emphasis on theoretically.

also if the “memory loss” thing was actually canon and not something the fandom thought was canon (again reasonable misinterpretation because obviously if you hear pomni say “HOLY FLIP I FORGOT MY OWN NAME!!!” you’re going to assume she forgot everything else.) that would also work well along with the theoretical lore stuff if it was more emphasized. literally think of the vast opportunities for foreshadowing. maybe pomni finds out something about the other characters via revisiting the office that THEY can’t remember. maybe do something with like… reflexes and muscle memory or something related to “the mind forgets but the body remembers”. maybe use it as a plot point in relation to jax’s keys or his weirdly implied secret or something. IDK! i just think a lore and plot driven story in this environment combined with character things (50/50…) would be marginally more interesting than what we will be given.

okay one more pet peeve in relation to this before i go. deep breath……. i really hate the cartoonish body language of the main human cast. GO AHEAD BOO ME. THROW TOMATOES AT ME. LET ME EXPLAIN OKAY.

one piece of media that i think does a GREAT job when it comes to utilizing body language in storytelling is duck season. it clearly humanizes the guy in the suit by giving him certain habits that seem undoubtedly human and make him feel very… alive. like whenever he smokes a cigarette but then quickly puts it out when the player gets near him bc he’s startled and needs to keep up a facade. like THAT. that’s what strikes me as a human behavior.

so if goose’s goal would be to humanize these “cartoon” characters… realistic body language that clashes with their digital circus designs would be a perfect way to make them stick out in comparison to the npcs or caine and bring out the fact that they’re humans in an environment curated by nonhumans. it would also help a little more with tadc’s target demographic problem i think? the characters having little humanoid habits would make it seem a little more mature i think and would also go well with my idea of theoretical lore-focused tadc. not saying 20 year olds CANT be into pieces of media that have bright colors and are very cartoony. im just saying. there’s a reason why there’s so much content slop of tadc.

[marukrawler]

Yeah there would need to be some reshuffling. I think many suggested Barry as Pyros as it would need minimal design alterations. Though it feels... a little boring ... you know. Ace can work as Aquos if we add Lancelot theme (lol) to his bakugan evolutions. We can even play with arthurian themes. Yes, it makes Mira his Arthur and we can pull so much from this. It doesn't matter that the original may not have been that deep. Doesn't matter.

it would mean no Marucho but! I think him having screentime in Gundalions was a right call because his Ren dynamics were good. So he is still represented. Mira must stay subterra for gus parallel purposes (and salt mines). Speaking of Gus, gus as bastard theory is good so maybe it would have worked as canon.

continuation of this ask and this ask.

couldn't help myself so i drew my version of pyrus!baron and aquos!ace ashjdjsksk

some notes:

pyrus for baron works surprisingly well with his energetic attitude and canon catchphrase 「激熱!」 gekiatsu! → "let's fire this up!"

added some tails to his headband. i was gonna replace the lightning bolt with flames but i can't draw flames so 😭pyrus symbol it is rip

his overall fit is pretty nice so i didn't want to change anything. although i didn't draw the rest of him, i can imagine swapping his pants and boots for dan's since dan won't be in the resistance in this au lol

ace was lucky enough to get some of shun's gender ambiguous swag. the gloves and exposed shoulders are an obvious reference to shun's resistance fit. kept the big sleeves bc that's ace's thing™️but he will have to fight hatsune miku for the trademark tho.

the rings in his hair are actually a reference to elyon from w.i.t.c.h. for no other reason other than i thought it'd look cool. but it also works because marucho's resistance outfit has a lot of circles on it.

could be nice if there was some lady of the lake stuff sprinkled into ace's ability cards especially after percival evolves into knight percival but alas, i know nothing about the legend of king arthur so im leaving this up to you guys lmao.

and yeah, i totally agree with you. marucho is really not needed for the first half of nv so i don't mind swapping him out for runo or alice. mira of course should stay because she started the resistance and she needs to be the driving force behind the whole bakugan liberation movement. the spectra/gus and mira/ace parallels would be even more pronounced with ace acting as mira's lancelot 🫣

as for the gus theory asjhdjksask i don't mind if it's there in a possible s2 rewrite or not. i feel like that kinda plot twist would need a reason to be there so i'll think about what it could mean for gus' character arc to be zenoheld's bastard child because it would change a lot.

[antisolararc]

the haterrr

that dinky little gun shoots the orb things above it, which i think are like seeds? such a rarely used item that i haven't thought about it that much yet.

bio and stuff under the cut

PERSONALITY & BACKGROUND:

Unlicensed private investigator (read: professional blackmailer) and wannabe insurgent Vita Caturnon definitely thinks she’s getting something out of this, though it’s not really clear what that is... But that’s just part of the plan! You aren’t supposed to know! Vita is the 13th of the 24 children of the infamous televangelist faith healer Aloysius Caturnon. She is the first of his children not to be born to his missing first wife, and some might even speculate that Vita’s birth led him to (ALLEGEDLY) kill her. Expectedly, they have a tumultuous-at-best relationship with their family. They studied journalism and even attended a year of law school, but Aloysius stopped paying the tuition once he got word of its plots against him. Despite her many public threats on his life, Aloysius doesn’t care enough to put a bounty on her head, which infuriates her... especially considering the one he's put on some of their siblings. Vita is an (overly) ambitious, energetic, assertive self-starter who couldn’t mind her own business to save her life. She is observant, analytical, and always trying to twist a situation to her advantage. As bullheaded as they come, Vita has an opinion on everything, and she can’t stand to leave a single stone unturned. Somehow, though, their bluster serves as a sort of camouflage for their more subtle machinations. When things are going right, they’re infuriatingly smug, and when things are going wrong, they’ll be the first to complain. Well, the latter may be justified -- Vita is usually the voice of reason among the group. She goes out of her way to ensure they don’t just survive but thrive despite (or because of) their eventual infamy. Why do so much for these ill-adjusted, troublemaking miscreants? Well, don’t bother asking, because they wouldn’t be able to come up with an answer. Although Vita is intelligent in regards to many things, this absolutely does not include her own emotions. No one makes her feel more confused about her feelings than Ivrel, much to her chagrin. Despite a violent allergy to expressing any sort of vulnerability, she can’t just snuff out all of her deep-seated insecurities. Instead, it spits them back up as vitriol and spite. It’s no surprise to them that they’re hardly perceived as charming, but Vita would rather be hated than ignored. Her powers are the absolute pinnacle of her insecurities, even though they’re kind of, like, her brand? As much as she tries to embrace what she has, she knows she’s a weakling… Or at least she thinks she is. If she were to acknowledge where her true strength lies, perhaps that would make her a bit more like the old man than she’d care to admit, hm? Vita likes to think it's above the antics of its family, particularly Aloysius' cult of personality, but really nothing is more Caturnon-esque than developing a righteous obsession with killing your own father. While she is usually very aware, she is apparently (perhaps willfully) ignorant of this. No time to worry about it, though, they've got other pans in the fire! Sorta. Working on it.

ABILITIES:

She can make plants, but not particularly large or durable ones. however, she can see and hear through her plants, which is apparently unique to her. Although having existing plant matter to spawn them from is helpful, it is not strictly necessary. Other plants at least help to disguise the spies. Her own aren't always subtle enough, considering they have eyes inside that mirror her own gaze. It can monitor multiple locations at once while staying aware of its surroundings with some sort of... splitscreen brain setup. It primarily serves as the group's informant, but it handles their "business affairs" as well. Like many of the Caturnon children, Vita has spent a non-trivial amount of time trying to emulate her father's powers. As a result, they have substantial knowledge of medicinal plants and how to use them. Probably not the ideal medic (the bedside manner is abysmal), but an acceptable one.

[short-black-diamond]

"My scary knight in shining armor is a ...?"

Guys the anime/manga series My dress up darling is in dire need of attention and love!

Gojo Wakana x reader. My dress up darling. I've wanted to write a fic about him for a while, so here I am!

Summary: in the midst of going home from a shopping trip from buying fabric for Marin, Gojo encounters some delinquents. The delinquents corner him. And suddenly, a girl comes and saves him. However, the plot always has a twist.

