#I’m like a machine now I’m just drawing like crazy

[l0versneverdie]

Straight up jorking it at the club

[musaslullaby]

The night has only just begun

Max Verstappen x fem reader

Summary: Max becomes jealous when he sees you talking to another man.

Warning: NSFW, +18, you are responsible for what you read.

Masterlist

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I've always loved being around people. Parties, interviews, or simply going out to dinner were a way to clear my head from eternal melancholy.

The limousine sped through the empty streets of Monaco. The only lights visible through the tinted windows were those of the beautiful stars, shining independently in the sky. They’ve always inspired a sense of trust in me, and now, after years of hard work, I can happily consider myself one of them.

"Schatje, are you ready?" Max asked, placing his hand on my leg, covered by the expensive blue dress that sparkled under the moonlight.

"I'm always ready. Perhaps I should ask you if you are." My mischievous smile caused an adorable chuckle from Max, who gently stroked me before stepping out of the car. Like a true gentleman, he opened the door for me, and only at that moment did my eyes wander over his entire body, perfectly framed by a black tuxedo as dark as the night, which highlighted his light blue eyes.

He extended his hand toward me with an elegant gesture while a brilliant, sincere smile adorned his features. His expression was relaxed, genuinely happy, and it made me smile involuntarily. I loved seeing him so at ease, especially because it was rare—during races, he often showed his worst side.

I gently placed my hand in his, which was larger than mine. It felt reassuring as we walked down that red carpet; his presence was warm and calm, in stark contrast to the continuous flashes of the journalists' cameras blinding us. Even the sky seemed to hide its beloved stars from those equally bright machines.

When we entered the venue, the lights were dim, a soft murmur lingered in the background, and waiters constantly passed by with glasses of sparkling wine. Occasionally, you could notice a dark wooden table surrounded by Ferrari-red couches.

My eyes darted around, scanning every person, and they casually caught sight of blonde hair. In an instant, I left Max's side, diving into that ocean of important people, dressed like kings and queens. When I got close enough, I recognized that boy. I knew my eyes weren’t deceiving me. "If I’m not mistaken, this is the scent of…" I said, stopping, resting my hand on my chin as I pretended to think. "Ah yes, it’s the new Giorgio Armani fragrance?"

The boy turned to me with wide eyes. "I can’t believe it, Y/N, how long has it been!"

"Too long!" I whispered, laughing, as we hugged, fearing we’d lose each other again.

"So, how’s it going?" he asked, his bright smile so contagious that I felt a facial paralysis coming on.

"Everything’s fine, thanks," I replied kindly, my voice slightly sweetened.

I had no idea how much time had passed since we started talking, but the only thing I knew was that he hadn’t changed: he was still the same goofy boy as always, and in some ways, that was reassuring. As caught up as we were in the conversation, I completely ignored the phone going crazy with calls and messages. By then, my handbag was vibrating every three seconds.

A laugh erupted from the back of my throat; I loved his humor and jokes, but I didn’t even have time to reply before I felt a deadly grip on my wrist, being yanked from the conversation without realizing it.

"That's enough," Max whispered through clenched teeth, his jaw tight.

"Stop it!" I yelled, trying to resist, drawing the attention of those around us, who suddenly stopped talking. Couldn’t they mind their own business?

"Will you explain what’s wrong with you?" I asked, stumbling as he let go, shoving me violently against the bathroom wall.

"What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me?" His anger was evident; I could see it in his eyes, but beyond that, I saw something else… sadness? Melancholy? No, that wasn’t it. Something deeper, perhaps?

"I’m not the one who was eyeing another man," he continued, almost shouting, his voice filled with frustration and repressed feelings.

"What are you talking about? You know I only have eyes for you," I whispered, a slight sense of guilt starting to weigh on me, causing me to lower my gaze.

"Good, liefde, then prove it," he said, pressing his face against mine. I felt his warm breath brushing my lips and his mischievous grin. Ah, that’s what had been in his eyes earlier: lust.

With my cheeks flushed pink, I made the first move, throwing myself onto his slightly chapped lips. Max knew me too well; I would never back down from his provocations.

His hands gripped my hips in a firm hold, pulling me against his body. His teeth sank into my lips, asserting his dominance.

Involuntarily, I let out a sharp squeal, which earned an approving sound from Max. His kisses moved down to my exposed neck, biting and sucking the sensitive spots he knew all too well.

When he pulled away, I ran my hand over the purple and red marks he had left on me. A shiver of excitement shot down my spine as Max seductively licked his lips.

"Kneel," he ordered in a firm, authoritative voice, as he unbuttoned his pants.

With a subdued nod, I knelt before him, noticing the bulge in his pants. When I saw his member freed from its restraints in front of my face, I felt a sharp pang of pleasure deep in my core. Without hesitation, I took him into my mouth, swirling my tongue around him. I could hear his muffled grunts under my touch, and the heat he caused throughout my body was heavenly.

"Damn…" His hands found a grip in my hair, tugging to push deeper into his sex. My cheeks flushed red as he completely controlled the rhythm. Gag reflexes took over my body, feeling his member contract and the veins growing rigid. Suddenly, I noticed the pace increasing, although sloppier, and after two more thrusts, Max released himself into my throat.

"Swallow it all, I don’t want to see a drop," he whispered, pulling me up by my hair. His cheeks were flushed pink, and sweat dripped down his forehead.

He was incredibly sexy. With a seductive movement, I placed my hands on his chest, letting his expensive jacket fall to the ground. The white shirt clung to his body from the sweat, revealing his sculpted abs.

Max dropped the authoritative act for a moment, planting a sweet, wet kiss on my lips, tasting himself, before returning to the Max from before.

Without effort, he lifted me into his arms, playing with the edge of my panties, slightly pushing them aside, brushing against my swollen, already wet lips.

"You're already ready for me, schatje? Pathetic," he whispered with a mischievous laugh on my lips, and his closeness definitely wasn’t helping.

Quickly, he aligned himself with my entrance and penetrated me, our ragged breaths mingling together. I could feel every part of him inside me, every small movement and his overwhelming heat. He didn’t wait a second before hammering into me at an inhuman pace. I was sure my screams could be heard throughout the club.

He was consistent, hard, and fast. No second thoughts or hesitation, his movements were precise and sure. I buried my face in his neck while he grunted, throwing his head back in pleasure.

The tip of his member hit my g-spot, making me melt like cream in his hands. I could no longer think straight. A warmth crept into my lower abdomen, and with each thrust, it became more intense and taut until it finally snapped, accompanied by a scream carrying his name in a vulgarly melodious way.

"He would never make you scream the way I do," he said between grunts, pushing even deeper, losing energy as he went.

After a few more thrusts, he reached the height of pleasure and came inside me with a stifled groan, muffled by a kiss full of sweetness and lust, mixed in a perfect cocktail.

Sweat dripped down his face as he lovingly pressed his forehead against mine.

"I love you, schatje," he whispered against my lips in a soft voice, planting a few kisses on my face.

"I love you too, especially when you're jealous," I said with a playful smile, grazing his earlobe with my teeth, making him shiver at the contact.

"Ready for the next round?" he said with a mischievous smirk, running his fingers down my back, exposed by the low cut of my dress.

"The night has only just begun..." I whispered, laughing softly as I gently caressed his cheek, my heart beating faster knowing what awaited me.

[whoisneo404]

im so obsessed w sub!nick and enemies to lovers rn pls work your magic 🙏

Stupid and Idiot.

Summary: Nick decides to bother you at a party so you decide to shut him up :3

Tw: reader drinks a bit, NSFW. Degradation? Oral sex, eating out, belt used as collar. (idk, I went kinda crazy).

The music is loud on my hears, people dancing around me as I walk to the kitchen to get another drink. The kitchen was surprisingly empty, most people were dancing on the living room or making out on random bedrooms. I open the fridge and take out a bottle with vodka and some orange juice, when I turn around and place them on the kitchen counter, I see Nick standing on the door frame smiling at me, I roll my eyes, that guy can’t leave me alone.

‘’Great, the idiot is here. Do you like me that much you came running here just to see me?’’ I say while starting to make my drink.

‘’Don’t be so full of yourself, in your dreams I come running to you.’’ He walks slowly towards me.

‘’In my dreams you don’t exist.’’ I take a sip of the drink and it burns my throat; I pour a bit more vodka on it.

‘’Sure, I bet you dream about me every night.’’

‘’Yeah, you are the creepy guy of my nightmares, the one that never leaves me the fuck alone so I punch in the face.’’ I smile at him. ‘’How about that? would you like to make my nightmares true?’’ this time he is the one he rolls his eyes at me; I finish the glass in one go to get out of the kitchen as fast as I can.

‘’You want to fuck me so bad it makes you look stupid.’’ Nick laughs and starts walking outside of the kitchen but I grab him by the shirt and push him into the wall, his chest and face against the tiles, my chest against his back.

‘’You would like that, won’t you? You filthy bitch. You just love railing me up.’’ A soft moan is muffled by his lips, I can feel him shaking against me and I smile against his ear. ‘’That’s why you are so fucking annoying? You just wanted to get fucked?’’

‘’S-Shut up.’’ He moans out, his hips backing up to meet mine, drawing tiny circles against my bulge.

‘’God, you are so pathetic.’’ I bite his neck playfully. ‘’Laundry room. Now.’’ I turn around walking to the door close to the fridge, I feel Nicks hands on my lower back, pushing me inside the room. I hear the door closing and locking behind me. I turn around and lean into the washing machine, crossing my arms over my chest and spreading my legs a bit. Nick is locking at the door and taking deep breaths. ‘’What? Not so brave now. Is the idiot to shy to talk?’’

‘’I’m not an idiot, you stupid fuck.’’ He turns around, his cheeks are red and he is clearly hard. I smile and tilt my head. ‘’Stop smiling! God, you are so fucking stupid.’’ He takes a step; he is standing right in front of me. ‘’I hate you, you are entitled, egocentric, arrogant and narcissistic.’’ I raise an eyebrow.

‘’You done, sweety?’’ Nick doesn’t say anything, he just looks away from me and crosses his arms. ‘’I’ll take that as a yes, then.’’ I grab him by the hips, turn him around and press him against the washing machine. His hands grab my shoulders, his eyes are wide and I feel him punch my shoulder not too hard. ‘’I don’t like brats. I prefer them more submissive and willing, but I think it will be fun to convert you, don’t you think so?’’ I whisper against his ear, my voice lower on purpose. My hands slowly pushing his shit up a bit.

‘’See, egocentric as fuck.’’ He murmurs and I laugh. I press my lips against his, my knee pressing against his bulge, his hands wrapping around my neck and playing with my hair. One of my hands slide down his shirt and up to his chest, a soft pant escaping his lips, my fingers playing with his nipple, his hips rolling and humping against mine. ‘’Fuck you.’’ He moans when I squeeze his nipple.

‘’I will, darling. Don’t worry.’’ I undo his belt, taking it out and putting it around his neck.

‘’W-what are you doing?’’ he grabs my hands softly.

‘’Don’t tell me nobody has done this to you?’’ he doesn’t answer. ‘’Oh, I’m sorry baby. they haven’t been fucking you good enough. You will love this; I just know it.’’ I buckle the belt around his neck, with enough room for m to fit three fingers between the leather and his skin. ‘’See, now I can move you around however I want to.’’

‘’Entitled idiot.’’ He mumbles and pulls me into a kiss, it’s sloppy and rough. He bites my lips and I bite back, our hips rubbing against each other. One of my hands slides down his pants, rubbing at his clothed cock.

‘’Want me to fuck you? Tell me, tell me how bad you want it.’’ I growl and he shakes his head.

‘’No, fuck off.’’ I smile and squeeze him before backing off. My back touches the wall and I pull the belt making him trip against me.

‘’On your knees.’’ I push him down and he kneels in front of me. ‘’Go on, if you suck me good enough, I might consider fucking you.’’ He frowns at me but undoes my pants and takes out my dick, his mouth opens and takes all of it, his head moving up and down rapidly. ‘’Fuck, you are such a whore.’’ My hand pulls on the belt a bit making him gag, his saliva running down his chin, muffled moans dying on his throat. ‘’God, you love this, don’t you? Bratty bitch.’’ His tongue moves around my length with experience, his blue eyes looking up at me in the dark room, I let out a pant and grab him by the hair, his hands move up from the floor to my thighs, form my thighs to my stomach, massaging up and down. I start moving his head up and down, feeling myself getting closer I pull his head away and his tongue hangs out. ‘’Not yet, get up.’’ He whines but gets up. ‘’Turn around.’’ He turns around and I push him against the washing machine, his back against my chest, both of my arms caging him in. ‘’See? Not so hard to be obedient.’’

I push him gently into the cold metal, bending him, his back arching. I pull down his jeans and boxers, his bare skin touching the cold metal, he lets out whimpers and soft moans, his whole-body shivering. ‘’Fuck me already.’’ He demands.

‘’Baby, you had it in your mouth, you know it won’t be that easy.’’ I massage his hips softly, taking in the sight. I kneel down, kissing softly at his thighs, I feel him squirming, I bite here and there leaving red marks all over him. I kiss his entrance and leave tiny licks all over it, he moans loudly when I finally push my tongue in, his hips sticking out and moving against my face while I eat him out, his moans get louder and louder, I leave one last kiss on his cheek before standing up again.

‘’Wha-Why did you stop?’’ he whines and I roll my eyes, so needy.

‘’Shut up, suck my fingers if you wanna be fucked.’’ I shove two of my fingers on his mouth and he doesn’t complain, his tongue starts moving around them, getting them wet really was, after a few more lips I pull them out. My hand travels down to his already wet hole, the two of my fingers slide in easily, I pump them in and out as fast as I can, his back arching, loud whines and moans leave his mouth pleading for more. His hands grabbing my shirt and pulling at it, I grab his arms and hold them behind his back with my other hand.

‘’Faster! Please.’’ I laugh, curling my fingers a bit hitting the right spot, a breathy moan scape his lips. ‘’Fuck! Right there, please, more.’’ His legs are trembling and his hips are buckling back at my hand.

‘’You gonna cum?’’ he moans in response. ‘’Yeah? Ask nicely.’’

‘’Please, I’m close, please, please!’’

I lean in so my mouth is against his ear. ‘’Good fucking boy.’’ He lets out a loud moan, his hips trembling more, I stick my fingers out and spank his ass. ‘’God, I didn’t even touch your dick. So filthy.’’ His ass is wiggling, backing up against me. I stand up, letting go of his arms. ‘’Want more, sweety?’’ he moans softly. ‘’Words whore. Words.’’

‘’Yes, yes. Please, want you inside.’’ He rubs himself against my hard dick, moaning softly. I spank him again.

‘’Don’t move then.’’ He stops moving, I grab my cock and pump it softly, pre cum falling into his hole, I slap my dick against his ass and slide it. ‘’That’s it. Good slut, arch your back, come on.’’ He raises his hips a bit, his back arching prettily. I reach out and grab the belt, my hips moving slowly against his, I roll my hips and trust slowly, his whimpers loud and his body sensitive.

‘’More! faster, please, please.’’ I tug the belt a bit, moving my hips faster and deeper, knocking the wind off his lungs, he is panting and drooling all over. The washing machine smashing rhythmically against the wall.

‘’That’s it babyboy, moan as loud as you want, no one will hear you.’’ I grunt, his hips moving on circles, buckling against mine, practically fucking himself on my dick. Our moans are loud, his legs shaky, the room is filled with the wet noises and the slams of our bodies, the music entering from the cracks of the door. I feel him twitching around me. ‘’Not yet, hold it in for me. Hold it.’’ He whines and I slap his ass. ‘’Good boy.’’ I move my hips a bit slower, but deeper. ‘’Were do you want it, baby?’’

‘’Inside, want it inside. Please, I need it.’’

‘’Good whore.’’ I lean in, my face against his ear, grunting and whispering at his ear. ‘’Cum for me, cum again.’’

‘’Fuck, fuck, fuck!’’ Nicks face goes down against the cold metal, his legs trembling. He is whinnying because my hips haven’t stopped moving. My grip at his hips tightens and with a few trusts more I feel myself go inside of him, as I slowly pull out, I can see white drops come out of both of us.

‘’Shit.’’ I chuckle. ‘’God, all I had to do to shut you up was this. You should have told me sooner.’’

‘’Fuck off.’’ He pants, holding himself up with his elbows.

‘’You okay there, brat? Want me to clean you up?’’ I coo near his ear, my hands rubbing his lover back and hips. ‘’Just so you know, good boys get to be cleaned up by my tongue.’’ I kiss his cheek and I feel the warmth of his blushed skin against my lips.

