#OBVIOUSLY on the cover the cops look like human people

[dogwithglasses]

“In the middle of a long, hot summer, a fatal police shooting makes national news. Cities across the country erupt into violence as well-organized activist groups mix in with opportunists and provocateurs and begin to riot, loot, burn -- and kill! One rookie cop is caught in the middle and is forced to choose between protecting her daughter, and serving her community. Will she survive the chaos?”

Lol what a “cool” book to publish right now. Cool. Great

(I haven’t read this and I won’t. If I’m wrong in assuming that it’s pro cop and anti protestor I apologize but like. It really seems pretty on the nose lol)

[sublimetragedychopshop]

TW: self-deprecating??, harrassment, stalker, yandere struggles, (I think that’s it?)

I can’t imagine the hell that it would be of having a yandere that is 100x out of your league. Like just imagine being a normal ass joe, nothing going on in life, no big group of friends, no exciting qualities, nothing to offer ANYONE. And here comes this god like figure- waltzing or barging into your shameful life and going “I am entranced by you, so deeply and utterly enraptured that you haunt every aspect of my existence. I have killed and maimed for you… allowing me to be yours is the only thing I wish for. The only thing I desire. Please, please just allow me to bask in your presence for the rest of my life..”

I’m getting mad just thinking about it, like how would someone even respond to that!? They let themselves into your shitty apartment (with a spare key they finessed from your landlord) they have the GALL to sit on your bed after being caught shamelessly snuggling under the covers, all model like?? Telling them that you’ll call the cops so that they leave but knowing in your heart that the police would arrest YOU before they accuse someone as godly as THEM! of course this doesn’t faze them. Though the sadness on their face is evident. Somehow you get them to leave and think that will be it for forever…

Until now you can see them clearly, everywhere you go. If you go to a coffee shop they’ll arrive 2 minutes after you and just sit across from you as long as your there. Your best bet is ignoring them because if you tell a worker of this person “harassing” you then you’ll just get a “really bitch??” Look and told to not disturb THEM! They even walk right next to you on the sidewalk, other people simply stopping to stare at their beauty and aura while you just grit your teeth and try to walk faster. Some brave ones stop them to ask for their number or if their single, only for them to wrap an arm around your own and tell them that their dating you. They are OBVIOUSLY with YOU. So why the FUCK is this trash asking dumb questions?? It gives you second hand embarrassment and your self esteem goes in the shitter when others just give that disbelief look and reluctantly leave it at that. If you try and buy anything they will just whip out their black card and pay for it instead nor matter your protests. If you say something like “hey don’t spend money! I can buy my own things!” They look you straight in the face with zero hesitation and just go “I know you can, but I want to spend money on you. All my money is YOURS. You are still using YOUR money.” Bro at this point I’ll make them take me to the Gucci store or sum.

Someone that is the EPITOME of peak human desire. An irresistible face and body, black cards in their pockets, mansions, sports cars, high paying job and famous people for “friends”. They are what hustle culture people DREAM to be, so why would they be interested in you? Why do they act like you’re the one doing THEM a favor by just existing? Why do they look at you so lovingly when masses stare at them with the same look? Why get so jealous and overprotective when you show basic human decency to others? As if you were some Hot shot movie star!

And the worst part is, when they do creepy gross stalker shit it doesn’t even seem like they are the one being weird. If you bother entertaining them at a cafe and leave for the bathroom, you’ll most likely come back to them with your used spoon in they mouth.

———————————————————

Btw no one is how I portray reader in this lil scenario. EVERYONE is exceptional and wonderful and beautiful In their own way! Just cuz u can’t see doesn’t mean others don’t either. This was more of something I wrote when I was going through it.

[wanderingtycho]

By far one of my favorite things about the way Disco Elysium handles politics is that Libertarianism is treated as an absolute joke. Like the game is obviously sympathetic towards communists, but there are elements of sympathy towards the moralists and fascists as well. Not sympathy in the sense of “oh can’t we all just get along, we’re all human” BS, but sympathy in the sense that you are able to understand a persons thought process that would lead them to embrace moralism or fascism. Even if that thought process is deeply flawed, and leads to horribly off kilter conclusions, going through the centrist and fash quests gives you meaningful insight into the appeal of those ideologies.

But Ultraliberalism? The game just laughs at you, repeatedly and mercilessly. As it should, you’re a cop so poor a guy you’ve known for one day has to pawn some fancy hubcaps so you can afford rent, yet all you talk about is your grindset. Your hustle, how you’re gonna disrupt the market and groove your way into the lap of luxury. It’s delusion, utter stark raving madness, and characters treat you as such.

Kim is at a loss for words whenever you crank on your libertarian spiel, Evrart calls you a retard, you have to *trick* the mega-rich light bending guy into giving you mercury mining stocks because he’s simply too perplexed by you. Joyce, last of the self identified Ultras, doesn’t take you seriously. Sileng just goes along with it the same way he goes along with any of the other nonsense you can spout, because he’s on his own hustle, and there is no loyalty among charlatans. The only character who is wholeheartedly onboard with the money engineering and the visionary wave making lifestyle is literally named IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL.

But you see, all these things are just incidental, where the game makes it most potent jab at libertarians is when the vision quest stops. Notice I said *stop* not *end*. The communist quest line ends with a Rhetoric check in order to ask The Most Important Question about Communism. The fascist quest has you look yourself in the eye with an Endurance check to see if you can stomach the truth about yourself and your Vöws. The moralist quest ends with a heart wrenching Empathy check as you beg the iron grey and soulless enforcers of the status quo to please god help this district before war breaks out in the streets. There’s real personal stakes for Harry in all these disparate paths he can walk, what does Ultraliberalism get?

You and Kim look at a statue covered in tinsel and disco balls, Kim asks you why you went through with all this, and no matter what response you pick he’s like “Right, yeah, okay. Anyway, let’s finish the case.”

That’s it, no grand moment of pathos, no red Savoir Faire skill check to see if you really are the baddest hustler in the neoliberal hood after all. It’s completely limp, flaccid, lackluster. The game treats all the effort you put into this as exactly what it is: sad, cringe fantasies of a poor old man who’s huffing copium over the embarrassed millionaire mythos.

Disco Elysium doesn’t give libertarianism a poignant, profound conclusion because it’s an ideology undeserving of such treatment. It’s a hyper-capitalist cult mentality of toxic positivity and confirmation bias, a way for desperate people to trick themselves and other chumps into thinking they can bootstrap their way into wealth and prestige. It goes past wishful thinking into pure delirium, the game doesn’t engage with it seriously because it doesn’t have to, the only people who sincerely believe any of its tenants are morons and the clowns who sucker them.

[ghost-bxrd]

What do you headcanon as AU careers for Dick?

I don't much like the idea of Dick as a cop (in Wayne Family Adventures I'm pretty sure they never explicitly mention his job, so I'm gonna pretend he's not a cop there)

Gymnastics instructor seems to be a popular choice in most of the Happy Dick and Nice Batfam AUs and it sounds in character... Except his night job related injuries would be difficult to hide.