Your name: Yena Hideyo, but you call yourself Attic

---

'Ah~! I'm so happy about all the fabric I purchased! I hope Kitagawa will be okay that I didn't buy the type of fabric she requ- huh?', Gojo thought when he came face to face with some guys, who were standing in front of him.

Each one of them had a snarl on his face, whihc was rather irking than scary. Gojo however, felt an uneasyness when the leader -he supposed- came up to him.

"What'cha got there, huh?", the boy asked, and Gojo could smell the bad smell of cigarettes coming from the -maybe one year?- older guy. "u-um, it's just--fabric-"

"Bwahaha! Why does a guy like you go shopping for stuff like that?? And it's all pink as well!", the guy sneered, and his underlings cackled.

Gojo blushed, as he looked to the side with a frown. 'Can't they go bother somebody else?'

But, it seemed like the gangster was not done yet with the boy. "So, you got some money on ya?", the guy asked, eyeing Gojo's purchase.

Gojo hugged the bag tighter, his voice coming in a more quiet voice than he intended. "I don't have any money..."

and still, the guys didn't waver. "No money?? But from buying all that stuff you must be rich, no?"

"Yeah, c'mon, we just want some beer, then we'll leave ya alone."

Gojo was suddenly surrounded by the guys. It also didn't help that no soul was there. He was alone with the rowdys.

"Either you give us your wallet or we'll tear that delicate fabric."

Gojo only stubbornly shook his head, being ready to get beaten up by the look of the annoyed faces the guys around him made. He closed his eyes as the leader in front of him raised his fists, preparing for impact, but it never came.

punches were heard though, and coughing, and something falling to the ground. When Gojo opened his eyes again, he was met with the sight of a scary looking goth girl.

You were looking at him as you stood sideways, your eyes bored, your hair was put in a bun, clothes dark and covered with bordeaux and deep blue embroidments on the corset you wore, as it tightened your waist. You wore a short skirt, platform boots, and in your hand was something big.

When he looked at your body more, he saw that you actually had a nice figure, and he blushed for thinking something like that. But, he couldn't help himself as his eyes started to wander. Especially when your collarbone down to your low cleavage was exposed, the veins on your chest and your pale skin overall, with your dark lipstick... reminding him of something he learned in school.

Having blue veins visible on your chest as a woman was a popular trend in the middle ages. also your pale skin must've been a beauty trend, and your red lipstick gave the final note. you reminded him of a woman in a painting, who stepped out of the frame and wandered the streets. You wore old-fashioned clothes, and your different look bewildered Gojo, but not that he disliked it. You looked interesting.

He flinched as he took a step back, only to step on the hand of one of the guys who was behind him just moments ago. You faced him. "You're...Gojo Wakana.", you said, pointing towards him.

Gojo nodded, feeling uneasy around you. "d-did you beat up those guys?", he asked after you took out some papers. His curiousity was peaked, and before he could ask what those papers were, you held them out towards him.

"I follow Kitagawa on social media. We are mutuals. I'll pay you any price you like as long as you make me these clothes.", you spoke as you looked at him. Your sentences were short, firm, and held all the information Gojo needed in order to be less scared of you.

Gojo felt your glare on him as he carefully took the papers, which were all seperately in a nead folder. He turned the pages of the small folder. the dresses had an interesting design, and he liked the art style.

He looked up to you to ask you a question, but there was no trace of you. He looked around. No goth girl.

He sighed as he looked at the papers again. 'I think she drew them...? Her art style reminds me of a manga I've read...ballroom e youkoso! Wait, is she maybe a ballroom dancer?!'

The boy flipped through your pages again. He tried looking for something that could maybe more hold information, maybe other colours, other than black, dark blue, dark teal, dark red, or dark green...but nothing.

All he saw were dresses he's never seen before, and your...phone number?!

He blushed at the thought of a goth girl giving him her number, but he had to stay strong. He quickly went home after checking the pulse of the delinquents. (Un)fortunately, they were still very much alive.

...

"Oh, you mean gothicc_attic! We follow each other on social media...Wait, she's a ballroom dancer?!", Marin's excited voice echoed in the empty hallways of the school as she gasped.

'did she call herself "thicc" because of her body..? She does have thick thighs, though...', he thought as he looked up to the ceiling a feint blush dusting his cheeks.

"Yes, that's what I've been thinking of too...", he yawned, having circles under his eyes.

Gojo rubbed his eyes sleepily. He was still thinking about your dresses, after all. And as he fell asleep, he fantasized about dancing with you. Waltz, tango, and cha cha. These were all the dances Gojo knew at the moment.

But he wanted to know more about you. How come you seeked his help instead of a professional? Or how you beat up those guys...were you also a delinquent? A member of a gang?

He didn't know, but he wanted to meet you soon. He couldn't bring it in himself to text you though. What if...what if he said the wrong thing?

Ah...he was overthinking stuff.

"She gave me her number...I think it'd be good to-"

"You have her number?! Why didn't she give me her number?? I thought we were friends??", she exclaimed outraged.

Gojo deadpanned at her before thinking about the conversation he had with you. You were calm, quiet, and you talked to him like he was a person who was close to you...a trusted person.

"hm...I don't know...", he murmured. Gojo wanted to hear your soft and calm voice again.

"Have you actually ever met her?", he asked as he checked out your social media. His eyes bulged out of his sockets.

'WHAT THE HELL?! She has many times more followers than Kitagawa!?', he thought when he saw the mil next to the follower number.

"Nope, I never met her. I actually started following her because of her profile picture, and because of her posts. I think goths are awesome!", she exclaimed, pointing towards one of your selfies. You had another bored expression on your face as you held a wine glass, but the liquid looked more like blood than wine.

'Is she a vampire...?', he thought as he looked at the caption.

gothicc_attic 1.696.969.696 people liked this post "Drinking that bitch's blood after she bullied me." #killyourbully #fuckbullies #herbloodtasteslikeshit #justlikehertasteinmen #gothicc_attic

That post had many likes, and Gojo looked at your caption with a terrified expression. He looked at Marin for explanation, which she of course had.

"Ohh, yeah, those were the dark ages...long story short, there was this girl, Rika Shinkamu, who just liked to bully and one-up people whenever she heard something interesting. Of course, she'd lay eyes on our goth girl-" 'our goth girl???' "-and try to cyber bully her, bringing her down and hurting her. But, gothicc_attic was not one to scare Rika, no. She exposed Rika on all her wrongdoings, called out that Rika had done BBL on her butt, tits and lips and even hacked into Rika's phone and posted pictures of Rika being together with our goth girl's ex."

Gojo needed a moment to think about what Marin said. "But how come she said that she was drinking Rika's blood?"

"I don't know if she said the truth. But believing her would be more fun, no?!", Marin said happily, and Gojo rubbed his temple.

...

Hello? Here is Gojo Wakana. I looked at your designs and they're very pretty :D I hope I don't bother you with some questions?

Gojo looked at the text messages he sent. 'I hope I won't make a fool out of myself...'

Suddenly, his phone dinged.

Hello. Thank you for complimenting my designs. :} Thank you for contacting me. Ask ahead.

'Huh, she answered faster than I thought..', the boy thought before he asked some questions.

Okay, are you a ballroom dancer? What's your name? I like your dresses very much, but wouldn't something lighter be nice? All your dresses are dark, that's why I'm asking 😅

You were still online, but you didn't write anything for three minutes now. Gojo furrowed his brows. 'Did I maybe offend her..?'

I'm asking for a friend, she is a ballroom dancer. Attic. She doesn't like lighter stuff.

'Oh...hm...' Gojo typed again.

Are there any competitions soon? I'd like to know how much time I have left Also, could you maybe ask her if there are different types of fabric for dancers? Oh, and I also need measurements...😅

'Yeah, that's what I did with Marin. I measured her body, then we went shopping for wigs and fabric. Oh, she answered!'

The next competition is starting in six months. Some shops are ____, ____, and ____. I'll send the measurements to you later.

And you went offline. Gojo sighed as he looked at his Hina doll. "I think Attic is shy, when she said she's asking for a friend."

...

you were laying on your stomach, your face buried in your pillow as you screamed in delight and in a high pitched voice.