--------------

I almost died 5 times while writing this.

[stories-and-chaos]

Shrike: The House Always…Loses? Pt 1

[Hazbin Hotel reader insert as Alastor’s “darling life and death partner” Ace x ace relationship, both parties are moderately sex favorable. This was supposed to be a one shot about how Husk sold his soul, but I couldn’t help myself.]

[Part 1/2 Word count 3142 CW: alcohol consumption, gambling, mentions of sex.]

——————

The house always…loses?!

The 1970’s. You could tell there was some crazy shit going on in the world of the living. Mostly because the new arrivals in Hell had some particularly messed up forms. Tom Trench, 666 News’ anchor, had ended every broadcast for the past three years in an orgy after reporting on the war on Earth as well as the local conflicts.

“Complete lack of class,” Alastor shook his head as the two of you passed a large television screen in one of Pentagram City’s plazas. It was tuned to Tom’s nightly sign off; the camera off kilter and focused on the desk at a bizarre angle. Evidently the camera operator was part of the group on top of the desk. You could hear Tom saying, “oh fuck yeah I’m gonna invade all your landmasses baby,” followed by “here comes the firebombiiiiiiiiingggguh.”

“Zut alors, he’s turned into such a disgrace.” You scowled. “He might as well just work for that uncouth moth bastard at this point.” As you described Valentino, your voice gained a rough edge and wind started to swirl around you.

Your husband gave your hand a soothing squeeze. “Now now dear, you’ll muss your hair before I even get you on the dance floor if you keep it up. Besides cher, we’ll likely encounter him and the fad chaser at this party. If we all give into our emotions we’re likely to level the whole place.”

You breathed deeply. “And I’d hate to demolish a new establishment before even giving it a chance. Zestial requested a few songs as well, I can’t ruin my voice before granting him that.”

The two of you were attending a gala of Overlords and favored subordinates. One of the newest Overlords was providing the venue at his casino. These sort of get togethers were uncommon as more than one of the Pride Ring’s leaders in the same place often resulted in considerable property damage. So this newcomer was either extremely confident or foolhardy. Typical of a gambler.

At the entrance, you and your husband gave each other a final check; you straightened his bowtie, he smoothed back an errant lock of hair for you. Inside the casino was bustling with activity. It was set up into quadrants, each designated by a card suit. One section had slot machines designed to drain money from the poor saps who fell prey to their lights and false hopes. Deeper in were tables for more sophisticated ways to lose money. An elegant bar and well stocked buffet with dining tables nearby took up another section. The last quadrant had a stage for performers, lounge chairs for audience members and a dance floor. There was currently a band playing something forgettable on stage.

There was activity mostly at the gaming tables and bar. Not many Overlords were interested in the machines, the stakes weren’t high enough to care. And while the band was good, there wasn’t a headliner on stage at the moment. Food, alcohol, and barbed conversation was a bigger draw.

“Alastor, Y/N. Good to see you both.” The voice was sultry and professional all around once. “Ah, Carmilla, always a pleasure seeing you dear. You and your daughters,” you husband replied to the graceful Overlord.

“It’s been too long, Carmilla. Odette, Clara, you both look lovely cheres.” You glanced around the opulent venue. “So was this little fais do do your idea Carmilla?”

The tall woman shrugged elegantly. “In part. The owner of this establishment wanted to garner some attention and I owed him a small favor. I merely arranged the guest list. He took care of the rest.” She gestured to one of the card tables. “He’s entertaining guests with games of chance if you’d like to meet him.”

Alastor looked to you, “Well my dear, shall we meet our newest contemporary or mingle first?”

You spotted a tall figure draped in tacky fuschia leering in your direction from the bar, along with a shorter boxy headed demon boring holes into Alastor’s back. “Looks as if there are some unsavories around the liquor. I’m always interested in making new acquaintances.”

Arm in arm, you and your husband headed to the tables, Carmilla and her girls with you. You looked at them questioningly. “Ostensibly, as the hostess, I should introduce guests to each other.”

A demon about your height was dominating at the blackjack table. He had feline features in addition to a set of wings. Whereas your wings mimicked a natural bird’s coloration, his were more fantastical, vibrantly red and black with bars and dots all over. His hair was elegantly slicked back and his crisp tuxedo completed the air of a high roller.

He spotted Carmilla and after he won the current hand excused himself from the table, saying “duty calls friends.” He tucked his cane under his arm; the body was gold and topped with a sphere containing suit symbols, dice, and chips rotating like an orrery within.

“Husk, I’d like you to meet some of our colleagues.” Carmilla began as he approached. “This is Alastor, the Radio Demon, and his wife Y/N, the Singing Shrike. Alastor, Y/N, this is Husk, proprietor of this establishment and our newest sovereign Overlord.”

Alastor released your hand to shake Husk’s. “A pleasure to meet you my good man, truly a pleasure.” You followed up with your own pleasantries adding, “A lovely venue you have here. If the food and drink are up to the decor we may need to come around again, cher.”

“Pleased to meet you both,” his voice was rough but not unwelcoming. More like someone who had smoked excessively for years. “I don’t do things by halves, so I’m sure the refreshments are up to snuff. You’re both welcome to try the tables as well, if you can buy into the pot.” He stated a number that was high, but not exclusionary. No doubt he wanted to hook his patrons to get more value later. “We’re not betting souls tonight, that’s business and tonight’s for pleasure.” He gave you both a toothy smile before heading back to the cards.

You mingled both with Alastor and on your own. Waiters weaved through pockets of activity, serving drinks and hors d'oeuvres. There wasn’t really a crowd, which was smart considering how many Overlords could barely stand to be under the same roof, much less rubbing elbows.

It was somewhat inevitable though. A couple of hotheads, one you recognized and one you didn’t, started bickering, then yelling, then throwing punches. Any longer and they might have started bringing out some powers. Except they were stopped by a barrage of black playing cards. Off balance, they were crashed to the ground when a pair of giant dice rolled snake eyes onto them. Pinned, the two could only wait as Husk stalked over, the top of his cane glowing red.

“Didn’t your mamas ever teach you dumbasses any manners?” He slammed the butt of his cane down between their heads, sending a ripple of power out. “This is my house, my rules, so I’m going to teach you instead.” His gold pupils shined as he grinned down at them. “You wanna fight? You take it outside or I make you. You wanna settle things in here? We got plenty of ways to settle matters at the tables. Now what’s it gonna be bitches?” The two remained silent and continued to glare at each other. “Outside it is.”

The dice vanished but before the hapless combatants could do more than gasp a wave of poker chips carried them out the door with bone breaking force. Husk followed the wave calmly. From the other side, you could hear thuds, explosions, and screams. It only lasted a moment. Husk returned alone. One of the casino employees brought a new tuxedo jacket; there was dust and a bit of blood on the one he was wearing. He combed his hair back and returned to the game he’d been playing.

You sipped your whiskey, amused. Confidence it was then. “It seems our new friend can hold his own,” Alastor mused as he smoothly came up beside you. He held out a morsel of food for you, speared on a tiny skewer. “These are delightful, cher.” You pulled it off with your teeth. Shrimp in a spiced breading. “Mmm, that is lovely darling, thank you. And yes, he seems quite capable…for now.”

Anything else you would have said was derailed by a tall dark form appearing next to you and your husband. “If the two of thee have formed such an opinion of yon grimalkin, his potential is indeed of note.”

“My lord Zestial!” A light shiver sent your feathers rustling but that was expected around a demon as old and powerful as Zestial. Even Alastor tensed, a bit of strain around his lips and eyes. You curtsied as Alastor gave a slight bow. “You are as perceptive as ever. He has a great deal of power and potential. If his luck continues…”

Zestial chuckled. “Thou speaketh truth Shrike. One must make thine own luck. But ‘tis far too pleasant an occasion for such musings. Will thou grace the assemblage with thy voice tonight Shrike?”

“Of course cher!” As if you’d say no. Not to such a simple request from someone like Zestial. “I don’t suppose you have any requests? Or if there’s anything you’d like to hear darling?” you asked your husband.

Zestial shook his head. “Thy voice is a gift alone, I shall not presume to dictate its flow.”

“Hmm, I’m afraid I can’t help but dictate a little ma cher. Rosie requested a dance, so something she would enjoy?”

“I’d be glad to.” Alastor kissed your hand before seeing you off. You let Carmilla and Husk both know that you were ready to take the stage; you’d arranged everything ahead of time so the band was ready for you. Spotlights highlighted your mark as the lights dimmed slightly in the rest of the casino.

There was still a tremor of nervousness in your core as you took the stage. You were glad of it; if you didn’t feel nervous, you didn’t care about the performance or the audience. So you let it fuel the passion in your voice. You started with something that would grab attention, tap some toes. The big numbers would come later. For now you wanted them to listen to you more than the alcohol roaring in their skulls.

Once you had a gathering and you could feel the upbeat vibe in the room, you went into some dance numbers. The first one was for Alastor and Rosie. Seeing those two dancing together made your heart soar. Some might have expected you to be jealous, another woman dancing with your husband right in front of you. But how could you be jealous of your partner and your friend being so joyful together?

Not to mention that after your deaths, Alastor had gotten taller while you…embarrassingly you were the same height. He could still escort you comfortably but there were some dance moves that you couldn’t do together. Rosie was the perfect height, light on her feet, and a delight to watch in her own right. Why deny her and Alastor the pleasure? Or yourself the pleasure of watching.

You sang a mix of eras, which kept the band on their toes. But you loved music from different times and hearing what you could do with various songs. Alastor and Rosie danced for most of the songs, you could see Carmilla’s daughters find partners, and Zestial with his eyes closed, head bobbing to the music. Not even glimpses of Valentino and Vox could spoil the mood.

As people got tired, you slowed things down. There was more swaying on the dance floor now; there weren’t a lot of overt couples among Overlords (at least not established permanent ones) but there were many that shared intimacy for a time. Some had followers they were particularly close to and the rest of their followers often had a special someone. So there were plenty of pairs swaying to your voice.

Your last song of the night was Alastor’s song. It was your routine to finish with that one; carried over from when you were alive. Any demons that had seen you perform before knew it was your finale and worth paying attention to. The applause after the last note felt like champagne bubbling in your glass: delightful. You had a policy of not taking encores or requests after Alastor’s song, no matter how much anyone offered.

Alastor was there as you descended, hand ready for you. “As ever, you make me glad you married me, cher. Shall we get something to eat, I’m starved.” He knew you were likely to be as well, you tended to be ravenous after a performance.

To your surprise, there was clapping still near you; Husk, pulled away from the gaming tables. “I haven’t heard a performance like that in years. I’ve got a proposition for you, Y/N. Can I have some of your time after your meal?”

You and Alastor exchanged a glance. “Why not join us? As you said, it’s a night for pleasure, so presumably it’s not too serious,” you said as Alastor nestled your hand in his arm.

“If you’re both alright with that, don’t mind if I do.” You took a seat at an empty table while Alastor prepared a plate for you. You didn’t always let him, but you had put a lot into that performance, with so many people to impress. Fortunately, neither he nor Husk took long. Vox was starting to eye you from across the room. You would have hated to get wires and grease all over Husk’s new floor.

Alastor presented your plate as smoothly as any waiter, earning a throaty chuckle from you. There were more of those lovely shrimp, prime rib, salad, a baked potato and a slice of peach pie. You ate like a bird, which meant voraciously. You had to eat close to half your body weight in a day, much like the little bird you resembled. Fortunately you weren’t a pure carnivore and the peach pie was wonderfully nostalgic.

“Well, cher,” you said while stabbing a forkful of greens, “what’s this proposition?”

Husk swallowed, wiped his lips, and leveled a golden stare at you and Alastor. “I’d like to hire you of course,” he replied, expectedly. “I don’t have a headliner here yet and watching you made me realize how much this place needs one.” He sipped his wine. “So what do you say to a couple shows a week? I’ll give top billing to an Overlord, especially with pipes like yours.”

You smirked and raised your glass in admiration. Most assumed that Alastor was the only one with power in your relationship. Despite there being multiple female Overlords, once they found out you were married they acted as if you were little more than your husband’s hanger-on. While that granted you a number of opportunities (and demons chained to you with deals) you appreciated any that had a better grasp on your marital dynamic.

“What kind of compensation are we looking at? I don’t sing for free, cher.” Not even tonight had been free; Carmilla had paid your rate. There was one being in all existence that got to hear you for free.

Husk immediately named a figure. A gambler he might be, but he was a businessman too. He gave a number higher than your usual fee. Not high enough to make him seem desperate, but enough that he respected your talent and to entice from other engagements. “Obviously any tips are yours and you both will get perks of casino employees.” Evidently he noticed your shared enjoyment of the food and drink and wanted to sweeten the deal by including Alastor.

You pretended to mull it over while chewing your prime rib. “Quite the generous offer, ma petite chat. Why not, say three nights a week?” Husk readily agreed verbally. Neither of you moved to shake hands or sign papers; you could never be too careful with Overlords, especially when you were one.

The three of you chatted lightly as you ate. Alastor and you had experience with the old guard while Husk knew a lot of the young bucks. Neither side was about to give away more than the minimum information, but you got the impression he could be a decent ally.

Or pawn.

After the meal Husk asked you for a dance. You readily agreed, looking forward to seeing how he was on his feet. Not to mention a dance partner your size would be a nice change. He wasn’t as good as Alastor (who was?) but he was quite good. He seemed surprised by a couple maneuvers that incorporated your wings, evidently he hadn’t experimented much with his.

He actually got three songs with you before thanking you and heading back to the card tables. You were just feeling warmed up and went to retrieve your husband. Only to be intercepted by none other than Vox.

“Hey there sweetheart. How about you let me show you moves?” He gave you a grin and moved to take your hand in his.

You raked him up and down with your eyes. “Oh Vox, I’ve seen all your moves. They’re not impressive.” You pinched his wandering hand between two of your talons, making sure to draw pinpricks of blood before releasing him. “Allons’y cher, best you find a partner who can slow down for you.” Alastor had arrived at your side and added, “My darling wife makes an excellent point, although I’m not sure there’s anyone who can. Better luck next time ol’ pal!”

Without further ado he swept you onto the dance floor. He gleefully kept you dancing the majority of the night. You changed up partners a couple times, him with Rosie and you with Husk. At the end of the last song of the night, a slow dance, he lifted you into a bridal carry. Your wings cupped around his shoulders as he swayed with you.

Back at home, he and you exchanged notes on the evening while going through your nightly routines. “Cher, are you certain you don’t want me to deal with Vox?” he offered yet again.

“I can handle him darling. It seems I’ll need to be more direct however. More importantly, what do you think of my new employer?”

“Hmm.” His staticky hum filled the room as he climbed under the bedcovers. “An interesting fellow, we’ll need to see how he does. And you being there so often will give us plenty of opportunities,” he chuckled darkly.

You matched his laugh. As you settled next to his lean form you replied, “Agreed. This should be entertaining.”

A/N: part two may take a couple days, I’m finding pre-deal Husk’s voice hard to pin down. I hope you all like my head canon for his stronger abilities. Also, let me know if you’d like to be tagged for future Shrike snippets, she’s just fun to write. 💜🤍🩶🖤

@edgyboi10000 @clearly-awkward @badatpunz @deafsignifcantother @whitewolfsoldat @ch3sire-blu3 @bengewatch

[signed-sapphire]

Okayyyy rewatched Wish

Here are my notes

Valentino wasn’t as annoying as people say. Sure, he did nothing for the plot and could’ve been removed entirely, but he didn’t make near as many butt jokes as people say he did

The lead-ins for all the songs were great. Certain media (Hazbin, for example) just jump into the songs

Magnifico??? Didn’t touch the pages??? So why would he be corrupted? Why does Amaya know of obsidian oil? Don’t you just skim the pages to release the evil?

Dahlia was amazing

“At the very least break the hold it has on him” Amaya? Didn’t you found this kingdom with thin? Wouldn’t you know?

Also Amaya was very sidelined. Where’s her backstory?

Asha’s magic wand mishaps were… corny at best

Why did they make Dario high all the time? He’s not stupid. I feel like they made him try to be like Fred from Big Hero 6 but failed

“Nine zillyboo, twenty alphabet!” Val, buddy. No.

DAHLIA. MATE. TRUE LOVE’S KISS CAN BRUNG HIM BACK I swear, it feels like the directors were switched

The spider-carriage thing. I feel like that could’ve been a Disney reference instead

Gabo was still my favorite out of the teens. Bazeema was sweet too

Also. Halzeema moments were actually in canon.

Sabino did not act 100 at all.

