#Special branch rewatch

[trollsluvr]

I am so plagued by branch thoughts it's crazy. He is literally such a good character like legitimately one of the best representations of being having trauma and how if effects you methinks. His color palette changes because everyday hes at a different point mood wise, he still has trauma because it never goes away, but each day is different. He still carries those issues because they r so intertwined with who he is but he's found people who accept him for who he is. Idk it makes me just a little emo maybe!!!!!

[leighbaye]

— BEN’S BUNKER

written by mina leigh 𝜗᭪ , losers club 𝔁 f! reader | wc 2300

summary. spending time the your bestest friends in the world, in ben’s surprise hideout for the losers club. a stronger bond flourishing inside!

labels. feminine reader, happy go lucky girl, shy cute girly girl reader, no definite description of reader, she/her pronouns used, reader is closer to richie toizer & eddie kaspbrak.

‧₊˚ ୨୧ mina speaks. hey everyone! i was rewatching it 2019 and me being the self indulgent person i am, i started fantasizing about us (readers) being with the losers! lots of love.

summer days in derry had a special kind of magic, one that was even stronger when you spent them with the losers club. today, ben had promised a surprise, and you couldn’t wait to see what he had in store. the air was thick with excitement as you all made your way through the woods, your heart fluttering with anticipation.

❝ are we there yet? ❞ richie’s voice rang out, filled with mock impatience. you were walking beside him, as usual, and his playful energy was contagious. you couldn’t help but smile.

❝ yeah, ben, how much further? ❞ eddie added, swatting away a mosquito with a grimace. you could tell eddie was getting antsy, but his curiosity kept him moving forward. you gave him a reassuring smile, hoping to ease his nerves. richie noticed and nudged you with his elbow, his grin wide.

❝ you know, eds, (y/n) here could probably carry you if you get too tired, ❞ richie teased, earning a light smack on the arm from eddie.

❝ shut up, richie, ❞ eddie muttered, but you could see the corners of his mouth twitching as he tried to hide a smile. you laughed softly, loving the way they always managed to make you feel at ease, even when they were bickering.

finally, ben stopped in front of a large thicket, and your curiosity peaked. he pushed aside some branches, revealing a hidden entrance. ❝ here it is, ❞ your eyes widened as you stepped through the opening. inside was a large, cozy space, bigger than you’d expected. there were shelves full of books, soft blankets, and a huge hammock strung up in one corner, large enough for several people. the place felt like a secret clubhouse, one that was just for you and your friends.

❝ ben, this is amazing! ❞ you exclaimed, your voice filled with awe. you turned to look at him, and he blushed slightly, clearly pleased with your reaction.

❝ yeah, ben, this is awesome, ❞ mike added, already exploring the different corners of the hideout. ❝ you really outdid yourself. ❞

❝ i thought it would be nice to have a place just for us, ❞ ben said, his voice warm with affection. ❝ a place where we can hang out and just be ourselves. ❞

richie immediately made a beeline for the hammock, his eyes lighting up with excitement. ❝ dibs on the hammock! ❞ he shouted, flopping down onto it with a dramatic sigh of contentment. you laughed and followed him over, sitting down on the edge of the hammock.

❝ you’re such an ass, ❞ eddie grumbled, but he couldn’t resist joining you both. he climbed onto the hammock, settling in beside you with a huff. you found yourself sandwiched between richie and eddie, feeling the gentle sway of the hammock as they playfully jostled each other.

❝ careful, you’re gonna tip us over, ❞ you warned, your voice filled with laughter. richie just grinned at you, his arm draping casually around your shoulders.

❝ don’t worry, (y/n), i’ve got you, ❞ he said, his tone teasing but affectionate. you leaned into him, feeling the warmth of his body against yours. on your other side, eddie was muttering under his breath about how richie was being annoying, but you could tell he was just as happy to be there.

as you lay there, the three of you fell into a comfortable rhythm. richie and eddie kept up their usual banter, tossing playful insults back and forth while you relaxed between them. their voices became a soothing background noise, and you found your eyelids growing heavy as the hammock rocked gently beneath you.

❝ hey, richie, do you ever shut up? ❞ eddie grumbled, though there was no real bite to his words. he was more focused on making sure you were comfortable, adjusting a blanket around you with a careful hand.

❝ only when i’m asleep, eds, ❞ richie shot back, his grin widening as he caught your eye. ❝ and even then, i’m sure i’m the most entertaining sleeper around. ❞

❝ if you say so, ❞ eddie muttered, but you could see the fondness in his eyes as he looked at you. ❝ (y/n), how do you put up with him? ❞ with an exaggerated sigh.

you just smiled, feeling the warmth of their friendship surrounding you like a protective shield. ❝ i guess i’m just lucky, ❞ you replied softly, your voice filled with contentment.

eventually, the steady rhythm of their voices and the gentle sway of the hammock lulled you into a peaceful nap. richie’s arm was still draped over your shoulders, and eddie’s presence beside you was a comforting anchor. as you drifted off to sleep, you felt completely safe, knowing that your best friends were right there with you.

when you woke up, the sun had shifted, casting a warm, golden light through the small windows of the hideout. you blinked sleepily, realizing that richie and eddie had fallen asleep too, their heads resting against yours. the hammock was still gently swaying, and for a moment, you just enjoyed the quiet peace of the moment.

after a while, you carefully extricated yourself from the hammock, trying not to wake richie and eddie. they both stirred slightly but didn’t wake up, so you quietly tiptoed away, leaving them to their nap. as you looked around the hideout, you noticed bill, stan, and mike sitting together on a pile of blankets, engrossed in their books.

❝ h-hey, (y/n), want to j-j-join us? ❞ bill asked, glancing up from his book with a welcoming smile. you nodded, making your way over to them. you sat down beside stan, who gave you a small, shy smile as he handed you one of the books from the shelf.

❝ thank you, stan, ❞ you said softly, returning his smile. he nodded, his eyes already back on his book.

you opened the book and quickly became absorbed in the story, losing yourself in the world of words. the four of you read in companionable silence, the only sounds being the rustle of pages turning and the occasional soft murmur as one of you reacted to something in the story.

after a while, you felt a gentle tap on your shoulder. looking up, you saw beverly smiling down at you. ❝ hey, (y/n), can i steal you for a bit? ❞ she asked, her voice warm.

❝ okay, ❞ you replied, closing your book and setting it aside. you stood up and followed bev over to where ben was working on some project with a hammer and nails.

❝ we could use some extra hands, ❞ bev said, handing you a hammer. ❝ ben’s been teaching me how to build stuff, and i thought you might want to join in. ❞

you smiled, feeling a surge of gratitude for beverly’s thoughtfulness. ❝ i’d love to help, ❞ you said, taking the hammer and kneeling down beside ben.

❝ thanks, (y/n), ❞ ben said, giving you a grateful smile. ❝ we’re just reinforcing some of the shelves and adding a few more. it’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it. ❞

❝ definitely, ❞ you agreed, already feeling a sense of accomplishment as you began hammering nails into place. as you worked, bev chatted with you about all sorts of things—clothes, movies, and boys. it was nice to have some girl time, and you found yourself opening up to her in a way you hadn’t before.