'HE LIKES MY DESIGNS HE LIKES MY DESIGNS HE LIKES MY DESIGNS AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!'

You quickly sat up as you hugged your pillow. 'I think he knows that it's actually me who's the dancer...asking for a friend..as if he'd fall for that. also... now how do I take measurements?'

You groaned in frustration.

---

Heya, thanks for readingg this post! if you have requests or want a second part, please like or tell me to tag you!

Read you in my next post!

[slashingdisneypasta]

Toon Patrol x Reader || Drabbles

Plots / Includes: Being exes with members of the Toon Patrol but still being in love with each other.

Greasy x Reader- Good old ‘sex with the ex’… always landing you in awkward situations when people find out. Which is especially difficult to avoid when he lives with his entire crew and you run into them trying to sneak out!He comes to your rescue but it doesn’t really help the others not be suspicious...

Psycho x Reader- You’re on your first date with another guy, Psycho finds out, and drags his whole patrol to spy on you and probably wreak havoc.

Smartass x Reader- As a Toon Doctor (Obviously, you can’t bring them back to life one they’ve been dipped and you’re virtually useless when it comes to broken limbs and stuff like that- but you’re really great for illnesses, common sense, and also psychotherapy), and one of the best in the business, Smartass used to always come to you while you were together, to get the boys treated- he got a huge discount, after all.

He still brings them to you, when he’s really worried. You’re the only doctor he can trust. Actually you’re one of the only people he can trust, period.

Stupid x Reader- Stupid sees you trip and hurt yourself at your place of work (The Ink and Paint club, a common hang out for them) and panics- he won’t leave you alone, now, and honestly you want to hate it… but its really nice. This big softie is the only one who could dote on you, a tough bitch, and make you like it.

Wheezy x Reader- You and Wheezy, highschool sweethearts, run into each other one afternoon and catch up.

Warnings: Smutty references (Guess who??) and some falling in Stupid's (Physically, onto the floor. You get a cut on some glass but its not that bad at all). Mostly very fluffy though ^^

Greasy:

Oh… what the fuck is wrong with me?! Is your first thought when you wake up, drowsily look around and realise that your resolution not to have anything to do with Greasy anymore did not pan out.

As you get up and methodically find your clothes and get dressed, trying to make yourself presentable enough to go out into the world and pretend that you have dignity. You never used to be ashamed of being with Greasy, absolutely not! Your friends told you it was a bad idea, and people talked behind your back, but… You loved him then. It didn’t matter what anyone else said.

But you’re broken up, now! So it is shameful, and you do feel it, and this… this was a really bad idea.

The 3rd bad idea of the week, actually. Groaning, you bow your head as you pull on your socks. Yes, you feel very ashamed. Where is your self-control? God, huffing and tugging on your boots, you grab your jacket and head towards the bedroom door. Never again. 

At the door, you find yourself hesitating, though. Afterall, you did love him once… it hurts to leave him again. Without telling him. Turning your head you see him all curled up under the covers, clutching them over his shoulder and snoozing peacefully and take a deep breath. Go, you tell yourself, twisting the door knob and turning on him. Get out. Go home. Greasy’s just an easy lay that knows what you like- that’s all. You’ll find someone else like that, someone nice.

Maybe they’ll have an actual job. Or a house. Maybe a pool, even- you always wanted a pool! Yeah.

… Yeah. Yes, right. Go now-

Finally you push the door open and step out- and almost immediately down the hall you’re coming face-to-face with the craziest eyes you’ve ever seen. It shocks you, and that shameful feeling starts to bubble up into your throat again, but you quickly force yourself to not look as caught-out as you feel; Flash Psycho and Wheezy a smile that hopefully looks relaxed. “Oh- hi guys! Psycho, Wheezy… well, I gotta go, nice seeing you, bye!- “

You try to swerve by them, but Psycho rushes and pops up right in front of you again, tilting his head to the side. “What are you doing here, Y/N?~ “

“I was just… helping Greasy with something. We’re still friends, so- “

“Some friend,” Wheezy pipes in, rounding you and gesturing with his eyes to your underwear- shoved inside your pocket.

… Crap on a cracker. Subtly shoving those down further so they can’t be seen, hoping to god Psycho didn’t see that because you so cannot answer those questions that he would have, you take another deep breath- and try to exit again. “Yeah well this’ll probably be the last time you guys see me for a while… “

“Oh, why?~ “ Psycho asks, eyes still on your face. He always makes eye contact when he talks to you, and it used to freak you out but seeing him so often got you acclimatised to it - like Wheezy’s smell, Smartass’ harsh tone, and Stupid’s dumb questions, - … except for times like this, when you’re hiding a dirty secret. You can barely look at him.

Glancing at Wheezy, usually the more laid-back one, for assistance but there’s a tiny little smirk on his face and you know he’s enjoying this far too much. God, you can hear your heartbeat in your ears now- “Uhh, because- “

“Y/N was just bringing me my record player back from their house!~ I needed help assembling it again, that’s why they won’t be coming back again- no need.” Greasy’s suddenly beside you, a hand momentarily on your lower back before he remembers- and removes it. He narrows his eyes at Psycho, who looks displeased at the practical answer, lips turning down in a scowl. “Is that good enough for you, snoop?”

… A moment passes, before Psycho gives a heaving sigh. “Yeah, I guess… “

“Excelente, now vamos. Its too early in the morning for your hostigamiento. Shoo.”

“Fine… “Psycho gives a sniff, smelling the air, before slumping off defeatedly towards the kitchen where you can hear Smartass yelling at Stupid. Wheezy hangs back, though, looking at the two of you all-too-knowingly; Puffing away on his cigarettes.

Greasy raises his brows at Wheezy, expectantly. “Que, fumador?? Problema?”

“… I thought you two broke up, eh?” He teases, looking for a rise out of his friend- or you. Whichever comes first. And it’s definitely going to be you, you think, as the discomfort rises inside your body. You’re just opening your mouth to say something, probably something incriminating (Though you aren’t too sure what could be more incriminating than what Wheezy already saw… ) but once again Greasy is your hero as he places a hand on your arm to gently stops you. It relaxes you more than you’d like to admit.

“We did, but Y/N is a pleasant person and agreed to help me out one last time. Last time that I checked- that wasn’t a crime.” Why does it make you heart flutter when he says that about you? Get your head in the game here Y/N, good lord.

“You guys have done a whole lot worse, for sure.” You add, crossing your arms while Greasy nods.

“Sí, so Wheezy, tell me, what are you still doing here, huh?”

Wheezy doesn’t look convinced at all, and why would he be after seeing your fricken knickers hanging out of your pocket? But its clear that neither of you are going to say anything to him, so he shrugs and heads off. “Alright. I’ll see y’ at breakfast, Grease.”

“See you.”

After Wheezy’s finally disappeared and the coast is clear, you let out a heavily relieved sigh and a little giggle, turning to Greasy- him still holding you. “That was close.”

“Mm,” He nods, eyes still pretty dark; But losing that meanness he was using against Psycho and Wheezy. “The boss would have been even worse if he’d found out… “ 

“Oh, yeah, I could imagine.” Your faces are close together but you almost don’t even notice- that’s just the way the two of you are together. You even kind of forget that you shouldn’t be, anymore.

Greasy then gives a smirk, shaking off that last bit of gangster and you get your silly pervert back. “Well, all is well that ends well, right?~ “ He quips, eyes flickering up and down your body making you roll your eyes. Okay, time to go.

Laying a hand on his shoulder, you give a squeeze. “… I’m gonna get going, now. Before you get any ideas.”

“I’m not the only one with ideas, querida~ “

No, he’s not. That’s why you have to leave, now! Flashing a tight smile, you lean over gently and give a final kiss to your ex-lover this time- a slow kiss, with tongue- then turn away and leave, feeling his very familiar, heavy gaze all over you before you close the door between you both.

… Hopefully, it won’t happen again, you think unsurely as you continue down the street.

Psycho:

“This way this way!!” Psycho hisses, sneaking around the side of the restraint considerably more subtly than the others- Smartass is behind him and keeps on saying how this is a stupid idea, Wheezy’s just after him leaving a disgusting smoke cloud behind him, Stupid’s trailing behind as he struggles to get through the place without hitting chairs or tables, and they lost Greasy somewhere at the front where the hostess was.