Crushing wishes did nothing to people except make them sad for .2 seconds

Asha’s drawing, her magic wand, none of that was important to the actual plot

I feel like the horses could’ve been Disney references too

Why did the roof open? That was never explained

Mag’s hair needed to be messier. Evil Magnifico? Crazy hair

How did he hear them from all the way down there

Mag’s really out there beating up a minor

The curse rope green things were not scary at all

Was Simon just in the forest the entire time?

The Magnifico getting sucked inside his staff… I feel that could’ve been a play to Dr. Facilier somehow

The stars raining down were beautiful

Was Star’s nose tap a reference to something?

The people’s talking… idk how I felt about that

WE 👏 SHOULD’VE 👏 SEEN 👏 SAKINA’S 👏 WISH

Another half-assed apology. First Namaari, now you. At least Simon’s was an actual apology. Wait. More of it goes on.

Ok his apology isn’t too bad

How did the staff get all the way down there?

Changed my opinion, Amaya deserved to tell Mag off

Did Mag’s curse break once he was in the mirror? Why did he act sad all of a sudden?

I’ve heard Asha’s movements weren’t finalized until later, but her movements seem pretty fluent

Clumsy and energetic, sure, but besides from the mouth drooping part, she wasn’t that quirky

Which. Could be a bad thing. She didn’t really have much of a personality

I like the Peter Pan building a flying machine idea

Zootopia ref

DARIO. SHUT UP

Why does everyone suddenly understand Star

But off-topic they were so cute

“It” I guess

Why refer to Star as an it

“They” was too woke for the Disney execs? Why, you had a one-second offhand comment about a water cousin who’s nonbinary!

That Cinderella-reference thing… wasn’t slow enough to be a dress transformation. So I’m fine with her not having a different dress. I mean obviously I would’ve loved it but idk

SHOW DON’T TELL, DISNEY

STOP TELLING

“I understand you well enough” I DON’T! HOW ARE THEY TELLING YOU

Some of Valentino’s jokes were funny. Sue me

I liked the Tinkerbell and Mikey Mouse reference at the end

The storybook was a nice callback

The credits should’ve been moving. Also CHOOSE BAYMAX TO REPRESENT BIG HERO 6. WHY HAVE VILLAINS LIKE MALEFICENT THERE

Overall. Not as bad as people are making it out to be. But definitely not worthy to be Disney’s 100

I’d say… 7/10. The backgrounds did look watercolor, but the shading seemed off in places. Especially Sakina. There was major improvement to be done, but with the hell the execs were giving (and the proven creativity of the concept art) I feel this movie is getting too much hate. Critiques and criticism are fine. But don’t blame the writers for getting rid of Starboy. Yes, it could’ve been better. But it’s Disney. And the creators tried their best to pour their love into a movie that they didn’t have a full say in.

[ghosts-and-glory]

Master post / bio n whatnot It’s kinda a wip for now.

Call me Malachi

They/Them/He | Aromantic & Queer | 21 | Canadian

My Carrd

The Disease Machine Master Post

Bottlenecked Master Post

COTL No Devotion AU Master Post

I do art and writing. Mostly for comics and animation about sci-fi and horror. I have crazy pipe dreams.

Commissions: Soft open. My commission page and prices are a wip, dm if interested.

Dms and asks are open. Please send me asks I love them <3

PROSHIP AND TCEST DNI. I will block you, I will not debate on this.

I’m the art director on the fan made rise project, feel free to ask me questions. Just keep in mind I’m one person on a big team and this is my blog not the project’s.

FAQ AND MY OTHER SOCIALS ARE UNDER THE CUT

Follow my other accounts

@demons-and-diatribe

On other socials

Instagram main: ghosts_and_glory

Instagram side: demons_and_diatribe

TikTok: ghosts_and_glory

AO3: ghosts_and_glory

I do horror. This includes surrealism, unreality and gore. I believe that a main pillar of good horror is consent, I try and tag and hide anything that may be upsetting, please let me know if something accidentally gets through.

I have ocd. This means I never post cognito hazards like reblog for good/bad luck, even if the original is a joke. At worst I may mention one in reference to media but it will be tagged.

I don't interact with people under 16. I may reblog or leave comments but I won't take dms or any other remotely long term communication. This is for both of our safety.

FAQ

What programs do you use?

Usually Photoshop. I animate in Adobe animate and 3D models are done in blendr. I draw on a Wacom Cintiq 22” her name is Gertrude after Gertrude Robinson. I edit video with Capcut and audio with Audition.

Can I use your art for a wallpaper or pfp?

Yes, I ask you don't remove my watermark or claim it as your own.

Can I repost your art?

God please no. A, even with credit, it creates a barrier between myself and my art and B I don't want people to be confused on what is my own post or account. The only acceptation is transformative works like edits or comic dubs. But I ask again, don't remove my watermark, provide credit and only use fanart, not my ocs or work I did for others.

How long have you been on Tumblr?

Since like 2016? 2017? Idk a while. I use it like a idiot and like never posted or reblogged anything so that’s why my account is kinda empty. I go through phases of like scrolling it everyday and not touching it for months. I’m bad at social media.

How long have you been drawing for?

Got into it when I was 12 in 2016. Before that I was more into writing and I only started drawing because I wanted to draw my characters.

What is the best way to contact you?

Discord. I check my dms there most often. Other than that Instagram also works, I might ignore you on Tumblr on accident because my inbox is a mess.

Can I join the Rise Project?

For now we don’t have any team openings but you can join our discord. That’s the best place to get up to date news.

[brigoesrahhh]

"Main Attraction"

Jonathan Ohnn / The Spot x f!Reader.

Part one, Part two, Part three.

1.8k words.

Summary: While Jonathan showed you around the science lab, you were busy thinking about other things. One thing leads to another… and suddenly you're making out.

After walking around the lab for around an hour, you were starting to get a little tired. You didn't typically do this much walking at your sit-down office job, but it was nice to have a change of scenery.

A lot has changed for you recently. It was almost becoming a pattern with Jonathan.

Like the way he would stand closer to you when you strayed a little too far from him, adoring the sight of you fascinated by a model of his work. You were so interested and intrigued by the nerdy science shit he thought would bore you. But there you stood, staring at a diorama of the collider and trying to figure out which pieces represented what.

It was all so different.

After watching you take in the small model, he was curious to see your reaction to the real thing.

He walked you over to an open hallway, displaying the super-collider blocked off with a glass barrier.

“So this is the main attraction: Kingpin’s super-collider.” He sighs at the brief mention of his boss. “It’s pretty top secret, so I’m not allowed to tell you much, but essentially, you can bring stuff from other multiverses through it. It’s pretty crazy,” he chuckles in a bit of his own disbelief. “I just run experiments to see how the machine’s working and test out what it can do. Pretty cool, huh?” He looks over at you, trying to gauge your reaction.

So this is why he was so stressed. And rightfully so, because wow — you never would’ve guessed that this is what all of the plans at Alchemax were based on. Your lips were slightly parted, visibly showing your surprise at the capabilities of the new technology. He laughed softly as you tried to wrap your mind around it. While you were distracted, he slipped an arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer to him.

You happily obliged, leaning your head on his shoulder and staring over the high-security glass at the large, laser looking machine. You could feel him heat up a bit at the contact, and he now entertained himself by drawing patterns on your arm with his thumb.

You put your hands in your pocket and fiddled with the metal keycard under the fabric, while you tried to imagine what his life was like. You pictured what he looked like and how he acted when he was happy, stressed, or even sad. The image of him working endless nights, the image of him accidentally falling asleep in his chair holding a cold, half-empty cup of coffee.

He lightly squeezed your shoulder, bringing your attention back to him. You turn to look at him, and he's… content. Though maybe a little worried that he shared too much information with you, as your face becomes more strung and deep in thought.

While he thought you were thinking about the science, you were thinking about the scientist behind it. Now it was your turn to crush on him.

His face had a warm glow that you couldn't help but feel giddy about. You first noticed this aura of his when he first sat down at your table at the cafe just a few days ago. Then again, when he wandered into your office like a lost puppy, looking for its owner. He sought you out, time and time again. And now you have this keycard, leading straight to him—

"Y/n? Are you alright?" He worries, turning to face you more directly and get a better read on your expression.

You nod your head silently, trying to decide what to do.

He laughs a little nervously, worried that he confused you too much. "Im sorry, I know I'm just dumping a lot of stuff on you-"

You weren’t sure how he would react, but...

"Can I kiss you?" you ask quietly.

His jaw comically dropped, and his face went blank, turning bright pink.

"I uhm- Yes. Yes, please." He laughs sheepishly, turning his body to face you.

You smiled at him a little nervously, taking a deep breath before meeting his lips. You placed your hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat out of his chest.

It was a short kiss, but the unbelievable look on Jonathan's face made you giggle. He pulled you closer to him, shyly wrapping his arm around yours and cuddling himself into your side. You took it that he wasn't used to these types of situations, so you removed your arm from his and pulled in his waist instead, which he seemed to appreciate.

You admired his flushed face as he looked out through the glass barrier at the massive collider. He seemed to drift away from the present, with a tiny smile never leaving his face.

After a few peaceful moments, he turned to you again, watching you smile at him. He giggled sheepishly, not realizing that you had been looking at him. He stared at you for a second before leaning into you again, pressing his lips against yours in a soft and gentle embrace.

You kissed back with a bit more fervor, wanting to show him the small extra bit of love that he was too scared to initiate. He accepted this quickly and matched your pace, running his tongue across yours briefly. It was a sweet moment, overcoming both of your minds and connecting you together. He searched for your hands and intertwined them with his, occasionally mumbling sweet compliments that you couldn't quite understand through his kisses.

"So pretty... mm... knew it when I first saw you... in the office..." he mumbles, breathing a little heavier and marking your face as his own as he planted small kisses all over your plush cheeks and lips. You blushed softly at his sweetness, and he took it as an opportunity to kiss you properly once more.

While he was busy decorating your face with kisses, he hadn't heard the soft click of the keycard reader being scanned, followed by an unlocked door. It was only when he heard footsteps that he froze, his head whipping around in the direction of the sounds.

"Shit," he murmured, throwing himself up on his feet and putting his hands on either side of your waist.

Your head tilted up to look at him, surprised at the urgency.

"John?" you questioned, standing up at his encouraging hands pulling you up next to him. "What's going on?"

The nickname warmed his heart, but he tried to stay focused as his heartbeat quickened at the interruption. "You're not supposed to be here... I uh- forged the keycard for you." He admitted, still pulling you by your waist around the lab, looking for a place to... hide you? "It's kinda forbidden for any workers to enter this lab…"

"What? Should I go now?" You ask, now processing the situation.

"No, no- shh..." He whispers, holding you close and scurrying away from the collider viewpoint, to behind a lab table. He crouched down, and you followed him, sitting together in the cramped hiding space.

He looked at you briefly, waving a hand for you to stay down. He peeked over the end of the table, watching as his coworker, Olivia Octavius turned the corner.

"What's happening?" You whisper to him, not being able to see her walk around the lab tables, briefly stopping to log into her computer. He held his hand over your mouth, looking into your eyes with a seriousness you'd never seen him show before. You immediately silenced when his eyes met yours, and you felt your heart skip a beat with the look in his eyes. His head quickly whipped around when he heard her hum a soft tune, and he figured that she was probably distracted enough now for you two to move to a safer place to hide.

"Follow me," he quietly instructed, grabbing your hand and slowly pulling you both up on your feet, giving you the signal to start slowly walking towards his new hiding spot.

The bathroom.

It would have to do for now, you suppose.

You followed him with sneaky steps, quietly moving towards the doors. Since he was a scientist, you figured Jonathan was good at making such calculated decisions, and so you trusted him that he had a plan.

He snuck around the corner he was eyeing, which was a direct path to the bathroom. The only problem? Octavius' computer was also in direct sight of the doorway.

Jonathan took a moment to figure out the best steps to take, mouthing his instructions to himself. You found this quirk of his quite cute, but let him continue to think without interrupting him.

"Alright, come." He whispered softly to you without turning around to face you. You followed him, quickly stepping over to the bathroom and walking into the dark room without turning on the lights to alert her.

As you entered the bathroom, you could hear Octavius typing away on her computer, oblivious to your presence in the lab. The darkness provided some cover, but you couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement mixed with anxiety as you tiptoed your way into the bathroom.

You carefully closed the door behind you to minimize any noise. The faint glow from the hallway provided just enough visibility for you to avoid tripping on any tiles.

"Phew-" he exhaled with relief, taking the chance to catch his breath. The trip wasn't physically taxing, but he was so worried that he was going to be separated from you that he tired himself out.

"Who is she?" You ask curiously, tilting your head in question.

"Oh, that's the other scientist working on the collider, Olivia Octavius. She's a, uh… an interesting character." He states, laughing softly. He seemed somewhat fond of her, but didn't want to tap into it that much.

"Should I be worried about her?" You ask, your voice laced with an underlying concern.

"No, no, she's not that scary. I'd just rather not get caught sneaking someone around, you know?" He answers, a little embarrassed. You laugh softly at his awkward reaction, and pull him in by the waist. He becomes flustered at the gesture, and lands on top of you.

He blushes at the close contact, and you pull him in closer. He squirms under your secure hold, tightly pressing his chest against yours. You crash your lips onto his, finally giving him the kiss you had been waiting to continue.

"Mmph!-" He moans at the sudden contact of your lips, taking a few seconds to register what was happening before kissing back.

He let out a few more soft sounds as you made out, slowly unwinding and getting lost in your arms. As the intensity of the kiss grows, you can feel the tension and anticipation between you both. The world around you fades away, leaving only the two of you locked in this passionate embrace.

After all, the main attraction hadn’t been the collider. It was Jonathan Ohnn.

—

☆ --- taglist: @penguiqueen-blog , @cochayuyo-wapo , @average-lettuce-enjoyer , @generalkenobi36

[spacelesscowboy]

close! i am actually the deep embarrassment of walking past a group of middle schoolers with a shopping cart full of freshly folded laundry. i am thursday mornings spent waiting to go home. i am dry hands and dry teeth and warm clothes that make my teeth rattle in my skull. i am the shame of being poor and the pride of doing what i can with what i have anyways. i am an empty space full of people who will never stay. i am the sunlight filtering through the clouds of smoke from the men who congregate outside to gossip. i am the decoy security cameras AND the real security cameras that were only installed a few years ago.

i do insist on using change though, you were right on the money with that one. and also i am frustration and anger and also horror at realizing the big machines are now $9 instead of the $4.50 they used to be.

if i was a place. i would be a laundromat.

[d0zuki]

hi~ can i req tsundere fuuta , john x s/o fem!reader who really loves to tease and make them blush. such as put their hands traps them against the wall , pat & kiss their foreheads . HAH ( i’m cruel uwu )

MILGRAM—"Love recognizes no barriers."

➵Summary:tsundere Fuuta,John x tease fem!reader

➵Warning:none

➵A/N:you indeed are cruel anon, I was finishing the previous request of yours and you drop this bomb, honestly thank god I can just copy and paste it or else I would become a Kazui wife kinnie

⎯ 〈Fuuta〉

Why,why,why,why is what Fuuta keeps repeating to himself, knowing he literally got a personal killing machine, and not against people against himself! He probably got teased by his friends about how he has a girlfriend that teases him until she wants to stop, is it a lie? No, It's not you quite literally enjoying teasing him plus his reactions are the cutest, even though he calls you an idiot you knew he doesn't mean it, in a bad sense I mean in any other way he's not that wrong, but now if you trap him against a wall, hehe you torturing him, especially if you do that at your guys college if you go to the same one or if you visit his to do it, the same goes with head pats and forehead kisses, Fuuta is at this point questioning everything firstly how he's lucky to have a girlfriend like you and second how he cursed with a girlfriend like you who teases him to death

"What the hell [Y/N]?!"

"aww Fuuta you blushing, how cute"

"I... Shut up,shut up,shut up,shut up"

"I heard ya no need to keep repeating yourself"

⎯ 〈John〉

Confused boy, who are you teasing him or Mikoto do you know it's him and not Mikoto, and if you tell him you know it's him and not Mikoto John will try his hardest to not blush, John is honestly confused why the fuck you chose him and not Mikoto or how when it's Mikoto in control you normal and if it's him, you tease him like he's about to go poof, I mean maybe he will who knows but still John honestly wonders if your crazy, John gets surprised when you trap him against the war because like oh mah gosh you literally making him feel weak (John likes the idea of a dom girlfriend you can't tell me otherwise) now if you want to get John to blush hard, you would have to pin him around someone, ake Milgram when Es is watching wondering why the fuck you doing this here, honestly John just isn't used to affection, so with kisses on the forehead and head pats he just automatically blushes and attempts to find a escape, like saying he's going to murder someone/j he will just say he's going to the store

"[Y/N] what are you doing?! You know I n-"

"I know you are not Mikoto, John now enjoy those head pats cutie"

"I uhh... I-I have to go to the store, Mikoto forgot to buy some cigarettes"

"but there are plenty in the drawe-"

"bye!"