Neither Fae nor Talon Dick are likely to have the kind of falling out with Bruce which led to Dick striking out on his own, so they will likely never have the worry about earning their own living. Bruce would no doubt be willing and eager to give them cushy jobs with the WE, or they can just treat Superhero-ing as their full time job. But still, I think they will want an independent, non-nepo baby job.

I like the idea of Dick as a CPS worker, or just with social services in general. He'll be great with traumatized kids, has so much experience both first and second hand to draw on.

And if Fae Dick is with CPS... Well. The lore about fae stealing children is well known, but less well known is the lore that fae steal neglected children.

Now, that can simply be the predator going after the vulnerable, but it can also be in some stories the fae see humans refusing to take care of the children properly and getting their adoption instincts triggered Bruce Wayne style, taking them away from the parents who don't deserve them to a better life.

CPS takes neglected and abused children away from the parents who don't deserve them, to a better life.

Love the idea of a fae as a CPS worker, getting official sanction and human cooperation to do his traditional job :)

It depends on the Au!

I’m very flexible with what I read as long as the author manages to fit it into the story in a plausible and believable way. Like with the Titans TV series where it establishes very early on that Dick is rather feral and not as opposed to murder as Bruce *cough*

But over all I do agree that him being a cop doesn’t check out most of the time since most comics (at least from what I’ve read, so take that with a grain of salt. My comic knowledge is like— 3% if we’re being generous lol.) depict him as being very opposed to using firearms, and to killing. And cops have to carry guns to protect themselves and others, and sometimes also shoot people. So yeah I don’t know.

And acrobatics instructor actually isn’t such a bad idea imo! Yeah there are some pretty revealing suits out there. But if we go with what Dick is wearing in Gotham Knights in between missions it could totally work out! He’d still have to be careful tho, obviously. But honestly I don’t think people will look too closely at someone who does potentially dangerous sports as a living and comes in with a black eye or a broken arm or something.

CPS sounds like a very fun idea tho! Espiecally in regards to Fae Dick! He’s got a soft spot for children and their wide eyed wonder. And kids aren’t nearly as frightened of him if they happen to catch a glimpse of other either. So yeah, perfect!

But now I’m also thinking of the Pied Piper of Hamelin tale, because I can totally see Dick leading a gaggle of kids through the streets and out of harms way if there’s ever a Gotham wide catastrophe going on… hmmmm

Other than that I could also see Dick as someone who takes a job leading and organizing multiple charities (sponsored by Wayne Enterprises) and rising through the Gotham Elite. It would help his vigilante cover (poor and dumb Richie Wayne, always drunk and being scandalous, just like his guardian) while also serving the ulterior motive of rooting out corruption.

Idk that last one’s just a thought (cuz I love good rich people playing other bad rich people and causing their downfall… eh.)

[maxxix66]

Dumb Ghost(part one)

“You can’t wake up, this is not a dream. You’re part of a machine, you are not a human being.”

Warnings: Smut, murder, ghost face!reader, female!reader, kniveplay, honestly just the reader being an asshole, then being fucked by Tara. Not proofread. also some of this is very unsanitary, as the reader is covered in three other peoples blood

POV: Second person

Request: my own brain

Pairing: Tara Carpenter x Female Reader

Genre: Smut

‼️NSFW BELOW THE CUT‼️

You tapped away on your throw away phone, somehow not being affected by the gloves you were wearing. You stared into your girlfriends window, contemplating jumping in to say hi. Maybe a couple cuts, but mainly a friendly hello. You sighed, and dialed her number.

Rnng… rnng… rnng… click.

You sighed, continuing to call until the phone was picked up. Of course, the voice changer was enabled.

“Hey honey, what’s up?”

Tara tapped on the table, while hearing an unfamiliar voice. “…Hi?”

You laughed, feeling fuzzy on the inside. “Sooo… Do you like scary movies?”

You heard an annoyed sigh, and she responded. “(Y/N), you’re not funny.”

“Who is (Y/N)?”

At this point, you were just fucking with her. When she hung up, you sighed.

“Awww, lame…”

You tap on the window, watching her walk over. She looked out, seeing nothing but darkness. Of course, she couldn’t see you. Tara squinted, and turned away. She continued cleaning the kitchen, and you smiled.

At this point, you had enough. You tampered with her security system, and walked straight in. You waved, and she stared at you. She grabbed a knife out of the butcher block. You shook your head, and pulled your knife up. Tara, not knowing what was happening, screamed and ran to the living room. You chased after her, and threw the knife. It slid across her arm, and she yelled.

“Agh- what the hell? Why are you in my house?!”

You laughed, and ripped your mask off. Tara stared at you, seeing her girlfriends face covered in different shades of blood, obviously the depth of the wounds on your victims varying.

“Just wanted to say hi. Hello, hi. How might you be, little one?”

You walked up and lifted her chin up with your thumb and index finger, smiling and kissing her softly. She pushed you away. She smelled a metallic scent, and started to stare at you in fear and surprise.

“(Y/N), please tell me you didn’t…”

You sighed, and sat down. You did. You killed people. You looked at her, and then looked away in shame. When she glared at you, you dropped the knife.

“Tara, I’m… I’m sorry.”

She picked up the knife, and crawled over you. She kicked the pillows and blankets off of the couch, and put the knife to your neck.

“What have you done? Who did you hurt? Did you… kill someone?”

You looked at her, trembling. You nodded. “You did not…”

You nodded once again. Your black costume draped off of your body. She pushed the knife down harder, and stared you in the eyes.

“Do you know how much this’ll hurt people?”

You nodded. “Yeah, but you’re not exactly innocent either… I mean, you can be an ass at times…”

She sighs, and takes it off. Her hands were now stained with other people’s blood, yet she was still enjoying seeing you vulnerable.

“You’re a killer. That warrants at least something, right?”

You shook against her, and pushed her gently.

“Tara, get off.”

She shook her head, and pinned your hands down. She glared at you, and tied them together with some cloth she has laying around.

“Stay here. I’m gonna call the cops if you pull anything weird.”

She shook her head, and walked to the bathroom. You looked around, and got comfy.

“Left, right, left, right, on the bed, off the bed…”

She came out, and walked up to you. She dragged you off the couch, and pulled you to her room.

“I swear, I’m gonna fuckin’…”

She didn’t finish, and continued to pull you. Once she got you in her room, she pulled you on the bed. Tara pulled down your black jeans, as well as your panties. She moved the hilt of your knife along your inner thigh, the blood of your victims dripping down your leg. She laughed, seeing you look down in panic.

“Tara, please don’t get the blood too close to my… y’know…”

She chuckled again, and moved the handle do your cunt. She slid it up and down slowly, continuing to laugh at your freaked out expression.

“What, scared? You killed them, why are you freaking out?”

She gently slid the tip into your core, watching you whine. She pulled it out, and tossed it to the side. The next thing to enter you was her now bloody fingers. The blood being those three victims and her own. The part about her blood being inside of you made your skin crawl. Of course, she started sliding them in and out as you whined into her shoulder. Every few seconds, she sped up until there were sickening squelches echoing in the room.

“Tara..? Slow down…”

She kissed your cheek, and moved down to suck on your neck. She only sped up from that point. You whined her name quietly, grinding yourself into her hand.