“I want my objection noted, Straight Jacket.” Smartass grumbles when they stop sneaking, Psycho having found a prime spying position behind a tall tray trolly- he could see Y/N, but they couldn’t see him. At Smartass’ remark, Psycho gives a great, exasperated sigh; Rolling his eyes.

“Okay,”

Wheezy and Stupid join them then, Stupid huddling in behind them and seeing Y/N over their heads, and Wheezy leaning back against the wall to roll up and then light a new cigarette to add to the queue tucked into the brim of his hat. “What are we looking at?? Oh, there’s Y/N! HI Y/- “

When Stupid tries innocently to yell and great his friend who’s peacefully chatting away with some guy at one of the tables, Psycho pretty much climbs him in order to clamp his mouth shut with both of his straight jacket covered hands. “Shoosh shoosh shoosh!!”

“You’ll give away the position, meat head!” Smartass snaps.

“Oh no, then we could go home… that’d be a shame… “Wheezy mutters, putting his lighter back away in his pocket and receiving a nasty glare from Psycho.

“We can’t go home! We have to watch Y/N!~ “

“Y’know, this could be why you two broke up.” Smartass pipes up once again, shrugging. He doesn’t notice the slow, venomous look he receives from Psycho. “… Drama… “

Wheezy nods.

“Shh!” Hissing, Psycho effectively shuts them both up for now- before turning to Stupid; Staring deeply into his eyes. “Okay, we’re spying on Y/N, okay? They can’t know we’re here. So you cant say hi. Okay??”

Stupid pauses for a moment, thinking slowly, before nodding and smiling. Psycho takes his hands away and lowers himself back down to the ground. “Ohhh, I got it… “He giggles, before looking out to the table again. “Psycho, they look pretty tonight.”

“Yeah, I know~ “There’s a dreamy look on Psycho’s face that makes Smartass feel sick.

“Pull yourself together Psycho- “

“Shhhhh,” Psycho cut him off, his straight raiser in front of his lips. “And, no.”

“So, what’s the game plan here?” Smoke slips out from between his lips after a particularly strong intake, as Wheezy asks the question; His voice not having much more profundity than a kettle when the tea hot water is boiled. “Cuz if we’re just stalking them, I could be out the back. Nothing better than a few smokes out in the cold.”

Smartass bristles at this, scrunching up his nose at the 20 different cigarettes lit on his comrade currently. “A few??” Cobalt grey irises flash him a glare for the comment, but Wheezy doesn’t argue. Why would he?

“Uhh… “Tasting his own mouth in thought, Psycho tears his eyes away from his ex-mate and taps his nose with the straight razor a couple of times while Stupid continues to keep watch- being able to see over the trolley. “… I dunno~”

This them Smartass neck practically snaps turning to Psycho. “You don’t kno- “

“… I just wanted to see them!~ “ Psycho doesn’t seem bothered by Smartass’ irritation at all, only giving a shrug and smile back. “And I’m glad we have~ “

“Great! Now let’s go home- “

“Awww, but- “

“Wait, guys… “The 3 heads look up to Stupid, then, when he speaks and his voice sounds… concerned? Unsure? Uncomfortable?? “Does that look like Y/N’s having a good time, to you??”

They all look to Y/N, now, and immediately the problem is obvious. There aren’t any tablecloths on the tables so they’re able to see right underneath them- and whoever Y/N’s date is, is feeling very handsy, tonight. Not exactly Greasy level, but definitely noticeable. He keeps putting his hand on their thigh and they keep removing it. When the man catches Y/N’s hand and holds it in a tight grip, Smartass and Wheezy look quickly to Psycho.

There isn’t an expression on his face, but his eyes look to be… swirlier, then usual. And his teeth are grinding. And theirs a shakiness to the paw holding onto his straight razor that makes them nervous.

“Okay, okay, Psycho… that looks bad. But why dontcha take some deep breaths, we don’t needta get kicked outta another restaurant, we can kill him some other time- “

All of a sudden a loud, terrible crash and clatter steals everyone’s attention, coming from the other side of the room, closest to the entrance, and Wheezy who is closest to that side slaps a paw over his face when he sees what has happened. Or who. “Fucks sake… “

“Aghhhhhhhhhh I knew we shouldn’ta left him alone!!” Smartass snaps, Greasy’s unconscious body laying by the upended table he was thrown into, various fancy, expensive foods and condiments dirtying his zoot suit. “Who’d he hit on!?”

“With our luck it was the owner’s wife.” Wheezy shakes head, twisting a cigarette between his teeth and thinking how he could’ve been freezing his balls off outside with 6 packs of Marlboros right now- but no. Of course not.

Giving a sigh, Smartass turns back to the weasel whose fault it is that they’re even there in the first place. “Well, Psycho, looks like we have to go deal with this mess, now…- PSYCHO!?” When he sees immediately that he’s no longer there, he looks swiftly over to your table, where Psycho can be seen creeping to through the others while everyone’s attention is on the scene Greasy created in the front. “When did he get over there!?!?”

“As soon as you looked away, sir!” Stupid informs, giving a pride-filled salute, to which Smartass’ mouth drops open. He is this close to-

Then Psycho pounces on your date and that’s the straw that broke the camels back. “THAT’S IT.” Smartass takes out his gun, stepping out from behind the trolley. Time to whip these idiots into shape-

Smartass:

After you’re finished getting Wheezy sorted in your make-shift medical bay (The spare bedroom in your apartment, just with a white plastic sheet over the floor and a curtain around the bed), you tell him to get some rest and then go out to let Smartass know he’s going to be fine.

Honestly, though, you should have known it wasn’t going to be simple. You’ve known the man for years- so, clearly, it should have been obvious that he would be freaking out in your livingroom.

As soon as you close the door to the medical bay behind you, you hear the tell-tale noises of a Smartass Weasel break down. Yelling, clicking from hi gun and the safety going on and off, pillows and couch cushions flying across the room and going OOMPH hard against the walls. Quickly you rush in, and see exactly what you would imagine.

There are Greasy and Stupid hiding behind your couch playing go fish, there’s a pile of every soft furnishing you own by the doorway that you’re standing in, there’s Psycho sitting cross-legged by his boss just watching the scene, and there’s Smartass- heaving, clenching, and ranting. Another pillow is thrown, hitting the wall right by your head with the loudest oomph sound you thought possible, and you snap into action. Okay!!

“Smartass,” You snap, approaching him sternly. He doesn’t seem to hear you, but he does notice you when you grab him by the arms and give him a stern look in the eye. “Smartass.”

“What!?”

“Come with me, now.”

Then you don’t give him a moment to thin about it, just drag him by the hand out of your apartment, down 4 stairwells, through the buildings dingy lobby and then out into the street.

Its freezing cold outside, being the dead of winter, and theirs fluffy white snow heaped up in piles at the edges of buildings, in gutters and random piles where people brushed it off their cars. There’s also a thin sheet of ice all over the ground- which is good, you think. If Smartass tries to storm off like an idiot, he’ll slip and bust his ass for it.

Out here, you figure, he can cool off a bit- because you were not having that scene in your livingroom. You understand better than anyone how Smartass feels about the others getting sick, but that doesn’t mean he gets away with it around you.

Now, you watch him glare around at the street and grumble incomprehensible curses under his breath, his breath visible in the cold, before letting go of his hand and tugging him to look at you by his tie. In a still stern, but gentle tone, you tell him that Wheezy will be just fine. 

“Ehhh and how do you know that?” He sneers, before continuing when you raise a brow at him because- how would you, the doctor, know if he’s going to be alright?? “Those maroons can’t stop laughin’ when they’re healthy! What if one of ‘em tells him a joke, and he’s too fucken weak to constrain himself!?”

“That’s not going to happen!”

“How doya figure?” He rolls his eyes, crossing his arm over his chest, refusing to look you in the face.

“The medical room’s a ‘No Greasy, Stupid or Psycho’ zone right now- and they know that.” They argued but they listen to you- partly because you used to be with the boss and partly because you can be pretty damn scary when you want to be. “I promise, Smarty, I’m gonna get Wheezy through this. And besides- its just the flu. As long as you guys all follow my rules- he’ll be out in a week, tops.”