"...for someone who murders people he's cute"

[tilebytiles]

star treatment - a.t. (part 3)

summary: there’s a strange man named alex that has a strange obsession with you, and he makes the strangest offer of your life. word count: 3.5k warnings: harassment, a bit of violence part 1 / part 2

“Are you even listening?”

Alex’s head snapped up, his gaze quickly finding yours. “Yeah, course I am.”

“What did I say, then?” Your eyebrow quirked up, your head tilting for emphasis.

He looked off at the nearby wall, then down at the table, tapping his index finger against the smooth surface. His lips were pursed ever so slightly, and it was clear he was deep in thought - you knew he hadn’t heard a word that had just come out of your mouth, but he was still determinedly scouring his mental archives, not wanting to seem rude. After what seemed like hours, but had been no more than two minutes, he finally uttered, “Um.”

You sighed, letting your eyebrow relax back down from your forehead. “I was asking how you knew Miles.”

“Ah, right,” he said quickly, acting as if he’d heard you. He straightened up in his chair. “I’ve known him since we were kids. He actually helped me plan out the hotel schematics.”

It had been a couple of days since your lunar landing, and ever since their poolside encounter, the banter between Miles and Alex had become a conversation regular. You’d initially asked Miles about it, but all he did was wink and tell you it was a secret. You figured Alex would at least be a little less mystic about it. “So … he helped with the hotel,” you said slowly, “and now he’s here to write an article about it?” Alex nodded, only adding on to the already-encroaching pile of confusion in your brain. "Wouldn't he already know everything, though, since he's seen your plans? Isn't he, like, technically a co-designer?"

"Technically, yeah," Alex said, drawing out the "yeah" in a way that tickled you, strangely. Perhaps it was just his thick Northern accent. "But he said he didn't wanna be credited."

"How come?"

He gave you a shrug. "Maybe it comes from some sort of humbleness in his heart."

That wasn't exactly the most satisfying answer, although you weren't sure it was your place to inquire any further into the matter. "But then ... why does he need to be here for a week?"

"Well, it would look a bit ... strange," he said, propping up his elbow on the table and resting his chin in his hand, "if he knew all the, uh, machinations, if you will, of the hotel without being publicly involved."

That made sense, now that you were thinking about it. "Oh!" you said suddenly, sitting up. "He told me about, uh ..." You lowered your voice, on the off chance anyone else was nearby. "Mr. Schwartz."

Your words earned an immediate eyeroll from Alex. "That asshole?" he murmured. "What about him?"

His reaction, although entirely justified, surprised you a little. "If you don't like him, why is he here?"

"Y/N, I'm a man capable of many things." He sat back in his chair, letting both of his hands fold neatly in his lap as one leg crossed over the other. He was back in his fancy cream-coloured suit, and as his pant leg rose up, you could make out the dark brown sock that concealed his ankle. "What I'm not capable of, though, is arguing with James Schwartz."

"Well, what would've happened if you'd just told him no?"

"He'd probably launch some smear campaign and tell everyone I'm insane or an uncooperative prick." His eyes widened a little, much as they always did when he spoke, and he ran a hand over his face, letting out an almost inaudible sigh. "Maybe I am a bit mental, but I'm definitely not uncooperative."

"I don't think you're mental," you offered, although the look he gave you indicated he didn't believe a word. You continued anyway. “I think the idea of a hotel on the moon sounds crazy at first, but now that I’m here, I admire you for it.”

He stared at you for a second or two, then looked off at the nearby wall again, nodding slowly, as if his head was stuck in molasses. “Thank you,” he finally said, glancing back at you before his gaze snapped back to the wall. You smiled a little, even if he couldn’t see it.

You two had been sitting in the café for a while, chatting about different things. It was the longest you’d ever spoken to Alex, and it almost felt like a privilege you weren’t supposed to have. Your coffee had run out a while ago, but you’d never bothered to order more. You were enraptured with the man sitting beside you; considering the only times you’d interacted with him were during your shifts, in which you were busy and had no time for proper chats, being able to sit with him and discuss whatever topics your brains conjured up was exciting, in a sense. Beyond the intangible words that you shared, though, you found yourself staring at him every so often. Although that fact greatly embarrassed you, he never seemed to notice - if he did, he never said a word. Perhaps to spare your dignity.

He lifted his arm, pulling his sleeve back with his other hand, and glanced at his watch. “I should get going,” he said. “I have to help with preparations.”

That piqued your interest. “Preparations for what?”

“Party in the main lobby.” He pushed his chair back and stood up, and you did the same; if he was heading off, you didn’t have much reason to stick around in the café. “It’ll be starting at 8pm,” he continued. He paused for a moment, staring down at the table, then looked up at you. “I hope you’ll be there,” he said softly.

You smiled at him. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

That made him smile, too. “I look forward to seeing you.”

•••••

Although Alex hadn’t specified a dress code when he’d informed you of the party, you knew better than to show up in the jumper and joggers you’d been wearing earlier that day. Notes had been slipped under the doors of everyone, including you, at some point later in the day. An end time to the party wasn’t specified, although you didn’t think it would help any; the only way you even knew it was getting close to 8 was the clock on the wall. The view through your window always looked the same.

There were a number of dresses in your closet, momentarily giving you decision paralysis. You’d eventually decided on an off-the-shoulder floor-length midnight blue dress. The skirt had layers of tulle, the top layer being embroidered with gold thread to form the shapes of stars and sparkles. It fit your frame nicely, but despite it having pads in the chest area, you slipped on a strapless bra beneath; you didn’t like the idea of the fabric rubbing against your bare chest the whole night. Deciding to spare your feet any discomfort, you slipped on a pair of black ballerina flats. As you examined yourself in the mirror, you felt … pretty.

A knock on your door snapped you out of your trance. You rushed over and unlocked it, pulling it open to reveal Miles. He was dressed in a crisp black suit, his white dress shirt tucked neatly into his trousers. His dress shoes clicked satisfyingly against the floor as he stepped into your room when you let him inside. “You look good,” you told him.

He grinned at you. “So do you. That blue really suits you.”

You weren’t used to compliments, so your cheeks involuntarily flushed. He didn’t comment on it, though, something you were grateful for. He lifted his arm and checked his watch, then looked back at you. “It’s about 8. We should head to the lobby.”

You nodded and followed him back out of your room, shutting the door and making sure it was locked before stepping away from it. In a playful gesture, he offered you his arm, and you linked yours around it, following him down the hall to the lift. James was already waiting there, tapping away at something on his phone - again, you were amazed you could even get service out here - but when he heard you approaching, he looked up. Registering it was only you two, he quickly looked back down at his phone.

The doors to the lift finally slid open, accompanied by a soft chime, and the three of you stepped inside. The walls of the lift were a soft red, the floor a tiled brown. Music played quietly from somewhere as James pressed the button for the first floor. He was dressed in a suit much like Miles’, except he had a black bow tie to go with it. His blonde hair was neatly combed back, and from the way it sat on his head, you guessed he’d put some kind of gel in it.

The doors opened, revealing the main lobby to you, and your eyes widened. It looked nothing like it had when you’d left it earlier; although the base furniture was the same, decorations were everywhere. Streamers and balloons had been neatly pinned up, and there was even confetti scattered almost artistically on the floor. The lights had been dimmed, music was once again playing from somewhere unidentifiable, and tables had been set up with red cloths, holding drinks and food. A few journalists were already there, but you knew there were a few more that still needed to arrive. Employees you recognised were there, too, and they were dressed as formally as the rest of you; you were glad they got to enjoy their own efforts. Alex, however, was still nowhere to be seen, a fact that didn’t surprise you anymore. He was an enigma in his own right.

Miles' arm slipped from yours as you approached the drinks table, and he reached down to retrieve a glass of red wine. As you picked up your own, you glanced out at the lobby and the sophisticated congregation that stood before you. Displayed on the TV behind the reception desk was what you were 90% sure was a screensaver; bubbles of different colours bounced around in front of a black background. For some reason, the sight made you want to laugh. "Do you know why Alex is hosting this party?" you asked, looking back up at Miles.

He took a sip of his wine and shrugged. "He didn't even tell me," he said. "Maybe as a thank-you for us all comin' out here."

The last of the journalists arrived, and as if he knew he was being talked about, Alex finally sauntered in. He, too, was in a black suit, but instead of wearing a button-up, he donned a tight-fitting black turtleneck. Even his socks were black- if you didn't know any better, you would've thought he was attending a funeral. The only drop of colour in his outfit was his gold chain. His hair looked about as untamed as it always did, and you were almost positive he was the only person who could consistently pull off the "I just rolled out of bed" look.

From across the room, he caught your gaze and briskly walked over, keeping his hands tucked into the pockets of his trousers. When he reached you and Miles, he nodded his head at each of you, allowing a small smile to accompany his movements. "I hope you two are enjoying yourselves."

"You've got free wine," Miles said. "This is already the best party I've ever been to." That earned him a small laugh from you and a breathy chuckle from Alex.

Alex looked back at you, letting his gaze travel down the length of your dress before it snapped back up to meet your own. "You look lovely," he said softly.

Once again, your cheeks flushed, and all you could mutter was a small, "Thanks."

He nodded and was about to open his mouth to say something else when one of the journalists called out for him. He whipped around, looking around for the source, and once he found it, his face broke out into a grin. "Matt! Great to see you, sorry I haven't spoken to you much."

He walked off to go talk to the journalist named Matt, leaving you with Miles again. You didn't mind that he'd left without warning; if Matt was one of the few people on the planet that could make him genuinely smile, they could talk for as long as they wanted to. Beside you, Miles nudged you with his elbow. "D'you mind if I step away for a few minutes? I'll just go talk to a friend of mine."

"Go ahead," you said, "I'll be fine on my own."

He nodded. "Just come get me if anythin' happens, alright?"

"Alright, mum," you joked, "now go." You lightly pushed him, and he laughed before heading off to talk to the friend in question. You stood by the drinks table, finally taking a sip of your own wine; the flavour was pleasant.

You weren't sure how long you'd been standing by yourself, but at some point, the sound of someone clearing their throat snapped you out of the trance you had been in. You quickly looked over to your right and spotted James, who was staring ahead and drinking from his glass. When he realised he'd gotten your attention, he nodded his head in the direction of the others. "Enjoying the party?"

You nodded slowly. "Are you?"

He nodded once in response. An awkward silence fell between you two, and you were about to offer some half-assed excuse to get away from him when he abruptly said, "I know they've said bad things about me."

You knew you should have stepped away, spat out that terrible excuse anyway. But you'd always been curious to a fault, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. "What do you mean?" you asked cautiously.

"Kane and Turner." Your gaze absentmindedly found each of the men in the crowd, talking to their friends. "They've always hated me. Everyone does. They think I'm some asshole, and I just-" James sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. "I can't control that I'm my dad's son. Yeah, I come from old money, but what the fuck am I supposed to do about that?"

"I don't think that's what they're mad at you for," you said slowly, as if you were dealing with a wounded animal. "I've heard ... questionable things."

Another sigh escaped him. "Those are all baseless rumours," he muttered. "I promise, I'm not that terrible of a person."

“Right.” You didn’t entirely believe him, but you got the feeling he was the exact kind of person you weren’t supposed to admit that to. Deciding it was probably in your best interest to stay on his good side, you attempted to move past the awkward topic and find something else to discuss. “Do you like writing articles?”

You’d scored a hole in one with your guess, for his face lit up at that, and he smiled. “Yeah, I do. My dad had a few typewriters when I was growing up, and when one of them stopped working, he let me play around with it. I wrote a bunch of stories. They were all terrible.” He chuckled, and you laughed quietly with him. “A lot of people, when they’re expected to follow in their parents’ footsteps, get conflicted, I think. My dad’s a great guy, but even he had his strict moments like that. There were a few times where I didn’t know what to do anymore. I loved writing, but did I love it enough to make a career of it? Was I even good enough?” He laughed again, but it was quieter, more distant, and his eyes seemed to grow sadder.

He sighed and ran a hand through his neat hair. “When I decided I would write for the family paper, I was taking a huge risk. I was still so unsure of so many things … but my dad was there to support me. He’s probably the only reason I’m still with the paper and I’m not some deadbeat alcoholic.”

“I’m sure you’re a great writer,” you said softly, offering as genuine a smile as you could manage. He smiled softly in return, a silent indicator of his thanks.

A few more minutes passed, with both of you taking the occasional sip from your glasses. You were almost out of wine by the time he spoke again. “You know, Y/N, I really think …” He swirled around the wine in his glass, staring at the liquid as it sloshed from one side to the other. “I think we’d work well together.”

You blinked in surprise. “I’m only a barista,” you said quickly, “I’ve never-”

“Not what I meant,” he interrupted. He looked back at you, his jaw shifting, as if he was having to test out his next words on his tongue before unveiling them to you. He had the faintest stubble running along his jawline. “When we get back to Earth, do you think I could take you out for dinner sometime?”

Your stomach twisted into an impossible knot. “I’m sorry, James, I’m not … interested.”

His gaze remained unrelenting. “Just one night. We don’t even have to do anything afterwards.”

“Did you think we would do something?”

“If the night went well, yeah.”

The alarms in your head were blaring. “James, I’m not interested,” you repeated. “I’m sorry.”

He nodded and looked down at his glass, then back out at the small crowd of people. “Is it because of Alex?”

Your blood ran cold. “What?”

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He always goes out of his way to talk to you, never to anyone else. You get the star treatment.” He scoffed. “You’re not even a journalist, and he invited you here.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” you said carefully.

His gaze darted over to meet yours. “Don’t be stupid, Y/N,” he said quietly. “I’ve seen the way you look at him, too. You want to be with him, don’t you? Am I just not good enough for you, that you’d rather be with that fucking lunatic?”

“Calm down,” you started to say, but he was quick to cut you off.

“I bet you’re already fucking him, and that’s the only reason you’re here.”

“James-”

There was a thud, followed by the shattering of glass, and the entire group fell silent, turning to stare at you. The only sound that filled the lobby was the music.

In his anger, James had shoved you against the table, sending both it and you toppling over. Most of the glasses were now broken, their contents forming red puddles in the carpet. You’d hit your head on the edge of the table on your way down, and the glasses closest to the edge had fallen in your direction, staining your dress and getting a couple of loose shards into your arm. Blood slowly began to well up and trickle down from the wounds.

Alex approached, followed by a woman you’d never spoken to but recognised as one of the journalists. It was the first time you’d ever seen Alex mad, and although you knew he wasn’t mad at you, you were still a little scared of him. His eyes were wide as he looked between you and James, his gaze flitting back and forth a few times before stopping on the latter. “Alexa,” he said slowly, “take Y/N to my suite. Help her clean up and get changed.”

The woman named Alexa rushed forward, giving you an apologetic look as she bent down and helped you up. You felt a little unsteady on your feet, likely due to the anxiety and embarrassment now coursing through your veins, and she kept an arm wrapped firmly around your shoulders as she guided you to the lift. Miles, despite not being called upon, rushed to catch up with you two, stepping into the lift with you. “Are you alright?” he asked as soon as the doors closed.

“How do you know where his suite is?” was the only thing you could coherently manage, looking over at Alexa.

She smiled warmly at you, and you instantly felt comforted. You’d known her for less than a minute, but you already knew you’d get along well with her. “I’m an old friend,” she explained. “I helped with the hotel.”

“Did all of his friends help with the hotel?”

“Just a select few.” She winked, then her playful demeanour faded as she gently gripped your arm, inspecting the shards lodged into your skin. “I’m gonna fucking kill that prick,” she muttered under her breath.

“What happened?” Miles asked.

“I rejected him,” was all you could manage. Miles and Alexa exchanged knowing glances.