“Shh, shh… It’s alright. Just endure it for a bit longer, alright?”

You nodded. Tara moved her left hand up to pinch one of your nipples, giggling at how your mouth hung open and your eyes shut.

“Mmh… Ta-Tara..~”

She smiled into your skin, only for you to feel the shape of her lips. The feeling of her touch sent you over the edge, making you tremble and leak all over her fingers. She kissed you once more, before pulling away and going to get a towel.

“Don’t get it anywhere, or I may just leave you here all night.”

Well uh, I’m never experimenting again

[spaceacerat]

Don't know why I've been feeling compelled to write this but. Something some people don't realize is how weird delusions can be. How for some people, they're just There and you live with it and no one knows about it unless they're really paying attention or you mention it.

So here's a little insight into a long held delusion. Putting it under a read more so people that want to not see it don't have to.

CW - delusions, surveillance, persecutory

Like. Imagine this. You are 3-5 years old, hanging out in your bedroom. Basically one of your first memories, right?

Anyways, your guardian calls out "hey, almost time for bed! Go ahead and change." You get your clothes, go to change. Then you look around and you get really tense and know you Can't, because you realize the toys and photographs with eyes are all facing your direction.

Why does that mean you can't? Because somehow, even before you could remember, you were completely and utterly convinced basically anything with eyes had little cameras that were spying on you. The most advanced piece of hardware you'd ever seen was your parents bulky VHS camera. No computers, webcams, cellphones. Nothing that could reasonably spy on you like tech these days does. You have no concept of Big Brother or the Truman show, very little understanding of the government, but you Just Know it is happening.

Then, after you get everything turned around or covered, and you feel ready to change, but then your pet walks in. You look at them and immediately know you have to get them out of the room too. Your brain goes in two directions as to why. One side is convinced that the pet also has cameras in their eyes, sent to spy on you. The other is convinced it's a human that got turned into an animal, once more to spy on you and report back. Which one doesn't matter, because obviously one is true, and thus you must take the necessary precautions. You shoo the pet out. You feel safe and ready to change clothes now.

Then imagine this thought follows you into adulthood. You've gone your entire life thinking you have eyes on you from all angles. Eventually, it grows into recorders, bugs (the mic-type), microphones, webcams, phone cameras. Your idea on who is recording you changes on the life situation (friends, family, neighbors, some secret organization, cops, the government), but you've never wavered from this idea even though sometimes people can rationalize you out of it briefly. But it's Still There. Medication doesn't even stop it.

Sometimes it's after someone you know leaves your place, and you're convinced they bugged the house. Sometimes it's that a family member has put cameras up to catch you off guard. Sometimes it's that the neighbors are recording you through the walls, or from your open window, or outside your house. But most of the time, it's just this vague 'Other' that is watching through these imaginary cameras. Waiting. You don't know why or what for. You. Just. Know.

However, after so long of living like that, you've learned how to deal with it. It's just a part of your day to day. You believe it at all times, to some degree, some days more strongly than others. It's worse as technology gets more invasive, but it's rarely the technology you worry about. That can be unplugged, covered, seen, avoided. You can control what information that has access to, to some degree. But you can't control the things you can't see. The things you cherish that you would have to tear apart just to see if it's real, things you want to be able to look at because it still brings joy so you keep it in your room.

You live with it so you don't have to expend constant energy trying to keep it from happening, even if it makes it hard to speak or act freely in the places that are meant to be safest. You learn to change turned away from the things in your spaces. You try not to do anything embarrassing or talk about illegal things too often or too loudly. Who knows what this information will be used for, but sometimes when you think it's neighbors, you think they're going to report you for Something.

It confuses the people you mention it to, they try to reassure you, but it only helps temporarily. Nothing fixes it. Nothing makes it go away. But that's okay.

That's just your life. In your mind it has been there, and might always be.

[lifeonthemurdersim]

Murder OC Week Day 2- The Public

Does the public know about your murder oc, do they know they kill people, how do they act around others, and do they have friends?

Day 2 prompt by @murder-oc-week!

The only murder OC of mine who's known to the general public is Epiphany because she's heiress to both Castillo Hotels and Q-Level Software. They definitely don't know she kills people, prior to the start of the story she was involved in 2 recent kills carried out by her bodyguards who were able to claim reasonable defense of others, and only one kill was carried out by her personally, which was heavily covered up with the help of Oscar, another of her bodyguards. She's known for being flirtatious but not particularly warm or caring, and easily angered. She knows a lot of other socialites and celebrities but honestly she doesn't have any true friends.

Wasei has a devoted following on OnlyFans to the point people occasionally recognise him in the street, but not overly famous. He doesn't really choose to kill, and in terms of the Human Nature universe I don't think he has ever actually killed anyone. If someone were to open him up in any way and get to his heart they could be in for a nasty surprise though. Was is very annoying, mostly from a desperate need for attention, and not everyone can tolerate being around him for very long, but he can be endearing at times, so he does have a few friends, mostly online. In the end of the story he becomes good friends with Hope, with Phi and Azazel semi-tolerating him.

Jevaun is semi-known amongst the supernatural hunting community, if someone's looking for a vampire hunter especially he's going to be in the top 10 or so names they come across. In that sense, he's the only one whose kills are widely known about, obviously not to the cops but to many, many people who have hired him. He's actually a very warm and caring person in his private life; he has quite a lot of friends (one of these is Rahim), he had a husband, Leander, who unfortunately passed away from lung cancer a couple of years prior to the story, and he also has a now adult child.

Azazel's trial in heaven was a fairly famous case, if only because it mirrored his namesake so strongly. As for on earth, he got pretty famous amongst the Expiation Baptist Church, (a cult made in his name ran by some of @snail-eggs's OCs) to the point they mob and worship him like obsessive fans whenever they catch him. He's not killed prior to the start of the story but many have been killed in his name. If he was to kill the angels would know straight away. Azazel is terrified of everything and unfortunately even when he gets to know someone, he's never going to be the most talkative, and they're not necessarily well-versed in human ways, though they're essentially a kind person at heart. Again, he becomes part of a friend group with Hope, Wasei and Phi.

Theo was "campus famous" in college because he was the bassist in a band that often played at student events, other than that, he's not well known. He has killed a few people prior to the story; the ex of someone he was obsessed with in college (framed as suicide), his fiancee and her lover(thought to be guilty but dismissed as no evidence) and someone who tried to stop him getting to MC(thinking along the lines of a doorman to their building, so far he's covered his tracks carefully enough to not get caught). Theo is initially shy but can be a little too intense once you get to know him. He doesn't really have any friends, which is fine with him as he tends to just attach to one person and obsess over them(looking at you, MC!).

Rahim is rich but he's only really known in certain circles. He already came from a privileged background, becoming a college professor at an impressively young age. But his father also gave him some of his shares in a family friend(Dalian Quintana, Epiphany's father)'s software business, which got him interested in shares and stocks, where he did very well and now he rarely teaches. So he's met a lot of famous people but most people wouldn't know who he is. He's known amongst his friends as a philanthropist who helps people he comes across on the streets and "turning their lives around", so it's not treated as very suspicious when some do die in his care. He's generally known as a nice guy who can sometimes act a little standoffish or downright weird partially because his CIPA leads him to various unusual behaviours. Most of his friends are from a group for those who've lost a spouse, one of them being Jevaun.