❝ you know, (y/n), ❞ bev said, her voice turning a bit more serious, ❝ i’m really glad you’re part of the losers club. you bring something special to the group, and i just want you to know that you’re really important to all of us. ❞

you felt your cheeks flush with warmth at her words, and you looked down at the hammer in your hands, suddenly feeling a bit shy. ❝ thanks, beverly, you said softly. ❝ that means a lot. ❞

she smiled at you, her eyes filled with kindness. ❝ it’s true. don’t ever doubt it, okay? ❞

you nodded, feeling a swell of affection for your friend. as the two of you continued working, you couldn’t help but feel grateful for the bond you shared with the losers club. they were more than just friends—they were family, and you knew that no matter what, you’d always have each other’s backs.

after finishing up with the shelves, you and bev stepped back to admire your work. ❝ not bad, ❞ ben said, clearly pleased with the results. ❝ this place is really coming together. ❞

❝ it really is, ❞ you agreed, feeling a sense of pride in what you’d accomplished. ❝ i’m glad i could help. ❞

❝ you did great, ❞ bev said, giving you a friendly nudge. ❝ now, how about we take a break? i think we’ve earned it. ❞

you nodded, feeling a bit tired but happy. as you made your way back to the main area of the hideout, you noticed that richie and eddie had finally woken up and were now bickering playfully as usual.

❝ hey, sleepyheads, ❞ you called out, giggling as you approached them. ❝ have a nice nap? ❞

❝ the best, ❞ richie replied with a wink, stretching his arms above his head. ❝ but we missed you, (y/n). it’s not the same without our favorite girl around. ❞

❝ yeah, we woke up and you were gone, ❞ eddie added, his voice mock-petulant. ❝ don’t do that again. ❞

you laughed, feeling the warmth of their affection wrap around you like a cozy blanket. ❝ don’t worry, i’m not going anywhere. ❞

the rest of the day passed in a blur of laughter, stories, and moments that you knew you’d treasure forever. by the time the sun began to set, casting a warm golden light over the hideout, you felt completely at peace.

as you all gathered together in the hideout, huddled close on the blankets and bean bags, you couldn’t help but marvel at how lucky you were. the losers club wasn’t just a group of friends—they were your home, your family, your safe haven in a world that could be so full of darkness.

and as you sat there, surrounded by the people who meant the most to you, you knew that no matter what the future held, you’d always stick by their side as much as they stuck to yours.

© MINA LEIGH 2023 - 2024

[wrioreid]

| Valentine's Day | spencer reid x reader

You and Spencer have plans to celebrate your first Valentine's Day together.

Warnings: fluff, slight angst?, indefinite season, some references to the series, without a definite pronoun I think?, lots of rambling.

Author's note: Hello, happy Valentine's Day! The day is literally over, but I only managed to post now :c I really wanted to write something involving my pookie and rewatching some episodes I had some ideas to put in the fanfic. Sorry if any part was confusing or doesn't make sense, I swear I tried!! Anyway, I hope it's fun to read!

The simple drops of icy water that fell calmly from the tree branches contrasted completely with the warm feeling emanating from the couples walking around there. Couples, lovers, families, friends. The street was full of people who were overflowing with love for each other, and you watched them solemnly while leaning your back against the icy wall of some random store. Not even a morning of persistent rain and unpleasantly below-par temperatures could spoil the romantic atmosphere and prevent people from loving each other.

It was February 14th, Valentine's Day. Or rather, your first Valentine's Day with someone. It was late afternoon and the rain had stopped, leaving only small drops of water as a reminder. The temperature continued, but nothing that good layers of clothing and a warm love couldn't solve.

You were waiting for Spencer. You had started dating the previous year, after February, so this was the first time you would celebrate this day together. In fact, neither of them cared about the date. You could even hear his skeptical voice again, talking about how this celebration made no sense and that it stopped being a proof of unconditional love a long time ago. On the other hand, you had never cared about the date because you had never had someone special enough to show that you were still made of love. Now that you had someone, you wanted to make the date unique.

You bite your lip, trying to suppress a smile, remembering how Spencer looked when you answered him saying that you had the desire to experience the magic of the day at least once. Not shocked, not surprised, but hopeful. The “Me too” that he whispered uncertainly like a secret being eternally kept in your mind. After that day, you started planning how you would spend the celebration, the millions of colored papers full of ideas - and dreams - scattered on the floor of his house being a warm memory in your mind.

But even though the plans were set a few good weeks ago, you - and neither he - could control your nervousness when today finally arrived. Even when you were walking together a few hours ago - him accompanying you to your house as he always did at least once a week - you couldn't hold a decent conversation. There was barely a goodbye, just you running inside the house to get ready and him running to his house to do the same. Now there you were, playing with a small puddle of water in front of you with the boot you had specially chosen while you waited for Spencer to arrive.

It wasn't like him to be late at all, and it was starting to get difficult to control your anxiety. Maybe he gave up. Maybe he realized it was something silly and irrational to celebrate. There were millions of thoughts battling against the small memory of the genuine smile he let out every time he read the post-its with the ideas for the long-awaited day.

Despite his confession when the subject came up, you had never actually talked about Valentine's Day before, much less if he had ever celebrated it. You knew that Spencer had already been in relationships with a few other people before, but you deduced that he had never celebrated the day, probably because he let reason take over, as always. However, deep down, you couldn't help but think that it was because he never allowed himself to celebrate, the idea that he was incapable of being loved rooted in his mind.

You felt pain in your heart, almost like a heart attack, when your relationship grew deeper and you would notice with each encounter these small - big - scratches that he had on his soul. Someone who would like to be seen as normal, to be perceived as someone capable of loving and being loved.

So, you take a deep breath and let the bad thoughts go away. Deep down, this is also his wish, and you accept this fact. You push yourself away from the wall, determined to find a better and more visible spot to make it easier for him. However, you didn't count on finding him standing in front of you when you stopped looking at the floor. And damn, he looked stunning.

His soft and tidy hair, his untidy white t-shirt, the wine-colored cardigan on top showing off his crooked black tie, his slightly wrinkled dress pants quickly revealing the pair of mismatched socks. All of this being soaked up by the dark gray overcoat and the purple scarf. There was literally nothing different about his style, but at the same time there was everything. Maybe it wasn't anything different physically, but whatever it was, was enough to make the thoughts that tormented you before seem like nothing more than a small fraction of an unknown nightmare now.

Spencer clears his throat, trying to bring your attention back to the real world. You can't tell if he's blushing because of the cold or because he's been stared at so intensely, but either way, it's cute. "Sorry I'm late," he says quietly, even though no one else can hear.

"It's okay, we'll still be a few minutes early." You smile playfully and awkwardly stand next to him, ready to go to the first attraction of the day. After millions of desires were buried by a job that took up too much of your time, the final decision was a traditional Valentine's Day schedule so that you could enjoy all the romantic experiences that couples usually have - as much as possible. The first stop would be at a small local theater to watch Romeo and Juliet. Afterwards, you would enjoy a beautiful romantic dinner at a special place, and by that you mean that you would have dinner at Spencer's house. And then, he would walk you home. It sounds simple, but it was more than perfect.

Despite your movement, Reid doesn't move. He looks at you with a tight-lipped smile as he unrolls a black and white fabric from his messenger bag. You hadn't realized it was there and before you know it, he's lovingly wrapping the scarf around your neck.

"I knew you'd forget," he whispers, smiling like a child who's been naughty. You use the scarf as a shield to hide your flushed cheeks, starting to walk quickly after whispering a thank you. The smell of freshly washed clothes with a hint of fresh vanilla is the only thing you can smell now, intoxicating you like a drink.