Miles sighed. “I shouldn’t have left you. I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“It’s fine,” you said quietly, although everything suggested it wasn’t. Your ride in the lift was uncomfortably silent, save the music that always came from somewhere.

tags: @elexnorislingtxn / @edandmollydeservebetter / @not-a-big-slay

[devilruin]

【 Please note! 】 ⎯⎯⎯ Please remember to look at each author's do not interact criteria and blog rules before interacting with them! Also, please check each work for specific tags!

if a link to a piece is :

⛧ ⋅  italicized ― it contains explicit content

⛧ ⋅  bold ― it contains dark content

⛧ ⋅  italicized and bold ― it contains both dark and explicit content

✧ @merakiui ― mera's ingenuity always blows my mind. the way she places little hidden tidbits of information within her works has me scanning every line like a detective (and i adore mysteries!) she has a certain kind of poetic prose that draws me in and wraps itself around my brain.

personal picks : being general lilia's spoil of war (oh to be pitied and protected by the great general himself...) , professor ashengrotto (mmm...a gross misuse of power paired with favoritism always tastes divine) , cat's cradle with childe (reader playing games they can't win... it always seems like a good idea, until its not), hatefully yours with scaramouche (unfortunately reader will always going to be fucked no matter what option they choose) , kaeya and childe as a double yandere team (said it before and i'll say it again, if these two were to actually put everything aside and work together, well, all i can say is good luck), and diluc and kaeya as roommates (also a crazy team and since they're both super volatile, there will likely be some pretty nasty insults flung around on a daily basis)

✧ @mirdance ― kay is just such a joy to be around. their sense of humor and chill vibes always make me feel at ease, and the jokes they make normally have me wheezing with laughter! not to mention their cosplays are top notch! they really put so much of themselves into their works and it shows! each of their pieces have so much soul to them, and i love it!

personal picks : inamorati with pierro (tools need to be used often to be kept sharp, and the way pierro uses reader for his own machinations is just spot on) , heizou first kiss (so cute! i wanna squish his cheeks) , kaeya first kiss prompt (power move: sleep with your crush's crush to see if they're better than you (spoiler: they're not)) , dottore somnophilia (real quick, do you think he'd fuck reader on a bloody experimentation table to torment them once they woke up?) , and all for her majesty with the tsaritsa (on my knees for you, my queen of ice)

✧ @monstrouslyobsessed ― momster is an amazing writer and artist whose works mainly feature supernatural entities. their dedication to their works and the level of detail they put into each piece really makes their works shine! i love them so much and always enjoy seeing new excerpts from their works!

personal picks : his sacrificial lamb (please bite me sir... i am begging...) , i’m your god now (poor reader being passed from god to demon...) , like a moth to the flame (yes... i love it... brb taking notes on how to write because this is so good), yuki onna headcanons (i adore how cunning oyuki is! reminds me of the fact that most people don't realize they have frostbite until it's too late), a holy knight, defiled (all dragons are welcomed with open arms here) , mother’s vessel with jenova (the slice with sephiroth is perfectly timed, and jenova's desperation for freedom is almost pitiful...almost.) , poor unfortunate soul (move over ursula its time for the real witch of the sea!) , and vile affection (do the divine do what's best for the people they're supposed to protect? or do they do what's best for them?)

if you would like to be removed from this list, please let me know!

© 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧 — 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝟏𝟏-𝟏𝟑-𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

[ruthytwoshakes]

oh good evnening my homos,, my swagggalishis peepol, my lovely little guys . idk. I drew some gi. rrrrrls !!! Some fem fort!! Wahhooooo!!! Yippepeeee!! oh oh and big thank you to everybody who voted in the poll I set up! Once winter break hits I’ll be able to work on the projects full time, until then I’ll just be putting out little wips because school is more important :]

I’ve always wanted to make a gender swap au of some sort but I really had no good ideas until now,,. . They’re all clones of the red team that Engineer and Pauling worked on!! But like kinda. really crazy and blood-thirsty.

Pauling was requested to make a better Blu team because they sucked so bad,, ,so instead of hiring new people she got lazy and asked Engineer for help to mess with the respawn machine and create these new guys. They’re also like a fourth bigger than the original mercs. They’re very scary and violent and not r,eally good at being people yet. to be fair they were born like yesterday sorta. And I think I’d be a little evil too if I was born with the memories and mannerisms and scars of a life that I had not lived. ? ,,,,oh well sucks 2 suck. They hate the other team with a burning passion because they were programmed that way I guess. Idk I just came up with it tonight so it kidna isn’t all that coherent but we bal l . If I have the time I’ll draw them all beating up the boys or just like tormenting them. heheghjshh. pyro is a bear because the original pyro is a butch,, and spy is trans masc cus the original spy is trans fem. c ool

oh if anybody has any ideas for names I’d love to hear them! I’m shit ass at names so help is appreciated B))))) )

oh. welell hello thehrer,, here is more deisntns

these are for fun and would not actually work in the au,, teehhe. Man I don’t know what the fuck happened with saxton but he just looks the exact same. he’s growing out his hair. happened with saxton rhymes kindaa also Bidwell yay! Made her look more like Ma because I think she and scout are sisters booyahhh woah. Reddy with the butch realness hell yeah ,, love her. Mister Pauling wooooooow don’t have much 2 say. Twink Pauling little scary. Administrator though fucking killed me ,,I turned a bad bitch into an old man I’m losing my minddd. Kept the earrings cus they slayy cunty cunt cunt? Idk I don’t say that stuff

PYRO FACE JUMPSCARE !!! I know I committed sin and removed a masked character’s mask buut,idk fuck it I wanted to. Got some gnarly burn scares there and a rat tail cowaaabunga. Don’t know if you can tell but Blu has a half a beard.

JUMPSACREE JUMPSCARE I ADDED MY OCS MUHAHHA it’s gliderrrs yay. Red and Blu glider are two different. guys,, uhh they’re both twins!! Fraternal I think. Red is very flamboyant and extroverted and talks with her hands while Blu kinda stares at you,, you can’t really tell if she’s angry or not? Not happy with you that’s for sure. I can’t info dump about them on this post because I have to get back to work but one day in the near future. perhaps. perchance. mayhaps. what

[detectivereads]

Darkwing Duck F.O.W.L. Play by Amanda Deibert

10/5

This post is for fan entertainment, I’m not being paid.

As it obvious, I am huge Batman fan, he is my favorite hero and is the best hero in my opinion.

Granted when I was kid, I didn’t connect the dots that Darkwing Duck was a parody of Batman until I was much older. I always liked Darkwing, and when I could, I would try to catch his cartoon.

But now that I am older and stepping back and looking at Darkwing from a distance I loved this hero almost as much as Batman. For Darkwing his rouge gallery is just like Batman is enormous, and you can draw parallels to Batman.

Also, Darkwing has some amazing sidekicks like Gosalyn Mallard and Launchpad McQuack

OK on to the comic!

Behold on the roof tops stands a lone figure, the silent knight of St. Canard, he is the lone lego block that is under the bare foot of villainy, there stands…. Darkwing Duck (*cue thunderclap*).

In the first chapter of this comic, Darkwing is being honor by the city of St. Carnard for all his heroic deeds, but the celebration is stop by Darkwing Duck most electric criminal MegaVolt.

Megavolt is using his power over electricity to control the people who are in attendance, with their cellphones.

So, Darkwing and the crew has to use their heads to stop Megavolt and not really do any damage to the mindless citizen.

The next chapter Drake Mallard takes Gosalyn to the newly open toyshop, after her help with Megavolt, Dark thinks it’s time for Gosalyn to do some normal kid stuff. After shopping around a bit Drake and company comes across the Darkwing Duck toys. But they come alive and well as the rest of the toys, who would crazy enough to make evil toys?? The evil toy master Quackerjack has come out to play.

These next two chapters are like part 1 and part two that it centers around one villain, and we are introduces the lovely mistress of spells Morgana. Drake explains to her that he wants to hang up the cape, Gosalyn needs a stable normal life, and Drake wants Morgana to join him.

(*INSANE FANGIRL SQUEALING)

I kid you not I thought these two were perfect together when I was watching the cartoon growing up. When Drake said that I couldn’t even think of words on how happy I was.

With some objections from her family, Morgana join Drake and Gosalyn in St. Carnard.

Drake is having trouble adjusting to his new life as a working stiff, he misses being Darkwing. He has a very bad presentation at Gosalyn school where Morgana has to go and pick him up.

But throughout the chapter, vines have started to take over places in St. Carnard, with the vines now taking over Gosalyn’s school. Morgana and Drake team up to be the pruning shears of justice, and now it’s them against the floral menace Bushroot.

Ok I wanted to say this, has there ever been an issue of Batman where Bats goes to a day spa, that is not linked to a case. For health and pampering.

This next villain wasn’t one of my favorites growing up.

DW and Lanchpad are at the spa to get some pampering done, since having three super criminals and a small spat with your girlfriend’s family in a close time frame. A superhero needs to think about their health.

When relaxing in the pool, DW notices a familiar statue of the liquidity villain Liquidator.

Now I did enjoy this chapter, but Liquidator wasn’t really one of my favorite villains like Bushroot or Quackerjack. If I remember the episode, he was a salesperson before he turned into the Liquidator.

However, I did like this chapter because it wasn’t just DW and LP having issues with a villain.

Gosalyn and Honker in support of their favorite principal who what being let go, they stage a walkout in support of the old principal. But this new principal plays dirty, he installs candy machines in the school and Gosalyn and the other kids are quick to support the new principal.

However, these candies are mind controlling candies and the kids are quickly ready to pummel Darkwing with dodgeballs. Only one person is able to organize this kind of hostile takeover, the evil organization F.O.W.L.

The last chapter is one heck of a fight between Darkwing and his team and the villains and Negaduck. I like the setting where the big fight takes place, at a carnival.

Darkwing duck is a hero that is near and dear to me. I am so excited that he got a resurgence and all the comics that are coming out. I have some high hopes that we get more stuff for the cape crusader.

[gamergirl-06]

Left 4 Dead (Part 2) (Dead centre-streets)

“Alright now, everyone well rested?” Coach asked everyone.

There was a collective wave of ‘yes’s’ before he turned back to table with guns, ammo and med-kits.

“Ok then, everyone refill in ammo or grab another weapon and make sure to take a med-kit cause we are going to need them.”

I grab a silenced SMG and Ellis does the same “a’right we gonna be unstoppable”. I laugh making Ellis smile ear to ear.

“Let’s go” Nick said making me and Ellis look at him and he walked passed us giving us a look.

Geez why did he look so..jealous?

We grab a med-kit each and head out the door and head our way towards the building down the street killing common infected.

I shot one running at Ellis and he sent me a nod and smile. We hear coughing and we look to the left behind the bushes and see a smoker and shoot it.

It explodes in a cloud of smoke and Ellis says “Nice shot Makayla”

“Thank you El” I smile and we high five.

I didn’t notice Nick watching me as we did so and his face contorted into a frown of displeasure.

He watches me as I walk beside Rochelle and start a conversation about the pre-apocalypse times.

“So Ro, what did you do before shit hit the fan” I ask

She smiled and said “well I worked for news station, I was an assistant doing coffee runs for the main anchors but then they asked me to report on the green flu that was killing everyone so I came here but everything was chaotic so that’s what led me here with you guys”

“Christ, i was a student who was planning on going to college here but then the flu outbreak happened. That is how I got stuck here” i tell her.

“Well I’m just glad I’m not the only woman left on earth” she laughed causing me to giggle.

Nick sighed before turning his attention back in front of him

Nicks POV

What was wrong with me? Why am i getting these feelings towards Makayla? No Nick you do not like her your the most important person on your mind but she is really beautiful maybe i do like her

End pov

“Yeah, i think we may be the only woman left on earth” I say “but at least I have you”.

We walk into the building and down the stairs and when we get to the bottom I find some cardboard boxes and a Molotov on top.

I grab it and put it on my belt for later and continued to inspect some melee weapons.

“Some more melee weapons over here if anyone wants them”

Coach turns to the door diagonal to the stairs and opens it and turns back to us “c’mon let’s keep movin’”

We make our way past a truck which had a pipe Bomb and some more guns and Ellis picked up the pipe bomb.

He ends up stepping into pace with me before saying “did I ever tell ya about the time my buddy Keith-“

He is cut off by Nick

“Ellis let’s play a little quiet game shall we, first one to talk loses”

I looked at Nick. Despite the odd feelings I was starting to get for him I didn’t really like the way he treated the others, Especially Ellis.

“Hey Nick can you not be an asshole for once?” I ask

He gives me a smug grin and said “let me see…nope don’t think I can”

“Can you two cut it out before you draw attention” coach said.

I growled and walk away before it turns into a fight and Nick just simply laughs after me but I ignore it and move on.

Walking through the bushes we find some common infected wondering about and Ellis decides to use his pipe bomb as a distraction.

“Can use this pipe bomb to distract them” he said. Everyone gives him a nod and he presses the timer throwing it as it beeps.

The infected instantly cleared out and started going crazy for the bomb and then it exploded killing them all.

Heading over to a ladder we climb up over and down to the other side and kill any remaining infected in our path before heading inside and up the stairs to our left.

I gasp as see an assortment of guns on the table with a shitload of ammo.

Grabbing a shotgun to replace my SMG, I grin “oh yeah baby”

The others chuckle as coach picks up a pump shotgun, Ellis picks up a sub machine gun, Rochelle chooses a combat rifle and Nick chooses the AK-47.

Ellis opened the medical cabinet and took 2 bottles of pills handing one to me.

“Here you go, this may come in handy” he said

“Thanks” I said has I out the pills in my belt next to the Molotov.

We head out onto a landing and see a price of broken railing and we jump down into some porter potties and land in the ground.

Some infected became aware of our presence and ran towards us but we shot them one by one until there were none left as we continued up the stairs making our way around a building and going up another flight of stairs before making our way across to the guns shop.

We walk down the stairs and have infected waiting for us but I kill them off with my sword I found

We walk into whittakers gun shop and our jaws drop at all the different kinds of guns

“Holy shit” I said

Nick turned to look at me and have a glare but I could see the small smile on his face.

I walk over to pick up an MK-47 and smile “oh this feels great.

I look at the others who had picked a gun, seeming happy with their choice.

We then heard a voice

“Usually when looters break into my store I’d have them shit right were they stand” then a moment where he was yelling at what sounded to be an infected making Ellis laugh.

“But if you go across to the store and find me some cola then you can keep the guns”

The door opens infront of us and we walk grab a laser sight before heading up and walking to the store.

The doors opened and an alarm went of alerting the horde and Nick mumbled

“Well this is great…”

“Ellis go get the cola we will cover you”

He nods and runs to the back of the store while we cover him and he comes back moments later

“I got the cola let’s go!”

We run covering our team out from all direction as we flew straight to the stairs and to the door to our the cola in.

“Put the cola in the slot” Whittaker said

Next moment there is a Lou’s crash and the tanker blocking our path was now cleared up

“Be safe out there and god bless you all”

“You to Whittaker” I said

We head down towards the unblocked path steeping over debris and turning left into the mall parking lot which had infected scattered about.

We quietly make our way through but not before a spotter came out of no where but Rochelle quickly shot it as it fell in a pool of its spit.

Once everyone was in coach shut the door and made sure it was properly locked before we decided to rest up before the next move.

And this is an early Christmas present to all you l4d2 fans so enjoy

Also Nick won the poll so I’m ending up with him..if you have anything in mind on how this plays out (as long as it matches the story of the game) then your welcome ideas are appreciated.

[yourbestpalpercy]

Well, this was a weird dream…

At the moment, Pal was speaking to a strange android that was waay too intrusive about Pal being human. Pal had to fight the thoughts of tearing the thing apart with his wires. “Please stop!” Pal hissed, slapping the Tartar’s hand rather aggressively. “I hate being touched…” Pal hissed.

The android, Tartar, moved his hand away. “So, where’d you come from?” It asked, brushing off what Pal said. “I’m from Maine! Welton, Maine…” Pal took a few quick steps away from Tartar. “HA! Maine’s been underwater for exactly 11,067 years! It was actually one of the first places to go under!”

“Then explain how exactly I’m here!” Pal tightly grabbed Tartar’s hand when he went to poke his head band. “And stop. Touching. Me.” Tartar yanked his hand away.

“Hm, maybe you should recount the events before arriving here?” Tartar tilted his head roughly.

“Well, I remember creating a machine…one of my Tamaz entered it while I wasn’t looking and- wait! Wait! D-Did you see a particularly lanky, black creature with the body of a tamagotchi by any chance??” Pal’s tail flicked free, the tip shaking quickly behind him.

“Tama..gotchi creature? Uhm, I think I saw something simil- Is that a tail!?” Tartar shouted, suddenly with disgust in his voice.

“Huh?” Pal glanced back before shoving his tail back away, “Uh- no?? Not at all! Just a stray cable,” Pal smiled a fake smile.

“Likely story, I saw that! It was moving like a tail!” Tartar glared into Pal’s eyes.

“No idea what you’re talking about.”

“You do though.”

“Are you sure it was a tail though? It’s awfully dark here.”

“I’m very sure! That was a tail!”

“Hmmm…nope! I don’t think it was.”