Xylophia might technically be vaguely known of by some but overall they're not famous, and she hasn't really killed before the start of the story; they would only really kill if they had to. He's very adventurous and sociable and has a lot of friends, though her preference is always to talk 1-on-1 so they can have a deeper, more honest conversation.

Hope is definitely not famous on any account. She's definitely killed at least one person prior to the start of HN, but it was their only way out of the murder time loop they were stuck in. They've also had kills that were rewritten by the timeline so essentially never happened. Hope is initially shy and awkward much like Azazel, who they're close with and have a huge crush on, but beneath the surface they're significantly less innocent than him. Once they know someone well enough they have an intelligent, sarcastic sense of humour and are very loyal. They don't have many friends but again, they eventually find a group of three others she's very attached to... or maybe four...?

Because of course, all of these characters have the ability to get attached to MC too!

[adamsvanrhijn]

@javert @alethiometer also anyone else who enjoys scary things and wants to help me out

youtube videos that might be far far to scary by far & make me too scared:

might as well put a bunch in whilst i'm at it

https://youtu.be/hCsPV0eiqxg

https://youtu.be/lL0CkSNUIG8

https://youtu.be/wCUcypJU658

https://youtu.be/2Yueni460aM

https://youtu.be/7eM7pb5M5DU

stuff i CANNOT HANDLE:

home invasion

abduction/kidnapping

stalking

surveillance that is not from a broader organization so like government or organized crime or a cult or whatever is fine but The Next Door Neighbor is not

actual creepy audio (e.g. someone calling in a bomb threat, ransom calls, the perpetrator takes over the 911 call etc)

bodily injury that isn't warned for. not good with gratuitous gore.

someone is at the end of a hallway or behind a corner or outside the door or looking into a window who should not be

someone impersonating a job that can harm me but usually isn't supposed to. like a surgeon. cop is fine that's already scary

i don't love people getting trapped in stuff that's toxic and slowly dying or becoming increasingly horribly injured

actual footage of a human person with pretty much everything above. "(horrible thing happening to a real person who is now either dead traumatized or very injured) caught on camera" stuff.

And The Worst Part Is..... They Could Still Be Out There..... [they = person who did horrible things or person who is trapped in a horrible situation]

stuff i sometimes am ok with

stuff that's like intentionally freaking you out. like nexpo guy's intros usually are stressful for me but i can get over it if it isn't too realistic

if a jump scare or big audio change like a blaring alarm is obviously coming i can deal ok by turning around or covering my ears or something

i like these guys' like, plane crash and historical disaster videos. mining and caving is ok as long as it didn't get too visceral and graphic. i do okay watching forensic files because everything tends to be ok at the end. generally i can put up with a lot if i know going in there will be resolution. i think certain mysteries are very cool.

i would like to watch more from this guy too but a lot of his stuff i know from the thumbnail alone is just. Not for me

https://youtube.com/@ScaryInteresting?si=D5CGMO75CejjMHN1

[owlbelly]

found an 80s hardcover of Cabal in the thrift store & grabbed it because i had completely forgotten i'd ever read it (which tells you something!!!) & thought "oh yeah i love Nightbreed, i should really read this one"

truly incredible how much the movie is just exactly the book, except you get a little more interiority for Lori & more interesting descriptions of the monsters - i love the practical effects & costuming in the movie but they just couldn't pull off what Barker actually wrote. but oh man this story in either form just epitomizes my love/hate relationship with the dude's work. it's got so much potential. it's so, so bad. Cabal (1988) / Nightbreed (1990) spoilers ahead

i mean come on: queer monster misfit sanctuary vs. the "real monsters" of policing & carceral mental health systems (that enable & provide cover for sadistic humans)? fuck yes. vivid descriptions of wild genderfucky polyamorous kinky mystical creatures living in their huge necropolis? all day long please

but Clive's brilliance is only matched by how much he sucks so we get an incredibly bullshit portrayal of mental illness (what's Boone's deal? we'll never know. it doesn't matter, it only matters that he's Beautiful and Tortured) & a fairly confused sense of the moral standing of various characters/systems. like. are at least some of the Breed not also sadistic killers? what exactly makes them better than Decker or the cops - is it just that they admit to what they do & they're more sexually liberated? would Decker have been accepted if he came to them looking for belonging? also are we meant to think Decker is "mentally ill" - and what does that mean for the narrative - or is the Mask literally a separate entity & does that make him/it a Breed-type monster too?

Boone calls Ashberry a monster (non-pejoratively?) for being secretly some kind of trans ("a crossdresser" but there are some other vague gestures towards gender stuff, Clive doesn't know or care) & then Ashberry, who has been trying to stop the massacre, appears to genuinely want to accept himself & join the Breed, but when he comes into contact with Baphomet (who should recognize his gender stuff!) he gets rejected & fucked all the way up instead. why?

the queerness in this story is all over the place but critics seem weirdly obsessed with a queer reading of Boone/Decker, which i just don't see at all - in the movie there's NOTHING backing that up, in the book there's some bits of narration around them being "like lovers" in terms of their mutual dependence/obsession - but Boone & Lori's very straight relationship is pretty centered! i would be super interested in a queer and/or trans reading of Lori, who actually has some dysphoria (around looking "sweet") & thinks about herself when she's jacking off (iconic...), i just don't think there's anything interesting going on with Boone. obviously the Breed as a whole are a queer allegory & in the movie & background of the book, there are some obviously queer people/relationships, but honestly why tell this queers vs. the straight world story by focusing on an apparently straight, extremely lackluster "tortured man & devoted woman" romance??

and good lord the sex scene. the reason i remembered i HAD read it is that the phrase "he threw his fuck up into her" was burned into my mind & activated me like a sleeper agent when i read it again. honey no. also Boone ejaculating on Baphomet's severed head...oh Clive.

the funniest thing i'm taking away is that i forgot that Boone is supposed to be a bewitchingly gorgeous man with a face no one can resist & the guy playing him in the movie looks like THIS

[zehecatl]

2024 media thread PART AUGUST

6th August: Fear Street 1994

despite my love for the horror genre, i've honestly never watched much horror- in fact, i'd say this is probably my second horror movie, ever? and while i did very much primarily pick this because of the sapphics, holy shit, what a fun time

i'm not very well-versed in the genre, but i really liked the combination of slasher and supernatural. the set up is so interesting, and i'm very much looking forward to learning more over the next two entries. i love how the movie works both as a stand-alone, and as a set up for the rest of the trilogy

also, what a fun cast!! i really liked the dynamic at play here, and how grounded everyone was; outside of the very beginning, i never had a 'oh my god, why are you acting so DUMB' moment. also, a small moment i really loved was how, despite the town's differences, Sunnyside and Shadyside both refused to tell the cops anything. ACAB, and all that 👏

definitely looking forward to watching the other two :]