However, it's not enough to make you not notice the awkward silence between you. You've known each other for a long time and talk a lot, but the idea of ​​something new, a unique - and secret, in a way - celebration between the two of you was too much for both. You snuggle even closer into the scarf and slide your hand closer to his, your pinkies touching. You notice him looking at you from the corner of his eye, a look full of secrets for the others, but not for you. Calmly, he intertwines his fingers with yours, you now walking hand in hand and both of you smiling foolishly behind the scarf.

The play's performance was interesting, but it was hard to concentrate on it while Spencer made several dissatisfied expressions beside you. "It's almost revolting how a play about young love, family rivalry and lack of communication turned into a mere sad story about love at first sight. And I haven't even talked about the imaginary balcony yet!" It was the last thing he said after you left the theater and started walking towards his apartment, distractedly engaging in other matters.

“You can’t deny it, Spence,” you laugh out loud, smiling at his pouting face. “Love moves worlds!”

“It changes realities, that’s what it does,” he mutters, looking irritated, but a playful smile plays on his lips. “A tribute to a bishop who went against an emperor turned into a celebration of love with an exchange of gifts and declarations just because they decided to combine love and romance! And it makes much more sense for the celebration to exist because this is the first day of mating for birds. It’s the order of life!”

“Of course, it makes much more sense for men to leave love messages on their loved ones’ doors because the birds are procreating,” you giggle. “I think I’m talking to the reincarnation of Claudius II and I didn’t know it.” You joke, having even more fun when you notice Spencer pondering his words for a few moments, a furrow forming between his eyebrows.

“Technically, men who have nothing to lose are better at war than those who have love,” he pauses, now speaking again with a mischievous smile, “For example, I worked much better before I met you.”

You stop walking, shock written all over your face as you stare at him in disbelief. Spencer laughs, stretching one of his hands to intertwine them. He gently kisses the top of your hand. “Contrary to statistics and facts, I have been working better since we met and you know that very well,” he whispers, still with your hand close to his mouth, his lips brushing against your skin with each movement. You turn your face away, still angry, but taking the opportunity to control the immense urge to kiss him.

However, the whole act ends when you feel something different in your hand - the same one he was holding until just now. You turn your head quickly only to notice the beautiful red rose that magically rested in your hand, its scent so present that even from that distance you could smell it. Paralyzed, you stare at Spencer, mouth open, not knowing what to do. He stares back at you with a smile from ear to ear, his nose red from the cold.

“As someone told me the other day,” he says calmly and amusedly, “It’s worth ignoring the hype, the advertising and the high prices for someone special.”

You can barely react. Twirling the rose between your thumb and index finger, the only thing you can do is control the tears that are welling up in your eyes. It’s the first time you’ve received a flower so full of feelings from someone. A single, simple flower, but it was worth more than an entire field. Spencer calmly waits for you to recover, tenderness sparkling in his eyes.

“You’re an idiot,” you manage to whisper, hugging the flower gently so as not to ruin it or hurt yourself, despite your clothes. “H-How? Since when?”

He shrugs, reaching for your hand again and intertwining it with his, putting both in the pocket of his overcoat as he walks on again. “A magician doesn’t reveal his secrets… and he always has tricks up his sleeve.” He lets a sentence hang in the air, more mysterious than it should be. You stare at him, waiting for him to continue, but you only get a pat on the hand.

The rest of the way was calm and quiet, but comfortable enough for you to process everything, your eyes never leaving the delicate flower resting on your chest. When you arrive at the apartment, you can't help but notice how much - more than ever - this place made you feel like home.

A small smile escapes your lips as Spencer offers to help you remove and put away your coat and scarf. He removes his own scarf and coat as well and offers to put your rose in a container of water so it doesn't die. You hand it to him and as he disappears into the kitchen, you wander through the rows and rows of books, stopping when you notice that the chess pieces were not on the usual table, the moonlight coming through the window and illuminating only the chess board.

"I couldn't think of a better place," you hear Spencer say before looking in your direction, noticing the beautiful vase with several roses that he held in one hand and the tablecloth that he held in the other. He lovingly hands you the jar, smiling softly “I tried to put them all in my bag, but it was a bad idea, so they were waiting for you” he laughs embarrassedly as he arranges the tablecloth on the table.

You smile from ear to ear, enchanted by the beauty of the flowers, and place the vase in the center of the table so you can help him set up the rest of the romantic dinner. When everything was finished, you stop for a few moments to appreciate it and can't help but smile when your gaze lingers between the two chairs. As your relationship with Spencer deepened, a second chair began to appear frequently at the chess table, a sweet reminder of all the times you played there - and that, now, was even part of the scenery in his apartment -.

You sit there, smiling amusedly when Spencer reappears with a lit candle in his hand. "Waiter, please" you joke. He looks at you with arched eyebrows, carefully placing the candle next to the flowers. "On average, more than 7,000 candle fires happen here in the country each year".

You laugh nasally, fascinated by the moment "Thank you, Spence… I don't even know what to say. Everything is so… right, so romantic".

“It’s the least I could do and… I actually wish I had cooked, but time…” he scratches the back of his neck, embarrassed.

“It’s perfect, seriously. Next time we’ll cook together and you’ll see my culinary skills,” you say, making a silly smile appear on his face as he nods positively.

You eat and talk calmly for a long time, enjoying each other’s company. When darkness already dominates the streets, you realize it’s time to end the night. After helping Spencer put things back in their proper places, you pause in the middle of the room on your way out, pondering what to do. It was still Valentine’s Day and you hadn’t kissed.

However, in these last moments, Spencer seemed more spaced out and lost in his own thoughts, probably overwhelmed by the emotions of the day. You feel bad for a moment, wondering if you hadn’t forced it too much with him. So, you choose to quickly grab your flowers and your coat, your little goodbye speech already on the tip of your tongue.

“Wait,” Spencer, who was standing there watching you get ready, spoke hurriedly and, after making sure you weren’t leaving yet, disappeared into his room, returning moments later hugging an object to his chest. He walked until he was close to you, but never stopped looking at what he had in his arms. Looking closely now, you noticed that it was a somewhat old book, with some obvious marks on the cover and spine.

Spencer opened and closed his mouth several times, but unable to say anything, he just handed the book to you. Parlement of Foules was printed in large letters.

“T-This is considered the first Valentine’s Day poem,” he said uncertainly, his tone lower than normal, as if he wasn’t talking to you. “For this was on St. Valentine’s Day, when every fowl comes there his mate to take… is a 700-line poem that follows the tradition of dream vision poetry, a medieval literary style, and Chaucer uses it to discuss romantic love and freedom of choice… my mother read it to me when I was a child” he finishes in a whisper so low that you doubt if you heard it right. You press the book against your fingers, understanding the weight that it implied.

Spencer bites his lip, but resumes speaking, now with a more confident tone “It was a poem that stuck in my memory, more than any other and… given today’s date I would like it… to become important to you too. It’s the second copy my mother had in case something happened to the first one… but nothing ever happened and well… one copy is enough for me” he smiles embarrassedly, scratching the back of his neck “I-I left some notes throughout the book, too, so you would always feel accompanied while reading and… well, know my opinions about it”

“Couldn’t you read it to me too?” The question escapes your lips, your eyes glazed over the book as you caress the cover with interest.