Tartar suddenly grabbed Pal by his shoulders and shook him, “You’re not human-...what are you…?” He coldly asked, grabbing Pal even tighter.

“I-I-I wouldn’t assume-!” Pal hissed when Tartar suddenly dug his claws into Pal’s shoulder, drawing some green blood and covering his hand.

“And what’s this, hm? I know humans better than anyone. They don’t have green blood…”

“What- what makes you think that?” Pal pulled away from Tartar and tried to stop the bleeding before it healed up quickly.

“Your blood stopped quicker than it’s supposed to…hm..” Tartar suddenly slashed Pal’s chest, causing more of that green blood to stain his claws. The green light that came from the blood was enough to allow Tartar to see Pal’s quick healing.

“...fast healing, impressive…” Pal suddenly attempted to run away when Tartar stepped on his tail and grabbed him. “I hope you don’t mind. I just need a little bit of this…” Pal spun around quickly and dug his black claws into Tartar’s horn. “LET ME GO!” A wire erupted from Pal’s back now to shove Tartar away from him.

Tartar grabbed Pal tighter before snapping his fingers. Some strange, purple sparks started to shoot from a panel on the back of his head as Pal kept shoving and trying to push and wriggle his way out of Tartar’s grasp. His crank started spinning fast. “YOU AIN’T THE FIRST CRAZY AI I’VE FOUGHT AND YOU WON’T BE LAST I BEAT!”

“Bold of you to assume you’ll win this!” Tartar bit down on Pal’s wires and continued to hold him in place. Pal could hear something coming but couldn’t quite make out what until Tartar opened a door and flung the inventor inside. Instantly, his eyes filled with colors before the platform raised, bringing him to a container.

“Kids! Seriously, so annoying…” Tartar grumbled and crossed his arms.

“I’M 30 YEARS OLD! I HAVE A DRIVER’S LICENSE, YOU JERK!” Pal screamed, slamming his fists on the glass.

“It still counts!” Tartar hissed back before staring at the buttons before him. “Now, let’s see here…”

“Is this a f*cking blender!?” Pal kicked at the walls of the container.

“Correct! Have fun while I extract the blood I need, you mimic…” Tartar leaned on the button. “While your death rapidly approaches, you tell me about this other world, will you? The one with humans!” Tartar smiled sickeningly.

“I’m not a mimic! I did, truly, use to be human! I’m not telling you what changed though!” Pal was cut off- oh, sorry, cut up rather quickly afterwards.

“Huh, oh well, you are rather tiny…” Tartar mumbled, disappointed until Pal shot up from the blood inside the blender, fully reformed.

“Oh! How pleasant!” Tartar smiled excitedly, “You reformed!”

“Of course I did! I can’t die! I’ve tried so–!”

Tartar pressed the button again, cutting Pal up again before he reformed and now tried to keep himself above the green blood.

“You’re psychotic!”

“STOP THAT!”

“IT DOESN’T HURT BUT–!”

By the time the blender was full, Pal was pulling himself out of the blender and coughing up his own blood. “W-W-W-Was that necessary…??” Pal hacked before Tartar picked him up, grinning and giggling.

“Very necessary. See, you’re actually worth something. You’re playing a valuable role in my experiments. This blood could be extremely useful…if the effect applies to everything else!”

Wires suddenly exploded from Pal’s back, holding Tartar still. Pal wasted no time slamming Tartar into the blender and submerging him. “Asshole! Now then, I’m going to go find Tamalanki IN PEACE!” Pal closed the blender afterwards so Tartar would have a harder time chasing him.

“Jesus…!” Pal grabbed the bridge of his nose before a portal reformed before him and pulled him in. Guess that happened to TamaLanki too because when Pal reawoke in his warehouse, TamaLanki was rambling on about what happened to him to the other Tamaz…

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About The Second Doctor's Run

Salutations, random people on the internet already scrolling past this! I’m an Ordinary Schmuck! I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

After finally seeing how The Doctor started their journey into becoming the greatest hero to the universe, it’s time to see how that journey continued with The Second Doctor. And while the concept of regeneration is something familiar to fans now, imagine how it must have felt in 1966. This character that you’ve been following for four seasons now just got a new face, with a new personality to match. Depending on how it was done, it is an idea that could make or break the show for some people, and considering that the show is now onto its FIFTEENTH regeneration, I’d say it definitely worked out fine. More than fine, actually. Because the concept of regeneration is a BRILLIANT one when it comes to Doctor Who. It’s simple, yet it’s the very thing that allows the show to go on for decades and inevitably proves that anyone with enough talent can play The Doctor. Most are improvements, some are not, and it all boils down to the actor and how well they handle the role. The question is, did Patrick Troughton do well enough? We shall see together as we go through the adventures of The Second Doctor.

However, before we begin, you remember how I said that episodes and entire serials were lost to time due to the BBC? Well, Number Two here got the worst of it. Out of twenty-one serials (we’re going to be here for a while…), only SEVEN of them are left completed. Two thirds of his run are gone forever, and only a few of them are brought back through animation that’s available on Tubi and other streaming sites. Meaning there’s going to be QUITE a few transcripts for yours truly. I am very much NOT looking forward to this entire review, but I’m going to do it. Oh, boy, I’m going to do it…

(For The Doctor. Just keep telling yourself that, it’s for The Doctor…)

Decades old spoilers below…

THE SERIALS

Like last time, we’re going through each serial in order. We take this journey together, starting with The Second Doctor’s first adventure…

The Power of The Daleks: Starting off strong by facing The Daleks! I respect that. Proves that this new guy has spunk to him. Unfortunate that it’s been deleted, though. But at least we got animation.

And I love that, right away, the writers made it clear that things are going to be different with this new Doctor. While One was more strict and less willing to assist people unless provoked, all while with a hint of giddiness to him, Two is much more goofy and childlike but still serious in a pinch and much more goal driven. He doesn’t waste a second getting to the bottom of things either, for all it took was a man dying right in front of him for Two to realize that something’s fishy is going on and he NEEDS to figure out what. As far as he knows, he and the others aren’t in any official danger and can easily leave if asked to, but The Doctor sticks around to investigate a conspiracy with a colony. Even before The Daleks showed up, The Doctor was dead set on figuring out what was going on, with his worst enemies cementing the idea that something bad is going to happen and it’s up to The Doctor to stop all of it. And BOY did they need him, as these idiot scientists, governors, and rebels would lead to their own unfortunate destruction with The Daleks due to thinking they can be controlled. The crazy thing is that you can believe WHY they would think that due to how unknown The Daleks are at this point of time and how convincingly The Daleks made themselves seem willing to cooperate. This serial manages to show, as the title suggests, the true power of The Daleks. They’re near-unstoppable killing machines, yes, but they’re also highly INTELLIGENT killing machines that know they’re better than these stupid humans and their silly devices. Even when the humans have the temporary upper hand by controlling The Daleks’ powersource, they know to bide their time before finding a permanent solution. You can even tell in their voices how much they disdain the very idea of working for humans, which is funny enough, but it helps prove the willingness of Daleks to overpower their enemies no matter how long it takes. In short, this whole serial makes The Doctor more like the hero I know them as and The Daleks as the great threat that I fear them to be. It’s a lot more of what I’m used to and incredibly enjoyable to watch, ugly and stilted animation aside. So far, I’d say it’s a great start to this Doctor’s run as it’s already making me excited to see more.

The Highlanders: Completely deleted, but not reanimated. Or if it is, it’s not on Tubi. Which is insane considering that this serial introduces Jamie, the Second Doctor’s most famous and prominent companion. Fans can’t really see how he OFFICIALLY got introduced to the series, a fact that’s unfortunate and honestly a little annoy. But there’s not much I can do about it, so–*Sigh*–onto the transcripts…

And this was one I put off doing for a while. I read the opening and thought, “Oh this is going to be another boring historical serial like ‘The Crusade’ again, isn’t it?” Turns out…it’s an ENTERTAINING historical serial. We watch as the characters assist rebellious Highlanders from taking on the British and a sleazy solicitor selling Scottish rebels into slavery. It has some really good stuff like Perkins being the Smee to Grey’s Captain Hook, or Polly screwing with this lieutenant who couldn’t stand being outsmarted by a woman. But the best stuff comes with The Doctor going full Bugs Bunny as he outwits people through conversation, screws with them with slapstick, and dons disguises to get his way. I WISH that I could have seen some of these bits because it is an absolute CRIME that they were lost to time. All-in-all, I definitely liked this one. I definitely prefer the whacky sci-fi nonsense that this show often relies on, but I didn’t mind this serial. At least it has characters being ACTIVE in the story instead of letting historical nonsense happen around them. I’ll take a fun adventure with characters I enjoy over boring political history with characters I couldn’t give two shits about ANY DAY. Don’t you forget it.

The Underwater Menace: Two episodes were saved, but the beginning and ending were left discarded. Here’s hoping the middle wasn’t too bad, hehe…But seriously? The whole thing is decent.

It’s The Doctor and company stopping a madman from destroying the planet, mixed in with a conspiracy amongst a secret society. In other words, it’s your basic Doctor Who adventure, met with The Doctor being a goof, saving his companions from peril, those same companions saving themselves, and wanting to defeat and even SAVE the planet destroying madman. A lot of it is what I recognized as a Doctor Who story, with a lot of great scenes and one-off characters that make it entertaining. The two real gripes I have revolve around Zaroff and Alantis. Zaroff’s motivation…is laughable. I don’t think EVERY villain should have a complex motivation, as a simple one can be carried with an actor’s/character’s energy, but…what scientist wants to blow up the world just to see if he could? What’s the real reward there? As for Atlantis, it feels like it breezes past the details with how the society works. I get that there’s a religion, a science department, slavery, and a monarchy…but how does that all connect together. Any explanation that must have been given never fully registered to me. I AM willing to put the blame on maybe I read things too fast, but it feels a little off with how it seems like you’re supposed to just…accept all these concepts. The plot is strong but the villain and setting, to me, feels like it needed some tidying up.

The Moonbase: Two episodes are deleted, and neither of them are reanimated on Tubi. Thanks, BBC.

Especially since this is another good one. It’s a classic adventure where The Doctor and company protect a space base full of people from an evil threat. And the threat this time is Cybermen, who make a far quicker return than I could have ever predicted. It’s actually really cool to see The Doctor face them again, so soon after his last regeneration. It makes The Second Doctor just as capable as the first to face off and outsmart the same dangerous foe as before. Yet the Cybermen prove to be more resilient this time, sneakily infiltrating their way into the station and taking control of both it and the humans inside. It’s completely nonsensical that they managed to bust a hole inside a space station without the whole thing collapsing due to the pressure loss, but it’s cool nonetheless to see the Cybermen again, with every single character joining in to stop them. And while the final solution felt a little fast, it doesn’t stop the whole story being so fun and engaging. I usually dread reading these episodes, but the second the Cybermen showed up and started taking over, I didn’t want to stop. I was excited to see what would happen next, and I wouldn’t say “The Moonbase” disappoints. It’s yet another serial with an adventure that I’ve come to expect with Doctor Who, and I’m all for it…But, seriously, can we go back to WATCHING these adventures?

The Macra Terror: Deleted, BUT reanimated to further sell the horror B-movie vibe that the serial is going for. Thank you, Tubi! I love you!

Though, I’m starting to pick up a pattern with this Second Doctor’s adventures. This is now the fourth serial where The Doctor discovers a conspiracy within a society and must stop this great evil. It happens every once in a while in Doctor Who, but to do it this frequently could make it feel a little boring without enough variety. As for this serial, its flavor of the day appears to be giant crabs and hypnotism. How did these giant monstrosities manage to control this society in the shadows and hypnotize them to do their bidding? I have no idea and neither does The Doctor. When asked what they are, even he explicitly admits to having no clue. We’re just supposed to accept that giant crabs took over and enjoy the ride. A messy concept for sure, but one that leads The Doctor taking an active role (Still loves that this guy does that) and some enjoyment of Ben betraying the group due to the Macra’s mind control. It IS weird that Ben’s the only one to be conditioned to follow the crabs’ orders, but it leads to some decent conflict of him fighting it to be himself again. So the serial’s still fun, I just wish we could get more variety of stories outside of sci-fi conspiracies in a society. Please?

The Faceless Ones: Only two episodes were saved, yet, weirdly enough, the whole SERIAL is reanimated. Which I honestly prefer. The inconsistency of switching from an animated episode to a live action one would have broken my mind a bit.

And…it’s another conspiracy. This time in an airport instead of a society or a colony. Though, in fairness, this one at least feels a little different as it’s treated more as a mystery to solve rather than JUST making it The Doctor trying to outwit some powerful force. He still does the ladder, but trying to figure the who, what, where, and WHY with these Chameleons adds a sense of intrigue to this serial, with every answer bringing ten more questions and leaving me engaged enough to see what comes of it. I especially love how the Chameleons have a decent motivation for why they’re kidnapping people, being simple enough to grasp and understand. It’s done really well, having some enjoyable elements that makes it stand taller than previous conspiracy serials. Especially with how The Doctor hyper-focuses on the problem when it’s his companions who are in danger of these new threats. Always love how The Doctor will go on the warpath to those who mess with his friends.

Speaking of those companions, this is the send off of Ben and Polly. And it…has a similar problem to Dodo’s send off. They’re there for a chunk of the story, disappear for most of it, and head off once the problem is solved. It’s done slightly better here because we at least get to see them say goodbye, and it is performed nicely. You get the sense that these two don’t really want to say goodbye and break The Doctor’s heart, but he doesn’t want to keep them from their lives either. He’s more than willing to let them go, even if it’s hard for HIM to say goodbye too. I love all of it, but with how Ben and Polly are absent for most of the serial it kind of takes the punch out of this being their big farewell. They don’t do much aside from getting kidnapped, which feels cheap considering all they’ve been through with The Doctor. Still, it doesn't take me out of the serial too much as there’s still a lot more to enjoy in seeing The Doctor stop the misguided plans of a lost alien race. I just wish that his companions had more of a chance to help if this was their final adventure.

Also–And this has nothing to do with the serial itself, but the fact that it miraculously happens around the same time of “The War Machines” kind of adds to what I love most about The Doctor. Due to their regenerations and capability of being ANYWHERE at ANYTIME, it means that The Doctor is able to be at every corner of the universe that needs their assistance. No matter the year nor the galaxy, The Doctor will always be there. And that’s incredible to me.

Alright, back to the serials.

The Evil of The Daleks: Same deletion deal as the last one, but only one episode remained. Again, I’m fine with it.

What I’m not fine with is this being probably the weakest adventure of The Daleks. At least, of the ones I’ve covered so far. Because what makes this one the weakest is the fact that it is so all over the place. It starts off interesting enough, with an evil force trapping The Doctor through a mystery that his intelligent mind can’t help but solve. It uses The Doctor’s inquisitive nature against him, and I love it when the franchise finds interesting ways to make that his weakness. But then the serial soon becomes The Doctor forcing Jamie through a series of life-threatening tests to train The Daleks into understanding the human factor. I’m not a fan of The Doctor putting a companion in peril, even if they’re forced to do it. I’m all for the bond between Doctor and companion getting tested, as it can prove that while any version of The Doctor is nothing without their close friends and allies, even The Doctor sometimes lacks the human factor that they always admire. The problem is that The Doctor would sooner eat their fist before INTENTIONALLY putting a companion in peril unless backed into a corner with no other choice. That’s kind of the case here, but I feel like there are ways that The Doctor could have better prepared Jamie for the oncoming danger. And the serial somehow gets messier from there as it all comes to an end with The Doctor and company coming to Skaro to destroy The Daleks “once and for all.” It’s kind of cool to see this Emperor Dalek, but the techno babble and conveniences of how The Doctor was able to give more Daleks the human factor left me a little confused on how it was all done. And I’m left more confused as to why making The Daleks more human leaves them inclined to listen to The Doctor giving orders but not other Daleks.

I don’t know. I just feel like “The Evil  of The Daleks” combines three potentially good storylines into one whole arc, making the whole thing worse the more it goes on. There’s cool and fun moments, but all in a messy and convoluted serial that’s not as epic of a “final showdown” with The Daleks as it could have been. And yes, I do think this was meant to be a final showdown with how grand the destruction is and how relieved The Doctor sounds when saying “It’s over.” To be fair, every confrontation with The Daleks is treated as the final one, but if this WAS the last, it would have been a disappointing one.

The Tomb of The Cybermen: OH, MY GOSH, A FULLY SAVED SERIAL IN LIVE ACTION! Make a wish, this is RARE!