13th August: Jujutsu Kaisen 0

tfw a friend makes you go watch a movie, and you come out of it with another black haired boy to cry about

okay, for real- while i don't know everything about JJK, i do know enough to watch this, and it's definitely a really good movie. i think Gege's writing actually really shines in it, because it perfectly encapsulates a lot of what he does best- tragedy, human connection, that perfect note of horror that really makes his series special. it was a little rushed, like i think a two-parter would have been really good, but we did get enough to make everything make sense, and, like. this got me attached to Geto. i literally stopped watching s1 before he really got to show up (yes, i know about the thing, but you get what i mean). and i nearly cried at the end

it's! a really good movie!! it did make me really attached to Yuta and Maki and Inumaki (i feel like Panda is more of a gimmick character to round out the cast, than a real character? like, obviously that could change in the actual series, but he did fall a bit flat here) and it does showcase enough of the Geto/Gojo relationship to tease the fans, and all around, it's. a nice way to restart my watch into the series?

it does kind of make me want more time with the kiddos tho. can we get a spin-off. can we get to watch them train together and be babies. that would be nice

(also get Geto therapy. please. i know he's dead, but i think maybe if you give enough therapy to his corpse, that could fix some things)

21th August: WIND BREAKER

how the FUCK is this anime not more popular, how the fuck has the whump community not devoured it whole, how the FUCK is there not more fanart and fanfic, like hello? hello??? the most tumblr-catered thing to ever exist, and NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT IT...

literally, genuinely, this is just. it's one of the best written shounen i've ever seen. it's so well done- every character is distinct and has an unique and compelling design, and the way the plot and character arcs are weaved together, even just from what little you're getting from the anime, it's just- it's so well done

Sakura, as a protagonist, is so so interesting too. he's completely out of his comfort zone, he's basically a feral kitten forced into an affectionate household, like he has no clue what to do with himself, or anyone- but he wants, so much, to Do Good. this is a guy who has been starved for affection, for kindness, who craves is so deeply he can't even handle other people holding hands. like the whole set up is just. chef's kiss. absolutely delicious i'm eating so good

and then there's the Shishitoren arc, which the anime covers, and which broke my head open and filled me with Love Togame, like just. the whole arc. it's so well-written and perfectly paced, and the way everything is done is just. UGH. UGH!!!!!! I LOVE IT SO MUCH

and just. i could gush for days. about this anime. i could gush about the characters, about the plot, about the ANIMATION. THE FUCKING ENDING AND OPENING?? ARE SO GOOD?? and the FIGHT SCENES, UGH, they're so fucking fantastic, like just. this is genuinely one of the best series i've ever seen, and it's a crime it's not more loved. if we don't get a season 2, i am throwing hands

23th August: Fear Street 1978

pretty good! i do think it suffers a bit from being the middle child, with lots of focus on set up, but i had fun anyway. honestly, i don't have a lot to say about this one?

i liked the sibling focus, i liked the characters, i liked the background we got fed, and how it kept itself tied to what it already set up (Ruby Lane's mother! neat!), but it's- yeah, it's the middle child. not much to say

i will say i fucking died when we got the self harm reveal, because that shit was so crap. also i wish Alice and Cindy had kissed. the tension was there, okay. we could have gotten 3/3 lesbians :(

27th August: Yomawari: Midnight Shadows

usually i wouldn't put this on my list, since i didn't play it, but- i have already played it once. and i did watch Shae play all of it, so. like. it can be here. primarily because i just wanna GUSH about this game for a hot second, like. aaaaaaaaaah

i love this game. like, i ADORE this game. so much. it's so up my alley, with its japanese horror (yokai!! spirits!! SHRINES AND GODS!!!) and kids-going-through-it energy, and just. OUGH. LETTING ME EXPLORE A SPOOKY LITTLE TOWN?? YES PLEASE...

and Midnight Shadows, which is the second game in the series, and also the only one i've played, is just- it's so good. the story is genuinely so well-written and crafted, and yeah, it's not super in depth- you're basically getting a RPGmaker game, here, but. man

Yui and Haru's story hits. the twists hits. there is something so elegant in its simplicity, and i adore it so very much

also, also- Chaco is the best boy. and i love him. and i would die for him. and the fact that you get to walk around with him in the post-game is everything

(also- also- i love the art. there's something about it that just hits my brain real good, and i would absolutely buy an artbook. i would buy multiples. Nippon Ichi, please)

31th August: Fear Street 1666

if 1978 stumbled a bit due to being the middle child, 1666 fucking nailed it by being the youngest- or the finale, more accurately

it absolutely hit all the beats it needed to, and tied up everything so good- even its twist was done fantastically, and makes perfect sense. i do think this whole trilogy was really improved by being filmed at the same time, though i can't imagine it was an easy time. i especially really love the little call forwards, they're cute :]

also, honestly, the 1666 section was probably my favourite- which is mostly because i really like folk horror, and the witch bits, and just. the setting 💖 give me more of that please 💖

also really like the finale bits, and just- idk! it tied everything up really well! i'm ignoring the post-credit scene, because that was so unnecessary, but outside of that, Fear Street is just a really good trilogy. it also had sapphics, which improves everything, in my humble opinion, so like. hell yeah

[adashofheroism]

GENERAL

Name: Joshua Grayson-Kent (please read link before judging)

Alias/Nickname: Project 16, Yoyo

Date of Birth: N/A 17th of November

Age: Artificially matured to that of a 11yo.

Species: Human/Kryptonian Clone (approx. 40/60%)

Gender: Male, he guess, he haven’t given it much thought.

Sexuality: Never thought about it (probably asexual)

Family: Dick Grayson (human genetic donor,), Clark Kent/Kal-El (kryptonian genetic donor), Conner Kent/Kon-El (”half brother”), Jonathan Kent (”half brother”), Kara Zor-El (”cousin”), Bruce Wayne (”adoptive grandfather”) (plus all other Batfam and Kent fam members)

APPEARANCE

Height: 4′5″ (135cm)

Body shape: Slim

Eye colour: Dark blue

Hair colour: Dark brown/Black

Face Claim: Alec Golinger

SPECIFIC

Personality in short: Kind, compassionate, enthusiastic, restless, happy, curious, hopeful, a bit on the naive side, headstrong, helpful, impulsive.

Fears: Not being enough, being cast aside and left totally alone. He’s not always very good with crowds and aren’t a fan of small spaces and physical restrictions.

Interests: What is he not interested in? Though like any kid, he likes video games, movies, music etc. He loves trying new things and checking out how far his body and abilities can go.

Abilities/Powers: Tactile telekinesis, enhanced strength and durability, enhanced senses, hand-to-hand combat, acrobatics, intellectually gifted, kryptonian immune system. Kryptonian abilities will develop with time as he absorbs enough sunlight and also matures (at least after his genes has been fixed).

Weaknesses: Act first - think later, kryptonite, red sunlight, overexertion by using too much energy at once, magic.