“You guys… all???” Smartass asks, then, deeply sceptical at the idea that he has to follow any rules.

“Yes, you guys all.”

Giving a huph, the breath coming out in a big warm puff of white before dissipating into the air around you, Smartass’ shoulders finally relax a bit. “… I don’t need to follow rules, I’m the friggen boss here… “

You shake your head. “Not in my house.” In your house, you are the emperor. No exceptions. “Now, take a couple deep breaths. Then we’ll go back inside and get something warm to drink.”

“I don’t need to take- “One glare from you, and Smartass heaves a childish groan and takes a few great, careful breaths. “… there. Can we go back in now???”

Nodding, you gesture for him to head back towards the door. There’s still something tense about him, though- well, there’s always something tense about him. But this is different, so you take a deep breath of your own and when you’re both stepping into the stairwell inside the lobby, you slip your arm through the crook of his and when he turns to give you a funny look – something between surprise and irritation, - you give him a soft one right back. “… Wheezy really is going to be fine, Smartass. I’m going to take care of him.”

To the untrained eye, like literally anyone - human or cartoon, - glancing at the Toon Patrol, it would look as if Smartass dislikes his team. He yells at them and scowls at them and even throws them across the room sometimes- but you know better. He loves them. The bastard just doesn’t have a clue how to show it.

Under your touch and your gentle eyes Smartass practically melts, allowing himself to slip into the insecure form he’s always hiding by being a violent asshole as long as its just you and him alone in the stairwell together. He nods. “… thanks, Y/N.”

Stupid:

“Oof!” Is the sound you make just before you go down, clattering to the floor like deck of cards- the chair you tried to grab to stabilize yourself upending and the platter of drinks you were carrying spreading all over the floor. “Oh no… Ugh… “This is going to cost you… and your dumb boss is not going to be happy…

While you’re getting up and wiping your beer-covered arms on your work pants, you mentally tally up the bill you’re going to receive and give a groan, brushing yourself down. Its definitely more then a nights work.

Why do people have to order such expensive fucking drinks? Why do drinks have to be so fucking expensive? If people want to ruin their lives, just let them have at it, for all you care. It means you’ll get better shifts, at least…

You’re just kneeling down again with your platter, with your found under a table, to pick up the bigger pieces of shattered glass before you grab the broom and mop to clean up the rest of the mess, when you hear a scuffle coming rapidly towards you from behind. Oh, fuck, what is it!?-

Turning around to look over your shoulder, your eyes immediately lose the edge and go round seeing Stupid and some of his mates close behind. As soon as he gets to you he lifts you up off the floor like you’re just a sack of potatoes to him, a feeling you used to love when you were with the big guy and honestly still really enjoy, and sets you on a stool by the bar. His worried gaze, tongue caught adorably between his teeth and eyebrows furrowed seriously, takes you all in - from head to toe, - and you just feel warm inside. No one has ever cared about this beer wench like Stupid did- or does, apparently.

Why did you break up again?... Oh, yeah. And you should probably put a stop to this, before he gets any ideas. It was nice while it lasted, at least.

“Stu- “Carefully, more gently then you would touch any other man that grabbed you in this hell-place, you remove Stupid’s hands from your waist and return them to him; One folded over the other. “I’m fine. You don’t have to do this, just go back to your night. I have to clean this mess up- “

“You’re bleeding!” He insists, one of those hands you just escaped from coming back out just and gently and taking your hand in his and- oh, yeah. There is a cut in your palm. How’d you miss that?...

“Oh… well, its not that bad. I’ll deal with it after I get those big chunks of glass off the floor.” Taking your hand back, you attempt to hop off the stool and go back to work- but Stupid is not having any of your shit, tonight.

“No.” His voice is firm, and your jaw drops. Is this man seriously telling you what to do?? You?!??... Wheezy and Greasy, behind him, share a nervous look for their friend. They know you, or they know your type- and neither of them would dare mess with you like this… but you surprise everyone when you just slowly plonk your ass back on the stool instead of slapping him. Okay…

Your demure-ness surprises even you, though it shouldn’t. Stupid always managed to make the beast inside of you purr, that’s what you liked about him.

“… Wheezy, no smoking inside. Get the fuck out.” You still snap, though, not because there is actually a no-smoking rule - which there isn’t, -, but because you need retain some kind of control over the situation. Even so, though, you don’t take your attention away from Stupid as he lifts your hurt hand up to closely eyeball the damage. “Stu it’s really not that bad. I’ll just stick a bandage on the little bitch and go on… “

“I’ll do it for you. And then you have to sit for 10 whole minutes- that’s what the boss always tells me after I hit my head! We’ll play Go Fish, too! You like Go Fish!” The bright grin Stupid gives you then, along with the little knock he gives to his forehead, is just so adorable you don’t have the heart to explain to him that this is a totally different injury. You just let him move in closer to the bar beside you and loudly ask for a band aid.

After all… you do like Go Fish… when you play it with him…  

Stupid carefully covers your little cut with bandages a moment later, his tongue sticking out of his mouth once again in attentiveness as he wraps the material around and around your hand- not too tight, but not loose at all either. And you watch him carefully, the moment together somehow… quiet, and personal between just you two, even in the middle of a club on Friday night. You miss him.

“… there! All done!~ “ With a stern finger pointed to you but a sweet look on his face, Stupid then gives you careful instructions to take these off and change them or else you’ll get infection- Psycho told him all about infections one time and it traumatised him. He would not want that for you, he won’t allow it. “Now I’ll go find some cards! Stay sitting, and rest, okay?”

“Okay Stu… “You give a gentle smile, softer for him then for anyone. Even yourself.

He gives your sore hand a pat, leaving it resting on your lap before going off in search. You’re left with his dumb patrol, and make the mistake of looking at Smartass.

There is a terribly smug look on his face, the sharp grin positively stretching from ear to ear, and you roll your eyes at him as you look away. “Oh, shut your whore mouth, douche.”

Wheezy:

“Oh… Wheezy!”

“Y/N??”

As soon as the two of you meet up with eachother in the middle of the train, as you were just getting on and he was sitting in the back puffing away, its like no time at all has slipped by where the two of you weren’t in contact. Like the last 20 years didn’t happen. You phase into old habits- fast. Like falling down a rabbit hole.

You end up sitting together in the back, so he can smoke and the two of you can catch up. He takes some of your grocery bags in his lap so you aren’t crushed under them while you explain college, and you softly brush smoke ash off his shoulder while he tells you all about the morons he’s livin’ with, now. Neither of you even flinch at the affection. It just feels right.

“So, where’re you headed? What stop you gettin’ off at?” Wheezy asks, after you’re both done going over last Christmas. For 4 years when you were teenagers, you two were glued together at the hip- it was scares to see the two of you apart. So your mother ended up just assuming Wheezy would be there at Christmas dinner… she still makes the pudding he likes even though barely anyone else eats it.

“Oh, just home with these bags. It’s my off day- no work. You??”

“Ehh,” He gives a shrug, cold eyes glancing away from you but coming back quickly, like he can’t bring himself to look away from you for long now. “I’m just riding the rails. The boss doesn’t like me stinkin’ up the house too much so I have to get out and smoke- ‘nd the view’s better here then our ‘backyard’, trust me.”

“… People watching,” You assume, and he nods. “… Weirdest thing you’ve ever seen on here?”

A smirk flashes quickly across his face, a raspy chuckle escaping. “Definitely, the clowns. Every once and a while a clown boards, and he’s just comin’ back from a gig I guess, and it’s the damn saddest thing you’ve ever seen. Old grease paint sweating down his face, spotty coat tucked under his arm, damp spot on the front of his shirt… sometimes they curse. Funniest shit ever.”

You shake your head, but you’re grinning and he loves it. “You’re still so mean!”

“Hey, they’re clowns… they’re s’posed t’ make ya laugh.”

Rolling your eyes, you take a look out the window to see which station you’re approaching. When you realise which one it is, you let out a sigh. This was nice while it lasted, at least… Really nice. “Well… this is my stop, here.”