Spencer is taken aback by the question, but a small smile plays on his lips. “I could too, of course” he paused again, now looking at you expectantly “There’s one more thing in there…”

You press your lips together and stare at him. Passion, surprise, affection… you felt so many things in that moment that not even the cold wind outside could cool the warmth that permeates your heart. You delicately open the book, noticing a writing on the title page. It was in pencil, and the marks from previous attempts were still there as if they were telling you a secret, but they didn’t get in the way of reading the large, hurried letters.

You can only teach a child to love by loving them. Johann Goethe, From your Spencer

A small drop falls onto the page, briefly staining the paper. You then realize that tears are streaming down your face, even though a tender smile has not left your lips. Spencer comes even closer, taking the book from your hand so he can hold it in his. With his other hand, he slowly passes it over your face, wiping away the small drops that insisted on running down.

“The whole discussion of the poem revolves around love… whether people are destined to be together or whether they have the right to choose, whether by passion, affinity or social conventions.” He speaks delicately, never taking his eyes off you. “Love is everyone’s final destiny, but it is a complex, free and uncertain process that, honestly, is still the action of hormones and neurotransmitters…” He bites his lips, quickly looking away to look at you again, determined. “But even so, even though it is not destiny… I firmly believe and I am more than happy to know that I made all the correct choices that led us to meeting.”

Honestly, fuck it. You put your hands around his face, cradling him, and bring him closer to you. Your lips touch gently, and you can't focus on anything else. Spencer timidly holds your waist, pulling you closer to deepen the kiss. Delicately, he starts to run his hands over your body as if he were appreciating a work of art until he reaches your face, where he caresses the side of your cheek with one hand and pulls you even closer with the other - if that's possible -. You separate from the kiss panting, but remain close, your foreheads touching. Spencer calmly places a tender kiss on your nose, then your forehead and, finally, on the top of your head, enjoying every second.

When you look at each other again, the only thing you can whisper are several "Thank yous". He smiles lovingly, still caressing your face.

“I don’t even know how to thank you, Spence,” you whisper. “You gave me so much today, with so much love, so much dedication… and I only gave you a meager little letter with messages that you surely already knew… I really don’t know how to repay you.”

His smile widens and when he answers, you feel like you’ve finally found your place. “Nothing could surpass the happiness your letter brought me, love, there’s nothing you can repay. However, it would make me even happier if you slept here…”

Author's note 2: Hello there! If you've made it this far, thank you so much for reading! I'm also on c.ai with the same user @/wrioreid, but the process of making the bots is going veryyy slowly.

[why-and-or-bother]

I know it’s been nearly fifteen years but im rewatching legend of korra, and as much as i enjoy the show, i still find the fact that the anti authoritarian icon that is toph beifong not only became a cop, but founded a specialized branch of police officer just completely laughable.

[thinkeral]

Yokohama’s politics are mildly horrendous when you think about it. There’s literally a slums region (read: Despair Pit of the Poor). No one is doing anything about it, there’s active crime and gang issues in this area but it’s not a priority in the city. Somehow making sure the layman doesn’t know about any of the silly wacky bullshittery that happens with the supernatural is more important than a literally pit for people to rot in.

Just some things I’ve been thinking about since my last rewatch/reread of BSD. The ADA and ability users are known as a myth to the general public (see Atsushi’s reaction when he first learned about where Kunikida and Dazai worked)

The government literally pays an entire branch to to cover up special ability related incidents. (Image ripped right off the bsd wiki btw)

I think it’s safe to say the government funnels more money into this division than poor relief. I know the city is still recovering from major conflict and effects of war but m a n. Nobody should live here, it’s hilariously bad.

[millieueu]

Gon Freecss Doodle || millieueu

I’ve been obsessed with HxH lately so I doodled Gon as a warm up and to conquer art block. The algorithm most definitely won’t treat this well because it isn’t Danny Phantom related, but idrc.

I absolutely love HxH!!! Reread the first volume of the manga multiple times, watched the 1998 pilot twice, rewatched the first episode of the 1999 adaptation twice and the 2011 adaptation more than once with my little sister! I’m absolutely hooked by its characters and storytelling! It’s intriguing and I honestly can’t wait to consume more content of this franchise <33

This is not my first time making HxH fanart (as you can see on the second pic.) I drew Gon a few months ago during an anime club my English teacher hosted after school hours. I was proud of it, but looking back, I’m kinda let down by how.. not good it looked XD

Don’t get me wrong, Danny Phantom still has a special place in my heart and will ALWAYS be my No.1 favorite show of all time, but I did state in my “Meet The Artist” post that I wanted to branch out to other fandoms because there will be a time where I get exhausted from drawing the same thing all the time, even if it’s my comfort show. I hope you all are okay with that 💜

[itzp1astri]

what are your favorite horror movies ?? i love horror too but u also like steddie omg an icon !! 🫶🏻 they've been rotting my brain again i miss them so bad . do you have any particular headcanons for them ??

okay this is a fun one!!! had to take a while and think a bit because it always overwhelms me when I have to list favorites but!!! I got it

thanks for the ask and more below because I do yap

so! getting the favorite horror movies out of the way

the toughest ever because it is my comfort genre and I'm always watching something here and there, but I think I got the perfect top 5-ish

#1 saw

its the og for me. I love the tension and the psychological horror of it all. james wan PEAKED and leigh whannell peaked HARDER! also chainshipping is my lifeeeee I cannot!!!! it gets better and better every single time I watch it and it makes me sad with how bad it all went post saw 3

#2 scream

best slasher hands down! sidney is my absolute favorite when we're talking about final girls and I am INSANE about the original killers. the queer undertones here also make me go aaaaaahhhhh!!!!! obsessed, mandatory yearly rewatch for me

#3 nightmare on elm street 1 and 2

just like sidney, freddy is the villain for me. that guy haunts me since forever and I liiiiive. I do like some others on the franchise, even the remake (not so much) and freddy x jason (very very much) but the first two are special to me, specially the 2nd one and how unfairly hated it is for a movie that is sooooo fun and campy and queer as hell

#4 rocky horror picture show

I mean... if you saw The Pattern you knew it was coming, right? I'm down bad for queer horror and this is THE queer horror and it's also a musical and comedic. literally my brand! and fun fact: it only became my favorite after a rewatch last week bc it made me realize how happy I am when I watch this.

#5 terrifier (the franchise)

don't judge me just yet!!!!