Background: Yoyo knows he’s a clone, but he has also been lied to. Having lived his entire life (which is less than a year) in an underground bunker, he’s never been able to actually see the world. Which meant he never questioned the scientist when they told him they were some of very few survivors after an apocalyptic event and that he’s the clone of two superheroes that tried to save the planet, but died while doing so. Which means that Yoyo believes Nightwing and Superman are dead.      Generally, the scientists treated him okay (according to himself), although they don’t seem to like him much (except Dr Joshua Kendricks). In reality, they aren’t too kind. His training is hard and failure are followed with punishment. Though doing things well also gives rewards. This all lead Yoyo to develop something similar to Stockholm syndrome.      Unfortunately, despite his best, he wasn’t what CADMUS wanted and they were going to restart the project. Dr. Kendricks, who liked the boy, made sure he found out that he had been lied to (at least regarding his genetic donors) and also that he was going to be ‘re-purposed’. Dr Kendricks also helped Yoyo escape.      Once outside, he’s more than a little shocked that the world isn’t at all as he was told. It’s alive and thriving. There’s people, colours, scents, tastes. Life! Everywhere! Obviously, he now figures out he’s been lied to more than the status of Robin (Nightwing) and Superman. Or maybe they hadn’t known? That had to be it, right? All of it is very confusing, but he’s also very curious and dives into exploring the outside world. Knowing they will try to find him, he goes as far away as he can. That’s when he come across a heist gone wrong and there’s hostages involved. Having very strong morals and been trained to help (and unfortunately also to kill), he doesn’t hesitate to throw himself into it. Of course he saves the hostages and deliver the bad guys to the cops, but he do it without covering his face, wearing any kind of disguise and when asked about his name, he looks very surprised and then answers “the scientists called me Project 16”. He’s also not aware that more than one person were photographing and/or filming the event and put it online, making him an easy target for villains, CADMUS and heroes.

[image of dog tag Yoyo is wearing, given to him by Cadmus + clothes]

[origin story]

[regarding his small size etc.]

[training at the Cadmus facility]

Verses:

Main

Twins

Villain

De-Powered

Marvel (was originally made for a specific mun, but is open to anyone interested)

[sadmanyeyes]

Chapter 6

At the airport, Yakumo and Pai give their goodbyes to Ling Ling, thanking her for all her help. She tells them that she put a tracer on the Ningen that should work for two years and Huang will back them financially during their search. Ling Ling tells them that if anything comes up, or if Mr. Asuri returns, she'll contact them right away.

They leave back to Japan, Yakumo cooking Pai up some breakfast. He gets her from her room (his room? They're not sleeping together so...) and sees her looking at a picture with him in it. He says it's a photo of him and his friends. They even sent him letters while he was in Hong Kong with Pai. Pai doesn't know what friends are, apparently. Friends are people who threaten to kill you for missing out on a motorcycle trip, it's all rather simple...

He goes off to school, telling her to stay at home and wait for him to come back. As he's on his way there, he wonders out loud how his friends will react if he tells them that he's a super-zombie. Pai watches him...with her third eye opened.

At an assembly, Yakumo does tell his friends...and obviously, they don't believe him, one calling him out for missing the motorcycle trip to give them this super-zombie crap. He tries explaining again...but ultimately gives up and apologizes. When they're willing to let it slide, he starts up again, giving the whole "you have to believe me" spiel. One asks for souvenirs. He gets uppity about it.

Their one female member, Natsuko, greets them outside. She's mad at him but says she's fine with it, saying they have another trip planned for this year. However, Tatsuya (the big friend) says that Yakumo won't be coming because he went into debt while he was in Hong Kong and he totaled his bike. Now Natsuko wants to choke him.

One random panty shot later, the friend group takes Yakumo to a junked up motorbike that someone threw away. Nerdy friend Sayu says he can fix it so everybody, including Yakumo, can go to Karauizawa after all! Remaining friend Hideyoshi says that they'll use his dad's truck to haul the bike out of the heap. Yakumo asks him when he got his license and Hideyoshi huffs that he doesn't need a license; he knows how to drive.

Yakumo smiles, causing Natsuko to ask him what he's so happy about. He says with the way everyone's acting, he feels like he's still a part of the gang. She tells him to cheer up and he leaves, feeling like his life is finally going back to normal...then three-eyed Pai shows up, calling him a fool.

She asks him what happened to his promise to make Pai human. He tells her that it wouldn't have done any good to stay in Hong Kong and he has his own questions for her. Three-Eyed Pai tells him he needs to leave Japan, that he can no longer live as he used to and that staying here will only lead to tragedy. His life is over and will probably not last for more than two weeks. He tells her to fuck off and get out of his life before Natsuko walks up and asks him who he's yelling at. He sees that Three Eyed Pai has disappeared.

Later, Hideyoshi drive the gang around (badly) in his pick-up truck. He blames it on the manual and Yakumo tells him not to kill them before the trip. They should be fine because Tatsuya is giving him the directions...how's that supposed to help his driving is anybody's guess.

Natsuko points out he's being wistful again, like he's going to disappear again. Yakumo doesn't respond before the friends hits a police checkpoint, Hideyoshi worried that they could be suspended...or worse, expelled! Yakumo tells everyone not to panic...and Hideyoshi jumps the divider, trying to flee as the cops see him. Yakumo tries to cover the license plate as they drive off, remembering what Three Eyed Pai told him about his old life not lasting two weeks. He smiles...and tells the others to get away as he throws himself back onto the hood of the cop car, getting ran over.

Everybody stops to pull over and check on him, thinking he's dead. Then we get this lovely image:

He roars at the cops, causing them to run away. He complains about the pain as he regenerates...and reiterates to his friends that he's a super-zombie, telling them they can go now.

The chapter ends with them riding in the pick-up truck, Yakumo oblivious to how freaked out everyone is as he brags about how they got away.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Autómata (2014)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

Writer/director Gabe Ibáñez has clearly seen Blade Runner. He’s obviously read Isaac Asimov’s works. What he didn't do is learn from them. Autómata aspires to be another cerebral sci-fi film. Instead, it's just a cheap clone. The slivers of good ideas peppered throughout are lost in boredom. If that wasn't bad enough, the film can’t even get its own rules straight.

In 2044, 99% of humanity has died. The survivors live in cities surrounded by deserts and rely on humanoid robots called Pilgrims for day-to-day labor. These robots have two unalterable protocol: they cannot harm any form of life and cannot alter themselves or other robots in any way. Jacq Vaucan (Antonio Banderas) is an insurance investigator working for ROC - the company that manufactures Pilgrims - who learns that a robot may have found a way to circumvent the second protocol.

Autómata begins with a proxy for Asimov’s three laws of robotics and is set in the world of Blade Runner, with towering sexy lady holograms in the distance and a crappy, overpopulated city below. An interesting, if familiar setup. What's next? Instead of a cop, our protagonist is an everyman. That’s an unexpected turn. And then? Bad decisions. The machine who turns Jacq’s world upside down is a sex robot working at a brothel. Not only has it been modified to do things beyond its basic programming (not illegal), it’s able to inflict pain on its clients if they request it. Big no-no. Now we're going somewhere. Or so you think. The movie isn’t really interested in exploring this idea. In fact, the sexbot is a massive misstep. The thing doesn’t wear any clothes so you see it parade around in the nude. Every time you see it from the back, you notice its individually modelled butt cheeks and can’t stop thinking about what those greasy robot fetish perverts have done in between them. Grosser is the fact the robot doesn’t look human at all. When some dude can build a gynoid who looks EXACTLY like Scarlett Johansson (also very gross) and the people of 2044 are having sex with a fancy store mannequin, your movie’s got problems! It may seem like a trivial detail but this thing’s a big part of the movie and there was no reason to make it a sex robot!