And I really am grateful for it. I am most definitely an enjoyer of animation and will forever argue about how it’s an underappreciated medium for storytelling, but there’s still something admirable about seeing a Doctor Who adventure in live action. It allows you to see the limitations that directors, costume designers, and even the actors have to work around with bringing a story to life, with special effects being far more clever than just inserting CGI like modern Doctor Who episodes. There’s a charm to live action that makes it just as valid of a medium as animation, it just gets annoying when it tries to adapt something MEANT to be animated or uses too much CGI to the point where it might as well have been animated from the start. So I’m glad to see this serial as it was intended, cheesy effects and all, as the characters go on an archeological adventure with cosmic consequences. There’s some familiar Doctor Who elements like two greedy idiots thinking they can control The Cybermen for ultimate power who inevitably meet karmic justice in the end. And yes, they very much are idiots, but they serve their purpose as functional antagonists for The Doctor and his companions to go up against. Their devious actions and consequences lead to The Doctor out-thinking his foes to save as many as he can, Jamie proving his loyalty to The Doctor in always having his back, and newcomer Victoria…not really doing much, but I’m hopeful that she has room to grow (Spoiler, she never really does). To be fair, she lost her father yesterday, and I’m okay that most of the serial has The Doctor and Jamie trying to comfort and reassure her as best as they can. My favorite scene in the entire serial is the talk between The Doctor and Victoria about remembering those we love and how the memories will always stick with us. I love it so much as it showcases the compassion that The Doctor has in wanting to EMOTIONALLY heal someone and show a hint of his own heartache of leaving behind his family, all perfectly captured by the subtleties of Patrick Troughton’s performance (Something that even animation can’t properly convey as well as live action). It adds a great bit of heart between the moments of thrill as these characters face Cybermen. If there’s anything to really complain about, it’d be the fact that there’s this Black “servant” who isn’t all that intelligent and is brutishly strong. I don’t know, I feel like all of that is a bit too…tight around the collar, as it seems like an INTENSELY outdated idea for a character of his color. It just doesn’t sit right with me. Aside from that questionable decision, I’d definitely say that “The Tomb of The Cybermen” is another entertaining serial for this Doctor’s run. Might even be one of my favorites so far.

The Abominable Snowmen: Not completely deleted, but still animated. The live action was nice while it lasted…

And lo and behold, it’s another conspiracy within a society, this time featuring the DOOFIEST clumps of fur I’ve ever seen acting as the antagonists. By the way, that wasn’t a misspell. Doofy is the best way to describe these stupid things. Even when looking up images that survived the deletion, there is NO WAY that someone from the mid-to-late sixties were actually intimidated by these creatures, and the reanimation doesn’t really do them any favors either. It’s actually kind of funny how non-threatening these are, and it really takes me out of the serial. Same goes for these Munks, who range from emotionless and irrational, aside from the one guy who was kind and friendly. They’re pretty boring side-characters, and I couldn’t even feel bothered to remember their names or even status. I couldn’t even tell you what the friendly guy did for the Monastery. Honestly, the only time things got interesting was during the last two parts where The Doctor confronts this highly intelligent alien using an old friend of his as a meat puppet. It does well to showcase The Doctor’s distaste towards beings who abuse intelligent life, and while the animation doesn’t do the Abominable Snowmen any favors, it did wonders in making The Great Intelligence look like a menacing threat with an epic final battle. I wish I could have seen what it USED to look like, but it’s some good fun…in the last third of a six part serial. Yeah, while the ending was nice, everything else was just too dull or too…DOOFY to get into. I guess the ending makes it worth it, but I’m not willing to revisit this one.

The Ice Warriors: Only two episodes were deleted, but I guess that’s enough for people to decide the serial is left incomplete. It’s reanimated, but not onto Tubi and I don’t feel comfortable using “special means” yet. Onto the transcripts, then…

Honestly, at this point, I’m feeling a little bored with READING about these adventures again. Especially the ones where The Doctor helps a scientific community from this alien threat. The transcripts I have don’t really offer that much description, and I often imagine the same kind of locations with the same type of generic sci-fi clothing. And judging from the set pictures I looked up, I doubt that my imagination wasn’t too far off. Plus, it’s with “The Ice Warriors” that I really took notice of the formula that comes when The Doctor visits a place like this. There’s always a chain of command where some disposable meatbags get treated as canon fodder as they face off evil monsters that either love killing and/or eating humans, ending on a theme about how humanity led to this outcome or whatever. It’s something you see a lot, but don’t entirely get tired of. It just depends on how fun the characters are, the fear you feel with the monsters, and how strong the theme is. As for how it works in “The Ice Warriors,” for the most part, I’d say it’s…fine? I don’t hate the motley crew that The Doctor has to save and the Ice Warriors aren’t bad threats, but they’re not really…gripping me. This is the first time in a while where I feel like the serial didn’t NEED to be this long because not much held my attention long enough and I just wanted it to be over already. That is, except for ONE aspect involving the computer and the reliance others have with it. It’s the part of this serial that I feel like still applies to this day. We all have this overreliance with technology and our computers, to the point where some of us can’t state a certain claim without doing a quick Google search to prove that we’re right first (myself included). What’s even more interesting is that I feel as though you can also paint how the computer is represented as a symbolism for religion. Tons of people always refer to their books, tomes, and what-have-you before making a decision themselves or thinking of some alternative solution. Either way you look at it still works perfectly, and what I love most about it is that it doesn’t treat the computer or even technology as the problem. It certainly doesn’t HELP, but The Doctor admits that it’s fine to use it when necessary but NOT for every little thing. Again, that is a perfect lesson that still feels applicable to this day and age, with every generation feeling as though it needs to hear it. The main theme of the serial makes it worth the watch (or READ in my case…), but not enough to make it really that big of a highlight. I don’t need six episodes to tell me that overreliance on technology is bad when I get that in far better (and SHORTER) episodes in other franchises. The rest of it’s fine, but not enough to make it stand taller in comparison to other Doctor Who stories that use a similar formula.

The Enemy of the World: Le gasp! Another intact one! What a sight it is to behold–Ooh, that’s Patrick Troughtan playing a Spanish man…And…Okay, it’s hard to tell through the black and white, but is that blackface? Er, or brownface? I don’t know. And it’s probably NOT either of those things…At least, I HOPE it’s not either of those things, but it almost looks like it is, which is unfortunate…

As for the serial itself, it’s…less than stellar. The Doctor realizes that he shares the face of a dictator in the far distant future of 2018 (I always love it when time travel stories become outdated), and has to bring him to justice. He’s reluctant, however, because The Doctor does NOT know all the details. What makes this man so evil? Why must they take his life? What evidence is there to support that Salamander–THEY NAMED THE SPANISH DICTATOR “SALAMANDER?!” GAH! This one hurts…Anyways, The Doctor isn’t sure what makes this dictator evil and why he shouldn’t be trusted. It’s a part of a theme that still applies to today’s political environment, where we must look at all the angels for a government figure before deciding what to do to them. Whether it’s a person we follow or disagree with, a lot of the time we need all the information of what they do and what they’re capable of before making any permanent solutions. It might seem black and white sometimes, but try explaining that to people who know next to nothing about politics. And given the big twist in this serial that the man you thought you could trust is just as corrupt as the labeled dictator, I’d say the story definitely has something to say about the messiness of politics. Though, even then, it’s not really THAT political, as it’s another conspiracy, with The Doctor and his companions trying to stop it. Except that they don’t really do much as the whole thing crumbles by Salamander’s carelessness and Astrid coming across the secret society he kept hidden. All The Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria did was try to make the truth come out in some capacity, but it seems like it was inevitable anyway. And it should be fun watching The Doctor pretend to be a dictator, but the…outdated acting tactics and very racist name make it questionable. And I don’t just mean the probable brownface when talking about the performance (Still not sure if that’s what they did). I mean him playing a Spanish man, fake accent and all, and it…doesn’t feel right. I don’t even want to commend Patrick Troughton’s job at playing two different people, because that performance feels tainted by what he does to do it. Even looking past that performance, the character (Why the fuck did they choose that name?) doesn’t really do much for me. Why is he going through this much trouble to keep a group of people hidden? What’s the point other than “More power?” It just doesn’t grab me and I’m left scratching my head over the question of WHY he would do all this. All in all, despite a decent attempt at a message, and a great message at that, this is another messy serial that felt like a drag to go through.

The Web of Fear: …One. In a six part long serial, only ONE episode is missing. ONE…You know what? Screw this. I’m not reading six parts just because someone thought it was a good idea to get rid of ONE sixth of a serial. We’re using special means for this one! I’ll just read about the missing episode…

And this one…was slow. I’m going to be honest, a lot of these serials for Series 5 feel like they could have been trimmed down. This one in particular is all about setting up the main threat. Or, rather, reintegrating the main threat, bringing back The High Intelligence and his doofy abominable snowmen who are…significantly less doofy this time around. I’m still not threatened by them, but their new look is definitely an improvement that makes it easier to see how SOMEONE could find them a threat. But six MORE episodes about The Doctor and co. fending off these doofy contraptions? With them having…web powers for some reason? Seriously, why give web guns to abominable snowmen when spiders are RIGHT THERE and are ten times more terrifying than these doofy things ever could ever be?

Yeah, the large part of this serial wasn’t doing much for me…That is until the last two parts when the High Intelligence SORT OF introduces itself and that it wants The Doctor’s intellect. It soon becomes a race for The Doctor to save his mind, new friends, and companions, all while stopping the High Intelligence once and for all. And what I love most is that while the High Intelligence is defeated, it’s not in the way that The Doctor intended. In trying for a permanent solution, Jamie ruins it because his loyalty to The Doctor and NOT wanting to see him hurt caused the whole plan to crumble, with The Doctor being furious and disappointed that it caused the death of a good man that the Intelligence took control of. It’s another great aspect of The Doctor, where their need to save the universe and the innocents in it can sometimes fail because their companions unintentionally foil any plan due to wanting to protect THE DOCTOR too. It’s similar to the idea that “The Daleks Master Plan” presented where The Doctor does sometimes lacks the human element in NOT seeing all the variables and is sometimes driven more by intellect instead of emotion. Except that this time The Doctor’s more at risk instead of Jamie, which I very much appreciate. It gives a fantastic end to a slow build of a serial that, again, did not need to be this long. Hopefully the next time we meet the High Intelligence, it’ll be for a shorter story. And with more threatening looking minions. I don’t care how good the endings are, six parts with doofy costumes is NOT doing it for me.

Fury From the Deep: Deleted, but thankfully they remembered that animation is your friend.

And right away, this one has a similar problem as the last serial, where there’s so much time dedicated to building up this big finale that you end up losing attention DURING the build-up. I mean, it’s the characters fighting off foam and seaweed. Foam and seaweed that’s meant to be so terrifying that it makes Victoria scream so loud they run away. I’m sorry, but I just don’t find foam and seaweed all that scary, nor do I find it entertaining as everyone screams like maniacs over frickin’ FOAM! And SEAWEED! Yeah, I might be freaked out if I saw a bit of seaweed move in real life, but it’s still frickin’ SEAWEED. You gotta dress it up a little better if you want me to believe that characters can scream their heads off over it. Victoria has seen Cybermen, abominable snowmen, Ice Warriors, and The Doctor in possible brownface. She’s faced scarier things, yet it’s the SEAWEED that really broke her? And that screaming, by the way, gets really old really quick. It’s not just Victoria’s cries that grate the ears, but how much everyone is just YELLING at each other, more so than usual. It’s hard to care about anybody and their problems when all I want from them is to just SHUT THE HELL UP!

Ugh, sorry. It’s just that this episode definitely gave me some sensory overload. In fairness, it does get good near the end there. Halfway through, it actually makes the seaweed more of a threat by showing how it infected the humans. By seeing what the seaweed’s capable of, it makes us worried for the characters and hopeful that they don’t meet the same fate. And in the final part, when we see how far the infection goes, it leads to some scary imagery seeing these once human beings become humanoid seaweed. It doesn’t sound frightening, but the animation and some set pictures show just how creepy the concept COULD have been, and I’d say it’s effective ENOUGH. It didn’t give me the chills like other Doctor Who villains, but it worked ENOUGH where I can say it was almost worth going through all the screaming to get to.

Another excellent aspect of the serial is how this is meant to be the departure of Victoria. Not only does she get to stay and help The Doctor and Jamie through most of the serial, but the majority of her time does make it clear that this is her last adventure. She voices how she’s at her wits end with all these adventures and constantly going to some place with danger instead of somewhere…relaxing. To go on vacation instead of having to save the world from a threat that The Doctor has to defeat. You’re quick to understand her plight, and I love that it’s clear she doesn’t want to leave Jamie or The Doctor. She loves them both, just as much as they love her. The problem just lies with the fact that Victoria can’t handle the insanity any longer, with the toxic seaweed being her limit…Still a weird limit to cross, but I digress. The serial handles Victoria’s departure very well, with The Doctor being understanding, albeit still sad, and Jamie feeling heartbroken to say goodbye to someone he cared deeply for. It marks another fantastic ending to a slow building serial.

The Wheel in Space: Half of it’s missing, so all of it’s going to be read. I take back what I said earlier. I’d absolutely take a serial going back and forth between animation and live action to avoid this…

And it’s the Cybermen. Again. For the fourth time since being introduced through the First Doctor. Not gonna lie, it’s starting to feel a LITTLE stale. They’re still valid threats that prove they’re nothing to be messed with as they flawlessly execute a plan to hijack a space station for its powerful weapon systems to invade Earth. It makes them fun, but for the fourth time with no real variation it also makes for something that’s not that much engaging. “Tomb of the Cybermen” at least changed things up by making it an archeological adventure, where this feels more like “The Moonbase” but with a new cast of characters. Though, I will admit, the cast this time is a lot more entertaining and stops “The Wheel in Space” from being TOTALLY dull. There’s some fun personalities on display, making me care about this crew of canon fodder, effectively making me feel all the right things when one of them dies. It was actually upsetting seeing characters like Bill and Gemma getting killed for different tragic reasons, Bill being a victim and Gemma being an unlucky hero. I even felt bad for the brash and paranoid Jarvis Bennet, who died with heartbreak and wanted to go down swinging after the Cybermen killed Gemma. It’s decent stuff, with Zoe being the obvious stand out. On paper, she seems fun as this logic-focussed woman of intelligence who prefers facts over human emotion. I was intrigued by the possibility of how well she’ll work with The Doctor and Jamie in the future just through this serial alone, and I hoped she’d be better in action than in paper. And you’ll see soon enough how well I thought she did. For now, I’ll say that Zoe and the rest of her crew did good enough in making me care a lot more for this standard Cybermen adventure. It goes to show that no matter how typical a story can be, it can always be carried far enough by great characters.

The Dominators: Fully intact like it t’was intended! Thank goodness! I can appreciate the subtleties of an actor's performance and the classic special effects. Speaking of the latter, there are some pretty decent special effects in this, with the way the Quarks move, how buildings fall apart or blow up, or seeing all these mini-explosions being surprisingly close to the actors as they run away. Lot of great stuff to make this serial set the stage for how dangerous the stakes are in this serial…Even if the story never really sucked me in.

Visually, “The Dominators” are pulling out all the stops. Narratively…I don’t know. I like the idea of The Doctor and his companions helping a pacifist society against trigger happy invaders. It SOUNDS interesting, and in some aspects it is. Whenever The Doctor and Co. have to convince the society to fight back and plan an attack against the titular Dominators, it feels intriguing and makes you think the serial is going to be about something like how pacifism is noble but there are times when you NEED to fight…But then it all goes NOWHERE. The constant debates and arguments with the council? Nowhere. The Director ridiculing his son? Basically nowhere. The Dominators making themselves known to the council and accepting their surrender? Very much nowhere. If this was just The Doctor and his companions helping a small group of pacifists, the serial would go up a considerable grade. But with all these scenes of political nonsense at the capital, it makes the serial drag a bit and tunes me out far longer than it should. As for the Dominators, they’re not great either as these two frowning dickheads yelling at each other while using their tinkertoy robots to kill people. If it was JUST the robots to worry about, again, I’d like the serial a lot more. In fact, I WANT to like this serial. Again, visually, it’s a treat to watch. And I love how The Doctor outsmarts these stupid, frowning babies by playing dumb and making them think that The Doctor is too stupid to use for their evil plans. It’s a clever tactic, even if it’s clear that luck and the Dominator’s stupidity is what really made it work. Unfortunately, despite everyone TRYING to make the story great, it’s still a little flawed to keep me interested.

The Mind Robber: Two intact ones in a row?! Oh, well, that’s just special.