I am aware of all the flaws of the franchise, specially the first two movies, and I'm glad damien leone is taking criticism and changing as the movies progress. however! I also am super obsessed with gore and practical effects AND with art. david is so gooooood I can't help but keep rewatching it again and again. and all deaths are so creative and the effects are great it scratches my brain just right.

its missing soooooo many – all the evil dead, the comedic ones like happy death day, all of jordan peele's filmography, nosferatu (1922!! don't vibe with the other two), carrie (original), the texas chainsaw massacre, the psychological masterpieces silence of the lambs and speak no evil, everything coralie fargeat – I could go on for days! like I said, it is my absolute favorite and I love to explore every different branch of the genre!

now let's talk STEDDIEEEE

omg the brain rot is real???? it's been asleep for a while here as ive been obsessing over chainshipping and another one I'm still ashamed to be open about, but! I love them and they mean so much to me (+fruity four!!!! it was my previous url so it shows)

I don't think I have many personal headcannons, I vibe with a lot of the most popular ones, but I do think about one in particular:

the idea of eddie's favorite move being rocky horror lives in my head since day one and it makes me insane! it suits him so well? and I like to think that it was his gay awakening and because of that he managed to get a poster of tim curry as dr. frank n furter and hide it in his bedroom like a secret. and when it comes to steddie I like the idea of eddie taking steve to watch it on the theater to give him the full interactive experience, and then it becoming not steve's bi awakening (bc that's eddie) but his bi confirmation. honestly if I had the time I'd write a fanfic because I have it all in my head

and I also like to bring fruity four into this because I can absolutely see robin also being a fan of the movie (and a janette and magenta fangirl) and obsessing over it with eddie, and by doing it in front of steve and nancy they'd make both of them go ?????? so the four of them double date or whatever and watch it and then it becomes like a tradition for them.

so yeah, big fan of headcannoing (?) eddie as #1 rocky horror fan and bringing everyone up the hill with him

now! do YOU have a list of favorite movies and any headcannons for them? please PLEASE share with me 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

[thatscarletflycatcher]

I rewatched Agent Carter 2x04, and it was worse than I remembered!

No matter how high up Michael is, it is very difficult to believe that the SOE would recruit within Bletchley, because codebreaking work is a very specialized kind of work that requires a particular set of skills and interests that... do not seem to overlap at all with those of a field agent-spy. Besides that, it would duplicate the costs, as it would require covering the costs of SOE training for Peggy AND for her replacement at Bletchley. It's nonsense. Even if Peggy had been asked for for ciphering (which is clearly not the case because the series is trying to explain why and how she ended in the SSR), it doesn't fit because ciphering depended on its own special branch of the army and was, for obvious reasons, different to the one used by the Germans that Bletchley was trying to decipher.

Michael, Peggy, and her fiancé are freely chatting in a public place about government secrets. MICHAEL, PEGGY AND HER FIANCÉ ARE FREELY CHATTING IN A PUBLIC PLACE ABOUT GOVERNMENT SECRETS.

Last and least but still bothers me, unless they were lucky in the "recycling an old bridal dress" department, Peggy's wedding dress is nonsense. Yes, clothes weren't rationed until 1941, but that doesn't mean fabrics weren't much more scarce and expensive before that, because of... you know... sea warfare and Britain getting so much of its resources from overseas. Besides that, she's engaged to a soldier, meaning she is to get married whenever he gets leave. Ain't no time for making much of an elaborate dress, or leisurely try ons. Because besides that... SHE'S A GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE IN ONE OF THE MOST INTENSIVE BRANCHES OF THE WAR EFFORT.

In a more realistic setting, Peggy would have probably been recruited directly into the SOE -where did Peggy ever show a knack for words and numbers and puzzle solving in the way codebreaking is?- and if you want to preserve more of what was written for s2, you can make it so that her recruitment has to do with something her mom thought was unfeminine in her, have Michael support her, and her breakup with her soldier fiancé being about... well, her joining the SOE, which would have been incompatible at that point with marriage.

[fandomkicks]

TROLLS: The Beat Goes On; S1:E2 thoughts.

Two Party System:

Something that TBGO did stick with is that poppy wants so badly for things to go perfectly all the time and won’t accept that sometimes they won’t. We see that in the first segment of episode one. (a new burgen-ing)

Poppy cares to the point where she neglects herself for it. She doesn’t sleep and she nearly blows herself over it! All to make sure Bridget and Branch extra special on their birthdays.

The very IDEA that Bridget won’t get a special day that’s all about her sends poppy into a frenzy. (Despite being told that burgens don’t really celebrate birthdays. (Which I think has something to do with the fact they spent so many years thinking they could only be happy if they ate a troll but that’s neither here or there.))

Fun Branch:

Fun branch is always a fun branch centric segment to rewatch, even if JUST to analyze him! We start off with him asking where everyone is, which is SO important to me. Now I might be reading into it (again, I’m autistic. I do whatever I want.) but the fact that he’s seeking out other trolls after purposely being the most anti-social and unneighborly troll for ten years shows SO much growth.

Branch’s first instinct being to change his entire personality, likes, and dislikes just to fit in….HAVING THOUGHTS!!!!! (He’s my blorbo. Just in case that wasn’t obvious.)

Poppy being like 😐😐 “stop, this is ridiculous, you know you can’t handle it, and you KNOW you don’t want to do it. I can just talk to them and tell them how you feel” branch being like “:(( I want them to hang out with me because they LIKE ME.”

Poppy being stressed out the entire segment because branch is digging his own hole.

[fordarkisthesuede]

Heyyy…so, about where I’ve beeeeen… 

I considered doing a silly little poll to have you guess, but... Oh, what the hey! Let's do it!!!

Anyway -

While a lotta y’all had "Brat Summer", I had "Slowly-Being-Consumed-By-Moss" Summer.

And GA summers are real fuckin’ long.

Every year I seem to go through a phase where I decide I’ve had enough of endlessly scrolling through tumblr and feeling bad about not getting things done. Sometimes this is combined with the incredible gloom of coming onto the only social media I partake in and finding nothing but tragic news. Only this time it combined with the very-dreaded Election Season Panic (US version). (Please hold in your derisive laughter.)

Pictured above:  a representation of me, circa…like, April 2024.

I should note the things that I tend to over-use tumblr to avoid aren’t things that have “real” deadlines, but I feel more and more guilty when I don’t do them, or else carve out time to do them. These are usually “replying to messages” and “writing my epic fanfic”, but can even branch out to “making stable diary entries” and the like.

My fellow writers - at least some of you - know what I mean. We clean our living spaces or sort things or bake to avoid writing, because for some reason when we look at the proverbial page our brain nopes out. Sometimes it’s because of the fear we’re not writing well enough for our stuff to actually be liked. Sometimes it’s because we’re veeery stuck with where we’re at and looking at the stupid spot we’re stuck at for the millionth time is exhausting. Sometimes it’s cuz we’re plum outta ideas ‘cause the stars haven’t aligned.

But this past summer was…particularly bad in the writer’s block area. So much so that another fic I was writing from back in February to combat writer’s block with BtTTS: S5 was even getting big ol’ roadblocks! Which is really dumb. It’s mindless self-insert fun for a fandom I’ll probably never write for publicly, yet I’m struggling? WTF.

So most of the summer, I experienced Lethargy. No melancholy, no anger or serious anxiety, no hopelessness or real lack of sleep or feeling over-tired. So not depression, I don’t think, but no real enthusiasm or energy for creative stuff, nor video games for some reason. I went to work, read the news, worked my way through most of a One Piece rewatch, caught up on some manga, and went through a list of movies I had been meaning to see. (Man, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf was wild. You guys see that? De-licious drama. Incredible. I’ll def see it again in like 5 or 10 years.)

I thought about coming back to do a Book of Bill post. I pre-ordered it ages ago. It arrived, I read through it over the span of a few days, I spent time working out most of the puzzles… But I just couldn’t bring up the enthusiasm to do anything for it. It was fun ‘n’ all, but it’s not like a lot of the stuff in there is revolutionary or anything. Besides, by the time I got around to reading the book I already knew all the puzzles were solved and posted online by like day 2 of release or something, because the GF fandom is feral when it comes to puzzles. The Blacklight book was special because of its limited run, and I felt the need to share it so everyone could see. The Bill book you can find in any B&N or e-book store. The thought of typing up anything on it just felt like work.