As the audience tries their hardest not to stare at Cleo’s crotch and plastic breasts, wondering how or why exactly someone would pay to do anything with those, the picture introduces a conflict. Following some outrageously stupid decisions by Jacq, the authorities believe he’s in cahoots with the altered machine and decide to give chase. Time to introduce the flattest, most uninteresting, most one-dimensional evil baddies you could… and again, for no reason.

It’s a badly written film. Whenever interesting thoughts are introduced, there’s no follow-through. Instead, the story goes for the generic path, the uninteresting path. Antonio Banderas doesn’t feel right for the part. I don’t want to pigeon-hole him in the role of a sexy action hero but he spends the entire film covered in dust or miserable. The charismatic actor couldn't be less appealing. The special effects to bring the robots to life are quite good, up until the very end of the picture when we're introduced to a new model. It sticks out like a sore thumb. The longer you watch, the less forgiving you become. Even before Autómata unintentionally has one of the robots break its own rules, you’ve given up on it.

Those who appreciate a good science-fiction story are the only ones who might find anything appealing within Autómata - a generic robot title if I’ve ever heard one. Unfortunately, those same people have seen the works this one is aping dozens of times. It’s forgettable. (On DVD, June 21, 2019)

[tuttifuckinfruttifriday]

Slashers and Horror Characters SoulmateAU

:Where you get your soulmate's scars(pt2)

part 1 here

Warnings: scars, kinda angsty?, ooc Pinhead

Characters: Brahms and Pinhead

Soulmate AU Masterlist

Just to clarify:Pinhead's 'scars' are wounds on him, but let's say it's still scars(you've got the lines where is nails are on his face)

A/N: I'm getting back into writing, yay

-

Brahms Heelshire

Since he's kinda still a child, Brahms obviously still thinks about the soulmate thing, but what he really didn't like about it was that you'd have his scars. He felt pretty guilty about them, and thought that you would look ugly with half your body scarred. So, he thought that he might feel less attracted to you. It was pretty much the opposite, he'd realize once he sees you entering the Heelshire mansion.

He thought you'd have something covering the other half of your face, but you clearly didn't, and didn't seem bothered by it as you talked with his parents, the latters smiling sadly at you. It certainly wasn't random that they'd picked you, they'd been almost a hundred percent sure that you were Brahms' soulmate, you unfortunately didn't know it atm.

He tried to wait a bit, not wanting to scare you, but he couldn't hold himself. That's why as soon as one day passed, you started hearing the strange noises in the wall. The day later, you found him sitting on the couch with his legs crossed, his mask off and his gaze on the floor as he waited for your reaction, wondering if you'd scream, run off, or try to call the cops even though he made sure to cut the phone's cord.

You and Malcom had joked about you being Brahms soulmate after he told you about what happened, and the nanny situation. You had immediately thought about the fact that it was really strange that the Heelshire hire nannies for a doll, you knew something was up.

Brahms was taken aback when he heard your inhale, then saw you eyeing the burnt half of his face, mostly hidden by his curls.

''B-Brahms...?'' Your voice definitely took him by surprise as he looked up, watching you carefully coming closer to him, then surprisingly sit beside him.

His body had tensed, his shoulders almost up to his cheeks, until one of your shaky hands gently came to craddle the damaged side of his face, turning it towards yours. Your hand was surprisingly cold, which almost made him lean his warm face in it.

''..Hi..'' Your eyes locked with his, a small soft smile on your lips. ''..soulmate...''

Pinhead

He obviously didn’t care, didn’t even think/give a flying shit about his soulmate.

He never really thought about his soulmate, not when people didn’t mention it. He honestly didn’t believe he even had one, because he became a cenobite and everything he did.

Maybe how you’d meet would be with you opening the box. As soon as him, Deepthroat, Butterball and Chatterer appear, he'd be taken aback for (almost?) the first time in his cenobite life. He'd be a lost for words, speechless. Which would make his sidekicks(?) the same way.

He could feel his inner human take place as his body would soften, seeing the fear in your eyes as his dark and usually cold ones looked at the visible familiar scars on your face. For once, he didn't feel pity as he looked at a human, he almost felt.... sad?? guilty???? Those emotions almost scared him.

He'd spare you, and would kill anything and anyone who would try and do you harms. He'd probably lock you away too, since I don't think he'd try and make you one of them. You're the only real good thing in his life, and he'd make sure to cherish you, even if it's totally out of character for him.

You'd actually kind of become his pet in a way... take that in anyway you want it.

[marshmallsy]

the things from The Batman (2022) that made me go fucking ballistic in theatres

a long, long, long rant bc i can’t stop thinking about this movie that feels like it was made SPECIFICALLY for me. spoilers under the cut of course!

the entire intro sequence with the monologue that felt like it was lifted straight out of the comics. the perfect visual representation of the batman being the shadows, the way seeing his emblem in the sky is enough for bad guys all across gotham to get scared and think twice, think they see batman in every dark hallway. like it literally felt like the live action embodiment of THIS:

the little details like how the new initiate in the gang (SHOUTOUT TO TIM DRAKE’S ACTOR IN THE TITANS SHOW I GUESS) only has half the face paint, both to distinguish him from the others as perhaps not a full member of the gang just yet but also to show his humanity that the others have covered up. 

also the fact that this batman hasn’t established himself yet, so the people he saves are still terrified he might hurt him, and all the cops distrust him and think he’s involved in crimes too.

i’ve been gushing about this forever but FINALLY we get a good depiction of gotham since, like, batman returns. the city is just as much a character in the batman mythos as anyone else and portraying it as just another generic metropolis will always be such a missed opportunity. so much loving detail was put into this movie, from the rich wood and wallpaper of victorian-styled old money mansions, to the graffiti-covered subways, to the cobblestone streets mixed with Times Square-esque billboards. the moody atmosphere perfectly merges the neon gothic city architecture with bruce’s absolutely batshit looking genuinely gothic manor in a way where it all makes sense.

also, my absolute favourite small detail is the fact that all the downpours and rain makes sense. like yes, it helps make gotham feel moody and noir with all the umbrellas and hazy neon signs and all that, but it also means that the flooding in the climax doesn’t come out of nowhere. we just watched like 2 and a half hours of scenes in the rain, of course the riddler could so easily flood the city.

rpatt just KILLED it as batman. i love the nolan trilogy as much as the next batman fan, but christain bale’s batman felt composed and collected right from the start. he had shit basically planned out the moment he got back to gotham, and he figured out his gear and his tactics pretty quick. rpatt’s batman isn’t like that. he doesn’t get everything perfect, he makes mistakes that ends up with bad guys getting a hit in, half of his fights feel like he’s just letting his anger take over and force him through the pain. he’s clearly so much angrier and traumatized, he’s emotionally withdrawn and disconnected from everybody, and the way he’s just such a silent batman works so well in showing just how intimidating and off-putting he is to everyone. and it’s GOOD! the scene where he’s finally showing vulnerability to alfred is so poignant and bruce can’t even look at alfred as he says it, it felt so raw and real to me!