“… Want some help?” Wheezy asks, after a moment where you thought that you would have to say goodbye. He gestures to the bags in both your arms, asking if he can help you carry them home.

“I- “You so desperately want to say yes. “I mean, you don’t have to, if you don’t want to! - “

“I do.” Is all he says, getting to his feet and woah… you forgot how tall he is. Oh boy-

“Okay cool!- “ You get up too, and head for the door with Wheezy behind you as the train comes to a stop. Its much more sudden than you thought it would be and you trip- almost losing your footing entirely and going DOWN- In fact you would have, you would have fallen and smacked your head right on a seat, but Wheezy catches you. “… damn.”

Its as natural as breathing, being pressed up close to him. You turn around carefully as the train comes to a full stop. Your arms full of grocery bags, his bags held in one arm at his side and the other around your waist from where he caught you.

There’s a moment, a very loud moment - your heart beating in your ears, - between the two of you that feels all-too-private and all-too-nice… before another damn smirk spreads across Wheezy’s face. “Still clumsy as fuck, huh?”

“Okay,” You shake your head, pushing him away from you and leading the way to the door as it opens. The fresh-ish air outside cools down your face and you take a deep breath of it- even if it is subway-air. “Mr Cool man- that was the train’s fault!”

“Yeahh, right… “

[kruinka]

tell us more abt ur romfan au 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

omg than k u for enabling me so. this is what i want to draw

-isagi kicking ass (comically) -first meeting kaiser sae rin nagi -full body designs kaiser sae rin nagi isagi -shirayukimiya and the seven dwarves -individual kaiser sae rin nagi -kurona isagi hiori nanase besties REAL -kaiser backstory comic -sae pre angst -sae intimidating -crying rin -rin pre angst

but i feel like u are here for the kaiser lore instead so

sorry if nothing makes sense😭

in my silly little brain there is kaiser angst and his father is the pope (thanks mitzi) -kaiser but hes more fake and more bastard than canon the setting is divine power does not do well with magic ESPECIALLY in this nation bc it is a blessed land (real not clickbait) -the royal familys defining trait?? is golden hair that never fades and every 20 years someone with this golden blood will be blessed with stigmata -stigmata in this case means the deity of this land has chosen u to be the next ruler -so breaking news!! kaiser does not have stigmata he only has social stigma bc his mother was a naive witch that fell in love with the king -he still has the golden hair but its also "tainted" with blue from the bloodline of a witch so the hair colours are all natural babie🤩🤩🤩 -anyways his mom thought they would be fine if they just lived quietly in a corner of the palace but nope she dies lol -cue evil queen who does not like the concubine so she plots an assassination -michael kaiser, age 6, motherless -idk how to go deeper into explaining his backstory but i do have an image in my head that i feel like would be better if i drew it out instead -but ofc kaisers world view is now flipped -living quietly and hoping for peace doesnt work so he will live as if he were dead while plotting his grand murder spree -and also two years before the family die kill murder -one of his half siblings received a stigmata -but kaiser kills him anyways bc how would u keep ur faith when all ur life u have been mistreated by those who call themselves children of god -and then the stigmata appears on him and hes just 😟😟 -after claiming the throne he kicks out a bunch of ppl and starts establishing diplomatic connections with the magic tower (cue ness) -bc it is very obvious that its a good thing. to establish connections. but holy kingdom vatican city here doesnt do that bc they are held back by traditions and bias -so after that hes just known as a blasphemous child sitting on the throne -but theres a party of intellectuals and new nobles who support him so like kaisers not dead YET -stuff is messy, his bad rep spreads and rumours get twisted so now hes not only known as Tyrant Who Scammed God (partly real) -hes also somehow a Sadistic Villain That Hypnotizes You With Magic (also partly real)

now in the main story hes all 🤪😏😏but thats how he acts when there is something he wants (scammer mode) -deep down hes 😐😔😠emo irritated and thinks hes a bad person (he is a bad person) -he probably does feel guilty for killing his father and not being able to protect his mother -and like tries to convince himself that what he did was right but sometimes he thinks of his mother and wonders if this is what she wouldve wanted :/ -and sometimes he doubts his ability as a ruler bc his half sibling was the chosen one and not him -being compared to and discriminated throughout ur whole life does something to a man huh -so the insecurities and jealousy issues still apply🫶 -but he is actually quite capable bc what else would u do in ur free time other than study -if u were stuck in the palace and ur mom is dead and ur father is pathetic -i want kaisers character arc to be him actually having a proper meltdown now that his life is no longer Constantly In Danger -and at the end of the arc he finally feels happy to be here something something i havent thought of this part yet

ok so this is very long and its still just kaiser and idek if anything makes sense but i also have stuff for rin and sae and isagi going on in my head

idk if the old romfan rant i posted can still apply to the au thats in my head bc i changed some roles around

[viktorclawthorne]

Why I think the Garp, Koby, and Helmeppo side plot in opla is great - a silly little essay

This includes One Piece Live Action spoilers as well as a bit of Marineford

B4 we start: this is all just my opinion and thoughts I had while watching the live action.

I might've gotten some stuff wrong, or you may disagree with me. Also, English isn't my first language

I'm not expecting anyone to actually see this, I just need to write it down

Firstly, I find the choice of including Koby and Garp more early on very interesting, they did a great job showcasing the corruption within the Marines and also how toxic and even abusive Garp is (Helmeppo literally says so).

Koby is the first character we see be friends with Luffy, making us like and empathize with him. They go separate ways and after that, they parallel each other in many ways; Koby has a very strong sense of justice, just like Luffy, He wants to protect people, which Luffy is shown to do a lot. Other than Koby however, Luffy prioritizes his freedom, while Koby joins the Marines because he believes he can protect people that way.

They tell each other to “Be a good Pirate” and “Be a good Marine”, With their similarities Koby serves as a great tool to show throughout the season how corrupt the marines are, especially compared to the freedom of pirates like Luffy.

We meet Mihawk in the context of him getting a call from Garp, immediately showing the connection between Marines and Pirates. When this gets explained to Koby - and therefore also the viewer - he first realizes how corrupt the system of the Marines is. Helmeppo explains: “Warlords exist, so the marines don't have to do the dirty work”.

In Shells Town we’re led to believe that Helmeppo is “stupid and bad” and Koby is “smart and good” but later on we learn that Helmeppo was aware of how the marines work from the start and therefore wasn't enthusiastic about joining, his rank, or his duties like Koby was. When Koby finally learns the truth, he considers quitting, showing how far from his ideal of protecting citizens the navy is.

Garp literally says himself that as a marine, you operate in a cruel and unfair system and have to compromise your morals and ideals (which is why all marines are inherently immoral). He also states he could have been fleet admiral (aka highest-ranking marine) but turned it down bc he would “have to do it their way” and it would “take away his freedom” which shows his similarities to Luffy and Dragon. It is also bullshit bc he HAS to mostly do it their way, all Marines serve the world government / celestial dragons and not the people, which therefore means you cannot be free within the Marines.

In the Liveaction we see Garp let Luffy go, which is his idea of “doing things his way”, he seems to think by declining to be fleet admiral he keeps at least some degree of his autonomy; however, I personally think he is being ignorant, wanting to ignore how functioning in a corrupt system can never be moral, and you inherently lose your freedom.

Garp still believes the marines are necessary “to protect order” so he can't completely disagree with the system, clearly setting him apart from pirates like Luffy or Roger and the revolutionary army (who of course exist in contrast to the marines, showing and, well, rebelling against their cruelty).

Zeff points out the similarities between Luffy and Roger to Garp, who then mentions how Roger died, implying he’s just trying to protect Luffy. Garp seems to have a twisted view on protection; since he believes it is wrong as well as dangerous to be a pirate he physically abused Luffy from a young age, trying to stomp out his dream and make him follow in Garp's footsteps (same goes for Ace and somewhat Sabo of course).

This is also shown by how he acts in Marineford where he first tries to stop Luffy but then lets him through, isn't able to kill Ace, and has to be held back in order to not attack Akainu. Deep down, he seems to really care for those whom he considers Family, which clashes with his belief that Pirates are inherently immoral / bad.