And THEN…come late July… 

Like ol’ blue eyes lyrics, something came shakin’.

It was like the rubber-band that somehow wound around my brain SNAPPED and went

It wasn't exactly a surprise, yet it was. I've been waiting for like, a decade now. And I finally had means, motive, and opportunity,

It took every single one of my weekends from August to mid-September to find and settle on a place. And then it was every single weekend from then to mid-October to find and store furniture and start packing, all while juggling the UTTER NIGHTMARE that is the mortgage closing process.

Oh, and that hurricane. That certainly didn’t help any. (I'm fine.)

Anywho, that’s why I’ve been hermiting it up. Just been trying to clear my head and get a sense of independence - while I still can -while crafting my own little Ha-Hacienda. And even in light of recent…world-changing events…I’m clinging to my projects with my sharp, sharp nails and my primitive canines, because while the world is clearly always awful I’ve got to enjoy some small slices of life on this absolute bitch of an Earth. Hope I didn’t scare any of ya with my absence. ❤️

P.S. If anyone wants to fill me in on what tumblr-centric and Batman-universe things I missed this past 6 months, the askbox and replies are open. Wrong answers, vague answers, and hieroglyphics accepted, as long as you cite your sources.

[greatwyrmgold]

More than a decade ago, I binged Avatar the Last Airbender. There's an Iroh quote that's stuck with me.

I still don't know.

Earlier tonight, I rewatched The Incel to Trans Pipeline and Inside Mari, a video essay about 4chan and transition and a manga about a messy "gender-swap" story. It wrecked me. Again. There are a few parts that affected me, but what stands out most is the autobiographical segment, where ceicocat talked about her experiences with gender and puberty and self-loathing.

There are parts of it that I find strongly resonant. There are parts that feel alienating. In the end, I'm left with two thoughts. I don't want what she needs. But I'm still envious.

It feels like, on some level, ceicocat always knew what she wanted, what she needed. She just needed someone to tell her that it was okay to want that. Just because she didn't match the stereotypical description gender dysphoria doesn't mean she had to suffer as a failed man. She wanted to be a woman, and she could be a woman.

It probably wasn't that clean in reality, but I don't know ceicocat. I only know her video essayist persona, the mirage she created with her autobiography. And I envy that mirage. Not for gender reasons, but because she knows who she is and what she wants.

I went to college for biology. Not to pursue any specific field, mind you. College was the next step in The Plan, the path that should lead from school to career to family to retirement to death. And I'd always dreamed of being a scientist. And my favorite branch of science was biology.

So I figured I'd just get a bio degree and wing it from there. But to go past a bachelor's degree, I'd have to pick a field of biology to specialize in. And that was a problem. I didn't know what I wanted. I just had vague dreams of being "a scientist". None of the labs I'd done in college had seized me, made me go "This is what I want to do with my life!" No field of study captured my imagination.

So I decided I'd figure out what I wanted to do by getting an entry-level science job. If it was something I liked, I could go to grad school. If it wasn't, I could get a different entry-level job.

(Cue laugh track)

Yeah, that didn't work. I spent a couple years submitting job applications, and got a couple interviews. Eventually I settled for a local food service job, then moved to a plastic factory. Then the pandemic hit and I lost that job.

Five years later, and I feel like I just graduated college again. I've got a basic accounting certification and no idea what I want to do with it. I like tax preparation, but it's not exactly a full-time gig. I should get some kind of job, so I can stop rotting in my family's spare bedrooms and get my own place and start my own career.

Rotting isn't going well for me. Sometimes I feel like my two emotional states are "numbing the pain" and "wallowing in misery". I'm enjoying something, then I remember the stuff I should've done instead, and suddenly I feel too shitty to either enjoy the thing or do the stuff.

But would getting a career actually help? Or would it just change where I'm rotting?

Who am I, and what do I want?

I've tried asking for help before. I read a self-help book my mom recommended, and it was full of empty platitudes, urging me to do things I knew I should do without telling me how. Various relatives have given me functionally identical advice.

For a while, I went to a vocational rehab program, which thankfully didn't give me empty platitudes. Instead, it gave me a grouchy social worker who helped me apply for jobs on Indeed. I didn't need that help throwing job applications into that digital void to be ignored; I'd been doing that on my own perfectly well. I needed a better solution than throwing job applications into a digital void.

I haven't asked for help in a while. What's the point? It doesn't help me do any of the things I should do. It doesn't help me figure out what I want. It sure as fuck doesn't tell me who I am.

Who am I, and what do I want?

I don't even know how to look inward. I try and all I see is confusion and self-loathing and Tumblr memes. Where do I start?

I feel like I'm missing something crucial. I wish I knew what. I wish I had some guess that didn't feel like a trap or a mire.

Do I need a career, a vocation, a purpose? At best that's vague wishy-washy nonsense, at worst it's boostrap rhetoric. And I don't know how to get there as I am now.

Do I need therapy? Would that do anything? I don't even know what I'd ask for. Would I get anything better than those fucking self-help platitudes? Self-help platitudes I have to pay for and waste hours to receive?

Do I need stronger antidepressants? Different ones? Because I'm pretty sure I'm having a pretty bad depressive episode right now, so I guess the stuff I've got isn't doing the job. Not sure that rolling the dice on that would actually do anything. Would my doctor even bother with it?

Do I need a better social life? Probably, but that's a worthless platitude. I'm a socially anxious autistic introvert who regularly struggles to get out of bed for meals and family obligations. You put the key behind the lock, asshole.

What else is there? Estrogen?? Would be great if it gave me what ceicocat got, but I'm pretty sure it would just make me hate my body more and alienate what passes for my friends and put me at risk for hate crimes.

Who am I? What do I want? Where do I go? Does any of this matter?

[one-lucky-day]

Thanks for the tag!!

Last song: "Popular" Wicked Soundtrack Last Book: Currently reading "Magdalena" by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard Favourite Colour: Right now I'm really into pastel colors specially lilac and pink Last Movie: Ex Ex Lovers (A Filipino Film) Last TV Show: Rewatching B99 Sweet, savory, or spicy: Savory Last google search: Had to google "Branches of Political Science" Looking forward to: Finishing all my projects! Tagging all cool people below! Thanks for the tag!! Last song: "Choose Me" Obey Me Soundtrack Last Book: Currently reading "Magdalena" by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard Favourite Colour: Right now I'm really into pastel colors specially lilac and pink Last Movie: Ex Ex Lovers (A Filipino Film) Last TV Show: Rewatching B99 Sweet, savory, or spicy: Savory Last google search: Had to google "Branches of Political Science" Looking forward to: Finishing all my projects!

Tagging all cool people below!

@sapphicsaebyeok @moonpadalecki @diamantdog @a-stray-wretched-dog @izzyfishie @mindorei @ironshieldchild @thehyperfixationcorner

[kingwuko]

Same anon as the one who read secret/asked abt Tadashi like, what, a week ago now? LOL . Read some more stuff of yours in the past few days and oh maan. It's so great. Don't know how to word this, but you write with the perfect amount of divergence in your canon-divergent fics, it's actually crazy! I havent been able to stop thinking abt 'em(the assassin bodyguard fic in particular. Obsessed with the branching being off the question in RepublicCity Hustle.). I'm absolutely hooked.