speaking of batman being silent, i looooved that first scene where gordon takes him to the crime scene. the way he’s putting together all the evidence on his own without saying a word, but he does it so slowly and deliberately that forensics eventually start following him so they can take pictures of the right clues. like, yeah he’ll help them out, but fuck you if you think he’s gonna sherlock-style spell it out for you.

honestly i don’t think i even have to say too much about zoe as selina kyle, she OBVIOUSLY was incredible. she channeled year one comic!selina perfectly and her origin story here felt so grounded while also leaving enough room for her to become the antihero thief we all know and love.

paul dano as the riddler was great too! i’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for cory michael smith’s absolutely perfect campy egomaniacal riddler from the gotham tv series (JUST LET HIM WEAR THE STUPID GREEN SUITS AND BE FRUITY), but this version of the riddler as a completely unstable zodiac killer was great as this more detective-like batman’s first rogue’s gallery enemy and imo still leaves enough room for the riddler persona to evolve further. this was also an origin story of sorts for him too, after all. 

(and to quote barry keoghan’s cameo ((who was gonna fuckin tell me they got druig from the eternals to sneak in a lil joker moment??? i nearly screamed in the theatre??!!)) everyone loves a comeback story.) 

also they got the point of batman. they UNDERSTOOD THE ASSIGNMENT. batman’s quest for vengeance did teach bad guys fear, but it also served to inspire dangerous ppl on their own quests for vengeance. the way he was going only continued the cycle of violence in gotham. when he falls into the water it felt almost like a biblical death, and when he re-emerges he becomes a hero, a literal light guiding the most thematically important gothamites (a little boy who obviously reminds him of himself and an honest leader who’s genuinely trying to change gotham for the better) to safety. they so beautifully demonstrated his growth as a person, and seeing him in full daylight helping civilians evacuate and seeing them put their trust in him for the first time was so fucking moving, and that’s always the best version of batman anyone can create.

[morfanerina]

Only Moments

Collection of drabbles of moments between the LMK characters. Not necessarily from the canon timeline. 

Standalones.

Also in A03

“Why are you like this?”

Macaque blinked at the exasperated golden monkey “It’s just a couple of blankets”

“Those are at least 5 blankets Macaque”

“So?”

“And at least 10 pillows…”

“I don’t see the problem”

Wukong sighed “Where did you even get so many of those…”

“They were on discount.”

The Monkey King grabbed one blanket with several cutesy cartoon dragons printed on them. Then another which he recognized as an old merchandise of himself, some of the design starting to get faded. Both smelled familiar. 

There was at least one other that smelled suspiciously like peaches “Discount. Sure”

Macaque flopped back into the nest he had built in the middle of the Monkey King’s livingroom “Best discount”

Wukong wondered if it was worth it to try to get these back to their owners or just to pay for new ones.

-...--...-

Macaque laid lazily on top of the building, enjoying seeing the people walking around. Xiaotian drove by in that ridiculous Pigsy’s Noodles Tuk Tuk and he could hear him humming a vaguely familiar song.

He felt his ears twitch as he heard another, more suspicious sound. Seeing the kid turn a right and getting out of sight, Macaque decided to be nice. With ease, he melted into a shadow and walked out of the shadow in a nearby alley, right behind a couple of demons who were discussing ways to get back at Monkie Kid.

He got out of the alley with two new wallets and rapidly healing knuckles.

-...--....- 

“Well this is nice” Red Son said, boredly.

Mei turned her attention to Red Son, who looked as bored as he sounded “What? Not a fan of Monkie Cop?” she asked, amused, grabbing his arm to get his attention. The yaoguai glared at her.

“You aren’t having fun?” MK asked more timidly, having been the one to choose the movie. It was one of his favourites.

Seeing MK’s face falling made Red Son stumble in his words “Wh- No- I mean” he breathed in “... It’s alright. Could do with more martial arts” he offered, hoping it would be enough.

MK hummed “That’s true” he admitted and returned to the movie, satisfied with the answer and already choosing the next movie with that into consideration.

Mei hid her snickers at the interaction, releasing Red Son. He resisted the urge to rub the bruise forming from the strength the dragonling had made as she gripped his arm in warning. 

Not that he needed the incentive, Noodle boy’s face was a weapon in itself.

-:::-::::-:::-

“Why are you following me?” Macaque asked the dragon descendant and the monkey king’s successor.

“Because” Xiaojiao said and didn’t add anything more, bouncing slightly in place after they all stopped in front of a market stall. Xiaotian tried to peek in the disguised monkey’s shopping bag.

Said monkey just gave a bemused look before continuing on his way.

The two supposed adults followed. 

Macaque turned into a crowd. The quasi-humans managed to accompany his pace. So he turned into an alley.

Both his stalkers ran into it.

“Shadow portalling is cheating!” Xiaotian complained at the empty alleyway. Xiaojiao patted his back comfortingly.

There would be other opportunities to catch proof that Macaque did like sweets.

-:::-:::-:::-

“Please ask your friend to stop that”

MK blinked at his mentor and looked to the side.

Tang was giggling and noting down something on his notebook in a rather disturbing manner, his glasses glinting. Then he looked back up to look at the monkey king, stuck his pencil in front of him and returned to his work. Maybe he was sketching?

“Kid. Please” Wukong begged, his relaxed expression so obviously forced it looked painful “He has been doing that for 15 minutes.”

Xiaotian scoffed and walked to the scholar to peek at his artwork, wanting to assure the monkey it was nothing bad.

He flushed at the drawing seconds before Tang noticed him and tried to cover it. They stared at each other. Then they looked at the nervous Monkey King watching them.

MK decided not to mention to Wukong what Tang was really drawing but did ask him to stop it.

And maybe leave those drawings at home.

 -::::-:::-::::-

Wukong took another bite from the peach.

“What did the immortal peaches taste like?” 

The monkey blinked, looking at Mei, who was staring curiously  at him.

“Like the best peach ever” he answered “Sweet but not disgustingly so” he added, taking another bite.

“You still pretty much just eat peaches though”

“So? I like them”

“But don’t you get sick of the flavour?” she asked, and Wukong squinted at her and then at the group trying to surreptitiously spy on the conversation. A certain pig yaoguai glared back at him challengingly. Hmm.

“No.” and he bit again into the peach, quirking an eyebrow,

None of the group seemed convinced.

“How do immortal peaches look anyway?” Tang approached with a glint in his eyes that made Wukong feel nervous.

“Like normal-”

“Like the one you are eating?” he interrupted, looking innocent.

Wukong stared at the mortal and took far too long to answer back with a denial

It slowly dawned on the mortals what that meant.

“What the heck, are you joking, you’ve been eating immortality peaches this whole time-” Pigsy growled and the monkey decided to make a strategic retreat back to his mountain.

He had another peach pit to plant there anyway.