I do believe his pursuit of Luffy throughout OPLA wasn't just him testing Luffy, as he states at the end. Garp gets really mad when he finds out Luffy has become a pirate, and still really wants to make him into a marine. The scene with Zeff would've also not been necessary, I think Garp really intends to protect Luffy (like Ace).

When he sees Luffy’s determination, however, he accepts that he can’t change him, showing that Luffy's strong will is more important to Garp than protecting him. This is also supported by the events in Marineford when Garp lets Luffy pass after seeing his resolve.

The moment Koby decides to stay in the Marines, he accepts that he’ll have to compromise his dream and agree to give up his original morals to some degree.

However, he’s still very similar to Luffy, and at this point also mirrors the “good” sides of Garp. He questions if they should really go after Luffy and stands up for his own beliefs when he gets the order to arrest the strawhats.

This way Koby (as well as Helmeppo, who does the same) showcases the corruption and unfairness of the marines because not like him the other marines present follow the irrational orders of their superior blindly.

Garp states at the end of OPLA that following orders doesn't make you a good marine, following your code does. He congratulates Koby and Helmeppo for standing up for what they believe is right, even when their orders said the contrary.

Concluding it’s safe to say that Garp, Koby, and even Helmeppo all show similarities to Luffy, they have strong beliefs, disagree with the way the marines are run and even go against their orders because of this. Showing these three as the side plot in OPLA drives the point Home how corrupt, immoral, and unfair the Marines are, and with the context of the world government and Celestial dragons, this gets even more weight.

[piratekane]

reading wrap-up

I didn't do a Reading Wrap-Up(TM) in February so maybe I'll do two months now. Here's the stuff I read between February 1 - March 31 and my brief and unsolicited feelings on them.

Summary: The queer was strong these two months. But like my brother days, squinting off into the distance: "Could be, hmmm. More."

February: A big book month. I had a vacation this month and read A Lot. I don't remember the days, just the page counts. Almost all my books were bangers this month though!

Top mentions in no particular order:

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi - umm, impeccable. A 5 star read. This book was masterful. The magic was clever and if you were doing some close reading, there was a special reward for you. There's a neat plot twist at the end I didn't see coming but just enhanced the story even further when I went back to read a little. Good character work, good pacing. My chief complaint: this is a trilogy series and it just came out. How will I wait?! 5/5 stars

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai (translated by Jesse Kirkwood) - this was an adorable story of a father and daughter detective agency that hunts for food. You tell them your favorite meal, what you remember is in it, the person who made it for you, and they hunt down the ingredients and make your dish for you, replicating it as best as they can. Each patron had emotional reasons for hunting down their favorite meals and it was all heartwarming. The food sounded delicious. This was such a great and cute read.

The Burning Kingdoms books by Tasha Suri (The Jasmine Throne and The Oleander Sword)- how did I not read this sooner?! Why did it take me so long?! Why did I read all 1000+ pages in two days? It was worth it. Truly. I am desperate for the third book because I need to know how this goes for Priya and Malini especially after- Well, never mind. After that. Please let it be November already. 5/5 stars

Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail by Ashley Herring Blake - again, here I am late to the party. But what a party. I fell in love with Astrid in Delilah Green Doesn't Care and was so excited to see her story continue. Astrid, you disaster, I am so glad you got your happy ending with a soft butch who is good with her hands. After that fucking man, you deserve the world. And you're so disgustingly in love. Love that for you, truly. Keep it up, girl. 4/5 stars

Queer rating: good. 13 out of 15 books were sapphic. Go me.

March: A small book month. I was so emotionally tapped this month that I spent a lot of nights doom-scrolling and making sure my dog was breathing instead of reading. April will be better!

Top mentions in no particular order:

Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood - this was just some great mythology stuff. I was so deep into this story that I looked up, realized 90% of the book had flown by, and I wasn't sure how the hell Underwood was going to wrap it up. But she did! And it was such a great ending! I mean, I was sad and elated and I think that's how you're supposed to leave a book when you love the characters and their journey is earned and realistic. It was also not too myth heavy, which I liked. Pesky curses, though. They'll fuck you right up. 4.5/5

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner - I love a good romcom to break up the heavy stuff. And I love adversaries-to-lovers. And I love watching soccer. So basically this was a great book to scratch those itches. Much smuttier than I thought it was going to be and I had to put it down once to be like, well they certainly did that, but overall I had a fun time reading this and my wife bought me Mistakes Were Made by Wilsner for another brain cleanser (maybe. I've heard *things*). 4/5

Queer rating: "Could be, hmmm. More." 2 out 7 books. Come on, self.

[wordscholar]

my favorite books of 2023!

(plus some runners-up that didn't make the cut)

hi all! due to consuming copious amounts of manga this year, i met over 150% of my reading goal in 2023, which i think is a record for me!! that said, i still read a TON of amazing non-manga books, and i wanted to share what they are and why i liked them so much :) here are my top 10, in no particular order:

stay true, by hua hsu: i actually "spoiled" this memoir for myself, in that i opened it randomly at a bookstore and by chance saw a line that revealed the central event of the book. that said—knowing what was going to happen made this book even better. hsu's writing is so conscious of itself and you can tell he never says anything he doesn't mean or anything he hasn't thought about time and time again. i don't even like memoirs! but this book broke my heart.

witch king, by martha wells: all my friends know i'm obsessed with witch king. this was my first martha wells book and i was absolutely enraptured from the word go. it was so fun and exciting and the characters did not overshadow the plot, which is a trend in books nowadays that often bothers me, and it also didn't feel contrived or almost silly the way bad fantasy can be. i read this book so fast it made me depressed when it was over. read witch king!!

goodbye, eastern europe, by jacob mikanowski: dedicated readers of this blog, who definitely exist (lol), will know i am from deep eastern europe. reading this book helped me understand the region more, especially on a more personal and less geopolitical level, but almost more than anything, it made me feel like i wasn't wrong for always feeling like my country has left no footprint on the world. mikanowski says that eastern europe doesn't lack for history, but rather it lacks for narratives that it can tell about itself, having been torn apart and conquered and frozen and thawed and put back together again over the course of more than 500 years. it's not just that no one remembers us—no one even knows what to call us.

mammoths at the gates, by nghi vo: i have loved the singing hills cycle since it first started coming out and this latest story was no exception (though nothing can beat empress of salt and fortune). i love the focus on the neixin (the little "twist" at the end was so funny and cute) and, as i've come to expect with nghi vo, she gives her "antagonists" such careful, dedicated treatment that they stop being antagonists and just start being other people. also, i've said it but it's worth saying again: i love chih!!

the dispossessed, by ursula k. le guin: several years ago i read all of earthsea, and then i read left hand of darkness, but it was only this year that i finally got to the dispossessed, and the wait was absolutely worth it. uklg has so many ideas to share about feminism, nationalism, linguistics, not to mention anarchy and capitalism. reading this book made me feel like even our ability to imagine utopia, the perfect, impossible nowhere-land, has been degraded by capitalism over the years. this book should be required reading.

an immense world, by ed yong: i am scientist and so i love to read about other sciences, especially plant and animal science, and immense world is the best journalistic foray into animal science an amateur could ask for. this book just does not stop hitting you over the head with completely crazy true stuff about the natural world, and to top it all off ed yong is funny and likable and a socially conscious person. do you want to know more about animals, even in passing? read this book.

all the horses of iceland, by sarah tolmie: i'm obsessed with novellas that carry 100 times their weight in meaning, and (like the singing hills cycle!) this is one of them. are you interested in medieval eurasia? nomadic peoples? witchcraft? global judaism? horses? the season of game of thrones where she lives with the dothraki??? all of the horses of iceland has all of these and more and it's slim as hell!!

lonely castle in the mirror, by mizuki tsujimura: this book is most immediately about how bullying can truly send a person's (and especially a child's) life off course, but it's also about living on in spite of that and especially making new friends and reconciling with old ones. while the middle portion of the book is a little slow (not boring, just slice-of-life-y), once i got to the final quarter or so, i was so enraptured i read it while walking home. it's also maybe, but also definitely not? about time travel.