I guess this is a bit of an odd question, but I want to know what really inspires you to write. I rarely ever write fic (the last two things I wrote in general were short and had a good 5 year gap between them) despite how often my mind is racing about all these characters, and I think my quick forking through the Wuko tag + more free time coming soon means that might be something I should think about doing for once.. perhaps..

Thank you for your ask about Tadashi last week!!! I feel weird talking about OCs so having someone ask about one literally brings me so much excitement 🧡🧡🧡

And I'm really happy you enjoyed my other fics!!! These guys are so special to me and it's always wonderful to hear that other people enjoy what I put out there about Wuko!!!

Let me tell you about canon divergence. I LOVE canon. When I write for any fandom, I really like filling in the gaps of canon and sequals to tell the story beyond canon—with canon being the foundation. Canon divergence actually does not come easily to me 😭. I think because I really love the world of avatar it feels weird to me to mess with it too much!!! But I'm branching out and expanding myself and diverging from canon here and there... But it's like so important to me to keep it as close to canon as possible??? So I think that's where my particular flavor of canon divergence comes from. I'm just so attached to canon, when I mess with it I try to be really intentional!!!

This is not an odd question! I love sharing what inspires me. I love discussing all the things that inspire my ideas—asks, conversations over DMs and in my discord server, discussions with beta readers, my TTRPG game, other fics and of course rewatching the show/rereading the comics. I definitely draw inspiration from lots of sources. I actually went through a few audiobooks on general writing tips last summer while I was mowing the lawn and those gave me some inspiration too!! (I used the 'save the cat' outline method for my assassin fic after listening to Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. It actually helped a lot and I'm quite happy with the results so far! I guess we'll see when the fic is finished if the ending lives up to expectations lol)

But what inspires me to actually take my ideas and write them down?? If I had to pinpoint it, I'd say it's 300mg of Bupropion XL tablets taken once daily every morning 🤣 I'm not joking!!! I had ideas racing around in my head for ages but I was too overwhelmed with life, depressed, and unfocused to sit down and try to write anything. Getting medicated has helped me with every facet of my life, including enjoying my hobbies, writing being one of them.

If you want a beta reader I'm always up for that too!!! Having a beta reader helps me quite a bit and I'm always up for paying it forward and helping populate the Wuko tag lol!

[earthbovndmisfit]

I've been seeing lots of takes lately with people feeling hatred towards part 2 Speedwagon for being a greedy capitalist who probably exploited people and done some shady stuff to become wealthy because there was '''no way he could have become rich just from oil money'''... thoughts?

it's so disappointing to see some bad takes about the Speedwagon Foundation being some "acshually nasty organization" and about Speedwagon supposedly becoming some heartless rich man popping up again. And like, I shouldn't even be surprised at this point considering how the average "Jojo fan" mistreats Part 1 and 2 and alllll the misinformation they love to spread about them and about some characters in particular, often bastardizing them into wildly out of character versions and pretending those fanons are canon for whatever reason (being Speedwagon one of the characters that gets bastardized like that the most), sometimes just to make Blorbo Of Their Choice look better by throwing every other character under the bus, sometimes just because people can't be bothered to pay attention to the og if there are no punching ghosts on sight (and even then, Jojo parts featuring stands get misinterpreted a lot too).

This is gonna be long, so let me start by saying that if y'all really believe that Speedwagon somehow became some nasty ass rich man, then you're completely misinformed and you (and I say "you" in general and not specifically you anon) might benefit from rereading/rewatching the source material and actually paying attention to the plot and details this time.

Like, I've seen people assuming that the Foundation only researched the stone mask and eventually stand stuff, and completely forgetting that one of the literal main goals and also one of the biggest things the Foundation does is seeking for the betterment of the planet as a whole (preserving nature, wildlife, etc) as well as for the betterment of medicine and health care, actually seeking for the best for all humankind, this in addition to all the secret branches it has for the research of supernatural phenomena like stands, stone masks, pillar men, and so on in order to prevent as many incidents with them as possible and prevent the loss of as innocent lives as possible.

Sure, the people working for those latter branches might get into deep trouble sometimes whenever some jerk with a stone mask or a stand starts some shit, but, another thing jojo fans tend to conveniently forget is that those employees are working for the secret/non-public branches of the Foundation. We as audience know about them because we are let into seeing them working as part of the narrative, however, the public in general within the story DO NOT KNOW about the existence of those branches or what they do. Pillar men, stone masks, stands and the research around them are kept in secret in order to prevent any sorts of chaos and ensuing panic, among other safety reasons.

The people working for those branches are specialized or at least have some prior knowledge on those fields they work in (you'd think it is a MUST considering they are being let in on sensitive information that could be super detrimental for the planet and for humankind if it fell in the wrong hands), meaning that those employees already know and are fully aware of the kind of stuff they're going to deal with there from the start. They weren't deceived into it, and the fact that the employees remain loyal to Speedwagon from start to end and respect and follow his will, even long after his death, denotes that there was some deep and mutual respect and appreciation there, something you can't earn through exploitation, and definitely something these people wouldn't have done had Speedwagon been the heartless tyrant rich old man some people with a lack of media literacy want to believe and make others believe he was.

If people paid just a wee bit more attention to earlier Jojo parts, they would have realized it was all spelled out from the beginning too! Speedwagon expressly states from the very start his disgust and hatred towards the rich, being the Joestars the only exception to that due to them being genuinely kind persons, unlike most other wealthy people out there. He was also implied to have been dirt poor for most of his life and was also stated to have lived in the slums at least up to PB's main timeline. There were never any indications or signs that showed that he ever betrayed those roots of his by siding with the rich against the poor over the years. Instead, he's been using his funds to make the whole world a better place for everyone, not only by improving health care and access for all people as well as the environment (which would actually show a sense of duty from him as he is counteracting whatever negative impact his oil company may have had on the planet), but also providing all the aid he can against supernatural threats.

And not just that, but he's also kept some of his connections with the crime world over the years. However, rather than using those connections for selfish goals, he makes use of them to workaround the system in cases like Lisa Lisa's, where he used all those influences he had to help her go successfully into hiding after killing the zombie that murdered George (an undercover zombie that was actually a higher up within the army and who everyone believed to be a regular human, hence their chasing after her to make her pay for that "crime" she had supposedly committed). Additionally, if you know anything about big companies and organizations, you'll know that the law is also not always there to protect regular people, and sometimes, it will cater to the more profitable goals, as well as some businessmen actively being shady af and "hindering" their rivals for their own benefit. The Speedwagon Foundation being an organization that vouches and actively works for the wellbeing of people would have probably ruffled countless feathers among those who seek for a personal gain, to say the least (think of the hijackers that tried to kidnap him, as shown in the flashback in BT, i.e). This is also where those connections he keeps with criminals come into play, as there are never any mentions about Speedwagon doing shady stuff through them nor using them to pursue some personal goal, which hints at the fact that he keeps and uses those nexus as means of protection against actual enemies. Defense rather than offense, if you will.

Also, lets not forget that Speedwagon found his reason to change his ways when he met Jonathan, and that a lot of the things the Foundation does are things Jonathan himself would have gone into had he not passed away (the archaeological research, the deep studying of the stone mask -which eventually led to the discovery of the pillar men just in time before their awakening-, all in order to prevent more incidents like the whole thing with Dio from happening, and so on). It's downright silly to think Speedwagon would even think of betraying Jonathan and his memory by using not only the second chance he received from Jojo himself, but also using the literal monument Speedwagon built to honor the deep bond and mutual affection the two had back when Jonathan was alive for some selfish goal.