The same goes for the serial, because this is an all-timer. The Doctor and his companions are trapped inside a dimension of nothing but fiction, words, storybook characters, and mythological beasts. It’s enough to drive anyone mad, with even The Doctor going crazy as he faces off against that world’s master and all his puzzles, riddles, and trials in the effort to treat The Doctor as a work of fiction himself. This leads to The Doctor to use his own wits and rewrite the story so amie, Zoe, and him don’t become trapped in a world of insanity and used as playthings by an insane mind obsessed with fiction. And it’s all in five parts of decent special effects, impressive sets, and cute costumes as we see The Doctor face each riddle and monster for the sake of saving himself and the others. All while giving some good wacky stuff like Jamie losing his face for an episode or The Doctor and Zoe getting help from a superhero. It’s pretty fun to watch, having my favorite aspect of The Doctor on display as he uses his mind to outthink his enemies instead of overpowering them, while mixed with some fun, sci-fi nonsense that only this franchise can pull off. It leads to a great adventure, leaving me with something new that I haven’t seen from this version of The Doctor yet. There’s really not much I can say about it other than it’s some good, goofy fun met well with some great presentation. Is there anything else you could want from a cheesy, classic Doctor Who adventure?

The Invasion: Darn it, we were doing so well–THIS ONE ONLY HAS TWO EPISODES MISSING IN AN EIGHT PARTER?! Screw it, we’re using special means again. If only a fourth of this is missing, then it was hopefully a boring fourth. And truth be told…it probably was?

Yeah, remember how I said in “The Wheel of Space” that seeing the Cybermen was starting to get a little dull? Well, “The Invasion” proves that it really is true. There’s some intrigue with the mystery behind Vaughn and who he’s helping, it’s cool to see the introduction of UNIT, and there IS some intrigue to be had with Vaughn trying to control the Cybermen. Other than that, though…there’s only so many times I can say, “Oh, it’s so cool to see humanity band together to fight the Cybermen!” At least with the Daleks you have some serials trying to mix things up with them chasing The Doctor and company through space and time or destroying the Dalek empire or having them trick humans into thinking Daleks can be controlled. Here, it’s the FIFTH TIME I’ve seen/read about Cybermen trying to invade Earth and/or destroy humanity with The Doctor and a small group of cannon fodder trying to stop them. At first, it WAS cool to see how the Cybermen started and how The Doctor struggled against them, but after five times with the same kind of adventure it finally got dull. CYBERMEN are now dull. I’m sure they’ll show up again in the future, but after this serial, I was left hoping it wouldn’t be anytime soon.

The Krotons: SAVED from the BBC gods!

And it’s…another case where The Doctor and others discover a conspiracy within a society and must try to stop it so that the same society shall flourish. It’s a story structure that the writers thankfully eased up on for a bit, making it a lot less dull than seeing the Cybermen for the tenth time (I was genuinely worried it would be the Cybermen again when someone mentioned silver men). Plus, to be fair with this one, they mix things up a bit where people catch onto the conspiracy sooner, with The Doctor actively trying to STOP them from revolting due to not knowing enough about the threat yet. There’s even something interesting with how The Doctor and Zoe are prime targets by the Krotons due to their intelligence, but sees Jamie as a waste of space because of his…primitive mindset. It almost has something to say about how a brilliant mind is important but one should also rely on instinct to survive. While it ALMOST gets there…it doesn’t really go all the way, sticking to a theme that one should think for themselves in searching for knowledge rather than letting a higher form of intelligence give them easier answers. Mind you, that’s still a good lesson, as well as a unique one, but unfortunately leaves Jamie on the sidelines with the admittedly boring Gongs who don’t really capture my attention throughout the adventure. I’m more invested with the struggles of The Doctor, Zoe, and Jamie that this tiny rebellion just never captured any investment from me. Given how it’s essential to care about the Gongs so you can hope for The Doctor to save them, I’d say “The Krotons” didn’t do its job too well. There are some good bits that made it worth a watch, but not enough to make me value the whole adventure.

The Seeds of Death: ALSO saved from the BBC gods!

And this one features the return of the Ice Warriors. A tad bit out of the blue, but more welcome than Cybermen for the sixth frickin’ time. As a bonus, I get to actually SEE the Ice Warriors in action this time around instead of just reading about what they do, which steadily improves how I look at these things now as compared to their introduction. It’s weirdly unsettling hearing how they talk as though in constant pain yet still move around with commanding stride. It effectively makes them decent threats, especially with how the guns they use cause this distorted effect that is unlike anything I’ve seen kill a character in Doctor Who before, but works in a way I wouldn’t have been able to expect, at least for something in the late sixties. As for their diabolical plan…it’s covering the world in white foam. I know they said it’s algae or something, but it’s foam. Though, the crazy thing is that I feel the threat because of how well everyone treats it as one. It’s weird, I feel NOTHING towards frickin’ seaweed and white foam, but white foam on its own seems to do SOMETHING for reasons I cannot fully explain. I just look at how it surrounds the Earth, remember how toxic it is for the characters, and actually get worried when I see some of them get covered in it because it’s likely going to do some harm. It’s weird, but it works. The only thing I really CAN complain about is how slow the serial moves. It’s another case where it feels like the serial pads itself out to an unnecessary degree, to the point where the titular seeds of death don’t even come into play until halfway through the serial. At first, I didn’t mind the setup, as I felt showing us that this threat is occurring on this moonbase before The Doctor even shows up is a great way to set the stakes. But given how it took TWO EPISODES just to get up on the damn thing all so we can have this argument about the necessity of rocket travel that went NOWHERE, it makes me wish that The Doctor just happened upon the moonbase or any of the bases with T-Mats just so we can stop wasting time. Because once The Doctor and co. DO end up going against the Ice Warriors, the serial finds its momentum as you watch everyone try desperately to fight these near unstoppable monsters with even The Doctor taking direct action to stop them. It’s just that if this serial was an episode or two shorter, it would have been stronger because of it.

The Space Pirates: AND we were doing so well. DAMN IT! To the transcripts…

At first, I wasn’t really into this. It was all just catching me up to this new time period, spoon feeding me all this lore with these new characters that I could hardly give a single shit about. Meanwhile, The Doctor and his companions, the characters that I enjoy and look forward to seeing in every adventure, were in the middle of an infinitely more engaging narrative of being trapped in a portion of a blown up space probe and trying to get back to the TARDIS as it’s stuck in another part of the probe. I wanted to see how they get out of this mess, yet the story kept cutting back to other characters that The Doctor and his companions haven’t even met yet. It made the serial feel dull and slow, with our main cast feeling like they’re reacting to a plot that happens around them instead of doing something about the titular space pirates. That is, until they meet Milo, because that’s when the story starts picking up. Now with The Doctor and others thrown into the conflict, they’re forced to stop the pirates and save lives so they don’t suffer as well. Even all that time showing us these other characters and their complicated histories was actually beneficial as it all leads to a thrilling conclusion of all these characters separated into different parties and working together for the same goal. I went from not caring about Madeleine or Milo or their whole misconstrued betrayal of one another, but when we get to the big twist of what happened to Madeleine's father (which I will leave spoiler free for this), I felt surprisingly invested and hoped things could work out for those two. It’s amazing how successful a story can turn out if you have faith in the audience feeling invested enough to keep with it and it all pays off in the end. Now, it doesn’t ALWAYS work out, as Doctor Who is sometimes evident of that as well, but this is another case of a serial getting better the more you stick with it. The start was slow and dull but it really is worth it for that quick and tense ending that left me satisfied with its conclusion.

The War Games: Well, at least they remembered to keep The Second Doctor’s last adventure intact. More than I can say about the last one…

This is also his longest adventure too, which is fitting enough. This is the last time we’re going to see this version of The Doctor and the companions he made along the way. So it makes sense to have their last adventure together be their longest one yet, giving fans one last LONG goodbye before seeing them off. And WHAT a final send off, having The Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe go through a large plain of existence where soldiers of every major war on Earth (Up to 1969) are all jumbled together for the sick experiment of an unnamed alien race. Sure, the length makes things drag a bit, but the serial keeps you entertained ENOUGH to see what happens next. Like when Jamie gets kidnapped during HIS attempt at a rescue mission or how The Doctor had to betray his companions so he could save them later. There’s so many twists and turns that the serial takes, keeping me guessing in certain areas and engaging enough to enjoy most of it. Even stuff like the leaders of each war coming together to stop this threat has something beautiful to say. The only way to save ourselves isn’t fighting each other, but fighting against an even bigger problem that could result in our extinction. Whether or not that’s what the serial is trying to say is really up in the air, but it’s still a beautiful sentiment that I personally took away from, and hopefully others got that too.

But the final episode is where things get REALLY good as The Doctor stands trial for, well, being The Doctor. This is the serial that revealed he ran away from his home planet, too bored by just observing time and space and wanting to see it, to be a part of the universe’s insane narrative. It shows leagues of layers to The Doctor and why they’re always moving, always traveling to see something new, in the same episode that reveals more Time Lords. The ones we’ve seen before were Susan and The Monk, with both of them being…not that impressive as The Doctor. Here, though? We get to see just how powerful a Time Lord is and exactly why The Doctor knows there’s no escape from their punishments, regardless of your pleas. It makes the rest of the episode a tragic one as everybody is fighting all they can to stop the inevitable, and everybody fails in the process. It hurts the most when The Doctor is forced to say goodbye to both Zoe and Jamie with NONE of them wanting to. I actually felt my heart cracking up a bit when The Doctor said his goodbye Jamie in particular, the two of them going through the most together throughout this run. And to add an extra layer of pain, neither of them remember The Doctor when getting sent back to their respective times. Previous companions got to at least have their memories, so the fact that Zoe and Jamie don’t just…hurts. It hurts me as it hurts The Doctor, the poor guy losing everything because of HIS decision. He contacted the Time Lords to save the many lives that the aliens stole, only to lose everything in the process. From his TARDIS, to his companions, to even his face, this is The Doctor’s greatest failure that came from what’s basically his greatest victory. “The War Games” might feel a little long at times, but that ending makes it one of the best Doctor Who stories in the series. Couldn’t have asked for a better final serial for this Doctor.

But before we talk about the new guy himself, let’s get into the people that tagged along in this journey.

THE COMPANIONS

New regeneration, new companions. Just like last time, we’re going in order of appearance, starting with two in particular carrying over from the last Doctor…

Ben: Ben…feels like a productive Steven. He’s able to save lives and actually assist the others, but he’s just so whiney and dopey a lot of the time. Ian had his moments where he complained or bantered with The Doctor but had this sort of…charm that Ben lacks. You could say that it’s a maturity thing and Ben’s youthful twenties made him act a little immaturely. But even then, while you CAN say that’s an excuse, it doesn’t stop him from being a little annoying. I at least like him more than Steven, but not by much.

Polly: Polly frustrates me in a way because it feels like she’s two different characters sometimes. At her best, she’s a lot like Barbara: Capable of getting herself out of scraps, intelligent enough to follow along with The Doctor better than anyone in the group, and kind in ways where she emphasizes with someone going through something stressful. But at her worst, Barbara’s a lot like Susan: A damsel in distress SCREAMING for someone to help her. It’s like the writers wanted to be progressive in making Polly be a capable companion but didn’t want her to be TOO impressive compared to some of the men. The end result causes her to be a character whose personality isn’t even dependent on the story being told. It’s dependent on what the scene is, holding her character back from being someone amazing when she’s just…a slightly better Susan.

Jamie: I didn’t even need to check in with the fandom to know that Jamie’s a fan-favorite. His middle name might as well be loyalty, because there is no one that stuck closer to The Doctor like he did. Jamie would throw himself into danger without a second thought because The Doctor is in trouble and he would fight heaven and Earth just to save him. And he had the skill to back it up too. Where the boy lacked brains, he more than made up with brawn and battle experience, thinking on his feet while knocking out blokes that threatened his life and The Doctor’s. Though, let it be known that Jamie isn’t BLINDLY loyal. He still questions most of The Doctor’s tactics and will relentlessly be annoyed with his antics and incapability to use the TARDIS. Just because Jamie would die for The Doctor, he’d still knock some sense into the old man for acting like a fool. The result is a fun and admirable character that I was genuinely sad to see go. Maybe because, out of every companion The Second Doctor had, Jamie stuck around the longest. Everyone else left after a season, but not Jamie. He stuck around, knowing that The Doctor will always need a guy like him, with it hurting the most that they had to say goodbye and Jamie lost his memories. The Doctor will never forget him, but Jamie will, making a sad end to what might be one of my favorite Doctor Who companions.

Victoria: I have…mixed feelings towards Victoria. I was not a fan of her constantly being a damsel in distress, hardly contributing as The Doctor and Jaime went off to do the real dangerous stuff. I, for one, still prefer companions that are more active than reactive, thank you. Plus, the screaming wasn’t really pleasant a few times…Yet, at the same time, I’ve come to realize that there’s this…sympathy to be had with Victoria. She lost her father, whose last request was for The Doctor to protect his daughter at all costs. And The Doctor, in typical fashion, figured that protecting meant taking her along for every dangerous adventure he could possibly come across. It makes sense why she was often the damsel who would inevitably leave behind all the wackiness. She wasn’t MADE for adventure and wanted out of it. It makes for an interesting character on paper, even if the execution could be…grating. I like the attempt and I still love how her departure went. I just wasn’t a fan of the overall character.

Zoe: Wasn’t there for too long, but she was a fine enough character. I loved that she was as smart as The Doctor and even smarter at times. She had good rapport with him as the first person to ever match wits with The Doctor on a regular basis…Other than that, she was still just like the other young female companions: A damsel when the story demanded it. Worse yet, it gave her a sort of strained relationship with Jamie, with there ALMOST being something there with Jamie demanding that she’d protect herself and Zoe going, “How very sexist of you.” Only for her to be in immediate danger and screaming for The Doctor and Jamie to come save her. It would have actually been cool if she could save herself or even save Jamie and The Doctor instead of screaming for help as though she were a Susan or a Victoria. But, nope, can’t have a woman be too badass in the late sixties. Here’s hoping the seventies will be better with a new Doctor…

Speaking of Doctors, let’s talk about the new, old man himself…

THE DOCTOR

Right away, I want to make it clear that this is MUCH more of what I’m expecting from The Doctor. Gone is the old cynic and in comes what’s basically a British Bugs Bunny. The Doctor takes control of every situation he’s in through confidence and keeping everyone guessing what he’ll do next with toys, gimmicks, and even disguises to befuddle his enemies. The man was a ton of fun, aided by Patrick Troughton’s charming performance, looking like (and often sounding like) he was having a great time with this character. But it should be known that most of One’s seriousness wasn’t completely lost. Two still kept that in stride, yelling and being furious with others when they didn’t listen to his “good” and “completely reasonable” ideas (the air quotes are intentional). It’s almost as if he was a younger version of The First Doctor, which…might have been the intention? As of this point, the show didn’t explain what regeneration was, only vaguely doing it by the time Number Two’s was up. When The First Doctor regenerated in the TARDIS, with only a few nobs moving on their own while he laid almost dead on the floor, it was as though the writers were trying to visually explain that the TARDIS aged him backwards into Patrick Troughton. Of course, this is only theories and speculation, but something I couldn’t help but pick up as a possibility and I wonder if that could have been the real explanation that the writers wanted to stick with Troughton didn’t want out after three seasons. We know NOW that isn’t the case, but it’s still a fun “what if” that makes this already entertaining version of the character more intriguing.

However, as fun as The Second Doctor is, he’s not without problems. Or PROBLEM as there was only really ONE thing that bothered me with The Second Doctor, and that’s how much of a sniveling coward he could be sometimes. I heard people complain about Fifteen shedding a few tears over a stressful or heartbreaking situation, but it’s nothing compared to how often The Second Doctor would scream, panic, and sound like he was on the verge of bawling like a baby over a stressful situation. It would only get worse with each serial too, with him coming across as more of a coward when he really should have become braver. That’s kind of how character development is SUPPOSED to work. You get BETTER with each adventure, not worse, and it really hurts with how strong this Doctor started off. He came out swinging as a goofy and serious reincarnation, but slowly lost my interest as his run went on. I at least like Two more than One, but I don’t think he’d be able to top some of my favorite modern Doctors. The fact that most of his serials were deleted doesn’t help much either.

Although, I will say, I MUCH prefer this run over the last one. It’s a bit repetitive at times but MUCH more engaging with thrilling sci-fi stories that are much more in-line with what I expect from Doctor Who, aided with a fun-loving Doctor and his most loyal companion…Plus some season long guests. And with his story over, I’m looking forward to what Number Three has to offer. Mainly because I know NOTHING about him, so that’s going to be fun to experience. Until then, I’ll be counting down the next one by the SECONDS.