the premonition, by yoshimoto banana: this book is short but it takes you to many places as the narrator comes to understand a secret about her family that had been kept from her for years. many uncomfortable things are discussed and even put into action, but at the end of the day this story is about loving other people and appreciating your life and knowing no one can control you but you. unrelated, but at one point they drink hot calpico, which is total madness.

city of bones, by martha wells: i finished this book on christmas eve and it made the list! on the surface it's about archaeology (and combat archaeology! that beloved 90s genre), which i love as someone with a degree in classics. but it's also about people who are hurt in different ways by the social systems we live under and how mutual aid can help. and also, toxic shock syndrome(?!).

quite a few runners-up:

ms. ice sandwich, by mieko kawakami: a really sweet novella about a kid who doesn't understand the woman he has a childhood crush on had a botched plastic surgery to "fix" her eyelids.

juniper and thorn, by ava reid: a fairly dark piece of magic realism about abuse and freedom. tasteful but not toothless sex scenes.

the king must die, by mary renault: what if when theseus was taken to crete, there were no monsters, only people?

the remains of the day, by kazuo ishiguro: it's never too late to tell someone you love them—or to not do that, if you're british.

the mask of mirrors, by m. a. carrick: an ambiguously slavic (not russian!) fantasy about conning your way to success, or maybe not that much success.

young mungo, by douglas stuart: a really horrifying book in the sense that horrifying things happen in the real world, every day. the conclusion of this book is about as horrifying as the inciting action, but it's a fucking triumph.

all systems red, by martha wells: imagine if every time you went outside you had to bring an antisocial bodyguard obsessed with general hospital.

the last unicorn, by peter s. beagle: many people have written much about this book, so all i'll say is that they're right. it's good.

a couple that weren't for me:

lapvona, by ottessa moshfegh: this book was very much a folk tale describing what happened when pagan communities ostensibly became christian—except no one in the book knew they were still pagan. great in concept, but in execution far too gross for me personally.

confessions of the fox, by jordy rosenberg: i can understand why lots of people love this book, but for me it was actually a bit boring. the commentary (literal and metaphorical) was fun to read, but the story-within-the-story didn't end up interesting me very much.

what lies in the woods, by kate alice marshall: this was a deeply average mystery novel, totally predictable but not unfun. i'd rather just read tana french though.

days at the morisaki bookshop, by satoshi yagisawa: the first half of this book is actually alright, as a young woman is convinced by her uncle that her ex cheating on her was actually a hugely shitty thing to do, but the second half transitions to a completely different story about the uncle's wife reappearing after many years that i didn't like at all.

the manga series i read (or read a lot of) this year:

skip and loafer, by misaki takamatsu: an awesome slice of life story about a girl who lives in the countryside moving to tokyo for high school. the story is split really well between the characters' personal aspirations and arcs and their interactions with each other, and as many have noted there is a prominent trans woman character who's really lovely.

inuyasha, by rumiko takahashi: i'm finally getting into this classic manga. i tried watching the anime first and found it was too hard to pay attention to for me, but being able to take the manga at my own pace has been super fun and i'm really enjoying it! i love miroku and sango. i think this is the first manga i've read from the 90s.

a sign of affection, by suu morishita: a love story about a deaf girl in college meeting her first boyfriend, who is hearing. some parts are pretty goofy, but overall i thought it was cute and i learned a lot about experiences you might have as a deaf person in japan.

in the clear moonlit dusk, by mika yamamori: a romance about a boyish-looking, suave high school girl who is caught off guard when a filthy rich, slightly delinquent upperclassman becomes obsessed with her. sounds disgusting? except then he starts talking about how he'd still be in love with her if she really were a boy and proceeds to respect all her boundaries at all times. chef kiss!

various BL by nagisa furuya (japanese editions): this author's single/double-volume BL manga are super cute, my favorite was definitely long period (childhood friends!) with hoshi dake ga shitteru being a close second.

ao haru ride, by io sakisaka: i had watched the anime of ao haru ride (which stops halfway through the manga) and so when i reached that point in the manga, i was expecting more similar stuff, not a genuinely stressful love square disaster. the first half is so cute and the second half is terrifying. proceed if you dare.

witch hat atelier, by kamome shirahama: i've continued keeping up with witch hat atelier this year, and i have to say i read the first few volumes so fast i've sort of forgotten what happened....but that won't stop me from being obsessed with qifrey and his whole situation. i love that coco and agott are getting more comfortable with each other these last few volumes!

[which-star]

What are your thoughts on Silk 2023 #4, especially in regards to Saya and Max? I am keeping this vague in case you haven’t read it yet.

I just read it! I didn't pick up this issue because I wasn't feeling the cover, and, boy, has this gone in a direction I wasn't expecting it to. Kim's Silk runs so far have been largely hindered by the fact that they're minis. She needed more time to flesh out the themes she wanted to tackle in Age of the Witch and similarly I think she needs more time for Nightmare Boulevard. But with what we got -- since Marvel isn't going to give any non-iconic/not-a-safe-bet character an ongoing at this point -- I think there were some interesting ideas floating around!

[Spoilers for Silk 2023 up to #4]

To quote myself like two months ago in a discord chat, Goo's intro to Saya was very fun and flirty but we still saw that hard streak under her: blowing up Kasha, leaving Silk behind, etc. I said back then that if Kim could establish a motive that made sense, we had a potentially more interesting villain. And that happened, didn't it?!

Saya's motive makes sense, and I think it's very compelling with the two pages we got! A last-ditch effort to please your dad who you thought was dead the whole time? Okay, so we're working with very normal family dynamics, I see. I think this is such an intriguing twist to what happens to Saya after the 2021 run, and I do think that Kim consistently has solid ideas that can flesh out characters really well from what I have read of her (Silk and Tiger Division - note that I say ideas only (relevant later)). But having that cause for Saya's obsession would've landed better without Max's dialogue. The switch from Saya working to please her father to Max sort of threw the vibe off for me, because his dialogue was so on the nose. I would've rather wallowed in Albert's feelings at being left behind, which was far more interesting and compelling to me.

Casting both siblings as parallels I really liked fundementally if not the execution! Considering (if I remember correctly) that Max is the older brother I was not expecting that at all. It's a good utilization of the 2021 run where Max was nowhere to be seen in Silvermane's account of Saya's childhood, since that hammers home how irrelevant he feels (not even mentioned in the flashback about his sister!). I wish we saw him actually be a big brother more, trying and failing to guide Saya and the culture differences from being brought up in different countries. I wish this run was longer so we could see Saya's breaking point in real-time along with the Moon sibs' dynamic being shaken up more.

Kim suffers from being limited to 5 issues, but I don't think the thought truly hit me till issue #4. Seeing Saya's motivation and Max's info-dumping really really opened up my eyes to what could've been and left me wanting more than we got. So far I've been enjoying with the dream sequences and Albert playing a bigger role, but this issue sorta threw everything off-kilter because it felt lazy, everything is just stated, and we're left the fill in the holes ourselves -- except there's too many holes and all I have is a bucket. The ideas are there, the thoughts are there, but not enacted upon whether it's because of lack of space (only 5 issues) or just on the nose writing.

Cindy is also not a character made for a mini, she's literally built on internal struggles and needs time to THINK pls and ty xoxo. God, everything would be golden if 2021 was a transitional 5 issue run and the stuff we got after that were all 12+ issue runs diving deep into Cindy's journalist investigations of the witch, thoughts on identity, and then Saya breaking under pressure and the dreamscapes. Because I really like all the runs' plots and attempted themes!! I'm more frustrated at what could've been, so sorry this ask turned into a critique/complaint-fest!! I think Emily Kim has a lot of good ideas, and I don't want to condemn her as a bad writer if it's management fucking her over. Plus, it's so early in her career and she's improved a lot already compared to last year's run, it's just that Marvel keeps doing minis and it's killing the fun of comics. Even seasoned comic writers are struggling with the minis, I've heard, so I'm inclined to believe it's corporate fault. I just wish she had the space or time (or something?) to make those thoughts truly great and not just ideas floating around untethered.

Side note: Cindy and her theme of trying to lowkey save all her villains is something I deeply enjoy and I hope it continues for the final issue and everything that comes after!