And also, lets not forget how disgusted he was with Dio and every single vile thing he did to everyone. Do you really think he would want to follow a path similar to his, in which people are just another step for him to walk all over?? If so, then you sure are completely wrong about who Speedwagon really is like.

Those "he became some nasty capitalist lol", pretending that Spw became some heartless and selfish wealthy man along the way for no reason, all despite the heaps of constant evidence the canon has presented, even long after Speedwagon's passing away in the story, that shows that that was never the case only go to show that people are lazy and that paying attention to the story and the details in it is just something some Jojo fans will actively refuse to do and then will make the worst bullshit takes up about it.

Also?? People do realize that it's possible to become rich and not be some piece of shit?? Like, sure, I do agree that most wealthy people irl ARE shit and scummy af, but there will always be a few exceptions, you just don't always see them because the real kind ones don't go around telling everyone about every single kind act they do, they just put their money to good use to make their own employees lives better, or invest/donate money every chance they get to some organization of their trust and so on. Adding to this, do you all even realize people can't just throw money out of the window and that as a business person you always need to keep some capital to actually make your business thrive and so you can continue helping other people out in this case where BIG SUMS of money are being put to use in favor of actual civilians and people from all walks of life??

((Edit to add yet another Very Obvious display that Speedwagon never sided with the rich, not even in his older years: Smokey Brown! The kid is literally a mirror of Speedwagon’s own younger self in that both were criminals from the streets in a large city (London in Spw’s case, NY in Smokey’s), immersed in crime and poverty and most likely having to resort to crime as a mean to survive in a society that was even more classist (and also racist, and this can actually be seen in BT when one of the mafiosos starts spewing shit towards Smokey due to his skin color) than it is nowadays, both having no known parents or family either and having been most likely orphaned/abandoned. Had Speedwagon been this nasty ass rich man, he could have simply ignored Smokey or treated him poorly, or could have even turned him to authorities, considering Smokey’s criminal record just for the sake of “preventing him from stealing from him” or whatever. There was literally nothing Spw could benefit himself from by keeping Smokey around like he did, which is a core trait in abusive/exploitative people. However, he never did any of that. Instead, and despite the reigning classism and racism at the time, Speedwagon along with Erina always embraced Smokey from the start and basically became his godparents, never letting the kid go back to his life in the streets, providing him with everything he needed and making sure he received a proper education, which was something very few people of color (black people, specially) could receive. And yet, Speedwagon and Erina made it happen, very likely using some of Spw’s influences to allow Smokey go to the school (and eventually college too) of his choice without any stigma or trouble at all and covering all expenses for him. -end of edit-))

If this was, idk, the Metal Gear series or some other media that revolves around the topic of politics, then the whole "cRaPiTaLisM!!! >:O" thing would have some weight and be plausible as it directly impacts the main plot of the story. But here?? In Jojo's?? Where the main focus as stated by it's author himself is the strength of the human spirit overcoming obstacles in the face of actual evil??? Try harder.

And, before I get That One Type of fans yelling at me that "people don't just get rich without exploiting people in real life!!"… do you guys realize we're talking about animanga series where vampires, funky stone masks with spooky powers, pillar men, stands, people who can use some ancient sunpowered martial art, plankton that can turn into a sentient person, and so on can happen, right? And yet I don't see anyone whining that "tHaT DoEsN'T hApPeN iRl!!".

And like, if this whole claim stems from disliking Speedwagon, just say you don't like him and move the fuck on. You don't need to try to justify your disliking for him or for ANY other characters, let alone making up wildly out of character bullshit about them to try to prove to yourself and to everyone else why according to you the character is "bad". I promise you it is not a big deal to simply not vibe with a character.

[iftadwascool]

TeamFourStar is really funny to me. because outside Dragon Ball Z Abridged they kind of just suck. i don't mean personally. well i do find that Kaiser guy annoying AF. so much so i have to mute him on any socials i find him on. because hes so self righteous about every little thing.

that's why stuff like HFIL series that takes forever to produce and those DBZA shorts that they dont really do anymore are the only things that really keeps them going. they've tried to branch out with that terrible Final Fantasy 7 show and their Attack on Titan thing. but that got canned after 1 episode because, like the nature of the game, the owners shut that shit down HARD. the DBZA BTS Retrospectives videos were fun for the most part that Takahata101 guy couldn't stop making it about himself, the DBGT rewatch got a bit tedious, like the show they were watching, and i dont even think they do their podcasts anymore. i don't want to even touch their second channel. its just all over the place.

the only other successful show they've done was Hellsing Abridged. and that's been over with for SEVEN YEARS NOW. what helped was that it came out during their height and was more just "a once a year" Halloween Special. also it let them just do some very funny raunchy things they wouldn't with DBZA. what also helped was different people from the crew held different production positions. so it wouldn't be just a carbon copy. plus, this remix just fucking slaps.

i do genuinely feel bad for them. they're a really good team. they just cant do anything outside of Dragon Ball it seems. i don't know if its because of us, the fans, or themselves. they've milked Dragon Ball harder that Toei has EVER done, and in doing so they pigeonholed themselves to it. i think that's why everyone was so excited for those Buu Bits that came out last year. it was the perfect combo of nostalgia and something new that everyone wanted.

while they do deserve some of the hate they get. the whole "will they/wont they" with the Buu Saga/Patreon debacle being the biggest. was kind of scummy. they did, i believe, offer anyone who wanted it a full refund. it just took them forever after they decided early on they weren't going to do it.

as a whole though, they don't deserve the bad rep they get. its not their fault idiots didn't actually watch Dragon Ball and took to the internet that their comedy redub was gospel while running some of their jokes into the ground. they literally had this at the beginning of every god damn episode. telling people to watch the fucking show.

[exilley]

hi exilley.. wondering if i can get your take on disco elysium playthroughs? thinking about watching one as an alternative because i can't play the game, is de a game that works as a playthrough and if so do you recommend any? don't know the details but it seems some options are going to be unavoidably missed and there are paths you must choose individually.. is this a matter of choosing a good playthrough (political alignments come to mind) or is it a game better reserved for personal interactive playing?

HI JEMM I'M SORRY IT TOOK ME OVER A DAY TO RESPOND. i was lost in the sludge. sad!

unfortunately it is as you speculate: DE is not an experience well-suited to be relegated to a playthrough. the game's core mechanics are built around player agency and the machinations of thought. you accumulate skill points and assign them to different skills across various categories and navigate the story by uncovering new insights based on the political and interpersonal leanings you opt for Harry. there is foundationally no way for any two playthroughs to be the same. THAT BEING SAID. all this means is that Disco Elysium's thematic content is built on its replayability. while i think it's impossible for something to substitute the experiential factor/metatext of the game's merits, i don't think it's impossible for people to engage with the story on its face. start with watching the full playthrough linked, then branch out and look for more specific scenes/sequences that people have uploaded to youtube. rewatch parts you've already seen before, compare different playthroughs from different people, and if you want to commit that sort of time and energy, this is a great resource to reference specific lines for analytical purposes.

this game is something very special for a lot of people and from what i know of your interests you'll really like it! Disco Elysium is essentially just a glorified text adventure, so its gameplay is 90% reading anyway. just dont go into the tumblr tags until you've seen at least a full playthrough of the game though. trust ^_^